Succubus on the Run

by Jenny McKane

  He hadn’t said anything to her, only moved his blanket aside and motioned for her to climb in beside him. She had, and she had slept through the night and most of the next day. The following night, she hadn’t even bothered going to her own bed and had climbed in with him. She slept with Gideon’s arms protectively around her, temporarily free from the nightmares that seemed ready to spring on her subconscious at any moment.

  When she was ready, Gideon encouraged Sunny to tell him everything that had happened to her from the moment he disappeared behind the curtain. His fists clenched as she spoke of the horrors she witnessed, and before she was done, he’d pulled her onto his lap and held her as she cried.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever make it back,” she said miserably. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

  “I only regret that Nino got to slit Ammon’s throat with the obsidian blade and not me,” he said softly, pulling her closer.

  She didn’t know if this softer side of Gideon was because of nearly losing her to the demon realm, or because of real emotion. It didn’t matter to her, honestly.

  He stroked her hair and held her until she’d fallen asleep against his chest.

  She’d missed Thanksgiving but still had a few days of the break left to try to recoup and get her mind right. She didn’t leave the house much at first but ventured out with Gideon more and more as she felt braver.

  But Sunny saw demons everywhere and asked Gideon if she was going crazy. It was her imagination, wasn’t it?

  He shook his head sadly.

  “No,” he said. “You’ve got a demon brand now, Sunny. The veil has been lifted from your eyes. You see what demons see now, when you want to.”

  “I don’t feel safe,” she admitted. “I don’t know how to feel safe.”

  Gideon squeezed her hand in his as they walked through the grocery store, and he stopped her, pulling her into a surprising embrace. She had hoped the demon brand would fade, but Gideon told her that it was permanent. She struggled not to freak out on the spot, and she swallowed the panic about being branded by a demon--even a dead one.

  “You’ll be safe soon, Sunshine,” he said, and she pulled back, surprised at the words.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s all coming to a head,” he said. “You can sense it. It’s why you’re having trouble feeling safe. There’s a massive amount of movement in both realms, but I promise you, it’ll be done soon. You’ll be safe.”

  She wanted to ask him about himself. Will he be safe, too? But he’d moved on and was filling his small basket with food.

  She’d ask him soon.

  Chapter 35

  The ending. Up until that day, Sunny had never really given the end game a whole lot of thought. Like everything else in this game of angels and demons, she just assumed she’d figure it out when she got there.

  If she had known it was all going to end that morning, she would have dressed for the occasion. As it were, she figured it was just another day, and it was her second shift back at The Little Lamb since returning from the demon realm, and she wore jeans and her Converse low-tops.

  Gideon had taken her to lunch and they’d eaten tacos.

  It would take months before Sunny was able to pass that little cafe without crying, remembering that last afternoon of sanity before it all blew up.

  “I’ll see you when I get home?” Sunny said, as she opened her door as Gideon was dropping her off.

  He shook his head. “I’ll pick you up.” His phone went off just then, and he held up his hand for Sunny to wait while he checked it. He frowned as he read the text message.

  “Is everything okay?” It didn't look okay.

  Gideon gave her a nod though, and what looked like a small, sad smile.

  “It will be soon,” he said. He tried again, and this time the smile was a little broader. “You’re wearing your blade, aren’t you? Sometimes I think you would leave the house without half your clothes off if it were up to you.”

  He was picking on her, and it made her smile. She patted along her ribcage, demonstrating that she had the blade in the holster. He had not let Sunny move very much either in the house or out of it without the blade strapped to her. It was as if he knew their showdown with Seumat was imminent. At first, it had made her jumpy, but she grew a little accustomed to it over the last two days and tried to settle in.

  As Gideon drove away, Sunny stepped into the yarn shop and waved hello to Kitty.

  “You’re looking much better today,” Kitty said. “I didn't think you were going to make it yesterday.”

  One hell of a flu had been the explanation for Sunny’s absence and haggard appearance when she returned. Despite the showers and the food, it was going to take awhile for Sunny to regain the fullness in her face, and the healthy coloring.

  Kitty had been wonderful. She forced herbal tea after herbal tea on Sunny and made sure Sunny constantly had some sort of snack in her hand. Today, the smell of soup wafted through the shop.

  “What smells so good?”

  Kitty smiled and motioned to a card table that had been set up in the corner of the shop.

  “You missed Thanksgiving,” she began. “And I had so much leftover turkey, that I had to make a big vat of turkey soup in my slow cooker. I thought we might enjoy some today.”

  Sunny’s mouth watered at the thought. It sounded divine.

  “You are amazing,” Sunny said to Kitty as she moved to the back of the shop and served herself a bowl of soup.

  On the countertop, Kitty’s phone vibrated and the woman moved to check the message. Her face darkened as she read the message, but when she saw that Sunny was watching, she forced a bright expression. That was odd. First Gideon, and now Kitty. Was there some sort of world war that Sunny had missed already in progress?

  Kitty looked to Sunny as she put the phone down on the counter.

  “Change of plans, dear,” Kitty said. “Seems our timeline has been bumped up. Exponentially, it seems.”

  Any other day and it would have sounded insane, but these were crazy times that Sunny had found herself in, and she knew better than to expect any less. The truth was suddenly clear, and Sunny can’t believe she’d missed it all this time.

  “You know, don’t you?”

  Kitty let out a sigh.

  “I know a lot of things,” she said. “I know you’re one of Michael’s and while I don’t particularly care for him, I’ve found you rather lovely. I know Gideon Lafayette, too. He introduced himself to me not long after you started working here. It’s also true that I know your aunt. Back before she lost one of her eyes to a demon’s blade, she was one of Jeremiel’s best.”

  “Hunter?” It was an obvious question, but Sunny knew better than to make assumptions.

  Kitty nodded.

  “Naturally,” she said.

  “Are you a Hunter, also?”

  “I’m a Keeper, dear,” she said with a laugh, as though it should have been perfectly clear to Sunny. The blank look on Sunny’s face made Kitty chuff in frustration.

  “I swear Michael keeps his Hunters so vulnerable, it had to be on purpose,” she said. “Keepers are allies of Hunters. A safe place in the storm. In some instances, a squire of sorts. Even assistants of the Keepers are young enough and interested in the job. I, however, am too old these days to squire for anyone, and I’m particularly fond of my little shop. I serve as a safe harbor for Hunters who need it. And you needed it.”

  Sunny was gobsmacked.

  She nearly fell over in shock when Kitty hit a button beneath the counter and the sound of locks popping open caused Sunny too look down at the cabinets beneath the counter. They slid out easily and revealed racks and racks of weapons. Guns. Knives. Swords. Kitty had an armory.

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  Kitty smiled sweetly and pointed back to the slow cooker of soup.

  “According to Gideon, Seumat will be here within the hour,” she said. “You should have some so
up before it’s too late.”

  Sunny was too shocked to move. Was she really trying to force Sunny to eat with Seumat on the way?

  “Not hungry?” Kitty chided. “Believe me, we don’t need you weak and anemic when the shit hits the fan, Sunshine. There’s so much to fill you in on, and I’ll be here for that when the time comes, but we need you to survive the night. Trust me.”

  Gideon had mentioned everything being alright numerous times since she returned from the demon realm, and now Kitty was saying it too. It made Sunny feel like she had missed out on some major strategy planning session while she was gone. She almost felt like she was on the outside looking in. She didn’t like it.

  She skipped the soup and busied herself with helping Kitty lock up and shutter the windows and back entrance. It turned out that her little inconspicuous yarn shop was quite prepared when it came to being ready for a demon attack.

  A car roared to a stop out in the parking lot, and Gideon jumped out, running into the shop. Sunny was glad to see him, but she was also a little salty that he’d been keeping so much from her.

  “So we make our stand here?” he asked Kitty, without greeting Sunny yet.

  Kitty nodded. “This place is as good as any,” she said. “It’s reinforced, and I have a small supply of weapons that should work on holding them off while you finish the job.”

  “You’ve been planning with Kitty?” she asked Gideon. She wasn’t being accusatory, but her mind was racing to keep up with everything.

  “You’ll understand it all soon,” he said, placing a warm palm against her cheek. Again, his face looked sad. “But I need to help her prepare the building and the outside quickly.”

  Gideon ran off to join Kitty. She felt a little bit helpless, but before she could really settle in and feel sorry for herself, Plaxo and Nino appeared on top of the soup table in the corner. They grabbed bowls and started helping themselves.

  “Better than cat food?” she asked, a wry smile playing on her lips. She hadn’t seen much of them since she returned, and they made her smile.

  “Almost,” Plaxo said, grinning. Nino was slurping soup right from the ladle and gobbling it up as fast as he could.

  “We’re fighting Seumat here today?” The dream demons seemed to already know.

  “That’s what Half Breed said,” Nino replied, setting down the ladle. “Dream demon army is outside, hiding in the veil and waiting for our signal.”

  That was surprising.

  “How many?” she asked.

  “One hundred three,” Plaxo replied. “One hundred five with us.”

  It sounded like a decent number, but she knew Seumat was stocked up with regular and virus-ridden succubi. How many were on the way?

  “We’ll be outnumbered,” Gideon’s voice came from behind her. “But we’ll have a little help on our side, so it should level the playing field for us.”

  “What’s the help on our side?” Sunny asked.

  “She’s been weakened,” Gideon said. “I pulled a favor and was notified that it’s in play. She’s not at full capacity, and when we take her out, the rest of her cohort will be severely weakened. We should all survive this if we play smart.”

  Play. It made Sunny smile. It was anything but play.

  “Does your army need anything?” Gideon asked Nino, who shook his head.

  “They are around the perimeter now,” he said. “And will engage any succubus who approaches. We’ll fight the ones who get through.”

  Gideon nodded.

  “Get your weapons ready,” he said.

  Sunny balked as Kitty grabbed a submachine gun.

  “Are you serious?” She let out a laugh of disbelief.

  “I don’t mess around, young Hunter,” she said, all seriousness now. “You should learn from me. I aim to win, and win as quickly as possible.”

  She certainly didn’t. She clicked a magazine into the chamber and checked it before strapping it to her back. The military tactical gear looked a bit ridiculous next to Kitty’s cashmere cardigan and matching pearl necklace and earring set. She was a study in deadly contrasts.

  *****

  When they finally arrived, the succubi were terrifying. Sunny crouched behind the counter, clutching a katana sword Gideon had handed her. True, she had a blade, but he didn’t want her to use it on any demon but Seumat, if she was given the chance. Having it out in the midst of battle with as many demons that were coming would be a recipe for disaster, he’d said.

  The shrieks appeared out of nowhere, it seemed. One moment, they were sitting in darkness and silence, and the next, hideous sounding whoops and screams sounded from all around the parking lot. It was like a chorus of war cries going up and the sound grew closer and closer.

  “Hold steady, Lady Hunter,” Plaxo said, patting Sunny on the shoulder. He had a hard set to his features, as though this was nothing new to him.

  It probably wasn’t.

  A different round of war cries went up in a language Sunny didn’t recognize. Plaxo and Nino tensed beside her.

  “The dream demons have engaged,” Gideon said, explaining the noise to Sunny.

  The battle had begun, and Sunny closed her eyes momentarily, allowing her senses to sharpen and her pulse to stop racing. She didn’t have the luxury of losing her cool now. Every one of them had a part to play in this next fight, and Sunny panicking would likely throw off their entire equilibrium.

  The front door to the yarn shop blew open, splintering against an onslaught of demon magic, and winged, naked succubi swarmed in.

  Behind them, walking with her head held high, dramatic and slow, like her name was Beyoncé, the redheaded Seumat strolled into the yarn shop in her most human form. They hadn’t even warranted her demon form, Sunny realized. She was that confident in her ability to waltz in and grab Gideon and return to hell with him.

  “Ready to go, love?” She had an incredibly cloying, fake British accent that made Sunny’s skin crawl. And she was talking to Gideon.

  “No, thanks,” he said with a crooked smile. “Been there, done that. Don’t need the repeat.”

  The insult hit home, and Seumat’s nostrils flared.

  “Extra lashes for that,” she said. “You made a huge mistake running from me.”

  Gideon shook his head.

  “The only mistake I made was not trying to kill you sooner,” he said.

  “You can’t kill me,” Seumat said with a toss of her shoulder. “You know that.”

  Gideon smiled. “Okay,” he said.

  He shook his head, and Seumat raised her eyebrow at that. She was confused.

  “Kill the others,” she said. “Bring him to me.”

  The battle began in earnest at that, and the succubi inside flew at them as they stood behind the counter.

  Plaxo and Nino launched into the air like tiny little commandos and had produced weapons of their own with their magic. The blades were black and inscribed along the edges. They worked in tandem, battling the same succubus and keeping the clawed, fanged terror confused at who was going to attack next.

  The report of machine gun fire pulled Sunny’s attention to the other side, where Kitty had unleashed a hail of bullets on at least four stupid demons, who were dumb enough to take the old lady lightly. The bullets had some sort of magic to them, and large black holes began spreading at the wound sites.

  Seeing that her soldiers were struggling, Seumat launched at Gideon, and she had her claws in him in seconds.

  But instead of spreading venom that would incapacitate and paralyze him, Gideon grabbed her hands and yanked her claws out of his skin, before reaching back and punching her square in the face.

  The move shocked Sunny. More than that, it shocked Seumat whose nose bloodied. She touched the blood and looked at it before launching another attack at Gideon. She was still strong, despite whatever had been done to her.

  Sunny’s hands moved on their own accord, and she pulled the obsidian blade from its sheath, readying herself. They
tangled closer, Gideon using his fists and Seumat her claws. In the exchange, Gideon lost his footing and the two ended up on the floor. They rolled, and Sunny moved closer, quietly trying to avoid notice of the succubi engaged in battle all around her.

  The two of them rolled and Seumat ended up on top, slashing Gideon across the face. Sunny ran, grasping Seumat’s red hair and yanking upwards, while her other hand did what Gideon had told her to do.

  Cut the demon’s throat.

  Chapter 36

  The world slowed to a stop when Seumat’s light went out.

  As was the case with the obsidian blade, the wound turned black and the blackness spread quickly--even quicker than before. In a blink of an eye, there was nothing left of the queen of the succubi. Throughout the small shop, the succubi present began to turn to ash and wink into oblivion with her. Had that been expected?

  Moments later, the succubi were all gone inside the shop, but fighting still continued outside. How was it possible? The death of Seumat with the obsidian blade should have taken out her cohorts, too. Plaxo and Nino pulled their little bodies up to the windows and looked outside.

  Gideon had grabbed Sunny’s hand and pulled her along with him as he went to the destroyed doorway and peered out. Sure enough, there was still a battle raging.

  “The tainted,” Gideon said. “Shit.”

  “What?” Sunny asked. “Didn’t we beat her? Why are there still succubi to fight? Why are there so many?”

  “Tainted,” Plaxo said, the misery in his voice evident. It seemed that whatever ace in the hole they’d had lined up hadn’t taken into consideration the fact that the tainted succubi wouldn’t die along with Seumat.

  “Fall back,” Gideon said, his voice tense. “Be ready to run, Sunny. We can’t win this.”

  Her heart fell, and it was all she could do not to let out a cry. Gideon seemed so defeated. So broken. His eyes watered as he watched the dream demons falling to the virus-ridden succubi. Where Seumat had been weakened, the same couldn’t be said for the tainted. They were faster. Stronger. More vicious and killing dream demons quickly.