Hunger (Witches of the Big Easy Book 2)

by Ts McKinney

  “No doubt they caught him when he was vulnerable,” Julian answered as he joined Valen and me. “It was over a century ago that I first felt his presence. After that, they kept him cloaked so he couldn’t be found.” He looked around the cluttered room. “You’re right, Gabriel, these warlocks weren’t capable of handling him on their own. They’ve had assistance.”

  Worry nibbled at my heart when I glanced around the room and didn’t see Marchand. “Where is he?”

  A look of sadness crept across Julian’s face. “We were in the bedroom, searching for more packets of blood. He asked me to leave him alone.” With a growl, I moved in that direction, but Julian stopped me by placing his hand on my chest. “Bad things happened to my child in that room, Gabriel. Dark magic swirled in every corner but focused on the bed. He’s ashamed and needs time to heal from the mental damage of that darkness and those memories.” He took a deep breath. “He doesn’t want you in there, doesn’t want you to see the magic they used against him or what they made him do.”

  “He needs me,” I countered. “There’s nothing for him to be ashamed of. They used dark magic on him while he was helpless, for fuck’s sake!”

  Valen tilted his head and sniffed the air then a string of curse words spat from his mouth. “We have bigger problems than any of that right now.” He looked at me and said, “Go get your man and wrap him in the strongest protective spell you can weave.”

  Julian sniffed the air, as well. “Fuck…demons. Goddammit, I fucking hate demons.”

  I raced down the hall, building the spell with my hands with each step. As I rounded the corner, I blasted Marchand with the magic before he could even turn to look in my direction. “Come, Marchand! Now! Demons are getting close.”

  “Nooooo,” a voice hissed in my ear. “Demons are here.”

  I blasted him through a wall with my power and grabbed Marchand’s hand, pushing him behind me but holding tight as I propelled us back to Julian and Valen. “They’re here. It’s too late to run.”

  As far as I knew and according to legend, demons hadn’t been seen in the Quarter for more than five hundred centuries, but there was no point wondering why they were here now…they were after Marchand. They’d must have been the stronger entity that had assisted the Gemini coven. Hell, according to legend, they were stronger than any other supernatural creature that walked the earth. Only one thing prevented them from taking over—they were very susceptible to religious artifacts. A cross would stop them in their tracks and holy water could obliterate a whole tribe. The only problem was we didn’t have any of that here in this apartment. I kept all of my weapons at my home. Except for the nice, long Athame I had strapped to my leg.

  The three of us formed a circle, placing Marchand, much to his dismay, in the middle. Julian and I might not see eye to eye on, well, anything, really…except ensuring the safety of Marchand. “How well do vampires battle against demons?” I asked as we waited for them to enter the apartment. Their stench surrounded us.

  “There’s six of them,” Marchand said quietly. “I can sense them.” He tried to push through my magic but a pleading look from me caused him to back down. “I can help fight, Gabriel. I’m the one they’re after. I can’t allow the three of you to die trying to protect me. Think about it. If they’re able to defeat the three of you, they’ll take me anyway. At least allow me to try and defend myself.”

  Julian growled. “Stay within our circle, young one.”

  “Please, Poppet,” he implored. “Let me help.”

  Glass shattered and the six demons Marchand had sensed crashed into the room. In an instant, they’d surrounded us. I’d never actually seen one before except in books—they were monsters.

  Maybe I should have allowed Nic to come back to help after all.

  The larger demon stepped forward. He was an intimidating creature, standing well over eight feet tall—even taller if you counted the step of curved horns that extended out of his forehead and pointed upward. Scales covered every visible inch of his body and a long tail slithered around his waist, the end of it twitching like a cat’s…or a rattlesnake’s. I’d seen pictures in the Législateurs’s grimoire and knew that wings, large and menacing, extended from their backs during battle. Some of them had long, forked tongues which made a hissing sound when they spoke.

  “Good morning,” he said pleasantly and incongruously enough with a slight lisp—probably from the forked tongue. “We’d prefer there not be any bloodshed here today, but we’ve been sent to retrieve the Demon Master’s pet. If you would be so kind as to hand him over, we’ll consider letting the rest of you live.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “If not, well, things will end the same—we’ll take the pet but the three of you will be dead.” His eyes landed on Julian. “You’ve lived a long time Julian Montague; don’t throw away a good thing for something that doesn’t truly belong to you. Don’t let his smell fool you, you are not his sire.”

  “Go fuck yourself,” I hissed at the demon, not even giving Julian a chance to respond. If the bastard vampire ran from this fight, from his vow to protect Marchand, I’d return from the grave to destroy him if that’s what it fucking took!

  “Oh, a witch,” the demon purred. “The Législateur. Aren’t you going to be in such trouble with the other Législateurs for being a naughty boy and sullying your integrity by associating with vampires and demons.” He made a tsking sound. “Maybe I should do you a favor and end your existence, regardless of whether you want to hand Marchand over or not.”

  I pulled out my Athame with one hand while my other hand blazed with magic. “You’re welcome to try.”

  *****

  Marchand

  I watched in horror as the battle to save my life began with the demon using his long tail to knock Gabriel’s Athame from his hand before he could do any damage with the ceremonial knife. The ball of magic that my lover flung at him barely knocked him back a step. He laughed. The fucking bastard laughed at Gabriel’s attack. Then, like the coward he must be, he stepped away from the fight and motioned for the other demons to attack.

  And…attack, they did. Gabriel flung magic in every direction, damaging the demons but not hurting them nearly enough to do more than slow their attack on them. He rolled to retrieve his ceremonial knife and plunged it into one of the demons. The stench of demon blood filled the air as Julian and Valen joined the battle, clawing and ripping at the demons. In a moment of madness, I stared at the glorious sight of them as they turned their fury loose on their foes.

  My vampire nature wanted to join the fight, to taste the blood of the dark creatures. Because I instinctively knew it would hold power—power I could suck from them and use against them. My fangs extended and my fingers formed claws. Shit, that was a new one. The bloodlust consumed me, begged me to break through Gabriel’s magic so I could revel in what looked like would be our victory.

  Gabriel’s domination over me held me back, though. My desire to please him kept me from ripping the magic away.

  Again and again, Gabriel pushed magic through his arms, knocking the demons to the ground. No sooner than they would drop to their knees, either Julian or Valen would be on them, ripping them apart. There wasn’t a spot in the room not covered with blood, mostly demon but some belonged to my vampires. They were winning the battle, but it was at a heavy price. Long gashes covered their bodies and blood gushed from them. More wounds would surface before the old ones could heal. Yet…they continued to fight.

  Both pride and love roared through my body. Searching the darkest corners of my mind, I tried to find a hint of when anyone had ever cared for me so much before. I couldn’t find the first memory. I’d been used my entire life, not loved.

  I wanted to cheer when the last fighting demon fell beneath Julian, his horned head going in one direction and his scaly body in the other. Julian roared in victory and I felt his triumph flow in my veins. Regardless of what the demon lord had insinuated, Julian was my sire. My blood told me so.

  Unf
ortunately, our wave of victory didn’t last long. The demon that had spoken to us first, the bigger one that had been leaning nonchalantly against one of the walls, slowly started to clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. “Excellent job, boys! Very impressive, indeed.” He slid away from the wall and walked toward us. His long tail swished with each step. “Are you weary, though? Did the battle take much out of you?” He laughed. “I hope not because those was only the first wave.” He waved his hand and ten more demons either charged into the room or dropped through the ceiling. “This isn’t a battle you can win. Give me the pet.”

  “Stop calling him that!” Gabriel roared in fury.

  The demon held up his hands in a gesture of innocence. “Don’t throw that magical rage at me, Législateur. He isn’t my pet. I’m merely here to retrieve him for the Demon Master. He was promised to him centuries ago, and he’s ready to make his claim.” His black eyes darted toward me. “He’s going to be most pleased with you, Marchand. You grew up to be such a beauty. He’ll have great fun with your lovely body.”

  Julian’s voice entered my head, speaking to me without using words. “Run, young one. As soon as I make my move, use your vampire speed and run. Go back to Gabriel’s hotel or my compound. Your vampire senses will lead you there.” I watched a tear stream down his face. “Take sanctuary somewhere, my child. Demons are evil creatures. I’d rather you be dead than fall into their hands.”

  “No,” I whispered out loud.

  He turned to look at me then, his eyes meeting mine and reaching into my soul. I knew that even without him saying the words aloud, he was using his compulsion on me. As my sire, it was something he could obviously do, because my head was telling me I was about to run…even when my heart was begging me not to.

  “When I make my move, you leave us.”

  I looked toward Gabriel for help, but he nodded at me. “Do as your sire says, Darkness. I love you—loved you from the very beginning.”

  The demon laughed again. “You three are hilarious. I know you’re compelling him to run, Montague, but do you really think I would have left an opening for his escape? My Demon Master is a demanding taskmaster. I would never fail him.”

  Julian leapt toward the demon.

  And I ran.

  Chapter Six

  Gabriel

  The second I saw Julian leap toward the master demon, I blasted it with magic. I was exhausted and therefore weak—weaker than I’d ever been, but I pushed forward, pushed with all my strength, because Marchand’s freedom was at stake. After fighting the five younger demons and nearly losing, I knew that the three of us didn’t have a chance against the team surrounding us. All we had to do, our only goal, was to give Marchand time to get to safety. I refused to accept what the demon had threatened, refused to believe that Marchand didn’t have a chance of escape.

  We fought, the three of us battled like we’d fought together our entire lives. Julian and Valen ripped and clawed. I blasted with magic. It was a bloody battle…that we were clearly losing. It wasn’t hard to see that they were toying with us. We’d only taken out one demon and each of us were bloodied and damaged. My magic had stopped healing my wounds. Julian and Valen weren’t any better. We were fading.

  Fast.

  When Valen dropped to his knees and one of the demons wrapped his tail around his neck, Julian roared with fury. He clawed at the tail slicing through Valen’s neck. I knew the demon could have ripped his head off with a flex of his tail, but he drew it out, wanting all of us to suffer. Valen looked at Julian, his pale blue eyes saying what his voice was unable to. His eyes said he loved him, that he’d see him again in the next life. I flung magic, but it bounced off the demon like I was nothing more than a flea biting at him. It annoyed him, nothing more.

  The chief demon screamed for the demon to finish it—to stop with the torture. For the merest of seconds, I thought he might have had a spot of compassion but quickly dismissed the idea. This was the creature that brought this upon us. He was the creature determined to capture Marchand and hand-deliver him to a Demon Master. With my magic practically spent, I sent what was left at the demon’s tail.

  Nothing.

  My magic had no impact on Valen’s obvious fate.

  The demon destroying Julian’s lover roared with glee and flexed his tail. The motion should have removed Valen’s head, destroying the ancient vampire as his lover watched. It didn’t happen that way, though. One second, the demon was set to destroy Valen and in the next, his own head flew across the room, removed from his body by the tip of a wing. Shocked, I looked up to see that another creature had entered the battle. He wasn’t overly large, the same size as I was and the vampires were, but he was nothing short of stunning. He had long, almost white hair and the body of a man, but huge black wings extended from his back. When he flexed them, they had to span at least twelve feet across the room.

  Things appeared to move in slow motion as the new creature attacked the demons with a display of power none of the rest of us had still possessed. Systematically, he destroyed one demon and then another. The dark creatures managed to swipe him a few times across the chest but, other than that, he was…superior. In a much shorter time than it had taken the three of us to destroy the first set of demons, this creature annihilated each and every demon that dared to confront him. I watched, in amazement, as he tore them apart. If this creature turned on us, we wouldn’t have a chance of survival. Hell, we hadn’t had a chance of survival with the demons, much less with whatever this was.

  His wings, inky black and looking more like extended spikes instead of fluffy wings, cut through the room with enough force that I felt my hair flutter with the movement of air. Julian, now holding a weak Valen against his chest, watched as well…watched in awe. When every demon in the room was destroyed, the man whipped around to face us. His face was etched with what looked to be fear. “Where is he?” he demanded. “Where’s Marchand?

  Was this the Demon Master? Was this the creature that referred to Marchand as his pet? Fear for my lover spiked through my heart and his gaze settled on me. He stalked in my direction. “You! You smell of him. What have you done with Marchand?”

  Even with my magic depleted and facing an adversary so obviously stronger than myself, I refused to bow to his demands. The longer we stalled, the more time Marchand had to put distance between himself and those who wanted him. I glared at the man but refused to respond. His wings rippled in fury. “Where. Is. He?”

  I raised my head in defiance and an odd scent tickled my nose. I sniffed again, trying to determine where I’d sensed it before. It was sweet. Heavenly, almost. It was the smell that had been mixed with Marchand’s vampire blood—that sultry sweetness that had lured me into believing he was something other than a vampire.

  “Who are you and what do you want with him?” I demanded. With every second that passed, my magic and the vampire’s strength returned. Time. We needed more time.

  “Don’t play games with me, witch. Marchand is in danger. Only I can protect him. Tell me, where has he run to?” He took a step closer and pushed his wings even wider. They quivered in fury…but I could also smell his fear.

  Julian’s strength returned and he moved across the room, his vampire speed making him appear to be nothing more than a blur. It didn’t matter. The creature, still focused on me, reached behind him and wrapped his hand around Julian’s throat, halting him in mid attack. Julian’s felt dangled from the ground. With his other hand, he grabbed my throat and lifted me into the air. Without any effort at all, he held both Julian and me captive in his grasp, dangling us in the air.

  Helpless.

  Useless to Marchand.

  Valen appeared before the creature and said, “Release them, angel. We’re all on the same side but as we fight one another, the demons are rallying to find him!”

  Angel? This creature was an angel?

  His wings, inky black as a moonless night, fluttered in irritation. His weapons, now stained with demon blood, littered th
e floor around us. He literally growled with each breath. All the pictures of angels I’d ever seen had them with beautiful white wings. Of course, I knew zero about angels—there rarely left their heavenly realm.

  Shit, unless they were fallen.

  Yep, he looked like a fallen angel.

  Without any courtesy whatsoever, he dropped me and Julian. Because of his vampire grace, Julian landed on his feet. I landed on my ass. Impressive.

  “Where did you send him, vampire?” The angel asked Julian, the frustration in his voice barely under control.

  “He went back to my home,” I answered for Julian as I stood up. “Where he belongs.” He needed to back his shit down. It didn’t take any magical gifts to see he was trying to shut me out of the entire situation. He was wasting his fucking time with that one. Marchand was mine. Hell, I’d be crazy worrying right now but knew there had been plenty of time for Marchand to make it back to the sanctuary of my apartment while the angel had fought and destroyed the attacking demons.

  I looked around the room, noting the body parts that were already beginning to decay. Before an hour passed, there would be nothing left of them—no visible evidence of their existence. I frowned…counting. “Julian, there’s one missing! Where’s their leader?” My gaze whipped around the room, hoping I was mistaken. Dread seeped into my body and then morphed into full blown terror. I pulled what magic I’d recovered in the last few minutes and transported myself to my apartment. Within seconds Julian, Valen, and the angel were standing next to me. We all felt the emptiness.