Authors: Sherry Soule
After school on a dreary Monday, I dumped my books in my locker. Evans didn’t want me hunting demons with the Evil Triad breathing down my neck, but it was still my duty to protect innocents from nasty paranormals. Since it was only four o’clock, I should be safe enough hunting on foot.
Don’t hunt?
Ha.
I was going to be a hunting rebel.
But I was going to be extra cautious about it.
All day grisly rumors had been circulating that three more women—witches of the BRC—had been killed over the last week, which prompted my need to patrol today. If the Evil Triad was targeting the Blood Rose Circle in preparation of some world-ending ritual, then I needed to find them.
The police were doing the best they could with natural resources, but there was nothing “natural” about these deaths. And this was a job for the resident demon hunter.
The streets were congregated with Victorian homes, the whitewashed exteriors smooth and shackled with ivy. A sprinkler hissed over a lawn, lightly beading my skin. My nerves became twitchy, somewhat dreading to find Caym lurking about with that sardonic expression.
As I rounded the corner, my heart stuttered to a halt.
He lounged against an oak in someone’s yard, hands shoved into the pockets of his damaged jeans. “Hey, you.”
“Dammit, Trent!” I stumbled backward, clutching my chest. “Why are you always sneaking up on me?”
His lips curved upward into a ghost of a smile. “It’s a dangerous time. You know, with the Triad. So I was just making sure you weren’t doing anything idiotic like hunting alone.”
“You’re following me?”
He pushed off the tree and sauntered over to me. “I thought you might like some company. Where are you going?”
“A quick patrol around the neighborhood—”
“Alone?” His jaw tightened.
“This is like my job, Trent. Regular high school girl by day and demon hunter by night.”
“Just tell me one thing.” His green eyes gleamed black. “Are you insane, or are you just plain stupid? What the hell is the matter with you?”
“I am protecting innocents. What else!” I snapped, then blowing out a breath, and softened my voice. “Look, I don’t expect you to understand, but I
need
this. Ever since my dad died, I feel like I should hunt more often. It’s a part of who I am now, and I can’t stop because a few scary demons have moved to town.”
“You’re not ready to vanquish an Upper Level demon.”
“Maybe not, but I can still slow them down. Besides, what else am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for the demons to kill off the witches one-by-one, while I do nothing?”
“You might get yourself killed going after these guys alone. Do you understand that? Does that even register in that pretty head of yours?”
“Yes, Trent, I think I understand
death
. Thank you very much.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. If you insist on taking these suicide missions, you force me to watch your back. There’s no way in hell I’m about to let you face more demons on your own.”
“Fine. Then instead of getting all huffy and giving me a lecture, just go with me.”
Smirking, he folded his arms across his chest. “Only if you ask nicely.”
“Please, Trent, will you go hunting with me?” I said and slightly bowed.
“Like I have a choice,” he muttered, then added in a clipped tone. “Do you even know how to find the Triad?”
I shrugged. “Does it matter?”
Rolling his eyes, he glanced at the sky. “You’re gonna make this difficult, aren’t you?”
“No more difficult than you make it.”
“It’s not safe for you to be doing this right now.”
“And why isn’t it safe? I’m just looking for clues.” I threw my hands up. “You wanted to join my team of do-gooders-fighting-evil, but it’s not too late to back out.”
“I’m not quitting, babe.”
“Babe? Since when do you call me babe?”
“Gotta keep the romance alive.”
“And the French pet names weren’t enough?”
“Don’t want you getting bored and dumping me for a visiting warlock.”
“Never.” I shoved his arm playfully. “It’s you and me against the Underworld.”
We walked into the downtown area, with shattered streetlights and glass in the road. Hulking shadows from the buildings fell across the sidewalks. I stepped off the curb just as a van zoomed by so fast it whipped at my hair. Trent grasped my wrist and jerked me back against him.
“You are going to be the death of me, woman,” Trent said.
“What happened to
babe?
”
He chuckled, a rumbling in his chest, which made me suddenly aware of my breasts being pressed into Trent’s body. His scent enveloped my senses, expensive cologne, breath mints, and fabric softener. Warmth instantly flooded my skin like I was basking in the hot desert sun. My eyes dropped to his mouth. Those perfect, kissable lips...
Trent’s grin tipped up higher on one side. “We could skip hunting and go somewhere more private.”
Snapping out of the lust induced mini-trance, I twisted free of his embrace and crossed the street, skidding to a stop when I reached the curb.
Standing on the corner, less than a block away, was a guy possessed by a demon. I could hardly freakin’ believe it. The
thing’s
appearance was all wrong. His skin was sallow, his eyes hollow, and the tremor of his aura was a shallower shade of
Darkness
.
My scar didn’t burn or tingle or give me any type of heads-up at all. My built-in demon warning system, a product of the demonic blood, had been a valuable tool in the battle against evil. But I only had my witchy instincts to rely on now. And that kinda sucked.
I nudged Trent with my elbow. “Do you see that man up there?”
“The one rockin’ the possession? Oh, yeah.”
I glanced at him. “I can view auras, but how can
you
sense other demons?”
“Simple. Demons can detect each other’s essence. A new skill I’ve recently developed. It’s how we find one another.”
“
We?
” My stomach went all jumpy and queasy. “You just said ‘we’ and I’m starting to freak out.”
“Relax. I didn’t mean anything significant by that. Since I’m only a half demon, other demons will have a harder time zoning in on my location. But
I
can sense them.”
The possessed man loitered outside a bookstore near a bus stop. He looked like an average businessman in a crumpled blue suit and loosened tie, except his eyes were too dark and his aura murky.
What would it feel like to be possessed? To have a demon living inside your body, jerking your limbs like a puppet and manipulating your mind? I shuddered at the thought.
“You forgot to thank me for saving your life,” Trent said. “You know, for preventing you from becoming roadkill.”
I groaned, keeping an eye on the demon. “You didn’t save my life.”
“You practically ate asphalt. And I saved your butt in the cemetery, too—”
“Whatever.”
“So ungrateful.”
“Bite me.”
“And feisty.” His eyes lingered on the exposed skin between my shirt and the low waistline of my jeans. “Also, tempting.”
“Will you shut up? Possessed Guy over there might hurt someone. Like that innocent lady sitting at the bus stop.”
The man was eyeing a woman seated on a bench, with a full sack of groceries next to her.
Trent bumped me with his hip. “Now who’s being bossy?”
I peered up at Trent, frowning. “Can you please just focus?”
His lips twitched into a smile. “Sure, babe.”
We stopped outside a mini-mart a few stores away from the bus stop to spy on Possessed Guy. An ambulance raced past us with its siren blaring and the vehicle went speeding down the busy street. Black birds perched on a telephone wire, chirped noisily.
Trent leaned a shoulder against the building. “Before you decide to vanquish anyone, why don’t you see what he’s actually going to do first.”
My forehead crinkled. “Why the heck would I do that? Possessed Guy’s gonna do something bad to that woman any second.”
Trent tilted his head. “How do you know for sure? Did you even bring any vanquishing potions along with you on this outing?”
I rolled my eyes and focused on Possessed Guy. He stepped closer to the lady on the bench and rubbernecked her purse and groceries. Was he going to steal her wallet? Or kill the woman and take off with her stuff?
I started to cross the street, but Trent grasped my arm.
“Wait and see what happens,” he suggested. “If he hurts anyone, I’ll rush in and save the day.”
I gave him a sideways glance. “Okay, Batman.”
Trent smirked, obviously liking the comic book reference.
Possessed Guy stood directly behind the woman now, who was too busy texting someone to notice the creepy man looming over her shoulder.
“This is dumb. I can’t just stand here and wait for him to do something evil.”
Trent flashed a defiant grin. “Maybe evil isn’t as black and white as you think.”
“Yeah, it is,” I shot back, and glanced up at him. His expression was dark and unreadable, and a vehement sense of unease spread through me like a choking weed. “Most paranormals are evil in my opinion. And since when do you care about protecting demons?”
“I just know that you couldn’t live with yourself if you became a murderer instead of a protector.”
Muttering a curse under my breath, I concentrated on Possessed Guy again. I was going to have some serious explaining to do to Evans if things went horribly wrong, especially if that demon somehow killed that innocent in broad daylight.
The possessed man reached out, casually brushing his fingers against the lady’s sack, and then strolled away. A second later, the bag tipped over into the street and the groceries scattered everywhere. A jar of pasta sauce rolled into traffic, and the glass was flattened by a truck zooming by. The lady jumped up and cursed as she bent to retrieve her runaway provisions.
I bit my lip. My vision had narrowed to a slice of filthy sidewalk directly in front of me while my thoughts tumbled over themselves.
“Hmmm,” Trent drawled. “Only harmless mischief. No evilness or death.”
“A demon’s a demon. He probably meant to kill her, but changed his mind.”
“Wow, you’re really reaching.”
Was I? No one had been hurt. Or killed. Or robbed.
I started following the demon. Trent grabbed my arm and hauled me back. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“After him—
duh
. That poor man’s still possessed. I have to help him.”
“By doing what? You don’t have any holy water on you or a spell.” He huffed. “This is what I mean by being stupid and taking dangerous risks. We can hunt him down once we’re more prepared. Okay?”
“How will we find him again?”
“Built-in demon radar, remember?” Trent tapped his temple with a finger. “He doesn’t really fall into the deadly threat to humanity category. The demon’s not hurting anyone or the guy he’s wearing. I promise.”
“So, what? You’re gonna hunt him down and exorcise the demon alone?” I scoffed. “Do
you
have a death wish?”
“I’m not afraid of a Lower Level demon. I could take him out by myself just like that.” He snapped his fingers.
“And you think I’m reckless? Your arrogance might end up getting
you
killed.”
“Never.” Trent put his arm around my shoulders. “Come on. Let’s call it a night. I’ll go looking for Possessed Guy later.”
I shrugged him off. “That was only a fluke.”
The sun dipped below the horizon, disappearing behind the hills. Oaks lined the sidewalks, their leaves colored with the amber-red hues of autumn, crunched under my boots.
We walked past several buildings in silence, while I digested what I’d just witnessed. Mischief-making demons. Huh. Who would’ve thought? Maybe I’d entered some alternate universe. I pinched my arm.
Ouch.
Nope, I was wide awake and still on Earth. But it was only one paranormal. And the demon had possessed someone. Still evil in my book. So it didn’t mean anything.
“Do you think the Forsaken are good guys?” Trent asked.
“So far they haven’t given me any reason to think otherwise.”
“Just because they were once angels doesn’t mean they have an ounce of good left in them.”
Suddenly, the lines between good and evil had somewhat blurred. Trent had evil inside him, but he’d never hurt me or anyone else. Well, outside an underground boxing ring. Raze had the whole bad boy vibe, too. Even my aunt Darrah liked flirting with the dark-side. I inwardly groaned. Every time I thought I was getting smarter, I got a smack of reality upside the head.
The crisp air of twilight descended upon us. An eerie, thick fog drifted over the ground like in a horror movie. The fiery colors of the setting sun melted into the horizon.
“I canceled a fight tonight,” Trent said, as we strolled down the street. “David called me an hour ago, but I didn’t go.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged and kicked at some rocks on the sidewalk. “I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“You don’t have to babysit me.” I bumped his hip with my own. “What’s the real reason you’re out hunting with me tonight? You usually don’t bother tagging along.”
“I told you. I want to watch your back.” Trent slowed his pace to glance at my butt. “And what a nice backside it is.”
I shook my head with a smile. “No, really. I wanna know.”
“Lately I’ve been studying up on demons…” He cleared his throat. “As I was researching my ancestry, on my father’s side, I discovered that not all paranormals are purely evil. It seems there are some gray areas.”
“Maybe with Lower Level types. I doubt that’s the case with the Upper Level ones. Some demons could be starting off with smaller, non-killing and tormenting people jobs to work their way up the demonic ladder.
Like
possessing innocents.”
A muscle twitched in his cheek. “So what happens when you bump into another half-demon like me? Vanquish first and ask questions later?”
“No! Yes!” I threw up my hands. “I’m not sure.”
“See? Not so black and white, is it?”
“Your logic is annoying, and you’re starting to sound like Evans.”
“Smarts run in the family.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re only related by marriage.”
“You say tomato, I say—”
“Ugh. Stop. Please.”
Trent grabbed my wrist and held me back. “Hold up.”
I stopped and glanced at him. “What’s the matter—”
“Over there,” he lowered his voice and pointed at an outdoor café.
A shadow creature was swooping in and out of the fog near the patrons. When a waiter carrying a tray of sandwiches and drinks walked by it, the paranormal entity reached out a shadowy hand and tipped over the tray. The plates and food and glasses went flying. The mess coated the ground and splattered all over the waiter.
The whole incident was more a childish prank than a life threatening assault.
“Any more arguments, babe?”
My hand fluttered to my collarbone and I started walking again. “No. And I’m not sure I like this new pet name you have for me.”
Trent arched a brow. “You still want to vanquish every paranormal that crosses your path?”
Stopping at a crosswalk, I shot him a hard look. “Just because we watched two demons pulling stupid pranks, doesn’t mean anything. Why are you suddenly so convinced that some of them are harmless?”
His green eyes met with my dark brown ones. His hair was more than a few shades lighter than mine, and the wavy strands curled above his collar. “Because I
know
that most of them aren’t deadly threats to mankind,” he said firmly.
“Most demons are out for blood,” I argued. “These two demon encounters, plus the one in the school cafeteria, didn’t hurt anyone, but the others I’ve met have all been clearly dangerous, and
not
rascally, like my shades. So I don’t buy into the whole ‘not-all-demons-are-evil,’ Trent. Sorry.”
There was another tense moment of silence.
“I don’t want to fight. I only wanted to prove a point.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Since we haven’t come across any sign of the Triad, how about we do something else?”
“Like what?”
We crossed the street and ambled through the town square.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“When am I not?”
He took my hand. “Come on, I’ll buy you dinner.”
Drawing in a breath, I nodded stiffly. “Fine.”
“Great. I know just the place.”
“Should I even ask?”
He ran his fingers over my palm, and the soft caress sent a sizzling zap of heat through my body, trailing the pathway of nerve endings all the way to my toes. “Nope. It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises,” I mumbled.
“You do not.”
“Shows how much you still don’t know about me.”
He tugged me to a stop and stared into my eyes. With his free hand, he slipped his fingertips beneath my hair, gripping the strands at the base of my neck. “That may be true, but I do know you like it when I—”
“Keep it in your pants, buddy.”
He smiled. “Fun-killer.”
I slipped my hand from his. “Let’s just try to get through a meal without any sexual innuendos.”
Trent snickered. He always seemed amused by my insults. “Anything you say, boss.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
We walked along the storefronts and past a coffee shop. Trent’s hand found mine. The tension in my shoulders eased, the crinkle between my eyebrows faded, and I relaxed for the first time in weeks.
Despite the
Darkness
still residing within him, Trent was exactly what I needed. Even though he drove me nuts sometimes, I was
Team Trent
all the way. I would find a way to save him. And not my family or friends, or even Raze’s smoldering good looks could convince me otherwise.
Trent shoved his hands into his pockets, letting me move in front of him through a group of tourists. He caught up to me, twined his arm around my waist, and pulled me close.
“So, after dinner are you gonna make sure I get back to my Porsche safely?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’ve already proven that you can handle yourself.”
“I
need
to be a badass,” Trent said, his hand sliding down my back. “I’m dating a demon hunter, which means there’s always going to be evil afoot menacing my girlfriend.”
“Did you really just say ‘evil afoot’ with a straight face?”
“Oh, god.” He groaned. “I
have
been hanging out with my uncle too much.”
“Sounds like it.”
Trent grasped my hand, the corners of his eyes pinched. “Come on.”
When we reached the quiet restaurant, he placed his hand on the small of my back, and the weight of his palm seared through my thin hoodie in the most deliciously wicked way as he guided me through the room. We slid into a booth and sat opposite each other. A waitress hurried over and handed us menus.
“I’m ready to order,” I said to the perky Hispanic waitress.
She whipped out a pad and pen from her pocket. “Okeydokey, what’ll it be?”
“Two tacos with rice and extra sour cream, please,” I replied.
Trent set the menu aside. “I’ll have the same, and bring us two Cokes.”
“Be back in a jiffy with your order.” The waitress turned and ambled toward the kitchen.
Trent drummed his fingernails on the table. “Can I ask you something?”
I brushed my leg against Trent’s calf. “Anything.”
“Do you like hunting demons?”
I rubbed my foot on his and faintly smiled. “Like? I’m not sure I
like
putting myself or my loved ones in danger all the time, but I’m doing something good and I’m helping people. Plus, sometimes it’s fun to kick some ass.”
“What if you could quit? What if this town was demon free?”
“That’s a lot of
what ifs
, and I kinda doubt evil will decide to just pack up and leave because I politely ask them to.”
I must not be playing footsie properly. It didn’t seem to be affecting Trent. Why did he have to talk about such serious stuff now?
“Good point. Coming from
you,
it might end up in a fistfight.”
“Shut up!” I laughed. “I have my anger issues under control now.”
He smiled wolfishly. “What about those other hormonal urges?”
“You promised!” I said with a smile. “No smutty talk.”
He fake pouted. “But I’m
so
good at it.”
“What did you learn about your demon ancestors?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Not much. Just that the Nocturne were wrongfully imprisoned after rebelling against the Forsaken who’d enslaved them.”
“Enslaved them to do what and why?”
“I’m still looking into that. But one thing is clear, the Forsaken were merciless bullies.” He sat forward. “Can’t you see how the lines between good and evil are blurred, Shiloh?”
“We can’t really judge the FA without all the facts. I mean, Raze hasn’t done anything…”
Except kill a boy from my school. And how well did I really know him? Sure, he’d saved my life and helped create the potion that healed me of the
Darkness
, but besides being a big flirt, Raze hadn’t proved he could be completely trusted.
Trent raised a brow. “FA?”
“Fallen angels. Although, technically, Raze isn’t one.”
“Whatever. Raze will be loyal to his own people,” Trent said. “As their new leader, their lives and needs will come first. We can’t be sure of his real motives.”
“True. What do you think his reasons are for helping me?”
A deep frown pained his gorgeous face. “Hard to know. Did he ever tell you why his father was booted out of Heaven?”
“Nope. I never asked, although, I am super curious.”
“Maybe it’s time you found out.” Trent peered at me through thick lashes. “How are things at home?”
I chewed on my lip. “Ariana puts up a brave front. Hearing about her powers and her parents has kinda freaked her out. Darrah’s actually been nice about letting Ari move in with us. I thought I was gonna have to ask my mom if we could stay with her.”
Some college-aged girls dressed in polos and khakis were rubbernecking Trent as they wandered past our table. One girl glanced over at me and studied me from head-to-toe with a smirk as if to say, why is the hot guy sitting with the weird high schooler? After giving that girl the stink eye, I focused my attention back on Trent.
“Do you think your mom would let you move into her place?” he asked tersely. “I mean if things get worse with Darrah.”
“Well, yeah. But my aunt’s never home now, so it’s like Ari and I have the place to ourselves. And my mom would be down with me living with her if I ever needed a place to crash.”
“Has she offered?”
“Once…I think.” I chipped at the nail polish on my thumb. “She’s never really brought it up. My mom must like her own space.”
“Maybe you don’t know her as well as you think you do, Shiloh.”
“What does that mean?”
The waitress returned with our food and drinks. Once she departed, Trent leaned over his plate and lowered his voice. “You never wondered about what could’ve really happened to your twin sister, Sutton?”
The mention of my sister flooded my mind with unpleasant memories. My aunt Darrah had seduced her sister’s boyfriend—my recently deceased dad—while my birthmother was pregnant with my sister and me. Darrah later married my dad just to make Trent’s stepfather jealous. My mother had given birth to twins, and my sister, Sutton was put up for adoption. She went to live with a foster family in Castro Valley, and mysteriously vanished three years ago.
With so much family drama, we needed our own damn soap opera.
“Of course, I’ve been curious. I might even look into her disappearance someday.” I took a gulp of soda, the fizz tickling my lips. “The police thought Sutton was kidnapped or something worse.”
He stared into my eyes, and the green of his irises sparkled in the muted lighting. “You told me that she was born first, right?”
I unfolded my napkin and placed it on my lap. “Yeah. Something like thirteen minutes before I was…” It suddenly dawned on me what he was getting at. My breath caught. “No way. Esael did
not
take my sister. She didn’t even live around here!”
“Like that would stop a demon. The fact is, Sutton was a firstborn child
and
inexplicably vanished like some of the other children from the founding families.” He raised one eyebrow, his voice ominous. “Now, doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
My fingers tensed. Muscles quivering. “What are you saying?”
“I think you know exactly what I’m saying.”
“My mom said she wasn’t even there when the Blood Rose Circle summoned Esael.”
“And you believe her?”
Heat spread through me like an out-of-control wildfire. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”
“Demons can’t lie, but witches can.”
While I inwardly fumed, a seed of doubt sprouted in my heart—doubt about my mom’s role in the black magick used to summon Esael. Suspicion regarding my sister’s disappearance.
I drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Un-freaking-believable. I suppose now you think my mom killed those other women in her coven, too.”
“You saw for yourself today that evil isn’t black or white. There are shades of gray—”
“My mother is a White Witch!” My hands shook. “She would
never
perform dark rituals.”
We’d been unconsciously leaning toward each other across the table, and instantly straightened when the waitress approached.
“How is everything?” she asked Trent. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No, thank you. We’re fine,” he said.
My face and ears burned. I tossed my napkin onto my plate of untouched food. “Actually, we’re
not
fine. Can you please bring us the check?”
The waitress sensing the tension scurried off.
Trent leaned back. “You look pissed.”
“
Pissed?
” I harshly whispered. “You just accused my mom of murdering my sister! I am beyond pissed, Trent.”
His eyes met mine, and part of me already suspected what he was going to say next.
“I’m only trying to open your eyes. You’re much too trusting and it’s almost cute how stupid you are about—”
“Oh, my god.” I scooted out of the booth and glared at him. “First you think my mom’s a murderer and now you’re insulting me. I think we’re done here.”
I turned on my booted heel and marched out the door, leaving him with the check.