by Jen Pretty
“Because only the rich and famous come here. I’m not famous, but I have enough money to be here, so why not have fun?”
It was weird coming from Julian. He had been so serious since we started this little adventure; I thought my memory of him on his motorcycle as we rode across the country was just a dream.
A man in a black suit led us to a table in the back corner. We went past dozens of people eating or drinking and chatting animatedly. They were all finely dressed in beautiful suits and dresses, making Julian seem underdressed in his jeans and t-shirt.
I felt eyes on me and regretted the dress again, but as Julian pushed in my chair, he leaned down and whispered, “You look amazing,” in my ear. I regretted it a little less.
We murmured for several minutes, lost in our own world. I loved having Julian's attention and watching his face change with his thoughts and emotions. It was a rare treat.
When the waiter returned, Julian ordered wine, speaking in French. That was hot.
Once the waiter left, Julian kept opening his mouth and then closing it again like a fish or a child who can't chew with his mouth shut.
“What?” I asked finally saving him from his uncharacteristic moment of indecision.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I want you to stay with me in New York when we leave here.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, that won’t happen.”
“Why not?” He looked confused.
“Because I have a home and friends in Humber Falls. New York is big and smelly, and you have Nick there to keep track of your gargoyles.” Speaking of gargoyles brought me a feeling of dread. I would feel a lot better if I saw some here. I got a bit lost in my thoughts, and when I focused back on Julian, I realized he had been talking.
“Your town is small and doesn't need you.”
“Whoa. Who told you that? There are gargoyles there, and someone has to keep them in line.”
“Lincoln can easily do it, or that boy who would already be a hunter if it weren't for his father.”
I tried to picture pretty-boy Derrek chasing gargoyles in the twilight. A giggle bubbled up. “No, Derrek can’t do that. Besides, I like Humber Falls. It’s my home.”
Julian rubbed his hands over his face then shook his head and looked away. “You have to come with me, Harlow.”
I stared for a long moment. “Explain.” I remembered the conversation I had overheard when he was on the phone. He said he would handle me. Was this what he meant?
“Look, the Division wants you watched. They are worried that your new power could get so strong that you could freeze us all. I haven't told them you sent me to hell that time you froze me, but word will get back to them eventually and that makes you a big threat to our kind.”
The waiter arrived with our wine at that point. He took forever pouring it into glasses but as soon as he set mine down in front of me, I scooped it up and downed the whole thing. The waiter dutifully refilled it and set it slightly farther away from me, but that didn't stop me from chugging the second glass, too. The waiter gave up and set the bottle on the table before he turned and walked away.
“Can we go back to the hotel?” I asked, pushing my chair back. I wasn't having fun at all. Wasn't this supposed to be fun?
“I’m sorry, Harlow. Wait.” He took a deep breath and let it out, his face slowly pulling until he wore a smile. “We can talk about this later. Let’s have a nice night, OK?”
“You are the one who brought it up. It’s not fun knowing demons are going to run my life from now on. I didn't even want to come to Jackson.”
“I know. Trust me, please? It will just be temporary. They will see you aren't a threat and you can go back to your normal life.”
I reached for the wine bottle, but Julian grabbed it and poured my glass for me, his eyes only straying to the glass for a moment before returning to me and begging me to understand. That was the problem, though. I was no different now than after New York, but suddenly what I could do worried the half-demons? They weren’t so concerned they wouldn’t use me to solve their Collin problem, but worried enough they wanted Julian to keep an eye on me.
“I’m not moving to New York.”
The waiter returned to take our orders, but I wasn't very hungry anymore. Julian ordered for both of us, and I watched the waiter walk away, wishing he would stay to stop the awkward feelings I had about being alone with Julian now. I had really stepped in it. The demon Division wanted me watched like I might turn into a rogue half-demon hunter and send them all to hell.
I looked back at Julian. There was no way I could ever freeze him again and send him back to hell. I had to admit I had some powerful stupid feelings for him and living with him made my inner idiot do cartwheels.
“Say something,” Julian said in a voice so low I thought I imagined it for a second.
“What do you want me to say? I have to have a babysitter because I have too much power for a group of half-demon assholes.” I whispered the swear because the restaurant was crowded now and there were ears everywhere. There were eyes everywhere, too, when I glanced around, including a pair of cold, black, half-demon eyes.
“He’s one of ours,” Julian said, noticing where I was looking.
“You mean one of yours. I’m not a half-demon.”
Julian leaned forward and captured my hand. “You are one of us. The Division doesn’t know about you yet, but they will. They always find out about everything.”
I snorted and finished my glass of wine. It was helping a bit. The wine, I mean.
A plate of steak and fried mushrooms with a side salad appeared in front of me with a flourish. I glanced up at the waiter; his face still plastered with a smile. I wondered if his cheeks hurt by the time he finished his shift… Maybe he had to get a face massage at the end of a long shift. I giggled a bit, picking up my knife and fork. Once the offensive salad was separated from the delicious steak, I cut off a hunk and shoved it in my mouth. It was a bit of a big piece, but I gnawed on it. Manners be damned.
Julian cut tiny pieces of his steak and ate carefully. His face returned to blank when I finished my third glass of wine, but I didn't care anymore. Why should I care? I was being managed or something. Controlled.
We finished eating in silence, and Julian got the check. As we walked out of the restaurant, the little sports car pulled up and the valet hopped out. I got myself in the passenger side and sat in silence and Julian drove. It wasn’t until the car stopped that I realized we weren't back at the hotel; we were at a night club.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
“Dancing and drinking,” Julian replied simply before he got out and started walking towards the building.
I climbed out and walked after him when I realized he was going to leave me in the car if I didn't get out.
Date night. So fun.
Julian held the door and I passed him, entering the loud, dark club. There were flashing strobe lights and typical club music. The beat was heavy and made the sweaty bodies writhe to its base. I wove to the bar first and ordered a scotch, neat, from the hot bartender. He had tattoo sleeves, and I watched them twist as he moved to set a glass in front of me and poured the alcohol. I wished he wasn't wearing a shirt so I could trace the tattoo across his chest. I was sure it continued and looked terrific. He winked at me when he caught me staring, and I smiled before lifting my drink and throwing it back much faster than I should have.
Warm breath on the back of my neck alerted me to Julian's presence. I knew it was him, though I couldn't say how. I leaned back into his chest and his arm came around, taking the now empty glass from my hand and setting it on the bar. Then he turned me and led me onto the dance floor, weaving between all the bodies.
It was too loud to talk in there, and I didn't want to talk to him anyway. I just wanted a moment to forget. As if Julian understood that, he wrapped his arms around me and made me move to the music. He was a good dancer and I got so lost I forgot all about the demons and the
gargoyles and Collin… I forgot about Nick and Len and my mother…
Julian's hand slid down to my hip, and then a bit lower, bunching the light material of my dress. I was drunk enough that I didn't care if the whole world saw my undies, so I kept dancing as his hands roamed my body. I might regret it all in the morning, but for now nothing mattered.
Downing shots like water, I lost track of time. The night was young, and for one night only, I felt young, too.
CHAPTER TWENTY
My head was broken. It was thumping like I was still in the club, but I was not in the club anymore. Someone had wrapped me up in blankets and soft pillows. I slit my eyes open and recognized the hotel room.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“There’s water and pain killers on the nightstand.” Julian's disembodied voice startled me and I spun to look for him. The quick movement made nausea flood in. I covered my mouth and lay still for a moment until the world righted itself. Then grabbed the bottle of water and the pill bottle from the small table by my head and popped a few before laying back on the pillow and waiting out the pounding in my head.
Julian's hand slid over and brushed the hair out of my face and then continued to roll a strand of hair around his finger. When the room stopped spinning a while later, I glanced behind me and got an eye full of Julian laying in the bed with me. I glanced under the blankets and realized I was wearing a shirt I didn't recognize.
“What happened last night?” I asked, almost afraid of his answer.
His mouth curled up into a wicked grin. Oh shit.
I covered my eyes with my hands. I didn't remember anything after dancing with Julian. His body pressed up against mine. I vaguely remember dancing with the hot bartender, too. How did that come about? Peeking between my fingers, I caught Julian's face and he still wore that same smile.
“This isn't funny,” I said.
“I disagree. This is hilarious.”
Might be time for me to quit drinking. I shook my head and slid out from under the covers. Staggering to the bathroom, I used the facilities and glimpsed myself in the mirror. “Good lord,” I whispered at the face in the reflection. My hair was a rat's nest except for the one strand that Julian had been playing with. It was straight and smooth.
My eyeliner had run, giving me dark smudges around my eyes like a raccoon. I was a trash panda now. I washed my face and tamped down my hair before pulling on a housecoat and stumbling back out of the bathroom.
Voices speaking in the main room and the smell of coffee drew me out of the bedroom. What I found there surprised me even more. The bartender was half naked on the couch where, by the pillow and blanket, I assumed he had spent the night. What the hell did I do?
Julian chuckled at the look on my face. “Have you met Rory?”
“Fuck me,” I whispered. “Nice to meet you,” I said louder.
“Oh, we met. You stole my shirt.” He grinned and stretched his arms along the back of the couch, displaying his chest covered in tattoos. Whatever drunk Harlow was thinking, she was smart to steal his shirt. The tattoos, and his chest and abs, were all fantastic.
Julian handed me a napkin, and when I looked at him with a questioning look, he said, “For the drool.”
I turned on my heel and went back into the bedroom, closing the door behind me. I climbed back into bed and pulled the blankets over my head. I could stay here until the end of time and pretend nothing happened last night. That was a solid plan.
Note to self, do not drink shots ever again. Zero-stars. Do. Not. Recommend.
I tried to force my mind not to remember anything about the previous night, but it trickled back in anyway; dancing with Julian and Rory; stealing Rory's shirt; making out with Julian in the back of the limo. Hadn’t we driven there in the sports car? Taking my dress off and dancing on the coffee table in the suite? Hmm. Yeah, I made some poor decisions the night before.
The bedroom door clicked open and light poured in.
“Go away,” I said from my blanket cave.
“I brought a peace offering,” Julian said. The smell of coffee wafted through my blanket and I shot a hand out, making a gimme motion. Coffee wouldn't make me forget, but it would make me feel better. Coffee didn't judge; it just understood.
He placed the warm mug in my hand and I carefully pulled it back in with me, sitting up so I didn't spill it. I took a sip and heaven landed in my mouth. Thank God for coffee.
“Come out when you are ready. Rory is one of us and agreed to help us tomorrow since you took such a liking to him.
I covered my eyes, though Julian couldn't see me. The sound of the bedroom door clicking closed again was a relief. I sipped my black gold until the mug was empty, and then staggered into the bathroom to take a full shower. It was weird to be wearing a stranger’s t-shirt, so I folded it and set it on the bathroom counter. Etiquette said I should wash it before returning it, but there wasn't a machine here, and he was topless in the hotel room right now. He wouldn't fit in my clothes, nor I could give him a clean shirt to wear. This was so weird.
I finally walked out dressed in jogging pants and a hoodie, and to my utter joy Nick was here now, too. He had his judgey face on but didn’t say anything. Thank God.
“Al is on his way over with Celia. She has been keeping an eye on the entrance to Collin’s hideout,” Nick said in the way of greeting.
“Great,” I said, lifting the top from a covered tray of food. There were eggs Benedict and sausage, but no bacon. I eyed Rory suspiciously. He seemed like a bacon lover. He probably ate it all.
“Your mother is coming, too,” Julian said.
“For fuck's sake! Does she need to come? She can’t possibly have anything to add, and she isn't reliable anyway,” I muttered into my sausages.
“At least she is trying to help, Harlow,” Nick said. I didn't appreciate his tone. As if I wasn't helping? I was the one doing all the helping. I rescued Julian. I did some other things, I was sure. Nick was the one off playing with knives. I glared at him, but he didn't combust. Whatever.
“Fine, but if she disappears when we need her most, I will say I told you so.”
Julian shifted on the couch as I approached, so I ended up sitting between him and Rory. I balanced my plate of food on my knees and dug in. For a while, it was just the sound of my knife scraping on the plate in the room. That was fine with me; talking about any current topic of conversation would have been awkward.
There was a knock at the door and Nick jumped up to answer it. I glanced away from my food for a moment, and when I returned my eyes to my plate, a sausage was missing.
I scowled at Julian, but he was reading a mystery novel. Shifting my glare to Rory, I saw him chewing. The bastard. Was nothing sacred anymore?
“How's it going, darlin’?” he asked around the stolen sausage in his mouth.
“Unbelievable,” I scoffed.
He beamed at me. Al and Celia walked in and sat down on the armchairs strategically placed to make the space into a sitting room, or maybe it was a conference room now since we were talking battle strategies or whatever.
“Hey, guys. How’s it going?” I asked.
“Collin’s men found my workshop and destroyed everything,” Celia said.
Al chuckled. “Tell them where you were when the guards were ruining your stuff.”
Celia brightened “I was cutting a water main to flood their hideout.” Her laugh was like an evil Tinkerbell, high pitched and insane.
“That’s awesome,” I said, wishing I had thought of sabotaging Collin’s little hidey-hole.
I glanced at Nick; he was frowning but said nothing. He was turning into such a stick-in-the-mud.
“Okay, so what have you found out?” Julian asked.
Celia shifted in her seat. “Not too much, but his numbers have dropped. A lot of the half-demons who joined him have left because he has imposed strict rules about not leaving the tunnels. I spoke to a few who escaped and they said Collin is summoning demons. So far onl
y a couple, but there is something wrong with him. A demon might even possess him.”
Suddenly, I lost my appetite. I set my plate on the coffee table and Rory grabbed it, shoveling the rest of my breakfast into his mouth.
Julian's arm slid around my shoulders, but the comfort wasn't enough to keep the chill from racing down my spine. If a demon possessed Collin, that was even worse. He was already a strong monster, but with a demon inside, he would be even stronger.
“Do you know what he is doing? I mean, is he trying to take over the world or cause a huge problem in this city? I guess if he's possessed, he’s doing what the demon wants.”
“Yeah,” Celia answered. “Demons have always wanted to return to earth. They enjoy toying with humans.”
I knew that firsthand. Eternity in the fires of hell probably got boring fast.
“Any word on gargoyles?” I asked Celia.
She shook her head. “The half-demon I talked to didn’t know anything about gargoyles. He figured that Collin did something with Jackson’s gargoyles but didn't know where they were or what he was doing with them. I mean, what are the chances the missing gargoyles aren’t related to this?”
She had a point and I agreed. It would just be nice to know for sure what to expect.
“Jackson had over a hundred gargoyles,” Al added.
“Shit,” I whispered.
Rory dropped my fork on my now empty plate, catching everyone's attention. “Oh man. What if Collin set them all free already?”
Double shit. “Has anyone heard about possessions in Jackson?” I asked. “We would hear about a spike in crazy people.”
Everyone shook their heads. The media would notice a hundred new people going suddenly crazy. They would think it was some new party drug or something. We would have to assume that Collin hadn't freed the demons in the gargoyles for now. We could hope it at least.
There was a knock at the door and my blood pressure shot into the danger zone. Nobody moved until Rory hopped up. I tried to grab him, but he was still shirtless and slipped away before I got a hold of his pants.
