by S W Vaughn
Just as he finished the second apple and headed for the living room, he caught a familiar and unwelcome scent in the air. Brimstone.
He hung back, preparing to focus his vision in order to see the presence that had invaded—whether it was a Tempter or Samael himself. But near the front door, he noticed a gathering cloud of smoke, and realized whoever it was wanted to be seen. That couldn’t be good news.
As he watched, Ronwe stepped from the thick haze, brushing at the impeccable dark jacket he wore as though the smoke had rumpled it. The head demon glanced around the room with apparent distaste, and when his gaze lit on Jaeryth, he laughed.
“So this is what you’ve become, quartermaster.” Ronwe moved toward him at a languid pace. “Samael mentioned that you’d changed, but he didn’t elaborate. My, but you’ve fallen far in the name of your obsession.”
Jaeryth’s jaw clenched. “What do you want?”
“To gloat, mostly.” He stopped and offered a cold smile. “Oh, and to send your little prophet to Hell. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to be here at the moment. Where is she, Jaeryth?”
His stomach wrenched violently. “Go back to your office and your petty tyranny,” he said. “I’m handling this.”
“Are you? Well, then I suppose my work here is done. Thank you, Jaeryth. I’ll just run along home and pointlessly torment a few Tempters.” Ronwe vanished—only to reappear almost instantly in front of him, pinning him with a blood-red glare. “Or maybe I’ll take Samael’s word over yours and carry out this simple task that you’re obviously incapable of completing. Where is she?”
“Really, Ronwe.” Somehow he managed to speak calmly, despite the desperate pounding of his heart. “I’m human now, and I know the rules. Threaten and intimidate me all you like. You can’t touch me.”
Ronwe sneered. “Perhaps I’ll choose to view the fact that you have no soul as a loophole. Tell me where she is and I’ll refrain from tearing your flesh to ribbons. Human.”
“I don’t believe you’ll risk it.”
“Try me.”
“All right.” Jaeryth folded his arms. “Go ahead. Tear me to ribbons.”
For an instant Ronwe’s eyes glowed impossibly redder, twin flames burning with hatred. Then the demon backed down as quickly as he’d angered and let out a chilling laugh that rivaled Samael’s. “Ah, Jaeryth. You were a smug demon. And you’ve somehow managed to become worse as a human. How ironic that your weakness has forced you into complete delusion.”
“And yet you haven’t torn my flesh.”
“You are no longer worth my time.” Ronwe stepped back, a small smile lingering on his lips. “Once I’ve taken care of this Logan Frost, I’ll be rid of you without having to lift a finger. I may even visit you in Tartarus, just to watch you suffer.”
Though he knew how futile it would be to attack him, Jaeryth struggled to refrain from attacking the head demon. “Get out, Ronwe,” he said through his teeth.
“And now you’re trying to give me orders. Unbelievable.” He shook his head in mock pity. “Look at the facts, Jaeryth. I am a full demon, with sixty other demons and three hundred Tempters at my disposal. You are a lone, pathetic excuse for a human. Do you really think you’re going to come out ahead? You may as well just tell me where she is, and consign yourself to your fate.”
Jaeryth managed a laugh. “If you’re so all-powerful, then find her yourself.”
“Oh, I will. And when I do…well, you know what will happen.” He drew a finger slowly across his throat. “I hope you enjoy Tartarus. Eternity is such a very long time.”
With that, Ronwe disappeared, leaving a few twisting tendrils of smoke in his place.
Jaeryth swallowed against rising dread. He knew it wouldn’t be easy for Ronwe to locate Logan, despite the head demon’s boasting. With billions of humans occupying the planet, it was never a simple matter to pinpoint one, even knowing the area to search. Still, it would only be a matter of time before Ronwe succeeded.
And he could do nothing.
He had no car, no phone and no idea how to use either one, even if he’d had access to them. He knew only that she’d gone with Tex, but he didn’t know where. If he were still a demon, he would have been able to go to her—he had always sensed her presence. Now he could only rely on the damned angel to protect her.
With a heavy heart, he sank onto the couch for the agonizing wait ahead.
Chapter Eighteen
As Tex had promised, the meeting was short. And mind-blowing. Apparently, the manager of the Eight Spot, where they’d been booked to play this Friday, had heard about the crowd at the Pelican Room. He decided to sell tickets ahead of time to avoid the mess at the door. They went on sale at ten a.m. that morning. And they’d sold out in a little over two hours.
So the manager went ahead and booked Festival Pier, an outdoor venue on the river with a total capacity of eight thousand. Including the original tickets, so far nearly three thousand of them had sold. They expected to fill all the seats by Thursday, maybe sooner.
Blue and Reid had been ecstatic. Logan had been too shocked to feel much of anything.
Though Blue had offered to drive her home so she could stay awhile, Logan went back with Tex, who was meeting with the venue management tonight. She couldn’t leave Jaeryth alone for longer than she had to—despite her renewed doubts, she still cared about him. Probably a lot more than she should.
The ride home was mostly silent. When they started into her neighborhood, Tex snuck a glance at her and said, “If you’re going to puke, open the window, okay? It’s easier to clean the outside of the car.”
She laughed, surprising herself. “Sorry I haven’t been the best company tonight. First I yell at you, then I ignore you. Some friend, huh?”
“Actually, you’re doing better than I thought.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m a rock of confidence.” She sighed and stared through the windshield. “Eight thousand people. Somehow, I don’t think the old imagine-them-naked trick is going to work.”
“You’ve been doing that?”
“No. But I was thinking about starting.”
“Not the best idea. Eight thousand naked people doesn’t sound like an inspiring sight. I don’t know about you, but it’d scare the crap out of me.” Smiling, Tex flicked on the signal and slowed the car, and Logan realized they’d already reached the house. He swung into the driveway and eased the gear into park. “If I leave you here, do you promise not to change your name and move to Canada?”
“Way to ruin my plans, counselor.” She smirked as she unbuckled the seatbelt. “Fine. I guess I won’t, since you’re on to me.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you tomorrow night for practice.”
They said goodbye and she climbed out of the car and took her time walking to the porch, to make sure Tex was out of sight before she opened the door. After he drove away, she went inside—and found Jaeryth pacing back and forth behind the couch.
“Logan,” he said with obvious relief. He reached her almost before she got the door closed and swept her into a crushing embrace. “You’re home.”
Most of her resolve melted away on the spot and she hugged him back. Being in his arms felt unbelievably right. “Wow. I must’ve been gone for an hour and a half. That’s the same as forever.” She smiled up at him. “I missed you too.”
“I can promise you that I’ve missed you more.” He eased back, but only a little. “Is…everything all right?”
“It’s that obvious, huh?”
His expression sharpened. “What happened?”
“Whoa. Everything’s fine.” Damn. His concern was going to make things that much harder. How was she supposed to be suspicious of him when she was falling for him more every minute? They had to talk—but not here. The bedroom was way too close. “How about we go for a walk and I’ll tell you all about it?”
“Yes. A walk.” He reached past her and pulled the door open. “I like this idea.”
She frowned. “Kind of
in a hurry, aren’t you?”
“I—” He stiffened, and then relaxed visibly, as if he’d forced himself into it. “It was wonderful to walk with you last night. I’d enjoy doing it again.”
“So would I.” She suspected there was more to his reaction, but they could discuss it later. Right along with why he didn’t have a job, or friends, or a last name.
On impulse, she headed them in the opposite direction from the Wawa, toward the more residential sections of town. She realized she wanted to avoid the familiar. Hopefully, there would be fewer distractions this way.
“Okay, I promised to tell you what happened,” she said. “So here goes.”
She explained about the club show selling out and moving to the riverside, and the huge crowd they expected. “It’s an amazing opportunity for the band,” she said. “It’s everything I ever wanted. And…I’m terrified.”
He frowned. “You’re afraid to take what you want?”
“Yeah. Crazy, right?” She watched the sidewalk. “I feel like I’m going to disappoint everyone. Let them down. Like I’m not what they’re coming to hear.”
“I see.” Jaeryth went quiet for a minute. “These people who are buying the tickets. Have they never listened to Ruined Soul?”
“Sure they have.”
“So they’ve never heard you, then.”
“Well…I guess they have. The YouTube stuff seems to be spreading and there were all those people at the Pelican last night.”
“Ah. So you believe they’re all spending money on something they have no interest in. Perhaps they’re attending the concert because they enjoy being trampled in a crowd.”
She tried not to laugh, but it burst out anyway. “Either that, or they like stale vendor pretzels and overpriced blow-up guitars.”
“Logan. Don’t you see?” His fingers brushed her arm, filling her with electric warmth. “You are what they want. They’re buying tickets to hear Logan Frost sing with Ruined Soul. You shouldn’t fear the crowd—you should embrace it. If they didn’t want to hear your music, they would not be there.”
Something shifted and shattered inside her, an invisible weight she hadn’t even known she was carrying. You are what they want. Could it really be that simple? Her eyes stung and she swallowed past the catch in her throat.
She wasn’t afraid any more.
“Holy shit.” Smiling, she reached out and took his hand. “I think you just cured me of my stage fright. Thank you.”
“You are most welcome.”
They walked for a few minutes without talking, and Logan tried to figure out a casual way to work in some of her questions. She’d started to think maybe she didn’t need to know everything. She trusted him—and for her, that was saying a lot.
Gradually, she realized that they’d wandered into a part of town she’d never been to before, and it didn’t seem like the best part. She’d been caught up in conversation and failed to notice that the quality of the houses had declined. There was a lot of peeling paint and empty weed-choked lots, plenty of graffiti and busted windows. Ahead of them, a pair of battered sneakers tied at the laces hung listlessly from the power lines. And the street was far too quiet.
“Jaeryth,” she said slowly. “I think we should go back.”
He cast her a puzzled glance, but he nodded. “All right.”
They turned around. At the end of the block stood a shambling house with weathered, unpainted board walls and plywood nailed clumsily over all but two of the windows. The small yard surrounding it was bare, hard-packed dirt and the middle of the sagging wooden steps leading to the front door had broken in half. When they neared it, a faint and sickening odor invaded Logan’s nostrils—ammonia and sulfur. She knew that stench. The place was a meth lab.
And the door was opening.
“Come on,” she whispered urgently, picking up the pace. “We really don’t want to be here.”
Jaeryth glanced toward the house. “What—”
“Hey!” The door slammed open and a man in a ratty coat and a filthy baseball cap stumbled out. “Hey, you. You!”
“Oh, Jesus.” Logan shuddered. “He’s tweaking.”
Then she noticed the misshapen lump on his back and realized what it was. One of the freaks, riding the man like some demented child playing piggyback. Its fingers curled around the tweaker’s shoulders and dug into his coat, and it wore a horrific grin as it whispered constantly into the man’s ear.
Logan tried to shout, to warn Jaeryth. But she choked on the words when first one, then a dozen or more black-clad figures surged from the house and started toward them—coming out the door, through the walls and the boarded windows. More and more joined in, until it seemed there had to be a hundred of them. Their rasping voices rose and fell, barely audible, but she made out two words that kept repeating, over and over.
Kill her.
“Hey. You.”
The tweaker shoved a hand inside his grease-stained coat. And pulled out a gun.
* * * * *
Without a second’s hesitation, Jaeryth launched himself at the man with the weapon.
The gun thundered as they went down, deafening him. A painful, high-pitched whine filled his ears and blocked all sound. He ignored it to concentrate on disarming the man—not an easy task, as the human bucked and twisted violently beneath him, still trying to aim at Logan.
He caught the man’s wrist and slammed it against the ground. The grip didn’t ease. He did it again, and a third time. Finally, the gun shifted loose. Jaeryth grabbed it and threw it as far as he could.
The man howled like a wounded animal—and increased his struggles to break free. “Kill her,” he snarled through the spittle bubbling on his lips. “Kill her, kill her!” He wrenched an arm loose and managed to land a stinging blow to Jaeryth’s face.
As Jaeryth grappled with the man, attempting to force him to stay down, the Tempters swarmed over them and smothered his vision in darkness.
But the human could still see.
“Jaeryth!”
Logan’s voice was muffled through his still-ringing ears. He swiveled blindly toward the sound, intending to call out to her, tell her to run.
A hand clamped on to his throat, with a grip like iron.
He lashed out with his fists, missing as often as striking, the blows weakening as his breath ran out. His body lifted slowly as the man rose beneath him. How could this human possess such strength?
“Get away from him!”
The instant Logan screamed, some of the pressure on his throat eased. He grabbed the man’s arm in both hands and forced it down, gasping in air while he still could. With his hearing damaged and his vision obliterated, he couldn’t even defend himself, much less fight back.
Then a collective cry rose from the Tempters, and jags of brilliant golden light streaked through the blackness. The light spread, swallowing everything around him.
It vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. And the Tempters were gone.
Jaeryth found himself kneeling on the attacker. Snarling, he drew back for a blow—but he hesitated when he realized the man had stopped struggling. He lay slack and still, staring up with glassy eyes and foam drying on his lips.
He flinched when someone touched his shoulder, but the sound of Logan’s voice kept him from striking.
“Jaeryth,” she whispered. “He tried to kill me.”
The pain behind those words sliced at him. He got to his feet, turned and drew her into his arms. “Yes. But he failed.”
“You…you saved my life.” Logan shuddered all over and leaned into him. “Oh God. Those things…why are they after me?” A wrenching sob escaped her, and she buried her face in his chest.
He rubbed her back until she stopped trembling, wishing he knew what to say. Finally, she eased back and sniffled once, then looked around him to where the attacker still presumably lay. “I should call 911,” she said. “Maybe they can save him. I think he’s still breathing.”
Jaeryth’s ja
w loosened in shock. “You want to help him? Logan, he nearly shot you!”
“It wasn’t his fault.” She sent a sad glance at the man, and then produced her phone. “It’s the drugs. And those freaks were obviously controlling him. I’ll just be a minute.” She moved reluctantly back from him and turned away to make the call.
Jaeryth closed his eyes. He’d taken a pounding at the mad human’s hands, but that pain was nothing compared to the anguish coursing through him at nearly losing Logan. Ronwe had found her once. He would do so again. Every demon and Tempter in the area would be looking for her now. The incredible power she’d displayed to banish them would protect her—but only if she understood what they were and why she had the ability to stop them.
The only way to keep her safe was to tell her the truth. All of it. He had to make her believe it absolutely, because if she did not, she’d never see them coming. And once he’d confessed, his fate would be sealed. He may as well turn himself over to Samael.
But he was willing to accept an eternity of torment if it meant that Logan would live.
“It’s done.” Logan turned back, tucking the phone away. “I didn’t give my name. But we should get out of here. This place is going to be mobbed with cops soon.”
“Agreed.” Jaeryth summoned a smile he didn’t feel. “Let’s get you home. You’ve been through enough tonight.”
“I like this idea.”
She took his hand and Jaeryth allowed her to lead the way. He savored the warmth of her skin against his and the way the night accentuated her beauty. These were likely his last moments with her. Once he told her he was a demon sent to corrupt her soul, she’d want nothing to do with him—and he could not blame her.
He had failed completely. And now he’d lose everything.
Chapter Nineteen
For the first time since Logan had moved in, the house actually felt like home. Relief flooded her when she walked inside with Jaeryth close behind her, and switched on the living room light. She still didn’t understand exactly what had happened back there, where all that light had come from, why the freaks went away. But she wasn’t going to question it right now.