I told myself not to panic and worked through my options. By my calculations, I had three.
Option one: Stay and fight, which didn’t seem like the smartest of choices after what I’d seen Daniel do to Metal Chick’s buddies outside the morgue. Option two: Run. Get inside the house and find Banning and the other reapers. Option two required outrunning demons, which I was sure I couldn’t do. They’d probably hurl balls of fire at me even if I got lucky enough to stay ahead of them. Flashbacks of the kid Daniel set on fire flooded my mind along with an even worse thought—what other powers did they have? Besides, they could probably just dematerialize here, and then materialize inside the house where there would be more demons. So, getting inside wouldn’t do me a lot of good since I was more likely to come across them than a reaper. Just as bad was coming across Cooper. Again, not good.
That left option number three. Wing it. Trust Daniel had a better plan—one that wouldn’t hurt much. Any delusional hope I’d had that we would all walk away from this without a scratch had ended when Banning and the two other reapers went inside the house.
“This is why Banning told me to stick with you,” Daniel said. “He knew this might happen.”
“So why should he trust you?” I hoped he didn’t take this to mean why should I trust him. In my experience, it was never good to piss off the only person capable of helping you. Right now, I needed all the help I could get. Besides, Daniel seemed sincere.
“Banning doesn’t trust me. Not completely. He does have a good idea that when it comes to you, I’ll do it, though.”
My gaze was momentarily diverted from the advancing ogres to Daniel. “You’d do it for me?”
Daniel sighed in impatience. “Yeah. I like you. And Banning is pretty cool, too. Just don’t tell him I said so. Crap like that goes to a reaper’s head and all. Anyway, stay close and keep quiet, okay?” Daniel added, sounding a bit more serious than he probably intended.
True, Banning hadn’t asked Daniel to join him and the other reapers. He’d asked him to stick close to me, and from the size of the two goons walking our way, I understood the need for protection. But he had to have suspected Daniel would be outnumbered, and from the looks of these two, outsized. When did demons ever play fair?
I swallowed hard and tried to comfort myself with the fact that at least they couldn’t kill me. Unfortunately, knowing what I did about the afterlife, this only freaked me out more. When facing angry demons, it’d be better if I could die. At least instant death wouldn’t hurt. I had a bad feeling this was going to hurt a lot.
Both demons were over six feet and built like a cross between the hundred-year-old oak and chiseled stone. Vapor that reeked of sulfur rose from their sweat-glistened bodies.
We were so screwed.
I stole another anxious glance at the house, hoping Banning might reconsider leaving me here with just Daniel. As the demons came closer I made out rings of red glowing in their eyes. I looked at Daniel, not caring if he saw the sheer terror on my face or not. I was far past pretending I had an ounce of tough in me.
“Please get us out of here,” I whispered.
“Stay calm and act normal, okay?”
He rested a hand on me and I wondered if he felt me trembling. “But it’s not normal, Daniel! None of this is.”
“Yeah, well, it is now. Some days, this is as normal as it gets,” he quipped. “Do yourself a favor and readjust your expectations.”
Daniel was either resigned to this life or he had a lot of courage to stand up to these guys alone. Me? Courage was more of something I pieced together in order to get me through the next ordeal. I dealt out courage one minute at a time. Right now, not bolting like a frightened rabbit seemed about as much bravery as I could muster. Daniel was another story. Not a single hint of fear shone in his fire-rimmed eyes and I wanted to hug him for it.
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “They’re just negotiators. We got lucky.”
Somehow, I doubted the walking stalagmites headed straight for us were interested in the fine art of mediation. I really hoped Daniel had a plan. The demons thundered to a stop and their heads pivoted like giant Rottweilers as they studied us. Their eyes, as fiery as incinerators, narrowed.
“You’re looking rather puny, Daniel. What’s with the pretty boy human suit?” One of them growled.
Daniel gave a light-hearted shrug. “The girls find it more attractive. Smells better, too.”
The second demon sneered.
“Where’s the reaper?” the first demon demanded. His voice had a gravelly edge to it unlike anything I’d ever heard in the world of the living. At least not without Hollywood special effects. Thick veins lay beneath the surface of his bald head, writhing like snakes. I took a few steps back.
Daniel never moved, never took his eyes off either of them. “You know where Banning is.”
The second demon, more compact and darker complexioned than Baldy, with a short, military cut and sporting a smoking pirate tattoo on one of his forearms, shoved Daniel. “On a first name basis with him, are you? Getting friendly with the enemy?” The demon’s eyes shifted toward me.
Daniel regained his balance and stepped forward, his face mere inches from Tattoo Dude, and returned the same growl. No one would ever call me an expert on demons, but I understood each was telling the other to back off—from me. Demon politics. As they stood jaw to jaw, I weighed option two again and retreated until I bumped into the base of a tree.
“I’m handling it as ordered,” Daniel snarled. “I thought you’d be smarter than to mess with the boss’s plans.”
“Who do you think sent us?” The tattooed demon snapped. “Do you think our Master trusts you?”
Daniel never blinked. “Funny, I don’t recall him asking for either of you two.”
I wondered if Daniel was thinking the same thing I was. These two were backup. Either Lucifer didn’t like the way things were going with Daniel, or something else was going on. Dad always said if there seemed to be more than what met the eye, there usually was.
Baldy grinned at me. “Has she seen Fagan yet? The one who tortured and mangled her sister’s temptingly sweet body?”
Daniel’s fist clenched. I was pretty sure the two goons noticed, too. They wanted a fight and I had no doubt they’d get one. Unfortunately, based on the size of the other two demons, I didn’t think Daniel stood a chance unless he ditched what Baldy called the pretty boy suit. And it didn’t look like that was happening. My heart raced in my chest, probably hoping for an escape. My brain kept screaming for me to run, run now while I could. Run before these two took away my ability to move at all.
“She’ll meet Fagan soon enough,” Daniel assured them. “I’ve been telling her about him—what he’s done to her sister and the others. She’s got a lot of morals, a strong conscience. I had to be sure she’d go through with it.”
The demons howled with laughter.
“Morals? Conscience? Sweet little sister took a bath in her own blood,” Tattoo Dude taunted.
Baldy grinned at me. “Nicely done, too. Cutting blade, eh? Not squeamish, are you? A real flair for dying.”
I diverted my eyes to the ground and kept quiet, trying my best to be non-confrontational. I stole a glance at the house, wishing Banning would hurry up.
“I know what I’m doing,” Daniel insisted.
“Really? ’Cuz we think you need a little reminding,” Tattoo Dude snarled.
Daniel ditched his jacket, and stood upright and taut, ready for the fight. Baldy swung at Daniel, hitting him in the chest and knocking him backward. Daniel’s growl raised every hair on my neck. Daniel regained his balance and Baldy barreled into him. They clawed at each other, limbs bending in inhuman ways. Daniel bit deeply into Baldy’s throat. He roared and thrashed at Daniel, shredding Daniel’s shirt and raking a gash across his back.
A blur off to the side blocked my view of Daniel. Tattoo Dude stood before me, his hot breath on my face. My back was already against a tree,
so I couldn’t retreat any further. The stench wafting from him was foul and his body pressed next to mine felt vulgar. Instinctively, I recoiled. I squirmed, but he held me tightly. The rings of fire in his eyes blazed unrelenting fury. Unable to struggle, I turned my head from his. He licked my face, long and slow, starting at my chin and up past my ear. His tongue left a thick, scathing hot trail of slime on my skin like some sort of mutant slug. I gagged.
“Want me to show you what he did to your sister? You wanted to suffer like she did? I can help you. I can show you how she felt. You’ll be part of the family soon enough, little one. If you want, big brother here can show you as many times as you’d like.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I brought my knee up—hard, and struck solid rock.
Ow!
My knee throbbed with pain. The demon merely grinned, revealing rotting teeth.
“Sweet little sister likes to play rough,” he said as though speaking to someone other than me.
“Stop talking around me,” I demanded. “Didn’t your mother teach you manners? And I’m not your sister!” It might have come across as a stupid thing to say, but I figured it was better to have my ass handed to me than what I thought he had in mind. At least my defiance might buy me some time. Where was Banning?
The demon tightened his grip and I bravely tried not to wince. He eyed me carefully, grinned again, and pressed himself against me until I did wince. Before I could utter another insult, he grabbed me by the throat with such force tears streamed from my eyes and I futilely gasped for air. The world around me swam in fuzzy shades of gray. Good, I’d pass out. Considering it was impossible to die again, I’d hit the jackpot. I wheezed, the sound a mere whistle in my throat. Just when the world had narrowed into a tiny pin dot, he hurled me through the air. I hit the ground with a bone-splitting thud. I greedily sucked in air, which felt like sandpaper in my throat.
Blinding pain shot through me as I rolled over, attempting to get to my knees. Instantly, I was slammed the ground again, and a streak of blinding light tore through my head followed by a loud crack. Teeth? Vertebrae? He grabbed my hair, bending me backward while applying his knee squarely into my back. I cried out, all thoughts of fake bravado gone.
My face collided with the ground again, more weight slamming into me, grinding my cheekbone into the hard earth. Daniel had been right—death would have been far less painful. Then suddenly, I was free. I lay on the ground, assessing aches from every part of my body. To my right, I heard scuffling and growling, and although I managed to roll over again, the effort to lift my head to get a better look was too much. Daniel had managed to break away from the first demon long enough to pull the other off me. I coughed, tasting something wet and coppery. I wiped blood from my lip, certain I was as broken on the inside as I felt on the outside. Everything felt splintered, every breath brought on a fresh bout of dizzying pain and grayness.
Daniel expelled a substantial ummpf! He couldn’t take on both of those ogres, but I was useless to help him. I heard all of it—the snarling, growling, bones breaking. Slowly, the grayness retreated and I could almost breathe again without feeling like a dagger had ripped through my chest. I was healing. But not fast enough.
The thought of either of the demons coming back to finish me off right when I’d started to feel like I’d been run over by a truck instead of a freight train motivated me into action. Wincing, I rolled to my side. Something in my rib cage shifted as I got to my knees. I didn’t dare look in Daniel’s direction. I didn’t want to see what was happening. With a deep, lung-searing breath, I forced myself to stand.
I hoped Daniel could hold them off a few more minutes. I wondered if I could muster up the strength to get closer to that god-forsaken house. Or scream. With any luck, Banning or one of the other reapers would hear me and come to our rescue. But then, I considered a more sinister thought. Death was no longer a concern for me or Daniel. We’d still be here, no matter how injured, and we would heal. Eventually. But, Cooper could escape again.
But Banning wouldn’t ignore my cries for help, would he? He just couldn’t.
I didn’t have to cry out at all. The sound of footfall in the dry grass behind me caught my attention, and a tear of relief and gratitude slid down my cheek. One of the reapers had come for me. I heard the sound his shoes made against the earth and gravel as he crouched down, felt him lift me under the arms and drag me backward.
He was dragging me to the side of the road.
I became alarmed when I felt myself rake against asphalt, when I heard the sound of oncoming traffic. I turned my head long enough to glimpse headlights barreling toward me. I opened my mouth to scream. My rescuer jerked me across the lane of road. Too afraid to close my eyes, I watched as the oncoming car narrowly missed us. Once we’d come to rest on the other side of the road, my rescuer released his grasp.
“There,” a male voice said. “Feeling better?”
I nodded, not sure if I did or didn’t yet. I brushed hair from my face. A few strands had stuck to my bloodied cheek. I caught a glimpse of worn cowboy boots and frayed blue jeans standing before me. No cloak or duster. Not a reaper.
I was still taking stock of my body parts and didn’t risk looking up too quickly. I rubbed the back of my neck.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. But you’re a bit safer here than near them demons,” the voice belonging to the boots said. “But maybe you ought to sit behind those trees. It’s downwind and out of sight, you know what I’m sayin’?”
I nodded briefly. Before I managed to test my legs, the guy grabbed me and lugged me backward again. “Hey! Wait!” I sputtered.
The guy let go. “Just tryin’ to help.”
“Thanks,” I managed to say. I took a breath, a real one, and my insides didn’t complain. I wasn’t sure what I was thanking him for. It wasn’t everyday someone dragged me across two lanes of traffic so I’d feel better. Besides, it would be impossible to outrun the demons who’d surely be finishing off Daniel about now.
Daniel! I had to get to Banning, which also meant entering that freaky house.
Another car whooshed by. Sitting here next to the wide-open road didn’t seem like the best of ideas. With my luck, an eighteen-wheeler would pick now to drive by.
“Need a hand?” the guy asked.
I accepted his offer and got to my feet.
“Ah. New here, huh?” He looked as old and worn as his boots and jeans. His unkempt brown-gray hair hung down in unwashed strings. Deep wrinkles etched his thin face.
“Yeah. I’m new,” I replied, wobbling a little.
“Whoa, there!” My rescuer grabbed me under the arms again to help steady me. He smelled like decade-old stale beer and cigarettes. But, at least he smelled better than the demons.
“I don’t think you’re quite ready yet,” he said.
“For what?” I asked.
“To git where you were goin’, of course,” he declared with a snort. “You sure you’re feelin’ all right?” He put his hands on my shoulders and my wobbly legs gave way.
“Yep. Yep. Yep. Didn’t think so. Now, take a long, deep breath,” he instructed. “Let it out real slow. Uncle Dave here will have you feeling right as rain in no time.”
I didn’t want to take a deep breath. Not around him.
“Go on,” Dave encouraged. “Best be doin’ it and feelin’ better before those bruisers come looking for us.”
I took a deep breath and thought I would pass out. Or puke.
“Take a few more,” Dave urged.
Reluctantly, I did.
“Ayuh, thought that’d help. Told you so, now didn’t I? Well, that oughta do it. Unless you need some electricity to jolt you into feelin’ better. Could pull you back to the road. Maybe we’ll get lucky and another car will pass. It’s relatively deserted out in these parts, but you never can tell. Just remember to concentrate on passing through as they come ’atcha, though. Otherwise, ain’t no point, now is there?”
He t
ook my arm and hoisted me to my feet. The stiffness in my body had all but vanished. My head no longer throbbed. I coughed, and it didn’t feel like I’d hack up my spleen.
“That’s… not necessary,” I stammered. “I’m good. Really.”
“Tell Uncle Dave the truth, girl. Those reapers here for you?”
I shook my head, which made me a tiny bit dizzy, but I wasn’t going to tell Dave that. “No, of course not.”
“Banning!” Daniel’s voice shouted from across the road.
“Where is she?” one of the demons bellowed.
Daniel was in serious trouble. I had to find Banning.
“Daniel!” I whispered.
“You got a friend back there?” Dave asked.
“Yeah,” I started across the street, trying not to let Dave see me limp. I heard him running behind me.
“Where you goin’?” Dave called. “You nuts, girl? Those demons will have field day with you.”
“Yeah, but my friends!” I called back. I could see Daniel and the two demons, their figures shadowy in the dim lighting. I came to an abrupt halt. Daniel was standing, but barely. One of his arms hung at an impossible angle.
Dave stopped beside me, taking in the scene. “Hey, I’m real sorry about your pals, but looks like those demons are beating on each other now. If I were you, I’d find my friends and get out of here before those boys decide you’d be a better target.”
“The one getting schooled is one of my friends. The other is inside…” I paused, looking at the house.
I’m still waiting, I imagined the house saying. Come…
“He’s in… that house. He’s collecting an problem soul that’s had a few run-ins,” I finished.
Dave’s eyes widened. “Those are your friends? A demon and a reaper? I thought you said you was clear of reapers, girl.”
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