by Trina M. Lee
“Can’t say I don’t want to, but I think I’m gonna head home.” He lingered out in the hallway. “Call me if you need anything. Otherwise, party at my place tomorrow night. It’s Greyson’s birthday so you can’t miss it.”
I realized right away that not only had he shown up for me earlier, as Jett pointed out, but he was now giving me space. Had Arrow always been so intuitive? Maybe I didn’t give him enough credit.
On the surface he might be a drug dealing, womanizing, egomaniac, but I’d seen beyond that. To something deeper. It didn’t excuse his shortcomings. However, it proved they didn’t define all that he was.
“I’ll be there,” I promised. “Stay safe out there.”
“Don’t worry about me, angel girl. I doubt I register on anybody’s radar these days. Have a good night.” He sauntered down the hall like he didn’t have a care in the world.
I allowed myself to gaze after him as he went. When I retreated into my apartment Cinder was sitting at the kitchen table. He didn’t look happy.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Cinder had not been pissed at me but at the events of his evening and the worry from finding my apartment empty. Together we shared a late-night cup of coffee, and I listened attentively while he told me all he’d been dealing with.
Apparently Serene had managed to track Wren down and take him by surprise. It had not gone over well for Serene though, seeing as he’d gotten his ass royally kicked by the demon. Wren proved to be a worthy foe, although he relied heavily on the dagger, Ruthless, able and willing to outwit and outplay everyone else.
Getting that damn dagger away from him, that was what it all came down to. Nothing else mattered as long as he had it.
The demon had been leaving little gifts for Cinder, pieces of his victims and trophies he’d swiped from their bodies. There was no telling how long Wren planned to drag all this out before he reached his most dramatic point and finally came for me.
Cinder hadn’t given me shit for being out after dark, but I’d apologized anyway. He knew it wasn’t realistic for me to stay in constant hiding, although I’m sure he’d have preferred it. I promised him that, while I still had to live my life, I would be careful and that I would not go down without one hell of a fight.
After a restless sleep I spent some time attempting to work on my latest graphic design job. It was difficult to focus. My mind kept straying back to the look in Cinder’s violet eyes. Tortured. Haunted. So much regret. For some reason my dear friend was blaming himself even though none of it was his fault. He bore the weight of a burden that was not his to carry, and I longed so badly to free him of it.
With some veggies in hand, I padded over to Seth’s terrarium. The cute little tortoise eyed me eagerly, as I dropped the food in for him.
Then something on the balcony caught my eye. Upon closer examination from inside the living room, I discovered a pentagram painted on the back wall of the balcony in what was obviously blood.
That motherfucking demon.
The initial shock shook me, and adrenaline crashed through my veins. Although it was daylight, a part of me was afraid to go out and inspect it closer. But seeing as the damn thing was clearly visible from the street, I had no choice but to get rid of it immediately. Armed with a bucket of hot soapy water and a spray bottle of bleach, I slipped out onto the balcony. Every time a car drove by or pulled up in front, I cringed. There was no doubt that it was indeed real blood, but I hoped terribly that it was not human. Somehow I doubted that it was anything but.
By the time I’d finished I was near tears. Frustration and fear battled for dominance. It had just been a few days, but already I’d been driven as far as I felt I could go. In no time Wren would drive both Cinder and me insane. Which seemed to be exactly what he wanted.
Misery loves company. Apparently, so does insanity.
Releasing some angry tears didn’t make me feel better, but it did reduce the swell of pressure in my chest. Deep breaths. I could face this. I had to.
A text from Jett nagged me about the party at Arrow’s later that night. I promised to meet her at Spirit.
You better, came her reply. I had the worst sleep ever. Some really fucked up nightmares. Gruesome shit.
In response I sent her a photo I’d taken of the bloody pentagram before washing it away. Her reply was filled with expletives. Had Wren somehow gotten in her head, instigating those dreams? It certainly wasn’t unheard of. Rowen himself could walk in the dreams of others. I could imagine how much worse it would be if a demon could do it.
So much for only my ass being on the line. Wren had begun to target my friends, Cinder’s so-called dream team. That was no coincidence. I wondered how the guys had fared through the night.
As I did my hair and makeup, I noticed the dark shadows beneath my eyes. A little concealer and they vanished. Yet their cause did not. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the night might not be the carefree gathering we all planned.
A few hours later and I pulled up at The Spirit Room. My stomach grumbled its irritation at not being properly fed. I’d tried and failed to eat. Overwhelming stress left me feeling too ill.
One new ability I hadn’t played with much was the ability to glamour. Now might be a good time to find out how well it worked on demons. If Koda was around, I could use him as a test subject. Before exiting the car I closed my eyes and focused on my appearance. My palms tingled. When I reopened my eyes, they were no longer the grey blue I’d been born with but a deep brown instead. Long, straight, black locks had become short blonde curls. My all black attire now appeared to be blue jeans and a trendy top. Everything about my appearance was the polar opposite of who I really was.
Now to gauge the reaction to it.
When I reached the front entry I realized I might have fucked up. If the door guy asked for my ID, I would be screwed. Luckily for me he just waved me through. Phew.
Right away I spotted Jett and Sam near the bar. I searched the vicinity twice but found no sign of Koda. Crap. Rowen and Arrow must have been upstairs where the dressing room was located. Their gear was already set up on stage.
Since I might as well take it for a test run on anyone I could, I angled toward Sam and Jett. I got in the bar line right beside them, and though they both glanced at me, neither one of them gave me a second look. Perhaps this whole glamour thing was promising after all.
Jett turned back to me once again and wrinkled her nose. Confusion crossed her face. “Spike?”
Of course. I could outwit the eyes of a werewolf but not her sense of smell. Good to know how far this whole glamour thing would go.
“Yeah, it’s me.” Though my voice didn’t sound like me. The illusion worked there too. “I was hoping Koda would be around. I want to know how well this shit works on demons. Did I have you fooled? At least until you smelled me.” I laughed as she looked me over.
Sam did a double take. “Damn, that’s pretty convincing. I never would have guessed it was you.”
Jett nodded her agreement. “Definitely would not have known it was you if I wasn’t close enough to catch your scent. Good job, girl. Try it on the guys. You could really mess with them.”
Couldn’t say that wasn’t tempting. Although I wasn’t sure how forgiving they would be after the fact. “Maybe another time. Let me know if you see Koda anywhere. I really need to use him as a guinea pig. I’m going to walk around and look for him. Can you grab me a drink?”
I moved along before anyone could see me speaking to Jett. If Koda was around he might catch on. Slowly I made my way around the building. As a blonde I drew more attention than I was used to. Needless to say, it was shitty attention. The guys who tried to score on girls in the bar seemed especially interested in the blonde walking by herself. It took great effort not to hand out bitch slaps as I went.
While I was standing beside the stairway to the dressing room, Arrow rounded the corner. He glanced at me but kept moving without a word. Temptation convinced me to call his name. With a rai
sed brow he looked back at me and paused.
Feeling stupid I affected a girlish lilt. “Can’t wait to see you play tonight.” Afraid to take it much farther, I waited for his reaction.
“Oh yeah? Well, I’m happy to hear it. Molly’s Chamber is extremely thankful for each and every fan. We couldn’t do it without you.” He flashed me a sexy wink.
I was momentarily tongue-tied. He’d gone a little more dramatic on his look tonight. His black liner, heavier than usual, really made his hazel eyes pop. A black bandana tied around his forehead disappeared beneath his hair which had been tousled either with fingers or by merely rolling out of bed that way. His leather pants were paired with a Crimson Sin t-shirt, which definitely earned him points, seeing as he’d been such a dick to us back during the Battle of the Bands.
“If you’re not busy later, I’d love a chance to talk more.” I felt foolish, not really knowing what a girl might say when making herself available since that had never been my jam. “I mean, I’m free all night.”
That animal-like hazel gaze devoured me.
And I experienced a moment of disappointment.
“Are you saying you want to come home with me?” he asked with mischief in his grin.
“Something like that.” Clearly I’d taken this too far and made a mistake trying to play with him like this. I had no one to blame but myself for the swell of discontent. Arrow was a womanizer, and that wasn’t news to me, so why did I put myself in the position to have it rubbed in my face?
“Sounds good to me. You know I’d never turn down such an offer from you… Spike.” His cocky grin grew wider.
Shocked, I sputtered and floundered for words. “How did you know? Did you know immediately?”
His warm laughter chased away the bad feelings that had developed. “Pretty much. It was the way you hold yourself that tipped me off first. And that lame attempt at a come-on didn’t really convince me otherwise.”
The way I hold myself? That was a puzzle. I’d have never guessed he paid that much attention to such things. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried something so shady on you. It’s really Koda I wanted to test, but when you walked by I just couldn’t resist.” I doubted that I could fool Koda seeing as he’d had much more time to study me than Arrow had.
He fidgeted with the leather wristband he wore. “So does that mean your offer is no longer valid?”
Now I was the one grinning mischievously. “Well, I did say I would come to the party. So technically I guess I am going home with you.”
“Funny.” Arrow slyly tilted his head, drawing my gaze to follow. “Koda’s right there. Go get him.”
I found the demon in question prowling through the nightclub as if he were on the hunt. Although Koda had done his best to outright ignore me in recent weeks, I knew he had no other reason to be here if not to be my constantly unwelcome shadow.
Demons had all the time in the world to wait for that right moment to pounce. Thus Koda seemed to believe that eventually this would all wear me down enough that one of his ridiculous offers to love, protect, or wed me would eventually be accepted. Ultimately, I was a job to him. He’d never lure me to the dark, but he’d also never stop trying.
“I’ll catch you later,” I said. “Break a leg.”
Paying close attention to the way I held myself, I injected a little extra sass into my stride, rolling my hips. Rather than target Koda directly, I walked a wide circle that brought me close enough to pass without getting in his personal space.
He lurked near the dance floor, eyeing up a group of ladies like they were prime menu choices at an all-you-can-eat buffet. My blonde hair must have caught his eye as I passed because he turned toward me. I pretended not to notice and kept moving.
A daring glance back revealed no recognition in his eyes. Although it was possible he was playing me as Arrow had. No, I was fairly certain he didn’t realize it was me.
I waited a few minutes before passing by again, closer this time. Confident I had him fooled, I smirked to myself.
Then he grabbed my arm and dragged me in close. “Let me give you a tip,” Koda snarled in my ear. “You can only fool us until we get close enough to read your energy signature.”
“And just how close is that?” I struggled to pull my arm from his grasp, but he held tight.
From across the room Arrow watched the exchange. He didn’t seem concerned. More like curious.
“Now why would I tell you that?” Jerking me against his tall, hard body, Koda snickered when I squirmed. “Oh yeah, keep wriggling like that.”
“Get bent, Koda,” I hissed.
Unbidden my empathic side tapped into him. A sick desire filled me, lust so thick I could choke on it. And some demented version of love. His feelings ran rampant through me. A desperate need gripped me, demanding of me. Making me weak in ways that I resented. All of it Koda’s emotion. None of it my own. Other than the utter revulsion that followed.
He must have seen something in my eyes because he released me immediately. “You’re an empath. Tough break, white lighter. That one’s gonna hurt.”
I didn’t doubt that. Every experience so far had been uninvited and unwelcome. The sudden onslaught of someone else’s emotions left me dizzy, stricken and confused. It was an ability that tread into dangerous waters, forcing me to know things I didn’t always want to know firsthand.
“It’s not really ranking near the top of my priority list. Now if you’ll excuse me.” There was no need to engage any further with him. We had nothing to say to each other.
“Best of luck avoiding certain death,” he called after me. “I genuinely hope you find a way to stay alive.”
Without a glance back I raised my middle finger. Koda’s emotional imprint echoed, leaving me feeling dirty, like I was covered with a greasy layer that would never scrub off. I shuddered, needing a drink to wash the bad taste out of my mouth.
I slipped into the restroom, ensuring nobody paid me any attention as I ducked into a stall to drop the glamour. When I emerged my true self stared back at me in the mirror: bright red lips, smoky eye makeup, and black hair caressing my shoulders. I didn’t spend much time glamoured, but each time I dropped it and saw my own face, I felt a strange sense of relief.
The sound of electric guitars reached me. Molly’s Chamber had gotten on stage. I took a minute to finger comb my hair and peruse my face in the mirror. A black tank top and butt-hugging jeans made my look rock n’ roll casual. Satisfied with my appearance, I went to find Jett.
It had been a fucked up few days. I needed that drink.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Watching Molly’s Chamber play rocked my world three ways from Sunday. Being able to sip my vodka while ogling Rowen and Arrow from a distance had become a guilty pleasure. And I do mean guilty. And I do mean pleasure.
Jett and I hung back off to the side of the drunken crowd packed around the stage. The boys had become local celebrities in their own right. And they’d earned it.
Music boomed through the building, coming at us from every side. It filled the empty places that dwelt within my soul. I lived for nights like this. Live music and close friends. The warmth of liquor in my veins didn’t hurt either.
“Pick one and fuck his brains out.” Jett leaned in to shout over the music. “You need to get laid.”
I shook my head and smiled. “You’re a bad influence. I can’t do that.”
“It’s just sex. It’s not til death do you part. Lighten up. It would do you some good. You need to unwind a little.” She clinked her glass against mine before draining an entire drink in two swallows.
I screwed up my face at her. “I can see why Sam is so into you.”
She chuckled and searched for a nearby table to ditch her empty glass. “Damn right. Now, which brother is going to get a taste of Spike tonight? Shall we flip a coin?”
I almost choked on my drink. Vodka burned its way up into my sinuses. “Dammit, Jett.”
“I’m getting us refills
. Be done with that by the time I get back.” She disappeared toward the bar, leaving me to be jostled by the drunk girl dancing and jumping around beside me.
Like the approach of a storm on a sunny day, I sensed Koda slithering close moments before his sinister timbre murmured in my ear. “The closer you get to them, the further you get from yourself.”
“Piss off, Koda.” I leaned away, rubbing at my ear as if that would remove his taunt.
Pursing his lips in a sneer he lazily lifted a shoulder and swigged from a beer bottle. “It’s a shame you want to waste yourself on them. You could have so much more.”
He didn’t wait for me to tell him off. Without another remark he glided away, leaving me fuming. Just one shitty comment and he got under my skin, igniting my fire. One day Koda would be sorry he’d ever laid eyes on me.
Despite the demon’s shitty attempt to plant seeds of doubt, my gaze followed the brothers around the stage. Rowen with his pink mohawk flopped to one side, hands traveling over the bass like he knew every damn inch. Watching him play was always a treasure. He brought that level of dedication to everything he did. I loved that about him. Arrow gripped the microphone, pouring himself into every lyric. Voice low and smooth as sin, he held the place captive. A pair of panties flew onto the stage, landing near his feet.
Seriously?
In true rock n’ roll frontman fashion he grabbed the tiny g-string and twirled it on a finger before tossing it back into the crowd. Someone screamed his name followed by a sexual proposition. It was a wonder his head hadn’t yet exploded from the constant feeding of his ego.
As I watched Molly’s Chamber make magic, I noted the chemistry between Arrow and Rowen was strongest when they were on stage. It brought out their best. Their differences seemed nonexistent as they vibed off each other.