The Demon Hunter (9 page)

“Left,” he said when they came to another road. He might not be able to come up with a name for the town where Ashley lived, but his instincts pulled him south.

Ellie turned directly into the path of brilliant white lights. “Shit!”

Devon braced his hands against the dashboard, preparing to die… yet again. Ellie jerked the steering wheel, swerving into the other lane. The lights disappeared, and the blare of a horn faded as they continued down the dark road.

It took a long moment before his heart slowed its frantic beat. “Are you trying to kill us?” he finally asked. He’d just lost five years of his new life. Perhaps he hadn’t been brought back to earth, maybe he was still in hell.

“I’m not used to driving in England,” she explained, her voice raspy with nerves.

He frowned. Perhaps she hadn’t done it on purpose. It was unsettling, practically flying down a lane at such a high speed, and with only two narrow beams to light the way. “You
can
control this vehicle?” Devon asked, gripping the seat belt and pulling it across his chest.

She looked away from the road long enough to glare at him. “A little too late to ask, isn’t it?”

Grudgingly, he bit back his response.

“Want to tell me where, exactly, we’re going?” she asked.

“We’re headed… south.”

She released a harsh laugh. “Great directions. You’re going to have to tell me the truth,
everything
, and soon. I say we have a day, at the most before the cops are tailing us.”

Shite, was she correct? He glanced behind them, but only darkness loomed on the horizon. Or was she merely trying to frighten him into letting her go? “I will explain the situation when you tell me what you are.”

She slammed her fists onto the steering wheel and turned toward him. “I told you—”

“Right. You don’t know. I didn’t believe you then, and I don’t believe you now. And please, for God’s sake, look at the road.”

She glared at him one last time, then focused on the lane once more.

Devon leaned back and tried to relax. But the space was small and her flowery scent was driving him to distraction. His heart wouldn’t slow it’s mad beat, adrenaline pumping through his body partly because of the speed at which they were driving, and partly because of her close proximity. Annoyed, he turned his attention to the dark scenery outside the window. Even with the cloak of night, he could tell much had changed since he’d traveled these roads as a young man. Forests were gone. Power lines were up. Paved roads replaced dirt.

“What are you?” she asked softly.

He kicked aside an empty bag of sweets that was clinging to his bare foot and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play stupid.”

Well, wasn’t that calling the kettle black? “Left,” he said as they came to another road. He hadn’t a clue where they were headed, his memory remained a patchwork of visions that made little sense. But his senses were active and pulling him south. He’d always trusted his instincts and at the moment, they were all he had.

She rolled up the window, cutting off the cool breeze that was tossing her hair about like ribbons on a Maypole. “Come on, you owe me at least
something.
You claim I have powers, but you obviously do as well.”

He sensed no danger coming from this woman, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to trust her. As soon as one let their guard down, that was the moment the world would pounce. “Tell me your little secrets, I’ll tell you mine.”

“Forget it,” she muttered, turning on the radio. Beethoven’s 5
^th
blared to life. Finally, something he recognized.

“Turn right,” he said.

She jerked the car right, throwing him off balance. He didn’t miss the smirk that crossed her face. A smirk that was short-lived when white lights suddenly flashed from the darkness, momentarily blinding them. A horn blared. Devon’s heart jumped into his throat as he resisted the urge to grab the steering wheel from her.

“Shoot!” Ellie jerked the wheel and they jumped into the other lane.

Safe, for the moment. Devon gritted his teeth, pressing his hand to his racing heart. “What do you say we stop chatting and you merely concentrate on driving?”

She didn’t respond, thank God.

Shaking his head in amusement, and frustration, Devon managed to settle back into his seat. He’d thought hell was difficult, but the afterlife was nothing compared to being in a car with Ellie. Forget demons, this sweet-looking woman was more than capable of killing him.

****

“I think it’s working.”

The words whispered through his mind, a memory of another time, another place. Ashley sat across from him, her face a mask of leeriness. “Do you feel anything?”

Ashley. He wanted to reach out to her, but he couldn’t seem to control his words, his body.

“Bored,” he heard himself saying, as if watching a play of his own life.

She frowned and turned toward a dark-skinned woman who sat across from them. Camile, the voice whispered through his memory. A witch. Camile started to hum as they all held hands.

The candles in front of them flickered as if an unfelt breeze swept through the room. He was in a room… somewhere. Devon started to stand, when his body began to tingle. An odd warmth that swept through his being.

“What the bloody hell is she doing?” he asked Ashley.

“I…I don’t—”

The golden warmth spread up Devon’s hands, higher to his face and down his legs until his entire body flared with the light. Ashley tugged her hand out of Camile’s grasp.

“Devon, Devon, are you all right?” Ashley jerked her head toward Camile. “What happened? What’d you do?”

“N…nothing!” she cried out, stumbling to her feet. “Balls, what is that?”

Their voices faded as the warmth swept through his body. The light flared, heat pouring from this form in brilliant, blinding rays. Heated…so warm, it almost burned. Devon gritted his teeth, arching his back.

“We…we have to do something!”

“What can we do?” Camile asked.

A low hum vibrated around them, a song from heaven. The hum pulsed against his body, inside his body. Shocked and awed, he could merely stand there letting the wave of pleasure take over. Suddenly, the glow burst, sending sparkling gold particles through the room. Devon felt as if he’d exploded. He no longer existed. For a brief moment, he was suspended in nothingness.

Someone screamed. Then finally, silence fell.

Suddenly the room came into focus, bright focus. He stood, his legs trembling. He wasn’t sure how he had gotten to the windows, barely cared. Why did his body feel so damn heavy? Slowly, he turned.

Ashley stood before him, her face full of awe and concern. “Devon?”

Anxiety raced through him. This wasn’t right… something wasn’t right. His frantic gaze locked on Ashley. She could help, only she could help him.

“Devon!” she cried.

The world around him began to fade. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the floor with a thud that shook the house.

“Oh my God,” he heard Ashley whisper. “You’re alive.”

The slowing of the vehicle jerked Devon from a dream world and into reality. He knew immediately where he was, could feel the cold plastic of his seat, hear the rumble of the car. He couldn’t believe he had trusted Ellie enough to fall asleep. His bloody mind remained in that dream, attempting to decipher reality from imagination. Camile and Ashley had brought him back to life. One more piece of the puzzle in place. But where? Where had they been?

“Why are you stopping?” he asked, rubbing his weary eyes.

As he lifted his lashes, blinding light hit his pupils and for a brief moment he thought she was once again trying to kill him by driving onto the wrong lane. But no automobile headed their way. No, this light surrounded them, encompassed him in a warm cocoon that made his skin tingle. Was it his dream come to life? Devon flexed his fingers in wonder.

“What’s happening?” Startled, he glanced out the windows and realized it had nothing to do with a spell. No, only nature could provide such warmth and vitality. Such consuming brilliance. At the far end of an emerald field, a fiery orange ball hovered over the horizon. Brilliant rays of red, orange and pink caressed the sky, piercing dark clouds.

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the cool glass. The memory forgotten. The urge to find the sword forgotten.

“My God.” For months he’d barely seen light. For months he hadn’t witnessed the sunrise. No beauty, merely darkness. A shudder of awareness swept through his body. His skin tingled with a feeling that hadn’t been present before. The feeling of life.

“What is it?” Ellie demanded.

Slowly, he turned his head and looked at her. Truly looked at her. Ellie’s brown hair had highlights of blonde… even red. There were the tiniest of crinkles at the corners of her eyes as if she smiled a lot. And the color… how had he not noticed that there was the thinnest ring of brown around the pupils of her green eyes? And there, ever so faded, was the remains of a scar along her jawline, a tiny fleck that was barely noticeable.

“You’re freaking me out,” she said.

His gaze jumped to her face, watching the way her lips moved, puckering and pressing together as she spoke. “Devon, what’s wrong?”

“It’s real.” He pressed his hand to the window, the glass smooth and cool.

“The…the window?”

“The world.”

His heart slammed wildly, leaping around inside his chest like a fish on dry land. He pressed his finger to that little button on the door, thrilled when the glass lowered and the early morning breeze swept into the car. Devon closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of grass, wildflowers, dew. And there, in the background… Ellie’s scent.

He’d thought the world was real, but it wasn’t until that moment, with the sun warm on his face that he’d allowed himself to truly believe. A lump of emotion clogged his throat as the wind swept through his hair, massaging his scalp. He wanted to leap from the automobile and kiss the ground.

“Uh, yeah. Okay.” Ellie turned the steering wheel and pulled into a parking lot of sorts.

His happiness faded as quickly as it had come. “Where are we?” he demanded, his instincts on alert. Someday he’d enjoy a sunrise, but apparently it wasn’t going to be today.

“I’m stopping for gas.”

The parking lot in front of the small building was empty. Nothing threatening, yet something was wrong. A warning that raised the fine hairs on the back of his neck. “Gas?”

She slid him a weary glance. “Gasoline, the thing that makes a car go?”

He latched onto the steering wheel. “No, keep driving.”

“Hey!” She shoved his hands away. “The car won’t go without it. If you want to continue our lovely little journey, it’s a must.” She parked the car in front of a small building and turned it off. Silence fell around them. “Besides, I’m starving. I haven’t had dinner or breakfast.”

At the thought of food his stomach clenched. He would need to eat to regain strength. He glanced once more around the empty parking lot. Beyond, to the fields that rolled alongside the road. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

“Yes, I could do with some nourishment. But we need to hurry.”

“Nourishment?” She laughed. Why she was amused, he wasn’t sure. But then he didn’t understand half of the things she did and said. “Where did you say you’re from?”

“I told you, Crestmoore Manor.”

“Riiiight, and where have you been since you left Crestmoore?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He shoved open the door and stepped outside, his instincts on high alert. Something was off here, something wrong. But when he looked through the many windows that lined the small, white building, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Merely a man leaning against a counter as he looked at a newspaper. Was this woman, Ellie, setting him up for something? He reached into his side pocket for the small pistol.

She pushed open the door and stood. Her face was completely devoid of emotion. Yes, she was trembling slightly and dark circles marred the area under her brilliant eyes. But a lack of sleep and nourishment would do that to a person.

“Seriously,” she muttered, her hands going to the bodice of her gown. “What’s your plan?” Her nimble fingers worked the bodice, shrugging it off her shoulders and tossing it into the car. “I mean, I can’t just keep driving.” She reached for her skirts and did the same, letting it pool down around her ankles, until she stood in only a white shift that did little to hide her arms and chest. Stunned, Devon could merely stand there watching her undress in the middle of a parking lot.

“Because it doesn’t seem like you have a plan.” Catching his gaze, she paused.

“You’re… going to wear that?”

“What?” She looked down at her shift. “You can’t expect me to wear that Victorian gown into the store.” She snorted and tossed the skirt into the back of the car. “At least the shift just looks like some sort of peasant style dress. If I wear the gown, we’ll definitely draw attention.”