“Oh, well, uh, thank you.” Burrows fumbled, blushing and pushing up her glasses with her index finger. “It’s always, uh, nice to meet my fans. Please, call me Myrtle.”
Abby left the book on the table and stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. She could stop the swords from emerging, but not the glow. There was nothing she could do here. What could she do any which way? Burrows didn’t look to be a threat. She was barely managing to talk when faced with Demetrius’ charm. There was no such thing as a false alarm with her powers, though.
What’s going on? Where’s the danger? Tawa asked from within the backpack, urgency in her voice.
That was the question. Was Burrows dangerous? Or was there something around her? Abby didn’t dare say another word with Demetrius continuing to chat up the writer.
Burrows absently signed Abby’s copy and pushed it back to her without even looking. She smiled and giggled like a girl at his compliments.
Retrieving herself from the shock, Abby picked up the book and stepped back with her hands hidden in her sleeves. She thought he was laying it on too heavily, but then Burrows agreed to meet them for coffee later at a nearby café. He gave her a parting wink and sauntered out of the bookstore, not waiting for his “sister” to catch up until he was outside.
Abby was barely limping as she hurried after him. Once out of view of the shop’s windows, she put the book in her backpack and poked him on the arm. “What was that all about? That wasn’t the plan.”
“I saved you from revealing yourself in there. I had to give the woman something more interesting to think about than glowing hands.” Demetrius shot back. He grabbed her forearms and looked at her hands. “They’re not glowing any more. Why were they? I didn’t sense any beasts in there, and Burrows is obviously human.”
“I don’t know.” Abby huffed, yanking herself free from his grip. “Something is up with her, obviously. And the children....” She shook her head as her chest tightened. “How does no one see something is wrong here?”
Because adults only see what they want to see. You know that, Tawa replied in a sage tone. These people probably see a virus going around and making children ill.
“And all the missing children?” Abby asked.
Runaways. Kids have all sorts of weird pacts these days, Tawa said. Also, children eaten by monsters leave a sort of strange void. The parents know they’re gone, but their feelings are numbed. It’s a phenomenon that’s never been explained, but my theory is that it’s part of the beasts’ defenses, so the adult population never finds out about them. Just like the monsters’ bodies vanishing in the morning after you’ve slayed them.
“No evidence of the beasts and thus they don’t exist.” Demetrius ran his hands through his dark hair, muscles tense.
Abby had never failed the children she protected. She hadn’t thought of what might occur if no one was there to save the children. The tightness rose from her chest to her throat. This had to stop. She couldn’t allow this to go on any longer.
“Burrows has something to do with this. We will find out what it is.” Abby turned toward the café across the street. She had no idea what was going on or how to start the search, but she would figure it out. She had to figure it out.
Monsters were breeding from children’s minds inspired by Burrows’ books. This was the writer’s hometown. The children here had no one fighting for them.
Until now.
Chapter 9
Abby couldn’t sit at the table any longer. Demetrius had the subtlety of a rampaging ox. Yet for all his dramatic gestures and clichéd lines, Myrtle Burrows fell for him.
Excusing herself to go to the bathroom, Abby breathed out a sigh of relief when she entered the café’s empty restroom. One of the lights flickered making a soft sizzling sound. She had expected to do the questioning of Burrows, but the other woman would barely look her way. The fact her hands had glowed when she first met Burrows threw her off, but she hadn’t meant for Demetrius to take over.
She sat down in the first stall. Abby hated seeing him behaving like that with another woman. Hated herself for feeling that way. He was only acting. Besides, the fae made it clear he wanted Abby and she had turned him down. It was her own doing.
When Burrows met them in the café, Abby’s hands didn’t glow. She even shook the author’s hand. Nothing.
It didn’t make sense. The light flickered again and made her jump when it popped. Dark shadows settled in the stall with her. Only the single light over the entry door remained.
Abby shook her head and stood up. She should get back to the others. The answer was with Burrows. Walking to the sink, she frowned. Her hands glowed.
Looking into the mirror, a hideous melted face grinned at her from the darkness in the far corner before it leapt at her. Abby didn’t have time to scream as she whirled around, dropped low, and let her blades slide out. She slashed at the monster, but it flew up and over to rebound off the wall and come for her again.
She hissed with the pain in her ankle as she twisted and stood, holding her ground against the thing. It laughed lowly, the sound coming from all around her. A trick for amateurs.
Abby crossed her blades, and when the monster was near enough, she used them like scissors to cut through its skinny neck. The grotesque face fell to the right, but from within the ragged black robes, a second beast kept rushing at her. It was like an obscene version of Russian nesting dolls.
It slammed into her chest, and Abby fell back onto the tiled floor. She kicked up, sending it sailing to smack against the wall. Throwing one sword to pin it there, she lanced it through an empty eye socket. Abby was ready for the third monster when it launched itself out of the second’s robes.
Standing and slipping on the floor, her swing missed, and the thing grabbed her wrist with a bony hand. It smashed her hand against the sink, but couldn’t force Abby to drop her sword.
“You’re mine now. What a tasty meal you’ll make.” Its voice was a dry rattle, but its teeth didn’t look old and brittle. Its mouth yawned, opening wider to impossible angles.
The blade disappeared from the wall and emerged from Abby’s free hand.
“I’m not on the menu.” She jammed the blade up under the monster’s chin and out the top of its head. No more came forth as it sank into a black mass onto the floor.
The moment the door of the restroom opened, the remains of the monster vanished. The college-aged goth who entered only saw Abby sprawled out on the floor. “Uh, are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Abby replied, picking herself up with the aid of the sink. “I hurt my ankle recently, and there was a bit of water on the floor and I slipped.”
“Oh. Okay.” The goth shrugged and locked herself in a stall.
Her wrist and ankle throbbed in unison. Abby limped out of the restroom and paused to stare out the windows to reassure herself that it was daytime. A monster attacked her while the sun was up. It wasn’t possible. Okay, well, it obviously was possible, but it shouldn’t be.
Abby exited the café and breathed in the cool air. People walked by her, and she got a few strange looks. She wanted to tell them stranger things were going on in town than seeing a tussled woman without her jacket outside in November. And whatever strange thing was going on knew she was there to stop it. It underestimated her by sending one monster after her, but it wouldn’t do so again.
“Abby.” Demetrius called as he came outside. When she didn’t turn, he put her jacket over her shoulders and nudged her chin with his fingers to turn her head his way. “Abby, what’s going on?” His eyes narrowed. “What happened?”
“I was attacked in the restroom.” She slipped her arms through her jacket sleeves and pulled it tighter around her. “By a monster.”
“What?” Demetrius’ face hardened and his hands clenched into fists.
“It’s dead. It’s gone.” Abby waved it off. The monster was no more. There was something bigger ahead of them. Something the writer was involved with. �
�Have you learned anything from Burrows? She has to know something.”
“No, nothing useful. I can’t manage to steer the conversation in the direction I want to go.” He grunted with the admission, and Abby couldn’t help but smirk a little. “All she wants to talk about is me and how she enjoys chocolate truffles and long massages.”
“Maybe if you give her a massage, she might talk what you want to talk about.”
Demetrius made a small choking sound. Abby had to muffle a snicker.
“Okay. Here’s the new plan.” Abby hugged herself tighter. “Go back inside and tell Burrows that I’m not feeling well. You’re going to take me to our hotel room so I can rest. Invite her to dinner, but say you want to have a private dinner. Since I’m at the hotel, the other logical option is her house. I bet she’ll suggest it on her own, but if she doesn’t, do it yourself. She won’t say no to you. Then we’ll both show up tonight and have a chat with her.”
“Done.” Demetrius turned and went inside. Two minutes later, he was back and handed her the backpack. “Dinner at her house at seven o’clock.”
“Good. This has to end tonight.” Abby didn’t protest as he put an arm around her to lead her away from the café. He was warm and strong. She needed that right now. Night would bring the cold, and then she would have to be the strongest one. If she wasn’t, she was certain she would die tonight.
Chapter 10
The house at the end of the road. I wonder how much it’s like the one in the book. Tawa piped up from the backpack.
“It could be exactly the same for all it matters.” Abby rang the doorbell. Her breath made small impatient clouds. There was still an ache in her head, but from lack of sleep rather than her injuries. Her wrist was wrapped up, and she had taken some Tylenol. She was at the best she could be without more time to rest and heal.
“Do you hear that?” Demetrius cocked his head to the side.
“What? The cheesy jazz music Burrows just turned on in there?” Abby snorted.
Hey, that’s Sarah Vaughan. This is classic jazz. Tawa asserted.
“No,” Demetrius said in a quiet tone. “There’s no nightlife. No birds or animals. It’s only seven. No kids or even teenagers out in the neighborhood.”
Abby had been too lost to her own thoughts to notice the eerie quiet of the night. Even if it was cold out, it wasn’t late. She didn’t get more than a few seconds to nod at Demetrius before the door swung open.
Burrows smiled at Demetrius with lips painted too red. Then she noticed Abby and her smile faltered. “Oh, hello. Good evening.”
“A good evening to you, my dear Myrtle. I hope you don’t mind. My sister was feeling better, and I didn’t want her sitting around the hotel by herself, so I brought her along.” Demetrius grinned and walked inside without waiting for an invitation. He unbuttoned his jacket and slid it off. Rolling his big shoulders, he dropped the jacket over the back of a chair.
“Oh, well, I suppose. I didn’t make enough food for three.” Burrows fiddled with the rings on her right hand. She stepped back and motioned to Abby. “Come on in then.”
“Thanks. And it’s all right. I’m not hungry.” Not for food, anyway. Abby walked near Burrows, but her hands didn’t glow. What was different in the store the first time they met? She closed the door behind her.
What’s it look like? Is there a curving staircase? Tawa inquired. Two of her characters had their first kiss on it, and then one of them was killed in the same spot.
“Nice place you’ve got here. I see you got a lot of your inspiration for your books from your own home.” Demetrius answered Tawa’s question as he took a slow tour around the main room. He came near Burrows and threw her a sexy little smile. “You look lovely tonight. That color brings out your eyes.”
Abby suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Burrows wore a hideous green sweater that made her look more like a toad than anything else. She undid her coat and eased the backpack off, setting it on the floor. She bent as if settling her bag and opened the top so Tawa’s head popped out.
“Thank you.” Burrows cooed and flushed. “Um, perhaps your sister would like to go into the TV room and watch something while you and I have dinner?”
Demetrius looked over at Abby, and she gave him a subtle shake of her head. She wasn’t going to wait for them to have a leisurely meal before they questioned Burrows. They needed answers as soon as possible. The monsters would come out as soon as children started going to bed. There was no time to waste.
“If you don’t mind, darling, I think maybe we could all go have a sit-down. Our conversation got cut short earlier today, and I prefer to work up an appetite.” Demetrius gestured to their hostess to lead the way. Burrows looked as if she was going to protest, but finally nodded and took them into a smaller room where the furniture was more worn in and a flat screen TV hogged the space on the far wall.
“Have a seat. I’ll just check on the food and make sure it doesn’t get cold.” Burrows exited the room with a smile over her shoulder at Demetrius.
Ten seconds later, the power went out. The house was dark and quiet. Too quiet. Just like it had been outside.
Abby’s hands glowed and the swords slid out. She gripped the slim hilts, trying to ignore the nervous perspiration. She and Demetrius moved to stand back-to-back with one another. Instinctive reflex.
Who turned out the lights? Tawa squawked from the other room.
“I guess I’m not getting any dinner.” His humor didn’t hide the tension in his voice.
“I think that’s the least of your worries.” Abby listened for something, anything, but the house itself didn’t even creak. “Too bad you didn’t bring your club. Anything else you could use as a weapon here?”
“Ah, but I did bring it.” Demetrius reached into his pants’ pocket. She glanced over her shoulder and gasped as he withdrew his enormous weapon. It was like watching a cartoon. It wasn’t physically possible. Her mouth opened and shut wordlessly.
“Bet you’re wondering what else is in my pants.” He smirked, clearly enjoying her reaction. She elbowed him. “Magical weapon. It can be a twig or a trunk depending on your needs.”
“I’m not going to say anything.” There was no way Abby could do without thinking about what else was in his pants. Focus. She needed to focus. “Burrows was expecting us to do something. We search one room at a time.”
“Main floor first,” Demetrius said. “Then—”
Staircase! Tawa shouted. Something’s coming down the stairs!
Abby and Demetrius raced from the TV room. She managed to catch sight of what looked like a black magic carpet hovering beside the banister before it pounced on the fae. It wrapped itself around him and his club like an inky cocoon. He twisted and fell, rolling on the floor.
The thing was smothering him, and Abby couldn’t wildly stab it without hitting Demetrius too.
“Hold still!” It was like trying to tell a cat in a bath to stop fighting. He was a fighter. He couldn’t stop himself.
Let him fight it. Go after Burrows. She’s the real threat here. Tawa barked.
“No. Dammit.” Abby cursed. She tried to shallowly slice at the monster, and though it squealed, it didn’t release its hostage. Her heart hammered in her chest. She refused to let him die. She stepped on either side of Demetrius and trapped him between her legs. She raised her right sword and brought it down through the most bulky part of the cocoon.
The monster wailed and let go of Demetrius. He gulped in a huge breath. It shuddered before flopping down to lie motionless between her legs.
Demetrius stared at her and then at her blade still embedded in his club. “You could have hit me.”
“There’s nothing about you that big.” Abby yanked her sword free and stepped away. She scooped up her backpack, hitching it over her shoulders.
“That you know of.” Demetrius picked himself up. “You should have listened to Tawa. If Burrows gets away—”
“No.” Abby replied too quickly.
The thought of leaving him behind to die tore at her soul. She cleared her throat and motioned to the stairs. “Besides, she’s not going to leave. All monsters want to fight. And you deserve better than death by blanket.”
Demetrius grabbed onto the backpack’s straps and pulled her to him. He kissed her. Nothing gentle about it. Teeth clinked as his tongue rolled around hers. Her world spun and went out of focus. When he pulled back an inch, all she could see was him.
“You saved my life again. If I had two lives to pledge to you, you would have them.” His eyes bore into hers. “Honor or not, you already have me. Blood for blood, breath for breath, heart for heart.”
Abby didn’t have time to respond before he let her go, turned, and marched up the stairs. It wouldn’t have mattered. His words left her more breathless than the kiss.
Chapter 11
Go to the attic. That’s where most of the characters are killed in Burrows’ book. Tawa informed them. It’s also where Jessica tells Matt that she kissed his best friend, but he still protected her and got eaten.
“What else does the book say?” Abby followed Demetrius up the stairs. Her steps were careful and silent. Her heart was still pounding and her lips still tingling. “Seems kind of soap opera-ishy for a kids’ book.”
Matt was the older brother of the protagonist. His death helped motivate her. Not soap opera-ishy. I just have a mature appreciation for the story, Tawa said. The attic is through the door at the far end of the hall.
Abby reached the top of the stairs and stood beside Demetrius. She could feel the heat of his body and had to battle the temptation to touch him. Silently chastising herself, she forced her thoughts away from him and demanded focus. There were five doors between them and the closed one at the end of the hall. All five doors opened slowly, and green glowing cat’s eyes locked onto their prey.
“Of course,” Abby groaned. “At the end of a hall filled with monsters.”
“I’ll clear the way.” Demetrius tapped his club on the floor and crooked a finger at the beasts. “Come here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”
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