Night Tide

by Kory M. Shrum

  The wooden floor creaked under her boots as she crossed the threshold slowly. She made a show of looking around, as if searching for someone.

  She was searching for someone.

  The interior of the bar was a crude outline of Alpha’s. Tables running along the left wall were squat, unstable-looking things. There was a jukebox somewhere. The song had changed to the 99 problems cover by Hugo.

  Behind the bar was the owner, Bathory, a tall woman with black hair, black eyes, and inhuman porcelain skin. She regarded Reese with a curious expression.

  Crossroads stood out from the other bars in Castle Cove for one other reason—apart from the fact it was teeming with demons—patrons could smoke. A thin gray cloud of smoke hung in the air, giving it a cloudy look that Reese hadn’t seen in a long time—since the ban on indoor smoking had gone into effect fifteen years ago.

  Reese felt eyes on her. Hungry, greedy eyes followed her as she moved through the room toward the bar.

  “What brings you to The Crossroads, Reese?” Bathory said. She put one hand on her hip and regarded Reese with an expression that was half curiosity, half suspicion. “Kristine send you?”

  “No,” Reese said, knowing that her lie could be detected easily by a demon. They did specialize in them. “I’m looking for someone.”

  Bathory arched her eyebrows. “You have business here?”

  Reese settled on a half-truth. If there was a woman using dark magic in Castle Cove, wasn’t it her good Samaritan business to find out what was going on? See something, say something. “Maybe.”

  She saw Bathory trying to detect the lie. Her face hardened in confusion. Then her eyes searched the bar. “Do you see who you’re looking for?”

  This gave Reese a full invitation to search the bar.

  Once Bathory had pulled her into conversation, most eyes had slid away, returning to the whispered conversation they’d nurtured before her arrival—except for one man. He leaned against the wall, a cigar balanced between his fingers. He regarded her with his one milk-white eye from beneath the rim of his felt fedora.

  “That’s Cole’s brother,” Bathory said in warning. “He can’t be the one you came for.”

  “She came for me,” a voice piped up.

  Reese turned to see Violet climbing onto the barstool beside her. She wore a grin, masking whatever emotions she felt beneath. Like any demon, she hid her emotions perfectly. “Miss me already, baby?”

  A gentle knock echoed on the door of her mind. Open up.

  Reese cracked the door just enough to allow unspoken communication with Violet. When they’d broken up, she’d revoked the demon’s free pass to play in the recesses of her mind.

  Come get a table with me, before these guys eat you alive, Violet said. Even in Reese’s head, she sounded just as she did aloud. Bossy.

  “I thought you two broke up,” Bathory said, wringing a hot washcloth into the sink behind the bar before wiping down the bar top.

  “We did.” Violet gave Bathory a suggestive grin. “Maybe it’s my lucky night. Maybe she wants me back. Tell me you missed me.”

  Reese smiled, trying to play along. “I did.”

  And Reese realized she didn’t have to lie. Surprise flickered on Violet’s face as she registered the truth as well.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Violet asked, tapping her black nails on the wood. She was searching Reese’s face earnestly now.

  “A beer,” Reese said.

  “Two Surly Darkness, Bath.” Violet cut her eyes to the barkeep who was already opening the cooler. To Reese she said, “Why don’t you wait for me at that table?” The demon pointed at the empty table against the wall. “I’ll be right over.”

  Reese didn’t miss the fact that this table was about as far from the other demons as possible. But she dutifully crossed the room and took a seat. From here, she was able to see the part of the room that had been blocked by the bar.

  The back of the room was cloaked in shadows, actual cloaking magic to be sure. She suspected to most eyes they saw only darkness. But Reese caught the outline of two people talking at a table. One was the woman she’d followed.

  Reese took her seat with her back to the couple. She wouldn’t be able to see them from the other seat. At least this way, maybe she could hear their words.

  “It didn’t work!” the woman hissed between song changes.

  Reese glanced over her shoulder and saw the woman from the beach tucked into a deep pocket of shadow. The demon she spoke to remained hidden. He—or she—was wrapped in deliberate shadows with the exception of a pale, bloodless mouth. Reese knew that demons exploited darkness, but she’d never seen one so adept at it. She was more than curious to know who was controlling the dark. Did she know them? If not, from what rock did the creature crawl out from under?

  The chair across from Reese scraped across the floor and Violet settled into it. She rotated her shoulders, shifting the leather jacket she wore. She slid the bottle across the table toward Reese.

  “You didn’t have to,” Reese said, referring to both the drink and the intervention at the bar.

  “Sure I did.” Then directly into Reese’s mind, she added, Channery was about to fuck your soul three ways to church.

  Reese saw that she’d made a small, nearly imperceptible motion toward Cole’s brother.

  In my opinion, he’s the worst demon in town. I wouldn’t spit in his drink for a billion dollars, Violet added. So you’re welcome.

  Reese was honestly touched by the demon’s protectiveness, but she wasn’t stupid. I can’t thank you, Vi. Or you might get the idea that I owe you something. Being indebted to a demon—however chivalrous—invited trouble.

  The demon offered a cocky half-smile. It was worth a try.

  Reese was trying to hear the conversation going on at the table behind her, but nothing was coming through. The next tune—a blue grass remix of another Top 40 hit—now filtered through unseen speakers.

  So what’s really going on? Violet asked, taking a long drink on her own beer. If Kristine didn’t send you for bartender shit, why are you here?

  Reese tried to decide what she could and couldn’t tell Violet.

  “You have your thinking face on,” Violet said, taking another sip. “Last time I saw it, you broke up with me. Should I be worried?”

  Reese flashed an apologetic smile. I’m trying to hear this conversation behind me.

  Violet’s eyebrows arched. Why?

  Reese quickly recounted what she saw on the beach.

  When she finished, Violet turned up her beer, finishing it off in several strong gulps. My advice to you would be to stay out of it.

  Reese had the distinct impression that Violet knew exactly who was in the shadows, making deals with the would-be witch. Why? Reese asked in the same mocking tone.

  Violet laughed. I don’t remember you being stupid about these things. You tend to have a nose for danger. That’s why you broke up with me, right?

  That stung. Violet seemed to realize this and sighed.

  Aloud, she said, “If you’re so bored, Reese, you should come home with me for the night. I’ll keep you busy.”

  Reese considered the offer. It was an excuse to get Reese out of the bar and away from the other demons. Even when they’d been together, Violet had a way of angling Reese away from her demonic companions. Reese had once asked why, and Violet had laughed. We’re a bunch of bastards. I thought that’d be obvious to you.

  Reese drank down the last of her beer and nodded toward the door. “Let’s go then.”

  Violet rose from the table and led the way. As they passed the bar, Bathory flashed a wink. “Have a good night, you two.”

  Reese stepped out into the cool night air and descended the wooden steps.

  “I’ll follow you to your place,” Violet said, throwing her leg over her Honda Rebel. “That okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Violet lifted the bike off its stand and walked it backwards out of its parking spot. R
eese was already in her pickup when it rumbled to life.

  Heading toward her place in Cliffside, Reese kept looking in her rearview, half-believing the demon might ditch her. But the single headlight of her Honda stayed with her as she drove through the dark streets.

  Reese’s mind wandered back to Violet’s protective measures and her tendency to buffer her from the demons in town. She suspected the real answer lay in the confession Violet gave her one night about eight months into their relationship. They’d been lying in Violet’s bed in her Old Town apartment. Dawn had been approaching, the moment when Violet would go unconscious for the day. Maybe that’s why she’d been speaking so freely, delirious with the approaching sunlight.

  “You know why demons are so attracted to shifters?” she’d mumbled. She’d been curled into her pillows and blankets, looking deceptively angelic.

  “Because we fuck like animals?”

  “That.” Violet snorted. “And your magic.”

  “What do you mean?” Reese had asked, reaching over to run her hand through Violet’s hair.

  “In low-level demons like me, it neutralizes us. But in stronger demons, in the old ones—they like to eat it.”

  A shiver had run down Reese’s spine.

  “It gets them high as hell on the power of it,” she said. “You smell like magic.”

  The sleepy demon had rubbed her nose.

  “Not like that diluted shit we can find anywhere. Pure magic. Source magic. You have no idea how intoxicating that is. It’s like being starved for a thousand years and here you come, smelling like the best Bolognese I’ve never had.”

  Reese laughed. “Bolognese is your favorite.”

  Violet smiled. “It is.”

  But just as quick the smile was gone.

  “But stay away from the old demons, okay? You can’t fully neutralize them. And the moment they see a chance to—”

  She’d kissed Violet then. “You worry too much. I’m safe.”

  “No one is safe in Castle Cove.”

  Reese laughed. “Then why are we here?”

  Violet had opened her eyes in sudden clarity then. “Where else can we be what we are?”

  That’s when the rising sun had taken her.

  A rough knock on her pickup window startled her out of her thoughts. The sound brought her back to her surroundings. She was sitting in her driveway, staring at the three-story oceanview house without really seeing it.

  It was Violet.

  She opened the door and climbed out. “Sorry. It’s been a long night.”

  Violet wore her usual smirk. The tension surrounding her in the bar had dissipated. “Then let’s put you to bed, princess.”

  Reese leaned against the driver’s side door. “Why did you really want me out of there?”

  “I told you. Channery was about to gobble you up.”

  “And what about the other two—the woman in the back and whoever she was talking to.”

  “The woman,” Violet said, her eyebrows arching. “So that’s who you followed in?”

  “How do you know I followed her?”

  Violet snorted. “She arrives and then a couple of minutes later, so do you, looking for someone. Then you directly refer to her while interrogating me about her. How in the world did I ever figure it out?”

  Violet crossed her arms.

  “At least you weren’t looking for the other one. Of course the woman isn’t much better.”

  “Who is she?”

  Violet shook her head. “Invite me inside, Ree. Make me a drink. Maybe I’ll tell you.”

  Reese knew that if Violet came inside and they started drinking, very little conversation would be had. Of course. Maybe Violet would surprise her.

  “Would you like to come in?” Reese said. “I can make you a Jager bomb if you want.”

  Violet wrinkled her nose. “I’m not trying to get trashed. A G&T will do.”

  Reese unlocked the door and led them both inside. They kicked their shoes off at the door and crossed into the living room on the right. On the far wall, past the soft pale blue rug and glass coffee table was the bar. Reese made the G&T, but needed lime from the kitchen. When she came back with one, she found Violet on the white leather sofa. She’d removed her jacket and had thrown it over the arm of the couch. She’d pulled her hair up into a ponytail, revealing a luscious line of neck that Reese instantly wanted to kiss.

  Violet knew the effect she had and blinked her long lashes. “Smell that lust. You did miss me.”

  Reese wasn’t masking her scent, so no doubt her pheromones were betraying her. No matter how calmly she put her own gin and tonic on the ceramic coaster and sat down beside the demon, body language never lied.

  “Don’t distract me,” Reese said. She found her voice thick in her throat. “That woman was doing something down in the cove. If she’s here to cause trouble—”

  Violet laughed. “No doubt she’s here to cause trouble. But you need to stay out of it. She could wipe Alpha’s floor with both of us. Let Ethan handle her. He’s probably the only one in town who can.”

  “How can I tell him—”

  She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Don’t be a tattletale, Ree. Besides, I can think of a better way to spend the morning with you.”

  Her eyes had filled with soft, flickering hellfire. Of course, they did that when Violet was pissed off too. But Reese had the strong impression Violet wasn’t angry at the moment.

  Before she could set her drink down, Violet had moved across the couch and pressed the full length of her body against Reese’s. This shoved her back into the cluster of blue, green, and gold throw pillows clotting the corner of the sofa.

  The demon’s mouth was hot, sparking electric across Reese’s lips. Muscles low in her body filled with heat. When Violet slid down the length of her body, making Reese hyper aware of every curve, every patch of exposed flesh, Reese moaned.

  Violet pulled back with a Cheshire cat grin. “Already? I haven’t started.”

  Reese finally got her gin and tonic onto the table, freeing her other hand. She entwined the demon in her arms, slipping her fingers under the hem of her black tank top. There was no bra to unfasten so Reese enjoyed the freedom to trace her skin without hindrance.

  They kissed until their mouths were raw with it and the heat between Reese’s legs was so intense, she thought one movement of her legs might spark a fire.

  Violet pulled back, her face flushed. “Meet me in your bed.”

  The demon dematerialized, leaving Reese cold and panting on the sofa. Alone. “Freaking demons.”

  While it was true that Violet could not use any of her demon powers on the shifter, it didn’t mean she couldn’t torture her by proxy.

  She grabbed her drink, downed it in one go and ran up the stairs to her bedroom, crunching ice between her teeth as she climbed.

  When she threw open the door, panting with loss of breath, she found Violet reclining on the bed, a gleam in her eye.

  Violet had taken the liberty of killing the lights and filling the room with candlelight. Soft music played from an unseen speaker. She ran a hand over the coverlet. “Took you long enough.”

  Reese regarded the candlelit room. “You’re really trying here.”

  “It’s been a while since I’ve fucked you,” Violet said. “I want to remind you how good I am.”

  Reese was across the bedroom in two strides, slamming the demon back against the pillows. “I haven’t forgotten.”

  Violet’s eyes danced with fire. Though whether it was her own demonic hellfire or the candles in the room, Reese couldn’t be sure. “Have you really forgotten already?”

  Violet flipped her easily, sliding her legs down on either side of Reese’s body. “Take off my shirt.”

  Reese obeyed, grabbing the bottom of the thin fabric and pulling it up over Violet’s head. She stole several kisses while their mouths were aligned. And while Reese’s mouth was greedily sucking on full lips, Violet was relieving her of her
own shirt, then the black sports bra beneath it.

  Then their breasts touched, nipples lightly grazing one another. Violet pushed her back against the bed. “Do you still have a strap-on?”

  “Pretty sure they’re all at your place,” Reese said.

  Violet pouted. “Disappointing. I wanted to see you on your hands and knees.” A wicked grin covered her face. “I can still get you there.”

  Violet laid down alongside Reese, aligning her body as if she were the big spoon. She slid her arm down between her legs.

  “Already so wet,” Violet purred in her ears. “Was I the last person to fuck you?”

  “Yes,” Reese admitted. No point in lying about it.

  “That was a while ago.”

  “I’m aware,” Reese groaned. As Violet found her clitoris, gently rubbing it between two fingers, she bit down on Violet’s arm.

  “Careful,” Violet said, hissing. “You know how much I like pain. I’ll get carried away.”

  Reese pretended not to hear, biting harder as Violet slipped two fingers inside her.

  She teased Reese toward her first orgasm with slow, steady strokes. As her desire built, obliterating all thought from her mind, Violet pulled her up onto her hands and knees. Her hand stayed between her legs, ruthlessly building speed. Reese buried her face in the pillow, crying out as white and red sparks danced behind her eyelids.

  “That’s it, baby,” Violet cooed. “Just for me, okay?”

  A second surprise climax echoed through her. Reese fisted the pillows around her.

  “You’re cheating,” Reese said. “You’re using lust magic or something.”

  Violet snorted. “I wish. Then I could really blow your mind.”

  Violet forced her legs farther apart, sliding between them. She turned, so that she was lying on her back between Reese’s spread legs. She pulled Reese down onto her chest.

  The first brush of her tongue so soon after two orgasms rocked Reese. Her legs shook with the force of keeping her weight aloft.

  But Violet had already wrapped her hands around the shifter’s legs, refusing to let go. It didn’t matter that Reese’s legs were shaking. It didn’t matter when she collapsed onto her side, unable to hold herself above the demon’s mouth anymore. The demon wouldn’t let go. She rolled with her, continuing her tongue’s assault until Reese was on her back, orgasming for a third time.