by G A Chase
“Fine,” Dooly said in a passive-aggressive tone that would have been obvious even to a complete stranger.
The truth was, Doodlebug would have been just as happy to take the headband off as Dooly—and the girl probably knew it—but they both owed too much to the paranormal Scooby gang to stay out of contact for long. “I’m headed inside,” Doodlebug said. “Without the storm beating on me, maybe this won’t take as long.”
Though Dooly didn’t respond, Doodlebug could feel the girl’s huff of displeasure. She scaled the maintenance ladder to the enclosed ramp meant to make flyers feel safe and secure. The thin-walled hallway swayed and buckled in the storm. She had to brace herself against the handrails as she hustled through the gangway.
At ten feet tall and with a cape large enough for him to sail on the winds, the harvester at the TSA checkpoint took up the entire space. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Doppel Avenger. That human you serve won’t bat an eye when you dissipate.”
As far as Doodlebug was concerned, harvesters didn’t deserve names. Any doppelgänger stupid enough to wander off from their projection for days on end gave up the right to use the real person’s name. But to every rule there was an exception, and being the head harvester meant not many rules applied to Nocturne. “Look who’s talking. When has that big bird you worship ever lifted a feather for you?”
He pulled out his six-foot-long sickle from inside his cape and crossed it over whatever was left of his heart. “I exist to serve the Cormorant.”
Barf. She couldn’t imagine anything worse than a demon zealot. “You idiots really need a better mantra.”
“At least the Cormorant is loyal. I dare you to say the same thing about your little pet human.” He searched the ramp behind her. “Where is your little plaything anyway?”
“Why? So you can run back to your winged mistress and get a pat on the head for being a good little ghoul for having spotted her?”
He held out his sickle like a curved metal erection. “The only reason I don’t kill you now is so that I can watch you as you’re betrayed. Humans lie. That’s a characteristic you’ll never understand, and it will be your undoing.”
“Sere is not like that. Only her spirit is human. The rest of her is just like me.”
“And yet all she sent you to aid in your quest was a pair of wheels?” He waved his sickle at her like the pervert that he was. “I would have asked for something more useful.”
She spread her arms to give him an easy target. “You want a piece of me, big bad? Try it!”
His blade quivered in front of her in apparent desire. “You shouldn’t tempt me. An arm or leg from you would fetch a good amount in the market. You’re going to need all of your bits and pieces for the fight that’s coming your way. Forces are against you, Doppel Avenger. You and your doppelgänger army of street urchins will be no match for the contingent the rich and powerful are manifesting—especially if the one you believe in is nowhere to be found. Once they descend on you, even that little motor scooter won’t be fast enough to get you clear of the city.”
Her palm itched to pull the flintlock from her back and blast the fucker. “Giving out warnings now? That’s not like you.”
“I came to offer you a solution. Bow down to the Cormorant, and we can fight as one. Think about it. You’d be saving not only yourself but also those you seek to protect. She’ll be expecting an answer.” He forced his way past her and headed down the gangway. His great cape filled the small hallway.
Doodlebug adjusted her headband to get Dooly’s attention. “Speak one word of my meeting with Nocturne to anyone on that side, and I’ll come to your dimension and take over your life.”
“Fine. I’ll just add it to your diary of secrets.”
***
Want to know what happens next to Sere? Find the next book in the series here:
Hell Away from Home
Curious about how Sere got to be the bad-ass demon hunter? Find her back story woven into the Malveaux Curse Mysteries starting with book 1 here:
Dog Days of Voodoo
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Book List
Technopia Series:
(writing as Greg Chase)
Creation
Evolution
Damnation
Salvation
The Malveaux Curse Mysteries :
(writing as G.A. Chase)
Dog Days of Voodoo
You, Me, and the Voodoo Queen
Oops! I Voodooed Again
Voodoo You Love
Voodoo You Think You Are
Look What You Made Me Voodoo
Love Me Like Voodoo
The Devil’s Daughter:
(writing as G.A. Chase)
Hell in a Head Gasket
Hell Bent for Demons
Hell’s Highway
Hell or High Water
Hell Away from Home
About the Author
G.A. Chase is the pen name for Greg Chase. He is a science fiction and paranormal author living in New Orleans with his wife, fellow author Deanna Chase, and their two shih tzu dogs. On any given day you can find him behind his computer, people watching in the Quarter, or out in his studio creating stories in glass. His glass work can be found at www.chase-designs.com.
https://gregchaseauthor.com