Demons: A Hunter's Novel, Book 1 (5 page)

“Come away little light, come away to the darkness, in the shade we’ll
come looking for you.”

– Maroon5, Come Away to the Water

Cade
and I stood in the main meeting hall of the Hunter’s HQ. It was white marble
with swirls of red in it. Being a Hunter facility you would think it would be
all black. But no, we only wore black, the rest of our things were actually
very tasteful. I thought all the black we wore made us look a little too U.S.
government, but maybe that was why the Hunters had us dress that way. I glanced
over at the side wall and saw a picture of the Hunter’s council wearing all
black with the exception of my Father, who sat in the middle, of course,
wearing all white.

Cade’s
constant presence next to me was the only thing holding me there. He had stayed
glued to my side while schmoozing and putting up a good front for all of the
Hunters surrounding us. I was graced with unmasked disgust and speculation from
my fellow Hunters.

The
stares and unconcealed hatred had gotten worse in the months I had been absent
from the meetings. I stared each one of the judging Hunters in the eyes because
even though everyone had their speculations, I was still the Bossman’s daughter
and a fellow Hunter. I did get a few hellos from younger Hunters who,
obviously, didn’t know who I was. You would think they would’ve seen the older
Hunters reaction to me and kept their distance, but no. They just said a
friendly hello. Probably thinking I was Cade’s girlfriend. Yep, I could see
that. But I was itching for a fight so I continued to stare back at the open
hostility and begged for one of them to act. I knew they wouldn’t, but I could
hope.

This
had been the first time I had wanted to fight anything for six months. The
dream really had helped.

My
eyes continued scanning over the unfriendly faces that surrounded Cade and I. I
found the eyes of my seamstress staring honestly at me. Asking me, silently, to
not draw attention to her.

Aniese
had been a Hunter – just like me – our only differences now was she had been bitten
by a Drover and I had been bitten by love. Or maybe consumed by love would be a
better way of putting it. Now her eyes were like a snake’s and she could shift
at the full moon into anything she wanted. Even another person or creature. The
only catch was, just as their name indicated, they stayed in droves and were
not allowed to leave their packs. Luckily, Anie’s pack was here in Miami.

She
had been my tailor for as long as I had the idea for my leather jacket. Which
happened when I was 19. She was the one that made any piece of unique gear I
needed.

When
she was a Hunter the equipment hadn’t cost me a penny because she was paid
through all the Hunters for her services. Now, though, she charged me an arm
and a leg for the jackets. Or maybe it was that I needed one every couple of
weeks. I mean, how messed up was it that we paid for our hunting equipment? (Although,
most tradesmen pay for their own tools.) We were taken care of on every normal
level there was, clothing, housing, food, healthcare, you know, the norms, so I
couldn’t complain too much.

I
nodded my head and went straight for her. She looked pissed I was coming toward
her, but I needed a familiar face in the trenches.

“If
you weren’t my best customer, I’d break your nose right now.” Such hostility! I
was her best customer. But I was also not viewed upon fondly by the Hunters
right now, either. I understood her conflict.

“Good
to see you Ass, I mean Anie.”

“Aniese,
Goddamnit Delaney.” She insisted I call her Aniese at these meetings. A sign of
respect. I hadn’t seen her in months. It was nice to see I still had the same
effect on her.

“So
you’re still coming to these little shindigs, eh?”

“As
long as the invite stands, yes. I thought they would’ve thrown your ass out by
now, though.”

Since
Aniese had been a badass, well known Hunter, and the Hunters had little to no
allies on the “other side”, they had invited her to continue coming. They had
made it very clear with the invite, though, that the door was to swing both
ways. Since they were letting her in, they wanted the same courtesy.
Tête-à-tête
, per say.

“I
weaseled my way back in. Can’t keep a starving snake away from the angry mice.”

“Oh,
I think the mice may overwhelm the snake this time.” She said it with a smirk. I
stopped to look around us and saw that most of the eyes in the room were glued
on us. I cussed under my breath.

“Thanks
for the support, Anie.”

“No
problem. Let’s sit.”

Aniese
moved to the front row and sat. It was her way of reminding the Hunters of what
could happen. Who was I to not sit with her? She was a good friend and, had
been and still as a supe was, the best Hunter I had ever seen. I sat proudly
next to her.

The
gavel came down as we sat and I saw my Father behind the giant long desk in
front of us. He raked his eyes over every Hunter in the room with the exception
of me. He was intentionally ignoring my presence. Good to see you too! Dick.

What
a passive aggressive asshole.

“When the days are cold, And the cards all fold…”

– Imagine Dragons, Demons

I
didn’t want what was being sold in this room. However, I needed answers and I needed
my face to be seen so it would not be forgotten. I would not have my memory
wiped clean from these walls into which I had poured my blood, sweat and fears.
Like the desert craved a drop of rain the walls of the Hunters’ headquarters
sang to my soul.

I
could remember a time when I wanted to be here with others like me. Even when I
had been acting out against my Father, I still wanted to be here. I wanted to
be with people who understood what I worked for. What we all gave our lives
over for.

That
all changed once I met Az. Azrael. He put a spin into my world that pushed
things I had always known and believed my entire existence to the edges of my
life. I now stood amongst these people not quite understanding or belonging to
them. I simply was tolerating being here for information, not wanting to be
here anymore.

 For
the first time in months I was getting a look at the family I had left and I
hated it. The only blood tie I had left on this earthly plane and he was
ignoring me. I noticed the harsh lines of his face had gotten deeper. While my
looks stood out, my Fathers were understated. Where he was darkness and hard
edges – I was light and softness.

I
studied him intently until he finally looked me dead in the eyes. That was when
I figured the shit was about to hit the fan. Whatever my Father was about to
say was going to be about me, and I wasn’t going to like it.

“Good
of you to join us finally, Delaney.”

I
stood because, intrinsically, I can’t not stand. As I said, some things he
hammered into me stuck. If someone on the Council speaks to you, you stand out
of respect.

“Yes,
Janesh.”

Even
though everyone sitting there, with the exception of the newbies, knows I’m his
daughter, if I call him Dad or Father, it would be a slight to his position. I
stopped calling him by Dad in my tweens when I was old enough to know the
difference between my Father and the head of the Hunter Council. Problem was,
the reason I had stopped calling him Dad was because he was never
not
the head of the Hunter Council.

“Do
you deny consorting with our enemies?” Fuck. He had said something about
consorting with the enemy and I had missed most of it.

Oh
well, I got the gist: he was calling me out in front of the Council. I looked
to Cade because he was the only one who knew about my past “indiscretion,”
which was the only thing he could really be talking about. Cade’s eyes held
mine for a moment, darted to Janesh, then looked away. So he knew he had
brought me here for a reason, but not to what extent my Father would pull down the
world around me.

My
Father had done everything in his power to keep me on his side growing up. To
keep me in line. To keep me from doing what I did. But I did it anyway. It
seemed my Father was going to do the one thing I never thought he would: he was
going to bounce me from the institution I had given everything to and
everything up for.

If
I didn’t deny I had been consorting with Az it would divide us permanently. If
I said no, the Hunter Council would just torture me until I said yes. And yes
is what I wanted to say. My Father obviously knew something. He was just trying
to find out how far off the grid I had gone.

“I
do not deny.”

There
was a collective gasp from the peanut gallery around us. I was looking directly
into my Father’s eyes to see his intense shame before the room erupted into
outrageous noise. If I wasn’t mistaken, I noticed a flicker of pleasure in his
eyes. But that couldn’t be. He was still my Father, right? His blood still ran
through my veins. Maybe he had gas. But I noticed Anie moving in my peripheral
vision. She stood up and raised her hand like we were back in school and she
was waiting to be called on. Surprisingly, it worked. My Father saw her and
roared.

“Silence!”

It
was instantaneously quiet.

“Speak,
Aniese.”

My
Father had more respect for Anie than me – rightfully so, since less than five
hours before this I had been fucking the second in command of all Demons. C’est
la vie.

“Janesh,
Sir, she’s been consorting with some of my people – along with some others I
consort with. She’s been assisting me with a…problem.”

My
Father studied her face closely. Anie never flinched. She was damn good, even
in her new skin. I was extremely well trained at lying so it was no great feat
to train my features. I was surprised but I never moved, not even a blink. As
if me being accused of one of the most serious offenses to Hunters was as
common as the sun rising. I didn’t know why Anie was standing up for me, but I
loved her for it.

“So
you’re saying all these creatures that have been around her are because she’s
helping you?”

“Yes,
sir.” So, my Father didn’t know why I had all the tails I had. Now I was a
little more scared than I had been before coming to the meeting.

“Anything
you want to say, Delaney?” My Father asked.

You
mean, other than take a sharp stick and shove it up your ass, you dickhead?! Oh,
and I hate you – don’t bother calling me anymore. Oh, wait, you didn’t before
anyway.

“No,
Sir.”

“Very
well. Aniese, she is given to your custody until this little…problem you
referred to is concluded.”

I
could tell Anie was caught completely off guard. As was I. A babysitter. Really?!

“I
– ”

“You
will do as told if you want to remain in this loop. Because clearly I’m out of yours.”

Oh,
so it was her punishment to watch me. I’ll give it to him, it was a pretty good
one. I was a difficult one to control and contain.

“Yes,
Janesh.”

 I
could tell she was struggling with the burden of me. I had to fight off the
laugh. I was nervous and it was my natural response to uncomfortable
situations. That and word vomit.

“You
may take her to get the belongings she needs, then back to your place.” Great.
Grand. Wonderful!

This
was just a dream come true. I came here to have a few questions answered and I
get t-boned by a big fucking Mac Truck – because
side swiped
just
doesn’t cut it.

Anie
continued to sit in stunned silence as guards surrounded us.

“You
will go now.” My Father barked. Anie stood seeming out of her depths now. Join
the club sister, we have jackets, with large holes in them.

“Sir,
what do I do with her when the problem is solved?” Anie said, waking from her
shock-induced trance.

“You
bring her here and check her back in.” I looked to Cade with this news from my Father.
He was distressed but trying to hold it together, since he was part of my judge
and jury – whether he knew it or not.

What
my Father had just said rolled over my nerves. This was just a short break
before I would inevitably be locked up by the Hunters. Or worse, put to death.

Anie
had just saved my life. For now.

“Don’t give me up, How unfair, It’s just out our luck. Find something
great, That’s just out of touch.”

– Birdy, Not About Angels

After
being escorted out by guards in the middle of the Council meeting, Anie and I
strolled amicably down the street.

“I
hate you right now.” Anie said. Maybe amicable was too strong a word.

“I’m
not the one who stood up and lied to the Council. Why’d you do it? You knew
what you were risking!”

“I
did it because, apparently, I’m a raving lunatic with a death wish. And maybe
because a guy showed up at my house and paid me a shit ton of money to keep you
out of trouble.”

It
had to be Azrael. If it wasn’t him, I had no idea who it could be. No one cared
enough anymore to keep me out of trouble like that. The only one I could think
of, besides Anie, was Az.

“Who
was this mysterious man?” I asked her sounding as alarmed and interested as I
should when news like that reached me.

“That’s
just it. I have no idea. I think he was a Demon, but that’s all I got. I don’t
know what he looked like or what level, exactly anyway, he is. But he’s gotta
be high up. I’ve never blanked out on someone like that before.”

It
was definitely Az then. There was no other possibility. Right?

“How
much did he pay you?”

“Enough.”

“We’ll
see about that.” I hated he had paid her. She was risking her life. There was
not enough money in the world for that.

“Listen,
Laney. The money didn’t hurt but I owe you a lot for the way you’ve treated me
since my descent,” that’s what the Hunters called kicking people out on their
asses:
descent
.

Once
a Hunter had violated the rules or was bitten and changed, like Anie, they were
kicked out with a nice monetary severance for their services and a boot to the
ass. If the Hunters were intelligent, they would keep the ones that had been
changed. It would be an invaluable asset to have Hunters from different supe
groups.

“You’ve
never treated me any differently, still the same pain in the ass as always. But
you’ve been a good friend. ”

“Nothing
to treat differently. You’re still you just with a little extra kick.”

“That’s
debatable.”

I
hated a lot about Hunters. But our self-loathing was unmatched, especially if
we were bitten and turned.

“Well,
let’s hustle up before the assholes following us get too close!”

The
last part of the statement I said loud enough for anything within a 100 yard
radius to hear.

I
could feel the energy from the supes ratchet up a few notches. Whatever was
near us was upset. Life was all about the little victories.

**********************************************

We
arrived at my place shortly after my verbal poke to the supes following us. Mostly,
because Anie was hustling me through the streets mumbling something about a crazy
bitch with a death wish. I loved getting her riled up. She didn’t smile or get
angry enough anymore.

When
she had been a Hunter we had gotten on each other’s nerves, in a sisterly way,
on a daily basis. I enjoyed having that anger around again. Most of the time, I
tried to get under her skin because, for me, it was an easier task than making
her laugh. I thought I was hilarious, but apparently, I was not everyone’s cup
of tea. It was difficult making her laugh when she was a Hunter, I imagined
making her laugh now was near impossible.

“Can
you just hurry up so we can get to my place safely?”

Anie
was jittery, and justly so. I had to remove some of my etched wards to allow
her into my home. Therefore, we were surrounded with very little protection. It
didn’t feel right, but what else could I do?

“What,
you don’t feel safe here?” I indicated our surroundings. She laughed
humorlessly, not what I was going for.

“Of
course. Surrounded by nothing but – ”Anie closed her eyes.

She
was sensing something, and by the look of it, not something good. It was the
same face she used to make as a Hunter – only more intense and focused. She
looked pained. This couldn’t be good.

Since
I wasn’t feeling anything, I had no idea what was going on in her little head. So
I started grabbing my things like a bride at a Macy’s basement sale. My bed was
now made and there was a box on it. It was a white box with a black bow on it. It
was from Azrael.

It
was how he had always given gifts to me. He said I was the perfect white to his
darkest black and how we made a perfect pair because of it. How wonderful it
had felt to be wrapped up in each other. There was no card, but I didn’t expect
one. He had only left one with the first box, after that he didn’t see the
point in it. I grabbed the box and every weapon I had, shoving them unceremoniously
into whatever duffel bag my hand touched. I also spared a few seconds to grab
underwear and t-shirts. I planned on being comfortable. I mean, if my world was
falling apart, why not be comfortable?

I
stepped out of my bedroom to where Anie was still standing, unmoving, in my
living room. Only now, there was a figure I couldn’t quite make out positioned
next to her. He stood over Anie with a hand on her shoulder. I squinted to try
and see him more clearly and found I couldn’t.

It
was like having your eyes dilated and you couldn’t quite see the thing in front
of you because there was too much light around it. What was this thing, and
more importantly, why was its hands on Anie?

I
pulled my blade from its holster on my back and stood ready to chop its head
off. I was a good Hunter, when I put forth the effort. I still couldn’t see it
clearly, but I got the general idea of where he stood. I would’ve stepped
forward and chopped his head off but I wasn’t really sure where he began and Anie
ended. It was too risky to try with me not being able to see him clearly. Had I
been drugged? Why couldn’t I get a grasp on this thing?

I
closed my eyes to take a deep breath and get my bearings. I realized while my eyes
were closed I could see this thing better. Yes, it was a he and he was all
light and energy. The strangest feeling of peace washed over me and I had to
fight back the influence I knew the light-thingy dude was throwing towards me. So,
I kept my eyes closed and could see his mouth moving next to Anie’s ear.

“Back.
Up.” I said. Hoping someone, just this one time, could listen to me the first
time. Just once.

He
lifted his head at me and I won’t lie – I was caught off guard. It had no eyes
that I could see, but the rest of him was still outlined in that white color. Then
I started having the strangest sensation. It felt like I was floating. I opened
my blurry eyes and it turns out, I
was
floating.

I
didn’t know what this thing was but I know I didn’t trust it. Hell, maybe I was
hallucinating. Maybe none of it was happening and I was on the craziest high of
my life. But, on the off chance that this crazy bastard really was touching
Anie, I had to do something. I closed my eyes, so I could see the son of a
bitch, and hurled my sword at him. The next series of events I couldn’t have
guessed if I had been an honest to God fortune teller.

My
blade bounced off his skin like it was made of Nerf. I was dropped to the floor
once it hit him though, so I guess it had some sort of an effect, just not the
slicing and dicing one it normally had. I picked up my blade from the floor making
sure that I hadn’t grabbed a fake one or a practice one by mistake in my haste
to pack my things up. Once I felt the bite of the blade on the skin of my hand,
when I touched the edge of it, there was undeniably a problem. If I couldn’t
kill it with my blade, then I didn’t know how to solve the problem. Since we
were leaving my place anyway I put my blade back in its holster on my back, put
my overnight bag on my shoulder and put my hands up in a kind of surrender.

I
grabbed Anie by the back of her jacket and pulled. She immediately started
moving when I pulled hard enough for his hand to come off her shoulder. She
grabbed my hand and we busted out of the living room window of my house. I
didn’t look back but I heard a high pitched screeching and popping, followed by
a wave of heat. My home was burning. There was no reason to turn back and see
there was nothing left.

I
don’t think Bob, my plant, made it.