Sunny Side Up Ginger Rodgers
—DLSIJ Press—
© Copyright 2006 Ginger Rodgers ISBN: 1-932014-26-8
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author and publisher.
Published by DLSIJ Press http://dlsijpress.com http://dpbookstore.com
CHAPTER 1
I’ve always been a magnet for trouble. I don’t go out looking for it, and I don’t try to make my life more exciting by stirring it up, but it always seems to be attracted to me anyway. So whenever I find myself up to my bootstraps in a steaming heap of it, I’m usually not unduly surprised. But this time was different. There was no way I could have seen this coming, probably because my eyes were closed at the time. One minute, I was counting sheep on the back of my eyelids, and the next, I found myself lying on my backside in the soft grass of a magnificent garden, still barefooted and wearing my short red nightie. I knew immediately it wasn’t a dream. There wouldn’t be grass tickling my thighs in a dream, or cool breezes blowing my hair about like weightless feathers. This was trouble, I knew, pure and simple. Warily, I stood up and looked around, wondering how in the hell I got there. I was pretty sure I wasn’t in Texas anymore. Flowers of every color graced the magnificent landscape along pathways covered in lush green grass. The trees and shrubs were all pristine, without a brown leaf to be seen. Fruit and flowers decorated nearly every branch. Unseen birds sang joyfully from the treetops and deer scampered in the distance. Maybe the Garden of Eden had been more beautiful, but I had never seen better. With all the gentle sounds and natural beauty surrounding me, I should have felt more at ease, which made me think that’s how someone wanted me to feel, which made me a little paranoid. I am not an overly trusting person, and my spider senses were already tingling. Just because everything looked peaceful and nice, I knew,
didn’t mean it would stay that way. Even the Garden of Eden had held its share of unspeakable evil, which ultimately changed the entire course of human history for all time, and not in a good way. “Do not be afraid,” said a deep velvety voice from behind me. I nearly jumped right out of my skin. I spun around, only to be stunned into jaw-dropping stillness at the sight of the man I was not supposed to be afraid of. He was breathtaking, the sheer essence of Trouble in the flesh, and he looked like he knew it. He was tall and muscular, with dark eyes and black hair that fell in long, loose waves. His beard was immaculately trimmed and he wore a short white toga decorated with gold embroidery, baring half of his gloriously tanned chest. I tried to appear unaffected, but I must confess, I experienced a hormonal surge of epic proportions that caused my breath to catch in my throat and made me forget to be afraid. He smiled at me, looking cool and self-assured, like the cat just before he ate the canary. “You are not what I expected,” he said with an amused tone in his deep, masculine voice. He was practically ogling me from top to bottom as he began to walk in a wide circle around me. “What? You ordered a red head?” I responded with my typical, smartass attitude, crossing my arms in a defensive posture. “I was expecting a man, but you will do nicely,” he said, all smiles and sexuality, with a hint of an accent that I couldn’t place. He was still looking me over like a horse he was thinking of buying. I half expected him to inspect my teeth next. He definitely looked like he wanted to take me for a ride. He stopped in front of me. “And your name is…?” “Sunny, you know, like bright sunny day.” He nodded, as if I had given the right answer. I waited a couple of heartbeats, expecting him to return the courtesy. He didn’t. “And your name is…?” I asked with an expectant look. He ignored me and advanced a step, mischief sparking in his eyes. I backed away. He pressed forward, and again, I retreated. He seemed determined to get up close and personal. The only way I could keep him out of my space was to run from him, and I didn’t see any point in that. I gave up and let him come. “You are a very pleasant surprise, but I am harmless, I 5
promise,” he said, with a smile that hinted at delightful possibilities. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what the Serpent told Eve, too,” I said suspiciously. If he was trying to look harmless, it wasn’t working. I flinched as he reached out to lift a lock of my hair. He let it cascade through his fingers while keeping perfect eye contact. Fortunately, this man seemed bent on seduction, not violence, and he wasn’t wasting any time. His expression held a peculiar intensity, as if gauging my reactions. “I am not here to seduce you, although, the thought did cross my mind,” he said, eyes flirting. “I am here as a Servant of God.” “Servant of God?” I repeated, skepticism edging my voice. “That is right,” he said with a brazen grin. I eyed him carefully. He didn’t seem very godly by the way he was looking at me, and he didn’t exactly inspire godly thoughts. He gazed at me unashamedly, as if I were some tasty morsel he couldn’t wait to put his mouth on. I felt his eyes on my body like a strange heat wherever he looked, and I knew my nibblets must be standing at attention. I fought the urge to cross my arms again. He just looked so good, it was down right distracting, and it wasn’t just his body and his face and his hair and his eyes, it was the way he carried himself. He had the strong commanding presence of a warrior, with the easy grace and arrogance of a king. Or maybe I was wishing. “So, you’re what...an angel?” I asked, trying to keep my mind on track. “No, I am not an angel. I lived my life thousands of years before you were born,” he said incredibly, “but I am very human.” He reached out and pulled me firmly against him, “I would love the chance to prove it to you.” My breath caught in my throat as my hormones fought for control of my brain. My face flushed hotly, heart throbbing in my ears, but I managed to get a grip on myself and push him away. I’m not that easy. Besides, I know trouble when I see it, and this guy had all the signs. No man could look this good without a fair measure of trouble to go along with him. “You don’t act like a guy who works for God,” I pointed out, “I 6
mean, aren’t you supposed to be pious or something? You seem completely irreverent, which doesn’t exactly convince me you’re one of the good guys.” “I can see how you might get the wrong impression,” he said, still smiling but sounding completely unconcerned. He seemed more interested in my nibblets. “You will see the truth of what I am saying in a moment.” “What is that supposed to mean?” “Do not worry, I will show you all you want to know, and probably more than you would like,” he said cryptically while his eyes were still checking out the merchandise. “How did I get here? And why am I here, wherever here is? And who are you?” I asked again. My patience was wearing thin. It was time for some answers. He sighed heavily, reluctant to get down to business. “You are in a universe that exists between the Heavens and Earth,” he said, eyeing me thoughtfully before continuing. “I brought you here, at God’s command, to teach you about your destiny in the war against the coming evil.” “The coming evil? Well that’s just great,” I huffed, crossing my arms under my breasts. “I knew you were going to be trouble the minute I saw you.” He laughed, as if I was joking or something. “Why can’t you just deal with the coming evil yourself? Surely you are much more capable than I am.” He shook his head. “I cannot deal with it myself, because I am no longer bound to Earth, and I am not allowed to return there. That is why I had to bring you here.” “So, what is this coming evil thing, exactly?” I asked, mentally bracing myself. The answer couldn’t possibly be good. “Demons. They will soon begin to invade your world in great numbers, hastening the End of Days. You have been chosen, along with three others, to become the living Armor of God, at war with the powers and principalities of evil.” I’m not sure what I expected to hear, but that wasn’t it. “Can you say that again real slow, because I thought you said something about demons?” “I will show you, and you will believe.” He seemed very 7
confident, and he was moving closer again, crowding me. I backed up a pace. If he got inside my thinking space, I was afraid I would become a blithering idiot before I found out what the hell was going on. I tried to put some distance between us, but he just kept on. Then, he reached out, so quick I didn’t see it coming, and grabbed me firmly by the wrist. I met his level gaze. There was no threat in it. “I have to touch you,” he told me, “so you can see.” He said the word ‘see’ like it was more important than the usual type of seeing, as if it had a capital ‘S.’ His eyes simmered with a mixture of sensuous heat and tender concern. He gently stroked my face with his fingers as he whispered some beautiful words I didn’t understand. Abruptly my universe changed forever. My eyes flew wide. I gasped in sudden amazement at the new depth of focus my vision had achieved. Instantly, my mind was flooded with knowledge and a profound comprehension of the universes around me. I felt as if a smart bomb had gone off inside my head, overwhelming my senses with a new awareness, a drastically different perspective that exposed an entirely new angle of understanding. I blinked hard, feeling dazed. Tiny pinpoints of light spun and swirled through space, flowing and intermingling with solid matter in a way that suggested that nothing is really solid at all, but rather concentrated masses of sub-atomic particles held together by an unseen, unknowable force. Every tiny pinpoint, at any given moment in time, intersected with an infinite number of universes, allowing for countless possible outcomes for each tiny molecule. For a moment, I felt like I understood it all, and how it worked, but then it was gone, fading away like a dream upon waking. My eyes shifted to the dark-haired man, brilliantly glowing with a light that seemed to radiate from within his own glorious body. Around his head shone a crown of swirling, sparkling gem-like lights of every color. If he was magnificent before, there were no words to describe how he looked now. He might have been arrogant, but I could see that he had earned the right. I felt humbled to be in the presence of such a great man, whoever he was. I reminded myself to ask him his name again. I turned slowly to look at my surroundings. The garden still 8
appeared to be the picture perfect place it had been before, still magnificent with all its colors and fragrances, but now every living thing had a hazy luminescence surrounding it, an inner light that radiated outward to form a living aura, or shield, that spoke volumes to me about the life it was encompassing. But oddly, the garden did not seem nearly as large as it had appeared before the dark-haired man had touched me. Now, a semi-translucent bubble encircled the entire area, like a protective shield. Outside the bubble, it had grown dim. I could hear waves of sound that, at first, my mind refused to comprehend. I walked closer to the boundary of the garden to look out through the fragile-looking membrane. I gasped in horror at the sights before me. I didn’t need to be told what I was looking at. It was none other than the Pits of Hell, complete with fire and demons and the wailing souls of the damned, and our beautiful garden sat right in the middle of it. Paralyzed, I took it all in, then looked away, covering my face with my hands, unable to deal with the horror, even for such a brief time. I saw things that nearly sent my unprepared mind into madness. Pity and compassion rose in me like a tidal wave, rolling down my cheeks in hot waves. I fell to my knees weeping. The images burned into my mind’s eye were horrible, causing me physical pain. I doubled over in anguish, making no attempt to stop the steady flow of tears. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such a terrible place existed. I was sickened to the very core of my soul, but I felt ashamed for looking away. I stood again, determined to bear witness to the horrors that existed just outside our paradise. Tears coursed down my face without restraint as I sobbed openly, keeping my hands over my mouth to hold the screams inside. The shadowy interior was illuminated by fires that roared in chasms running throughout the cavern and up through the fissures permeating the cave walls. Every inch of every surface appeared to be stained with gore, fired to a shiny, dark glaze by the oven-like temperatures within the caves. Winds intermittently howled at near hurricane force, thankfully drowning out much of the piteous wailing and moaning of the humans damned to this place. There were countless numbers of people crammed into the 9
cavernous area, all naked and filthy. Some were close enough that I could clearly see their tormented faces, desperate for mercy that would never come. Waves of writhing bodies spanned the entire length of the multi-level cave. Hoards of demons walked among them, inflicting misery and suffering in large quantities. Others flew above, terrorizing the wretched masses, swooping down to claw and maim, or throwing explosive fireballs with devastating accuracy. Many poor souls had been singled out for individual tortures, too repugnant to describe. I did not allow my eyes to linger there. Some were being herded along like cattle into dark tunnels that appeared to lead downward, which couldn’t be good. Others were packed tightly into cells laid into the cavern walls, with honeycomb-like chambers stacked as far and high as the eye could see. The front of the honeycombs faced the interior of the cave and the chasms of fire. The raging inferno kept the miserable unfortunates in their cells. Bars were unnecessary. My sanity couldn’t bear much more, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away. All of a sudden, a winged demon the size of a horse hit the shield directly in front of me, tearing and slashing with clawed hands and feet in a frenzied attempt to get at me. I leaped backwards, my heart in my throat, slamming into the dark-haired man, who was standing his ground. I hastily stepped behind him, and peered around his large, muscular frame to see what was happening. “Oh, shit,” I groaned, as a rush of demons came rocketing towards us, screaming in unrestrained rage. Dozens slammed into our protective bubble at once, shrieking and clawing, stretching the membrane of our shield like an overstuffed plastic garbage bag, determinedly trying to get at us, and more were coming. I clung fiercely to my fearless guide. My terror was so strong I could taste it. The dark-haired man took me under his arm. The noise grew deafening as the screeching demons redoubled their efforts to breach our safe haven. Swarms of fiery-eyed nightmares pounded and ripped at our thin protection. Devoid of options, fear numbed my mind. Neither fight nor flight would help me here. There was nowhere to run, and the enemy was overwhelming. 10
I looked up at the dark-haired man. His eyes filled with a hatred that turned my blood cold and made me know I never wanted to become his enemy. There was no fear in him at all. He glared his loathing at the demons for a moment longer, and then angrily he waved it all away with his hand. Just like that, it was gone. All of it. No more screeching demons, no more pitiful damned souls, no more Hell. I let out a huge, lung deflating sigh of relief. I took a few moments to breathe deeply, trying to calm my heartbeat. The horrific scene was deeply imprinted in my mind. A multitude of confusing emotions ricocheted off the walls of my brain. I had to force myself to concentrate to slow the barrage of thoughts inundating my senses. “That was a dirty trick. Couldn’t you have warned me about that?” I asked, allowing more than a tad of irritation into my voice. He shrugged his impressive shoulders. “Would any words have been sufficient?” I considered a moment. “No,” I admitted miserably. How could I argue with that? He was right about one thing, though, seeing is believing. “I’m sorry this causes you such distress. I would spare you this if I could, but it is important for you to see beyond the veil so that you fully understand what is at stake,” he gently lifted my chin to look more directly into my face, “Because demons will soon be invading your Earth, and you are being called on to fight them.” I jerked back from him. “Fight them? You can’t be serious.” My voice was shaky, still laced with currents of fear. “How do you fight demons from Hell?” He smiled reassurances. “Do not worry, you will be prepared when the time comes, and you will not be alone. There will be others to help you wage this war.” “Whoa there, big boy, let’s back up. I’m sure you’ve got the wrong gal. Doesn’t God always require a virgin or something anyway?” His eyes sparked with amusement. “No, evidently not.” Was that sarcasm I heard in his voice? The bastard. “Why me? I’m nobody special, and I sin...a lot sometimes.” I was only beginning to comprehend the gravity of my situation, and 11
I was already back peddling as fast as I could go. “Of course, so do I.” He waved the statement away with his hands. “We are only human. It is our nature to be sinful creatures. As for why you, only God knows for sure. But evidently, He thinks you are special.” He ended with a shrug that looked very good on him. Okay, my first line of reasoning hadn’t worked, so I tried another. “I haven’t prayed for months, not since my dad died. I’m not even sure I believe in God anymore.” “Yes, you do.” He said, sounding pretty sure of himself. “I can’t do this. It’s too much. I just can’t bear it.” If all else fails, resort to whining. “Yes, you can. I will see to it. You will be prepared. Besides, I do not think God will take no for an answer.” “You can’t possibly have the right girl.” Could he? “There has been no mistake,” he said soothingly, pulling me against him. “You have been chosen,” he whispered with a voice like velvet underwear, touching me softly, distracting me. I needed some space to think. A guy like him could talk me into darn near anything. “Can’t you find someone else?” “It is already too late. You will be part of the Armor of God, at war with the rulers of darkness and evil. As such, you will be given great power and responsibilities,” he said with a passion that bespoke the enormity of my situation. “The Armor of God?” I asked offhandedly, as my mind scurried to figure a way out of this mess. So far, I had nothing. “Yes. And you, my beauty, are to become the Shield of Faith.” He flashed a taunting smile. Still, nothing. He was standing too close for me to think. “I don’t understand any of this,” I said miserably. “You will. I still have much to show you.” “Will it change me?” “Oh yes, without a doubt.” “I mean, will I have to…I don’t know…will I have to give up everything fun?” He laughed at that. “You will not have to give up everything fun; you will still be the same sinful human. The basic traits that make 12
you the unique individual you are already will not change. Fortunately, God knows your heart, and He is always forgiving.” I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d make a lousy nun. I wasn’t the type to follow paths that were in any way straight and narrow, and if I had to stop cursing or become celibate, I was doomed to fail miserably. My new mentor looked at me hard, his eyes level and direct. “I must warn you, the actions taken by the Armor of God can alter or determine the course of future events, having a great impact on your world and the timing of the inevitable End of Days. You have been given a great honor, but with it comes great responsibility.” I met his gaze. “This is huge, isn’t it? What’s happening to me, I mean.” “Huge is inadequate. ‘Of Biblical proportions’ is a better description.” A tender smile touched his full, sensuous lips. He ran his hands down the silken nightie covering my backside. “Are you going to help me?” I asked softly, giving my best poorlittle-ole-me look while mixing in a tad of sensual pleading. I figured it couldn’t hurt to keep on Mr. Testosterone’s good side, and I wasn’t above using my womanly wiles, within reason, to work a situation to my own advantage. After all, he was only a man, and all men responded to the same thing. So far, he hadn’t acted any different in that respect. “I will help you, as much as I am allowed,” he said, his eyes softening at the look I was giving him. “Still, there is much more I have to show you.” I glared my apprehension at him. “I hope it’s better than the last thing you showed me.” “I will help you through this. Do not be afraid.” Easy for him to say. He was in complete control of the situation, while I, on the other hand, was totally at his mercy. Under different circumstances, that might be loads of fun, but if he kept taking me to places like Hell, he was going to ruin the mood entirely.
13
CHAPTER 2
The dark-haired man turned me around, pressing my back against his long lean body. My desire rose instantly, to my dismay, betraying me with a quick breath and a hot flush to my cheeks. He boldly pressed a burning, open-mouthed kiss to the throbbing pulse in my throat. A small gasp escaped my lips. He chuckled, the sound wickedly suggestive. His hands moved up to claim my breasts. I had no will to stop him. I leaned my head back against his powerful shoulder. Goose bumps rippled down my flesh in a hot torrent, instantly spiking my nipples with a pleasurable tingle. I relaxed into him, inviting his touch. Instead, he waved his hand back and forth in front of us as if wiping away steam from a bathroom mirror, and I began to see another place. The events unfolded before me, like watching a life-size movie in 3-D. At first, all I saw was sand. Small, wispy clouds cast bird-like shadows on the endless dunes. The dry heat of the desert escaped in red waves from the ground, obscuring the distant landscape where grass grew in small, sparse tufts here and there, but not in any significant amount. The scenery looked like something out of a spaghetti Western, except there weren’t any cowboys. Having been born and raised in Texas, I had a fondness for cowboys. Suddenly, as if in fast forward, the view went racing across the lonesome desert, past a military HumVee lying on its side, honing in on a shelter of some kind partially hidden in the sand. Through our vision, we entered the shelter and swiftly proceeded to the back, to a rocky opening that led downward and brought us into a dimly lit cavern. Four American military men were laughing and
talking inside. They were finishing off their dinner of military issue MREs as they sat around a large, battery-operated lantern. The obvious leader of the group called one of the other men Marine, giving me a big clue as to what branch of service three of them were in, because they were dressed similarly. The fourth man wore the distinctive U.S. Air Force uniform. The largest of the four men, a Marine, was standing watch at the entrance to the cavern while the other three men began exploring the dim interior. After a minute or two, another Marine they called Janssen, took a flashlight and wandered off down a tunnel set into the back of the cave. Our vision followed the young Marine through the tunnel into a smaller cave with a simple stone box sitting in the middle of the floor. Even in the near darkness, I recognized the box immediately as an ossuary, or a bone box, used by ancient people to store the bones of the dead, usually a person that was greatly admired and held in high esteem. Janssen bent to investigate, pulling out a large knife to dig at the masonry seal around the top of the lid. All the while I watched these things, the dark-haired man held me close to him, giving comfort and support, and not asking for anything in return, but when I felt him tense behind me, I knew something bad was about to happen. Suddenly, Janssen punched a hole through the masonry seal and a cloud of dark smoke spewed up into his face, knocking him back on his butt, coughing and gagging. I had time to wonder if he would be alright as our view retreated, drawing backward, away from the ossuary, taking our vision back to the larger cavern, where the other three men stared in silent amazement as a hidden door in the side of the cave slid open with the sound of stone scraping against stone. It was at that point that the dark-haired man said, “Time to go,” and pushed me, with his body close behind, through the surreal vision we had just been looking at, as if it were a portal of some kind, taking us directly into the room where the three men were staring in fascination at the newly opened doorway. I was completely stunned. I sure as hell hadn’t seen that coming. What came next was even more of a surprise. The darkhaired man stepped away from me so that we weren’t touching, and 15
before I could say or do anything, I was struck by a brilliant beam of light that burst forth from behind the ancient doorway. The three men were also struck, and we were all knocked to the floor, flat on our faces. Then, I heard voices, beautiful voices, like a healing balm on my spirit. At first, the language was unrecognizable, but as I strained to hear, I began to comprehend the meaning of the words. Not because I understood the language, mind you, but because the words were meant for me, given as a gift. Words are power, and the power that suddenly pulsed through my being was huge, uncontainable. Raw light energy burst out of my body, filling the cave with a bright, shimmering glow. The luminescence felt like an extension of my senses. I was aware of everything it touched, all at once. My fear was gone, replaced by a sensation of overwhelming euphoria as power flowed through me like an electrical current to the very center of my soul. I lay still, absorbing the light, reveling in the feel of it. When finally I stood, I was unsteady on my feet. Truth be told, I was feeling more than a little intoxicated. I looked up at the darkhaired man wearing a big, stupid grin on my face. I felt great. In fact, I don’t think I ever felt better. Whatever had hit me was making me down right giddy. I gave my gorgeous guide a big thumbs-up and told him, “This rocks.” He was clearly amused. He held me in his arms to help steady me on my feet. I smiled up at him like a happy drunk as he reached his hand up and touched me gently behind my right ear. I felt a quick, sharp burning sensation, but it didn’t last long. The rest of me felt too good to worry about it. “Do not be afraid of what comes next,” he said gently. “I will protect you and the men from the demons tonight, but it will not be in my power to protect you after that.” I just stared up at his beautiful face, not caring much what he said. I felt so good; it was hard to pay attention. I looked down at my own body. I now had a vibrant aura, a luminous shield, similar to the one surrounding the dark-haired man, only not as bright and certainly not as ornate. Suddenly, down the tunnel in the other room, there was a loud 16
bang, followed by the sound of rocky debris crashing to the floor. I was flash-frozen with fear. It wasn’t hard to imagine what had happened. The lid to the ossuary had been breached, and demons were coming. That sobered me up in a hurry. I sidled up to the dark-haired man, giving him an expectant look. “You’re going to get us out of here now, right?” I asked anxiously. He shook his head and held one finger up before me. “Wait here,” he commanded. My eyes widened with concern. “Where am I going to go?” I asked temperamentally, my good mood entirely ruined. He gave me another reassuring look and sauntered over to where the men lay unconscious. He reached down and touched each man behind the right ear, just like he had done to me. Nothing happened that I could see, but I was sure it held great significance. Eerie, empty sounds were pouring from the tunnel, followed by a howling that sounded like wind, but I wasn’t convinced. He must have seen something in my face because again he said, “Do not be afraid. This is what we came here for. How do you feel?” “Scared shitless,” I said, sounding a bit testy, even to me. “How am I supposed to feel?” He shrugged. “Different.” “Well, I guess I feel different. As a matter of fact, I feel great, except for the heart attack I’m about to have because of the noises coming from the other end of that tunnel,” I said, pointing in the direction of the terrible sounds. The horrific noises were growing louder, coming closer. The hair on my neck began to stand at attention. Foul odors rolled out of the darkness in waves. “I feel the demons coming,” I told him. He nodded. “Good. Now we have to go in there,” he said, pointing back down the tunnel again, “and stop them.” A chorus of angry screams echoed through the caves. “Crap. I knew you were going to say something like that,” I complained. “I will be right there with you, and I will see that no harm comes to you tonight.” I heard moaning, wailing, closer now. 17
“I want to believe you. I really do. But right now, I can’t think of any reasons why I should.” “Have I not protected you so far?” “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess so,” I grumbled, “but you can’t blame me for not wanting to go in there.” An enraged roar pierced the shadows. “No, I do not blame you, but you must trust me.” “Trust you? I hardly know you. Why should I trust you?” “Do you always argue this much?” I met his gaze. “Only when I’m stalling.” He laughed. “I will see that you do not have to fight any demons tonight. This is, more or less, a training mission. All that will be required is that you close the gateway to stop the demon invasion. Close it and weave the fabric of the veil back together again.” “That’s all?” I said, dripping sarcasm. “Why didn’t you say so? I took basket weaving as an elective in college.” “Then that explains why you were chosen for this particular honor,” he fired back, a humorous sparkle in his dark, delicious eyes. “Ha ha. Very funny.” He just smiled and took me by the hand and led me down the dark tunnel into the smaller cave. The Marine’s flashlight lay on the floor, illuminating nothing much, but fortunately, the dark-haired man’s shield was bright enough to light a Wal-Mart parking lot. The young Marine was lying on his back next to the broken ossuary, eyes wide open. His body convulsed and shook violently, not that I could blame him. He’d gotten a face full of evil at close range, and that was bound to have some unpleasant consequences. The darkhaired man bent down and ran his hand gently across the young man’s face to close his tormented eyes. Abruptly, a loud, moaning roar began. Something was coming out, approaching at top speed, growing louder, coming at us like a missile. I leaped back, slamming into the cave wall. I shrunk down to the floor on my rump, burying my face behind my knees, arms covering my head. I felt a sudden burst of air, followed by an unbearable stench, as demons began pouring through the rift. My mind’s eye numbered multitudes of evil beings rising out of the bone box, as if all of Satan’s legions were coming through in one 18
enormous rush. My mouth went dry and my teeth began to chatter from fear. I had never had that happen before. My teeth might chatter from the cold from time to time, but never from fear. I guess there was a first time for everything. I was determined not to look. Like Lot’s wife during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, I knew something really bad would happen to me if I looked. My fear engulfed me, and I was unable to move, not that there was anywhere to go. I tried to sink into the cave floor and become invisible. The dry flapping wings of the hideous creatures whooshing past me sent needles of terror through my heart. I could feel the unholy and ageless nature of the demons flowing out of the pit, still I did not look. I had already seen quite enough of this particular brand of shit for one day, thank you. Fortunately for me, the first demons out of the hole didn’t seem to want to stick around. But more were coming. I could feel them, gathering their strength, getting ready for round two. In my mind, I imagined word spreading in Hell that a portal had been opened and hoards of demons were gathering for an invasion in filthy, disgusting swarms. The dark-haired man never left my side. When the initial burst of demons had subsided, he pulled me to my feet. “Now, quickly, you must close the gateway.” I shot him a look. “Sure. Can I just say ‘Close Sesame’ or what do I do?” I asked, probably sounding a little more temperamental than necessary. He calmly urged me closer to the ossuary. I looked inside and saw endless, unfathomable darkness. Around the edges, there were brown strands of thread-like fibers blowing in the hot winds rushing out of the pit. The smell alone was enough to make my eyes water, and the wailing and groaning sounds issuing forth from the stone box made every hair on my body stand up. Almost casually, the dark-haired man took some of the billowy threads in his hands and began to weave the rift back together, using a series of graceful movements and complicated gestures. Colorful lights sparked from his fingers as he worked. He gazed at me, his hands gliding effortlessly across the rift, desire still smoldering behind those dark lashes, but the look was 19
lost on me. Too much fear, too much tension. I was definitely not in the mood. My heart was pounding a Meringue beat, and I was shaking like a cold Chihuahua as he reached out and firmly grasped my hands in his. I stiffened, but he gently urged me forward until I stood directly in front of the gaping hole from Hell. A deep, moaning wail reverberated through my entire being, rattling my teeth. Something vile and ancient was waking from a long, fitful slumber, and it sounded hungry. I shot a look at my teacher, and he forced a smile, but worry creased his sensuous brow. “We should probably hurry now,” he said, anxiety edging his voice. “What was that?” “I will take care of it if it comes. You worry about closing the gateway,” he commanded. “Now, place your hands over the portal and think about what you want to do. It should come to you naturally.” “Naturally? With all due respect, Mr. Supernatural Being, this is not natural for me.” “Have a little faith,” he said cryptically. I shut my eyes and tried to concentrate, which wasn’t easy with the denizens of Hell about to burst through in my face. But soon, my hands started moving rhythmically, almost as if they had minds of their own. My eyes grew wide, amazed, but as soon as my focus shifted, my hands began to falter. A mighty roar rose up through the rift, rattling my nerves and shattering my resolve. I tried to step back, but the dark-haired man was an immovable wall behind me. “Hurry now, you must finish this,” he urged, pushing me forward. My chest constricted. I couldn’t breathe, but from the fear or the smell, it was hard to tell. I reached my hands out again and strained to concentrate. Slowly, haltingly, my fingers began to dance. Calm down, be one with the universe. The peaceful mantra helped me focus. A very disconcerting shriek erupted from the gateway. Oh, shit. Be one with the universe, in sync with the rhythms 20
of eternity. I was speed weaving now, racing to close the rift before the demons showed up and shut me down. I could hear them roaring towards the opening like rockets. One with the universe…one with the universe. My hands were a blur. The malodorous winds picked up, preceding the rush of demons. ONE WITH THE FUCKING UNIVERSE. The gateway was almost closed, maybe five inches wide. Wind was forced through in a concentrated stream. Suddenly, a face hit the hole, hideous and malformed. It shoved at the opening, stretching it wider. Startled, I jumped back, crashing into the dark-haired man again, just as a mottled gray arm with long, razor sharp claws thrust through the gap, swiping and slashing in a brutal frenzy. Anger flared around me. My cheeks burned and my eyes narrowed as a white-hot rage tried to overtake my senses. I let it come. Anger was better than fear any day. I moved to the side, careful to stay out of reach as I tried to develop a strategy. The horrific appendage was working the rift larger, undoing all my hard work. The dark-haired man, thankfully, stepped up and grabbed hold of the nasty-looking limb. When he touched it, the demon screamed in pain and hastily retracted its arm. I stepped up to finish the job, before anything else decided to take a crack at me. I let my hands dance over the gateway to Hell, using my fingers to weave the torn threads of our reality back together. When finally, it was done, I turned to the dark-haired man. He beamed at me like a proud parent. I wasn’t feeling proud; I was pissed. “What the fuck was that?” I demanded. He shrugged and gave me an innocent look, like he didn’t know what I was talking about. “That son-of-a-bitch almost got me,” I complained loudly. “Ah, but it did not. You seem to be none the worse for wear,” he said, looking me up and down suggestively. “Only because I had the presence of mind to get out of the way.” 21
“If you had been hurt, I would have healed you,” he said simply. “Oh, sure. Why worry about a little thing like evisceration, when you can put me back together again.” “That is right.” “Well, did you ever think I might not like being disemboweled? Huh? That maybe it would hurt?” “I would not have let that happen. I would have protected you.” I gave him an incredulous look. “Well, you almost didn’t get the chance.” I was indignant. “And what about when you said I wouldn’t have to fight any demons tonight? Huh? What about that?” I really had my panties in a wad this time. “And what the hell is your name, anyway?” “I fail to see why you are so upset. You did not have to fight that demon. I took care of it for you, so you could finish closing the rift.” He held his hands out in a placating gesture, but his eyes showed his amusement. “Besides, the demon could not see you; it was just reaching for freedom.” “Bullshit. That bitch was reaching for my ass.” I folded my arms across my chest. My aura bristled with angry colors. The dark-haired man’s shield remained cool and unconcerned, which only added fuel to my fire. “And furthermore, I saw how worried you were when you heard that big roar. Were you planning on protecting me from that, too?” I spouted venomously. “You didn’t want any part of that one, did you?’ “I was only worried for your state of mind. The larger demons can be very…disturbing to look at,” he said by way of explanation. He was full of shit. No wonder his eyes were brown. “I saw some really big ones already tonight,,,” “Not like this one. You only saw one level of Hell. There are places in Hell that are far worse.” I swallowed. “Worse?” He nodded. “I would have taken care of you, no matter what came through the rift.” He sounded sincere, and I really did want to believe him. “You have received great power today, but you must never forget where that power comes from or it will be taken from you. God has granted you this power. Do not make the mistake of 22
believing you can have this gift without the grace of God shining upon you.” “Gift? A gift is supposed to be something you want.” “Ah, but it rarely is, is it?” He had a point there. “Things are changing in your world. You must help others to see the truth so they will be better prepared. But beware, once you begin using your gifts, your secret will be unveiled, and you will be in great danger. Do not risk yourself, but wait to be joined with the other pieces of the Armor. You will gain strength from one another, and your powers will be increased. Until then, be patient. God tends to do things in His own good time.” The Marine in the room with us was now groaning and shaking violently. “Is he going to be okay?” “He will live, but he has had a very traumatic experience. I do not know if he will recover from that, but there is nothing we can do for him. His comrades must care for him now.” “Where is this place?” “In your time, it is called Iraq.” I huffed, shaking my head. “You’re kidding me. I’m in Iraq?” “Yes.” “There’s a war going on in Iraq,” I said grumpily, hardly able to believe my luck. “I guess it’s better than Hell,” I mumbled, “but not by much.” “Now, we should go meet the other gentlemen, so you will recognize them when they come for you.” And with that, he took my hand again and led me back up the tunnel to the larger chamber. When we entered the cave, the commander was standing, holding his head, looking unsteady. The other men were just beginning to come around. We walked right up to them, but they ignored us completely. “Hello,” I said, trying to get their attention. No response. “Your friend in there could use some help.” Still no response. I whistled and waved my hands around in front of them. 23
“They cannot see you,” commented the dark-haired man. “Why not?” He shrugged. “God works in mysterious ways.” I gave him a disappointed glare. “So, I’ve heard.” “Allow me to present Major Aaron Stone,” the dark-haired man said, indicating the commander, “he is now the wielder of the Breastplate of Righteousness and the Belt of Truth.” Major Stone was tall, muscular, and totally hot. I hadn’t noticed before because everything had been happening so fast. But now that I had time to appreciate him, I was pleasantly surprised. He looked to be about thirty years old with brown hair and heavily lashed green eyes. He had a commanding presence, and he filled out his Marine combat uniform very nicely. I should probably mention that I have a fondness for men in uniform. Next, the dark-haired man indicated the huge Marine who had been standing guard at the entrance. “This is Sergeant Jack McCleery, who is outfitted with the Helm of Salvation.” He sat with his elbows on his knees, cradling his face in his hands. He seemed to be having trouble getting his head put back on straight. He had dirty blond hair and brown eyes, and he stood at least six feet seven inches tall. This guy would definitely stand out in a crowd. “And last but not least,” said the dark-haired man, indicating the Air Force officer, “this is Captain Daniel Troy, who is the Sword of the Spirit.” Captain Troy looked like the pride of the Air Force. He had wavy brown hair and brown eyes. A fierce intelligence shone in his eyes, and the other guys had treated him with a deference that seemed to set him apart. “You four have been endowed with great powers which, in time, will develop into formidable weapons. Your mission is to hold back the darkness that will soon be thrust upon your world, maneuvering it towards an untimely end. Your actions will have consequences; your words will have power,” he said, his voice heavy with reverence. “Do not screw it up.” My eyes shifted quickly to his face, shocked by his words. “Why am I the only one getting this speech?” I asked nervously. “Am I the only one who can screw this up?” “No,” he said with a teasing twinkle in his eyes, “just the most 24
likely one.” I huffed, indignant. “Let us go for a walk in the desert,” he commanded. “I have much to teach you.” I glanced over at the men, feeling regret that I could not communicate with them. Major Stone was still standing beside me, close enough to touch, if it was possible. I figured there was only one way to find out. On impulse I reached out to touch his face and, to my great astonishment, when our auras met, there was a spark, and he lifted his eyes to meet mine. For one heart-stopping moment, we both looked at each other, and something indefinable passed between us, like a warm memory that hadn’t happened yet. To my spirit, his aura felt very earthy and natural. But there was a wildness about him that made him dangerous, making me want to purr and rub my body against him like a cat. I felt drawn to him, but as I tried to take a step closer, the dark-haired man lightly tugged on my hand and pulled me away, saying in a placating tone, “Do not be troubled. You will see them all again.” “When?” I asked, following reluctantly, “When will I see them again?” “I do not know exactly, but be patient. God will not forget your mission.” I looked back once more. Major Stone was straining his eyes against the darkness in the direction I had gone. After a moment, he shook his head and turned away, and I felt a strange emptiness fill my heart. The wind outside whipped and roared as we approached the entrance to the underground chamber. “Listen to that; we can’t go out there now,” I informed my guide. He just smiled and led me into the growing sandstorm. It was evening when we climbed out of the shelter into the open desert. I felt a strange foreboding in the pit of my stomach and a tingling along the back of my neck. Madness was gathering in the moaning winds; I could feel it. Fear grew in me as every hair on my body stood up, raising goose bumps along my tender flesh. The stiff gales had blown some of the desert heat away, but the sand felt 25
sharp, like tiny needles pricking my skin. The tempest raged, filling the air with a fine red powder, hastening the darkness. The sun looked alien as it slowly sank toward the naked horizon. All around me in the fading light stirred an eerie red haze, as if blood had soaked the sand before being blasted into the air by the fierce winds. With every breath, I imagined I took blood and death into my lungs. I was about to protest, when my gorgeous guide waved his hand before us and the light surrounding his body grew to encompass me, effectively keeping the wind and sand at bay. About darn time. Showoff. Once inside his shield, I uncovered my eyes. Hideous creatures lurked in the bloody haze surrounding us. My new and improved instincts had detected what my shielded eyes had not. I was glowing like a nuclear firefly as evening fell, and all around us were evil beings, their eyes radiating hatred in the growing darkness, watching angrily. The dark-haired man held my hand as we walked, completely untouched, through the sandstorm from Hell. Our conversation was enlightening, to say the least. He told me many things that, if not for the circumstances surrounding the telling of it, I would not have believed. He conveyed to me the basic facts about demons, which were generally pretty simple. They were all evil, and they hated mankind with a passion. No surprise there. After about an hour in the dark desert with a raging sandstorm shrieking around us, the dark-haired man finally stopped and turned to gaze into my eyes. “I must warn you again: take extraordinary care until you have come together with the other pieces of the Armor. You will all be stronger once you have been bound together. After that, you will develop unique skills, but only God Himself knows what they will be. God reveals things in his own good time. Until then, be patient.” Wow. He sounded genuinely concerned. He drew me to him, hugging me against his broad, muscular chest. He ran his hands along the gentle curve of my back. When he pulled away and gazed intensely into my upturned face, I knew I was knee deep in trouble. He had that sexy, behind the bedroom door look in his eyes again, and I was feeling entirely too vulnerable and he looked way too 26
good. Just the thing to make me feel better. Our lips met in a passionate kiss, his mouth a scorching softness. My hormones pushed all thoughts of demons and other horrors into the darker places in my mind, to be dealt with later. I responded wholeheartedly this time, pressing my body against him with enthusiasm. He ran his hand up into my hair, while the other caressed my back, then lower, drawing my hips tight against him. I let my hands explore the rock hard muscles in his shoulders and chest as he ran his lips down the side of my face to my neck, kissing hard, making my thighs feel weak. A small moan escaped my lips, which seemed to please him. The short whiskers of his beard as they rubbed against my soft skin sent ripples of pleasure across my flesh in a hot, tingling wave. A base hunger tore through me, sudden and intense. “Come with me, back to the garden,” he whispered, his voice husky with desire. But before I could say, “Giddy up, cowboy,” he was gone, and I found myself sitting alone in my own bed with a burning desire in my body and a lonely ache in my heart. And he hadn’t even told me his name.
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CHAPTER 3
Four months later, I had just about reached the end of my lasso. The dark-haired man told me to have patience, but patience has never been one of my finer qualities. I was wound tighter than a pit full of rattlesnakes and just about as cranky. But it wasn’t all bad. I had been given the ability to see with so much more than my eyes, and physically, I was never better. My mind and body were evolving in new and improved ways, enhanced by the white-hot power growing inside me. It was time for this party to start shakin’ before I blew a gasket from the internal pressure. I’d even been thinking of hooking up with my old roller derby team to test my new and improved stamina, except it would irk my mother to no end. I still had teeth marks in my behind from the ass chewing I took last time. Ladies weren’t supposed to engage in those types of unseemly activities. But I had always tended towards extreme sports, and having been brought up in the rough and rowdy sport of rodeo, I was no stranger to danger… or bullshit, for that matter. This wasn’t just a load of crap, though, this was real. I had always professed to believe in God and the supernatural, but there was a big difference in believing in those things and knowing. Now, I knew, and that changed everything. Hell had made quite an impression. Nothing in the world would ever be the same for me. But the rest of the universe went on as usual, without knowing, without caring what was coming. Without believing. It’s been said that there are no atheists in foxholes, and while I can’t really comment on that, I can confirm that there are no atheists in Hell.
Biding my time, I mostly fill my days with work and working out. When I’m not doing that, I’m either playing with my two German Shepherds, or practicing with my gun at home on my little corner of the ranch my dad left to my mom and me. I live on the southwest corner of the property, and my mother still occupies the main ranch house on the far northeast corner, 600 acres away. My dad loved his ranch, which he named affectionately, Belly Acres. Acres is our family name, and because my parents had a twisted sense of humor, they named me Sunny. That’s right, Sunny Acres. Too cute. It sounds like an assisted living community for the elderly or a home for the mentally ill. Don’t ask me my middle name, I don’t like to talk about it. At night, my head is filled with visions of demons and fantasy men, which, I guess, is only half bad, if you look at the bright side. But some nights, I dream about the wretched souls condemned to endure an existence of torture and humiliation in the fiery pits of Hell. I can clearly see the anguished faces of the damned. Their tormented eyes haunt me, often making me weep with bitter compassion as my heart and soul aches for them. These nightmares are the worst, because I know the place I dream about is real. The best nights are when I dream about the men I encountered in the desert caves of Iraq. The handsome Major Stone stirs something deep inside me, but I’ve never felt his touch, never kissed his lips, so I have no memories to set my blood ablaze like I do with the dark-haired man. His spirit haunts the edges of my dreams like an insubstantial ghost, unreal and untouchable, stirring an insatiable passion inside me. Sometimes, I can’t shake the feeling he is watching me from the universe next door, which makes me incredibly self-conscious. There are times I can sense the presence of his spirit like a warm wave of desire, sending a carnal heat pulsing through the tender territory south of my belly button. He sure knows how to light a fire in a woman, and how to make it smolder. But why wouldn’t he tell me his name? And why had he disappeared so suddenly? I had a feeling he was as frustrated about that as I was, so he probably wasn’t the one responsible. What bothered me most, though, was that he had told me he once lived thousands of years ago. Did that make him dead? 29
It would figure. Out of all the live men down here on Earth, leave it to me to go and find a dead one. What I needed was a man who was still breathing. That led my thoughts to the green eyed Marine, Major Stone. He certainly fit the bill: tall, muscular, handsome, and alive. Lately, though, I was sick and tired of dreaming and waiting, and going nowhere fast. I was antsy and bored, and it was time to let my hair down a little, as I’ve been known to do occasionally, like when I’m antsy and bored. It was Fiesta time again in my hometown of San Antonio, Texas, and the whole city had already been partying for over a week. The annual ten-day celebration, which originated in 1891, commemorates the anniversary of the founding of San Antonio, as well as the day that Texas won her Independence from Mexico. Nearly three and a half million people would attend the festivities, consuming over 1.25 million tacos, almost a million chalupas, and 500,000 gallons of beer. That was my kind of party. It was Thursday afternoon. I left work early so I would have plenty of time to get ready for the night’s festivities. Tonight was the Texas Cavalier’s River Parade, unique for its brightly decorated river barges that floated down the San Antonio River, right through the center of the city’s famous Paseo del Rio (which translates as the River Walk for us gringos). This is one of our city’s biggest party events, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Many businesses would be closed on the following Friday in honor of the annual celebration. To be honest, though, most businesses closed on Fiesta Friday because if they didn’t, they were likely to experience a revolt by their employees, who either wouldn’t show up for work at all that day, or would show up late with a hangover and an attitude. San Antonian’s took their partying very seriously, and the people at the office where I worked were no different. Well, okay, some of us were very different, but we knew how to party with the best of them. The two women I would be going with, Karla Carrillo and Michele Gardner, worked with me at the medical office that I managed for the two physicians who took over the practice after my dad passed away. Michele was a nurse, and Karla was a physical therapist. Both gals were young and lively and beautiful, so the 30
three of us usually caused quite a stir whenever we suited up in our party attire and hit the town. This time, we were all in the mood to make an impression. A mutual friend of ours, a guy who was a regular patient at the medical clinic where we all worked, had offered us some prime seats for watching the river parade at the riverside restaurant and bar that he owned, called Los Dos Huevos. We fully intended to take him up on his offer. His restaurant was supposed to have the hottest hot sauce in town. We were going to test that claim while we munched on tortilla chips and had a few Margaritas, enjoying the river parade from the air-conditioned comfort of the great indoors. Don’t get me wrong, I love being outdoors, just not in full makeup, a dress, and high heels. Sweat just kind of ruins the effect. Michele and I were going to meet at Karla’s apartment because it was right downtown where all the action was, and it was pretty much as close as we could park anyway. From Karla’s place, the River Walk was near enough to walk easily in tennis shoes, but we were going to be wearing our finest high heeled footwear, so we decided to take a cab the five blocks to the bar where we would be spending our evening. After the night’s festivities, we were going to have a sleepover at Karla’s so no one would end up driving too drunk or too tired. I took my time getting ready and turned on some music to bring about the proper attitude for the coming evening. By the time I was ready to go, I was feeling good about life in general. I took one last look in the mirror, smoothing my long, sun-streaked, honeyblond hair, turning to and fro to check out the entire package. The form-fitting, blue dress had been a good choice. It was perfect for the occasion and really brought out the blue in my eyes. And the new, matching spike heels, I knew, would allow me to conquer the world. My aura was vibrant with colorful energy as I grabbed my overnight bag and my beaded purse with money, ID, and lipstick and headed out the door. The drive into San Antonio from my place took about twenty minutes longer than usual because of all the downtown traffic. I arrived at Karla’s apartment just as Michele was unfolding her long, elegant legs out of a very inelegant 1985 Firebird. For as long as I live, I will never understand her love affair with that tortured car. 31
Most of the paint had worn off of it long ago, and it sounded like a tank. None of the gauges on the dash worked, the seats were torn, and it had no air conditioning. In South Texas, that was just asking for a heat stroke. On top of all that, the car was an environmental menace, spewing fumes so noxious, you had to keep the car moving or be overcome by the exhaust. But, for some odd reason, Michele loved that old heap and refused to get rid of it. I grinned a greeting at her, knowing better than to start in about her jalopy. “You look great,” I told her, and she returned the compliment in kind. Michele had the longest, most shapely legs I had ever seen, and the short, burgundy dress she wore showed them off beautifully. Most of her tanned back could be seen through the garment’s many thin, criss-crossing straps. The effect, with her long wavy black hair and green eyes, was stunning. We chatted as we walked the short distance to Karla’s apartment and knocked on the door. Our mouths simultaneously dropped open as the door swung wide. Standing in the entryway was a new and different Karla. This Karla now had short black hair styled kind of punky with a few well placed blond streaks here and there. Karla is of Mexican decent, and her natural hair color is black, but when last we saw her, she was a redhead. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I think we have the wrong apartment. We’re looking for our friend, Karla.” “Shut up and get in here,” she fired back with a smile, “and tell me what you think.” She turned around, modeling for us. “I think it’s fabulous,” I said honestly, “and it suits you.” Karla, who is very tall and athletic, had decided to wear pants tonight. But don’t let that give you the impression she was dressed more conservatively than Michele and me. She definitely was not. She wore black leather hip huggers with her favorite black highheeled boots. Her top was a low-cut multi-colored midriff wraparound that showed most of her flat, muscular stomach and enhanced her abundant bosom. There was a bright flashing light in her belly button. I pointed at it and asked, “Are you sure you want to wear that thing again? Last time, you nearly caused a riot.” “Are you jealous?” she teased. 32
“Hell yes, I’m jealous. I’ve always wanted to have a flock of strange men try and suck the jewelry out of my belly button,” I shot back with a wicked grin. “Hey, just for the record, they were supposed to use their teeth.” “Oh, that’s better?” I laughed, recalling the scene. It was during another one of our wild nights out and Michele was our designated driver for the evening, because her boyfriend, Lee, wanted to throw back a few drinks. It was his turn. Karla and Lee had been doing tequila shots, and they were both three sheets to the wind. Michele and I went to the ladies room, and when we returned, there was a contest going on. Lee and Karla had made a friendly wager. Lee offered fifty bucks to the first man to get that belly-button light away from Karla with their hands tied behind their back, using only their teeth. The first to succeed got the money. If no one succeeded, Karla got the money. He said it would be worth the fifty bucks to see Karla in action. Initially, there were lots of guys who lined up to try, but when they realized Karla wasn’t just going to stand there and let them slobber all over her, a few of them changed their minds, and the rest got their asses kicked. She didn’t really hurt anyone, much, but no one even got close to that cute little flashing light in her belly button, and Karla got her fifty bucks, which she promptly spent on tequila shots for everyone. Karla is a real piece of work, and she is one of my best friends in the world. Michele is only second, I guess, because I haven’t known her as long, and she has Lee. Besides, Lee is good for her. I was still looking for Mr. Good, not Mr. Good Enough. My dad used to tell me never to settle for second best; it’s better to be without. I’d been without for a long time. I hadn’t even dated anyone lately because I just couldn’t get worked up about any of the offers, especially after seeing the three hard-bodied men that were coming my way sometime in the near future. You know what they say, a good man is hard to find, but a hard man is good to find. I was holding out for the best. Karla made us a pitcher of Margaritas for starters, and we sat around her kitchen table for a while, chatting and laughing and just generally having a good time. By our second round, we were all 33
getting a bit rowdy. Tequila has a way of making a table dancer out of even the meekest woman. Of course, none of us was even the least bit timid. This was going to be a no holds barred kind of evening. The cab arrived at about 6:30, and we all hopped in for the short ride. We had the cabbie drop us off at the stairs going down to the river closest to the restaurant where we would be spending our evening. The streets and sidewalks were full of partiers. As we descended the stairs, we were greeted by the cheery lights and festive sights and sounds of San Antonio’s famous Paseo del Rio. The San Antonio River flows right through the middle of downtown, where many hotels, restaurants, and bars have established themselves along its banks. Charming cobblestone sidewalks lined with beautiful gardens run down both sides of the river, which lies about twenty-feet below street level. Every so often, there are foot bridges where tourists can climb the stairs up and over to the other side of the river, making it easy to visit the unique shops and restaurants on both sides. Everywhere I looked, people were laughing and having a good time. Many brought their entire family, including children, because the river parade was a family event, but the partying afterwards was just for the big boys and girls. Many of the young girls wore wreaths on their heads, covered in colorful paper flowers with long multi-colored ribbons billowing down the back. The boys mostly ran amuck, cracking vividly dyed confetti filled eggs, called cascarones, on the heads of unsuspecting victims. If you didn’t get confetti in your hair tonight, you just weren’t trying. It wasn’t quite dark yet when we walked up to Los Dos Huevos. As we approached, I saw a couple of familiar figures sitting at one of the restaurant’s riverside tables outside. Both were bikers we treated regularly for pain at the clinic where I worked with Karla and Michele. The two men were wearing jeans and their black leather Bandito biker club vests. The Banditos had a very bad reputation, and people tended to avoid them like the plague, but from what I knew of these two, they were just another brand of big ole sweet Texan. They wouldn’t hurt a fly unless provoked, and they’d 34
probably be the first ones to come to a stranger’s aid in an emergency. The two bikers were looking at something on the other side of the river. I walked up beside them, unnoticed. “I didn’t know you guys could come out before sunset,” I said. I had to speak up a little because a Mariachi Band about two bars down had just started playing. “Hey, Sunny!” exclaimed the biker with the long braided hair. He stood up to give me a hug. “It’s not that we can’t go out before dark, it’s just that we’re usually not awake until then,” he said with a big grin. He turned to greet Karla and Michele. I leaned in to give the other biker a hug, too, and hugs of friendly greeting were generally passed all around. “You girls look like a heart attack,” said Mario, the biker with the braid. “I guess that’s better than looking like a train wreck,” I popped back at him. Mario was not unattractive under the scruffy beard he wore and all that long hair. He had started coming into our medical clinic for acupuncture treatments for pain instead of taking pain meds after a bad motorcycle accident. He said he didn’t need anymore addictions. Between the acupuncture treatments given by our doctors, the gentle attentions of Nurse Michele, and the grueling physical therapy from Karla, he was a relatively pain-free man again. He had even recommended us to his friend, Flea, who was with him tonight. Flea seemed captivated by the flashing light in Karla’s belly button. “That is very distracting,” he said with a drunken grin. “I can’t quit looking at it.” “That means it’s working,” she replied with a wiggle of her eyebrows. “Why don’t you ladies sit here and party with us?” he slurred, clearly drunk as a skunk. Flea was huge in a very Texas kind of way. He was part Hispanic, but looked more like a Viking with his bushy beard and long, wiry, red hair that he made no attempt to subdue. But he was very clean and neatly dressed in his biker vest, pristine white tshirt, and pressed jeans. He had to have a woman at home who was 35
taking care of him. I wasn’t sure why they called him Flea, and I was afraid to ask. From his medical records, I happened to know that his real name was George. “Thanks, guys,” said Michele, “but we have a table reserved inside. Maybe we can catch you after the parade.” “Yeah, come find us,” said Mario with a crooked smile. He had clearly had a lot to drink already, too. “We’ll be your bodyguards tonight while we party.” We said our hasta luegos and headed for the front door. Inside, the crowd was thick. Los Dos Huevos was one of the more popular restaurants on the River Walk, partly because of its beauty and ambiance, but also because of its fabulous cuisine. The décor was tropical Mexican, with colorful plaster animals and birds located throughout. The heavy oak furniture was carved and painted with various scenes of all things beautiful from South of the Border. As soon as we walked in the door, we were spotted by the owner, Raul Camerone. He immediately began to walk towards us, arms spread wide in a gesture of welcome. “Ladies,” he said with a heavy Mexican accent, “you three look absolutely beautiful tonight.” He kissed us all on the cheek. “Let me show you to your seats. I have saved the best table in the house for you.” He wasn’t kidding. There were about a dozen tables next to the window looking over the river, and ours was one of them. And if we tired of looking directly at the river parade, we could always get a second hand look from the huge flat-screen TV monitors hanging in conspicuous places throughout the restaurant. Our drinks arrived just in time for the start of the parade. The mayor kicked it all off by introducing this year’s El Rey Feo, the Ugly King. I couldn’t tell you why our parade had an ugly king, rather than a beautiful queen, but it was a San Antonio tradition, and we all clapped and cheered enthusiastically when he was introduced. Then came the waving young beauties perched atop the meticulously decorated river barges, each sporting a different theme. The colorful floats flowed slowly down the river with the gentle currents, while throngs of people cheered and applauded with great merriment as they passed. Television cameras caught 36
the parade from every angle while the local news anchors talked nonstop about the festivities for those who were watching at home. The crowd went wild, chanting, “Go, Spurs, go,” when a float with members of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team drifted by. We San Antonian’s love our Spurs. By the time we ordered our second drink, the parade was about halfway over. We were all looking out the window at a passing barge, when a woman at a table near ours said loudly, “Fight.” We turned in unison to see the woman pointing toward one of the TV monitors hanging high against the far wall. There was, indeed, a fist fight taking place on the sidewalk outside by the river just a few doors down. Security moved immediately to stop the fracas, only to be drawn into the brawl themselves. From there, it spread like wildfire to others nearby. Men and women alike were brawling like a bunch of drunken sailors, hurling bottles at one another and tossing chairs recklessly. One moron was throwing plates like Frisbees with startling accuracy. The crowd around us began cheering for one guy or the other, but my eyes were glued to the spot on the TV screen just above and to the right of the miscreants. About ten feet above the river, was a demon hole, a freaking gateway to Hell, and wouldn’t you know it, there were demons pouring through, raining down on our Fiesta Parade. My heart went into overdrive, and my breath caught in my throat. This was the last place I expected to see one of those things. I glanced at my friends, but clearly, they were not seeing what I was seeing. The other patrons in the restaurant seemed oblivious to the danger, too. I watched in horror as dozens of demons dropped out of the portal, right into the midst of Party Central. Fortunately, the demons were all of the minor variety so far, but any demon was bad. Many of the malevolent creatures had already found victims to latch on to, riding them like demented cowboys while punching and clawing maliciously at their own kind. They seemed to be attaching themselves with claws plunged into the back of the person’s neck like giant, invisible parasites, leaching themselves to their host, who was completely oblivious to their presence. But the influence of the demons was unmistakable. 37
Just then, a giant dragon fly with the face of an angry old man roared through the rift, wings buzzing like a bumble bee, and dove directly onto the back of an unsuspecting onlooker, sinking its claws in the man’s neck. He stood up and entered the fray in a sudden rage. Mrs. Onlooker seemed genuinely shocked when her husband, without provocation, charged another man twice his size, ramming his head into the bigger man’s gut. The big man’s mouth formed a surprised ‘O’ before they crashed into the tables behind them and fell to the ground, scrapping like godless animals. I sat there, helpless, as more and more demons dribbled out of the rift, plopping into the water with a splash, reminding me of a big public toilet. To reinforce the image, people were fleeing the area with their hands covering their mouths and noses. Their eyes were spiritually blind to the minor demons, but the malodorous stench coming directly from the bowels of Hell could not be masked. Lengths of brown, web-like threads blew outward from the edges, steadily unraveling and getting longer as the hole grew wider. Swarms of demons crawled up the cement banks of the river like roaches scurrying to join the destruction. A hairless monkey with a pig-like nose climbed up the back of a woman trying to flee the scene. It attached itself to her neck and shook its gnarled fist in triumph as the woman turned to enter the battle. There were more than thirty people fighting on both sides of the river now, and more were joining in by the second. I had to do something. I turned my gaze to my friends, but they were preoccupied with the television screen, smiling vaguely in disbelief at the idiots fighting on the River Walk below. I had to make a decision. The dark-haired man had told me to keep my abilities under wraps until I was joined with the other pieces of the Armor, but they didn’t seem to be available at the moment, and I had to act now. I couldn’t just allow the rift to remain open while it grew steadily larger. Countless demons had already come through, and as the gateway grew bigger, so did the monsters. I hated to involve my friends, but I felt I had no choice. I couldn’t do this alone. My hand was being forced. In anger and frustration, my shield blazing with fire, I made my decision. I reached across the table and simultaneously grabbed the hand of both Karla and Michele, causing them to look at me in 38
surprise. I flung out a measure of power and watched it hit them like a hurricane, blowing them back in their chairs, bumping into the drunks at the table behind them. Oops. I’d have to watch that. Their eyes flew wide in sudden amazement. Karla spoke first. “What did you do? I felt something when you touched my hand, and now everything looks…different. This is so cool.” She took a moment to look around, and then her eyes fell on the giant TV monitor on the wall. She stood so fast she crashed into the poor drunk behind her again. He was starting to think she had the hots for him, but he was so not her type. Way too normal looking. Michele sat back in her chair, hands covering her mouth in astonishment. Tears filled her eyes. She gazed around in wonder, which quickly changed to horror when she, too, saw the demons on the huge television screen. They both stared in disbelief for a few moments, mouths agape, and then Karla looked at me and asked, “Are those little monsters dropping out of that hole?” “Not monsters, demons.” “There’s no such thing as demons,” Michele said, voice shaking. She didn’t sound very sure of herself. “Yes, there are such things,” I said forcefully, “and that hole you see is a gateway to Hell.” “How do you know?” “Because I’ve seen one before, and I helped to close it. I think I can close this one, too, but I need your help.” “So, what are we going to do?” It was just like Karla to get right to the point. “I need you guys to keep the demons off me while I work on it.” I looked back at the television monitor. I could still see evil creatures coming through the rift at a slow but steady rate. “I’ve got to try to stop this, but I don’t think I can do it alone. Will you help me?” I asked, looking at both of them, beseeching them with my eyes. “Yes, of course. We have to do this. There’s no way we can just walk away if we can help,” Karla said, sounding very serious, which was a rare thing for her. 39
Michele remained silent, still sniffing and a little teary eyed. “It will be dangerous,” I warned. “They can hurt us.” “Can we hurt them?” “Yes, the smaller ones aren’t so tough, or so I’m told. But we need to get there and get the job done before anything bigger and badder comes through.” “Wait a minute...bigger and badder? Now, that’s disturbing. We don’t have any weapons,” Karla said, stating the obvious. “What are we going to use against them? I don’t even have a nail file on me.” She was shaking her head, but without a second thought, she was still willing to risk her life to do what she knew was right. Good girl. Fortunately, I had a plan. “I was hoping to recruit Mario and Flea. They already offered to guard our bodies once tonight.” “I don’t think this is what they had in mind.” “Yeah, but I bet they’ll cowboy up when I show them what’s at stake.” Michele just sat, listening to us, looking scared and a little sad. Finally, she asked, “How sure are you that you can pull this off?” “Pretty sure,” I said, sounding anything but sure. “I just have to get close enough.” “How close?” asked Karla, visibly concerned. “Really, really close.” “And just how close would that be?” she pressed. “I’ll have to get close enough to touch it.” “Oh shit. That close? How are we going to get that close?” “There’s only one way I can think of.” Karla met my gaze, and I saw the answer dawn on her. At the same time we both said, “Parade float.” Michele turned to us, shock and disbelief showing on her face. “You’re going to jack a parade float?” she asked, incredulous. “You can’t be serious.” “You got any better ideas?” Karla asked. She seemed to consider for a moment, then she sighed in resignation. “Oh, alright. I can’t turn you two loose out there alone. No one would be safe.” “Let’s get moving, then” I said. “I can feel my ass getting bigger just sitting here.” I gave Michele an encouraging smile and squeezed her hand as 40
we got up and moved quickly to the door. I waved at Raul and made a motion like a pen signing paper, letting him know to close out my tab and ring up my credit card. I would be sure to send him a nice thank you note, if I lived through the night. Now all I had to do was convince Mario and Flea to help us steal a parade float so we could wrangle with some demons from Hell, while I tried to close the portal without getting seriously maimed or killed. Oh, yeah, and I had to get my friends out of this alive as well. No pressure here. But I gathered my courage and hustled out onto the River Walk, determined to stop the flow of demons into our world, or die trying. By the time we reached the outer courtyard of the restaurant, many of the people were running away, trying to escape the madness, unsure what they were witnessing tonight. Others, probably those who had had more than a few adult beverages, were still sitting in their chairs or standing by their tables watching the riot take place a couple of bars down. I headed directly for Mario and Flea. They were having a wonderful time, laughing and yelling expletives in Spanish at the brawling people on both sides of the river. We hurried to their table. They greeted us as if they hadn’t seen us in weeks. “You guys still want to party?” I asked them. “Yeah, baby, what you got in mind,” slurred Mario, with a big drunken grin on his face. “I need you two to help me borrow a parade float.” Nonplussed, Mario said, “Sure, babe, which one you got your eye on?” “Any one of them will do,” I told him, then I reached out, grabbed both men by the hand and flung some power at them, this time exercising a little control. Again, I saw eyes grow wide and mouths gape open. Flea’s mouth dropped open so far I feared it would unbalance him and knock him over. I pointed down river where the demons were coming through. I could see the hole growing bigger, now about five feet wide, and I knew we had to hurry, before something we couldn’t handle came through the rift. “Do you see that?” I asked, pointing. “I have to go close it. I have to stop the demons from coming through that hole,” I said, 41
trying to be as brief and to the point as possible. “Can you see the demons?” “You mean those ugly little mother fuckers running around jumping onto people’s backs and shit?” Mario asked, pointing and laughing. “Yeah, those would be the ones.” Flea chortled. “They look like chupacabras, man. Maybe we can catch one.” They both laughed. The chupacabra is a creature that supposedly roams Mexico and South Texas, savagely attacking chickens and goats, terrorizing the masses. Oh, the horror. “Man, I thought my ex-wife was ugly, and she was always on my back just like that, too,” said Mario. They both giggled wildly, making me think of Cheech & Chong on steroids. “I’ve got to close that hole, guys, before some really big nasties come through it. Will you help me?” “You know how to shut down that hole?” Flea asked. I nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Either way, I have to try.” Mario pointed towards the demons. “Can we kill those things?” “Yeah, we can kill them, but anything bigger will be much, much harder.” He sucked down the rest of his beer and slammed the empty bottle down on the table. “What do you want us to do?” “I need to borrow a river barge to get as close to that hole as I can. Can you drive one of those things?” He nodded. “Baby, I can drive anything with a motor.” They both stood, obviously committed. Flea whooped enthusiastically, and my ears almost bled. A few people stared, but most hardly took notice. It wasn’t any more bizarre than all the other stuff going on around them. San Antonio was normally the most beautiful and friendly city in the world, but someone had brought Hell to my beloved town, and it was time for Hell to pay. I headed towards the portal as fast as my high-heeled feet could carry me, leading the pack. I didn’t get far before a pasty-skinned old man with a cane abruptly stood up in front of me and grabbed my arm with surprising strength. His face was twisted into a hate filled snarl. There was a flying rat attached to his back, grinning at me with big, googley eyes and fierce glee. I tried to pull away, but 42
the old man held fast. He moved in as if to bite me. I shoved him backwards, forcing him to let go. Enraged, he came at me again. Without thinking, I grabbed the first thing I could get my hands on, which happened to be a bowl of the famous Los Dos Huevos hot sauce, and threw it in his face. Instantly, he fell to the ground screaming. He thrashed and shrieked worse than if I had shoved hot pokers in his eyes. I’d have to tell Raul about this; he would be proud. He should probably turn his recipe over to our military because anything this potent, they needed to know about. At the very least, Raul’s hot sauce should come with a warning label like, Caution: This product may cause your tongue to burst into flames. Avoid contact with eyes and other body cavities. Side effects may include excessive sweating, burning sensation to the mouth and throat, heartburn, and eventually, a flaming bunghole. Mario put his hand on my arm to yell in my ear. “Let Flea go first. He can clear a path for us little people.” I nodded, and Flea strode forward, taking the lead. He plowed his way through the crowd like a bulldozer, stopping only once to pick up a wooden chair and smash it a couple of times against the sidewalk, leaving one long piece of chair leg. He handed it to Mario and quickly smashed another chair for himself. Then we continued onward. Demons were thick near the rift. Several of the passengers on the float had already picked up a demon, causing such a ruckus on board, the driver of the barge was attempting to abandon ship. He steered the barge conveniently over to our side of the river and jumped ashore to make his getaway. The other passengers were doing their best to follow suit. Demons poured out of the rift at a rate of five or six per minute, and already, they were getting bigger. The situation was growing hotter by the second. The stench was nearly unbearable as we made ready to board the float. I looked up and stopped dead in my tracks, a smile slowly creeping across my face. We were about to board the Red Demon Red Hot Chili Pepper Sauce float, decorated with a big red, pitchfork-toting, pointy-tailed demon that was poking and prodding a roasting chili pepper man. How appropriate. Even better, dangling all along the top of the barge hung piñatas shaped alternately like 43
little devils and red hot chili peppers. Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor? There were still three men on the barge, rolling around on the floor, growling and fighting like a pack of pit bulls at a Mexican dog fight. Two of the demon parasites were spitting mad, tearing at each other with razor-sharp claws and dark hatred, but the third demon was, without a doubt, the most disturbing. It giggled with sadistic joy, sounding eerily like a twisted child having the time of his life. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get on the float until the idiots got off. Flea again took the situation quickly in hand, jumping onto the barge, causing it to rock violently. He bent down, grabbed the guy on the top of the pile, and gave him the ole heave-ho, throwing him out onto the riverbank. He repeated this action twice more to clear the way for us. Flea was turning out to be a handy guy to have around. Now we just had demons to deal with. Mario took his position at the wheel of the boat while Flea whacked and swung at the various demons that tried to get in our way as we clambered on board. It took at least a full minute or so before it dawned on me that we had just boarded one of the piñata floats, and lying on the floor was a whole box of the brightly decorated sticks used to bust open the piñata, allowing the candy to fall out. I grabbed some and passed them around. Now we were loaded for bear. Just in time, too. Mario yell, “Batter up!” as a winged demon that looked like a demented housecat flew directly at my face. I swung the piñata stick, connecting solidly with its head. The manic kitty crashed down to the floorboard and burst into flames, disintegrating into a small spray of cinder and ash and a puff of black smoke. A fiery centipede slithered across the deck. Flea smashed it with his boot. Flames momentarily engulfed his foot, but quickly died as the wretched bug was vaporized. Just then, a small herd of miniature centaurs plopped onto the deck, screeching a battle cry, threatening with razor sharp spears. With a wicked forehand, Karla took out the first one, then spun around with a backhand to send another back to Hell. Michele used both hands to pound her point home on two more, chopping the demons down like a lumberjack. The little demon bastards were 44
nasty, but they weren’t too hard to overcome, but there were a lot of them, and until I got that rift closed, they would just keep coming. My goal was to stop that from happening. It was good to have a goal. Mario was trying to steady the barge, which isn’t easy in moving water. I was looking for higher ground when he maneuvered the boat over to the cement riverbank and jumped off, abandoning us. Fear leaped in my belly, but I quickly saw that he was only tying the boat off. He hadn’t deserted us at all. We now floated almost directly under the portal from Hell. Mario jumped back on board with an enviable war cry, rejoining the fray, brutally swatting down a mutant monkey with way too many eyes as it tried to attack Karla from behind. Karla didn’t notice. She was busy swatting at a hoard of fiery, tar-spitting beetles as she cursed at them fluently in Spanish. Loosely translated, she was yelling that they had picked the wrong woman to fuck with today. Honestly, though, Karla was the wrong woman to fuck with on any given day. Still trying to find the best position from which to reach the gateway, I climbed to the highest point on the float, but it wasn’t high enough by a couple of feet. Immediately recognizing my dilemma, Michele quickly came to help me out. She pointed to the Red Hot Chili Pepper Man and ordered, “Climb up.” I dropped my piñata stick, and kicked off my shoes. Using Michele for support, I climbed gingerly up onto the Chili Pepper Man’s outstretched arms, trying desperately to maintain my balance. I reached for the rift, and instantly, my hands began moving with a beautiful rhythm, my fingertips dancing and sparking as I began to weave the threads together to close the demon gate. Karla came to help just as the barge was rocked violently, sending me crashing down on top of the girls in a tangle of bare arms and luscious legs. Mario rushed to help us. “Would you girls be willing to try this back at my place later?” There was no time to answer. We were immediately distracted by more demons coming through the rift, dropping right into our little boat, crashing our party. 45
“This is fun and all,” Flea hollered over the din, “but can you hurry it up a little?” “I can’t get high enough,” I yelled back at him in frustration as I readied myself to climb Mr. Chili Pepper again. “Yeah, I have that problem sometimes, too” he said, but he understood exactly what I meant. Without another word, he dropped down to his hands and knees directly behind me. I had a moment to wonder what in the hell he was doing before he shoved his head between my legs and stood up. I instinctively latched on to his thick, red hair and we both screamed. Realizing what he was trying to do, I let go, and yelled, “Sorry, my bad.” I raised my hands up to finish the job, while Flea wobbled beneath me, trying hard not to topple over. Karla and Michele helped to steady us. There were so many demons on the boat, you couldn’t swing a cat without hitting a few. Abruptly, Michele was knocked to her knees by a mutant lizard that was trying desperately to eat her. She screamed in terror as the demon closed in, but suddenly and unexpectedly, Flea shifted to one leg, kicking the monster away from Michele so Karla could finish it off. The abrupt move saved Michele, but nearly sent Flea and me careening over the side of the boat into the murky, demoninfested waters of the San Antonio River. I wrapped my arms around Flea’s head as tight as I could, and hung on for dear life. He swayed wildly from side to side as he tried to get his feet back under him. “I can’t see! I can’t see!” he yelled desperately, just as Mario stepped up to put an end to our overbalancing act. Flea immediately moved back under the rift. “Finish it, girl!” I started in again, and the rift steadily became smaller as my hands worked. Still, I could feel demons dropping out of the hole around me. Some were simply flying through, shrieking like banshees, diving into the rioting crowd. I ducked low, nearly throwing Flea off balance again, as something akin to a flying squid zipped by my head. One of its tentacles smacked me wetly on the bare shoulder as it passed. Searing pain shot through me, but there wasn’t time to worry about it. It was time to plug this hole. 46
Straining to concentrate, I forced all of my energy into my hands and finished closing the gap. “Is it done?” asked Flea. “I think so,” I answered honestly. All along the riverbank, the crowd was clearly enjoying the show. Fortunately, the police were much more concerned with the rioters than us, because we weren’t hurting anyone. As Flea lowered me from his shoulders, a group of bystanders began shouting to us raucously, “Throw me a demon.” I considered it, then I realized they were talking about the piñatas. But we still had a boat load of monsters to take care of. I glanced back at Flea, who was holding a small, toothy dog-like demon by its scorpion tail. He was weaponless at the moment because he had dropped his chair leg when he had picked me up, but that didn’t slow him down any. He nonchalantly drop kicked the evil creature out of the boat and into the river, then turned eagerly, eyes wild, looking for more. I went scrambling for another makeshift weapon, finding a piñata stick just as a demon, clearly female, snatched the chair leg away from Mario and tossed it over the side of the barge. “You little bitch,” he cursed, reaching for another weapon, any weapon, which happened to be a piñata in the shape of a big red pepper with multi-colored streamers hanging down from the end of it. Mario began whacking and chopping at the demon, tomahawking it on the head with the red hot chili pepper. This enraged the demon to no end, and she swiped one of her clawed hands at the paper pepper, knocking it overboard. Then she looked up into Mario’s eyes, and he was stopped cold. She drew closer. Incredibly, Mario kneeled down in front of her, their eyes locked. This was no minor demon; this was something else. Something worse, and her black eyes were mesmerizing. Crap. In the heat of the moment, I couldn’t remember if we had to use lead to kill this one, like maybe a bullet from a gun, or if we could bash it to death. I guess we’d find out. The demon looked almost beautiful, in a terrible, frightful sort of way. She smiled at Mario and opened her mouth to bare her teeth. Her maw grew impossibly large, too big for her face. Her teeth were stained black around the gum line, and there was bloody 47
looking gunk between them. I couldn’t see any cavities, though, and… Shit! I violently shook my head. Mario hadn’t been the only one mesmerized. I promptly flung my piñata stick at the dark bitch’s face and yelled, “Mario! Heads up!” That seemed to snap him out of it just as the stick connected with the demon’s skull, making a satisfying thunk. Down she went. The stick rebounded a bit, but Mario grabbed it before it could get away from him. Then he started his assault on the she-demon with his new, brightly decorated piñata stick. He reared back like a professional baseball player and let her have it. He swung as she was getting up, hitting her right upside the head with a loud crack. The she-demon went down in a fiery combination of ash and flames and oily smoke. I guess that answered the question about the bullet or the bashing. Just then, a movement from the shadows of a nearby foot bridge caught my eye. In the sparse light, I saw a man, staring at me with an unnatural intensity. The whites of his eyes reflected the dull glow of the sidewalk lamps, but his body was shrouded in darkness. Everything about him seemed out of place, out of sync. His shield swirled with a dark, murky fog. He had something to do with this; I could feel it. The darkness around him rustled, and his pale hands appeared, each holding a marble-sized orb, glowing softly, shedding light on the black cloak he wore. Yeah, he definitely had something to do with this. He had treacherous-little-fucked-up-evil-loser written all over him. Besides, the Grim Reaper robes were a dead giveaway. The celebration for el Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, was still months away. Our eyes met. His lips curled upwards in what should have been a smile, but looked more like a sneer. With a flourish of his hands, he threw the two luminous marbles to the cobbled sidewalk. There were a couple of distinct Poof! sounds, and two man-sized demons rose up from the swirling smoke and unfurled their wings like giant bats, with eyes glowing and steam pouring off their leathery skin. 48
He spoke to them, then nodded his head towards me. Fuck. Instantly, the two demons took flight, racing straight for me. I screamed and hit the deck. The demons swooped down to seize me by the arms and tried to fly off. They would have, too, if not for Flea, who leaped halfway across the float to grab onto my legs. With his extra weight, we weren’t going anywhere. The two demons dropped me, then dove in again, attacking Flea. As soon as Flea let me go to defend himself, the creatures grabbed me by the arms again and tried to make off with me. This time, the whole gang came to my rescue. Flea held me in the boat with his body covering mine, while Mario and the girls took on my would-be abductors, beating them back viciously. I could hardly breathe with Flea on top of me, but it was better than the alternative. Finally, with angry screeches, the beasts gave up and flew away. Flea got off me, and I was so thankful to be breathing again, I almost forgot to look for the psycho under the footbridge. He was still there, watching intently. Our eyes met again briefly. Then, with a flourish of his cloak, he spun on his heels and fled. There were now only two small demons left on the boat with us, and we made short work of them. We could hear others in the distance, wreaking havoc and destruction all up and down the River Walk, but we couldn’t possibly kill them all. There must have been hundreds that poured through the gateway before it had been sealed. For now, though, we had accomplished our goal. We looked at each other in the sudden relative quiet. Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt. Nothing more than a few minor injuries. Flea took the worst of it. He had scratches on his shoulders that looked suspiciously like fingernail marks. He was going to have some explaining to do to the little woman when he got home. We scanned the area for more demons, and finding none in the vicinity, we began to whoop and high five each other in celebration. Flea did an unforgettable little victory dance, nearly capsizing the barge, screaming, “Don’t mess with Texas, mother fuckers!” I laughed at the sheer absurdity of it all. I had to admit, I felt exhilarated. I guess saving the world, or at least your hometown, 49
could do that for you. But nobody else knew what we had done. I looked around and the people on the sidewalks were watching us like we were a bunch of locos. From their perspective, I suppose we were. There were a lot of people still yelling for us to throw them a piñata, so we took a few moments to toss some into the crowd. Mario and Flea deliberately tried to knock people unconscious with their pitches, but fortunately, the piñatas were too light to do much damage. Finally, Mario jumped ship, helping us disembark from our luxurious river cruiser. Flea came out last, so as not to risk nearly capsizing the boat again. We quickly merged with the crowd, trying to blend in, but Flea doesn’t blend well. Fortunately, no one dared challenge him, and we left the scene of the weirdness without incident.
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CHAPTER 4
Mario and Flea offered to give us a ride on their Harleys back to Karla’s apartment, but we felt compelled to decline. They assured us they could fit all five of us on two bikes for the brief distance we had to travel, but there was still the problem of the short dresses for two of us. Michele and I agreed we’d already shown enough of our assets for one night, so we insisted on walking. And they insisted on escorting us anyway. It was actually kind of cool. While we walked on the sidewalk, carrying our handy dandy piñata sticks, they followed us from the street, causing quite a spectacle. No one bothered us, but we did spot a couple of insect-like demons flying over, looking for their next victim. When we got to the security gate at Karla’s apartment complex, the guys kindly offered to come in and party with us. We politely turned them down, saying we’d had enough excitement for one night. I thanked them for everything. Mario eyed me thoughtfully. “I want to talk to you soon about what went down tonight. I want to understand.” I nodded. “Sure, Mario, I owe you that much.” He grinned, “Hey, I wonder if we’ll be on TV.” “Oh, shit,” I grumbled, shaking my head. “I hadn’t thought about that.” Damn. Not only had I just gone and done exactly what I’d been told not to, it was probably being broadcast by every local news station within a hundred miles. But what was I supposed to do, tuck my tail and run? “Don’t worry, babe. You’ll look great on TV, and I’m sure they’ll
cut the parts where your ass is hanging out.” Everyone laughed but me. Oh, well. No good deed goes unpunished. Still chuckling, Mario and Flea nodded their goodbyes and roared away. Silence followed the rumbling choppers through the evilinfested streets of San Antonio. The sudden stillness magnified every sound, and the wind, too much like the stealthy steps of a demon, could not be trusted. Gas lanterns lining the sidewalks only deepened the shadows, sparking fear in each of us. Our imaginations took care of the rest. We scurried inside, high heels tapping a frantic beat on the pretty stone pathways. Once inside, we kicked off our shoes and collapsed onto the soft, comfy couches decorating Karla’s living room. Exhaustion set in as our terror-induced adrenalin rush began to wear off. The three of us sat quietly, catching our breath, preoccupied with our own thoughts. Karla was the first to speak. “Okay, Sunny. Please explain to me what the hell is going on. Where, exactly, have you seen one of those demon portals before, and how did you know how to close it?” I cleared my throat. “It’s kind of a crazy story…” “I’m sure it is,” she said. They were both looking at me expectantly. I hesitated, not sure where to begin. “We’re your friends. You can tell us anything.” So I did, in every detail. Both of them listened intently, asking questions for clarification from time to time, but mostly they just let me talk. I had no idea it would be so liberating. For too long, I had kept my secret, and the telling of it lifted a burden from my shoulders that had become so familiar, I didn’t even realize it was heavy anymore. Karla put her hand on mine. “Why did you wait so long to tell us about this? We could have helped you.” “I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. And I didn’t really need any help until tonight. You two really came through for me. Thanks.” “Aw, shucks. It was nothing,” Karla said modestly. “That’s what friends are for,” said Michele. 52
“Yeah, but now, I think I have another problem.” Karla sat up and gave me a hard look. “Another problem? What do you mean?” “Well,” I began, “I was kind of warned that once my gate weaving ability becomes public knowledge, I’d be in great danger.” Michele furrowed her pretty brow. “But most people couldn’t see the demon gate…or the demons.” “That’s right, most people are spiritually blind to such things, but there are still plenty of others who can see…and they don’t all have the best of intentions. If our riverboat stunt makes the news, I could be in big trouble.” Karla shook her head in frustration. “Well, what were you supposed to do, let the hole get big enough for freaking Godzilla to come through and stomp on our city?” “That’s exactly what would happen, too, except Godzilla is a wuss compared to some of the big baddies in Hell. Fortunately, though, most of them reside in the lower levels. That’s why we get the minor demons first when a gate is opened.” Michele looked confused. “How could something that big stomp a city and not be noticed?” “It’s only the minor demons that can’t be seen, because their purpose is solely demonic influence. They couldn’t coerce or influence if you could see them working you. They exist in a state of flux between dimensions…sort of an overlap of realities. But when I align the veils by touching you, it allows you to see both realities, and allows them to fuck with you physically, and visa versa.” Both women looked uncertain. “What the fuck does that mean?” asked Michele. I sighed heavily. “Hell, I don’t know,” I said, letting my frustration show. “That’s how it was explained to me, and I’m just passing it along.” Michele shrugged. “So, what kind of danger do you think you’re in?” “The bad kind. At best, I’ll be dead. At worst, I’ll lose my soul and be demon meat for the rest of eternity.” My voice had grown cold, almost morose. A silence fell between us as we contemplated the situation. 53
Finally, Karla sighed and stood up. “We’re probably making a big deal out of nothing. We probably didn’t rate a television spot. Let’s just turn on the TV and see what’s shakin’.” Karla set about searching for the remote control, finding it a frustrating five minutes later. It would have been easier to just walk over to the TV and turn it on, but old habits die hard, I guess. When finally the TV was turned on, we were unpleasantly surprised to find our pictures plastered all over the screen. Not just the local channels, either. We’d made it to the big time. We were on Fox News. Un-fucking-believable. As we watched, an attractive blond anchorwoman talked about the unprecedented riot during the Fiesta Parade on the beautiful Paseo del Rio in San Antonio, saying no one knew what started the fighting, or why so many got involved, but there were over 60 people arrested and dozens were taken to area hospitals, where several people were in very serious condition, and two men had died already. Since the parade is always televised, they had some great shots of all the action. Then, on a lighter note, the anchorwoman broke into a story about a group of bikers, obviously in a drunken state, that had helped to rescue a parade float when the captain of the barge abandoned ship after several of his passengers started fighting. She told the story as if we had jumped on board to stop the barge from floating away with people still on it, having a little fun in the process. There was an absolutely fabulous shot of me climbing the Red Hot Chili Pepper Man, then tumbling down on top of the girls, all asses and elbows. They blurred out the round, fleshy parts that would have made the shot so interesting, thank God. Mario and Flea could be seen in the background, fighting demons like maniacs, only to the average person, they were clearly pretending to be pirates. Then, best of all, they showed Flea when he picked me up on his shoulders. We screamed, then I wobbled and cursed in a very unladylike fashion. And then, as my hands began to move exotically above my head, my friends danced around me. Michele fell to her knees submissively before her Viking master, swinging her piñata stick wildly with one hand, and holding onto Flea’s leg with the other. Karla was every bit the Warrior 54
Princess practicing for battle with a beacon of light flashing from her navel. It was just too funny, and it was good to know we weren’t wanted by the police. But I had made my debut in a big way, and there was a very real possibility I was already being hunted by evil forces that I didn’t dare try to handle alone. I was guessing I only had a day or two before some wicked villain or other came calling. But I wasn’t waiting around. Tomorrow, I was packing my bags and getting the hell out of Dodge. On top of all that, I had deep concerns about the rash of shit I would catch from my mother, who was undoubtedly horribly embarrassed by my seemingly asinine performance on the River Walk tonight. I didn’t believe for one minute that this one would get past her. We knew too many people, and too many people knew me. I was surprised she hadn’t called my cell phone already; then I remembered I hadn’t taken my phone because it wouldn’t fit in my little blue purse. I had left it in my overnight bag. I grimaced a little, knowing there were probably plenty of messages on it by now, but I decided to embrace my avoidance behavior for a while longer so I could enjoy the rest of the evening with my friends. We stayed up very late, talking and watching ourselves on television, laughing and critiquing our performances. We burned the video to DVD so we could all have a copy, making a couple extra for Mario and Flea, as well. This had definitely been a night to remember. We even had our piñata sticks as souvenirs. ***** We slept late Friday because none of us had to be anywhere, and since many of the downtown streets were closed for the Battle of the Flowers Parade taking place that day anyway, we all agreed that the pool at Karla’s apartment complex seemed like the perfect place to kill some time. But after a couple of hours of serious South Texas sun worship, we were pretty well done. Michele and I gathered our stuff, thanked Karla for her hospitality, and left for our own homes at around three o’clock in the afternoon. As I left Karla’s, there were dark clouds scattered on the horizon and it looked like it might rain. Probably just a spring shower that would pass through quickly, but I wanted to get home 55
to let my dogs in before they got wet. If you’ve ever smelled wet dog, you know exactly what I mean. My dogs, Chili and Margarita, stayed outside most of the time when I wasn’t home, but I let them in the kitchen area of my house when I was. They were actually pretty good company, compared to some of the men I’ve known. Besides, the dogs were a great deterrent against robbers and rapists and other unsavory characters. A girl can never be too careful these days, with demons traipsing around the earth and all, especially when she lives on a 600-acre ranch where no one can hear her if she screams. My corner of the ranch was still somewhat untamed, overgrown with mustang grape vines and poison oak. Brushy scrub oaks obscured the landscape between the larger trees and wildflowers colored the ground in abundance. I had recently acquired a herd of goats to gnaw down some of the brush, but they had just begun to make a dent. My mom had some cattle and a few horses, but mainly just to occupy the old ranch hand who had been a friend of the family for nearly thirty years. If she sold all the animals, she reasoned, Faustino would have nothing to do. Faustino had lived on the ranch for nearly all of the thirty years my parents had known him, and he had even raised a family of his own here. Now, his sons, who were like my brothers, were grown and his wife had passed away, but he stayed on because my mother needed him, and he enjoyed being needed, but also because this was his home, for longer than I had been alive. I pulled into my driveway just as a peal of thunder rocked the afternoon sky. Chili and Rita came tearing around the corner of the house, flying low. They were ecstatic to see me and more than a little bit nervous about the loud noises banging in their sensitive ears. My bad ass dogs were major wimps when it came to thunderstorms. It was starting to sprinkle when I slid out of my well-used SUV. I took a moment to scratch both dogs on the head, then high tailed it to the house. I let the dogs in through the back sliding glass door by the kitchen because they weren’t allowed on the carpet in the rest of the house. It was hard enough to keep things clean without two big, hairy, slobbering dogs all over everything. 56
I stepped into my bedroom, and the cool air welcomed me home. A strange mix of emotions pulsed through me, scattering my thoughts. Finally alone and faced with my unique predicament, I had some hard decisions to make, but I wasn’t even sure where to start. First, I decided, I wanted to get all my outside chores done, and then I could take a shower and get cleaned up. I needed to put feed out for my goats, so all I had to do was ring the dinner bell later for them to come eat. Thunder vibrated the heavens, rattling my teeth as the spring storm drew near. The humidity rose, making it ridiculously hot outside. I ripped off the t-shirt I was wearing over my bikini, and slipped into my boots, dropping my 9mm into one of them. I wasn’t really afraid, but since I was leaving the dogs inside to stay dry, I figured better safe than sorry. It was probably way too soon for anyone to have found me yet, but I didn’t want to be caught with my pants down, or off, as the case may be. Besides, South Texas is notorious for its dangerous, indigenous wildlife, such as rattlesnakes, coyotes, and scorpions. Although I don’t usually shoot at scorpions, I have, on occasion, shot at coyotes slinking around the house, or even a rattlesnake that got too close for its own good. But now, I had to worry about demons and other malcontents, too. There was still just a sprinkling of rain as I ran for the barn, which is located about a stone’s throw from the northwest corner out the back of my house. I climbed over the wooden fence because it was easier than opening the heavy wooden gate. I reached the barn and swung the door open, quickly going about the task of putting feed out for the goats. I wanted to be done and out of there before the grouchy old billy goat, named appropriately Bill, realized I was in his barn. Bill and I hadn’t know each other long enough to develop much of a relationship, so he still tried to run me down just about every time he saw me, or anyone else, for that matter. And because it was breeding season, he was particularly arrogant lately. A cocky 250-pound male goat can do a lot of damage if you don’t get out of his way fast enough. I finished my chores and headed for the house, leaving the barn door open so the goats could get in out of the rain to eat. If you think wet dog is bad, you’ve never smelled wet goat. I clambered 57
back over the fence, reaching the covered deck of my house just in time. The rain was falling in earnest now, making that pitter patter sound on the tin roof that everyone says they love so much. It wouldn’t last long, though, just a refreshing rinse, making everything look clean and new again. I stepped in the back door, slipped off my boots, and headed for the bedroom. After showering, I dried my hair, threw on some light makeup, slipped into blue jeans, a midriff halter top, and, of course, my belt and boots. Then, I clipped on my cell phone and holstered gun. I felt better with the weight of my weapon on my hip. I had the unsettling feeling I might be needing it soon. My dad had taught me how to use a gun when I was about ten. He used to tease me that I couldn’t hit the side of a barn if I was standing on the inside, but I got much better with practice. Before my dad died, he made sure I took the proper classes required for a concealed-carry permit. I rarely take a concealed weapon off the premises, but I can if I want to. Tonight, I was exercising that right. Ain’t Texas grand? Next, it was time to get packing. I stuffed my bare necessities into several large suitcases and a couple of overnight bags. I like to be prepared. I dragged the luggage to my truck and loaded it in the back, leaving as much room for my dogs as possible. I wasn’t going anywhere without Chili and Rita. They were family. I sighed heavily as I thought about the last item of business before I left town. I had to go see my mother in person, to give her the whole story first hand. Right now, she was probably pretty upset with me, but I could explain everything, (as if she’d never heard that from me before). I would tell her the whole truth, and I had no doubt that she would believe my every word...eventually. Not just because she was a religious woman and already believed in demons, but because she believed in me...mostly. And it did my heart good to know that. But just in case, I decided to ensure victory by touching her, like I touched the others, so she would have to believe me, and so she could see the demons herself, for her own safety. Of course, I was going to try to get her to leave with me, because she, too, might be in danger. But I knew she wouldn’t go. 58
Her house was filled with memories of my dad, and she wasn’t done grieving yet. It had only been nine months since he died, and she wasn’t ready to move on. I couldn’t blame her, though. He was going to be a tough act to follow. I also needed to ask Faustino to keep an eye on my house and take care of my goats while I was away. I didn’t know where I was going yet, just that I needed to go. I wasn’t too worried about location. I had friends and family all over the place I could visit, and I figured my guys from the desert would find me when it was time to find me, no matter where I was. The trick would be to stay out of trouble until they did. For me, that’s not as easy as it sounds. The rain, as expected, had already moved on. A glum silence enveloped my little home, filling me with sadness. My life was changing. I was turning a corner, and I couldn’t see around it. Uncertainty clouded my intentions. Was I doing the right thing? Fear of the unknown had never stopped me before, and it wouldn’t stop me now, but how could I be sure I was making the right choices? I had made bad choices before, and I had learned some hard lessons, but making the wrong choice now could affect the lives of many people, not just me. I shook off the doubts and negative feelings, determined to make juice out of whatever crappy fruit I was given. I walked over to the back door to call my goats up for their feed. I slid the door open but stopped short. Just then, I saw a man, outfitted in full camo, jump up from behind a mass of poison oak and run to the barn, ducking inside. He hadn’t seen me, but a movement out of the corner of my eye showed me another man lying in the brush. He lifted his head to get a better look, and I could see his surprised face clearly as I reached out the door and rang the dinner bell. Within seconds, twenty goats came running for the barn like the Devil himself was on their tails, intent on having barbequed cabrito for dinner that night. Good ole Bill was leading the way. Moments later, he entered the barn, followed by the rest of the herd. I held my breath and stood perfectly still. Come on, Bill, don’t fail me now. On impulse, I pulled my video phone from my belt and stuck my arm back out the crack in the door just in time to see the G.I. Joe wanna-be flying bodily through the air, landing outside the barn 59
door with a thud. He screamed in abject panic as he tried to stand, but compared to the billy goat, he was moving in slow motion. Bill lowered his horns and charged, connecting solidly with the man’s camouflaged backside, taking him down hard. He pranced around the downed man, strutting his dominance. When the man tried to stand, Bill reacted angrily, but G.I. Joe’s adrenaline must have kicked in, because he rolled out of the way in the nick of time. Still screaming and panic-stricken, the camo covered man spun-out in the wet sand as he scrambled on all fours to get away, but Bill wasn’t having any of it. He reared up for maximum ramming speed and butted G.I. Joe, this time slamming him in the hip, sending him rolling. When he came to a stop, he reached for his gun. “Oh, no you don’t,” I said, quickly sliding the door open all the way. I wasn’t going to let him shoot Bill, even though he probably deserved it. I’m not sure what I was planning to do, but I couldn’t let the bastard get my goat.
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CHAPTER 5
I pulled my 9mm, and just as I was about to yell, “Drop your weapon and back away from the goat,” several things happened at once. Two guys dressed in matching black outfits, (they probably called them uniforms), jumped the fence to save G.I. Joe’s ass. At that same moment, Bad Guy #2 popped his head up over the poison oak to see what was happening to his friend. My heart filled with joy at the notion that he would be swollen and itchy soon, and probably more miserable than he’d ever been in his life. South Texas poison oak was brutal this time of year. I guess he decided he’d seen enough, because he began to stealthily crawl away through the brush like a giant tortoise until he thought he was in the clear. Only then did he stand up and try to cut and run. Without success, I might add. He had a rather violent encounter with a tall man wearing one of those black uniforms. The tall man swung his fist forward, and Itchy ran right into it with his face, at least, that’s what it looked like. Over on the other side of the barnyard, one of the men in black dragged G.I. Joe out through the wooden gate, while the other big boy held Bill by the horns in a classic steer wrestling hold. As soon as the gate swung closed, the big guy let go of the raging billy goat and leaped over the fence, cowboy style, which was way cool. Bill was still so pissed, he rammed the wooden fence several times before he forgot why he was mad and wandered to the barn to eat. I stepped out onto the back deck, letting my worried dogs come with me. That’s when I got my first clear look at the men in my barnyard.
Shithouse mouse! I gasped, sucking up air so fast my hand flew to my mouth, fortunately covering it up and stopping the noise. Too late, everyone was already staring at me. My face flushed hot; my mouth went dry. I could hardly believe my wide blue eyes. At long last, standing before me in all their manly glory were the men of my dreams, Major Aaron Stone, Captain Daniel Troy, and Sergeant Jack McCleery, in the flesh. My heart leaped with joy, completing a full backwards somersault, then rebounded against my ribcage. Outwardly, though, I struggled to keep my cool. I wanted to play my cards close to the vest until I knew where I stood. But Lord have mercy, they were a sight for sore eyes. I couldn’t help but look at Major Stone first, and after I did, I had trouble seeing anything else. My eyes kept going back to him, and he caught my gaze every time. Oh, yeah, he was looking, and I knew because I was looking, too. He holstered his weapon and held his hands up to show me he was harmless, which would have been disappointing if it were true. He approached the deck slowly, in a very non-threatening manner. McCleery and Troy stayed back, forcing the bad guys to their knees with hands clasped above their head. “Hi, there,” Stone said in his deep, masculine voice. Instantly, I was charmed right down to my finely pedicured toes. He had a smooth as silk Southern accent, and he hadn’t changed a bit since I last saw him, except that his hair was longer. His sexy, crooked smile and confident bearing were enough to melt my lipstick, but best of all, he was fabulously tall and packed with muscle, and his shield bristled with vitality. I was completely smitten. “We’re here to rescue you.” He grinned big, trying to look friendly. “Is that so?” I replied with a smile, showing him I wasn’t afraid. “I guess I should thank you then. I didn’t realize I needed to be rescued.” “Oh, yeah. You’re practically a damsel in distress.” His shield exuded self-assurance. 62
“You think?” I asked dubiously. He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. No telling what might have happened if we hadn’t shown up. These guys are obviously professionals.” “Sure. I could tell by the way that one was screaming,” I said, pointing at G.I. Joe. “What are they doing here?” He shrugged. “I guess that depends on who sent them, but I imagine they were here to kill you.” “They aren’t very good at it. I mean, if my goat didn’t kill them, my dogs would have. Or, as a last resort, I could have always shot them myself,” I said, putting my hand on my weapon for dramatic effect. “That’s why we decided to step in and save their asses, before they were too dead to interrogate,” he said with a grin. Then he cocked his head sideways in a very charming, flirty kind of way and said, “By the way, do you always feed your goats in a bikini and cowboy boots?” “Naw,” I replied easily, “when it’s really hot, I just wear the boots.” McCleery and Troy sniggered, while Stone smiled at me appreciatively. Sometimes, it’s good to be a woman. “That trick you did with the bell was almost as enjoyable.” I smiled wickedly and held up my cell phone to indicate the video shots I had taken. “And I captured it all on video for our viewing pleasure.” “Great. Now we have it from three angles,” said Stone with a cocky smile, pointing to the branches of two different oaks. My eyes followed where he indicated, and my jaw dropped open. “You put cameras in my trees?” I asked with incredulity. “How long have you been watching me?” He shrugged. “Just since you got home today, but the cameras have been there since last night.” “How did you get past my dogs?” I asked, a little perplexed. McCleery and Troy snickered, looking at each other meaningfully. “They like chicken,” Stone said without elaborating. “Great,” I muttered, mentally running through everything I had done since I got home. “I hope I didn’t do anything embarrassing.” 63
“Not yet,” a half-smile played about his lips, “but there’s still time.” I descended the steps of the deck, acutely aware that Stone was eyeing me in a very unprofessional manner. I added a tad more sway to my hips than usual, just for good measure. My dogs followed right at my heels, exactly like they were supposed to. Stone watched appreciatively. “Pardon me for not introducing myself until after we’ve finished with the dirtbags,” he said apologetically. “If they don’t know who we are already, we don’t want to help them out.” He didn’t recognize me yet. “It’s alright, Major,” I replied as if it were nothing. “I know who you are and why you’re here.” He stared at me, eyebrows raised, mild surprise showing in his face. “Good. That’ll save us some time,” he said after a moment. He held my gaze much longer than necessary, and I looked right back. Had I rung a bell with him yet? I couldn’t tell. He had a good poker face, and I couldn’t figure him at all. Even his aura was quiet, almost as if he was suppressing it. I stepped up beside him, maintaining eye contact, then I walked past to stand before McCleery and Troy with their two captives. G.I. Joe looked like a junkie with a fierce hankering for a fresh fix. His eyes were wild with dark circles. He was sweating profusely and breathing irregularly, as if he was in pain, but because of the dark, ugly aura surrounding his body, crawling with perverse desire, I knew it wasn’t a drug he needed. He had the Jones for something young and sweet, and I instantly hated him for it. He had the stench of demons all over him, and it was obvious he was under their influence. Deep under. Chili and Rita didn’t like him either. They growled menacingly in his direction, giving me a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. “Cuida,” I told them gently, which meant ‘guard’ or ‘careful’ in Spanish, their command language. They instantly moved in towards the men, snarling and baring their pointy white teeth, growling promises, not threats. The men cowered, careful not to make any sudden moves. They seemed more terrified of the dogs than the men with the guns, probably because the men could be 64
reasoned with…the dogs couldn’t. I noticed with satisfaction that Itchy’s face and neck were beginning to turn a rare shade of scarlet, like he was going to have a really bad rash soon. But by the looks of his dark, bristled aura, he well and truly deserved it. “Alright, it’s time to tell us what you know. Who wants to go first?” Stone asked, his voice hard and intimidating. G.I. Joe just shook his head, looking ticked off. “We’re not going to tell you anything. Might as well let us go.” He had a darkness about him that left a dank impression on my mind of stale hatred and filth. Major Stone shrugged and said, “Okay. I mean, if you’re not going to tell us anything anyway, you might as well leave.” G.I. Joe looked up doubtfully, then got to his feet. Chili and Rita growled a warning, and he froze. McCleery casually reached out and slapped the man in the back of the head, knocking him back down to his knees. The dogs both snarled viciously, barely containing themselves. Stone smiled and said coolly, “Naw, I was just kidding. We can’t let you guys go. We need to talk to you first.” “You mother fuckers!” yelped G.I.Joe. “You’re all going to die when—” McCleery slapped him in the back of the head again, cutting him off. “Shut your pie hole,” Stone ordered. “There’s a lady present.” Itchy kept his mouth shut, obviously the smarter of the two. “I’m not telling you anything,” G.I. Joe insisted, the dark aura flowing off of him like stink from a skunk. “Uh huh. Wasn’t that you screaming like a little girl a minute ago? I just don’t think you’re going to be much of a challenge,” said Stone derisively. “I think we should get them to talk the old fashioned way,” said McCleery, giving me a wink. “We at least need to kick their asses for messing with our new girl.” Our new girl? I kind of liked the sound of that, I mean, who better to belong to than three big strapping men? I made a mental note to think about it in great detail later. I had a fondness for big strapping men. 65
“Maybe we should let my dogs have a go at them,” I said, taking a step forward, knowing it would cause my overprotective pooches to snarl aggressively. I could have stopped them with just a word, but I was enjoying myself too much. “Damn, girl, those are some wicked dogs,” McCleery said with admiration in his voice. “The hair on my neck is standing up.” I was beginning to like him already. “I’d love to give you a demonstration,” I said with pride, “if you could just get one of these guys to resist a little bit.” “They’re too chicken shit to resist,” Stone said contemptuously. “We’d better just get on with it. Can you call off your dogs for me?” I gave him a disappointed look, then nodded. “Sure. Chili, Rita…calma,” I commanded. I whistled for them to come to me, then jogged up the stairs to let them inside. When I returned, Stone looked at me with a sideways grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows. He then approached G.I. Joe, brusquely placing both hands on either side of his face, and stared deeply into his eyes. The dark, wretched man seemed locked to Stone’s gaze. He began to pant and quiver, but other than that, he didn’t move a muscle. The strange embrace lasted for an awkwardly silent minute or so. When Stone abruptly broke his hands free, I heard something akin to the popping of static electricity upon disconnect. He looked at G.I. Joe with extreme disgust, then turned without delay to Itchy and repeated steps one through three. When Stone was done, he looked angry. “You two are some nasty sons-of-bitches,” he said to them, then, “Pardon my language,” he said to me. Nice to see he was a gentleman. He shook himself in disgust. “I feel like I need a shower now.” He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number. There was a short pause as he waited for someone to answer. Then he said simply, “It’s Stone. Bring your van in. We have a couple of degenerates for you to babysit.” He flipped his phone shut and glared at the two men on their knees. I could see they had a new respect for him, a respect bordering on fear. Sometimes fear is a good thing. Stone angrily turned away from them. I got the impression he needed to cool off. He took a few strides, then stopped, hands on 66
his hips, breathing deeply. His shield swirled with chaotic intensity, clearly projecting his effort to retain control. Whatever he had seen was affecting him on an emotional level, a spiritual level. I turned my gaze to Troy and McCleery. “What was that?” “Mind fuck,” McCleery said simply. Troy nodded his approval. “Good analogy.” “Thank you.” “Mind fuck?” I echoed. “No one looked like they were enjoying it.” “No, it probably isn’t fun. It’s kind of like mind reading, only it’s much more invasive,” McCleery explained, not the least bit concerned about the bad guys hearing. They knew what had just been done to them. “You see, first, he captures the subject with his steely gaze, rendering them completely powerless against his overwhelming force of will. Then, he burrows inside, probing deep into their consciousness, where he can really fuck with their minds.” Yuk. “That sounds very unpleasant.” “It’s not that bad,” Troy insisted, shaking his head. “Jack makes it sound so…twisted. What he should have said,” he spoke pointedly at McCleery, “is that our commander can discern information directly from the minds of individuals, without hurting them physically.” “That’s pretty amazing,” I said, genuinely impressed, but the idea of someone examining all the thoughts and memories in my head gave me the willies. There were things in there that were best left alone, things I didn’t want to touch. His temper somewhat under control, Stone ambled his way back to us. “So, what’s the story?” Troy asked him directly. “The story is, those are two fucked up individuals,” he spouted angrily, indicating the captives. “I would like nothing more than to shut them down permanently.” He was still a tad testy. Fear showed clearly in the eyes of the two men. “The Order sent them here to kidnap her, not kill her. The rest of their motley crew are busy looking for Hiram. He never turned the data over to them, and they’re royally pissed. These two are just 67
a couple of The Order’s bottom dwellers. Evidently, they didn’t expect any trouble or they’d have sent more experienced men. That one is Alfred Myers” —he pointed at G.I. Joe— “and the other is Wendell Gormon.” He said their names like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “Whoever controls her” —he tilted his head in my direction— “controls the gateways. And now that she’s been outed, The Order wants her real bad…but the demons want her dead.” He looked at me hard, staring openly. His intense gaze was somewhat unnerving, but I held steady. I could be intense, too. “You got all that just by looking in their eyes?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said, anger flashing in his shield. “I saw everything.” He had clearly been disturbed by the view. “Are you alright?” I asked him gently, reaching out to touch his arm. He nodded but said nothing. “So, what do you want to do with these assholes?” asked McCleery. “If it were entirely up to me, I’d put a bullet in their heads,” Stone said. I believed him. “Since it isn’t, I’ll have Blue Team hold onto them for a while. Then we’ll have to cut them loose.” He stared at Myers and Gormon with a dangerous look in his eyes, “But if I ever see either one of you again, I will kill you.” Just then, we heard the short beep of a car horn from my driveway. McCleery tapped G.I. Joe on the ass with his boot. “On your feet boys; your ride is here.” He and Troy forced the two men to stand and then disappeared with them around the corner of the house. Stone shifted his gaze back to me. “You look awfully familiar. Have we met?” I smiled. “Not exactly.” “You said you knew who we were. Are you a psychic, too?” I almost laughed, but I could see he was serious. I guess I couldn’t scoff at stuff like that anymore. A new day was dawning on planet Earth. “No. We met several months ago, but we were never actually introduced.” “That can’t be,” he said, but he didn’t look so sure. “I was in Iraq several months ago.” “Yeah, so was I,” I said simply. 68
His brow went up, eyes surprised, but curiously, suspicion crept into his shield. Just then, Troy and McCleery appeared, chatting amicably about the different variations and effectiveness of certain chokeholds. They obviously loved their work. Stone had a bizarre look on his face, one I couldn’t fathom. His shield was still, devoid of movement. Weird. But I was anxious to get to the good stuff. “Now that we’re all here again, let me show you what I learned in Iraq,” I said mysteriously, intending to recite the incantation that would bind us together as The Armor of God. I had been dying to try it, and finally, I was going to get my chance. I lifted my palms towards the three men and began to whisper the ancient Hebrew invocation I had been taught by the darkhaired man. Their reaction was not at all what I expected. I must have blinked because before I knew what was happening, Stone had me in a bear hug from behind with one hand over my mouth and the other around my waist as I stared down the barrels of two very large caliber pistols in the hands of Troy and McCleery. “Not another word!” barked Stone from behind while I shot daggers out my eyes at the other two. I was pissed in a very major sort of way. This could have never happened if I’d kept my dogs outside with me. I tried to duck under the hand covering my mouth, but he tilted my head back from under my chin and anchored it against his chest. I made a fist and covered it with my other hand, lending power to the atomic elbow I sent into his ribs, making him grunt sharply, but he didn’t let go. He jerked me hard against him. Furious, I scraped the heel of my boot down the front of his shin. “Ow! Shit woman!” He cursed, abruptly kicking my legs wide, ending my feeble assault. In a situation like this, size definitely matters. He had me good, and there was nothing I could do to make him let go. Enraged, I fought even harder, until I heard a low, deep chuckle in my ear. The bastard was enjoying this. In my mind, I wrestled with the urge to explode. At that moment, I truly felt like I could. But slowly, I relaxed in his grip, desperately fighting an instinctive need to resist. I wasn’t easy; I’d 69
rather fight than quit. “Alright,” Stone said from behind me. “I’m going to let you go in a minute, and as long as you don’t start reciting that mumbo jumbo again, we’ll get along just fine. Do you understand?” I could hear the smile in his voice. I nodded, anything to get him to let go. He removed both hands at the same time and stepped back. Troy and McCleery were smiling, but they still kept their weapons trained on me. I turned on Major Stone, finger pointing, face red hot. “Don’t you ever fucking do that again!” He kept a careful distance, but his slightly upturned lips made me want to slap the smirk right off his face. “I won’t, as long as you’re not aiming any spells at us.” I huffed. “It was only an incantation to bind us together as The Armor of God. I wasn’t going to turn you into toads or anything.” I was indignant. They all looked at me like I’d just sprouted a third tit. “What do you know about The Armor of God?” Stone asked anxiously. I gave him a long, petulant stare. “I am the final piece. I am the Shield of Faith,” I said simply. I could tell by the look I was getting that no one had expected that particular answer. With a challenging expression, almost like a dare, Stone said, “Show me.” I narrowed my eyes at him and angrily ran my fingers through my hair behind my right ear, pulling it back to show the small mark there. He sighed, deflated. “Damn. She’s telling the truth,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. Turning to the others he said, “Damned if she doesn’t have a mark behind her right ear in the shape of a shield. She’s the Shield of Faith.” My temper hadn’t cooled one bit. “Damn right, I am. And if you ever touch me like that again, I’ll kick your ass,” I threatened irately. That seemed to amuse him more. Sorry bastard. He wiggled his eyebrows at me. “You couldn’t take me in a fair fight,” he responded with a grin, teasing now. The other two men watched with interest as they holstered their weapons. 70
“Fair fight, my ass. You’ve got to sleep sometime,” I said venomously. “Look, we had no way of knowing what kind of whammy spell you were trying to put on us. You didn’t give us any warning, and we just reacted.” “Well, react to this, asshole,” I huffed. I flipped him a double birdie, then stomped up the steps of my deck. “Okay, alright,” he said, trying to be placating, “I’ll apologize if it helps. But for all we knew, you could have been some demented sorceress or something.” He didn’t sound nearly sorry enough by my estimation. I pointed my finger at him. “You saw me that night in Iraq,” I said accusingly. “I know you saw me.” He nodded. “Yeah, but I had no way of knowing you were on our side. Hell, I saw a lot of demons that night, too.” “Oh, yeah,” I said with biting sarcasm, “I’m every bit the evil bitch I appear to be.” “You never can tell. But, in light of the facts, I guess we should go ahead and let you do that binding thing you were trying to do.” “Fuck you. I’m not going to now. You can kiss my ass,” I said in a snit, crossing my arms. I don’t usually hold a grudge, but no one manhandles me without my express permission. “Okay, that can wait. Let’s talk first. May we come in?” he asked pleasantly. “Are you sure it’s safe? I wouldn’t want you to feel endangered or anything,” I said caustically. “No, I think I can handle you if you try to get out of hand,” he grinned, pouring on the charm. I was still mad, and for the moment, I was immune to his particular brand of bullshit. I scowled at him. “I guess I can’t very well leave you out here littering up the lawn. Come on in,” I said begrudgingly. I opened the door for them, then followed them inside.
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CHAPTER 6
The house was cool and unnaturally quiet. “Have a seat,” I said stiffly, offering them my kitchen table. “We noticed you were packing. Where’re you going?” Stone asked. “Anywhere that isn’t here. I was told you guys would come looking for me sooner or later, but after my worldwide debut on TV last night, I figured I’d better leave before the bad guys showed up again. But I didn’t think I’d be ID’d so quickly.” “Again?” Stone asked pointedly. “What do you mean, again?” “Last night on the River Walk, some guy was standing in the darkness, under one of the footbridges. He gave me the willies. The way he was looking at me was just wrong. After gawking for a minute, he pulled some kind of shiny balls out of his pocket and turned them into demons, then sent them after me. They grabbed me by the arms and tried to fly off.” Stone gave his men a meaningful look. “What happened?” “Flea, the big biker, threw me on the floor and they all sat on me. The demons couldn’t lift us. After a minute or two, they gave up and flew off. Then the evil little bastard under the bridge slinked away.” “Do you think you would recognize him if you saw him again?” he asked, pulling his cell phone out and flipping it open to show me a picture of a thin, dark-haired young man. I nodded. “A damn sight quicker than you recognized me,” I said, unable to resist the barb. “That’s him,” I confirmed, nodding towards the cell phone screen. “Hey,” he said defensively, “there was a lot of weird shit going
on that night. I thought I was seeing a ghost because no one else saw you.” “I was there alright,” I said, crossing my arms, “and I got zapped by that beam of light, just like you guys did.” He shook his head, as if doubtful. “How did you get there? That cave was in the middle of a war zone.” “That part is kind of hard to explain,” I sighed, not knowing where to begin. “I was transported there, among other places, by a mysterious man who taught me how to weave the demon gates closed. I was also given the mark of The Shield, and told to wait for you guys to come find me.” “What else did he tell you? What is all this about?” Troy asked eagerly. I was surprised. “You mean you don’t know?” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “We have an idea, but we want your take on it.” “Well, basically,” I began uncomfortably as I paced back and forth across my kitchen floor, my anger beginning to wear thin, “I was told that we four have been chosen by God Himself to fight those who are trying to hasten the destruction of Earth, even though the end is inevitable.” “Hum,” Stone said, considering, making eye contact with his men. “That’s not exactly what we were thinking, but it’s close, I guess.” McCleery snorted. “A little more grim, though, don’t you think?” “Yeah, but we can stall it, isn’t that what you’re saying?” Stone asked me directly. I nodded. “Well, then, we ought to be able to draw it out a hundred more years with bullshit alone. After that, we’ll have to get creative.” I liked his attitude. “So, where in the hell have you guys been for the past four months while I was anxiously awaiting your arrival?” “We weren’t even sure you existed. Even after we saw your unforgettable performance last night on TV, we thought you were just another gifted individual we needed to pick up before The Order had you killed. We had no idea you were the fourth piece.” 73
“How did you find me so fast?” “We work with an organization that has vast resources and connections all over the world. We call them Links. It took us about an hour to figure out who you were, and we had someone on site thirty minutes after that. The three of us arrived about two hours before you got home. Then, about an hour after you arrived, The Order’s guys showed up.” “So, who is this Hiram asshole?” Stone snorted derisively. “Hiram Pugh is a fledgling wizard taking his shot at the big time. Until two weeks ago, he was nothing more than a computer nerd who’d learned most of his sorcery on the Internet. He was planted by an organization called The Order of Ashes to steal secret research data detailing how to open gateways between Earth and Hell, but he disappeared with the gate formula, and based on what was discerned from Myers and Gormon, he’s on the run now, but we still have no idea why he’s in San Antonio.” He drummed his fingers distractedly on my kitchen table. “He’d either have to be very brave or very stupid to doublecross The Order, and I’m betting they want that gateway formula pretty bad. It doesn’t do them any good, though, if they can’t shut it down. That’s why they want you,” he paused, giving me a hard look, “and that’s why the demons want you dead.” “Great. And you think Hiram wanted to kidnap me to help him control the gates, too?” I asked, confused as to how I fit into Hiram’s world domination scheme. I didn’t get the impression he saw me as some kind of strategic advantage. I had seen his kind of stare many times before, something I had learned to interpret at a very early age. “Most likely. You see, Hiram doesn’t have all of the formula. He only knows how to open the gateways, but not how to control the demons coming through, or how to close it again. He jumped the gun and stole the data before the research was complete. Last night, he was evidently operating on the erroneous assumption that if he opened the gateway over running water, he could control the demons that came through the rift. That information has been proven to be wrong, but I don’t think he knows that yet.” “Sounds to me like Hiram has some serious issues.” “No doubt, but he also has some serious demons to back him 74
up. And they will kill you when they find you, no matter what they’re telling Hiram. They can’t afford to let you live now that they know what you can do.” “I thought you said he couldn’t control the demons,” I said, confused. “He can’t control the ones that come through the rift, but he has called other demons individually with his summoning spells, which gives him a limited amount of authority over them, depending on how much power he has.” “What did he want at the River Walk?” I asked him. “There’s nothing that would be of value to him down there.” “Honestly, we have no idea. He has not acted in any predictable way since this whole thing began.” “Sounds to me like there’s a woman involved,” I said coolly. “I think he’s trying to impress a woman…or get even with one.” “I doubt that. We’ve already checked out the girlfriend angle, and he’s never even dated anyone that we know of. You saw him, surely you understand why. We think he might even be gay.” “No way, the way he was leering at me, he is definitely interested in women.” “I’ll have to take your word on that, but chances are, he’s after something big, something that will beef up his powers maybe.” Stone leaned back in his chair, stretching his long, muscular legs. To my way of thinking, Hiram and his demons weren’t out to rule the world. The fact that he’d started all this mess down here in San Antonio, instead of Washington or Wall Street, was all the evidence I needed to convince me of that. It was my best guess that there was a woman involved. Hiram was acting more like a jilted lover than some guy with a huge Earth-altering agenda. And because he was now turning his advances toward me (if you call abduction an advance) made me think he was on the rebound, trying to soothe his broken heart with another woman, in a sick, twisted, serial killer kind of way. “It still sounds to me like your boy, Hiram, has woman problems. I mean, if he would take the time out to conjure some demons to kidnap me for him, he’s not thinking about conquering the world. He’s thinking with his penis, and probably has been all along.” 75
Stone seemed to consider for a moment. “It’s possible, I guess, but I still think it’s unlikely. There’s a lot more at stake than his dick. It is entirely possible that the demons are controlling him, instead of the other way around. If the demons are calling the shots, they wouldn’t care where he opened the gateway, just so long as he did it.” I couldn’t help but make an exasperated little sound. At least it got their attention. “Well, of course, the demons are controlling Hiram,” I said, matter-of-factly, “It’s what they do. And if he’s stupid enough to surround himself with them, then he’ll eventually get what he deserves. But the demons need him to open the gateway, so they have to let him think he has some control. But he must have opened that portal on the River Walk for a reason, something that is meaningful only to him. I’m betting it has something to do with a woman.” “Well, if it does, we have no idea who she might be. We’ve already checked out that angle, but turned up nothing,” Stone said, somewhat dismissively, turning to his men to discuss their next move. Humph. I didn’t care what they said; this smelled like an obsession to me. Besides, Hiram didn’t necessarily have to date a particular woman for him to become enamored with her. With some men, all it takes is a smile. And in my case, it hadn’t required even that much of a personal connection, which convinced me that Hiram was just the type of social deviant to risk everything in the hopes of getting laid. While the men discussed their options at my kitchen table, I excused myself and slipped into the bedroom to make a few quick phone calls. Stone had already talked to the local cops, and he knew what facts they knew, which wasn’t much. But I didn’t need facts, I needed the dirty low-down. And the people most likely to be in the know were the ones who made their living on the River Walk. Raul Camerone was the first to come to mind. I owed him a thank you anyway. I called his restaurant and had to wait a few minutes while the hostess called him to the phone. “Bueno,” he finally answered in his smooth Latin tongue. “Bueno, Raul. This is Sunny,” 76
“Hey, Sunny! It’s good to hear from you. You and your friends are the talk of the town,” he said amicably. “I was afraid of that…“ “No, no. It has been wonderful. The publicity has been good for business. All the reporters have been here asking about you.” And some guys from The Order of Ashes, no doubt. I sighed. “Great. I hope you haven’t told them too much.” “No, no,” he said, “just that you come here all the time. I hope you don’t mind that small untruth.” “Of course not,” I told him. Once we got past the chit chat, I asked him about the events that took place on the River Walk last night. He turned out to be a goldmine of information, which was really going to chap Stone’s ass. I walked back into the kitchen, trying not to gloat when I told them the news. “I found out where we can find Hiram tonight,” I offered with a smile. Stone looked skeptical, which annoyed me to no end, but I continued anyway, “It seems that a young lady by the name of Idalia Montez is getting married tonight at the Wedding Island on the Paseo del Rio. The rehearsal dinner was last night, two doors down from Los Dos Huevos, where I spent my evening. It seems a guy she used to know from college showed up, tossing around expensive jewelry and offering her the world on a platter if she would go away with him. When she declined, he got ugly and had to be thrown out of the restaurant. Shortly after that, the fighting began in front of that same restaurant, and it even involved some of the bride-to-be’s dinner guests.” They weren’t looking so skeptical now. Imagine that. Nobody said anything, so I continued, “This has got to be our guy. He shows up at the River Walk, with jewels and gifts aplenty, to sweep the object of his affection off her feet before she marries someone else, only she doesn’t go for it, so he gets mad and opens a demon portal in her face. But then I come along and shut him down, so he’s probably really pissed, and he sends his demons to snatch me, maybe to soothe his shattered ego, or maybe to teach me a lesson. In the mean time, he’s still plotting his revenge against the woman who broke his heart, and he just happens to know exactly where she is going to be tonight.” “How did you get this information?” Stone asked 77
incredulously. “I have vast resources, too, but I call them friends,” I said by way of explanation. He spared me a crooked smile, shaking his head in disbelief. “You are all full of surprises.” “You have no idea,” I said in a manner that was only slightly suggestive. “So what’s the plan?” I asked. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought of one yet but, uh, welcome aboard. Good thing you’ve already packed your stuff. You can’t stay here anymore. You’ll have to come with us.” I had to resist the urge to clap my hands and jump up and down. That would be so uncool. “Now that your unique skills have been broadcast for the world to see, it’s too dangerous for you to live alone anymore. For your own safety, you need to stay with us, but also because you are now part of our team, you have to stay close so we can be deployed quickly when the need arises. Besides, there’s safety in numbers,” said Stone, but he was preaching to the choir where I was concerned. “We have the facilities and the security staff to keep you safe while we track down and eliminate the bad guys. Then, if any gates are opened, we know exactly where to find you.” “Excuse me?” I asked pointedly, taken aback. “Am I not a member of this team now? I thought you had accepted that I was a part of The Armor of God, just like you.” “Yes, but that still does not make you a trained professional. Your skills lie in closing gateways, not fighting demons.” “Oh, come on. You can’t be serious,” I said, giving him an aggrieved stare. “We’re supposed to be a team.” Stone held up his hand to stop me. “Sorry, ma’am, but there has never been, nor will there ever be, any babes on one of my teams. It is just too distracting for the men, and besides, I couldn’t bear to see your pretty little ass get hurt.” “Then don’t look,” I fired back at him. Stone looked like he was about to have an aneurism because I wouldn’t just get in line like the rest of his boys. He was obviously used to being in charge and never having his orders questioned, but if he thought I was going to cow tow to him, he had another thing coming. 78
Through gritted teeth, he said, “Your safety is now imperative to our mission. As far as we know, you are the only one who can close those portals once they are opened, so if you think about it, your safety is also important to the entire world. We cannot allow you to run around unprotected.” “Cannot allow? What, you’re my daddy now?” I countered defiantly, “I will do as I damn well please.” I could see the muscles in his jaw tensing, but I imagine mine were, too. I didn’t like being pushed around, even if it was for a good cause. “Look, I run the ops in this organization,” Stone insisted with a pained look on his face, “and what I say, goes.” “And you don’t allow women in your club, is that it?” I replied, unable to keep the contempt from my voice. The fastest way to get my hackles up is to talk down to me. I could see he didn’t like where this conversation was going, but I didn’t care. He was losing points with me fast. I was beginning to think Major Stone was a major rock, but he was sure easy on the eyes. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to babysit me,” I told him. “I have my own gun, and I know how to use it. I even have a concealedcarry permit.” He just gazed at me as if I was saying something cute. “That’s great, but this is a job for professionals. Nothing personal, but this is the kind of thing we were trained for.” I chuckled contemptuously. “What? Hunting demons? I wasn’t aware the military trained for that.” This was not at all going the way I had pictured it. I sighed. “Look, I was chosen for this, the same as you guys. And I am just as prepared, in my own way. You just don’t like the fact that I’m a woman.” “That’s where you’re wrong,” Stone said, sounding annoyed. “I love the fact that you’re a woman. You’re a hell of a lot easier to look at than those two guys.” He motioned towards Troy and McCleery. “I just don’t want to have to worry about you in the heat of battle because you don’t have the proper training or know-how to keep yourself from getting killed. Demons are vile, ruthless creatures that thrive on hatred and depravity. They have no mercy, and they won’t cut you any slack just because it’s an inconvenient time of month.” I huffed and rolled my eyes. “I think you’ll change your mind 79
when I show you what I can do.” “We already know what you can do,” he said irritably, “and it’s very valuable to us, and to the rest of the world. You are the only known gate weaver, and you are too important to risk.” I looked at him like he was crazy. “You need to just accept the fact that I’m a part of this team, and let’s get on with finding Hiram.” Stone rolled his eyes towards Troy as if to say, ‘Please handle this before my head explodes.’ Troy sighed and tried to be the voice of compromise. “Alright. We need you with us for now, in case Hiram opens another portal. So, let’s just see how it goes, and then we’ll take it from there.” Stone glared at Troy as if he couldn’t believe what he had just said, but he let it go in the interest of keeping the peace. “Fine. But I don’t think anything short of me growing a penis is going to make your commander happy,” I grumbled at Troy. “I can guarantee you that would not make him happy,” he said. Stone gave me a look that said I was being a pain in the ass. I’m not always this contrary, honest. I can take orders, I can be a team player, but he was really rubbing me the wrong way, making it impossible for me to get behind him. “Let’s just finish gathering your things so we can get moving,” Troy urged. “What about my dogs,” I asked, mentally holding my breath, bracing for another argument. I wasn’t going anywhere without them. Period. To my surprise, Stone answered, “Bring anything you need. We have plenty of room.” “Great, then you won’t mind if I bring my goats, too,” I said, just to see his reaction. He didn’t miss a beat. “Sure, we love cabrito,” he shot back. We made eye contact but neither of us smiled. “So, are you still too mad at me to do the binding thing you talked about?” he goaded. I shrugged. “I guess I’m over it.” “Then let’s do it. It’s bound to be interesting,” he said, expression softening a bit. I nodded. “Alright.” I indicated for them to follow. “Let’s go in here.” 80
We all proceeded to the living room, and I turned to face them. Without wasting any words, I raised my palms at the three men and let fly with the incantation I had been taught in the desert: ancient Hebrew words meant to bind us together, once and for all, as the Armor of God. I had no idea what the words meant, or what exactly would happen when I said them, but I knew it was important. Over the past four months, I was afraid I would forget. And when I had tried before to speak the words aloud, I could not. So I tried to write them down, but I could not do that either. But anytime I tried to recall them in my head, they were there. I guess it was God’s way of making sure the words didn’t fall into the wrong hands. This time when I tried to say the words aloud, they flowed out like a beautiful song, rhythmic and elegant. As I spoke them, I felt power rising up in me like a tidal flow of energy. Uncontainable, it burst forth from my open palms and pulsed out at the three men standing before me, hitting them like a big gust of luminous wind and knocking them all back a step. The wind was filled with dazzling lights that whirled between the four of us like a small tornado, making a humming sound that gradually turned into a cadence of beautiful words, swirling around us like angels whispering in a whirlwind. Before long, anything that weighed less than a small child and wasn’t nailed down became caught up in the circular motion of the winds, causing us to have to dodge some of the larger objects. The phenomenon continued for a full minute or so before slowing to a slight roar. Then it stopped all together, sending many of my worldly possessions crashing to the floor. The men looked at me with a new respect now, by golly. Stone was staring at me as if seeing me for the first time, and I took great pleasure in it. Reluctantly, I turned around to look at the wreck that was once my living room and sighed heavily. If I’d known the binding was going to create a small tornado, I’d have done it outside. There was a long pause before anyone spoke. “That was intense,” gushed McCleery, grinning like a fool. “What’s different?” “We’re full of power,” Troy offered, with a slow, dreamy quality to his voice. “We’ve been pumped full of energy and power. I can feel it.” 81
“It kind of gives you a buzz, doesn’t it?” I asked, unable to suppress a snigger. “Great,” snorted Stone, “we’ve got bad guys to catch, and we’re all too fucked up to drive.” For some reason, we all found that hilarious. McCleery thoughtfully began picking up random debris from my living room floor, but it was hardly worth the effort at this point. He replaced the throw pillows on my couch and stood a lamp upright. Then he bent to pick up some broken picture frames, studying the various family snapshots and rodeo photos in curiosity. “Hey, is this you?” he asked after a few moments, a wide grin plastered across his face. I didn’t have to see which picture he was talking about. The look on his face was the only clue I needed. “Yeah, that’s me,” I responded dryly. “You mean this girl right here?” he asked as if he couldn’t believe it. “In the hot pants and roller skates?” Suddenly interested, Stone and Troy moved in behind McCleery for a look. “Roller derby?” Stone asked, incredulous, blinking hard as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Is that a problem?” I asked, somewhat offended. He shook his head. “No, you just don’t look like the type, but then, I didn’t figure you for the Armor of God type either.” “Then maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to judge if you’re so often wrong,” I jibed. To my surprise, he nodded and flashed a smile that almost made my clothes melt off. “I stand corrected. You have obviously faced more fearsome creatures than we have, and lived to tell about it.” “Yeah,” McCleery teased, “and you don’t even have any visible scars.” Fortunately, the buzz started to wear off, and we came down to earth fairly quick. Stone made a flurry of phone calls, modifying the search effort according to the information I had uncovered. Within minutes, he had some phone numbers. We each took a number to call, working together nicely in our frantic attempts to get ahead of 82
Hiram. I was asked to call the bride. Still having trouble focusing on the small buttons on my phone, I made the call. Idalia didn’t answer, which wasn’t surprising since she was due to be married in about an hour and a half. I left a message, warning her about Hiram in general, but I also asked her to call back as soon as possible, preferably before the wedding. I left my number, but only half expected a call back. I was surprised when my phone rang about a minute later. It was Idalia’s fiancé, Ricardo Fuentes, and he was not a happy camper. “Who are you?” he demanded with a heavy Mexican accent. “My name is Sunny, and I am looking for Hiram Pugh. He stole something from my employers” —I didn’t know what else to call them— “and we want it back. We have reason to believe that he is going to try to disrupt your wedding tonight, and we wanted to warn you. For your own safety and the safety of your guests, you should consider postponing the ceremony until he has been caught.” “We will not be postponing anything. If you know where this Hiram is, you must tell me,” he ordered, then burst into a litany of profanities in Spanish. Hadn’t he heard me? I had just told him that I was looking for Hiram, too. Geez, some guys never listen. I took a deep breath and tried again, “No, I don’t know where he is right now, but he will most likely be somewhere near your wedding tonight.” He spouted a fresh round of curses, growling, “Let him come. I have brought in some protectors from my own country, and they will be ready for him. If you want to ask him about the items he stole from you, you had better find him first, because when we find him, we are going to kill him.” He was almost whispering when he finished. Somehow, I knew he meant every word. Based on what I’d heard about him from Raul, Ricardo was very well connected, and I wasn’t talking about socially. Great. Now, Hiram had the Mexican Mafia after him, too. His chances for survival were slim, at best, anyway, but we needed him alive long enough for Stone to have a quiet moment with him, to find out where he had hidden the stolen data and who he had given copies to. Maybe he hadn’t passed it around yet, but that was almost too much to hope for. 83
“Please don’t kill him. It is imperative that we speak to him first. A lot of lives depend on it.” I don’t think I was getting through to him. Hiram had already humiliated him once. He wasn’t about to let it happen again. “Then you had better find him first.” His voice sounded deadly. “Well, if it’s not too much to ask, could you please tell your ‘protectors’ that there will be others looking for Hiram tonight, too, and not to shoot any of us. I would really appreciate it if you would pass that along.” It couldn’t hurt to ask. I was hoping he’d show his gratitude for the early warning. He paused a moment before answering. In his heavily accented voice, he said, “Yes, I will pass it along, just do not get in our way.” He hung up. I looked at Stone and told him, “No surprise, but they’re going on with the wedding anyway, and they’ve hired some muscle to deal with Hiram if he shows up.” “Well, then I guess we’d better find the little shit first,” he said. “Troy, McCleery,” he barked, “we’re going to a wedding. It’s time for street clothes.” “I hate to tell you, but it’s supposed to be a formal affair...black tie and all,” I said. “I have a formal dress, but unless you guys carry tuxedoes around with you...” “Troy and I will be topside, looking for Hiram, so we don’t need fancy duds. McCleery will just have to use his charm and personality to get inside with you. So, let’s move. I want to be traveling in less than ten minutes.” He gazed at me with a cocky grin. “I guess you’ve earned your place with us tonight.” I looked up at him and smiled, feeling the strain between us ease a little. He was just one of those guys who took chivalry very seriously. I would try to keep that in mind and not be offended so easily. He wasn’t trying to be demeaning, in fact, quite the contrary. He was the type who believed women were special. They should be provided for and protected, and a woman in combat would only be a distraction. While that might be true in the usual set of combat circumstances, this was different. I reached out to touch his arm. “Thank you. I appreciate all your concerns, but I assure you I can handle myself.” He wore a sexy, crooked smile. “I hope so. I sure as hell don’t 84
want to see you get hurt.” I replied with a wink, “Don’t worry about me. Hell hath no fury like a woman in cowboy boots packing lead.”
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CHAPTER 7
Stone’s orders lit a fire under everybody, including me. The men used the guest bedroom to change their clothes while I tried to get myself ready in under ten minutes for a formal wedding, which, for me, was darn near impossible. But, considering what was at stake, I made it happen. The men were outside waiting by the vehicles when I stepped onto the front porch. McCleery whistled his appreciation. Of the three men, he was definitely the most unrestrained. Stone and Troy were in professional soldier mode. They just glanced at me and tried to appear unaffected, but I caught them both looking again. They were affected, all right. I wasn’t in the habit of spending a lot of money on just one outfit, but this little black dress had been worth every precious cent. I’d only worn it once before, but if I’d had a dime for every appreciative look I’d gotten that night, I’d have had enough to pay for the dress and still have money left over for shoes. I had been dying for a chance to wear it again, and this was the perfect occasion. I’d even slathered on some fancy lotion, making my tanned skin shimmer in the afternoon sun. I approached the vehicles, and Stone met me halfway, lending his arm like a gentleman for the short walk to my SUV. He helped me get the dogs loaded up in back and then held my door for me. He was earning his points back quickly. “McCleery, ride with the lady,” he ordered, and then he pulled a weapon from his belt and handed me a 9mm fitted with a silencer. “Why don’t you carry this one tonight?” he asked. “Hopefully you won’t need it, but better safe than sorry. Follow us downtown. We
need to park as close as we can and get into position quickly.” “Maybe you guys should follow me,” I countered. “I have the code to the parking garage at Wedding Island. We can’t get any closer than that.” “Now just how in the hell do you happen to have the code to the parking garage?” he asked in barely masked irritation. “I called my cousin Vicki. She’s a wedding coordinator in San Antonio, and she’s done some at Wedding Island, so she gave me the code. No big deal,” I said glibly. He sighed and nodded. Without a word, he strolled over to the black van and jumped in. I didn’t mean to keep one-upping him; honest I didn’t. But I wasn’t going to tiptoe around his colossal male ego, either. I was a part of the team now, and we were going to have to learn to work together. McCleery went over the plan as we drove towards downtown San Antonio. It didn’t sound like much of a plan to me, but it was all we had. When we got downtown, Stone and Troy were going to search for Hiram along the River Walk while McCleery and I skulked around the wedding, waiting for Hiram to open his gateway to Hell. I felt sure he’d be there, as long as The Order’s guys hadn’t already gotten to him. “What kind of tunes you got in this ride?” asked McCleery as he pulled a CD case off the floorboard. I flashed a grin. “Rock and Roll, what else is there?” “May I?” he asked, indicating the CD case. “Of course, but enter at your own risk,” I teased as he busied himself looking for some suitable music. “I hope you won’t be too hard on the Major because of his incredibly sexist attitudes and overtly macho behavior,” he said, examining a CD cover. “He’s really a good guy. He just doesn’t work well with the opposite sex. He says women and work don’t mix, because it’s too much of a distraction. But he just doesn’t understand women the way I do.” “Is that so?” I asked as I pulled onto the main highway headed towards downtown. “Oh, yeah. It’s all about how you react to a woman’s feelings. You’ve got to know how to empathize when they’re in pain, sympathize when they’re feeling blue, and when to run like hell 87
when they’re pissed. I run a lot.” I chuckled. “I find that hard to believe, McCleery. You seem like an easy going kind of guy.” “You have no idea,” he said with a friendly laugh, “and please call me Jack.” “Okay, Jack, if you know so much about women, how come you’re always pissing them off?” “I’m gifted that way, I guess.” “If that’s one you picked up in Iraq, I can’t wait to hear about the rest of them,” I teased. “Well, I don’t like to brag…” he said, joking. I giggled. “Besides,” he continued, “some of it is just too personal to talk about in front of the Major’s girl.” “The Major’s what?” I chortled, trying to keep my eyes on the road. “I know you two aren’t an item yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Otherwise, I’d be putting the moves on you right now myself.” “What in the world are you talking about?” “Aw, come on. I saw the way you two were looking at each other.” “Was that before or after he put me in a headlock?” “Oh, that wasn’t a headlock. That was more of a chin grip slash bear hug.” “Whatever.” “And the way he kicked your legs wide so you couldn’t flay his shins with your heels was classic.” “Uh huh, that little move won him my undying admiration,” I said sarcastically. “Yeah, but before that, you were looking,” he deftly pointed out. “I’m human. I can look.” “Yeah, but you two were doing more than just looking. You were practically having sex with your eyes.” “You are completely out of your mind. You know that?” “You’re not the first woman to tell me that, but I know eye sex when I see it.” “Eye sex?” I snickered. 88
“Yep, optical fornication.” “Optical what?” “Fornication.” “You’re crazy.” “I thought we had already established that.” “I felt you needed a reminder.” “I suppose I do, from time to time.” “You can count on me.” “Believe me, this job reminds me everyday,” he said, suddenly sounding a little sad. I looked over at him, surprised and a little troubled by the abrupt change in his mood. I couldn’t help but wonder what this man had been through. While I was sitting back on my ass, complaining all the while for having to wait for them, these guys were in the thick of things, actively carrying out operations. In light of what I could only imagine they had been through, I had no right to complain about anything. I promised myself right then that I would try to be more agreeable and less opinionated. After all, they had all the training and experience, and all I had was an attitude. I began to understand why Stone had been so perturbed. I was just a wrench in the works of their well-oiled machine. Okay, I guess you could say that I possessed some specialized knowledge and a valuable skill set, thanks to God and the darkhaired man. But I didn’t feel worthy of the gifts I had been given, especially when the three men, all veterans of the war in Iraq, had so clearly earned the right to have theirs. I would do well to remember the company I was keeping and defer to their experience as much as womanly possible. As soon as we drove into the downtown area, I could feel Evil riding the currents of the evening, casting a shadow of gloom and despair over everything like a filthy layer of soot. The oppressive atmosphere was in stark contrast with the festive lights and colorful decorations hanging virtually everywhere. Tonight, they did not seem as bright. The usual lively music even sounded dull and sluggish, as if the musicians were all dosed up on sedatives and couldn’t move fast enough to keep up the tempo. We arrived at the underground parking garage at Wedding Island at around 7:15 pm, just forty-five minutes before the 89
ceremony. I rolled down my window and punched in the access code. We drove through with the black van following close behind. The parking garage was relatively cool, so leaving the dogs with the windows down wouldn’t be a problem. The biggest problem we faced now was the security detail blocking the door. Jack looked nice and all, but a polo shirt and khaki pants do not a tuxedo make, and I figured they would notice the difference. As soon as I stepped out of my vehicle, fear and despair hit me like a bad odor, agitating my innards. I was certain now that we were in the right place. There were demons close by. I took my own 9mm out of my purse and hid it under the seat, intending to replace it with the silenced weapon Stone had given me. It didn’t fit. I rearranged and finagled and reorganized, but once I removed virtually everything else, it slid in there just fine. I wasn’t going anywhere without a weapon tonight. There were baddies about; I could feel them. I was wondering if anyone else was feeling it when Stone sauntered up in tight jeans and a dark blue polo shirt, looking better than he had a right to, and asked, “Can you feel that?” “Yeah. There are demons about, but I can’t tell if Hiram is here or not.” “He will be. We’re in the right place,” Stone said with conviction. “Troy and I are going to search the area surrounding the River Walk, while you two keep an eye on this place.” Then he turned his emerald gaze on me. “Sunny, please stay close to McCleery. Stick to him like glue. We will contact him on his comm set if we see a gateway open, so be ready to move. We want that hole closed as quickly as possible, for obvious reasons.” Wow. He even said please and everything. I felt bad for giving him a hard time earlier. I nodded my understanding silently and promised myself I would do as I was told. I didn’t even ask how in the hell we were supposed to get past the two thugs blocking the front door like I wanted to. I figured McCleery had a plan, because he didn’t ask either. Stone gave me a crooked smile and said in his deep southern drawl, “Good luck, and watch your pretty ass.” I flashed him a grin and a wink, and stepping lightly, we went our separate ways. Stone and Troy headed for the River Walk, while 90
Jack and I tried to decide the best way to go about crashing the wedding. “So, how are we going to get past those two huge guys blocking the door?” I asked Jack. “You don’t have a tux, and we don’t have an invitation.” “If you can’t get us past them, I guess I’ll have to take them out,” Jack replied easily. I grabbed his arm and turned to look him in the eye. “You’re going to kill them for being in our way?” I was appalled. “Nooo,” he said, as if he couldn’t believe I had even suggested it. “I’m just going to incapacitate them for a while. No big deal.” I let go of his arm and stepped back to study his face. I could see that he hadn’t even entertained the idea that they might take him down first. He was just that confident in his abilities, probably because he had done this kind of thing more than a time or two before, which made me feel all safe and warm inside. This was the kind of guy you wanted for a friend. “Well, I think we should do that only as a last resort,” I said, attempting to be reasonable. “I’ll give it a shot first. You just follow me and try not to look too dangerous.” I stared up at him and realized how ridiculous a statement I had just made. “Smile,” I told him. “That might help.” Jack plastered a grin on his face, which only made him look more menacing. Since I couldn’t do anything about it, I hung a smile on my face, too, took Jack’s arm, and glided over to the guards at the door with a sexy sway in my hips, looking like I’d just heard a good joke. We were still several feet away when I realized that my congenial demeanor was being ignored in favor of Jack McCleery’s more frightening countenance. The guards were definitely not responding favorably to my body language. They were too concerned about the grinning giant beside me. In fact, the closer we got, the more tense they became. This just wouldn’t do. We only wanted to make nice with them, but I didn’t think we stood anywhere near their comfort zone. Flying by the seat of my pants as usual, I let go of Jack’s arm and approached the men with hands up in a harmless looking gesture. As I moved towards them, I started shoving power out at them. Suddenly, their eyes lit up, and I knew I had connected way before I even touched them. They stood completely still, somehow 91
captivated by the power rushing at them through my open palms. Their hair was being ruffled by an unseen breeze, and their faces had lost the hard, predatory look they had projected before. When I was close enough, I reached out and touched both men. They shut their eyes as the power, completely tapped now, flowed through us all, whipping through our bodies like a mini version of the whirlwind I had created earlier in the day. Someone touched me on the shoulder from behind, and I knew it was Jack, who was immediately drawn into our circle of whirling energy. We stood like that for at least half a minute before the winds slowed and I was able to pull away. The two men before me opened their eyes and smiled, obviously feeling no pain. They were looking around like they had never seen such a beautiful parking garage before. Fortunately, there weren’t any demons to see yet. “What just happened?” one of them muttered. Both of them wore dazed looks on their faces. I knew we were running behind, but I felt like I had to say something to them to prepare them for what was coming. “Guys, you are now part of the Army of God, charged with fighting demons wherever you may find them. Most can be killed with a bashing or a bullet, preferably lead. Just watch out for innocents; we don’t want anyone getting hurt unnecessarily.” I looked at Jack, who seemed to think the whole thing was pretty funny. “Is there anything else I should mention?” I asked him. He shook his head. “That should just about cover it,” he replied with a chuckle. “Okay. Well... God Bless you,” I said awkwardly as Jack pulled me past them and inside the doors of Wedding Island. “That was different. What did you just do?” he asked calmly once we were inside. His tone suggested I was in trouble, though, and I was feeling a little defensive. “I was only trying to turn them to our side, so they’d let us in.” “Whatever works, but we should really make a concerted effort to be discreet,” he scolded mildly, “and try and save some of that weird shit for the bad guys, would you?” I sighed. “I’ll try.” He held his arm out for me and asked, “Shall we?” 92
Arm in arm, we walked into the beautiful reception area where guests were beginning to congregate. I couldn’t help but notice that many of the men had gun-sized bulges under their tuxedoes, which probably had less to do with Hiram, and more to do with the fact that they just never went anywhere without them. In my humble opinion, Hiram was a freaking idiot for messing with these people, but I guess they couldn’t be any worse than The Order’s people. Or the demons. Hell, at this point, I could imagine Hiram dying any number of ways. The ushers had not yet taken their positions, and the chapel area, which was outside by the banks of the river, was still empty. We took the opportunity when no one was paying attention to slip outside and find a couple of seats near the outer aisle in the middle of the room while trying to look like we belonged. Fortunately, when the ushers began seating people, no one even gave us a second look. “I feel fantastic,” whispered a grinning Jack in my ear. “Yeah, me too,” I replied, giggling a little. I felt unbelievably good, and we were both having trouble keeping still in our seats. I could see energy flowing through us, and around us, and even between us as we sat, trying to contain ourselves. All my senses felt alive, operating at 150%, making me hyper-sensitive to my surroundings. The sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoor chapel felt so good, it was almost overwhelming. The flower arrangements decorating the ends of each pew gave off tiny sparks of fragrance that, when breathed in, tasted sweet and fresh, sending a mildly euphoric current through my body. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, enjoying the many sensations coursing through me. My hearing seemed to be in overdrive as well. At first, there was such a jumble of sounds, it was difficult to make anything out, but I soon found I could shift the focus of my attention to pick up tidbits of conversation here and there. What was most odd, though, was how my brain seemed to translate each sensual experience into not only a feeling, but a color as well. The smell of the flowers was white and invigorating, but the sound of the old man’s voice five pews in front of us seemed brown and weary. As more and more people flowed in to take their seats, it 93
became obvious that this was going to be a very large wedding. Special guests of the bride and groom were seated in the covered area of the chapel, where we were sitting, while many other guests were seated across the river, viewing the ceremony head on, with the bride and groom facing them. I could see some of Ricardo’s armed muscle wandering around over there, looking dangerous. There were only two guards in the chapel with us now, probably because most of the male guests, at least those on the groom’s side of the aisle, were armed already. I had never been to a wedding where so many people appeared to be carrying weapons. But who was I to throw stones? I was carrying, too. A peculiar gust of wind channeled through the outdoor chapel, rustling ribbons and flower arrangements, carrying with it the faint but unmistakable smell of demons. I glanced over at Jack. “Do you smell that?” The woman sitting next to me frowned down her nose at us. Jack nodded, nostrils flaring slightly. His aura bristled with brisk colors, cool and reassuring against my hyper-sensitive skin. The lights grew dim, and the crowd settled into hushed whispers. A feeling of impending doom planted itself in the front of my brain. Tension stiffened my backbone, and the hair on my neck began to rise. I squirmed. Jack fidgeted. Abruptly, the wedding march began, and I nearly jumped over the pew in front of me. Jack put his massive hand on my arm and pointed up towards the front left side of the chapel. He leaned over. “Do you see that?” he whispered as we all rose in honor of the bride. A dark shadow rolled across the ceiling like a thick fog. I nodded. I saw it, alright, and there was a lavender-haired old lady in the front row who was seeing it, too. She made the Sign of the Cross as she stared upward, eyes wide. The rest of the wedding party seemed oblivious. The lovely Idalia slowly and gracefully strode down the aisle towards the altar near the water’s edge on the arm of an older man who was probably her father. She looked truly beautiful in her beaded white gown with its long, elaborate train trailing regally behind her. It seemed a darn shame her day was about to be ruined. A current of fear bolted up the length of my spine. Something was about to happen. Someone was building up a load of power, and 94
they were close. Jack looked around, fully alert. He touched his earpiece and spoke into his comm set, “Look alive, men. Something is about to go down.” Nerves stretched taut, we watched and waited, feeling helpless in the face of the impending storm. The music stopped. The bride and her father had reached their destination. The guests took their seats, and an uneasy quiet fell over the room. Just as the preacher said “Dearly beloved,” I saw a flash of light out of the corner of my eye. I turned quickly, searching for the culprit, and spotted him on a foot bridge about sixty feet away. He was holding a fiery ball glowing with an unearthly red hue. I grabbed Jack’s arm and pointed, but he was already moving. Making no attempt to be inconspicuous, he yelled into his headset, “Pugh! North footbridge! North footbridge!” I cringed as all eyes turned to us, angry faces glaring. So much for being discreet. Ricardo’s Mexican security was already moving towards us, with guns drawn, more quickly than I’d have ever thought possible. Jack pointed towards Hiram and yelled, “There’s your man! It’s Hiram Pugh! There’s your man!” Ricardo looked to where Jack was pointing and, recognizing his foe, barked some orders to his men in Spanish. They immediately turned their guns away from us and took up the chase for Hiram. Phew. I felt more tingling electrical currents run up my spine as Hiram gathered more power, gearing up for his incantation. The fiery red orb he was fondling flashed brilliant sparks of white and red light. His hands moved around the ball slowly and deliberately, like he was packing snow for a snowball fight. The ball of fire pulsed white, and in the brighter light, I could see he was wearing his Grim Reaper robe again. What a boob. Hiram picked up the pace, trying to hurry now. He packed power into the ball, until it began to glow brightly. Then, he reared back and threw the sphere, sending it flying in an arc of light that burst with a loud crack just behind the altar where the bride and groom were doing their best to get the show back on the road. No one seemed to see the fireball or the lights, except maybe the old 95
lady in the front row, but they all sure as hell heard the bang. More than a few guests on the groom’s side of the aisle ducked behind their pews for cover, most likely from pure habit. A ragged tear appeared just at the edge of the waterline behind the preacher. Jack and I were moving towards it immediately. The hot winds of Hell blew through the opening, causing people to pinch their noses and look around in blind confusion, searching in vain for the source of the noxious breeze. The groom hastily escorted his bride back down the aisle, away from the malodorous stench. Jack and I had taken maybe three steps toward the rift when demons started roaring through, grabbing onto anyone whose aura was dark enough to permit it. The hole had started out larger this time, which meant Hiram was getting better. And he had again placed the gateway over water, just at the edge of the riverbank, this time allowing the demons without wings to plop out on dry land, which was bad. But it also gave me easy access, which was good. Just then, the little old lady in the front row began screaming hysterically, “Madre de Dios! Esta los diablos aqui,” which translates, Mother of God, there are devils here. The poor little darling tried to run, but her concerned relatives intervened, afraid she would fall and hurt herself. Fortunately for us, she provided just the distraction we needed. Jack and I ran for the rift, and within seconds, my hands were doing their work, closing the gateway to Hell. Suddenly, a demon that looked like a baboon on crack leaped through the rift, knocking me on my butt, then sped headlong into the throng of wedding guests, looking for a victim. Jack reached out to help me up, and I was shocked at the icy coldness of his flesh. I didn’t get the chance to ponder it because just then another winged nightmare came roaring through the gateway. I tucked and rolled to get out of the way. As the demon rushed past, Jack spun on his heels, flinging his hand out towards the evil creature. To my complete amazement, five frozen bolts spewed forth from his outstretched fingers, impaling the monster, causing it to burst into an icy powder, falling like dust on the ground. I jumped to my feet so my hands could continue their work. I spared a glance at Jack, who was looking positively frosty. His 96
usually tanned skin gleamed white, as if covered in a thin layer of ice, and his brown eyes had turned an arctic blue. Ready and waiting for more demons, he stood in a fighting stance with a wild grin on his face. The effect was chilling, if you’ll pardon the pun, and Jack looked deadly. I could feel the hot winds of Hell in front of me and the cool, comforting presence of Jack beside me. As I worked, I watched him appreciatively, through a woman’s eyes. He winked at me, acknowledging the compliment. I ducked and dodged, weaving the frayed edges of the rift together every chance I got. Iridescent threads of reality flowed from my fingertips like the webs of a spider, spinning the portal tightly closed, but not fast enough. On the other side of the gateway, something making noises like a high-powered weed whacker speedily approached. All of a sudden, a giant fly buzzed through the opening, bristling with wicked, sharp hairs. I screeched and took immediate evasive action. Jack was all over it. He pelted the giant insect with his icy missiles until it exploded into sleet, falling to the tiled riverbank with a clatter. I turned back to the rift just as hundreds of pale, writhing maggots the size of Bratwurst sausages plopped out in a smacking, wet heap. I gagged, nearly adding to the slippery mess. Jack studied the scene a moment, unsure how to proceed. After careful consideration, he shrugged and started stomping. I was thoroughly repulsed. The crowd behind me was going at each other like a Blood and Thunder Roller Derby match, and the granny with the lavender hair was still trying to make a break for it. Her loved ones wanted her to lie down because she was freaking out, which only made matters worse. They were completely restraining her now, causing her to scream and fight even harder, like a woman possessed, which didn’t help her case any. I went back to work, trying to avoid the remaining maggots as Jack fought off a group of imps that just dropped through, scurrying frantically to get away before Jack destroyed them. Almost done, something cold and slimy slapped across my foot, followed by a sharp, biting pain. Reflexively, I kicked out, flinging one of the damnable maggots off into the water, leaving a circle of 97
oozing blood on my foot. Ick. Redoubling my efforts, I worked frantically to close the rest of the gateway. It seemed like hours before the rift was closed, but it was probably more like five minutes. I was getting better at my job but, unfortunately, so was Hiram. It was time to put the quietus on his ass. The whole chapel was in an uproar. About a dozen guests were sporting demons on their backs and the rest were just plain pissed off that the wedding had been disrupted. Jack and I took the opportunity to try to make our exit, but our path was immediately blocked by the demon-ridden guests along with several others who believed they were stopping the real troublemakers here, namely us. “Mexican standoff, I’ll handle this,” Jack said, looking like he was about to bust a move on them. “Hold up there a minute,” I told him. “I want to try something.” I drew my hands back and took a deep breath before forcing the powerful energy boiling inside me out at the angry mob, blasting them with power, giving them the ability to see the monsters around them. Some of the guests, mostly women, began screaming and running for the exits, but others saw the foul, loathsome creatures riding the backs of their friends and relatives, and they turned on the demons with a vengeance. “Okay. That beats my idea,” said Jack with an approving smile. He quickly moved me along the side of the chapel, past the exit to the foyer, and out the doors to the street where more sounds of screaming filled the night air.
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CHAPTER 8
Jack and I didn’t bother going through the parking garage, because the action was now above the river at street level. We followed the screams to the footbridge just in time to see Hiram sprinting around a distant corner, his dark robe flapping behind him. Five of Ricardo’s hired guns were chasing after him. Standing before us on the footbridge was a very familiar monster. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and evidently, I wasn’t the only one. Every living soul in the vicinity was running away in abject terror, screaming enthusiastically at a demon that was far too visible. I was stopped cold. “A freaking werewolf?” I grumbled. “What next?” “Next, comes death,” said Jack venomously as he narrowed his cold blue eyes and walked with determination towards his enemy. My dad always told me there were no such things as werewolves or vampires, goblins or ghosts. Technically, I guess he was right. But now I know that there are creatures much worse, and they actually come in many of the usual varieties, which is, I suppose, how legends of werewolves and vampires got started. But in the real world, it wouldn’t make much difference if you were eaten by a werewolf, or if you were eaten by a demon that looked like a werewolf. Either way, you were dog food. Stone and Troy were already engaged, taking on the impossible hellhound with a light show like no other I’d ever seen before. I stood back a moment, my feet held fast by utter astonishment. Electricity arced and crackled around Stone as he drew power. His eyes shone with an otherworldly light, and his body was
smoking hot, giving off hazy tendrils of steam. Abruptly, he flung his hands out at the creature and lighting bolts—actual freaking lighting bolts—flew from his fingertips, zapping the wolf-demon with white hot currents of fire. It howled in rage, distracted by the pain. Troy took the advantage. He leaped at the beast, holding a brilliantly radiating, semi-translucent sword of light, almost solid, though not quite. But when he connected with the sword it was solid enough. He slashed, aiming for the neck, but the massive werewolf nimbly ducked under the blow, taking the hit on the shoulder instead. Brilliant light burst from the wound, and the monster bellowed in agony, its fierce gaze turning towards its attacker. The wolf hunkered down into a crouch and launched itself at Troy, fangs bared, claws reaching out, promising death. But death held no fear for the man with the flaming sword. He did not retreat, nor even flinch. Instead, he rushed straight at the beast, bravely, maybe stupidly, but without a doubt, effectively. He parried and whirled elegantly with his radiant weapon, cutting the snarling wolf apart. I stared, open mouthed. Jack confidently moved in, determined to get in some licks of his own. The demon didn’t even see him coming until he began shouting a litany of colorful curses, meant to draw its attention. “Come here, you mother-humping, flea-bitten mongrel. I’m going to fuck you up,” he yelled hotly, but he was so cold, I could see his breath when he spoke The werewolf turned on him in a frightening flash of fangs and intense fury. It leaped at Jack in a blur of speed, but he was ready for it. He stood firm, feet planted wide, and fired off ten frozen bolts of agony at the beast’s furry head and neck. He sidestepped the roaring freight train at the last second, just as Troy came in with a sidelong swipe that sliced into the wolf’s side with a dazzling burst of light. Breathless, I watched the men dance around the monster, an awesome sight to behold. They seemed to be everywhere at once, working together almost perfectly, as if their movements had been choreographed and rehearsed, and most probably, they had. I felt so inadequate. All I had to throw at the demon was a 100
blustery wind. I didn’t think giving it the wind would be very helpful, so I stuck my hand in my purse and withdrew the weapon Stone had given me. I sighted on the werewolf’s head and waited for a shot. I couldn’t risk shooting one of the boys. Every opening, I fired, hitting it every time. The bullets struck the demon like blows from a sledge hammer, taking out big chunks and knocking it a bit senseless. But the bullets were quickly forced out of the wounds as the flesh regenerated with impossible speed. Just then, the werewolf dropped down to all fours and charged Stone with lightning fast swiftness. Stone tucked and rolled, avoiding the charge, making it look easy. He came up on his feet almost immediately, following through with a couple of lightning bolts to the demon’s backside. Powerful currents crackled and hissed around the beast’s body like a small electrical storm, causing it to howl in pain and savage rage, its grievous wounds starting to take their toll. Jack fired off more arctic darts. “Die, you hairy bastard! Die!” he screamed at the demonic beast, followed by curses so offensive, they’d make a redneck blush. Stone hit it once more with his lightning, and finally, the big demon went down in a buzz of crackling white flames, completely atomized. With no time to waste, we immediately took off after Hiram, running in the direction we had last seen him go with his pursuers hot on his tail. Since I wore a dress and high heels, I was somewhat at a disadvantage, but I managed to keep up. We ran a couple of blocks, zigging and zagging down an alley or two, until we heard screaming. It wasn’t a fun, amusement park type of scream; it was the undeniable scream of pain, followed by the sound of bodies being broken and men dying. It could only mean one thing: Hiram had summoned another demon. The sounds came from the other side of the tall stucco wall in front of me. I grimaced with dismay as I recognized where we were. This was the wall surrounding the Alamo, and Hiram and his demon were defiling its hallowed ground. My anger flared. The Alamo is sacred to those of us who understand what really took place here, and the thought of such 101
disrespect irked me to no end. Moving purposefully, as if I had a plan, I kicked off my shoes and took several running strides, leaping up to grab hold of the top of the wall. I pulled myself up and into a sitting position in one smooth motion, facing inside. Evidently, the guys had the same plan because they all jumped up onto the wall, too, and then over and down into the darkened grounds of the fort to engage the enemy. I stayed put, sighting in on the demon. I began firing as he was slaughtering the last of Ricardo’s men. In the shadowed darkness to my right, I registered movement out of the corner of my eye. I snapped my head for a better look, and I spotted Hiram standing in the shadows of a large oak tree, still wearing his ridiculous cloak. He clearly saw me, too, and his eyes flew wide with recognition. I could almost feel his heart skip a beat, and then he turned and ran away like the coward he most assuredly was. “Hiram, wait!” I yelled, standing up to run atop the wide wall after him. “Please! I need you. Please don’t run away! They’ll kill me if you don’t help me!” I shouted, trying to appeal to his desperate-for-a-woman mentality. I was also counting on the fact that he thought I was as afraid of The Order as he was. He kept right on going. “Please, Hiram!” I pleaded. “I need a powerful sorcerer like you, or I won’t stand a chance! You’ve got to help me!” I jumped down off the wall, adding another desperate, “Please!” He slowed and then suddenly stopped. I tried to keep my gun hand behind me as much as possible, hoping he wouldn’t notice as he turned, slowly, to face me, his angry eyes full of hope. Oh, ho, ho. I had been so right. It wasn’t the head on his shoulders that was listening to me now; it was the one in his pants. “Can you call off your demon, Hiram,” I asked as sweetly as I could, considering the fact that I pretty much hated his evil ass right now. But I could hear the battle still raging behind me, and I figured this was the best way I could help. Hiram just looked at me, but I could see the wheels turning, albeit slowly. “We can help each other. Please, Hiram. Before any more lives are lost,” I implored, slowly approaching him. 102
He didn’t back away, which was a good sign, but his already grim-looking aura was growing darker as his twisted mind considered the possibilities. Even now, with all that was going on around him, he wasn’t thinking past the end of his dick. “Please, Hiram. End this now. Stop your demon, and I’ll go away with you. We can help each other,” I said, trying to be vague. I was giving him my best I’ll-love-you-forever-if-you-do-this-for-me look. He seemed to consider for a moment; then his eyes narrowed as he considered some more. Evidently, his dick still had something to say about what went on here, so I decided to give it one more try before I just gave up and shot him. “Hiram,” I said, holding my hand out to him, “Please stop this now, before it’s too late.” Before I have to shoot your sorry ass. I swear I only thought it. I did not say it out loud—at least, I don’t think I did. But all of a sudden, Hiram spun on his heels and took off, running as fast as his underdeveloped little legs could carry him. Damn. I knew I should have just shot him right off the bat. It would have saved me some time. I raised my weapon and fired once, bringing Hiram down hard with a bullet in the back of the leg. I was aiming for his ass. “Call it off, Hiram,” I screamed as I ran towards him. Just then, out of nowhere dropped two winged demons, probably the same ones that tried to carry me away from the River Walk last night. They picked Hiram up by his armpits, carrying him over the wall of the Alamo, right out of sight. I took a running jump up onto the wall again just in time to see Hiram in the arms of his two demons, already about forty feet high and climbing, his leg dripping blood. Good. I hope it hurt like hell. But I was probably going to catch a rash of shit from Stone for letting him get away, and that did nothing good for my attitude. Still atop the wall but feeling kind of cranky, I ran the thirty or so yards back towards the real battle, to see if I could lend a hand. The demon was huge, at least eight feet tall, mostly resembling an upright standing lion. Its long, wispy mane surrounded an ugly, 103
distorted head and gaping, fanged maw. Three vicious looking claws extended from each hand, and its rat-like tail was split into many razor sharp strands. Patches of dense, matted fur covered its mottled skin, concealing, thankfully, the groin and chest area. The monster reeked of sulphur and age-ripened filth, which was bad, but then I got a whiff of its scorching hot breath, which was worse. Troy moved in close, gracefully stepping over the bodies of the slain, his radiant sword whirring around the beast with deadly intent. But the demon was quick and avoided most of the blows. McCleery fired some icy missiles just as Troy, seemingly on instinct, ducked low, managing to stay clear of the frosty darts. Stone took the advantage and flung a bolt of electricity into the demon, causing it to crackle and burn as it screamed in agony and anger. I tried to find a clean shot. Jack moved in too close, his cold blue eyes looking angry and determined, his lips uttering foggy curses at the beast. He was holding an ice-crystal sword in each hand now, cutting and stabbing and ducking the demon’s thrashing tail. He had found his groove and was using the rhythm to great advantage, but the demon was clever and, sensing that the end was near, it spun around, slashing its lethal tail in a fake-out maneuver, in a last ditch effort to take one of my guys down. I screamed when I saw it coming, because there was nothing in the world I could do to stop it. As the demon feinted forward, it unexpectedly spun around and lashed out in a backward motion, catching Jack in the throat with its tail, ripping a big bloody gash across his neck and down his chest. Blood was pouring out of his mouth before he hit the ground by the wall below my feet. “No!” I screamed in anger and unspeakable sorrow, causing the demon to turn in my direction. Its eyes were burning pools of hate. I jumped down off the wall, dropping my gun in the process, and advanced on the charging demon. I raised both hands as wind and power rose up around me in a tornado of rage and retribution, fueled by intolerable grief. With all the will I possessed, I flung the energy out at the demon that had probably just killed my friend. The force hit it like a battering ram, stopping it dead in its tracks. The beast screamed through shattered jaws. Again and again, I pounded the demon bastard with all I had, knowing we had to get 104
help for Jack quickly or it would be too late. With tears blurring my vision, I battered the monster viciously, giving no quarter, until it went down in an ugly burst of yellow, writhing flame and shrieking smoke. I immediately turned and ran back to Jack, who was struggling to breathe. I fell to my knees beside him and cradled his head in my lap. Twin rivers of tears streaked down my face in wide, chaotic tracks. Stone and Troy were there, too, kneeling down, touching their friend. My heart was a mass of pain, bloated with swollen despair and fragmented hopes. Jack coughed, spraying blood out his pale lips, wrenching my heart to pieces. He took a deep breath, which I feared would be his last. Then he sat upright, eyes wide, and said, “Is it over? What’d I miss?” I gasped, staring at Jack in disbelief. His entire upper torso was completely covered in blood, but his wounds were gone, like it never even happened. I burst into tears, flinging my arms wide, hugging him tightly with his head pressed firmly against my chest. “I’ve died and gone to Heaven,” he said in a muffled voice. I backed off a little, so he could breathe. “Don’t you ever do that again. Do you hear me? Never,” I insisted. “Do what?” he asked, innocently. “You know what,” I said, unable to dry my tears because my hands were covered in blood. I shook them in frustration. “You mean the part about getting my throat ripped out, or the bleeding uncontrollably?” “I mean the nearly dying part. However you manage to go about it, it’s the end result I want you to avoid.” He grinned. “Okay, I promise to try to avoid dying from now on. I didn’t really enjoy it anyway.” I guess that would have to be good enough. I stood up and looked at Stone and Troy, who were just as emotionally ripped as I was, but they were able to control their tears. I didn’t care. Being a woman meant tears sometimes. “That goes for you, too,” I said, pointing my finger at them, meaning every word. They both just nodded, afraid to show any emotion for fear it would open the flood gates. It was okay. I understood. Being a man meant hiding your tears sometimes. There were sirens approaching, already too close for comfort. 105
The police probably wouldn’t believe us when we told them we were defending the Alamo against demons, and with all the fresh bodies on the ground, Hell would probably freeze over before we saw daylight again. “We need to get out of here, pronto” said Stone, anxious to be on the move again. “We don’t want to have to take time to explain ourselves to the locals.” “A little help here,” Jack said, still on the ground. He reached his hand out for someone to help him up. Troy pulled him to his feet, directly into a manly hug with a friendly pat on the back. I stepped up and embraced them both, making a nice Jack sandwich. Even Stone came forward to pat both men on the back a little, but that was about as much emotion as we were going to get out of him. Any other time, I would have tried to make the contact last, but the sirens were much closer now. We had to move quickly to avoid being detained by San Antonio’s finest. Troy picked up my gun for me, and then we jumped the wall back the way we came, where I retrieved my shoes. Using side streets and alleyways as much as possible, we made our way back to the parking garage of Wedding Island, steering clear of the partying mobs because we were all still covered in Jack McCleery’s blood. Good thing I’d worn black.
106
CHAPTER 9
Red flashing lights strobed between the buildings near the footbridge where the werewolf first made its appearance. A half dozen police cars and news vans lined the street right around the corner from the garage entrance to Wedding Island. It didn’t surprise me that they weren’t at the chapel. Ricardo and his familia would want to handle their own problems, and calling the police probably wouldn’t even occur to them. We followed Stone to the garage entrance. Just yards away, he held his hand up, bringing us to a halt. Cautiously, he peered around the edge of the building into the garage, searching for danger. The stink of demons was heavy in the air, too thick to be a residual effect. They were close. Fear for my dogs gnawed at my stomach as Stone took his sweet time scanning the dim parking area. What the hell was he waiting for? I could hardly stand the stress. I edged closer, touching his shoulder, encouraging him to hurry. He held his arm out to keep me back, but when Rita gave an anxious whine, I stuck my neck out for a look, and immediately wished I hadn’t. At least a dozen bodies, all blackened and shriveled, littered the floor, their beaded gowns and rented tuxedoes strangely deflated. Men and women alike lay in withered heaps, shrunken in horror, their skeletal faces twisted into painful grimaces. I gasped involuntarily. My dogs spotted me immediately. They leaped out of the back of the truck, racing towards me with unmitigated joy clearly showing in their furry faces. Stone huffed and gave me an annoyed look for drawing
attention to us. I shrugged unapologetically, relieved to see my darling canines alive and well. Just like the men with me tonight, my dogs were professionals. They immediately took up defensive positions, placing themselves between me and the parking garage. A deep, rumbling growl rolled out of Chili’s throat. I gently silenced him for fear of attracting the attention of the werewolf hunters around the corner. Warily, we entered the garage. Several tuxedoed men were waving at us wildly from behind the glass doors in the relative safety of the foyer, evidently warning us of some imminent danger. Jack flashed them an acknowledgement in the form of a peace sign. Chili and Rita flanked me, their wicked canine claws tapping and clicking on the cool cement. The air was still, disturbed only by the echo of our footsteps. Conveniently, several of the overhead lights had gone out, casting a large portion of the garage into darkness. Strange, whispery sounds circulated through the dim interior, like fabric rubbing stone. Suddenly, both dogs’ hackles went up, their furry lips raised in a snarled warning. We all halted, straining to see. Just ahead, my eyes registered activity. Stone reacted quickly, casting crooked fingers of lightning in the direction of the movement, lighting the area up brilliantly, to reveal a shadow demon hovering like an insubstantial fog beneath the cement ceiling. It was probably the same demon Jack and I had seen in the chapel earlier, but I couldn’t be positive. All noncorporeal shadows look alike to me. All of a sudden, the cloud-like entity propelled itself at me with an impossible burst of speed, completely encircling me in the blink of an eye. Chili and Rita went ballistic, snapping at the haze, growling savagely. I dropped to the floor and rolled left, out of the strange darkness, just as two taloned hands materialized from the murky shadow, grabbing for me. Chili lunged for one of the clawed hands, sinking his teeth into the only palpable flesh. A faraway scream escaped the smoky shadow as it ripped itself free of Chili’s fanged grasp and disappeared along the darkened ceiling once again. Too dim, our human eyes could not see the faint creature, but Chili and Rita had 108
no such limitations. They barked and growled in agitation, leaping at the demon as it circled back to attack Stone. Stone hastily dropped into a crouch just as the demon hands materialized from the darkness above and reached down for him. He rolled out of the way, and Jack launched several handfuls of frozen darts at the vaporous beast, one right after the other, resulting in nothing more than the sound of shattered icicles against the cement ceiling. I tested a burst of my air hammer on it then, but again, there was no measurable effect. Still, the shadow kept coming. This time, Troy was the mark. Instantly, the creature was on him. He ducked instinctively, swiping his luminous blade through the murky fog, evading the demon’s clawed hands by a hair’s breadth. Chili and Rita were a blur of fur and pointy teeth. Chili bit into the monster’s hand, and Rita managed to grab an arm. The weight of both dogs pulled the demon, screaming, down from the ceiling, out of its protective vapor, smacking it hard against the ground where it became a whole beast, without its shadow shield to protect it. The dogs were all over it, ripping and rending demon flesh in a flurry of action. The four of us just stood, mouths wide, waiting for the dog fight to end. They certainly didn’t seem to need our help. I looked up, concerned about the noise. A crowd had gathered beyond the glass doors, watching from the foyer with mouths agape. I couldn’t say I blamed them. Finally, the screeching demon bastard disappeared with a Poof! and a small, orange flash of light. Chili and Rita immediately ran to me for approval, tails wagging and big doggie smiles plastered across their fuzzy maws. “Gracias, amigos,” I told them, scratching them both behind the ears. “Muy bueno, perros. Muchas gracias.” Their tails wagged enthusiastically. They knew they’d done good. “You’ve both earned a big, rare steak,” I told them, still petting them vigorously. “I bet they’d rather have chicken,” Stone interjected, eliciting chuckles from McCleery and Troy. I glared at them suspiciously. “Come on,” Stone said, holding his hand out to me. “Let’s get out of here.” 109
I took his hand, and he walked me over to my truck. He helped me get my dogs loaded up in back, then opened my door so I could climb in. He stood next to me, gazing into my eyes, and for a moment, time stood still. I almost forgot about the impending invasion of demons and the imminent destruction of the world hanging over our heads. “You okay?” he asked, his voice jolting me back to reality. Genuine concern creased his brow. “Sure, nothing that a good, stiff drink wouldn’t cure,” I told him, only half kidding. I took a deep, quivering breath, and let it out slowly. I looked down at my hands, still sticky with Jack’s blood. I pulled a box of handy-wipes out of the console and began nervously swabbing off some of the gore. Stone stared at me hard for a moment. “You sure you want to drive?” “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said as Jack slid into the passenger seat beside me. He had ridden there with me, so we both assumed he’d be riding back with me, too. “I’m just a little shaken up; that’s all.” “Yeah, I have that effect on women,” Jack said jokingly. I snorted, too tired to laugh. “Of all the scary, fucked-up shit we had to deal with tonight, what happened to Jack scared me the most,” I told them, feeling a lump well up in my throat, but I held the tears. “Aw, it was no big deal,” Jack said uncomfortably. “Besides, I’ve had worse.” “What?” I asked incredulously, looking at him like he’d lost his mind. He was trying to look serious. “Oh yeah, I’ve had much worse.” “You have not,” I said definitively. “Sure, I lost a couple of limbs last time.” “Oh yeah? Well you seem to have them all now.” “No, I started out with extra, and this is what’s left.” “You are so full of crap, you know that?” I asked, shaking my head, but feeling much better already. I looked back at Stone, who was watching with amusement. “Okay. We’ll follow you out of downtown, and when we hit the main highway, we’ll switch, and you can follow us to the 110
compound,” he said, then hesitated, as if he had more to say, but wasn’t sure how to say it. I waited patiently until he raised his face to look me dead in the eye. “You did good tonight,” he told me, and I could tell he meant it. My heart vibrated joyously, and my face grew so hot I thought I was going to spontaneously combust. I smiled my thanks at him. He shot a friendly warning look at Jack and said, “McCleery, behave yourself.” Then he shut my door and walked with a cocky swagger over to the van and got in behind the wheel. He had to know I was watching, and he made it good. I pulled my SUV to the garage exit and under the red and white striped mechanical arm but was halted by a slowly flowing line of traffic. Fiesta had the streets still jam-packed with revelers in their cars, looking for a place to park. “Aw, crap,” Jack mumbled. “We’ll never get out of here.” “Sure we will,” I told him optimistically. “Watch and learn. This is how they do it in Mexico.” I pushed the button on my door, and my window slid down silently. Then, I hung partially out the opening, pointing in the direction I wanted to go. “My friend, Karla, taught me this. She’s authentic. Her family is from Monterrey.” Sure enough, the first car stopped for me, and I pulled out, turning left, effectively blocking the right lane of traffic. Then I leaned further out the window, making eye contact with the driver on the other side, again pointing to let him know what I wanted. He, too, allowed me to pull into traffic in front of him. I waved a thank you, and was about to roll my window up, when I heard someone yelling from the Suburban facing the opposite direction next to us, “That’s her! The gate weaver! That’s her!” Surprised, I snapped my head around for a look. Four angry looking men were exiting their vehicle, right there in the middle of the street, reaching for their weapons. Just then, the light changed, and I made fucking haste, taking an immediate right, then a left trying to get out of the heavy traffic. Jack was watching behind us. “Uh-oh. They’re making a U-turn to follow us. It seems that guns work even better than that Mexicanstyle turn signal you used. But don’t worry, Stoney is right on their asses.” I wasn’t worried. I hung another hard right down an alleyway, taking a shortcut to the highway. Seconds behind, the Suburban 111
turned into the alleyway after us, tires screeching. Gunshots erupted, plinking into the back of my truck. Now I was worried. “Shoot back!” I yelled at Jack, wanting payback. “Don’t worry. Stoney’ll get them,” he said calmly. “No! I want you to get the bastards! Shoot back!” I glanced over at him, and he was smiling expectantly as he watched the scene unfold behind us. Then, “Oooooh, damn!” he exclaimed, laughing heartily. I heard a collision behind us and looked in the rearview mirror. Stone had rammed the Suburban, sending it crashing headlong into a parked delivery van. Problem solved. They weren’t going anywhere for a while. “That couldn’t have felt good,” Jack surmised, touching the earpiece to activate his comm set. “Hey, Stoney. Thanks for taking care of that tailgater for us,” he laughed. “He was trying for a piece of Sunny’s ass.” I couldn’t hear Stone’s response, but Jack found it hilarious. On the drive to the compound, Jack was friendly and humorous at first. We had a good time making small talk as we headed north of San Antonio to the Hill Country, best known for its semi-mountainous terrain. But it was obvious that our emotions had been over-stimulated tonight, and the events of the evening had definitely taken their toll. We both eventually became quiet and pensive. About forty minutes north of San Antonio, we pulled onto a dirt road that appeared to lead to a private hunting camp. The road curved around the side of a huge rocky hill for about a mile. Then we drove under some trees at the base and stopped. Our headlights cut a swath of radiance through the thick darkness under the shelter of the oak trees, illuminating mostly grass and brush. “Watch this,” Jack whispered dramatically, indicating the side of the hill in front of the van. “This is cool,” he said, just as a door opened up in the hillside, lifting the camouflaging landscape to reveal a tunnel, paved and lined with lights. I looked at Jack, who was grinning at me in the darkness. I was truly amazed. “I thought this stuff was only in the movies.” 112
CHAPTER 10
The tunnel seemed incredibly long, with only our headlights and an occasional caged light bulb to illuminate the darkness. Finally, we passed through a massive doorway into the open night air of a lush, green canyon, encircled on all sides by rugged, brushy hills. Before me rose a fortress consisting of dozens of camouflaged structures, built into the surrounding hillside. The natural, rough terrain was used in such a was as to make all but the main house completely inconspicuous from the airspace above. The area in front of the main house was about the size of a football field, beautifully landscaped with trees and flowers, stone paths, and even a babbling brook. I pulled my truck aside the van to park, and was about to turn off my vehicle, when the rock wall in front of us began to slide open, revealing a huge, underground parking area containing about a dozen vehicles of varying function and versatility, as well as a couple of motorcycles, a boat, several four-wheeled all terrain vehicles, and a tractor. Something fun for everyone. I followed the van inside, and by the time I parked, this time for real, Stone and Troy were being greeted with relieved hugs by a beautiful blond woman, who looked to be in her early forties. She and Stone approached, arm in arm, smiling and chatting. I wasn’t sure what to think about that at first, and my shield threatened to turn green with envy, but when I looked into the woman’s sparkling aura and her honest gray eyes, I knew she wasn’t a threat to anyone. Her demeanor was warm and welcoming, filled with motherly concern. Approaching with arms wide, she hugged me as if she’d known me for a lifetime. On closer inspection, I saw that her hair was a beautiful, light colored gray, not blond, and the
minute lines on her face meant she was, instead, a very well maintained sixty-something. “Welcome, Sunny,” she said warmly. “I’m Mary Alice Kent. We are so happy to have you here with us. Stoney has told me so much about you.” I questioned Stoney with arched eyebrows. He just grinned back. No telling what he had told her, but she seemed like the type to be sweet anyway. “Well, I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove I’m not as bad as he says,” I said with a congenial smile. “He does tend to exaggerate,” she said, teasing. She had no discernable accent that I could tell, but she carried herself with a grace and certainty that made me think of old money. She wasn’t the least bit pretentious, though, and I liked her immediately. “I hear you had a rough night,” she said, looking concerned. “Let’s get you to a suite so you can clean up, then you’ll feel good as new.” Although I doubted it, I was willing to try. I was anxious to wash the bloody reminder of Jack’s near demise from my body and put on fresh clothes. “Hey,” Jack protested, walking up beside us. “I’m the one who nearly died a very bloody and violent death tonight…” “Oh, I’m so sorry Jack,” Mary Alice said, immediately moving to hug him like a mother would hug a child with a big owie. “My goodness, but you are a mess. Are you alright?” She exuded kindness and caring that would have surely rivaled even the best television mom from the 1960’s. “Aw, I’m okay,” Jack said humbly, taking great satisfaction in the attention he was getting. “You’re sure you don’t need a doctor?” Mary Alice asked, all concern and motherly affection. He shrugged modestly. “No, I think I’ll be alright.” “Good, now be a dear would you, and carry Sunny’s things to her suite for her,” she said succinctly, turning away from him. She winked at me knowingly as Jack’s face fell in pretend dismay. I couldn’t help but laugh. The friendly banter made me feel right at home. 114
Stoney let my dogs out of the back of my truck, and I smiled a thank you at him as Mary Alice led me off to my room, which turned out to be all the way across the football field garden, along the fragrant paths, and past the bubbling stream. The door we approached lay opposite the main house and had a small, camouflage-covered patio out front. But when Mary Alice opened the door, I was again truly amazed. The suite, as she had called it, was almost the size of my whole house, and beautifully decorated to boot. When I stepped inside, the air was cool and welcoming. Chili and Rita made themselves right at home. “This is beautiful,” I said, smiling at her. “Thank you.” “You’re very welcome, dear,” she said warmly. “Just sit and relax a minute while your things are brought over. Then you can get cleaned up. Your dogs are welcome to roam. We have a groundskeeper who will pick up after them. Laundry is collected on Tuesday, that is, if you decide to stay that long.” Wow. They really had all the bases covered. Thankfully, Mary Alice left quickly, and I was grateful for the silence and the comforting presence of Chili and Rita. I took a minute to wash my hands and arms. The hand wipes I’d used removed some of the gore, but there was nothing as good as fresh soap and water. I was drying my hands when there was a knock on the door. It was Jack with my suitcases and bag of dog food. I grinned big when I saw him, and he returned the smile in kind. He had taken the time to change his bloody shirt, and I was grateful for his thoughtfulness. He had to duck a little to get through the door, and then he carried the dog food to the kitchen and my luggage to the bedroom for me. What a big thoughtful lug he was. I thanked him and walked with him to the door. He turned to smile at me. “We’ll be debriefing in the building to the left of the main house after we all get cleaned up, so if you’re up to it, come on over. We have to do it for the record, and it’s best while things are still fresh on everyone’s mind.” “Yeah, thanks,” I nodded. “I’ll be over in a bit.” There was more I wanted to say, but my throat grew tight when I tried to talk. A moment of awkward silence passed between us before I decided I’d better say something. “It’s been a really interesting evening,” I said lamely. 115
“Yeah, it’s surely been that,” he replied in his usual lighthearted tone. “I was so afraid for you tonight,” I blurted, and despite all my best efforts, my eyes teared up again. I turned away to avoid embarrassing us both. “I know. Thank you for caring so much,” he said gently. “I’m just going to shower up, and then I’ll be over.” “Okay. Just give a yell if you need something,” he said as he walked out onto the garden path, waving one last time. I shut the door and took a few deep breaths to settle my emotions. Everything was happening so fast; I was having trouble processing it all. Since the first time I laid eyes on the guys in the desert, I began to care deeply for them. But seeing them in the flesh and binding with them as the Armor of God had brought my emotions fully into play, and given the dangers inherent in our mission, caring about these men was a real gamble, and the odds sucked. Nearly losing Jack tonight brought it all back home for me. I would only risk more pain and sorrow if I allowed myself to really care about these people. But it was too late. Way too late. I moved into the bedroom to peel the bloody dress off my body, feeling regret that such a fabulous outfit was ruined. Oh well, twice was the limit on any formal attire anyway. As I fished for clean clothes in my suitcase, I took a moment to look around the bedroom. It was large, as bedrooms go, and it was obviously decorated by a woman, for a woman, right down to the fully stocked vanity table with brushes and lotions and makeup. The only windows were in the front rooms, facing the inner courtyard area, because the rest of the suite was set into the rocky hillside. But despite the lack of windows in the bedroom, the suite still managed to be warm and inviting, and I had to admit, I felt very safe. Even Chili and Rita seemed to like it. After my shower, I wandered into the kitchen to feed my dogs and look for something quick to eat. I’d missed dinner, and with all the excitement and exercise, I was hungry enough to eat a full grown chupacabra. I opened the pantry and found boxes and cans and all sorts of edible goodies. Then I opened the fridge and found it stocked, too. How very convenient. I nuked a can of soup, dumping in some hot sauce and 116
crackers, and ate at the kitchen table while Chili and Rita nibbled their kibbles. Then, I went back to the bathroom to dry my hair and throw on a touch of makeup and clean clothes. I chose a pair of blue skorts and matching halter top, figuring the event to be casual. I let Chili and Rita out to explore while I moseyed over to the debriefing room. I was hoping that ‘debriefing’ meant removing our underwear, but I wasn’t holding my breath. When I walked in, the room fell silent and Jack smiled at me sheepishly. Guess who they were talking about. “Am I interrupting something?” I asked as I walked up to the plain metal table and took a seat beside Stoney. “No, not at all,” he replied, with a smile. “We were just talking about you.” At least he was honest. “I bet you were,” I replied suspiciously. They all wore shiteating grins on their faces, though, so I knew something was up. “You did great tonight. You really helped us kick some demon ass out there. Your abilities are going to really come in handy,” Stoney said evenly, but Jack snickered a little. “I sense a big ‘but’ here,” I said, giving Jack the eye. “Well it isn’t yours,” Jack commented, sporting a crooked grin on his handsome face. “Thank you,” I said with a big smile just for him. “You’re welcome.” “Are you two done?” Stoney asked, feigning annoyance. We nodded so he could continue. “We’ve pretty much already gone over everything that needs going over tonight, except the part where you had words with Hiram. Would you like to tell us what that was all about?” he asked in a tone that sounded more like curiosity than an admonishment, lucky for him. “Well, mostly it was about Hiram’s penis,” I said, without elaborating. “You talked about his penis?” Stoney asked, arching his eyebrows at me in open-mouthed stupefaction. “Not directly, no. But it did seem to be the underlying theme,” I offered, without giving up much. “What? His penis?” Stoney asked for clarification, looking 117
confused. “Yes. In fact, I’m sure it was the only reason he stopped for me at all. His penis made him do it. One should never underestimate the power of the penis to steer a man in the wrong direction,” I said while staring into three very bewildered faces. “You know,” said Stoney, a little exasperated, “I can honestly say that I have no idea what the hell you are talking about.” “Oh, I know. I’ve been talking about it all day, and none of you have gotten it yet,” I teased. “Do you think you could explain it to us nitwits, and hopefully one of us will have the mental acuity to interpret it for the rest of us?” “Sure, I’ll speak slowly. As I have been saying all along, Hiram has been letting his male member do the thinking for him. And when he saw me tonight, it quickly became obvious that his penis has had far more influence over him than the demons have, because when I called out to him, he took the time to stop for a chat,” I paused for effect as the men stared at me expectantly. “At first, I was trying to get him to call off his demon, but when that didn’t seem to be working, evidenced by the fact that he turned and ran away again, I shot him.” “You shot him?” asked a shocked Major Stone with a big smile. “A little bit, yeah.” With all the noise surrounding the battle with the demon, the guys couldn’t have heard the muffled shot of the silenced 9mm Stone had given me earlier that evening. “A little bit? How do you shoot someone a little bit?” I shrugged. “I only shot him in the leg. I knew I couldn’t kill him until you had your way with him.” Stoney cringed. “Do you have to phrase it that way?” “What?” “Never mind. Then what happened?” “Well, as I was running up to him, two demons dropped out of the sky. They picked him up and carried him off, and there was nothing I could do about it.” Stoney seemed to ponder the information for a few moments, putting his hand to his head as if he had a headache. “I have to say you handled it well, under the circumstances, but I’ll be damned if I understand it all.” 118
“I wouldn’t expect you manly types to understand. It takes a woman to recognize that type of profoundly desperate, erotically challenged male,” I told them, speaking from experience. “The key is in the heated but pathetic way he ogles the woman he’s interested in. You men wouldn’t have noticed because he didn’t look at you the same way. He wasn’t interested in you.” “That actually makes me feel better,” said Stone, looking completely amused. “So, Jack,” I said, changing the subject, “did you know you could heal yourself like that?” “Aw, hell no,” he retorted. “I thought I was just as dead as the rest of you did.” Troy crossed his arms on the metal table, leaning forward. “Stoney and I seem to have accelerated healing abilities, too, but not like Jack. That blow probably would have killed the rest of us,” he said, looking hard at his hands. It was clear the memory wasn’t easy for him. He lifted his clouded gaze to Jack’s. “I’m thankful you lived to tell about it.” “Aw, heck, it was no big deal,” Jack responded modestly. “I still have eight lives left.” Troy shot him a look. “I don’t think you can count on that.” “It’s okay, man. I promised Sunny I wouldn’t do it again anyway,” retorted Jack. “Oh, hey,” I said, eyeing Stoney, “thanks for taking care of my tail tonight.” I gave him an innocent smile, as if I hadn’t meant to be evocative. The corners of his mouth curved up the slightest bit. “It was my pleasure,” he answered as he held my gaze. “Part of my job is to watch your ass.” “I’m assuming they were from The Order of Ashes?” “And you would be right. It would seem that everybody is hot to get their hands on you,” he said with a tilt of his head. “Well, I would appreciate it if they wouldn’t try to shoot my ass first,” I told him indignantly. “They weren’t trying to shoot you, just stop you. You’re worth more to them alive,” he said. “By the way, we’ve had some men watching your mother’s house in case you showed up there, but we’re going to keep them on for a while, just to be on the safe side. 119
As a precaution, we’d also like to send them into her house, if that’s okay, until this thing blows over.” I looked at him, surprised but pleased. “Thanks. I’ll call her first thing in the morning to let her know. I appreciate you looking after her.” Stoney nodded. “It’s the least we can do. Okay, moving on,” he said, shifting gears. “It’s time to give out the mission awards.” “Mission awards?” I asked, waiting for the funny part. The guys were already fighting snickers. “Yes. In fact, thanks to you, we’ve even opened up a whole new category,” he said in his cool, manly voice. There was an edge of cockiness about him tonight that only made him more attractive. “Oh, really? So, who decides who wins these awards?” “I do, of course,” said Stone matter-of-factly. “Because you’re ranking officer?” “No, because I made it up,” he said, trying to act serious. “First, the ‘Style’ category, as always, goes to Troy, because of the truly supreme footwork and matchless talent with his white hot bitchin’ sword.” McCleery gave an approving growl, and Troy modestly nodded his appreciation. I had to agree. In the hands of Daniel Troy, the ancient, luminous sword was astoundingly beautiful, bordering on the divine, and his seemingly effortless choreography was every bit as deadly as it was enthralling. “Now,” Stone continued, “in the ‘Most Demon Kills’ category, I guess I’d have to give the thumbs up to Jack for raw numbers, because he took out a bunch of baby ones coming out of the portal at the chapel.” “Hey, somebody had to clean house,” McCleery protested. Stone ignored him and continued, “In the category we call, ‘Exposing your secret abilities to the most people’, Sunny sweeps it tonight for showing her stuff off to at least 200 wedding guests in one shot.” He looked at me with a half-cocked grin, and said, “Congratulations, you’ve outdone McCleery at his best event.” “Is that a good thing?” I asked hopefully. “Not really,” he replied, still smiling broadly. “And for our newest category, ‘Most Creative Kill’, I’ve got to go with Sunny again 120
on this one, for taking out that mutant lion at the Alamo with her lethal blow job.” All three of them got a good laugh out of that line. “Yeah, yeah. I get it,” I said with a sarcastic roll of my eyes. “That’s supposed to be funny, right? But I’ve been thinking about it, and I prefer to call it a wind hammer.” “You can call it whatever you like, just so long as you keep it up,” Stone replied, and more sniggering ensued. “I can keep it up all night if I have to,” I said, playing along. “I doubt it will take that long,” he said, eyes flashing playfully. “I’m confused,” interrupted Jack, “are we still talking about killing demons?” “Shut up, Jack. I’ll explain it to you later,” said Stoney. Jack pretended to be offended again, crossing his arms over his massive chest. “I’m beginning to sense some favoritism going on here. That big bastard at the Alamo was mine. I was robbed. I was just about to finish him off when she butted in. I was just taking a power nap.” “Power nap, my ass,” snorted Troy. “That was like something from Dawn of the Fucking Dead, man. You let me know if you get the urge to eat somebody’s brain, okay?” “Well, you’ve got the biggest one, so you’ll be the first to know,” said Jack with a toothy grin. Stone nodded his head towards Troy and said, “Daniel is actually the brains in this outfit, but we don’t usually say it out loud because it makes his head swell. He’s also one of the most talented computer scientists in the world today. The Air Force didn’t want to let him go, but when Mary Alice got her teeth into them, they didn’t have any choice.” “And Jack?” I prompted, still smiling. “Jack is our verbal assault specialist,” Stoney said with a big grin. Jack nodded proudly. “He’s also our fix-it expert. He pulls a McGyver out of his ass on a regular basis, and he’s about the best there is with explosives, too,” he drawled in his sexy Southern voice. He was clearly proud of his men. I gazed over at Stoney. “And you? What’s your specialty?” 121
He shrugged a little, acting modest now, but I wasn’t fooled. He could be a cocky S.O.B. “He’s Marine Force Recon,” Jack said with brotherly pride. “In Iraq, he led Hunter-Killer teams that specialized in enemy infiltration.” “At the risk of sounding ignorant, what does that mean exactly?” I asked. “To put it bluntly,” Stoney said, his voice turning cold, “my specialty is killing people.” I didn’t quite know what to say to that at first. “I’m assuming they are people who deserve it.” “We are at war, and they are the enemy. I guess it’s a matter of perspective whether or not they deserve it, but most of them wouldn’t think twice about killing innocent people to further their cause,” said Stoney, crossing his arms in front of his chest, shutting down. “Knowing that makes my job a whole lot easier.” I saw a stone cold hardness in his eyes, but it didn’t diminish him in my view in the slightest. He was a man who wouldn’t flinch when it came to making the tough decisions, doing whatever it took to get the job done. His men clearly admired him, and I had a feeling it was well deserved. “What should I call you? Stoney? Or do you prefer your first name, Aaron?” “Call me Stoney, please. My mother is the only one who still calls me Aaron, but only when she’s in a good mood. I can’t repeat what she calls me the rest of the time.” “Yeah, when you’re in the military long enough to make Major like Stoney, you don’t have a first name anymore,” said Jack. “So, how did you three men come to be in that cave in Iraq four months ago, anyway?” I asked. “That’s easy to explain. We were on a mission when our vehicle hit and IED, an improvised explosive device. Our HumVee was destroyed, and we had to find shelter from an approaching sandstorm,” he told me. “Now, what I want to know is, how in the hell did you get there? And why didn’t anyone else see you?” asked Stoney. I sighed, “It’s a long story. Do you really want to hear all this now?” 122
“Yeah, absolutely,” he replied, with Jack and Troy nodding agreement. “We’re all ears, if you’re up to it. I know it’s late, but why don’t you give us the quick, down and dirty version, just to help clear some things up and give us something to sleep on.” “Okay, sure,” I said agreeably, then jumped right in to my story about the caves. Stoney said he wanted the quick down and dirty version, but I decided to leave the dirty parts out. I didn’t feel like sharing that much. Besides, it wasn’t like I was lying about anything, I was just being economical with the truth. Troy was the first to ask questions. “Who was this man? Did he give you a name?” “No, in fact, he seemed to be avoiding the subject. But he did say he lived his own life on Earth thousands of years ago. And the incantations he taught me are in ancient Hebrew, at least, that’s what he told me.” “You haven’t seen him since that night?” “No,” I replied honestly. But, at times, I can feel him watching me, sometimes in my daily life, and sometimes in my dreams. But technically, I hadn’t actually seen him since that night. Stoney seemed bothered by something. “Did you ask him any questions? Like, when to expect the end of the world? Or what we can do to stop it?” “Sure. I asked him lots of questions. But mostly he would say he didn’t know because there were many things still to be determined. The timing is still fluid, and only the ultimate destruction of the Earth is unchangeable.” “So, if there’s nothing we can do to stop it, why try? What’s the use?” asked Jack, mostly out of curiosity. “I’ve thought about that a lot,” I confessed awkwardly, “and I think it’s because the time we buy can allow more souls to be saved.” “Who’s saving these souls while we’re buying time?” I shrugged. “I dunno.” “What if more souls are lost than saved?” I shrugged again. “Is there anything else we should know about?” asked Stoney. I thought about that for a moment, feeling a twinge of guilt for not telling absolutely everything, but to what end? I mean, what 123
else was I going to say? That I nearly had sex with some prehistoric hunk, whose name I didn’t even know, and who, by the way, was dead, not that I wouldn’t still jump his bones in a heartbeat, given the opportunity. When I thought about it like that, it was clear I needed to keep my mouth shut. I decided to go with the more mundane facts instead. “Well, strangely enough, I can see auras now,” I said, looking down at my hands, because I felt silly talking about it. “In fact, it’s almost as if they speak to me.” “What, the auras?” Stoney asked for clarification. Fortunately, he didn’t seem the least bit like he was trying to make fun of me. I nodded. “Yes. I can understand things about the lives they are attached to. Simple things like age and health, but also things like the color of a person’s soul, whether it’s good or bad, and a million other things I can’t put into words.” “So, what’s my aura look like?” asked Stoney with an expectant grin. I gazed at him directly, taking a moment to think before I spoke because, typically, the first words that came to my mind were not the first words that needed to come out of my mouth. This time was no different. Stoney felt like warm fur and fine, aged whiskey to me, but that was probably more information than I needed to give up. Instead, I said, “All three of you are bursting with power that surrounds your entire body like a golden halo. Underneath the halo, there are colors and impressions that give me a general picture about the current state of your mind, body, and spirit. For instance,” I turned to Stoney first, “your colors are earthy. All browns and greens. Safe, warm colors on the outside, but wild and untamed underneath. Right now, you’re mostly feeling comfortable and relaxed, but there’s this underlying tension about you, as if you’re always on the edge of a violent reaction. Your health is great, except that your right hip is bothering you, and it’s only since tonight, because it wasn’t hurting you earlier today.” Daniel and Jack looked at Stoney for confirmation, and he nodded his head slightly. I looked at Daniel, smiling a little. “You are covered in clean, blue colors, like the ocean, steadfast and powerful. You are feeling positive, but you worry too much, because your brain is always 124
working, always solving problems, and you are definitely smarter than the average bear. You’re having pain in your right shoulder, also from the action tonight, and your right hand is stiff from gripping your sword. Am I right?” “Yeah, you’re right on,” he said, clearly impressed. “And you, Jack McCleery,” I said, turning to the big man, “I don’t even know where to begin with you. Your colors are all over the place. Mostly bright, positive colors, full of vitality. You are definitely a free spirit on the surface, but underneath, you radiate a deadly seriousness. Your health is absolutely divine, with no visible aftereffects from your near decapitation tonight.” “Yeah, I’m feeling pretty good,” he said, nodding his head. “So, you can see what we’re feeling, but you can’t tell what we’re thinking?” asked Stoney for clarification. “That’s right.” “Good,” he said, sounding like he meant it. “Anything else?” “Yeah, well, just that there was a lot more information pumped into my brain that night, but I’m having trouble retrieving it,” I said vaguely. “What do you mean?” “It’s as if vast quantities of knowledge were downloaded into my brain, but I don’t know how to access it. I can feel it there, like it has substance, but I can’t get to it.” “Maybe Stone could do his discernment thing to help you out,” suggested Jack. “No way, man. I don’t need to be mind fucked any more than I already am,” I said adamantly. “Aw, see? I knew I should have explained that to her,” Troy said to McCleery, sounding annoyed. “You’ve got her thinking it’s something horrible.” “Isn’t it?” I asked. “Everyone’s survived it so far,” Stoney said simply. “Oh, well, that makes it okay. What’s a little psychological trauma, anyway?” “Come on. It’s not that bad,” Stone argued. “I don’t care. It’s not going to happen.” “Look, the information you have might be very important to us.” 125
“I’m quite sure it is.” “Then would you be willing to let me try?” he asked. “Um, let me think… No,” I said curtly, leaning back in the cool metal chair. “There are things in my head that are best left alone. Besides, I’m pretty sure there’s a reason I can’t access that information yet, and I expect it will become available on a need-toknow basis.” “Aw, come on. Let me give it a shot.” “Not only no, but hell no. Do you know what you’re asking? Nothing personal, but I’m not letting anyone inside my head but me. Sometimes I don’t even go there.” “What are you afraid of?” asked Stone, pressuring me. “You have to ask? I mean, doesn’t your privacy mean anything to you? I don’t want my whole life laid out in the open for you to scrutinize. Besides, it wasn’t just me in those caves that night. Why don’t you try it on Jack or Daniel, first?” “I could just order you to do it,” Stone said, as if he were trying the words on for size, to see what reaction they would bring. I don’t think he actually meant it, but I reacted the way I usually do…with an attitude. “Just try it and see what it gets you,” I bristled. “I am not one of your Marines...” “Yes,” he interrupted, “you sure as hell are now. You wanted to be a part of this team and that means following orders. You’re in this up to your pretty little ass, sweetheart, and there’s no way to back out now, not for any of us.” “I may be in this up to my ass, but what you’re asking would put me in way over my head, and I won’t do it. I draw the line here.” My dad always told me to know my boundaries and stick to them, and that’s what I was doing. Maybe I was just tired, but I’d had enough. I stood and said, “It’s late, I’m going to bed. I’ve had enough frustration for one night. Good night, guys.” I walked out the door, without letting it hit me in the ass. The night air in the canyon was cool and a little damp, but the stars were shining brilliantly through the ambient lights of the garden walkways. I had a few seconds to enjoy the scenery before I heard the door open and close behind me. I didn’t turn because I didn’t want to act like I cared. Stoney stepped up beside me, 126
looking good in the moonlight. Damn. I hadn’t expected him to follow me. I was hoping to be rid of him for a little while—at least, that’s what I told myself. On the inside, I had to suppress a small thrill tickling at the bottom of my heart, even though I wasn’t nearly done being mad at him yet. I was still a little miffed, and I let my face and body language show it. “Hey, you don’t want to be out here by yourself at night, you know,” he said with a cocky grin, turning on the charm. “Why not? I can handle myself, and my dogs are close by.” Chili was munching on some grass while Rita stood in the middle of the stream, lapping water noisily. “Yeah, but the squirrels out here are vicious. They roam in packs, and they can pick a body clean in under two minutes.” “You don’t say. Well, I happen to know that squirrels don’t come out at night.” “But raccoons do, and they’re just as bad. Oh, I know they look cute and cuddly, but they’re really gremlins in disguise. That’s why they wear the masks, to hide their identities.” “I don’t think so,” I said doubtfully. “Aliens then. They might suck you up in their spaceship, and we’d never see you again. You’d better let me walk you back to your room, just in case,” he said, holding out his arm for me to slip my hand under. “Sounds to me like you have an ulterior motive,” I said, taking his arm as we began to stroll through the garden. “If you’d rather, I’ll state my intentions plainly.” “Okay. That might be refreshing. I didn’t know men were able to do that.” “Sure, if we think it will help.” “I’m not promising anything,” I said with a laugh. “Well, I figure I’d better take it easy tonight, since I’ve already made steam come out of your ears a couple of times today already. I thought I’d take you for a nice walk through the garden to calm you down some, and hopefully, by the time we get to your suite, you’ll be feeling better and you won’t mind if I put the moves on you a little bit.” “That sounds pretty ambitious. Do you think it will work?” “Seems to be working so far. And I’m putting forth a 127
tremendous effort not to do or say anything that might make my plan fall apart.” “Well, you’re doing fine. So far, you’ve been completely superficial, and it’s hard to get mad at you when you haven’t really said anything of substance,” I teased. “Good. Then I shouldn’t need Plan B,” he said, looking fine in the moonlight. We reached to door to my suite, and he turned to face me with a sly smile. “You ready for my big move?” “Do I really need to prepare myself for it?” “Oh, yeah. I’m going to knock your socks off.” He was pretty sure of himself, but that just added to his appeal. “I’m not wearing any socks.” “Then you’ll wish you were. It’ll probably knock your feet off.” “Could you just do it already, before blood starts squirting out of my eyes from the sheer aggravation of having to put up with you.” I didn’t have to tell him twice. He pulled me to him and bent down to meet my lips, gently at first, almost teasing. But before long, we were locked in a hard, passionate kiss that took my breath away and made my knees quiver. He ran his hand up my back and into my hair while the other held me tightly to him. I had waited a long time for this kiss, and it was everything I could have hoped for. His mouth was seeking and probing, caressing my lips erotically, suggestively, sending my senses reeling with a rush of carnal hunger that heated me through to the very center of my being. But I gave as good as I got. I wasn’t the only one panting with desire when we finally broke apart. He gazed at me heatedly with a look that said he wanted so much more. All he got was a wink. “See you tomorrow.”
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CHAPTER 11
I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. The bed was soft and the sheets were cool, and I felt safe. I don’t know how long I slept before I suddenly awoke to an abrupt change in my surroundings. Disoriented, I sat up quickly, shocked to find that everything was different. Oh, shit. I knew what this meant. Trouble revisited. I felt the presence of the dark-haired man like a soothing caress against my psyche. But where was he? I surveyed my predicament, only mildly surprised to find myself propped on a huge bed against a mountain of soft pillows, entwined in silken sheets. The large bedroom was opulently decorated, constructed entirely of a light colored sandstone, and completely open to the elements on three sides. Before me lay a beautiful beach with the ocean lapping gently at its shores. The sky glowed pink and orange as the sun slowly descended toward the serene, blue sea. Fragrant breezes gently disturbed the sheer curtains adorning the room, making them dance like benign ghosts in the golden light of dusk. I slid off the bed to my feet, surprised by the gentle clatter of beads sewn onto the sheer white gown adorning my body. There were no mirrors in the room that I could see, but there was a raised stone bathing pool in front of me. I walked up the steps and sat at the edge of the water to look in. My long hair was elaborately embellished with thin gold chains and golden strands of gemstones, reminiscent of some ancient queen. I could not see him yet, but I sensed the dark-haired man approaching, and my heart thrilled with anticipation. Finally, from
the shadows of the hallway, I saw him. He made a dramatic entrance, his aura throbbing and swirling with color. I could do nothing but look at him and try to keep my heart from climbing up into my throat. I might have thought to resist him because of my newfound feelings for Stoney, but as soon as he came fully into view, that thought was gone so fast, I didn’t even remember having it. I didn’t want to give in to him so easily, but I couldn’t seem to help it. I could feel him working his magic already. He had a powerful influence over me, and I had no will to deny him. That should have frightened me, but instead, it was liberating—the perfect excuse. Don’t blame me. I’m not responsible. I couldn’t help myself. It was all a bunch of crap, and I knew it. You can’t rape the willing, and I was so damn willing my shield advertised it like a neon sign at a cheap motel. He wore a dark purple Caesar-style robe this time, but all I cared about was how quickly I could get him out of it. As he drew closer, I stood and moved down the steps of the bathing pool to meet him, eager for his touch. He strode forward purposefully, and just when I thought he would take me in his arms, he took my hand instead and dropped to one knee, putting his lips to the back of my hand in a gentle kiss, his intense gaze holding mine. I was moved almost to tears. The idea that this man, with his fiercely shining crown of light, would kneel to me, caught me completely off guard and touched me deeply. I looked at him tenderly and took a step forward so I could touch his face and run my fingers through his soft black hair as I tried to ignore the unwelcome little voice inside my head trying to stop me. “He’s working you,” the voice said. “He’s had thousands of years of experience and knows exactly how to manipulate you.” For a moment, I grasped the reality of what was happening. Contrary by instinct, I felt the brief urge to fight for my will again. But in the end, I let it go. I didn’t want to fight. Besides, this wasn’t even real in my world. What happened here, stayed here…right? His eyes moved down the sheer length of my gown, then back up again to my face. He stood and drew me to him, nuzzling his short beard against my neck, powerful arms pressing me close. He 130
pulled back a little, whispering one word before kissing me. “Sunny.” Something about hearing him whisper my name filled my heart with soft, velvety butterflies, which soon took flight, carrying away all my inhibitions. He brushed his soft lips across mine. A thrill of pleasure raced down my eager flesh. Kissing, teasing along my jaw line, he began to whisper in his ancient language, his words alive against my skin, burning me with desire. Their meaning was lost on me, like everything else, except his touch. Warm hands caressed my shoulders, sliding the sheer gown down my body to pool around my feet. Downy whispers tickled along my neck as I eased closer, needing contact, needing more. I raised his mouth to mine, unable to wait another second. Hard, hot kisses pressing against my lips only fanned the flames engulfing us both. Abruptly, he bent down and picked me up, literally sweeping me off my feet. He carried me to the bed to lay me almost reverently upon it. My breathing ragged, I reached for him with wanton eagerness as he dropped his own robes to the floor, then lay beside me. He pulled me to him, kissing me with a deep, probing desire. I welcomed him passionately, parting my lips for him even as my legs eased open to welcome his touch. Raspy, murmured words teased along the tender flesh of my neck, then down to the diamond peaks of my breast. His hot, wet tongue swirled erotically, coaxing a moan from my lips while expert hands explored my body. I arched my back against breathy murmurs, more intense now, tickling and teasing with wispy words that sounded like poetry, smooth as a velvet breeze. My flesh was alive with sensation. I moaned softly and felt him smile against my breast. With my hands in his hair, he teased and tugged at my nipples between whispered breaths of ancient words that moved across my skin like warm feathers. Erotic pulses of pleasure throbbed through my body, promising nirvana. To my surprise, he pulled back to look me squarely in the eyes, and softly asked a question in his own language. I could tell it was a question by the tone and cadence of his words, but also by the pointed look and raised eyebrows he was giving me, as if he 131
expected an answer. I shook my head in confusion, having no idea what he wanted me to say. “Say yes,” he whispered, still kissing and teasing, making my head hazy with a yearning that surpassed any I had ever known. I hesitated for only a moment, just long enough to weigh how much I trusted him against the raging inferno of desire I had burning inside me. Desire won. “Yes,” I whispered, hoping it wouldn’t come back to bite me, but there wasn’t enough room in my thoughts for worry or fear next to the flaming passion surging rampant through my body. Besides, how bad could it be? He locked his beautiful eyes with mine as he bent down to kiss me firmly on the lips. I felt a warmth, at first, pushing into me from his mouth, then flooding my entire being with an overwhelming sensation, causing my back to arch and my body to throb and pulse with wanton carnality. “What did you just do to me?” I asked in a breathy whisper, but I covered his lips with mine, so he couldn’t answer. I urged him closer, pressing his long, hard body against me as I ran my hands across his lean, muscular back. He slid a hand between my thighs, caressing and teasing, causing my hips to move to his rhythm. I moaned, nearly overcome with need for him. Whatever he had done to me had raised my sexual senses to a whole new plane, where every caress, every touch was almost too pleasurable to endure, but too close to ecstasy to stop. He rose up, positioning himself above me. I parted my legs for him as he bent to my breasts again, this time with a force of passion that sent fresh waves of pleasure through my body. I lifted my hips towards him, yearning for him, urging him onward breathlessly. At last, he plunged deep inside, pressing himself hard against me. I raised my hips to him, drawing him in, pulling and tugging him deeper, enjoying every solid inch of him. He thrust firm and steady, building my desire until I couldn’t get enough. I moved enthusiastically to his rhythm, unable to postpone the tidal waves of exquisite sensation washing through me as passion exploded in me time and time again. Finally, moaning and thrashing, he came with me, our bodies shuddering and rippling with pleasure, hot 132
flesh pressing against flesh until our fervent need was satisfied. Both of us still heaving breathlessly, he lay down next to me, nuzzling my neck and kissing me softly. I relaxed there, enjoying his affections until I found my voice again. “Please tell me your name,” I prodded gently, “I’ve just made love with you, and I don’t even know what to call you.” “Call me Jakeh,” he said a little too easily, making me wonder if it was really his name. “What did I say ‘yes’ to, Jakeh?” I asked. He chuckled, low and deep, sending fresh goose bumps down my flesh, but didn’t answer. His laugh felt like soft, erotic titillations running all along my skin. “You’re really making me nervous now. What did I just agree to?” “Do not worry. I would never do anything to hurt you,” he said, kissing me gently on the ear. “Thanks. That didn’t answer my question, though,” I said, pressing him. “Am I going to be sorry for what I did?” “Based on what I have seen so far, I doubt that very much,” he said, eyes gazing down my body, stirring something inside me again. I tried to suppress the feelings, tried to fight it, which only seemed to fan the flames. “Okay, now I’m scared,” I told him, but even as I was saying it, I knew I wasn’t feeling it. My mind and body were experiencing a lot of things, but fear wasn’t one of them. “Unnecessarily, I assure you. I only gave you a part of myself that I believe will help you, but I needed your permission to share it with you,” he said, his voice already threatening to undo me again. I strained to concentrate. “You mean I had a choice whether or not to accept this particular gift, and you tricked me into saying yes without knowing exactly what I was getting myself into. Is that about right?” My mind knew I should be upset, but my body didn’t care. He didn’t answer. Instead, he took my hand and pulled me gently to my feet. “Come with me,” he said. “Let us go down to the water so we may enjoy our time together a little longer.” 133
He led me outside wearing nothing but a smile. The sky was now dark except for the billions of stars sparkling overhead. As soon as my feet hit the sand, I knew there was something different about it, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. “I have so many questions,” I said, hardly knowing where to begin. “I know, but our time together grows short, and I fear as soon as I tell you why you were brought here, you will be taken from me again,” he said, pulling me gently to him as we reached the waters edge. “Then don’t tell me...ever,” I said, only half in jest. “Let’s just stay here and never leave.” He chuckled a little. “If only it could be so. But we cannot hide from our responsibilities.” “I know,” I said with resignation. “When will I see you again?” He smiled and shrugged. “For me, it will be tomorrow. For you, it might seem a little longer. Time is not the same outside your own universe.” “Nothing is the same, is it?” I marveled. “Everything is better,” he said simply, but with conviction. “The sand doesn’t stick,” I said, finally realizing what felt so different about it. I picked some up with my hand and watched it flow through my fingers, leaving nothing, not even a trace of grit on my skin. We sat at the edge of the water, letting the warm ocean tide lap at our bodies as we gazed at one another under the starlight, knowing our time together was coming to an end. Nothing good ever lasts. Reluctantly, he began to speak, “It is imperative that you find the thief who stole the gateway formula as quickly as possible. His demons have persuaded him to make another deal with the followers of Ashmodai, and it is not time for such information to fall into their hands. The demons have tricked the thief into thinking that he is entirely in control of them and that they will help him manipulate Ashmodai’s people, but it is all a lie. He is not in control of even the least of his demons. They let him live because they need him, at least as long as he possesses the information necessary to open the gateways. It is easy to call a demon, but it is quite another 134
matter to control it.” “No doubt, but how do we find Hiram?” “You must use the Sword. He will find him,” he said in his cool, lightly accented voice. It took me a moment to realize he meant Daniel, the Sword of the Spirit. He continued, “He already knows he has this ability, but he is not yet using it to its fullest potential. Now that you have all been bound together as the Armor of God, you will all grow stronger in your talents with time, but unfortunately, there is no time to let The Sword’s viewing talents develop naturally. That is why we must help him along.” “Okay, I’m game. What do I need to do?” “Give him this,” he said, handing me a small gold object, similar to a thick link of chain. It had the familiar, ancient-looking writing engraved on its surface. Now, where in the hell did that come from? He was just as naked as I was, and both of his hands had been busy touching me most of the time, so unless he’d pulled it out of his ass when I wasn’t looking, he must have produced the object out of thin air. I was duly impressed. “Sure,” I said. “What does it do?” “The ring will guide him through the proper pathways in his mind, showing him how to find what he is looking for. Just give it to him, and he will know what to do.” I sighed as the weight of the world began to settle on my shoulders. “I don’t want to leave,” I said, feeling blue. “I do not want you to be sad. You are entering a very exciting time in your life. Enjoy it to the fullest. I will not begrudge you that.” He smiled and kissed me gently, which wasn’t enough for either of us. Soon, I was drowning in hard, hot kisses, my breath coming faster. But I knew my time was almost up, and this gorgeous hunk of man had distracted me so successfully, I’d forgotten to make him explain what he’d conned me into before we made love. I pulled back from him with a great force of will, but I had to know. “Before I am taken away, you have to tell me more about what you tricked me in to tonight. You said you gave me a part of 135
yourself. What did you mean by that? And why did you need my permission?” He smiled broadly, clearly pleased with himself. “First, you must understand that I am only trying to help you.” “Uh-oh. I’m not liking the sound of this already,” I told him warily. He shrugged. “You agreed to become my concubine, so I could impart to you my expertise in pleasures of the flesh,” he said, voice almost glib. I squeezed my eyes shut, numbly shaking my head. “How do I get myself into this kind of crap,” I mumbled. But it was my own damn fault for leaping before I looked. He chuckled, deep and sexy. “I was obliged to make you my concubine in order to give you a part of myself, but I feared you would not accept it if you knew you had to bind yourself to me in such a way.” “What, exactly, is this going to mean for me when I go back? We’re not like…married or anything are we?” I asked, closing my eyes, bracing myself in case I didn’t like his answer. “No, nothing like that,” he said. “It only makes you more accessible to me, and gives me certain…rights.” My eyes flew open. “Rights,” I said, suddenly angry. “What the hell do you mean by that? No one has any rights to me.” He chuckled, deep and sexy, his way of reaching me without touching. The sound sent a carnal thrill through my belly. Damn it. “You, yourself, gave me those rights, and I, in turn, gave you access to a power far greater than any weapon, and certainly more pleasurable,” he said. But he still wasn’t telling me everything, and he was trying to divert my attention again. He gently ran his hand up to cup my breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers. The way the breeze tossed his hair around his muscular shoulders was almost too much. “Okay, what else?” I prodded, trying to hurry him along before I lost interest in the conversation altogether. I closed my eyes against his supernatural allure. “What do you mean?” he asked innocently, leaning in to run his tongue between my breasts. 136
“Explain the part about the pleasures of the flesh,” I demanded weakly. “Oh, that,” he said offhandedly. “You will be thankful for it one day. Maybe not at first because it takes some…getting used to. But in time…” He bent down to nibble at the sharp points of my breast. I arched my body towards him, aching for more. It was fucking hopeless. I couldn’t keep my head straight when I was near him. I wasn’t half-listening when he whispered, “You will have to indulge your passions, in order to learn to control them.” Like I needed any encouragement. I tossed my hair in the night breeze and laughed softly in a come-fuck-me kind of way, when suddenly, I sensed a shift in environment and heard movement. I sat up abruptly, realizing with dismay that Jakeh was gone, and I opened my eyes to see two big strapping Marines in my room, weapons drawn, looking deadly. “Whoa...look who just popped in,” said Jack, clearly surprised. I gasped and tried to cover myself with my bed sheet. Stoney was looking at me like I was some kind of alien creature, but at least he wasn’t pointing his gun at me. His look turned from worry to anger in an instant. “Where the hell have you been?” he demanded. “Getting your hair done?” My hand went up to my hair, still elaborately done up with gold chains and jewels, which had to be worth a fortune in today’s market. How on earth was I going to explain that? I figured I’d better start with the truth and go from there. “It happened again,” I stammered. “I was transported out of my bed while I slept, and taken to a beautiful beach where the same dark-haired man gave me this.” I held up the golden link of chain I had forgotten I was holding. “He told me his name was Jakeh.” “So, let me get this straight, this same dark-haired man who took you to the desert four months ago, zapped you out of your bed again last night, gave you a fancy hairdo, took you skinny dipping at the beach, then sent you back with a golden dingus,” said Stoney, with skepticism and more than a touch of anger in his voice. “No, smartass,” I said, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. 137
“I was transported there so I could get this for Daniel,” I said, still holding up the ring. “He said that Hiram is going to cut another deal with The Order, and we have to find him before he does or we’re all going to be up a shit creek without a paddle. This ring is supposed to help Daniel open up his locating abilities, so he can find him quickly.” Stoney sighed, his anger far from defused. Jack looked amused as hell. “So, why exactly are you naked? Not that I mind or anything, but—” Stoney shot him a withering look. He immediately backed away, apologizing, “Sorry, Maj. I guess I’ll be leaving now. I’m just going to run take a cold shower. Then I’ll go tell everyone we found you.” He walked out, muttering under his breath. I made a lame attempt to explain. “Look, when I got there, my clothes were gone and my hair was done up. I have no idea why he did this. Probably just because he can, and he’s a lecherous bastard who likes looking at naked women. But nothing happened,” I blurted, wanting to choke back the lie as soon as I said it. I don’t know when I decided to be untruthful, but there it was, said and done. He wasn’t buying it. “So, you’re telling me that he would go through all this trouble just to look?” “Yeah, well, go figure,” I said dismissively, shrugging my shoulders. “Why were you guys here anyway?” I asked as I stood up from the bed, trying to hold the sheet across my body. “Mary Alice tried to call you for breakfast, but there was no answer,” he said, “so she came on over, and you weren’t anywhere to be found. Then she called us. You placed the whole compound on alert.” “Well, sorry, but if I’d known in advance, I’d have told someone. I was just as surprised as you were.” All true. Stoney stared at me hard for a moment, trying to believe, but I don’t think he could decide. “Get yourself ready, and come on over to the main house. We need to get Daniel going as soon as possible, so we can find Hiram and be done with him. Is there anything you need?” I just smiled sweetly, letting my eyes show him what I was 138
thinking. “Maybe later,” I said, and then I turned my naked back to him and dropped the sheet, heading for the bathroom, giving him something to think about. He made no move to leave until I shut the door behind me.
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CHAPTER 12
I got ready as quick as I could, but it took me at least ten minutes to figure out how to get all the gold chains and precious gems out of my hair. It turned out to be one long piece with many small jeweled combs and clips. It was fabulous. It had to be worth a fortune. I had never seen anything like it. I would never part with it, of course, but I could never wear it anywhere, either. Not without a couple of bodyguards tagging along. It looked that expensive. I wrapped it up in one of my silk nighties and tucked it away in my suitcase. I wasn’t sure how I felt about being Jakeh’s concubine, or what it meant exactly, but I was sure I would end up paying for it somehow. Trouble is always worse when you enjoy it, and this particular brand of trouble was definitely going to be expensive. So far, I was riding on credit, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d have to start making payments, and the interest is high. Right before I left my suite, I gathered up the courage to call my mom. I figured she was mad enough to spit nails by now, but it was time I quit putting off the inevitable. Besides, I had to warn her. Hopefully, she would understand, but I couldn’t guarantee success unless I could be there in person. She answered her phone immediately. “Sunny, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere. When you didn’t answer your phone, I called Karla for an explanation, and she told the craziest story. I think you both need to stay away from the tequila. What on earth is going on with you? You should have called me to let me know you were okay…” I kept my mouth shut and let her vent, saying the appropriate
“Yes, ma’am” or “No, ma’am” at the proper times. She had been worried sick about me, and I took a good ass chewing about that, but, all in all, the conversation went much better than I had expected, thanks to Karla, who had told her at least half of the story already. As for the rest of it, I really only told her the basics, skimming over the dangerous parts because I didn’t want to worry her overly much. I just told her enough so that she would understand the situation was serious. Yeah, demons were damned serious. The imminent end of the world ranked right up there, too. My mom asked a lot of questions about the demons, not wanting to believe, but in the end, believing nonetheless. She was a deeply religious woman, more concerned with the fact the she, too, was among the spiritually blind. But I convinced her that it wasn’t from a lack of faith, but rather a lack of spiritual vision, whatever the hell that is. Then I told her about the bodyguards we were sending into her house to protect her. She wasn’t thrilled. Not that she didn’t want them there, it was just that her housekeeper, Nancy, was on vacation this week and her house was a mess. She also needed to go to the grocery store if she was going to feed all those people. She wondered if we couldn’t postpone it until next week. It took some doing, but finally, I convinced her that the security team wouldn’t mind if her floors hadn’t been swept or vacuumed in nearly five days, and she could get Faustino to go to the store for her if she really needed something. She agreed and promised me she would carry one of Daddy’s guns with her wherever she went. She also said she would have Faustino take care of my house and my goats, taking another load off my mind. In turn, I had to promise her I’d call her often to fill her in. As if. By 10:00 am, I was walking over to the main house with my dogs running and playing in circles around me. I almost left my suite without the golden link of chain, but when I turned to retrieve it, I found it in my hand already. Talk about weird. I walked to the main doorway of the house, rang the bell, and waited. Within moments, I was greeted by Mary Alice, who hugged me and welcomed me inside to her beautifully decorated home. The décor ran towards the high end of expensive, but still managed to be warm and welcoming, so long as you didn’t touch anything. 141
The rooms were huge with high ceilings, trimmed with dark, ornate wood. The floors were hardwood covered in plush rugs that complemented the fabulous tapestries and wall hangings. Mary Alice obviously had a knack for interior design. “I was so worried about you this morning. I hope you will forgive me for sending the boys into your suite without your permission. I was afraid something might have happened to you,” she explained with a look of concern. “Something did,” I said, smiling sweetly. “I’m sorry I worried you, but I don’t usually have any warning before I’m shanghaied, or I’d let someone know.” “It must be quite traumatic for you,” she said sympathetically. “I’m sorry this man has put you through so much.” I raised my eyebrows a little at that, wondering just what in the hell it was she thought I had been through. She acted like I was making some kind of sacrifice for the good of mankind or something, but I didn’t feel like that at all. In fact, I felt I was probably getting the bigger piece of the pie, rather than the short end of the stick. Jakeh’s abductions hadn’t exactly been torture, but Mary Alice had no idea and, at this point, I wasn’t about to tell her either. She led me through a large foyer, then to the right and down a short hallway, where we entered a dining room fit for a king. The table would easily seat twenty people or more, which seemed excessive for just the three men, Mary Alice, and me. There was a buffet style breakfast laid out along one mirrored wall, with fabulously decorated tapestries covering the rest. Everyone had eaten already except me. I grabbed a plate of eggs and fruit and sat down next to Mary Alice, across from Stoney. I pulled the gold link out of my pocket. “I was told to give this to you, Daniel. It’s supposed to help you with your locating abilities.” I slid the object across the table at him. He instinctively reached out to catch it so it wouldn’t drop to the floor. As soon as his fingers touched the metal, there was the soft sound of water bubbling, and the ring turned to a golden liquid, and was completely absorbed by Daniel’s fingertips. His eyes grew instantly wider, but he didn’t seem to be in any kind of pain or distress. 142
We all just sat, looking at him in surprise, holding our breath, waiting for his reaction. After a moment, he abruptly stood up from the table and fled the room. “Sunny,” Jack scolded playfully, “what’d you do?” “Don’t look at me. I’m just the messenger,” I countered. “He was sure in a hurry about something,” Stone answered, but Daniel was back with his laptop and some paper before he even finished the sentence. He opened the computer, glancing up only once to say, “Please continue. I’ll listen while I work to save time.” “You’ve been given the gift of multi-tasking?” asked Jack with a grin. “I think I’m onto something here. I just need to work it out,” Daniel said offhandedly, too involved to look up from his work. “Well, don’t let us interrupt you,” said Jack amicably. Daniel was too busy to care. Mary Alice shrugged and turned back to me with a tight smile. “I want to take this opportunity to welcome you again, Sunny,” she said, shifting effortlessly into boss mode. “It is so good to have you here with us. I am thrilled to have another woman around to talk to, but I must confess, we were all a bit surprised.” I met her steady gaze. “Yes, ma’am. I could tell that right off.” “It’s just that, given the background of the other men that were chosen, I guess we were expecting more of the same.” “Yeah, I know. I don’t seem like the Armor of God type.” “Sometimes, people are much more than they seem,” she said. “You were no doubt chosen for a reason.” “Yeah,” Stoney snorted, “like maybe keeping this Jakeh character interested in helping us?” I glowered at him. “What are you suggesting?” “Think about it,” Stoney said, looking around the table. “Why choose a drop-dead gorgeous woman, with no military or combat training at all? Is it just to make me crazy? I doubt it. Isn’t it more likely that Sunny is more for his benefit than ours?” I huffed. “I’ve always been told that God often uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things,” I said, trying to believe I was more than just an enticing piece of ass. “That’s true,” he said. “I certainly do believe that. But even if a 143
woman was to be an essential part of our team, why not a military woman with some training, or even an ugly woman, for that matter?” “Hey, man, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” Jack said soberly. “I choose to believe she was sent here for us. Maybe she’s the cohesive element we need to keep us fully engaged.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I hate to tell you guys, but I wasn’t gift wrapped for anyone. And please quit talking about me like I’m not here,” I complained. “I appreciate the compliments all mixed in there with the insults, but I think you’re all missing the point. This isn’t about us. It’s about all the billions of other souls that still inhabit this Earth. Whatever the reason each of us was chosen doesn’t matter nearly as much as what we do now.” Mary Alice let out a tense breath and smiled at me. “Those are very wise words. Maybe we have all been underestimating you. But we mean no offense. We’re only trying to sort this out.” She turned towards me in her chair. “But when you think about it, it makes perfect sense that a woman would be chosen to be our liaison,” she said, watching me closely to gauge my reaction. “Liaison?” I asked, surprised by her choice of words. She and Stoney exchanged a glance, tension evident between them. Mary Alice nodded. “Evidently, it takes a woman for the job. And considering who we think we might be dealing with…” “Whoa, there,” I broke in. “What do you mean by that? Who is it you think we’re dealing with?” Mary Alice glanced over at Daniel for input, but he was too engrossed in his own endeavors for the moment. She returned her gaze to me while I sat on the edge of my seat, holding my breath. She paused for an uncomfortable moment to consider her words. “Well, based on the ancient writings found on the ossuary and around the secret doorway in the cave, as well as facts you have presented to us yourself, it appears you may have been in the company of a very important Biblical character.” I must have looked surprised. “How could you possibly know that?” I asked skeptically, my heart beating faster. “Well, for one, the writings indicated that you four were in the tomb of King Solomon himself,” she said. 144
I shrugged, unconvinced. “Yeah, so? Even if the writing did mention Solomon, it’s no indication of who I’m dealing with now.” Mary Alice cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Actually, Jakeh is one of Solomon’s names. It means obedient.” She looked at me sympathetically, which I didn’t understand at all. “He had many names, such as Zephan, which means treasured of God, and Elisheva, which means God is my wrath, and there were many others.” “No way,” I said, shaking my head with images of Jakeh rushing through my mind. “Who else would have such knowledge and command over the demons? Who else could teach you how to close the gateways?” she asked pointedly, giving good eye contact. I held her gaze, but it was difficult. She couldn’t know my sins, but it felt like she could see right through me. She wasn’t letting up, either. “It was Jakeh that touched you all behind the ear that night in the desert, leaving the marks. And it was Jakeh who taught you the binding incantation for the Armor of God. Doesn’t it stand to reason that he and Solomon are one and the same?” “Not necessarily,” I argued. Holy cow. I’m going to Hell for sure, now. I shook my head, not wanting to believe. “Jewish legend says he was a master at manipulating and controlling demons…” And women, too. I swallowed hard, unsure where she was going with this. “Probably the original wielder of the Armor of God as well…” This just keeps getting better and better. King-freakingSolomon? I couldn’t begin to imagine how many notches might be on his belt, and no wonder, with his talents, he could seduce a chili relleno. Again, the sympathetic look. “It would also explain why he treats you the way he does. I mean, women were little more than concubines and slaves in his time.” Ouch, that hurt. A sense of queasiness threatened to undo me. I wish she would just get to the point. “But it makes sense that a woman would be the liaison between 145
the two male factions involved here,” she explained, “because men tend to be so much more… confrontational.” Still in shock, I wasn’t tracking. I had no idea what the hell she was talking about. It must have shown on my face. “What she means is, men turn everything into a pissing contest,” said Jack for clarification. Mary Alice nodded. “That’s exactly right, and you are far less likely to alienate this mysterious character. Whoever he is, we want him…and you…to keep helping us.” “Yeah, I’d be more likely to help a naked lady, too,” Stoney mumbled with a hint of hostility. Mary Alice glared a hole through Stoney. “You see what I mean about being confrontational?” she said. “We need to concentrate on the big picture, and not our own petty issues.” The more I thought about it, though, the more I had to wonder why I had been chosen, surely not for my vast knowledge and physical prowess. After a moment of stressful contemplation, I was more than ready to change the subject. “I’ve been meaning to ask about the fourth Marine I saw in the caves that night. I heard someone call him Janssen. What happened to him? Is he okay?” I asked, genuinely concerned. They all traded quiet glances, pausing long enough for me to realize that it was an uncomfortable subject. Mary Alice finally answered, “He hasn’t been the same since. We can take you to him later if you like, but he seems oblivious to other people.” I arched a surprised eyebrow at her. “You mean he’s here?” “Yes, he is here,” she said with a tightness in her voice that hadn’t been there before. “He has special needs now, and we are the only ones who are capable of taking care of him.” “I’m so sorry to hear that,” I said with all the sincerity in my heart. “I have to admit, I often wonder why I was chosen instead of him. I mean, he was already there, but I had to be imported from half way across the world.” Mary Alice dropped her gaze, as if ashamed. “It is probably because my grandson was not a believer before then, but he is a believer now,” she said, a profound sadness in her voice. I blinked. “Your grandson?” I asked, having trouble prying my foot out of my mouth. “I am so very sorry. I didn’t mean to cause 146
you pain by bringing it up.” “Oh no, dear, it’s alright. You couldn’t have known…but you need to,” she said, her aura infused with the colors of heartache. I glanced around the table. None of the men made eye contact, strictly adhering to their code of manly conduct by ignoring the emotional elephant in the room. But I couldn’t do that. Mary Alice’s torment and trepidation spoke to me through her shield, and my heart went out to her. The least I could do was listen.
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CHAPTER 13
Mary Alice paused to gather her thoughts before settling in to tell her story. Clouds rolled in behind her eyes as she clearly struggled with an inner turmoil. When finally she spoke, it was with great effort that she kept her voice steady. “When my grandson was in Iraq,” she began, “he used to email me at least once a week. He was very faithful. But when his emails abruptly stopped, I became concerned. So much so, that I used my considerable influence within our government to find out what had happened to him. “The first information we came across said he was missing in action, but why hadn’t we been notified? When we dug deeper, we discovered that Stoney, Daniel, and Jack, who had been with Christopher the night he supposedly went missing, were all being brought up on various charges and would be facing court martial, but it didn’t explain where my grandson was. Something just wasn’t adding up, and I was still no closer to finding Christopher. “So, I pulled some more strings and was allowed to send a couple of operatives to speak directly to the three men while they were in the brig, and let me tell you, after hearing their stories, I was fit to be tied. I knew then, of course, that Christopher was still alive and in the custody of our own government, and that something very strange had happened to them all that night in the desert. “I was furious. Our organization works under the guise of the National Security Agency on matters related to the supernatural, which is exactly what this was, yet we were not called because some big shot Marine Colonel, who doesn’t believe in the
paranormal, thought the men were lying. He thought they had discovered some kind of treasure in those caves that night, maybe some of Saddam’s hidden gold. But they could never locate the caves again, even with the exact GPS coordinates provided by Caption Troy, which didn’t help their case any. It reinforced the fact, at least as far as the Colonel was concerned, that they were hiding something, and he wasn’t turning any of them loose until he got to the bottom of it. “Well, he had no idea who he was dealing with, because when I got through with him, he was working a desk assignment in the Philippines. I raised such a stink, all four of our boys were on a plane for Texas within the week.” She paused a moment, but she clearly wasn’t finished, so I waited patiently for her to begin talking again. Her voice shook with emotion, and the pain in her expression deepened. “Two months had already passed by the time Christopher came home to me. Two months without proper treatment. My heart broke when I saw him. He had been kept in a straight-jacket and was heavily sedated because they feared him so.” She sighed heavily. “You see, Christopher can open the eyes of the spiritually blind, just by being in the same room with them, which caused quite a stir in our military, as you can well imagine. They are not the most flexible-minded of individuals.” “You must have friends in really high places,” I observed, making a mental note never to piss her off. “Yes, dear, the very highest of places. Our mission is critical to the survival of our world as we know it, and our secret organization is the only one capable of addressing the type of supernatural issues that have become more and more common in the last decade or so.” “What exactly does your organization do?” “We call ourselves The Link, after my late husband, Abraham Lincoln Kent, who originally founded the organization for research purposes. Have you heard of the Bible Code?” she asked. “Yes, but I thought it was just a bunch of nonsense,” I replied honestly. “That’s what my husband thought at first, too, but there were 149
demons popping up entirely too often, and they were big ones, which told us they were newly brought over into this world, not some ancient holdover whose greatest threat is human possession. These were major demons, and there hadn’t been any of those on Earth for thousands of years. It became obvious that someone was summoning them, and the evidence always led back to a group calling themselves The Order of Ashes, the followers of Ashmodai, a Prince of Demons. They had been using a variation of the Bible Code for their own research. “Finally, when Linc began looking seriously at the evidence, he was astounded to find that, with some modifications of the basic algorithms, The Code could be very accurate. It wasn’t long before he made some amazing discoveries of his own. Some were quite exciting, but many were very frightening, as well. “Linc was always very good about stopping a line of research that he felt was too dangerous. He said there was too much other information to be gleaned that could be helpful. But there are just too many bad people out there who are developing the same research, and they are willing to advance their cause by whatever means necessary. And to make matters worse, they have begun using the Internet to post their findings, even going so far as to give detailed instructions on how to call your own personal demon for fun, pleasure, and unlimited power. But that hasn’t worked out so well for them, because the summoned demon often ends up eating or otherwise destroying the person who calls it.” “That can’t be good for business,” I commented. “No, it certainly isn’t. But there never seems to be a shortage of fools,” she said offhandedly, and then she continued, “About the same time the demons began turning up, some extraordinarily gifted individuals began turning up as well. Linc knew he had to move quickly to bring them in, for their own safety, before The Order found them, but he didn’t always get there in time. With The Order, they either convert you, or kill you. There is no in between. “As my husband began to recruit these supernaturally talented people, it wasn’t long before his ex-bosses at the NSA got wind of it. Soon, they began to work together on some very undercover operations involving all things paranormal. The program has been very successful, but unfortunately, my husband did not live long 150
enough to see just how successful we have become. He passed away two years ago, and I have lead the project ever since. “Now, we have become a covert arm of the NSA, which very few people know about. All of our key people have ID and personnel files should anyone ever want to check them out. We’re building a file for you, too, but it will be a few days before we have your ID ready.” “You’re kidding. I’m getting ID like I work for the NSA?” I asked incredulously. “Technically, you do work for the NSA, but you take your orders from us, The Link. That is, assuming you don’t want to rabbit on us,” said Stoney, looking at me with a question in his eyes. “No, I’m not planning on going anywhere,” I told him. “Besides, how can I? Like you said last night, none of us have a choice.” “That’s true,” he said. “A lot of our choices have already been made for us, but has it really been so bad?” “No, but I have a feeling the bad stuff is right around the corner. Things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better,” I said. “That’s pretty much a given,” he conceded with a casual nod, leaning back in his polished mahogany chair. “But at least we have each other,” Jack said with a sappy look on his face. I smiled at him. “I guess that’s something,” I said agreeably. “So, what have you three been doing the past couple of months since you’ve been working with The Link?” “Not much, really,” Stoney stated modestly. “We helped to secure a young girl with unique gifts who turned up in Argentina, and we’ve taken out a couple of demons that reared their ugly heads here and there. But so far, the two last night were the biggest,” said Stoney. “Well, don’t get cocky, because those were small fries compared to some of the demons higher up on the totem pole,” I warned, “and the Fallen Angels are virtually untouchable.” “Wait a minute, the ones we fought last night were small fries?” Jack asked, his eyes wide, full of concern. I nodded. “I’m afraid so. I saw some much bigger during my trip 151
to Hell. I still have nightmares.” “You were actually in Hell?” asked Mary Alice, a look of revulsion crossing her beautiful face. “Well no, not actually. Jakeh took me there the same night I was in Iraq. I was in a shielded area that allowed me to see into Hell. It’s as close as I ever want to come, though; I’ll tell you that much,” I said with an involuntary shudder. “It must have been horrible for you,” she offered kindly. “It was a very eye-opening experience,” I said simply. I really didn’t like talking about it, or I’d have nightmares for a week. But there was something puzzling me. “Why would The Order want to loose a bunch of demons they couldn’t control? I mean, wouldn’t that be counterproductive?” Daniel looked up from his laptop and papers to interject, “That’s a good question. They wouldn’t do it, unless they thought they would have complete control. A few demons here and there to cause chaos and mayhem are great fun as far as The Order is concerned, but if the veil is pulled back entirely, they want to be the one’s in charge.” “Jakeh said that demons are next to impossible to control,” I told him. Daniel nodded. “Next to impossible. But not impossible. Do you remember hearing about all the museums being looted after the invasion of Iraq?” “Yeah, sure.” “We have intelligence that says The Order was behind most of it. I suspect they might have found a few items in some of those museums to help them, or maybe they have made some discoveries of their own in the Bible Code. Who knows? But they probably won’t open any gateways until they believe it will increase their power base, not destroy it.” “That’s why we have to make sure they never get their hands on you,” Mary Alice said, giving me a serious look, “because you would be a great asset for anyone possessing the ability to summon a gateway.” “That’s right,” Stoney added pointedly. “If they can control you, then they can open and close the gates at will.” “That’s a big if,” I said, narrowing my eyes reflexively. “Anyone 152
who tries will find controlling me quite a challenge.” My gaze shifted to Stoney. He was looking at me like he wanted to take that challenge. His aura heated up, causing mine to do the same. He was thinking about sex; I could see it in the colors he projected. I softened the look in my eyes and gave him a sly smile, just to let him know I was onto him. He held my gaze long enough to let me know he didn’t care. Jack cleared his throat uncomfortably and asked, “So, you didn’t know you had the wind hammer gift until last night?” “Nope, that was the first time. When did you guys discover your abilities?” “About 24 hours after being zapped with that beam of light,” he said, sitting back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. “But it was out of sheer necessity. We set out on foot the next day, carrying Janssen on a stretcher we threw together. We were making pretty good time, hoping to run into one of our supply convoys, until night fell, and the demons came. That gave us the incentive we needed to bring our new talents to the surface, fortunately for us, or we’d have all been torn apart. But they pretty much left us alone after we killed about a hundred of them.” “Damn,” was all I could think of to say. “Luckily, they were all minors…no majors.” “But still, the sheer numbers…” “Yeah, well, we were highly motivated.” “Jakeh said he would protect us from the demons the first night, but he couldn’t help us after that. I had no idea you were in such danger.” “Yeah, your skinny dipping partner was nowhere to be found that night,” Stoney jibed. I sighed heavily. “Haven’t we been over this already?” I asked him, annoyed. “Besides, I’m sure he has his pick of naked women. It was nothing to him.” Stoney laughed harshly. “Seeing you naked was nothing to him? I doubt that. I’ve seen you naked.” “Yeah,” Jack replied, “me, too.” “Am I the only one who hasn’t seen you naked?” came Daniel’s dejected voice from behind his computer. I wasn’t even aware he’d been listening. 153
“Don’t listen to them, dear. They’re just jealous,” Mary Alice said. “Why don’t you and I go on up to see Christopher while the boys plot their next move,” she suggested, standing up from the table. I stood as well, ready to move on to something else. “How you coming along, Daniel?” Jack asked. “Getting closer. I know what his hideout looks like. I’m waiting to see the address.” “Okay, then. I’m sure you know what you’re talking about. Let us know when you’re ready, and we’ll be right behind you.” Daniel didn’t bother to answer.
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CHAPTER 14
Mary Alice and I left the men in the dining room and made our way upstairs to see Christopher Janssen, the young man who started us down this manured slope by releasing thousands of demons and setting the end-times ball in motion. Christopher’s room was farthest from the stairway, set deep into the rocky hillside where there were no windows. As we reached his door, Mary Alice turned to face me. Out of the blue, she said, “I should probably warn you about the rubber balls.” My mind was all over the place, trying to figure out what she was talking about. When I came up with nothing, I said, “Excuse me?” She sighed. “Christopher needs a way to help him expend certain…energies, and we have to be careful what we leave in the room with him, or he might hurt himself…” She swung the door open, and to my utter astonishment, hundreds of rubber balls, of all colors and sizes, floated and danced in mid air. Some came together to form simple shapes and patterns, while others rocketed wildly through the room, without colliding with the other balls, or the walls or floors either, for that matter. I took one step inside, unsure how to proceed through the swarm of spinning spheres. Between the bobbing and racing colors, I could see a hospital bed in the corner of the large bedroom where a frail, sickly-looking young man sat up, propped against several white pillows. His eyes shifted to look at me. I walked further into the room, and instantly, the balls dropped to the floor. We stared at each other while they
rebounded and ricocheted, until finally losing momentum and bouncing reluctantly to a halt. For a guy who was supposed to be out of his head most of the time, he seemed remarkably alert. “Sunny,” I heard him whisper, just before he doubled over in pain, his face twisted in agony. Mary Alice gasped when he spoke my name, but I was just as surprised as she was. His breathing became ragged, his body strained, as if he was fighting something. He looked up at me with fear in his eyes and hoarsely rasped, “Run.” The word didn’t register, at least, not soon enough. Before I could react, the door slammed shut behind me, right in Mary Alice’s face. Christopher’s chin dropped to his chest, and he seemed to relax. But when he lifted his face towards me again, his eyes belonged to an Evil not of this world. Fear slithered out of my belly and crawled up my spine, spinning upward into paralyzing confusion inside my brain. I could hear Mary Alice pounding on the door outside. Malicious laughter erupted from Christopher’s lips, so loud I had to rush to cover my ears before my eardrums burst. Fear clawed at my senses, but I tried to stay cool. I was hoping to stall long enough for reinforcements to arrive. “On your knees, bitch,” said a larger-than-life voice, steeped in contempt. “I’m not bowing to you, asshole,” I said, then cringed at my own words. It was probably best if I didn’t provoke him. My heart was pounding a mile a minute, and the metallic taste of fear was thick in my mouth. A multitude of demons whispered curses at me through Christopher’s clenched teeth like a billion insects swarming through the dry leaves of autumn. The sound made my head crawl. He was obviously expending a great deal of energy to hold them back. His frail, white body trembled with the effort, sweat pouring off his brow. I felt so sorry for him, but I didn’t know how to help. And the more I looked at him, the angrier I became. I’m not sure at what point my fear became secondary to my anger, but before long, I was boiling inside. A thousand snarling demons helped me hold my temper in check. 156
“Who have you been lying with, whore?” asked the dominant demon, his tone full of hate. “None of your damn business,” I told him. I was so not giving up any information to this bastard. The demon chuckled, a dry, sinister sound through Christopher’s lips. “I can smell him on you, bitch. He has marked you as his slave.” Huh? “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about and neither do you,” I told him. “I’m nobody’s slave.” Parched laughter goaded my certainty. “Ah, then you do not know,” the beast said, sounding pleasantly surprised. “You will find out soon enough,” he taunted. “Well maybe I just don’t give a fuck,” I taunted back. Christopher’s eyes were black pits of desolation. If looks could kill, I’d have been in Heaven with Jakeh already. But this didn’t feel like a possession; it felt more like another gateway, opened up inside of Christopher’s frail, human body, and he was struggling to keep the demons inside. “This boy cannot keep us contained forever. Soon, we will break free, and then I will make you pay for your insolence,” hissed the devil. “I don’t think so. I’m going to find a way to send your sorry ass back to Hell, for good,” I threatened, hoping I could put my money where my mouth was. “You stupid cunt. The incubus controls you now, but you cannot fuck your way into Paradise. You are nothing more than a cheap whore that can be bought with little more than sweet words and false compliments,” he growled. Oh, fuck. Did he say incubus? What I needed was a quick rationalization. Demons lie, demons lie, demons lie. “Okay, now you’re getting personal,” I said, my anger rising as I approached the bed, hoping to have a plan by the time I got there. “I think it’s time for you to leave now. You’re starting to piss me off.” I could hear banging on the door outside, this time much harder. I knew it must be the guys trying to get in. Finally, help was 157
on the way, just as I was beginning to think I could handle this myself. I had an idea. Christopher’s hands lay unmoving in his lap, but his eyes were still clearly not his own. I reached out and took both of his hands, and I began to draw power, hoping to shove the demons back down Christopher’s throat and out the other side. “What are you doing, bitch?” roared a legion of demons. I didn’t stop to answer them. I shoved with all my spiritual might, sending righteous energy through Christopher’s weak body. His back bowed, and he began to vibrate. With the demons so close to the surface, his aura had turned ugly, but as I forced them back, I could see his own inner light start to shine through again. It was weak and damaged, but anything was better than the one he shared with the demons. “Stop it, you pathetic little whore,” the demons growled, but I kept right on shoving. A thousand demons screamed in unison, this time nearly blowing my eardrums out. But I could feel them losing their grip on Christopher, so I wasn’t about to stop until the bastards were gone, at least temporarily. Christopher’s eyes were beginning to show some humanity again, pleading silently with me to help him. The look on his face was so intense, so full of need, Beelzebub himself could not have made me abandon him then. I put all my strength into the power I was shoving at him and prayed it would be enough. My senses were rocked by an ear-shattering roar that just went on and on, unending, unbearable. I wished the beast would take a breath. I squeezed my eyes shut, holding tight to Christopher’s hands. I tried to scrunch my shoulders up, fighting the impulse to let go and cover my throbbing ears. Finally, the sound started to fade, getting farther away. I hung on, pushing for all I was worth. Just then, the door burst open with a crash, which didn’t seem as loud as it should have because my ears were in shock. As the demon voices faded to silence, Christopher slumped forward and threw his arms around me, sobbing. I held him to me tightly as tears began to well up in my eyes. The tears of others almost always became my own. I guess it’s a woman thing. Mary Alice ran to the bedside and threw her arms around 158
Christopher, too, hugging him tightly. He clung to me as if I were his only lifeline. For four long months, this poor man had had to endure the presence of a multitude of demons threatening to burst through the gateway that had been opened inside of him. But he had bravely held them back, alone and in utter silence, unable to relax his control for even a second, certainly not long enough to convey his predicament to anyone, for fear he would lose control and loose the demons. I hadn’t been able to close the portal inside Christopher, because I didn’t know how. There was no visible rift that I could weave shut with my hands. But the demons had been temporarily locked out, and I was bound and determined to find a way to close the gateway for good. I just had to figure out how to do it. Christopher held tight. Mary Alice and I kept our arms around him until his breathing started to come in a slow, steady rhythm and his arms went slack. “He’s asleep,” Mary Alice whispered with a touch of wonder in her voice. “He’s finally asleep. I haven’t seen him sleep since he’s been here.” Tears were running down her face as we lay Christopher back against the pillows and lowered his bed so he could rest comfortably. Mary Alice refused to leave the room, and it was really best that someone stay with him until he woke anyway. She led us to the door so she could speak to us in hushed tones. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she began, and she hugged me to her tightly. I gave her half a smile. “I’m afraid he isn’t out of the woods yet. There is a gateway opened up inside of him, and until I can figure out how to close it permanently, he will have to fight to keep the demons down. But he has an extraordinarily strong will, and the sleep he is getting now will do him good. I can help to keep the demons at bay, but we have to find a way to close the gateway, or he will never be free,” I said honestly. It was hard to see the fear return again to Mary Alice’s face, but there was hope there now, as well, so it wasn’t all bad. “Any relief you can give him is a precious gift,” she said, “and I will always be grateful for that. I will stay with him, and I’ll call 159
you when he wakes. Right now, you have a computer nerd to catch.” I looked up at Stoney, and he nodded. “Daniel thinks he’s got a location for Hiram. We need to get moving while we have a lock on him.” I nodded, then looked back to Mary Alice. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” “Yes, of course. I’ll have Thomas and Simon come help me, if necessary, while Griff runs the security detail. We’ll be fine. You kids go and have a nice time catching Hiram.” Evidently, Thomas, Simon, and Griff worked here, too, but I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting them yet. “Okay, then let’s get shaking,” Stoney said to his men, getting down to business. “Lets meet up in the locker room in twenty.” He was already moving for the stairs, and then he turned and looked at me. “I don’t suppose you’d stay here if I asked you to?” “No. But you’re not going to ask me to, are you?” I glared at him. He sighed dramatically. “Then come on,” he groaned with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. “Go change clothes, and I’ll see if we have a vest small enough to fit you until we can get you suited up properly. Until then, just wear black. It’s professional looking, and the intimidation factor alone is worth the effort.” As he strode out the door, he said, “See you in twenty.” There wasn’t enough time to fret over what the demon had said about ‘the incubus,’ among other things, but I made a mental note to freak out about it later.
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CHAPTER 15
I hurried back to my suite, determined not to be late. Once inside, I threw on my black Wranglers, black tennis shoes, and a black skin tight short-sleeved cowgirl shirt, with black pearl snaps down the front. It showed a little cleavage, which wasn’t exactly appropriate for the occasion, but it was all I had. I pulled my hair back in a low pony tail and strapped my black holster to my hip along with my black leather ammo case. Even my undies and my socks were black. I felt so Goth. With three minutes to spare, I grabbed my weapon and ID and headed out the door with keys in hand. Traveling light, I left my cell phone on the dresser next to my purse since I probably wouldn’t be making or taking any personal calls for a while. I entered the locker room, exactly on time, but I was still the last one to arrive. Figures. There were three others there, too, and Stoney made a quick introduction. I had seen several other guards around the facility grounds, but these were the first I’d seen up close. I shook their hands and paid attention when Stoney said their names, so I wouldn’t forget. The tall one with the dark brown hair was Mason, who gave me a friendly wink when he shook my hand. The sturdy fellow with the scar over his left eye was Brandt, and the big black guy with the perfect teeth was Gates. They were all exmilitary and looked every bit the tough guys I knew they were. They were our Blue Team, and we were the Red Team. When we found Hiram, these guys would be our backup, a fine combination of brawn and good looks if I say so myself. I had a weakness for brawny, good looking men.
Jack helped me into a Kevlar vest, which was still way too big, even after cinching the Velcro straps as tight as they would go. Against the demons, the vest probably wouldn’t help much. But the bad guys still carried guns, and I was glad for all the protection I could get. When finally Stoney ordered everybody to load up, he pulled me aside for a little one-on-one. I couldn’t help but flirt with him a little, even though he was trying so hard to be detached and professional. The other guys headed for the vehicles, leaving me momentarily alone with him. I was hoping for a little intimacy. Instead, I got a lecture. At least he was polite. “Sunny, for your own safety, as well as your team members, please stay close to me today and follow my orders without question. Lives may depend on it so please understand that whatever I tell you to do, it isn’t to piss you off—it’s for the good of the mission.” I gazed at him stubbornly, but I nodded nonetheless. I hated to admit it, but he was right. “I promise I’ll behave myself. I’ll even let you be in charge if it makes you feel better,” I taunted. “Yeah, I like being in charge,” he said wickedly, taking our conversation to a whole new level. “I’ll try not to be too distracting,” I said with heat tinting my gaze. “I’m not sure how that’s possible,” he sighed, “but thanks for trying.” He turned, heading toward the vans with me tagging along, looking at his behind. Daniel was already in the driver’s seat, since he was the only one who knew where we were going. We headed towards San Antonio with Blue Team riding in another van right behind us. “Are you going to tell us where we’re going, or is it a surprise?” Jack asked Daniel. “We’re going to San Antonio, just west of downtown.” “So what’s different? How do you know where to go?” “Before, I could pick up vague impressions of what I was looking for, but now I can actually see it in detail. Have you ever heard of remote viewing?” “Yeah, I saw a show about it on TV once. It’s some weird shit,” 162
said Jack. “You’re calling my shit weird? That’s pretty funny coming from a freak boy like you,” Daniel said, messing with him. “The only thing I have to compare it to is remote viewing. It’s similar, I guess, only with much more detail, because I’m actually seeing things in real time, just like I was there.” “So how does that translate into being able to find the right location, just because you can see it in your head?” “I just zoom out, so I can see the address on the front of the house, and then I can zoom out even further to see the name of the street sign on the nearest corner.” “Incredible. So, you could actually look into a strip club and see the girls, without having to pay the cover charge?” “I hadn’t really thought of using it that way, but I guess I could.” Jack shook his head, despondent. “That is so unfair.” Daniel drove directly to an old, run down farm house about ten miles west of downtown. Stoney called for Blue Team to hang back while we did a drive-by. There were no other houses in the vicinity, and the area was relatively devoid of activity. Daniel drove by slowly and stared holes through the house with his eyes. Several cars were parked out front, but there was no movement to be seen. The house, a wood frame two-story, looked like something out of a class B horror flick. It was at least a hundred years old, with peeling paint and a wide, rickety porch. A gravel driveway lead up to the front, and there was a second driveway running directly behind the old house, leading to a decrepit looking garage. It was obvious that additions had been made over the years to make the house larger and more modern, but even that had been long ago. “The demons are still,” Daniel said mysteriously as we drove past for the second time. “What do you mean they’re still?” asked Stoney. “Not moving, like they’ve been temporarily shut down.” “Is that possible?” Jack asked Daniel. “You’re asking me? Maybe you should ask our resident demon expert in the back seat,” he said, meaning me, so I answered him. “I don’t know for sure. There are all types of controlling spells for demons, but most of them are temporary, and many don’t work on the larger ones. But I’d say yes, it’s possible.” 163
“Then maybe now’s our chance to get in there, while the gettin’ is good,” said Jack. Daniel didn’t seem too sure. “I don’t know. I can’t see in there right now. Maybe we’re too close. It just seems weird, you know? But I can tell that they’re not moving.” “I say, we should take advantage of a relatively good situation,” argued Jack. “We know Hiram is in there, I mean, even I can feel him now that Daniel got us close enough, and that’s what we’re here for. All the better if his demons are out of the picture,” “I didn’t say ‘out of the picture.’ Hiram could probably call them up at any time.” “Whatever. Demons or no, I say we go get the little fucker,” Jack growled. “Hang tight, McCleery,” Stoney said to Jack. “You’re going to get to kill something real soon, but we have to get this right.” Then to all of us, he said, “I don’t care if he’s in there with his mother, we need to proceed with caution. This rat bastard is completely unpredictable and he has a lot of demons on his side. We cannot afford to underestimate him.” Stoney quickly laid out the game plan. “We’ll pull our vehicle behind the garage to hide it as much as possible, and then we’ll proceed to the house through the backyard. I’ll go in first, then Troy, then Sunny, and McCleery goes last to cover our asses. We go as quietly as possible until we’re discovered. Then it’s shock and awe. We hit them hard and fast. That’s when I’ll call in Blue Team, who will come in through the front. I need you to keep the demons off of me this time, so I can get to Hiram and give his brain a look. Then we grab the data, and we’re out again, quick and neat. Hopefully, we won’t have many demons to deal with, but don’t count on it. Either way, we’ve got to get what we came for.” Everyone nodded their heads in understanding, and I wondered if I was the only one with sweaty palms. I looked at my companions, and none of them seemed even the slightest bit nervous or apprehensive, in fact, quite the opposite. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were eager for the bedlam and mayhem. “What are we going to do with Hiram?” I asked. “You let me worry about that,” answered Stoney with a hardness to his voice that told me I didn’t really want to know. 164
He relayed the plan to the other team, and then we drove the van to the back of the house and into position directly behind the garage. We hopped out and shut the doors quietly, trying to keep the element of surprise on our side. Without warning, the antique garage doors swung outward noisily, with a classic, haunted house creak. Suddenly, we found ourselves standing face to face with several very astonished looking men toting automatic weapons. We were all so surprised, at least two heartbeats passed before the scene was unpaused. Everyone went for their weapons at once. Instinctively, I dropped to one knee, pulling my gun smoothly out of its holster, bringing it to bear on the bad guy standing closest. Bullets exploded in a massive burst of firepower from both sides, too close for anyone to miss.
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CHAPTER 16
I saw the last of the men in the garage go down just as there was a searing pain above my left breast. I yelped and started ripping at the Velcro straps of my Kevlar vest, but I couldn’t pull them apart fast enough. Then, Stoney was there, tearing at the straps with me. Quickly but gently, he pushed me to the ground onto my back and ripped open the pearly snaps of my cowgirl shirt, frantically running his hands inside, looking for a wound. His concerned expression turned to exasperated relief as he pulled out a hot shell casing that had flipped down into the collar of my shirt, probably from Jack’s Glock, since he’d been standing closest. “Shit, babe,” he said with a nervous laugh, “I thought you’d been shot.” He breathed out heavily, and his eyes fell upon my heaving chest. When he realized what he was looking at, one corner of his mouth went up. He winked at me before jumping to his feet, holding his hand out to help me up. He spoke into his comm set to Blue Team, watching me with interest as I snapped my shirt. “They know we’re here now; proceed with caution.” The scene that lay before me was ghastly. The really sad part was that I had helped create it. Three men lay sprawled and bloody, but I felt no remorse. Their auras smoldered around them like a dark, repugnant smoke, still swirling and crawling along their bodies as if alive. It was obvious, to me at least, that the men had been in league with Evil, quite literally, and they deserved to be sent to Hell. “We really fucked up their medical records,” snorted Jack as he searched one of the bodies.
“Yeah,” said Stoney, “but they nearly fucked up yours, too. Look at the van.” We looked, and what I saw nearly made me pass out. My stomach became queasy, and I started to shake. My knees grew weak, and things began to go dark for a moment. I closed my eyes, trying to breathe deeply until it passed, but I got a big whiff of blood and worse things, and for a second, I thought I was going to throw up. I needed fresh air, and fast. I stepped back out of the garage and approached the van, as if to get a closer look. I really didn’t want the guys to see how green my face was if I could avoid it, but a closer look at the van didn’t help much. It had been shot to Hell and back, virtually riddled with bullets except for two silhouette shaped outlines, one standing and one kneeling. Stoney and Daniel had been standing behind the van when the garage doors swung open, but Jack and I had been standing right beside it. “It’s a good thing they were lousy shots,” said Jack flippantly from inside the garage. I gave him a look that said he was crazy. “There is no way we should have survived that.” “Come on. Let’s move,” Stoney urged. “We can contemplate the mystery of it all later.” “There’s nothing on any of the bodies. We’d better check their vehicle,” said Jack, moving towards a dark Suburban hidden inside the garage. “Then let’s get on with it,” ordered Stone, moving to help Jack. “Sunny, you watch our backs while we do the search. Daniel, what the hell is the matter with you?” Daniel was wandering around the garage, head cocked sideways, as if he was listening for something. He was concentrating hard, when suddenly, he leaped into action, running for the side door of the garage. “The demons are moving again!” he yelled, breaking for the back porch of the house with the rest of us following behind. Changing his mind at the last second, he cut over to the left and ran around to the side of the house, faking us out real good, but we had been paying attention, so we caught up fast. We turned the corner just in time to see Daniel duck his head in a charge mere milliseconds before a small man with long silver hair 167
came crashing through the window right in front of him. Daniel slammed into the little man like a wrecking ball, causing him to go down hard. He wasn’t going to be getting up for a while, but Daniel was completely unaffected. Hell, he wasn’t even breathing hard. He leaped gracefully to his feet and held up his prize, a small gray laptop computer. “Un-fucking-canny,” I said with wonder. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I could never have truly appreciated it. “Damn good show, Daniel,” congratulated Stoney as he clapped him on the back. “This doesn’t bode well for Hiram, though, does it?” “No,” said Daniel, regret clearly sounding in his voice, “he’s most likely dead.” He opened the laptop and powered it up to make sure we had the right computer. “Well, we won’t know for sure until we find him,” Stoney said, moving quickly for the back porch again. He yelled into his headset as he ran, letting Blue Team know we were coming in so they didn’t shoot us. They were already inside; I could hear gunfire. We entered the back door of the house cautiously, and a rush of demons whooshed past, completely uninterested in us. More evidence that Hiram was dead. We saw more than a few bodies lying sprawled on the floor as we quickly searched the downstairs rooms. Some of the dead were evidently Hiram’s lowlife followers, while at least two of them were The Order’s men, based on the way they were dressed and the weapons they carried. Blue Team had been moving through the house, clearing out the riffraff. When Stoney and I found Hiram, Jack was already there, having climbed through the broken window in the hallway. Daniel remained outside, keeping an eye on his unconscious captive. Inside the small bedroom, I was aghast at what I saw. Hiram was tied to a chair, head slumped forward at an ungodly angle, covered in his own blood. He was, for all intents and purposes, dead, but his aura was still visible. It was an ugly, smoky greenishgray, with darker spots that looked like rot, and it was fading fast. Evidently, the wizard couldn’t look into Hiram’s eyes to get the information he wanted like Stoney could, so he had resorted to torture. It was hard not to feel bad for Hiram, seeing him in such a 168
sorry state. “Damn, what a bloody mess. You’d think The Order might be a little more professional when they torture someone. This is downright disgraceful,” said Jack with an arrogant tone. He seemed completely unaffected by all the blood and gore. My stomach was flipping and flopping all over the place. “Can it, and step back,” Stoney ordered. “I’m going to try something really stupid.” We both stepped back. Stoney lifted his hands and flung some brilliant white lightning bolts at Hiram, who was rapidly becoming room temperature. Hiram’s body convulsed with the shocks, but he still wasn’t breathing. Stoney tried again, and this time, Hiram coughed a little, causing blood to seep through his lips onto his already ruined shirt. “Sorry about this, Hiram,” Stoney said as he gently lifted his head and leaned it against the back of the chair. He moved in closer and put his hands on the bloody man’s face, lifting his eyelids carefully with his thumbs so he could see in. He gazed into Hiram’s eyes for only a moment. Then he abruptly yanked his hands away and jumped back, squeezing his own eyes shut against something terrible he had seen. His aura flashed red and gold, a mixture of anger and fear and many other things I had no words for. He squatted down on his heels, with his back against the wall, head down, breathing deeply. I went to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He seemed to welcome the simple gesture. He reached up with one hand to cover mine, drawing strength and comfort from me. I waited patiently until finally, he stood and looked at me. I could see the pain sparking in his beautiful green eyes. At that moment, I’d have done just about anything to take that pain away. “Are you alright, hon?” I asked, looking up at him. “No, I don’t think I am,” he said. “I saw Hell, Sunny. Hiram’s in Hell.” Aw, crap. “I’m so sorry, Stoney. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” “How did you deal with it?” he asked, wanting me to help him understand. “I haven’t,” I said honestly, unable to look into his pain filled eyes anymore, but there was no point in lying to him. Once you see something like Hell, you cannot unsee it; it stays with you forever. 169
“I wish I could say the memory will fade, but it won’t. You just have to learn to put it aside, to segregate it in your mind so you don’t dwell on it, or it will drive you crazy.” Stoney was looking at me like he was seeing me from a new perspective. Maybe that was good, or maybe it wasn’t. Either way, there was nothing I could do about it. Daniel poked his head in the window. “The peewee wizard is coming around, boss.” “Good, I need to have a few words with him,” Stoney said, anger seeping into his voice, seeming to fortify him. He stepped into the hallway and took a shortcut through the window. Jack followed, jumping the six feet to the ground like it was no big deal. I gave Hiram one last glance, so I’d recognize his face if I ever saw him in Hell. I threw one leg over the window sill, and then followed with the other until I was sitting on the ledge looking down. Daniel stood behind the little man, who was on his knees, hands on his head. The wizard’s aura slithered and moved along his body like snakes, colored with evil intent, wicked ambition, and black desires of the heart. He stared at Stoney with contempt. Then he began to whisper. The words flowed out of his mouth like noxious tendrils of fog, snaking through his aura. “Shut him up!” I yelled, sliding across the window ledge and dropping to the ground. It was too late; the damage was done. Right next to the little wizard, a demon dropped out of the air from about ten feet up, smacking the ground with a wet, squishy sound. It looked like a giant sea cucumber, tubular in shape, with dirty pink and brown, wrinkled, skin and thick bristled hairs spread across the surface. It reeked of rotten fish, and my gag reflex began to kick in. The enormous tube snake accordioned up and down a couple of times, making smacking sounds as it rose and fell. Then it leaned over the little man, and fell down on top of him, swallowing him up, with the rest of its body following like a giant slinky. When it compressed downward, it disappeared entirely, leaving nothing but a puddle of viscous slime on the grass. “Fuck!” spat Stoney. “What the hell was that?” “Looked like a giant man-eating penis,” observed Jack with a 170
disgusted look on his face. “It’s evidently how the wizard travels in emergencies,” I offered. “That was fucking revolting, man. Did you notice the cottage cheesy looking stuff between the creases when it stretched out? And the smell was worse than a Chinese fish market,” Jack complained with a wrinkled nose. “You sure have a talent for picking out the details,” I said, shaking my head. “Imagine what it must be like inside that thing.” That elicited groans of disgust from all three men. “He must have wanted to get away real bad to pull that out of his bag of tricks,” said Stoney. “At least we have Hiram’s laptop.” The words were no sooner out of my mouth, when the Suburban that had been parked in Hiram’s garage went racing across the grass on the far side of the house, cutting a path through to the main road. Evidently, we’d missed someone. We might have given chase but, just then, there was a loud, angry roar from the backyard. Unfortunately, we were too far around the side of the house to see what it was. “What now?” Stoney asked, irritation bristling along the outer edges of his shield. He sauntered toward the backyard and peered around the corner of the house. Almost immediately, he jerked his head back as a fireball about the size of a cantaloupe came flying by, way too close, crashing into a nearby tree, setting it ablaze. “Spread out!” ordered Stoney, rushing back in our direction, “We’ve got a hot one!” We ran towards the front of the house, spreading out to allow each of us room to work and so the demon couldn’t take us all out at once. As I ran, I tried to concentrate on bringing up the wind hammer ability I had used last night, and I felt the power rising almost effortlessly. I took my position where a dirt path met the driveway, and turned to meet the biggest, scariest thing I had ever encountered in my 27 years of life. The demon was about twelve feet tall and half as wide, with a flaming body that smelled of burnt flesh. It was difficult to tell, but under all the flames, it resembled a four-armed gorilla. Two of the arms were long, with powerful looking muscles and huge, curved claws. The other two arms were much smaller with boney, almost 171
delicate fingers. The monster’s face was slightly elongated and had a muzzle similar to a dog’s with sharp, wicked fangs protruding from its fiery maw. The beast stopped its advance in the middle of the front yard, and to my complete and total amazement, it reached back with one long arm, squatted a little, and crapped a heap of flaming dung into its hand. It then cocked back and flung the crackling, popping mess at Jack, who seemed to be pissing it off the most. His icy bolts of freezing pain were causing the creature great distress. Jack leaped out of the way, but Mason took a hit in the arm by a splash of fiery crap when the flaming heap hit a tree next to him. He immediately hit the dirt, rolling to put the fire out. Stoney pelted the demon with his lightning bolts, sending them in rapid succession until he was smoking hot. They didn’t seem to have any visible effect, though, other than to enrage the fiery monster further. Daniel couldn’t get close enough to use his sword because of the flames. He pulled his automatic weapon and opened fire on the demon with the three men from Blue Team joining in. The bullets seemed to be absorbed without even making a dent, but that didn’t stop them from trying, bless their hearts. The demon, for the most part, ignored us all, and was actively going after Jack, the greatest source of its pain. But now, it was my turn. I mentally cocked my wind hammer and let fly, hitting the monster dead on, barely slowing it down, while blasting liquid fire directly back onto the house behind, setting it ablaze. Everything the monster passed within five feet or so turned into a raging inferno anyway, but this was getting out of hand. We had managed to avoid being noticed so far today, but the flaming gorilla that was incinerating everything in its path was bound to draw attention soon, and with all the bodies on the ground again, we wanted to be long gone before the local authorities arrived. I gathered up all the power I could muster, and I threw another burst of wind at the beast, this time focusing my energy at a smaller area, trying to localize a hit so flames wouldn’t get blown all over everything again. The punch caught the demon in the back of the shoulder, causing it to stagger forward from the blow. I knew I had done some damage when it swung around to face me, eyes 172
consumed with rage. It roared like a thousand lions, sending flames out its mouth with the scream. It was everything I could do not to turn and run, but I couldn’t defend myself if I did. I threw out another concentrated stream of air, smacking the angrily advancing demon squarely in the chest, slowing it a little and causing it to roar a lot. Stoney and Jack both advanced with the beast, trying to draw its attention from me, which I felt was mighty thoughtful. The flaming gorilla reached back again with its long, clawed hand and collected another fiery round of demon crap. This time, it had my name on it. I drew in power, readying myself. I wasn’t about to take any shit from this asshole. With an enthusiasm born of disgust, I threw my hands out towards the monster, sending a ferocious blast of air at its arm, hitting it just above the wrist, completely severing the offensive appendage. The demon howled again in agony, which quickly turned to unbridled rage. The monster’s stub dripped liquid fire, but there were dark patches on its body now, where Jack’s icy darts had dampened the flames. I raised my hands again and threw another concentrated stream of air at the creature, hitting it in the upper abdomen, knocking a hole right through the shrieking ape. It closed over quickly as the fire melted the flesh back together. As I cocked back to let loose another round, I heard the demon make a sound like a cough, and I had a moment to wonder if I should be worried. Stoney yelled, “Look out!” and slammed into me from the side, grabbing me around the waist and carrying me on his hip like a sack of horse feed just as a flaming loogie blew past. He dropped me none too gently, then turned to stand between the demon and me, loosing his lightning bolts, one after the other, while Jack battered the monster with huge shards of ice, slowly turning the beast’s fires cold. From my knees, I flung a powerful current of air at one of the dark spots on the beast that no longer burned, sending a vicious punch through the creature’s neck, knocking its head back at an awkward angle. Jack followed up with more arctic arrows to the same area. The beast began to stagger like a drunken sailor. Finally, it crumbled to the ground into smoldering ashes, leaving nothing 173
but a pile of charred rubble that was quickly picked up and scattered by the wind. I sat back on my heels and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Stoney yelled over his shoulder, “Let’s move. We should have been out of here five minutes ago.” He pulled me to my feet. Wispy tendrils of smoke still streamed off his body. He tugged on my hand, pulling me closer. I felt a distinct tingle through his fingertips that traveled up my arm and through my body like a pleasurable electrical vibration. I looked up at his face to find him smiling, and I knew he was doing it on purpose. Not to be outdone, I reached for the erotic gift Jakeh had shown me, curious what I could do. It was there, just waiting for me to touch it. I tapped into it and felt a sudden rush of heat, deep inside my Wranglers. The power stirred around my core for a moment, building momentum, until I couldn’t contain it any longer. It burst free, racing down my arm to Stoney’s outstretched hand, blasting him simultaneously with a supernatural wind and erotic energy. He drew in a deep breath as the combination whammy hit him full force, rocking him on his feet. I held fast to his hand. A sultry breeze caressed our bodies, like thousands of breathy whispers against our skin. A flaming desire ignited in us both, threatening to unleash itself at a most inappropriate time. “Uh, guys,” interrupted Jack, “we should be leaving now.” Embarrassed back to reality, we broke contact. Still buzzing, we headed towards the van. Stoney was still looking at me like he wanted to eat me up, and I’d probably let him if he tried. It seems that Jakeh’s little gift was wreaking havoc with my libido, which is hard to control under ordinary circumstances, but in a man-rich environment such as this, I was definitely going to have to watch myself. My aura was buzzing and flashing like an outdoor bug zapper, but fortunately, I was the only one who could see it, and I kept my distance from Stoney, so he couldn’t feel it. Any more encouragement and we might do something shameful.
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CHAPTER 17
We all piled into Blue Team’s vehicle. There was no way our van was going anywhere after being shot all to Hell and back. Brandt, the guy with the scar over his eye, was tending to Mason’s scorched left arm, while Gates drove us around to the back of the house by the garage so we could retrieve all the goodies from our incapacitated vehicle. Then we high tailed it out of there without a minute to spare. Just after we turned onto the main road leading back toward downtown, we were forced to pull over to make way for a fire truck and a couple of police cars. I thought for sure one of them would try to stop us, but they raced past, towards the house burning in our rearview mirror, without giving us a second glance. I breathed another sigh of relief, but none of the guys seemed the least bit worried. I guess with their credentials, they could get out of just about anything. “Well, that all went pretty well,” said Jack, wearing a cocky grin. “Sure,” Stoney said facetiously, “the fact that we walked completely unprepared into a bunch of guys with automatic weapons and survived is just tremendous.” He then turned his intense gaze to Daniel and said, “And the way you preempted that wizard was truly a beautiful thing, but I’ve got to ask, man, how is it you saw Hiram’s hideout so clearly, but you didn’t see The Order’s men there? That information would certainly have been helpful.” “There was too much interference once we got there,” answered Daniel easily. “I couldn’t see inside. I’m not sure if it was
because we were too close, or maybe that wizard did something to shield them, but I couldn’t see once we were there.” Stoney gave a frustrated sigh, shaking his head. “At least we got part of what we came for, but since Hiram is dead, we can’t know who he shared the data with. Hopefully, he kept it to himself, but I doubt it.” “So, what do we do now?” I asked. “Daniel will check Hiram’s files to see who he’s been emailing, but he might not have sent the data from this computer, so we may have to wait until someone opens another gateway.” “It’s bound to happen sooner or later anyway,” said Daniel. “Bring it on,” growled Jack, still in kill-everything mode. “Be careful what you wish for,” I warned. “If this is just the beginning, I’m afraid to see what’s next.” Just then, Stoney’s cell phone rang. “Stone,” he answered brusquely. He listened quietly for about five seconds, and then motioned for Gates to go to warp speed. “We’re on our way. Please stay clear and let the security team take care of him until we get there. Sunny can handle this just like she did earlier today, so don’t you worry. We’ll be there in about forty minutes.” When I heard his words, my heart began to bounce around in my chest because I knew there must be something wrong with Christopher. Sure enough, Stoney flipped his phone shut, and said, “There’s a problem with Christopher. He’s awake and the demons are back, and this time, they brought reinforcements. We’ve got to get there ASAP or Mary Alice says he’s going to tear the house down.” Suddenly, I felt a strong tug at the center of my body, just below my heart, pulling at my core. I gasped loudly, struggling to understand what was happening. As everyone turned to see what was the matter, the scene before me quickly narrowed and fell out of focus. Stoney reached out for me with a look of alarm on his face, and when he called my name, it sounded very far away. I tried to extend my hand but it weighed a million pounds, and then it was too late. I was already gone. And just as quick, I was somewhere else. Jakeh’s dark eyes and bright smile shone before me. We were at the beach again. Instantly, my pulse quickened, and my body 176
warmed to his presence. “Oh, no, not now,” I groaned. “I’ve got all the trouble I can handle at the moment. You’ve got to send me back right away.” “I thought you would be happy to see me,” he brooded. His voice sent subtle waves of pleasant sensation through my body. “My friend, Christopher, is in trouble, and he needs my help. I don’t have time for this,” I huffed, trying to keep my wits about me. His face fell into a frown. I definitely liked it better when he smiled. He reached out for me, a carnal ambition behind his dark eyes. I backed away. We had played a similar game once before. But this was no time to become distracted. My wrists and ankles jingled melodiously when I moved, adorned with beautiful golden bracelets, but except for that, I realized, I was totally nude. Oh, darn. “I will return you in time, I promise,” he said, but his look held more promises than that one. “I only want to help, I assure you.” “Uh-huh. Then why am I naked?” “Because I enjoy looking at you,” he said simply, dark eyes shining like treasure I longed to possess. Damn. I shook my head to clear it. He wasn’t even trying, and already I could feel my skin rising with goose bumps in anticipation of his touch. With a great force of will, I held up my hand to hold off another advance. “Please stop,” I said, sounding a little breathless. “Either help me or send me back right now. I don’t have time for your devious seductions.” I tried not to look at him. The ocean was beautiful, the surf rolling gently onto the sandy shore, sighing with the breeze. His silent response impelled me to turn my gaze to him. His face held a curious expression, but there was still no mistaking the hunger behind his eyes. It made me nervous. “Don’t look at me like that,” I said defensively. “You know what I’m talking about. And I’d appreciate it if you would turn down those incubus pheromones you’ve got going on over there so I can concentrate.” “Ah, now I see why you are acting so strangely,” he said, nodding and crossing his arms over his fabulous chest. “Who have you been talking to?” 177
I shrugged petulantly. “Oh, nobody special. Just one of those demons trying to make his dramatic entrance through Christopher’s body. Why? He a friend of yours?” That sparked anger in his eyes. “I am no friend to any demon,” he growled. Funny, though, he hadn’t denied being an incubus. “Yeah, well, he also said you marked me as your slave,” I told him, with an angry look of my own. “You and I definitely need to have a little talk. You can’t just go around, enslaving women, tricking them into being your concubine.” I was indignant. He looked confused. “And why not?” he asked. “In my day, any woman would have been proud to be called my concubine.” He moved closer, but I avoided him like a bad memory. “Well, welcome to the twenty-first century. I am a slave to no man,” I told him defiantly. “I must disagree with you,” he argued. “You, yourself, agreed to the arrangement…” “You tricked me, you bastard! You used that irresistible mojo of yours, and I didn’t stand a chance and you know it,” I growled at him. In my anger, I had inadvertently stepped within his reach. He pulled me close to him, and I guess I forgot to stop him this time. “That is beside the point. What is done is done,” he said. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway,” I informed him, “because I just don’t see myself jumping when you call.” “You will,” he replied, smiling. “I don’t think so,” I bristled, making a valiant attempt to pull away from him. He didn’t let me. He jerked me tight against him, making my breath catch in my throat. “Oh, yes,” he whispered, sending pulses of pure lust throbbing down the entire length of my body, “you will. When I summon you, you will come, and you will submit to me.” He sounded pretty confident, but then, he had every right to be. “Hah,” I blurted half-heartedly. “That’s what you think,” I told him, but they were just words. There was no will behind them. I simply did not want to stop him. I was never very good at avoiding temptation anyway. Maybe that makes me bad, but I never claimed to be otherwise. I relaxed against him as he ran his warm lips down my neck. “What good is an incubus if he cannot do these simple things?” 178
he whispered, sending a thrill throughout my body. He pressed his warm, wet lips to mine in a heated kiss that melted away all my uncertainties and replaced them with carnal desire. The contact quickly became a battle to crawl inside one another through our mouths. Abruptly, he broke off the contest and pulled away, smiling appreciatively at my heaving chest. The smug look on his face made me feel ashamed. “I hate you,” I told him without passion. “I know,” he said, grinning. “It will pass.” “How can you be in Heaven if you’re an incubus?” I asked him. He shrugged. “I never said I was in Heaven; you just assumed it. I told you we were in a place between the Heavens and Earth. An incubus is the product of a demon and a human woman, but we are not born evil. In that, we have a choice. However, because I am part demon, I cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. But my station here is not without its rewards…and it is most certainly better than the alternative.” “Meaning Hell…” I stated for him. “Exactly.” “Then, you are not King Solomon,” I concluded aloud. “He was the son of David, and definitely not an incubus.” “Definitely not,” he agreed. I frowned at him. “You told me you were human.” “I am, mostly,” he said. “Why won’t you tell me your real name?” I asked him. “Why do you think I have not?” “Call it a hunch.” I stared at his handsome face as hundreds of lifetimes shone back at me through his eyes. “It is unimportant,” he lied. “That’s not true or you’d tell me,” I stated as a matter of fact. He sighed. “We have wasted too much time already. If you want me to help you, we must begin now.” I glared at him suspiciously. “Yeah, well, this conversation is not over,” I informed him, “but we’d better get on with it. Just show me what I need to do and send me back…with clothes, if you don’t mind.” He nodded and seemed to consider his words for a moment. 179
Then he began to speak in his deep, sexy voice. “There is a great deal of risk involved with drawing this type of portal out into the open. When you do, the gateway will be completely unveiled in your world, and you will be at your most vulnerable. You will have to work fast, because this time, a Prince of Demons is waiting on the other side.” “How much time will I have?” “Seconds, maybe. I can show you a way to close the portal much more quickly than weaving it shut, but it takes a great deal of concentration and, well…finesse.” I bristled. “So, what are you saying? You don’t think I have enough finesse to pull it off,” I asked in the tone of a cat being rubbed the wrong way. “Maybe finesse is the wrong word,” he said, backtracking. “Maybe skill is a better word, the kind of skill that comes with experience.” “What I lack in experience, I’ll make up for in effort. Now, just show me how to close the gateway and let me get on with helping Christopher,” I urged, feeling pressed for time. “Effort is no replacement for experience. But anger might work.” “What do you mean?” “You may be able to make up for your lack of experience by working up some strong emotions to give your powers a boost. Anger usually works best and is easiest to maintain in stressful situations such as this. Fear is too debilitating, and love or other peaceful emotions are hard to hold onto in the face of such evil. So, reach for your anger to help you through this,” he advised. “Okay, just show me already; then you can piss me off and I’ll be on my way,” I urged, “and next time, I’ll be sure to thank you properly.” No sense being ungrateful. He smiled at that and said, “I will look forward to it.” Without further delay, he proceeded to explain how to draw the portal out of Christopher, and how to close it in five seconds or less before a Prince of Demons came through and ate my lunch. Unfortunately, there was no way to practice this time, so I would be flying by the seat of my pants, assuming I got them back. When I thought I had it down pat, I said, “Okay, I’ve got the gist 180
of it. Now, send me back before I have time to start worrying.” “I will put you right in Christopher’s room. You must set about your task immediately. Try to block the voices of the demons out of your mind and do not speak to them. You must not waver for even a moment,” he warned ominously. He lifted my hand to his lips for a gentle kiss and stepped back from me, his eyes full of concern. I could tell he was worried because he was looking at my face instead of my body. “Now, reach for your anger, concentrate, and start walking. It is time.” I took a moment to gather my courage, but I didn’t seem to be angry right that minute, and wasn’t sure how to get that way. I needed some inspiration. Leave it to Jakeh to have the perfect solution. He obviously had a lot of experience pissing people off, too. As I started walking, he slapped me on the ass so hard, I stumbled to one knee, just as I began to feel the familiar tug that signified a shift from one universe to another. Suddenly, there was thick carpet beneath my bare feet, and I realized I was in Christopher’s room, still bare-assed naked in the presence of way too many people, and that pissed me off even more. I stood, backside stinging, eyes narrowed, madder than hell. I barely registered Jack’s surprised voice say, “Shit, man. Look who’s back.” Evidently, the boys had just arrived, two steps behind me. Before me, lay Christopher, strapped to his hospital bed, dark eyes full of hatred, and a multitude of cursing voices spewing forth from his lips. The demons recognized me immediately and began to speak to me directly, but just as Jakeh had warned, I ignored them, blocking out their words. I didn’t have time for the distraction. Without acknowledging anyone, I lifted my hands and began to draw power, sending a wind whirling through the room, gathering speed and strength. I approached the hospital bed purposefully, where Christopher sat up, with black eyes shining through a face that had lost all hope. My anger rose further. White winds circled above me like smoky ribbons of pale light. I reached up with one hand, grabbing hold of a strand of the radiant energy, and began to swing it, round and round like a bullwhip, 181
building momentum. The air crackled with electricity. All other sounds were drowned out by the rushing winds. I looked directly at Christopher, taking aim. For a moment I saw his own eyes shine through the blackness, and his lips formed the unmistakable words, “Help me.” I hesitated, letting the desperation of his words and the tortured look in his eyes sharpen my rage to a fine point, narrowing my concentration to the task at hand. I whipped the energy around one more time, and then flung it out at Christopher, following through with a blast of air to spread the luminous rope into a spider web-like mesh that would, hopefully, pull like a dragnet through Christopher’s body, drawing the gateway out with it. At first, nothing seemed to be happening. I thought I would have to try again, but then I felt resistance, and I knew I had it. My heart skipped a beat, because now was the moment of truth. I was about to come face to face with one of Hell’s own evil Princes, and at least one of us was going to be very unhappy after the encounter. But my resolve was still in place, and I knew what I had to do. I gave the wind web I had created one last deliberate tug, and I heard Christopher screaming somewhere beyond my concentration. Suddenly, there was silence, and a tunnel appeared before me. A long, dark tunnel that lead directly into the bowels of Hell. I could see a man striding towards me with a smile as bright and beautiful as the morning sun. Surely, this man couldn’t be Evil Incarnate. He was the kind of beautiful that would make your heart bleed. “Sunny,” I heard him say sweetly. His smile warmed my whole body. The closer he came, the more clearly I could see his eyes, and then, I became afraid. His eyes were black as night, but they shone with enchanting intensity, making me want desperately to please him, even though I feared him. I had seen eyes like that before, and they were not to be trusted. I heard voices yelling all around me, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I didn’t care, I was busy at the moment, even though I was having trouble remembering what I was supposed to be doing. I felt a tug in the center of my body, pulling me away from the tunnel, and I realized vaguely that it must be Jakeh summoning me. All of a sudden, I remembered why I was standing in front of the big scary portal in the first place, with a grinning demon walking 182
purposefully towards me. Almost violently, I was jolted back to reality. It wasn’t a good reality, for certain, but it was mine. For a split second, I panicked. I wasn’t done here yet. If Jakeh pulled me away now, the Demon Prince would come through and annihilate everyone. With my heart in my throat and my body fading from this world fast, I threw my hands out at the demon, blasting him with a wrecking ball of wind, setting him back a fair distance. Then I reached up for the rim of the tunnel and frantically began folding the edges inward, but just as quickly, the demon realized what I was up to. He immediately leaped into flight with a scream of rage, clawed hands outstretched, coming for me at breakneck speed. My fear rose, brilliant like the sun. I clawed at the remaining edges of the portal, panic motivating me to work feverishly. A burst of air rushed through the opening, a sign that the demon had arrived. I could feel its boiling hatred coming at me, grasping for my soul. My time was up. It was pointless to resist. The demon all but had me. I had no fight left. Like hell! That thought pricked my temper just enough to change my outlook. I wasn’t a fucking quitter. I’d fight until my last breath was forced through my gritting teeth. With a colossal effort, I raised my fists and pounded the edges of the opening shut in the nick of fricking time, cutting off the screaming Demon Prince in mid-shriek. An empty silence hung heavily in the sparsely furnished room. I fell to my knees, breathless and completely astonished to be alive. I was also surprised I was still in Christopher’s room. Jakeh must have used the summons to startle me back to reality, without actually pulling me through. Thank God it worked, because this time, we were seriously outclassed. Jack was the first to reach me. He helped me to my feet, fretting over me like a mother hen. “Are you alright? Where the hell did you come from? Damn, that was a close one. We thought he had you, girl.” Evidently, his adrenalin was overloading his mouth, causing him to babble. “Is Christopher okay?” I asked. I hurried to his bedside. His aura was tired and fragile looking, but it was all his, and he was alive. 183
Mary Alice was already standing over him, checking his vital signs. After a moment, she said, “He appears to be sleeping.” She looked up at my face in wonder, and then her eyes involuntarily dropped lower, reminding me I was completely naked, except, of course, for the noisy jewelry I was wearing on my wrists and ankles. I folded my arms self-consciously across my breasts, and turned to see Stoney glaring angrily, just as Jack, with impeccable timing, noticed the bright red hand print marring my backside. “Hey, did you know you had a perfect red handprint on your ass?” he asked innocently. Stoney’s eyes narrowed further and his aura spiked a dark, bloody hue. He scowled in disapproval; then he turned away from me. He might as well have stabbed me in the heart. It hurt so bad, pain threatened to pour out my eyes. I turned abruptly and walked towards the door, determined not to cry. I struggled to keep my head held high, jingling like a reindeer at Christmas time. I wanted to run, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “Sunny, wait,” I heard Mary Alice call from behind me. I didn’t stop. When I got downstairs, I slipped into one of the bathrooms and grabbed a towel to wrap around myself. Then I strode out the front door, walking briskly. I tried to remain calm, but soon I was walking faster and faster, until finally, I was running all out, wanting nothing more than to huddle somewhere in shame and wallow in self-pity. Oh, sure, I recognized it for what it was, but I felt entitled. My dogs were waiting when I reached my suite, happy as always to see me. They instantly had a calming effect on my mind and spirit, but when I realized I didn’t have my keys anymore because they were in the pocket of my jeans in an entirely different freaking universe, a white, hot anger boiled up inside me and I let it take control. Raising my hands in a rage, I blasted the front door off its hinges, sending its splintered remains crashing to the floor inside. I stepped over the debris and ran to the bedroom, curling up on the floor in a corner to cry my eyes out with my loyal dogs lying beside me. Only a few minutes had passed when I heard Stoney calling for me from the front door. 184
Crap. He was the last person I wanted to see, and I damn sure didn’t want him to see me. Just as he came to the bedroom door, I stood up and blew it shut in his face. Then, I walked over and locked it. I didn’t want anyone to see me cry tears for myself. When you cry for or with other people, it’s a beautiful thing called compassion, but this was self-pity, and it was ugly. “Sunny,” he said through the door, “please, I need to talk to you.” “Go away,” I said, exchanging my self-pity for a bit of hostility. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and I was beginning to resent being made to feel like I had. In fact, I had done a lot of things right lately, and if some people didn’t approve of the way I handled things, they could go screw themselves. Okay, now I was feeling better. A little self-righteous attitude always helped put me back together. “Sunny, I owe you an apology, but I’d like to do it face to face,” his muffled voice said from behind the door, but now that I was mad again, he could kiss my ass. “Leave me alone,” I said through clenched teeth. “No, I’m not going away until you talk to me.” “Don’t hold your breath.” “Come on. Don’t be like that. I want to apologize, but you’re making it really hard.” “Oh, I’m making it hard? That’s pretty funny coming from a hard-assed, overbearing, arrogant bastard like you!” He was really pissing me off, but I was kind of in a pissed-off mood anyway. “That’s my girl. Talk to me. I’ll listen; just let me in.” “Fuck you.” “Okay, I still sense some hostility, but I think we’re making progress. It’d be a whole lot easier if you would open the door, though.” “Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.” “Don’t make me have to pop the lock. I’d rather you opened the door voluntarily.” “Not going to happen.” If he wanted in, he was going to have to do it without my help. “Come on, Sunny,” he said, like he was trying to coax a frightened animal from its cage. “Please don’t make this difficult.” 185
“I’ll show you difficult, you moralistic, self-righteous, uptight asshole.” “Now, is that really necessary?” he said, just before he kicked in the door.
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CHAPTER 18
“My insults weren’t enough of a hint for you?” I asked, trying to look as angry as possible, which wasn’t hard at the moment. “You don’t mean it,” he said, sauntering into the bedroom, and damn he looked good. “You don’t have to talk; please just listen. I’m really sorry for acting like such an ass. Mary Alice was quick to point that out to me. I don’t know what you are going through with this Jakeh guy, or Solomon, or whoever, but it’s clear that you have suffered certain…indignities, and you have been somewhat…mistreated.” Poor me. It was time to set the record straight. “Please, let me explain,” I began. “No, you don’t have to talk right now. Mary Alice said you would deny everything, anyway. Look, I promise to stop acting like an overbearing asshole and start treating you like the bright, beautiful, compassionate young woman that you so obviously are.” I looked up at him, pleasantly surprised by his words, but suspicious nonetheless. “That was really nice. Are those your words?” “No,” he said sheepishly. “Mary Alice pretty much told me what to say because she knew I’d screw it up if she didn’t.” “That was very thoughtful,” I said, feeling the steam go out of my anger. I didn’t care if he used someone else’s words, just so long as he meant them. He took a step closer, not sure what to do. “Did he hurt you?” he asked hesitantly, a look of concern clouding his beautiful green eyes. “Just my pride,” I said, unable to hold his gaze. “He whacked
me on the butt to help me work up an anger to boost my powers. I’m pretty sure that’s why he sent me back naked, too, to piss me off some more. But I think it’s also like a signal to the demons. Kind of like a slap in the face, because they can sense that I am associated with him. I found out he isn’t King Solomon, though, but I don’t think Jakeh is his real name, either.” “Well, you saved Christopher, and Mary Alice thinks you walk on water now. So, however you did it, we’re grateful.” “I don’t need your gratitude nearly as much as I need your acceptance,” I said, looking up at his handsome face. “You have that,” he said, putting his hands on my arms, but stopping short of embracing me. I could tell he wanted to, but he was waiting for a signal from me that it was okay. I leaned into him, and his body relaxed. He put his arms around me, holding me tight. I closed my eyes, taking great pleasure in the strength and safety of his arms, feeling comforted all the way down to my toes. Just then, I heard movement in the front room. Out of reflex, I pulled the towel tighter and tried to hide my near nakedness behind Stoney’s muscular frame. He made an irritated go-away motion with his hand, and I peered around his shoulder to see Jack tromping through the debris of the front door. “Sorry, guys, but Mary Alice sent me over to make sure you two weren’t trying to kill each other…” Slam! Stoney kicked the damaged bedroom door shut with his foot and pulled me close again. “You know, you two are really hard on doors,” Jack complained in a muffled voice, stomping noisily back through the broken wood of the front door as he left. We held each other tightly for a time, not saying anything. Then, Stoney pulled back to look me in the eyes. “I’m supposed to apologize, then leave you alone for a while,” he said softly, “I’ll leave if you want me to.” “No, I don’t want you to leave,” I said, beginning to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But don’t blame me. My body had a mind of its own lately. My aura was starting to glow brighter, with flashes of green and blue color, complementing the sexy tones shining around Stoney. 188
I reached up to touch his face, but the jingling bracelet on my wrist was an unwanted distraction. I huffed. “Please help me take these off. I’m tired of looking like someone’s harem girl.” “It’s a good look for you,” he said, with his usual cocky grin. His vibrant green eyes met mine as he kissed my hand, where his mouth lingered for a moment. With slow, deliberate movements, still holding my gaze, he lifted my right wrist and undid the clasp on the gold bracelet, allowing it to fall unappreciatively to the floor. My heart reflexively thrilled at his touch, causing my breath to catch in my throat. I released it with an unsteady tremble as he reached for my other hand, deftly disengaging the catch on the bracelet there, then letting it, too, drop like an unwanted trinket. I couldn’t help but smile at his little act of defiance, but I was moved by it as well. He kneeled down before me on his left knee and gently raised my foot to rest on his right thigh as he unfastened the anklet, letting it slide indifferently to the carpet. He ran his fingers up my calf, causing rows of goose bumps to erupt along my sensitive flesh in unruly waves. He lowered my foot and lifted the other to rest on his muscular thigh, removing the final bracelet. He let it fall irreverently to the floor, next to the rest of them. He stood, slowly gliding his fingertips across the soft skin of my thighs, and came to look me squarely in the eyes. The expression he wore had grown darker, more serious. The kind of look a man gets when he has only one thing on his mind. I knew what he wanted from me tonight, and the possibility of resistance was extremely unlikely. He cautiously pulled me close, touching my cheek with surprising tenderness, running his fingers along my jaw line to lift my face to his kiss. When our lips came together, the effect was explosive. Small white arcs of electricity flashed and crackled around our bodies, causing a gentle buzz of power between us. Our mouths were instantly seeking more and, within moments, our hands, too, were fully engaged. The pleasant buzz of Stoney’s radiant aura was like erotic vibrations against my skin, making his touch so much more substantial, prompting me to think of my own pleasurable gift that 189
I now embodied. Just the thought sent a red hot current of light through the pathways in my mind, searching for it, touching it, then releasing it onto us both with overwhelming intensity. Our mouths broke apart, our breath quick and ragged. He pressed his lips to my neck, leaving hard hot kisses as he went lower. I ran a hand through his soft brown hair, pressing him closer, encouraging him to do more. My skin felt hyper-sensitive to his touch, my arousal almost more than I could bear. I was plastered against him but still was not close enough. I dropped the towel to the floor and moved in as near to him as I could get. He rubbed the rough stubble of his two-day-old beard across the tender flesh of my neck, causing an involuntary moan to escape my lips. The exclusively male feel of whiskers on my skin had always sparked my arousal, but this man was causing my tactile senses to buzz and throb like a neon sign. Shivers ran the length of my body and goose bumps covered every square inch of me. He raised his face back up to mine, and I met his full lips with a fiery passion, pushing hard into the kiss as I unbuttoned his shirt. I ran my hands inside to feel the hard muscles of his stomach, then up to his shoulders, pushing the shirt off onto the floor. He was already removing his pants, peeling them off, shoes and all, in one big wad, in a hurry to continue touching. Finally naked, I took in the full glory of his long, lean, athletic body. He was fabulously tall and muscular, with a nice spray of hair across his chest that ran in a soft brown line all the way down to his belly button, then further, down to his groin. My eyes grew wider when I saw how large he was, but I wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He gently turned me around to face the mirror hanging over the dresser, encircling me with his arms as his hands caressed my breasts, teasing my nipples into diamond hardness while he kissed the back of my neck and shoulders. His body was plastered against my backside, and I could feel the humming vibrations between us, shaking my senses with a carnal buzz. I looked up to see him watching me in the mirror, an almost feral look of desire on his face while his hands took complete control of me. He ran a hand up into my hair and gently pulled my head back and a little to the side, kissing my bared neck, rubbing his manly whiskers against my skin 190
while keeping a firm but gentle hold. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered in a husky voice, which was absolutely the right thing to say to me. Every woman wants to hear that her lover thinks she’s beautiful. He was looking at me in the mirror, caressing, kissing with hot, wet lips. My mouth couldn’t form words so I didn’t try. It wasn’t words he wanted from me anyway. He rubbed his whiskered face down the back of my neck, and gently back and forth between my shoulder blades. I almost came for him right then and there. He had obviously found my weakness for whiskers. My body shuddered almost violently, my back bowed against him. A chuckle escaped his lips, low and sexy. “I love the way you respond to me,” he whispered, nibbling along the side of my neck and running his hand down between my legs, stroking and teasing. Before long, the rhythmic movements of his fingers and the hotness of his mouth vibrating against my flesh became an overwhelming tide of pleasure, making my legs so weak I could hardly stand. He turned me to face him then, searching my eyes one last time for any doubt. Finding none, he led me to the bed and lay next to me, taking me into his vibrant embrace. His mouth found mine, leaving hard, bruising kisses that felt too good to stop. My need was too intense to register anything but pleasure. He ran his hand down the length of my body and began to explore again, while my hands began some explorations of their own. His body was hard and lean with sharply defined lines that practically begged to be touched. He lowered his mouth to my breasts and ran his tongue alternately around the pink peaks of my nipples, swirling and circling, biting and teasing, sometimes rubbing his whiskers across them. I was nearly mad with desire. I ran my hand back through his hair and across his face, cupping my breast, offering it to him, helping him feast so his hand would be free to wander to other tender places. He slipped his hand between my thighs, and his fingers found my most delicate womanly parts to stroke and tease, causing my breath to come in ragged gasps. I raised my hips towards him, moving to his rhythm. His face was full of raw need, matching my 191
own. I yearned for the feel of him inside me. I tried to draw him nearer, but he grabbed my wrists and forced my hands above my head, kissing me roughly, leaving no doubt who would be in control tonight. He shifted his position so that he held both of my hands above my head with only one of his, while his mouth teased and swirled around my nipples. With his other hand, he brought me through the currents of mind-numbing orgasm time and time again, until his need became as overwhelming as my own. With both of us breathing fast and heavy, he positioned himself between my thighs, and I opened myself to him completely. I wanted to feel him inside me so badly it was almost unbearable. At last, he thrust hard and deep. I moaned at the sheer, staggering pleasure of it. His body felt so good humming within me. The muscles of my swollen sex squeezed and pulled at him, drawing him deeper. He began moving faster, and my pleasure rose, electric-hot and overwhelming. My body spasmed with a feeling that was almost too good, bordering on exquisite pain, but not quite. A low groan began to build in his throat. I wrapped my legs around him tightly as we both came together, thrusting and bucking against one another, our auras bursting with vibrant color, until we both fell back on the bed, gasping for air. He lay down beside me and pulled me close with my backside against his front, spooning me. I could feel the hair of his chest tickle against my back, and it was all good. Tonight, in this room with the busted up door, everything felt right with the world. I knew all hell was likely to break loose tomorrow, but tonight I could revel in the attentions of the first man I might let myself fall in love with. When we drifted off to sleep, he had one arm around me with his hand resting on my breast, and I relished the casual possessive gesture. I was awakened several hours later with Stoney kissing my neck and shoulder, using his fingertips to caress with feather-light touches up and down the length of my body. The tickling and stroking movements were so sensual, my body responded immediately. I sighed deeply and arched my back, enjoying the rock hard feel of him behind me. His fingers barely grazed my skin as he moved his hand back up my stomach to my breasts and 192
gently squeezed. The sensation felt so right, I had the incredible urge to stretch, just like I do most mornings. I raised both arms over my head and stretched my back and shoulders against him and sighed. The unintended effect was incredibly erotic. Stoney slipped his other arm underneath me and pulled me back against him. His hands were everywhere, and soon he rolled us both up onto our knees, with him behind me. I moaned and wriggled in front of him, pushing against him just to feel his velvety hardness against my back. He gently forced me down to my hands and knees and slid inside me from behind, sending an erogenous buzz throughout my body again, instantly raising the level of my desire to perilous heights. Suddenly, the sensations were so intense, so rich with color and emotion that nothing else in the world existed for me. Stoney moved slowly and deliberately at first, intentionally building the need in us both. Soon, though, he thrust with unrestrained enthusiasm while I pushed back against him, burning and throbbing for more. I clawed at the sheets with my fingers as sounds of pleasure escaped my lips. My passion exploded as he rode me until I came for him, over and over again. He was clearly enjoying the intimate power over me he had achieved as intense orgasms washed over me with profound frequency. Finally, he groaned and threw his head back, spilling his hotness deep within me, convincing me that there was nothing in my universe better than this. Absolutely nothing.
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CHAPTER 19
We awoke the next morning to the buzz of my cell phone, vibrating like an angry hornet on the top of my dresser. I hopped up, naked as a jay bird, and checked the caller ID. To my chagrin, it was my mother’s number. I don’t know about most people, but when I’m lying naked in bed with a gorgeous hunk of man and my mother calls, I tend to feel a little uncomfortable, as if she could know what I was doing just by the tone of my voice. I was tempted not to answer, but I knew she was persistent enough to call until I did. Best to just get it over with. “Hello,” I answered in my usual, I’m-not-doing-anything-Ishouldn’t-be tone. “Good morning. I hope you are all rested up,” said a voice that was definitely not my mother’s. “Who is this?” The tension in my voice alerted Stoney that something was wrong. Instantly attentive, he slid out of bed and came to stand by me, putting his ear near the phone to listen in. “I am Mictlantecuhtli, High Priest of Ashmodai,” he replied. “Who? I didn’t catch that,” I said, genuinely bewildered by his name. “Mictlantecuhtli. I am named for the Aztec god of death,” he exulted with pompous pride. “That’s charming,” I said, but not as if I really meant it. “How did you get that phone?” I asked in an even tone, trying to keep my fear in check. I contemplated all the reasons he might have my mother’s cell phone, and none of them were good. Besides, I could feel the bastard gloating already.
“Your mother was kind enough to let me use it. Of course, I didn’t really give her a choice,” he said with a malignant laugh. “She is a spirited little wench, but she is no match for my demons.” Fuck! I mouthed angrily. My rage flared up around me like a hot, rogue breeze. “What do you want, Mr. Mictla-whatever-thefuck?” I asked, with a distinct lack of respect. “You know what I want,” he fired back angrily. “The data Hiram Pugh had is incomplete. I want the rest. You will bring the gate formula, in its entirety, to the stockyard in Pleasanton, just south of San Antonio. Be there tonight at eight o’clock sharp, and bring your men, so I can keep an eye on them. No weapons will be allowed. If you disappoint me, your darling mother will suffer for it.” “We’ll be there, but you had better not lay a hand on her,” I warned. I was so pissed, it was hard to talk through my clenched teeth. My aura spiked red and black, and the winds circling around us were threatening to knock the pictures off the walls. “She is quite ravishing,” he said, deep and breathy. “The family resemblance is remarkable. I look forward to seeing you both together, to see which one is more beautiful.” I knew the answer to that. My mother was definitely more beautiful. Beauty is only skin deep, and underneath, I was chock full of all sorts of uncomely things like rage and hostility, even violence. My mother was none of those things. “What is this, a beauty contest? Let’s just stick to the program, alright? You will get the formula once I know my mother is safe. We’re going to e-mail it to you, so be sure to have an address handy.” Stoney nodded his head at me in approval. I may have fallen off a turnip truck, but it wasn’t yesterday. If we showed up with the data in hand, they’d try to kill us all and take what they wanted. “No trickery or deception, or you will be sorry,” he threatened venomously. “I’m already sorry. What guarantee do I have that you’ll keep your word?” “No guarantees. But I am willing to negotiate with you personally.” Emphasis on personally. I got the message. I didn’t like it, but at least it was something 195
I knew how to deal with. “You’ll get what you want,” —Stoney’s eyes narrowed and he mouthed a big ‘No’— “but if you harm my mother in any way, I will fuck you up,” I swore, trying my best to sound like I meant it. He laughed, deep and throaty, like he was having a wet dream. “I believe you would try, but I would enjoy showing you who is master.” “You’d find that more of a challenge than you can imagine,” I said provocatively, playing his game. “I’ve checked your background thoroughly, and I find you fascinating. You have a bit of a wild streak, don’t you, Miss Hottie?” I could hear the lecherous smile in his voice. “Ah, so you’re a roller derby fan.” “I am now.” “Figures,” I said, unable to stop my eyes from rolling. On the roller derby circuit, my name was Ima Hottie. And I had a twin sister who looked nothing like me called Ura Hottie. Together, we were the Hottie twins. “I look forward to getting up close and personal with you, Mic,” I told him, unable to resist the small taunt. “Then wear something sexy, and maybe you will get your chance,” he said in a suggestive manner that turned my stomach. Then he hung up the phone. Just tremendous. Now, I had a degenerate little death-god wanna-be trying to get in my pants. When it rains, it pours. I closed my eyes and tried to hold back the savage tempest raging within me, but in the end, it was irrepressible. My emotions were far too volatile to keep inside. In a fit of rage, I forced a single blast of air from my body. Winds exploded in all directions at once, rocking everything in the room. It felt so liberating, I decided to do it again, releasing at least some of my pent up fury. Stoney didn’t try to comfort me. He seemed to sense that I wouldn’t appreciate it right then. Instead, he went searching for his own cell phone, which was in his britches lying crumpled on the floor where he had left them. He slipped his pants on, then pulled the cell phone out of his pocket. Before he could punch in any numbers, it rang. He answered immediately. There was a deafening silence as he listened intently to the caller on the other end. I held my breath, 196
watching him, waiting for an explanation. After a moment, he began rubbing his forehead like he so often does when he doesn’t like what he’s hearing. I had a sinking feeling things had just gone from bad to worse. After a moment, I heard him say, “Fine. Get yourselves to the nearest medical Link as soon as possible. We’ll handle the rest from here.” He slammed his phone shut and gazed at me. The look in his eyes made my heart fall down into my gut. Without a word, he came to me and took me in his arms, holding me close. My head reeled with a million possibilities, most of which only served to heighten my anxiety further. If he didn’t start talking soon, I was going to shake it out of him, but I realized then that he was carefully forming his words, probably so I wouldn’t burst into a hurricane again. “The four guards assigned to your mother won’t be able to help us tonight. They’re all headed for a company doctor right now. They were overtaken by about ten heavily armed men and a couple of demons,” he said with regret in his voice. “They could have held off the men, but they didn’t stand a chance against the demons. Your mom was tucked away in the basement, where she should have been safe. They assumed that anyone who wanted her had to go through them first, but they were wrong. The demons dug right through the ground and knocked a whole in the wall of the basement to get to her. But she is alive, Sunny, and we are going to get her back.” I think he expected my balling, weepy female side to emerge, because he hadn’t known me long enough yet to realize what a hard, angry bitch I could be when the situation warranted it. This situation definitely warranted it. I blinked hard, gritting my teeth. “If these people think they can fuck with my mother and get away with it, they’ve got another thing coming. It’s time to call in family, and we’re going to tear those bastards a new asshole,” I told him, fury flashing throughout my shield. “If they’re going to be stupid, they’d better be tough.” Stoney looked at me in surprise. “Well, okay then. That’s the spirit. But I think we’d better handle this ourselves, or a lot of people could get hurt.” I shook my head adamantly. “No way. They’ve got at least ten guys that we know of, a couple of sorcerers, and no telling how 197
many demons, and we are only four. We need more bodies on our side, or we’re going to get our asses handed to us.” “We’ve got at least three more guys we can pull from the compound, that’ll make seven.” I glared at him. “It’s not enough. We need an army, and I’ve got one. These assholes have fucked with the wrong people this time.” “Now, hold on. We can’t turn a bunch of spiritually blind individuals loose among a bunch of demons.” “They won’t be blind. I’ll make sure of that.” “But none of them have any training. They’re likely to be more of a danger to us than the bad guys.” “That’s where you’re wrong. Many of the men in my family are ex-military or cops. All of them are avid sportsmen and tough as nails. They may be the only chance we have of getting my mother out of there alive. Besides, I don’t believe for one minute they intend to let any of us walk away from this, and neither do you. Our best chance is to make it clear that if we die, they die.” He considered for a moment, then nodded. “You’re probably right. Go ahead and call in your clan. How many do you think you can get here by tonight?” “Probably about fifty or so.” “Damn. You must have a big family.” “Yeah, and those are only the ones close enough to get here in time.” “We need to get Daniel and Jack in on this. You call your relatives, and I’ll go get the ball rolling in the other direction. Meet us in the locker room as soon as you can, then we’ll lay out a game plan.” He gave me a gentle kiss on the lips and a meaningful look before he turned and carefully walked through the remains of the shattered front door, still lying all over the living room floor. Without bothering to get dressed, I called my Uncle Arvin, hoping and praying that he hadn’t gone off on some exotic hunting or fishing trip. Thankfully, he answered on the third ring. “Uncle Arvin, this is Sunny.” “Hey, babe. How you doin’?” he asked in his usual countrycordial tone. “Not so good. I need your help.” “You know all you have to do is ask.” 198
“It’s about Mom. She’s been kidnapped, and I need your help to get her back.” “Hot damnit!” he cursed. “I told her she needed to come stay with me for a while, but you know how stubborn-headed she is.” “She talked to you?” “Yeah. You know your mama; she talked to everyone. We all pretty much know what’s going on with you, and those of us who believe it are damn proud,” he said. “If not for me, though, her life wouldn’t be in danger right now.” “Now, don’t go blaming yourself for everything. There’s no future in it. Just tell me what happened so we can rectify the situation.” I told him the short version while he listened intently. When I was done, he whistled and said, “Damn, I thought I knew how to find trouble, but I believe you have outdone me even before your thirtieth birthday. I guess I should be grateful, but I feel somehow cheated.” I almost smiled at that, but my heart just wasn’t in it. “Get yourself on over to my place, while I call in the posse. I know people in Pleasanton that can help us out. I’ll have to bring them in on it, too. Once we get most everybody here, then we’ll settle on a plan. But don’t you worry, everything is going to be alright. We’re going to get your mama back,” he said reassuringly. “Thank you, Uncle Arvin. I knew you were the right person to call,” I said feeling much better about our situation already. “Well, she’s my sister, and she’s a pretty good one, at that. She once saved me from a demon I was fixin’ to marry,” he said with his authentic cowboy accent. “Why didn’t she save you from the rest of them,” I teased, smiling a little despite myself. My Uncle Arvin is a genuine chick magnet. Women seem to flock to him in droves, and he had married more than a few of them. “She didn’t get to the weddings on time,” he quipped, making reference to my mother’s notorious habit of showing up late. “See you soon,” he said and hung up. I stood in front of the dresser a moment, breathing deeply. Dread and apprehension lurked around the edges of my mind, but I made a conscious decision to let my anger, rather than despair, 199
dominate my emotions. How in the hell had I let this happen? Trouble rarely deals with me exclusively, but the peripheral damage usually involves other equally guilty parties. But this time, my mother had taken the hit, and she didn’t deserve it. Maybe I deserved it, because I wasn’t exactly an angel, or anything close. But if I was so bad, why the fuck had I been chosen in the first place? I stared into the mirror, searching for the answer in my own grim gaze. Suddenly, a light went on behind my eyes. I saw it in my reflection as the idea blossomed like a dangerous mushroom cloud inside my head. Finally, I understood. Dark, thundering waves of thought bore down on my mind, spawning a physical response. My skin flushed hot with an unlikely blend of shame and satisfaction. Mary Alice had been right: it takes a woman for this job, but not for the reasons she imagined. It takes a woman because most bad guys are men. I had been given the perfect weapon. Most men were suckers for a pretty face, but fools for a sexy body, and with Jakeh’s gift, I began to see the potential. A weapon of mass seduction, maybe? Hah! I laughed at my reflection, then narrowed my eyes, letting anger seep in again. Fuck it! If this is all I have going for me, I’m going to make it count double. Moving with a new sense of purpose, I showered up and got myself ready for the most important night of my life. I got dressed and looked at myself hard in the mirror. Stoney wasn’t going to like it, but I had to use what worked for me. I sighed heavily, knowing I was in for a battle even before we left the compound. Feeling anxious and more than a little self-conscious, I got my gear together and headed for the locker room. I took a deep breath and braced myself before entering. I opened the door to see everyone already there, including Mason, Brandt, and Gates, the same guys who fought alongside us at Hiram’s hideout. All eyes turned in my direction. A profound silence fell over the room. You could’ve heard a mouse fart. Stoney was already rubbing his forehead, like he was having trouble keeping his thoughts inside. He did not look pleased by my choice of clothing, but the distraction factor alone was worth the 200
effort. I wore ultra tight, black leather pants and matching bustier, with about four inches of bare flesh in between. The top laced up the front, showing a fair amount of cleavage and rounded breasts, making a nice little package. The outfit screamed “Fuck me,” all the way down to my black leather boots. I had bought it for a roller derby promotional shoot, but I quit the team before I ever got the chance to wear it. I knew it was suggestive, and it was meant to be. If I’d had a flashing bellybutton light, I might have worn that, too. Finally, Stoney broke the silence. “Hey, babe,” he said awkwardly as he walked up to greet me. “You look great and all, but do you really think wearing that is such a good idea?” “Yes, I do.” I gave him a determined look. “Are you sure? You’re just going to be egging this guy on. He’s a very powerful sorcerer, and he’s likely to take you seriously,” he said, looking me up and down with disapproval. “Good. I want him to take me seriously.” “You’re just begging for trouble,” he persisted, becoming more irritated by the second. “I mean, what have you got under that anyway?” “Skin.” He made an exasperated sound. “My point exactly. You can’t go in there like that. He’s likely to decide he wants to trade for you instead.” “Whatever. As long as my mother gets out of this unharmed. It’s my fault she’s been put in this position, and I am going to do everything in my power, and use all of the assets at my disposal, to get her back…even if it means I have to throw myself to the wolves,” I said with conviction. “You can’t be serious…” “I am. Look, this Mictla-whatever-the-fuck is just another redblooded male horn-dog, and I’m not above using a little T&A to turn things in our favor.” He grimaced almost painfully. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” His shield flashed agitated tones. He began to pace back and forth. “Look, you have to do what you’re good at, and so do I. You’re good at killing people, and I’m good at attracting the wrong kind of men.” “Thanks a lot,” he said unappreciatively. 201
“You know I don’t mean you, Stoney.” I sighed in frustration. “Look, I’m not going there to bend over for the guy, but if I can attract him, or distract him, it might help us, and I’m hedging all my bets tonight. This is too important.” “No. This is a bad idea. Go change your clothes. You’re not wearing that,” he had the fucking nerve to tell me. “Like hell I’m not,” I growled through gritted teeth. “And you have no right to try and stop me.” “Like hell I don’t,” he barked back. “This is not an equal opportunity job.” “Okay, then. I quit,” I said decisively. Stoney huffed in exasperation, then rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. “You can’t quit. None of us can quit.” “Then fire me.” He sighed heavily. “I can’t do that either.” “Well, then. Why in the hell are we even having this conversation?” He took a few deep breaths, staring up at the ceiling, making a valiant attempt to remain calm. “I don’t suppose there’s anything I can say to make you change your mind, is there?” he asked, but he already knew the answer. “Okay,” he said, throwing his hands up in exasperation, “have it your way.” Oh, yeah. I was going to have it my way. “Do they know about our abilities yet?” I asked him. He nodded grimly. “Yeah. I’m sure they know as much about us as we do about them,” he said. “It won’t matter,” I told him. “Don’t get too confident. This wizard of theirs, Mictla-shithead, is very powerful, and he’s probably got some pretty serious tricks up his sleeve,” he said. “I can be tricky, too.” “Well, try not to get too uppity with the guy until we get our hands on your mother, and whatever happens tonight” —he came closer and put his hands on either side of my face, looking me dead in the eye— “do not leave with any of The Order’s people, under any circumstances. Do you understand? Even if they take your mother, you have got to hang tough with us, and not let them take you. I don’t like saying this to you, but there is much more at stake 202
here than one life.” I just stood there, letting his words sink in. He was right, though. Even my own mother was expendable in the big scheme of things. I hated it, but it was true, and I wasn’t sure how I would react if I really had to choose. He pulled me into a hug in an unusual display of affection in front of his men. Then he pulled back with a look in his eye I hadn’t seen before. I think it was fear. “I want you to stay close to me tonight, whatever happens. You, more than anyone, have to come out of this alive, because you are the only one that can close the demon gates. Do you understand? You have to survive this, Sunny, even if no one else does,” he said, searching my eyes for understanding. I couldn’t give it to him. I was shocked by his words, and I knew, deep inside, that if no one else survived, I didn’t want to, either. I had only known these men a short time, but already, I couldn’t imagine living without them. After the binding as the Armor of God, we were all intimately connected to one another, even if some of us were more intimate than others. I wasn’t willing to make any promises, so I kept my mouth shut. Stoney sighed. “Come on. At least let me try to conceal some weapons in that getup of yours, although I’m not sure how. There’s nowhere to hide anything.” He began looking for places to strap a gun or a knife to my body but the only place we could fit anything was in my boots, where he dropped a couple of knives. I loved having his hands on me, but under the circumstances, I couldn’t really enjoy it. He was in Marine mode now, anyway. “They’re going to search us, but there’s always the chance they’ll miss something,” he informed me judiciously. “It never hurts to have conventional weapons in case they are shielded against our abilities somehow.” “Hey, boss,” Daniel called out, walking towards us. “I’ve been looking in at the stockyard like you asked, and you’re not going to believe this.” “Come on, man. Don’t make me guess,” Stoney replied with irritation. “The Order’s wizards are already there, calling demons, and, well…” He hesitated. “You’re just not going to believe me when I 203
tell you this, but here it is. They are putting demons into pigs. Yes, pigs. Now, I know what you’re thinking, but I have not lost my mind. They are demonizing pigs, turning them into big, ugly, upright-walking, sharp-clawed, pointy-fanged, slobber-dripping monsters.” “What the fuck?” Stoney cursed in exasperation. “Are you sure?” “Yes, I’m sure,” he said adamantly. “From what I could tell, they’ve got about twenty already, and they’re making more. But I think someone figured out I was looking, and they slammed the door on me. Now, I can’t see anything in there.” “Shit. I fucking hate pigs, man,” grumbled Jack. “My granddad used to raise pigs, and every summer, I had to help him take care of them. They are foul, smelly, repugnant animals.” “Yeah, well, figure that, only a hundred times worse, and you’ll begin to arrive at the undiluted nastiness of the things I saw,” said Daniel. “That is just so wrong, man,” Jack complained. “It’s a quick way to call up an army without letting the demons run amok, where they can’t control them,” Daniel told him. “I guess it’s a good thing we called up our own army then,” said Stoney, giving me an encouraging smile. “It’ll be fine. At least our cowboys won’t be shooting each other because they can’t tell who the enemy is.” He nodded his head at Daniel. “So who else did you see there and what do we know about them?” “I saw three sorcerers, but they’re some of The Order’s heavy hitters. We evidently rank pretty high on their shit list. That little gray-haired bastard who called up the man-eating dick at Hiram’s is there. His name is Harold Venton. He’s skillful, but he’s mostly just a lackey for the guy running the operation, Richard Listz, also known as Mictlantecuhtli. He is a very powerful wizard, said to have gained his powers from the Aztec death god himself, after sacrificing a hundred people in his honor. This time, he brought his bitch with him, Sylvia Montemeyor. By all accounts, she has some major talent, too. She’s the one turning the pigs.” “Wait a minute,” I said, wanting to get the facts straight. “So this guy’s real name is Richard Listz?” Daniel cracked a smile. “Yeah, but everybody calls him Dick,” 204
he said. I stared. “You’re shitting me, right?” “I shit you not.” “Dick Listz?” “Yes. Dick Listz.” I almost laughed. “Incredible,” I said shaking my head in amazement. That name was even worse than mine. “I bet he’s the one who dropped that flaming gorilla in on us at Hiram’s, then took off in the Suburban. We never did see who did that, but it had to be someone powerful,” Daniel observed. “Well, tonight’s our chance to even the score,” I said vindictively. “I want that dickless bastard to know just how bad he fucked up.” “Then let’s move,” urged Stoney. “We’re wasting daylight.”
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CHAPTER 20
We loaded up quickly and headed south towards my uncle’s ranch near the small town of Poteet, right next door to Pleasanton. My mood was dark, in stark contrast with the glorious blue sky full of white, cottony clouds. Generally, my kind of day, but I wasn’t feeling it. Stoney and the guys seemed to sense I needed to be left alone. Then again, these were manly men, and it was more likely they didn’t want to have anything to do with a woman who might go emotional on them. But they didn’t know me, and that wasn’t going to happen. We crossed the cattle guard at Arvin’s ranch at around three o’clock in the afternoon. The brilliant sun cast dark, ominous shadows under the huge oaks lining the driveway. Wild, mustang grapevines had long ago taken up residence in the thick branches of the trees. Strange, Medusa-like tendrils writhed and danced seductively, reaching out for us, trying to lure us under their sinister canopy. I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding when we emerged from the gloom of the leafy tunnel in front of Arvin’s beautiful, ranch-style rock house. There were already twenty or more vehicles lining the circle drive. It looked like we were going to have a good turnout. Arvin met us outside, looking fit as a fiddle for his sixty-two years. I made quick introductions. “Guys, this is my uncle, Arvin Penland.” Each man stepped up and shook his hand as I said their names. “Uncle Arvin is a retired Army Colonel. I believe his specialty was logistics.” I glanced at him for confirmation.
He nodded. His steel blue eyes sparked with intelligence. He gave the guys the once over and appeared to approve of what he saw. “Ya’ll come on in and meet the rest of the clan. We’re all anxious to feel like we’re doing something.” We headed inside, just as Mario and Flea came roaring up the driveway with about a dozen other bikers. I was glad to see them. The more the merrier. I had left a message on Mario’s cell phone, but I wasn’t sure he’d gotten it. I waved and motioned for them to follow us into the house. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by all and hugged relentlessly. The house was overflowing with Penlands, many of whom bore a strong family resemblance. The men were mostly very tall, with high cheekbones and a finely chiseled nose. The women tended to be smaller, and hair and eye color varied, even though the basic features remained the same. I worked my way slowly through the room, introducing the men to my family as we went. Several of my uncles were at the head of the line. I indicated each man as I spoke about them. “This is my Uncle Tom, retired Air Force Colonel. Uncle Garren, Marine Sergeant, survival specialist. Uncle Jim, retired SWAT team captain. Uncle Gilbert, retired Air Force Captain.” There were so many, I wouldn’t have bothered, except that Stoney needed to know what everyone could do and what they were capable of, so he could put together a suitable plan. I walked deeper into the room. “Tommy Tray was Special Forces in the first Gulf War,” I told them. His broad shoulders stiffened with pride as Stoney, Daniel, and Jack each shook his hand and looked him in the eye, nodding their respect. I moved on. “This big guy here,” I said, “is my cousin Daryl. He’s a professional wrestler.” “Damn, man,” Jack said to him as he vigorously shook his hand, “if we need to move any mountains, you’re our guy.” At six foot five, Daryl wasn’t as tall as Jack, but he was huge and scary looking, until he smiled. When he smiled, his whole face changed to reveal a kind heart and sharp intelligence glistening behind his eyes. “Okay, where are all the cops?” I asked, raising my voice over the murmuring crowd. It was time to speed things along. 207
Five men came forward. I stepped aside so the guys could meet face to face. “Tommy, and Jay are SAPD, Blake is a Deputy Sheriff in Boerne, and Colton is a Detective for the Austin PD, and Gregory, there, is a former Marine and now a Deputy Sheriff in Beeville.” A glance at Stoney showed me he was pleased. There were no rookies here, except me. These were quality people, every last one of them. We moved along, and I introduced them to my cousins, Skip and Scott, both firemen, Larry the game warden, and Butch, who used to be a professional stunt man. His wife, Sharon, was with him. She was the only woman, besides me, who would be going along. Although I’d never seen her shoot, many of the men said she was the best they’d ever seen, and she always killed her game limit on family hunting trips. I was glad to have her on our side. There were many more yet to go, and I made it quick. Believe it or not, there wasn’t a Billy Bob or a Bubba in bunch, unless there was one among the Banditos I hadn’t met yet, but I seriously doubted it. There surely couldn’t be too many Mexican bikers with redneck names. On the whole, the group was pretty impressive, but most importantly, they all knew how to use a gun. My cousin Andy, a huge bear of a man I am especially fond of, had arrived late and was standing along the far wall, waiting patiently for me to make my way to him. He had driven like a bat out of Hell to get here, and I was grateful. I gave him a big hug and thanked him for coming. He put his thick arm around my shoulders and gave a reassuring squeeze. “Keep your chin up, girl,” he said in his gruff voice. “I’m here to get your mama back, and I ain’t leaving without her.” I gave him a half-hearted smile, just as Jack came to join us. I introduced the two men, and they shook hands. “It seems weird to have cowboys, cops, and bikers, all in the same room, and there isn’t any blood on the floor,” Jack commented. Andy nodded. “Yep. But that would all change if we threw in some alcohol.” “Or women,” I added. Jack folded his arms across his massive chest and nodded his 208
head in agreement. “Hey, some of us have never seen your mother,” he said. “Do you have a picture handy so we can make sure we rescue the right woman?” “You’ll know her when you see her,” Andy replied in his deep, country growl. “She and Sunny look almost exactly alike. All the Penland women look alike.” Jack’s eyebrows raised with interest. There was a picture of me and my mom on the mantle of Arvin’s fireplace. I retrieved it and handed it to Jack. For a couple of heartbeats, he just stared openmouthed. Several of my new biker friends stepped up to have a look. Jack passed the picture around. “Damn,” cursed a pug-nosed Bandito who was introduced to me as Chato. “Ya’ll are about the two best looking women I’ve ever seen.” I sighed. “That’s because you haven’t seen my Aunt Tessie,” I told him, handing him another picture from the mantle. “Three of you? Man, I’m going to have dreams about this,” he said wistfully. Although I appreciated the compliment, my mind was too distracted to really care. I was still so angry, and my head was overwhelmed with grim and fearful thoughts. I went outside to get some fresh air. I needed room to pace. I had always been a pacer, especially when I had a problem that needed working out. I was extremely agitated, for obvious reasons, and I had energy to burn. I walked, back and forth, looking at nothing but the thick green grass under my feet, deep in thought. I didn’t even notice the whirlwind spinning around me until Stoney spoke. “Are you okay?” he inquired gently, a look of concern shadowing his beautiful green eyes. I stopped pacing. The winds died abruptly. “No.” I said softly. There was a tightness in my throat that had been growing steadily since the phone call this morning. It was now threatening to burst forth from my mouth with a violent, feral scream. I was filled with a blinding, hot anger. My heart ached with guilt and remorse for not realizing how much danger my mother had been in. I should have known, and I blamed myself. But I’d be damned if I let myself cry. I hated to cry, not to mention the fact that it made 209
me feel like crap. Stoney sighed, unsure how to help. He kept his distance, though, and I was grateful for that. I didn’t want anyone in my space right now. I didn’t want to be comforted. “They’re ready for you inside,” he informed me gently. “Are you up to this?” I nodded. I met his gaze so he could see the firestorm of rage in my eyes. He seemed surprised by its intensity. I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I walked past him, into the house. As soon as I stepped in the door, all eyes turned to me. Arvin’s big screen TV was in the front of the room with a great shot of the demon hole on the River Walk, just like I’d asked for, but it also showed me in part of the frame, in mid-flight, falling off the outstretched arms of the Red Hot Chili Pepper Man. That I hadn’t asked for. That’s what I get for not being more specific. There was no point wasting time or words. I took a few steps into the huge living room and lifted my palms towards the group, reaching deep. I flung a burst of energy at them through my hands, dousing the whole room with power, releasing a rush of wind that flowed around them, and through them, like a cyclone of awakening. Almost instantly, I saw eyes grow wide and mouths drop open as people stared at the TV screen in horror at the demons they could now see. I let the winds die. It was time to do some explaining. “Thank you for coming,” I began, looking around at the familiar faces. “We are all here because of my mama, Naomi Acres. Some of you are family, and some of you are friends. I know I can trust every one of you. By this time, you’ve all heard the story about the demons on the River Walk, and now you can see them for yourself,” I said, pointing at the big screen TV. “My mother has been kidnapped by a group of very dangerous people with demons under their control. They say they are going to kill her unless we turn over some research data they’re hot to get their hands on, but odds are, they’re planning to kill us all, my mother included. So, I’m asking for your help—” “Hell yes! Let’s go get her!” someone yelled from the back of the room. There was a rumble of agreement and barely suppressed anger from the loyal group. 210
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but there’s more you need to know. Your lives will be in great danger. This is not a game. The creatures you will encounter tonight are going to try to kill you—” “Then the trick is to kill them first,” growled Andy. “Look, I think we all understand the stakes, but we cannot let these bastards get away with what they’ve done. They have one of our women, and we don’t take kindly to that. We need to impress upon them how dangerous it is to fuck with the Penland family.” That brought a roar of agreement from the crowd crammed into my uncle’s living room. Everyone seemed to be taking this seriously, which was good, because this was probably the most serious thing they would ever have to face. I hated asking them to risk so much, but I also knew that most of them would never forgive me if I didn’t call them in on this. “Alright, then,” said Arvin, stepping up to speak, “we’re all on the same page. We’re going there to get Naomi back, Then we’re kicking the shit out of some assholes who aren’t showing the proper respect. I want you all to find a buddy, so no one accidentally gets left behind. Then, take a good look around at everyone here. I don’t want any of you getting shot by one of our own because you aren’t a familiar face. I imagine everyone here has his own weapon, but if you think you need something more, let me know. We have plenty of weapons and ammo. So, let’s get moving. We’ll be leaving as soon as we’ve settled on a plan. We’re going to set up at the old ranch house next door to the stockyard, thanks to a good friend of mine who has agreed to let us use it. Now, I’m going to let these military boys tell us all what they have in mind.” Stoney stepped up and laid out the basic strategy for everyone. Then, he assigned specific tasks to certain people based on their experience and aptitudes that he quickly assessed. He was somewhat surprised by all the different skill sets represented by the many folks who were present, and he did his best to put them to good use. As soon as everyone had a job assigned, he said a few words of thanks, wished us all luck, and told us to load up. Our rides had arrived, grinding and smoking, in the form of two rusty old Winnebagos from my cousin Tim’s used R.V. lot. We were as ready as we were ever going to be. 211
***** We drove the short distance to Pleasanton in the two rickety old R.V.s with all of us crammed inside like cattle. The abandoned ranch house, where we would be basing our operations, backed up to the stockyard and was accessed from a different road, just south of town. Thanks to Uncle Arvin, the local Sheriff’s department sent out a couple of patrol cars to stop anyone from getting too close, making sure we weren’t noticed. Stoney and the guys seemed surprised by his resourcefulness, but I wasn’t. I had known him long enough not to be surprised by anything he did. The ranch house was perfect. It sat on a small hill behind a half dozen big oak trees overlooking about forty acres of beautiful green pasture that sloped downward, right into the Pleasanton Stockyard and Show Barn. The view was spectacular, at least, for our purposes. We could see at least three sides of the entire yard, which was comprised of a variety of stock pens and loading chutes, and a huge metal building where the stock shows and auctions take place. There were at least eight armed men walking the perimeter, but there were surely more inside with the sorcerers. I tried not to think about what my mother must be going through. She was an exceptionally strong spirited woman. Emotionally, she could overcome just about anything, but if they hurt her, I would stop at nothing to see them dead, and there were sixty-five other people here to back me up. Once we were finally on the move, I began to feel a little better. I was still mad as hell, but I kept my anger in check, saving my energy. I looked at the faces around me. Fear for their lives tried to overshadow my thoughts but I shook it off, directing my focus to the impending showdown at the show barn.
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CHAPTER 21
Evening fell heavily, with no moon to light the cloud blackened sky. A feeling of despair rode the dread currents of the night. On edge, I flinched as thunder rolled in the distance, threatening rain, a disturbing portent. The cold hands of fear gripped my intestines. Dismal thoughts filled my head. My mood ring was black. It didn’t matter, though. This would get done tonight, come Hell or high water. Ten minutes to eight, we were ready to go. This time, we were traveling in style. Uncle Tom had called in some favors, landing us a 1969 Bell Huey helicopter. The kidnappers hadn’t specified the type of vehicle we could use, so we decided to be creative. Besides flaunting a great deal of in-your-face attitude, it would provide the perfect distraction while our people moved in close to the barns. The distant whomping of the Huey’s rotors signaled its approach. Stoney pulled my cell phone from the pocket of his dark jeans and flipped it open. He punched a couple of buttons to dial my mother’s number and handed me the phone. I knew what to do. Listz’s bitch answered, her voice cold and hard as a tombstone. “Yes,” she said curtly. “We will be there in about five minutes. We had an accident and had to find an alternate means of transportation in order to get there on time. Tell your men to hold their fire. We’re coming in a helicopter.” I spoke quickly and concisely, not giving her the chance to object. Then I hung up the phone. The Huey landed in the front yard of the old ranch house on the far side, opposite the stockyard, where it could not be seen from below. The old chopper kicked up an incredible amount of
sand and was almost loud enough to make my head explode, but it otherwise appeared to be well kept and in fine condition. Stoney slipped a pair of sunglasses into my hand and indicated I should put them on. I gazed up into his own mirrored eyes and nodded my understanding. Their purpose was to help shield our eyes from the sharp sand churned up by the rotor blades. They were the cool, military-style shades that blocked out just the right amount of light without getting too dark, which was a good thing. It was pitch black tonight. We headed for the helicopter and climbed on board. Uncle Tom gave us a nod from the cockpit, where he was busy doing what he did best. Stoney returned the nod and gave him a thumbs up. The bottom dropped out of my stomach as the Huey began to climb. I must have turned a little green, because Jack grinned at me, amusement showing in his brown eyes. I guess my rookie was showing. He casually leaned back against the bulkhead, relaxed and confident, cheerful even. In fact, all three of the men had an excited, unrestrained air about them that could only be interpreted as eager anticipation. The ride was short. The chopper descended into the brightly lit, dirt parking lot amongst a half a dozen armed men who weren’t wearing sunglasses. Sand spun into the air, churned up by the rotors, wreaking havoc with their eyes. We climbed out and were immediately led away from the chopper at gun point to stand next to a vehicle parked by the front door, where the wind driven sand was somewhat less brutal, but still severe. A couple of The Order’s henchmen searched us, and, just as Stoney predicted, they only did a half-assed job. The helicopter blades turned out to be an extremely effective, albeit uncomfortable, diversion. They finished searching me first, probably because I had fewer places to hide things. I immediately turned to head into the show barn. Stoney grabbed my arm and held fast. I shot him an angry look but it was lost on him because of the sunglasses. “We go in together. Keep your head on straight,” he chided. He was right, but I wasn’t in the mood to be wrong. I tried not to glare at him and instead turned my flaming gaze on the men with the guns, who couldn’t have cared less. 214
After searching all four of us, the gunmen led us through the front door of the main building, then closed it behind. Instantly, the roaring noises from the chopper were muted, replaced by hungry grunting and squealing sounds. I took off my sunglasses and flung them aside. If I made it out of here alive tonight, I wouldn’t worry about a little sand in my eyes. On both sides of us, there were bleachers, arranged in a semicircle around a large, pipe-railed stock pen, with an auctioneer’s booth towering over one end. The ground was covered in a mixture of wood chips and pig shit. A thick, rancorous fog swirled slowly through the dimly lit building. Red porcine eyes gleamed in the hazy darkness from beasts that were impossibly tall. Grunting and growling sounds came from all sides, punctuating the malevolent atmosphere inside the barn. A lone light bulb shone above the center of the auction pen, where my mother sat, gagged and bound to a chair, madder than a horny billy goat. She yanked and tugged at the duct tape holding her hands and feet, all the while yelling through the tape covering her mouth and tilting her head pointedly in the direction of the auctioneer’s booth. My anger flared, kicking up a sudden wind, which I quelled immediately. What I didn’t need right now was a whirlwind of flying pig feces to ruin my carefully crafted sex appeal. I sauntered forward with my three men backing me up. Attitude would be everything tonight, and we had plenty of it. I entered the arena and stopped, searching the intermingling auras around the perimeter for human attributes. There were at least five men, all armed, positioned in front of the upright-walking swine lining the outer edges of the pen. A faint energy surrounded them, holding the beasts back, but just barely. They were testing the limits already, and it wouldn’t be long until they broke free. I strode purposefully toward the auctioneer’s booth until I was ordered to halt. “Stop right there. That’s close enough,” commanded a voice from the darkness. A tall, black-haired man with a moustache stepped into view. This must be Richard Listz, aka Mictlantecuhtli, aka Dickless. He carried himself like a man used to getting what he wants. On the 215
surface, he was not unattractive, but his shield was filmy and murky, like gasoline in muddy water. His piercing black eyes took me in, infusing his strange aura with impressions that reflected his dark appetites and nefarious desires. I read him loud and clear, and my strategy was set. Just as I’d suspected, he liked bad girls. All I had to do was give him what he wanted. Standing about ten feet to List’s left, was Sylvia Montemeyor, a tall platinum blond with sharp, ungainly features. She reminded me of Big Bird. Her face was almost pretty, though, if not for her petulant scowl and contemptuous demeanor. She was a real sour puss. She walked over next to my mother, trying to look as menacing as a big blond bird can. Daniel and Jack went to stand in front of her. The little gray-haired wizard we’d seen at Hiram’s, Harold Venton, was standing to the right of Listz, holding what looked like a black shoe box. Stoney came to stand before him. “What’s in the box, Harold?” asked Stoney, saying the little man’s name derisively. He shot Stoney a searing look, but said nothing. “I hope that’s a first aid kit, because you’re going to need it,” he taunted. I gazed over at my mother, giving her a long hard look, hoping she would understand what I was about to do. I put my hands on my hips and turned to look the sorcerer, Mictlantecuhtli, in the eyes. “Okay. I’m here. Who do I have to fuck to get my mother out of this pig sty?” I asked coarsely. “Sunny…” Stoney growled in warning. I ignored him. I needed to get close to Listz in a hurry, and this was the best way I knew how. Listz was clearly pleased. “That would be me,” he said, aura flaring. “You get right to the point, don’t you?” His shield practically throbbed with wicked carnality. “When the point is worth getting to.” I gave good eye contact, promising more. Sylvia shot a hateful look in my direction. “I’m pleased you took my advice and wore something sexy,” he leered. “The boots are a real turn on.” 216
Sylvia unconsciously stepped towards us, obviously unhappy about the direction of our conversation. Daniel and Jack took the opportunity to move closer to my mom. “I always wear boots when I’m slumming around with pigs,” I said, eyeing Sylvia contemptuously. “I apologize for the smelly farm animals,” he replied amicably, “but I assure you, they were a necessary evil.” “I was talking about her,” I said, tilting my head to indicate his platinum-haired sidekick. His eyes flashed surprise, then shifted to cruel anticipation. “You’d better watch your mouth, you little slut,” spat the anorexic sorceress, taking another step towards us. Daniel and Jack looked at each other, shrugged, and again stepped closer to the chair restraining my mother. “Or what? You’ll call out your flying monkeys?” I taunted, daring her to make a move on me. She didn’t. I took a few paces towards her lover, gazing at him suggestively. “You said you wanted to deal with me personally, so let’s deal.” He smiled, thinking himself irresistible, his shield glaring with conceit. Stupid bastard. I stepped closer. So did Sylvia. “Stay away from him, you little twit,” she warned, extreme displeasure screwing up her already unpleasant face. “I will not tolerate such insolence from her,” she fumed at Listz, but he wasn’t paying attention to her. His eyes were glued to me. “She’s a feisty little one, isn’t she?” the wizard asked, directing his question at Stoney, fishing for a reaction. “Yeah, she’s a pistol, alright,” Stoney agreed, tension tightening his voice. Shuffling sounds surrounded us. The demonic pigs were becoming impatient, slowly closing in. They grunted and growled hungrily, red eyes glowing in the darkness. I took a few more paces towards Listz, turning up the slutty charm. I didn’t have time to beat around the bush. I needed to get inside his space quickly so I could really mess with him. “I have what you want,” I said to the wizard, intending the double intender. “How are we going to do this?” I reached for that part of me that understood the pleasures of 217
the flesh, the talent Jakeh had given me. I found it easily and sighed with the sheer ecstasy of it. My body shuddered, and a smile crept across my lips. “Sunny, don’t do this…” Stoney warned, anger stinging my ears. I tuned him out. He didn’t understand what I was trying to do. He didn’t know about the supernatural talent for sex I now possessed, and if I had anything to say about it, he never would. I reached for Listz with my aura, caressing subtly, touching his spiritual pleasure center. The effect was immediate. Desire surged through his body, displacing the murky colors swimming through his shield. His eyes were ablaze. At first, I thought he would come to me, but at that very moment, the pigs staged a revolt, nearly overpowering the guards. “Subdue your animals!” Listz snapped at Sylvia. She gave him a look that should have set his hair ablaze. “Yeah, Sylvia, keep your pigs under control so we can tend to business over here,” I said, without taking my eyes off of Listz. I swear I could feel her heated gaze down the entire length of my body. “You obviously do not know who I am…so I will show you,” she snarled as she began to draw power. Oh, I knew who she was alright, but I tried not to think about it. Her vile, wicked spirit was clearly expressed in her aura, and her deadly renown definitely preceded her. I knew I was living risky by messing with her, but the more I drew her attention away, the closer Daniel and Jack got to my mother. Negative energy spiked around her. “You are no match for me, little biker slut,” she blustered. Damn. Party with a couple of bikers one time, and already I had a reputation, but it was working for me so I let it go. “Sylvia! Contain yourself,” Listz commanded with venom in his voice. She mumbled belligerently under her breath, then growled low in her throat, like a wild animal. Fear jolted my heart, and the hair on my neck stood up. “Damn. That’s really creepy, Sylvia. If you don’t make it as a wicked witch, you can always hook up with a traveling freak show.” 218
Whoa, that did it. She was fuming. Her aura practically exploded with angry colors. Listz’s was just the opposite. He was getting off on the cat fight, just like I knew he would. Enraged, she advanced on us, putting more distance between her and my mother. Daniel and Jack, once again, moved closer. Still ten feet away, she struck out at me. I almost laughed as her arm stretched to an impossible length and then widened into the head of a jaguar, bent on biting my face off, which really wasn’t all that funny. I ducked towards Listz, ending up in his arms as the gaping maw blew past, then disappeared. This was going almost too well. “Do I have time to kick her ass?” I asked Listz between clenched teeth. “I really want to kick her ass.” Listz shot Sylvia a withering look, stopping her in her tracks. Her tolerance, along with her temper, had reached a critical point. Her beady eyes were about to pop out of her head from the strain on her arteries. So far, so good. I increased my sensual attack on the sorcerer, which he mistook for something else entirely. “I sense a certain…chemistry between us,” he said breathily, again falling under my spell. I smiled at him and turned it up a notch. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes, his passion ignited, tension falling away. I used my shield to caress along his body, creating an erogenous energy flow around us both, causing my own body to throb with need. Sylvia stomped angrily over, forcing herself between us. “You little seductress,” she spat, shoving me backwards. “Do not come near him again.” “You know, you’re really starting to piss me off,” I said through clenched teeth, incensed that she had touched me, shriveling my desire. “If I throw a stick, will you leave?” A low, feral growl rolled out of her throat. Unable to tolerate my taunts any longer, she pounced at me, a clumsy move. I stepped out of the way easily, bringing one foot up to trip her. She sprawled across the crappy floor on her hands and knees. Listz was enjoying her humiliation so much, I would have felt sorry for her if she were anyone else. The look of betrayal on her face was priceless. She obviously cared a great deal for the sorcerer, 219
but he clearly had no such feelings for her. His cruel eyes warned her to keep her distance. “Let us conclude our business, so we can move on to better things,” the wizard said, ignoring Sylvia as he gave me a hungry look, apparently unaware that he had just zoned out a few moments before. “You will make the call to email the data, and once it has been verified, you will all be free to go,” he said easily. Hogwash. He was lying through his teeth. It was written all over his shield. We’d been set up, as if we hadn’t seen that coming from a mile away. “Bring the box,” Listz commanded the gray-haired wizard, motioning to him. A glance to my right showed me that my mother was unbound and standing, with Daniel and Jack flanking her. I turned my head to give Stoney a pointed look just as he stepped in Harold’s path. It was now or never, because I had a sneaking suspicion once that box was opened, the pig shit was really going to hit the fan. I mentally reached out to grab hold of the death god’s aura, stroking and caressing, forcefully imposing my influence on him, rocking him with pleasure. Problem was, it was rocking me, too. This sword had a double edge. I had to keep reminding myself that he was the bad guy. I smiled sweetly as I drew close enough to touch him, my own shield sparking with desire. He just looked so good…and so bad. I’ve always had a weakness for dangerous men. He forgot the box and pulled me closer, pressing my hips tightly against him. I didn’t fight. I wanted this. Bad guy, bad guy, bad guy. His face was full of dark desire, eyes haughty with conquest, his victory all but assured. I stoked the fire, caressing him with my shield. His breathing increased, but then, so did mine. Bad guy, bad guy. I reached up to touch his handsome face, staring into his dark eyes, projecting my desire, which was all too real. His hands caressed the bare flesh of my back, pressing me closer. His gaze was filled with a carnal heat as he whispered, “Join me, and I’ll let them all go free, but if you defy me, I will kill them 220
and take what I want.” His eyes said he was hoping for the latter. Playing his game, I forced a wicked smile. “So, what you’re saying is, we can do this hard, or we can do this easy,” I said in a breathy voice, giving him my best fuck-me eyes. “That’s right.” His smile promised both pleasure and pain. I pressed my breasts against his body and lifted my hand to his enraptured face. His eyes were on fire as I ran my fingertips across his full, red lips. “I like it hard,” I whispered seductively and shoved power through him with all the strength and energy I could reach, blasting him from the inside out with a violent explosion of air. His body convulsed, eyes bleeding as he sagged to the ground in a boneless heap. “Noooo!” wailed Sylvia. “What have you done?” Distraught and distracted, she failed to maintain control of her beasts. The demonic pigs surged forward, seeking blood. I blasted the armed guard to the left of me, blowing him backwards off his feet into the pack of demonic swine. They fell on him in a feeding frenzy, grunting and ripping the flesh from his body with vicious, scissor-like claws and razor sharp tusks. Pandemonium quickly ensued. Sounds of oinking swine and screaming men filled the barn, as the armed guards were quickly overcome by the demon-possessed porkers. I lifted my hands again to blast another gunman, but the vile beasts overcame him before I had the chance. Light strobed around me as Stoney threw his lightning bolts in quick succession at the hogs from Hell. Out of nowhere, a beast the size of a grizzly bear took a swipe at me. I ducked to the side with plenty of milliseconds to spare, feeling my hair catch slightly on the rough claws that were trying to snip my head from my shoulders. I turned and blasted the infernal creature between the eyes, killing it instantly. I blasted the one behind it, too, but there was another to take its place. No time to look for Sylvia. Beside me, I saw Harold the Gray drop the black box in his excitement and fall to his knees. My heart jolted, but luckily, the box remained upright. The little wizard scrambled for his life, crawling at an impressive speed, until he was stopped short by Stoney’s size eleven boot. He hit the ground hard, and Stoney made 221
sure he never got up again. Now, that was a dangerous man. Damn. Where was Sylvia? There was too much commotion and too many pigs. I searched for her in the dim building, waiting for Stoney’s lightning bolts to illuminate the area. Flash. Another demon downed by lightning, but still no sorceress. Another flash, and I found her. She was on her knees, next to Listz’s body, holding his hand, mourning her lost lover. But no, that wasn’t it. She wasn’t grieving; she was thieving. She tugged aggressively at his stiffening fingers, trying to remove a ring of some sort. I doubted it was the sentimental value that motivated her. She retrieved her prize just as I blasted her from the side, sending her over the top of Listz’s body into the pig shit beyond. Sylvia pulled herself to her feet and struck out at me with her jaguar fist. I knocked it aside with a blast from my wind hammer. She struck again and again, but each time I easily deflected the blow. I laughed, exhilarated by the contest, but she took it personally. Frustration and rage cycled through her aura like a bad weather pattern. She lowered her head and ran at me, pumping her gangly arms like an angry emu. I sidestepped at the last second. She floundered past, tripping over the black box, though she desperately tried to avoid it. Too late. For all her efforts, the box still spilled over, and she ended up skidding across the filthy ground on her face. Funny, she didn’t seem to care. As soon as she came to a stop, she immediately turned to gape at the box. Two misshapen orbs, glowing with an otherworldly light, lay on the ground beside it. Her eyes flew wide in abject panic. “Noooo,” she wailed, crab walking backwards away from the shimmering globes. “You fools!” she screamed as she climbed to her feet, still backpedaling. “The demons have been released without a master!” She was in such a state, she forgot about the bloodthirsty pack of pigs behind her. My eyes must have given it away, because she turned abruptly, just in time to defend herself. I spared a worried glance at my mother, but she was in expert hands. Daniel and Jack flanked her with weapons blazing as the pigs charged, with razor sharp tusks gnashing and twin claws on 222
each hand snapping and clicking. The men were a blur of action. Jack pulled my mother in close to his side, holding her tight with his left arm, while sending his icy bolts of destruction into the grunting pack. He handled her like a rag doll, tugging her this way and that, keeping her out of harms way. Daniel danced in a slow circle around them, his sword whirring like a buzz saw, mowing down the enemy in droves. Just then, the mutant orbs on the ground before us began to rock back and forth, steaming and hissing. Stoney’s eyes met mine, and I saw him mouth, “Oh, shit.” Wisely, though, he didn’t wait to see what burst forth from the spheres before blasting them with his ozone charged lighting bolts. Three strikes and one was crushed. I turned to look for Sylvia. A couple of berserkers in a blood frenzy interrupted my search. I blasted one in the face, taking it down for the count, but the other was already in my space, too close to hammer. Loathe to touch the fetid ground but out of options, I fell to my hands and knees and tried to scramble away. The demon part of the beast was too smart. Its massive ham hock caught me in the side and sent me rolling. I lay gasping for air on my back while Stoney danced around me, keeping me safe. Lightning flashed above, giving the scene a surreal feel. Totally in his element, Stoney looked utterly beautiful. Body smoking and smelling of ozone, his deep green eyes shone with a light of their own. I was fascinated by his grace, enthralled by his every move; I could have watched him for hours. When I was breathing again, he held a hand out to pull me up. I caught his gaze and held it, looking for understanding and forgiveness in his eyes. I had really stepped on his toes tonight, but I felt I had no choice. At first, only the hard Stone came through, but then he softened his gaze and gave me half a smile. My heart fluttered. Suddenly, he pulled me to him, blasting something over my shoulder. I clung to him a moment, mostly because I wanted to. He didn’t seem to mind. He tensed. I looked up, and his eyes were wide. He turned me around just in time to see the remaining orb as it burst open on the ground. A smoky demon spewed forth like a genie from a bottle. 223
Funny how things can go from bad to worse so quickly. Suddenly, guns thundered from all around. The cavalry had arrived, swinging the proverbial pendulum back in our direction. Swarms of my family members streamed into the building, shooting at anything that even remotely resembled a side of bacon, which was good, because we had bigger problems. The big demon, obviously female, rose to a towering height of about fifteen feet, unfurling its bat-like, leathery wings from around a dark-skinned, muscular body. It had long, lanky limbs, with razor sharp claws and teeth, and glowing white eyes. The beast drew in a deep breath, stretching its wings wide, thrashing them about like a giant buzzard, fanning a fresh heap of carrion. It threw its head back and roared mightily, filling the metal building with echoes of death. And the pendulum swung back the other way. Abruptly, everyone stopped to stare in awe at the heinous beast made of leather and light. Two heartbeats later, movement resumed. Jack handed my mother over to my Uncle Jim, who immediately hustled her out of the arena and through the door to the outside. Once she was in the clear, my priorities were reordered, giving the demon before me a whole new level of significance. Daniel stepped up beside me with a wink and a grin. A new respect showed in his eyes that made my heart swell. I smiled back at him and prepared to kick some demon ass. Let the chips fall where they may. My mother was safe, her kidnapper dead, and The Order had been denied the rest of the gate formula. I had done what I’d come here to do. Anything else was gravy. Stoney struck first, blasting the demon with a round of lightning that made its skin smoke. The monster screamed in rage and went after the object of its pain, swinging its clawed wing in an arc designed to rip Stoney’s head off. He managed to avoid the death blow, but several of the demon possessed hogs were in the wrong place at the wrong time and wound up splattered across the back wall of the building. Jack pelted the beast with frozen bolts, which exploded when they hit its blistering hot skin. I blasted it with a round from my wind hammer, nearly taking out its backbone. It screamed like a 224
thousand mountain lions and turned to glare at me, white eyes radiating hatred, almost daring me to do it again. So, I did. This time, I caught the evil creature in the upper chest, knocking it backwards. It shrieked in surprise. Daniel moved in dangerously close, dancing around the beast with such quick movements, it was hard to keep my eyes on him. I was so enthralled by his elegant swordplay that I didn’t see the demon’s spiked tail sweeping towards me until it was almost too late. I flung myself away from the danger, but not quite soon enough. A giant, razor sharp grass burr snagged leather and flesh along my side, tearing gashes into my skin with searing hot pain. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to kill me, but it was enough to piss me off real bad. I drew power and flung it out at the demon with both hands, blasting it in the chest, knocking it on its ass. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to kill it, but it was enough to piss it off real bad. The demon leaped to its feet and ran at me like a charging jetliner. I hesitated, considering my options, then I ran like hell. Daniel rolled in low behind the monster, slicing a sword across its hamstring, momentarily bringing it down and rendering one of its legs useless. Distracted by all the action, Stoney was nearly overcome by about a half a dozen deranged pigs. Several of my cowboy relatives stepped up and filled them full of holes. Stoney nodded his appreciation before sending more crooked fingers of white-hot lightning at the limping demon. Suddenly, the wounded beast launched itself at Jack, its giant wings flapping wildly, catching me with a blow to the head and upper body that nearly put my lights out for good. I sprawled on my back, knocked momentarily senseless. When I came to, the demon was screaming ceaselessly, and I thought for a moment I’d been cast in a low-budget Godzilla movie. I hurt so bad, I knew for damn sure they weren’t paying me enough. Dazed and confused, I rolled onto my side. Daniel was approaching the screeching monster boldly as it lay convulsing on the ground. His glowing sword hummed with power, a single, shining blade of retribution. He raised his sword over his head and dropped it onto the neck of the beast like a guillotine, severing its head from its body in one fell swoop. There was sudden silence as 225
the evil creature stopped screaming and crumbled to dust, leaving nothing but a small pile of rubbish. Ding dong, the bitch is dead. But no, I was confused. This wasn’t Oz; this was Hell. And Hell smelled like a barnyard. Or maybe that was me. Stoney kneeled beside me and looked into my face. “You alright?” I managed to groan for him. He ripped his shirt over his head and pressed it to my bleeding side. He was magnificent. My eyes took him in, and I felt a familiar flutter in my heart. I reached up to touch his manly chest, and suddenly, I had the will to go on. He recognized the heat in my gaze and grinned at me. Jack and Daniel bent over me. “Is she alright?” asked Jack with a fearful look. “She’s had her cage rattled pretty good, but she’ll make it,” said Stoney. Jack sighed his relief. I was glad he cared. “Sunny, how many fingers am I holding up?” he asked loudly, waving a couple of choice digits in front of my face in an obscene gesture. “Fuck you, too” I responded curtly. “Good answer.” I stood gingerly, with Stoney’s help, and we surveyed the damages. There was no movement anywhere except for our own people. It was over. When the realization finally sunk in, we whooped and hollered louder than a bunch of beer-soused rednecks during happy hour at the local honky tonk. Amazingly, I was feeling better by the minute, but the guys insisted I sit the rest of the game out on the bench. Stoney and Daniel helped me over to the bleachers while they finished cleaning up, whatever that meant. Uncle Arvin did a head count, which took about ten minutes, but seemed to me like forever. Everybody was scattered, inside and out, so it took a while to account for everyone and clear them from the building. Sylvia’s body wasn’t on the ground, so she had evidently gotten away. We had plenty of wounded but no dead. Dr. Stevie Pardo, from 226
the clinic where I worked, was on her way to my mother’s ranch house to tend to the wounded. She was going to have her hands full. Stoney came to inspect the bloody gashes in my side and declared that it was nothing that several dozen stitches wouldn’t cure. He helped me out to the chopper, where my mother was waiting anxiously inside. I climbed in and hugged her tightly, hardly able to believe we had actually won the day without losing anyone. Uncle Tom gave me a thumbs up. My mother smiled warmly, looking a bit haggard, but otherwise, she was holding up remarkably well. Suddenly, a look of concern darkened her expression. She yelled at me over the noise of the chopper, “What on earth are you wearing? You’re not hanging out with those roller derby people again, are you?” I grinned and rolled my eyes at her. Stoney, Daniel, and Jack returned to the chopper and climbed onboard, each man respectfully shaking my mother’s hand. Formal introductions would have to wait until we landed. Everyone else had headed back to the Winnebagos at the ranch house. The stockyard was cleared. We lifted off, and I leaned against Stoney. I watched the metal barns grow smaller as we rose, feeling nothing but numb relief that the whole thing was over. I closed my eyes, fighting fatigue as my adrenalin rush wore off. Jack tapped me gently on the knee. I looked up expectantly. He handed me a small device that looked like an electronic automobile key, but with only one button on it. I gazed into his handsome face with a question in my eyes. “I think you should do the honors,” he yelled over the racket. I stared at him in confusion a moment before it dawned on me what he meant. My over-stimulated brain finally recognized that he had handed me a detonating device. We were going to blow the stockyard to Kingdom Come. A smile crept across my face. I mouthed a thank you at Jack. We all looked out the windows expectantly when I pushed the button. There was about a three second delay while we waited for the signal to reach the charges, and then the night sky lit up with a spectacular orange fireball, followed by multiple bangs as the explosives went off, one by one, around the entire Pleasanton 227
Stockyard, leaving nothing but a charred memory. ***** Uncle Tom set the Huey down in my mother’s front yard, despite her howls of protest. She threatened him within an inch of his life, but he just smiled and pretended not to hear her. Dr. Pardo was already there, waiting for the wounded. I thought I was going to be her first patient, but my wounds seemed to be healing at an amazing rate. Thankfully, stitches weren’t going to be necessary. Will wonders never cease? The longest day of my life was almost over, but there was one more thing that needed doing. I had the unenviable task of convincing my mother to pack her bags, abandon her home, take on a new persona, and never look back. I somehow had to persuade her to leave the house where she and my dad had built a life together, to leave behind all the sentimental places they had shared for a life of uncertainty and fear, disconnected from her friends and family. It was a hard sell, but in the end, she understood why it had to be done. We were fortunate no one had to die for us this time, and we didn’t want to put our loved ones through anything like this ever again. Mom went upstairs to pack what she needed for the next couple of weeks. We promised to send for the rest of her stuff when she got settled somewhere. She seemed to be taking everything in stride, which was pretty amazing, considering the hell she had just been through. Maybe she was in shock, but more likely, she was just a tough cookie. She would adapt, and at forty-seven years old, she still had a lot of living to do. Everyone had agreed to convene at the ranch house for first aid and refreshments while my mother gathered her things. There was safety in numbers. The chance that The Order could effect any sort of attack so soon was slim, but Sylvia had gotten away, and that was one chance too many. As soon as we got there, I took a quick shower and threw on some old jeans I’d left at the house. It felt great to be clean again. Everyone that wasn’t injured stayed outdoors, so as not to muck up the floors with the blood and recycled pig slop decorating our 228
boots. I wandered outside to mingle, thanking everyone and making small talk. Stoney had organized those who were still capable into defensive positions around the area, just to be on the safe side. I sat down with Daniel and Jack at a picnic table under a huge oak tree in my mother’s backyard. “Hey, Sunny,” Daniel greeted. “How’s that gash in your side?” “Good as new,” I told them. Honestly, I’d already forgotten about it. It didn’t even hurt anymore. He nodded. “It’s a good thing you heal as fast as Stoney and me. I have a feeling we’re going to be taking a lot of abuse with this job.” “Not me. I plan on letting Jack take all the risks, since he can pretty much raise himself from the dead anyway,” I teased. “I thought I was supposed to avoid that kind of thing from now on,” Jack said, giving me the eye. “If I have to choose between your ass or mine, I’ll make an exception,” I told him with a wink. “Speaking of asses,” Jack said, “Stoney told us you found out that Jakeh isn’t King Solomon, but I can’t figure why the asshole won’t tell you who he really is.” “I think he likes being mysterious. Even the demons know his name. There’s got to be a reason he doesn’t want me to know,” I said, fighting a yawn. “Many people believe that words have power…especially a name,” offered Daniel. Hmmm. Interesting. The gears in my head clicked a notch or two, but I was too tired to make any connections. “He has to be somebody important, because he knows so much about the Armor of God. And he’s the one that gave us the marks,” said Jack. Click. Another notch. I watched Stoney approach, wearing one of my dad’s t-shirts stretched thin and tight across his broad, muscular chest. He had ruined his shirt earlier, sopping up the precious blood of yours truly. He spared me a thin smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, your break is over. There’s still work to do,” he grumbled in Marine commander tone. “I’m going inside to see if I can speed this along somehow, and you, Jack” —he nodded 229
in his direction— “need to walk the perimeter and make sure everyone stays alert.” He winked at me and turned on his heels and ambled coolly towards the house. As tired as I was, I still watched appreciatively. Jack sighed, a weary sound. “Shit always rolls downhill,” he grumbled, standing. My eyes flew wide. “Holy cow, that’s it!” I blurted. The gears in my head began to click rapidly, picking up momentum. “Jack, you’re a genius.” “Heh. I’m not often accused of that,” he said smugly. Excitedly, I said, “I’ll be right back. I’ve got to check something out.” I hurried inside to my old bedroom, right to the nightstand beside the bed. I yanked open the drawer and pulled out the Bible that was kept there. My mother stashed a Bible next to every bed. I flipped through the pages for a few minutes. Finally, there it was, in the Old Testament, the Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 23. Damn. What a character. This guy was incredible, even by Bible standards. This had to be him, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I closed my eyes, picturing Jakeh in my mind, and almost immediately, I felt a familiar warmth flood my body. Then I whispered the name that I hoped was his. “Benaiah.” I waited. Nothing happened. “Benaiah, come to me,” I commanded quietly. Suddenly, I felt his presence. He huffed behind me, the sound full of impatient annoyance. I spun around to find him looking out at me from the full-length mirror on the back of my closet door. He was totally naked except for a thin white loin cloth covering his groin. His hands were on his hips, and he did not look happy, but he did look good. I wanted to touch him, but he was dead to this world, and all I was going to get was a reflection. “Aha, you cagey bastard,” I told him triumphantly. “At last, Benaiah, most honored of Kind David’s guards. I should have guessed sooner. A king would not fight his own battles; his generals would do that for him.” He nodded, but said nothing. 230
“And you must have been part of the original Armor of God,” I surmised. “I was an extension of King David’s own hand, with full authority to act on his behalf,” Benaiah said proudly. “I was honored to wear the Armor for him, and then for Solomon later.” I raised my eyebrows at him in surprise. “Just you?” I asked with disbelief. “Then why are there four of us now?” He sighed. “I believe it is because God will not allow so much power to be given to any one person, ever again.” “Ah, it didn’t work out so well, huh?” He shrugged. “It could have gone better.” “How is it you became an incubus?” “One does not become an incubus. An incubus is born of a union between a demon and a human woman,” he explained. “My mother, Jehosheba, was an unwilling participant, raped as an affront to my father, Jehoida, high priest of Judah. But my parent’s hearts were filled with goodness and mercy, and they raised me as their own, just as they did for another boy years later. A boy named Joash, who was later to become King of Judea as Solomon’s only surviving heir.” “That’s fascinating, and I’d like to hear the whole story some day, but right now, I’m more interested in why you didn’t want me to know your real name,” I said, squaring off with him in the mirror. “It would only have been a distraction—” I cut him off. “I don’t think so. Even though you marked me as your slave, I am also your concubine, which gives me certain rights, too, as long as I know your true name, right? You can’t just boss me around, summoning me here and there at your whim anymore. I have privileges.” He nodded, reluctantly. “Some. But you must still come when I summon you.” “As do you, Mr. High-and-Mighty,” I said smugly. “Once more,” he said, begrudgingly, “you have proven to be much more than just a pretty face.” “Damn straight,” I asserted, as if I’d never had any doubts. “And I’m going to start exercising some of my rights immediately.” He tried to turn on the charm. “Sunny, you must 231
understand—” “Not tonight, I don’t,” I blurted, too exhausted to be nice and too angry to care. “Be gone!” I commanded. And he was. How cool is that? I went to check on my mom. She assured me she was almost finished packing. I wandered back outside to relay the good news. We were all tired and ready for our nice, soft beds. The light at the end of the tunnel was beginning to shine. Precious sleep was near. The crowd had grown quiet. Even the bikers, who were used to late night partying, were sinking fast. Eyes drooped, and guards were down. All of the sudden, a piercing roar shattered the cloudy, late night sky. “Aw, no,” I groaned. “What now?” Instantly, I moved toward the ferocious sounds coming from my mother’s backyard, but I wasn’t alone. About fifty armed men were leading the charge, heading for another nightmare even before the last one was cleared from our heads. Sounds of splintering wood filled the air, and men were yelling up ahead as the mysterious beast roared again. Whatever it was, it sounded really big. Finally, I could see the ghastly creature, and I stopped dead in my tracks. It was Bill, the randy billy goat. Faustino had brought my goats here so he could care for them, and now Bill had contracted a demon, no doubt thanks to that bitch, Sylvia Montemeyor. She evidently had a thing for cloven-hoofed animals. Now, Bill was going to have to be put down. He had grown huge, almost as big as the 1980-something Winnebagos parked in the driveway. His curved horns were massive, and his eyes glowed red like Hell fire. Steam blew out his nostrils as he snorted in a demonic rage, ducking his head low for a charge. Gunfire erupted. Lots of gunfire. And then more gunfire. There was a pause to let the smoke clear. Bill lay on the ground, unmoving. Several men drew near to prod the beast with their boots. Suddenly, Bill jerked and grunted, and more gunfire blasted the late night silence away like thunder. When the smoke finally cleared again, Bill was nothing but a smoldering heap of ash being 232
scattered about by the wind. Sylvia’s parting gift was the last straw. One day, I would find that skinny bitch, or she would find me, and I vowed to cause her a world of hurt. Until then, Earth would ramble on, trudging inexorably toward its preordained destruction, scheduled at a time yet to be determined and subject to change. That’s where we come in. We are the Armor of God, at war with the forces of evil striving to hasten the inevitable annihilation of our world. Exactly when the end will come is a mystery, but as long as we’re on the job, it won’t be today.
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About the Author Mild-mannered CPA by day, hard rockin’ cowgirl by night, Ginger Rodgers lives deep in the heart of Texas with her husband and kids, three German Shepherds, two cats, and a billy goat named Bill.
On the Web GingerRodgers.com Email:
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