Demon Hunted

by H. M. Sandlin

  “You’re fine,” he said, putting his arm around me as we got closer to the cabin.

  When we got inside, I told him why I left training early and showed him what my father sent me.

  “I don’t know what he thinks you’ll find that I didn’t.” I stopped talking as Ian flicked his wrist, and multiple vials appeared, hanging on the silk cord.

  “How is that even possible?” I asked. “That isn’t an invisibility spell. I touched every inch of that cord. There was nothing there.”

  “You couldn’t see or feel it until the proper spell was used. I happen to know what spell that is. Now let’s see what your father gave you.” He pulled the vials off the cord and carefully opened each one, frowning more after each vial was opened. When they were all opened he paced across the room.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I think I know what your father wants you to do, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

  “What does he want?”

  “He wants you to summon him. It could be a trap, or he could be trying to help you. There is no way for me to know what he really wants.”

  “So, how do we do it?”

  “We can’t do it here. We have spells in place to keep demons from being summoned inside The Guardianship’s walls.”

  “So we need to leave?”

  “Yes. I can probably get Kellan to let me take you out since we destroyed the demons. The spell isn’t that hard with these ingredients. You’ll need to be the one who does the spell though. You need a familial tie with the person you’re summoning. The herbs your father sent are barely ever used in a summoning spell since most summonings are forcing a being to do what the summoner wants. This time your father is agreeing to be summoned. It makes the spell much easier but also leaves a lot of wiggle room for him to try and get out into the human realm.”

  “So we can do it?” I asked excitedly. I wanted to meet my dad, even if he was a demon.

  “I need to think about the best way to do it first.”

  I jumped on Ian and gave him a big kiss. “Thanks, Ian. I owe you.”

  “That you do,” he said, laughing as I jumped off him. “Now come sit down. I need to rest for tomorrow.”

  It took Ian a few days, but he finally managed to get everything set up for us to call my father. He didn’t tell Kellan the real reason we were going, he wouldn’t approve of it and might even stop us. We practiced the words to the spell every night without magic.

  My first time doing it would be when I summoned my father. Ian decided not to patrol the day we were going to summon my dad. Instead, he made sure we had everything ready. He seemed more nervous than usual, but when I asked him about it he said he was fine, so I dropped it.

  Finally, after he rechecked everything, we left. I was excited and nervous to see my father for the first time. Ian kept reminding me that it could be a trap, and I needed to be careful. We would need to lay the circle carefully and make sure I did every spell correctly.

  Ian would do a bunch of protection spells to be safe. As long as everything went well, I would be able to call my father to this realm for about an hour. Ian wasn’t sure how much time we would actually get though. It depended on the demon being summoned and how much they fought the summoning.

  I was hoping my father could teach me how to use my magic and tell me more about himself and my mom in whatever amount of time we had. I still didn’t like the idea of being part demon, but at least I was getting some answers.

  I watched as The Guardianship’s gates closed behind us. Ian was taking us to a different abandoned warehouse where we could summon my father. It was only a thirty minute drive, but it felt like it took forever. I couldn’t stop fidgeting until Ian reached over and grabbed my hand.

  “It’s going to be ok,” he said.

  “I know, but I’m still nervous.”

  He kept his hand around mine for the rest of the drive and tried to make small talk. I did my best, but he could tell I was too distracted. When we finally pulled up, I was out of the car before he was fully parked.

  “Relax,” he said when he got out of the car. Once inside, he started to lay out various bowls and candles around the room.

  “Why haven’t I ever seen you use these things before ?” I asked.

  “Normally, I don’t. We don’t need these props to cast spells, but when you’re calling a high level demon, it pays to be extra careful. Using these ingredients, we can make sure that everything is done perfectly, and no steps are forgotten.”

  “I really don’t think my father is going to hurt us.” It felt weird calling him father when I still didn’t know him.

  “Neither do I, but what if he isn’t the one who shows up. You never know with demons. They can be tricky, and some are powerful enough to interrupt a magi’s spell and take it over. Then they could show up instead. It’s better if we’re safe.”

  “I know,” I said.

  I remembered Ian telling me this information before, but I forgot in my excitement. Molly barked to get my attention, and I walked over to her. She was standing in front of a bowl of herbs. Ian had told me the names of everything, but I couldn’t seem to remember them.

  “Here,” he said, walking over and picking up the bowl. “Remember, you need to walk in a circle and sprinkle these on the ground while reciting the spell. Do you remember it?”

  “Yes.” He had made me repeat it to him a thousand times over the past couple of days. I could say it in my sleep. This would be the first time I was using my magic with it though.

  I pulled my magic into me and let it fall from my hand as I walked in a circle, sprinkling the herbs and magic. This circle would hold my father. I made another circle around the first one, where I would be. Ian made one last circle around us to keep the whole area protected.

  I pulled the cheat cards out of my pocket and started to say them. It was an ancient spell, and I needed to make sure I got the words right. When I finished, I said my father’s name three times and pushed my magic toward the center of the circle, trying to open a portal for him to travel through.

  Fog streamed into the first circle and started spinning, forming a disk-like shape. I tried to peer through the fog to see the portal opening, but it was so thick I couldn’t see anything. A loud pop completed the spell, and a large demon stepped out of the portal and into the circle. As he looked around, I took a minute to study him.

  He looked almost human except for the horns sticking up from his head. Unlike the other demons whose horns curled around the sides of their faces, his stuck straight up and were much smaller, only a few inches tall. His skin glowed a slightly red color giving him a flushed look, and his eyes were a dark obsidian.

  His gaze rested on me, and he smiled. “Daughter, we finally meet. You’re beautiful even though you have no demon characteristics that I can see. You did a wonderful job on the casting circle. It was very smart to put up extra protections, although you won’t need it for me. I’m not here to hurt you.”

  He looked around and spotted Ian. “You must be Ian,” he said. “Thank you for looking after my daughter. I know you’ll always put her first since she is your mate. I can feel your magic in the circles. She has chosen well.”

  Molly gave a bark and moved forward through all the circles until she was standing next to my father. He looked down at her as she started to huff and whine at him.

  “She says you’re doing this without The Guardianship’s permission. Be careful. They won’t like you going behind their backs. It was the right call though. There are rumors of guardians working with the wrath demons and humans to create chaos here on the human plane.”

  “Who?” Ian asked.

  “I don’t know, but they’re high up in The Guardianship, and they seem to know Serena’s location a lot. It must be someone in your compound. Possibly a council member.” Ian looked away, but not before I saw the harsh set of his face. He didn’t want to believe my father.

  “Dad?” I tried out the word, and he b
eamed.

  “Yes, Daughter.”

  “I need you to answer my questions.”

  “I will if I can.”

  “Do you know what type of magi my mother was? And where she is?”

  “I can’t tell you what type she is. That’s for her to tell you. The last place I heard of her being was in Enchantria. It’s where she met her clan after the goblin wars in her home town. She should still be there.”

  “How do I get there?”

  “You have to be strong enough to open a portal to that realm, and you need to use wild magic.” When I didn’t say anything, he continued. “I assume you have wild magic since that’s what your mother had, but do you have any demon magic?”

  “I don’t know,” I told him honestly. “I’m struggling with my magic. I can do all the easy spells they teach me, but only if I am careful about how much magic I use.”

  “Tell me.”

  I told him about the times I used my magic and how I was able to deal with the demons.

  “You’re able to know how to defeat them because of your demon magic. It’s also causing you to have trouble controlling your wild magic. Both magics are incredibly powerful. You haven’t used your demon magic without using wild magic at the same time, right?”

  “I don’t think so. How would I know?”

  “You would know. Demon magic is very dark. It can be used for good,” he assured me after seeing the look on my face, “but it will always come out as darkness. I think for now you need to work on using your demon magic in very small steps. Many demons don’t use their magic because it’s hard to control, and it can be unpredictable. Demons have a large tolerance for magical attacks though, especially when they’re in the human realm. When we’re summoned to this realm we become stronger and harder to injure. You’re going to need a lot of guardians to keep you safe if you can’t control demon magic.”

  “Will you help me?” I asked.

  “I would love to help you. Before we start, do you have any other questions for me? We don’t have a lot of time left.”

  “How did you meet my mother?” I asked.

  He sighed. “I figured you would ask that question. I was summoned to the human realm by a group of weak wizards. I killed them and stayed here.” I gasped at his frankness, but he ignored it and continued. “I met your mother while I was here, and we fell in love.” He smiled, but it faded quickly. “She never told me she was pregnant.”

  “Why did you leave? Did you stop loving her?”

  “I never stopped loving your mother. Demons can’t stay in the human realm forever. I needed to go back. My demons were running wild. I needed to control them or another demon would take over my territory. Leaving your mother was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but it was necessary. If her family ever found out about us, they would have labeled her a traitor and killed her.”

  “I thought demons were supposed to be awful,” I said.

  “Humans have made demons out to be awful, but really we’re living beings just like them. Some are worse than others. Wrath demons are the worst, they’ll kill anything they think threatens them or just irritates them. That’s why they can’t be allowed to gain control in my realm.”

  “What kind of demon are you?”

  He puffed up his chest before speaking, “I’m a pride demon. We’re the best demons, in my opinion, though some argue lust demons are better.”

  “So I’m part pride demon?”

  “Yes. Have you not noticed that you’re very proud of your accomplishments? Sometimes so much that people think you’re arrogant or rude?”

  “Not really. I kind of stick to myself,” I said, but I could remember a few times when I was really young, my foster family said I always bragged. Maybe that was part of my demon side. I never felt like I was bragging. I was just happy to have done something well.

  “I can see that you know what I’m talking about. We’re prideful at times, but I have learned to control my pride as a high level demon should.”

  I bit my lip to keep from smiling. I could see the pride demon in him when he talked like that.

  “We can talk more another time,” he said. “Right now, we need to practice your magic before our time together runs out. I want to make sure you can protect yourself if you need to. First, let me see what we’re working with. How much demon magic do you have? From what you’ve explained, it should be a lot. Let’s see it.”

  I looked at him blankly, and he glanced at Ian, who shook his head.

  “You can’t access it at all?” he asked, and I looked down. I didn’t want him to be disappointed in me. I felt something tilt my chin up and looked at my dad with rounded eyes. He had used his magic to lift my chin from inside his circle. He shouldn’t have been able to do that.

  He laughed as I sent a panicked glance at Ian. “Don’t worry. I won’t cross the circle. I don’t have time to stay in the human realm, either. Not with a war brewing. Now, let’s start with this. Feel my magic,” he said, sending his magic out to me again. “Use your powers to pull my magic into you. Close your eyes and open yourself up to only my magic. Don’t let the wild magic in.”

  I did as instructed and felt out his magic. It felt similar to mine when I was fighting the demons. I pulled it into me and let it swirl around, trying to find my own demon magic. I felt a small click when his magic found mine, and they merged. Dark magic filled me quickly, and I opened my eyes in surprise.

  “The first time can be quite shocking. It’s different than wild magic. I shared magic with your mother once, so I know the difference you’re experiencing. Demon magic is colder and darker.”

  He was right. My wild magic made me feel alive and almost sparkly. This magic was like the night sky, but it wasn’t cold. Instead, it felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff with the ocean below me and a storm coming in. It was raw and savage but beautiful. I loved it immediately. I couldn’t cut the flow off like I did with my wild magic. The demon magic filled me up and then stopped, not trying to burst out of me.

  “You have it now,” my father said proudly. “And on your first attempt. You’re a natural.” I beamed back at him, glad for the praise. “Now, take that magic and push it at me gently.”

  He coached me through letting my magic leave me and pulling it back in. After a few tries, he asked me to douse all the lights in the room. “Demon magic is the opposite of light magic. It does its best work in the dark.” I used my magic to find every light and extinguished them, jumping when my father clapped proudly. “That was wonderful.”

  “Thanks,” I said softly. “Can I put them back on now though? I can’t see.”

  “Not yet. Here is a spell so you can see in the dark.” He taught me the spell, and everything brightened around me. It was like looking around at dusk. I turned to Ian, who was staring right at me.

  “How can you see?” I asked, startled.

  “Haven’t you explained what you are and what gifts you have?” my father asked him.

  “Not completely. She isn’t ready yet.”

  “Yes, she is. You mated her. She doesn’t even know what that means. If you don’t tell her, I will.” Ian bristled but gave a curt nod.

  I wanted to know more, but my father spoke and took my attention off Ian. He taught me a few other simple spells but then stopped abruptly.

  “It’s time for me to go,” he said. “You have enough ingredients for another summoning. Come back soon.” His magic formed around me in an unmistakable hug, and then he disappeared. Ian walked up to me as the circle dissipated.

  “Are you ok?” he asked.

  “Yes. I wish we had more time together. I think I like him, and he helped me a lot.”

  “This was a good idea.”

  “What did he mean about you, Ian? I haven’t wanted to press you about it, but I think I have a right to know.”

  Ian started collecting our supplies as he talked. I could tell he needed something to do with his hands while we had this conversation. I had neve
r seen him so out of sorts, which made me nervous. Maybe there was more to the mating than I thought.

  “You already know I’m a shifter. All shifters have a pack. There are many different types of shifters in each pack. Sometimes we mate within our packs, and sometimes we mate with someone from a different pack. But we always mate with another shifter.”

  “But I’m not a shifter,” I squeaked.

  “We don’t know what you are yet,” he told me gently. “Your mom could be a shifter. Some shifters leave their packs to become guardians, but we’re still bound by pack rules. When I claimed you, I may have broken them.”

  “How?”

  “If you aren’t a shifter, then my claim for you won’t stand under pack law.”

  “I can tell there’s something else.”

  “I can never take another mate. Once you claim a mate, it’s set in stone. I can never love someone else.”

  “As in you don’t want to or can’t?”

  “Can’t. It’s magic meant to keep our population from becoming too large. Once you claim a mate, you can only love them and produce children with them.”

  “Could you be wrong about me?”

  “It has happened before, one shifter rejects the other, or they grow apart as the years go by, but it’s rare. I know you’re my mate,” he said gently. “I can feel it in every fiber of my being. All I want is to be next to you. When I’m away from you, it feels as if a part of me is missing.”

  I had the same reaction every time he left me, but I hadn’t said anything because it made me feel a little crazy. I felt better knowing it was the same for him.

  “So how does this mate thing work. Do I have to claim you too?”

  “Not until we know who you are, and I don’t want you to do it until you’re sure. As long as you don’t claim me, you may find yourself another mate.”

  “I don’t want another mate, but I also don’t want to be tied down to anyone. I’m still trying to cope with what’s happening to me.”

  “I know. I didn’t want to claim you so fast, but the council left me no choice. Someone is gunning for you. I think I know who, but there’s nothing I can do about it yet. Claiming you forced the council to offer protection to you too. All mates are given the same protections and privileges as their guardian mate, whether they become a guardian themselves or not. I’m sorry I claimed you like that without talking to you first.”