Demon's Bride

The i

Beneath the branches of an oak, close to the water’s edge, stood Whit and Zora. They kept close to each other, hands linked and voices low in shared confidence. The distance between Leo and A

“Where is our ghost?” Leo asked. “Do we summon her?”

“I am not summoned,” came the specter’s voice from the darkness. Light gathered around the roots of the tree, an unearthly glow, and it gained strength as it grew.

Though A

“I choose to come when I so desire,” the ghost said, her voice sharper as she came into focus. Leo had seen her a handful of times in his dreams, a plaguing presence urging him to turn away from the Dark One, as she called it. He would have dismissed visitations as nothing but a restless mind had not his fellow Hellraisers confessed to having the same dreams.

Now he was awake, and here she stood. Or floated, rather. For her sandals hovered above the ground as she drifted toward him and the others. Unease prickled along his neck.

She stared at Leo, mistrust and haughtiness in her dark eyes. “The emblem of the Dark One obscures him. He is no ally.”

“He is,” A

“Words.” The ghost scoffed. “Any child may recite them, without thought to the meaning.”

“I’m no child,” Leo rumbled. “My words are backed by my deeds.”

“He fought against demons, Livia,” added Whit. “He has proven himself.”

Leo and A

“That determination shall be made by me,” pronounced the ghost.

“Tell me what I need to do,” Leo said through clenched teeth, “and it will be done.” This was far more than wresting a place for himself in the upper ranks of Society. The opinions of a few weak-chi

Only now, when he stood on the brink of not only losing his soul, but the only woman he ever loved, did he understand this. His pursuit of status had been a fool’s trade. He did not even like most of the gentry, and yet he sought entry into their ranks. A hollow ambition that would leave him broken and alone.

All that would change. Had already changed.

Everyone—A

“This fight we soon face,” said Livia, “the stakes are far greater than the fate of a single soul.”

“I know.”

“Such confidence. Will you be so assured when your life is imperiled?”

One thing had not changed: Leo did not like to be questioned. He bristled. “Whatever is necessary. If that means my death, I accept the consequences.”

The ghost continued to stare at him, judging, assessing. Finally, she nodded. “All things have a genesis and a culmination. The journey ends where it truly began.”

“We must go to the ruined temple?” asked Whit.

“No,” said Leo. “To London. To my home.”

They rode east, passing through Chiswick, the buildings growing more numerous and closer together. And as they ventured farther into the city, signs of turmoil abounded. Broken glass and shattered wood littered the streets, and more than once they passed gangs of roving men who threw rocks and challenges, their eyes bright with wildness.

One such gang surrounded Leo and the others. “Pretty group of toffs,” the leader snarled. Torchlight gleamed on his shaven head. Sometime during the night’s rowdiness, he had lost his wig.

The leader reached for the reins of Zora’s horse, but before anyone could act, Whit had his saber out and pointed at the man’s throat. Leo aimed his pistols toward the rest of the gang.

“I can only shoot two of you,” Leo said to the mob. “Three, if you count my musket. But you might be one of the three.”

“By nature, I’m a gambler,” added Whit. “Are any of you?”

Muttering amongst themselves, the mob edged away and its leader stepped back. They retreated into the night, yet tension still hung over the street.

“Your efforts are appreciated,” said Zora. “But it would’ve been a small matter for me to reduce him to ashes.”

“A woman wielding flame like a weapon might attract undo attention,” noted Whit, “even amidst this chaos. Besides,” he added, bringing his horse up beside hers so he could lean close, “it gratifies my male pride to play savior every now and then.”

Leo glanced away as Whit kissed Zora. Seeing their ready trust and affection felt like rusty nails pounded into Leo’s heart. His gaze met A

Spurring his horse on, Leo said with a growl, “When you’re done making love in the middle of the street, we’ve got my soul to reclaim and the Devil to thrash.”

He heard their horses behind him as they followed. A

Passing Hyde Park and the genteel neighborhoods, the roving gangs thi

Only a night had elapsed since Leo had ridden these streets in mad pursuit of A

Saint George’s struck the half hour as Leo and the others headed into Bloomsbury. His house was dark, save for a few candles burning in the front chambers, constituting the servants’ attempt to make life appear somewhat normal.

Leo quickly dismounted and strode over to help A

Two grooms warily emerged from the mews behind his house to take their horses. As the sweat-flecked animals were led away, Leo said to the servants, “Once they are tended to, remove yourself from this place at once.” He tossed them each a sovereign. The men’s eyes widened, but they nodded in agreement.

Standing at the foot of the stairs leading to his front door, Leo stared up at his house. Three years ago he had purchased it; for three years it had been his nominal home. Yet the colo