by Ari McKay
“Okay, we’ve got something that way,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at Julian before setting off, using the daggers as his guide in what could be a deadly game of Hot and Cold.
“All right.” Julian stayed beside him, peering ahead into the darkness. “I don’t see anything. Well, anything living or supernatural,” he amended. “It’s really glowing?”
“It really is,” Thomas said. “It got brighter when I turned this way, and it’s getting brighter the closer we get to that hill.” He pointed to a gently rolling hill ahead. “I think it’s like an early warning signal.”
“Cool.” Now Julian was tense, and he drew a pair of the wickedly sharp daggers from their sheaths. “Don’t go rushing forward the minute you spot something. Take time, assess the situation, especially if it doesn’t spot you first. You have to learn to gauge the relative danger before engaging in a fight.”
“I wasn’t going to rush in,” Thomas replied, giving Julian an aggrieved look.
A cluster of tall headstones on the hill seemed like a perfect place for a demon to hide, and Thomas moved toward it at a careful pace, watching for any sign of movement. A shadow flickered where it shouldn’t have, and Thomas froze.
“I saw something,” he whispered.
Julian followed the direction of his gaze. “Okay. We head that way, slow and easy.”
As they moved closer, Thomas could hear wet gobbling sounds followed by crunching, and then something flew over the top of one of the monuments and landed a few feet away from them. Thomas recoiled in alarm until he got a closer look and realized it was a human hand.
“Ew,” he murmured, wrinkling his nose. “I guess we know where the demon is now.”
“Yeah.” Julian shrugged, seeming unaffected by the sight of a random body part suddenly flying through the air. “Let’s circle around to the left and get it in sight. I want to see what kind we’re dealing with.”
Thomas nodded and began moving in a wide circle toward the left, keeping his daggers at the ready. As they made their way around, Thomas finally caught a glimpse of the creature. Small and dark, it had skin that gleamed with slime in the moonlight. It had huge triangular ears atop its head and eyes that bulged out above a large mouth filled with sharp-looking teeth, like those of a shark. It was perched atop the disturbed earth of a fresh grave, apparently having hauled the body out of its casket. It was impossible to tell who its victim had been, since most of the flesh had been ripped away down to glistening white bone. And just as Julian had described, a horrid reddish-black aura surrounded it, seeming to pulse with evil.
Horror and disgust warred within Thomas as he stared at the creature. He’d been thinking about his first encounter with a real demon for weeks, but the reality was far more horrific than he’d imagined. A small part of him—the wholly human part—wanted to turn and bolt for safety, but he ignored his fear. He was a demon hunter. Protecting people from evil monstrosities like this had been the task of his family on both sides for countless generations, and he wasn’t going to disappoint his ancestors or bring shame to his lineage.
“Can you see it?” he whispered, focusing all his mental energy on the demon. “It’s crouching on that fresh grave ahead of us.”
Julian put a hand on his shoulder and leaned closer, staring toward the grave. “Yes, I see it. A drude.”
Thomas had been drilled thoroughly in the types of demons they were likely to encounter, and he recalled that a drude had a nasty bite and tough skin, but it could be killed without much difficulty by stabbing through its huge protruding eyes.
“I think you can take this, but I’ll be right there with you,” Julian continued, giving Thomas’s shoulder a brief squeeze. “Sneak up while it’s focused on eating, and maybe we can take it by surprise.”
Drawing in a deep breath, Thomas braced himself. He could feel the evil emanating from the creature, its vile aura almost palpable, and he reminded himself anew that it was his destiny to rid the world of these monsters.
He moved closer, using the nearby headstones for cover as much as possible to avoid being spotted, but the drude was so intent on gorging itself, it didn’t look up as Thomas approached. He came up behind it, trying to walk as quietly as possible. Only when his shadow fell over it did the demon notice his presence. It whirled, stringy bits of flesh dangling from its teeth, but Thomas lunged and plunged a dagger into one of its bulbous eyes, then withdrew in a lightning-fast stroke. Apparently he hadn’t gone in deep enough to kill it, because instead of dissolving, it let out a piercing shriek, then lunged at him. Before he could step out of the way it grazed him with one of its horns, which sliced through the sleeve of Thomas’s jacket but fortunately missed his arm.
More wary now, Thomas waited as the creature turned again to face him. It was gabbling at him in fury, but Thomas could see that it reacted more the way an animal would than a human. It clacked its teeth at him in a way that was probably meant to be intimidating, then ran toward him again. Thomas backed away and swung his arm forward, meaning to go for the other eye. But he’d forgotten about the open grave. He lost his balance, and while he whirled his arms, trying to keep himself from falling onto the remnants of the body below, the drude slammed into him.
It was only by luck Thomas managed not to fall into the grave, but he slammed into the ground with the drude on top of him, gnashing its teeth as it tried to take a bite out of his face. He was able to hold it off with one arm, as he brought his other arm around and managed to stab his dagger into its other eye.
The howl the creature let out was unearthly, but it tumbled back, covering its face with its clawed hands. Thomas felt no pity; this was a minion of the Unholy, and he felt not only the desire, but the need to destroy it. Following his instincts, he circled around and came at it from behind, raising both daggers high, then plunging them straight through its body.
The demon convulsed once, twice, then suddenly dissolved into a noxious, stinging mist that dissipated on the night breeze.
Julian came to stand beside him, clapping him on the shoulder. “Good work,” he said, his tone full of approval. Then he chuckled. “Now we have to clean up.”
Thomas surveyed the mess the demon had left behind with dismay. He didn’t particularly want to rebury a half-eaten body, but it was the least they could do. This poor person had been shown enough disrespect. “Do you have a shovel in the trunk?”
“Actually, a couple of them,” Julian replied. “Most cemeteries have a few guardian spirits who clean up after drudes and other carrion creatures so humans don’t get spooked by finding open graves and desecrated corpses. But it’s considered polite for hunters to clean up after themselves. The demons rarely leave more than bones, and this… well, it’s a mess. So we’ll do it and leave the guardians something for troubling their territory.”
Thomas nodded, pleased with that plan since it meant showing respect to the victim and the caretakers of the cemetery, both human and supernatural. “Okay, let’s get them.” He glanced down at his daggers, which were no longer glowing. “If there’s another demon in the cemetery tonight, it’s nowhere nearby.”
“Good.” Julian sheathed his daggers, then turned and headed back toward where they’d parked the car. “You did well tonight, Thomas.”
Thomas couldn’t help but beam at the praise as he followed Julian back to the car. “Thanks, I’m glad you think so.”
Julian nodded. “I do. You didn’t freak out at your first sight of a demon, and you followed through on the attack, and even when you almost fell you didn’t drop your defense. Just remember, a drude is one of the lowest of the low. Sort of like the cockroaches of the demonic world. Whatever we go up against next is likely to be a lot more difficult.”
Thomas nodded somberly. “I think starting with a cockroach was a good idea. I did have a moment where I wanted to run when I saw it. We’ve been talking about demons for weeks, but there was one right in front of me for the first time. The reality was different than I expected.�
��
“I’m not surprised.” Julian shrugged. “Reality usually is. Believe me, I didn’t fully comprehend everything about being a vampire until I’d become one. Drinking another person’s blood for the first time almost made me gag.”
“I guess the supernatural world comes with a necessary adjustment period,” Thomas replied. “You think you know something, but then you realize you didn’t even scratch the surface of what it’s really like.”
“Pretty much,” Julian said. He opened the cemetery gate, then gestured politely for Thomas to go first. “Especially for those of us who are made into supernaturals. I guess elves and dryads and such don’t find it so strange, since they are born that way. For vampires and lycanthropes and a few others, though, it’s a shock to the system. I imagine if you’d been raised as a demon hunter from childhood, it would be as natural to you as to one of the Fae. As it is, though… well, you’re more like me.”
“You’re right,” Thomas agreed as he stepped through the gate and headed to their parking space. “There’s so much I don’t know, so much I need to catch up on.” He paused, feeling a little guilty for thinking uncharitable thoughts about his grandfather. “I just wish they’d told me the truth. They should have known I wouldn’t stay on the farm forever.” He glanced sidelong at Julian before admitting, “I hatched all kinds of schemes to get away, especially after my grandmother died. I felt stifled, but even if I wouldn’t have felt guilty for leaving my grandfather on his own, I didn’t really have any resources, and I didn’t know what I would do if I did leave. So I stayed. I guess that makes me sound pathetic.”
Julian glanced at Thomas and shook his head. “No, it doesn’t,” he replied quietly. “Maybe they thought if they didn’t tell you, you’d be happy being a farmer for the rest of your life. Perhaps you could have been, had you been a different person. Remember, I was raised on a farm too, and no one ever expected me to look beyond that life. But in my heart, I wanted—needed—more. Just as you did. But you aren’t pathetic for staying as long as you did. All things come in their own time, Thomas. Don’t beat yourself up for things you can’t change.”
Thomas smiled, grateful for the words of support. There were things he wished he’d done differently, but at least he didn’t need to feel like he’d wasted time or been weak in staying instead of striking out on his own.
“If all things come in their own time, then I suppose that helps prove my point,” he said. “You were meant to be mine.”
They reached the car, and Julian unlocked the trunk. He took out a couple of pairs of gloves and two shovels, handing one of each to Thomas before answering. There was an almost pensive expression on his face, and it wasn’t the first time Thomas had noticed it in the week since they’d become lovers.
Julian had been both passionate and patient in bed as he’d introduced Thomas to pleasures he’d never imagined. In fact, Julian had seemed to delight in Thomas’s wonder at each new discovery, and he’d even teased Thomas about being insatiable. But there were moments when they weren’t involved in training or making love when he sometimes could almost feel Julian’s hesitation, as though something troubled him. Yet whenever Thomas asked, Julian would either shrug, or smile and change the subject.
“I’m not certain I believe in fate.”
“You believe in the Most High and the Unholy, but you don’t believe there’s any element of fate in our lives?” Thomas asked as he tucked the shovel under his arm and pulled on the gloves.
Julian shrugged and was silent for a moment as he put on his own gloves. “It’s a matter of free will. The reason we are different from demons is that we possess free will. For good or ill, the decisions we make are supposed to be our own. If there is such a thing as fate, where is our free will?” He snorted. “I don’t expect you to answer that, by the way. I’ve spent centuries contemplating the question, and I still don’t have an answer I’m happy with.”
“I’ve thought about it too,” Thomas said. “Especially after I learned who I really am. I think there’s an element of both at work. I’ve always felt like something was missing, and now I know why. I was born with a destiny: to fight demons. Grandpa was too, but he chose to quit. Maybe you and I were meant to be together, but if one of us had chosen to resist our fate, we wouldn’t have spent the last week driving each other crazy with pleasure.”
Julian smiled back, but even in the darkness, Thomas could tell it didn’t reach his eyes. “Shall we finish with this?”
Thomas was a little disappointed by the response, but pushing wouldn’t get him anywhere. When Julian was ready to talk, he would, and no amount of asking would make it happen any sooner. Thomas could only hope Julian wasn’t having second thoughts about their relationship, because his heart was already growing attached.
“Sure,” he said, propping the shovel on his shoulder as he headed back to the gate. “Let’s do this.”
It didn’t take them long to lay the remnants of the deceased back in the coffin. Then they filled the grave back in. Julian took care to level the ground as much as possible, and as they finished, he laid a hand on the headstone, the gesture speaking of wordless apology.
“Now for the guardian,” Julian said, turning to face Thomas. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small bottle, which he extended to Thomas. “I’ve hunted in this graveyard before, and I happen to know that there’s one particular guardian who likes whiskey. He can’t drink it, but he appreciates the offering.”
Thomas took the bottle, fixing Julian with a curious look. “What do I do? Leave the whole bottle or pour some out?”
“Open it up, take a swig, and pour the rest over the grave,” Julian directed. “The spirit will have the grass restored by morning, and no one will ever know the grave was disturbed.”
“Do you know the guardian’s name?” Thomas opened the bottle and took a drink, and he grimaced at the acrid taste of the whiskey. Arden and Whimsy had given him wine, but he’d never had hard liquor before. It burned down his throat and pooled in his belly, spreading warm tendrils throughout his body.
“Henry Fossor.” Julian nodded approvingly, as though pleased Thomas had asked. “He was the first groundskeeper here, and so proud of the place he didn’t move on when he died.”
“This is for you, Henry Fossor,” Thomas said as he held the bottle over the grave and let the whiskey spill onto the fresh earth. “Thank you for all you did to take care of this place in life, and thank you for continuing to take care of it in death.”
Julian watched as the liquor was absorbed into the dirt. Then he smiled slightly. “You have good instincts. The spirits appreciate respect.”
“I figured politeness and a show of appreciation are well received even in the spirit world,” Thomas said. He screwed the lid back on the empty bottle and then picked up his shovel. “Is that everything we need to take care of here?”
“That’s it.” Julian took a cautious look around. “Keep an eye out just in case. It would be unusual for there to be more than one demon, but I don’t like to take chances.”
“If you’ll take this, I can keep one of my daggers out.” Thomas tossed the empty bottle to Julian.
Julian took the bottle, and they set out toward the parking area once more. They made it without incident, then loaded up the shovels and left the cemetery. Thomas’s first demon hunt had been a success, but he had the feeling it was easier to kill a demon than to get Julian Schaden to talk about what was really on his mind.
Chapter Nine
AFTER three hundred years, Julian had more sexual experience than most people could imagine. He’d been with humans, elves, mages, and more kinds of shifters than he could remember, singly, in groups, and at a few memorable orgies. Most of his encounters had been brief, since Julian wasn’t normally the kind to form exclusive attachments and his bouts of antisocial moodiness were off-putting to most people. In fact, until he’d met Arden, he’d never had anyone who’d stuck around for more than a year. Then Arden had introduc
ed him to Whimsy, and after that Julian had rarely sought anyone outside the two of them.
Yet Julian had never had a live-in lover. Not even Arden or Whimsy had stayed for more than a day or two because they both seemed to understand his need for space. Julian had always believed himself to be a loner, and he’d been fortunate that they hadn’t minded him retreating for days or weeks at a time.
Then Thomas Carter came into his life.
Despite all the reasons he shouldn’t want Thomas, he couldn’t help but find Thomas irresistible, and even Julian’s guilt couldn’t keep him from taking Thomas to bed. In the process, Thomas insinuated himself into Julian’s life in a way no one else ever had, and Julian didn’t stop him. Perhaps he would have if Thomas had been demanding or had tried to force Julian to change. But Thomas recognized and shared Julian’s need for time to himself. They gave each other space, which was easy to do in the huge mansion. But they shared the same bed every night, and Julian never seemed to get enough of Thomas’s warmth. Thomas did like to cuddle, especially after sex, but Julian found himself enjoying it rather than merely tolerating it.
Life fell into a routine: training, sparring, research, getting together with Arden, Eli, Whimsy, and Harlan. Julian took Thomas out hunting, looking for different kinds of demons, teaching him their strengths and weaknesses and how to destroy them. They discussed how to find the Cauldron of Rebirth and spent time searching any likely area.
Over the summer, both the wolf shifter and bear shifter clans were the targets of a few isolated attacks, but the broad warnings Eli and Tharn, the other local wolf shifter alpha, had issued through the area had been heeded, and the possessed shifters didn’t seem to be gaining in numbers. Julian desperately wanted to capture one of the attackers, but they were cagey enough to escape. Julian worried that they were gating in more demons, and Whimsy enlisted the aid of other mages and Brianna’s coven to keep watch for any concentrations of dark magic. He wished they could call upon Arden’s father, Gilorean, who was the most powerful divinator Julian had ever met, but the old mage had grown so physically weak Julian couldn’t justify risking Gilorean’s life.