Heart pounding in my ribs, I nodded. “What do you want in return?”
“It doesn’t work like that, Mia.” Her laugh echoed in my mind. “You’ll owe me one. And when I come calling, you’ll have to pay up.”
Wonderful. That definitely couldn’t go wrong. It was like writing a blank check, only you had no way of knowing when someone would cash it. She could come for me in a year. Or maybe ten. Decades could pass before she decided to yank the chains of our deal.
“So?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah, it’s a deal. Go on and do it. It’s not like I have any other choice.”
She pressed her hand against my arm, and invisible flames rushed across my skin. Gritting my teeth, I swallowed down my scream, knowing that if I made a scene, I’d only bring more unwanted attention onto me. Az or Lucifer would find me before I’d even left the city.
When she was done, she stepped back and nodded. “You look better as a redhead, but the brown’s not so bad.”
I glanced down. My once-brilliant hair was a deep chestnut. The color I’d always envied in high school. It clashed with my pale skin, and it brought out a frizziness I’d never had before.
River saw me looking, and she shrugged. “Sorry. Sometimes color changes can fry the hair a little.”
I scoffed. “But it’s a glamor. It’s not real.”
She patted my arm. “This one’s real. It’ll stay like that until you wash it with rosemary.”
“That’s it?” I asked as she drifted away, joining the crowd bustling along the bridge.
She called over her shoulder. Her long pink hair brushed her waist. “That’s it, hun. You’re on your own now. Good luck.”
* * *
After gathering up the broken shards of my heart, I boarded a train heading north. My plan was to do the exact opposite of my first instinct. Az might expect me to head down to Tennessee. I had family there, even if they wanted nothing to do with me. My sister might find a way to sneak me some money, just enough to keep me going for a little while.
It made sense. It seemed like the safest, most logical thing to do.
So, obviously, I couldn’t do that.
What was up north? Snow. Cold. Mountains Not a single person I knew. That was perfect. The demons wouldn’t have the foggiest clue where to look first. As long as I had no idea what my next move was, I’d be unpredictable.
I’d be like smoke.
The train rumbled along the tracks as it left the city behind. Soon, the countryside rolled by the windows. It didn’t take long for the imprint of New York to vanish, the tall, towering buildings replaced by wild bushes and grass.
At some point, I dozed off, still weary from the past several days. A hand landed on my shoulder and shook me awake. Startled, a sharp cry shot from my throat, and terror tripped through my veins. I reached for something to protect myself with, but my hands found nothing but the soft bag full of Az’s clothes.
“Hey, hey,” a kind, soft voice said. “It’s alright. I’m sorry I startled you, but we’ve reached the last station. Thought you might have missed your stop...”
I glanced up at the woman smiling down at me, my heart still racing. For a moment, I panicked. Did she recognize me? Had she called the cops? But then a strand of hair fell into my eyes. Brown hair. Not red.
Letting out a breath, I tried to steady myself. “Sorry. I was fast asleep and just got startled. Thanks for waking me.”
“What’s your stop, hun?”
I nibbled on my bottom lip and glanced out the window. There was a single platform just beside us. Beyond it, a field stretched out for miles. No sign in sight. I had no idea where the hell I was.
“This one,” I said brightly, hoping I didn’t look and sound as delirious as I felt. “I’ll get off right here.”
Concern flickered through her eyes when I turned back to her. “You sure you’re alright? Do you need any help?”
For a moment, my voice got stuck in my throat. This woman seemed so earnest, so willing to help. The smart thing to do would be ask her for help. I’d have to lie about some of the details—I didn’t think she’d believe me if I started ranting about demons and fallen angels. But the kindness in her eyes drew me in. Maybe she could help me find somewhere to stay.
No.I shut those thoughts down. It was too soon to ask for help. I didn’t have a good story, and I didn’t want to make it up on the fly. One bad move, and the wrong people would find me.
