Page 26 of Eternal Sacrifice
“Time to pick a case,” I said, loud enough for my pack to hear.
The orange abomination perked up at the sound of my voice before exploding into shadow and reforming as the radiant princess I loved. The war inside me roared as I noticed the much more interested look Ryan and the others gave. There wasn’t time for me to release the churning, unsettled feeling, so I did what I usually do; shove it deep inside me.
“I don’t think I’ve seen anyone do that before,” Ryan said, as awe replaced his look of disgust.
“It’s a vampire demon thing,” Mor said to Ryan as she approached. “Let’s get started.” She headed inside.
Justice and Jace followed, laughing as they talked. Justice nearly ran into Zeb before heading straight into the cabin. Jace waved his hand before rushing inside so fast he seemed to simply disappear. I took a deep breath, pulling more and more air inside me as I filled my lungs. If I kept going, maybe I could crush the irritation. The sooner we got to hunt, the better I would feel.
“Come on in, guys,” I said, opening my eyes. Ryan, Springfield, and Zeb looked at me like they knew I needed to let some of my war out. I shook my head before gesturing towards the house.
They followed me inside to the table covered in stacks of folders. I had arranged them in neat piles based on spirit type. Everyone sat, and I grabbed an overstuffed folder from the top of a stack. I knew precisely which case this was and hoped we wouldn’t need to look at the others today.
“This is a Black Annis in the mortal realm in Leicestershire,” I started, and all eyes swung to me.
“I thought those died out forever ago. How fucking old is this bitch?” Springfield looked like I was insane to even consider this file.
“As best as I could tell, two-fifty or so.” I flipped through the pages, double-checking the dates of her earliest known attacks. But there was a good chance the townspeople hadn’t recorded her slaughter until she took her first child.
“Do you have any idea how powerful she could be?” Springfield said, leaning toward me.
“That was the whole point of this,” I said, letting some of my temper bleed into the tone. “You signed up for a big bad last night. Or was that just to impress Aggie?”
Springfield narrowed his eyes, sitting back in his chair.
“Yes, a Black Annis is hard to capture, but I think we should go in and aim for a fracture,” I said, in direct defiance to everything we had ever been told about hunting spirits.
The demons seated around the table with me needed a moment to consider the new strategy. Usually, demons went into hunts with the goal of soul removal and only to destroy them if all else failed. But it was that hesitation that generally led to demon injury and death.
“She’s had enough chances to move on,” I added.
“It doesn’t….” Jax started before closing his mouth, deciding against whatever he planned to say.
“But if we all work together, we are powerful enough to take her out.” I handed the file to Ryan to let him see her abilities.
He looked it over before showing Zeb and Springfield the case’s particulars.
“What’s the failed demon rate?” Justice asked, peering over the stacks like they were mountains.
“FDR. Twenty-seven,” Ryan read out loud.
“Oh, that doesn’t sound bad,” Mor said as she visibly relaxed.
“Most demons won’t even try a case that’s failed more than once,” Jax explained to Mor.
She looked even more confused. “Then why so many?”
“The first pack to try after the first set failed tried decades after the last attack. It looks like they went on a scouting mission and never returned,” Ryan said before skimming more of the report. “Every pack that went on a scouting mission never came back.”
“Well, that sounds ominous,” Justice said, breaking the fallen silence.
“I’m going to say we might want to pass on that one,” Mor said before looking toward the other stacks. “Where’s the pile of folders with one failed attempt?”
“I really think this case is perfect for our packs’ combined power,” I said to regain control of the meeting. “She lives in a cave with an oak tree in front and uses iron claws to kill. It means she’s already backed into a corner. Sunlight is her weakness. One foot in direct light, and she turns to stone like a Medusa.
“We go during the day. Justice can scout ahead in an animal. That way, we don’t walk into whatever trap the other demons did. Zeb and I can take the lead at the cave and shoot fire and electricity to expose her. Springfield, Ryan, and Jax come in next. As soon as you spot her, Ryan, freeze her in place. Springfield can bind her in vines, and Jax can telepathically pull her into the daylight.
“Princess,” I said, looking at Mor while she impatiently waited to see if she would be given a task. “You and Jace are the fastest. If she attacks any of us, it’s your job to rush in and grab our asses before she does. If we go in fast and hard, there’s less time to fuck it up.”
