 From Hell with Love A Demon Trappers® Short Story PART THREE The demon delicately flipped another page with a frosted pink nail, then looked up at them with cunning eyes. “Blackthorne’s daughter, come join us! We’re almost to the part you love the most.” Riley growled under her breath, but not because of Hell’s nickname. She was used to that. What made her angry was the power behind this thing—far more than a Four should possess. “The only part of this story I love is when you’re gone,” she said. The Mezmer scowled and waggled an index finger. “Now who is being a Negative Nancy?” Jaye snorted. “Really? Where did they get this one?” Riley ignored the image in front of them, focusing on the power she felt beneath it. The creature was stalling, not trying to suck that last bit of life force out of the helpless souls in front of it. Was it waiting for Beck? “Nail it,” Riley ordered, and a Babel sphere went flying across the open space, impacting the Mezmer straight on. It’d been Kurt’s toss, and this time he’d hit his target. She made a mental note to congratulate him later. As the magic in the sphere took effect, the demon’s glamour withered and then vanished. What was revealed was a five-foot visual disaster. This Hellspawn was female, with saggy breasts and gnarled hands tipped with sharp claws. Pale stringy hair fell onto its sloped shoulders. A pair of crimson goat-slit eyes glowered at them as the book she held disappeared. “Oh, look, boys and girls, it’s time to end the story,” the fiend said, her voice still sounding light and airy in contrast to her hideous body. As one, they all rose and turned toward Riley and her companions, some more unsteadily than others. Would the thing set these people against them? It’d happened before. “You are free to go,” the demon said, and whatever hold it had over them shattered, which left totally bewildered humans staggering their way down the concourse. One woman looked back, saw the thing for what it really was, and let loose a bloodcurdling scream, triggering a panicked dash for safety among the others. Once they were gone, the demon gave a toothy smile. “I am too powerful for your mere magic, trapper.” The sudden push against her mental defenses told her this thing wasn’t lying. That meant it had a demi-lord, a higher-ranking demon who used this one for its own purposes while lending it a little more power. Riley spun out a spell of her own, shielding the minds of her apprentices. This situation required it. “What’s your game, demon?” she asked. “How do you mortals say it?” the fiend replied, tapping a claw against her lips in thought. “Oh, yes. Tag! You’re it!” The she-demon spun on its heels and took off for the nearest exit, gate C48. When it reached the door, it blew the security keypad to pieces in a shower of plastic and electronics. Ramming its shoulder into the portal busted it off its hinges, causing the door to careen down the hall beyond. With one final high-pitched laugh, the horror fled down the jet bridge. “Go! Go!” Riley shouted. Pounding toward the exit, then onto the jet bridge, they found the exterior door open and a maintenance crew member cringing in fear against the side of the plane. He pointed a shaking finger toward the open door that led to the tarmac, unable to speak. They ran down the stairs and then stopped, searching for the escapee. “Where’d it go?” Kurt demanded. Jaye pointed toward the runway. “There!” “What’s it doing?” he called out as they sprinted toward the fiend. “This makes no sense.” He was right—it did not make sense. The demon hadn’t really tried to mess with their heads, so why lead them outside? Something made Riley look up. Planes. None of them were landing because the concourse had been closed, but if one got close enough, did the demon have enough power to . . . “Oh, God, no,” she said, taking off at a dead run. †⁎‡⁎† |
Jana Oliveris an international & multi award-winning author in various genres including young adult, urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Archives
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