The Unrelenting Fighter (Unstoppable Liv Beaufont Book 7) Read online

  The Unrelenting Fighter

  Unstoppable Liv Beaufont™ Book 7

  Sarah Noffke

  Michael Anderle

  This book is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2019 Sarah Noffke & Michael Anderle

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  A Michael Anderle Production

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US Edition, June 2019

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-64202-340-4

  Contents

  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

  Sarah’s Author Notes

  Michael’s Author Notes

  Acknowledgments

  Books By Sarah Noffke

  YA Dystopian Fantasy

  Books By Michael Anderle

  Connect with The Authors

  The Unrelenting Fighter Team

  Thanks to the JIT Readers

  If I’ve missed anyone, please let me know!

  Jeff Eaton

  Jeff Goode

  Nicole Emens

  Micky Cocker

  Crystal Wren

  Larry Omans

  Peter Manis

  John Ashmore

  Misty Roa

  Editor

  The Skyhunter Editing Team

  For Trudy.

  The first day we met, you called me a tiger.

  Still my favorite college class ever. And the one that flamed my fire for writing.

  — Sarah

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  to Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  to Live the Life We Are

  Called.

  — Michael

  Chapter One

  The pristine aquamarine water was as placid as glass, sitting between the green banks filled with lush vegetation. Behind the lake, the mountains were still covered in snow in Glacier National Park, although spring was well underway.

  Liv Beaufont took a calming breath, enjoying the beauty all around her. A cursory glance at the water showed her image: her hood pulled over her head and an elf-made axe in her hands.

  She sensed the monster at her back a second before she smelled him. Timing was important since the beasts could move fast when they wanted to. Liv tightened her grip on the axe, brought it back behind her head, spun around, and launched it at the demon speeding in her direction. The weapon flew through the air, plunging straight into the monster’s forehead and nearly splitting it in two. The demon’s black blood splattered the dainty white flowers littering the grass underfoot.

  Unfortunately, the blow wasn’t enough to stop the monster. It lumbered forward, its arms reaching, the axe protruding grossly from its red forehead.

  Liv whipped Bellator from its sheath and brought it around and down to slice the demon’s midsection. The scream that escaped the beast’s mouth echoed through the valley, making Liv squint from the high-pitched sound.

  The demon fell in her direction, but Liv dove out of the way, staying safely on the bank. Water splashed Liv’s boots and cloak as the demon dropped into it, the black blood staining the lake instantly and overtaking the once-clear blue. The waters rippled from the disturbance, spreading out around the sinking body.

  Shaking her head, Liv clicked her tongue in disappointment. “Damn demons have to ruin everything.”

  She didn’t tense when Stefan Ludwig arrived at her side soundlessly, moving even faster than the demon she’d just slain.

  “Look what it did to the flowers,” he remarked.

  Casually, Liv glanced over her shoulder to where the demon’s blood has splattered the sweet little white flowers. “I think you should clean that up. Those tourists we passed ten miles back might be catching up with us soon.”

  Stefan yawned, stretching his hands over his head. “They were mortals. They won’t see it for what it is.”

  Liv agreed with a nod. “Yeah, they’ll probably think a water buffalo or a moose fell into the lake.”

  “Do they have water buffalos in these parts?” Stefan asked, rubbing his hands over his stubbled cheeks.

  Liv shrugged. “Honestly, this is my first time in Montana. I think there are a few loose minotaurs still in Glacier National Park, but they aren’t enough of a problem for the council to assign a Warrior to round them up.”

  Stefan sighed, looking longingly at the vast beauty around them. “Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to get that case if it comes up.”

  Raising a curious eyebrow at him, Liv shook her head. “You’re the demon hunter. The council knows that. They aren’t even questioning your unprecedented success rates anymore.”

  “I don’t know,” Stefan replied. “I think they are, which is why they sent you along to assist me. Maybe they are curious to see if you’ll slow me down.”

  “Why would I do that?” Liv questioned. “We have a great system. You track down the demons, and I kill them.” She lifted Bellator, summoning a handkerchief to clean the demon’s blood from the blade. “I do have a weapon that makes the job easier.”

  “Yes, that’s true,” Stefan said, sighing again. “But they don’t know that. Maybe they’re hoping our reports won’t line up, or that the readings on our magic use will tell them how I slaughter so many demons so fast. Or maybe they’re hoping you’ll rat on me. Divulge my secrets.”

  Liv’s gaze fell to Stefan’s arm, where the master demon Sabatore had bitten him. “You’re insane. There’s no way I would do that, but your other theories are plausible.”

  “I don’t think they know what to do with you presently,” Stefan admitted. “You sort of surprised them with that whole working for Father Time business. I don’t think any Warrior has ever gone over the council’s head like that. Actually, before Father Time showed up, there wasn’t any official who ranked higher than the council.”

  “In the made-up world of justice the council lives in, you mean,” Liv corrected, sheathing Bellator.

  “Well, they are th
e ruling force in the magical world,” Stefan said with another sigh.

  “Because they say so.” Liv summoned the axe to her, holding it away from her since the demon’s blood still dripped from the blade. It had been a gift from Renswick Shoshawnawalla, the elf who had helped to heal Stefan. He’d apparently shut up the gothic home where he had lived in Ashland, Oregon and started a trip around the world, telling Liv that he was tired of living as a recluse, in fear of demons. In truth, he’d been freed after the incident with Stefan, and also knew the streets around the world were now safer with the demon hunter on the loose, rounding up the evil beasts. Still, they all knew that Stefan wasn’t invincible, although he seemed like it.

  “Someone has to elect themselves the rulers of magic, don’t you think?” Stefan asked, a smile tucked at the corner of his mouth. He was playing devil’s advocate because he knew it riled Liv up.

  She rolled her eyes at him, cleaning off the axe and sheathing it as well. “Yes, and if everything the House of Seven did protected justice, I guess it would be okay.” Again, she fought the urge to tell him about the mortal Seven and the House of Fourteen. It was getting more difficult as they grew closer, and she inherently knew she could trust him. However, Stefan had his own burdens, and currently, they seemed to be displayed on his features, weighing him down.

  “So, this need for a new case,” she began, trying to change the subject. “Where did it come from? I thought you enjoyed demon hunting? Well, when it wasn’t keeping you from sleeping or having a single peaceful moment, that is.”

  Stefan’s laughter echoed across the water, which was starting to settle after the demon’s disturbance. “I’ve taken up meditation.”

  “Does it help any with the constant urge to hunt down evil and banish it from the world?”

  He shook his head. “No, but I’m a little cooler on crowded streets, not mouthing off to inconsiderate pedestrians.”

  “Maybe I should meditate, then.”

  He arched a single eyebrow at her. “We both know you’ll need more than meditation to keep that temper at bay.”

  “Axe-throwing helps,” Liv said, patting her belt where the axe was. “There’s something about flinging an axe through the air and having it stick into a target that is very satisfying.”

  “Let me guess,” Stefan said with a grin. “You didn’t play with dolls growing up, did you?”

  Liv shot him a look of offense. “Of course I did. What else was I going to blow up?”

  He laughed, some of his stress from before melting away. “To be honest, I do enjoy demon hunting, but it’s starting to get old. I want to do something that challenges me in different ways. Something where I can use other skills.”

  “Other skills?” Liv questioned.

  “Yeah, like my brains and personality,” he responded, then quickly added, “And yes, I have those. I’m not just a pretty face.”

  Liv shrugged. “I thought you were just a brute who slaughtered demons and laughed at my jokes even though they soared over your head.”

  He feigned hurt. “I’m a real person, Liv. And it’s about time you notice that. I actually have feelings.”

  “Like, how many feelings?” she bantered.

  “At least two,” he answered without missing a beat. “Hunger and rage.”

  She nodded. “Then we are absolutely the same, Warrior Ludwig.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Every now again, when you don’t think anyone is looking, I daresay you’re happy,” Stefan observed.

  Liv yanked out her axe, clutching it menacingly in her hand. “You take that back, or pay the price.”

  Stubbornly, he shook his head. “Do your worst to me. I’m certain I deserve it, Warrior Beaufont. And if I’m brutally honest with you, having you accompany me on these cases sort of, kind of, marginally, makes me happy. At least, it seems to make the part of me bent on abolishing evil relax a bit.”

  For a moment, Liv didn’t know what to say. There was such earnestness in his voice. Finally, she recovered, clearing her throat uncomfortably. “Are you sure you have a good grasp of the English language? By happy, do you actually mean indifferent? And when you say I relax that part of you, I think you mean that I distract you with my quirky behavior and rebellious nature.”

  “You say potato,” Stefan countered. For a moment, Liv thought he was going to say something else, a meaningful expression flickering behind his eyes. She wasn’t sure she could handle whatever he confessed next, which was why she was strangely grateful when his head jerked up in that way it always did when he caught a whiff of something evil.

  “Where is it?” Liv asked, scanning the area around them, enjoying the adrenaline that made her heart speed up. It was an old, familiar feeling before a hunt.

  “I’m not sure,” he answered, completing his circle. “Something’s not right.”

  Liv tensed at the caution in Stefan’s voice. Demons never scared him. Not anymore. They had few advantages over him. He was immune to their bite, and he was stronger than them, having inherited all their powers without any of their disadvantages. But suddenly his usual confidence had vanished, replaced by an uncharacteristic fear. “Not right, how?” Liv asked, worry in her voice despite her efforts to mask it.

  “I can sense the vermin, but I can’t find them, which is weird,” Stefan said, cutting his eyes at her. “Get Bellator out. We don’t have time for fancy and fun axe action this time.”

  Liv wanted to laugh. Even though danger was seemingly approaching, Stefan’s casual, amusing demeanor was still present, entertaining her. She sheathed the axe and pulled out Bellator, feeling it warm in her hands. It tugged down at the ground under their feet. Her gaze shot to the grassy patch just as two red hands shot through the dirt and wrapped around Stefan’s feet, yanking him into the ground. The dirt opened up so fast, buckling in two, that it knocked Liv onto her back.

  She rolled over at once, trying to figure out what was going on. Dirt sprayed up in all directions. Screams filled the air, both Stefan’s and those of a demon. The earth rocked underfoot, making it difficult to get closer. And as Liv approached, her feet sank, like she was venturing into quicksand.

  Stefan was being sucked into the ground, and soon he’d be gone. His hands flailed in the air as his gurgled screams faded slightly. Liv looked around for something to help him, but there were only pretty white flowers and dirt. She needed a vine. Since there was nothing of the sort, Liv sheathed Bellator and summoned a rope, pulling it from where it was lying on her desk in her apartment.

  “Heads up!” she yelled, swinging the rope over her head and throwing it to Stefan. It flew through the air, only grazing through his hands before she pulled it back to her. Two more times, she threw it. His hands were nearly buried. They were running out of time.

  With her heart nearly beating out of her chest, she tried one more time. The rope tugged in her hands when he caught it, his fingers gripping tightly. Liv yanked, but it did no good. Stefan was being pulled underground. His head was practically covered. To his side, she could see movement. The demon. Or demons. They were tugging him under. Burying him deep in the ground where he couldn’t fight them or survive.

  Liv knew she had to act fast. Tying the rope around her waist, she pulled out Bellator, watching the movement of the dirt carefully. Where Stefan was, it moved frantically—a result of his panic. To the side of him, it rippled—as though the demon was swimming deeper, kicking to make room for them as they headed toward the core of the Earth.

  Taking a deep breath, Liv issued a silent prayer. Please don’t let me kill him.

  Then she plunged Bellator into the dirt, and it met flesh. She hesitated. A high-pitched scream she’d heard too many times and associated with demons came from under the ground. That was the confirmation she needed. Liv pushed the sword in deeper, and the dirt around Bellator stilled.

  The area around Stefan moved more wildly. Holding onto the rope around her waist, Liv yanked. Relief filled her chest when Stefan’s head broke th
e surface like a worm in a garden. She continued to yank, working fast, sweat flooding her face . She was worried that more demons were hiding under the ground, ready to finish the job the first demon had started.

  Stefan spat out dirt when his face broke free, covered in soil. Furiously he climbed out of the hole, releasing the rope and crawling as quickly as he could manage away from it. When he was at Liv’s feet, he turned on his back and crab-walked farther away, his eyes crazed with worry as he regarded the giant hole that had materialized only moments prior.

  When nothing erupted out of it to attack them, Stefan, strangely, laughed out loud.

  Concerned that he’d lost his mind, Liv turned to him, aware that she was putting her back to the opening. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded, pushing up to his feet. From head to toe, he was caked with moist dirt. “I’m fine,” he said, still sounding amused. “But just when I think I’ve got those damn demons figured out, they change their tactics and come after me a different way.”

  Liv shook her head at him, wiping Bellator off. “And here you said you were getting bored with demon hunting.”

  “Not bored,” he corrected. “I simply said I wanted a different kind of challenge.”