Chapter 1
She was running hard. Her heartbeat was pounding as her feet slammed against the pavement. The demon wasn’t far from her. Gaining speed, she was able to edge closer to him. Determination pumping through her mind and her body, pushing her forward.
The demon rounded the corner. Normally, demons had stronger abilities, but since they possessed a human, their powers were restricted. From the open wounds plaguing the body, he had been there a while, too long.
Abby rounded the corner shortly after that. Her body was used for the abuse she inflicted upon it. Since she was young, she had pushed herself to the limit. Training for all possible events. She could run almost 30 miles in almost any form of attire. Heels were something else. She hated them and never wore them, hence why she really couldn’t run in them. They were useless apparel.
She was but a few feet behind the demon. Abby had been tracking him for over a year. It was jumping from human to human, but she lost it back in LA. It had taken over the body of a powerful human and she saw past his charm. It had used its demonic powers to hide its true form, but she could still see where its spell had been weakening. Demons can’t last in humans more than a few months. The more powerful the demon, the faster it wore out the humans they were in.
Grabbing a broken chair leaning up against the vacant alley wall, she threw it at the back of the demon. As it made contact with its back, it broke and splintered with sharp edges. It had the desired effect as the demon went down. Falling forward on impact.
Pushing herself harder, Abby could feel the burn in her legs as she pushed. The front of her thighs screamed in agony as it warned her of her over exertion. Ignoring the pain, she kicked off the side wall of the alley and rounded. She was now positioned before him. Far enough away from him, he couldn’t easily grab her.
The demon made an attempt to get up, but Leo came up quickly behind it and pinned it to the ground. As he crushed the demon to the ground, it let out a loud growl.
“Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us. We really appreciate it.” Abby folded her arms across her chest. Her sarcasm was palpable.
“What do you want?” he hissed out.
“Just have a quick question. Why do you keep hopping from body to body? You don’t require a body to be on the earth.” Abby’s arrogance was on full display now. There was no point in hiding it. The demon knew what was going to happen next.
Rather than responding, the demon kept quiet. Refusing to look at either of them.
“Answer her.” Leo knelt down and grabbed the human’s hair and pulled it up so his face was now towards Abby.
“I don’t answer to the likes of you.” It hissed out again.
“Why do your kind always have to do things the hard way? I was being nice!” Moving her arms to her sides, she pulled out the blades hidden in her clothing. No sound came as they slipped from their sheaths.
Bringing them close to the demon, she placed one carefully on the human’s neck. They glowed white and blue. The inscription on the blade was visible as the light brightened. As the blessed metal came into contact with the skin of the possessed demon.
It let out a screech as the skin beneath the blade sizzled and burned.
Removing the metal from its skin, she asked. “Why don’t you just tell me what we want to know and I will stop.”
It let out a laugh, the sound of it would straighten the hair of anyone else who heard it. Leo and Abby were very used to the sound. They had been fighting demons since they were 12.
“Looks like the human’s heart has finally given out.” With that, he smiled. The human’s teeth were rotting, some had already fallen out. With that, black smoke started pouring out of humans' eyes.
Leo dropped the human’s head from his grip. “Every damn time!” He started pacing around the alley.
Many humans misunderstand how possession works. In order for a human to become possessed, they have to give that specific demon permission. This was usually obtained through negotiations. A human would get something from the demon. In return, after an agreed amount of time, the demon would take possession of the human. Most of the time, humans were stupid enough not to read the fine print, so they had no idea they would eventually get possessed. They just thought they would have to do something for the demon.
Unlike the movies and the fables, demons couldn’t leave a body whenever they wanted to. They had to wait for the human to die or they could be forced out if a Shadow Warrior performed what humans called the Rite of Exorcism. The Shadow Warriors called it Salida, translates to Exit.
“Leo, it’s fine, not the first demon to pull that on us, it won’t be the last.” Abby slid her knives back into their sheaths. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Leo’s frustration.
“Abby, don’t act like I am being ridiculous. I’m tired of chasing demons and not getting any answers. They are increasing in possessions. We both know that means they are doing something very specific that requires them to be on the human plane of existence.”
“I know, but there’s no point in getting worked up over it. Another one will pop up in a day or two,” Abby pointed out. Now, it was Leo’s turn to roll his eyes.
Abby has always been “easy going”. In truth, she was just really good at hiding behind her sarcasm and wit. In truth, Abby was extremely insecure. She was an orphan. Had been most of her life. If it hadn’t been for Liz taking her in, she would have been thrown into the Horizon House. It was a house where shadow warriors were sent when they failed their training. Abby was struggling when she was younger. Liz helped her to find her driver. To fight harder, to make it.
Leo was a whole other story. He lived in a loving family. A long line of Shadow Warriors. They had all been training practically since birth. His mother and father were some of the most legendary warriors.
There was Leo’s father, mother, sister, and brother. Then there was Leo’s father’s Soul Keeper. A soul keeper was two Shadow Warriors sworn to protect one another while also serving the Concurrence. The Concurrence is the government over the Shadow Warriors. They tend to have a bad habit of thinking they can govern all underworld beings. It causes quite a ruckus on occasion.
A Soul Keeper was chosen by the angels. At birth, their names would appear in a book in the halls of the Concurrence. From then on, those two Warriors were tied together in life and in death. If one should perish, the other will pass not long after. It was a double-edged sword.
Abby and Leo were a unique pairing. It had been nearly 500 years since a man and a woman were paired together. It was very rare, therefore there were more rules in regards to their bond. The Concurrence had the belief that they could control everything about Abby and Leo’s pairing. They threatened to separate them over and over again, trying to keep them in line.
Their fear tactics worked until Leo got mad one day and went searching for more answers. One minute it was okay to do this, but not that. Then it was reversed. Leo hated inconsistency. In his readings he found that the Concurrence had no control over whether or not they were paired. Actually, it was forbidden for them to deny their pairing. After that, it was harder and harder for them to control them.
Leo stomped off in frustration. Abby followed shortly behind. Leaving the body, humans would find it and deal with it. There would be no trace that could lead them to their world.
Mounting their motorbikes, they raced off down the road towards Leo’s house. Abby sped up and swerved through traffic. Feeling the wind race through her long hair. It was a dark color at night, but during the day it had a dark green huge green to it. It accented her eyes. They were a golden color. It was one of the ways others were able to identify her as a Shadow Warrior. The myth behind her eyes, was that it showed she was a direct descendant of an angel.
Due to having never known her parents, she didn’t have much of a knowledge base. Her birth was not recorded, which earned her sideways glances and scrunched up faces. Her birth was forbidden. All Shadow Warriors were required to record any children and with whom. Her whole life was a complete mystery.
Looking behind her, she could see Leo just a few paces behind her. His eyes screamed with resolution. He was going to find the answers they needed. Come hell or heaven. Abby knew that look well. She loved seeing it in his eyes.
As they arrived at Leo’s house, he saw that his parents weren’t home again. He will have to debrief them tomorrow. It was late and he had research to do.
Pulling in, Leo waited for Abby to get off her bike. She looked at him with those eyes he loved so much. They were mesmerizing. Her hair flung over her shoulder as she disembarked the bike. The smell of lavender and vanilla wafted over and filled his senses.
Keeping his face hard, he couldn’t let her see how she was affecting him.
Leo had been in love with Abby since they were kids. When he found out they were Soul Keepers, he was heartbroken. It was specifically forbidden for Soul Keeper’s to be romantically involved in any way. They had to protect one another. That was it.
There was a myth about two Soul Keepers falling in love and they attempted to take over the hidden world as their power grew. Rather than coming together to strengthen the Shadow Warriors, they had nearly brought it to its knees. The War that ensued was so dire, the Angel Azazel came down and tore their souls from each other. Banishing each of them to different worlds. One of them was stripped of their Shadow Warrior blessings. The truth of the story was never verified.
Leo’s heart raced as Abby came closer to him. He worried every day that she would be able to see how he felt towards her. Each day that passed, it was getting harder and harder. The only reason Leo has held on this long, is that Abby has not showed any reciprocation.
Everything would stay okay as long as Abby kept on with her life. Eventually finding someone to love.
Leo would never be able to give his heart to another. Long ago he had resigned himself to never being in a relationship. It saddened his thoughts, but it was what needed to be done.
