I jump back just in time to not get squished by the door. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”
As I spin gently, pain stabs into my chest. I double over and stumble into the wall. Electricity crackles across my skin. Squeezing my eyes shut, I focus on slowing my breathing. At thispoint, I doubt I’ll make it to the living room, much less outside. My stomach rolls, and I groan as shadows swirl around me.
And then it’s over. The pain evaporates along with the shadows. The nausea subsides and my vision clears. My magic goes silent as if someone flipped a switch inside me. No hum. No crackle. No power. Panic swamps me, and I brace my palms on my knees. In all the centuries I’ve been alive, I’ve never felt this before. I’ve never evenheardof this before. This isn’t a curse or a summoning gone wrong. I need answers, but I won’t get them from Mari. As much as I want to pick her brain, she doesn’t want me around. No amount of charm will change her mind.
“Seriously?” she mutters behind me.
I glance over my shoulder, and the world vanishes.
Itoss and turn for most of the night, yet I can’t get Dimitri’s words out of my head.
He spoke of Death and Karma like they were real people. Maybe not people, per se. Definitely living beings, though. I never really gave much thought to demons beyond what Aunt Star had said. She refused to answer Lark’s and my questions, so we figured out pretty quickly not to ask.
Lark never could leave well enough alone, though. She’s fascinated with the darker side of things, whether it be demons and Hell or dark spells. It’s why I’m sure she got herself into something when she fucked off to gods-knows-where. Should I be saving her? No. But she owes me and I’m not about to let her die with her debts unpaid. Plus, it wouldn’t be very sisterly for me to leave her to her fate.
I stare at the shadowy ceiling, too tired to reach over and turn off the lamp. It would probably help me sleep. Then again, every time I close my eyes, I’m plagued with images I don’tunderstand. A dark cage surrounded by even darker stone walls. A closet filled with cleaning supplies. In one there’s an iridescent egg, much bigger than I’m used to. Another one has a hooded figure stalking through a misty landscape. I’m sure if I fell asleep right now, I’d be subjected to the images come to life.
The soup may have helped whatever illness is assaulting my body, but nightmares would send me straight back. My shower earlier did absolutely nothing, mostly becausehewas loitering about. It’s like I could feel his presence hanging around. I still don’t understand why he keeps showing up. I don’t even have any texts to consult. My internet searches came up empty.
I slam my palms on the fluffy comforter. “Ridiculous. Stop thinking about him. He’s a demon.”
A very sexy demon,my mind whispers. It sounds like my sister’s voice, which is annoying as hell.
“Doesn’t matter what he looks like.”
But he’s sweet. He fed you.
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “He didn’t feed me. He served me, maybe. I made the damn soup myself, thank you very much.”
I don’t know why I’m arguing with myself. It’s not like it’ll change anything. I’ll still be stuck in this fucking town, on a fool’s errand with a demon trailing me. Unless I never see him again. He did walk right into a purple cloud of smoke and disappear. Maybe magic or the balance or whatever decided I’d suffered enough.
Except he looked like he was suffering too.
A groan escapes me, and I squeeze my eyes shut. “And that’s my problem, how?”
The voice doesn’t answer. Because of course it doesn’t. It’s me, not my sister, and I don’t have any answers. If I did, I’d love to be able to solve all my problems just by talking to myself. If I could pluck solutions out of thin air, my life would be very different. I sit up and glance around the shadowy room.
It’s too early to get up, yet too late to go to sleep. I opt for rising and shining, though I doubt they’ll be much shining going on. Once I’m dressed, I drag myself to the kitchen and make a cup of coffee. As the hot liquid slides down my throat, my muscles relax. My head may be pounding and my chest may be tight, but I’ve got caffeine and that makes all the difference.
For about seventeen seconds.
Then it all crashes down as someone pounds on my front door. If it’s an angry mob, I’m going to lose it. I’ve never cursed someone before, but I’ll do it if they try to burn me at the stake. Jeremiah wasn’t particularly happy with my threats. I doubt he’d be about to rile up the community, though. It’s a small town, yet not enough to back an asshole for no reason.
I shuffle toward the window overlooking the porch. When a crowd doesn’t appear, I sigh, then pull open the door. Percy, my only friend in this town, shoves past me with a frustrated growl.
“Come right on in,” I mutter as I swing the door closed.
“You’re not naked, so…” She flops onto my couch.
“And if I had somewhere to be?” I ask, crossing my arms.
She snorts, peering at me from under her lashes. “You never go anywhere other than the mailbox. You even have your groceries delivered by the little old lady who lives at the end of the lane.”
“You sound like you’re quoting a nursery rhyme.” I collapse into the wingback chair I use when I’m working. “Wait, it’s like five in the morning. Why are you here at the ass crack of dawn?”
“Shit’s going to hell. Needed to get out of my hovel.”
I glance at her and realize there are dark rings under her eyes. She looks as bad as I feel. My nostrils flare when I spot the dark bruises peeking from under her sleeves. Someone grabbed her—hard. I grit my teeth, knowing I can’t ask her about them. She’ll brush off my questions, then clam up. Waiting for her to reveal what happened isn’t ever easy.
