by Dora Blume
“So, are you ready or do you need a minute?”
“I’m ready, let’s go party.” She winked at Erik, and he shook his head.
“We’re not here to party.” Erik’s tone was serious.
“You may not be here to party, but I definitely am,” she smirked at him and wiggled her brows.
They left the ramp and headed down the street toward the bar. When they reached the street in front of the Denver Chophouse Brewery, they saw a line heading down to Howl at the Moon. “Shit, of course, there’s a line,” Erik put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, straining to see the end of the line.
Sloane moved her finger along her neckline smiling, “Please, lines don’t stop me.” She swaggered along the outside of the line with Erik in tow. At the front, she paused in front of the bouncer and winked, running her finger along her low-cut hem. “Hey honey, do you think my brother and I could get through?” she smiled, blinking at him through her long lashes.
“You and your brother, huh?” his eyes evaluated Erik from head to toe then looked to Sloane. “Yeah, go on in.” She ran her finger down his cheek. “Thanks, hun, hope to see you later.” Her hips rolled as she struts into the club. Erik shook his head and followed.
“Does anything stop you?” he asked.
“From getting into clubs? No, not that I can think of.” She was scanning the room to see if anyone stood out to her. “Do you hear anything?” she asked Erik.
“Other than everyone talking at once and the pianos in the corner no, not really.” He shouted into her ear.
“Okay, well, let’s head to the bar to get a drink. Does this crowd seem a little older than college students to you?” She scanned the crowd. They seemed older. Men with beards and flannel filled the room. The women had messy updos and long maxi skirts. It wasn’t like the scene in Minneapolis at all.
“Now that you mention it, they do seem older, but maybe that’s the abundance of beards throwing me off. Online it seemed to be a hotspot, but I guess it could’ve been wrong.” The band was playing a cover of, The Boxer, as they made their way to the bar.
“It’s still early; maybe the college students will be around later.” She motioned to the bartender and ordered two beers. She handed one to Erik. “I thought we should start light.” She smiled and held up her glass to cheers. “Here’s to our success.” He clinked his glass with Sloane’s. “Let’s go find a seat.”
“Could we find one on the fringe of the crowd? I need to be able to concentrate on their thoughts” he said as he followed her to the corner where there was one free table.
“Well, that was lucky,” he said as he set his beer on the table. He looked around the room to scan the scene looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Sloane looked to him. “How about you scan their heads, I’ll worry about scanning the crowd? It’s not like they’re going to stand out or anything. You’re the only one with the advantage here.”
He moved, placing his elbow on the table, resting his hand atop his fist. He closed his eyes to focus on their thoughts. He didn’t want to be the weird guy with his eyes closed in the middle of the crowded room.
“I got nothing, I think we struck out here.” Erik closed his eyes one last time to double check. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t missing anything.
“Nothing, huh?”
“Nope, nada, there isn’t a single demon in the place. Lots of thoughts about sex though.” Erik stood and moved away from the table.
“Sex, huh? Not surprising in a bar. I guess we can go, since there are no demons here, well not the possessing kind, anyway.” Her lip jutted out in a pout. Erik was curious as to what had her distracted, so he quickly scanned her thoughts and regretted it immediately. Her thoughts matched many others at the bar. She was thinking about sex.
“Forget about Mike that easily, huh?” Erik shook his head at her.
“No, stay the hell out of my mind brother.” She stomped out of the bar and burst through the door onto the street. When Erik caught up, her hands were clenched in fists against her thighs.
“So, where to next?” Sloane asked.
“I think Herb’s is going to be our best bet.” Erik walked down the street.
“So, how far is it from here?” Sloane asked.
“It’s a little bit of a hike, why?” Erik responded.
“Oh, no reason. These shoes are more stylish than comfortable.”
“Whose fault is that? You knew we were looking for demons. Should have prepared better.” Erik stopped in front of Herb’s and lit a cigarette.
“Yeah, yeah. I thought you stopped smoking those.” She stopped alongside him and pointed toward the cigarette.
“I cut back but haven’t quit, yet. We’ve been busy.” He inhaled deeply, enjoying the moment. He was also searching the surrounding minds. He closed his eyes to concentrate on people’s thoughts, both in and outside the bar. He opened his eyes quickly, he heard a demon inside Herb’s, but it wasn't a college student.
“Sloane, there’s a demon in there, but it’s not who you’d think.” His tone rose in surprise.
“Oh yeah, not a college student, I take it?” Sloane waited.
“Nope, it’s the bartender. The older lady.” He jerked his head to the side in the direction of the bar. Sloane looked through the window.
“Hmm, well at least she’s a hip, older lady. Must’ve been a hippy at one time.”
“I think it’s still weird,” Erik said.
“Yeah but think about it. Who is the one person everyone will share their deepest, darkest secrets? The bartender, she’s a perfect plant for them. She gets all the dirt and passes it on to the other demons. Look around; it’s popular around here. The place is packed, overflowing out the door. It’s perfect.” Sloane was looking around the block. “How close do you need to be to hear her?” she asked.
“I don’t want her to be suspicious of us, which could happen if we go in.”
“I can hear her from about a block away, maybe more. Why?” Erik said looking around and then seeing a patio across the street.
Sloane pointed up to the roof patio, “Will that work?”
“Yeah, I should be able to hear her from there,” he responded.
Sloane headed across the street. She went to the host and asked for a table on the patio. He nodded and said, “Follow me.”
Erik followed, and Sloane smiled at the host before he left.
“We’ll need to order some food, but we should be able to stay here until they close.” Sloane moved her chair slightly to scan the room.
“This works, I can hear her from here.” He scanned the bar and listened to those around them. He didn’t want to be surprised by another demon. It seemed all clear, so he focused back on the woman.
“Incoming,” Sloane said a moment before the waiter came to take their drink order.
Erik’s head snapped up a second before the waiter reached their table. Sloane ordered a Crispin, and I asked for a Red Rock IPA.
“So, hear anything interesting?’ Sloane asked.
“Not yet, she doesn’t seem to be thinking about much beyond the crowded bar, and the drinks she’s making. It might be awhile.” Erik took a drink before attempting to refocus.
The waiter came to take their order. He was tall and lean with spiky blonde hair. He dropped his pen when he jostled his notepad, trying to flip to a clean page. Sloane bent to retrieve it. She fluttered her lashes when she held the pen out to him. Erik shook his head; he wondered if she even noticed she was flirting, or if it just came naturally in everything she did. After their order was placed, Erik turned his attention back to the thoughts around him.
“So, have you heard anything from Jess as to when they’ll be here?” Sloane asked.
“Yeah, she said tomorrow. They got information from whoever they saw in Nebraska. Why anyone would live in Nebraska is beyond me.” He took a drink of his beer.
“It’s nice they’re at least answering you.” She too
k a long pull from her bottle and clasped her hands tightly in front of her.
“Yeah, I guess.” Erik went back to listening. He didn’t want to hear Sloane complain about whatever problem she was having with Mike.
Erik sat upright in his seat quickly, “I think I got something. She thought about a meeting she has tomorrow with other demons. It sounds like it’ll be at the local university. Some professor is heading up the meeting. Older guy, brownish gray hair, and a full beard. Typical professor type, suit and all.” Erik looked over to Sloane.
“Any idea which campus?” Sloane asked.
“Yeah, the professor is in the ECS building, fifth floor, room five-ten. Hold on; she hasn’t thought about when other than tomorrow.” He rested his head on his hand, listening.
“Okay, anything else?”
“She’s thinking about how early the meeting is, and how late it’s getting. She has to close the bar, so she isn’t happy about the early meeting. She’s trying to think up an excuse for not going but isn’t coming up with any. She knows she needs to be there.”
“So, early tomorrow ECS building. Do we need to stick around here longer, or can we take off?” She glanced around the patio. The waiter had already dropped off their check and was glancing over to the table periodically.
“I think we can take off. Unless we want to check out other places. See if there are any other demons around, we should know about.” Erik felt energized. He loved the hunt; he drummed his fingers on the table in anticipation.
“I’m not sure; I’m up to heading to any more bars tonight. I think the action of the last few days is catching up to me. I'm beat.” She yawned. “I’d like to take some time to see if I can get a vision tonight. I haven’t been able to wind down since Minneapolis, and I would like to try.”
“We should go then, catch some sleep before the meeting in the morning. We’ll get some leads at a demon meeting. I still can’t believe how much things have changed. Demon meetings are becoming a regular thing. What next, demon cocktail parties? At least that would make sense since they’re demons. This whole college campus thing is throwing me off.” Erik threw his hands up before standing. He dropped a twenty on the table for a tip and walked toward the front door. Sloane followed close behind.
Erik reached the car and got in quickly. He agreed with Sloane; he was beat. It had been a long few days between the hunting and battle a few days ago. The last few weeks felt like months. He could use a good night's rest and, suspected Sloane could too. Erik could see the dark circles and lines under Sloane’s eyes, indicating she hadn’t rested enough either. They could both use a good night’s sleep. He knew neither of them would get the real rest they needed until this was all over, but he determined to try.
Chapter 4
Sloane walked down to the kitchen looking for coffee, lots of coffee. Erik said they needed to leave for the campus by eight. Sloane didn’t like her good night’s sleep being reduced to four short hours. She swore she’d catch a nap after all this was over. She deserved a pajama day as far as she was concerned. Then the thought occurred to her; she may never get a pajama day again. She shook her head to clear that awful thought.
“Morning sunshine,” Erik smiled from the kitchen table.
“Seriously? Go to hell, Erik. How are you so chipper, right now?” Sloane moved to grab a mug and the coffee pot.
“Well, aren’t you just a ray of sunshine?” He took a drink from his mug.
“I already told you to go to hell. Do you want me to put you there?” she threatened.
“Keep dreaming sis; you couldn’t send me to hell. You love me.” He cocked his head in a defiant gesture and crooked the corner of his mouth up.
“Not right now, I don’t.” She sat at the table, cradling her coffee cup in both hands.
“You got about ten minutes to wake up before we have to leave.” He got up to pour himself another cup of coffee.
“Seriously, ten minutes?” Sloane took another long drink from the cup. She closed her eyes as the coffee slid down her throat.
Erik finished his coffee and went for the keys. “I’m running down to grab my phone; then we can go.”
“Okay, I’ll run up and get my purse. What weapons are you grabbing?” she asked.
“Magnus gave me access to the stash downstairs, just a few guns, and knives. Things I can hide on my body. You want me to grab you something?”
“Yeah, could you?” she headed toward the stairs.
“No problem,” Erik emerged from the basement holding a duffel bag and keys. Sloane was standing by the back door for him, hand on her hip.
“Ready?” Erik asked.
“Let’s do this.” She was preparing herself mentally for the possible fight.
They both headed to the car, Erik opened the trunk to dump off the duffle, then headed for the driver's seat. They were off to campus. “Could you get directions to the campus?” Erik asked.
Sloane took out her phone and searched the address. She hit the navigate button, and the voice of the navigator filled the air. Sloane was silent for the ride. She was still trying to wake up before they jumped into whatever role she would need to play today. She rested back in the seat and closed her eyes. She tried to focus her energy on a vision of what was to come. She wanted to see what they were getting into before they arrived at the college. She didn’t want to be blindsided again. Last time they went to check out a college campus; they sent Amy in to find out the building was filled with demons.
Sloane felt Erik’s tap on her arm, “Did you fall asleep?” he asked.
“No, just trying to have a vision of what we’re walking into before we walk into it.”
“Any luck?” he asked.
“No, not really. Just a few quick flashes. It’s like the universe hasn’t decided the future, so I can’t see it.” She shook her head. She felt useless when she couldn’t get a vision. She thought that the potion Shaundra gave her would help her get visions when she wanted, but she knew her power didn’t exactly work like that.
“That’s weird, I wonder what the universe is waiting for?” he asked, mockingly.
“That’s not funny. Remember last time? Amy walked into a building full of demons. I don’t want to be surprised like that again.” Sloane opened the door and got out of the car.
“Yeah, I remember. I will hear it if the building is full of demons.” He tapped his finger to his temple.
“That’s good because I feel useless.” Sloane closed the door behind her.
“So, are you going to let me get to the weapons, or are you keeping them all to yourself?”
“Keeping them.” He rolled his eyes and went to open the trunk. “Remember, we’re here to get leads, not kill them.”
“Yeah, I know, but we still need a few weapons just in case.” She bent to see what she could fit in her purse or on her person. “Aren’t you grabbing any?”
“No, I already have what I need on me. Some of us like to be prepared before we reach our destination. You know, just in case something happens on the way.” His tone was mocking.
Sloane grabbed one last gun, and slipped it in the back of her pants, pulling her shirt down over it. “You can be such an ass sometimes. Speaking of being prepared, are we trying to look like college students cause neither of us has a backpack?”
“I hadn’t thought about it. I’m sure there are others on campus without backpacks.”
“Sure, Let’s go with that.” She rolled her eyes.
“Whatever, no sense worrying about it now. Let’s go.”
“Lead the way, little brother.” She smirked and squared her shoulders.
“You know I hate that, right?”
“Yep, that’s exactly why I do it.”
Finding a bench outside the ECS building, Erik lit a cigarette and sat down. Sloane sat next to him. “Anything yet?” she asked.
“Nope, but I know she’ll be here soon.” He sat back and inhaled a long drag from his cigarette. Sloane watched him slowly
release the smoke from his mouth. She rolled her eyes at his casual appearance. Sloane scanned the approaching students, trying to recognize the bartender, she’d never seen. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on her powers, searching for the tell-tale sign of demons.
“Why don’t you text Jess or Mike to see where they’re at?”
“Yeah, I would like to know what time they’re coming.” Sloane focused on her phone and sent a text to Jess. She knew Mike wouldn’t answer her. Thoughts of Mike filled her head. Taking a deep breath, she stared at her phone. Mike still hadn’t answered her messages. He hadn’t forgiven her, despite her apology. She didn’t get what the big deal was, one mistake shouldn’t ruin what they have. Taking another breath, she typed in, Hey, what time are you guys arriving? We’re on a lead right now and could use your help. Lmk. After a few moments, Sloane’s phone dinged signaling a message.
“So, where are they?” Erik asked.
“They’re a couple of hours north. It sounds like they’re heading straight here. She said the information they found out isn’t good news, and they need to get here quickly.” Sloane sent a text back about where they were, and what they found out the night before.
Erik sat bolt upright as he felt the hair on his arms stand up. “There’s a demon close by, I can feel it,” he said looking around, trying not to be noticed.
“You didn’t hear their thoughts?” she asked as she scanned around them.
“No, apparently not, but I’m searching.” Erik became still before he spoke. “She’s walking up to the building with another demon. She’s talking about how tired she is from working at the bar. They’re both headed to the building.”
Sloane slid her hand in her bag, wrapping her fingers around the grip of the gun. Erik touched her hand. “We’re only looking for information, remember?”
“Sorry, instinct,” she said.
Erik stood, and Sloane rose a moment after he did. Feeling the familiar tingling up her spine, she knew another demon was near. She turned to Erik, “Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.” She tried to fake laugh but sounded a little too on edge to pull it off.