Demonsense (Demonsense series Book 1) (26 page)

Justice and Scanlon did as she commanded. Justice felt weary to his bones. That fucking bitch was right, he hadn’t been sleeping. The demon’s excitement at more potential violence skittered across his nerves unpleasantly. He really was too tired to enjoy it. Too tired, in fact, to follow orders if he didn’t allow the demon to take over. With a reluctant sigh, he made himself small inside, tightened his consciousness into a little ball, and the demon rushed exultantly in. The unpleasant sensations vanished, and a golden, creamy rush filled him until he felt strong, alert, and full of power.
 

Just as he registered this, the door flew open, and Thorvaldson bolted into the room. As Franchesca had predicted, he slowed for a beat as he took in Franchesca and the gun pointed at Bree's head.
 

Justice was faster than Scanlon, and was on Thorvaldson’s back almost immediately. They both went down. Thorvaldson bucked, harder than Justice was expecting. Then he felt a buzz of power, and an electric charge burned through him. He scrambled back involuntarily. He could hear that Scanlon was engaged with the man coming in behind Thorvaldson, so he was no help.
 

Thorvaldson flung out a hand toward Franchesca from his position on the ground, and Justice saw Franchesca stagger, the gun moving briefly away from the woman’s head, and Thorvaldson surged to his feet. Justice hooked out a hand and grabbed Thorvaldson’s ankle, tripping him. He twisted and waved in Justice's direction as he went down. Justice felt the charge again, but weaker this time, so he was able to keep his grip.

“Daniel,” Franchesca shouted, “Stop struggling, or I’ll shoot her!”

Thorvaldson kicked hard and loosened Justice’s grip. Justice called on one of the few spells he was able to field in active battle, and sent it through his hands. The demon had receded as it sensed he needed to use power. He heard Thorvaldson emit a frustrated “Shit!” as his muscles went weak. Then, to Justice’s surprise, he started kicking again, harder than before. He’d neutralized the spell somehow.
 

Justice cut his losses, let go of Thorvaldson’s ankle, and tried to get to his feet before Thorvaldson did. He failed. Thorvaldson aimed a kick at his head that connected. As Justice rolled sideways with the kick, he saw Scanlon on the ground with the other guy on top of him. The other guy’s arm was bleeding, but he had it pressed hard against Scanlon’s throat. Suddenly, a loud pop went through the room. Franchesca had fired the gun.

“The next shot goes into her head,” Franchesca said in the following silence. Thorvaldson was frozen five feet away. “You know I’m capable of it.”

“I don’t think you are,” Thorvaldson replied, straightening and taking a step toward her. Franchesca’s eyes widened, and she jammed the gun harder into the woman’s temple, forcing her head sideways.
 

Thorvaldson stopped his advance as Franchesca said, “Oh, but things have changed, Daniel. I’ve changed. And I’d be happy to do it, just because you love her.”

Justice heard a grunt and a scuffle, and glanced quickly at Scanlon. He was on top of the other guy now, a knife against the guy’s throat. “Shall I kill this one, Ms. Gambrini?” Scanlon asked a little breathlessly.

“Just tie him up for now. We may have a use for him later. Justice, help him. You see, Daniel, I can have Kevin killed or Bree killed. You can’t save both at the same time. So why don’t you just give yourself up. You know I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“You want me to believe you wouldn’t hurt me when you just threatened to kill two of my friends,” Thorvaldson rejoined, still breathing hard.

“More than friends, I think, Daniel.” She traced the muzzled of the gun down along Bree’s cheek. “She’s nice enough looking, but you used to choose your lovers with more, how shall I say, more
taste
.”

Justice had a good look at the proceedings as he taped up the other guy to a chair. He could feel his demon fastening to the guy and feeding, and for a moment, his attention was distracted by the rush.
 

“We’re not lovers,” Thorvaldson said shortly. Justice thought he was trying to convince Franchesca he couldn’t be controlled with threats to the woman, and he could see by Franchesca’s expression that she wasn’t buying it.

“Yes, I can read that. But you’d like to be. I can read that too.”

“Why are you doing this Franchesca?” Thorvaldson asked.
 

“Because you’re my only chance to get out of the Keltoi,” Franchesca replied.
 

“She’s lying!” Bree tried to shout through the tape, but all that emerged was a wordless squeal. She shot a look at Kevin, willing him to say something, but he was watching Daniel and Franchesca's exchange.
 

Bree’s mind was racing. Daniel had just called the woman Franchesca. Wasn’t that the name of the little girl next door he’d grown up with? The one he’d experimented on demons with? Hadn’t he mentioned something about her ending up with the Keltoi? She couldn’t remember for sure. But obviously, the woman knew Daniel, and there was something between them, something besides growing up together. She could hear it in Franchesca’s voice, just like she could hear that the woman was lying. And on the heels of that realization, she had it. This was the woman she'd glimpsed during the deep read on Daniel just a few hours ago.
 

Daniel laughed humorlessly. “Isn’t that a change of tune. It wasn’t that long ago that I was, how did you put it?
 
A ‘gutless eunuch’ for not joining you in the Keltoi? And wasn’t there something about the Keltoi being the only place for 'powers like ours to shine’? Besides, if you really wanted to leave the Keltoi, you wouldn’t be holding guns to people’s heads. People you’ve had beaten, by the looks of it. You would have just come to me and asked.”

“You would have shut the door in my face,” Franchesca replied with an artful quiver to her voice. Bree shook her head in an attempt to convey that Daniel shouldn’t trust the woman. He glanced at her, but the look was so quick that she couldn’t read it.

“I certainly have no great reason to trust you, Chesca. But I think if you came to me with a genuine desire to change, I would help you.”

“But I have changed,” Franchesca cried passionately. “And not in a good way. I’m tainted, I’m corrupted, and I’ve done worse violence than this. And none of it is any good! None of it eases the pain!”

“And what pain is that?” Daniel asked.

“The pain of losing you!” Bree felt the gun come away from her head, and Franchesca took a step toward Daniel. Bree could see her profile, and saw a tear tracking down her face. “I’m jealous, and I’m bad, and you’re the only one who ever loved me anyway, who ever understood me, who ever knew why,” Franchesca continued, taking another step forward. “I don’t know if you can help me turn things around. But if you can’t, no one can.”

Daniel’s eyes softened, his brow furrowed, and his body started to subtly cant toward Franchesca. He was being drawn in. Bree shook her head again, harder, but Daniel didn’t look at her. She was just considering whether she might be able to tip herself over with the chair to get his attention when Kevin spoke.

“She’s a lying snake, Daniel, and you know it. You’re ten kinds of fool if you let yourself get taken in by her again.”

“Still jealous Kevin? Still want him for yourself?” Franchesca taunted in a strained and teary voice.

Bree saw a pained expression cross Kevin’s face so quickly she barely registered it, but it was enough that Bree could see there was some truth in what Franchesca said. Dear lord, was Kevin in love with Daniel? Just how much more crazy and twisted was this night going to get?

“What do you
want
?” Daniel repeated, and Bree felt relief wash through her. Franchesca had made the wrong move in trying to hurt Kevin and she'd lost Daniel, at least for now. Bree saw the little stiffening of Franchesca’s back that told her Franchesca had figured that out as well.

“Scanlon, cut him,” she said with a nod to the man holding a knife to Kevin’s throat. The man made a short, swift movement, and blood started to flow from a cut to the side of Kevin’s neck, while Kevin emitted a strangled “
Fuck!
”
 

Daniel moved toward Kevin, then quickly jerked to a stop while Franchesca took a quick couple of steps backward and repositioned the gun to Bree’s head.
 

“I need some information, Daniel. I need you to show me your hiding spell. The one you would never share with me, the one you made with your father. I need it now to get out of the Keltoi. I wasn’t lying about that. The only way I can get out and stay out is if I can hide my Demon Master power and stop attracting demons.”

“If I really thought you would only use it for yourself, and for that reason, maybe, just
maybe
, I would teach it to you,” Daniel replied. He was standing with knees a little bent, ready to move, all his attention riveted on Franchesca. Bree had learned by now that unless he was relaxed, it was hard to figure out what was going on with him by his expression alone. Her Reader sense struggled back to life as she focused on him, trying to get a sense of his energy level. That he'd been able to cast at all after how low his base energy had been after the encounter with Gelsenim amazed her, and sure enough, now that she had a moment to read him, it was clear to her that he was just about used up again.

“What can I do to convince you? How can I prove to you that I just want a chance to start over, a chance to heal?” Franchesca said.

“You could start with letting Bree and Kevin go,” Daniel said with a level look. “And dismiss your goons once they’ve had a chance to get away.”

Bree felt Franchesca shift beside her, and silence fell as she seemed to consider Daniel’s offer. She thought Daniel had chosen a good test for Franchesca.
 

“No,” Franchesca finally said. “No, I can’t give them up. They’re my only leverage. If it’s just you and I, you could take me down. I can’t risk that.”

An expression crossed Daniel’s face, fleeting but this time, revealing. He was profoundly disappointed. Disappointed and hurt. Bree felt her stomach flutter then clench as she realized Daniel really cared. He’d really had some hope that Franchesca would offer some proof of good intentions. Did he have some reason to hope, or was it some old feeling between them influencing him? Was Bree’s conviction that Franchesca was lying a mis-read on her part?

“You don’t need to be so afraid,” he said in reply, taking a step toward Franchesca. “You don’t have to have some power over me to trust me. You should know that.”

“I know no such thing,” Franchesca replied bitterly. Bree winced as the gun pressed more painfully against her temple. “I know you’ll do the right thing, whatever you think that is, and you won’t care if it hurts me.”

“Poor little mistreated Franchesca,” Kevin interjected sarcastically. “You’re the one who left him. How many times? Five? Six? Maybe you really do think it’s all his fault for what he did at the end, but if you do, you’re deluding yourself.”

“Scanlon, shut him up,” Franchesca said with a venomous look at Kevin. The man beside Kevin reached into his jeans jacket pocket with one hand and tossed the roll of tape to the possessed one, Justice, Bree remembered. Justice managed to put tape over Kevin’s mouth in spite of Kevin’s refusal to cooperate. The struggle knocked his glasses askew, which had miraculously managed to stay on his face thus far.

“I was trying to help you, Chesca,” Daniel said softly. “I know you don’t see it that way, but it wasn’t just to do ‘the right thing.’” His gaze was locked with Franchesca’s, seemingly willing her to believe him, and Bree was so riveted by the drama playing out between them that she didn’t see Scanlon make his move. He launched himself at Daniel from behind. He was shorter, but heavier, and bore Daniel to the ground.
 

Scanlon’s body jerked as some kind of spell hit him, but he managed to get an arm around Daniel’s throat. He groaned as another spell went through him, but he just pulled his grip tighter. Then Justice joined the fray, putting a knee to Daniel’s back. To Bree’s shock, the chair next to Justice shimmied across the floor and fell against Justice’s head with some force.
 

Bree knew that some high power Casters could physically move objects, but she’d never seen it done with such a large one. Unfortunately, the blow was not enough to seriously affect Justice. Daniel’s struggles were getting weaker as his airway was blocked by Scanlon’s crushing hold on his neck.
 

Bree couldn’t see any more signs that Daniel was wielding defensive spells. He was out of juice. She formed the thought “Shield!” and attempted to throw a defensive spell around him in a desperate hope of disrupting the hold Scanlon had on him, but she didn’t have the fine control she needed to cast it around Daniel. The spell did send Franchesca staggering, but by then, Daniel was still. Scanlon and Justice scrambled awkwardly off of him. Justice bound Daniel’s hands behind his back together with more of the duct tape, then Scanlon turned him over with the toe of his shoe. Daniel’s eyes were closed, but he was breathing, Bree could see the rise and fall of his chest.
 

Francesca got up from where she’d fallen against a chair, and said, “Well done, Scanlon. And you too, Justice.” She unbuttoned her coat, and gave a tug to the skirt underneath, straightening it. Bree got a glimpse of unfairly long and shapely legs.

“What do we do with these two?” Justice asked. His square face was animated with an excitement that didn’t sit well on it. “May I kill them?”
 

“Ms. Gambrini, I need a favor,” Scanlon blurted out. Before Franchesca could answer, Daniel stirred and opened his eyes. “Bree?” he said weakly, “are you all right?”

Franchesca’s features hardened. “What favor is that?” she snapped.

Scanlon gestured at Kevin. “This man has my son. I want him back.”

Nothing Bree had been through that night scared her as much as that statement did. Hunter was this idiot’s son? Hunter in the hands of these demon possessed, murderous thugs? Her gaze flew to Kevin, and his eyes were wide with shock. She looked at Daniel, and he was literally white with anger and dismay. Bree knew she herself must look sick with distress. Franchesca looked first at Daniel, then at Kevin and Bree, and a slow, wicked smile lit her face. Bree knew with rising horror that Franchesca had been handed the leverage that would control them all.