by Tina Folsom
Virginia passed through the closed door, entering the car.
Deirdre shrieked and reached for the door handle. She managed to push the door open, and Virginia let it happen. Deirdre got out of the car in a hurry, while Virginia turned the key in the ignition and stopped the engine. Then slowly, she exited and looked over the roof toward the driver’s side.
Wesley was holding Deirdre’s hands behind her back, and Deirdre was struggling against him. Unsuccessfully. When Virginia approached, Deirdre tossed her a scared look.
“You!” She fought against Wesley, but couldn’t free herself. “Let go of me!”
A few more steps, and Virginia was face to face with the former council member. “So you remember me. Good.”
“What do you want from me?” Deirdre spat, defiance spewing from her eyes, venom in her voice.
“What are you doing in California?”
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business!”
“Oh you don’t?” Virginia took a step closer. “Well, that’s where you’re wrong, Deirdre. Who sent you?”
Deirdre pressed her lips together and glared at her, while she tried to free her arms from Wesley’s grip.
“You know I can make you talk,” Virginia threatened.
Deirdre tipped her chin up in defiance.
“Cinead was wrong about you,” Virginia said. “You never saw the error of your ways. You never repented. Even a year in a lead cell hasn’t made you understand how wrong you were. Once a traitor, always a traitor.”
“I’m not a traitor!” Deirdre protested with a raised voice, her hair now matted to her head from the continuing rain. “But you wouldn’t understand that.”
“Oh, I understand. You’re so full of hatred for your half-brother and the council that you’re trying to wipe us out, aren’t you?”
Deirdre’s eyes widened.
“Yes, I’m onto you. Your first attempt failed. The demons didn’t manage to kill any of us. And we destroyed the council compound before they could get to the portal.”
“What?” Stunned, Deirdre stilled.
“So what’s the plan this time?” Virginia continued. “Get inside Cinead’s compound and then call for the demons? Is that what you’re planning?”
“You’re wrong! I would never help the demons. Never!”
“Liar!”
Deirdre shook her head and fought against Wesley’s hold. “You’re the one who’s with the demons. Cinead warned me not to trust anybody.”
Now it was Virginia’s turn to be surprised. “You spoke to Cinead?” She glanced past her at Wesley who also looked stunned.
But Deirdre pressed her lips together again, unwilling to answer.
“Damn it, Deirdre, answer me! Cinead would never risk contacting you after the attack on the council compound.”
Deirdre narrowed her eyes. “You can say whatever you want, but I’m not going to believe you. He said there are traitors among the guardians. And that they’ll try to stop me from getting to him.”
“That’s bullshit!” Wesley hissed at Deirdre’s ears.
She jolted and whipped her head to him, as if she’d almost forgotten that he was still restraining her. She gave him a long look. “You’re a demon, aren’t you?”
Wesley shook his head. “No green eyes. Sorry.”
She snorted. “So you disguised them with colored lenses. I know your tricks.”
Virginia combed several wet strands of her hair out of her face and cursed. “Listen to me, Deirdre. Wesley isn’t a demon. He’s a witch, and neither of us are in league with the demons. So don’t try to distract us from the truth. You’re the one who’s leading the demons to Cinead’s compound.” She’d had enough of Deirdre’s stalling tactics. In one swift move, she gripped the other woman by the throat. “And now you’re gonna tell me everything you know about the demons’ plan, or I swear, I’ll crush your windpipe.”
Virginia tightened her hand around Deirdre’s neck to make her understand that she meant business. An expression of panic spread over Deirdre’s face. She began to choke.
“No. Please,” Deirdre pressed out, and Virginia loosened her grip. “There’s no plan.”
When Virginia squeezed again, Deirdre said breathlessly, “My phone.” Her eyes dropped to her jacket.
Virginia let go of her neck.
“I can prove that Cinead asked me for help. In my right pocket. My cell phone. You’ll see the text message.”
Virginia reached into Deirdre’s pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “Unlock it,” she ordered Deirdre and motioned Wesley to release her arms.
“Here,” Deirdre said and, after unlocking the phone, navigated to the text messages. “This is the message I receive from Cinead, asking me to come.”
Virginia read it.
“I need your help. Come to my place immediately. There’s no time to lose. I’m in danger. Trust no one. We have a traitor in our midst. Be careful.”
“It’s from Cinead,” Deirdre said and pointed to the top of the display. “It’s his number. I know it by heart. And I programmed it in when he settled me in Portland.”
Virginia shook her head. “This isn’t from him. It can’t be. He would never risk summoning a human to his compound. A human who can be followed by demons.”
Deirdre pointed to the cell phone again. “But it’s him. Damn it, he needs me. He’s in danger.” A sob tore from her chest.
Virginia exchanged a look with Wesley.
“They’re using her,” Wesley said.
“I know, but I’m pretty sure that this is Cinead’s number,” Virginia said. Then she shook her head. “I’ll have to get Pearce or Logan to check on it, though. I had his number, but my phone blew up with the compound, so...”
The moment she said it, her eyes locked with Wesley’s, and she knew they were thinking the same thing.
“Shit!” Wes cursed. “Outside the council chamber. All those phones.”
Virginia nodded. “The demons must have gotten the phones. The council members all ran for their lives. I didn’t see anybody trying to grab their phone. I sure didn’t.”
Deirdre’s mouth dropped open. “You mean that text isn’t from Cinead?” Disbelief and fear collided in her face. “Oh no! What have I done?” She looked over her shoulder, panic now joining her fear. “The demons, they could be anywhere. We have to get far away from here. Far away from Cinead. If anything happens to him…” Another sob tore from her throat.
Virginia put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll take care of it.” She looked to Wesley, seeking reassurance, when she saw lights flicker behind him. “Oh shit, police.”
Wes looked over his shoulder. A police cruiser, its blue and red lights flashing, stopped a few feet behind Deirdre’s white Toyota. The driver’s door opened, showing the emblem of the San Mateo Police, and a tall police officer stepped out.
Wes looked back at Virginia. “Let me handle this. We’ll be out of here in a couple of minutes. Just stay calm. We don’t want to arouse suspicion.”
34
Wesley pasted a smile on his face and approached the cruiser. The police officer, dressed in a black police uniform and Aviator sunglasses, was already heading toward them. His rain jacket was open in the front, the broad rim of his hat shielding his face from the rain.
“What’s going on here?” the policeman asked with a booming voice, one hand on his belt where his gun was holstered.
Wes spread his arms to the sides, making sure the policeman knew that he wasn’t armed. “I’m so sorry, officer, we’re already on our way. We got lost and had to ask for directions.”
The policeman looked past Wesley to where Virginia and Deirdre were standing. He tipped his chin in their direction. “Are you with those two women?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“In two cars? Whom were you asking for directions?” He glanced around, presumably to see if anybody else was in the area.
“Yes, our friend was following us, but I think we took a wrong
turn. So we stopped to confer which way to go.”
“You can’t just park in the middle of the road,” the police officer chastised him. “There’s only one lane open.”
“I understand. And I’m really sorry. We’ll be on our way.”
Wesley was about to turn and walk away, when the policeman said, “I didn’t say you could leave. I’m gonna have to write you a ticket.”
At the words, the hairs on Wesley’s nape rose. He’d dealt with a lot of policemen in his life, and a little traffic holdup had never landed him a ticket. Apparently, this policeman was in a bad mood and ready to take it out on him.
Sighing, he said, “Very well.”
“Wait here,” the cop said and turned slowly to walk back to his police car.
Wes sighed and looked over his shoulder. Virginia and Deirdre were still standing next to the Toyota, waiting. He shrugged, then looked back to the cruiser. That’s when he realized it: the police officer hadn’t asked him for his license and registration. He’d been in traffic stops before, and the first thing a cop would do was ask for papers, so he could verify that he wasn’t dealing with a criminal on the run.
Wesley’s heartbeat kicked up a notch. Something was wrong. He watched the cop turn to enter the car, his profile showing now. There was nothing unusual about it—except for the fact that even in the rain and with sunset imminent, the man was wearing dark sunglasses. Who would do such a thing?
“Shit,” Wes cursed under his breath.
The cop, his body shielded by the open car door, snapped his head toward Wes and froze. At the same time a large truck appeared on the road behind the police car and pulled alongside it, coming to a stop.
Wes whirled around. “Demons!” he yelled at Virginia and Deirdre. “Get in my car!”
Without waiting for Virginia’s reaction, Wes spun back around. The cop was charging toward him, wielding a dagger, while the doors of the truck opened, and several more men jumped out. They, too, were armed with daggers and swords. But unlike the faux cop, they hadn’t bothered wearing sunglasses. As clear as day, their green eyes broadcasted what they were: demons. The demon cop had been waiting for reinforcements, stalling Wesley with irrelevant questions. Well, they were here now.
“Fuck!” Wes cursed and threw up his hands, calling his powers to him. With the sun still a few minutes from setting, he’d have to hold the demons off long enough for help from Scanguards to arrive. He knew his friends had to be close. But just how close?
With his arms raised, he began chanting in Latin, “Aqua unda liquidum…” A wall of water rose before him, cutting off the demons’ approach.
“Kill them!” the demon cop, clearly their leader, ordered. “Get me the human alive!”
Wes pushed the wall toward them, letting it crash against them and collapse. The force of the water threw several of the demons on their asses, but the rest of them approached, including the faux cop. Ferocious battle cries came from them, and fury blazed in their eyes.
Three demons rushed him, their daggers aimed at his heart. Again Wesley called on his powers, using another incantation, and created a spear of water. He launched it at one of his attackers, hitting him square in the chest with it. It tossed him backward onto the pavement. But the other two kept coming.
“Shit!”
Wes pulled out the dagger the Stealth Guardians of Baltimore had outfitted him with and squared his stance, ready to fight. The demon charging toward him was massive. Still, he had no choice. He had to make sure Virginia and Deirdre got away.
“Time to die, fucker!” he shouted, when suddenly, a dagger whizzed past him and lodged in the demon’s throat.
The demon’s eyes widened. He reached for the dagger in his throat and pulled it out. Green blood spewed from his neck like soda from a fountain. He staggered forward a couple of paces.
“Duck left, Wesley!” Virginia yelled from somewhere behind him.
Without questioning, he followed her command, and a second dagger whizzed past him, hitting the other demon, felling him like a dead tree.
“Damn it, Virginia, run, save Deirdre and yourself!”
But she didn’t listen to him, didn’t even reply.
More demons were rushing toward them now, the demons he’d temporarily disabled with his wall of water. They’d recovered and were running to help their brethren.
“Fuck!” Virginia cursed.
Wesley saw it, too: from the back of the truck, more demons were emerging, a veritable army was descending on them.
“We’re fucked!” Wes let out.
All around them, demons were approaching, some trying to break in from their right flank, others charging straight ahead.
A scream made him spin his head. Next to the Toyota, the faux cop had grabbed Deirdre.
Wes sent a spear of water toward him, causing him to lose his grip on the woman, but a moment later, the demon regained his balance again. Sneering, he snatched Deirdre again.
“Out of daggers,” Virginia called out next to him. From the corner of his eye he saw her vanish, cloaking herself, as she lunged for the demons on the ground to retrieve her weapons. Despite her power, the rain made her silhouette visible.
A demon jumped on her. Wesley flung himself toward them and drove his dagger into the asshole’s back, then kicked him off Virginia. But more demons were coming at them like an endless stream.
The sound of motorcycles suddenly roared over the shouts and grunts of the demons.
Wesley whipped his head around and saw four figures on motorcycles charging toward them. Three of them he recognized immediately. The hybrids: Amaury’s twins, Damian and Benjamin, and Grayson, Samson’s son. The fourth motorcyclist was clad in thick Kevlar gear and a dark headshield that, unlike a regular helmet, covered not only his face, but also his throat and nape from UV-rays: this could only be Luther, in his prison uniform.
All four charged into the melee, their engines revving, attacking the demons from behind simply by mowing them down. Grayson and one of the twins slithered to the ground, letting their motorcycles slam into a group of demons, while they rolled off and pulled their guns from their holsters, aiming into the crowd. Yet their guns did little damage. Bullets could injure demons, but they couldn’t kill them, and despite their wounds, many continued fighting.
The second twin and Luther drove straight through the crowd and swerved to meet Wesley, then let their bikes slide to the ground and drew their weapons too.
“About time!” Wes grunted.
“Sorry, bro, bit of an accident back at the exit ramp,” Luther replied and barreled toward a demon, firing at him.
“Bullets can’t kill them!” Wesley yelled after him.
Virginia was on her feet again, having recovered her daggers. She resumed her fighting stance, ready to re-engage the enemy, when another scream sounded from behind them.
Wes spun his head in the direction of the scream. “Shit, he’s got Deirdre.”
“I’m on it!” Virginia yelled and kicked a demon out of her way, before charging in the direction of the Toyota.
Wesley tried to follow, but the demon Virginia had leveled rose back up before him and attacked furiously.
“Fucking demon, die already!” Wesley gripped his dagger more tightly and lunged for his attacker. But another one came at him from the side.
“Shit!”
Fighting against two demons now, Wes held his attackers off as best he could, drawing on his magic whenever he could to launch walls of water to distract and disorient them. For a while, it seemed to work. But the demons kept coming.
“Rip their heads off!” Wes yelled toward Luther and the hybrids. The Scanguards men were valiant fighters, but they were outnumbered. However, with vampire speed on their side, they were able to at least hold the demons back, wounding and even killing several of their adversaries.
Green blood spurted everywhere. The hybrids were getting the hang of it, using their sharp claws to inflict damage on the demons. But they were b
eing driven back now. And Luther, hindered by his heavy Kevlar uniform couldn’t even use his claws to fight. He had to rely on pure brute strength to battle his attackers.
Then all of the sudden, more men swarmed in. It took Wesley a split-second to recognize them through the rain: Scanguards.
The sun had finally set.
The vampires charged into the fray: Amaury came up behind one of his twin sons and ripped a demon’s head clear off, dowsing himself in green demon blood in the process. Zane, the bald vampire, and the meanest fighting machine among them, took it a step farther. He barreled into a demon and slammed his claws into his chest, cutting through sinew and muscle. With a ferocious growl, he ripped the demon’s heart right out of his chest cavity. Unsurprisingly, several of the demons nearest to him panicked and started running, but Zane, Gabriel and Samson by his side, gave chase. Meanwhile, Haven, John, and Amaury charged through the battle, heading straight for the demons surrounding Wesley.
“Need help, little brother?” Haven called to him.
He’d never been so happy to see his brother. Or the rest of Scanguards. “Took your bloody time!”
Wes continued to use all the powers at his disposal to hold off his attackers.
The sound of another car engine roared into the scene. With a whoop, Wes saw Thomas, Eddie, Blake, and Quinn jump out and swoop into the fight. With the sudden arrival of four more vampires, more demons turned tail and ran.
With Haven, Amaury, and John fighting off the demons surrounding Wesley, he was finally free to come to Virginia’s aid. He spun on his heel, but when his gaze found the spot he’d last seen Deirdre and the demon cop, they were gone.
“Virginia?” he called out, but he got no answer.
Oh God, had the demons gotten to her before the vampires had arrived? He whirled around on his own axis, searching, hoping, praying. The battle raged on, and the vampires took full advantage of their superior speed, disarming the demons and using their own weapons against them. More demons were fleeing, and in the distance Wesley saw them casting their vortexes and disappearing.