“Start talking. Something happened in the crapper earlier to get you looking like you’re about to shit your pants, and I want to know what it was.” With her burgundy lips wrapped around the butt of a cigarette, Jett eyed me with wolfish curiosity.
We stood in the parking lot outside our rented jam space shivering in the chill night air. Well, I was shivering. Werewolves tended to run a little hotter than the rest of us. Jett had waited to pester me until after we’d finished up our set at the vampire bar and got the hell out before we were swarmed by blood drinkers.
I’d kept Dash’s visit to myself, not wanting to frighten the other girls. Or because talking about it felt like a bad omen, like it would summon him somehow. I shivered, this time chilled on the inside, and rubbed my goose bump covered arms.
“Dash happened,” I said. “He came to threaten me. To warn me away from Rowen.”
“What’s his problem?” she asked. “We know he wants Rowen, but why threaten you now?”
I shook my head, replaying the encounter again for the umpteenth time. “It has something to do with all this shit going down with Arrow. Whatever Dash’s end game is, he doesn’t want me to fuck it up.”
“Which means you can.” Her smile was loaded with mischief. “That gives you power over him. That’s the beginning of victory.”
“Except it’s not. He threatened people. You. My mom. The girls. It’s not just me who’ll get hurt.” I declined the cigarette when she passed it my way. “I’m freaked out, Jett.”
“Don’t be. That’s what he wants.” The plume of smoke she puffed out formed a small cloud over our heads, grey against the night sky. “I’m not scared. I’ll tear that motherfucker’s throat out as many times as it takes.”
I cast a glance at the door to the jam space where the deep rumble of Tash’s bass could be heard. “At least you and I know what we’re up against. It’s them I’m worried about. And my mom. She’s tried so hard to distance herself from all of this.”
Jett tucked a lock of purple hair behind an ear, exposing the moon tattoo on the side of her neck. It was her pack’s tattoo, a crescent tribal design with a line that joined each point, making it a full moon as well. She dropped the cigarette butt on the ground, squishing it with the heel of her boot. “Holding a threat over your head may give Dash an edge, but if he follows through on that threat, then he has nothing left to use against you. Don’t empower him by being afraid, Spike.”
I nodded, knowing she was right but not knowing how to make that belief manifest in a tangible way. We entered the jam space to find Tash and Rubi jamming a White Stripes song. The room wasn’t huge, just big enough for all of our gear to fit comfortably, leaving space for a mini fridge and couch.
Jett pulled her iPad from her bag and swiped her fingers across the screen a few times. We used it to record, which was what we’d be doing tonight. Joe wanted a recording of “Love Song For An Angel,” and he would get it. I just wanted this whole argument settled so we could go on with our lives.
It was almost one in the morning. I was hoping we could get this done in an hour or so. We didn’t need the best recording, just good enough for the record execs to make their decision.
I checked in with Rowen, expecting him to be at my place with Arrow. Instead they were out, looking for a guy who was supposed to be taking some of Arrow’s stash off his hands. Apparently Arrow forgot he’d set the meeting up. How convenient. Rowen thought getting rid of the drugs would be for the best. I could see his point, but no part of me believed Arrow should be out gallivanting.
“Ok, let’s get this over with,” Jett said as she propped up the iPad on a music stand beside the microphone.
Reluctant, I picked up my guitar, determined to do my best despite the way I felt about the whole thing. The song meant a lot to me. It meant so much that I would rather give it to Arrow than filthy up its meaning by battling over it.
Rubi tapped her drumsticks together, counting us in. The music started with just my guitar. After a few bars, Tash’s bass came in. The melody was light, almost a ballad, without losing its rock edge. As the song took shape, a twinge in my chest made me suck in a sharp breath. Yet the husky, rasp of Jett’s voice relaxed me. My fingers moved over the strings with ease, the song birthed from my soul anew every time I played it.
With each note and every lyric, my feelings began to change, and I became certain that I did not want Arrow to have my song. Jett had a way of pouring her own emotion into the words, and I knew Arrow could never tap into the heart Rowen and I had put into this song like she could.
Until I saw your eyes of fire
I’d learned to walk alone
Never trusting anyone
Forever on my own
I didn’t want to feel again
So I locked my heart away
Who knew you held the key
To free me from my cage
The drums came in on the chorus, along with a crash from my guitar. A thrill surged through me. It felt a little like joy. By the time we got to the end of the song, I was bound and determined to keep it out of Arrow’s hands.
We ran through the song a few more times until we had a recording Jett was happy with. No sooner had we called it quits than Tash was on the phone to her boyfriend, Mr. Country, telling him she was on her way over. After sticking my guitar back in its bag, I grabbed for my phone, finding no message from Rowen.
That was a good thing, right? Here’s hoping.
“I’m taking off, ladies,” Rubi announced, abandoning her drums with a yawn. “I have an exam tomorrow afternoon that I still need to study for.”
I groaned. “That reminds me. I have a site design job I need to finish up for a client by the end of this week. Maybe if Arrow will stay out of trouble for a day or two, I can get some work done.”
The rock life wasn’t easy. Juggling music with work, studies, and a social life sucked every moment from the day. Add in angelic duties, and it was no wonder I felt so damn tired these days.
“Want me to take Arrow off your hands?” Jett followed her suggestion with an evil snicker.
“I wish it was that easy.” I moved about the room, ensuring all the gear was turned off before hitting the light switch on our way out.
After locking up and exchanging goodbyes, we drifted toward our respective vehicles to head home. I opened the trunk of my old Nova and put my guitar bag inside. All I wanted to do was sleep, although a snack sounded good right about then. My mind conjured up images of late night cheeseburgers from the twenty-four hour drive-thru. Tempting. So tempting.
I waved as the girls departed the parking lot, a squeal of tires followed Jett as she pealed away in her Mustang. Dropping into the driver’s seat, I was hit with the scent of the tropical air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. The rich blend of pineapple and mango only served to feed the gnawing hunger. A rumble in my stomach thundered through the car, surprising me.
I giggled to myself and stuck the key in the ignition. Before I could turn it, my laugh turned into a scream as I caught sight of someone sitting in the back seat.
It was Koda.
I realized that as I leaped out of the car.
He slid out without a sound, expressionless.
“What the hell are you doing, Koda?” I shouted in his face. “Trying to give me a damn heart attack?” My pulse raced, my heart thudding loud in my ears.
The demon stood there, patiently waiting for me to regain my composure. How nice of him.
I didn’t though. My fear turned into anger, which turned into rage. Without waiting for a response, I filled my palm with fire and flung it in his face. Infuriated, I followed that with a punch that left my hand throbbing. It was worth it.
Koda held up a hand to ward off any further blows but made no move to retaliate.
With an anguished cry I flung one more fireball.
He deflected it with an icy palm. “I just came to talk, Spike.” Koda held up both hands as a sign of peace. Demons knew no such thing.
“I have nothing to say to you,” I snapped. “You didn’t have anything to say to me when I had questions, so what’s changed?”
My hands tingled all the way up to my elbows. Fire danced about my fingertips. I sucked in a breath, trying to focus on calming. Though I’d learned to control my gifts, they had a tendency to be a bit erratic at times. Usually when emotion got the best of me.
Koda caught hold of my wrist when I raised a hand toward him. Firm but gentle, he shoved it down by my side. “I’m here to talk about Rowen.”
Smoke puffed from between my fingers as my fire went out. “What about him?”
“You should know why Dash wants him so bad,” he said with a half shrug. “Things are going to get worse. What’s going on with Arrow is nothing. Dash is just getting started.”
I took a wary step back. The parking lot was eerily silent. A low buzz from the closest street light was the only sound. Aware of the dangers of being alone in the wee hours of the morning with a demon, I cursed my choice to leave the Midnight Star at home.
“Start talking. I’m tired, Koda. I need to get home.” I gestured for him to go on. The sooner he said whatever he’d come to say the sooner I could leave.
It had been a long time since I’d feared Koda. Though I had never trusted him, I had believed that he wouldn’t hurt me. These days I wasn’t so sure of that.
His red gaze drifted over me, and he nodded, showing he knew what was going through my head. Stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets, he leaned against my car. His human appearance was that of an attractive, dark-haired man. I had yet to see a demon who presented himself as anything less than striking. So deceptive. I’d never seen his true form, and I was certain that I never wanted to.
“Dash, Rhine, and I formed a triad of power,” he said, holding my gaze. “There were things we did together that we could never have done alone. Dash wants Rowen to take Rhine’s place, to make our duo a trio again.”
A chill stole over me, though whether it was from the cold November night or the weight in his words I wasn’t sure. Something about the image he brought to mind made me uneasy. “Why not just use Arrow?” I countered, wishing I’d worn more than a hoodie.
“We can’t.”
“Why not?”
Koda frowned, and something like regret crossed his face. “I can’t. I’m sorry. There’s only so much I can tell you.”
Cocking my head to one side, I gave him a long, appraising once-over. “Why should I believe anything you say? Especially if you’re not even telling me the whole story.”
“You know why.”
We stared at one another in analytical silence. It was quiet other than that horrid buzz coming from the light. Koda had been assigned to lure me over to the dark, back when my talents had first developed. He’d failed, but in the time we’d spent together, he’d formed some kind of attachment to me. When demons got attached, it never ended well.
No demon could be trusted, so even though Koda might speak some truth, he always had some sinister purpose. He wanted me to think he was here now, sharing with me, because he actually gave a damn what happened to me. Total bullshit. If anything, he just couldn’t stand the thought of Dash coming after me because, in Koda’s mind, I was his.
“Because you care so damn much about me?” I asked, my tone dripping with poison. “I have never believed that, and I never will. You’re a demon. You only care about yourself.”
“You have no idea how much I want that to be true. Although I wish I didn’t, I do care about you, Spike. That’s the only reason I’m here right now.” Jerking his hands from his pockets, he spread them wide and shrugged.
What scared me the most was that I sensed he was telling the truth about Rowen. “Why does it have to be Rowen? Can’t you guys just form a new triad with some other demon?”
Koda’s gaze dropped, and he muttered a curse beneath his breath. “It’s not that simple.”
“Why isn’t it?” I was quickly growing annoyed with him. If this was just another way for him to jerk me around, I was going to lose it.
“Dammit, Spike, I can’t tell you.” He stepped in front of the driver’s door when I reached for the handle. “I shouldn’t even be here.”
“Then leave,” I said, holding up two hands blazing with fire when he reached for me. I most definitely wanted him to leave, however, he’d said just enough to get to me. Now I needed to know why their replacement had to be Rowen. There was no way to out-manipulate a demon, but I was willing to work with everything I had. “Look, Koda, if you expect me to believe you care as much as you say you do, then you need to level with me here. Give me some actual answers. If you can’t prove the feelings you claim to have, then stop pestering me with them.”
Perhaps it was the exasperation in my voice or the pleading in my eyes, but Koda sighed. Still he didn’t step away from the car. His overall demeanor wasn’t threatening, though there was nothing friendly about him blocking my escape.
“There were things we did together. Things that we can only recreate together. Dash is insistent that Rowen, being of Rhine’s blood, can take his place. That’s all I can tell you.” Koda awaited my reaction, refusing to move.
“Since you’re not going to tell me what it is you need him to help you recreate or whatever, I think we’re done here.” With a jerk of my thumb, I gestured for him to get out of my way. “You should probably go before Dash figures out you’re here.”
Koda gave his dark head a shake. He didn’t exude any power, but he didn’t have to. “Not until you promise me that you’ll stay out of Dash’s way. When he wants something, he gets it.”
Angry and a little afraid, I hissed, “Well he doesn’t get it from me. And for that matter, neither do you.”
Without hesitation, I thrust a fireball in his face and flung my weight against him, knocking him aside. My hand slipped off the handle the first time I grabbed it, but the second time, I got the door open. Koda didn’t try to stop me when I threw myself into the driver’s seat and turned the key. The starter whirred without turning the engine.
No. No. No!
I tried until I was sure the engine had flooded from my desperate attempts. Meanwhile Koda watched my panic with thinly veiled amusement.
With a hand on the doorframe he leaned down and smiled. “Have I ever tried to harm you?” he asked, lifting a lazy brow as his crimson gaze traveled over me.
“Let’s not play this game,” I said, hands tight on the steering wheel. “Nothing you do is for my benefit. Just leave, Koda. Please.”
Maybe it was because I’d asked nicely, or perhaps it was simply that he’d said what he came to say, but Koda backed away from the car. “Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”
He vanished, leaving me there with my dead car and my emotions teetering on the fine line between terror and fury. After a call to Rowen who promised to come right away, I sat there, staring at the empty parking lot, mulling over what Koda had said. Should I tell Rowen? Would it achieve anything?
In his own demented way, Koda probably did care. I couldn’t think of any other reason for him to tell me as much as he had. Assuming he was being truthful, I could only ponder what exactly it was Dash wanted to replicate with Rhine’s younger son. The son that should never have been born.
A lump formed in my throat. Knowing the dark wanted Rowen was one thing. Knowing they already had a purpose for him was another. Koda was right. Dash wouldn’t give up. So I couldn’t either.