Demon Hunters 3: Tainted (Stand Alone Series) (Demon Hunters.) Read online

  “It won’t be safe outside this circle, but nothing will happen to you if you stay inside it. Promise me that, okay?”

  How was a bit of salt meant to protect her? She met his eyes, seeing the candlelight reflected in them. What could she say to convince him to leave right this minute? She couldn’t think of a single thing she hadn’t already said. “I want to go home.”

  “Soon. Not long and you can go home, but I need you here so you’ll know. You deserve to know the truth.” He paused, the candle causing shadows to dance across his face. “I love you and your mother. Make sure you tell her that for me, okay?”

  “She doesn’t know who we are half the time. How can I tell her you love her? And why can’t you tell her?” She could hear her voice rising and didn’t even bother trying to stop it. What was he planning on doing?

  Chapter Three

  Tony glanced at his watch, wax dripping on the floor as he turned his hand slightly. “Midnight. He said three was the best time.” He held the papers closer to the candle. “It doesn’t say it has to be three. Okay, now this is important.”

  Cassidy could only nod. This wasn’t happening. Maybe if she sat in the middle of the circle and closed her eyes she could pretend it was all a dream. Except she was wearing her white jeans and there was no way she’d be able to get the stains out of them from the dirty floor.

  “Don’t move from here until he’s gone. I would and will do anything for you and your mother. You need to remember I love you both very much.”

  Cassidy nodded, since that’s what he seemed to want. She desperately tried to make sense of what was going on. She’d been up since six that morning. She wanted to go home to bed. Instead she stood there and watched her father read from the paper in his hands. She frowned, trying to make sense of his words. But they didn’t make sense. None of them. They sounded like something that belonged in a horror movie. Crazy words that highlighted the fact her father had finally lost the plot and she was going to end up needing to take care of both her parents. She didn’t think she could do it. No, she knew she couldn’t do it.

  “Ibaelcaurzanon I name you Remedy. Answer my call.” Tony dropped the paper at his feet. When he used the fishing knife to cut his palm, the candle fell from his grip, wax splattering across the paper and floor. He stretched his hand outside the circle and let droplets of blood fall onto the ground, the knife remaining in his hand.

  Cassidy gasped, her hands covering her mouth as she took a step backwards. Her eyes were caught on the red that was smeared along the edge of the blade. She wanted to grab her father and shake him. Demand what he was doing. Either that or run and never look back. Then it was too late. She couldn’t have run if she wanted to.

  A creature formed in the air near the blood drops. Shadows becoming a solid form. Skin rippled, a colour similar to Cassidy’s hair, and dark wings spread out behind him. Black eyes that held the flicker of flame stared at them, then looked at the droplets of blood on the ground. His almost human face sneered.

  “You would have me dine from the filth on the ground?” His deep voice was filled with scorn as he raised his eyes to stare at them in contempt.

  “I… I was told… he said to… on the ground he said.” Tony took a step backwards, nearly stepping on Cassidy.

  She reached out her hands to cling to her father’s arm. What had he done? She stared at the eyes of the man in front of her, trying to convince herself it was only the candlelight reflected in them. She didn’t believe herself.

  “Who said?”

  “He was a man. But had eyes like yours. He said you could be the remedy. For my wife.”

  “Eyes like mine? Did he give a name this man?”

  Tony shook his head. “No. I mean yes. I mean, not a name. He said four will see you caught. He has your name, the human to call and the means to end it all. I asked him what he meant, but he said you’d know.”

  “What is the time, human?”

  Tony turned his wrist to look at the time. Blood dripped onto his feet at the action. “Twelve-thirty. Nearly.”

  “What time did he tell you to perform this ritual?”

  “He said three was best. But he didn’t say it had to be three.” There was a defensive note to Tony’s voice.

  Cassidy frantically tried to make sense of everything. But nothing did. Not one single thing had since she’d gotten in the car with her father. Maybe she’d fallen asleep talking on the phone to Amy. If that was the case then her mind was more screwed up than she’d thought. She continued to hold onto her father’s arm, wanting to drag him out of the building. Only his warning that the circle would protect them was all that kept her from running.

  The creature laughed. “You know nothing about demons, do you?”

  Tony shook his head. Then nodded. “I know if you accept my offer you will have to do what I ask.”

  “What is your offer? And what do you ask?”

  “My wife, Sylvia Wells, has Alzheimer’s. I want her cured and healthy so she can live a long life. In exchange I offer myself as the sacrifice you need.”

  “No.” Something finally made sense. Cassidy tugged at her father’s arm. “No. Mum’d never accept that. Not your life for hers. Don’t. Please, Dad, don’t.” Fear raced through her making her feel like her heart would explode from her body. “Please.” He couldn’t do this. She wouldn’t let him. Her grip tightened on his arm. “Please, Dad.”

  Tony stared down at her. “You are never to tell her. This is between the three of us.”

  The demon’s skin rippled and lightened in colour, his face became fully human, but his wings remained. “Between four of us. You forget the one who told you how to call me.” The winged man nodded towards the paper scattered around Tony’s feet. His eyes were still dark with flickering flames, but his narrow face and dark hair now looked human.

  “Four? Is that what he meant? Caught? Is that some kind of agreement?” Tony patted Cassidy’s hand that was still on his arm, his eyes on the demon. “Ib… Ibae… ahh.” He stared at the papers scattered at his feet.

  “Call me Remedy. That’s what you want me to be, isn’t it?”

  Tony nodded.

  Remedy gestured towards the paper. “Is that the only copy of the ritual?”

  Again Tony nodded.

  “Don’t tell him anything,” Cassidy whispered. “Please, Dad. Tell him to go. This is crazy.” No, it was worse than crazy. But she couldn’t think of any other word to describe it.

  “Pick them up and give them to me. And hand over the knife.”

  Tony pulled away from Cassidy, who made a sound of protest. He gathered the scattered paper and keeping his hand within the circle, held them and the knife beyond it.

  Remedy laughed as he took the items. The paper flared into flames the moment he took them and he let the ash scatter around him. “So you do know something after all. You can’t stay in there forever. Not if you want to make a deal. You’ll have to come out here if you’re going to give yourself to me.”

  “You haven’t accepted my offer,” Tony said.

  Remedy looked at the blade. He ran his finger across the side. Tony’s blood coated his finger and he brought it to his mouth.

  Tony gasped, staggering back from the edge of the circle. Cassidy reached for him, wanting to hold him in the circle and not let him go.

  Flames leapt in Remedy’s eyes and he nodded slowly. “You. Every last cell of yours will be mine to consume.” He pointed at Tony. “In exchange your wife, Sylvia Wells, will be cured of her Alzheimer’s. And it won’t be an easy death. You had the insolence to use my name. The only reason I agree is you had the impatience to begin the ritual early. But she will never be cured unless you fulfil this bargain.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  “Then step out of your circle and give me what I want.”

  Tony hesitated.

  “Dad, please. Don’t do this.” Cassidy tightened her grip on him, pulling him into the middle of the circle. “Please, Dad.” />
  “I love you, baby. Tell your mother-” he broke off, taking a deep breath. “Tell her I love her.” He pulled away from Cassidy and stepped outside the circle.

  She reached for him. But it was too late. Remedy drove the knife into Tony’s stomach. He dropped to the ground, his eyes round, his hands reaching for the knife as a scream tore from him.

  She echoed his scream, wanting to rush to his side.

  Remedy’s eyes fell on Cassidy. “Now you.”

  “No,” Tony gasped, trying to struggle to his feet. “She wasn’t the deal. You only said me.” His hand tightened around the handle of the knife protruding from his stomach.

  “I said every last cell of you. She comes from you. There are cells of yours that went into making her.”

  Tony tried to tug the knife from his stomach. He gasped at the pain. His eyes found those of his daughter’s, tears streaking his face. He wiped the back of his hand across his cheeks to remove the tears, leaving streaks of blood instead. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Don’t step out of the circle. Please. You have to-” he gasped raggedly. “Be safe. I can’t-” he broke off on another gasp and gave up struggling.

  Cassidy watched as he collapsed backwards, her eyes wide as she watched the blood spread around her father. Anger and fear filled her, both fighting for supremacy, a feeling of helplessness threaded through them. Her hands clenched into fists. She had to do something. She couldn’t just stand here and watch him die. Nor could she step out of the circle and let the demon kill her.

  The demon grinned. “Well? Step out here, little girl. I will make it swift for you. Surely you don’t want to endure the agonies your father now endures? A second and it will be over and your mother will be cured.”

  “I’m not a little girl,” she muttered. No, she would turn eighteen in a few months. Her eyes were drawn to the blood that continued to spread around her father. Although it looked like she’d never see eighteen. She was about to die at seventeen. Not to mention a virgin who’d never even been kissed. Well, not a real kiss anyway. A kiss from someone she loved and couldn’t do without. A kiss from someone who thought you were their world. She swallowed hard as she thought of her parents. They had been each other’s world. Until the Alzheimer’s.

  “I’m growing impatient. Two steps and you will be out of the circle. If you don’t do it now I’ll make your death last until nearly four.” The demon moved away from her father to stand a couple of steps from the circle. He held out his hand. “Come.”

  “Stay in there,” Tony gasped.

  Chapter Four

  Cassidy couldn’t look at her father. Instead she stared at Remedy’s hand. It seemed so normal. Long fingers, olive skin, human. Her eyes travelled along the outstretched arm, now encased in a black shirt, the wings gone. How could he be a demon? He seemed so human. Her eyes reached his. Bottomless black pits. Flames. There was nothing human in them. His lips curving into a smile caught her attention. She hadn’t even had a chance to live. How could he expect her to die before she’d even lived?

  “Now. Don’t make me wait all night.” There was a sharpness to his tone.

  “Cassidy, don’t listen to him. I’m so sorry, baby.” Tony’s words were jagged, filled with pain. “I just wanted Sylvia cured. But not at the cost of you. Never. Just stay in there, baby. Please. Don’t come out.”

  She gasped, her hand covering her mouth when she saw how much blood now pooled around her father. How much blood did a human body contain? She shuddered. There was no way she was going to die like that. Who would be there for her mum? Her mum! Her father wasn’t the only one who’d given cells to create her. Cassidy’s eyes narrowed. There had to be a way out of this.

  Her father moaned, again trying to remove the knife. “Please. End this. Just end this. I want to die. Help me. Please.”

  Images flickered through her mind. Herself as a child, trying to ride her bike. Wobbling across the grass as she called out, “Daddy, help me.” Her mum struggling to brush her hair and turning to her husband, “Tony, help me.” It was never her father who was the one who asked for help. He was always the one offering a hand. Seeing him reduced to begging tore at her. She should have known her world would end the first time he’d asked for help.

  Her eyes were drawn to the knife. It had started with that knife. The spilling of blood to make the deal. Her shoulders straightened and she met the demon’s eyes. Her father needed her help. Begged for it. And there was no way she could let him die slowly. “How can I let him die like that? Let me end his life. Then I’ll step out of this circle. Let it be me. It’s the least I can do for my dad.” Her jaw clenched as she tried to convince herself she could do this. She had to. As long as she didn’t think about it too much she was certain she could manage. Maybe. He continued to beg for help and she tried not to listen to the words that tore at her.

  The demon gave a short, sharp nod and pushed her father towards the circle. He screamed as he stopped just outside the line of salt.

  Cassidy reached out with both hands, wrenching the knife from his body. She was back in the circle before the demon could react. Bile rose at the sound the knife had made and at the sight of the blood dripping off the blade and onto the floor. She forced it down and met her father’s eyes. “I love you, Daddy.” She silently promised to help as he’d always helped her.

  “Love you, baby.” He closed his eyes, his hand pressed over his stomach.

  She faced the demon. “He gave you the cells that were his. My mother’s cells were not his to give away. It took two to create me.”

  “That is unimportant. Kill your father and step out of the circle. My patience isn’t limitless.”

  Her hands tightened on the knife. She had no clue if this would work, but she could think of nothing else. And she wasn’t going to die willingly. There were still too many things she wanted to do. Like getting even with the one who’d tricked her father into calling a demon. “I bind my mother’s cells within me to your life. While you live, so do I. When I die, so do you. What is done to me is done to you.”

  The demon laughed. “And how are you going to make that work? Where is your sacrifice?”

  She smiled for the first time that night. A mirthless smile that bordered on a grimace. She emptied her mind of all thoughts. “Here, Ibaelcaurzanon.” Her knife plunged into her father’s chest. There was a moment of resistance before the sharp blade did its work. She couldn’t look down. As long as she didn’t think of what she’d done she’d be fine. Energy crackled along her skin and she let go of the knife. Her eyes stayed on the demon as she moved back beyond his reach.

  “No!” The demon roared, trying to reach her across the salt. It was like there was a solid barrier between them. “You will pay for this.” His tone was a low, threatening growl.

  “I wouldn’t make my life too miserable if I were you. If life weren’t worth living I’d have to kill myself. And I’d be taking you with me.” Her smile had no joy in it. Only bitterness. “And if I end up in jail over this,” she gestured towards her father, still unable to look at him. “I wouldn’t want to live.”

  “I’m not your lackey,” the demon snarled.

  “Aren’t you, Ibaelcaurzanon?” It was time to see if her plan had worked. It wasn’t like she could live inside the circle forever. She stepped over the salt, standing in front of him. She continued to hold his gaze, tilting her head to meet it, surprised she wasn’t shaking with fear. All she felt was a kind of numbness.

  The demon smiled slowly. “I wouldn’t start feeling too pleased with yourself. It works both ways. What is done to me is done to you. By this you have made my enemies your own. And never use my true name. Anyone could be listening. Call me Remedy.”

  She ignored the lurch in her stomach, refusing to let him see how his words had alarmed her, trying to hold onto the numbness. But it continued to slip away. “How many enemies do you have?”

  “Only two worth worrying about. And only one who knows my true name.”

&nbs
p; Inside she felt like a panicked child and the words ‘oh crap’ repeated themselves over and over in her mind. On the outside she kept the same calm in place that she’d needed so many times over the past eight years. “Then I guess we need to get rid of them.” How hard could it be?

  The demon laughed, throwing his head back. When his laughter ended his eyes met hers. “What do you think I’ve been trying to do all these centuries? I am powerless against a demon with my true name. That is the only one we really need to worry about. The other is insignificant in comparison.”

  Coldness seeped into her. She held herself rigid, refusing to give into the trembling that wanted to overtake her. “I suppose it’ll be up to me to figure it out since you’ve already failed at dealing with him.”

  “Don’t push it, little girl.”

  “That isn’t my name.”

  “I don’t care what you’re called. Eventually I’ll find a way to break this bond.”

  “My name is Cassidy.”

  “Well Cassidy, you better start crying and babbling about hooded men because the police will arrive shortly.”

  “What?” She glanced behind him, no sound or movement giving truth to his words.

  “You didn’t expect all this power that’s been released would go unnoticed, did you? Hold out your hands so I can bind them.”

  She saw that somehow, while her attention had been on the shadows behind him, the demon had donned a mask and now held a length of rope. “Why?”

  “Because you don’t want to go to jail over this.”

  She reluctantly held out her hands, her eyes falling on a black line with a touch of red in it that snaked around her left wrist. She frowned. How had that happened? However it had happened, heat flared in it while Remedy’s hands were on her.

  Once her wrists were bound, the demon ran a thumb over the line around her wrist. It wrapped around three times in a continuous, straight line. “Demon mark. Did you think you could do this without being tainted somehow? Now give me some of your blood. You left me with very little power to complete your request since you stole my sacrifice. Few people realise that for us the true power comes from when we make the kill.”