A Demon Made Me Do It (12 page)

She curls up, convulsing as if she’s
been electrocuted. She presses her face in the corner, weeping,
head in her hands, trying to hide from the terror seeping through
her mind. On the other side of the room, under the protection of a
simple sleeping spell, her husband snores soundly, blissfully
unaware of the torture his wife is enduring. Just as he’s unaware
that his two infants didn’t die of SIDS like everyone thought, but
had their tiny lives snuffed out by a selfish and uncaring
mother—the same mother who now cowers in a corner screaming at
ghosts, unable to escape the sounds of her babies crying out for
her.

“
Here you are.” The
masculine voice causes me to jump.

“
Bones, what are you doing
here?” I ask, annoyed. “You scared me half to death!”

He sits on the corner of the bed and
glances at the screeching woman. “Kind of like that?” he asks with
a raised eyebrow. I roll my eyes.

“
What are you doing here?”
I repeat.

He doesn’t answer me right away.
Instead he watches the woman writhe and moan on the floor. “I
followed your scent. What’d she do?”

“
Double
infanticide.”

He shakes his head slowly. “Shame. She
looks real nice.”

My chest feels heavy as I gaze at
Bones’ strong profile. Even here, in the dimly lit room, I can see
he’s not happy. I know it’s my fault. But there’s nothing I can do
about it.

The husband snores and rolls over in
the bed. The woman screams again. I wish Bones would leave me alone
so I can enjoy the symphony of torment, but obviously he wants to
talk.

“
Silentium.
” I swish my hand in the
direction of the woman, instantly muting her cries. “What’s
up?”

He stands up and paces around the room
for a moment before leaning against a far wall, hidden in
shadows.

“
I was worried about you.
You never showed up at Old Lady Sullivan’s last night, and tonight
you didn’t stop at the Bar. What’s going on?”

It’s true. After slaying the Parastes,
I’d blown off my tormenting duties in favor of the sanctuary of my
secret spot; a secluded place high in the hills overlooking the
valley. A place I go when I need to be alone and think. I can see
clear out to the Lake of Adonni and listen to the Sirens sing their
enchanting melodies. Their soothing songs help me to
relax.

I didn’t want to see Bones last night,
and I was hoping to avoid him tonight. It’s why I’d taken my drinks
from the emergency stash Tatiana keeps in her room instead of going
to the Bar.

“
Sorry, I just wanted to be
alone. I didn’t think we had some sort of special date or
anything…” My voice sounds snappier than I intend, and I feel him
wince in the darkness.

“
Okay. I understand. I’m
just glad you’re all right. I was sorta worried about you is
all...There’s been some talk of some funny business around here,
and I was concerned when I didn’t see you. But I guess you have
your reasons and you seem to be fine.” His voice is tender.
Sweet.

Damn him
.

“
I
am
fine.” If you’re not counting the
knots in my stomach or the sickness in my chest.

I can feel the pain and
confusion in his wordless exhale, and I feel even worse. For so
long, ever since
the
night
, Bones has been my closest friend.
He’s the only one, except Tatiana, who’s always been here for me,
no matter what. The only one I can talk to about
anything.

But I can’t talk to him about this.
Not this mess I’m feeling. Not without hurting him or losing him.
Just the thought of that happening makes my heart
clench.

“
Sooo…you’re not mad at me?
I haven’t done something to upset you?” he asks.

I laugh noiselessly knowing he can’t
see my expression. “No, nothing is your fault. I’m just going
through some weird stuff right now, and I have to figure it out on
my own.”

He crosses the room and kneels beside
me. Clasping my hand in his, I see a glimmer of light reflect in
his sad, bronze eyes. “If there’s anything you need…anything you
want to talk about, I’m here. That’s our deal, remember? For as
long as you want me, I’ve got your back.”

Because he’s pure demon, Bones is
immortal, unless he’s killed by a pure Angel—Light or Dark. So
he’ll continue to live on for indeterminate eons exactly as he is
now. When he chooses a companion, he chooses a mortal, like me, and
I will be replaced upon my death, or my deciding to end the
friendship—whichever comes first. I’ve always known just how lucky
I am to have won Bones’ affections and unwavering loyalty when I
was just a young demion. I’ve never taken his friendship for
granted, and could never imagine living this life without him by my
side.

Until now.

Now I’m beginning to wonder if I can
stay his friend, now that I know I want so much more from
him…something he can never give me.

I
know
this is all Liora’s fault.
Somehow she’s making me have these crazy feelings I’m
not
supposed to have—or,
at least, not able to control. I’ve never exactly
loved
that Bones needed to
mate with so many virgins, but it’s never bothered me this much
before. And the couple in the car—as much as I try to block the
man’s story, it still haunts me.
Why, oh
why, did I choose that car to stop?

I squeeze Bones’ hand and give him a
small smile. “I’ll be okay. I just need some space for a while.
Just ‘til I figure out some stuff.”

“
By space, do you mean
space… from
me
?”

I take a deep breath, whispering my
response. “Yes.”

His body stiffens and he stands up.
Even in the darkness, his silhouette seems colder, harder. It’s a
subtle change, but I can feel it.

After a long pause he speaks. “Fine,
but that doesn’t mean I’m not keeping an eye on you.” He places his
hand on my shoulder, and I tilt my head up, wishing I could freeze
this moment in time—when it’s just the two of us. No one else
exists. No one else matters. “Where are you going after you’re done
here?” His voice sounds strained.

I glance back at the woman huddled in
the corner. She’s almost stopped moving, so I’ll be wrapping it up
soon. Torment to exhaustion then on to the next.

I shrug. “Not sure yet. Maybe Mr.
Ludwings’s. He’s still playing with little boys in a not-so-playful
way. I guess he didn’t receive my first message quite clearly
enough. This time I’ll make sure he gets it.”

Bones leans against the doorway.
“Well, I’m just glad you’re doing okay. I’m gonna go find me some
ladies before the sun comes up.”

Suddenly, it feels like a rock is
lodged in my throat.

“
Hey, this guy, Ludwing,
doesn’t he live near Baymore Park?” he asks.

“
Pretty close.
Why?”

“
I heard some Altrumina
Demons have set up a nest there, so be careful. Do you have any
weapons with you?”

“
I have my dagger.” I pat
the emerald-tipped blade nestled safely inside my boots, hidden
under several layers of lace. This dagger is good for most demons,
but no match for an Altrumina. One touch is all it takes for them
to transfer their own mind-bending curse.

Bones arches an eyebrow. “You know
that’s not gonna cut it. Stay away from there, especially since
you’re unarmed.”

“
Yes, Dad,” I
tease.

“
I mean it, Lucky.” His
tone is firm. “You know what they can do to you, and there’s
definitely
something
brewing out there. All of us have been put on alert. Don’t go
looking for trouble tonight.”

With a sigh, I stand up and gently
push Bones out the door. “Go. I’ll be fine. You’re worse than a
Sapie mother, I swear.”

He chuckles. “Like you’d really
know.”

“
Go.”

He silently slips away into the night,
and I turn my attention again to the whimpering in the
corner.

******

I wrap my cloak tightly around me as I
approach Baymore Park’s west entrance, but the thin velvet does
little to protect me from the palpable chill in the night air.
Normally, my body doesn’t react to external temperatures, so I can
only assume it’s because I didn’t properly replenish. Tatiana’s
stuff is good, but it’s nowhere near as good as the Source’s. But
I’d figured since I was only tormenting tonight—not fighting—her
backup elixir would suffice. It’s also why I’m wearing a long,
gothic gown made from yards of vintage lace. I like wearing dresses
to torture; it puts me in the right mood. Just like wearing
skintight leather puts me in the mood to kick some ass.

I just need to hurry with my rounds
and get back to Demon Bar as soon as possible. The fastest way to
Ludwing’s is straight through the park. Otherwise, I’ll have to
circle around for miles.

Sigh
. I don’t want to waste energy on running, and Diablo doesn’t
leave Dryndara except to come to the cabin. Bones’ warning sounds
in my head, but I’m sure he’s just being overly protective, as
usual. Still, I reach into my boot and withdraw my blade. It
will
kill an Altrumina if
I’m attacked, as long as they don’t touch me first. No problem. If
I see someone who seems at all suspicious
then
I’ll run. No point in wasting
precious energy I don’t have.

After several minutes of strolling
through the park and seeing only a few strung-out junkies and some
prostitutes, I relax, chiding myself for worrying in the first
place. Altrumina are far more interested in infecting Sapies; they
wouldn’t come looking for a fight with someone they think will
fight back.

Just as I’m reassuring
myself of this, I spot Altrumina
everywhere
. The place is
swarming
with them. They
look like Sapies, but I recognize their overly-erect posture and
out-dated wardrobes. Plus, they always work in pairs, a male and a
female, and have whiter than blond hair, straight to their
shoulders.

My heart pounding, I pick up the pace
and take a wary look around. Directly ahead of me, two Altrumina
approach a young homeless boy. Further up, two more are standing by
a swing set. Another pair is over on a bench, talking to each
other. One female stands alone, silently stalking a young
prostitute who’s just entered the grove with her john.

I cut off the main path
onto the grass, away from any trouble, and silently curse myself
for not bringing my crossbow with me tonight. Not because I’m
afraid, but because I hate them
so
much
. They aren’t from my family, so I
would kill them happily and with impunity.

Tomorrow. I’m definitely
hunting me some Altrumina tomorrow
.
Tonight, not only am I sadly unprepared and not at all dressed for
hunting, my alarming lack of strength would assure my certain
defeat in a scuffle.

But I’m curious about the one
Altrumina by herself. They always work in pairs. Always. So where’s
the other one?

A light crunching from behind me
causes me to jump and spin around, my dagger at the ready. I find
myself face to face with an impeccably handsome, smiling young man
with shiny lavender eyes.

Shit.

“
You lost, bitch?” he asks,
and before the question is out of his mouth he lightly touches my
hand.

I fall into darkness.

Chapter 7.
Lucky

I struggle to regain consciousness,
but I feel drugged. Everything is foggy…my mind’s a blur. I’m
shivering from the biting cold, and somewhere in the darkness I
hear mocking laughter.

Gradually, I force my eyes open.
Everything is dark, hazy. I try to wrap my arms around myself to
stop from shaking, but they won’t budge.

My body is paralyzed.

Slowly, objects come into focus. I’m
standing in the middle of a grassy field, trapped inside a small
cage made of steel bars.

“
Where am I?” I
croak.

The Altrumina who touched me steps up
to my prison.

“
Why don’t you tell us,
pretty girl?” He’s joined by his partner, who smiles at me with
perfect teeth.

“
She’s yummy,” Perfect
Teeth says in an eerie, high-pitched voice. “I want to eat
her.”

The first one laughs and moves closer.
He reaches his arm through the cage bars and lightly brushes the
side of my face. White-hot razors melt my frozen flesh. My mind
screams for me to move out of the way, but my body refuses to
listen.

“
She’s not entirely human,
I doubt she would taste very good,” my captor says with
disdain.

“
Still, I wouldn’t mind a
little sample,” Perfect Teeth says. “Let’s see what this little
beauty is made of.”

She comes closer. With all the
strength I can muster, I struggle to force my body to obey
me.