Denny shook her head as if to release the thoughts from her mind. They were making her hear things…
Wait.
Tonight, it was unusually quiet in the darkness, making it easy for her hypersensitive hearing to make out the sound of two people having sex.
Two people?
She somehow doubted it. It might be a fun and creepy idea to get in on in a cemetery, but not many women or young girls would be so inclined, and the gay guys she knew would find it far too dirty and gross.
Creeping quietly through the cemetery, Denny paused behind a statue of Gabriel as the rutting sounds grew louder.
The base of her skull tingled. She knew it was a demon. At least one.
Peeking around the statue, she watched as the demon pushed a girl’s bare back against a mausoleum and pounded away at her, his back to Denny’s position. He was going at her like it might be his last time.
Her Magyar demon.
Suddenly, he stopped, and turned his head from side to side as if listening for something.
He was listening for her.
He was not alone, that much she knew. If she took him on here and now, she could easily be outnumbered. As much as she wanted to help this girl, the wiser option was to live to fight another day.
Denny pulled back and quickly made her escape to safer grounds.
Was that a trap of some sort? According to Peyton, they were working in pairs. So, where was the succubus? It must have been nearby waiting for the right time to strike.
Denny held her breath. The barest niggling at her skull told her she was also here.
Here in her cemetery. Here where she might attack.
And that was when Denny knew she was being hunted.
Denny booked it for her car and was about ten feet away when the succubus attacked. An arrow of some sort just missed Denny’s ear as it whizzed by. Whirling to her left, she withdrew Epée and Fouet from her vest.
“Come on, bring it.” Denny felt the Hanta awaken. She would have let him take control, but suddenly she heard Ames’s voice in her head.
“Don’t ever get sucked into a fight unless you know who all the players are and where each one is. Don’t let the Hanta take over when you need to think it through first.”
This was precisely what he meant. The succubus had thrown her off balance with a surprise attack, hoping Denny would engage her––hoping the Hanta would take over and return fire.
Grabbing her car door handle, Denny spoke into the shadows where the succubus lurked, “Maybe another day, bitch.” Then she hopped in the Prius and got the hell out of the cemetery.
As she drove, she dialed Ames’s number.
“Yo, Goldy. It’s awfully late. Are you out prowling again?”
Denny told him what happened.
“Well, kiddo, lesson number five hundred and three: never be a creature of habit. You’ve become predictable. That’s in their favor. Time to break habits. Do life differently. Bully for you for not engaging. You’d be dead now if you had.”
“Yeah, well, I heard my teacher’s voice.”
“Did that voice also tell you that she probably missed on purpose?”
Denny changed ears with her phone. “On purpose? How do you know?”
“Simple. Extracting the Hanta from a corpse is nearly impossible. You said it was an arrow, right? Not a bolt?”
“An arrow, yes. Why?”
“Well, there you have it. An arrow comes from a bow. A bolt is fired from a crossbow. His succubus is not equipped with the Balestre, or she would surely have shot you. The Baltestre is a crossbow. Had you fought her, she would have kept you occupied long enough for the Magyar to shoot you. Probably in the back. Those bastards are the biggest cowards on the planet.”
“I’m going to have to take that succubus out of the equation then.”
“No. You need to ask yourself why he brought one with him in the first place. Did you see what she looked like?”
“Not at all. She was in the shadows most of the time.”
“Well, be wary of any new woman popping into your life...or the lives of your friends. She’ll gain access any way she can, and it is often difficult to read succubi energy. They are able to hide behind sexual emotions. It’s weird, I know, but they are just harder to pick up than other demons.”
Denny thought back to Nadir and suddenly realized she didn’t know what the pieces on the board were. Who was a succubus and who wasn’t? Had she escaped Nadir’s clutches or had she truly just been a woman wanting in her pants? “Gotcha.”
“So, I hope you learned a little lesson here, Goldy. Stop making rounds. You are only putting yourself and your people at risk.”
“Then when will this ever end, Ames? Won’t they always be at risk?”
The line was silent a moment. “No. See, you’ve only cut your teeth on low- and mid-level demons. Unless and until you can defeat the big Kahunas, they’ll keep coming at you. Once you send a high-level demon packing, they’ll move on to easier pickings. Demons are, for the most part, lazy and chickenshit.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“At the core of every demon is fear and cowardice. When Roosevelt said ‘we have nothing to fear but fear itself,’ he was right. You have to make them afraid. You have to show them you’re the Big Man on Campus. Go home and get some sleep. Then come for training in the morning. I’ll show you all I know in order to defeat the two of them at once. It takes some practice, but I have complete faith in you. Now, go home. To bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Hanging up, Denny went home to a bed that wasn’t empty.
“How did you get in here?” Denny asked, stepping into her room with both weapons out but still sheathed.
“You really don’t get the witch thing, do you?” Cassandra purred, patting the empty side next to her. The shoulder strap of her sheer black teddy slipped down her shoulder. “You think you’re the only one with special weapons?”
Denny watched the naked arm pat the bed. “You may very well be correct on that point, Cassandra. You do seem to get the jump on me.”
Cassandra grinned. “Jump is a great choice of words as in I came here to jump your bones. My only question is why are you still standing there? I don’t bite. Well, that’s not true...I’ve been known to draw blood on occasion, but I won’t bite you below the waist.”
Denny leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. All she could think about was whether or not Rush was seeing this. After all, hadn’t she suggested taking the plunge with this witch?
“Very inviting.”
“Then why are you still standing over there?”
Denny pulled her shirt over her head, then threw her sports bra on top of it.
“Now that’s more like it, sexy beast. Come to mama.”
Denny was out of her jeans and boots and on the empty side of the bed in no time.
Cassandra wrapped her arms around Denny’s neck and kissed her slowly, deeply, her tongue tracing Denny’s lips, her hips lightly pressing against hers.
“What on earth kept you out this late at night? I’ve been alone here forever.”
“Business.” Denny kissed Cassandra’s cheek, her neck, her neck, her neck, her shoulder, her shoulder, her––
“By the Goddess, you feel so good. Your skin is so soft.” Cassandra ran her fingers along Denny’s spine. “Amazingly so.”
Cassandra kissed Denny again, offering her tongue as her hands made their way through Denny’s hair. Their bodies intertwined, skin against hot skin. Denny’s hands roaming all over Cassandra’s body, her fingertips skimming across her flesh, over her tight nipples, her soft belly, her shaved mound.
As Denny pulled out of the kiss, she kissed Cassandra’s neck again. She peered over Cassandra’s shoulder and froze.
Rush hovered near the door, a scowl on her face.
Denny blinked trying to focus on Rush, who was making slashing gestures across her throat.
Slashing gestures?
&nb
sp; Leaning back so she could see Cassandra’s face, she said, “I...I’m sorry. I...I can’t do this right now.”
Cassandra lightly touched Denny’s face. “Honey, all I want is this moment. I am not asking for your hand in marriage. Just a roll in the sack and some laughs. I’m not like other women.”
Denny’s eyes went back to Rush, who was slowly shaking her head.
Denny started extricating herself from Cassandra’s grasp. “No, you’re not like other women. You are amazing.”
“Then why are you getting out of this oh-so-warm and cozy bed and even hotter body?”
Rush motioned to Denny. “I’m not really a casual sex kind of person.”
Cassandra tilted her head to the side. “Seriously? Wow. I totally misread that one.”
“Seriously. I’m sorry, Cass.” Denny scooped up her clothes and quickly put them on. “It was a nice sentiment and I am flattered and all, but I––”
“Nice? Ugh. That’s the kiss of death.” Cassandra got up and strutted across the room, her teddy making swishing sounds. She threw her little black dress on over it and straightened it out. “You realize this only makes you more desirable, right?”
Denny shrugged. “Go figure you to be a woman who wants what she can’t have.”
Cassandra stepped up to Denny and ran her finger down the side of her face. “Haven’t you heard? I always get what I want. You are quite an enigma, demon hunter, but well worth waiting for. I think you’ll find that I am harder to shake than this.”
Denny saw Cassandra to the door, then turned back to find Rush hovering with the oddest look on her face.
“What in the hell is the matter with you? I thought you said the witch was a good choice for me. You said you backed my decision to stay in this life and that the witch was as good a choice as any.”
Rush nodded. “I did.”
“So, what’s the deal? Why were you making that horrible cut-throat gesture?”
Rush sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “Sometimes, baby, you’re brain dead. I swear to God you can be as dumb as a man sometimes. I did say go for it with the witch.”
“And?”
“And she’s not the right witch.”
Denny placed the red ribbon in the journal and laid her hand on top of the worn and oil-stained leather.
“Even Mom had her doubts,” she said to herself. Stretching, Denny pulled out the photos and addresses of the two attorneys. “How am I going to play this?” She muttered, holding the two photos up. “I can’t very well just kill you. That would only make matters worse.” Denny studied the photos before looking at the clock.
4:32 a.m.
Five minutes later, she was out jogging and enjoying the fresh morning air. Many running folks in Georgia jogged at odd hours because the weather was cooler. As she hit mile number three she thought about Gwen’s journal. It felt like she was talking directly to Denny–– advising her to choose her partner wisely. Had she chosen wrong with their dad? Had Robert proven to be more of a liability than a helpmate? And how was it Ames knew so much about their relationship? How did he fit into her puzzle?
As the miles went from single to double digits, Denny realized where her feet had subconsciously taken her...right to the convent and outside Sister Sterling’s door.
Denny wasn’t at all surprised that Sterling was awake. The nuns were usually up before sunrise, and Sterling had always been an early riser anyway, even when they were kids.
Lightly knocking on the door––TAP TAP. TAP. TAP TAP––Denny tapped the code she had used as a kid when the teenage Sterling had wanted space and closed her door.
Sterling opened the door, dressed in her habit, ready for the day.
“Golden! What on earth are you doing here so early? Is everything okay?” She looked over Denny’s shoulder as if expecting that she’d been followed.
“Everything is fine. I was out for a jog to clear my head and––”
“A jog? This early?” She motioned for Denny to enter.
Denny entered a small studio apartment of about five hundred square feet, total. Spartan in appearance, it contained with a bed, two wingback Victorian chairs Sterling had taken from Holbrook House, and a small bookshelf. The only picture on the wall was a print of Jesus. Denny had always found Sterling’s room depressing.
“Have a seat.”
“I’d better not. I’m probably sweaty.”
“How about some water? Can I get you some water?”
“No, no, I’m good. Look, I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I know you’re getting ready for work, but I have a couple of questions.”
Sterling sat down. “Okay. What’s up?”
“Were Mom and Dad happy?”
The question made Sterling lean back. “You jogged all the way over here to ask me that?”
Denny nodded. “It’s important.”
“Well, happy is a relative term. I think they had their problems like everyone else.”
“Your room was closest to theirs. Did you ever...you know...hear them fighting?”
“On occasion, yes.”
“About her work, huh?”
Sterling nodded slowly. “Yes. When I was younger, I put a pillow over my head. The older I got the more I started to listen. I realized how difficult it was for him that she was a hunter. He wanted her to retire. He wanted her to try an exorcism.”
“Retire? Did he not understand the nature of the beast?”
Sterling stared at her.
“What?” Denny asked.
Sterling touched the vacant chair. “Please. Sit.”
Denny hesitated a moment before sitting. “I know that look. You’re going to tell me something I’m not going to like.”
Sterling absently touched her crucifix. “To say that our parents had a happy marriage would be stretching the truth. I imagine they started out differently, but everything changed after we moved to Savannah.”
“Stretching it how far?”
“Oh, Golden, I so wanted you all to grow up believing the fairy tale life we led, but the truth is…” she hesitated a moment. “Our father wanted to take us away from her.”
Denny stared at her. Her mind replayed Ames’s words about Robert wanting to take the kids to the moon.
“I know it’s hard to hear, but, remember when she was hospitalized for falling down the stairs?”
“I just read about that the other day. I can’t believe I was foolish enough to believe that story.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You were a child, and children believe what they want to be true.”
“She was injured a lot, Sterling.”
“Yes, she was, and Dad was furious about it. They argued constantly after that. He wanted her to choose our family or her job.” Sterling shook her head. “He always said the word with such disdain.”
“So why didn’t she end up choosing?”
Sterling looked away. “One night, their arguing got particularly heated. I’ll never forget it. I stood outside their door because it was the first time I was afraid for them. It was the first time I understood that our mother did things he did not like or support. And then I heard it.”
Denny sat on the edge of the chair. “It?”
“Well, back then, I called it The Beast. At first, I thought another man had appeared in the room, but then, I realized it was Mom. I heard her tell Dad if he ever threatened to take her family again, he would end up like every other adversary.”
Denny’s hand went to her mouth. “Oh my God. No. She didn’t.”
“Yeah. She did. I was so afraid.” Sterling released the crucifix. “That...that voice was awful. So scary. Have you––”
“Oh yes, I have. It’s scary as sh–– as hell. The Hanta must have felt Mom’s fear. It tends to come out when needed, and the more you need it, the faster it comes.” Denny ran her hand over her head. “What did Dad say?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t really get a chance. The Beast didn’t stop t
here. She told Dad he knew what he’d signed up for and it was too late to back out now. If he had misgivings, she would just show him the door. She told him to get out and never come back. That was when Mom’s voice returned, but she was no gentler. She told Dad he could shut up and stay, or leave empty-handed, but that he would never leave with us. Ever. I never heard the rest of the conversation, though, because I was too afraid. I imagine they struck some kind of deal.”
“Wait. Back up. Empty-handed? I thought the house––”
Sterling inhaled deeply, then unloaded the rest of the truth. “Family money, Golden. Silver family money. Mom’s family money. Why do you think our last name is Silver and not Robinson?”
Denny rose and paced across the room. “Wait. We have family money?”
Sterling nodded. “Apparently, back in the day, one of our ancestors made a pretty lucrative living from hunting demons. The money grew and grew, with each generation investing in tiny companies, some of which eventually began conglomerates. Someone in the more recent past invested in a little nothing tech company called Apple.”
Denny’s eyebrows went the distance. “Apple? As in Steve Jobs’s Apple? Are you...do you mean we’re rich?”
Sterling shrugged. “Rich is like happy…it’s all relative. How did you think we managed after the accident with Dad dead and Mom in a home?”
“Dad’s life insurance.”
Sterling let out a little chuckle. “Well, yes. That’s what we lived on for our day-to-day expenses, but for all of the big ticket items, the trust pays.”
A light went on in Denny’s head. “A trust. Of course. Why didn’t I think of that? I used to wonder how we lived in such a great place on a professor’s salary, but I really didn’t give it much thought.”
“I was supposed to read you in when you turned twenty-one, but not long after your birthday, everything went to the devil…so to speak.”
Denny’s eyes narrowed. “If we have so much money, why didn’t we hire a better lawyer for Quick?”
Sterling glanced away. “I tried. It was such a slam dunk case, gosh how I dislike that phrase. No one wants to take it because of it being a sure loss. I had no idea at the time how much their win and loss records mattered to attorneys. And then…” Sterling shook her head.
The Demon Within (The Silver Legacy Book 2) Page 16