Lainey snorts. “Can’t you just see it now…my future career as a party planner?”
I tilt my head and smile. “That’s actually not a bad idea. According to the listings I saw on career day, if you’re really good, the salary can get pretty high.”
“Paid to party. I like it,” Lainey says, then sighs dramatically and waves me on. “Go if you must. The snowpocalypse will soon be here, giving me my very first white Christmas.” Raising her cup of beer, she cheers loudly, “Here’s hoping we’ll dance ourselves into five feet of snow.”
The crowd around us joins in Lainey’s chant, and fifteen seconds later the whole room is chanting and swaying in a wave that ripples across the entire space.
Yep, Lainey’s got what it takes to make any place rock. Smiling, I wave goodbye.
It’s still and quiet outside once the building’s door shuts behind us. Even the two guys who were guarding the door earlier must’ve finally gone inside to party. I sigh happily as light snow continues to fall.
While we walk along the line of parked cars, Ethan wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close. “What are you thinking?”
I put my hand out. The moment the snow hits my dance-warmed skin, it instantly melts. “I love how peaceful snow is. Even when it comes down heavy and fast, it’s quiet. Rain can be so loud. Some might find the sound of pounding rain soothing, but to me…snow is peaceful and tranquil.”
Ethan smirks. “Heavy rain is much easier to maneuver in. A blizzard can be completely incapacitating. You can swim through waist high flooding, but you can’t easily wade through four feet of snow.”
“Uh. Thanks for bursting my rose-colored bubble.”
Ethan chuckles and glances down at me. “I was just playing devil’s advocate. Snow does have one attribute that rain doesn’t though. Something that makes it definitely worth your admiration.”
“Oh, really? I’d love to hear it.”
We turn the corner of the building, and Ethan stiffens. His shoulders tense, his hand pulls me to a stop. Tugging me behind him, he says. “Get back inside the building.”
His tone is dangerously low. I peer around his shoulder to see a guy in a brown leather jacket leaning casually against Ethan’s car, boots crossed at his ankles, and his hands shoved in jean pockets.
The college-aged, sandy-haired guy gives me a leering smile before he shifts his line of sight to Ethan. “I would warn you…that next time…don’t let your girl reveal your sword in public.” He shrugs and pushes off the car. “But that’d be kind of pointless since you’ll soon be dead, Corvus.”
Oh, God. I brought this on Ethan. I hadn’t meant to expose his tattoo. I guess if you know what to look for, even half the blade is enough to alert a demon, but why didn’t Ethan sense the demon in the rave?
Ethan’s gaze never leaves the demon while he pushes me away from him and grates out, “Go, Nara.”
I turn and run back the way we came, guilt knotting my stomach. A couple inches of snow has fallen since we entered the rave. My feet slip on the powdery surface, making it hard to run with confidence. I slow my pace to keep from face-planting, glancing back once to see Ethan hitting the demon with such force, the guy tumbles over the row of cars, landing along the edge of trees that line the side of the building. I want to stay and try to help Ethan, but I don’t want to be the reason he’s distracted from the battle.
While Ethan veers around the car after the demon, I reach the corner of the building and slam into a tall, barrel-chested guy with slick black hair. I saw him dancing in the rave earlier. Before he can get a good look at what’s going on behind me, I grip his jacket and say, “We need to go back inside. It’s not safe out here right now.”
Instead of looking worried, he clasps my arms and nods toward the sound of fists connecting with bone, bloodlust in his eyes.
Ice fills my veins when the guy tracks Ethan and the demon’s movements, a half-crazed smile tilting his lips. “We’re staying right here. I have a feeling this battle’s going to be worth the phone call I made to that demon.”
“You called him?” I rasp in disbelief.
He quickly turns me in his arms and bends close to my ear, sheer admiration in his voice. “You have to admit the power they possess is awe-inspiring.”
Ethan glances our way and fury enters his dark eyes.
I call out a warning too late.
The demon slams his fist into Ethan’s stomach and then kicks him in the chest, sending him flying against the building’s cinderblock wall.
“Ethan!” I scream at the same time I stomp on the rat-bastard’s foot.
When he involuntarily bends from the pain, I throw my elbow back and jab him in the nose.
I don’t feel an ounce of guilt when I hear a crunch and see blood spurt onto the snow at our feet.
I jerk away and run toward Ethan who’s crumpled on the ground by the building, unmoving.
I only get a few feet away when I’m quickly yanked back, blinding pain radiating at the base of my skull. The bastard has grabbed a handful of my hair. Turning his fist, he clutches more strands and tugs until I cry out in pain.
Holding his other hand under his bloody nostrils, he bites out, “You fucking broke my nose, bitch. I’m going to beat you until you beg me to kill you once we take care of your boyfriend.”
“Let me go or a broken nose will be the least of your worries,” I say in a deadly voice I’ve never used on anyone before.
The demon’s leaning over Ethan now. Nudging him with the toe of his boot, he laughs. I ignore the pain in my head and focus all my energy on Ethan. “Wake up, Ethan!”
Just as the demon swings his booted foot toward Ethan’s head, Ethan moves with lightning speed. Yanking the demon’s foot at the same time he jerks upright, Ethan punches him in the groin.
The hit only momentarily stuns the demon, but it’s enough for Ethan to jump to his feet and grab hold of the guy’s curly hair. Holding his sword against the demon’s throat, he growls, “Enjoy your time in Under.”
“Not yet.” The demon laughs right before Ethan plunges his sword into his body.
I blink in surprise when I don’t see the familiar fog-like smoke explode from him like it always does when Ethan expels a demon from a human.
“I like this point of view much better,” the guy holding me purrs in my ear, the pleased satisfaction in his voice sending chill bumps of fear trickling through me. Before I can turn and try to push the demon out, he grabs either side of my head in a vice hold. “I’m over here, Corvus,” he taunts Ethan. “Too bad you’re too late to keep me from snapping her pretty little neck.”
I scream at the beginnings of a sharp tug on my head, but suddenly Ethan’s right in front of me, his sword’s handle a mere inch from my cheekbone. Unmoving, I pant frantically. In my periphery, I see the blade jammed into the guy’s eye socket.
Vibrating with fury, dark eyes full of cold retribution, Ethan doesn’t even blink; he twists the sword and obliterates the guy behind me.
As soon as I’m free, my legs feel boneless, but I can’t move, can’t collapse. I’m frozen in shock. Ethan tilts his head and slides his hand along my jaw, cupping my cheek in a reverent hold.
We stand there like that for what seems like a full minute, the snow quietly falling down on us, before Ethan blinks and jerks his hand away forcefully, taking a step back.
I’m confused by his action. The thought of him pulling away for any reason brings tears to the surface. They roll down my cheeks, and I hold a hand out to him, my voice shaking. “Ethan?”
He exhales a harsh breath and quickly steps into me, wrapping his arms around me in a fierce hug. “I thought I’d lost you,” he says against my hair, his tone wrecked, his hold on me cinching even tighter.
“I’m here. You saved me,” I whisper, melting into his solid strength. “I had no idea demons could jump bodies so quickly.”
Ethan tucks his hand under my snow-coated hair, clasping the back of my neck. “A person has
to be not only primed to accept the demon, but close at hand. That kind of situation rarely happens.”
“I guess the guy from the rave qualified.” I sigh against his chest. “He’s the one who called the demon after seeing the lower part of your sword tattoo. I’m sorry for exposing you like that.”
Ethan shakes his head and tilts my face up so I have to meet his gaze. “Never apologize for loving me, Nara. I can’t always hide my back. I try but sometimes people see it. Fortunately, the vast majority have no idea what my tattoo is.”
I curl my lips in a wry half-smile. “Guess we weren’t so lucky tonight.”
Ethan flashes a cocky smile, tension easing out of him. “Hey, we’re still breathing, and one more demon is now in Under. I’d call that pretty damn lucky.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it. Fast reflexes did. I didn’t even see you move. You were just suddenly there.”
Ethan drops a kiss on my nose. “I’ll always be there, Sunshine. But I think it’s important to continue the defense lessons Drystan started with you. After the holidays, that’s first on the agenda.”
“Are you going to make me get up at the crack of dawn on Saturdays too?”
He gives me a firm look. “Be prepared to work hard. Demons don’t hesitate.”
“I know I need it, but ugh.”
He clasps my hand, his expression determined. “It’s happening. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Just when we reach his car, a snowflake lands on the tip of my nose, making me snicker. “Oh yeah, you were going to tell me your opinion on snow.”
His fingers fold tighter around mine before he releases my hand to open my car door. “I will, but I’m saving it for later.”
“Later, huh?” I raise my eyebrow. “How much later?”
He shakes his head, amused by my persistence. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Chapter Ten
Nara
The first thing I do when my eyes pop open the next morning is check my laptop for an email from Madeline. I’m surprised to see that the email I sent her bounced. I send another one, then type in her website address in the Internet browser to see if I’d somehow messed up when adding her email to my address book.
When I get a missing page link instead, I frown and try again. This time I get a “this website no longer exists” error. Frustrated, I backtrack and look up all Madeline Strauss names in the London area. Before, where there were seven names, now there are six. Worry seizes my chest and I widen my search.
Breathing in short, choppy breaths, I scan through London’s newspaper obituaries since I last talked to Madeline, then blow out a sigh of relief that I didn’t find her name in any death notices or memorial listings.
Though I’m glad nothing bad appears to have happened to her, I tap my desktop pen in frustration that I can’t seem to find her either. It’s like she never existed.
Rubbing my temples, I close my eyes and try to think of another way I might contact her, but my mind’s blank. I’ve exhausted all possible ways I know to track a person down.
You’d probably think this place is a grunge-punk scene, Nara, but I saw the perfect spot for a slackline in a park near here.
I sit bolt upright. There is no way I’m making full-on Drystan sentences up in my head now.
Heart racing, I switch over to the video chat program on my laptop. While I scroll to Drystan’s user name, another thought hits me. He can help me with the raven book. I try to ping Drystan’s account, but it just shows he’s offline. I quickly type a note in the private message window, then hit send.
N: Call me as soon as you can. Need your help with something.
I flip back to my inbox and sigh. My email to Madeline bounced again. Five minutes later, an incoming video ping sounds. I quickly click the answer button and Drystan’s face pops up.
“Hey, Nara! Talk while I make my way up this embankment.” Curved, graffiti-covered bricks and cement disappear behind him. I can see he’s wearing my scarf partially tucked into his leather jacket as forest suddenly replaces the blue sky above his head.
Once he reaches the top of the incline and rights the video screen in front of him, I tease, “I see you’re putting my scarf to good use.”
“It’s cold out here,” he says, then laughs, eyeing me. “Nice bedhead. So that’s what you look like in the morning.”
I stick out my tongue, hating how messy, finger-combed hair looks good on him, while I’m sure mine resembles a rat’s nest. “I was on a mission this morning. Haven’t had a shower yet.”
“So what did you need my help with?”
“Remember that raven book that you helped me steal back from the demon who killed Freddie for it?”
He nods. “That’s the same book the other demon who possessed me wanted, right? By the way, he really did believe the book held the key to destroying the Master Corvus.”
I swallow at the thought of any demon getting ahold of that book. “Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Why are you asking me about it? He never did find it before he left my body.”
“I know. It’s safe for now,” I say, running my hand through my tangled hair. “While Ethan and I were trying to uncover more about the book, we discovered there’s supposedly another copy of the same book in The Library of London. We want to confirm if that is or isn’t the case, because I was under the assumption that the book was one of a kind.”
He frowns. “What publisher only produces one book?”
He doesn’t know about Madeline’s involvement in creating the raven book or about the scroll I found inside, so I keep her out of the conversation. “I just know the book was specially created. Since you know what it looks like, would you be willing to go to the library for me and see if another copy of that book really exists?”
“Sure. It’ll give me a reason to explore the city more.”
“Thank you for doing that. So did you learn anything more about your Dad from the kitchen staff?”
“Some.” He sits down and leans back against a tree. “According to them, my father wasn’t officially a Paladin, but he was an honorary one.”
“What does that mean?”
He picks up a dead leaf, twirling it. “I have no idea. He wasn’t assigned a Corvus, but he was a well-respected member of the Order, and a happy-go-lucky guy everyone liked.”
I smile at his his use of “guy”. He had picked up a few of our terms during his short stay in the US. “That’s a good thing, right?”
He shrugs. “Maggie—she’s the head cook—said that he changed after the incident with the Master Corvus. Turned somber and kept to himself. That stoic man is the only father I’ve ever known. To be honest, I’m not even sure why my dad was here. He didn’t have any abilities.”
“Maybe he was there because of his brother. Did you ask your uncle about your dad yet?”
He shakes his head. “No. My dad left the sanctuary a few weeks after everything fell apart and never returned.”
“I think you should talk to your uncle, Drystan. He’s probably the only one who can answer your questions.”
“He still hasn’t said anything about my father ever being here, Nara. That really pisses me off. Why hasn’t he told me?”
“Why don’t you tell him you know and see what he says?”
Drystan gives me a doubtful look. At least he doesn’t outright refuse my suggestion this time.
“Have you met anyone else there?”
Drystan slides the scarf off and rubs the back of his neck. “I haven’t run across any Corvus yet—I get the feeling the Paladins mostly go to them—but I’ve gotten to know a couple of Paladins here, a guy and girl who are only a couple years older than me. They’ve been cool to hang with.” His eyes light up a little. “Hey, did you know that powers can evolve? I had no clue that was possible.”
The incident with David’s demon in my kitchen instantly comes to mind, but I’m still not sure what happened, so there’s no point discussing it. “What do
you mean?”
“The guy, Phillip, could warm things with just his touch, but now he can heat something up until it reaches boiling point or catches on fire. Chloe has acute hearing. She used to be able to hear in the same range as a dog, now she can hear you whisper a building away. It’s like that place—the sanctuary—has enhanced their abilities or something.”
“Why do you think the sanctuary had anything to do with it?”
“Because both Phillip and Chloe arrived a week ago and they weren’t like this until recently.”
“What about the other Paladins? Have their powers changed? Have yours?”
“I don’t know any of the other Paladins well enough to ask them, but no my abilities are still the same. Maybe I have to be a Paladin for that to happen.”
“Are you considering joining the Order now?”
“No.”
“Maybe one day—”
“No,” he cuts me off, his jaw muscle tensing. “I don’t belong there.”
“Actually, you might,” I say, worried how angry and lonely he seems. I’m glad he’s made a couple friends, but I still feel he’s holding so much back. I really wish he had someone there he trusted to talk over what he went through being possessed by that demon.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks, brows pulled down.
He sounds so accusatory, I laugh. “You’re near a park, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, how can you tell?” He glances around. “I’m surrounded by woods.”
“And you found the perfect place for a slackline, right?”
He sits upright, green eyes widening. “How’d you know that?”
I grin. “You think I’d call the place grunge-punk.”
“How…” He swallows and pales. “Are you in my head, Nara?”
“No, I heard you.”
“How is that even possible?”
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