Chapter 8 Consequences #2
I waved a hand, returning my attention to the liquid gold pouring into my cup. “I don’t know. Demonic?”
Zeke snorted, trying not to laugh as he slid onto the stool I vacated.
“And what does that mean?” Ash asked, moving out of Cyn’s way when he entered the kitchen.
“Evil? Like, aren’t you supposed to be ripping my skin off my bones or drinking my blood?”
“You can’t really rip skin off bones,” Zeke said matter-of-factly, leaning forward on his arms. “Off of muscle, yeah, but not bone.”
“Oh, well, excuse me for not being anatomically correct.”
“It’s an important distinction.”
“Okay, then, aren’t you supposed to be ripping my skin from my muscles?”
“Nope. Shyrlivi don’t do that kind of thing. Malsath absolutely do, but no one wants to run into one.” He shuddered.
“And Shyrlivi is what y’all are, right?”
“Yep.”
Cyn placed forks beside a stack of plates surrounded by breakfast foods and a bowl of fruit.
“Okay… So what’s a malsath?”
“Something you never want to meet,” Ash said, scooping eggs onto his plate. “They’re closest to the red-and-black imps with horns, tails, and serrated teeth your ancestors painted. They hang out in Feranzis.”
“Where?”
“Feranzis. A place outside—”
“She’ll never encounter them, or Feranzis,” Ezra said, closing the book. His cold eyes met mine. “She’ll never see Niemna.”
He unnerved me with his silence, ignoring the others as if they weren’t there. Was his obliviousness to his surroundings genuine or a calculated act to deceive me?
I still didn’t trust the demons.
Were they trying to lull me into a false sense of security before striking? Four grown men could overpower me easily—four demons even more so. Especially ones who looked like that. They didn’t need my guard down.
“Before you ask,” Zeke said, snagging my attention. “Niemna is the plane where Elyrdin is located.”
“This is all so confusing,” I mumbled, taking another sip of my coffee.
“And not important to you anyway.” Cyn leaned his hip against the counter, taking a bite of sausage. “Sit down, shut up, and eat.”
“You’re an asshole. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“And lived?”
I drew my lip inward, teeth pressing into my skin. As much as I wanted to challenge the surly demon, I didn’t want to end up a pile of ash. Could he do that?
This was my home, and Cyn made me feel like I was intruding in my own space.
Ash stepped between us and motioned to the plate he’d made. “Have a seat. I made yours.”
I glanced at Ezra before taking the stool on his other side. “Thank you,” I murmured.
With Cyn acting like he hated me, I wondered what possessed him to make breakfast. I wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he cooked for me, but the way he watched me as I took my first bite, his shoulders relaxing when I hummed as the fluffy eggs melted on my tongue, made me wonder if my opinion mattered to him—if only a little.
Looking around the counter at the guys stuffing their faces, I frowned. “This is really weird.”
Zeke leaned forward, having already cleared his plate. “What?”
“This. Having breakfast with demons. Like I said, you’re not acting like I expected.” I pushed my half-eaten plate forward. “Why are you still here?”
“Believe me, if I could be at home in my bed instead of a human’s kitchen, I would be,” Cyn said, taking Zeke’s empty plate to the sink.
“No one’s stopping you,” I muttered, popping a piece of pineapple into my mouth as my gaze locked on Zeke reaching for the plastic bag holding the crumbled remains of my failed biscuits.
He crammed an intact half-biscuit into his mouth.
Ash nudged my arm. “What’s wrong?”
“What?”
“You’re staring at Zeke.”
Zeke froze, a crumbling biscuit pinched between his fingers, halfway to his mouth. Cyn turned as if ready to defend him again.
“You like those?” I asked instead of answering Ash.
“What? The bread?” At my nod, he said, “Yeah.” He popped the broken biscuit into his mouth. He held the bag out to Cyn. “Try one.”
“Wait!” I rose from my seat. “Those are—” I blanched when they all looked at me. I looked down, mumbling, “Never mind. Go ahead.”
Cyn pulled a quarter piece from the bag and popped it into his mouth.
I hated that I couldn’t resist watching him chew and swallow. I also hated the hope in my voice when I asked, “How is it?”
His amber eyes focused on me. “What?”
“Got any more?” Zeke asked, putting the bag on the counter. “There’s only crumbs left.”
“Ah… no. I haven’t made any since those.” I took a sip of my coffee. “I’ll probably try again soon, though.”
“Try again?”
“Those were a mess. The crumbs aren’t just because they’re almost gone.” I huffed a silent laugh. “They came out like that.”
Zeke’s eyes brightened. “You can cook?”
“I’m better at desserts. My grandma gave me some tips, so I’m sure they’ll be better next time.” Determined, I’d perfect them before my next visit with Grandma. I’d take them however they looked.
Zeke smiled at me. “Cyn cooks. He could help you.”
“Absolutely not,” Cyn said, turning back to the sink.
Even if the guys weren’t leaving, I wouldn’t want Cyn to help me cook biscuits for Grandma. I didn’t want to be alone with the guy. He looked at me as if he wanted to both kill and eat me. I’d wager he’d do both, given his claws and fangs.
Ash swallowed his food and looked at Ezra, changing the subject. “Find anything new while we were asleep?”
“From the few entries that I can understand, this book reads like an assortment of enchantments to manipulate fate. Oddly, the entries don’t alter existing paths—only timing.”
Ash passed his empty plate to Cyn. “So you’re saying we were supposed to end up here?”
“If the other pages are any indication. I’m not sure if it means we were meant to end up on Earth, or just this town—”
“We’re meant to meet Rae?”
Ezra cut his eyes at Zeke. “No. That wouldn’t be possible.”
“But she’s the one who summoned us here. What could it mean?”
They exchanged a look I couldn’t understand before turning to me.
When they said nothing, I heaved a frustrated sigh. “What?”
“Well, shit,” Ash said, glancing down at the counter.
Zeke dropped his gaze when our eyes met. Cyn’s natural scowl deepened as he turned back to cleaning up, while Ezra’s chilly gaze betrayed nothing.
“Someone tell me what’s going on or so help me…”
“The only way you’d meet us is if you were tangled up with lesser infernals, Rae.” At Zeke’s ominous words, I turned to him. He gave me a pitying look. “We never interact with humans unless infernals interfere on Earth. Even then, they never know who or what we are, and most of the time, they die.”
“How? Why?”
“Because damned and lesser infernals seek to create chaos and death in your world when they escape from Moicae,” Ash said.
“Escape? Is that like a prison?”
“No, it’s a volcanic land of fire in the outer reaches of Niemna and Feranzis.”
Zeke added, “It’s the closest thing to what humans call Hell.”
“So, these bad infernals want me dead? What’s gonna happen to me if I die?”
“Humans can’t summon us at will, so I’m not sure what they want, or even if this is an issue involving lesser infernals,” Ash said.
My head spun. If humans couldn’t summon infernals, then why were they insisting I summoned them? I mean, I did—by accident.
What struck me hardest was hearing that lesser infernals caused death and chaos on Earth. They’d haunted me my entire life. Why hadn’t they killed me yet? Why hadn’t these guys stopped them if that was their job?
“As for what happens when you die…” Zeke glanced at Ash, then at me. “When humans die, they don’t go to what you know to be Heaven and Hell. No matter what a human does in their life, they go to Elyrdin—the heart of Niemna.”
“But am I supposed to die? Is that what the book means by manipulating fate and timing? Did I speed up my death?” A shiver traveled down my spine.
Ash sighed when Zeke looked at him for help. “I don’t know. You’re not supposed to know about us. About our kind.”
“I don’t know about that,” I mumbled.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
A low growl came from Ezra’s throat, surprising me. “Now isn’t the time to withhold information. Speak.”
“You’re not the first I’ve seen.” My jaw clenched. I didn’t want to tell him anything, but his icy eyes dared me to defy him.
“What?” Zeke hopped off his stool, leaning to peer around Ezra.
“I always thought I was insane, like Grandma and Mom, but I think I’ve seen your kind before.”
“How?”
I looked up at Ezra. Was I really about to lay all my cards on the table about the disturbing things I’d seen throughout my life?
Before they could force me to expose what I once thought were inherited delusions, my ringtone cut through the tension.
Hopping off the stool, I rounded the counter and grabbed my cell phone from beside the Keurig. Glancing at the screen, I groaned. I didn’t want to deal with Patricia this early on top of four demons.
Demons. Real, honest-to-goodness demons… A hysterical laugh bubbled up inside of me, but I pushed it down when the phone went silent.
I couldn’t exactly call the cops on them, and it didn’t seem like they’d take it too kindly if I tried forcing them out—if I could even do such a thing to demons.
When I noticed Zeke, Ezra, and Ash watching me, I turned my back to them and answered as the phone started ringing again.
“It’s about time you answered. Do you know how rude it is to make someone wait?”
I stepped to the other side of the kitchen as Ash’s brows knit, as if he heard Patricia.
“Are you listening to me?”
“Yes, Patricia. I’m listening.”
“My God. I don’t know how you get anything done, always stuck in your flighty thoughts.” Patricia’s long-suffering sigh pulled my attention away from Zeke, who sat frowning at me. “I don’t have time for this today.”
You’re the one who called me…
I looked up at the ceiling, resisting the urge to argue. I bit my tongue more often than I spoke to her.
“Your uncle and I have a dinner party to attend this evening, and I already have to stop by the funeral home after I finish with you,” Patricia said, bitterness sharp on the last word. “My whole day is derailed after this mess with Bonnie.”
“Wait, what? Funeral home? What mess with Grandma?”
“That woman. I swear she was waiting for today to pull this. She knew this party was an important fundraiser. I had to cancel my blasted hair appointment this afternoon—”
“Patricia!”
She spluttered. “Excuse me? Don’t you yell at me. I have enough to deal with without your disrespect.”
Picking my battles, I said, “I’m sorry. But what’s going on?”
“Bonnie had an episode last night.”
Warmth surged over my skin, making me shiver, and goose bumps peppered my arms.
“She kept screaming over and over,” Patricia said, pausing. “You know… she kept saying your name. Did you call her?”
“No,” I whispered, barely able to speak over the rising bile in my throat.
“Well, she kept hollering about how ‘they’ found you and a bunch of other nonsense. Tim and I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn’t have it.
She kept saying she needed to get to you and keep the shadows away.
More of that witchcraft madness.” She sighed.
“There was nothing we could do. She wouldn’t calm down, and we were out of sedatives.
She had a seizure, and by the time the paramedics got here, she slipped into a cardiac episode. ”
I slapped my hand over my mouth to stifle the choked cry threatening to escape.
Patricia continued, oblivious to my world falling apart.
“They said she died on the way to the hospital. Your uncle had to take time out of work to take care of all the paperwork. We meet with the funeral home later to finalize plans for the viewing and funeral. I expect you to be there, and make sure you wear something proper.”
I slumped against the counter, staring at the few drops of dried wax on the floor missed in last night’s cleanup.
“Oh, and cover those tattoos of yours, too. Our pastor will hold the service, and you know he doesn’t approve. Don’t make your uncle and I look bad. Are you listening?”
“Yes,” I mumbled through my fingers. I was going to be sick.
“It’s a shame there’s nothing left of her estate for you after all the expenses for her care. You didn’t—”
“I need to go. Let me know when to come.” My tone sounded lifeless to my own ears.
The line went dead.
I stood there with my hand over my face, phone still pressed to my ear. Only when a warm hand slipped the phone from my grip did I realize the guys were still in my house.
Ash placed my phone on the counter and took my wrist, lowering my hand from my mouth. “Is Bonnie your grandmother?”
A small whimper escaped my pressed lips. The sound snapped me out of my frozen state, and I shoved past Ash, fleeing toward the safety of my room.
Before I cleared the kitchen, Zeke stepped in front of me. I looked up, and the pity on his face dragged my anger at Patricia to the surface.
“Get out of my way.”
“No.”
“I’m serious. Get the fuck out of my way.”
“No. You’re hurt.”
“I’m mad.”
“But you’re also hurt,” he said, voice soft, like he cared.
My anger wavered and roiled at once. He didn’t know me. He couldn’t care. The creatures of the damned didn’t care.
I glanced over at Ezra and Cyn, who stared at me, saying nothing. The muscles in Cyn’s jaw tensed before he broke eye contact.
I turned back to Zeke, but asked Ash, “How do you know my grandma’s name?”
“Patricia is kind of loud. We heard everything.”
Squeezing my hands into fists, I held Zeke’s gaze. “Please move.”
I couldn’t make him the target of my fury. The memory of his panic-stricken face from earlier forced me to swallow the anger, which only made the restrained sorrow claw up my throat.
“Where are you going?”
“My bedroom.” I winced when my voice cracked with emotion.
“What are you going to do?”
My brows met, mouth parting. “I don’t know. I need to be alone right now.” Huffing, I bit out, “Why do you need to know everything?”
His shoulder hitched in a light shrug. “I don’t like seeing you in pain.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Feels like I do.”
“Okay, whatever. I can’t deal with this right now.” I shoved past him, and he didn’t resist me, stepping aside. “Do whatever you want. Stay. Leave. I don’t care.”
I didn’t bother to look back at them as I rounded the corner and rushed up the stairs.
Tears I’d fought to keep at bay slid down my cheeks as I collapsed onto my bed, screaming into my pillow.
It seemed Grandma sensed what I’d done last night.
While I played silly games with a book and invited demons into my home, Grandma took her last breath, paying for my disregard of the veil between worlds.
If I hadn’t performed the ritual, would Grandma still be here?