A Demon Made Me Do It (27 page)

As Kieron casually makes his way
toward us, I hear Bones growling softly under his breath. “Play
nice,” I whisper. He turns back to his drink.

I’d made the effort to look
especially hot for Kieron tonight, hoping I’d see him. Even though
I’m planning on tormenting later this evening, no long dresses
here. The low-cut, teal-colored cat suit hugs my curves perfectly,
and leaves little to the imagination. Although Liora certainly
doesn’t have even the slightest clue how to be sexy, I don’t want
there to be any doubt in his mind which of us is more
desirable.
I
’
m
the one
who’ll rock his world and blow his mind.
Not
her.

“
Good evening, Lucky,
Bones,” Kieron says, taking the seat beside mine. Bones just
grunts, but Kieron is unfazed by the rude greeting. “Bones, I heard
there was another incident along the western border…do you know
anything about it?”

Bones takes several long, deliberate
gulps of his drink before acknowledging Kieron’s
presence.

“
Do I
look
like I’m on patrol right now?
Why don’t you bug someone who
doesn’t
have the night off,” he
says.

“
Bones…” I place my hand on
his arm.

“
No, its fine, Lucky. I
just thought he may have heard something. If he doesn’t know
anything…”

Bones jumps out of his seat
so quickly he nearly makes me spill my drink. “Why don’t we go
outside and I can explain to you exactly what I
do
and
do
not
know,” he growls, eyes
blazing.

Kieron’s face remains passive as his
eyes lock with Bones’. He slowly rises to his feet, but I push him
back down.

“
No. Stop it.
You,
sit,
” I say to Kieron. Then I grab
Bones’ sweater and yank him to the back corner.

“
What the hell, Bones? Not
two seconds ago you said you were gonna be cool with
this.”

“
I just don’t like the guy,
Luck. What can I say…he just rubs me the wrong way. I mean, you
heard him…practically called me a clueless idiot back there just
because I didn’t want to tell him what happened last night.” Bones
scowls, his eyes still flashing with anger.

I sigh. “You’re being
overly-sensitive. He’s just making small talk. Settle
down.”

He rolls his eyes and lets out an
exasperated moan. “I only promised you I wouldn’t kill the guy…for
now. I never said I wanted to be buddy-buddy with him.”

“
You don’t have to be
buddy-buddy…just don’t be a total dick.”

He smirks. “Can’t promise that, love.
There are some things in this world that are just out of my
control. You enjoy your evening. I’ll see you around.”

“
Bones…”

He turns to leave, but stops when he
sees the stunning red-head hurrying toward us. “Lucky, Bones, good
you’re here.” Her normally jovial face is clouded with
concern.

“
Hey, Catalina. What’s
wrong? You seem upset,” I say.

“
I need to talk to you
guys…it’s important. Have a minute?”

“
Of course,” Bones says,
wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Here, let’s get you a drink,
and you can tell us what’s got you so worked up. Come on.” He
steers her over to the bar, several seats away from where Kieron
sits alone. I signal for Gyan to bring Catalina her
drinks.

She eases onto a barstool, giving us a
pensive glance. “I’m sorry to bother you, and I’m sure I’m just
making a big deal out of nothing…”

“
What is it?”

She pauses to take several long swigs
from the glass Gyan sets down. Bones and I exchange silent looks,
both noticing the worry in her eyes.

“
I was just wondering…have
you guys seen or heard from Ivy or Cody recently?” she finally
asks.

“
No, not for several
nights.” I’ve been so wrapped up in my own drama, I’m not
sure
when
I last
saw either one of them. “I just figured they were taking some time
off or something…” I glance at Bones and he shakes his
head.

“
That’s just it…everyone
just assumed they were off doing their thing. But I stopped by
their house today to get back some shoes Ivy borrowed and…”
Catalina hesitates, then gulps the rest of her drink.

“
And
what
?” Bones and I ask in
unison.

“
And, well, their house
looked…
weird
…the
way they left it. It was all done up as if they were going to have
a romantic time…bed turned down, flowers everywhere, champagne
bottles in buckets of water, the stereo was even playing soft
music. But it was obvious no one had been there in a while. It
seems really odd they would have left it like that…”

“
What are you saying? You
think something happened to them?” I ask, my heart starting to
pound.

She nods, fear in her eyes. “Yes, but
no one seems to care. Everyone thinks they’re fine, and why
wouldn’t they be? Ivy’s more than strong enough to take care of
both of them. But something’s not right here. It’s not like her to
just take off for this long and not say anything to me. She didn’t
even get a replacement for her post here at the Bar. She just
didn’t show up…same with Cody.

“
That
is
weird,” I admit.

Bones nods in agreement, his brow
furrowed. “What should we do?”

“
That’s just it; I don’t
know what to do. The few demons I’ve mentioned this to say I’m
overreacting and not to start trouble where there isn’t any. But
I’m
not
…I’m just
worried, and I hoped maybe you guys could help…”

“
There’s been some fighting
along two of the borders lately, and I know there have been several
incidents of humans being murdered in the local towns. But I don’t
see how any of that would involve Ivy or Cody,” Bones
says.

Catalina sighs, and nervously tugs at
her crimson waves. “So you think I’m overreacting, too? I don’t
know if that makes me feel better or worse.” Her pouty lips turn
down in a frown.

“
I don’t think you’re wrong
to be worried,” I say, “But what’re we supposed to do? If they’re
in the territory and had trouble or something, Bones and the other
boys would know. And if they’re out of the area, well, how would we
find them? They could be anywhere…” I stop mid-sentence as I
realize the answer to my question is sitting at the bar.

Kieron.

He sees me looking at him, and I wave
him over. Bones growls softly behind me. “Stop it. He can help us,”
I mutter.

Kieron comes to stand
behind me, and I fill him in on what Catalina had said. He
immediately looks concerned. “Any ideas
why
they might be in some sort of
trouble? Did they have any problems with other demons that you know
about?”

Catalina and I shake our heads, and
Bones glares at him silently.

“
No…none that I ever heard
of. Everybody likes Ivy, and Cody’s as nice as they
come….”

“
Hmm. Any first-searchers
been sent out?”

Catalina shakes her head again. “No,
like I told them,” she says motioning to Bones and me, “no one’s
worried about them at all.”

Kieron’s gaze falls on me. “But you’re
worried?” he asks.

I lean back against the bar and nod.
“If Catalina feels something’s amiss, I believe her.”

Kieron presses his lips together for a
moment. “Okay. I’ll go see what I can find. If I can stop by their
house first to pick up the trail, this’ll go a lot faster.” He
absently runs his hands through his hair. Bones looks like he wants
to eat his face off.

Catalina’s face brightens. “You mean
it? You think you can help?”

“
He’s a
Latros
,” I say proudly. Bones narrows
his eyes and growls again.

“
Oh, thank you, thank you,”
Catalina gushes. “I’ll feel so much better once I know everything
is fine and I’m just being a hysterical drama queen.” She jumps up
and gives Kieron a big hug. I know she’s just grateful for his
help, but seeing her lithe body pressed up against his grates on my
nerves.

“
I’m going too,” I say,
leaning closer to him.

“
So am I,” Bones
says.

Well, this oughta be
interesting.

******

The three of us race through the
night; me on Diablo, Kieron on his Ducati, and Bones as a
hellhound. Following their senses, Kieron and Bones have both led
us in the same direction so far. But I fear their macho desire to
outdo one another will spell trouble for our little tracking party
if either of them crosses the line.

“
Bones, knock it off!” I
yell as he cuts Kieron off for the third time. Kieron swiftly
dodges Bones’ sideswipe, and soon retaliates with a near-miss of
his own. I groan inwardly and roll my eyes.
Boys…

Without warning, Bones screeches to a
halt. Kieron skids his bike around once he realizes his racing
partner is no longer beside him.

I ease Diablo to a prancing trot.
“What is it?” I ask. Kieron pulls up beside me and looks around
suspiciously.

Bones points his nose in the air and
moves it in several small circles. Then his body shivers and
shakes. Kieron averts his eyes from Bones’ nude form.

“
It stops here,” he says.
Then he looks at Kieron. “Why’d you keep going? Did you sense
something I didn’t?”

Kieron nods, still looking away. “I’ve
been following something else for several miles. An energy mixed
almost indistinguishably with Ivy and Cody’s.”

“
Wait, someone care to fill
me in…where are Cody and Ivy?
What
other energy?” I ask, surveying the surrounding
area. It’s dark, but Illyria’s moons provide enough light, and my
pupils are at maximum dilation. I can see perfectly. Problem is,
there’s nothing to see.

“
Their scent was solid up
to the meadow. It was especially strong by the river. But it
trailed away from there and gradually faded…” Bones
says.

“
Something else was with
them,” Kieron adds. “An energy that started by the river. I think
we need to follow it and see where it takes us—”

“
What
kind
of energy?” I interrupt him.
“We’re looking for Ivy and Cody, not some mystical spark
plug.”

Kieron has a strange look on his face.
“I think they’re connected. Follow me,” he says and revs his
engine. He speeds off, Bones quickly transforms and chases after
him, and I take up the rear. The three of us fly over the miles of
open countryside.

When we reach the border of Dryndara,
we stop. Any further and we’ll be trespassing. Although these
neighbors, the Hlbafa, aren’t as hostile as some of the others,
we’re forbidden to cross over without permission. Otherwise we’re
fair game for attack.

“
What now?” I
ask.

Kieron shakes his head and shuts off
the engine. As he props the motorcycle on the kickstand, I dismount
and walk over to him.

Bones sniffs the air again, then
resumes his human shape. “I don’t smell anything. Are you
sure…”

“
I don’t think they came
here of their own free will,” Kieron says under his breath. My
heart starts racing. With Bones and Kieron at my side, I know we’re
a force to be reckoned with. But not knowing
what
forces we face makes me
uneasy.

Kieron closes his eyes, tilts his head
to the sky, and slowly turns in a circle. Bones and I exchange
confused glances. I shrug.

A moment later, Kieron opens his eyes.
“There,” he says, pointing to a patch of trees in the
distance.

“
What’s
there?” Bones and I ask in unison.

Kieron seems to be in a trance. He
grasps my hand, and the vacant look in his eyes unnerves me; it’s
as if he’s a million miles away. I sense Bones’ irritation as he
moves to stand beside me. But Kieron ignores him, speaking to me in
hushed tones.

“
Cody and Ivy are in
trouble, and I’m not sure if the danger has totally passed. I’ve
located their positions and will go check on them. For right now, I
think it’s better if you stay here. Please wait for my signal that
all is clear.”

Despite my growing dread I give a low
chuckle. “Think again. Those are my friends in there. If you think
I’m staying here like some kind of…”

“
We’re
all
going,” Bones says, and wraps his
hand possessively around my arm. “Lucky is one of the best fighters
around. She doesn’t need you treating her like a Sapie
child.”

“
It’s on the other side of
the border, behind that grove. Crossing it has its own risks, but
that’s not what worries me. What this is…what I think has
happened…This is different than anything you’ve ever been prepared
to face.” Kieron’s face has an eerie, haunted look to
it.