Two women stood behind the counter. One was cleaning a coffee machine while the other was adding more baked goods to the shelves in the glass case. The latter woman was a ringer for Enoch, so it was easy to guess which of the females was his sister.
Jolene smiled at her. “Abiela Cohen?”
The woman’s gaze took all four of the newcomers in. “Yes.”
“I’m Jolene Wallis. We spoke on the phone earlier.”
“Oh, of course. Come through.” Abiela led them into an empty breakroom. “You said you were looking for my brother? That he fled from your lair?” She didn’t sound terribly concerned for him.
“Yes. This is my sentinel, Orrin, and these are my grandchildren, Khloé and Ciaran. All have had … shall we say a close encounter with Enoch recently.”
A close encounter Khloé’s body hadn’t yet recovered from. Her throat and chest still hurt, her appetite had gone to shit, and she still felt drained a lot of the time.
“I’m not sure how much contact you have with him,” Jolene added.
“We’re not in contact at all,” said Abiela, not looking or sounding the slightest bit regretful about it. “As far as I’m aware, neither of my other siblings speak with him either. That may seem harsh to you, considering he’s our brother, but the things he’s done … they’re hard to forgive.”
“May I ask you what he did?” Jolene gently enquired.
Abiela folded her arms across her chest. “After our parents died, he resurrected their bodies. We were all devastated. He’d promised us that he wouldn’t do it. Promised that he’d let them rest in peace. But he didn’t. God, he treated them like playthings. Washed them, dressed them, forced them to sit at a table at mealtimes or on the sofa to watch TV with him. It was just … wrong.”
Khloé exchanged a look with Ciaran. Apparently, Enoch was more fucked up than they’d thought.
“When we confronted him about it, he refused to undo what he’d done. He even forced our parents’ bodies to attack us.” Abiela closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. “You can’t imagine the pain of fighting people you love, even if those people are technically dead.”
“I’m sorry,” said Jolene. “I can see this is difficult for you to speak of.”
Opening her eyes, Abiela licked her lips. “We had to find another demon with the power of necrokinesis to intervene for us. Enoch almost killed him in retaliation. In Enoch’s view, we forced him to relive the loss of our parents.”
“Did your Prime banish him?” asked Khloé.
“No,” replied Abiela, her mouth tightening. “But he threatened to do so if Enoch ever used his gift again without the Prime’s consent.” She inhaled deeply. “Enoch swore revenge on me and our other two siblings, and he had it.”
Khloé tilted her head. “In what way?”
“He killed people we cared for—my boyfriend, my sister’s best friend, and my brother’s roommate. We couldn’t prove Enoch had done it, but we know he did. Worse, he resurrected their bodies and sent them after us. He didn’t succeed in killing us, obviously, but he killed every bit of our love for him. Our Prime then banished him, and I haven’t heard or seen anything of him since.”
Well, fuck. Khloé had originally thought he’d only reanimated Molly because he was lost in grief. But, yeah, it would appear that Enoch had been riding the crazy train for years. He’d done a good job of hiding it from their lair. But then, people like that often were good at pretense. She supposed they had to be.
Jolene’s lips thinned. “I contacted your Prime when Enoch first applied to join my lair—I like to make enquiries about the demons who come knocking at my door. Your Prime failed to tell me about your brother’s crimes. He never even mentioned that Enoch was banished.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that he promised Enoch he’d keep it all quiet so long as my brother left quietly,” said Abiela. “Our Prime’s done such things before.”
Jolene’s eyelid twitched, and Khloé knew her grandmother wouldn’t let this shit slide.
“If you haven’t spoken to Enoch in some time, you probably weren’t aware that he had a mate and child,” Jolene said to Abiela. “I’m sorry to tell you this but, unfortunately, both are dead. We suspect he killed his mate, but his daughter—Molly—died in a car accident quite recently. It was a terrible blow for him, and he wasn’t ready to accept that she was gone.”
“He resurrected her body, didn’t he?” Abiela guessed.
“Among other things, yes,” confirmed Jolene. “We were able to break the psychic connection he had with Molly, so her body has been returned to its grave, but he is nowhere to be found. I fear that he’s not in his right mind at the moment.”
“I don’t think he’s been in his right mind for a long time, if ever.” Abiela patted her tight bun. “It’s likely that he’ll seek revenge on you. Ensure that all those you love are protected.”
“Do you have any idea where he could be?” Khloé asked her.
“No, I’m sorry. You could speak to my siblings, of course, but I don’t foresee him seeking their aid. They’d tell him to go fuck himself. Do you have their contact details?”
Jolene nodded. “Yes. I do. Here are mine.” She handed the other woman a card. “I would appreciate if you’d call me if he does reach out to you. I won’t lie, he’ll be punished for the things he did.”
Abiela took the card from Jolene. “Oh, I certainly hope he is. Enoch’s not a person who can be helped.”
“Do you know of any friends he had in your lair?” Khloé asked.
Abiela slanted her head. “His closest friend was David Shore. Well, I wouldn’t say they were truly friends. Enoch used him. Manipulated him. Even bullied him, in some ways. Like an alpha might toy with a weak omega.”
God, Enoch was such a piece of shit. “What breed of demon is David?”
“A familiar,” Abiela replied. “I always felt bad for him, because he’s pretty low on the power spectrum—he doesn’t even have the ability to telepath others. I think it was why he put up with Enoch’s bullshit. My brother was powerful enough to protect him from others. David left our lair some time ago, and I have no idea where he went. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, we’ll hopefully find that out for ourselves.” Jolene gave her a slow nod. “Thank you for your time, Abiela.”
Outside the bakery, Ciaran turned to Jolene and puffed out a breath. “Well, it’s safe to say that Enoch’s a whole other level of ‘twisted.’ I always found him kind of odd, but there’s no crime against odd, so I never thought to look deeper. I’m pissed I didn’t.”
“Same here,” said Jolene, her face hard. “His old Prime described Enoch as ‘a little weird but harmless.’ Harmless. It didn’t occur to me that the Prime might have lied.”
“You had no reason to think he would,” Orrin pointed out. “There’s no point in us getting upset with ourselves for not seeing the real Enoch. He was very good at pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Maybe if he’d mingled more with the lair, we’d have seen that it was an act, but he mostly kept to himself.”
Khloé nodded. “He socialized just enough to come across as an introvert instead of someone who may have something to hide. He only really let Lolita and Molly close.”
“Neither of them said anything about him that would have concerned me,” said Jolene. “I wonder how much of the real him they saw.”
“Probably not all of him until the end.” Ciaran glanced at the bakery. “Do you think she’ll really contact us if he reaches out to her?”
“Yes, I do,” replied Jolene. “She fears him. If he reappears in her life, she’ll panic and want him gone.”
“Especially since she has a mate to protect,” added Khloé. “Enoch would kill and sic the guy on her.”
“Is there any point in speaking with his other siblings?” Orrin asked. “I’m doubting he’ll have gone to any of them for sanctuary.”
The Prime pursed her lips. “Perhaps not, but it is best to check.”
/>
So they checked, teleporting from location to location. The others said pretty much the same as Abiela—their brother was cruel, beyond help, and they wanted nothing to do with him. They also had no idea where he could be.
Back in her grandmother’s kitchen later that day, Khloé suggested, “We should speak to this David Shore guy.”
“I agree,” said Jolene. “I’ll have some of the Force find out his location. In the meantime, we keep an eye out for signs of Enoch. A Lazarus demon with revenge on its mind is always a dangerous thing.”
Hear, fucking hear.
*
A few days later, Khloé sharply thumped the side of the coin machine, expertly extracting a blue plastic bubble. With a smile, she promptly picked it up.
“Why does that never work for me?” whined Devon.
“You’re not special enough.”
“Hey!”
“What? It’s not my fault.” Khloé opened the bubble, and the corners of her mouth turned down. “Not so keen on apricot flavor. Anyone else want it?”
Devon snatched the gum. “I’ll have it.”
Harper cast a pained look around the mall and rolled back her shoulders. “Does it really have to be so busy?”
Khloé almost smiled. Unlike the sphinx, she wasn’t bothered by crowds and enjoyed ambling through the Underground’s mall. Usually, anyway. Today, the over-bright lighting irritated her dry eyes, and the sounds echoing throughout the large building made the strange pulsating pain in her head worsen—voices talking, shoes clicking on the floor, cell phones chiming, the splashing of the water fountain, music playing low.
She’d had the headache since she’d woken that morning, and it hadn’t eased in the slightest. It was like a hangover—well, drunk-over—headache on steroids, and she’d just love to go home and shut herself in a dark room. But she wasn’t willing to miss the mall trip with her girls.
The place sold just about everything—clothes, bags, shoes, cosmetics, books, toys, electronics. The list went on and on. Some places were trendy and sold designer stuff. Others offered lesser quality items and seemed to always have some sort of sale going on.
Tanner grimaced as a bunch of shrieking kids skipped by them. “What exactly is it you’re all hoping to buy? Just a dress each, right?”
“One or two,” replied Raini. “Plus a few bikinis. Shoes. Sandals. Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”
Tanner snorted, knowing full well that was a damn lie.
“The food court is calling my name,” said Harper. “Seriously, the smell of spicy foods is tugging at my stomach like a magnet.”
“We’ll go there when we’re done,” promised Raini. “First, we shop and—”
Khloé frowned when the succubus stared at something to their far right. “What’s wrong?” She tracked her friend’s gaze and winced. “Oh.” She didn’t know the burly guy or his female companion personally, but she recognized them as members of Maddox Quentin’s lair.
The two demons gave Raini a blank look before disappearing out of the automatic doors and onto the Underground strip.
“Has Maddox eased up on telepathically bugging you?” Harper asked Raini.
“No,” replied the succubus. “And he’s not put off by my not responding.”
Devon sidled closer to her. “What exactly does he say?”
Raini shrugged. “Stuff.”
No one pushed her to talk further, knowing it wouldn’t get them anywhere. She was always vague when speaking of the things he said to her.
Khloé hated how stressed the whole thing was making her friend. That was partly why she’d proposed the booze cruise—she wanted to take Raini somewhere where there was no chance of the succubus bumping into him or one of his lair members on her birthday. She wanted Raini to have a break from all that bullshit.
She also wanted to stomp on the fucker’s windpipe a few times. A girl had to get her kicks where she could.
The succubus forced a smile. “Well, shall we get moving?”
Using the escalators, they went from floor to floor, breezing past shoppers who were carrying bags, pushing baby strollers, or chatting on their cell phones.
Raini led the way, as usual, which suited everyone else just fine. She might be an avid shopper, but she never overspent. Raini was a master at sniffing out bargains. She was one of those people who could buy bags of stuff yet never go over her allotted budget.
They browsed many stores, purchasing various items with Raini’s advice, since she had a talent for sensing just what clothes would best suit a person. Really, she could make a living as a personal shopper.
Hours later, as they were walking along the top floor, Khloé tapped Raini on the shoulder and said, “Just so you know, Harper looks near the point of slapping random people just for jostling her.” The sphinx never lasted long at the mall.
“I smell coffee.” Devon turned as if to follow the scent trail, but Raini tugged her back.
“Not yet,” said the succubus.
“But my feet hurt.” The hellcat pouted. “And the bag handles are digging into my hands.”
Raini sighed. “You’re carrying two small bags, since you’re using your mate as a mule. One more store, and then we’re done, I promise.”
Harper stared longingly at the lounge area near the jewelry kiosk. “I could just wait there.”
“But then you wouldn’t be finished shopping, and we’d have to come back another day,” Raini pointed out.
Harper’s mouth tightened. “Fine, fine, let’s get this over with.”
Raini dragged them over to a store that featured a window display with mannequins in various poses. As always, Tanner stood outside the shop, on guard, while the females browsed the rails and shelves.
Checking the price tag on a trendy leather purse, Devon said, “Hey, Khlo, I’ve been meaning to ask you … Why does Keenan keep giving you looks?”
Khloé paused in sliding the metal hangers on a rack and, going for clueless, asked, “Looks? What kind of looks?”
“I don’t know how to describe them, but they’re full of heat and promise.”
Raini hummed, fingering the fabric of a royal blue dress. “I’ve noticed them. They make me all tingly, and they’re not even directed at me.”
They made Khloé a little tingly too. He’d telepathed her several times over the last few days—sometimes they were in the same room, sometimes they were far apart. Always he’d make some teasing comment about how much time she had left before he’d have his taste of her.
Honestly, she was surprised he’d lasted this long without reaching for his flask. Her mother couldn’t go ten hours without a drink, let alone a few days. Was it possible that he wasn’t truly an addict? Or could it be that he had some sort of power that enabled him to hold out or something?
Devon nodded. “He’s been tossing you those looks for days now.”
“Know what else?” asked Harper. “I haven’t seen him take a swig from his flask for days either. Knox told me that Keenan hasn’t been drinking lately.”
Khloé went back to skimming through the clothes. “Hmm. Odd.”
“Ooh, she’s feigning obliviousness, girls,” said Devon, her eyes bright. “That means she’s hiding something.”
“Fess up, Khloé.” Harper folded her arms. “Are you two sleeping together?”
Khloé sighed. “No.”
“Then what are we missing? Come on, cousin, start talking.”
Knowing they wouldn’t drop this, Khloé shrugged and said, “He and I have a little wager going on.”
Raini’s brows lowered. “A wager? What kind of wager?”
“He bet me that he could go a week without drinking,” Khloé replied. “If he caves, he has to be my slave for the day.”
“And if he doesn’t cave?” prodded Devon.
Khloé licked her front teeth. “Hegetstofeedfromme.”
Raini put a hand to her forehead. “Oh, Lord.”
Harper sighed. “Khloé.”
“Keenan would never have made such a bet unless he was sure he’d win it,” said Harper. “He’s done this so that he can taste you, not to prove he isn’t an alcoholic—he doesn’t care what people think of him.”
“Tricky bastard,” Devon muttered.
Khloé shook her head. “He’ll never hold out.” But even as she said that, unease knotted her stomach. Her demon wasn’t so anxious—it had no issues with the thought of him feeding from it.
“All’s not lost,” Raini cut in. “He doesn’t need to be an addict to lose the bet, he just needs to have a drink, right? Khloé could drive anyone to drink.”
Harper’s brows hiked up. “That’s true.”
“Is he still coming on the mini booze cruise?” asked Raini.
Harper nodded. “Asher’s coming with us, and Keenan’s his bodyguard, so …”
Raini turned to Khloé. “You should use that opportunity to push all his buttons. If you’re at your best, he’ll snap sooner or later.”
“And you should go on a date at some point,” Harper added. “He positively hates it when you do that.”
“I don’t have time to go on a date. I’ll be packing tomorrow so that we can leave Friday morning for the booze cruise,” said Khloé.
“Then we’ll just say that you went on a date.” Harper waved a hand. “He won’t know any different.”
Khloé felt her face scrunch up. “Lying that I went on a date feels kind of juvenile.”
“When have you ever cared about acting juvenile?” asked the sphinx.
“Never.”
“Then why start now?”
“You make a good point.”
“Seriously, he hates hearing about you going on dates. It always seems to take him a step closer to asking you out, but he never does.” Harper pursed her lips. “I can only assume he has commitment issues or something.”
“He’s not the only one.” Devon threw a meaningful look at Khloé.
“I don’t have commitment issues, I just avoid relationships,” said Khloé. “And for good reason.”
Omens (The Dark in You Book 6) Page 6