by Emma Shade
“A butcher knife would hurt, but you know it wouldn’t kill me.” She shrugged. “You want to get breakfast?”
Raven rarely was up this early after a late night, let alone hungry enough to eat. I raised a brow. “Why are you up this early?”
“I never went to bed.”
Both my eyebrows lifted this time. “Why the hell not?”
“Well,” she sighed before she continued, “political crap, mostly, but my father decided he wanted a night off.”
“Can he do that?”
“Everybody deserves a day off.”
Of course they did, and my first day off in over a year was coming up. November first couldn’t get here fast enough. I nodded and began lifting my shirt to put on the bra currently hanging from my kitchen chair.
“You’re going to put that on here?” Raven asked, her cheeks tinged with red.
“Yes.” I lifted my shirt off. “You’ve seen me half-naked and bleeding more than once.”
“At least turn around so I don’t see the nips.”
With a sigh, I did as she asked and only turned around once I was fully dressed. For someone who brought souls screeching to wherever they go, Raven cared about modesty more than she should.
I grabbed my boots. “What happens if you have to take a naked person to their... destination?”
Her face wrinkled and her cheeks went rosy. “I don’t stare, of course. That’s rude. Why can’t people die with their clothes on?”
Chuckling, I adjusted the laces on my boots. “I have a feeling you’ve seen your share of senior citizens who pass in the throes of passion.”
“I mean, good for them, but I don’t want to talk about it.” She shuddered. “It’s hard enough trying to calm them down and bring them to Heaven or Hell with a boner.”
The visual made me double over with laughter. I know, morbid and awful, but imagining Raven trying to maneuver an old man with a hard-on to Heaven was hilarious.
“It’s not funny!”
“You’re right.” Still fighting the giggles, I grabbed my purse and sword from the counter. “Where are we going?”
“The Crumble Café.”
I fought a smile and a fit of laughter. “Thank goodness it’s not a nursing home. I’ve heard those are hotbeds for sexually transmitted diseases.”
“Shut up,” she grumbled.
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
Raven snorted as we headed out the door.
****
“Are you going to tell me about the political crap you dealt with last night?” I asked with my mouth full of pancake.
“No.” Raven took a sip of orange juice. “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”
“It has to do with me, doesn’t it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
I pinned her with a glare. “That means a yes if I ever heard one. Tell them all to go fuck themselves.”
“Mara!” she warned, her eyes casting worried glances around the room. “You don’t know who could be listening. Watch your tongue.”
“You know what I think?” I poured enough maple syrup on my pancakes to cause a flood. “I think you’re too scared to stand up for yourself.”
She looked at me from behind the syrup I was still holding. Her black eyes flashed in warning. “I’m not scared.”
My mouth edged into a smirk. I was prodding her with a stick because I knew it would work to my advantage, and if she grew balls while doing so, then it’d be worth it. “Prove it.”
“Okay.” She threw her fork on to her plate with a clang. “Let’s go.”
Looking down at my half-eaten flapjacks, I wished I had finished them before I’d decided to push Raven. Maybe this was her revenge for my naked senior citizen jabs earlier. They were the best damn pancakes I’d ever had in my life. She was already paying for our meals and motioning me to get my ass moving. Goodbye, my sweet syrup. Goodbye, that buttery goodness...
A few blocks away, Raven sauntered inside an abandoned warehouse across the street as I struggled to stay with her. Okay, so the pancakes were a bad idea when you’re trying to keep up with an unnatural being.
“What are we doing in here?” I asked.
She held up a finger to shush me.
Water dripped from somewhere within the building. Broken glass littered the fragmented concrete floors, and the roof creaked above us. Colorful graffiti covered the available wall space, and a massive painted mark in red spray paint decorated the floor ten feet in front of us.
That was when I smelled it. Death. I wondered if a homeless person had died in here at some point, or within the last few days. The floor with the spray paint waved like the hot summer sun had beat down on it for hours, or the heat was coming from the painted area itself. Neither was a good sign in the cool October air.
Glancing at Raven, I saw by her facial expression she had expected it.
“Get ready,” she muttered.
My sword slid free with a sting of metal and I bent my knees in preparation for whatever was coming. “Mind to tell me what to expect?”
Raven shook her head with a smirk. “You wanted me to be a badass, so I’ll prove it to you.”
A moment later, a god-awful screech echoed inside the warehouse. The littered glass bounced on the concrete. “What the fuck?”
A black mass erupted from the painted markings and hovered eight feet from the floor. Transforming into a ghostly form, it turned in our direction. The woman’s black, stringy hair hung around her head in rivulets. Her skin was pale and translucent, her face and body lined with black, ugly veins. Milky white eyes watched us and I shivered. When it screamed again, I noticed jagged teeth where normal flat ones should be.
I barely had time to scan through my memory bank from Raven’s training when it dove in our direction. Raven and I hit the floor, a cold blast of air running along my backside.
“Don’t let it touch you,” she warned and then jumped to her feet as it circled back around.
My best friend suddenly transformed into her Reaper form, all black and all deadly. The ghostly figure screamed, its razor-sharp teeth shifting inside its mouth. The ugly bitch focused on me with an evil grin.
When it dove at me, I swung my sword through the form and then followed through with a swing as I twisted away, barely avoiding bony fingers. I suspected I wounded it, but the apparition hadn’t died from my blade. That told me two things: One, this thing wasn’t a demon, and two, I wouldn’t be able to defeat it.
As it came after me again, Raven reached out with her skeletal hand and snatched the thing without an ounce of effort. It fought and shrieked, trying to get out of her grip. Then, to my utter horror, Raven lifted the ghoul into the air and opened her skeletal mouth. I watched as she ate the thing. Ate. It.
She morphed back to her beautiful self once again, and then let out a loud burp as if she’d finished a feast. Which I supposed she had.
I gaped at her. Of all the times I’d hunted with her, she had never swallowed a being. “What was that?”
“That was a ghoul.” Raven let out a small burp. “Somebody had summoned it here and I hadn’t been able to dispatch it for months.”
“But you ATE it.” My eyes glanced at the floor and then realized it wasn’t paint. It was blood. I looked back at her with a frown.
She shrugged. “That’s how you get rid of them.”
“Wait.” I put my hands on my hips. “If you hadn’t been able to get rid of that foul thing for months, why did you bring me with you?”
Her black eyes met mine and she winced.
Oh. My. God. She had used me as bait. Bait! “Tell me you didn’t use me for what I think you did.”
Raven looked away, her face going paler than it already was.
My eyes widened and I took a step away from her. “What would’ve happened if the ghoul had touched me?”
“I knew it wouldn’t. You’re too good.”
“What would’ve happened, Raven?” I de
manded, my voice dark and deadly.
Although I would never give up our friendship, she had crossed a line today. I know, I asked her to stand up for herself, and she had. Actually, she had shown me she was more than capable of taking care of herself. I knew that, of course, but sometimes she acted weaker than I thought she should.
“Well, let’s just say Ol’ Luke would’ve never collected your soul.”
“And why is that?”
She finally looked at me. “Because you wouldn’t have one to give. You’d be”—She pointed to the blood on the concrete—“well, a ghoul.”
I stumbled back a few steps in shock, my sword scraping the concrete beside me. “And then you’d have to eat me,” I whispered.
“No.” She closed the distance between us and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I would make sure you’d get your soul back. Dad most likely knows a way. He’s dealt with ghouls for eons.”
Snorting, I said, “But that’s a big maybe. Let’s get out of here.”
Raven stopped me. “We have to take care of the summoning spot. I can’t do it because I’m not human.”
“Nope. I’m not getting anywhere near that thing after what you told me.”
“I need your voice and your blood. A deep finger stick will do.”
“My blood?” I asked, my hands tucked into my jeans pockets. “And what will you do for me in return?”
“Do you really want to play that game, Mara?” She smirked and gave me a knowing glance.
I sighed, knowing this was part of her payback for me picking on her for being weak, and the nursing home joke. More than that, though, Raven had saved my life on more occasions than not, and I guessed she fought for my rights with my boss all the time. “Fine. What do I need to do?”
She pulled out a sharp-looking dagger with a curved hilt and handed it to me. “Prick your finger with this and run a straight line of blood across the entire mark.”
“I don’t know what’s on that floor, or what is in the blood there now.” I wrinkled my nose.
Then I thought about the unsuspecting person who happened to stumble upon the area. What if it were a child? My mind made up, I took the blade from Raven and strolled to the center of the mark. The bloody lines were in an exact pattern. A double circle filled about ten feet across with weird symbols in the middle of the two. A weird squiggly mark was in the exact center. What human would’ve known this? None that I could think of, and when I glanced at Raven, her face twisted with fury as she stared at it, too.
“Stand on the outer edge and begin there.”
With a deep breath, I walked to the edge of the bigger circle. The floor swayed with each step. “Now what?”
“Prick your finger, and while you’re running your blood across the symbols, repeat exactly what I say.”
The sharp point of the dagger pierced my skin and I hissed. Blood welled up and started to drip, so I leaned over and placed the bloody finger over the edge of the circle. I looked at her with raised eyebrows.
Raven began and paused between each sentence. I repeated them and started walking backward with my bloody smeared trail.
“Negate dark with light. Reap the bad blood from this mark.”
My finger reached the edge of the middle circle and I felt the entire area pulsate. I ignored it and kept repeating Raven’s words.
“We drive you from here. Unclean spirits, all satanic powers.” She stretched her arms out and her head fell back. “All infernal invaders, all wicked legions.”
When I had only a foot left to go, my blood hummed with wild power. It was a glorious feeling, like being on a fabulous drug and on the verge of orgasm at the same time.
Raven said, “I banish you.”
My hands shook with pleasure so unlike anything I had felt before. My breath quickened. My heart beat a rhythmic cadence in my ears.
When tingles covered my entire body, I almost stopped. I wanted to hold on to this feeling forever, but I knew it was only temptation from the original magic. Nonetheless, the power felt better than sex.
I was stronger than whatever dark magic this was. I had to keep going.
Gritting my teeth, I groaned the last part as I rubbed my blood over the end of the circle. “I banish you.”
The intoxicating influence still flowed through me and I bit back a moan. Raven’s black eyes watched me, her eyebrows raised.
When the next wave crashed over me, the pleasure turned into unimaginable pain. An invisible fire covered my skin and I ground my teeth to keep from screaming. I fell onto the concrete as I passed out.
*****
I woke inside Raven’s car. My head pounded to the tune of my heart and my skin itched as though I’d rolled in poison ivy. I wasn’t sure whether to scratch all over, or grip my head in my hands.
“Stay calm.”
I attempted to roll my eyes, but the movement hurt too much. “Stay calm my ass, Raven. You don’t have your body going into sensory overload right now.”
“Take this,” she instructed and pressed something into my palm. “It’ll help.”
Begging for relief, I lifted my hand and shoved whatever she had given me into my mouth. And instantly regretted it. The foul, wafer-like substance melted like butter on my tongue. The taste was akin to rotten eggs and vinegar, and I gagged and held it in my mouth like a child not wanting to take their medicine.
Raven’s hand shot up to my chin and tilted my head back. “Swallow it.”
I shook my head in absolute refusal. I was not swallowing this nasty stuff!
She took her hand and squeezed my cheeks together so my face resembled a kissing fish. I couldn’t spit out the repulsive crap or fight her with my body weak from pain. Left without a choice, I choked down the most awful tasting thing known to man.
“All of it,” Raven ordered.
I coughed and rubbed my tongue with my palm. Again, like a child. “What was that? It’s disgusting.”
“An herbal mix Dad and I make as a backup plan. It has a little brimstone, a smidge of malted vinegar paste, and some other stuff we’d rather not mention.” She shrugged.
She had shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal I had eaten brimstone, which came from the fiery pits of Hell. I rubbed my eyes in frustration and let out a slow breath. “Take me home. I need to get some rest.”
Raven chuckled. “We’re already there.”
I looked out the windshield and spotted Mr. Henley walking his poodle. He never cleaned up that dog’s poop. If I saw him take a squat (the poodle, not Mr. Henley) and that old man walk away from it, I was going to say something this time. I don’t know how many times I had stepped in a steaming pile as I tried to sneak in without a neighbor catching me covered in blood.
Luckily for Mr. Henley, FuFu only piddled this time.
Raven and I said our goodbyes. I was still mad at her for making me swallow the disgusting Hell biscuit, but I was too tired to speak. I crashed on the bed without taking off my clothes or boots.
CHAPTER 4
All good deeds go unnoticed.
I woke the next morning and threw on some loose jeans and a baggy red T-shirt. Sure, the demons would be prowling later, but I had something else planned for the day.
As I walked into the back entrance of the small utilitarian building, I smiled. This was my guilty pleasure, my moment to feel completely human. No demons, no death. Okay, no death by my hands or at the hands of the evil these humans rarely see.
“Good morning, Mara,” Laura said and handed me a cappuccino while barely looking in my direction. Gray hair in a short ponytail, her crow’s feet wrinkled as she squinted over the paperwork sitting on the counter in front of her.
After snatching the cup from her hands, I took the first sip of the sweet concoction and let out a sigh of relief. “Morning.”
She finally looked at me and shook her head, her motherly face giving me a once-over. “You need to start getting some sleep. Those bags under your eyes look hideous today.”
Instead of retorting a smartass comment, I shrugged and replied, “Late night.”
“Well, we have enough volunteers for most of the day, but you know what that means for you.”
“Gag. Dish duty.”
“It’s not too bad. At least we have a dishwasher.”
A middle-aged woman looking helpless and confused came into the room. Laura scooped her away, instructing her where we kept the utensils.
Since the morning had recently started, I only had a few dirty cups to wash. Instead of using the dishwasher, I loaded the sinks with the appropriate cleaning solution according to the health codes and got to work. I stared out over the parking lot, my hands automatically cleaning the cups. The sunshine illuminated the oranges and reds of the falling leaves, the cool October air decaying the once green landscape.
A little over a year ago, I started volunteering at SafetyNet, which was a domestic abuse shelter. Once a week, I came in to help in some way or another. Nobody knew I came here. Not even Raven. I loved volunteering, and I actually liked doing the dishes, but I’d never tell Laura that. My hands in warm, soapy water felt ordinary, and if I did a good deed while feeling that way, I couldn’t complain. When I was here, I forgot what I actually did for a living and why. Maybe, just maybe, God would notice my efforts and save my soul from being ripped to shreds in Hell.
Little hands tugged at my shirt and broke me from my thoughts. I smiled down at an adorable girl with messy blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. Her indigo gingham dress was worn and wrinkled, and she twisted her hands in it as she looked at me filled with hope and innocence.
“Can I had anther gwass of miwk?” she asked, not able to pronounce her words very well.
“Of course, princess.”
Grabbing one of the clean glasses I had washed, I opened the large fridge and poured her a glass of milk.
After I handed it to her and made sure she had a good grip on it, she yelled, “Tank you!” and ran back into the commons area, spilling a few splashes in her wake.
The shelter had numerous small apartments and a commons area for meals and entertainment, but I felt awful when I looked into the haunted eyes of a mother or child. They’d seen and experienced far too much in their lives. On my first day, I realized that even though true demons came from Hell, there were humans who were worse.