by Trina M. Lee
She scrunched her face up and shook her head. “No go. He was engaged. Alas, my hunt for a boy toy that can keep up with me continues.”
“Your pack is huge. Why not hook up with another wolf?” I refused the cigarette when she offered it. I was down to just a few a day. Good for me.
“Been there, done that. It just leads to awkward shit within the pack. I prefer to keep my personal life personal. And I kind of like human guys. They’re always so surprised when I throw them down and rip their clothes off.” She chuckled to herself at a naughty memory.
I watched as Rowen flagged down a cab and got the guy safely inside. They exchanged a few words, and the cab drove off. Running a hand through his blue ’hawk, Rowen flashed me the smile that always made me weak.
“Go get laid,” Jett quipped. “You reek like lust.”
Despite her ribbing, I knew she was happy for me. She just showed her happiness through snarky remarks.
When he rejoined us, Rowen said, “I convinced him to head home and get some sleep. We had a good talk. I may have got him thinking about rehab.”
“In ten minutes you managed that?” Jett asked. “Shit. You’re good. No wonder you have wings already.”
Rowen grinned and ducked his head, embarrassed by her praise. Taking his hand, I slipped my fingers between his and squeezed. He squeezed back, and we shared a look.
With a nudge, I asked Jett, “Do you still want to jam?”
She cast a last glance at the punk rocker with the spikes. “Yeah, let’s go. Bring lover boy. He can play bass.”
“You sure that’s ok?” Rowen’s grin was teasing. “Our bands might consider that some kind of treason.”
“Aw, screw ’em. I happen to know for a fact that Tash song writes with Mr. Country. I don’t suppose Arrow would want to come by, hang out, and have a drink.”
Rowen’s smile faltered. “I doubt it. I’ll text him though.”
My heart ached as his smile faded. Rowen didn’t like to discuss his relationship with Arrow in too much detail. They were still friends, though embracing each other as brothers would take time. Being on opposing sides wasn’t going to make that easy.
We headed for the parking lot with Jett chattering up a storm. She was great at lightening a dark mood. In no time she had us laughing and joking along with her. When Rowen and I showed her the song we’d written together, she didn’t even get mad. She just wanted to steal it for Crimson Sin.
After we ran through the song a few times, she admitted, “I kind of hate to say it, but you two make a pretty good team.”
I exchanged a look with Rowen, who gave me a sexy wink. My heart fluttered the way it always did when he looked at me like that.
“Yeah.” I fiddled with the pegs on my guitar, hoping to hide my goofy blush. “We really do.”
THE SPIRIT ROOM
REBEL HEART BOOK 2
TRINA M. LEE
CHAPTER ONE
“I’m starting to hate it when your boyfriend plays. Too many groupies.” Jett’s comment was accompanied by a snort of derision and a scowl.
With arms crossed, my back against the wall, I gazed around at the packed interior of the nightclub. Molly’s Chamber was currently rocking the stage. Next to our band, Crimson Sin, they were easily the best band in town. At the Battle of the Bands event a few months ago, they had been our biggest competition, and we’d just barely kicked their asses. They had deserved the win as much as we did, maybe more so. I might be biased though, since I fell for their bass player.
I forced a tight smile when a gaggle of girls shoved by, almost knocking me down. Jett growled, the sound swallowed up by the thunder of drums and bass.
“It’s not so bad.” I smiled to myself as my gaze landed on Rowen. His vibrant-blue mohawk was flopped to one side. He’d neglected to spike it up tonight. The long piece in front fell into his fiery amber eyes, just the way I loved it.
Rowen was the love of my life, or at least I’d like to think so. I was crazy about him, but the past had left me scarred and wary, unable to trust or commit. Since we met at the Battle of the Bands, I’d learned more about myself and what I was capable of than I’d ever thought possible from any relationship.
“I need another round of shots.” Jett leaned beside me, scouring the crowd. “And a hot guy who’s over twenty.”
I snickered. She had a tendency to go for the legal but young type. “There’s plenty of post-twenty hotties here.”
“Just yours. Oh and his friends, which includes Arrow, but I mean, come on.” Jett’s predatory stare followed the dark nephilim she spoke of. “It’s Arrow. He’s hot, but he’s so not my type. I don’t do crazy junkie assholes.”
I tore my gaze away from my foxy boyfriend to follow Jett’s gaze to Arrow. He gestured to the annoyed sound guy, apparently lecturing the guy on how to do his job. Arrow, having given his silent instruction, turned back to the crowd of booze-swilling rockers. He ate up the adoring attention from everyone, encouraging the shouts and whistles. What an attention whore.
Arrow Lynch and Rowen Cruz were brothers. Half brothers, to be exact. They shared a father who just happened to be a demon. Having human mothers made them nephilim like me. We all had to choose a side. Arrow was dark. Rowen was light, as was I. And we were all thrust into this crazy rock n’ roll world which caused our chosen sides to collide more than I’d anticipated.
Jett was picky when it came to what kind of guy caught her interest. She wasn’t wrong about Arrow though. He was a shady dude, a drug dealer who worked for demons.
“Arrow isn’t so bad,” I said. “He’s got some good qualities.”
Jett smirked and shook her head. “Name three.”
“Um, well, he risked his own neck to get Rowen away from Dash. And he helped me out when Dash had it in for me.” I racked my brain for another example. It was hard to sing Arrow’s praises. He didn’t make it easy.
“That’s only two, and don’t forget that one of those situations involved blackmail.” Jett shrugged. “He’s a selfish prick who hooks people on drugs and takes blowjobs for payment. He’s not a good guy.”
I knew I shouldn’t have told her about that. Arrow wasn’t on my list of favorite people, not even close, but I’d seen a side of him I didn’t think he wanted anyone to see. A strange grace lurked beneath his arrogance and his bad-boy exterior.
Feeling our eyes on him, Arrow’s gaze landed on us. He raised a brow before flashing us a cocky grin. Tattooed and dressed head to toe in black with a smudge of dark liner around his eyes and a shock of long, black hair that peeked out from beneath the knit cap hanging off the back of his head, Arrow was hot. Jett wasn’t wrong there. The ugly part was that he flaunted it.
“What an egomaniac.” Jett raised a beer to her lips. It was promptly knocked out of her hand by several rowdy guys shoving their way through. The bottle hit the floor at her feet, splashing us both. “You fucking punks.”
I thrust out a hand to hold her back before she could bare fangs at the drunken idiots. “Just chill, Jett. It was an accident. Cage the beast.”
Her dark eyes flashed wolf, but she managed to restrain herself. I whirled toward the guys to find a demon trailing after one of them. Demons, prevalent in public places, could always be found drifting from person to person, wreaking havoc with their malicious whispers and cruel intentions. Much like how angels were assigned to specific people, demons were as well, and not all of them were bottom feeders.
This demon in particular made for a potent force to be reckoned with. Walking unseen among the group of guys, he stuck especially close to one. I watched as he leaned in close to murmur something destructive in his ear. The guy leaned in to one of his buddies and said something. His friend’s expression turned ugly, and his lips moved in an angry retort. Moments later, fists started swinging. It didn’t take much to coerce a couple of drunk dudes to go at it. Chaos broke out as those around them started shouting and cheering them on.
I shoved away from the wall and
weaved through the crowd, my focus on the demon who watched with a satisfied smile. He saw me coming, and his expression changed to one of intrigue. He blinked solid black eyes at me and raised a hand in invitation.
Because he was incorporeal, there wasn’t much I could do. I had a weapon, which I’d happily discovered would allow me to harm him whether he was corporeal or not, given to me by my dear angel friend, Cinder. Unfortunately, carrying a sword into a rock show was frowned upon. So all I could do was antagonize him into taking form.
“Really? Starting fights between drunks? Low hanging fruit, don’t you think?” To anyone watching it would have looked like I was talking to nobody. Lucky for me, there was too much going on between the stage and the fight for anyone to pay me any attention.
The demon regarded me with those inky black eyes. This close they appeared to be bottomless pits, reflecting nothing back, not even my own face. “I take it where I can get it.”
“You succeeded in making trouble. Maybe you should move along now.” I jerked a thumb toward the exit.
“I succeeded in helping him manifest his anger into something tangible. Something powerful.” That soul-sucking gaze slid over me, taking in my tight leather pants, Mötley Crüe tank top, and spiked collar. “You don’t look like a white lighter.”
“Are you judging me?” I knew that he was only trying to distract me.
“Of course.” The demon flashed a wide smile of such absolute evil that a chill crept over me.
Molly’s Chamber jammed out their final song. I glanced up to find Arrow watching me engage the demon. The look of intrigue he wore didn’t sit well with me.
I stared into the demon’s illusively human face, feeling small and fragile next to the monster before me, while we remained otherwise unseen. Everyone’s eyes were locked on the stage or the fight. The demon smirked, taking joy in having the advantage, since confronting them could be as dangerous as ignoring them, especially when one had as limited power as I did. Perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut and minded my own business, but it wasn’t that simple. The demon had a job to do, yet so did I.
Security moved in to split up the fight and escort both guys outside where they would just continue their aggressive display.
“Great job,” I muttered, knowing the demon had orchestrated the fight to spread anger and aggression among the crowd, who already had enough adrenaline flowing.
“Thank you, Spike.” The demon slipped me a slimy smile as he revealed his awareness of me. In a show of extreme arrogance, he extended a hand and took corporeal form. “I’m Brook. It’s a pleasure to meet the rare lady nephilim that has Dash in such a mood these days.” His grin widened at the thought.
I stared at his hand with obvious disdain. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment. Dash doesn’t seem like the type to let someone like me get to him.”
Brook continued to hold his hand out, smiling wide when I continued to refuse it. “Anyone who can get to Dash is worthy of my respect. Of course, I still can’t allow you to get in my way. So let’s just make nice and go our separate ways, shall we?”
Jett came to stand next to me when Brook materialized. She vibrated with tense energy, ready and wary. Still, a crowded bar was no place to throw down with any demon.
Molly’s Chamber wrapped up their last song of the night. The crowd gathered close to the stage, screaming and cheering, with the fight already forgotten.
I found it interesting that Brook spoke of Dash with contempt. Demons might all be on the same side, but they had a tendency to fight amongst themselves, which could always be worked to the advantage of the light.
The music stopped, and the DJ took over, spinning classic rock tunes while Molly’s Chamber cleared their gear so the next band could set up. The Spirit Room was the best bar in town for live local rock shows. The Battle of the Bands event had drawn a huge crowd. It was great, except that more people meant more demons.
Brook’s black gaze settled on something just over my shoulder. “Friend of yours?”
I turned to find Arrow strutting his way through the crowd. He shoved through the sea of people until he was at my side. “What have we got here?” Arrow didn’t wait for a response. Opening his palm, a shadow crept out like a writhing black snake. It wound its way around Brook’s neck, coiling tight.
I stared in stunned silence.
Brook grabbed at the shadow, but his hands plunged right through it. So instead he retaliated with a roiling black mass of dark energy that struck Arrow in the chest. It choked off his breath.
He coughed, struggling for air. That didn’t stop him from throwing both hands up in a move that froze the demon in place. Yet his move wouldn’t hold a demon like Brook for long.
“Arrow, what the hell are you doing?” I demanded when I was sure he could breathe again.
It wasn’t like him to start shit with a demon, although he hadn’t quite been himself lately. He’d been a bigger, more pain in the ass version of himself. Arrow had already betrayed his side, and as far as I knew, he was still in a state of probation, having to earn back his place among the dark.
“Just having a little fun.” He shrugged and jerked his head in a dismissive motion. “Take off. I’ll handle this.”
Before I could answer, the demon broke free from Arrow’s hold and threw a punch that connected with Arrow’s face. The power behind the hit threw him down on the floor, skidding into a group of girls who shrieked and darted out of the way.
Jett surged forward, ready to throw some punches of her own.
I saw no way this would end well; backing off and letting the demon go was our only wise choice. “Jett, don’t,” I shouted, too late, as she swung at Brook.
He flicked her like a bug and sent her crashing into me.
Arrow had already scrambled to his feet. Shadows swirled around him, unseen in the dimly lit nightclub. Tendrils darted out from him, some lashing out at the demon, others winding around his arms and legs.
“You traitorous little fuck,” the demon spat, fury flashing in his ebony eyes. “Don’t think that Dash won’t be hearing about this. I know you’re one of his.”
Arrow tilted his head and gave a half shrug. “I’ll tell him myself. I don’t really give a shit what he thinks.”
I’d intended to ask the demon to leave when I approached him. Instead Arrow had leapt in, making the situation far more volatile than it needed to be. I glanced toward the stage in search of Rowen. If anyone could get Arrow under control, it would be him. Although Arrow was not always controllable.
Jett hovered close to me, waiting for my lead. There wasn’t much I could do. Still, I had to try something. So I reached out to grasp Brook’s wrist. As a replicant, I stole a sample of his power, a copy of what he’d just used on Arrow. I stepped back and hit him with the roiling black force. My shot didn’t weaken him as much as I’d hoped, but it did send him flailing backward.
It also pissed him off.
Black eyes found me again. “Nice shot, bitch.”
I braced for his retaliation. My strongest skill was fire, and I couldn’t very well use that with so many witnesses. It didn’t blend in the way Arrow’s shadows did.
Jett strained, tense beside me. The muscles in her arm trembled beneath my hand as I held her back. She and I were not at our strongest in front of witnesses. Our brand of fighting was explosive and often bloody. That girl had claws.
Brook looked us over like he couldn’t decide what he should do with us. Though we were limited by the many witnesses, he was too. It was forbidden for any of us to put on a blatant public display that revealed our true selves. Sure, it still happened, but most of us, light and dark, knew better than to break that rule. We walked among humankind, each of us with our own agenda, but keeping our identity concealed was essential for human life to continue on its natural course.
I wasn’t entirely surprised when the demon lunged at Arrow. I was surprised, however, when Rowen stepped between them. He caught the fist that came
hurtling toward him, meant for his brother. A light glowed in his palm. It spread like a visible warmth, jumping from him to the demon who shrieked and tried furiously to pull away.
“Let’s not do this here,” Rowen said. “You walk away. We walk away.”
Jerking back, the demon clutched his hand, holding it close. He regarded Rowen with something like trepidation and perhaps even fear. “I didn’t start this altercation. She did.” He pointed at me.
I glowered. “I stepped in on behalf of someone else. It’s what I do. I’m a white lighter, remember?” So badly I wanted to slap him with a fireball. My palms tingled, and I rubbed them, willing the urge away.
Brook held up both hands. “I’m done here. Unless you all would like to take this elsewhere.”
“I’d like to take it elsewhere.” Arrow shifted from foot to foot, as if overcome with pent up energy he needed to unleash.
“No,” Rowen interjected. “You wouldn’t. Chill the fuck out, Arrow. You’re going to cause a scene.”
The two of them engaged in a small stare down. Before discovering they were brothers, they’d been best friends and band mates. Although Arrow had been instructed to recruit Rowen for the dark, the two had formed a genuine bond. The revelation that they shared a father had been tough for them both, but they seemed to be working through it.
I didn’t like the way they were looking at each other though. It reminded me of the night they’d gotten into a fight on stage. I’d been horrified, but the crowd had loved it.
We all watched Arrow, anticipating his reaction. He wasn’t really the taking-orders type. I expected the sneer that crossed his face.
“Fine. Whatever, man. Fuck it.” Arrow threw us a curve by letting it go. Then he spun on a heel and stalked away.
Two girls nearby did a double take as he passed. If they only knew.
Brook jerked a thumb in the direction he’d gone. “That one is going to pay for his betrayal.” He disappeared, as demons do, leaving us to make of that what we would.
