by Kailin Gow
Smiling, I said, “I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”
Our eyes remained locked and I could have sworn he felt the same worry and concern for Moore that I did. Either the concern was that evident in my gaze, or he had come to be so in tune to me, so in tune to my emotions, that he was able to easily reflect them.
“Hey,” Asher called in an uncharacteristically cheery voice. “I think I’m having a serious case of déjà vu.”
“You’ve been here before?” I asked.
He stared out the window, looking at the beautiful buildings and scenery. “I don’t think anything’s changed. I think I came here, what, nine, ten years ago.”
“Good to know if ever we get in a bind,” Brax said, though his tone lacked enthusiasm or conviction.
“Yeah,” Asher went on. “My parents were on tour here and we went to the Vatican. I was barely seven years old, but I distinctly remember being on this very highway. Think we could stop to get a bite to eat before we take care of business? I’d love to go and get a few shots of the Vatican while we’re there too.” He pulled a small digital camera out of his jacket pocket and took a few quick snaps of me.
“I know we’re here for serious business,” I said, getting into the mood Asher tried to create. “But I really think I’m going to enjoy this trip. I’ve always wanted to visit Rome. Do you think we’ll have time to take in the Coliseum after the Vatican?”
“I’m just looking forward to seeing the Sistine Chapel,” Asher said.
“And St. Peter’s Square,” I added.
The cheer Asher and I tried to bring to the tension riddled car ride did little to dent the stress and strain evident in Moore and Braxton’s eyes. So much was riding on this trip and their eyes told the full story of their fears.
Worse still; the palpable tension that filled the small car wasn’t just human. An incubi aura, strong and consuming, hung close to Moore and a faint incubi aura was beginning to shimmer around Brax.
Asher and I fell silent, and though I refused to let the somber mood take over me, I realized there was nothing Asher or I could do to alleviate the fear Moore and Braxton lived with. All we could do was be there to help get them through it.
Chapter 7
Chosen Path
As it turned out, the Vatican wasn’t our first stop. Without giving us any indication as to where we were really going, Moore took to the highway and headed south. Silence reigned as we drove through the Italian countryside. No comments were made about the rustic homes, the green pastures or the roaming and grazing animals. Even when we came upon a small group of young Italian women walking on the edge of the road, the guys remained unmoved and unimpressed.
We passed through small towns and villages, some with small modest homes, others with impressive and welcoming villas. The further we went, the more I felt tension fill up the car. No doubt the guys were all looking forward to getting out of the car and finding some good Italian food. The flight had been long and fatigue was also beginning to play on everyone’s nerves. We’d have to find a restaurant and a place to sit back and relax soon.
That moment came a long hour later when Moore finally pulled the car into the narrow lane of a small and tightly built village. Each building seemed to ooze history and mystery. As we filed out of the car, I also realized many of these buildings oozed fabulous scents and appetizing aromas.
“Where’s the food?” Asher asked, cheerily. “I could go for anything right now.”
“I don’t think we’ll have any trouble finding something suitable.” Moore took the lead, and no one argued his position.
“This is beautiful; so rustic,” I exclaimed as we found a larger boulevard.
Void of crowds and tourists in this little village, we had free reign to meander through the streets easily and carefree.
“It is nice,” Brax said, though a little half-heartedly. “Where are we, exactly?”
“Velletri.”
“Vel-let-tri. Vel-let-tri,” I chanted. “Sounds so romantic. What does it mean?”
“Loosely translated, it means city by the swamp,” Moore said. “But it’s a city rich in history and I think we may be able to get a few answers to our questions.”
“Well, it certainly looks romantic,” I said, unperturbed by the origin of the name.
“And smells like heaven,” Asher said. “When do we eat?”
Moore stopped, turned to put the tips of his fingers to Asher’s chest and said, “Hang out here a minute. I’m going to go check in here to see if we can’t get a bite to eat.”
He disappeared for a few minutes and returned with two hot cappuccinos. “Here you go.” He handed me a cup. “There’s pizza and stuff if you guys want to go in and eat.”
Asher sprinted for the door, and though Braxton dragged his feet behind him, he went in all the same.
The moment they disappeared inside the small ristorante, I turned to Moore. “You okay?”
“What gave it away?” He grimaced and gazed around in annoyance.
“You’ve been agitated since we got here, and you’re practically turning green. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head then took a forced sip of his coffee. “Food just doesn’t appeal to me right now.”
“Could be just your nerves playing with your appetite,” I ventured, though I knew full well it went much further than that.
“I can’t get the thought of draining someone out of my head.”
Though I’d expected this kind of thing, I was nonetheless shocked by his confession.
“It’s becoming an obsession. I can barely think of anything else. I can barely see straight.”
“Despite all that, you’re doing a great job of controlling yourself. Just being able to drive us here. That took a lot of concentration, Moore.” I wanted to give him something to cling to, something to be positive about.
He sighed and avoided my gaze. “It’s getting harder.”
“I know,” I said with a reassuring pat to his shoulder. “How about we try to find a way to get you to think of something else?”
“Like what?”
“Like showing me around.”
He gazed sidelong at me.
“Come on.” I gave him a friendly nudge in the ribs. “I want to have a bit of fun before we get down to the business of getting to these demons and the portal.”
Swallowing, he gazed down at the paving stones beneath his feet. Without looking at me, he reached for my hand and gave it a quick squeeze.
“Come on.” I tugged on his hand and urged him on.
After another half-hearted sip of his coffee, he set the cup down, forced a grin and led me down a narrow street. I stopped to look in shops, touching fabrics, smelling spices and admiring local art. Moore remained lackluster in his enthusiasm, but he dutifully guided me from shop to shop and even led me to the Porta napoletana a beautiful arch that marked the northern gate of Velletri.
“Have you ever been here before,” I asked. He seemed so knowledgeable and took to the streets as though he’d always traveled them.
“No,” he said. “I’ve never even heard of this town before.”
I wanted to question him, but sensed his growing irritation. He led me through the streets with a sense of direction and never once looked up to check a street sign or ask for directions. It was odd, but I didn’t want to argue.
When we came to an old little chapel, I took the lead and guided him to a bench facing a small but lovely fountain. I threw a few pennies into the fountain and smiled. “Hey, would you mind taking a few pictures of me?” He looked at me, his eyes dark, his mouth grim and his overall posture defeated.
“I don’t think I can beat this, Lux. I’m sorry. I really wanted to show you around and show you a good time, but…”
“I don’t want you to feel the pressure of pleasing me, Moore. I just thought it’d be a nice distraction.” I looked around. Though we weren’t in the optimal peak tourist season, many people walked
around, mostly locals going to work, going to lunch or running errands. “Come with me.”
I led him to a quiet, out of the way lane. “You’re an incubi and the tension will only get worse. I want to do what I can to alleviate all the pressure you have pushing down on you.” Cupping his cheeks I pulled him to me and kissed him with all the passion I had. At first he pulled back, hesitant and unsure.
Though his lips clearly hungered for mine, he pulled away. “Lux, what are you doing?”
“I don’t want to see you hurting anyone. I want to do what I can to relieve the pressure.”
His gaze dulled, and I could see the fear he had for me. “I don’t want to hurt you, Lux,” he said softly.
“I don’t think you will. I don’t feel the incubi pull as much from you anymore. I think it may be because I have angel blood in me and you’ve managed to try to block off any of that with me. You’ve been doing it for so long, you don’t even think about it. Not like Brax, who has a harder time with this. I want to help you,” I whispered. “If you need to drain anyone, or kiss anyone, let it be me. Last time you were having a hard time with this, when we kissed, it seemed to calm you down. And if you do start draining my life out of me, I have my crucifix ready.”
He looked at me, his expression changing from fear to love in a matter of seconds. “I can’t let you take this risk, Lux.”
“I want to,” I said. “If this is a way to help, then we’ve may find the way to break this curse permanently. You don’t have to worry about hurting me ever again.” My fingers trailed up to his temple and back through his thick hair. Pressing my lips to his I murmured my desire for him, encouraged him to let go and lured him into my passionate embrace.
My hands roamed over his body, reveling in the sensations his strong build brought to my fingertips. It didn’t take long for him to release the last of his inhibitions. After only a few seconds, he grabbed me and pulled me to his chest.
Our embrace and kisses hit a fever pitch as we grappled to get closer still, tugging at each other’s clothing, longing to have skin on skin contact.
“It’s incredibly… what you do to me. I can barely hold back,” I whispered as my lips still brushed against his, my eyes locked to his.
“Are you afraid it’s just the incubi in me that attracts you?”
I’d thought of that possibility, but was happy he’d been the one to bring it up. But now that the question was out there, I didn’t know what the answer was.
“Or is it simply because you’re truly in love with me?”
I chuckled softly and leaned my brow to his lips. I’d also thought of that possibility. Yes, the physical longing was there, and the incubi in him probably had something to do with that, but I also felt a deeper connection to him; a connection that had nothing to do with how physically drawn to him I was.
“I guess we’ll just have to rid you of this incubi to find out.”
He planted another passionate, but softer kiss to my lips. “I can’t believe how lucky I got when you came into my life. I need you, Lux. Not just to help me with this curse, but I need you in my life. What did I do to deserve you?”
A ferocious growl thundered through the walls of the chapel, cutting our romantic interlude short.
“Did you hear that?”
Moore nodded.
“I was hoping we’d have more free time, but I guess the fight is about to start.”
Moore nodded.
We rushed to the front door of the chapel. The doors were locked and we hurried to the side entrance reserved for priests. Inside we stood amidst hundreds of lit candles, everyone of them casting eerie shadows on the walls and ceiling.
Through the shadows we spotted a couple on the front pew. A young woman, her skirt up to her hips straddled a young man who sat back, his chest bare and gleaming with sweat and soot. Lost in their embrace they were oblivious to our presence.
“Could we have confused their innocent moans and groans for a feral growl?”
Moore cocked a brow as the young woman arched her back, offering a generous view of her breasts. “Doesn’t really look all that innocent to me,” he said with a smirk.
We stood for a moment, unsure as to what our next move should be, but before we could make a decision to interfere or leave the young lustful couple alone, a dark and fast moving shadow sprang out of nowhere and descended on the couple.
In a flash of movement, the dark shadow pulled the woman off the young man and threw her against the wall. She stumbled and tried to straighten up to fight off her assailant, but the shadow was far too quick.
I caught the shine of gold as a small crucifix was pulled from the shadow and pressed to the young woman’s brow. Her explosive demise was as spectacular as it was surprising. In a spray of blood, flesh and ash, she faded to nothing.
Moore and I gazed at each other, perplexed by the goings-on of the small church. A part of me wanted to rush the shadow and stop it from hurting again, but another part of me questioned the true identity of the young and wanton woman.
Unaware of our presence, the shadow remained still a long moment, and seemed to recover from the interaction with the young woman.
Moore’s elbow nudged me in the ribs and I turned to find him gazing at the young man. Following his gaze I saw the shell of the human being he’d once been. All that remained was a shriveled body that sat back on the pew in an awkward pose of death.
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
The drained body lost its hold of the pew and slid to the floor, catching the attention of the dark and somber shadow who slowly approached it. A sad and mournful chant came from the figure as he passed his hand from brow to belly and from shoulder to shoulder.
He turned his gaze toward the heavens, but halted.
We’d been spotted.
Chapter 8
Inheritance of a Legacy
He took one step toward us, then another. My fingers flexed and clenched while the beating of my heart took on that of a seasoned warrior. It was hard to tell if he was good or bad, angelic or demonic, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. Of average height and build, he offered no true threat, but I also know of smaller, less intimidating demons who showed unusual ferocity when backed to a corner.
At my side, Moore tensed up just as much as I did. I could feel his readiness.
Another step and my fingers instinctively reached for the crucifix at my neck. There was something unfortunate and unpleasant about battling in a house of worship, but these types of battles didn’t always wait for the most favorable opportunity.
“Show yourself before taking another step,” I warned. To make my intentions clear, I held my crucifix up to him.
The dark shadow turned to the glow of candles and pulled back the black hood that obscured his face, revealing the handsome but troubled face of a white-haired man.
“You are a demon hunter, are you not?” the man asked with a heavy British accent. His eyes remained on my crucifix.
I nodded and jutted my chin up to him. “And you?”
He appeared to be in the same age bracket as Dr. Kingsley, though perhaps a little younger. Despite the shock of white hair, he had brilliant blue eyes that sparked with youthfulness.
“Yes,” he said simply. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at Moore with suspicion.
Could he see Moore’s true nature; the curse he lived with? Would he be tempted to slay him before he showed any potential threat? I wanted to jump forward, to explain, to defend and to justify, anything to stop this man from hurting Moore.
Unperturbed, Moore stood his ground, staring the older man down and showing no fear.
“What are you doing here?” He adjusted the cloak around his shoulders and seemed offended by our presence. “Are you Americans?”
“We’re from San Francisco.” Moore’s voice boomed and echoed around the small chapel.
The man’s brow rose with interest, but he said nothing.
“We came here to find someone, or
perhaps a group of people,” I said. “Through a series of emails received in America, we found the name Shadow Light and we were hoping to find him.”
He nodded and his gaze remained steady, giving nothing away. “And your search led you all the way to Italy? Why are you so eager to find this shadowlight?”
I heard the low and impatient growl that harbored in Moore’s throat. The incubi in him was surely working him up, and standing face to face with a new and strange demon slayer no doubt added to his strain.
Taking a determined step forward, Moore stood barely a foot away from the man. “A portal’s been torn open and we think this Shadow Light might know how to shut it down.”
Hoping to shut him up before he went on, I stepped forward and put my hand to his arm, but he pulled away and went on.
“You say you’re a demon slayer. Then you should know something about portals and the way demons go through them to get into this world.”
“And what makes you think I would know about such a thing.” He glanced at me, his teeth clenched in annoyance. “You have a professed demon slayer right there with you. Doesn’t she know the workings of the portal?”
I could see we would lose this man’s cooperation completely if Moore continued to intimidate him. “Sir, I apologize for my friend’s harsh ways,” I said as I stepped forward. “Moore has been through a lot lately and this portal opening is testing his patience at every opportunity. I may be a demon slayer, but I’ve never had to deal with a portal opening, at least not one of this proportion.”
His gaze remained hard and uncompromising. Moore took another menacing step toward him, but this time I took a firm grip of his arm and pulled him back. Standing between Moore and the British demon slayer, I tried to take the role of mediator.
“Please, not only do I not have the ability to close this portal, I’m also losing my ability to see demons at all. In certain instances I can still smell them, but I otherwise have no sense of their presence. This new influence, this new influx of demons since this portal opening is getting stronger and stronger, and the change is happening fast.”