Heaven and Hell (Beautiful Beings, #2) (17 page)

As she spoke, she rose to her full height, startling me as she stood head and shoulders above everyone, including Asher.  Her shoulders broadened and her thin spindly arms thickened into powerful tools that could easily maim.

With the thought of the pain she could inflict on the guys I cared so much about, I prepared to jump her, but was a moment too late.

Her menacing claw clamped around my bad arm, holding my cast in a relentless vice.  Pleasure gleamed in her eyes as she looked at me and gave the cast a nasty twist.  Pain shot through me, cutting my breath and leaving me feeling faint.  I bit through the pain and refused to give up so easily.  If I took even a moment to cry out my pain, she’d kill me.

I grabbed her claw and tried to pull it off my cast, but the iron hold she had was more powerful than all the strength I could muster.  With a quick flick of her wrist, she flung me back into a small, but strong tree.  The only thing that could erase the pain of my wrist was the immense aching that spread out over the length of my back.  My ribs felt as though they’d been split in two and I knew that getting to my feet again would be close to impossible.

Glancing up to see Shayne on her way to finish me off, I prayed for help and was rewarded with the forceful hand of Asher who effectively halted Shayne’s approach.  While he kept her occupied, Moore came to my side.

“Are you okay?”

Groaning, I tried to sit up.  “I don’t know.”  Just breathing was like being stabbed.

“Don’t move, Lux.  Damn it, I heard the crack from the impact.”

“It’s not that bad.”  I tried to move again, but my body simply wouldn’t follow instructions.

“Lux, Shayne has become stronger than all of us.”  He glanced over his shoulder.  “I don’t know how much longer Asher can hold her off.  It’s you she wants, above everything else, she wants you dead.”

“I know,” I muttered with a wince.

He came closer, his eyes moist with worry yet hardened in determination.  “You have to let me out of the promise I made you.”

Confused, I simply shook my head and looked quizzically at him.

“The promise not to hurt Shayne.  Lux, I can’t just stand by and watch her beat you to death; watch her drain your soul.”

“No.” Pain stabbed through my abdomen and to my back as I shouted my refusal.  “Regardless of what happens, Moore, I don’t want you touching Shayne.”

“Why do you insist on being so damned noble, Lux.  She killed Dr. Kingsley.  Do you really think she’ll spare you?  I don’t care that she’s my sister… or was once my sister.  That thing…” He pointed to the demon fighting Asher.  “That beast is no longer my sister.  She’s gone.  But that beast needs to be slain, Lux.  If you can’t do it, I should.”

“Help me up.” I reached for his hand, but he quickly pulled it back.

“No,” he said solemnly.

“Moore, Shayne is winning.  Soon she’ll destroy Asher.  Help me up so we can help him.  Then…”  I glanced past him to see Asher fighting to keep Shayne’s claws away from his throat.  He was strong and his fighting skills were admirable, but she was slowly overpowering him.  “Moore, if you can get me close to Asher, ensure I have a few moments with him, I think we might be able to exorcise the demon from Shayne.”

He did an amusing double take and looked at me with surprise.  “You can do that?”

“Sometimes.  I’ve had some success in the past, but it’s not a predictable process.  Sometimes the demon just won’t budge.  I don’t know about Shayne, but it’s worth a try.  But, Moore, I need Asher’s help.  I need an angel with me.”

I was touched by the glimmer of hope that came to Moore’s eyes.  Despite it all, he really did care about his sister… as far gone as she was.

“I knew the love I had for you was built on something strong, something true. For you to care so much, about me, about her.  You have every reason to hate her, maybe even to hate us both, yet you're willing to do this.  You don’t know how much you mean to me.”  He laid a delicate, but heartfelt kiss on my lips.  “You're as pure an angel as they come, Lux.  Shayne was so wrong to say you were like her.  I’ve known her all my life, well before the demons entered her life.  You're nothing like her, and don’t let her words get to you.  You're the most selfless person I know, going out of your way to help people.  Look what you did to get Asher out of prison and the trouble you went through to get Brax back to San Francisco… and me.  For all the heartache I initially caused you, you're still here, at my side, willing to help me, willing to do anything to keep me from the dark. No wonder all of us love you.”

Hissing through the pain, I brought my hand to his cheek.  “You give me strength to fight even more.  Help me up, Moore.  I’m sure once I’m standing the pain will be tolerable.”

He held his hand out and was the strong support I needed as I got to my feet.  My back felt stiff and bruised, but, as predicted, once up, it wasn’t all that bad.  I just had to avoid any sudden moves.

Leaning heavily on him, we headed to the battle scene.

Concern quickly shadowed his eyes with every step.  “What if you don’t succeed?  What if you can’t rid her of the demons?”

I glanced down at the ground, hating to admit the inevitable.  “If that doesn’t work…”

“You’ll slay her?”

It was hard to tell whether his question was hopeful or fearful.

Unable to meet his gaze, I nodded.  I had no other choice.  I’d already put it off for long enough.  I couldn’t allow her to kill everyone in the hopes of saving her.

When I finally looked up at him I could see that his fear wasn’t entirely for the loss of his sister, but the possibility that I may one day have to slay him as well.

“Just do the best you can,” he whispered.

But the scene turned uglier as we came upon them.  Demons by the dozens emerged, keeping Brax busy and piling over Asher.  Exorcising Shayne would have to wait.  Even Shayne was hindered by the incoming demons.  The sheer number of demons wouldn’t allow for a moment with Asher and Shayne, and we were all kept busy as we dealt with as many demons as possible.

Balls of glowing light flared from Asher leaving demons in ashes while I struggled between the pain and the desire to slay my share of demons.  The melee of ash, smoke, fire and blood became a confusion of demon versus angel.  Through the tangle of claws and jagged teeth, Shayne jumped Brax.  They battled fiercely, the growls and cries ringing out.

“Son!”

The voice rang out, strong and forceful.  With his hand to Shayne’s throat, Brax turned, recognition clear in his gaze.  “Dad?”

The fighting was silenced as all turned to Dr. Sorensen and the demons at his side.  One, tall, masculine, with eyes eerily like Brax’s, and the other smaller, more delicate.

“Mom,” Brax whispered.

Chapter 18

H
is eyes quickly misted over and I couldn’t imagine the turmoil he was going through.  To see his parents, the people he loved so much, so ugly and demonic.  Before my eyes, he reverted to the young boy he’d once been, innocent and longing to please his parents.  “What are you doing here?”  His question was a meek whisper.

Dr. Sorensen laughed, his booming voice drowning out everything else.  “They’re with me, little Brax.  I thought I’d mentioned that earlier.”  Pleased with his announcement, he huffed a puff of air over his fingernails then shined them arrogantly on the lapel of his jacket.  “And soon, you will too, just as Shayne and Moore will.”  He turned to look at me.  “Wouldn’t want you to feel left out, Lux.  I’m not too fussy.  You can come to my side, too.”

“Never.”

“Yes, they all say that, dear, but sooner or later… well, I always win.  I want as many souls as I can get, and I will have you all, whether you want it or not.”

Asher stepped forward.  “You’ll never have any of us,” he said.  “Except, maybe, her.”  He pushed Shayne toward Dr. Sorensen.

“Yes,” Dr. Sorensen mused as he reached out to touch Shayne’s cheek.  “It is a shame the effect hell has on the skin.  A real shame.  But as decrepit and ugly as you are, I will take you.”  He turned to look at us.  “All you souls, they’ll make us stronger and stronger.  The darkness will be an undeniable force as it invades every corner of everyday life.  People will begin to feel it... the change, the shift in this God forsaken world.  Darkness will bring out the worst in people.  Either that or we’ll simply devour more and more souls.”  He grinned his silly and demonic grin.  “If I’m lucky, they’ll both happen.”

I stepped to Asher’s side and Moore came to join us.  “There’s no way we’re going to let you win, Dr. Sorensen.  Your reign over demons here is over.”

“How optimistic of you, Lux, but, in this case, you have no say in the matter.  You're a fine demon slayer, I’ll grant you that.  I’ve watched you over the years and I must say I’ve consistently been impressed, but the game has changed.  The rules have changed.”

I kept my eyes on him, trying to gauge his position.  Was he bluffing?  Or had the rules really changed?

“You can thank Ms. Hatchett for that.”

We all turned to look at Shayne before bringing out curious eyes back to the doctor.

“In her haste, in her great desperate and selfish attempt to save herself, she unwittingly opened the door… the door that will release more demons than you can fathom.  If you think tonight was a battle… just wait until they are all unleashed.”

“What…?” Shayne muttered.  “What did I do?”

Dr. Sorensen held up a book… the Book of Angels.  “You were in such a rush to get your hands on this book, you didn’t stop to think about your actions, young lady.  Killing Dr. Kingsley.  Surely you were aware… he was a mere man of faith; a strong man of faith.  He was solely responsible for keeping the gates of hell closed in this part of the world.  The entire western United States was kept civil, sane and…”  He gave us all a sardonic grin.  “… pure by the good Dr. Kingsley.  With his death the gate was left unguarded and…”  He tossed the big book in the air and caught it.  “… with this latest acquisition, I now have the power to bust those gates open.”

Gasps of horror came from all sides, most audibly from me.  In unison, we turned our accusing glares to Shayne.

For a brief moment she was smug; proud, but the horror of what she’d done pierced through the demon skin and touched the human inside.  “I didn’t know.”  Her frantic gaze turned to Brax, to his parents then to her brother.  “Moore… help me.”

Pressing his lips tightly, he crossed his arms over his chest.

Brax’s dad approached her.  “We’ve come for you, Shayne,” he said.

“Yes,” Brax’s mom added.  “We are what we are today because of you, Shayne.  Were it only that, I think we could deal with it; accept it, but what you did to Brax, the curse that hangs over his head because of your selfish actions.”

“I didn’t know,” she said meekly.  “I just wanted to rid myself of this demon living inside me.  I thought you were angels.  I didn’t even know you were Brax’s parents.”

“Come, Shayne. Stop fighting the inevitable.”

“No.  Brax, tell them.”  Her voice shook with fear and panic as she turned to him.  “Tell them about us.”

He remained immobile except for a slight twitch in his lips.

“Tell them, Brax!” she shouted.  “We were together.  I loved you.  I still love you.  You know I would never have done anything to hurt you.  All I wanted to do was save myself.  Yes…” she said as she turned to the collectors.  “Yes, I was selfish.  I’m young.  I have my whole life ahead of me.  Was I supposed to just let this demon take over?  Not fight?  Not try to find a way out?”

Desperation rang in every word she spoke.  With clumsy strides she made her way to Brax and clung to his arm.  “Tell them of the time we spent together.  Tell them how we were so much in love.  Please Brax.”  She gazed at me.

While I would have expected pride to gleam in her demonic eyes, I was surprised to see honest pain and anguish.

“I was the queen of St. James before you arrived, Lux.  I was the popular girl, the girl to know, the girl to be seen with… and Brax…  He was the new guy, the hot new guy.”  She turned to him, love evident in her eyes.  “Remember the time we spent together?  Remember the love we made, the love we shared?”

She was delusional.  Surely she was fabricating.

I glanced at Brax, looking for defiance, but all I saw was guilt.  My breath caught in my throat.  Had he truly had a relationship with her?

“We were more than friends,” she went on as she came to stand before me.  “That is, until you came along.  All of a sudden he wouldn’t even give me the time of day, but before that, he took my virginity.”

“Liar,” I blurted out, but a quick glance at Brax confirmed what she’d said.

“You took my virginity, Brax,” she repeated as she turned to him.  “Doesn’t that even mean anything?”

Brax reddened with increased guilt.

Shayne turned to me.  “That’s why I pursued him so vigorously.  And when you came along…”

Standing right beside Brax, Moore hung his head, unable to look at me.