The Axelridge Series Book 4 Griff's Red Card
Chapter 18

(Chapter Song ‘Naafiri, The Hound Of A Hundred Bites' by League Of Legends)

GRIFFIN

As I was pulled from my fantasy dream, I woke to natures call screaming at me.

My groggy eyes open and it’s still dark out.

Not wanting to wake Ivy just yet, I slip out of the blankets and stumble my way to the jack. Doing my business, I remember last night and I can’t help but get a huge grin on my lips.

As I finish, dirty plans to wake her up at sunup, run through my mind. For now, I just want to feel her warm body.

I slip back under the covers and reach for her.

My brow scrunches when I feel cold sheets.

I sit up and look around the dark room. “Ivy?”

I throw the sheets back off and leave the room.

Standing in the living room, I’m even more confused. Her clothes are still here, but she’s not.

“Where ya hiding, girl?” I call out.

I check the second bedroom and even under the bed. I check the closets and nothing.

Did she leave in the buff? Maybe a run?

I open the door, look into the hall, come back in and place my hands on my hips.

I walk back into my room and look at the bed. I raise my eyes to the balcony and watch the curtains blow in the breeze. I step out onto it and my skin is coated in the moons white light. I look over the railing thinking maybe there was some sort of accident.

“Where the hell…” Seeing nothing out of sorts, I turn back in and stop at the edge of the bed.

As I stand, wondering what my next move is, a wet drop hits my cheek just below my eye. I reach up, place my finger in it, pull it in front of my eyes and rub the liquid in between my fingers. It’s clear and I can smell salt.

Without lowering my hand, I slowly raise my eyes to the ceiling.

My jaw goes slack as my eyes meet Ivy's terrified ones. They're soaked with tears, she’s shaking bad and her mouth is covered with a giant hand.

Pinned to the ceiling, she’s held against the chest of a large man with black as night eyes. His white hair hangs off his head and his skin looks marred and dirty. He’s huge, wearing black and definitely has some sort of magic.

Our eyes lock and my wolf slams to the surface. My eyes glow and Ivy starts to thrash.

“WHAT THE HELL?!”

She screams into his hand as he lets out a deafening demonic road so loud, I’m crumpled to my knees, holding my ears.

He lets go of the ceiling and falls in front of me with Ivy still in his grasp. She tries to fight him off, her screams are muffled by his hand. He tries to run to the balcony and almost gets to the door.

“LET HER GO!!” I lunge at him, cutting him off and we all go through the next door. It shatters and turns to splinters with the impact of our bodies.

I sit up, grab Ivy and throw her into the room behind me.

The creature slowly rises to his feet with giant shard of glass wedged half way into his brain. He should be dead. Instead, he reaches up and pulls it out as his hellish growl fills my room.

He tosses the glass and shoots a death glare at me. His lip snarls and I notice the dragon tattoo on his forearm.

He cracks his knuckles as he makes fists and I see his muscular body start to swell, but there’s something off. Something slithers just below the pale, beaten skin.

“Bring it, mate. You ain’t leaving here with yer life much less anything else.” I snarl as I crouch and eye him up. My wolf feeds me strength and I take my claws out.

“We'll see who dies tonight, dumbass.” He says in a dark, demented tone.

“GRIFFIN, NO!”

I hear Ivy scream as he jumps at me and I meet him halfway. He knocks me to the ground and lands solid punches to my face. I kick him off and he lands on his back. With a few hopping steps, I lay my foot to his head like I was shooting the keeper. He roars as he holds his head. I give a few more kicks to the ribs.

“YOU FUCKING STEPPED IN IT, MATE!” I jam my foot in his neck and lean down to him. I grab a chunk of glass and stab his chest with it. He grabs the shard and screams as he arches back.

“Yer some gobshite if ye be thinking yer walking out with my lass.” I sneer.

His black eyes focus on me. His mouth is filled with blood as an evil grin spreads across his lips. My brow stitches together as he grabs my foot, twists it and throws me like I was a doll.

I scream through the air and hit the railing on the other side. My body thumps on the floor and I cough from the impact. I raise my head to him and watch him stand. Glass grinds under his thick boots and he looks down at the shard in his heart. I also see he has several other big pieces in him and seems to be unfazed by any of it.

My lips shrink as he breaks it off at his skin and throws it to the ground. My eyes widen when he rushes me, picks me up by the neck and lands two blows to my cheek.

I stumble back and rage fills me. With a giant growl, I get in his space and land three hard ones to his gut and head which evidently, only pissed him off more.

He picks me up and throws me through the balcony window beside the broken doors. The glass flies with me as I hit the bedroom floor and roll. I try to get up and feel several pieces of glass pierce my skin.

I hear his heavy footsteps and feel his angered hellish voice in my head.

‘Time to die, Irish punk. Alistair says hi.’

My blood covered face shakes as I look up at him. I’m panting through my pain as he reaches down, grabs my hair and lands a fist to my eye. I scream in agony as my socket crushes under the force.

He picks me up and throws me back through the broken window to the railing.

I try to get up, but my head is pounding not only from the pain, but from the hellish sounds he’s putting in my mind.

He lifts me up by the neck and presses my back to the balcony rail. He gets close and I wrap my hands around his thick forearm. I huff choking breaths as I try to rip his arm off me. My anger filled eyes never leave his.

My ears pick up the noise of the traffic below and I see his eyes look down to the street then back at me.

His white hair is matted with blood and his black eyes stare into my soul. He snarls his lip, showing his broken teeth. I can smell death coming off him, but it’s not a vampire. It’s something else. I want to say demon, but this no demon I’ve seen so far.

Drool drops from his bottom lip, but he doesn’t seem to care. You can tell he’s been through a grinder. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I’m being beaten by a zombie.

“You have much passion in you. The girl is lucky.” He looks me over slowly. “Not lucky enough. I would have enjoyed tearing you into little pieces, but unfortunately, I’m on the clock.”

I cinch my brows. “What?”

“Sorry, there won’t be any goodbyes. Just know, when I take her heart, every scream she makes, I’ll dedicate to you. The loser white knight who tried.” He growls.

He raises his hand and my feet lift off the ground as I choke. He leans the upper half of my body over the railing. I grab at his shirt as I start to panic. “OH, FUCK!”

My legs kick and I try to punch at him, but he has me at an angle I can’t reach anything to hurt enough.

“I’ll make sure my brother comes to collect. You’ll make a great addition to the gang.” He grins and flashes fire in his eyes.

“Collect what?!”

He leans real close. “Your corpse.” He grins.

My eyes widen as he lifts me higher and shoves me over the edge. My body goes ass over tea kettle and I grab onto anything as I start to fall.

“FUCK!!” I grab the railing with one hand and hang on for dear life.

“HEY!!”

He looks over his shoulder and I hear a gunshot. His head jolts and my face fills with shock as I rip his hand from my neck and cough it out.

He turns to me with a small bullet hole in between his eyes. The hole is sparking like a broken outlet and leaking black smoke. His eyes and face are covered in surprise and fear.

“SHIT!!”

He starts to slide over the edge and I push him away with my free hand to make sure he doesn’t drag me down with him. As I swing, I watch his dead body hit the ground. My chest is heaving, my heart’s racing and my head is pounding though the hellish noise is gone. I blow out a breath as his head splatters like a watermelon on the walk.

Suddenly, the wind kicks up. It blows me around. I have to squint my eyes as dirt and dust rise from the street below. My hair whips around my head as I try to see the reasoning behind it.

The question doesn’t remain unanswered for long.

The air fills with the death rattle of a squealing, static pig. I’ve heard that sound before.

I turn my trembling head to the ground and see black smoke start to rise from the dead body and collect together over the walk.

“Oh, fuck! IVY!!” I yell as I try to kick my legs and pull myself up.

The smoke turns to a black, dense, cloud snake and swirls in up in my direction.

My chest pounds as it seems to see me and speeds up the side of the building, twirling, spinning and screaming as it goes. My skin pricks with its energy that’s radiating from it and I really start to sweat.

“IVVYYY!!”

“I’M HERE!”

Hands slam on my arm as I try to get my feet up.

“Thank god! Hurry! I can’t get it!” I try to lift myself up and fall back down.

“Give me your other hand!” She reaches down and I throw my hand up to her. She grabs on and starts to pull me up.

The smoke shoots into the sky just off my back.

“OH MY GOD!” We both fill with fear as the black cloud rises into the air, turns out then circles back.

“PULL, LASS!” I yell.

She pulls and I’m able to plant a foot on the wall. I pull myself up as she grabs my waist.

Once on the balcony, I grab her and look back. “RUN!”

The beast squeals louder and we bolt into the room. It was about to enter, but then it stopped like it hit a wall.

I hold Ivy in the bedroom as we both blink at it. It stalls then is yanked backwards. We look at each other then back at the smoke.

It's yanked again then squeals so loud we have to cover our ears. As of it was hooked, it’s pulled over the balcony railing to the street.

Its screeches and screams echo off the buildings on its way down to the street.

We run to the rail and lean over it. It looks like a black tornado as it spins around the walk, spreads out then disappears into the body of a man who had stopped to see the body on the pavement.

He looks up at us, stuffs his hands in his pockets, gives the body another once over then strolls away.

“What the bleeding hell was that?” I pant as I flop to the balcony floor.

“Griff. Your face.” She chokes. “You need a medic.”

“I’ll be alright. Once I get this fecking glass out me back.” I growl.

“Come on.” She leads me into the apartment, grabs a first aid kit and sits me down.

She sets herself up and hands me a bottle of whiskey. I tip it back and wipe my mouth. “Thanks.”

“Griff…I'm sorry…”

“Don’t be doing that.” I look over my shoulder as she starts to pull the bits of glass out of my skin. “It wasn’t yer fault.” I turn to face her. “I’m just glad yer fine. Was that a demon?”

She nods. “Yes. A collection hound. Another branch of hellhounds that are like bounty hunters. They ride around in half dead or dead bodies, replaceing people they’re told to replace.”

“What did ya kill him with?” I ask.

“I didn’t kill him, only his body. A standard silver bullet is enough to break the connection between the demon and his host.” She informs as she dabs my skin with a towel.

“A silver bullet? Ya just popped him and he’s gone?” I glance over my shoulder. This kind of gives me an idea about our Eddie situation.

“Not gone. He still needs to do what he’s told to do. He may be gone for now, but that only depends on what kind of soul he just attached himself to. If it’s the wrong one, he'll jump bodies until he replaces one that fits then he’s after me again.” She leans on her thighs and glances at me.

“Aye. Why now? Why here? That was a bleeding bold move for anyone.” I say as I match her posture.

She sits and leans on her thighs. “These demons. They’re hunters. Not only that, they’re paid. Either by conventional methods or a more spiritual commodity.”

“Spiritual commodity?” I arch a brow.

“Souls.” She looks down at her fingers. “They’re hired assassins, Griff. I don’t know who, but someone wants me dead and I’m starting to think it's the same people who killed my mother.”

“This all sounds like a load of Blarney. Demon assassins? Why?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. They want my heart for some reason. I believe it’s the same people who took my mother’s. I have no answers. I don’t hold magic. I don’t hold power. I’m just a nerdy girl that loves trees.” She laughs, but I still feel the fear behind it.

I lean close. “I’m sure there’s more to ya than that, love. Whatever it is, these monsters want it in the worst way. How did you replace out about all this?”

“After the first attempt on my life, I saw what he was so, I hit the books. There’s a ton of demon lore. I needed to prepare myself.” She grabs the cloth and starts to clean up my eye. “There’s not a whole lot on why, but there’s a lot on who they are and how to at least defend yourself. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot on how to kill them.”

I press my lips together. “I think there’s a certain demon we can ask. If anyone will have the answers, it will be Abraxas.”

She drops the cloth in the water that’s now red with my blood. “I’m not sure I fully trust him. How do I know he didn’t send him after me?”

I take the things from her hands and sets them down. I pull her to me and hold her. “We have to trust him. He’s the enemy, technically. He knows. If it turns out, he’s part of it. I’ll just have to shove my cleat so far up his arse he'll choke on the laces.” I smirk.

She smiles and shakes her head. “I didn’t want to drag you into this. This is too dangerous. I’m better on my own.”

I reach up and hold her chin in my fingertips. “You can try, lass, but I think you’d be better partnering up with someone who cares for ya?”

She softly smiles. “And who might that be?”

“The bar keep.” I whisper as I stare into her eyes.

“WHO?” She breaks into laughter.

“Who ya think, ya silly girl?!” I smile and give her a little shove.

She nods. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me for doing what’s right, love. Never.” I gaze into her eyes and she leans in for a kiss on my lips. She hits my busted lip and cringe back.

“Ah! Wirra! That hurts!” I scrunch my eyes and hold my fingertips to my lips.

“God, I’m sorry.” She leans to me to apologize.

I wave her off. “It’s alright. Nothing that a nip of sleep can’t handle.”

“Maybe we should get another room.” She fixes my disheveled hair.

I look around the place. “I second that.”

After cleaning up, we had no choice but to call the Enforcers. We couldn’t keep this a secret. Besides, if we want to end this, we can’t do alone.

I’ll protect Ivy with my life and if that means going to Falcon and Phoenix for help, I’m doing it. I know I said I’d vote against joining, but this changes everything. Now, I don’t care what Finn says either way. One thing’s for sure, these hunters better be the praying kind. Hell will be too good for them after I’m done.