Demonfire (33 page)

Dax fell to his knees beside
Eddy as she struggled to sit up. She didn’t say a word. She just slammed her
hands over his and held the writhing snake against his chest. He felt the
strength go out of him as Eddy gently pushed him back to the ground. Everything
faded to black.

It must have only been a few
moments later that he came to in the small patch of grass, gasping for air
while Eddy calmed the cursed tattoo. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist.
Her head snapped up, and she stared into his eyes. He tried to tell her,
without saying the words, how much he loved her. That she was much too good for
him. That once again he’d failed.

If he’d spoken those last
words aloud, Eddy would deny them, but he couldn’t ignore the truth. The gargoyle
would heal from its wounds and be ready to fight another day.

But what of them? How had his
small band fared?

Dax struggled to sit up.
“Eddy? Are you okay? What about your dad? Alton? Willow?”

Eddy sat back and grabbed his
hands, tugging him into a sitting position. “I’m fine,” she said, staring at
his chest as if she dared the snake to move. “Dad’s okay. He’s resting over
there. Alton’s got Willow.”

Dax looked over his shoulder
and saw Alton lifting Willow from the ground. “Is she okay?”

“I think so,” Alton said.
“She’s alive.”

“What about you? Did the blood
burn you?”

Alton carried Willow over and
sat down beside Dax. “Damned right it burned. It’s some sort of acid. Ate right
through my shirt and into my arm.” He held out his right arm. The burns were
deep and ugly, but the demon blood had cauterized the wounds so there was no
bleeding. He had a particularly nasty wound on his shoulder where the white of
bone showed through.

“Is the stuff still burning
you?” Dax leaned close to study Alton’s injuries. “Did you wash it off? The
pain must be horrible.”

Alton nodded. “I’m using some
self-hypnosis to control the pain. Ed washed the wounds out with some bottled
water. I’m concerned about my sword arm. I think the one on my shoulder went
into the muscle.”

Dax shook his head. “A little
more than just muscle, I’m afraid.”

Willow sat up in Alton’s palm,
stood up, and buzzed into the air. She hovered over his injured shoulder for a
moment, gathering energy in the form of blue sparkles. Then she clapped her tiny
hands together and pointed at him.

The sparkles came together in
a perfect arrow that went directly to the deepest part of the wound. Alton
blinked. “Amazing, Willow. The pain is gone.”

“So’s the hole in your
shoulder.” Ed stood behind Alton. “Look at that.”

“Willow, you’re just full of
surprises, aren’t you?” Eddy held out her hand, and the sprite landed in her
palm. “Can you heal the rest of Alton’s burns? They look horrible.”

Willow repeated the process
over Alton’s damaged arm. Within minutes, healthy, pink flesh covered what had
been blackened, disfiguring injuries.

Dax stared at Willow and shook
his head. “Amazing,” he said. Then he glanced at the pile of rocks. “I need to
go inside, see if he managed to open a new portal.”

Alton slowly stood up. “Thank
you, Willow.” He flexed his arm, now healed and strong. “Dax, I’ll go with
you.” He leaned over, slowly picked up his sword, and shoved it in his
scabbard.

Dax frowned at him. “Your
sword didn’t try and behead me. What’s up?”

Alton gave him a puzzled look.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking about the risk at all when I sheathed it. I’m
sorry. Gods. That was stupid.”

Dax shook his head. “Not
really. It ignored me, yet we’re close enough for you to have struck a fatal
blow. I don’t understand.”

Alton reached back and touched
the hilt. He shrugged. “Me neither.” He held his hand out to Dax. “C’mon. We
need to get down the mountain before dark.”

Dax took Alton’s hand, and the
Lemurian pulled him to his feet. He leaned over and kissed Eddy. “We’ll be
right back. Wait here.”

She nodded and then went to
sit beside her father on a fallen tree. Dax gave her one last smile. Then he
stepped through the portal into the vortex with Alton.

The portal Alton had closed
showed signs of tampering, but it was still closed to Abyss. Whatever the demon
had intended, it hadn’t had time to finish. Dax and Alton stared at the melted
stone for a moment. Then both men turned away.

Alton gazed toward the portal
that opened into Lemuria. “I keep hoping we’ll hear from Taron, receive some
news from my people. It saddens me to think they would ignore such a threat as
the one the demons pose.”

“It saddens me that you’ve cut
ties to your family, your home. I hope that, when this is over, you’ll return
to your world as a hero.”

Alton chuckled. “If this sword
ever decides to talk to me, I just might do that. C’mon. We need to go back.
Eddy and her father will be worried.”

Dax nodded and followed him
through the portal. Another day gone and only two left, yet so far the gargoyle
had emerged the victor from every confrontation.

He thought of the hero who had
lived and died in this body. He needed some of that man’s confidence, his
personal strength. Hell, he needed something, anything, to give him an edge.

Without it, Dax feared he
didn’t have a chance of winning.

Thursday night—day five

It was dark by the time they
reached the Jeep. Dax and Alton linked their arms with Ed and helped him for
most of the journey. He grumbled a bit about getting old, and apologized for
holding them back, but it was more than obvious he was in agony after all the
climbing they’d done today.

He never mentioned the pain.
Never complained about hurting, though he didn’t turn down the offer of help
from Dax and the Lemurian.

Dax’s admiration for Eddy’s
father grew with each step the man took. His heroism was in his quiet strength,
his willingness to suffer if it was the only way to stay close to his daughter
and protect her.

That was something Dax
understood. He felt that same need to protect Eddy. It gave him a sense of
peace, knowing she would have her father here for her when Dax’s time on Earth
ended.

“Dad?” Eddy held the passenger
door open. “I want you to sit here. I’ll drive.”

Ed nodded. “Probably a good
idea. I doubt I could handle the clutch.” Obviously resigned to riding shotgun,
he slipped gingerly into the front seat. Dax lifted Bumper into the back and
climbed in beside Alton.

Eddy glanced over her shoulder
as she started the engine. “You two big bruisers going to fit back there?”

Alton laughed and threw his
arm over Dax’s shoulders. “We fit fine. Just a little closer than we’re used
to.”

Bumper squeezed between the
two of them and licked Alton’s face. Dax laughed. He turned and caught Eddy’s
smile. The love in her eyes melted his heart. He shrugged and slowly shook his
head. They should have been going home victorious. Instead, they were merely heading
down the hill to regroup.

Eddy grinned and shook her
head at his unspoken comment. “We might not have won today, but we didn’t lose
either. Quit looking so glum. It was a good day, Dax.”

He agreed. “You’re right. It
was. There’s always tomorrow.”

Eddy’s smile got bigger. “That
there is. Don’t you forget it.”

She turned around, shifted
gears, and backed the Jeep around on the narrow road until she found a wide
enough spot to turn. The loud roar of the engine made conversation with Eddy
and her dad impossible.

Dax turned to Alton. “How’re
the burns? Are you okay?”

“They’re almost entirely
healed. I had no idea Willow could do that.”

Dax laughed. “I don’t think
Willow knew she could, either, though the slashes on my back healed quickly. I
never thought to ask her if she’d helped. You are immortal, after all. Have you
been injured before? How long did it take you to heal?”

“Just because I’m immortal
doesn’t mean I can’t be injured. And yes, I’ve been hurt. I heal quickly, but
it usually takes a lot longer to get better.” He flexed his burned arm. “No
pain at all. Just pink, healing skin. It’s amazing. Which reminds me…where is
Willow?”

Dax reached behind Alton’s
back and lifted his long hair. Willow peeked out from her spot on his shoulder.
“Where she usually is, when she’s not in my pocket. I should be jealous.”

Willow buzzed out from her
hiding place and hovered in front of the two men. Then she zipped into Dax’s
pocket and disappeared.

Alton grinned and winked at
him before turning his attention to the road they traveled. The Jeep bumped
along through the ruts, and the lights of the town of Evergreen grew closer. In
just a couple of hours, Dax would have only two short days left to complete his
mission.

He searched for some sense of
the soldier whose body he shared, a soul he’d come to regard as a sort of
talisman. A gentle, now-familiar warmth spread through him. He smiled as he
found a more comfortable position in the tiny backseat. Eddy was safe, his
friends were all together, and the soldier had not abandoned his post.

Dax settled back for the ride
home and let his thoughts drift. More and more, now, he felt as if he channeled
the once-unknown entity who had first inhabited this body. Now, he saw the
other as a friend, a mentor, an advisor. Not necessarily as a separate
individual, but more like another side to his own existence, another aspect of
himself.

Channeling the other’s
memories gave Dax a new perspective. Opening his mind to a different approach
gave him new options, new ways of dealing with things. A new focus.

His ultimate focus must remain
on the gargoyle, and how he could successfully fight and defeat his foe. Like
the machine-gun nest and the enemy firing down on his fellow soldiers, he had
to make the demon gargoyle the target of everything he had.

Where once he’d climbed an
almost sheer wall of stone to slay his enemy, now he must somehow overpower a
creature physically more powerful, more deadly, more cunning.

Eddy, Ed, Alton…even Bumper
and Willow—they were the soldiers he had to protect. Granted, the mission was
to save many lives, not merely a handful of his personal friends, but it was
easier to face the whole by concentrating on the few.

The few who mattered most of
all.

It was well after midnight
before they practically carried Ed into the house and helped him to bed. When
Alton shut the door behind him, Ed was already half asleep. Dax wrapped his
arms around Eddy and kissed her soundly. “Your dad will be fine. Stop worrying.
He’s taken some pain medicine for his hip, and a good night’s sleep should work
wonders. Go to bed. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Why aren’t you coming with
me?” She kissed his chin and rested her cheek against his chest.

“Alton and I want to make a
last pass around the yard. We’ll take Bumper out. She’s been stuck in the
backseat of that Jeep for much too long.”

Eddy giggled. “So have you.
I’m surprised you and Alton both fit.”

“Me, Alton, and a large dog.
It was tight. Good night. I’d say don’t wait up, but you have to know I hope
you’re still awake when I come in.”

Eddy covered her mouth as she
yawned. “Then you’d better hurry.” She kissed him quickly and walked away. Dax
watched the gentle sway of her hips and almost followed. Then Alton stepped
into the kitchen with Bumper’s leash in his hand.

“You ready?”

Dax nodded. They’d decided not
to take any chances, which meant not letting their guard down at all. He
whistled softly for the dog. Bumper trotted out of the bathroom with a sloppy
grin on her face and wet chin whiskers. She left a trail of drips behind her.

“I see she’s been drinking at
her favorite fountain.” Alton leaned over and snapped the leash on her collar.

Chuckling, Dax followed them
out the back door. The night was clear and cool, and stars twinkled brightly
overhead. He gazed at the sky and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with
clean air that was perfumed with pine and cedar.

That had been one of the
nicest surprises of being human—breathing air that didn’t stink of sulfur.
Nights here carried the scent of the evergreens that defined the neighborhood,
of flowers in bloom, of hot asphalt in the afternoons and wood smoke on cold
mornings. He’d grown to love the smell of a freshly mowed lawn, or the rich scent
of curry when Ed’s neighbor down the street cooked dishes from her native
India.

This world was filled with
good things to feed the senses. Tastes and smells…touch. Whether it was the
clean, crisp sheets on the bed or Eddy’s soft hands, Bumper’s cold, wet nose
nuzzling his fingers or the firm grasp of another man’s hand when they met, all
of it was good. All a powerful reminder of what he’d be leaving in just two
short days.

Yet he couldn’t help but be
thankful for every single experience, every touch, every taste, every smell. He
wondered what new thing he would miss the most, and realized it in the very
instant he asked himself the question.

Love.
He would miss love most of all. Not just Eddy’s, though that was by far the
greatest. No, he would miss the love he felt for her father, for Alton. He’d
miss Willow and Bumper, two amazing creatures who would always hold places in
his heart.

Thank the gods he would always
have his memories.

“Dax?”

Jerked out of his musings, Dax
spun around at Alton’s soft alert. Bumper growled. “What is it?”

“I’m not sure, but there are
lights on all of a sudden at Mr. Puccini’s. Should we go check on him?”

Dax nodded. He hadn’t seen
Ed’s old neighbor since the ceramic turkey had attacked the man on his front
porch. He and Alton walked across the street with Bumper trotting along between
them.

The old man was sitting on the
front porch.

Dax waved. “Hello, Mr.
Puccini. How are you? Everything okay?”

“Who are you?” Mr. Puccini
grabbed the railing and hauled himself to his feet. “What are you doing?”

“I’m Dax. This is Alton.
Remember? We’re friends of Eddy Marks. We met you the other day when you
tripped and fell.”

The old man stepped out into
the light and glared first at Dax and then at Alton. “I remember you. And I
also remember that I didn’t just trip. I was attacked. That damned turkey of
Muriel’s somehow came to life and attacked me. And you…” He pointed at Alton.
“You did some kind of magic and made me forget. Well I remember now, and I want
to know what’s going on.”

Alton looked as innocent as a
three-week-old puppy. He shook his head. “I have no idea, Mr. Puccini. That
morning, we heard you yell, and we came over to help. You’d fallen, and you
kept saying something about the turkey, but it was in pieces here on the porch.
Did you ever go to the doctor?”

The old man frowned. “No. I
didn’t need to see the doctor for a cut on my hand. That’s all that happened.”

“Are you sure you didn’t bump
your head?” Dax leaned against the corner post. “That could have scrambled your
memory of what happened.”

“I remember just fine.” Mr.
Puccini leaned over the railing. “Now you two get out of here before I call the
sheriff. I’m not sure what you boys did, but I know what happened and it’s not
the way you say it was. Now get!”

Dax tugged Bumper’s leash.
“We’re going. C’mon, Alton. He’s awfully ungrateful, considering the fact we
came over here to see if he was all right.”

“I agree. Good night, sir.”
Alton nodded, but he lifted his hand before he turned away and swept it slowly
across the old man’s line of vision. Mr. Puccini blinked, frowned, and then
smiled at both Dax and Alton.

“Thanks for stopping by, boys.
I’m fine, but I appreciate your checking.”

Alton nodded. “You’re welcome,
sir.” He smiled, turned, and followed Dax across the street to Ed’s house. They
walked Bumper around the yard once more without saying anything. Then they went
inside.

“It’s wearing off,” Dax said,
the minute the door was closed. “The compulsion you gave him…I thought it would
last longer.”

Alton leaned against the
closed door. “So did I, and I don’t know how long the new one will last. If it
wore off on him, that means it’s got to be wearing off on the townsfolk too. Or
it will be, shortly.”

“It’s not human nature to live
a lie.” He should have thought of that. Eddy’s difficulty with her newspaper
articles was an obvious clue. Humans wanted the truth. They didn’t want to be
protected. Thoughtfully, Dax rubbed his chin, felt the new growth of whiskers,
and realized how quickly time was passing. “I imagine they fight the compulsion
instinctively. We have got to get rid of the gargoyle by tomorrow.”

Alton stared at Dax. “And what
if we don’t?”

Dax shook his head, but he
grinned as he turned out the porch light. “Then we’d better do it the next day,
because after that, you guys are on your own.”

He wasn’t smiling when he
reached the bedroom. Standing outside the closed door, Dax thought of the woman
inside. She’d gone after the gargoyle today with that stupid baseball bat as if
the demon were nothing. She and her dad, both mortal humans, had stood up to a
creature that was stronger, meaner, more cunning than any of them, and they’d
done it for love.

They’d gone after it without any
thought for their own safety because it threatened those they loved. The power
of that single emotion was enough to bring him to his knees, and yet, as much
as he loved her, Dax knew his time was running out. His chance to destroy the
gargoyle grew slimmer every day the creature lived.

It grew stronger, and he grew
weaker. As the gargoyle gained sentience and strength, so did the snake
crawling over his body. The tattoo had almost gotten him today. He didn’t know
what would happen if it ever managed to bury those long fangs in his throat,
but it couldn’t be good.

Quietly, Dax opened the
bedroom door and slipped inside the room. The bedside lamp was still on, but
Eddy slept, curled up on the far side of the bed. He went into the bathroom and
took a quick shower, though he didn’t take time to shave. He was too tired, too
dejected to worry about whether or not he had a dark shadow of beard on his
chin.

When he crawled into bed
beside Eddy, she surprised him by rolling over and wrapping her arms around
him.

“I thought you were already
asleep.” He kissed the end of her nose.

“You told me to wait up for
you.” She kissed him back.

“Do you always do what you’re
told?” This time he nuzzled the soft skin beneath her ear and rubbed his
beard-roughened jaw along her neck.

“Never,” she said, arching
away from the tickle and scratch. “Unless I want to. Unless you’re the one
telling me.”

“What if I told you to take
your nightgown off?”

“I imagine I’d do as you
asked.” She sat up, slipped her short gown over her head, and lay back beside
him.

His breath caught. She was
lovely. So absolutely perfect he didn’t know where to look, what to touch
first. He lay beside her, propped up on one elbow for a better view, and ran
the tips of his fingers along her rib cage and over the rise of her hip.