Demon's Alter-Ego Ch. 05-08

"I won't, just let me...," his quiet voice demanded. He jutted his head out and inhaled deeply. He turned to Oldavai and gave him a disgusted look. "Risky."

Oldavai addressed him in demon saying Te'a's name somewhere in the sentence. Salem said nothing back, just placed a restraining hand on Te'a's arm when she jerked forward with a thunderous expression. My eyebrows quirked up when I realized that Te'a was ahead of the game when it came to understanding Demon language.

I turned to look at the Oldavai, 'What did you tell him?'

'Essentially to mind his own business unless he and Te'a wanted trouble from his elder brothers.'

Michael added impatiently, "We're running out of time."

"Is there more of a plan?" I asked.

"Multiple wounds simultaneously," Carlos answered.

"Fucking lovely," I replied.

"Michael, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like a word with you?" Oldavai asked.

I watched Michael and Carlos turn a weary gaze our way. Carlos spoke up for Michael, "Why?"

"I just want to know what we are getting into. So, if you please?"

I turned to look again at the demon beside me, old world gentleman Oldavai at his best, his hands clasped behind his back, face completely non-threatening. As non-threatening as a demon could be, I suppose.

"He's coming," was all Michael said, staring at Oldavai.

"And of course you would know this," Oldavai replied. "Because Ratha is..."

Carlos interrupted forcefully, "Enough!"

"I'm feeling left out here," Te'a inserted into the conversation.

I looked from Oldavai to Michael, "Ohhhh." I enunciated, "Well, this sucks." A riotous rumble vibrated inside my body telling me Ratha was nearby.

"What the hell is going on?!" Te'a shouted, almost in time to the lights flickering dim around the field.

"Ratha took my blood with my blade," Michael growled.

CHAPTER 7

"You mean we're compromised?!" Te'a shouted incredulously and then added, "And your magic AGREED to bind with him?!"

I suppose this made some twisted sense, but it weirdly never got out. I felt pity for just how much hell Michael had been taking since he was 'released'. Then, my thoughts strayed to the time Taurin used my power and drained me. Ratha could drain Michael completely. I stalked toward him, "Do you realize what he can do to you?!"

Michael kept his eyes up and shouted his reply to the sky, "Of course I do, I was tortured for weeks!"

"Then you know he can drain you of your powers faster than they come to you! Make you sick the harder you magically fight him. You will be no use to us once he starts draining you."

Clouds rolled in darker and bigger as I watched his jaw tighten. "He can't take my magic away!"

"Not unless you're dead, but he can use it! He just hasn't yet, otherwise you would know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Is this true," came Carlos' anger over mine.

My mouth opened in shock at Carlos' ignorance, but it was too late. Ratha was here and Oldavai was walking towards me.

"Time for work," he whispered as he sided next to me.

The demon hovered crossed legged in front of us on top of a low bearing cloud with his fore front arms crossed over his bare chest. He wasn't so much as muscular as just big due to multiple arms and heads. I had never seen anything like it, and I stood mesmerized watching all the arms, hands, and heads move independently. He said nothing. All of his blue heads were scanning us until as one they turned and focused on where I was standing. I was almost positive it wasn't me he was looking at. Shining Oldavai had his undivided attention. The head in the front cocked sideways, as if in thought.

Oldavai tucked me close to him and kissed the top of my head as he spoke in my mind. 'Such fortuitous luck, my Dove, to have not just one demon who I despise, but two.'

'Don't kill Salem,' I ordered him.

Oldavai refused to acknowledge my demand, 'Start the chant and I'll find a way to bring him to us.'

I was abruptly pulled out of my thoughts and realized we never did. I started, overjoyed when the others followed suit without even knowing the real reason, they were weaving what traditionally would have been spoken at the end of the fight. It was called "The Death Spell" when I thought it should be called "The Barrier Spell". A misrepresented chant that would keep demons from pulling on another source of energy. In Ratha's case, if Oldavai was correct, his ability to obtain energy through any wounds given.

"Come down and fight us, Ratha." Oldavai flung his arms out, "Isn't this what you've been waiting for?"

I prayed that no one would start attacking until he was on the ground. The fight would escalate exponentially if they did, and it would be a wasted effort. Maybe it already was, too bad hunters only had two hands.

Oldavai kept shouting insults to Ratha while mind speaking to me, 'This must be fast. Get them to attack as a single force when I give the signal.'

'What signal?'

'Pay attention, my sweet pain,' he assured me.

It wasn't until he and Salem started speaking in demon that Ratha finally had enough and shook the ground with a jump from his cloud. Oldavai ran in front of us and started shooting with two guns, completely unable to miss a target that huge. Salem launched over Oldavai like a cat and took a bite out of his side. One of Ratha's arms sunk a blade in Salem's side before he pounced out of the way.

"Holy shit! Now!" I shouted and surged forward to follow Oldavai, going in fast to slash at Ratha with my sword while Oldavai briefly pointed his guns into the air.

The others yelled a step behind me and charged. There wasn't enough time and there weren't enough bodies on our side. The clones swamped us after any wound we caused in the initial rush.

They fell easily enough, but their numbers were unending. I heard Oldavai yell 'Load' and deduced he fell back. I raised my eyes to the multiheaded demon and knew we'd never get enough damage to the main body of him. We were losing and Ratha gloated, he didn't even attempt to drain Michael. He didn't need to. This warrant was fucked, and we were screwed without each of us having illegal haelithic ammo. Even with parts of his body hanging limp I understood without a doubt that Ezra was the only reason this warrant was allowed to go active.

We were being bashed, clawed, and sliced. Each of us had to have multiple bleeding wounds despite the instinctive magic that flared around our bodies to repel demon attacks. There were just too many of them and the magic couldn't keep up with the collective hits. Michael, Carlos, and I formed a loose triangle once we started to be overrun with clones. I could feel Ratha's laugh boom through the air and then there was a pinging that vibrated in my chest that had nothing to do with any demon. My spirit hurtled out and I watched the battle from above. It moved slower and slower, and darker and darker until I was surrounded in space.

'Eternal?'

'Dove.'

There was a heavy silence. Very few pinpricks of light dotted my vision. Mostly an entity of dark. I waited, terrified of what was happening while I wasn't in my body and what was happening to my soul whilst here.

'You are his Eshera,' her voice was like a soft thump all around me.

'Does he know what's happening?'

'Does he?' she asked in return.

Of course he did, somehow. 'Yes.'

A shooting star lit my vision momentarily. 'My devious consort. He wanted to give his creations the choice and abilities to possess, stay, protect. Everything he never had with Ezra and Zhora. And yet he abhors females because he hates me.' Stars burst in quick succession in front of me. 'Again, we have no time. You will be dead soon. Ezra will allow himself to be completely consumed by me if he feels his Eshera leave him.'

I was shunted into my body and saw that Michael was down and I was being overrun. Above me, Ratha laughed and spoke in Demon first, then heavily accented English.

"Oldavai! It is done. You are no match for me."

Te'a screamed, "DOVE, on your left!"

The gleam of an Indian kukri flashed in my sight coming straight towards my head from my left. If I thought having the Eternal She ride me all those other times was overwhelming, it was nothing compared to this. She slammed into me, raised my arms, and bellowed 'STOP' without the word being issued from my lips.

Everyone stopped.

Everyone gapped, at me.

The Eternal turned me to face Ratha. I leisurely walked towards him with every brush of my hand on a clone causing them to collapse in on themselves into dust. Even farther, death streamed from my fingertips to touch each clone out of reach.

'You will not leave', she ordered the demon when he tried to run. His cloud completely evaporated beneath him. Ratha stood tall in front of us. Seven, eight feet tall, I don't know. It should have been scary as hell, except having a goddess ride me while completely conscious was enough emotion and power for me to process. It felt like each individual cell that made up my skin was floating off of me and turning into stars.

Her command echoed through the silence, 'Kneel.'

He grunted in anger and disdain but couldn't seem to stop himself from following her demand.

'You think I should abase to you, but you belong to me because what is his is mine.' Her voice boomed in the clearing, coming from the air. She, or rather we, reached out and touched him on the main forehead and Ratha collapsed in on himself, disintegrating. I felt her explode his power before it chose who to invade next. In my mind I knew that she was finally claiming the demons for her own, simply because her consort made them.

"What the hell is going on?!" Salem cried out.

We turned. I knew I had her swirling galaxies in my eyes, and I could feel how insulted she felt by his tone. I started walking towards Salem. Oldavai was there instantly. He already had Salem cruelly shoved down by the neck with his knee digging into his back by the time I approached. Salem's face was smashed into the torn-up grass and his growling noises were riding the air. Simultaneously, I heard Te'a sound of shock and prayed she wouldn't do anything rash.

Oldavai spoke evenly with his head bowed despite the pressure he exerted to keep the struggling demon on the ground, "We humble ourselves."

I noted the stunned looks of the other hunters as I passed their quiet forms. As soon as I made it to the demons Salem stopped and finally seemed to sense the danger he was in.

She turned my stare to a bowed over Oldavai, 'Your obeisance is with respect, his in fear. Both are acceptable.'

She left with an abrupt force, and I collapsed to my knees, only to keep falling backwards. I lay there letting my breath calm me as I relived what it felt to have her power rushing through my body, unable to contain it for a second more, convinced I would have imploded. Is this what Ezra was feeling? I let the commotion continue without me until I saw Oldavai's face staring down into my eyes.

'What haven't you told me?'

'Why should I tell you anything?'

He had nothing to say to that. Eventually he made his decision and bent down to stretch out my bent legs. I let him. I was willing to be more rag doll than self-sufficient at the moment. My peripheral vision watched him lay down and link his hands behind his head next to me. We gazed up at the stars together, our minds connected and silent. A deluge of questions surrounded me, but I couldn't or wouldn't answer any of them.

It wasn't until Salem growled and kicked Oldavai in the leg that he talked. "Do that again little demon and I will rip that leg out of its socket. I saved you and I'll be damned if I know why."

I finally turned my head towards him and knew Oldavai saved Salem for me. He didn't acknowledge my stare.

Michael sat down hard next to me, "Fuking Ratha. He was never going to kill me. Not even now. He'd show up, torture, leave. Come back... You killed him." He laughed like he just couldn't believe it. "You killed him. Oh my gods, you fucking killed him." He expelled a huge breath and laid down on my other side.

I glanced at Michael and then back to Oldavai, 'I didn't kill Ratha.'

'I know, my sweetest pain.'

'Did you know we'd fail?'

'Nothing is 100%.'

'Why did you come to fight Ratha?'

He inched himself closer to me, propping his head up on his hand, 'Shorn didn't order me to fight Ratha. He ordered me to keep you alive. Instead, I was fighting because I am a very self-serving demon. I want to fight. The cost would have been your life because you're still too hesitant to use the demon power you've accumulated.' He paused and regarded me. I waited, knowing something else was coming.

'It's all very clear now. Had you died, Shorn would kill me. An unintentional mercy to save me from Ezra's wrath."

I made a noise of disgust, 'And you'll stay by my side because of Ezra.'

'No. I'm going to ruin your life from here on out because of who you are, not who follows you. I have the biggest hard on for you, something I haven't felt for eons.'

I turned on my side, mirroring his position, and looked down at his crotch, 'I don't see anything.'

He scoffed while he repositioned to lean back on his clasped hands, 'I'm an incubus, you're not going to notice anything until I let you. Believe me though, it's huge.'

I let out a small laugh, my voice startling the quiet conversation happening around us, 'And throbbing?'

'Most definitely,' he said straight faced.

I thought at him with a grin, 'What else?'

'It's pointed right at you and I'm not leaving until I get what I want, over and over again. You won't be able to stand, but you'll fall unconscious with a smile on your face.'

'Mm Hmm.' I couldn't stop a lopsided smile or head shake at the turn of subject. Trust Oldavai to turn every conversation to sex or himself.

He reached out his hand tentatively, his finger barely touching my arm, 'It will be different this time.'

I couldn't help but tease him. 'That's only because you don't want me to turn you into dust.'

He sat up and gave me a somber expression, 'No. Well, yes, but no incubus this time.'

I looked at him with seriousness, 'How can you separate yourself from yourself? You are your incubus magic.'

He shrugged, unable to meet my eyes, no words from him coming to my mind. Slowly, I felt him pull the locks off his magic so that I could feel his emotions.

'Does the thought of having sex without magical purpose frighten you?'

His face furrowed in anger from the question, 'No.'

It knew it was a lie. Maybe even one he told himself.

Carlos chose that moment to speak up, "We need to talk."

Oldavai slammed the gate back down on his emotions and I reared back from the force. Emotionally hurt, I sat up and looked at the others, determined to deal with it later.

"Yes," Te'a agreed.

Salem's anger permeated the air, "What the hell was that?"

Michael quipped in, "Was that more demon magic? Because I'm o.k. with that one."

Salem clenched his fists, his eyes darting back and forth in agitation, "That was NOT demon power! I have never seen that. I do not bow to any demon hunter! So, what the fuck was that?"

Oldavai chuckled, "You might want to rethink those words, little demon."

Salem's face turned even more furious as Te'a reached out and stroked his back. I watched his tail quickly flick back and forth.

Carlos came to stand in front of me, his own fury invading my air. I narrowed my eyes at him and wanted to stand to meet his glare on even ground but didn't trust my balance yet.

My own anger continued to rise at his stony silence. "If you are going to yell at me you might as well get on my level, so you can spit in my face too." His jaw shifted and he stalked away.

Michael scrambled to get up, "Never know what's going to happen when you're around. Don't leave without seeing me first." He walked a few paces towards a retreating Carlos, but paused and emphasized again, "You need to see me before you leave." He looked over at Oldavai, "You can even bring him."

My face showed astonishment, "You want me to come over with Oldavai? Are you sure?"

He nodded, "Yes." He turned and jogged to catch up to Carlos.

"He didn't wait for your oath."

I looked at Oldavai, "And here is where it's so obvious that we think different."

"What?" Oldavai asked, his face a mask of confusion.

I rolled my eyes and gave an exasperated sigh, "He doesn't need my promise, Oldavai."

"Why?"

Te'a and I burst out identical laughs.

She answered for me, "Because we're not demons." It was her turn to roll her eyes, only she added a shrug, "Demons."

She crossed her arms and stared down at me, "Now explain."

"Ah... You know, I don't know, just crazy shit that happens when you get too involved with demons." I slowly stood up, gauging my ability to do so in increments. Oldavai hovered over me, catching my elbow when my vision darkened and I wobbled. When I could stand solidly on my own, I looked askance at him, silently asking him with my expression to give me breathing space.

"Well, that's a bunch of bullshit," she replied with a twist of her lips. "Why do you have three demons with you?"

"I don't. Ezra and Taurin aren't here." I looked at her even as I felt Oldavai creep even closer. Even with the gratitude I felt for his protectiveness a wave of weariness accompanied it. Our honest conversation aside, I still wasn't ever sure of his motives.

"Semantics."

"I don't have anything to say, except don't do what I did."

Salem finally spoke up, "She won't!"

I was taken aback by his vehemence and glanced between his blazing eyes to Te'a's face furrowing in exasperation, "You two aren't..."

Salem interrupted, "She doesn't need to be corrupted!"

"I swear Salem, you are so melodramatic," Te'a ground out between clenched teeth.

Oldavai added his two cents, sotto voce, "Always has been."

This was obviously an old argument between the two of them and I didn't need to comment. "Well, I'm not quite ready to hash out everything that has been happening with me. Ila knows a lot."

"So, that's it. No answer as to why you had spooky eyes and can turn demons into dust."

"No. It has nothing to do with demon magic or even our own." Not directly I added silently. "And please, PLEASE, don't count on me being able to turn demons to dust at my command. It was a very lucky one off."

Te'a threw her hands up in frustration, "Let's go Salem." She turned around in repugnance and I looked briefly at Oldavai, I could feel it. He was loosening the hold on the magic he gave me, leaking small amounts into my awareness. Meanwhile, the running sarcastic commentary in my head narrated, that's me, always making friends wherever I go.

Salem didn't follow her though, instead he slammed into my body, digging his claws into my shoulders, only to be instantly gone. My hand came up to touch the gouges through the torn t-shirt, blood dripping through my fingers. I didn't have to guess.

Oldavai happened.

Oldavai had him ground into the grass yards away, his knee stabbing into his chest and one hand around his throat. Those flaring embers were falling onto Salem and low rumbling growls were coming out of both of them. Te'a was already running heedlessly towards the argument.

I immediately ran after her, going faster than I ever had before, the mantra screaming through my head, 'No, no, no, no.'

He only had to look at her and his gold glitter shot off him towards her. I leaped and pushed her away from his most merciless magic. It drenched me and I completely stopped. It was just as horrible as I knew it could be. I refused to move, but I was already dripping with need. I felt him tune into me, but he never turned his head from the demon underneath him. His other hand idly trailed up and down Salem's bare arm, leaving gold sparks in their wake. I watched Salem clench his fist, but he never moved an inch to fight.