Demons in Disguise: The Divinicus Nex Chronicles: Book Three

by A and E Kirk

  The Mandatum had found us.

  And now they had Ayden

  .

  CHAPTER 54

  I stared upward, mouth open. A shiver rippled down my entire body, leaving me empty and cold. I strained desperately for a glimpse, but saw nothing. Ayden was gone to some horrific fate.

  At my feet lay his shirt, which he’d dropped in the struggle. I picked it up and pressed it to my cheek, letting the fabric dry my tears as I inhaled that amazing mix of sandalwood and the so-yummy scent of pure Ayden.

  Back toward my house, men were shouting. Something about light and flame. My own hands glowed. I crouched, ready to fight, but no one attacked. The forest surrounding me remained eerily quiet. Then I heard sounds of people coming through the woods. Flashlight beams bounced off trees and the forest floor.

  I took off in the other direction, trying for speed, but the light in my hands died, and darkness wasn’t my friend. I stumbled on things I couldn’t see. The umbra stone jumped out of my shirt, flinging about, banging painfully against my chest, so I grabbed it, planning to tuck it back in, but must have touched the latch because it suddenly glowed. I was going to close it, then realized it worked as a handy flashlight, which I used to light my way out of the forest.

  My hand was on the back gate to our yard, when someone said, “Did you find him?”

  The latch rattled as my hand jerked. “Jeez! Quit doing that!” I choked at the Man in Black I’d spoken to earlier. “Find who?”

  Did he know about Ayden? Was he going to grab me next?

  “Sorry. Again,” he said. “Your cat. Did you find him?”

  “Uh, no.” Something rubbed against my legs. And meowed. The man looked down, then back up at me with a question in his eyes. I didn’t have to look down. I knew that meow. “I mean yes.”

  “Good.” The Man in Black nodded, relaxed. I certainly didn’t get a threatening vibe. He smiled and leaned forward, reaching his hand toward Helsing. “He’s cute.” The cat arched his back and hissed. The man straightened and glanced over his shoulder. “Did you see anything when you were out in the woods?”

  “Nope. Just my cat.”

  “Where’d you get the shirt?” he asked.

  I gripped Ayden’s T-shirt tighter, fighting the urge to hide it behind my back. If he tried to take it from me, I’d rip his throat out. It might be the only thing I had left of Ayden. “Found that too. It’s my brother’s. Left it when we were…building a fort. In the woods.”

  He looked ready to ask more questions, but Helsing suddenly yowled and bounded between his legs, making the guy jump and stumble a moment before two more men in black appeared at the edge of the forest. They motioned their buddy over.

  “Stay safe,” he said, then jogged away. I watched them all head down the alley, completely uninterested in me.

  That was good. I just wished I didn’t feel so bad.

  CHAPTER 55

  “What’s wrong?” Mom asked at dinner. “You suggested the enchiladas, and now you’re not eating them.”

  I realized I’d been pushing food around on my plate, too overwhelmed worrying about Ayden. Gee, Mom, sorry. I’m a little busy imagining a Hex Boy horror show. Kind of lost my appetite. At least I have his shirt as a final memento. Yippee.

  But I only mumbled, “Just not that hungry.”

  “She’s luuuuve sick,” Lucian said. “Because Ayden’s out of town. No time for smoochy-woochy-coochy—”

  I slammed my hand on the table so hard plates and cutlery rattled, and the pepper mill fell over. “Shut up!”

  There was silence. My family stared at me.

  “Aurora,” Dad finally said. “Is there something you want to tell us?”

  Are you kidding me? There’s a ton I wanted to tell you, would love to tell you, so I didn’t have to go through this alone. So maybe you could help me figure out what to do! But that wasn’t happening. I felt my eyes water and choked back the tears.

  The phone rang. “I’ve got it!” I sprang from the table and into the kitchen. “Hello?”

  “He’s back,” Matthias hissed.

  I balled a fist against my forehead and closed my eyes, letting the tears fall. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. I tried to get him to go, but they found him and took him. It all happened so fast. Have they hurt him?”

  “What the bloody hell are you talking about? The Mandatum didn’t bring him back, they found him here at Novo. No shirt. Unconscious. Drugged. Next to a dead demon still wearing the wristband, its body burnt to a crisp. They think Ayden tracked it down, and even after it jabbed him with a needle, he managed to kill it before he blacked out.”

  I opened my eyes. Blinked a few times. “That isn’t what happened.”

  “I know. He told them he doesn’t remember anything because of the drugs, but he told us the last thing he remembered was talking to you.”

  “That’s true.” I wiped my cheeks dry and gave the Aussie a rundown of events.

  “It doesn’t make any sense,” Matthias muttered after I'd finished. “But never mind. Things are good, and I’ll keep him here even if I have to jab him with a needle myself. In the meantime— What, Logan? I don’t want them to know I’m in here.” I heard someone talking in the background, presumably Logan, but I couldn’t make out the words. Then Matthias thundered, “Blake did what?! I’m going to kill him. Aurora, just…stay alive. We’ll be back soon.” He sighed. “I hope.”

  Returning to the dining room, I righted the pepper mill, then stood behind Lucian and put my hands on his shoulders.

  “Everyone, especially you dear brother, I am very sorry for my rude behavior.” I kissed Lucian on top of the head, then flopped down in my seat and scooped three fresh enchiladas onto my plate.

  The members of my family eyed each other, then Mom ventured, “Was that Ayden on the phone?”

  I gave her a big grin. “Ayden is great, and I am suddenly starving. Delicious dinner, Mom. Thank you.” I shoved a huge bite into my mouth and chewed with savory satisfaction. “Mm-mm good.”

  Lucian snorted. “I was so right.”

  CHAPTER 56

  The early morning was gloomy with clouds and fog and cold enough I could see my breath. Glad I’d worn gloves and bundled up as I took Sadie for her stroll. There was one Mandatum van in the Grants’ driveway, so they were still in town, which according to Matthias would keep Cristiano at bay, at least for the time being. However, their presence would probably make what I wanted to do more difficult.

  I still had to try.

  First, I needed to summon a demon god.

  There was probably some elaborate summoning spell featuring a bubbling caldron and eye of newt, but I didn’t have either. Frankly, I wasn’t sure what newt was, so I came up with my own elaborate summoning spell.

  Walking the dog and whispering, “Eros. Eros, I need you.”

  My head swiveled, waiting for the God of Love to appear. Three times around the block and nothing. Even Sadie was giving me the “enough already” look. Guess Eros didn’t want to show up so close to demon hunters sworn to send him back to Hell. I finally gave up when Mom called me in for breakfast.

  When she dropped us off at school, several Mandatum vans were parked in the front circular drive. Good. The more around the better.

  I bounded up the steps with Luna and Lucian. Cristiano was waiting, a crowd of fawning girls circling him. Couldn’t blame them. He looked good, all big and muscly and handsome, dressed like he was indeed ready to hit the Armani designer runway. The precisely trimmed five o’clock shadow on his chiseled jaw gave him a rugged, mature look. Plus, he carried himself with an air of sophistication lacking in the rest of the boyish high school males.

  Because he was no boy. Seventeen? Yeah, right.

  When he saw me, he pushed himself through the estrogen throng with a polite, “Excuse me.”

  I met him halfway up. We fell in step together.

  He shot me a sideways glance and sly smile. “No running from me today?”

 
“Why would anyone run from you, Armani?”

  Yeah, I was feeling a little cocky. But, hey, the Boys were safe for now, the Mandatum’s appearance did not spell my doom—in fact, they kept demons and my assassin at bay—and as soon as my summoning spell worked, I’d be one step closer to stopping the traitor. And by stopping the traitor, I also stopped my fetching, fashion-forward assassin here. I just had to hold on a little longer.

  I motioned to the crowd of girls he’d just abandoned. “He is quite the hunka-hunka, am I right ladies?” There were murmurs of assent and more than a few squeals. “Come and join us. Some of you must have our same classes. I could use all the help I can get with this big lug.”

  His smooth brow creased. “Big lug?”

  “Trust me. It’s a term of endearment.”

  “Suddenly you find me endearing?”

  “Who wouldn’t?” I grinned and jostled him with my shoulder.

  Actually, I’m the only one who jostled. Kind of bounced off his incredibly balanced, musclebound body when I bumped him and he didn’t move. Then off we went with our entourage.

  He looked behind us. The girls tittered laughs and waved. He turned to me. The sly grin was back. “I see. Safety in numbers.”

  I stretched a sly grin of my own. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Reaching first period, I scurried forward and opened the door with a dramatic flourish. “After you.”

  He paused. “This will not last.”

  I spread my hands. “We shall see.”

  The crowd lasted. We lost some girls but gained others, then got old ones back again. We even picked up a few guys. Larry the Linebacker tried to recruit Cristiano for football, mentioning his large size would be an asset. Cristiano declined, but said he might be interested in the sport we called soccer. Or rugby. Larry left quickly after that.

  Cristiano consistently managed to sit next to or behind me, easily charming anyone out of their seat. Whenever I had trouble keeping up in class, he somehow knew and would help me get back on track. And I was supposed to be helping him?

  What a crock.

  But we kept up the farce through third period and headed to my one possible A-grade class, P.E.

  In the girls’ locker room, Katie said, “At least you’re sharing the wealth this time. Mighty kind of you.” She playfully slapped the top of my head. “I love everything Italian.”

  I smiled. “I’m a giver that way.”

  “He does have a certain…intensity about him,” Mika sighed. “So sexy. Almost scary. I like it.” Mika had a thing for Matthias too. She apparently liked darkness in her men.

  Natasha strode in from the gym, her big Indian-from-India eyes tracking me down behind those thick, black-rimmed glasses. “Hey, Lahey. Substitute wants to see you pronto.”

  I perked up. “Substitute? He’s here?”

  Call me simple, and many do, but certain my summoning spell had worked, I dashed toward the door to see Eros.

  “Not he,” Natasha said. “She. Haven’t seen her before.”

  Crap. “What does she want with me?”

  “Go ask her.”

  So I did. And knew the answer as soon as I saw her.

  CHAPTER 57

  The gym shorts showed off shapely legs. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a swinging ponytail. She saw me and smiled. It was full of sunshine.

  “Psyche?” I sputtered.

  She cocked out a curvy hip and shook a finger. “That’s Mrs. Rose to you, Miss Lahey. I am your teacher, after all.” Then she opened her arms for a hug.

  I gripped her hard. Sure she was gorgeous. The God of Love wouldn’t lose his heart to just anyone, but the truth was, on the inside, she was tough as nails and even more beautiful. A centuries old Mandatum hunter, recently rescued from eons in Hell, thanks to yours truly. We’d been through a lot together. Eros didn’t deserve her. But that’s love.

  “Where is he?” I said, pulling back.

  She hushed her voice into conspiratorial tones. “Waiting for you in the woods past the field.” She giggled. “This is all very exciting.”

  “Ha! I knew it would work.” I sprinted out of the gym and made it to the forest. “Eros?”

  A puff of pink smoke later, he appeared. In a tux. He gave me a cool look. “Bond. James Bond.”

  “Yeah, whatever. So my summoning spell worked. That is awesome.”

  His look went from cool to baffled. “Summoning spell?”

  I explained.

  After a pause, he doubled over in laughter. “You thought—oh Heavenly Hera.” He wiped tears from his eyes. “You thought that worked? You are adorable.”

  I scowled. “Then why are you here?”

  He took a moment to collect himself and became serious. “Because Heather is being moved out of Novo today. The traitor’s operation is compromised. The society knows the demon infiltration is an inside job, and Heather knows too much. She must be removed before Mandatum interrogators get to her.” He fished a few things out of his inside coat pocket. “And once she’s gone, I won’t have any way to track her.”

  “We can’t let that happen.” I paced across the spongy forest floor. “She’s starting to remember more. I need her. Wait. The Hex Boys are at Novo. We can have them stop this and talk to her.”

  “While the Hex Boys would normally be an excellent resource, we cannot contact them before she is released. They are in isolation at Novo. Their position precarious. Now, please put your arms up and hold still. I have an idea.”

  I lifted my arms out to the side. He put something around my waist. I looked down. “What’s the tape measure for?”

  “Measurements.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Wow, never would’ve figured that one out. What are you measuring for? Are you my fairy god-demon now? Am I going to the ball?”

  “Something like that,” he said distractedly as he moved the tape around my hips.

  “Really?” I felt a girly glint of excitement, then sobered. “Why is the Hex Boys’ position precarious? They should be considered heroes.”

  He used a pen to jot numbers onto a small notepad. “Perhaps, but their behavior has not induced unfettered trust. Tristan’s show of eminent force against the demons, plus Ayden’s questionable disappearance coupled with…” Eros paused his writing and made a face. “Blake tried to break out Heather last night. Which makes perfect sense, but puts them all in danger.”

  “How does that make sense?”

  “Saving the damsel, of course. Do you really know so little about your Hex Boys?” He shook his head in curious disbelief. “It is imperative for them to remain utterly cooperative at the moment. Causing trouble only brings undue attention, which would lead to further scrutiny of their lives and, well…” He gave me a pointed look. “…you. Now, as the Divinicus, you would be squandered away, but safe. Unless the traitor got to you.”

  “Until the traitor got to me.”

  “Fair point. But the Boys, no matter what good the intentions behind their rebellious actions against the Mandatum, would be punished. Severely.” He glanced at my feet and made a note. “As it is, they are a hair’s breath away from getting fitted for their own trackers.”

  Great.

  He put aside the pad and pen, and moved the tape measure to my chest.

  I swatted him away. “Hands off.”

  He ignored my scowl, gave my chest a calculating appraisal, nodded, then measured my head. No doubt I was getting a tiara to go with the ballgown.

  He knelt down on one knee to measure from the ground to my hip. “Blake’s botched break out is another reason the traitor wants Heather gone. Moved for further questioning or,” he added casually, “for elimination.”

  “Elimination?” I leaned my hand on a nearby tree for support. “As in killed?”

  “It is a viable option. And one, if I were in charge, would recommend. Heather’s memory recall has proven disappointing at best. Hardly worth the continued risk for the traitor.” He shrugged. “But I know you still
want to retrieve answers from her.”

  “And keep her from getting killed.”

  “I suppose.”

  He shifted onto the other knee in order to measure my inseam. His fingers brought the tape past my ankle, calf, knee, and all the way up the inside of my thigh to—

  “Yee-oooow!” I danced away. “What the heck are you doing down there?”

  He stood abruptly, brushing dirt off his pants. “Trying to prepare you to execute the excellent plan I have devised.”

  “And for this I need new clothes?”

  “New clothes? Oh, no, no, no.” Eros put one hand on his hip while the other hand made a big Z in the air as he snapped his fingers three times. “Sistah, you need an entire makeover.”

  This “sistah” sighed and said, “Oh, brother.”

  CHAPTER 58

  Eros sent me back to the gym, both of us worried Cristiano would come looking for me if I was gone too long.

  “Make haste and have no concern. My plan is foolproof.” He handed me the notepaper with my measurements. “Give this to Psyche. She will take care of everything.”

  “Maybe she’d like to go to Novo for me too?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I would never put her in such danger.”

  Oh, wow, that instilled confidence.

  Inside the gym, Psyche had the students partnering up for dancing. Cristiano looked up. He’d been trying to extricate himself from several girls’ arms. He saw me and headed my way.

  One of the enamored ladies complained, “But Mrs. Rose said you had to be with us.”

  Psyche, who’d been speaking quietly off to the side with Katie, Natasha, and Mika, turned a stern look on Cristiano. “That’s correct, Mr. Cacciatori, please stay where you are.”

  Armani stopped and did his best not to scowl, but he kept staring.

  Psyche followed his line of sight. “Oh, Aurora, thank you for running that errand. Do you have the note from the office? The girls were just telling me about your situation, and I’m so sorry.” She waved me over.