Drop Dead Demons (44 page)

I left the boys in the dust, jumping over fallen trees, ducking under pine branches. In full force, my Divinicus visions let me know that as soon as I took off, the two—count them,
two!—
demon armies had changed course from the boys and were now after me. Gaining steadily. 

Like the howls and weapons hurtling past my head weren’t clue enough.

But it would buy the boys the time they needed. It had to.

Running along a roaring river drowned out some of the blood thirsty calls from my psycho fans.

My vision flashed on a demon incoming from above. Another one hot on my tail on the ground. The coolest part was that it didn’t make me dizzy, and I didn’t completely wink out. I saw the demons, their positions, trajectories, and still saw where I was going. More like a second — and third — sight happening all a once. A little weird, but I could get used to it.

And I could use it.

I leapt over a fallen log, grabbed a jutting limb, swung sideways, and hit the ground rolling, into the mud, almost to the river’s edge. The demon behind me jumped the log, and landed — where I
would
have been — as the winged beast dropped from the sky and snatched him up instead of me.

I’m that good.

The tree above exploded as an arrow tore through. Splinters rained. I scrambled to my feet, ready to run.

And got slammed from the side by something big and smelly. It launched me into a death-roll, splashing into the shallow water of the river’s edge. The cold wet soaked through my skin. When we finally stopped, I grabbed the throat of the hairy beast on top of me and stared into a horror show.

A face of fangs. No eyes, no nose, no ears, just a giant, gaping hole of rows upon rows of serrated teeth and two larger fangs reaching toward me. It looked like a tarantula, only massive and way more scary. Liquid drooled off a fang. I twisted my face away. It dripped onto my hair, sizzled. My nose wrinkled at the burn. Through the smoke, I saw a hairy spider leg rise up, ready to spear me with its spiked end.

Pressure, heat, and buckets of panic flooded my system and released in a white hot sonic boom. The tarantula demon blasted into the air, hovered amid snowflakes falling from above, then legs flailed as gravity carried it down. I reached a hand up.

Power. Sweet, glorious power that I felt down to my marrow, lighteninged off my fingers and ripped through the monster’s fat belly. Guts splattered and rained down, then swirled into a black vortex and disappeared before the gooey mess splashed over me. Whew.

I grinned at my glowing skin. “About time.”

I slogged through the water, up onto the beach, and shot my hands toward the stampeding hoard. A searing, white energy took out the whole front line of the pack and blasted a hole a mile long through the center of the rest. What trees and shrubbery hadn’t disappeared, were left blackened and smoldering. 

The hellions’ war cries faded as the entire militia staggered to a stop and gaped.

I heard crickets chirping.

Okay, not really, because the crickets were long gone, cowering in there holes, but you get the point. The demons were stunned into silence. Because of me.  

“Yeah,” I laughed. “I can do that. So stay the heck—”

A spike-covered almost-hellhound leapt from behind. I ducked, it sailed over, clipping my shoulder as I rolled to my knees and blasted it. Fun times. Until I yelped in pain. An arrow tore through my shirt and nicked the skin over my ribs. Not so fun. 

Like someone hit the play button, the demon hoard suddenly seethed forward, battle cries at max roar.

“Oh, come on!” I ran hard and fast, throwing lightning blasts over my shoulders.

I wasn’t that accurate, but didn’t need to be when my energy tore through layers of demons. But more monsters filled any gaps, and worst yet, each blast seemed to be weaker than the last.

Did my explody power have limits? Need some sort of re-charge?

I’d ponder that frightening thought later, because I’d run out of forest. So had the river. It crashed over the cliffs and into the plummeting mass of towering water that was Gossamer Falls.

Lacking pesky obstructions like trees, the flying demons dropped from the sky like missiles. I zigzagged, swerved, stumbled, fought for footing in the increasingly slippery earth, and lurched ever forward, gaining speed, even as the ground shuddered and crumbled around me, until I finally reached the edge.

And in one great leap, I launched over the cliffs.

My arms and legs flailed. Wind whistled, water roared, mist sprayed, and my gut hollowed with terror. I couldn’t think. Falling so fast, out of control. No leverage. Had to twist my body…was harder than I thought…struggled to…

Mid-fall I spun. Facing the sky, I shot a storm of light at the demons on the cliff, hitting some, but I’d taken too long. Others had already leapt into the air and nosedived after me.

One bit into my pant leg. I kicked, but it wouldn’t let go. Fabric ripped. I grabbed its neck, shot light. Its growl turned high-pitched and the demon disintegrated in my hand. Two more beasties barreled down, wings tucked, jaws yawning wide. One latched its talons around my leg. The other’s mouth closed almost delicately around my arm, and the two flapped vigorously, breaking my fall, starting to fly me up, up and away to my darkest doom, where my deepest fears would be realized.

From below, heat flashed in a jagged blaze of raging fire, and one demon drowned in flames. Water splashed out horizontally from the falls and elongated into a spear of ice, impaling the other demon through the gut. It barely had time to scream as it jerked to a flesh-tearing stop then disappeared in a black mist.

Released from both threats, I was once again plunging through the air, out of control, wind whipping hair across my eyes, but I could see more demons diving fast, gaining on me. I brought my hands up to ready a blast. 

A black line shot out from the bottom of the waterfall and lassoed around my waist. I gripped it tight. The tumbling waters parted, and I swung through the opening into the cave behind the falls, iridescent green algae on the walls illuminating my way. 

Matthias released the whip around my torso. I somersaulted onto the ground then popped to my feet and ran past Jayden to the opening he was maintaining in the waterfall. Matthias reached forward, pulling the dark shadows from the cave, and cast them out over the lake, weaving them into a tightly knit net. 

Demons rained down from the cliff straight into Matthias’s mesh of shadows. They stuck like bugs on flypaper. I grabbed one of the lines Matthias stretched taut and poured energy into it.

Drizzling blue-white sparks, light fed along the dark lines until the entire net lit up as if electrified. Hellions screamed in agony as their writhing bodies disappeared in thick, black mists scented with sulfur and the sweet stench of burning flesh. Ayden threw fire for good measure. Jayden flung what looked like glittering ninja stars made of ice.

I grinned. “Told you that would work.”

“You didn’t tell us anything!” Ayden snuffed out the flames on his arms. “You just disappeared. Then Matthias said—”

“I had a brilliant plan?”

“That we were all supposed to ride Fido through the demons to the caves while you ran off to get yourself killed!”

Matthias shrugged. “I was hoping.”

“You’re a jerk!” Ayden punched the Aussie’s shoulder then crushed me to his chest. He was shaking.

“Careful,” I muffled. “Your burns.”

“Enough about the stupid burns! I don’t care!” He grabbed my shirt in both hands, yanked our bodies together and kissed me.

It was hard and deep and desperate. And I loved every second of it. It gave me thrills and chills, tingles and zingles. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him back. Adrenaline pumped through me. It was good to be alive. Good to be in his arms.

Someone coughed and said, “Coital impulses might best be delayed since we presently have an assemblage of demons vying for the opportunity to kill us.” 

Someone else made vomiting noises and said, “If I have to watch any more of this, I’ll bloody kill myself.” 

Ayden jostled as someone whacked his shoulder.

A moment later he released my mouth, but kept hold of my shirt and gave me a look of granite. “Don’t scare me like that again. 
Ever
.”

“Fine, fine,” Jayden said impatiently, “Is that the extent of the demon legion in pursuit?”

I laughed. “Not by a long sh—aack!”

I shoved Ayden into Matthias as an arrow sailed between us and the hounds broke through the waterfall’s mist.

We ran. Ayden flung his arm in a circle. Flames spiraled around the walls of the cave, sizzling the wet algae, permeating an aroma of vegetable soup. Startled yelps slowed the beasts, but not enough.

We raced down the tunnels, banging on metal catwalks, and barreled into the portal cave. Fido looked up from licking Blake’s wounds. Logan kneeled next to a groaning Tristan. 

“Good girl.” I patted her side. “Now go find cover.”

Logan stood, drawing his bow. “We have company?”

“Let’s hope so,” I said and headed to the portal wall.

The hounds bounded into the cave. Crouching and shuffling, bumping into each other as more and more arrived and filled the space. Other demons of ugly proportions pushed in behind them.

Ayden lit his arms on fire. Blake, Logan, and Jayden started to gear up too.

“No!” I said, watching the hounds closely. “Let them in!”

“Phase two of your plan?” Ayden gave me a look over his shoulder, then his eyes widened. “Watch out!”

Behind me the portal began to shimmer and crack. Lava oozed. Ayden ran toward me.

I dove onto the hard ground, skidded toward the portal, twisting on my back as I bumped into stone. Above me, the rock stuttered in and out of existence, letting molten goo ooze through. I felt the heat as it slid a wobbly path toward my face. 

“Aurora don’t!” Matthias put up a hand. “This part didn’t sound so good.”

The frontline of the hounds leapt with vicious snarls. I slammed my hand on the double spiral below the portal.

The furies of hell converged upon us, and a beat later, the ground opened up.

We plummeted down the waterslide. Screams echoed. Ayden wrapped his arms around me, and we hit the water together then kicked for the surface. The rest of the Hex Boys splashed into the pool. Everyone grabbed the vines hanging from the ceiling and climbed up out of the water.

The hounds splashed in.

“Demon infiltration.” Sally Security was right on cue.

The water swirled beneath us. Tentacles lashed out from the surface. While the monster wrapped its clutches around demons, we swung — awkwardly on my part — to shore. I dropped, stumbling on the rocky, rooted surface. Ayden steadied me with an arm around my waist and pulled me flush against him.

“Don’t know what Matthias was worried about,” he grinned. “I love your plans.”

“Uh, guys?” Tristan pointed a shaky finger.

The whirlpool and tentacles took care of some demons, but several were making it to shore. A slimy, webbed hand burst from the water and clawed at my ankle. My feet danced, Ayden twirled me out of the way, then Matthias wrenched me from Ayden’s arms and shoved me down the tunnel.

“Find the stone!”

I balked. “So that they can unleash a demon army bigger than the one we’re dealing with?!”

“No, you twit. So we can use it to open the portal and shove the gods into hell!”

“And you think my plans are bad?”

Shaking my head, I raced down the eerie green tunnels and slipped Eros’s ring on my finger. Power hummed along my arm, warmed my body. The stone lit up with the mini-universe. Beams of bright, speckled light cascaded over the space like a kaleidoscope flashlight.

When I felt the ring tug on my hand, gentle as when newborn Oron would grab my fingers, I let the force guide me forward, skidding under the half-closed gate and into the treasure room, a mess from our last violent visit, but the artifacts were powered down, unmoving.

“Careful.” A panicky Tristan grabbed my arm, as he and Blake joined me. “We’re probably safer facing the demons than this place again.”

“Stop being a baby,” Blake stepped into the room. “We’re perfectly safe.”

Something
clanked
. Blake yelped, lifted me in front of his chest, and peeked around for danger.

Logan ducked under the gate. “It’s just me.”

I glared at Blake. “Are you seriously using me as a human shield?”

“Sorry, babe. But this place likes you a lot better than it does me.”

“Who’s the baby now?” Tristan muttered.

“Demons incoming!” Ayden and Jayden slid under the gate.

“Blake, put her down!” Matthias yelled, helping the other guys pull the gate down.  “Aurora, turn it on!”

I dashed across the room and wedged into the alley crevice between the tomb and wall. I slapped my hand on the double-spiral. Stone split revealing the lever and the two buttons. The red one was lit.

The gate banged as something heavy slammed into it. Slobbering growls saturated the air.

“Ready?” I shouted.

“Now!” Tristan shrilled.

I wrenched up the lever, light switched from red to green, and I skedaddled out. Someone—or something—grabbed me and shoved me behind the slab of marble.

“Wait,” Ayden said.

A grotesquely large demon hefted the gate up so more of its kind could surge in. The rest of the Hex Boys, armed with shields and weapons, ran head on at them. Flint’s attack machines stuttered to life. Arrows, spears, and various flying projectiles flew overhead. Most aimed at the demons. But some attacked the Hex Boys as well.

“This was a terrible idea,” I whispered.

“Have a little faith. We’ve got this.” Ayden dropped the knight’s armored chest plate over my head and wiggled it over my torso. “You find the stone.”

“Sure.” Just let me just wander through the death trap all alone with no powers.

Some of the witty sarcasm in my head must have translated to my look because he gave me a look of his own and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not about to let you run off on your own again. I’ve got a substitute bodyguard.”

Ayden whistled and in the time it took for him to discombobulate me with a deep, intimate kiss, Fido rumbled from the back of the treasure room.

“Go!” Ayden shouted as he spun away, and with a fierce, almost insane smile, grabbed weapons to join in the fight.

Fido acted as an extra shield as I ran, ducked, weaved and bobbed, sprinting through the deadly security measures. My side ached from the arrow shot, and every twist of my torso stung from the crusted blood pulling at my skin. I coughed on dust and smoke, gagged on pungent smells of blood, sulfur, sweat, oil, burning flesh, searing metal. My ears rang with the deafening noises of the fight.

Although the beams had dimmed to a subtle glow, the stone on my finger swirled with glittering life. I struggled to focus on the physical draw of the ring and not the battle waged against the Hex Boys, following the beacon to the wall etched with the double spiral at the entrance to Lizzy’s sanctuary.

Because it only made sense to keep a weapon of this magnitude in your bedroom. 

I turned to Fido. “Go help the boys.”

She scuttled away. I wriggled out of the chest plate, clanked it on the ground, then raised my hand over the symbol.

A lizard tail, thick as a telephone pole, whipped around my ankles and yanked my feet out from underneath me. As I went down, my head cracked on the wall. Blood smeared my vision as a Jurassic monstrosity, an overgrown cross between a komodo dragon and a raptor dragged me over the ground.

“No!” I kicked, twisted, rolled onto my back. Something hard jabbed my spine. I reached underneath and pulled out what could only be considered a Hail Mary move.

Aunt M’s tranq gun. The last of my arsenal. I aimed and squeezed the trigger.

The dart buried into the scaly back. The demon screeched, but didn’t go down.

Yeah, these things worked better on the Discovery Channel. On
non
-supernatural creatures.

The demon swung around, furious, mouth agape. Hot, putrid breath bathed my face. I tried to scuttle back, but the tail still had me. I was considering the ridiculously madcap and ultimately suicidal option of pistol whipping it when…

The creature dropped.
Thud.
And didn’t move.

I wiggled free. “No way.” My incredulous gaze bounced from the gun to the fallen demon. “Aunt M you are…
awesome!
”

Should I kick the beast? Make sure it’s down?

No, you idiot. Run.
Run
while it’s down! I raced to the wall, slapped my hand over the spiral symbol, and after the rock disappeared and the mechanized puzzle-box of gears and levers unlatched the door—which seemed to take
forever
—I stumbled in.

Inside the sanctuary, the ring trembled with greater force, nearly pulling me off my feet as it hauled my hand forward, past the mountains of books to Lizzy’s monolith of a bed. But no twinkling stone waited on a lacey platter.

I bit my lip and looked around. Come on. There had to be something. Some clue, a hint.

A rattle. Slight, but coming from—

“You idiot!” Tristan screamed as he entered the sanctuary via an awkward tumble through the air. Logan followed, but executed a graceful somersault before landing lightly on his feet.

He glanced back. “Nice throw.”

Blake came sliding in, clutching the unhinged top of a treasure chest covered in darts. “Find it?”

“Not yet,” I said. “Shhh!”

The rattle came again. From the headboard. I leapt on the bed, dust poofing in a musty mess into the air, and laid my ear to the glossy wood. Yep. Definitely a rattle. I studied the intricate carvings then traced my fingers over one symbol buried amongst it.

The double spiral.

I hovered a hand over it, cringing with anticipation of a disappearing floor, wall — or life. Deep breath and…I pressed my palm down.

Something clicked. A drawer slid out. Atop deep green velvet lay a glittering metal necklace, the center stone about the same size as my enormous ring. It quivered with power.

Guess I didn’t have to buy jewelry for a while.

Something
banged
. Covered in axes, darts, and spears, an upside-down canoe with legs collided against the edges of the entry, then bounced and scraped its way along the sides and lurched into the room.

“We look ridiculous!” Matthias voice echoed from underneath the boat.

“If you could backflip worth a darn, we wouldn’t be doing this, would we?” Ayden snapped.

“Oh shut up!” Matthias flung off the canoe. “You can’t even do a push up with those burns.”

“Blake!” Logan flattened his palms on the stone door and strained to close it, but his feet slipped back

Claws, paws, and jaws pushed through the opening with wet snarls and inhuman screeches. The door bucked hard and opened farther. A thick, leathery arm with two elbow joints reached through and latched its claws around Logan’s throat. His shout cut to a strangled garble as the demon squeezed. Logan pawed at his neck but couldn’t pry off the relentless grip. His face turned bright red.

With a roar worthy of a mama grizzly protecting her cub, Blake thundered over, gripped the demon at the wrist and one elbow, then wrenched with a brutal twist. There was a loud, crackling slurp, and the hellion’s arm ripped in two. The pieces dripped with shattered bone and long, wet, strings of shredded tendon.

Or muscle. Or both. But all gross. 

On the other side of the door, the beast wailed. Blake flung the severed parts aside. The fallen hand wiggled along the rocky soil toward Logan who rubbed his neck and danced out of the way, losing his hold on the door. Demons started to surge through.

Blake stomped on the hand that wouldn’t die then slammed his full weight against the door and shoved. The stone closed, severing a few more demon body parts in the process, and locked into place.

“Ha,” Blake grinned. “Let them deal with the possessed treasure.”

“Aurora, did you secure the pinnacle of our pursuit?” Jayden asked.

I looked around then up and found him hanging from the ceiling.

“How did you—?” I shook my head. “Yeah. Let’s go take down three demon gods with a sparkly rock.”