by R. L. Naquin
“Our local O.G.R.E. squad was headquartered there.”
“Oh.” He paused. “Wait, was?”
I rubbed my forehead and took a deep breath before telling him what had happened that morning.
“Oh, honey.” The kindness and sympathy he sent through the phone nearly undid me. “What can I do to help?”
Andrew was a natural caregiver. It was so tempting to let my walls down and crawl into the warmth of that kindness until everything bad went away. I shook my head to clear it and straightened my shoulders. Time enough later to be coddled.
Or the world would end and I wouldn’t need it.
I had no idea if Lionel had a replacement priest waiting in the wings or if Kam was alive, but locked up somewhere to starve. Either way, we had to find her. Petaluma wasn’t that big a town, but it was big enough to hide secrets.
“Find our girl, Andrew. Bring her home safely.”
Chapter Nineteen
With so much going on, we’d all forgotten Sara’s date with Talia late that afternoon. Honestly, Sara probably didn’t forget, but she’d kept her worries to herself while we bustled around making burial arrangements, phone calls and patrols of the property.
I tried not to mentally chide myself for the slip. Though I didn’t dwell on the event beforehand, I wouldn’t desert her while it happened. Not even the end of the world took priority over this. Sara needed me.
When the portal appeared in the driveway, it was as if alarms and red strobe lights had gone off to alert everyone. By the time Talia stepped through, she was surrounded.
“Guys,” Sara said. “Stand down. It’s Talia.”
Darius, Riley and Maurice—my three-man security team—took a full minute of bizarre silent exchanges before they all stepped away and allowed Talia access.
I doubted they could have stopped her had she wanted to plow past them.
Sara and I met her at the bottom of the steps.
She smiled and held out her hand to Sara. “Are you ready?”
Sara took Talia’s hand, paused, then nodded. “Yes.”
I watched the determination in her face and said nothing. I would stay by her side, but I wouldn’t interfere. To be honest, I owed Sebastian some torture of my own, but Sara had nearly died. Despite being an empath, I had no way of knowing everything Sara felt about what Sebastian had done. Every rape victim is affected differently, and Sara’s experience had the added supernatural element to something already too horrible to imagine. But she was different than she had been—less confident, a little more fragile. She was still strong and opinionated, but there was a hesitation to her these days she’d never had in the past.
He’d taken something precious from her. I didn’t know if she could get it back, but I would be there to help her try.
Talia led us to the edge of the fairy ring. “Stay within the ring. He can’t hurt you while I’m here, but just the same, an extra level of safety doesn’t hurt.”
“So, how will this work?” Sara’s voice shook, and I reached out to take her hand. She squeezed it in thanks, then released it.
Leave it to Sara to want to confront her attacker without showing weakness.
Talia reached into the air and pulled a long, thin staff out of nothing. It was smooth and unadorned along its golden length. A jagged chunk of rough obsidian rose from the top, almost as if it had grown there organically. Talia handed it to Sara.
“You’ll use this to drain him.” She stared into Sara’s eyes, lavender demon eyes piercing human blue. “It will be very painful for him.”
Sara didn’t flinch. “Good.”
“Take as much of him as you wish. You are in control, even unto his death.”
Sara’s fingers curled around the staff. “I understand.”
“No.” Talia’s voice was sharp. “You do not understand. When you have that kind of control over another, you are responsible for their fate. Be sure you take only what you are willing to claim. The line between justice and revenge is thin, and the choice of whether to ignore that line is yours. Only you know what consequences you can live with.”
My stomach churned with prickle-winged butterflies newly arrived with an ominous message from Hell. What if something went wrong? Sara seemed absolutely sure of herself, but I was terrified she was making a mistake.
I touched her sleeve. “Still not too late to forget about it.”
Her expression was filled with weariness. “I’m tired of forgetting, Zoey. And I’m tired of being afraid. I don’t want him to hurt anyone else ever again.”
I’d vowed to stand by her, no matter what she decided. I kept my promises. “I’ll be right here.”
We both took deep breaths in preparation, then Sara nodded at Talia. The demon queen stepped into the portal, then returned, leading Sebastian toward us.
My heart thudded and a thin film of sweat formed on my skin. Despite the dramatic, violent way I’d sent him back to his world, he looked the same as when I’d first seen him.
He wore jeans so tight I couldn’t imagine how he could possibly walk. His shirt was white and poofy, like on a romance-novel pirate, and lace sleeves dripped from the wrists of his red velvet smoking jacket. The jacket was frayed. When he moved his head, his long dark hair rasped against the cheap fabric. It took me a moment to get up the nerve to look him in the eye. Looking him in the eye was what nearly got me killed in the past.
When I dared to look, I realized that wasn’t the case anymore. I didn’t feel his creepy, lust-inducing touch in places that shouldn’t be touched in public. His eyes were a dull brown now. And they held no power.
Sebastian eyed us both and chuckled, though the sound was hollow. “And so I must face my victims and pay for the crimes of being true to my nature.” He winked at me. “Have you found your happily-ever-after with your reaper yet, Aegis?” He sniffed in my direction and laughed. “I smell sexual tension, my dear. If the grave digger can’t satisfy you, I might be able to assist you.”
Talia rolled her eyes, but did nothing.
Sara tensed, her back straighter than it had been. Her lips were pressed together in a tight line. She bobbed her head at Talia, and the demon queen shoved Sebastian to his knees. I half expected his jeans would split from the effort. He knelt in the dirt in my driveway outside the fairy ring while we stood safely within.
I would have liked to see some sign of remorse on his smarmy face, but all I found there was a casual resignation. From his expression, I gathered he didn’t think Sara would be severe with her dispensation of justice.
We were, after all, the good guys.
“Touch the stone to his forehead and breathe.” Talia’s voice was soft. “That’s all you need to do, Sara.”
She took a few practice breaths, steeling her resolve, then lowered the staff to Sebastian’s skin.
The effect was immediate. Sebastian arched his back, his face locked in pain. He made low groans from the back of his throat, like he was fighting to push the pain away. Sara threw her head back and licked her lips. Her skin brightened and glowed, and her hair became luminescent. Her fingers dug into the staff to steady her grip.
Sebastian’s skin grew sallow, and his face seemed to shrink as the energy Sara took from him reduced the flesh of his body. His tacky jacket hung from his shoulders. His jeans gapped at the waist.
“Sara.” I was afraid of touching her, but I couldn’t let her continue. Talia had mentioned consequences. “Sara!”
Sara blinked and looked at Sebastian. “Oh.” She pulled to lift the staff and break contact.
Sebastian grinned, looking more demonic than ever before. He grabbed the staff and held it there, maintaining an eerie, sickening eye contact with Sara as he did it. The energy transfer continued against Sara’s will. She struggled to let go, tugging her arms, but her hands didn’t unclench. Demonic energy pumped into her at a faster and faster rate, darkening her skin and changing her hair to a brilliant white.
She screamed.
I reached
for her, but I wasn’t fast enough. Maurice flew out of nowhere and tackled her to the ground, breaking contact with Sebastian and the staff. It had all happened faster than anyone could react—anyone but a closet monster who moved quicker than my eyes could follow.
Talia stepped forward and took Sebastian by the arm, lifting him to a feeble, upright position. Her gaze brushed over Sara, huddled in Maurice’s protective arms, face hidden. “Consequences. I had no idea he would force her to accept them. I am very sorry.”
I frowned, confused and angry. She’d promised to keep Sara safe. “Sorry for what, exactly?” I was torn. Part of me wanted to run after her and tackle the demon queen as she dragged Sebastian through the portal. Another part wanted to pull Maurice away from Sara to see what these consequences were. Indecision kept me pinned between the two. “Wait! What did he do to her?”
Talia turned before she disappeared, shook her head once, then stepped through. The portal closed in on itself and was gone.
I closed my eyes and tried to prepare myself for whatever had been done to Sara. She stirred behind me, and Maurice caught his breath.
I faced them and gasped.
Sara’s skin was golden—not like she’d over-tanned in preparation for a Maui vacation. Gold that glittered and caught the sun with flecks of dust. Her hair, once a sensible blonde now glowed silver-white, as if the moon had touched her and bestowed its light on her. She heard my reaction and looked at me. The blue of her eyes had been replaced with golden rings and dark pupils like slits. All of that might be covered up with dyes, makeup and contacts. But the silver and gold horns twisting from her forehead to coil behind her pointed ears would be impossible to conceal.
My best friend was a demon.
“What?” She narrowed her eerie eyes at me, then noticed a hank of silver hair hanging in front of her face. She reached for it, and her own hand caught her attention. Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, no-no-no.” Sara held out her arm, examining the odd color of her skin, then touched the hair she’d been reaching for. Her voice was a whisper as she traced the twisted shape of the horns jutting out of her head. “What did that bastard do to me?”
Sara covered her face with her strange gold hands and cried.
There wasn’t a damn thing we could do to comfort her.
* * *
Sara’s breakdown didn’t last as long as it might have. Had it been me, for example, I would have sat in the dirt for hours. But that had never been how Sara rolled. After less than a half hour, she wiped her tears away, pulled herself to her feet and announced that she wanted a mirror.
“I need to see how bad the damage is. I’m guessing I won’t be going home any time soon.”
Looking at her, I was guessing she wouldn’t be able to go home ever again, but she’d have to come to that conclusion for herself.
I led her to my bedroom and closed the door behind us. A sweater hung over the top of my full-length mirror, so I pulled it off and stepped aside. Sara stood in front of her reflection, blinking.
“What the hell is wrong with my eyes?” She drew her face closer. “Oh, God. I’m a reptile.” She blinked again, touching her fingers to her face, her hair, her horns. “Silver and gold together? Isn’t that a little tacky?”
A soft voice spoke from behind us. “I think it’s beautiful.” Stacy inched out from beneath the bed, her eyes red and swollen. She sniffed. “You’re beautiful. I can’t compete with that.”
Sara frowned. “What?”
Stacy lowered her head. “I thought maybe he’d stop being obsessed with you after the novelty of a human woman wore off. But now...” She sniffed again, and her voice all but disappeared into her ruffled top. “Now you’re one of us.”
Sara’s strange eyes clouded. I’d thought she’d cried all the tears she could hold, but she still had a few left for the forlorn, lovesick monster standing before her.
She brushed away a tear from her golden cheek. “I’m so sorry, Stacy. I never meant to...”
Stacy gave Sara a small, sad smile. “No. Don’t be sorry.” She pulled her shoulders back. “If Maurice and I were meant to be together, it would have happened a long time ago.” She smoothed her pink-and-yellow tutu with more dignity than a duchess adjusting a velvet gown. “It’s time I admitted that.” She gave Sara a brave smile. “Make him happy.”
Then she slipped under the bed and was gone.
Sara sighed. “I don’t know what to say to that.” She faced her reflection and touched the sharp point on the end of one of her horns. “My sad love life is kind of at the bottom of my priority list at the moment.”
We stood together looking at her in the mirror. “I should have stopped you.” I brushed a piece of her remarkable hair away from her face.
“If you say you’re sorry, I swear I’ll shoot fire at you or curse you or whatever demons do. I think we’ve both heard those words enough times for one day.”
“It changes everything.” There was nothing left to say but the obvious.
She shrugged, though I could tell she wasn’t nearly as accepting of the whole thing as she pretended to be. “Let’s get through the end of the world first. Then we’ll see what kind of a game changer this is.” She grimaced and checked her teeth. “At least I don’t have fangs.”
“So, you don’t have to relearn how to eat. That’s nice.”
She plucked at her beige pants and simple blue shirt. “I’ll have to rethink my entire wardrobe, though. I think my days as a sensible dresser are over. This looks like crap.”
“Finally.” I waved at my closet filled with eclectic fabrics and obnoxious colors and patterns. “Help yourself.”
We rummaged for a few minutes, but Sara was full of bluster. This was a monumental thing that had happened to her, and for all we knew—fingers crossed—it was temporary. She didn’t have the heart to embrace a makeover, and I didn’t have the time. Kam was still missing.
“Besides,” she said, rehanging a gold-sequined cocktail dress. “No offense, but if I’m going to remake my image, I’d rather Kam helped me than you.”
I snorted. “Hey! I’ll have you know...” I stopped. “Okay, fine. I can’t fake indignation at that. It’s totally fair. Besides, Maurice is probably losing his mind with worry by now. I think I smell pie. No telling how many things he’s baked since we came in here.” I stopped, wishing I could take the words back. Sara probably didn’t want to talk about Maurice, yet. I felt terrible for Stacy, but the under-the-bed monster’s departure didn’t automatically mean Sara and Maurice would end up together.
Sara tilted her head to the side. “Wait.” She stood that way so long, I started to get worried. When she moved, she made a run for the bedroom door. “Andrew and Daniel are back.”
I followed her down the hall, trotting to keep up. “How do you know? What are you hearing?”
She flung the front door open and ran out to the driveway and all the way to the street. Because of my limitations, I couldn’t follow her past the fairy ring, though, with Lionel gone, I wasn’t sure how much immediate danger there was.
Sara stood half in the street, waiting for something. It only occurred to me then that she was Hidden now. She couldn’t stand there in broad daylight.
I opened my mouth to yell at her to come back when she turned around and sprinted toward me, dust and gravel spraying in her wake. She was fast. Not Maurice fast, but certainly faster than she had been. “They’re about five minutes away.”
I didn’t ask how she could possibly know that. Enough weird things had happened in my life that I didn’t question much. And now that Sara was a full-fledged Hidden, anything was possible. She had super speed. So, maybe she also had super hearing or some sort of precognition abilities.
We sat on the steps and waited. Sure enough, Andrew’s clunker of a station wagon pulled around the corner and parked in the driveway. Daniel threw open a door then climbed out of the backseat, bracing Kam against his shoulder.
She looked weak, and her hair hung lank around
her face, but she was alive. I ran to help Daniel, and hugged them both. Kam’s wrist was bandaged, tiny dots of blood dotting the gauze.
“You’re alive.” Stating the obvious was my go-to tactic when I was at a loss for words.
Kam’s gaze met mine, and her eyes told a story I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear with my ears. Kam had seen something so tragic and horrible, it had killed the light inside her.
She stumbled, and we half-carried her toward the house. Andrew stood in front of us, his eyes wide as he stared at Sara. “What the hell happened here?”
Sara gave him a dry smile. “You first. Let’s get her inside. She looks like hell.”
Kam lifted her head, her dull eyes squinting at Sara. She didn’t say anything, and her head sank again between her shoulders.
Whatever had happened to Kam, it was far worse than the horrible thing that had happened to Sara.
Chapter Twenty
We put Kam to bed. She had nothing to say to anyone. Her wounds were limited to the bandaged wrist, and Andrew said she needed rest. I had a quiet word with Gris, and he agreed to stay in there with her, a silent guard in case she needed anything.
The rest of us settled into the living room to exchange stories.
Maurice bustled around us while we told our side of it. He poured drinks and set out plates of food, fussing at crumbs and smudges. I was right. He’d been baking like crazy to calm his nerves. Pies, scones, cupcakes. I’d never seen him so stressed. He kept stealing glances at Sara from the corner of his eye, pretending not to look.
For that matter, Sara was doing the same with him. It was painful to watch, and I winced internally every time they danced away from each other.
Daniel frowned into his cup of herbal tea. “So, is it permanent?”
Sara shrugged. “Somehow, I have a feeling it is.”
Andrew eyed her spiraling horns. “Does it hurt anywhere? Can we get you anything?” Ever the caretaker, my herbalist friend was more concerned with Sara’s comfort than with how she looked.
She shook her head. “I’m okay. I might end up being more useful to the cause, in the end.” She made a sour face and took a swallow of her tea.