Chapter 2 #2
He rubbed at his eyebrow. “Unless you’re a demon. Then, it’s just confusing.”
Sorcha scowled. “What?”
“Nothing. Just a saying in Hell.” Raking both hands through his hair, Luke let out a long sigh. That was an action he only took when exceptionally irritated.
Was it at her?
“What’s wrong?” Sorcha followed him up the stairs toward his small apartment.
It still amazed her that he chose to live in something that was basically three rooms—kitchen that was attached to the living room and a bedroom with a tiny bathroom. Helly had told her stories of how huge their mansion was in Hell.
Yet Luke seemed completely at home in his tiny area.
For a prince of Hell, he was remarkably normal, practical, and well-adjusted. At least most of the time.
Much more so than she was, if truth were told. And she wondered if it was just a facade for him the same way it was for her. Inside, she normally screamed in frustration with the world.
Screamed over the injustice of not being able to find the asshole who killed her sister.
But this wasn’t about her. They needed to locate those demons before they hurt innocent humans. “How many of them are we looking for?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Plus Trinket.”
Luke turned slowly to stare at Helly who stepped past him to enter the apartment. “Pardon?”
Helly lowered her head like a toddler facing an angry parent. “Trinket followed you out.”
“And you’re just now telling me?”
There was a ferocity in his tone that Sorcha didn’t normally hear. “Who’s Trinket?”
“A hellcat,” they said in unison.
That surprised her, though she wasn’t quite sure why. Hell had hellhounds. Why wouldn’t they have hellcats too? “And those are?”
“Nasty.” Helly took a seat on his black leather sofa.
Eyes wide, Sorcha closed the door behind them and turned to look at Luke as he inspected the open closet door. “Want to elaborate?”
“Not really.” Luke’s eyes turned bright red.
That made her take a step back. “What’s wrong?”
“One of my siblings was here.”
Given how many of them he had, that didn’t really narrow it down. “How can you tell?”
“I smell my father, and I know he wasn’t here. That leaves one of his progeny.”
Those hellhound genes must have kicked in. Another thing she’d learned about Luke—he could detect things no human could.
“Out of curiosity, what does the devil smell like?”
Luke shrugged.
“Honey, cedar, amber, and juniper…with a smoky tang to it.”
Sorcha arched a brow at Helly’s unexpected answer that Luke had avoided. “Really? I’d have thought sulfur.”
Luke scoffed. “Sulfur by itself doesn’t smell. Burning brimstone…that’s an odor you don’t forget easily. And no, my father is an arrogant prick who would never walk around smelling like one of his pits.”
She supposed that made sense. But it also caused her to wonder… “Why do your siblings smell like him?”
“They don’t all. Just the ones who get close to him. His scent is unique and it lingers.” He wrinkled his nose adorably.
“And there’s another scent over the top of his, but I can’t tell which sib it belongs to. It’s been too long since I was around them to remember who smells like what.”
Interesting. Luke never really spoke much about his siblings, other than as an annoying collective group he was glad not to interact with.
She felt bad for him that he’d never known the relationship she’d shared with her sister. Siobhan had been the absolute best. They’d shared so many incredible memories. So many laughs and hugs. Late-night chat sessions. Ganging up on their parents and teachers. Swapping classes…
How many times had she been asleep when Shy would bound from her bed into Sorcha’s and give her a giant hug.
Remember, we’re in this together. From cradle to grave. Love you!
God, how she missed her sister.
Luke had known none of that.
And now…
“Why would one of your siblings free the demons?”
“’Cause, Fuck you, Ken.”
She laughed out loud at the pet phrase Luke used to explain any situation where someone just wanted to screw with someone else’s life for no reason. Or whenever someone held a petty grudge or jealousy and acted out like a spoiled child against another.
That phrase particularly applied to her ex. “I’m beginning to think we should change that to ’Cause, Fuck you, Bert.”
Luke shook his head. “Too specific. Ken is ubiquitous and is an empty-headed doll with no balls. Harmless prick who can do nothing but irritate those around him. I’ll stick with mine, if you don’t mind.”
“Works for me. But I don’t see why one of your siblings would care enough to free the demons.” She cringed as those callous words left her lips. They were a lot harsher than she’d intended. “I mean—”
“It’s okay, Sorcha. You can’t upset me. I’ve suffered enough real barbs and vicious asses in my life to know when someone speaks without intending to let blood.
And to answer your question, they’re petty animals.
So long as I’m not locked in one of my father’s pits, suffering, they’re pissed off about it and think that I somehow have it better than they do. ”
She would say he was paranoid, but she knew better than to question him when it came to evil. Sadly, he was the expert and knew the real terror that stalked the world.
Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply.
Sorcha was confused by that. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to home in on one scent so I can track them.” He growled low in his throat.
“Totally useless. I can smell all the closet demons mixed with the scent. I can’t pinpoint one distinct smell or tell who any of it belongs to.
” He glanced to Helly who was now lying down on the sofa. “Have you any way to find Envee?”
“Not really. But she most likely will be looking for ice cream. It was the one thing she really wanted.”
Sorcha winced. “There are a lot of ice cream and grocery stores in Savannah. Any idea where to start looking?”
Helly shrugged.
Luke turned on his police scanner. “If they start acting up, SPD will be the first to know.” Letting out a long breath, he sat down in the chair across from the couch. “Since I have no leads yet, why don’t you go home and get some sleep? No need in both of us sitting here, bored.”
Sorcha listened for a few seconds to a number of routine calls. Nothing that sounded like anything demon related. Just drunk and disorderly, a domestic call, and someone who was skinny dipping in public.
He was right. It was getting late. There was nothing to be done at the moment. If he couldn’t track them…
She was useless. “All right. I’ll head home. If anything changes, call me.”
Luke laced his fingers behind his head and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “I will.”
Helly sent her a finger wave. “Night, Sorcha.”
“Night, Helly.” She left his apartment and headed back to the garage. There was a small door in front of his car that let out into the courtyard of the old Victorian home that had been converted into their offices. It was eerie to be out in the courtyard at night.
The crescent moon above cast very little light and since it was their offices, there wasn’t much in terms of landscape lighting. Other than the dim blue lights inside the inground pool.
Using the flashlight on her phone, she made her way to the wooden gate that opened out onto Oglethorpe Street or O Street as it was called by locals.
What she hated most about walking alone around here…
all the ghosts she saw this time of night.
The ones in the IA offices didn’t bother her as much as the ones she saw in the cemetery across the street from where she parked her car.
Those who’d died before their time—like her sister—who were haunted by all the things they never got to do.
It was hard to see them. Especially the children. Of all the powers to have, this had to be among the absolute worst. Why couldn’t she have telekinesis?
Precognition. That one would have allowed her to warn her sister to stay home that fateful night. Not that Siobhan would have listened. She’d been terribly hard-headed.
You worry too much, Sorsh. We’re young. Live in the moment. Embrace this time because it’s all we get. Once gone, it’s gone. You can never get more hours in a day or years in your life. This is our time to shine and make the world our own.
Carve your name in it. Let everyone know you were here.
Tears gathered in her eyes as she remembered all those precious hugs from Siobhan that she should have savored a little longer.
Twins weren’t meant to be alone. She was supposed to have a partner for life. A best friend she could always rely on.
Sniffing back her tears, she pulled out her key to open her car door.
Just as she pressed the button, all the streetlights went out at once. As did the lights in all the nearby homes, including their offices.
She didn’t think much of it until she heard a deep, dark snarl in the darkness. One way too close to her.
The hair on her neck stood on end.
Her heart pounded.
Damn it, Reyes!
Her captain still refused to let her carry a service revolver for protection. She was out here with no weapon at all.
And the snarling seemed to be coming at her from every direction.
Just as she unlocked her car door, someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her back.
Sorcha lashed out with her fist but only contacted with air.
An evil laugh rumbled next to her ear. She felt hot breath scorching her cheek.
Her car door locked all by itself.
She tried to push herself away from the unseen attacker. But they wouldn’t budge. Something cold and wet dripped down her arm. Disgusting…
“Get off me!”
The air around her stirred as if thousands of bats’ wings flapped in horrific synchrony.
“You’re ours.” That low, guttural voice sent shivers over her.
All of a sudden, something warm wrapped around her entire body. One moment, she was in total darkness.
The next, light exploded and showed her Luke cocooning her with his strength.