LITMIR.BIZ

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a nightmare.

      Dale dropped his flashlight and stared.

      Still lying on the bunk bed, Sully thrashed wildly, fighting with a gray, scaly thing atop him, yellowed fangs sinking into the ensign’s neck. Blood slicked his gray T-shirt.

      “Get it off me!” Sully screamed.

      The ensign’s cry was a sharp slap to his terrified mind. Dale pointed his gun, feeling helpless all over again. His SEAL was being shredded by a demon and he could only stand there with a gun in hand, looking for the best shot.

      “No!” Keira cried out. “I’ll place the crystal on the demon’s back and that will break its hold. Then you grab it and throw it to the floor.”

      Grab it. He pocketed the pistol, stretched out his hands and reached for his powers of telekinesis. Nothing. Drier than the Sahara, damn it.

      As Keira advanced toward the demon, memories flashed. Fangs sinking into his side, the burning agony searing his flesh, his voice hoarse from screaming...

      “Curt, please!”

      The ensign’s voice snapped him from immobility. He ran forward as Keira touched the demon’s thick, sinewy tail with the crystal. The demon pulled his fangs from Sully and released a high-pitched screech like glass grinding in a blender.

      Dale seized the demon, ignoring the stinging lash of its razor-thin tail whipping against his arms, and threw it on the ground. He withdrew his SIG and fired.

      The bullets vaporized in midair. Damn! He spotted the poker by the fireplace and grabbed it.

      The demon turned and hissed. Sully’s blood covered its mouth, making it a red oval. Dale brought the poker down, slamming it on the triangular head.

      Another banshee shriek. Dale hit it again. And again. Grayish blood splattered his bare legs, but he barely noticed. Hands wet with sweat, he kept a death grip on the weapon. The poker descended over and over. Had to kill it, make sure it would never hurt again.

      “Dale! It’s dead.”

      Keira’s soft voice sliced through his frenzy. Dale stared at the floor. Quarter-size dents gouged the carpet. The demon had vanished, leaving behind a pile of gray goo. The poker clattered to the floor and he wiped his hands on his once-clean polo shirt, turning to Sully.

      Keira had taken strips of the white sheet and was pressing them against the ragged gash on the ensign’s throat. She also held the crystal against his neck, the stone’s white glow fading.

      Sully gripped the makeshift bandage, his gaze wide. “Thanks, Curt. Thought that thing was going to rip my throat out. What the hell was it? One minute I was passed out, the next this foul breath was in my face, and something burning my skin in the dark.”

      “It’s an espy,” Keira said. “Minor demon that sucks on its victim’s blood. Prefers dark, damp places to hide and lie and wait like a spider. Goes after those who are helpless, likes to take from drunks.” She gave Sully an apologetic glance. “Favorite prey.”

      Dale wiped his hands on his shirt again, wondering how she knew so much about this demon.

      Sully shook his head. “Screaming like a baby. Feel stupid.”

      He dropped to the bunk bed and clapped a hand on the SEAL’s shoulder. “You had a demon gnawing on you like a dinner bone. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

      Dale had screamed plenty in the dark, dank basement when the demons came after him.... He focused on Keira, who was staring at the mess on the carpet.

      When her wide-eyed gaze met his, he gave a rueful smile. “Don’t worry. Not going to ask you to clean that. I’ll cut out the section and replace it. I doubt my carpet cleaner can remove demon blood.”

      Sully removed the stained makeshift bandage. The jagged gashes on his neck had knit together. “Amazing,” Dale murmured. “The crystal heals.”

      “White-light therapy.”

      He still didn’t embrace all this crazy stuff about crystals and energy, but the evidence was daunting.

      Dozens of questions raced through his mind, but he tucked them away for later. “Can you walk?” he asked his friend.

      Sully snorted. “No demon’s gonna best me. I’m not a girl to be carried out of here on a stretcher from a puny demon attack.” Then he colored deeply. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to imply...”

      “Imply what, Sullivan?”

      At his rough tone, Sully paled and looked at the floor. Silence descended, broken only by the tapping of Dale’s foot on the floor. “Get upstairs, Sullivan.”

      The young SEAL sat up straight. “Yes, sir.”

      Once they were all back up in the kitchen, Dale went to phone for a cab, but Sully stopped him. “I’m sober now, sir. Nothing like a demon attack to chase away a good drunk. I’ll see you tomorrow on base, sir.”

      Sir, not Curt. The formality had returned. All because Dale had once more lost his temper. Guilt pinched him, but he brushed it away.

      He had demons to deal with.

      Sully vanished in an eye blink. Dale pulled out a chair in the kitchen, gestured for Keira to sit by him. Interrogation time. But he had to be subtle. He shoved aside the niggling feeling of guilt. Had he his powers of telekinesis, he could have beaten the demon more easily.

      “Tell me about this demon. How could it have gotten into my basement?”

      “Demons are attracted to emotional darkness. It’s my fault. I neglected to cleanse the basement today. It must have been lying in wait and when Sully slept, got hungry.” Her lovely mouth wobbled. “I’m so sorry. I’ll clean the basement now.”

      Dale gently clasped her wrist. “You weren’t at fault. It’s my house and I’m responsible for what happens here.”

      She looked up, her expression troubled. “I don’t know if a regular cleansing with white light and crystals can help. Because there’s bigger demons to worry about. And when they get here, all you can do is run screaming because they’ll do worse than suck a little of your blood. They’ll steal your soul and seal you screaming in hell. And no one can free you.”

      He gazed into her eyes, deeply concerned. What the hell had Keira Solomon run into?

      “My team, the Phoenix Force, can handle demons. For now, why don’t you get some sleep? It’s been a long day.”

      “I have to cleanse the basement or more will arrive.” Her eyes grew huge. “Maybe they’re already down there.”

      Dale didn’t want to return to that basement, but no way in hell was he going there alone. He followed her to her room, helping to unpack the bags of crystals and then carry them to the basement. He watched as she set several in each corner of the room and more on the steps, murmuring chants the whole time.

      “If any are hiding, for now this should hold them at bay and prevent them from coming upstairs.”

      When they returned to the kitchen, she headed for the sink, but he stopped her.

      “The dishes...”

      “Told you. I have a dishwasher for that. I’ll finish cleaning up. You get some rest.”

      And then, because he could not resist touching his lips to her soft skin, Dale brushed a gentle kiss against her knuckles. He watched as she headed toward her room, her hips gently swaying in a seductive dance. For the second time that night, he found himself wondering about Cassandra Sullivan’s warning.

      * * *

      Her room felt icy cold. Keira lay beneath the blankets and shivered.

      Although it was summer in Virginia, she could not escape the chill of knowing a demon had invaded the sanctuary of Dale’s home.

      After

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