Contents
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
About the Author
ONE
Sarah Carter entered the Afterlife conference room, drenched from head to toe. She shivered as she grabbed a towel and began drying her long, red hair. The persistent humidity had caused the loose curls to become frizzy and she was quite annoyed at it.
Instead of changing out of her dripping gym clothes, she simply transformed into a giant black panther. She roamed around the room, occasionally nosing one of the other members. Chloe McAllister scratched behind her ears.
"Come on, Sarah," Conner Kingsley said. "We asked you to go to the gym so you could find out information and bring it back, not so you could dance around in your giant house cat form."
Sarah nipped at him, and Conner made a show of cringing back as though scared. She gave a giant cat grin, and then pawed at his leg. He patted her head. Sarah let out a low purr.
"Come on," Conner said.
Sarah ignored him, and wandered over to Harper Hawthorne. "What?" Harper asked. "You want me to scratch your ears too?"
Sarah gave a small shrug of her cat shoulder. Harper sighed and scratched behind an ear. Only then did she transform back into her human form.
"I'm sorry, I was cold," Sarah said. "You try being out there in that weather. It's only gotten worse, you know. The rains are coming down heavy, and there's thunder and lightning too. There are fires starting. They say the rain is centralized over Las Vegas, but that it's spreading to the rest of Nevada as well."
"Isn't the rain good for the fires?" Harper asked.
"Kind of," Sarah said. "Its keeping them contained, but the smoke and the rain together is making a thick haze. It's making the air quality pretty bad. If you have asthma, I wouldn't recommend going out for a run, that's for sure. They're also closing down the schools. It's too dangerous for the buses, and they don't want parents attempting to drive in it either."
"Okay," Brittney Conley said. "But that's not what we sent you out to find out. We can hear all that on the news. How's it affecting the supernatural world?"
"Well it's not good," Sarah said. "The San Fransisco is flooded, so the demons don't have anywhere to hole up, and they can't stay beneath the city like they usually do because of the waters. So they're all above ground."
"What's that mean for the humans who are out?" Chloe asked.
"It's bad," Sarah said. "They're not just hanging out above ground, camouflaged, waiting it out. That would be the smart move. But since they're up anyway, some are using the opportunity to feed. Mostly just the lower demons. They're not being controlled. That's the big problem."
"Why is nobody controlling them?" Conner asked.
"I don't know," Sarah said. "Why don't you call up that harpy who gave you her number? See if you can find something out from her about why the demons aren't keeping a low profile right now. It doesn't make any sense. Normally they'd be worried about exposure."
"Well, it actually does make some sense," Alec Morodan said. "They're hungry. They're used to drawing people down below the city to feed on them. They lure them down, or they kidnap them, or someone brings them food. But they can't do that now, so they're just going after whoever they can get. I understand why the lower demons are feeding. They can't help their primal instincts and they're surrounded by targets."
"Yes, but where are their leaders?" Harper asked.
"If I had to guess, they've fled," Alec said. "They know something is going on, and they decided to get the hell out of dodge. Kind of like Jeff and Anne."
There was a moment of silence as they all considered this. Jeff was the fiance of Sarah's sister, Elizabeth. He had come to town to visit Sarah, and ended up running away with another woman. It had turned out he was a limpex, a lower demon with the power to conjure fire balls and plant premonitions in people. Once he had united with his soulmate, though, he would be able to acquire more powers. He would no longer be a lower demon.
"How is Beth doing?" Harper asked sympathetically. "I know she didn't take him leaving well."
"She's doing a lot better," Sarah said. "I checked in on her before I went to the gym. She's going to have to stay in the hospital for a little while longer and then she's on a plane out of here. She'll go home, and take care of some things, and then she'll be back. We've already picked out a house together."
"And you're sure that's what you want?" Chloe asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sarah said with a frown.
"I just mean, it's a lot of responsibility, taking in your little sister and her newborn," Chloe said. "And that's on top of everything else you do. Let's see..." she held up a hand to tick fingers off of. "You're going back to school. You have your Afterlife job. You have your battered women. You work out like crazy. Now you want to take on a twenty-two year old and a newborn. You're never going to have any time for yourself."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Of course this is what I want. I love my sister, and I love my niece."
"Alright," Chloe said, but Sarah saw her exchange glances with the other members of Afterlife. She knew the others felt the same way; that she was biting off more than she could chew. She didn't care though. It was well worth it.
"Speaking of school, you'll make a great doctor when you're done," Conner said. "And I for one think that you taking in Beth and Regina is great. Family is important."
"And how is things going with your son, James?" Harper asked Conner.
Conner shook his head. "They just got back from vacation. I'm giving them some time to settle back in at home before I ask to start seeing him. I think Janice will be a little more willing then."
Harper nodded. "Makes sense. Do you want me to go with when you ask?"
Conner thought about it for a moment. "No, this is something I have to do on my own. Now, once I start seeing him regularly, I'd love for you to get to know him. But I need to know him first, if that makes sense."
"Perfect sense," Harper said.
She actually felt a wave of relief. She wasn't ready to play step-mom to her boyfriend's son. It was weird enough to think she had a boyfriend at all.
"Anyway," Alec said, drawing their attention back forward again. "So we have a demon problem. You all know what that means."
"What?" Brittney asked.
"Everybody needs to be prepared," Alec said. "Keep your supplies on you at all times. And Sarah, don't go to the gym alone. There's a lot more demons out than usual and you don't want to run in any problems."
"Alright," Sarah said. She grinned at Harper, who let out a low groan and made a point of rolling her eyes. "You'll like it after awhile," Sarah reminded her. "I'm surprised you don't already."
"I don't mind going," Harper said. I'm starting to enjoy it enough. It's Chloe who doesn't like working out."
Chloe shook her head. "Brittney gives me plenty of exercise, don't you, Brittney?"
"I do," Brittney said.
"Tell us more," Conner said teasingly. He leaned in exaggeratively close to Brittney. "How exactly do you help her burn off those calories, hmm?"
"I'm sure you know," Chloe said primly. "Unless you and Harper--"<
br />
"--Alright, I've heard enough," Alec said. "Tonight, I'm going to talk to Rebecca Stanley again. Who wants in? Conner?"
"Can't," Conner said. "I'm having dinner with Harper's parents tonight."
"Oh," Alec said. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and then he looked around. "Anyone else?"
Brittney raised a hand. "I'll go with you."
"Sounds good," Alec said. "I'm going upstairs to get some sleep before we go then. Are you staying here, Britney, or going back home for awhile?"
"I'll just wait around for you until it's time to go," Brittney said.
The group broke up and went their separate ways. Harper and Conner went to prepare for dinner, Brittney went upstairs with Alec. That left Chloe and Sarah. They stared at each other for a moment.
"I'm sorry about before," Sarah said. "I don't think I've said that yet. You tried to tell me about Jeff and I ignored you. I'm sorry, Chloe."
"Even best friends make mistakes," Chloe said. "I forgive you. Now, let's go back to your apartment and binge watch some movies. We haven't done that in awhile. We'll make popcorn and drink diet soda. Sound good?"
"Sounds perfect," Sarah said. "I'm ready if you are."
"I'm ready."
TWO
As soon as Sarah and Chloe got back to her apartment, they changed into pajamas. Nothing sexy; they weren't dressing up for anyone. They wore cotton brief boxer shorts and extra long-shirts. They grabbed all of Chloe's blankets and made up a nest on the couch.
"You know, it's been a long time since we've done this," Chloe said. "Do you remember how many times we used to get together and binge watch movies?"
"It's your fault," Sarah pointed out. "You went and decided to get a girlfriend. Now you spend all your time snuggling on her couch, watching movies with her."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "You know you're more than welcome to join us, Sarah. Half the time, Harper's there."
Sarah shook her head. "I'm only teasing. I know I can join you. I've just been busy. If anything, it's my fault we haven't been spending that much time together, especially lately, with Beth in town."
"Look, we really need to talk about this Beth situation," Chloe said. "I know you don't want to hear it, but you're making a mistake deciding to live together. I'm not saying she shouldn't come to Las Vegas, but I think she needs her own place. Hire her a nanny still, you can afford it, but don't move in together. It's relationship suicide. You'll never find a guy and neither will she. It's not fair to either of you."
"I know how you feel about it," Sarah said. "I don't care, Chloe. I've been separated from her for too long."
"And now you're trying too hard to make up for it," Chloe said. "Like I said, get her a nanny. Pay her rent if you want. But keep your households separate."
Sarah sighed.
"Please," Chloe said. "I'm saying this as your best friend in the world. You know I'm only looking out for you. You know that."
"I do," Sarah said. "Look, you're right, okay? I'm trying too hard. I know it's not my fault what happened when we were growing up, but I hold a lot of guilt for that -- for not taking better care of her. I should have, she was my little sister. And now she's come back, and the first thing that happens is that her fiancé runs off with a demon."
"That's not your fault either," Chloe said. "That would have happened whether you were a shape-shifter or not."
"Yeah, but we brought her to the club," Sarah said. "Alec basically dragged her to it. If he hadn't, then they never would have met, and Beth would be happy right now."
Chloe shook her head. "You can't think of it that way. You act like the world is on your shoulders. It's not, Sarah. You're not alone, and its not just you and Beth against the world. She's not going to be alone here either. She's going to have all of Afterlife looking after her. You think we're going to let something happen to Regina?"
"No," Sarah admitted.
"Then have her get her own place," Chloe said.
"Fine, fine," Sarah finally agreed. She didn't know if she liked what she was agreeing to, but knew Chloe was right in the end. It was just too much responsibility on top of everything else she had going on. "I'll get her her own apartment. Does that satisfy you?"
"Yes," Chloe said cheerfully. She picked up a pillow and smacked Sarah with it. "Now, what are we watching?"
"I thought we could go back to the classics of Sarah-Chloe time," Sarah said. "You know what that means."
Chloe adopted a fake shudder. "Horror movies. As if we don't have enough to be scared of in real life as it is. Can't we watch something cute and cuddly like boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back in the end, and then they live happily ever after and have cute babies?"
"Boring," Sarah said.
"I know right?" Chloe said. "Who'd watch that? Honestly. Okay. I have the perfect one." She jumped up and ran over to her movie collection and rifled through it.
As Sarah watched her, she laughed. "You know, you're the only person I know that still has actual DVDs. Everyone else watches everything on the Internet. Get with the times, girl."
"I have all of those," Chloe said indignantly. "I just happen to have this." She held up a movie triumphantly. It was The Snowman's Revenge. "They don't have this on the Internet."
"You're kidding," Sarah said. "The Snowman's Revenge? That's supposed to be a horror movie? It sounds like a kid's cartoon. I'm not watching that."
Chloe shook her head. "It actually has really good ratings," she said. "It sounds childish, but it's not. It's not even about snowmen. It's about creepy children and Christmas. It's supposed to be terrifying. I picked it up the other night to watch with Brittney but she's not into horror so I haven't seen it yet. Please, can we watch it? Please?"
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Oh, alright," she agreed. She transformed into her wolf form and curled up on the couch, blinking at Chloe through large, yellow eyes. That was another part of their tradition; Sarah would always transform into an animal to watch the movies. She said it made her feel more primal and more in touch with the emotions.
After putting the movie on, Chloe cuddled up next to Sarah, propping her head against her body. She loved the way Sarah's fur felt. It was soft and luxurious. She often wished she could transform into an animal just so she could have a thick pelt.
The movie was long and frightening and full of jump scares. Both girls were curled up in fetal positions by the time the climax of the movie came, trembling with anticipation. Just as the villain of the movie was about to murder the heroine, a knock came on the door.
Both girls screamed -- Sarah in her wolf form which came out in a howl. She quickly transformed back into human and yanked the blanket over herself. Chloe hopped up, paused the movie, and ran to the door. Standing there, in the rain, was the demon, Akain.
"Hello, girls," he said cheerfully. "Do you mind if I come in? If you haven't noticed, it's raining out here."
Chloe thought about refusing, but he was a powerful demon after all, and powerful demons didn't often make house calls. She hesitated and then moved out of the way.
"Sure," she said, hoping her voice wasn't quaking from the scare she'd just received. "Come on in."
Akain came inside and took off his shoes. Sarah stared at him, completely taken aback. He removed his jacket next and hung it on a peg near the door. Then he went to the opposite couch and sat down, cross-legged, and looked at the women.
"What a lovely home you have, Chloe. I'm almost insulted you haven't invited me here."
"What do you want?" Chloe asked.
"Well, yes, I suppose you would want to delve right into that," Akain said. "Makes perfect sense, you don't like me. As for me liking you, I'm actually quite fond, you know. I'm a huge fan."
"Stop it," Sarah said. "Stop making fun of us, and get to what it is you came here for."
"Making fun of you? These are called manners," Akain said. "But as you wish. There's a demon that I want to be rid of. His name is Bartholomew. Have you heard of him?"
Both Chloe and Sarah shook their heads.
"No? Well, he's quite the popular player in the lower circles," Akain said. "He's given me some grief. He's come after my people, you see, and he's made threats against me. This I just cannot stand for."
"So why not kill him?" Sarah asked, confused. "You're stronger than Afterlife. You know that, or you know we would have taken you out by now. If you can't defeat him, what makes you think that we can?"
"Because you have ingenuity, darling," Akain said. "Something most of my men and women lack. I have it myself, which has led me to you. I believe given the proper motivation that you will find that you will be able to take down Bartholomew with little problems."
"We're not your errand girls," Chloe said.
"No, and I value our friendship too much to threaten you into doing my bidding," Akain said. "So I'll tell you what. When you decide to help me and you kill Bartholomew, the rain will end. That's my offer. You don't have to decide now. You can take it back to your crew and discuss it among yourselves. Take all the time you want. Take years for all I care. Just remember, when you kill him, the rain ends too."
"I think it's time you left," Sarah said. "You said you weren't going to threaten us, but that's a threat, and you know it."
"Yes, get out of my house," Chloe said. "Go find someone else to do your bidding. We're not your employees."
"Have it your way," Akain said. He stood up and retrieved his things. "But remember what I said -- you aren't bound by anything. You can decide to do nothing at all. But until Bartholomew is dead, the rain will continue, and well... well all know how that's going to end."
With that, he was out the door and gone. Chloe and Sarah looked at each other.
"You know," Sarah said. "He kind of looks like the monster from the movie. All that white hair."
"Yeah, he kind of does," Chloe agreed. "What do you think about his offer?"
"We don't cave to terrorism," Sarah said. "You know what I'd tell him if he were still here? Make it rain, Akain. Make it rain."
THREE
While Alec slept, Brittney cleaned up his house. It was already fairly organized, but there were a few things out of place still from when Sarah, Jeff, and Elizabeth had been staying in there. She knew how much Alec hated having things out of place.
Make it Rain (Afterlife Book 10) Page 1