Chapter 18

 

 

 

 

No, no, no. Something was wrong. Not just with the unexpected knock on his door, but in the Twilight itself. Something was wrong. No, don’t open—

He was too late.

Chloe swung the door open. And Sparrow knew what was wrong, knew the source of heaviness he felt creeping its way into the air and darkening the light of his home.

A demon stood at his door. And the demon smiled at Chloe.

Sparrow rushed forward, coiling his lightning with the intent to strike at the hateful thing and send it far away from there, if he could. This one was powerful, and filled with the darkest hate imaginable.

Sparrow’s father had been a powerful demon, and Sparrow was half, but they had never toyed with the darkness. Their power didn’t come from hatred, bloodshed, or pain.

The one who cast a shadow in his doorway thrived on those things. Craved them.

Sparrow breathed in, intent on loosing the full force of his power upon it.

“Norman,” Chloe gasped.

Sparrow froze, scrambling to understand. Norman, the ex-husband she ran from, who was intent on getting her back. Norman who had turned hard and cold after he married her, and had blamed her for losing his baby. This was Norman.

Norman was a demon. It explained so much.

“Wife,” Norman spat, not even glancing at Sparrow. He clearly thought Sparrow was no match for him, so the demon didn’t care what he did.

Sparrow would show him the error of his ways.

Sparrow lunged forward again, to move past Chloe and teach this vile creature a lesson, but he sensed a growing heat around Chloe, one he’d learned to recognize as her powers gathering. Almost like a hot breeze that didn’t ruffle a curtain or flutter the leaves in the trees, but that warmed him. Perhaps him alone.

He sent a bolt of his firefox toward Norman. Its brilliant light exploded and propelled the unwelcome intruder several yards back, landing Norman on his back. Smoke and flickering electricity short-circuited from where he was standing.

Sparrow tsked when he saw Norman still able to move. It made sense. That man was a demon, all right. Normal humans wouldn’t have been able to withstand his firefox attack.

“Sparrow, don’t,” said Chloe.

“But—”

“This is my fight. If you fight for me that this whole Gaia thing is useless. I must do this by myself.”

Sparrow looked away. As much as he hated it, he couldn’t go against his goddess’ order.

“How…” Chloe hesitated, uncertainty in her eyes. “You said humans couldn’t come here.”

“They can’t. He’s only half-human. That darkness pressing down on you? It’s evil.”

“I know, but he—”

“Not just ordinary evil. He’s a half-demon.”

An amused laughter reverberated. Norman managed to get back on his feet. “How clever you are, blondie.” His eyes threw dagger at him. Pure venom.

“But you’re a half-demon,” Chloe said to Sparrow “You’re not like him.”

“Because his magic, his powers, are dark. Mine are not.” Sparrow pushed Chloe behind him, shielding her from Norman. “Allow me to deal with this cretin, Gaia. The likes of him will sully your hands.”

Norman kept advancing, lumbering. He took a deep breath, sniffing the air. “Ah. You’ve been unfaithful, Chloe. You have his stink. What am I going to do with you, my cheating little wife?”

Sparrow took a step forward. Chloe’s fight or not, this foul thing wasn’t going to go on taunting her.

Chloe pushed Sparrow aside.

Sparrow protested. “But, Gaia—“

One glance from her silenced his objection. Sparrow knitted his brows. Somehow, his Gaia had changed. There was a regal air in her. A holy aura.

“How many times must I tell you, I’m not your wife anymore. I want nothing to do with you. Ever. Leave this place while I’m still feeling charitable.”

“Chloe, Chloe, Chloe,” Norman cooed. “What you want, my dear Chloe, doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

“Did it ever?” she asked. “Because I don’t think it did.”

Norman shrugged. “You’re beautiful and kind. I do like those things. But no. Your well-being only matters to me up to the point that you bear my child. You failed before, but we’ll get it right next time.” Norman lunged for her, reached out to grab her wrist, but Chloe stepped back at the same time Sparrow struck out with a bolt and knocked Norman backward. Unfortunately, instead of blowing back out the door, he flew at an angle and slammed into the wall.

He shot to his feet and shook his head, an ugly smile on his face. “You won’t stop me, little fox. I’m here to claim what’s mine.”

“Umm, hello? I divorced you, remember? Don’t tell me a decade in the big house turned you into a new kind of stupid?”

Norman chuckled. “I don’t mean you—it’s what you can grow in your belly for me.”

And Sparrow knew then why his eyes looked mad, and why he wouldn’t let Chloe go after all this time.

Why he’d been so enraged that she’d miscarried their child.

“I want a child,” Norman ground out, his eyes flashing red at Sparrow. “And if you try to stop me, I’ll kill you.”

“You can try.”

“Enough!”

Sparrow and Norman both flinched at the sound, a louder one than Chloe could have made with her voice. This was her inner voice shouting at them, confused, distraught. “Last warning, Norman.”

“I’m getting what’s mine,” Norman growled. “You robbed me of my rightful place before. I want it now.”

“What the hell are you yapping about?”

“Your child, Chloe,” Sparrow spoke softly. Norman didn’t seem eager to explain, and she had a right to know why he’d hounded her all this time. “His father must be a demon, because his mother wasn’t. Half-breeds like him aren’t as powerful as his father. But he can become a full-fledged demon by drinking blood. The blood of his firstborn child.”

“Is that true? You were going to kill our baby had I not had the miscarriage?” Chloe rasped out, horrified.

“That was always the plan.”

“You’re the new Gaia, Chloe. Drinking the blood of your child and his wouldn’t just make him a full demon, but perhaps the most powerful demon in existence.”

Chloe blinked several times, her hands dropping to her sides as she glared at Norman. “You knew about it? I didn’t even know.”

“Of course I knew.” Norman snorted. “Why do you think my father chose you for me? Did you think I fell for your big tits and your pretty smile? A senator of his stature taking in a girl with no breeding, no estate, the daughter of our gardener, just because his teen-age son has a crush? Please. I could have had anyone I wanted with the kind of power my father commands. But he saw the power in you, and knew what that meant for me.”

Sparrow wanted to end this. He wanted to kill Norman, not with his lightning, but with his hands.

Chloe grabbed his arm and yanked him back. “Stay!”

All of a sudden, Sparrow’s body was petrified. Couldn’t move a muscle. He cursed inwardly. He forgot that Gaia had the power to bind those who served her. She really didn’t want him meddle in this situation.

Chloe swallowed. “Your father knew who I was, you said?”

“It was an incredible stroke of luck. You could be lucky too, you know. Give me a child, let me sacrifice it and become powerful beyond measure. Maybe I’ll keep you around. For fun. Or to see if the blood of a second-born provides any kind of a boost.”

Sparrow jerked to free himself from the sacred binding of his goddess. But Chloe’s power kept him immobile. Chloe charged at Norman and tossed him off like a hand swatting a fly and sent him smashing into the wall. He crumpled to the floor, grunting in pain.

“He won’t be down long,” Sparrow warned her. And before the words were out, Norman rose again.

“Impressive.” Norman tilted his head, bones popping. “But you haven’t had much practice, and I’ve done nothing but practice while I sat in prison thinking about all the things I was going to do to you when I got out.”

“Gaia, release me. Chloe!” Sparrow barked.

But she was no longer the woman he knew.