Cast In Blood: Revelations Series Book 1: (14 page)

W
hen Lenny entered
the break room, she'd expected it to be empty. Instead of the peace she was looking for, she'd run into the middle of some sort of demon pick-up session. She'd rolled her eyes and sat at the table farthest from the action.

A dark-haired woman that looked vaguely familiar sat in one of the plastic chairs next to a monstrous looking thing. He seemed to be laying the schmooze on pretty thick, but the woman didn't seem very responsive. When Lenny saw her slap his hand-claw away and yell when he tried to touch her hair, she knew something wasn't quite right. He said something else and the woman suddenly looked very frightened. He took a lazy drink from his coffee mug that had the words I HATE MONDAYS printed over a picture of a kitten wearing glasses sitting at a desk surrounded by stacks of papers. Lenny hated bullies more than almost anything in the world, and even though she just came here to be alone, she had to speak up.

"Hey, is everything okay here?"

"Yeah, sweetheart, everything is fine," the red, goat-human thing said. "How about you go over there and mind your own business? My friend and I are just getting to know each other."

Lenny looked to the woman for confirmation. She looked at Lenny with fear in her eyes, her hand held tightly over her chest while she shook her head.

"Well, Billy Goat Gruff, it seems the lady is not in agreement. I think it's probably time for you to get back to work, isn't it?"

"I don't know who you think you are, little girl, but I'll give you one last chance to get out of here before I make you wish you were never born," the demon said as he rose from his seat and took another sip from his coffee mug.

Hearing him say that, on top of the smug look on his misshapen face and the stupid coffee mug in his hand, she felt a rage build inside of her that was unfamiliar and more than a little frightening.

"One, I am not a little girl. Two, I'm the one that is warning you. You had better get your dumb ass out of here, and take your stupid mug with you."

"All right, I'm done playing around," he said as he set the mug on the table and stepped around the seated woman, his claws reaching out to grab Lenny.

She ducked and reached forward on the table, grabbed his mug and swung it over the other woman's head. The porcelain handle broke off as it connected with his skull. He was unfazed. Instead, a grin spread across his face, revealing two long, sharp teeth set in the middle of his mouth. He reached out again, this time taking hold of a handful of Lenny's long hair.

"Don't you hurt her," the woman cried out, but neither of them paid any attention.

"That was my favorite mug, you bitch. I'm gonna love hurting you."

Lenny closed her eyes and concentrated for a second before she felt the change coming on. Within seconds, she morphed into the form of one of the demons from the carving on Lucifer's door, towering over the woman and the horny demon. She felt the forked tongue that now resided in her mouth slither out, and her hands were now tipped with razor-thin claws. She charged the demon, knocking him to the floor and straddling his chest. He cried out in surprise and pain as her claws swiped across his cheek, slicing skin and muscle.

She balled her fist and punched him in the face. Even though he was big, Lenny was bigger and her jab hit home, obviously knocking some of his steam out. She hit him again, and this time, he lost consciousness altogether.

She stood up, breathing heavily as she shifted back into her own form, still angry but able to control it. Turning to the woman, she felt suddenly embarrassed for her outburst.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just really hate bullies."

"Yeah, I gathered. Thank you for saving me. My name is Drew," she said, holding out her hand.

"No problem. I'm Lenny." She took Drew's hand, shaking it. "Are you a demon or something?"

"Or something, I guess. I'm half-human, if that even counts for anything in this place."

"I'm part human, too," Lenny said, sitting down in one of the plastic chairs. "I'm apparently also a whole bunch of other shit. I'm a mutt, and a monster. I'm a monster mutt."

Lenny couldn't stop her tears from flowing. Drew took a few napkins from the dispenser on the table and handed them to her. Lenny took them and dabbed at her leaking eyes.

"Hey there, it's gonna be okay." Drew tried to console her with a soft pat on the shoulder.

"I'm not so sure about that. I just found out that my parents were monsters. Actual monsters, not metaphoric ones. I'm a shifter and a demon, and…," she trailed off, not wanting to reveal the darkest part of her ancestry.

"I know a thing or two about shitty parents." Drew sighed as she took a seat next to Lenny.

"Hey, if you aren't a full demon, what are you doing here, anyway?"

"I'm here with a demon named Polly. She brought me here to hide out for a while, I guess."

"Polly brought me here, too. I was just meeting with Lucifer, and she told me a pretty shitty story about my parents."

"Wait, did you say
she
? Lucifer is a woman?"

"Yep. I was surprised, too. She was actually really nice to me, and I ran out on her," Lenny said, feeling bad for leaving the way she did. "I know where I've seen you. Outside the Children of Light church, right? You were standing outside on the street corner asking men if they wanted a…."

Her eyes widened and she went silent when realization dawned on her.

"A date?" Drew prompted. "It's cool, I'm not ashamed. I'm a succubus, so being a working girl seemed to be a logical choice."

"A succu-what?"

"A succubus." Drew enunciated the word. "I feed off auras and energy, basically. Well, I used to. I'm clean now."

"Oh, cool." Lenny shrugged, not knowing quite what to say.

"You know what I've learned about parents? It doesn't matter who they are or what they were. It matters who you are. My dad is basically a junkie. I'm on the wagon. I'm not a copy of him; I'm my own person, and I make my own destiny."

"You sound like a Lifetime movie." Lenny laughed.

"Maybe an afterschool special." Drew joined in, their laughter mingling and turning into full-scale giggles.

"This is what happens when you shoot up the marijuana, kids. You become a half-demon with shitty parents and then you go to Hell!"

The two women roared with laughter, their eyes watering. After a few moments, Lenny had forgotten all about her rage and anger.

That didn't last long.

The demon groaned and jumped up from the floor, grabbing Lenny around the waist and pulling her off her feet.

"You little half-breed bitch, you won't get away with that. Look what you did to my face!"

"I made an improvement," she snarled.

"
Purgamentum
," he whispered into her ear, snaking his tongue out and licking her cheek, leaving a wet trail of slime. "Garbage. You taste like a filthy piece of djinn garbage."

Lenny screamed and kicked frantically trying to loosen the death grip the monster had on her. It was no use. He squeezed her so tight she felt as though her lungs would pop like an overinflated birthday balloon. This snake was not going to get the best of her.

Snake!
Lenny thought, instantly shifting into the form of a large boa constrictor.

She slithered out of the demon's grasp and hit the floor, transforming back into her own form. Her rage at his epithet bubbled over again. This time, she didn't need to shift into anything. She jumped off the floor and wrapped her legs around the demon, knocking him back down. She went blind with rage and landed punch after punch on the demon's jaw. He put his hands up to defend himself, but Lenny was working on pure adrenaline. She felt herself involuntarily shimmering in between her own form and the form of the demon himself. A grunting sound was coming from her own mouth that she barely registered as English.

"I'm not a monster, I'm not a monster, I'm not a monster."

Drew jumped from her seat to join Lenny in the attack. "Fuck you, asshole."

The demon reached out and grabbed a claw full of Drew's hair. She responded by repeatedly kicking the demon in the head, trying to get him to loosen his grip.

It didn't work.

The two women only stopped their assault and turned around when they heard Polly enter and slam her large hand down on the nearest table.

"What in the holy blue fuck is going on here?"

T
he demon had
Drew by the hair, and she screamed, arms flailing. She scratched his face, and he laughed. Just as he bucked Lenny to the floor and advanced on her, the door opened and Polly stormed in.

"What in the holy blue fuck is going on here?"

He froze, then turned. "Polly—sweetheart—we were just talking about you."

While he was distracted, Drew took the opportunity to punch him. She had a decent right hook, but it barely fazed him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Polly asked, pushing him away.

Drew jumped to her feet and brushed herself off. "Asshole!"

"He tortures people for a living. What do you expect?" Polly glared over at him. "Ever mess with one of my guests again, and I'll make sure Lucy puts you at a desk job for the rest of eternity."

"Looked like a present to me," said the demon, his voice indignant. "What was I supposed to think?"

Lenny staggered away from the demon, glaring down at the blood on her hands. She went to the sink, a look of relief taking hold when she turned on the faucet and water streamed out. She rinsed her hands.

"Not a monster, eh?" the demon snickered.

Lenny turned back to him with a fierce, angry face.

"Let it go," Polly said. "I need to ask a favor of you, Lenny."

Lenny sighed. "Does it entail getting as far away as possible from this asshole?"

"I killed one of the djinn posing as a member of Hershel's Faithful. They'll notice if he's gone for long. Your … unique traits make it possible for you to fill in for him until we have a chance to remove the rest of them."

"I'm not going back there."

"Lenny, more than just a few lives are on the line here. If they suspect we're hunting them, they'll shift gears, maybe even change their plans altogether. You can disguise yourself as one of them. You can buy us the time we need."

"Seriously?" Lenny gave Polly a wide-eyed stare.

Polly stepped forward and took Lenny by the arm, pulling her aside. She leaned in and whispered.

"This is day one of your new job. You ran out on Lucy, and now you want to say no to your first assignment?"

Lenny felt a pang of guilt for leaving the office the way she had.

"Okay, I'll go back. Just get there quickly. I don't want to be stuck in that freak show alone for long."

"We'll move as quickly as we can. Come with me." Polly grabbed Drew by the hand. "You, too. I've got another job for you."

They crossed back through the burning pits, taking a different path that led to another series of caves. Sweat stung Drew's eyes, and she wiped her face with a slick arm.

"Can't we just pop into wherever we're going? These caves are murder," Drew sulked.

"Seriously," Lenny agreed.

"What fun would that be? I thought you might appreciate the scenic route."

The two women exchanged glances, and Drew shook her head, growing indignant. "Are you kidding me?"

"Actually, I am. There are barriers all across this place, blockers to keep prisoners in and infiltrators out. I have … high clearance, so I can come and leave as I see fit, but even my access pass has its limits. Security has to be high in a place like this, so there aren't many doors."

Drew felt a sudden and overwhelming sense of claustrophobia. She was at the mercy of this demon. What if Polly decided to keep her there? Was her sadistic streak anything like J. D.'s had been, unpredictable and impulsive?

They reached a crossroads in the caverns, and Polly stopped them. "Ready?" she told Lenny.

Lenny nodded, reluctance still complicating her frustrated face. Then, suddenly, she waved her arms. "Wait!"

Polly rolled her eyes with an impatient huff. "Yes?"

"Could I see Lucy real quick? I want to apologize for something."

"Apologize?"

"It's important."

"Fine. She can send you back to the church. I'll see you soon," Polly said with a flick of her wrist.

Lenny disappeared, and Polly pulled Drew to the left. "This way."

Polly led her into a cave where a massive, snarling creature of a man sat chained to a large, steaming stone chair. Drew didn't recognize the figure, but she did recognize the darkness surrounding him—the dark presence at the church. He showed evidence of extreme torture, and a slew of whips, chains, and devices lay discarded nearby.

"This is your ace in the hole?" the creature laughed.

"We need you to extract information from him, Drew."

Drew glared at Polly. "Me?"

"It's the same basic principle as when you projected your memories for Michael. Instead of giving, you're going to take."

Drew shook her head. Yes, it had happened before. She'd accidentally pulled information from men along with the bits of their souls she consumed while having sex—but she certainly wasn't going to break her sobriety on this nasty thing.

"You can't break me," said the creature, shifting into his hideous djinn form. "None of you is gonna break me, so you might as well just give up and put me away."

Polly turned to Drew with a heavy sigh. "You can help us. Just try."

"I'm not screwing that thing."

It laughed.

"Just place your hands on his head, relax, and let your soul tug on his a little. You don't have to have sex with him."

Drew felt the pressure weigh heavily on her shoulders. This was not how she'd expected the evening to go, not by a long shot.
God help me
.

"Go on." Polly nudged her toward the creature.

Drew shook her head. Even if she could take more than ambient essence from the djinn, it would feed the beast she'd held dormant within herself. It had taken almost more willpower than she'd thought she had to keep it in check, to keep her humanity in check. One misstep was all that potentially stood between remaining in control and slipping into a hurricane of endless hunger and need.

"Drew, I need you to do this."

Her heart raced at the thought of taking anything from Polly's prisoner, let alone the darkness that even now reached out for her. It stared her down as she walked up to it, and she jerked back when it lunged against its chains. As soon as she recovered from the jolt, she could see the creature was secure. Still, its aura smelled dirty, like crude oil. Would consuming it make her sick? Would it infect her the way it had infected all of those people at that church?

She turned back to Polly. "Please don't make me."

Polly crossed her arms. "We need this information. If I have to go track down another soul sucker, I swear I'll leave you here at the mercy of the demons."

Fear meshed with anger and spite. Without any choice left, she placed her fingertips on the creature's head and let his dark, dirty soul mesh with hers. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on pulling at his aura, but his pulled just as actively. The smell of oil morphed into the taste of something bitter in the back of her throat, and she choked it back. Her body shook as a battle of wills ensued.

She felt a heavy rush when suddenly he let go and the darkness filled her. She felt a terrible urge to stagger back, the creature's essence blinding, but she held on. With every breath, she could feel her soul drinking in the blackness. A horrifying mix of excitement and dread took hold. She enjoyed it—the high that came with stealing a piece of an unwilling soul—and she hated herself for it.

The darkness became too much, and one after the next, her senses failed until all that remained was an electrifying buzz through her limbs and a stabbing pain in her head. Images flew through her consciousness, visions of purgatory and fields of souls moaning, trapped.

She saw the creature drawing strange symbols on a dark, rocky wall, carving them with some kind of a crystal that, despite the heavy layers of cloth between them, burned the palm of its hand. It drew a massive circle, and the symbols glowed a bright blue against the fiery rock. It muttered words Drew didn't recognize, and then it stepped through the circle and disappeared into the wall. The symbols sizzled for a moment, and then lava engulfed them and the wall went dark and dull.

She lost her sense of touch, feeling like she'd dropped into a pit and now sped and whirled in a freefall. She didn't know how to pull herself from it.
Help me!
her mind cried, her lips and throat too detached from her psyche for her to utter the words physically.

She saw a bright flash, and her sense of touch returned. She was on the ground, retching. The bitterness in the back of her throat manifested into a thick sludge that threatened to block her airway, but she managed to vomit it out in several forceful heaves. Her hearing returned, first a heavy ringing, but soon distant voices echoing all around. Her vision returned, too, and she found herself on her hands and knees before a puddle of black slurry, the oily substance still oozing from her lips.

She looked up, the room coming together and Polly coming into focus.

"What did you see?"

Drew gagged and coughed up another surge of the poison she'd ingested from the creature's aura. She took a moment to catch her breath then wiped her lips and slowly rose to her feet. "I think I know how they're getting out," she said, finding a window of lucidity.

The room spun, but she felt energized and aroused, disoriented and overwhelmed. Her spirit still feeling tainted and dirty despite all she'd expelled, she stumbled off, laughing and crying in intoxicated shrieks.