Our Demons {Kai Parker Book 1}

chapter thirty-four: In Which The Guild Appears

Her dark eyes lit up when three forms stepped into the clearing.

They weren't intimidating, especially not the werewolf whose yellow eyes were focused on her every move.

"A dog?" she rolled her eyes with a laugh. The creature crouched lower and prepared to attack. "You let a dog into your Guild?"

"Watch your mouth human, the only reason you are still breathing is because we allow it. It's because I allow it."

Ria grinned at the deformed face of the demon. She wanted to look away and yet didn't want to either. It was hideously beautiful.

"That's not true though, now is it? If it were, you would have killed me years ago."

The demon scowled and turned his anger to the trees surrounding them. In a split second, they all burned in a thick, orange flame.

"We stay true to Benedict. His fascination with a pathetic human like you cost him his life and if it was up to me I would have killed you that second. You were just lucky that Mikaelson bastard was there to save you."

"I think the doggy wants to play," Ria clasped her hands ignoring his threat. The demon was obviously angry, but the werewolf was snarling and baring his teeth, the animal in him taking over. "Does the doggy want to play? Let's play fetch doggy, come on!"

It was an attack on his dignity and respect.

The Werewolf released a howel and sprinted forward, seeing red. The girl continued to smile at him, even crouching down and patting her knees beckoning him forward.

The ground became imprinted with large holes as dust flew into the air creating a barrier of dust behind him. The wind felt like a knife against his skin.

Just as his canines grazed her neck he flew back, his spine cracking against the ground.

"Doggy wants to kill the human?" Ria laughed approaching the struggling werewolf. "Too bad the human already died."

He couldn't move, the attack broke his spine rendering him paralyzed. Now, he could only see. A shadow stepped out from around her, leaping into the ground where he lay.

It radiated dark energy and plunging its fist into the werewolf's heart it consumed the creature entirely.

"That was fun," she laughed, dusting herself off. She faced the red-eyed demon next, "Round two?"

The demon appeared to her before she had a chance to blink. It grabbed her hair with one hand and with the other it ripped into her chest.

"This is for Sham," he whispered into her ear the promise to avenge his friends. Ria gasped, her sight blurring as a foreign feeling of shock rippled through her body.

The demon pushed her back and she cried when she fell onto three jagged spiked rocks that burst out from the ground.

"This is for William."

He grabbed her shoulders and ripped her body off the spikes. He held her up like a ragdoll, eyes bleeding into her essence so she could no longer move.

"This is for Benedict. You should have kept running Ria, I enjoyed the little chase. Tell me, how does it feel to be useless and powerless again? To be weak?"

As if that was the single word to restore her abilities, she snapped her darkened stare to the demon and he flew back, releasing his hold on her.

Two shadows emerged from the ground grabbing and holding onto the demon's ankles.

He tried to grab her hair when she stepped to him but a gold light broke his shoulders, snapping his arms back and tying his wrists.

"My only regret is that I wasn't able to rip out Benedict's heart out of his chest myself. I'm not a human, demon, and although you have lived in this world longer than me I am more powerful. You are only alive because I am letting you. But I think it's time for you to die. Hah, I decide that you are going to die."

She held his neck and upon her touch, the demon's body began to sizzle and burn. He cried out, screaming and thrashing against the shadow's holding him and the girl draining him of his essence.

It was more terrifying then his time in hell.

The final thing he saw before complete darkness overtook him was her sinister smile as she laughed, "How's this for weak?"

~~~

She cracked her neck, smiling at the Witch.

Gaiel rolled her eyes, "I'm not foolish Ria. I know you can kill me with a single flick of your wrist."

"So why are you here?"

"I have a proposition."

"I don't work for anyone."

"I'm sure you'll find this offer to be for your own benefit as much as it is to mine."

She scoffed, "I don't make deals with witches, witch. You're lucky I haven't quenched my thirst for your blood."

"Three witches for eternal peace."

She paused from turning away, and crossed her arms over her chest to give the witch a pointed look.

"Eternal peace isn't attainable."

"It is. It is the sole reason for my existence, as a member of the Elysium Coven. There are three witches who were not born with their powers, rather they stole this power from the Coven. They are corrupt and evil. It is impossible to kill them, but if you help my Coven end them we can use their souls and magic to destroy every evil there is. Elysium on earth."

She knew he was behind her even before he said a word.

"She wants me to kill three witches and in exchange, her Coven will destroy all the evil in the world."

"It is possible," Afriel nodded to the witch. "I know of her Coven and the work they do. They can bring eternal peace to the earth."

"You trust this witch?" Ria raised her voice, glaring at her beloved friend. "Afriel after everything her kind has done, you want me to trust her?"

"I want you to do as you are destined to do. You can bring eternal peace to every human, imagine, a world without evil. Without monsters. Without fear."

"No," she stepped back, her eyes becoming darker. "I don't trust witches, especially not one from the Guild."

"You aren't seeing the bigger picture here, Ria," Gaiel snapped.

"Watch your tone Witch. I don't trust you, stay away from me. I am not helping you."

"Ria," Afriel placed his hands on her cheeks, holding her burning gaze in his electric eyes. "You are strong Ria. You can do so much, you can save so many people. Help the witches with their work, help them destroy the evil in their kind. You trust me, don't you? You'll help the Elysium Coven?"

It was like he had put her in a trance in which she was unable to deny any thought he put in her head. She was unable to move.

His skin was warm against hers and suddenly she could feel again.

His voice was like sugar and finally, there was a taste in her mouth besides bitterness.

She melted in his arms, whispering, "I will help the Elysium Coven."