The Devil's Soldier

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

There were a lot of people in the darkened bar, but no was looking in Eve’s direction. The woman she saved had already scrambled away, the man following after her. Eve and the vampire were virtually alone.

An ancient magic, unyielding and powerful, rose inside her, igniting her with power she could barely contain. When the vampire’s fangs pierced her skin, Eve electrified her body and shocked him away. He stumbled back, mouth open in surprise, but eyes teeming with anger. She couldn’t kill him here in front of all these people, but she could lure him out the back door to get the job done there.

She bolted toward the rear of the building, the vampire following closely behind. Using more magic, she blasted the back door open and ran outside. The alley was empty except for a stray dog nudging through some old garbage. It startled at the sight of her and scurried away.

“Why’d you fight me in there?” the vampire said as he strode toward her as if to corner her between a brick wall and a large dumpster. “We’re on the same side.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She scanned the area, searching for something she could kill him with — a stick, junk furniture, even a pencil would work, but there was nothing made of wood anywhere that she could see. Maybe there was something she could use to decapitate him instead.

“Ah, so you’re one of those do-gooder witches?” the vampire mused. “You know what happens to those, don’t you?”

On top of garbage in the dumpster, she spotted a small metal lid, its edges sharp. It looked like it had once belonged to a can of tomato soup by the smear of red on its center. Eve wasn’t sure it would work, but she was willing to try.

“Time to finish what I started in there.” The vampire stepped closer. “I’m going to stick my fangs in you, and you’re going to like it. Then I’m going to—”

Mentally, Eve lifted the can-sized lid and whirled it toward him as fast as a bullet. It spun like a Frisbee until it sliced through the center of his neck, severing his spinal cord in half. His whole body convulsed until it burst into ashes all around her. She turned away to keep the ashes from getting into her eyes or mouth.

After the dust settled and realization of what she’d done hit her, she stumbled into the brick wall behind her. She hated killing, no matter who or what.

She rested her head against the bricks and sucked in several ragged breaths. It wasn’t until her heartbeat slowed down that she felt the familiar sensation of being watched. She lifted her eyes to the entrance of the alleyway. A male figure stood still, surveying her carefully. There was an eerie glow to his eyes. He was a supernatural too, but what kind?

The man shook his head slowly, and Eve had the distinct impression he was smiling even though she couldn’t see his expression through the darkness. He turned to walk away.

“Wait!” she called and hurried after him, but by the time she reached the end of the alley, the man was gone. Only a few people walked along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. Eve cringed. Not good. What if he recognized her?

She returned to the alley hidden well within its shadows. It was time to go and fast. There was only one way to accomplish that: using a key piece of her magical abilities that she hadn’t used since that night on the Cliffs of Moher.

She closed her eyes and focused on the area around her. The weight of her body standing on the concrete, the faint breeze moving the hairs on her arm, and the way the alley smelled like wet dog and maple syrup. Within a few seconds, she became connected to everything around her.

Now that she was grounded, she concentrated hard on her friend Dmitri, on where he was parked, on what he was doing, probably reading the same small book he always read. With a push from her mind, magic surged throughout her skin, blood and bones. It almost overwhelmed her, but she channeled the energy and used it to transport herself to Dmitri in a blink of an eye.

She crashed on the hood of Dmitri’s car. He jumped and let out a high-pitched shriek.

“Sorry,” she said and slid off the hood on the passenger side. She opened the door and slid inside, closing it behind her.

“Did you just teleport?” he asked, his mouth open.

“Looks that way.” She glanced around to make sure she hadn’t been seen. “We need to go. Fast. Someone saw me use magic to kill a vampire.”

“Do you think he recognized you?” Dmitri set his book aside and pressed on the gas pedal.

“I don’t know,” she answered, but the way her stomach was twisting made her nervous.

A full minute passed before he asked, “How did everything else go? Were you able to remember how your other abilities worked?”

She nodded. “And my magic was stronger than it’s ever been before. I think your training really helped.”

“Good.” He eyed her sideways. “I have something else for you, too.”

“What else could you possibly give me?”

Dmitri rested his palm over the small book resting on the center console. “This doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to you.”

He picked it up and held it out to her.

“I don’t understand.”

“Just take it.”

Eve took hold of the book. Her fingers tingled and she gasped, but Dmitri didn’t notice.

“It belonged to Ellenore, your mother’s sister.”

The sensation in her hand slowly disappeared. “What is it?”

“Some of her scattered thoughts but mostly a journal of spells. I learned a lot from it, and I have no doubt it will be a big help to you, too.”

Eve turned the leather-bound book over in her hand, shocked that he would give it to her, especially knowing how important it was to him. She’d never seen him without it.

A sudden realization dawned on her. “You loved her, didn’t you?”

He smiled, and his whole countenance brightened. “Very much so. I miss her terribly.”

“She must’ve been something special.”

“She was.”

Eve pushed the book toward him. “Please, I can’t accept it. You should keep it.”

He gently nudged it back. “Ellenore would want you to have it. She spoke of you a few times, wishing there was a way she could get you away from your parents, but you were too guarded with magic and by Boaz.”

“I had no idea.” She ran her fingers across the leathered cover. “How did she die?”

It was a moment before he answered. Moonlight illuminated his tortured eyes through the glass window. “Doing exactly what you’re about to do, fight Boaz, but her fight was different from yours. Her goal was to rescue people from his clutches. She saved many people from him, but it came with a price.”

He glanced down at the book in Eve’s hands. “Just promise, Eve, that you will read every page and remember who you are. Your training with me is complete.”

Her throat tightened, making swallowing difficult. “Then it’s time.”

“It is,” he agreed.

She leaned back into the seat and looked up at the full moon. There was nothing left to do. All she had worked for the last couple of months had led up to this moment.

It was time to hunt down Boaz and kill him.