“Says the sheriff who’s never home.”
Val checked his watch. “Let’s give ourselves a little extra leeway and head down.” He unlocked the weapons cabinet, removed a vile of holy water, a gun with silver bullets, and a silver sword—passing the latter to Trevor—standard weapons used against a traditional vampire. His telum was strapped to his leg.
On a deep breath, Val opened the door to the hallway that led to the confines reserved for supernaturals normally hard to contain. Lights came on as they traveled through the passageway.
Val came to the cell where he’d last locked up Payton. His gaze swept the interior. Incredulously, there wasn’t any sign of his vampire. “Payton,” he said, his voice a fiery growl.
He heard only their breathing and the slight shuffle of their feet. “Dino balls. I can’t believe this.” He slammed his palm against the jail bars. They caved under the onslaught, creating a giant, hand-size, inward curve.
Trevor gazed at the amulet bracelet on his wrist, saying, “The door is still locked from the outside. How did he escape?”
“They could have re-locked it from the outside. Perhaps to make some stupid point. But, otherwise, I don’t know. He damn sure didn’t trace with that holding collar on. And he had to have walked out of here with his own two feet. No vampire magic for him. He couldn’t have gone far since you have the matching amulet. He had to have help.” Val scrutinized the area. Unbelievable.
“But who?”
“My bet is on demons.”
“Great. I haven’t had a putrid mud bath in ages.” Trevor skewed his face to the side with a shudder.
“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” Val said as he tromped to the other first-class cell Payton had occupied until they’d discovered the pentagram. Val entered and checked the star. Upon close inspection, he found it had some gray ash scattered over it that he hadn’t noticed before. He wasn’t sure if it was because of something he’d read or if he acted due to sheer instinct, but he poured a tablespoon or so of the holy water onto the five-point star. The water bubbled and sputtered as if it were in a hot frying pan.
“What are you doing?” Trevor whispered, looking from the star to Val and then back again.
Val lifted a shoulder. “It works on veakling vampires and some demons, so I thought it might cleanse the star. Maybe make it so—”
“It will evaporate,” Trevor pointed out.
“Yes. So it won’t last long. But it may leave a holy imprint.” Val moved away, heading toward the door.
Trevor followed him. “You don’t think they went through the star, do you?”
“No. Only a demon would use the star willingly. I made a mistake by not getting rid of it,” he said, fisting his hand. “We need to meet with the others. At some point, Payton will search out Twyla to get her to remove the collar. We need to warn the group.”
Val swiftly led the way out. Twyla and the committee would be expecting Payton—sort of. They would think he’d be restrained by Val. That wouldn’t be the case. The only thing Payton couldn’t do was trace. Free and without hindrance, the veakling was definitely a strong and brutal opponent.
He needed to warn Twyla. He needed to be with her to protect her—like ten minutes ago.
* * *
The Raven’s Roost was a large abandoned building made of ancient rock. At ten o’clock at night, it loomed dark and foreboding behind her. Conjuring up a fire stone, Nora set it in the middle of the lawn. It emitted enough light so the Vulcan council could view each other and the surrounding lawn.
Her mother’s energy simmered just below the surface as Nora paced with Bran on her shoulder. The raven stretched his neck, peering around. Nora’s hand opened and closed over the hilt of the sword strapped to her hip. A childhood memory surfaced. One she’d long forgotten—of when Nora had pushed her four children behind her and faced a malevolent Jinn who was set on taking two of her children. Twyla didn’t remember why. She only recalled her fear as the Jinn snatched at Luna. But talk about the wrath of a momma lion protecting her cubs…There was literally nothing left of the Jinn when her mother had finished swinging her sword and accomplishing her magic.
Twyla touched her own sword. She didn’t think she could fight like that. She glanced at her hands. Her power was here, in her mystical wielding of energy.
“What’s taking them so long?” Nora queried to no one in particular, bringing Twyla out of her thoughts.
The council members had gathered at Raven’s Roost as Val had instructed. Sissy and Omar leaned against the gray flagstone pillars that supported the buildings portico. They were a contrast in every way. Her fair complexion and blonde hair looked frail and delicate compared to his Middle Eastern, bronzed skin. They were a brilliant example of the saying, you can’t judge a book by its cover. The angel could often be sassy and fierce while the reaper was quiet and thoughtful.
Diego lounged on his bike, leaning back with his elbow propped on the long seat as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Justin seemed to be trying to get some point across to him with large hand gestures and a fist slamming against his palm.
Annabelle flitted between each group, checking on them. She approached Nora and Twyla.
Nathaniel sat on the front steps next to Simon. “Come on veakling, let’s get this over with,” Nate mumbled. “I’d like to get home to my wife.”
“How’s Camille?” Simon asked.
“Great.” Nate hesitated, then an uncertain laugh rumbled out of him. “We just found out she’s pregnant. I’m going to be a papa. Can you believe that?”
Everyone’s attention snapped to Nate.
“What? Well, you can tell who’s not your best friend. Cuz I’m left in the dark,” Diego grumbled, sitting up on his bike. “Congrats, man.” He reached out to shake Nate’s hand.
Nate reciprocated. “Thanks. We haven’t told anyone.”
In the middle of the subsequent round of congratulations, Twyla’s phone chimed. It was Val. She turned her back on the group so she could hear him better.
“What? You’ve got to be kidding.” She couldn’t believe that Payton was gone. “Alright. I’ll see you in a bit.”
The chatter calmed, and all eyes were on her as she spun around, saying, “Payton escaped. Probably with the help of some demons.”
“Holy headlights,” Diego said.
“Yeah. We figured we’d have to fight them anyway, right?” Twyla asked with a resigned shrug. “Val and Trevor are on their way.”
“Payton will come after Twyla first,” Nora said. “He’ll want to get that collar off.”
The snap of branches being stepped on followed by a loud sneer came from the lawn. “You’re so smart, Nora.” Payton’s haughty laugh rolled over the group. The demons hung back behind him, with ugly effervescent grins, seeming anxious to create trouble.
Automatically, the Vulcan Council closed ranks in front of Twyla.
Payton said, “Quite an impressive group you have here, Twyla. But Nathaniel,” he clucked his tongue against his teeth. “A bounty hunter. Really? You let just about anyone in, don’t you?”
Lightning fast, Nate traced to within a few feet of Payton. “Give us a few minutes to dispatch these demons, and we’ll have you back in jail in no time.”
Payton gave a wicked laugh, ignoring Nate and seeming pleased with himself. “Twyla, simply undo the spell on the collar, and I’ll be on my way.”
“That’s up to the council.”
“Ah, the council.”
Payton gritted his teeth and fisted his hands. “The damned council who has kept me locked up for an infernal year!”
He twisted to peer at the trio of demons behind him. “Bring me the witch, and the cobine will be yours,” he said to Mammon and the two lesser demons.
“What would cobine be worth to demons?” Nate asked.
Payton shrugged. “It seems the cobine allows them to solidify their form for a short period of time. Who knew?”
Mammon’s eyes s
hone with greed as he appeared to anticipate possession of the substance. “Mine,” he muttered in a guttural, almost unintelligible voice. “Kill.”
With a sweep of his arm, Mammon sought to thrust Nate out of his way. Anticipating the blow, Nate flipped into the air, rotating as he went, and landed several feet away, out of Mammon’s reach. “Missed me, demon.”
Twyla felt guilty because the Vulcan Council was prepared to fight for her. She stepped forward through the opening created by Nathaniel’s absence, advancing on Payton. With every stride, she brought forth her magical power. The arcane force welled up through her core and funneled along her arms, gathering and sparking blue light in her hands. Driven by her anger at Payton for calling the demons and entangling her in this conflict, she intended to strike him first, but she was well aware how unpredictable her magic could be.
Her focus intensified. So much so, it took several seconds for her to realize Nora was speaking to her. “Twyla, stop. Let the council handle this.”
“No. Payton has made this my fight,” she threw over her shoulder. “They can battle him if they want, but I’ll not stand helplessly by.”
One of the lesser demons lunged at her. She unleashed her full power without restraint and annihilated the demon into a rain of black goo. Her confidence swelled. She glanced around. Swords were drawn. Diego and Nate engaged another lesser demon. Sissy, Annabelle, and Omar fought Mammon.
Her gaze skimmed to Nora. “I did it,” Twyla said, somewhat amazed.
Nora came up beside her. “Well done, my child. Well done.”
“Thank you,” Twyla said, appreciative of her mother’s rare praise. “Now, what to do about Payton?” she asked Nora.
Twyla approached the vampire.
“Very impressive, my dear. All that vitality in the palm of your hand,” Payton said. “May I touch it?”
“Not if you want to keep your fingers,” Twyla remarked.
Above them, two dragons flew over and circled. Val’s glowing, silver-blue scales and powerful form was magnificent and beautiful in flight. Trevor radiated gold and red hues. “Val and Trever,” Twyla said.
The dragons split, each joining a fight against a demon. It was like an air attack supporting the ground forces. The dragons rained fire over the evil creatures until they melted and disappeared. The lesser demon was the first to succumb with a horrible squealing sound. Mammon cursed and threatened until the end, then finally disappeared with a loud pop.
“They’re gone,” Twyla said, breathing hard.
“Back to the hellhole they came from,” Nora added.
She was going to ask if that meant gone for good or if it was a temporary thing, but Val landed and transformed into his human self. His appearance caused her thoughts to vanish straight from her head.
He rushed over and encircled his arms around her. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Never better,” she smiled and rolled onto her tip-toes to kiss him.
“Awe, isn’t that sweet,” Payton crooned. “Really, guys, get a cave or something. Isn’t that where antediluvian dragons live?”
“Ooo, the vampire knows big words. It’s all that reading he does in his cell—where he’s going right back to,” Val said, hauling back his fist and slamming it into Payton’s nose. The vampire stumbled backward, blood oozing from his upper lip.
Payton ran his tongue over the wound, catching the blood on his tongue and drawing it into his mouth. He smiled. “Mmm.”
“Twyla didn’t deserve dealing with those demons—or the likes of you,” Val said, his mouth tightening. He captured Payton’s arm and roughly tugged him, escorting him away from the group as they came together on the lawn.
The veakling laughed. “This was the best entertainment I’ve had in a year.”
Trevor followed behind them without saying a word.
“Good job with that demon, Deputy Trevor,” Val called over his shoulder.
“Thanks.”
As Val ushered Payton back to jail, the Vulcan Council came together around the fire stone.
“Well, now we have some confirmation of Payton’s culpability. He had been stockpiling the cobine for the benefit of demons,” Nora said.
“I suspect he was supplying both veaklings and demons,” Nathaniel said.
“In my opinion, it’s enough to send him to the condemned dimension,” Sissy said. She stretched her wings, scraping a clump of demon blood from the tip onto the grass at her feet.
“I think he knows more,” said Diego. “If we send him now, we’ll lose a connection, a chance to discovering what’s afoot.”
Omar wiped his blade. “I agree.”
“Let’s take a vote,” Nora instructed. “All those in favor of sending Payton to the confinement dimension, show your hand.”
Twyla felt like the outsider she was. She stepped back out of the circle, hugging herself, a sense of exhaustion overcoming her. The energy she had expelled fighting the demon was catching up to her. She knew what they were deciding was important, but at the moment, she just wanted to go home, recuperate, and throw her arms around Val.
Sissy and Annabelle extended their hand into the circle.
“And those who feel we should keep Payton imprisoned here?” Nora asked.
The balance of the group put their hands out, creating a majority. Nora nodded. “Okay. He stays until we unearth what secrets he’s keeping.”
Twyla must have made some noise because her mother looked at her with concern.
“We made a good team today,” Diego said with his usual enthusiasm. “It felt like the old days.”
The council members dispersed, a few walking together into the darkness beyond the light of the fire stone.
“Are you all right?” Nora asked.
Twyla expelled a heavy sigh, as if a boulder sat on her chest. “I didn’t realize, when I put a spell on that collar, the extent of the responsibility. For a year, I’ve been tied to that vampire. I’m ready to be free of him.”
“Ah, every spell binds you to that purpose. Did you miss that lesson in the book of spells?” Nora smiled knowingly. “Some can last a lifetime. It’s one of the reasons we must wield our power with care.”
Twyla felt ill. She nodded, trying to pull herself together. Perhaps she felt this way because she’d expelled so much energy and it had drained her. She was confused. For a moment, her heart contracted as she thought of Val and the way he’d chosen his job over her before.
Would this latest calamity cause him to withdraw from her again?
Val locked Payton in the cell he’d occupied last. The vampire had been closed-mouthed about how he had escaped. Payton smirked at Val’s questions, saying, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Well, yes, he would. Somehow, the demons had gotten him out and slipped by Trevor. He didn’t think it could happen again, but still, he’d like the intel.
When he went back up to his office, he called Nora, asking her if she would come destroy the pentagram portal.
“I’m in the middle of something. Can you wait until tomorrow?” she asked.
He didn’t want to, but he knew it would be an inconvenience for her to come now. “Sure,” he said.
When he hung up, he said to Trevor, “Go home and get some rest. Until that pentagram is gone, I’m going to hang out in the cell.”
“Okay,” Trevor said, then slowly strolled to the door. He turned, a quizzical look on his face. “What’s to keep him from creating another one?”
“Good question. I’ll confer with Nora. She knows more about that kind of stuff than I do.”
Trevor nodded and left.
Val traipsed back through the tunnels and entered the vacant cell down the hall from where Payton resided. He stood over the pentagram, questioning if another demon could appear. He didn’t know why not. Removing a white pillowcase from the bed, he draped it over the five-pointed star on the floor. If something came through, at least he wouldn’t miss it.
Falling back on the mattress, h
e stretched out, placing his hands behind his head. What was Twyla doing, he wondered, wishing he was with her instead of in this cell. How he would love to cuddle and make sure she was okay after tonight’s harrowing event.
He recalled how magnificent she had looked wielding her mystical powers. A sense of pride washed over him. She had acted with bravery and passion. His beautiful sorceress.
He longed to go to her and tell her how proud he was and that he loved her.
But his duty was here. He gave a weary sigh.
“Spectacular. I get a babysitter now,” Payton called from his cell, breaking Val’s quiet reflection.
Val didn’t acknowledge him. If he did, Payton’s tormenting would never end. As it was, the vampire droned on for an hour or more. Val tuned him out, closed his eyes, and imagined flying in his dragon form, whisking Twyla away as she rode his back. He fell asleep smiling.
* * *
Nora showed up at the sheriff’s office at little before noon, which wasn’t unusual considering paranormals tended to be creatures of the night. Then again, she may have had to attend to something at her restaurant first. But it didn’t matter, Val was appreciative that she stopped by and agreed to help.
“Thanks for coming,” Val said. She wore her hair pulled up today, the black tips tucked in so all that framed her face was gray. The style was becoming even if it did make her look older.
“You’re welcome. Although, I didn’t see that I had much choice, given our demon problem,” she said. “Where’s the pentagram?”
Val grinned faintly. Straight to business. He led her to the appropriate cell. As soon as they were in the proximity, Payton laughed. “More visitors. How kind of you.”
“I’m not in the mood to deal with you,” she said to Payton. With a wave of her hand, magically, a stone wall erected between Payton and where they stood.
“Nice,” Val said. “This way.” He held out a hand.
At the pentagram, she pursed her lips. “Twyla asked my opinion the other day. I told her it didn’t matter and to leave the star alone. I was wrong.”
“Can you get rid of it?”
“Yes.” She removed a wand from her pocket and scraped the tip over the star, healing the stone floor and erasing the pentagram like an eraserl rubbed out graphite lead. “There,” she said, stepping back.
Forever At Risk: Terror, MN Page 7