Personal Warriors: Book 3 in the Personal Demons series

by Rachel A. Collett

“But those are my sisters.”

  I spun. “They are not your sisters! Stop pretending to be something you’re not. You’re a fraud, and whatever that is,” I jabbed a finger toward the pendant she wore, “like Gayle, I suspect you’re in way over your head.” I turned to Hector. “Confiscate them, and lock them up somewhere safe.”

  But a second later, the witch’s defiant scream caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.

  Roslyn dropped her soiled blade to the ground, grabbing at her arm. Red poured from the open wound she had created, the mean tear from her wrist to the inside of her elbow.

  Stop her! Hepzibah’s voice screamed to me. My pendant was ice against my skin when I recognized what she was doing, but too late. She pressed her bracelet into the blood, coating the turquoise stone.

  I ran for her. A blast of light and energy catapulted me several yards away. I tore from the ground as Roslyn added her blood to the surface of the other stones. Darius and I stood our ground when another wave of explosions emitted from the stones, jolting Roslyn’s body. The others jumped to their feet, their knives at the ready.

  The residents froze in place, fearful, unable to move. Terror doused the air. I gathered my boot knife and Celtic sgian dubh, gripping them tight in my hands.

  When the light faded, seven demons stood in the center of the pitch, their black eyes wild and excited. My gaze fixed on the Fallen crouched in the center.

  She smiled at me.

  29

  Up in Flames

  The Annihilator’s gaze took in her surroundings quickly. “I come in peace.”

  I recoiled. “What?”

  Next to me, Darius swore beneath his breath. Apprehension rolled off him in waves. Slowly, we spread out, creating a semi-circle in front of the compound, separating demons from mortals. The Three crouched, ready to spring.

  Laith held out a hand, halting any attack. “Leave this place,” he commanded.

  “I can’t.” Her voice was soft, child-like, even.

  She straightened, elongating her long, lean form. She took the time to roll her neck, reveling in the feel. Her white hair draped in an oily, ratted mess, clinging to her neck. Her dark, leather clothes were torn. Scratches dug from her own nails ravaged her exposed skin and face. She was a ghostly nightmare, her gaze as lethal as ever.

  My lungs squeezed shut as voices from all around cried in fear. My hand clasped the necklace at my heart, silencing the dread that sang from the Demon’s Eye.

  Annie homed in on the movement, her hands twitching beside the two daggers strapped to her thighs.

  “I know the truth,” I blurted, against all reasonable reactions. My voice echoed inside my head, the vibrations ringing painfully within my eardrums damaged from the blast. “You didn’t kill my mother. Nikolaos did.”

  One eyebrow raised. She shrugged, her shoulders tight. “What of it? I cannot help the rumors my children spread on my behalf.”

  I scanned her appearance, casting a sideways glance to her companions. “You look a little worse for wear, but better than the last time I saw you.”

  A giggle bubbled from her lips. She smiled at my lie. “Try living in one of those things for several weeks. I’m not sure which is worse: hell, or a closet-sized hole in hell.”

  My pendant stilled against my chest.

  Her head tipped to the side. “I have no idea how these things are still sane.”

  My eyes flashed to the other six Fallen. They didn’t look sane. They didn’t look alive. Vacant expressions within empty shells stared back.

  A female stood at the end, with long auburn hair braided past her hips. The male demons wore no shirts, their remaining clothes more threadbare than the Annihilator’s. The biggest one had dark skin and short black hair. The rest had shorn heads and exposed skin paler than a ghost’s. They were only distinguishable by the tattoos or lack thereof. The one closest to Annie carried two full-sleeve tattoos down hulking arms. A second one displayed tribal ink down a molded chest. The third, a blue and black dragon spanned the distance from his neck down his side, disappearing past his belt. Only one male didn’t have any to be seen.

  I opened to them, searching for anything that could be recognized as a consciousness, but what lingered inside was nothing I could even call a soul. Suspicions confirmed, I mentally backed away. Unease overtook curiosity.

  “Didn’t I warn you that if you let me go to him, you would cast me back into hell?” Annie said, interrupting my thoughts.

  I lifted a brow. “You deserve hell, even if you didn’t kill my mother.”

  “You are so self-righteous. I wonder how many times life will twist and turn before you realize it.”

  She cast a glance to Roslyn lying on the ground. She bent over and reached for her bracelet, but the witch whimpered, scuttling back. Annie sneered at her but spoke to me. “I’ll give you a chance to save your people. Believe me, you don’t want to know what comes next.”

  I looked to the mortals crowding within the entrance of the compound. “How can I save them?”

  She pointed to the witch lying on the ground. “Go ahead, darling. Tell her.”

  Roslyn panted. She leaned against a planter, her blood leaking from the slash on her arm. Her face was ghostly white, but she grimaced through the pain. “Will you…” She swallowed hard, her voice quivering. “Will you give them the Demon’s Eye?”

  I shook my head once. “I can’t. There are thousands of demons in my mother’s pendant.”

  “She lies.” The Annihilator’s voice turned sickly sweet. “If your stone can only handle one, then that is all that can fit into hers. It’s where her demon Jonathan waits to do her bidding, as we did. You are our master.” She smiled, but the smile didn’t touch her eyes.

  The witch’s eyebrows pinched together. “Only one? But I saw others. Three of them. Different than—”

  “What did I say, stupid witch?” she screamed. Her bloodshot eyes tore holes into the woman.

  My hands clenched in a tight fist, anger rising to a boil. “You know what I say is true, Roslyn. If I gave this to her or Nikolaos, they would release them all. It would mean the deaths of your entire coven and every resident here. Our deaths.”

  After a paused, Roslyn peered up at the Annihilator. “Is that true?”

  Annie picked at her chipped nails, feigning indifference. “What would it matter if it was?”

  A tear fell from Roslyn’s eyes.

  Annie turned in place, taking in her surroundings. “What does matter is that we entered as welcomed guests. Do you know what that means?”

  Elisa inhaled sharply.

  Annie’s eyes shot to hers, a wicked smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Give us what we want, or your sanctuary will be destroyed. Your precious home, everything you love.”

  Fiona stepped forward. Her gaze nervously flitted to Roslyn bleeding out on the ground. Despite the witch’s treachery, Fiona’s heart ached to heal her, to comfort her. “This place is not everything we love. It was a gift, but it is only an object. We fulfil God’s wishes.”

  The Annihilator glared. “And I am forced to fulfill another’s, despite the fact that I hate him. But what of your people?”

  Zane’s voice cut through the tension. “Their people will fight!”

  She smiled, finding him in the crowd. “I remember you.” She looked back to Fiona. “But will all fight? Most of them caused the breakdown of your walls.”

  Gasps leaked from the residents.

  Again, Zane spoke. “We will—”

  “I didn’t ask you!” she screamed. Her fists clenched. Red dotted her palms where her nails dug in.

  From the corner of my eye, Roslyn moved. She pushed herself up. Her legs wobbled, but still she stood, holding her hand cupped over her seeping wound. “Go,” she said, speaking through a tight jaw. “All of you. Get back into your stones. I command you.”

  Annie’s eyes widened. Her smile faded, but it wasn’t she who spoke next.

  “
We listen to only one command,” dragon-tattoo demon said, his voice a flat monotone.

  Roslyn balked. “If you came in peace, then return in peace.” She took off her bracelet, holding it out for the demons to return. The stone was coated in blood, but even so, I could see a crack down the center.

  “Did I say that?” Annie glared at the offensive jewelry. Her face lost all expression as she pinned me with her eyes. “Tell him we’re ready.” But she wasn’t speaking to me—and I knew who she referred to.

  “No!” I lunged. My knife collided with hers, then froze. Face-to-face we glared.

  It was too late. Power charged the air, standing the hairs of my forearm on end. The Fallen with no tattoos contorted in pain, doubling over. He stood straight, opening his arms as if welcoming the hurt, then convulsed again. Spasms rippled his tensed body, but this demon relished the new energy.

  “You should have killed me when you had the chance,” Annie said through clenched teeth.

  I cast my energy outward connecting with anyone that would hear. Do not engage him. Do not look at him.

  When the convulsing stopped, the whites of the demon’s eyes hemorrhaged red, then blood morphed into black tar. I knew the creature that peered from their depths. The Destroyer smiled, but I looked away before he could act.

  Close. I was too close. Sweat poured from my face as I dragged my dagger away from the Annihilator. It was like pulling apart two magnets, but a discharge of energy from the Destroyer sent me reeling backward. I crashed into Darius, who barely managed to keep us upright.

  He collected me in his arms, shielding me from the creature. Laith shouted orders for the residents to run to the fields.

  The walls of the compound quivered and cracked, reacting to the evil presence. Dust billowed from the fracturing foundation. The windows that faced the courtyard rattled, threatening to break.

  “The sanctuary cannot withstand the Destroyer,” Ray said over the coms.

  “We know,” Fiona said. “Now, go!”

  The Fallen that once seemed empty shells came alive, rejuvenated with the arrival of their leader. They pulled knives from boots and pant pockets. They snarled through feral grins.

  We spread out, blocking access to the fleeing mortals. The security team ushered everyone away. The Destroyer watched them, stepping to the center of the pitch we had just evacuated, pure glee in his eyes. He had come to watch the destruction of our world.

  A baby’s cry nearly broke my heart in half. Adeline. Yvette.

  I choked back a sob. “Aaron!” His name shot from my lips before I formed the thought.

  My angel appeared. The front line of Fallen hissed their displeasure to this heavenly presence. The Destroyer sneered, but he wouldn’t do anything to the premie—couldn’t, unless Aaron acknowledged him.

  Aaron came armed in full combat gear, knives strapped along his body. His deep-green eyes scanned mine, seemingly unconcerned with anything else.

  “Go!” I said stepping in front of him, blocking the Destroyer’s view. “Protect the children.”

  The Destroyer separated himself from his followers. Moving toward the complex, he took his time inspecting the ongoing destruction his presence caused. The earth rumbled beneath our feet. Fear rose, turning my insides to mush.

  A knot formed in my throat as a teardrop escaped the corner of my eye. Darius’s fingers found mine. Greedily I seized his hand, feeding from the warmth of his touch. With it came more as he opened to me.

  And my fear broke. Peace enveloped me. Darius would be right beside me, fighting with me. My blood pulsed through my veins. From afar, I could feel the souls of the mortals within the sanctuary that needed me. I could sense the ones that waited on the outside. I would protect him from the first demon and his followers. My love for them strengthened me. My love for Darius held me.

  Energy pooled within. It was like nothing I had ever felt. I took up my father’s knife, reveling in the familiar rubber molded grip. Energy vibrated my arm. I closed my eyes, allowing my energy to bloom. And I relished its strength, no longer apprehensive of the power behind the force. The power grew until near combustion.

  My eyes flashed open. The Destroyer stared at me from across the courtyard.

  “Kill them,” he said.

  Get down! I said.

  Fiona pulled Roslyn to the ground, shielding her with her whole body. I squeezed my hands, releasing my energy.

  Windows shattered. Shards of glass exploded the space between us and I captured each piece, directing their force to the darkened souls.

  Demons screamed. Glass imbedded their skin and blinded their eyes. The ones that could see removed the fragments that stuck out from necks and stomachs. Annie had used the tribal tattooed demon as a shield and now tossed him to the ground. She backed away, allowing the others to attack first.

  My Guardian was up, attacking two demons at once. Dragon-tattoo lurched forward, eager to prove himself to his leader. My adrenaline surged. I parried then slashed through his neck, severing the artery. Blood spurted. He fell to his knees. I stabbed him through the heart. My pendant burst open to take him, and I steadied myself to receive the knock I had grown to expect… except it didn’t come. The pendant sealed closed, locking the demon away within.

  It wasn’t only my soul-reading that had intensified; it was everything. I was meant to do this. Fighting a Fallen no longer scared me. They were strong, but so was I, equally powerful. My muscles didn’t fatigue. They worked in total sync with my mind. My movements flowed like a dance, matching that of my family.

  I blocked a downward slash from the female, shoving away the attack. I impaled my blade into her thigh. She tumbled to the ground, where Violet finished her off with a thrust to the heart.

  Come, said the Destroyer.

  A shiver ran up my spine.

  The inky wisps of her soul pooled from the body and streaked into the Destroyer’s waiting palm.

  Indignation swelled, but there was nothing I could do. The Fallen souls were his.

  Before I could rise, Laith, Elisa, and Cedric quickly killed the other three demons.

  After watching the last of her comrades fall, Annie let out a high-pitched scream, jumping for me. Darius intercepted, throwing her across the glass-littered pavers. She rolled, flipping to her feet like an acrobat. Shards bit into her skin. Blood trickled down her arm. Her eyes found me, but instead of attacking, she turned on her heel and fled. Darius and Cedric followed. The Destroyer had already disappeared, but in his wake, he left a gift. Soulless bodies sprinkled the courtyard.

  Fiona hovered over Roslyn. When she stood, Roslyn’s wound had disappeared, but she stayed curled up into a ball, her expression stark.

  The earth groaned. From inside the compound, a chandelier crashed to the ground. The sound reverberated down to wood-paneled floors. Light and warmth seeped from the entrance doors, but it wasn’t the setting sun that caused our home to glow. Fire grew, powerful and wild. Flames devoured furniture and climbed curtains, pressing through the now glass-less windows. It rose past the roof, drawing our gaze skyward.

  My breath caught.

  The veil was a beautiful shimmer of pearls and diamonds, a shining beacon to everything around it. It fluctuated between two totally different skies.

  Elisa gasped, pointing. The sanctuary walls were moving closer to the center of our world. Within seconds the barrier would overtake us, plunging us into the mortal realm. Our world was crumbling before our very eyes.

  “Can we stop it?” I asked, breathless.

  Laith shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “We don’t need this sanctuary to survive,” Fiona said. “Nikolaos waits on the other side of that veil with his hostages. If they haven’t crossed over, they will soon. The residents will be trapped.”

  “Let’s finish this,” Laith said.

  Fiona glanced down at the pretend witch cowering on the ground. “If you stay here, you will die.” It was all the warning she gave the charlatan bef
ore we sprinted toward the fields.

  Another rumble split the ground beneath us. The barn was already a towering mass of flame and smoke. An ear-shattering crack, and its walls shuddered and toppled to the ground.

  The lake vanished. The outside darkness pressed against our shield, causing it to shrink faster by the second.

  The residents huddled in a circle in the middle of the field, witnessing with terrified eyes as the sanctuary line drew closer to them. Annie and the Destroyer stood yet a far way off, one on each side of the residents. They watched the panic rise. Darius and Cedric leapt in front of the others, their defense against whatever was beyond the veil.

  Outside, the line of Fallen captors drew closer. Except they weren’t moving at all. The veil was collapsing onto itself, folding inward.

  “What do we do?” I asked Darius.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think there’s anything to do except wait. Circle the residents. We are the first line of defense. Security team, you’re the next line before they reach the women and children.”

  Hector nodded. Roman, Noah, Logan, and Zane stretched out behind us.

  “We can fight,” Madelyn said, stepping in front of her child, knife in hand. Emily stood beside her with Cheryl and Gerald. They were all armed.

  The others cried and wailed as their world crumbled. Aaron stood in the very center of the circle, Yvette at his side and baby Adeline in his arms. Yvette only came up to his waist. She held onto him like a lifeline. Roslyn suddenly appeared, shoving through our protective line. Heat infused her face, but she stayed silent as others glowered at her. The veil came upon us, gliding over my skin. Then its warmth withdrew.

  30

  Sanctuary Down

  A chill settled in my bones. Gasps and cries rumbled through our group.

  We stood in the same grass field that we had trekked only hours before, and yet it felt different. I felt exposed, more vulnerable than I ever had. In the mortal realm, dense clouds blanketed the sky, blocking any last rays of light from the setting sun. When our eyes adjusted to the dark, demons encircled us and the line of witches stretched out in front of us.