Vengeance of the Demons (30 page)

He flopped back on the bed and closed his eyes. Maybe he’d be better off if he sided with the demons when they showed up.

* * * *

Evan dragged herself from the bed and forced herself to shower. Her head ached, her body ached, her stomach felt as if she were on a rollercoaster and every ounce of energy had drained from her body. She’d kept down the ginger tea Sue had brought for her, but the two aspirin had done nothing to touch the pain.

The water flooded over her and eased the tension in her back, but every move she took felt as though she did it with a stack of bricks on her shoulders.

“I’ll never drink again,” she told herself. She remembered watching movies and television shows when she was young. They’d never showed this part of drinking at parties. And she hadn’t even had that many. She wracked her brain and counted up the glasses. One, two, three, four. Four? Had she really had four glasses? Those little, thin suckers sure packed a punch!

An enormous bang rattled the entire barracks. The lights flickered, and she hurried and turned off the water. Yelling and shouting could be heard from the hallway. She quickly toweled herself and pulled on a pair of underwear, bra, and clothes. She jogged to her room and grabbed her boots, shoving her knives back in them. Everyone rushed to the back yard to see what was going on.

She burst out the doors and a huge plume of smoke rose into the sky.

“Everyone back in the barracks!” Roth shouted. The house servants didn’t need to be asked twice. They retreated inside. Evan located Tommy who stood hand in hand with Sue.

“Another attack,” she said.

“Probably.” Tommy nodded.

She yanked her boots on her feet. “I’m gonna go help.”

Tommy grabbed her arm. “You should stay here.”

“Why?” she asked. “If the demons break through, we’re all dead. It’s why we came back.”

“But you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Selene trained the house guard before I left. I was listening in. I can fight.”

Tommy shook his head.

Roth approached them. “Inside.”

“I can help,” she said.

“We don’t need your help.”

“You do and you know it. I can fight.” She refused to back down.

He nodded. “Vans are out front.”

She turned back to Tommy. “I’ll be back soon. Stay here with Sue.”

Tommy looked down at Sue and then to Evan. “I’m coming too.”

She gave Tommy a sharp nod and turned away from him as he whispered to Sue. She should have expected him to find someone at the coven house. She just hadn’t expected it to be so quick, or with Sue. But Sue had been nothing except civil to her since her return and she couldn’t spite her a thing.

Evan took off through the back door as a league of newborn vampyr poured out of the second barrack under Roth’s command.

She raced through the kitchen into the front hall.

“Evan!”

She turned at the sound of her name. Danika and Mason were descending the stairs as Tommy caught up with her.

“Go on,” she told Tommy. “Save me a spot.”

He nodded and continued out front.

“I don’t want you going,” said Danika.

“Why?”

“You’re the only person who can possibly keep William in line,” said Danika.

Evan snorted. “Yeah, I think we both know that’s not true.”

“Please,” said Danika. “I know he doesn’t remember right now, but he will. And he’ll need you.”

“And until that time I need to be helping. I have to get out of this house. I can fight. I’m good.”

“I’m sure you are but please, don’t do this.”

“You need all the bodies you can get.” She turned to go but Mason grabbed her by the arm. She tried to pull away, but her head went dizzy and she tipped sideways from the quick movement. Mason grabbed her around the waist to steady her.

“Are you—” He stopped and his eyes widened. His palm splayed on her belly. “Evan—”

“Let’s go everyone!” Roth ran in through the back door followed by his army of newborns.

Evan pulled from Mason’s grasp and blended in with the group as they headed out.

“Evan! Evan!” Mason called.

She didn’t listen. She hopped into the van next to Tommy just as the doors closed and the driver pulled off. Mason barreled onto the drive. Danika came to a stop beside him and had an animated conversation. Evan wondered what they were talking about but she had no more time to dedicate to it.

The van pulled out on the street and they were out of sight.

William jogged downstairs to find the commotion headed out the front door. He met Danika on the front steps as she was rushing to an awaiting car. Mason’s inky dark form flew in the distance.

“What’s going on?” William asked. “Is this the entourage you’ve been waiting on?”

“Possibly.” She turned and for a moment looked conflicted.

“Should I come with you?”

“Yes.” She jumped in the driver’s seat, and he jogged down and joined her in the passenger seat.

The gates opened wide, and he’d barely gotten his seatbelt on before Danika tore out of the driveway.

All along the street other vehicles were also rushing out of driveways, all Vampires and vampyr headed the same direction.

“I’m not sure I’m much of a fighter,” he said.

Danika threw him a dirty expression. “You really aren’t like William at all. Even though he wasn’t the strongest in the group, he was the first one to step up when his family or those he cared about were in trouble.”

She rounded a corner and he held onto the handle as the tires squealed on the pavement. They wanted him to fight his own kind. Other demons. For them. But he wasn’t even sure whose side he was supposed to be on. It was true that Mason had saved him and so in a way he supposed he owed allegiance to Mason.

“If Mason tells me to fight, I will.”

She glanced over at him. “Well that’s a start I guess.”

He looked down. “I sure do hate to ruin an expensive shirt though.”

Danika shook her head.

* * * *

Within minutes they pulled into view of the smoke, and Evan and the rest of the riders burst from the van and ran into the park. Smoke plumed from the far side. The smell of charred wood reminded Evan of her time in the woods with Lou and her cousins.

“Evan!” She turned. Soldiers threw guns out of the back of the van to one another. Roth pulled out one of the big black cases she’d brought with her from the enclave and she smiled. Tommy caught two weapons and ran to catch up with her, tossing her an assault rifle.

“Over there,” a soldier called.

They rounded a cluster of trees and came to a halt at the scene before them. Mason stood in the forefront. Behind him, thousands of Vampires and vampyr had lined up waiting. Evan and the others joined the group. She pushed her way toward the front to see better.

Across the lawn from Mason stood a rippling surface like an upright pool that could be seen through to the other side. In front of it stood a legion of demons, each different from the next. Some tall and thin, others short and wide. Humanoid and non-humanoid alike. They all waited like trained attack dogs. Leading them was an enormous man. His skin black as ink and wings that stretched twice as wide as Mason’s. He could only be one person. Dozens of Vampires flanked him, and she wondered how they’d known he was coming.

The enormous man stepped forward, his arms wide, a smile spread across his angular face.

“Maelstrom. Son.”

Mason stood his ground. “Mephisto.”

“What? No greeting for your father? After a couple thousand years I expected at least a hello.”

Mason said nothing.

Mephisto looked around. “But where is my daughter? Where is my Seraphine?”

“Gone. She wanted nothing to do with you.”

Mephisto dropped his arms. “Well I must say that this isn’t quite the family reunion I had hoped for.”

“I tried to warn you, Lord, that this world has changed them.” A dark-haired, hawkish-looking Vampire stepped from the gathered group.

“Garon.” Danika strode across the green toward them with William in tow. “I’d hoped you’d finally show your worthless hide.”

Mason’s arms caught fire and he pointed at the Vampire. “You’re mine.”

Mephisto laughed heartily. “There’s my boy. I knew he was in there. Now why don’t you come over here and together we’ll take this plane and rule it as I’d always planned for us to?”

“I’ll never rule with you,” said Mason. “This is my family now.”

Mephisto’s gaze shifted to William. “So I see. I never took you for a maker.”

William stepped forward, but Mason put his hand on William’s shoulder and pulled him back.

Evan shook her head. Stupid, vain demon. She wanted to go knock some sense into William. What was he even doing out here? Her stomach churned with nervous energy and her palms grew slick. The jackass was going to get himself killed.

“So where does this leave us?” asked Mephisto. “You over there, me over here, your sister nowhere to be seen.”

“You go back where you came from and leave this plane be, and we all leave alive,” replied Mason. “Except for them. They belong to us.” Mason pointed at the Vampires that stood opposite him.

“What, these rabble?” asked Mephisto. “They’re yours. Consider them a welcome home present. You come with me and I’ll give them to you.”

“Now wait a minute.” A short and wide Vampire with dark, slicked-back hair and an expensive-looking suit stepped forward.

“You promised us ruling rights if we helped you,” said another Vampire.

“All the scum is crawling out of the woodwork,” said Mason. “You will burn for what you tried to do to my mate, Melton and Eliander.”

Mason threw a fireball, and Mephisto sidestepped as it hurtled toward the Vampires. They ducked for cover and the demons behind them roared and stomped in anger.

Mephisto laughed. “You know, on second thought, I’ll let you have them for sport. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a good fight.”

“I’ll tell you what,” said Mason. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll fight you. If I win, you leave forever. If you win, I’ll go with you.”

“No,” Danika cried. She grabbed on to Mason’s arm. “Don’t do this.”

He caressed her cheek but said nothing. Then he turned back to Mephisto. The demon’s eyes glittered.

“Accepted.” The demons roared in excitement and Mephisto laughed. “Well, come on, boy. Show me what you’ve turned into.”

Mason and Mephisto walked into the open field. Danika walked close beside him. Evan jogged to keep up with them, as did most of the Tracking Squad. The rest of the Vampires hung back awaiting the outcome.

“No matter what happens,” said Mason. “You’ll be safe. If I win, he leaves. If I lose, I’ll seal the rift from the other side.”

“No.” Danika shook her head. “I won’t let you do this. We can fight.”

He knelt in front of her and kissed her lips. “I am fighting. For you. Always for you.” He stood and looked to William. “You take care of her.” William nodded and put his hand on Danika’s shoulder. Mason spotted Evan and pointed at her. “And her,” he said to William.

Her gaze locked on William’s and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Well, are you coming?” Mephisto taunted.

Mason turned to face his father, and Evan jogged up next to Danika.

“He’ll be okay,” she whispered.

Danika bit the knuckles on one hand but said nothing.

Watching Mason and Mephisto circle each other was like watching two Titans getting ready to battle. Their enormous demon forms nearly took up the entire soccer field.

Mephisto swung in a circle and spread his wings, knocking Mason off balance and sending him crashing into a nearby tree.

“Come on, son, I thought you were going to actually fight.”

Mason flew from between the branches straight at Mephisto. He let two fireballs fly but Mephisto knocked them away and the fireballs soared toward the spectators. Mason took the advantage from the distraction and planted his feet in Mephisto’s chest sending him sailing across the expanse. He wasted no time, and landed on top of Mephisto and punched him in the face.

Mephisto grabbed Mason by the wing joint and slammed his fist into it. Mason roared in pain and his wing slacked to the ground.

Danika lurched forward but William held her back. He whispered in her ear but Danika shook him off. Evan stepped up beside her, but William grabbed her by the arm and dragged her back a couple of feet.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

“It looks like you’re going to get yourself killed.” He glanced around. “Come on.”

She pulled away. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll fight to the death to protect this world and the people in it. Believe it or not, not all of us are just out for ourselves. What are you doing here? Don’t you have some women to seduce or something?”

He growled. “I wish I was, but for some unknown reason I feel the need to be here against my better judgment.”

She rolled her eyes. “You really are a jackass.”

His gaze raked over her and he grunted. “And you really are a pain in the ass. Stay close to me.”

“Why? You gonna protect me?”

He looked at her in confusion. “I promised Mason I would.”

A scream of pain pulled both her and William’s attention. Mason had Mephisto pinned on the ground, his teeth latched on to Mephisto’s throat. Mason’s arm bled heavily and Mephisto clawed at Mason’s back, opening deep gashes and splashing blood everywhere.

William trembled next to her. And all around Vampires and vampyr groaned and stepped forward. Evan backed up as a niggling of fear coursed up her back.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Danika scanned the Vampires and vampyr. “Damn. It’s Mason’s blood. He’s part fae. The blood is enticing to Vampires.”

The crowd had moved a fraction closer to the wrestling match.

“Uh… You better get this under control,” said Evan. “Or we are going to have a serious problem.”

“How?” asked Danika. “There’s thousands of them.”

A boom shook the ground and everyone seemed to come to their senses as they grabbed on to each other for support. Mephisto had Mason by the throat, slamming him into the ground.