Half-Demon Huntress (Harlow's Demons Book 2)

by Jen Pretty

  Nick walked to the door, and Chelsea opened it wider so I could see Nick in low slung blue jeans and no shirt. His blond hair was all messy like he had been in bed, but I didn't assume he was sleeping.

  “Yeah, I need to buy things at the mall,” I said. “My phone died or I would have just texted you.” With that, I turned on my heel and went back to my room.

  “Harlow, wait,” Nick said.

  “She is fine, Nick,” Chelsea said, but I was not fine. I was feeling on the betrayed side right now even though I didn't have a leg to stand on, since I had just been enjoying Julian's hands playing with my hair. Shit, I had no time for this. I stumbled back into my hotel room. Julian was no longer sitting on the bed, but I heard the shower running, so plopped down at the table and grabbed a cold slice of pizza from the tray that still sat there. This was quite the shit storm I was kicking up for myself. I gave my head a shake and decided I needed to focus on the bad guy. All other guys were off the table.

  Just as I was setting my new no-guy rule in my mind, the bathroom door opened, and Julian walked out in a cloud of steam with a towel around his waist and his bare chest on full display. He walked past me as I wiped drool off my chin, his lip flicked a small smile and I cursed the half-demon for his deliciousness. I watched him go by, and once his back was turned I realized he had a giant tattoo on his back that looked like an angel and a demon fighting.

  It was fitting for a half-demon.

  He grabbed a garment bag out of the small closet and then returned to the bathroom and disappeared behind the door.

  I looked down at my suitcase and thought about taking out my net and beating myself over the head with it.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Once everyone had all their clothes on, and the bimbo huntress Chelsea had left, we sat in the back of Julian's limo in awkward silence. Julian had a smile on his face, but Nick looked pissed, and I was forcing my face to show absolutely no emotion. Just blank, quiet contemplation. No, not contemplation. I wanted to have nothing in my head. Zero thoughts. What does that look like? I struggled with that for a few minutes.

  “Harlow?” Julian’s sudden voice startled me. “Why do you look like you are trying to do complicated math in your mind?”

  Huh, I guess my blank face could use work. “I’m not thinking anything,” I said and tried a different expression I hoped better portrayed my lack of feelings about anything that happened this morning.

  Julian chuckled softly. “Now you look like you are surprised by something you’ve seen.”

  Damn it. I covered my face with my hands. Luckily, we were pulling up to the mall. “Okay, I need underwear, so how about I do that while you guys do whatever and I’ll meet you at Belt ‘n Tie.”

  “Your errand sounds much more fun,” Julian said.

  Nick shook his head and growled. “Look, Chelsea just came over to talk about gargoyles that were causing problems-”

  “You don't have to explain it to me,” I said.

  “-nothing happened. She spilled her drink.”

  I laughed. “And all her clothes fell off?” I asked. Okay, so I was a bitch. It was none of my business whom Nick slept with. We had kissed twice, and I had spent the night in bed with Julian who, right now, looked about as pleased as a pig in poop.

  “She had to get the stain out.”

  “And then your clothes fell off. I understand. It happens to me all the time.” I added sarcasm to that last statement, and by the way he scoffed and threw his hands up in the air, I could tell he got it. I rarely win this kind of argument, so when he didn't say any more, I felt victorious, but then Julian had to open his mouth.

  “You slept quite soundly, last night,” he said looking at me. Fuck.

  Nick’s eyes whipped to Julian and then back to me. “You slept with Julian last night?” His face turned red and his brow lowered, making his eyes look like deep holes in his face in the low light of the limo.

  “No, I slept by myself last night. Julian just happened to be there.”

  Nick laughed, but it didn't sound happy. “Harlow, damn it.”

  Luckily the limo had stopped, so I slid out the door and left the two men behind. This was not a great way to start the day. I hit the food court first and got coffee. Thank God for coffee! I sipped it and wandered to the “big box” store at the end of the mall. I needed super powered sports bras if I would be chasing that winged half demon around. I purchased those and some everyday underwear and socks. As I was leaving, I saw a Wonder Woman t-shirt. It was blue with short sleeves and had a picture of the heroine herself on the front with her fist raised in victory. I couldn't resist, so I bought that, too.

  When I got back to the Belt ‘N Tie, the store was empty. The racks of belts and ties were precisely the same. I wondered how much business it did apart from gargoyle hunter business. I helped myself through the door into the narrow back hall and down to the storage room where I found Nick and the shop owner, Roderick, in a discussion about the quality of a new leather he brought in.

  Julian was nowhere in sight.

  “Hey, here she is!” Roderick said with exuberance. “How are you doing, little sis?” He swung his head, tossing his hair out of his eyes. Last time his hair was black, but now he had dyed it dark blue. He still wore his sunglasses, though.

  “I’m all right,” I said. “How about you?”

  “I’m great. Even better now that your beautiful face is here. Long time no see. How's that net working out for you?”

  The net Nick bought from Roderick was my new favourite. I didn't have a history with it, but it had been well-constructed. “It’s excellent. Great craftsmanship.”

  The smile on Roderick's face lit up the storage room. “What can I get for you today?”

  “I need at least three pairs of pants, and if you have boots in my size, I could retire these.” My boots had been through a lot in the last six months. They were barely holding together anymore and my toe was threatening to poke out the end. They needed a quick burial at sea. Or maybe a dumpster out behind the mall.

  “Of course, I do!” Roderick exclaimed. “What size are your feet? Six?”

  “More like seven and a half,” I said, looking down at my boots. The leather pants I had been wearing the last two days were nasty, too. I couldn't wait to get into clean clothes. Roderick sent me to look through racks of pants. I chose a couple of pairs of hard-wearing leather pants and one pair of thinner, more flexible pants. I tried them on and looked super-hot in them. Also, I was sure I would bake in Mississippi in them. So be it. It would surprise me if we didn't run into any gargoyles. Crazy Collin liked demons, and they attracted gargoyles like flies to roadkill.

  Satisfied, I kept the thinner pair of pants on to wear out. Roderick had a few shoe boxes with leather boots for me to try. One pair was tall, but instead of laces they had a zipper for quick on-off. They covered the lower part of my calf and fit under my leather pants — double protection from the ankle biters.

  Sold.

  I kept them on too, and once I paid for my purchases and Nick paid for his, we walked out with our bags, giving Roderick a last wave goodbye.

  “We ready to go?” I asked. Nick's face fell into the perfect resting bitch face. I needed to practice that in the mirror. Maybe he could give me pointers when we forgot all this weirdness.

  “Yeah, let’s get this over with.”

  “That’s the spirit,” I muttered.

  The mall was still light on traffic, being a weekday and the morning, but some old ladies were striding along and I had to dodge to the side to avoid their pumping elbows. I guess they were getting exercise. They certainly weren’t strolling along enjoying a morning of shopping. Nick and I took the escalator down in uncomfortable silence, and I trailed along behind him to the limo that still crouched conspicuously taking up several parking spaces. Julian was leaning against the side in his tailored suit talking on his cell phone. His jacket was unbuttoned and he had one hand in his pocket. Yum.

  I scolded
myself for that thought as we approached.

  “I have to go. I’ll call back when we land,” Julian said before closing his cell phone and pushing off the side of the sleek black car. “You get everything you need?” he asked looking at me and then dropping his eyes to my shopping bags.

  “Yup, ready to roll,” I said in a cheerful tone.

  The driver popped the trunk and I stuffed my purchases into my suitcase. Now it was packed with things I could use. I zipped it up, climbed in the back, and we were on our way to the airport.

  The limo let us off at the VIP entrance and we strolled along the quiet hall with vaulted ceilings. Julian led us to a lounge, though it was pretty much just a fancy bar. High brown chairs were circling small tables and lining the bar.

  I climbed up onto a seat by the bar and asked for a gin and tonic. It arrived with a slice of lime. There were three TVs on the wall behind the bar showing the news stations. Boring.

  Nick and Julian sat on either side of me. Both of them had water. Also, boring.

  “So, what is it exactly that you do?” I asked Julian once I had consumed half my drink and was feeling much less awkward.

  “I am now the owner of two hotel chains and a construction company plus a few casinos,” he said, offhandedly like it was no big deal.

  “So, now you wear suits all the time?” I asked. I liked him in jeans and t-shirts, riding his motorcycle.

  His lip ticked up into a crooked smile. “I can change if you like.”

  Nick snorted and rolled his eyes so hard he must have seen his brain.

  I left all that alone and downed the rest of my drink, then ordered another. By the time I finished that second drink, I didn’t care at all what the half-demon or demon-touched hunter had to say. A man was sitting at a table behind us and I had swivelled around to listen in to his story about a harrowing experience he had trying to fly out of Panama City during a hurricane. Our hero squeezed into the last flight out when an old lady had a heart problem while in line waiting to board. He was fantastic, and I wondered if I could tell a story like that. It was enthralling, and the people sitting around him all had amazed looks on their faces. It wasn’t like he saved the day. The old lady dropped and he got in line fast enough to take her space. Kind of a jerk move, actually, but who was I to judge? It was a hurricane. Maybe I’d have done the same thing.

  When he finished everyone clapped and cheered. Okay, that was just me, and everyone gave me a funny look.

  “Time to go,” Julian said.

  “Thank God,” Nick replied. They hustled me out of the lounge and towards the big sign that said “departures.”

  The Newark Airport was a bustling hub of frantic, confused commuters hustling in and out. We bypassed all the lines, and a nice lady in a uniform welcomed us. Her hair looked like plastic. It was so solid. When she turned her head to direct us to our plane, her hair didn't move at all. Luckily Julian was listening because I had tuned her out to ponder her hair. Then she was smiling at me.

  “Thank you,” I said. Julian pulled on my sleeve and I followed him away from the plastic woman.

  I had never been on a plane before, so the weird hallway we walked down was intimidating.

  “Wait, I don't have my suitcase!” I said and dashed back but Nick stopped me, blocking my path.

  “They checked your suitcase while we were in the lounge,” Nick said.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “If anyone stole my net there will be hell to pay.” I slammed my fist into my other hand to punctuate the statement properly.

  He chuckled. “Are you drunk?”

  Julian piped in. “She’s a lightweight.”

  Nick turned me around and pressed me forward. I worried about my net, though. I needed it for the gargoyles. I should have a spare. As soon as we got back, I was ordering a second one from Roderick.

  A stewardess led us to our seats after checking out boarding passes. Julian sat next to me, leaving Nick across the aisle.

  The takeoff scared the shit out of me, but I kept my screams to a minimum and the other passengers all seemed calm, so I guess feeling like you are about to die is normal. I had a small glass of wine, and before I knew it, we were heading down towards earth again. I unclasped my hands from the armrests and we disembarked. It was strange to come out a similar tunnel and end up in a different airport, but this one smelled like coffee. I was about to say we should grab some when a familiar face caught my eye.

  I froze.

  A crowd of people passed in front of me, blocking the face I knew as well as my own. I had to be sure, so I waited. Then they passed, and I confirmed it.

  “What is it?” Julian said, his hand coming up to rest in the middle of my spine.

  I swallowed a lump in my throat, then laughed without humour. My hand rose to point to the woman standing across the airport from us.

  “That’s my mother.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Can we just go?” I asked, trying to turn a different way. It only led back to the plane, but I saw a bathroom. I could hide in there till she left.

  I booked it to the ladies and into a stall. I probably used too much speed, but I was panicking. I locked the stall door and then hopped up on the toilet seat and sat on the tank so my feet wouldn't give me away.

  At least that answered the nagging question about where my mother had gone. She hadn’t called or written in the three years since I broke a stupid gargoyle and the demon inside possessed me. Not that she had ever been a great mother, but she was the only one I had. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants and then took some toilet paper and dried my foolish eyes. That woman didn't deserve tears, only a good solid thump with a gargoyle net.

  Other women were in the washroom. The sound of chatter and the hand driers was the background to my wild thoughts. There was no way out of here except through the door. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Nick.

  “Is she gone?” I asked.

  The little bubble bounced telling me he was typing. “Where did you go?”

  “Little girls' room,” I replied.

  He didn’t type back.

  “Hey, you can’t be in here,” a woman said from outside my door.

  “Sorry, ladies. I need to talk to my girlfriend who is having a meltdown because her mom just popped up at the airport. She is hiding in a stall.”

  Nick must have flashed his smile because the woman all “awed” and told him that was sweet of him to come to my aid. Idiots. He wanted me to go out there and face my crap life, but that was not in my plans for this trip. I’m supposed to be capturing a half-demon lunatic, not building family bridges and mending whatever thing families are supposed to mend.

  Maybe it was fences. No. That didn't make sense.

  “Har,” Nick said.

  I kept quiet but heard his feet shuffling up the row of stalls until he got to mine which I had locked. He knocked. I kept my trap shut.

  “Harlow, I know you are in there. I can hear you breathing. Can I come in?”

  “This is the ladies' room. You shouldn't be here,” I said.

  Nick groaned, and then his head slid under the stall door, followed by his body.

  “Oh, my God! Get off the floor. People pee on that!”

  Nick slid through and popped up to his feet in front of me. I covered my eyes so he wouldn't see my puffy gross face and sniffled hard, in case my nose was dripping. Nick's warm hands took mine and pulled them away from my face.

  “What happened between you and your mom?” he asked in a soft voice.

  I tried to pull my hands out of his grip and cover my face again, but his grip was firm, so I brought my face down to them. I was nearly resting on his chest. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around behind me. He was kind of straddling the toilet, but he was warm, and I blocked out the fact we were in the bathroom stall.

  “She was a shit mother,” I muttered. “She took off when the demon possessed me.” I whispered the last part because some nosey ladies we
re still standing around in the washroom listening in.

  Nick’s parents had abandoned him, too. But they gave him to the state instead of hightailing it. He also had siblings whom he had reconnected with since. I had nobody but Len and sometimes Lincoln, though he was a shit most of the time. More like a boss than a friend.

  I leaned forward and my foot slipped, almost dropping my new boot into the toilet. Nick caught me before the rest of me plummeted in after it though and all was saved.

  I leaned back and realized his blue shirt now had a few wet marks on it. Great.

  “I’m sorry. I didn't expect to see her ever again and certainly not today.”

  “It’s okay, Har. I still haven’t spoken to my parents. My sister keeps trying to set up a day for us all to get together and I keep bailing. I know what you are going through. But you can do this.” He tipped my chin up to look at my face. “This is nothing compared to facing down a demon.”

  “She is the original demon,” I said. “She is my superhero origin story.”

  Nick laughed, and so did a couple of women who were still eavesdropping. Super. Now my dirty laundry was fodder for bored housewives. They better not be live tweeting this. Speaking of which, weren’t we talking about demons? “Ix-nay on the demo-nay,” I said in a harsh whisper.

  “Come on, Harlow,” Nick said, taking my hand and unlocking the bathroom stall. I washed my hands and rinsed my face so I looked less snotty and gross. Then I ducked down and let the hand dryer dry my face. The warm air helped clear up the red splotches on my cheeks. God, I was a delight.

  I stepped out into the airport terminal and found Julian speaking to my mother. He didn't look mad like I thought he should. He was chatting away with my estranged mother.

  Her eyes slid towards me in slow motion. I paused mid-step, and Nick stopped at my side. She blinked at me. Then a small smile turned up her lips.