Between the Bleeding Willows (The Demon Hunters Series Book 1) (3 page)

“So what are you? Angels or warriors of God?”

He chuckled at my question.

“Angels…no, but close. We are not pure like angels, though we did descend from an angel many generations ago. Long ago, an angel came down and mated with a few mortal women. Their children, the first of the Clan, grew up and mated with mortals. Then those babies grew up and became part of the Clan. Over the years, our Clan has grown, but the angelic bloodline dilutes with each generation.” His story was intriguing. “I guess if you had to classify us, we’re more like gifted mortals. Just enough angel to give us little extra power and extra abilities, such as strength, foresight, healing, or binding for instance. But we bleed like mortals and can be killed like mortals.”

“So what about Jace?”

He looked up at me with an intensity in his eyes, “What about him?”

“Can he be saved? I mean, I know there is good in him. There’s got to be a way to help him. He deserves a better afterlife. He was a good guy!”

“Don’t hold your breath. If I catch him, I gotta bind him. Nothin’ against him or you. It’s just business.”

“Just business? Bull. You’ve never made an exception?” He looked at me silently, letting me finish. “Look, I know you don’t know him…but I do, and he’s a good guy.” His expression didn’t change. I needed him to consider this, for Jace’s sake. “What would you do if your sister got hurt and became possessed by a demon? Would you try to help her or would you bind her because ‘it’s just business’?”

“Enough.” His voice was stern. “You don’t get to come in here and question me.”

Did I dare say anything more? “Killian, if there is any chance of saving him from being a demon, we have to help him.”

“I’m not making any promises…but I’ll keep it in mind.” It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but it was progress. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Okay.” I looked around the room. “Why the cave? That’s why your skin is so white, isn’t it? From living away from the sun?”

“Yes, I suppose our fair complexion is due to the lack of sunlight. This ‘cave,’ as you call it, is actually deep in the earth—a mountain sits atop it. Being closer to the Earth’s center is better for our magic Casters and healers. Their magic is more potent down here. And it’s the Clan’s duty to protect them, so we all live down here. The mountain acts as an extra barrier from intruders.”

“So how do we get out of here? I didn’t see any doors that were obvious.”

“We’ll use magic.” He chugged the rest of his juice. “Finish up, and we’ll visit Angeline and get you home.”

Chapter Four

Killian escorted me to a large room that had a very serene vibe to it. The room was very dim; lit candles set upon cutouts in the stone wall provided the only illumination. The floor was covered in what looked like an old and well-made Persian rug. Floor pillows of various colors and designs lined the edges of it. We walked along the perimeter to a large wooden table. Killian took a dagger from his belt and laid it in a large golden bowl that sat in the middle of the table. The bowl had a blue shimmery liquid that made the dagger glow blue as it covered it. It reminded me of the glow my ring took on in the right amount of light. Killian looked down at me and smiled, knowing I was impressed.

“I wondered when you’d summon me.” A beautiful middle-aged woman with brown curls emerged from behind us. She wore a dark purple tunic that wrapped around like a kimono, and of course, skintight leather pants with boots. She carried no weapons but had various stones and necklaces adorning her.

“Angeline.” Killian nodded in respect to her. “Your talents are needed. Seems something went wrong with the gate, and we had a mortal slip through.” Angeline studied me intensely. Her eyes dragged up my body slowly, assessing everything from my clothes to my injuries. She finally settled upon my face with a skeptical gaze. “I need you to cross her over.”

“I sensed her presence and knew it was a matter of time before you would bring her to me. A curiosity for sure she is. But you are anxious to return her home.” Killian nodded in answer. “As you wish. Meet me at the Center in five minutes. I need to gather my materials.”

“Of course.” Killian grabbed my hand and began leading me away.

My eyes fell to our hands. “I can walk perfectly fine without someone holding my hand.” Killian chuckled and released my hand. “So will going back be anything like my other crossover?”

“Yes, it will. But you should be fine. I mean, you made it the first time, and this time Angeline is helping.” He nodded at several passing people and then added, “You’ll have to eat soon after, but it should be an easy crossover.”

I listened and nodded, though worry began to take root. The first crossover happened by accident; I had no time to think about the consequences or worry. I did not land in this place gracefully. My ripped and dirty clothes and bandaged appendages were proof that I took some damage in the crossover. There’d probably be a few bruises coloring my skin in a few hours judging by the soreness I felt. But it could have been a lot worse. Killian seemed genuinely surprised that I survived the crossover—so a few cuts and bruises were tolerable compared to the alternative outcome. Of course here I had people, medics, caring for me. When I crossed back to home, I’d…what? End up in the graveyard looking like a piece of charcoal? Back home there was no one to look after me, no one to care if I never came back. Was there any guarantee that I wouldn’t die while crossing back into the Human Realm?

Killian reassured me, “You will be fine, Cassidy.”

I let out a breath and let him guide me down a long, narrow hall as my brain still thought about the upcoming crossover. There were no hallways off this narrow one; it just ended in a small circular room. Angeline was already there waiting on us. We’d held a steady pace, so she either knew a shortcut to the Center or used some sort of magic to get here fast. Killian stood against the wall, and I approached Angeline. She placed what looked like a syringe gun down on a table and picked up two vials.

“She’s nervous,” Angeline said, looking at Killian. He agreed with a single head nod. She turned back toward me. I was nervous before seeing the long needle attached to a gun, but now I was beyond nervous. She poured the first vial, which resembled ashes, into a long line on the ground. “I had hoped I wouldn’t have to do this to you, but you are too anxious to get into the state of mind needed for crossover. If I send you like this, God knows where you’d end up.” She picked up the gun and pulled me into a tight hold against her body—she was amazingly strong for her petite frame. Instinctively, I pushed against her, trying to gain some space between us, but my efforts were in vain. And then I heard a
chink
and felt the needle stab my forearm.

“But how did you…” My throat suddenly felt strange as if I swallowed hot tea.

“Grab hold and inject you so quickly?”

I nodded in reply.

“Part of my training,” she answered with a smile.

I watched her pour the last vial of blue liquid onto the ash, then felt my eyes roll back into my head.

Angeline whispered into my ear, “Now, you are ready.” She gently pushed my body away from hers, and I began falling…falling… farther than last time.

***

“Jace!”

I saw Jace’s face flushed from the warm summer day. He leaned into my car window, the wind blowing his sandy blond hair about.

“Jace, I’ve missed you. Please don’t leave me again.”

He leaned in to kiss me, his features changing infinitesimally but enough for me to notice. I pulled back. His face morphed into the demonic mask I’d seen in the cemetery.

I shrieked…

I opened my eyes and found myself in the Blaylock Grove clearing. No Jace. No Killian. Still nighttime.

I grabbed my pack and stumbled toward the two willows. The bark still had traces of blood. I walked to the place between the willows, to the place I remember last standing before crossing over, and there was nothing remarkable. Had it even happened or had I fallen and hit my head on a gravestone? I shook my head and felt the world tilt sideways.

“You need to eat.”

Yes, I did.

I trudged down the dirt path toward where my car was parked. My legs felt weak and shaky, and it seemed to take forever to get to the road that stood between the cemetery and my car. But finally the occasional traffic sounds grew louder, letting me know I was nearing my car. I grabbed the necklace that hung from my neck. I felt so lucky to find it. It was a reminder of the people I loved and my connection to them.

The Raven Woods parking lot was empty, except for my car. I hopped in and reached for the oatmeal bar stashed in the glove box for emergencies. My body felt like it was having low blood sugar, and my hands shook as I worked to open the package. Using one hand, I felt around my skull for any lumps. If I fell and hit my head, there would surely be physical evidence. Alas, there was no bump to be found, no excuse for the experience I just had. Dorothy hit her head and traveled to Oz. I traveled to another land, but not because of a bump to the head. I finished the bar and found my hands steadied enough to drive home. Checking the car clock, I saw it was five more hours till dawn. I needed some serious sleep after the night I had.

At home, I cleaned up. The dirt and soot washed easily down the drain with a good soap scrub. Then I changed into my PJs and crawled into bed.

I wrapped my hand around the ring. “Gram, I found it. I don’t know if you helped me find it or not, but I got the ring back. I love you and miss you.” Saying this out loud made me feel less alone. A tear slid down my cheek. “Jace, I miss you too. Not sure if you can hear me but I miss what we were, our love for each other—you were so important in my life and I miss you like crazy. Tonight, when I saw you in the cemetery, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It all seemed so unreal.” I looked down at a bandage on my left arm, “How in the world am I gonna save you from being a demon? Or save you from Killian?”

I was struggling to accept how Jace turned into something evil after his death. How does that happen? Jace was the love of my life for the past four years. I knew him. He was never into Satanic things, or religious any-things. I didn’t want to believe that my dead boyfriend, who loved me and Gram, helped us around the house, and shared meals with us, had turned evil. Not possible. There had to be a way to save Jace. A few more tears fell before sleep swept over me.

Chapter Five

I slept till noon the next day, but honestly, I could have slept longer. I felt so drained, emotionally and physically. Kicking off the covers, I trudged into the bathroom to wash my face. The person staring back at me in the mirror looked foreign with tangled hair and purple bags under her eyes. The bandages from when I’d crossed over the first time were still covering my wounds. Carefully, I removed one of the gauze pads covering part of my left forearm. Remnants of a green medicine tinted the white cloth square. The skin beneath had a greenish scab. After I gently soaped it, the scab sloughed off, revealing pink, brand new skin; their medicine was amazing. I brushed my hair into a ponytail and accidentally caught the chain with the brush bristles. The chain broke, sending the ring bouncing off the tiled floor. I’d have to look through Gram’s old necklaces or buy a new chain to replace this one.

“But until then…” I grabbed the ring and put it in my jewelry box, next to the rings I wore as a child that no longer fit. I finished fixing my hair, then grabbed my keys and headed to the grocery store.

When Gram had died, the lawyer had said the house was paid for and Gram had a substantial amount of money saved. This didn’t surprise me; Gram had been a saver. We hadn’t lived a fancy life in our old farmhouse.

The paint was peeling, but the wood was solid, not rotted. The inside of the house looked like it was furnished in the 1960s, yet the furniture was in excellent condition. We didn’t need much, and we were happy. And Gram’s cautious spending meant that I didn’t need to worry about getting a job for a long time. After losing Gram so soon after Jace, the last thing I’d wanted to do was look for a job. Considering how starved I felt today, I was glad to not have to worry about what I spent on groceries.

Dominick’s was not very crowded. Usually it was wall-to-wall shoppers on a Sunday afternoon; the Bears game must be on. With my earbuds in, Deftones playlist selected, I walked the aisles until my cart was half-full, then I headed to checkout lane five and began loading my items on the conveyer belt.

“Cassidy Kavanaugh! I haven’t seen you since graduation. What have you been up to?” Ashley Tanner, the queen of gossip from my high school, beamed at me as she began running my items through the bar code reader. “Running some marathons?”

I looked at my groceries. Carbs and bread. Specifically, I had a handful of fruit, a case of bottled water, a few canned items, and enough noodles and bread to feed ten grown men.

“No, actually, it’s for a toasting party.”

“A toasting party? I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Of course she hadn’t; I’d made it up. Why was I doing this…leading her on? But I continued, “We’re gonna toast the bread and throw it at Mr. Sentry’s house.” Mr. Sentry, our high school principal, had a reputation of being up-tight and easy to fly off the handle. While I didn’t actually mind Mr. Sentry, I found myself spinning this tale to see what she did with it. Knowing Ashley, she’d have video cameras or half the school staked out to watch the toasting party.

“Why toast?”

“Why not?”

She tore the receipt and handed it to me.

I didn’t hate her. I just hated her nosiness and couldn’t help poke fun at it. “Have a nice day, Ashley. Nice seeing you.” She watched me walk out of Dominick’s, her face puzzled. She probably thought I lost my marbles and needed to be committed. Maybe I did. With all this crossover, demon B.S. I kinda felt like I was going crazy.

At home, I unpacked the groceries and made a carb-loaded lunch. Maybe crossing over
was
like running a marathon. Bringing my food over to my computer desk in the front room, I began to search Google for some answers.

Demons. I believed demons were dark angels made from Satan, like he took the worst souls that ever existed and turned them into his soldiers. But so many sources believed that demons were angels that chose evil—that they started off good. Grabbing my pen, I wrote:

How did Jace become a demon?

Next I looked up necromancers. Killian had said they lost theirs in a battle with Rya, and now they were at a huge disadvantage. Necromancers have the ability to manipulate life forces. No wonder he was able to bind the demons. He must have had a lot of power to bind all the demons Killian had described. Losing him must’ve been a true loss for the Clan.

I searched
Casters
. Angeline was thin and petite but intimidating. She seemed to learn more about a person from studying their appearance than conversation. The strength she had within her was noticeable, enough that she was well-ranked and respected Clan. What was the difference between Casters and necromancers? Killian’s Clan clearly had one of each at one time, each with a distinct job.

After reading several more sites, I concluded that while they both worked magic, the necromancer dealt mostly with dead, undead, souls, and life forces. Angeline had the ability to sense energy, but also used potions to assist her. I likened her to a witch, though they called her a Caster.

So what about Killian and the others?

Searching the words
Demon Hunter
turned up nothing but sites about video games. Next I typed
Binding a Demon
and to my surprise, several webpages appeared that discussed binding and casting out a demon. There was hope! I took notes on the exorcism information, then continued searching.
I typed in
crossover
, and then
demon crossover
, but there were no results that matched what I experienced. Killian’s Clan was surprised I crossed over and even more surprised that I survived it. Was I the only one to crossover and live to tell about it? I wrote down:

How did I crossover?

And:

How did I survive it?

I leaned back in my chair, remembering that surreal night in the cemetery
.
I was so scared; my senses had been on high alert, looking for any sign of Jace. Kids in school used to talk about devil worshippers gathering there, and it scared me. I’d never dreamed I would actually step foot in the Blaylock Grove cemetery.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

I nearly fell out of my chair from sound of the loud knock. Staring at the front door, I stopped breathing and wondered who stood behind it. No one had come by since Gram died…no one. And everyone I knew used the doorbell. Maybe if I ignored them, they would go away. I sat still, barely breathing and listening intently for any retreating footsteps.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Shit. They weren’t going away. I tip-toed to the front window and peeked behind the curtains. A large, dark figure stood, arms braced against each side of the door frame, like he wanted to break the door down. “Cassidy, open up. I need to talk to you.” Killian. But what was he doing here?

I opened the door. The tall Demon Hunter stood before me in his leather pants, tight black tee, and leather jacket. He looked out of place on Gram’s front porch. He raised his head, eyes meeting mine.

“Killian, what are you doing here?”

“I need to know more about Jace.” He pushed past me and made his way into the house.

“Sure. Hi, nice to see you. How’d you fare on the crossover? Cassidy, you look great! Can I come in?” He looked at me like I had grown three heads. “Seriously, any of those would have been nicer than pushing past me.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.” He paced about the room, not attempting any pleasantries and clearly lost in his thoughts. Finally, he settled into Gram’s olive green damask wingback. She’d roll over in her grave if she could see Killian, in his leather gear, sitting in her favorite chair.

“Can I get you a drink or something to eat?”

He nodded in reply.

Luckily, I was fully stocked for a crossover. I filled a plate with various starches, salami, and some cheese and brought him a large bottled water. He made a grateful noise as he chugged half the water. “So you said you needed to know about Jace. What’s going on? What do you need to know?”

“After you left, Angeline detected an interference at our binding chamber—that’s where the demons are kept once we capture them.”

“You don’t destroy them?”

“They are almost impossible to destroy. Usually they transfer or possess another so their dark powers continue on. But if we bind them with magic, they are stuck—unable to inflict harm or dispense trouble on others.” He leaned forward and set his plate down. “When we lost Lorcan, our necromancer, the battle was no longer in our favor. Angeline has tried her best to fortify the spells and keep the bound demons locked away and the gates closed, but her magic is not powerful enough to hold the demons for long.” He ate some of the crackers and cheese and took a big gulp of water. “She’s only a Caster.”

“So what’s this have to do with Jace?” I took a seat on the long couch across from Killian.

“Well, I sent Jackson and a patrol to investigate the chamber. Immediately he summoned backup. I crossed over with a squad and found Jace there. Somehow he’d managed to free three demons.” I listened intently, trying to picture the scene he was painting. “That’s unheard of because it takes a lot of power to unbind just one demon—so much power that Jace should’ve been out of commission for a month just to recuperate. But he managed to free three and looked ready to free another.” Killian shook his head. “There’s more to him. He’s different from the other demons. But what…?” He switched from conversing with me to thinking out loud. “Rya must’ve seen something in him. That’s why she has taken him under her wing.”

I interrupted, “Did Jace or the demons attack you?”

“No, surprisingly not. As soon as he freed them, they fled. But something big is brewing, and I need to understand what it is before it strikes.” He set his plate down on the coffee table and looked at me. “Cassidy, I need to know about Jace.”

For an hour, I sat with Killian recalling any detail that I thought might help. In the end, it wasn’t much. Killian was very different from Jace. Killian had the traits of a leader. He was strong, reasonable, grounded, and confident. While Jace was more of a follower, going along with the crowd and often unpredictable. As Killian made mental notes on Jace, I made mental notes on Killian, studying his reactions to my answers, watching as his pinkie tapped his knee repeatedly when he was thinking.

“It sounds like you two were close.” I nodded my answer. “Did you have sex with him?”

The question caught me off guard and ruffled my feathers. That information was none of his business. Through gritted teeth, I replied, “I’m sorry, how would that give you any info about Jace as a demon?”

“It’s a simple yes or no answer.”

“Oh, is it?” Of course it was…for a guy, but this was personal information, and I was not about to divulge it to Mr. Tough Guy. My choice to still be a virgin was none of his business, and he wasn’t going to get it out of me. I grabbed his plate and stomped off into the kitchen. Maybe if I ignored him, he would just leave. Take his hot little leather pants and cross back over to where he belonged. I began scrubbing the plate and my bowls from earlier.

His footsteps approached, and he came up behind me. Killian stood close enough that I could feel his warm breath when he spoke. “I need to return. Thank you for telling me what you know. If you remember anything else, come to the cemetery where we first crossed you over.” He paused a moment longer, perhaps waiting for a response from me, and then walked away. The front door closed a moment later. I breathed deeply, glad that he didn’t stay and push me on the sex topic.

After finishing the dishes, I returned to the living room. There was no evidence that a Demon Hunter had just been sitting on the chair a few minutes ago. I walked over to the couch and lay down.

The day was hot; mid-summer in the Midwest brought fluctuating temperatures, but it was inevitable that we’d hit a week or two of hot and dry temperatures.

“Record high temps this week and not a drop of rain in sight,” the midday news announced on the TV. Oh Tom Skipling, could you be wrong with your darn forecast for once?

My eyes drifted to the green damask chair. Killian. I felt bad that I didn’t have any useful info to help his Clan, but I was not going to talk about my lack of sex life with him. I thought about everything I told him to make sure there was nothing more…

What had Killian asked about Jace in his Clan den?
Was he tired, injured?
But I had already told him about Jace’s injury, at least all that Jace shared with me. And then I remembered the notebook. When the cops had done nothing about the jump, Jace had been angry. I’d encouraged him to write all the info down so that one day he might be able to help put them away if they started any new trouble.

Jace had taken my advice and made notes in a notebook. Would it still be at his house?

I grabbed my car keys and drove to Jace’s house. The Peters lived about ten minutes away in an older subdivision. At Gram’s funeral, they’d welcomed me to come visit at any time.