Chapter 10
I leaned against the wall with Bethany, Hannah, and Fran as we waited for a table to open up. Over the bar, two big screen televisions displayed football games. I stared idly at the players as they dashed across the green field on the screen. Several people at the bar hollered in annoyance as a flag sailed onto the field.
Glancing at my companions, I saw Chelsea link hands with Ryan and a small smile tugged at my lips. They were good together now that they had finally admitted their mutual attraction. The kind of couple that made perfect sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of them started sharing the same apartment soon.
Ethan held Bethany’s attention as they talked about something I couldn’t hear over the outraged cries at the bar. I guess the flag was for their team. James stood with his arm draped loosely across Aaron’s shoulders.
The others were clustered around mostly blocking the door. I let my gaze wander over the Tex-Mex style décor and took a deep breath of the wonderful food scents while we waited and my stomach grumbled impatiently.
Finally, a bubbly hostess led the group to a corner table a good distance from the bar. I was the last to slide into the large, half-moon shaped booth. The hostess left us with our menus and a promise that our waiter would be with us soon.
I stared at the menu trying to decide what I wanted to eat. In all honesty, I would have happily ordered one of everything and taken what I couldn’t eat back with me. Sadly, the veil didn’t work that way. With a wistful sigh, I settled on a steak smothered in cheese and vegetables, with mashed potatoes, and curry coleslaw when our waiter showed up.
I also selected green chili quesadillas as an appetizer that I already knew I would share with the table. Just like I would get some of the shrimp and cheese stuffed jalapenos, buffalo wings, fried pickles, sweet potato fries, nachos, and fried calamari that the others were ordering as starters. I had every intention of stuffing myself as full as I could get. Just for good measure, I ordered a Dr. Pepper too.
The waiter’s expression was one of disbelief at the long list of food being ordered by everyone. Between the main courses and the sides, there would hardly be room on the table to put all of it. A combination of extremely high metabolism and power use during our shifts gave us voracious appetites.
Bethany stared after the waiter when he finally finished taking everything down and began to weave his way toward the kitchen. “Mmm,” she sighed. “Look at that butt. It’s a shame we can’t start relationships with mortals. I bet he’s yummy.”
Hannah flushed bright red and stared at the table as if she was thinking the same thing, but was too embarrassed to come out and say it. Fran nodded, the look on her face saying she was in full agreement. James gazed after the waiter with a dreamy look in his eyes as Aaron looked on with mock affront.
Personally, I had been far too interested in the menu to notice. I followed their gazes before the crowd cut the poor man in question off from our sight.
Tall, with short, sandy hair, and broad shoulders. Yeah, he was hot and all, but why would I drool over a guy when there was a smothered steak coming? Especially a mortal guy who I didn’t have a chance in the nine hells of getting together with. Why waste time on that when I could definitely become fully involved with my dinner? Yeah, I know, I’m weird.
It didn’t take long for the starters and drinks to be delivered to the table. I took a huge gulp of my Dr. Pepper before filling my appetizer plate with a little of everything. My taste buds highly approved of my first bite of green chili quesadilla, the mix of spice and cheese a perfect combination.
Rowen glanced across the table at me as he took a bite of nachos, a glint of worry in his deep brown eyes. He washed his food down with a drink of soda and reached for another chip. “I heard more rumors today.”
I froze in the act of picking up a piece of calamari. He didn’t have to say which rumors; I knew all too well what he was talking about. So did everyone else. Their chatter quieted as they took notice of the conversation. Slowly, I lowered the bite of fried food in my fingers. “What now?”
“Possibly good news, the rumbles of war seem to be quieting,” Rowen said.
Swallowing past the nervous lump that blocked my throat I asked, “Do you think they will go away?”
Chelsea snorted in disgust, tossing the sweet potato fry in her hand onto her plate. “I don’t see why there is such an uproar over this. Jo’s father has been punished. Why would they want to drag her and her sister into it? It isn’t like they got to choose their parents.”
I couldn’t agree more. Well, except the ‘father’ part. Baby daddy maybe, but Elijah could hardly be considered a father by any stretch of the imagination.
“I wish they would let it drop.” I glared at the calamari. Not that this was any of its fault. It was wonderfully good fried food that had never done anything to anybody.
James waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, the cheesy nacho goo on the chip in his hand coming dangerously close to falling off. “The whole thing is ridiculous.” He gave me a comforting smile. “I’m sure it will blow over soon.”
“You think so?” I couldn’t help hoping.
Devin nodded. “A year isn’t a long time in the scheme of things on the other side of the veil. It’s still considered new news over there.”
“Big news,” Rowen said, his voice conveying the magnitude of Elijah’s crime.
I pushed the calamari around on my plate with a finger. This wasn’t something I wanted to think about tonight. The fact that I was a freak even in the Between didn’t sit well with me.
As talk of the rumors of war between the Heavens and the Hells continued around the table I remained quiet. There wouldn’t be a possibility of impending war if not for me. If not for Victoria. Maybe that wasn’t exactly right. Victoria and I had done nothing wrong other than being born, and we were both working hard at being exemplary citizens of Midtween.
The better way to say it was if not for Elijah, and whatever stupidity possessed him, there wouldn’t be a possibility of war. Of course, then I wouldn’t be here at all. Was it wrong that I would rather be sitting there thinking of the war my existence, and that of my sister, might cause than not be sitting there at all? I guess if I didn’t exist I wouldn’t care. But I did exist and I did care.
If I ever got my hands on Elijah… No, I couldn’t do that. Whether I liked it or not, he had sired me. I could only hope that he’d done it because he fell madly, stupidly in love. Not that I was likely to ever find out. I didn’t see myself traipsing around Between trying to hunt him down to ask.
I absently ate the rest of my appetizers, only partially enjoying the flavors as my mind turned over the rumors of war. The Heavens weren’t fond of the idea of there being two full angel hybrids, and the Hells weren’t exactly thrilled with it either even though they had plenty of demon hybrids.
If rumors of possible war between the two were dying down, that was just fine. I was given a chance and I intended to be a great reaper. I didn’t appreciate needing to prove myself, but who said I had to like everything in life?
“If you need to talk, Josephine,” Rowen said, his expression concerned, “I’m available anytime. You may be reaping on your own now, however, I’m still your guide for a reason.”
I shrugged, it was the last thing I wanted to talk about. “I’m fine.”
Our entrees arrived then, effectively pulling my mind from the stupid angel, demon, half-angel crap that had invaded my life. As I cut through the cheese and vegetables, into the juicy steak beneath them, I decided that tonight was not the night to worry about any of it. I couldn’t change it, short of throwing myself into the River Styx and becoming a Lost, so I might as well enjoy myself while I could.
I placed the bite in my mouth and chewed, nearly moaning with the pleasure of the flavors and knew I made the right decision. After putting some steak sauce on my plate, I cut off another bite, dunked it thoroughly in the sauce and put it in my mouth. This time I did moa
n, my eyes closing as I savored it.
“Well, if we could all get pleasure like that from our food, we wouldn’t need men,” James said with a laugh.
Bethany giggled. “Jo has a serious, ongoing, and exclusive relationship with good food.”
I nodded, swallowed the bite and began cutting off another. “Food is uncomplicated and I have enough complication in my life without adding to it.”
With the talk of rumors and possible war behind us, we dug into our food, keeping the conversation light. Each of us seemed determined to steer it away from Elijah and the ramifications that may still come from his actions. I know I was.
After swallowing the last bite, my stomach was wonderfully full, and taste buds thoroughly appeased. I was just debating with myself whether or not I should try to stuff a slice of German chocolate cheesecake in when silence fell over the table.
I looked up. Rowen stared across the restaurant toward the doors with narrowed eyes, tension clinging to him. Everyone else turned to look, including me. My desire for cheesecake disappeared. A group of demonborn was waiting for a table.
***
“At this point, war is inevitable. Rowen can only keep the secret for so long. Eventually, it will be found out, and she will pay the price.” ~Caius
Chapter 11
I stared at the demonborn, a nervous knot in my stomach. It was Caius, his golden gaze fixed on us, who held my attention though. Whether or not there would be a confrontation between our groups would be his decision.
He wore a sleeveless t-shirt that showed off the tribal tattoos inked in black on his shoulders and upper arms. To those who could understand the different ways the symbols fit together, they told of his Archdemon familial ties, his lineage. They also told of his siblings, where he ranked with them, and his rank among the rest of the demonborn. Caius was at the top of the food chain for both.
If the demon side of him was in danger of coming out, a glowing set of matching markings would overlay the ink and even spread beyond. The ink was just a placeholder for when a demonborn’s demon half was quiet.
My eyes flicked to Rowen, waiting for a sign from him while trying to keep an eye on Caius as well. I prayed he wouldn’t start something in front of so many mortals, and that he wouldn’t follow us when we left.
Whether the prayers worked or Caius decided it wasn’t worth the trouble with a restaurant full of mortals, I didn’t know, but after a minute that felt a lot longer he finally turned away. A moment later the bubbly hostess showed up. Caius indicated the other side of the restaurant from us. As they disappeared around the far side of the bar full of people drinking, and watching yet another sports game, a collective sigh went up around the table as we all let our breath out.
“Time to go,” Rowen said as he waved for the waiter.
After the waiter left the little screen on our table, Rowen pulled a card from his wallet, tapped the screen, entered a tip and then swiped the card. I was more than ready to leave, the desire for dessert a forgotten memory. Rowen tucked the card back in his wallet and I slid from the booth.
We wove through the crowded tables toward the front of the restaurant in a tight group. The hostess gave us a cheery smile and thanked us for coming. None of us answered her. Just as I stepped through the door, I glanced back. Caius’s eyes, gleaming gold in the lower light of the far corner, followed me.
Swallowing, I hurried after the others. The excitement and thrill of the evening shattered, we made our way down the street past the thumping music of the nightclub and the groups of people. As reapers, we were stronger and faster than humans and we don’t lack our own power. Demonborn though, they make us look slow and weak.
According to Rowen, since I was as much a hybrid as the demonborn, I would one day be a match for most of them. I wasn’t there yet and wouldn’t be for many years. However, some of those in Caius’s group were probably like him, the children of Archdemons. No matter how my powers grew and matured as I got older, I would never be able to defeat an Archdemon hybrid.
We made good time down the street, the lights and people slowly fading until we reached the darkened, dilapidated area where the abandoned department store resided. Several of the street lights were out in the area. That, combined with the knowledge of a large group of demonborn othersiding in the same city as us, made the street seem more sinister than when we traveled down it earlier.
Beside me, Bethany squeaked. I glanced at her then followed her gaze back the way we’d come. My breath caught in my throat. Three sets of eyes gleamed in the dark. “Rowen!” I hissed.
He spun, taking in the situation quickly. “Move, now! Get to the elevator.”
None of us questioned his leadership or direction. As a group, we stampeded forward. Rowen ran behind us now. Ryan, Chelsea, and Brenden ran just ahead of him, ready to help if he needed it. The alley that led to the back door of the department store loomed ahead. A little bit further and we would be safe.
Four more demonborn stepped into the glow cast by the street light at the corner of the alley. Panic flooded my system as I whirled and sprinted across the street. Bethany and Hannah followed. Rowen’s shouts rose into the night. A look over my shoulder showed the rest of the group splintering in all directions.
We almost made it to the far sidewalk when a female demonborn, her eyes glowing silver in the dark, jumped in front of us. Her expression lit up with anticipation as the breeze tossed her blonde hair. We skidded to a halt. For a single heartbeat, no one moved.
Bethany and Hannah bolted away. Blondie lunged after them. Knowing I didn’t have the necessary strength to defeat her, I threw myself at the demonborn’s legs, tackling her to the ground. She hissed and turned on me. I jumped to my feet and ran in the opposite direction of my friends. Now that I had her attention, she would follow me instead of them.
Of course, now that I had it I didn’t know what to do with it. I couldn’t outrun her, or overpower her. Crap! In mid-run, I attempted to shift. If I could just gain the sky, I might have a chance. A blow to my back sent me flying into the side of a building. The air knocked from my lungs and my brain struggled to keep up with the quick change. Before I could hit the ground, the demonborn pounced.
Adrenaline shot through me, sending terror flooding through my limbs. Her fingers, now tipped with sharp, pointed nails, gripped me with brutal strength and shoved my back against the brick wall. Her face morphed into that of a monster, sharp fangs sprouted in her mouth. I twisted and kicked with all of my strength. It wasn’t enough. Her fangs grazed my throat and then I fell to my hands and knees.
It took me a moment to understand why I was on the ground with my blood still in my veins. Caius held the struggling and spitting demonborn by a fistful of her hair. His molten gold eyes glared down at me before he turned back to where the rest of the demonborn were herding my friends into the alley.
“I did not bring you to this side so you could disobey me.” Caius’s voice, thick with anger, echoed across the street as he crossed to them, the tattoos on his upper arms flaring golden-red. He must be close to losing his temper completely.
Beside him, the female demonborn still fought. He gave her a shake that should have broken her neck and she subsided. Maintaining his hold on her hair, he growled at the other demonborn. Several others, who were obviously siding with Caius, appeared in the street.
I couldn’t hear what they said from my position, but in short order, the demonborn who attacked us were rounded up and moved down the street until they disappeared in the shadows.
The world faded gray. I took a deep breath, unaware I’d been holding it. Staggering to my feet, I made my way across the street on legs so shaky they didn’t want to work properly.
Bethany ran toward me and flung her arms around me, clinging tight. “Oh gods, Jo, I thought for sure you were going to die.”
I returned her hug. “You and me both.”
Rowen nodded to me as we approached. “You all right?”
“I think s
o.”
“Let’s get back then,” he said, ushering us toward the open door in the back side of the building.
We made it to the elevator with no further mishaps and crowded in. The doors slid closed and I leaned on the wall of the car feeling drained. Once the door closed, Rowen took stock of us as if to assure himself we were indeed all accounted for. “There will be no more othersiding until further notice.”
No one disagreed with him. I don’t think I’d ever been so glad to see the doors open to my hall when we arrived in Midtween. I stumbled off the elevator with Bethany as Rowen ordered everyone to get some sleep before he walked away muttering about informing Alaric and the other guides.
James and Aaron followed Bethany and me to our apartment. Once inside I chucked my wallet across the room and slumped onto one of the sofas. “I’m never going othersiding again.”
James and Aaron flopped down on the other sofa. Bethany sat next to me in silence. I don’t think she knew what to say to reassure me. This was why the trips were always made in large groups and in no particular pattern. Never the same day of the week, the same time of day, or the same city. The events of the night proved that even those precautions weren’t always enough.
On the other hand, if that demonborn had killed me, the rumors of war would die back. Well, partially, they would have to take out Victoria, too. Maybe that was the intention. But then why would Caius stop the blonde demonborn? Why would he stop her no matter what my death may or may not have done? I don’t recall ever hearing of a demonborn stopping another from taking what they wanted. Maybe it was just a freak thing. Either way, I wouldn’t be othersiding anytime soon.
For a long time, the four of us sat quietly together as, one by one, the rest of the group showed up carrying pillows and blankets. It got pretty crowded, but no one seemed to care. I wasn’t the only one to have a close call and it seemed none of us wanted to be alone.
Though a more subdued group now than we’d been when we left, we spent the rest of the evening talking quietly and playing cards. Bethany and James both asked once more if I was okay, to which I replied I was fine.
Unveiled (Raven Daughter Book 1) Page 8
