by Dara Kent
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
I let Jensen lead me outside, narrowing my eyes when I saw my and Lily’s Nissan Leaf parked at the curb. “She lent you our car, too? Because of course she did.” The green hybrid was hard to miss with the ridiculous flower airbrushed along the side. That’s what I got for leaving my sister alone with our car for a few hours after we first bought it. Well, that and a flower power sticker on the dash.
“Couldn’t exactly let you on my bike when you’re like this, you’d fall right off the back. And forget about using a portal, you’d probably puke on me again.”
A grin tugged at my lips at the memory. “We should portal, it’s the least you deserve.”
Jensen opened the passenger side door for me, and I slumped inside, nausea roiling my gut. “Food,” I muttered. “I need food.” Curling into a ball, I let my eyes slide shut.
Colors danced behind my eyelids, flashes of images, most of them including Jensen. I wanted to hate him. It would make my life so much easier. Unfortunately, he had the annoying habit of popping up when I needed him the most.
“Why can’t I hate you?”
Warm, calloused fingers stroked the side of my jaw. “For the same reason I’ll never give up on you.”
Shit. Had I said that out loud? Darkness took hold, swirling and undulating with bursts of white before completely pulling me under.
5
Bass pounded through my skull, vibrating my teeth. I barely resisted the urge to drop-kick the speakers set up along the side of the stage. I was positive my eardrums would be permanently damaged if I didn’t move soon, but I didn’t have a choice. I was on the hunt.
Swaying along with the music, I eyed the stage, making sure not to lose sight of the bass player who was pretending to be human for the crowd, his fingers deftly tapping along the thick strings. I brought Lily and a few of her friends to hear one of their favorite bands at Summerfest for her sixteenth birthday. I should have known I wouldn’t be able to make it through the night without spotting a demon. And it wasn’t like I could simply ignore the thing, especially since I was almost positive its attention had been drawn by none other than my sister.
Glancing in her direction, I took note of her obliviousness. Her head was thrown back in genuine laughter as she flirted with some boy her age, flipping her long curls over one shoulder.
Let her have tonight. I can take down one silly demon by myself. I’ve done it before. She deserves to have a good birthday. It’s the least I can give her.
The real problem was figuring out how I was going to get the bass player alone so I could take him down without being discovered. If he wanted Lily, but I didn’t want to involve her in the hunt, was there a plausible way to still use her as bait?
I considered my demon problem as I made my way through the crowd toward my sister. A few well-placed elbows made my journey an easy one despite the tightly packed space.
Bending down, I shouted in Lily’s ear, “I’m gonna go grab a drink and maybe a snack. You want anything?”
She shook her head and gave me a quick hug. “I’ll meet you by the lemonade stand at ten.”
I gave her a thumbs-up, officially being dismissed. It was at that moment I locked gazes with the demon. A haphazard plan formulated, and I winked at him. A small smile curled the corners of his mouth and he jerked his head to the left. I bit my lower lip and nodded once in understanding. Yep, the dumbass demon thinks he’ll use me to get to Lily. Couldn’t have worked out better if I tried.
Waiting off to the left side of the stage in the grass, I noticed I wasn’t the only one there. Quite a few guys and girls were gathered, the air thick with excitement. I wondered how many had been invited and how many were merely hopeful.
The minutes dragged by, the set finally ending with a few distorted words of thanks from the lead singer and cheers from the crowd.
Finally, the bass player jogged down the stairs, beelining it straight for me. I bit the inside of my cheeks to contain my smug smile. I loved it when they made it easy for me. Sure, it lessened the thrill of the hunt, but I wasn’t in the mood for anything messy when I was on birthday chaperone duty.
Stopping directly in front of me, the bass player regarded me with open appraisal. He tucked his shoulder-length, blond hair behind his ears, a few strands catching on his earrings. “Hey.”
When Lily and I first began hunting demons, we had a steep learning curve when it came to figuring out who was a Hell escapee and who was just a shitty human. The knowledge of demons had been given to us, but we didn’t have any kind of innate sensing powers or radar when it came to recognizing them. In that respect, we went at it as blind as regular humans. Now, after a few short years, the tells presented themselves a lot easier, although we weren’t infallible.
Showtime. I plastered a coquettish grin on my face while twirling a piece of my long, mocha-colored hair around my finger. “Hey yourself.”
A flicker of flame sparked behind his pupils, gone before most would notice, and if they did, they would think it was imagined. It was what I spotted before, or at least I had been nine-nine-point-nine-percent sure until I got a closer gander. The flame confirmed the demon’s status as a lust demon, his goal to burn up a target with an overload of the stuff. Being in a band was the perfect cover. And deciding to be the bass player, absolute genius. They were the most inconspicuous members of any band almost one hundred percent of the time.
Several other people had encroached upon our one-on-one session, gushing and throwing compliments at the bass player, who I learned was going by Aston. His attention waned and faltered, the other potential playthings shinier than me.
Shuffling closer to Aston, I ran my hand down the front of his chest, eliciting a full-body shudder. Ah, those lust demons can’t resist being touched. “I was thinking that we could go somewhere private,” I bit my lower lip again, “to talk.”
“That girl I saw you with—the blonde with curly hair—think she might want to join us for a little after-party?”
Revulsion twisted its way through my gut, but through sheer force of will, I remained pleasant on the outside. “Maybe. If I let her know there was something … interesting, she’d join us.”
Aston slid his hand into my hair, cupping the back of my neck to pull me closer. “I’m more than up for the challenge.”
Goosebumps erupted along my flesh, the demon’s allure settling around me. Fortunately, I could resist because of my status as being twice marked.
I moaned in the back of my throat, hoping I sounded convincing. “Yeah? How about you show me then?”
Aston’s grip tightened. “Let’s get somewhere private and I will.”
Welcome to my web, the spider said to the fly. “Yes, please.”
Gripping my wrist tightly, he dragged me through the crowd, not even attempting to hide his eagerness. “Our tour bus is this way.”
I snorted internally. Tour bus? Do girls just let themselves be dragged off to a tour bus because a hot guy in a band wants them to? Of course I know the answer to that. Ugh. Not that I have an issue with being a sexually empowered female, it just feels tacky is all. At least make him buy you something to eat first, or—
“Come on, baby, I don’t got all day.” Aston yanked me up the stairs of the tour bus roughly.
Yeah, and neither do I. “I hope you don’t plan on rushing everything or I won’t have anything good to report to my friend and she won’t join us.”
Pulling the lever to shut the door, Aston turned on me with a scowl. “Don’t worry, you’ll feel amazing when I’m done with you.”
My gaze darted warily around the interior of the bus. “We alone?”
He prowled closer as I took a few steps back. “Absolutely.”
“Great.” Rushing him, I clapped my hands over his ears, a startled gasp mingled with pain escaping his chest. “That’s for even looking at my sister.” Then I jabbed my thumb into his throat, his breath whooshing out on a wheeze. “And that’s for think
ing I’d actually fall for your shit.” I reached into my small crossbody purse and produced one of the blades I never left home without. It was smaller than my custom sets made for easier decapitation, but those were difficult to carry when not dressed properly for a hunt.
Coughing and clutching his throat, Aston reared to the side, falling against a counter, knocking several empty beer bottles to the floor. “Who are you?” he choked out.
I raised my left arm, allowing the bangles to slide up to my elbow, exposing my marks. “I’m doubly damned, and today is your unlucky day.”
A feather-light touch brushed along my spine, and I spun. A tall and bulky man was smirking down at me. “This isn’t what I was looking for.”
“What?”
“Show me what I want to see.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Glancing over my shoulder, I took note of Aston, who was frozen in place. “A second demon,” I hissed.
“Show me now, hunter.”
Pain sliced behind my eyes, and I gritted my teeth. “It won’t work. Whatever you’re doing.”
“You won’t be able to hide it from me forever.”
Wait. This isn’t right. This is a dream or a memory, this already happened, and the second demon was not here. My vision blurred and I cried out.
“I might let you live if you show me where it is. Otherwise, I will rip your mind apart.”
A shadow slithered behind the demon, accompanied by a hiss. Flames exploded.
My fist shot out, connecting with air, my eyes popping open an instant later. Disorientation muddied my thoughts as my world spun and tilted briefly before righting itself.
I found myself once again sprawled on Jensen’s couch, much to my annoyance. “What happened?” I groaned, stumbling toward the kitchen.
Sitting at the counter, deep in conversation, were my traitorous sister and my ex-boyfriend. They turned in unison to regard me warily.
Lily cleared her throat. “You passed out on the way home, and Jensen brought you here to sleep it off.”
I shuffled into the kitchen in search of water to cure my cotton mouth, my pulse pounding in my ears. “This is not my home the last time I checked.”
Jensen grunted something under his breath as his gaze tracked me.
Not bothering with a glass, I stuck my head under the faucet and sucked down as much water as I could. Most of it ended up on the side of my face and chin. Wiping at my mouth with the back of my hand, I stood tall, glaring at Jensen. “Don’t think I forgot about the tracking spell. I want it off.”
He shook his head, fighting a smile. “You’re like a damn dog with a bone sometimes, you know that?”
“We have to talk about Tomas,” Lily interjected. “It’s the whole reason I sent Jensen after you while you were in the middle of a bender.” She narrowed her eyes while simultaneously raising her eyebrows, a silent promise of a chat to come about my drinking when we were alone.
I rubbed my temples, and strode back to the couch, flopping down. “A bit hungover. Any conversation with me needs to be over here.” Fortunately, my body would recover faster than a regular human, even if I had to continue to suffer for the moment.
Lily shoved my legs out of the way and sat. I put them right back, eyeing her with challenge. She flipped me off. I stuck my tongue out.
“Okay. None of that shit right now.” Jensen perched at the end of the couch, arms crossed over his chest. “We need to talk about Tomas.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you both keep saying. Get to it already. That way I can go home and sleep in my own bed.” The demon from the alley, the one who had cameoed in my dream flashed across my mind. “Oh, and we also should probably talk about the demon from before because—” I sighed, hating to admit I was wrong. “Okay, fine, it was kicking around in my head searching for something. I remembered it being in there.”
Jensen’s eyebrow quirked. “Not news. But glad you decided it’s worth discussing.”
There was an “I told you so” in the subtext, but I was too drained to put up my usual fight. I wouldn’t even still be on Jensen’s couch if not for the tequila remnants coursing through my bloodstream. It was also why I was going to discuss any of it with Jensen present. I simply couldn’t muster enough give-a-damn to exclude him when I knew he could help. Warlocks were good to have in your corner with … a lot of things.
Lily pinched my calf through my jeans. “Monica called to let us know about Tomas.”
“Why didn’t she call me?” Monica was a Heaven-marked hunter who was intimately involved with Tomas. I considered her a friend as well, even if I didn’t feel the same kinship with her as I did with Tomas.
“She tried.” Lily’s face puckered. “But you weren’t answering your phone.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, because you were on the bender.”
“I’m allowed to have some fun once in a while, Lily. You’re not my mother or even the older sister.”
She pinched my calf again, and I kicked at her. “What you do isn’t fun.”
“You don’t get to decide what’s fun for me either.”
She pinched me several more times, and leaned toward me to yell, “Just make up with Jensen and stop all the self-destructive behavior!”
Her voice reverberated within my skull, and I grimaced. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Enough,” Jensen rumbled.
I pointed an angry finger at him. “You don’t get to tell me what to do either.”
Sighing heavily, he dropped his head, his chin hitting his chest. I sucked my teeth, hating that he didn’t even have to say anything out loud. Yeah, Lily and I were acting like children. Not only to each other, but I was actively attempting to avoid talking about Tomas. It was as if some part of me believed if I didn’t hear the details then none of it was true. The world wouldn’t start working that way because I wanted it to, though.
My cheeks heated. “What did Monica say?”
Lily sniffed. “Tomas was tortured.”
I swallowed around the sudden lump in my throat. When a hunter used the word tortured, it meant something more substantial—something horrid and graphic … something even I probably couldn’t handle, and yet I had to know. “How bad was it?”
Lily turned her head, her features twisting with a mix of revulsion, dread, and sadness. “She wouldn’t say.”
“So she called just to let us know he’s dead?” Hot pins prickled along my scalp, my heart pulsing erratically.
“No,” Jensen said. “She wants you … us to come to his funeral.”
I blew out a breath, unsure of how to react. “Where and when?”
Jensen’s gaze bore into mine. “She wants to have it at a church, so arrangements need to be made. She’ll let us know when it’s locked down. A few days from now, max.”
I blinked several times before flicking my gaze away from his. Only he knew how I felt about churches, or really, how I felt about God. My mixed emotions were something I couldn’t even share with Lily given our circumstances, but I’d spilled many secrets to Jensen postcoital when my guard was down. The truth was, I didn’t know exactly how I felt about The Almighty, or whatever one chose to call him … or her, I didn’t know, which was kind of the point. The whole concept of God was contradictory at best, as far as I was concerned. I wasn’t sure I believed in God’s existence at all.
I was a teenager when I cast my thoughts and prayers heavenward, but Lucifer was the one to answer. He’d proven his existence, and in the aftermath, Lily and I had been given a second chance by Heaven, which was the real issue. A second chance for a wrong that wasn’t truly ours? Lucifer came because of our bloodline which wasn’t our fault. The deals we subsequently made were under coercion no matter what anyone said. We weren’t being tested—it was all a joke. Perhaps the voice in my head before I’d been Heaven marked was God, but I got the impression it is was an angel, which their existence had already been proven by Lucifer. All I knew for sure was that angels
and demons existed. I had no proof of God.
I would have given up the hunting game a long time ago and made the best of my life, if not for Lily. I could risk my soul, but not hers. If there was even the slightest chance to save her from Hell, whatever that meant, I would do it.
Although deep down, in a place I couldn’t bear to touch, I considered the point that if God did exist, and he let two teenage girls be punished for things beyond their control, giving them no real choices … maybe Hell wasn’t as bad as advertised. What if God simply had better PR? What if Lucifer didn’t mind us killing demons because he didn’t want them alive either? Could they be annoying neighbors he wanted to oust in the home he had to make after falling from Heaven? Perhaps God was a narcissistic father gaslighting humanity, and the whole good versus evil thing was merely perspective? But then again, Lucifer had created the Fab Four …
Quite possibly, it was all a test, and I was simply failing it. I certainly didn’t take out demons for the right reasons. I didn’t hunt to help people even though I did like that side effect. I killed demons because I wanted to save our asses, plain and simple. I wasn’t sure if I was being tricked and what would happen when I died, but the best option would always be to play by the rules as I knew them until they changed.
Lily snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Hello? Anyone in there?”
Scowling, I snatched her hand and squeezed. With a yelp, she pulled back. “I’m hungover. My brain is slow to process all of this.” I avoided Jensen’s gaze and the knowing glint I was sure was there.
“Where do you suppose Tomas’ soul is right now?” Lily whispered.
Pursing his lips, Jensen offered, “Tomas killed a lot of demons.”
“Probably Heaven then?” Her head dropped, her hair tumbling forward to conceal her face.
“Sure,” I muttered. After all, with his kill record, if he didn’t make it to Heaven then none of us stood a chance. And maybe none of us did, which was really what Lily was asking and not one of us would or could answer.
