Broken Moon by Laken Cane

Chapter Twenty-Two

I called the detective to let him know about my run-in with the demon, and to warn him to be prepared. The demon was getting desperate.

“Give it the knife,” he ordered, after I told him the blade was what the demon was after. “And let the bastard go back to hell.”

I hesitated. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s important that I have such a weapon to fight with. If—when—other demons come, or other spirits, this blade will hurt them. I don’t have a knife that can kill supernaturals the way this one can.”

He wasn’t buying that. “Give it back the fucking knife.”

“I can’t, Rick.”

“Why, Ms. Silver, can’t you?”

I wasn’t sure why I was so reluctant to tell him the biggest reason. “He cut me with that blade. My blood is part of it now. I cannot give this demon or any other demon an item that holds my blood. If he takes possession of that blade, he will have part of me. And God only knows what he could do to me then.”

He was silent for a few seconds. Finally, he blew out a deep breath. “Then you have to kill it.”

“I don’t think I can kill him. But I can capture him. I might have had him today but the client interfered. I have to go. Call me if there’s chatter.” I ended the call and sped all the way to Shadowfield, the urgency to find the demon blade growing larger by the mile.

If the demon got the blade before I did, he’d go back to his world—and I sincerely believed he could force me to go with him. I could exist for eternity being tortured by beings so cruel and monstrous that they were incomprehensible.

The risk was huge. I had to capture him, and I had to keep that blade out of his greedy hands. There were no other choices.

He could not have my body—or my soul.

When I arrived at the gates of Shadowfield, the guard on duty left his little guardhouse and leaned down to peer into my car. “What do you want?” he asked gruffly.

“As I’m sure you already know,” I told him, no less hostile to him than he was to me, “your alpha hired me to do a job. I’m here to do the job.”

He stared at me for a few seconds. “Wait.” He went back into the guardhouse and apparently got someone on the intercom. I could see his mouth moving but couldn’t hear what he was saying. Finally, he shrugged and shook his head, then hit the button that opened the gates.

He watched me as I drove on, and I couldn’t resist giving him a cheery wave as I passed. When I parked in front of the administration center, two wolves were waiting. A male and a female, both big, burly, and unfriendly, guarding their territory from me, the outsider who couldn’t even shift.

I got out of my car, but they blocked me from walking to the center. “I am charge warrior William Page.” He puffed out his chest, full of self-importance. “What do you want here?”

“I’d like to see Lennon,” I said, my voice measured and calm.

“You can’t go in,” he said.

I sighed. “Where’s Jared?”

“Our alpha is busy.”

“Tell him I’m here, please.”

The female with him laughed. “He knows you’re here.”

William glanced at her, and I could see from the surprise in his eyes that she was lying. I slid my cell phone from my pocket and tapped his number, but it went immediately to voicemail.

“He’s occupied at the moment,” the female said, grinning, though I couldn’t see a single thing that was funny.

“Fine. Is it okay for me to park here? I’m going to the woods to do a little hunting.”

They looked at each other. “Yeah,” William said, finally. “Go hunting, human.”

“I’m no more human than you are,” I told him, then went to the back of my car to gather some supplies. I wanted to find my blade, but I might as well do some hunting while I was there. That’s what Jared was paying me for, after all. No sense slacking. “Tell Jared…” Then I shrugged. “Never mind.”

I reached for my machete, already in its sheath, the harness ready to be strapped onto my back. Once I got into the woods, I’d take the machete out and carry it. I was pretty sure the only chance I had at taking out the exsoloup would be to cut his head off. Even if that didn’t really “kill” him, if he were devoid of a head and his body was burned and buried far away from the head…well, the asshole wasn’t going to come back from that, at least not without help.

They didn’t say another word, just watched me as I buckled on my weapons and supplies. A few other wolves stopped to gawk, and a girl of maybe fifteen or sixteen was the only one to speak.

“What’s she doing?” she asked. “The alpha—”

“Shut up, pup,” the female guard snapped, and the girl slunk away. Life wasn’t always easy for young wolves in a pack.

I locked up my car and ignoring all of them, I strode away. I crossed the sidewalk and headed toward the back of the admin building, and as though they thought I might try to sneak in the back way, William and the female guard followed me all the way to the tree line. I ignored them and put my mind on the hunt ahead—and finding my blade. After I entered the woods, the two wolves disappeared. I wasn’t sure if they were going to discretely follow me to watch, or go back to report to Jared, and I didn’t really care.

I wished I had stopped to eat before coming to Shadowfield, but it was too late to worry about that now. I smiled when I thought about how Lucy would likely have a huge dinner waiting for me when I got home, and Ash would jump up and beg for belly scritches and treats.

Life was pretty damn good, really.

The joy of the hunt roared up suddenly, nearly smothering my wolf’s pain, and I loped silently through the woods, my stare scanning the ground as I neared the spot I’d lost it. It was peaceful in the cold woods, despite the fact that an exsoloup hid in the shadows, watching for wolves to kill. All wolves loved the woods and usually found it difficult to live in the city. Some did—like me—but there was always a longing to return to the woods to renew ourselves. I seemed just human enough to like the city, as well.

And finally, I spotted my weapon. I hurried to pluck it off the ground, surprised to see it was completely clean of blood. It was like the blade had absorbed the blood, and I realized that was exactly what had happened. The blade now carried the blood of a powerful demon, a hobbled wolf, and an exsoloup.

I ran my thumb over the gleaming blade, lost for a few seconds in the beauty of it. Finally, I slid it into its sheath, put my cell phone on silent, and began the hunt for the exsoloup. With any luck, he’d sleep during the day like any vampiric creature should, and I’d sneak up on him, slice off his head, and be done with the asshole.

My mind calmed and there was nothing but the woods, then, as I followed his trail. Even though he’d flown away yesterday, his blood had splattered the ground, black and glistening, falling through barren tree limbs as he’d awkwardly flown his injured body to a place he could hide and heal.

But not for long. He would have to come out to eat, and likely, he would do that tonight unless I found him now.

I followed his trail for miles, sometimes losing it and having to backtrack before picking it up again. And finally, I found him.

From the mess on the ground, I could visualize him tumbling from the sky, unconscious perhaps. He’d landed hard, wounds breaking open and splattering fresh blood and congealed, jellied…parts. He’d finally dragged himself up the hillside to a line of caves, and inside one of those was where’d he’d settled.

I pulled my machete and held it in my right hand and my demon blade in my left. It didn’t occur to me that I should call for backup. I rarely had backup when I went after a rogue supernatural, be it a spirit, a demon, a monster, or a vampire. I just did my job, and used all my energy, frustration, and pain to fight. I was experienced, not human, and honestly, I was good at what I did.

But after I’d quietly climbed the hill and peered into the mouth of the dark cave, my fear began to overtake my hunter’s excitement. I’d never taken on anything like this exsoloup, and maybe it would kill me.

My pain and inability to shift no longer drove me. There was hope in my future. And if she lost me, my mother would be devastated. I had a lot to live for. Too much to be taking such a risk.

I stood there, undecided, angry at my own reluctance, when the creature decided for me. He gave a screech that wasn’t as powerful as the scream he’d blasted us with yesterday—he was too weak for that.

Still, it hurt my sensitive ears and made my heart stutter. Before I could back up and rush back down the hill, he dashed from the cave, hungry, hurt, and crazed. It was time to fight.

I squeezed the handles of my blades and went to meet him.

Come what may, we were going to fight.