by Linsey Hall
I grimaced. Her tone was so determined. She had set up camp on this remote island two hundred years ago and wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.
Behind her, there was a curse and a shuffle. I peered around Zoya’s shoulder. There were more people in the bar now, a cluster of raggedy looking fellows. I squinted.
Demons.
Seven of them.
Two more appeared, making a total of nine. All were laden down with weapons.
“Zoya?” I asked. “Are demons a common occurrence here?”
“Not particularly. Too far off the beaten path for their shenanigans.”
Hmmm. That’s what I’d been afraid of. I shared a glance with Roarke. From the glint in his eyes, he shared my concern. This wasn’t the first time I’d been hunted by demons.
The newcomers were scanning the crowd, clearly searching for someone. They clustered around a big demon—easily seven and a half feet tall—who had thick horns and a bulbous nose. A large sword hung at his side.
These guys definitely weren’t here for just a beer.
The leader’s gaze landed on me and narrowed.
Chapter Three
The demon who stared at me muttered something to the one next to him.
“Yep, they’re looking for you,” Roarke murmured.
“We shouldn’t take our invisibility potions, or we’ll lose our shot at convincing Zoya to take us to the Oriamor,” I whispered. “Let’s kill these guys and get back to convincing her.”
Roarke nodded.
Zoya gazed at us with her brows raised, trying to make out our low words, then turned to look at the demons.
“Shit,” she muttered. “They look like trouble.”
“At least there are only nine of them.” I stood, drawing my sword from the ether.
“That’s a lot,” Zoya muttered.
“We’ve faced worse.” Roarke shifted into his demon form, eliciting a gasp from Zoya.
The demons charged, shoving aside tables and tossing patrons to the ground. Clyde jumped up and grabbed his bourbon, then sprinted for safety. He was spry for an old ghost.
The big boss demon led the way, but I wasn’t worried about him. Not yet. It was the fire demons on either side of them who caught my eye. Each had powered up a fireball that glowed red hot in their hands.
Aleta’s words about Phantoms flashed in my mind. Instead of shifting, I dodged the first fireball by inches. Zoya threw herself to the ground and crawled toward the safety of the bar. The second fireball flew for my chest. Though I lunged to the side, it grazed my shoulder in a blaze of pain.
Roarke took to the air, hurtling toward the oncoming demons. He grabbed each of the fire demons by the collar and hoisted them into the air, then tossed them into the river. They landed with a massive splash and didn’t surface. Should have learned to swim.
An unconventional fire extinguisher, but it worked.
Roarke took on two more demons while I powered up an icicle and shot it at the big guy. He batted it aside, too quickly for such a large figure. Apparently he had strength and speed.
So I was screwed. Especially since he still had four smaller demons flanking him, and they were only a dozen yards away.
Fortunately, the pirate ghost came to my aid, taking on a smaller demon by hurling himself at him and wrapping his arms around the thin red body. The demon shrieked.
“Burn!” cried the parrot.
Flirty and bloodthirsty, that bird.
I tried one more time with an icicle, but the big demon batted it away. Shit. Dumb. I needed to quit going for the big guy and take out someone who couldn’t throw off my defenses.
I narrowed my eyes and aimed at the demon farthest to the left, a slender gray one who carried a broad axe that I didn’t want to meet the business end of. Fortunately, he wasn’t so fast. The icicle hit him in the side when he was too slow to dodge, and he went down hard. Clyde ran in for a kick, not spilling a drop of his bourbon.
Roarke plucked up one of the last two small demons and carried him high into the air, breaking his neck. The big demon was close enough that I lunged for him, swiping out with my sword.
It bounced off of his rubbery hide. I tried again, this time stabbing toward his middle. It didn’t pierce him—not a single inch.
He grinned at me, his yellow teeth sharpened into points.
“What the hell are you?” I demanded.
“Death,” he rumbled.
“Sorry, bud, that’s me.” But his resistance to steel would come in handy if I could steal his power.
How, though? I’d have to shift—and that wasn’t a good idea in front of all these people.
The thought was swept from my mind as he reached for me with one big hand. He was fast as a snake, grabbing me by the collar and yanking me toward him. He wrapped his beefy arms around me and squeezed.
The breath burst from me as he crushed my lungs. My ribs ground together. Blackness edged into my vision. Pain enveloped my chest as my ribs cracked.
Holy shit, he was crushing me to death. He was so fast and so strong that he’d gotten the upper hand in a heartbeat.
“The Shadows send their regards,” the demon growled from behind me. His breath was hot on my ear. Ugh.
I glanced up, frantically searching for Roarke through blurry eyes. But he was nowhere. The blackness crept in until I could only see a pinprick. I had only seconds.
Desperately, I shifted into my Phantom form, letting the icy magic fill me. The pain lingered, but my vision cleared as the pressure of his arms no longer affected me.
“What the hell!” the demon rasped.
“Monster!” cried a ghost, pointing at me.
Fuck that guy, I had work to do. I leapt away from the demon, spinning to face him. Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see the horrified expressions on the bar patrons’ faces as they looked at me.
“Phantom!” one cried. “She’ll steal your soul!”
The priest who’d been on the boat over with us made a cross over his chest.
It hurt. I wasn’t normally prone to caring about other’s opinions, but I’d never revealed myself as another in front of so many people.
And they all thought I was a monster.
Fuck ‘em. I shook away the concern and focused on the demon who’d almost killed me. I needed to focus—to use some kind of magic that he couldn’t fight.
He stepped toward me, so I used my telekinesis to throw a wooden stump at him. He tripped over it, slowing briefly, but righted himself. I threw another stump, giving it as much juice as I could, and it hit him in the head. He wobbled, eyes rolling, and I used his distraction to throw an icicle at him.
He tried to bat it away, but the disorientation made him too slow. The thing plowed into his chest, piercing the skin and muscle. It didn’t sink as deep as it normally would, but he toppled backward.
Behind him, Roarke took out the remaining two demons, quickly tearing their heads from their bodies.
I rushed forward, about to steal his power, but the gazes of the bar patrons pulled me up short. They stood in a massive circle around me, eyes riveted to my icy blue form. Fear and disgust glinted in their gazes.
Right.
Monster. That was me.
I slowed to a halt. I couldn’t steal this demon’s power—not in front of these guys.
“She’s going to steal his soul,” muttered one.
“Abomination,” said another.
Shit. They had a point. I did steal their souls when I took their powers. Guilt crept in. I changed back to human. Roarke landed next to me and glared at everyone.
“Got a problem?” he demanded.
They all shifted uncomfortably, then broke up and drifted away, taking up their seats at the bars.
Warmth filled me, and I glanced at Roarke. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
The demon’s bodies would disappear soon. I knelt by the one closest to me, rifled through his pockets, and pulled out a transportation charm. Jackpot
.
“Check the others,” I said.
There were only five demon bodies that hadn’t yet disappeared. We didn’t get any more charms, but at least we looked.
“They were from the Shadows?” Roarke asked.
“Yep.”
I stood, then searched for Zoya. She leaned against the bar, staring at us. A frown spread across her face.
I approached, Roarke at my side.
“They were from the portal in Oriamor, weren’t they?” Zoya asked.
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
“Demons don’t often come here. Not that many. The ghosts bother them. But they risked it. To get to you.”
I nodded. “They want to stop me from closing the portal. Their goal is to overrun Earth. Any demon who wants out of the Underworld can just walk through.”
“Shit.” Zoya dragged a hand through her hair and stared at the ground.
“You can see why we need your help,” Roarke said. “It’s desperate.”
Zoya looked up, her blue eyes torn. “I know, damn it. I know.” She heaved out a sigh. “Give me a moment.”
She turned and walked to the edge of the bar, drifting into the woods. Once she was about twenty yards away, she pulled a phone out of her pocket and made a call. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she was gesturing with her hands pretty like she was conducting an orchestra.
Finally, she hung up the phone and returned, her gaze resigned but determined. “I’ll help you. But I can’t do it until tomorrow night. I’ve got some things to settle here first.”
“Settle?” I asked. “I don’t plan to be gone long.”
“I’m not allowed back into Oriamor. The protections are closed against me. I can probably get through them, but probably isn’t one hundred percent.”
And if she didn’t get through them, she’d die. It was clear what she meant.
“Of course.” I tried to gentle my voice. “Thank you for your help.”
“Don’t see as how I have any other choice.” She shrugged. “Give me an address, and I’ll meet you at six tomorrow night.”
Victory. Her agreement had just improved our chances of success tenfold. I’d just have to do my best to see to it that she didn’t get hurt and could come back here to live out the rest of her days in peace with the pirate, his parrot, and Clyde.
We walked into Roarke’s house later that night. We’d considered going back to my place, but his was nicer. And I really wanted a shower in his sweet guest bath.
“I’m going to get cleaned up,” I said.
“All right. We’ll eat after.”
I grinned. “Thanks. Glad you’re always on top of that.”
He shrugged. “I like to eat.”
I gave him a quick kiss, then hurried up the stairs to the bathroom I usually used when I was here. I supposed I could use his, but I never had before, so I wanted to stick to the usual. We were closer than ever, but I still didn’t feel quite comfortable just running around his house wherever I pleased. I knew he wouldn’t care—it was more my thing. I’d never been in a truly serious relationship before, and with every day that passed, this was starting to feel like the real deal.
I couldn’t resist spending a few extra moments in the grotto as the hot water pounded down upon me. The soaps and shampoos were lovely—about a thousand times nicer than the crap I used from the drugstore down the street. Fancy bath stuff wasn’t my usual jam—I’d once gone six months using body wash for shampoo without realizing it—but Roarke’s stuff was beginning to make me see the error of my ways.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the memory of the ghosts back at the bar staring at me in horror. I counted the stones that made up the walls of the shower and tried to remember my multiplication tables, but it didn’t clear my mind.
Eventually, I gave up and climbed out, scrubbing myself dry and putting on some pajamas that I’d stored in the dresser. Once I was fully dry, with my damp hair piled on top of my head, I sat on the bed and touched my comms charm.
“Cass? Nix? You there?”
“Here!” Cass’s voice came first.
“How’d it go? Find anything?” Nix asked.
“Yeah. Oriamor the person, not Oriamor the place. But she’ll lead us to it.”
“Where’s it at?” Nix asked.
“Kamchatka, in easternmost Russia.”
Cass whistled. “That’s remote.”
“No kidding. And apparently it’s protected by enchantments the likes of which we’ve never seen.”
“Dang, that’s something,” Cass said.
I told them everything that Zoya had said, emphasizing the danger, then finished with, “So I think this is it. We’re got to be ready to fight when we get there. There’ll be no second chances.”
“We’ll go with you,” Nix said.
“Ditto,” Cass said.
My heart warmed, and I didn’t bother arguing with them. I needed their help. And they’d never take no for an answer. I knew I wouldn’t. “Thanks, guys. Meet us at Ancient Magic at six p.m. tomorrow.”
My niggling concern over the ghosts’ disgust with me lingered, poking at me to confess to my deirfiúr. But that was stupid. This worry was stupid. We were FireSouls. We were used to being considered monsters—I should be tougher than caring what a bunch of ghosts thought.
But the things they’d said… Soul stealer. Was that really me?
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Cass said before I could mention my concern. It was for the best.
“Later,” Nix said.
“Bye.” I hung up, then stood. My stomach growled, ready for food, and I headed downstairs. The house smelled of wood fire, and the walls were lit with warm light as I made my way through the living room.
I found Roarke in the kitchen, an array of ingredients set up before him, and classic rock on the radio. There were small bowls of veggies, cheese, and red sauce, along with two pizza crusts.
He looked up and smiled. “Build your own pizza. I thought you’d like it. It’s fun.”
I smiled, but I could feel that it didn’t reach my eyes.
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
I headed toward the box of wine on the counter. “Nothing.”
“Sure doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“I don’t want to bother you with my dumb problems.”
“You’re never dumb.”
“Debatable.” I filled my coffee mug with the wine. “There was this time when I was sixteen and thought I could drive one hundred in a fifty-five.”
He winced. “Well, besides that…”
I sighed. “It really is dumb, though.”
“Tell me about it anyway.”
I leaned against the counter and met his dark gaze. He was so handsome, with his dark hair and eyes and the thin sweater that draped so appealingly over his muscular chest. I couldn’t believe a guy like him liked me, and that he wanted to listen to all my silly problems.
“Come on,” he said.
“Fine. Back at the bar, the ghosts were horrified by me. By the fact that I’m a Phantom and can steal powers.”
“And that bothers you?”
“It shouldn’t.” I wanted to throw my hands up in the air, but I didn’t want to lose my wine, so I kept them down. “I shouldn’t care what the ghosts think. I’m a FireSoul. I’ve spent my life hiding because people hate what I am. Why do I start caring now?”
“Maybe because they’re a bit like you, in a way? Ghosts and Phantoms aren’t too different. It’s like being rejected by your own kind. That’s hard.”
I winced, but he might be onto something. Though that wasn’t the whole of it. “I’m worried they might also have a point. About me being a soul stealer.”
That was what was really bothering me. Not that they didn’t like me—though it had sucked in the moment to realize it—but that they might have a point that I was a terrible person.
“How so?”
I stared hard into the deep red liquid i
n my cup. “When I steal powers, I do it by pulling out the demon’s soul. And then they can’t go back to the Underworld like other demons. So technically, I’m killing them forever. Poof! Gone. It’s awful.”
“Not really,” he said. “I know what those demons are like—you only chose the worst of the worst. You worked hard to pick the ones who fed on pain and misery. You were careful. The world is better without them.”
His words made me feel a tiny bit better. “But is it really up to me to be judge and jury?”
“When it saves lives, why not? You’re working for the world’s best interest, Del.”
“You have a point. It’s just…harder than I thought it would be, I guess. Up until now, I was just a mercenary with a side gig hunting down magical treasure.”
“And things are different now.”
“Exactly. I have a lot of power—almost too much. And it’s kind of a dark power.”
“But you’re not a dark person.”
“I hope I’m not. If I was going to be worried about soul stealing, I should have started worrying a while ago.”
“No. You were trusting your instinct. Only now that things have gotten harder and there’s more pressure than ever, you’ve started doubting yourself. It’s only human.”
I grinned, feeling a bit better. “I guess you’re right. I’ll take being human any day. And no matter how dark my power is, I can try to use it for good. I have to use it for good.”
“You’ve always known that part of your journey would be choosing whether or not to be the Guardian or the Demise. You chose Guardian. And you’re sticking to it.”
“Of course!”
“See? You’re commitment is clear. This new worry is just because of stress.”
I hugged him, absorbing his warmth and strength as he wrapped his arms around me. “You’re right. My deirfiúr and I have had a bit of a rough year. I think my nerves are shot.”
I hadn’t exactly been handling this transition gracefully, that was for sure. Last week I was stealing powers willy-nilly; this week I was a ball of doubts. But just admitting to my flaws made them feel easier to conquer. I hadn’t wanted to be tasked with saving the world, but I didn’t have any choice. So I should just get over my worry to get on with the job.