Hearing footsteps coming from behind her, Selena turned, seeing a man she had met only once before, come to stand next to her. Practically dwarfing her with his height and build, he looked down, his brown eyes met hers with a serious expression.
“You’ve been watching. Does it change now? Is the timeline better?” she asked hopefully.
“The gift of free will is forever changing the outcome of events to be,” he replied, with heavily accented words. “Even if I could see them all, they would change the next minute as a different choice was made by another.”
Her head drooped in disappointment. “I see so much darkness. It clouds my thoughts and wounds my soul, to see what is coming.”
The newcomer put a hand on her shoulder. “Take heart, Little Eagle. On the road of this life, there are many bumps. It is full of trials, happiness, suffering, and joy. Each decision we make on this journey has us often moving in unexpected and surprising directions. We must never lose hope.
“Of course, some of those roads are difficult and hard to traverse. No road looks easy when it is looked upon from the bottom of a steep incline, but it does not make the climb impossible. The trick is, to accept the challenge with faith and determination, and keep climbing. When found struggling along the way, a person can remember every path taken is an essential part of what defines them. This knowledge is worth every bump and scrape. And should one perish on the hike because they are driven off a cliff, that person can find comfort in the final truth.”
“What truth is that?”
“The Creator will always make it right for those wronged, and peace always comes to those who try to make the climb,” he explained with finality. The weight of his hand lifted as he disappeared from sight.
Jonah still felt uneasy on the drive home. It wasn’t until he entered the station’s parking lot that the strange confusion left. He shook his head as he exited his car. “I’m losing it," he mumbled and grabbing his coat, headed inside.
As Jonah entered the station his partner shouted out, “Hall! Where have you been? We got the string of B&E’s, and that SUV theft, not to mention the stack of cold cases the captain wants us to look at.”
“Hey Peterson,” Jonah said approaching the other man with a twinge of guilt. “Sorry, I had some stuff to deal with.” He picked up a file from his partner’s desk and glancing at it, ignored Peterson’s glare. “Where are we at?” he questioned, referring to the auto theft case in his hand.
“Where I’m at is practically nowhere, since I have a ghost for a partner who flutters in on a whim just to pretend like he cares.”
Hall had the dignity to wince at the gruff tone.
“I can’t be everywhere while you’re off chasing the white rabbit,” Peterson lectured. “And don’t think the chief hasn’t noticed either. Even I have a limited amount of bull crap I can feed to one person.”
As if on cue, a familiar voice echoed from the office not far away. “Hall, it’s nice to see you again. Maybe you could give me a second of your time since it seems so precious to you these days.”
Jonah Hall knew a few things in life were fact. One, you never back-talked your mama. Two, hard work was the key to life. Three, everything dies—flowers die, animals die, and people die. Four, and lastly, gravity was a scientific fact, and as Tracy said earlier, When you sit on the fence long enough, eventually you’ll fall. He was about to fall and he knew it.
Jonah had known toeing the line would eventually get him in trouble. He’d just hoped he would have something to go on before that happened.
“Captain Thompson,” he greeted with a nod as he entered the office.
“Wanna tell me why you're still looking into the Williams case?” the captain asked harshly as he shut the door.
“No.”
In true disciplinary fashion, the captain leaned back to sit on the edge of his desk with an expectant expression and folded his arms over his chest. “Try again, Hall.”
“You know their story stinks, and I want answers,” Jonah replied defensively.
“What I know is that you're pursuing a closed case when you have a dozen others waiting for your attention. I also know that you’re ignoring a direct order to let this go.”
Jonah felt irritation rise within him. He knew his captain was a good cop, but there was something stopping Thompson from investigating the truth, and it grated at Jonah in the worst way. He’d recently left a precinct in which he had to rat out two dirty cops, one of them being his partner. Now this department was keeping secrets for some rich lawyer. If they weren’t keeping them, at the very least Thomson was doing his best to ignore them.
“I’m not in the business of lying, Captain. I’m not in the business of protecting the rich either, so if that’s what you want from me, you're going to have to ask for my badge,” Jonah responded calmly, despite his growing ire.
The captain huffed a breath and shook his head. “Don’t be an idiot. You’re a cop, Hall. One of the best detectives I've seen in a long time. Don’t let go of that for a wild goose chase.”
“I can’t let this go. He’s hiding something. They all are. You know it. I know it. Every good cop here senses it,” he accused. “Yet, you want to let it go? It doesn’t make sense.”
The captain scowled and stood straighter. “You’re only asking for trouble, Hall. More trouble than you can possibly imagine.”
“No, I am asking for truth and nothing more,” he insisted. “That boy who died deserves nothing less.”
“You want the truth so bad? Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ll give you some room on this. One month, Hall, but only if you include your current caseload in your tasks. After that, you come back to me, and we’ll see where you stand.”
“Really?” Jonah asked with skeptical sarcasm. For the last three months he’d been constrained on this case, and suddenly his captain was giving him a green light?
“Have at it. If at any time during that month you find proof that we should lock them up and get the prosecutor over here, I’ll listen.”
“All right,” Jonah agreed carefully.
The captain stood and moved to the other side of his desk. “But Jonah,” he chided and leaning forward, planted his hands on the desk to pin Jonah with a fierce glare. “At the end of that month you will either produce evidence or you will let this go. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to let you go. Understood?”
Surprised, Jonah Hall weighed the offer cautiously then gave his superior officer a tight nod. “Understood.”
“Good.” Thompson sat back in his desk and began working on the paperwork sitting before him. Taking his disinterest as a sign that their conversation was finished, Jonah left, hardly believing his luck. In his quick exit, Jonah didn’t notice the captain pick up the phone.
“I gave him room. Let’s see what he does with it,” Thompson said when the man on the other end answered. “I hope we haven’t made a mistake.”
Chapter 14
Delphene and Jarrett didn’t get the chance to convince Cade to go back. Four more days passed since they secretly agreed he needed to go home, but those days had been full of “pest control” as Delphene called it. Since the incident in Vegas, the demons were conveniently coming to them at an obvious rate.
Anytime Delphene and Jarrett hinted at going back, Cade refused, citing they had to finish what they came for, finding Victor. Since he suspected they were being hunted, Jarrett was also reluctant. Neither man wanted to bring this kind of attention back to the family that had already suffered enough. Delphene did not agree with their logic and often pointed out that Rederrick and Cynda knew what was what.
That night while driving through Arizona on a deserted road, two archdemons and a greater demon appeared suddenly in their path.
As his pattern dictated, Cade acted first. His skin tingled, his claws extended, and he urged his bike to go faster as the first bones in his body realigned for the wolf. Cade leapt from the speeding motorcycle, completing the transformation
from man to wolf in mid-air. The momentum carried him into the mighty archdemon’s waiting arms. It roared as their bodies collided, and they tumbled down together, rolling and fighting.
Without a driver, the custom bike, also a slave to gravity and physics, wobbled before falling sideways and sliding across the pavement. Jarrett barely had time to correct his own machine and avoid a collision. “Hold on!” he shouted to Delphene, who rode tandem.
Her grip tightened and he appreciated how her body leaned into the tight turn with perfect balance. With honed reflexes, Jarrett managed to control the curve. As soon as they stopped Delphene dismounted and charged the other demons, who turned toward them with sharp, toothy grins.
Greater demons were aptly named. They were in fact, greater. Though they could blend in with humans almost as well as lesser demons, they were stronger, quicker, more cunning, and harder to put down. Greaters were often in charge of groups and given special tasks by their masters.
Archdemons, on the other hand, were worse. Ugly beyond reason, they were unable to blend in as humans. Archdemons were the epitome of chaos. An archdemon had no discrepancy when it came to killing. They preyed upon demonkind as often as mankind. These mighty creatures had a single purpose, killing.
Looking upon beastly foes as he dismounted, Jarrett felt like he was reliving his days on the run. The demons were becoming a constant problem. It was obvious to the lycans that they had gone from being the hunters to being the prey.
Jarrett slid his cleverly concealed sword from a sheath that was built into his bike. Rushing forward, he sliced at one of the creatures with expert skill and heard it yell out when he made contact with the mottled, gray-green skin.
With her two long daggers in hand, Delphene came to his side to protect his flank. Standing back-to-back, they were ready for anything the two depraved creatures offered. Neither of them transformed, though both understood that could change in seconds.
Seeing the archdemon's face, Jarrett considered. This one had to be related to Henifedran. No two demons could have been beaten by the ugly stick so identically, he thought. Jarrett found himself perplexed by how much this beastie looked like the old foe he defeated back in Cloudcroft a few months back.
The creature grinned, showing his serrated teeth. “Missss me?” he hissed while the greater demon fought against Delphene’s precise dagger strikes.
Surprised, Jarrett hesitated, and reality kicked him in the teeth, literally. Henifedran’s foot came up and connected with his jaw. The blow knocked him back several feet and Jarrett cursed himself. Hesitation was mistake one in losing any battle, but he couldn't stop himself. “Henifedran,” he acknowledged and spat blood to the ground.
Advancing, the archdemon swiped at him again with its venomous claws. Dodging the blow, Jarrett focused on the combat. He knew few sorcerers had the strength and skill to recall a banished demon so soon. There was no way Victor had accomplished that feat.
On the other side of the road, Cade fought savagely against his enemy. Snarls and growls reverberated through the dry air as they tore into each other. It was a vicious, primitive fight. Sharp teeth and ripping claws from both combatants tore through flesh.
As Cade gained the upper hand, another greater demon blinked in from thin air and joined the fray. Blasting through the grappling opponents with its body, the newcomer hurled Cade thirty feet, and eagerly followed to capitalize on the momentum. However, Cade didn’t hit the ground awkwardly. Tumbling with expert skill, he absorbed the impact, and dug his claws into the earth to reverse direction. He charged, and within seconds all three beings became a violent tangle, fighting in the most animalistic nature.
At first sight, a novice would have believed Cade was outmatched. But Cade fought with centuries of experience and refused to fail.
In the last months, grief unlocked something almost frightening inside him, but the past few days, Jarrett’s and Delphene’s constant companionship was altering his mindset yet again. Despite his self-destructive behavior in recent encounters, the combination of the unknown monster he’d released within and the new connection to his brother, lent Cade confidence and deadly accuracy. His recklessness was still present, to be sure, but Cade retained his focus this time, a focus that was not only centered on Victor. He didn’t even realize it, but Cade’s instinct to protect those he cared for influenced his every action this time.
Behind him, Jarrett and Delphene dodged sharp, swiping claws. Delphene stabbed out at her attacker in the back with one of her enchanted daggers, and the demon blinked out of her deadly reach.
Jarrett maneuvered for a sweep of his sword on Henifedran, but at the last second, the nasty looking circus freak changed tactics. The unnamed greater demon reappeared on Jarrett’s left while Henifedran rotated to attack Delphene. Crying out, she barely dodged the surprise attack with a back handspring. Henifedran’s claws raked Delphene’s leg when she flipped, throwing her balance off and causing her to tumble hard and smack her head against a large boulder. She landed hard and remained motionless.
Forced to focus on his new opponent, Jarrett cursed and called her name when she went down. Consumed with worry and eager to finish the fight, Jarrett struck out with instinctive aim and chopped at the greater demon’s side. It shrieked when steel met flesh, and the pitiful cry drew Henifedran’s attention back to Jarrett. Then the elusive opponent disappeared again.
Cade heard the noises, and he sensed the greater demon’s coiled muscles. That sixth sense alerted him of the creature’s intent. As it tried to disengage with Cade to attack the prone she-wolf, Cade repositioned his hold and dug his claws in deep, anchoring the creature to the fray still in progress.
The maneuver cost him though, and the archdemon flanking Cade used its shark-like teeth to bite his shoulder. Snarling past the pain and still grappling the greater demon, Cade fell back to the pavement, landing on the archdemon with the weight of both of them.
The chaotic melee carried them across the desert sand, still warm from the sun's earlier rays. A lizard skittered across the ground in fear and leapt into a hole for protection. In his hybrid form, Cade pulled strength from the animal while his mind connected to the intelligent man.
The wolf refused to succumb to the pain and toxins that came with such a bite. The man, cunning and quick to act, refused to allow either creature respite.
They rolled, and Cade somehow managed to gain his feet. It didn’t last. Reaching up, the archdemon scored Cade’s back and arms again as it yanked him back down. The mighty demon gripped him and tried to crush him using its enhanced strength. However, Cade’s opponent was too battle crazed to realize the lycan preferred the close proximity between them.
Faster than either demon could react, Cade jerked around and clamped his canine teeth over the archdemon’s throat. Suddenly panicked, the demon released its rib-cracking hold and strained against Cade to get away. The pain and resistance at its neck prevented the demon from pushing too hard.
Driven to violence, the wolf in Cade clamped down tighter and shook his head. The archdemon’s fighting companion tried to pull Cade away, but in doing so, the greater demon did far more damage than the lycan could have on his own.
Knowing the larger, gurgling opponent was finished, Cade turned on the greater demon.
Not far away, Jarrett growled, “Your reflexes have improved, Henifedran, but it still won’t save you.”
The old demon glared and came on more fiercely.
Determined to put this monster down a second time, Jarrett opened for an attack, but at the last second he brought up his blade in an upward strike with perfect form and skirted around the next attack. The shining metal connected, slicing Henifedran's cheek.
Shocked by the burn the enchanted blade inflicted, Henifedran growled. Staggering back, the demon touched the torn skin and examined the black ichor on his fingers.
Seeing the strange shock, Jarrett didn’t wait. Attacking again, he reversed the maneuver and his blade cut the creature's chest
cleanly.
“I have a bigger advantage this time,” Jarrett taunted, measuring his opponent carefully. He knew, despite drawing first blood, the demon was not out.
Henifedran never felt such burning in all of his existence, and almost believed the Hunter was right. Or at least, until he saw movement behind Jarrett. “Exssscept, I have him,” Henifedran announced, as an uninjured greater demon appeared and leapt upon Jarrett’s back.
Jarrett grunted and fought against the hold. Claws raked his skin, but Jarrett was able to shift his weight and position to minimize the damage. When he shifted his attention to the new demon, Jarrett caught a glimpse of Delphene running toward them. “You may have him, but I have her!” he grunted while finishing the demon off.
Henifedran started to turn, but it was too late. Delphene sliced one of her long daggers across his back. Henifedran struck out. Expecting the blow this time, Delphene rolled while simultaneously throwing one of her matching blades in Cade’s direction, calling his name.
Accustomed to Delphene’s infamous daggers and fighting style, Cade saw the shining blade fly. Claws ripped jagged lines in his arms as his opponent tried to hold him back. Adrenaline and rage made it easy to ignore the stinging pain. Cade pulled on all his strength and twisted free. In a blur of motion, he caught the offered blade and turning, buried the dagger to the hilt where the shoulder connected to the neck.
Ducking Henifedran’s club-like arms again, Delphene didn’t even slow as she came up behind the demon on Jarrett’s back. She yanked the demon back by his greasy hair so hard, its neck popped.
Filled with anger, Henifedran rushed them. Instinctively, the demon on Jarrett’s back lost its grip on him and reached around to grab at Delphene. Free to move, Jarrett kicked out as Henifedran swiped at him. He felt the archdemon’s arm break, but knew it wouldn’t slow him.
Jarrett dodged and parried. Henifedran kicked Jarrett’s knees out from under him. Something in his knee tore, and pain traveled up Jarrett’s leg as he fell to his back. Throwing his legs over his head and connecting with Henifedran’s chin, Jarrett somersaulted backward out of harm’s way and managed to stand despite the broken kneecap. Limping, Jarrett readied his sword for a final blow as the archdemon came back for more.
The Truth of Victory: A Powers of Influence Novel Page 13