The Demon Within (A PeaceKeeper Novel)

by Stacey Brutger

  The silence lengthened between them. “I don’t—”

  Before she could finish, two vehicles rounded the corner. Tires squealed and headlights raced toward them. The screech of brakes filled the night, and her crew piled out, weapons drawn. The sharp smell of exhaust filled her nose.

  “Caly, behind you.”

  Light laughter danced on the air, and Caly winced at her djinn’s amusement. “Jarred, I’d like you to meet my djinn.”

  “Hello, handsome.” She gave a side look to Caly. “My name is Cambrie. You may call me Brie.”

  The way she walked, the come-hither voice, her smile, all portrayed the perfect picture of seduction. Jarred’s weapon lowered a fraction, wavered before it trained on her once more.

  “She’s a friend, Jarred, put away your weapon.” Caly stepped into the shine of the vehicles’ headlights. The rest of the group remained by the vehicles and watched as the scene unfolded, their heads bouncing between her and Brie like at a ping-pong match.

  Ruman lingered behind the others, anger radiating from him even at the distance. He gazed at her, his arms crossed for a full, disapproving minute as if contemplating what he planned on doing to her when he got his hands on her. Caly shivered, her mind slipped into the gutter at the thought of touching him, unable to take her eyes from his as memories exploded through her.

  “She’s a demon.” Jarred’s words snapped her out of her lust-fueled daze. The usual mask of disinterest he wore was ripped away, leaving him raw and painfully exposed.

  His reaction was so unlike his normal, placid self that Caly was baffled. “She is not a threat to us and will not be harmed.”

  Brie laughed, a sexy sound that could reach down into a man’s gut and turned it to mush. She ran a finger down the front of Jarred’s chest, playing with the buttons of his shirt.

  A shiver shook him, and his eyes remained fastened on her double. Caly couldn’t tell if it was revulsion or distrust, but sparks practically swirled in the air between them. She knew his past, knew demons had destroyed his life, but wondered if it wouldn’t take a demon to put it back together.

  From under her lashes, Brie smiled up at Jarred. “Caly—” she cast her a glance out of the corner of her eye, looking for confirmation. Satisfied at what she saw, Brie turned her gaze onto her prey, “—has generously offered me a place to stay.”

  “The hell you say.” Jarred jumped back as if being a demon were contagious. Giving her wide berth, he circled Brie and stalked toward Caly on stiff legs. “You can’t be thinking of letting her into the house. She’s a demon. She’ll murder us or worse,” he turned to look at Brie over his shoulder, “turn us over to her friends for sport.”

  Caly opened her mouth to defend Brie but shut it when Brie stormed toward them, a narrowed, dangerous look on her face that didn’t bode well for Jarred.

  “Listen here, buddy.” She poked him in the chest. “I don’t know what your problem is, but not all demons are alike. It’s attitudes like yours that get people killed.”

  “It wasn’t my attitude that destroyed my life. It was demons.”

  “So you blame all demons for the crime of one.” She jabbed him again, fire dancing in her eyes. “Then I’d best kill every human I see as your kind has killed more than a fair share of my family.”

  A sneer crossed Jarred’s face. “Can demons have family? I’m amazed. I thought they were hatched.”

  “Jerk.”

  “Demon.”

  “Oh, that’s original. I—”

  “Enough.” Caly shouted to be heard over their bickering. She stared at the two of them in disbelief, repressing her amusement at their antics. “What the hell has gotten into the both of you?”

  They glared at each other, neither backing down. She wondered if either would survive the night. “Brie, Jarred is a friend of mine. I expect you to treat him as one.”

  Jarred smiled and dropped his hands to his sides. “I knew you’d come to your senses.”

  Caly turned slowly. “I’d never do anything to endanger the crew. I thought you knew me better than that.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Since the two of you get along so well, I expect Jarred to be the one to help fix the space above the barn into an apartment. No bloodshed.”

  Caly shook her head and strode toward the underside of the bridge. Too much time had passed. The place was abandoned. She sensed nothing in the darkness anymore, no leads or clues.

  Caly bet that Henry knew nothing about his girlfriend’s connections or that she had sent reinforcements to follow him. Henry must have spotted the demons and attacked. He would never voluntarily work with a demon.

  He was also a damned good fighter. Took out a few, too, if the scuffle was any indication. Since she found no body or large amount of blood, she’d guess he managed to escape. As she paced, her boot connected with an object, sending it spinning off into the street with a clatter. Caly retrieved the item.

  Henry’s phone.

  It was destroyed almost beyond recognition. The only thing intact was a metal back plate with his name embossed in reverse. The metal was added as a precaution, a kind of last resort weapon. Pressed against a demon’s skin, the flesh would burn and leave the attacker branded with Henry’s name.

  A burned scent hovered, faint but very distinct on the phone, and she flinched away from the overly sweet stench of dead demon. Henry had taken out at least one in his fight.

  She placed the pieces of his phone in her pocket and faced the rest of the crew. “We’re wasting darkness. Let’s get back to the house. We have to assume they followed Henry to the farmhouse. They’ll either come for a fight or try to lure us out. Either way, Henry has outlived his usefulness. I doubt they plan on keeping him alive much longer.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  In the hour since they’d returned, Caly occupied herself by cleaning her weapons while she waited for a demon attack or the sun to rise, whichever came first. The monotonous work allowed her mind time to think. She went over and over her problems, relentlessly trying to work out an acceptable solution for both the Fallen and Ruman.

  Ruman’s defense of her in front of everyone shocked her. He just plain confused the hell out of her. Anyone who said women were difficult to understand didn’t know men. They could hardly spend time in the same room without coming to blows. Or kissing each other. One touch and her knees weakened. He was an Achilles’ heel she couldn’t afford.

  Arguing erupted from outside.

  Again.

  Curiosity finally got the better of her. She set aside the whetstone and knife, then stood. The window in the kitchen gave her a clear view of the yard. Although dark, the barn’s spotlight illuminated the area.

  Two figures stood inches apart, arms waving, shouting at one another. Apparently, neither needed air to breathe.

  Though fed up with the bickering, Caly couldn’t help be amused. She slipped out the front door and quickened her pace when Jarred bumped into Brie. They might not have weapons, but those two were ready to take each other out.

  “Caly, tell this human he’s being unreasonable.” Brie glared at her and crossed her arms.

  Jarred clenched his fists, his body vibrating with rage. He leaned closer to Brie as if he thought he could intimidate her into seeing things his way. “If you’d stop being so difficult, we could’ve been done by now.”

  Mouth open in shock, Brie spun to face him. “Me?” She waved her arm in the barn’s direction. “You’re the one—”

  “Enough.” Caly cleared her throat and tried to remain stern. “Jarred. Get the bed inside.”

  Jarred dropped his arm and swung around. “But she—”

  Caly held up a hand, allowing her annoyance to creep into her eyes. She turned away from him. “Brie, take a time out.”

  Jarred spun with a huff, his shoulders so stiff that when he walked away, she wondered how his shirt didn’t split.

  “I don’t know how you can stand being around humans. They’re so…difficult.” Brie
groped her pockets for a pack of cigarettes then froze. “Ah, no offense. I obviously didn’t mean you.”

  “None taken.” Caly smiled, amused that Brie was so flustered she forgot herself, becoming the girl Caly once knew.

  When her search came up empty, Brie sighed. “I don’t suppose you have a smoke?”

  “Sorry.” Caly’s feet took her to the well-used trail behind the barn. Even with the limited night sky, she marveled at how crisp and defined everything looked. With Brie at her side, she didn’t feel like such a freak. Brie accepted her, faults and all, without question.

  “How can you stand it?” Brie’s voice sounded hesitant, like she really wanted to know but was afraid to ask.

  “Stand what?”

  “Living with them? Living like them?” She looked away in the darkness, but not before Caly caught the yearning.

  Caly’s mind went blank. How does a person explain humans with their ephemeral emotions and erratic actions? Demons lived by a whole different set of rules. “What alternative do I have? I’m different. No matter where I’d go, that wouldn’t change.”

  With a glance back at her house, Caly resolutely turned away. “The group back there knows the truth. They might not understand everything, but they treat me like one of their own. They force me to be better.”

  Caly looked at Brie and smiled. “They’re my friends.”

  “Friends?” Brie didn’t sound sad, only curious and that made Caly realize just how different her life was in the other world.

  “You could stick around and find out.”

  Brie shrugged and looked away. “Maybe.”

  A short silence followed. The pull between them was relentless, like a person dying of thirst with water within reach. For a distraction, Caly asked the question that had always bothered her. “Where did you go after the separation?”

  “Into hiding.” Brie swatted away a branch, her face impassive. “I watched you from a distance for a while, but the old goat didn’t give me a chance to get close. Maybe it was for the best. I’m not sure I could’ve pulled away again.”

  Caly looked down at her hands. They were clenched so tight, the pads of her fingers grew numb. Brie had been her best friend. Her confidant. Caly knew they’d needed to separate, but she missed the lonely girl she used to know. “You went back to your kind.”

  An amused laugh escaped Brie. “You could say that. I found a little band that accepted me.” She gave Caly a look out of the corner of her eye. “Kind of like your group back there. We don’t fight like you, but we’re trying to find a way to live together in peace with the humans. As you might guess, we’re not popular amongst the demonkind.”

  “No, I guess not.” A sad smile curved Caly’s lips. The human in Brie, a parting gift from their joining, made her want things that she couldn’t have amongst the demons, made her care when she couldn’t afford the sentiment. Caly could commiserate.

  “But otherwise, the group is a lot like yours. We’re allies, but we have our assholes, too.” Brie gave her a brief but amused glance.

  Caly snorted. “Don’t think that will change. Men can be jerks no matter what race.”

  A small grin crossed Brie’s face, but a fragile hope filled her eyes when she looked back toward the barn.

  “Give him time. You throw him off balance. Until Jarred can put you into a box, he’ll be suspicious.” Caly smirked, picturing the Ivy League Jarred she knew falling in love with Brie. “He’ll walk around like a bear with a sore paw.”

  “Pahh,” she waved a hand. “I can handle him. He just makes me so furious I want to mess with him.”

  “Wait until you get to know him.” They shared a laugh, the tension easing as they arrived back at the house. The lights in the barn were off, everyone down for the night except the perimeter guards.

  “What’re you going to do about your missing friend?”

  Caly bit back the protest that he wasn’t her friend. He was a member of the team, and that’s all that mattered.

  She had only one recourse. “Rescue him.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, Caly bite her lip, watching Ruman and Brie interact. They had been sitting across from each other for the last five minutes and never once looked away. She felt like an intruder just observing them. Jealously argued to split them up, shove them apart and stand between them.

  “Demons belong with demons.” Jarred’s voice floated behind her. “Look at them. They’re a perfect match.”

  Caly did look; she couldn’t peel her gaze off them. Ruman appeared fascinated with her double. There wasn’t much different between her and Brie, so what made Brie special and her a non-entity? She rubbed her hand down her well-worn leather. Would makeup make her appear more attractive? Maybe more feminine clothing? She reached up and fingered the chopped ends of her hair.

  Footsteps sounded behind her as Jarred walked away. It brought her back to herself with a nasty jolt. A wave of disappointment struck her. What the hell was she doing? She didn’t have the time or the patience to maintain anything girly. Fighting for her life had always been a priority. Today was no different.

  Caly cleared her throat and stepped into the room. Surely she was overreacting. She and Ruman had been through so much. That had to matter.

  “You left Caly alone. She arrived at the bridge by herself. You’re supposed to be her guardian.” Brie didn’t smile or remove her accusing gaze from Ruman’s.

  “I never thought she’d be so foolish as to head out by herself.” He sighed and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the tabletop. “I should’ve known better. It’s like she senses danger and runs toward it.”

  “She was the same as a kid.”

  Interest darkened his eyes. “Tell me more.”

  The feelings of inadequacy rushed forward, irritating the snot out of her. But irritation was better than losing the fight to her doubts.

  She didn’t want to revisit her past, especially in front of Ruman, and waved her hand between them. She didn’t have a claim on Ruman, but her logic didn’t ease the burst of pain that he would go behind her back to dig in her past. “Hello, I’m right here.”

  They both looked up at her, annoyed at being disturbed.

  “We have more pressing matters to deal with than gossip. Maybe the two of you’d like to join the discussion?” Caly couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and left, her fingers tapping a fast tattoo against the blade tied to her upper thigh.

  To hell with them. They could have each other. What she needed to do was get Henry back, kill the Fallen, and everything could go back to normal.

  Back to her life before Ruman.

  Before everything became so confusing.

  Somehow, that thought wasn’t as comforting as it should’ve been.

  * * *

  The library was packed when they reached it. Ruman held the door open for Brie. Both kept close to the exit, their backs to the wall out of habit.

  He trusted Caly, which only made his job harder.

  He regretted the pain he caused by digging into her past, but it was the only way he could get her to face it. She needed to learn she deserved more than life as a trained killer. She deserved happiness. And he wanted her to choose that life with him.

  Curiosity forced his attention back to Brie. The similarities between the two women were amazing. But when around Brie, he didn’t feel all the conflicted emotions that bombarded him when near Caly.

  If he could find what made him react to Caly, maybe he could gouge it out. If he didn’t, he feared his growing emotional attachment to her would end up costing her life. Even now, memories of them together still haunted him. The way she felt beneath him, her taste, her smell. Against his will, his body hardened at the thought of Caly naked in his arms.

  His gaze landed unerringly on her, irresistibly drawn to her. The leather outfit showed every detail of her body. A body that fascinated him as m
uch as her sharp mind. Everything about her reminded him of their time alone, and what they would’ve done if she hadn’t called a halt.

  He was balanced on a fine edge. If he fell, his name would be added to a long line of angels who lost themselves over a mortal.

  For some reason, he didn’t feel anxious about the fact. If it meant he could have Caly for just a few precious minutes, he’d surrender without a struggle.

  But he had to save her first. He had to keep his distance to prevent his feelings for her from crippling his ability to do his job. Brie would be his buffer. If he failed and lost Caly, damnation would be too good for him.

  “We have only hours to plan our attack. If we don’t find Henry tonight, what’s left of him won’t be worth saving. Dusk is our best offense.” Caly rubbed her brow, and Ruman wished he could get her to rest more. She looked too pale ever since their return.

  “No one has to tell me he’s been a pain in the ass. It’s understandable if some of you may not want to volunteer for this mission. No one will think less of you.”

  No one so much as twitched. Caly flashed a smile that did weird things to his chest.

  “We know he refused to stay at the house with the rest of us, but has he told anyone here where he’s been lodging?” Tension filled the silence.

  “What about that girl we spotted with him?” Kelly looked to David, nudging him so hard he nearly slipped off the chair. “Felicia something.”

  David caught his balance. “Blonde, stacked.” He held his cupped hands some distance out in front of his chest. “Only saw her across the street with Henry. I didn’t catch her name.” He cleared his throat when Kelly locked her unblinking gaze on his. “What?”

  “Then we’ll search another way. David, check your computer for any missing persons reports or an increase of deaths in any specific area.”

  Eager to dodge Kelly’s caustic death stare, he flipped open his laptop. Keys clattered as David became lost to the world.