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  Anna shivered. “Why does He allow this to go on?” she asked curiously, pointing towards the sky.

  “He loved humanity enough to give us all free will. But that same free will is what invited evil into the world—into humanity—to start with. If He interferes without an invitation, how is that free will? He does answer the prayers of those who reach out to him, though. It might not be when you wanted or in the way you wanted, but he does answer. No matter what happens, never lose your faith.”

  She was a believer. She was glad to know her mother was one, as well. At least she had the comfort of knowing where Iris was. She pondered everything he had told her and asked, “What is Armageddon?”

  She could see his face tightening into a grimace and dreaded his answer. “Basically it’s when the doorways to Hell open up and demons move in this world freely. Heaven is going to take its people and then pull back, and Hell is going to move right on in. It’s been prophesied repeatedly, but people didn’t want to listen. Now it’s beginning. Armageddon is about to make her appearance, and humanity is going to have one hell of a fight on their hands,” he rasped, his features hard in the light from the dashboard.

  “But isn't that what the demons want?” Anna asked, her brows drawn together. “To be here and doing whatever they want?”

  “Yes, but not in that way,” Shayne explained. “They don't want the believers taken, as they will already have control over the ones left behind, and where is the fun in that for them? And two, they know once it's all said and done, they are going to be roasting in hell for an eternity. Getting kicked off of Earth is the last thing they want.”

  Shayne wasn’t done yet. “Already we are seeing more demons in the flesh, walking freely among humans. The more humans sin, the stronger it makes them. It’s going to get worse, so prepare yourself. One day soon, there will only be good or evil, and no one will be in between. Make sure to choose wisely when it comes to which side you're going to be on. Only one side will win.”

  They sat silently for a moment as she soaked it all in. As hard as it was to hear, she knew it was necessary. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place for her, and she accepted it without question.

  “Is there anything else I need to know?”

  “Never call a demon by name. Ever. When a person calls them by their name, it gives them power. It’s an acknowledgment, almost like a form of worship. An endurer has protection against this, but a human doesn’t.”

  “I understand,” Anna said, quietly. She'd never call them by name, regardless. She wouldn't even know their names. “It's a lot to take in.”

  He glanced at the rear-view mirror, then checked the ones on the side. Anna was quickly learning Shayne was nothing if not alert. Once he felt they were secure, he explained, “There has always been a constant battle between good and evil. Satan wants souls, and he does whatever he can to get them. He also wants control over humanity. Remember that, Anna. There are legions of evil beings... too numerous to count. When they step out of their realm and into ours, we’re waiting. Unfortunately, we can’t get them all, though.” For a moment, Shayne looked almost sad.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, looking at him curiously. The man screamed danger, and he was the most powerful man she had ever seen. It would take a lot to make someone like him appear to be grieved.

  His fingers gripped the steering wheel. “Do you know how many people come up missing every year? The police can never find a trace of them. Year after year, their disappearances sit in a file until eventually they get boxed up and put away. In your world, it’s unexplained. In ours, we know they were the victims of a greater evil, an evil so great a police force could never take it on—or even understand. Bullets don’t work on beings not of this world, at least not the ones they have access to.”

  The SUV sped down the road. They were going fast, but Anna wasn't afraid. Despite their conversation, Shayne had full control of the vehicle. After the two attacks they already had, she felt safest on the road.

  She bit her lip as she processed everything he was saying. “I just never realized they attacked in person, and somehow that made them seem less dangerous. Less real. Until they did. That's what I'm struggling with the most. I used to ask myself why it happened to me. After listening to you, though, it sounds like this has happened a lot of people. I'm scared. I don't know if I can ever move past this. I don't know if I can ever enjoy life again. If I can ever feel safe or even really live again.” Her voice trailed off. She felt like she was becoming too emotional, and she didn't like it.

  Shayne didn't comfort her. He didn't baby her or offer her false assurances of safety. He didn't sugarcoat the truth, and Anna was glad. She had to have the facts in order to learn and grow. To survive.

  “Demons attack in many forms, Anna. Sometimes they take control of someone who opened a doorway and cause them to commit a crime against someone else. Then they depart from that person, leaving behind a shell of a human who doesn’t know what happened or how to deal with the aftermath of the crimes committed in their body. There are other times someone is diagnosed as having a mental illness, when the truth is they are possessed. Sometimes, as in your case, they come in physical form to kill, torment, or to collect. Demons are depraved and dangerous.”

  He glanced over at her, his eyes filled with pain. Anna had to wonder what kind of personal experiences he was reliving. “You have to remember Hell is where nightmares originated from. There are countless demonic entities that exist just to torture humans in any way they can, simply because they gain pleasure from it. It’s bad enough when a person is a victim of an attack here. If they survive it, hopefully they can recover. If they don't survive and they aren't a Christian, they are subjected to horrendous acts for an eternity. There is no coming back from Hell. Ever.”

  Anna looked at him in an attempt to read between the lines. Finally, she said, “Sounds like you have a story to tell.”

  Shayne retorted bitterly, “Don’t need one when you live in our world. We do all we can to save humanity, but there aren’t enough of us to be everywhere.”

  She wanted to reach over and comfort him, but felt foolish for the thought. Instead, she decided to leave it alone. Whatever wound he had festering, she didn't have the knowledge to help him.

  “I’m sorry.” She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to live in his world. What she was experiencing in her own life was bad enough.

  He shrugged. “As we get closer to the Armageddon kick off, it’s not going to matter if humanity knows they are here or not. In the past, they tried to hide their existence. Soon it will no longer matter. Just try not to end up a victim.”

  SHAYNE NEARED THE EXIT for the hotel. They were going to stay in a luxury hotel, one more to his liking than the motel they'd stayed at previously. The following afternoon, they would catch a flight to Las Vegas. The sooner, the better. If it were up to him, they’d be flying out right then and there, in the hours before dawn. However, they had to wait for the first available flight. In the meantime, Shayne had to keep Anna out of trouble.

  After their conversation, the miles had passed by silently. They had stopped for food, and after eating Anna went right back to sleep. Shayne had spent the time thinking of ways to keep her safe until they made it to Las Vegas. Looking over at her again, he was struck by her beauty and found it hard to believe she was single. Then again, modern day men were stupid.

  He pulled to a stop and let his gaze travel down her body. She didn’t stir. He couldn’t help but wonder what her mound looked like, and his dick instantly hardened. He was willing to bet it was plump and very wet, just the way a man of his size wanted.

  Shayne was a man used to hard labor. He was strong and healthy, and he appreciated a woman with curves. He certainly wasn't intimidated by them. He was filled with testosterone and well endowed, and he knew he had everything needed to give Anna the ride of her life. He was filled with lust for her. He couldn't stop thinking about the many ways he could pleasure
her body... and himself in the process.

  He smirked as he thought about how much modern-day men were missing out on. In his time, voluptuous women were highly sought after. He couldn't understand why that had changed. Over the ages, men had grown weaker. Instead of hard labor, they had desk jobs. Perhaps with evolution, their dicks had shrunk. Now they no longer had enough strength—or dick—to satisfy a shapely beauty of her proportions. That wouldn’t be a problem for him, though.

  After a brief debate, he decided she would be safe enough to rest while he checked in. The entry way was well lit. She was sound asleep, and it would give him another chance to carry her in and undress her.

  Locking the doors to the SUV, Shayne took off towards the lobby, whistling a jaunty tune as he fantasized about the best way to end up in her bed that night.

  A CHILD’S CRY YANKED Anna from the comforts of sleep. It took a second to realize she was in the SUV, alone. Looking around, she spotted Shayne at the reservation desk in the lobby. He was a long ways away.

  She heard the shrill scream again. Her body tensed as she scanned the darkened parking lot, but no one was about in the late hours of the night. “Help me,” the child cried out urgently, his plea ending in a sob.

  She wouldn’t have time to get Shayne. With a sigh, Anna grabbed the cross swinging from the mirror and jumped out of the SUV. The cold penetrated the thickness of her jacket, and she shivered from both the contact with the elements and fear of what was waiting in the darkness.

  Another cry cut through the silence of the night as it moved further away. She took one last desperate look in Shayne’s direction, but there would be no help from that quarter. The flirtatious desk clerk was delaying him with everything she had, her smile big enough to light up a room. Taking off at a sprint, Anna ran towards the back of the hotel and the thick woods that surrounded it.

  As she ran around the side of the building, a huge hand grabbed her arm, pulling her to a painful stop. “Gotcha,” a voice rasped in her ear.

  Instantly, she could see it was a set up. There was no child struggling to free itself, nor was one in need of saving. The evil being had used the oldest trick in the book, and the one most likely to work. People were innately compassionate, and no one would have ignored the sounds of a child in pain.

  It yanked her roughly to its front, and held her in place with a massive arm across her waist. The smell of sulfur perfumed its body, choking her with its cloying, thick scent. Anna opened her mouth to scream, but a slimy hand cut her off. “None of that, bitch,” it rasped, its voice distorted and gruesome. “You’ve caused enough delays.”

  She could feel the air move as its wings started to flap. They were supernaturally strong and powerful, and she knew it would have no problem supporting both of them. Anna struggled harder to get free, as he tightened his arm even more. It was hard to breathe, and everything began to go black around her. Tears of horror and frustration rolled down her face. Once they were in the air, there would be no coming back from that.

  In a desperate attempt to escape, Anna elbowed it as hard as she could, but the creature didn’t release her. She could feel his body quiver as he breathed deeply, taking in the scent of her fear. Her feet left the ground just as Shayne began to frantically call for her.

  Remembering the silver cross she still held, she brought it up and pressed it against the hand holding her mouth. The demon released an inhuman screech as she ground the cross into its skin, pressing down with every bit of strength she still had. She had to stop him. They were near the second story of the hotel, and the third story was approaching fast.

  The smell of burnt flesh and sulfur filled Anna's nostrils, making her gag. Crying out in pain, the demon yanked its hand away from her mouth. Anna immediately screamed for Shayne. Her fingers gripped the cross, holding it like a weapon.

  With a yell born of fear and panic, she brought the point down as hard as she could. Its flesh parted like a hot knife in butter, as the force of her hand drove it deeply into its leg. The demon creature screamed in pain.

  “You’ll die for this,” it cried in a distorted voice. “I’ll have fun torturing you in Hell.”

  With a screech, it flung her as hard as it could, using every ounce of its supernatural strength. She rapidly approached a tree, but there wasn’t anything Anna could do to stop it. She felt the pain from the impact before everything went dark.

  SHAYNE CAME AROUND the corner right as Anna hit head first into the tree. Although it was dark, his eyes were able to see everything clearly. Every one of his extra battle senses were on full alert.

  He immediately took in the scene. The demon was dark, making its eyes stand out in vivid contrast. Standing at least eight feet tall, it had large muscles and thighs as thick as tree trunks. It also had deadly hooves instead of feet. It was a chancellor from Hell, a commander of countless legions. It was strong, powerful, and extremely tricky.

  The demon landed in front of him. Leaning its head back, it laughed loudly. Up close, Shayne could see it was a male. At least for the moment. Some demons had the ability to change sex.

  His fangs gleamed large and white against his darkened skin. Giving Shayne a look of disdain, he rasped, “Turn around now, and I might let you live.”

  In response, Shayne lifted his weapons and looked bored. “Turn around now—” he started to say, but then stopped. “No, not even then.”

  The demon was no longer laughing. Instead, he growled, “Now you die.” Raising a grotesque hand, he beckoned at Shayne while shooting a lustful look at Anna. “I’m going to make this quick. Tonight the boys and I are going to have a lot of fun breaking that bitch in.”

  Risking another quick glance at Anna himself, Shayne was reassured to see she was still alive and breathing. That could change at any second, though. The demon had one thing right. It had to end and quickly.

  He arched an eyebrow as he zeroed in on the creature’s dick. With a smirk, Shayne said, “I hope they are better equipped for penetration than you are, you ugly bastard. Just think, a guy as big as you but your thumb is bigger than your fucker.”

  Shayne gave a mocking snort of laughter as the demon narrowed its eyes. He then added, “Just a thought, but next time you might want to fuck with the thumb. At least then, the ladies might actually feel it.”

  His words had the desired effect. Enraged, the creature let out a bellow and charged Shayne. Waiting until he was almost upon him, Shayne jumped, carefully avoiding his wings.

  A demon’s wings had deadly points filled with poison. Not to mention, their wings were extremely powerful and could trap and squeeze a person until they were dead. Even an immortal like him could eventually be killed from the wings or made dangerously sick by the poison.

  Dropping down behind the demon, Shayne kicked out hard and fast and heard a satisfying crunch. The creature fell on the ground but flipped over fast. Without a pause, it leaped back toward him, claws arched and extended.

  Time was running out. Anna’s blood pressure was possibly dropping, and he needed to wake her up as soon as possible. The extreme cold could quickly put her in a life-threatening situation, especially with a dangerous head injury.

  Shayne sliced out with his blade, but he didn’t get out of the way in time. The demon laughed in victory as he punched him and knocked him down to the cold, hard ground. He twisted, but he was unable to dislodge the hold the demon had on him.

  “It’s a shame to have to end this so soon,” he said, a smile on his face. “But all good things must come to an end.” His eyes gleamed red with blood lust, and spittle ran down its fangs. Grabbing Shayne’s hair with one distorted hand, he pulled, intending to separate his head from his body.

  Flipping a cap open with his nail, Shayne smirked back at him. Pain just pissed him off, and when he was pissed, someone was going to die. The demon paused at the confidence in his face.

  “Another tip, asshole,” Shayne said in a conversational tone of voice. “Consider taking a bath and brushing your t
eeth every now and then!” With that, he flung the contents of the vial directly in its face. The demon jerked back and screamed, as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

  Shayne jumped up from the ground and kicked it between the legs with his steel-toed boots. As the creature fell over, screaming like a girl, he made quick work of finishing it off. Its essence would return to Hell, where it belonged. “What an asshole,” he muttered, before quickly rushing over to Anna.

  She had a heartbeat, but it was very slow. Picking her up, he started to leave, when he saw the shiny silver object in the grass. Squatting down next to it, Shayne realized it was his cross. It was halfway melted, and it had made contact with demonic flesh.

  He gave a quick prayer of thanks as he quickly got her to their room. Somehow she’d thought to use his cross to delay, even injure, a powerful, evil creature. Without her doing so, he wouldn't have been able to get to her in time.

  Chapter 5

  SHAYNE RUSHED HER INTO the bathroom. He couldn't say which one of them was shaking the most. Anna was awake, and he could see the effects of the head injury. Her eyes were opened wide, and her pupils were dilated. Even though he'd spent years immortal, he knew it wasn’t a good sign.

  “Put me down,” she ordered, then winced from the pain.

  The lights came on automatically, flooding the room in light. He finally let her slide down. Anna wobbled as she yanked herself away from him.

  “Sit down over there,” Shayne ordered, indicating a bathroom seat. She crossed her arms and glared. “I’m not going anywhere until I've examined your head,” he explained, in an exasperated tone of voice.

  Turning her around, he peered at the area that was already turning black and blue. However, there wasn't any blood. “Figures,” he said, sarcastically. “You have a damned hard head.”