Charade (Heven & Hell)

by Cambria Hebert

  There was still anger in Sam’s eyes, but he was gentle as he used the hem of his T-shirt to wipe away the blood. To my embarrassment, tears sprang into my eyes.

  “It’s all right,” Sam murmured, tucking the hair behind my ear. His anger seemed to lessen as he studied me. I’m sorry I was late. His voice vibrated through my head and soothed away some of my anxiety.

  “What’s the deal with that Cole guy?” Logan asked over my shoulder.

  Just like that, the angry glint was back in Sam’s eyes.

  “Nothing, he’s just a friend,” I hurried to say. Couldn’t Logan tell Sam was upset enough already?

  “He doesn’t look at you like a friend.”

  A quiet growl vibrated Sam’s chest and I turned to give Logan a look of disapproval. I swear he smirked without moving his face. I wished, not for the first time, that I could see his aura. But, since he was a hellhound, just like Sam, I couldn’t and I was left to wonder what exactly was going on in his head.

  I didn’t much like the feeling.

  It was a little startling to realize that I have actually grown accustomed to my ‘supernatural’ ability of seeing auras. Somehow, without realizing it, knowing exactly what someone was feeling became a normal thing for me.

  Sam lightly touched my cheek with his thumb and frowned. “Does it hurt?”

  I shook my head and looked down at my lap. Unfortunately, another normal for me lately was being weak while Sam twisted himself inside out to protect me. I was strong, but fighting off demons with super-human strength was something that I still wasn’t able to do.

  What happened? Sam asked.

  I looked over at Logan. “How about some pizza tonight?”

  “Cool,” he said giving me a real smile. I smiled back, taking advantage of a moment to hopefully get a little closer to him. Maybe if he began to like me, he wouldn’t see me as a threat to his relationship with Sam and he would give trying to get between us a rest.

  When we arrived at the pizza place, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the tips I made that day and handed it all to Logan. “Get whatever you want, okay?”

  “Thanks, Heven,” Logan said, opening up the truck door and jumping out. Sam and I watched as he ran across the parking lot toward the pizza place. As soon as he disappeared inside the door, Sam turned to me.

  “So that demon just walked in?”

  I nodded. “I walked into the break room to get my bag, and when I came out, it was standing in the center of the room.”

  “Why didn’t you run?”

  “It was standing between me and the door. I tried to get around it, but…” I shook my head and a muscle ticked in the side of Sam’s jaw.

  “How did Cole get involved?”

  “He came in earlier to get some ice cream with his mom and she wasn’t very nice to me,”

  “What do you mean, she wasn’t nice to you?” His eyes narrowed. “You said she hates you.”

  “She does. The intensity of her aura practically attacked me. At first, she was nice, until Cole told her my name. Then everything about her changed; it’s like she couldn’t stand the sight of me.”

  “You’ve never met her before?”

  “No.”

  Sam seemed to find this surprising.

  I sighed. “Cole and I are friends, Sam. That’s it.”

  Energy seemed to drain right out of him before my eyes. “I believe you,” he said, reaching out and bringing me closer. I rested my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes. “What else?” he prompted softly.

  “His mother made some lame excuse about getting something from the bakery next door and ran out. He went after her. I guess he was coming back to apologize for her weird behavior, but when he walked in that demon was there… he was only trying to protect me.”

  He snorted. “Well I guess he did give that demon someone else to beat up on until I got there. He might be good for something after all.”

  I smacked him in the ribs. “Not funny.”

  “You know you can’t tell Cole what’s going on.”

  “He’s going to want to know.”

  Sam pulled me back to stare down into my eyes. “I don’t think Cole should get involved, Hev. Please.”

  I nodded, a little lost in his whiskey-colored eyes. He covered my lips with his and I automatically opened further to allow his tongue to sweep inside. We shared too few moments like this lately. During the past two weeks, all we have had time for was settling Sam in his new efficiency apartment, work and, of course, settling Logan into Sam’s life. The latter took a lot of effort. Not to mention that every time we turned around, another creepy demon was trying to kill me.

  I’ve missed you, I whispered through Sam’s mind. I refused to say the words out loud because I needed the contact of our lips.

  Me too.

  Too soon, Logan was getting back in the truck and Sam was pulling away. I tried not to pout as Sam steered the truck in the direction of his apartment. I don’t think I was successful because Sam hooked and arm around my waist and slid me over so that we were pressed side to side. You and me, time alone… tonight.

  “I got your favorite toppings, Sam,” Logan said.

  “Thanks, bro.”

  “I walked over to the Red Box while you were at work and I rented us an action movie for tonight,” Logan said enthusiastically.

  I suppressed the urge to groan. Seems our party of two just turned into a party of three.

  * * *

  Half way through the movie, my cell rang. I jumped up from my seat on the sofa and hurried to dig the phone out of my bag. “Hello?” I kept my voice low, so as not to disturb the boys and walked into only separate room in Sam’s apartment—the bathroom.

  “What happened today with Cole?” Kimber demanded as I shut the door behind me.

  My stomach clenched. Could Cole have told her what happened with the demon earlier? Trying to come up with an explanation for them both would not be easy. Kimber would never let this go. “What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

  “He told me that he was too tired to come shopping with me, but then he went out for ice cream, for the second time today.”

  I sighed. “He just brought his mom in for some.”

  “He brought Christine in for ice cream?” Her voice took on a high-pitched tone and I winced. Had she not known that his mother was with him? “You met Christine?”

  Clearly, Kimber was on a first-name basis with Cole’s mother. I don’t know why, but it bothered me. I told myself that of course she would be, she’s been dating Cole for years and it’s only natural that she would know his mother.

  “Heven,” Kimber demanded, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  I sat down on the edge of the toilet seat. “Yeah, I met her. She didn’t like me.”

  This gave Kimber a reason to pause. “What do you mean?”

  “As soon as Cole told her my name, the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

  “Really? Christine is always so nice to me.” Was that satisfaction I heard in her voice?

  “Do you see her often?” It made me uncomfortable to ask. A lot of things with Kimber lately have felt awkward.

  “Sure. I had lunch with her last week.” There was definite smugness in her tone.

  I didn’t like it. I kept my voice nonchalant when I said, “I have to go. We’re watching a movie.”

  “Wait. You didn’t tell me what happened with Cole.”

  “I just did.”

  “Then why is he acting all weird?”

  “Weird how?”

  “Distracted, quiet— he keeps staring at his phone like he wants it to ring.”

  In other words, he wasn’t giving her his undivided attention. And, he was expecting me to call him. “I really need to go,”

  “Fine.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  She hung up without another word.

  I sat there staring down at the little wh
ite octagon tile that just a week ago I scrubbed and bleached within an inch of its life. It looked lots better. I got up from the toilet seat and opened the door. Sam filled the doorway. Without a word, I leaned into him, sinking into his warmth and strength.

  “Do you understand why I want to keep the scroll now?” His words erased some of the comfort I felt in his arms.

  I pulled back to look up into his eyes. “The scroll isn’t your responsibility.”

  “You are and having this thing puts you in repeated danger. I’m taking it from you and hopefully taking some of the danger with it.” As he spoke he crossed his arms across his chest like he was laying down the law.

  I didn’t much care for his attitude. “You need to give it back to me.” I refused to show how desperate I felt.

  He shook his head and started to turn away. I caught his hand and yanked him back. I kept my voice low to say, “I don’t want you to have it, Sam. You having this puts you in danger. I can’t bear the thought. If anything happened to you…” My voice trailed off as my eyes filled. I didn’t even have to pretend because the thought of him being hurt made me crazy.

  His fingers tightened around mine. “I understand. I do, but I can’t stand watching demons come after you.”

  “I can hold on to it for both of you,” Logan said from behind us.

  Sam spun to face Logan and I looked around him to see Logan staring at the scroll.

  “No!” I blurted. Sam looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I flushed and looked away. I didn’t want Sam to figure out that one of the reasons that he just couldn’t keep the scroll was because the thought of Logan around it made my skin crawl. “It would be dangerous,” I said, still not meeting Sam’s gaze.

  “I agree,” Sam said. My head snapped up in time to catch Logan frown.

  “You mean you don’t trust me with it?”

  “It’s not that. It’s just that I can’t worry about you and Heven all day long.”

  Logan bristled, his thin chest puffing out. “I am a hellhound too, remember? You keep telling me to act like one—to accept it. Maybe holding onto that would give me a reason to be closer to that side of me.” Sam nodded which thrilled Logan, so he said, “Plus, no one would expect me to have it, so it would be safe.”

  “You make a good case, bud,” Sam said, thoughtfully.

  He couldn’t give the scroll to Logan. I wasn’t sure why it bothered me so much, but I really didn’t want to find out. “That’s really sweet of you, Logan, but I would hate myself if something happened to you because of this.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Logan said and I caught a glimpse of the darkness in him that I sometimes saw. I looked up at Sam to see if he finally noticed, but he was busy glaring at me.

  “I’ll hide it,” I blurted.

  “What?” Sam’s glare softened.

  “I agree that I shouldn’t carry it around with me anymore. You’re right; it’s just too risky.”

  “Finally,” Sam muttered.

  “But, I don’t think anyone else should carry it around, either. It just isn’t safe, so I’ll hide it.”

  Sam nodded. “It could work.”

  “It will work,” I said, hope seizing me. This way I could keep it away from Logan, and they would be safe.

  “Where are you going to hide it?” Logan asked. Why was he so interested in the scroll all of a sudden?

  “I’m not sure,” I said, glad it was the truth so I didn’t have to lie.

  “We’ll figure it out,” Sam said, pulling me out of the bathroom, toward the couch.

  Just as we sat down my phone rang again. I glanced at the screen to see who it was and my stomach dropped to my knees. It was Cole. I knew he had to be going crazy, wondering what was going on. I grasped the phone tightly, considering what would happen if I answered it.

  “Don’t,” Sam murmured, his lips brushing my ear.

  I looked up and his face was so near mine. His eyes were tawny and pleading. How could I defy that look? I couldn’t. I wouldn’t risk another argument or a feeling of hurt between us today so I hit the ignore button on my phone. Tension seemed to melt from Sam’s shoulders and he lifted me from the cushions next to him and settled me on his lap, cuddling me close. Logan made a rude noise, but Sam ignored him and brushed a kiss along my forehead.

  Thank you. His voice was just as deep and delicious floating through my mind as it was when he spoke out loud. I kissed the underside of his jaw before settling my head in the crook of his neck and shutting my eyes.

  It was almost enough.

  Still, I couldn’t forget the fact that someday soon, Cole would confront me and I was going to have to make a choice: defy Sam and tell the truth or lie and drive away someone I cared about more than I probably should.

  Chapter Four

  Heven

  Clink, clink, clink. Tap, Tap, Tap.

  The light sounds startled me in the quiet of the house and I jumped. Warily, I glanced over at the window. Something was hitting the panes, making them tremble in the night.

  A few disturbing thoughts went through my head with startling force.

  I was alone.

  Sam wouldn’t make sounds at the window; he would let himself in.

  The window was unlocked.

  Clink, clink, clink.

  I swallowed the fear lodged in my throat and climbed out of bed, taking with me the heavy flashlight I had been using to read. I told myself it wasn’t a demon. What demon knocks before attacking? I looked over my shoulder at the clock; it was just after eleven. Not awfully late, but not early either.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  I took a breath, slid the window up and peered out into the night, clutching the flashlight like a bat. I expected some growling demon to burst into my room. I did not expect to hear my name being called from the ground.

  “Heven?”

  The voice was very familiar, but different somehow and it gave me pause. This was a trick. A trick from a smart demon, it wanted me to come out so it could attack. Still, I said, “Hello?”

  “It’s me. Can you come down?”

  “Cole?” I asked, shining the light down into the yard. It bounced off his face and he cringed.

  “Geez, Hev, are you trying to blind me?”

  I couldn’t stop the smile. But then I frowned at the way he slurred his words. “Are you drunk?” I demanded.

  “I had a few,” he mumbled. “Are you coming down or what?”

  I debated, still wondering if it was a trick. I looked down at his aura, the colors still visible in the dark. It was the same as always, the same magenta color that no one else had. He couldn’t fake that. The way his aura pulsed and waved told me that he had more than a few drinks.

  “Did you drive here?” I hissed.

  He made a noise. “Fine, if you won’t come down, I’ll come up.” He stumbled toward the side of the house, crashing into something in the yard. “Owww!” He howled.

  I winced. “I’m coming down. Meet me on the porch.” I hurried to close the window and snagged a plush blanket off the bed before quietly making my way downstairs into the kitchen. Briefly, I thought about sending Sam a thought, telling him that Cole was here. I knew that he would drop what he was doing with Logan and come right over because he didn’t like Cole, and because he sensed that there might be more between us than friendship. Ashamed, I brushed the thought away as quickly as it came. I wouldn’t manipulate him that way. I wouldn’t use his feelings against him just to get his attention.

  Even if I sometimes wanted to.

  There were a few nights that Sam spent with Logan, but mostly he slept here, even if he didn’t arrive until very late. I hadn’t heard that he was staying at his place so I knew that he would be here soon. The thought gave me pause. I’d better get Cole out of here before Sam arrived and found us both together with me in my PJs.

  It wouldn’t be good.

  I switched on the porch light and opened the door. Cole was there, lounging against the frame, a drunk but very
cute smile on his lips. “Hey.”

  “What are you doing here?” I scowled.

  He pushed away from the door and came in, his arms brushing mine as he walked into the kitchen. He bumped into a chair and swore.

  “Shhh!” I insisted and switched on the small light over the sink, hoping it would be enough for his drunkenness to see.

  He laughed and turned the chair around and sat down in it backward, resting his arms on the back. He looked rumpled with his shirt half tucked in. There was a hole in his jeans at the knee, and one of his shoes was untied. His face was flushed and his eyes were bright, but bloodshot, and I could smell beer on his breath.

  “You’re a mess.” I sighed and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, pulling it closed. Then I bent and tied his shoe lace, double knotting them both for good measure.

  “Thanks,” he said, his voice only slightly slurred.

  Still bent low at his shoe, I looked up. His face was just above mine and I could see all the different blues that made up the color of his eyes. He reached down and swept my hair out of my face. I pulled back and stood. “What are you doing here, Cole?”

  “You didn’t answer my calls.”

  “Do you want some water?” I avoided his questioning stare and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. To my surprise the distraction worked. He took the water, gulping it down.

  “What’s going on with you?” I asked. Getting drunk and showing up at my house was something he had never done before. In fact, he’d never been here at all. Aside from the fact that he walked in on something freaky including me, an ice cream shop and a demon and got no explanation, things seemed a little… different… with him anyway.

  He sighed and sat the water aside. “I don’t know.”

  “How are things with you and Kimber?” Given the phone call I got from Kimber and all the jealousy she carried with her, I knew they couldn’t be great.

  “I don’t love her anymore.” Cole said matter of fact. It startled me and I looked up sharply.

  “You don’t?”

  He shook his head. “Haven’t since we broke up that last time when she used Sam to get back at me for kissing Jenna.”