by Amie Gibbons
The demon groaned as it climbed to its feet and charged her.
She jumped and vaulted over it with the ease of an Olympic gymnast.
Another man with a thick black beard came in off the side of my vision, bleeding from a gash in his arm.
Took me a moment to realize that yellowish thing was a shard of bone stickin’ out.
He slammed the demon across the face with a steel beam.
The demon flashed forward and tore the beam out of his hand, and swung it like it was the ninth inning of the World Series and the bases were loaded.
The vamp’s head separated clean from his shoulders and was still flying through the air when both parts disintegrated into dust.
“The job is done,” the demon said in a deep voice that would put even Darth Vader to shame. “But since I’m here.”
It stepped towards Blanche and I got a shot of fear from her as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
They’d never seen anything like this demon. The power he wielded, it wasn’t anything that’d ever crossed the earth.
The demon paused and started to twitch as a hole opened up through thin air in the space behind him. He growled and strained against an invisible force as it pulled him backwards into what looked like a large forest.
The rip in the air sealed behind him and just like that, they were safe.
Blanche ran over to Milo and immediately started licking his head wound, which was already starting to heal on its own.
Milo groaned and blinked his eyes open. Carvi crawled over to them, clutching his side with one hand and the deep hole in his head with another.
“Thanks,” Blanche said to someone in the corner. “How did you…”
“Don’t ask.”
The visions expanded. They were in some kind of giant empty warehouse or maybe a gutted restaurant.
The two guys in the corner came out of the shadows, one big and bulky, about my age, with movie star waves in his brown hair and square, strong features so striking he had to be an actor.
He had a wildness about him, something that made me think of flight and fire.
The other man was shorter, slighter build, but everything in me went cold looking at him.
Out of the two of them, I’d take the big guy any day.
“You are quite welcome,” the cold one said in a clipped British voice. “However, this merely rid you of him temporarily.”
“Can’t just say we still have to kill his ass, can ya?” the bigger guy asked. “No, has to be all pretentious.”
The man turned cold eyes to the young man. “Please do not give me an excuse to kill you. She would not like it.”
“Bring it on, Brit-tard.”
“Boys!” Blanche jumped in-between them so fast both looked surprised. “I get there’s a lot of issues here and I’m sure there’s a reason for it, but is that demon going to come back?”
“No,” the cold one said. “We will find him on the Other Side and we will kill him.”
“What did he do to you?” she asked.
The cold blue eyes went icier than Grant’s when he was pissed. “He killed my friend, and took someone of mine. I must retrieve her.”
Milo pushed to his feet. “This that chick you were telling Carvi about?”
“No,” the man shook his head. “She is… a complication. I promised my friend I would protect her though. That being said…”
“You have to save your girl.”
“I must.”
“Can we help?” Blanche asked.
“The young lady… she can not stay where she is.”
“What the douchebag means to say is, we’re going to have to drop her here,” the big guy said. “Can you look out for her? She’s not going to know anyone and… she’s just a kid. She’s going to need someone looking out for her.”
“Of course,” Blanche said. “We owe you a debt. We will care for her as though she were our own. Where… or when should we meet her?”
“We will bring her here after we have rescued my… our missing friend,” the cold man said.
“You know I could bang that stick out of your ass,” Carvi said, holding his skull together with sheer willpower.
The cold man blinked, taking a step back, and the younger one burst out laughing.
“Oh my god, you should see your face,” the big guy said. “Dude, you look shocked that a guy would want to fuck you. It’s hilarious. I’m going to have to record this.” He pulled out a phone.
The cold man smacked it out of his hand, staring him down even though he was at least four inches shorter than the big guy.
“Try it,” the big guy said. “I’m dying for a reason to take you out. Because honestly, she’d be a lot better off without you.”
“Even when I am your best hope for saving your friend? You would risk her life merely due to your dislike of me?”
“Guys!” Blanche said, making them turn. “Seriously, I don’t know what you two have going on, and I don’t care. You’re going after the demon before it comes back for us, yes?”
“Quite right,” the cold man said, waving his hand.
A slit opened in the air and the man walked through.
“Bye, gorgeous,” the big guy said, winking at Blanche before he walked through too.
The slit zipped up and the building was deader than a liquor store on Sunday.
“What the hell were those guys!” Blanche yelled.
“I’d explain if I could,” Carvi said. “As it is, my head is killing me, this is going to take weeks to heal, and I didn’t even get to fuck that little pixie before she was abducted, or her lover. Some days just aren’t worth it.”
“That… that thing just killed...” Milo said, cutting off with Carvi coughing up blood.
Blanche grabbed an old fashioned phone off the wall and called someone, telling him an address and running back to Milo.
“George will be in here in a minute. He’ll get the silver out of your head.” Blanche gave Carvi a quick kiss on the cheek and he smiled. “He owned a huge territory. That’s a lot of enemies. How do we find out who sent the demon to kill him?”
The brothers looked at each other.
“We’ll find out,” they said together.
Carvi curled up, pressing his hands tight to his head.
“Stop that,” Blanche said. “You’re going to pop your head if you keep squeezing like that.”
“It would hurt less. When will George get here?”
“A few minutes.”
“He’ll be here in time, right?” Milo asked.
“Oh yeah,” Blanche said. “The silver’s in his head, the worst it’ll do in a few minutes is brain damage.”
“The worst?”
She shrugged. “It’s Carvi, not like there’d be a difference.”
She ducked as a slab of wood sailed by and she shot Carvi a glare.
Harsh words tripped from his lips between coughs.
“Could you two try to play nice?” Milo asked.
“He started it.”
“When! When did I start it?” Carvi asked.
“Before that demon got here. You were threatening to hold me down and-”
“You what?” Milo turned to his brother.
“It wasn’t a threat. It was an offer. She was fighting with Seti and he upset her. I thought she could use some cheering up.”
Blanche made a rude noise. “What about his lands?”
“You were his second, I think that means you get them,” Milo said.
“I’m not sure I’m old enough,” Blanche said.
“You’re powerful though, and we’ll back you up,” Milo said.
She leaned in, kissing him. Not the usual peck vamps gave each other, a real kiss.
Milo kissed her back. If he had a heartbeat, it would be racing.
“If you two are going to fuck, at least take it to one of the back rooms,” Carvi grumbled, making them pull apart.
Milo looked at his brother as he held his head
tighter.
Something pinkish oozed out.
Oh God! Were those his brains?
“Fucking demons,” Carvi said as Blanche took Milo’s hand.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “George will be here soon. He’ll fix you right up.”
“Can’t come soon enough. Fucking witches.”
“Yeah, those people,” Milo said. “What the hell is going on there?”
“Witches, dead witch, kidnapped witch, innocent girl sucked into it because she banged the dead witch.”
“And that last one is the one they asked us to keep an eye on?” Blanche asked.
“Yeah.”
“So they’ll be back?”
A door creaked in the background and footsteps echoed as someone ran up.
“Over here, George!” Blanche yelled, and the footsteps got closer.
“This has been the strangest day,” Carvi said.
I pulled out of the vision and Milo froze against me.
“What happened to the girl?” I asked.
“Did you just get a vision?” he said, letting me go.
“Yeah.” I turned, ignoring the little problem he had going on in his pants. “You, your brother and Blanche were being attacked and these guys saved you, and they disappeared with magic or something, and your brother was kicked in the head and his brains were coming out. It was awful. And confusing. What happened with the guys? Did they get the demon?”
“We don’t know. They never came back, and we never met the girl they were talking about. But the demon also never came back.”
“What happened with you and Blanche?”
He stood up.
Huh.
I stood too, aches gone, shoulder fine, everything in me awake and ready to go.
“Do you know I can feel emotions in my visions sometimes? I’m guessing you do cuz you could feel mine in yours. Well, I felt how you did about Blanche, you’re completely in love with her, and I think you were hitting on me tonight to get to her cuz something happened. I don’t like being used, Milo, and tonight, we don’t have time for this.”
Milo waved a hand and the air flashed.
“We’re done,” Milo said.
The guys turned.
Grant frowned. “Where did Quil go?”
“Oh, to the bathroom. He got a little… er, excited, and wanted cold water,” I said.
“Why didn’t I hear him leave?”
“Oh! Yeah, Milo put up a shield. I think he wanted something to happen. It didn’t.”
Grant locked his jaw and turned his glare on Milo.
Milo grinned, shruggin’. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“I can when we have a killer on the loose. We ready?” Grant asked.
Milo grinned wider, jutting his hands down at his groin. “Soon as Ariana helps me with this.”
“Sure,” I said.
Grant shot me a look and I handed Milo my water bottle.
“This is pretty cold, it should work.” I kept my face straight for all of a second, then burst out laughing.
Milo joined me as he swiped the water bottle out of my hand.
“You’re mean,” he said as he undid his pants. I blushed and turned away and he chuckled again. “I’m sooooo going to enjoy screwing you.”
“Not gonna happen,” I said.
I met Grant’s eyes and his lips quirked up in a little smile.
“So we still need to find the demon?” I asked and Grant nodded. “How much time has all this taken?”
“About ten minutes.”
“That’s not good.”
“No.”
“You can turn around now,” Milo said.
“Are you done up?” I asked.
“Oh darn.” He snapped his fingers. “I knew I forgot something.”
“You two ready?” Grant asked in a flat voice.
“Yes, General,” I said.
“I already said I’m not telling everyone I’m psychic,” Milo said.
“Ryder, can you handle it?” Grant asked.
“Of course.”
I looked at Milo, a very evil idea forming in my mind.
“I don’t like that look,” Milo said, actually sounding nervous.
“I’ll make you a deal,” I said. “After this is done, you tell me what I don’t know or I’ll tell everyone you’re psychic.”
His jaw dropped for half a second before his mouth split into a smile. “Oh, that’s devious. I like that. I’ll tell you then. After we find the demon.”
“Deal.”
“But we have to be alone.”
“Why? Is it really bad?”
“I don’t know about that,” Milo said, “I just want to make sure I get a shot when you’re all vulnerable..”
“Still not gonna happen.”
I smiled though as I walked past him out of the hallway.
“Yes, it will.”
He sounded so sure I almost believed him even though I had no intentions of saying yes.
Okay, I had maybe one intention of saying yes, but like ten more of saying no.
“So we have a deal?” He grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the doorway.
“Deal.” I held out my hand to shake on it.
He leaned down. “How many times do we have to tell you we don’t shake hands?”
He fastened his lips to mine and gave me a quick slip of the tongue before pulling back, leavin’ me leaning against the door breathless.
“That’s how I seal a deal.” Milo backed away. “We’ll finish later.”
“No, you won’t,” Grant said.
Milo rolled his eyes and held out his arm like a gentleman. “Shall we, m’lady?” he asked in the worst parody of a British accent I’ve ever heard.
“No,” I said, brushin’ past him.
Everyone we’d gathered in the big office doing surveillance were now in the main club, lined up by the stage.
Quil nodded at me, lifting his hand in a parody of tipping something into his mouth.
Oh, good idea.
“Hey, General?” I turned to him.
“Yeah?”
“I think I’m gonna need a very big drink.”
Grant surveyed the crowd.
Quil had all his vamps lining the walls, and more than a few on each door so no one could try to get out, but that still left sixty or so standing in the middle with the random human scattered here or there.
“I think you’re right.” Grant nodded. “Dan.”
“One giant Cumberland River with extra vodka coming up.” Dan gave me a small smile and walked to the bar.
That was actually friendly. Wow.
“Let’s start on this end,” Grant said.
Quil nodded and raised his hands. “Everyone, the psychic is going to touch all of you. We have to find the demon. If you have a problem with this, we can discuss it later. If you’re not the demon, just hold still and you’ll be out of here soon, so don’t make trouble.”
What were the odds this was going to go that smoothly?
“I’ll go with you and just make chitchat while I get stuff,” Milo whispered. “With both of us, we can make sure neither one misses anything.”
I nodded. All the vamps that attacked earlier went past me. I touched all of them and got nothing.
It wouldn’t happen again.
I looked at Grant, and he nodded.
Milo kissed my cheek, drawin’ more than a few looks.
Quil walked up to us and kissed my other cheek and Milo shrugged, going towards the bar.
“Is that makin’ sure they all know I’m with you?” I asked.
“Little bit,” Quil said with a wink. “But it’s more of a reminder that you are with me in the sense that if any of them try hurting you, they will deal with me.”
I snapped my head around to look at him. “Is that gonna happen?”
“Possibly. We can’t expect the demon to just wait for us to get to him.”
I nodded, licking my lips as my heart rat
e picked up.
We had a demon to catch and a traitor to deal with.
Dan brought me my drink and I gave him a huge smile and downed like a fourth of it.
“Another satisfied customer,” Dan said.
“Funny, that’s what I always say,” Milo said, suddenly behind me.
“Eep!” I jumped, sloshin’ my drink over its glass.
“And I’ll be saying that to you by the time the sun rises.” Milo grinned, coverin’ my hand with his and bringing my glass to his lips, taking a long sip as he stared me down.
Quil cleared his throat and Milo let go of my glass. I downed some more.
“How long till this kicks in?” I asked.
“For visions or lowered inhibitions?” Milo asked.
“Milo,” Quil said.
“What? You can be there too,” Milo said.
“Or you could stop hitting on me and go talk to Blanche,” I said.
His smile didn’t waver. “She can come too.”
“What happened between you two?”
“It was so long ago, I don’t remember.”
“You guys live thousands of years, a few isn’t that long ago.”
“That attack was over twenty years ago.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“What are you talking about?” Quil asked.
“The demon attack when Blanche got Seti’s territory,” I said.
“Yeah, that was back in the nineties,” Quil said.
“No. The guy had a smart phone. It wasn’t twenty years ago.”
Quil looked at Milo.
“Yeah, it was. I remember wondering what the hell it was,” Milo said.
“I don’t get it.”
“Think harder,” Milo said.
“Milo, stop being difficult,” Quil said.
“You’re assuming the people were from around there.”
“Huh?” I asked.
“They were from the future. Finally figured that out when smart phones were invented and I remembered that’s what I saw.”
My jaw dropped and Milo burst out laughing.
Pop, pop, pop.
My mind didn’t register the noise until after Milo grabbed me and whirled, pushing me to the ground behind the bar so hard my knees and palms smacked the ground before I could react.
My glass shattered under my hand, slicin’ my palm open. Blood flowed out of it but it started to knit up before I even really felt the sting, leaving a long, aching scar in about five seconds.
