by Smith, H. D.
Past tense.
I forced back tears, refusing to cry. He didn’t fit in with the other demons, but I was the only one who thought that. Everyone else would see the real him. I wondered which demon traits he possessed. Would he resemble my Jack, or would his features appear too angular and intense? His veil was unnaturally strong, which was probably courtesy of The Boss. One of the girls moved back to walk beside him, draping her arm over his shoulders and whispering something into his ear.
“That bitch,” I grumbled under my breath. I took a step forward, then stopped when he smiled. It was his awkward smile. The one he had when someone said something that embarrassed him.
His veil flickered. Changing my mind, I dropped my gaze. I didn’t want to see the real Jack. I wanted my Jack.
I wanted to confront him. Ask him why he did it. I wanted to know if he cared at all, but I already knew the answer. I just didn’t want to admit it.
I waited for their voices to fade away, then I searched for him again. The same girl was standing beside him. He shrugged and her arm fell from around him. She moved over to another demon and draped her arm around him. Jack was walking alone now, with the group, but not close to anyone.
He came home early, the voice whispered.
Yeah, because the fight was canceled.
He came home before the fight started.
I recalled Saturday night. He’d come home with a movie we planned to rent and a tub of my favorite ice cream. That was the night he’d been different. He said he loved me, which he’d done before, but this time it felt different. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew he meant it. More tears ran down my cheek.
Thinking of that night brought back a flood of emotion. This wasn’t just a job for him. Maybe in the beginning, but not now. He wanted to be with me. I wasn’t wrong about that, and nothing Mace said would convince me otherwise.
I wanted to run to Jack, to go home with him, to be with him, but I couldn’t.
The me of that perfect night was already at home. I couldn’t change that without changing everything. I had to save Junior if I wanted any part of that life back. If I didn’t save him, that life was over.
I glanced at the watch, which was still pointing toward the hotel. The path was now clear. In the distance, I could still hear the druids chanting, “Densmore! Densmore!”
I lost sight of Jack as he headed away from the arena. He was going home. My heart wanted to follow him, but my head was going to win this round.
I had to save Junior—and myself—first.
Seventeen
The crowded lobby of the hotel did nothing to conceal me. In my plain-Jane clothing, I stuck out in a room full of designer clothes and elaborate up-dos. I moved behind a large potted plant when I spotted Jenny from the office.
She was one of those spreading rumors about Junior and me.
They’re not rumors if they’re true, the voice said.
I ignored the voice, my subconscious or whatever this thing was in my head. It was starting to get on my nerves.
Only because you know I’m right.
Why all of a sudden are you chatty Kathy? I knew I would regret casting that spell.
I rolled my eyes when the voice didn’t respond. Shouldn’t my subconscious be on my side?
I needed a way up to the top floor and wasn’t sure how I would get there without being seen. There was only one elevator, and two of Junior’s bodyguards guarded it.
Jenny moved away from a group of people I didn’t recognize and walked up to Junior’s guards. She flipped her hair and smiled. They ignored her. Chewing on her bottom lip, she nervously glanced at the waiting group.
She pursed her lips and balled her hands into fists. Turning back to the guards, she reached forward with one hand, but jerked it back quickly when the guard on the right snarled at her.
The train wreck that was the finance admin’s attempt to get access to Junior’s floor might be fun to watch if I had nothing better to do, but I needed to find Junior.
I checked the watch. It was pointing toward the restaurant, not the elevators. Considering my clothes, I didn’t think I’d have much luck making it to the kitchen to find a service elevator.
His guards might believe I was on official business. Then again, Junior hated his father. I’m sure the guards had a standing order to deny me just to piss off The Boss. Plus Jenny was still trying to get access. If I went to them now, she’d see me.
The kitchen was my only option. Maybe the hotel staff would be too busy to care. I waited a minute for Jenny to skulk back to her friends then I leaped out from behind the potted plant as a large figure blocked my path. I gasped as he clutched my elbow and yanked me forward for a kiss.
Unlike Mace’s kiss, Junior’s technique was more akin to complete suffocation. I was smothered as he eagerly plundered my mouth with his tongue.
I gasped again from lack of breath when he let go.
Junior said something I couldn’t understand. He snaked his hand through my hair and planted another kiss on my lips. I pushed against his chest. He was holding on so tight I couldn’t move. He started to say something else.
“English,” I said, breathless from the kiss and the bear hug.
“I didn’t think you were coming. You said you couldn’t come.” He playfully tugged on my hair with his free hand.
“I need to talk to you,” I said.
“We can talk when we get upstairs.” He stared down at my outfit. “You need something better to wear.” He said something in Demon to one of his boys.
Junior spun me around and draped his arm over my shoulders—trapping me at his side. Jenny’s mouth hung open as we walked past her. I could already see the glee in her eyes at the story she would get to tell on Monday—only now I knew it was true. She was probably tweeting what she’d seen right now.
By the time the elevator doors finally popped open, the walls had closed in on me, and I couldn’t wait to get out. Junior hurried us into his suite. The others headed toward another.
Junior wore his tux—all except the tie. The top button of his white shirt was undone, giving him a dangerously sexy vibe. The fabric was so lush and rich it hugged his body perfectly. Clearly not a rental.
I didn’t want to be alone with him. I drifted away once we were inside the posh suite. As if he didn’t want to let go, he kept his hands lightly touching me.
I quickly scurried over to the bar. “Do you want a drink?”
“Sure,” he said, smiling.
“What would you like?”
“The usual.”
Great, I had no idea what his usual was. I scanned the selection. The bar was completely stocked. I was about to ask when I discovered that only one bottle had been opened. I lifted the Macallan 1926 scotch and poured him a drink.
He took the drink with one hand and clasped my wrist with the other. He lowered us to the sofa, discarding his drink on the table. His icy vermillion eyes bored into mine. When I shifted to rise, he stopped me. His hands were all over me. He leaned in for another kiss.
I put my hand on his chest. “I need to talk to you,” I said, holding him at arm’s length. “The quads are trying to kill you.”
He straightened his elbows, levering off me. He pinched my chin between his index finger and thumb. Giving my head a playful shake. “I know. I’m taking care of it.” His thumb stroked my bottom lip as he licked his.
“No, you don’t understand,” I said, drawing his eyes back to mine. “They’re out of your trap. They’re here tonight to kill you.”
His lip quirked, then he smiled. “That’s impossible.”
“No, it’s the—”
His lips were pressed against mine before I could argue. I turned my head away. Undeterred, he began kissing across my jaw and down my neck. My body relaxed, letting his weight settle against me. I gasped when his hand found the hem of my shirt, and his fingers slid under to touch bare skin.
Clearly “boyfriend Junior” was in the mood. I tried not to t
ense. I needed him to hear me.
“I’m serious, you need to listen. Trapping them was maybe not your best plan.”
“You were fine with it last week,” he said, continuing his sensual exploration of my neck.
Yeah, last week I was probably leading you around by your— “Oh, no, not yet,” I said, pushing his hands away from my pants. “I promise you, they’re out and coming after you.”
Chuckling he brushed my hand away. Panicking I pushed against his big chest. The strong, powerful demon on top of me wasn’t going to move. My vision faded as he loomed over me.
~ * ~
I woke up naked on the bathroom floor.
What happened?
The voice was silent. I picked myself off the floor, wincing as pain shot through my hip. The floor was covered in water. The capri pants and tank top were lying crumpled and soaked on the floor.
Junior, the voice whispered.
I remembered being in the sitting room with him. His hands were all over me. I rubbed my stomach where he’d touched me. In the blink of an eye, two images flashed in my mind. The first was of Junior and me on the couch in the living room, which I sort of remembered. In the picture, he was on top of me, kissing me. Not exactly the way I remembered it. The second was Death. His golden eyes were haunted, his face pale.
Dizziness swarmed me. I closed my eyes and clutched the sink so I didn’t fall.
The voice was quiet again. Why couldn’t I remember?
I gently pressed the knot on the back of my head. My feet were wet. I touched my hip, which was sore. There was a red mark. Had I slipped?
I remembered coming up in the elevator. I told Junior about the quads, but he didn’t believe me. That was it. I woke up in the bathroom with a pounding head and, checking my watch, at least thirty minutes of missing time. Did I pass out after slipping on the water? I touched the back of my head again. I didn’t feel any blood. What happened, damnit?
I jumped from a knock at the door. “What’s taking so long?” Junior asked.
“Shower,” I said, breathless.
“Hurry.”
I took a shower, hoping it would help clear my head. It didn’t. The images were my only memory of the last half hour, and I didn’t like what they were showing me. I’d kissed Junior—had I done more? Why had Death looked so sad?
There was a dress waiting for me on the bed. It was beautiful, although royal blue wasn’t my best color. I was so tired. I wanted to crawl into the bed, not into the dress. My soaked clothing was another mystery from the missing half hour, which made the dress my only option.
I was halfway into the dress when the hotel phone startled me. I lifted the corner of the comforter and found the phone flashing. Junior picked it up from the other room. I waited for him to hang up, then picked up the receiver.
I dialed the office first, but no one answered. Then I punched in The Boss’s mobile. I wasn’t supposed to call it, but this was definitely an emergency. He didn’t answer that one either. I was about to leave a voicemail when a demon girl from Junior’s entourage came in—without knocking. I hung up the phone without leaving a message.
I yanked the dress up, covering my nakedness. She didn’t seem to care.
She was tiny, almost a foot shorter than me in her four-inch platform heels, which meant she probably topped out at four foot five in bare feet. Her white-blonde hair was unusual for a demon. She sneered, giving me a once over and obviously finding me lacking. “Good, you’re able to dress yourself.” She dropped a shoebox on the bed, then turned on her heel to leave.
“Hey,” I said quickly.
She sighed, turning to face me.
“Have you seen any of the quads tonight?”
She narrowed her eyes skeptically. “Why?”
“I have a message for Cinnamon. Have you seen them? Or The Boss?”
“You know as well as anyone that he never comes to Fight Night.”
“Can you get a message to him?”
She glared at me for a second, mouth closed. Then regaining her voice, and her indignant attitude, she snapped, “You’re his assistant.” As if I actually wanted the job.
“Right.” She wasn’t going to be any help, but I didn’t want her to leave me alone with Junior. “Who do you think will win?”
“Wagner, of course.”
I snorted. Obviously.
Her eyebrows rose. “Wagner’s undefeated.”
I started to say, he won’t win tonight, when my throat tightened, cutting off my words.
Her eyes widened. Taking my false start as something more than it was, she whispered in a conspiratorial tone, “Is it fixed?”
I wanted to say no, but I couldn’t. The fight was fixed. I knew it from the future. Shit. I couldn’t even move my head. She decided that meant the fight was fixed. She rushed out of the room before I could stop her.
Great. Johnny was right. I had just started the biggest betting debacle in Underworld history. Everything I thought I had nothing to do with: Jenny’s rumor, the bets, had actually been caused by me. All those events were happening again.
I thought about Junior. He hadn’t died at the fight. Maybe I could save him now, but maybe that was because I was supposed to—only to have him die later at the company. I considered the phone again. I could call Quaid. He would have to pick up.
I reached for the receiver just as Junior opened the door.
“It’s time to go,” he said, leaning against the doorjamb.
I took my hand off the phone. Raising the lid off the shoe box, I found the highest most absurd platform high heels imaginable. They put Blondie’s four-inch skyscrapers to shame.
I wasn’t going to be able to walk in these, much less run if I needed to. I glanced down. My sneakers were lying on the floor by the bed. Thankfully, not wet in the bathroom.
“I’ll be right out,” I said.
Junior’s eyes dimmed. His mouth fell into a flat line.
“I need to put on my shoes. I’ll be right there.”
He sighed, returning to the sitting room. “It’s taking you long enough. I’d like to get there tonight,” he called back over his shoulder.
I tossed the heels aside and slipped on my completely inappropriate running shoes. I concentrated on the watch and whispered, “Don’t let Junior notice the shoes.”
Junior wrapped his strong arms around me when I joined him. Again, I was smothered and trapped by his large embrace. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed into my ear, placing soft kisses on my neck.
I was shaking.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“No.” I’m nervous and don’t want to be alone with you. “You need to watch out for the quads,” I said, trying again to get him to acknowledge the danger.
Hugging me close, he softly patted the back of my head, unintentionally sending a twinge of pain through it. “Stop worrying about the quads. They’re in no condition to hurt me.”
“You’re wrong,” I whispered. “They’re free.”
He tensed, but not out of fear. He twined his hand in my hair and tugged my head back. “I said not to worry about it.”
I pressed my lips together in a tight smile. “Okay, I’m sorry,” I said, coaxing his hand down, away from my hair and the sore knot on my head. “Let’s go.”
The arena was packed and loud with the drone of excited voices. We walked in on the middle tier and headed toward the main floor. There were two other decks above us full of fight fans.
I was anxious about where the quads were and from sensing so many veils in one place. Underworld was usually a veil-free zone, but it had become common practice on Fight Night, the one night demons, pagans, and druids would bring their human pets downtown. Most of the humans appeared dazed. They wouldn’t remember much of what they saw, but in recent years, bringing a human had become quite popular, so almost everyone did it.
The butterflies in my stomach were even more noticeable tonight. The number of veils was staggering, but sensing the veils
had become more automatic since my visit to Purgatory, which had actually diminished the antsy feeling from sensing them one at a time.
The fight usually drew a crowd, but this year it was the hottest ticket. There hadn’t been a druid-demon match in over a hundred years. The elite were all dressed to the nines. At least that meant I didn’t stick out in my royal blue party dress. I spotted a few wandering gazes checking out my shoes. Luckily, Junior wasn’t one of them.
I kept my eyes open for the quads. Unfortunately, more than one of the bookies taking bets noticed me. I overheard several betters put money on Wagner not to win. Junior’s groupie had certainly been busy.
Security was everywhere. They had a “take no prisoners” attitude. Action was swift and immediate when anyone got out of line. More than one drunken fan was pulled aside. It seemed impossible that any type of disturbance would get out of hand with these guys around, but something was going to happen. I just didn’t know what it was, or when it would. I continued scanning the crowd and spotted a few people from the office, but they didn’t see me.
Junior was keeping me close, but I felt more like a hostage than a girlfriend. Our seats were dead center on the front row of what I assumed was the best side, AKA sitting ducks. I continued to scan the crowds. I started to step away when I caught a glimpse of Quaid.
Junior dragged me down into the seat beside him. He gripped the back of my neck and gave me a light squeeze. “Eyes on me—not other guys.”
“It’s just Quaid,” I said quickly.
“I don’t fucking care. You’re here with me,” he growled.
Jealous much? I smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I’m here with you.”
He smiled and kissed me for real. I wanted away from him, especially now that he was being alpha-male asshole in possessive, controlling mode, but he didn’t know the danger he was in. I couldn’t just leave him here to be picked off by Mace.
I got a break from his attention when the demon behind me spilled half of his drink down my back. Junior’s eyes flashed red. He shoved the guy back into his seat. “Sit down,” he ordered.