Demon Hunters 3: Tainted (Stand Alone Series) (Demon Hunters.)

by Avril Sabine

  Cassidy tried to pull away from Gabe at the sound of Remedy behind her. All she was able to do was turn in his arms to face the demon. She sighed. “Is that all you can ever say?”

  “When all he ever does is place his hands on you then that is all I can say.” His gaze went over her head to Gabe. “Now get your hands off her. You are trying my patience, human.”

  Gabe’s arms dropped away from Cassidy. “Do you have to interrupt every quiet moment? Where were you when we were facing down demons?”

  “It is the quiet moments that are the most worrying. When she’s fighting demons I can feel her life flowing through her.”

  Cassidy winced. “I think I’ve had enough of this conversation.” She turned and flung the bedroom door open. Anything was better than listening to unnerving comments from Remedy. She took a single step into the room. A rush of memories hit her. Running in to wake her parents on Christmas morning and bouncing on their bed. Playing with her mum’s jewellery, which she kept in the crystal containers on her duchess, when she was almost a teenager. Wobbling around in her mum’s high heels when she was in preschool.

  Gabe rested a hand on her shoulder. “Do you want everything moved out or set to one side?”

  The warmth of his hand and the tone of his voice dragged her back to the present. “One side. I guess. Maybe at the window.”

  “What are you planning?” Remedy demanded.

  She was tempted to leave Remedy wondering, but Gabe had already annoyed him enough. “A practice room. Gabe is going to show me how to use his weapons.”

  “You will need something for a target.” Remedy gestured towards the mattress. “You could use that.”

  Cassidy stared at it for a moment before she nodded sharply and strode forward to strip dusty linen from the bed. Along with the duchess, bedside drawers and wardrobe, the linen was moved to the wall with the window. Once the mattress stood against the wall, ready to be used as a target, the bed base joined the rest of the items. Cassidy stared at the mattress before she strode from the room to her own bedroom. Rummaging in a drawer she pulled out a permanent marker and turned to find Gabe watching her from the doorway. She held up the marker.

  Gabe’s smile contained relief. “You draw a bullseye while I grab some weapons.”

  Cassidy nodded. She reached the doorway but he still stood there so she couldn’t pass. “What’s wrong?”

  “Are you okay?”

  Cassidy thought for a moment then nodded. “I think so.” She hesitated. “But if I’m not, I will be.”

  Gabe grinned. “Good.” He stepped out of the way. “Give me a minute and I’ll show you a whole new definition of fun.” He stepped close. “And once we get rid of Castigate I’ll show you yet another one.”

  Cassidy couldn’t help laughing as she pushed him away. “Let’s start with the weapons and I’ll see what I think about your first definition of fun before I even consider thinking about the second definition.” She strode down the hallway, feeling his gaze on her. She glanced his way as she turned and entered her parents’ room. No, the training room. It was much easier to think of it that way.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  By the time Cassidy had finished drawing a bullseye on the mattress, Gabe was back with his toolbox. He set it on the floor against the wall opposite the mattress and opened it. He looked up at her. “What do you want to start with first?”

  Cassidy shrugged. “I don’t know. The ones you seem to use the most. The little ones.”

  Gabe rose to his feet with a handful of blades. He stood near her, opposite the mattress, and gave her a quick lecture then a demonstration. His blade hit the centre of the bullseye and he handed a blade to her. She looked down at it and mentally shrugged as she threw it. She came nowhere near her target. She frowned. It wasn’t as easy as it looked. Taking the next blade Gabe handed her, she took careful aim. She nearly growled in frustration. Remedy did. She glanced at him where he stood in the doorway, arms crossed. After a glare, she took another blade from Gabe. This time she didn’t bother aiming. It hadn’t helped last time. She might as well close her eyes for all the difference it made.

  “I can’t watch this,” Remedy muttered.

  “Then go away.” She took another blade and threw it at the mattress again, wincing when she was still nowhere near the target. “They just don’t feel right.”

  Remedy strode towards her. “Of course they feel right. You are the problem.” He reached out to cup her face, his fingers at her temple.

  “What are you doing?” Cassidy tried to pull away.

  “Putting me out of my misery. Now shut up.” Remedy’s fingers tightened on her.

  “She didn’t agree to this,” Gabe argued.

  Cassidy opened her mouth to agree with Gabe, but she was swallowed up in the blackness of Remedy’s eyes. Then image after image bombarded her like physical blows. Sensation, weight, feel, action. Weapon after weapon in her hands, used correctly. Daggers thrown fluidly from her fingers, arrows let loose to hit targets, swords swung at opponents, numerous guns fired and staves wielded expertly. She stumbled backwards, running into the wall of her parents’ room, gasping for breath as her ears seemed to ring with sound.

  Hands reached for her, supporting her when her legs would have given out. Then the sounds became intelligible and she heard Gabe calling her name.

  “I’m okay.” She tried to straighten and the room spun around her. “I think.”

  “Do you want to sit down?” Gabe peered at her intently.

  Cassidy shook her head. Then winced when the room spun again. “Give me a minute.”

  “Here.” Remedy shoved a glass of liquid at her.

  Cassidy peered into it, sniffing the contents.

  Remedy growled. “It is water from your own fridge. Do you think I would kill you off after all that effort?”

  Cassidy sipped and felt more centred. Her body began to feel more her own and not like something that was too small for her frame. She pulled away from Gabe and turned her attention to Remedy. “What effort?”

  Remedy took the glass from her and handed over one of Gabe’s small blades. “Centre yourself. Feel the blade. Use the memory. Then throw.”

  “Okay.” She drew the word out as she turned away from Remedy, wondering if demons could become mentally unstable or if that was a normal state for them. She took a deep breath and felt the blade in her hand. A sense of familiarity rushed through her. She knew how to throw this, had thrown ones just like it a million times before. No, not her. Her mouth dropped open as she turned stunned eyes to Remedy.

  He reached out and tapped under her chin to make her mouth close. “Now throw it properly. Not like you’ve closed your eyes and crossed your fingers.”

  Cassidy grinned at the fairly accurate description of her earlier attempts. With a nod she faced the mattress and the blade flew true. A buzz of excitement raced through her when she hit the bullseye. “Yes!” She punched the air and grabbed a shuriken. Again familiarity filled her and she threw, barely needing to aim. Her grin widened as she turned to Remedy. “Thank you.”

  Remedy nodded. “Now try and not get yourself killed.”

  Her grin faded. “Thank you.”

  “What for this time?” Remedy asked.

  “Reminding me that I’m supposed to hate you.” She glared at him. “You stabbed my father.”

  Remedy sneered. “But you were the one who killed him.”

  “Whoa.” Gabe grabbed her around the waist when she would have attacked Remedy. “Calm down. Everything’s okay. Well, as much as it can be when you’re buddying up with a demon.”

  “Like I had much of a choice,” Cassidy snarled.

  “There is always choice,” Remedy said.

  “Dying is not a choice.” She stopped trying to break free of Gabe’s grip.

  “It is always a choice. It doesn’t have to be one you like, but it is still a choice,” Remedy said.

  She sagged in Gabe’s arms. “Go away, Remedy. I can
’t deal with you tonight.”

  “You are staying in?”

  Cassidy answered Remedy’s question with a nod. He stared at her a moment longer before he turned and left. Cassidy pressed a hand to her mouth when she wanted to call out after him.

  “This is too confusing.” She faced Gabe. “How can he want to kill me one day and the next help me?”

  “Demons aren’t like humans. They think on a whole other level. It doesn’t matter what is done between them as long as things are kept equal. Once payback is made, as long as all is even between them, then it is left at that. But if one of them thinks things aren’t still equal then it will continue. And a demon can hold a grudge for a very long time.” He ran his forefinger down her lips to stop on her chin. “Want to take a break?”

  She shook her head, dislodging his finger. “No. I want to try every weapon then I’m going to read the ritual until it’s time for bed.” She reached for another blade.

  “Which bed?”

  Cassidy sent him a sidelong glance. He grinned at her. She shook her head and threw the blade at the target. Satisfaction bloomed at her accuracy. She wondered what else Remedy could teach her. She pushed that thought aside. When she figured out how to deal with Remedy then she might ask him. For now it was all too confusing.

  “Are you even thinking about answering my question?” Gabe handed her another blade.

  “Nope.”

  “It might be the safest place to be. At least you don’t have to worry about how dangerous it is to wake me.”

  “But what about the danger to you? Remedy was very specific in his instructions.”

  “He’s never about during the day and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

  Cassidy took another blade from him, staring at him for a moment. “Don’t you ever worry about dying?”

  “No more than most people.”

  “Why not? I mean, you hunt demons for crying out loud. Aren’t you terrified each time will be your last?”

  He shook his head. “Not terrified. But yeah, I do wonder. But then anything could happen. At least with hunting demons I’ve got the skills to stand a chance against them.” He nodded towards the blade still in her hand. “You going to throw that or would you rather try a bow now?”

  Cassidy barely glanced at the target before she threw the blade, turning back to Gabe once it struck dead centre. “I want to try a bow next. And then how about those swords of yours?”

  Gabe laughed. “If anyone ever shows you where to buy all this gear I’m going to hide all your bank cards from you. They wouldn’t have any stock left once you’d finished.”

  “I don’t need to know where to buy this stuff from. I just tell Remedy what weapons I need and he leaves them on the kitchen table for me.” She took the bow and arrow, the familiarity of it settling into her body. Maybe she had a chance against Castigate after all. Letting the arrow fly towards the target she grinned as it hit dead centre. There was definitely a chance she could win. Possibly only a slim one, but better than no chance at all.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Cassidy eased slowly away from Gabe and slipped out of bed.

  “It’s too early. Come back to sleep,” he muttered, his eyes half open.

  “You can go back to sleep, but it’s late afternoon. And I’m hungry.”

  Gabe groaned as he struggled to his feet. “What’s wrong with sleeping in?”

  Cassidy stared at him. “Sleeping in? Didn’t you hear me say late afternoon?”

  “Is the sun still up?” When Cassidy nodded, Gabe continued. “Then I repeat, what’s wrong with sleeping in?”

  She shook her head. “I’m getting something to eat.”

  “Try ice cream with your cereal. Has to beat eating it dry,” Gabe called after her.

  She nearly reached the kitchen when the phone rang. She froze. It continued to ring. She slowly walked back to the lounge room to stare at the phone. The caller ID read private.

  “Are you going to answer that?”

  Cassidy looked up to see Gabe standing in the doorway wearing his usual black jeans. “Maybe.” The phone continued to ring.

  Gabe strode into the room and reached for the phone.

  “Don’t touch it.” She hit his hand away.

  “So I guess that’s a maybe not.”

  The phone stopped ringing and Cassidy headed for the kitchen. She grabbed out cornflakes and a bowl.

  “You answered when I rang.”

  “That was really late. And you weren’t here.”

  “So if someone wants you to answer the phone they need to ring after midnight.” Gabe put the kettle on.

  “Is there a point to this conversation?” She glared at him over her bowl of dry cereal.

  “Do you have a mobile phone?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “How can you not know if you have a mobile phone?” He took a cup from the cupboard and held it up. “You want coffee?”

  Cassidy shook her head. “I threw it at my wall because it wouldn’t stop ringing. Now it’s under my bed. If you want to know if it still works have a look for yourself.” She strode from the room, ignoring Gabe when he called her name. She retreated to her room, locking the door before she slid down it to sit on the floor. She banged her head against the door several times then swore.

  She should apologise, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her mood had gone to crap the moment she’d woken and realised she knew the ritual off by heart. There was no excuse to postpone hunting Castigate. Other than she was scared to hell of facing him. She set her half eaten bowl of cereal aside and drew up her legs to drop her head onto her knees.

  “Cass?”

  “What?” She winced at the snap in her voice.

  “Can I come in?”

  “What for?”

  “So you can tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been in a bad mood since you got up this morning.”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” She rested her head against the door again.

  “Then I guess you must have gotten out of the wrong side of bed.”

  “You were on that side.”

  “I know.”

  She reluctantly smiled at the humour she could hear in his voice. “I’m still not letting you in.”

  “Okay. If you don’t want to talk to me, is there someone else you’d rather talk to?”

  Cassidy was on her feet with the door open and snapping out the word ‘no’ before she had time to think.

  “Whoa. Steady on.” Gabe reached for her, pulling her close. “You don’t have to speak to anyone at all if you don’t want. We’ll stand here all afternoon without a word.” He remained silent a moment. “Hmm, I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do than hold you all afternoon.”

  “What happened to the silent part?”

  He laughed softly. “I used to get into trouble for talking in class. I don’t think the silent part’s going to work real well. Maybe you can do the silent part and I’ll do the talking part.”

  “I know the ritual off by heart.”

  Gabe pulled back to stare down at her for a moment. “Okay, that was a conversation stopper for a minute there. So what are we going to do about it?”

  “It feels suicidal to even think about going after Castigate. I don’t want to die.”

  “Let’s run away then. I vote for somewhere with a beach. I like to swim. You can pick the next destination. A week tops at each place. That should keep him at bay.”

  Cassidy groaned, pressing her face to his chest. “We’ve got to face him. I’m just not sure I can do it tonight.”

  “Cass.” He waited for her to meet his gaze. “Whenever you’re ready. You don’t have to rush this. I’m not going anywhere”

  She reached up to press a finger to his lips, running it down to his chin like he often did to her. She smiled when he bent his head and nipped her finger. “Why are you here?”

  “I thought we’d already decided that. I’m crazy, remember?” He
moved forward to brush his lips across hers. “Absolutely crazy… about you.”

  “You’ve certainly got the crazy part right,” she said just before he kissed her again, this time more than a brush of lips. His hand went to the back of her neck, the other staying at her waist. Cassidy tried to remember why it was a bad idea, then she recalled as she felt the day ending and pulled away from him. She stared up at him, lips still parted. “The sun’s set.”

  “You felt it?”

  She nodded.

  Gabe grinned. “I guess that makes you officially a hunter then.”

  “Really?”

  “It’s not just about hunting them down, you’ve also got to know when they’re about and how close to dawn and dusk it is. Not to mention the feel of three a.m. when they’re most powerful.”

  She frowned. “That’s what Castigate was planning.”

  “Huh?”

  “He’d expected my father to start the ritual at three and be there at four to catch Remedy. It wasn’t about four people at all. It was about the time. Dad stuffed up his plans by being impatient. Whatever happened I bet Castigate wasn’t going to let anyone walk away from that building. Not Dad, not Remedy and not me. It was a set up right from the start.” She felt anger burn away the fear. Remedy had been right. She wasn’t blaming the one who deserved it.

  “So what are we going to do about it, demon girl?” Gabe touched her lightly on the face near her left eye.

  She smiled, guessing there must be flames in her eyes. “We’re going to make sure he regrets ever messing with my family. But first, I have some things to do.” When Gabe started to speak she shook her head. “Alone.” There were people she needed to see. She wouldn’t have gotten so angry at Gabe’s suggestion to talk to someone else if she hadn’t already been thinking it was past time she did.

  Gabe stared at her a moment before he nodded. “Make sure you take plenty of blades with you. And I’ve got holy water in my room if your vials need topping up.”

  Her smile became a grin. “Well that’s a change from, have you got your phone and purse?”

  “No point giving you your phone until I find out if it works.”