A Girl's Guide to Demon Hunting (18 page)

    I won’t lie, I love every second of it: the music, dancing, unleashing my power, knowing that in this one moment I’m safe to be the real me.
While my power built along with the music, I looked into the crowd and saw the Demons edging closer and closer to us. Their eyes flickered from their human shade to burning red as they fed off the humans. 
   Unfortunately for me, the crowd would only whet their appetite. I, however, would be the main course if I didn’t get out of here and soon. Spinning around so I faced Peter, I grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him down until his mouth was just an inch away. “Time to go upstairs.” 

    We made it to his room with just seconds to spare. Slamming the door closed he threw the locks and turned to face me, his eyes burning red with lust.
   “You tear it, you buy it.” I said as he walked towards me.
  
   Giving me a pout he changed directions in mid-stalk and threw himself in one of the cushy chairs that sat next to the lit fireplace.
   “You’re really no fun anymore.” He complained and his eyes faded from red to brown.
   “Yeah, well this is all I have that’s slutty enough for your club so I’d rather not have to replace it.” I said as I kicked my shoes off.  Tossing them near the bed, I went to where he sat.
   “You ready for this?” I asked giving him a wicked smile.

Chapter 35

Tip 6:  Never forget Demons can fly. Pushing them off a fifty story building just pisses them off.

    “Oh come on, that is totally cheating!” I yelled as Peter picked up three of my checkers pieces.
    “It’s not my fault you suck at this. You should pay more attention to the game than that milkshake you’re drinking.”
    He just wanted me to let go of the shake so he could steal it.
    “Fat chance, lactose intolerant boy. I’m not going to be responsible for you being curled up in a ball crying like a baby cause your tummy hurts.” I said, taking another long sip of my shake.
    In the year I’ve been coming here, he’s tried to teach me all the board games he calls the classics. The only one I’ve beaten him at was Battleship. According to Peter I only won because I’m more violent and a better liar than he is.
    I took another sip from my shake and jumped one of his pieces. Stacking it on top of my little pile of black pieces, I asked. “Have you heard about a Demon named Camilla?”
    His hand paused in mid-air when I said her name. Setting the game piece back down, he sat back in his chair and gave me a long look. “I thought you were smarter than to get between two Demons fighting for position.”
    “You know the deal, it’s not as if I have a choice.” I said, re-stacking my game pieces.
    “So, Peaches wants her eliminated?” He asked.
    “Dead, head on a silver platter.”
    “Considering their history that sounds about right.”
     I stopped playing with my game pieces, my curiosity piqued, and glanced up at him.
    “You didn’t hear this from me but those two have been feuding for centuries.”
    “When did it start?” I asked.
    “I don’t remember the exact year but it was around the time the Great Wall of China was just being finished. Peaches had been building a legion of followers somewhere near what is now Germany when one day out of the blue Camilla comes for a visit. They immediately hated each other: even then Camilla was more beautiful, wealthy and powerful than Peaches. It was as if Peaches was just playing Queen but Camilla? She was the Queen.  
   Needless to say, they eventually fought. Camilla won and kicked Peaches out of her own territory. They’ve been at it ever since. Every time Peaches gains a little power, Camilla swoops in and takes it, usually in a very violent manner.”
    “Why doesn’t anyone stop her?”
    “Some have tried but it always ends with their death. Camilla is powerful Allie, more powerful than any Demon I’ve met.”
    “So you’ve met her?”
    “I was with Peaches for the first battle. I’m the one who helped her escape.”

    “So why is Peaches still alive?” I asked.

    “Well, she is powerful herself. And she knows how to run if she has to. But mostly I think Camilla enjoys the game. She may always win but Peaches is a challenge and she gets better all the time.”
   Bored with the conversation he turned back to the game and promptly jumped another one of my pieces, he snatched it up and sat back in his chair. 
   “Now how about you tell me why you’re really here?”
    The game forgotten, I sat forward in my chair and gave him a hard look.
   “What I’m about to tell you can’t leave this room. If it does, that little debt you owe me becomes public. Understood?”
    I’d caught his attention with the threat, we didn’t mention the debt. Ever.
    “Agreed.”
    I took a deep breath and let it slowly out, I hoped I was making the right decision.
    “I need to know if you’ve heard of anyone Demon or human taking a Guardian.”
    Emotions played over his face in quick succession; wanting, loathing and finally fear. I felt my insides squirm at the fear. In the time I’ve known Peter, I’ve never seen him afraid.
    “No. The only Guardian I know of here is you.”
    “What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.
    “It’s nothing. Just...if a Demon had taken the power of a Guardian you would be the first to know.”
    At my confused look he continued, “Allie, your deal with Peaches is only good so long as she is alive. If a Demon had that kind of power, the first thing they would do would be to remove Peaches and come after you. Simply put, you’d be dead.”
    It was disconcerting hearing him say it. It had crossed my mind, I’m not a complete idiot. Sitting back I stared at the game board and tried to think of what to do next. Peter was a last resort, what now? Lost in thought, it took me a moment to realize Peter had claimed another two of my checkers and won the game.
    Groaning, I stood up and unwrapped myself from the white velvet blanket I’d bundled up in and tossed it back on the bed.
    “You really won’t call it a draw and let me choose tonight?” I asked as he packed up the game and cleared the table of our drinks. I couldn’t help but pout as he tossed my shake in the trash.
    “No, you know the deal: winner picks the lesson.”
    “Yeah but you haven’t changed the lesson in three months.”
    “It’s not my fault you have no control and you suck at board games.” He said with a roll of his eyes at my whining.

    Sitting back down in the chair, I waited while he collected the fire extinguisher and sat. Not bothering to wait for him to tell me to begin, I closed my eyes and concentrated on my power. It was quiet, deep in the center of my chest. Pulling on it, I let it fill me, warming me from the inside out. This was always the easy part; it was later, when he wanted me to unleash the worst part of me that was hard. It was something I struggled with. Even just thinking about it was making my palms sweat.
    “Allie, You can’t let it control you, not if you ever want to effectively use it.” I wanted to shout that it didn’t control me but I knew it was a lie and so would Peter.

   Taking a deep breath, I pushed my power into the palm of my hand. My hand began to warm and I knew if Peter touched the skin it would burn him. It’d taken me two months to get to this point. Now came the hard part. While still maintaining my power in my hand, pulled forth my darkest memory.
    As usual it came in flashes, the dust covering my hands and knees, my nose itching with the need to sneeze and knowing I had to keep absolutely silent.  The bang of the door against the bedroom wall. Over the screams I heard the scrape of metal against leather as the sharp edge of a dagger cleared its sheath. At this point the shouting had been replaced by an incoherent begging. Over and over they begged but it wouldn’t work. It never did.
    Unwilling to go any further in the memory, I pulled my mind back into the present. My heart was galloping and it wasn’t just my palms that were damp with sweat, my whole body was covered in a thin film as fear roiled inside me. Concentrating on what I was physically feeling, I attempted to hold onto it, without falling back into the memory. 
   Opening my eyes, I saw Peter sitting across from me, a bored look on his face as he stared at my empty palm. Damn. Frustrated at not being able to control it, I felt my heart rate slow and my fear vanish as disappointment took its place. Letting my power fade back into me, I leaned back in the chair.
    “Whatever you're thinking of, it’s not enough.”

    My eyes snapped to him and I gave him a look of exasperation. “My father’s murder? I seriously doubt it’s not a traumatic enough memory.”
    “You’ve been using the same memory for months; it would have worked by now. This is just you being stubborn.”
    My “stubbornness” was a common theme when we argued about the best way for him to train me. He wanted to use “any means necessary” and I adamantly refused. My trust of Peter only went so far and letting him unleash his power on me in an effort to scare me into using my Hellfire wasn’t something I was willing to do.

    A soft knock came at the door, signaling that it was time to wrap things up. Getting to my feet, I went to the bed and ripped the sheets off, tossing them onto the floor. Peter had put away all evidence that we weren’t in here doing disgusting things by the time I had my dress back on. He took his shirt off and messed up his hair as I sipped on my shoes.  
   “Bruise, Burn or Blood?” I asked as I walked over to where he stood in front of the fireplace.

   “Burn. It's much more convincing than the other two.”
   “You know you’re a sick puppy, right?” I said as I directed my power into the palms of my hands.
    “Make it be believable.” He hissed, as I wrapped my fingers around his wrists and letting go less than a second later, leaving dark red burns where my fingers had been.
    “Your turn.” He said and without asking my preference he grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled, reveling the corset.
    “You’re an ass, you know that.” I said as I tried to hold the top of my shirt together while fighting back the impulse to punch him.
    “Demon.” He said and handed me a fifty. “That should cover the damage. Don’t forget to look exhausted on your way out and Allie, be careful something out there is targeting Demons. I'd hate for you to get caught in its sights.”

    “Thanks.” I said as I opened the locks on the door and stumbled out into the hallway.
   Walking back to the first floor, I stuffed the fifty into the top of my corset, took off the shredded shirt and searched for Penny. She was supposed to be waiting for me at the top of the stairs, which of course she wasn’t. Thankfully though, my jacket was draped over the stair rail. Slipping it on I walked through the club, making sure the Lust Demons got an eyeful as I made my way to the back door. Rupert didn’t even bother to throw a nasty comment when I walked past him and out into the cold night.
   
    Not wanting to spend my crisp new fifty on another cab ride I decided to walk home. Zipping my jacket up for warmth, I found the exhaustion that I was supposed to fake was all too real. I wanted nothing more than to go back home, take a long hot shower and crawl into bed.
    Another cold burst of wind whipped through the alley and I began cursing my decision against the cab ride. Exhausted and angry, I didn’t hear the footsteps until they were right on top of me. I faked a stumble and pulled the knife from my stocking and spun around, the knife pointed at my attacker’s chest. He wrenched my knife hand and the pain shot straight up my forearm. I could only see shadows in the dimly lit alley as a pair of large hands picked me up by the front of my jacket and pinned me against the wall of a building.
    “You have two seconds to give me a reason not to take you to The Council right now.”
    My heart skipped and I felt sick recognizing Max’s voice. Of all the Guardians why did it have to be him?
    “Tell me what you were doing.” He said.
    “I can’t.” I whispered.
   “Can’t or won’t?” He asked, taking a step closer to me.
   I could just barely see his face and the anger I found scared me more than anything I’d seen in a long time. I’d forgotten this Max, the one who’d nearly shaken the life out of SylviaDemons that first night behind the casino.
    I knew this day would come and I had long ago made a promise to myself I wouldn’t cower when it did. I also swore I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
    The way he had me pinned ruled out a good punch but he had either forgotten about my legs or underestimated me. Kicking out with my foot, I barely grazed his shin. It wasn’t a solid strike but  it was enough to cause him to buckle and turn, allowing me to get my good hand free. I landed a solid punch to his right ear, which I knew from experience hurt a lot. His grip loosened enough that I was able to push him away and get free. My hand was still numb so I decided to make a run for it.
    I made it maybe ten feet when he tackled me from behind and we both went to the ground. My hands wrenched behind my back, I felt the cold metal of handcuffs snap around my wrists. None to gently, he pulled me to my feet. The cold wind burned my cheek, where I felt blood oozing from a fresh scrape.  He shoved me and we started heading back down the alley toward the main street.
    “How are you planning on keeping me quiet once we’re out of the alleyway?” I asked.
    “I’m not above knocking you out. It’s your choice: if you’re quiet you’ll stay conscious.”
   
Doesn’t seem like much of a choice
, I thought, as we walked out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk. Max stayed behind me, a death grip on my arm as he used his body to hide the cuffs.
    “They’re going to come for me.” I said as we walked.
    “Who? Your friends? You better hope they don’t or they’ll be sharing a cell right next to yours. The Council doesn’t look kindly on non-sanctioned teams, especially when the leader has been consorting with Demons.”
    Okay. That’s it.
    I wrenched away from him, which hurt like hell but was worth it for the stunned look on his face. I didn’t fight or run, just faced him, my hands still clamped tight behind me. The pain and fear and frustration just broke and I poured it all on Max.
    “Let's get this straight. My friends are off limits to you and The Council. I and I alone am responsible for what has happened here. If you even dare to harm one hair on their heads I will wage a war unlike anything you've ever seen. I have gone to great lengths to keep them safe and will continue to do so. Even if it means going up against you and every other Guardian.”
   Leaning closer I continued.
   "You had better know how far you're willing to take this. 'Cause I know how far I've gone and will continue to go. I will die for them and more importantly I will kill for them. If you want to do this, to start this war you'd better feel the same because I will kill you Max. Do not doubt th-" I lost my train of thought as I saw a group of men walking towards us. Three Demons, definitely coming for us. Seriously, could this night get any worse?
    “Ah, you’re going to want to unlock the cuffs.”
    “Not a chance in Hell.” Max said, his voice firm but his face still in shock from my threat.
    Looking over his shoulder again, I said, “Really? ‘Cause Hell is currently walking this way.”
    He turned and saw the three Demons who were quickly closing on us. We ducked back into the alley, where I spun around and he took the cuffs off, slipping them in his back pocket. Rubbing my wrists, I turned to look for a way out, which of course he knew I would since he blocked any chance I had at escaping. Stand and fight; that was his big plan?
    “If anything happens, the car is parked in front of the bank three blocks south. The keys are in the inside pocket of my jacket.”
    “Dramatic much?” I said with a roll of my eyes.
    “I’d say you’re awfully calm but since you probably know them...”
    “Let’s get this straight,” I said taking a step towards him. “I do not like Demons!”
    “Yeah? Could’ve fooled me.”
 
   “What’s wrong, is this a bad time...lovers spat?” Said a whining voice from the dark.