Chapter 14: Power of a Demon

Thunderous pounding erupts without warning, shattering my thoughts, and I snap my head toward the beating. Dominic immediately goes into warrior mode, rushing his enormous frame to the door without making a sound. His cloak practically comes to life on its own, wrapping its way around him as tiny metal looking spikes begin poking up through the fabric. Another set of deafening strikes hammer against the door; I have no doubt that someone is trying to beat it down by hand.

Dominic glances back at me with caution in his eyes, advising me to stay silent, and yanks up on the latch, pulling the massive door open and protectively angling himself in front.

"I thought I smelled you in here." Uncle John somehow twists past Dominic, pushing towards me. His eyes are completely black, his voice not his. He leaps over Dominic as if he suddenly has super powers and lands next to me.

I scramble to get to my knees. I can almost see the Demon inside of him, contorting his features like an animal.

"Now you will die!" he snarls, holding something shiny in his hand as he thrusts back his arm. The black rage in his glare feels like pure evil pulsating directly at me.

Before Dominic can get to me, Uncle John lunges, the blade of his knife catching the torchlight. I'm faster and block him with my arm. He loses his balance and Dominic is on him, wrapping his massive arms around his shoulders and stopping him from falling. He effortlessly grabs Uncle John's weapon hand and rips it off with a sickening tearing sound. Blood splatters everywhere and the beast inside him roars in agony.

The room floods with huge, cloaked warriors. They surround my bed, protecting me as they lift Uncle John from Dominic's hold, his body thrashing around.

"Keep the Demon inside him. I need the beast to talk," Dominic orders, picking up the bloody hand and thrusting it angrily at Uncle John. Another warrior reaches out, catching the dripping stump before it hits the wall as they take him away.

Dominic's back is to me, facing the door as it slams shut, his shoulders rising and falling, trying to catch his breath. But it's not breathing he's trying to get under control. It's pure rage. And I can feel it.

The animalistic cries of the Demon echo down the hallway and he turns to me with a warning expression. "I may have to kill him."

All I can do is nod because I'm still replaying the sickening sight of Uncle John's hand being ripped from his arm. And all the blood. There was so much blood.

"I will not be long." Dominic leans down and practically smacks my forehead, with his lips, snapping off the horrific images in my head. "Do not leave this room, Kate," he reminds me, his voice firm and more controlled.

"Wait!" I interrupt. "I'm coming with you!" I fly off the bed, scanning the room for something other than this long, white nightgown.

"No!" Dominic bites out, startling me out of my frantic search. "It is too dangerous."

"Too dangerous?" I allow my sarcasm to flood out. "I think we both just proved we can take him."

He cocks his head, acknowledging my bravery. "I am sorry, but I cannot allow it. You are not ready."

"Oh, I'm ready," I feel my nose flare. "That asshole just tried to kill me! Again!"

"You do not understand!" Dominic shouts. "Demons will stop at nothing to manipulate." He shakes his head like he's pushing away a memory. I can tell he's experienced it firsthand. "They will taunt you. Reveal things about you that they cannot possibly know."

Blood rushes to my face. I'm not sure if it's because I've just been attacked or I'm starting to get pissed. I'm pretty sure it's a combination of both.

"I'm going." I push an arm through the extremely expensive-feeling red velvet robe I found hanging in the armoire.

Dominic's breath catches and I look up. He crosses one leg behind him, bending at the waist as he lowers his head. He's in a full bow, like I've never seen before, and for a millisecond, I'm thrust back into the awareness of my position here. I don't need to ask permission. I have leverage. I have a trump card.

"You may be my Watchman, but last time I checked, I am your Queen," I say, squaring my shoulders.

He looks up as if surprised, his powerful eyes locking with mine. He knows he can't say no despite the danger and despite my stubbornness. The expression on his face is pure resentment but I ignore it, trying to hide the fact that I can feel it, too.

Fastening the last button, I walk toward him, gathering up my now wavy, auburn hair from underneath the high, stiff collar. I stop at the door and glance up at him, hoping the discontent in his eyes is no longer there. But he's not going to give in, he's livid. And now I've just belittled the man I love.

Closing my eyes, I pull in a deep breath, managing to keep my head up as I try to disguise my regret. I take a step past him, reaching for the latch, but Dominic's hand pushes it away and he opens the door. I don't dare look up, the daggers in my gut are already too sharp. I can fix this, I know I can-but until then, Uncle John's day is about to get a whole lot worse.

I wait in the hallway for him to walk past me. "C'mon," I say, "let's have a chat with the son of a bitch."

Dominic's cloak swishes around his athletic body like a second skin as he starts down the long hallway, never once looking down at me. I have to rush to keep up with him; I wish I could apologize with just a look. Anything to make him understand I didn't mean to upset him. But the opportunity is missed and I follow closely behind. I have no clue where we're going and I'm half wondering if he'll lead me to the wrong room just to spite me. The anger I felt radiating from him has now changed to dread, confirming what I fought so hard for. He's not taking me to the wrong room, he's definitely taking me to Uncle John and now I'm starting to get scared. What have I done? I've seen the Demon up close. Maybe Dominic's right. Maybe I'm not ready for this.

The long, torch-lit hallway is eerily quiet, emphasizing Dominic's gut-wrenching silence. Our footsteps echo harshly off the stone floors. I know I can't do this without his help. We can't face Uncle John without a united front. I have to fix this. I reach out to take his hand but stop just before our fingers touch. I can feel he's not ready; he's still too upset with me. My mind races as I rehearse my apology over and over again, tears blurring my vision. I wipe away the wetness, trying to hide any trace of them. I have to stay strong. I know I can't look weak-especially to Uncle John.

Dominic glances down. He knows I'm shaken but a second later jerks his head forward. We stop just feet away from a floor-to-ceiling iron gate. It's ancient, that much I'm sure of, and I watch in disbelief as he waves his hand in front, the latch somehow unlocking and the gate swinging open. We're several steps in when the sound of metal sliding on groaning gears makes me look back to see the gate glide into its original position and lock into place.

I'm farther away from Dominic than I want, so I catch up. The longer we walk the darker it gets. It's as if we're heading lower and lower underground. I can definitely feel the tension emitting from him. There's a metal door just to our right. He pauses and takes in a deep breath, closing his eyes. I have no doubt that behind the layers of thick steel, my Uncle John is in there-waiting.

Dominic opens his eyes and looks down at me, his expression practically dripping with caution. "You must not allow him to anger you. It is what he wants."

I nod, swallowing back the bile creeping its way to my throat, the all too familiar sharp needles hungrily pricking away at my flesh. It's game time and we both know it. My hands start to shake but this time he reaches for them, pulling me close. His enormous arms hold me tightly and he kisses the top of my head. I pull back and look up, finally seeing the warm, forgiving gaze I begged for only minutes ago. His forehead meets mine and he shivers, perhaps feeling how frightened I am. He pulls me into another hug and whispers, "Te amo." 

I don't need a translation for his beautiful words; I know exactly what they mean. I nuzzle against his chest, his amazing scent a relief. I try like hell to push back the new tears threatening to make their way down my cheeks and look back up into his beautiful eyes.

 "I love you, too."

Dominic's lips curl up slightly, sending a warm sensation through my body. If we weren't about to have a conversation with a nasty Demon, I'd be all over him. Dominic's expression changes and he squares his shoulders, like he's suddenly reprograming his thoughts.

He pulls back, taking both of my hands and gently squeezes. "Remember what I said." He narrows his eyes, his face stony. "He is not your Uncle John, Kate. There is no good in him. Do not allow him to manipulate your feelings."

I nod, gazing up at his handsome, chiseled face. He smiles and my confidence is boosted as I take in a cleansing breath. I have no doubt Uncle John's possession is killing Aunt Kelly but I can't worry about her now. He tried to kill me and I'm positive he won't stop until he succeeds. I smile, trying to hide my apprehension. I know whatever awaits us behind that steel door, we will face it together. "Let's kick some ass," I say with more confidence than I feel.

Dominic smiles again but this time it's drenched with caution. He knows I'm nervous as hell-my hands are already trembling. "The Demon is restrained and cannot physically harm you," he says. "And remember what I said. You must be strong. You must control your emotions."

I nod, stepping past him into a room that resembles a huge metal box. There are no windows and no stone, only metal. I'm surprised to see dim halogen lights attached to wire conduit high above me. It's the first time I've seen electricity anywhere. I zero in on a chair placed directly in the center of the room-the same chair Uncle John is sitting in-reminding me of those police interrogation rooms I've seen on TV. His arms are tied behind his back, his eyes closed, chin to his chest. His legs are bound together and blood is pooling on the floor around him, no doubt from Dominic ripping off his hand. Other than that, he looks unharmed.

I take a few quiet steps, not really wanting to engage, when he slowly raises his head, his solid black eyes locking in on mine. And then he smiles. It's not an ordinary smile, though. It's frightening and drenched in evil sophistication. Goosebumps cover my flesh and if I could turn around and take off in a dead run, I would because clearly, the Demon is still alive and well inside him.

"Well, well, if it isn't my pretty little niece, the new Queen," he says in a low growl, seductively looking me up and down. "I'd bow," he struggles a bit to accentuate his point, "but as you can see, I'm a little tied up." The slight humor in his tone is overpowered by the sound of at least three other voices.

The prickly needles in my gut quickly turn to nausea as the foul odor of death fills the room. Dominic wasn't kidding; this is for real, this is game on. I can't believe that just one single human being can possess what seems like a world of evil. I have to keep calm. I have to stand up to him, no matter how scared I am right now.

"Uncle John," I acknowledge him, trying to sound more confident than I feel, keeping myself as close to Dominic as I can. I'm so not ready for this but it's too late. I've made my bed and know I have to keep it together. I can't show any fear.

"Come for a little chat?" the voices coming from his mouth ask in unison, sounding like three different personalities are speaking at once.

"Yes," I say honestly. "Who are you?"

Laughter erupts, as if I've told him a funny joke. I take a step closer and Dominic mirrors my actions, staying close by my side. Uncle John notices and stops laughing, his black eyes practically glaring through me.

"Ahh, why not come closer to me?" He puckers his lips. "Give your uncle John a little kiss. It'll be just like old times." Another wave of nausea churns my stomach when I think back to the many times he tried to molest me.

"You are disgusting," I bite out, fury beginning to rage through my veins.

He looks surprised. "What, you didn't enjoy our little bedroom talks?" He cocks his head and gives me a creepy, leering smile. "I thought they were, hmm, how should I put it? Entertaining." The evil sarcasm in his tone makes me want to puke as my anger begins to boil, overriding how scared I was only seconds ago

"Watch it," I say, trying to stay calm. "Or I'll have Dominic rip off your other hand."

Uncle John's eyes go wide and he takes in a dramatic breath, like he's scared to death. "Ah, how adorable that you think I actually give a shit what you do to this body." He laughs. "I mean, let's face it, your uncle John probably deserves it, don't you think? All those late nights he came into your room, staggering from too many cheap beers." He chuckles, obviously enjoying himself. "Seriously, I don't know how you managed to stop him every single time." He pauses, narrowing his eyes as if he's calculating how much I can take. "It's a good thing you did. It would have been quite the scandal if he'd gotten you pregnant but couldn't knock up his own wife."

"You son of a bitch!" I scream, scrambling toward him as I throw my arm back to punch his face.

Dominic reacts, his arms wrapping securely around me, holding me back like I'm some kind of attack dog. "You must control your anger," he whispers in my ear but I barely hear him over my own heavy breathing.

I yank myself from his grip and look back to Uncle John, who looks thoroughly entertained.

"What? Too much?" He grins, bursting into laughter.

If I could kill Uncle John with my bare hands right now, I'd do it. Dominic tried to warn me, even tried to tell me I wasn't ready-but I didn't want to listen. I thought I could handle it. And here I stand, totally prepared to murder my aunt's husband. Or at least the demon inside him. Killing the bastard would be a bonus.

Dominic leans close to my ear and whispers, "I can finish this."

Of course he knows I'm questioning what the hell I've done. But none of it matters now and I look up into his reddish-brown eyes, nodding my decision to keep going. I have to see this through even if I have to learn the hard way. It's how I've learned everything else in my life, why stop now?

"I'm okay," I whisper back, trying to calm myself as I catch him shake his head. I know he wants to handle this and would rather I not be here, but I can't leave. I need answers for Aunt Kelly, hell, even for myself if nothing else. How long has he been manipulated by the Demon? What kind of damage has been done?

Dominic releases me and I turn to Uncle John, resisting the urge to slap the condescending smirk off his face. This time I pretend he's someone else, not the uncle I'm unfortunately related to.

"Who are you and why are you doing this to him?" I keep my voice as calm as possible.

The Demon lowers his head just a tad but keeps his eyes on me. "Good old Uncle John and I have been acquainted for quite some time now."

"Okay," I clip back, "but why?"

"You know why, Queen Kate."

"No, I don't," I reply, trying to keep my cool. "Why don't you enlighten me?"

The Demon closes his eyes and rolls his head around on his neck. "He needed our help."

"Stop jacking around and tell me."

The Demon laughs. "Why don't you ask him?" he dares. "He's here, you know. Watching us. Listening to everything we're saying."

"Let him go first!" I say, raising my voice louder than intended. I've never liked Uncle John, I hate him for everything he's tried to do to me and has done to my aunt, but I can't stomach her reaction if anything else happens to him. Especially if I have something to do with it or could possibly prevent it.

"Nah, I like it here. But don't you worry your pretty little head." He smiles, mocking me with his words. "He's not gonna last much longer with me around..."