“You don’t know who you were before?” I asked quietly, so quietly I’d wondered if he’d heard me over the background chatter.
His cheek twitched, and his ocean-green eyes narrowed at some distant memory. “That’s why I couldn’t tell you my name.” He smiled quick and sharp and looked at me like everything was normal, but it wasn’t. The hurt hid behind his honest eyes and behind that smile.
I tried to imagine what that might be like to only have six months’ worth of memories behind you. There was a past out there somewhere, a history belonging to him. A life. “Have you tried finding out?”
“I don’t want to know,” he said too quickly.
“Why not?”
Wincing, he picked up a napkin and set it down again, smoothing out the wrinkles. “What if I don’t like who I was?”
His old scars, much older than six months... I’d seen their crisscross patchwork on his chest and back. If he wasn’t branded with the Institute’s scorpion tattoo, then he wasn’t Institute, and that meant he was netherworld born. Those scars were probably all that was left of a half blood’s life as some higher demon’s plaything beyond the veil, a life like that made what Allard did to Vanessa look like a game. The short time I’d spent in the netherworld was long enough to stalk my dreams, twisting them into blood-soaked nightmares.
His submission, the demon etiquette—it started to make sense.
If I had an opportunity to forget the maze, to forget how I’d fought against the restraints and screamed until my voice broke, would I? I looked at what remained of my frozen yogurt and didn’t feel much like finishing it. “Why’d you tell me that?”
“I wanted you to know.”
“Why?”
He chuckled and gave his head a shake. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s what friends do, share their fears?”
“Are you afraid of who you were?” I knew I’d gone too far when he frowned and waved the waiter over.
He asked for the check, and once the waiter vanished, he showed me Vanessa’s card. “Dinner’s on Vanessa.”
I felt my own little smile lift my lips and let it. “For what it’s worth, I like who you are today.” I realized what I’d said too late and recoiled, slightly alarmed that the admission had come from me.
He caught my shock and laughed, drawing a few interested glances our way.
That was my demon talking. I was overdue a hit of PC34A. She was bleeding through into my thoughts. I considered explaining my demon’s attraction to make it perfectly clear I had nothing to do with it, but talking about how my demon would really like to jump his bones was a conversation I did not want to have. Ever.
“I think I kinda like your demon, Gem. She speaks her mind.”
“She’ll do a lot more than that if I can’t get to Allard and my meds.”
Mention of Allard dragged the mood right back down again. “You want to go back for your brother?”
“I can’t leave him there.”
“Do you know why Allard has him?”
“No.” But I could guess. Del wasn’t like other half bloods or other demons. Allard must have realized that, even though my brother and I had tried to keep the truth hidden. Allard had driven those vitiosus to stampede, and in the confusion, he’d taken Del. “Vanessa said something about Allard needing us. It has to be something to do with the coronam. Do you know what it is?”
Torrent pushed his drink aside and leaned in. “Vanessa knew he’s rebuilding something he calls a puzzle, and if we’re assuming we’re necessary for this puzzle, it must be something to do with our elements. Water.” He flicked his fingers at himself, then me. “Ice. He has Joseph for fire. He’s earth. So we’re just missing air. Your brother, right?”
Wrong. “Right,” I lied.
“He’s collecting higher elementals. The question is, why?”
“Maybe he has a buyer?”
“Maybe…” Torrent didn’t sound sure, and neither was I. If he had a buyer lined up, he could have locked Del and me in a cage like all the other stock, but instead, he’d tried to keep us content.
Torrent tapped his fingers against the table. “Help me understand Allard. Who is he? Where does he come from?”
“I haven’t known him long. Just since the Fall.”
“He didn’t come through when the veil fell. His vessel’s perfect. He’s had time to learn how to be human. Demons that came through months ago can barely string a sentence together. So let’s assume Allard came through the veil before demons were exposed as real, when the netherworld was a myth tangled up with religion. What does that tell us?”
“Only higher demons could come through the veil, and even then, only those who were strong enough to manipulate the chaos energies the veil is made of. Allard’s powerful and strong, but I don’t think he’s that powerful. He would have needed help to come through. Or he was forced to?” I remembered something Vanessa had said. “It’s what got you banished, you know.” “Banished.”
Torrent clicked his fingers. “And what do all demons want?”
“Power.”
“Power. Allard’s clever enough, strong enough, and he’s clearly been here a long time. The veil’s closed.” Torrent paused. His eyes narrowed. “He’s trying to step up.”
Allard had told me that without the princes, he’d felt free. A horrible shifting, sinking sensation rooted in my gut. “Vanessa said he’s not a prince.”
“She did, like that might make a difference to whatever he’s planning.”
“He wants to open the veil again.”
“No, I don’t think so. Why do that when he has everything he needs right here?” Torrent shook his head. “He’s not opening the veil. He’s been here a long time. Banished here. I think he’s trying to carve out a seat of power for himself.”
And he had a Prince of Hell in his basement, a Prince of Hell whose element was probably air, a Prince of Hell who’d been trapped for six months. Plenty of time for Allard to extract information only a prince would know.
Power.
Allard wanted power. And the coronam was overflowing with power—chaos energy. If Allard was stepping up, he’d make sure he could fight anything the authorities threw at him. He needed a weapon. I had to get my brother away from Allard.
“Oh.” My gut sank.
“What?”
“Oh, no.”
I shot from the chair and made it outside and into the hotel foyer before Torrent caught up with me.
“Wait, what is it?” He blocked my path at the elevator. “Talk to me.”
My skin itched under the wary glances of the hotel patrons giving us a wide berth. “I have to get my brother away from Allard now,” I said under my breath.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“I just do,” I growled.
“Okay…” Torrent said slowly. “But you can’t race back to Fairhaven without a plan.”
I had a plan. It wasn’t a great plan, and the more I considered it, the more I hated what had to be done, but Del would do the same for me.
“We go back to the room and think this through.” He stepped aside and jabbed the button to call the elevator. “Allard will be expecting you. If you go toe to toe with him, you’ll get your insides crushed. I know what that feels like.” he tried to make light of it, and I equally tried to smile, but it cracked and fell away under the weight of Torrent’s gaze.
“We think this through. No more spur-of-the-moment ice daggers, okay?” he asked.
“Okay.”
No it wasn’t okay. Nothing was okay. I wanted Del back. I wanted our lives back, me and my brother, together so nobody could hurt us again. It would be okay. I’d make sure of it.
Once I’d traded Torrent for Del.
Chapter 17
Torrent had gone over various routes we could potentially use to sneak inside Fairhaven. I’d listened, nodding in all the right places and told him to visit the hotel pool while I thought it through. Earlier in the evening, he’d eyed the Pool
Closed sign on the way down to the restaurant. I figured the best way to distract a water elemental was to offer him some free time playing in his element. It worked. He was out the door in a blur. The fact it was closed for maintenance only made it more attractive. He’d turn demon the second he touched the water.
I picked up the hotel phone and dialed a familiar cell number. It wouldn’t take long. A few words. A bargain. Done. But I hadn’t expected it to hurt like my heart had turned to ice. That was new.
After it was done, I hung up the phone and pressed a hand to my chest, wishing the heaviness away. Del was family. He’d always been there. He’d never let me down. He was all I had. Nothing could ever get between us, not even friends. It wasn’t as though I’d done anything wrong. Torrent was owned. He’d known the risks when he’d pledged his allegiance to Allard. But guilt still sat in my gut like the time I’d eaten a rancid hamburger out of the trash.
I growled, a deep and weighty sound that rumbled the walls. What choice did I have? Besides, it was done. All I had to do now was wait. What if he somehow suspected I was lying to him? I glanced at the closed door. What if he wasn’t at the pool? If he had any hint that I’d give him up, he’d leave.
“Damn it.”
I made my way to the ground floor, along the main corridor, and through the foyer to the outdoor pool area. As LA nights go, we’d had warmer. The unseasonal chill kept hotel patrons inside, and I’d passed through the gate with the ‘Closed for Maintenance’ sign. I spotted a dark streak moving like a knife through the water. He hadn’t gone, and my heart sank. I was really going to do this.
Torrent swam the length underwater and broke the surface to brace his arms on the pool’s edge and catch his breath. I stood at the opposite end of the pool, and with the bubbling spa behind me, he probably couldn’t see or hear me. I funneled a little demon into my vision, sharpening my sight, and briefly admired how water dripped from his hair, trickled over his shoulders and down his back, where it gathered along the deep lattice of scars. They weren’t claw marks, at least, I didn’t think so. Claw marks had a distinct three- or four-fingered track. The crisscross pattern suggested repeated left and right blows. A whip. Was he flayed? Demons don’t need a reason to cut up half bloods. Whoever had lashed him, they wouldn’t have stopped there.
He’d said he didn’t remember anything before six months ago. Those scars weren’t fresh. Was it any wonder he didn’t want to recall who he’d been before?
“Why don’t you join me?” he asked without looking back.
I smiled. He’d known I’d been watching him, probably from the second I’d arrived.
The rippling water, glowing blue from the pool lights, did look inviting. Small wisps of steam swirled off its surface. He turned, propped his elbows back on the poolside either side of him, and looked down the length of the pool at me. You’d think he was the picture of innocence, if it wasn’t for the play of greens and blues in his eyes. That wasn’t innocent.
He pushed off and dove below the surface. I crouched at the pool’s edge, watching the shadow weave silently closer until he emerged, treading water in the middle of the pool. “It’s warm.” He shook water from his hair.
A little tickle of mischief pushed to the front of my thoughts. “I can soon change that.” I dipped my finger in the water and pushed my element through my touch. Webs of ice drifted across the surface, but the warm, shifting water cracked it apart. I pushed more, building layer upon layer, remaking the ice-raft until it was thick enough to withstand the ripples.
Torrent chuckled and dove under again with a splash. Smooth, pearly scales shimmered, and the trailing edges of a fin flicked water before disappearing.
I shot to my feet. A fin? A tail! My demon shifted, and a low purr of appreciation fluttered low in my throat. I had to agree.
I scooted further along the edge, but Torrent had disappeared beneath my raft of clouded ice. He has a tail. Of course he does. Water demon. I wanted—needed—a closer look.
Finally, he broke the surface in the middle again. He didn’t look demon, just looked like a guy. Easy on the eyes, I’d give him that. But his turquoise eyes gave him away as demon. He wasn’t making any attempt to hide the ocean in his gaze. He smiled a closed, lopsided smile and sent a splash in my direction. It fell way short of the edge.
“I didn’t imagine the tail, did I?”
He shrugged a bare shoulder. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
“I don’t have a tail.” I fought a smile off my lips.
“But you do have wings. I’m pretty sure I saw wings on you after Allard threw me against a car.”
I couldn’t reliably form wings when I had PC34A shackling my demon, but I’d missed enough hits to try it. It was tempting, just like he was tempting. If I summoned my ice, he’d show me his tail.
I tapped my fingers against my thigh. “I can’t summon ice without funneling it somewhere.”
He gave me a playful scowl that told me to quit with the lame excuses.
“It’s dangerous,” I added, rubbing my fingers into my palm, already sensing my element trickling free. “Not here.”
“Then I guess you’ll never know what you’re missing out on.”
“You didn’t have a tail on the pier.” I started walking the edge of the pool again, hoping to get a look below the waterline, but his treading sent out ripples, obscuring my view.
His chuckle rolled like liquid. He peered at me through long, wet lashes. “That would have been inconvenient.”
“And you’re not…scaly demon right now?”
He arched an eyebrow and gestured at his chest. “Maybe not here.”
So he could alter half of his physical form? “Okay, I’m curious.” Really curious. Curious enough to want to get in there with him, and when he was looking at me that way, the invitation right there, I was having a hard time resisting. Then I remembered the phone call, and the playful joy of the moment died along with the excited fluttering sensations.
“This isn’t helping my brother.” I dropped my gaze and headed back to the gate, deliberately yanking my thoughts away from him. “Stop playing, and meet me in the room. We’ll break into Fairhaven like you said.” Lies, lies, lies. “I want to be gone by dawn.”
“Gem.”
The sounds of water splashing pulled me up short. Go, leave, don’t get involved any more than you already are—
“You gotta let the demon out to play,” he said, “or you’ll lose control of yours.”
I let go of the gate and curled my fingers into my palm. “This is LA. I can’t create a snowstorm and get away with it. The Institute would be all over me in minutes.”
“Then just let go here, now. We’re alone. It’s already cold. Who’s going to care?”
Right, like I could just drop the human act and strut around the poolside in all my icy glory. I looked up at the many dark hotel balconies. No way. If I let her out, it definitely wouldn’t stop there. She wanted more. So much more. And without PC34A, she was getting harder to ignore. And there he was, naked in the pool like an all-you-can-eat buffet. I tried—really tried not to think about what I could do with him. But my demon had seen enough of his wings and scales and all the fascinating facets of his demon form to know she wanted a piece of him. She didn’t even care for the weakness he’d displayed while hiding in the corner a night ago. In fact, she liked his curious mix of strength and submission. She wanted to ride right over him and devour whatever he’d give. The rest, she’d take.
“It’s not that simple.” I swallowed, finding my throat dry. Maybe… Maybe I should let her out. It would distract Torrent, prevent him from sensing any other nearby demon threats.
“It really is that simple.” His voice echoed around the poolside. Water sloshed, and then I heard the padding of bare feet.
Oh, hells, just one little look. It wouldn’t kill either of us for me to just… I snuck a peek that quickly turned into a long, lingering observation of the curve of Torrent’
s ass as he yanked his pants up and buttoned his fly. I stopped breathing altogether when he reached down and snatched his shirt off a lounger. Soft pool and landscaping lights swept over the strong contours of his back in all the right ways. He threw the shirt on over his wet shoulders, causing the thin cotton to cling to his and arms, making the sight of him more tempting for being covered up.
“Gem,” he began, turning my way. I suddenly found the nearby palm tree fascinating. “I don’t have that drug in my veins, and you don’t see me bouncing off the walls.”
“I’m not—”
“You’re smothering half of who you are. You’re a half blood, Gem. A demon. The Institute probably taught you to be human first. There’s nothing wrong with that, but keeping your demon on a short leash is going to backfire. You’re so preoccupied with controlling everything around you, you can’t see how it’s become your weakness.”
I could tell by his voice that he’d moved closer, but looking up would mean meeting his eyes, and I wasn’t sure I could.
“You gotta know how to talk to your demon,” he purred, too close behind me.
I glanced, and there he was—of course—looking right at me, a clear-as-day seriousness on his face. “Your demon is a very sensitive creature, and you’re fucking with its needs.”
He was fucking with my needs. “You wanna talk about needs? If I go demon now, I don’t know if I’ll kill you or ruck you. It’s all kinda the same in my head. You see that low wall over there?” He looked, and when he faced me, questions lightened his face, “I’ve already considered what it might be like to bend you over it. And the lounger, there too. And don’t think I’m talking about sex I’m not. What she—what I want…whatever happens, it won’t be pretty. And quite honestly, I don’t know you that well, and—”
He rolled his eyes and made a soft, dismissive noise. “You’re bringing too much human to this party, Gem.” He moved in a blur, a blur filled with the salty ocean scent, the sudden burst of wings, and promises I couldn’t keep. From one second to the next, I had him by the throat and pinned against the gate. He shifted, flicking his right wing out from where it had snagged behind him. He laughed a rich demon chuckle that tightened and warmed me way down low.
Chaos Rises: A Veil World Urban Fantasy Page 14