Hellfire (31 page)

The demon king roared his
anger, but he backed steadily away from Ginny’s assault. His eyes flickered
from Dax to Ginny, to the flash of her sword. She forced him into a corner.
Alton caught her eye.
What if we go at him together?
Maybe the strength of two swords?

Ginny nodded.
Ready?

“Ready!” Alton leapt toward
the demon king as Ginny drove her sword deep. It screamed, a horrible banshee
howl, and leapt into the air, away from the dark-light glow of Ginny’s blade.
Out of the violet light, it once again appeared as formless mist that suddenly
swirled into a violently spinning tornado of black, sulfuric smoke. Spinning
faster and faster until it was little more than a midnight blur of stinking
mist, it flew through the open bedroom door and out toward the window in the
main room.

With a loud
whoosh
the demon hit the screen and disappeared into the
early morning darkness.

The room seemed unnaturally
quiet after the creature escaped. Ginny leaned on her sword, blowing as if
she’d run a mile. Alton checked to make sure she was okay before turning away to
see if Dax and Eddy were all right.

Dax sat on the edge of the
bed, breathing hard, with DemonFire grasped in both hands. Eddy stood next to
him with her arm wrapped around his shoulders. There were fresh tear tracks on
her cheeks. The room reeked of sulfur, but the demons were all gone, presumably
destroyed by Ginny and Eddy’s attack.

Alton knelt in front of Eddy
and Dax. “What the nine hells happened in here? How’d they get in?”

Eddy shook her head. “Through
the window, I guess. We were both exhausted. Dax was asleep before I even got
out of the shower, but the fight earlier had already taken so much of his
energy.” She shuddered. “I didn’t awaken until I was already covered in
demonkind. When I tried to get to my sword, they trapped me against the wall.”
She shook her head, a short, sharp jerk of utter frustration, and wiped the
tears from her face with the back of her shaking hand. “I couldn’t break free.”

Alton pondered that a moment.
He hadn’t thought demons in this dimension capable of such an attack,
especially without avatars. Once again they’d proved him wrong. “How’d they
manage to hold you? They’re just mist, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.
Right.
Toughest mist I ever saw.” Eddy slowly sheathed
her sword. “They look like smoke but there’s substance there. They’re not like
they used to be. I remember passing my hand through them before and they felt
like cold smoke.”

She swept the tousled hair
back from her forehead. “They still look like smoke in regular light. I
couldn’t see their demon shapes without Ginny’s sword, but I could feel them.
When they had me covered, I felt scales and claws. They couldn’t bite or scratch
me, but they were certainly capable of holding me down.” She took a deep breath
and shuddered. “The worst of it was the fact I was screaming and cursing for
all I was worth, but there was no sound.
None at all.
I knew you guys couldn’t hear me. God, that was so scary.”

Dax slipped an arm around her
waist and leaned his head against her belly. “I couldn’t see you. I was buried
in the damned things. Thank goodness you’re okay.” He planted a kiss on the
bare strip of skin between her cami top and cotton pants.

Then he raised his head and
focused on Alton. “We know that the demon king was once from Eden, that he was
intelligent and evil. He seems to regain more of his cognitive abilities every
time we see him. Now that I know for certain he’s got my old demon body, I’m
wondering if I’m the only one he can siphon energy from.”

Ginny sat down on the edge of
the bed beside Dax, but she looked up at Alton. With Dax weakened, he felt as
if more of the weight of this battle had fallen on his shoulders. At one time,
he might have taken pride in their trust. Now it terrified him. This fight was
not going as well as he’d expected.
Not at all.

Ginny’s question confirmed it.
“Are you sure it’s just energy he wants?
Could he be after
something more?”
She turned toward Dax. “Your life force, whatever it is
that makes you immortal and gives you your powers. Could he be stealing that?”

She leaned close and kissed
Dax on the cheek. “Nothing personal, Dax, but you look like shit.
A lot worse than you did this afternoon at the vortex.
I
think he’s taking some important stuff from you. We need to stop him before he
gets any more.”

Eddy nodded. “I agree.” She
laughed, but it came out sounding like more of a sob than anything else. “I
want to get you home for some of Dad’s cooking.” She wrapped both arms around
Dax’s shoulders and rested her chin on top of his head. “Hell, I just want to
get you home. I’ll feel safer back in Evergreen.”

Dax tilted his head and kissed
her. “We have demons to fight, Eddy. Staying safe isn’t how battles are won.”

“I know, but going into battle
when you’re not fit isn’t how to win, either.” She raised her head and stared
at Alton. Her dark-brown eyes were swimming in tears, but she didn’t give in to
the emotions that were obviously choking her. “We’ll go with you like we
planned this morning and find a portal back to Evergreen, either at Red Rock
Crossing or Bell Rock. We just need a couple of days. I promise we’ll come back
by Sunday. I know Ginny’s got to go back to work in a—”

“No.” Ginny interrupted, shaking
her head. “I’m going to call Shascom and tell them to find a replacement. I’m
not going back. Not until we win.” She wrapped her fingers around Alton’s.

He almost wept with relief.

“What?” Eddy’s mouth hung
open. “You’ve been there forever. You love your job. You swore you weren’t
going to quit.”

Ginny shrugged. “Sort of like
you said you weren’t going to quit the paper?” She laughed. “I think it’s
finally sunk in—this is a lot more important.”

Eddy wrapped her arms around
Ginny and hugged her tight. “I am so glad you’ve finally come to your senses!”

“Gee, thanks.” Ginny hugged
her back. “I love the way my best friend in the whole world backs up my
decisions.”

Laughing, Eddy patted her
head. “That’s what friends are for, right?”

“What?
To
drive me crazy?”

“Well, that
among other things.”
Eddy’s expression sobered. “I’m really glad, Ginny.
It’s the right decision. I know it’s not an easy one, but it’s the right one.”

Ginny nodded. Then she grabbed
Alton’s hand and hung on like she’d never let go. “This all happened so
quickly. It took awhile before I realized there’s a lot more going on than just
some big adventure. It’s a war we can’t afford to lose.” She lifted DarkFire
and stared at the glowing blade. “The Crone is the sentience in my sword. She
lived so long, waiting to give DarkFire to me. Then she gave me immortality. I
feel like an idiot now, but it took me awhile to realize the responsibility
that came with her gifts.”

Dax slipped an arm around her
waist and gave her a quick squeeze. “We can’t do this without you, Ginny. It
appears only DarkFire has any effect on the demon king, and he’s the one we
need to defeat.”

She nodded. “I know. Do you
have any idea how scary that is?”

Alton pulled her into his arms
and hugged her close. “Yes, Ginny. I know exactly how scary it is. I was
terrified, watching you go after that bastard.”

She kissed his chin, leaned
back in his arms, and grinned at him. “I notice you didn’t try to stop me,
though. Thank you for standing beside me, for trusting me.”

Alton laughed. “Trusting you?
Nine hells! I was hoping you’d kill the damned thing for me. I’m beginning to
think the warrior women of Lemuria were a lot tougher than the men. I wish I
knew what happened to them, but that’s probably why their history’s been
hidden. The fragile male ego couldn’t handle it.”

Both Eddy’s and Ginny’s swords
flashed brilliantly and then the blades went dark. Alton stared at the fading
glow on Ginny’s sword and shook his head. “I’m not saying another word. Not a
single word.”

HellFire glowed within his
grasp. “That’s probably an excellent idea, Alton.”

“What do ya
know.
”
Eddy flashed a huge grin at Alton. “No snark this time.” Laughing, she and
Ginny sheathed their crystal blades.

Alton pulled Ginny close after
they crawled back into bed. It wasn’t even four yet—too early to get up, too
late for any really restful sleep. Unfortunately, he was way too wired to sleep
at all. The images from the battle they’d just fought kept flitting through his
mind like scenes from a movie—Dax covered by demons with the demon king sucking
his energy or life force or whatever out of him, Eddy held against the wall by
the mass of demons, and Ginny, his beautiful Ginny, spinning and twirling like
a dancer, striking out against the demon king as if she enjoyed every minute of
the fight.

Thank goodness she’d chosen to
stay, not only because he couldn’t bear to lose her, but because it was
painfully obvious she was the best weapon they had to defeat the threat posed
by the demon king.

A shiver ran along his spine.
He hated to think of the danger this could expose her to. The thought of Ginny
battling that monster…He wrapped his arms around her and held her even closer.

She nuzzled his chest and
planted a kiss above his heart. “I thought you were asleep.”

“You’re kidding, right? I only
came back to bed so Eddy and Dax would try and get some sleep.”

Ginny sighed. “I know. I’m
worried about Dax. Whatever that thing is doing to him, it’s not good. He looks
awful.”

“Dax will be fine. Once he
gets back to Evergreen and takes a day to catch up on food and sleep, he’ll be
himself again.” At least Alton hoped that was true. The demons were growing
stronger by the day, but there were only four warriors armed with crystal, and
they were all tired and frustrated. And Dax! What had the Edenites been
thinking, to send one man against demonkind? Poor Dax hadn’t had a chance
on his own
. Alton wished there was some way to contact the
Edenites, to find out if they had any ideas how to vanquish the demon king.

That strange creature was,
after all, one of
them,
an inhabitant of Eden, so evil
he’d been kicked out and exiled to the void. Too bad he hadn’t stayed where he
belonged.

Ginny’s fingers swept along
Alton’s flank and settled on the curve of his butt. Arousal seared him with her
touch and he felt himself stir in response. They’d made love for hours last
night. He’d been worried about her, wondered if she might be too tender this
morning to…
Nine hells!
What was she doing?

She’d scooted down his body
while he’d been lying here worrying. Now her soft lips trailed across his belly
and lower, to the sensitive crease between his thigh and groin. Her tight curls
brushed the length of his cock as she nibbled and kissed her way around all his
suddenly alert parts.

Warm, wet lips traced a path
over his belly, down to the base of his erection. He fisted both hands in the
soft blankets and groaned when she trailed kisses his full length, all the way
to the weeping tip.

“Ginny? What the nine hells do
you think—” He gasped as her lips encircled the crown and she drew him deep
inside the sleek, wet heat of her mouth. Her tongue and lips and teeth held him
in place, and all conscious thought disappeared like demon mist on the wind.

She knelt between his thighs
and curled her slim body in a graceful arc to take him in her mouth. One hand
cupped his sac while the other encircled the base of his shaft, holding him in
place so he wouldn’t choke her with an uncontrolled thrust of his hips.

As if he had any control left!
Her mouth was so perfect, the sensation of full lips, stroking tongue, and
sharp teeth taking him right to the edge where she held him on the precipice,
teasing and tormenting him until he knew he couldn’t take any more.

Carefully she rolled his balls
within their sac with one hand. With the other, her long, strong fingers
applied pressure around the base of his erection—just enough to keep him from
coming, even if he’d wanted to.

He didn’t. Not yet. Not until
he’d found his place deep inside Ginny. She slipped him out of her mouth and
blew a soft breath of air across his damp tip. He shuddered and arched his
back, but met only the chill morning air. He heard the sound of tearing foil
and almost lost it when her fingers wrapped around him once again and held him
still.

Slowly Ginny rolled the condom
over his sensitive length.

Then she was moving over him,
straddling him, sinking down on his erection and taking him deep inside. Her
sleek thighs locked against his hips and powerful vaginal muscles rippled over
his full length, drawing him in, taking him home.

Ginny was his home, the one
woman he would ever need, the only one he could ever love. Now, with her
thoughts and heart open, he shared her deepest needs, her fears,
her
love.

Last night had been their
debut, their first time together with the knowledge they loved each other.
Today was a confirmation, the proof that what they’d felt before was real and
true, that they could fight the evil facing them, so long as they faced it
together.

Alton wrapped his arms around
his lady love and rolled her over. She smiled up at him as he filled her. Her
thoughts, so simple and yet profound, filled his mind.

I love
you,
she said.
I will always love you.

As I love
you,
he replied. And then her body tightened in his arms and he set
himself free to join her. Together they soared, and together they tumbled over
the edge.

Ginny was the last one into
the kitchen after finally crawling out of bed and taking a quick shower, but
she’d slept so soundly after making love with Alton she hadn’t even heard him
get out of bed. As revved up as she’d felt after the fight with the demon king,
she hadn’t expected to sleep at all.

Dax looked up from his
newspaper.
“G’ morning.
Alton’s out on the deck.”

Ginny nodded and poured
herself a cup of coffee. “Where’s Eddy?”

“Talking to
her dad.
He’s going to drive up the mountain and meet us near the
portal.” Dax shoved the paper across the table to Ginny. “People are beginning
to notice things.”

Ginny looked up from her cup.
“What kinds of things?”

“Strange animal behavior,
birds attacking pets and people. They’ve discounted rabies. Now they’re talking
about some new virus, or maybe toxic poisoning of some kind.
So
far no mention of demons.
Are you sure you and Alton can handle stuff
here if we leave?”

Ginny glanced at the paper.
The articles were small, more like stories used as filler. At least they hadn’t
made the front page. “We’ll be fine. You need to get stronger. You still don’t
look like yourself.”

“He’s not.” Eddy stepped out
of the bedroom, leaned over, and kissed Dax on top of the head. “I got into bed
naked after the demon fight this morning, and all he did was hug me, roll over,
and go to sleep. I’m definitely concerned.”

Ginny snorted. “I imagine so.
Did you call nine-one-one?” She slapped her hand to her forehead. “Crap. That
reminds me. I need to call Shascom and tell them I’m not coming back to work.”

Eddy pulled Ginny’s cell phone
off the charger and handed it to her. “Do it now. I have a feeling today’s
going to be really, really busy for you guys.”

She took her phone out to the
back deck. Alton was sitting on a long, low bench beneath the shade with
HellFire on his lap. Ginny leaned close, kissed his cheek, and sat beside him.

“I need to call work and give
notice, effective today.” She punched in the numbers and made her call. It took
no more than a couple of minutes to end a career she’d spent the past seven
years building. When she completed the call, she stared at the phone in her
hand.

“You okay?” Alton slipped an
arm around her shoulders and tugged her close.

“I am.” She leaned her head on
Alton’s shoulder and thought about how it felt to be unemployed after so many
years on the job. It felt weird, to be honest. She’d once seen her job at
Shascom as the door to her future. A good, solid job with a steady income and
hours she could count on, maybe going back to school to study law enforcement
if she could save enough money.

She wondered how fighting
demons compared to life as a sheriff’s deputy. “My supervisor said if I ever
decide to come back, to let him know, that he didn’t want to lose me. That was
nice of him. I need to stop by next time I’m in town and fill out some papers
and empty out my locker, but that’s it.”

Alton planted a kiss on her
temple. “Thank you. I know it wasn’t an easy decision, but we need you. I need
you.”

Ginny leaned back so she could
look him square in the eyes. “I need you, too. You’re right. It wasn’t an easy
decision. Thank you for understanding that.” She stared off into the distance a
moment and then she flashed him a wide smile. “It was my only choice. I love
you.” She grabbed his hand and stood up. “C’mon. We need breakfast, and then we
need to get moving.”

Ginny’s cell phone rang as she
was turning onto Highway 89. Alton took the call while she watched for the exit
leading to the vortex at Red Rock Crossing near Cathedral Rock.

Alton’s burst of laughter had
everyone staring at him. By the time he ended the call he was wiping tears from
his eyes.

Ginny turned left onto the
narrow road that led to the vortex. “What’s so funny?”

“That was Dawson Buck, the
veterinarian we met the other day.” He turned in the seat so Eddy and Dax could
hear him. “I used a mild compulsion on him so I could explain the demon
possession without raising too many questions, but he’d had a clinic filled
with demon-possessed pets. Once the animals were caged, though, the demons
fled. I asked him to let us know if he had more brought in.”

“And?”
Ginny slowed down as the road narrowed.

“And, he’s figured out a way
to catch demons, but now he doesn’t know what to do with them.”

“What?
How?”
Dax leaned forward.

“He says he’s using his shop
vacuum. When the demons slip out of a caged pet, he’s somehow sucking them up
into plastic bags and popping them into the freezer. He said they turn into
little black ice cubes, but he’s not sure if they’re dead. He wants us to stop
by later and take care of them.”

Eddy giggled. “Demon cubes?
Wonder how they’d taste in a margarita? Run them through the blender with a
little
tequila,
add some triple sec and lime juice,
salt around the rim of the glass…”

Ginny pulled up to the park
entrance, paid the fee, and drove on in. She went as far as she could, parked
the Yukon, and turned in her seat. “Don’t demons have issues with salt?”

Shrugging, Eddy turned to Dax.
“I don’t know. Is salt a problem for you?”

“Only if
there’s not enough on my steak.”
Dax unfastened his seat belt. “What are
we looking for at this vortex?”

“He can be such a poop.” Still
laughing, Eddy got out of the SUV and gazed at the surrounding country.

Alton and Ginny joined the two
of them. Ginny glanced at a map she’d picked up in one of the local shops.
“This way.”
She grabbed Alton’s hand and tugged him down a
trail that followed the creek.

“Actually,” Dax said, “demons
do have issues with salt. It’s a pure substance, whereas demons are impure
beings. If you’re in fear of demons, make an unbroken circle of pure salt
around the interior of a room or around your bed when you’re sleeping. They
can’t cross it.”

“Now he tells me.” Eddy
snorted. “Why didn’t we do that last night?”

“Because
demons aren’t supposed to be able to do what they did last night.
They
shouldn’t have that kind of strength in this dimension. Not without an avatar.”
Dax hugged Eddy close as they walked. “I’m sorry. I really am. We have to quit
underestimating the bastards.”

Ginny turned and walked
backward a few steps. “Well, obviously demonkind has interacted with humans
before, or we wouldn’t have so much mythology about them.
Someone,
somewhere had to learn the stuff about salt keeping them away. Every religion
has demons.” She laughed. “Where would Hollywood be without demons?”

Dax nodded. “Occasionally a
demon will manage the crossing from Abyss to Earth and maintain his demon form,
but it’s a rare occasion; it takes an unusually powerful demon with old skills,
and they’ll try to possess someone as quickly as possible before getting sucked
back into the void. What’s happening now is unprecedented, the way they’re
coming in such huge groups, the evolution of their abilities. The demon king,
or whatever the hell he is.” He shook his head. “I wish we had more
information. It’s like the rules keep changing but no one has thought to update
the playbook.”

“Just like a man,” Eddy said,
hugging his arm. “Human for just a few days and he’s already making sports
analogies. Don’tcha
love
it?”

“Playbook or not, they’re
definitely stronger at night. That’s when we’re seeing them without avatars.”
Alton glanced around. “I wonder where they go during
daylight?
”

Eddy gazed up at the clear
sky. “They appear to be in the birds and other animals during the day. I wonder
if they leave the avatars behind now, once it’s
dark?
Could the ones that came after us last night have spent the day inside animal
avatars?”

Ginny shuddered. “That makes
way too much sense.”

Alton stopped everyone with a
wave of his hand. “Do you feel anything here?”

Ginny was the first to look at
him with a big smile. “It feels good. Almost as if we should all
be
happy.”

Eddy frowned. “You’re right.
How weird. Usually when we get close to a vortex, I begin to sense demonkind
and I get really anxious.”