by Grosso, Kym
Ilsbeth reiterated to their small group that only Laryssa, as the owner of the Tecpatl, could send the demon back to its hellish origins. Any other attempts to kill it would be done so in vain. The naiads had hidden the knife, knowing the demon could use it to break the veil of the underworld at will. Only a naiad could send it back to Satan. The witch speculated that at some point, the demon had bargained with the Aztecs, attaching its entity to the knife. Relishing in the human sacrifices, the demon used its influence to feed the killings, possessing the thoughts of those who stabbed the Tecpatl’s jagged edge into the sternums of its victims, tearing out the beating hearts of men, women and children with their bare hands. They wouldn’t be the first or last civilization to do so. But the demon, whose name was Rylion, had infused its evil into that particular weapon.
It terrified Léopold that the demon sought to take her. Since they’d bonded, he’d felt every memory she’d retained of her attacks and Laryssa was convinced that it wanted more than the Tecpatl. Rylion. It had called itself her master. Yet no matter the demon’s delusions, Léopold knew for certain no one, not even he, was Laryssa’s master.
Léopold gave a small smile to Laryssa, who nervously fingered the Tecpatl’s hilt. He was unsure of her ability to utilize the bond, to sense more than his emotions. No matter what happens, I’ll come for you, mon amour, he thought to himself. Instantly, she smiled in return, letting him know she’d felt him. After years of allowing the loss of his family to define him, to entomb and paralyze him in grief, she’d set him free. Falling for her had been an unanticipated gift. Admitting he loved her, however, saying the words out loud, would not come easily. Slipping his hand into hers, he brought her palm to his lips, accepting that he’d gladly give his life for hers.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and he glanced down to Laryssa whose expression had grown serious. Rylion, he heard Laryssa whisper. Lightning struck, crackling across the atmosphere into the lake. Out of the corner of his eye, he heard Dimitri arguing with Ilsbeth and shot him a glare, warning him to cease their conversation.
“It’s here,” Laryssa said. She looked side to side, expecting Rylion to materialize out of thin air.
“Behind you,” Dimitri called to Léopold.
“Laryssa,” the demon snarled.
Both Laryssa and Léopold spun on their heels. The demon cackled, tasting her fear like a fine wine on its tongue. Its long forked tongue slithered out from its parted lips as if it were a snake, scenting its environment. Léopold shoved in front of Laryssa, shielding her from its line of vision.
“You brought it,” Rylion continued, boring its eyes into Léopold. “Come to your master, Laryssa. The ancient one cannot protect you.”
Laryssa felt her face blanch. Its cold voice sank its icy claws into her mind. Even though she’d spent hours mentally preparing, her fear crept up, causing her stomach to lurch. She pressed her forehead into the back of Léopold’s shirt, focusing on their bond. Like a band of steel, it tied them together. Nothing, not even this heinous creature, could tear it apart.
“Rylion,” she said. Her voice was soft yet firm as she stepped around Léopold. If she had any chance of killing it, sending it back to hell, she had to get close enough to use the knife. “I have the Tecpatl.” I’m looking forward to giving it to you. Tearing you open with it.
“Let me see it,” the demon demanded. Its form flickered briefly into a human male and then quickly transformed back to its scaly self.
As Laryssa raised the flint blade to the sky, her determination began to amplify. Fuck this thing. This ends tonight. Her eyes darted over to Léopold who nodded, sensing her intentions. Instead of him seeking to hinder her, she felt his confidence in her powers. This incredible man would die for her tonight, she knew. But he’d support her independence to fight a battle that only she could win.
“Ah. So many memories….the screaming. Children dying, feeding me their souls,” Rylion reminisced. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Bring it to me, my sweet naiad.”
Laryssa approached the demon, aware that Léopold had her back. She heard mumblings in the air, and caught a glimpse of Ilsbeth chanting.
“The witch has no say here. The Tlalco Tecpatl is mine, has always been mine. That bitch stole it from me, and now it’s back,” Rylion told them, falling to its knees. Holding its hands out toward Laryssa, it began to speak in tongues.
Laryssa’s heart pounded so hard it felt as if it would break her ribs. The hilt began to vibrate in her hands. At first it was merely a tingle but within seconds it burned the skin of her palm. The excruciating pain only served to focus her on her task.
“Liar!” she screamed at the demon. “This is mine, asshole. If it were yours, you’d be able to get it yourself. But you can’t. You need me.”
“You must give it to me of your own free will. Do it now.” Its red palms curled, calling it. “We make a deal.”
“You get the Tecpatl in exchange for renouncing your claim to my soul. Take it or leave it,” she told the demon.
“We’re not negotiating,” Léopold growled, in an attempt to support her. “Laryssa’s mine. Surely, even a son of Satan like you can feel the bond. She’ll never be yours to own…not her soul, not her body. Take the deal, Rylion. Then disappear.” A cloud of uneasiness fell over Léopold as he spoke to the demon. If Laryssa gave it the knife, Rylion would have the ability to pierce the veil of the underworld whenever it wished. It was no secret that demons and other underworldly creatures lied. He glanced at Laryssa, trying to get her to strike the demon first. But her innocence washed over him, reminding him of her naivety. Léopold pricked at her mind again, urging her to stop, but he could feel her unbridled fury as it took over. The agonizing years she’d survived, plagued both in hiding and shame, played in her head. No longer would she succumb to that weakness.
“Say it. Say it. Renounce me,” Laryssa demanded, her face hot in rage.
For the first time in Laryssa’s life, she summoned every ounce of her power. She held out her hand and tunneled her energy towards a huge oak tree. It ripped from the ground with a thunderous roar, and flew across the yard, landing next to the demon. She hated the creature, hated everyone who had ever made her feel like her life was less than living because of what she was. Now that she had Léopold and had embraced her origins, she refused to relinquish her new life.
“As you wish,” Rylion falsely conceded. It nodded toward the ground, concealing the deceitful smile it wore. “Your soul was rightfully mine. It was stolen. But I want the knife.”
“Say. It,” Laryssa spat. She sensed Léopold’s concern for her through the bond. It almost felt as if he was trying to warn her, to discourage her from her mission. I have to kill it, Leo. Please. As her hatred for Rylion flooded her psyche, she pictured Ava, the demon trying to kill the baby. Laryssa, certain in her decision, shook off any doubts.
“I have no claim to your soul,” it vowed, continuing to claw the air with its fingers. “Your turn. The knife. Give it to me.”
A flash of deceit in the demon’s eyes was all the warning Laryssa had that Rylion was going to take the knife. She couldn’t allow him to stop her. The creature had to be sent back to hell. Lunging at the demon, she aimed at its abdomen. As she did so, Rylion latched its talons around her wrist. Crushing her flesh, it forced her to drop the Tecpatl into its own hand.
“You treacherous bitch. Now, you will know death like you’ve never known,” it jeered, yanking her against its chest. The power of the knife splintered through Rylion, and it convulsed in electrifying force. With a whisper, the demon materialized into nothingness, taking both Laryssa and the Tecpatl with it.
Laryssa’s cheek slammed into the acrid dust as she fell to the ground. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know where it had taken her. She protectively curled into a ball, flattening her palms onto the ground and pushed up on her knees. She shook her head to break loose of the trance she’d been in, so dead set on killing the demon.
Léopold.
She’d felt his concern for her while she’d argued with the demon. It almost had been as if he hadn’t wanted her to give Rylion the knife. But he’d known that only she could kill it. It didn’t make sense. Confused, she rubbed the bridge of her nose trying to think clearly. Wiping the sweaty dirt from her eyes, she caught sight of Rylion stroking the knife as if it were a baby. Baby. She vaguely remembered an image of the baby. Had Léopold tried to communicate a picture through their bond? But why? She felt dizzy as her mind attempted to solve the puzzle. The sickening truth began to set in as she coughed out the red particles that had stuck to her tongue. The demon had renounced its claim to her soul. But not Ava’s.
Muttering to itself, Rylion finally took notice of Laryssa and smiled. Oddly, to her surprise, it didn’t approach her. Standing tall, it transformed into a man. Its gorgeous features didn’t hide the evil that lingered in its soulless eyes. It smiled, moving its gaze to the hollow-eyed soldiers that hovered on the outskirts of the barren land where it lived. Like a desert horizon, the rocky terrain seemed to go on forever, blocked only by the hundreds of ghosts who stood waiting on its orders. Laryssa’s skin crawled as she saw them slithering about like zombies. For years she’d seen them in the streets, stalking her like predators, yet now she understood them for what they were, mindless drones that Rylion had created of its own being. Like a hallucination, they were part and parcel of the demon.
“Do you like my new shell?” the demon asked, stroking its fingers over its pecs and admiring its mortal form. “Finally, after thousands of years, I’ll be able to walk again on the Earth. And it’s all thanks to you.”
“I hate you,” she sputtered. Her chest heaved as the hot air burned her lungs.
“Hate. Lust. Deceit. All admirable traits as far as I’m concerned. Don’t forget how many deaths I had to bring with this knife to earn this honor.” It smoothed back its shoulder-length, jet black hair and then stretched its arms. “I’ve earned you as well, Laryssa. Or have you forgotten that I’m your master?”
“Fuck you. You gave up your rights. Leo, he will come for me,” she asserted.
“Very true. But you see, I didn’t give up the right to Ava’s soul,” Rylion informed her. Its eyes lit up in excitement as it continued. “Your vampire tried to warn you, but your hate burned brightly like a torch. A little trick of mine that always seems to work. You do know that Ava’s death came at my hands. And like yours, her soul was mine…stolen.”
“No, no, no,” Laryssa repeated. She glanced away for a second and it disappeared. Screaming into the vast expanse, she searched for it. “Where are you, you bastard?”
“I’m here.” Laryssa felt the air gush from her chest as she heard a baby’s cry. Ava. She closed her eyes, willing it not to be true. No. Oh dear God. Have mercy. Not the baby. Forcing her neck to straighten, she turned toward the sound. The demon stood cradling Ava in its arms, laughing as it did so.
“Behold. My daughter has arrived.”
“Open the goddamned veil,” Léopold demanded of Ilsbeth.
“You must be patient.” She raised her head and shot him a glare as she held her hands to the dirt where the demon had last appeared.
“Leo, man. Just give her a second. We’ll find her,” Dimitri said.
Léopold felt Laryssa even though the demon had abducted her. As soon as Ilsbeth opened the door to Rylion’s lair, he was going after her. His gut had told him that the demon would take her, if not for her soul, then to use as a bargaining chip for something else, someone else. Ava.
Suspecting it was true, Léopold pulled out his phone and texted Logan. He sucked a heart wrenching breath as he read his reply.
“Jesus Christ. It took her!” Léopold yelled, throwing his phone across the yard in a rage. “It fucking took her.”
“Yeah, it took Laryssa. I know. We’ll get her back,” Dimitri replied.
“No. It took Ava.”
“How the hell..?”
“I don’t fucking know.”
“The knife. It used the knife,” Ilsbeth responded, as she sliced her palm open with the athame. “Stand back. When it opens, you must leap through. Do not hesitate. I’ll keep it open.”
Léopold stormed in anger, knowing that after all his efforts, the demon had taken Ava. Still, for the life of him, aside from Ava being naiad, he couldn’t make sense of why Rylion wanted her so badly. He blew out a breath as the ground began to shake. Dimitri stood at his side.
“You don’t have to do this, wolf,” Léopold said.
“Yeah, I know. But you throw a good party. You know I love to dance,” Dimitri tried to joke.
“Dance with the devil.”
“They’re playing our song.”
“You ready to go kill this thing?”
“Yeah, let’s do this shit.”
The ground began to shake as Ilsbeth chanted louder and louder. A crack in the earth formed slowly before them, opening to a fiery chasm below. Léopold gave no warning before he hurled himself off the edge into the deep abyss. Dimitri gave Ilsbeth a wink and jumped in after him.
Léopold landed on his feet, bracing himself with his hands. A gust of wind kicked up, and through it, he heard the cry of a baby in the distance. A hundred yards north, he caught a glimpse of Rylion dangling Ava like a carrot, his little rabbit stood lost in consternation. Léopold struggled to hear their conversation. Laryssa, I’m here. We’re coming. As soon as he’d thought her name, the ground began to swell with whirls of red dust. Slowly, the particles circulated upward into the air, escalating into an opaque wall of gritty earth.
“Follow me,” Léopold called to Dimitri, who tore off his clothes and transformed into his wolf. Stumbling through the gusty sheets of soil, they ran forward.
Laryssa felt Léopold in her mind, but kept her eyes on the infant. Forcing an impassive expression, she fought to conceal her shock. Ava is Rylion’s daughter? She quickly tried to make sense of the ambiguous relationship, but there was no reconciliation. As Léopold grew closer, she sought to distract Rylion with questions.
“How can Ava be your daughter? She was born of a wolf,” she challenged.
“Possession is a tricky business, especially seeing as I had little control over my access to freedom. But I was owed a soul… you were stolen from me, after all. The wolf was weak and I happened to get lucky, breaking through and possessing him. I’d had plans for the wolf, but that night with his mate changed everything for me. It was my seed that fertilized the bitch’s womb. A soul. A brand new soul…just for me.”
“You’re sick.” Laryssa coughed as Rylion brought forth clouds of debris. She shielded her face and took a step toward it. “So you killed her in the woods….”
“Oh no, I killed her mother with my own hands while she bore the child …a wolf’s hands. Ava died that night too. But that goddamned bitch who creates you water whores stole her from me. Like you, all she needed was the water to do it. Of course, the wolf…well, that didn’t turn out so well for him,” Rylion explained.
“He knew.” Laryssa wiped her eyes, aghast with the revelation.
“The beauty of possession is that they don’t know they’ve been possessed.” The demon laughed, and began to pace with Ava crying in its arms. “All Perry knew was that he’d killed his own mate. He left and killed himself.” Rylion stopped and paused. “What’s so perfect about this is that like the Aztecs, I’m willing to sacrifice my own child. Don’t you see, Laryssa? It’s always been about you.”
“Me?”
“I’ve watched you all these years and then you hid from me, keeping me from your home, your life. Even when I sent my ghosts to watch over you, you spurned me. Why, Laryssa? You’ve always known I’m there.”
“I don’t belong to you. You’re wrong,” she yelled through the wind.
“Even though you reek of the vampire, you’re still mine. And you’re going to come to me….willingly.”
“Are you fucking crazy?” As shock set in, Laryssa began to shake her head. Catching t
he sight of movement out of her left eye, she attempted to refocus on Rylion. She suspected that the demon had sensed that Léopold was in its world but she wouldn’t give it an inch of help.
“Ava’s soul for yours. I’ll hand over my only daughter to the vampire and his wolf. I know you’re here,” it called out into the storm. “All you have to do is say yes. Say the words. Accept your place at my side. Look at me now…I’m a man. I can satisfy your earthly cravings. Tell me…tell me that I’m your master. Give me your soul.”
“Put the baby down…over there!” she screamed through the din, pointing to the rock where it’d left the Tecpatl.
“Say it. Accept me as your master. Give me what is mine, Laryssa, and the vampire can have the baby. Reject me and I’ll murder her. It’ll be on your conscience forever.”
“Put her down first,” Laryssa insisted.
Slowly, she approached him. The Tecpatl rested only a few feet from her hands. If her abilities worked in the underworld, she could have called the knife to her hand. But no matter how hard she tried, the energy wouldn’t respond to her summons. She held her hands upward, exposing her palms to him. Get the baby. Leo, get the baby. She prayed like hell that throughout the chaos, Léopold could hear their discussion.
“You accept my conditions?”
“Yes,” she whispered, spying the knife.
Rylion moved quickly to set the child upon the dirt, never taking its eyes off of her. Once it’d surrendered the child to the earth, it strode toward Laryssa, a broad smile breaking across its face.