Shadow Keeper (35 page)

“Lisa!” I rushed to her. “What are you doing here?”

She reared back when I charged her, but held her ground. “He’s my father. I want to help.”

I grabbed her arms. My fingers dug into her flesh through the long sleeved shirt she wore. “You have to get out of here. Now!” I yanked open the door and shoved her in the direction of the driver’s seat.

Her hands clenched at the frame. One booted foot braced on the metal structure. “I won’t go.”

“Damn it, Lisa.” I pushed her leg away, but her other boot took its place. “I’ll throw you into that car by your hair if I have to.”

A sob broke from her throat. “Why are you treating me like this?”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“You’re in danger too.” She grabbed at me. “I want to be with you.”

Headlights from the Hummer flashed over the campsite. It was too late to send her away. I jerked her against my naked chest. My arms wrapped around her body, and my fingers clenched at her back. I pressed my lips against her ear. “Tonight, you’ll be ripped from my arms.”

Chapter Forty–Four

Lisa stroked her fingers through my hair. “No one is going to take me away from you.”

“You don’t know. I should’ve told you.” I closed my eyes and shook my head. “In all my nightmares when I fight the demon, you’re always with me. And that filthy creature always tears you from my arms and tries to drag you with him into Hell.”

She pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll face a demon, even Hell, as long as I can be with you.”

I let out a hard sigh. “Whatever happened to that shy girl who blurted out the wrong words?”

Her lips twitched. “I met a bad influence who taught me how to stand tall and hold my head high.”

“Your mom just got out of the car.” I twisted her around to shield her from her mother’s view. “When she sees you, she’s not going to be happy.”

“She never is when I’m with you.” Her fingers slipped around my neck and she pulled me to her. “Might as well get her really mad.” Her lips brushed over mine.

I squeezed her against me so tight that the beat of her heart thumped against my chest. Heat from her body penetrated through her clothing and flashed against my bare skin. My hand wrapped around the long braid hanging down her back, and I tilted her head so our kiss deepened. I nudged her lips apart until the moist heat from her mouth mingled with mine. When a moan played at the back of her throat, I eased our embrace.

“I have to get ready.” I turned her so light from the fire danced across her face. “Swear to me you’ll stay inside the circle.”

Her head made a tiny nod. “I swear.”

“Lisa,” Monica screamed from the circle.

“Your mom saw you. Better get over there before she freaks out more.”

Quick feet stomping through dried grass made me glance over my shoulder. Both our moms rushed toward us.

Monica grabbed Lisa’s arms. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s too late to send her away,” I said over their arguing. “Let’s just get this done.”

“Brendon.” Mom touched my bare shoulder. “You have to get ready. We’ve got Kyle surrounded by the salt barrier, but he could awake at any moment.”

Monica tugged on Lisa’s arm. “I’m taking her to the circle.”

“Wait.” Mom slipped her arm around Lisa’s waist. “There’s something I want you to have.”

They all followed me to the pickup. The box lay on the seat. I flung the lid away and grabbed my father’s shirt. The soft leather slipped easily over my head and down my body.

I grabbed the scabbard and thrust it into the waistband of my jeans since it would take too long to thread onto my belt. When I moved away from the door, Mom grabbed the box and dug into the corner.

“This belonged to Brendon’s father.” She opened her clenched hand. A silver medallion with markings identical to the burn on my chest lay in my mother’s outstretched palm. “This will protect you from the demon so he won’t be able to steal your soul.”

Lisa gasped. “Then you should wear it, Mrs. Alexander.”

“If Brendon’s dreams are accurate, you’ll need this more than me.” Mom tied the rawhide ends around Lisa’s neck.

“Thank you.” She kissed my mom on the cheek.

“I guess this is it.” Mom turned to me. “Do you have the peanut butter?”

I grabbed the jar stashed behind the seat. “All set.” I spun off the lid and peeled away the freshness seal.

Lisa picked up a spoon from the floorboard and shoved it into the plastic jar. I knocked her hand away. “This is another reason why you shouldn’t be here. We don’t need two people dying from peanut butter shock.”

“Don’t get mad at me again.”

“Brendon’s right.” Mom gripped Lisa’s hand and grabbed for Monica’s. “Let’s go stand inside the circle.”

I scooped out a heaping amount of creamy peanut butter large enough to make a good sized sandwich. The body of Kyle Stratton lay on the ground. A line of sea salt enclosed him in a square shaped prison. As I approached, he twitched and squirmed. The closer I got, the more his agitation grew. I glanced at the women in the circle. “Are you ready?”

They all nodded.

I didn’t share the same resolve. Lisa’s appearance complicated matters. All my hellish nightmares were about to become real.

I stepped closer with the spoon. Stratton rolled away from me, but the salt line stopped him from moving further. I walked around to the other side. His head turned and he rolled the other way. I reached as far as I could and aimed for his mouth. He smacked my arm with the back of his hand. The spoon flew through the air.

“Let me do it.” Monica held out her hand. “He’s not going to let you close enough to feed him.”

I retrieved the spoon from the ground. Dirt and dried bits of grass clung to the sticky peanut butter. I brushed away what I could see. Even if his body was infested with a demon, I didn’t want dirt shoved into his mouth. I handed her the spoon and stepped back.

Monica knelt by his head. “Kyle darling, whatever I do, I do for love.” She forced the spoon between his lips and scraped the contents into his mouth. She tossed the spoon aside and receded into the protection of the circle.

The body lay motionless on the ground. His shoulders twitched. His legs jittered. His head turned from side to side. He sprang into a sitting position. Peanut butter spewed from his mouth. His body shook violently before collapsing back onto the ground. A black vapor flowed from his open mouth and formed a dense fog around his body. The demon mist was earthbound and couldn’t float into the air. A putrid stench oozed from the center of the darkness. I pulled my knife from the scabbard, preparing to plunge it into the heart of the demon when it transformed.

“Kyle is dying,” Monica shouted.

“Don’t touch him.” I glanced at the women hovering at the edge of the red sand. “If you break the plane of protection, the demon will invade your body.”

“But we have to get him into the circle.”

“Brendon,” Mom shouted. “We have to save Kyle. Drive the mist away with the burning sage so we can reach him.”

“Don’t touch his body until I do.” I shoved the knife back into the sheath. A couple long strides and I reached the fire. I knelt down, grabbed a handful of the sage leaves, and thrust the tips into the flame.

The women’s screams made me glance over my shoulder. The black fog had begun its transformation into the ugly, scabby, rat–man. I’d missed the advantage of surprise and killing him just became more difficult.

The filthy demon reared up on its hind legs until it stood almost seven feet tall. My blood ran cold and my stomach clenched. In all my nightmares, this hideous creature had never been so big, so fierce, so frightening.

Visions of my father’s death shot through my brain. He had faced a similar creature just before the thing had ripped him to shreds and devoured him completely. He’d been unarmed, without his knife or protective shirt, but he’d stood strong, protecting unto death the ones he loved. I could do no less.

Heat flashed against my hand. I glanced at the fire. The ends of the sage leaves flared. I lifted them from the flame and hurried back to the salted square. The demon hunched over Stratton’s lifeless form. I lifted the smoldering leaves and fanned the white smoke near his face. I blew at the burning leaves, making puffs of smoke whiff across his snout. He rose up on his hind legs and batted at the smoke with his bony, deformed hand. I put my mouth closer to the leaves and blew a stream of smoke into his face. He reared back.

“Pull Stratton into the circle,” I yelled.

“I can’t reach him.” Monica held her palms flat, as if pressed against an invisible plastic shield. “I have to reach outside the circle to get him.”

I glanced at Stratton. One of his hands rested on his chest. His other lay at his side.

“Let me.” Lisa pushed her mother aside. “I have on the medallion.”

“No, Lisa,” I shouted. “The medallion will protect you from the demon’s possession, but not from his attack.”

She ignored the warning and grabbed her father’s hand laying across his chest. She tugged on him until his hand crossed the line of red sand. Monica grabbed his wrist and together they dragged his body toward the protection of the circle.

Lisa reach across the line to grab her father’s other arm. The demon lunged at her, but I held him back with the white smoke.

His tail lashed out like a whip. A loud crack tore through the air. The demon’s tail snapped around Lisa’s neck. She dropped her father’s arm and grabbed at the coil tightening around her throat. Her fingers thrust beneath the scabby, rotting flesh as she gasped for air.

“No,” I shouted as I rushed to her. Just as I grabbed for her, the creature jerked his tail. The forceful tug flung Lisa over the top of her father. She landed in the dirt at the feet of the demon.

My mind blocked the screams from Monica and my mother, and I concentrated on freeing Lisa. I pulled the knife from the scabbard and slashed at the top of his tail. The scabby coil around her neck dropped to the ground and turned to a vapor. The black, earthbound fog scurried across the dirt to the demon and disappeared into his body.

Lisa rolled onto her back. Her hands clutched at her throat while she gasped in deep gulps of air. I grabbed her wrist to drag her to me, but the creature grabbed her also. His gnarled fingers twisted in her braid, and he hauled her to her feet. His scabby arm slithered around her waist as he jerked her against his filthy body. His mouth opened. Sharp, jagged teeth snapped close to her neck.

I still held Lisa’s wrist. Her fingers wrapped around my forearm. I raised the knife over my head. One quick swipe and the blade of my knife would separate the demon’s head from its hideous body. I only needed to take another step.

Something latched onto my ankle and I couldn’t move. I tried to shake my leg free, but couldn’t wrench it loose. I glanced down to see what prevented me from moving. My mother’s upper body lay outside the circle. Her hands clutched at my leg.

“Let go,” I shouted.

“Brendon, no.”

“Mom.” I jerked my leg. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I had to break away. Lisa’s grasp slipped from my hand. “Let go,” I yelled. “He’s going to kill her.”

“You’ll kill Lisa,” Mom shouted back. “The knife will slice right through him and you’ll stab her. Aim your knife away from her.”

She released my leg and crawled back into the safety of the circle.

I switched my grip on the knife and swiped the blade at the demon so the sharp edge didn’t come near Lisa. The severed arm plopped onto the ground. The hairy claw of a hand withered in the dirt before turning into a puff of black smoke. The dark vapor slithered across the dirt to the back haunches of the demon.

My hand still gripped Lisa’s wrist. I pulled at her, forcing the demon to extend his other arm. I raised the knife and slashed the blade through his shoulder. His ratty, scabby arm dropped in the ground.

The demon had nothing to hold Lisa. I pulled her from the salted square that contained the creature. She fell to her hands and knees beside me. I glanced at her. She coughed and gagged, but she was alive.

My fear of losing Lisa eased. She was safe and the demon couldn’t reach her. My entire focus went to the creature. I channeled all my strength, all my energy into sending him back to where he belonged. I raised the knife over my head as I stepped in front of him. Just as I was about to plunge the blade into his black, rotting heart, his body parts reassembled.

The demon’s arm jerked up and blocked my thrust. His claws slashed across my chest. The faith in my father’s shirt held. The needle sharp claws never broke the skin.

His tail reappeared. With a hard flick, he slapped it around my ankles and jerked my legs out from under me. I landed on my back with a thud. The hard jolt to my body flipped the knife from my hand. I rolled onto my belly to search for it. To kill the creature, I had to have the knife.

The demon pounced on me before I reached it. The knife lay just inside the salt line. I stretched my arm to its limit. The tips of my fingers brushed at the handle, but I couldn’t grasp it. The demon pinned me in the dirt. His heavy weight prevented me from crawling the single inch I needed to grab the knife.