Harlow's Demons Complete Series

by Jen Pretty

  I was curled up on a plush towel on the floor when there was a gentle knock. “Harlow?” Nick's voice carried through the bathroom door. “You want to come out and have dinner?”

  I cleared my throat before I spoke because it was full of frogs and I knew I wouldn't be able to speak clearly. “No.”

  “She left. You could come lie on the bed.”

  That sounded drastic. I was okay on the floor in the bathroom. I had the towel to soak up my tears and nose snot bubbles, and I had water to drink. I pushed myself up and turned on the tap, sticking my head under to take a sip. I splashed some on my face too and then looked down at my nest on the bathroom floor. It was awfully close to the toilet. I wondered how good the room cleaners were.

  Defeated by the possibility of germs, I tip-toed out into the bedroom. Nick was standing by the door but I didn't look at him, just crept to the bed and slid under the covers. I buried myself in the warmth, pulling my knees up to my chest.

  “You want some pizza?” Nick asked.

  “No,” I replied, not peeking out from under my blankets.

  “Hamburger?”

  “I’m not hungry,” I said. Closing my eyes and trying to convince myself to go to sleep. My mind was on constant replay. She said she couldn't let anyone find me. Who would have wanted to find me? I knew that half-demons only cared about powers—what the demon half of their parent equation had given them. The more powerful they were, the higher they ranked in the hierarchy or some such garbage; like being more demonic was a good thing.

  Nick had left, at least I didn't hear him breathing anymore, so I assumed he was in the living room. I hadn’t heard the door open.

  I sighed. I seemed to be all cried out but I still wasn’t falling asleep.

  The quiet slide of the suite door proceeded low muttering from the living room. I stayed hidden under my blanket, assuming it was Julian returned from wherever he had gone.

  The bed dipped beside me, but I pretended I was asleep. A heavy sigh from beside me sounded like Julian and the crinkle of a newspaper confirmed it. I had never seen Nick reading. Someone was still shuffling around in the living room until I heard the suite door open and click shut again, then the only sound was my breathing and the occasional sweep of paper as probably-Julian turned the page.

  It could have been a murderer, though. I didn't know for sure it was Julian. Maybe Nick left me here with a demon. Or maybe Nick had gone long ago and demons surrounded me. My heart started to race in my chest. I wanted to peek out and be sure but if it was a demon I had no protection. I reached up slowly and counted my amulets still around my neck.

  They would burn a half-demon. Maybe I was no-part demon. like a recessive gene. I had learned about those in high school, sort of. I mean. I passed biology so I must have learned something about them, but it was all just a haze now.

  “You want to talk about it?” Julian’s voice broke through the silence so smoothly I didn’t even startle.

  I went back to pretending I was asleep, but his chuckle gave away he didn't think I was asleep at all.

  “You know, being demon-kin isn’t the end of the world. We are good people. Mostly.” He tugged on the blanket that was covering my head until it pulled down enough to display my eyes. I looked up at him, my hair all over my face with static.

  His eyes locked on mine. I wanted to say something, but I was so overwhelmed with everything I’d learned and the heaviness in his gaze that my brain scrambled for a way to release the tension.

  “What did you find out about Collin?” That did it. He dropped his gaze and folded his newspaper properly.

  “I spoke to a local half-demon who has been in hiding since Collin arrived. He only got the word out last week that things in Jackson had gone to hell. He wouldn't say more on the phone. He said Collin has taken control by force, chasing their former leader out of town. Those who could left the city and are in hiding, but he has security at the airport and train stations.”

  “So, he knows we are here?”

  “Most likely.”

  We fell into silence again. I chewed on my nail. I didn't want Collin to come after me. I might have been scrappy but I was not a fighter. Even if I could move as fast as Collin, I wasn’t as strong as him.

  “This was a terrible plan,” I muttered, pulling the blanket back up over my head.

  I must have finally fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake.

  “Harlow, you have to get up,” Nick said.

  I grumbled, but once the tone of his voice registered, my mind sprang into action. “What’s happening?”

  “Julian went out to meet a contact and hasn't come back.”

  I sat up and looked beside me. He had been there when I fell asleep. His newspaper still lay on the bed-side table. “What time is it?”

  Nick was already walking back out of the room, but called over his shoulder, “Three a.m.”

  I had been asleep for most of the night. I stumbled out of bed and rooted through my suitcase, pulling out clothes and changing quickly. In the living room, I found Nick on the phone. He was listening to it and cursing.

  “Why are you freaking out already? Maybe he is still talking to whomever he went to see,” I said, hopping in place and pulling on my sock.

  “He said it would take him an hour tops. That was four hours ago.”

  Well, that was a reason to worry. I took out my phone and dialed the number I had been avoiding the last few months. It rang twice and then he picked up.

  “Julian, where are you?” I asked, not waiting for him to say hello. There was a dark chuckle and then some heavy breaths. It didn’t sound like Julian. “Who is this?”

  The breathing continued but didn't answer my question. The echo of feet on a hard ground came through the line and then a rusty door swinging open.

  “Hello?” I said.

  Nick crossed the room and stood beside me.

  The line was so silent I thought maybe whoever had the phone hung up but then the sound of a man screaming cut through the silence. I startled and almost dropped my phone. The scream drifted farther away, and then the deep laugh came back.

  “I wonder if he is truly immortal. I’ll let you know.” It was Collin’s voice, I would recognize it anywhere. That is when the pieces fit together…

  Collin had Julian.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Nick grabbed the phone away from me but Collin had already hung up.

  “We need to trace his phone,” I said, frantic. I didn’t want to think about how I was going to catch Collin without Julian. I just knew I needed Julian back and the sound of him screaming was still ringing in my ears.

  Nick was on his phone talking to someone, but I had nothing to do and no one to call. I returned to my room and grabbed my net as if that would help this situation. I dropped it on the bed. It was useless.

  Back in the living room, Nick put up a finger in the universal wait sign. So I stood and waited.

  “Shit. Okay, thanks.” He hung up and turned to me. “The phone has been destroyed. It was off when I tried to trace it earlier.”

  “How did he know I was calling?” I gazed around the room like it might be bugged.

  Nick scoffed. “Good point.” He started looking around, too.

  I caught a reflection in the top corner of the TV and realized it was a bit more than a television. It had a video eye in the top corner just like a laptop. I pointed it out to Nick who reached around and unplugged the TV from the wall. Problem solved. Except not really, since Collin had Julian and was torturing him.

  “How are we supposed to find him?” I stood frozen. I couldn't decide my next move. Would Collin kill Julian? Julian was immortal, but I was betting if you cut someone up small enough, they couldn't put the pieces back together again. Like Humpty Dumpty.

  “We need to make contacts and get to the underground. There are people there who can help us. We have to find out where they’re hiding.”

  I nodded — Time to
get to work. I slipped back into the bedroom and shut the door behind me. I changed into hunter gear, that would probably help get the attention of the local half-demons and hunters. The comfortable protection of the leather pants calmed my racing heart. I pulled on a clean, fitted t-shirt that wouldn't impede movement and then pulled my hair up into a high ponytail. Once my boots were laced, and I was basically superwoman, I stepped back out into the living room of the suite and found Nick sitting at the table, texting wildly on his phone.

  I had my net in my hand, but I wasn't sure if I would need it tonight, so I set it on the back of the couch. I watched Nick for another minute, and then he turned to me.

  “There is a club called Half-Life in the downtown area that is a typical hangout for half-demons. It’s a hole in the wall and they might not let us in, but we can try.”

  “Good enough. Let’s go.”

  Nick rose, and I noticed he had geared up too. His leather pants fit snug, making me wish I had other plans for tonight besides hanging out with a bunch of half-demons. We didn't talk on our way down the elevator or through the reception area. Outside a taxi huddled in the half-lit loading area. Nick opened the door and the driver folded the newspaper he was reading.

  “Where to?” the driver asked shortly.

  Nick rattled off the address and the driver actually punched it into his GPS.

  “You sure?” the cabbie asked, glancing over his shoulder at us.

  “Yup.” Nick glanced out the window as the car rolled away from the lights of the hotel. Wherever we were going, the cabbie didn't sound very excited. The city rushed past in bright lights and busy streets. Car horns honked and the sounds of music drifted in through the open window at every stop light. The music died down and the sounds of people yelling filtered through as we continued. The streets got darker and meaner as we went.

  The cab rolled to a stop in an area I wouldn't have got out in if I didn't have Nick with me. Nick handed the driver some cash and we slid out onto the empty sidewalk. Nick pointed to an alley, for crying out loud! I was pretty sure he had just brought me here to kill me by this point. I doubted even demons wanted to hang around here.

  At an unmarked door, Nick knocked hard three times, and we stood waiting in the near black of the night. The door swung open on creepy hinges and a head popped out.

  “Who are you?” a deep baritone asked. Black scales covered his face like a demon's and he was nearly as tall. He took another step forward and I took a big step back, bumping into Nick. Nick's hand came up to rest on my back, loaning me some strength.

  “Nick and Harlow. I talked to Donny.”

  The bouncer, because that was obviously who he was, stepped out to get a closer look at us. He wore dark jeans and a black tank top; I could see the scales trailed down to about his elbows before the skin turned into normal human flesh.

  “Donny said he was expecting hunters. You look like a hunter, but this one looks pretty small for hunting,” he said, eyeing me like I was a pork chop.

  I scoffed. “It takes more than muscle to catch a gargoyle. Have you ever caught one?”

  He grunted and held the door open. The sound of music spilled out into the alley as Nick and I slid past him. The lights in the club were rainbow coloured and flashing over the people like laser beams. There was a lot of skin on display as well as scales and wings and horns. Half-demons packed the club. Everyone we passed had some demon feature. The bouncer led us to the back of the club.

  Seated in a deep booth tucked into the corner was a man with no sign of being a demon at all. His hair was dark sandy brown, and when he rose he was over six feet tall. He wore leather and looked more rugged than a demon. Like a warrior. Or a hunter.

  “Donny,” Nick said, extending his hand. Donny shook his hand but had his eyes were glued to me. He scanned me up and down like he was looking for something, and I guess he didn't find it because he looked back to Nick.

  “Is this her?”

  “She is right here,” I said before Nick could answer. Macho boy shit was not going to fly with me.

  Donny's eyes slid back to me, his expression blank. “You are Harlow?”

  “In the flesh,” I replied. “I need to ask you some questions.”

  He chuckled and his eyes scanned behind me. I wanted to turn around and see what he was looking at. There were a lot of half-demons behind me in this club. Not a very comfortable place for me to be, but I didn't dare take my eyes off the hunter in front of me. Show no fear and all that.

  “All right, follow me.” He turned on his heel and led us through a doorway at the back of the warehouse-turned-dance club. Single hanging bulbs at irregular intervals lit the hallway; as if someone had just tossed up some light without being concerned about lighting the whole way. The sounds of the music faded the farther we walked, and Donnie's broad back took up most of the hall until he stopped at a door and pulled a key out of his pocket. Beyond the door was a comfortable, though small, apartment. There was a kitchenette and living room, and a small closed door led to what I assumed was a bedroom.

  Donnie grabbed some beers from the fridge and handed them out before collapsing on the couch in the middle of the living room. I took a seat in a plastic lawn chair and Nick sat on the other end of the sofa. I popped off the top of my beer and took a deep drink. Thank God. I was sweating in my pants and the cool alcohol felt like heaven.

  “So, what do you want to know?” Donnie asked after a moment of silence for us each to commune with our drinks.

  “I need to find Collin,” I replied simply.

  He stared at me for a long minute and then turned to look at Nick. “You sure about this?”

  “He’s summoning demons. We have to stop him,” I said. Donnie turned back again since Nick didn't reply. This Donnie was a piece of work.

  “And what are you going to do about him? Even demon touched, there is no way you can stop Collin.” So he had heard about me and was choosing not to believe I had any special power.

  “If you have a better suggestion, I’d love to hear it,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “Yeah, you should go on home and leave the demons to professionals. You could end up dead or worse.”

  I wouldn’t tell him that death is the worst; I was sick of this guy's attitude. “And who would be the professionals exactly? Collin has been in your city for months and he is still running around causing big shit. If you won't do anything to stop him, I will.” I stood to leave. If Donnie wanted to be a dick, he could do it on his own time.

  “Orange station,” Donnie said from behind me as I reached the door. I turned back, and Nick was right behind me, but Donnie was still sitting on the couch, picking at the paper wrapper on his beer bottle.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “The subway station. Someone has seen him entering the station, but he doesn't get on a train. He disappears onto the tracks.”

  I walked out the door, Nick hot on my heels.

  “Was that a hunter?” I whispered to Nick.

  “Yup. A douchey one.”

  I snickered as we travelled back down the low-lit hall and out the door into the club. I scanned the dark corners, feeling eyes watching me, but kept moving towards the door we came in. Nick was at my back but whoever was watching me was intent and the hairs on my neck raised. Just as I approached the door, a solid mass stepped in front of me. I stopped short, or I would have bounced right off the broad bare chest. It was a human chest, but wings peeked up behind his shoulder. The man was wider than he was tall, and muscles rippled along his shoulders. I trailed my eyes up, and his face was steely and cold. I wanted to shiver just from the look in his eyes. Nick’s heat radiated behind me.

  The half-demon nodded and then stepped aside, reaching behind him to push the door open. I suddenly didn't want to step out into the dark alley, but Nick's hand pressed gently between my shoulder blades, and I slipped past the winged demon into the night. The door clicked shut behind us and we were alone in the alley, but a moment
later the door opened again and the half-demon stepped out. I was pretty sure he was about to kill us. I prepared myself to do some major kung-fu, but the massive half-demon just held out his hand like we should proceed him out of the alley.

  “What do you want?” I asked, not moving away.

  “Julian is my brother. I know of his capture. I will assist you.” I realized he had a light trench coat over his arm, and he pulled it on so it covered his massive wings. He still looked otherworldly since he was a giant, but with his sides covered he passed for human. The moon’s fragile light reflected off his black hair that was slicked back like he was from an old movie.

  “How do you know he was captured?” I asked, feeling only a tiny bit better about being in the alley with the half-demon.

  “I saw him taken. It took ten half-demons to subdue him. My name is Alessandro. You may call me Al.” With that, he led the way out of the alley and halfway down the block to a rusted old car that looked like a death trap. He held the passenger side door open for me. I wondered if I needed a tetanus shot before I got in, but the interior was tidy and didn't smell too bad. Nick climbed in the back, and Al circled around to get in the driver's seat. Road trip.

  “So, how long have you lived in this city, Al?” I asked to make conversation when the silence went on uncomfortably long. The empty streets of the scary side of town gave way to the busier roads in the shopping district.

  “My whole life. I was born here and raised by my father after my mother abandoned me,” he said.

  Seems like a lot of that going around in the demon community. Maybe we should start a support group. We could call it something catchy. I thought about that for a while until I realized that Al was still talking.

  “We don't have maps of the tunnels, but it should be simple enough to search,” he said. I assumed he was talking about the subways where we would find Julian and Collin. Hopefully, there weren't bats or gross things down there. Rats? Ugh. I shivered.

  “What’s wrong?” Nick asked from the back seat.

  “I don't like rats.”