by Ari McKay
“Brighter?” Julian turned his head quickly, wondering what Thomas meant. “How so?”
Thomas’s brow furrowed as he seemed to consider how to answer. “All of you feel pretty bright. You’re the least bright,” he said, giving Julian a wry smile. “Eli and Whimsy are about the same. Arden is brighter than they are, but Harlan is the brightest. It’s as if I can feel how light you are. Am I making any sense?” He frowned and shook his head. “It makes sense up here,” he said, tapping his temple. “I’m not sure how to explain it, though.”
Julian nodded. “It makes sense, given what you are. I need to teach you to read auras soon. I suspect it’ll be a full-time thing for you the way it is for Arden, once you know what to look for, because I think you’re already sensing them. The feather cast the demon out of Harlan, and from what Arden and Eli have told me of using it, it sort of cleanses the person who wields it as well. Arden said it was like having every burden taken away. I’ve never used it, so no doubt I’m a bit dirtier in the soul department than the others.”
“Do auras show how good or evil a person is?” Thomas asked. “Because I think I’m picking up that as well. I’ve always been able to sense certain things about people, but I thought it was intuition or a hunch.”
“They do indeed. Plus they show you what a person is, in a broad sense at least. Elves look different from mages, who look different from werewolves or vampires. Remember when I told you I knew you were a demon hunter? I could see it in your aura.”
Thomas gazed out the window in silence, looking thoughtful. “I wonder if that’s why Grandpa tried to keep me away from other people. He didn’t want me to realize I was different. Grandma insisted on letting me leave the farm once in a while, if only to go to the library, but she died when I was seventeen, and that was it.”
“It’s entirely possible,” Julian said. He frowned. “I have no idea what he might have told you as a child to inhibit you, but his actions suggest he was almost desperate to keep you from realizing your abilities. Which is why, I suspect, he didn’t want you coming out of the house when Arden, Eli, and I showed up here out of the blue. Of course that’s when you called out, and we figured out for the first time that Micah wasn’t alone. What we didn’t know was who or what you were—and by the time we got around to trying to figure it out, we’d been blocked from getting to the farm. And I still don’t know how much Micah might have suspected about what was going on with the demons and their ultimate goal.”
“I wish I’d gone outside,” Thomas said softly, turning his gaze down to his hands in his lap. “But Grandpa would have been so angry if I had.”
“No doubt.” Julian gave a low growl of annoyance. “He was probably afraid you’d realize none of us was human, which would lead you to ask questions he didn’t want to answer. I think that’s also part of why when he finally agreed to meet with me—he wanted to do it somewhere you wouldn’t accidentally stumble upon us. Which is how the possessed werewolves were able to find him and kill him before he could pass on whatever information he was going to give me.”
“The police said it was a wild animal attack,” Thomas said. “He told me not to go looking for him, no matter what.” He laced his fingers together and tightened his hold until his knuckles turned white. “Sometimes I thought about defying him, but I suppose he ingrained obedience in me too well, and he had such a temper. I don’t think he would have hit me, but it was easier to obey than to risk finding out.”
Julian realized he was growling louder, and he cut the sound off, covering it by clearing his throat. The thought of Micah hitting Thomas made him furious. But he reminded himself of the Micah Carter who had once been a fervent fighter of evil, and of the way Micah had seemed so desperate to keep any threat away from his grandson.
“I don’t think he would have hurt you,” Julian replied slowly. “I’m sorry for what he put you through. I think it was wrong, that he should never have cut you off from your birthright. But I think he was motivated by love and fear. He wanted to protect you, to keep anything from taking you from him the way your parents were taken. However wrong his methods, I think he was doing it because he loved you and couldn’t bear to lose you too.”
Thomas was silent for quite some time, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and tight. “I don’t care. He tried to turn me into something I’m not, and I spent my whole life alternating between being scared of him and wanting to please him. He was angry and miserable, and he made me and Grandma miserable too. I loved him, but right now, knowing what he took from me, I hate him too.”
“I can’t say I blame you, if I’m being honest,” Julian admitted. “I think his grief was a kind of sickness that consumed him. Which was a loss to all of us, but especially you. Not only did he take away what should have been yours by right, he denied you the love you deserved.”
“He did,” Thomas said softly, and then he glanced at Julian. “But I’m free now, and I can be the demon hunter I was meant to be, and I’ll find a different kind of love.”
Julian nodded, but he couldn’t help glancing at Thomas quickly, wondering what kind of love Thomas was going to go searching for. With an effort, he returned his attention to the road; they were getting close to the Carter farm, and he needed to watch for anything suspicious. There could be other nasty surprises waiting for them in addition to the glyph.
“I suppose it’s too much to hope for that Micah ever mentioned a cauldron to you?”
Thomas shook his head. “No, he never mentioned one. What is it, exactly?”
“The Cauldron of Rebirth,” Julian said grimly. “According to the legend, it brings people back from the dead, making it a way to have an undefeatable army of possessed minions to carry out the will of the Unholy. Once we deal with the glyph, I want to find whatever Micah has in the attic. There could be something that will help us.”
“Okay,” Thomas said, nodding. “Maybe I’ll pack some clothes too.” He peeked at Julian from beneath his lashes. “Although I like wearing yours.”
Julian didn’t know what to think of Thomas’s admission, but he was saved from the need to reply because they’d reached their destination. He turned off onto the gravel road, bouncing along it at a much faster rate than he’d done the last time. He drove all the way up to the farmhouse, not surprised to see Harlan’s truck as well as Arden’s SUV parked there, with Eli and Arden leaning against the bumper, watching them approach.
As he stopped the vehicle, Arden hurried over, with Eli right behind him. “It looks like the nightmare is starting all over again,” he said, his normally pleasant expression grim. “They’re getting bolder too, starting so close after midsummer.”
Julian nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.” He motioned for Thomas to get out of the car, then unfastened his own seat belt and opened the door.
As soon as Thomas opened the door, he recoiled. “Ugh! What is that?”
Julian quickly stood, then rounded the SUV so he could stand in front of Thomas. “What do you feel?”
“It’s….” Thomas frowned and pinwheeled his hands. “Foul. Putrid. It makes me feel like I’m brushing against rotted flesh.”
“You’re feeling the glyph,” Julian replied. He smiled in grim satisfaction. “Not surprising, given what you are. Don’t fight it, Thomas. Your natural instincts must be kicking in. Let us know anything you feel we need to do.”
“Not here. If this is the glyph, it’s nowhere near the house,” Thomas said, moving past Julian. He turned this way and that, and finally he pointed northeast. “It’s that way.”
“He’s right,” Arden said, his green eyes lighting up with interest. “Whimsy and Harlan are there keeping watch from a safe distance.”
“Good.” Julian knew that meant they were far enough away that Whimsy could withstand the taint of dark magic. He looked at Eli. “You have the holy water and salt in the SUV? I brought what I had left. We can combine it, then drive out to the glyph.”
“Sounds like a plan,�
� Eli said. “Are we taking your SUV or mine?”
“Yours, since you probably have more supplies than I do.” Julian beckoned them toward the back of his SUV, opening the rear hatch door to reveal a half dozen fifty-pound bags of salt and two five-gallon jugs of holy water. “Let’s get this moved and deal with that glyph.”
Within five minutes they’d moved everything, and Thomas and Julian took the rear seats in Arden’s SUV. Arden headed the vehicle toward the northeast, though he didn’t go straight across the cornfields, opting to keep to the cleared tracks near the fence.
Julian looked at Thomas, then leaned close, keeping his voice low. “Are you all right? Do you feel sick or anything?”
“No, I don’t feel sick, just disgusted,” Thomas said with a little shudder. “The closer we get, the more strongly I can feel it. It’s stationary, though, so it must be the glyph. I don’t feel anything else in the area.”
“Good.” Julian felt a surge of hope. He’d often wondered over the past two years if they were actually going to be able to win against the demons. How could a vampire, a half-elf, a mage, and a ragtag collection of werewolves fight off an incursion of the Unholy without a demon hunter? But now they had Thomas, and even if he was untrained, he had been born for this fight. For the first time, Julian thought they might actually have a chance.
The cornfields gave way to pasture, and Arden took off cross-country now, heading up a hill. Within short order Julian spotted Harlan and Whimsy standing together, watching them approach.
Julian kept an eye on Thomas just to be sure the experience of being in close proximity to a glyph for the first time wasn’t more than Thomas could handle. But Thomas peered out the window, his expression turning more grimly determined the closer they got. The dark magic didn’t appear to affect him the way it affected others, especially practitioners of the light, like Whimsy, who was looking a little queasy.
Everyone got out of the SUV. Whimsy was leaning against a tree, one of a small cluster in the middle of the pasture, with Harlan standing next to him. A dryad peeped out of the branches several feet up, though she retreated quickly into the leaves when she caught sight of Julian. Dryads were connected to life, and vampires unsettled them almost as much as demons did.
“Holding up okay, Whims?” Julian asked. “Harlan could take you back to the farmhouse if you want.”
“I’ll be okay,” Whimsy said, waving away the offer. “It’s nowhere near as bad as the werewolf settlement in Georgia, and I’d rather be nearby in case we have uninvited guests.”
“Is the glyph making you feel bad?” Thomas asked, watching Whimsy with concern.
“It’s dark magic, so yeah.” Whimsy smiled wryly and shrugged. “Dark and light don’t mix, you know? But I’ve felt worse. This is tolerable.”
Julian nodded. “All right.” He turned to look toward the glyph, which was about thirty yards away, then beckoned to Thomas. “Let’s get closer. Would you be willing to describe what you’re feeling and any impressions you get?”
“Now or once we’re at the glyph?” Thomas asked.
“How about a running narrative?” Julian asked. He took out his cell phone. “I’m going to record this. Just walk slowly and tell me whatever comes into your mind.”
Thomas shot Julian a questioning look, but he nodded. “Right now, the feeling I had back at the house is stronger. I guess it’s the dark magic I feel? It’s pushing against me now, like it doesn’t want me to get closer.”
“But it’s not making you sick?” Whimsy asked.
“No, but I can see why it makes you feel that way,” Thomas said. “It feels like something dead and rotting.”
Whimsy shuddered and moved closer to Harlan, sliding his arms around Harlan’s waist. “Y’all have fun. I’ll wait here.”
Julian nodded and motioned everyone to keep back, and he followed Thomas. “The last time we encountered a glyph, there was a magical trap. Let me know if any area of the glyph feels different to you than the other parts. Usually the way the magic works is like a field, sort of even all over, according to what your parents once told me.”
Thomas approached the glyph slowly, his brow furrowed as he concentrated. “The closer I get, the more I feel a—a kind of red pulse. It’s like a heartbeat, and with every beat, it radiates hatred. There was a malicious purpose behind this magic.”
“It was used to summon a demon, which is about as malicious as you can get,” Julian observed.
“No, there’s more to it than that.” Thomas stopped walking and closed his eyes. “The demon that came through has a reason for being here. A mission.” His eyes flew open wide, and he stared at Julian. “The cauldron! That’s why it’s here!”
Julian stopped and watched Thomas intently. “How do you know that?”
“I got a flash of something,” Thomas said. “I’m not sure what. Maybe the demon’s thoughts? Or maybe its orders are infused in the magic? I don’t know, but I saw a cauldron along with a strong sense of purpose.”
“Good.” Julian was elated that Thomas seemed able to divine something about the demon’s purpose. “What else? Do you see anyone? Any place?”
“No, just the cauldron itself.” Thomas offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.” Julian gave Thomas a smile of encouragement. “Anything else?”
Thomas started walking again, but he stopped about five feet away from the glyph. “It’s not even,” he said. “There’s something…. Mm. Thicker? Denser? It’s all around the outer edge.”
Julian lowered the phone, then moved closer to the glyph. He bent down, careful not to break the plane of the design, and looked closely at the outer edge. “This isn’t magical. There’s a very fine wire suspended just above the ground.” He straightened up and looked at the center of the glyph. “Does it look to you like the grass at the middle has been dug up?”
“Definitely.” Thomas traced a circle with his forefinger, outlining the middle of the glyph. “You can see where the tall grass is bent, and there shouldn’t be visible dirt, but there is.”
Julian nodded. “I’d be willing to bet it’s explosives. Crude but effective.” He turned back toward the others. “Hey, Eli! Ever played football?”
“I’m from Georgia,” Eli called back, and he ambled closer. “What the hell do you think?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure if werewolves threw a pigskin or ate it,” Julian replied. “There’s a mechanical trap here. Probably explosives. I thought maybe we should all stand back while someone with a good arm throws rocks at it to set it off.”
“And what about the someone with the good arm?” Eli folded his arms and raised one eyebrow at Julian. “Is he still gonna have an arm left?”
“That’s why I wanted someone with a good arm, so he could stand as far back as possible,” Julian replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “I’d ask Whims to levitate some over, but since black magic cancels out white, I doubt it would work. Thus we are reduced to using crude brawn to solve crude problems.”
“This crude brawn is about to save your ass,” Eli said, transforming just enough that he could flash wolfish teeth at Julian. “So get me some rocks and clear out.”
“My ass would be fine—I can become mist, remember?” Julian asked, then motioned Thomas to come away from the glyph. It took a few minutes to collect several large rocks; then everyone but Eli moved all the way back to the trees. Arden was almost vibrating with tension, watching his mate anxiously as Eli tested the heft of the first rock, but he didn’t go any closer.
Eli drew back as if he was going to throw a pass, but when he threw the rock, it fell just short of the outer ring where the trap trigger lay. Baring his teeth, he growled, picked up another rock, and moved closer.
Arden was wringing his hands, and Julian reached out to rest a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine.”
“Sure,” Arden replied, but he sounded distracted. “Be careful, Eli!”
“Do
n’t you worry, Itty Bitty,” Eli said, glancing over his shoulder to wink at Arden. Then he drew his arm back again and threw the second rock.
This time Eli’s aim was true. The rock landed right on the outer edge of the glyph, and almost instantly, the center of the design exploded.
Dirt and rocks flew at least sixty feet into the air, and Julian instinctively reached out, grabbing Arden and Thomas, pushing them to the ground and covering them with his body. Harlan did the same with Whimsy as debris rained down around them.
“Eli!” Arden squirmed under Julian, trying to get away.
“Wait,” Julian said, keeping Arden pinned with some effort. Fortunately vampires were strong, and Julian hissed as a large rock impacted on his back. After several seconds, everything was still, and Julian released Arden, the half-elf crawling out from under him and running to Eli.
Eli had hit the ground when the explosives went off, and he sat up and shook off the debris. “I’m okay,” he said when Arden flung himself into his lap. “Nothing a few kisses from my mate won’t cure.”
Presumably Eli received the kisses, since Arden didn’t reply, but Julian had turned his attention to Thomas, who had landed on his back with Julian half over him. Julian looked into Thomas’s eyes, feeling the warm, hard length of Thomas’s body beneath him, suddenly acutely aware of every point they were in contact.
“Are you okay?” he asked, forcing himself to stay still when every instinct he had made him want to rock his hips, or lower his head and claim Thomas’s lips, which were only inches from his own.
Thomas’s eyes darkened as he gazed up at Julian, and he darted his tongue out to wet his lips. “I’m fine,” he said huskily.
“Good.” Julian knew he should move off Thomas, but by the Most High, he didn’t want to. Desire and need held him motionless for several moments, while the sight of Thomas licking his lips sent arousal zinging through his entire body.
He was in so much trouble.