A Girl's Guide to Demon Hunting (25 page)

Chapter 51
"Keep calm and kill Demons."
                                        -Ace

    By the time we got the plan straight and I was convinced my friends wouldn’t be in danger, we had three minutes to get into position. Shooter had us covered from above and Ace and Jenny would act as backup, just in case.
    “You’re sure you can lure them away?” Max asked as we stood in the shadows of a tree at the edge of the dance floor.
    “Are you kidding? If there’s one thing I can do, it’s attract Demons.” I said as I watched Peaches sip champagne, surrounded by a mixture of humans and Demons.
    Camilla had arrived and was holding court on the opposite side of the dance floor from Peaches. Dressed in a simple deep purple gown, she looked elegant, as always. 
    “I don’t see Julie.” I told him as I searched the crowd.
    “Peaches won’t show her until she sees you. Remember, don’t move until Julie is safe.” He said, pulling us further into the shadows.
    Turning me so my back was pressed against the bark of the tree, he took both my hands in his and I felt his shield wind its way up my arms. Max leaned down so his face was just inches from mine.
    “Allie, once Julie’s out of the building I want you to run. Find someplace safe, far from Las Vegas. I’ll find you, I promise.”
    Before I knew what happened his lips caught mine. My thoughts scattered as his shield rushed over me, nearly burning me as it covered every inch of my body. Just as I thought I would burst into flames he broke the kiss.
    Giving me a worried look, he let go of my hands and ran down the path to where Sam was waiting. I stood there stunned as the seconds ticked by. I realized that while Max was gone, his shield was not. Looking down I saw the lightest shimmer of gold dancing on my skin. Snapping out of it, I kneeled down next to Pancake. I took her collar off and left it on the ground next to my heels.
    “Okay, Pancake. Attack.”
    At my words she stood up and I heard the pop of her jaw dislocating. A low growl that sounded like it belonged to something much larger than her rumbled from her chest and she disappeared into the crowd. I told myself she would be okay as I faded into the shadows.       
    Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I moved slowly around the perimeter of the crowd until I was behind Peaches. Hidden from view by the sagging limbs of a weeping willow, I looked across the dance floor and saw Max wade into the crowd, Sam close behind him. Feeling his shield slip away, I pulled hard on my power and waited for Peaches to make her move.
   
    Time felt like it slowed as I watched Max and Sam push their way to the center of the floor. I caught sight of Ace and Jenny as they twirled around the dance floor; watching Sam and Max's progress. Intent on watching Peaches, I didn’t feel the hand until it was wrapped around my throat. Pulling on my power, I directed it into my hands. I could feel his skin warming under my touch and knew he did as well. 
     “I’d suggest you remove your hands from me.”
     I felt my blood rush to my feet as I recognized Mateo’s voice. I was sure this couldn’t get any worse until I saw the six red dots light up the center of my chest. Immediately I took my hands from his and let them fall to my sides.
     “After all this, you’re going to kill me with a bullet? I expected more from you.” I told him, unable to help myself. Hell, if I’m going to die I may as well go out the smartass that I am.
     “Oh you stupid, stupid girl. These aren’t for you.”
     I watched in horror as, one by one, the little red dots moved off of me and found their true targets. Max and Sam, Ace and Jenny, Shooter on the catwalk on the east side of the building and the final one glowed on a table at the other side of the room; I could only guess Pancake was underneath. 
     “What do you want?” I asked when I was finally able to talk around the lump of fear that clogged my throat.
     “I want you to stand next to me and watch a master at work. Maybe you’ll learn something.”
     “Fine. Just don’t hurt them.”
     A few seconds passed before his hand around my throat relaxed and I was able to step away from him. I did what he wanted and stood at his side. My attention bounced from the red dots that followed my friends as if they were tattooed on them to Peaches and I found it harder and harder to keep track of Max and Sam as they moved toward her.
     I felt Mateo stiffen beside me at the same moment Peaches finally noticed Max and Sam. I spared a glance for Mateo and felt myself shudder at the slow smile that formed on his face. Sick bastard. Turning back to Peaches, she was now standing in front of Max and judging by the look on his face, something was wrong.
    Immediately I looked through the crowd and saw two things at once: Jenny and Ace were making their way towards the fire exit and at the same time Camilla and her guards were advancing on Peaches. 
    Suddenly sirens wailed and water poured from the sprinklers overhead. Panicked shouts added to the confusion as the crowd realized they were in a man-made monsoon, thanks of course to Jenny and Ace. In the chaos of the crowd moving towards the exits, I lost sight of Max and Sam and hoped the snipers did too. The Demons stood still in the crowd. I counted twenty-four and knew we were severely outnumbered.
    It was just a matter of a few minutes before the crowd had emptied and the sprinklers were shut off. I heard the slam of the heavy door at the same time the sirens fell silent. Peaches and Camilla, surrounded by their followers, faced each other across the flooded dance floor.
    “You know,” Peaches called to her, “if you really wanted an audience with me you should have just stopped by. This is a little much, don’t you think?”
     My heart froze at her taunting of Camilla. What was going on? My just increased when Mateo, who with a painful grip on my arm dragged me out of the shadows and onto the dance floor. 
     I tried not to look as confused as I felt as everyone’s attention was drawn to me. I had a feeling I didn’t pull it off very well.
     “You did all this so you could take my used trash? Are you really that jealous of me?” Peaches asked.
     “How ever have you lasted so long being so stupid? I almost pity you.” Said Camilla, her voice every bit as light and ironic as her enemy.
     Oh, crap. Like a switch was thrown, Peaches went from irritated to full-on psycho. I wasn’t the only one who noticed; those closest to her took a step back, clearing the way for the coming explosion. We didn't have to wait long. Peaches gave Camilla a sickly sweet smile and with a flick of her wrist, her power crackled through the air. I expected this, having seen her lose it on one other occasion. What I didn’t expect was her power coming for me.
     I had no time to react as it wrapped around me, squeezing me like a vice. My knees gave out and a scream was torn from my throat. As quick as it started, the pain was gone. Falling forward, I caught myself with my hands and stayed there dragging air into my lungs. 
    Mateo was on me in an instant, pulling me up to stand next to him. Every muscle in my body felt like rubber and I found myself leaning against him for support. I hated myself in that moment.
    Camilla drew my attention back to the dance floor as she closed the space between her and Peaches. In a voice that sent chills through my body, she said. “Didn’t you learn your lesson at Chernobyl? No one touches what is mine.”
        I heard a slap and only after seeing Peaches on the ground did I realize Camilla hit her. Peaches stumbled to her feet, a thin line of blood coming from her nose and in a rush of power she morphed.
     I’d known Peaches for two years and I’d never seen her take Demon form. She was magnificent and at the same time the scariest thing I’d ever seen. Over six feet tall, her skin was black and shone like high polished marble, her hair was the same burning red as her eyes and hung down to the middle of her back. Gigantic wings stretched out behind her, throwing Camilla in shadow. Well, this was going to be quick. At least I’d get to watch Camilla die before Peaches destroyed the rest of us.
    Peaches slashed her dagger-sharp claws at Camilla, catching her in the side and sending her crashing into a table of glasses. Camilla landed hard and when she didn’t get up, Peaches went after her. My vision was blocked by her massive wing span so I have no idea how but Peaches was thrown across the room, landing ten feet from me. Camilla, bloody, slowly made her way to Peaches. For whatever reason she hadn’t taken her Demon form and I found that somehow even more frightening.
    Camilla kicked Peaches onto her back and I felt my stomach turn at the sight of her. Huge blisters were forming all over Peaches’ body as if she’d been burned. The vindictive part of me hoped they’d leave a scar.
    Peaches, driven by what seemed to be  her impending death, climbed to her feet and lunged towards Camilla, aiming a punch at Camilla’s marker. Camilla, graceful as a dancer, spun out of her reach. Peaches was fast and caught her, wrapping her hands around Camilla’s throat. Camilla reacted so fast I would have missed it if I’d blinked: in one move she dropped her hands to her sides and rammed them back up, hitting both Peaches’ elbows at the same time. The crunch of bones breaking filled the room a second before Peaches’ blood-curdling scream.
    Camilla bent down and grabbed a handful of hair, dragging Peaches into a sort of sitting position. Peaches had stopped screaming at this point, her arms hanging unmoving at her side. Camilla stood behind Peaches and with one vicious jerk of her hand snapped her neck.
    The sound of Peaches body slamming into the floor was like a shot of pure adrenaline to every Demon in the room. I stood frozen, unable to look away from the thick darkness that was rising from Peaches chest. It coiled around Camilla for a brief moment and I was filled with horror at the thought of her getting even more power. The clamor of fighting reached me as the power drifted above the crowd of Demons. Some took to the air while others stayed earth bound as they had turned on each other in an effort to claim the darkness.
    Camilla stood calmly in the midst of the chaos. She watched the fighting around her with a detached coolness, as if she cared nothing for the power or even who would get it. It wasn’t until a pair of Demons came within five feet of me and Mateo that she moved and then it was just a flick of her wrist. In the space of a single heartbeat I found myself surrounded on all sides by Demons. Camilla gave me a chilling smile and walked into the crowd of fighting Demons. 
    I tried to keep sight of her but found my attention drawn to the other side of the room and the black and white blur that headed straight for me. Oh, my sweet Pancake. Ace was following her as fast as he could run, crossbow in his hand. Sam was coming towards me from the other side, moving so quickly among the Demons they had no idea a Guardian was within killing distance.
    I took a step toward them but stopped when the red dots reappeared. Furious, I could only watch as I tried to hold tight to my power and wait until I could make my move. The crack of a shot reverberated throughout the room and my heart stopped with it. But Ace and Pancake were still running. Then I saw the Demon guard to my left fall to the ground, a gaping hole in his right shoulder. As one the guards moved until the space was filled, it dawned on me they were protecting me. Two of the guards at the end stepped forward and as one they moved in on Ace and Pancake.
    Pancake took down the biggest guard in a flash of teeth and ripping flesh. Blood poured as she tore into his neck. The guards, realizing what they were up against, swarmed her but Pancake was smart and fast as she shot between their legs, only to double back and take another one down. A third was about to pull her off when an arrow appeared in his throat; anther arrow joined it almost instantly, the hits so close I heard the wooden shafts of the two arrows clack as they met. Ace shot two more Demons before they even knew what hit them. His victory was short-lived as he was tackled from behind and knocked to the ground.
    Sam, the purple wig gone, saw him go down and grabbing someone’s forgotten cane she snapped off the end so it looked more like an ornate spear. Charging through the crowd, she got to them just as the Demon placed its foot in the center of Ace’s chest, intent on crushing him to death. With perfect aim, Sam drove the pointy end of the cane through its back. Crushing its marker, she sent it back to hell. 
     I felt the slightest brush of Max’s power and found him fighting a group of Demons on the far side of the dance floor. It looked like Camilla had left her guards behind and they had all converged on Max. He was holding his own but it would only be a matter of time before they stopped toying with him and went in for the kill.
    It seemed I wasn’t the only one who figured this out as the green dot of Shooter’s laser sight suddenly appeared in the middle of Mateo’s chest, directly over his marker.
     Following the green dot, I looked into the rafters and found Jenny and Shooter standing on the catwalk. I swallowed the urge to scream as their own red dots mirrored Mateo’s. Hoping Shooter could see me, I gave a small shake of my head, willing Shooter to trust me just one more time. It felt like hours before the green dot disappeared. Looking back to Shooter, I gave him a small smile. I spared a quick glance at Jenny and was surprised to find her smiling. Until I saw what she was holding.
    “Down!” I screamed at the same time she dropped three halo grenades into the center of the Demons. Landing hard on the floor, I caught sight of my friends as they fell to the ground. I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes shut just as a bright light filled the room.