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  “I tell ya, the National Guard’s lucky to have James,” Reggie said in my ear. “Never had a firefighter who gave more than James. He’s just one hundred percent, whatever he decides to do.”

  For some reason, my heart clenched at his words. Maybe it was the thought of James, so sweet and kind and funny, not only risking his life every day that he worked as a firefighter, but risking it further by joining the National Guard. Maybe it was because I could see that whatever his Captain was telling him was serious, and I was afraid of what it’d be. I imagined him being deployed to Iraq, being gone for the entire year. I imagined him coming back scarred and different, a ghost of his usual self.

  I was so lost in my thoughts, it took me a moment to realize James was striding toward me. His Captain was gone.

  James turned to me, his eyes shining. “That was awesome.”

  The tension in my chest eased a bit. He wouldn’t be this excited about getting deployed, would he? “What? What did he say?”

  “Not much of anything, really. Not yet, anyway. Sounded like he wants me to join this elite team of soldiers, but he couldn’t give me too much information because it’s all classified. He said they only recruit the best, though.” He squared his shoulders in a dramatic show of confidence.

  I was having trouble wrapping my head around this. “Wait. You didn’t tell him yes, did you?”

  He looked at me like I was insane. “Yeah. ‘Course I did.”

  I gripped my fork tighter. “Without even knowing what it is exactly that you’re going to do?”

  “That’s sort of the point of ‘classified,’ Cara. They can’t tell you until after you have the certification. Otherwise they’d have to kill you.” He grinned.

  I shrugged off his joke. “But it could be dangerous! Actually, it probably is dangerous as hell. They can’t get people to commit to the program because of how dangerous it is, so they lure you in with all this ‘elite’ and ‘classified’ crap.” I was madder than I’d realized I’d be. The thought of them recruiting James into something dangerous without giving him all the information made me furious.

  “Hey,” James said, patting my shoulder. “Chill, dude. I’m already in the National Guard and I’m a firefighter. I’m sort of trained to expect dangerous. Know what I mean?”

  I sighed and shook my head. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I’m just…this worries me.”

  He smiled a knowing smile. “I know. It’s because you love me so.”

  I rolled my eyes. “So, when will you learn more about this?”

  “This weekend, I think.”

  I wondered why I felt sick to my stomach when I had as little idea as James did about what this might be. I was just being a paranoid fool. Right?

  After the lunch, we did the official check presenting ceremony, where everyone made a donation to the fire department. There were cheers all around when I gave the chief Dax’s check for an obscene amount of money, and I promised to pass on their sincerest thanks to Dax.

  The event finally wound down, so I hugged James goodbye—a hug that Sheila Lawton watched really closely—and got in my car. The clouds were roiling now, wind beginning to gust through the trees and shake the foliage. The dark clouds had turned the early evening into night. If I wanted to be inside when the storm hit, I’d need to step on the gas pedal.

  When I walked in the front door to Dax’s mansion, silently cheering for beating the storm, I thought Victorine had the enormous fireplace in the living room going; the foyer right off of it was incredibly hot. But then I heard voices—low, seductive, beautiful voices. Was Dax back already? Why hadn’t he called or texted me?

  Right on cue, my cell phone beeped.

  In Astaroth country. You won’t be able to reach me for a couple of hours or so, but Victorine will help you with anything you need. I miss you.

  I typed back a quick response and then pushed the door to the living room open, curious now. Five incredibly beautiful faces stared back at me—two women, including Victorine, and three men. They all had small, expectant smiles on their faces, as if they’d just been speaking about me.

  I stared at them in utter silence. The fireplace wasn’t going, and from their incredibly flawless, golden-hued appearances, it was clear to me what I was looking at: a convening of demons. I was suddenly, acutely aware that I was alone in this big mansion with Victorine, a demon who didn’t care for me, and four other strange demons. No one knew where I was, except for Dax and my mother. Dax was hours away, and my mother…she wouldn’t notice my absence.

  The woman demon shifted in her chair, her smile amused now as she watched my paralysis. She was beautiful in a very Gothic way; her inky black hair hung long and straight down to her waist, and she wore a black netted dress that showcased skin so pale it was almost luminescent. She had makeup down to an art form—her eerie silver eyes were lined in black kohl and her lips were a deep, dark red. A silver bracelet snaked up her right arm, so tight it looked like a tattoo.

  The three men were dressed less dramatically, but they were all still striking in their own ways. The two closest to me on the lavender settee had the same colored eyes—a brilliant, burning golden, like twin suns. One of them was dark-skinned with dark hair, and the other was light with blond hair. The one on the armchair closest to the darkened fireplace had a head full of curly yellow hair. His plump cheeks had a ruddy glow and he looked like he could be a cherub in an ancient painting. His eyes were the exact shade of the blue hydrangeas outside my mother’s house.

  The cherubic one was the first to speak. “Hello, Cara.” His voice was soft and smooth, a perfect match for his face. “I hope we’re not scaring you.” He flashed his teeth in a beatific smile, but I couldn’t help but feel an edge of menace he was trying to round out. Was it just my imagination?

  I tried to wipe my sweating palms surreptitiously on my pants. “Of course not,” I replied, a little too quickly even to my own ears.

  “Then come, sit.” The dark-haired man on the settee patted the empty seat between him and the blond. His voice was like rain on a tin roof—faintly musical, extremely lulling.

  I found myself complying without quite meaning to. Before I was fully aware, I was seated between the two of them, my sweater and pants seeming way too hot for this room, for my proximity to two demons who were looking at me as if I was a rare prize.

  The one whose voice was like rain even smelled like sweet rain water. His smile widened as he noticed me trying not to panic at finding myself suddenly between them. Not taking his eyes off me, he said, “I think it’s remarkable, Victorine, that you can stand to be so close to Dax’s betrothed without losing yourself. Her soul shines.”

  My heart raced as I slid my eyes over to Victorine. She looked bored as ever, her legs swung over the side of the armchair on which she sat, her dress riding up her perfect golden thighs. They wouldn’t hurt me… would they? Not here, in Dax’s mansion? And what’s to stop them? a small voice inside me whispered. Dax isn’t here. Victorine certainly doesn’t care. She could just say it was an accident. That some other demons she didn’t know took you away when you went outside.

  “Not really.” She flipped her blonde curls over one shoulder. It took me a moment to realize she was answering the demon. “It doesn’t seem like it to me, anyway.”

  The blond male demon on my other side ran a finger lightly over my collarbone. I tried not to flinch as the skin there sizzled. “It has been fifty years since I’ve had a soul…” He laughed at the expression on my face. I was frozen with terror; I couldn’t move. “Don’t worry, dear. I’m merely thinking aloud. I wouldn’t dare displease Dax. Victorine might never forgive me if I did.”

  I didn’t quite understand what he meant, but I saw Victorine stiffen in my peripheral vision.

  The cherubic blond crossed his wrists over his knee. “Not to mention, Rowland, that you got in quite a lot of trouble for the last soul you took that wasn’t yours to take.”

  Rowland sat up straighter, his golden eyes
flashing with anger. The dark-haired demon on my other side reached over me to put a restraining hand on his arm, but Rowland shrugged it away, his body giving off more heat than it had been already. I was beginning to sweat from the temperature and fear.

  “It’s like you to mention something that happened over two hundred years ago, Henry.” Rowland balled his fists at his sides. They were smoking.

  “Is that so?” Henry straightened in his arm chair. His hands were gripping the arms so tight I was afraid the wood would splinter. They’d already had to replace the fabric on one of the chairs from when Victorine had shredded it. “And why is it so ‘like me’?” His voice took on a mocking tone at the end, and his pale blue eyes flashed to a deep bottle green.

  “Here we go again,” the Gothic-looking demon female said. Her voice was surprisingly fluty for her appearance.

  “Because you’re as petty as a human female,” the blond next to me replied. He stood up, his movements so fast they blurred.

  I cowered against the back of the settee as the dark-haired demon next to me got up too, his hand against the blond one’s chest. “Rowland.” His voice was a deep rumble, a caution. “Stop now.”

  But even I could see it was too late. Henry stood, his entire body smoking. Victorine was racing around getting all the things she could out of the way—the big wooden coffee table in one hand, her armchair in another.

  My heart raced as I realized that they were going to get in a knock-down, drag out fight. I’d only ever seen one demon fight before, but it had been enough. I blinked and there was a thunderous crash. The fireplace that ran along the wall suddenly had huge gouges along its marble cladding, and huge chunks of it lay on the floor. The demons were a blur as they rolled toward the window, smoke hanging like mist over them. There was a cacophony of crashing and banging as they slammed into the floor and the walls, but they themselves were eerily, unnaturally quiet. When they’d reached the far end of the room, Victorine walked up to me quickly.

  “You need to go to your room and stay there.” Her eyes glittered with urgency. “Understand? I’ll watch you until you reach the door. Go!”

  I didn’t ask any questions. I was beginning to question whether this surreal scene was even really happening. I just ran to the door and then fled to the guest bedroom that Dax had decorated for me.

  Inside, I crawled under the covers and lay there, shivering. Thunder crashed outside, the windows barely letting in any light because of how overcast it was.

  Holy shit. Holy. Shit. Had all of that really happened? The danger I’d been in started to really sink in and adrenaline seeped into every crack and crevice of my body. I couldn’t stop shaking; my heart tried to punch its way out of my chest. Why did Victorine invite her demon friends to Dax’s house, anyway, when I was staying here? Didn’t she think that it’d put me in danger? She knew that most demons didn’t live “good” lives like Dax, Oscar, and her.

  But it was pretty obvious. She didn’t care what happened to me, one way or another. I wasn’t safe here. I curled up, hugging my knees, trying to stop the quaking. I needed to get out, get away. My need to speak with Dax was overwhelming. I knew I needed to get out of the mansion, but I needed a comforting voice in my ear, leading me on.

  With shaking hands, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and speed-dialed his number. It clicked straight over to voicemail. Right. He was with the Astaroth and wouldn’t be available for a couple of hours. I hung up and pressed my eyelids shut, damming the tears.

  Come on. Move.

  I can’t. Oh my god. There are DEMONS out there, fighting. And they want my soul.

  I brought my phone up again and pushed another button.

  “Cara?” That voice, always happy to hear mine.

  I felt my heart beginning to calm just a smidge. “James?”

  “What’s wrong?” His voice was instantly serious, wary.

  “N-nothing. I just need you to talk to me. Okay? Can you do that?”

  “Where are you? I’m coming to get you. It’s Dax, isn’t it?” A shuffling and then a metallic tinkling, as if he was hopping up and grabbing his car keys.

  “No!” The worst possible thing would be if James came up here. If anything happened to him, I’d never forgive myself. “No, seriously. It’s not Dax. And…I just needed a friendly voice.” Already, I felt much calmer. I got out from under the covers crept to the door, opened it, and peeked outside. The hallway was empty. I turned back to the phone and spoke in a soft murmur. “Just keep talking to me, okay? Tell me about your day. And don’t worry if I don’t answer.”

  “Cara, I don’t know, this sounds—”

  “Please.”

  His heavy sigh crackled down the phone line. “Fine. I’m only doing this because you’re my friend…and because I don’t know where you are.”

  “Thanks, James.” I crept out the door and began jogging down the hall. So far so good. I fled downstairs, taking the stairs two at a time, and raced past the living room door. It was still closed, thankfully, and I made it out to the foyer unnoticed as James told me about Sheila’s dad, the pompous mayor, and how he’d tried to get Reggie to fork over some of the department’s donation from Dax.

  My heart was beating hard and sweat was dripping down my back, but James’s steady, comforting voice kept me going. I threw the front door open and ran outside, not seeing Shuck, and not knowing if he’d even be any match for a group of demons intent on harm. Besides, who knew? Maybe these demons had brought their hounds with them, too, and they were out in the forest right now, watching me. I just hoped Shuck was okay. And if he wasn’t, Dax would know before I did. There was nothing I could do at this point.

  Once I was in my car and speeding toward the gate, I interrupted James. “Okay. You can stop now.”

  He exhaled. “You’re safe?”

  I grinned, exhilaration pouring into my system after that major adrenaline rush. “Yes. I’m safe.”

  “I want to see for myself. Meet me at Lake Pendleton in fifteen.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Lake Pendleton was a perfectly circular manmade lake, set into a grove of trees. In the summer, kids from nearby towns came here for picnics, and Edenites liked to complain how they trashed the place. Now, in the winter, the water was calm and still like a piece of glass, the moon and stars reflected as if in a second, mirror-image version of the sky.

  I parked next to James’s truck. From the skid marks in the mud, it looked like he’d arrived in a hurry. I walked through the trees to the lake shore. There he sat on a large boulder, my new best friend, looking out toward the water.

  “Hey.”

  He wheeled around and hopped off the boulder in one smooth motion at the sound of my voice. Reaching me in three long strides, James gathered me up into a hug. His heart was pounding and his grip was a death grip as he pressed his chin into the top of my head.

  I patted his back. “I’m okay.”

  He pushed me away a little roughly, holding me at arm’s length to look me over in the moonlight. “What the hell was all that about? Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure.” I sighed. “Thank you for talking to me.”

  He let go of me and, grabbing my hand, nestled it into the crook of his elbow. We walked side by side to the boulder where he’d been sitting, and after helping me climb on, he sat too. We were silent for a moment, listening to the lapping of the water in the gentle breeze. Thunder rolled in the distance.

  I saw James shift in my peripheral vision. “So…this whole thing had nothing to do with Dax?”

  I breathed in the scent of magnolia as I contemplated his question. “Um, not exactly, no. Dax isn’t even in town right now, actually.”

  “Quit tap dancing. Come on, Car. You know what I’m asking. He put you in some kind of a predicament, didn’t he?”

  I tipped my head back and looked at the stars peeking through the tree tops. “No. It’s not his fault.”

  James’s sigh dissipated into the nig
ht air. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

  I didn’t respond.

  “Is he worth it?” he asked, after another moment of silence.

  “Worth what?” I glared at him.

  He was still looking steadfastly at the lake. “The complications. That day at the fire house, he…he’s real rough around the edges, I can tell. The kind of guy who doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself. I just, I can’t see you in a long-term relationship with someone like that.”

  I wanted to snap at James, to ask him if eternity was “long-term” enough for him. But I reminded myself to breathe, to calm myself. He didn’t know anything about Dax’s and my relationship. He was basing his evaluation of Dax’s character on three shaky facts: 1. His own crush on me; 2. Because I’d told him, before Dax had told me how he really felt, that I wasn’t sure about Dax’s and my relationship; and 3. The fact that Dax had burst into the fire house that day he was going insane with fear for my safety. It wasn’t James’s fault. He simply didn’t have the right information.

  I shook my head and looked away. “You don’t know the whole story. Dax is nothing like what you think.”

  “Well, you could tell me the whole story. Clue me in. Maybe even come out to Old Mac’s with Dax, let me meet him properly.” He leaned back on the boulder on one elbow and looked at me.

  I laughed. I couldn’t even picture Dax in an environment like Old Mac’s. “Um, yeah. That’s not a good idea.”

  “Why not? What are you so afraid of?”

  “I’m not afraid of anything. Old Mac’s just isn’t Dax’s idea of a good time.”

  James nodded knowingly, as if he’d expected me to say that. “Okay then.” We sat silently for a few more moments. “What are you doing on Thanksgiving?”