Demonfire (38 page)

“I’m sorry, Eddy.” He kissed
her. “But you’ll never guess what happened.”

Alton rested his hand on Dax’s
shoulder. “Whatever it was, I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too, son.” Ed handed him a
bottle of fresh water, and Dax took a long swallow. “Now tell us what the hell
happened.”

“They made a mistake.”

Eddy burst out laughing. “I
was sitting here thinking you couldn’t be dead, that someone must have made a
mistake.”

Dax hugged her. “You were
right. We haven’t been fighting a typical demon. I told you I was kicked out of
Abyss because I was too good to be a demon. Well, our demon was originally from
Eden. He was banished because he was evil, sent into the void. The same way I
was recruited by folks from Eden, he was recruited by leaders of Abyss—leaders
I didn’t even know existed. He lost much of his intelligence in the transition,
but he gains it back the longer he’s on Earth, and he does get his strength
from the demons he devours. The Edenites’ mistake was in sending me against him
unprepared. They didn’t expect the curse, and they didn’t know I’d have more to
fight than the usual run-of-the-mill demons. Sending me in woefully unprepared
was their fault. They’re the good guys, and they’re not supposed to make
mistakes like that. They were willing to deal.”

Eddy couldn’t stop touching
him. She finally contented herself with slipping her hands inside his shirt
against warm, living flesh, and hugging him close. “So, what’s the deal?”

Dax kissed the top of her
head. “They offered me eternity in Eden, even though I failed my mission. I got
my shot at Paradise.”

Eddy frowned. “But you’re…”

“I turned them down.”

“What?” She reared back and
gaped at him.

He smiled at her and ran his
fingers down her cheek. “I told them I’d found my own paradise with you, Eddy
Marks. Nothing else could compare.” He kissed her lips. “They sent me back to
continue the fight. I still have my demon powers, plus a few I’ve yet to
discover, only now they’re in the tattoo of the phoenix. Because this body is
mine eternally, I can use them without Willow’s help.”

He ran his fingers through
Bumper’s curly coat. “I’m still going to need you, Willow. Both of you.” He
stroked Bumper’s ears. Then he raised his head and turned his focus on Eddy,
even though she knew he spoke to all of them. “It’s not going to be easy, and I
told them I couldn’t do it without my warriors. I made a huge decision without
consulting you, and I don’t know if it can be undone if you don’t agree, but I
did the best I could. I’ve got immortality for you and Bumper, and for me.”

He glanced at her dad. “I
tried, Ed. I think you’ve got a new hip, but I couldn’t swing the rest. I’m
sorry.”

Ed shook his head and grinned.
“I wondered why the pain went away. Thank you. Don’t worry, son. I’ve got a
damned good life. I’ll leave immortality to you kids.”

Dax nodded. He ran his hand
through Bumper’s curly coat. “I know you’re in there, Willow, and it was the
best I could do once your body was gone. You’re tied to my mortality and would
have ended when I did. This way you’re part of our team, but you’re stuck in
Bumper. I hope it’s okay.”

Bumper sat up and barked. Her
tail went like a metronome set to a polka.
There’s got to
be a better way to communicate,
Willow said. Then she barked again.

The sun was rising before they
felt rested enough and ready to head back to town. Alton and Dax eyed the Jeep.
It wasn’t damaged, merely tipped over. “Do you think we can right it?” Dax
checked the ground beneath the downhill side. At least the gargoyle, in his
fury, had pushed it uphill when he’d rolled the thing over.

“We can try.” Alton took his
sword out of the scabbard and set it on the ground. He and Dax each grabbed an
end of the Jeep and shoved. It rocked back and forth. Then with grunts and
groans and straining muscles, the two men managed to right the vehicle.

Blowing hard from the effort,
Dax stepped back and grinned. “That’s good. I really didn’t want to walk all
the way back.”

Ed laughed. “I didn’t want to
pay the fine for leaving a vehicle up here when they’re not allowed on this
part of the mountain in the first place.”

Eddy wrapped her fingers
around Dax’s. It was almost impossible to let go.

Alton leaned over to pick up
his sword and very softly said, “Nine hells.”

“What’s the matter?” Dax spun
around as Alton reached down and lifted two identical swords off the ground.

“I’ve heard of this, but never
seen it. The sword replicated itself.” He held both of them out, spinning and
twisting each. “I can’t tell which one is mine.”

“I am, you fool.”

“Holy shit.” Alton stared at
the sword in his right hand. “You talked.”

“You’ve been wanting me to all
along. So what’s the problem?

“But you never said a word.
Why now?” Alton shot a quick glance at Dax, Eddy, and her dad, and then stared
wide-eyed at the sword.

“I had nothing to say. You
managed to figure things out without conversation, but the least you could do
is learn to recognize me. Have a little respect.”

“Okay.” Alton shook his head
and took a deep breath. “Then explain why there are now two of you.”

There was a long silence.
“There are three, actually. I am HellFire. DemonFire, in your left hand, is my
twin. He belongs to Dax.”

Alton frowned. He handed the
sword to Dax, who very gingerly wrapped his hand around the hilt. He stared at
the crystal blade, studying its length and width, testing the balance. “Where’s
the third?” he asked.

His new sword answered
formally, in a voice completely unlike Alton’s sword. “It was born of the
first,” it said. “We are three.”

“It’s here.” Eddy pointed to
the spot on the ground where the other two had been. A third sword, identical
in every way except for its smaller size, lay shining in the dirt. Like filings
to a magnet, she felt drawn to it. Very carefully, Eddy reached down and picked
it up.

The jeweled hilt fit perfectly
into her palm. She held it up and turned it in the morning light so that the sun
slanted through the crystal blade. It threw a multicolored rainbow against
Bumper’s curly coat.

“I am DemonSlayer.”

The sword’s voice was
decidedly feminine. Awestruck, Eddy raised her eyes and stared at Dax. “That
was the name Taron gave to you,” she said.

Dax wrapped his arm around her
waist and pulled her close for a long kiss. “True. But it’s the name you
earned, Eddy Marks. I’m afraid it’s one we’ll all have to continue earning
until we defeat the demon threat.”

Eddy gazed at him. She not
only had Dax back, she had him for all time. She wrapped her fingers in his and
raised her sword. Dax raised his, and Alton held his high. The three of them
touched the tips together, and a brilliant light flashed where they met.

There was no need for words,
no oath they had to swear. It was there—in their hearts, in their hands, in the
stone remnants that had once been a gargoyle born of demonkind, now lying in a
pile of rubble on the side of Mount Shasta.

They lowered their swords and
turned their backs on the remnants of the gargoyle. Then with Ed at the wheel,
Alton riding shotgun, and Eddy, Bumper, and Dax in the tiny backseat, they
headed down the mountain to town.