Harlow's Demons Complete Series

by Jen Pretty

  “Let’s hope it doesn't come to that,” I said.

  Julian grunted his agreement.

  “There is a gym downtown that has a basement room set up for self-defense training. I signed us up for a week of classes so we could learn some defense skills,” Nick said, not reading the room very well. He still seemed pretty keen on his ‘kill the half-demons’ plan.

  I nodded. “Okay, Nick. But let's try not to kill anyone. I think once Collin is gone, things will calm down.”

  Nick just smiled and tucked the knife away in his duffel bag.

  “When do we start this self-defense?” I asked, grabbing my cell phone off the low table by the couch I had been passed out on.

  “Today. Right now, if you are ready,” Nick replied.

  “She just woke up,” Julian said in a low voice.

  “It’s fine. I feel okay,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  We all piled into the limo that had been hunched at the curb all morning, and the driver took us to the address that Nick provided.

  The gym was tailored to boxing. Punching bags and speed bags lined the walls, and a boxing ring was set up on a raised platform in the center of the gym. It smelled like gym socks, and men and women were working out all around the open spaces. A pair of young women were in the boxing ring, sparring while a stereotypical grey-haired man was yelling instructions from the side of the ring. It felt like I was in the movie Rocky all of a sudden and I started humming the Rocky theme song.

  Julian chuckled and shook his head at me while we followed Nick to the back of the gym where there were changing rooms beside a long wooden desk.

  “Howdy,” said a man sitting on a bar stool on the far side of the desk. He had long hair pulled back into a man bun and wore a martial arts outfit with a black belt. I knew enough to know that meant he was probably a pretty tough ninja.

  “Hi, my name is Nick, and this is Harlow.”

  The man’s face lit up. “Oh great! Come on back this way.” He slid off his stool and opened a door I hadn't noticed behind him. We followed him down a rickety set of stairs and into a damp basement. “My name is Kirk. I’ll be helping you guys with self-defense and a bit of knife work.”

  Kirk flicked on a light and lit up a room full of stuffed dummies in various places scattered around a large room. The space was bigger than the gym upstairs but had the same matted floor. There were a few heavy punching bags down here, too, but mostly it was human-shaped dummies with targets painted on their canvas chests. Most had holes in them as if someone had repeatedly stabbed them.

  Nick looked excited and that worried me.

  “Let's start with self-defense and see how that goes. Then we can move on to the knives,” Kirk said. He pulled on some padding and started telling Nick about different holds and maneuvers to get the better of your attacker. I stopped listening when they started talking about trajectories and body weight. It was all stuff I didn't care about. I kept staring at one particularly abused dummy along the back wall. It had holes in its head, neck and chest. Someone had taken a round out of it.

  "Harlow, you ready to try?” Kirk asked.

  “Sure,” I said, crossing the matted floor to where the ninja stood. His padded helmet squished his face a bit making him look like a chipmunk. He popped a mouth guard in and attacked me suddenly. Wrapping his arms around me and pinning my arms to my sides. I struggled against him, but he was really strong. His arms were like steel bands. I jerked my knee up and caught him in the nuts, making him drop to the floor. I guess he needed more padding in certain places.

  “Sorry,” I said, looking back at Julian and Nick. Julian was smiling. A proper smile with teeth and everything. It was such a shock I forgot about the poor guy on the floor moaning in pain and just stared at the half-demon.

  “You okay, Kirk?” Nick asked as Kirk rolled to his feet and staggered over to a bench along the wall.

  “Yeah, man. Just give me a second,” Kirk replied.

  “I thought you had protection,” I muttered. Oops. But it did work. I escaped my attacker without needing a weapon and only doing minor damage…I hoped.

  Kirk took a long drink from a sports bottle and then cleared his throat and rubbed his hands over his face. “Okay, Harlow. Let’s try again. This time, please don't knee me in the balls.”

  I bit back a giggle and nodded.

  “To get out of this hold, you need to drop your body weight to the ground and then step in towards me to push me back. Just like Nick did.”

  Oh, maybe I should have been paying more attention. “Got it.”

  Julian chuckled, but Nick looked like he was disappointed that I hadn't been watching him wrestle with Kirk. Boys.

  This time when Kirk grabbed me, I did what he said. I dropped hard and rammed into his legs. He staggered back, but I ended up on my ass on the mats. Kirk recovered quickly and pinned me to the ground. I struggled against him but couldn't get out of his hold.

  He stood and offered a hand to me which I accepted. He pulled me to my feet and started going over what I did wrong. I was pretty sure falling on my ass was my mistake, but he went on and on about center of balance.

  We tried it several more times before I gave up, leaving Kirk and Nick to practice some knife moves. I collapsed onto the bench worn out from the already long day. Julian sat down beside me and slid his arm around my shoulders, tucking me in beside him.

  He was warm and I was so tired; I started nodding off.

  “Harlow.”

  “Hmm?” I said sitting up and wiping the drool off my cheek. I was curled up on the bench, my head in Julian's lap, a visible damp spot on his thigh. Fuck. That's not embarrassing.

  “I said it’s time to go,” Nick said. He was putting away the knife he had shown me in the sculptor's studio. I guess he got to try it out on some of the dummies. He had sweat beading on his brow but looked relaxed and happy.

  His sudden blood lust was getting more and more concerning. I prayed that this mission wouldn't turn into a blood bath.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  When we arrived back at the hotel, the woman we had met in the subway tunnels, Celia, was standing just inside the doors. She wore a heavy coat and a thick hat that covered her horns. She looked nervous until she saw us and then she visibly sighed in relief.

  Julian held the door for me, and as soon as I was through, Celia grabbed me in a big hug.

  “Thank God you are okay. I heard there was a big shit show in the tunnels by Collin’s hideout and he has had men searching all the abandoned tunnels. I had to come topside to avoid them.” She spoke so fast I had trouble keeping up with her.

  “Uh yeah, we are okay,” I got in before she went off on another tangent.

  “Collin is gathering more forces and I heard some of them talking about demons. I don't know if he already summoned some or what, but it's not good.”

  “Shit,” I whispered as we all piled into the elevator.

  “Yeah, it's just getting worse. I also heard that they sent someone to take you out. Here you are though. Tough as nails, eh?”

  I laughed. “Not quite. I had help from Darla.”

  Celia’s eyes went as big as saucers. “Darla? You must be important.”

  “I don't think so,” I said.

  “She is critical to our future,” Julian said.

  I stared at him, but his face had gone blank. His guard was up around the fellow half-demon. We stepped off the elevator and into the hotel room.

  “I’ll order dinner,” Julian said, walking into the bedroom as we all sat down on the couches. I kicked off my boots and groaned at the feeling of freeing my feet. My poor toes had worked way too hard today and needed a vacation.

  “Did you pay attention to the knife work part of the day, Harlow?” Nick asked as he collapsed beside me on the couch.

  “Not really. I'm pretty sure I can't stab someone with a knife. Even if they were attacking me.”

  Nick scoffed. “You have to protect yourself. The half-demons have no p
roblem stabbing you.”

  The reminder of my recent attack was unnecessary. I glanced at Celia. Her hat covered her horns, but I knew they curved along her head, didn’t point straight out like weapons.

  “The half-demons under Collin’s control will fight to the death. That’s why they created the Demon Division: to ensure the leaders weren’t using their powers for evil,” Celia said. She unzipped her coat and pulled her hat off her head.

  I got lost in thoughts of demons for a while as Nick and Celia chatted about weapons. Apparently, Celia made knives and swords in her workshop, too.

  My memory of the demon in New York was still fresh even now. The smell of his hot breath, the feel of his nails pressing through the skin on my neck. I ran my fingers along the biggest scar that ran down the back of my neck. It wasn't particularly huge but it was still a reminder, and with my hair up it was visible. We hadn’t seen much of Collin’s lair. He could have demons there already. Possibly many.

  “I’m going to go,” Nick said.

  I pulled out of my dark thoughts and back into the room. “Okay, sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Nick had a hotel room on the same floor as us, but I wasn't sure which one it was. There was a growing gap between Nick and me. I had felt so close to him in New York, but maybe that wasn’t real. Maybe it was just the intensity of the situation we were in.

  “I’ll come back in the morning, too,” Celia said.

  I waved goodbye as they shuffled out the door then I curled up on the couch. The cool leather felt nice on my face. My eyes slid shut, and I just let myself drift for a while. I knew that when we finally went after Collin, it would be a shit show. I just hoped we all walked out of it alive.

  It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen any gargoyles in this city. Except for in the sculptor's studio, there weren't any on buildings that I could remember. I tried to think back to when we were driving around, but still not a single gargoyle on a single building.

  “What are you thinking so hard about?” Julian's voice startled me, and I shot up from the couch.

  “Shit, you scared me.” I rubbed my eyes. “I was thinking; have you seen any gargoyles here?”

  Julian nodded. “Yeah, the local hunters have fled. All their gargoyles have gone missing, and it's dangerous for them here right now with Collin controlling the half-demons.”

  “Where are the gargoyles, then? Does Collin have them?” A terrible thought occurred to me then. “Oh, crap.”

  Julian sat down beside me on the couch. “That is my thought exactly. Some half-demons under his control seemed to be a little vacant.”

  “You have to be kidding me. Would he purposely free the demons? How would he prevent them from taking over himself?”

  “If he wasn't around when they broke the gargoyles, the demons would latch onto whoever was closest.” Julian's arm slid around my shoulders, and I leaned into him.

  “So, we have a lunatic half-demon, and demon possessed half-demons, and potentially full demons to deal with?”

  Julian sighed. “Probably.”

  “This sucks.”

  There was a knock at the door and I tensed automatically.

  “I’ll get it,” Julian said.

  He checked the peephole and then unlocked the door and pulled it open. The scent of Chinese food wafted in and I hopped up to grab the bags of food from him while he paid the delivery man. The door clicked shut and I heard the lock clink while I was taking the Styrofoam bowls of food out of the bag. Julian sat across from me and I handed him some chopsticks.

  “So, you eat Chinese food?” I asked as he picked up some moo shoo pork and expertly delivered it to his mouth with the chopsticks.

  “Mhmm.” He said, chewing his food. Once he swallowed, he said, “At least it has vegetables.”

  I laughed. Even I had to admit that Chinese food vegetables were edible. All greasy and yummy. It was the best way to eat vegetables.

  I ate all the egg rolls and half the chicken balls before I was completely stuffed and had to roll myself to the shower. I didn't have the energy to have a bath, though I stared at the tub longingly while the shower was heating up. My eyes were too heavy. I'd definitely fall asleep and drown.

  I stepped into the shower and scrubbed my hair until it was a bit tamer.

  “You know,” Julian said from right outside the shower stall.

  “Jesus! Julian, get out of here!”

  He continued as if I hadn't just squeaked. “Nick might have a point about defending yourself.”

  “No, he doesn't, and I am in the shower, Julian. You have to get out.”

  “If demons possess the half-demons, they will be even stronger and faster than normal half-demons which are typically pretty fast and strong.”

  I turned off the water, giving up on the rest of my shower. I was clean, that was enough. “Hand me a towel,” I said, sticking my arm out of the shower stall.

  When he handed me a big white towel, I wrapped it around myself and tucked the end in. It covered me from armpits to knees, but my hair was still dripping wet. I stepped out and glared at him.

  “This could have waited till I was out of the shower,” I said.

  “I think you are underestimating the army that Collin has built,” he said, ignoring my logic.

  “Maybe I am. But I am not the kind of person who goes all commando and attacks people. There are good people in that place. Like the woman who helped me save you.”

  “So maybe you don’t hate all half-demons?” he asked with a small smile.

  God, he was a dork. “You are so obvious,” I said.

  He stepped into my space, his hands coming up to rub up and down my arms.

  “I'm not. I’m dark and mysterious.” He blanked his face, displaying no emotion.

  “I hate that look,” I said.

  “I know, I can tell. You get this crease in your forehead.” He ran his finger between my eyebrows.

  “Great, you are giving me premature wrinkles.”

  He laughed, and the sound echoed in the bathroom, making me grin.

  “I love it when you smile,” he whispered pressing a light kiss to my lips.

  I melted into him, and he scooped me up, carrying me into the bedroom and setting me on the bed. He laughed when he set me down and I wouldn’t let go, but then pried my hands away from him. He returned to the bathroom and came back with another towel then dried my hair with it, stopping the constant drips.

  “Do you have a hairbrush?” he asked, eying my overflowing messy suitcase.

  “No, I forgot to bring one.”

  He shook his head and went back into the bathroom, returning with a paper-wrapped comb.

  He slid in behind me on the bed, so I sat between his legs, and he sectioned off my hair, combing it until it was knot-free, and my eyes were so heavy I couldn't keep them open.

  Julian knocked me over and tucked me into the blankets. I was asleep a moment later.

  When I woke up, the towel I had wrapped around me was bunched up under me uncomfortably, but luckily the blankets were still covering me. I yanked on the towel, pulling and twisting until I finally got it out from under me. I threw it to the floor and secured the blankets to keep my heat in. Finally, as I settled into the warmth, a soft masculine chuckle rang out behind me.

  I rolled over to find Julian in his standard position — sitting up in bed with a newspaper, wearing only pyjama pants. I sighed, eying his broad chest and narrow waist decorated with abs and pecs. He was delicious for a half-demon. I was glad he didn't have scales or horns, though that might have been a racist thing to think. I thought about it for a few more minutes. It wasn't the scales and horns that made a demon bad. Celia was nice, and she had horns.

  “What are you thinking so hard about?” he asked, folding his newspaper and setting it aside.

  “Demons,” I replied honestly.

  His face sobered. “I’ll be glad when this business with Collin is over.”

  That reminded me of what he
said on the phone yesterday about me being under his thumb. I wanted to ask him again about it, but I also didn't want this moment to end. The peacefulness of the early morning with Julian was like a drug, and I had missed it.

  “Breakfast should be here soon,” He leaned down to kiss me, but I covered my mouth. I had definite morning breath, and there was no way he was kissing me.

  He laughed and got up. “Get dressed, and we can head out after breakfast,” he said, walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

  I lay in the bed for a few minutes longer, considering my situation with Julian and Nick and the evil Collin. Thinking wouldn't fix this situation. It was a situation where I needed to get in there and hope for the best. I shuffled out of bed and pulled on some good hunter gear. I would let Nick have today to do his training, and then I was done waiting. It was time to be the tough super-powered, super-hero I was meant to be. Or at least I could be if I closed my eyes and pretended.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  That day at the gym, I tried to stay focused on self-defense training. Nick was picking up skills much faster than I was and getting as good with the knife as I was with my net. Maybe better.

  I got the hang of self-defense moves, and Julian helped me practice while Nick and Kirk worked on knife things. Going into that tunnel with knives strapped to me was still a firm ‘no’ since I would never stab someone, but I saw the benefit of being able to disarm someone or escape if someone got a hold of me. I couldn't freeze everyone. Saving my strength for Collin, and any potential demons he had, would be important. At lunchtime, we crossed the street to a diner and collapsed into a booth in a back corner far away from the rest of the humans.

  “I saw some of your moves, Harlow,” Nick said as he scanned the menu. “You are getting better.”

  “It’s not as hard as I thought it would be. My speed helps, but without extra strength I thought I wouldn't be able to manage most of the moves he was showing us.”