Mark of the Demon (Kara Gillian 1)

But the memory of Tessa’s face rose up, the horror in her eyes as she’d described the slaughter after Rhyzkahl had been summoned. And Rhyzkahl had been constrained by his honor then. There would be no such constraints on him if I called him to this world outside of a summoning circle.

I’m so screwed. I had no backup for this venture. Not with the knowledge that he had a demon as an ally. A higher demon would tear through a TAC team like a wolf in a room full of kittens. I didn’t dare risk anyone else on this.

I cast another glance to the sky, at the moon that taunted me with its fullness. I had planned to be well into my summoning by now. The demon swore he would release Tessa, I reminded myself. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but at least I would get her out.

As if my thoughts had summoned him, a winged figure landed on the roof of the center, framed almost perfectly against the full moon. I shrank back against my Taurus, barely daring to breathe as the demon—definitely a reyza—rose to his full height and spread his wings, bellowing.

Holy crap, the entire neighborhood’s going to hear that! He was taunting me, I realized. He didn’t care what attention he drew, because in a matter of hours—probably far less—a single demon would be a minor irritation to the residents of this sphere.

The demon swung into an open window on the side of the building, and I took a deep, relieved breath. I knew he had seen me, but that didn’t mean I was ready to face him.

I was stalling, and there was no time to stall. The quiet of the street was a surreal contrast with how urgent everything actually was. The gates across the doors were unlocked and ajar, swinging open with a whispered creak when I pushed on them. I stepped cautiously forward, trying to make as little sound as possible, even though I knew that those inside were aware of my presence. I wasn’t quite ballsy enough to stride in openly to be sacrificed.

Cold enveloped me as I stepped into the dark foyer, a chill not from an overactive air conditioner but from a touch into realms and spheres that sucked the energy from this sphere. Heat was energy, and I realized that he was using every available energy to create his portal. Smart, I thought grudgingly, even as my heart pounded. I held my gun close to my body at the ready position as I edged carefully forward through the dark. Around this corner and I would be in the main meeting hall, if I remembered the layout correctly. The rough metal of the butt of my gun nestled in my palm, a small comfort that I savored. A gun would do little damage against a reyza, but, damn, I felt better with it in my hand.

I went still at the scrape of a claw against stone, holding my breath as I waited for the sound to repeat itself. A few seconds later I heard another slow, unnerving scrape, and I clenched my teeth together as I moved. I couldn’t tell what direction the noise was coming from or even how far away it was. All I could do was keep moving forward.

My foot came up against something heavy and slightly yielding so suddenly that I almost went sprawling over it. I recovered, sucking in breath between my teeth as I took a half step back, then nudged the object carefully with my foot.

Shit. I crouched, then risked using my key-chain LED light.

It was definitely a body, but the first quick look was enough to confirm that it wasn’t Tessa or Michelle. This was a male, and for a brief crazy instant I thought it was Ryan, but then I processed the facial features, the receding hairline and neat beard. Reverend Thomas. I touched his throat, seeking a pulse but finding none. I sat back on my heels, frowning. So, had he been the Symbol Man? Or had Ryan killed him to take the power for himself? Or were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time? I’d liked him, and I wanted badly to believe the latter, but I was far too aware that my judgment hadn’t been terribly accurate lately.

I shifted to stand, then went still, gut clenching, the LED light still on. There was another body a few feet past the preacher’s.

“Fucking shit … Tessa!” I stumbled over the dead man and fell to my knees beside my aunt. She was cold and pale, and I hurriedly felt for a pulse. It was there. Barely. She’s alive. That’s all that counts.

But as my fingers lingered on my aunt’s neck, unease filled me. Yes, there was a pulse. But something didn’t feel right. I struggled to place the elusive feeling of wrongness.

She’s empty. I can’t… feel her.

Hot breath on the back of my neck warned me an instant too late. I spun and brought my weapon up to bear, but a clawed hand grasped mine, twisting the gun away savagely. I heard as much as felt the bones in my right wrist break, and I let out a strangled cry as the demon snarled at me and flung the gun away.

I gripped my arm to my chest, hissing through my teeth as I called up the words and powers of a dismissal. It would be a lot easier if I knew the name of this demon, but I would just have to make do. Seizing potency, I began to coil it into a portal.

The demon hissed and backhanded me. Pain slammed through my face and jaw as I went sprawling, though miraculously I managed to keep my arm to my chest. A part of me was aware that the demon hadn’t hit me very hard at all—at least not for him. My head would have been separated from my body if he’d used full force.

“No,” he growled, leaping over my aunt’s figure and landing to straddle me. One clawed hand gripped my shoulder, holding me firmly. He lowered his head, teeth glinting in the small light. “No, summoner. I will not be dismissed by you. I am here at the behest of another.”

“What did you do to my aunt?” I demanded through clenched teeth. “You swore on your essence!”

He rumbled. “I kept my side of the bargain. She lives.”

“That’s not alive!” I retorted, voice catching in a sob as guilt coiled in my belly. I should have answered the phone when she called!

The demon hissed. “Her heart beats yet. She lives. Do not question my honor again.”

“Fuck your honor!” I sought again to pull power to me, but fresh agony welled from my shoulder as his grip tightened. A cry of pain escaped me as I felt the claws pierce skin.

A rumbling growl came from the demon, and he leaned forward and licked my cheek, hot breath searing my skin. “It is good that you are here. Now we can commence.”

Frustration and grief twisted through me as the demon released his grip on my shoulder, only to immediately seize me by my hair and drag me toward the meeting hall. I gave a strangled cry as I grabbed at his hand with my uninjured one, doing what I could to relieve the pressure on my scalp.

The demon dumped me harshly in a dimly lit open space on the floor, causing me to bang my broken wrist and wringing another cry of pain from me. I still had my other weapon, but it was on my right ankle, which seemed miles away from my uninjured hand. Not that it would do a damn bit of good against the reyza.

I didn’t have the chance to think about it for too long. The demon seized me and pulled me to my knees, then yanked my arms behind my back and wrapped bindings around my wrists. I screamed as bone grated on bone. My vision went dark for several choking seconds as the pain crested, then finally receded into an intense sickening throb, dimly matched by the seething pain in my face and jaw. I barely noticed the demon binding my ankles as I sucked air through my teeth, head down, doing my best to avoid further agony by not moving a muscle.

A man laughed from the darkness in front of me, and I lifted my head. That didn’t sound like Ryan, which meant that this had to be Peter Cerise. Which means that Reverend Thomas isn’t the Symbol Man, I realized with an odd twinge of relief.