by Jenny Allen
Lilith nodded distractedly. Her mind was still stewing over Chance’s cryptic behavior. He didn’t seem to be brooding over their conversation at the morgue. In fact, he seemed downright chipper. So what reason could he possibly have for wanting to be alone? Why was he suddenly so keen on sending her off with Cohen without a chaperone? It just didn’t fit.
Chance settled his arm over Lilith’s shoulders, making her jump in surprise. He leaned down close to whisper as they walked. “What’s wrong, Lily? You look as pale as that anorexic, sparkly vamp from the Twilight movies.” Lilith couldn’t help but crack a smile, instantly feeling the noise in her brain ebb away.
“That sounds like an admittance of guilt. You actually watched that nonsense? Willingly? Was it a torture technique? Please tell me you were at least tied up at the time. I don’t think I could handle learning you’re a Twi-hard. That would be a deal breaker.”
Chance straightened up, casually scanning the parking lot as they strolled through the pedestrian crossing. “Well, there was a time when I dated humans. Not all of them had good taste. I wasn’t’ actually tied up at the time, but later…” His deep chuckle rumbled over her like a warm blanket.
“Ugh, I don’t want to hear about your past sexcapades.” Lilith frowned and lightly shoved him away. The high-road side of her wanted to say it was all just playful, but realistically, no one wants to hear about the previous sex habits of the person they’re dating. Assuming that’s what they were doing…
“Aww, Lily, mon petit Cherie…” Chance tickled his finger across her hip before slipping an arm around her waist. A Cheshire cat grin crept across his lips in a delicious way as he tugged her close.
“Let me guess, then you wised up and found exactly what you were missing?” Lilith quirked an eyebrow up at him. “Before you say anything, I should warn you that I have a low tolerance for that mushy crap.” She scrunched her nose in disgust. “I definitely don’t wanna hear that insincere nonsense that qualifies as romance in the film business.”
“I’ll have to remember that and make the cheesy moments worth risking your wrath.” Chance broke a wide grin and pressed a kiss against her temple. His lips lingered against her skin and he whispered in a hushed rumble. “Besides, I always knew what I was missing.”
Lilith swallowed the lump in her throat as a blush blazed up her cheeks. The husky sincerity in his voice settled over her like a warm, fuzzy blanket regardless of her revulsion toward mushy sentiments.
After loading up the car, they drove to the Clarion Hotel. It was a modest, single floor fifties style building in bright red and white. It fit Gregor’s rules about hotels, not too fancy and not too low rent. Either one would draw unwanted attention. Apparently, Cohen had the same theory about hotels.
The lobby was only what Lilith could describe as cheaply fancy. White marble-esque tiles led to the faux cherry wood front desk, a brass colored chandelier hung over a cherry wood table topped with elaborate fake flowers and outdated patterned carpet covered the remaining floors.
Uncomfortable wing chairs sat to either side of the lobby, a supposedly inviting place for guests to sit, but Lilith doubted they were ever used. This place didn’t seem busy enough to warrant a line. Like most hotels in this price range, it was all pre-fab stuff designed to appear opulent. The Clarion was as fake as Cohen’s many personalities.
Lilith tested out one of the wing chairs, which was as uncomfortable as it looked, while Cohen got the rooms. Chance hovered over his shoulder as if he didn’t trust the demon to handle it on his own. She overheard Chance prod Cohen into getting non-adjoining rooms that were still relatively close, with easy access to the main road. She couldn’t help but smile at his concern for privacy coupled with the best escape route.
Lilith’s thoughts fell back to the puzzling bodies in the morgue while she waited. The wounds just didn’t make sense. The lack of tool marks, the direct and challenging approach to taking the hearts, the missing and dislocated jaws. It seemed animalistic, instinctual, but it had a purpose. No. The “tool” was animalistic, but it was directed by an intelligent person with a purpose. It was the only scenario that made logic sense. Well at least some sort of sense. The only other possibility was misdirection. Confuse the real manner and purpose of the kill by excessive, incomprehensible violence.
Chance’s hand on her shoulder shook Lilith out of her thoughts. “The rooms are all set.” He passed her a keycard as she pulled herself out of the wing chair. “We’re in 105 and Cohen is in 107 on the front side of the hotel.”
Lilith nodded and tucked the keycard into her suit jacket pocket, still trying to shake off the million questions nagging at her about the two guys in the morgue. When Lilith looked up, Chance was staring at her expectantly. It was enough to confuse her. Had he asked her a question? “What?”
“You just seem a million miles away.”
“It’s the bodies from the alley. I’m still trying to figure out what happened to them. We can talk about it over dinner.” Lilith waved a dismissive hand and started for the door.
“Or…” Chance jogged up next to her with his natural, lean grace. “…And I’m just throwing out ideas here. We could have a nice, normal dinner and save the dead body details for after I’ve digested my food.” Lilith glanced at him and muffled a laugh. “Hey! Not everyone stares at dead bodies every night. I’m just suggesting some dinner before we dig into gruesome details. I mean if it’s confusing you this much the bodies had to be pretty damn rough.”
Lilith patted his shoulder and swung the door open for him. “Aww. Okay, we can save the gross, scary talk for later. You sure you’ll be able to sleep after? Wouldn’t want my body guard sleep deprived on top of having a sensitive tummy.” She turned around as she walked, one hand reaching out to pat his stomach with a smirk. “Maybe we should wait 'til morning, bright sunlight to keep away the monsters.”
Chance stopped in the doorway with a playful scowl on his face. Lilith could feel his humor but there were some small undercurrents that suggested that he resented her remark, just a little. “Smartass.” That was all he muttered as he moved through the door and headed for the car.
* * *
“Well that’s the last of the bags.” Lilith set her aluminum forensics case on the small pre-fab table by the window. “You sure you want me and Cohen to pick up some take-out? Why don’t all three of us go out to dinner? It’d definitely be nicer than being stuck with Cohen alone in a car.”
“Oh come on, Cher. You know you hate breaking up our arguments.” Chance flashed a Cheshire cat grin that always made Lilith want to either slap him or slap him and then kiss him. “Besides, I need to call Timothy and I’d rather not do that in front of Cohen. The less he knows about our lives the better.” Lilith sighed heavily and Chance just grinned, rubbing his hands over her shoulders. “Unless of course you’d rather call Timothy while I go with Cohen to get dinner.”
Lilith shook his hands off her shoulders playfully. “Yeah. You’d just kill each other and I’d have to solve all this myself. Still…I never thought I’d see the day that you actually encourage me to go somewhere, alone, with Cohen.” She may have had a humorous smile on her face, but there was a serious tone to her statement that Chance didn’t miss.
The real question hung in the air. She knew he didn’t trust Cohen. So why was he trusting him now, with her?
“I know what you’re thinking.” Chance slid his hand around her waist, his lips hovering just above hers. She could feel his breath against her skin and it immediately sent tingles down her spine. “I don’t trust Cohen, but I do trust that he needs you alive more than he needs me. He’ll do what it takes to keep you safe until he gets what he wants.” Chance brushed his lips against hers in the barest tease of a kiss that took her breath away.
“I’m sorry. You were saying something?” Lilith blinked and flashed a cheeky smile which brought a deep chuckle from Chance that tickled over her cheek. “Right, Cohen.” Lilith wrinkled her nose with a lopside
d frown and reluctantly pulled herself away from Chance and his enigmatic lips. “Okay, okay. Make your phone calls.” Her heavy sigh and slumped shoulders just made Chance laugh even harder.
“Ah, Cherie.” He reached for her but she danced just out of range.
“Nope. You call Timothy. I’ll go get us some dinner.” A sly cat grin slid across her lips as she slipped out of the hotel room. It still amazed her how Chance could magically distract her from all the dark things in her life.
Lilith lifted her eyes to the parking lot and spotted her ride. Cohen was leaning gracefully against the hood of his rental car, his arms folded over his chest, sandy blonde hair glinting in the setting sunlight. For a moment, he seemed like the friendly southern cop she’d first met. Unfortunately, she knew he was anything but that nice, charming cop.
Lilith walked right past Cohen with a frown. “Chinese take-out.” She abruptly got into the car without waiting for him to move or even respond. She could see the awkward tension in Cohen’s back as he pushed himself off the car and stalked to his door. Oh yeah. This was gonna be a ton of fun.
After a car ride filled with hostile, awkward silence, they finally made it to a small Chinese place in a non-descript strip mall. It looked like a million other Chinese take-out places with the cheap wallpapered tables and 80’s metal chairs covered in salmon pink and teal vinyl. Lilith looked over a paper menu while they waited in the surprisingly long line. Of course she already knew what she was ordering, but it kept her busy and if it encouraged Cohen not to talk to her, bonus.
Lilith suddenly became painfully aware that Cohen had inched closer and was now hovering right over her shoulder. With an exasperated look, she glanced back just enough to acknowledge he was there. “They have more menus on the counter, or you could just have this one if you don’t know what the hell you want.”
“ Look, I just wanted to say…” Cohen’s voice was a whisper that dripped with nervousness and sincerity. Of course, with Cohen you couldn’t trust anything. “I’m sorry about everything that’s happened. When I helped you in Tennessee I figured you’d just help me find the cipher. I didn’t know any of this would happen. I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”
Lilith turned on her heel to face Cohen with a less than happy look on her face. Cohen took a surprised step backward and seemed genuinely confused by her anger. “You really want to talk about this now? In public?”
The corner of his lip lifted on his almost handsome face and he ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair. “Approaching a volatile topic with you in public is a matter of personal safety. I figure you’re less likely to slug me in the face and more likely to listen to what I have to say.”
Lilith tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes. “Andrew, you always have a motive and that’s what I don’t trust. I don’t want an apology from you. I honestly don’t believe you would give one just because you feel bad. You only apologize if it gets you something. So can the heart to heart for now and just pick your dinner. We’re up next.”
Cohen’s face looked genuinely hurt and troubled, like she’d actually verbally wounded him. Lilith was really getting tired of his constant acting. It was infuriating and absolutely exhausting, mostly because she didn’t see why the hell he bothered.
Thankfully, Cohen kept his trap shut except to order some pepper chicken and fried rice. Of course all that changed when they got out to the car. “I know you don’t trust me. I get that, but I don’t have any motives for apologizing. If you don’t want to accept it, then fine. Have it your way.”
Cohen slid into the car and slammed his door. Well if the ride over was awkward, the ride back was going to be a million times worse. What the hell was with all these guys and their fragile little egos? It was worse than dealing with a couple anorexic beauty queens.
Hesitantly, Lilith got in the car and silently buckled her seatbelt. This wasn’t just hostile and awkward, it felt like knives. Lilith was starting to feel like a damn emotional babysitter. Why couldn’t they all just do their damn jobs?
“Look, we may need each other right now, but I have no idea why you keep trying to mend fences. We don’t need to like each other. We just need to trust each other to some extent. Now how the hell am I supposed to trust you, Cohen? You’re always a different person. Hell, even your eyes change color constantly. How the hell do you do that anyway?”
Cohen had the good grace to actually look surprised. “I’m not my family, Lilith. Yes, I’ve done some acting here and there, but all of it has been to benefit the greater good. I’m not as completely selfish as you think.”
Lilith leaned back into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. “We’ve already gone over this, Cohen. I don’t want to argue about your murky motives. I just want you to answer my question. You want me to trust you? Fine. This is where it starts.”
Cohen’s jaw set in a firm line, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. “You’re asking me to tell you more secrets that can get you killed, you realize that? Every bit of info I tell you about my kind is one more reason for Farren to kill you.”
“Don’t take the moral high ground now, Cohen. You know as well as I do that Farren already plans to kill us as soon as he has what he wants.”
“Point taken. You already know more than you should anyway, so what the hell.” He drew in a deep breath and beneath his irritation was something else. It took Lilith a minute to identify it because she never would have associated it with Cohen. Embarrassment. “Some of us are born with special gifts. The chanteur d'âme, or “siren” as you like to call her, is an extreme example. Most talents are more subtle and in cases such as mine, pretty useless.”
“So some of your kind can control a person’s mind with their voice and your super power is changing your eye color at will?” Lilith struggled to muffle an amused chuckle. She understood the embarrassment now. It sounded pretty ridiculous. “What’s Farren’s super-secret power?”
Cohen stared straight ahead and Lilith could feel the resentment and hatred pouring off of him. “The ability to continue living without a damn soul.” He took a breath and with his tone, Lilith couldn’t tell if he was serious or just being sarcastic. “Farren doesn’t share. I have no idea honestly.”
“It’s not at will, by the way.” Cohen continued once he had a handle on his deep loathing. “It just happens. My eye color changes to match the desire of the person I’m talking to. It’s more of an instinctual reaction than a conscious manipulation. My hair does the same thing to a certain extent. It’s just not as extreme. It’s an impulse that theoretically makes it easier for me to feed by showing people what they most want to see.”
Lilith looked him over skeptically. “So you have no control over it?”
“None whatsoever. It’s more of an annoyance to me than an advantage.”
“I get how it may not be especially useful, but how could it be an annoyance?”
“Well, first there are the questions.” He looked pointedly at Lilith. “Then there is the fact that people don’t always want to admit what they really want.”
“What do you mean? It’s just an eye color.”
Cohen glanced over at her with a hard look. “Is it? And what did you see before Luminita arrived that freaked you out so much? It was Gregor’s eye color wasn’t it?”
Lilith swallowed down fresh anger. Just hearing Cohen say his name made her blood boil, but he wasn’t wrong.
“I’m not trying to poke at wounds, Lilith. Honestly, I would never have deliberately chosen to show you that. It’s cruel. But right in that moment, his eyes were what you wanted most to see. There are plenty of things you can still be angry at me for, but not that. I know how it feels to lose people you’re close to.”
There was nothing but genuine sorrow in his voice and for once, Lilith couldn’t bring herself to question his sincerity. There were a million unsaid things hanging in the air that truly made Lilith realize that she knew nothing about Cohen and his real life. The momen
t stretched out in an odd silence while she tried to figure out just what to say. “I get it, Andrew. We need to work together to get out of this mess, assuming there is a way out. None of this is easy…but for now, I accept…”
The night exploded in screeching metal and shattering glass as the whole car lurched violently sideways, tires squealing. The car was filled with screams, her screams, as Lilith’s stomach twisted in fear. Her head slammed against the window frame and everything went black.
Chapter 12
Seconds later, Lilith struggled to open her eyes to the sound of a blaring horn. Her head throbbed like a raging bull was kicking against the inside of her skull. Her slender fingers reached up shakily, the tips feeling along the right side of her head until she winced. She stared blankly at the blood covering her fingers as her mind tried to figure out what the hell just happened.
Painfully, Lilith slowly turned her head to the other side of car. Cohen was slumped over the steering wheel, blood trickling from his swollen nose. That explained the blaring horn. She was suddenly aware of a stabbing pain in her right arm. She looked down in confusion to see the entire passenger side door crumpled in against her. That’s when she saw the black SUV that had T-boned them in the intersection. Of course it was a black SUV. What else would bad guys drive? There was no way this was a simple accident. What was next? Swat style henchmen pouring out of the vehicle with semi-automatic assault rifles?
Lilith blinked, trying to clear her blurry vision as the doors of the SUV swung open, all four doors. She could have sworn it was a concussion-induced hallucination when four men, dressed all in black complete with ski masks, stumbled out of the car carrying semi-auto assault rifles. It couldn’t be real. Nothing like this happened outside of cheesy Hollywood movies. She shook her head, trying to get the images out of her head, which was a huge mistake. Her head lit up with dizzying pain leaving her gasping. She had to fight just to stay conscious.