Okay, Melody. Time to face the real beast.
I can only imagine what Mr. Black might do when I show up in his office. I’m going to have to apologize, I know, which makes me not want to leave the damn parking lot. But I have to play contrite. I have to suck up any punishment he has for me and play the good little hunter until the people after me arrives. As for after that, I don’t know what’ll happen to Mr. Black.
Hell, I don’t even care.
The bustling New York streets haven’t changed since I was last here, though I don’t know how it could have when it’s been less than a week since I’ve been gone. The crowds are still the same, the constant buzz of energy hanging in the air as if everyone has something they need to be doing. I can’t help but compare it to the streets of Hell, watching the way people rush by me. Again, I’m hit by how similar the two realms are, though here no one is trying to spit venom at me.
I see the Guild come into view. I thought I would feel trepidation at the sight of it, but instead I feel nothing. There are much bigger things at play than the headache I’m about to face going in there. That thought sobers me up so much that I don’t even hear the guards by the door greet me in surprise until I’m already walking by them.
I throw up a hand, not caring to stop and chat, and make my way straight to the elevator. It’s only half full, but all eyes go wide when they see me standing there. They all shuffle closer to the sides of the elevator as I step inside. I hardly look at them.
“Melody?” comes a familiar voice.
Fuck. Not who I want to see right now.
I incline my head slightly peering over my shoulder to see Ben gaping at me from the corner. He pushes his way ahead, coming to stand by my side. “Melody?” he asks again, taking a closer look.
“Your eyes going bad, Ben?” I say. “What the Hell’s with you?”
“It is you. Where have you been? There’s a search party out for you as we speak.”
At that, I whirl on him. “A search party? It’s only been a few days.”
“Mr. Black must have been worried. As soon as he found out you’ve been gone for twenty-four hours, he organized a search party.”
“Is he on this search party?”
“No,” he says with a shake of his head. “He’s in his office. Melody, where have you been? And … why are you dressed like that?”
I face the doors again. “I’ve been busy.”
“Busy doing what? Do you know how worried we’ve been? We thought you had gone to look for the missing hunters and whatever it is that got them got you too.”
“Wow, such faith,” I say dryly. My mind is still on the fact that Mr. Black called a search party. I doubt it’s because he was worried. He was probably mad I defied his orders.
Ben lingers much too close to me. As if in response to that, I hear a growl in my head. I suppress a smile. Down, boy.
“So?” he presses. “Is that why you’ve been gone for so long?”
“Yes.”
“Well? Did you find them? Or did you at least find a clue?”
For a second, I contemplate telling him what I know before dismissing it entirely. It wouldn’t help my mission at all telling him anything. “No,” I say instead. “I didn’t find them or anything, for that matter.”
“How far did you get though?”
I look at him. “That’s funny. I don’t remember having to report to you. Things have really changed in the short time I haven’t been here, huh?”
Although I know he picks up on my sarcasm, he nods. “Mission groups are five or more now, but there are hardly any missions to go on. The demons seem to have all upped and left.”
Or, they’re being hunted and are in hiding. I bite my tongue. Finally, the door dings open and the hunters inside start shuffling out. To my luck, Ben is leaving on this floor as well. He steps out but holds the door open, shooting me a worried look. “Melody…”
I don’t care to hear what he’s about to say. I press the upper floor, then push him away. “I’ll talk to you later,” I say, by means of appeasing him, then close the door before anyone else can get on.
Now, I have the elevator to myself.
I was right. Things have changed in just a few days. A few days ago, I was the best damn hunter in the entire Guild. Now, I’m the first hunter to have become soul-bonded to the devil himself, on a quest to save the world. A few days ago, I would have had cut my own arm off before ever submitting myself to such a thing. Now, I’m so happy it has happened, I’m forced to lean against the back of the elevator to keep myself from sinking to the floor.
I whisper the words to him, knowing he can hear me though we are in two different realms.
As do I.
That’s enough for me. The doors ding open and the long familiar hall opens up to me. I hesitate for just a moment before I square my shoulders and make my way to Mr. Black’s door.
I don’t knock. I just walk in.
To my surprise, he isn’t standing by the window, nor is he sitting behind his desk. Instead, Mr. Black is pacing a hole into the carpet. When I enter, his head snaps up.
The dark look on his face is nothing short of terrifying and he bounds for me instantly. He grabs my shoulders, snarling. “Where have you been?” he growls at me.
“Searching for the missing hunters.”
“After I specifically told you not to go. Melody, why don’t you think? I already had teams out there already. You would have just gotten yourself hurt!”
His words throw me off. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he might actually be concerned. I push his hands away, standing back a step. “As you can see, I am quite fine. My pursuit has been unsuccessful.”
“You’ve been gone for days! What could you have possibly been doing?”
“Following a dead lead.” I watch him whirl away in anger, resting against his desk. “It managed to lead me on for a while before I realized it was a dead end.”
“What did you find?” he demands from me.
None of the familiar anger mounts in me. I stare calmly at him. “Nothing.”
“You defied my orders by going out there and you couldn’t even bring back something useful.” He snorts in disgust. “Pathetic.”
The insult bounces right off my skin. “I assume that from the way you’re talking, you haven’t found anything either.”
His eyes dart to me and narrow. “We have a few leads.”
“May I ask what they are?”
“It’s confidential business. If you aren’t a part of the teams leading the search, then there’s nothing you need to know.”
I nod. I know he expects me to argue but I don’t care to waste my time like that. Whatever he has found is nothing compared to the mission I am currently on. “Very well. Permission to rest.”
He eyes me warily, coming to a stand again. “Did something happen, Melody?”
“I’ve made my full report, sir.”
“I can tell when you’re lying to me.”
No, you can’t. I blink slowly at him. “Everything is fine, sir. I merely want to rest.”
Our eyes remain locked for a few more seconds before he sits back on the desk. “Very well. You may leave.”
I nod, turn and exit the room. My next stop is Intel. Hunters watch me as I head down the hallway, murmuring to each other. I ignore them all, making my way into the large room filled to the brim with beeping computers, wide TV screens and tech savvy hunters. I go over to Julissa, the person manning the detector.
“Hey, Julissa,” I greet.
She jumps, glasses nearly falling off her face. Her hand instantly finds a home in her disheveled hair as she looks me up and down. “We thought you had run off.”
“To where?” I take the seat next to her. “The Guild is the only place I know.”
“Wouldn’t stop you from running off though, I know that for sure.” She eyes me a bit longer before returning her attention to her detector. I like her reaction to my reappearance. Julissa ha
s always been a very cool-headed woman. It’s why we get along so well. “You ready to go out again after you just got back?”
“You know I don’t like to sit still for long.”
“Well, you’re out of luck, Melody. The detector hasn’t been this quiet since, well, since I took this chair. Everything has been very peaceful.”
I look over at her wary tone. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Like I said, the detector hasn’t been this quiet since I took this chair, and that was ten years ago. It’s just odd that there hasn’t been much action of late, especially considering the fact that we haven’t been doing anything special to cut down on the numbers.”
Trust me, I tell her silently, you don’t know the half of it. I lean over, watching the concentric lines and the signal twirl around. Usually, red dots are all over the place but there’s nothing. Not good.
“You promise to tell me when something comes up?”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
I stand. Just as I do, the detector beeps. “Oh!” Julissa exclaims. “We have one. It’s small but it’s there. Off Manhattan, somewhere near this café.” She points excitedly at the tiny location the demon is said to be in. I commit it to memory.
“Okay, I’ll head out right now.”
“You need at least four other hunters with you,” she says, swiveling in her chair to face me. “That’s the new rule Mr. Black put in place since another set of hunters went missing.”
I pause at that, frowning. “More hunters went missing since I’ve been gone? The ones on the search parties?”
Julissa shakes her head. “Surprisingly, no. The ones I’m talking about were newbs. I think you know one of them actually. Her name’s Abigail.”
My eyes widen. Abigail is missing? Then that would mean …
Julissa faces her screen again. “Anyway, I doubt you’re going to listen anyway. You don’t even like going on missions with just one partner.”
“I’m glad you said it so I didn’t have to.” I raise a hand in farewell. “I’m off.”
“Stay safe, Melody.”
I don’t answer. I just leave.
22
I hang around the café, waiting for night to fall. I know from experience that it’s much easier doing covert things when the sun isn’t around to shed light on your actions. Besides, demons do prefer the dark. It’ll be easier to locate it once the moon comes out.
I sip the third cup of coffee I’ve had since coming in, watching as the light dims, but none of the energy. People are still milling around the streets, the New York nightlife about to begin. I check my watch one last time before I stand, leaving my unfinished coffee.
The demon is outside, watching humans pass from a narrow alleyway across the street. He doesn’t try to mask himself, content with letting the shadows play around his face. No one even looks in his direction. I spotted him a while ago, but I wait my turn, watching him as he watches them. I know he won’t make a move, not with the threat that puts him into hiding in the first place. The proverbial starving man.
I make my way across the street, tucking my hands into the pockets of the jacket I thought to bring with me. The air nips at my skin, making me want to wrap my arms around myself, but I keep my eyes on the demon.
His eyes run over the length of me, hunger shining in the depth of them, but they dart to someone else the next second. I veer off, acting as if I’m going down the street until I’m out of his sight. Then I double back and dart into the alleyway, shoving backwards until he’s cloaked in the shadows.
“Hunter,” he hisses, but he doesn’t get much time to say anything after that. I whip my sword out and drive it home into his chest.
“Sorry about this,” I murmur into his ear, because I really am sorry. Not about him dying, but for his soul which will be stolen from the Purgatory to suit the needs of an egomaniac with narrow ideas on peace. No one deserves that. Not even a demon.
The demon whispers something back to me, something filled with hate, but I hardly hear him. As soon as my sword drives home, power floods the alleyway, the same energy that definitely isn’t demon.
I see her as he falls. She’s standing in the center, facing the lively streets my back is turned to. She looks just about the same, except there is a manic smile across her face, eyes filled with the thirst for my blood.
I straighten, lowering my sword which is dripping with blood. “I half hoped you wouldn’t have been so predictable, Abigail.”
Her smile widens. “Well, you know me, Melody. Always wanted to be as close to the elite hunters as I can. I always looked up to you, you know.”
“I could tell.”
“I know you could. And you never cared. You treated me like shit but I tried not to think too hard about it because I knew you were like that with everyone.”
“I was,” is all I say. Truthfully, I’m not interested in chitchat. Just by looking at her, I know that Abigail is long gone. There’s no saving her. Just like there was no saving Natalia. And I hate it, honestly, I do. This, being turned into whatever it is she has been turned into, is worth than simply dying on a mission. I swallow all the sorrow I feel for and focus on the task at hand. The people behind me are unaware of the danger within this alleyway and so they pass by casually.
“Now, I’m better than you could ever be,” she sneers, the look on her face nothing of the girl I once knew.
“I’m sorry this happened to you, Abigail. I’m sorry they stole your mind and I’m sorry about what I’m going to have to do to you.”
Her smile falters, anger lighting her features. “I still have my mind. I know I want you dead. I know all I want to see right now is your blood on my sword.”
“But you won’t kill me, will you?” At her silence, I take that as a nod. “Because you can’t. Because there’s someone else pulling the strings.”
Her fist clenches. “You must come with me.”
Lucifer’s words echo in my head. I mustn’t make it too easy. If I do they’ll definitely know something is up.
I spread my legs, raising my sword. “Over my dead body.”
Her smile is back with full force. “If I have to, then so be it.”
She charges at me and I meet her head on. I swing my sword out at her but she flips onto her hands. Instead of going backwards like I expect her to, she hops back in front, kicking me square in the face. I stagger back. Abigail laughs.
She’s upon me again, swinging her sword around with a strength I know she didn’t possess before. I keep up well enough, but allow her to land a few blows, to bolster her confidence and keep her coming. After a while, I see an opening and I let her pull me to the ground, disarming me.
“You’ve lost your touch, Melody,” she laughs above me.
“Fuck off.”
She laughs again. She pulls me to my feet, already wrapping something around my hand. Whatever it is, it bites painfully into my skin. “Come,” she says. “Before I can’t resist myself anymore and drive this sword into your back.”
“You don’t have the balls,” I taunt lightly.
“Don’t test me, bitch. Now, walk. And act normal.”
I school my face to seem neutral and just slightly pleasant. Abigail wraps her arms around me, shielding my bent elbow to make it look as if I have one hand in her back pocket and the other behind my back. The position is weird, but not suspicious and she smiles at me, adopting a warm look that throws me off guard. She leads me to a vehicle sitting idly by the curb.
As soon as we are in the car, it takes off.
23
The building I’m taken to is an apartment complex. I find that odd, but then dismiss the thought immediately. If it really is an angel in the human realm, I shouldn’t be surprised it’s decided to set up base in the apartment of an expensive complex. It seems almost fitting, now that I think about it.
The driver, I find is another mindless slave, sneering at me as if she wants to take my head off. Abigail gives her a warn
ing look, but it does nothing but breed a sense of rivalry between the two. How sweet.
The elevator carries us straight from the underground parking lot to the top floor. It dings open to reveal a wide, open space, modern art speckling the walls, leading straight up to a beautifully furnished living room and a woman standing by the window. She doesn’t turn as we approach.
Abigail shoves me forward. “Here she is,” she announces. “Tell me when you’re done with her so I can have my piece.”
Without waiting for a response, she leaves us alone.
The woman still doesn’t move. Her hands are clasped behind her, fingers playing with the thin bracelet around her right wrist. Her hair is black, shining under the low light and tugged backwards into a bun at the nape of her neck. She’s dressed in a white pantsuit, impeccably cut and wrinkle free.
“Hm,” she says, her voice soft yet carrying wide. “I really must do something about their manners. How are you, dear?”
I narrow my eyes. “Who are you?”
She turns at that. Her face is beautiful with a prominent nose, sharp eyes and a strong mouth. “To the point, as usual. I really like that about you.”
She comes closer to me. I don’t move, but I do watch her. I watch the way she moves with her shoulders backwards and her chin cocked. If I didn’t know better, I would think she’s an aristocrat of some sort. She stands behind me and I feel her fiddling with my bind.
After a moment, my hands are free. She throws the binds aside and gesture to one of the white couches near the window. “You may have a seat, dear. Let me bring you something to drink.”
“I’m fine.”
“I will bring you something anyway.” Her voice dims as she moves to the kitchen adjoined the living room. She turns on the lights and begins opening cupboards. “Would you like some tea? I find I quite like it. It’s something you humans got very right.”
Without waiting for an answer, she says, “I’ll brew some green tea for you. It’s very refreshing. Very relaxing too. Have you had it?”
Hunting Darkness: Hunting her Lovers (Demon Hunter Book 1) Page 17
