We were outside my front door. Lucy, Allison, and Max had all come outside as well. Brian was standing a safe distance away, cradling his wrist.
“We had to fill him in on some stuff,” Allison said, nodding in Brian’s direction. Allison looked uneasy. She seemed afraid to get too close to the situation. I looked at Brian’s face. His face was set in angry lines, but his eyes held unmistakable fear.
Brian stared back at me, unable to make his face completely impassive, though I could tell that’s what he was trying to go for. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I left. I don’t want any part of—this. Whatever this is. I get the point. I’ll leave you alone from now on. You didn’t have to burn me.”
My mouth fell open. I tried to speak and my voice cracked. I tried again with a little more success, “I-I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what happened.”
Brian didn’t answer. He just turned and walked away towards his house.
Jason stood, lifting me up in his arms, and carried me inside. He laid me down gently on the couch.
Allison and Lucy came inside and hovered beside me. I heard someone, Max, by process of elimination, shut and lock the door. Max walked up to stand beside Jason.
Allison looked in their direction. “Could we have a little privacy?”
Nodding and mumbling uncomfortably, the boys unlocked the door again and went back outside. The noises that came from their exit: the hushed tones of their voices, their footsteps, the click of the door shutting, all seemed like a distant dream to me. Allison lifted me up partially so that she could sit down and lay my head in her lap. She started stroking my hair, trying to be comforting.
“What happened Xoe?” she asked.
Lucy sat on the floor and grabbed my hand. Hot tears stung my eyes. I tried to stop them, but they flowed faster and faster. What had happened?
“I hurt Brian. I don’t know how, but I did.” My tears were a mixture of confusion and fear. “He’s one of my oldest friends and . . . and . . .” My words caught in my throat. “He’s afraid of me!” The tears turned into raking sobs. I hiccupped on my breaths, trying to draw in enough air and failing.
It was just too much. I had managed to keep my cool through everything that had happened, but this was just too much. My friends held me, Allison with my head in her lap and Lucy clinging to my hand, as I cried out my frustration and fear. Underneath the frustration and fear was an immense sadness. A sadness in knowing that life as I knew it had changed—forever. I had always had a solid sense of who I was . . . what I was. Now everything felt like quicksand. I was being sucked under into a new world, a new me.
When my tears had quieted, Jason and Max came back inside. They had probably heard the whole thing with their supernatural ears, but I was still grateful for the illusion of privacy they had given me. I looked at them, eyes red and puffy, and asked, “What’s happening to me?”
Jason knelt beside Lucy. “I think you are coming into your powers. Nothing like this has ever happened before?”
I shook my head.
He continued, “If this is just starting now, we can expect more powers to manifest, or for this one to grow in strength.” Jason averted his eyes.
I stared at him until he gave in and met my gaze. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Jason’s eyes held mine steadily. “This type of power is usually related to . . . demons.”
My eyes widened. Even if I could make sense of my friends being werewolves and vampires, I could not comprehend being a demon. Jason had told me that it was a possibility, but I hadn’t allowed myself to think too hard on it.
“Elaborate,” I said shakily.
“Well,” he began, “out of our three options, demons are the only ones that possess this type of destructive power. Merpeople are capable of a mild amount of enchantment, and Ogres are simply strong. The powers of demons tend to be more . . . obvious.”
I had an awful idea. “So . . . am I like, bad?” I asked, not sure I really wanted to know. I noticed Lucy dart a worried look up at Allison.
Jason answered, “No, as far as I know, the manifestation of your genetics is often dependent on your upbringing. Demons have an inborn tendency towards violence and rage, but they do not have to act on their impulses. You were raised like a human, and therefore think like one . . . You simply need to watch your temper.”
I looked a question at him.
He went on, “Demons are marked by their anger. I believe that is what your powers are linked to. You burned Brian because you were angry.”
The room was spinning. I had to focus. I held perfectly still, breathing deeply, trying to not let things sink in until I had gotten all of the facts. “What other ‘powers’” I gulped, “can I expect?”
“I am not certain. There are different types of demons. Their powers vary. Given that the first power you exerted was to burn someone, your abilities will likely be linked to fire.”
Fire? That could explain the dreams. I reached my hand up to pinch the bridge of my nose. I had a major headache building behind my eyes. “How do you know all this?”
He looked down briefly, then met my eyes. “I have suspected that you were most likely a half-demon since the beginning. I did some research, called some friends who are a little more knowledgeable on this type of thing. Half-demons are the most common human hybrid, more so than Merpeople and Ogres. Any other races that can breed with humans are either very rare or gone altogether.”
The room was still spinning. I closed my eyes to keep from getting dizzy. “Did your knowledgeable friends give you any other information?”
Jason lightly placed his hand on the shoulder that I wasn’t laying on. “I am sorry Xoe, I have told you all that I know.”
I was overwhelmed, even with this scant amount of information. “What do we do now?” I asked, clinging to my last thread of hope. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal. Maybe the “powers” would stop here. Maybe they would just go away. And maybe the moon is made of cheese to feed the little green men.
Jason replied, “There's not much that we can do. As your powers come, if your powers come, you will learn to control them.”
That sounded like a lot of trial and error to me. I’d already hurt one friend. I shuddered at the thought of the damage I might do before I got things under control, if I got things under control. It was a very big if.
“Is there anything else I should know?” I asked, not really knowing what I was asking for, as Jason had already said all that he knew. The panic was coming back. I closed my eyes and tried to slow my breathing, afraid I was going to hyperventilate and pass out again.
Jason answered, “Probably, but like I said, I have told you all that I know.”
Angry and frustrated I replied, “Well, then I guess we should just focus on Dan and the matter at hand.”
No one argued with the sharpness of my words. Each person nodded his or her assent. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to focus on anything except my recent horrifying news, but I needed the subject off of me. I had a lot of processing to do and no time to do it in. A girl’s troubles never end.
Chapter 15
We spent the rest of the afternoon playing scrabble, eating pizza, and trying to ignore what we had discovered about me. I’m usually pretty good at scrabble, but today I was filling up the board with three-letter words. The pizza guy had been really late, which I guess was good, considering what he could have walked in on. Plus, we got the order for free. My first slice was still sitting abandoned on a paper plate next to me. When we got bored of scrabble, we resorted to watching a movie.
I couldn’t focus on the TV screen. I looked around at my living room and the people that currently inhabited it. Jason, Max, and Allison were sharing the larger dark blue couch that I had been laying on when I’d had my breakdown. Jason and Allison each clung to their respective corners while Max lounged in the center. I greedily hogged the mismatched purple loveseat. I needed distance, mentally and physical
ly, to absorb all that had happened. Lucy lay on her stomach on the purple, blue, and green patchwork rug that covered the living room floor, using a throw pillow to prop herself up. My mom had gotten the rug to try and tie in the colors of our two couches, emphasis on the word try.
I hugged a green throw pillow, clutching it against my stomach. For the past few hours my body had been debating whether I was going to pass out, throw up, or scream. Maybe a little bit of each, hopefully not simultaneously. My worry had been building a solid knot in my gut. What had started life as a golf ball of fear and worry had grown to bowling ball proportions. The more I thought about everything, the less sense it all made.
For lack of any better distractions, I grabbed my mom’s most recent National Geographic and went into the dining room. I pulled out a chair, sat down, and started leafing through the pages of the magazine, not really looking at them.
Lucy came into the dining room shortly after me and sat down in one of the high-backed maple chairs that matched the table. She nervously fiddled with a yellow woven placemat.
She smiled weakly at me. “No offense Xoe, but . . . I’m kind of glad you’re a half-demon.”
I gave her a ‘you’re kidding,’ look. She was . . . glad?
She went on, “Not that you’re a demon specifically, it’s just nice that I’m not the only newly non-human one. I was feeling pretty alone.”
“Well I guess when you put it that way, I’m pretty glad you’re a werewolf,” I replied.
Lucy smiled, a little more strongly this time. “Thanks for everything Xoe. I mean it. If it weren’t for you I’d be curled up in a ball crying right now . . . or maybe worse.”
You would think that at a moment like this Lucy would give me a hug, grab my hand, or even just pat my shoulder, just . . . something. However, Lucy kept her distance, hands neatly folded on the table. I had a feeling she wasn’t as comfortable with things as she was trying to put off. It wasn’t every day you found out that your best friend came from demonic origins.
I gave her a forced smile. “Glad to be of service.” My own best friend was afraid of me. She was a werewolf, and she was afraid of me.
We were weakly smiling at each other when Allison walked into the dining room to join us. She whined, “Do you both realize that now I’m the only measly human left? It’s so unfair. You get all these cool superpowers and I’m still just the same old me.”
Lucy and I burst into laughter, releasing some of the tension. Allison crossed her arms and pouted, plopping down in the chair next to Lucy. She’d get over it. I wasn’t sure I would.
I glanced out the wide dining room window. The sun was making its descent, giving way to darkness. Clouds obscured most of what light was left.
Lucy stood. “I guess I should call my parents.”
“You think they’ll let you stay over?” Allison asked.
Lucy shook her head lugubriously and trudged into the kitchen to retrieve the phone. Allison and I waited in silence in order to listen to Lucy’s end of the conversation, short as it was. Lucy hung up the phone and came back to face us.
“No?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Lucy nodded.
“Jason!” I called.
Jason came trotting into the dining room, leaving Max alone in the living room. “Yes?”
I sighed. “Lucy can’t stay. What do we do?”
Jason sat down across from me in Lucy’s vacated chair. “In all likelihood, Dan will expect us to stick together. He will check here first, since we have spent most of our time here. I will wait here for Dan. Xoe, you and Allison are going to leave now and hide at my hotel. Lucy will go back to her house long enough for her parents to go to sleep, then Max will help her sneak out so that they can go to my hotel as well. Once you are all together, you will drive. I want you to stay on the move until I call you on Max’s cell phone.”
I rolled my eyes at Jason. “That’s the dumbest plan I ever heard.”
Jason looked at me, stunned.
I went on, “We’re not leaving you here alone to fight Dan. We’ve already established that he might have other wolves with him. You’ll get yourself killed and then we’ll be back to square one, only with one less person to help keep us all alive.”
Jason glared at me. “I can take care of myself, I won’t risk you . . . any of you.”
I smiled haughtily. “Well seeing as this is my house, you can’t very well kick me out. I’m staying and you have no choice in the matter.”
Max chimed in, “I’m not human. I can help.”
Jason turned to Allison. “And how do you feel about all of this?”
Allison raised her nose in the air, signaling that there were to be no arguments. “I’m staying with either Xoe or Lucy, preferably both. I’m not going to hide out.”
We all looked at Lucy. I asked, “Do you think you’ll be able to sneak out?”
Lucy looked down and shook her head, then forced her gaze to meet mine. “You know how my parents are. They check on me throughout the night. I don’t know what they would do if I were missing, probably call the cops.”
Jason stood, a little angrily. “So you all refuse to hide.”
“You got it,” Allison answered.
Jason crossed his arms and glared at me. I smiled back sweetly, sure of myself. Finally, Jason gave one quick nod in agreement. “Fine, new plan. Dan will still likely check here first, so I will still wait here. We have already established that Lucy has to stay at her house, so Max will sneak in and wait with her.” He turned to once again regard Allison and me. “As for you two, since you insist on putting yourselves in more danger, you can place yourselves at either house, but I would prefer it if you stayed with me. Max needs to concentrate on keeping Lucy safe and I will have a better chance of protecting you.”
I had to point out the obvious flaw. “What if Dan goes to Lucy’s first?”
“If Max catches scent of Dan, he will call us here from his cell phone.” Jason looked to Max as Max nodded his agreement.
It was a plan I could live with, and hopefully I would. I slapped my hands together and said dramatically, “It’s a plan then, C’mon folks we’re burnin’ daylight!”
We all went together in Jason’s car to take Lucy and Max down the street to Lucy’s house. I watched Lucy go in through her front door and couldn’t help thinking that it might be the last time I ever saw her. Who could really say what would happen? I felt tears stinging my eyes for the second time that day. On the drive back to my place, I began to have some serious doubts, well, more serious than the thousands I already had.
“Are you sure you can take on Dan?” I asked Jason, “I mean, maybe we should have the same plan as Lucy and Max; if you smell him coming, call Max over to help.”
“We cannot risk leaving Lucy alone,” Jason replied. “Dan is stronger than Max, but having Max there is still better than the alternatives.”
There was something else that had been chewing at the back of my mind all night. Jason had managed to skim over it when I had brought it up earlier. “What about the other wolves that Max smelled? What if they’re with Dan?”
Jason did not look happy. “There is nothing we can do about that. We just have to hope for the best.”
Comforting, very comforting. “I think this is a really bad idea.”
Jason sighed and kept his eyes on the road. “So do I.”
What could I say?
Once we returned to my house, the three of us went inside and inspected the premises to make sure all of the doors and windows were locked. Then we sat down in the living room to wait. Allison and I squished onto the love seat while Jason sat on the end of the couch closest to us. Our plan really wasn’t a plan at all. We were leaving things completely up to chance, and the chance of success was slim.
“Should we have weapons?” I asked Jason.
“I am more efficient without weapons,” Jason replied, “but I suppose it could not hurt for you and Allison to be armed.”
He shrugged. “It is better than nothing.”
I got up and grabbed the poker from our set of fireplace tools and sat back down with it across my lap. Jason and Allison both raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged. Better than nothing.
After about thirty minutes of Al and me jumping at every sound, Jason voiced that we should get some sleep. After all, we weren’t even sure that Dan would come. The three of us went up to my room. Allison and I snuggled up in my bed, while Jason sat at my desk chair and kept watch. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, fireplace poker gripped tightly in my hands. Call it paranoia. I called it survival.
Chapter 16
It felt like I had just fallen asleep when I was awakened by a loud crash downstairs. We all sprung up and thundered downstairs into the living room with our “weapons” to find Dan waiting . . . and he brought a friend. A willowy, tall woman with long dark glossy hair stood to Dan’s right. Her features and deep olive skin were exotic, though I couldn’t quite place them to a specific nationality. She wore tight black jeans and a matching shirt. Dan’s pale blue eyes held malice. The woman looked uneasy. Dan matched the woman in dress: black jeans and t-shirt; the monochromatic duo come to call.
Glass shards littered the ground where Dan had broken the window next to my front door. Large spears of glass still remained in the pane; he had only needed a hole big enough for him to reach through and unlock the door. I was surprised that he had chosen to break into the front. He was either very bold or very stupid, or maybe he just didn’t care. I was betting on the latter.
If the woman was a wolf, which I was guessing she was, we were over-matched, at least I thought we were. To tell the truth, I had no idea how two werewolves, one of unknown power and the other apparently pretty powerful, matched up with a vampire, a human, and a half-demon just come into her powers. We were about to find out.
Demons & Djinn: Nine Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Novels Featuring Demons, Djinn, and other Bad Boys of the Underworld Page 108
