Chapter Ten

D erek downed his second cup of coffee and waited for the rest of the hunters to show up so they could get started. The sun was straight overhead and hot and humid as hell.

Brand-new day. Brand-new battle plan.

Lou never did let them reconvene last night. After Derek and Gina left the first-aid shack and found him, Lou decided everyone had been through enough and they all should go back to their bungalows and process the information they’d learned. They’d meet again in the afternoon.

Derek and the other hunters had buried the two they’d lost and departed without a word to each other. This wasn’t new territory for them—they’d done it before. There really was nothing to say. They all knew it could have been any of them. This was what they did. There was no time for tears or wallowing in sympathy.

You fight demons, sometimes you don’t come out on the winning end. They all knew it, accepted it, and moved on.

So Derek had said his quiet good-byes to two men he had called friends, and had gone to his bungalow. Which was probably a good idea, but it left him with a lot of time alone to think. He supposed he could have invited Gina to his room and picked up where they left off, but the faint shadows under her eyes told him she’d had enough, too. What she’d seen in the past twenty-four hours would have any normal woman curled up in the fetal position crying her eyes out and refusing to deal.

Then again, Gina wasn’t a normal woman. That was one of the things he admired most about her.

She was tough. A fighter. A survivor. Her past told him that. She’d make a great hunter.

And last night he’d been the one who wanted to crawl into his room and curl up into the fetal position. His balls were wound up tight and aching after watching the way she came apart for him. Her body writhing underneath him, bathed in the overhead light, glistening with beads of sweat as she worked for her orgasm.

She’d felt like heated silk inside. He wanted desperately to finish what he’d started, to linger and taste her, to spend all night learning the secrets of her body, but he couldn’t. Not then. But instinctively, he knew they would find that time somewhere during all this chaos.

If they lived through it.

Now he needed to focus, to get his head screwed on straight and his game plan in action.

He picked up Gina’s unique scent before she even entered the tent. How strange that he could recognize her smell. Of course, why wouldn’t he? He had absorbed it by now, since it clung to him as he lay in his bed, still hard and unsatisfied, kicking himself over his act of self-sacrifice. He’d thought about jacking off, but knew it wouldn’t begin to relieve the ache. He didn’t want to do it himself. He wanted to be inside her, releasing the tension, feeling her surround him, bathing him with her moisture until he couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Afternoon,” she said as she entered the tent and grabbed a cup of coffee, then slipped into a chair across the table. Her cheeks were a cute shade of pink as she made eye contact.

“Afternoon. Sleep well?”

“I got a little,” she said, then realized what she said and her cheeks darkened even further. She bent her head and dove into the coffee.

He laughed. “I’m glad one of us did.”

When her gaze met his, she arched a brow and offered up a saucy smile, clearly recovered from her moment of embarrassment. “You’ll get yours eventually.”

“Oh, I know.” Just the thought of it had him hardening and wishing they had more time alone together. He downed his cup and rose for another, adjusting his tightening pants along the way. Damned unruly dick. He had to get it under control, and fast, because everyone else was up and heading in their direction.

Most didn’t look like they’d slept much, but at least they didn’t appear as shell-shocked as they had the night before. Their faces fixed in determination, staring straight ahead, they ate in near silence, and when they were finished, Lou led them outside to a shaded area near the beach. Derek had already sent the other hunters to grab the weaponry and lay it out on the tables behind Lou.

“Okay, let’s pick up where we left off. We have a lot to do before dark.”

“I guess they only come out at night?” Ryder asked with a half quirk of his lips.

“You guess right. Demons can’t tolerate heat and light, one of our advantages over them.”

“Any other weaknesses we need to know about?” Gina asked.

“Let me give you some basics first,” Lou started. “There’s more than one kind of demon.”

“Are you serious?” Shay’s eyes widened as she looked to the others.

Yeah, Derek figured that would throw them. Now they had the shocked looks again. This was going to take some time to assimilate. God, he wished they had weeks, months, to train them, fill them in on what they needed to know. Instead, they had hours. Talk about trial by fire.

“When the Sons of Darkness realized their females were sterile, they quickly also realized they were at a fighting disadvantage. The more demons we killed, the fewer their numbers. So they went about evening the odds in two ways. One, to try and decrease our numbers, and two, to increase their own.”

“How could they kill more of you if there were fewer of them?” Trace asked.

“By destroying our lineage,” Lou said.

Derek hated when Lou had to tell this story, but knew it was necessary. It was like a light went out in Lou’s eyes whenever he had to reveal what had happened to the Keepers and their families.

“For centuries, the bloodline of the Realm of Light has been slowly dying out. Only a handful of pure descendants of the Realm now exist.”

“Why?” Gina asked. “What happened?”

“The Sons of Darkness began killing the wives and children of all the Keepers.”

Gina gasped, knowing without asking that that included Lou’s wife and children. She looked to the others, saw the shock and pain on their faces, too. So they weren’t the only ones to have suffered a great loss at the hands of these demons. “My God. I’m so sorry.”

Lou shrugged. “It’s in the past and we deal with what we must.”

Gina fought back tears, angry at herself for being so damned emotional. For someone who hadn’t cried in years, she sure had gotten close in the past several hours. The misery, the torment, it was all too much. The pure evil wreaked by these creatures was unbearable. They had to be stopped.

“I hate to ask this, Lou, but why haven’t the Keepers re-married and had more children?” Olivia asked.

“Some did,” Lou said with a slight smile. “The Sons of Darkness managed to get to many of them and kill them, too. Several of the Keepers were too fearful of trying again, of putting women and children at risk. Quite a few of us have remained single after losing our wives and children. As a result, the Realm is aging. Which is why we have been forced to recruit hunters outside our bloodline. Though we aren’t able to pass on our psychic gifts, there are other ways to battle demons. The fight must continue. If not, the Sons of Darkness will win, and we will all be lost.”

For a few moments, everyone went silent.

Until Lou cleared his throat. “Let me continue. In order to increase their numbers and ensure the survival of their species long enough for them to cure their own females from whatever has caused their sterility, demons have begun capturing humans and turning them into demons.”

“They’re genetically altering humans?” Gina asked.

“Yes.”

“Christ,” Ryder said.

Derek stepped up beside Lou. “Pure demons as we know them look very much like us. Basically human in appearance, except for having exceptionally pale blue eyes and unnaturally icy cold skin. They’re very fast, cunning, can communicate with humans, but they’re also more vulnerable to our weaponry, which I’ll show you in a little while. However, they also have fangs and claws that excrete a toxic, paralyzing substance which will freeze you on the spot. If they get a bite or gouge in your skin, you’re screwed.”

“Oh, nice. Like a freakin’ vampire,” Trace said.

“Sort of,” Derek said with a shrug. “That’s why you need fast reflexes. Just don’t let them get close to you.”

“Good advice,” Gina said, shuddering. Like the monsters in the movies, only real ones.

“The half demons, the ones bred from humans, are very similar in appearance to a human. The only difference is they’re not quite as strong as the pure demons.”

“So they look human, are stronger than humans, but not as powerful as the pure demons. Great,” Gina said, rolling her eyes.

“Now the hybrid demons they create in their labs or whatever the hell they’ve got down there, the ones they genetically alter from humans they steal…these are big, ugly sonofabitches,” Derek continued. “I don’t know what the Sons of Darkness mixed up in the genetic soup for these fuckers, but it wasn’t good. They’re huge, incredibly strong, and they have a very thick skin. Almost like body armor. They’re damned hard to kill, but they’re also easier to fight because they’re slow. They’re the muscle for the demons. You don’t want to get into a wrestling match or any kind of hand-to-hand combat with these guys because you’ll lose. They can snap a man’s neck with one squeeze of their hands.”

Gina swallowed, not liking the thought of meeting up with one of those in the dark jungle. “Where are these things hiding?”

“They live underground, where it’s cool and sheltered from the heat and light. They come out of portals in the ground, at will, whenever and wherever they choose.”

“How?”

Lou smiled. “Well, if we knew that, we could predict when and where they’d show up and our jobs as hunters would be a lot easier. Portals are like heat spots that appear in locations where demons emerge. But they seem to close as soon as they open, and we have never been able to catch demons either emerging from or retreating into them. They don’t seem to come and go in the same spots. But they do leave a lingering signature that we can pick up with a program I’ve developed on my computer.”

“I’d like to see that,” Jake said.

“It’s a thermal imaging program. Tracks the heat signature left by the portal locations when the demons come and go. Given their aversions to high temperatures, I imagine they don’t like the entry and exits much,” Lou said with a slight curve of his lips. “But so far there’s no telling where they’ll come from, or where they’ll reenter.”

“Which is why you have to have sharp eyes and ears when you’re out hunting,” Derek added. “They’re liable to pop out right behind you. And if it’s a pure or half demon and he gets to you, you’re dead before you even know he’s there. At least with the hybrid demons you know they’re coming.”

“How so?” Olivia asked.

“They stink,” Lou said.

Gina arched a brow. “Stink?”

“Really bad. Believe me, you’ll know when they’re around.”

Demons with body odor. Fascinating.

“So how does this program help us in fighting them?” Gina wanted to know. “Is it only good for after the fact, to see where they’ve come and gone?”

“Good question, Gina,” Lou said. “The imaging program can pinpoint hot spots when you’re all in the jungle on the hunt, areas of ground that are heating up, indicating a demon has emerged. I can also track your locations and at least give you a few seconds’ warning if one is in your immediate vicinity.”

That was something, at least.

“How do we kill them?” Shay asked. “I really need to know how we kill them.”

Derek grinned. “A very good question, and one I was just about to get to.” He pulled the tarp off a long table behind him, revealing several incredibly foreign-looking weapons, including the one he was carrying last night when he found her. Long, black rifle with a laser sight and thicker than normal barrel, filled with a bluish liquid. Derek lifted it off the table.

“This is our UV laser light rifle. It fires a flash of concentrated ultraviolet light, which, as Gina can attest to, will melt a demon into a pile of liquid in an instant.”

“Cool,” Jake said, grinning.

Gina shuddered and made a face at the memory.

“That bad, huh?” Shay asked next to her, a worried expression on her face.

“Gruesome.”

“It will also burn your retinas clean off if you don’t have protective eyewear on when you fire it,” Derek said, pulling the sunglasses he wore off the top of his head and slipping them over his eyes.

“These are specially designed to protect against the UV flash. They also serve as night-vision specs, replacing those unwieldy goggles you all wore during the game. They utilize a combination of light enhancement and thermal imaging technology, allowing you to see everything around you. And they’re as light and thin as regular sunglasses.”

That much was true. The lenses were nearly transparent. Gina could make out Derek’s eyes quite clearly.

“You’ll each get a pair. Keep them on you at all times and make certain you’re wearing them when you fire the weapon. A blind demon hunter doesn’t do us much good.”

He set the rifle aside and grabbed what looked like an ordinary handgun, only when he dropped the clip, the bullets were thick, rubbery, and black.

“Demons have better senses than us. So higher concentrations of light or sound, like ultrasonic waves, can do some massive damage to them,” Derek said with a smug grin. “These are sonic bullets. When you hit the target or the nearby vicinity of a target with one of these, they’ll explode with sound waves. The waves are so strong it’ll liquefy the tissue clean off a demon; their brains start to bleed and they’re in some damn serious pain. It’s a beautiful sight to behold.”

He was actually enjoying this. As she looked to the other hunters, she saw them all grinning and nodding. Then again, after what these creatures had done, no wonder vengeance was on the mind of every demon hunter. No sympathy. They deserved none and they’d get none.

“Once again, if you get close enough to the shock wave it can also damage your hearing. You’ll be given special ear devices that’ll not only com you in to Lou and the other hunters, but will also protect your eardrums.”

“You’ve thought of everything,” she said.

“We try,” Lou replied. “But believe me, the Sons of Darkness are as cunning as we are. As soon as we figure out how to hurt them, they come up with a way to defend it. We have to stay ten steps ahead to gain five steps on them.”

“We also have sonic grenades,” Derek continued, grabbing what looked like a regular grenade. “Same philosophy as the bullets, bigger sound wave in case you run into a horde of demons.”

“Nice kick-ass weaponry,” Gina said, itching to get her hands on the guns and grenades and take them out for a test run.

“Oh, we’re not quite finished yet,” Derek said, cracking a wicked grin. He reached behind the table and drew out a long, slender black rifle with a spiral barrel. “This is the microwave gun.”

“What the hell does that thing do?” Ryder asked.

“Heats all the liquid in the body to boiling. Fire this at a demon and it’ll shoot invisible microwaves. Cooks the sonofabitch from the inside out.”

Gina’s brows lifted. “You mean nuke them?”

“Holy shit,” Trace said.

“Oh, I want one,” Jake added.

“Every hunter does.” Derek laid the weapon down on the table and turned back to them, hands on his hips.

“When you shoot at a demon, make damn sure of your target. Though both the laser and microwave weapons have pinpoint accuracy, hit your fellow hunters with one of these and it’ll have the same effect on them. Be careful where you’re aiming.”

A sobering thought. But still, the weapons were incredible. Gina was shocked, amazed, and, she had to admit, excited as hell.

“Now that we have the weaponry, what’s the plan?” Olivia asked.

“Today we’ll work with you on the weapons. Tonight we’ll break you up into teams with the experienced hunters and go out tracking demons.”

He led them onto the beach and gave them instructions on the weapons. Of course they weren’t going to be allowed to fire the real weaponry for target practice, using regular guns instead. Too bad. But still, guns were always fun to play with.

Weapons practice. Now they were talking. Gina was ready for it, primed and eager to get serious with fire-power. Part of her was anxious to see how everyone else handled the weaponry and how she measured up, which was kind of amusing. Sort of like men comparing their “packages” to see whose was bigger.

She snorted.

“What’s so funny?” Olivia asked.

“Just thinking about target practice today. Since we finally get to fire real weapons, you know, really get to see who’s the best, it’ll be like comparing dick sizes.”

Olivia looked down at the ground, her lips quivering as if she fought her half-smile, then laughed softly. Shay snorted on the other side of her before saying, “Well, I can’t wait to see who’s got the biggest, then.”

“The biggest what?” Derek asked, stepping next to them.

Gina turned and couldn’t help but drink in the sight of him. He cut one hell of a figure, dressed in combat fatigues and a sleeveless shirt. Ripped to the max and sexy as hell.

She looked to Olivia and Shay, then back at Derek, and smirked. “The biggest dick.”

Derek arched a brow and Gina resisted the urge to laugh. But then he made the connection when he saw the weapons in their hands. “We have some damn good marksmen here. What makes you think you’ll qualify?”

She picked up the handgun in front of her, pivoted, aimed at the wooden target twenty-five yards away, and fired, hitting the bull’s-eye point-blank center. When she was done, she laid the gun down, crossed her arms, and grinned.

Derek looked at the target, glanced down at the gun she’d used, then cast his gaze back at her. He nodded, crossed his arms, and said, “Nice dick.”

“Thanks.”

Hey, a girl had to score points where she could.

Though target practice was fun, what she really enjoyed was getting her hands on the high-tech stuff, even if they couldn’t fire them yet. The real weapons were kickass and scary as hell. And every time she thought about wiring one up and cranking it out, she thought of demons stealing into her home in the dead of night and taking her mother, robbing her of her childhood, her warmth and security, her sense of love and belonging.

Everything had changed for her that night. The demons had screwed with her head but good twenty years ago.

And tonight, she’d start making them pay.