"What, why?” He looked more confused than he had the whole time since they'd met.
She couldn't concentrate on that at the moment. He was already distracting her enough with food, hospitality, and the emotions he stirred inside her.
Natala turned her back on him and spread her right hand out in front of her. She followed the path her other-self had used seconds before. In the palm of her hand was the crystal she needed. It would help hold the door until she figured out what to do next.
"Natala, what's going on?” Noel called after her.
She stopped in front of the closed door, not bothering to look his way when she answered, “I need to contain the demon inside your attic."
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Chapter Three
Excitement, confusion and horror filtered into his brain simultaneously. He'd almost done it. For the first time in years, he'd made the first small move towards kissing a woman. His heart felt a little lighter than it had for a long time, but the guilt of letting go of the grief made him take a step back again.
Don't forget Nancy, a voice inside his head called.
Nancy wants you to move on already, another added.
Whatever these voices were, he needed to ignore them. Noel was starting to feel a little nuts. There were too many surreal incidents going on at the moment, and he had no control over any of them.
"Demon?” he finally echoed. He could still feel the warmth of her skin on his fingertips and wanted to come into contact with it again. But it was too soon. All of this was happening too quickly.
He shook the effects with a shake of his head before heading out behind her. She'd left the living room seconds before.
"Yes, there is a demon behind this door. It will get out if I don't place some wards on it.” Natala nodded. All her attention was focused in front of her when he wandered out into the corridor.
"Will that make him leave?"
She shook her head this time. “No, he won't leave just yet, but it will buy us some time. Keep him at bay for a while."
"Ah ... okay...” Noel didn't know what else to say to that statement. Maybe it was time he sat down behind the computer in his bedroom and looked up a few things, starting with imps.
"Now, please don't distract me. I need full concentration at the moment.” Natala lifted her right palm upward, which now had some sort of rock in the middle. She closed her fingers around it and glared at her hand. When she opened it again, the rock was shining bright with a white luminescence. She took it with her left hand and held it up to the wooden door.
Noel took a few steps forward. He watched as her left hand moved in uncanny speed to trace several symbols and shapes around the doorframe, before she did much of the same to the actual door.
She whispered a few words in a language he didn't understand. Then she took a single step back seconds before something slammed against the inside of the closet's door.
"Jesus.” Noel jumped.
"Don't be alarmed, he cannot get out at the moment."
"Are you sure?"
"For now I am.” Natala placed the rock back into her right palm and when she turned toward him, there was nothing there.
"Did you just do magic?” The sound of the question made his body shake a little. The symbols and shapes he'd watched her scrawl were no longer there.
"Will that be a problem?” She placed a hand on her hip. “Now that I know he somehow followed me here, I'll be forced to use just about every magical trick I have."
Noel held out a hand in front of him. “Hold on, now that who's here?"
"Tell me, when I appeared, did anything else break out of the lights?” Her dark eyes were wide as she asked the question.
He shook his head. “Not that I can remember.” Well, except for that blur he'd caught from the corner of his eye. But that had just been his eyes playing tricks on him, hadn't it? Yet he felt compelled to mention it. “The only thing I noticed was something dark fly upward. I don't think that was—"
"Damn it,” she said. “Demons and imps alike can travel in shadows or black smoke, mist even. But how did he get here so quick? This doesn't make any sense."
"You're telling me.” All the cheer he felt started to slip away as he thought about what he'd just seen. Well, if there was ever any doubt about what was going on, now it was certain. He'd gotten himself into the middle of someone else's mess—a mess that included a demon inside his attic. He wished he could laugh about it, but was interrupted by the thumping sound against the closet door.
"I'm sorry you got involved in all of this, but I promise to do whatever I can to ensure your safety. I will also release my cousins from their bondage.” Natala's chest heaved a little too quickly. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears that made them sparkle in the dim light of the corridor.
Noel wanted to close the distance between them. Comfort her distress, even if all this confused the hell out of him. At least he wasn't distracted by her beauty this time, but by her reaction. Had the use of magic affected her emotionally, or was it just the situation?
Natala seemed to be breathing a little too fast.
"I promise..."
Noel reacted without thought. One second he was still trying to come to terms with what was going on inside his house, and the next he stepped forward in time to catch Natala before she hit the floor.
Sweat beads glistened along her brow and hairline. He smoothed a few strands from her forehead and couldn't stop looking at her. Both eyes were closed peacefully. Her chest rose and fell to a calmer rhythm.
He needed to ask her so many questions. He wanted to help her as much as he wanted to touch her.
Noel sighed.
Another slam against the door set his nerves on edge as he rose with the petite woman in his arms. She might've referred to herself as an imp or some creature that hailed from the Underworld, but she looked like a woman to him ... in every way.
He headed towards the other side of the house, past the spare bedroom and into his own. The spare bed was old and had a lumpy mattress. If anything, he would sleep in it himself. Right now all that concerned him was to keep Natala comfortable and safe. And having her in his bedroom would ensure that. He could keep an eye on her this way.
Softly laying her out on his bed, he pulled the blanket back, causing her body to move sideways. He pulled them back up to cover her. He'd noticed the chill on her skin and decided it might be time to turn down the air conditioner. He'd been alone for so long he'd never considered how another would feel in here.
Summers in Sydney could get pretty hot and, as of late, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day had attracted warmer than usual conditions. So he was prepared, kept the air-con up as high as he could to chill the place.
He looked down at her one last time, pressed his palm to her forehead and found it to be hot and clammy, unlike the rest of her chilled skin. Maybe aspirin would work for her as it did for humans. He'd have to ask her after she woke up.
Noel backed away from the sleeping beauty to let her rest.
Right now, the best thing for him to do was to visit Wikipedia and see what he could find out about imps, demons and why they would be entrapped inside Christmas light globes. Something about the situation bugged him, as well as the timing. Maybe he'd watched too many movies, or had too many bad things happen to him, but Noel was positive what was going on here was no accident.
Popping into that odd store to check out Christmas decorations hadn't been an accident either. It was a store he generally wouldn't have given a second glance, especially for a holiday he didn't celebrate. Come to think of it, the store had been anything but average. Now that he thought of it, Noel couldn't remember seeing that store before. Or even after he'd wandered inside and purchased those lights.
No, there was a reason why he'd stumbled on the Christmas lights and Natala. Probably even a reason why it was happening around Christmas.
* * * *
I need to get out of this darkness, Natala thought
.
She'd been engulfed by darkness for too long. Her limbs felt tired. Her powers had lay dormant for ages and after using so much of it, she'd overextended herself and needed rest.
The sense of safety wrapped her up in a tight cocoon that helped her body settle down. Her breath slipped in and out of her very slowly. She was as calm as she would ever be, and it was thanks to the man she knew was taking care of her. She'd felt his caress on her face and forehead, knew that he'd placed her somewhere warm and comfortable. She appreciated it more than he would ever know.
She'd never imagined a human could be so caring and hospitable. All the tales she'd heard from fellow imps who'd slipped into the human world were usually filled with depravities and violence. Humans were said to be scared of the otherworldly and anything else they did not understand. Yet, this man had done nothing but make her feel welcome since she'd miraculously appeared in front of him. And that too was astounding in itself.
How had he managed to free her and only her? The incantation was still too far inside the blur of her mind for her to access. Yet Natala knew he'd unintentionally woven magic.
She had to tell him her story. To ensure his safety, and so he'd realize just what they were up against.
Carabia was a vicious demon that governed thirty legions of hell. He also held hundreds of imps as his personal slaves. Or at least he had when she'd last been in the Underworld. She wasn't sure how long ago that was.
She relaxed, unwilling to delve into thoughts that would do nothing to replenish her tired body. Natala willingly gave herself over to slumber so she could repair the energy she'd lost, and get out of this mess once and for all.
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Chapter Four
Noel's gaze moved over the computer screen, his eyes wide as he read the lines of passage he'd found about imps. The information at Wikipedia hadn't been as extensive as he'd hoped, but enough to give him an idea of what humans decided imps and their ilk looked like. The image he conjured inside his mind was more like something out of a Harry Potter movie than what he'd witnessed with his own eyes.
He even had to stop several times to look back at the sleeping beauty in his bed. To make sure she hadn't changed into some sort of dwarf-like creature. Nope, she was still as gorgeous as when she'd first appeared to him. The covers were pulled down and under her milky white arms.
Imps were supposedly mythological beings similar to faeries. They were said to be mischievous, very small and attendants to the devil.
None of these qualities seemed to suit Natala.
Noel rubbed his eyes and sighed. He didn't like the idea much, but, according to a Web site he'd found through a myriad of links, there was a way to see what an imp really looked like. He lowered his clammy fingers to the keyboard as he thought about whether he should do this or not. She was asleep. Natala would never know, would she?
He had to do this, no matter how turbulent his emotions were because of the way she made him feel, and as sincere as she seemed. They'd still just met, under very bizarre circumstances. He needed to confirm she was one of the good guys. Magically speaking, this seemed like the only way to do it.
"Here goes nothing,” he whispered.
In the top drawer of his dresser he kept a small mirror, one that Nancy had used to double check her makeup after it was applied. He'd kept it because it reminded him of how much of a perfectionist she'd been, and it still held the scent of the lotions she had loved to use.
His right hand moved lovingly over the reflective area before he turned back toward the bed. He slowly kneeled down by the side of the bed and took a deep breath before he released it slowly. He was afraid the mirror would slip between his clammy fingers, so he clamped it tighter around the edge.
With the reflective section held at an angle where he could see her pale face, Noel said the words he'd read on the screen. He felt like an idiot for even trying this. It was probably some made-up sentence anyway.
"Mirror, mirror, show me the true reflection of the one you see.” Oh boy, he thought, this sounds even dumber out loud.
His heart beat a little quicker as he stared into the mirror. Nothing changed at first. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but certainly not the lightshow that ignited around her face several seconds later. There were pastel colors all around her, like the aura of an angel. Even the skin of her face glowed with beautiful color. She did not change into some vicious-looking monster that hoped to lure him into hell.
When the lights finally dimmed and there was only her reflection left, he lowered the mirror in relief.
"She's not a monster,” he said with a sigh of relief.
* * * *
There was enough energy restored to her system that Natala could use her other-self to wander around the house for a while. It was essential to make sure there wasn't some sort of evil reason why she'd appeared, and she needed to find out why she'd been released inside this one particular house and not somewhere else. It could be a trap, or a setup.
Noel was the perfect guise for a rival demon to get their hands on her.
With Carabia trapped inside the attic room—she'd checked again to make sure—he couldn't be the one orchestrating this. It could be someone else who wanted her and her cousins for himself. She really wished she could remember every detail of what had happened when they'd gotten trapped inside those light globes.
She pulled the curtain in front of her away from the window and peered outside. On the other side of the window was the real human world. She would've been able to see right through an illusion, especially in this form.
As she wandered slowly back into the bedroom, she was surprised to find Noel kneeling beside her. At first she thought he was concerned, but when she was forced to cover her eyes to shield them from a blazing light, she knew he had discovered the trick. The human was suspicious!
At first she was hurt, but could she really blame him? She'd been doing the same just seconds ago. It was only natural to seek the truth before offering total trust. If anything, this made her respect and like him a whole lot more. That he looked like such a nice man and even seemed naïve was now balanced out with a healthy suspicion.
He'd followed up on his skepticism and that made her feel good inside. There was no way Natala would be willing to be with a male that didn't know how to stick up for himself. It was the reason she'd never found a mate. Not that it was the easiest thing for imps to do at the moment, being slaves and all. But some of her kind still managed to find a lifelong partner. She'd just never been interested in any of her fellow imps. Besides, sometimes it felt like every one of them was somehow related to her anyway.
She'd certainly never felt this strange sensation rise inside her stomach when she'd looked at another male—of any species. Yet, that's exactly what happened when she looked at Noel.
Wait a second, focus! There was no point in getting emotionally attached before she figured things out. She was here for a reason, she knew that now. And whatever the reason was, Natala would find out one way or another.
Even if she had to risk her own life and come face-to-face with Carabia.
She snuck past Noel. Careful not to touch him, she slipped back into her sleeping body.
When Natala opened her eyes, Noel made a move to hide the mirror from her. She pretended not to notice. Instead she stretched her arms up above her head and yawned.
The rest had done her good. Her head was clear.
Natala knew she could do this. With Noel by her side, they would be able to figure it all out together.
"Oh good, you're awake,” he said with a small smile. “I wasn't sure if you were okay or not. Do you need an aspirin?"
"I'm fine.” She shook her head and offered him a bright smile. “It's just been a long time since I flexed my magical muscles. My body couldn't take the exertion needed to ward off that demon without some sort of repercussion."
"You know, for a species that's said to be mischievous and made out to look like some
sort of goblin, you sure have a great vocabulary,” he said with his own smile.
"What are you trying to say?” Natala used both hands against the mattress to push up. The pillows behind her were soft and comfortable. She hadn't slept in a place as comfortable as this for a very long time. Demon masters didn't exactly offer up comfort as one of their duties.
"Nothing, I've just been reading a little. So it is true that you can travel through shadows?” Noel lowered his eyes when he asked the question.
She laughed. “Yes, it's true but a lot of the magic we possess has been lost through the generations."
"But you just used—"
"I'm of pure blood. It's why I look a little different from the others too. Once the blood got diluted after years of being nothing more than a slave race, the original power slipped further and further away.” She released a heavy, pained sigh.
Natala had watched as the next generation grew smaller, and less imp-like than the pure bloods they used to be.
"Many of the new ones changed so much in appearance. It's probably what you found...” Her voice trailed off as the pain suffocated her. It had been centuries, and she was still filled with sorrow about what happened to her race.
"You mentioned the slave thing before. Do you care to elaborate? I couldn't find anything about that anywhere.” Noel rose to his feet then sat down on the edge of the bed beside her.
Natala scooted over to give him enough room, and ensure that no part of him touched her. She was focused now. There was no way she was going to let her judgment be clouded so quickly by what seemed to be a mutual attraction.
She nodded. “Yes, we were enslaved by demons centuries ago. The one that took my family and me is called Decarabia, but he's mostly known as Carabia by his legions and servants. He doesn't like the use of his proper name. There's power in a name."
"And that's the demon stuck in the attic?” he asked uncertainly.
"You're catching on fast, I like it. It'll make it easier for me to get your help with this."
"What exactly do you need to do?” His eyes were wide with curiosity, and she couldn't help but think of how cute he looked.
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