Demon Deception

by M. J. Haag

  “Why do I feel like I’m in trouble?” I asked.

  Julie chuckled.

  “Because you have a lot of experience with it?”

  She stopped walking and faced me.

  “I understand you want to spend time with Lilly, but she’s a smart kid. She’ll know something is going on if you start clinging to her just before you need to leave.”

  She was right. But, selfishly, I didn’t care. If this was the last day I had with Lilly, I wanted to pack it full of memories.

  Julie set her hand on my arm.

  “You’re not going to die out there, Cassie. And you need to act like you believe that, or you’re going to leave behind a terrified little girl.”

  Her words speared me. I couldn’t do that to Lilly. Yet, a rational part of me also argued it was unfair to rob her of my time if there was only a little left.

  “How do you know I’m not going to die? It’s dangerous.”

  Julie patted my arm and gave me a small smile.

  “I have a son and husband. Do you know where they are? Out there with the fey, helping with a scavenging hunt. And, I’m not the slightest bit worried. Do you know why? Because I’ve seen what these men can do. I know they will keep my husband and my son safe. You need to trust. You need to have faith. That’s the only way Lilly will ever have faith that you’re going to come back.”

  “So I’m supposed to act like everything’s okay?”

  “No. You’re supposed to believe everything is going to be okay. Because it will be. Now, go and have some fun. Lilly’s safe and enjoying herself.”

  I looked around at the snow-covered yards.

  “What exactly am I supposed to do for fun?”

  “You’ll figure something out.”

  She winked at me and walked around back.

  Once more, I found myself wandering the sidewalks of Tolerance. It wasn’t that big of a space, and I was starting to become familiar with the houses. I wasn’t alone in my wanderings. Many of the fey walked around, likewise bored it seemed. Anytime I met up with one, he would smile and nod at me. I could see the hope in their eyes now. So much like Kerr. Was I making the wrong choice living here? Yes, it was physically safer, but was I setting them all up for hurt and rejection?

  I walked back to Julie’s house and let myself in. I browsed her movie selection and plugged in a comedy.

  From the couch, I stared at the screen. I tried really hard to focus on the characters and let them take me away. However, sometimes escape from reality wasn’t so easy.

  Before the movie ended, I heard the back door open. I stood quickly, relieved that someone could help distract me from my boredom. I should have known it wouldn’t be the person I’d hoped for.

  Kerr met my gaze the moment I stepped through the kitchen arch.

  “I would like to show you something,” he said.

  I hesitated, debating if I should use the movie as an excuse to claim I was busy. There was every chance he’d want to join me, though, given he’d asked if I wanted to watch a movie with him only a few hours ago.

  “Okay. What do you want to show me?”

  “You will need your shoes and warm clothes.”

  He watched me closely as I bundled up then held the door for me when I stepped outside.

  Before I knew what he intended, he picked me up and raced toward the wall. I squealed when he jumped and wrapped my arms around his neck to hold on tightly. I didn’t miss the way his fingers lightly petted my leg in return.

  Instead of going all the way over, he landed directly on top of the wall, and I looked down at the collection of jammed-together junk and cars on which he stood.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Showing you why I keep telling you yes.”

  I removed my hold around his neck.

  “I know why you want me to say yes. You’ve already told me all fey want a woman of their own. I get it. I just don’t want to be that woman for anyone.”

  “It isn’t just about what I want. It’s about what you need.”

  My mouth dropped open at that presumptuous statement, but he didn’t give me a chance to reply.

  He started moving again, jogging along the top of the wall. We passed several fey on the ground. They barely noted his passing with a wave before continuing their patrol.

  Not far from where we started, Kerr stopped and set me on my feet.

  The wind buffeted me, and I shivered. Kerr moved closer, standing directly behind me. I jumped when he wrapped an arm around my waist. With his other hand, he pointed. I tried to ignore the heat of his front pressed against my back and followed the direction he indicated.

  Nancy, the woman in the wheelchair who I’d met the night before, sat on the back patio of a house not far from where we stood. Molev stood near her, speaking in low tones. I could hear the rumble of his voice but not his words.

  Even from this distance, I could see the misery in the woman’s gaze.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Molev is speaking to Nancy. Her husband was killed by raiders south of here. Her daughter was raped. They both hold anger inside. Neither wants a man in her life. Molev is telling Nancy that having no one in her life will lead to a lonely existence. It is something we fey know well. I have lived thousands of lives. Each lonelier than the one before. It is not something any fey would want for a female.”

  “What does that mean? Is he forcing her to hook up with someone?”

  “No. He is telling her that allowing someone in her life will show her daughter that it is safe to do the same. This way, her daughter will not know the same lonely existence as her mother.”

  The gentle press of Kerr’s arm around my middle kept me from turning and trying to punch him.

  “Is this you trying to talk me into hooking up? I told you no, dammit.”

  “Not hooking up. Having a friend.” His calm, sad words settled me a little. “In this world, children grow old, and people die. Who will you have when Lilly is no longer a child?”

  “And you want that someone to be you?”

  “I would like that. But, if you would prefer someone else, that is okay too. Just don’t choose to be alone forever. That is not living. Only existing.”

  His words hit home. I’d experienced the loneliness he spoke of, and I didn’t want to go back. Yet, I didn’t want to dive into the wrong relationship just so I wouldn’t be alone. Both options had their own levels of hell.

  I took a step away from him and turned to look up into his eyes.

  “What exactly do you want from me?”

  Chapter Nine

  “Your company,” Kerr said.

  “I don’t think that’s what you really want, but fine. For today, you can have my company. So, what do you want to do?”

  I waited for him to reach for me. To make some kind of pass. Instead, he looked off into the distance and idly scratched the tip of one elongated ear. I doubted I’d ever get used to that.

  “Do you like to play games?” he asked finally. “Some of the others are playing games with juice boxes tonight. We are invited.”

  “Sure. Games are fine. What about till then?”

  The pass I expected never came.

  “Do you know how to read?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Will you teach me?”

  He had my attention.

  “I can try, but I can’t make any promises. I’m no teacher.”

  “You’re not a doctor, either, but you do that very well.”

  On top of the wall in the wind and cold, something shifted inside of me. A sense of worth that had long ago been buried.

  “Thank you, Kerr. That was a really nice thing to say.”

  “Can I carry you home? I have books I want to read.”

  “Sure.”

  He picked me up and jogged back the way he’d come before jumping down from the wall. We were back at his house in seconds this time.

  “Before you can read your
books, you’ll need to learn the alphabet. Do you have pen and paper?”

  We spent the next hour going over the ABCs. I taught him the song while making lunch and wrote down capital and lowercase letters while he washed the dishes. He listened attentively as I went over each sound, and I wished Lilly was there. This was all stuff I should have started teaching her, but with the new baby and then the zombie apocalypse, spending time on non-survival things just kind of stopped mattering.

  Kerr learned quickly but not instantly like he did with spoken words. By the time four o’clock rolled around, he could identify each letter in its case and make all the sounds without error.

  “Let’s work on your name next,” I said.

  “No. It is time to go to Hannah and Emily’s house for games. Thank you for teaching me letters.”

  He helped with my jacket and walked beside me as we made our way to Hannah’s house. The fey idling in the yards outside nodded as we passed.

  “Is it boring living here?” I asked Kerr.

  “No. It’s different. But much like our lives before. Periods of idle time and periods of training and leaving for supplies.”

  I’d heard the story of their origin but wasn’t quite sure if I believed it. Fey cursed by their own people because of the crystals that existed in the cave system they’d found.

  “Is it true that you used to live underground?” I asked.

  “Yes, in caverns beneath the surface.”

  “And you’re saying that living up here is the same as what it was down there?”

  “Similar, but not the same. We had a wall of stone that protected us from the hellhounds, and there were no infected below.”

  Trapped in the dark with nothing but hellhounds outside of their wall sounded horrific. That he thought this was similar to how he’d lived in the caverns was just sad. I hated how humans had to live now. I couldn’t imagine lifetimes of hiding in fear behind walls.

  “And you really couldn’t die down there?”

  “Our lives ended many times, but we were always reborn.”

  He gestured to a house that had the front door open. A low murmur of voices drifted out as we walked up the path.

  “Cassie, I’m so glad Kerr talked you into coming,” Hannah said the moment I stepped in the door. “These get-togethers are more fun with bigger groups, and Mya and Eden never want in.”

  Given the current state of the living room, I understood why. It was obvious just what kind of party Hannah and Emily were having. The furniture had been pushed back and a table setup in the middle of the space. There were no chairs. Just red plastic cups and a pyramid of six wine boxes. Either Kerr had misunderstood what the girls meant when they’d suggested a game night, or he was completely clueless about drinking games.

  Kerr closed the door behind us before I could figure out a way to bow out.

  “Have you played quarters before?” Emily asked as Hannah filled the cups on the table.

  “No,” Shax, Kerr, and the other fey in the room said.

  I’d played but knew that rules were often different from party to party.

  “The rules are simple,” Emily said. “All you need to do is get the quarter in the center cup by bouncing it off the table. If you get the quarter in the cup, everyone else gets to drink their juice.”

  I wanted to groan. They were playing to get drunk. I glanced at Kerr. Seeing a fey drunk was not anywhere on my list of entertaining things to do.

  “You’re not able to drink your juice unless I can get a quarter in the cup?” Shax asked.

  “Do not worry,” Kerr said, setting a hand on my shoulder. “I will get the quarter in the cup so you may drink.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. I’m really not that thirsty.”

  Hannah picked up the quarter and demonstrated how to bounce it off the table. She hit the center cup, but didn’t make it in.

  “And when you miss, you have to drink,” Hannah said. “How much you drink is up to you.”

  “Good,” Kerr said. He lowered his head so his lips were almost touching my ear. “You can miss on purpose if you are thirsty.” A shiver raced up my spine at the whispered words.

  Kerr guided me closer to the table, and we both took our places. Shax took the quarter from Hannah and winked at her. The quarter bounced off the table and neatly into the center cup.

  Kerr helpfully handed me my cup when I hesitated.

  “You guys know that I leave tomorrow, right?” I asked, looking at Hannah and Emily.

  “That’s exactly why we thought this was the best game for tonight,” Hannah said.

  I took a cautious sip of wine and wondered how long until dinner time. Kerr picked up his cup and took a huge gulp.

  “This is good,” he said. “Adult juice is different from the other juice.”

  Hannah grinned widely.

  “It’s fermented,” I said. “Alcohol.”

  “Aw! We weren’t going to tell them.” Emily made a pouty face.

  I looked at the brunette and shrugged. Just what had she hoped would happen by not telling them?

  “It is good,” another fey said.

  “Thanks for getting it for us, Shax and Tor,” Hannah said.

  “Did they get these from the supply shed?” I asked.

  “Yep.” Hannah grinned. “They got one for each of us.”

  Emily took the quarter and bounced it off the table, sinking it into the center cup. I took another small sip and watched the fey take huge gulps. This couldn’t be good.

  We’d only made it around the table once when someone knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” Hannah called, picking up the quarter for her next turn.

  “Party pooper police,” Eden said, opening the door. “Surrender your juice boxes.”

  “Aw, come on.” Emily made good on another pouty face as Eden and Mya walked in.

  “Were you honestly going to drink six boxes of wine tonight?” Mya asked, looking at Emily.

  “Nope, but they might have.”

  I glanced at the three fey, thinking Emily was probably right. The fey liked the wine a bit too much.

  Mya shook her head and sighed.

  “I’m turning this into a girl’s night, guys. Sorry, Kerr, Shax, and Tor, but you gotta go.”

  “Will you walk me out, Hannah?” Shax asked. His hopeful expression when he looked at her made me uncomfortable and brought back Kerr’s words about their lonely lifetimes.

  Hannah smiled at Shax kindly and patted his arm.

  “I think I’ll stick around to hear what Mya has to say.”

  He nodded and left.

  I glanced at Kerr, who was still beside me. As usual, he was watching me. Although I was starting to read into some of his expressions, he seemed closed off now.

  “Thank you for your company, Cassie. I will see you in the morning.”

  He left without any yearning look or inappropriate gesture. A pang of disappointment shot through me. Mya, who was watching me closely, gave me a small, knowing smile.

  As soon as the door closed behind the fey, Hannah flopped onto the couch.

  “What exactly was the plan for tonight? Get the fey drunk and see how desperate you could make them?” Mya asked, looking at Hannah.

  “Come on, Mya. Everything was just fine,” Emily said.

  “Really? For you maybe. What about them? You bring them here, laugh and have fun, then say no to a simple request like saying goodnight?” Mya asked. “You’re toying with them. You know what they want.”

  Hannah sighed loudly.

  “Mya, I already gave it a try. I kissed Shax, and it wasn’t anything special. What’s the point of repeating it and unnecessarily getting his hopes up? Shax is just too nice. There was no spark.”

  “You’re looking for someone who’s more of an ass?” Mya asked.

  Mya’s determined pursuit of the topic would have made me uncomfortable if Hannah hadn’t dramatically rolled her eyes.

  “There’s no magic insta-love button that
you can push, Mya. Falling for one of them is just like with human men. Personality and physical attraction. Yes, the fey are nice. But, physically, these guys have a lot of differences a girl needs to get over. They aren’t as easy to fall in love with as you want them to be.”

  I took what was left of my cup of wine and sat down by Hannah. I was liking this girl more and more.

  “You’re right. If there’s no spark, then that’s fine. But, did you let Shax know that you’re no longer interested?” Mya asked.

  “Yes, I let him know. But, you know how well that goes over. Just look at Cassie. She told Kerr no, and he’s still following her around.”

  Mya rubbed her head. I looked at her closely, noting the pale ring around her lips and the dark circles under her eyes.

  “Headache?” I asked.

  “Always,” she said softly.

  Eden started stacking the wine boxes by the door. Mya caught me watching her.

  “This is exactly why we needed to talk to you,” Mya said. “There’s so much that the fey don’t know. Like what alcohol can do to a person’s personality. When you’re out there, they’re going to keep you physically safe, but you need to keep them mentally safe.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “They’re fascinated by things they don’t understand or have a name for,” Mya said.

  “Like dildos,” Eden piped in. “Do you know how many dildos and vibrators I had to clean out of Ghua’s house? You can still smell the smoke of those suckers in the back.”

  I stared at the girl in disbelief.

  “I’m counting on you to make sure we don’t have another situation with sex toys, porn magazines, alcohol, or worse,” Mya said.

  “On top of trying to stay alive while looking for my son, husband, and supplies,” I said dryly. I took a larger sip of my wine. What the hell had I signed up for?

  “It won’t be as hard as it sounds. When you’re out there, you’re going to turn into the group’s mom,” Mya said. “If they’re doing something they’re not sure you’d approve of, they’ll be just like kids. If a fey looks guilty, ask him what he’s hiding.”

  “Trust me. It works,” Eden said. “And it’s entertaining as hell when they’re caught. Well, it’s entertaining now. I might not have been so amused at the time.”