Drop Dead Demons

by Kirk, A

  I thumped to the ground in a blurring spin. Which stopped when I tumbled into a high-gloss orange Harley Davidson motorcycle. Which crashed it into the Harley next to it. Which crashed into the next, and the next and…you get the idea. A colorful array of matching helmets also toppled into the clattering mess.

  The Aurora Lahey Disaster Domino Affect brought down seven motorcycles in all. Maybe eight.

  Great, I’d have hell’s demons and Hell’s Angels gunning for me now.

  The molten monkey bounded from above, landed in front of me, and took a swing with his big hulking, lava infused arm.

  I dropped low and dove under a fallen Harley. Metal screeched and sparks flew as the demon tossed aside the motorcycle like it was an annoying afterthought. He leaned his face in close, fangs dripping molten goo, heat so intense I thought my skin would melt off the bone. Between his glowing eyes, a series of tiny red lights blinked in a circle the size of a quarter.

  Strange, but no time to contemplate the oddity.

  I grabbed a helmet painted with, of all things, orange flames and rammed it across his dribbling jowls. The clever move was supposed to slow him down enough for me to run, but he snatched the helmet one-handed and lifted it up, me still clinging on — not sure why — sneakers dangling several feet above the ground. He flung me through the air.

  I landed in a flatbed truck, on a pile of chains laid in a neat coil. That was gonna bruise. Wish I could ice it up, but the demon kept coming, throwing a lava ball for good measure.

  I rolled to the side. The truck’s rear window shattered. I smelled the odor of burning hair and squealed with panic. After swatting steaming, red-hot sludge from my curls, I gripped a length of chain from the pile, hefted it up, twirled it over my head, and flung it hard.

  It unfurled in the air. The demon bellowed with rage as the links whipped around him several times with a loud sizzle, effectively wrapping him up, confining his arms and legs. He tried to walk, but fell to the ground in a thick, hot heap.

  I fist pumped the air. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

  Except...as I watched him struggle, the chunky metal links were slowly melting, giving way. His tether wouldn’t last long.

  “Oh, come on!” I slammed my palms on top of the truck’s cab.

  If only my super-duper, demon-annihilating explody power would kick in, I could zap him back to hell in a blink. But no. It remained mercilessly MIA, which left me out of options.

  So I leapt to the ground and ran for what I hoped didn’t end up being a colossal mistake.

  Chapter Six

  Through the restaurant window I saw Blake’s massive bulk and flung my arms in frantic motions.

  He was too busy flirting with the waitress to notice. I was too far away for him to hear my shouts. The ground trembled as the demon shook off the last of its chains like a wet dog. He roared and bounded after me.

  I raced for the corner of the building, but my sight blurred and weightlessness swept over me as my Divinicus demon tracking power kicked in.

  My vision tunneled and left my body, zooming forward and around the corner.

  A wolfish creature the size of a rhino galloped in long, supple strides, head dropped, ears flat, its body laid low. Smoke flared from the end of its pointy muzzle, nostrils. Round, deep set eyes glowed a pupil-less silver. The darkness seemed to lap against the monster, flattening the thick layer of wiry fur mottled with colors of dirty water, dead leaves, and weak tea. Curved, spiral horns spiked out along its spine and tail, ready to skewer me if the foot-long fangs happened to miss.

  My vision snapped back to my body. The sudden return of weight to my limbs disoriented my equilibrium.

  I didn’t fight the fall. Instead, I turned it into a slide on my side just as I came to the corner. The wolf demon came up through the ground, not bursting from it in a hail of dirt, but more like it was liquid that simply poured up from beneath the earth. It leapt through the air, a gaping mouthful of serrated teeth ready to chomp me in half. With my body so low to the ground, its feet only clipped my head, but if the Nex vision hadn’t warned me to duck, I’d be dead.

  The feral creature landed in a crouch, shining eyes scanning the ground like a silver laser beam. It saw me. A low growl rumbled the ground under my feet. It lifted it snout and howled a lonely lament.

  Calling the rest of its pack? Not good.

  It dropped its head, licked its lips, and charged.

  Even worse.

  My feet scrambled to find traction on ground shaking from the pounding gallop. He was fast, and the fangs and claws would gouge through my guts before I had a chance to get my sprint on. An oily stench of rot seared my nostrils as he raced closer.

  From the parking lot came a vicious scream. Spewing a fiery stream of lava spit, the molten monkey bounded from the shadows, bringing a wave of heat rolling over my body. I dived sideways. A blast of scorching air hit my back and launched me further, the punch and subsequent hard landing spitting the air from my lungs. I wondered if my intestines would be ripped from my belly before or after my flesh burned to a crisp.

  The wolf demon blurred across my path and hit the fiery ape like a freight train, catapulting them both into the forest amid a snarling spray of red. Trees split and uprooted in their path, the sound of violent destruction continuing even after they disappeared into the night.

  How sweet. They were fighting over me. Over who got to kill me, but a girl has to take her attention where she can.

  I rolled to my feet and ran with a hearty limp back to the restaurant window. I slammed my body against it, arms splayed high.

  The waitress screamed.

  Blake grinned.

  “Babe! The guys are trying to find you, but I knew you’d come back for me. You look so funny.” The rich tan of his skin paled as he squished his face up against the glass. “How about me? Still irresistible, right? Take my picture.”

  Yep. I was dead.

  Chapter Seven

  Blake’s eyes swirled from his normal hazel to bright copper, which meant his powers were working. Which also explained how he literally walked his pro-wrestler bulk through the window without breaking it. He controlled anything made from the earth — like glass. After I’d explained my eventful evening in breathy, shrill tones, and embarrassingly wild hand gestures, Blake’s features darkened, and he slipped into serious demon hunter mode, calling Logan on his phone to have the rest of them meet where I’d left an unconscious Matthias.

  As I fought to keep up with his jog through the parking lot, I pointed toward the fiery spurts and savage sounds of the demon battle raging out of sight in the forest.

  “Did they come through the hell portal?” And if yes, did that mean there were more on the way?

  “No.” Blake pulled me along next to him, acting as a formidable barrier between me and the demons. “There wasn’t an alert. Portal’s been inactive since before you moved here.”

  “Shouldn’t we deal with them first?”

  “They’ll probably kill each other,” he shrugged and kept moving forward.

  As we reached the far end of the parking lot, I said, “And if they don’t?”

  He didn’t answer. Too busy crouching low to study the empty ground behind the snowplow blade. Where Matthias was supposed to be.

  “Do you think this Rose guy took him?” I asked. Hmmm. Not sure I’d be too disappointed if that was the case. “Or maybe he just left.” Humiliated by how I brilliantly thwarted his evil plan then saved his life.

  “I can see where you dragged him here, but nothing else is disturbed around this spot. And no footprints but yours.” Face in a rare expression of grim concentration, Blake scratched his mess of short cinnamon curls. “It’s like he just vanished.”

  Dreams do come true.

  Blake dipped his fingers in the dust and brought them to his nose. “Smells like…springtime.”

  “I know, right? That’s Rose.”

  “The dude you say disappeared from—”
r />   “The trunk.” I still had the keys so I popped it open.

  I stared into my former prison which wasn’t as empty as I’d anticipated.

  Emotion bubbled. Overflowed. Then, fists flailing, I launched my attack.

  Chapter Eight

  “Calm down, babe.”

  Blake pulled me off my frenzy of beating the crap out of Matthias who, at some point, had been magically transported into the trunk of his own car. Still unconscious. And, as far as I was concerned, he could stay that way. Forever.

  Blake carried me a few cars away as Jayden, ran up, flip-flops slapping a frantic rhythm, his tropical print shirt unbuttoned and flapping against the tank top underneath. Despite Jayden’s surfer brah-look, his brain worked on a level five hundred IQ points past genius, so I was counting on him to figure out what the heck was going on.

  He jerked to a stop in front of us, the shiny curtain of long ebony hair swinging across his shoulders as his hands patted vigorously over my body. “Have you accrued any anatomical irruption?!”

  Only trouble was half the time — okay, more than half — I couldn’t understand what the heck Jayden was saying without the Dumb It Down Dictionary for Idiots.

  “I have no idea. Please stop.” Still in Blake’s grip, I pushed him away best I could.

  Jayden looked perturbed. The usual relaxed state of his lean, lanky frame turned rigid, arms folded tight across his chest as he looked at me with expectation, thumbs popping furiously in and out of joint, a sure sign he was nervous.

  “He wants to know if you’re hurt,” came a voice behind me.

  I yelped.

  A ghostly figure front-flipped over a pickup and floated down beside us.

  Not some haunting ethereal being, thank goodness. Just a freakishly pale, neon-white haired Hex Boy who liked to use his control of air to drop from the sky. It always spooked me.

  Blake held my squirming body with annoyingly little effort and shrugged. “I’m fine, thanks for asking. But babe’s a tad upset.”

  “Not you. We were talking to Aurora.” Logan tucked his tie back into his vest and re-adjusted his sport coat. Then, although half Blake’s size, he whacked the big guy’s shoulder. Not that the giant noticed.

  “My car!” wailed a woman from somewhere in the lot.

  Heels clicked furiously, then we saw her run back inside the restaurant.

  I surveyed the damage. Cars were wrinkled like wadded paper. Smoldering and smoking holes in the metal dripped with lava. Windows shattered. Glass twinkled on the ground amongst the mists. A few trucks on their sides, their contents strewn on the ground.

  Even this far from the restaurant, I could see figures inside starting to stand, crowding the window. Too many.

  “Aw crap,” I said.

  “Tristan will contain the bedlam,” Jayden said.

  As he spoke, the windows cleared. People sat back down. Creepy.

  The alabaster swirling in Logan’s eyes finally returned to the usual dark emerald green, but his hesitant, faltering look had a hard time meeting my gaze. “Are you…alright?”

  “I am not alright!” I fumed and saw Logan cringe. “Sorry, it’s not you. It’s him.” I pointed at Matthias. “That sleazy son of a jackal!”

  “She’s fine,” Blake said.

  Ayden’s red sports car skidded into the parking lot. He fishtailed to avoid crashing into a pickup truck searching for a parking spot and squealed to a stop in front of us. Subtle. He jumped out without bothering to turn off the engine or lights. Or close the door.

  They all groaned.

  “He’s gonna freak,” Logan said under his breath.

  “Aurora!” Ayden yelled. “Your mom’s on the phone!”

  Oh, super.

  Blake dropped me on my feet and took off toward the BMW with the other two Hex Boys.

  Cowards.

  As I watched Ayden approach, cell phone pressed to his ear, I expected to feel cold suspicion radiate through me, but for the first time that night, I felt safe. Must’ve been the hormones.

  Ayden’s handsome features still struck me dumb as the first day I’d met him. I’d called him Mr. Exotic because of the stunning mix of ancestry that melded a mutt of Hawaiian and European blood into a purebred of gorgeous.

  His cheekbones could cut glass. His skin looked airbrushed over a jawline worthy of Zeus. His short, spikey ebony hair mussed into a perfect, unintentional mess, and silk between my fingers. Those full lips ready to ease into a heart-stopping smile. Eyes of dark chocolate that made promises which brought a blush to my cheeks.

  A weathered black leather jacket stretched over broad shoulders, and his T-shirt was just tight enough to be clear about the fine condition of his body. Solid chest, ripping abs, tight waist. And off those hips, his jeans always hung just right.

  I caught myself before the sigh went too audible. Which was hard because as he came closer, I got a whiff of that heady mix of leather and sandalwood and…Ayden.

  I really had to get a grip. This guy had me a twisted mess. Half merry, half miserable. And completely confused.

  It’d been a different story when this started weeks ago. Talk about attentive.

  Besides all the workouts and training, Ayden drove me to and from school every day, walked me to class, got my lunch, and carried my books. In the afternoons, he hung out with my family playing games and sports. He’d taken me to movies, dancing at the country club, kayaking on the lake. Horseback riding on Blake’s ranch hadn’t been the disaster I’d expected. And milking the cows was a blast, until evil Bessie let me know with a well-placed hoof that she had an issue with my technique. Still had the bruise.

  It was a whirlwind of wonderful as we talked, laughed, and shared. Ayden oozed charm and wit, asked a lot of questions and listened to all my answers. So what was I complaining about?

  Lack of…intimate moments.

  Sure, in the beginning I was way more comfortable with the crowd. Ayden scared me. Still scared me. But now…

  Now, I was smitten. Now I craved time alone with him — a lot of it — and I craved it in spite of being scared. I was willing to take the risk. Big move for me.

  Unfortunately, our time together had the opposite effect on Ayden.

  He no longer tried to ditch the rest of the Hex Boys. It seemed ages since he stole a quiet moment to hold my hand, nuzzle my neck, or murmur in my ear. I swear, just when the attraction had become too much for me to resist, he’d backed off.

  Not the attention so much. Just the physical…stuff.

  It was embarrassing. I must have read things terribly wrong. As I watched him now, I still wanted him. Wanted to both kiss him and kick his sorry butt. Although, his butt was anything but sorry. Which added to my problems.

  He smiled into the phone. “No, everything’s fine.” He pressed the cell phone to his chest and whispered, “She thinks we’ve been out to dinner together this whole time.” Then he held it out to me.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “What took you so long to answer?”

  “I was, uh…”

  Ayden whispered, “I told her you were in the bathroom.”

  Ha ha. No, that was earlier in my would-be kidnapping.

  “Needed a few minutes in the bathroom,” I said.

  I backed away as Ayden started talking in a low voice with Jayden. It was always a bit odd seeing the two of them side by side. Although they were fraternal twins, not identical, the two shared a strong genetic resemblance. But only one of them sent my heart fluttering into overdrive.

  Mom’s rising voice broke through my musings, her words rushed. “Just checking in because there were calls to the police about cars vandalized at the restaurant you’re at.”

  “Really?” I ruffled a few shards of glass and dirt out of my hair. “Wait, how do you know?”

  “Your aunt’s police scanner. A woman just saw people in ski-masks fleeing the scene!”

  Hmmm. Tristan’s creativity needed some work if clichéd criminals were the best ne
w reality he was…implanting into the restaurant patrons’ heads.

  The society called Tristan a Hallucinator, which meant he did a type of mind control. He could create illusions, making people see or think what he wanted them to. And in some cases, erase their memory entirely.

  Didn’t work on me though. And if he tried…well, let’s just say it sent me to suburb of a place that rhymed with swell, but definitely wasn’t. Swell, that is. Long story.

  “I’m good, Mom. No need to worry.”

  “What else does a mother do?” She tried to sound lighthearted but couldn’t pull it off. “And if you were in the bathroom, why did I just hear a car?”

  Ah, she was in mega-mom mode.

  “Because I’m now in the parking lot.”

  Ayden got louder. Smoke even started to trail off his shoulders. Awesome. A few more minutes of rising temper and he could literally whoosh into a human torch. Sure, Ayden controlled fire, but at times, it seemed fire controlled him.

  A pickup truck pulled in and parked a few spots over and a rowdy group of guys I recognized from school piled out. The Hex Boys were too busy to notice. I turned away and put finger in my free ear to hear Mom better.

  “Aurora,” Mom sharpened her tone, “I thought you were having dinner. Why are you in the parking lot?”

  A new voice on the phone snorted, “Parking, obviously.”

  It was my Aunt M, wife of my dad’s brother. She’d been staying with us for a few weeks.

  “They are teenagers, after all,” she said.

  “M,” Mom said with irritation, “why are you on my phone call?”

  “Don’t get snippy.” Aunt M sounded snippy. “I was about to call Ken.”

  Mom sighed. “Call your husband on your own time with your own super secret undetectable cell phone.”

  “Satellite phone. Big difference. But…fine. Sorry.” Aunt M didn’t sound sorry. “This pregnancy is frying my motherboard. And speaking of babies—”

  Here it comes.