A Demon's Work Is Never Done: Latter Day Demons, Book 2 (29 page)

Fuck.

Lexsi could be in terrible danger, and I had no idea whether I could protect her or not. Li'Neruh's comment—that it would take both of us to be successful—held the unspoken fact that we could fail in this.

If we failed, I had the idea we'd die. I couldn't say where that feeling came from, but it was there, nonetheless.

Who do you pray to if the god of your planet has come and gone, without saying so much as
good luck, asshole?

Snorting a smoky breath, I nodded to Kell and lifted a blade to sheath it. They were in perfect condition; I'd known it before I'd unsheathed them. Kell was impressed, I could tell, that the blades looked deadly enough and that Kifirin's god had placed his blessing upon them.

I hoped they'd save us all, but in the end, they were no better than the High Demon wielding them.

* * *

Lexsi

My blades lay across my bed, but they'd changed. They were now nine feet long, with an envelope lying atop them on my bed.

I understood who the note was from—Aunt Bree.

She'd left me a note when they'd first appeared on my bed. Now, they were changed, so my Thifilathi could use them. She'd made that happen, I had no doubt.

Lexsi
, the note began.
The mystery is nearly
unraveled. You and Kordevik are
charged with keeping its secret. Remember that when the time comes.

B
.

I crumpled the note in a shaking hand. "
Da'quon, the'lat vic nacca
," I whispered.

First, kill your fear
.             

Chapter 16

Peru

Laurel Rome

V'ili told me I couldn't say anything to anyone about what I'd heard from Charlene. Sure, I could scream from the rooftop that Charlene was dead. Dervil didn't care. Hadn't cared from the moment her dismembered body was found on the patio not far from the pool.

Just Loftin having a bit of fun
, he'd joked and went back to planning shipments with Berke to this planet or that.

Berke. He'd been ignoring me lately. I wanted to taunt him. Wore bikinis often to tempt him. He still chose to ignore me.

The bitch in the pool had gotten out of the water to vomit after Charlene's death, then jumped back in before Loftin could go after her.

At least V'ili called him off her; I doubted he'd do the same for me. Hannah was no help whatsoever; she'd begun to explore her male urges—she still had Granger's body, if not his suaveness, and was having sex with any woman she could overpower.

No, I'd never pictured her as a rapist, but it appeared she was making up for lost time. After all, she was practically guaranteed an orgasm as a man.

Since I couldn't tell Dervil what little I knew, Morgett had begun taunting me with the knowledge, and speaking openly in my presence of a Prince he served, and that the treasure would be taken to him.

I had no idea who the Prince was, but he didn't sound like a nice person. As for the treasure, they never said where it was or how they intended to find it. They merely spoke of the stupidity of those who'd attempted to destroy us, and that they'd lead us straight to the treasure.

We were far too powerful for them. I understood that. The bombs and planes and warships that they were gathering? They'd be destroyed in a blink. Nothing on Earth was prepared for what we could hurl against them.

Nothing.

* * *

Lexsi

As it turns out, we didn't have two full days. Congress approved an air and ground strike against Peru before the declaration of war was hammered out.

Opal paced and cursed while news of bombers being shot down was broadcast everywhere. The missiles shot from miles away were destroyed before getting close to their targets.

Dervil San Gerxon released another video—this time holding the head of the former Peruvian President by the hair and laughing at what we'd sent against him so far.

The video was three solid minutes of him laughing and then telling us we would be destroyed, down to the last child.

I felt sick. He
was
sick. I wanted to crush him and then vomit in a toilet, somewhere. The others who'd watched the video with me were grim and silent when the television was shut off.

"It's time to go," Opal announced. "Zaria and I will give you information as it's needed. Both cages are in the garage. Kory, you'll carry me, Kell, Tibby, Mason, Sandra, Davis and Thomas. Lexsi, you'll carry Zaria, Anita, Yoff, Watson and Klancy. All of you will be made smaller by Zaria to allow our High Demon friends to carry us easier. They'll be wading through waist-high—for them, anyway—lava to get us to the cave entrance. Esme has been notified and is working an assignment off the coast of Peru. Anybody who wants to back out now, speak up."

Farin, Jamie and Tibby's cousin, Diego, watched the rest of us as Opal spoke. Diego would stay to guard Jamie and Farin; they were human and couldn't make the trip. Opal already told them they'd die if they went.

Neither wanted that to happen.

At least Aunt Bree's house would serve as protection for them, too.

Opal had allowed Tibby to inform his grandmother of what we were about to do, although most of the particulars had been left out of that conversation. She only knew that we were attempting to reach Peru through caves.

She'd wished us luck and told Tibby to come back to her. She'd already lost one grandson. I understood that she didn't want to lose anyone else.

In seconds, Farin gasped. Those going, including Zaria and Opal, were now half their size. Zaria had also taken our blades and made them tiny, so she and Opal could hold them for us. Kory's arms slid around me.
I love you,
he sent mindspeech.

I understood his words and their timing as well as he did.

We might not come back.

I love you, too
, I returned.
More than anything.

* * *

Kordevik

The cages Opal and Zaria supplied were clear and glass-like, although I imagined they'd be unbreakable. I hoped she'd allowed for enough fresh air for the cages' inhabitants—we were about to walk through an area where the air itself was unbreathable and would sear any normal person's lungs.

Each group settled inside their cage while Zaria employed power to seal them shut. Zaria would supply directions for us; Lexsi and I were merely transportation.

* * *

Washington, D.C.

The Capitol Building

Notes—Colonel Hunter

I stood in a hallway, drinking a cup of coffee and contemplating what was going on in the joint congressional meeting feet away in the House Chamber. Opal told me in a phone call that she and her crew were attempting what could prove to be impossible. She'd also told me that should they fail, everything could be destroyed.

It would be destroyed anyway; this was merely a faster destruction than what those in Peru had planned.

I hadn't bothered to tell my wife—or anyone else. Why? What good would it do to tell them they had perhaps a few hours to live?

Opal said the Earth could be blasted to bits if things went wrong.

Things were already going wrong.

We were losing troops, aircraft and weapons at an alarming rate. Anything we threw at Peru was destroyed.

Decisively.

We had nothing to combat this new form of terrorism. Even the terrorists we'd dealt with in the past had no way to fight or infiltrate this.

It sounded comical and I might have laughed if it weren't so deadly serious.

"Sir, they're about to take the vote," my assistant appeared at my elbow to inform me of the action we were about to take.

"I'm coming," I said. Straightening my tie, I followed him toward the door.

* * *

Kordevik

I skipped us to the top of Tungurahua; Zaria would direct us in mindspeech after that.

You look amazing against the snow
, Lexsi informed me as we teetered on the volcano's lip.

My black scales against a backdrop of deep snow ensured I'd stand out. Lexsi's silver scales, on the other hand, glittered and almost blended with the snow she stood upon.

Like Yin and Yang
, I whispered to her.
Two parts of a whole
.

I know
, she acknowledged.
I wish—well, you know
.

Yeah
.

So many things lay between us. I hoped this wasn't the end for us.

Fly into the crater until I say
, Zaria instructed.

Gripping the cage tighter in my arms, I leapt into the abyss.

* * *

Lexsi

Kory's dive was swift and elegant. He held his wings tight against his back until he was a hundred yards down before snapping them open to glide. I hurled my Thifilatha off the snow at that point, hoping my dive would be half as assured as his was.

I didn't wait as long to snap my wings open to glide downward; all I could see was the fiery depths of the volcano speeding toward me at a terrifying rate.

See, there on the right—a ledge
, Zaria instructed when we'd almost reached the bright orange lava near the center of Tungurahua.

The ledge was narrow—to an eighteen-foot Thifilathi or a fifteen-foot Thifilatha
. We'll have to land carefully and walk sideways or we'll never get over it
carrying the cages
, Kory informed me.

You won't be walking on the ledge
, Zaria said.
That's just a place to land before dropping into the lava.

Great,
Kory responded
. Out of the frying pan and all that.

You go first
, I begged him. I wanted—needed to see how he'd land on such a narrow ledge.

Kory furled his wings and dove toward the ledge, before snapping his wings open again and flapping twice, turning neatly in mid-air and landing like a ballet dancer on the ledge.

The claws on his black-scaled feet hung over the edge, while I flew in circles over hot lava.
Don't mess this up
, I warned myself. I'd never had flying lessons. I'd only had a Thifilatha for a few months, and had only brought it out a few times.

Kory had years—if not centuries—of experience with his.

Baby, you can do this
, Kory said.
If you find yourself falling, push off and start flying again. Nobody will think worse of you if it takes a try or two
.

I already think worse of me
. I gulped a breath—at least the hot, corrosive air near the bottom wasn't damaging my Thifilatha. We—Kory and I—had been made to survive this as long as our Thifilathi and Thifilatha were engaged.

Mark your spot
, Zaria instructed.
Don't get too close to Kory—you could cause both
of you to fall. If a cage drops into the lava
, she didn't finish.

Can't you or Yoff do something if a cage falls?
I asked.

No power can be used near the cave entrance, young one
, Opal broke in.
You and Kory are using natural talent. The fact that you and he are holding our cages keeps the door warden from engaging
.

There's a door warden?
If I'd spoken aloud, my voice would have risen an octave.

Don't worry, we're okay for now
, Zaria soothed.
Take one more turn, fold your
wings and dive toward the ledge
.

I took one more turn, but it wasn't enough. I took two turns. Then three.

Onion, you can do this
, Kory said.
Take one more turn. When I say, fold your wings and head for the ledge. When I tell you, open your wings and turn your body in mid-air. One good flap or two will settle you onto the ledge with your back to the wall. Fold your wings quick after that and drop onto the ledge
.

All right
.

Keep your speed steady, now
, he said as I made one more turn.
Fold baby
, he said. I gulped as I folded my wings and dived toward the ledge.

Open
, he shouted into my head.

My wings snapped open as I turned my body in mid-air. I flapped once—twice, just as he said and dropped onto the ledge.

My wings! I forgot to fold them fast enough. I teetered on the ledge and almost dropped my cage.

Nooo!
I shouted at myself and clutched the glass-like cube close against my chest. With all the strength I could muster, I dug clawed toes into the ledge, while rock crumbled and huge chunks of the wall fell into the waiting mouth filled with lava. I slid down the rock wall as the ledge disintegrated beneath my feet.

Gripping the cage with one arm, I flung a hand backward to grasp at the wall. The claws on my fingers forced more rubble from the inner walls of Tungurahua and into its maw. My slide downward was barely affected by my desperate efforts; the fiery lava hissed and chuckled as it waited for me to fall in, too.

Hold on, baby!
Kory shouted mindspeech at me. With the ledge completely gone and the sloping wall crumbling around me, I struggled to do just that. Inside the cage I held, I could hear Anita shrieking as I slid farther down. With an effort, I gripped it as best I could. Gritting my teeth, I dug claws on hands and feet deeper into the rock.

Keep it up, it's working!
I finally heard what Anita shouted at me. I did. With claws on both feet buried in the sloping wall of rock and one hand doing the same behind me, we eventually slid to a stop.

Kory still stood on the ledge, nearly fifteen feet above my head. At first, I couldn't move to loosen my claws on hand or feet.

Everyone waited patiently until that happened. Gulping in breaths of poisonous air as if it were lifesaving oxygen, I struggled to steady my nerves and calm my heart.
I'll bet you wish you'd gone with Kory
, I sent shaky mindspeech to Anita.

Too boring
, Anita said with a smile in her mental sending.

Yeah? I'd settle for boring
, I retorted.

Take a few minutes
, Zaria said.
We're in good shape as far as finding the lava path
, she added.
We're fifteen feet closer to it than Kory is
.

Right
. Kory would leap like a prima ballerina and land exactly where he was supposed to, while I scared all my passengers to death for a second time in less than ten minutes.