by Monica Davis
“Now you two,” James said to Daniel and Vanessa.
Just as Daniel was about to set foot in the portal, an energetic voice called out, “Halt!”
Daniel spun around and pushed Vanessa through the vortex. She landed on the other side in Mike’s arms.
A shadowy figure rose out of the darkness — Obron! Marla’s father still looked exhausted, but also resolute. His jaw was clenched.
“What do you want?” Daniel asked sharply. “You promised not to follow us!” Damn it all, now he was powerless. Obron would easily destroy them. Could he sense that Daniel was no longer a demon, and that James was in no position to defend himself? Daniel tried to create a mental link to Obron, but it didn’t work.
“I promised not to follow you to take the scepter for myself. I’ve only come to see what happened to my daughter.” Obron stopped in front of the cloud portal and looked in. “There’s something else as well,” he said to Daniel, without taking his eyes off of Marla. “The Oracle selected you as the future Overlord. You must accept your responsibilities.”
Marla stared back at her father. Mike was holding her tightly in his arms.
“I won’t. I abdicate the throne,” Daniel replied as casually as he could, although a hurricane was whirling through his stomach.
Obron snorted derisively. “Not that you would be capable of the job.”
Damn it, of course the demon could sense that Daniel no longer possessed any powers! But Daniel didn’t want to show any fear.
Obron took another step toward him. James immediately stepped in between them, but Obron pushed him aside.
Hopefully this was just a show of force. The high lord obviously enjoyed intimidating them.
Daniel broke out in a cold sweat.
Obron frowned. “You can’t just abdicate. Not without naming a successor. According to the Oracle, you are the chosen one. And since Antheus, the next in line to the throne, is dead, you must either become Overlord or select a successor.”
Relief washed over him. He thought intently. What would Obron do after Daniel named his successor? The demon would have no reason to spare their lives.
As though Obron could read minds — which he certainly could — he said with a smile, “Don’t worry. I’ll let you both go.” He glanced over at his daughter again.
Marla, Mike, Vanessa, and Anne stared back at them, raptly following the events playing out many thousand miles away.
There was an almost eerie silence in the park when no one was speaking. The cloud vortex whirled soundlessly before them, and no sound could be heard from the other side of the portal. Could the others in Canada hear what was being said here?
Obron made an impatient gesture. “So, whom do you choose?”
Daniel hastily considered his options. He had never thought about this question before. He certainly wouldn’t have chosen Antheus. Metistakles was dead … That only left Obron. He was a member of the High Council. The last surviving member. Daniel didn’t know anyone else; he had never had any contact with other demons, except for … Sirina!
Sirina or Obron, who would be the better choice? Daniel would have liked to see a woman take over the leading role, but Sirina wasn’t Vanessa. The demoness was not very intelligent. She hadn’t really done anything but exploit her sex appeal. No, Sirina alone wouldn’t make a good Overlord.
Obron, in contrast, had proved himself to possess something like a heart, if a cold one. He had saved Marla. That counted for a great deal in Daniel’s book.
He suddenly saw the perfect solution. “I select you as my successor, Obron. But only if you marry Sirina.”
“Sirina and I … married?” cried Obron.
Daniel nodded. He couldn’t help grinning. Obron’s cool logic and Sirina’s calculating passion would complement each other well. That would shake up a few things in the underworld. Daniel could imagine the two fighting constantly. “Yes, Sirina must become your wife; that’s my condition.” She would make Obron’s life a living hell, he could already tell.
Gnashing his teeth, Obron replied, “So be it.” He turned to James.
Obron opened his mouth, then shut it again. Did he want to say something to James?
Obron scratched his bald head and again glanced over at Marla. “Promise me you’ll take good care of my daughter. Always.”
“Of course I will,” James said. “As though she were my own child.”
Obron nodded quickly. Without showing any further emotion, he spun on his heel and disappeared into the darkness.
A few weeks later …
Daniel and Vanessa crept past the living room door. His mother and father were sitting on the couch in a warm embrace, watching a Christmas film. The teenagers lingered at the door and eavesdropped for a moment.
“It’s a pity,” Anne said to James, “that you haven’t completely regenerated your magical powers. You could be beaming us to sunny Hawaii right now.”
James pulled her closer, and Anne laid her head on his shoulder. He rubbed his nose on her forehead, grinning cheekily. “We could make it warmer right here. I could show you some other special talents I still possess.”
“James!” Anne gasped as she submitted to a gentle kiss.
Vanessa pressed a hand to her mouth. Her face had gone bright red — certainly not due to the cold night air — and she pulled Daniel away from the door. Daniel suppressed his laughter with difficulty. He definitely didn’t want to witness James applying those “special talents” to his mother. For Anne, his father was a superhero, and the two of them still seemed to be walking on air, ever since they had all piled into James’ old car and driven back to California from the cabin in Canada.
Vanessa’s parents knew that their daughter was with Daniel. She was allowed to stay out with him until eleven o’clock. Otherwise, they knew nothing: nothing about Vanessa’s disappearance, nothing about Daniel’s true identity, and nothing about the existence of demons.
When Vanessa had called her parents on the way back from Canada after not coming home from the dance performance the night before, she had let them believe that she had spent the night with Daniel. That had earned her a week’s grounding, but everything had since been smoothed over.
Daniel had fallen behind in school, but Nessa was helping him catch up. Returning to his “normal” life felt so strange to him. What would Kuwalski think if she knew where he had been — and what he had been? She’d definitely pee her pleated-front trousers in fear, just like all the others who had always mocked him. After all he had been through, Daniel felt strong. His self-confidence had increased to the point where he could laugh off his classmates’ dumb jokes, and he was no longer considered a loser.
Marla had moved in with Mike. As Ilaria had prophesized, she had “left this life” and was beginning another. For one thing, she was now officially James’ daughter; the underground watcher community had provided forged documents that verified this. Marla was considering training as a tattoo artist or working in a record store, but she wasn’t ready to decide yet.
Mike continued to work at the bank — but not for the Guild anymore, although they didn’t know it yet. Now, like James and Dr. Graham, he belonged to the watcher underground. Blondie was a spy, and he seemed to be damn proud of his position. He was trying to get information from his parents to determine who among the Guild’s high-ranking members had defected. Mike visited them more often than before, searching their computer and house each time.
He had been pleased to discover that ever since James had sent the Guild an anonymous tip, the organization had been plagued by mistrust and chaos.
Daniel took Vanessa by the hand. They carefully skipped over the creaking step so that no one would realize they were sneaking upstairs. He could feel the ring on Vanessa’s finger. His ring. He had returned it to her two weeks ago. They had begun their relationship again with a fresh start, going to the movies with Marla and Mike and having dinner together. Nothing more than kissing and a bit of cuddling. Daniel wouldn’t pr
essure her ever again.
Giggling, Vanessa shut the door to his room, tossed her parka onto a chair, and hopped onto the bed. Daniel’s room looked totally different, and he was very happy about that. James had helped him renovate as part of his “new beginning” as a human. The blue carpet had been transformed into a hardwood floor — like the one in Vanessa’s room — and the old shelves, bed, and wardrobe had been replaced with more modern furniture.
His computer also had a new place of honor, although Daniel hardly used it anymore. He had more important things to do.
“That was a really lovely evening,” Vanessa said as Daniel took off his coat and sat down next to her on the bed.
Daniel smiled. Yes, it had been a nice evening, even though Marla and Mike had been there. But his sister didn’t bother him anymore, and he had even gotten used to Blondie.
END
Daniel Taylor
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