Demon Hunters 2: Retribution (Stand Alone Series) (Demon Hunters.) (8 page)

Scarlett rose to her feet and paced across the lounge room again. She slumped onto an armchair, tried to get comfortable then rose to pace across the room another couple of times before she dropped onto the couch.

“I can’t stay in here. I have to get out.” When Blake continued to read, she demanded, “Did you hear me?”

Blake glanced up from his book. “You’re safe here and the salt doesn’t bother Des unless he tries to cross it.”

“I know I’m safe. Physically. If I have to sit here a minute longer, I can’t vouch for my mental well being.” She was accustomed to being a lot more active. Pacing through a handful of rooms wasn’t enough to keep her occupied.

Blake sighed, dropped his bookmark into the book and reluctantly closed it. “What do you want to do, Scarlett?”

Scarlett rose to her feet again. She tucked her fingers into the front pocket of her jeans and they brushed against the feather. “I don’t know. I just can’t sit around and wait.”

“I’ll guard her.” Des stood by the window and watched the traffic. He turned to face Blake when he didn’t answer.

“Is that what you want?” Blake asked Scarlett.

She shrugged. “I just want to get out. I don’t want everyone hovering over me. Besides, I know you cancelled plans to be with Allie so you could babysit me. You should go and see her.”

“Your safety comes first.”

“I will be safe. Do you think Des is going to let something happen to me?”

Blake laughed cynically. “No, but not for the same reasons you do. He has literally put himself in your hands.” He looked at the ring Scarlett wore on her left hand. “He has his own interests to protect.”

“Blake-” Scarlett started to argue but Des interrupted her.

“He’s right, Scarlett.” He moved away from the window and stopped within arm’s reach. “I’m a demon. We always put ourselves first.”

“I don’t-” Scarlett began.

“Do you want to go out or not?” Des asked.

“Yes.”

“Where are you going?” Blake asked.

Scarlett shrugged again. “I don’t know. Maybe we’ll catch the ferry and go into the city and wander around until we find something to do.”

Blake turned to Des. “Hell won’t be far enough if something happens to her.”

Des grinned. “I much prefer Old Testament Christians and their belief in an eye for an eye.”

Blake’s expression stayed serious. “Let’s just say I have trouble following New Testament principles when one of mine is threatened or harmed. Instinct outweighs clear thought.”

“I let instinct regularly interfere with clear thought. It keeps life much more interesting. Self-preservation is a well-developed instinct. I’ll return her with her life intact. Her soul though, that’s not my concern,” Des said.

Blake nodded. “That’s all I ask. She’s responsible for her own soul.”

Des turned to Scarlett. “You’ll have to brush the salt away from the doorway before I can leave.”

Scarlett nodded. She kissed Blake’s cheek and then rubbed it. “You need a shave.”

Blake chuckled. “Allie doesn’t think so.” His expression turned serious. “Take care, Scarlett.” He glanced towards Des, a warning in his eyes.

Scarlett nodded before she strode towards the front door. She bent down and pushed the salt into a small pile against the wall. As she stood up, her hands brushed her back pockets to make sure her wallet and phone was in them. She wore no cosmetics and her hair required minimal attention. All she needed was her slim wallet and mobile phone. Sometimes she carried a backpack with emergency gear. Usually it stayed in her car. She didn’t think she’d have any need of it today. After all, she had a fallen guardian angel on duty.

As they walked along the footpath in the direction of the ferry Des linked his fingers through hers. “What do you want to do?”

Scarlett shrugged. “I really don’t know. But walking outside is so much better than pacing back and forth in a small room.”

“Do you need help with some ideas?” His lips slowly curved into a smile and his voice lowered as he turned his head to watch her.

“No thanks,” Scarlett said dryly.

Des chuckled softly. “I’m sure I could find lots of things to do that would take your mind off your problems.”

“Yeah and have me worrying about other problems. My soul might not be perfectly spotless, but that’s what I aim for.”

“Think how much more interesting it could be.”

“More interesting than sharing a house with a demon?”

Des laughed. “Touché.”

They reached the ferry shelter to find they were the only ones waiting for the ferry, which arrived on time. Scarlett started to step onboard when a wave made the ferry rock dramatically and Des reached out to steady her. She smiled her thanks and quickly boarded when the ferry’s movements evened out. As soon as she payed for their tickets, she led the way to the bow. She loved seeing where she was going and feeling the breeze in her face.

Holding onto the rails, she closed her eyes to savour the sensation of movement on the water. She felt Des come to stand behind her. His hands gripped the rails on either side of her hands and trapped her in his embrace. Scarlett leaned back against him and relaxed as a feeling of safety washed over her.

“When I was younger I wanted to sail around Australia. I had very romantic ideas of what it’d be like.” Scarlett’s eyes remained closed.

“Do you still want to do that?”

“Only when life’s difficult.”

“You have only to ask and we can go,” Des said softly.

“Somehow clicking my fingers and there it is doesn’t appeal to me. It feels like cheating.

Des laughed. “Remind me to play poker with you one day. I like to win.”

“I’m not an idiot. You’d probably cheat.”

“There’s no probably about it.”

Scarlett smiled and turned in his arms so she could look at him. “How about we see a movie?”

“Why do I get the feeling the movies you’d be willing to see would bore me to tears?”

Scarlett laughed. “We could always see if there’s one we’d both like.” Des smiled and Scarlett stopped. “Why am I starting to worry a movie isn’t a good choice?”

Des leaned in closer, his voice low. “Sitting next to each other in the dark, what’s not to like about that?”

Scarlett pulled out of his arms and stepped to his right. “Maybe we should find something else to do.”

Des chuckled. “Coward.”

“Didn’t you mention something about self-preservation earlier?” Scarlett glanced over the side of the ferry as it began to slow. “Come on. We’re nearly there.”

As soon as they were off the ferry, they headed for the cinemas and finally found a movie they could agree on. Scarlett spent the first half of the movie trying to get Des to behave. Holding his hand had seemed like a way to keep him in line, but she ended up spending the other half of the movie alternating between wondering what she was doing holding hands with a demon and wanting to always hold his hand.

When the movie finished, they wandered outside and Scarlett pointed to an ice creamery over the road. She turned to smile at Des.

“What do you think?”

He leaned in close and murmured against her ear. “I have some very fond memories involving ice cream.”

Scarlett pulled away. “Oh for crying out loud, Des. Does everything have to remind you of sex?” She glared at the two young women who walked past them and giggled.

One of them called out to Des, “Honey if she doesn’t know what to do with you, I do.”

Des smiled unhurriedly as he draped his arm around Scarlett’s shoulders. “She knows what to do with me.” He lowered his voice so only Scarlett could hear him. “You just like to deny both of us.”

Scarlett remembered to keep her voice lowered this time. “I am not stopping you from going with them.”

“Funnily enough, the thought of going with them bores me. I fear you’re beginning to rub off on me, Scarlett. Which doesn’t bode well for my future as a demon of desire.”

“Maybe it’s time for a new career.”

Des laughed. “You’re priceless.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Now, didn’t you say you wanted ice cream?” At her nod, they began to walk to the curb and waited until it was safe to cross.

Scarlett stared at the old building across the road that had scaffolding across the front so workers could paint it. She brought her attention back to the road when Des started to move forward. He kept his arm around her as they meandered along the footpath and even though she felt she should pull away from him, Scarlett couldn’t bring herself to. They reached the scaffolding when Des suddenly threw his other arm around her and propelled her forward. They landed on the ground, Des underneath her.

Scarlett looked down at him, stunned and confused. She pushed herself back and glanced around at the crowd that had begun to gather. Then she saw what they looked at. A twenty-litre tin of paint, that had been full, lay open on the footpath. The paint seemed to be everywhere, but luckily Des had pushed them far enough out of the way the splatters had missed them. Scarlett started to shake as she realised it had landed in the exact spot where they’d been when Des had wrapped her in both his arms.

Des sat up and moved Scarlett off him so he could stand. He pulled her to her feet and held her close. “You’re safe,” he murmured against her forehead. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Scarlett took a deep breath. “I don’t like being prey. I’m a hunter.” If Des hadn’t been with her she would have noticed another demon before he’d gotten that close.

“What do you want to do?” Des asked.

Since it wasn’t dark yet, Scarlett knew the demon would be a minor one. “Can we track him down?”

Des lifted his head and slowly looked around. He paused and turned his head back slightly. His lips curved into a mirthless smile. Tiny flickers of flames streaked through his eyes. “That way.”

“Des,” Scarlett began hesitantly, as she looked into his eyes.

“I’m fine, Lady Knight. I’m still a long way off. Can you see wings yet?” When Scarlett shook her head, he took her hand and tugged her forward. “Then let’s hunt.”

Scarlett strode along beside him, almost running to keep up. “I haven’t anything with me.”

“You have the ring and the cross. It’ll do the trick.”

“It hurts you.”

Des chuckled. “It hurts you too.”

“Yes but-”

“Lady Knight,” Des teased.

Scarlett fell silent and concentrated on keeping up. She glanced at Des who was not in the least out of breath, nor did he have sweat dotting his brow and upper lip like she had. Some things were plain unfair.

Des swore and came to a sudden stop.

“Des!”

“Quiet.” He turned his head as if he listened for something. His head stilled and his eyes gleamed.

Scarlett glanced around nervously. Demons she could face. But the area they had stepped into didn’t look friendly in the last rays of the day. There was no one in the vicinity and it was filled with an unnatural silence. There were a couple of large industrial bins along one wall and the buildings towering over them were several storeys high, dotted with windows and balconies. Des distracted her when he pulled his shirt over his head and handed it to her.

“What are you doing, Des?”

“Quiet. And stay back until I’m in full control again.” He cupped her cheek with his hand. “For luck.” Before Scarlett could ask what he meant, he swiftly kissed her and turned away. Wings sprang from his back as he launched himself into the air.

She watched as a demon seemed to leap from the brickwork and attack Des. The demon took on the colour of whatever he touched, like a chameleon. His wings were leathery with sharp hooks at the end of each segment. He had goat like horns and a habit of lowering his head to attack with them.

Scarlett hated to be a spectator. She looked around, but there was no way she could help. They flung each other from balcony to balcony, bodies impacting with walls and each other. Her left hand hovered over her cross as she waited for Des’ call. But the chameleon seemed to break Des’ every hold. The shadows rapidly lengthened until Scarlett had trouble seeing the fight.

Then she was only able to tell where they were by the snarls and thuds. And still her hand hovered over her cross. “Be safe, Des,” she whispered. Her phone rang and she considered ignoring it. She held it in her right hand to answer it, her left still above her cross. “Yes?”

“Where are you?” Alex demanded.

“We went to see a movie.”

“I was expecting you to be here when we got back. Blake said you’ve been gone for hours.”

“You’re not my father, Alex. You’re my brother.”

“Then maybe Dad should be home to make sure you listen and keep yourself out of danger.”

“Alex I’m-”

“Now!” Des yelled.

“Call you back,” she said as her hand closed around the cross. She managed to end the call before she screamed at the pain. There was a flash of light and a roar that was cut off.

“Let go, Lady Knight.” Des’s voice came out of the dark, tense with pain.

Scarlett let go, dropped to her knees and breathed heavily. She shakily rose to her feet and took an unsteady step forward. “Des?”

“Run!”

“Des?”

Des swore and snarled, “Now! Find people.”

Scarlett spun and ran back the way they’d come. Stumbling in the dark she slowed her pace, not wanting to fall. She glanced over her shoulder, but could hear nothing. As soon as she stepped into a well-lit street, she took a deep breath. There were a handful of people wandering past. Glancing behind her again she felt torn. She didn’t want to desert Des, but he hadn’t sounded like himself.

Her phone rang and she checked the display to see it was Alex again. “Sorry.”

“What’s going on? Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”

“Everything’s fine.”

“Don’t give me that rubbish. I know you. What did he do?”

“Alex-”

“If he hurt you-”

“It was another demon.”

“Where are you?”

Scarlett glanced behind her again and wondered where Des was. She knew he wouldn’t be too far. Thirty metres at the most he’d told her. Sighing, she looked at the street sign, giving Alex the information he wanted.

“I’ll see you in about half an hour.” Alex hung up abruptly.

Scarlett stared at her phone before she returned it to her pocket. Minutes passed as she stood there, wondering what to do. “Des. Where are you?” She didn’t expect an answer to her whispered question and felt relief when she received one.

He stepped out of the shadows and held out his hand for his shirt. “You don’t listen very well, do you?” He pulled on his shirt.

Scarlett threw her arms around him and held him close for a minute before she leaned back to look at him. “You aren’t hurt? Don’t smile at me like that. I hate being patronised.”

Des chuckled. “Only you would ask a demon if they were hurt. We can’t be killed, Lady Knight. Surely they taught you that.”

Scarlett glared at him and tried to pull away. “You can still be hurt.” She turned her head when he tried to kiss her and his lips landed on her cheek instead. She felt him smile against her before his lips trailed down to her neck. “Des!”

“I thought that’s what you wanted,” he answered innocently.

“I don’t want any kisses.”

“Try saying that again, but put more conviction in it.”

Scarlett sighed. “Let me go, Des.” She pulled away and his arms loosened. Before she could move too far, his fingers tangled with hers.

“Nathan can’t send another demon for you until three in the morning. Not with the amount of demons he’s been calling up and the power he needs to do it.”

“Is that every day?”

Des nodded.

“So if we go hunting at three, we can have nearly twenty-four hours without having to worry about demons?”

“I like the way you think.” Des grinned.

“That’s because you’re not standing on the sidelines wondering what’s happening.”

“Don’t tell me I’ve found something you actually enjoy.”

“There’s a lot of things I enjoy.”

“Things you find pleasurable without being wracked by guilt afterwards.”

“Plenty.”

“Name one.”

“Church.”

“You’ve got to be joking.” Des looked horrified.

“You asked.”

Des shook his head. “How very sad. Name another.”

“Sword training.”

“Not too violent for your ‘turn the other cheek’ philosophy you Christians seem to believe in?”

“Oh, forget it.” Scarlett tried to pull away but he continued to hold her hand.

“No parties or night clubs on your list?”

“Not night clubs.”

Des laughed. “And I bet the parties are pretty tame.”

“Look. This is my life. I’m not living it to please you.”

“Doesn’t sound like you’re living it to please yourself either.”

“I don’t need to explain my life choices to you and why I like them and take pleasure in them. So stop trying to make me question things I’ll never question.” Des stared at her with an unfathomable smile on his face and the silence dragged out between them. “What?”

“Some thoughts are not meant for words.”

Before Scarlett could ask what he meant, a dark sedan pulled up beside them. The window lowered and Alex glared at her.

“Looks like the cavalry has arrived. Time to run to safety.” Des let her hand go.

Scarlett slowly shook her head. “Get in the back.” She turned to the vehicle and opened the door. Sliding onto the front seat, she reached out to fleetingly touch her brother’s arm. “See, unharmed.”

He pointed to the small chiller bag on the floor at her feet. “Blake sent that.” As soon as the doors were closed, Alex pulled out into the traffic.

Scarlett hurriedly buckled up and then opened the chiller bag. Inside was an ice brick and the burn ointment. She quickly put some on her new blisters and ignored the tight look on Alex’s face.

The drive back to Blake’s home was quiet. Several times Scarlett thought of something to say to Alex, but he looked so closed off she kept her thoughts to herself. When they stepped inside, Blake met them with a saltshaker in his hands.

“You don’t have to do that yet. Not until three in the morning, or whenever you go to bed. Whichever comes first,” Scarlett said.

Blake sat the salt on the floor by the door. “Dinner’s ready if you three are hungry.”

“I’ll take mine in my room,” Alex said.

“Riley will be keeping you company then.” Blake looked at Alex who refused to meet his eyes. When Alex brushed past him, Blake grabbed him by the upper arm. Still Alex didn’t turn to look at him. “Without this demon that you can’t stand to break bread with, Scarlett would be dead. It’s not up to us to judge him. That’s for another. You’re not being asked to be his best friend. All you have to do is show tolerance. Talk to Father Joe. It might help you clear your thoughts on the issue.”

“Are you done?” Alex demanded.

Blake sighed. “Yeah.” He let Alex go.

Scarlett watched her brother walk away and wanted to run after him. Before she could, Blake dropped his arm around her shoulders and guided her towards the kitchen.

“You going to tell me about the lack of demons between now and three?” Blake asked.

“You should be asking Des. I was little more than a spectator,” Scarlett complained.

Blake laughed. “And how that must be annoying you.”