Fangs and Fists, page 14
He and the redhead stared at each other for several moments before Haylen said, “Is there something you want, or have you merely come to gawk?”
The redhead glanced at the High Priestess. “Is he usually surly?”
“He’s a demon, after all,” replied the Priestess.
The way the young woman spoke about him like he wasn’t there raised his ire. He thought it strange that after so many years of controlling his emotions, something so insignificant should affect him. His “captors” had spoken in such a way in front of him and it hadn’t bothered him. He’s expected them to dehumanize him.
Dehumanize? He wasn’t human at all, so the word shouldn’t even apply to him.
It was his connection to Grit that had changed him and stirred long-dead emotions. While he would never be human again, he remembered what it was like and part of him craved it. He wanted to… belong.
But he couldn’t fathom why this young woman stirred him. She had magical powers, but nothing significant -- at least not yet. She wasn’t as powerful or developed as the High Priestess, but she had potential. He imagined filling her with his knowledge of black magic -- of consuming her flesh like he had consumed in his mortal life -- through copulation. Fucking.
His cock stirred, but he willed it into submission. He’d managed to endure the tortures meted out by the rebels -- some quite innovative. Once or twice they almost shattered his control, but he had spent hundreds of years among the masters. What he’d endured at their hands, or even what he’d suffered as a mortal to gain the knowledge that had made him a demon of resurrection, was far more terrible than anything the rebels had done to him.
“What’s your name, girl?” Haylen asked. He half expected her to ignore him.
She held his gaze and he sensed many things from her -- innocence but not ignorance. Courage and compassion. The latter would no doubt be her downfall. Everyone had a character trait that in the end would destroy them. It was true of both good and evil creatures.
The trait that had destroyed Haylen as a mortal was most likely the one that might soon destroy him as a demon, but it was ingrained in him and he had learned that you can’t change the core of who you are.
“Madeline,” she said. “And I’m not a girl.”
“Not according to how you dress, for sure. It’s not customary for beautiful young women to wear filthy trousers.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t walked the earth since the year 800. How would you know what is and isn’t customary?”
A faint smile flirted with Haylen’s lips, but he managed to keep it from spreading. It had been ages since a woman had amused him like this.
“You know about me, but I know nothing about you,” he continued.
“No. You don’t.”
“But I’m an excellent judge of people.”
“I thought you only dealt with corpses?”
“Haven’t you heard? I’ve turning over a new leaf, as they say.”
She continued staring at him. Most people avoided a demon’s gaze, but not Madeline. It was as if she was challenging him.
Perhaps it was because, like the other rebels, she thought he was their prisoner.
“We’ll see,” Madeline replied.
They fell silent and merely stared at each other.
Finally the High Priestess said, “It’s time for us to go.”
Madeline nodded and after a moment’s hesitation turned away from Haylen.
The two women left him to ponder.
Strange. He would soon have his tracking device removed and possibly face the end of his existence, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Madeline.
* * *
The following afternoon, Zari and Maddy climbed into the vehicle that Maddy had been working on and drove it to the warehouse. Grit and Christian were across town, in a meeting with the Sovereign Vampire regarding the battle that would begin in just three days.
The Alpha had suggested Maddy finish working on the vehicle at the warehouse so it would be ready to go when needed.
“It just needs a few minor adjustments,” Maddy said to Zari as they parked in the warehouse.
They climbed out of the vehicle and Zari helped Maddy remove her toolboxes from the trunk.
The witch glanced around. “I wonder where Haylen is?”
“They moved him to a smaller room upstairs,” replied Cliff, who stood nearby. “There’s a lot going on down here to prepare for the battle, so the Alpha decide to relocate the demon.”
Maddy looked disappointed. Zari knew she’d hoped for the chance to see Haylen again. The demon fascinated her, and while Zari could understand her intellectual interest, she worried that Maddy’s feelings might run deeper than that.
The warehouse doors opened again and another SUV pulled inside. It stopped a short distance away from Maddy’s vehicle. Two guards jumped out, greeted Cliff with wolfish grunts, and jogged up to the Alpha’s office.
“They’re in a hurry,” Maddy said. “Hope it’s nothing bad.”
“Like there’s been anything good lately,” Zari said.
“Let’s get this finished.” Maddy opened the hood and peered at the engine. It was large and she lifted one knee onto the edge, using it for leverage as she leaned farther in.
“Hey, Zari, hand me the wrench that’s sitting on top of the black toolbox.”
Zari went to retrieve the wrench and as she squatted to pick it up, she heard the sound of tires on the warehouse floor. She glanced over her shoulder and saw in horror that the parked truck was rolling toward Maddy, whose back was to it as she concentrated on the engine.
“Maddy!” Zari shouted, and leapt to her feet, but even with her vampiric quickness, she wasn’t fast enough to stop the truck from smashing into the witch.
Maddy screamed. Her right leg was trapped between the two vehicles and no doubt smashed.
Cliff and Zari rushed to push the vehicles apart. Other guards raced in and the Alpha darted out of his office and leapt down the entire flight of stairs.
The scent of blood was strong on the air as Zari and one of the wolves eased Maddy onto the ground. She moaned, tears streaming from her eyes. Blood seeped through her jeans. Bones poked through flesh and denim.
“We need to get her to a doctor,” Zari said.
Haylen shoved his way past the guards and knelt beside Maddy’s injured leg. Zari considered pushing him away, but she guessed what he was about to do and refrained.
The demon lightly touched Maddy’s leg. He caressed it. Broken chains dangled from his manacles and shackles.
One of the guards moved aggressively toward him, but Zari said, “Don’t touch him.”
Maddy had stopped moaning and stared at Haylen.
Before their eyes, the bones slid back into place with seemingly no pain to Maddy. Beneath the torn jeans, her flesh healed and the blood evaporated.
“I’ll be damned,” murmured the Alpha.
“You’d better hope not,” Haylen said, his voice just above a whisper. He rose and offered his hand to Maddy, who took it without hesitation. She stood, a bit shaky, but Zari steadied her and Haylen continued holding her hand until she took a step toward him.
“We tried to stop him, sir,” said a guard who sported a blackened eye.
A second guard who stood nearby, rubbing his jaw, added, “He’s stronger than he looks. He snapped the chains.”
“Interesting,” said the Alpha, raising an eyebrow in Haylen’s direction.
Maddy stepped even closer to the demon. Holding his gaze, she said, “Thank you.”
Zari wasn’t sure she should thank him. Yes, he’d healed her leg, but in the future, she might not want to owe a demon -- even one who claimed to want reform.
Haylen stared at Maddy for a moment before walking away.
“Keep an eye on him,” the Alpha ordered the guards, and then he muttered, “Though I’m not sure how much good it will do.”
“They said they tried to stop him,” Zari said. “If the demons who are coming for him are as powerful as Haylen, both physically and magically, then maybe we don’t have a good shot at taking back the city after all.”
The Alpha stared at her hard. Had she been a lesser woman, she might have backed down, but Zari stood her ground.
“Wolves don’t give up,” the Alpha said. “But you have a point. I still believe that combining the powers of wolves, vampires and witches will drive the demons back. There’s not room for defeatists in this rebellion.”
“There’s a difference between being a defeatist and being a realist. You’re sending Grit and Christian off to face an undisclosed number of elite demon warriors. You’re asking several other rebels, including me, to remain here to protect Haylen while his tracking device is removed. How are we to know that they won’t be able to find him without it?”
“We have to help him,” Maddy said. “You saw how powerful he is, but he’s come to us for help. That means he knows we’re strong enough to take on the masters.”
“It might mean that he knows we’re dumb enough and idealistic enough to think we can,” Zari countered.
“Zari --”
“Think about it. Whether we go through with the plan or not, the demons have our ass,” said the Alpha. “I’m going down fighting, although I have no intention of going down at all.”
“Me either,” Maddy said. “Zari, you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. We need you.”
“You’ve got me. I just want everyone to stay grounded. Underestimating an enemy is one of the worst mistakes we can make.”
“Agreed,” the Alpha said. He growled and walked away.
“I wonder what happened to the car that hit you?” Zari asked.
Maddy approached the mentioned vehicle and checked it out. “Looks like it wasn’t fully parked when the guards jumped out. I hope whatever they had to tell the Alpha was important. I thought I was dead.”
“Do you feel okay now, though?”
Maddy glanced down at her torn, bloodstained jeans. “Yeah. Perfect. I think he even healed my old knee injury from field hockey in high school. That wasn’t a demonic power that healed me, Zari. Demons don’t heal.”
Zari nodded. She didn’t doubt the witch’s word, and she had seen Haylen’s power with her own eyes. While she knew Haylen was a demon, she believed that he was sincere in his desire to leave behind a life of evil. There was no other explanation for him to reclaim a power that was, from what Zari had learned from the witches, one of good magic -- an angelic gift.
Chapter Eight
The High Priest
Lights flashed, horns blew, cars sped through the streets and voices -- some shouting and others whispering -- mingled in the maze of buildings. The city was worse at night. Most demons preferred darkness, though the technology that brightened the streets ruined it. Still, there were many alleys and basements where darkness reigned.
Grit ignored everything going on around him -- all the distractions created by demons and mortals alike. He stared toward the dark horizon. Though he couldn’t see the woods from where he stood on top of the roof of Maddy’s building, he felt more connected to it than he had since his resurrection -- or rather his healing
He couldn’t forget that Haylen hadn’t brought him back from death -- merely from the edge of it.
Right now he remembered a time long before his imprisonment in the tower. He smelled the earth. He felt the ground beneath his feet and the freedom of spirit he hoped his son now felt. If Jett grew up a free wolf, everything and anything they were about to sacrifice would be justified.
“Grit.”
He glanced toward Zari. She had interrupted his meditation, but he didn’t mind. She was the one person he wanted to be with tonight.
“Sorry to bother you, but --”
“You’re not bothering me. Far from it.” He tugged her in front of him and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest.
Together, they looked out at the city.
“It starts tomorrow,” she said.
“The sooner it starts, the sooner it ends.”
She turned just enough to glance at his face. “I want to be with you. I should be with you and Christian tomorrow. Damn it. I feel like the leaders have deliberately separated us.”
“Maybe they have. If we’re together, we’ll be more focused on protecting each other than getting the job done.”
She nodded. “I’m usually the one who makes sense, but apparently not when it comes to you.”
He smiled slightly and rested his cheek against the top of her head. He loved the scent of her hair.
“It’s the same for me,” he said. “But we need to win this war. Even if we don’t win tomorrow’s battle, if we can inflict a gaping wound on the masters, it will be the chance we need to inspire others to rise up. We have to take back what’s ours.”
“I agree. I just wish most of it didn’t depend on Haylen.”
Grit drew a deep breath and released it slowly. Finally, he said, “He’ll keep his word.”
“He’s a demon. Christian might be right about this one. On the other hand, the way Haylen healed Maddy -- that was a good act that channeled an angelic power.”
“Haylen is no angel, but I think he truly wants to change. Christian is infected with hate. I’m not judging him for that, but he can’t see the situation clearly.”
“And you can?” she asked gently and turned in his arms. She slid her arms around his neck.
“I know I’ve been questioning if Haylen still controls my mind, but right now, Zari, I believe I’m my own man. I have to believe it, otherwise there’s no reason for me to go on. Right now the only thing in my mind is to make this world safe for the people I love -- for Jett, Kiara and Bolt. And for you, Zari. I don’t want us to be constantly in danger and looking over our shoulders because of the masters.”
“I agree. I also agree that Christian isn’t stable. Do you think he’ll be a liability tomorrow, because if he is, you shouldn’t be the one to deal with him. Not when it’s just two of you against elite demon warriors. You need someone you can depend on.”
“I think he’d sacrifice his life to take down the masters. He’ll do his job.”
“If he loses it, Grit, don’t put yourself at risk.”
“I wouldn’t --”
“No, you would. Remember, I’ve known you for a long time before Haylen messed with you. I know the man you were and the man you are. You would put yourself in danger to help one of the team.”
“That’s the point of being part of a team -- or a pack.”
“Christian is a loose cannon. He has been since he put Liam down. If there was some way to help him, we would, but he needs to want to help himself.”
“Maybe fighting this war is his way of doing that.”
“I just don’t want you put in danger because of him.”
Again Grit smiled and kissed her. “Don’t worry about me. I cheated death once already and I don’t plan on dying tomorrow. Just focus on yourself and your job. If you think Christian is a loose cannon because his lover was killed by demons, you don’t want to see what I’ll become if the same happens to you.”
She slid her arms around him and he held her close.
Thunder rumbled in the distance and a light rain pelted them.
“Let’s go inside,” she said, taking his hand.
A strong urge nearly overcame Grit and he decided to give in to it.
“I’ll be right there,” he said.
She stepped away and headed for the door leading down.
Standing on the edge of the rooftop, Grit threw back his head and howled.
Several answering howls echoed throughout the city.
Feelings of elation and eagerness darted through Grit. He hadn’t felt these things in far too long.
When he turned to leave the roof, Zari stood near the door, grinning at him.
He walked to her and they made their way to the apartment where they joined Maddy and her mother in the living room. Tonight was for friends and family. Tomorrow they would strike back at their enemies.
* * *
Thoughts from the Master’s Gazing Room --
He’s done it.
I told you he would.
Tomorrow, the rebels will be squashed. Haylen will bring us Grit’s head. Then we’ll reward Haylen with magnificent torment.
And he’ll thank us for being so lenient.
Then he’ll appoint a successor.
And we can decide if we wish to keep one resurrection demon in the tower or two.
Let’s not be greedy.
There’s nothing wrong with greedy, providing that gluttony and not mercy is the motivator.
* * *
Grit and Zari arrived at the warehouse at dawn. The rebel leaders had chosen to start the battle during daylight, hoping it would provide them with an advantage over the mostly nocturnal demons.
When they got there, several wolves, Christian and the Alpha paced around the warehouse.
“The witches are upstairs with the demon, preparing to remove his device,” said the Alpha. “Are we all ready to roll?”
“Yes, sir,” Zari and Grit replied.
“I hate waiting,” Christian muttered, his arms folded across his chest as he continued pacing. “Funny, I used to be good at waiting.”
“There’s a lot we used to be, but what matters is how we deal in the present,” Grit said.
Christian shot him an annoyed look and strode to the other side of the warehouse.
“I don’t know what Blaxton was thinking by insisting he be your partner in this,” the Alpha said. He glanced at Grit. “Do you want me to assign someone else? One of my guards?”
“No. Christian will do his job,” Grit said.
At least he hoped the vampire would rise to the occasion. In a way Grit understood Christian. He’d lost someone dear to him and he wanted revenge. It was how Grit felt about his lost shapeshifting powers and the demons who had taken it from him. Or had they? Maybe if he’d trained harder and been a better fighter, Victor would have been the one leaving the arena on a stretcher.
Or maybe it had happened for a reason. Perhaps he belonged here, fighting this war with the perspective of someone who had been touched by demonic power.
