by Trina M. Lee
Jett was right. I couldn’t do anything, which was driving me crazy. But I had obligations to her and the girls. Right now, that had to be my focus.
The first band cleared the stage, and we began setting up our gear. I kept sneaking glances around for Rowen, finally spying him across the room with Arrow. And Koda. I did a double take.
Even from where I stood, I could see that the situation had grown tense. Rowen stood between Arrow and Koda, facing the demon with a stubborn set to his jaw. His fists were clenched, and I suspected that he might start swinging. What the hell was going on?
Arrow stood there, surly, hands in his pockets, unfazed by whatever was taking place. Koda grinned into Rowen’s face, inviting his anger.
I paused, my guitar forgotten as I watched the confrontation play out. The girls moved around me, plugging in cords, tuning instruments, and checking the sound. I stood dumbfounded, that horrible feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. When Koda shoved Rowen out of his way and grabbed for Arrow, I sucked in a breath and held it.
Rowen didn’t meekly stand aside. He came at the demon with a hand outstretched, and I knew he was going to do something he shouldn’t. The spark that lit up the space between Koda and Rowen was seen by many but understood by few.
We couldn’t engage in such public displays without repercussions.
Koda, having more control over his emotions than Rowen, shoved him aside with one hand, hard enough to send Rowen toppling into a nearby group of people. They all went down like human bowling pins.
“I’ll be back.” I shouted to the girls, propped my guitar against an amp, and rushed from the stage.
“Spike,” Jett called after me, “what the hell?”
Ignoring her, I shoved through the growing crowd. The entire building spanned the distance between us as I sought to get closer. Koda dragged a relatively willing Arrow toward the door with Rowen hot on their heels. The sea of people kept moving toward me, like waves crashing, washing me back the way I’d come. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I elbowed a few people aside with an apologetic mutter and darted for the door.
When I emerged outside they were nowhere to be seen. Rowen’s angry shout drew me to the parking lot behind the building. There I found Rowen, hands blazing with light, taunting Koda into a fight.
“Get the hell out of my way. I’m not here for you. Don’t make this something it doesn’t have to be.” Koda remained calm in his irritation. His scarlet gaze swung my way, and he sighed. “Great. Just what I was hoping to avoid.”
“What the hell are you up to, Koda?” I demanded, striding up to the three of them, trying to put myself between Rowen and the demon.
Arrow snickered, finding the whole thing amusing. “He’s here to bring me to Dash. So I can be punished for my so called crimes.” He stood beside Koda with arms crossed, looking bored with it all.
“You’re not going anywhere with him,” Rowen seethed. He pressed close, and I put a hand on his chest to keep him back.
“Koda?” I waited for an explanation.
The demon rolled his eyes and glowered. I wasn’t used to him being so hateful. He usually tried to charm me into playing nice with him. He seemed to be done with that. “If the angels won’t deal with Arrow, then we will. Someone has to. Laws have to be followed, and punishment for breaking those laws must be dealt.”
“That’s bullshit. Don’t expect me to believe that demons put a whole lot of stock in following laws. If they weren’t rule breakers, they wouldn’t be demons.” My tone was scathing. This entire situation stank of demon politics. Politics which only served the purpose of those enforcing these so called rules.
Koda considered this and nodded. “True. But that doesn’t change the fact that Arrow committed a crime in such a manner that it cannot go ignored or unpunished. We take enough bullshit from the light without some rebellious nephilim making it worse.”
“So what then? You take him? Where? To do what?” As I spoke I had to push back against Rowen who strained against me, vibrating with wrath.
The smile that crossed the demon’s face made my stomach turn. Koda looked gleeful when he said, “That’s privileged information, white lighter. Now take your boyfriend back inside before I lose my patience.”
“Fuck you,” Rowen spat, straining to get around me.
I moved with him, keeping myself planted in his path.
That didn’t stop him from flinging a ball of burning white light at Koda. It arced into a bolt of lightning, sizzling against the demon’s flesh, having hit like a water balloon in the face.
I gasped, fearing the worst.
Koda froze for a moment, long enough for a stone of fear to sink into my guts. When he retaliated a cloud of ice crystals blinded us and stole our breath.
I coughed and gasped, despite the attack being a mere warning shot. I rarely saw Koda’s element in action. Though angel and demon abilities vary, an elemental aspect is often one of the strongest facets. Being a possessor of fire myself, Koda’s ice attack left me feeling cold and raw. Countering with flame would keep him on his toes, but I was more interested in keeping the peace.
Rowen made a strangled sound and stumbled but recovered fast, his emotional tie to Arrow driving him to fling himself at Koda, hands glowing with light.
As the two of them battled, Arrow took advantage of the distraction to grab my arm and drag me out of earshot. “Keep Rowen out of this,” he whispered against my ear. “It’s him they want. Remember that. This is all about Rowen. Forget me; I’m already lost. Protect him.” Then Arrow raised both hands and shouted, “Let’s go then, Koda. I’m right fucking here. You want me, take me. Leave my brother the fuck alone.”
Shock adorned Rowen’s face. He jerked back but not before Koda succeeded in landing a punch, forgoing demon power for a classic human attack. The hit snapped Rowen’s head to the side, and he lost his balance.
Yet Arrow steadied him before he could hit the ground. “It’s cool, bro,” Arrow said, laying a hand on Rowen’s shoulder. “This isn’t your fight. Don’t worry about me.”
“Don’t tell me you want to do this.” Rowen rubbed his jaw and fixed Arrow with a skeptical frown. “You don’t have to. We can chase this asshole off.”
Koda scoffed but said nothing, knowing already that he’d won. When I shot him a glare that boiled over with vehemence, he shrugged, expressionless.
I hated him.
“Go back inside. Watch your girl play. Then take her home and do your thing. I’ve got this.” Arrow held Rowen’s gaze, insistence in his stare.
Rowen shook his head in refusal. But as Arrow pleaded in silence, Rowen backed down. “This isn’t over. I’m not going to leave you with them. You didn’t leave me.”
Arrow nodded and turned back to Koda, his gaze sweeping over me. He hesitated, and I gave a slight nod, answering the question he didn’t ask. Then, in dramatic fashion, he held out a hand to Koda and gave a bow as if to say ‘after you.’
Because there was nothing else I could do, I took Rowen’s hand and led him away. He was reluctant but squeezed my hand as if seeking comfort as he fell into step beside me.
“It’ll be ok,” I said. “We’ll figure this out.”
As I spoke those words, I feared that they might be a lie. I was torn between my duty to help Arrow and the promise I’d just made to him to keep Rowen safe. I wasn’t sure I could do both.
CHAPTER FIVE
I didn’t feel too great about sneaking around inside Arrow’s house while he was away, but Rowen had insisted on searching for clues, so I’d come to keep him out of trouble. Neither of us knew what we were looking for, but Rowen was sure we’d find some kind of evidence that would clear Arrow’s name.
I doubted that. If anything, we’d find just the opposite.
Trying to talk Rowen out of it had been fruitless. After the girls and I played our set at The Spirit Room, he had been all over me with his insistence that he needed to do this. So we’d cut the night short and here we
were.
The house was dark and empty, yet it felt alive, like it was its own entity. Or maybe that was just my paranoia. I hadn’t been to Arrow’s house since the night he drugged me in order to take a photo of me in his bed, which he used as blackmail to keep me away from Rowen.
Wait, why was I helping Arrow?
Oh, right. It was my calling.
“There’s got to be something here. Anything. We just need some kind of proof that he couldn’t be involved in a ritualistic murder. Arrow’s not the demon-summoning, ritual-performing type.” There was doubt in Rowen’s voice, as if he were starting to second-guess what his brother was capable of.
Rowen rifled through the kitchen drawers, pausing to scrutinize some mail. Deciding it was irrelevant, he slammed the drawer shut and went on to the next. Trying to feel like I was contributing, I did the same on the other side of the kitchen.
When we found nothing we moved on to the living room. It was a mess. Clothes littered the floor and couch as if Arrow disrobed at random wherever he happened to be standing. I kicked aside a t-shirt near my foot, recoiling when it revealed a half-eaten apple.
“Shit, dude.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I surveyed the room. “I know you said you did a lot of cleaning up after Arrow, but this is fucked. He’s nothing but an animal without you here.”
Rowen had had to move out. Once he chose the light, living with a dark nephilim was dangerous. It seemed that Arrow had no interest in making his house a home. Or habitable for that matter.
“He used to have a cleaning lady, but she quit after finding a toilet explosion in the bathroom.” Rowen snickered, finding it funny in the way only a guy could.
“Ew, don’t tell me anymore. I might throw up.” I stood back, watching Rowen pick through the coffee table. No way was I touching anything unless I had to.
Finally, like I knew we would, we came to the bedroom. I cast a fierce scowl at the bed where I’d woken up in my underwear. Arrow was such a jerk. I’d set his pillow on fire though, so that was something.
“Where do we even begin?” From the closet to the dresser and everything in between, I eyed it all with distaste.
“Check the closet. I’ll dig around under the bed.” Rowen gave me a look that said I didn’t want to know what Arrow kept under his bed. That was for sure.
With my hand on the closet door, I said a small prayer that nothing inside would traumatize me for the rest of my life. Then I jerked it open. Instead of a bar for hanging clothes the closet was lined with shelves. Most of them did contain clothing but others held such things as electronics cords, disposable cell phones, and various stage-attire accessories.
I picked through some spiked collars and leather wristbands then dug through his clothing, feeling like I was committing some kind of crime by doing so. A glance over at Rowen informed me that he wasn’t finding whatever he was looking for. His expression was blank, but there was the hint of a frown tugging at his lips.
“You know I have to go after him, right?” Rowen said suddenly. “I have to. They probably have him in Dash’s house. Or whoever’s house that is.”
“Not tonight, you don’t. Rushing into anything is too dangerous, Rowen. I know you’re concerned, but being hasty won’t help Arrow.”
A box of condoms fell off the top shelf, smacking me on the head. They were Magnums, the large kind. I giggled, clapping a hand over my mouth to stifle the sound. I’d seen Arrow’s package when he leaped out of bed naked. He was a respectable average but clearly thought otherwise.
“Find something?” Rowen asked, moving to the dresser to dig through the drawers.
“Nothing important.”
I was starting to think it was a safe bet that there was nothing to be found. And then I found the shoebox on the floor buried underneath a few blankets. As soon as my gaze fell upon the battered box, a butterfly took flight in my belly.
Grasping the corners of the lid, I gingerly pried it off. Tissue paper covered whatever was inside. I didn’t want to look but knew I had to. Brushing the paper aside I had a hard time making out what I was seeing in the dark corner of the closet. Then my brain caught up with my eyes, and I choked on a gasp.
Buried in the bottom of the box was a knife with an upside down pentagram etched into the handle. The blade was covered in dried blood. I held my breath, careful not to touch the knife in any way.
I glanced up to find Rowen busy digging through Arrow’s underwear drawer. If I hadn’t just found a bloody ritual tool, I’d have found it funny that he had boxer shorts with hearts on them.
For a split second I considered not telling Rowen. I could just close the closet and say I found nothing, then tell Cinder later. But Rowen and I were not just crazy in love, we were also on the same side. I couldn’t lie to him.
“Um, Rowen.” My voice was breathy, frightened.
He turned abruptly at the sound, panic in his eyes.
I shook my head, wishing we’d never come here at all. “I think I just found the murder weapon.”
Arrow’s underwear was forgotten as Rowen sprang toward me. “Show me.”
With great reluctance I stepped back and pointed to the shoebox.
He snatched it from the closet, bringing it into the light. Staring into the box, he paled.
“Maybe it’s from something else,” I offered, willing to do anything to wipe that tragic expression off his face. “It could be animal blood. Arrow did bring Dash a rooster once. I saw it.”
Rowen swallowed hard. “But did you see him kill it? Did you see the weapon that was used?”
“No.” Seeking out reasons to explain the knife, I tried again. “He came straight to my place. He couldn’t have come back here to hide this first. We don’t know this was used to kill Vicky. There could be any number of explanations for this.”
My pulse raced because I knew no good could come from having found this weapon. I felt helpless as I watched Rowen scrub a hand through his vibrant blue mohawk. His panic was tangible.
“We need to know if this is human blood.” He sat heavily on the end of Arrow’s bed, staring into the shoebox. “Can Jett help?”
“I’ll call her.” Vacating the bedroom allowed me to breathe. Arrow’s room had been stifling. Unable to stand the sight of the living room garbage and laundry disaster, I went outside.
The cigarette I stuck between my lips wasn’t going to help anything—just shave a few more minutes off my life—but right then I needed it. Finding a pack in the living room hadn’t been hard. My call to Jett went unanswered. Swearing in frustration, I sat on the front step and smoked, staring at the house across the street. It was the first cigarette I’d had in weeks. I was quitting. Again.
I thought about Arrow’s desperate voice in my ear, begging me to keep Rowen out of this. Didn’t he realize how stubborn Rowen was? He had a kind heart, too kind at times, and a gentle spirit, but there was also fire in that spirit. He would not be swayed from something he believed in.
My phone rang, electric guitars screaming through the night. I silenced it fast, relieved to see Jett’s name on the screen. “I need your help,” I said without giving her a chance to speak.
By the time she showed up in a taxi half an hour later, I’d gone through three cigarettes and was considering another. The taste it left in my mouth was downright nasty. I’d quit again first thing in the morning. Rowen hadn’t ventured out of the house, and though I’d considered checking on him, intuition told me to give him some time alone.
Jett was tipsy from the after party I hadn’t hung around for. She sobered when I explained the situation.
Her gaze strayed past me to the door. “Rowen’s inside?”
“Yeah.” I sighed, shoulders slumped. “He’s been in a real mood since Arrow left with Koda. Arrow asked me to keep Rowen out of this. He said it’s about Rowen, not him. I don’t know what to do, Jett.”
She plucked the unlit fourth smoke from my fingers and sparked it up. “Not much you can do other than what you h
ave to, whether it fits with what Arrow and Rowen want or not. You’re the keeper of the Midnight Star. That means you call the shots when it comes to stepping in on behalf of another nephilim. They don’t.” She made it sound so simple.
Maybe it was; maybe I was overthinking the whole thing. “Come on.” I stood up and stretched, my limbs stiff from the hard concrete stoop. “Let’s get this moment of truth over with.”
Worried that Rowen might be having a moment he wouldn’t want witnessed, I made noise as we entered. It wasn’t hard with Jett being half-drunk and crashing into the jacket-laden coatrack just inside the door.
“Rowen,” I called. “Jett’s here.”
“In the living room.” There was a strange lilt to his tone. We found him sitting on the edge of the coffee table with the bloody knife still in its box. Had he been staring at it this whole time?
“Hey, man,” Jett said, casual and relaxed, a stark contrast to both Rowen and me.
Without a word Rowen handed the box to her. She took it, examining the knife inside before raising the box close to her nose. She sniffed lightly, closing her eyes, taking in all of the information that scent could give a predator.
I watched with my heart in my throat.
Her dark eyes snapped open, and she looked to me with a slight shake of her head. “Sorry, guys,” she said, a catch in her husky voice. “It’s human.”
* * * *
Rowen slept fitfully beside me. After leaving Arrow’s we’d gone back to my apartment so I could check on Seth, dropping Jett at home on the way. The knife was currently back in its box, sitting on my kitchen counter. We didn’t know what else to do with it.
It had been the wee hours of the morning when Rowen calmed down enough to sleep. He’d been a mess of emotion, swinging from anger at Arrow and Dash to fear and panic, worry convincing him that he needed to go to Dash’s house.
Reminding him of the meeting we all had with Joe in less than twelve hours had helped get his mind focused on the other side of life, the day-to-day world of chasing dreams and goals. Though we knew the meeting was about the damn song that Jett and Arrow were fighting over, it was still important, and we had to be professional.