The Fury (27 page)

“I’ll go get my car.”

Geoffrey piped up. “Joe and I will stay at my place with Angelique.”

Dagan chuckled and slapped Geoffrey on the shoulder. “You’ll have your hands full.”

With a twinkle in his eye, he winked. “One can only hope.”

“Have at it, my man, but be careful she doesn’t devour you.”

Geoffrey faked a shiver. “Can she do that? Cool.”

Angelique pulled up in her fully loaded BMW. Reese hugged Riley then stepped back while Riley jumped in the front seat. “Come on, gents,” Angelique said and blew Geoffrey a kiss.

Rubbing his hands together, he climbed in the backseat behind the driver’s side and Joe slid in behind Riley.

“Rufus, I’ll be by later then you can hook up with the others.”

“Okay, boss.” He walked over to speak with Scion and let Dagan and Reese have a moment.

“Hey.” Dagan tried to coax the reluctant Reese to look at him.

“Don’t.” She shrugged off his touch. “Something is going on. I can tell.”

He wished he could tell her the truth of the matter, but the time wasn’t right. He needed everything in place first.

“I will fill you in when I come to you tonight.” He moved in behind her and encircled her with his arms, laying his chin on top of her head. “Okay?”

“If you lie to me, I will so banish your ass.”

A light laugh tickled her hair. “Banish my ass? And how do you intend to do that?”

“My grandfather is a god, you know.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

She sniffled but offered him a disarming smile.

“Rufus,” he yelled. “Get her home. Scion and I are going on a little hunt.”

“Sure thing.” He held his arm out and smiled wide in Reese’s direction.

She looked at Dagan one more time, then hooked her arm through Rufus’s and left.

Scion moved up next to him. “The Pantheon will burn your ass for this.”

“You don’t know my plan yet.”

“True,” Scion agreed. “But I have lived a long time and I can see that you don’t intend to follow their orders.”

“Can you give me forty-eight hours?”

Scion lifted a blond brow. “I imagine I could keep myself busy with demons for that length of time.” He frowned. “But no more, Dagan.”

“Agreed.” He smiled at the large man. “Besides, you might have to help guard Riley while you’re here.”

Scion tilted his head in contemplation. “Hmmm, did you say forty-eight hours?” He rested his fist over his heart. “Are you sure that will be enough time?”

All Dagan’s senses went on alert. He closed his eyes and focused trying to locate the
galla
.

“Dagan?”

“I feel them.” His eyes popped open. “They’re at Reese’s father’s house.”

Scion turned concerned eyes his way. “The females were heading there.”

“Come on, we have work to do.”

Kur was in a foul mood. The evening with his wife had not gone as planned and he fumed at the thought of not being able to bury his throbbing cock into his willing wife. She persisted at denying him his desire, which meant more conditioning. He tired of the game, eager to begin that part of his plan. For centuries, she had kept him at a distance, forcing him to punish her over and over again. No matter, it was destined to happen. It would take time.

Feral came strolling into the throne room.

“This better be good news,” Kur spat out to his captain. “I do not wish to hear of another failure.”

Feral bowed. “I understand your disappointment, my king, for it rivals my own.”

Kur liked the sound thinking of his second-in-command. The demon knew his place and knew how to placate his boss. “What is it then?”

Feral stepped forward. “I thought you would want to know that we have located another of Enki’s descendents for you to consume.”

“What?” Kur rose and hurried down the steps.

Feral smiled. “It seems that Reese Whittaker’s sister has come back to town and is now staying with their father, who it also turns out is a
nephili
.”

“A
nephili
?” Kur smiled. “It seems that the tides have shifted our way.”

“I hoped you would review our plans to see if you have any suggestions.”

Kur clamped his hand down on Feral’s shoulder. “You are correct. I plan to win the next round.”

Chapter Fifteen

Reese and Rufus pulled up to her house. He put on his night goggles to check for the
galla
energy signature, but found none. He signaled her to get out and hurried around to walk next to her toward the house. The whole time he scanned the area for any intruders.

Within seconds, a red flash of light denoted the arrival of something and Rufus fell to the ground. Reese swung around to find a tall, beautiful blond woman. She looked normal enough, even with the whole Goth fashion.

“Who are you? Rufus!”

“Stay where you are.” The woman sneered.

Reese glared at the newcomer. “What do you want?”

The woman hissed. “I want you.”

Reese tensed and got ready to fight.

The other woman laughed. “It will not be that easy.” She held up her left hand. Her fingers lengthened and grew long fingernails. Her right foot planted square on Rufus’s back. “I have a proposition for you.”

Her smile grew sinister.

“You come with me or I’ll rip his throat out.” She slowly bent toward Rufus.

Reese didn’t know what to think of this. “How do I know you won’t kill him anyway?”

The demon snarled screwing her pretty face into something ugly. “He is insignificant. It is you I want.”

“I’ll give you insignificant, bitch,” Rufus said and rolled over, grabbing her leg and tossing her to the ground. “Run, Reese.”

Before Reese got two feet, the blond flashed to her, grabbed a handful of hair and twisted her around, putting a long thin blade at her throat.

Rufus stilled.

“You tell the time walker that Vile has his little plaything. If he wants her back, he will come to the place where they first met by dawn.”

Before Rufus could respond, the demon flashed them away.

Dagan and Scion materialized inside Clive Whittaker’s home. Gideon jumped.

“Holy hell,” Gideon swore. In baggy jeans and a partially tucked-in flannel shirt, Gideon walked over and looked up at the towering Scion. “Who is he?”

“Gideon, Scion, Scion, Gideon.”

“Another time walker.”

Dagan nodded.

“Sweet.”

“Have your sensors picked up anything, Gideon?”

“It flutters every now and then, but nothing major.”

Just as the words left his mouth, the gauges started waving wildly.

“We’ve got company,” Scion said.

“Has Angelique dropped Riley off yet?”

“Yes, she’s upstairs taking a shower or something.”

“Where is Mr. Whittaker?”

“I’m here,” Clive Whittaker called out from the den. “What’s happening?”

Dagan lifted his head and sniffed the air. “
Zulies
.”

Scion frowned. “I smell the filth.”

Gideon’s gaze passed between them. “Smell what? What’s happening, Dagan?”

“We have some real nasty visitors.”

Clive inhaled. A foul odor wafted the air. “
Galla
?”

Dagan moved toward the window to gaze out at the street.

“Worse,” Scion replied. “The z
ulies
are one step up from the
galla
. They are bigger in size and have a nastier disposition.”

“Gideon,” Dagan barked. “Call Angelique and let her know what’s going on. And, call Rufus and make sure he and Reese got to her place.”

Gideon whipped out his cell phone and started making calls.

Scion’s determined gaze met Dagan’s. “I’ll go secure all points of entry as best I can, and check on Riley.”

“What can I do, Dagan?”

Dagan held out his hand and a large canvas bag appeared. “I happened to bring along more weapons this time.”

Gideon rushed over and helped them unload the bag. “I got ahold of Angelique, but I haven’t been able to raise Rufus.”

This news lay heavy in his stomach, eating a deep hole into his heart. His first instinct driven hard by the
fury
told him to rush out and find Reese. The warrior in him reigned supreme for now, knowing he would be out-numbered.

The entire house shook as though an earthquake had hit and they were experiencing the aftershock.

“What the hell is that?”

“They’re being neighborly and knocking,” Dagan replied dryly.

“But I thought with all the protection, the
galla
and demons couldn’t see my house.”

Dagan frowned. “Normally they wouldn’t be able to.” He had a feeling that Kur had either coaxed or threatened a sorcerer to work with him. It was the only explanation for how the demons and
zulies
would be able to get through the wards. More unexpected surprises.

Another force shook the entire house. Scion and Riley rushed downstairs. Clive hurried over to his daughter. “Are you all right?” He looked Scion up and down.

“Yes.”

“Everything is as secure as I can make it,” Scion told Dagan. “This feeble structure will not hold up to their barrage much longer.”

“They’re not going to raze the house down. The
zulies
will want close contact, hand to hand. They are too uncoordinated for weapons.”

“What
is
that terrible stench?” Riley asked.

“
Zulies
are those who are dead but have been taken control of by something else,” Dagan offered.

“What do you mean taken control of?” Gideon asked with a complete look of horror on his face.

“A demon or wizard or god will summon them up from the grave to do their bidding.”

Aghast Riley said, “You mean zombies? These things are zombies?”

Dagan exchanged a telling look with Scion. “They will be coming.”

“Don’t they just sound like loads of fun,” Riley replied hotly.

“I think staying together is our best defense,” Dagan said to the others. “Grab some weapons from the bag and we will position ourselves here in the great room.”

They all nodded. Riley liberated a massive sword but found it hard to handle.

“I think I should hold on to that, little lady.” Scion appeared beside her and relieved her of the weight. “You stay close to me,” he ordered.

She retrieved two funny looking guns. “Look, bub. I’m not going to cower while all you big macho men fight the battle.”

Scion turned his impressive frame to her, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her none-too-gently. “Reckless. You stay by my side.”

Her teeth clattered when he shook her. “All right, all right. Stop shaking me, dammit.”

Clive started toward Scion, but Dagan waylaid him. “He is her best chance at getting through this.”

“Does he have to be so rough with her?”

Dagan gave him a quizzical look. “Have you spent much time around your daughters lately?”

“I see Reese all the time. Riley has been in Europe for the last couple of years, but I talk to her on the phone.”

“Right,” Dagan snipped. “They are stubborn, irrational and do not do what they are told.”

A slow smile crossed Clive’s face. “They get that from their mother too.”

“Well if you want Riley to survive this little encounter, Scion is where he needs to be and will handle her the way she needs to be handled.”

All the windows in the room blew and they were pelted with flying glass. Gideon, nearest the windows, dropped to the floor with his hands over his head until the storm passed. Dagan pulled him to his feet, making sure he had no debilitating injury then handed him a gun. “Pyre made special ammo. Aim for the chest or the head.”

Scion completely surrounded Riley until the danger had passed. He kicked the sofa over and shoved her down on the floor behind it then pushed it back toward the corner, so she was covered on all sides. “Keep your head down. If the creatures get anywhere near you, you scream for me.”

Clive had a few cuts and one sliver sticking into the back of his leg. Walking over and placing his hand on Clive’s shoulder, Dagan grabbed the piece of glass with his bare fingers. He met Clive’s eyes with his own, an unspoken assurance passed between them. “Count to three.”

“One, two…”

Dagan ripped the sliver out. To his amazement, Reese’s father didn’t cry out or fall to the floor in pain.

“Daddy,” Riley cried.

“I’m okay,” he assured her.

All this happened in a matter of seconds. Before Dagan could turn toward the glassless windows now offering free entry for Kur’s soldiers, they were pouring into the house and the battle began.