Demon Down Read online

  “I don't care,” I interrupted.

  Allison glared at me. “You just don't want to leave me alone with whomever Abel brings to protect Lucy, Max, and Lela.”

  “That's exactly right,” I agreed. “And you're not going to argue with me, because you know at the moment I have much bigger fish to fry.”

  Allison huffed. “At least I'll get to see the demon underworld,” she replied dejectedly.

  I nodded. “Yes Allison, at least there is that.”

  “I suppose we should repack,” Jason added as he took a seat on my other side. His dark blue eyes betrayed the worry he was attempting to hide with a smile.

  I looked up at Chase, the only one left standing. He ran his fingers through his near-black hair and shrugged. “All of my worldly possessions are in a duffel bag. I'm ready when you are.”

  I sighed. “Will you go with Allison to pack her things?”

  Chase nodded and turned to Allison. “Are your parents okay with you bringing . . . people home?” he asked.

  Allison shrugged. “They're in Barbados or something. They didn't even know I went to Utah.”

  Chase raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. Without another word Allison stood and the two of them walked out the front door.

  Jason and I sat in silence. I had no idea what he was thinking. I, on the other hand, was imagining what the confrontation would be like when my dad tried to tell my mom that we were all going on a little vacation into the land of the demons.

  I knew she'd never go for it. My mom had not taken the news about the existence of supernatural beings well. Our relationship had deteriorated into casual pleasantries, and that was when we were even speaking at all.

  She was apparently too afraid to ask about any of the details of my life anymore, which was a big change from how things used to be. I mean, my mom had always been more of a friend than a motherly figure, but now she didn't even feel like a friend. It gave me a much looser leash as far as what I could and couldn't do, but I'd take our old relationship and a few more rules any day of the week.

  “We should pack,” Jason announced, startling me out of my thoughts. He looked concerned and impatient, but didn't say anything else.

  I nodded and stood to go upstairs with Jason following at my heels. Each step felt belabored as I walked up the stairs and into my room to pack yet again. Jason shut the door gently behind him as he followed me towards my bed. The suitcase I had taken to Utah was still packed and leaning the wall near my door. It had been so nice to be home . . . for all of two seconds.

  With a sigh I lifted the suitcase and dumped the dirty clothes out onto my bed. The fancy dresses I'd brought toppled out along with my more comfortable clothes. Now that I no longer needed to play dress-up with werewolves, I could get rid of the offending silky, glittery pieces of fabric. Of course, I'd eventually have to go to another coalition meeting and I might need the dresses again. The thought gave me a shiver. The time we'd spent in Utah had been a rough few days.

  I picked out the clothes I would actually want to wear again and let the dresses topple to the floor. Everything was dirty, and one or two things had blood stains. Like I said, a rough few days. I wondered if I'd have time to do a load of laundry before we had to leave. I really didn't have that many clothes, and most of them were now lying dirty on my bed.

  “I wonder if my dad has a washing machine,” I said out loud.

  Jason shrugged. “Everything that's going on . . . and that's what you're thinking about?” I shrugged in response, and he added, “He has to wash his clothes somehow.”

  I laughed and it felt strange. “It just seems so . . . mundane.” I turned to face him. “What if it takes more than a week?”

  It took Jason a moment to catch up with my train of thought. “First laundry, and now you're worried about school?” he asked.

  I scoffed. “It's the second half of Junior year. I so did not suffer in that hell-hole for this long, just to drop out to go to another quite literal hell-hole.”

  “Is it really that important?” he asked.

  It took me a moment to close my gaping jaw. “Just because you never went to high school, doesn't mean that it isn't important,” I replied.

  Jason was born a human in 1883. Prep schools and such had existed back then, but they weren't so much an every teenager must go here or else kind of thing. He'd had no traditional education to speak of, but he'd still had plenty of time to acquire knowledge. I wasn't going to be challenging him to a math-off any time soon.

  Jason smiled. “Perhaps Lucy can pick up your homework for you. We all know she won't be missing school no matter how many half-demons are after her.”

  I smiled. He was right, Lucy didn't even miss school after she got scratched by a werewolf. “Do you think Abel will really send protection here for them?” I asked, then before he could answer I went on, “Can you send things to the demon underground? How will she get the homework to me after she picks it up?”

  Jason put his hands on my shoulders and turned me around to sit on the bed. “Try not to worry about it right now,” he said soothingly. “Your father will see to it.”

  Jason kissed me, just a soft brush of lips. I placed my hands on either side of his face and pulled him in for more. We ended up sitting close together with my head on his shoulder, just being still for a moment. It would have been nice to just spend a few days together, just the two of us. No werewolves, demons, or impending doom weighing on our relationship.

  We'd had a little bit of time that way between me killing Dan, the guy that made Lucy a werewolf, and Lela showing up with Nick and begging me to be her werewolf pack leader. That had been a nice, quiet time, but it hadn't lasted very long. I could blame Nick for that. He was an all right guy if you could overlook the fact that he'd been in league with the band of witches that was killing supernatural beings in order to steal their powers. Knowing that Nick had been manipulated by Bart still didn't excuse his actions. Now Nick was dead. Just like Dan, and just like Maggie. I was beginning to see a trend.

  I straightened and shook my head. I felt like maybe I should be crying, but I couldn't muster a single tear. Really, compared to everything else that had happened, hiding out for a little while wasn't even that bad. Considering that just a few days ago I had been immersed in werewolf politics, hunted by vampires, all while making deals with demons . . . well, this was a walk in the park. Yet, the idea of Bartimus thinking that I was somehow the key to his freedom had me on edge.

  I stood and bundled my clothes into my arms to go downstairs to the washing machine. The underground could wait until I had clean clothes. Jason followed behind me, picking up fallen socks as I made my way back downstairs.

  I had just started the water in the machine when my mom came barreling through the front door, fluttering her arms about like a crazed bird. “Absolutely not!” she shouted shrilly, not realizing that I was only a room away.

  “Libby,” my dad said patiently. “It is the only way. It's not safe for either of you to stay here a moment longer.”

  “I don't believe you Alexondre!” she shouted back. “You're just trying to manipulate us to-”

  “Libby,” my dad said calmly, interrupting her. “This is about the safety of our daughter, and your own safety as well.”

  “She is not your daughter,” my mom spat back. “I've raised her by myself all of these years. You can't just waltz in here now and take her away. She wouldn't be in any danger if it wasn't for you. You-” she hesitated. “You made her a demon. She should have been normal.”

  I started to feel sick. I knew my mom didn't like the fact that I was a demon, but it still hurt that she wished I was something else, rather than just accepting what I am.

  It was true that she had raised me by herself without any help from my father. Of course, she had left my dad and did her best to hide me from him. Still, my dad had found us, but didn't approach me until recently, when my powers manifested. My dad could continue to shoulder most of the
blame as far as I was concerned, but they were really both to blame . . . at least a little.

  I heard my dad sigh. “You'll need to come too. You could be used against her, and I do not believe that she's willing to leave you here.”

  “Xoe and I will leave town,” my mom offered breathlessly. “We hid from you for all of these years. We can hide from this other . . . demon.” She said the word like it was still unfamiliar on her tongue.

  “He will find you almost instantly,” my dad countered. “I promise you Libby. This is the only way.”

  Having had enough of eavesdropping I walked out into the living room. “We're going to have to wait for the washing machine to finish before we can go,” I announced.

  My mom ran to me and grabbed both of my hands in hers. “We can go anywhere you want Xoe,” she offered, nearing on hysterics. “Just pick a place.” Her dark brown eyes were red-rimmed and frantic. When she realized that she had grabbed me, she suddenly recoiled.

  I felt near tears. She was afraid that I'd burn her. “It's not safe,” I explained through gritted teeth. “We have to go with dad. It will only be for a little while.”

  My mom's eyes widened. “You're calling him dad?” she whispered.

  I blushed. “Th-that's not really relevant right now,” I stammered. “You need to go pack.”

  My mom looked down, then up again. “We'll do this,” she said, “but once you're safe, we are going to move somewhere very far away.”

  I nodded. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I'd never be safe, even if we moved to Antarctica, I couldn't leave this life behind. I couldn't change what I was. No matter how hard I pushed things away, they would just come crashing back, like a boomerang from hell.

  2

  Chase and Allison walked through the still-open front door, drawing my attention away from my mom. They piled their luggage against the wall. Well, Allison piled her luggage, and Chase set down his one duffel bag.

  “What is the human doing here?” my dad asked sharply. He was obviously riled from the conversation with my mom.

  I rolled my eyes. “The human is coming with us. Just like mom, she's not pack and she could be a target.”

  My dad rolled his eyes right back at me. “Xoe, we cannot take every human you know. Humans are not supposed to be taken underground to begin with, let alone a vampire. We're already pushing it.”

  I put my hands on my hips and eyed him squarely. “Are we going or not?”

  My dad bit his lower lip in annoyance, but answered with a curt nod. “Pack quickly,” he ordered. “I do not like being vulnerable.”

  “What about Lucy and Max?” I asked, they had snuck out sometime during the scene between my mother and father, and I hadn't had a chance to ask Lucy what Abel said when she'd called him.

  My dad answered as he walked into the kitchen like he owned the place, “Abel has sent protection. They are not your concern anymore.” A moment later the coffee grinder sounded. Maybe my mom wasn't the only one to blame for my coffee addiction either.

  Chase came to stand beside me. He was dressed in his winter usual of a flannel shirt and worn jeans. His scruffy black hair fell nearly to his jaw. I on the other hand, though relatively scruffy-haired, was in a tank top and shorts. I hoped that my demonic hot-flashes ended soon. I seriously missed my comfy flannels. I shouldn't have had to deal with hot flashes for another thirty or forty years.

  Like Chase, Allison was dressed warmly in a black sweater that made her honey blonde hair look white. She looked from me, to my mom, to Jason, who had just come down the stairs. Unsure of what to do, she finally shuffled over to the couch to sit and wait.

  I spared a final reassuring look for my mom, though she didn't acknowledge it, then went to check on my clothes. I wished I hadn't started the laundry in the first place. It would have been nice to just get this whole big awkward moment over with. Now we would have to wait on the washer and dryer.

  Chase walked into the laundry room as I was checking the dial on the washer. It still had a good fifteen minutes left. I leaned against the machine as I turned to face him, but Chase just stood there, not saying anything.

  “Is there a reason that you're hovering?” I asked as I looked back at the washer again, willing the dial to move faster.

  “I just-” he began, then stopped.

  I turned back to face him. “Yes?” I prompted, giving him my full attention.

  He opened his mouth to speak again, and the room suddenly shifted in front of my eyes. A look of concern crossed Chase's face just as I was overtaken by an immense feeling of vertigo.

  “Are you-” Chase began.

  The world shifted again. I pushed my hands back against the washing machine as I closed my eyes to steady myself. When I opened them I was somewhere else, and my hands pushed at empty air. There was a small wrought-iron café table set up in front of me. The table was in the middle of an expansive meadow, complete with wildflowers and a babbling brook. It would have been an idyllic scene, but the sky looked wrong somehow. It looked like it was made of something much more solid than the usual atmosphere. I looked back to the table just as an antique tea appeared on the table top. Crap.

  Resigned, I took a seat just as Bartimus appeared and sat in the other chair. The demon was as large as I remembered him, around 6'7” and half as wide as he was tall. Perfectly black eyes blended into his ink black skin. He grinned at me as he poured us each a cup of tea. The smell of rotted meat found its way to my nostrils, making me gag.

  Bart's powers majored in illusion. He could create an entire new world in the blink of an eye, though it could come tumbling down just as easily. Regardless, I did not appreciate once again being trapped in such a world.

  When he had trapped me before, the way out was simple. As soon as I realized I was in another reality, the reality fell away. Of course, Bart had wanted me to find my way out, just not as quickly as I had.

  I knew this current reality was an illusion, yet it seemed pretty solid. Bart had managed to trap me in his lair with the last illusion. He had my blood and could therefore trap me whenever he wanted. I took a deep breath and tried to steady my pulse. I wasn't sure if I could handle another trip to Bart's lair.

  “Have you made any progress on your promise my dear Alexondra?” he asked pleasantly. The undertone of menace was there, but I wasn't sure if it was intentional. I doubted that someone who looked and sounded like Bart could speak without menace even if they tried.

  I took in a shallow breath through my mouth, but it did nothing to keep the rotten smell out of my sinuses. It seeped right in and took up camp in the back of my throat.

  “We would be making more progress if we didn't have to worry about being attacked by half-demons at every turn,” I answered.

  Bartimus frowned. “Who would dare impede your research?”

  I couldn't tell if his question was genuine or not. I was betting he was more in control of the situation than he'd have me believe.

  I sighed and then gagged from the deep inhalation of breath. “Probably whatever demon you told about the deal,” I managed to choke out.

  The tea cup Bartimus was holding shattered in his massive hand. Rage washed over his face, then was suddenly gone. He didn't like being called a liar, even though he was one. “Well then we shall simply have to work faster, shall we not?” he asked, snarling his blocky, cracked teeth at me.

  I glared at him. “Yes Bart, we shall.”

  What I wanted to say was, no Bart, go back to the dark hole you belong in, but I kept my mouth shut. Unfortunately Bart also has a knack for reading minds, a skill even more frightening than his illusions.

  “I see you have figured a few things out, clever girl,” he commented suddenly.

  Crap, I had been thinking about the possibility of Bart being the demon in the woods to whom I was almost sacrificed, and if I'd still end up getting sacrificed at some point.

  “So you confirm it then?” I asked. “You were the demon working with Nick?”
/>
  Bart smiled again, making my stomach acid curdle. “I do not confirm it, nor do I deny it.”

  “Whatever,” I replied breathlessly. “You're going to need to send me back if you want me to work on our deal.”

  Bart eyed me thoughtfully, then suddenly we were in a graveyard that resembled the one we had in Shelby. I had very bad memories of that graveyard, and hated it at the best of times, but Bart had gone and made it a little worse.

  I looked down at the graves of Lucy, Allison, Jason, and Chase. I didn't know why he'd omitted the other people in my life, but I did my very best not to think of them. Thinking of them could make them targets as well.

  “I get the point,” I stated coldly. I knew the graves were fake, but the threat was there.

  Bart giggled, which was a strange sound to come from such a large demon. “I know you won't let me down Alexondra. You'll figure it out. Tick tock.” He snapped his fingers.

  I opened my eyes and sat straight up in bed. Bed? I looked around the room I was in. I didn't recognize it at all. The walls were paneled in dark wood on top of thick, dark blue carpeting. The bed I was in was one of those old-style four poster types. There was something strange about the room that I couldn't quite place, and then it hit me. The room had no windows. The light shining down on me was solely artificial. My heart dropped as I realized that I was in the demon underground. Where had Bart put me?

  My ears were filled with the sound of my own frantic breathing. I took a few deep breaths, and was suddenly able to hear yelling in the next room. I slid out of bed and tip-toed up to the heavy wooden door, trying not to make any more sound than was necessary. I pushed the door open a crack and listened.

  “What if she doesn't wake up!” my mom wailed.

  “She will,” my dad soothed. “Her body is here, which means he is only speaking to her. She cannot be harmed as long as we have her physically.”

  “But who is he?” my mom snapped. “Why would he have any interest in my daughter?”

  My heart flooded with relief. I wasn't in Bart's lair after all. My parents were obviously safe, if not entirely getting along. My parents fighting about me meant that my friends were likely alive as well.