“Would you like a cup of hot chocolate?” Lizzie asked.
I could only nod in reply. Had she picked up on my mood that quickly? So much for having a poker face. But maybe she already could read me better than most people.
Wishful thinking. Trying to make something out of nothing.
Lizzie’s lips quirked up at one corner, and my hands grew clammy. She motioned to the chair opposite her, and I stepped into the kitchen, taking a seat.
It was hard not to watch her as she heated water in the microwave and added cream and chocolate. I couldn’t help but admire the way her clothes accented her perfect frame and how the sunlight played across her hair and eyes. She was so attractive.
And as I was coming to find, her personality was attractive, too. She really had settled down since I’d last been around her.
How would this affect me? My entire plan for getting over her was based on being unable to deal with several personality traits that had bothered me. And those were gone.
The whole situation sucked.
And I still couldn’t keep my eyes off her.
But I also couldn’t forget the job I was being forced to do. And I couldn’t forget the stakes behind not completing it. My stomach burned when I thought about those stakes.
Nothing was worth losing more than I already had.
I steeled myself against emotions where she was concerned. Against getting closer to her. Against learning more about her.
I’d tried getting out of my contract with the Shadow Prophet, and what had it gotten me? More blood on my hands.
Granted, I hadn’t actually been the one to end those lives.
My decisions had, however.
I needed to stop thinking of Lizzie as a future girlfriend, wife, loved one. I had to examine her critically and clinically.
And then, when I had the strength, when I’d succeeded in not loving her anymore, when I’d pushed all tenderness for her aside, I had to end her life.
There wasn’t a way out of it.
13
I finished my drink, but kept my hands encircled around the mug, trying to leach as much warmth from it as possible. I didn’t dare look at her for fear that she’d see the warring emotions I was experiencing.
“You okay?” she asked.
I shook my head. I couldn’t respond. What would I say that would sound like the truth? With my emotions this close to the surface, I didn’t trust myself. “I’ve changed a great deal,” I finally said. “I’ve done things that . . . I’m not proud of.” My voice caught, betraying my emotions more than my body language had.
But now that I’d started, I couldn’t stop. My eyes found hers, and I nearly spilled everything. I barely held it in. “I had to survive somehow. I needed money. The jobs are always plentiful. I accept them because there isn’t anything else I can do.”
Lizzie raised an eyebrow. “McDonald’s is hiring.”
I almost laughed out loud at that. “Indeed. But my skill set doesn’t include cooking burgers. I tend to burn everything.”
My thoughts went back to the time when I’d been without food. To when those aliens had tried to starve me into Restarting. They hadn’t succeeded, and the Restart hadn’t come. Joke was on them.
Ready for a breather, I stood and pushed my chair under the table. “Call if you see another dog. I’ll be here as soon as I can.” I glanced at her. “You’re safer in cars, since they don’t have corners. You’re safer with most people. The hounds generally won’t approach you unless you’re alone.”
I picked up her phone and programmed my number in it, then set it back on the table. “I’ll talk to you later.”
I turned and left, shutting the front door behind me.
The dry Utah heat nearly took my breath away. I stood on her porch for several moments, eyes closed, soaking in the warmth, urging it to fill every corner of my cold body.
Finally, I stepped off Lizzie’s porch, leaving thoughts of her behind, and got in my car. Time to get ready for my job as a bouncer. And that included a much-needed nap.
***
The sun was nearly setting when I awakened and headed to the club. The current bouncer nodded when he saw me.
“Just in time,” he said. “You ever done this before?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Don’t keep the boss’s favorites waiting. They’ll start showing up in half an hour.”
“Got it.” I knew without asking that any of the “favorites” would be on the list. Same sort of arrangement as all the other places I’d worked at or been to.
Before he got off his shift, the man locked the door and gave me a quick rundown of the facility, showing me the bar, the private rooms in the back, and the bathroom. Then he left, and I unlocked the door and took my place behind the counter, looking over the clipboard of people who were expected to arrive that evening.
I kept an eye on the club and one on the street outside while the doors were open. My tattoo had already alerted me to the presence of multiple magical people—Aretes, witches, demons—and I knew better than to trust that problems wouldn’t come from those already inside.
How many were hounds? It bothered me that my tattoo couldn’t help in that regard. Just a testament to exactly how old these beasts were, if modern-day magic couldn’t detect them.
I’d been acting as a bouncer for a couple of hours when two demons arrived that caught my attention immediately. My tattoo burned, and I narrowed my eyes at them. Vampires, though there was something different about them that confused my tattoo. It started pulsing when they got closer.
“You’ll find our information on the list,” the man said. He was slightly cockeyed, and his dark hair had been slicked back into a ponytail.
“It had better be,” the woman, a blond, said. “We paid good money for it.”
“What are your names?” I asked, picking up the clipboard.
“I’m Rauel. This is Jenna.” He motioned to the woman.
“Last names?”
“We don’t have them.”
“Convenient.” I scanned the list and was annoyed to find them there. “Don’t touch the humans.”
Rauel raised an eyebrow, and Jenna blinked a couple of times.
I rolled my eyes. “I know what you are. Don’t touch the humans.”
Rauel chuckled nervously. “Why would we touch the—other humans? What an odd request.”
I pointed into the club. They caught the hint and went quickly.
Did Lizzie’s elderly neighbor know about these two? Why were they here? It seemed way too coincidental for them to show up in such a little city right around the time when Lizzie got her quest.
Resolving to follow them as soon as my shift ended, I turned my attention to the next person in line. The rest of the evening passed quickly, and nothing out of the ordinary happened, other than some perv telling me Melissa said hi. I rolled my eyes at that and shoved him back out onto the street.
Yes, Melissa, I know you’re always watching me. You’ve made me aware of that multiple times.
Once my shift ended and my replacement showed up, I stepped into the darkened interior of the club, waiting for my eyes to adjust. The front desk had been lit better—probably to make it easier for bouncers to keep an eye on the line at the door. I pressed my morning tattoo, commanding it to let me track the vampires. The usual blue haziness that showed me the way when I was physically tracking something wasn’t nearly as bright as I’d expected. It annoyed me to find it would be hard to track them. If anything ever happened, I’d need to hunt them immediately. Otherwise, I ran the risk of losing the trail quickly.
There had been something different about these vampires—something I’d never sensed before when traveling in other dimensions. I’d need to ask Lizzie’s neighbor what that might be. Assuming she was as connected as she said.
The blue tracks, hovering about waist high, were fading fast. I followed them through the large room, ignoring as several people stared and called out at me.
Maybe they were doing it because they knew me, but it could also have been because they didn’t like the bouncer being there with them. Whatever.
I finally found Rauel and Jenna in one of the back rooms. At first, I thought they’d brought a human in with them and I was about to get angry, but then I realized it was just them and turned my head away. Vampires were disgusting.
Rather than interrupt them, I decided it was time to get in contact with Alexander. He’d left me a number, asking me to call him only if it was an emergency. Vampires on earth again? Definitely something to call him over. Once I got out to my car, I dialed his number.
Alexander surprised me by answering on the first ring. “Abel. What can I do for you?”
“Are you aware that there are vampires on earth?”
He didn’t respond at first. Then he said, his tone frustrated, “No, I wasn’t.”
“Should I follow them? Figure out what they want?”
“Only if you think it has something to do with Lizzie. I’ll ask around and see if I can learn anything.”
“So will I.”
We ended the call, and I headed home to shower and grab a bite to eat before heading to Lizzie’s neighborhood to keep an eye on her place for a while.
14
I parked several blocks from her house, then got out of the car and started walking casually in her direction.
Then I did what I do best—I melted into the background where no one would notice me. I knew from experience that my looks were not out of the ordinary. Some people considered me attractive, and I’d been told on more than one occasion that I had very kissable lips, but the vast majority of people simply ignored me. And that was always my goal. Not so ugly or attractive that I caught attention.
Exhaustion hit me as it always did when I was staking out property. It was long, boring work. Instead of fighting the tiredness, I pressed my nightshade tattoo and commanded it to keep me awake until further notice.
A bit of warmth trickled up my wrist, signaling that the tattoo would obey, and I leaned back against the large tree I’d picked in the military man’s yard. I could see Lizzie’s house perfectly from there, as well as most of the elderly woman’s house to the north.
I blinked. I hadn’t asked her name or given her mine. Man, I really did suck at social conventions.
With a sigh of exasperation, I pushed my annoyance aside to focus on my surroundings. Naturally, my thoughts flipped to Lizzie. Yes, I was watching her house, so it wasn’t a surprise that I’d have her on my mind. Still, I tried not to dwell on her too much.
Instead of getting frustrated with my inability to control my thoughts, I started going through my usual mental exercises. The ones I hoped would help me eventually gain access to my powers, despite the fact that I knew I had no control over them.
I pushed out with my senses as an Arete had once taught me, lasering in on my surroundings in a more detailed way. Occasionally, I could sense something at the edge of my consciousness—a force that was waiting to be released—but I could never quite reach it. This time was no different. I sensed my other abilities heightening—the ones that related to fighting and protecting myself and others around me—but that was it.
About an hour after the sun rose, my hunger distracted me, and I pulled out a stick of beef jerky and some string cheese to munch on.
I’d just finished eating when I sensed a demon approaching.
The ability to know when something supernatural was coming had nothing to do with being an Arete and everything to do with one of my tattoos—specifically, my morning tattoo.
I’d gotten this one around the same time I’d received the others—at the age of eighteen. It was supposed to allow me to track creatures, but for some reason, it also amplified other aspects of my talents I hadn’t expected. Like, a hyperawareness of my surroundings. And an ability to know when someone was telling a lie. That part always let me know if a demon around me had taken on a human appearance.
It had come in handy many, many times.
Because of my tattoo, I knew a demon was approaching. It was a big one, judging by the space it took up in my head. Luckily, I could also tell it wasn’t coming as a threat, but merely out of curiosity. Alexander had warned me Lizzie would draw the attention of demons across the universe. She’d drawn my attention too, so I didn’t blame them. But it did bother me that they were encroaching on my territory.
I saw the demon before he noticed me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, he was huge. Yes, he was ugly. But I’d dealt with his kind before.
He was a nightgaunt. Definitely not from earth originally, and definitely dangerous.
Nightgaunts had tall, huge horns on both sides of a faceless head. They were greenish in color, and wings sprouted from their palms, attaching at the elbows. Yeah. Weird and creepy.
I glanced at the rising sun, then back at the demon. What was he doing? They weren’t usually out during the day, hence their name. When they were, they tended to be just a smudge to regular humans. Sort of like heat waves radiating off asphalt on hot summer days. Most people wouldn’t even notice, and those who did would rub their eyes and think something had clouded their vision.
It wasn’t hard for me to look past that smudge to see the disgusting creature as he stepped toward Lizzie’s house, his long tail swishing behind him. His casual body language told me he had no clue anyone could see him.
That casualness disappeared quickly, though, and he froze. He must’ve caught a whiff of me because he turned his huge head toward me.
I pushed off the tree and took a couple of steps toward the demon.
He said something in a guttural language I didn’t understand.
“You’re not welcome here,” I responded quietly, knowing he would hear me.
Again, the beast spoke, and again, I didn’t understand. I’d never had an actual conversation with a nightgaunt, so it was impossible to pick up any markers of anger or frustration. I had no idea what to expect. But still, I didn’t back down.
The nightgaunt watched me for a moment and then wisely turned and skulked off the way he had come.
His kind weren’t timid or fearful creatures—I didn’t think there was anything that could intimidate them—so I knew better than to think I’d frightened him or that he wouldn’t be back.
My job had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.
He’d obviously been casing the joint. For what purpose, though? To kill her? I’d been “hired” for that job, but that didn’t mean the hounds hadn’t reached out to their own people for the same purpose. Maybe he wanted to recruit her. Who knew.
After watching Lizzie’s house for another few hours—all was quiet during that time—I checked my phone and saw that I had a text from Carlos, my acquaintance who was delivering the things for my warehouse.
Ready to unload.
Time to leave. And grab a bite to eat along the way.
15
Before I left, I needed to set up several spells around Lizzie’s house. I should have done it days ago—when I’d first come to see where she lived—but I’d been so distracted and hung up over actually being in her house that it hadn’t even occurred to me.
I’d have to be careful now. I didn’t want to make Carlos wait—he charged by the hour, once he arrived—but I also didn’t want to attract attention.
Thinking quickly, I decided to set up a very large perimeter, big enough to cover several blocks around her house. I’d have to use my tattoo because the distance on my borrowed spells wouldn’t be good enough. Something that would alert me the minute anything dangerous stepped foot in the area was necessary.
Because my protection tattoo—also known as the crimson tattoo—would drain me far too quickly, I couldn’t use it outright. So, I’d use what I’d come to think of as a half watch. The crimson tattoo didn’t protect against or stop intruders in that case, but it would still let me know when unsavory individuals were nearing the property.
I headed to the tra
in tracks and started there, walking three blocks east, three blocks south, three west, and stopping where I’d started. The whole time I walked, I pressed my tattoo, telling it what I wanted it to do. Watch and alert.
It agreed to do so, and I felt the usual drain as a result.
The crimson tattoo used my blood to power itself, which could be very, very dangerous, especially if I didn’t remember I’d set up protection spells. I would need to make sure to get enough food, water, and rest, and I’d need to visit Lizzie’s neighborhood frequently to reduce the drain on my energy.
Like I needed more reason to hang out around her.
***
Carlos was at my warehouse when I arrived, as I’d expected. He hopped down from the huge rig that had transported my equipment across several states, and the two of us got to work immediately.
Once I’d decided on the layout I wanted, we set everything up. It took us several hours—that stuff wasn’t exactly easy to move.
The place looked great when we were done, though—professional, well-lit, great atmosphere. I couldn’t wait to get word out that it was ready.
“Same fee as usual,” Carlos said before shaking my hand and climbing back into his rig, driving off.
I pulled out my phone and sent him the money while I was thinking about it, then shot off several emails and texts, asking my contacts to spread the word that I’d be open for business that weekend.
It didn’t take long before I began receiving responses. Soon, I had enough committed to cover all of my living expenses and then some.
Satisfied with how things were going—nightgaunt excepting—I drove home to relax for a while. As I neared my apartment, my internal alarms started to go off. I didn’t even need a protection spell to know Melissa was there again. Ugh.
She cornered me outside my door. Luckily, she hadn’t gotten inside yet, so I didn’t need to redo all of my charms and spells. Maybe she was learning. Probably not.
“He’s still waiting, Abel. For the fifth—”
Shadow Prophet (Midnight Chronicles Book 1) Page 6