A Dose of Brimstone: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Van Helsing Organization Book 2) Read online

  A Dose of Brimstone

  Van Helsing Organization Book 2

  Noree Cosper

  Contents

  Untitled

  Untitled

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Noree Cosper

  A Dose of Brimstone © 2015 Noree Cosper

  Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  A DOSE OF BRIMSTONE

  Not Even Death Can Save Her.

  Try a little Brimstone to bring out the demon in you.

  Gabby thought the brimstone drug was destroyed. However, now a multitude of demons plague New York, and from the look of their scaly skin, the drug has taken hold of the Big Apple. When Gabby finally uncovers the mastermind behind it all, she realizes this battle won't be easily won. Faust is unlike any demon Gabby has seen before, capable of possessing multiple entities at once; he’s even manipulated a corporation of vampires into spreading their own version of brimstone. If Gabby and the Van Helsing Organization don't put an end to Faust's plan, it'll soon be Hell on Earth.

  Prologue

  As Oulixes sat on the bench, he crossed the ankles of the man he possessed and leaned against the wall. Bits of the crumbling brick grinded away into his hair. The humans had abandoned this part of the Subway tunnels decades ago, but that didn’t mean the place was empty.

  An immaterial woman in a long coat passed by him and stopped on the edge of the platform. One foot dangled over the edge before she completely disappeared. In a few moments, she would be back to repeat the process all over again. The woman, like the other apparitions on this platform, were just imprints, mere memories of what had tainted this railway station. Mostly harmless, and useless, unlike a real soul.

  He raised a hand. His true hand, dark blue and clawed, was semi-imposed over the mortal flesh. It held a spiked chrome chain that extended through the wall and beyond his sight. The chain, like his true form, existed beyond the material world, and it connected to a human soul; one that he had a claim on. He smiled, relishing the memory of how he had gained this particular contract. It hadn’t been easy, or legal, but Oulixes didn’t have to deal in legal. The mother had been desperate to stop her daughter’s abuse at the hands of her husband. She never even thought about the deal she made. A drunken woman was all but useless to him. The daughter, however, a soul of innocence, that was a prize that many demons dreamed of obtaining. Only he could. Well, he and his other selves.

  Light filled the arched tunnels, causing Oulixes to blink. Booted feet clacked on the steps to his right. He straightened and watched the man descend. Highlights reflected in his white-blond hair from the lamps in the ceiling. He looked a little thin in the black long coat he wore. His red lips twitched to one side in a smirk as he crossed his arms and looked Oulixes up and down.

  “Are you the broody one of us?” The man’s smooth voice echoed through the forsaken halls. “Sitting here in the dark?”

  Oulixes stood so that he towered over the thin man. “I’m the one who will strip the flesh from the bones of that body you ride.”

  The incubus smirked. “I doubt Faust would allow that. Not when you have a package to deliver to me.”

  Oulixes gritted his teeth. The seed at the core of his essence kept him from ripping that arrogant face apart. He had a mission. “Let’s get this over with.”

  The incubus held out his hand, and Oulixes slid the chain into it. The chrome color shimmered and lightened, taking on a purple tint. The incubus ran a tongue over the chain and sucked in the breath.

  “Succulent,” he said. “Such anger. I bet she’s wild in bed.”

  “All yours to test out now,” Oulixes muttered.

  He narrowed his eyes. Now that the exchange was over, he could rip into this little weasel and claim the power for his own. The pressure within him thrummed, sending jolts through his essence like the lash of a whip. No. That wasn’t part of the plan. He gritting his teeth, pushed past the incubus, and headed up the stairs. In just a few feet, he would be above ground and on his way to claim other souls. He didn’t need the jaded, angry girl’s contract. Her soul had become bitter with the realization of her fate. The Cambione was welcome to her for whatever plans Faust had. He could find someone else pure and spend his time breaking them..

  At the top of the stairs, instead of an exit, a decaying brick tunnel stretched out before him. He stopped and blinked. What in the Seven Thrones? He spun around and let out a guttural curse. The stairs had been replaced with the tunnel as well. His steps echoed off the stone surrounding him as he quickened his pace. He must have gotten confused. Human architecture was mind boggling to him with its materialistic laws and strange angles, but there had to be another turn or a door somewhere. If not, he could always abandon this body and find another not trapped in this underground pit. He sighed loudly, relieved to see another turn ahead. But as he rounded the corner, he realized this new tunnel stretched out beyond both the range of the body’s eyes and his own perception.

  Oulixes growled and slammed his fist into the bricks. The walls shook with the force of his blow and the stone beneath his fist crumbled into bits of rubble as dust sprayed into the air. Once the air cleared of the particles, a hole the size of his head revealed a passageway identical to the one he was currently in, including a hole on the opposite wall. He took a step back as his mouth went dry, and he scanned the tunnel. Someone played games with him. He felt their eyes on him, and he shuddered. He’d been in this body for too long.

  A sharp pain burst in his abdomen, spreading past the physicality of his body
to his own essence, and his hold on the human he rode slipped.

  Iron.

  The tunnel broke away into little bits of dust and darkness before it dissolved. Oulixes stood in the subway station with it vaulted ceilings and ghosts. In front of him stood the incubus with his hand on the iron dagger buried deep in Oulixes.

  “I think any value you had is gone,” the incubus said. “I can find a better use for that piece of Faust you carry.”

  Oulixes dropped his control on the body and let his essence pour out of it in a dark red light. The incubus flashed in a pale purple light and caught Oulixes. He inhaled, and Oulixes felt himself being drawn in. He tried to fight, but the iron had already weakened him. He couldn’t escape. Soon, he knew nothing.

  Chapter 1

  On a normal night I would have been chasing a demon down with my sword in hand, not standing in line outside of a club with the base of the music pounding into the bricks against my back. My definition of normal was skewed from most people.

  I shivered and hugged my arms to my body as a gust of wind pummeled me, forcing me to spread my legs to keep balance. I’d bought them on a whim weeks ago, even though I would have very few occasions to wear them. Tonight was such a night. I was here to do a little business and have a lot of enjoyment. Besides, they went well with the white, V-neck mini dress that accented my black hair.

  Esais stepped in front of me, and I breathed a sigh of relief as the blustery assault abated by the wall that was his tall, broad-shouldered frame. He grinned at me with a boyish smile and brushed a lock of his cinnamon hair out of his face. Tres winked at the three girls standing in front of us. They burst into giggles and whispered amongst themselves as their gazes drank him in. It was no surprise. Michelangelo himself could have sculpted the boy’s face with those high cheekbones and smooth skin. Many girls had found his full lips kissable in the last three months. Adrian stood in the rear of our group with his back to us, his ponytail, the same color as his brothers’, brushed against the back of his black long coat as he scanned the line behind us. Marge stood beside me, tapping her foot out of time with the beat that pounded through the door of the club. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her maroon leather jacket and the tips of her blonde hair blew into her face as she turned to glare at me.

  “Why here?” Marge’s voice cracked the cold night air like a whip.

  “Lucy’s idea.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “She wanted to celebrate her reunion with the boys.”

  Esais adjusted his square glasses. “We’re not boys, Gabby.”

  “Lucy still thinks so,” I said.

  “Who gives a damn about them,” Marge said. “Why am I here?”

  “Well, do you have any new leads about your contract?”

  She snorted. “Not since I found out that Oulixes died.”

  “Lucy can find the new demon that has your contract.”

  Marge let out a low growl and stared ahead. I didn’t blame her. She only had a few more years until a demon claimed her body and soul for a contract she didn’t make. Such a thing shouldn’t have happened since the person who owned the soul was the only one who could sell it, but here we were. Marge’s mother had tried to protect her in some misguided way, but it had just made Marge’s predicament worse.

  “Just have some fun, Marge,” Tres said. “Even Adrian came.”

  Adrian glanced at his brother with his good eye. What was left of his other eye was covered by a black leather patch. He stood six feet tall—shorter than his brothers but still enough to tower over me—and a reddish beard ran along his jawline and connected with a thin moustache.

  “If I didn’t, Lucy would pout,” he said.

  Tres pulled down the sleeves of his grey suit jacket and smirked. “She probably just wants to have a few drinks, and then the night is ours.”

  The bouncer’s muscles bulged underneath his black t-shirt as he waved us forward. I swaggered in. The blue and purple search lights flashed throughout the club. A glass dance floor hovered over a pool of water, lit so it gave a wave effect off the walls. Fast music pounded as a sea of bodies gyrated. One long bar lined the walls around the dance floor. Metal stairs led to the second floor.

  Marge scowled and rubbed her ear. “How long do we have to be here?” she yelled.

  I scanned the crowd. Dancing on top of one of the raised platforms in the middle of the dance floor was a girl with black pigtails. She wore a white shirt cut to her midriff that closed by only one button. The purple bra was visible through the shirt even in this light. She wore a short, black skirt with ripped purple tights underneath. Knee-high black combat boots completed her ensemble. Her arms were raised above her head as she bounced up and down to the music. I pointed her out to Marge.

  “Her,” I said.

  Mage did a double take. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

  “She’s not,” Tres said. “Lucy’s always been a party girl. I bet she’s wild under the covers.”

  I shuddered. “That’s disturbing on many levels.”

  “What?” Tres asked. “I can’t enjoy the beauty of a woman?”

  “She’s like our big sister,” Esais said.

  “She probably changed your diapers,” I said.

  Adrian raised a brow. “She would have been a child then.”

  Esais frowned, his eyes going distant as if he was trying to catch hold of a memory eluding him. They didn’t know about Lucy. Interesting that she and Jonah had kept their secrets despite being almost family to the Van Helsings. With everyone meeting in New York, and given Esais’s unique abilities, I doubted it would stay a secret for long.

  Lucy glanced in our direction, and our gazes met. A grin spread across her face. She hopped off the platform and pushed her way through the dancers. She bounded up the stairs and practically threw herself into Esais. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and she laughed.

  “It’s so good to see you,” she said.

  He grinned, hugging her tight. “Hey, Lu.”

  She pulled away and turned to Tres. “Hey there. Look at you all grown up and sexy.”

  Tres gave me a look as if to say “you see?” before spreading his arms out for a hug. She pulled him close before turning to Adrian.

  “You look better outside your cage,” she said. “I’m glad you broke free.”

  He chuckled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I was only waiting for the right time. Ms. Di Luca provided the right reason.”

  She glanced at me with a smile. “Hello, dearie. Good to see you again.”

  I smiled but remained where I was. I didn’t want to invade on the brothers’ reunion with her. “You as well. It’s been a few years, hasn’t it?”

  She nodded. “I think it was that demon in Germany.”

  “Hmm, that was fun.” I pulled Marge forward. “This is Marge Devereux.”

  “Ah, yes, the one searching for her own demon,” Lucy said. “A pleasure to meet you, dearie.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Where is it?”

  Lucy took a step back with a frown. “No need to rush things. How about we enjoy the night and start tomorrow?”

  “Not interested. Can you find it or is this another waste of my time?”

  “Most likely, I can. However, it would be easier with my cards, which I don’t have.”

  I touched Marge’s shoulder. “You can wait one more night. Why don’t we visit Lucy tomorrow for a reading?”

  Lucy studied Marge for a few moments. “I’ll think about it.”

  “That’s it? You’ll think about it?” Marge mumbled. “Why the hell am I here at all?”

  “I wanted to meet you and get a feel for you before I did a reading,” Lucy said.

  “So I had to pass some sort of test?”

  Lucy winked at her. “Maybe I just wanted to see if you were hot.”

  Marge scowled and muttered, “Fuck this shit.”

  Lucy laughed and turned to the brothers as Marge stalked toward the exit. “Let’s get a drink. I’m parche
d.”

  I stared after Marge. I could try to drag her back, but it would make her angrier. Besides, why should I ruin my night? I would find her later when she calmed down and convince her. I followed behind Lucy as she led us to the closest bartender to order drinks.

  He approached and leaned down, his blue-dyed hair fading so that brown roots peeked through. He looked at us with one eye that wasn’t covered by a straight lock of hair that had fallen to cover the right side of his face. “What can I get you?”

  Esais did a double take as Lucy ordered the drinks. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the bartender. Lucy turned and handed me a frozen peach-colored beverage. She waved to the row of shots that sat on the bar for the brothers. She raised a matching drink to mine and downed it. I sipped, winching at the ache the cold brought to my head but enjoying the peach flavor that mixed with the warm bite of alcohol.

  “So tell me all the juicy tidbits,” Lucy shouted over the music. “We have a lot to catch up on.”

  Tres shrugged. “Nothing much, just enjoying the city.”

  She wiggled her eyebrows. “And the girls in it?”

  He laughed. “Maybe.”

  “You need to show me around. You probably know the best clubs, unlike your brother here.” She waved her drink in Adrian’s direction. “What have you been up to?”

  Adrian tapped his fingers on the bar and gave her a smile. “I’ve been busy with the security system for the new office.”

  “New office?”

  Adrian nodded to Esais. “He decided to take Jonah’s words about building father’s dream of a hunter organization seriously. So, we have an office.”

  Lucy grinned and poked Esais in the side. “Look at you, trying to be all responsible. Please don’t say you’ll be as boring as Dad.”

  Esais glanced at her and chuckled. “No one can be as boring as your dad. I just thought we need some place to settle, and New York is a hub—is that the right American word?”

  “I get what you’re trying to say,” Lucy said.