by S. L. Wright
“More humiliation,” Savor said knowingly. “Dread’s been so tight lately, he vibrates—”
A slight bump came from the ceiling. Instantly I pictured the sofa, directly above me. Listening intently over the music, I thought I heard scuffling up there.
Without a word to Savor, I darted across the room. I didn’t even remember there was nobody manning the bar.
By the time I got upstairs, I couldn’t hear anything through the door. The key was shaking as I unlocked it. Swinging it open, I looked on the floor with a terrible flashback of Theo lying there unconscious.
7
Instead of there being a naked man on my floor, the black rope ladder that I used as an emergency exit was hanging from the tiny skylight into the center of my kitchen. Black motorcycle boots with scarred leather toes were disappearing through the skylight.
I stifled my scream with both hands as the boots jerked and were gone in an instant. I was left standing there, looking up at the open skylight in disbelief. How did that man get inside?
The intruder wasn’t a demon; that much I knew. With one glimpse, I could see his faint human aura. And he didn’t have a signature. The energy emanations I picked up were perfectly human.
Glancing from side to side and seeing no one else, I quickly climbed up the rope ladder after the intruder, my heart racing. But there was nobody on my roof. The guy must have gone up the side of the three- story tenement next door. The two big dogs a couple yards over were barking loudly, raising the alarm.
I looked down between my feet at the kitchen. Nobody was there. But I half expected someone to jump out at me any second.
I grabbed the hinged skylight and closed it as I climbed back down the rope ladder. The top was shaped like a pyramid in heavy wrought iron. It served as an escape hatch to the roof, with the rope ladder usually coiled neatly inside the casing. I could unhook the ladder with a broom handle and have a quick emergency exit out of the place, if I needed to.
The three holes that should have held a heavy steel pin were empty. I didn’t see the pin anywhere. How long had it been missing? Maybe that was how the demon got out this morning, leaving itself a convenient way to get back in. I ran back down and grabbed a fork from the drawer. With a little twisting, I was able to wedge it into one of the holes. That was good enough for now.
Leaving the ladder hanging, I hurried into the living room.
“Shock!”
She looked odd, as if the air had been let out of her, making her skin too large for her body. She was hardly breathing, and her aura was silvery white.
With a flash of terror, I remembered that when Plea died, she had been crumpled in on herself like Shock was now. It only took one touch, and Plea’s body had instantly decompressed, imploding into nothingness as I absorbed her essence.
The demon had come back for Shock. If I hadn’t heard the thump and run upstairs, it would have killed her. Straining as hard as I could, with Shock’s signature now sickly low and muffled, I still couldn’t sense any other demons nearby.
But I could feel Shock’s essence, calling to me. Her core was exposed and vulnerable, ready for the taking, like beautiful music that lured me forward, never ceasing. It promised to soothe that deep ache I’d been living with, to lift me to salvation—
I wrenched myself way from the very thought. I could never kill Shock!
Determined, I held out my palms near her skin without directly touching her. I lowered my shields and let my emotions flow freely, channeling my alarm into her. It wasn’t as good as making physical contact, but Shock absorbed the energy like an empty sponge.
It was the best I could do until I was sure I wouldn’t inadvertently steal her life force with a touch.
But I kept looking over my shoulder, waiting for a demon to leap out at me. Shock was trembling on the edge of death, so I couldn’t stop feeding her to search my apartment more thoroughly as I desperately wanted to. Chills kept going up my spine as I expected a demon to come crashing down the skylight or through my window at any moment. I kept thinking it must be Petrify nearby, and I was confusing my own fear with his signature.
Who was the intruder in the black boots? An accomplice? A minion? It wasn’t the demon; I’d never heard of a demon with a signature so mild that you couldn’t sense it while you were in the same room.
It took too long, but slowly pale colors began to appear again in Shock’s aura. Her skin wasn’t as wrinkled anymore, or maybe it was my imagination. I definitely didn’t have enough reserves to bring her all the way back, and I couldn’t risk letting a human touch her when she was so close to the edge of death.
I needed a demon I could trust—an oxymoron, if there ever was one.
We were both under Vex’s protection, but what if Dread was behind the demon deaths and he had turned on Shock? It seemed like a bad idea to take Shock into Vex’s complex in her current defenseless state. Any demon could steal her essence with an innocent tap, and I didn’t trust my ability to be able to defend us both.
Savor was downstairs, but she was not a demon I trusted—not in any way. Besides, Dread had her under his thumb.
That left Revel, our progenitor. He was also a Vex demon, but after a millennium, he had gained his own measure of independence. My lips drew back in distaste at the thought of going to him for help. I had personal reasons for hating the first demon to seek me out after I had been possessed.
Since I’d moved to the city, Revel had reached out to me in every way possible, inviting me to his house in the Hamptons during the steamy summer months, offering me money to buy the bar, and regularly sending me keys to luxury apartments where I could live in comfort. It had become a boring ritual for me to refuse his latest offer. But it was the only power I had, come to think of it.
I couldn’t stay here, not when my defenses had been so easily breached. I looked warily back at my kitchen and the sunshiny bedroom beyond.
Shock was near death.
I made up my mind. I bent over her, murmuring, “Don’t worry, I’m taking you to Revel. He’ll help us.”
As I lifted up Shock, I finally remembered the bar. The cash register was sitting there unattended. I wondered what Savor was doing right now.
I wrestled my phone out of my pocket and speed dialed Darryl. He picked up on the first ring. “Hey there, I just left. You won’t believe this place—”
“I can’t talk. I have to leave now. Get back here as soon as you can.” I flipped the phone shut on his surprised exclamation so I could carry Shock down the stairs. She was oddly rigid, not like someone who was unconscious. Her body had grown denser as it shrank in on itself, and she was stiff as a board.
Bracing myself in the foyer, I threw open the door and lifted Shock through. As I got my balance, Savor burst out of the door of the bar right next to me. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t touch her.” I swung Shock around so she was on the other side of me. At the same time, I glanced down at Savor’s feet, clad in brown sandals, not motorcycle boots. Actually Savor was the only demon who had an airtight alibi—me. But that could have been part of the plan, Savor keeping me talking while another demon invaded my place and attacked Shock.
And that again pointed back to Dread.
Savor took in Shock’s condition with one practiced glance. “Who did it?”
“I don’t know! I didn’t feel anything. Did you?”
Savor shook her head thoughtfully. “No, only Shock. Weak as she is. And I’m known for my range.”
I couldn’t tell if she was lying. She was such the adept actress, able to become exactly who she needed to be on a moment’s notice. “There was a man with the demon, wearing motorcycle boots. They climbed in from the roof.”
“Another mystery death.” Savor examined Shock again. “A near-death.”
“I don’t have time to chat about it, Savor. I have to go, so would you please leave now?”
“Allay, you have such a terrible opinion of me. When did I ever do you wrong?�
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“You’re trying to seduce Lolita. You know I hate that.”
“You take things too seriously. I’ll make sure no one steals the liquor until Darryl gets back, like I’ve been doing.” In a huff, Savor ducked back into the bar. Only then I remembered the USB device in my pocket. But I didn’t have time to waste calling her back.
As I dragged Shock to the curb, our auras crackled in muddy colors where we touched.
Everyone was staring curiously.
That was when I saw Theo hurrying toward me. I couldn’t have been more surprised. He reached out in alarm. “Allay. What’s wrong—”
“Stay back,” I ordered. I turned slightly to keep Shock away from him. “Don’t touch her.”
I was thankful that he stopped. I doubted Shock was going to implode with his touch, since I was already carrying her. But I couldn’t risk turning him into a demon and losing Shock at the same time. That would be too tragic.
Theo put his hands up as if showing he had no weapon. “What happened to your sister?”
“What are you doing here?” I countered, looking pointedly down at his feet—I couldn’t trust anyone. I would be looking for those black motorcycle boots everywhere I went from now on. But Theo was wearing the same old shoes I had pulled off him last night.
“I just went to the station house, and the cops told me you hadn’t come in yet to look at the mug shots. I was worried something had happened.” He was hovering too close. “Let me carry her for you.”
“No.” I shifted Shock well out of reach. “If you want to help, flag me a cab.”
Theo instantly stepped into the street and raised his arm as a series of full cabs went by. I finally had a reason to be grateful for gentrification since it had brought cabs to my neighborhood.
An empty cab pulled up, but there wasn’t much space next to the parked cars, so the door couldn’t open completely. “Move back,” I ordered.
Raising his brows, Theo took a step back, standing next to the fender. I silently blessed my strength as I muscled Shock’s stiffened form into the cab. She bent oddly at the hips and waist. I crawled in over her to sit in the middle, slamming the door shut so Theo couldn’t get in.
He protested, but I called through the partly open window, “Thanks.”
I leaned closer to the thick Plexiglas that separated us from the driver, who was looking a bit alarmed. Then the door behind the driver opened. You weren’t supposed to get into cabs on the outside.
“What are you doing? No, get out.” I tried to stop Theo as he started to climb in. “You can’t come with us.”
Theo sat down on the seat, physically shoving me over, so I jostled Shock into the opposite door. She rocked stiffly.
He shut the door firmly behind him. “You need help, Allay.”
“I’m going for help.”
The wide-eyed cabdriver looked over his shoulder, his voice rising higher. “No trouble. No trouble.”
He was about to kick us out. Theo lifted his palms up as if to placate both of us. His voice was low. “Let me do what I can, Allay.”
I was so paranoid, for a second I wondered if he might be part of the demon attacks. But it didn’t add up. Why would he save me from Pique if the goal was to kill Shock? Surely I was Shock’s last line of defense.
His black eye reminded me of how much I owed him already. And he had seen the demon in my apartment the first time. Maybe he could be useful. As long as he didn’t try to touch Shock.
“All right.” I leaned forward, speaking through the pivoting money drawer. “Take us to Park and Sixty-eighth Street.”
With the driver still muttering, the cab lurched forward. I laced my hand with Shock’s. There was still no response from her. I took a deep breath, letting my adrenaline-fueled panic empty into her. That was Shock’s preferred emotion, so it would sustain her best.
The rapid drawing down of my own energy made me feel as if I were sinking. Yet there was an undeniable sensuality in pouring myself into another demon. I had never fluctuated so high and low so fast—it was quite the rush. I could see how some demons got addicted to it.
On my other side, Theo’s thigh was against mine, warm through my skirt. His hands were clasped tightly in his lap, and his jaw was clenched.
Trying to shake off the hypnotic lure of feeding Shock, I asked, “Why did you come back? Most guys would have run after what you’ve been through.”
“I thought I might accept your job offer.”
I blinked a few times. “What job offer?”
He cleared his throat. “You need a bodyguard. I can’t keep driving the hours I’ve been doing, so I have plenty of time to help out.”
A short, disbelieving laugh escaped; then I realized how insulting it sounded. “No offense, but every time you’ve come up against these guys, you weren’t exactly the winner.”
“Ouch…” His drawn-out enunciation could have put Savor to shame.
I had to smile, in spite of the situation and the panic in the pit of my stomach. Shock and the bar were the only things I had. “Thanks for offering, but I’m not going to risk anyone’s neck for mine until I know what’s going on.”
He did that manly thing of not answering, because then he could pretend he hadn’t heard me say no. But I didn’t call him on it. Even if it was only for a cab ride, it felt good to have someone on my side.
The cabbie turned onto First Avenue and began a mad dash up the edge of the island, weaving in and out of traffic. For once I didn’t tell him—I’m not in a rush! This time I was in a rush, hurrying to beg help from the last person I wanted to be indebted to.
We drove through the dregs of my neighborhood plastered with graffiti and strewn with trash, then the East Village, filled with young people out enjoying the weekend. Around Stuyvesant Town, north of Fourteenth Street, baby carriages reigned. Then there were the ten-block-long NYU Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital, where Shock ended up too many nights in the company of cops and bloody patients in handcuffs. We were passing through the stratified realms of Manhattan, laid down like layers of sandstone through the centuries.
North of the Midtown tunnel was the boxy tower of the United Nations. For security reasons, traffic channeled into a tunnel several blocks long that whisked us by the UN, safely unseen. When the cab emerged from the tunnel, large upscale apartment buildings filled the blocks, with plate-glass windows for boutiques, banks, and restaurants lining the avenues. Between the behemoths, the one-way cross streets of the Upper East Side had narrow town houses with tiny manicured gardens, lush with flowering vines and trees. Each facade was pristine, with the elaborate cornices and window bows a testament to wealth.
As the cab turned left on Sixty- seventh Street, heading deeper into the moneyed neighborhood, I tried to prepare myself. Shock absorbed my nervousness as easily as my other emotions. I stroked her cheek, glad to see it was indeed growing firmer and rounder. I was grateful that Theo wasn’t asking questions. Our silent ride had given me enough time to bring Shock back to life.
I checked my cell phone, and there was a text from Darryl saying, Back, all ok. I texted back, Stay alert. My bartenders knew I took safety seriously, and I encouraged them to be quick to call 911 if they needed help. Hopefully by removing Shock, I had taken away the target at the bar and the demons would leave my people alone. Hopefully Savor had moved on to other haunts.
With that settled, it was time to dial the dreaded number. It rang several times; then an accented female voice answered, “Fortunay residence.”
I swallowed. “Please tell Giles that Allay is calling.”
“Certainement,” she replied.
There was a long wait as we sat at a traffic light. Then Revel’s voice came over the line. “Allay, what a pleasure to hear from you.”
“I’m sure.” I had to force myself to say it. “I need your help, Revel. Shock’s been hurt.”
There was a slight pause. “Where are you?”
“Two blocks away.”
�
�Good. Go to the entrance on Sixty-eighth to the underground parking garage and tell them you’re here to see me. They’ll send you up in my private lift.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course Revel would have his own elevator. I hung up, instructing the cabdriver to circle the block to go down Sixty-eighth Street.
A few minutes later, I found out that money could buy a lot of discreet service. I said the name “Giles Fortunay,” and the cab was instantly waved inside the concrete-columned parking garage by a security guard. Without a word, a white-gloved valet directed us to an interior sidewalk. The elevator door opened as we pulled up.
Theo paid the cabdriver as I struggled to get Shock out of the car. She was looking much better, filled out instead of crumpled in on herself. But that made her more flexible, so it was harder for me to lift her. I pulled her from the cab, and her feet bumped against the edge of the curb.
Theo grabbed Shock’s legs, lifting them up. “Let me carry her,” he said quietly.
The valet was headed our way, so I let Theo carry Shock. At least she now looked like an unconscious human instead of a mannequin. Shock’s head fell against his chest as Theo settled her in his arms.
I held her hand as I walked beside him, continuing to feed her, though I was starting to feel light-headed. Shock shifted and moaned, the first signs of life she had shown since I had found her. Theo kept looking at me instead of Shock, but I was too busy willing the colors of her aura to strengthen.
“You really would do anything to help her, wouldn’t you?” Theo said.