Burned (4 page)

I ignored the jab, opting instead to grab the bottle and suck down half the contents. It tasted old and stale, making me think it’d been rolling around on the floor of the car for a while, but beggars can’t be choosers. The moment I swallowed the water, I felt better. So much better, in fact, I finished the pop tarts and the rest of the water in short order. My vision went from a blurry, hazy mess, to a less-blurry, less-hazy mess, and my skin stopped flaking away like demonic psoriasis.

“You may be onto something with this whole eating thing,” I grumbled, resting my head against the window. I wasn’t sure how far away we were from the park or how serious they’d been about the whole getting Taco Bell thing, but I was really hoping that part wasn’t a lie. If a couple of pop tarts made my skin stop burning away, I really wanted to find out what about twenty tacos would do for my complexion. Wow, I never thought I’d think that thought.

“The sooner you realize I’m always right, the better off we’ll all be,” Danton replied, glancing at me in the rearview mirror, and the look of his blue eyes in the mirror struck me as strangely familiar. I’d seen a look just like that before, only I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Did I know Danton from my past somehow? It seemed unlikely because I was pretty sure he’d have mentioned a mutual past, but if that was the case, why was he reminding me of someone else?

“You’ve clearly never encountered a female of the species. Otherwise you’d learn you’re always wrong,” I said, shutting my eyes because staring out the window at the empty streets was making me feel apprehensive. I kept imagining all sorts of gun-toting zombie bikers chasing us on Harleys because sadly, that was not out of the realm of possibility. Besides, shutting my eyes felt good, almost like I needed to sleep after two days of non-stop action. That couldn’t be the case though, sleep was for the weak.

“That’s not true. You’re right all the time, Mac,” Ricky said from the front seat, and I’ll be honest I almost couldn’t hear her over the purr of the engine and its siren’s song of sleep.

“He is?” Danton said, but his voice was strangely devoid of cheer, and slightly haunted, like he was remembering something he’d rather not. Curious.

“Yeah, he’s right every time he agrees with me,” Ricky said, or at least that’s what I think she said because that was about when I slipped into a blessedly soundless sleep.

Chapter 5

I awoke to the sound of chewing, and as I slowly opened my eyes, I realized Ricky was leaning her head on my shoulder and chewing in my ear. She had half a cheeseburger in one hand but didn’t seem to be enjoying it very much. It was kind of surprising because I remembered how she’d gleefully demolished a bag of McDonalds’ cheeseburgers the other day.

“Hello,” I said, surprised my voice worked. It was still dark outside, so I couldn’t see much more than the outline of her body. Then again just having her next to me made me feel better. “Made yourself comfy?”

“Indeed. This is excellent by the way,” she replied in a voice half-muffled by food. “How do you feel?”

“Like shit,” I said, yawning. “I guess you were right. I really did need a power nap.”

“You’re lucky you don’t feel worse. You used way too much magic,” she said, and her teeth flashed in the moonlight, reminding me of the yawning, dagger-like teeth of a mountain lion. “You can’t do that again, or next time, I may let you die.”

“You wouldn’t let me die,” I said, grinning at her. “I’m way too charming for that.”

“I’ve let entire empires die. I’ve personally thrown my own friends into the screaming, wailing abyss. I have
literally
torn the heart from my own lover’s breast. Make no mistake, Mac Brennan. I will kill you and feel less than nothing.” Her blood-red lips curled into a cruel smile. “That said, doing so would be terribly inconvenient, and I do so hate inconvenience.”

“What the fuck?” I said, my heart suddenly racing in my chest. Something was wrong, really wrong. I tried to move, to push her off but found I couldn’t even lift my hands. Why couldn’t I lift my hand? A surge of fear flooded through me, and as it did, she turned to look at me. A horrible realization filled me to the core of my being. This woman wasn’t Ricky.

Blue-black veins pulsed beneath her pale as freshly driven snow flesh, and her eyes were a swirling, whirling pool of pure void. She smiled, revealing a set of teeth like that of a shark, a wolf, and a bear all at once. My primordial lizard brain went absolutely berserk with terror as everything distilled down into the insatiable need to flee. Only I couldn’t move a muscle.

“This is where you are realizing I am not Ricky,” she mused, reaching up and drumming her slender fingers on my forehead. Her touch leapt across my flesh like a jolt of electricity, making my muscles clench uncontrollably. After a moment, she pulled her hand away, and as a wave of relief washed through me, she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

A second horrible realization exploded through me, causing my heart to leap into my throat. Her long, crimson nails were covered in shiny black symbols, the same symbols that were on my arm.

“Holy fuck!” I said, unable to stop myself as she dropped her hand and settled it in the lap of her soft gray skirt.

“It took you long enough. You told me you were smart, but thus far, I am not impressed by your intelligence. Then again, even an intelligent goldfish is still only a goldfish.” Her lips turned into a half-bored smirk. “Do you know how long it’s been since I have appeared like this?” She gestured at her lime-green-cardigan-clad self with her other hand. I wasn’t sure why she’d chosen that particular outfit because it sort of made her look like a naughty librarian. Then again, maybe she made side money starring in porno films

“Are you who I think you are?” I asked, and my voice came out in such a faint whisper, I wasn’t sure she heard me, especially because she ignored my question and continued speaking.

“The answer, of course, is never. I have never actually appeared in the world of man. I had to craft this manifestation from your subconscious. Do you find it pleasing?” Her eyes locked upon mine, and I felt myself starting to fall, to tumble down a rabbit hole from which there would be no escape.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, and she shook her head disdainfully.

“Because, my dear Mr. Brennan, it is why I agreed to help you. Your end of the deal was simple. Grow my power base so that I might step from this infernal plane and onto the mortal world.” She reached out and grabbed my chin, pulling my face to her own. “But thus far, you are proving to be a poor steward to my power.” Her breath was like ice on my lips as she spoke.

“Well, if I had memories or training, I might do a bit better,” I said, suddenly angry. It was good because anger let me push off the fear, the sense of inescapable doom swirling around inside me. I wasn’t sure how or why I was here with this red-headed devil, but I didn’t like it. Not one bit. “But you know, that would be too much to ask for.”

“Mac, you knew the cost of this bargain.” She clucked her tongue. “You knew the possibility existed for you to lose your memories. I did not take them.” She leaned in close, so her lips brushed against mine. A chill leapt across my skin, freezing me to the core. “That was simply a side effect. What use have I for your pitiful human memories? Why, if I wanted pointless memories, I could have entire continent’s lives laid bare before me so I might pluck what I wished before discarding the rest to the dogs.” Her tongue flicked out as she spoke, brushing along my flesh and sending a bolt of lightning through my brain. “It has not been done because I do not wish it.”

“What do you want?” I asked, surprised I could talk because I couldn’t move even an inch.

“What indeed,” she said, pulling me close and burying her face in the crook of my neck. She inhaled sharply. “I wish to be free, but more than that, I wish for you to kill.” She exhaled sharply through her nose and pulled back to stare at me with her horrible eyes once again. “You are not what I bargained for, Mac Brennan. I was promised oceans of blood. I was promised so much death, the heads of my enemies would fill a coliseum. I was promised the entirety of Hell would be placed at my feet, and so far, all you have delivered are errand boys.” She narrowed her eyes. “Defeating generals among men does nothing. Generals do not own territory. They merely hold it.”

She released my chin and allowed her hand to fall into her lap. “I am disappointed, Mac Brennan.” She shook her head in one slow arc. “My power is not for playing games with filth like Vassago’s Cursed. It is not to deal with piss-ants like a shifter. By now, their masters should have been crushed along your journey as snails are crushed beneath the heel of a toddler’s shoe.” She made a face. “You have not done this. You have not grown my lands.”

“Who should I be trying to kill?” I asked, suddenly wondering what her end game was. If I wasn’t supposed to be using my power to kill Pierce Ambrose and appease Baal, why had I asked for it? Baal, after all, had my family.

“That is the one question for which I most wish you would remember the answer,” she replied, shaking her head once more. “Unfortunately, it is a question I cannot answer. If I were to say the name of your target, it would make said target aware of my plans. We cannot have that. No, the target cannot know that, even now, I am rising. You will have to answer this question on your own, my dear sweet Mac, but know if you dawdle too much, I may grow weary. I am patient. I have waited eons. But I am also not easily amused by your tiny, human problems. Not only do your petty plights not concern me, they bore me.”

“So you aren’t telling me who my target is, but you’re also annoyed I’m going to go after Baal?” I asked, suddenly confused, and very sure it was going to be very hard to stay alive in the near future if my own benefactor was telling me to hurry up or else.

“I did not say that. I care not for Baal. He is beneath notice. If you wish to kill him, do so. It matters not to me, but every moment you delay is a moment our enemy may catch wind of our plans. That will end very badly for you. There is a reason you struck me out even if you cannot remember it.” Her lips curled into a smile. “And it is not because, as Vassago said, that he wouldn’t have you. Any of a thousand demons would have had you, but you came to me. Remember
that
, Mac Brennan.
You
came to
me
.”

“Wait, are you saying everything is a lie?” I asked, suddenly worried I was being led on a wild goose chase. What if everything I’d done thus far had been wrong? What if it had all been part of some elaborate game? Could that be possible? Could Baal have been playing me for a fool this entire time? It wouldn’t be especially hard since I’d lost my memories.

“Depending on your point of view, everything is always a lie,” she said, interrupting my thoughts. “But hear me when I say this, Mac Brennan. You have a job to do, and if you fail me by getting yourself killed before you accomplish my goals, putting your sister and her son into a wood chipper will be the kindest thing that happens to them.” Her lips twisted into a Cheshire cat grin. “Because unlike all the king’s horses, and all the king’s men, I can put
anyone
back together again, over and over, for all eternity.”

With those words, she faded away, leaving behind only a fading Cheshire cat grin in her wake.

Chapter 6

I sat up with a start, nearly banging my head on the back of Ricky’s seat. Ricky whirled around to look at me, her mouth stuffed full of French fries. Danton sat beside her, sucking diet soda out of a straw stuck into a two liter bottle. It seemed like a bit much, but then again, who was I to judge?

“Mac, are you okay?” Ricky asked, her voice high-pitched with worry. Her eyes roamed over my face, and she must not have liked what she saw because her eyes widened in sudden panic. “Mac?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice because I was still reeling from my face to face with my demon. She had scared me in a way I hadn’t thought possible. Every demon I’d met had been scary in a purely visceral gut-twisting way, but she was definitely on a whole different level from Baal or Vassago. Confronting her had been like running from a crocodile and finding yourself suddenly face to face with a tyrannosaurus rex.

“Have a bad dream?” Danton asked with a slurp. “Do you want me to get the old dreamcatcher out of the trunk?”

I looked over to see the demon hunter staring at me in the rearview mirror. His icy eyes bored into me, urging me to spill my guts. Was he trying to read my mind somehow? A flash of anger swept through me, allowing me to clear my head in a way I couldn’t explain. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to compel me to speak, but either way, I wasn’t telling him squat.

“I thought you guys were getting food,” I said, waving him off as I shifted into a sitting position. I couldn’t have told you why, but after my encounter with the she-demon, I didn’t feel like lying flat on my back anymore. She was why people slept with guns beneath their pillows. Not that a gun under my pillow would have helped, but I’d have appreciated the illusion of safety.

“Yeah, we got you some tacos because tacos make everything better,” Ricky said, turning back around and rummaging for something. A moment later, she handed me a greasy bag. “And they’re super cheap.”

“I thought you said you didn’t like Taco Bell,” I said, taking the bag from her and fishing out a taco wrapped in generic wax paper.

“Those aren’t Taco Bell tacos. Those, my dear, are Jack in the Box tacos. They’re infinitely better than anything ever made.” Ricky beamed at me in a way that made it very hard for me to tell her she was wrong on about a billion levels. Doing so would be like popping a kid’s balloon, and I just couldn’t do that to her. “They even use slices of American cheese. It’s like a flavor explosion.”

“If you say so,” I mumbled and took a bite. Strangely, it was better than I expected it to be, but that could have been due to my sudden, ravenous hunger. Before I realized what had happened, I’d polished off the entire bag and a four pack of Red Bull, you know, because drinking four energy drinks in a three minute span never hurt anyone ever. I had shit to do, after all.