Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2)

by May Freighter

  When Nadine’s eyes found Helena, her brown eyes twinkled with emotion Helena could only assume to be happiness. She, too, thought Nadine was in need of a friend. The isolation she had undergone made Helena want to get to know her and tell her that not everyone had to be an enemy.

  “Where are the hunters?” Alexander inquired in a clipped tone.

  “I’ll tell them she’s here.” Andrew fleeted out of the room.

  Nadine slipped out of her summer jacket and neatly folded it over the back of the sofa. She took a seat. Her hands ran over her thighs, straightening out the long cream-coloured skirt she wore to match her flowery blouse.

  “I’m pleased to see you again,” she said with a genuine smile.

  “Same.” Helena gave her a quick hug which seemed to confuse Nadine because she remained stationary for a long time with a frown thereafter.

  “Nadine?” Helena asked, worried she had done something wrong.

  Different emotions ran across the saint’s face. She turned her head to one side, most likely listening to her guardian angel. Her body tensed. “Horus says it’s not a good idea for me to help you. He remains adamant on the fact that it is your problem.”

  Alexander undid the buttons of his charcoal suit jacket and collapsed into an armchair across from them. “And your guardian doesn’t like to appear because?”

  “It requires a lot of energy for an angel to show themselves to anyone but their charge. With initial permission, they are able to enter through the saint’s mental barriers and maintain a mind-to-mind contact, much like demons and their marked victims.”

  “I can’t talk to the demon with my mind.” Helena shuddered at the idea of Lazarus invading her thoughts. But, there was truth in the saint’s words. Eva’s memories had Lazarus speaking to the witch directly. So, why had he not done the same with her?

  “It means he hasn’t attempted to converse with you in that way,” Nadine said.

  Alexander rubbed his eyes before resting his elbows on both armrests. His large form was enough to occupy the whole seat and, although he had a relaxed demeanour, Helena noted the tension around his eyes. “The pressing issue is finding a Circle to help us. The local witches are ready to curse me if I ask them for another favour.”

  “And they would be right to do so. The silver souls are most susceptible to possession. No witch would want that,” Nadine said.

  Maya, Ben, and Andrew rounded the corner, and the large room suddenly became small with the crowd gathered in it. Ben propped his back up against the far wall with his hands folded and his expression unreadable. Meanwhile, Maya settled into the last free seat on the sofa Helena was sitting on. Andrew remained standing behind Alexander’s seat.

  Doing her best to ignore the intense stare Ben was studying Nadine with, Helena prompted the saint. “You mean people with a silver string?”

  “I cannot see people’s links, but I can see their auras. The hunters in this room are the only ones who possess white souls. Everyone else is not human.”

  Maya sighed loudly enough to draw everyone’s gaze to her. “I don’t care about the magic gibberish. Can we get on with it? The Demon Gate, how do we find one and kill the demon, so we can move on with our lives?”

  Helena stretched to the end table and placed her cooling cup of untouched coffee on it. Her interest in the subject was enough to make her forget the aches and the bruises forming on her body.

  “It may take a few days for me to detect the gate. To do so, I must meditate in a secure environment. It is why I will stay here for the duration,” Nadine explained.

  Alexander leant forwards, his movements bordered on robotic. “And why was I not informed of your plan to remain in my home?”

  “I believe it was because the first words out of your mouth were, ‘Shut up and follow me’,” Nadine said in a perfect imitation of Alexander’s voice, summoning a laugh from Helena and Andrew.

  “Sounds about right,” Andrew added.

  Alexander drew in a steadying breath and waved for Nadine to continue.

  Being a vampire has to be great. Even if he was embarrassed by his behaviour, there was no change to Alexander’s facial colouring.

  “When I am doing so, Horus will place a barrier around me. But, the others may be endangered as nearby demons could flock to my energy—”

  “Wait!” Alexander stopped her, and his eyes narrowed. “Demons will come to my home if I let you stay here? Why would I want that? I could send you to an isolated warehouse on the outskirts of the city.”

  It seemed that everyone was intent on hearing Nadine’s answer as they all shifted forwards. Ben—who was like a statue at the back of the room—moved closer, too.

  Nadine intertwined her fingers in her lap and stared at her hands. “This building is full of humans and vampires. They have nothing to fear from the demons that may not come. But, in the event that they do, I need Helena and the marked hunter female to remain nearby. Another demon’s pray is a deterrent to most soul collectors.”

  “How do you know I’ve been marked?” Maya interjected.

  “Because his energy is like a stain on your white aura. It clings to your right shoulder like a disease,” Nadine replied.

  “Thanks for the visual,” Maya mumbled.

  Helena stood, regretting her decision once every muscle in her body screamed at once. Her jaw locked, and she held in an agonised moan that wanted to escape. Standing firm and willing the pain away, she finally managed to speak. “Let’s stop fighting. Nadine is trying to help us. Isn’t that enough?”

  “I am uncertain as to what she is getting out of this,” Alexander said matter-of-factly.

  Nadine took Helena’s hand and tugged on it, urging her to resume her seat. “It is fine. I am used to such treatment.”

  Helena’s heart tore at the saint’s downturned facing features. Just because she wasn’t like everybody else, she was suspected of scheming to betray them. The world they had created was too hard to fathom. Everyone had an agenda as they lived out their lives. Isn’t being like that tiring?

  Helena broke the suffocating silence. “What do you need for your meditation?”

  Alexander shot her a glare. “I have not agreed to keep her here.”

  “For once, could you look past hidden meanings and do something because it needs to be done?” Helena demanded.

  Before Alexander could speak, Andrew added, “I have to agree with her. We can’t spend each second of our time bickering and doubting one another. Let’s take things as they come.”

  Alexander locked gazes with Andrew and, after a long moment, he ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. “I swear you two are too young to grasp such matters, but, fine, I will agree for her to remain here for the time being.”

  Helena mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Andrew and faced Nadine. “So, what do you need?”

  As it turned out, Nadine only needed a room to stay in, a map of the world, and a lot of Ceylon tea which Alexander begrudgingly provided.

  For the past five days, no demons invaded Alexander’s home and things returned to what they were like before—on edge. Since it was Maya’s turn to keep an eye on Nadine, Helena returned to her room after a long sparring session with Ben. Of all days, Lucious chose today to summon Andrew to London to negotiate a deal with Madeline.

  Even though she hadn’t talked to Lucious since their last connection, she was at peace. With a little quality time together, he and Andrew might become friends. She snorted at her idealistic view of that possibility.

  She stripped out of her sweat-tinged clothes. After the miniature hell Ben called training, nothing was more important than a shower. At first, she had underestimated his ability. He always seemed like the calm and quiet type, but when he fought, he was almost as fast as Andrew. As with her best friend, she spent most of the time on the floor instead of upright.

  Helena entered the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the warm steam mix with the air and settle on the smooth surfaces. She cleare
d the fogged-up mirror and turned to study the demon’s mark. It seemed like a delicate tattoo of a nasturtium flower. Her fingers brushed the smooth skin, and the mark started pulsating.

  Her reflection in the mirror darkened until her face was replaced by a sharp-toothed grin that made the fine hairs on the back of her neck rise.

  Lazarus’ voice slithered in her mind, and she jumped away from the mirror. “Hello there, my flower. I know what you’re trying to accomplish with the blade. It won’t work. You cannot stop me from achieving my goal. To make sure of this, I have taken someone important to you. So, won’t you come out to play?”

  As his energy receded, her panicked mind had one thought rattling in it. Mum…

  22

  Family Matters

  The room shook around Helena as she grasped the towel off the rack and struggled to wrap it around her trembling form. Frustrated with the wasted time, she scrambled out of the bathroom in search of her phone.

  Her eyes scanned the bedroom, but she couldn’t find it, and her already racing heart kicked into another gear.

  “Where is it?” she hissed and ran towards the bed, finding the small device buried between the pillows. Diving into the sheets, she caught it and pressed the home button to activate the screen. It took her a few tries to awaken it since mashing the button had the opposite effect of what she wanted. Her fingers tapped the smooth, glass surface of the phone as she dialled the number she knew off by heart.

  She managed to press the call button and raised the phone to her ear. “Mum, pick up!” she screamed into the receiver.

  With every dial tone, her agitation rose tenfold. She nibbled on her lower lip. An almost silent click came from the other end, and her mother’s detached voicemail followed it.

  The door burst open, and both hunters rushed in. Maya got to her first. “We heard you shouting, are you alright?”

  Crestfallen, she shook her head and redialled the number, but the result was the same. Fear choked sobs out of her. Her tears blurred her vision as she repeated the procedure three more times.

  Maya yanked the phone out of her hand and forced Helena to get off the bed and look at her. “Tell us what’s wrong.”

  Helena reached for the phone with a quivering hand.

  Maya scowled and hid it behind her back. “What’s the matter, Helena?”

  “He took her! He took my mother. I need to find her. I need to call her!” she yelled, grabbing for the phone.

  Ben grasped her shoulders and shook her enough to knock some sense into her panicked state. Although it was hard, Helena sucked in a deep breath that did nothing to soothe the need to hear her mother’s voice.

  “Who took her? You’re not making any sense,” he said.

  “The demon came to me in the mirror and said he’s taken someone important to me.” Her legs were failing to keep her upright, so she sat on the edge of the bed and swayed back and forth.

  Maya cursed and handed her the phone. “Keep calling her and get changed. We should check every location to make sure that’s what happened.”

  Ben brushed past Alexander who strode into the room, eyeing the commotion.

  “Did that saint bring a demon into my home?” Alexander asked.

  “Not the saint. Our demon has taken someone, and Helena thinks it’s her mother,” Maya replied.

  Helena grabbed spare clothes out of her bag without looking and ran into the bathroom where she changed as she dialled the same number relentlessly. The result remained the same—all calls went to voicemail.

  Once she emerged from the bathroom, Alexander had his phone out and was barking orders into it.

  Maya ran to her and gave her a small smile. “The vampire is going to send his men to see if your step-father is okay while we head over to your home.”

  Helena’s body was stiff. She didn’t know what to do if her mother or Richard had become involved in this mess. How was she going to explain to them about the vampires and the demons? A throbbing headache emerged, and she massaged her temples to push it back.

  Alexander shoved his phone into his pocket. “My men are on their way, and Tanya has opened an investigation. You should get going. The faster we cover more ground, the better.”

  Genuine concern reflected in Alexander’s grey eyes. He had never seemed like the type to worry about her. Yet, seeing his worry for her parents made him almost human. Whatever the cause of this change was, she wasn’t about to question or waste it.

  “Thank you, Alexander,” Helena said and scampered out of the room with Maya hot on her trail.

  All the way to her parents’ place, she kept dialling the same numbers. She was unable to stop churning out terrible outcomes. If Lazarus had taken her mother, what would happen to the baby? She couldn’t—no—wouldn’t lose them both.

  She glanced out the window of Maya’s Jeep and frowned. Why can’t this piece of crap move any faster?

  “Helena, you must stay calm. I can feel your agitation from all the way here,” Maya said.

  Helena snapped her head to the driver’s seat. “Are you telling me you weren’t a tad bit agitated when your family died?”

  Maya smacked the steering wheel. “That was uncalled for.”

  “I’m sorry…” She bowed her head in shame when her phone beeped. It was running out of juice. She buried her face in her hands. The panic and anticipation were getting to her. And, if Lazarus did take her mother, she would hunt him down to the depths of the Demon Realm if she had to.

  Maya nudged her shoulder. “We’re here.”

  As the car pulled to a stop, Helena undid her seatbelt and launched out of the car. She ran until her fist connected with the hard wood of the front door. Like a battering ram, she pounded on its rough surface. The action almost muffled the shaking of the tiny glass window.

  A silhouette appeared from the living room. Helena held her breath. The shadows came away from the figure, and her mother emerged with a scowl as light flooded the hallway.

  Sasha opened the door and eyed Helena like she had sprouted horns.

  “What’s wrong, Helena? Is your place on fire?” her mother asked half-jokingly. When Helena said nothing, Sasha’s eyes bulged. “It’s not, is it?”

  Too busy re-learning how to operate her lungs, Helena pushed past and embraced her mother.

  “You are squishing the life out of me. What’s wrong?” Sasha asked, patting Helena’s back.

  “You’re okay. Nothing happened, right? You and Richard are okay…” Helena trailed off and scanned the hallway for her step-father. He wasn’t there.

  Sasha drew away and held her at arm’s length. “What’s gotten into you?”

  Maya peered around the corner and waved at them with an awkward smile. “Hi, I’m Helena’s friend. She wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.”

  Sasha motioned for the girl to come in as she assessed Maya from head to toe. “Another hair dye lover?”

  Red stained Helena’s cheeks as she remembered her rebellious purple hair. “Mum!”

  Maya let out a loud laugh. She took Helena’s hand and pulled her outside. “It seems we were worried for nothing.”

  “Lazarus doesn’t joke around. He must have taken someone, but who?”

  “We can wait here or head back. What do you want to do?”

  Helena couldn’t shake the worry that added new boulders to her stomach as seconds ticked by. She rubbed her gut better, mulling over what to do next.

  “Are you going to stay outside till morning?” Sasha called from the house. “Since you came here, stay for tea.”

  Maya grinned, looped her arm through Helena’s, and led the way back to the house.

  Once they settled on the chairs in the dining room, Helena waited for her mother to be out of the earshot in the kitchen. “I’m so sorry about this.”

  Maya waved her comment away. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to see a normal family once in a while. Makes me remember why I do what I do.”

  Helena frowned
. “Hunting vampires is not exactly a career choice I would make.”

  “You would if your family became their meal.” Maya crossed her arms, careful not to press too hard on her bandages.

  There was no way to dispute her words. If the demon nabbed her family as he had threatened, Helena would have gone after him without a doubt. Would I become a monster who seeks nothing more than revenge?

  Her mother emerged from the kitchen with two steaming mugs of tea and lowered them before the girls onto matching, striped coasters. She promptly took her seat at the head of the table, her expression betraying her inner worry. “Mind explaining to me why you rushed here like a headless chicken?”

  Helena glanced at Maya who was already avoiding the conversation by sipping her tea like there was no tomorrow. “I wanted to see you and Richard. When is he coming home?”

  Sasha glanced at the owl-shaped, maple clock on the wall. “In about an hour. He’s been coming home late from the lab these past two weeks since getting a research grant for his project.”

  “I didn’t hear anything about that…” Helena replied.

  “Of course not, you were nowhere to be found. I called Laura, and she said something about you going abroad.” Her mother raised a questioning brow.

  Helena jumped out of her seat, spilling the tea in her mug on the table. “You got through to Laura? When?”

  “Oh, look at what you’ve done!” her mother snapped, rising from her seat.

  Helena grasped her wrist. “Mum, when did you talk to Laura?”

  Sasha stared at her wrist with disapproval. “You are turning into your grandmother, always crazy and on edge.”

  “We should leave…” Maya offered and took hold of Helena’s shoulder, “…the sooner the better.”

  “Grandma wasn’t crazy, Mum. She had her reasons.”

  Her mother’s eyes watched her with an intensity that Helena had never witnessed before. The room seemed to grow smaller as if zeroing in on the two of them. Helena’s hand fell away.

  “Let’s not broach the past. So, go. Listen to your friend and cool your head.” Sasha picked up the dripping cup off the table and retreated to the kitchen.