Demon's Daughter: A Cursed Book (16 page)

The man who wanted to kill me.

Chapter 9

Driving in a truck with Drake was worse than I imagined it would be. We were crammed in the cab, Dro seated between Drake and myself so I couldn’t stop anything he wanted to do to her. The entire uncomfortable drive to El Paso consisted of few bathroom breaks, no food, Drake casually stroking my sister’s hair and thigh, and me thinking about I could kill him from where I was sitting.

My heart ached as my brain replayed Manny and Max’s shooting. I couldn’t even get closure from knowing whether they were alive or not. Manny had been shot in the chest, and Max had been bleeding out from somewhere vital. I’d seen enough gunshot wounds in my life to know bleeding out from one was agonizing, and if you didn’t get help in time, you died.

I turned my head to look at Dro. Her head was down, most of her braid gone, but the falling strands of white hair weren’t doing much to hide the tears streaking her face. Dro kept her crying silent and controlled so Drake wouldn’t notice, but the pain on her face was heart breaking.

It was my fault. I should have known that sooner or later Mateo and the Blood Thorns would catch up to me to get their revenge. It was just like them to send a sadistic fuck like Drake Talbot after me. But it hadn’t stopped me from getting close to Manny and Max. It hadn’t stopped me from caring about my new strange, little family.

We arrived at the Mexican border later that night. The road led to a tollbooth next to the wall. Two tall towers with pacing sharpshooters stood on either side of the booth while an expansive metal fence stretched out for miles beyond them. Fear spiked me as I stared past the windshield into the darkness. Mateo was just miles away now. He was waiting patiently, thinking of ways to hurt me. I’d seen him deliver punishments personally, everything from breaking bones with a hammer to pouring burning oil on someone’s face. Since Drake had taken Dro too, there were endless ways for Mateo to break me. The bastard wouldn’t even have to touch me to make me scream for mercy.

Drake pulled the truck to a stop outside the gates and looked at the border guards, grinning at them.

“Evening officers,” he drawled, showing some kind of badge.

The guard frowned and shone a flashlight into the cab, gaping a little when he saw our bruised and bloody faces. He whirled the flashlight at Drake.

“What the hell is this?” he asked.

“Bounty collection,” Drake answered happily. “The beaner is a wanted fugitive in Mexico and Snow White is her sister. They’re nastier than they look, trust me.”

The guard hesitated, looking into the cab again, then at Drake. “I think you should get out of the truck, sir.”

Drake’s smile dropped. “What the fuck for?”

“We received a report that two battered women would be trying to leave the country in the company of a bounty hunter. Who I assume is you.”

Dro and I looked at each other, thinking the same thing. Only two people knew about Drake capturing us, which meant either Max or Manny were still alive. Or had been, recently.

Drake tightened his hand on the wheel. “What’s your point?”

“They belong in the custody of the United States Marshals in conjunction with the DEA.” The guard’s hand went to his hip, resting right above his gun. “Are you going to be a problem, sir?”

I looked around. In the booth past the guard talking to Drake, another man was speaking on a phone. Maybe to the snipers in the towers. He was looking at a piece of paper, his eyes flicking from it to me. Damn Wanted list.

“They’re my pickup,” Drake continued to argue. “I’m not turning them over to the damn Marshals.”

“You’ll get a reward for–”

“Their shit reward isn’t half of what I’d get if I took them across the border. Now raise the gate and let me through.”

“That isn’t going to happen. Now, I advise you to get out of the car–”

It happened so fast. Dro sucking in a deep breath, the subtle reek of sulfur, the air ripping open and a demon pouncing on the border guard. He screamed as the demon tore into him. I thought I heard gunshots, but if they weren’t silver or filled with rock salt and sage, they weren’t really going to help in time.

The window beside me was punched open, glass and a powerful fist scraping past my jaw. A Red demon wrenched open the door of the truck. I twisted and kicked it in the face with all my strength, since my arms were still trapped by the damned handcuffs.

The demon growled and grabbed my legs, yanking me out of the cab. It tossed me hard onto the pavement, and then reached into the cab again. I heard another man screaming and more gunshots. The border guards were shooting at the demons, but their bullets were doing next to nothing.

I pushed myself up and saw the Red pulling Dro out of the truck. She screamed in defiance and tried to break free, but it was resistant. I got to my feet and ran for her, driving my foot into the demon’s ribs and forced it to focus on me.

“Get the handcuff keys!” I screamed. In the background I heard endless shouts and cracking shots from sniper rifles.

My back was to my sister, but she could take care of herself. Dealing with a demon was more dangerous than even Drake at the moment.

It screamed at me, furious that I was in its way. It lunged and tried to grab me, but I ducked low and swept its legs out from under it. I kicked at its head, dancing away when it tried to snatch my ankle. I backed up again as it twisted and got into a crouch, looking like a big red spider. I kept backing up as it scrambled toward me, and I jumped aside at the last minute when it pounced for me.

The Red slammed into the truck with a loud crunch and punched for my head. The blow glanced off the side of my face and it almost grabbed my throat. I quickly backed around the side of the truck, seeing Dro had made it to the other side of the cab and snatched the keys from Drake as he shot at another Red demon.

Drake felt her movement and the Red freaked, but before either of them could do anything, the Red sank its claws into Drake and tried to hurl him aside. Drake refused to let go, and they grappled together.

The Red demon chasing me clambered up the top of the truck and jumped into the bed. It leapt again, and this time I didn’t get far enough back.

The demon knocked me onto the ground, my arms howling in protest from the awkward position. I tried to buck the demon off, but it was too heavy. Its hands circled my throat and squeezed so tight I thought it was going to pop my head off.

Until it stopped and whipped its head to the side, screaming when Dro stabbed her pocketknife into one of its black eyes. I’d never been more grateful at insisting she keep one knife in each boot, and that Drake was sloppy enough to assume she wasn’t a threat.

My sister stayed out of range of the Red’s arms and stabbed the demon in the face again, and again, until the ash of its corpse rained dust over me. I coughed and winced, but rolled onto my side so Dro could unlock my handcuffs.

As soon as I was free, I got to my feet. Dro handed me the knife without question and stood at my side so we could see what was happening.

Carnage was a good word for it. Near the gates of the border, the tear in the world was still open. Demons continued to pour out of it one at a time, hunting for Dro but getting distracted by the border guards and snipers shooting at them. There were at least six that I could see.

I was kind of glad that the demons were so one-track minded and they weren’t completely focusing on us, but someone would have called the National Guard by now. I felt sorry for the poor men and women working the border tonight. They were being slaughtered by something they would never understand, and were completely incapable of fighting against.

As I glanced around, I noticed Drake was gone. Dead or alive, I didn’t know or care. He was one less thing to worry about now. Especially since another pair of Red demons had noticed us.

They shrieked and charged us at the same time. Dro reached in her boot and took out the other foldout knife she had stored in it. She was ready to fight with me.

I lashed out at the demons, kicking at the one on the left and punching at the one on the right. Dro came up from behind me and took the Red on the left. My sore arms protested at the way I was swinging them, but I was able to push the pain to the back of my mind and focus on attacking the demon.

I swiped down, missing the Red’s chest, but I shoved the knife into its leg. The Red howled and grabbed a fistful of my hair, jerking my head up. I yanked the knife free and stabbed it into the Red’s stomach, then into its chest, and then again into its chin. I thrust up one more time, and then the Red exploded into black ash.

My sister was still holding her own against the other Red, keeping out of range. It was toying with her, like it didn’t want to kill her.

I started running for my sister when a force plowed into me and sent me twisting on the ground. I tried to get up, but something shoved against my shoulder and forced me back down, pinning me. I looked up in fury, and found myself staring at a demon that looked like an anorexic, bald, featureless man shrouded in black smoke. Its eyes were glassy, silver orbs. Its arms were too thin, its fingers too long. Tiny, sharp teeth filled its mouth when it smiled.

My heart stopped. I knew that smile. This was the demon that had escaped Manny’s exorcism. It was back, just like it promised.

“Those idiots always do things the hard way,” the Possessor hissed in English.

It was the first time I had heard a demon speak a language I understood. It leaned in closer, cold smoke curling around my face. It reeked of wood smoke and rotten eggs.

“There are more entertaining, and effective methods.”

The demon began to dissolve and move closer to my face. I thrashed and roared, but it was still pinning me somehow. I couldn’t even scream when it slipped into my mouth and nose.

It tasted like fire, burning my throat and sliding deeper into my body. I felt it reach my heart, twirling around it and holding on tightly before sinking into the rest of my organs. The smoky demon was slithering through my veins, taking control of my nerves, wrapping around my spine, and soaking into my brain.

I felt something drape over me like a wet blanket, smothering the very fabric of my soul. A sudden lance of pain cut into my spirit, dismantling the person I used to be, and making me something else…

I smile with my new lips and stand on my new feet, loving how I feel. I’m going to enjoy this one. I let the burning pain finish filtering through me as I force the body’s former owner down, locking her up tightly. I like this body. It’s tough and quick. My new senses take in everything around me. The darkness, the screams, the smell of blood.

The halfbreed.

I turn and fix the vessel’s eyes on her. Somewhere deep in this new body of mine, she cries out. I push her down again. She isn’t getting out that easily. Not before I have my fun.

The halfbreed spins and kicks the red oni in the head, knocking it off balance so she can drive a knife into its throat. The oni turns to ash and dissolves. She turns to face me, and gasps sharply.

“Your eyes,” she breathes. “Connie…”

I make the lips grin. “Not here, sweetheart. She’s a little tied up at the moment.”

Anger fills her bright blue eyes. It’s so strong I can almost feel it pulsing through her. Good.

“Let her go,” the halfbreed warns.

I keep the smile going as I take casual steps toward to her. “She taught you well,” I say.

My captive screams inside me, but I push her back. She isn’t strong enough to control me. But I’m more than strong enough to control her.

“This is what’s going to happen,” I say. “You’re going to give yourself up and come with me. Or I’m going to rip this body to pieces. It won’t hurt me, but when I let her go, it’ll be a really painful death for her.”

Fear flickers through the halfbreed’s eyes. She knows I’m not messing around. I lick my vessel’s lips, loving the salty taste. We’d been told their bond was strong, almost more powerful than any magic we can use on them. But their fear for each other’s safety was just as strong, and it was a delicious tease. I wonder if my Lord would forgive me if I took a quick bite. We need her alive, but not necessarily unharmed.

Then the defiance creeps back into the girl, which surprises me. I feel a surge of the halfbreed’s power, and it keeps me from moving forward. I almost forget what she is, who she’s made from. She’ll open the Gate for us, be the key to that freedom we want. There’s only one being I can think of that’s as powerful as this girl is. And she would give even him a run for his money, if she didn’t have the prowess of a mouse with a panic disorder.

But mouse or no, there’s no question that her blood will work.

“I said, let her go,” the halfbreed threatens again.

I narrow my stolen eyes. “So you’re going to do things the hard way, huh? You’re going to let your sister suffer? After everything she gave up for you? After you ruined her life? That’s not a very nice thing to do.”

I grip the vessel’s knife and draw it across her arm, cutting from elbow to wrist.

“No, don’t!” the halfbreed screams. The smell of her fear excites me.

“Do you know how scared she is of you? How she’s always thinking you’re going to lose control and burn her alive? Do you know how sick she is of having to watch out for you because you’re not strong enough? Because you’re just a weak little girl?”

Tears stream down the halfbreed’s face. Inside me, I feel another push against the trap I’ve made. I have to give a little credit to the human; she’s persistent.

I slice open the other arm. Blood snakes down the vessel’s fingers onto the pavement. If it weren’t for the surges of power that keep ebbing off her and us needing her to get the Gates open, I would consider this halfbreed to be a waste of time. No creature with this much power should be such a sniveling weakling.

“Please,” she begs. “Please, stop.”

I make the vessel’s face grin. I love it when they beg.