Split at the Seams

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  “It’s over, Jonathan, and you need to accept it.” I jerked my chin away from his fingers, turned my focus to the dusty floorboards.

  He wrapped his right hand around mine and it burned my fingers.

  “Let go of me.” I attempted to pull out of his grip.

  “Or what, you’ll sic your guard dog on me?” He was breathing hard, his features contorted in anger. “It’s all about him, isn’t it? You’re doing this because of the wolf you care more about than your own boyfriend.”

  “We’re not… it’s over.” I sighed.

  His fingers tightened so hard around mine that our bones rubbed painfully against each other. “Who’s going to come to your rescue now? The dog isn’t here, the old man isn’t either, and there aren’t any wards to protect you.”

  I gritted my teeth, in both anger and pain. He didn’t need to know Lavie was lurking around somewhere within the bookstore if I needed backup. “I can take care of myself.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Are you sure? Look what happened the other night. You needed an entourage to take care of you—”

  I swung my other hand awkwardly and slapped him. It was the only thing I could do, but it didn’t loosen his grip on my hand.

  “How dare you!” I said through gritted teeth, the darkness slowly quivering around us. It was closing in again, and I still wasn’t ready for it. “I didn’t ask for your help. Actually, I’m pretty sure I didn’t need it.”

  “You can delude yourself into thinking you’re safe with the well of power dwelling deep within you.” He licked his lips, and lowered his voice. “But you’re never safe. No one can be with you all the time. No one can watch you like a hawk every minute of the day and night. Not even your doggie.”

  I steeled my expression, refusing to react to his vicious words. “Just let go of me. I need to get to work, so don’t let me stop you from getting back to your colleague.”

  “Don’t be jealous. You know all about friends with benefits, right? I’m just playing your game.”

  Was he implying he was actually involved with the woman in red?

  “I’m not playing games…but I think while we’re at it, why don’t you tell me what Obscurus is?” I’d had enough. His behavior, the warning that sounded so much like what both Travis and Troy had said. Whether or not he was consciously aware of the demonic presence, he was still acting like an asshole and we were about to slip into the dark patch if I didn’t get the hell out of his bookstore.

  His eyes darkened to black and he abruptly dropped my hand so hard I lost my balance and fell back onto the bookshelf. It creaked behind me and a few books scattered to the floor at my feet.

  “Go,” he said.

  “Did I hit a nerve? Something you’ve been trying to keep from me?”

  “Just go, get out and don’t ever come back.”

  “I thought you didn’t want me out of your life?” As soon as he’d broken skin-on-skin connection, the dark patch dissolved.

  His stare intensified. “You might not believe it, but I do love you. I probably always will, but there are a lot of things you don’t know about. If I was you, I’d never mention that name again.”

  “Tell me what it is, what it means. Is it a book club or something?”

  A nerve jiggled in his jaw. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll forget you ever heard the name and pray you never get the answer, because if you do…it will be way too late for anyone to save you.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “No, Sierra, you’re the one who came here to threaten me. Now, if you’re done telling me our relationship is over, fine. Just go.” He turned away but stopped for a moment. “Just know that if you threw what we had away for that dog, you’re being a fool. He doesn’t feel the way I do about you. As soon as he gets into your pants, you’ll never see him again. Mark my words.”

  Jonathan walked away, leaving me standing in between the dusty bookshelves with my skin crawling.

  The significance of what he’d just said crashed down on me. He might not have answered my direct questions, but he’d just confirmed he knew plenty about the Obscurus.

  “Hey, Sierra, are you all right?”

  I heard Lavie running after me, but I didn’t stop or turn around. I jumped into the car, leaned over to unlock her side and started the engine. My hands were shaking so much I was surprised I’d managed to get the key into the ignition.

  The confrontation with Jonathan had gone worse than I thought it would.

  Now, not only were we no longer in a relationship, but the chance of having any sort of civil friendship with him was gone. What did that mean for the hunters? Would he really just accept my breaking up with him and move on, or would he try to make things uncomfortable for me?

  “Sierra, I’m sorry.” Lavie’s tone was tentative and soft, almost as if she didn’t want to disrupt my raging thoughts.

  “It’s not your fault. It had to be done.” I tightened my grip around the steering wheel. “I’m glad it’s over and done with.”

  She patted my forearm quickly. One thing I’d noticed about Lavie was that she wasn’t into physical contact. If she could avoid it, she did. I couldn’t blame her, not after what she was going through every single day, living with those things writhing underneath her skin.

  “Did you at least get a chance to find out anything useful?”

  When she didn’t respond, I turned to look at her. She was staring out the passenger-side window, definitely trying to avoid my gaze.

  “Lavie, did you find out if there is a demon attached or around Jonathan?”

  She nodded.

  “You did get a chance to find out, or there is?” I stopped at the lights when they switched to amber.

  “Yes, there’s something attached to him.” When she finally turned her gaze toward me, she looked haunted. “I didn’t get a chance to find out what type of demon is inside him, but he’s definitely possessed. Actually, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s almost as if there’s nothing left of him, like the demon’s totally consumed him.” She paused, looking away. “And it’s not just him. There was some other sort of malice inside that bookstore.”

  My stomach dropped. “I felt something too. Something that wasn’t there before…” I’d always enjoyed visiting Prologue, but everything felt so askew now. Besides, the fact his touch had roused my connection to the dark patch again only confirmed everything. I could only take the demonic in there with me.

  “You did the right thing, Sierra,” she said. “I heard the awful things he said to you, and although I didn’t understand some of them, I did recognize a name you mentioned.”

  “Which name was that?”

  “Obscurus, or something like that. I’m not sure where I’ve heard it before, but I’m sure my aunt probably knows. I’ll ask her later.”

  “Please do, I need to find out what it means, and what it is.”

  “I think it’s an occult term,” she said with a small nod. “Leave it with me and I’ll give you a call when I find out some more about it, okay?”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.” I was surprised to find myself stopping just in front of her apartment block again. “Here we are.” The bottom level was actually a storefront with a pentacle painted on the plate glass window. “Is that your aunt’s shop?”

  “It sure is. Demon hunting doesn’t pay all the bills, so she complements it with some readings, crystals, and aura cleansing. It would’ve been great if my aunt could’ve gotten a look at your ex. I’m sure she would know exactly what’s inside him just by looking at him.”

  “You did what you could.” I smiled at her. Hearing Jonathan being referred to as my ex already made me feel a combination of shocked and relieved. It actually felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

  “Glad I could help.” She opened the passenger-side door and climbed out of the car. “I’ll call you later, or tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sure, see ya!” As soon as she clo
sed the door, I sped away and headed for home. My fingers and collarbone were still a little achy, but I was pretty sure they were aches and pains that would fade a lot quicker than the bite.

  Jonathan’s maliciousness had surprised me. I hadn’t expected him to act so straightforward and to spit accusations at me so easily. I also hadn’t expected him to react so strangely to my question about the Obscurus.

  If Lavie found out what the name symbolized, maybe I could begin to understand why the hell they wanted anything from me.

  Chapter Eight

  “There you are, I was wondering where you’d gotten to.” Papan stood up off the couch as I closed the front door. “I called you, but you left your phone here.”

  I tossed my keys and wallet onto the hall table next to the phone I hadn’t bothered to take with me. There were several missed calls.

  “Hey, Papan. I left early.” Trying to wash away all of the negativity from Jonathan’s encounter, I exhaled. I had been looking forward to seeing Papan the whole drive home and didn’t want to lose that excitement. “There was something I needed to do.”

  “I was worried about you,” he said.

  He made his way around the couch and stepped into the hallway. He was close, but still too far to throw myself against him. It took all the willpower I had to stay where I was, looking up at him but not falling into his arms.

  “I got back as soon as I could.”

  Papan caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers. “Fox, is everything okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I had to take care of something.”

  “Is that a good or bad thing?” He dropped his hand and took a step back. His hair was moist, making it look brown, rather than the dark shade of blond it was when dry. Droplets of water had settled on his T-shirt, and his jeans fit him so well I couldn’t help but follow the line of his long legs—all the way to his bare feet. He fit well into my home, and I was glad he was fully recovered.

  For almost two weeks, I’d wondered if he would make it out okay. Lying on the bed in one of the downstairs rooms in wolf form, it had taken too long for his body to eject the bullet that almost killed him. Afterward, he’d explained that normal lead bullets didn’t cause so much damage, so it had probably been laced with silver. Silver could injure, cripple or even kill a werewolf.

  Papan was looking at me, waiting for an answer.

  “Yeah, it was definitely a good thing.”

  When I didn’t elaborate, he changed the subject. “How did the meeting go last night?”

  “Well, I found out the Spook Catcher Council is screwing around with things they have no business interfering with.” And when were they going to stop messing with my life? After I paid off my financial debt, I’d been positive Ebony and I would only have to deal with them for depositing and refilling our canisters. “I think they’re up to no good again. And as much as I wish I didn’t have to get involved, they’re still my problem.” Probably always will be.

  “They seem like a pain in the ass,” he said, serious. “From what I’ve heard, it sounds like fucking things up is what they do best.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re not wrong there. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to deal with them.”

  “Maybe you don’t.”

  I shook my head. “As much as I hate their organization, and it pisses me off to be forced to deal with them, if I’m going to continue to stay in the business of spook catching, the law clearly states that I need to deposit my ghosts through the correct channels.”

  “Actually,” Papan said, folding his arms over his chest and leaning on the doorway between the living room and hallway, “I’ve done some research into this myself.” He raised a hand before I could interrupt. “Let me finish, okay? I’ve heard enough bitching from you about the Council to know they’re not as lawful as they like to appear. And after they contacted me several months ago so I could tag you, I decided to do a little bit of digging.”

  I gulped down the lump in my throat. How long had he been looking out for me without my knowing? I found my voice long enough to ask, “What did you find?”

  “It’s really interesting, because while the law does state that any spook catcher who wishes to lawfully partake in the business needs to acquire their license, training, and then deposit their canisters into the local municipal council-approved center, it doesn’t actually state it has to be the Spook Catcher Council building.”

  “What are you saying?” I sure as hell didn’t remember reading anything about this anywhere. Though, why would I? I’d been recruited by the Council in my late teens and they took care of the training and teaching. Of course I didn’t know any other way, because they made sure of it.

  Papan shrugged the shoulder not pressed against the doorway. “I’m telling you that although you and Ebony have to deposit your canisters into an approved place, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the Council building. I’m sure they drummed that into you when they recruited you, but it’s not the case.”

  “Is there another place? I haven’t heard of another location for drop offs.”

  “I’m still looking into it here in Sydney, but I do know that in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth there are several independent places set up as both catcher and deposit centers.”

  “What? How is it possible?” If what he claimed was true, this could be a sure way to sever my ties with them. Forever. By removing the middle man, there would be more work to do but it was worth looking into.

  “I contacted a few of these places and arranged to get the paperwork sent to my office. Haven’t been in for a while, so I’m not sure if it’s come in yet. But, Fox, if you can do this and really step out on your own, it would save you a lot of trouble. I’m not sure why they want you so bad…” He paused, his eyes trailing over my body and lips curving into a suggestive grin. “Okay, maybe I’ve got an idea of why they might be interested in making you theirs. But their intentions aren’t good.”

  If he kept looking at me that way, I was going to melt into a puddle. I pushed the desire away, and said, “Speaking of your office, I went by the other day and everything’s all fixed and tidy.”

  His eyes darkened. “What, how? Did you arrange for it to get fixed? I thought we already spoke about—”

  “No, it wasn’t me.”

  “Fox, I know you’re hiding something.”

  I sighed. “Okay, I arranged to meet a tradesman there. I was going to have it straightened out, get the door and windows fixed…but it was already done.”

  He took a quick step and lifted my chin so our eyes met. He didn’t say anything, just kissed me lightly. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Obviously, because someone already did,” I whispered. “Do you know who took care of it?”

  Papan shook his head. “No, but I might have an idea. Now, do you need help sorting the Council out? I don’t want them pestering you.”

  “Not right now, but I might have to take you up on that someday.”

  A lopsided smile twitched along his lips, causing a dimple on his left cheek.

  My pulse sped up. I should be thinking about other things—like what happened with Jonathan, or the fact I needed to head in to work so Ebony didn’t have to face another day alone—but all I wanted to do was jump his bones.

  “The offer’s always there, Fox.” When his other hand reached out and he entwined his fingers around mine, I winced. “What’s wrong? Did you hurt your hand?” He lifted it near his face, dropping his other hand from my chin. “Your fingers are bruised. What happened?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Wait a minute. I can smell him…” His green eyes darkened to mossy-brown and then flashed amber as he sniffed around me. “It was that boyfriend of yours. He did this to you, didn’t he?” He let my hand drop, stepped away and headed for the front door. “I’m going to show him what happens when he picks on someone his own size.”

  “No, Papan, you can’t go out there!” I turned to follow him. “I
ran into Vixen last night and she’s still looking for you. She even checked here. We’re just lucky the wards are strong. She also mentioned there are people being killed and eaten almost every night, and she blames you. Please, don’t go outside yet.”

  He paused, his hand so tight around the doorknob it was white.

  “It’s not safe for you to go outside yet.”

  “I don’t care.” The muscles of his back rippled against his tight-fitting T-shirt. “He can’t keep treating you like this. That boyfriend of yours—”

  “I’ve already told you to stop calling him that! We both know he’s not my bloody boyfriend anymore,” I said, raising my voice. “That’s where I was. I went to the bookstore to make sure he got the message. I tried breaking up with him the other day, you saw it yourself, but he kept playing dumb and I got sick of it.”

  Papan didn’t say anything, but the hard rise and fall of his shoulders confirmed he was listening. Even if he hadn’t let go of the doorknob.

  “I can’t be with someone who has so many secrets and thinks it’s okay to treat me like crap.” I looked down at my hand. The four fingers were lightly bruised. “I don’t want to be with him.”

  “You forgot to mention he smells funny.” Papan’s hand fell away from the door and he slowly turned to face me. The distance between us felt so vast, even though we were just steps away from each other.

  “I’m pretty sure Jonathan has some sort of demon attached to him.” I hadn’t intended to blurt it out, because the last thing I wanted to discuss right now was my ex, but Papan had mentioned the smell thing before. And after what Lavie discovered, the stench I couldn’t detect had to be associated with his demonic attachment.

  Instead of reacting with anger or frustration, he nodded knowingly and took another step. “Of course, that must be why he smells funny.”

  Not the reaction I’d expected. “Can I ask you something?”

  “You can ask me anything.”

  “Did Jonathan always smell this way to you?” Papan had met Jonathan pretty early on.

  After I’d removed a pesky poltergeist from Prologue, Jonathan dropped by my office a week later and asked me out on a date. Since I’d knocked back his initial attempt—claiming I didn’t date clients—I saw no reason not to accept. Back then Jonathan had seemed so geeky and awkward—the cute, nerdy guy. The kind I’d never dated before and was pretty sure would come without any preconceived hang-ups or expectations.