The Devil's Soldier

by Rachel McClellan

  His eyes flashed to the broken balcony where many people were still scrambling to get off. "You could do better."

  Alarica laughed. "Very true, and that's why I need you."

  He frowned. "I don't understand."

  "You see, Boaz put a spell on this necklace that is making me do whatever he says. I need that spell broken." Alarica sensed Lucien coming up behind her. She quickly spun around and shocked him from the balcony. His body flew through the air and hit the ground. She turned back to Henry. "So, how about a trade? You get rid of this spell, and I'll keep your secret."

  "Maybe we can discuss this another time," Henry said. Deep creases etched his forehead as he continued to concentrate on telepathically holding up the balcony. She didn't appreciate the distraction while she was trying to have a conversation with him.

  She turned toward the balcony and stretched forth her hand. With a spin of her fingers, the entire structure collapsed to the floor, sending a plume of dust into the air. Several people screamed in terror. Their sounds only added to the macabre music playing from the DJ's table.

  Henry's face twisted into both horror and anger. "Fine. Come close, and I'll fix your little problem."

  "Do you think I'm an idiot?" she asked. "The second I come near you, you're going to try and get my necklace."

  She touched the dangling orb hanging from her neck. To everyone else it appeared as a tiny jewel.

  Out of nowhere, Lucien leapt up and over the railing, his fangs barred. She barely had time to raise her hand, trapping him midair within a tight ball of energy.

  "It's not time for you," she growled at Lucien.

  Henry lunged for her, his hand outstretched toward the necklace. Alarica back-handed him across the face with such force that his body spun around.

  "Enough of this!" She cast her arms downward, propelling her once more into the air.

  Lucien fell from her mental cocoon and landed in a crouching position upon the floor.

  "There's nowhere for you to go, Alarica," Henry said. He was following her slowly along the remaining balcony while her body floated high in the center of the room.

  "Who said I'm trying to leave?" She glanced down at a woman who was crying and holding her ankle. A man was trying to help her to stand. His efforts were pointless. Only Alarica could help.

  She mentally took hold of the woman's leg and twisted hard, flipping the woman onto her stomach. The woman cried in pain and clawed at the concrete floor as Alarica drug her to the center of the room. Charlie and Liane rushed to help her, but Alarica sent a burst of energy toward them, knocking them both into a wall. She raised her left hand high, her fingers pressed together. Just before she snapped them apart, she turned to Henry and winked. Her fingers parted. At the same time, all five extremities of the woman, her legs, arms and head, were torn from her body, spraying blood across the room, but it looked more like ink beneath the room's blue lighting, which disappointed her.

  Henry growled low and pushed forward with both of his hands. An invisible force smashed Alarica in the chest, sending her spinning across the room until she smashed into a metal pipe near the ceiling. She grunted but then smiled. It was nice to have a little competition.

  Lucien was below her, his face straining in concentration and hands pointed toward her.

  "It's useless, Lucien," she called to him and laughed. "Your magic is mine for the time being. And it feels good inside me." She rubbed her hands across her stomach seductively.

  Henry shifted his body weight, not much, but enough to make Alarica think he was going to try and attack her. She was about to strike first, when people dressed in black and dark green uniforms came pouring into the room, brandishing weapons. This must be the DSRD.

  Time for the show.

  Alarica blew on her hand then closed it into a fist. She spun her wrist round and round, faster and faster.

  "Everybody freeze!" a tall man below yelled. He had a gun pointed at Lucien's back. The other men with him had their weapons fixed around the room.

  Charlie and Liane stood in front of a group people huddled into a corner. Henry backed up against the wall, out of their eyesight.

  "Somebody kill the music!" the same man shouted.

  "My pleasure," Alarica whispered. She opened her closed fist toward the DJ's table and released a ball of fire. It exploded into the back of the room, knocking most of the people to the floor. She released another one toward the corner where Charlie and Liane stood with several others, but Liane lifted both her hands and whispered something Alarica couldn't hear. The approaching fire changed to water before impact.

  Alarica scowled and turned to release more flames, but at the last second she caught Liane smiling and winking at her. It was an odd reaction, one she would have to explore when there wasn't other things for her to do.

  All of a sudden, a gust of wind slammed her from above, knocking her from the air. She dropped to the ground on all fours, her knees cracking against the concrete flooring, sending a wave of pain throughout her body. Henry was looking at her over the railing with his hand raised as if to strike her again.

  She rolled over and concentrated on the column holding up the balcony Henry was standing on. Just as she exploded it, Lucien leapt into the air over her, but before he landed, a shot rang out. A bullet tore through Lucien's shoulder, and he fell to the ground near her.

  "I said freeze!" the DHRD man yelled.

  Alarica could barely hear him over the loud crashing sound of twisted metal and debris from the second fallen balcony.

  Another man appeared behind the leader of the DHRD, wearing the same uniform, but this one wasn't holding a weapon. Instead, long fangs filled his open mouth and sharp claws grew from his fingers. He must be part of the special team Tom had mentioned.

  Alarica rose from the ground. Lucien reached for her, but she stepped over him and said, "No one commands me."

  The gun fired again, but she stopped its progress with a mere glance. With a twist of her fingers, the bullet changed directions and shot through the air. It hit the DHRD agent directly between his eyes, but it didn't just leave a hole—it exploded his whole head.

  The vampire next to him charged Alarica. She let him come to engage her in hand-to-hand combat. She wanted to see what was so special about him, but before she could, she needed to make sure the other DHRD soldiers stayed busy. With the back of the club already on fire, she quickly sent another fireball to the bar where two DHRD agents were attempting to circle around her. The explosion was made worse by the copious amounts of alcohol behind the counter. Even she stumbled a bit when the ground shook, but she managed to right herself just as the vampire reached her.

  He punched hard and fast. Alarica blocked the move and countered with her own direct hit to his chest. He flew back a few feet and rushed her again. She blocked his many punches and kicks, and all of his spins and jumps proved useless, as she was able to maneuver around them. His face turned red, and he snarled just before attacking her again.

  In his mind, he probably thought he was fighting ferociously, but to her, his moves were slow and clunky. What did concern her, however, was Lucien. He looked calm as he slowly circled them, yet she could feel the storm brewing inside him. His magic was returning faster than she expected. She better hurry. Dealing with both Lucien and Henry might be more than she could handle.

  Just as the vampire lunged a tight fist at her face, Alarica moved to the side and gripped the vampire by the throat. With a quick upward tug, she tossed his body into the raging fire not more than thirty feet away. He hadn't been so special after all.

  Another small explosion burst near the bar, as the fire must've found another supply of alcohol to burn. By the intense heat she felt licking at her skin, the building didn't have much longer.

  Lucien came to a stop not far in front of her. Henry was close behind him, hidden in the shadows. To the right of her, Liane stood tall, watching with casual indifference, another strange reaction. Alarica wasn't sure where Cha
rlie was. Probably trying to help the last of the humans escape.

  "What are you going to do, Lucien?" Alarica asked. "It's not like you're going to hurt this body. Although, I don't think I would mind a little pain from you."

  "Just fight me," he said, his voice low.

  "I already learned my lesson not to get too close to you, but that doesn't mean I won't fight." She lifted her arm and curled her fingers into the air while imagining Lucien's arm, the one that had been shot, being jerked to the floor. It did just that, with Lucien squirming to get free.

  At the same time, an invisible pressure accosted her mind. She hissed from the pain and glanced around. From within the shadows, Henry's eyes had turned brilliant green.

  While still maintaining her tight grip on Lucien, she focused on the pressure around her head. It was incredibly strong and, given enough time, she was afraid it might break her. But it wasn't just that. She sensed Charlie sneaking up behind her, and the way Liane was still standing there, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, made her think she might be in more trouble than she thought.

  Alarica crouched down near Lucien and sighed. "I really wanted more time with you, but it was not meant to be… yet. I'll see you soon."

  "Wait!" Lucien cried and reached for her, but she couldn't stay a second longer. The pressure against her head was almost too much to bear. One day, she would return the favor to Henry.

  36

  Lucien rolled onto his back, flames burning all around him. His hands were curled tight, and his teeth ground into each other until his jaw muscle ached. Alarica was gone. All because he had shown a moment of weakness and let her in. She had stolen his magic, the one thing that would've given him a fighting chance.

  Charlie crawled over to him. "We have to get out of here!"

  "I had her, Charlie," Lucien said. He raised his arm to his face. Sharp pain shot up his left shoulder where he was shot making him grimace.

  "It doesn't matter now. Come on." Charlie took hold of his right arm and helped him stand. Behind them, a metal beam crashed to the floor. The heat stung Lucien's skin. Any more and he would begin to blister.

  "Hurry!" Liane yelled near the open doorway.

  Lucien quickly surveyed the room. Several bodies were lying on the ground, some crushed, some burning. The remaining survivors had already escaped. "Where's Henry?"

  "He disappeared shortly after Alarica left. We're going to have to sneak out. There are a lot of police out there." Charlie hurried toward Liane, who was glancing nervously behind her. As a Supernatural, she should be nervous. Who knew how many DHRD agent were outside, just waiting to apprehend them.

  "I can get away," Lucien said, "but what about you two?"

  "I've got a plan. Just get out of here."

  Lucien reached the door and peeked outside. It was complete chaos. People were crying and screaming while policemen tried to gain control of the situation. Firemen were unloading from two fire trucks and would be entering the building soon. DHRD agents were talking to a couple of the calmer people, but a few of them had their weapons fixed on the doorway.

  "Go!" Charlie said to him. Liane was gripping his arm, a deep cut above her right eye.

  Lucien nodded and peered into the sky. He crouched low then sprung upward, bursting into a cloud of black. He raced through the night, dodging in and out of the buildings. The image of Eve that Alarica had placed in his mind still lingered, probably because he didn't want to let it go. Eve had been so close, and yet a million miles away.

  In just a few short minutes, Lucien landed on the rooftop of the building across from the Deific. He walked to the stairwell door leading down and tugged it open, breaking the lock. Lucien hurried down the steps to the apartment. Henry was waiting for him, pacing the room in circles, an uncharacteristic motion. Lucien closed the door behind him.

  "She's stronger than I expected," Henry said. "We should have been able to overpower her."

  "I'm partly to blame." Lucien slumped into the sofa and carefully removed his jacket. His left shoulder still ached from being shot. "She messed with my mind."

  Henry came to a stop. "But isn't that what I've been training you for? All these months of hard work for nothing! That could've been our best chance at getting Eve back."

  "Don't you think I know that? I want her back more than anyone!" Lucien breathed heavily through his nose, his mouth closed tight.

  He lifted his left sleeve to inspect the bullet wound. The bullet was still there, but was near the surface as his body was already trying to force it out.

  "It won't happen again," Lucien said and dug his fingers into the wound to retrieve the bullet. "I swear to you."

  Henry looked away and circled the room again. After a minute, he asked, "Where's Charlie?"

  "He'll be here soon. The place was swarming with police and DHRD agents." Lucien rotated his shoulder. "They proved real useful. They can't even tell who's on their side."

  "The DHRD is on no one's side but the President’s."

  "Do have any idea who this guy is? Where he came from?"

  Henry stopped near the window and peered out. "None. My only hope is that he's a pawn of Boaz, and once we destroy Boaz, all the rest of this nonsense will go away."

  "But everything's changed now that the whole world knows about Supernaturals. Nothing is going away."

  "And it's about to get worse."

  "What do you mean?" Lucien asked.

  Henry returned to pacing the room. "Text Charlie. Get him here soon."

  Lucien removed his cell phone from his pocket and sent a quick message to Charlie. Whatever was going on, Henry was more agitated than ever before.

  Lucien's phone vibrated. He glanced down at the message from Charlie. "He will be here in ten minutes. Maybe you should have a seat."

  "No."

  "Fine." Lucien leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes. He focused on building the magic within him back to its full power. The process wasn't difficult. He only had to think about rescuing Eve and destroying Boaz before his powers were restored. His whole body was consumed with rage for the vampire who had taken so much from so many.

  "You need to control that anger," Henry said.

  Lucien opened his eyes. He was about to say something, but the door flew open. Charlie hurried inside and closed it behind him.

  "I barely managed to get away," Charlie said. He hurried to the window and looked toward the Deific. "A few people saw me, and as soon as they realize I'm with the Deific, the DHRD are going to be all over me."

  "How did you get away?" Lucien asked.

  "Liane exaggerated her injuries, and I carried her out. They were more focused on helping her than asking me questions. An ambulance took her to the hospital, but she will meet up with me later."

  "What if they discover her witchy abilities?" Lucien asked.

  "Enough of this!" Henry said. "Did you see the cameras?"

  Lucien frowned. "Cameras?"

  Charlie nodded. "I counted at least four on the DHRD agents. They filmed the whole thing."

  "I didn't even notice," Lucien said, his voice low. Another stupid mistake. He wondered how much they captured of him on film.

  "Of course you didn't notice!" Charlie said. "What the hell, Lucien? We need you at a hundred percent."

  Lucien stood, anger coursing through him. "I know!"

  "I'm concerned about these cameras," Henry said, eyeing them both dangerously. "I was so concerned about fighting Alarica and staying out of sight from Liane, that they might've captured me. Keeping my identity secret is the only advantage we have over Boaz."

  "None of that matters if we can't get Eve back!" Lucien said.

  Charlie stormed over to him. "Now you care?"

  Lucien met him half way. "What's your problem?"

  "Both of you stop!" Henry roared.

  Charlie dropped to the couch and placed his head in his hands. "That was my last hope," he whispered.

  "What are you talking about?" Lucien asked
, his chest still heaving up and down.

  He looked up. "Eve's last hope. I meant to say Eve."

  Henry walked toward the front door. "Within hours, that footage is going to be plastered across the news. You better get some rest, Charlie. I have a feeling it's going to be a long day for you tomorrow."

  "I can handle it," Charlie said, but Lucien detected hopelessness in his voice.

  "Where are you going?" Lucien asked Henry.

  "I need to see Sable. She might have some ideas where Alarica might be."

  "What if she's with Boaz?"

  "We have a system." Henry opened the door. "Let's meet up here at the same time tomorrow night. Stay out of sight, Lucien. You don't want someone to recognize you from the video that's about to become the Internet's latest sensation."

  Instead of going through the door, Henry simply disappeared.

  "Hey, sorry about before," Charlie said as he slowly rose to his feet. "I know you want Eve back more than anyone."

  Lucien narrowed is eyes. "What's going on with you?"

  "It's nothing." He moved to walk through the door, but placed his hand upon the doorjamb, his back facing Lucien. "Don't give up hope. No matter how bad it gets, there will be a happy ending for you, Lucien."

  "What do you—"

  "I'll see you soon," Charlie interrupted and shut the door behind him.

  Lucien stared at the closed door. Charlie had been acting weird for some time now, which made Lucien think Charlie had had a premonition of some kind. The fact that he was keeping it a secret worried Lucien. Things were bad enough.

  He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was late. He debated whether to stick around or leave town. Most likely, his face would be plastered all over the television by morning. He should leave… but he knew he wouldn't. Alarica may resurface, or the Deific may need him.

  Lucien grabbed the laptop from off the kitchen counter and settled onto the sofa, his legs stretched long. Because he was going to be holed up for the next little while, he might as well see what he could find out on the Internet. If Alarica had been captured on film, maybe there would be other sightings of her.