by Jen Pretty
I must have drifted back to sleep because when I opened my eyes again, I was alone in the bed. I staggered up and into the bathroom. The mirror showed me an awful sight. My hair was sticking up weird and my face had creases from the sheets. I looked all rumpled and hung over with bags under my eyes. Using that mysterious power to freeze demons did not make me attractive.
I had a shower and added extra conditioner to try and smooth out the rat's nest on my head. It worked somewhat, and when I stepped back out I felt almost human again. My suitcase sat on a low table and I rooted through until I found some clean new leather pants and a tank top that had a cartoon demon on the front. I wasn't sure if it was funny or not, but I liked it anyway. Once I had my boots on, I felt stronger, like I could take on the world again. Well, at least I could handle leaving the bedroom.
Conversation died when I entered the living area of the hotel room. Julian, Nick and my mother sat around on the couches and watched me as I moved towards the rolling cart that had delivered coffee to the room. There were also croissants and fruit. I took two of the fluffy, buttery croissants and poured myself a big mug of coffee, sipping it before I turned back to the trio who had sat silently while I prepared my breakfast.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, staring at my mother. I took a big bite, trying to act like I didn't care. She hurt me but didn't deserve to see how much.
“I’ve come to help,” she said.
“Uh huh,” I said, not believing it for a second.
“I know you don't believe me, but I have your best interest at heart.”
I scoffed. “Pretty sure you don't have a heart.” I strode back into the bedroom and slammed the door. My coffee spilled over the edges of the cup and I cursed as it burned the back of my hand. For fuck's sake, could I just not… whatever. Damn it.
I set my mug down and ran cold water over my hand in the bathroom as I stuffed more pastry into my mouth. I was starving and needed some bacon or pizza. What I didn't need was my mother hanging around. I turned off the tap and dried my hand off, walking back out to the bedroom munching on the last of my less-than-great breakfast to find Nick sitting on the end of the bed.
“You draw the shortest stick?” I asked, pretty sure they fought over who had to talk to me. My life was turning into a giant emotional mess.
Nick stood and crossed the room, stopping right in front of me. “Harlow, I know everything is messed up right now.” He looked at the door that led to the living room and lowered his voice. “I know that you have feelings for Julian and that's okay. I want to be here for you, and I want you to help end this shit with Collin. We have to.”
I threw my hands up. “I'm not saying I won't help. Just that I don't see why we have to have my mother involved. She is a terrible person, Nick.” I was talking loudly. Loud enough she could hear me, maybe the whole floor of the hotel could hear me. I wasn't saying anything that wasn't true. She was a shit mother and I wouldn’t pretend otherwise. Len raised me while she was off doing God knows what. “I ate garbage, Nick. No child should have to do that. I will not permit her in my life. If she has information, she can leave it and go. I will never trust her.”
Nick’s arms wrapped around me and pulled me against his chest. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn't know.” No one knew. Maybe Len knew, but he hadn’t said anything about it. He just gave me a job and fed me to keep me alive. The door to the hotel room slammed and I prayed that it was my mother leaving. I didn't even care if she had information we needed; I would find another way, just like I always did where she was concerned.
I needed to get out of this funk. The feeling of being lost and helpless was unsettling. Working with this new power to get stronger would be priority one. It was time to find gargoyles to mess with.
“We need to visit this city’s sculptor,” I said, pushing out of Nick’s embrace.
“Okay, what for?” he asked.
“I think I can get stronger with this power to freeze demons, but I need to practice.”
“You slept almost twenty-four hours after freezing that half-demon,” he said, looking concerned.
“Well, I'm hoping small demons won't take as much out of me. Collin has too much protection, we can't just march in there and hope to get to him. He has hundreds of half-demons in that tunnel.”
Nick bit his lip and nodded. “Okay, I’ll make a call.” He took out his phone and walked back into the living room, leaving the bedroom door open. I stood where I was for a moment, not sure if I trusted that my mother was really gone. A deep breath and three steps later, I was peering around the corner to find Julian sitting on the couch alone and Nick standing by the glass windows overlooking the city, speaking quietly into his cell phone.
I slipped out and collapsed on the couch beside Julian, snatching up the TV remote and flicking it on. The witch had left. I could relax. I switched channels for about half an hour before giving up and flicking it off again.
Nick was still making phone calls, so I pulled out my phone and googled the nearest pizza delivery place. I ordered an extra-large pepperoni and some garlic toast. Come to me carbs! Julian snickered as I hung up the phone. He knew all too well about my pizza addiction.
I played the funny bird-throwing game on my phone until there was a knock at the door.
Rising, I strode merrily across the room, unlocked the door and pulled it open expecting to see a pizza delivery person. Instead, what greeted me was a half-demon with razor-sharp horns who barreled forward, impaling me through the stomach.
I tried to scream, but he had knocked the wind out of me. I watched in horror as the man pulled back, extracting his horn from my abdomen like I was a pin cushion. He had a triumphant look on his face as if he had finished what he set out to do.
Julian appeared in front of me, his arms wrapped around the man's neck and twisted. A sickening crack echoed through the hotel room as I staggered back a step, trying to keep my balance.
My hands pressed to the place where I the half-demon had gored me, but the blood slid out through my fingers like hot maple syrup. I gaped at it for a moment longer before the pain finally reached me. Julian dropped the lifeless body and caught me as I fell toward the floor.
“Call 911!” he yelled.
I gasped for breath, the pain overwhelming me and sending shutters through my body as I writhed on the floor. I couldn't help to think it was a terrible way to die -- stabbed by a demon horn. Who the hell dies like that? I didn't even get my pizza.
“Hang on, Harlow,” Julian said. His face showed panic. I should have been panicking, too, but coldness crept in. It didn't hurt so bad. Maybe it was just a shallow puncture. I looked down and saw all the blood surrounding me. No, that was not a shallow puncture. It was a deep one. Probably a lethal one.
Huh.
That sucked.
My eyes got heavy, and I cursed myself. I didn't want to pass out twice in two days. Why could I not heal this like Julian healed himself? That would be a handy trick. Instead, I could freeze demons. Not as helpful as it sounds.
My eyes slid shut. Julian was still talking, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. His voice was muffled and far away.
Then everything went silent.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
There was a soft rhythmic beeping sound and the rustle of someone moving about. I didn't open my eyes, but Lincoln didn't usually come in my room. Whispers drifted to my ears from somewhere nearby. I couldn't make out the words, but at least two people stood in my room.
I pulled a breath in through my nose and the smell of bleach reached my nose. That was the moment I put the pieces together and the memory of the half-demon impaling me returned. I tried to bolt up, but pain ripped through my stomach and I cried out. Strong hands gripped my shoulders and settled me back in the bed as tears slipped down my cheeks.
“You’re safe, Harlow.” It was Julian's voice, but I couldn't open my eyes. The pain ricocheted through my body like I was a pinball machine. The beeping sound
sped up and I could feel my heart ratcheting in my chest. My breathing was too fast, but I forced myself to take several slow breaths until my heart slowed down.
When the pain eased a bit, I pried my dry eyes open and looked up at Julian. His expression was dark and weary, like he hadn’t slept in weeks. I blinked at him, my throat too dry and raspy to speak. I didn't have anything to say anyway. His hand moved to my hair and he smoothed it back from my face, his eyes sliding over my features.
The door to the room slid open, and a perky nurse stepped in, flicking on the overhead lights. My eyes burned, but it seemed inconsequential compared to the pain in my stomach.
“There she is,” the nurse said. “How are you feeling, hon?”
I opened my mouth and rasped out a “Fine,” but it didn't sound fine, and I didn't feel fine. It was just what you said when someone asked, which was a dumb thing to do. A half-demon had gored me. I felt like shit.
The nurse filled a glass of water with a straw and handed it to Julian.
“I’ll set you up a bit, but don't try to get up. You have stitches that need to heal. The doctor will be in to talk to you a little later about your injuries.”
The bed made a humming sound until I was sitting in a semi-reclined position. Julian held the cup of water in front of me and I took a sip. The cold water coated my throat and relieved the burning in my throat. It seemed to clear my mind, too, like I was waking up.
“Where is Nick?” I asked.
Julian's smile faltered a second before he covered it. “He is in the cafeteria getting some lunch. He will be back soon. You have been out for three days.”
Three days? Holy shit. I didn't feel like I had slept for three days. I was tired and sore.
“This button,” the nurse held up a little button attached to a cord. “Will deliver a dose of pain medication. If you feel too much pain, push the button.” She tied the cord around the side rail of the bed and then walked out again.
I pushed the freaking button. It took about four seconds for the pain to go away. I relaxed into the pillow under my head in relief. My eyes started to slide shut again, but my head tipped towards Julian. His eyes were so dark, like deep pools of water. I wanted to reach out and touch them to see if my finger dipped right in. That was a weird thought.
I must have fallen back to sleep because when I opened my eyes again, Nick was sitting in the chair Julian had been in. His face had several days of stubble on it and his hair was a mess. He was flipping through a women's health magazine.
“You look like shit,” I rasped, like a two-pack-a-day smoker.
His eyes shot up and he leaned forward, resting his arms on the side of the bed so his face was right in front of mine.
“Thank God, Harlow. I’ve been so worried about you.” He laced his fingers with mine and squeezed my hand. “The doctor should be here soon to talk to you.”
I nodded and then pointed at the cup of water on the table. He held it for me so I could drink some more. Water had never tasted so good.
I tipped my head back, stared at the ceiling, and went over what happened in my mind again. I knew those damn horned half-demons were dangerous. Then remembered feeling of the horn breaking through my skin sent chills up my spine. God that was gross. Zero-stars, do not recommend.
“Where is Julian?”
“He had something to take care of. He’ll be back.”
I nodded and rested my head back on my pillow. This wasn’t going to be something I recovered from quickly and each day Collin was gathering more and more half-demons and probably demons too. I shook my head wishing I could go home and eat pizza with Lincoln in our kitchen.
The sound of a cart rattled through the halls of the hospital. The scent of food wafted through as a woman in a hairnet bustled into the room and set a tray on a table. She pressed it against the side on my bed, so the tray was hovering over my legs. Smiling, she scurried off again. I stared at the plastic plate for a minute before lifting the top off and surveying the selection. There were several little cups with disposable lids covering some type of food that I didn't recognize, but there was a mug of coffee. That was recognizable. I popped the top off and took a sip of the hot black liquid. It slid down my throat, and the heat warmed me sending a shiver across my skin. The nutty smell reminded me of better days when I didn't have a hole in my stomach from a damn half-demon.
I set the cup down and checked through the rest of the items. There was some cream of wheat or some godforsaken thing that I quickly pressed the lid back on and set to the side, and a cup of soup. There was also half a ham sandwich on whole wheat bread. They were apparently concerned about the regularity of my bowels because that was a ton of fibre.
Nick started chuckling beside me and I glanced over at him. “I’m sorry, but that is the worst meal I have ever seen.”
“Agreed. You think pizza delivers here?” I said before thinking. My face went pale and Nick stopped laughing. I was expecting pizza when I opened the door to the hotel room. Now I was sitting here, useless. The pain was racing back in, so I clicked the button to get a bit more pain medicine and pushed on the tray. The searing ache in my stomach ratcheted up as I strained to push the tray, making me groan. Nick stood and moved it for me. He was a good guy.
Sliding down in my bed, I tried to bury my face in the pillow. I wanted to curl up and forget everything, but at the same moment, a man in a shirt and tie walked in. He had a stethoscope around his neck, and a gaggle of younger looking people dressed in scrubs followed in his wake.
“Hello, Harlow. How are you feeling?” He flicked on the last of the lights and stepped up to the bed. He scanned my face and then the tray of uneaten food. “Not too hungry yet? I’m just going to take a look at your incision.”
He pulled the blanket down and my hospital gown up. Apparently, I was free for all to see because the random people behind him stepped forward to look over his shoulder too. Nick gripped my hand, keeping his eyes on my face. At least someone noticed I was a person.
“This looks good. You won't have too large a scar, and the internal damage was minimal. It will take a few weeks to heal fully, but you should be able to go home tomorrow.”
I nodded, staring at the four-inch gash across my stomach that was red and angry with stitches holding it together.
The doctor slid my gown down then turned and made his way out of the room, the rest of the looky-loos trailing in his wake — nothing like being assaulted in a hospital bed. I adjusted the blankets and tucked them into the side so I felt less exposed, then closed my eyes and let myself slip back into sleep.
Collin was in my room in Humber Falls. He had me pinned to my bed, his nails puncturing my neck. Hot blood trickled down into my hair and soaked the sheets beneath me.
“You can’t stop me,” he said in typical villain style.
His razor-sharp teeth gnashed and ground together as he squeezed the life out of me. I struggled against him and dug at his hands, trying to free myself to get a breath of air. My lungs burned and tears streaked down my cheeks. A darkness started to crowd my vision, and I knew the end was near. My life was almost over. I sent a silent goodbye to Len and Lincoln.
“Harlow!” someone yelled.
I screamed and thrashed. Collin was holding me down. My stomach burned with my magic, and I threw it out into the half-demon pinning me to the sheets. The now familiar warmth flooded down my veins until it reached my fingertips, then it jumped to the demon, stopping him.
I took a deep, ragged breath, finally able to breathe again and looked up at the face attached to the hands on my shoulders. It wasn’t Collin. It was Julian.
My brain couldn't quite keep up. What had just happened? I felt my neck, but it was whole. It must have been a nightmare, but it felt so real. Shit. Now Julian was as frozen as a gargoyle in the middle of the day. I reached up and touched his face. His cold skin made me shutter.
The door swung open and the last person I wanted to see at that exact moment stepped inside.
>
“What have you done?” my mother asked, dropping her Styrofoam cup of coffee to the floor.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
My face scrunched into a scowl and I didn't answer her. I searched out my magic powers and felt the heat grow until my power flooded again. This time it slid out like a lazy river instead of a bolt of lightning and flowed gently into Julian as if he was a warm pool. His eyelids flickered a few times, and then he stumbled back and slouched into a chair by the wall. His eyes were still unfocused when he looked at me.
My mother stumbled forward to the end of my bed, staring down at me with accusation in her eyes.
“It was an accident, you psycho. What do you want?” I turned back to look at Julian, worried I had damaged him. Who knows what my weird powers did to a demon?
She sighed like she was so put upon by me. As if I was the one hassling her, not the other way around. I didn't want her in my hospital room.
“I came to check on you,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “They said you were awake, but I had no idea you were in here messing about with those powers of yours.”
“I wasn’t messing about with my powers. I had a nightmare, thanks to all the jerk demons who have been trying to kill me. Thanks for your concern. You can leave now.”
She huffed but didn't leave. I was about to suggest it again when Julian stood up and stepped forward.
“You should go. I will be in contact if we need you.” Julian's voice was firm, and my mother dropped her eyes to the floor before turning and walking back out the door.
Interesting.
“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to roll onto my side to look at him. The pain in my stomach was much less now even though I hadn't pressed the button for pain medication in a while.