He turns his attention back to me and gives a small smile. “Somehow, I doubt that,” he says under his breath.
I blink. “Huh?”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you ditching?” he continues without missing a beat.
“Um…what makes you think I am?” My gaze darts around the parking lot again. How long have we been standing here? It feels like less than a second and forever at the same time.
“Well, because school is that way,” he says pointing back toward the brick buildings, “but you were headed that way.” He points to the line of trees on the other side of the road, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement.
“Oh, right. Yeah, um…I’m not feeling very well. I was just going to go home and get some rest.” I hope the lie doesn’t show in my voice. Tatiana always says I’m a terrible liar. Of course, she’s not exactly the most unbiased source.
He leans against a rusty blue pick-up truck. “Sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better soon. It’d be nice to have at least one familiar person here. It’s not easy being the new guy and not knowing anybody.”
I nod sympathetically while thinking how not at all sorry for him I feel. This is one boy who won’t be lonely for long. Even if the other guys in the class have a hard time accepting this big-city newcomer, the girls will swarm to him like horny bees to a very sexy honey pot. I realize this thought disturbs me.
“I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” I mumble, my mouth suddenly dry.
His eyes lock on mine, and for a split second he sees right through me; his focused attention makes me feel as if I’m standing alone on a stage under a dozen bright spotlights, vulnerable and exposed. I gulp and my heart beats faster.
“Would you like a ride home, or do you have your own car?” His voice is soft, and I’m taken aback at his question—by the way he asks it. Almost intimately, as if we’re already old friends. Many people I’ve known for years don’t talk to me with the effortless ease this strange boy does.
“No…thanks. I mean, yeah, I have a car, but it’s at home. I prefer to walk. The fresh air does me good. But thanks anyways.”
“All right, then. That way, you say?” He motions back toward the buildings. “First door on the right and beware of nasty trolls?”
“Yeah…and if you could do me a favor and not mention that you saw me, that’d be great.” I grimace as I think of the trouble waiting for me tomorrow, let alone what’s waiting for me at home later today.
He arches a dark eyebrow, and his eyes twinkle again. “Don’t worry; your secret is safe with me. Besides, I wouldn’t even know who it was I was ratting out,” he adds pointedly.
“Oh, sorry…My name is Liora. Liora Greyson.” Yes. Manners. I knew I had some somewhere.
“It’s nice to meet you, Liora. I’m Kieron Ambrose.” He holds out his hand and I automatically take it; his large, warm palm makes mine seem cold and tiny. He gives it a gentle squeeze and every cell in my body wakes up on fire. I quickly pull away, not wanting to disturb the real fire inside me.
“Nice to meet you, too. Welcome to Dove Creek…I hope you like it here.” I finally remember my welcome pitch and wish I hadn’t. It sounds even cheesier out loud than in my mind.
“I’m definitely liking it so far,” he says. His eyes never leave mine.
There’s a rolling jostle in my stomach, but I’m not afraid. This strange fluttering isn’t being caused by Her. Nervously, I tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ears and smile at my new friend.
“Good luck in there…I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
******
“Hello, Liora. I was wondering when you’d decide to come home.” Tatiana is hunched over the stove fixing dinner as I walk in. When she turns to face me, I’m relieved to see there’s no sign of anger in her face or disapproval in her milky-white eyes.
I’d spent the rest of the day in the forest, reading by my favorite tree and thinking of Kieron. I knew it was stupid to get all excited over some guy I didn’t even know, but I couldn’t help it. There was something different about him. And the way he spoke to me and looked at me…as if I was normal…as if he actually liked me…as a person…
It had felt nice. Really nice. A girl could get used to it, that’s for sure.
Any girl but me, that is.
“Hi, Tatiana. Sorry, I lost track of the time.” I brace myself for her scolding. She easily senses my presence within a one hundred mile radius and knows exactly where I’ve been all day. But she says nothing. Instead, she continues with the food prep and hums softly to herself.
I take a seat at the table and watch her curiously. Although she’s completely blind, Tatiana moves around with the confident agility of someone with twenty-twenty vision. She perceives objects around her with an inhuman clarity, her ‘inner eyes’ as she calls it. But that’s not why I’m mystified.
“Do not apologize to me. The sun is nearly set. It is you who must hurry if you do not wish to feel ill tomorrow,” she says as she carries over two plates of steaming food.
I quickly scarf down some of the beef and potato stew, and try to figure out a way to tell her about what happened. I need answers, even if she’ll be irritated with me.
“How was your day today?” she asks right on cue.
I swallow and try to read her face. She could have been a professional poker player.
“Truthfully, not great. She showed up again today and got me in trouble in class.”
Tatiana nods. “Was it a full transformation?”
I shake my head. “No, it wasn’t like what happens at night. This was more like…an out-of-body-experience, but while I was still in it. I was aware of everything She said and did…She made me say things…I think her powers worked too, judging from how the people acted. Why is she doing that? How is she even able to? Can you make her stop?”
Tatiana slowly chews her food, and for a moment I think she might not answer me. I know how much it bothers her to always be stuck in the middle of the two of us. Finally, she dabs at the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “I will speak with Her, but I believe she is just reacting to the recent events and heightened danger. Perhaps she is staying close to the surface as a protective measure.”
“She’s not protecting me; she’s getting me in trouble!”
“You know She has difficulty distinguishing the difference. What is right for her may be entirely wrong for you.”
I make a noise that’s something between a cough and a snort. “That, right there, is the understatement of the century, Tatiana.”
“I will have a word with her...”
“Yes, please tell her to butt out of my life. If she does it one more time, I’ll find a way to wake up during her time and make her say and do something really stupid. See how much she likes it.” My threat is hollow and Tatiana knows it. She knows I do everything in my power not to wake up at night and witness the world my demon half inhabits. The only thing that keeps me from going completely insane is not knowing anything that happens from dusk to dawn. Blissful ignorance being my only saving grace in this twisted situation.
I return to my meal, but Tatiana fixates her compelling gaze on me. Great.
“What?” I mutter. If she’s still going to give me a hard time about leaving even after I explained what had happened…
“Your energy is conflicted…you speak with anger and frustration, yet there is a happy glow deep within you that was not there before. I am curious as to what caused it.”
I gulp, close my eyes, and pray Tatiana can’t sense how hot my face flushes.
“It’s nothing, really,” I mumble. Oh, please. Who am I trying to fool? Might as well spill it. “There was a new boy there today. Guess his uncle works out at the mines, so he’s going to go to school here. He’s nice, is all. Sorta cute, too.” I shove a heaping spoonful of stew into my mouth and lower my head.
She nods and tilts up her chin. “Ahh, yes. The new arrival. I sensed him several days ago. However, I was
unsure as to his exact purpose, and if, in fact, your paths would meet. Destinies have yet to be written, and he is only a half, bound by the dark and embraced by the light. Free will is his, for he shan’t be at the mercy of any master if liberty is within his grasp.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. That’s the thing about Tatiana. She’ll be perfectly normal one minute, but start speaking in nonsensical riddles the next. I take a swig of some apple juice and glance out the window.
“Do you know what She’s doing tonight?” I ask, eager to change the subject.
“Taxes,” Tatiana replies. “Should be uneventful. Humans only.”
“She’s not going to be happy about that. You must know she’s completely obsessed with hunting the Amazèa demons ever since she heard they were in the area. Even when She’s not surfacing I can sometimes hear her thoughts…she’s seriously gunning for a battle. I don’t think she’ll stop just to collect some money.”
“She will, because her search is futile for now. The Amazèa have already left our territory…”
Her words fade away as the first waves of fiery tingles flush through my weakening body. My time is over. I try to push my remaining food away from me, but it’s too late. My arms have already gone limp. They are no longer mine.
My fork clanks on the floor. Everything goes dark.
When I open my eyes I’m sitting at the table across from Tatiana. She gives me a small smile.
“Hello, Lucky.”
Chapter 2. Lucky
A pungent odor assaults my senses, and I look down in disgust. Even when I could consume human food I’d always been a strict vegetarian, unlike Liora, who insists on fueling our body with animal carcasses. It’s one thing to try to ignore this revolting fact—quite another to wake up to it staring me in the face.
Electric fire races through my veins as I raise my arms to obliterate the offensive sight. But Tatiana’s words stop me cold.
“Please don’t, dear. I’m particularly fond of those dishes.”
I scowl at my guardian, but allow the dancing flames on my palm to extinguish. “I know she did that on purpose. She knows this garbage makes me sick. You’d think she’d be a little more appreciative after what I did for her today.” I kick my chair back with more force than necessary and move to the other side of the room.
“And what was that?” Tatiana asks as she clears away the plates.
“Some idiots were giving her a hard time in school. I took care of it. And I was nice about it. All smiles and sweetness… mostly. Why do you insist on making her go to that horrid prison, anyway?”
Tatiana says nothing and takes the dish towel from her shoulder, using it to wipe the counter. I glance down at the clothes covering my body and moan. “And for the love of Lucifer, please tell me why she has to wear these trash bags every day. Gah, it’s a good thing one of us has some taste.”
“I think Liora has been more depressed lately.” Tatiana dries her hands and follows me into my room. She perches on the corner of the bed and smoothes her Victorian-styled dress over her dainty knees. “Lucky, why have you been taking over when it’s not your turn?”
“I’d be depressed too, if every time I looked in a mirror I saw a ridiculous emo goth moping back at me. I mean, the black nail polish is cool, but seriously…that girl needs to add some color to her wardrobe and lay off the raccoon eyeliner. Please tell her that funeral chic is over,” I say as I remove her makeup and reapply my own.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
I hunt through the closet and retrieve my selection before responding. I can tell Tatiana’s mad at me, but I have a very good reason for showing up today.
“Well, someone has to be on point, especially now. I can’t let my guard down for one second with the Amazèa back in town. And Liora, she’s so weak. If they wanted to get me, what better way than to go through her when I’d be unprotected and utterly helpless? Thankfully, she’s been making it much easier for me to pop in… she just sorta mentally checks out and wants me to take over, even if she won’t admit it.”
Leave it to Liora to blame me for everything. If she hadn’t really wanted me there, I wouldn’t have been able to break through. But as usual she failed to acknowledge this tiny little detail.
Tatiana takes a moment to consider this. “Perhaps you feel that to be true, but it has an unwelcome effect on her well-being. I’m going to request you not interfere in her life unless it’s an extreme emergency. A matter of life or death.”
“Why? I don’t hurt anyone…not really….well, nothing permanent, usually. And I need to make sure I’m safe—”
“You know perfectly well your vessel is safe while Liora has possession. Demons dare not cross over the sacred land where her school resides, and Light-angels cannot sense her true nature as long as she is in her pure human form. When you arrive uninvited, especially after she has left our realm and entered the domain of Man, you put her—and yourself—at risk. And it bothers her. How would you like it if she showed up and took over while you were on a hunt?”
I can’t help but laugh at the thought. “That would almost be funny if it wouldn’t get us both killed. I can picture her now… ‘Ahh, a scary demon, help! Eeeks, a smelly vampire, somebody call 911!’ That is if she doesn’t fall off Diablo and break her ass first…
“…But okay, okay,” I say in response to the stern look on Tatiana’s face. “Her pathetic life in Sapie-land is Boresville, anyway. I’d much rather sleep through it.” I give her a playful wink and pat her tiny legs. The fiercest of fire-demons don’t faze me one bit, but I’ll never risk facing the wrath of a witch, especially one who can summon more powerful forces than I can imagine with just a few utterances from her withered lips.
“Thank you, Lucky.” Tatiana retreats to her room.
I push Tatiana’s reprimand and Liora’s pathetic tattle-telling from my head. Right now I have more important things to worry about. As I strip off Liora’s shapeless disguise of black rags and change into skintight, red leather pants and a matching vest, my blood churns with heightened anticipation.
How long have I dreamed of this night?
After throwing on my favorite black riding cloak, I fasten it securely at the base of my throat with my Boumeaux—the sacred jewel of my tribe that I wear with pride. Only those of us belonging to the royal order of demonia angelis can bear having the stone in our possession; imposters will instantly burn to ash if they so much as touch it. It also allows me to enter the Land of Thiberoux, the mystical realm of the Dark-angels. Most importantly, however, the black diamond broach serves as a warning beacon to the presence of Light-angels, even cleverly disguised. The enchanted jewel will glow brightly, alerting me mortal danger is nearby. Fortunately, I’ve never had mine light up, but I know others who have. It allowed them to barely escape with their lives.
A final coat of cherry red lip gloss and a quick brush through my ebony hair and I’m ready to go. Tonight is the night…I can feel it in my bones. I was so close to catching the Amazèa last night, but they eluded me just as dawn approached. Tonight those bastards are all mine. Although it’s my sacred duty to deliver Justice, and I do it nightly, this mission is different. This is revenge.
This is personal.
Tatiana is in her room, elbow deep in her cast-iron cauldron. She performs this ritual every night, whether it’s finding me demons to hunt, humans to torment, or simply keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding lands.
“Where are they?” I demand. No need to say who ‘they’ are; she knows exactly who I’m talking about.
She swirls her hands through the pot’s murky waters. A cool steam rises up over her serene, ageless face. “The Amazèa have left our realm and are now safely within the territory of the Belith tribe. As you are strictly forbidden to cross over to their lands, tonight you have another task—”
“Wait…Hold up. What? What do you mean they left?” I feel like someone just whacked me in the gut with a troll-hammer. “They just got her
e a few weeks ago…”
“I do not know…Perhaps they knew they were being followed. Perhaps they were called away. Nevertheless, you know you cannot hunt outside the territory, especially in one protected by such a hostile clan. You must bide your time until the Amazèa return. For now, there are two humans in need of a visit. They both agreed to exchange favor with an Uliminiti demon for power and riches. One man will soon be elected a state senator, and the other is an actor who will win a major award. Both are home and alone, so there will be minimal conflict.”
I stare at Tatiana, my mouth agape. Surely, she’s not serious. I’m gearing up for slaying and demon carnage and she wants me to go toll collecting? And not even from some low-level demons, but pitiful Sapies? So not cool, and not even in my job-description. As an Aequitas demon, it’s my duty to torment and inflict Justice on those who deserve it. I’m good at my job. I like my job. Extorting money from greedy Sapies is Tatiana’s deal; she just uses me as the muscle. I admit, I enjoy it sometimes. I get a kick out of seeing the Sapie’s faces when I announce who I am and why I’m here…
But not tonight. Tonight the only creatures I’m interested in tormenting are the evil monsters who murdered my best friends—right before they cast their wicked spell that split my precious soul in two.
I’ve been so patient. Not that I’ve really had much of a choice. I’ve thought of little besides revenge every night for the past five years. Five years, four months, six days and two hours to be exact. But the creatures I sought have always been out of my reach, for I’m restrained by the jurisdiction of my tribe’s influence and the unnatural limitations on my time.
But finally, after all this time—after years of training, plotting, waiting, seething… finally, the Amazèa had returned to my hunting grounds. The end to my nightmare was in sight. I would kill them once and for all, lift the curse that binds me to the night, and deliver Justice for my fallen friends.
Now Tatiana is telling me the Amazèa have just up and left?
“I don’t believe you.” My voice shakes with thinly restrained fury. “You just don’t want me hunting them. You’re just afraid that—”