Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
As we raced out of the bar, the first thing I noticed was a group of patrons from a club across the street.
They were running around, screaming. A woman darted into the street, right into the path of an oncoming car.
She screamed as the lights flashed on her.
But before the car could reach her, Menolly switched into blur speed—all vampires could move faster than most of us could track with our eyes—and she launched herself into the street.
She grabbed the woman around the waist, rolling out of the way seconds before the collision.
As I looked beyond them to the club, a creature was coming through the door. I grimaced. The freak looked like a warthog on two legs, with a pig-like face and tusks jutting out of its mouth. Whatever the fuck it was, it was wearing leather armor and carrying a two-headed battle axe.
“Cripes! What the hell?” I turned, looking for Chase, and saw him next to Delilah.
The crowd was quickly dissipating. People were getting the fuck out of Dodge, and I didn’t blame them. I hurried over to where they were standing, keeping a close eye on the demon that was standing there in front of the club. I knew he was looking for Chase.
“What the hell? I take it you were in the club?” I asked as I grabbed Chase’s arm and turned him to me. His look of stark terror told me that he had picked up on the fact that Pig-man was looking for him.
“Yeah, I was looking for a suspect I needed to talk to.” His voice strained with the effort to keep it together. “That…that…thing just showed up and made a beeline my way. I figured I needed to lure it outside so it wouldn’t hurt anybody else, and…here we are.”
“Crap.” I glanced across the street again. Pig-man was two steps into crossing the road, and he was focused on us. “You have to get out of here.” I thought for a moment, then snapped my fingers. “The safe room!”
“You can’t take him into the bar,” Delilah said. “That thing will follow him and attack anybody who gets in his way. You know there are some—” She paused as Menolly let out a yell and headed toward the demon.
“We’ve got to help her,” I said. “Come on. Chase, go talk to Jocko and see if there’s anybody who can act as backup.” I pushed him toward the bar, then yanked off my stilettos and tossed them on the ground. With luck, nobody would steal them.
As I headed into the street, I ran through my repertoire of spells. I wasn’t even convinced that any of my spells could affect this creature. But then, I thought—my energy orbs might. I could cast magical missiles of energy that exploded on contact. Sometimes I actually managed to hit my mark.
I began to ready them, building the power from my core into my hands.
As I prepared the spell, Delilah raced to meet Menolly, and they turned to face Pig-Man.
They converged on him at the same moment, colliding from opposite sides.
I winced as all three went down. Menolly immediately jumped to her feet and gave Pig-Man a massive kick.
She was wearing three-inch stiletto boots, and her heel slashed his face.
I shifted, trying to get a good aim at him without hitting my sisters. Menolly wouldn’t be hurt—maybe a little singed—but I could damage Delilah.
“Move!” I yelled as the magic swirled into my hands.
Delilah rolled away, coming to her feet in a crouch, and Menolly jumped back.
I let off a round of magic missiles, the orbs of light landing directly on Pig-Man’s chest. He let out a shout as smoke wafted up, but managed to stay standing.
He didn’t look all that hurt. What the hell was he?
I knew he was a demon—I could smell it on him, but what kind or how powerful—that was another question.
“Watch out,” Menolly warned. “He’s a walking tank.”
“Move it,” a voice came from behind. Jocko pushed past me, carrying a very big club. Behind him were two men I knew to be regulars—they were vampires. They moved in as we backed away. Pig-Man’s eyes widened as they strode across the street.
Jocko was wearing jeans and a ragged jean-jacket without sleeves.
The vamps were wearing all black, and by their movements, they meant business.
I caught my breath as they closed in on the demon.
He took a step back as Jocko lifted his club and—before Pig-Man could run—he let go with one hell of a swing.
Pig-Man screeched, sounding a lot like a harpy, and he turned to run. The vamps sprang into action. Without missing a beat, they took him down, one on each side of his neck. The demon struggled, then—with a loud squeal—vanished without a trace.
The vamps frowned. With a shrug, they dusted themselves off and headed back to the bar, followed by a bewildered-looking Jocko.
Menolly, Delilah, and I followed. No cops had arrived to find out what was going on, so I wondered what kind of calls they considered serious. But Chase solved that mystery was when he joined us as we headed back into the Wayfarer.
“I called the station and told them if they got any reports from the Go-Go Bar to ignore them. I told them I had matters under control,” he said in a low voice.
“It doesn’t seem wise to draw too much attention to this situation.
Especially for me. My boss doesn’t like me, as it is.
If Devons finds out that I’ve suddenly become a demon magnet, he’ll kick me off the force.
Chase’s boss wasn’t quite as bad as Lathe had been for me, back in Otherworld, but he was pretty crappy. He didn’t like the FH-CSI, nor did he like the fact that Chase was in charge of it.
“Got it,” I said.
As we gathered in a booth, Menolly went over to talk to Jocko and the two vamps. She returned with them in tow.
“This is Oscar and Homer. They’re twins,” she added.
Now that she mentioned it, I could see the resemblance. Perhaps not identical, but close enough to mistake them for it. They removed their sunglasses to greet us. Their eyes were pale frost, so they were old vamps.
“Do you know what kind of demon that thing was?” I asked.
Jocko shook his head, but Homer spoke up.
“Yeah, it was a snagtusk. Minor demon, usually found in the tropics. What he’s doing here, I have no idea,” Homer said. “They’re stupid, loutish, loud, and mean.”
“Lovely,” I said. “Are they from the Subterranean Realms? I mean, originally?”
“Not that I know of,” Homer said. “But they love trouble, and they charge into just about anything without giving a single thought as to what might happen. Some people have said they’re actually werepigs, but I think—if they are—they’re a cursed subsection. They definitely run demonic energy.”
“I thought so,” I said. “I could smell it. I can’t explain it, but I could…there was something about their scent that spoke ‘demon’ to me.”
The vamp held my gaze for a moment. I could feel the pull. He was trying to put a glamour on me. I stared straight at him, then deliberately pulled my gaze away and yawned. He stiffened, but slid his sunglasses back on.
“Thank you for your help,” Menolly said. She’d seen the interaction. “We appreciate it.”
“Snagtusks don’t belong in civilized areas,” Oscar said. “Glad to have been of help. We’ll see you ladies later.” He and his brother turned, returning to their own booth.
Chase shivered. “Vamps still scare the hell out of me.”
Menolly cleared her throat, staring at him.
Chase blushed. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean…I’m…”
With a low laugh, she lightly ran her hand over his arm, making him shiver even more. “That’s all right. We’re all a bunch of freaks, right?”
Chase stiffened, staring at me with a pleading look.
“Rein it in, Menolly,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Chase, you know she only does that because you react.”
“I know,” he muttered.
Menolly just grinned, but she pulled her hand back. “So, what are we going to do about the tenzar?”
“Well, I talked to Frieda today. She said it held a demon magnet spell, and while she’s doing some research on how to break it, I’m also going to ask around.
I’ll call Asheen again tonight, before we talk to Father.
Now that I know what the spell is, she might be able to tell me how to break it.
” I paused, then said, “Chase, I think you should stay with us until we take care of this. I don’t trust you to be alone. Safely, I mean.”
He didn’t look all that happy. “Are you sure?”
“You want another snagtusk on your ass? Or maybe another kappa? Or whatever other demon happens to be around? It’s not just that you catch the eye of any demons in the area. Think about the One Ring. Sauron can see it—the Ringwraiths are pulled toward it.”
“You mean that it actively attracts demons? Not just any that are in my general vicinity?” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and cleared his throat.
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.” I glanced over at Delilah and Menolly. “Do you two mind?”
“Fine with me,” Delilah said. “We have a spare room.”
“Whatever the case. But make sure when you shave that you stop the blood on any nicks,” Menolly said, widening her eyes. Chase froze until she laughed. “Gotcha.”
“Would you stop that!” He let out a sigh. “I know, I’m making myself a target. Okay, well, I suppose that might be safest course of action. But what if they’re attracted into your home?”
“We can deal with them better than you,” I said. I knew that he didn’t like to think of himself as vulnerable, but the fact was he was an FBH, and we weren’t.
“All right. I was about to head home. I can pack a bag and then drive over to your place. If bullets won’t work on them, then I guess I do need the help.”
“Bullets won’t work on a lot of demons, or a number of Supes,” I said. “Delilah? Can you drive over with Chase so he can grab his things? I’ll go home and get the room ready, and then I’ll call Asheen.”
“I’ll take the rest of the night off and drive over with them—not much can get past me,” Menolly said.
And with that, she let Jocko know she needed the evening off and we split up: Delilah, Menolly, and Chase over to his apartment while I headed home.
Before starting my car, I called Iris to let her know Chase would be staying with us. She said she’d get started on the guest room, which was stacked full of our boxes and other things we hadn’t had a chance to unpack yet.
The night was silent, with only the wind stirring.
Most of the leaves were off the trees by now, but we were due for a big windstorm coming in.
Tomorrow, I’d need to tend to the yard and batten down anything that might get caught up by the winds and swept away.
The Seattle area was famous for its November windstorms, but sometimes they started during October.
This one looked to be the first real storm of the season.
As I approached our driveway and turned onto the long graveled road, I turned the radio off.
I loved Earthside music and was accumulating quite a collection.
My sisters questioned me as to why I bothered.
I had realized they still thought we’d be heading back to Otherworld in a couple of years. But I wasn’t sure that was true.
Deep in my heart, I had a feeling that we were here for good. I hadn’t told them yet because I didn’t want to burden them, but every time I cast my vision forward, searching for a glimpse of the future, I saw this house, this land, this world.
As I circled the driveway and parked, I stared up at the house.
It still felt empty in many ways. But I caught a glimpse of figures coming in and out, shadows of the future, filling the house.
This was our path. This was our future, if nothing stepped in to intervene.
And it felt both terrifying and yet comforting.
I slid out of the car and headed toward the house, but as I climbed the porch steps, I couldn’t help but feel that someone was watching me from the shadows. I stopped and turned, scanning the bushes and trees that circled the front yard.
The breeze susurrated through the leaves, the trees whispering secrets I couldn’t quite catch.
But if someone was out there, I couldn’t see them, though I thought I spotted a pair of golden eyes staring at me.
But I was alone, and right now I didn’t trust myself to go exploring alone.
I looked again, but the eyes had vanished, if they’d ever been there in the first place.
Taking a deep breath, I turned and headed into the house.