When Nicky was close enough, Megan pulled her into a hug. It was an odd feeling. They hadn't dated long and they'd ended on decent terms, but it was always awkward seeing an ex. Seeing Megan all the time was a hazard of living in a small town and being best friends with her sister. One way or another, they both had to get used to it. At least Megan didn't seem to harbor any ill will at Nicky for ending things.
“You look nice,” Megan said, looking her over. “I like that dress on you.”
“Lauren picked it out,” she admitted.
The black, scoop-neck dress was definitely not something Nicky would have picked out for herself. It was clingy enough to look like a formal dress, but not so clingy that she couldn't run in it. Lauren had originally wanted her to wear something shorter, but Nicky refused, citing the fact that it was December, even if they had only seen snow once all season. This dress was barely long enough to hide the dagger strapped to her thigh, and barely loose enough to move in. Anything tighter or shorter would have been a problem.
“She definitely has an eye for fashion,” Megan said with pride in her voice.
Lauren ran the only bridal shop in town. Nicky had spent more time there than she wanted when Megan and Lauren’s mom had remarried in the fall. It wasn't a particularly impressive store, boasting inventory of only a few hundred dresses, but it was definitely a savior for people who didn't want to or couldn't afford to travel out of town for more selection, or something fancier.
As Nicky scoped out the venue, more out of habit than anything, she spotted Lauren’s shock of blue-streaked blonde hair ducking out the back door shadowed by the large Christmas tree and illuminated by the bright red EXIT sign above it. As much as Nicky wasn't fond of parties, she loved the decorations, especially the trees. Alison had always filled their house with plants on the Winter Solstice, an old Pagan tradition she insisted on carrying out. Nobody ever stopped her. Their family loved their plants.
The tree, no doubt also picked out by Lauren, nearly brushed the conference hall ceiling, decorated with silver garland, blue and silver balls, and lights that blinked to the tune of Deck the Halls. On top was a glittering silver star that would have been blinding if it were closer to the ground. The sight of it brought a smile to Nicky’s lips. With everything her family had going on, between vampire hunting and all the extracurriculars to fake being normal people, Christmas had been the one time of year when they could all be together. Even though they were now scattered to the winds, with her sisters off cheerleading and throwing axes, the memories still brought her comfort.
“You remember Linda Grant, don't you?” Megan asked, tugging in the woman she'd been speaking to before Nicky showed up.
Nicky nodded, even though she had no distinct recollection of who Linda Grant was. “Of course. It’s good to see you again.”
Linda Grant, a middle-aged woman with artificially red hair, returned the smile.
“I was just telling Megan that— Gosh, is it just me or did the temperature just go way down in here? I hope nobody's propped open that back door.”
The back door was still shut. Nicky hadn’t noticed anybody leave.
At first, she didn't see anything worth noting, but she knew eyes could be far from reliable. The hairs on her arms stood on end, and her skin itched. Something was in here with them.
“Nicky? You okay?”
Megan rubbed one of her arms. It took all Nicky’s self-control not to jump back or, worse, pull Megan into a headlock. Nobody else seemed to notice the heavy presence descending on the room, but nobody else was attuned to it the way she was. She looked around again, nearly twisting her ankle in her stupid heels. Why hadn’t she ignored Lauren’s fashion advice and worn flats instead? She must have had one pair that weren't scuffed beyond repair. Megan’s grip on her arm tightened to hold her up.
“Are you getting claustrophobic? Talk to me?”
There!
The humanoid figure hovering over the pastry-covered buffet table was definitely worth nothing. The tattered cloak it wore billowed from non-existent wind. Nicky couldn't see its face through the hood, but she was willing to bet that it wasn't a vampire.
Most people couldn't see demons; not through their demon glamour. Nicky wasn't ‘most people.’ Her family came from a line of witches that had been nearly exterminated during the Witch Trials. Technically, none of them actually had any capacity for witchcraft; their blood was too diluted. But what they could do was see demons as clearly as Nicky saw the thing that turned toward her.
And oh, her suspicions were confirmed the moment it lowered its hood: that thing definitely wasn't a vampire.
The white face could have almost looked human, but it was too long, and the skin too smooth and perfect, like porcelain. White, glowing eyes fixed on her, and its lower jaw descended to expose two rows of teeth that were each longer than the heels on Megan’s shoes. It looked at Nicky, seeming to size her up, and then curled up instead over a man Nicky recognized from the school board.
For a moment, Nicky couldn't move. The demon — demon! — didn't appear to be doing anything, either. She'd never seen one before, not outside of her mom’s grimoire. They were vampire hunters, for Goddess’ sake! They didn't deal with demons! Abundance Falls didn't have demons!
Except, it had this one.
Was this thing what had been attracting all the vampires? Had it made them act so out of character?
Nicky didn't have long to think about it. As she stared, Megan squeezing her arm with bruising force, a white strand began to flow from the school-board man. He frowned, coughed, rubbed his chest, then went back to the brownie he was munching on. The strand thickened and elongated. The plastic plate fell to the ground, cookies cracking on the linoleum floor. He doubled over, coughing harder now.
“Oh, shit!”
The demon didn't seem to mind the crowd growing around the man. Somebody shouted for someone to call 9-1-1. Nicky was vaguely aware of Megan calling for her as she forced her way through the crowd. There was no practical way for Nicky to pull out her knife in front of so many people, but she might have to do it anyway, unless she could get the demon’s attention some other way first.
“Hey! I see you!”
Nobody else paid attention to her. Nobody but the demon. It stopped sucking the thread from the man and whirled around to her. The thread immediately snapped back into him, and the coughing stopped. In a fluid motion, the demon swept across the conference hall like a bird and out the back door that somebody had gone and propped open.
“Fuck, fuck!”
There was no way she could cross the room fast enough. Instead, she went out the door she’d come through. She was halfway down the hall when she decided that the second she would lose taking her stupid shoes off was less than the many seconds she would lose if she took herself out with them. She hopped on one foot, taking one shoe off, then the other, before bolting to the coat check with them in hand.
“My jacket!” She shouted and the poor kid at the coat check.
“I need your ti—”
“Get me my jacket!”
He did, and Nicky handed him her shoes instead.
“Miss—”
Nicky didn't listen. She shoved her arms through the sleeves of her jacket and ran through the front doors, into the December winds.
2
If Nicky hadn’t been wishing for more practical shoes before, she certainly was now. it was a good thing she kept a pair of sneakers in her trunk. There wasn’t time to run around to the other side of the building, though. She had to get to where that back door led. She turned in circles, trying to get her bearings. Which way was the back d—
A shrill scream gave Nicky her answer. She pulled the hem of her dress up and unsheathed her dagger, running in the direction of the sound. The pavement was cold against her feet, and her little toes were quickly going numb. It didn't matter right now. She'd kill this demon before she lost any toes. She couldn't slide around the corner of the building the way s
he could have in sneakers or boots. The turn still scraped the balls of her feet. She held the knife out, ready to attack, and froze.
She was too late.
Two girls were hunched over a body lying on the pavement. One was crying, the other was trying not to be sick.
Nicky hid the dagger and approached slowly. Cold ice centered into her stomach, freezing her nerves more than the pavement against her bare feet. Cigarette smoke reached her nose. Thoughts of who the victim might be raced through her mind as she approached until she caught sight of all too familiar blue-streaked hair.
“No…” she whispered.
The crying girl looked up at her.
“I don't know what happened!” She shrieked. “We were talking, and then she just started— shaking!”
Nicky pushed past her and dropped to her knees. Sharp rocks dug into them, but she couldn’t even feel it.
“Call an ambulance,” she said, even though she knew it was too late.
Lauren’s eyes were white. No iris, no pupil. There weren't even any burst blood vessels, or regular blood vessels for that matter.
That demon had done this. Nicky had been too late, and that demon had done this.
“Call an ambulance,” she said again, her throat closing up around her vocal cords, “and tell Megan.”
Nicky should have been the one to break the news but, unfair as it might have been, anybody could do that task. Only Nicky could kill the demon.
Not for the first time, Nicky was glad she kept spare clothes in the trunk of her car. She pulled a pair of jeans on under her dress, then put on socks and her sneakers. Since the dress was loose enough to run and fight in, there wasn’t much point in taking the time to exchange it for a t-shirt.
“Need to track a demon, need to track a demon,” she muttered, rummaging through her gym bag.
It was in there somewhere…
Her hand found the necklace Allison had given her last year for Christmas. It was too bulky to wear covertly, so she kept it in her car. Hanging from the gold chain was a bronze sundial not much smaller than her palm. According to Allison, it was supposed to be able to hone in on demons. She’d never needed it before. Demons weren’t something she’d ever come across until now.
Maybe if she’d used it before now, if she’d been keeping track of demon presences instead of just vampires…
No, she couldn’t start going down that path. If she did, she’d never be able to pull herself out of it. She needed to focus. How did this thing work again? She hung the chain around her neck and stared at the dial. As she forced herself to focus on the image of that demon lingering behind her eyes, the dial turned to the left. Nicky didn’t waste any more time. She slammed the trunk shut and took off, following the dial as it guided her. She turned left, then right, then right again. The streets were thankfully empty; no civilians to worry about. Nobody else who could get caught in the crossfire.
Nicky only stopped running when she came to a walled-off alley. The dial continued to point straight. There was no climbing over that wall. She looked up at the buildings on either side for a fire escape, or anything else she could climb. There was nothing there. If the demon was on the other side of it, she would have to find a way around. She turned her back to the alley and looked around in thought. What was the fastest way around this building? Running around in circles wasn’t something she had time for.
Cold air cooled the sweat on the back of her neck. A heavy presence hung all around, smothering her. Her heart rate, which had begun to slow in the moment of rest, immediately redoubled. Adjusting the grip on her dagger, she spun around, striking at the heavy shadows. Smoky shadows dissipated around her, then reformed to her left.
For the second time that night, Nicky froze.
Those sharp teeth were mere inches from her face. She expected to feel its breath, but the air around the demon didn’t move. It was as though it wasn’t really there. But it definitely was. That too-smooth skin and those empty eyes were real, beyond any doubt.
Nicky screamed.
The sound echoed into the night, but the demon didn’t seem phased. It opened its mouth wider and raised clawed hands.
Now or never.
Nicky jabbed at the demon with her dagger. The silver-coated tip went right through it. It swiped at her, a clawed hand knocking her back into the wall. Her dagger clattered to the pavement. She dove for it, but the demon was faster. It rushed at her. Nicky only just managed to roll out of the way, which took her even further from her knife.
“Oh, fuck!”
Vampires were one thing. Demons, she had no idea how to handle. But Alison had a saying that seemed appropriate right now: When in doubt, just hit it!
Nicky pushed herself to her feet and raised her hands. The demon swirled around her, then rushed in. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to move out of the way. Her heart leapt into her throat as she lashed out. The heel of her hand struck the demon’s face. Though it looked like porcelain, its face was soft like skin. She'd been hoping the face would shatter, or at least crack. No such luck. All she did was send the demon flying a few feet to the left. The thing turned back to her and, though its expression didn't change, Nicky was pretty sure all she'd really managed to do was piss it off.
The dagger was only a few feet away. Nicky dove for it. The demon was faster. It rushed into her-- maybe even through her, though she couldn't quite tell as she rolled through the alley. The clasp of her necklace came loose. The pendant skittered across the pavement until it broke into two pieces. Something caught the edge of her dress, tearing the fabric. As glad as she was for the jeans protecting her legs, she almost wished she'd changed into that t-shirt after all. Not only had this son of a bitch murdered Lauren — who was arguably her best, if not only friend — but it had ruined one of the last memories Nicky had of her. Whenever she saw or thought of this dress, she wouldn't think of how much fun they'd had shopping for it. No, all she would think about is how terrified Lauren must have been in her last moments.
Angry fire surged through Nicky’s veins. Whatever this thing was, she wasn't going to let it get away with this, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to leave Abundance Falls vulnerable without any other hunter. She stretched her arm out and grabbed the silver-coated dagger, then rolled onto her back ready to strike if the demon swooped in.
It didn't.
In the dark, she couldn't see the thing anymore. Her skin still had that unearthly chill to it, which meant it must have been close.
Nicky stood slowly, turning around and pressing her back to one of the walls in the process. Even though the thing could levitate, she at least felt better knowing it wasn't immediately behind her.
“But then where are you…?” she asked herself.
She looked through the alley, but saw no sign of it. Had it fled? How would she find it with her necklace broken? It didn't seem like the sort of thing she could just put back together with super-glue. Even if she could get Alison to send her another one, it wouldn't arrive for at least two days.
An unnatural shiver wracked Nicky’s body, starting at her scalp and continuing right on down to her toes. She swallowed thickly and kept her eyes straight ahead.
“Okay… You can handle this…”
With another swallow, she tightened her grip on the dagger and tilted her head back.
To her credit, Nicky didn't scream, even though the demon’s mouth was open wide enough to bite her entire head off if it wanted to. For a moment, neither of them moved. Nicky's limbs were frozen in place. Never in her entire life had she seen anything like this. She'd always thought that if she ever did come face-to-face with a demon, she wouldn't have any trouble taking it down. She and her sisters used to sneak down to the living room and watch horror movies when their parents were asleep, and none of them ever scared her.
This wasn't a movie, though. The thing hovering above her was very, very real.
Nicky had never resented her parents for guiding her into this life. They kne
w what was out there and wanted their kids to be prepared. If Nicky had really wanted to go down another path, they would have supported her. She'd never really considered it. Going to study political science had just been to give her a cover in the ‘real’ world. But now, she would have given just about anything not to know about vampires or demons; anything to still be in the hotel conference room with the false sense of security that came with not knowing about these things. Instead, she was going to spend the rest of her life knowing what something like this looked like.
Don't just stand there!
Nicky spun around and aimed her dagger for the demon’s head. It was faster. It moved out of the way, and the blade dented against the wall. Even if the end was bent, it was still plenty sharp enough to cut with. She lunged at the demon, only to be thrown back again. This time, she didn't let go of the dagger, even as the back of her skull collided with the pavement hard enough to make her see stars and nothing else.
For a few seconds, she had no choice but to rely on instinct.
She kicked and lashed out against the demon that felt both there and not there at the same time. Clawed hands raked at her chest, though they didn't get through the leather of her jacket.
And Lauren had never believed her when she called it practical.
The demon rested a hand on her shoulder as Nicky swiped at it with the knife. Its weight pressed down into her until the ball of her shoulder was forced out of the socket with a sickening pop.
Nicky's skin went cold and clammy. Her scream stuck in her throat. It wasn't the first time she'd dislocated a shoulder, but it never stopped being one of the worst things she'd ever felt. The demon took advantage of her momentary incapacitation to pin her down. It held its head above hers and opened its jaw wide.
She'd thought she was frozen before. Now, she was absolutely paralyzed. She struggled against her own heavy muscles. Nothing moved, not even her toes. Her dagger was right there, lying flat against her palm, and she couldn't even do anything with it.
Relics and Runes Anthology Page 45
