Page 17 of A Hunter Cursed
Yeah. That didn’t sound good.
∞∞∞
“We have a situation,” Destin Jourdain said, leaning forward in his chair, fingers steepled under his chin as he eyed the people he’d called for this impromptu meeting. Kane Fletcher, the vampire in charge of Louisiana’s supernatural population, Archer Langley, alpha of the resident wolf pack, and Morgan Rhys, a vampire as well, and the Hunter heading up the new training facility.
“A thinning was brought to my attention today.”
“A thinning?” Kane asked with a raised brow.
“A space between the realms that shouldn’t exist on this plane unless something has, or is trying, to come through,” Destin informed them.
“Angels crossed over into New York, aligned themselves with the Born that holds that territory,” Morgan Rhys volunteered, leaning forward, elbows braced on the table. “Any chance this is them?”
“What I felt when I encountered the area, was a rolling malevolence.”
Several curses followed that statement and Kane Fletcher’s lips pinched into a grimace as he slouched in his seat. “I knew it was too much to hope the peace and quiet would last.”
“Wait. Are we talking demons?” Archer Langley spoke up, a look of disbelief on his face.
“Yes.”
Morgan shook her head. “Why here? Why not in New York to torment the angels?”
“If I had to guess,” Destin began, pulling out a book wrapped in black oilcloth and setting it before him. “Evangeline had something to do with it.”
Evangeline Duvalier, Destin’s aunt, had been an incredibly powerful witch, but the woman had been obsessed with gaining more and more power, blind to the cost. His coven had attempted to bind her, imprison her for her own safety. She’d escaped, and wreaked havoc for a time. A time that had the unforeseen benefit of uniting supernaturals who had once viewed each other as enemies. Vampires, shifters, witches, they’d all come together to fight a common enemy, and despite Destin’s best efforts to pull Evangeline back from the brink, the power she’d stolen had consumed her.
Kane let out another expletive as Destin unwrapped the ancient grimoire he’d found among Evangeline’s things. Morgan quickly covered her nose and leaned back away from the table and the offensive odor of the book.
“Christ! What is that shit?” Langley added with obvious disgust.
Yes. The book was disgusting. Aside from the noxious odor reminiscent of rotten eggs that lingered between its pages, it also oozed a thick black slime from its cover that Destin was almost positive was stitched together from human skin. The sense of malevolence the book gave off made Destin’s stomach buck in protest, but he persevered. Pulling on a pair of gloves to protect his hands, he opened the ancient tome. “As far as I can tell, Evangeline was attempting to open a portal between the realms.”
Looking pointedly at Kane, he continued, “Your friend Nicky, when she came to me after she’d been abducted, told me that she had witnessed Evangeline performing a spell, one that had hurt her. I believe,” he said, pointing to the open page, “that this is what she may have been attempting, but wasn’t powerful enough to complete on her own.”
“To what point or purpose?” Morgan asked, her voice muffled behind her hand. “Why would anyone – even that crazy bitch – want to invite demons in?”
“Evangeline’s power had been stolen from a demonic source. Again, if I had to guess, she wished to open a portal in an attempt to siphon more.”
“But she didn’t succeed, right?” Kane asked. “Nicky said the spell hurt Evangeline, so she couldn’t finish.”
“That’s correct. She was unsuccessful in opening a portal, but she may have weakened the veil enough where some enterprising demon or demons may now be attempting to push through.”
“Fuck me,” Kane breathed, swiping a hand through his hair in agitation.
“What can we do?” Archer asked before motioning to the book. “Is there something in there you can use to close it? Repair the breach?”
Destin shook his head. “This tome is demonic. There is nothing in it that wouldn’t benefit them.”
“Evangeline must have had a way to close it, though, right?” Morgan asked. “I mean, if her end game was to be the ultimate power in the territory, she wouldn’t have wanted a bunch of demons running around wreaking havoc and ruining her plans.”
“I will continue to search through her things, but as far as I could tell, if she had a way, that knowledge died with her.”
The silence was heavy, lasting several minutes, each of them contemplating the threat that loomed over their heads.
“The angels,” Morgan suddenly blurted, finally lowering her hands, though she was careful to breathe through her mouth. “I’m friends with the Born that holds New York. I can call him, see if we can get an angelic assist.”
“Do it,” Destin said adding, “and I’ll continue to look through my own volumes of spells, see if I can find something that might work for this scenario.”
