20

CHAPTER 18

Miguel practically pushed me into the car and then drove northeast. His agitation showed in his aggressive driving and constant flipping of radio stations. I made no comment except that I wasn't going to start right away because I needed a shower. All he gave me was a grunt of acknowledgement without speaking another word for the entirety of the trip. I decided to ignore his bad mood and stared at the passing scenery, dredging up memories of fogging up the windows with Ezra during a particular car trip I took with him and Taurin in the past.

By the time we got to the one-story ranch house I was emotionally drained from sitting next to Miguel and wanted nothing more than to go home. He was out of the SUV and slamming the door closed before I even got my boots back on. I glared at him through the droplets sliding down the front driving pane, but he never turned around, just strode into the house. The knock on my side window caused me to jump away from it.

Jonah stood there with a snarky grin on his face and a questioning look.

"You coming out?" He mouthed on the other side.

I shook my head in annoyance and opened the car door, "Give a girl a break. I was with Mr. grumpy pants for over an hour. Don't blame me if I don't want to be in his company right now."

Jonah shrugged, "Well, I've been dealing with your Mr. grumpy pants for the past day or so. Maybe we can switch."

We walked through the front entrance, into the open hallway, "How did Oldavai get here before me?"

"Well, two grumpy pants got together and yelled at each other while you were hiding."

"Oh. Sorry you had to deal with that." I scrunched up my nose sheepishly.

Jonah shook his head, "Don't be! I wasn't the only one getting all hot and bothered with him. He gave us all a workout!" His grin got wider.

"What are you talking about?" My volume raised at the end of my question, immediately jumping to the conclusion that Oldavai was feeding off them all.

From the left of me, I heard Oldavai's voice, "Jonah you are scrumptious, but please don't tease my sweet."

Jonah laughed uproariously, "You're one lucky girl. What I meant was he was angry enough to allow the best of us to fight him." His laughter faded, "And I mean all out. He told us to try to kill him."

I felt a little lightheaded at those words and swung my head to the left, knowing he was already next to me, "You did what!?" I paused to look up and down at his Latino persona, "You're really trying to piss off Miguel."

He smiled, "Yes. In any case, I was angry and needed to take it out on someone. Several someones it so happens. Nothing to worry about," he placed his hand on my shoulder. "They stereotyped me as all sex and no personality."

I felt Jonah brush his hand briefly on my right arm and I turned to look at him. His face held confusion, "I don't understand it, Dove. He could have killed all of us. Weapons, magic, it didn't matter. He's more dangerous than any demon I've come up against because he knows how to shoot a fucking gun! Somehow you succeeded with a trap and subdue... on Oldavai. We don't... Sorry, but you?" He emphasized the last word and his voice faded off, his expression one of question and disbelief.

I felt the blood engulf my face and I stuttered, "Oh gods, nope, we're not..." I hummed in the negative, "Totally not going there."

Oldavai grabbed my hand and kissed the back lightly. "I didn't enthrall any of them."

"You did though!" Jonah bit back quickly.

I stared at Oldavai giving him a 'what the fuck' look.

He looked baffled at first, "I swear I didn't!" He straightened up and I watched his expression harden at Jonah.

Jonah laughed, "You were pulling weapons out of every orifice. It was the hottest thing any of us had ever seen. Wrapping us in your golden fog only when you were outnumbered."

My head whipped to the right to look at a laughing, blushing Jonah.

"I swear, Dove. He's a guard's wet dream." He kept laughing as he let himself out the door, shutting it with a firm click.

"Uh." I couldn't contain my shock.

"It could be worse, my sweetness. It wasn't a compelling fog, I didn't feed off them, and I'm honored that they'll use our training session to masturbate to."

I couldn't say anything coherent, "Uhmm."

"This way. I brought you clothes and there's a shower." He pulled me to the right, and I let him.

Once I was steaming in the shower, I let out some of the thoughts I was thinking, "Do you know who's here?"

His voice drifted from the bedroom, "I just fought them all."

I wiped shampoo out of my eyes and flung my head back into the water, "How do you know all of them? How do you know everyone's name we come across?"

"I don't, Dove. I just know the hunters who are the worst sort of pests."

"Shauna?!"

He laughed and I felt him project his amusement into the shower cubicle. "She's fun, not annoying. She never knew which demon I was until I told her as I walked out her door for the last time. No magic was involved with her. She got the simple doppelganger, but she never knew."

"Are you going to have fun with her here?" I used the same trick on him and pushed my anger around him.

"No. You're more fun and have the bonus of always surprising me."

I didn't think I was fun. Instead of commenting I stayed quiet and rinsed myself one last time. When I stepped onto the bathroom tiles Oldavai was already there wrapping a towel around me. I eyed him with amusement and exasperation as he knotted it to stay in place.

"Jonah forced them to wait for Miguel and you. I don't trust some of them." He looked down at his hand as he shook out some lotion.

I looked at his reflection in the mirror as he applied the silky looking product to my hair, "Why would you trust any of them?"

He threaded his fingers through the strands and stared back at me with his dark brown eyes. "I can feel their intentions well enough, Dove. I've had a lifetime of practice. It's why I challenged them all, to find out who was deluding themselves with their prowess." He smiled when he was done with my hair and pushed me out to the bedroom where clothes were laid out on the bed.

I gave an internal sigh of relief, none of the clothes were too outrageous.

He chuckled, "I felt that."

I gave my own smile as I slid the softest black t-shirt I'd ever felt against my finger pads before donning what he considered appropriate wear.

He placed his hand on my own over the bedroom doorknob, pausing me from going out, 'Miguel forgot something, my sweet.'

'The mirrors.'

He smiled furtively, 'Hopefully it won't be a fatal mistake.'

'Should I...'

He interrupted immediately, 'No. I told you I don't trust some of them. Shorn is a good deterrent.'

I shuddered, 'I don't know, Oldavai.'

He took my hand off the knob and opened the door for me, 'I do.' Then he said loudly, "Come on, Miguel's having too much fun trying to kill his own kind."

His voice carried down the hallway and Miguel's came just as loud, "I heard that, Oldavai!"

"I meant you to, Miguel," was the demon's louder reply.

CHAPTER 19

Ok, so Miguel wasn't exactly having fun, but many of them made him fight for the privilege which did put him in a better mood. Two were already laid out on their beds and one was outside fighting. Oldavai recounted who everyone was in my mind, and I only knew one of them by rumor.

I situated a folding chair and was about to wade into the miasma when a male interrupted me.

"You're Dove."

I glanced at him briefly, not responding. Oldavai didn't like this one. I watched Jonah become more alert behind him, one of his hands tightened as if gripping an unseen hilt.

"Heard you're a traitor and an addict." His voice wasn't accusing, just a normal conversational tone.

My eyebrows rose significantly, "From who?"

He shrugged his wide shoulders and came closer to my chair. His body wasn't tense or showing any outward signs of violence, but I felt them churning around him. Jonah silently followed his movements towards me, "Lots of people." He placed his hand on the back of the chair, "What if I don't want you messing with my head? What if I don't want you taking my magic and killing me?"

I leaned back into the chair, tipping it backwards, causing his hand to slide off, "Is that what you think? That I'll kill you?"

"It's the rumor."

"I'm here to quicken the transition. That's all," I made sure my voice was banal as I thunked the chair back on all four legs. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me disconcerted.

"The transition for who is the question." He said this all matter of fact, as if we were having a simple discussion about work.

I turned my head to look at the two in their beds, "Then go somewhere else..." I gave him a quick look, "or are you afraid you won't be able to make it?"

He smiled, "I'll make it out with or without you."

"Then why are you here and not already done?" I quirked my own challenge at him, and the air swirled with anger.

I didn't react as I watched Gan step out of the shadows and into our line of sight. There was a difference with being completely aware of a demon in the room versus knowing it lurked somewhere and then seeing it appear physically close to you. The man next to me twitched the slightest bit.

Gan spoke up, laying his magic thick like sticky honey, "There's a reason why no demon will bind with your stupid ass, Conner. You don't play well with others."

'Doesn't look like the type to bargain bind.' I relayed to Oldavai, who I knew leaned up against the wall behind me, seemingly unconcerned for my welfare. Gan and Conner continued to snip at one another while we talked.

'No. We all know that he's just trying another tactic to kill as many demons as possible. It's the reason Shorn refuses those who agree, he doesn't want us intentionally using it to kill him while under a temporary warrant. So, he just gets what is doled out to him by Ila. He needs a fix badly though.'

I didn't turn my head but did shunt off my surprise to him. Their argument rose in volume the longer it lasted.

'He's an addict, my sweet. He's one of many addicts where our demon magic is a temporary drug. If the magic doesn't like you, it will constantly war itself out. That is the real truth about demon addiction. It's not only that hunters always want more, but that they need more to maintain the power high because it's constantly slipping out of their grasp. That's the usual. Keeping magic from a demon, using it effortlessly as you do, for as long as you have, that's not common. Hunter to hunter magic that's different, usually you can soak up your own kind.'

Around me I felt the pull of the two downed hunters just starting to drown in their own mental agony.

'I didn't know magic did that as often as you are implying.' I continued in his mind, 'I wish it would leave me alone.'

Out loud I said, "Will you two please take this outside. I need to start."

Oldavai tone was somber when he replied, 'I know.'

Gan stopped mid-word at my request and smiled at Conner, extending his arm towards the door. Astonishment flooded the atmosphere of the room. Oldavai's soft laugh and Jonah's quiet, "Holy shit," registered in my ears. Conner got the last words in, but was still fuming, realizing something was horribly wrong with what the demon did.

'Another general, my sweet.'

I flushed, 'Not funny!'

Gan disappeared into the shadows, still watching, and Conner gave a short yell of frustration before stomping outside and yelling, "Miguel, it looks like Gan has a new hunter!" The door slammed behind him.

Jonah started talking, but I held up a hand, "Not now. I need to work."

Jonah soft-padded to the front door, "Later then." He paused briefly, "You know you can't be alone with Conner."

My eyes were closed, and I split my attention briefly. I replied, "I know" at the same time Oldavai and Gan said, "She's never alone."

A flicker of concern surrounded Jonah before he quietly let himself out.

"Ha ha, Gan," I said out loud. He couldn't miss my sarcasm.

I felt the demon leave and focused on my job. Oldavai squeezed my shoulder and was gone just as quick.

I didn't pay attention to the time even as I felt a third hunter barrage me with their fear. There wasn't any room to focus on anything else until Oldavai knocked on my mental gates, 'You need to take a break.'

I blinked a few times before he came into focus, squatting in front of me with a glass of water. "Fine," I croaked out. I scanned his tanned body again. Same as when I originally showed up. Black hair swept to the side, small silver cross in his ear, lean and tall. His bicep flexed prominently in his navy blue t-shirt as he moved his arm. Inside his crystal song chimed its familiar vibration within me.

He gave me a tight-lipped smile and placed the rim against my lips. I sipped slowly, taking in the environment around me. Moonlight streamed through the window and I heard the clink of silverware on dishes in the dining room to my left. Voices and their laughter made its way into my ears. So different from the nightmares I was wading in.

"How long?"

"Too long."

I grimaced and shook my head, "Whatever. Will I ruin their dinner if I walk in there?"

"I don't care if you do." He placed the empty glass on the carpet and placed his hands around my face. "As disgusting as it is to me, you'd save them all if you could."

I snorted as he moved closer to my lips, "The same as you'd do for me." We kissed sweetly which had me genuinely smiling. I raised my eyes to look at the Gan staring at us from the shadows.

"Gan is watching us," Oldavai stated without needing to see him.

"Of course."

Oldavai grinned, "He's jealous."

He wasn't, we both knew it.

Gan spoke up, "Not likely. Just baffled, brother. Trying to figure out the game you're playing."

Oldavai didn't respond, just stood and placed his palm up for mine. I accepted and we walked towards the warm smell of food and loud conversation.

The laughter faded as we walked in, but the flow barely hitched with our appearance. Shauna immediately went to get me food. I naturally protested, but Shauna did her mother fussing. It was nice and a change from everyone else's feelings being projected at me.

Oldavai wasn't smiling anymore as he demanded, 'Shut it off now. I'll keep watch.'

I did as he suggested because I really was a little worn out.

Miguel looked up, his face neutral, "How's it going?"

He wasn't asking about my health. I asked instead, "Any fevers?"

"No. Barely any movement. Will we have to handcuff them?"

"I don't know." I pushed the green beans around my plate.

"It's the best start of any," Miguel said before taking a bite of food.

The atmosphere subtly changed in the room, and I regretted the loss it meant for me.

'They're not worth it,' Oldavai projected to me.

I turned and gave him a sad smile. What did he really know, his world was very different than what I expected from my own. We were the last ones at the table with Shauna washing dishes when I finally spoke to him about it.

'I don't want to be persona non-grata everywhere I go.'

"Shauna," he called.

She looked around the partition and over at him, waiting.

"Are you going to transition? Or are you just here for the freebie?"

Shauna made a noise of exasperation, "I won't deny that gaining some more magic is a mixed blessing, but I'm still deciding if I will go through with it. I might with Dove here."

Oldavai gave me a pointed look. I turned in my chair to look at her, "Maybe when it's just us and no one is distracting me."

"Thank you, but I don't think that's ever going to happen." Her voice was all sincerity.

Oldavai put his hand on the top of my chair, "What if it was both of us? Is my help acceptable?"

Shauna said nothing for a long time, just continued to give him a measuring stare.

Oldavai grew impatient with the heavy silence and said softly, "We'll do it right now. Just give me your sword."

I heard Shauna inhale a sharp Hindi word as I berated him, "Oldavai! You're so crass!"

"I hate wasting time and her want is saturating my air." He slowly got up and made his way over. She just looked at him, not enthralled, but with a deep look of intensity. Oh my goddess, she trusted him. Somehow, with whatever their past was, she trusted this demon. I stood and to my surprise Shauna pulled her blade quickly and laid it on the ledge of the island. Oldavai grabbed it in a fluid motion and struck in moments. She sucked in a razor-sharp inhale and sagged into his arms, her eyes snagging on mine before she closed them. Violent tremors shook her body.

"Shit! Get her on a bed," I yelled.

I ignored the commotion around us as Oldavai placed her on an empty bed. My hand hesitated over her, and I glared at him, "Get it now. If not for me than for her."

Oldavai tilted his head slightly at me, gold flashing in his iris', "Don't doubt me now, my sweet pain, I always was." Then he was gone.

I took her limp hand just as Miguel grabbed my shoulder. My eyes rolled back in my head as splashes of red dust floated in the air around illusionary bare feet. I never bothered to interpret anyone's memories, nightmares twisted the truth and lies equally, but this one suggested a slaughter.

When Oldavai showed up I heard him order Miguel to help him hold Shauna still. Everything that was supposed to be done was being done, but not without the onlookers' suspicion sliding into my awareness.

This distraction made it difficult for me to do anything but sweep out her terror as fast as it came, only to have it circle back around. By the time the green potion took effect I had determinedly grounded myself to talk her down. The tincture muted everything like a piece of weighted muslin dragging down the emotions, blurring the visions, and making it easier for me to bring her up for air.

I shook myself awake a few times for my pressing needs but was back next to her before I had time to register how tired I was or how many nights passed.

Sunlight was streaming through the window when Shauna finally gasped into wakefulness. I breathed a sigh of relief and dropped my head onto the mattress. A hand landed on my hair, and I peeked over to the foot of the bed to see Oldavai sitting there looking to his left. He was still human looking except for the golden hue radiating off him that reached all the way to the last bed that had someone shaking in it as if cold.

'I know it's been days but it's not over yet. Come save your brethren.' We rose together and he escorted me to the empty, waiting metal chair.

I couldn't hear anything anyone was saying and there was a lot of movement around me. I just tranced out and started where Oldavai had left off. At some point one person woke up and another took their place. My concentration was slipping and Oldavai called me to him.

'Time to go. You're putting up a good fight, but it's time to recharge or you will kill them.'

That snapped me out of someone's river of power, and I blinked until his brown eyes came into focus. "What?"

'I can feel the magic in you and it's subtly directing you into a different avenue of use. You're about to start drowning them instead of pulling them out. Not that I would mind, but Shorn might have a word to say to me and it'd probably be 'die'.'

My eyes widened at his words, and I sniffed a stinging inhale through my nose. I looked over to the partly open blinds, watching a fading light settle over the yard outside.

I must have sat there too long, because he suddenly grasped my arms, "Up you go."

Miguel stared at me as we walked past him leaning against the wall, "Cora's sleeping in the master bedroom. You two go in the room across from it."

Oldavai just nodded and kept me moving past the other hunters staring at me.