by Anya Nowlan
“You can call me… Verin,” the demon shrugged, assessing Sawyer with dead eyes.
“And is that your actual name?” Sawyer countered.
“Unimportant,” the demon replied. “I’m here because of Melanie. I need a moment of her time.”
Naomi looked over at her friend, trembling at her side. Her breathing ragged, Melanie was as pale as she had ever seen her, and she seemed to be unable to look away from Verin.
“You’re not getting one second,” Naomi spat out, fear mixing with adrenaline in her veins.
Ignoring her entirely, Verin turned his attention to Melanie.
“Your husband told me the statue was at the university,” he stated. “Why did he lie?”
“What statue?” Naomi countered.
“Was I talking to you?” Verin sneered, clearly losing any patience he had to begin with. “Why did he lie?” he demanded again, staring at Melanie.
“That’s enough,” Sawyer growled, his body arching in a predatory pose.
“And if I disagree?” Verin asked, smirking.
Sawyer didn’t reply. Instead, he lunged at the demon, wrapping his arms around the creature’s waist. Taking a step back, Naomi pulled Melanie closer to the front door, ready to make a run for it.
Run, Naomi, her father’s words came to her once more, bringing with it a wave of shame.
A loud crash pulled her out of her recollections, and drew a scream from Melanie. And it was in that moment that Naomi knew, her life had completely changed. Again.
Eight
Sawyer
His wolf thrashing against his skin, Sawyer put all his force into shoving Verin back, which ended with the demon smashing into one of Naomi’s bookshelves. Thick volumes came tumbling down, pelting both him and Verin as they struggled on the floor.
But even with his shifter strength, Sawyer was finding it hard pinning the demon in place. It seemed Tate’s warning these creatures were powerful and dangerous was very valid.
And the fact that Verin had worn Hill’s face to get through the door was more than a little unsettling with all its implications. To say that Sawyer’s world had just gotten a lot bigger would have been an understatement.
Struggling to hold Verin’s arms at his sides, Sawyer was thrown back when the demon lodged a knee in between them, using it as leverage to shove Sawyer away. He went skidding across the floor, but leapt to his feet quickly.
Now, Verin was eyeing him with a mixture of disdain and respect, as he too stood, brushing off his dark coat.
From behind Sawyer, a shaky voice called out.
“He didn’t lie!” Melanie called out. “It was sent to a lab,” her shout turned to a whisper. “It will be back at the university today, tomorrow at the latest.”
Verin pursed his lips, glaring over Sawyer’s shoulder for a second. And then, before Sawyer could even blink, he snapped his fingers, vanishing in an instant. Dumbfounded, Sawyer stood in the middle of the room, using all of his senses to determine whether this was some sort of trick or not.
But the cloying, bitter scent that had accompanied Verin was gone, and he could hear nothing but two thudding heartbeats behind him.
“Is he gone?” Naomi asked, as both she and Melanie stepped closer.
“I think so,” he replied, turning to face the women. “Can’t tell you if he’ll be back or not, though.”
Naomi was visibly shaken, but he could tell she was doing her best to keep it together. Under the circumstances, he would say she was handling it pretty well. It did little to quell his urge to wrap her in his arms and tell her that he’d keep her safe, though. Melanie, on the other hand, obviously still freshly traumatized from her husband’s murder, was having a tougher time.
Her breathing shallow, her skin pale and clammy, Melanie looked like she was about ready to pass out. One look at Naomi told him she noticed it as well, and together, they maneuvered her over to the couch.
“It’s okay, he’s gone. He can’t hurt you now,” Naomi said quietly, even though Sawyer was pretty sure she didn’t believe most of that.
Striding over to the kitchen, he grabbed a glass of water, brought it to Melanie, and crouched down next to the couch. Melanie wrapped her fingers around the glass, her knuckles white, as she sipped from it.
“That was him,” she said, staring into the distance. “The monster from last night.”
“Mel, I’m so sorry,” Naomi said gently, her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “But I have to ask – what was that about a statue?” she asked.
Sawyer had also been curious about that, but didn’t think it his place to try and ask about it. To Melanie, he was still a literal stranger, and he didn’t want to scare her more than she already was.
Melanie took in a deep breath.
“David has… had a friend in the archaeology chair in the University of Pennsylvania, James Ladley. James got sent some kind of artifact, so he could evaluate it before it went to a museum. He was stumped on the origins of the thing and what it was supposed to represent, so he sent it to David for him to have a look,” she said, her tone more even.
“David was a professor of archaeology at the university,” Naomi quickly explained, throwing a look at Sawyer. “He was one of the best minds in the country.”
“He shouldn’t have even been here,” Melanie shook her head. “He could have gotten a job anywhere in the world… But because of me…” she trailed off.
Naomi rubbed her back.
“It was his choice, Mel,” she said. “You know he wanted you to take this job. Your career was as important to him as his own.”
Melanie nodded weakly, her eyes getting shiny.
“He always put us first,” she replied. “Oh god, how am I going to do this without him?” she added, setting her glass down and burying her face in her hands.
Naomi seemed to be at a loss for words, so Sawyer got back on his feet, and pointed his chin at the other side of the room. Reluctantly, Naomi got up and they stepped away, leaving Melanie on the couch.
“What?” Naomi whispered.
“I know this is a tough time,” Sawyer replied, glancing over at Melanie. “But we have to start thinking of our next move.”
“We?” Naomi arched a brow at him. “Wait, and what are you even doing here? Not that I’m not grateful that you showed up when you did, but why the change of heart?”
“I had a talk with a friend,” Sawyer replied. “Someone who has… had some experience with this kind of thing.”
Naomi’s eyes widened.
“You know someone who’s seen a demon?” she asked. “And you had the gall to…” she raised her voice by just a fraction.
“I didn’t know when you came by,” he interjected. “I hadn’t talked to him in years, but I had heard some odd things had happened to him. But now, it’s safe to say I’m a believer.”
“Well, yeah,” Naomi scoffed. “Seeing someone switch faces right in front of you can do that.”
“You came to me for a reason,” Sawyer said, looking her in the eye. “You wanted my help. Do you still want it?”
After what Sawyer had just seen, he could no longer stay on the sidelines. The cops certainly wouldn’t believe Naomi or Melanie, and even if they did, they would be dealing with someone who can just appear as anyone.
At least Sawyer could sniff out the difference between a human and a demon. Verin might have been able to change what he looked like, but he couldn’t mask his scent. And that meant Sawyer was uniquely equipped to help.
I can’t just let some demon get away with murder.
Biting her full bottom lip, Naomi only thought about it for a second.
“Yes,” she said.
That’s it, then. Game on.
Nine
Naomi
With Mr. Tall, Dark, Handsome and Wolfy by her side, Naomi felt her heartbeat slowly return to normal. But everything else still remained markedly not normal. So, she had just been visited by the same demon that killed her parents. She
’d known it the moment his mask of a face came off.
Now that’s enough to knock a girl on her ass.
The face of the monster she had seen that night had been burned into her memory. And there was no doubt in her mind – it was Verin who she had witnessed murdering her father.
And going by what he had said while wearing his very convincing Hill-mask, Verin also remembered her. Just the thought of that sent a shiver down her spine. It had seemed like the demon had been almost glad to see her again.
That can’t be good.
Her personal issues and fears aside, though, there were a lot of practical things to take care of. And the first step was to make sure Melanie got somewhere safe. Obviously, Naomi’s apartment no longer qualified.
At least I have him on my side now, she thought, looking up at Sawyer.
Naomi didn’t even want to think about what could have happened if he hadn’t suddenly turned into a believer. It was pretty difficult to wrap her head around the fact that it turned out Sawyer had a friend with first-hand demon experience.
It seemed the world kept getting smaller and smaller.
“Okay, so…” Naomi gathered her thoughts, running a hand through her hair. “We have to get Melanie out of here. The further away the better. But can she even leave? Is she still a suspect in David’s murder?”
Sawyer rubbed that chiseled jaw of his, eyes narrowing.
“I’ll make a call to the real Hill and find out,” he said. “You find out if she has family she can stay with,” he added, shoving a hand into his pocket and walking to the hallway, away from the living room.
Naomi sat back down next to Melanie, placing an arm around her shoulders.
“Mel,” she said, making the woman look up.
Wiping away her tears, Melanie squared her shoulders.
“It’s not safe for you here,” Naomi explained. “There’s no way to know if Verin will come back or not, and clearly he knows where both of us live. Do you have somewhere to go, someone else to stay with?”
“David’s parents are flying in today,” Melanie replied. “They already asked me to come with them when they leave. They want to have the funeral in New Mexico, so David can be put to rest near his home.”
“Is that something you would want to do, to stay with them?” Naomi asked.
“I think so,” Melanie nodded. “They understand what I’m going through. And here, everything reminds me of…” she trailed off, wiping her face again.
“David,” Naomi nodded, knowing all too well what Melanie had to be feeling. “That is totally understandable.”
“But that creature,” Melanie started, looking at her with watery eyes. “I don’t think any place is safe from him.”
Footsteps made them both look up. Sawyer had reappeared from the hallway, holding his cell phone in his hand.
“I talked to Hill,” he said, looking at Melanie. “It’s pretty much confirmed you are no longer a suspect. The blood spatter on your clothes suggests you were not directly involved, and there’s no way you could have inflicted those injuries on David without some sort of tool or blunt object, and nothing like that was found in or around the house.”
“So she can go to New Mexico?” Naomi immediately asked.
“As long as she doesn’t leave the country, we’re good,” Sawyer nodded.
“Mel, I know you’re scared, but I think this is what’s best for now,” Naomi said. “And if what you told Verin about that statue is true, he has no reason to come after you.”
“It was the truth,” Melanie quickly nodded. “Ladley sent over the statue, and David thought some additional testing was necessary.”
“About that,” Sawyer interjected, rubbing a hand down the back of his neck. “Did your husband make any conclusions about the statue? If this demon is so interested in it, there has to be something special about it. And if we can figure out what, maybe we can figure out what Verin’s next move is.”
“David was the archeologist, not me,” Melanie shrugged. “All he told me was that it was very old. Like, Shang Dynasty old. He thought it might have been used for some sort of ceremony or ritual, but that’s all I know.”
“And it’s at some lab?” Sawyer asked.
“Yes,” Melanie replied, frowning. “David must have forgotten... We were both so scared.”
“So Verin doesn’t have it yet,” Sawyer commented, locking eyes with Naomi.
“But you can’t actually be thinking of getting in that thing’s way,” Melanie protested, looking from Sawyer to Naomi like the two of them had to be insane.
“No, don’t worry, we just want to know what he could be up to, or if we should warn the university security. We’ll be safe, and we won’t get in Verin’s way,” she nodded, throwing a look Sawyer’s way that was meant to convey ‘let’s not talk about this in front of Melanie anymore’.
Sawyer must have gotten the message, as he backed off.
“Right. We just want to understand the situation,” he said.
“When are David’s parents arriving?” Naomi asked, changing the subject.
“Umm,” Melanie replied, looking around until her gaze landed on a clock above Naomi’s ruined bookcase. “Shit, less than an hour,” she said.
“It’s okay, I’ll get you to the airport. But we might need to get some of your stuff from the house first. Do you think you’ll be up to that? I can go inside and pack something up for you, if you want.”
“Yes,” Melanie nodded. “That would be great. Thank you. And you, whoever you are,” she turned her eyes to Sawyer.
“Sawyer,” he replied, giving her a quick nod.
“Thank you.”
“All right then, let’s get going,” Naomi said, getting up from the couch.
“And I’m coming with you,” Sawyer interjected.
Naomi just shrugged. She wasn’t about to object, not with Verin on the loose.
Let’s just hope we don’t run into him again.
An hour later, Naomi was sitting in her car parked across from the airport, watching Melanie ride away in the car David’s parents had rented. Naomi knew having Melanie away from Tempe and with David’s family was for the best, but a part of her was still heartbroken she couldn’t be there for her friend when Melanie really needed her.
Maybe going after Verin is how I can help her, she told herself, glancing in the rearview mirror.
Sawyer was parked right behind her in his SUV, having followed her and Melanie from Melanie’s house to the airport, never more than a car behind them. Just being able to see him tailing them had made Naomi feel braver.
But she wasn’t sure what to make of it all yet. She hadn’t had an opportunity to really discuss what his help entailed, or what her part in it all would be. Letting out a long breath, Naomi took a moment to let it all sink in.
Finally, she had confirmation she wasn’t crazy. Her parents had been murdered by something supernatural. But having the same creature show up, murder her friend’s husband and terrorize Melanie was more than a steep price to pay for that knowledge.
When Naomi glanced at the rearview mirror again, she was surprised to see that Sawyer was no longer behind the wheel. She almost jumped when she caught him in her peripheral, standing beside her window.
She rolled it down, something inside her clenching as he leaned forward, his eyes glued to her face.
“We should probably talk, and your place isn’t the best option. Meet me back at my apartment?” he asked.
“Okay,” Naomi nodded.
Sawyer didn’t say anything else, just went back to his car, climbed in, and started the engine.
Guess he’s saving all his words for later.
Ten
Sawyer
“I don’t even need a ruse to get in this time,” Naomi remarked as Sawyer held the front door of his apartment building open for her. “How things have changed.”
“I’m not big on visitors,” Sawyer shrugged in response, following her inside and into an
elevator.
“I don’t blame you or anything,” she quickly said. “It was a crazy story I showed up with, I know that.”
“Not so crazy now,” he commented, pressing the button for the ninth floor.
The elevator dinged as it started its ascent, and Sawyer was suddenly very aware of being in a small metal box with Naomi. Her scent was tantalizing, and he couldn’t help but sneak glances at her profile as he breathed it in.
“I don’t know if I properly thanked you for saving my life, but if I haven’t – thank you,” she said, looking up at him. “And thank you for everything you’re doing now. I’m sure most people would go running the opposite direction in your position,” she added, an odd somberness creeping into her tone.
“Running away from things rarely works,” Sawyer blurted out in response, in a rare moment of candor.
Naomi shot him a curious look, but the elevator doors slid open at that moment, saving him from having to explain exactly what he meant. They walked to his door at the end of the hall, and he showed her inside.
Once there, he quickly got rid of any bottles cluttered near the couch, and gestured for her to sit. She did, her expression admirably neutral. Would she still want his help once she found out how deep into the booze hole he had fallen?
“So,” he started, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. “Demons are real, we both know it, and they’re evil shitbags. Now we’ve gotten the obvious out of the way.”
Naomi arched a brow at him, those piercing green eyes of hers sparkling with intelligence.
“I guess those are the major takeaways,” she agreed. “And you said you want to help me. How will that work? Do I hire you in an official demon-investigating capacity, or…?”
“You don’t need to hire me,” Sawyer replied. “And I think it would be best if you found some family to stay with too, like Melanie.”
“Excuse me?” she raised her brows at him. “You want to sideline me?”
“No offense, but you’re in way over your head with this,” Sawyer replied, studying her as she sat on his couch.
