Daniel Taylor and the Dark Legacy (10 page)

Marla shook her head, still not letting go of Mike’s hand.

Should she be talking to this human? Metistakles would kill her!

Or … perhaps Mike could help her get to Silvan.

No, earlier she had clearly sensed that Silvan couldn’t stand the pharaoh. But this just made her like Mike even more, and her anger at Silvan was suddenly forgotten.

Mike was merrily continuing his questions. “Where do you come from? You have a funny accent, with those rolled ‘r’s.”

Marla pondered. What could she tell him without giving herself away?

Whatever — he thought she was crazy anyway. “I come from Florida,” she responded. Her favorite tattoo parlor was in Miami.

“Do all the people there talk like you?” Mike winked at her.

“Ummm … My parents are immigrants.” She took a closer look at Mike. He was wearing a white, short-sleeved tunic that showed off his muscular arms to advantage, a blue sash, and gold bracelets on his wrists.

How old was he? Nineteen? Twenty?

In any case, scarcely older than she was.

Smirking, he let go of her hand and ran his fingers through his short hair. His cheeks were slightly flushed. “Were you looking for something to drink?”

“Beer,” she answered curtly. Then she cleared her throat and clarified, “Or something like that.” Small talk was something new and difficult for her.

“I doubt that Becky’s parents would have alcohol around. They’re about as strict as Mormons.” Mike looked around the room and pointed to an orange plastic bottle. “Can I offer you a soda?”

“Okay,” said Marla, somewhat hoarsely.

What was wrong with her, damn it all! Why did this man — this human — have such an effect on her? Was it his courteous nature? Had she ever been served anything by another creature? She was used to following orders, submitting to Metistakles’ rages, and otherwise keeping herself inconspicuous. Her heart was pounding like mad.

When Mike came over to her and offered her the glass, she felt a strange pulling sensation beneath her sternum. It was a completely new feeling for her, and it could not bode well. She should get out of here as quickly as possible! But her legs seemed to be paralyzed, and her body had suddenly developed a mind of its own. Blood rushed to her ears, and her face felt hot.

“Cool shirt,” Mike said, pointing to her black T-shirt, which featured the image of a long-haired man. “Are you a fan of the Ramones?”

“Yes,” she managed to whisper. Damn it, now even her voice was letting her down. Could Mike be a mystical creature — might he have bewitched her? A watcher, perhaps? She could almost feel vibrations coming from him …

No, she would have sensed a watcher from three miles away, against the wind. That was her talent, after all, her one useful skill. That was how she had found Silvan. All the other demons could recognize watchers immediately as well, but there was a special bond between her and Silvan. Their blood connection had helped her to track him down after so long, once Silvan’s demonic powers had been awakened in puberty. This had also activated his watcher abilities — the ones he had inherited from his father. Daniel could send his thoughts and move things telekinetically. Marla had been studying him closely over the past few weeks.

In reality, demons and watchers were very similar. It incensed Marla that despite her talent, she was unable to track down Silvan’s father; he had protected himself from demonic detection with the help of an amulet.

Mike was grinning from ear to ear. “Hey, I like the Ramones, too. Fast and loud — great music!”

Mike liked punk rock?

“Wow, is that a real tattoo, or just a decal?” he asked, having discovered the eye near Marla’s navel peeking through a hole in her T-shirt.

“A tattoo,” she answered.

Mike crouched down. “Could I get a better look at it?”

Marla could only nod. Had any man ever asked her for
permission
?

This was completely new for her; everyone else just did what they wanted. Especially Metistakles — her body had become his property. If it were up to him, she would never be able to leave the underworld. It was only thanks to the efforts of her father, Obron, that she could do what she wanted and go where she wanted as long as Metistakles didn’t need her.

When Mike ran his warm finger over the picture inked into her skin, Marla flinched, as pleasant sensations were rare for her. She only knew pain, but none was forthcoming — quite the contrary, it felt damn good! The site of the tattoo seemed to tingle.

Mike grinned up at her. “Sorry, did I tickle you?”

“Ummm … yes!”

Wow, a man at her feet! This had to be a dream.

Stop!
Marla admonished herself.
This is a human! Run, Marla, get out of here! Now!

But Mike was already opening his mouth again. There was no escape …

I’m not just doing this for me, but for both of us
, Daniel thought. If he were more popular, no one would care if he and Nessa were dating. If she ever wanted to, that is — probably she’d rather be with Mike …

He was suddenly overtaken by doubts. He really didn’t want to get in trouble with the police again so soon. Maybe he should turn back? But then he imagined the faces of their classmates shining with something like admiration. He could become a hero if he managed to return with that stupid red flower. It wasn’t such a big deal to enter a stranger’s house, was it? He didn’t understand what the others were so scared of, Halloween or no Halloween. Daniel wasn’t afraid of the dark. He often slipped into the woods at night to sit in the old treehouse and think things over.

“Okay, I’m inside. Now I just have to find Rebecca her dumb flower,” he muttered.

Daniel walked along the dark corridor, vaguely aware that he had no problem maneuvering through the unknown house, while Vanessa was stifling curses as she stumbled along behind him.
I probably just see well in the dark because I go out at night a lot.

“Wait a sec, Danny — I can’t see anything!”

When he turned around, he had to laugh. Nessa was feeling her way along the narrow corridor, arms outstretched and eyes shut tight. “Perhaps you should open your eyes?” he suggested with a grin.

“Ha, ha, it’d be just as dark. I have no desire to walk into a wall and maybe get a nail stuck in my eye.”

“Come here, you blind bat.” Daniel went back and put an arm around her. How narrow her shoulders were … He felt a sudden urge to take care of her, to protect her. He carefully led her into the living room.

The weak light from a streetlamp shone in through the large window, allowing Vanessa to make out the objects in the room. “There’s the plant!” She hurried over to the window seat and plucked off a flower, which she threaded through the buttonhole in Daniel’s cape. “Now let’s get out of here.”

Daniel didn’t move. “Hey, Becky was right — there is something haunting this house.” He saw Vanessa flinch.

“What?” She pressed closer to him, and Daniel took her in his arms.
Smooth move
, he praised himself, holding her tightly for a moment.

“Who is it?” whispered Nessa into his chest, trembling slightly. She made a squeaking noise as a black tomcat brushed against her leg, followed by a tabby.

“Tom and Kitty, of course,” Daniel said quickly. He could almost smell Vanessa’s fear, and suddenly he felt ashamed for having scared her so badly. Sometimes he felt like there were two separate Daniels inside him: one who wanted to make the world a better place, and another who took delight in the misery of others.

Without letting go of Nessa, he bent down to pick up one of the cats. He lifted it up — it was the black one — and placed it in Vanessa’s arms.

“You’re such an idiot,” she hissed.

Daniel knew she didn’t mean it. A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she stroked the animal’s silky fur. “Is his name really Tom?”

“No idea — it was the first name that came to mind.” With a sigh, Daniel looked around them. The rectangular living room was only sparsely furnished. Edna apparently wasn’t a rich woman. The old furniture gave off a musty odor, but Daniel found the atmosphere more pleasant than the stink released from Rebecca’s perfumed incense sticks.

Vanessa put the cat back down and said, “Okay, now it’s really time to go!” The housecat’s eyes shone in the dim light, sending another shiver down Vanessa’s spine. She almost expected old Joe to materialize before them out of thin air. The very thought of it compelled her to flee from the room so hastily that she ran straight into the doorframe. “Shit!” she cried out, holding a hand to her forehead. Damn, that hurt! Now Danny would really think she was a klutz.

At least the pain made her forget her fear.

“Let me see!” Danny held her face between his hands and turned her head this way and that. Although her eyes had gotten used to the dark, she couldn’t see hardly anything.
Don’t pretend you can see the lump on my head
, Nessa thought, although she found the way he was taking care of her quite endearing. With his thumbs, he wiped away the tears that were welling up uncontrollably, partly because she was embarrassed by her stupidity and partly because the pain was turning into anger. She never should have taken part in this idiocy, but somehow she understood Daniel’s motives. It must be terrible to be as isolated as he was. Relief flooded through her as Danny blew lightly on her throbbing temple and took her into his arms again. Maybe there could still be a nice end to the evening.

“You should put some ice on that,” he suggested.

“With this lump on my head, I’m not going back to the party. They’ll all think that I’ve peed my pants in terror,” she murmured into his shoulder.

“You’re wearing a dress.”

“Idiot.” Vanessa pressed her face tighter into his neck, where he smelled so heavenly. She loved bickering with him, but she loved being in his arms even more. She could get used to this.

“Idiot? Is that my new nickname? I think I like Danny better.”

“Oh, you know I don’t mean it.” At that moment, she was simply enjoying being so close to him.

“I know,” he murmured into her hair, then all too quickly let her go. “Let’s allow the others to stew for a while. Edna must have some ice for your forehead in her basement freezer.”

“I don’t know …” Nessa hesitated, but she let Daniel lead her over to the stairs.

“Wait here,” he said.

Vanessa stiffened. “I’m not staying up here alone — I’m coming with you.”

“Okay.” Danny took her by the hand, and together they descended the spiral staircase to the basement. When Vanessa reached the bottom, she felt along the wall for a light switch; the eerie darkness was making her nervous. She didn’t believe in ghost stories, but today was Halloween — the spirit of the day was rubbing off on her.

“Damn it, Nessa!” Daniel cried out, holding his hands over his eyes as the lights came on.

“I’m sure it can’t be seen from outside; there aren’t any windows in the basement, after all.” She couldn’t understand his violent reaction.

“It’s not that — the light’s
blinding
me!” He rubbed his temples, eyes narrowed into a squint.

Vanessa was amazed, especially because the old light bulb was giving off a fairly dim glow. “Are you getting a headache again?”

“Hmmm,” he growled.

Vanessa came closer to him. “I know I’m not your mother, and I don’t want to tell you what to do, but you should really go see a doctor. This isn’t normal.” She gently touched his arm.

“Yeah, yeah.” Daniel made a dismissive gesture with his hand and opened his eyes, blinking several times.

“Daniel, dear God!” Vanessa’s heart skipped a beat. His pupils were so dilated that his eyes were almost completely black. “Are you on drugs?”

“What? Are you crazy?” He shot her a resentful look. God, he looked scary — but also sexy somehow, like a real vampire. However, the idea that he might be involved in something illegal distressed her.

“I’ve just noticed that sometimes your pupils get really big,” she said carefully.

He quickly closed his eyes. “What nonsense. Every kid knows that pupils dilate in the dark.”

And every kid also knows that pupils narrow immediately in the light
, Vanessa thought, but she said nothing more.

Something was wrong with him. She was suddenly reminded of Colleen’s words and felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was her infatuation blinding her to the fact that Daniel really was behaving strangely?

Vanessa watched as he raised the lid of a big chest freezer and pushed bags and packages of frozen food to one side. She sighed quietly as she observed his tall figure, broad shoulders, and raven-black hair from behind. Yes, Daniel had changed. He had become a man, and a damn attractive one at that. Hopefully he wasn’t getting himself into any trouble.

He suddenly stopped what he was doing and stared into the freezer.

“What’s wrong?” Vanessa walked over to him.

“Nothing,” Daniel murmured absentmindedly. He was still staring into the freezer. Might he really be on drugs? Was going out onto the patio to get some fresh air just an excuse — had he taken something?