Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen

6

Sharen stoodin the doorway of their headquarters, her heart aching. Blood was everywhere. On the floor. On the walls. Splattered on the supplies. And many of the lights had been shattered overhead, while others flickered as if afraid. The broken lights left much of the room in shadows, and the flickering gave it a spooky quality that made her clench her sword tighter.

Taking a step forward, she made the mistake of taking a deep breath. Bile rose in the back of her throat. The room was filled with the coppery scent of death… a heavy, revolting smell she never grew accustom to.

Note to self. Breathe through my mouth.

She continued inching forward, her pulse filling her ears. Her gaze clung to every shadow and corner. She felt sweat drip along her spine. The blood on the walls had dried nearly black, and the effect was like something out of a horror movie.

What could cause this kind of violence?

Whoever had attacked, they’d been powerful, and her people had fought hard.

In her heart, she felt that her demons were still alive, but she couldn’t imagine what could have stopped a battle like this without someone taking their lives.

Goose bumps erupted on her arms. Moving slowly through the building, she searched for clues. The library nook, where all her precious books on magic, demons, and angels were kept, was a disaster. The shelf had been thrown. The books were scattered everywhere. And every drop of peacefulness had been stolen from the space.

She went on to the research area, where their computers had been tossed and broken. Scanning the debris, she searched for something, anything that seemed out of place.

Again, there was nothing.

She moved through the entire warehouse, her hope fading with each step. If they wanted her to find them, wouldn’t they leave a clue that was a bit more obvious?

And what if they didn’t want her to find anyone? What if they’d simply slaughtered them all and left her behind to suffer for her mistakes?

Fuck. Don’t think like that.

Yet, she was beginning to panic. She felt it in the way her knees shook, and the way sweat gathered at her brow. She reminded herself that she’d been a fucking Hunter. That she’d been trained to withstand any emergency situation.

And yet, no amount of training could have prepared her for the possibility of losing her husbands.

She brushed at her stinging eyes, refusing to cry. Refusing to give up as she hurried to her office. That had to be the place! Of course! They must have left her a clue there.

Exploding into the room, she found it… perfectly organized.

She scanned her desk, pulled open the drawers, and then just stood in the room, wondering what the hell to do next. Had no one actually been in her room?

And then she heard the slightest sound.

Pulling her blade from behind her back, she whirled to her small closet. What the hell was in there? Her mind raced to a thousand different things… none of them good.

Creeping forward, she took a deep breath, grabbed the handle, and yanked it back.

Her jaw dropped and her heart shattered into a million pieces. It was Darla, a bloody, broken mess of limbs. She lay unmoving on the bottom of the closet.

As she leaned down, she thought of the young witch with her beautiful strawberry blonde hair, her big eyes, and her eagerness to help The Rebellion. Why had they done this to her? And why, out of everyone, did they leave her body behind?

Then, she thought of the sound. Her heart raced as she leaned forward and touched the woman’s throat. There was no pulse. Of course there wasn’t.

And then, Darla’s eyes opened.

A shriek exploded from Sharen’s lips, and she leapt back. Darla’s eyes were black swirling pools of magic.

Her voice came, jerking and emotionless from the mouth of the creature. So like Darla’s, and yet, not at all.

“Beware. There is a betrayer among you who wears my face. A shapeshifter, Caine's own child. It is a creature of darkness and cruelty. It can take on any face and it has taken your people. It cares nothing for them, but only to capture you. Only the Immortal Ten can save them now, only a being more powerful than Caine.” And then, the body slumped over.

She pressed her knuckles to her mouth and swallowed back a sob. They’d killed Darla, but somehow, she’d left a message behind. Which must have cost her so much to do.

The young woman didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve to be a dead body with a message. She had so much life to live.

“God damn it. Damn it. Damn it!”

And there’s a shapeshifter?

The thought held back her hysteria. She hadn’t realized they were real. Of course, if vampires, werewolves, demons, and angels were real, it made sense shapeshifters were too. But how could she defeat an enemy when she wasn’t even sure who it was?

And did the others think Darla was to blame for all of this chaos?

Just the thought made her teeth grind together. Fucking bastards!

She rose on legs shaking with rage. This trap they’d laid out for her? They might be surprised to find she wasn’t such an easy target. Her demons were counting on her. Her people were counting on her. Darla and Marval deserved revenge.

Magic flared around her fist. Her eyes widened, and she stared at it. This had only happened in the human-realm once before. She squeezed her fist tighter. If this power stuck around, she might have an even better chance at destroying the enemy.

Looking at Darla’s crumpled body, her magic faded away. Kneeling down, she whispered. “You’ve delivered your message. You can let go now.” With a gentle touch, she closed the young woman’s eyes.

Instantly, the body seemed to sink in, the magic used to animate the dead body gone.

Rest well, Darla. If you find yourself in the demon-realm, I’ll come for you.

Rising, she started back through the warehouse, and then her brain turned to the Immortal Ten. She knew something of them, although the immortal beings sounded like more legend than reality. Could they actually exist?

Pulling out her phone, she dialed the number of the angel who secretly worked for The Rebellion.

Surcy’s voice came, soft and filled with power. “Sharen?”

She took a deep breath. “I received a cryptic message about the Immortal Ten.”

“We can’t discuss this over the phone,” Surcy rushed out. “But we’re working on that as we speak.”

“So they do exist? The Immortals who are prophesied to overthrow Caine?”

“I can’t say more. Just that we’re working on it. We’ll stay away from headquarters. We can’t afford to be caught right now when we’re so close.”

Sharen realized she was right. “Do you have any idea where Caine would take a bunch of prisoners in Shady Falls?”

Silence followed the question for so long Sharen worried she’d been disconnected. But then, the angel’s voice came again. “The only place I can think of is a farm they own just outside of town.”

Her pulse raced. “Can you text me the address?”

“Of course.”

They said their goodbyes and she ended the call.

For the first time since her demon’s disappearance, she felt like she knew what she was doing.

Which was exactly when the angels walked in.