“That connection is actually your terribly underused lady-bits screaming out for attention.”
“Oh my, God,” I said. “Is everything about sex with you?”
“Well – yeah,” she said. “Nothing wrong with enjoying the pleasures of the flesh.”
“And there's also nothing wrong with getting to know somebody before you start banging them.”
“Yeah, I suppose,” she said. “If you're into that sort of thing. Personally, I find it's easier to not even ask them their name. Makes it easier to tell them to get out in the morning.”
I laughed. “I love you, Pip,” I said. “Even if you are the world's biggest turbo-slut.”
“Well, we're all good at something,” she said. “So, where is he taking you? Going back to Heat? Or maybe some other chic little spot?”
“Actually, no,” I said. “I'm thinking about making him take me to Pete's.”
There was a pause on the line. “You're kidding, right?”
“Why would I be kidding?”
“Because somebody like Quint is upscale and refined, Astrid,” she said. “He's used to the finer things.”
“True,” I said. “But I'm not one of the finer things. I'm not so upscale and refined. If he wants to date me, he's going to have to learn how to be a common man too. If he can deal with a dressed down, casual meal at someplace like Pete's, maybe he can handle me too.”
She paused for a long moment, as if weighing my words. “Maybe you're right,” she said. “I didn't look at it that way before. But you have a really good point.”
“Of course I do,” I said.
“I'm proud of you, Astrid,” she said.
I giggled. “Why would you be proud of me?”
“Because what you did today is a big step. It's huge,” she said. “Two weeks ago, if Quint had walked into your shop, you would have run out the back door. But now? Now, you not only accepted his invitation, you dictated the terms of the date. That's huge, Astrid. That's why I'm proud of you. Listen, I have to scoot. But you and I are going to be talking more about this later. Love you.”
“Love you too,” I said.
I disconnected the call and leaned back against the counter, thinking about what she'd said. I guessed that I hadn't really thought about it before, but she was right. I had no idea where that burst of confidence had come from. From the moment I'd met Quint, he'd intimidated me. A few days ago, I probably would have run at the sight of his shadow.
But today? Today, I'd agreed to a date and told him exactly what that date was going to be. I had no idea where that surge of backbone had come from. All I knew was that when I was standing there next to him, I felt something electric coursing through my body. It was like a river of electricity in my veins. I half expected to see lightning bolts shooting out of my eyes and fingertips.
Whatever it was though, it had given me a boost of confidence. The boost I needed, apparently. I didn't know where it had come from, but I liked it. I liked it a lot.
I looked at my watch and saw that it was just after two in the afternoon. I still had a little time to kill, since I wasn't closing up shop until five. So, I contented myself with dusting shelves, making sure everything was stocked, and helping my customers as they filtered in.
But the entire time, I kept my eye on the front windows, looking for the slack, blank faces of those people who'd been watching me. I knew they were out there. I could feel them somehow. I just didn't know where. What worried me most though, was the idea that at some point, they were going to stop watching and do something to me. What that was, I had no idea, but it chilled me to the bone nonetheless.
I was going to have to be vigilant and arm myself with something – mace, a club, something.
But with the clock finally striking five, I closed my shop and dashed home to get ready for my date with Quint.
Chapter Eleven
Quint
“The food smells wonderful,” I said.
“Maybe he's not as fancy and refined as Maurizio,” she replied, “but Pete is a wizard in his own right.”
We sat at a table outside of a small deli down the street from her bookstore. It was a charming little place I could tell had been there for a while. It just had that lived-in look to it that was entirely delightful. I'd meant it when I'd said it – the sauces inside smelled amazing. My mouth was watering, waiting to get my hands on that meatball sub she'd been raving about.
“Maybe I'm not as fancy and refined as you think I am,” I said.
She looked at me and smirked. “You look like a walking billboard for fancy and refined,” I said. “You just exude class and style.”
I grinned at her. “Well, I appreciate that, but I'm a lot more down to earth than you think,” I said. “I was a soldier for a long time. I've been down in the dirt. Lived there for a while. We didn't exactly have the menu we do at Heat out in the field.”
“I didn't know that,” she said. “Wow. To go from soldier to owner of the hottest place in LA? That's pretty impressive.”
I shrugged. “Honestly, I've been fortunate.”
“I think there's more to it than that.”
“I don't,” I said. “Not really. But fads come and go. Hotspots rise and then they fall. The celebrities and LA's movers and shakers will eventually get tired of Heat and find someplace new to be seen. I hope it's not for a while yet, but that's the fickle nature of this town.”
“You don't sound all that sad about that.”
I shrugged. “I love the restaurant business,” I said. “I really do. But I've also got other interests that keep me busy.”
She looked at me and smiled. “Such as?”
Killing demons being chief among them – not that I could tell her that. “Reading,” I said. “I told you that I've got a love and passion for the written word.”
She nodded and smiled at me. There was a calm about her that I hadn't sensed before. She was a lot more easy going and free than she had been the last couple of times we'd met. I wasn't sure what it was, but there seemed to be a boost in her confidence or something. She didn't look like a scared little rabbit – she looked like somebody in complete control of herself. I wasn't sure where it had come from, but I liked seeing that change in her.
A large man with salt and pepper colored hair and an ample midsection stepped out of the deli carrying a tray with our food – and a pair of candles. He set the candles down on the table and I watched as Astrid's face grew red.
“What are you doing, Pete?” she asked.
“Setting a romantic table, of course,” he grinned and winked at her. “And maybe if you'd told me you were bringing a date in, I could have made it a little more special.”
“Being here is special enough,” Astrid said, giving him a fond smile.
After setting the candles out, he set our plates of food down. I looked at the sub and savored the aroma of it.
“Astrid raved to me about this sub,” I said. “I can't wait to try it.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy it,” he replied.
Pete hustled away, giving us a little bit of privacy. Astrid was watching me, waiting for me to take a bite of the sub. I grinned at her and picked it up, taking a big bite. I chewed and felt flavor exploding in my mouth. It honestly was one of the best things I'd ever tasted.
“That is incredible,” I said, staring at the sandwich. “Seriously incredible. I've never had a sauce better than that.”
Astrid was positively beaming. “Pete said it's his mom's recipe.”
“Yeah well, his mother is a genius. Or an artist,” I said. “Maybe both.”
“He'll be happy to hear that.”
We chatted over dinner, occupying Pete's table for a good couple of hours. I was enjoying getting to know Astrid. I felt like she was opening up to me a little more than she had previously and was letting me see behind that curtain to who she really was. She was a complicated woman – but one with so many incredible layers and depth to her.
It was eve
ntually time to go though. I went inside to pay our bill and to gush to Pete about how incredible his sauce was. I was having an idea about finding a way to get him to sell batches to me so I could have Maurizio incorporate it into some of our dishes, but I didn't have anything concrete just yet. I'd get back to him when I did.
In the meantime, it was time to bring my evening with Astrid to an end – the first of what I hoped would be many more evenings spent in her company.
“May I walk you home?” I asked, offering my hand to her when I stepped back out to the table.
“That would be lovely,” she replied, taking my hand as she got to her feet. “Thank you.”
When our skin touched, my eyes widened slightly as I felt like I'd touched a live wire. There was an electricity running through her that was palpable. I wasn't sure if she was even aware of it, but I was finally beginning to understand her. That electricity in her veins was familiar to me. I'd felt it before. And I had to wonder if maybe, something that had been dormant within her had been awakened – perhaps by the harassment from the Shongtal – and was the fuel for this confidence I was seeing in her.
I cleared my throat. “After you.”
We walked side-by-side, talking as we walked along like any other couple out on the street. That sense of normalcy was – nice. Something I didn't get to experience very often in my life.
“I usually cut through this park,” she said, pointing to a darkened path that led through a small park.
Trees lined the path, and high, dense foliage surrounded the trees. We passed a playground and some benches. It wasn't exceptionally well lit, but with my heightened senses I could see well enough. Extending my senses out, I felt them before I saw them. The Shongtal were out there. Waiting.
I felt a knot in my stomach and a stab of fear in my heart as I scanned the darkness, looking for them. We were vulnerable and they knew it. I was going to have a harder time fighting them if I was worried about looking after Astrid at the same time.
“Shit,” I growled.
She looked at me, alarmed. “What is it?”
“Trouble.”
On the path before us stepped a trio of Shongtal fighters. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw three more.
“Only six of you?” I called. “I'm insulted.”
“Give us the girl, Warden,” one of them called back. “And we'll let you walk away.”
“Quint, what in the hell is going on?” Astrid asked, a note of panic in her voice.
“Whatever happens, stay behind me,” I said. “You cannot let these creatures take you. No matter what.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked. “I don't understand. Who are they? Why do they want me?”
I sighed and gave her a look. “There is much you need to know, Astrid,” I said. “Much I must tell you. But for now, no more questions. We need to figure a way out of this.”
I slipped my pair of curved daggers out from beneath my jacket. Astrid's eyes grew even wider as she stared at them.
“What are you doing, Quint?” she asked.
“No more questions, Astrid,” I said. “And remember to stay behind me. Whatever you do, do not get in front of me. I don't want you getting hurt.”
She backed up, looking at me with an expression of absolute terror. But I wasn't the one she needed to fear here. I wish she would understand that. As the Shongtal emerged from the shadows, I heard Astrid gasp.
“That's them,” she whispered. “The people who've been watching me.”
“They're not people,” I said. “Not anymore. Just stay behind me, Astrid.”
“Last chance, Warden,” said the man in the middle of the three before me. “Give us the girl. That's all we want.”
“Right,” I said. “Just hand her over and let you use her to seal the Doors?”
The three in front of me exchanged a quick look of concern between them – which told me that it was true. That they thought they'd found a way to seal the Doors forever.
“Don't know what you're talking about,” the man said. “We have uses for the girl though. So, just give her to us and be on your way.”
With Astrid close behind me, I turned my body so that the two groups of three were to my sides, rather that in front of and behind me.
“Astrid,” I said. “You may see some things that will be difficult for you to comprehend. I will not have the time to explain them to you right now, just know that I will explain them when we are clear of this.”
A moment later, the Shongtal rushed us.
Chapter Twelve
Astrid
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But I found that I could do neither. All I seemed capable of doing was standing there in silent horror. Two men rushed at Quint with swords raised high over their heads. Who in the hell used swords anymore? What in the hell was going on?
Quint dropped to a knee as the two men swung their swords – both sailed over his head. I took a step backward and slipped on something, falling straight down onto my butt against the small wooden fence that lined the path.
He was back on his feet in a heartbeat though and in one swift movement, he plunged one of his daggers – something I never realized he even had on him the whole time we were at dinner – into the chest of one of the men. I stared slack-jawed as an intense red light flared out of the man's eyes. He screamed, but then the light faded and his limp body slumped to the ground.
“Quint, look out!” I screamed a warning.
Quint spun to the side like a matador, the other man rushing by him like an out of control bull. His sword sliced harmlessly through the air where Quint had been standing just a moment before. Spinning back around, he buried his dagger into the man's back, that same red light flaring from his eyes as he dropped to the ground as limp as a pile of laundry. Obviously dead.
My stomach was roiling and my heart was thundering so hard, I feared it was going to burst out of my chest. I had to get out of there. I needed to run. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Quint had seemed so charming and so amazing – and yet, he was a cold-blooded killer.
I stood up just as two more of those creeps rushed in.
“Astrid, stay down,” Quint growled.
The three of them tussled and steel rang against steel as he blocked their swords with his daggers. I screamed when I felt hands on me. Turning, I found myself staring into the eyes of the homeless man who'd been staring at me from across the street the other day. There was a crazy, disturbing smile on his face as he tugged at me.
Red flight flared – Quint had dropped another of them. But I was being dragged down the path. I gritted my teeth and tried to plant my feet, pulling hard against the man who was trying to drag me into the darkness. But to no avail. He was to strong.
But then I felt a surge of something inside of me. I wasn't sure if it was adrenaline or something else, but it felt like electricity was flowing through my body. My skin felt like it was on fire and deep inside of me, it felt like something was powering up. The intensity of the sensation continued to build and grow.
“Let go of me,” I hissed. “Get your hands off me.”
“Stop fighting,” the man said. “You have a greater purpose to serve.”
I yanked my arm out of the man's grasp and let out an animalistic growl. That pressure had built inside of me and I felt like a bomb, ready to explode. My body seemed to be acting of its own volition and I raised my arm, pointing at him. The man's eyes were wide and he looked startled.
Something inside of me was throbbing and pulsing. I had no idea what was going on but I was suddenly surrounded by a blindingly white light. My body felt like I was on fire and the light around me only got brighter. And then it really did feel like a bomb had gone off because the next thing I knew, I was flying backwards and hit the fence I'd been pressed against earlier.
My stomach was filled with the heavy feeling of nausea and darkness began to creep in at the edge of my vision. I looked up through blurry eyes and saw Quint there, looki
ng down at me. Blood seeped down his cheek from a ragged gash and his eyes were wide, filled with concern for me.
And then the entire world went black.
~ooo000ooo~
I didn't know how long I'd been out, but given the fact that I was still leaning against the fence in the park and Quint still hovered over me, it couldn't have been all that long. My body was sore and my head was aching. And the weirdest thing was, I felt like I had a sunburn all over my body. I looked up into the nighttime sky, wondering what in the hell was going on.
“Are you okay?” Quint asked.
“I feel like I got beat to hell,” I said. “What happened?”
He looked uncertain, as if he weren't sure what to tell me. Or how much.
“Quint,” I said, more firmly this time. “What happened?”
“We got jumped,” he said. “We were attacked.”
“I remember that. Who were they?”
“I'll explain it to you later, Astrid,” he said. “Right now, we need to get you someplace safe.”
“Safe? What's happening?”
He helped me to my feet and put his arm around me, supporting me “I'll fill you in later, Astrid. Please. Right now, we need to get out of here.”
I looked around and fought back the urge to scream. The bodies of all those people who'd attacked up littered the ground.
“Y – you killed them all,” I whispered.
“Not all of them,” he said.
“B – but you killed them.”
“They weren't people, Astrid,” he said. “They were – demons. Demons from my home world.”
I cocked my head and looked at him. It was outlandish beyond measure and yet, somehow it seemed to fit in perfectly with what I'd seen that night. The sound of footsteps drew my attention and I felt a sudden jolt of fear tear through me, thinking that more of them were coming to finish the job.
“Alynna,” Quint said. “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course,” she said, a blade in her hand.
Several other large men in dark suits followed closely behind her. I noticed that they were all carrying blades, the moonlight glinting off their razor-sharp edges. They looked like Secret Service agents. The tall, dark haired woman walked up to me, looking me up and down. The woman was beautiful. Ethereal. I was fuzzy headed, hurting, and tired, but even in that condition, I could see how gorgeous she was. And yet, she carried a blade just like the others. There was something about her that I found slightly unnerving. She carried with her, the promise of violence. A hint of destruction. I had a feeling that of everybody gathered around me, she was the deadliest.
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