Gideon glared at him, and then looked at me. “He’s losing control. Dagger doesn’t want to take over the world. I need you to break the circle, Kori. He’s lost his hold on the darkness. Someone needs to control him.”
Dagger yanked me to my feet, wrapped his free arm around my back, and roared right next to my ear. “Don’t talk to her!”
Alaric came toward us and Dagger flicked his hand in Alaric’s direction. A wound opened on his cheek and poured blood and he cursed. His teeth were visible through it.
“Dagger, you’re cutting up people that are on our side.”
He met my gaze. “They’re against me unless they bow down to me. He loves you. Wants you as his own. He’ll never be loyal. I’ll make an example of him.”
I tried to take a step away from him, but he had me clenched against his body. “Let go of me. You don’t love me, Dagger.”
He ran his palm down my cheek. “No, but you’ll make a powerful queen. Without mercy.”
I glanced at Gideon. “How do I break the circle?”
“Smear your blood through any part of it.”
Dagger growled at me and shook me. “Don’t do it. He’ll try to take us both back with him. You don’t want to go to a hell dimension, do you? Don’t anger me, Kori.”
No, I didn’t want to go to a hell dimension, but Dagger had lost it. I could see it in his eyes. He was going to kill anyone who didn’t agree with him, and one day that would be me. Or today. But part of me wanted what he was offering. The world was ours. Together we were powerful enough, and we could make vampires that would follow us to their deaths.
I was choking on evil. Dagger was going to pull me under with him. “Alaric, get him off me.”
Alaric was there in a flash. He wrapped his thick forearm around Dagger’s throat and yanked.
Dagger slammed his head into Alaric’s face. His grip loosened, but he didn’t release Dagger’s throat. However, Dagger didn’t release me either.
I brought my knee up between his legs, he grunted, and his eyes flashed red.
Nyx grabbed his arm and tried to pry it from around my waist. I rammed my fist into Daggers nose, but I didn’t have enough distance to make it a blow that would injure him. I slammed my foot down on his as Nyx managed to get me free. I stumbled away from Dagger, landed on my ass, and realized Nyx hadn’t gotten me loose, but Dagger had back handed him. He lay in a heap next to us.
He dug his nails into the back of my hand trying to keep me in his grasp, but he had more than one vampire on him now, trying to take him to the ground.
I focused on a cut on his throat. It was a bad idea to do magic when he had me in his grasp. It was too easy for him to put it back on me. But I was out of options. “Bleed. Bleed.” His wounds immediately started to gush thick, dark blood and he laughed.
“You can’t kill me like that, Kori.”
“I don’t want to kill you, bastard. I want loose.”
“A mistake, my queen. Or did you not notice that I have you, too? And I’ve been practicing much longer than you have. I could kill you with the blood I have access to now. And I’ve been so nice. I could have broken your hand by accident if I wasn’t focusing.”
I glanced at where his nails dug into my hand. Blood was seeping down my forearm. Shit. He bent my wrist farther back to prove his point and I yelped.
A drop of blood ran off my elbow and touched one of the markings on the floor. The power of the spells sizzled up my spine. I was close to the circle. I could open it, but I needed more blood. This time I focused on both of us and called for blood, directing the flow down my arm.
“No.”
He tried to yank me away from the circle, but he was also trying to cart four other vampires with him. He hit the ground on his knees and I scrambled back, getting a foot closer to the circle. I rubbed my hand in the blood on my left forearm and flung myself back, stretching toward the circle.
“Don’t.”
I raked my blood through the sand and it was like air spilled into the room. Dagger shrieked and released me as Gideon’s power beat him down. He collapsed under a stack of vampires.
Gideon grasped my injured hand and pulled me to my feet. He ran his tongue over the little bleeding crescent marks and they sealed immediately. He smirked. “Hmm. I see the appeal.”
He released me and strode to Dagger. “Are you done throwing a tantrum now?”
Dagger nodded. He was breathing way too fast, and clutched his chest. “Shit. Hurts.”
Gideon shrugged. “That’s why you shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t have to put the demon back in its cage. You should be where others of your kind could take you down if you had an episode like this.”
Dagger shoved Jairdan off his chest and sat up. “I won’t go back. She won’t go with you either.”
“It’s not a horrible place.”
“It’s a fucking hell dimension. Only the strongest of demons survive there. And we’re vampires, what exactly are we supposed to feed on there? Half of the demons have acid for blood. And let’s not get started on the fact that the king of your world wants me dead.”
Gideon shrugged. “I could put you in a different demon world then. There are others. As for the king, you did steal his powers.” He glanced at me. “And you’re giving them away. Even your fledglings take a little with them. Did you know you were weakening yourself with each vampire you made? Though, your vampiric powers increase with age, so I’m not surprised that you didn’t notice the demonic powers you attempt to lock away diminishing.”
Dagger’s jaw clenched. “My fledglings exhibit no symptoms of being demons.”
Alaric cleared his throat. “Don’t they, though? It’s not the same as it is for you, but Nyx and Fallon are a little more lethal and bloodthirsty. Fallon was turned about two decades after I was, and he can take me in a fight. Nyx is one of the most powerful vampires alive, but not the oldest.”
Dagger sat heavily on the floor. “And shit gets worse after that.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Never mind. One horrible problem at a time.” He glared at Gideon. “You know I wouldn’t summon you unless I needed your help.”
“Yes, I realize this summoning has come at a particularly high cost for you.” He ran the back of his hand down my cheek and I jerked away. “And this pretty thing.”
Alaric growled at him, long and feral. Gideon rolled his eyes, but stepped away from me.
“How can I help you, Dagger?”
“Has a demon slipped past you recently by any chance?”
The large man cracked his knuckles. “The essence of one was summoned by a powerful witch. I couldn’t prevent his crossing, but he’ll be back when the task is complete.”
“And if I told you this demon was trying to find a host?”
He snorted. “I’d tell you I wasn’t surprised. They all try.”
“And if I told you it piggybacked in to inhabit a witch?”
Gideon groaned and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Damn it.”
“Do I have your attention then?”
“Completely.” He glanced at me. “You know the quickest way to kill it is to assassinate the person that raised it? Assuming it hasn’t grown too strong.”
“I didn’t raise it, if that’s what you’re wondering. My mother did. And I would prefer if we didn’t kill her.”
Casey nodded. “Yes, let’s avoid that.”
Jairdan grunted. “Are we going to have mercy on a woman who’s tried to kill us all and very nearly succeeded? She still might. Misha, Alaric, talk to them.”
Misha and Alaric exchanged a glance and Gideon chuckled. “Poor Jairdan, they can’t agree with you. They have to be more diplomatic, at the risk of upsetting their lady loves.”
Jairdan groaned. “Really, guys? Really?”
Misha took a deep breath and Casey glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t say it. She’s still our mother. We aren
’t heartless enough to forget that.”
Gideon rolled his eyes. “You should be. She’s taken in more darkness than Dagger. She can’t handle it, and will be coming with me if we manage not to kill her. Even if the slate was wiped clean and she was normal again, she’d still want you lot dead.”
I couldn’t bring myself to admit that he was right. We’d already lost our father, and Casey’s twin. How could we kill our own mother? No matter what she’d become. She was willing to kill you for the same reason. I flinched.
“I set out to kill Casey. It doesn’t mean I could have actually done it.”
Alaric sighed and massaged his temples. “Sorry, but I don’t think your mother has the same connection to family that you do. She was cold and heartless, and so you relied on each other for love. I suspect if she’d known how much you loved one another, she would have separated you. I’m surprised she didn’t. Most children of hunters are passed around to whomever can teach them a skill, so they don’t bond with anyone. To hunters, familial loyalty is only supposed to extend to the point of vampirism. If you’re determined to stick together after that it gets you killed, or…”
“We still want it to be a last resort.”
Gideon shrugged. “Well, that will make shit interesting. Let’s get on with it then.”
Alaric arched an eyebrow. “Now? Some of our people are still down and can’t fight.”
“Look, I have no patience. I’d like to get this shit show on the road. We don’t need to wait for your people to recover. I can even take a shot at this myself if you want. Though, I’d like back up. Let’s pack whoever is healed and get after it.”
I glanced at Alaric. “Every second we’re here she could sneak up on us and put everyone at risk again. I imagine every vampire she’s spotted is a target. Why stop at you, your brothers, and us?”
Nyx snorted. “If they let themselves be killed, they don’t deserve to exist. The king demands we protect our own asses from everything but the Scourge.”
I rolled my eyes. “This is different. This should be considered as dangerous as the Scourge.”
Gideon shook his head. “More dangerous. I promise you.”
Alaric nodded. “Well, everyone grab weapons and let’s go.”
I chewed my bottom lip. “I’ll call Astra and see if she’s willing to help us.”
Jairdan snarled. “She won’t help us. She’ll try to kill us instead. All you hunters are alike.”
I glared at him. “When I explain the situation she’ll help us. She’s loyal to me and wasn’t born into this life. She’ll still trust me. Unless you’ve done something we should know about? Something to make her distrust vampires even more.”
His face went blank. “Maybe I have.”
My eyes narrowed and I tried to keep the alarm blossoming in my stomach from showing on my face. That bastard. “I told you to leave her alone.”
“She tried to kill me, and I couldn’t allow her to continue to murder vampires. She’s dangerous and needs to be taught a lesson.”
“Well, you’d better hope she’ll forgive you long enough to battle a bigger evil, assuming you didn’t kill her.”
“I didn’t, but she’s likely to make an attempt on my life.”
I smirked. “Well, that will be your problem. Astra is very skilled, so you’d better watch your ass.”
Alaric stepped between us and frowned at me. “Make the call, Kori. I’ll talk to my brother. Convince her not to attack him if you can.”
I shrugged. “We’ll see.”
I spun on my heel and strode down the hallway, pulling my phone from my pocket as I went. I ducked into one of the rooms, not sure why I’d bothered to walk away from them. They would probably hear my conversation even from here, but concern for Astra made me want to at least have the illusion of privacy.
I dialed her number and prayed she would answer. I couldn’t lose another friend. When she answered on the fifth ring, I was close to pulling my hair out.
“What’s up, Kori?”
She only sounded a little tired. I sighed in relief. “Yeah, I need your help.” I explained the situation.
“Can you do it without wanting to kill all the vampires? It’s more important that we kill this demon. Uh”—I massaged the back of my neck—“Jairdan will be there, and I want to make sure you can resist killing him. I can barely manage, so I know why you might say no.” I laughed awkwardly and cursed myself for the difficulty I was having expressing my worry. I hadn’t been raised to project concern. “Are you okay?” I whispered into the long silence.
She sighed. “I can resist killing him this once, to help out a friend. As long as he doesn’t threaten me, I’ll manage. Make sure he keeps his distance.”
I snorted. “I’ll tell him. You have my permission to kill him if you feel threatened. I’ll handle his brothers if you have to make that call.”
She laughed. “Jeez, glad you have my back.”
* * * *
Gideon drummed his fingers on the door of the car. “Well, this is disconcerting.”
I frowned at him. “What is?”
“This vehicle. I don’t like it at all. It’s a death trap. Isn’t there supposed to be some sort of safety harness you wear.”
“It’s called a seatbelt, and with four of you crammed back there it will make them hard to use. Can you even die?”
Alaric, Jairdan, Astra and Gideon were all in the backseat. I glanced at Astra and gave her a reassuring smile. I hoped it helped, but I doubted it. She was next to two creatures she hunted, and a demon. And Jairdan was paying her a frightening amount of attention. What was going on with them?
Gideon leaned on the back of my seat. “In my world? Not entirely. Here the rules are a little different. My magic is very limited. I can feel it like a pressure on my chest. I don’t think a car crash would kill me, though. According to what I’ve heard, something mystical has to kill you here. I’ve also heard the sun is damaging. It can’t kill, but it can completely take away your powers and fry you like bacon.”
“Most lore here says that vampires can’t walk in sunlight, but they can. It never occurred to me that a demon couldn’t.”
“Our sunlight doesn’t harm us. I don’t know why the sun of the mortal plane does. Its good protection for the humans at least, since we’re also limited to the residences we can enter. All humans have to do is stay inside after the sun sets and they’re protected from us. Well, under normal circumstances. If you’re determined, you can find a way in. Or make the humans come out.”
Weird. The lore had completely gotten the rules for demons confused with the rules for vampires.
Alaric arched and eyebrow. “Does that convince you that we aren’t the evil ones, Kori? We aren’t part demon apparently, and we can still do all of that.”
I snorted. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that vampires don’t have some connection to demons.”
Gideon nodded. “She’s right. It’s rumored that vampires originate from demons. I don’t know how, though. Usually a human tampering with the dark arts remains human. If a demon bonds with a human, it’s possession and doesn’t make a vampire. Demons have tried to duplicate the process to create a loyal army here to call them from our plane. Nothing has worked, and my kind executes anyone who tries. Because apparently having demons bonded with vampires is bad for the mortal plane.” Gideon smirked and glanced at Dagger. “Don’t you think?”
Dagger hunched in on himself. “Shut up, I’m still not going to go with you when you go back to your world, and neither is Kori. I won’t turn anymore people.”
“We’ll see.”
Dagger’s hands clenched on the steering wheel and the metal groaned under the pressure. I cleared my throat and he took a deep breath and let up on it.
“Gideon, maybe you should lay off until we get there so he can be level headed.”
Gideon snorted. “He’s the perfect warrior. He won’t let me distract him. He’ll try to kill me.”
Alaric
crossed his arms over his chest. “Can’t say I blame him. You’re annoying enough for me to want to kill you. If you think Kori is going with you to whatever hell you have in mind, you’re mistaken.”
Gideon rolled his eyes. “Jeez, Christians. It’s not hell. It’s another dimension.”
“That happens to seem a lot like the Christian version of hell,” Dagger piped in.
“You’re—”
The car jolted to a stop when Dagger slammed on the brakes. “Holy shit!”
Sherra stood in our path on the deserted country road, two balls of fire floating in the palms of her hands.
“Shit, everybody bail.” I hurled myself from the car as the ball of fire left her hands. Gideon landed on top of me in the ditch, shoving the air out of my lungs as heat from the car exploding rippled over us. Little shards of shrapnel ripped apart the pieces of my flesh that were exposed, but Gideon must have taken the brunt of it.
He groaned, tumbled off me, and rolled around on the ground to put out the flames while I picked jagged bits of metal from my skin. I gritted my teeth. I had nothing serious, but they hurt like hell. I couldn’t say the same for Gideon, who had a foot long shard embedded in his back. A shriek tore through the night and I peeked over the embankment to look at Sherra.
Her appearance had deteriorated. Pieces of rotting flesh fell off her left arm, exposing bone and the wiggling white maggots that had hatched in the gruesome wound. The skin on the right side of her head appeared to be missing. Teeth showed white against the dark red tissue. All the hair on that side of her head was gone and her eye glared from the socket, no lid to protect it.
“Well, I don’t know whether to consider this good news or bad, but Braxus no longer inhabits her body,” Gideon piped from beside me.
I stared at him. How did he sound so calm and chipper after being set on fire? “Sounds dandy to me.”
“Well Sherra will be slightly easier to kill, but Braxus is on the loose somewhere. Possibly with enough power to manifest himself now.”
“Great. Let’s consider it a good thing and destroy her.”
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