by S W Vaughn
“No worries, friend,” Jaeryth said. “I wouldn’t dream of interfering.”
Blue cleared her throat emphatically. “All right, boys, cut the shit. Let’s move out. You two can kill each other later, if Logan doesn’t kill you first.”
Logan smiled. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
With a few strained goodbyes, she and Jaeryth followed Blue out the back door and into the waiting night.
Chapter Sixteen
Halfway through the ride home, Logan’s hands started to shake.
At first she blamed her exhaustion, and then thirst, hunger and low nicotine levels. A cigarette didn’t help. When the trembling worsened and cold sweat dampened her forehead and the back of her neck, she knew exactly what was happening. Today had been the most stressful day since she left rehab, and Tex’s thoughtless comment definitely hadn’t done her any favors. Her body remembered the fix and demanded it.
This was a pure psychological reaction. But knowing that didn’t make it stop.
Blue shot her a sidelong glance. “You look like hell,” she said. “Should I pull over or something?”
“I’m fine.” She folded her arms and tucked her hands beneath them, trying to hide the shakes. Chocolate had gotten her through a few episodes of this—trading a minor addiction for a major one. Maybe she could make it work now. “Listen, can you drop us off at the Wawa instead of my place? I want to grab a few things.”
“Sure.” Though Blue looked concerned, she didn’t push the issue. Logan was grateful for that.
She glanced in the rearview mirror and caught Jaeryth staring at her. This wasn’t going to be easy to explain. She’d never told him about the meth addiction or rehab…or anything about her life, really. Hard to believe he’d only been in it for a few days. It already seemed as if she’d known him forever.
By the time they pulled in at the store, Logan felt as though she’d walked through a downpour. At least her teeth weren’t chattering yet. She was already reaching for the door handle before Blue put the car in park, and it was a struggle to keep from bolting immediately. “Thank you,” she said. “Sorry I’m being so weird. I just…”
“Believe it or not, I understand. Jacob was—well, let’s just say he had problems too.” Smiling, Blue leaned over and gave her a one-armed hug. “Go on. We can talk tomorrow. Or sooner, if you need it. Call me any time.”
“Great. Now I’m gonna bawl.” She let out a shaky laugh and looked back at Jaeryth, who was still watching her with an intensity that made her shiver. “Well, this is our stop,” she said, attempting to sound casual. “Say goodnight to Blue.”
“Goodnight, Blue,” he said without looking away from her.
Good lord, no man should sound that sexy. It wasn’t fair.
They got out and watched Blue drive away. After the car pulled onto the street, Jaeryth turned to her and grabbed her arm. “You’re shaking.” Concern flooded his features. “Logan, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head. Fix first, explain later. “Tell you in a minute,” she said. “Come on.”
Inside, she headed straight for the snack aisle. She’d already decided a candy bar wasn’t going to cut it—she needed high-end intervention. Unfortunately, the bag candy was convenience store priced, but she’d splurge this time. Five bucks for a bag of Dove milk chocolate squares. Done.
With Jaeryth all but hovering behind her, she paid for the candy, then headed out and around to the side of the building. There, she leaned against a concrete parking barrier and ripped the bag open. “Be fine in a second,” she muttered for Jaeryth’s benefit, resisting the bizarre urge to pour the contents of the bag directly into her mouth, foil and all.
By the third piece, the shakes had all but subsided and she almost felt normal again. This “cure” was all in her head too, but hey, whatever worked. Maybe she should tell the shrinks at Grothman about this. Dove chocolate cured crystal meth addiction.
“Perhaps now you’ll tell me what happened?”
Jaeryth’s bemused voice drew her away from remembering. “Um. Yeah, I’ll get there,” she said. “I just really needed some chocolate. Want one?” She held the bag toward him.
He frowned at it. “Do they taste like Motrin?”
“Seriously? You’ve never had Dove before.”
“No.” He reached in and took one, and a crooked little smile materialized on his lips. “They must be good, though. You looked quite…pleased, eating them.”
The suggestive undertones twisted her insides and she grabbed another piece to distract herself. “Try it,” she said. “They really are that good.”
“If you insist.”
She watched him unwrap the foil and hesitate with eyebrows raised. His gaze locked on hers for an eternity. Finally, he brought it to his mouth and pushed it in. His jaw worked a few times—and an expression of utter amazement lit his face. He swallowed fast, cupped his hands together and thrust them toward her. “More.”
Laughing, she tipped the bag and poured out four or five. “Told you,” she said.
He ate two more in rapid succession. “Tell me something,” he said as he tore the wrapper from a third. “How is it that you don’t simply eat these all the time? No other food compares to this. It’s amazing.”
She couldn’t resist a smile. His reactions were still a little weird, but he was adorable. Like a child discovering Christmas. “Because like everything else, it’s bad for you,” she said. “You should really slow down. You’re supposed to savor them, you know. Have a chocolate experience.”
Grinning, he popped one whole in his mouth and chewed savagely. “Consider that savored,” he said.
“More like inhaled.” She smirked and helped herself to another one. “I think these have little messages in them or something.”
“Do they?”
“Yeah. They’re inspirational candy.” She unfolded the foil slowly and laughed at the words printed inside. “‘Share a chocolate moment with a friend’,” she read. “They’re psychic!”
Jaeryth blinked at the one remaining in his hand. With a slight shrug, he peeled the wrapper off and stared at it. “This says, ‘Enjoy the silky smoothness of Dove’.”
“Well. That’s…really boring.”
“Indeed. But true.”
Logan shook the bag. “Let’s try again,” she said. “We’ll both take one and we’ll do whatever it says. Okay?”
He smiled. “Even if it’s boring?”
“Yes.”
She stalled and let him open his first. He glanced at the foil, and then scowled. “I am not doing this,” he said. “Give me a different one.”
“Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad.”
“It is!”
“Let me see.”
With a heavy sigh, he handed over the wrapper. She read it—and burst out laughing.
It said, Wear that perfect dress tonight!
“All right, you’re excused,” she said. “But if I had a dress handy, I’d hold you to it.”
“Hmph.” He cracked a smile. “What does yours say?”
She opened it. Be spontaneous.
That was a bit of a challenge. She’d found out the hard way that without structure and planning, she could leave herself open for trouble. But she had to learn to live again. She wasn’t tired any more, and a celebration was definitely in order. It didn’t have to involve booze or drugs. Normal, legal things could be fun too.
“Well?”
She grinned at him. “It says, ‘Take Jaeryth out to that little diner we passed on the way, because if he likes Dove chocolate, he’s going to love chocolate pie’.”
He laughed—and she realized it was the first time she’d heard him do that. The sound warmed her all the way to her toes. “It does not say that.”
“You can’t prove it doesn’t.” She crumpled the foil into a little ball and tossed it across the parking lot. “So, how about it. Are you game for pie?”
“I am, if it’s better than Dove.”
“No guarantees there. But it’s definitely delicious.”
He nodded. “Lead the way, then.”
They set off toward downtown and Logan couldn’t stop smiling. For once, life was good.
* * * * *
For a few moments Jaeryth forgot what he was, and even why he’d been forced into this mortal body. Being with Logan, walking the dark and mostly deserted streets of Pottstown, talking about everything and nothing—this was true happiness.
Demons did not experience happiness. Satisfaction, a certain thrill when the work was going well, but never joy. He could almost understand how humans managed to carry on, if they had the ability to feel like this.
“There it is.” Logan gestured ahead to the next corner, which was dominated by a single-story building of chrome and glass with bars of red light tracing the roof. A spotlight illuminated a wooden sign that simply read 24-hr Diner. Two massive trucks stood parked and silent in the lot alongside the building. “Knew I saw it around here someplace.”
Jaeryth raised an eyebrow. “And this place has chocolate pie?”
“Sure. It’s a diner, isn’t it? Diners have pie. That’s practically the law.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the crosswalk, an apparently unconscious gesture that still sent a jolt through him. “Come on. All of a sudden, I’m starving.”
Three concrete steps led to a glass door that jingled pleasantly when Logan pulled it open. Inside, a long counter with several black-padded stools hosted two men, three seats apart—presumably the drivers of the trucks. One of them glanced back as the door opened, but quickly returned to his meal. The row of tables and benches along the windows were empty, and a young woman wearing headphones and a dark jacket slouched in a booth at the far wall, apparently oblivious to the world. A sign on a stand by the entrance invited them to seat themselves.
Logan led them to a booth by a window, and they sat on opposite sides. Jaeryth would have preferred sitting beside her, but from what he’d seen, this arrangement was more typical. She plucked a plastic-coated menu from the holder at the back of the table, flipped it over and smiled. “See? Pie,” she said, laying the menu down so it faced him.
Toward the bottom was a box labeled Desserts. There was a brief list next to the Pie entry—Lemon Meringue, Key Lime, Apple and Mississippi Mud. He was fairly sure he didn’t want to eat a mud pie, even if it was from Mississippi. “There is no chocolate,” he said.
“Actually…” Smirking, she tapped the word Mud. “This one’s chocolate.”
“It is?” He frowned at the menu. “Then why do they call it mud? It doesn’t sound at all appetizing.”
Logan laughed. “You know, I never thought about that. I guess if you already know what it is, the name doesn’t bother you.” She straightened and looked around the diner. “I haven’t seen anybody that works here yet. Have you?”
“No.”
“Hmm.” She played absently with the menu. “Well, it’s pretty late. There’s probably only a few people on staff. Maybe there’s a bell or something at the counter.”
Just as she finished speaking, a door behind the counter opened and a woman emerged and approached their table. Over her clothing, she wore a wrinkled black apron tied crookedly in the front, with a single deep pocket and a nametag affixed to one side that said Melody. Her expression was clearly unhappy, and the smile she attempted when she reached them fell flat. “Get you something to drink?” she said almost inaudibly.
Logan’s brow furrowed and concern filled her eyes. “Um. Just water for now, I think, and two slices of the Mississippi Mud.”
“Sure.” Melody turned and shuffled away. One of the men at the counter gestured for her, but she ignored him and vanished behind the door again.
“Oh, man,” Logan said. “She looks like I felt earlier. Totally wiped out.”
“Mm-hm.” He stared at the door for a moment. The waitress had seemed tired, yes—but there was something else he’d almost sensed from her. Some darkness he couldn’t quite grasp. He’d nearly decided to look into the Otherworld, to see if there was a Tempter following the woman around. But if there was, and he or Logan reacted to the presence, it would likely focus attention on them.
The last thing he wanted right now was attention from any demon. His ribs still ached from Samael’s not-so-gentle reminder. He didn’t want to think about his mission.
“Earth to Jaeryth. Anybody in there?”
He shook free from his thoughts. “Sorry,” he said. “You’re right. She does look tired.”
“I hope she’s okay.”
“Yes.” Jaeryth glanced toward the door again. There was a long, narrow opening with a protruding ledge in the same wall, parallel to the counter. The opening had been empty before, but now a young man with dark hair and too many earrings stood looking through it, from whatever room the waitress had entered. The kitchen, apparently. He was staring wide-eyed at Logan. When he saw Jaeryth watching him, he disappeared from view.
He turned back to the table. “What strange staff they have here,” he said.
“How’s that?”
Before he could respond, the waitress backed through the door carrying a large tray. As she passed the counter, the man who’d waved at her before said loudly, “Hey. Can I get my check here?”
“One sec,” Melody mumbled. With her gaze riveted to the floor, she crossed to the table and deposited two glasses of ice-choked water between them. One of them sloshed out nearly half its contents, but the waitress took no notice. She clunked down plates of what was supposed to be pie, one after the other, then trudged back with the tray dangling loosely from one hand, headed for the disgruntled truck driver.
Logan blinked at the plates. “Well, at least it’s chocolate. I think.”
“So it could still be mud.” The pie looked as unappealing as it sounded—ragged wedges of pale brown crust with dark brown sludge oozing from them, topped with irregular blobs of white foam. A fork protruded drunkenly from Logan’s piece and a spoon lay alongside his, half thrust into the soupy filling.
Shrugging, she plucked the fork free and scooped up some of the mess. “Let’s find out.” She hesitated, braved a bite and then flashed a satisfied smile. “Definitely chocolate,” she said.
“If you say so.” He picked up the spoon. It took a few tries, but he managed to get some of the pie into his mouth.
As bad as it looked, the taste of it was pure bliss.
Logan was watching him, her eyes crinkled in amusement. “Good?”
“Incredible.” He had to force himself not to cram the entire plateful into his mouth at once. How had he never discovered chocolate? First Dove, and now this—it was almost too much of a good thing.
He ate quickly, and when Logan claimed she couldn’t finish hers, he polished that off too. When both plates were empty, he leaned back with a contented grin. “What else do they have here that’s chocolate?”
She laughed. “I think that’s enough for now. Trust me, your stomach will not thank you if you eat any more.”
“Very well. Then we should have chocolate for breakfast.”
“I’ve created a monster.” She sipped at her water and favored him with a curious look. “You’ve really never tried chocolate before?”
“I…”
“Excuse me, folks. I’m sorry to interrupt.”
The male voice startled Jaeryth and at the same time relieved him. At least now he wouldn’t have to answer the question. He turned to see the young man from the kitchen standing nervously a few feet away, attempting to look as if he wasn’t staring at Logan. He wore an apron similar to the waitress, but his was straightened and tied neatly, and absent a nametag.
“Hello.” Logan smiled at him. “Did you make the pie? It was really good.”
“Nah. We get those from a bakery downtown.” He shuffled his feet, cleared his throat. “So, um, I don’t usually do stuff like this, but…you’re Logan Frost, right?”
“Yes,” she said slowly, sh
ooting a worried glance at Jaeryth.
“Good. Yeah.” A clumsy smile spread on the young man’s face. “I caught your show earlier—well, sort of. I mean, the place was full, but I hung around outside. You guys kicked ass. I’m Matt, by the way.”
“Thanks, Matt. I’m Logan…but I guess you know that.” Her cheeks flushed pink, but the worry left her features. “And this is Jaeryth.”
Matt offered a wave. “Hey, man. Nice to meetcha.”
“Likewise,” he said, feeling strangely flattered to be referred to as ‘man’ in such a friendly fashion—as though this Matt had just welcomed him to the human race.
“So anyway. Um.” Matt wiped his palms on his apron and glanced over his shoulder. In a lowered voice he said, “Look, I’m sorry about Melody. She’s been real down lately. Working here sucks, you know? And I was wondering—” Another glance back. “She’s a big Ruined Soul fan. She wanted to hit the Pelican tonight, but she had to work a double and she missed your Saturday show too. Same reason. If I tell her who you are, think you could say hi to her, maybe sign an autograph or something? It’d make her night.”
Logan’s smile was bright as the sun. “I’d love to.”
“Really?” Matt let out a breath and his rigid stance relaxed. “Thanks. You’re awesome. I’ll be right back with her, okay?”
“Sounds good.”
When Matt went through the door, Logan grabbed her water and drank half the glass at once. “Holy crap,” she said. “Twice in one day. Is this crazy or what?”
Jaeryth couldn’t help smiling. “Not at all,” he said. “It’s natural that they love you. You are amazing.”
“So are you.” She set the glass down and laid a hand over his. “Thanks for being here with me. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend tonight with.”
He held back a shudder of pure emotion. “Nor can I.”
Matt chose that moment to reemerge, with a reluctant Melody trailing behind him. The young man stopped and urged the waitress forward with whispered words. She shuffled ahead and met Logan’s eyes with apparent difficulty. “Matt says you’re with Ruined Soul.”