Demon Underground (2)

by S. L. Wright

  5

  Not long after I spoke to Dread, Goad’s signature pulled away again. I went back to my patrons as part of me kept expecting the stinging to reappear in its game of cat and mouse. But Goad didn’t return.

  Maybe Dread had more control over Goad than he had been letting on. Or maybe Goad had found someone else to harass.

  Closing time on Wednesday was one a.m. I didn’t have to tell any of my patrons to go; they all knew when it was time to leave as I started the closing routine.

  Ram still hadn’t returned when Bliss rolled down the metal shutter and locked us inside. I had invited him to come by the bar. Why didn’t he?

  Shock checked her beeper. “Richards called in sick. I can take a night shift and be back in time to help you open up tomorrow.”

  I was surprised, even though I knew that Shock was a workaholic. “You can’t go out. What about Goad?”

  “I’ll have my partner with me at all times, and an open line to dispatch and police on call. Nobody’s ever tried to get me while I’m working. They’d be stupid to try.”

  I was really hurt. I’d been waiting until everyone left so I could talk to her about Revel. I wanted to know what she knew about his involvement in making me. Savor’s revelation had shaken me to my core. Maybe everything I knew about Revel was wrong.

  “I don’t understand why you have to go,” I said.

  Her eyes blazed brighter blue. “I need to feed, Allay.”

  I gestured to the bar. “You could have fed all night, but you sat over there and sulked instead.”

  She wouldn’t meet my eyes. “You know what I like.”

  She lived for other people’s pain and suffering, sloughing it off in fat sheets as she patched their bodies back together enough so they could make it to a hospital. It blunted their agony when she took their pain, but she didn’t do it for them. Let’s be real. She wouldn’t ever cause harm to anyone, but she had no qualms about feeding off tragedy whenever she could find it.

  “What about you?” she asked. “Are you going to stay here where it’s safe? Or are you going to let Ram lure you out?”

  “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

  “Call me if you do go out,” Shock insisted. “Promise me, Allay.”

  I nodded, wishing she would agree to what I wanted so easily.

  “What about me?” Bliss asked plaintively. “Do you want me to stay inside, too?”

  “I don’t care what you do,” Shock shot back.

  “Shock!” I had no patience for her hostility. “Why are you so hard on Bliss? She’s been nothing but helpful.”

  “Yeah, seducing Crave was real helpful.”

  “Well, I like having her around.”

  “Thank you,” Bliss said.

  Shock lifted her hands, an angry scarlet swirling through her aura. “Do whatever you want. Both of you.”

  The door slammed behind her.

  I’d never seen Shock so upset. It unnerved me to the point that I could hardly talk to Bliss. With the two of us working, we quickly closed down the bar and went upstairs. I jumped into a hot shower, wanting to rinse everything away in a long hot steam.

  Shock was being such a bitch that I hadn’t even had the chance to talk to her about the ERI machine that was going to expose all of us. She didn’t know that Ram believed demons would be exposed. We had to figure out what to do about it. But Shock had shut me out.

  And Ram never showed. Not all night. I had hoped we could sit down and talk about the ERI with everyone together. It would help if Shock saw him as an ally, but she was having a hard enough time accepting Bliss, who hadn’t said an angry word to her.

  “Bliss,” I said as I came out of the bathroom, wrapping the terry cloth robe around myself. “I wanted to tell you what Ram said today about the ERI . . . Bliss?”

  A quick look proved she wasn’t in the front or the back room. That was when I realized her signature was gone. It was very light like mine, a floating sensation like fallen leaves being lifted on the breeze. I hated to admit that with Shock’s numbing signature finally gone, it was a relief. Bliss’s was similar enough to my own buoyant signature that I hadn’t even noticed it. I also hadn’t noticed it was gone.

  I was alone for the first time since I had come back to the bar. I couldn’t feel any other demons within range. I was snug in my bubble once again, my home and things around me exactly the same as always.

  But everything had changed. I couldn’t ignore what was going on out there anymore. It was as if my world had turned inside out.

  It bothered me that Bliss had sneaked away. I was being too clingy. But I worried about her even though she seemed very capable of taking care of herself. I wondered where she went. To an after-hours club? She had been flipping through the Village Voice earlier, and talking to the patrons about places in Chelsea where there was dancing until dawn.

  Wherever she is, I bet she’s having fun.

  I threw on an old black hoodie that didn’t quite reach my slung-low sweatpants, and curled up on the sofa, staring into the shadows, too keyed up to read. The place was too quiet without the bar cats coming through the duct and spatting with each other over the catnip.

  Then from far away came the sound of the phone ringing down in the bar. If I had been listening to my iPod or watching TV, I wouldn’t have heard it.

  I was afraid I wouldn’t make it in time, so I snatched up my keys as I ran. While I raced down the stairs in the dark, the phone kept ringing.

  “Den on C,” I answered breathlessly.

  I was expecting it to be Shock checking in. Or hopefully Bliss.

  Instead it was Glory’s unmistakable deep-throated drawl. “Allay, is that you?”

  “Glory? What’s wrong?”

  “Do you know where your girl is at?” Glory demanded.

  “Shock? She’s at work.” Then I realized who she was talking about. “Oh, I don’t know where Bliss is.”

  “I do. She’s gone to Crave’s shop. He lit out to meet her. Lash is having fits. I tell you, Allay, I can’t have this.”

  I let out an aggravated sound. “I’m sorry, Glory. I told her to stay away from Crave.”

  “You go tell her again!”

  “She doesn’t listen to me. Can’t you order Crave to stay away from Bliss? He’s the one taking advantage of her. She’s so new she’s practically mindless.”

  “Hardly that, I’m sure.” Her voice grew grim. “I’ve given Crave his orders. He knows the consequences of defying me. If it was any other demon, I’d kill her before I let her ruin my plans. But I can’t kill her without alienating you. So that makes it your problem.”

  “Are you so worried Lash will turn on you?”

  “Not at all. The issue is the timing. Tell your girl to keep her pants on. Surely she won’t explode in frustration.”

  That was exactly what I’d asked of Bliss, and she had agreed; then she’d gone up to see Crave anyway. But I didn’t want to tell Glory that. Glory might just give that death order. “Okay, but I’m telling them that you sent me there to warn them both.”

  “Get going! I want him back with Lash tonight.” Glory hung up.

  I stood there with the phone in my hand. I could call Shock and tell her I was going out, but she would be hateful because it was about Bliss. I didn’t have enough time to wait for her to get here to go with me, so there was no use in calling her just to upset her all over again.

  I wished I had my car, but it was parked in a Chinatown garage waiting for my aborted getaway, which Goad had interrupted by kidnapping me. It would take too much time to go back down there to get it, so I decided to take a cab up to Crave’s place. That would be safer and quicker than the subway this time of night.

  I grabbed some twenties from the cash drawer and headed out.

  In my neighborhood there weren’t many people walking around in the dead of night in the middle of the week. But up on Madison Avenue, it was a ghost town. I felt Crave and Bliss as the cab approached, but I doubted th
ey would be able to sense me over each other.

  A much more fancy version of my metal shutter, complete with decorative grillwork, was pulled down over the front of the shop. So I went to the side door and rang the buzzer.

  I felt like a jealous lover running down her errant boyfriend. I didn’t like it.

  As soon as the door opened, Bliss said, “Obsessive much, Allay? It’s like you can’t stay away from me.”

  “It’s not my idea, believe me.” I thanked Crave as he let me inside.

  Through the arch was his jewelry shop. He flicked on a switch and the crystal chandeliers filled the room with sparkling light. It was a surprise after the darkness outside. There were four long glass cases set in a square, allowing access from all sides. The bare walls appeared to be rustic stone in warm peach colors, with real ivy climbing up several trellises. It made the glass cases in the center feel like an altar.

  Several groupings of plush chairs and a long, low sofa were arranged at the back end of the room, along with vanity tables with large tilting mirrors. You hardly noticed the ivory carpeting and the fabric, but the subtle design evoked the ultimate in luxury.

  “Nice place, Crave,” I said admiringly. “I’m sorry to show up like this, but Glory ordered me to break up your little party. She said you two have to stay apart or she’s sending a goon to kill you, Bliss.”

  “She wouldn’t kill Bliss,” Crave denied.

  “You think not?” When he couldn’t answer, I added, “Don’t make the mistake of relying on Glory’s goodwill towards me to keep Bliss alive. She’s already half turned on me.”

  “Screw her!” Crave lifted both his hands in frustration, glaring around at nothing. He was ruddy with enraged testosterone, the image of a bullfighter ready to slaughter large animals in front of a roaring crowd. I wondered how deeply he and Bliss had gotten into it before I had interrupted them. Bliss was wearing a long T-shirt as a dress along with my motorcycle boots; I knew from my time with Ram behind the Dumpster that an outfit like that made for easy access . . .

  I didn’t want to aggravate the situation, but it had to be said. “Maybe you should deal with your mess with Lash and Glory yourself, Crave. Leave Bliss and me out of it.”

  “I will settle it with Glory,” Crave said, his black eyes snapping. “Believe me.”

  Bliss didn’t seem at all concerned. She wandered over to the first case, lined with black and white velvet to show off the colors of the necklaces. The gems were grouped together in patterns and shapes, and were suspended by nearly invisible chains. The lights were set to reflect for maximum brilliance, dazzling the eyes.

  “They’re so beautiful.” she sighed, bending forward to see them better. Crave was instantly beside her, watching every move as she pointed to a tiny landscape scene of pave gems that formed a belt buckle. She exclaimed at a dancing line of flames that turned out to be a choker.

  Crave’s anger melted away under her admiration. He must be used to it, but from his avid interest in her reactions, this was his passion. I’d never seen him so relaxed and smiling as he explained the inspiration for some of his pieces.

  He bided his time until we came around the corner to the ring case and Bliss admired a perfect rose ring. It was rather large for a ring, a play on costume jewelry, but created in precious gems. Her admiration took on a note of delight.

  “Here,” he offered, opening up the case and removing the heavy ring. “Try it on.”

  His fingers brushed against hers as she took it. I could see the spark of desire flare between them. She held up her hand tilting it back and forth, admiring the sculptural effect of the petals and the shading of varying hues of pink diamonds and darker sapphires.

  I sneaked a peek at the price tag—fifteen thousand dollars! It was a miniature masterpiece. But still . . .

  Crave saw my expression, but his eyes just crinkled a bit. He seemed expectant, but Bliss slid off the ring and handed it back as if it was nothing.

  That threw him. He kept looking at her, waiting for a covetous glance or reluctant sigh as she let it go. Those unmistakable signs when a girl really wants something. I realized that Crave was used to playing off a woman’s desire for his jewels. He probably tempted them with his gifts, holding them out of reach like a sugar daddy dangling a toy for them to yearn after.

  As we finished the circuit, Crave seemed a bit at a loss while Bliss was exactly the same as always. She walked over to the unobtrusive door in the back corner. “Where does this go?”

  “My workshop.” He followed her. “Want to see it?”

  I had to grin at his seduction technique. “We should be going now.”

  Crave took Bliss’s hand, looking down at her instead of me. “I never let anyone into my workshop. But I want to show you.”

  It wasn’t true; he probably used that line with every girl he seduced in his shop. But I still trailed after them, feeling like an unwelcome chaperone. I would give them fifteen minutes; then we were out of here.

  It was much brighter inside, with seamless white walls. “This room is a vault, with steel all around us in the floor and ceiling. That keeps thieves from breaking in upstairs and cutting through.”

  Crave’s aura was boiling with emotion—lusty, eager, yet also vulnerable. While Bliss was as cool as could be, glowing with simple pleasure. They held hands and touched a lot as he walked her by each machine that was bolted to its own table. He explained how each gem required its own faceting depending on the alignment of the crystals and the flaws, as she peered through the eyepiece at gems held in the clamps.

  When we reached the rough-cut saw, he pulled out the large raw ruby from the clamps and let us hold it. The ruby was dusty with tiny rocks embedded in the surface. When he clamped it back under the microscope, he pointed out the flaws deep inside the stone that he would have to cut around to form each gem. He keyed the computer next to the machine, and a projection of the interior of the ruby rotated on the flat-screen.

  Crave paused the image to point out the large inclusion near the heart of the stone, frowning a bit. “I’ve been looking at this one for a while, trying to see the best solution. I’m afraid I’ll only get two medium gems from this one, and a lot left over for smaller gems.”

  I squinted my eyes at it. “It seems a waste with a stone that large to not get a huge gem from it.”

  Bliss leaned in, watching as he highlighted the areas that he intended to cut in the diagram. He set it turning again so she could see it from all sides. “There’s definitely no getting around that flaw,” she agreed.

  “Sometimes it happens that way,” Crave said.

  Bliss tilted her head. “Wait! Go back.”

  Crave dialed the rotating image back until she said, “I see something . . . those three lobes. You can get three gems as big as the two you’ve outlined, but there’s no waste.”

  “Where?” he asked. Both of us leaned in closer, too.

  She sketched out the gems, with the final one making two upper curves. “It’s a heart, see? You said you can cut shapes.”

  “Yes! I see what you mean. Two ovals and one heart gem. Let’s see if they have enough base for refraction.” He sat down and quickly erased his earlier projection. With a few clicks and swoops of the mouse, he traced out three new gems. “It works! How did you see that?”

  Bliss seemed pleased. “It’s the bloodred color. I kept thinking of a heart. And then I saw it inside the stone.”

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “That’s how it happens to me—I see the shapes inside the stone. I don’t know why I couldn’t with this one.”

  “I’m glad I could help,” she said with a laugh.

  He reached out to draw her into a hug. I felt like an complete intruder. Anyone else would have turned and left them to their privacy. Obviously there was something powerful going on between these two.

  But before I could move, Bliss gently pulled back, pushing her hands against his chest. “No, Crave. We have to wait. Remember?”

&nbs
p; He noticed me standing there awkwardly. “Right.”

  “Sorry,” I said lamely.

  Crave looked as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on him. He couldn’t hide his frustration and spikes of lust swirling through his aura, but he firmly took her hand and led us both from his workshop. From his seriousness, he did believe that Glory would kill Bliss, and he wasn’t willing to risk her. “I’ll help you catch a cab.”

  Bliss still smiled, though there was an edge of sadness to it.

  The sidewalk was dark and deserted. There weren’t any cars passing on the street. “What time is it?” Bliss asked.

  “Nearly four,” I said.

  We stood for a few minutes on Madison waiting for a cab. A few cars finally passed, but the one cab was already full. “It’s not easy getting one this late,” Crave admitted. “Let’s go down to Ninety-sixth. There’ll be cabs going across town there.”

  The two of them sauntered down the block, drawing out their last few minutes together, still holding hands. I followed them at a discreet distance so they could talk. I used to follow my big sister and her eighth-grade boyfriend like this. Maybe it was good that they were forced to take it slow. I’d have to ask Shock what happened when you crossed an incubus with a succubus. It could be interesting.

  Suddenly Crave tilted his head. “What’s that? I feel something.”

  I reached out, but there was nothing. “I don’t feel anything.”

  “I do,” Bliss agreed, concentrating.

  Crave nodded. “A demon’s coming. Could be Stun.”

  “Maybe we should go back to the shop,” Bliss suggested.

  His eyes lit up at the idea, but I was looking ahead to the cross street. “There’s a cab! Come on.”

  I dashed off at top speed, with Bliss obediently behind me. Crave fell back, looking behind us, urging, “Go faster!”

  I almost caught the cab, but the light changed too quickly. It was pulling across the intersection by the time I caught up.

  Irritated by the near catch, I turned to flag another cab. But there were no other cabs. I realized that my ears were ringing. “Stun!”

  Bliss also mouthed the name of the demon as she felt the signature. “It’s getting stronger,” she added, looking uptown. The blocks were short, so he was nearly two streets away, but there was no mistaking the tall, dark figure approaching us: Stun.