Paula Altenburg - Black Widow Demon

Creed disentangled himself and stood, taking her elbow and pulling her up beside him. She could not take her eyes off him. He had gained muscle, she noticed. His hair was gone, and the edges of a flaming tattoo peeped above the back of his shirt collar. She reached up and ran her fingertips over its outline. It felt hot and alive, and she was not sure she liked it.

Other than that, he was as big and beautiful as ever. He still had the kindest, friendliest eyes she had ever seen, and right now, they were filled to the brim with the same joy she was feeling.

Laurel, too, seemed somewhat awed by his presence.

“Where’s this assassin who’s supposed to be protecting you?” Creed asked. He looked at the sky. “Because as soon as the sun sets, we’ve got trouble.”

“We’ve got trouble now,” Blade said.

They sat in the main room of the house he shared with Raven—Blade, Raven, Creed, Laurel, and Walker. One of Laurel’s companions was dead. The other had not yet returned and likely would not for several more days. The room was cold because Blade had not taken the time to rekindle the fire.

Blade was glad to see Creed but less happy to hear the news he brought with him. Altogether, Justice’s force included two Godseekers, eleven assassins, and a woman who could raise demons and summon enough fire to demolish an entire village—with any inhabitants in it.

And somewhere outside lurked something that could tear a man to shreds.

He told Creed what had happened to the man they had left at the mine. He had followed the trail of blood into the woods at the top of the valley, above the mine. Whoever—whatever—it was watched the approach to the village, not the village itself.

A small gasp had come from Laurel at the start of Blade’s story. Now she was silent but very pale, and she shook all over with a fine trembling that Blade recognized as trauma. Raven held her hand, squeezing her fingers.

“Come with me,” Raven said to her, standing. “Let’s go collect our things from the smokehouse and check on the fire.”

Blade wanted to tell her to stay inside where he could watch her. But the sun had not yet set, the smokehouse was only two houses away, and Laurel did not need to hear any more of this. Still, he could not hide his worry.

Raven paused at the door to glance at him over her shoulder. “We’ll only be a few minutes,” she said.

She was angry with him. Her parting smile for Creed was warmer and lingered longer.

Blade reached for his rifle, which was propped in a corner behind him, and passed it to Walker. “Go with them. Only use this in self-defense.”

Walker took it, nodded once, and followed the women. The door closed behind them.

“What made you come back?” Blade asked Creed.

“I always intended to come. I didn’t want you to know it. You aren’t as impervious to persuasion as you think you are.” Creed grinned. “I needed to find an argument you’d have no trouble believing. It seems you have commitment issues.” He then drew Blade’s attention back to their unfinished discussion. “It wasn’t wolven that killed your man?”

“No.” What he’d seen had not been done by any animal Blade knew of. “Are you sure it’s not something that came here with Justice?” he asked in return.

Creed’s answer was equally definite. “I’m sure.”

Whatever it was, it was not on either side. Blade did not have the numbers to stand against the Godseeker as it was. A second threat would be impossible to overcome.

He wondered what might have happened to Laurel’s third companion, the one who’d gone off in search of supplies. With any luck, he was far away and safe. Regardless, he could not be counted on for help now. That left him with Creed, Walker, Raven, and Laurel, as well as a dilemma.

He needed their demon abilities. However, using those abilities to kill would only bring out more of the demon in them. He doubted if that was a serious problem for Walker and Laurel. He did not believe they had enough demon blood in them for it to be a serious concern. Creed was already a trained assassin. And Blade did not have any particular investment in any of them.

Raven was a different matter entirely. He did not want her a part of this.

“Can you reason with the other assassins?” Blade asked him.

“Not that many at once. I’d need to speak with them each individually. And that’s not going to happen.”

Blade spread his palm flat on the table’s worn surface and examined his fingers, thinking hard. “We don’t want to kill assassins or Godseekers, except in self-defense. We need to convince them somehow that we’re all on the same side.”

“What side do you believe that to be?” Creed asked. “Because from where I sit, other than your own, the only life you care about is Raven’s.”

Blade did not bother to deny it. “I’m on Raven’s side. She believes spawn deserve a place in this world and that the innocent will need protection, and she’s willing to fight for it. I’m not willing to let her, so I’ll fight for her, instead.”

Outside, the shadows lengthened as Creed thought it over. “That’s the side we should all be on, although I doubt we’ve yet reached that point. Siege had no love for Justice,” he added. “And Armor is a realistic man. So is Seeker, the other Godseeker with them. If we can somehow get rid of Justice, we may be able to reason with him. The assassins will take orders from Seeker as fast as they will from him, but in the end, they take their orders from Armor.”

And Armor took his from the Godseekers.

“Then there’s only one man you need to convince,” Blade said. “Get to Seeker, and get him to call off the assassins. They need to be warned of whatever’s out there. If it came after us, it will go after them too. Which leaves Justice to me. You don’t want to be involved in that.”

“What about the woman with him?”

“She’s mine, too,” Blade said. He could not forget what she had done to all of those people.

Creed rose from the table. He wore a heavy coat with a fur-lined hood and drew the flap over his head. “Try to take her alive if you can. Laws need to be established if the innocent are to be protected,” he reminded Blade. “If she’s brought before the Godseekers, they may find out things that might be important to know for the future.”

“She murdered an entire village of people,” Blade said. “Laurel saw it all. She knows how it happened. What more do you need to know?”

Creed finished knotting the ties of his hood. His eyes hardened. “I’d like to know why.”

…

“He didn’t mean to be so blunt or unfeeling,” Raven said to Laurel. “He sees no point in disguising the truth is all.”

Laurel passed the back of a hand over her brow. “I’m fine.” The cold air had revived her somewhat, and her trembling had eased. “I’ve lost so many people, one more shouldn’t matter this much. I don’t like to think of him suffering.”

Since Raven could not assure her he hadn’t, and Walker had nothing to contribute, she thought it best to leave it alone.

They stood at the corner of Raven’s house, between it and its drab, empty neighbor. The wind rattled a section of loose, brittle siding.

She looked at Walker. “Could you get Laurel something to drink please?”

He hesitated. She could sense his mind working. Blade had sent him to watch over them, and it would not be long before the sun went down.

“Laurel can shift to shadow, and I can take care of myself,” Raven reminded him. She allowed some of her demon allure to sift to the surface, and his eyes slid away from hers, embarrassed, but she had seen his concern for Laurel. “Blade and Creed are within shouting distance. We’re going to check the fire, pick up our basket, and meet you right here. We’ll be fine.”