Our possessed attacker shook his head with a grunt and scrambled back to his feet. He looked up just in time for me to drive my fist, empowered by the magical Seal of Solomon ring I wore, into his face. A spark of mystical energy flew as my fist impacted his jaw. The man fell back, moaning feebly. I spun toward a stunned Celeste, snatched her hand and stormed toward the exit. The other patrons gazed at us as we made our rapid departure, but no one uttered a word.
Tendrils of heavy mist enveloped us as we emerged from the coffee shop. The nearby demon was manipulating weather conditions. Even though I had defeated its human puppet, we were far from being safe. First order of business was for us to get to my car, which was parked at the end of the block. The Equus Bass’ protective wards would hold off any future demonic attacks. Or at least I hoped they would. I could decide on our next move once we reached the car.
With this purpose driving me, I rushed down the block. Celeste was following my lead, not asking questions or slowing me down with hysterics. When I glanced over my shoulder at her, she was wearing an expression of fierce determination. Between that, the piercings and the mohawk, she looked like some kind of barbarian warrior queen.
I stumbled to a halt as a tall man wearing a thousand-dollar suit and a shiny Rolex peeled from the fog ahead of us, blocking our advance. The man’s eyes turned crimson and a forked tongue flickered from his mouth. Great. Another civilian under the command of a demonic force. Had the original beast found a new host, or was a second demon joining the fray?
Either way, this lawyer from hell meant business. With a ferocious roar, he whipped his briefcase at us. I dodged the first attack and tackled the possessed man before he could go on the offensive again. We both slammed into the nearest parked car, the passenger side window spider-webbing on impact.
The man let out a surprised moan and I pulled away from him. He blinked and looked up at me with ordinary—albeit confused—brown eyes.
“What happened?” he said.
“Watch out!” Celeste screamed.
The warning came a second too late as a pair of massive hands wrapped themselves around my throat. I faced my attacker, trying feebly to loosen the vise-like hold. The demon had switched bodies again. He now wore the thickly muscled form of a construction worker. I gasped for air as stars danced before my eyes.
“Her soul belongs to us, Raven!” the demon inside the construction worker hissed. Us? Could this be the demon Celeste’s soul was promised to?
Doubt it.
A full-fledged demon would only materialize on the day his victim’s soul was due. Showing up earlier would be beneath such a creature. Still, that wouldn’t stop him from sending lesser demons, known as Hellhounds, after his prey in the hours leading up to that fateful moment. These messengers couldn’t collect the prize directly, but their presence would heighten the despair of the target.
“Stay out of this or pay the ultimate—”
The words died on the Hellhound’s lips as my protective ring came up into his face. My attacker exhaled sharply and the grip around my neck loosened. A moment later, Celeste and I were storming toward my Equus Bass 770.
Once my new client was safely inside the car I got behind the wheel, massaging my bruised throat. The second I slammed the door shut the construction worker reappeared, pissed as all hell. The massive man hurled his bulk against the windshield and the wards lit up like the Las Vegas Strip. Blue energy crackled as the car’s protective magic tossed our new friend aside. The man went flying and disappeared into the mist.
I hadn’t even turned the key in the ignition when he was replaced by an armed police officer. The cop’s eyes flashed red as he leveled his pistol at my windshield. The wards worked great against paranormal attacks, but didn’t fare quite as well against bullets. The demon must’ve evacuated the previous host before he even hit the ground.
Clever beast.
A bullet blew my right-hand wing mirror away in a hail of sparking metal and glass. I took this as my cue to fire up the engine and get the hell out of there.
I heard more cracks of gunfire, but luckily the projectiles kept hitting metal instead of flesh. Fog devoured the possessed officer as he receded in my rear-view mirror.
Yes! We made it! Score one for the agents of light.
My elation proved short-lived. As we hurtled down the foggy block, I cut a sharp right and…
…found myself back in front of the coffee house.
The cop stood before us, loading a fresh magazine into his pistol.
Shit, this wasn’t going to be pretty.
“What’s going on? Oh my God, it’s like we never left!”
I shut out Celeste’s panicky voice and turned inward. Losing my cool at this critical juncture wouldn’t help anyone.
Despite their considerable powers, there were rules demons had to play by while on our earthly plane. Distorting or reshaping reality was possible, but it would require an enormous amount of energy. Celeste’s soul was precious, but I found it hard to believe Hellhounds could push reality to such a degree. I had managed to cover an entire city block before we were looped back here. To pull off such a feat would require an unimaginable amount of power.