Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “Alone? Are you insane?” I stood, took a few steps, and the room spun a little. I leaned back on the table with a pant. “She knows about you.”

  “I expected her to figure things out eventually. Besides, no one should be left to monsters. Please tell me you’re not going to need a shoulder to lean on.”

  I locked a steely gaze with him and took a few steady steps. “I think in can manage. Just needed to adjust for a moment.”

  “Good. We need to get out of here.”

  “Wait. Both Raina and Faust are here. We can’t pass this chance up.”

  Adrian raised the eyebrow above his good eye. “How are we going to do anything? We don’t even know if they are here.”

  “If we leave now, we may never get a better chance. Once they find out what you did, Raina’s going to send whatever legions she has after you and your brothers.” Not to mention Faust and Allegra will be after me.

  He sighed. “We are in their center of their compound. Just the two of us would be suicide. I don’t have enough nanites to bring this building down, and you are missing your favorite weapon.”

  I narrowed my eyes, my voice dropping in temperature. “I’ve fought in worse conditions. Alone. Besides, Faust hasn’t used Brimstone. I can banish him.”

  It wouldn’t solve my problem, but it could delay it enough I could prepare. “What do you have with you?”

  “Two holy water grenades, ten of the garlic bombs, three stakes, and my guns,” he said.

  “The one that can kill demons?”

  “As well as one I’ve modified to shoot petrified wood bullets.”

  I chuckled. “One of the old ones from World War II? I’d heard rumors about that.”

  A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. ”Something like that. That still leaves you without a weapon.”

  “Give me some of the garlic bombs and the demon gun.”

  “You’re not that good of a shot.”

  I made a face. “I can hit occasionally.”

  He stared at me, his debate not evident on his face. “Not happening. That is insane. First rule of hunting vampires: attack them when they’re weak.”

  “Are you here at night?” I looked at the doorway, but only saw the opposite white wall, lit by electricity.

  He snorted. “Of course not.”

  He spread his arms and pointed to the navy blue jumpsuit underneath the jacket with the nametag of Stan. “Nobody questions the new maintenance guy.”

  He kneeled beside a large metal toolbox I hadn’t seen before, opened it, and pulled out a rolled up piece of cloth. I grabbed it out of the air and it unfolded into another blue jumpsuit.

  “You could have just handed it to me,” I said.

  “Put it on. I swiped it from the janitor’s closet when I found out you were here.”

  I slipped into it, turning my back to Adrian as I dressed. He held out a wet towel and a ball cap. Good point. I probably looked like a bloody mess. I wiped my face off as best I could and hid my hair under the hat.

  “Where are we, and how far do we need to go?” I asked.

  “Underground, he said. “We need to get to the first floor and out the back entrance.”

  “You are giving me some sort of weapon right? I’m not just going to hang in the back and hope no one notices me.”

  He sighed and handed me one of the holy water canisters, a couple of the garlic bombs, and a stake. “Try to make it last.”

  “That will depend on how many guards there are.”

  “Look, it’s in the day. We’re going to have more trouble with the human authorities if we get caught. I don’t think Raina wants her little setup exposed.”

  “If you say so.” I waved my hand to the door. “Lead the way.”

  The hallway was narrow. I swallowed hard and kept my gaze on Adrian’s back. Fluorescent lights shone from the ceiling and reflected off the eggshell-white walls. We passed several unmarked doors before turning to the right. I clenched my fist and wiped the sweat from my brow. Just a little farther and we would be free. When I saw the figure standing at the elevator, my heart thudded and sank to my stomach. He took up most of the width of the hall. Adrian came to a stop, and his hand hovered over his gun. The hulking monster grinned down at both of us, flashing a fang. It was the same vampire from the alley.

  “Interesting,” Adrian said. “Your size won’t save you.”

  “He’s possessed,” I said.

  “And that makes any difference?”

  The demonic vampire gave a roar and charged us. He hit Adrian with the back of his hand and sent him flying into the wall. Adrian’s guns skittered across the floor as he landed on the ground. I tried to duck out of reach, but the demon’s hand tangled in my hair. My forehead met the wall and white pain burst behind my eyes. The room spun, and I pressed my hands against the wall to keep myself upright. The demon’s grating laugh rattled around in my ears. It changed to an angry roar of pain as the hall filled with white mist. Adrian must have thrown one of the grenades. The demon shoved past me in his haste to get out of the holy mist. I stumbled, tripped, and toppled onto Adrian. He gave an annoyed sigh, pushed me off of him, and stood.

  “Find my guns.” He sprinted down the hall after the demon.

  I gritted my teeth against the waves of agony shooting through my arm and stood. Adrian reached the edge of the mist and stopped. A few feet from him, a door stood open. A large arm, red with sizzling blisters, reached out from the doorway, grabbed Adrian by his throat, and yanked him into the darkened room. I scanned the hall, my breath coming in short pants. Where the hell had his guns gone? There. A small black square in the corner. I rushed to it and scooped the revolver up. It was plain with no tube. This had to be the one that shot the wooden bullets. Damn, where was the other one? I would probably need both to kill the demon. The second gun lay near the doors of the elevator.

  Adrian gave a strangled cry from the room. I scrambled to the other gun and opened the chamber on the first one. Wooden bullets scattered across the floor. I unloaded the second gun and grabbed several of the woodened bullets. Please let this work. Adrian told me the symbol wasn’t created until the gun was fired. The gas from the tube created enough heat to burn it into the bullet. I was on my feet and down the hall in a matter of seconds. I leaned against the wall and peered into the room.

  The demon had Adrian pressed against the wall by his neck. Adrian’s face was turning blue as the demon squeezed harder. I held my breath as I crept behind him. I pressed the gun to his back and pulled the trigger. Black wisps of shadow wafted from the neat hole in his back. The demon stiffened and turned to me with a look of shock on his paper-white face. He burst into a cloud of shadow that dissipated on the air. Adrian dropped to the ground, gasping and holding his throat. I knelt beside him.

  “Can you speak?” Please speak. I had no idea how to fix a crushed windpipe.

  He voice was hoarse. “Help me up. We need to go.”

  He groaned and clutched his side as I helped him up. I gave a low laugh as we hobbled to the elevator with his arm around my shoulder. We stopped to pick up his gun and several of the bullets. We didn’t know how many more we would have to face to make our escape. I pressed the button and took a deep breath and focused on Adrian reloading his guns with a quick ease. I could do this. The doors opened, and I gulped in a huge breath before stepping in.

  “Which way?” My voice was at a higher pitch than normal.

  “Up two floors. We’re leaving through the parking garage.”

  Adrian groaned when I jerked both of us out into the garage. He waved to our right in a half-hearted hand gesture. I scanned the rows of cars for any sign of movement. The yellow light from the ceiling cast eerie reflections over the shiny chrome and glass surrounding us. Our footsteps echoed against the concrete walls.

  “Not far now,” Adrian said. “To the left, at the end of the row.”

  Car doors slammed near us, and I stiffened. The next voice froze the blood in my veins.
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  “Just the man I wanted to see. It looks like you were right about her being the perfect bait.” Raina’s shrill words surrounded us.

  Faust stepped away from the car he’d gotten out of and into the light. “Don’t scurry away just yet, little mice.”

  Chapter 37

  WITHOUT WASTING TIME thinking, I ripped the pin from the holy water grenade and flung the canister toward them. Adrian pulled away from me and tossed one of his garlic bombs. We escaped in a hobbled sprint to hide between two parked cars. I peered past the metal bars that ran horizontal and separated this level from the lower one. It was a short drop. I glanced at Adrian and tilted my head. Could he handle it? He gave a soft snort, crawled under the bars, and dropped down. He didn’t make a sound despite the fact it had to hurt. With a wince for him, I followed his example to land with a small thud beside him and into an immediate crouch. We darted between the cars until we were a small distance away from our escape point.

  “Well,” I whispered. “We’re as far down as we can go unless you want to make a break for the elevator again.”

  Please say no.

  He shook his head. “She’ll have the guards all over the place. That building is a trap.”

  He peered up at the slanted drive that led to the next level. “We need the van.”

  “I could cause a distraction and you could run for it.”

  He gave a hoarse laugh. “I’m not that quick. Let’s reverse that plan. You get the van.”

  I blinked at him. “You’re joking. I have no idea how to drive.”

  “You’ve been in enough cars to at least get the basics right?”

  I gave a hesitant shrug. “I guess.”

  “Good. Then listen closely. Right pedal for gas, left for the brakes. Turn the wheel in the direction you want to turn, otherwise keep it straight. And please, try not to hit anything. You only have to go a few feet.”

  “Are you sure you can distract?”

  He smiled coldly. “I’m just going to talk. She likes to talk.”

  I shook my head. Well, she had talked a bit when torturing me. I’d stopped listening. I squeezed his hand and crawled to the front of the car. The smell of motor oil clung to the back of my throat. I pressed against the rail and slid past the front of the bumper. The sound of high heels echoing became louder. I froze behind the bumper and ducked my head.

  “There’s no point in hiding. You have nowhere to run,” Raina called. “Besides, I’m sure we can have a civil conversation.”

  “I see you made the wrong choice,” Adrian’s voice came from farther back than I’d left him. Had he moved already?

  She laughed. “As opposed to going to prison? I saw what happened when you opposed. Besides, he offered me ultimate power.”

  “Prison is better than becoming the abomination you are. You already had power and you still let him seduce you, fuck you, turn you into a monster, and you’re still his obedient, little bitch. How’s that ultimate power working out for you?”

  I blew a silent whistle. So, Adrian’s plan of distraction was to drive her into a rage? I peered around the car. She glared into the distance with her fist clenched. It seemed to be working. She hadn’t even looked my direction. I moved past a few more cars until I got to a point I could climb up.

  “You know nothing about us.” She gave an angry growl that changed to a chuckle. “Still an asshole, I see.”

  “Coming from a bitch like you, that’s a compliment.”

  “You’ll see how much of a bitch I can be. I have special plans for you. I plan on taking the amount of loss you caused me out on your hide.”

  He laughed. “You have more to worry about besides me.”

  “Oh, I’ve heard of your little family. Imagine the Van Helsings are actually vampire hunters. I suppose you’ll tell me Dracula is real, too.”

  “He’s just a myth,” Adrian said.

  “Well, your family isn’t that impressive.”

  “We’ll see. You may be surprised.”

  I slid under the bars and crawled between two cars on the next level. Hopefully he could keep her bickering until I brought the van around. He had to have more weapons there, though unfortunately, my sword was still at the office. Footsteps sounded near me, and I pressed my back against the car. I peeked through the windows. Two of Raina’s thugs walked in my direction. They blocked the way between me and the van. I pulled out one of the garlic bombs and a stake. If I snuck past them, they would still hear the van coming. It was best to take them out now.

  I tossed the bomb, and a yellow cloud covered the area. I leapt out and jammed the stake into the back of the first vampire. The body folded in on itself until nothing remained but escaping shadows. The other turned my direction and pulled out a gun. I ducked under his arm before he could point it at me, got in really close, and shoved the stake in his chest. The gun clattered to the ground as he dissolved. I picked it up. My armory was running low. I could use the extra firepower. I cradled my broken arm to my chest and counted to ten. I let my breath out slowly, willing the pain to leave with it. It worked for three seconds before the throbbing began anew. Dio, let there be pain medication in Adrian’s van as well as weapons. The shadows flickered overhead and the level darkened to dusky gray. That was weird. The vampires didn’t have their powers in the day.

  Faust’s chuckle washed over me. “Raina’s a special girl. Very few like her are able to survive vampirism.”

  Only a few feet away, he leaned against the front bumper with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. My pace slowed and died. I pulled the demon gun from under the jacket and held it behind me.

  Faust waved to the van. “Is this yours? You won’t need it.”

  I raised the gun and fired several shots in quick succession. The grin on his face disappeared, and he jumped to the side. The bullets pieced the grill with one shattering the right headlight.

  “You really should put that away. You’ll hurt someone.” He ducked behind one of the cars.

  “That’s the plan,” she said.

  I leapt on the hood of one of the cars, the metal whining under me, and pointed the pistol at Faust. The light above me fizzled into blackness with a small buzz. As Faust’s laugh filled my ears, I gripped my gun tighter and narrowed my eyes. The darkness receded to a muted gray world as a small pop bloomed in my head. Faust’s glowing crimson eyes stared at me from behind his true face, the comedy and tragedy mask. I pulled the trigger.

  With a shout of pain, he fell, gripping his left knee. I’d hit him! He crab crawled away until his back was against the rails. I rushed him and leapt at him. He gave a groan as I landed on his chest. I pressed the gun to his head.

  “Oh, but I do need it. Looks like this is goodbye,” I said.

  A shout echoed from the lower level. Faust turned his head to peer below us. The shadowy form of Raina towered over Adrian on his knees with her fingers pressed into his head. The vibrancy of his yellow and green aura leeched away into a dull cloud. My heart pounded in my throat and reverberated in my ears.

  “How many bullets do you have left?” Faust asked. “I doubt enough for both of us.”

  He was right. I’d used several already on the vampire and at Faust himself. If I didn’t do something, she was going to kill Adrian. But what would I have left for Faust?

  “His life or mine?” Faust’s grin widened. “We both know what choice you’ll make. We’ll see each other again, Gabriella.”

  If I couldn’t kill him, well, there were other ways. I aimed the gun at Raina and began chanting the words to banish his ass back to hell. Faust’s eyes widened. He shook his head and a light flared in his eyes before his body went limp. Damn, he’d escaped. I pulled the trigger. The bullet missed Raina’s chest and caught her in the shoulder. She staggered back, and her aim dropped. That was all Adrian needed. He lunged forward and pressed his own gun to her chest. His shot, which boomed through the garage, didn’t miss her heart. She gave a shudder with a surprised gasp and the darkness di
ssipated. There was something almost romantic about the way she disintegrated in his arms. I shook my head. Sometimes, I’m too morbid.

  “Are you all right?” I called to him.

  “Just get the van.”

  I climbed into the driver’s seat, pushed the keys in the ignition, and started the van. I stared at the gages in the glass panel. John had once tried to teach me how to drive. One bent bumper and scarred tree later, he’d given up. Still, I remembered a little of his advice. I jammed my foot on the left pedal and switched the gear to the D. I lifted my foot and the van rolled forward. My stomach did a small flip. I spun the wheel and the van shifted and turned. So far, so good. I rolled along at a crawl down to the next level. Adrian waited at the end. I slammed my foot down on the brake and the van jerked to the stop, jostling me forward.

  Adrian walked to the driver’s side and opened the door. “Move.”

  I climbed to the passenger seat and relinquished the power to him. I let out a long breath and rolled down the window. My body itched to be out of this metal death trap, but that wasn’t happening for now. Adrian raced through the rest of the garage and sped up as we approached the exit. I gripped the armrest and covered my face as we crashed through the little wooden obstacle blocking us from freedom. The guard in his shack ran out, but he was too late. Adrian had already melded with the other traffic on the street. It was over.

  Chapter 38

  WE DUMPED THE van a few blocks away. I huddled next to Adrian, supporting my broken arm near him as we walked down the street. Adrian’s face was locked in a blank look, but his ragged breathing betrayed how much he struggled against the pain in his ribs.

  “Lucy, can you hear me?” He stared straight ahead as he spoke. “I found Gabby. I need you to pick us up.”

  He stopped and leaned against a brick wall. “On Fifth and 186th. We’ll be waiting.”

  I scanned the sidewalk. A man in a pale gray suit passed us with a cell phone to his ear. I sighed. The vampires had taken mine along with everything else I had on me. Thank god that I’d left my sword at the office when I’d gone to see John. Adrian leaned against a concrete pot that held a small tree. Little flecks of snow hung on the bare branches. I cradled my injured arm with the other and stood next to him.