Angie Fox - ADS 01 - The Accidental Demon Slayer

Yikes. Maybe she could tell me what to do. “Ant Eater wants me to get rid of black souls for them. What are they?”

“Suicide for most of us. Training for you. If you decide to do it, bring Dimitri. You might just learn something.” Her image flickered again. This time she yelped in pain and held her side as an invisible energy seared through her.

“Grandma!” It took everything I had not to touch her.

She clutched her abdomen. “Because, Lizzie, I don’t want you to come after me if you don’t think you can do it. I’m an old cuss. I’ve had my time. Don’t let Vald take you, you hear?”

“No. I have to get you. I mean, look at your hands.” Large holes sliced through her palms, as if an invisible blade cut her open right before my eyes.

“Oh yeah. Let’s talk about how much my life sucks right now. Why can’t you stay on track?”

Unbelievable.

I fought to look her in the face. Her skin had taken on an unearthly pallor and the wounds in her head began to bleed fresh. I had to get her out of there. “Tell me how to sacrifice myself. Just tell me, and I’ll do it right now.”

She shook her head. “You have to figure it out yourself. But dammit, Lizzie. Think about it.” An invisible blade sliced her neck. Blood flowed freely from the bubbling wound. “Shit,” she gurgled. “You weren’t supposed to see this.”

Grandma clapped a hand over her neck. “If you cry, I’m going to beat the shit out of you. Now think about it. What does it mean to sacrifice yourself? Who are you really?”

I started to reply.

“Hup! I’ll tell you who you are, Lizzie. You’re a brilliant little snit who types out her grocery list on the computer, never had a library late fee and won’t take a dump without planning it on your calendar. I’m willing to bet Pirate was the only half-ass thing you had to deal with before I showed up at your door.”

“I’m not—”

She threw a hand up. “The night we met, you had timed directions to a restaurant you said yourself you’d already been to!”

As if I’d wanted to be late to my birthday party. “I’m or ga nized.”

“You’re wound tighter than a gnat’s ass! Let go! Trust your instincts. Stop thinking of every negative thing that could happen five miles down the road.”

Well shoot. I didn’t know what to think. It felt safe to know exactly how my life would turn out. That’s why I planned everything so precisely. And why I’d stayed in my job for so long. And I didn’t date unpredictable men.

I’d worked my whole life to be normal, accepted. Now Grandma wanted me to blow the whole thing out of the water. Slowly it began to come together. “That’s what Dimitri meant when he said to sacrifice myself,” I said for my own benefit, as much as hers.

“Exactly.” She made a show of swooning. Oh geez. I hoped it was a show.

Grandma popped back up, a little more spry than I would have expected. Her energy surged and her wounds disappeared. She almost looked like herself again.

Sacrifice myself. Okay. I could let go. A week ago, the mere thought would have given me hives. Now I felt giddy. I could do this. “Dimitri wants me to let go of myself.” I couldn’t help smiling. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before, Grandma. Dimitri said as much to me. But then again, since when do men make any sense, right?”

“Oh yeah, I’m in hell and now you’re grinning and making jokes.” She waggled a finger, only half kidding. “Now do what you have to do to get me out of here. Besides,” she added, “we’ve got some catching up to do. We missed out on a lot of years.”

I planted my back against the outside of the Dumpster. The night sky shone rich with stars. “I’m sorry it took me so long, Grandma.”

“Zip it. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s whining. Besides, I heard it all in the Cave of Visions. You’re forgiven. Unless you keep apologizing. Then I’m going to be pissed all over again.”

I nodded. “Can you at least tell me why?” I asked her. “Why did Vald come after me that night? You must have known something could happen, or you wouldn’t have tried to protect me. What does this thing want from me?”

She huffed so hard her nostrils flared. “Well, cupcake, it’s like this. You probably keep hearing about your Great-great, Great—whatever—Aunt Evie. Lord knows I have. Aunt Evie locked Vald away in the second layer of hell. Aunt Evie was the most powerful slayer in the last thousand years. Aunt Evie made the world’s best potato salad. But what you won’t hear is that Aunt Evie had nothing on you. She never learned how to seize a demon’s vox like you did that day in your bathroom.”

“You mean the green light thingies?”

“If you want to call them that, then yeah. She had the power to lock Vald away.” Grandma brought up a finger. “You have the power to destroy him. Capiche?”

I nodded. Destroy Vald . Yow.

“He’s unhatching a particularly nasty plan, worse than anything I’m going to face down here, I’ll tell you that. We’re not sure what he’s up to, but you play a big part. Now I think—aw, shit.” Her image flickered.

“What?” Are you in pain?” I couldn’t stand to see her like this.

“Thanks for reminding me, but it’s not that.” She stared over my shoulder.

Voices called from the field behind me. I turned. Ant Eater headed our way, trailed by at least a half a dozen werewolves.

“Tell them to stay the hell away from me,” Grandma ordered. “I can’t keep my energy with this many auras cluttering the air. Dammit! This is important.”

“Stay back!” I called to the mob, waving my hands in the air.

“Lizzie, pay attention!” she demanded, as Ant Eater and the wolves surged forward. Grandma’s image flickered and she let off a load of cuss words that would have made my adopted mother reach for her rosary.

She spoke quickly. “Vald wants you. He wants your power. In my vision, I saw the best time to strike. You have to—flisbit.” She faded out, then flickered in again. “You have to prepare. Let go of yourself. Look to the outside. Accept the universe. Sacrifice yourself. And remember—”

Ant Eater stormed up in a rage. “Get your ass over here right now.”

“What about Grandma?” I hollered. “Wait! Grandma! When is the best time to strike?” I demanded as her image crackled one last time and disappeared.

Ant Eater planted her hands on her hips. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She couldn’t see her. None of them could, I realized.

Ant Eater seized my shoulder and forced me to face her. “We need you now. Rex made his move. The wolves have got the whole goddamned coven backed into a corner. Time to earn your keep.” She cocked her gun.

“Okay,” I said. I didn’t even bother to question my new role. I knew it had changed this afternoon. Here was the test. Deep down, I ached to spend a few more minutes with Grandma, but she would have been the first person to tell me I needed to let it go. Our conversation was now in the past. I had to look to the future. And for once, I was ready.

I followed Ant Eater to a rusty trailer near the woods. Werewolves jammed the entrance.

Rex stood at the door, a rifle slung over his shoulder. “Your asses are mine,” he told us, way too pleased with himself.

“Stuff it.” Grandma needed me. We didn’t have time to get sucked into werewolf politics.

“Well that was brave,” Ant Eater commented. “Stupid. But brave.”

We pushed our way into the mishmash, the air hot with bodies and alive with voices. I found myself face-to-chest with most of the werewolves. Danger rolled off them in palpable waves. Every step we took, they jostled us back, as if they couldn’t wait to take it further.