“Thank you for coming.” His voice boomed far too loud for the small space we shared. He gestured again for me to sit, thrusting out a large calloused hand as though it was not a request but an order.
I planted a hand on my hip and stayed on my feet. “That’s okay. You said someone saw something at my workshop?” I didn’t want to stay any longer than necessary. I had a hot date, literally, and my distaste for the detective was growing by the second. His very presence left an odd taste in my mouth, like the gritty aftertaste of spoiled fruit.
“Yes.” He snatched at a thin file from the table and flicked open the cover. “Do you know this man?” He pinched an eight-by-ten color photo between his thick fingers and held it up for me.
It was Stefan. “No.”
The same distinctive red coat, but the image had been enlarged. The quality suffered because of it. In the photo, Stefan held something at his side, a sword perhaps, a very different one from the katana he’d brought to my workshop. With no identifying date or time stamp and a blurry background, I couldn’t be sure when or where the image had been taken.
“We have a witness placing this man outside your workshop minutes before the explosion. Apparently, he got into a red car. Do you know anything about that?”
“No.”
Bergin’s cracked lips peeled back over coffee-stained teeth in a mockery of a smile. “You don’t remember watching him leave prior to your workshop going up in smoke?”
I glanced at the door and back at Bergin. “Are you asking or telling me?”
He blinked slowly, leaning back in his chair and chomping his lips together as he deliberately raked a filthy gaze over me. “This man, he’s wanted for murder, numerous assaults, willful destruction of public property, and more parking offenses than you can shake a stick at, and yet he continues to elude us—not to mention he destroyed your place of work. So I was wondering if you might remember seeing him and whether you’d be kind enough to tell us where we can find him.”
“I don’t know that man. I’ve never seen him before in my life.” Why was he so insistent? Wasn’t I meant to be the victim here? I certainly did not like how he looked at me or how he implied I was lying. Despite the fact that he was right.
Bergin refused to look away as I deliberately pinned my stare on his. He might think he could bully me. In fact, from the sordid gaze, I could tell he wasn’t thinking much beyond what lay beneath my dress. He had no idea what he was dealing with.
“Are you done?” My fingers twitched at my sides. I could spill a little power into my touch if I needed to. He’d wake up with one hell of a headache.
He snorted a laugh. “You half-bloods are all the same.”
I looked away, plastering a grin on my lips. Apparently, there was more going on here than a simple Q and A. Now that he’d revealed he knew me, we could cut to the chase.
He stood, the chair legs scraping across the floor, and steepled his fingers on the table before him. He bowed his head but kept his eyes on me, like a wolf hunched, ready to attack. “You think Akil can protect you?”
I summoned a little heat, pooling it in the palms of my hands. If he noticed any change in me, he didn’t show it.
“He’s not here now.” Bergin’s voice began to slur and grind his words, no doubt something to do with the elongated teeth cluttering his mouth.
Demon. I had no idea what sort, but I knew I was about to find out.
The exit door stood at about the same distance away from me as Bergin. If I made a dash for it, the table between us would slow him down.
He straightened, muscles cracking as he shook off his human guise. The bulk of him shimmered indistinctly. My limited human eyesight blurred the full depth of his transformation, but I saw his form expand as though he’d gained a few more pounds in a few seconds. His flesh peppered with scales. His mouth and nose stretched outward, elongating into a snout. His curved fangs drooled saliva. A forked tongue flicked.
He hunched over, arms pinned to his sides as his body stretched. Scales latticed the length of him until nothing of the detective remained. The huge serpent reared up, mounting the table in one fluid ripple of its smooth body.
“I shall be rewarded…” Its hideous voice clawed through my thoughts.
I thrust a bolt of energy down my right arm and cast my hand out, lashing a whip-like tendril of heat across its scaled form, then sprinted for the door. I managed perhaps two strides before it slithered in front of me, blocking my path. Serpentine eyes blazed green. A black tongue flicked, tasting the air, forcing me back.
“You should be dead,” it quite literally hissed, spittle streaming from its fangs, but I heard the words clearly inside my mind. “Your throat cut the day you were born. That is our way. You are a monstrosity!”
“Look who’s talking,” I snarled.
I dipped my chin, looking up at the demon through hooded eyes. Thrusting both arms down at my sides, I summoned power, drawing it into me while the darkest part of me spilled into my fragile flesh.
The serpent-demon rose higher, jaws opening into a glistening grin. It lunged forward as I threw everything I had at it. A furious blast of energy funneled through me, slamming into the beast with enough force for it to ripple backward, shaking its whiskered head with a wrenching scream. I backed up again, the power planting itself inside my limbs, pooling in my muscles, and bolstering my fragile flesh.. It rushed through me, a burning elixir spilling through my veins, bringing me to life. And this time it had a target.
I lashed out, casting a lance of power toward the layered scales of the thing’s chest. The white heat passed through it, tearing a hole. The demon lifted its head and let out a keening cry that drilled into my skull.
I staggered. Its cry shattered my momentary enjoyment like shards of glass thrust into my skull. I had no choice but to cover my ears. It was no use. The cry resounded within me.
Hunched low, I willed it to stop. My power rattled about me, seeking a target but finding only chaos. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t hear, could barely breathe, and then it was gone. Like the snap of a light switch chasing away the plummeting darkness, it was over, and when I opened my eyes, I saw why.
Akil, or rather his true form, Mammon, stood before the serpent-demon. He had thrust an ethereal broadsword made entirely of an undulating electric blue light through the serpent-demon’s scaled body. The bloodied, intangible tip of the sword protruded from its skull. I stumbled, falling to my knees, finding Akil’s true nature difficult for my human eyes to focus on as always. The suffocating weight of his considerable power filled the room. The overwhelming pressure of it crushed the air from my lungs. I forced myself to look at him, refusing to let weakness steal my consciousness.
Akil’s broad, multi-jointed wings of tanned leather bowed against the ceiling, a dusting of embers raining from their arched edges. As those wings flexed, the muscles in his broad back rippled. Every ounce of flesh looked as though it had been sculpted from obsidian, every muscle lean and powerful.
“Vos inhonesto mihi.” Akil’s growl thundered around my aching skull. You dishonor me.
I watched his right shoulder bunch, one wing jerking a little as he altered his grip on the sword and twisted the blade deep in its snug-fitting wound. The serpent demon grunted, skewered as it was. It was only when Akil tore the sword free, ripping open the chest of the beast, that it collapsed forward, tail twitching. A dark pool of blood bloomed around its hideous body. Its green eyes hung open, unseeing. Dead.
Akil turned, and I caught a glimpse of his true face before I bowed my head. Cut from the very fabric of the elements, his face barely resembled the man I’d left beside the car. He appeared more beast than man with spiraled horns twisting from his forehead and his wide, gaping mouth brimming with jagged teeth. Dark wrappings of power thrashed around him, seeking their next victim. An aura of energy simmered against his flesh. The thin veil of reality fizzled into dust at his feet.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I cowered on
my hands and knees before him. The other part of me had slunk away into the farthest corners of my mind, curling herself into a tiny, insignificant flutter in my chest, hardly there at all.
He crouched before me, thick muscular arms resting on stocky knees slick with a sheen of energy. When he held out a hand, elongated fingers tipped with curved claws, I had no choice but to take it. My delicate fingers curled in his, my human flesh so pink and fragile. His writhing tendrils of power curled themselves up my forearm, snaking around my elbow before leaping to my shoulder. I had enough time to realize the darkness had entwined itself around my legs like creeping vines before the weight of it dragged me down. I fell, and the darkness rushed up to greet me.
Chapter 7
The party had spilled out into the hotel foyer. The inebriated guests wore masquerade masks ranging from vampires to ghosts and demons. Akil’s idea of irony, I guess. It would have been hilarious, had I not just seen one of the originals of those so-called myths slice a serpent demon in half.
Akil sat in the center of the head table like a scene from a modern-day Last Supper, leaning crookedly in his chair as he laughed at something the woman beside him said. They all wore masks, so only mouths and eyes could be seen. The more subtle expressions remained hidden. He had given up trying to catch my eye and now appeared to revel in the role of charming host. His mask sported a pair of devil horns. Those around him had no idea that the beast sat among them. He played the part of a human a little too perfectly, but nobody would suspect him. He was too charming, too successful, too influential to be anything other than the city’s most successful developer.
I poured myself some more wine and slumped in my chair. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know what he was. I felt the power in him every time I shared the same airspace as him, but it’s one thing to know and another to see. I’d deliberately forgotten who and what he was for the sake of my sanity. My half-human mind couldn’t keep up with what I’d seen, despite the fact that much of the same elemental energy ran through my veins. The human brain struggles to comprehend the truth about demons. The netherworld exists beyond our spectrum of understanding. Our senses are struck dumb by its extremes. Thankfully, the netherworld is locked beyond the veil, out of human reach, but while humans can’t survive there for long, demons can and do live among us here. Higher demons can cross the veil at will, but most prefer their homeland to ours. Aren’t we lucky?
Akil had walked me out of that police department without another soul seeing us. The people had parted in front of us, veering around us without realizing anything was amiss. He had simply peeled the visible reality around us so that we emerged outside the building without so much as catching a sideways glance from the dozens of people on the sidewalk.
Hands planted against the roof of his car as though to steady himself, Akil had stripped the demon from his visible form, shedding layers like a snake sheds its skin, revealing the male vessel inside. Watching him emerge like that—his human form reborn like a moth from its chrysalis—turned my stomach. By the time he’d sat me in the back of the car, I’d felt numb. When we reached his hotel, I’d still been trembling like a leaf clinging to an otherwise naked branch. Without so much as a word of explanation, an apology, or an “are you okay,” he’d handed me a cat mask and escorted me inside.
That had been over two hours ago.
If he knew of the turmoil spinning in my head, he hadn’t once mentioned it. For him, it was as though nothing untoward had taken place. Another day at the office.
Nica slipped into a chair beside me, sporting a very fine leopard-print ankle-length dress and a witch’s mask, complete with a cute crooked hat. “Hey there.” She beamed. “Akil said you were coming.” Perhaps my smile came off more as a grimace than I’d meant it to, because she flinched, her bubbly mood evaporating. “Did you read all the information in the file?”
It took me a moment to even remember what file she was referring to. I hadn’t thought of Stefan since Bergin had mentioned him prior to turning into a snake-demon and trying to kill me. Now I wondered what the police would be asking. They wouldn’t find a body—of that I was pretty sure—but Bergin wasn’t coming back from a sword through the gullet, and I was technically the last person to see him. How would Akil cover it up? Would he even bother?
“You look a little pale. Are you okay?” Nica asked.
The concern in her voice roused me from my recall of events. “Yes, I’m okay. Just tired.” I mustered a warmer smile and downed my drink.
She shrugged and refilled my glass. “Something has happened between you and Akil. Am I right?”
I swallowed, reaching for the wine. “What makes you say that?”
She looked past me and down the table to where Akil and a small crowd were gathered. “He looks content, but you see how his fingers are tapping on the base of his glass?” She nodded encouragement, so I had to look.
“He hasn’t touched his drink. That’s the same glass of wine he’s been nursing all evening. And that crowd—some of them are the most influential people in this city, and yet he hasn’t once engaged in business talk. He’s avoiding it, skirting around the topic, which is not like him at all. We both know how greedy he is, but tonight, there’s nothing here for him.”
I looked at Nica with newfound respect. “You know him well.”
“I have to.” She lowered her voice and reached out a hand to clasp mine. “If we play with fire, sooner or later, we all get burned.” She slipped off her mask, revealing a wrought expression. Lines of worry etched into her fine features. “Nobody plays with Akil unless they’re prepared.” She lifted her glass, inviting me to do the same.
“To the survivors,” she suggested. We clinked our glasses together.
“You’re right.” I finally admitted. I sensed the warmth of Akil’s gaze on me but refused to rise to the bait. “Something happened.”
“Well, don’t let him fool you. Whatever it was, it bothered him.” Nica grinned and dipped her head low. “Whatever you did, good on you. It can’t hurt to remind them who holds the true power, right?”
“Who?” I laughed.
“You, us, women. He loves you, Muse, and that’s more powerful than anything else in this mockery of reality.”
That was absurd. Akil didn’t—couldn’t love me. Demons were capable of many things, but love wasn’t one of them. “How much wine have you had?”
She arched an eyebrow and admired the swirl of red wine in her glass. “Not nearly enough. Finish off this bottle with me, will you?”
Chapter 8
As the night wore on, a live band began to play. The crowd got merrier by the minute. Much of the exuberance had rubbed off on me, or perhaps it was the wine. I’d begun to relax a little and mingle with the guests. Most were human, but some were not. I caught a few leers from behind the anonymous masks and silently cursed Akil. He’d made a point of telling me that no demons were on the list, and yet I’d counted at least five blending in with Boston’s elite. They, of course, looked just like anyone else, but there were clues. Demons move with a fluid grace, as though every step, every gesture, is measured. Nothing is wasted. When still, they might as well be smartly dressed mannequins, and they’re equally as disconcerting because of their inhuman stillness. Humans are constantly in motion. Demons are not. They stalk. It’s part of what makes them so efficient.
I gave the demons I’d spotted a wide berth. Akil seemed confident nobody would dare hurt me in his presence, but that wouldn’t prevent one of them from driving a dagger into my back before he could stop them. I admired the generous buffet food, wondering if I should eat something from the perfect plates of sandwiches arranged in geometric shapes. Some had yet to be touched, and I had to fight the urge to upset the precise design just for fun.
A hand slipped around my waist from behind, and immediately a sliver of fear trickled down my spine. Akil must have felt me tremble, because he bowed his head, whispering against my cheek, “Do I frighten you?”
I didn’t dignify his query with an answer and turned to face him, driving back the fear with sheer determination. He still wore the ridiculous devil mask. I flicked it off to reveal his playful expression beneath, then tossed the mask away with a mischievous grin.
“Dance with me.” It wasn’t a request. His fingers had laced with mine, and he pulled me toward the dance floor before I could concoct an excuse. Thankfully, the music was slow. I had no idea how to dance. They didn’t teach party etiquette where I was raised.
He pulled me against him, hand slipping down to the small of my back to hold me close. I giggled. Alcohol had gone a long way toward soothing my fears. Stumbling a little, I looked at my feet, wondering what on earth I was supposed to do with them. Akil tipped my chin up.
“Just lean into me and relax.”
I obeyed, preferring to let him guide me than risk complete embarrassment. I found the slow beat of the music calming. Or was it standing so close to him that banished my worries? Either way, I let him hold me close as we swayed gently.
“Are you all right?” His deep voice rumbled through me as the music played around us. There were others dancing, but I barely noticed them. I listened to his heartbeat, losing myself in its rhythm.
“I’m okay,” I whispered, and I really was. Akil had that effect on me. “I had that serpent demon where I wanted him, y’know. I was just about to finish him off when you showed up.”
I felt Akil chuckle. The delicious ripple of laughter ignited desire at the very heart of me. “I very much doubt that,” he said. “The detective was a Dahaka servant.” The exotic pronunciation rolled off Akil’s tongue, revealing an ancient accent he usually kept hidden. “A particularly aggressive example. He would have relished devouring you, likely feet first.”
I stopped swaying in time with Akil and looked up. He smiled, but I got the impression he wasn’t joking. With a trembling sigh, I rested my head against his shoulder. “I wanted to leave all of this behind.”
[The Veil 01.0] Beyond the Veil Page 5