by Lexi Ostrow
“Not to intervene in this party, but he's going to die from blood loss in about two minutes. I suggest speeding it up if you want your medics to be able to save him.” Leather Jacket's words seemed less than interested, like reminding him was a chore.
“War's second wasn't supposed to be there. He surprised us and killed my companions. I ran. I am here and will serve.”
It was a trick. It was always a trick, but if it gave him an excuse to save a test subject he couldn't complain.
“You should know what you work with. That man is not a man, that man overpowers even Luc-” the demon was cut off and suddenly a gashed opened in his throat from ear to ear. Black oozed out and his head lulled to the side.
“That's enough of that.”
Leather Jacket's voice was laced with anger and he did that fucking poofing trick before Jonathan could figure out what was happening. What he did know was that demon was murdered to hide a secret and he had a feeling no matter how hard he tried, he would never learn it.
“So fuck the secret. Get your people into the other world and leave demons to this one.”
* * *
He sat back and watched as the attack on Ciara Miller happened. As always he and his brother could not interfere directly with a Word Speaker. Ironically that was one rule his brother had never tried to break. Probably for the best. He knew that this would all end with one of them dying. But he really did want something more for his brother than this and wondered why they'd been stupid enough to want immortality in exchange for this.
For a moment he didn't think Stryder was going to hold up his end of the deal, but he did. Breathing a sigh of relief he closed the looking glass apparatus he used to watch over all his Word Speakers in their own world until their full powers came in and they didn't need him, their part in the prophecy fulfilled with their choice of who to release. Sometimes he fought for those who chose to release evil into the world, but mostly he left them. Black begets white, dark balances light and he knew that a little extra didn't hurt the balance.
He was curious why his brother picked to work with the demon exercising group. They'd learned over the years Ciara Miller was strong and unswayable. That she would remain on his side. So his brother's goal had shifted to simply murdering her so one as strong as she wouldn't be around to receive her full powers. But it didn't explain why he went after the human organization. He shook his head, his brother never made sense anymore and he only hoped that in picking the humans, the attacks on Ciara wouldn't be as dangerous- even if they kept sending demons. As long as she accepted Stryder, she would be fine. And he knew she was about to unlock some powers early. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew Ciara Miller's power had been hampered by Alcott. Seems he was right.
All Word Speakers had abilities that varied. Some could teleport, some could wield whatever power their Guardian could. But with how much power Ciara held, she shouldn't have needed stasis to visit Alcott. She should have been able to just go. Like she'd been able to just shove Stryder and lock him out. “Curiouser and curiouser. Just how strong are you and how do I keep you safe from my brother long enough to reach your birthday?”
Chapter 8
She hadn't moved. Food hadn't been on her mind and she hadn't needed a restroom because of it. It had been almost twenty-four hours. Derrick had texted her early that morning – a quick goodbye and nothing more. Tears had sprung into her eyes so fast, the world had turned to a blur before she'd even read the text. Simply seeing his name had been enough. She would never forgive Alcott for bringing tears back into her life. She hated the weakness. Crying hadn't brought her parents back and it wouldn't suddenly make Derrick more perfect so they could be together, and it certainly wouldn't ease her desire to be touched by Stryder.
Enough.
Her life was a well of guilt lately. Guilt that made her stomach churn like a butter vat, mixing and mashing her insides up. She'd done nothing but think about the impracticality of getting involved with a Guardian since she'd allowed herself that moment with Stryder. She'd looked at pictures from her life, drafted a first letter to a cousin she hadn't seen in awhile, read texts over and over. Anything she could think of to force her brain to not think of Stryder and how much she wanted him. None of it worked, All she'd been able to think about was Stryder. He'd known just how to touch her, how to drag her over the edge even when she hadn't known she'd needed someone's touch.
When her phone vibrated next to her she turned to see what it was. Seeing the text from Gina she knew that if she didn't respond, her sorority sister and lifelong friend would only end up on her doorstep. Grabbing the phone she slid the keyboard accessory out - she still hated touch screens, despite how long they'd been out, and owning an iPhone.
I'm ok G. Ok I'm not. Drinks?
The response text was quick and she walked to the bathroom, avoiding the mirror. She did not care how she looked, but she knew she needed to clean up for Gina's sake. Turning the cold water on, she stepped into the shower, under the spray. The blessed cold water served as a distraction. She thought about nothing except the icy hits of water against her previously warm body.
Getting out of the shower, she twisted her wet hair into a tight bun and grabbed the hair tie off the counter. She didn't bother with makeup and went straight into her closet to grab a sundress and one of Derrick's jacket that he gave her to remember him by. She wouldn't wear it. Wouldn't be that pathetic, but she would bring it with her in the car. And she would call him and tell him everything. She knew there was no reason to, but maybe she just needed him to listen since Alcott couldn't anymore.
Or so she thought. Instead she drove and parked and met Gina without doing a damned thing except driving. Gina approached her slowly and frowned when she got up close. "I knew you'd be bad off with him leaving. I could tell by how you left the seminar. But shit, I never guessed it would be this bad. Come on, let's get you inside and drunk." Gina tugged her hand and she cringed.
She looked awful and of course her friend would assume it was because the guy she talked about constantly was gone, not because she'd been sexually intimate with another, hours after meeting him, or that he wasn't human, or shit…wasn't even really real. Sitting down she sighed. All she wanted was to finally talk to someone, anyone, about it all. She never card before about the isolation, but now it weighed too heavy.
"Two shots of tequila please. The good stuff, not Jose." She saw Gina wink at the server before turning back to her. "Ok so spill, how bad is it and how many times a week are we doing this?"
"I really don't want to talk about it, G. I appreciate the drinks. I really do. But I'm not really ready to discuss things." The tequila was set down on the table and they both grabbed the salt, shook it, licked the salt line sucked back the shot without saying a word. She passed on the lime, wanting to feel the burn, to have a bad taste in her mouth. I was in that moment she realized she hadn't heard from Derrick and he should've landed by now.
"You know what I do want to talk about though? About how he hasn't called since he landed, not a text, nothing. I mean I get that we broke up, but jeez just would've been nice to know he got there safe you know?"
"That a girl. You focus on the rude things to help you get past it." She grinned and raised her hand in the number two to the server to indicate two more.
"It's not that I really think he's doing it to be rude. He's probably beat. But still. Nothing?" She tossed back the shot that was brought to her before it was even on the table and lightly touched the server’s arm. "Better bring two more of those while you're at it." He nodded and she continued. "I mean I've been home, waiting. Not going out the past forty-eight hours, wanting to be right there when the phone rang. Wanting to hear the sound of Italy, wanting a photo tour of the flat the company is renting for him." She crossed her arms over her chest. Anger, what a wonderful fuel to take away her own grief. Blaming Derrick for her anger at Stryder sounded moronic to her ears since they weren’t an item. But Gina didn’t seem to think it was st
range and she wasn’t about to tell her the truth.
"You sound more than a little bit angry,Ci." Gina chuckled. "Just don't do anything stupid. I've seen that male of yours and you were great together. But you both grew up and never bothered to notice. You guys were great together, were not are, and you both decided it was time to say goodbye. Don't ruin how calmly and great it ended, because you don't want to be alone."
Gina was right and Ciara realized, distorted looking. Everything was and she decided the two shots were slowly making their way through her blood stream and affecting her brain. As if on cue, Derrick's name flashed across the phone. She wrapped her hands around it when Gina giggled and grabbed it away.
"Oh no, you let him wait. We are drinking, girl, and he is not your man anymore!" Gina let out a whoop as the next round of shots were set down and she didn't hesitate to throw back the third.
"I think… I think we could use the check so we don't order more." She was shouting over the music and could barely hear herself. Could barely hear anything as her drunken brain took over. She was hot and tired of moping. Shit happened and it wasn't like she really cheated on Derrick they were done and Stryder wasn't even real. It was like fucking a fantasy, only without the sex. "Because he sure is one walking, oozing fantasy."
"Who? Where?"
She didn't know she'd spoken any of that out loud and flushed as Gina's head whipped around to find the male she thought Ciara was looking at. "Just thinking out loud, G." She stood and smoothed her dress down as she double checked that no one was watching her. Just because she was justifying Stryder, didn't mean she was looking for attention. She had every intention of dancing till she was ready to drop and then calling Derrick to talk to him and then forget everything and maybe, just maybe, decide to never read again so that she would have no need for a Guardian. No need to see Stryder again. Tossing her hands in the air and swaying her hips she let the tequila and music work their own brand of magic through the night.
* * *
The sky was beginning to shift from pitch back to a light grey as she climbed up the three stories to her apartment and jammed the key into the lock. "Seriously three stories? What the hell were you thinking picking a third floor apartment?" If she was honest, Derrick had picked it, but she'd fallen in love with the huge one bedroom and had not had any plans on telling him no.
Locking the door behind her she walked as gracefully as she could to the kitchen. Pulling her phone out of her clutch as she walked, she pushed the home button and scrolled to find Derrick's name as she fumbled to get a glass for water. Hitting his name she waited as it rang loudly in her ear. The tone was an annoyance, despite having sobered up about three hours ago, and grabbing breakfast with Gina from a drive through. Annoyed she set it on the counter and hit speaker while she filled and quickly drank a glass of water. Tequila was a bitch when it came to dehydration and they certainly hadn't stopped after three. In fact if she was right, they'd had three more before dancing so hard she was coated in a layer of sweat.
"Thank you for calling, I am unable to answer my phone-"
She snarled and smashed her finger on the screen to end the call.
"God damn voicemail! Again!" She picked the phone up and threw it over the countertop onto the couch with a shriek. She heard the thud as it bounced and nodded her head in satisfaction at her childish display of anger. But it made her feel better. The whole night had been right, up until she was sober and got in the car to drive home.
She'd dialed Derrick five times. Voicemail every single time. With the time difference she knew he would be awake and didn't figure he would have already been at work so soon. But she hadn't listened to his voicemail, so she wouldn't write it off. But it wouldn't stop her from being pissed off.
"Brilliant. Throw your phone so that when he does call or text, you won't hear it and then you'll be doing this all over again." She sighed and yanked the hair tie from her hair letting her long hair fall in tumbled curls around her shoulders before walking to grab her phone. She flipped the ringer switch to on and quickly sent Derrick a text before setting the phone back down on the couch, gently this time. She hated that she felt needy enough to want to talk to him so badly. She'd never been so utterly alone before and she was feeling an overwhelming need to read to comfort herself.
Her eyes landed on the dreaded book. It called to her like a siren leading her to temptation, to Stryder.
Cursing, she snatched the book off the table, but didn't open it. She'd been thinking about Stryder again. The feel of him in her hand, the way that stupid nickname sounded in ears. She couldn't believe how easily he'd invaded her life. She never in a million years thought she could have feelings for someone she brought to life. Sexual and romantic feelings. It felt wrong, like a betrayal to her world, as if saying the men there weren't good enough, she would go find a perfectly fabricated one.
Her head tipped back and connected with the back of the couch and she cried, a ridiculous habit she vowed to stop years ago and couldn't seem to stop doing the past few days. Small, quiet sobs wracked through her body and she didn't bother to wipe the tears from her face. She wasn't handling any of this well. Life had taken a giant dump on her this week and she had reacted by acting like a child. No other way to describe her behavior. Even if Gina had spent all night reassuring her to have fun and that Derrick was fine and she would be too.
Gina knew how much Derrick cared for her and she knew how hard Ciara was taking the breakup, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud. And didn't that just make things worse, even with her half assed explanation to herself? She was upset about the breakup and yet, had no problem screwing around with a demon.
The generic iPhone tone got her attention and she smiled as she saw the caller ID. Without bothering to wipe at her tears she answered quickly to ensure he didn't hang up. "Derrick! I am so sorry I missed your call. I went out with Gina, to cope and it was loud and she said don't answer it."
She could hear his laughter from the other end of line. "Ci, breathe it's ok, really. I was just calling because I saw your calls. I couldn't get my international texts up and had no idea where a good internet cafe was when I first got here. So I went home took a nap that turned into overnight sleep and then went in for introductions at the office so I could hit the ground running with recruiting season about to start."
She bit her lip and laughed, snorting and sounding disgusting as the snot from her crying choked her a little. "I am glad that's what it was. You had me worried. Sorry, guess sooner or later I'm going to have to stop that, huh?"
Just talking to him, hearing his voice, already had her calming down a bit. The tears lessened and she was breathing deeper to help her talk.
"Never, darling. I'll always care about you, and who knows, maybe years down the road we will bump into each other and decide we are madly in love still and were wrong to break up. Or maybe we won't. But either way, let's keep the friendship open for now, I could use one if you don't mind.”
“You know I don't. G just might have pointed out we are doing a bad thing. You know talking all the time.”
He snorted. “Oh screw, G. She just loves you and wants to move you on faster. Besides you're probably dying with anticipation to see my awesome space. So I'm hanging up and then calling you back on Face Time. Wait till you see it!" The call disconnected without another word and she laughed.
A few minutes passed by before the Face Time invite popped up on the screen. Derrick's bright smile filled the screen and she laughed at the face he was making. "Oh very sexy after me not seeing you for almost forty-eight hours."
He laughed. "Oh hush, darling, you love it and you know it, maybe if you're a good girl I'll give you a striptease after the tour." He wiggled his brows and she laughed. "You know, like I'm taking you home for the first time, not that there will be that anymore, but still."
“No, I think the clothes better stay on. Time for you to find a sexy little Italian and me some boring American hunk.” She was laughing harder no
w. Remembering just why they'd been so wonderful together and yet, comparing it to her new feelings for a demon. She made a face back at him. "Where's that tour you were going to give me. Turn the phone around and walk. I want to see!"
He snorted and muttered something about impatient females and laughed as he turned the screen and began to narrate the virtual walking tour of his new place. It was quite large and open concept, strange for him being in Milan. The floors were a beautiful, Travertine tile that seemed to run throughout the home as the tour went. The kitchen was all black cabinets and brown and gold flecked granite. Floor to ceiling windows made her smile, thinking about the warmth from the Italian sun and the beautiful view they must offer. On cue he walked to the window. "And this is the window that I assume you would've sat in front of and stared out, writing countless novels." His carefree laugh continued to settle her fears, her sadness. He was doing ok making a joke out of it. Perhaps she needed to try his coping idea as well. Not getting it on with a demon.
One last stop to the master suite and she couldn't help the gasp. The room was large for Italy and also had the same ceiling to floor windows. But it was the claw foot tub and large shower that made her beam.
"Oh it's absolutely amazing! Are you sure I can't just move? Starving writers can live anywhere. Throw this whole breakup to the wind?" He laughed and turned the phone around in time to catch the huge yawn she uttered. She blushed. "I'm sorry Derrick. I promise you're not boring just cause we broke up."
"No, it's what, five thirty over there? I'm sorry I just wanted to call you before I went out to some big wig dinner tonight. You know, to brag about my crib and of course tell you how much I missed you."
