by Bea Biddle
Cef and Karen sighed in unison, then yelled at him. "Leave!"
Garth shook his head and slowly started to walk away, his laughter echoing off the tall buildings. Once he had left, Karen couldn't even make herself look at Cef. Both stood in complete silence at the door, not knowing what the next move should be. Should she say something? Cef didn't say anything. She heard him put his hands back in his pockets and take a deep breath. Was he about to speak? She finally lifted her gaze from the ground and dared to meet his eyes. She almost stumbled at the realization that he had been staring at her all this time with his head cocked to the side and a bemused smile on his lips. Damn perfect lips, I hate them.
She was still annoyed with him. She should tell him how annoyed she was with him. "I'm sorry," Karen heard herself say instead, and what was worse, she continued, "Thank you for your help. I'm not completely sure what would have happened if you hadn't shown up." Why wasn't she yelling at him? Demanding to know why he hadn't even bothered to check in for a whole week? She had no way of knowing if he was alright and she had been worried sick. But then again, he had absolutely no reason to do that. That stinging feeling at the back of her head started poking her again.
Cef nodded. "He's rather unstable, but for the most part harmless." He shook his head with a grunt. "He doesn't deserve to have an Alpha."
“An Alpha?”
“Alpha wolf,” Cef clarified, “Garth is an Alpha.”
"Garth is an Alpha?" Karen repeated. She was surprised. She only half understood what that was, a leader of the pack of sorts. But Garth was a jerk, a backwards, old idiot. Surely no one would follow him.
But Cef nodded, confirming it. "He is. But he knows the rules just like everyone else. He shouldn't bother you again. The diner is safe enough, but you shouldn't skulk around these back alleys and dark streets all by yourself," he said, motioning to the cramped street in the perpetual darkness that surrounded them.
“I wasn't skulking, I was-” She stopped herself with a defeated huff. Great, was he lecturing her now? That was exactly what Karen didn't want to hear. "I'm not a poor, little, weak girl, Cef," she exasperated, "I know I'm only human, but I've managed to live twenty-one years looking after myself, I must be doing something right." How she hated feeling like she needed protection, it made her feel weak and powerless. She clung to that thought, clung to her conviction. Because for some annoying reason, she was really enjoying Cef stepping into the role of protector. And it bothered her.
"I know." Cef nodded again. But I want to protect you, he thought to himself, not daring to speak the words out loud, not understanding them either. The woman before him was still only human, so delicate, so small. He didn't know what it was about her, but he couldn't help but be intrigued. And she was no longer in a human world, she had been thrown into theirs, and that put her at risk. He found himself worrying about her more often than he should. It was damn inconvenient.
Hanging around the diner had been hard. Too hard. He had been too focused on her to even think about anything else. Then he had tried staying away, concluding that if he just put distance between them, he wouldn't think about her so often, wouldn't worry about her. He needed to worry about his own sorry hide more than anything these days, not a little human. But he had wanted to see her, just to make sure she was alright, wanted to see her so badly he had walked to the diner without even knowing that that was where his feet were taking him. And then Garth had his arm around her, and she had looked up at him with that look in her eye. He had snapped. He would never admit it to her, but he had wanted to break off that arm.
Silence surrounded them again. The wind tore at their clothes and a particularly strong one blew the crumbled-up newspaper out of Karen's arms and all the way down the empty street until it collided with the busy city. Neither of them made any move to retrieve it. "Where have you been Cef?" Karen asked. She sighed at herself, she hadn't meant to ask out loud.
"Around.”
"That's not an answer."
"Why?" he asked, and a grin snuck its way onto his face. "Have you missed me?”
Was he...? Was he flirting? Karen didn't know. Did Demons flirt? She chuckled awkwardly. Surely, that was wishful thinking at best. "I was just worried,” she mumbled, shuffling her feet.
He took a step towards her, almost closing the gap between them. She looked nervous, but for once he didn't want her to be. She smiled up at him with uncertainty, that stubborn lock of hair blew in her face and she tucked it behind her ear. He swallowed hard, he had wanted to be the one to do that. He had wanted to touch her hair, to trace her cheek with his fingertips. The wind blew her scent directly at him, it was lovely, begging him to inhale even deeper. He was sure he had never felt the sweet pull of anyone like this before.
It was then, the startling realization hit him, he wanted her. He wanted her so badly it practically hurt him not to reach out and take her. He felt stupid for staying away from her for so long. What was happening to him? What was this human doing to him? He had been so certain that night in his apartment had been his own weakness, he had snapped, the moment had been too intimate for him not to take things further. And he had been alone for so long. So damn long. So painfully long.
But it was her, it was all her, she was doing this to him and she didn't even know it. No other titillated him as she did. No other had spiked his interest here on this side of the rift. And it was excruciatingly hard to ignore. "Were you?" he asked, his voice raspy and oddly strained. He was getting weak. He had to resist. He could not just take her. She was human. Of all things, she was human. It made no sense.
"Worried that Alyssa would lose her security guard," Karen finished with a grin.
”You're teasing me?” Cef asked after thinking the comment over.
She wanted to laugh, she didn't know what made her do it but she actually felt comfortable teasing him. When had that happened? A strange feeling came over her, she was suddenly very aware that she was free to do whatever she wanted. Colin had only been gone for a short while, but she hadn't felt his presence in her life for months, and it was finally official. She was free. Ask me! Karen mentally screamed, Ask me again if you can touch me, please! ”Yes,” she instead confessed, desperately trying to tame the same lock of hair that once again whipped her in the face.
Cef felt his chest swell at the sight. He was overwhelmed by the need to untie her hair, letting it all fly freely around her head. He wanted to bury his hands in it. Damn her, he thought, unable to stop himself from returning the smile again. She was teasing him. She was a human, teasing a Demon. And he liked it. He wanted to hear her do it again, he had to make her do it again. Clearing his throat, he wanted to taunt her into more, wanted to provoke another reaction from her.
But before he got the words out, the diner door slammed open to reveal a beautiful, but worn out looking woman. She tumbled out on heels too high and a dress too glittery for so early in the night, her makeup was smudged and her big red hair poofed into an eighties’ hairstyle Karen was pretty sure it didn't start out as. But on her face was a giant tired smile and she began giggling when she saw Karen and Cef standing outside the door. She was still giggling as she pulled on her coat, but when her phone started ringing, she managed to stop and answer. "Mary! You won't believe where I woke up today," she squealed into the phone as she carefully pushed her way outside, trying hard not to fall into either Cef or Karen. "A coffin! A real one! The guy I went home with is, like, all out goth!" She slowly stumbled her way down the street. "Oh, I know, I mean, he even pretended his wine was blood. What? Oh fuck, yeah. He was amazing. I just- I've never- Oh, my god! And that coffin was incredibly comfortable, maybe we should get one..."
The rest of the conversation was lost on Karen as the woman walked too far away. She shook her head and laughed. Cef merely rolled his eyes. "Humans," he muttered to himself, "Sly has got to stop messing around with-" A sharp glare from Karen stopped him. "I have to go," he mumbled instead.
"What? Why? Cef, you ju
st got here!" Karen wasn't sure why she called out after him, but they were having such a nice moment and she was desperate for him to stay. She wanted to talk to him, or ask him things. Or something, anything. She hadn't really figured out what it was that she wanted, except for him to stay. But he was already walking away.
Eleven.
Following Garth was easy enough. He was so drunk he probably didn't even know where he was going. Which would also explain why Cef found himself walking up and down the same streets several times. You're wasting your time, he told himself, Stop following him. But something about his behavior earlier had sparked a suspicion in him, a feeling he just couldn't shake. Garth knew the rules as well as anyone else in his city, he wasn't supposed to hurt humans. Not that he had. Maybe Cef was just being paranoid, maybe he was overreacting. Karen had been there. Where she was concerned, he found he rarely had a clear head. He was so confused. He was Ceftion, former Warchief of the Black Palace, this should not happen to him. He snorted angrily at himself, startling a woman passing him on the street but he didn't care. Getting lost in his own thoughts again? Enough of that! Focus on the task at hand, you damned idiot!
Garth turned a sharp corner and Cef followed a few seconds after. Weres had a particularly strong sense of smell, even when not in their lupine form, so Cef stayed downwind. Not that Garth, in his current state, would be on guard. The sidewalks were wet with newly fallen rain, yet the streets were filled with people. Cef pushed his way through a large crowd huddled together outside a nightclub when he lost his target. He didn't know which way he could possibly have taken, he was just gone, no sign of him anywhere. Cef toyed with the idea that maybe he had been spotted and Garth lost him on purpose, but a part of him doubted that. Garth couldn't possibly have the skill.
The Chrysler Building towered above him a street down. The night sky above him twinkled full of stars, midnight had come and gone. He had been following Garth for too long with nothing to show for it. That was a night he would never get back, following a drunk that wandered aimlessly around town. He buried his hands deep in his pockets and sighed. This was not going to be a good night. Turning another sharp corner, he found himself on a deserted street, one hidden from the main roads, it was little more than another alley.
He could go back to the diner. She would be there. If he went back, would she smile up at him again like she had earlier? Would he be able to make her do that? He wanted to make her do that. He stopped dead in his tracks with a surprised snort at his own musings. Ceftion, you are going soft in the head, he growled angrily at himself. What was going on? These thoughts were humiliating, unfit for a Demon.
But then something else demanded his attention. "Ceftion." His own language still felt strange in his ears after thirty years of the human tongue. Since Demons had started appearing, it was the one language he didn't want to hear. "Good evening, Cef."
No, this was not a good night at all.
Cef turned around and spotted the one calling his name on the other end of the street. Dressed in an open multicolored coat flapping in the wind, showing his naked chest underneath, and a wide cowboy hat. The newcomer started laughing. "I almost didn't recognize you, Ceftion, you blend in so well with your beloved humans. Your scent is starting to resemble them as well, you know."
"Tamas," Cef breathed out heavily.
"The one and only," he acknowledged and laughed as he walked closer to Cef, showing off his coat elaborately. "Do you like the new look? I could pass for one of your humans, do you not think?" His dark red pants and sneakers made him look almost comical, but Cef saw nothing funny in Tamas showing up. "We have been looking for you, Warchief," Tamas spat out, the word Warchief drenched in so much sarcasm it was impossible to ignore.
"What a coincidence, I have been looking for you. What are you doing here, Tamas?" Cef growled.
"Well, that is not a very nice welcome, and to think I passed through the rift just to see you." Tamas took off his cowboy hat and ran his hand through his long, blonde locks, his pale horns reflected the streetlights like the puddles on the pavement. His mouth curved into a dangerous smirk, emphasizing his hawk-like nose. Cef said nothing, his brain was telling him to retreat, that if Tamas was here his reinforcements would not be far behind, but he was rooted to the ground. "You know why we have come, don't you?"
"The stones."
"Among other things." Tamas grinned from ear to ear as he spoke. "Where are they, Ceftion? Hand them over."
"You know I cannot do that."
"We will find them eventually," Tamas said with an indifferent shrug. "I am only giving you this chance because we are old friends. Trust me when I say others will not be as forgiving as I am. You will be caught. And then punished accordingly for giving us this much trouble, when you could just as well give them to us now.”
"We are not friends, Tamas." The words pained him, they had once been friends of sorts. In Hell Tamas had been his second in command, the one Demon he could always count on to have his back. But times had changed beyond what he thought was possible. Tamas wasn't his friend anymore, Cef had chosen the humans over his own race. "I cannot let you destroy this place."
"Oh but, Ceftion. Cef, old friend." Tamas laughed. "You have no choice in the matter, this place is as good as ours." He looked around the empty dark street, the rain had started to pick up again. He touched a single drop of water on his cheek and examined it between his fingers. "Such a strange world," Tamas said and laughed, "It will be ours, Cef, do not fool yourself. Tell me where the stones are, and maybe I will not hurt you."
Cef scoffed at him. "Leave this place, go back to where you came from. And maybe I will not hurt you."
"You do not understand, Cef." Tamas walked a step closer to him. Cef fought hard to not back away from him, he would have seen it as weakness and Tamas would have charged at him without question. Tamas was of similar build, similar height, he was just as strong, but he had always had a streak of cruelty only matched in the very worst of Demons. A trait Cef once admired in battle. A trait Cef once had. But now he understood that what Tamas was, was unpredictable, unstable. Dangerous. Of course, he had moved up to Warchief after Cef disappeared, no one else could have taken over. "The Emperor wants this place. He wants you. You betrayed him, Cef, you betrayed all of us," Tamas continued, "What is so important about this place? Why are you so eager to sacrifice your life for this?" He looked around once more. "Is it the humans? The weaklings? I imagine the kills are easier here, they provide little, or no, resistance at all. What is it? The women easier? Better?" He chuckled. "I doubt it."
Cef tried to keep his breathing calm. If he was lucky Tamas still respected him. He used to look up to Cef, he knew that. Cef had trained him, groomed him. Marveled at his brutality and applauded his blood spilling. Only now, those narrow eyes were fixed on Cef, and he wasn't sure if this student would turn on his master without a second thought. "If you were ever my friend, you will leave me here in peace."
"It does not work like that anymore, Cef," Tamas said, "I have my orders, and you are a wanted Demon. The Emperor wants you, and I do not believe it is going to be a happy little reunion." He let out a deep laugh once more, his bloodshot eyes sparkled. "Give up, Cef, let me take you in, make it easy for us. And for you, in the long run. I suspect there is only so much pain your body can take. Even if you are strong. You know it is the only thing you can do. You are one of us."
"I have nothing to do with you anymore."
"That is where you are wrong, old friend," Tamas pointed out, "You are one of us. You are a Demon. You cannot run from what you are no matter how hard you want to." He placed a hand on Cef's shoulder. "Give me the stones, it will make the rest of this night so much easier. For you anyway."
Cef pushed him off with a grunt. "No."
"Then we both know what is going to happen now," Tamas said. Tamas' fist collided with his jaw before Cef registered the action, he landed on his back on the cold pavement. "Cef," Tamas called out in a laugh, "You have gon
e soft. Thirty years ago you would have had me on my knees before I even managed to throw the punch. My, my, how the humans have changed you."
Cef stood back up. Wiping his face with the back of his hand he found blood, Tamas had split his lip. Tasting it, he felt it claw its way up his back, he could feel it taking over. He snorted, spitting blood on the ground, nostrils flared, and the old bloodlust pumped through his veins.
Tamas froze, the laugh was choked from him when he saw the fire in Cef's eyes. Instead, a wide smirk played on his lips. With a satisfied growl, he charged at him. Cef was ready. Tamas' shoulder barged into his chest but he braced, his boots firmly planted on the pavement. Before he could blink, Cef had his fists curled into Tamas' coat and slung him into a nearby car, the hood caving in under the impact of the heavy Demon.
Tamas pushed off the car with a roar. Cef wanted to tell him to stop this madness, they didn't have to fight, wanted to tell him to stop before it became too late. He never got the chance before Tamas was on him again. Cef was forced back, slammed into the brick wall. It creaked dangerously, a few bricks fell on them, cement dust thick in the air. He needed to get Tamas off the street, he couldn't risk being seen.
Cef's fist connected with Tamas' jaw as he pushed him off, with a swift kick in the chest Tamas' back scraped along the pavement. Tamas was on his feet too fast, but so was Cef. He charged at him again and hammered into Tamas, sending both of them flying into a nearby alley. They landed in a heap of trash bags. Tamas sprang up and tore the lid of a container off its hinges, he slammed it down on Cef, catching him off guard, again and again, battering the heavy metal against him. Then threw it aside and jumped on top of him, wrapping his strong hand around Cef's throat.
"I never thought I would have you in this position," Tamas panted as he squeezed his hands tighter around his throat, "The great and mighty Warchief Ceftion, at my mercy. Do you remember? When we fought back home? I could never touch you, and now look at you." Cef was blinking away rain that mercilessly blurred his vision. He fought to breathe but Tamas' hands were too strong, his eyes wide with savage delight. He had seen the look before, but never aimed at him. "Completely at my mercy." Tamas grinned. ”How these humans have made a weakling out of you.”
