Devil Inside (29 page)

Nya answered Levi’s question bringing Harley’s focus back outward.  “I don’t know.  You’ll have to ask them.”

“I didn’t think Nocte usually worked in partnerships or whatever,” Harley asked, swallowing a mouthful of oatmeal. 

Levi looked at her pointedly.  “They don’t usually.  But Rafe and Evie are…close.  And Evie used to live in Florida so she knows people.  Rafe thought she could pave the way with the people he needed to talk to.

Harley raised her eyebrows at this information but didn’t comment.  She had thought Evie was nice and pleasant everything she had spoken to her and was surprised she would be “close” to someone as annoying at Rafe.

The three of them finished their breakfast in silence until Evie bounded into the room a short time later.

“Good evening all,” she said brightly grabbing and apple from the bowl on the counter.  Then she caught Harley and looked at her closely.  “Ohhh!  Nocte looks good on you,” she laughed throwing her head back.  Her long blonde hair swayed carelessly down her back making her look even lovely and carefree.  She joined them at the table and bit into her apple.

“How do you feel?” she asked Harley.

“I’m not sure yet really,” Harley answered scrunching her brow.

Evie smiled.  “It takes a while.  Don’t worry about it though.  I knew things would go fine for you!”

Harley grunted and went back to her oatmeal trying to not let the pride show through her calm exterior.  When Rafe walked into the room Levi and Harley stiffened but Evie and Nya continued to eat as though there were no tension filling the room.  Rafe grabbed and apple out of the fruit bowl and leaned against the counter watching them with a smirk.  He was well aware that none of them, well Levi and Harley, didn’t care to have him join them for breakfast and he seemed to enjoy their discomfort.

Finally, Levi broke the uncomfortable silence.  “What did you guys find in Miami?” he asked in a strained voice, obviously making an effort to be civil.

Rafe responded before Evie had a chance.  “We found some bodies and some rumors and that’s about it,” Rafe shrugged.   “The Vigilum isn’t talking and the Ignis never willingly cooperate, you know that.  Even the Praesidio there doesn’t have much to say.”

Evie swallowed her bite of apple and broke in.  “We talked Damon.  He’s pissed about the Nocte that died of course.  But he doesn’t seem convinced that it is a Lux who is causing the trouble.  He is focusing on other matters at the moment.”

“What other matters?” Levi asked.

Rafe answered over Evie again and Evie did a good job of not looking annoyed.  Either that or she was used to Rafe enough that she really didn’t care.  “It seems there has been an increase in the flow of drugs into the city recently.”

Something about that scratched at Harley’s subconscious.  That detail seemed important but her thoughts were hard to pin down.  She was torn between eating, being annoyed by Rafe’s presence and trying to block out the anxiety that seeped from her agitated Nocte.  She couldn’t get her brain to go in the right direction to figure out what was nagging at her.

“Damon is more worried about drugs than a dead Nocte and potentially a rogue Lux?”

Evie shrugged.  “It’s hard to blame him.  He isn’t convinced that it is a Lux.  He seems to want to believe that an Ignis is responsible.  He thinks it has something to do with the drugs and he’s following that lead.”

“What do you think?” Levi asked Evie, glad to not have to speak to Rafe when he didn’t have to.

“Honestly, I’m not sure.  I’ve never heard of a rogue Lux like this before.  Not one that kills humans especially.  But the body that was found sure looks like it.”

“You saw the body?” Nya asked.

“We got to see pictures,” Rafe answered.  “Evie charmed her way into the files,” he sneered.

Evie rolled her eyes and ignored his insinuation.

“Does it look like a Lux kill to you?” Nya asked.

Evie sighed.  “It’s hard to tell from pictures.  But yeah, I think so.  It could also just be some sick form of torture.”

Rafe shrugged.  “My money is on Lux though.”

“What about the humans getting killed?  Are they involved in anything suspicious?” Levi asked.  Harley couldn’t help but notice how little Levi looked at Rafe, even when he spoke to him he avoided looking at him.  It was an entirely dismissive attitude and she could tell it annoyed Rafe and provoked him further.

“Actually, yeah,” Evie answered.  “Most of them seem to be involved in drugs to some degree.  Either users or dealers.  Mostly small timers though.”

Levi nodded and didn’t seem surprised.  “Did you have any impressions about the balance?” Levi asked pushing his empty bowl away.

“Isn’t that your job?” Rafe asked smirking.

Levi clenched his jaw and took a deep breath before answering.  “I wasn’t there.  Obviously.”

“I know,” Rafe said thoughtfully.  “Why was that?”  His smirked had turned into a full antagonizing grin now.  “Oh that’s right!  You were getting laid,” he laughed.

Harley’s hand involuntarily clench so hard she felt her spoon bend.  She forced herself to breath slowly.  She knew that Rafe was trying to start trouble.  The more that she let him get to her the more he enjoyed it.  At Rafe’s words Levi stood slowly and walked towards Rafe who pushed away from the counter ready for confrontation but continued to eat his apple in a purposeful show of non-concern.  Nya sat at attention, ready to interfere if the two men actually came to blows.  Evie continued to eat quietly but no longer had a smile on her face--instead she just looked mildly annoyed.

Levi stopped just in front of Rafe and looked into his eyes.  He carefully kept his face blank and didn’t make any sudden or overtly threatening moves.  Despite his calm demeanor Harley could feel the anger reeling off him.  It made her Nocte arch, stretch, and Harley could feel the desire to encourage the fight tiptoeing its way up her back.  She sort of wanted to see them fight she realized.  Not in some ridiculous defense of her honor, but simply for the enjoyment of watching a fight. 
What the hell?
She wondered as she struggled to suppress the feeling.

Levi leaned close to Rafe and spoke in barely more than a whisper.  “Keep it up.  If you are trying to get me to beat your ass again, all you have to do is ask.”

Rafe barked out laughter and slapped Levi on the shoulder in an exaggerated show of brotherhood.  “Always so sensitive, Levi.”  He sauntered out of the kitchen continuing to laugh and shake his head.  Apparently, he had completed his goal of pissing them off again and was content to move on.

Harley and Levi cleared away everyone’s dirty dishes and both he and Harley made an effort to push the tension from their bodies as Evie gave more details about their trip to Miami.  A short while later Evie excused herself and left the kitchen.  Nya stood up as well.

“Levi, check in with me as soon as you have information.  Harley, Levi will tell you how to find the training room when you are ready.”

Harley turned to look at Levi, realizing he would be leaving soon.  He walked towards her and rested his hands on her shoulders.  She felt sadness kick at her stomach when she thought about him leaving.  But taking a deep breath so brushed that aside and distracted herself with thinking about how good he smelled.  She felt a familiar tingle in her stomach but Harley clamped down on that feeling too.  She raised her eyebrows and waited for Levi to speak.

“You’re going to do fine,” he said, misreading her anxiety for the first time.

“I know,” she smiled.  “I’m just…going to miss…having you around,” she said.  She said it because she felt obligated to say something.  And much as she hated to admit it—she would miss him.  Or maybe it was simply her Nocte wanting to have what was hers around when she wanted it.  She felt her Nocte chuckle at that.  Harley kicked at herself internally.  No matter which part of her wanted him around for whatever reasons—he needed to go and she needed to be OK with it.  Levi raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond.

Harley smiled at him with a wicked gleam in her eye.  She pulled him down to her level by the front of his shirt and kissed him firmly.  She heard his intake of breath that matched her own.  She pulled away, winching at the pressure inside the roof of her mouth again.  This time it was sharper and more unpleasant.

“What is it?” Levi asked.

“Something hurts in my mouth.  It did it last night.  But this time it was a little worse.”

“It’s probably your fangs.”

“That’s what I thought.  But why don’t they just push out like yours do?”

“I’ve had mine for a long time,” he laughed.  “Teeth don’t just appear overnight you know.”

“Good point,” she laughed and nipped at his lip before pushing him back.  “Are you all packed and ready to go?”

Levi sighed.  “Yep.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“Not sure.  Miami is a big city.  It could take a while for me to get a handle on the situation there,” he said somewhat sadly.

“OK,” Harley answered simply.  “I’ll hear from you while you’re gone, right?”

“Of course,” he said as if it was silly to even ask.

“OK,” she said pushing the nagging feeling of regret down—not sure if it was coming from sentimentality or from the Nocte that writhed inside her.  Unable to stop herself she asked, “Why do you need to be the one that goes anyway?

Levi sighed again.  “I’m the best person to figure out if there is an imbalance.  If there is an imbalance I should be able to figure out if it is on the Lux side, Ignis side or Nocte side.   And since I travel so much anyway, I know a lot of people and it’s easier for me to get information.  The only reason Nya didn’t send me to Miami already, instead of Evie and Rafe, was because I would have refused until I knew how your bond was going.”

Harley nodded.  She understood Levi needed to go and didn’t argue with him or herself.  “I understood,” she assured him.  “So, where do I find Nya?”

Levi nodded, looking at her carefully.  The look annoyed her slightly. It was like he was trying to see past her assurances.  “I’ll walk you there.  Then I have to go,” he said finally.

Harley followed him through the house to a door that led to a lower level that she hadn’t realized existed.  The old narrow stairs ended in a long hallway that only had a couple of doors on each side.  It wasn’t well lit and no one had bothered to throw any cheap landscape pictures up here.

“First door on the left,” Levi directed her.  He grabbed her hand before she could start to walk away.  He seemed to think about what he wanted to say before he spoke.  “I’m proud of you.  You are going to make a great Praesidio.”  He paused again.  “I’ll miss you—but I’ll talk to you soon,” he finally said quickly.  He hesitated but before he had a chance to change his mind he pushed Harley against the wall and kissed her deeply.  She felt the heat flare up inside her and when he pulled away a gush of air whooshed from her chest.  She did her best to compose herself and forced herself to not grin like an idiot.  Levi looked amused and frustrated at the same time. 

“Be careful,” Harley said.  She turned away and didn’t look back as she made her way to the first door on the left.

She didn’t knock on the door because it didn’t seem necessary if it was a training room.  Instead, she eased the door open and peeked in before pushing the door open the rest of the way.  She stepped into the room and tried not to let her jaw hit the floor.  The room was massive and had obviously been converted into one large room from several smaller ones.  Maybe it had even been a cellar at one time.  There ceiling was supported by beams that were carefully arranged to the side leaving a large open space in the center of the room.  Since the room was a training room and obviously used for sparring, judging by the wide open space, Harley was surprised to find the floor was hard, shiny wood and not padded material.  There were shelves and cabinets arranged out of the way in the corners that most likely held training equipment.  If it wasn’t for said fighting equipment, the room could almost pass for a ballroom.

Nya stood near the door with an excited look on her face.  She was dressed in just tight capris and a tee shirt.  Her braids were pulled into a tightly bound knot on the crown of her head.  Harley cringed when she realized that she wasn’t dressed for training—and she probably shouldn’t have showered already.

“Um, should I go change clothes?”

“Nah, today I’ll just be testing you to see what you can do,” Nya answered shrugging her shoulders and looking more nonchalant than Harley knew she should.  Nya’s smile also hinted that she was plotting something as well.  Harley’s Nocte began working itself up for whatever was coming.  Harley could feel her excitement in the chills than ran up her back.  At least she had dressed reasonably comfortable again.  Nervous excitement tingled in her belly and she had a hard time not letting it show on her face.  She wanted to look cool and unemotional but she didn’t think she was succeeding very well.  She tried to keep her composure as Nya led her towards the middle of the floor.

Nya stopped and turned to look at her.  “Today is just to test your physical limits.  I am pretty sure that you have a good control over emotions and we will continue to work with that.  However, the most important thing right now is to know what you can, and can’t, do physically.  You aren’t going to be as strong as a fully bonded Nocte—” Nya seemed to think about that for a minute before continuing.  “—but we need to see how strong you actually are.”