Promise Me Anthology

by Tara Fox Hall

  As much as Terian had wanted to talk shop with his old friend, it was Balt he wanted to speak to now. Who could give him better advice than someone who was the same sort of being he was? “Are you staying here? I’m sorry but I need to crash. I haven’t slept since I got here.”

  Colin looked at him, unsmiling. “Go after him, if you want. Just be careful.”

  Terian gave Colin an odd look, but slid off the stool and went after Balt. The man was chatting up the girl in red who had been talking to Colin inside. He turned as Terian approached. “Terian, this is Rhinestone.”

  “Hi,” Rhinestone said with a big smile. “I asked him who you were. I hope you don’t mind.” She made a point of getting out her keychain. “I live just down the street. Would you walk me home?”

  “Why would he mind?” Balt said a little overzealously, slapping Terian on the back. “He’d be glad to.”

  Terian looked over Rhinestone with an appraising glance. She was pretty, young, and obviously had getting laid on her mind. And he wanted no part of her. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. But it’s good to meet you, Rhinestone.”

  Rhinestone looked uncertainly from Terian back to Balt, obviously wondering why he wasn’t anxious to take her offer of sex.

  “Hold,” Balt intoned. Suddenly everything froze still. Rhinestone looked comical, as if she’d begun to speak and stopped. Even the breeze had disappeared, the leaves of the trees caught at odd angles above their heads.

  “Impressive,” Terian commented, trying to ascertain how far around them the spell reached.

  “I’m not a high-level wizard,” Balt said with braggadocio. “But I try to push myself as far as I can. I try to live. What’s your excuse?”

  “I’m doing what I—”

  “You need to get whatever pleasure you can, while you can,” Balt interrupted roughly. “How long do you think you have to fuck around mooning over a woman you left back east?”

  “Eternity,” Terian derided. “We’re immortal, remember?”

  “And what half do we get that from?” Balt smirked back evilly. “Not the human half. The older we get, the more the human half ages. The more our human resolve weakens, the more the balance of power shifts.”

  Terian’s face relaxed from animosity to unexpected confusion. “What are you saying?”

  “That being half demon is not like being half something else. The demon side wants to call the shots.” His red eyes burned in the gloom. “Sooner or later you’ll have a weak moment and that side of you is going to take control.”

  Fear coursed through Terian, chilling him. “That isn’t possible.”

  “It comes in the night like a dream,” Balt said wearily. “The whispers of temptation, the images of depravity, how good the abandonment of your scruples would feel. Then one day you wake up and you’re doing those things you imagined and enjoying them.”

  “If that happens—”

  “When it happens,” Balt corrected. “Then it’s over. There’s no healing, no going back, nothing but getting put down like a rabid dog. Demon hunters are more prolific than vampire hunters and werepoachers combined right now. Think about that.” He snapped his fingers and the air rushed back, the breeze blowing, ruffling the tree leaves.

  “Hey, um—” Rhinestone began.

  “I’ll walk you home,” Balt said, slipping his arms around Rhinestone’s shoulders. “We’ll leave him to Rosy Palm and her five sisters.”

  Terian watched them walk away laughing, then headed back inside. Colin was there, standing at the bar, chatting up another statuesque redhead. She also moved away as Terian came up, shooting him a shy smile. This time Terian smiled back, enjoying the surprise in the girl’s eyes as she mouthed the word hi at him before heading away.

  “Her name is Peaches,” Colin said. “Not sure why. You’d think she’d have chosen a stage name like Red Hot or something instead—”

  “Balt told me I’m going to turn demon eventually,” Terian said. “Is that true?”

  “You know, there is nothing subtle about you at all,” Colin said, chuckling. “It’s bracing, yet also so easy to deal with.” He studied Terian. “How old are you?”

  “You already know I’m close to seventy-five or so,” Terian stated. “Tell me the truth.”

  “Balt is twenty-five,” Colin said, taking a large sip of his whisky. “Already he has a tendency to be on edge almost all the time. He enjoys violence. And every month it gets worse.”

  Did Colin count sexual appetites for strippers among his brother’s faults? Probably not, if he was indulging, too. “You’re saying he’s turning into a full demon.”

  Colin nodded.

  “Can’t you do anything?”

  “Like what?” Colin said, wiping at one of his bleary bloodshot eyes. “Go back and make my father not summon a demon for a sexual plaything? Go back and not have him wish for another son, one who was taller and stronger and faster than his thoughtful firstborn?” He repositioned his empty drink glass. “I’m half faerie, because my father tried that first in his quest for power. My mother took me and left him. Balt’s mother couldn’t leave; she was my father’s servant. She finally had him killed to free herself.”

  “How did you find out about Balt?”

  “He found me one night. You remember that priest you met outside that church?”

  “Yes,” Terian said, narrowing his eyes. “He never told me his name.”

  “He prefers not to give it. He’s kind of a local intermediary.” Colin’s voice dropped to a whisper. “There’s more than the normal concentration of supernatural beings in the bigger cities of the heavily populated states. It’s easier to blend in a crowd, because no one looks too close.” He paused, as if gathering himself. “Balt came to a small church one night. He’d gotten drunk and beaten a man badly. He’d been in bad foster homes and been abused himself. His control of his demon half was slipping.” Colin faced Terian. “He was only sixteen.”

  “I’m sorry,” Terian murmured.

  “You and me both,” Colin said sadly.

  They sat in silence for a while.

  “What will you do?” Terian asked.

  “I know what I should do,” Colin whispered. “If I killed him now, he’d have a chance at going to Heaven, maybe. If I wait until he becomes fully demon, he’s got no chance.” He drained his glass, then looked at Terian. Tears glistened on his cheeks. “Full demons are immortal, but all they get to do is ferry back and forth from Hell to earth. They spend their lives serving evil people, being tortured, and torturing others.”

  “How much time is left?”

  “Not much.”

  Colin gave Terian a grief-stricken look, swallowed hard, then grabbed at his new whiskey. He drank it down, then called for another.

  Terian got up and left. While he wanted badly to comfort his friend, he was too afraid for himself to be of any use.

  You’ve never had any sign. No dreams of carnage, no tendencies to indulge. Hell, you were a virgin until that first night with Sundown. Maybe some of that was due to the parents’ inclinations toward evil themselves? Balt’s mother had been a demon and his father an equally bad human. That had to count for something, if both parents behaved like fiends.

  You duped Sar. You betrayed her trust.

  That had been innocent. He’d never have caused her any kind of pain. He hadn’t pushed her for anything beyond the kiss to activate the spell to know her true feelings. Plus he’d shared in the spell himself; after the kiss Terian had been unable to hide his own feelings. And it hadn’t mattered anyway...

  Terian walked outside, catching Peaches walking unsteadily to her car in her 3” heels. When she leaned on his arm and asked him to help her home, he agreed.

  * * * *

  Sar, I’m okay. I’m learning a lot out here about myself and I hope you’re doing well. Here’s my address and phone, if you need to contact me. I hope you’re well.

  Terian paused after the period, wondering what else to write
, his guilt bearing down like a fist between his shoulder blades. It had been two full months now since he’d seen Sar. Was she happy? Was she back together with Danial? While he wanted badly to know, he knew it was better not to push her for anything beyond friendship. Colin was right about that. Just like Bart had been about the girls at the Naughty Nymph...

  “What are you writing, baby?” Rhinestone said, leaning over one shoulder.

  “A letter to an old friend,” he said easily, kissing her rouged and powdered cheek. “Interested in a shower?”

  “I just got dressed,” she complained.

  “I know,” he said meaningfully. Picking her up, he threw her over one shoulder then walked off to the bathroom as she laughed and shrieked.

  * * * *

  “Have you been practicing spells to dissipate wraiths?” Colin said searchingly, the tinny sound loud in Terian’s ear through the cell phone’s receiver.

  “Yes,” Terian responded patiently, trying to shift in his chair to get better reception. “I’ve learned most of the defensive spells in volume three. If you’ll give me the fourth, I’ll begin that one tomorrow. All I need to finish is to polish up on conjuring the blue fire. I can get it to form now, but it takes close to an hour. I want to get that down to a few minutes, if possible.”

  “Very good,” Colin said with approval. “You’re making remarkable progress. Maybe you have some faerie blood in you.”

  That would be nice. Better than demon blood, anyway. “Maybe.”

  “Have you tried healing?”

  “Not yet,” Terian said, not wanting to admit his failed attempts at healing a simple strand of hair he’d cut in two.

  “Volume four is the hardest. Demons usually know the most magic of all the supernatural races, not counting faeries. It’s the long lived races that tend to amass the knowledge. Human lifetimes generally aren’t long enough—”

  “What about vampires?” Terian asked. “Are many of them versed in magic?”

  “Usually none, unless in life they were a practitioner. The most knowledgeable currently living is Sola, the oathed one of the Vampire Ruler of Canada, Ebediah. But that’s very rare. It’s far more common for vampires to employ sorcerers long lived like themselves—”

  Terian only half listened. Instead he replayed his words to a woman he loved, berating himself each time for having let them slip out.

  It wouldn’t ever matter how many years had passed, Sar. Not to me. Why had he said that to her, with all the things he might have said? The last thing she probably wanted was another reminder of her mortality. It was obvious that she’d hurried to get off the phone right after. Then to make matters worse, she’d guessed about the potion he’d given her.

  Terian, tell me the truth. Did you put something extra in the potion for growing wings?

  He’d admitted dosing her with the truth spell. She’d taken it well, all things considered. The hardest truth was that what Terian had done had given Sar a magical dream of her soul mate—or an equivalent—and that person hadn’t been him. It had been someone else.

  “I’ve got to go,” Colin said abruptly. “I’ll call you back tonight.”

  Terian hung up, then looked out the library window.

  I wish I’d never done any of it. Colin was right. It would have been better not to know. The worst had been Sar thanking him for what he’d done to help her find her new guy, whomever he was. Probably some full blood human...

  “How are you making out?” Monica said, her question breaking Terian’s concentration.

  “Good, thanks,” he said, flashing her a smile. She returned one, the slight motion putting a spark in her deep blue eyes that heightened her beauty.

  Monica had never tried for more than friendliness in the months Terian had been here. He thought it had to be the demon side of him; that it scared her. Not that he’d had trouble in the love department, as Balt called it. Rhinestone and Peaches—as well as other girls who worked the unhallowed poles of Papa’s Pleasure House and Naughty Nymphs—had been more than forthcoming on several occasions. But they would never be what Sar was to him. They would never be what Sun had been once, either.

  Balt kept saying that you had to take advantage of what you were offered, and not pass “the willing” up. But enjoyable as Terian’s nights were now, there was a sameness to them that resembled the vapid conversation of Monica’s group. The sex was great, yes, but it wasn’t meaningful.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d be here tonight,” Monica remarked. “You’ve been busy lately.”

  By her tone, she meant his liaisons. “Are you jealous?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself,” Monica snapped.

  “Then why would you care?” Terian pressed. “What is it to you who I spend my nights with?”

  Monica turned to him, furious. “You know the thin line you balance on? Don’t follow in Balt’s footsteps. He’s going to lead you straight into hell.”

  “Aren’t I already destined to go there?” Terian said drolly. “Being demon and all, you know.”

  “You’re only part demon. You could do something that matters—”

  “Oh really?” Terian said cruelly. “Like your self-help group of stockbrokers and desperate housewives? How is that shifting the balance between good and evil in the world, Monica?”

  She gaped at him, crestfallen. “They can’t help as they don’t have the talent you and I have. They’re doing the best they can.”

  “No. they aren’t,” Terian stated. “And neither are you. Before you get on your high horse about fighting the good fight, you might actually want to spend some time yourself in the trenches.”

  Monica blinked in shock, then flushed red. “You bastard.”

  “I’d rather be a bastard than a fake like you,” Terian said, gathering his things. “Bye.” He walked out, leaving Monica staring after him.

  Terian put his things on the passenger side of his truck, then got behind the wheel. He gripped it hard with both hands. Why did I say that to her? What is wrong with me?

  Angry at himself, Terian drove to his apartment. He pulled in the driveway, only to find someone else was already there in his spot, the engine of the small compact car running.

  Terian forced himself to be calm, then got out and approached the intruder. As he drew even with the driver’s door, it opened suddenly, making Terian jump back.

  “Good reflexes,” the young man said. He drew a gun, pointed it at Terian’s chest, and fired point blank.

  There was no time to duck, no time to do anything but scream as the bullet passed through his heart and out his back. Terian fell to his knees snarling in pain, his hands tight against the wound trying to stop the blood loss.

  “Give it a minute,” the man said, lighting up a cigarette. “You’ll be as good as new.”

  Terian looked up the stranger with hate.

  “I’m Kyle,” the man said, taking a little bow. “Demon hunter, if you haven’t guessed.”

  “Why not...just kill me?” Terian managed to say, his panic lessening as he felt his body begin to heal the gunshot wound.

  “Because you aren’t full demon,” Kyle said, matter of fact. “If you were, you’d be dead. I’d have dipped that bullet in holy water, enough to knock you down so you couldn’t run. Then I’d have drowned you in it so you burned.”

  “So what is this,” Terian asked, standing warily. “A warning?”

  “Yes,” Kyle said with a smile. “I understand from mutual acquaintance that you’re trying hard to be one of the good guys. But I wanted to let you know that if you decide to go over to the other side, I or one of my brethren will come for you.”

  These were the demon hunters Balt had talked about. “You’d be safer taking me out now. If you have the stones for it.”

  Kyle did a double take, then chuckled. “You’re just full of self-destruction, aren’t you? That must come from the demon side.”

  “How would you know?” Terian said dully.

  “Because I’ve kn
own a lot of half-demons in my time,” Kyle said, his voice losing its camaraderie. “They all went over, eventually. Those with human blood go over first usually, before they’re thirty. The ones with other non-human blood can stave off the change longer—”

  Terian didn’t want to hear this again. Screw him, and being demon and everything to do with it. He turned and walked to his house, getting his keys out.

  “You’re just leaving?” Kyle called after him. “In the middle of our talk?”

  “Yes. You need to shoot me, go ahead.” Terian went inside, closed the door, then locked it. He lay down on the couch, thinking. A new plan of action was overdue and couldn’t be put off any longer.

  God, all he’d done since he got here was think and learn magic and have meaningless sex. Maybe that was all Balt wanted out of his life but Terian wanted more, even if Sundown and Sar weren’t part of the picture.

  Everyone wanted something from him. Monica wanted him to change the world for the greater good. Balt wanted a play buddy, someone like him to share women with and spend time talking about their inevitable doom while getting hammered on alcohol. His lovers wanted some exotic boyfriend or lover and nothing more. And Colin...Colin wanted Terian’s help in killing Balt before he became a full demon, so his brother’s soul would get a chance to go to heaven.

  And how long after I helped kill him would Colin take to decide that I was also better off dead?

  Terian didn’t want any of those things. Moreover, he wasn’t going to do them. He’d been playing at life for too long. The time for acting was over.

  He’d stay until he learned the last tome of magic, the fourth volume. Colin said he was making phenomenal progress, so it should go quickly. Then he’d go back East, and try again with Sundown. They had loved one another once. Maybe it could work, if he didn’t push her so hard.

  Sar...he’d always love her, but she was happy with her soul mate now. Even though that hurt, at least she had to be safe from Danial now. Being friends would have to be enough.