19.

  Benny was leaning back on his bus seat, and Eliza Saffren, that old blood daughter, was sitting with him at the back of the bus, her legs draped across his lap.

  “So, tell me, before your family came in contact with the Demonic element, did you ever see any clues that would tip you off to the demons workings in this world before?” she asked. “Demons infest this world, they’re everywhere, I just don’t understand how people like you still living in the mortal world don’t see them every day,” she said.

  “You know, a wise man once told me, that people of my ilk don’t realize it because they don’t want to know, it’s too much to take in, to know that everything bad in your life isn’t just bad luck, but it’s all demons, it’s too much for some people to take in, I mean, not people like me. I tell you as soon as I found out that it was demons that threatened us, the mortals, I was ready to fight, it's why I’m here,” he smiled with all the bravado and confidence any man had the uncanny ability to fake when he was talking to a pretty girl and resting a hand on her thigh.

  Gregor was talking to a pretty girl himself. Willow and he were holding onto a handrail, and Willow was challenging his quickly becoming famous intellect.

  “Wasprater poison?” she asked.

  “Please, give me a hard one, take a sample of the venom, distilled, and a good leeching after application,” Gregor smiled.

  “You must have the entire Demonology encyclopedia memorized. How do you know all this?” she asked.

  “Because it’s my job to know, I can’t hope to earn a job as a high-end support without having every piece of knowledge I would ever need for my employers,” he said, “Now let me try to stump you, here’s a good one, The cure for Lycanthropy?” he asked.

  “Trick question, there’s no cure for Lycanthropy, only treatment, a supplemental diet of colloidal silver can prevent transformations, but only if taken rigorously and every day,” she said.

  “Brains and beauty,” Gregor smiled, “Have I mentioned how fetching you look in that dress,” he said.

  “Yes, you have, you charmer,” Willow giggled and blushed, “I believe that our deal still stands, I got a hit on you in fencing practice, which means you’re buying my drinks,” she perked up and grinned.

  “I was going to purchase the refreshments anyway, so I let you get a hit in on me,”

  “You lie!” she said, her smile growing wider.

  “Just trying to be chivalrous,” he said.

  “Your friends are just as lame as you are,” Tav said, leaning in towards Cole, “Damn if it doesn’t work for them though, and you,” she said, looking at him and smiling.

  “Have you been to the market yet?” Cole asked, “It’s going to be great. Hunters get treated well by people in the know, and they know we have cash to spend,” he said.

  “I haven’t been to the surface since we got to the academy,” she looked down, and for a moment fidgeted with her golden glamor necklace. “I should just tell you now that I’m not good in crowds,” she said, “I need you to promise me I can leave if it’s too much,” she said.

  “You can leave whenever you want,” Cole said, “We’re not forcing you, we’re inviting you. You’re going to love it, it’s not healthy to stay cooped up in your room all day every day, take some of that stress and work it out tonight, just have fun. It’s a long weekend, no class tomorrow, party out all your cares, and sleep it off tomorrow. If I get you to have as good a time as I think you’ll have, even Angelica wouldn’t be able to wake you up,” he smiled.

  “Okay I guess,” Tav said, rolling her eyes, “So where are we going again?” she asked.

  The bus brought them to Market Street, “This is nice,” Tav said, taking a deep breath, “Oh, the air is so much better outside,” she turned, “Thanks for making me do this, I really needed a break, I’m so cooped up underground,” she said.

  Cole smiled, “We’re going to a club called The Edge, we may not have IDs but I can flash this,” Cole pulled the amulet he had used to enter the academy at the beginning of the year, “It’s a relic passed down my family, a gift my great, great, however many greats, grandfather earned from the angels when they gave my family the ability to light our swords, it opens gates, doors, can open anything, I flash this and we’re in, free drinks, no need for IDs, we’re golden with this,” Cole said.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s a relic from the above, rare, not meant to be in mortal hands, but being that my family is well, my family, they let us keep one, all of my brothers used this to get into the academy, and my mom thinks we just show it off as a status symbol, no idea we use it get comped drinks and into clubs that frankly we are way too young to get into.

  “Are you trying to impress me?” Tav asked.

  “Not at all,” Cole said, “Well, maybe a little bit,” he raised his eyebrows.

  “It’s kind of working,” she said, “So we get into the club, we get our drinks comped, I guess I don’t mind using something from the above if it means we can have fun,” she said.

  The six got off the bus and made their way to the club. Cole, just as he said he would, flashed his Amulet, and they were immediately greeted with warmth, no need for IDs, and they were brought complimentary bottle service. Benny and Gregor each shared a shot with their respective girls, and Cole raised a glass with Tav, “Only the finest, for the finest hunters in a generation,” he said, tapping his shot glass to hers.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Damn it, you’re winning me over,” Tav said, tapping her glass to Cole’s as both took a shot.

  “I am!” Cole pulled back his excitement, “I mean, you know it’s whatever,” he said, putting his glass down.

  “You really are the cutest kind of lame,” Tav smiled, filled her glass, and took another shot, “I needed this, I needed this so bad,” she said, shaking her head at the bite of the high-end liquor.

  “I’ll be right back,” Cole said, putting his hands on Tav’s hips and giving them a squeeze. Benny and Gregor brought their dates to the dancefloor as Cole went up to the DJ saying something to him, flashing his Amulet, and getting a nod.

  He came back to Tav, “What did you just do?” she asked.

  “Put in a request,” he held his hand out, and the opening riff of Helena by My Chemical Romance started.

  “Oh my god!” Tav laughed as her favorite song started to play.

  “Thought you would like it,” He took Tav’s hand and brought her to the dance floor, the two rocked out together to the beat. Getting closer, Tav laughing and Cole not trying to be a creep about it but doing his best to get as close to her as he could, and damn if she wasn’t letting him. They were having so much fun together, rocking out and for a moment Tav was able to forget all her problems, all her secrets. She was just a girl on break from university, having a dance with a cute boy who for some reason thought the world of her.

  After the dance the two found a booth where everyone could sit, “I can go order us something, do you like cheese sticks?” he asked.

  “I’m a person, of course I like cheese sticks,” she said.

  “Okay, I’ll be right back, I can order then maybe we can dance a little more, and then we come back to our table, and they’ll be cheese sticks,” Cole said.

  “Don’t go thinking a girl’s going to bump and grind on you just for getting her cheese sticks,” Tav said, only half kidding.

  “We’ll see where the night goes, but I’m getting you back on that dance floor, and we’re going to have fun, and we’re going to forget all the stupid stuff we’re dealing with, and we’re just going to have fun, and I think we could have a lot of fun,” Cole smiled.

  “We’ll see,” Tav held her head up, “Maybe we will have fun, maybe a little bump and grind can make me forget all the stupid stuff,” she said, “Thanks for taking me out,” she bit her lip.

  “Can’t find out if we don’t try,” Cole said, “I’ll be right back,”

  Benny and Gregor had already taken their own ladies to the dance floor, while Tav was waiting for Cole, she took another shot, and tried to relax. Her relaxation was interrupted by a young man who made his way to their booth.

  “It’s you,” he said.

  “It’s who?” Tav asked.

  “Tavalia, the deliverer, the chosen,”

  “I think you have the wrong table, I’m just Tav,” she said, her eyes darting and hoping Cole would be back at their table soon.

  “You’re the one that’s going to win the war, for our side,” he said, “What are you doing here with these mortals, you should be killing them, conquering and raising the greatest hell the above has ever had to deal with,” he said as he grabbed her wrist.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, I’m just a college girl having a night out,” she said, ripping her wrist away from the man.

  “You’re going to free the horsemen, right? Lay the way for the Morning Star, we were told that you start it,” he said.

  “Start what?” Tav asked, a nerve in her voice as she desperately searched the club to try and find Cole.

  “The end, the end of the war, the demons victorious, the true shade of man shown as darkness overtakes the land, condemns the mortals to the punishment for the sins they commit, condemns them for their corruption, the ultimate corruption. The mortals are not worthy of paradise, they never have been. You’re the one they say can bring their final punishment, the victory of the Morning Star, you’re the key, you’re everything,” he said.

  “I’m no one,” Tav said, realizing what this man, this demon, was trying to do, “All I am, is a Demon Hunter, so I highly suggest you get up and leave this booth right now,”

  “You can’t fight against your destiny, you’re the beginning of the end, it's why you were born,” he said.

  Cole came back to the table, “I put the order in, who’s this guy?” he asked, totally clueless as to what was going on.

  Tav sat still save for her hand sneaking to her belt to get her dagger, “Cole, I need you to step back,” she said.

  Cole could read the room, he looked at this man and knew that something was about to go down.

  The young man stifled a laugh, “Really, a woman of your exquisiteness lowering herself to working with…them…” he scowled at the mere thought of addressing a Demon Hunter.

  “I am one of…them,” Tav said, pulling out her dagger and pointing it to the man under the table.

  “I think it's best if you leave the lady alone,” Cole said, Putting a strong hand on the man’s shoulder to pull him up away from the table.

  “Cole!” Tav yelled as the demon in human flesh balled his fist and made a strike for Cole, demonic energy hit him like a ton of bricks, and Cole was thrown ten feet back, landing amongst the crowd of people on the dancefloor.

  Gregor turned, and pushed Willow behind him, “What’s going on,” he said, helping Cole up.

  “Demon, damn it next time we bring our weapons,” Cole said, getting up as across the room Tav pulled her knife on the demon and prepared to lunge for him, “What do we have?” Cole asked.

  Gregor, ever prepared, reached into his pocket, “Blood vial, it’s not potent but it can get the job done,” he said, tossing the tincture to Cole.

  Cole nodded, and applied some drops to his hand, he drew an x with a cross going down it and raised his hand towards the demon, he squeezed his fingers together and the man’s arm exploded into a vile outpouring of black ichor blood,

  “Cole! We have to get out of here, there are too many people,” Tav said.

  The Demon’s arm began to reform as he used his other hand to grab Tav around the neck, “Do not fight your destiny, the Morning Star sees your every move, he knows you will turn to your purpose when the time comes,” he said.

  “The Morning Star doesn’t know anything about me,” Tav struggled to say as she started to recklessly stab away at the demon, the piercing of her dagger barely phasing him.

  “Drop her!” Cole said, drawing another symbol on the back of his hand as Benny and Gregor got the girls and the people away from the dance floor, giving Cole room.

  “I’ll deal with him first,” he said, tossing Tav to the side and jumping onto the floor, he swung his arm as his fingers morphed and grew into a vicious paw with razor-sharp claws. Cole raised his hands to block the blow, and twisted around, using the Demon’s weight to push it back.

  Cole put his blood-stained hand on the demon’s spine, focused his power and another explosion blew the demon near into two halves.

  Tav recovered and got off the floor, rushing to Cole’s side, “What was he talking about? What does the Morning Star have to do with you?” Cole asked.

  “I don’t know, he’s just some ranting demon, take him out,” Tav said.

  “Thy will be done,” Cole dripped more blood on his hand as the demon stood up and limped, the top half of its body leaning down to the side as black blood dripped on the floor.

  Cole smiled, “First kill in the field,” he said, summoning another eldritch blast that exploded the demon’s top half, sending black blood in every direction, staining the back of the club's walls, and raining down on the mortals desperately trying to escape. The only thing left of the demon after Cole’s attack were two stumps of legs that fell to their knees and then collapsed on the floor.

  Benny grabbed Cole, looking around at the terrifying and stunned clubgoers, who for all they knew, just watched a man literally explode behind the dance floor, “We should probably get out of here,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Cole said, wiping what was left of the demon blood off his hand and on his jacket.

  “We best be prepared for a debriefing with the professors,” Gregor said.

  “We’ll worry about that later,” Tav said, she turned to the girls, “Sorry for ruing your weekend,” she smiled nervously.