Guardian of the Hellmouth (5 page)

Read Guardian of the Hellmouth Online

Authors: A.C. Greenlee

 

rest of her didn’t know what to say. Her life was on the line, in

 

the hands of a demon who cared nothing about her. His eyes

 

flashed again, meeting hers as confusion and exasperation filled

 

him.

 

“Then it will be a breach of contract and you’ll have to take it up

 

with your lord.” Cassandra said and Leviathan frowned for a

 

second before going completely stoic. He turned his back on

 

Kailani and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“It seems I don’t have a choice.”

 

“How am I getting him to Australia?” Kailani asked after a

 

moment of silence between the three of them, her voice defeated

 

as he made a noise of annoyance. Kai stared at his back for a

 

second, watching his shoulders tense under her gaze. Cassandra

 

just sounded excited.

 

“Well, you could make him a passport yourself which is probably

 

gonna look like shit cause you suck at arts and crafts, or I can do

 

a little scrying and find you someone who can make it for you.”

 

“Scrying? Isn’t that when you hold a crystal over a map and try

 

to find people?”

 

“Yes…it’s either Scrying or a phonebook, take your pick.”

 

“Phonebook.”

 

“Spoiled sport.”

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Chapter Four
Dawn came a lot sooner than either of them would have

 

expected. Kailani hadn’t slept at all, and how could she with a

 

demon pacing around her house and at least fifty more waiting

 

outside to kill her. She sat in the living room on the couch,

 

watching Levi move from spot to spot, examining her things,

 

turning lights on and off and generally acting as if he had some

 

demonic form of ADHD. When she couldn’t take it anymore she

 

lifted the remote control off the coffee table and chunked it at his

 

head. Much to her dismay he caught it with ease then turned it
over in his hands, staring at it as if it were some foreign object

 

he’d never seen before.

 

“I know what it is in theory I just haven’t seen it in person. Dare I

 

ask…?” He cocked a brow down at her and she sat up straight to

 

glare at him.

 

“It’s a remote, it controls the television you’re standing in front

 

of.” She told him and he turned to stare down at her parents old

 

antique tube set. Everything in their house was aged, from the

 

furniture to the carpet, even the wallpaper looked as if it had been

 

meticulously picked out to mirror some seventies family sitcom.

 

“And since we’re stuck together a little while longer than

 

planned, why don’t we work out a couple house rules hmm?” She

 

asked, standing and going to pluck the remote out of his hands,

 

slapping them away when they moved to pick up another of her

 

mothers expensive porcelain figurines. His glare matched hers.

 

“Such as?”
“Such as no reading my mind unless I invite you to do so, and no

 

touching my parents things. Heaven forbid you actually break

 

something irreplaceable.” He appeared intrigued by that.

 

“What do I get in return for such good behavior?” he asked

 

simply but she couldn’t help feeling like he was contemplating

 

something mischievous. She eyed him carefully but he had a

 

perfect poker face. Finally she sighed, giving up on her attempt to

 

figure him out.

 

“I don’t know, what do demons want?” As soon as the words left

 

her lips she regretted them. Leviathan pounced with a growl that

 

sent a little shock of heat skittering to the center of her body,

 

gathering her in his arms, his lips on hers as his hands roved her

 

smaller frame. Seeking, grabbing and teasing, sending her

 

passion higher and higher as he fanned a flame that burned deep

 

inside of her. Kailani barely recognized her own voice as she

 

groaned, her head falling back against her shoulders as he

 

assaulted her throat and tops of her breasts with his lips and

 

tongue. The gentle scrape of his fangs against her flesh drove her
senseless, his touch intoxicating as all rational thought fled,

 

leaving her a quivering mound of heat, like putty in his hands. It

 

wasn’t until she felt his hand at the button of her jeans did she

 

finally snap out of her stupor, shoving him away from her and

 

putting distance between them both. Kai glared up at his smug

 

smirk as she panted and attempted to gather the few wits he

 

hadn’t scattered.

 

“Rule number three, definitely none of that.” She struggled to

 

catch her breath as he folded his arms over his broad chest.

 

“And why not?”

 

“Because you’re a freaking demon!” He arched a brow.

 

“Oh? I wasn’t aware. Besides, the fact that I’m a demon doesn’t

 

seem to stop you from those little fantasies you keep having. The

 

one with the chocolate on the swing set is especially inventive.”

 

He watched her face flame and she shook her finger at him.
“Rule one! Remember rule one!” She yelled and he chuckled

 

darkly. Kailani was about to tell him to shove his humor up his

 

rear orifice when the phone rang suddenly and she nearly jumped

 

out of her skin until it announced Cassandra’s name. Snatching

 

the phone off the nearby base she pressed it to her ear. “Tell me

 

you’ve invented demon repellent.”

 

“I’ve invented demon repellent…” Cassandra said hesitantly.

 

“…Really?” Kai asked, ignoring Leviathan’s droll look.

 

“No. But that would be awesome right?” She laughed nervously

 

and Kailani deflated, moving to reclaim her seat on the couch.

 

“Yes it would. At least tell me you have good news.”

 

“Well yes, good news and bad news. The good news is I can get

 

you a ten AM flight to Australia.”

 

“And the bad news?” She asked, watching Leviathan ignore her

 

rules and blatantly touch every single one of her mother’s

 

figurines. The bastard was doing it on purpose.
“The bad news is Leviathan can’t go with you. Apparently

 

finding someone to create a fake identity for a demon isn’t

 

exactly simple.” Kai sighed, she’d figured as much.

 

“So what should I do?”

 

“You and Leviathan are gonna have to make a break for it. By the

 

time you get to the airport I’ll have figured something out.”

 

“In other words we have no plan?”

 

“Pretty much…”

 

“I’m screwed.”

 

“No, don’t say that.” Cassandra huffed, “When you leave the

 

demons will probably follow you. There are lots of people in

 

Kalihi and it’s only about a ten-minute drive to the airport if you

 

take the highway. Trust me, I used MapQuest.” She said and Kai

 

sighed.

 

“This has failure written all over it Cass.”
“Don’t be such a pessimist. Just remember, anything is possible. I

 

mean look around you.” She lifted her head to stare at Leviathan

 

who glared back.

 

“If you start spouting off nonsense about Peter Pan and fairies

 

I’m going to kill you.” He growled and she frowned, ignoring his

 

threat.

 

“Hey, how come you know about Peter Pan but not about

 

television?” She asked and his glare didn’t budge.

 

“I know what a television is this is just the first time I’ve seen

 

one.”

 

“Uh huh. Cassandra tell me this harebrained idea of yours is

 

actually going to work.”

 

“It’s going to work. Don’t worry. Just get to the airport and call

 

me back. Everything’s going to be alright Kai.” She said her

 

goodbyes and hit the end button, simultaneously wanting to
scream, cry and click her heels to see if she could teleport back to

 

Kansas.

 

“What’s the plan?” Leviathan asked and she met his eyes.

 

“To wing it. We’re headed to the airport,” She eyed his bare chest

 

and the cuts that were nearly completely healed. “But first you

 

need a shirt. I don’t suppose you have magical powers and can

 

just poof up clothing?” He gave her a droll look.

 

“Do I look like a magician?” Kailani shrugged.

 

“Maybe?” He glared in return.

 

“No, I cannot manifest clothing or anything else for that matter.”

 

He said and she sighed, standing and making her way towards the

 

bedroom. Hopefully her father left something behind that he

 

could borrow until she was rid of him. Leviathan followed her

 

silently, watching her pull an old suitcase from the bottom of the

 

closet and lay it on the bed. Opening it she leaned over the bed

 

and began carefully unpacking it, her fathers cologne instantly
hitting her nose and bringing tears to her eyes. Even after all

 

those years she still remembered it. Her hands paused in their

 

task, absentmindedly stroking a red silk button down shirt. These

 

were
his
things. Her
father’s
belongings. Each of them he’d

 

packed with care, probably days, if not hours before his death.

 

She couldn’t breathe and suddenly Leviathan was over her,

 

leaning his strong chest against her back and bracing his arms on

 

either side of hers. She could sense his hesitation, and knew

 

instinctively he didn’t know what he could say to make her feel

 

better, but she was thankful for his presence. That alone gave her

 

the strength and comfort she needed. Kailani chuckled bitterly. A

 

demon offering comfort, how ironic was that? “More ironic than

 

you know.” He breathed against her throat and she shivered.

 

“Rule breaker.”

 

“So says the one who tempts me to break the rules. Who’s worse,

 

the sinner or the one who leads him into temptation?” She bit her

 

bottom lip as he ground his hips against hers, agonizingly slow.
With a little growl of frustration she pushed him off of her,

 

snatching up one of her fathers shirts and handing it to him.

 

“Get dressed and stop being a bastard.” She ignored his smug

 

grin as she turned and stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the

 

door behind her.

 

“There are three circling your vehicle but I can

 

sense others nearby. They’re translucent, barely visible even to

 

my eyes.” Leviathan said as he stood near the window, his body

 

flat against the wall as he stealthily peered through the gauzy

 

curtains into the sparkling sunlight beyond. His silver eyes were

 

alight with eagerness, glowing with hunger as he awaited the

 

perfect moment to spring into action. He was itching for a fight,

 

craving the feel of something succumbing to his superior

 

strength. He once lived for moments like these, for the bloodshed

 

and carnage that came along with being a demon. Kailani, who

 

carefully hid her repulsion for his kind, moved around the

 

cottage, turning off all the lights as she’d been instructed, her

 

hands trembling as she finally moved to stand near him. She wore
a black bag on her back, filled with clothing and other necessities

 

for her trip. She’d packed lightly, not because she’d been told to

 

but because she honestly didn’t think she’d be surviving any of

 

this. Call her a pessimist but she was up against forces she knew

 

nothing about, with a less than willing demon as her guide and

 

protector. Soon everything would blow up in their faces and

 

leave her utterly devastated. She was willing to bet on it. “You

 

worry too much.” Leviathan snaked an arm around her waist,

 

moving them both towards the door with a twisted, almost

 

childlike glee in his eyes. He snatched open the door suddenly

 

and like a flood all the air around them poured from the cottage,

 

spilling onto the lawn where the creatures were waiting to suck it

 

all up. The demons shrieked, their mouths dropping open as they

 

inhaled deeply, drawing in the power they’d just released. One by

 

one their images seemed to pop, shifting from semitransparent

 

shadows to gray cast monsters with glowing red eyes. Leviathan

 

snapped into action, shoving her down the front stairs towards the

 

driveway as the demons rushed them, their teeth and claws

 

gleaming like steal in the sunlight. With a snarl of his own he
dodged their attacks, his body expertly twisting and turning,

 

spinning through the air with inhuman speed. He returned their

 

assault with his own, ripping into them with his bare hands until

 

they could do nothing but scream helplessly. They came at him

 

from all sides, swarming him from the lawn and the roof, piling

 

on top of him until he felt like he was drowning. With a laugh a

 

surge of energy pulsated from him, blowing most of them fifty

 

feet in all directions. The ones who’d managed to hold on

 

severely regretted it as he spun on them, grabbing one by the

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