Chapter 14 Alabaster
ALABASTER
The sound of my name on her lips? Like a fucking summoning. I force the lights to die, and the room goes still. My body solidifies as she holds her breath.
Smoke spills across the floor. I watch her eyes track the movement she can’t quite see. Her breath catches when she sees me, lips parting like she’s about to speak, instead—
A high-pitched scream. I flinch, covering my ears, convinced she’s going to make my eardrums bleed.
“Would you please stop that?”
“You’re real!” she yells into the air, bracing herself for only Gods know what.
“I thought I made that obvious.”
She cowers, backing away until she meets the bookshelf and begins tossing books at me one by one. They pass straight through me and into the wall behind.
I hear Jack’s footsteps running down the hall. He throws open the door, looking wide-eyed at Callisto.
She jerks her head toward him, then back to me.
“What the fuck is going on in here?” he says, breathing heavily.
“You can’t…? Umm,” she says in a panicked voice, meeting my eyes.
“He can’t see me, sweetheart,” I say calmly.
She exhales quickly, running her fingers quickly through her dark locks, before taking a deep breath, clearly trying to calm herself.
“Callisto. What’s wrong?” Jack says in a stern, manly voice. Please.
She looks over at him, stuttering as she attempts to come up with what will most likely be a bullshit excuse.
“I s-s-saw a spider?”
“Is that a question?” he says, confused. “All of that over a spider. Seriously?”
“It was a…” She looks at the ground and then slowly up to my face. “A really big spider.”
I cross my arms and bite my lower lip.
“Okay,” he says, his face red from the night’s spirits and sleep in his eyes. “You good now? Is it gone?” he asks dismissively.
What a dick. I’d investigate, or help her clean up this mess, comfort her. Something! And how the hell is he buying the spider excuse?
“Uh… yeah. Yeah, all good. Sorry. Have a good night,” she says. She’s shaking, but he doesn’t seem to notice.
See, she doesn’t need someone who can’t even recognize when she’s clearly scared. Oblivious dumbass.
He waves lazily at her before closing the door and walking away.
I look down at her as she pulls her knees to her chest, avoiding eye contact with me before speaking in a quiet voice.
“You’re the thing that’s been following me, my shadow.” She doesn’t meet my gaze.
“The one and only, baby.” I flash her a smile and sit on the ground in front of her. “I’ve been waiting for you to call me.”
“Are you here to steal my soul?” She speaks so quiet, human ears almost wouldn’t catch it.
“How the hell would I steal your soul?” I ask with humor in my tone.
“You’re a demon, aren’t you?” She finally looks at me. “Isn’t that what you do?”
“You are adorable,” I say, looking down at her.
“What the hell is happening?” she asks, throwing her hands up.
“There she is,” I quip. “Let’s just say, I’m invested in the story.”
“Don’t dance around my question—I don’t speak cryptic.”
Gods, this fucking woman is amazing. I’ll spell it out.
“A powerful witch afraid of her own shadow hiding from a cult, a psychopathic brother hunting down each member accompanied by an interdimensional ghost—you can’t deny, it’s interesting.”
She looks at me like I’m stupid, confusion painted all over her pretty face.
“That doesn’t explain the things you have been doing.” She gulps. “The way you’ve been touching me…” Her face turns red.
I lean closer to her and meet her eyes. “How else am I supposed to get your attention?”
Her brows come together in a scowl. “What you did tonight was wrong.”
“Oh, darling, sometimes the most wrong things can be so right.” I trail my eyes over her like a caress, then cross my arms again, straightening. “Besides, Fucker had it coming.” And he did. Her brows furrow, so I continue. “He touched what is mine.”
After she bolted to the bathroom at the bar, I continued watching the scene play out. The guy slinked out the back door, and I decided to follow.
He stumbles, clutching his bleeding face and reeking of sweat and regret. He lit a cigarette, probably the last comfort he got tonight.
I watched him from the shadows, eyes narrowed. Then—with one step forward, the cigarette fizzled out between my fingers. The man startled, patting his pockets for a lighter. I let him find it. He flicked the flame to life.
I chuckled to myself. One of the many perks of my powers is choosing whether I’m seen or not. Gives me the ability to mess with fools like him. I sidled up beside him and brought my pointer finger and thumb up over the flame—snuffing it out.
He blinked, startled. “What the—” I tilted my head, just slightly. Ooo, this is going to be fun.
If only he could have seen my grin. I brought my lips to his ear, whispered, “You really thought you had a shot with her?” I laughed, voice soft and mocking at his drunk stupor.
His eyes narrowed. “Fuck off,” he slurred.
I stepped to the side—and then I was behind him as he spun to find me.
“You’re rude,” I murmured. “And you smell like rot.” My voice dropped to a low hum. “You don’t even belong in the same room, let alone deserve to breathe the same air, as her.”
His bravado died, and he took a shaky step back. “Show yourself, pussy!”
I chuckled. This stupid fuck wants to see me? I let just enough of myself slip through.
Not my whole face. Just the shadow. A glimmer of something too inhuman to process. Black smoke curled from the corners of my eyes, teeth just a little too sharp, a smile too inhuman.
He went pale and fainted. I caught his body before it hit the ground and lowered him gently—like a lover.
“Sleep tight, creep.”
Then I quickly vanished back to her.
Her voice snaps me back to the present. “I am not yours, and I don’t need protection.”
I just grin back at her, my eyes positively glowing.
“You broke the guy’s face. All he did was offer to play a game with me.”
“Oops,” I say, shrugging.
“It’s not a joke,” she says, shooting me the most adorable attempt at a serious face while she puts up her hair with the hair tie around her wrist.
“You aren’t that naive, you were visibly uncomfortable, and Jack was too busy trying to get pussy.”
She huffs and rolls her eyes. “Okay, yeah, I didn’t like it, but that doesn’t mean what you did was right.” She rubs her eyes and stands. “Oh my Gods, I’m lecturing a demon. What the actual fuck am I doing?”
“You’re right.” I walk over to her. She backs away until her back is up against the bookcase. I place one arm above her, lean in, and lock eyes with hers. “I have a much better way to use your time, if you’re interested.”
She visibly gulps, eyes wide and heart racing.
“No.” She attempts to push me but I don’t move. She dips her head under my arm and throws her hands in the air while walking to her balcony. “Not today, Satan!”
I laugh.
She quickly turns to me, pointing an accusing finger. “What kind of hypocrite breaks a man’s face just for hitting on me then proceeds to hit on me?”
“An irresistible hypocrite?” I shoot her a charming smile.
“If I asked you to leave me alone, would you?”
“Negative, ghost rider,” I say, casually brushing my hair over my shoulder. “You’re stuck with me. You called, so I’m bound to you. That’s how it works.”
“But you’ve been following me. You all but forced me to call you out,” she says, frustrated.
Smirking, I put my hands up in defense. “You caught me, but I’m not the one looking into old grimoires. Names hold power, so I’m all yours now.”
“But what if I don’t want you?”
“You didn’t seem to mind me in the arcade.” I go to reach for her, but she turns on her heel, headed for the balcony. She sits, processing.
I reach my hands out again, gripping around her waist—and lift her to land back on my lap. She shivers at the feel of me but doesn’t look at me.
Her face is in her hands, so when she speaks her voice is muffled. “Please leave me be.” I smirk, proud I have such an effect on her.
“You’re still drunk. You’ve had a long night. Why don’t we try and get some rest?”
“Why don’t you not pretend like you care about my well-being?” she snaps back with a glare, standing and walking to plop down in the opposite chair.
“Who said I don’t?” I get up and leave the room, coming back with a glass of water and two Tylenol. “Here. So you don’t wake up miserable.”
She looks up at me, confused. “How does a demon know how to tend to a drunk human?”
“I’ve been around. Plus, where I’m from isn’t too different from here. Except our drinks would burn a hole in your stomach lining.”
She raises an eyebrow as she downs the pills and takes a few gulps of water.
“Finish that and go to bed,” I say, turning away from her to pick up the books.
“Sure, Cade,” she says sarcastically.
I turn back to her, taking the glass and throwing it off the balcony. I push her chair back on two legs, her feet coming off the ground. My face is inches from hers.
“Make no mistake, pretty girl, I am nothing like your brother. Compare me to him again and I will make you regret allowing the words to ever cross your lips.”
Her eyes are wide. She speaks softly, breath smelling of whiskey.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know how long you have been following me, but I don’t know you.
” She gently places her hands on my shoulders as I place her chair back on all four legs.
“I’m used to weird shit, but a demon showing up and taking care of me was not on my bingo card. So forgive me for coping with sarcasm.”
I stand up. She may have a point, and I may have overreacted.
I walk over to the mess of books sprawled out on the floor, noticing that Karma has made herself a bed out of one of them.
I smile down at the little feline, cooing, “Let’s find you a more comfortable bed.
” I reach down and scoop her up, noticing the cover she had occupied.
A black-and-white picture of a shirtless, tattooed man.
I quirk a brow. “Karma, you are dirty just like your mommy,” I say, setting her on the bed before picking up the remainder of books.
Placing the stack back on the shelf, I notice Calli walk behind me and throw herself onto the bed.
“Remind me when I’m sober not to summon anything while I’m shit-faced,” she says, face squished into the pillow.
Her comment pulls a smile from me as I spot a paperback still out of place. I slide it back onto the shelf, my thumb catching on yellow tabs marking the pages. I open it to a random marked page.
Oh. Literary. Fucking. Porn.
This girl is filth in angel’s skin. I grin, flipping to the other pages labeled in yellow. I know what I’m doing tonight, and this could give me some ideas.
I bring the book to her bed and pull the covers over her. She’s so pretty when she sleeps. Probably because it’s the only time she shuts up.
Curious. Smart. Dangerous. And she has no idea.
I just know she would taste like honey. I’ll have her. I will. Mind, body, soul. She’ll beg me not to stop until I ruin her.
That mark on the back of her neck pulls me in, and I lean, drawn like gravity, like a moth to a flame. Her skin looks soft, the delicate little baby hairs rising at my breath.
She tenses, mumbling. “You smell good.”
Good. She feels me, even while asleep.
Her chest rises as she rolls onto her side. I slide next to her on top of the blanket and open the book to chapter one.
I finish the book and look over at the clock, the sky slowly brightening.
Five a.m.
Where the hell did the time go? I close the book and get up to place it back on the shelf when she begins tossing and turning. She must be having another one of her nightmares. I sit next to her, hand on her shoulder, and she seems to calm before jolting awake. I quickly pull away.
She reaches out and clicks on the lamp, pushing herself up.
I lie back, watching her move around her room in that worn nightgown. When she strips out of it to change into jeans and an old T-shirt, I lick my lips.
“You put on quite a show,” I say with a rasp in my voice, and she jumps.
“Fuck!” She turns, hand on her forehead. “Why are you in my bed?”
“I was reading. You have quite good taste in literature, I must say.”
She rolls her eyes as if annoyed, but I see the pink in her cheeks.
“Nothing to be embarrassed about, sweetheart. I quite enjoyed it.”
She shakes her head, snatching the book off the nightstand, and walks away.
I trail after her into the kitchen as she makes coffee. She opens the book, pulling out a stack of little tabs. She has been carrying it around but hasn’t seemed to finish it in over a month.
“Are you savoring it, or are you just a very slow reader?” I ask, leaning over the counter.
“I like to annotate, so I like to reread the same book. I’m actually quite a fast reader, thank you. Now leave me be.”
Then… in struts Jack. He’s got that skip in his step that makes my skin crawl. He pours himself coffee and seats himself next to her. Her eyes quickly bounce from me to him.
“Last night was fun,” he says, overly upbeat.
I lean back in the chair and cross my arms, flashing her a smirk.
Her tired eyes scan my face then quickly jerk away.
“Mm-hmm,” she agrees, taking another sip of her coffee.