Visions of my father’s death shot through my brain. He had faced a similar creature just before the thing had ripped him to shreds and devoured him completely. He’d been unarmed, without his knife or protective shirt, but he’d stood strong, protecting unto death the ones he loved. I could do no less.
Heat flashed against my hand. I glanced at the fire. The ends of the sage leaves flared. I lifted them from the flame and hurried back to the salted square. The demon hunched over Stratton’s lifeless form. I lifted the smoldering leaves and fanned the white smoke near his face. I blew at the burning leaves, making puffs of smoke whiff across his snout. He rose up on his hind legs and batted at the smoke with his bony, deformed hand. I put my mouth closer to the leaves and blew a stream of smoke into his face. He reared back.
“Pull Stratton into the circle,” I yelled.
“I can’t reach him.” Monica held her palms flat, as if pressed against an invisible plastic shield. “I have to reach outside the circle to get him.”
I glanced at Stratton. One of his hands rested on his chest. His other lay at his side.
“Let me.” Lisa pushed her mother aside. “I have on the medallion.”
“No, Lisa,” I shouted. “The medallion will protect you from the demon’s possession, but not from his attack.”
She ignored the warning and grabbed her father’s hand laying across his chest. She tugged on him until his hand crossed the line of red sand. Monica grabbed his wrist and together they dragged his body toward the protection of the circle.
Lisa reach across the line to grab her father’s other arm. The demon lunged at her, but I held him back with the white smoke.
His tail lashed out like a whip. A loud crack tore through the air. The demon’s tail snapped around Lisa’s neck. She dropped her father’s arm and grabbed at the coil tightening around her throat. Her fingers thrust beneath the scabby, rotting flesh as she gasped for air.
“No,” I shouted as I rushed to her. Just as I grabbed for her, the creature jerked his tail. The forceful tug flung Lisa over the top of her father and she landed in the dirt at the feet of the demon.
My mind blocked the screams from Monica and my mother, and I concentrated on freeing Lisa. I pulled the knife from the scabbard and slashed at the top of his tail. The scabby coil around her neck dropped to the ground and turned to a vapor. The black, earthbound fog scurried across the dirt to the demon and disappeared into his body.
Lisa rolled onto her back. Her hands clutched at her throat while she gasped in deep gulps of air. I grabbed her wrist to drag her to me, but the creature grabbed her also. His gnarled fingers twisted in her braid and he hauled her to her feet. His scabby arm slithered around her waist as he jerked her against his filthy body. His mouth opened. Sharp, jagged teeth snapped close to her neck.
I still held Lisa’s wrist. Her fingers wrapped around my forearm. I raised the knife over my head. One quick swipe and the blade of my knife would separate the demon’s head from its hideous body. I only needed to take another step.
Something latched onto my ankle and I couldn’t move. I tried to shake my leg free, but couldn’t wrench it loose. I glanced down to see what prevented me from moving. My mother’s upper body lay outside the circle. Her hands clutched at my leg.
“Let go,” I shouted.
“Brendon, no.”
“Mom.” I jerked my leg. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I had to break away. Lisa’s grasp slipped from my hand. “Let go,” I yelled. “He’s going to kill her.”
“You’ll kill Lisa,” Mom shouted back. “The knife will slice right through him and you’ll stab her. Aim your knife away from her.”
She released my leg and crawled back into the safety of the circle.
I switched my grip on the knife and swiped the blade at the demon so the sharp edge didn’t come near Lisa. The severed arm plopped onto the ground. The hairy claw of a hand withered in the dirt before turning into a puff of black smoke. The dark vapor slithered across the dirt to the back haunches of the demon.
My hand still gripped Lisa’s wrist. I pulled at her, forcing the demon to extend his other arm. I raised the knife and slashed the blade through his shoulder. His ratty, scabby arm dropped in the ground.
The demon had nothing to hold Lisa. I pulled her from the salted square that contained the creature. She fell to her hands and knees beside me. I glanced at her. She coughed and gagged, but she was alive.
My fear of losing Lisa eased. She was safe and the demon couldn’t reach her. My entire focus went to the creature. I channeled all my strength, all my energy into sending him back to where he belonged. I raised the knife over my head as I stepped in front of him. Just as I was about to plunge the blade into his black, rotting heart, his body parts reassembled.
The demon’s arm jerked up and blocked my thrust. His claws slashed across my chest. The faith in my father’s shirt held. The needle sharp claws never broke the skin.
His tail reappeared. With a hard flick, he slapped it around my ankles and jerked my legs out from under me. I landed on my back with a thud. The hard jolt to my body flipped the knife from my hand. I rolled onto my belly to search for it. To kill the creature, I had to have the knife.
The demon pounced on me before I reached it. The knife lay just inside the salt line. I stretched my arm to its limit. The tips of my fingers brushed at the handle, but I couldn’t grasp it. The demon pinned me in the dirt. His heavy weight prevented me from crawling the single inch I needed to grab the knife.
Jagged teeth latched onto my shoulder. The shirt protected me from the sharp, dagger–like teeth puncturing my flesh, but not from the gnawing at the tendons. Searing heat shot through my body. I screamed from the intense agony.
I forced down the pain and gathered my strength. On one side, I got my arm and leg planted firmly in the ground. I shoved with all my might and rolled onto my back.
The creature lost his grip on my shoulder as I rolled over. He reared back, preparing to pounce on me again. I reached for the knife, but now it lay even further from my grasp. The demon leapt on me. I caught his hairy throat in my hands and used all my strength to strangle the filthy creature. His ratty snout hovered close to my face. He snapped and snarled, and clawed at my chest. Green slime oozed from his gaping mouth as I pressed my thumbs into his windpipe.
My hands cramped and my biceps ached from the fierce pressure I exerted, but I couldn’t kill the evil creature. We were at a stalemate. The demon wouldn’t die from strangulation, and I couldn’t reach the knife that would send him back to Hell.
A puff of white vapor wisped across my face and into the demon’s snout. He jerked his head to clear the smoke. Another puff and then a steady stream clouded around the demon’s face. His filthy body eased off me. I released my stranglehold when he crawled away. The creature slithered back as another puff hit him in the face
I glanced around for the source. Lisa held the smoldering sage leaves in her hand and blew the smoke at the demon. “Don’t cross the salt line,” I warned.
She didn’t waste her breath on an answer. The toes of her boots edged closer to the line, but she didn’t cross. The creature reared up. His blood red eyes glared at her. His ugly snout opened and he roared in her face.
Her head twitched when green spittle from the demon’s mouth slapped against her cheek, but she kept her focus. Lisa blew again. Her breath floated over the tips of the burning sage leaves, directing a long, steady stream of smoke at the retreating demon. The creature staggered back.
I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the knife. I leapt at the creature and plunged the blade into its heart. The demon dissolved into a shroud of smoke. I grabbed the smoldering sage leaves from her hand and herded the black vapor into the hole.
Lisa tossed the salt box at me. I poured the contents over the evil darkness that filled the hole. She dropped to her knees near the mound of dirt. I knelt on the opposite side. Frantically, we used our hands to scoop and shovel the dirt until nothing r
emained but a small mound.
Exhausted, I leaned back on my heels and inhaled a deep, clean breath of air. No putrid stench of the demon lingered. My shoulders slumped forward as I glanced at Lisa.
She leaned to the side, supporting her body on one arm. Her elbow buckled and her body collapsed on the ground.
I staggered to my feet and rushed to her. She lay in the dirt without moving. I lifted her in my arms and hurried to the circle.
“Mom. She’s unconscious.” I lowered Lisa’s body to the ground.
“I can’t stop,” my mother yelled.
I glanced at her. She pumped both palms over Stratton’s heart, performing CPR. The muscles in my chest constricted, making my breathing difficult. Kyle Stratton was dying from anaphylactic shock. If Lisa had ingested any of the peanut butter, I might lose her too. “God, no,” I shouted as my anguish grew.
“Lisa, baby.” Monica leaned over us.
I shoved her aside and lifted Lisa to me so I could press the side of my head against her chest. A strong and steady thump reverberated in my ear. “She’s alive.” I laid her in my lap and patted my hand against her cheek.
Her eyelids fluttered. She grabbed at my bicep and tried to sit. “My father—”
“Easy.” I turned her so the firelight shone on her face. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m all right.” She squirmed around in my arms. “How’s my father?”
Unable to give a positive answer, I shook my head. “My mom’s doing everything she can.”
Lisa bolted upright, but remained in my lap. “Daddy!”
Stratton coughed. His chest heaved. Mom grabbed the stethoscope dangling around her neck and stuck the ends in her ears. She pressed the flat end to his chest. “I have a heartbeat.”
A whooshing noise, like dried leaves rustling in the breeze, caught my attention. I glanced at the lone oak tree. A dense shadow seeped from the opening in the hollow of the trunk. “Look,” I shouted as I pointed in that direction.
“The demon,” Monica shrieked. “He’s back.”
“No.” I hugged Lisa tighter when her body trembled. “Don’t be afraid. It’s your father’s spirit. See how it floats above the ground. It’s not earthbound like the demon.”
Light from the campfire reflected on the shadow and gave it a luminance glow. The shadowy mist swirled above us before drifting lower. Like a puffy cloud of sparkly stardust, the mist descended on Stratton and surrounded him. His skin shimmered as his body absorbed the shadow through every pore. The glow faded. Stratton shuddered. His eyes opened and he stared up at the night sky.
“Kyle.” Monica knelt beside him and pressed both hands to the sides of his face. “Are you alive?”
He stroked his fingers across the back of her hand. “Hi, Babe.”
As Monica broke into tears, Lisa scrambled from my arms and hurried to his other side. “Daddy. Is it really you?”
“Lisa.” He grabbed her hand. “I’ve missed you both so much.”
While the three of them embraced each other, I glanced at Mom. She looked exhausted. I crawled on my knees to her and put my arms around her. “Are you all right?”
“Brendon.” She pulled me close. “I was so terrified that creature would—” A choked sob caught in her throat.
“I’m not hurt.”
Her arms squeezed me tighter. She didn’t cry, but warm tears smeared against my cheek. The muscles in my throat tightened and my eyes stung. I closed them when the moisture gathered. The horror of the night just caught up with me. The two women I loved the most could have been killed tonight.
Mom’s grip relaxed and she moved back. She wiped at her face with the back of her hand. “We have to get Mr. Stratton out of here. Monica’s already called emergency services. A medical helicopter is going to meet us at the casino and airlift him to the hospital.”
“I’ll get him in the car.” I crawled to Stratton and nudged Monica and Lisa from him. “Got to get you to the hospital.” I pulled him into a sitting position.
“Wait.” He grabbed at my shoulder. “Young man, before we do anything, I have to thank you.”
“There’s no need, sir.”
“Yes, there is. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know what would’ve happened to my family. And I certainly wouldn’t be alive to thank you.”
“I wasn’t the only one to help.” I glanced at my mom. “It was a combined effort.”
“I know, but you risked your life. You fought that demon and sent him back to Hell.”
“I had help with that too.” I grabbed Lisa’s hand. “Your daughter is pretty amazing. She had the courage to look that ugly demon in the face and chase him off me so I could grab the knife.”
“You were all amazing.” He glanced at everyone in the circle before looking back at me. “But particularly you, Brendon. You could’ve been killed—my daughter could have been killed, but you saved her life and risked your own. I owe you for so much. If there is ever anything I can do for you, all you have to do is ask.”
I glanced at Lisa. She looked so happy. Light from the campfire made her blue eyes sparkle and her blonde hair glisten. I looked back at her father. “There’s just one thing, sir. I’d like to go on a date with your daughter.”
The end
Coming Soon!
Shadow Curse
Second book in the Shadow Trilogy
Chapter One
The blonde beside me on the bed jabbed at my bare chest. “Brendon, someone’s knocking at the door.”
“I know.” I pulled the sheet over my head. “I’m trying to ignore it.”
“Should I ignore it also?”
With a question like that, she couldn’t be a college student. She probably showed up at last night’s party with a friend. I threw back the covers and sat up on the edge of the bed. “Why don’t you get dressed? I’ll find out who it is.”
I glanced at the clock. Whoever pounded on my dorm room door at nine in the morning on the first day of Christmas break better have a damn good reason. My Levi’s lay crumbled on the floor next to the heap of other clothes. I slipped them on while stumbling across the floor. Rubbing at my eyes with one hand, I jerked open the door with the other.
My gaze scanned up long legs clad in jeans, past a narrow waist, and lingered on the nice looking rack concealed beneath a red sweater. I forced my gaze up to the full, glistening lips, straight nose, and clear blue eyes framed by dark blonde lashes.
My breath caught in my throat. In the doorway, stood the last person I expected to see. Lisa Stratton.
Trying not to swallow my tongue gave me extra time to control my words so I didn’t blurt out anything stupid like I love you.
“What the hell are you doing here?” shot out of my mouth instead.
Her lips quivered and her gaze darted to the floor.
I wasn’t going to let her get to me. Slamming the door in her face might keep the old feelings from surfacing, but my curiosity was piqued. “What do you want?”
She glanced up, but her gaze didn’t meet mine. “I miss you.”
The words stabbed me in the heart. Those were the same ones I’d said to win her back after our first breakup, but I wouldn’t let her use them on me. Not now. Not after all this time. I slouched against the doorjamb, trying to act like I didn’t care. “You’re too late. About a year to be exact.”
“I’d like to explain.” She took a step forward. “May I come in?”
I put my hand on the doorframe in case she tried to barge pass me. I didn’t want her in my room, or back in my life. “There’s nothing to explain. You dumped me without a single word.”
“I called.”
“One time—from the airport. You left a message with my little brother that you’d call back. You never did.”
“I lost my phone when we were on vacation in Hawaii.”
“Oh, that explains it.” My sarcasm cranked up a notch. “It took you a whole year to find it.”
“My mom bought me a new one, but sh
e took her time doing it. After we got home—”
“To Esparto?”
“No, San Luis Obispo. My mom thought it would be better for my dad’s recovery if he was in a familiar place.”
Memories of her father’s hellish rescue seeped into my brain. I shoved it aside. “How is your dad?”
“A lot better...thanks to you. You saved his life.”
My anger returned. I didn’t want her gratitude. “He already thanked me so don’t bother.”
“It was my mother.” Her head dropped and her long blonde hair slipped across her face. “I overheard her tell my dad she wasn’t going to offer me up as a virgin sacrifice just because you saved him.”
Shadow Keeper Page 29