by LJ Andrews
Justin hollered in anger, and wrapped his claws along the opposite end of the bar. I felt my shoulders jerk uncomfortably as he pulled me from my hiding spot, but I held firm to my only weapon. From behind the thin walls I could hear Finn shouting, and animal-like shrieks as bodies plodded around the small living area. Justin wasn’t the only imp in the apartment.
Justin reeled the rod into his body, pulling me against him like I was a fish on his hook. I coughed as his rancid body smell burned my nose. He only seemed to enjoy my discomfort as he nuzzled his squashed nose against my neck. I shuddered as his hot, mucous-filled saliva dribbled down my neck.
“You smell delicious. Do you remember when I told you about the shooting?” he hissed in a throaty grumble, almost like he was choking on water. His breath burned close to my skin, causing me to swallow bile rising in my throat. “It was all true, only I wasn’t a victim, I created the dark energy to make it so. You humans are so easily persuaded, and watching you crumble is thrilling.”
I kicked my legs against his haunches, but it was as if I’d kicked a cement wall. My toes burned, and Justin only moved in closer. Twisting the rod, still in my hands, I jabbed the end into his jutting ribs as hard as I possibly could. Justin released me, and I fell backward into the open tub.
My head slammed against the tile wall, sending a shooting pain across my skull. I soon felt the gush of sticky blood oozing beneath my hair. My eyes were foggy, and my movements labored. When I saw Justin reaching for me again, his impish face twisted in hate, I tried to move away, but my arm gave out, and my shoulders slammed into the basin of the tub, hard enough to jar my neck.
I screamed when Justin’s four claws ripped along my thigh, tearing through my skin like a wolf to a deer carcass. My leg went limp, and I prayed for unconsciousness. Nothing could be worse than being eaten alive. Lifting my weak arms, I tried to cover my head from Justin’s hand. My muscles tensed as I waited for the deadly blow, but it never came. The small bathroom echoed with a terrifying shriek. Uncovering my eyes, I saw Finn standing behind Justin, the silver blade lodged deep into the imp’s spine. Finn’s forehead was coated in perspiration, his black T-shirt was torn across the chest, and a jagged gash bubbled on his forearm. The wound seemed as if it were already healing despite being only minutes old.
The imp writhed against Finn’s strike, until finally his garbled breath released in one, final, dying blow. Finn pushed Justin’s limp corpse with his foot until the blade released from his scaly flesh, and his body flopped on the bathroom floor.
Finn wasted no time. He leapt over the dead imp, and clamored into the bathtub with me. The tile was dripping with my blood, as Finn took inventory of my wounds. My ears were ringing, and my eyes couldn’t find a focus. Much to my disappointment, I couldn’t make out his physique with my foggy eyes when Finn ripped his shirt off his body and wrapped it around the severe wound on my leg.
“Laney, where else are you hurt? Why are you so…floppy?” he asked. His lack of experience with human wounds apparent as he gently placed a hand behind my head, trying to hold my neck steady. His fingers touched the sticky blood matting my hair, and he quickly leaned over me, trying to inspect the back of my head.
“Clement!” he cried.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, pulling my lips into a weak smile. I tried to wave my hands, hoping to let him know it wasn’t a big deal.
“She says she is fine,” Finn said over his shoulder, when Clement pushed passed Justin’s body. I could just make out his tattered robe flinging behind him as he walked.
“She is not fine, Finn,” he snarled. “Use Ama to heal her, and quickly!”
“Hang on Laney, this might hurt a little,” he whispered.
I felt Finn’s strong hands wrap around my thigh, and a surge of sharp, hot jabbing pins pricked along my wound. Finn released a rush of breath, as if it was taxing him as well.
“Come on, Finn. You’ll have to do better than that,” Clement’s rough voice sounded.
“I’m trying,” Finn shouted in return.
The searing on my leg began to dull, though something inside me seemed to reach out as if trying to connect with the power to help it along.
Clement made a sound of disgust. “Go to the kitchen cupboard and get the Sana ointment, it will be better than nothing.”
“How do you have Sana?” I heard Finn ask, though it sounded as if he were far away.
“I didn’t give up everything when I was locked away with humans, now hurry up!” I heard Finn trade places with Clement, who cupped the back of my head gently. “Don’t fade yet, Laney. You still have some things to do,” I heard him say, though I couldn’t find the strength to respond.
Only a few moments later, I could just make out Finn handing a brown vial to Clement. He dropped a few drops of liquid into his palm, and brought it to the back of my head. It smelled like eucalyptus mixed with cedarwood. When Clement touched the wound on my head the surrounding skin tingled as if someone were holding a burning match next to my scalp, but slowly my focus sharpened.
Allowing me to hold my own head in place, Clement dropped the sizzling liquid along my leg until the stinging pain of my ripped flesh soothed into a dull ache.
I looked around the bathroom at the two men staring at me with concerned expressions. I raised my head from the tile, but hair stuck slightly from the drying blood. Finn’s shoulders rose in deep breaths, and I felt the heat rush to my face as I tried to pull my gaze from his toned chest and midsection since his shirt was still crudely wrapped around my thigh.
“Are you all right?” Finn breathed out, wiping his forehead of sweat.
I nodded fervently, glancing down at my ripped jeans. The skin was covered in an ugly, yellowish scab, but it didn’t hurt any longer, and my brain wasn’t swimming. I lifted myself from the tub, taking Clement’s hand as he helped me over the ledge. “Thank you for whatever it was you did. I was afraid I was about to black out, my head smacked the wall pretty hard. What did you do?”
Finn’s cheeks flushed and he averted my gaze. “I tried to call upon my energy to heal you, but—ˮ
“Sometimes we revert to potions and ointments of our own making,” Clement interrupted. “I’m just glad there was still a vial of Sana left. It will heal your wound in a few days.”
My stomach turned in sick waves as I looked upon the battle scene. A long trail of deep red blood was smeared along the wall of the bathtub, and a puddle was splattered all along the basin from my leg.
“No wonder I felt so woozy. I lost a lot of blood,” I said, steadying myself against the vanity, my feet tucked under Justin’s imp body.
“We need to go after Raffi,” Finn snarled, turning his attention to Clement. “I warned him, this was a direct retaliation.”
Clement shook his head. “I don’t think so. Imps aren’t smart enough to plan retaliation. They only focus on their goal. There was a reason they attacked, and I’d stake my life it has something to do with her,” Clement responded as if I wasn’t in the room.
“Me?” I said, slowly backing out of the bathroom to get away from the smell of death. “What would they possibly want with me? I thought they wanted me dead.”
Clement took his glasses from his nose, rubbing the bridge. “I have a theory, but I’d like to read a little more to see if I’m right. While I do that, why don’t you two go and get some clothes. I’m afraid I spent most of my money today, ‘freelance research assistants’ don’t exactly make a lot. But I couldn’t exactly put my previous career on my resume.” Clement chuckled at his own situation. “Do you have any money?” he asked looking at me.
I shook my head. “I can go to my apartment though. I…I have a T-shirt you can use too,” I replied quickly, glancing at Finn, though I feared if I looked directly at him I might not be able to stop staring.
“Why would you have a man’s shirt?” Finn asked, grabbing a baggy, stained shirt from Clement to use for the time being.
I could have imagined it, but h
e almost sounded jealous. Taking a deep breath, I didn’t say anything, hoping he wouldn’t make me answer. Unfortunately, I quickly learned Finn was not someone who missed details. “Wait, I’m not wearing imp clothing!”
I spun around once I ripped open the door leading us out of the apartment. “He spilled some marinara sauce on it, and I offered to wash it,” I shrieked, not knowing why I was suddenly so embarrassed admitting I’d had a relationship with the dead monster in the bathroom. It wasn’t as if I’d known. “It was a human man’s shirt, okay? It’s not like it has imp slime on it. In fact, I pulled it out of my dryer right before he almost killed me. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like it out of my house!”
Finn rolled his eyes, sighing like a spoiled child. “Fine, but I’m washing it a second time.”
“Be my guest,” I huffed at his back as he stalked quickly down the hallway and into the stairwell.
*
We drove quietly to my apartment. The attack of the morning had placed both Finn and myself in a stoic mood. When Finn parked the car, I looked at the building. People were bustling about the walk, oblivious to anything that had happened the night before. I kept checking over my shoulder as we made our way into the building and up to my floor by way of the stairs. Finn refused to ride another elevator, especially one with a metal cage for the door.
“Wait here,” Finn commanded once I’d unlocked my apartment. “I want to check it out first.”
I didn’t argue and leaned against the wall, my arms folded across my chest. The door next to mine opened and my neighbor spilled out into the hallway, his boxers exposed beneath his robe. It seemed as if he’d simply rolled out of bed. When he saw me looking at him, he offered a goofy smile and raised a coffee mug in greeting. His eyes trailed my bloody jeans, and my cheeks filled with heat.
“You okay?” he asked.
I nodded rapidly. “Hiking accident, but I’m all stitched up now. Thanks for asking.”
He watched me hesitantly before trudging toward the mailboxes.
I released a nervous breath once his back was turned, waving as the elevator took him away. It struck me how desperate I was to return to normal life. I wanted to see my boxer-brief neighbor, I wanted to go to my mom’s house for Sunday dinners. I wanted to go back to the bank, even with Dale’s ego. Tears burned my eyes as I wondered if I would ever live a normal existence again.
My new reality swam around me as I waited alone in the hallway. Inside my apartment someone from a different realm was rummaging around looking for imps. My brow furrowed as I pushed the door open a crack. The apartment wasn’t that big, and Finn was taking longer than he should. I peeked in and immediately rolled my eyes.
“What are you doing?” I sighed. Finn stood next to my entertainment center, flipping through my DVD collection.
He glanced up, holding an old Jimmy Stewart film. “The place is clear,” he replied.
“Thanks for telling me. I thought you could sense energy,” I sneered, heading to the laundry basket still on my bed.
Finn was still glancing at the DVD case when I tossed the blue T-shirt at him. I could have just doused him with garbage by the way his face pulled up in a grimace. He inspected the material and even smelled it.
Releasing a long breath, he looked over at me. “It doesn’t smell like imp,” he relented.
“I’m pretty gifted when it comes to laundry,” I said sarcastically, as I ruffled through my drawers. I’d laid out a small shoulder bag I could pack so I wouldn’t feel so empty and dependent on Clement supplying me with things.
I gasped, slightly surprised when I saw Finn pulling the old stained shirt off, and preparing to place the new one over his head.
“Sorry,” I muttered, turning away after I caught myself staring too long.
“Sorry for what?” he asked with a sense of innocence as he adjusted the tight shirt around his broad chest.
“I was just giving you a little privacy,” I responded, feeling foolish for turning it into such a big deal. It’s not as if I’d never seen a bare-chested man, just not one like Finn.
“Is it customary to have privacy here? I suppose Talans aren’t as concerned with concealing ourselves as you might be,” he concluded.
I chuckled, grabbing new clothes and backing toward my bathroom. “Well, it depends on the situation if it requires privacy. But right now, yes, I’m going to go in my bathroom and freshen up…again…with privacy. I won’t take long.”
Another quick shower was enough to rinse out the crusty blood matting the hair to my scalp. It felt so good to be in my own clean clothes. I combed out my hair and even put on a little bit of eye make-up, then checked my cell phone I’d accidentally left near the sink. The battery was dying, but I quickly skimmed through five messages from my mom, two from Tyler, and I had three missed calls from the bank.
I groaned, forgetting it was Monday and I was supposed to be at work. I sent a quick text to Dale’s phone explaining I was sick and would have to miss. If I ever went back to work, I would never hear the end of missing. Dale made it a point to let employees who took sick days know he had never missed a day, except for manager conferences.
My mom’s messages had increased in their worried tone. I was supposed to sleep over after going to the well. I clutched my phone, gnawing on my bottom lip as I left the bathroom. I wanted to talk to her, but it was too chaotic to explain anything now. Quickly, I sent a text to her phone, letting her know I was fine, and I’d talk to her soon.
The message sent, and I heard a happy ding as it was received. My heart dropped as I slowly lifted my eyes. My mom was standing in the open front door, her angry eyes darting between her newly received message, Finn, who towered over her by the door, and me.
“Laney Martin, you have some things to explain,” she seethed, as she placed her hands on her hips.
I looked at Finn for guidance, but he seemed slightly amused at the situation and only smiled in return. My mom stomped across the room and plopped into my loveseat, waiting for me to speak. With my mind spinning, I quickly thought up a plan to tell her what had happened. I was a terrible liar. I closed my eyes, releasing a nervous breath. I couldn’t tell her the truth. My mom’s blazing eyes seemed ready to rip apart any story I offered. Holding my breath I stepped forward, praying my mother wouldn’t leave my home thinking I was a complete lunatic.
Chapter 14
“Mom, I…just sent you a text,” I said, offering an exaggerated smile.
“Yes, I can see,” she snipped. “Laney, I waited up all night for a call, a text, anything. I was worried sick and even filed a missing persons report, and do you know what the police told me? You were an adult who doesn’t have to check in with her mother! They told me to wait twenty-four hours. So, telling myself I was overreacting, I decide to take you a coffee at work. You know, because I’m a considerate mother! Only to find, to my surprise, you hadn’t shown up!
“I was one step short of calling the police. I told myself if you weren’t here, I would send out a search party. And what do I find when I come over? Some strange man sitting on my daughter’s couch and you…you just calm as ever strolling out of a shower. What are you thinking? I thought I could trust you to be smart. Where is Justin, or are you embracing the practice of bringing strange men into your home when you’re dating someone else?”
I placed my hands on her shoulders, attempting to slow her rant. “Mom, let me get a word in so I can answer your questions. You’re right, I should have called you. I forgot my phone and I’m sorry,” I said calmly.
I shifted my gaze toward Finn who was still by the front door watching with a strange fascination. I jerked my head, hoping to signal for him to join me.
“Mom, this is Finn. He’s just a friend who helped me get home safely last night.” It wasn’t a lie, but I wished I would have worded things differently when I saw my mom’s eyes widen.
“What happened, are you all right?”
“Just an argument with Justin. I’m not seei
ng him anymore, and Finn was good enough to make sure I made it back home. He didn’t sleep here, he was…just checking up on me. I called in to work, and before you lecture me about responsibilities, I know. Just because I had a bad night isn’t a good enough reason to miss work.”
“Well after what happened, I don’t think…” Finn began, but stopped when I glared at him, puckering my lips in a hint to be quiet. “I…just think it would be good to rest. That…human…man wasn’t behaving as I think he should have.”
I could have laughed if Mom wasn’t sitting right next to me, eyeing Finn curiously. He tried so hard to speak as if he were like us, but sometimes he was so obviously from a different realm.
“Did Justin hurt you?” Mom asked, her voice straining to a protective rage.
“No, Mom. He just wanted our relationship to move in a…different direction. He wasn’t happy when I didn’t go along with his plans. That’s when Finn brought me home.”
Mom pursed her lips, considering my words for a moment. “Well, I’m still angry, Laney.”
“I understand.”
“But,” she continued. “I am glad you’re safe. And thank you Finn for looking out for my daughter.”
Finn straightened beneath her praise, and seemed satisfied for the compliment. “I am happy I was there as well,” he chirped.
“Do you live around here?” Mom surprised me by continuing to question him. Finn’s eyes widened and now he was looking at me for help.
“Finn just moved on to the first floor. He’s from…the West Coast.”
“Oh, California?” Mom asked excitedly. “It is one of my favorite places.”
“No, he is from Oregon, Mom.” I surprised myself how quickly I was thinking of the white lies.
My mom nodded. “I’m certain it’s beautiful there.”
Finn returned her smile awkwardly, and I could tell he didn’t know what to say.
“Well, I’m going to head to work myself,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Text your brother, will you? I think I may have caused him to worry a bit.”