Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Micah had been chained to this wall for what felt like days. Hell, he’d lost track of time because he’d been unconscious most of it. He had so many injuries on his body that they’d started to overlap each other. He was angry and tired of tasting blood in his mouth.

Hearing the guards coming, he kept his eyes closed pretending to still be passed out from his last torture session.

Two guards entered his cell and he barely cracked one of his eyes open to see one of them holding a cell phone. That one lifted the phone and Micah realized they were going to take a picture of him with it. He could see Anthony was on the other side of the room doing who knew what to his latest punching bag. If the screams were any indication, then it was the young werewolf who had delivered the bad news to him about his fiancé that was the victim.

“No wait,” one of the werewolves in the cell said. “The boss wants him awake so they know he’s still alive.”

Micah grunted in surprise when the guard that hadn’t spoke suddenly punched him in the gut. Micah’s eyes opened and he fought the burning sensation of acid moving up from his stomach and into his throat. Another punch landed on his jaw making his head whip to the side.

“That’s better!” the one with the cell phone praised and started snapping pictures. “We have to get his good side after all.”

The werewolves laughed at their joking and the punches and picture taking continued. With his arms loose and not tight against the wall, Micah got an idea. All he had to do was wait for the perfect moment.

“Hold up,” the one with the cell phone said. “Lift his head so we can get a good shot of his face.”

Micah winced when the one punching him took a handful of his hair and yanked his head up. The one with the cell phone came closer so they could get a good shot and didn’t notice Micah moving until it was too late.

Micah’s hands suddenly grabbed both of them by the back of their heads and slammed them violently together. He grabbed the cell phone then very slowly, he lowered them to the ground and quickly looked around to make sure no one saw what he was doing. He heard the screaming of the young werewolf again and knew Anthony would be busy for a few more moments… he didn’t have much more than that.

He turned to face the wall and held up the phone in front of him. He quickly snapped a picture of himself and the rest of the room before he heard the approach of another guard. Turning the phone around, he quickly punched in the only number he could dial in his sleep… Alicia’s. He hit send just as he was hit on the back of the head.

Micah fell forward against the wall at the same time he slammed the phone against it. The sound of it shattering gave him an intense feeling of satisfaction. They couldn’t trace the number he dialed so Alicia would remain safe. Now everyone would know where he was and soon he’d be out of here.

Anthony heard the commotion and approached Micah’s cell. He was pissed by the time he reached it and pulled his pistol. Putting a bullet in the two guards groaning on the floor, he walked up to Micah and pressed the barrel of the weapon against the center of the cougar’s forehead.

“I can still kill you, Wilder,” Anthony hissed.

Micah smirked, though the action made his face ache. “Sure, why not? But if you do, you won’t get a damn thing from my brother. Now wouldn’t that be a pity.”

Anthony pressed harder against Micah’s forehead, hard enough to leave a bruise as he fought his need to kill.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” Anthony removed the gun from Micah’s forehead and fired a shot into his left thigh for spite knowing it wouldn't kill the cougar… just hurt like a bitch until it healed. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back when Micah screamed in pain. “Such a beautiful song cougars have… I must remember to record it sometime.”

“Yeah,” Micah rasped holding onto his bleeding leg. “I’m sure we’ll make top ten on the billboard charts.”

“We have a change in plans.” Anthony said, suddenly turning to his remaining guards. “Boris, I want you to take a couple new pictures and be sure to get the bullet hole in the shots. Take Micah’s motorcycle and park it just down the street from Night Light, somewhere that it’s noticeable. Take a few guards with you and leave it along with a message for the Wilder family… and make sure the pictures are attached to the note. Tell them that I will make an even trade. Jewel for Micah.”

Boris bowed, “Yes, Lord Anthony.” He signaled to two other werewolves and they left the basement, hurrying to carry out Anthony’s orders.

Once they were gone, Anthony turned back to Micah. “Your attempt to send your message was futile. The only way your family can save you is to do exactly what I want them to.”

‘That’s what you think.’ Micah inwardly growled.

*****

Boris parked the motorcycle a few streets away from Night Light as Anthony had ordered and shut it off. He sat there for a moment before removing the helmet and placing it on top of the gas tank.

The urge to run and never look back was tempting to the elder but he held his ground. He was loyal to the pack but not to the ideals it represented. Anthony seemed hell bent on turning it into a dictatorship that Boris wanted no part of. Since Anthony’s brother left all those years ago, it was getting harder and harder to stay with the wolf pack.

Sighing, Boris got off the bike and made sure to place the pictures and Anthony’s message inside the helmet so the Wilder’s would find it. Walking over to the car that had followed him, he stopped a few feet away from it. Something dark and sinister in the air made the hairs on the back of his neck raise up. Had he been in wolf form, he would be snarling.

The two wolves in the car slowly got out and looked around the area. It was the first time they truly noticed that no one was around… not another car nor human was in sight. No sound penetrated the dark night making them nervous and a bit fearful.

Boris saw something out of the corner of his eye and turned his head just in time to see a thick blanket of smoke slither across the front of a building across the street.

“Boris look out!” one of the other wolves yelled.

Boris turned his body just in time to catch a vampire diving straight toward him. He caught the creature by the lapels of its jacket and slammed it into the ground. The body-sized crater created by the impact left the other two wolves stunned for a moment. They quickly shook off their awe when three more vampires got the drop on them.

One landed on top of the car, caving the roof in and busting out the back windows while the other two attacked the remaining wolves. The one Boris slammed into the sidewalk sat up and hissed at him before Boris drove his fist right into the vampire’s mouth and out the back of his head.

The vampire that landed on the roof of the car attacked Boris from behind, knocking him to the ground.

“How nice,” the vampire hissed. “A little wolf pup for me to play with.”

Boris whipped his head back nailing the vampire in the nose. The vampire merely hissed at him and threw him against the wall. Boris saw stars for a moment and slid to the ground. Through half-lidded eyes, he saw his fellow guards battling the other three vampires and growled when one of them was ripped in half by two of the bloodsuckers.

His muscles extended and stretched signaling his shift. He completed the transformation just as the vampire moved in close enough to attempt finishing him off. Boris rose up on his hind legs and drove his claws into the shoulders of his attacker. The vampire was so intent on sinking its fangs into his furry neck that it didn’t notice Boris’ strong jaws until they’d clamped down on its neck.

Boris violently ripped the head of the vampire clean off before tossing it aside and turning toward the rest of the vampires with a low guttural growl. He leapt into the middle of the fight, claws and fangs flashing in the dim light of the street lamp. Claws and teeth sank into his fur, making him snarl in retaliation. He made quick work by disemboweling one and ripping the throat out of another.

Finally he turned to the last vampire with his long teeth bared. There were deep gouges in his skin and blood poured from the wounds. Somewhere in the middle of the fight, the other werewolf had been killed making Boris even angrier. He took a step forward and growled at the vampire, snarling his rage at the creature. The black glittering smoke was drifting closer and was now just at the dark entrance of one of the shops close by.

The evil sensation he’d felt earlier was returning, making him take a step back from the vampire. Suddenly, the smoke leapt from the building and wrapped around the vampire in a choking hold.

Boris kept backing away, unable to take his gaze from what was happening. The vampire started to moan softly but that soothing sound was abruptly replaced by inhuman screaming as some of the smoke entered him. Blood sprayed, temporarily turning the smoke red before raining down onto the sidewalk.

Not wanting the same fate to befall him, Boris made a hasty retreat. He would howl a lament for his fallen brothers later… for now, he needed to stay alive long enough to do so.

*****

Tabby was so glad to be at work because it gave her something to do besides fidget and worry. Kriss had taken off looking for Dean again leaving her basically by herself. She didn’t hold it against him though. If she had a boyfriend who was out hunting a powerful demon all by himself then she’d probably chase him down too.

Luckily…she didn’t have one. But she’d never realized just how lonely their apartment could get when Kriss wasn’t around.

Needing something to do, she had ended her extended vacation early. So, here she was at work with Jason and trying to dodge his questions as much as possible. Her too-brief answers had sadly made him fall silent. She sighed in utter boredom when he checked his watch for the hundredth time deciding this wasn’t much better than being at home.

“I’m hungry,” Jason said suddenly making Tabby jump. “Want anything?”

Tabby shook her head, “No, I’m okay at the moment.”

Jason stood up and grabbed his car keys, “I’ll go to that burger joint up the road and get something to go.”

Tabby sighed when she heard Jason start up his car and leave. At least here she was being paid to be bored. She propped her chin up in her hand and stared at the wall with all the pictures of criminals who had been sighted in the forest and campground area recently. Why the hell criminals thought they could hide in the trees she had no idea. Lately it seemed as though the forest was just as dangerous as the city.

The phone rang making Tabby jump for the second time and she picked it up.

“Ranger Station,” she said in a fake cheerful voice.

A first the line was quiet and Tabby frowned.

“Hello?” she asked.

“I just saw a large wolf running down the street close to the empty buildings about a block away from that club Night Light.” A male voice hesitated. “It… I was hiding but I seen it all.”

Tabby leaned forward in her chair when she suddenly realized the man was more than just frightened. “Are you all right?”

“The wolf was a man at first… and it had two other men with him… they were attacked by vampires.”

Tabby’s eyes went wide and she blinked. His voice had suddenly changed from frightened to very, very calm. “Who is this?”

There was a click on the phone line and then nothing but the dial tone. Tabby reached for the desktop phone and looked at the caller ID… payphone call. Without a second thought, Tabby quickly scribbled a note to Jason saying she would be right back and rushed outside to the company jeep. Cranking it up, she tore out of the station and onto the main road.

She glanced over at the twenty-four hour diner and saw Jason’s vehicle parked out front. She almost called him but decided against it. She’d be okay and he’d see her note when he got back to the station.

It was a good thing Jason had been gone when the call came in. What worried her the most was the fact that if the vampires kept attacking people, then sooner or later the humans among them were going to catch on to the fact that they were not alone in the city… or the world for that matter. She already knew what would happen. Some of the humans would hide… but not many of them. Humans hadn’t survived this long because they didn’t know how to hunt down and kill things they feared.

Turning on her lights and siren, Tabby broke almost all of the traffic laws, but with the lights on, she wouldn’t get pulled over because this was official business. Looking at her GPS, she saw that she’d reached the payphone that had been used to call the station. Slowing down, Tabby inched the jeep forward toward the motorcycle parked in the ‘no parking’ zone.

Turning off the siren, she got out of the jeep and approached the scene but stayed aware of her surroundings as she neared it. Just up the street she saw a car with the roof caved in and the front doors open. Taking her standard issue Glock pistol out of its holster, she moved forward with caution.

A lump on the ground next to the driver’s side door caught her attention and she walked around that side of the car. Moments later Tabby had her back turned on the vehicle and was fighting the sick feeling. The man had been ripped in two and left on the street.

The nausea finally subsided and she stood up straight. Going back to the passenger side of the car, she saw another man laying there with his throat ripped out. Not far away was a large blood spatter on the sidewalk.

Seeing tracks through the blood, Tabby took her flashlight in her left hand and took a closer look. There were human footprints, high dollar shoes to be exact, but among them was a single set of wolf prints that, to anyone else, wouldn’t have made any sense.

Following the prints, Tabby noticed that they appeared to be backing away from the scene before turning and running away on all fours. She frowned and shined the flashlight back toward the motorcycle… Micah had been reported riding a motorcycle.

Tabby quickly approached the bike and saw a piece of paper sticking out from under the helmet. Pulling on a pair of surgical gloves she kept in her back pocket, she lifted the helmet and removed the items tucked under it. The paper only had one short phrase written in elegant handwriting.

Jewel for Micah!

Placing the note on the seat of the bike, Tabby flipped the pictures over and almost dropped them. She saw the back of two men beating up a man with soft brown hair and blonde highlights. Even through the blood on his face, Tabby could see the resemblance between him, Quinn and Alicia.

Taking her cell phone out of her uniform pocket, she opened it up wondering who she should call first; Chad or Envy. Their suspicions had been correct if the wolf tracks were any indication… Anthony Valachi had Micah and was torturing him.

Finally deciding Envy would be the best one to call first, Tabby was halfway through dialing the number when a dismembered body landed on the sidewalk just inches away. Tabby shrieked and dropped her phone, accidentally stepping on it in the process. Looking up, she started to back away when two vampires dropped down from the roof.

She turned and started running for the jeep at top speed. The two quickly caught up with her, one of them grabbing the front of her uniform shirt and ripping it open. Dimly, Tabby was glad she had the sense to put on one of Kriss’ black tank tops under her uniform tonight. In the process of catching her, one of them had raked their claws across her upper chest, making the blood flow.

The delicious scent made them stop as they held onto her in the middle of the street. The one that had ripped her shirt open looked up over his shoulder and nodded obediently before they spun Tabby around and held her in place.

Tabby was too scared to even scream for help and knew there wasn’t any help around had she done so. She was truly on her own this time.

Something moved against the empty buildings and Tabby turned her gaze toward it. She whimpered when a sheet of black glittering smoke glided down the wall of the closest building and accumulated on the ground. It shifted around as though trying to take shape and when it did Tabby shrunk away from it.

A small child with pretty blonde curls stepped out of the smoke and lightly skipped up to her. Tabby struggled, trying to pull free and almost got sick when the little girl reached out a finger and dipped it in the blood on Tabby’s chest. The little girl stuck her finger in her mouth and tasted the blood before looking up at her with wide eyes.

Misery could smell and taste Kane within this human girl’s blood and the fallen’s scent was all over her skin. She hissed upon feeling the purity of the girl’s soul and wanted to stamp it out, corrupt it, and make it hunger for darkness and blood.

“You smell like the powerful one,” Misery said in her little girl voice, wondering what it was that Kane had tasted when he claimed the girl. “I wonder if you will taste as good as he did once you’ve been corrupted.”

Tabby stared at the pretty, creepy child with red eyes and knew for certain this thing was Misery… the demon Kane had described during the meeting.

“What have you done to gain his attention?” Misery growled. “What power do you have that I do not?” Misery suddenly smiled but it was not a kind one, “You cannot be his soul mate if you don’t have a soul. Shall I take it from you?”

Tabby whimpered again and shook her head. She had no idea what Misery was talking about and it scared the hell out of her even more. All she wanted to do now was go home, crawl under her bed, and never come out.

“Is this how you spend your nights now, beating up defenseless little girls?” In one quick gaze he took it all in, including the fact that Tabatha’s shirt was torn and that one of the soulless vampires holding her had her skin under his fingernails. He’d felt Tabatha's fear like a flavor on the wind.

Misery’s face turned to one of sadistic joy and she twirled around to face him, her frilly dress spinning out around her.

“Kane, so wonderful to see you again,” Misery said. “Have you come to join me?”

Kane kept an eye on the demon and barely spared Tabatha a glance while the little demented demon was watching. He wanted to take her in his arms and erase this memory from her mind but he refrained. One thing he’d learned over the centuries was never let a demon know your weaknesses or they would be used against you.

Lifting his nose in the air, he smelled Tabatha’s blood and nearly flew into a rage. He quickly suppressed it knowing that was a weakness Misery would most certainly exploit.

Tabatha wanted to cry out to him but she couldn’t get her mouth to cooperate with her brain when her lips parted but nothing came out. She felt hope rise up in her, but when Kane only glanced in her direction, that hope died just like she probably would die.. If she hadn’t been out of her mind with fear, she would have remembered this was the exact same tactic Kane had used at the warehouse.

“Is this your great plan, to suck every soul in L.A. dry and breed a city full of this garbage?” Kane asked while casually strolling up to one of the vampires holding Tabby as if inspecting it. “I must say Misery, I would definitely find a new hobby.”

Kane’s arm snapped forward, taking hold of one of the vampires by the neck and a sickening crack echoed through the silent evening. The vampire dropped and Kane looked at it for a moment, actually leaning over a bit and tilting his head to the side… looking as though he were committing the final shocked expression of the creature’s face to memory.

He heard Misery hiss at him but ignored it and glared up at the other vampire still holding Tabby’s other arm. The vampire looked unsure for a moment before letting go of the girl and vanishing into the night. Kane arched an eyebrow at it before looking back down at the vampire sprawled on the pavement.

“Oh look, I broke your toy,” he smirked and abruptly pushed Tabatha away from himself and Misery.

Tabatha stumbled and fell to the ground but quickly rolled onto her back so she could push herself up and run like hell if they decided to quit paying attention long enough. She didn’t know what was going on but the way Misery was looking at Kane told her the demon wanted the handsome vampire for something.

“Why do you push her away?” Misery asked, looking at the human girl on the ground like she was a coveted treat in a candy store.

Kane shrugged giving the demon a cunning look deciding two could play at that game, “I’ve tasted that one before… she’s yummy if you’re just looking for the power of life that flows through a human’s blood, but that’s not what Misery is looking for… is it? Misery looks for the power that comes from death and suffering. She’s worthless to a demon that’s looking for that kind of power.”

Tabatha wanted to scream in outrage at his callous words but refrained in confusion. He was keeping Misery’s eyes off of her and that was a good thing. She slowly started to inch backward, away from the two psychos’ and hoping she could make it back to her jeep before everything went to hell.

“You would lie to a child?” Misery pouted then suddenly changed form, becoming the deceivingly beautiful woman Kane had seen in the underground cavern. “You own her and yet you allow a lowly fallen to taint her scent? I can smell him on her flesh.”

Kane felt the same cold chills he’d felt in the cavern race down his spine. He could hear the accusation and the question in Misery’s statement. He’d made her confused and curious at the same time and that was probably not a good combination for a demon. Listening for any hint within her thoughts, he found she was disappointed that he would take on a weak human familiar.

Misery suddenly moved so fast Kane barely saw it. He braced himself for the attack but to his horror, he realized too late that he was not her intended target. He reached out his hand to stop her but Misery’s long, flowing hair slipped right through his fingers and he finished the about face to see Misery now holding Tabatha who was whimpering and watching him with wide eyes.

It was at that moment that Kane realized something. He couldn’t hear her whispered prayer for help and he couldn’t mentally tell her to remain calm. Kane narrowed his eyes not liking the fact that his power had suddenly decided to be picky.

Misery had a tight hold of Tabatha’s chin. Her long nails were digging into Tabatha’s skin causing blood to seep out in thin lines. Tabatha had a hold of that same hand, trying to relieve some of the pressure. Misery’s other arm was around her waist, pinning Tabatha’s left arm to her side. Tabatha resisted the urge to heave again when she felt Misery press tight against her back and she had a visual of the rotting corpse Kane had described during the meeting.

Before he could stop himself, Kane clenched his fists tight then froze when he saw Misery’s knowing smile… with that one action he had given himself away.

“On the outside she smells of him… the fallen one,” Misery purred, “Maybe he loves her enough to kill her.” The demon laughed at the inside joke. Releasing Tabatha’s chin, Misery rubbed the pads of her fingers across Tabatha’s chest wounds before bringing the crimson liquid close to her lips.

For a moment, both Kane and Tabatha believed she was going to lick her fingers but instead, she inhaled the scent of the blood deeply. “But,” Misery continued, “The fallen’s power is nothing compared to your power… so why share her? Your power is present deep within her blood... within the aura of it… it’s intoxicating.”

When Kane offered no explanation and returned her comments with a glare, she smiled again. “Remember dear heart, I can see into both of your souls… where you cannot hide from me.”

Kane mentally reared back in surprise. Had she just told him that he was more powerful than the fallen? That he had more power than Dean or Kriss? His gaze shifted to Tabatha’s realizing he liked that thought. He knew the demon had already called his bluff so it was time to switch tactics. He jerked his gaze back to Misery with murder in his eyes.

“Oh my dearest demon,” Kane’s lips hinted at a sadistic smile and the strange amethyst color within his eyes almost glowed in the dim light of the street lamps. “If you do not release my lover, I do believe I’ll have to use that power you’re speaking so highly of and seal your ass back in a hole somewhere.”

Misery’s eyes flashed red then narrowed and she tightened her grip on the human as she felt Kane’s rage spike. It tasted wonderful, an exotic delicacy. But the fact that she could taste it so completely at this distance also proved just how dangerous he truly was. She gathered her own power around her and let her flesh rot around the girl.

Tabatha nearly screamed when the arms holding her started to shift. Her eyes widened in horror as the arm around her waist started to wither and turn gray before blood and other things started to ooze from the appendage. Tabatha felt the sick feeling return when something started wiggling just beneath the surface of the demon’s skin. She jerked her hand away no longer willing to touch it long enough to even fight for her freedom.

Kane concentrated, trying to read Misery’s mind in an attempt to discover her secrets. He almost smiled when he came across something rather surprising. So, she feared his rage? Then he would give her more of what she feared.

“If I had a good side… this is not the way to get on it,” Kane stated in a soft deadly voice. He mentally opened the doors on the anger and pain he’d kept hidden for so long and let them bleed to the surface of his mind… using it to fuel his rage.

Thunder suddenly boomed directly above them and Misery glanced up at the darkening clouds. The display of anger was disturbing the very atmosphere for miles. Another loud boom of thunder cracked through the night air and a bolt of lightning abruptly struck the ground dangerously close to Tabatha and the demon.

Tabatha screamed and struggled within the rotting demon’s grip feeling the heat of the lightning that had been way too close for her comfort. She didn’t dare take her eyes off Kane because those amazingly beautiful amethyst eyes were now red… so red, and glowing. His trench coat rustled as the wind picked up in intensity.

Kane felt all the rage that had built up within him while he was buried alive now wanting to unleash and it felt damn good. The feelings of desperation, hunger, and fear began feeding the rage making him even stronger. Tabatha’s scream penetrated through the red fog that had temporarily taken residence in his mind and he shifted his glare to her seeing the panic reflecting bright within her eyes… eyes that were focused directly on him.

The moment their eyes locked, Kane felt peace brush across his soul, cooling his anger and he quickly reined in his temper to a more manageable level. He couldn’t do this in front of his soul mate. He forced himself go numb again… hiding all emotion from Misery knowing she would only think it was powerful food. The numbness was a trick he had mastered in the grave, but he found it was harder to do now that he’d felt the spark of life once more.

Misery felt a loss the second his power imploded back into his soul and as frightening as it had been, she was still feeding on the power that permeated their surroundings. She looked him over, her rotting lips pulling back in a sickening smile as she wondered if it was worth the risk to make him unleash it again. She knew his weakness after all… his delicate little soul mate.

The naive blond was the key to controlling his power. Sadly, at the moment he didn’t seem to be in the mood to play with her.

“A peace offering then,” Misery smiled deceivingly, “You can have her back as long as you can get to her in time.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Kane frowned not liking the sound of Misery’s underlying warning. He suddenly shot forward so fast that for a brief moment, he was in two places at exactly the same time. Before she could carry out the threat she’d had in mind, Kane had his hand wrapped tightly around her throat and was pushing Tabatha out of the way.

“I’ll join you,” Kane made it sound like the threat it was and tightened his grip around the demon’s throat. He locked gazes with Misery and caught a fleeting glimpse of her fear.

Tabatha fell to the ground after being pushed aside for the second time that night. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Kane had the corpse distracted and used that to rise to her feet and run as fast as she could to the motorcycle since it was the closest escape route. She’d noticed the keys still in the ignition when she’d first arrived and was praying it would crank.

Kane saw Tabatha out of the corner of his eye and remained where he was. He didn’t attempt to get away from Misery. He wanted her to stay right where she was with all of her attention focused directly on him until Tabatha had time to reach safety. He’d open a vein if he had to.

“Give me one good reason why I should join you,” Kane demanded as a distraction when Tabatha revved the motorcycle to life. He breathed a mental sigh of relief when the tires of the vehicle screeched down the street and out of sight.

“Let me show you what we can do together,” Misery purred. Her sharp fingernails scratched a deep groove into Kane's wrist and her rotted lips pulled back in a wicked smile as she united the power of his blood and the power she had ciphered since escaping the cave.

Kane ignored the burning sensation and he watched the blood spray out in a jagged ark across the pavement before the wound started closing. His head snapped back up when he heard the demon start whispering an incantation. Her lips stretched even further just as her body turned to black smoke and slipped through his tightening fingers.

Kane growled when he lost his hold on Misery but he didn’t have time to dwell on it when his attention was pulled back to the concrete, hearing it crack and feeling the ground rumble and shift beneath him. On the Richter Scale, it would have registered as a baby earthquake but at the same time, the sound was distorted.

His blood framed the growing crack. It widened a couple of inches and started hissing as steam and mist rose up from it, making Kane take a step back. The crack vanished for a moment beneath the steam and he leaned forward so he could see down into it. The steam kept coming and Kane growled when he saw an angry red glow coming from deep within it.

He shook his head, wondering what Misery’s goal had been by doing this. His curiosity was also piqued, trying to speculate what she’d meant by her cryptic words about what they could do together. Kane stepped away from the crack in the pavement and looked up into the darkness where Misery was still stalking him from above.

“Great, we can form a tag team and make cracks in the ground,” he said sarcastically but he knew it was so much more. He’d already set monsters loose on the city once… but this time he was not taking the blame.

When he didn’t get a response, Kane turned his back on Misery letting her know he wasn’t interested and walked away. The darkness wrapped around him like a cloak and, within seconds, he was gone.

“You’ll help me,” Misery hissed, “And you’ll bleed doing it.”

She slipped through the darkness looking for the evil she would need to store up the energy she’d need to finish what they had started. She smiled knowing the crack in the ground was only an illusion of the real thing. It was more then just the ground she had cracked.

A few blocks away, in a cold sweat, Angelica was suddenly jerked from a dream making her abruptly sit upright with a long and lethal looking dagger in her left hand. Her eyes frantically searched the bedroom for the danger she felt.

Throwing the covers off, she approached the window and looked out at the peaceful night. Some cars were driving by and she saw the lights on within some of the taller buildings toward downtown. Other than that, everything was quiet. Going back to bed, she propped the pillows against the headboard and leaned back, holding the dagger across her chest.

She was wide awake and apprehensive about the dream. In it, she had seen this city being overrun with demons and the city streets were splashed with the blood of humans.