Dearest Mother of Mine (Overworld Chronicles) Page 31

  I stood stunned, unable to move at the sight of the monster. What in the hell could we do against something like that? It looked at least as tall as the mansion, flames licking from between the cracks in its rocky volcanic flesh. I'd seen a demon when I was little. Scary as it was, it had looked nothing like this. A crude iron chain encircled the monster's neck, the end hanging loose across its chest.

  "What do we do against that thing?" Shelton said.

  I had no answer.

  Another thud rocked the house. The place had to be enchanted to hold up against the pounding, because I didn't think for a minute a normal house would remain standing from such a beating. The house had once belonged to Ezzek Moore and the Arcane Council long ago. They must have prepared it to withstand attacks, but against something like this?

  I looked at Elyssa. She looked as out of ideas as I was.

  You're part demon. Think of something!

  Demons didn't just come knocking. They had to be summoned. That meant there must be a summoning rune nearby. When I'd seen a demon as a child, I'd somehow spoken to it. That one had been summoned using a piece of plywood studded with nails and patterned with wire. An aether generator had activated it. Turning off the power had closed the summoning portal and sent it home. I doubted the brotherhood used such a thing. They'd probably spent time crafting the rune, maybe in the earth outside. If we could close it, we could banish the demon. But how could we accomplish that with battle mages waiting outside?

  I took a quick headcount as the floor shook again. We didn't have nearly enough people to handle this thing. The best bet would be a hasty retreat through the portal downstairs. I sucked in a breath as an idea came to me.

  "Elyssa, how fast can your father assemble a team?"

  "Immediately," she said.

  "Shelton, open the portal to the Templar compound. Elyssa, call your father. Tell him we need reinforcements. Bring them through the portal to the mansion then open the portal behind the attackers so the Templars can flank them."

  Elyssa whipped out her phone and dialed. Shelton gave me a look as if he thought I was out of my mind. I probably was, but this place was home now, dammit, and I wasn't going to stand for this.

  "Go!" I roared at Shelton.

  He and Elyssa booked it out of there, heading to the cellar stairs.

  I turned to Stacey. "Do you think we could get some moggies to help us?" She could turn ordinary felines into monstrous cats, but I didn't know how long it would take.

  "I already have several here in the wine cellar," she said. "I thought they might be useful considering how much trouble you attract."

  "How many?"

  "A dozen. I can ask for volunteers, and morph perhaps two or three more, but it will take at least twenty minutes for each one, and all my effort." Her gaze settled on me. "I will be unable to fight."

  "Do it. Ask your moggies to clear the area behind the mansion first."

  Woods surrounded the house, and I had no doubt the battle mages were waiting for us to emerge. Dusk loomed outside, making the monstrosity slamming the house glow like a bonfire.

  Stacey blurred from the room, taking the other staircase down to the wine cellar beneath the kitchen.

  "Bella, if I wipe out the summoning rune, will that banish the demon?"

  "No, it will unleash the demon from its controllers. You need the name to banish it." She bit her lip, apparently thinking hard. "However, a demon like this won't be able to keep its corporeal form for long before returning back to the demon realm. It requires the summoners to constantly fuel it with aether to remain. If we disrupt them, it will only be a matter of time before its body disintegrates, and its spirit returns."

  "Does the summoning rune need to be near the demon?"

  "It must be close. They probably used an area nearby in the woods. The demon is chained to its proximity."

  "A tether?"

  She nodded.

  I flicked into incubus sight, extending my senses. Against my better judgment, I went closer to the window, and saw aether pouring into the giant creature. I followed the funnel of energy with my eyes, spotting an area behind splintered trees where the ground glowed a sullen red. The summoning rune.

  My phone rang. I answered.

  "Justin, we have a squad of thirty arriving in five minutes," Elyssa said. "My father said he has demon specialists on the way, but it could be ten minutes or more."

  "Get the first wave through, and send them into flanking positions outside," I said.

  "Got it." She disconnected.

  How had Kassus gotten beneath our guard? What had happened with Lornicus's early warning system? There was no time to think about it. I had to do something. Reaching inside, I lowered the barrier between me and the demon half of my soul. It rushed out. I felt its senses perk and alight on the creature outside. A feeling of sheer rage suffused me.

  How dare you invade!

  Apparently, my demon half wasn't pleased at all. For once, I agreed. My body surged, muscles coiling around my arms and legs. My jeans stretched and tore. I felt my tail lash behind me like a whip, and horns burst from my forehead. My t-shirt ripped as chest and back muscles swelled. The ground fell beneath me, beast mode stretching my frame over a foot taller. My body stabilized. By the reflection of a broken wall mirror, I saw blue flames ignite in my eyes.

  Kick ass.

  I might not be as big as the thing outside, but I might be able to distract it. Turning, I dashed upstairs, simultaneously slamming shut the barrier between me and my demonic side, preventing it from consuming my remaining control. Even in such an emergency, I didn't want that to happen. I would grow even larger, berserk, and attack friend and enemy alike.

  I ran out to the balcony where Elyssa and I had enjoyed our breakfast, and stood nearly eye-to-eye with the infernal beast. Unfamiliar words tore from my throat in the guttural language of the demons. I understood them, even if I couldn't repeat them. You face your destroyer!

  That got the demon's attention. Eyes like burning meteors focused on me. A giant, clawed fist the size of my body raked at me. I blurred to the side. The patio furniture splintered. A wave of heat rushed past my face. I picked up a large potted tree in the corner and flung it at the demon. The clay pot shattered. Dirt rained down the creature's face. The poor tree burst into flame and fell to the ground.

  It struck again. I dodged to the side. Heat washed against my body, singing my clothes, but not affecting my skin. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a second set of claws sweep toward me from the left. I tried to jump too late. The impact crushed the air from my lungs. I flew sideways. I felt branches raking my body. My hand snatched the top of a pine tree. The thin bough cracked and broke from the strain.

  My clawed toenails dug into the trunk, and my tail wrapped around the tree on pure instinct. I sucked in a breath. The odor of brimstone filled my nostrils. The creature lumbered toward me, straining before jerking to a halt at the edge of the house and roaring displeasure. Its claws splintered nearby trees, narrowly missing me. The thing must have reached the end of its tether.

  "Suck it!" I yelled in my deep demon voice.

  A bolt of light speared past, narrowly missing my shoulder. I looked down to see a battle mage aiming his staff. Something swift, large, and studded with bony spines leapt from the shadows. The man screamed as a moggie the size of a grizzly bear took him in the throat, the cat's jaws crunching on flesh and bone.

  I winced.

  I felt another wave of heat as the demon swiped at me again. I had it distracted for now, but would it be long enough? I looked at the ground for more danger and spotted two men in an area of the woods cleared of brush. A complex pattern glowed against the bedrock. The men held up staffs, slammed them into the ground. The pattern burst into blue flame. A basso roar detonated the air. I slammed hands over my ears as the sound assaulted my super hearing.

  A brilliant light flashed, and a creature spun in a vortex from the ground, icy blue fire flickering like lightning. I
ts torso looked almost human but everything below the waist swirled like a tornado. Icy claws gleamed. Heavily muscled arms tensed. Three glowing eyes regarded me from an otherwise perfectly smooth and featureless face.

  I am so screwed.

  My demon half seemed to agree.

  The monster made a sound like a deep sad sigh. Its hands rushed together to crush me between them. I leaned back hard, pulling the limber tree back away as the hands clapped together. The shockwave propelled the tree toward the house. I leapt just as the fire demon surged for me. Its talons grazed my leg and I spun out of control, crashing hard on the roof, skidding along the top and to the crest.

  My claws scraped the surface and caught on the peak of the house. The ice demon loosed a deep undulating sigh at its fiery sibling and slashed at it. I saw the summoners struggling, eyes squeezed shut as they seemed to pull on an invisible chain. The ice demon flinched, bellowed at the sky. I had to stop those men. Against one demon, it was all I could do to evade death. Against two—well I had better odds beating Bella at Scrabble.

  I stood and saw a shimmer as a portal opened just beyond the trees on the road. Black-clad Templars poured from within, spreading out, and running until I lost sight of them in the tree line. I heard a whoosh. Something slammed into my back. I smelled burning cloth as I slid face-first down the roof straight toward the gaping maw of the fire demon. The ice creature lunged for me. I pushed my hands against the roof, flinging myself in the air at the last minute, flipping upside down. Time seemed to slow. I saw the ice demon's claw swiping for me. Saw the fire demon's gaping maw opening to swallow me. The sky came into view. My back slammed onto something hard, and time flickered back to normal. Searing heat crackled into my flesh. My hand caught on a fiery horn just before I slid off the head of the fire demon. I twisted, trying to ignore the furnace boiling against my skin, and gained my feet.

  A roar ripped from my throat. I gripped the horn and jerked. The volcanic flesh around the base cracked. My tail wrapped around the other horn. Ignoring the sizzling of my own flesh, I bellowed and jerked on the first horn with both hands. The horn tore loose, blood like lava dripping from the root. The fire demon screamed and swiped at me. Jerking hard, my tail instinctually whisked me backward. The creature's fist slammed its own head. My feet lost purchase, and I dangled upside down by my tail. I saw the ice demon's blank face. It lunged for me, claws whistling through the air. Somehow, I pushed off the fire demon's face with one hand, swinging away just in time. The ice monster's blow caught its sibling in the top of the head. Rocky flesh crumbled away, revealing glowing orange lava beneath.

  Still hanging on with my tail, I planted my feet against the fire demon's head and swung myself around the remaining horn. At the peak, I jumped, reversed the grip on the uprooted horn, and drove the point into his left eye. Orange fluid jetted from the burst orb. In my peripheral vision, I saw blue claws swinging toward me. Gripping the fire demon's remaining horn with both hands, I jerked hard, baring the monster's face.

  Icy blue claws gouged chunks from its face.

  The fire demon had apparently had enough. Ceasing its attempts to grab me, it gripped its fellow monster by the throat and slammed it against the side of the mansion. Steam hissed as ice and fire came into contact. The mansion's stone façade could take no more and cracked. As the demons fought, I leapt to the deck, my feet crushing a table beneath me.

  Remembering the effort the demon summoners had put into keeping the ice demon from beating on its comrade, I knew the fire demon controllers must be struggling with their monster right about now. I climbed to the roof and raced along it. At the far end, I leapt to a tree, dug my claws into the wood, and slid down, shedding bark and drawing deep gouges. I hit the ground in front of a startled battle mage. He fired a stream of blue orbs at me. I ducked and rolled beneath. Came up beneath the man and hit him with an uppercut.

  Bones crunched and his body flew up about twenty feet before thudding back to earth in a lifeless heap. I had no time to feel guilt as a beam of light splintered a nearby tree. A moggie streaked past me, taking the attacker down in a flurry of claws, fangs, and a spray of blood. A wave of screaming energy from an unseen attacker ripped into the giant cat, shredding its flesh like moldy cloth. Dark blood spurted from the feline as the death wave ripped through it. The moggie made a horrific mewling sound before collapsing.

  Pro tip: Stay out of the way of those death waves.

  I dodged through trees, found another man hiding, and bashed his head against a stump. Ahead, I saw the demon summoners, teeth clenched, eyes squeezed shut as they fought to regain control. I picked up a nearby log a few feet in length, and hurled it at the man on the left. It slammed into his chest, knocking him backward into the brush. The other man's eyes flashed wide, and he screamed. A ring of energy from the summoning rune pulsed outward, cleaving trees, and slicing the man in half like deli ham.

  Flicking into incubus sight, I watched as the glowing tether crackled with energy. The rune might hold the demon from wandering far, but no one controlled it now. A bellow rose from the direction of the house. I looked in time to see the two demons clawing at each other with raw abandon, everything else forgotten. Lightning flashed from the vortex beneath the ice demon, spraying shards of volcanic flesh from the fire demon through the air.

  Templars appeared from the trees, lancers and swords at the ready. They saw me, but thankfully seemed to know I wasn't a threat—just a demon boy in the most ragged jeans a designer could ever hope to fashion. A beefy figure appeared and touched his neck. The mask peeled down his face, vanishing to reveal the square jaw and piercing violet eyes of Michael Borathen.

  "We incapacitated the summoners on the other side," he said. "We have to hope the demons engage each other until their power runs out and banishes them."

  "Sir," said a female voice from one of the Templars, her face hidden behind the mask. "Exorcists are on the way. They should be able to control the demons until they expire."

  Michael nodded, sparing words as usual.

  My shoulders sagged with relief. I suddenly felt so very tired. But I also felt safe enough to push back my own demon, shrinking down to my relatively diminutive six feet. Michael tossed me a black belt from within his pack. I secured it around my waist with one hand, and touched the hem. Nightingale armor flowed down my legs beneath the jeans, and I tore off the ragged remains with a grunt, letting them fall to the ground after retrieving my phone from a pocket. Maybe they'd be useful in a Paris fashion show, but I was done with them.

  "Where are the captured mages?" I asked, my mind suddenly flicking to the mastermind behind this assault. "Is Maulin Kassus here?"

  "I don't know," Michael said. "The OPFORs fled when we engaged. Some escaped."

  "No, he's got to be here," I said. "He's got to!"

  I raced through the woods, looking at the scattered bodies of brotherhood members. I found a gaggle of bound and unconscious battle mages in a makeshift Templar holding area. It only took me a minute to realize Kassus wasn't among them.

  Exorcists—apparently a division of the Templars designated to counter demon threats—appeared moments later. They contained the raging demons by draining the power from the runes until the monsters howled and collapsed, their bodies crumbling to elemental forms, as their demon spirits were sucked back into the demon realm.

  Despite my exhaustion, I combed the woods, looking and hoping to find the man responsible. Elyssa found me, took me by the arm, and directed me back to the house. I was too weak to resist her. As night settled in, Michael came inside and reported.

  "Maulin Kassus isn't here," he said. "He must have escaped."

  "No, no, no," I groaned, feebly attempting to pound the table. The world blurred, and I slumped, fatigue weighing heavy in every inch of my body.

  "Justin, you need to feed," Elyssa said. "Please."

  Fighting back useless anger, I nodded. It was over. We had won.

  But we had also lost.

  Chapter
37

  It took all my effort not to drain Elyssa. Her shoulders shuddered as she fought the sexual urges caused by my voracious feeding. Despite the still-clawing hunger, I stopped, afraid I would hurt her.

  "Are you better?" she asked, panting, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

  I managed a nod, and must have fallen asleep right after.

  I jerked awake. Looked wildly around the room, and found Elyssa sleeping next to me. Daylight streamed through the window. I was famished in more ways than one, my stomach growling for food, and my demon snapping for sustenance. I didn't dare feed from Elyssa. Her face looked too pale for her fair skin. She must have been exhausted when she offered herself to me last night. I'd drained her too much. My stomach knotted as I kissed her forehead.

  She moaned and continued to sleep. Ordinarily, she would have sprung awake. She needed blood. I ran downstairs, fetched some blood packs and boiled eggs from the refrigerator. Upstairs, I sat next to Elyssa, nomming on eggs and waiting. She stirred. Blinked sleep from her eyes.

  "Justin?" she asked in a weak voice.

  I pulled the tab on a blood pack to heat it up. Propping her up with my hand, I held it to her mouth. Her nostrils flared. Fangs protruded from behind her lips. She grabbed the pack and drained it. I opened the other one and handed it to her. This one she sucked on in a more controlled manner.

  "You know how to make a girl feel good," she said with a smile, licking blood from her full lips. "I was too tired to move last night."

  "It's my fault," I said. "I took too much from you."

  She smiled, caressing my jaw with her hand. "Anything for you, my hero."

  "Are you bound by an oath not to feed from people?" I asked. She usually refused when I tried to return the favor.

  Her eyes went distant. "I used to think it was evil. Then again, I used to think a lot of things were evil before I met you." A smile graced her face.