"Chrissy?" Tink asked. "What happened? How did you escape?"
She didn't respond. Her hand swung in line with Tink. Her lips moved. Tears streaked her face. I glanced over at Hikari, but she was already in motion, flicking drops of blood at Chrissy. None of them touched her, just sizzled and streaked the air in front of her. "That's-"
"Not really Chrissy," I finished. "Azriphel's in command."
Chrissy's gaze turned to me. It wasn't empty, it wasn't vacant. She was pleading for help even as she began to trace a rune in the air with her blood. It wasn't the familiar force spell, but I heard Tink take a sharp breath. I started to force ichor to my skin, reinforcing my body in case she hit hard.
She did. Hikari threw a defensive shield up just in time to deflect the brunt of the assault. Visible shards of magic sprayed from Chrissy's hands, striking the shield and spinning away, carving gouges into the walls. My television exploded as a trio of shards smashed through the screen. Stuffing burst into the air as magic sheared through the cushions of my couch. Hikari grunted as if she had been punched in the stomach. "Caleb, can't you-"
His wings spread wide in front of us, blocking Chrissy from our sight. "Is there any other way out of here?" he asked me, looking over his shoulder.
"Yes, there's a trap door under the rug in the kitchen," I said. "It's right next to the revolving fireplace. Of course there isn't another way out, it's an apartment!"
"Just asking. No need to get shrill." The magical assault continued, but the shards were bouncing off Caleb's wings. Hikari's shield strengthened and Tink was adding her own strength to it now, leaving me the only one doing nothing. I peered around Caleb just in time to see Chrissy clapping her hands together, then pulling them sharply apart. A burst of magical fire sizzled out, and this time, he wasn't ready. I saw three fist sized holes punch through Caleb's wings before he folded them back.
Then the walls next to my front door exploded inward, showering us with dust. I smelled sulfur. "Careful, demons!" I snapped, and elbowed my way up beside Caleb. His expression was tight with pain. "Drop back if you need to," I said to him.
"I'm fine." His sword came out and as if that was the sign they had been waiting for, a series of House Lucifer goons rushed us. The first ones had an intimate encounter with Caleb's sword. The burly angel didn't even bother to manifest his full strength, simply made the tip of his blade dance. I stayed back, noted that our attackers weren't just Lucifer. Some of them were sporting the distinctive facial scars that were trendy with Amon a few years ago. Even if they were weaker than Caleb, they were stronger than the rest of us, and Caleb was already hurt.
"Want to unleash the big guns?" Tink snapped. She was back to back with Hikari, right behind me. Interlocked shields wrapped around the three of us.
I shook my head as Caleb dodged. Hellfire flashed at him, hit the shield instead, splattered. Caleb eviscerated one of the demons but another took its place. They would overwhelm us through numbers. "Do you want to try and save Chrissy or kill her?"
"Have to do something!"
"I'm thinking."
"Think faster!"
Another splatter of hellfire hit the shield and I heard Hikari grunt again. I didn't have a choice here. There was only so much Caleb could do by himself, and the mages couldn't do much more than defend themselves under this sort of pressure. I pushed ichor through my body to complete the transformation. My skin and bone hardened, muscles grew, and horns sprang wide from my temples.
I stepped out of the shield and clapped my hands together twice, puncturing my palms with my claws. When I pulled them apart the second time, hellfire sparked between them. "Caleb!" I roared. "Up!"
Most people just look at you funny when you scream at them to jump. Caleb launched himself up and flattened against the ceiling. A dozen demons tracked his movement. They couldn't help it. People know what's coming when someone screams "duck". Everyone ducks, even the bad guys. The smart-asses quack.
Jumping, on the other hand, was unexpected. I whipped the hellfire at about mid-thigh level across the crowd of demons. The first rank dropped with roars of pain, and a couple more behind them collapsed as well. Before they could push forward again, Caleb crawled across the ceiling like a certain sort of xenomorph and dropped sword-first onto a couple of the injured, then launched himself into the hallway like a whirlwind of silver and steel. He crashed into Chrissy, throwing her away from the fight.
"Zay!" Hikari screamed. I spun and saw dark forms hanging in the air outside.
Tink was already scribing a force rune in the air and I tossed a spark of hellfire over their shield, letting it drop right in front of the rune. One of us timed it wrong, so the spark wasn't sucked completely into the spell. It was enough. The blast took the window out, most of the wall, and she whipped it across the demons floating outside.
No, not whipped. She pulsed the spell, aiming for their wings. I wanted to applaud. One by one, the demons dropped like rocks. It wouldn't kill them, but they'd be stunned and unable to come back through that way until they regenerated their wings. She pointed her bloody hand at the hole in the wall where my window had so recently been and blew imaginary smoke away from her finger.
I spun back to see if Caleb needed a hand. He had already fallen back into the apartment again. At least five demons were harrying him, matching claws and hellfire against sword and holy fire. I spiked one with a flash of hellfire and ducked when another tried to return the favor. It splattered the shield and Hikari mumbled something. She probably wasn't used to shielding like this. Chrissy was still out of sight. Had we left her to be trampled by the demons?
A staccato series of hellfire sparks flashed past Caleb and me and hit the shield, punctuated by a force blast. Hikari dove for cover and Tink crouched, but the damage was done. Their shield was gone and they were both vulnerable. "Caleb, cover!" I shouted at him.
He dropped back and I moved to put myself between the mages and the threat of hellfire. I could soak a couple of sparks, no problem, and I stood a much better chance of surviving a larger hit. I stood my ground while Caleb started swatting demons back, intercepting hellfire where he could. I caught the rest, sparks burning out against my skin. It hurt, but demonic skin was tough.
We couldn't keep it up forever. The sparks grew more and more frequent, and Caleb couldn't whittle down their numbers and defend the rest of us as well. When the ranks of lesser demons parted to reveal a larger demon with Chrissy at his side, I knew it was about over. We could jump out the window, no problem, but that would leave Caleb behind, and there was no telling how many demons were waiting below for just that sort of thing.
The newcomer gestured and a group of the lesser goons went for Caleb. That left him unable to do anything about the ball of hellfire that headed my way seconds later. "Zay!" he roared, his sword arm streaked with sweat and purity. I lifted a clawed hand to catch it, manifesting my own hellfire in my palm. I'd have to regenerate the hand, but it would save the girls.
The girls were in no mood to be saved so easily. Two force blasts snapped from behind me, hitting the back of my hand, throwing it forward, sending my own spark of hellfire wild. Their spells caught the larger demon's hellfire, flinging it right back at him. He hadn't been expecting that. The twin blasts threw him backwards, cratering the wall opposite my apartment.
"Nice," I growled over my shoulder. My hand hurt, and my own spark of hellfire had flashed off in the direction of the kitchen. Fire was already breaking out all over the apartment. Another one in the kitchen wouldn't make much difference.
"We've about had it," Hikari said. "Got any more tricks up your sleeve?"
"Ask Caleb," I said.
Caleb didn't have time to reply. He cut back and forth and the demons were starting to get under his guard. I wanted to step up and help him out, but I couldn't let the mages take any more fire. "Can't we get out of here?" Tink asked. "Blast a hole into the apartment next door?"
"Not going to improve our situation."
"Out the window?
"
"Into the frying pan."
Caleb dropped back another step. Another spark snapped into my skin. A popping noise from the hallway made me wince. This building was done for. The hellfire would eat through everything given enough time.
The popping noise repeated. In the hallway, a demon dropped, his fanged expression conveying surprise. Heads turned. Another pop. A demon's head sprayed green ichor and he dropped. "What the hell?" I asked the world at large.
Caleb launched himself at the confusion. Two more demons fell as he cut their legs out from under them. The others turned back toward him and I launched a ball of hellfire toward a cluster of them. The mages alternated force blasts. Their raw magic wouldn't do much to a demon, but keeping them off balance was key. Whoever was in the hallway needed a chance to do more damage.
More demons dropped and House Lucifer seemed to decide it was a good time to cut their losses. The remaining demons drew back out of sight. Fire crackled from my kitchen, my walls, the hallway outside. Smoke was filling the air and I heard sirens from outside. Through the smoke, a figure rushed into the room, dropping to one knee and aiming something at us. The smoke cleared, just for a moment. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Later," Becky said. She walked to us, her pistol held low. Blood leaked from claw marks on her left shoulder, but she didn't seem hurt otherwise. "We got to get out of here, Bright. They're going to bring the building down."
"Did everyone get out?"
"I hope so." She turned and pointed at Caleb. "Take the girls. Bright will take me. Out the window. My car's still running."
Caleb didn't ask any questions. He made his sword disappear, his injured wings popped back out, and he scooped both Tink and Hikari up without even letting them protest. They both clung as he flew out of the hole in my wall that Becky had so optimistically called a window. I popped my own wings out and walked around behind her. "Sorry, this is going to be a little embarrassing," I said.
"I'd rather be embarrassed than dead," she said. Before I could grab her, Chrissy appeared in the doorway again. Flames licked at her, but didn't seem to touch her. Tears continued to streak down her face, but a dark sphere of crackling energy was building between her hands. I could feel it tugging at me, even at this distance. With that much power, she could break my wings and then there'd be no way to escape. Becky looked down at me. "She's not ok, is she?"
"Not at all," I said. "Azriphel's got his hooks into her. Commanded her to kill us and there's no way I can break it."
"Any other way to stop it, Bright?"
"Break it, the command is revoked, or she dies," I said. "No way to break it, I can't revoke it, and I won't kill her."
Becky aimed and fired in one motion. Chrissy spun and dropped. The magic she was building up flashed away from her hands, up through the building, smashing up through the floors above us. The entire building shook. I couldn't move or even breathe. What would I tell Hikari? "What were you-"
"I shot her in the shoulder, you idiot. Let's get out of here." Becky grabbed my shoulder and shook me.
I shook off my surprise and grabbed her under the arms from behind. Before any of the remaining demons could rush us, we leaped out of the hole in the wall. Our trajectory resembled a parabola. Behind us, I heard loud crunching noises, screams, and crackles of fire. We hit the ground, tumbled, and jumped up. A quartet of demons lay on the ground near us, wings burned to stubs, bullet wounds in their chests. I couldn't tell if they were dead or not, but as long as they weren't bothering us, I was ok either way. We rushed for the car, Caleb already in the driver's seat, Tink and Hikari in the back. Becky rolled across the hood, denting it, and threw herself into the passenger seat. I jumped into the backseat and as soon as the door closed, Caleb gunned it.
I looked out the back window. Smoke rose from the apartment building, dark smoke and dust and fire. A rumble shook the area and the building sagged. I couldn't watch any more. I turned to look forward and bowed my head. I hoped that people had escaped. Lucifer wouldn't allow witnesses, though. I rolled my hands into fists. More blood on their hands.
A hand, warm to the touch, landed on top of my fist. I looked up. Hikari's dark eyes held mine. "Chrissy?"
I forced my hands open. She gripped mine, hard, harder than I expected. "I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything to save her. We had to stop her from coming after us."
"Did you-"
"No. Just hurt her." The grip turned painful. "I don't know if she's still alive. Not with the building like that."
"I'm sorry," Hikari whispered.
"Those sons of bitches," Tink snapped. "Those sons of bitches. They tried to kill us, straight up. This is some sort of bullshit. We won, didn't we?"
"We started a war, remember?" I asked. "Looks like they figured it out too."
"Where are we heading?" Becky asked.
"I was going to get us to First Rev for sanctuary," Caleb said. He was flaunting traffic law with a certain sort of flair. Empty sidewalks became lanes. Red lights and stop signs became suggestions. "Why?"
"Bad idea," Becky said. "I'm sure it's under siege already."
Caleb wrenched the wheel over, taking us in another direction. "Good thought."
"How'd you know what was happening to us?" I asked.
"Lionel called me," she said. "He noticed, shall we say, some suspicious activity in the vicinity for the past couple of hours. Some very intense looking gentlemen were loitering around the building. Some of them, in the building."
"Why didn't you have him tell us?" Tink demanded.
"I didn't want to get him killed," Becky said. "Not even for you, sweetheart."
"Fair enough," I said, trying to cut Tink off before she could get pissed.
She didn't shut up. "You could have had him call us!"
"I assumed communications were compromised," she said. "If I had tried to warn you, they might have hit you before I could get there, and you'd all be dead. I wanted to be there for you." She chuckled, sounding pleased with herself.
Hikari's hand trembled in mine. I felt compelled to say something. "Becky. They killed Julian. You saw what they did with Chrissy. They coordinated several moves all at once. I'm surprised they didn't go for you too."
"Shit." Becky's laughter cut off. "We'll get them for that."
"So where are we going?" Caleb took another turn. Now that we were a couple of minutes away from the apartment building, he was settling into normal driving patterns. We'd still be lucky to get away without a cop tracking us down.
Becky recited an address. "Know where that is?"
"Yeah, I've got an idea." He took a turn that led out of town, not toward First Rev, but not completely away from it either. "What is it?"
"A house," Becky said. "My family owns it, through a couple layers of corporations. Just in case."
"Just in case," I repeated.
"Just in case, Bright."
"And what's with shooting demons?" Tink asked. She was playing with her knife, obviously unhappy with the situation. I was glad Hikari was in the middle. She wouldn't stab Hikari out of frustration, and I was sure she wouldn't reach that far to get me.
Becky passed her pistol back. I took it in my free hand and held it in front of all three of us. On each side of the grip, there was an etching of a stylized demonic face surrounded by a circle with a slash diagonally cutting across it. "That's stupid," I said. "That's so stupid, I can't believe it actually worked."
"Where the hell did you-" Tink cut off in mid-sentence and looked at Hikari. So did I. She blushed. "You've been doing strange things behind our back."
"She had the idea," Hikari said. "I didn't think it'd work either, but I figured it was worth a shot. No pun intended." I groaned.
Caleb got us to the address Becky had given, dropped us off a block away, and drove off to ditch the car. "What happened to your truck?" I asked as we walked.
"Left it home," she said. "That's a rental."
"Rented under a false name," I guessed.
I chose not to respond and she simply glowered, then led us into the safehouse. We investigated it thoroughly. It was an actual house, a small one, relatively unfurnished, dusty, but not neglected. I looked around and abruptly realized I had nothing except for my wallet, my keys, and the clothes on my back. Everything I owned was gone. If Lucifer was doing this the traditional way, they'd have my bank accounts and credit watched or locked down. Twenty bucks cash wouldn't get me far.
Hikari hadn't let go of my hand yet, and I realized she was in the same situation. At least she had some sort of support network to go back to, if she went back to the Regional Conclave. "You know-"
"Don't tell me to leave," she said.
"I-"
"I'm in danger no matter where I am."
"Stop anticipating me!"
She gave me a small smile, squeezed my hand, and finally let go. "Going to use the bathroom," she said, and walked off.
Tink walked up as soon as the door closed. "You two are getting along well."
I shrugged. "I suppose."
"Slept together yet?"
I felt my eyebrows rise. "The hell, Tink?" She crossed her arms and scowled up at me. "Have you slept with Caleb yet?"
"Answer my question."
"No."
We glared at each other, then Becky cleared her throat. I turned my back on Tink. "Maybe we should call around and see what is happening," she suggested.
"Good idea," I said. Becky moved faster than I thought possible and plucked my phone from my hand. "What?"
"Be paranoid," Becky said. "They know your phone number. Communications may be compromised. Use the land line here."
"That's some serious paranoia."
"It's called for, isn't it?" She asked just as someone knocked on the front door. Her gun came back out, and she crouch-walked toward the door, aiming right for center mass. "Open the door slowly," she commanded. Caleb opened the door, his hands held high. Becky lowered her gun and he walked in and slammed the door shut. "What'd you do with the car?"
"Returned it," he said.
"Seriously?"
The Demon Inside Me Page 28