Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen

14

Sharen shot awake,sweat dripping down her forehead.

“It’s just a nightmare,” Ryder whispered sleepily, rubbing her back in the darkness.

“No, it wasn’t.” She struggled to form the words around the tears that choked her throat. “It was a memory.”

He sat up, instantly the grogginess fading from his voice. “Of what?”

She closed her eyes. He doesn’t know, but he deserves to.And yet, it was hard for her to speak. The nightmare brought everything back to her in a rush of fear and pain. “When I was in the portal, we were attacked by Hunters. They killed most of the demons… women, children, they didn’t care. They slaughtered them.”

Ryder’s touch stilled on her back. “You did your best.”

“We were losing. So I did the only thing I could do…” she pressed her face in her hands and a sob exploded from her lips. “I used a spell to slow the Hunters. Those young people who didn’t have a choice, my ex-students, many of them were torn apart by demons. I killed others. Even Rorde. It was—“

“War.”

She nodded, her face still in her hands. How had she not understood this before? The Rebellion she cherished so fully wasn’t just going to be her saving innocent lives. Sometimes she would have to kill to. And after being a Hunter, she had to accept that the lines between good and evil were blurred. Some deaths would not be so simple.

“The first time I saw death was when we killed the men who raped my sister.” Ryder’s voice came soft and vulnerable. “I would have never thought I was capable of something like that. I respected life so much. When you spend as much time in the ocean and with nature as I did, you start to see the world in a different way. And it’s value changes. So to take a human life? I never would have imagined it.”

He began to rub her back again. “You’d think killing would get easier after that. But even as a demon, I didn’t like it. Even when I felt myself changing… losing the human parts of myself, I wasn’t like my brothers.”

She lifted her head and looked at Ryder in the darkness. Even in the shadows, she could see him. His expression was open. He held back nothing in that moment, not even hiding behind his usual smile or jokes.

“When the attack came in the warehouse, I fought, Sharen. I fought like hell. I killed angels like I was slaughtering sheep, but it wasn’t enough. Seeing everyone surrounded, I’d realized that we were all going to die. And everything went red. All I wanted was to kill as many of them as I could before I died.”

“So what happened?” She whispered the one question that had been plaguing her since they disappeared.

“They brought a demon in… a poison demon. A black cloud covered us, and then… everything faded away. We were knocked out.” He shook his head. “I woke up in a cage and my brothers were gone.”

She crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s okay.”

He buried his face against her throat. “It’s not. But it will be. I swear to you, Sharen, one day I’m going to take you surfing. I’m going to take you scuba diving and show you the world underwater. We’re going to live normal, happy lives.”

She brushed his hair back from his face. “Is that all you want?”

“More than anything.”

“Then, I promise you’ll have it.”

He laughed. “After all the demons are saved, of course.”

She shook her head, frowning. “We’ll figure something out. Something that gives you guys the lives you deserve. Because I’ve been a complete idiot.”

“Sharen—“

A chill ran down her spine, and every hair on her body stood on end.

“You felt it too?” Ryder whispered.

She nodded. The mood in the room had instantly shifted, and every instinct screamed within her that something was wrong.

They dressed in silence and equipped themselves with weapons. Shoving her phone into her pocket, they stepped out of the bedroom and cautiously headed for the front door.

A second later, it exploded inward as Hunters raced into the room.

Spells came hurling toward them. Sharen muttered something on instinct, and a red shield leapt into place around her and Ryder. A spell that she’d only ever welded in the demon realm. Yet, there it was. Magic that she shouldn’t have been capable of in this world. Magic that she’d never had in the human realm. Hers to command.

Thank God for these strange powers, she thought staring through the chaos of the exploding spells that couldn’t reach them.

She and Ryder both pulled their swords free as spells continued to hurl towards them. Hunters encircled them, but to Sharen’s surprise, the shield held, and she didn’t feel her energy wavering. Within her, the knowledge hit yet again that her powers were growing.

After several long seconds, the magic attack stopped. The Hunters still pointed their splicers at them, but their expressions were uncertain. Their circular blades glowed with the magic that only the most powerful Hunters could wield in the human-realm, but Sharen had stood strong.

A shadow suddenly moved to block the door.

“Mrs. Bran,” he greeted.

She stared in shock, blinked, and looked again. Sure enough, it was her ex-student, Rorde. How the hell is this possible? He’s back from the dead already? And yet, he didn’t have angel wings.

And… he looked wrong. His skin had a strange green tint to it, and he was thinner, almost weak looking. Black, sunken circles under his eyes made him resemble a corpse more than an angel or a human.

“I killed you,” she whispered, her sense of unease growing.

His eyes grew hard. “Yes, you did.”

“But it doesn’t appear you were given wings.”

Rage came from him in waves. “No, I was not.”

This doesn’t make sense.“So what did the great Caine do for his good, little soldier?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

That doesn’t sound good.And yet, she couldn’t think of an explanation for how he’d returned without becoming a demon or an angel. It was… impossible.

Her gaze moved to the other soldiers. Guilt made her heart ache. None of the faces were familiar. Hopefully the few of her students who hadn’t been killed were safe somewhere.

Because this animal is capable of anything. Like what happened to Alderon…

She leveled her gaze on the sorcerer. “Were you the one who left a message at my door?”

It took him a second before realization dawned on his face. “Ah, yes, the fae Hunter. The traitor. I’m glad you found him.”

In that moment, she realized what she could do for the fae man who had helped her. She could make sure The Department could never hurt him again.

“Next time you need to send a message, how about using something better than a dead body?”

He laughed. “Well, he wasn’t dead when I left him there.”

Ryder sent her a confused look, but she ignored him. She’d explain about the Hunter and the message later.

“So, what can I do for you?”

Rorde raised a brow. “You know what I’m here for, so let’s stop fucking around. How about you and that demon turn yourselves in? Look around you, you’re out numbered. You have no shot at defeating us.”

She laughed. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not the same Hunter you knew.”

He glanced at her shield. “I’ve never heard of a Hunter learning to harness magic in the human realm later on in life.”

Now is the time.A chill ran over her flesh. Use your powers to convince them. To get them to see the truth. There doesn’t need to be another bloody battle.Perhaps I can even save some of these young people’s lives.

She held Rorde’s gaze. “That’s because I’m not a normal Hunter.”

“No?”

“I don’t know what I am, but I’m sure The Department does. Based on what they told me and the paperwork I’ve found, they’ve been controlling every aspect of my life from the time my parents were killed.”

Some of the Hunters shifted in their stance. She caught their concerned expressions, but tried to stay focused on their Leader.

“They’ve also paid almost everyone I’ve interacted with. My abusive foster parents. The man who raped me. Everyone. So, excuse me if I’ve lost faith in The Department and their cause.”

“Why would they pay those people?” A young woman asked, her bright blue eyes filled with concern.

“According to The Department, they wanted me to join their cause. They orchestrated most of it to turn me into a victim, to make me feel like I could do something about my world.”

The young woman lowered the splicer in her hand. “I joined after I was jumped by a gang and beaten.”

A man next to her, with shaggy hair and the build of a linebacker, lowered his splicer too. “I joined after my parents were killed by a drunk driver.”

A murmur rose up among the people who surrounded her.

“Shut up!” Rorde shouted, and they all grew silent.

A sense of déjà vu came over her. Just a short time ago she was surrounded by Rorde and his team. She’d managed to convince some of them to believe her, but the results had been deadly for one of her students.

Her chest tightened as she remembered the young woman’s face.

“Oh yes, they haven’t forgotten. Anyone who disagrees with you dies, right Rorde?”

His gaze grew angry. “Samantha brought it on herself. Traitors deserve nothing but death.”

“Being a traitor and questioning what you’ve been told are two different things. My people can question me all they want. They can leave my cause any time they want. Can yours?” A shiver traveled down her spine. “I was a Hunter. A Leader. And I believed in this cause more than I believed in anything. And then I realized it was all a lie. Demons are not all bad. Angels are not all good. But more than that, I learned that The Department is corrupt.”

“She’s trying to manipulate you!” Rorde shouted. “She knows she’s outnumbered. This is her only chance at getting away. Turning us against each other!”

Sharen lowered her weapon. “I don’t think you understand. My powers… they’re unlike anything you’ve seen before… well, perhaps you’ve had a taste of them. But I don’t need to convince your team to believe me in order to escape. I just want them to know the truth.”

“Oh yeah, do you plan to freeze us and unleash your demons on us again?”

The energy in the room shifted. She was losing their faith. And she needed to fix things. Quickly.

“The king of the demons allowed me to take all the innocents from his realm and return them to earth. Your people came… they attacked. Women, children, the elderly. They attacked them all!” She whirled onto the Hunters. “Ask yourself, really ask yourself, what do children do to deserve the demon-realm? Huh? Can you think of an answer? What about babies? What did they do?”

“What are you saying?” the young woman asked.

“The system is corrupt. Caine, the immortal being who decides who lives and dies, is wrong.”

And she saw it. In their faces. Some of them believed her.

She felt it. Energy flowed from them to her and from her to them. The air felt charged, just as if lightning was about to strike, and the air seemed to crackle.

Her head spun. Whoa! This magic… it was what was trying to escape from her all along. Marval was right. Her ability to convince others was a power. It was a skill.

And it could change everything.

“Look into your hearts. See the truth. And take action.” Her powers vibrated in the air, and she saw a glow surround the Hunters.

All but two of them believed her. And they would no longer walk this path.

“I’m done.” The young woman said, throwing her splicer to the ground.

She knew what Rorde would do before he did it.

A whirling black magic leapt from his hand toward the woman.

Sharen sent her magic out. It hit the black spell and shattered it, sending the dark pieces falling like glass to the wood floor. The sound echoed through the room.

The Hunters looked at floor, then back at their Leader.

“You were going to kill her?” the man beside the young woman said. His jaw tightened, and he threw his splicer. “I’m done too. And if you try use a spell against me, you’ll wish for death.”

To her surprise, she felt a more powerful spell building within Rorde. He lifted his hand, and she sent her magic out. It hit him, knocking him to the ground. His gaze moved, but he lay, no longer in control of his body.

“You don’t need to fear him,” she told the Hunters. “Do what you feel is right.”

They began to file out. The two Hunters who seemed to glow with a red light, looked at her. “We don’t believe you. But we’re not working for someone who would kill us without thought.”

They left the room. After a moment, she dropped her shield and walked toward Rorde, kneeling down next to him. “Tell me, what made you decide to become a Hunter?”

His expression changed.

“I know you had a rough past. I know you did some awful things. But I wonder what it was that triggered those choices. I can’t change your mind, but if I were you, I’d do some digging. I wonder if you also have a folder of people in your life who were paid.”

In an instant she saw a flash of far too many emotions all at once. Fear. Regret. Guilt. And hopeless. Then, his emotions faded, and his expression became guarded once more.

“I know your secret,” he murmured, his lips barely moving.

She stared. Secret?

“Your Caine’s daughter.”

Ryder inhaled behind her. “Lying bastard!”

She caught Ryder’s fist before he could use it, her heart racing. Then, she turned to the sorcerer. “What makes you say that?”

“Your powers. They aren’t normal.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m his daughter.”

Rorde’s cruel eyes focused on her. “Do you want to know why Caine brought me back? He’s given me a time limit. My job is to make you remember who and what you are.”

She felt cold. “I know who I am.”

“When your memories come back, you’ll abandon your demons and your precious cause, and you’ll take your rightful place at Caine’s side.”

Bile rose in her throat. “No. He tried to take something from me already. My powers. My memoires. I don’t know what, but he tried. He isn’t trying to remind me of something. That I’m sure of.”

He stared at her. “If I can’t do my job before my time is up, he’ll destroy my soul for eternity. So, I don’t care what you say. I’m going to do what I’ve been asked to do.”

She rose, staring down at him with pity. “Yet another person in charge who has to rule with fear, huh? I guess you don’t have a choice then… other than to do one good act before your death.”

“Sorry, but I prefer eternal life.”

“Then, until we meet again.”

“Just kill him!” Ryder exclaimed.

“Caine will just bring him back.” She looked away from the young man, pity growing in her heart.

Rorde shouted after them as they made their way down the hall, but it wasn’t until they started up the stairs that Ryder spoke.

“Are you really Caine’s daughter?”

Her muscles tensed. “I don’t know.”