Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Guy let go of Zachary and took a deep breath before releasing it loudly. If he smoked, this would have been a good time for a cigarette… this was starting to get too stressful. He could understand why Zachary was mad as hell, but this temper tantrum of his was taking it a little over the deep end. It wasn’t like he was facing a full blood demon and pissing it off or anything. Guy turned to watch Craven carefully.

“Guy, look out!” Jason shouted calling Zachary’s attention away from Tiara.

Guy spun around and his eyes widened when he saw two sexy women coming straight for him. Any other time he would have held his arms out in acceptance but… he didn’t think so.

They moved with a strange snakelike quality and had several rows of sharp teeth exposed between their lips. Their hair was in long ratted locks that seemed to have a life of their own. His eyes darted to the sharp talons gracing their fingertips and knew exactly what they were… human legend called them Gorgons.

Quickly, he thought back to everything he knew about the demons and what could kill them. Humans had described them as a female breed of demon that had the body of a serpent and the upper appearance of a beautiful woman. In place of hair however, legend had said their heads were covered in snakes. Much like the strangely similar legend they’d been based on, these girls could turn anything living to hard stone-like flesh… if they got close enough to touch it.

There was one quick way to destroy them and Guy panicked for a second before his eyes landed on the fountain sitting a few feet away.

“Perfect,” Guy whispered and clapped his hands together.

The water in the fountain shot straight up and formed a perfect sphere. It hovered between himself and the Gorgons. As the demons approached, one of them suddenly veered away from the water while the second was a little too late. The sphere suddenly solidified and took on a mirror quality.

The first Gorgon didn’t even have the chance to scream as it reached out to stop itself from slamming into the mirrored water wall. The second it touched its own reflection, the demon started to harden. As it fought the stiffening of its limbs, its face distorted in agony only to solidify as it fell. It hit the ground with a hard, shattering impact.

The pieces of demon slid across the area with the face of the petrified thing landing near Guy’s feet. He looked down and smirked, “Didn’t your mommy demon ever warn you not to make faces in the mirror… it might freeze that way.”

Tiara felt like she was watching Guy fight the demons from a distance and realized why. She’d woken up the whole graveyard and now she was trying to ascend all of them at the same time. She was so caught up in their vortex that anything outside of it seemed a little unreal, almost like an out of body experience.

She felt a quickening and noticed some of the souls were skirting around her link and entering Craven instead. If she’d had the strength to do so, she would have turned around and kissed him for the help.

“Oh no you don’t,” Jason growled when the second demon backtracked and started to come at Guy from behind.

Guy glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Jason tackle the Gorgon in an attempt to stop it.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Tiara saw the other demon collide with Jason and her heart plummeted to her feet. She strained to break away from Craven so she could help but he tightened his arm around her.

“Pay attention,” Craven ordered seeing the same thing she did. As long as the demons had not come here to attack Tiara, then they were unimportant right now. “This is a small graveyard but it is old and strong. Do not underestimate the power these souls possess.”

“Don’t touch it!” Guy screamed once he realized what Jason was doing but he was too late.

Jason stood between Guy and the second demon, having caught the hissing demon around its throat with both hands. He grunted with the effort of holding it as it wiggled around and sliced its sharp claws down his arms.

The strength of the demon and its constant moving around like a damned alligator was making him struggle to keep his hold. Jason’s eyes widened when he saw the gray trails of hardened flesh the demon left on his skin where it touched him. He breathed a strangled sigh as the hard withered skin around the slashes turned right back into his own soft flesh.

“I thought the other one turning into stone was some kind of spell you did,” Jason said to Guy who was definitely keeping his distance. “Any idea’s here?” he made a face when the demon’s neck seemed to get a touch longer and its deadly looking teeth snapped at his arm, missing it by a mere inch. “Ah… Guy… a little bit of help would be nice right now.”

Jason jumped and quickly released the demon when flames suddenly shot out the girl’s mouth and directly at his face. Throwing his arm up to protect himself, he stumbled backwards and landed on his butt before chancing a look up to see what the hell had just happened.

What he saw made his lips part in awe. Crackle looking lines of fire ran across the female’s skin, making the flesh separate in thin streams of what looked like lava. The demon raised her hands to her face but it was too late. The fire had already spread through her from the inside out and she rapidly turned to ash. Starting with her feet, she fell apart … leaving only Zachary standing there in Jason’s direct line of vision.

Zachary’s eyes had bled completely black letting Jason know who and what was in control at the moment. He swallowed thickly and exhaled, not taking the chance to look away. However, before Jason could even thank him, Zach had turned his attention back to Tiara.

Zach frowned seeing that the majority of the souls were actually going into Craven instead of Tiara. It was proof Craven had known she couldn’t handle this on her first try and as soon as they were done, he planned on lighting a fire under the feet of dear daddy-wanna-be.

Guy walked over to Jason and glanced down at him. Jason was examining his arms to make sure he wasn’t next to become immortalized in stone before lowering them to his knees. Trying not to think it was funny… Guy turned his attention to Zachary who was doing a great job of pretending that nothing had happened. He didn’t like to be the one to point a finger, but what the hell.

“Isn’t anyone else curious about where the scary bitches came from?” Guy smirked when Jason quickly pushed himself off the ground and nervously joined him.

“Do you think maybe there is another demon here wanting this graveyard like Nile wanted Hollywood Cemetery?” Jason asked. “Think about it… it seems like every time we’re attacked it’s in a cemetery.”

He and Guy exchanged looks before they turned away from each other and backed up so they could watch all four directions at the same time… as well as protect each other’s backs. Neither one knew what they were looking for, but they weren’t going to let anything else sneak up on them.

Shadow fisted her small hands at her sides frustrated with the swiftness the three men had destroyed the Gorgons… not that she’d miss them. Watching the little princess panic when the demons attacked had been amusing but the panic hadn't lasted long enough. She narrowed her eyes on Craven, seeing him caress the girl’s skin in almost hidden strokes.

So, Deth's brother was cheating and keeping the girl happy. That would have to change… and quickly.

Nighthawk looked over his shoulder with a deep frown on his face. Feeling a disturbance in the spirit realm he had wrapped around himself, Nighthawk turned toward it. He was no longer alone.

He could taste the demons slipping in and out of existence and his frown turned into a glare. In a graveyard this old and powerful, the spirit realm was full of catacombs and mazes that could be nearly impossible to follow. He wasn’t going to let that stop him from tracking the demons that had somehow breached his domain.

He moved silently through the realm and got close enough to one of the demons that he could feel its breath on his shoulder but the demon could not sense him. Nighthawk had been the best tracker while alive and that ability had only grown stronger now that he no longer had a scent for others to detect.

Slipping discretely past several demons of different variations, he found his true target and moved up behind her.

“So wizard, you think those demons were child’s play? Let’s see how you like these,” Shadow hissed softly and called two more demons to attack. She suddenly lost her breath when an arm came around her throat from behind and she was shoved forward… completely out of the protective spirit realm she’d been hiding in.

The sound of something heavy falling on the ground made Jason turn his head in that direction. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Nighthawk fighting with a woman... it looked pretty serious.

“Guy,” Jason elbowed him, “Look at Nighthawk. You stay here with Zachary, I’m gonna check it out.”

Guy could only nod and quickly turned his attention back out to the cemetery. With Zachary’s attention solely on Tiara, and Jason going to check out what kind of trouble Nighthawk was getting into, that left only him to watch everyone else’s back. Just call him paranoid, but in his opinion… this was not shaping up to be a good night.

Nighthawk struggled against the woman and quickly pushed her down to her knees. He then captured her arms by wrapping his free one around her while tightening his choke hold. It was like fighting a pissed off cat. Just getting her to the ground had taken some effort. He knew it was because he’d taken her by surprise. If she’d seen him coming, he wasn’t sure he would have made it out of the spirit realm.

The strength she had inside of her was massive and that’s when Nighthawk realized something interesting… she had regained her soul.

Shadow had indeed been taken by surprise. She struggled against the hold and looked over her shoulder at the Indian restraining her. It was the first time in way too long she’d felt the touch of another, and to now feel a full body pressed behind her… the shock of the contact had her reeling.

“How did you…” she started to ask but couldn’t even finish the sentence when she noticed the lack of emotion in his dark eyes. Her lips parted in momentary astonishment. He was a Night Walker… he had to be to have been walking in the Spirit Realm with her. “Are you Craven’s?”

“No,” Nighthawk answered instantly. “I do not serve the demon.”

Shadow blinked then jerked her gaze away from his to stare at Tiara. Had the girl already grown so powerful that she’d found out how to enslave a Night Walker? Watching her with Craven… she doubted it. At least she could do something good for someone else and save them from the same life of servitude she’d been forced into. “If you are the girl’s… you will soon be freed from your bonds.”

Nighthawk finally felt the needles of anger shoot through him and pressed harder against her neck, “You have been sent here to kill Tiara!”

“No, just everyone she cares about,” Shadow stated just before she flipped Nighthawk over her shoulder and jammed her arm against his throat with the same amount of pressure he’d given her. Not enough to kill, but enough to warn him she wasn’t playing. “Deth wants the pleasure of killing Tiara for himself, and you would be wise to stay out of his way lest you gain his attention.”

Jason had just gotten within hearing range when he heard the woman threaten Tiara. He fisted his hands and ran at her in a full-blown football tackle. The blow knocked her off of Nighthawk and sent the two tumbling across the ground. He had ended up on top of her and looked down at her with an expression that promised murder.

“I won't let you hurt her,” Jason growled when they finally stopped rolling. The ring lent him strength, allowing him to keep her arms pinned to the ground and his legs sprawled across hers in an excellent attempt to hold her down.

“Nighthawk, get Tiara out of here,” He yelled at the Night Walker not bothering to look away from the woman.

Shadow hadn't had this much contact or fun in so long that she found herself really not wanting it to end. It was a strange sensation… facing the ring bearer that was empowered by her blood and Deth's spell. She’d been told to kill Tiara’s friends but because her blood ran through the ring he wore, she could not hurt this man… nor did she want to.

“What is your name?” she asked with a soft smile, lying still as if she’d given up.

Jason narrowed his eyes not trusting the female. The last one he’d fought had tried to turn him into stone. “I don’t think I want to tell you since you just admitted you were here to kill me along with everyone else here.”

“Help them!” Tiara screamed pulling against Craven's hold. She had seen Nighthawk struggling with the woman and Jason attacking her when she flipped the Night Walker over her shoulder. The hostility of the other woman told Tiara that she wasn’t here to make friends.

Nighthawk brushed past Zachary, nearly toppling the phoenix in his mission to take Tiara from this place. He reached through the translucent wall of the vortex and grasped hold of Tiara’s shoulder. Without a word of warning or apology, he transported the two of them away from the cemetery and the dangerous woman that meant to cause Tiara harm.

“Wait!” Zachary yelled and stepped toward the vortex only to curse loudly when Tiara and Nighthawk vanished right before his very eyes.

Craven’s arms were suddenly empty and with his anger spiking, he jerked the rest of the souls across the graveyard and into eternity. He glared toward Jason and the woman he was battling.

“Damn it!” Zachary roared. “Where did you have him take her this time?”

Craven merely arched an eyebrow at the phoenix. What was it with fire demons and their tempers?

“Jason!” Guy yelled having given up on keeping watch to make sure nothing snuck up on them now that Tiara was gone.

He was already halfway to Jason and the woman wondering what the hell had happened to make Nighthawk kidnap Tiara like that. He’d seen the expression on Nighthawk’s face and it made his stomach churn. While the Indian wasn’t one to show emotion, his expression had been almost a cross between anger and panic.

“Jason is it?” Shadow purred before easily slipping one of her hands free from his hold and tracing her finger down his cheek. “You’re going to be so much fun to play with,” She said right before disappearing.

Jason pushed off the ground for the second time that night. He growled softly before turning his irritation on Guy, “Thanks a bunch motor mouth. You just gave my name to someone who wants to kill me.”

“Huh?” Guy frowned in confusion as he skidded to a stop beside him only for Jason to shake his head and start back toward Zachary. “Fine,” he yelled at Jason’s retreating back, “Next time I’ll remember not to care.”

Jason sighed, “Come on. I think we have a fight to break up between the almighty ones.”

Guy looked back at Zachary and Craven, who were now involved in some kind of staring contest. If looks could kill both of them would have been nothing but bloody spots on the grass. “Do we have to?” he asked but hurried after Jason.

“Where did you have him take her?” Zachary demanded again.

“I did not tell him to take Tiara anywhere,” Craven answered and pulled the tether he had on the souls a little closer in case he had to fight the phoenix.

“Bullshit!” Zachary snarled. “Each time one of you takes her away, that leaves us up in the air. We can’t do what we’re supposed to if you keep steeling her away from her means of protection.”

“That is why I have been instructing her to use her powers,” Craven countered. “But then again, I would not expect a human, or half-human, to understand the full reasoning behind it.”

Zachary’s eyes once more faded to pitch black and flames jumped up around them. “Would you mind repeating that?” Zach asked calmly.

“Zachary stop!” Jason yelled out just as they reached the outer circle of flames. “Craven didn’t do anything… I’m the one who told Nighthawk to take Tiara.”

“You what,” Zach turned on him. “Whose side are you on?”

Jason decided he’d had enough and held a hand up at the angry phoenix. “First off, I’ve already told you whose side I’m on so wait before you fry me. I saw Nighthawk and some girl fall out of thin air and start fighting with each other. Nighthawk looked like he was having a hard time so I jumped in. While I had her distracted, I told Nighthawk to get Tiara out of here.”

“A girl?” Zachary made a face. “And what do you mean they fell out of thin air?”

Jason shook his head in frustration. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is she was sent by Deth… and he’s coming for Tiara.”

“She’s not ready,” Craven whispered too low for the others to hear but Zachary heard him clear as a bell.

***** Tiara closed her eyes and held on tight to Nighthawk knowing they were going a long way for it to take this long. She was confused as to why he’d suddenly grabbed her like he was taking her from the jaws of death itself. It angered her that he would act so rashly when everyone was there and they could have faced the problem together as a team. He had left the rest of them alone out there.

The second she felt the world settle around her, Tiara pushed out of Nighthawk’s arms and glared up at his face.

“Why did you do that?” she demanded and then blinked seeing they were in Ren’s office back at the castle.

“Well,” Storm said quietly. “This is… not so expected.”

“Why are we here?” Tiara asked turning her attention from Nighthawk to Storm and then to Ren who was seated behind the desk.

Nighthawk looked at Storm with a stony expression, “Do you have a place to keep her where I cannot get to her?”

What?” Tiara yelled becoming even more panicked. “Who were you fighting and why did you take me away from my team?”

“Now,” Nighthawk insisted when Storm didn’t instantly move, ignoring Tiara completely.

Tiara screamed as she felt herself being pushed backwards by an unseen force. She landed on the sofa and glared at the three men in the room. Jumping off the sofa, she started right back for Nighthawk, only to gasp when she ran into the barrier.

“Try to get to her,” Ren instructed. When Storm gave him a dirty look for tossing Tiara around like that he cocked an eyebrow then shrugged, “I was just helping.”

Nighthawk approached the barrier and pressed his hands against it. He felt the vibrating shock of something akin to electricity dance across his hands but continued to push. After several tries he stepped back, satisfied he couldn’t get to her.

“This will do for now,” Nighthawk stated.

“Would you mind telling me why it’s her locked up and not you?” Storm asked curiously.

“I am not the one that wants to hurt her.” Nighthawk stood facing the barrier locking eyes with Tiara.

“Are you talking about that girl you were fighting at the cemetery? Were those her demons that attacked Jason and Guy?” Tiara asked realizing if Nighthawk was taking this serious enough to ask for Storm’s help then she had to be in deep trouble. “Who was she?”

“She is a Night Walker,” Nighthawk informed her.

“I thought Craven said there wasn’t any more,” Tiara said with a frown.

“She is Deth's Night Walker,” Nighthawk elaborated.

“You mean he’s trying to contact me?” Tiara asked not bothering to hide the curious hope in her eyes. She liked Craven and he was nice enough to her… so how bad could Deth really be?

Nighthawk just stared at the innocence in Tiara’s eyes and turned away from it to face Storm. “Deth has sent his Night Walker to kill everyone Tiara loves. Once that is accomplished then Deth plans to come back and give Tiara the same fate.”

Tiara inhaled sharply feeling the betrayal. She slid back from the barrier and wrapped her arms around herself. Why was Deth trying to kill her? She felt confused… what happened to the man her mother had described? Had Myra been lying to her? Was Deth really nothing more than a tyrannical demon who wanted it all regardless of the cost?

Storm looked away from Tiara, not wanting to destroy the fairy tale picture Myra had given her of Deth… but it had to be done. She would have to learn the truth eventually and better late than too late.

“How much time do you think we have?” Ren asked.

Storm shook his head, “I have no idea.”

“Well, there goes our trump card,” Ren glanced toward Tiara having a feeling this wasn’t going to end well.

Storm felt his phone vibrate and removed it from his pocket. He sighed noticing the caller ID. “She’s here… tell Craven to come too,” he answered then hung up.

Tiara watched as Nighthawk stepped over to Storm and Ren where they began a conversation that involved a lot of hushed tones and quick hand gestures on Ren and Storm’s end while taking turns glancing at her. She kept slowly walking backwards until she felt the sofa against the back of her knees. She lowered herself to it and pulled her legs up on the cushion, wrapping her arms around them in an effort to make herself as small as she possibly could.

Nighthawk was wrong and that girl he had been fighting with was a liar… they were both wrong. She glared at Nighthawk when he glanced her way as if he’d heard her inner rant.

‘I don’t care if you heard me or not,’ she yelled loudly in her head at him. She blinked when Ren turned his head and gave her an odd look, making her shrink back into the couch cushions wishing for a cover to hide beneath.

She turned her face away refusing to watch their secret meeting or even attempt to hear what they were saying to one another… they were wrong and that was that. It was almost thirty minutes later of watching the three men talk quietly before the doors to the office burst open causing them to bang loudly against the walls.