Jordyn (A Daemon Hunter Novel Book One) (9 page)

I was reminded we weren
't alone when Anthony pushed a button on the arm of the chair, lowering the back of the chair down so that it was flush with the bottom of the seat. The humming of the chair cut through the electricity until it was a dull buzz.

"
If you two are done eye-banging each other, I need Jordyn to lay flat on her belly," Anthony said dryly, pointing toward the chair.

"
Right, it's E who's doing the banging," I said, acting indifferent. I tossed my shirt at the counter where Emrys's hand still rested, grinning wickedly at him as I lay down.

"
Riiiiiiight, and I'm Batman," Anthony countered.

"
I figured as much," I answered, my words coming out muffled.

"
That demon tattoo is sounding like the way to go, or maybe a succubus," Emrys said under his breath.

Anthony barked out a laugh as he swabbed at my shoulder with alcohol.

"Don't you dare," I said, glaring at them over my shoulder.

"
No moving," Anthony commanded as he switched on the tattoo gun and approached me. "Unless you want a tattoo you didn't sign up for."

I flinched slightly as the cold tip of the gun touched my skin. Surprisingly, although I felt pressure, it really didn
't hurt all that much. Definitely not as painful as my recent tumble that had left my knees looking like raw meat.

I found the noise of the tattoo gun almost soothing as it hummed near my ear. Anthony and Emrys kept up a steady stream of chatter as I let my thoughts drift. Krista
's hurt expression from earlier flashed through my mind as I finally allowed myself to focus on the mess I had left behind. The anger I had felt was long gone, only to be replaced with guilt. It wasn't Krista's and Mark's fault Haniel was keeping all of us in the dark. They had been kind enough to take me in on the heels of their honeymoon, and I repaid them by throwing a fit like a spoiled two-year-old. I needed to fix the mess I had left behind.

Feeling chagrin
ed at my behavior, I made a move to sit up, forgetting I was in the process of forever marring my skin.

"
What the hell?" Anthony griped, pulling the gun away from my skin.

"
Sorry, my arm fell asleep," I lied, settling back down on the seat. Fixing things would have to wait.

"
Some tough girl," Anthony joked, applying the gun to my skin once again.

"
I could still take you with my arm tied behind my back," I answered as Emrys laughed in the background.

I shut my remorseful thoughts away and focused on the conversation Emrys and Anthony had resumed. By the way they talked, it was obvious they
'd know each other for a long time, which made me wonder what Anthony thought of his ageless friend.

"
How long have you guys known each other?" I decided to pry.

"
Since I was a snot-nosed kid. E here stopped my old man from cracking my head in with a bat when I was nine. I took plenty of beatings before he showed up, but something about him showing up that day changed everything. My dad never raised a fist to me ever again. Never talked to me much ever again either, but that was a welcome respite. You don't miss being called a snot-nosed asshole, I'll tell you that. His silence was definitely welcome. It was like he was under some kind of mumbo-jumbo spell or something," Anthony answered.

I knew exactly what that spell was. It started and ended with a certain Soul Trader. The mental image of Emrys going to the effort to save a human
's life chased away some of the guilt that had sprung up inside me. Haniel and the others were wrong about him. Emrys wasn't working for The Dark One. He couldn't be.

"
Finished," Anthony said several minutes later, shutting off the tattoo gun.

"
Wow, you're quick," I said, sitting up.

"
I've heard that before," Anthony said, laughing.

"
I bet you have, old man," Emrys said, clapping him on the back.

"
At least I'm not forgettable," Anthony retorted, making me laugh.

Emrys mockingly glared at us as he threw a slow punch Anthony
's way.

"
You want to see your new beauty mark?" he asked, swatting Emrys's fist aside before it could reach his bicep.

"
Absolutely," I said, hopping up off the chair.

"
It's the prettiest succubus I've ever seen," Emrys teased, grinning at me.

My fist shot out and hit him in his own bicep before he could even get the words fully out. The force of the blow made him stagger as he tried to keep his footing.

"Damn girl, you are a freaking beast," Anthony said, studying me with open admiration.

"
Either that or your buddy E here is a lightweight pansy," I quipped, following Anthony out of the room.

Laughing, Anthony handed me a hand mirror.
"Here, you can check it out," he said, pointing me toward an entire mirrored wall I had missed earlier in the never-ending whiteness of the space. Turning my back to the mirrored wall, I held the hand mirror in front of me so I could see the reflection of my back. At first it was shocking to see my once pristine skin covered in ink, but that feeling evaporated almost before it could fully manifest as I took in the piece of art on my back. It was breathtaking.

"
Holy shit, Anthony, it's amazing," I said, not taking my eyes from my reflection.

"
The redness will go down in a couple days, possibly sooner since your skin really didn't pucker with irritation," he said, stepping in front of me.

"
Irritation?" I asked, dragging my eyes from the vibrant colors to study the slightly red skin surrounding the tattoo that I hadn't noticed before. He was right, it really wasn't that bad.

"
Sometimes the skin shows its disapproval by pinking up, but yours obviously took it quite well."

"
Everything comes to her naturally," Emrys said, joining Anthony in front of me. All joking was gone as he studied my face with admiration.

"
After the potshot she gave you in there, I'm guessing she's as unique as you, my friend," Anthony said, heading back to the tattoo room.

"
What do you think?" Emrys asked, stepping directly in front of me.

"
It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," I said, glancing at in the mirror one last time.

"
Not me," Emrys said, taking the mirror from me. Without looking, he tossed it across the room with a flick of his wrist. It landed with a dull thud on the couch. The intensity of his stare made my pulse race like a runaway racehorse as he placed his hands on my sides. His fingers splayed across my bare skin igniting a fire inside me.

"
Why don't you do that tongue trick again now that I have you where I want you," he said as he leaned in to nip at my chin.

"
You mean this?" I asked, darting my tongue out to moisten my lips.

He groaned slightly, running his hands up my sides, never taking his eyes from mine. His knuckles grazed the sides of my breasts as they continued their journey up my torso. They finally rested around my neck anchoring me into place. His eyes moved to my lips and I fought the urge to close the distance between us.

Noise from the other room broke the spell as Anthony lumbered back into the main room and sealed the tattoo room back up with the heavy-duty door.

"
Get a room," Anthony muttered, settling back on the couch.

"
Ready to get out of here?" Emrys asked quietly, keeping me locked into place.

"
Yes, please," I said as he finally dropped his hands and stepped back.

Tossing my shirt to me, he turned to Anthony.
"Dude, I seriously owe you for this one," he said, reaching out to shake one of Anthony's bear-sized hands.

"
Not likely. I still owe you for keeping the old man away from me," Anthony said, making it clear that he was well aware that Emrys had played a crucial part in his father's mumbo-jumbo spell.

"
Hey, I did nothing," Emrys said, holding his hands up. "I've told you before, your dad must have seen the err of his ways," he added, laughing good-naturedly as he pumped Anthony's hand up and down.

"
Riiiiiiiiiight," Anthony replied. "Jordyn, it was a pleasure to give you your first beauty mark. Your skin is truly a gift from God," he said, holding out his massive hand for me to shake.

"
Thanks for doing a ridiculously awesome job," I said, pulling my shirt on carefully in case the irritated skin was sensitive.

"
The pleasure was all mine. Normally I'd slap a bandage over one of my new tat jobs, but like I said, your skin took to the ink like a duck to water. Just wash it thoroughly with a non-perfumed soap when you get home and make sure the skin doesn't dry out," he said, pulling himself up off the couch to follow us out.

"
Thanks again," I said, giving Anthony a quick hug that made him blush all the way from his buzzed head down his neck.

"
You come back and see me again. Next time come without this chump and we could have some real fun," he said, wagging his eyebrows at me suggestively.

"
Count on it," I answered, laughing as he closed the door behind him.

"
I like your friend," I said to Emrys as he reached for my hand.

"
He likes you too," Emrys replied as the dingy smelly alleyway disappeared around us.

The hard ground beneath my feet was replaced by a substance that gave way when I moved. Squinting in the sudden sunshine, I looked down surprised to see I was standing on a beach. Everything about this beach was different than what I was used to. The sand beneath my feet was unlike any sand you
'd find on the West Coast. It was sugar-fine and almost as white. Even the water was different than what I was used to. Instead of the normal breaks that the surfers liked to ride on back home, the water here was crystal clear and the waves that broke gently on the shoreline were minuscule to the waves back home.

"
Where are we?" I asked, turning around in a slow circle. I took in the line of palm trees behind us and the ocean that seemed to surround us.

"
A small island about fifty miles off of the coast of Tahiti," he said, sinking down on the sun-warmed sand. "It's my second favorite place to visit," he said, reaching up and tugging me down on the sand beside him.

"
Really?" I asked, taking in the quiet solitude of the island. It was as different as night and day from his perch on the Empire State Building.

"
It's peaceful," he said, lying back in the sand and closing his eyes, perfectly at ease.

I wondered if he had forgotten about our near
-kiss at Anthony's as I lay down beside him, closing my eyes also. Without opening his eyes, Emrys reached over and laced his fingers through mine. We lay there without speaking, cushioned by the soft sand beneath us, listening to the small waves gently crash on the shore. The warm sun on my face made me drowsy. I yawned heavily, realizing suddenly how exhausted I really was. I'd barely slept during the last forty-eight hours, coupled with the fact that I had traveled to three time zones in one day making my legs feel like they were incased in cement. I tried to fight off my drowsiness, but I couldn't help dozing off. Just before sleep pulled me completely under, I felt his lips on the pulse point of my wrist.

The sound of raised voices woke me from a deep sleep. I sat up disoriented, expecting to see the ocean in front of me, but instead I saw that I was in my own room. Emrys, of course, was nowhere to be found.

"
Damn him," I said, glancing at the clock on my nightstand table. It showed ten o'clock, and judging by the darkness outside, it was obviously the evening.

I stood up and swung my legs off the bed.
"Great," I grumbled, noticing the sand that now coated my bed sheets. My skin felt gritty from the layer of sand that still covered my arms. I brushed it off as best I could, and desperately needed a shower, but with the raised voices hitting a higher octave, it was probably best to face the music sooner than later.

It was no surprise to see everyone in the living room when I entered. It
's what they did in a crisis.

Everyone looked my way at once, taking in my disheveled appearance. I probably should have at least run a brush through my hair before I made my grand entrance.

"What happened to you?" Krista gasped, dragging me in for a tight hug before pulling back and wrinkling her nose in distaste. "You smell like seaweed. Where have you been?" she asked as her voice turned shrill. She was clearly pissed.

"
Just around," I said, not sure what to tell her. I'm sure getting a tattoo in Shanghai wouldn't go over well at the moment.

"
Jordyn?" Haniel commanded.

"
Haniel," I mocked him. "It sucks to be kept in the dark, doesn't it?" I said, working to ignore Krista's hurt expression.

"
Jordyn, that's enough," Mark said in a loud booming voice as he wrapped his arm around Krista. "We're all kept in the dark about some things, but that doesn't give you the right to disrespect us. We've bent over backward to welcome you into our home, and you repay us by mocking our rules and throwing our words back in our faces."

His words cut me to the core. He had every right to be angry. My beef was with Haniel
, not the Guides and Protectors. They'd all welcomed me in and treated me like I belonged, despite our differences.

Worst of all was Lynn, who looked so conflicted, like she didn
't know what to think about me at the moment. By snapping at Krista, I was hurting their whole group. That's how they worked. Lynn and I may be best friends, but her loyalty would always belong to those in her group. At that moment, I felt every bit the outsider that I was.

My stomach felt like I
'd swallowed a bowling ball, but I spoke up. "You're right," I said remorsefully as my eyes welled up. "You guys don't deserve my disrespect, but you also need to understand that I'm almost an adult. If I was a normal person, I'd be heading off to college in the fall all on my own. You guys should be
less
worried about me, knowing I can take care of myself."

"
Yes, but even with your gifts, it doesn't help if your mind is being bent by tha
t
Trader," Krista said, grimacing over the word Trader like it had left a foul taste in her mouth.

"
I…" I bit back the urge to argue with her. The air felt sticky with their prejudice and narrow-minded beliefs. For a moment, I debated coming clean about the whole mind-bending thing, but if I admitted it now, they'd be even more pissed.

"
Can we talk about this later? I need to take a shower," I said, indicating my arms that still had patches of the light powdered sand clinging to them.

Krista and Haniel tried to answer at the same time.

"Not until you tell us where you were!" Haniel puffed out, sounding like a disgruntled parent.

"
Of course you can," Krista answered, glaring at Haniel.

I turned, relieved to walk away when something that had been nagging at the back of my mind resurfaced. I turned back around to address Haniel.
"If you were so concerned about me, why didn't you come get me?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"
The Soul Trader shielded your location," Haniel answered calmly.

I nodded, trying to control my laughter. Emrys was no dummy. Whatever tricks a Soul Trader had, obviously even Haniel couldn
't police them the way he would like. No wonder he was so pissed.

Reaching the bathroom, I was startled when I saw my reflection in the mirror. Krista
's assessment was dead on. I looked like something that even the cat wouldn't want to drag in. My hair was matted and grimy from lying in the sand. A small patch of sand was stuck to my left cheek, and my clothes looked like I had dragged them behind a dune buggy. That fricking Emrys. I guarantee he laughed his ass off, knowing the reaction I would get to how I looked. I pulled off my shirt in frustration and tossed it on the floor.

"
Jordyn, I brought you my bottle of deep moisturizing conditioner," Krista said, stepping into my bathroom only to come to an abrupt halt when she spotted my tattoo. "What is that?" she asked in a strangled voice.

Her question was a bit dense since it was quite obvious what it was.
"Um, a butterfly," I answered, playing dumb.

"
I know it's a butterfly. What the hell is it doing on your back?"

"
Whoa, are angels allowed to cuss?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"
Don't you need an adult's permission or something to get a tattoo?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"
Not when you're with Emrys," I answered truthfully, meeting her glare without qualms.

"
Right, I forgot. You
r
frien
d
can make anything possible," she said sarcastically, stepping closer to inspect my tattoo. "Getting a tattoo at some hole-in-the-wall isn't the smartest idea. You could get a life-threatening illness from instruments that haven't been sterilized properly. Not to mention diseases," she added, studying it intently.

"
Oh, crap. I knew I should have been suspicious when I saw him pull the needle out of an old Mason jar and wipe it on his jeans. Come to think of it, I bet him using a rusty needle wasn't the best idea either," I said sarcastically. "Give me a little credit, Krista. The place I got it from could give lessons on cleanliness."

"
It still doesn't change the fact that you got a tattoo without permission," she said tightly before turning and leaving the bathroom with steam trailing her.

"
Ugh," my shoulders drooped at her departure as I kicked off my jeans and stepped into the shower. I knew I was being a pain in the ass, yet I couldn't seem to stop lashing out. I guess it was just in my nature. Whatever the reason, being a teenager sucked ass as far as I was concerned.

Lynn was waiting on my bed when I exited the steam
-filled bathroom twenty minutes later.

"
What's up?" I asked, throwing my dirty clothes in the wicker hamper in the corner of my room.

"
I thought we could have a slumber party," she said, not meeting my eyes while she pulled at a loose thread on my comforter.

"
Really?" I asked skeptically. She didn't normally look so unsure. Sitting there all docile and shy was a complete contradiction to the image she projected with her short spiky haircut, multiple piercings, torn jeans, and black grunge rock shirt. Her newly adopted personality was seriously screwing with my mind. At the moment, she didn't remotely resemble my confidant of the past year. My sounding board. The one I could vent to that totally got where I was coming from. It was as if aliens had taken over her body and turned her into an adult without notifying me.

Uncomfortable silence settled over the room like a heavy wet cloak as we stared each other down. I could feel a fissure slowly making its way between us.
One of us suspicious, the other secretive.

"
Okay, yes! Krista and Haniel feel you need to be under lockdown," she finally admitted defensively.

"
So, now I'm a prisoner," I snipped, feeling my blood start to rise.

"
Only if you consider hanging out with your best friend a prison," she said, chucking a pillow at me in aggravation.

"
Nice try," I said, tossing the pillow back at her. "You can't guilt me into thinking this is right."

"
Don't be such a drama queen. Any parental figures would have a problem with their daughter traipsing around the world with some boy they don't know. The only difference is at least you get to hang out with your friend."

"
Yeah, but we all know I'm not like most teenagers. If Emrys tried something, it's not like I couldn't kick his ass with my eyes closed."

"
Not if he's in your head, manipulating your thoughts," she pointed out.

I shifted uncomfortably at her words. That was the crux of the problem. If I would have just come clean about the mind bending, it might solve this issue.

"So, are you going to show me your tattoo?" Lynn asked, offering up a truce.

"
I don't know. Are you going to let the othe
r
prisoner
s
rough me up?" I asked, finally breaking into a smile.

"
Word to the wise: Don't drop the soap in the shower," she said, raising a pierced eyebrow.

"
Gross," I said laughing, turning around to show off my tattoo.

"
Holy bat shit, that's amazing," she said, hopping off my bed to get a better look. "The detail's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's out of this effing world. It makes mine look a kindergartener did them in art class."

"
Yeah, Anthony's amazeballs. You wouldn't believe some of his work."

"
Anthony?" she asked curiously. 

Turning back around, I studied her facial expression to see if this was yet another ploy to see where I had been. I hated that I felt like I couldn
't trust her as much as I wanted at the moment. Still, I decided to come clean. I could really gauge her intentions anyway, and all the deceit was getting exhausting. "Yeah, some guy Emrys knows in Shanghai. He was a bit strange with his freakish Mr. Clean attitude, but judging by Krista's reaction earlier, I guess it's a good thing he was so meticulous."

"
Shanghai? You lucky dog. That's one place we haven't been sent on a mission yet. How was it?"

I launched into an excitement
-filled explanation of everything I had seen on my short jaunt abroad. It felt nice to be honest as everything bubbled out of me. I described Anthony in detail from his massive frame down to our shared bug phobia. Lynn laughed out loud that even with his size he was still afraid of something so small.

"
Hey, don't underestimate the power of fear. Besides, everybody knows bugs are just creepy," I said thinking of my own squeamishness.

"
Ha, if you would have been with us a few years back you would have died," she said, lying back against my pillows.

"
Why? What happened?" I asked, completely intrigued. Over the last eleven months, I'd heard patches of their missions before I joined them. Each time, I soaked up their words as I analyzed the situation in my head like an equation. By the time the story would end, I would have a clear picture of how I would've handled the situation had I been there.

"
It was when we were in the mountains on a rescue mission to get Mark. It was a big deal. There were other Bands from around the world that came to help. The Dark One was using any method imaginable to keep us away. Luckily, Haniel suggested we string up a net to cover the entire campsite. Still, there was no way we were prepared for what came next. Krista, Shawn, and me and Robert, took the first watch while everyone else slept," she said, shuddering at the memory.

My skin began to crawl before she even said any
more. I knew where the story was heading, yet I didn't stop her as I listened with morbid fascination.

"
Of course, we fell asleep," Lynn continued, shaking her head. "See, even we effed up when we were younger. Anyway, we woke a few hours later to Krista screaming bloody murder," Lynn went on. "At first, we were confused at what she was screaming about. It was pitch black and even the moon was blotted out. It took us a few seconds to realize that the moon and stars were missing because the net surrounding our camp was covered by, like, every insect imaginable. The netting bowed down from their weight, but we didn't think they'd be able to get in. We were wrong."

"
Oh my freaking god!" I yelled, gripping a pillow tightly to my chest. Just the image in my ever-processing mind was enough to make me want to jump up and shake all over. "What happened?" I asked in a whisper, not sure I wanted to hear more.

"
They found a way in, behind our tents. Millions of bugs flooded our campsite. At first, we tried to fight them off with torches from the fire pit, but they were relentless. They crawled over the bugs we had burned, snuffing out the fires."