by Amy Braun
I pushed myself up and saw the Red pulling Dro out of the truck. She screamed in defiance and tried to break free, but it was resistant. I got to my feet and ran for her, driving my foot into the demon’s ribs and forced it to focus on me.
“Get the handcuff keys!” I screamed. In the background I heard endless shouts and cracking shots from sniper rifles.
My back was to my sister, but she could take care of herself. Dealing with a demon was more dangerous than even Drake at the moment.
It screamed at me, furious that I was in its way. It lunged and tried to grab me, but I ducked low and swept its legs out from under it. I kicked at its head, dancing away when it tried to snatch my ankle. I backed up again as it twisted and got into a crouch, looking like a big red spider. I kept backing up as it scrambled toward me, and I jumped aside at the last minute when it pounced for me.
The Red slammed into the truck with a loud crunch and punched for my head. The blow glanced off the side of my face and it almost grabbed my throat. I quickly backed around the side of the truck, seeing Dro had made it to the other side of the cab and snatched the keys from Drake as he shot at another Red demon.
Drake felt her movement and the Red freaked, but before either of them could do anything, the Red sank its claws into Drake and tried to hurl him aside. Drake refused to let go, and they grappled together.
The Red demon chasing me clambered up the top of the truck and jumped into the bed. It leapt again, and this time I didn’t get far enough back.
The demon knocked me onto the ground, my arms howling in protest from the awkward position. I tried to buck the demon off, but it was too heavy. Its hands circled my throat and squeezed so tight I thought it was going to pop my head off.
Until it stopped and whipped its head to the side, screaming when Dro stabbed her pocketknife into one of its black eyes. I’d never been more grateful at insisting she keep one knife in each boot, and that Drake was sloppy enough to assume she wasn’t a threat.
My sister stayed out of range of the Red’s arms and stabbed the demon in the face again, and again, until the ash of its corpse rained dust over me. I coughed and winced, but rolled onto my side so Dro could unlock my handcuffs.
As soon as I was free, I got to my feet. Dro handed me the knife without question and stood at my side so we could see what was happening.
Carnage was a good word for it. Near the gates of the border, the tear in the world was still open. Demons continued to pour out of it one at a time, hunting for Dro but getting distracted by the border guards and snipers shooting at them. There were at least six that I could see.
I was kind of glad that the demons were so one-track minded and they weren’t completely focusing on us, but someone would have called the National Guard by now. I felt sorry for the poor men and women working the border tonight. They were being slaughtered by something they would never understand, and were completely incapable of fighting against.
As I glanced around, I noticed Drake was gone. Dead or alive, I didn’t know or care. He was one less thing to worry about now. Especially since another pair of Red demons had noticed us.
They shrieked and charged us at the same time. Dro reached in her boot and took out the other foldout knife she had stored in it. She was ready to fight with me.
I lashed out at the demons, kicking at the one on the left and punching at the one on the right. Dro came up from behind me and took the Red on the left. My sore arms protested at the way I was swinging them, but I was able to push the pain to the back of my mind and focus on attacking the demon.
I swiped down, missing the Red’s chest, but I shoved the knife into its leg. The Red howled and grabbed a fistful of my hair, jerking my head up. I yanked the knife free and stabbed it into the Red’s stomach, then into its chest, and then again into its chin. I thrust up one more time, and then the Red exploded into black ash.
My sister was still holding her own against the other Red, keeping out of range. It was toying with her, like it didn’t want to kill her.
I started running for my sister when a force plowed into me and sent me twisting on the ground. I tried to get up, but something shoved against my shoulder and forced me back down, pinning me. I looked up in fury, and found myself staring at a demon that looked like an anorexic, bald, featureless man shrouded in black smoke. Its eyes were glassy, silver orbs. Its arms were too thin, its fingers too long. Tiny, sharp teeth filled its mouth when it smiled.
My heart stopped. I knew that smile. This was the demon that had escaped Manny’s exorcism. It was back, just like it promised.
“Those idiots always do things the hard way,” the Possessor hissed in English.
It was the first time I had heard a demon speak a language I understood. It leaned in closer, cold smoke curling around my face. It reeked of wood smoke and rotten eggs.
“There are more entertaining, and effective methods.”
The demon began to dissolve and move closer to my face. I thrashed and roared, but it was still pinning me somehow. I couldn’t even scream when it slipped into my mouth and nose.
It tasted like fire, burning my throat and sliding deeper into my body. I felt it reach my heart, twirling around it and holding on tightly before sinking into the rest of my organs. The smoky demon was slithering through my veins, taking control of my nerves, wrapping around my spine, and soaking into my brain.
I felt something drape over me like a wet blanket, smothering the very fabric of my soul. A sudden lance of pain cut into my spirit, dismantling the person I used to be, and making me something else…
I smile with my new lips and stand on my new feet, loving how I feel. I’m going to enjoy this one. I let the burning pain finish filtering through me as I force the body’s former owner down, locking her up tightly. I like this body. It’s tough and quick. My new senses take in everything around me. The darkness, the screams, the smell of blood.
The halfbreed.
I turn and fix the vessel’s eyes on her. Somewhere deep in this new body of mine, she cries out. I push her down again. She isn’t getting out that easily. Not before I have my fun.
The halfbreed spins and kicks the red oni in the head, knocking it off balance so she can drive a knife into its throat. The oni turns to ash and dissolves. She turns to face me, and gasps sharply.
“Your eyes,” she breathes. “Connie…”
I make the lips grin. “Not here, sweetheart. She’s a little tied up at the moment.”
Anger fills her bright blue eyes. It’s so strong I can almost feel it pulsing through her. Good.
“Let her go,” the halfbreed warns.
I keep the smile going as I take casual steps toward to her. “She taught you well,” I say.
My captive screams inside me, but I push her back. She isn’t strong enough to control me. But I’m more than strong enough to control her.
“This is what’s going to happen,” I say. “You’re going to give yourself up and come with me. Or I’m going to rip this body to pieces. It won’t hurt me, but when I let her go, it’ll be a really painful death for her.”
Fear flickers through the halfbreed’s eyes. She knows I’m not messing around. I lick my vessel’s lips, loving the salty taste. We’d been told their bond was strong, almost more powerful than any magic we can use on them. But their fear for each other’s safety was just as strong, and it was a delicious tease. I wonder if my Lord would forgive me if I took a quick bite. We need her alive, but not necessarily unharmed.
Then the defiance creeps back into the girl, which surprises me. I feel a surge of the halfbreed’s power, and it keeps me from moving forward. I almost forget what she is, who she’s made from. She’ll open the Gate for us, be the key to that freedom we want. There’s only one being I can think of that’s as powerful as this girl is. And she would give even him a run for his money, if she didn’t have the prowess of a mouse with a panic disorder.
But mouse or no, there’s no question that her blood will work.
“I
said, let her go,” the halfbreed threatens again.
I narrow my stolen eyes. “So you’re going to do things the hard way, huh? You’re going to let your sister suffer? After everything she gave up for you? After you ruined her life? That’s not a very nice thing to do.”
I grip the vessel’s knife and draw it across her arm, cutting from elbow to wrist.
“No, don’t!” the halfbreed screams. The smell of her fear excites me.
“Do you know how scared she is of you? How she’s always thinking you’re going to lose control and burn her alive? Do you know how sick she is of having to watch out for you because you’re not strong enough? Because you’re just a weak little girl?”
Tears stream down the halfbreed’s face. Inside me, I feel another push against the trap I’ve made. I have to give a little credit to the human; she’s persistent.
I slice open the other arm. Blood snakes down the vessel’s fingers onto the pavement. If it weren’t for the surges of power that keep ebbing off her and us needing her to get the Gates open, I would consider this halfbreed to be a waste of time. No creature with this much power should be such a sniveling weakling.
“Please,” she begs. “Please, stop.”
I make the vessel’s face grin. I love it when they beg.
“Are you going to come quietly? No muss, no fuss? Or am I gonna have to start chopping off feisty little Connie’s fingers?”
The halfbreed makes a pitiful choking sound instead of answering. Maybe I’ll cut off the sister’s fingers anyway. I’m feeling a little hungry, and human fingers are a great snack.
But I have to move quickly. The brainless oni who came through the portal with me are busy gorging themselves on human meat now that the gunfire has stopped. They can’t remember what we came here for. I want to join the feast, but we have a schedule to keep, and the Boss isn’t very patient. Or lenient. Or understanding. Or merciful.
The portal has already closed, which means the witch will have to make another one to summon us back to Hell, unless Weepy Miss Halfbreed can do it herself. Why did they have to make the simplest things so hard to–
“Dro?” someone calls. “Constance?”
I growl and look over to see a black SUV has pulled up across from us, two humans making their way over. One of them is a kid who rang a bell in the memory I now control. He looks just as scared as the halfbreed. His face is plastered with sweat and there’s a bandage is on his shoulder. I can smell his blood. His face is twisted with pain. Why hadn’t I been at the party where that went down?
The second man doesn’t trigger any memories. He’s tall and looks strong, wearing dark blue jeans, a rugged leather jacket, a dark green shirt, and a Kevlar vest across his broad chest. He’s pretty like the kid, but his prettiness has a more rugged edge to it. His face is strong boned and perfectly angled, his oak-colored hair cut nicely. The only flaw is a dark brown scar under his left eye.
All that is pleasant, but his eyes are the best part of the package. They’re a green so bright that they practically glow.
It’s guys like this that make me understand why demons like coupling with humans every few centuries.
He holds a sawed-off shotgun with confidence and ease, like he has experience using it. I don’t feel any fear coming off him, which is strange. The kid is staring at the halfbreed, then looking at me and the blood on my vessel’s arms.
“Max!” cries the girl, “Max, Con’s possessed! You have to–”
I lunge and tackle the halfbreed. I search the memories and know the kid is a minor psychic and his father is an exorcist. I can’t have him expel me. Not now, not when I have the little bitch. Not when we’re so damn close.
She writhes underneath me as I force the vessel to grab her wrists. The halfbreed refuses to hurt the body I’m in. All she can see is her black-eyed sister. It’s sweet in its pitiful way. Even now, when I won’t hesitate to cause the halfbreed as much physical damage as possible without getting in trouble, she won’t stop me.
Finally, it gets easy–
Hands wrap around my stolen body and haul me off. I kick and scream in frustration, snapping my head back and connecting with whoever has me. I get free and whip around, and am face to face with Green Eyes. I haven’t busted his nose like I’d hoped, but he still isn’t scared. He even points the shotgun at me. Another idiot I have to deal with. The shotgun blast won’t kill me, just destroy the vessel I’m in and inconvenience me.
“Get out of her, demon.”
Now it clicks. He’s one of them. This might be a problem.
“You slayers are so demanding,” I taunt. “You didn’t even say please.”
His eyes are ice cold. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Jeez. Some people just can’t take a joke.
I turn my back on him to see the crying halfbreed being held by the kid. I snarl and dash for them, completely ignoring the pump of the shotgun and the shout behind me. I pick up the kid and toss him away easily. I whirl on the halfbreed and wrap my hand around her throat, squeezing tightly to let her know that I’m done playing around. She clutches my wrist, trying to pry my fingers off, but still too scared to hurt me. Deep down in the trap, the vessel’s scream becomes louder and more tortured. Excellent.
“Connie,” she rasps, bright eyes desperate. “I know you’re in there, big sister. Fight back.”
I lean in close, letting her see the blackness of my eyes. “Shut the fuck up,” I growl. “You’re coming home.”
“Stop!” shouts Green Eyes. “This is your last warning, demon!”
Like I care. I have what I need. He can shoot my stolen body if it gets him off.
Then I feel it. The shiver in the air. I spin in its direction. Goddamn it.
They shimmer into existence, and as usual, they look fucking perfect. They’re dressed in the same white leather trench coats they always wear with the buttons closed up to the collar. They wear white pants and white leather boots. Their swords are hidden from sight. Other than that, they look nothing alike. The one on the right is taller with white blond hair and silver-grey eyes. The one on the left has wavy, shoulder-length auburn hair and bright blue eyes. Both of them look so serious that a fool would think they have constipation.
But only a fool makes jokes in the faces of angels.
“Release the Nephilim, Ohzlan,” says Auburn.
I hate it when angels know my true name.
“Fly away home, little birdies,” I say. “We’ve got something special for this little halfbreed,” I add, giving her a shake. Auburn flinches when I shake the girl.
“She is a vessel for the Heavenly Host,” says Bleach, taking a step forward, “and you will not harm her.”
“You angels are so up tight. If you didn’t want someone messing around with your toys, you shouldn’t have left them out in the first place. Especially when they’re so rare.”
I shake the halfbreed again, and the woman in my trap fights some more. I’m getting really sick of that, so I tighten the walls around her, getting satisfaction when I feel her pain.
“This is not a negotiation, hellspawn,” says Bleach, who is still moving for me. “You will leave the vessel you have stolen, and unhand the Nephilim.”
I make the lips form a grin. Nice to know demons and humans aren’t the only ones who can be idiots.
“You keep using that word, Blondie. But I don’t think it means what you think it means.”
My other arm is suddenly grabbed and twisted behind me, cold metal cuffs latching onto my wrist. The silver burns through the vessel to me. I spin around in anger, and see that Green Eyes has snuck up on me.
“You cheating son of a bitch,” I say, letting him see the demon through a stolen human’s eyes.
He doesn’t flinch or back away. Damn demon slayers.
I have to let go of the halfbreed since I need both hands to kill the slayer. He backs up as I swing a fist at his face. I still catch him in the jaw and sending him sprawling. I pull the fist bac
k, just as power hits my vessel in the spine.
Heavenfire rips through the body, burning right through the skin until I feel it. It won’t expel me, but it hurts so bad I can barely take pleasure in knowing that it’s hurting my captive more. I whirl to see which of the two birdies took the cheap shot, only to see Blondie’s fist connecting with my vessel’s face. The son of a bitch puts some angelic power into the hit, and then I’m out.
Chapter 10
I still have control of the vessel when I wake up, but those damn angels ensured I couldn’t do anything else. They have me bound to a chair with blessed silver cuffs, which sear the skin of my vessel and make me very uncomfortable. I looked around and see they’ve also placed me in a salt-sage circle so I can’t escape.
I glance up at my captors. The two angels are in front of me, looking stylish and grim. The kid is next to them, sounding exhausted and distraught as he talks to Green Eyes. I twist and turn my head, but there’s no sign of the halfbreed. She can’t be far. They’ve taken me to a cheap motel room with stained and cracked yellow walls, and probably cloaked the room so my screaming won’t be heard. Angels aren’t past torture. I turn my head once more when the angels look at me.
“Leave the vessel, Ohzlan,” says Auburn.
“Fuck you,” I spit. “I like it in here. This bitch can take a lot of hurt.” I glance around the room again when I don’t sense the halfbreed appearing at the sound of her sister’s voice. “Where’s the halfbreed? I didn’t think she’d want to miss out on her sister getting punched up by angels.”
At this, the kid and Green Eyes look over. They glance at the angels uncertainly, but the birdies don’t even blink.
“What do you want with the Nephilim?” asks Bleach.
I almost laugh. Like I’m going to tell him that. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours. You’re not archangels, that much is certain. Seraphs maybe?”
“What do you want with the Nephilim?” Auburn parrots.
“Bring her out here and I’ll tell you.”
“Do not attempt to fool us, hellspawn,” Bleach says sharply, taking a step forward.