by J. C. Diem
Falling to the floor in two pieces, the demon rolled over onto his back and shielded his face with his hands. Fangs tore into his stomach, strewing entrails all over the carpet. Both of his arms were ripped off and he was left defenseless. His head moved from side to side in frantic denial. His shrieks were loud enough to make me wince as Zeus stood on his shredded chest and bit his head off. With a few disgusting crunching noises, he chewed and swallowed. The body dissipated and his misshapen soul rose and was sucked back into the pit. The soul had looked gray when I’d seen it through my spirit’s eyes, but now I saw that it was as black as its skin had been. The hell gate closed with an audible pop, leaving a charred stain on the now bare concrete.
Zeus trotted over to me and bent his head so I could pat him. “Good boy,” I said and reached up to stroke his head.
Kala elbowed her way in beside me and hugged him hard. “You were awesome, fleabag!” She turned to me with a fierce grin. “Remind me never to piss him off.”
He calmed down beneath our praise and his rage evaporated. He returned to his normal size and the shadows retreated. His eyes lost their eerie glow and went back to being brown again. Now back in his usual form, it was hard to believe he’d been a vengeful ghost just a few moments ago.
“Now,” Mark said to the Board as if we hadn’t been interrupted. “As I was saying, it would be in your best interests to rescind the order to kill us. You need to focus on the real threat rather than us.”
“I agree,” Cromby said faintly. He was staring at Zeus as if he was still a horse-sized wraith. “Now that we are aware of who is behind the coming Armageddon, we will do everything we can to stop him.” The fact that they still remembered Kurt meant he’d dropped his glamour for good and he was no longer hiding. Like a diva, he wanted the attention. He wanted everyone to know what was coming and who was behind it.
“It won’t be enough,” I said. “Even if every human on the planet bands together, it won’t be enough to stop what’s coming.” I hated to rain on their parade, but they needed to hear the truth.
“We managed to stop the golems before,” Kala said.
I shook my head wearily. “It isn’t the golems that I’m worried about. It’s the things Jorgen will be calling up from hell. The first two imps were just the start. He’s going to call up more and more of them. Each time we kill one, it will just return to the pit. Their bodies might not be immortal, but their souls seem to be. They’ll just come back with new bodies each time they die.”
A knock sounded on the door and we turned as it burst open. “Sir,” a harried guard said. “Something has happened that you need to see.”
“What is it?” Cromby snapped.
“You need to turn on the news, sir.”
Cromby retreated to his computer and pressed a button. A monitor descended from the ceiling behind us. We turned as the news came on. Pictures flashed up, showing a small city that was under siege. The hydra, Cerberus and spider golems were directing their reptilian, canine and arachnoid minions to attack. I didn’t see any demons or zombies yet, but I had a feeling this was just the warmup. Kurt was going to play with the humans before he unleashed utter devastation on them.
“Armageddon has begun,” Mark said in tones of finality.
We’d known for some time that a war was coming. Now that it had finally started, I realized that I wasn’t prepared. I apparently now had the skills I needed to win, but they seemed small and pathetic against the enemies that my nemesis could conjure up. We’d only seen a small taste of what we were going to face and I already knew we weren’t going to be able to defeat the coming hordes.
I was just a teenager and I had the weight of the entire world on my shoulders. Crippled with self-doubt, I couldn’t help but think that Fate had chosen poorly when she’d chosen me to be her champion.
Titles by J.C. Diem:
(Mortis Series)
Death Beckons
Death Embraces
Death Deceives
Death Devours
Death Betrays
Death Banishes
Death Returns
Death Conquers
Death Reigns
(Shifter Squad Series)
Seven Psychics
Zombie King
Dark Coven
Rogue Wolf
Corpse Thieves
Snake Charmer
Vampire Matriarch
Web Master
Hell Spawn, the ninth and final book of the Shifter Squad Series is due to be released in March.
If you would like to be advised of any new releases, please visit my website: www.jcdiem.com and sign up to receive my newsletter.