weakness, the pain in her leg had gotten worse. While trying to control her erratic
breathing, she sat on the ground and turned from Quest"s concerned stare.
“Mission complete.” Fabian announced, staring toward the temple.
“Not yet, Fabe.” Spade reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small
detonator.
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Jade peered at him over her shoulder. “Oh no, Spade you can"t—”
“Don"t say it, Jade,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “You know I"m not about
to walk away and leave a demon infested building standing.” He put his thumb on
the button. “Even if it"s a temple, it"s gotta go.”
At the push of the button, the ground quaked and a cacophony of ghoulish
wails echoed through the area. A dark mushroom shaped cloud expanded and
hovered where the temple once stood.
“Yo Cop, you a"ight, chica?”
Everyone"s attention was abruptly drawn to Copper.
“Negatory,” she slurred before she swayed lazily then collapsed.
Quest ran and caught her before she hit the ground. “Man down!”
The team rushed over, Fabian in the lead. He squatted down and examined
her body, shining a bright blue ray from his eyes over her torso.
“Sergeant Delany has severe muscle and tissue damage to her abdomen area.
I detect internal bleeding.”
“Sonofabitch!” Spade threw his hat to the ground.
“Let"s get some transpo and get her to the hospital asap,” Steel ordered.
“Do you want us to go after them, master?” snarled the demon, glaring at the
humans who had just killed hundreds his of his comrades.
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Doshar glanced at the temple ruins. The unexpected explosion and the loss
of numerous demons irritated him greatly. The blast hadn"t been strong enough to
close his portal however, it did weaken it. The human with the power of the spirit
shield filled the explosives with holy water, which was guaranteed to damage his
portal.
He hissed in aggravation.
Evidently, he"d underestimated this group of Andausians, but it was
unlikely he"d make that mistake again.
He narrowed his eyes. These humans were no regular Andausians. They"d
been touched by the light, blessed by the heavens as mortal warrior angels. This
explained why his demons hadn"t been able to kill them. Fortunately, a gap in their
defenses had been revealed. They were connected to one another"s energy forces, as
well as another force he didn"t recognize. The drift in their connection came forth
once they came near the portal. This spiritual link could work to his advantage.
An atrocious plot played in his mind and brought on a wicked smile.
Separating them would truly weaken their defenses no matter how great their
power.
“No, just follow them,” he ordered, staring at the dark skinned woman who
now possessed the half-breed"s amulet. “I will deal with these wretched mortals
myself.”
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Chapter Twelve
The Coven
Faint streams of light shone through the stained glass windows, brightening
the polished wood trusses of the vaulted ceiling, the huge cherry wood crucifix at
the alter, which was draped in a red cloth, and the divine portrait of the Virgin
Mary. Another day had begun.
In distress, Father Shannon paced through the congregation hall, his hands
clasped behind his back. The dreadful feeling in his heart became heavier with
each step. Evil was winning this unseen war and there was nothing he could do
about it.
Demetri had told him to close his eyes and find sleep as if it was an easy task
for him. Since the disappearances began, his nights had been restless, but now that
the truth had been revealed to him, any attempt to sleep was useless.
The smell of the victim"s blood overwhelmed his senses and worse of all, his
faith faltered. “God help us all.”
He stopped pacing and gazed upon the crucifix. Another servant of God had
been slain. Even before the vampire confirmed it, he knew in his heart Father
Hamiway would die. The truth of Demetri"s words had come to him after he could
no longer sense his brother"s spiritual force. He was gone from this world.
Sighing, he recalled his conversation with Demetri. Twenty-eight portals.
A demon portal beneath a temple? On holy ground? He wouldn"t have
thought it possible, but he had to remember over time evil had cloaked itself and
hidden in God"s places of worship.
“Of course,” he mumbled inwardly.
What better way to defeat your enemy than to conceal yourself within their
sanctuaries until it was time to attack? It was a suicidal, yet an effective strategy.
Humans used this scheme all the time to defeat one another.
That still left the question, why, floating about in his mind.
Why was this so called warlock doing this? What would he gain by
allowing a demon to find the Queen then obtain her blood and receive the ultimate
power? This demon wouldn"t share her blood with him. He had to know that. So,
what was his purpose?
His thoughts were halted when he saw something stir out of the corner of
his eye. He walked to the far end of the hall to see a woman sitting in center of the
pew, a snow white cloak covering her form. He didn"t have to look at the time to
know the church"s doors weren"t opened yet.
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“Excuse me, young lady, I"m sure you have much to discuss with God, but
you must be aware the hour is far too early for you to be here. The doors of the
church are closed at this time. Perhaps, you can come back at nine, when we are
open?”
A cheery chuckle echoed around him. “I think not.” She looked up, revealing
her familiar face. “Besides, I stopped talking to God a long time ago.” Her deep
Russian accent laced every word. “Oh Father, you"re just as sexy as you were
twenty years ago.”
Squinting, he shuffled back. “What are you doing here, Dominique?”
A soft smile graced her face. “Are you that angry about me being here, tiger?”
Casually, she crossed her legs. The thick fabric of her cloak fell open, giving a
healthy view of her milky white limbs. “Want to touch? I promise it"s as soft as it
looks,” she purred, drawing the fabric further up her thighs.
“I want you to leave right now,” he said in a controlled tone. “Those who
practice dark magic are not welcome here.”
“Oh, but I thought all were welcome in the house of God.”
“All those who are prepared to accept him in their hearts,” he retorted
sharply.
She pushed the hood back from her head and exposed her golden hair. “For
your information, I don"t practice dark magic, priest. Do not class me as a witch,” she
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uttered on a sneer. “And I do accept him in my heart.” A wicked smile curled her
lips as she slowly parted her legs. “Ask me where my heart is.”
“That"s it,” he growled. “Your blasphemy and disrespect will not be
tolerated in this place of worship! Get out now or I will throw you out!”
His anger increased when she rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Relax, priest. It
wasn"t my choice to come here. Fran
kly, I could think of many places I"d rather
be—”
“Then why are you here!”
“A confession, perhaps.”
“Don"t toy with me, Dominique. I am not in the mood.”
She tilted her head and gazed at him with curiosity in her eyes. “I thought
priests were supposed to be calm and graceful. Right now, you are none of the
above.” She stood and floated to the end of the pew. “I was summoned here for a
secret meeting.”
“By who?”
“By me.” The double doors to the hall unlocked and swung open. A hooded
figure appeared in the entrance. “It"s the only place I could think to meet where the
coven couldn"t tap in.”
The hood slid back from her head, giving way to her identity. Lady Indigo.
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Fluidly, she moved past the rows of pews, smiling all the way. “Neither
Dominique nor I possess the strength to conjure a barrier powerful enough to
block out the coven"s third eye. You and Demetri are the only ones capable of
doing so.” She paused and removed her cloak, revealing a sheer floor-length gown.
“And since this meeting is about Demetri, I had to use you.”
His cheeks flushed. The thin, lacy material left nothing to the imagination,
and it didn"t help matters she wasn"t wearing any undergarments.
He diverted his eyes and growled, “Lady Indigo, please clothe yourself.”
“I shall do no such thing,” she muttered, dramatically fanning herself. “It"s
like the inside of an oven in here.”
“God"s way of weeding out evil. I"m surprised you didn"t burst into flames at
the entrance,” he grumbled, moving past them. “Follow me.” He led them quickly
through the large room, down the corridor to his office. He settled behind his desk
and rested his forehead against the palm of his hand. “Carry on with your
meeting.”
Smiling, they sat in the chairs opposite his desk. “Do you have any wine or
something you could offer us?” Dominique removed her cloak and gave view to a
short, silky garment, which was even more revealing than Indigo"s gown. “I"m
parched.”
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“Lord God, have you women no modesty? Please have your meeting so that
you may depart from my presence sooner rather than later.”
Dominique giggled. “Feeling a little hot under the collar, tiger?”
“Don"t tease him, Dominique.” Indigo crossed her legs and tilted her hips to
the side. “He may be a priest, but he"s still all male,” she averred with a wink.
Irritated by their cattish taunts, he pushed out of his chair and attempted to
leave.
“Aren"t you the least bit interested in why I called a secret meeting about
your friend?”
He stopped at the door, turned and glared at her. “What has he done?
Bedded both of you in the same night? Refused to cuddle? What?”
“Fun-ny,” Dominique chortled. “I knew there was a comedic side to you.”
“Hilarious,” Indigo murmured dryly, casting a curt glare at Dominique. “No
priest, that"s not the reason.” She paused and leered at him. “I have reason to
believe the Dragon Queen has a direct mental connection with Demetri.”
Dominique sat up, her back stiffly erect and stared at her. “The Dragon
Queen? Are you sure?”
“No, I"m not.” Indigo stood, circled the chair then leaned against the back of
it. “I"ve been trying to link with him ever since he left my bed, but he"s been
blocking me out, ignoring my calls.” She dragged her hands down her face. “Last
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night he did something very strange. I tapped into his psyche while she was calling
to him. She serenaded him, enchanted him into a state of slumber,” she explained,
her words rushed, her gaze wandering about. “He was zombified, caught in her
web, and so was I, for a moment. Her aura was incredible, and if you could"ve
heard her voice…”
“Indigo, honey, I truly believe your speculations are false. There is no way
you would"ve been able to link with him while she had a hold on him. She wouldn"t
have allowed it. As a matter of fact, you would"ve paid for that with your life.”
“I know it sounds impossible, but what if…” Indigo glanced his way. “What
if she doesn"t know who or what she is?”
“You"re absolutely right. That does sound impossible,” Dominique sighed.
“Look, a demon queen shifts at an unimaginable rate, one we couldn"t comprehend.
Now if we go by the prophecy, she is ripe by now, ready to take, ready to kill and
damn sure ready to crown her king.”
“Dominique, I"ve been over this a million times in my mind—his reaction to
her call, the emotions I felt through the link…”
“Maybe she"s another priestess, or another Xsonri—”
“Noo…”
“I know why you"ve made this assumption. I"ve seen him gazing up into the
night skies with his arms open, seeking a connection with her. I saw it with my
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own eyes, several times and he would nearly suffer the sun for this link. But, if it
were the queen calling out to him, he would"ve already found her or visa versa.”
“I agree.” Father Shannon strolled from the door to the desk.
“Well glory be, halleluiah.” Dominique grinned. “Welcome to the
conversation.”
He sliced her a narrowed eye, before he lowered into his chair. Clearing his
throat, he brushed his fingers over the cross hanging from his neck. “I don"t know
everything there is to know about this Dragon Queen, but I"m sure if Demetri had
contact with her, he would"ve told me so. I spoke with him last night and he—”
“Do you honestly believe everything he tells you Father?” Indigo asked, a
certain amount of disdain behind her tone. “You think because he"s your friend he
confides everything in you, that he"d tell you he"s linked to the bitch with the
power to wipe out mankind as we know it?”
“Watch your language,” he demanded on a growl, his finger leveled at her.
“You may not have respect for yourself, but you will respect the house of God.” He
looked away and briefly closed his eyes. “Demetri has no reason to lie to me. In
fact, he enjoys telling me the truth, particularly if the truth will spike my nerves.”
“Oh yes. He does enjoy getting a rise out of those unmoved,” Dominique
added with a twisted smile.
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Indigo tugged on her dreads as she took her spot back in the chair. “I think
he would lie to you, to protect you. Think about it. If he confessed to you he knew
who she was, and that he was connected to her, wouldn"t that put you and your
nuns in harm"s way? That bit of information can"t be bandied about. There is too
much at stake.”
“Well, if you"re right honey, that means Mr. Bithanos has been crowned.”
Indigo shook her head, her dreads swinging about. “No, we all would"ve felt
it. The moment his body joined with hers, the transfer of blood…”
“That is exactly why there is no way he"s connected with her.” Dominique
brushed her fingers through the ends of the mane that rested on her collarbone.
“Indigo, we"re talking about Demetri here. Do you really believe he"d find the
Queen and not take her to
bed? Or better yet, do you believe she"d summon him
and not give up the pussy?”
Father Shannon dropped his fist on the desk hard, causing the bible to hop.
“Language!”
Dominique rolled her eyes. “Seriously honey, our boy is a go getter. If he
found the queen and her forbidden blood, he"d mark her as his.”
“Mark her?” Indigo gasped. “Yes, but she would have marked him first.”
“What ever do you mean, sister?” Dominique huffed, apparently frustrated
with her lack of success to convince the priestess she was delirious.
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“A glowing serpent dragon symbol appeared on the nape of his neck and
formed a dagger down the center of his back, which I bet any amount of money is
still there. Don"t you see Dominique? She marked him! She has chosen him!”
“Preposterous.” Dominique stood and retrieved her cloak. “End of meeting.
We must go. We"ve been summoned by the coven.”
For a moment, Indigo didn"t budge. “You believe me don"t you, Father?”
He shrugged his shoulders and settled back against the sturdy leather of the
chair. “Nothing is implausible these days,” he uttered softly. “Especially if it has
anything to do with Demetri.”
A small smile curved her lips as she rose from the chair. “Not a word of this
to anyone.”
Dominique laughed and sashayed over to her. “Then that would defeat the
purpose of it being a secret meeting.” She brushed Indigo"s locks from the side of
her face and placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. “Don"t worry darling,
we"ll find out what"s going on,” she whispered, smoothing her hands around
Indigo"s hips.
Father Shannon cleared his throat, loudly. “Your coven awaits,” he all but
growled.
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While Dominique giggled hysterically, Indigo peered at him with dismay in
her eyes. “Father please, not a word to Demetri. I"m not sure what he"d do if he
knew…”
He pushed out a soft puff of air. “Yes, yes. Understood.”
As soon as the two priestesses vanished from his sight, he dropped his
forehead on the desk and groaned. Demetri with the Dragon Queen? If this