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

by Rebecca Hamilton

  I climb out of a car and slam the door behind me. I slip my hands in my pockets and walk towards a two story warehouse. I look up at the sky and the constellation as a feeling of satisfaction fills me. I’d gained more power. I was so much closer to being the First. I run a hand through my hair and inspect my face in the reflective glass window of the warehouse. Cambione’s face. I gasped. I, no Cambione, pauses and looks around. A sense of being watched fills me. Someone is riding me.

  The sound of breaking glass filled the room. I stared up at the ceiling of John’s hotel room and panted. Lucy held the handle of the knife over the shattered mirror.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “When I tried to call John, I got the demon instead.” Lucy pulled a marijuana cigarette out of her pocket with shaky hands. “I’m damn lucky it didn’t notice me at first. Otherwise, you’d probably be talking to it face to face right now.”

  The nauseous feeling in my stomach grew as I glanced at the bed. It couldn’t be. But I knew who had the answers. I snatched the cigarette out of her mouth before she lit it.

  “Hey! I need that for my nerves.”

  “No time. Call the others. We need to catch Cambione before he moves again.”

  “And how are we supposed to find him?”

  I close my eyes, picturing the night’s sky from Cambione’s view. “The stars will guide us.”

  Chapter 42

  THE CLOUDS BROKE, and I could see the small patch of stars that weren’t eaten away by the city lights. Before me was the warehouse from the vision I had through Cambione’s eyes. If I stepped two feet to the right, I would be in the exact position as he was. A car engine rumbled through the night as it drew closer. I ducked behind Lucy’s car as lights flashed in our direction. She crouched next to me, her gaze steady in that direction. The car drew near, its silver color reflecting in the lone lamp from the warehouse.

  “That’s Tres’s car.” Lucy stood.

  I pulled myself up and avoided bumping the cast on my broken arm. “They couldn’t think of anything less conspicuous to bring?”

  “Adrian’s van is gone. Besides, does it matter?”

  No, I supposed it didn’t. I wasn’t planning on stealth. Tonight we were going to end it. I turned back to the warehouse with my eyes narrowed. Doors slammed and footsteps approached. The air grew warmer as I was surrounded by my allies. Everyone was here, including Esais and Viktor. Even Jonah had put on his work clothes and pulled out his cane sword.

  “So, this is it?” Marge asked. “Doesn’t look like much.”

  “It never does,” I said.

  The building was two stories and a mute gray brick that matched its siblings that lined the street. A lone lamp hung over the concrete steps that led up to the front door, but light shone through the dingy windows of the first floor.

  “What’s the plan? More sneaking?” Marge asked.

  “I’m going through the front door,” I said.

  Marge grinned at me and nodded her head. “Finally.”

  “Are you insane?” Adrian asked.

  Esais frowned. “I’m not sure if you’re emotionally stable enough to do this.”

  I pulled out my sundang. “Trust me. I’m a master at fueling my anger in the right direction.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” Esais said.

  Adrian shook his head. “You are going to be a liability to us.”

  Esias sighed. “Maybe it’s best if you stay behind.”

  I clenched the handle and gritted my teeth. Stay behind? And let Cambione get away again? No way in hell was I letting that happen. If it wasn’t for Lucy and me, we wouldn’t even know his location.

  Lucy put her hand on my shoulder. “I have her back. I don’t have to worry about it as much.”

  The back of my neck grew hot at the thought of any of them having to look after me. I was older than everyone combined and had been through more death and demons than anyone should have to. Jonah cleared his throat and I raise my gaze to meet his.

  “Please,” he said. “It would do our hearts some good to not see you die tonight.”

  I sighed and nodded.

  “So are we going?” Marge said.

  “There are two doors and the loading docks,” I said. “We need all the exits covered. Lucy and I will take the front.”

  “Viktor and I will take the loading dock.” Esais turned to his boyfriend. “Do you think you can keep them locked down?”

  Viktor smirked. “Easily.”

  “I’m taking the back then,” Marge said. “But I’m not staying there. I’m finding Cambione.”

  “I will cover the back door,” Jonah said. “They shall not get past me.”

  Adrian pulled out a stack of holy water grenades and held some to Tres. “We can toss theses through the windows.”

  “And back up who needs help.” Tres took two of the grenades.

  “Good,” I said. “We use that as our signal."

  We snuck to the door as the others crept to their positions. My boot slammed into the handle. It caved under the assault with the sound of splintering wood and groaning metal. I pushed Lucy through the door and stepped up so we stood side by side. A bajang rushed us with wild eyes intent on the open doorway. Lucy stepped forward and rammed her punch dagger into the demon’s stomach. Her second blade punctured the soft section under the creature’s chin. I turned at movement behind me and found Tres in the door way. Perfect. With Tres covering the door and Lucy occupied, I could sneak off to find Cambione.

  “Make sure nothing gets out,” I said to Tres before heading into the mist.

  Tres called after me but he stayed where he was. I stepped over a puddle of metallic liquid, most likely once one of the oily demons. Shouts echoed throughout the warehouse along with the blast of gunfire. A hand wrapped around my arm and jerked me back.

  “You’re not getting away that easily, dearie,” Lucy shouted over the clamor.

  I shook loose and pushed onward. I was going to kill Cambione with or without Lucy at my side. Another bajang stumbled into my path and I lashed out in an arc, slicing her from hip to shoulder in a diagonal cut. She fell with a choking gurgle, but I didn’t stop moving. A brown haired figure hunched over a table, choking or shuddering. My heart sped up. Esais? He spun around and screamed at me wordlessly. His face was streaked in red blisters and blood streamed from the corners of his eyes. Right, not Esais, demon. I slashed him in his midsection. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his abdomen.

  Jonah’s shout reverberated from our right, causing Lucy’s eyes to widen and her lips press into a thin line. She raced in his direct and, with a long sigh, I followed. He hunched down, clutching his shoulder with a cane sword clutched in his hand and three demons towering over him. Lucy rushed forward and burred one of her blades in the back of the middle bajang. The hellcat howled and swung around with her claws aimed at Lucy’s face. Jonah’s usually stoic look disappeared into a scowl and he jammed his sword to the hilt between the bajang’s shoulder blades. The creature gave a gasping mewl as she collapsed.

  Platinum blond flashed to my left. Cambione raced up the stairs to the second floor, his face in ruins and panic in his steps. Marge followed after him with a grin on her face. Hell, she wasn’t going to kill him alone. I glanced back at Lucy and Jonah who now stood back to back as they fought off their two remaining demons. They could handle it. I sprinted towards the stairs after Cambione and Marge.

  A silver tentacle glittered in the lights as it wrapped around my wrist and yanked me off of my feet. I gripped my sword tighter as I was dragged across the floor with the concrete scraping against my hands and arms. The orang attached to the tentacle leaned over me with its face rippling like a pool with a stone dropped in it. I rolled to the side, cut through the bond holding me, hopped to my feet. I took one of the holy water grenades from my belt at tossed it at the demons feet. As it gave a high pitched gargle and spammed, I raced toward the stairs. The longer these nobody demons delayed me
the more I lost my chance of killing Cambione myself and avenging John.

  Chapter 43

  THE CLANG OF metal echoed as I sprinted up the stairs to the row of offices overlooking the bottom of the warehouse. Faust yanked the door open and ran inside one of the center ones with Marge right behind him. She stopped in the doorway and swayed back and forth. I came behind her and shook her shoulder. Her eyes widened and her cream completion paled as she whimpered.

  “Snap out of it, Marge.” I gave her a small push so I could step inside the office. “He’ll get away if you fall for his tricks.”

  I gritted my teeth with a muttered curse at the empty office and the open adjoining doors on the right and the left. He could have gone either way. I turned back to Marge, who stood with her arms wrapped around herself and trembled. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she gave shallow pants and stared and some point just past my shoulders. I didn’t have time for this. With a sigh that overshadowed the gunfire below, I stepped forward and made a shallow cut on Marge’s arm. She blinked and jerked her arm to her chest as she gave a small hiss and stepped back.

  “Fuck,” she muttered.

  “Glad to see you’re with me again.” I flicked the tip of my blade toward the ground. “Thought I’d lost you to Cambione’s dream world.”

  She glared as she stepped up beside me. “Aren’t you supposed to be with your babysitter?”

  “She’s lousy at her job,” I said. “Come on before he gets away.”

  “Fine. I’ll double back to the stairs and make sure he doesn’t get away.” She rushed out the door and down the walkway.

  “Works for me,” I said to the empty air and headed through the left door. I dashed through two offices with their chairs and desks passing in a blur and burst through to door of the last one on the row. Cambione turned with his hand on the door leading to the walkway and he smirked at me. Cheeky bastard wouldn’t be smug when I was through with him. I stepped forward and blinked as a violet light flashed before my eyes.

  John reached toward me. “Gabby.”

  I shuddered. No this wasn’t real. My arm dropped to my side and sword hung loosely in my fingertips. The light brightened, and I stood in front of his bed in the hotel. He leaned back against the pillows and laughed up at me.

  “Are you planning on killing me?” he asked.

  I looked down at the sundang and furrowed my brows. Why did I have it out again?

  He held his hand out. “Come here.”

  I took a step forward and stopped with the shake of my head. Something wasn’t right here. John shouldn’t be lying in bed with that sexy smile on his face. My heart twisted in my chest as tears burned my eyes. John had died and no tricks from the hellspawn responsible would change that. I took a step forward and slashed at the bed with a low growl. The vision shattered in a thousand parks of violet. Cambione’s eyes widened as his leer vanished.

  “Your lies can’t fool me,” I said in a cold, soft voice.

  He chuckled. “Actually, they’ve been fooling since the beginning. You’re just too blind to see it. Your precious John was a part of me long before I took his essence.”

  A chill crept up my spine. “What?”

  Cambione took the opportunity my momentary confusion caused and lunged at me with a small knife aimed at my stomach. I batted it away with the back of my empty hand and it slashed against the top of my hand. I spun and attempted to disembowel him with a swift slash. He ducked to the side and buried the knife in the back of my calf. A sharp burning sensation spread through my leg followed by numbness and I fells to my knees. Cambione rushed to the door with a loud laugh. It crashed open, slamming him in the face before he touched the handle. He fell back and hit the ground with a groan.

  Marge loomed in the doorway, panting with her eyes wide and a twisted grin on her face. “You forgot about me, jackass.”

  She tramped forward and slammed her foot in his midsection. His breath his body in a whoosh and he gripped his abdomen. With gritted teeth, I pulled the knife from my left and rose to my feet. Marge pushed Cambione on his back and stomped down on his chest.

  “That’s for those stupid dreams,” she yelled.

  His breath wheezed as he laughed. “Even if you kill me, neither of you will be free.”

  “No,” I said. “But it’s so satisfying.”

  My sundang swung down on his neck and severed his head from his body. His eyes lit up violet for an instant before the life and light vanished. I let out a long shuddering breath as my throat tightened and willed the ache in my chest to ease. This wasn’t the time for tears. Besides, I didn’t want to hear Marge’s mouth on it. I wiped the blood from my sword, ripped a part of my shirt, and bandaged my leg. I limped down the stairs without another look at my fallen enemy.

  “Are we clear?” I asked trough the comms.

  “Just taking care of the remainders,” Lucy said. “Where the hell did you run off to?”

  “To finish things,” I said.

  I hobbled to the table I’d come across during the chaos of battle. Many of the bottles and beakers had been shattered, their liquid running together in multicolored pools. A suitcase of plastics bags filled with yellow powder was sprawled across the floor with some of the plastic broken and powder spewing out.

  Adrian walked up behind me. “I will handle this.”

  “Your way is better than fire I suppose.” I said. “I leave this to your capable hands.”

  Lucy put an arm around me. “I’ll drive you home.”

  I shook my head and pulled away. “I’ll be fine. You should stay here with your family. They might need help.”

  I walked out the doors and into the cold night and wondered the night until I found myself at the frozen lake John had taken me to. With a sharp intake of breath I eased down on the pier and gazed up at the stars. Cambione’s words replayed in my head, filling my stomach with a queasy flutter. It had to be a lie. He’d wanted to throw me off my game so he could escape, like Faust managed to.

  I pulled my good leg to my chest and wrapped my arms around my knee as the tears began to fall, leaving artic trails down my cheeks. Vengeance wouldn’t bring John back to me. He’d risked his life many times to help stop demons and had died for it in the end. I stared up at the twinkling lights in the vast blackness and gave a long sigh. Cambione was dead, Brimstone had been stopped in both its forms, and fewer demons roamed the Earth. Those thoughts warmed the ice in my heart.

  Epilogue

  FAUST LEANED OVER, clutching the rail on the subway as the body he wore was caught in the throes of a hacking cough. He pressed his forehead against the window and breathed in a shuddering breath once it was over. He wanted to blame the human body he inhabited, but that would be a lie, and Faust knew about lies very well.

  No, a piece of him was missing. Destroyed by that damn woman. It had been a substantial amount since Cambione had been working on collecting as much of Faust as he could. Now it was just gone. The hole it left in his essence burned and at the same time felt cold and empty.

  He needed to get somewhere safe and recuperate. The Thrones were out of the question. His many enemies would jump on the chance to attack him while he was this vulnerable. He couldn’t show Naamah his weakness, either. She would consider this a failure and might very well throw him to the others, or come up with a worse punishment. That left hiding in the mortal world. This body was suitable enough, but he sure as hell wasn’t staying here with that demon slaying bitch and her group. Maybe somewhere warm, like the Caribbean.

  The subway car came to a stop. Faust followed the herd out and climbed up the stairs to the airport. He got within a hundred feet and froze. Sweat beaded down his forehead and he swallowed hard. If he went any farther, that would be the end of him. He could feel the ward in every part of his being, keeping him trapped in this frozen wasteland. Someone didn’t want the demons leaving this city.

  Who, though? Gabriella? No, he should have had her twisted around enough that she wouldn’t have
thought of this. Besides, this wasn’t her style of binding. It felt more . . . holy.

  Faust cursed under his breath as he backed down the stairs to the subway. There were other options. Whoever this was couldn’t have blocked every escape. He would find a way out of the New York and rest before returning to give Gabriella a special reward.

  * * *

  Check out the first in the Van Helsing Series:

  A Prescription for Delirium

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  * * *

  About Noree Cosper

  USA Today Bestselling author, Noree Cosper loves writing about magic in the modern world. While growing up in Texas she constantly searched for mystical elements in the mundane. She buried her nose in both fiction and books about Wicca, Religion, and Mythology. Everyday became an adventure as she joined a group of role-players, acting out her fantasies of vampires, demons, and monsters living in the world.

  She embraced her nerdom wholeheartedly.

  Noree grew, but never left her love for fantasy and horror. Her dreams pushed her and her hand itched to write the visions she saw. So, with her fingers on the keys, she did what her heart had been telling her to do since childhood. She wrote.

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  A DOSE OF BRIMSTONE by NOREE COSPER