Authors: Calista Fox
“Jade,” the physician said. “I’m glad to see you’re well.”
She’d visited him once she was fully healed to thank him for
his help, but the uncertainty she’d seen in his eyes had told her he was wary
about her—or
for
her. No doubt because he’d learned of her association
with the Demon King. And her self-healing abilities.
“Thank you,” she said. She might appear to be okay, but this
new incident rattled her. “How’s Walker?”
The doctor seemed agitated. “Not so good, I’m afraid. We
just brought him in. I need to stitch him up.”
She heard the slayer’s groans from behind the white curtain
drawn to separate the examination stations.
“I’ve sedated him, but he’s in a lot of pain,” Schaeffer
explained. “When I’m done, I’ll need to medically induce a coma so he can
recover.” The grave expression on the older man’s face, however, indicated he
wasn’t convinced Walker would survive.
“My God,” she murmured at the prognosis. She pulled back the
drape and gasped.
Vicious slashes across the slayer’s face and chest instantly
brought back images and memories Jade had buried long ago. The bile rose in her
throat as visions of her parents, mauled at first—as Walker had been—flashed in
her mind. Later, they’d been dismembered and decapitated to ensure they were
dead.
Her eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth.
Schaeffer directed her toward another exam area and held a bucket out for her.
She vomited into it as her stomach roiled.
She grabbed the container from him. “Do what you have to do
for Walker.”
Leaving the clinic, she set the pail on the ground. She sank
to her haunches and sucked in some much-needed oxygen. Tanner joined her and
handed over a wet towel. She pressed the material against her mouth for a
minute or so, finding it—and the crisp air—refreshing.
Finally, she said, “That is horrific.”
“Yes. You didn’t have to look.”
“Actually, I did.” A peculiar sensation seeped through her
veins. “I needed the reminder. As much as I’d like to think I’m under
protection from you and the king, that’s not true. For any of us. Random
attacks still occur. I can’t give in to false security.”
A rude awakening, yes. But a necessary one, she realized.
Immediately, the remainder of what had been brewing inside
her the past few months clicked into place. She’d avoided her true destiny for
far too long. It was time for her to take action, especially now that the
village was minus a slayer—and at a critical point in time when rogue demons
were attacking.
She stood and her gaze locked with Tanner’s. “Swear me in.”
His eyes bulged. “
What
?”
“Do it,” she insisted. “Swear me in as a slayer. I’ll take
the oath.”
“No,” he said as he shook his head, almost violently. “You
have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Tanner.” Irritation—and anxiety over the danger that
lingered too close to them all—tinged her voice. “I know exactly what I’m
talking about. No, my father was not a demon slayer, but he
was
leader
of this village. You’re not interested in the daily politics, but I’m basically
a liaison to the castle. And you can’t patrol alone. Ryleigh has always had two
slayers, even before you became one.”
“Jade, it takes years of training. I practically started
when I could walk, since my uncle knew I would someday replace him. You’ve only
recently been at it.”
“That’s not true,” she rushed on. “I learned to fight when I
was a kid too. And you can’t tell me that all the training we’ve done lately
hasn’t made me good enough to take Walker’s assignment.”
“I won’t dispute that.” He rubbed his temple as though a
headache had suddenly set in. “But you still don’t know how to kill demons.”
“Show me.”
He looked ill. “Jade, this isn’t something you just suddenly
decide to do. It’s a life choice. Once you’re a slayer, you’re always a slayer.
Until you die.”
“I understand that. And it’s not an arbitrary thought,
Tanner. I’ve wondered for a long time if this was the path I was meant to take.
I believe it is. There’s no one else in our village to rise up and partner with
you. I’m your only choice. And I’m a damn good one at that.”
“Holy Christ.” He appeared to need the bucket as well, but
held back. “When the king finds out… Jade, he’ll never stand for this. I’ve
seen his horse outside your cottage. I know he visits you and that there’s
something between you two. He won’t approve of this. Hell, that’s a monumental
understatement. He’ll be furious.”
“I take complete responsibility for my actions.” Though she
knew Tanner was right. And the fallout would, no doubt, be hellacious. But just
thinking of Walker lying in the clinic made her bound and determined. “You’re
the only one now who can make me a slayer. Do it, Tanner. You know it’s the
right thing for this village.”
He let out a low grunt. “I will never hear the end of it if
I do.” Then he grumbled, “I’ll never hear the end of it if I don’t. Goddamn it,
Jade. You are such a pain in the ass.”
“I’m sure you’re not the first one to notice.”
He harumphed. “It won’t do us any favors to have me on the
king’s shit list.”
“I’ll deal with him later. Let’s go.”
She headed toward the town hall with Tanner stomping along
beside her, complaining and continuing to shake his head. He found the official
registry information and completed the paperwork to record the new addition to
the world of slayers. Then she took her oath to sacrifice her own life in order
to protect human lives against demon attacks.
Not once did she delude herself into believing Darien would
understand the decision she’d made to forego her own safety in lieu of others’.
She’d broken her promise to him and had likely violated his trust. And though
her heart constricted at the thought, her head told her she was doing what
she’d been born to do.
“Now,” she said to her new partner. “Teach me everything you
know.”
* * * * *
While Walker fought for his life, Tanner introduced Jade to
the very nasty reality of demon slaying. They started small, with the most
basic and easiest principles and targets. Though, admittedly, killing vampires
turned out to be more complex than she’d anticipated. They didn’t practice on
real ones, obviously, but Tanner pinpointed the exact area of entry to the
heart that would stake a vampire and she had to work endlessly on her aim.
Tanner hung a burlap-encased dummy from a tree in the
forest, and as it blew in the wind, it almost mimicked a body moving during a
fight, surging forward or lunging to the left or right. Even retreating at
times.
Mostly, Tanner sighed and scowled at her.
“You’re quicker than this, Jade. I’ve seen you move
recently. But you’re holding back. You’re not focusing on the red ‘X’ I drew.
Keep your eye on it at all times. Go for the kill.”
Perhaps it was thoughts of Sheena that made it difficult to
concentrate on slaying a vampire. She forced herself to rise above that notion.
She wasn’t taking on Sheena. Her enemies would come from outside of the king’s
alliance.
After mastering her task many days later, Tanner taught her
to do something similar with the horned demons. They also required a direct hit
in a precise location, between their horns.
“It’s a small, soft spot,” Tanner explained.
He pressed a fingertip to her forehead to indicate the
precise area.
“Unlike with vampires, there’s no need to drive deep with
your sword. The most effective way to kill vamps is to run them through and cut
off their heads. With the horned demons, you just need to penetrate the skull
an inch or so. It triggers a violent reaction that, for lack of a better
descriptor, skews their brain cells and sends them into seizures. They also
tend to spew yellow pus from just about every pore and orifice, so don’t stay
too close after you’ve made your attack. It’s vile.”
She spent another week learning to satisfactorily achieve
her objective. Tanner seemed impressed.
“It takes years to accomplish this,” he said, “but you’re a
natural.”
“I told you.”
“Okay, smartass.” Mischief tinged his green eyes. “Let’s see
how well you do with shapeshifters.”
The next day, he showed up at the cottage with a crate.
Inside was a live chicken.
He set the slated box on the kitchen counter and said,
“Shifters don’t die easily. It takes some effort.”
As if the other species were so simple to slay…
“You need to severely injure a shifter when it’s in animal
form,” Tanner told her. “Stabbing one in the hindquarters will slow its
movements. The chest and stomach are effective as well. If you can penetrate
the nape of the neck, that’s a good spot too. Incapacitate the animal, roll it
onto its back, place one foot against its chest with your weight pressing down
and then…”
She stared at him with bated breath. The clenching of her
gut instinctively told her she was not going to like his next words.
“Rip its throat out.”
Jade jumped back. “
What
?”
“You heard me.”
“That’s repulsive.”
“Yes. And you’re going to practice on the chicken.”
“I most certainly am not.” Disgust roared through her,
making her shudder.
Tanner groaned. “Now is not the time to get squeamish,
Jade.”
She crossed her arms over her stomach as it revolted against
the challenge. “I can’t even begin to imagine doing this, Tanner. It’s insane.”
“Yes. But necessary. Now,” he continued, unfazed, “we’ve
worked on grip strength with various exercises over the past few months. Having
a steel cage for a hand helps you maintain your hold on a sword when you’re
incurring forceful blows. But it will also assist you with ripping out a
throat. It’s not easy and there are very few humans who can do it. You have to
dig into the flesh with your nails and fingertips and secure the grip.
Otherwise, you’ll just come away with a fistful of fur.”
She turned away. “There is no way I’m doing this.”
Tanner was quiet a few minutes, letting her digest the task.
Finally, he said, “Clearly, Walker didn’t have it in him either. And your
father, from what I’ve heard, was too preoccupied with trying to save your
mother to do what had to be done to kill the wolves that attacked them.”
Her teeth ground together. “Bad form, Tanner,” she said as
she faced him.
“Really?” His brow raised. “Because you have to be angry to
do this. And in a real battle, you’ll be terrified for your life but will still
need to be able to function.”
Her laugh was a short, hollow one. “That sounds oh so
doable.”
“It
is
possible, Jade. I’ve done it before.”
This brought her around. “With a shifter?”
“No, a regular bobcat. I came across it when I was on a foot
patrol years ago. It wasn’t inclined to let me leave its territory without a
fight.”
“Jesus, Tanner. I had no idea.”
“I didn’t advertise it. But I do have the head mounted on my
living room wall.”
She whistled under her breath. “Impressive. So if I make
this work, does that mean I get to hang the chicken in my kitchen?”
“It means we’re going to move on to a bigger animal.”
Jade glared at him. He didn’t balk. After all,
she’d
been the one to demand he teach her how to be a slayer.
“I’m not so sure about this. I’m feeling queasy.”
“Good,” he said. “You won’t be cavalier about it.”
“No, but if I barf on your boots, you’ll only have yourself
to blame, since I’ve forewarned you.”
He grimaced. “Try to keep your bodily fluids to yourself.
Now,” he said as he lifted the lid from the crate and the chicken scrambled
about inside. “Palm on chest, fingers like this,” he demonstrated his
cupped-hand technique, “and go for it.”
“You’re an asshole, Tanner.”
His grin was an impudent one. “And you call yourself a
slayer.”
The prodding pushed her buttons. Despite her reservations
and anxiety, she settled the chicken on its back and held the squirming
creature down, though it fought valiantly. Tanner had clearly picked a feisty
one, probably as payback for making him travel this path with her when he was
clearly still wary about having partnered with her.
She swallowed hard, pushing all the apprehension and disgust
into that abyss inside her where the majority of her feelings resided. She
wasn’t even sure she could bring herself to kill a chicken. Yes, the butcher
did it on a daily basis. Lopped their little heads right off and plucked their
feathers. His wife did it as well. Plenty of others were in on the act, since
many of the villagers raised chickens for eggs and meat.
As she hesitated, Tanner cajoled her. “Jade, if you can’t do
this, how will you save yourself or someone else against an attack? You don’t
want to end up like your parents or—”
“
Shut up
, Tanner.” Fury instantly rose within her and
before it even registered in her mind, Jade mimicked his gripping technique and
her fingers closed around the throat of the animal. She yanked back almost
immediately and blood splattered everywhere. “Oh my God!” she screeched.
She dropped the flesh from her hands and raced to the
bathroom as her entire body began to convulse. Plunging her hands in the clean
water in the basin, she rinsed and then scrubbed them with a hand towel and
soap. The bile rose in her throat as it had done at the clinic and she heaved
into the toilet. Repeatedly.
Jade had no idea how much time passed as her vomiting turned
into little more than gagging motions when there was nothing left in her
stomach to expel.
Tanner came into the room with a fresh bowl of water and
another towel. Squatting next to her, he asked, “You okay?”
“Sure,” she glared at him. “Just sorry I missed your boots.”
He chuckled, admiration showing in his bright green eyes. “I
would’ve let it slide. That was pretty incredible for a first try. Next time,
we’ll use a raccoon.”