Drop Dead Demons

by Kirk, A

  The arrow sailed over the fallen Jayden and headed directly at the leader of ambush.

  Rose.

  Standing just outside the falls, wearing a smug smile, he tilted his head, showing mild interest in, but zero concern for, the arrow rocketing toward him. He didn’t even attempt to move as the arrow speared his heart.

  Kind of.

  When the arrow hit his chest, Rose’s form simply wavered like smoke from a chimney, and the arrow passed harmlessly through, dissipating in a pale white puff as it buried into the sandy beach behind him.

  “Evening, boys. Aurora.” Rose shimmered into a more solid looking shape standing with feet planted wide, a thumb hooked into the front pocket of dark jeans that were tucked into knee-high leather boots. His shirt was a white, billowy affair, cuffed at the wrists with an open V-neck that showed off his tanned, toned chest. His long waves of golden hair were pulled back and tied in a black ribbon. Very much the pirate.

  He reached out a leather-gloved hand. “Find what we need?”

  “Call off your demons,” I said. My vision had shown six winged monsters perched on the waterfall above and seven more landlubbers lurking just out of the line of sight.

  Blake’s head bobbled. “What demons?”

  “Love to,” Rose shrugged and folded his arms. “But if I do that, you’ll come out and stop searching.”

  “Who said we didn’t find it?”

  We all looked at Ayden who had spoken despite being barely conscious as he leaned against Blake.

  “Got it…right here.” Ayden’s voice had a weird gurgle. He hacked a wet cough.

  “Excellent.” Rose held out a hand.

  Jayden practically ripped apart his brother’s clothes. “Where is it?”

  “Have him,” Ayden wheezed a long rattling breath, “come in here and get it.”

  Jayden clutched his twin’s shirt. “You don’t have time.”

  “Very…dangerous.” Ayden spoke slowly whether for emphasis or because he was deteriorating. “He couldn’t,” he winced, “get in. Tricked us.”

  “In where? Tricked how?” I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Blake, can you sense the stone on him?

  Blake whispered, “He doesn’t have one,” but set Ayden down and helped Jayden rifle through his pockets.

  Rose whistled. “I’m waiting. And I’m not a patient man. I do hate assassinating anyone before breakfast. Tends to ruin the appetite.”

  “Don’t…go…out.” Ayden struggled to get up, but lost the battle and flopped back. “Not…human.”

  “I get it.” With trembling hands, Tristan pushed me behind him. “Rose can’t get in anywhere.”

  “Aurora’s house,” Logan said, readjusting his hold on the bow and arrow and aiming directly at Rose. “And only in the school after the shields went down.”

  The boys were solving some puzzle I couldn’t comprehend.

  Jayden moved in front of his fallen brother. “He never intended to break into our home.”

  “He bloody wanted us to catch him outside.” Matthias stared at Rose with awe. And a growing anxiety.

  “Cat suit was a brilliant distraction on my part. You boys are so repressed.” Rose’s grin lit up the night. “Took you all long enough. And now you’re one man down. Tsk, tsk.” Pink smoke curled from his fingers. His eyes began to glow.

  “Everyone back in the sanctuary!” Matthias shoved us back.

  I stayed put. “Ayden will die if we don’t get him help.”

  Tristan tugged on my arm. “Rose isn’t human.”

  “Then what is he?” I snapped.

  Out on the beach, a tall, trench-coated man emerged from the mist, arms slightly away from his sides, hands open, like he was about to engage in an old-fashioned gunfight in the dusty main street of a tumbleweed town.

  Beneath the lowered brim of a tattered fedora, he had the profile of a hatchet. Harsh angles, sharp lines. Pale eyes glittered so cold they looked like they’d been chipped off a glacier.

  He stepped alongside Rose. A gun held steady in his hand, the muzzle pressed firmly against the non-human’s golden hair.

  “He’s a god,” the man said.

  Then he pulled the trigger.

  Chapter Seventy-Five

  I jammed my hands over my ears, the bang ricocheting through the cave. Tristan threw us both behind Blake’s bulk. Logan readied to shoot his arrow, but Matthias knocked his arms down.

  “Bloody perfect timing, Jenny!” Matthias slammed into the stranger with a back-slapping hug.

  I peeked around. Rose was nowhere in sight.

  “Don’t thank me yet, godson.” The man — Jenny? — stepped back, pulled out another automatic weapon and pointed both guns up. Six shots fired. Demons screeched, and the connections I’d had with them from the vision vanished. “Didn’t kill him. Just scared him into teleporting to safer waters for a spell.”

  “Gone, even temporarily, is all we need,” Matthias said. “My mate’s down.”

  Jenny, with an Irish brogue thick as Aunt M’s porridge, was tall and extra bulky. But that was due to his vest of death.

  A custom-made affair of lethal.

  It held eight guns holstered down the front of his torso in two columns. Another two guns hung below his armpits from shoulder holsters. Two more off his hips. His belt dripped with a variety of sheathed knives. Was that a grenade?! And either a very long knife or a short sword was strapped to one thigh. A sawed-off shotgun strapped to the other. The hilts of two more sharp items poked out from his back, criss-crossed behind his head.

  “Jenny?” Tristan shrilled. “Actual rogue demon hunter Jenny? One of the Mandatum’s most wanted for treason, murder, larceny, extortion—”

  “Shut up!” Jayden shoved Blake forward. “Get Ayden in the car!”

  “Man down?” Jenny said as a demon slunk from the water behind him. He whirled, pulled the trigger once and turned back to us, not bothering to watch the hellion scatter into black dust and vortex into the ground. “Knife? Gunshot? ”

  “Poison.”

  “Hurry, Blake.” Jayden flicked a hand at Ayden lying on the ground, unconscious once again. “The most logical conclusion is that the tip of the spear was dipped in a Curare poison, but there are several Curare poisons which originate from South America, so in order to formulate an antidote I’ll have to use the lab to narrow it down to either tubocurare or—”

  “Or…” Jenny pushed his way past Blake and dropped on one knee next to Ayden. From inside the depths of his frighteningly overstocked coat, he extracted a fat syringe with a needle the length of Texas. “We could just take care of it now.”

  In one swift motion, he used his teeth to rip off the cap of the needle, stabbed the needle into Ayden’s chest, shoved the plunger down, and then pulled the whole thing out. Ayden convulsed once and was still.

  “There.” Jenny stood, capped the needle, and replaced the empty syringe into his coat, “Should be right as rain.”

  I hinged my jaw back on and slapped at Jenny’s feet. “What did you do?!”

  Jayden looked ready to faint. “What was in that? We didn’t even make a diagnosis on the chemical compound!”

  “Didn’t need to,” Jenny shrugged. “It’s my own concoction. Takes care of most everything.”

  Jayden sputtered, “Mo-most everything?”

  “Relax, aqua man. Shouldn’t take long.”

  “Ahhhh!” Ayden screamed and jerked up into a sitting position, knocking me aside in the process. He leaned over, heaving deep breaths.

  “See?” Jenny looked bored.

  “Are you crazy?” I crawled back to Ayden, put my hand on his burning hot cheek.

  Jayden kneeled next to his brother and shot Jenny a venomous look. “If you have caused any permanent damage, I will…I will…cause you an interminable amount of duress.”

  Ayden caught my hand with his. He looked up. His eyes swirled bright orange.

  “You’ll be fine,” I said.

  Ayden threw
me onto my back and jumped on top of me. His mouth attacked mine, his hands pinning my wrists against the sand. Whoa!

  His weight lifted and I was left stunned.

  “Um…” I touched my stinging — not in a bad way — lips.

  “Sorry, lass.” Jenny was holding Ayden at bay with one hand gripping his jacket. “Forgot about that particular side effect.”

  Ayden looked somewhat disoriented, but was settling down, his eyes returning to dark chocolate. Jenny shoved him aside and hauled me to my feet.

  “So, Matty, this is your newest team member?”

  “I never said that.”

  “Didn’t have to.” With the squint of a scalawag, the man eyed me up and down in a clinical sort of way. “Donal Jensen. Call me Jenny.” He had my hand in the rugged boulder of his iron grip and he shook it vigorously, sandpaper skin chaffing my palm. “Quite the looker. But useless as a chocolate teapot unless you can fight. I hear you have some power issues.”

  “I guess.” Hmmm…Didn’t Cacciatori mention “Donal Jensen” and “kill order” in the same sentence? I looked around for help, but other than Matthias, the rest seemed as stunned as I.

  “I’ll take care of that.” Jenny turned to Matthias. “Your Dad know you’re rumbling with the Greeks?”

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Jenny was in his fifties. Maybe. Hard to tell. Partly because of the scars shining in an ugly marriage across his face and throat along with a few fresh scratches down his cheek. He must have been handsome once. Until life’s masochistic amusement cut plenty into the weathered marble of his skin, and no doubt the tattered soul within. He put his hands on his hips, pushing back the coat. Metal glinted.

  Was that a machete?

  We’d moved onto the beach outside of the falls so Ayden could get some fresh air and recoup. His head lay in my lap, his eyes closed. Doing my best to ignore the dried blood on his shirt, I stroked my fingers through his soft hair while my other hand kept touching other parts. Shoulder, arm, hand, face. Anything to stay connected. Anything to assure myself he was here and alive.

  “Jaysus. You young pups know nothing,” Jenny growled.

  To be fair, he growled everything. His voice grounded out every syllable like a chainsaw on concrete.

  He looked down his hawkish nose at the boys. “Not your fault, I suppose. Mandatum likes its secrets. Especially likes to keep mum about the gods.”

  “So,” Matthias said, “when I called you about helping with her powers and mentioned Rose, you knew he was really Eros?”

  Tristan’s fingers had combed his blond hair to a scattered mess. “We’ve been hanging out with the Greek God of Love?”

  “And desire,” Jenny said. “Also goes by Cupid. But either way, Rose is one of his aliases. Thinks he’s clever mixing up the letters. Everything from their myths are true. And when you described him, Matty, it wasn’t a leap. You made my day.” He slapped the Aussie on the back. “I’ve been tracking the S.O.B. since he came out of the Paris portal, killed a few good hunters by the way, and headed for North America. It all fit. Now I’m just waiting for him to hook up with Aphrodite.”

  “His mom.” Oh, yay, I knew something. Eros, Aphrodite. Mythos and real life were colliding. My head hurt.

  “Yes, lass. Word is Aphrodite finally came out of hiding and was the one who got Eros out of hell a few weeks back. She needs him to help with some master plan to open portals and unleash a demon army of epic proportions in order to— ”

  “Go all dominatrix on the world?” I said.

  “Colorfully accurate, lass.” Jenny scratched his cheek, opening the fresh scratches and smearing blood. “But I only care about capturing Aphrodite to use her as bait to get to Artemis.” He fingered a knife on his belt.

  “Bait?” Matthias said. “Why would Artemis come for Aphrodite?”

  “Revenge.” I shrugged. “They hate each other. Something about being responsible for killing each other’s favorite guys. I think.”

  “Both poetic and smart,” Jenny smiled. “You must be Irish.”

  Matthias scowled. I scowled back.

  “The trouble I’ve had tracking Artemis is that the Goddess of the Hunt is a diehard loner,” Jenny said as he paced across the sand. “She doesn’t need or want anyone or anything but to be left alone. She’s been hiding out, staying under the radar, but she hates Aphrodite with a passion born of centuries of malice, and if I offer her up, Artemis won’t miss the opportunity for revenge. I’m sure of it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Matthias looked wounded.

  Jenny dropped a hand on Matthias’s shoulder. “Because, boyo, couldn’t risk you calling a Code Olympus before I could get here and take care of things myself.”

  “Wait a minute.” My head was spinning. “Code Olympus?”

  Ayden winced as he lifted his hand to rub his eyes. “Any time the gods show up, protocol dictates the Mandatum is notified. Teams — plural — of the highest level of Sicarius guards are dispatched to take care of them.”

  I felt cold. Mandatum. Here. In abundance.

  “Because going up against them, without backup, well…” Tristan chewed off a fingernail. “Gossamer Falls and everything in it could end up a pile of ash.”

  “Worlds have been known to disappear,” Logan said with a dismal air. He’d taken out his pocket handkerchief and kept refolding it.

  I swallowed. “So the gods really are gods?”

  “No,” Jenny said with disgust. “They’re demons. Deadly and more dangerous because they’re the most powerful. And smart. Not sure where they came from, but with their charm and stunningly human good looks, the vile guttersnipes were able to convince people that they were the gods the humans already worshipped.”

  “Wreaked havoc and took all kinds of advantage.” Tristan dropped to the sand like his knees just gave out.

  “You know the stories, Madame Mythology,” Ayden said. “They’re a nasty group. The Mandatum took down most of them centuries ago. The few that are left, especially Aphrodite and Artemis, are on the Mandatum’s Most Wanted list. Eros got out a few weeks ago when we were at the Alfred Hitchcock marathon.” His brow creased deep furrows. “Why didn’t I make the connection?”

  “None of us did, mate,” Matthias said. “It’s not like we have a current photo.”

  Jayden nodded. “And his costumes functioned to distract us from his true form. Clever.”

  “You said ‘Cassanova’ escaped.” I slapped my forehead. That was the night I had my Divinicus Nex vision of Rose, uh, Eros. “And opening the portal for Aphrodite’s army is why Eros wants that rock. There is no sister to save.”

  Jenny snorted. “Just playing on your sympathies. They love to manipulate. Especially with family.” Jenny’s pale eyes glittered. “Walk away. Take your loved ones. I’ve got nothing left to lose. I’ll handle this. I’ll take them all down. ”

  “Or die trying.” Matthias shook his head. “We’re not abandoning you.”

  “That’s guilt talking, boyo.” The Irishman readjusted his hat. “Don’t trouble yourself with a corpse. Artemis killed me eight years ago.” Jenny bared his teeth and in a voice so cold he should’ve exhaled frost. “I’m just trying to return the favor.”

  Matthias looked sad and shaken. They all did.

  “Why do you want her dead?” I asked.

  Jenny finished reloading his guns and took out a cloth to give them a buff. “Artemis had been hunted for centuries. But my team and I were the only ones who ever got close. So to distract us off her trail, she killed my wife and daughter.” His tone was frighteningly matter-of-fact as he sighted down the barrel of a weapon then replaced it in its holster.

  I felt a chill. Then frowned. “Killed your daughter? That’s weird.”

  “Weird?” Jenny gave me a dubious look. “Perhaps you don’t comprehend how demons operate, lass. They slaughter innocents.”

  “I know.” I scratched my head. “But according to myth Artemis is the protector of young girls. I
t doesn’t make sense that she would kill one.”

  Jenny laughed bitterly. “Demons make sense? You’ve got a lot to learn. Self-preservation. That makes sense.”

  “I guess,” I said quietly. “And I’m sorry. About your family.”

  “Don’t cry over me, lass.” He twisted an ugly smile. “This is good news. I’ve spent eight years and broken every Mandatum rule to hunt that butcher down and this is the closest I’ve ever got.” His hands went to the hilt of a short sword. “This time, I won’t miss.”

  The ground shook underneath us. Waves splashed onto the shore. Jenny put his hands on his guns. I stood and helped Ayden to his feet as a massive demon burst from the water.

  Jenny pulled his weapons, pointed, and fired.

  At Fido.

  “No!” I screamed and threw myself in front of her.

  Muzzles flared. Light blasted. My hands raised. The bullet hit me. But not like a…a bullet. It was more like a freakin’ freight train!

  The force lifted me off my feet and slammed me backwards through the air, stealing oxygen from my lungs, control from my limbs, and consciousness from my brain.

  Lights out.

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  My body felt heavy and thick as I thudded to the ground.

  Squishy, lumpy, smelly ground. With a red sky and black clouds above.

  “No, no, no!”

  I jerked up into a sitting position. Dead bodies everywhere. Layers of them. Ranging from supple and fresh from the embalmer, to decomposing skeletons with flesh sliding off bone. They covered every inch of the ground.

  Heck, they were the ground.

  Welcome to the Waiting World. Population, me.

  “There you are, sailor!”

  And one perky angel.

  She stood to my right in full costume, per usual. A classy, white sailor uniform dress, complete with a navy blue squared-off collar that tied in a bow at her chest, and a crisp white hat sporting a little golden anchor. Her sensible navy pumps hovered just above the oozing graveyard of human rot. Her eyes were the same tropical sea blue as her hair tucked in a neat bun at the nape of her neck.