In The Dark

by Sarah K. Jensen

  Memphis cocked her head, waiting for him to respond.

  “I am a little afraid,” he said truthfully. “For more than one reason. There’s a part of me that doesn’t like the thought of you putting yourself out there. Part of me is scared that I’ll have a harder time paying attention because I’ll worry about you.” Then he grinned again. “And then there’s a part that will, with all probability, be turned on watching you kick butt in that getup.”

  A quick quirk of her lips let him know that he’d answered right. Then she laughed and his heart melted.

  “You’re a dork,” she said, still laughing.

  He covered his heart as if wounded. “A dork? I’ll have you know; I’ve never had a pocket protector in my life.”

  Her laugh grew and she picked up a sword off the small table by the front door and slipped it into a sheath on her back. “Come on. Let’s go kick some demon butt.”

  She reached for Laif’s hand and he gladly gave it.

  Memphis began chanting something that Laif had never heard before as she walked—no strutted—toward the group of men partying near an outcropping of trees at Pease Park. Every head turned and at least ten pairs of eyes almost bugged out.

  He was the first to admit the sight of Memphis coming at you, dressed as she was, was a cause for the eyes to practically pop from their sockets. If he didn’t see the Night Shadows as almost a weird clear mask within the faces and bodies of these men, he’d laugh at their reaction. Instead, he dug the first bag of holy sand from his pocket and moved to flank Memphis’s side.

  One of the men stood and Memphis chanted a few more lines, of what Laif thought was Old Gaelic, and suddenly all Hell broke loose. Night Shadows sprung from the men they’d inhabited, and those men fell unconscious to the ground. Laif threw sand at a scaly Oíche Scáthanna and the demon shriveled into nothing.

  Memphis, on the other hand, had her sword out and in one swift swoop, took the heads off two Shadows. The Oíche Scáthanna seemed to be coming out of the woodwork, or the trees to be more exact.

  Laif ducked as a branch came at his head and tossed a handful of sand, ridding the earth of one more demon. It irked him that some could return mere hours later. He wanted one of Memphis’s weapons, guarantying they’d all stay gone. Why were there only the two? Where was the third? And why in the world were only three blades made in the first place?

  Memphis’s dagger went flying past him, missing his body by only half a foot. He whipped around to see a demon explode and a metal pipe clutter to the ground.

  Holy crap, he had to get his head in the game. Memphis did a shoulder roll toward him, coming up extending her sword into the gut of another Shadow. It, too, exploded and in the next instance, she’d recovered her dagger, and stabbed yet another demon.

  Laif had dispensed of a whopping two and Memphis had at least four, but probably more. He needed to learn how to fight like her and needed a weapon. The sand was no longer enough.

  Laif threw more sand at a couple of Night Shadows behind Memphis and didn’t have any of the usual euphoric feelings this task normally created. Now only frustration met with the act.

  One of the men came out of his sedation and rushed Laif, finally something he could get into. With an open-fisted hand, Laif hit the guy in the solar plexus and did a spinning side thrust kick to the guy’s knee. The man went down hard and wouldn’t be getting back up anytime soon.

  Another handful of white sand dispensed, another of the drunken men taken down, and suddenly Laif was face to face with a man who was still possessed. He threw a fistful of sand and murmured, “Fág in ainm Dé.” Leave in the name of God.

  A heartbeat before the sand hit the man, Memphis’s dagger speared the man in the chest. An expression of shock died just as quickly as the man himself. Memphis had killed him. The demon exploded out of the body, also destroyed.

  Laif couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. Memphis had killed a man. She hadn’t let him banish the demon first; she just saw the gun and killed him.

  As Laif just stood there, Memphis went to the dead body, pulled her dagger from his chest, and wiped the blade on the man’s burnt orange t-shirt. Then she mumbled another incantation before cutting the shirt from neck to waist and the sleeves open as well.

  She looked over at Laif and said, matter-of-factly, “Can you help me lift him a little so I can get this shirt out from under him? The prayer closes up any wounds so that it will appear as if his heart just gave out, but it can’t do anything for the material. I don’t have anything that can take away the blood and rip from the knife.”

  There was no feeling in her voice. Nothing in her eyes showed that killing this man bothered her at all. How had he not known she was capable of something like this? How had he not seen it when he’d kissed her? Being focused on Jacob Riley and Callan was no excuse for missing something this huge. This important.

  He finally worked past the stupor into anger. “You killed him,” he growled. “I threw the sand at him and commanded the demon to leave him and you didn’t even give it a chance to hit the man, you just killed him.”

  Was that pain in her eyes now? Because he was yelling at her? Well, too bad.

  “And not only did you kill him, then you go over and cover up the crime. You are screwing up what is now a police crime scene. What’s wrong with you?”

  The pain in Memphis’s eyes turned to ice. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to handle this. I don’t know what I was thinking bringing you with me.”

  “You murdered that man!” Laif yelled, his voice cracking with the pain.

  She stood and stared at him for a long time. Hurt, frustration, anger, all flashed through those beautiful green eyes, but then they returned to the emerald coldness he’d seen earlier.

  “The incantation I use is very powerful. It forces every demon from the bodies of humans. The only exception is those who invite the demon to possess them. Those who do a spell that allows the Night Shadow to dwell with them for as long as the demon wishes. The Shadow can come and go, but most stay unless the human does a spell to remove it. I guess you missed the circle with the Pentagram in the center and the dead goat?

  “He was probably the leader and these other guys just got drunk and thought it was fun to kill an innocent animal. But who am I to make a call like that? Right?” She shrugged—the same shrug that he loved so much.

  “This man was evil. Your blessed sand would not have worked on him. Nothing would have. He was about to shoot you, so yes, I killed him. When the choice is between an evil being dying or someone I love, I will always choose the person I love to live. I’m so sorry that my saving your life was so offensive to you.”

  Memphis went to her knees, tugged the shirt out from under the dead man, and with it balled up in her hand, started to walk back toward the street. She said something else he didn’t understand, and wind whipped around the ground, moving grass, swirling dirt, hiding the marks of the previous battle.

  Laif followed her. Confused. He’d never heard about any of these incantations. Yes, he’d known that some people worshiped Satan and invited this evil into their lives, but how was he to know that Memphis could tell them apart?

  “Memphis, wait.” He jogged to keep up with her. “Sorry that I jumped all over you, but how did you expect me to react to seeing you kill a man?”

  She stopped but didn’t turn to look at him. Her shoulders slumped and she whispered, just barely loud enough for Laif to hear, “Exactly how you acted. I’d hoped that you would trust me not to kill someone in cold blood. To know when someone could be saved. I had hoped that you would understand what I do. But I guess I didn’t expect anything more than what I got. Goodbye, Laif.”

  She started walking again and Laif stood there stunned. Goodbye? That sounded so final. As if she were through with him because he’d spoken while in shock. Out of anger. His heart stuck in his throat.

  He took off after her again; had to stop her, make her understand that he’d not truly meant what he’d
said. Of course, she wouldn’t have killed someone in cold blood. Of course, she was just protecting him and others that would be hurt by that man.

  Chapter 21

  Her heart was broken. Her skin on fire. Burning, as the griffin on Memphis’s side expanded in size and detail. The beginning of what was probably its tail blazed on her back. That ache was much more bearable than the throbbing pain in her chest. It had been too good, this thing with Laif, she should have known it wouldn’t last for long. She had known. So why in the world had she let him in? Let him get close to her and Callan.

  A sob caught in her throat. Oh, dear Heaven. Callan. He would be as heartbroken as Memphis. He already loved Laif. Wanted him to be his dad.

  She’d known not to bring a man into their lives. Especially someone who could hurt her more than anyone ever had. Jacob Riley had never brought this much heartache.

  Pain so strong that it took everything she had not to crumble to the ground or to simply break apart into millions of tiny pieces. She didn’t know how she kept going, but the thought of leaving Callan alone forced her to put one foot in front of the other, instead of lying on the hard ground and simply dying.

  “Memphis, please.” Laif grabbed her arm and spun her around. Anger, or maybe fear, filled his eyes. She wasn’t sure which. “Are you going to run every time things get sticky?”

  She felt drained. No longer able to hold anger as a shield, she simply stared at him. Too tired to argue, or to remind him that he’d run away from her when he found out about Callan.

  “What do you want me to do?” so exhausted the words barely came out a whisper.

  He took her hands, his thumbs rubbing roughly against her wrists.

  “To listen to me. To know how sorry I am for how I acted. Man, Memphis,” his voice broke, “I was in shock. I overreacted. Can you tell me you’ve never overreacted before? That you’ve never done or said anything that you immediately regretted?

  “I freaked out then said something stupid. Of course, you would never kill without it being warranted. I know that. I know you did what you did to save me. Believe me, I am very grateful. It’s just that I didn’t know any of this—stuff. There’s lots of stuff I don’t know about this life, and I’ve been living it for thirty years. It’s scary to find out you’ve been doing everything wrong your whole life.”

  He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. She didn’t have it in her to do anything other than stand there. Being held, but not returning the embrace. His hands were in her hair. She could feel his desperation.

  “Memphis, baby, I freaked out. I’ve never seen someone die before. He was alive, staring at me with a gun pointed at my head. Then he was dead. I’ve been doing this since I was twelve and I’ve never seen anyone die.

  “Until I met you, I didn’t even know there were knives and swords that can kill any Oíche Scáthanna. And then there’s you. You’ve turned my whole world upside down and I don’t know whether I’m coming or going half the time. I’ve never been so scared or so happy in my whole life. Please don’t walk away from what we have. You have to forgive me.” His hands were everywhere as if he were trying to comfort and make her a part of him all at once.

  She felt numb. “I want to go home, take a shower, and sleep for a week.” She shook her head. “No, I want to go home, throw up, shower, and hold my son. I want to forget tonight ever happened.”

  Laif sucked in a breath and choked. He leaned back so he could look into her eyes, tears brimming in his. “Am I included in what you want to forget?”

  He wasn’t. But… “You scare me.”

  A burst of laughter escaped him but held no humor. “I scare you? Sweetheart, you terrify me.”

  Memphis saw it in Laif’s eyes. She did terrify him. And he loved her.

  “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  His eyes squinted a little. “Why? So, you’ll know if I’m telling the truth or not?”

  She laughed, though it was shaky. He loved her and wanted her to believe in him, just as she wanted him to believe in her. She’d take this step, because if she didn’t, how would they ever work things out. How would they get through a lifetime together? “I want you to kiss me because I know you’re telling me the truth.”

  She’d barely gotten the last word out when Laif’s mouth covered hers. In a burst of passion, they came together. Bodies pressing as close as they could get. His hands twisted in her hair. Memphis couldn’t touch enough of him; her hands stroked his back, his shoulders, his chest. She needed contact with skin, so she tugged at his shirt. Laif moved back enough for her to untuck the shirt and get her hands on his stomach. She needed him desperately.

  “I love you,” she said as she broke away and placed open mouth kisses on his chin, his neck. She ran her tongue over the pounding pulse in his throat and he moaned. “I love you, Laif.”

  “Me… too,” he ground out and brought her mouth back to his. It was all teeth, tongues, and lips. Memphis hooked one leg around Laif’s, and he loosened his hands from her hair and grabbed her rear-end, lifting her. Without hesitation, Memphis wrapped both legs around his waist. There were no flashes from the past, nothing to take her focus away from the intense feelings of need, love, and lust that swamped her.

  Laif’s hands went under her leather jacket. Nothing mattered but this. But him. A quick blurp of a siren sounded around them. Laif moved his hands so fast, he almost dropped Memphis. She slid off his warm body and took a step away from him.

  The officer in the cruiser shook his head and drove on. Laif let out a shaky breath and shoved his hands through his hair.

  “We can’t do that anymore.” He glanced at her for just a second before taking another step away from her. “This is…um…hard.” He snorted and looked her in the eye. “Memphis, what are we going to do? I can’t seem to stay in control once I start kissing you. And I do not want to stop kissing you. Tell me what to do.”

  She knew he was asking her to marry him again, in a round-about sort of way. Maybe the execution of the request was lousy, but the feelings behind it were genuine. He loved her. Wanted her. There was nothing wrong with that.

  Bite the bullet, she told herself. Just say it. “We get married ASAP. And we don’t go anywhere alone until then.”

  Laif stared, mouth slightly ajar. He swallowed. Loudly. “You sure?”

  She took a step toward him, but he moved back. “Wait. Just a sec. I need to know that you forgive me and that you want to be with me forever. If we get married, there is no divorce. You don’t get to decide that I suck, and you walk away. This is it. If we do this.”

  Memphis smiled. “Same goes for me. You get mad, you don’t walk either. You have a problem with how I do something, then you talk to me. If you yell and freak out, I might walk away, but I promise not to go too far. And—” she took a deep breath.

  This was the deciding factor. How he’d take to being a parent. “I need to know how you feel about being Callan’s dad. That’s a full-time job and he’s smart. He sees just about everything. He loves you and wants a dad. He needs a dad. You can’t just be his friend, that wouldn’t be fair to me, or to him. He needs leadership. He needs a father. Someone who’ll tell him no and punish him when he does wrong. He needs to have parents who stand united and if we don’t agree with one another, we talk it out alone. Can you do that?”

  It was Laif’s turn to smile. “Yeah, sweetheart, I can do that. What you just described was how my parents were with us growing up. I know they argued sometimes, but not about us, at least not in front of us. Both my parents punished us. And if they didn’t agree with the punishment, well, we kids rarely knew it. They fought on occasion, but it wasn’t over us very often. I want to be Callan’s dad. I want to adopt him. Make it legal.”

  Tears sprung to her eyes. “Oh, Laif.” She lunged at him and he caught her, but instead of kissing her, he laughed.

  “If we start that again, we’ll get arrested for indecent exposure and committing obscene acts in p
ublic.”

  Laughter bubbled up inside her and spilled out. She didn’t know such levels of happiness existed. “So, how about you walk me home, you go home, and we get together tomorrow.”

  Laif took her hand and they started walking toward her apartment. “Have you heard from Shane?” he asked.

  “No. But I have a feeling we will before long. Once he gets over the anger at me for not trusting him with this and over the shock of what’s out there, he’ll come over or call. Plus, you heard him; he’s got a lot of people who want piercings asking for me. He wants me back at work.”

  Laif stilled and she knew what was coming. He didn’t approve of her job. She knew it. Had seen it. But she wouldn’t back down. She would return to work, whether he liked it or not.

  “So, I guess this is going to be a point of tension?” she asked. “I’d like to know the reasons you have for not wanting me to go back to work.”

  “Well,” Laif started, “You pierce anywhere anyone wants you to pierce.”

  Memphis nodded. “That’s my job. So, yes. Usually.”

  “Have you ever, um, pierced a, um, guy’s, um—”

  “No. I haven’t. I’ve been asked. By both men and women, but I don’t do those. I don’t do nipples either. Mostly I do ears, sometimes belly buttons, eyebrows, noses, and tongues. I also do tats, but only the more basic ones. Shane’s an artist and he does the most complicated ones I’ve ever seen.”

  “And this is important to you? Working at a tattoo place?”

  He didn’t get it. Not many people did. Most of the time, she thought the people who got all the piercings and tattoos were out of their minds, but she figured they had the right to do what they wanted to their own bodies. The work had nothing to do with why she enjoyed working with Shane.

  He was the first person who’d ever given her a chance. The first person, other than Callan and her grandmother that she felt she could trust. The real reason she’d never told him about her other life was because she didn’t want Shane getting hurt. She knew he’d want to get involved somehow and that wouldn’t do. He’d get himself severely hurt or even killed.