by Trina M. Lee
I gazed up at him, an unspoken question in my eyes.
“Take care, Ember.” It was all he said before he gave me a pointed look that could’ve meant anything. Then he was gone.
“Says he’s not a guardian,” Arrow muttered. “Then why put his seal on you? Seems like a guardian thing to do to me.”
“Oh, shut up, Arrow. You don’t know shit about the guardians.” I hefted the sword, holding it up before me, letting my mind wrap around the way it felt in my hand. “Wait, what’s a seal?”
The dark nephilim snickered. “Obviously there are things you don’t know shit about either. A seal is the casting of your own energy over someone else’s. So another angel or demon can see that you’re under his protection. It’s a warning. If they fuck with you, they fuck with him.”
“Oh.” I thought about that and couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy. Cinder was special to me, a good friend. He cared so much, which meant a lot to me. “Good to know.”
“So, what now?” Arrow’s gaze held expectation. “Do we just sit here and find ways to insult one another until sunrise? I mean, I’m up for it if you are, but I’ll need my stash back.”
“Fuck your stash,” I said, tempted to flush the bag. He had a point though. Sitting around waiting was going to get old fast. Though I wasn’t hungry, I was interested in getting Arrow out of my apartment sooner rather than later. “Let’s go for breakfast. I’ll buy. Actually, I’ll drive too.”
We could get a cheap plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes at any of a few decent twenty-four-hour diners. It would give us a purpose, something to do to pass the time so it didn’t hold us prisoner inside my apartment.
Arrow eyed me uncertainly for a moment, then shrugged. “Fine with me. But we’re not taking your car. It’s a piece of shit.”
“You don’t get to talk about her that way. I love that car.” Nothing annoyed me like people shitting on my ride. Only Jett got away with that. Still, I held my hand out for his keys.
As he dropped them into my palm, our hands touched briefly, and he pulled away, as if afraid I’d somehow sense his grief and guilt. That impulse revealed more about Arrow than he wanted me to know. For the first time since we’d met, I almost felt bad for him.
Chapter Eighteen
Sitting across from Arrow at the late-night diner, I watched as he noisily munched on a crunchy piece of bacon. I had picked at the things on my plate but left most of it untouched.
“Are you going to finish that?” he asked, pointing at my plate, his mouth full.
I shoved it across the table and sat back to watch him devour my food too. “I don’t know how you can eat right now. Aren’t you nervous?”
“Hell yeah. But you gotta eat, right? You can’t survive on nasty coffee alone.” He gestured to the mug in front of me. Stabbing a chunk of pancake with his fork, Arrow took a loud slurp of his own coffee.
My frown went unnoticed as he shoveled food into his mouth. Maybe this was how he dealt with tough situations. Who was I to judge? Still, did he have to be so noisy about it?
The diner was relatively empty, just a few other groups, most of whom seemed to be coming from the bar. This was a popular location for an early morning meal after a night of partying. Every time the door opened, I glanced up, worried someone from the rock scene would come in and see us together. Maybe that was mean, but I didn’t want anyone thinking the wrong thing.
So of course the guys of Sacred Stone walked in. I sighed, and Arrow looked up, following my gaze. Then he glanced at me, understanding my reaction.
“I bet it’s killing you to be seen here with me, huh? Don’t worry. I never showed any of them your picture.” He snickered between mouthfuls, pleased with himself. At least he seemed to be coming out of the strange, dopey haze he’d been in earlier.
“Fuck you, Arrow,” I said with a smile, as if I’d thanked him instead. Because his mouth was full again, he shot me his middle finger as a response.
Paul Webber, the lead singer of Sacred Stone, led the pack through the diner. They strode toward us, every one of them with a forced swagger in their step. Puhhlease! In skinny jeans and a leather jacket, Paul looked like the punk he often acted like. I wasn’t impressed. Ignoring him, I stirred another packet of sugar into my coffee.
“Well, well, well,” he boomed, jerking to a stop beside our table. “Never thought I’d see the two of you out together. Alone.”
Arrow fixed him with a withering stare. “Is there some kind of law against two people eating together?”
“There is when one of them is your best buddy’s girl. But hey, that is clearly none of my business.” Paul held his hands up in a “whatever” gesture. “I’m sure you’ll all stop being so chummy after one of you kicks the other’s ass next weekend anyway. Preferably Molly’s Chamber. No offense, Spike. You girls are good and all, but let’s be realistic. Music is a man’s world for a reason.”
A few of his friends snickered. My palms tingled. Oh, that wasn’t good. Entitled male crap usually didn’t set me off. I knew better than to let such narrow-minded idiots get to me. But I was already fired up because of Rowen. If he gave me much more crap, I’d be swinging at this asshole.
Arrow dropped his fork with a clatter that drew the attention of the other patrons. He too seemed to be feeling frisky because he stood up to face Paul, getting right in his face.
“Apologize to Spike. Right. Fucking. Now.”
Paul laughed, but it was half-assed, like he wasn’t so sure he liked where his insult had taken him. “You’re kidding, right? Don’t act as if you don’t agree.”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Arrow pressed closer, nearly chest to chest with Paul. His stance was so aggressive that I tensed. “Crimson Sin is still in the contest, and your band is not. There’s a damn good reason for that. Now apologize.”
The world stalled in intense silence as everyone who was gathered beside our table waited to see what would end this confrontation. I held my breath, knowing that Arrow was capable of things Paul couldn’t even dream of.
Paul’s condescending gaze dropped to me, then back to Arrow. “Fuck that.”
The punch came fast. Fueled by cocaine and darkness, it was loud. Arrow’s fist connected with Paul’s jaw, dropping him like a sack of bricks where he stood. One of Paul’s friends dropped down to help him up while the others blocked Arrow from throwing another punch. He made no move to do any such thing. He just stood there staring down at Paul with utter contempt.
A waiter rushed over with shouted commands for everyone to get out. None of us were welcome any longer. If we didn’t leave, the waiter would call the cops.
“Fine with me,” Arrow muttered, swiping his phone off the table. “Let’s go.”
Before I could reach for my wallet, he produced a handful of bills and tossed them on the table. I followed him out, glancing back to see Paul’s friends helping him up. He was dazed, holding his face.
“What the hell did you hit him for?” I demanded when we were in the parking lot.
“You’re welcome.” Arrow didn’t even look at me as he strode angrily to the black BMW.
I jerked to a halt. The keys were in my purse, so he was forced to wait. He stood beside the car with a hand on the door as if that would hurry me up.
“I’m welcome? Are you expecting gratitude? Do you think you just did something heroic in there by treating me like a weak female who can’t defend herself?” I was furious that he was using me as a prop in his pissing contest.
Arrow gave a loud, exaggerated sigh and leaned against the passenger door. “Save the feminist bullshit, Spike. We both know you can defend yourself.” He motioned to the bruises marking the side of his nose. “Paul is a fucking prick. And you don’t deserve to be spoken to like that. I wanted to shut him up so I did. End of story. We don’t have to pick it apart.”
Because I wasn’t the argumentative type and because I wanted to leave before Paul and his buddies came outside, I unlocked the car and got in.
“Did you really hit him because he insulted me?” I asked. “Or because you just wanted an excuse to do it?”
I started the car, and Arrow immediately jacked his phone into the speakers, fiddling with the volume. He didn’t seem interested in answering. Just when I’d given up and put the car in gear, he said, “They don’t get to talk to us like that. Any of us.”
So it was a nephilim thing. Arrow wouldn’t be the first to feel he was better than the average human. It was, in fact, something Cinder had warned me against. Having gifts that others didn’t have and being linked to another world could give anyone a complex.
“Well… thank you for considering me to be worth defending. But please, try to lay off the violence. All you’ve done is convince him that we really are running around behind Rowen’s back.” With a glance at the skyline, I eased the BMW into traffic. It made me nervous to drive something so nice and new. I’d gotten used to driving a car always on the brink of breakdown.
“Who cares? Paul’s a fucking tool anyway.” Bitter and moody, Arrow stared out the window. Both of his fists were clenched in his lap.
“So where am I headed? South, I know. But then what? I don’t remember exactly what neighborhood it was in.” Focusing on the task at hand seemed best. I down shifted too soon, and the car jerked. I winced. “Sorry. I haven’t driven a stick in a while.”
Arrow raised a brow at that and opened his mouth to make a smart-ass remark.
“Shut up,” I muttered.
“Shit, Spike, you have a filthy mind. I was just going to say that it’s no big deal. I have an extended warranty, and I doubt you can really fuck it up. Anyway, head south. Cross the river. I’ll direct you as we go.” He lit a smoke and puffed away on it while drumming his fingers on the dash in time to the raucous music blasting out of the speakers.
Finally the night was coming to an end. The sky was beginning to lighten. My hands were tight on the wheel. I was scared. Arrow opened the window a few inches to let the smoke escape. He seemed calm, unfazed by what we were going to do. I was envious.
When he passed me the cigarette, I hesitated only a moment before taking it. Quitting would have to wait for another day, assuming I lived to see it. Right then I was anxious as all get out and needed a drag.
We didn’t talk much as I drove. The loud music was helpful. It kept us from feeling forced to converse. The closer we got, the lighter the sky grew, and the shakier my nerves became. I had a bad feeling about this. By the time we pulled into the ritzy neighborhood, my hands were so tight on the wheel that I was sure they’d have to be pried off.
“Park a block away, down here.” Arrow waved a hand toward a side street. “We’ll leave the keys in the car and the doors unlocked. Nobody will touch it here. If we don’t both make it out, then whoever does can get away. Hopefully with Rowen.”
My breath caught, and my pulse pounded in my ears. We hadn’t even left the car yet. I felt like a huge wimp. “There’s a chance we won’t both make it out? Exactly what are you expecting in there, Arrow?” I pulled over and killed the engine. Taking deep breaths was not helping.
“Well for one, Skylar,” he said. “Let’s just hope she’s the only witch here. They have greater power in numbers, and they don’t make it a habit to be alone.”
“Skylar? Well that’s fucking great.” My hand went to the cross around my neck. The witch had been pissed that I’d interrupted her sordid wedding. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing her again.
“I won’t let her hurt you.” With such sincerity in Arrow’s declaration, I had to remind myself that he couldn’t be trusted.
I watched with a lump in my throat as the sun crested the horizon. “Let’s go before I chicken out and run screaming into traffic.”
I grabbed the sword Cinder had given me from the backseat. It felt good in my hand, and I gave it an experimental swing. Could I use it on someone like Skylar if she threw another demon curse at me? I’d never killed anyone. I didn’t want to start now, but in self-defense, I might have no choice.
“There will be hellhounds protecting the property during the day,” Arrow said as we walked down the street. “I’ll get rid of them. They know me.”
“That has got to be one of the most fucked up things I’ve ever heard anyone say.” We turned a corner, and I could see the house ahead, so normal from the outside, not unlike the houses next to it. “What’s the deal with this house anyway? Dash and Koda said something about Lilah. Who’s Lilah?”
Arrow slid a sideways glance at me as if wondering how much to tell an undecided. “Lilah is a demon queen, one of the most powerful in all the underworld. She’s a prisoner now. Captured by the angels. I don’t know the whole story there. What I do know is that the door to her kingdom is here, somewhere in the city. Some say that’s why there’s so much supernatural activity here.”
“So why does she have a house in the rich part of town? Is that where the door to her kingdom is?” Every step that brought us closer to the house made my unease grow.
“She was cursed into the form of a vampire, forced to live as one of them. This is where she lived. Until she was killed, which sent her right back to the angels’ prison. Or so they say. I don’t know. I never met her myself.” Arrow shrugged as if he couldn’t care less. But Dash and Koda had cared.
“Dash seemed pretty worked up about her though,” I said, hoping to coax something out of him that could help me with Dash in the future, provided I had one after today.
Arrow smoothed his hair down beneath the knit cap that hung off the back of his head. “Dash is always worked up about something. Far as I know, Lilah had a bunch of demons at her command. Now that she’s gone, they’re all fighting over who gets to take her place. So far, nobody’s been able to access the kingdom she left behind and all the power that goes with it.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Fuck yeah.”
Perplexed, I snuck a studious peek at Arrow. His expression was neutral, revealing nothing. I thought it odd that a dark nephilim held such an opinion.
When we stood in front of the house, I felt overwhelmed by the evil presence inside. The iron gate was closed. I stared at the high, concrete walls surrounding the property and sighed.
“We have to go over, don’t we?” With zero climbing experience, this was going to hurt.
“Sure do. Here, I’ll boost you up. Then you help me.”
“Oh, I really don’t like that idea.” I shrunk back when he came toward me.
Arrow huffed and rolled his eyes. He seemed to do that a lot. “Do you have a better plan?”
I swallowed hard and looked up at the top of the wall. It seemed so far away. “Not really.”
“Alrighty, then let’s do this.” Arrow clasped his hands together, holding them like a small stool.
I rested the sword against the wall, tried to brace myself with my hands, and stepped onto his hands. He flung me up there fast, and I scrambled to grab hold of the top of the wall before I fell. I wasn’t quite strong enough to haul my weight up. I almost fell backward, but his hand on my ass stopped my descent.
“That’s great, Arrow, thanks,” I muttered sarcastically. However, it was the encouragement I needed to drag myself up onto the top of the wall. The wall was about a foot thick, giving me enough room to balance but not much more.
“Hey, I didn’t let you fall. Give me some credit.” He passed the sword up and then backed away a few feet. Taking a running start, he leaped at the wall and managed to hook his fingers on the ledge.
I clung to the edge of the wall with one hand and used the other to grab hold of his wrist. He clambered up beside me, and we both sat there for a moment, gathering ourselves.
“The hounds should be coming,” he said, peering down. “Wait here.”
He jumped down into the yard. Right on cue a pack of dogs appeared as if out of nowhere though I was pretty sure they’d been in the backyard. With glowing red eyes, the horrifying black beasts were
the stuff of nightmares. Even from here I could see that every tooth in their massive heads was razor sharp.
“No fucking way,” I gasped.
The hounds raced up to Arrow, stopping short of an actual attack. He held a hand out to them, and their snarls ceased. Much to my surprise, they began wriggling and tail wagging, excited to see Arrow.
He whispered to them, trying to keep them from barking or howling or whatever hellhounds do. One of them sprawled on the ground at his feet, begging for a belly rub.
“It’s ok, Spike. You can come down now.”
“I really don’t want to.” Knowing I couldn’t sit on top of the wall all day, I dropped the sword so it stuck point down in the grass. Then I slowly lowered myself down and let go. The drop wasn’t as far as I’d expected.
Right away the hounds wanted to check out the newcomer. Cringing but trying not to stink like fear to them, I held out a timid hand. They sniffed me, shooting glances at Arrow. When they saw that he was cool with me, they backed off, losing interest in us completely.
“Those things are fucking scary.” I picked the sword up and motioned for Arrow to lead the way.
“There will be wards on the doors,” he said. “Nothing that will keep mortals out, lucky us, but they will alert everyone inside to an intruder. The windows too.”
“So what now?”
He studied the house for a moment. Clearly flying by the seat of his pants, he didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in me.
“You stay out of sight while I go to the door. Be ready for anything.”
“I really don’t like this.”
Arrow eyed me as if he wasn’t sure he could trust me not to fall apart. Well, he wasn’t the only one. “I’m not real thrilled either, but we don’t have a choice. I’m sure Rowen is in here.”
I watched with bated breath as he strode up to the door. His fist fell heavy against the door, and I jumped, wary of who might answer. He rang the doorbell next, and right away we could hear the heavy fall of hurried footsteps.
