Demons (Darkness #4) (4 page)

“What did Jonas have to say?” Toa asked in his silky tone as he drifted in beside Dominicous.

Dominicous slowed his pace, allowing
Stefan and Sasha to lead their fierce-eyed warriors out of the mansion. If he kept to the front, his position would dictate his leadership. Stefan was barely keeping his subservience in check as it was; if Dominicous took control of a situation as dire as this, the younger male would challenge for sure. And while usually that wouldn’t be a huge deal—Dominicous able to quell most upstarts easily—he wasn’t entirely positive he would come out the victor. Even if he did, however, he didn’t want to leave his adopted daughter without her future mate. A challenge needed to be prevented at all costs.

“This is probably a class
-six demon. Weak enough, but based on what Sasha said, operating with some strange magic.” Toa glided out the front door with a smooth and calm demeanor. Most wouldn’t notice the left shoulder raised slightly above the right, a sign of Toa’s tense and unsure state of mind.

Very little ruffled Toa.

“That isn’t an altogether
strong demon,” Dominicous said calmly. “With it contained for now, and with Stefan’s ability to organize and lead in battle, we shouldn’t have any problem dispatching it.”

“
We
shouldn’t, no.” Toa’s gaze drifted toward Sasha, walking with a sure step toward one of the many parked cars.

Dominicous knew s
he had no idea what she was walking toward, but she kept her chin up and back straight.
Such a courageous young woman.

“The demon will hone in on her, I am certain
,” Toa continued. “Usually, only someone that summoned the demon can converse with it.”

“Speaking with it means one can control it, correct? Why isn’t this beneficial?”

Toa made a disgusted sound at Dominicous’ ignorance. “It could be beneficial, yes. It could. But it is a two-way affair. You can speak, but you can also understand. And if you aren’t strong enough to control, you will become the controlled. Sasha has barely emerged into our way of life, into leadership, into her magic—and now we are throwing demons at her. She barely has time to grasp one idea when we throw something else at her. How can we expect her to keep up?”

Toa smoothed his hair,
and Dominicous knew he was trying to smooth his nerves at the same time. Toa had to be out in front of her training-wise to give all of them any hope of her making it through the council meeting in one piece, but so many other dangers kept arising. Toa was a perfectionist, and often contemplative, but he’d been having to sprint to the next challenge right along with Sasha. He didn’t have to tell Dominicous that it was getting to him—Dominicous could feel it all through their blood link. But they each had their duties, and all duties had a hard road as far as Sasha was concerned.

“You fear Sasha can be thus turned?”
Dominicous asked quietly, trying to keep them on track.

Toa’s mouth collapsed into a thin, bloodless line. “I am not sure. She has not dealt with a demon of this magnitude.
Dulcha
do not even remotely compare.”

Dominicous shook his head as a chorus of
car doors shut around him. “She will not turn. She has a core of steel to her.”

“Then it will attempt to destroy her. Without someone to control it, it is a free entity, able to rip, rape
, and pillage as it will. She will be target number one.”

“This isn’t the age of Vikings, Toa.” Dominicous suppressed a chuckle
, starting the car and pulling away from the curb. His partner at arms had always been a little…overdramatic when edging up to a battle. It was a side of him not many saw. “Plus, it won’t come anywhere near her. Stefan will see to that long before I would have to intervene and ensure it.”

“Dominicous—
” Toa’s nostrils flared. “You take things too lightly. It will target her. Her defensive…talents will spring to life. She will try to dispatch it on her own, feeling out the spell like a blind man searches for a telephone. Like she has with
Dulcha.
It will sap her energy and rip the life out of her before she can complete the spell.”

Dominicous cleared his throat. “She has
Stefan to fortify her magic until we can link. She will have plenty of power for a five or six-level demon. Toa, I really think—”

“I cannot link with her.”

Dominicous’ head whipped around. The car swerved to the right before Dominicous ripped the wheel back. “In all this time, you, a white, have not enacted the age-old partnership between a black and a white? You realize, I am sure, that the more one person links with another, the easier and more effective the bond. At the council there will be a great many trying to link with her to create just such a bond. You have the privilege of having her all to yourself, and you
have not linked?”

Toa’s stare drifted across the space of the car and held his, unwaveringly.
Dominicous pulled to the side, idling. The car crackled with magic, the challenge in Toa’s eyes making the hair stand up all over Dominicous’ body.

“We’
ve been here before, Toa,” Dominicous said in a low tone. “I will take this moment to remind you that, despite your higher level of power, you do not usually come out on top in these instances.”

Toa’s gaze retracted slightly, but he did not drop it altogether. Nor did he spea
k. Dominicous had offended him. Damn.

“I was bold in my allegations.” It was as close as Dominicous would come to an apology.

That icy blue stare held. And held.

Finally, the blond head bowed ever so slightly. He turned back to the road. Dominicous pushed the gas pedal.

Into the purr of the large motor, Toa said, “Pairing with a black should be effortless. It was how we were made, after all. And I can see how this could be a possibility, but she is a magic conductor. She is wired differently. When I link, I give that raging torrent of magic another outlet. I give it more body to fill. It gushes through her and directly into me. It’s…chaos. There is no controlling it—I do not know how she manages. I have tried three times, and all three times ended up flat on my back. She,
she,
had to cut it off and rip it away. The novice had to protect the master.”

“And this torrent—this is something she deals with on a daily basis?”

“Yes. Like trying to direct a flood. It is the price for the power at her disposal, I am sure. With her as lead, we could have a huge Merge. She doesn’t have to pull the power and disperse it, or merge with anyone to pull more, she simply has to open up, and direct the deluge.”

Dominicous shook his head. “Is this because she is human?
Because she is black?”

“No. It is because she is o
ne in a million. Had we known what we found that night, the little thing you gave blood to, we would’ve taken her right then. We would’ve had time to train her, to study her. To coach her before she could come up with wild ways to use her power.”

“That day is done. We are here now. What do we do?
Link around her?”

“And then there is
Stefan to think about.”

Domini
cous threw the car in park beside Sasha’s vehicle. He breathed through his mouth in a silent exhale, willing patience in the light of Toa’s constant analytics. Stefan stepped out of a large Hummer on their right, his face a mask of fierce determination. Dominicous could almost see the ghosts of his parents sitting on his shoulders as his gaze stabbed Charles, the driver of Sasha’s vehicle.

Toa said,
“He can balance Sasha. Her special skill seems to be to coax others to accept more magic. His special skill is to balance the flow of magic. He gets more power while balancing her so she can work the torrents accosting her. They make each other better—more powerful. They were made for each other. One in a million.”

Domin
icous snorted at the romantic babble. He earned a glare.

“If he had been a white…” Toa’s voice drifted away as he watched Stefan consult with Jonas. Charles sat in the car, speaking with Sasha. Probably filling her in on what she faced.

“
Stefan is not in control,” Dominicous stated flatly. “He was not there when his parents died, but he lost everything. Imagination is sometimes worse than witnessing the actual events.”

Toa threaded his fingers
together in his lap. “It might be wise, for all our sakes, if you lead this battle.”

“He would challenge me, immediately. He would see the value in my leadership, but he would fear for Sasha’s safety if he wasn’t in control.”

“But he’s not in control.”

“He’s holding it together.”

“She will try to cut that thing off from the source before I can enact a link with you. I will then have to try and work around her magical weave without merging. Dominicous, if you sit and do nothing, it could kill her, and then everyone else. If I scrape against her magic, it will bind to me and surge through me. I’ll end up flat on my back, but this time, without the novice to save me. You’ll then be fighting without me.”

“So we chop the thing into bits while you two play at elements.
It’s not that strong of a demon, Toa. You’re fantasizing.”

Toa exhaled
noisily. The glare was back. “Can you take nothing seriously? I wonder how you were able to ascend to your position at all.”

“You know how: by killing. C’mon, I want to be in position to monitor my daughter. I’ve just found her again, I will not lose her.”

Charles sat in the car after the Boss evacuated, feeling uncertainty and nerves burning a hole in his stomach. Sasha sat beside him, picking her nail and watching the Boss as he gathered his men to him.

Charles had just explained what it was they faced, but the problem was, he didn’t really know, either. He’d learned about this stuff in school. That, and from the rumors and the hushed stories told in places the Boss was sure never to hear. This wasn’t one of those things people wanted to get caught talking about.

“So…” Her voice was frail, sounding as nervous as Charles felt. “It’s kind of like a
Dulcha
, then. This thing. Right?”

“This thing is not like a
Dulcha,”
Charles answered. “Well, it is, but in a different sort of way. A
Dulcha
is a newer creation with magic—implanting a demon into a human body. Demons that need a host—need to feed off of a life—are lesser demons. No real power. No real ability to think on their own. They’re governed by the magic holder that summoned them.”

“Trek always did that.”

“Exactly. And they reacted to his desires. As demons get more powerful, they need a sacrifice, but not a host. These demons are also less likely to take directions. They’re harder to control. Plus, it’s the old magic. Think of it like opening a portal to that underworld you believe in. Let one of these magical beings with a lot of power run around, and it’ll rain down death and destruction.”

“Why? What’s their purpose? What do they want?”

Charles squinted at her. “Ah…good question. I never thought to ask.”

Adnan
shifted in the back seat. Charles glanced at him in the rear view mirror and got a blank expression in return. He obviously didn’t know, either.

Sasha
said, “Okay, well, how do I get rid of it? Toa hasn’t taught me how to link, yet.”

Charles stared at her.
“He hasn’t?”

Sasha chewed her lip in response
.

Oh.
Toa probably tried, but something went wrong. Figured. With her, something always went all kinds of wrong before it finally went right.

He said as much.

“Really helpful, Charles, great talk.”

“At least you have a little information. If it was up to the Boss, you’d be back at home base.”

Sasha turned to him in a cloud of frustration. “What is really going on, Charles? Why is he so freaked—”

Her mouth slammed shut and her body went rigid. Her eyes flicked toward her left—Adnan. She could be open with Charles—they were as close as siblings—but Adnan was a different story entirely. And he must’ve known it.

“See you out there,” he said quickly. He slid out of the car and closed the door behind him, waiting just outside.

“
What is his deal with all this?” she asked immediately, fear riding her words. “Why is he scared out of his head, Charles? What’s happening?”

“He’s, ah…”

Charles hesitated. This was the Boss’ business, and that man hadn’t opened his mouth to utter a word about it since it happened. Apparently not even to his lady love, which meant he didn’t want the information known. Charles was not about to get killed by being the messenger.

Although, not telling her anything and letting her get her fool
self killed would also get him, as her protector, killed.

How did he always end up in these situations?

“You know his parents were killed, right?” Charles hedged.

Sasha’s round eyes swung his way. Charles nodded. “Without giving too much
detail—or any, because I value my life—I’ll just say that his parents had a run-in with one of these things, and it didn’t work favorably on his family life. You need to approach with caution on this one, Sasha.”

“Oh my god—demons killed his parents?”

Charles wiggled like fire ants were eating his backside. “I’ve said plenty.”

“A demon like the one in there?
Is it that strong—or, you know, that powerful?”

“Jonas said that
this one is probably a six or seven, out of ten.
Dulcha
are nines and tens—not powerful. This one is just slightly more so. The one that…you know…with his parents—gods, I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

“I won’t breath
e a word.”

“I’m s
ure he can feel your gushy compassion and all that chick crap.”

“Oh, shut up.” She punched him. “
You feel those things, too, you jackass.”

Charles rubbed his arm for something to do.
Mental note: teach her how to punch
.
“Anyway, the demon that…”

“I get it. Finish the damn
sentence.”

“Well, it was a three
, I think. A really nasty one. They had to sacrifice three people to
summon
it—two humans called it, the lunatics. Guess who it killed first? Served them right.”

“So the one w
e have isn’t that strong. But, are you sure? Because Jonas was really freaked out. And Stefan is out of his mind...”

“Jonas lost his dad,” Charles said without thinking. He thrust a finger through the silent air, straight into her face. “If you say one word—
one word—
to anyone that I just told you that, I will make your life hell. Do you understand me?”

“No you won’t, because Jonas would’ve already killed you.”

True. Shit.

Worry melted t
he grin off her face. She peered at the large building a ways in front of him, then at the Boss. “What are we waiting for?”

As if on cue, the Boss’ gaze flash
ed into the car and pommeled Charles. Charles could feel the power push into his body, buckling his spine and having his gaze headed for the ground before he could stop himself. This was the Boss that everyone feared. Everyone. The mean sonovabitch that fought his way to the leadership role with teeth and nails, taking down males twice his age, experience, and size. If he found someone he couldn’t cripple with brute force, he used his honed intellect. That failing, he used his friends.

Jonas and Jameson had been infalli
ble wingmen, Charles had heard. Still were.

The Boss had
started ascending shortly after his parents were killed. He wanted to make sure no other kid would go through what he did. And so far, he had.

But he hadn’t had a demon show up to p
rove his prowess. Until now. With his chick on site. And not only that, but she’d have to actually face the demon, too.

Charles should have picked another occupation.

Knowing what was coming, Charles spilled out of the car as he clicked on the child lock, slamming the locked door before Sasha could follow. The large, lethal shape of his leader came around the hood, bristling with danger. He did not look scared at all. He looked formidable.

Charles gulped.

“If shit goes sideways, get her out of here,” the Boss growled, putting a heavy hand on the door in an act of protectiveness, keeping Sasha from letting herself out. “I don’t care if you have to knock her out and run,
get her out
.”

“No problem, Boss.”

Charles felt the dark stare as the Boss ensured those words were heard. When he tore his gaze away to walk to the front line, Charles couldn’t help a sigh of relief. Only to be sucked back up when the crazy sidekick stalked up next.

“You keep her alive, or you better hope you go down with her,” Jonas threatened, his eyes alight with his thirst for blood.

“Don’t tell me my job, bro. I got this.”
Charles flexed, wishing that other male’s stare didn’t have the power to give him the heebie-jeebies. Jonas could really turn into a hardass when he placed himself as a protector of someone. Especially someone in danger. Like the pissed off human in the car.

The scar on Jonas’
neck stood out in relief as he smirked. He didn’t spare a glance for the hard rapping on the inside of the window.

Charles took a deep breath
after both males had moved on. “Well, goody, rainbows and unicorns. Lovely working conditions.”

He opened the door to a bag of cats.

“What the hell, Charles?!” Sasha yelled, clambering out. “I’m supposed to be his damn equal, and the two of you lock me in the car?”

“Sorry, he’s bigge
r. C’mon.” Feigning confidence, Charles jerked his head toward the warehouse. “Dominicous is already out of his car and headed over there. You need to show up before he does.”

“Why, would he usurp my power or something?”

“Yes. Him hanging back is a nod to the Boss. And you. He is letting everyone know that the Boss is leading—why do you not know this?”

“I can’t learn everything in a few months, Charles. Magic
came first. Stupid hierarchy of egotistical penises had to take a backseat.”

“Penises don’t have egos.
And what about the women in command? They can be pretty damn bitchy.”

“The women have bigger balls than you do, Charles
. Let’s get focused.”

Kind of a dick thing to say.

The warehouse crouched on the deserted road, silent and foreboding, housing some sort of hellion that could tear families apart. He had never seen one, true, but from a lifetime of ghost stories, he wasn’t in a great hurry. He liked the little life he’d set up—he didn’t really want it getting torn apart right now.

Th
ey stepped beyond the cars. A large circle of
Mata
waited around the warehouse, facing the building. They stood sentinel with resolute expressions and fisted hands, just in case that thing inside got out. Dressed in loose sweats, with most primed to change form, they waited for war.

Walking toward each
Mata
guard, ready to take over, was a clan member dressed in battle leathers with glowing swords.

The
Mata
didn’t plan to step aside. The clan members would try to make them.

“What a mess,” Sasha muttered.

Charles agreed wholeheartedly. “I thought you used a concealment charm?”

Adnan caught up with them, shadowing Sasha.

“I took it off when we got here. Remember me yelling at you to shut it so I could concentrate?” Sasha rubbed her temples, her nerves fraying, looking every bit as out of her element as Charles felt.

In front of the building, facing off, stood the Boss and Tim.
The Boss was bigger, more heavily muscled, with an elegance to his grace that made a male’s hairs stand on end—he was a world ender.

But Tim…Charles had to hand it to him. He wasn’t a wimp by anyone’s standards, especially when he changed into that colossal Kodiak bear. He faced off, meeting the Boss’ stare with one of his own, power and brawn ready to be unleashed.

“C’mon,” Sasha said, half to herself. She marched out toward the two men.

“What’s going on?” she demanded as she got within speaking range.

It
was Tim that answered. “Stefan has decided he reins this territory, and as such, is trying to send us packing. I have politely informed him, as is my place, that when we lose one of ours, we are given license to step in. This was an agreement reached in witness of Dominicous and his authority of office as it represents the council.”

Sasha stepped
forward to make a point. The Boss held out his hand to block her advance, trying to keep her at a safer distance.

“
Back off!
” She pushed at the Boss’ arm. Her brows lowered dangerously when she had no effect. Next they heard a metallic crackle,
zapping
the Boss with a shot of fire as only she knew how.

The big male took one step back, every muscle on his body taut in pain. Jonas, standing a few feet away, rolled his neck—he’d flown three feet when Sasha had done that to him.

Her gaze slid to Tim as her brows lowered. “You, too.”

Tim stared back
for a moment, before taking one step back.

Wise,
Charles thought.

“This is
my
rule,” she addressed both males. “Tim, you came here as my guest, which makes you subject to my leadership. Had you investigated on your own, per the signed treaties, given that it was only your men affected, then yes, you would be licensed to step in. For right now, until I abandon my rights, you do not take a primary role. Not until the threat is neutralized.”

Charles couldn’t help his mouth dropping open as Tim nodded, somehow not looking
as shocked as Charles felt. Who
was
this girl? And more importantly, who’d been working with her? Genius, whoever it was. And obviously extremely patient.

Her gaze swung to
the Boss. “I will repeat, this is
my
rule. I will soon defer to your leadership, since you have more experience in these matters, but regarding the
Mata’s
right to be here, I have the rights to approve that, and I do. We do not have time for a challenge, so I hope you don’t make one. I woke up whatever that thing is. Somehow. It’s loose in that warehouse. I can feel it eating away at my magic. It’s doing a really good job.”