“Whoo hoo! Too bad we don’t have celestial steel. We could hurl that sucker through its core and then send it back to hell. Now that would be sweet.” Tanya nodded. “Only one problem. It’s Angelis Gloriana Club only. Raven is the only one of us who could wield it.”
Ray looked at her. “I’ve been studying demons for a decade, and I never heard of celestial steel. Where did you learn this?”
“The library, downstairs.” Tanya shrugged. “Alain’s house buddy must have fought hundreds of demons. We should really stay for a couple of days. Learn what we can for the next time.”
Gabby took Tanya by the hand. “On that note, it’s time to go. There will be no next time. At least not until we take care of this time.”
***
The SUV bumped down a dirt road, about a half mile away from their meeting point at the farm.
“Is this demon shark-like? Can it sense vibrations a mile away, or are we walking just for the exercise?” Tanya asked.
“Aiden specifically wants us to come on foot,” Gabby replied. “He didn’t say why, but he’s the alpha.”
“I think Raven is the boss tonight,” Tanya disagreed. “My senses have been tingling since we got to this island. We’ve only dealt with incarnate demons, like Moe. I doubt we stand a chance against this kind of demon. Us witches, I mean.”
“Speak for yourself, T.” Gabby added her two scents. “Maybe you blood witches don’t stand a chance, but I’ll blaze him like an old, dried Christmas tree if he steps a toe our way.”
Gabrielle felt Capiria’s eyes on her. The old witch didn’t comment, but the hard set of her mouth spoke volumes. She agreed with Tanya. Blood witches dealt in energy. Ray did also, but in a different form. The in spiritu showed its capabilities in New Orleans, when it drained Raven’s collected energy in the blink of an eye.
Tanya’s witchy intuition was right, and Gabrielle looked at Raven in the driver’s seat, navigating the pitch dark and potholes. She loved her nerdy badass friend. That it turned out to be Ray as demon bait all along made her stomach clench. Even more so now that it seemed it would be her on the front lines with Raven instead of Tanya. An Elemental Witch and an Angelic Scion. Nature and the divine pitted again a force of evil.
Raven pulled to the side of the dirt road and cut the lights and then the engine.
“Okay, girls. Let’s do this.” Gabby unbuckled her seatbelt. “Let’s run this mutha.”
Capiria reached for a backpack on the floor between her legs. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, Gabrielle, but this isn’t a pep rally. It’s life or death.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” Gabby shot back. “With the guys out in wolf form, and Luke still at the mercy of a frat boy psycho, we are flying solo by the seat of our pants. We need confidence as much as we need focus, Capiria. And a little humor wouldn’t hurt. Lightness to help fight the dark.”
Capiria didn’t reply, but the way her eyes crinkled said she was both surprised and impressed.
They all got out of the SUV, and stood in the gloom. “Jeez, if ever I wished I was a wolf it would be now.” Gabby squinted into the shadows. “At least they can see in the dark.”
“So can we.” The old witch swung her backpack to the front and opened the top zip. “Aiden gave me his pack. I found these on top of the clothes he stowed for himself and the other wolves. Since shifters don’t need them, he must have packed them for us.” She handed them each a set of night vision goggles.
“Holy Echolocation! These are terrific,” Gabrielle scanned the woods ahead. “Everything is green, but so clear!”
Everyone donned their goggles, and they headed toward the farm, keeping to the tree cover. If Brodeur was checking the perimeter, he’d catch their scent, that’s why Aiden had them spray their clothes with bleachy water before they left the house. Ruined clothes could be replaced. Ruined plans, not so much.
Keeping low, they got to the edge of the farm and waited by an old milking shed. It was across from the barn. Aiden wanted them to wait there for his signal.
“Aiden and Jared are coming.” Raven put a finger to her ear as if drowning out interference, as she listened to Aiden’s voice in her head. “Luke is still paralyzed, but his wolf is working to expel the poison.”
“Thank God.” Capiria checked her watch. “It’s nearly moonrise. I hope they get here soon.”
Headlights flickered in the distance, and the low rumble of a truck sounded on the unpaved road. Lights brightened as a pickup pulled through the farm road toward the barn. It stopped, cutting its engine, but left the headlights on.
Tim Brodeur got out from the driver’s side to walk around to the truck’s bed. He opened the tailgate and yanked a heavy object wrapped in a burlap tarp out and onto the ground. The sound of a yelp echoed in the dark, and Gabrielle took a step away from their cover.
“Gabby, no! Do you want to ruin everything being impulsive?” Raven hissed in her ear. “Aiden told me Luke is fine. The moment he shifts back to his human form, his injuries will heal immediately.”
Gabby’s mouth pressed to a harsh line and she looked at Ray. “Just one lightning bolt. Let me have just one. That’s all it
