Something inside of me panged, and I stiffened against the unfamiliar feeling. Warmth blossomed in my chest, and I immediately squashed it with a quick inhale of cold air. This useless demon only cared about my wellbeing because it was her fault I’d wound up like this. She was only trying to dissuade her own guilt.
“I’m fine,” I said coldly.
Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed. She didn’t like my cold tone? Good. She shouldn’t like anything about me. I was only here to teach her, and then I was gone.
“Don’t be so stubborn,” she snapped, and reached for my arm.
My stomach dropped as she yanked me out of the car. I blinked in surprise. She was a lot stronger than she looked.
“Ryker, can you help?” she asked.
“Of course,” the vampire said. His eyes narrowed when his gaze met mine, but he did as she asked, pulling my uninjured arm over his shoulder and helping me to my feet.
My stomach burned with anger. I didn’t need their help. I didn’t need anyone. I set my jaw and stepped away from the car door so Clara could close it.
She did, hurrying around the other side of the car after. Her frantic movements reminded me of a Succubus in heat, fluttering around as quickly as possible to open doors and make way for me. She looked ridiculous with wild, wide eyes and wind swept hair. With only a few swipes of my hands I could smooth her soft waves—
What? I blanched, scowling as my thoughts caught up with me. What in Lucifer’s name had I been thinking? I didn’t want to touch her hair or any other part of her.
“Almost there,” Clara called back. She climbed the stairs, a few ahead of Ryker and I. Ky stood at the top, his large ears twisting impatiently.
Several minutes later, we reached her apartment. She unlocked the door with a few practiced twists of her wrists, and then flung it open, ushering us inside first.
My lips twitched slightly at the memory of Clara’s enraged face when she discovered I’d copied her apartment keys without her knowledge. Her eyebrows had descended and her pretty, full lips twisted into a scowl. Her face had been flushed, and her bright grey eyes aglow with her irritation. She was cute when she was angry.
“All right, can you get Zane set up on the couch and I’ll get some supplies?” Clara asked the vampire.
I tightened my one working fist. Again, my thoughts had betrayed me. What is going on with you?
“Sure,” Ryker said. He led me into the living room while the cat disappeared into Clara’s bedroom and Clara sauntered off to the bathroom.
“This is completely unnecessary,” I deadpanned as Ryker lowered me onto the sofa.
Ryker snorted so softly that I nearly missed it. “Just let her have this.”
My forehead wrinkled in confusion as the vampire released me. I leaned back against the stiff furniture, shifting uncomfortably as I accidentally jostled my shoulder.
“Why?” I asked, unable to help myself. I didn’t understand Clara at all, let alone the other two. Why had they tethered themselves to someone when they didn’t have to? The cat, I sort of understood. At least he believed he owed Clara a debt for saving his life. But Ryker? From what I understood, he’d been trying to help her control her demon for weeks without any sort of compensation. It was almost like he simply wanted to be around her.
But why?
Ryker raised an eyebrow, his eyes widening slightly, confused by the question. “Clara has had very little control over her own life recently,” Ryker explained. “Let her do what she can, even if it is pointless.”
Oh.
Ryker shook his head, a wry smile on his face as he settled into the armchair beside the television set.
“Okay!” Clara returned to the living room in a hurry, a red bag in one hand and several hand towels in the other. “I think I’ve got pretty much everything.” Carefully, she unloaded everything onto the coffee table. “Oh wait. Ryker, could you fetch me a bowl of warm water?”
Ryker was on his feet in an instant. “Certainly.”
“Thank you,” she said, flashing the vampire a soft smile before her brow set and she returned to work.
Ryker disappeared as Clara sat on the sofa beside me. With mere inches between us, warmth spread through my body until even my skin buzzed with energy. I kept questioning my sanity. This had to be the blood loss, right? This wasn’t me.
“This shouldn’t take long,” Clara assured me. She opened the small red bag, and distributed its contents across the table. “I’ll be as quick as I can, but if it hurts too much, let me know.”
I scoffed—I couldn’t help it. If she thought this was painful, she should see the training Elizabeth put new Reapers through. This was nothing. These were merely flesh wounds that would heal in a few hours. By tomorrow, there wouldn’t even be a scar.
Clara paused, narrowing her eyes at me. “Take this seriously, please.”
I swallowed a laugh. There was nothing serious about this. “Of course,” I said, trying to keep my voice as even as possible.
My lie must have been believable, because she immediately went back to work, hoarding towels in her lap and counting out rolls of gauze until Ryker returned. He set a large metal bowl filled about halfway with water next to her instruments, and retreated back to his armchair just as the cat reappeared in human form.
Ky bounded across the living room, wearing the same clothes from this morning. He crouched on my other side, glancing anxiously between Clara and the coffee table in his way. From his frown and the cinching of his eyebrows, I assumed he wanted to reach her, but couldn’t figure out a way to do so without disturbing everything she’d done.
“I see that look in your eye, Ky,” Clara said, glaring at the cat shifter. “Behave until I’m done, please.”
Ky huffed and sat back, his legs folded on either side of him. How he found that position comfortable was beyond me.
“Okay, Zane.” Clara sighed, turning her attention back on me. Her fingers tightened around the cloth she held, and she kneaded her lip between her teeth. “Can you remove your shirt, or do you need help?”
This was so foolish. I didn’t need her or anyone else looking after me. But one irritated look from Ryker, and I decided I might as well go along with it. Slowly, I reached for my injured shoulder. Grabbing the blood-soaked edge of fabric, I yanked it up and over my head in one swift movement.
Clara blinked in surprise as I tossed the piece of fabric onto the floor and leaned back against the couch. Blood dripped from several of the wounds marring my chest and abdomen, but my shoulder was the worst, gushing blood every time I moved an inch. I scowled as a fiery lick of pain scorched its way from my shoulder to my fingertips. By Lucifer’s grace, this infernal wound would heal soon.
“Yikes.” Clara grimaced and switched positions, kneeling on the couch so she could reach my shoulder. She pressed a clean towel to the wound, and red blossomed across the white fabric. “This one is pretty bad,” she said. Her hands trembled slightly and she avoided my gaze when I looked at her.
“It’ll be fine by morning,” I said. Maybe that would alleviate some of her worry—not that I cared if she worried or not.
Her cheeks flushed the longer she held the towel, her gaze slowly sweeping lower. I was reminded of yesterday, when I’d changed in the middle of the living room. Her face had been red then as well. Was she embarrassed by male nudity?
“Can you hold this while I check your other injuries?” Clara asked, her gaze rising to meet mine.
This close to the little Reaper, I could see her eyes weren’t simply grey, but shades of blue. Twisting lines like veins ran through her irises, creating a beautiful pattern like tossing waves.
“Zane?” Clara blinked those large eyes, and I quickly grabbed my shoulder. Her lips twitched in a small smile as she sat back on her heels and grabbed another towel, dipping it in water before turning back to me. “Let me know if this hurts.”
My eyebrows furrowed. I understood Ryker’s reasoning to allow her this, but I di
dn’t understand why Clara wanted to. Despite knowing I would heal, she was cleaning my wounds and staunching the bleeding, no attention paid to her now bloodied furniture and hands.
Clara carefully dabbed the wet cloth on the first stab wound Elizabeth had inflicted. She lost her smile, and her eyes went glassy as she cleaned it before moving onto another. By the time she’d finished cleaning the many wounds on my body, she wasn’t blushing anymore. Instead, her eyes were red with unshed tears and her hands trembled.
“Clara,” I said in a low voice. She didn’t need to do this. She was only upsetting herself.
“I’m really sorry, Zane,” she said, her fingers clenching around the towel. “This is all my fault. I should have listened to you. I should have just killed that man and none of this would have happened.”
“This isn’t your fault, Clara,” Ryker said.
Clara glanced at the vampire, and frowned. She didn’t believe him.
“If you had killed that man, Elizabeth wouldn’t have punished you through me,” I said.
Clara winced. “I know.”
A low, warning growl emanated from Ryker, but I ignored him, focusing on the little Reaper who was finally learning a hard lesson. She avoided my eyes, instead playing with a loose string on the edge of the towel. Another unfamiliar pang struck me, and I inhaled sharply to relieve the sensation—but instead of dissipating like it had last time, my heartbeat sped up, and my throat tightened.
What the fuck? Did I feel bad for this poor excuse of a demon? And why did I have the sudden urge to comfort her?
My chest swelled with irritation. “It might have been your fault in part, but you didn’t know she would do that.”
Clara looked up, her eyes widened with surprise. Her lips parted in a tiny pink ‘o’.
“See, even the big scary demon doesn’t think it’s your fault,” Ky said, grinning playfully.
Clara smiled and shook her head. “I’m still sorry, Zane. I’ll… do my best from here on out, okay?”
The warmth in her eyes radiated through my body, melting thousands of years of permafrost I’d layered around my heart for my own protection. I didn’t like this feeling. I didn’t like the unfamiliar tingling in my hands, ushering me to touch her, or the sudden desire licking my skin, urging me to kiss her.
I tightened my hand around my shoulder, and a sharp jolt of pain brought me crashing back to reality. “Okay,” I said. “We’ll continue your training as soon as possible.”
Clara nodded, her smile slipping away as reality must have settled in for her too. Because no matter what was transpiring in this little apartment of hers, right now we were safe, but that could change at any moment.
Chapter 12
‘Clara Margaret O’Connor. I’ve had enough of playing phone tag with you. You will come see me today, or I’m coming over after work.
Love, Mom’
I stared at the text message, unable to believe what I was reading. “Seriously, Mom?” I sighed as I reread the text for the tenth time. She’d used my full name—she meant business. If I didn’t listen, mommy dearest was going to kill me after work.
I groaned, burying my face in my comforter. “Why is this happening to me?”
It was like the universe was out to get me. Or maybe it was just Elizabeth, but still. Whatever was fucking with my life needed to take a big step back and leave me alone for a while. Problem after problem continued to pile on top of me until it felt like I was suffocating.
I’d tossed and turned all night, dreaming about a manic Elizabeth stabbing poor Zane to death every time I closed my eyes. This was getting ridiculous. I couldn’t even sleep anymore without supernaturals flooding my brain.
What I really needed was a big dose of normal. I couldn’t stand one more day in an apartment full of overbearing gorgeous paranormal men—well, maybe that wasn’t so bad. Ryker and Ky were sweethearts when they wanted to be, and as a bonus, they were certainly great eye candy. Zane on the other hand? He might be beautiful to look at, but he had all the sweetness of a viper.
I shivered. Yeah, they might be fun to have around sometimes, but they only served to remind me of all that had changed in the last month.
Maybe it was time I get out of the house and see my mom. Call me a momma’s girl all you want, but Mama O’Connor always knew how to make me feel better—even when the entire world seemed to be crashing around me.
All right, Clara. Now, we just have to go tell the boys.
I sighed. They were not going to like this.
Throwing off my covers, I finally forced myself out of bed. It was only quarter after nine—far earlier than I’d woken up yesterday. That was a good start, at least.
As quickly as I could, and before I could talk myself out of it, I threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. Once I was dressed, I combed out my tangled hair. I grimaced. Yikes, Clara. You’re a mess, girl. Staring at my reflection, I knew there was no way to salvage my mess of wavy hair today. So instead, I tied it up in a ponytail. Once I had tissues carefully hidden up my nostrils, I was ready to go.
The second I stepped out of my room, two sets of feet hit the floor.
“Mistress?” Ky called at the same time Ryker said, “Clara?”
Great. Were they seriously just waiting for me out here?
I walked into the living room. Zane was nowhere to be seen, but his sheets were carefully folded and sitting on the coffee table. “Morning,” I greeted.
“How are you feeling?” Ryker asked.
I smiled, warmth spreading through me. What did I do to deserve this man? “I’m okay,” I said. “But I have something to do today. When Zane gets back, can you tell him we’ll pick up my training tomorrow?”
It was the best way I could put it. We all knew I wasn’t going to be training tomorrow—I’d be killing a person, if I wanted my loved ones to survive. But I was not about to go there today. I wanted normal. And normal meant no demons, no Reapers, and no killing people… or any mention of such things.
“What?” Ky squawked.
“Do you think that’s wise?” Ryker asked, his forehead wrinkled with doubt.
“Yes,” I said. My cheeks heated with embarrassment. I couldn’t believe I was about to say this. “I need to see my mom. She’s worried about me, and if I don’t go see her soon, she’s going to bust into my apartment with little to no notice.”
“Oooh, mommy Clara, huh?” Ky grinned wickedly. “I would like to meet the mother of the woman I’m bound to, and maybe see where you get your good looks from.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’ll come with you,” Ryker offered, already taking a step forward.
“No,” I said, trying to sound as stern as possible. “I need to be alone for a little while.” Ryker’s jaw hardened, and I clenched my teeth. Shit, is he mad?
Ryker took slow, careful steps towards me until only mere inches separated us. He brushed the pad of his thumb along my cheekbone, and I froze. Heat zipped through every inch of me, but I didn’t dare move. “Are you sure you’ll be safe?”
I pressed my lips together tightly. No. I wasn’t sure I’d be safe, or others would be safe from me. But I’d do my best. “I’m sure,” I said, my wavering voice betraying me. I cursed internally, but Ryker only smiled.
“Be careful,” he said.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and I nodded mutely, flush coloring my cheeks.
“But Mistress,” Ky whined. “You should have at least one of us come with you. What if something happens?”
I stiffened. That was always the question, wasn’t it? What if I went out one day and hurt someone, or someone hurt me? I couldn’t control my demoness yet, so I’d have to be more careful than ever—especially if I was going to visit my mom at the hospital.
I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and shook off the feeling of unease overwhelming my lungs. I had my nose plugs, and they hadn’t failed me yet. At least that should keep my demon locked away. If I couldn’t smell
blood, I couldn’t go rogue. “I’ll be fine, Ky.”
Ky narrowed his eyes and worked his jaw. He really didn’t like this. But it wasn’t his choice was it? I was a grown ass adult and could make my own decisions.
“I’ll be back in a few hours,” I said, heading for the door. “I’ll call if anything comes up.”
Ryker stared at me with furrowed eyebrows, looking like a lost, forlorn puppy. I almost winced when he raised his hand in a small wave. “Stay safe.”
I smiled, guilt gnawing at me. If Ryker could go out in the bright midday sun, I’m sure he’d follow. “I will, I promise.”
“Come back soon,” Ky said, leaning against the doorframe between the living room and the kitchen.
I snagged my purse and phone off the counter and unlocked the door. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” With a small wave of my own, I said goodbye and got the hell out of there before I did something stupid like stay and risk Mom’s wrath.
There was no familiar smell of medical sterilization and sickness when I stepped into the ER waiting area. Thanks to the tissue in my nose, I smelled absolutely nothing. Thank God! They had worked so far, but with my luck, visiting the hospital would be the one time they’d fail me.
I blew out a relieved sigh as I scanned the familiar waiting room. Blue plastic chairs lined either side with three rows in the middle. There were two bathrooms off to one side, and a small nurses’ office to the left of the emergency doors. I strode across the room to the sliding glass doors that blocked my way into the ER. On the other side of the glass wall was reception and various emergency rooms with nurses and doctors flitting between them.
I smiled as I spied the familiar receptionist—Stewart Galgrave, or Stew as he liked to be called. He typed away on his computer, his pale eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he worked. Warmth blossomed as I took in his short, graying blond hair and trimmed beard. He was around my mom’s age, mid forties, but with a boyish grin that made most women swoon.
Growing up, Stew had been great friends with Mom and me. He always brought me presents at Christmas and on my birthday. He even arranged a chocolate scavenger hunt in the break room one Easter when my mom couldn’t get away.
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