by Monica Davis
“Then you’ve made your decision?” Marla asked him.
“What?” At first he didn’t understand what she meant, but suddenly it all came back to him. “I’ll come with you to the underworld and listen to what your Council has to say, but only under certain conditions.”
“Danny, who are you talking to?” he heard Nessa say.
He gestured to her to be quiet. Now he had a chance to prove to her that he wasn’t crazy, and he wouldn’t waste the opportunity for anything in the world.
“Conditions?” Marla obviously wanted to protest — displeasure was clearly written on her face — but finally she said, “All right, as the future Overlord, I’ll grant you that privilege.”
“You’re too kind.” His excitement almost rendered him speechless. The way Vanessa was looking at him right now, she was about to call in the men in white coats with straightjackets. “Actually, I’ll be setting three conditions that have to be met before I meet with the Council.”
“What, three?!” Marla widened her eyes in rage. “Okay,” she finally growled.
“First, make yourself visible, so that Nessa knows I haven’t gone crazy.”
Marla exhaled. She had apparently been expecting something much worse from him. Daniel couldn’t see any difference, but when Vanessa suddenly gave a start and flung herself back toward him, he knew at once that she could see Marla.
“That’s impossible!” Vanessa blinked several times. Daniel knew that her logical brain was probably working overtime, incapable of accepting what she had seen. “Are your delusions infectious?” Vanessa looked back and forth between him and Marla, stunned.
Daniel gave a wry smile. “Allow me to introduce you to Marla, my sister.”
“Half-sister,” the demon corrected him.
Vanessa was slowly calming down. “Is she real?”
“Marla’s so real that she tripped you last night in the park,” Daniel said.
“What?” She seemed to be thinking back over the scene. “I thought I had run into something solid,” Vanessa sighed, frustrated with her own confusion. “This certainly turns my worldview on end.” Daniel knew that she had never believed in anything supernatural.
“So, my boyfriend is a demon. That’s totally insane!” She was trembling. Daniel wanted to comfort her, but first he had to finish his negotiations with Marla. Wait, had she called him her boyfriend? Stay focused, Daniel said to himself.
“Condition number two,” Daniel said to his sister, hugging Nessa tightly. “You won’t bother me anymore when I’m … otherwise engaged.”
“Okay.” Her head tilted slightly, Marla looked at him intently. She was expecting the worst to come last.
“And now, my most important condition.”
The demon’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped open. “I knew it!”
“You have to deliver a message to Mike.”
Marla’s face turned from white to red. “Wh-what? What Mike? I don’t know anyone named Mike.”
Reluctantly, Daniel turned to Vanessa. “You know where he lives, don’t you?”
She nodded. “What do you have in mind?”
“Marla’s going to bring him a message. From Joe Adams.”
“Brilliant,” murmured Vanessa, her face a motionless mask. It seemed that she still hadn’t fully understood what was going on.
“So,” he said, turning back to Marla. “Will you deliver a message to Mike?”
“That’s all?” Marla had evidently been expecting more from a future Overlord, but he would just have to disappoint her. He sensed how the demons thought and felt; he was connected to them telepathically, after all. Luckily, he had quickly discovered how to block off the thoughts of strangers — otherwise, he would have gone mad. If only he could do the same with his own thoughts! Daniel didn’t like the idea that other demons could poke around in his mind whenever they wanted.
He had no desire to become like the underworlders. They’re totally sick in the head.
“Where can I find him?” Marla suddenly sounded interested in the prospect, but she was pretending to be fascinated by a large spider whose web occupied a corner of the treehouse.
Nessa, who had been sitting the whole time in Daniel’s lap, trembling, suddenly spoke up: “You’re not going to hurt him, are you?”
To her surprise, Marla smiled. Daniel sensed that it was a sincere smile, which baffled him. “No worries, kid, I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Nodding, Vanessa checked her watch. “He works at the bank on Governor Plaza. If you hurry, you’ll catch him; they’ll probably be closing soon. Or you can wait for him at his apartment. Number four, Willow Street, first floor on the left.”
Daniel again felt that strange pang in his chest that he had experienced at Rebecca’s Halloween party. I’m actually jealous of this blond Casanova, just because Vanessa knows so much about him! Was that just because he loved her? Was this actually love? The feeling was entirely new for him. Of course, he loved his mother, but that was something different. All he had to do was look at Vanessa, and his body seemed to vibrate.
“What’s the message?” Marla shifted her weight from one leg to the other. She was in a hurry to take him to the underworld. “What exactly should I tell this Mike?”
“That old Joe is hidden in the freezer in the basement.”
“Okay, I’m going, but you have to keep your promise!”
“Demon’s honor,” Daniel said with a grin. His sister drew a circle on the wall with one hand. A ring of blue fire appeared, and an opening formed in its center. Daniel could see the fountain in front of the bank in Governor Plaza.
Vanessa’s mouth fell open. “Pinch me.”
He did so.
“Ow, not so hard!” She rubbed her arm, keeping her eyes on Marla. The demon stepped through the circle, which immediately shut behind her, and she was gone. All that remained was a faint whiff of ozone.
For a long time, Vanessa and Daniel looked at each other. He could feel the sparks between them. Finally, Nessa whispered, “Wow.”
Daniel exhaled. “Do you believe me now?”
“Yes, unless it’s all some crazy dream.” Sighing, she closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Who else have you told about this?”
“No one.”
Shaking her head, she pressed her body closer to his. “I can’t really take it all in.”
“Me neither.”
“Your sister is even weirder than you.”
“I’m weird?” Daniel asked quietly.
“Weirdly adorable!” she responded quickly, putting her arms around his neck.
“Would you still want to be with me, even if I weren’t quite human?” Daniel gave her such a piteous look that Vanessa’s heart melted.
She grinned. “Of course, what do you think, dummy? I love you, and I don’t care what you are as long as I know who you are: Danny Taylor, the sweetest demon in all of Little Peak High, the one creature whose heart is in the right place.”
“Half-demon,” he whispered and kissed Nessa with something like desperation. He didn’t want to let go of her lips; he almost robbed her of breath, so passionate was his embrace. Daniel felt unspeakably relieved that he had finally confided in her — and she had believed him.
Vanessa took hold of his hair to pull his head closer to hers. I love you so much, Danny, she thought, and Daniel heard her. He felt what she was feeling, and at this moment he felt the happiest he ever had in his whole life.
Simultaneously, Marla materialized in Mike’s apartment, having decided not to wait for him in front of the bank. She was curious to see how he lived. The two-room apartment had a cozy feel to it, and she immediately felt at ease. The living room was outfitted with dark leather furniture and an antique table, and framed posters of long-dead singers hung on the walls. The small bedroom was more interesting, though. It was painted a bright red, and in the middle of the room stood a circular bed fitted with black satin sheets.
“Wow, Blondie has t
aste!”
She had been fascinated by Mike ever since the party. Speaking to him had been a big mistake. She just couldn’t get him out of her head.
Marla wandered around the apartment for a while, then returned to the living room, where she sat down in a leather armchair. She heard the front door open, and Mike entered the room. His short blond hair had been styled into spikes with gel, and in his suit and tie, he looked much different than he had in the pharaoh costume. Attractive, adult, just overall sexy!
Marla inhaled sharply, but immediately forced herself to look elsewhere. I’m not going to fall for a human just because he’s pretty, she told herself. I won’t ever make the same mistake my mother did! Marla remembered the conversation she had had with Mike on Halloween. He had been so friendly to her! She wasn’t used to that; friendliness was unknown in the underworld. Mike had brought her a glass of orange soda, and they had somehow been on the same wavelength. They even had the same taste in music. He’s so cute … Damn it, Marla, pull yourself together!
She watched him take off his shoes and hang up his jacket in the closet before going over to his stereo and pulling a record from the shelf. Marla had a record collection, too, and she was very proud of it; it was damn difficult to find such relics of a bygone era at affordable prices at flea markets these days. And she didn’t like paying the high prices record stores demanded. Unfortunately, she wasn’t allowed to listen to music in the underworld, at least not officially. Her house didn’t even have electricity. She had hidden her records with Ilaria and listened to them every once in a while when she visited the Oracle. There she could dance without inhibition — and even Ilaria swayed her body to the beat. Marla enjoyed spending time with the priestess.
Metistakles and most of the others hated everything connected with the humans. This made Marla enjoy her excursions into the human world even more, even when Sirina came with her.
Marla had always been a little different, an “exception” — or rather, an outcast — just because of her mother.
As Mike put on some quiet music, she pondered, Why Sinatra’s “Teach Me Tonight”? A tingle ran up her body from her toes to the roots of her hair. I love this song!
“The sky’s a blackboard high above you, and if a shooting star goes by, I’ll use that star to write ‘I love you’ a thousand times across the sky …” sang Sinatra, and Marla sighed. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Mike. He had brought himself a glass of water from the kitchen and was sitting across from her, eyes shut, humming the melody.
“I’ve played loves scenes in a flick or two, and I’ve also met a chick or two, but I still can learn a trick or two, hey teach me tonight …” old Frank trilled.
Marla’s mind wandered. How can I deliver this message? He’ll be scared to death if I suddenly become visible. She began to giggle, but then swallowed hard as Mike began to take off his clothes right in front of her. He unbuttoned his shirt slowly and pulled the fabric off of his shoulders just as Sinatra was singing, “The midnight hours come slowly creeping when there’s no one there but you. There must be more to life than sleeping single in a bed for two.”
Marla stared at Mike’s flat stomach and the faint golden hairs that disappeared into the waistband of his trousers. She would have liked to caress the gentle curves of his muscles or kiss his strong chin. Oh, why must the forbidden temptations always be the most enticing? The frustration was making her angry. The feelings she was having for Mike were taboo!
“What I need most is post-graduate, what I feel is hard to articulate, if you want me to matriculate, you’d better teach me tonight.”
It was too much for Marla. As though bitten by a tarantula, she leapt up to hide in the kitchen until Mike finished his striptease.
“What do you get for lessons, teach me — come on and teach me — teach me tonight …” Marla put her hands over her ears. Oh, Silvan, you sneaky bastard! She had assumed that this task would be simple. If I knew the temptation I’d be facing, I would have thought twice before accepting.
A knot was forming in her stomach. No, I’m not going to end up like Kitana! I’m stronger than that! But evidently she had inherited more of her mother’s qualities than she would have liked.
She waited until the next song on the record finished before returning to the living room. Mike’s clothes were lying in a heap on the couch, but he was nowhere to be seen. Phew! How should she proceed? She didn’t want to whisper in his ear. What if he recognizes my voice? Her heart was pounding. That wasn’t a good omen. That’s unlucky! Finally, she decided to leave him a message on a piece of paper. She went over to his desk, which was far too orderly for her taste, and immediately found what she needed. Picking up a pen, she scribbled on a notepad: You’ll find me in a freezer in the basement of my house. Joe.
Mike suddenly entered the room with only a towel wrapped around his waist, and Marla dropped her pen in fright. Mike turned to look in her direction, but naturally he couldn’t see anything. The Council must have sent this human to test me! He was just too damn attractive — his wet, tousled hair made him look like a schoolboy, but his broad shoulders and narrow hips were those of a real man. How does he stay so fit? I thought he sat all day behind a bank counter?
Mike bent over to pick up the pen, and his towel stretched tighter across his muscular buttocks. Marla let out a gasp. As Mike turned to set the pen back on his desk, he stopped short. Spellbound, Marla watched his eyes take in her message. He abruptly straightened up, turned around, and called out, “Hello? Is anybody here?”
Slowly, without turning his back on the door, he fumbled in the top drawer of the desk and pulled out a silver letter opener that looked like a dagger. Then he fished his cellphone out of the pile of clothes on the couch and dialed a number.
Marla watched him dreamily for a while, listening to his deep voice saying that someone had broken into his apartment. Reluctantly, she tore herself away from him. She had another task to fulfill.
When Vanessa heard a cough behind her, she thought that Anne or her mom might have climbed the ladder to the treehouse. She suddenly realized that she was lying on top of Daniel and that they had been kissing for ages. She turned her head, somewhat abashed, but saw only the demon standing in the same dusky corner as before, her hands on her hips. Vanessa had lost herself so deeply in their shared tenderness that she had almost forgotten about Marla — forgotten that Danny was half demon and would have to accompany his half-sister into the underworld.
“It’s time, little brother, I’ve done my duty,” Marla said. “You need to come with me to tell the Council your decision.”
“There’s no decision to make.” Danny sat up. “I’m not going to become a stupid Overlord.”
“We’ll see. The Council can be very persuasive when they want to be.”
Vanessa feared the worst. They wouldn’t brainwash him, would they? “Can’t you break the news to them?” she asked Marla, earning herself an evil glare from the demon.
Daniel stood up and pulled Vanessa to her feet. “I’ll keep my promise and go with Marla. I don’t know how long I’ll be away. I’ll have to do something about Mom — she’s waiting for us with cookies.”
“I’ll tell Anne that you’ve already gone up to your room, and that I’ll take the cookies up to you. Then I’ll lock the door and hide the key in your yard near the birdbath. Tomorrow morning, I’ll pretend to come and pick you up.”
Daniel was still holding onto her tightly. “You won’t have to do that; Mom has the night shift tonight, so our paths won’t cross in the morning.”
Vanessa sighed with relief. “Good.” She nestled her face into his neck, taking in the smell of his aftershave and wishing she could stay like that forever. “Although I don’t like lying to your mom, and I like the idea of letting you go even less.” In fact, Vanessa was scared to death of losing Daniel. She could still scarcely believe that there really were such things as demons, but if there were, they had to be evil. Right? What did she know about demons
, really? She had never paid much attention to such topics.
“Hopefully I’ll be back soon, and in case Mom notices that I’m not in my room …”
“I’ll think of something.” Vanessa clung to tightly Daniel. What a crazy day it had been! “Your mom loves you a lot, you know.”
“She’s not your mother!” Marla hissed, but this time she became the recipient of an evil glare from Daniel.
“Take care of yourself, okay?” whispered Vanessa, wiping a tear from her eye.
Daniel tried to smile but somehow couldn’t manage it. “Hey, I’m half demon — what could happen to me?” He embraced Vanessa one last time to give her a long kiss, and then he turned to Marla. “Okay, let’s go.”
The young woman drew a circle, and a portal appeared immediately on the wall of the treehouse, outlined in shimmering blue. Expecting to catch a glimpse of the underworld, Daniel and Vanessa both stared through the opening — but they saw only a passageway lit with torches, apparently carved out of solid rock.
Marla took Daniel by the hand, and together they stepped through the flickering circle. Before it closed behind them, Daniel looked back, hoping that he’d see the people he loved again soon …
TO BE CONTINUED
Preview
Daniel is torn between two worlds. In one, he can be happy with Vanessa. In the other, the world of demons, he could wield great power. Will Daniel’s dark side win him over, enticing him to embrace his powers over the living and the dead?
Daniel Taylor between Two Worlds
By Monica Davis
Daniel Taylor
Stay tuned for the next season of Daniel Taylor and his adventures.
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