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I would die for the people I love, but in my head that always involved throwing myself in front of a bullet or giving them my last remaining kidney—acts that are bravery-adjacent, for sure, but don’t involve fighting or prolonged suffering.
I have the muscle tone of a lazy house cat and the tolerance for pain of a redhead with extra thin skin. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’d be useless in a fight. I would crumple into a puddle of sniveling wimp-i-tude the moment I was kicked, punched, or stabbed.
Or burned…
A burn, a really ugly, torturous one, is probably more in line with the demon vibe.
And these guys are definitely demons.
Whatever magic Manny used to disguise his deeply red skin and glittering black hair while he and Casey were together is long gone. He and the three men with him all glow faintly in the darkness like fading embers, the snow steaming beneath their bare feet as they hurry toward the covered bridge, passing a struggling Amy between them.
The chances that I’d be able to stop one of these men on my own are slim to none, let alone all four at once. But that doesn’t stop me from shouting, “Stop! Stop right now!” or standing my ground as they spin to face me not ten feet from the entrance to the bridge.
“You can’t do this,” I shout, trying to sound authoritative and threatening, even though the sight of the tears on Amy’s chubby cheeks instantly shatters my heart into a million pieces. Manny has her now, his hand clamped so tight over her mouth I’m afraid she can’t breathe. “Let her go. You have no right to take her. She belongs with her mother.”
“The mother forfeited her rights to the child when she refused Immanuel’s offer of marriage,” the tallest of the three other men says. He’s at least six feet, five inches, and so thin his ribs stand out through the silky white shirt he wears. The ease with which he holds his lanky body would make me think he’s in his late thirties, early forties, tops, but the wrinkles on his face are legion. He looks like a raisin that’s been thrown into the middle of the sun.
A quick glance around the group reveals the other men are much, much older than Manny, as well, which is concerning. I learned enough about demon culture today to know that age equals authority in their world. The older these guys are, the more they’re going to assume that their word is law—in the underworld and here on the surface.
I shake my head, trying to channel the reasonable side of myself even though my lizard brain is insisting I rush the men, snatch Amy out of her father’s arms, and bite anyone who tries to take her from me. “That’s not how family law works in the United States or Nightfall. And that’s where you are. Our laws take precedence. If you remove my niece from our jurisdiction without a hearing, you’ll be violating—”
“Amy!” Casey’s voice cuts through the cold air, filled with such pain and relief, the sound is like a hammer cracking at my ribs.
I turn to see her, Edmond, and Baron just a few feet behind me, and instantly begin to tremble, all my bravado shivering away.
Thank Goddess. I’m not alone or outnumbered anymore, and Edmond and Baron are both much tougher and stronger than the ancient, Mick-Jagger-lean demons. We have a chance of getting Amy back now. A good chance, as long as we can keep them from dashing through a portal into the underworld with my niece before she’s back in her mother’s arms.
So far, the bridge behind them looks the same as always, but the rune on the side of the wood is glowing an ominous reddish-orange, just a shade brighter than the demons’ skin.
“Give her back to me, please,” Casey says, tears streaming down her cheeks as she inches forward, coming to stand just in front of me. But she isn’t sobbing. The tears are a faucet that’s been left on without her knowledge. Otherwise, my sister’s face is almost eerily calm. She’s clearly fighting like hell to be strong for Amy, a fact she proves when she forces a tight smile and says, “It’s okay, baby. Mama’s going to fix this. Don’t worry and don’t be scared. Everything will be all right.”
Amy’s sobs subside, but her eyes remain wide and terrified. My niece might be not quite two years old, but she’s no fool. She knows dads aren’t supposed to rip you out of your house without telling your mom and carry you off into the night with a bunch of creepy looking old dudes. And I’m sure the fact that Manny still has his hand folded over her mouth and his other arm banded tight around her torso also aren’t lost on her.
Amy isn’t used to being restrained or manhandled. Even when she gets into trouble, Casey waits for her to sit down in the time out chair of her own free will. And if she doesn’t, she loses dessert for a day or two. There’s been very little violence in my niece’s life, aside from what her father has exposed her to by trying to kidnap her—twice.
“I’ve got my rights, Case,” Manny whines, his voice like a violin string about to break. “You won’t marry me, so I get Amy. That’s the law. And demon law wins.”
“Demon law takes precedence,” the raisin-faced man amends, shooting Manny a disdainful look out of the corner of his dark eyes that makes me think he isn’t a fan of Casey’s ex, either. “Our system was codified hundreds of years before humans had written language. And Ms. Wonderfully was made aware of our rules when she chose to bring the fetus to term.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I shoot back. “Casey had no idea Manny was a demon until he took Amy the last time. Right, Casey?” I shift my gaze to find Casey looking a little queasy beneath her forced calm. “Casey?”
“He told me something, the night Amy was conceived,” she says, her fingers fidgeting at her sides. “But we were both a little drunk. I thought he was joking, just…being weird the way Manny is weird. By the time I learned I was pregnant a few weeks later, I’d forgotten about that night, and he never said anything else about it.”
“And he enchanted her without her consent or knowledge, and that’s against general supernatural law,” Edmond pipes up, coming to stand on Casey’s other side as Baron appears at mine.
Baron gives my hand a quick squeeze that I return with all the strength in my fingers, silently letting him know how grateful I am that he’s here.
“He’s been censured for the infraction,” Raisin Face says. “He’s spent a month in the stocks, and should he decide to conscript the girl into service to our lord, he will only receive half the sale price. The other half will go to pay his legal fees and a lump sum settlement to Ms. Wonderfully.”
“I don’t want your money,” Casey says, her voice breaking as she adds, “I just want my daughter back. Please, she’s just a baby. She needs me and her family. She’s half human. She needs love and safety to survive. She won’t make it down there.”
“Relax, Case, she’s going to be fine. She’s strong as hell,” Manny says, nodding proudly down at his daughter. “Almost squirmed free three times so far. And only powerful kids get their horns so young. She’s going to be fierce. And Lord Luce is good to his slaves. They don’t have to start work full time until they’re sixteen. Before that, they get to go to school in the mornings and have two days off a work cycle and everything. It’s not a bad life.”
“I’m going to end you,” Casey whispers, a terrifying smile twitching at the edges of her lips. “If you take my daughter, I won’t rest until you’re six feet under, Immanuel. Give her to me right now or I swear to the Goddess your days are numbered, and your last moments won’t be pretty.”
The slightly shorter, but still very tall demon behind Raisin Face leans forward, whispering into the older demon’s ear.
He nods and says, “Captain Gnarl has made note of your wish for vengeance. If you elect to challenge Immanuel in combat within the statute of limitations, you will be escorted safely to and from the battle ring in our capital city. Should you win, the full purchase price of the girl, minus legal fees, will be yours. But for now, we really must be going. Our triad has other matters of justice to attend to this night.”
