Dancing With Demons

by Trudi Jaye

  Nelson scrambles to his feet. “You should rest. I’ll get a drink for you.”

  I look at him for a moment, trying to figure out what’s going on. Except it’s too much for my brain, so I shrug and move over to the big comfy chair, collapsing into it. “Water would be great,” I say, leaning my crutches against the side of the chair.

  Nelson goes into the kitchen, and I can hear the tap running.

  “Nelson has a favor to ask you,” says Blade carefully.

  I raise my eyebrows.

  “He thinks you’ll probably say no, but he’s hoping you’ll say yes.”

  “What is it?” I ask. On the television screen, two guys with bad eighties hairdos are fighting on a dark city street.

  “He needs you to help him with something.”

  I make a face. Mr. Fookes is always getting me to fix things for people in the building. “What is it?”

  “He can tell you.”

  I narrow my eyes at Blade, trying to tell if he’s being serious or funny. I’m not sure which it is, so when Nelson comes back in the room, I stare at him as well, trying to understand the undercurrent in the room.

  “Here you go, Hazel. Here’s your water.” Nelson is standing in front of me, the glass of water held out.

  “Thanks, Nelson.” I take it carefully and sip at the water. “Now what’s this favor you need from me?”

  “Uh…” He glances over at Blade, who nods at him to continue. “There’s this project at school. Recycling.”

  I nod warily.

  “I want to make a sculpture, like the ones you make. But I need some help.” He’s looking at me, his brown eyes hopeful.

  “You want me to help you with a school project?” I repeat, my brain spinning. I can’t help him. I have too much to do. There’s not enough time in my day for everything else, let alone helping some kid make a statue. I open my mouth to reject him.

  “It’s just that there’s this kid, Taylor, who’s always messing with me. And he said I wouldn’t be able to do a project on my own. On account of my Mom working all the time.”

  I close my mouth. Scrunch up my eyes. “Okay. I’ll help you.”

  Next thing I know, Nelson is giving me a big hug.

  I glare at Blade over Nelson’s shoulder, and I still can’t tell what he’s thinking.

  7

  “So what do we do first?” Nelson’s looking up at me, his expression excited.

  We’re in my spare room where I store all the found items for my recycled metal projects. I figure there’s no time like the present to get started. Blade is leaning against the doorway eating an apple, his expression amused.

  “You need to decide what you want to make,” I say. “Look through my junk box, see if anything jumps out at you.” My little demon dances around, setting off sparks inside me. It wants to come out and play too.

  Nelson heads to the box and starts rummaging around inside it. I lean back against the counter trying to ease the dull ache in my leg. It’s way better now that I’ve had a sleep. I even left my crutches in the other room and hobbled in here on my own two feet.

  I cross my arms, and watch Nelson as he hunts through the box. His face is all lit up, his eyes eager as he searches for the perfect piece of metal. He so desperately wants this project to be amazing. My heart gives an extra loud thump. What on earth was Nelson thinking? Why did he come to me for help? And why did I agree?

  I’ve been off form since I got up—fidgety and unable to concentrate, and not just because my leg still aches. I glance over at Blade, and acknowledge that he’s a large part of the reason. Why did he react so badly to my talk of a date with Connor? Does it mean he likes me more than he’s letting on? Or is he just worried about the safety of one of his agents? I just don’t know the answer.

  Worse than that, I’m spending valuable time thinking about it, when I should be focusing on fixing the situation at hand and making sure Connor doesn’t tell the police who I really am. My date with Connor is tomorrow, and I still don’t have anything to show him. I feel like it’s going to be a problem.

  The instinct that’s kept me safe all these years is sending warnings.

  Strong warnings.

  I’m too settled here. There are too many people in my life, worming their way in and getting comfortable. It’s time to move on, find a new life somewhere else. If I stay where I am, I’m going to be captured by the authorities and sent back to the Ravenwood Institute for Violent Offenders. That’s the last place I want to go back to.

  No one will believe I didn’t kill my parents, just like last time. Worse, this time I have the fact I escaped hanging over my head. That’s evidence enough of my guilt. And now I’ve discovered the real killer was a demon that humans don’t see, I know there’s no way to prove that I’m not having hallucinations to the human police and doctors. I’ll always be guilty in their eyes.

  I know it’s time to move on, to find a new home and a new identity. So why can’t I make myself start the preparations?

  Blade is still watching as Nelson pulls out different items and either throws them back in the box or puts them to one side. What would Blade say if I told him about what happened to my parents? About Ravenwood? He already told me that the SIG stays out of human business. They wouldn’t protect me from the police or the mental health authorities. Even this Director who’s coming, he’s not going to help me anymore than Damien would have. I’d end up back in Ward D at Ravenwood, drugged up to my eyeballs, being made to take responsibility for a double homicide that’s not mine to pay for.

  The little demon dances inside me, creating butterflies in my stomach and sending a jolt of pain down into my leg. It’s getting stronger, more insistent, like it’s demanding some time in charge. What would Blade do to me if that happened? Is that the real reason he’s insisting on staying friends? Because he thinks the chances of his having to kill me are too high?

  Would he really kill me just for having the demon inside me? I put one hand on my stomach to force the demon to calm down and notice my hand is glowing again. I glance at Blade, but he’s watching Nelson. I hold my breath and make the glow disappear. I can’t show Blade any weakness when it comes to the demon inside me. Who knows what he’d do.

  It’s just another reason I need to leave here. Soon.

  I let out an annoyed huff of breath.

  But first I have to help the kid. It’s the same reason I fixed the toaster and all the other appliances that Mr. Fookes is always giving me. I just can’t stand to see people suffering.

  Not when I can do something to help.

  Nelson pulls out a few more items. Bike parts, some small cogs, and wheels.

  “I’d like to make a statue, like the ones you make,” he says. “Wait till Taylor sees it. He’s gonna go crazy.” Nelson’s voice is filled with the relish of a kid getting even.

  “I have to call some contacts,” says Blade. “I’ll leave you two in here being creative masterminds.”

  I glance at him questioningly.

  “I want to find out what’s really happening with Damien,” he says softly, for my ears only.

  I nod. I want to know as well.

  Nelson and I spend the next hour pulling out parts and figuring out what should go together, until I decide my leg is too sore and it’s too late at night for a kid to be up. “Come on, Nelson, time for you to head home,” I say.

  “Just a little longer?” he begs.

  “Nope. Come on. Let’s go.” I manage to bundle him out of the room and back over to his place. He unlocks the door, and it doesn’t seem like his mom is home yet.

  Not that it’s any of my business.

  “Will you be okay?” I ask.

  He nods.

  “You’ve got school in the morning, but you can come over after. Keep working on it.”

  He grins. “See you then.”

  I wait until he’s inside the apartment and I hear the lock click in place before I go back into my apartment.

  Blade
is standing in the kitchen, getting himself a glass of milk.

  “Is it just me, or is he too young to be on his own at this time of night?” I ask him.

  He shrugs. “Some kids are more mature than others.”

  “Hmmm.” It’s not my problem. Nelson’s home life is none of my business. I have to keep repeating the words in my head. “What did you find out about Damien?”

  “Nothing yet. It’s all very sudden. None of my usual contacts even had a whisper this was coming.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Well….”

  “What is it?”

  “There was some talk about his daughter.”

  “He has a daughter?” I don’t know why I’m so surprised that Damien has family. I guess he always seemed too much of a loner.

  “She doesn’t live with him.”

  I nod. That kind of makes sense. “What about her mother?”

  “She died years ago.”

  “So does that tell you anything more about what happened to him? Why he went rogue?”

  “Just that it’s something he’s been keeping hush-hush, and that it’s probably something to do with his daughter. I’ll keep working on it. This whole situation feels off somehow.” Blade stretches his arms out above his head. “I think I’m going to have a quick shower,” he says.

  I nod absently and limp over to the sofa to sit down. I let out a sigh of relief as I relax back into the soft cushions and close my eyes. The little demon starts to move around inside me, pushing out against the flimsy controls I’ve managed to put in place to keep it under control. It seems like it’s trying to tell me something, but I have no idea what.

  My brain can’t even function enough to try and figure it out, and I’m not going to mention it to Blade. He’s just as likely to decide the demon is about to hurt me and want to do something about it. I put one hand over the knife wound in my leg. I know it wasn’t Blade’s fault, and he didn’t want to stab me in the leg. But I feel like he’d do it again if he felt he had to.

  I don’t want to get rid of the little demon just yet. I’ve gotten attached to it. And I don’t think the little demon would hurt me. In fact, I’m more worried about the possibility that Blade will decide the demon is taking too much control—like it did when I threw the knife—and kill me for it.

  I shiver. I can’t think about that right now. I need to be focused. I have work to do in the lab. I have to keep Connor happy. I have to find a way to survive being a chalice. I have to help Blade find out what’s happening with the demons in the area.

  In fact I have so much to do, I don’t know how I’m going to get it all done.

  The top priority at the moment is to get back to the lab tomorrow and finish creating a demon device for Connor. It’s going to be a fine line, trying to keep him happy enough to keep the grant, while not actually giving him a demon. Even the thought of it makes me tired. I don’t know how long I can keep up that kind of game. I wish I hadn’t told Connor that I already knew how to conduct demon energy. It was a mistake I desperately wish I could take back. I cuddle up to one of the fluffy cushions on my sofa and wonder how on earth I’m going to get out of this situation.

  The sound of a door closing makes me look up just in time to see Blade coming out of the bathroom. He looks... well, I don’t know how to describe him. Clean doesn’t seem to do it justice. Handsome isn’t quite right either.

  Devastating seems to come close.

  I swallow hard. He’s a distraction I definitely don’t need. “How long do you need to stay in my apartment?” I ask. “I’m a SIG agent now. Isn’t that enough?”

  “The threat level is still too high. I’ll stay until I know what’s causing the rise in demon levels and can be sure that you’re not going to be left dealing with a large number of them on your own.” Blade’s voice is bland, like it’s not a big deal for him. His hair is still wet from the shower, and his skin looks golden. I’m not sure how long I can put up with him wandering around looking all clean and refreshed.

  It’s the final straw.

  My intuition has been screaming at me that it’s time to leave. Why am I lingering around like a bad smell? The time has come to plan my disappearing act.

  8

  As I sit back in the pickup truck, I close my eyes, trying to ease the soreness from staring at machine parts all day. Designing Connor’s demon device is going badly.

  The Professor spent the day riding a roller coaster of his emotions—one minute high on excitement at the second chance we have, and the next so low he couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.

  Even though I’ve decided to leave, I’m going to do enough so that the Professor can keep looking into the paranormal. It’s only fair.

  Blade stayed at my side most of the day, cautious because I left my crutches at home for the first time. For the most part he just watched, but sometimes he offered suggestions, which turned out to be savvier than I would have given him credit for.

  “Were you an engineer in another life?” I ask as he climbs in on his side of the pickup.

  “My father liked to tinker with things.”

  I nod. That’s where I got my interest from as well, except it was the Elm Creek compound’s handyman, Baz, who showed me how to fix things.

  “Do you think you’ll manage to create a new device?” he asks.

  I take a breath, then let it out. “I don’t really know. It’s possible. If I can just get the right frequency. I’m sure I can do anything.”

  “It’s kind of amazing to watch you work,” he says quietly.

  I glance up at him sharply to see if he’s being sarcastic. “Like watching paint dry?”

  “Not when you’re doing it.”

  I smile, and a little bit of lightness enters my day.

  We’re about halfway home when my mobile phone rings. I manage to pull it out of my bag before it stops. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Hazel, it’s Connor.”

  My stomach lurches uncomfortably. “Hi, Connor,” I say. Tonight is our date. Maybe he’s calling to cancel?

  “I wanted to confirm our date tonight. I thought we could go to a restaurant and then a walk on the beach?”

  No such luck. Despite what I said to Blade when I was angry with him, I don’t really want to go on a date with Connor. I’m not as certain I can control him as I was making out to Blade. I can still feel Connor’s hard expression the last time I saw him. His anger is burned into my memory, despite being so sick from the demons inside me I could barely walk.

  “Connor, are you sure this is a good idea?” I say carefully into the phone.

  There’s silence for a heartbeat. “You’re trying to back out of our agreement?”

  “I just think we should maintain a professional relationship.”

  “Are you seeing someone else?”

  “No, nothing like that.” I glance at Blade out of the corner of my eye to see if he’s listening. As usual, I can’t tell.

  “Then I don’t see the problem. As I mentioned last time, this date is part of our agreement.”

  “But—”

  “I thought you wanted to keep the grant?” he says, his voice grating uncomfortably in my ear.

  “Of course I do—”

  “Then I’ll see you at seven o’clock.” He hangs up.

  “Wait!” I say, but it’s into thin air.

  “What’s the matter?” asks Blade, glancing between me and the road.

  “Nothing, it’s fine.”

  “It didn’t sound fine.”

  “He’s the one paying the Professor’s grant money. I have to keep him happy.”

  “You don’t have to sleep with him to keep him happy,” growls Blade.

  “Who said anything about sleeping with him?” I squeak out the words, outraged he would even think that.

  “Isn’t that what people in a relationship do?”

  “He asked me out on one date. That hardly makes a relationship.”

  “Why did you change you
r mind about the date?” There’s a subtle tone in Blade’s voice that I can’t quite decipher.

  “What do you care?” I counter. My hand is glowing blue, and emotions are rolling around inside me out of control.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt,” he says cautiously.

  “I don’t need you looking out for me like a grumpy older brother. I can take care of myself.”

  “Clearly. You’ve got a guy stalking you who might actually convince you to sleep with him, just so your boss can keep his grant.”

  “I’m not going to sleep with him. I just don’t want to upset him unnecessarily.”

  “Too late for that. He sounded pissed on the phone.”

  “I can handle it. I can handle him.” I hope.

  “Sure you can,” says Blade, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

  “Stay out of my personal life,” I snap. “Stick to business. Isn’t that what you want? How are we going to start researching this supposed explosion of demon activity?”

  Blade shakes his head. “Other than the angle that your new boyfriend is most likely involved?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I snap.

  Blade shrugs.

  “How have you found demons in the past?” I ask, determined to ignore his gibe.

  “They’ve always just come to me, or they’re really obvious about where they are. Demons don’t tend to hide out for long. They’re just not that subtle.”

  “Then maybe it’s really obvious where they are? Should we search the news sites for strange events?”

  Blade shrugs. “We could. But the spell web tends to do weird things to what the humans see. It’s never quite what you expect it to be. A raging demon fire in the mountain ranges becomes a rare explosion of the duck population causing strange flying formations in the sky.”

  “Really?”

  “Literally. I saw that one with my own eyes.”

  I bite down on my bottom lip, trying to figure out yet another problem in my life. Everything seems to be piling up on top of me: demons, my parents-not-being-my-parents, a billionaire stalker, a pity kiss, being stabbed in the leg, and being forced to become a government agent. It hasn’t even been a week since I first met Blade. How could my life have changed so much in so little time? The itch to leave gets stronger.