Hell Can Wait (Urban Fantasy) (Caith Morningstar Book 4)

by Celia Kyle

  The back door banged open and Sam rushed out of the house, sword raised. “Keller!”

  He leapt off the back porch, sword overhead. Jezze followed, reaching into her bag for the components of a spell.

  Keller waved his free hand and a deluge of blue light washed over my mate and best friend. The air shimmered and wavered, ripples moving through a clear pond. They both froze in place, Sam suspended mid-leap, Jezze still digging in her bag.

  Momma R stood inside the house; just out of the spell’s range and protected by her own wards. She held up her hands and chanted a counter-spell, but Keller’s magic was too powerful. It would take more than Momma R to free Sam and Jezze.

  In the meantime, they’d given me the distraction I needed.

  I stopped fighting Keller’s power, and instead, pushed forward. I leapt to my feet and leaned into his tug. It was like playing tug of war and then suddenly releasing the rope. Keller stumbled backward, caught off guard by my sudden movement. I turned the dagger on him, plunging it toward his chest.

  I’d kill him like I planned to kill myself.

  He grabbed my wrist before I pierced his skin. We struggled, back and forth. I pushed him against Momma R’s shed and then we’d switch, my back colliding with the wall. Fuck, but he was stronger than me.

  A lot stronger.

  In our youth, I’d been more powerful thanks to my demonic blood and crusader father. With all the power he’d been absorbing lately and my infuriating weakness, I was no match for his physical power. He pushed me off him and I fell onto the lawn, crying out when I landed on my wounded side.

  Keller stalked forward, my dagger in his hand. Somehow he’d wrested it from my grip and he now approached with murder in his eyes. “I don’t need you alive until the transformation is complete.” He looked at the dagger, studying the runes on the blade. “You wanted to sever my ties to you?” His lips parted in a dark smile. “Too bad you’re not a true witch.”

  I dug my fingers into the grass and pulled, trying to crawl away from him. He pounced and grabbed me from behind. He fisted my hair and yanked until my back met his chest. I was on my knees, unable to escape, and he placed the athame to my throat.

  “You see, Caith,” he hissed into my ear. “This dagger is made to sever spiritual bonds, but which bonds it affects depends on how it is used. You wanted to be rid of my ties to you, but I can use it to tear you from the underworld. I can cut you off from your Uncle Luc and the power you gain from Hell.”

  Keller was right. I didn’t know magic. Sure, I could follow instructions in a grimoire like a recipe in a cookbook. A true witch didn’t need a book to tell them what to do. They understood the core principles, how it worked, and how to mold a spell to their will. It was the difference between a child’s paint-by-numbers and a master’s work of art.

  Thing was, I had a really fucking good instruction manual in front of me.

  I slammed my head back and grinned at the audible crunch when my skull struck his nose. He released me and I scrambled for the book of spirit magic and opened to the bookmarked page. I’d dog-eared it for emergency use and I only felt the tiniest bit bad about folding such an old piece of paper.

  I shouted the words on the page, calling out to them and imbuing my will into every syllable. The air reverberated with the power as I called on the magic, channeling a surge into my soul. My body glowed, pulsing with pale light, and then a flash of power erupted from me. It knocked Keller back and he lost his grip on my hair.

  The dagger fell to the ground and Keller landed on the grass. He struggled to gain his feet, but he swayed, eyes unfocused and distant. The spell was crude—a spirit bomb. It left me drained and weak, but the spiritual energy it created was enough to disorient Keller’s senses and warp his thoughts. I’d only have a few moments until he recovered, but it was enough. It had to be. I grabbed the dagger and struggled to my feet.

  Keller’s wide-eyed stare turned to me, his focus drifting. He pulled himself forward, as if he thought to get to me, but then he must have changed his mind. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small clay rod, the runes carved into its length glowing subtly. He held it in his fist and used his thumb to snap the clay.

  Another flare of blinding light and then… Keller disappeared.

  “Damn,” I whispered and dropped to my knees. I’d seen Jezze pull similar tricks. A pre-made teleportation spell, ready in an instant. Even if the caster was disabled, it could be used.

  Keller could be anywhere in the city—the world—and I had no way of tracking him.

  But at least he was gone and I, for better or worse, was still alive.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I stared at the dagger in my hand. The runes on the blade had been glowing white while I prepared it for my ritual suicide and now they glowed red.

  Like blood. Like Hell.

  Fuck.

  Keller said he would change the magic to sever my connection to Hell. There was a good chance the athame would no longer work the way I’d intended.

  And I didn’t know how to fix the damned thing.

  I tucked the dagger into its sheath on my belt and turned back to the house to check on Sam and Jezze. They remained frozen in mid-air. Not just immobile, but frozen in time. I moved around the porch, studying them from different angles. The air warped around them no matter my position, like a bubble suspended. The childish urge to pop the bubble jumped forward, but I wasn’t going to touch it no matter how much I wanted to. If I did, I was sure I’d end up trapped like my mate and best friend.

  Because that was the luck I had.

  I strode around the house and entered through the front door, crossing to join Momma R in the kitchen. She stood by the back door, hands raised and palms facing the bubble of frozen time. I didn’t know what she was doing, but her eyes swirled with magic and a sense of deep concentration filled the air.

  “Can you break them free?” I whispered.

  “Eventually.” Her voice was tight, strained. “His spell isn’t complex but it is powerful. It has the finesse of a swimming pool filled with concrete, but when concrete is thick enough… It’s almost impenetrable.”

  “So, I should rent a jackhammer?” I love my power tools.

  She smirked and shook her head. “If I try to crack this with raw power, Sam and Jezebeth might be hurt. I’ll probe until I find the cracks and break them apart carefully. Not a difficult task, but a time consuming one.”

  I chewed on my lower lip. Reggie padded to my side and sat on the ground, wagging his tail. I absently patted his head, mind spinning through my options.

  It didn’t seem like I had much choice now.

  The ritual suicide plan wasn’t off the table, even though my nerves had fled. See? This was why I’d just wanted to get it over with. Now I’d been interrupted and…

  I really, really hated Keller. Like, really.

  I still faced a countdown—maybe another twenty-four hours before Keller’s magic overwhelmed me completely. My last option was a hunt, destroying him before he had utter control of me. He’d perverted the dagger’s magic and I had no idea what it would do if… The dagger had now become my last resort.

  “Keep working.” I turned away from the scene in the backyard and headed out of the kitchen.

  “Caith,” Momma R called out to me. “You can’t go alone. You’re in no condition for this fight.”

  “Yeah, well, waiting will only make me weaker. I’m done waiting.”

  I headed through the living room and out the front door. My werewolf bodyguards fell into step behind me. I wasn’t going to try and get away from them this time.

  “Call Papa Al,” I told them. “Tell him to get the pack rounded up. We’re on a hunt.”

  I went to the SUV, opened the back, and then dove into the hidden compartment where I kept my weapons. Well, some of my weapons. I had so many… Not the point. I mentally shook my head.

  I pulled out a pair of katanas, silver-backed spiked gauntlets, and a sho
tgun before snapping the back hatch closed once more. I climbed into the driver’s seat and sat the weapons beside me on the passenger’s seat. My bodyguards rode in the back, and Reggie settled in the near-empty trunk area. I put the SUV into drive and whipped down the driveway, anxious to get back to the city. I only had a vague destination, but there was a part of me that urged me on.

  I drove without much purpose or direction. I was waiting for something, for my instincts to guide me and spark a reaction that would put me on Keller’s trail. I also needed to think, and I’ve always thought better on the move.

  The werewolves reported that Papa Al had the pack patrolling. They hadn’t spotted any ghouls. It seemed Keller was laying low, probably biding his time. He could afford to play the waiting game. I couldn’t.

  I touched my wound, the entire area was numb now—like the flesh was dead. Like the rest of me soon would be. I glanced at my reflection in the rearview mirror. The blue veins crawled up my chin and across my face now. My right eye had lost some of its color, fading to a sickening pale shade with a slight glow.

  And my vision…

  When I looked through that eye alone, everything became blurry and indistinct. As if I looked at the world through layers of thick cellophane.

  Then there were the strange blue-tinged blurs. For a moment I wondered if it was just a part of going blind—another symptom of the infection. But when I pulled over to rub my eyes and clear my vision, I realized I could see perfectly fine out of my left eye. My right made me feel like I looked into another realm. The air seemed to move and swirl with energy and—

  I gasped. I was seeing beyond the veil, into the spirit realm.

  “Got you now, motherfucker.” I whispered, my grin widening.

  “What?” One of the wolves spoke up.

  I shook my head. “Nothing. I just figured out how to use this asshole’s magic against him.”

  I dropped the SUV into drive and pulled back onto the street. I closed my left eye, using only my right to guide me. The sights weren’t just part of the physical world around me. I also saw into the spirit realm that overlapped the living things. When I glanced at a pedestrian standing on a street corner, I spied a milky white, translucent glow surrounding him.

  I saw his body, but I also saw his soul.

  I focused on the streams of light that moved through the streets—the flow of spiritual energy. I didn’t know how the spiritual energy worked, but I understood the basics. It was generated by all living things, and it was strongest in big cities or in natural places like old growth forests.

  It flowed like the wind, not following a specific pattern. Or, it wasn’t supposed to follow a pattern. But the longer I studied, the more I realized there was a method to the ebb and flow. I followed the glowing tendrils, something inside me knowing that it would lead me to the biggest source of spiritual energy in Orlando—Keller.

  The flows eventually led me to a hospital downtown. I parked and grabbed my weapons, strapping them on once I exited the SUV. I studied the building while I pulled on my silver-backed gauntlets. It seemed like the perfect place for someone like Keller. He was a skilled healer. It would have been easy for him to get a job, probably under an assumed name.

  There were plenty of helpless, innocent victims to drain, too. No one would be suspicious about a string of deaths if the people were already dying. I took a guess that Keller must have started draining people here weeks ago, before he sent his first ghouls into the city. The glowing web swayed, gathering and stretching but still returning to concentrate on the hospital.

  He was inside. I knew it. Inside and draining some innocent to restore himself after our fight.

  “When the pack arrives,” I glanced at the wolves. “Have them cover the exits. Keller’s here and he’s probably got an army of ghouls inside. Don’t let them out into the city.”

  “We’re supposed to stay with you.” One of the werewolves stepped forward.

  I quirked a brow and flashed him a look that silenced him instantly. He looked away, running a hand through his hair, but he remained quiet.

  I clicked my tongue. “Reggie, come on, boy.”

  I headed for the main entrance, hellhound on my heels. The two werewolves took up positions outside, remaining in the shadows. If they had to shift, doing it in the dark corners would draw less attention.

  I crossed the lobby, closing my left eye so I could follow the glittering trail. It led me to a stairwell down the hall. Halfway to my destination, a burly security guard in a rumpled uniform stepped into my path.

  He held up a hand, palm facing me. “Ma’am, I don’t know if you got lost on the way to Medieval Times, but weapons aren’t allowed in the hospital.”

  Reggie growled low and the man put a hand on the pepper spray on his belt, face going pale. “No animals, either.”

  I tipped my head to the side and stared at the man. I could be nice. I could also… Before he could catch my movement, I pulled my arm back and swung, clocking him in the face with my gauntlet-covered hand. The guard crumpled to the ground with a series of thuds and thumps, and I kept on walking.

  The second guard at the desk grabbed his radio. I swung my other arm and smacked the small electronic device out of his hand hard enough for it to hit the wall and shatter. I reached over the counter and snatched the phone as well, yanking the cord out of the wall and smashing it on the ground for good measure.

  The second guard stared at me, face pale and panic in his eyes.

  “Relax,” I said. “I’m not here to hurt you. I just don’t want the police to show until I’m done.”

  I shoved him and he slumped back into his chair, the seat rolling until he hit the far wall. He sat there, mouth hanging open, and watched me as I continued past him to the stairwell. Reggie, perfect pup that he was, followed on my heels every step of the way.

  I took the stairs to the basement. I already knew where my ex would be—where all the fresh bodies could be found.

  I stalked down the hall until I reached the morgue’s door. I kicked it open and nearly stumbled. Then I cursed my foolishness. I kept forgetting I wasn’t operating at one hundred percent.

  The only good news was that since I’d lost the feeling in my right side, I also wasn’t experiencing any pain from my wound, but I doubted I’d be able to keep a good grip on the sword in my right hand since my fingers were gradually going numb.

  A line of ghouls waited for me, each one wearing a hospital gown, and I didn’t think they were more than an hour dead. Which meant their bodies were still fresh and they wouldn’t be shambling as much as the rotten and putrid undead I’d faced before.

  They rushed me, a half-dozen at once. Yeah, I didn’t stand much of a chance in my weakened state. Luckily, I had my own flamethrower.

  “Reggie.” I snapped my fingers.

  The hellhound snarled and rushed the ghouls. He barreled into them, massive body knocking them all down at once. His jaws opened wide enough to wrap around one ghoul’s head and the pup bit it right off in one quick motion.

  The rest of the ghouls slashed at Reggie with their claws, but couldn’t do much damage to his tough, unholy hide. His fangs flashed as he tore into one ghoul after another, destroying them almost as fast as I could have if I was healthy.

  I walked past the hellhound and patted his head. “Good boy.”

  I drew one of my swords and continued forward. When I turned the corner, I found the man—or rather werewolf—I hunted.

  “Caith.” He looked up at me with a frown. He had a body on the table; still shimmering with the spiritual energy he had been stealing. “Our connection grows stronger. I don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind.”

  In answer, I simply raised my sword.

  Keller sighed. “I thought as much.”

  He swept his hand out and a lance of energy shot from his palm. I parried with my sword, but the lance knocked the blade from my hand. I stumbled back a few steps while Keller advanced.

  Reggie rushe
d forward, hellfire spurting from his mouth. He released a thunderous growl and unleashed a gout of flame that spread over the warlock. The heat grew and some of the plastic fixtures on the fluorescent lights overhead melted and sagged.

  But it seemed Keller was ready for the hellhound this time. That was the thing. Catch someone off guard the first time, and there was a good chance of success. Give them the opportunity to devise a new spell and it was a trip to screwds-ville.

  Keller held out an amulet just before the flames struck. It glowed red in his palm and as the flames enveloped him, his body absorbed the heat and energy. Keller glowed burnt orange, like fired iron in a blacksmith’s forge.

  When the flames ceased pouring from Reggie’s mouth, Keller stood straight and released a long, slow breath. The heat finished sinking into the warlock, leaving my ex unharmed.

  Bastard.

  Fire was out. I decided to tap in my shotgun.

  I had it in my hands before Keller had finished absorbing the hellfire. I pulled the trigger and sent a spray of silver shot into his chest in one resounding boom. The blast knocked Keller back and he stumbled into the operating table. He wore body armor—because, of course—and it protected him so his chest wasn’t blown open. It didn’t stop the full force of the gun at point-blank range. Blood oozed from beneath the armored vest and dripped to the ground.

  I pumped the gun and fired another shot. Keller raised his arms, crossing them at the wrists, and called on a different defensive spell. A shimmering shield of energy appeared, absorbing the shot.

  Motherfucker.

  I fired again. And again. And again. I emptied the damned shotgun at him. And still that shield held… mostly. That last blast pushed through his magic and pierced the shield. The silver pellets peppered his arms and chest, drawing more blood. If he were a normal human, the last shot would have blown his arm off, but he acted as if it hardly stung.

  I backed away and around the corner, using the wall for cover while I reloaded. Reggie pounced on Keller, giving me the precious few seconds I needed. The hellhound’s jaws snapped and he closed his teeth around Keller’s bleeding arm. He clamped down on my ex with an iron grip.