Chapter 17
ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR SUPERIOR AND TELL ME WHY YOU'RE HERE.
A hot rush flooded my veins, sudden and violent. The demon inside me stirred, clawing at my insides like it wanted out. Like it recognized one of its own kind. The sensation wasn't pain exactly… more like pressure building behind a dam, demanding release.
Command it, whispered something deep in my core. That definitely wasn't Grayson I heard in my head. Grayson's shocked expression confirmed it, even though the voice felt very different. Show it who is stronger… who is dominant and superior.
My fingers dug into the edge of the table as I fought against the urge. But the woman's smile widened, and I saw the unmistakable flicker of black smoke swirling behind her irises. This wasn't just a human. This was a possessed human. A demon wearing human skin like a cheap suit.
"You," I growled, letting my own eyes shift, feeling the burn as my humanity slipped a notch. "I know what you are."
The rest of Supernatural Team 5 shifted uncomfortably. They didn't understand what was happening, but they felt it… that primal fear humans get when they're in the presence of something beyond their comprehension.
Grayson tensed beside me, his mind immediately reaching for mine. Parker, what are you seeing?
I didn't answer him. Instead, I locked eyes with the possessed woman and let my demon blood surge forward.
"Speak, lesser demon," I commanded, my voice dropping an octave, resonating with power that made the lights flicker. "Acknowledge your superior and tell me why you're here."
The effect was immediate. The woman's body convulsed, her spine arching unnaturally as her head snapped back. When she looked at me again, her eyes were completely black, like pools of oil.
Something deeply intuitive in me pulsed through my body, and words escaped my lips before I even realized they were there. "I hold dominion, demon. You will yield. Speak only what I demand—or I'll drag your truths from the marrow of your soul."
Kearan and Grayson both snapped their attention to me, mixed expressions I couldn't quite read from the corner of my eye. I refused to look away from Supernatural Team 5.
"By blood and bond, I am bound. Your will brands me, hybrid queen.
Ask… and I shall bleed the truth into your waiting flame.
" The operative blinked, just once, and then her face went utterly still.
Too still. Like someone had reached into his skull and flipped a switch labeled "perfect soldier.
" Words poured from his mouth in a steady, measured stream…
every syllable precisely articulated, every pause calculated for maximum effect.
Not a single detail varied from the official report.
Not one personal observation slipped through.
It wasn't just rehearsed; it was recited.
Programmed. Like he was reading from an invisible teleprompter inside his skull.
"My lady," the demon hissed, its voice layered over the woman's, creating a horrific harmony that made the others at the table recoil. "I recognize your bloodline. I submit to your authority... for now."
The demon's submission sent a thrill through me, heady and intoxicating. This was power… raw, undiluted power. For a moment, I understood why demons craved dominance so desperately. Why my father had been so reluctant to give up his throne.
"Why are you possessing this human?" I demanded, standing to my full height. "What do you want with the artifact?"
The demon laughed, a sound like breaking glass that made Kearan wince beside me.
"The artifact?" It tilted the woman's head at an impossible angle. "Such a small word for such a grand tool. The Soul Stone contains power beyond human comprehension. I merely... borrowed it. Siphoned what I could before your team intervened."
The demon stood, moving the woman's body with jerky, uncoordinated movements, like a puppet on tangled strings. The rest of Supernatural Team 5 were frozen in their seats, terror paralyzing them.
"These humans," the demon continued, gesturing to the members of ST5 with disdain, "they think their little talismans and protections keep them safe from our kind.
But they're nothing. Not like the other teams. Not like yours.
" Its black eyes fixed on Grayson, then on Kearan.
"These ones have strong wards. But the rest?
They might as well hang signs saying 'vacancy' around their necks. "
The demon took a step toward me, and chaos erupted.
Two of the ST5 members—a stocky man with a military haircut and a woman with a sleeve of tattoos—bolted from their chairs, scrambling for the door. Their panic was a tangible thing, filling the room with the acrid smell of fear-sweat.
"Parker, get back!" Grayson shouted, lunging across the table toward the possessed woman.
Kearan moved in perfect sync, circling around to flank her. His usually calm face was hard with concentration, hands already glowing with healing magic… useless against a demon, but ready to help the host if needed.
But the remaining two ST5 members, apparently deciding that sticking with their teammate was the way to go, jumped to their feet.
One of them, a tall man with a scar across his jaw, threw himself between Grayson and the possessed woman.
The other, a slight woman with close-cropped red hair, squared off against Kearan.
"Don't touch her!" Scar-jaw shouted, shoving Grayson back. "She needs medical attention, not whatever the fuck you're trying to do!"
The demon just watched, amusement twisting the woman's features into something grotesque.
My blood boiled. Without thinking, I thrust my hand forward and let loose a command that came from somewhere deeper than thought.
"FREEZE!"
The word tore from my throat with demonic force, hanging in the air like physical weight. Every human and shifter in the room stopped mid-motion, caught like insects in amber. Only their eyes moved, wide with terror as they realized they couldn't control their own bodies.
The demon, however, just clapped the woman's hands together in a slow, mocking applause.
"Impressive," it said, circling the frozen humans with predatory interest. "But fading, isn't it? I can feel it… the power from your Soul Ring is already wearing off. In a few more hours, you won't be able to command a housefly, let alone one of my kind."
It leaned in close, the woman's face inches from mine, breath hot against my cheek. "And then? Then I'll take what's rightfully mine. Your power. Your essence. Your place in the hierarchy."
I tried to step back, but found myself rooted to the spot. Not from my own command. The demon was right. My power was already fading, slipping through my fingers like sand.
"When I'm done with you," the demon whispered, "you'll be begging for the mercy of oblivion."
Fear slithered down my spine, cold and sharp. I reached deep inside myself, clawing for the demonic power that had surged so readily just moments before. But where that well of darkness had been, I found only echoes. Empty space where power should be.
Grayson and Kearan remained frozen by my command, their eyes frantic as they fought against it. The demon laughed, enjoying the show.
A crackling sound, like lightning striking too close, split the air. Mephistral appeared on the conference table, his tiny form silhouetted against the overhead lights. The imp's appearance was dramatic as always… smoke billowing around him, his eyes glowing red embers in his small face.
"Well, well, well!" he cackled, hopping from one foot to the other. "Looks like someone's throwing a party and forgot to invite the life of it!"
The demon's head snapped toward Mephistral, momentary confusion crossing its borrowed features.
Another sound followed… a low, rumbling growl that seemed to vibrate through the foundations of the building itself.
From the shadows beneath the table emerged Cerbie, his three heads moving in perfect, predatory sync.
Each massive jaw dripped saliva that sizzled when it hit the floor, leaving small scorch marks on the tile.
The ST5 members, still frozen by my command but able to move their eyes, tracked Cerbie's emergence with undisguised horror.
Mephistral zipped around the room, a blur of movement and caustic commentary. "My, my, what an ugly meatsuit you've found," he taunted the demon, darting just out of reach. "Did you pick the most pathetic human on purpose, or was it just the only one desperate enough to let you in?"
The demon snarled, lunging for Mephistral, who vanished and reappeared on the other side of the room. "Missed me! Oh, and your mother was a mewling sludge-dweller!"
While Mephistral provided the distraction, Cerbie stalked forward, all three pairs of eyes locked on the possessed woman. There was nothing playful in his advance—just the cold, calculated movements of a predator closing in on prey.
Grayson and Kearan, though still under my command, somehow looked less terrified of Cerbie than the ST5 members. There was recognition in their eyes.
The demon tried to back away, but Cerbie was too fast. In a blur of movement, the hellhound lunged, knocking the possessed woman to the ground and pinning her beneath massive paws. Three sets of jaws hovered inches from her face, teeth gleaming in the fluorescent light.
"I'm sorry!" the demon shrieked, its bravado evaporating. "I submit! I submit completely!"
The black smoke began to recede from the woman's eyes, retreating back into her subconscious rather than abandoning her body entirely.
"Please," the demon begged, "mercy, my lady. I was desperate. The Soul Ring called to me. I couldn't resist its pull."
Cerbie growled, one head lowering to press teeth against the woman's throat. The message was clear: one wrong move, and those jaws would close.
As the demon retreated, my command over the humans in the room weakened.
They unfroze gradually, slumping against tables or staggering as control returned to their limbs.
Wasn't it just a few days ago that I would have considered myself also human?
Weird how things had changed so much in so little time.
The possessed woman's eyes cleared completely, returning to their natural brown. Awareness dawned on her face, followed immediately by terror as she registered the enormous hellhound pinning her to the floor.
"Oh, my god!" she screamed, thrashing beneath Cerbie's weight. "Help me! Get it off! GET IT OFF!"
Her screams ignited fresh panic in the room. The two ST5 members who had tried to protect her backed away, faces pale with horror. The other two were still huddled by the door, looking like they might faint at any moment.
Kearan didn't hesitate. He lunged for a red button on the wall—one I hadn't even noticed until his hand slammed against it.
Immediately, steel shutters slammed down over the windows.
The main door sealed with a pneumatic hiss.
Red emergency lights bathed the room in an eerie glow as alarms began to wail throughout the compound.
"Lockdown initiated," announced a mechanical voice over the speakers. "This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill."
"Parker," Kearan said, his voice cutting through the chaos with calm authority, "we need to secure the demon before the Division sends in a containment team."
Grayson was already moving, pulling specialized restraints from a hidden compartment in the wall. "These should hold it, even if it tries to take control again."
The woman's screams had devolved into hysterical sobbing. Cerbie, responding to some unspoken command, eased his weight off her but remained close, all three heads watching her every move.
Mephistral perched on my shoulder, unusually subdued. "That one's been corrupted for a while," he whispered in my ear. "The demon's been riding her for months. Probably the moment they were assigned to retrieve the artifact."
My stomach twisted with the realization. How long had the demon been gathering information? How much did it know about our operations? About me? And who was it giving the information to?
As Grayson secured the woman's wrists and ankles with the specialized cuffs, I felt the last of my demonic power fade away, leaving me hollow and exhausted. The strength that had surged through me just minutes ago was gone, replaced by a bone-deep fatigue that made my knees weak.
I staggered, catching myself against the table.
"Parker?" Kearan was at my side instantly, one hand on my elbow, the other against my back. "What's wrong?"
"The power," I managed, my voice sounding distant and weak even to my own ears. "It's gone. Completely gone."
Grayson's gaze met mine across the room, concern etched into every line of his face. "We'll figure this out," he promised.
The alarms continued to wail, drowning out the woman's sobs and the panicked whispers of the remaining ST5 members. Cerbie stood guard, three heads swiveling to watch every corner of the room. Mephistral's weight was oddly comforting on my shoulder, a small point of warmth in the chaos.
I leaned into Kearan's support, too drained to pretend I didn't need it. The demon's words echoed in my mind, a threat and a promise: In a few more hours, you won't be able to command a housefly, let alone one of my kind.
And I was terrified it might be right.