Betrayed (7 page)

They were close. I groaned in frustration and froze when someone, or something, echoed it. The hair along my nape rose. No, that wasn’t a groan. It was more like a whimper, which wouldn’t surprise me in this macabre scene.

Angling my head, I fol owed the mewling down a hal way to a corner office. The door rested on its hinges and the light from the hal way fel into the dark room. Shards of glass were al over the place. A safe, or what once used to be one, had crash-landed on a large glass-top desk and shattered it. Money and bearer bonds were scattered al over the floor. I couldn’t imagine thieves ignoring this much wealth, unless they were after something more important.

The sniffles came again. My heart pounding, I reached inside the door frame for the light switch and flipped it on. Nothing happened. The sounds stopped. I tightened my grip on the Kris, using its light to see better, and approached the desk.

For a moment, I thought the area behind the desk, crammed with a broken chair, contents of the safe, and glass, was empty. Maybe I was hearing things. Then the glow from the dagger fel on something smal and golden.

A little girl, about ten years old with blonde pigtails, sat curled on the floor behind the chair, tears shimmering in her blue eyes. I couldn’t believe someone had brought their child to work.

“Hey,” I said softly so as not to scare her.

She blinked and her eyes became white. My fingers twitched around the dagger. Not just any child. A demon child.

“Are you going to kil me?” she asked.

The urge was there. One less demon to worry about. Hundreds of human souls saved. A few of our own would get their glory back. But the light from my blade didn’t seem to cause her pain. My vengeful angelic side fought with my humanity.

I shook my head. “No, I won’t hurt you. What are you doing here?”

“Searching.” She lifted a plastic bag fil ed with thumb drives.

I snickered. “For thumb drives?”

“No, sil y. For the List.”

A

memory

teased

my

mind

then

disappeared. “What List?”

“The one everyone wants. If I find it, Solange wil let me go back to live with my Mommy on the island.”

I

frowned.

Could

she

be

talking

about…“Coronis Island?”

“Yes. How did you know?” She squinted at me, the dagger, and then back at me. Her eyes widened. “It’s you. Solange won’t be happy you’re here. No, no, no, she won’t. She pretends to work for Lord Valafar, but she doesn’t.” Her eyes darted around, and her voice grew squeaky. “Go before she knows you’re here. Run.”

I didn’t run from demons. “How do you know who I am?”

“Your hair…the dagger. Leave. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The girl’s features grew hazy then dissolved into a grey smoke. The rest of her body fol owed. One second she was a thick mass hovering above the floor, the next she shot through the hole in the wal .
Everyone knows who you are,
Lilith,
she telepathed me.
You’re a Special, one of
us.

Before I could respond, a shadow fel inside the room. My heart leapt upwards. Hand firm on the dagger, I turned and faced it.

4. The Lazari

A heavy-set man in tan pants and a navy-blue shirt stood in the doorway. Dark wraparound sunglasses protected his eyes, but I stil knew he was possessed. My amulet and dagger reacted to the demon inside him and glowed bright.

“The dagger. You have the dagger,” he growled in a distorted voice, like two people talking at once, his pudgy fingers extended toward me. “It’s mine. Give it to me, dearest child.”

In his dreams. I tightened my grip on the hilt of the dagger, heart hammering inside my chest. I had no idea what the demon’s powers were or whether it was hindered by the body he possessed, but I wasn’t handing him my dagger. I must find a way to kil him without harming the host, which meant no weapons.

“Give it to me and I’l protect you, little Princess.”

“Protect me from what?” I squeaked, trying to buy time.

“The others—my brothers and sisters who’d use you. The traitorous Guardians.” He took a step toward me then another, his stomach shaking with each step.

I stepped away from him until my back hit the wal . Dang, there was nowhere to go but forward, which meant taking him down. Fat chance of that happening. Although he looked like he hadn’t seen inside of a gym in decades, he was built like a Sumo warrior. Maybe mentioning Valafar might scare him off.

“Do you know who I am? My father wil hunt you down if you touch me.”

“No, Lord Valafar wil thank me if I took you and the dagger to him. You belong with us, Lilith.” Anger replaced the panic. “I don’t belong with you! I’m a Guardian.”

“Sil y child,” he said, sneering. “You’l come around soon enough. It’s only a matter of time.” He lunged at me.

I jumped out of the way. He missed grabbing my arm by inches and lost his balance. Instead of going down, he bounced against the wal as though it was made of rubber, grabbed the tail of my hunting coat and yanked. I lost my footing and fel backward.

Arms flailing, heart pounding, I teleported to the other side of the room and slammed my back against the doorframe. Pain shot up my spine. An attempt to break my fal failed because I stil held the dagger. I slipped and landed on my butt. Tears stung my eyes as broken glass dug into the palm of my hand.

Heavy breathing alerted me that he was closing in on me. I scooted backward into the hal way, waved a hand, and ripped off the wraparound glasses covering his eyes. Bottomless black eyes caught the light and glistened at me.

Revulsion and fear curled my stomach. It was now or never…now or never….

I aimed the Kris Dagger at him and blasted him with light. He screamed and covered his eyes, but it was too late. Eyes were the windows to the soul, and the best way to force a demon from a human host. Light fil ed his body, making his skin glow. I scrambled to my feet, fingers digging into the textured wal for support.

My gaze stayed glued on him. His screams became gurgles as he convulsed like he had an itch he couldn’t scratch. He dropped to his knees then plopped on his side, body twisting in unnatural positions. Dry heaves wracked his body. Then his positions. Dry heaves wracked his body. Then his mouth opened wide.

The smoke demon shot out of his mouth like lava from a volcano vent.

Lil! Where are you?

Remy’s voice resounded in my head, but I couldn’t look away from the man writhing on the floor, his face contorted. A continuous stream of evilness spewed out of him, then he went stil .

The thick smoky mass rippled on the floor and crested like waves in the ocean. The edges spread toward me. Shuffling along the wal , my knees shook so badly I couldn’t turn and run. It rose and expanded. Tentacles flared from dark core. I was beyond terror, chil ed, frozen in place as it moved closer and closer.

Lil! You okay?

Yes…no….
My teeth started to chatter. I was about to choke. Become possessed. Dragged to the dark side. I shifted to autopilot, Master Haziel’s words ringing in my head. When ambushed, go down fighting. When in doubt, use your instincts.

When defeated, teleport.

The instinct to survive kicked in. I lifted the dagger, my hand clammy and shaking, pointed and shrieked out a command. At least I hoped it was a command, or something intel igible. Light shot from the blade and missed the demon by inches.

I aimed again, but arms grabbed me from behind and pinned mine down. Stil running on adrenaline, I buckled and twisted against my captor.

When he didn’t release me, I turned the dagger and lifted it up to sink it into his thigh.

A hand closed around my wrist like a vice.

Familiar scent and energy penetrated my terror.

Words drowned out the blood roaring in my ears.
It’s
me…me, darn it!

Bran. Relief rippled through me, leaving me light-headed. I closed my eyes and went limp against his hard frame. An angry rumble rattled my bones and my eyes snapped open. The death cry rose from deep inside the dark mass and fil ed the room. The growl grew faint and hol ow as the demon sunk low into the floor and disappeared, leaving behind a charred carpet and the crumpled body of its host.

I stared at the scorched marks, expecting it to rise again. “It’s gone. How?”

Bran chuckled. “You did it.”

“No, I didn’t,” I screeched. I turned and faced Bran. He looked like he’d been dragged to hel and back. Dirt and bruises covered his face. “You pul ed my arm down when I was about to blast him.”

“You already ordered the dagger to send the demon to Tartarus. When the light hit the wal , it spread around the room and trapped him. Once he came in contact with the light, he couldn’t escape.” He grinned, his teeth white against his dirty skin.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded, shaken yet proud I had actual y vanquished my first Lazarus demon.

“You did great.” Pride lurked in his voice.

“Now do exactly the same thing upstairs. The others need your help,” he added in a serious tone and stepped away from me. I leaned against the wal for support. “And when you guys are done,” he continued, already running toward the stairs, “head home. I’l see you tonight.”

Head home? Was he nuts? “Where are you going?”

“To finish what I started.” He disappeared up the stairs. I stood there on wobbly knees, my confidence returning.

Lil!
Remy cal ed.

Coming,
I yel ed and staggered past the main office area, which was now deserted, and almost lost my footing at the bottom of the stairs. Half-way up, screams and thuds slammed into me like a sudden downpour of hailstone. The sounds were worse than those made by the demon I just vanquished. The sharp demonic scent assaulted my senses, and my eyes watered. That must have been some glamour Bran cast to block al this from reaching downstairs. More voices came from the top floor when I reached the landing, but the battle on my left held me transfixed.

It was
Exorcist
ten times over.

The

possessed

office

workers

were

everywhere—crawling upside down on the ceiling and sideways on wal s, digging holes through the plaster with their bare hands. Men and women pounded on the keyboards, probably stil searching for their precious List. Al wore dark glasses to protect their eyes.

My friends were outnumbered five to one.

Stil , they were in their elements, butting heads, delivering knockout chops and punches Kenta would delivering knockout chops and punches Kenta would have been proud of. They pried open eyelids of the unconscious and squirted
piacol
into eyes. Two demons shot out from possessed humans and headed straight for the vents. More fol owed.

Knowing what to do now, I pointed the dagger and yel ed, “To Tartarus!”

Streaming light shot from the blade and hit the ceiling. It flowed down the wal s and spread along the floor, giving the room a green tint. The smoke demons smoldered as they came in contact with the glow. Shrieks and bel ows fil ed the air as one-by-one they fel to the floor and beyond.

Everyone froze.

Then the possessed people started for me, the light in the room not affecting them. They growled and gurgled as they attempted to push their way past the Guardians. Even the crawlers on the ceiling and wal s gunned for me. My stomach lurched even as I mental y prepared to fight.

Head downstairs and teleport home,
Remy yel ed at me.
We have this covered now
.

No. I’m through hiding.
If demons wanted a piece of me, let them come. I waved a hand and knocked the sunglasses off several faces. They covered their eyes but it was too late. The light in the room redirected into their eyes. Demons shot out of mouths only to ignite.

Remove their glasses,
I yel ed to the others, churning the light so it coiled and streaked around the room. A woman in a black pencil skirt broke through the Guardians’ defense and raced toward me, her hand holding her sunglasses in place. As she got closer, I realized the growls she was making were actual y chants.

“Dagger…mine…dagger…mine….”

I slipped the dagger into its sheath, grabbed her arm, and pushed her hard across the narrow hal way. Her head connected with the wal , sunglasses flying from her nose as she crumbled to the floor. As the demon left her, a possessed man landed on my back from the ceiling, taking me down with him.

I tripped over the fal en woman and hit the side of my forehead against the wal . Pain echoed inside my head, and my ribs threatened to cave in under the weight on my back. His breath, hot and foul, bathed my face as he too growled, “Dagger…

mine….”

Next second, he was off me. I rol ed up, and my gaze connected with Kim’s. She whipped him around and kneed him between his legs, a smug grin on her lips. He cupped his crotch and keeled over. Kim glared at me.

Get out of here,
she snapped.
We can’t finish
this while watching your back. Protect yourself and
the dagger.

I didn’t argue this time, just jumped up and ran. Outside the battle scene, rage slammed into my psyche. I looked up the stairs, locating its origin.

Bran. Fol owing my gut, I headed up.

The top floor had the executives’ offices, torch sconces on the wal s, cherry wood floors and paneling. I fol owed voices to a slightly opened door.

More opulent décor complete with custom cabinets, leather chairs, and black silk draperies.

I moved closer and heard Bran snarl, “I already promised not to kil you if you let him go.”

“Then we’ve reached a stalemate,” a disembodied feminine voice retorted, but it had a familiar lilt. “I’m not leaving without him. Sending him to Tartarus would be merciful, and he doesn’t deserve any mercy. He must answer to the Lazari Tribunal. Your mother, Coronis, and our leaders would stil be alive if it weren’t for him. ”