by GRP
“That sounds great,” he said, picking up the tab. “I know a cute little coffee house nearby –”
Cringing, I joked, “It's not Perky Beans, is it? I spend enough time there already.”
And together, we both laughed. He just shook his head with his cheeks flushed and an embarrassed look on his face.
“I wasn't thinking,” he said. “I'm sorry –”
“It's fine,” I said, taking his hand and staring into those baby blue eyes. “Let's just go for a walk and see where we end up.”
“That sounds wonderful,” he said.
Yes, yes it did.
Chapter Five
Ozaryan
“We've seen an uptick in Shongtal activity over the last few days,” Anshe said as he looked over the gathering of his Wardens. “So be extra vigilant. I fear they're planning something. Something big.”
Anshe was the King of the Lightning clan, and had been for as long as I'd been alive. Which was a very, very long time. He knew more about the Shongtal than any of us did, and even this news worried him. That he was concerned made me supremely nervous. When the King was worried, there was usually a reason to be afraid.
“Any idea what it might be?” Feilong asked.
“Not at this time,” Anshe said. “And it could be nothing. It could just be them being restless. I have nothing concrete to go on, I just have a bad feeling about this.”
As did I.
We were quiet as we left our meeting with the King. All the Wardens in attendance were a little subdued, lost in our thoughts about what the Shongtal could be planning.
“What do you think they're up to?” Fei asked me. “Trying to start a war? Do you think they're going to try to expose us to the humans?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. But it makes things extra dangerous for us, that much is certain,” I said. “Be safe out there.”
We said our goodbyes as we went through the Dragon Door, to our respective territories.
It was early morning, as usual when I strolled that part of my territory. And as usual, Perky Beans already had a line out the door. I stopped outside the shop, struggling with the idea of going inside again – for old time's sake.
It had been a few weeks since I'd last set foot inside the shop; since I'd last seen Jessica. I wondered how she was doing, how things had gone with Aaron – secretly hoping they'd gone nowhere. But I reminded myself that it was none of my business.
I started to walk past the shop when the warning bells inside my head started to go off. There was a Shongtal nearby, I could smell it. Being that we were in a busy area in the middle of the day, there wasn't much I could do about it though. I'd have to wait until, preferably, the sun went down, but that was still some ways off.
Knowing there was nothing anyone could do, as long as he was surrounded by people in broad daylight, was probably why he felt so safe out in the open. We would never attack in those conditions and only carried out our fight in the middle of the night. We couldn't risk being seen, couldn't risk exposing ourselves to the humans. And the Shongtal knew that. Which sometimes seemed to embolden them.
My gaze narrowed in on the human husk it was wearing – a tall, skinny man who looked unassuming. As I watched it, the creature must have sensed my presence as well. His body stiffened as he stood inside the coffee house and then he slowly turned toward me. Pulling back his lips in a toothy snarl, he looked purely evil in that moment. He looked like the shadowy creature I was sworn to kill.
He knew I couldn't attack him. But I could follow him.
I broke my rule and stepped inside Perky Beans, my eyes focused on the man. Jessica was behind the counter, as usual, and when she saw me, she called out.
“Welcome back, Ozy!” she said. “It's nice to see you again.”
I stood in line and acted normal, keeping my eyes on the husk the Shongtal was wearing since he was standing close to the counter. I didn't want to cause a scene or risk anybody getting hurt. I had no idea what it was even doing there. It wasn't like the creatures needed to eat and drink – they survived off the life force inside the meat suits they wore.
“Look who finally decided to come back to us,” Jessica asked as I stepped up to the counter. “Your usual?”
“Yes, please,” I said.
She wrote my name on the cup and handed it to her co-worker to be made. I paid and tipped her like usual, and she smiled at me. God, how I loved that smile.
“So how have things been?” I asked.
I tried to avoid drawing too much attention to myself and decided that I might as well play nice. Besides, I was curious about her – especially about her and Aaron. I knew it was petty but I was.
I also had to mask my feelings for her in front of the Shongtal. They would do anything to cause us pain and if this one knew I had an emotional attachment to Jessica, I had no doubt she'd be a husk by sundown. And I wasn't about to let that happen to her. There was no way in hell I was going to let her become food for those creatures.
“Great, actually,” she said, seeming a little extra perky today. But she didn't go into details, because we weren't close like that. “And you?”
“Good,” I said. “I'm good, thanks.”
And by good, I meant about as good as ever – no better or worse than usual. I cut my eyes to the Shongtal, giving it a look that said I knew what it was and would deal with it.
“Well,” I said. “I suppose I better let you get back to work.”
“Yeah,” she said, sounding a little disappointed as I walked away.
I sat down not too far from where it was seated and took a sip of my tea.
“Ozy,” it hissed at me. “As in Warden Ozaryan?”
“That's the rumor.”
“Yeah, where have you been, Ozy?” it asked me.
I didn't answer. No need to talk to that creature. I just needed to keep an eye on it. Make sure it didn't do anything – rash.
“We've been waiting for you,” it said again. “I heard you hung out here, but I almost gave up on you. Until today. What brought you back?”
“You did,” I said matter-of-factly. “Because I could smell you from a mile away.”
Changing my daily routine meant I hadn't walked by the Perky Beans on my morning patrol around the city. I avoided the temptation. But today, I was happy I'd come this way. Otherwise, I'd have missed this clown and that would have been very bad.
I shifted in my seat a little to let it see the hilts of the curved daggers in my belt – daggers that had cut down hundreds of creatures just like him. Maybe thousands. The creature just smiled at me.
“Don't you want to know why I was looking for you?” it asked.
“Not really,” I shrugged. “I don't find you all that interesting. But if I had to guess, knowing your kind like I do, I'd assume you were just looking for a fight.”
“No, not at all,” it said. “In fact, I was hoping we could talk. Work out a deal of sorts.”
“A deal?” I laughed, shaking my head. “We will never work with the likes of you.”
“Not all of your kind,” it replied. “Just you. I was hoping we could work something out – just the two of us.”
“The answer is no,” I pitched my voice low to keep from being overhead, but said firmly. “I'm not interested in doing anything that doesn't involve killing you.”
“Even if it entails your darling friend there,” it snarled. “Jessica is her name, is it not?”
“Jessica? What in the hell does she have to do with anything?” It was difficult, but I kept my voice low, watching Jessica to make sure she hadn't accidentally overheard me.
“Well, if you don't work with me,” the creature said. “I have a plan for your little friend –”
“Go to hell,” I said, turning to face him directly, which seemed to please him. With my hands clenched into fists that I rested on the table, I spoke as calmly as I could since I didn't want to draw any attention to u
s. “Or rather, go back to hell or where ever it is you're from. You don't belong here and I don't take well to threats. And when you're alone – and trust me, we will get some time alone – I will kill you. There's no deal you can offer that's going to change that.”
“Very well,” it said, shrugging and picking up a newspaper in front of him. “Except, even if I'm dead, your little Jessica will suffer.”
“What makes you think I care?” I asked. “My job is to protect all people from your kind. Not just her.”
“Oh, I happen to know you have a little something extra in you for her,” I said.
“Shut up,” I hissed, resisting the urge to grab one of my blades and cut him down.
“Don't you want to know how I know you have feelings for her?” it asked.
“How?” I growled.
“Because we have those closest to her,” he laughed. “And when we inhabit a human, we become privy to all their thoughts. To everything they know. Apparently, you haven't been as secretive with your desires for her as you thought. People have seen you watching her, checking her out. People that belong to us. People she trusts.”
My mind spun in a million different directions, wondering who it might be. Wondering who might be the Shongtal husk. I couldn't afford to let it see me stressed out. I had to maintain my calm and my composure. I had to act as if Jessica were no more important to me than anybody else.
“Yeah? Ever think that maybe the perceptions of the person you're inhabiting are wrong?” I asked. “You're privy to their thoughts, which are their opinions and perceptions. Doesn't necessarily make it true.”
As I spoke, I tried to figure out who it was. There was Aaron, of course. But who else? I didn't know Jessica well enough to know who was closest to her. Could they be employees at the shop? I extended my senses but nobody else carried that Shongtal stink. But maybe they weren't there today. I scanned the rest of the crowd but came up empty.
“I tend to think that this is very true and very accurate,” it said. “If I weren't, I wouldn't be sitting here bringing you this offer.”
“You've not made an offer.”
It looked at me, a malevolent grin on its face. “You stop hunting us. Let us feed freely,” it said. “And Jessica will be fine. We won't touch her.”
There was nobody else I could think of. For as long as I'd been going to Perky Beans, I'd never caught even the barest trace of Shongtal. So, it couldn't be one of the employees. It had to be somebody else. Somebody else who knew something about the shop and its patrons. Which meant, it had to be Aaron.
“So, do we have a deal, Ozaryan?” it asked. “Or will I have to kill that sweet little redhead and feast on her soul?”
Chapter Six
Jessica
“I figured we could eat in tonight,” he asked. “Pizza and a movie maybe?”
I held the phone to my ear as I walked around the room. After a long day of work and then midterms, honestly, that sounded ideal to me.
“Oh yes, that sounds wonderful, Aaron,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, baby,” he said.
We'd been dating for a few weeks, and things were good. Very good. So good that I probably shouldn't let seeing Ozy again bother me. But damn after seeing him earlier, I couldn't stop thinking about him. He was so attractive, and maybe Chelsea was right – maybe I was drawn to his mysteriousness and unpredictability.
Nothing was a mystery with Aaron. I already felt like I knew everything about him. And what I didn't know, I could usually guess. Because he just seemed so – normal. Not that it was a bad thing, but I sometimes wasn't sure if I was settling because it was comfortable or if maybe this could turn into something real. He was a good guy after all.
He just didn't have that mystery or dark appeal that Ozy had.
“Jess?” Aaron said. “Earth to Jess, you there?”
“Uh yeah, sorry,” I said. “I'm really tired, so I zoned out for a minute. What did you ask me?”
He laughed. “I asked what you'd like on the pizza? I'll call and order it now, so hopefully it'll get here right around when you do.”
“Oh umm – pepperoni is fine with me,” I said, shaking out the fuzz in my brain. “Thanks, sweetie. You're the best.”
“No, you are,” he said.
“I'm so not getting into this now,” I laughed. “Or else I'll never get over there. I need to head out soon, before it gets too late.”
“See you soon, Jess,” he said before hanging up.
Chelsea was sitting across from me, grinning from ear-to-ear. As soon as I hung up the phone, she raised an eyebrow.
“Going over there again tonight?” she asked. “And I'm guessing you won't be back again either?”
“Probably not,” I said. “I'll probably just crash over there.”
“I'm losing my best friend to a guy,” she said, pouting and pretending to wipe a tear from her eye.
“Oh hush,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You're the one who encouraged me to start dating him in the first place.”
“I know, I'm just teasing, girl,” she said. “I'm happy for you. He sounds like a really good guy.”
“He is,” I said, sighing as I said it.
“You didn't sound too excited.” she said, a note of concern in her voice – she almost sounded like my mother, which made me laugh.
“Well, it's just –” I started.
“It's just – what?”
I started to tell her why I had my doubts about Aaron. He was a good guy. Stable. Normal. And this was all probably just me being silly. He was perfect in a lot of ways and there was no reason I should complain.
“You're still a little crazy about Ozy though, huh?” Chelsea said. “Give it a break, girlfriend. He's not into you, I was wrong about that, obviously. And besides, Aaron is and he's sexy as hell and everything you always wanted in a guy, so – what’s the problem?”
“I know, I know,” I said. “And you're right. I'm just being stupid.”
I reached for my overnight bag and hugged Chelsea before heading for the door. “I'll see you tomorrow,” I said. “Be good, okay?”
“Me? Good? Ha!”
I playfully smacked her on the butt, shaking my head as I left. I loved her. Before Aaron, she had been my entire life. As much as I envied her, and even though she could drive me crazy from time-to-time, she was my best friend. Like a sister to me. Always kept me in balance and made sure I wasn't taking life too seriously. She was the yin to my yang.
There was absolutely no way she'd ever lose me. Not to a man. Not to anybody. No way in hell.
No man is worth that much to me.
Nothing is.
~ooo000ooo~
“Well lookie here,” Aaron said as he opened the door. “Look who finally decided to show up.”
I knew he was teasing, but for some reason, it felt like maybe there was a little more to it than that. There was an edge to his voice. It was subtle, but I was sure I'd heard it. He looked at me, but I didn't see any trace of anger in his face – but that subtle note to his voice had struck me funny.
“Wait, are you mad at me?” I asked.
“Nah, just teasing, love,” he said. “Pizza got here ten minutes ago. I guess I shouldn't have ordered ahead after all.”
Again, there was something weird to his voice when he spoke. Something that said his jokes were a little more serious than he was letting on. Something wasn't right. I couldn't tell what it was, but it was there. I wasn't just hearing things.
“Aaron,” I said sternly, standing in the doorway. “Seriously, are you upset that I took too long to get here? Because something's up. You don't sound normal.”
“Come on in,” he said, shutting the door behind me. “Let's eat.”
“You didn't answer my question,” I said. “I left right after we got off the phone together, literally just a few minutes. Just enough time to grab my bag and go.”
No need to
mention the conversation with Chelsea, because honestly, it wasn't any of his business. He wasn't my keeper, nor was he my father.
Aaron rolled his eyes, “Whatever. Let's just eat and watch the damn movie.”
“Whatever? Watch the damn movie?” My eyes were wide now and anger was coursing through my veins. “You have never taken that kind of tone with me. What's going on –”
“Maybe it's because you don't know me that well,” Aaron said with a shrug. “But hey, here's an idea. Maybe we can get to know each other more if we can actually sit down and eat.”
As he talked, he reached around and hugged me, grabbing my ass in the process. It was rough and awkward and I didn't like it. I planted my hands on his chest, pushing him backward.
“What in the hell is wrong with you tonight?” I asked, seriously perplexed.
Aaron closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not saying a word. And just as I was ready to walk back out that door and leave, he opened his eyes and smiled. He held his hands out to me, which made me take a few steps back, staying just out of his reach.
“Listen, I'm sorry, Jess,” he said, his voice sounding more like normal. “Rough day at work. I was only kidding and it came out wrong because I'm already tense. I didn't mean it the way it sounded.”
I wanted to believe him, because up until that point, he'd been a great guy. There hadn't been any sign of aggression or anger issues. And he never swore around me. Over the last few weeks, he'd been nothing but a gentleman – up until just a few minutes ago.
“Alright, apology accepted,” I said, still feeling tense and wary.
He moved out of the way and together, we walked into his living room. The pizza was on the coffee table and several movies were laid out as well.
“Figured I'd give you a few options,” he said. “Wasn't sure if you'd prefer a comedy or a romance, maybe a drama –”
Now that was the Aaron I knew. Kind. Considerate. We settled in and picked a comedy, just something to lighten the mood a bit. I didn't feel like talking much, especially since he was already on edge. I knew I was on edge too, because I was exhausted. I didn't need to make things worse.
