Deal with the Devil

8. Chapter seven

Chapter seven:

Knox

...A week later...

A fox head shaped dent was in the side of Kyle, the bookie’s head. Knox peeled the top of his cane out of the human fuckwit’s crushed skull and wiped the top off with a baby wipe. Handing his cane to Zavros, Knox stepped away from the corpse. Draco and Francis cleaned Kyle off the floor while Knox limped his way to the chair Zavros brought down for him. It had been months since the last time he’d gotten injured to the point of limping. Kyle had given quite a fight but in the end, he was a sack of blood being dragged across the concrete floor of the dungeon and Knox was pressing a bag of ice to the bust in his lip.

“Boss, you want me to grab the healer upstairs?”

Knox shook his head. “Not yet, let’s clean up this mess first. I’m not trying to traumatize more than one person today if I can help it.”

Zavros, his right-hand muscle glanced at the little elf girl sat against the far dungeon wall. Underneath the casino, buried under thirteen floors of lights, machines, alcohol, and grifters was a massive concrete dungeon. He had it built into the foundation of the building as an open room for ‘storage’. Dark with only a few swinging lights, two small prison cells, lots of notches for chains and hanging things, you know, in case work got dirty. It would be smarter not to do his dirty work inside the city. Anything outside of city limits was fair game. However, it’s harder to get people out of the city unwilling and unseen these days.

“What are we doing with the girl?” Zavros nodded his chin at the trembling teen. She couldn’t be more than thirteen. Long blond hair, drenched and matted with blood. Her fingers were caked with dirt and chunks of Kyle.

Unfortunately, Knox took a closer look into his business with the revelation that Richard Calhoon was not who he said he was— don't think of Amelia, you fuckwit. Knox found that Kyle, his bookie, was also not who he said he was. Turns out his name was technically Sardonis Pitch, a wanted criminal from the badlands. It’s bad when there’s a wanted poster for someone from the badlands, they don’t give a shit what you do out there. But Knox only found out when he ran down everyone’s history and found Kyle’s didn’t add up.

So, they showed up at Kyle’s place to talk and things got difficult. Kyle didn’t want to admit he was a liar... Knox didn’t have any patience. Especially after they found the girl chained to a post in Kyle’s basement. The limp was from Kyle trying to make a break for it. He knew the rule. They all knew the rules. Knox did not deal in people.

Knox stared at the small elf for a long moment. The better thing to do is to keep her, to get her checked out, and put her somewhere safe while he worked on cleaning up his staff... Yet he couldn’t help the sting in his chest. Amelia Armstrong, despite how hard he tried not to think about it, left a mark on his bleeding heart.

“Get her cleaned up and healed...then send one of the waitresses to take her to the council building, say we found her lost in an alley, looking like she got attacked. Let them figure out what to do with her.” He snapped to his feet and took back the even cleaner cane. Normally it was for style but having it nearby when work got dirty was handy. “Have Hellen meet me in my office, I’ve still got work to do.”

He used it to get up the unforgiving stone steps and limped his way down the employees only hall to his office. First Richard is a fake and finding information on him was impossible. Then, Kyle was a liar and a monster. Knox didn’t know what he did to the poor girl, but he was sure he didn’t want to find out...he’d just end up beating Kyle’s corpse up again. Wasted energy. He needed to pivot and get his staff in order.

Knox finished going through the staff at his house with the help of Denver the other day, all that was left was his dirtier business and the casino.

Muffled sounds came in and out as employees passed through swinging doors throughout the level. Passing scents of perfume, body odor, and microwaved food lingered in the hall before he broke away toward the back office. The employees only halls were thick, oak doors and golden wood floors, ruby and jade velvet trimmings, and accents. He had a thing for autumn colors. However, stepping through the guarded door to his office, he was greeted by royal purples. His walls were painted in a glossy plum with dark cherry wood panels and flooring. The modest room held two lounging couches, a magical fireplace that created no smoke, a grand desk with plush leather chair, and a window that currently showed nothing.

He shut his door behind him, took a deep breath, then snapped his fingers and watched the window light up. He resisted opening the illusion inside a certain bookstore where he knew a certain blue-haired human was working. Was it a little obsessive to know when she worked? Maybe. But Knox had worse vices. He couldn’t help worrying if she’d adjusted back to life well. And the illusion couldn’t be used inside houses without their alarm systems or personal protection spells being alerted. In public spaces, his bird’s eye illusion could go anywhere. This time, he planted it in central park and stared out at sunshine glistening through the trees. Only, the second he dropped into his chair, the illusion changed. Because it knew where he what he wanted to see...

Inside a warm, comfy bookstore, at the front of a maze of books was a blue-haired bookstore clerk knelt next to a display. She was organizing books in a specific pattern before filling more from out of a box. Her tongue was pinched between her teeth in concentration. There was no sound. How much worse would his obsession get if there was? Amelia glanced up, almost looking him dead in the eyes before beaming as a pregnant woman waddled into view before him. Pink curls and overly round, Amelia’s boss Eloise Mumford gave her employee a big thumbs up before they had a small conversation. Lots of laughing and holding sides, it stole his breath away to see her so lively.

He’d almost robbed this from her...he’d almost stolen her. Watching her laugh and work wasn’t helping his case of trying to get over her. He thought it might make him feel guilty for once. Look at this amazing person you almost devoured and kept to yourself... But if he were honest, it only made him crave her more.

A knock on the door made him lurch forward, turning off the illusion. Instead, the fireplace crackled to life with lilac flames as Hellen stepped in through the doors. A pink-fleshed, red-horned, black-eyed fiend in healer’s robes, Hellen was the best healer money could buy. She smiled sweetly in that motherly way like she’d caught her son jerking off in the bedroom and she’d rather not know what she almost witnessed. Knox let out a small wheeze, wheeling away from the window fully. “Hellen.”

“Zavros said you needed assistance? What’s—Knox!” She scoffed, shuffling further inside. Her long, pastel healer’s robes swished as she crossed the floor. Taking his cheeks in her rose petal soft hands, she tutted. “Look at you! What did you do? Wrestle a bear?”

“Taught someone a lesson,” he grumbled as the scent of roses and shea butter filled his nostrils. Her magic was a puff of chalky smoke and pixie dust. It surrounded his face before settling into his skin. His lip sealed up tight, the ache from being elbowed in the eye faded as well.

“Did they learn it, at least? Damn.” Hellen pulled away from him before grimacing. “They get you in the left leg again.”

“Always.” She began casting a larger healing spell, hands turning in a circle. Knox sat back, giving her access to busted shin and cracked knee. The pain would have been immense if Knox had even been aware of pain at that point. Instead, his thoughts were engulfed with rage. It had dulled by the time she placed an orb of pink magic around his leg. Either it was a throb or his body had already gone into shock while he was beating Kyle’s face in.

“There ,” she exhaled heavily, taking a seat on the corner of his desk. “Should be good as new, but try not breaking your own legs for a while, please?”

“No promises,” Knox chuckled weakly, raking his fingers through his hair. They sat in comfortable silence. Knox staring pensively at the desk, mind a thousand miles away. Hellen staring into the blank windowpanes.

They’d been friends longer than they’d been business partners. He paid for her life in exchange for her loyalty and profession. She healed him back from the brink of death any time he asked. No questions asked, most of the time . It’d been hard being two broke orphans in the gutter. However, while she’d clawed her way up, stitching up busted eyebrows for other muscles to pay for her Healer’s License...he’d been the career bad guy.

“The girl,” Hellen broke the silence.

“I...don’t want to know. I don’t need to feel unbridled rage twice in one day.” Knox turned toward his desk and pulled the stack of files back out.

“It’s not what you think, I inspected her for everything. Poor thing let me too...he wasn’t using her for what you think.” Hellen pulled a phone out from robe pockets and dropped it onto the desk next to him. Knox froze, staring at the papers before peeling himself, inch by inch, away from the stack of words.

The elf girl, clean and in only a bandage across her chest and underwear, was missing chunks from her torso and legs. Inky lines ran along her flesh along with angry, red bruises all over her body. Knox felt a cold wash of disgust and terror come over him.

“He was eating her?” He picked up the phone. Hellen swiped through photo after photo of chunks missing from her body. Muscle and bones were exposed to the point it made Knox sick. His first instinct was to gag. Knox shoved her phone back in her hand. “He’s a human; cannibalism would make him sick, but Kyle wasn’t.”

“Are you sure he was human?” Hellen raised her eyebrows. “I’ve seen those kind of bites before, and none of it was good.”

“I know you hate guessing, but, if you had to?” He eyed her as worry grew exponentially within his chest.

Hellen grimaced, tucking her phone away into her pockets. There was a peculiar look crossing her face before she exhaled heavily. “Vampires. Fledglings, when they’re young…they don’t have control, they eat chunks out of a victim. But she looks like she was healed over and over, like a personal buffet for a fledgling vampire.”

Vampires? He furrowed his brow. “But Kyle was a human, he walked in the daylight, and when I smashed his face in, he died.”

“Maybe he’s not the fledgling...” Hellen paled suddenly as she stood up from the desk. “If she’s been bitten, repeatedly... Knox.”

Knox pulled out his phone and dialed Zavros’ number. The muscle answered with one ring, “Boss?”

“Where’s the girl?”

“She’s still here with me, boss,” Zavros went silent suddenly before he made a questionable gasp. “Uh, boss?”

“Where are you?” Knox sprung out of his seat, racing around his desk. Hellen on his heels, they broke through the door and flew down the halls.

“In the healer room, I came to take—Hey! Oi! Keep those chompers to yourself!”

“Zavros! Get out of there!” Knox flew through the halls, Hellen on his heels. They rounded the corner just as Zavros stumbled out of the office, one of the chairs held out in front of him like a cartoonish lion tamer. The elf girl shrieked as she lunged out of the doorway. Fingers as long as knives, hair greased back against her scalp, eyes wide and bleeding, she lurched after Zavros.

“Back! Back I say!” Zavros tried to corral the feral girl back inside the room. She clawed at the metal chair, ripping it apart. The silver legs of the chair whined as she carved through them like butter. Zavros grabbed one of the legs and thrust it into her collar.

Knox got to Zavros just as she screamed, knocking the two men across the floor with the air waves. They tumbled and rolled, the chair clattering to the floor. Knox had three seconds to catch his breath before the elf fledgling launched through the air. She pinned his back to the ground, fingers slashing his face. Her mouth opened, unhinging like a snake. Two pairs of fangs snapped at him as she struggled to get her mouth wrapped around him in any way she could. Knox grunted, unable to cast with both hands and feet preoccupied.

“Zavros,” Knox pleaded as he tried his damndest to get the girl off him. The ogre groaned behind him. Knox spared a look and found a sharp leg of the chair protruding from his chest. With a yelp, Knox called out to Hellen. “Hellen! Help him!”

“I’m trying!” She raced for him only to be shoved back by a swiping paw of knife fingers. Hellen tumbled across the floor.

“For dragon’s sake!” Knox grunted, grabbing ahold of her neck. “Sorry, this is going to suck, little one.”

Opening his mouth, magic building behind his molars like fire does a dragon’s breath, he summoned the fear. It crept through his veins, scraping and digging claws into his body as the spell built up. The fledgling cried out as he held her tight. The blood tears pouring from her eyes turned to gushing waterfalls, her hands stabbing at him in a desperate attempt to pull away. Too late.

A blast of pure purple magic light engulfed the fledging. He threw her away from him and watched her tumble and roll away. Her body contorted back and forth. Legs kicking, arms thrashing, she grabbed for her throat. Boils and knots built under her flesh, her body breaking out in hives worse than death. Her jaw clacked together rapidly.

Hellen crawled over the floor to Zavros healing the wound as the ogre worked to peel the metal from his shoulder.

“Where are the others?” Knox scrambled to his feet.

“They were cleaning up Kyle’s body.” Zavros winced, gasping for air as Hellen finished closing up his wounds. “I came to double check on the girl. Fully regret that decision now.”

“What’d you do to her?” Hellen hissed, glancing at the fledgling.

“A taste of her own medicine.” Knox bent over, hands against his knees. He glanced over his shoulder toward the creature screaming in pain. She tossed herself onto her stomach and clawed trenches into her back. “If I stop it, will she come for us again? Why didn’t she launch at us already? Why wait? Is Zavros infected?”

“No, no, boss, she didn’t get ahold of me. Thankfully, she’s tiny and I was able to keep her away but... she’s strong, boss, and she just launched at me out of nowhere.”

Hellen wheezed, sitting back on the floor. “I hate to say it, Knox...but I don’t think Kyle was feeding on her, I think...I don’t know what to think, but maybe she was feeding from herself.”

Knox stared at Hellen in frozen horror. What the hell was going on here? He sharply glanced at the fledgling as he heard a whimper from her. She was belly first against the hardwood, sobbing regular tears. The elf begged, “Please...please...make it stop.”

Her fingers were back, and her gaze was big and green, pleading with him. Knox snapped his fingers, rescinding his spell. Inch by inch, her body relaxed down against the floor. He crept closer, still not trusting that she wouldn’t just change back. The elf girl reached toward him with a trembling hand. Then, she said something that broke his already broken heart.

“Please...help me.”