Demon Bound

by Chris Cannon

  “Lesser demons weren’t hunting us in the first place,” Jake said.

  “Please, Jake. The same demon who took your father has been waiting for you to take the bait.”

  Jake’s mouth dropped open for a moment before he blurted out, “A demon ate my father’s soul?”

  “He was desperately in love with your mother, and she never even noticed him. So he made a deal.”

  Jake paled. “That’s why he died when I was nine?”

  “He had ten happy years and then his time was up. That’s more than most people get,” Bane said.

  “What happens…” Jake swallowed hard. “In the books, it says you eat people’s souls. What happens to them? Do they suffer?”

  “While we’re eating their souls they suffer, but it only lasts a few minutes and then they’re gone.”

  “So there’s no eternal hellfire?” Because that seemed to be the common belief.

  “Despite all the stories you’ve heard, we have nothing to do with heaven or hell,” Bane said. “We simply exist and feed the way we always have.”

  “Sort of like soul-sucking vampires?” Jake said.

  “Not a flattering description,” Bane said, “but if it helps you understand, you can think of us like that. Your aunt will be home soon.” He held his hand out and a delicate silver cuff bracelet appeared in his palm. “Meena, this is for you. When it becomes cold you’ll know I have work for you to do and you should go to Carol’s house.”

  I didn’t reach for the strange gift. “Can’t you text me?”

  “Would you prefer a collar like I gave Carol?” His voice had gone from charming to threatening.

  I plucked the bracelet from his palm and slid it on my right wrist. A shot of cold ran up my arm, making me shiver. Blue light flashed, and the opening that had allowed me to slide the bracelet on my wrist disappeared, turning the bracelet into a solid metal band. “What the hell?”

  “I wouldn’t want you to lose it,” Bane said.

  Claustrophobia hit me. I fought the urge to try and tug the bracelet off.

  Chapter Four

  Jake

  It took all of my self-restraint not to punch Bane in the face. I wanted him away from Meena, and I wanted Aunt Zelda back.

  “This has been entertaining,” Bane said, “but I have work to do.” Blue light flashed, and then he was gone.

  “Meena?” I wanted to ask if she was okay, but that seemed like a stupid question.

  She turned to me and I pulled her into a hug. Cold radiated off her body. “I don’t want to work for a demon.”

  “It’s going to be okay.” Not that I had any idea how to fix this. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out.”

  The house alarm went off, followed by the sound of someone punching in the alarm code. “Aunt Zelda?”

  “Jake?” she called out.

  I released Meena and headed toward the front door. I met my aunt in the hallway. Her eyes were red like she’d been crying. A shroud of defeat hung around her as if everything she’d ever believed to be true was wrong.

  “You okay?” I asked, knowing the answer already.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I need a drink and then we’ll talk.”

  I followed her back into the room where Meena sat on the couch. My aunt went behind the bar and opened a bottle of white wine. She didn’t bother with a glass, just removed the cork, put the bottle to her lips, and tipped it up until she’d drained half of it. Impressive yet disturbing. Then again, she’d had a really shitty day.

  “Sorry.” She opened the mini-fridge and pulled out two cans of root beer. “Here.”

  I grabbed the sodas and gave one to Meena while my aunt hugged the bottle of wine to her chest. “That helped.” She sat on one of the bar stools. “Now. What did Bane tell you?”

  I recapped his conversation with Meena.

  My aunt sighed. “I’m so sorry you two were dragged into this. I knew Bane was powerful, but I’ve never seen him like he was tonight. And poor Carol.” She took another long pull from her wine bottle. “She’s fought monsters all her life. We both have. Maybe we’re too old to do this anymore.”

  I had no idea how old she was and it didn’t seem like a good time to ask. “What do we do now?”

  “Jake, you should go.”

  The words smacked into my chest. I thought she liked me…liked having me around. Where did she think I would go? Didn’t matter. I’d find a place. “Fine.” I stood and stalked down the hall to the staircase that led up to the bedrooms.

  “Jake, wait.” Meena ran after me and grabbed my hand. “She didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Really? Because it sounded like she was kicking me out.” And I couldn’t believe it bothered me this much.

  My aunt moved slowly down the hallway to join us, looking older than she had a minute ago. “I meant that it’s not safe. You’re the only one not shackled to Bane. You’re the only one who can leave.”

  “This might be selfish.” Meena squeezed my hand. “But I don’t want you to go. And Bane said you were exempt from deals so I don’t think you’re in danger.” She looked at me with big brown eyes, and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere.

  “We’re all in terrible danger,” my aunt said. “But you’re always welcome here, Jake. Don’t doubt that.” She sighed. “I’ve never been so tired in my life. I’m going to lie down. You two should come to the television room upstairs. The second floor is more heavily warded. I don’t know if it will keep Bane out, but I’ll feel better knowing you’re upstairs. And Meena, you can grab some clothes from the spare bedroom if you want to change into something dry.”

  “Thanks. I’d like that.”

  We followed Zelda upstairs. She turned left down the hallway toward her bedroom. Holding Meena’s hand, I turned right and headed toward the spare bedroom my aunt had mentioned. It was across the hall from mine. I opened the door for Meena. “She collects clothes for some organization, so I have no idea what you’ll find. I’m gonna grab a dry shirt.”

  Meena went into the room and pulled the door closed behind her. I went into my room and changed into a black T-shirt and then I waited for her in the hall. When she came back out, I could only stare. She’d traded her wet blue dress for a red tank top and jean shorts that clung to her curves in all the right places.

  She gave me a tentative smile. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” I reached for her hand and tugged her toward the bedroom that my aunt had changed into a living room. We sat on the godawful floral couch that had been crammed into the ten-by-ten room. I grabbed the remote but didn’t turn the television on.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking,” Meena said.

  “I’m thinking wearing a hair net and flipping burgers sounds a lot better to you now than it did this morning.”

  She laughed. “You’re not wrong. I swear it’s like I keep expecting to wake up and find out I fell asleep reading a book and none of this is real. Finding you was the best part of today. The rest of it was a mess.”

  A warm feeling started in my chest. I ignored it. Becoming attached to anyone was never a good idea. My mom has run through three husbands and multiple boyfriends since my dad died. But just because this wouldn’t last didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy Meena’s company.

  I clicked on the television. The Exorcist flared to life in full color. “Before today I would’ve watched this.” I flipped the channel until I landed on one of those movies where guys stole cars and drove stupid fast. “Does this work for you?”

  “As long as there are no demons involved, I’m good.”

  I turned the volume down. “Before tonight, you had no idea about the demons?”

  “No, but it might explain the drinking. If you knew your time was almost up, drinking until you forgot who you were might seem like a good idea.”

  “I can’t beli
eve my dad…” I swallowed over the lump in my throat. “He was kind of quiet and he liked to build things in the garage… He wasn’t real social, but he worshipped my mom. He was a great dad.”

  “It sounds like he had a good life,” Meena said.

  “I thought he did.” And I still missed him every day. I related to him a lot more than my mom. “What if my mom never would’ve loved him?”

  Meena didn’t rush in to reassure me like most people would have. “If he was quiet, your mom may never have noticed him, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have loved him once she did.”

  “Maybe.” It made me feel better, thinking she’d loved my dad. “They seemed happy together. Since he…since he’s been gone, she’s moved from one guy to another, like she can’t find the right fit. Most of the guys have been decent. I liked some more than others. What if the demon who put her and my dad together made it so she couldn’t love anybody else? Maybe that’s why she’s so messed up?”

  “Maybe she was never the type to settle down in the first place,” Meena said. “Have you ever asked why she does certain things?”

  “I gave up. I used to ask her why we couldn’t stay at the same school all year. She’d just say it was time to move on. Once she said that it felt like her skin started to get too tight…like it would rip open and her guts would spill out if she stayed in one place too long.”

  “Wow.” Meena blinked. “That’s a disturbing description.”

  “Yeah, I stopped asking questions after that.”

  “Bane talked about Carol doing his paperwork, which is bizarre when you think about it. Since there is a paper trail, maybe you could find a file on your dad’s deal.”

  “I’m not sure knowing the details would make me feel any better.” But I knew something that might. Leaning in, I pressed my mouth against Meena’s. She tilted her head to the right and moved her lips against mine. I slid my hand through her hair. It felt like silk.

  …

  Meena

  Making out with a guy I’d just met may not have been a normal maneuver for me but after finding out I’d been contracted to work for a demon, I figured it was time to live a little. Jake’s arms around me felt right. His hands in my hair didn’t cause quite the same reaction that Bane’s had, but Bane had cheated by using magic, so it wasn’t fair to compare. Why am I thinking about a demon when a cute guy is kissing me?

  That was wrong. I focused on the sensation of Jake’s mouth moving against mine and his fingers trailing up my arm. Why were his fingers so cold? Wait. Those weren’t his fingers. I pulled back from Jake and stared at my bracelet.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  I held up my right arm. The bracelet gave off a soft blue glow and it was freezing. “I think I’m being summoned.”

  “No way that’s a coincidence,” Jake said. “Maybe you can ignore it.”

  A pulse of power shot up my arm and a vision of Carol’s front porch appeared in my mind. Great. He had access to my brain. Just what every girl wanted. “Looks like I’m going to Carol’s.”

  “I could come with you,” Jake offered.

  Common sense told me I should say no, but honestly I didn’t want to face whatever my errand was alone. “I’d like that.”

  “Let me leave a note for Aunt Zelda,” he said, “and then we can go.”

  I followed him out of the living room and waited at the top of the stairs while he took care of the note. The bracelet sent a shock of cold up my arm, making me break out in goose bumps. “I’m on my way,” I said to the inanimate bracelet. Not my brightest move, but I didn’t know what else to do. Why couldn’t Bane send me a stupid text?

  I drove a little faster than normal to Carol’s, because not knowing what my errand might be made me nervous. What type of errands would a demon send me on? Entrail collecting…siphoning of blood… Who knew? I parked in front of Carol’s house like I’d done earlier that afternoon, before my life had spun out of control. If only I could have rewound the day and stayed home, cuddling my cats on the couch and reading a book, instead.

  “This is surreal,” I told Jake as we climbed out of the car and trudged up the front steps to the house. She opened the door before we knocked. Her silver curls were deflated and the excitement for life had vanished from her eyes. She looked years older than she had when she’d interviewed me.

  “Meena, I’m so sorry about all of this,” she said.

  “I know.” What else could I say? Thanks for getting me shackled to a demon? I entered the house and Jake followed. “What fun errand am I running?”

  “I’m glad you brought Jake with you because you’re supposed to run this envelope over to Mr. Franklin at Franky’s Place.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, right. That’s a bar. They card at the door. How am I supposed to deliver this?”

  “The bouncer should let you in when he sees what you have.” She held out the pale blue envelope that said Bane Industries across the top in a raised script.

  “Did everyone in this town know about the demons except me?” I asked.

  “I think about half the grown-ups know. Some of the kids figure it out in high school. Zelda and I spent our lives trying to prevent people from making deals.” She pressed her lips together like she was trying to keep words from spilling out. “No reason for me to burden you with more than I already have. And I’m sure it’s cold consolation, but you can still have access to my library.”

  “Are there any books in there that will tell me how to break this deal?”

  “No, but I can teach you some useful spells to help keep you safe.”

  A little late for that. “I think that ship has sailed.”

  “Bane isn’t the only supernatural creature in Crossroads you need to worry about,” Carol said. “Now that you’re working for him, you’ll probably be able to see through people’s glamours.”

  “What does that mean?” Jake asked.

  “The bikers that hang out at Josephine’s? They’re vampires. If you stare at them now you’ll be able to see their fangs.”

  “Fangs?” I looked at Jake. “I might be rethinking my stance on alcohol.”

  He laughed.

  “Will they know that I can see them?” I asked. “Do I need to be afraid?”

  She pulled a black silk corded necklace with a silver amulet from her pocket. “This charm keeps people and other creatures from noticing you. Kind of lets you fly under the radar as long as you don’t go out of the way to call attention to yourself.”

  “How?” I wasn’t sure I believed her.

  “I dabble in magic. With the right components I can craft some effective spells.” She glanced at Jake. “Just like your aunt.”

  He rammed his hand back through his hair. “So my aunt’s a witch. Any other magical crap we should know about?”

  “Witches, demons, and vampires aren’t enough for you?” Carol asked with a little bit of her old sass.

  “Enough for me.” I slid the necklace over my head. The amulet was a simple silver disc with a design etched on one side that resembled a bird. The design reminded me of something, but I couldn’t remember what. The silk cord was long enough that I tucked it in my tank top. The metal disc felt warm against my skin.

  A blast of cold shot up my arm, making me jump. “How does he know I haven’t run his stupid errand yet?”

  Carol pointed at my wrist. “I’m sure there’s a tracking spell built in. Don’t ever lie and tell him you’re someplace you’re not. He’ll know.”

  “Great.” So much for privacy. “Thanks for the necklace.” Thanking her after she’d sort of ruined my life seemed dumb, but not thanking her would be rude. Whatever.

  We headed back outside to my car.

  The sun beat down on us. I squinted against the shine that came off the concrete.

  “This heat is brutal,” Jake muttered a
s we climbed in my Volkswagen.

  “Wait till August.” Once I had my seat belt on, I passed him the envelope and started the engine, making sure the air was on high.

  “Don’t you want to know what’s in here?” Jake held up the envelope and shook it.

  “No. I’ve met my quota for strange today. I’d rather not know about anyone’s demon deals. I have enough trouble interacting with the people in this town.”

  “And the vampires,” Jake muttered.

  “Right. Of course, the leather-wearing bikers who hang out at Josephine’s Bar and Tattoo Shop are vampires. Why wouldn’t they be?”

  “Do they only come out at night?” Jake asked.

  “There are a lot of things that only come out at night around here. Which is why I have a strict ten p.m. curfew.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I gestured toward Main Street with its cute stores. “During the day, Crossroads is all flag waving, stars and stripes, apple pies, and parades. At night, people party hard. There are a dozen deaths due to alcohol poisoning every year. And there are some warehouses downtown that have been converted into casinos and clubs.”

  “Clubs?” Jake asked. “Like dancing?”

  “Strip clubs, to be more precise.”

  Jake cleared his throat. “Oh…maybe I should check those out. Purely for research purposes.”

  “Right. Just be careful. You could end up dancing for tips.”

  “There’s a male strip club?”

  The horror in Jake’s voice made me laugh. “Equal opportunity employment.”

  “If I ever get desperate,” Jake joked.

  I stopped at an intersection and glanced at the SUV across from me. “It’s funny how everyone is going about their daily lives like this place isn’t infested with otherworldly creatures.”

  “Shouldn’t the name of the town have been a clue?” Jake asked.

  “Maybe.” I pulled forward and headed down a side street. “Now I’m wondering if the demons named the town…if they’ve been here since the start or if it’s a coincidence.”