Dr. Wolf, the Fae Rift Series Book 2- Demon Spiral (7 page)

Foot-long metal spikes like those that had been stabbed into the troll at the hospital lined each side of the throne. Aleric knew by the smell that the spikes were silver. If he was stabbed, his body wouldn’t heal from the wound. The fingernails of Archdemon Pravus’ six-fingered hands were long and jagged like serrated blades, and when he met Aleric’s gaze, the smile he gave showed black teeth with the same serrated edge.

“Welcome, Aleric Bayne.”

The Archdemon’s deep voice rolled through Aleric with a deep bass that reverberated in his chest. The Archdemon’s eyes were wide and mocking. Within them, Aleric could see dancing flames as though he stared into the fiery pits of hell.

Aleric smiled, careful not to let the expression turn into the snarl he truly wanted.

“You welcome a guest by throwing him into a cell with a vampire for a day? Did you know their bodies smell when they turn to ash?” Aleric said.

The Archdemon’s gaze revealed nothing of his emotions when he replied, “I was told the two of you were friends. Was I mistaken?”

Aleric snorted. “A werewolf friends with a vampire? Where did you get your information, an anansi spider?” He held the Archdemon’s gaze. “Be careful who you listen to, oh Dark and Writhing One. Lies spread just as easily here as in Blays.”

The Archdemon’s mouth lifted in a slight half-smile that was terrifying. “I’ll take that into consideration.”

Aleric didn’t know what to say in the silence that followed. He could hear the raspy breaths of the ogres that lined the room. Demons in their pale human forms could be seen among the ogres. Their glowing eyes were hard to miss. Aleric couldn’t imagine the damage that would happen to the city if all of the demons went into fury mode. Small shadows scurried along the walls lit by the faint overhead lights. A closer look revealed them to be goblins. Aleric’s heart slowed at the sight of so many. A glance to his left showed the medusa standing near the door. She smiled at him. Aleric quickly looked back at the Archdemon.

“Is there a reason you requested my presence here?” Aleric asked as if he hadn’t been forced at the threat of death to appear in front of the Archdemon.

A deep chortle sounded from Archdemon Pravus’ chest. He chuckled, then laughed. The demons around the room spread the laughter until even the ogres gave gurgling roars.

The Archdemon stopped abruptly and glared at Aleric. Silence flooded the room. “You, Aleric Bayne, are well-named for a werewolf. You have become the bane of my existence, an Ashstock attempting to undermine my efforts in this human world. You are a coward hiding in this human city telling yourself you can make a difference. You are spineless scum, a flea-bitten cur, and a worthless piece of Ashstock filth,” the Archdemon growled. “I have spared your life for one reason and one reason only.” He leaned closer from his huge throne. His cloak billowed around him as if caught in the ghost of a breeze. “Tell me how to activate the Rift.”

Aleric stared at him. “Why would you want to do that?”

The Archdemon sat back in his throne and linked his bony fingers together. The glowing flames of the lava across his skin ran up one arm and down the other.

“Queen Ashdava expressed an interest in this world when Lord Targesh approached her with his plan for dominating the human dimension. With the Vampire Lord and now his son out of the picture, I’m sure the Queen would be pleased to take over.” His hands twitched as if the thought of presenting the human world to her was almost too great to be contained. The smile that spread across his face sent chills down Aleric’s spine. “You, Wolfsbane, are going to make that happen.”

Aleric let out a breath through his nose. He shook his head, forcing his tone to remain calm. “There’s one major problem with your plan, Oh Dark and Slimy One.”

The Archdemon’s eyes narrowed so that the internal flames filled his irises. “And what is that?”

Aleric opened one hand. “You killed the only person who knew how to open the Rift.”

Pravus snorted and Aleric swore smoke came out of the Archdemon’s nostrils. “You’re lying.”

Aleric took two steps forward. They were the hardest steps of his life. His instincts screamed for him to fight, to run, to get as far away from that room full of demons, ogres, a medusa, and many goblins as possible, yet he stood his ground.

“Master of All that is Dark and Grimy, I may be worthless, spineless, and a coward as you say, but there is one thing I am not.” Aleric held the Archdemon’s gaze. “I am not a liar.”

“What about flea-bitten?” one of the ogres asked.

Pravus glared at the ogre. The Dark fae lining that side of the room cowered against his glare. The Archdemon turned his attention back to Aleric.

“You don’t know how to open the Rift.”

Aleric shook his head.

Pravus’ voice trembled with anger when he said, “The vampire knew how to open the Rift.”

“He was the only one,” Aleric replied.

The Archdemon crossed the space between them faster than Aleric could follow. He found himself pinned against a wall with the demon’s sharp fingernails digging into his skin. His legs dangled far above the ground.

“Open the Rift!” Pravus shouted.

Aleric refused to die the coward the Archdemon had proclaimed him to be. Though his heartbeat thundered in his ears, he met Pravus’ glare, the huge demon’s face inches from his own, and said, “I wouldn’t even if I could.”

Pravus let out a yell of rage that echoed through the huge chamber. “I will wear your skin,” the Archdemon vowed. He put one hand over Aleric’s head. His palm covered the werewolf’s entire face. “I will crush your skull like a melon. You will die regretting ever seeing my face.”

“I already regret seeing your face,” Aleric said beneath the Archdemon’s hand. “I’ll bet your mother was even uglier.”

It probably wasn’t the smartest thing he could have said, but Aleric knew he was about to die and he refused to lay down and do so in silence.

Pravus let out another growl and clenched his fist around the werewolf’s head.

The pain tore a cry from Aleric’s lips.

Chapter Seven

“Drop him.”

The pressure didn’t let up, but it halted just enough that Aleric didn’t feel like his head was going to split in two.

“You were dead,” Pravus snarled.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Dartan replied. “Let my friend go or else.”

“I don’t respond well to—” a shout of pain sounded from the Archdemon followed by cries around the room.

Pravus released Aleric and the werewolf found himself plummeting to the ground. He hit and his legs buckled. Aleric rolled to his hands and knees. He looked up to see Dartan cringing by the door. Light flooded into the room. By the agonized reactions of all of the Dark fae around Aleric, the werewolf knew the light was from the sun. The effect on the Dark fae filled the air with cries of agony, the scent of burning flesh, and the pained gasp of someone he knew very well. The vampire fell to his knees.

“Dartan!” Aleric yelled.

He pushed to his feet and ran past the Archdemon. The sight of his friend’s skin smoldering in the sunlight stole Aleric’s fear. The werewolf tore the cloak from the Archdemon’s throat as he ran by. He threw Pravus’ billowing black robes over Dartan and ducked, picking his friend up over his shoulder.

When Aleric reached the hallway, glass crunched beneath his shoes. He glanced up to see that the windows overhead had been broken to let the sunlight in. The mirrors that lined the huge hallway had been angled to catch the light and send it into the Archdemon’s grand room.

“You were busy,” he said as he rushed down the hallway.

Aleric had no idea how the vampire had survived directing the sunlight to serve as a weapon against the other Dark fae. He could hear Dartan’s labored breathing as he ran. The scent of the vampire’s charred skin filled Aleric’s nose.

“Hang in there,” he said, attempting to ease the jarring of his footsteps on his friend. “I’ll get you help.”

Dartan gave a moan of pain beneath the black cloaks.

Aleric followed the scent of the path they had been led the night before to the cell. He ran through the twists and turns, grateful the ogres and demons were trapped in the great room, hiding in the corners away from Dartan’s clever trap.

Aleric turned and barreled through the final door while protecting Dartan who lay too still across his other shoulder.

The werewolf blinked at the sudden brightness. The car the medusa had driven stood solitary in the rubble beyond the half-constructed building. Aleric ran to it and slammed his fist into the window. Glass fell to the ground at his feet.

“Did you check…the handle?” Dartan asked, his voice breathless.

Aleric grabbed the handle. The door opened.

“Know-it-all,” he muttered.

Dartan let out a huff of laughter that ended in a pained gasp as Aleric maneuvered him to the back seat.

“Stay with me,” Aleric told him. He slid onto the driver’s seat and was relieved to find the keys sitting in the cup holder. He started the engine. The sound of Dartan’s weak heartbeat had his foot on the gas before the car was even in drive. The vehicle lurched forward and the tires spun before they caught. The car shot away from the demon building.

“That was ridiculous,” Aleric said as much to Dartan as to himself. “If you told me I would be arguing with an Archdemon today, I would tell you that you were insane. But I did. Now who’s the insane one?”

“You,” Dartan said.

The pain in his voice made Aleric drive faster.

“That was a rhetorical question. I don’t need anyone to tell me that I just signed my death warrant.” Aleric glanced back at the mound of robes behind him. “He would have killed me, too, if you didn’t make that crazy trap.”

“I’m…the insane one,” Dartan said, his words weak.

“Yes, you are,” Aleric agreed. The thought of the burns that covered the vampire’s bare torso made Aleric clench his jaw. He didn’t know if the Dark fae could survive such damage. He swore Dartan’s shoulder bones had been visible through the damaged flesh. The charred smell filled the car.

Aleric pushed the vehicle faster. A truck pulled in front of him. The werewolf swore under his breath and sped around the truck. A car coming in the opposite direction honked its horn. Aleric pulled in front of the truck just before the car hit them.

Dartan’s heart skipped a beat, then another.

“Don’t you dare,” Aleric said. “Dartan, you stay with me.”

A slight sound caught Aleric’s ear. It was a sigh, a whisper of breath escaping the vampire’s lips. The finality of the sound made Aleric’s stomach clench. He had heard that sigh before. It had replayed in his ears a million times when Sherian died after the demon attack.

“No!” Aleric shouted.

He jerked the wheel to the right and slammed on the brakes. The car hit the curb. The truck behind him honked as it rocketed past.

Aleric threw open the door, ran around the car, and pulled up on the handle for the back door. It was locked.

Aleric slammed his fist into the window. The glass sliced his knuckles as it shattered. Aleric reached the handle from the inside and opened the door.

“Stay with me,” Aleric said. “You stay with me, Dartan. You can’t leave now. There’s no way I’m letting that happen.”

He threw the cloak back from Dartan’s face. The sound of the sunlight burning the vampire’s already singed skin made Aleric shove the black cloth against the broken window to block out the light. Dartan’s head lolled back, his red irises just visible within his half-closed eyelids.

“Wake up,” Aleric demanded.

When Dartan didn’t respond, the werewolf picked up a piece of glass. He drew it across his palm in a deep gouge. Blood welled up.

“This better work,” Aleric whispered to himself.

He closed his fist tight above Dartan’s face. Blood dripped from his wound into the vampire’s mouth.

“Come on,” Aleric said.

He watched with every sense straining. The vampire’s chest was still, his heart motionless. The burns that covered Dartan’s torso were severe. A human with such injuries would have died from the instantly of the pain alone, yet the vampire had defied the burns long enough to turn the sunlight to the demons, saving Aleric’s life.

“Swallow,” Aleric pleaded.

Dartan lay there, the pallor of his skin a stark contrast to the blood that dripped from Aleric’s hand. He squeezed harder.

“You’re not leaving me here alone,” Aleric said. “I can’t handle the patients by myself. The troll’s going to be groggy and the goblins are going to get out of hand. It’s inevitable. They’re goblins; that’s what they do.”

He listened, hoping beyond hope that Dartan’s heart would give a beat.

“Don’t you dare leave me with the goblins,” Aleric said.

His blood trickled from the side of Dartan’s mouth. Aleric let out a hiss of frustration.

“Wake up!” he yelled. He slammed his palm against the vampire’s chest. “Open your eyes!” He hit the vampire’s chest again.

Lightheadedness swarmed Aleric. He leaned against the back of the seat, his body weak from the blood the vampire had taken earlier and his thoughts numb at the sight of his damaged friend. He couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t, yet when he tried to lift his hand to give the vampire more blood, his limb wouldn’t respond.

“Curse you, Dartan,” Aleric growled, but there was no strength behind his words.

His gaze stayed on his blood-red handprints on the vampire’s burned skin.

“Curse you,” he whispered.

Aleric wanted to rage, to howl, to phase and go back to attack the demons in his wolf form even if it meant his death. They had been the reason for Dartan’s extreme actions. They had killed Aleric’s friend. Aleric hated that he couldn’t do more than sit there, his body overtaken by exhaustion. He was unable to break his gaze from the red handprints above the vampire’s still heart.

Aleric blinked, then focused on the handprints again. His eyes weren’t fooling him. The handprints were vanishing, disappearing into the vampire’s skin.

Aleric’s gaze shifted to Dartan’s face. The blood in the vampire’s mouth and trailing down his burnt cheek was gone.

A deep whoosh and thud struck Aleric’s ears. The sound was loud. Aleric looked out the window, expecting a storm to match the thunder he heard. Yet clear skies lit the day and sunlight streamed against the black robes.

The whoosh and thud sounded again. Aleric’s eyes widened. He looked at Dartan. The sound was the vampire’s heartbeat.

“Ouch.”

A smile of relief spread across Aleric’s face at the sight of the vampire’s grimace of pain.

“You better believe it,” Aleric said. “Pain is good. Pain means you’re alive.”

“Pain…sucks,” Dartan forced out with a groan.

“Vampires suck,” Aleric replied. “Stay with me. I’m getting you to the hospital where there’s blood, darkness, and goblins to keep you company.”

“I…hate…you,” Dartan said.

“I know,” Aleric replied with a grin. He hurried as fast as he was able around the car and pulled the door open. He drove into traffic, ignoring the honks and gestures out open windows, and pulled into the hospital’s back parking lot in record time. He yanked open the car door, ran around to the other side, and opened Dartan’s.

“Slow down,” Dartan said.

“No way,” Aleric replied. He bent and picked the vampire up, careful to ensure that the cloak covered him completely. “You need blood and I’m pretty sure I’m fresh out.”

Dartan gave a pained chuckle.

Aleric hurried to the door and turned his back to push it open that way. His shoulder slammed against the door, but it didn’t budge.

“Ow,” he said.

“Pull the door open,” Dartan pointed out.

Aleric managed to grab the handle with one hand and pull it open.

“I blame that on you,” he told the vampire he carried. “Blood loss is affecting my brain.”

“I’d believe that…if I didn’t know you before this,” Dartan replied.

Aleric shook his head as he carried the vampire up the hallway and turned to the D Wing. They both breathed a sigh of relief when he ducked into the Dark fae side and set Dartan on the closest bed. He heard the vampire’s groan of pain at his charred skin’s contact with the sheets.

“I’ll go get you some blood,” Aleric told him.

Dartan’s eyes were closed tight. He didn’t reply.

Aleric burst through the doors to the D Wing and ran up the hallway. He shoved the doors to the E.R. open and made a beeline straight for Dr. Worthen’s office. Dr. Worthen and Gregory were there in discussion about something. Both stared at Aleric when he entered.

“Dr. Wolf! We thought you were a gonner,” Gregory said with a huge smile upon seeing him.

Dr. Worthen nodded. “We were worried you got bit trying to catch goblins and were still out there somewhere.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Aleric said quickly. “But I don’t have time to explain. I need blood for Dartan and more tranquilizer guns from Dr. Indley.”

“I’ll get the blood,” Gregory told him. The orderly ran out the door.

“I’ll call Dr. Indley,” Dr. Worthen said. Worry touched his gaze. “Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”

Aleric nodded. “I’m fine, considering.” He hesitated, unsure how much he should tell the head physician. His legs felt weak. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the chair.

“Of course,” Dr. Worthen replied. He pulled open a drawer and held something out. “Eat it. You look like you could use something in your stomach.”

Aleric accepted the bar and opened it. His hand shook as he brought it to his mouth and took a bite.

“Aleric, you look horrible,” Dr. Worthen said. “Look at your wrist and your hand. What happened?”

Aleric let out a breath. “We found trouble, lots of trouble.” He leaned forward. “There’s an Archdemon in Edge City.”

“That’s sounds bad,” Dr. Worthen replied, watching him.

“If you thought Forsythe was a lot to deal with, imagine something twice his size and filled with enough ego to devour this entire city,” Aleric replied. “Archdemon Pravus brought the goblins to control the humans of Edge City.”

Dr. Worthen’s eyes widened. “What do we do?”

Aleric sounded as exhausted as he felt when he replied, “Catch them all and send them back to Blays.”

“Is the Archdemon gone?” Dr. Worthen asked.

Aleric shook his head. “Dartan trapped him, but he’ll be out by nightfall if he’s not out now.”

“Will he come here?”

Aleric sat back in his chair. He studied the bar he held. “I’m not sure,” he replied quietly. “I hope not, but he wants to know how to open the Rift to Blays so he can bring the Demon Queen through.”

Dr. Worthen was quiet for a moment. When Aleric glanced at him, the doctor’s face was pensive.

“I’m sorry, Doctor. We had no idea an Archdemon made it through. We’ll do whatever it takes to get him out of your city.”

“Our city,” Dr. Worthen corrected.

That brought a small smile to Aleric’s face.

Dr. Worthen pulled out another bar. “Eat that, too. And I’m having accounting put you on the payroll as a janitor. The pay won’t be as much as you deserve, but it’s something.” He picked up an envelope from his desk and held it out to Aleric. “Consider this your first week’s salary and an advance so you can get some clothes and find somewhere to live.”