Paige crossed her arms over her chest. “Why didn’t you break the bonds Grandma put on me?”
“Paige,” Dexx said. “Tell me you didn’t summon him to dredge up the past.”
“Well, love,” Balnore said gently, walking over to the bed. His long, bare feet made no sound.
Dexx backed up a step, keeping the demon in his sights without giving the thing an advantage.
“I wasn’t really that tore up about it.” He sat down and smiled up at Dexx, revealing sharp, pointed incisors.
Dexx bit down on his pride and his fear, seeing the hook for what it was. The damned demon was baiting him, daring him to do something stupid.
“It wasn’t really a bad idea at the time. You didn’t handle things very well. Especially for you. You have responsibilities. You can’t just hare off and—” He flung one hand in the air. “—and do the things you did.”
“What exactly did I do?”
Balnore looked at her through narrowed eyes. “How much do you remember?”
“I remember everything.”
“No blank spots? No unexplained situations?”
She shook her head.
“What about the day Alma knocked your block off?” Balnore asked. “Do you remember that?”
Paige raised her chin.
“You raised a demon for the sole purpose of killing your mother.”
Emotion finally flitted across her face. Surprise.
“I went to your grandmother myself and suggested this. It was only supposed to be temporary, mind you.”
“But why did she block my gift?”
“Actually, I did that.”
“Wait,” Dexx said, taking two steps back. “I’m confused.”
Balnore folded his hands in his lap. “By which part?”
Dexx narrowed his eyes at the demon. “Is she here to protect us?”
The demon nodded serenely.
Dexx pulled out his knife as he set the gun on the table. The damned thing was getting heavy. “Then why did you block her gift? To make it easier for the demons to take advantage of her?”
“Dexx,” Balnore said calmly, “try to remember that your brother killed himself.”
“To be rid of the demon inside him,” Dexx said, voice heated.
“He couldn’t face what he had done.”
Dexx’s face screwed up in disbelief. “What he’d don—Shut up. That has nothing to do with this. Keep my brother out of this.”
“That has everything to do with this. Demons walk the earth to save the soul of man.”
“That damned thing possessed him. It twisted his mind.”
“Demons only possess to make someone face something they’re hiding from,” Paige whispered. “It goes back to their belief of self-responsibility.”
“That demon ruined my brother,” Dexx said fiercely.
“The demon was within his right,” Balnore said softly. “He raped a woman and got away with it because she never had the courage to stand up and talk about it. But we heard her.”
Disbelief slammed into Dexx. His brother would never do something so low. “Liar.”
“Enough,” Paige said loud enough for her voice to bark through the room. “I need information before he sends you back.”
Anger seethed through Dexx’s veins.
The demon faced Paige. “I did what I had to. You were falling apart. There comes a point where facing your demons doesn’t help. It hurts. With your gift, you should never have had a child. How many times did I tell you that only to be proven right? She was used against you.”
“You’re telling me Rachel is on the enemy side?”
“She’s . . .” Balnore raised his eyebrows delicately. “She’s not on ours.”
“And what about now?” Paige asked. “Am I any stronger now?”
Balnore was quiet for a moment, eyes flickering over her face. “I don’t know. Are you?”
“We have a killer to find.” Dexx spoke through clenched teeth. “Can you help or not?”
The demon rolled his head on his neck. “Remember what we talked about years ago?”
Paige pressed the butt of her hand to her head. “Which time?”
“In Dallas, when you asked if there was a demon convention.”
“Yeah. I guess.” She sat down. “Leah learned to ride her bike that day.”
“Lucifer lost control. There was a demon uprising. Do you remember why?”
“Something about The First being dead.”
“Yes.”
“The First?” Dexx asked.
Balnore offered a tight smile. “Lucius. He was born hundreds of years ago, but then Lucifer discovered him and found his soul worthy.”
“He turned him into a demon?” Dexx fingered his blade. “I thought demons were born demons.”
“Sometimes, but not always. But, no. Lucius Kane is still a man. His life has been lengthened.”
“To what end?”
“To guard the Gates of Heaven and Hell.”
Paige raised her chin, drawing the demon’s attention back to her. “Is Lucifer concerned for the man or the gate?”
“I’m not in a position to know.”
“So, what are you saying?”
“Lucius was the last guardian,” Balnore explained slowly. “Gabriel was involved.”
“Meaning what?” Dexx asked.
“Meaning,” Paige said, “that Gabriel probably trapped Lucius somewhere in a different dimension where he’s not alive and he’s not dead. The only way to keep Lucius out of Lucifer’s hands.”
“There’s a lot of Luci’s.” Dexx rubbed his eye. “Why didn’t Gabriel just kill the man and take him to Heaven? Didn’t his soul count?”
“There, he could have been reborn.” Balnore folded his hands over his crossed legs. “Which means that if someone talked to a demon who would like to get a hold of Lucius and open the gate—”
Paige thumped the table with her index finger. “Or Lucius could be trying to free himself to open it himself.”
“I’m just saying maybe Lucius is the one you’re looking for.”
“But you said he’s not a demon.” Dexx glanced at Paige. “She was nearly possessed by him.”
Balnore screwed his lips to the side. “Did you ever wonder how the human body could survive longer than a hundred years without looking like a decrepit prune?”
Dexx cleared his throat. “Why would I ever wonder about that?”
“He was given a demon soul, hunter, and the two became sort of a hybrid, of sorts. For all that Lucius started out a man and hasn’t spent any real time in Hell, hasn’t been initiated into the demon pack, if you will, he still has demon powers. Which means—”
“He’s able to connect to Paige and possess her.”
“Huh,” Paige said, blinking. “It’s not who I thought it would be.”
Balnore frowned. “Who’d you think it was?”
Paige looked at the demon. “Seven Tails Sven.”
“Then let’s be glad it’s only Lucius.”
So, who the hell was Seven Tails Sven, and how was he worse? Could this case get any more fucked?
BALNORE SET HIS hands on Paige’s shoulders.
She stared up at him, the weight of the world settling over her. So much had happened. Memories slammed into her mind, making it hard to think. She needed her protector and guide, her teacher and the only one who could understand her at that moment. “What do I do?”
He smiled as he pulled away to perch on the end of the table. “Three years have passed, Peanut. It’s time to move on. You’ve got responsibilities. You need to pick them up again. The world needs you.”
She dropped her gaze to his knee.
“You don’t have the luxury to sit around and grieve. You have to pick yourself up and live. You don’t have a choice.”
A movement caught her attention.
Dexx had come a few steps closer, his knife in hand. “Are we done here? Can he leave now?”
Balnor
e gestured with one hand toward the knife. “I’ve heard stories about that.”
Dexx shrugged. “I do what I can.”
“So do we all.”
She swallowed and stared at the picture of one of the women who had been murdered. She blinked as the sudden realization hit her. Ashley had been killed because three years ago, she, Paige, had had a meltdown and had tried to kill her own mother using a demon. There were three people who had been killed because she wasn’t doing her job. If she had remained calm and in control, would these people still be alive? Would she have been able to control this uprising?
She would never know, but this case took on a much more personal note. This was her mess. She was the only one who could clean it up.
A dry chuckle escaped from her mouth. Once that escaped, she started laughing so hard tears streamed from her eyes.
Balnore knelt beside her. “Paige, you’ve got to be more careful. You didn’t set up any protections before you summoned me.”
She snorted, still chuckling. “I need protection against you? You were kicked out of Hell for being nice.”
He quirked his lips in derision.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Dad. I’ll be more careful.”
Balnore stood up and left in an evaporating mist.
Everything going on inside her head, all the turmoil in her heart, all the guilt, all the anger, the pain, the frustration, the betrayal. It just capsized, flipping the laughter to tears.
Dexx wrapped her in his arms. He murmured words of comfort into her hair, but she couldn’t understand them. She felt, for the first time in years, that she wasn’t alone. She’d felt anger before, the height of which had driven her to summon a demon to kill her mother. She had felt frustration. She had felt loss.
But this? Three years lost. Three years without even asking about Leah or trying to get secret messages to her. Three years without pictures. Three years without presents at Christmas or cards at birthdays.
People had died because of her.
Dexx scooted the both of them across the floor, to lean up against the bed post. He didn’t stop holding her.
Her eyes were puffy and sore. Pressure built in her sinuses, giving her one heck of a headache. She lay against him, spent, feeling like a total loser.
“All done?” he asked.
“Yeah.” That was a lie. She didn’t think she’d ever find the bottom of this bucket of misery, no matter how many tears she syphoned from it.
She felt his lips press against the top of her head before he rested his cheek there. She listened to his heartbeat, listened to him breathe, while his strong arms stayed wrapped around her.
“Tell me that everything will be okay,” she said in a near whisper.
“I won’t lie to you. There’s been too much of that already.”
She nodded, her eyes starting to feel like eyes again.
“But I will say that we’ll do our best.”
She felt comfortable for the first time in years. She felt safe. She knew it couldn’t last, but she would take what she could for as long as she could. She fell asleep to the sound of his heart beside her ear.
Paige woke to the sound of the lock being knocked back.
Dexx stirred under her, but didn’t make any move to get up. “It’s about goddamned time,” he grumbled. “Alma, what took you so long?”
“We were trying to find arrangements for the kids.” Alma’s voice was gruff.
“I thought Leslie said Tru was going to watch them.”
Paige started to get up, but Dexx stopped her with his arm. It wasn’t a threatening embrace. He was offering support if she were willing to accept it. The time to put on the game face had come, but it felt so good to stay. She sank back into his arms, ignoring her numb butt. He couldn’t be too comfortable either.
Alma walked into view and stood assessing the two of them, her shoulders slumped with age.
Paige looked up at her grandmother and pulled away from Dexx a bit. As much as she’d missed the old woman’s craggy, heavy-set and leather-worn face, she couldn’t get around the betrayal lodged in her chest. Alma’s long, white hair was pulled back in a fraying braid that proved they’d kept the windows open. The old woman’s eyes, one blue, one cataract white, watched her, weighing her and measuring.
“How are you doing?” Alma hedged.
Paige wasn’t sure how she wanted to respond. Yes. A few hours ago, she’d felt a world of grief, but the reality of the situation was that her grief had blossomed years ago. Time, for all that the memories had been forgotten, had at the very least dampened the sharp, bitter edge.
But this woman had raised her, had treated her like her own daughter. Alma was her mother. The betrayal was fresh, pungent and acidic. One half of Paige wanted to handle the situation like a mature, adult woman, see her grandmother’s side, understand, deal.
The other half wanted to punch the old woman in the gut and sneer as she demanded to know how it felt to be struck down by a person she trusted with her entire being.
Dexx held her close. She could feel him tip his head at the older woman, but he said nothing.
“How worried should I be?” Alma asked.
“You know what?” Dexx’s voice was filled with frustration. “The woman hasn’t called a demon to kill you yet, so I say win-win for both teams.”
Alma raised her chin.
He gestured with his hands in a futile motion before settling them on Paige’s arm and waist again. “Could we just deal with this situation like you should have three years ago?”
Alma crossed her arms over her large chest.
“Please?”
“Hey,” a new voice called from the door.
Paige turned toward the door without breaking contact with Dexx. Tru stood there looking like the nerd he was. His shaggy blonde-brown hair hung below the tops of his ears. His thin nose held up wire-frame spectacles, and he wore a T-shirt with Yoda that read, “Do or do not. There is no try.” His cargo khaki shorts needed ironed badly.
“Tru, man!” Dexx twisted beneath her. “I know I told Fanny to give you guys a key, but this room’s booked. Don’t know if you noticed that. You three are staying somewhere else.”
“Les stayed at home.”
“Then, what took you so long? Alma said it was to find arrangements for the kids.”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
Paige chuckled. She knew her sister well enough to realize she didn’t like being left behind. It didn’t matter she was as big as a yacht with what had to be a ten pound baby growing in her womb. She wanted to be there, saving her little sister like always.
She’d been behind the memory blockers, Paige recalled. Though it was easier to understand her big sister’s position, it didn’t make it any better. Not really.
The man grinned at Dexx. “We’re not messing with the mojo, are we? Dexx and Paig-ee sitting in a tree—”
Dexx cut him off with a sharp chortle. “You’ve been hanging around little kids way too much, man. Talk to some adults. Seriously.”
Paige snorted. He was a dork, but a cute dork.
“So, then we’re not messin’ with the—” He did a little shimmy, his hands out, palms down. It looked like was mimicking a surfer. “—chemistry.”
“Nah,” Dexx said with a shrug. “You know, we’re just battling demons and catching killers. The norm.”
The truth was, Paige did want there to be chemistry. She had for a long time, but they were always on a case, always working a job. She didn’t know how to be anything other than serious when on a case. She hadn’t always been that way, but after Leah, work had become her coping mechanism.
Tru gave them a sarcastically sage look. “Sounds right.” He sighed at Alma. “So, where’re we shacking up?”
Paige worked the kinks out of her back. “Ask Fanny if we’re full here.”
“So,” Alma said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. “What demon’s trying to take over this time?”
WHY DID IT al
ways come down to that? Paige rolled her eyes, gritting her teeth.
Dexx shifted under her. “My legs are asleep.” His soft murmur filtered through her ear like a warm caress. “I think we need to get up.”
She rolled off of him so he could get up unhindered. “Actually, I could use a walk. What about anyone else?”
Dexx rose to his feet, grabbing his worn assault boots.
“I’ve been driving for two days straight.” Tru let his head fall back, his shoulders bunched forward. “If I don’t sit down again for a month, it’ll be too soon.”
“A walk could be good.” Alma flicked her multi-colored gaze to Dexx.
Paige pretended to pay attention to her shoes.
Dexx opened his palms.
Alma raised her eyebrows inquiringly, then chucked her chin in Paige’s direction.
Anger flashed across his features. He jabbed a finger toward Paige while the other hand went to his head. He shrugged, his eyes demanding.
Alma glared at him for a long, silent moment before the bite dropped out of her gaze. She turned to Paige. “How are you doing, Nut?”
Hurt flashed in Paige’s chest as she headed for the door without a word to the woman.
They all trooped out of the inn toward the lake. Trees sheltered them from the wind that tossed the branches. The grass was full and lush beneath their feet. The afternoon sun hid behind a dark storm. The chopped water of the lake lapped against the sandy shore with little slurping sounds. Paige led them toward the tree-line. No insects, no birds. Just them and the wind.
“Looks like it’s about to rain,” Alma said, keeping pace with Paige.
She wasn’t sure what to answer, or even if she wanted to. The sharp edge had been removed with time, but that didn’t mean everything was okay. It wasn’t. If she had to work with her grandmother, she would and she could, but chit-chat? A heart-to-heart? She wasn’t ready for that yet.
“Our situation is more serious than a simple murder investigation.” Dexx kicked a rock. “And another thought hit me as I read the police files yesterday. How much of what happened three years ago was fate, and how much of it was careful maneuvering?”
Alma shot him a sharp look. “Maneuvering for what?”
He shoved his fists in his pockets. “To get her out of commission.”
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