Hunting Darkness (City of Darkness Book 1)

by Maggie Alabaster

  He wielded the chair at Freya and Kannen as they darted into the room, grabbed Damien's arms and pulled him back toward the door.

  "Move aside and let us get to Juliet," Kannen demanded. "She might be hurt."

  "That's the idea," Haigwood hissed. He waved the chair at Freya, who slashed at it with her sword.

  The clink of steel on aluminium filled my senses like the proverbial nails down a blackboard. I covered my ears and curled up on myself.

  "Stop!" Kannen called out. "It's doing something to her."

  Get Damien clear. I tried to talk, but the thought didn't leave my mouth.

  "Did she say something?" Freya asked. "Her lips moved. Juliet, say it again."

  The blood pounded through my ears, all but obscuring any other sound. I shook my head once, twice, but it made the room spin.

  "We need to get her out of here." Kannen's muffled voice sounded frantic.

  "Malachai said to…"

  Whatever else Freya said, I couldn't hear. With my eyes open a crack, I watched Kannen grab Damien's arm and pull him into the corridor.

  Freya kept Haigwood at the end of her sword, while he swung the chair wildly. Finally, he threw it across the room. It bounced off the wall and narrowly missed hitting him. He didn't seem to notice.

  Freya lowered her sword and helped Kannen with Damien.

  I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the pounding in my head. I had to get up, to keep Haigwood busy while Kannen and Freya got Damien to safety.

  I sucked in a breath and tried to press my hand against the wall behind me. What should be brick, my hand passed right through.

  What the hells?

  I squinted at the wall. It looked solid, but my arm ended at my wrist. I wriggled my fingers to assure myself they were still there. Slowly, I drew my arm back. My hand was still intact, right where I left it.

  I glanced back over my shoulder. Freya and Kannen pulled Damien clear. Haigwood stood with his back to me.

  Between us lay my piece of obsidian.

  Keeping low, I crawled toward it, one eye on it, the other on Haigwood. What was he doing? He was speaking, but I couldn't make out the words over the thunder in my ears.

  I closed the distance between me and the stone. A metre. Half a metre. A quarter.

  I lunged and grabbed it just as Haigwood turned.

  The pounding in my head evaporated.

  "So you see, you won't win because—"

  I didn't stop to listen to whatever he had to say. I leapt to my feet, ran the handful of steps toward it and threw myself right through the wall.

  24

  "You're not supposed to be in here."

  I took a moment to orient myself.

  "What the hells?" I had half expected a private toilet, or perhaps a boudoir. This—this was something else altogether.

  "I see you found my private fun room." Clive stood several metres away, on the opposite side of the room. He looked amused, his eyes clear and intelligent. I almost couldn't believe it was the same person I'd met the night before. "That's fortuitous."

  I shook my head. "Please tell me you're not behind all of this." I waved a hand back toward the wall I'd passed through.

  "Of course I am," he replied. "You didn't really think Haigwood could have managed it, do you? He's nothing but a front, a—a puppet, if you will."

  I cocked my head. "Does he know that?"

  Clive snorted. "Of course not. He's so deeply under my control he hardly knows up from down." He smiled, a nasty look that made me shudder.

  I inched away from the wall in case Haigwood followed me through. "Why are you doing this?"

  He shrugged and stepped around a table covered in a black sheet. A cart beside it contained several syringes filled with a variety of coloured liquids. "Humans are vermin. You've seen how they've responded to the magic I released. With the slightest excuse, they turn feral."

  "Did Stefan know? Was he in on this too?"

  Clive grinned. "Oh no, he knew, but he was trying to figure out who was behind it so he could stop it. Your friend did me a favour there, getting rid of that little interference."

  I bit my lip. The guard had been on our side, but Kannen had killed him? Gods, he was going to be devastated when he found out. Unless… I mentally growled at myself. There was no way Kannen could have been in on this.

  Could he?

  I shook my head. The man I had spent the night cuddled up beside couldn't be a baddie. I was certain I would know.

  I cleared my throat and focused. "You don't like humans, so you set out to make sure we all kill each other, is that it? Where do the shades fit into all of this?"

  Clive picked up a syringe filled with some sort of blue liquid. He tapped the side as a medic would when trying to rid it of air bubbles.

  "What, you didn't care for the sinister touch they gave to the situation?" He eyed me speculatively.

  "Not so much," I replied. "They give me the creeps."

  He chuckled. "Yeah, they do tend to have that effect. Just between you and I, they give me the creeps too. They have their uses though."

  "Like possessing Haigwood?"

  He put down the syringe and pulled a pair of rubber gloves out of a box beside the syringes. "Oh there's no shade possessing him, not really. It's influencing him, but it's not inside him, as such."

  I thought for a moment. "It's inside the stone?" I guessed.

  Clive grinned again. "You are a clever one. I thought you'd figure it out sooner or later. Admittedly, I thought it would take you longer. No matter though, I can work with this." He pulled on one glove, then the other.

  "Whatever you think you're doing—" I took my eyes off him long enough to glance at the wall.

  "Oh don't worry, your friends can't follow you through that. I made sure to seal it after you came in."

  "Why me?" I asked. "The shade came to me. Of all the people in the city, why not warn the police, or the army?"

  "Would they have believed it?"

  "Probably not," I agreed. "It does sound like something from one of those bad tabloid TV shows or magazines. The world is going to end on the thirteenth day of the month. Again. But that doesn't explain why the shade targeted me. Or was it you? Have you been stalking me?"

  "Stalking? Not exactly," he replied. "You are the most successful Demon Hunter in the city. Your fame—or infamy, depending on who you speak to—is widespread amongst the demon community. The more foolish seek you out, as though defeating you would be a badge of honour."

  "I'm flattered," I said dryly. "So you took it upon yourself to beat me?"

  Clive looked surprised. "Oh hells no. I want you to join me."

  I blinked at him twice. "Join—why in the name of hells would I do that? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm human. I need this to resist the curse." I held out my hand; the obsidian rested on my palm. "Also I object to the human race killing itself off."

  "Of course you do, but that's a simple matter. You see, with the right magic, I can make you into a demon. Granted, it's not perfect. I have yet to make the change permanent, but I think this potion will do it." He waved toward the syringes. "Just imagine it. With your strength, cunning and fighting ability, you'll be all but unstoppable."

  "No thanks." I closed my hand. "I like being a human who kills bad demons. And you just jumped to the top of my hit list."

  "Curious that you think you have a choice." He nodded toward a door behind him. I hadn't seen it until now. It swung open and two burly demons stomped inside.

  "You'll need to hold this one for me," Clive instructed. "Like the last one, she doesn't want to cooperate."

  "Last one?" My mouth was dry, but I swallowed. "Damien? He didn't fool us, you just changed him?"

  Clive nodded. "Bingo."

  The two demons closed in on me. I backed up until I touched the wall. He was right, it was sealed.

  "Don't bother shouting either," Clive said, "this room is soundproof."

  I bent to tug my last knife from my boot
, but one of the demons, an ugly brute with a scar down the middle of his nose, flicked it out of my hand, knelt, and scooped it up.

  "Nice work Karl," Clive enthused. "You and Ferdinand bring her over here now, there's a good boy."

  Rather than look pissed off at being spoken to like a dog, Karl beamed. "Thanks, boss."

  As the demons grabbed my arms and dragged me toward Clive, I asked, "Does Haigwood know you're doing this? He does own the place, don't he?"

  "In a manner of speaking," Clive replied. "He owns the building and the bar, but he takes his instruction from me."

  "Willingly?"

  He picked up the blue syringe and uncapped it. "Where would the fun be in that? His permission is irrelevant anyway. If he knew what I was doing, he'd be all for it."

  I squinted at him. "I doubt that. Without humans, the economy will crash. All of his money will be worthless."

  "In the new world we're creating, money will be unnecessary." Clive sounded confident.

  I looked up at Karl. "So, how are you going to get paid?"

  He ignored me.

  "That's what I thought," I replied. "It's all fun and games until you can't buy yourself a beer. Do you want to know what I think? I think you're full of shit. If Haigwood knew, you wouldn't need to control him."

  "You can keep talking if you like. You're only delaying the inevitable."

  "Oh, I am? I'll keep talking then. I could talk all night." I twisted, but both demons held me tight.

  "It's really not as bad as you think," Clive said as he drew closer. "You'll like being a demon. You'll be immune to the curse, and you get to live. Really, being chosen for this is an honour."

  "And yet, I'm still happy to pass."

  At a nod from Clive, Karl pulled up my sleeve. Clive opened a sterilising wipe and swiped it across my skin. Once, twice. It was cold.

  He brought the needle up to my skin. I struggled, but he slid it in and depressed the plunger.

  "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Clive stepped back and dropped the syringe into a yellow container with a hazardous material symbol on the side.

  Karl and Ferdinand let me go then and I retreated a few steps to the side of the room.

  "Do you need a bandaid?" Clive asked. "Or a lollipop?"

  "I need my sword and two minutes alone with you," I growled.

  He clicked his tongue. "Now, now, that's not nice. You'll thank me before too long." He smiled. "I look forward to having a former Demon Hunter as a loyal little minion. Or maybe my mate."

  I grimaced. "I will never be either of those things," I hissed.

  "Oh but you will," he assured me. "We're going to have so much fun. Here, why don't you lie down for a while?" He gestured toward the bed. "The transformation will take a little time, and you'll need your strength for afterward."

  "Fuck off," I replied.

  He shook his head. "Fine. At least sit down, relax. Let it happen." He drew a chair from its place against the wall and pushed it toward me.

  I ignored it and felt around in my pocket for my phone. As I suspected, my screen was shattered. I pressed the power button. Nothing. The phone was dead.

  In disgust, I flung it at Clive.

  He sidestepped and it hit the door with a bang.

  "Better now?" he asked.

  "Not even close." I looked around for a weapon. A knife, a scalpel, anything. All I saw were the syringes. They were unlikely to do anything to any of the demons. Unless it was possible to make them more demonic. That would be unlikely to help me much.

  I grabbed up the tray they lay on, tossed them aside and swung it at Karl.

  He raised a meaty elbow and easily deflected the blow. With his other hand, he snatched the tray and threw it like a frisbee. It narrowly missed hitting Ferdinand in the face, but he ducked at the last moment.

  "Hey, watch out," Ferdinand glowered.

  Karl gave me a thunderous look and I waited for him to retaliate. Instead, he moved away and patted Ferdinand on the shoulder.

  "Sorry, bro."

  Ferdinand gave him a sulky look, but then smiled. "It's okay. Shit happens, right?"

  "Yep. Yep it does." Karl nodded. "Hey boss, do you need us? We should check on Haigwood and the other Demon Hunters."

  "No, I think we should be all right here." Clive gave me a speculative look. "Any moment now." He waved them away. "Off you go now. I'll be out shortly."

  My eyelids became heavy. For the second time in a few minutes, my vision became blurry. The sound of the door opening was muffled. Clive said something, but I couldn't make it out. In the back of my mind, I was aware that the obsidian slipped out of my hand.

  The clatter it made as it hit the linoleum floor made me flinch.

  How was it so loud?

  Then I understood.

  It wasn't loud. It was me.

  I was changing.

  25

  "Juliet?"

  I jammed her hands over her ears. It muffled the voice, but not enough.

  "Juliet, it's me, Freya."

  Why was she shouting? Every word sounded as though it was being blasted over a megaphone.

  "She doesn't want to hear you." Clive's voice was closer, ear-splitting.

  I winced. "Everyone just shut up." Even my own whisper was too loud. I gritted my teeth until my jaw hurt. Please tell me those thuds aren't heartbeats. I would be out of my mind by morning if they were. Maybe I already was.

  If this was a bad dream, I'd really like to wake up now.

  I waited.

  Nothing. It must be real.

  Shit.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  "Don't worry," Clive's tone was condescending rather than soothing, which I assumed he was going for. "This will pass. It's just your senses getting used to being better than your human ones were." Did he have to sound so fucking pleased with himself?

  "Her what?" Freya asked, outraged. "What have you done to her?"

  I opened her eyes and focused on Freya's face.

  How long had the other Demon Hunter had the scar on her cheek? I had never noticed it before. No, I corrected myself. It was all but faded, blended in with the skin around it. I couldn't make it out before. My eyesight was enhanced. I saw every pore, every freckle, every blemish, in stark detail.

  My stomach rolled.

  "He's trying to make her into a demon," Kannen said, undisguised disgust in his voice.

  "There's no trying here," Clive corrected. "She will be a demon. She is a demon. You should be pleased, she's one of us now."

  "I'm not pleased," Kannen replied. "I believe in a little thing called free will. Maybe you've heard of it?"

  Clive waved him off. "A minor detail," he said. "The only reason she didn't choose this is because she didn't know any better. Now she will. She might even convince other humans to do the same."

  "Not a chance." I lowered my hands from my ears. I must be growing accustomed already, sounds no longer hurt. "Everything about this is wrong."

  Clive shrugged. "Then they die. I can't honestly say I care either way. Nor should you. You're better now."

  "I was fine before."

  He sighed. "I know they say ignorance is bliss, but frankly I find it tedious. Just wait. You'll understand soon and then you'll be ecstatic." He crossed his arms and tapped his hand on the opposite elbow.

  I paused. "Thirty seconds later, I'm still pissed off."

  Clive clicked his tongue. "You have to give it longer than that. Believe me, you'll—"

  "What is going on here?"

  Clive dropped his arms at the sound of Haigwood's voice. His face changed to the bland, expressionless mask he wore when I had first seen him. Even his eyes looked glazed. When he spoke, it was in a monotone.

  "Hello, boss, I found these people lurking around in here, where they shouldn't be. They might have been working with Stefan. What do you want me to do with them?"

  Haigwood's eyes, I noted, were back to normal. His stone was still around his neck. He looked confused and s
uspicious.

  "Lurking around in here, you say?" He frowned.

  Had he even known this room was here? Of course, there was a door, he must have. What had he thought was in here then? Perhaps he'd simply been compelled to forget it existed.

  "You're so full of shit," Kannen interrupted. "He's conducting—"

  "Should I kill him, boss?" Clive asked.

  Haigwood peered in Kannen's direction. "You were late for work." Apparently everything that took place in the room next door was forgotten, or he wasn't aware of it to begin with.

  "That's not an offence that attracts the death penalty," Kannen remarked. "At least not in most jobs."

  Freya glanced at him. "What jobs can kill staff if they turn up late?"

  Kannen shrugged. "Bomb disposal?"

  "Ah." Freya nodded. "I suppose that's true. Not in this case though."

  "No," Kannen agreed. "Actually we were thinking of killing Clive instead. Weren't we, Freya?"

  Freya nodded. "That does seem to be the best course of action, yes. Clive is troublesome."

  Haigwood shook his head. "I think perhaps you've had too much to drink. You should leave."

  Clive looked smug.

  I leapt at him, my hands raised, palms forward. I slammed into Clive and drove him back several steps.

  Before he could regain his footing properly, I punched him in the face. Or I would have, if he hadn't ducked with more speed than I would have thought possible.

  I almost went flying from the momentum of my swing. Instead, I dropped to my knees, rolled and got back to my feet. I never moved so swiftly in my life. It might have been exhilarating if not for the artificial nature of my increased speed and agility.

  I twisted my upper body to avoid Clive's fist. While he overreached, I drove a booted foot into his knee.

  He grunted.

  I stepped back long enough to rebalance and drove the heel of my hand into his face. He turned and clamped his teeth down on my fingers.

  I cried out in pain and punched him in the stomach with my other hand. He let go and staggered back.

  "Enough!" Haigwood roared so loud, I shrank back and threw my hands back over my ears.