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CHAPTER EIGHT
Judah was terrified for his beloved and wished he'd never left him at the hotel. His fear of having Nash near Arthur backfired and left him vulnerable to the demon. He was racing to the place Sacha had referred to as the Deadlands. Everyone knew the area, and everyone stayed away from it because of the powerful spiritual energy that existed there. It was negative and always hungry; his poor little beloved would be overwhelmed by the onslaught of energy focused on him.
"Don't worry, Judah, we will get there. This thing is cocky. It won't do anything to Nash until you are there. It wants to torture you." Sam was making sense, but all Judah could feel was panic and fear, both hs and Nash's. He reached out, but the beast was clouding their connection. He couldn't contact Nash, but he could feel his upset and his confusion.
When he called the hotel, Ari, a coven member who worked the front desk, told him that Nash had left the hotel. His heart sank, and his mind exploded, and all he could think of was getting to the north sector of the woods as fast as he could. He and Sam drove as far as they could and then took off toward the old farmstead as fast as they could. The guards and the wolves followed.
He came to an abrupt halt when he cleared the woods and entered the area of the farmhouse and barn. They were thoroughly dilapidated, and their aura was that of darkness and a craving hunger. It was ghastly and disgusting, and his fear for his beloved ratcheted up to the stratosphere.
"Nash, Nash, where are you, sweetheart?" He yelled, and Sam stood beside him, scanning the area, tuning in to the danger, the sounds, and the feel.
"There by the barn." Sam alerted and pointed out the man walking toward them. Judah began jogging in that direction with Sam behind him, and he could feel that the wolves and the two guards were standing back, waiting, moving cautiously, and fanning out from side to side.
He didn't recognize the man, who he assumed was Neo, but he did feel the taint and filth of the thing that was possessing the man. Unlike Arthur, who must have been prepared for the possession, this man was obviously breaking down as his body was not strong enough to house the demon for very long. They all came to a stop, with their separation being about ten feet.
"Yes, as you can see, Neo here was not up to the challenge of containing a beast like me for long. Thankfully, I have your beloved, who will be the ultimate house for my powerful spirit. He will have to die, of course, just like Neo had to die, but don't fret over the man he was deserving of his end. If you dig over there by the well, you will find the remains of his father, who he killed several years ago." The thing chuckled and looked around.
"Very nice thank you for bringing so many offerings." He looked at the men following Judah and nodded, pleased at the outcome. "The spirits here will be very grateful to me, and the power they will bestow is beyond imagination. Arthur's plan worked better than I gave him credit. I suppose I should have stayed with him, but he was becoming tedious, and Neo here had a heart so dark I could not ignore it. This man was delicious, but he's now coming apart, so it is time for me to join my new vessel." Parts of Neo's face began to peel off and fall to the ground, along with pieces of his hands. The rest was only being held in place by his clothing.
Judah made a move toward Neo when Nash came from behind the barn and walked as if in a trance toward them. "You can subdue this vessel easy enough, but you will never touch me, and I will be in your sweet beloved before you know, and then what? Are you prepared to kill your own beloved?" The thing turned and looked back at Nash, who was clearly trying to fight the control that thing had on him but was not succeeding.
"Come closer." It taunted, and Nash kept walking. Judah was prepared to forfeit himself for his lover and moved closer to the rapidly deteriorating Neo. The thing kept an eye on both him and Nash as well as gauging the distance and movement of the other men.
"You can't hurt me, vampire. I'm just a ghost and beyond your corporeal reach." He laughed and extended his grisly hand toward Nash.
"I'm sorry, Judah." Nash managed to verbalize a few words and then was struck silent by the beast. Judah made another move on Neo, and he sidestepped and laughed.
"You have no power that will affect me, vampire. Give it up and watch me consume what is yours."
"He doesn't, but I do." Sacha was moving forward with Javier at his side. "I call you out, demon. Leave this vessel, show yourself, show yourself." He shouted and took his staff and began moving it side to side, cutting and electrifying the air. "Show yourself." He sliced the air with his staff, crackling the elements and shaking the ground. The thing in Neo finally looked concerned and attempted to turn on Sacha but did not anticipate the power of this particular Mage. He tried to fight, but Sacha increased his attack, and his staff continued to crackle the air, sending bolts of energy surging through the body the beast was inhabiting.
The energies around retreated, leaving the beast on his own, and then it happened. The tainted spirit inside Neo was pulled free and made flesh. The demon was now, to his utter surprise and horror, corporeal, a solid part of this world, and at that moment, Judah struck.
He grabbed the demon, ripped out his throat, and drove his fist through his chest, which was followed by an unearthly scream. The shock and pain crippled the evil specter, never having experienced such earthly pain. "No, stop. I have the ability to fulfill all your dreams." It begged. "I can give you a life of power supremacy. I can give you the world." It scrambled to make a deal, but Judah needed nothing from this beast.
"All I want is for you to be dead." With that, he beheaded the demon with his bare hands. He stood and stepped back once the life and energy associated with the thing had dissipated. Sam handed him a handkerchief, and he wiped the remains from his hands. The thing shriveled and turned to dust.
Judah ran to where Nash had collapsed and gathered him into his arms. "Are you okay, my love?" Nash held him and buried his face in Judah's chest. He could feel the fear rolling off him as he held him, but he also felt his relief.
"I'm sorry, Judah." He cried. "I should never have left the hotel, but I got a call, and they said you were in trouble."
"It's okay, sweetheart. I was fooled, too. Arthur had set himself up as a decoy to pull me away from you, and I fell for it. I should never have left you at the hotel." He pulled him close and kissed him repeatedly.
"Take me home, Judah. I don't like it here." Nash again buried his face in Judah's chest. He scooped him up into his arms, and Sam handed him the keys to his car.
"Attend to your beloved. We will take care of the cleanup." Sam told him.
"Thank you." He hurried back to where they'd parked the car, eager to get his sensitive little man away from the tainted magic and the dead lands.
Nash was so thankful for this man. He didn't know much about Fate, but he firmly believed in it now. "I love you, Judah." He said once they were back in his quarters at the Coven. "I wish I'd told you that earlier. I felt it, but I was afraid to say it, and then everything almost ended without me ever telling you how much you mean to me and what I feel for you." Nash's tone was pleading.
"Nothing ended, and nothing will ever take you from me," Judah stated firmly and proceeded to strip Nash first his t-shirt and then his boots and jeans, and finally, he stood naked and needy in front of his beloved, the greatest man he has ever known. Judah picked him up and carried him to their bedroom, placing him gently on the bed and then quickly removing his own clothes. He joined Nash on the bed and stretched out, gathering him into his arms.
"I need you, sweetheart. I need to feel you and know that you are safe and well. I love you, Nash." It was Judah's turn to ramble and try to say everything he wanted to say. Nash smiled and pulled him close.
"You saved me from my drunken night at the Indigo, from Arthur, and from the darkness that wanted to consume me. You're my champion and the love of my life." Nash sighed and giggled and ate up Judah with his eyes. This man was his world.
Judah moved over Nash and separated his legs, positioning himself between his thighs. "You ready for me, baby?" He asked, and Nash was always ready and eager for this man.
