Dime a Demon

by Devon Monk

  She tipped her chin toward the crowd. Families laughed and talked, hands wrapped around coffee, children bundled against the cool morning winds as they milled about waiting for the parade to start.

  Everything was normal. Ordinary.

  Except Bathin was gone.

  He had used the scissors—his own hand, a demon hand—to free Delaney’s soul.

  —Love you—

  I felt my eyes fill with tears, was too tired to fight them.

  “Mymy?” Jean said. “Are you okay?”

  I dashed at my damp face and used the leverage of her shoulder to try my feet again.

  “We usually tell our concussion patients to stay sitting while we examine them,” Mykal said as he and Steven finally reached us.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Yeah, considering you were ground zero in the blast zone of a vortex to Hell exploding, you’re just going to have to let us make that decision.” Mykal gave me a stern look and Steven caught my elbow and helped me sit.

  “You saw that?”

  “Nope,” Steven said. “But he saw something.”

  Mykal gave me a funny look. “I’m a vampire, so yes. I saw the supernatural portal to Hell disappear.”

  “Vortex,” I said. “Underworld, not Hell.”

  “Whatever you say, Officer. Now, let’s get a look at those eyes.”

  I knew I wasn’t getting out of this, so I sat back down and let them do their thing.

  I watched in a daze as the Salmon Queen—who looked a lot like Kelby in a costume—came down the river in her flowing dress and hip waders throwing gummi salmon and clam chowder coupons to her adoring pirate crowd.

  I realized music was playing, but it skipped forward raggedly, like a scratched record, a flickering movie, as if I were blacking out for small stretches of time, only to tune back in again.

  Pirates followed the Salmon Queen giant, singing, skipping, swaying up to the main road. There, if everything went as planned, she would mount the huge salmon-shaped float and take up the reins. The fish would wave its tail as it rolled at the head of the procession, its mouth flapping to sing songs where the lyrics had been changed to rhyme with salmon.

  I should be happy, even if I wasn’t quite sure I was steady enough to walk.

  Ordinary was safe. The vortex was closed. No one who wasn’t a supernatural or a Reed had any memory of seeing it.

  But all I could see was Bathin’s face, his eyes.

  —Love you—

  Yeah, well, if he’d really loved me, he wouldn’t have possessed my sister’s soul for a year. He wouldn’t have worn it down so thin that it had allowed demons to open vortexes to Ordinary.

  He would have…

  … Not taken the scissors away from me. Used them on himself to save me…

  …been honest with me.

  I shivered, though I couldn’t feel the wind. Steven wrapped a blanket over my shoulders, and after a few more questions, I was told I could go home.

  “I’ll drive you,” Jean said, helping me to my feet, blanket and all.

  I let her lead me. By the time we got to her truck, I decided I was probably in shock.

  “Stupid,” I said as she started the engine.

  “What is?”

  “All of it.” I pushed the blanket off my lap and readjusted the seatbelt. “We should check on Delaney.”

  “We should get you home.”

  “We need to see if she’s awake. If her soul is back. Oh, gods! What if her soul went in the vortex?”

  “Her soul didn’t go in the vortex.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Than. And the hospital already called.”

  “And?”

  “She’s awake. Ryder’s there with her.”

  “Tell me we’re driving to the hospital.”

  She flashed me a grin, and something inside me untied a little, like I could breathe. “Of course we are. I want first row seats when Delaney chews you out for taking on a Hell vortex single handed.”

  “You were there.”

  “No. I was getting us out of there. You ran back in.”

  “Bathin was…” My throat closed up a little, my heart threatening tears again.

  “Yeah,” Jean said gently. “He was. Do you know what happened to him?”

  I shook my head. “He had the scissors.”

  “We looked for them. They weren’t on the beach.”

  “Are you sure?” Sand had a way of swallowing up all sorts of things that never surfaced again.

  “Yeah, those scissors are gone.”

  “Okay.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

  Not excited, since they were a very rare and specific weapon. I was sorry to lose them from a purely historical perspective.

  But on the other hand, I was glad I didn’t have them anymore, that I didn’t have to make the decision of whether or not I should use them anymore.

  “What about the parade?” I asked.

  “Hatter and Shoe have it covered. Bertie pulled together some citizens who are trained for security and peace-keeping. So, they’re available.”

  “Who did she get on such short notice?”

  Jean gave me a funny look. “She started it weeks ago.”

  “Okay.” So maybe I’d been a little distracted with my own problems. Maybe I’d been a little single-minded. “Who did she train?”

  “The knitters and crocheters.”

  I snorted a laugh and rubbed my eyes. The members of the K.I.N.Ks and C.O.C.K.s had been rivals for years. We got called out to break up their insult matches and arguments weekly. If anyone could make them work together, it would be Bertie.

  “And it just so happened that you got out of helping Bertie. Again,” I said.

  “I don’t know what you’re getting at.” She batted her eyes at me, wide and innocent.

  Liar.

  “I could have driven myself to see Delaney.”

  She chewed on the corner of her lip. “I know. But you just single-handedly took down a vortex and you were going to use those scissors on Bathin, and might have actually used them—”

  “—I didn’t use them. He didn’t let me.”

  “Still. That was intense, Myra. I want to check on Delaney. I want to keep an eye on you. And let’s be honest. Bertie could handle the parade by herself with both wings tied behind her back. She just likes bossing us around. I’ll volunteer for the next thing to make it up to her.”

  “I’ll remind you of that.”

  “I know.”

  Chapter 25

  Delaney was laughing. I paused, just outside her hospital room, stunned. I hadn’t heard her laugh, really laugh like that for…well, since her soul had been taken by a demon.

  Ryder’s voice carried through the wood of the door, but I couldn’t make out the words. I could make out the tone, though. He sounded happy.

  “You don’t have to knock.” Jean straight-armed the door, shoving it open, and sauntered past me into the room. “Hey!” she said. “You look better.”

  I followed her in, bracing for…I didn’t know what. A part of me worried I’d pushed too hard, because that was something I did a lot.

  A part of me worried I’d botched the entire soul thing. That letting Bathin take the scissors and use them on himself had done even more damage to her.

  “Myra, are you okay?” Delaney sat on the bed in comfy leggings and one of Ryder’s old sweatshirts. Her hair was pulled back in an easy pony tail, and her skin was flushed like she’d just gotten out of a shower.

  Ryder sat in the bed with her, leaning back against the headboard, arm thrown across the bed like she’d just been lying there, her head on his arm before we came in.

  “Me?” I said with a smile. “I wasn’t the one in a coma.”

  She frowned and shook her head. “Still really weird to hear that. I hate that I’ve lost so much time. Just. Ugh.” She rubbed at her arm that had a small cotton square taped down, but no IV lines.

  Ryder’s hand
stroked her back, soothing circles. His gaze locked on me. “What happened?” His voice was easy and low, but it carried a little bit of the power from the god who had claimed him as a follower. I was immune to said power, but I found it interesting that he was projecting it.

  He’d been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. I didn’t blame him for still being a little on edge.

  “Bathin’s gone,” I said. “So is Xtelle. The vortex is closed. Yes, there was another vortex. Down on the beach at the river, practically in the middle of the parade.”

  “Today’s the parade, isn’t it?” Delaney said.

  “Yes. You’re not getting out of bed,” I said. “You don’t need to. Bertie has it covered.”

  “C.O.C.K.s and K.I.N.K.s for the win!” Jean declared. She waved me toward the single chair and even though I was trying to prove to them that I was fine, I decided sitting down sounded okay too.

  Delaney rolled her eyes at Jean. “I figured you’d find a way to get out of helping Bertie.”

  “Me?” Jean gave her a cheeky grin. “I’ll make it up on the next crazy thing Bertie has planned. That’s in what, a week?”

  “Two,” Delaney said. “Yoga and Yodel-in.”

  Jean winced. “Yay.”

  “All of it,” Delaney leveled her boss glare my way. “Tell me everything.”

  I sighed, rubbed at my forehead for a second and wished I’d thought about making Jean stop for tea.

  Yeah, I was wishing I’d done a lot of things differently.

  “My?” Delaney asked. The concern just dripped off that word.

  “It’s good. It’s fine. Okay. We’re going to start with Xtelle trapped in your kitchen and how Than and I didn’t shove her into the teapot like I’d planned.”

  “Sure,” Delaney said, settling back into Ryder as he made himself a comfortable leaning structure. “Let’s start with the demon in the teapot.”

  “Not in the teapot,” I said.

  “Right. Go.”

  So I told her. Everything that had happened. Everything I remembered. I left out the last words Bathin said. I should have just told her. I was used to relating every last detail of an event. Police work relied on accurate recall of details.

  But that was too personal. It wasn’t something I could share with anyone yet. Might not be something I’d ever share.

  “Okay.” Delaney tucked invisible hair behind her ears, a familiar, self-soothing habit. “So the parade is fine?” She glanced at Jean.

  Jean lifted her phone. “Hatter and Shoe say everything’s smooth as salmon pâté. They both send their congrats on you being awake, but note that you did it at the moment when it would pull both me and Myra away, and leave them at Bertie’s mercy.”

  “I can feel the love,” Delaney said. Ryder snorted. “Parade’s good, vortexes are good. Both demons are gone. Right? Both?”

  “I think so?” I said. “You have a better feel for that than me. I mean, there’s probably something back in the library that would tell me how I can sweep the town to make sure they’re both gone. Or you could just send your dragon pig to find out.”

  Delaney was watching me very closely. Too closely. Had I said something wrong?

  “I don’t think we should just assume they’re gone,” I added. “Demons don’t play by the rules. They say things and do things to make you think, to make you feel, to make you do what they want.”

  “Myra,” she said softly.

  “Enough of that,” I interrupted with false cheer. “What I want to know is if you have your soul back.”

  Ryder chuckled. “Oh, she has it back.”

  Delaney slapped him gently on the leg. “Yes. I do have it back. Than was here. He helped make sure it settled back correctly.”

  “He can do that without using his power?” Jean asked.

  Delaney nodded. “Yeah. He was just observing.”

  “He made her open her mouth and say ‘Ah’ and used a tongue depressor to stare down her throat,” Ryder said. “Then he used that little light cone thing to look in her ears.”

  “So he could see her soul?” I asked.

  “No,” Delaney scowled. “He said he’s just always wanted to do that.”

  Jean barked out a laugh, and I couldn’t help but chuckle too. That was a ridiculous enough image, I could push the snarl of emotions I had no hope of untangling away. “He said you’re all right?”

  “He didn’t have to,” Delaney said. “I can feel it. Not like it’s a physical thing, just…colors are more colorful, and smiling feels more normal, and…it’s hard to explain. But I feel right. I feel good. I feel my soul. And now that I know what it’s like to give it away…” Her voice faded, and she sort of stared into the middle distance.

  Ryder rubbed his hand on her arm, comfort, connection, an anchor to this now.

  “Well,” she said, shaking off whatever had taken her attention. “I don’t want anyone to ever make a deal like that again.”

  “No one but you is dumb enough to do that,” Jean said.

  Delaney just shook her head.

  “What about Bathin?” Ryder asked.

  My skin tightened at the sound of his name. “What about him?”

  “Think we should send the dragon pig after him? Find out if he’s in Ordinary? Xtelle too?”

  “Yes,” Delaney said. “As soon as they release me, we can get the dragon pig from Crow.”

  “Are you sure you should go home so soon?” I asked.

  “I wasn’t out that long, and really, we know it wasn’t a medical thing that caused the coma.”

  “Finally!” Jean said. “We can call this one a win. I thought we’d never find a way to get your soul back. Nice job, My,” she added. “Let me see if I can speed up your check out.” She stepped out of the room.

  “I’m fine,” I told Delaney before she could say anything. “I really am.” I didn’t try smiling because she wouldn’t believe it. “I’m still processing everything, though. This was a long fight, and having it over so quickly has me a little off balance.”

  “Why don’t you stay with us tonight?” she offered. “I’m going to stay in and make sure Ryder sleeps.” He grunted. “You and I could watch some Netflix.”

  “I’m good,” I said again. “I should get out there on the street, keep an eye on things.” I pushed up onto my feet.

  “No, Myra, don’t.” Delaney got out of bed and walked over to me. Her eyes, stormier blue than mine, searched for something in my expression. I just raised one eyebrow.

  “You giving me the day off, boss?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I am. And I don’t think you should be alone.”

  I reached out and gave her a hug. “I’m good,” I said again. “I really am. I just need some alone time.”

  She hugged me back, and I could tell from the tension in her body that she was trying to intuit the truth of my words.

  “Just. Give me a day or so, okay?”

  She drew back, her hands still on my arms, and searched my face again. “Okay,” she agreed.

  “Look who I found!” Jean walked into the room, the dragon pig curled up happily in her arms, enjoying the scratching behind the ears it was getting.

  “What was it eating?” Ryder asked.

  “Nothing. Because who’s a cute little piggy dragon? You’s a cute little piggy dragon,” Jean cooed.

  The dragon pig soaked up the praise like a little pink sponge.

  “Okay, buddy,” Delaney said, scooping the beast out of Jean’s arms. “We need you to find any demon who is inside Ordinary’s boundaries. Specifically, Bathin and Xtelle. If they’re inside Ordinary, I want you to bring them here. Got it?”

  The piggy wagged his curly little tail and squeaked, a puff of smoke drifting from his nostrils.

  He disappeared with a pop and a whoosh of wind, as if massive wings had suddenly beat upward.

  “Well, that was—” Jean said.

  And just like that, the dragon pig was back, sitting in front of Delan
ey and staring up at her adoringly.

  “No demons inside Ordinary?” she asked.

  The dragon pig oinked.

  “Nice job.” She looked around the room, spotted the kidney-shaped barf bucket that all hospitals seemed to include with every stay, and offered it to the dragon pig as a treat.

  The dragon pig opened its sweet little mouth and…yeah, I don’t know exactly how, but it swallowed the bucket down in one go.

  It sneezed, which would have been adorable, but two little spouts of flame shot out its nose.

  “You okay there?” Delaney bent and the dragon pig jumped up into her arms, wriggling around until its ears were in position for her to scratch. It grumbled, a deep, contented growl that almost sounded like a possessive purr.

  “No demons,” I said.

  “Yeah, if they were here, this little beast would have found them.”

  My shoulders relaxed but the tangle of emotions I was ignoring rolled around inside me like tumbleweed made of barbed wire. “You’re headed home with Ryder. And Jean?”

  “Present,” she said as she tapped something on her phone screen.

  “You’re back on parade duty.”

  She glanced up, and slowly nodded. “Yeah. That makes sense. All of you are going home, right? If I drive by just to make sure, you’re all going to be there?”

  “Yep.” Ryder dropped his feet to the floor and stood, stretching and yawning. “I can be on call, if you need me.”

  “So can I,” I added, “but not Delaney.”

  Delaney rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’ll take a full twenty-four hours off. But I’ll be at work tomorrow.”

  We’d need her. The parade was just the start of a full weekend of clam-karaoke and salmon feasts.

  “All right,” Jean motioned toward the door. “I’ll drop you off at your house.”

  “Just take me to the cruiser,” I said. “It’s down near the river.”

  ~~~

  I did not drive home. Instead, I stopped off at the store and bought a box of tissues, extra soft with Aloe, vitamin E and lotion. Then I made my way slowly through the tourist-crowded roads to the library.

  The afternoon had been forecasted to be sunny, and for once, the weather guessers got it right. Blue sky arced from the edge of the ocean’s horizon to the ragged tops of the trees and hills to the east. The air smelled of salt and that honey-sweet pine scent lifting from the warmed forest floor.