Heaven & Hell, page 3
part #7 of The Gallows Series Series
Today he was being whiny about her lack of contact: Can you at least tell me what I did?
She wasn’t going to waste time telling him he should know what he’d done. He was at the bottom of her list of priorities right now. Fighting for prevalence was her ex, the vampire and her other ex, the demonic spirit.
She didn’t have an answer on what to do about Ray so she decided to concentrate her efforts on breaking the bond she’d made with War. It wasn’t going to be easy. She’d already tried to call Flicky with the express purpose of asking her what she knew about breaking demon bonds. She’d hung up before the girl could answer every time she tried to make that phone call. The bond wouldn’t let her do it.
She sighed at the phone and wondered what her other options were.
Dev walked in while she was thinking and stomped his feet on the mat. “I think it snowed again overnight.”
She smiled, a solution coming to her. “You know I’m still bonded to a demon, right?”
He raised his eyebrows. “I suppose I do.” He sounded surprised about it as he nodded slowly.
She sighed in relief. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to say that.”
“Um…” He was frowning as he slipped out of his trainers.
“The bond,” she explained, understanding lighting in Dev’s eyes as he flopped down next to her.
“Ah.” He was quiet for a second. “So… what’s the problem?”
“I’m bonded to a demon,” she said, wondering why she needed to repeat it.
“Isn’t that kind of a good thing though? I mean, he can help when you need it, like with those wolves you told me about.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, “but it’s still the biggest mistake I ever made.”
“Is it permanent?”
“I don’t know.” She wondered why he wasn’t freaking out more. He knew what demons could do. He’d met War. He wore charms he never took off to protect himself from them.
“Can it be undone?”
“I hope so. I thought Flicky might be able to help but the bond is protecting itself. I can’t tell her about it.”
He nodded, getting where she was going with it. “But I could?”
“Kind of what I was thinking.”
“Is it really such a bad thing, though?” He rested his head on her shoulder. “I mean, didn’t the bond save you a few times? Maybe you kind of need it.”
She closed her eyes and leaned back. So that was why he wasn’t worried about it. “Maybe.”
It was probably useless anyway. She didn’t know how to sever it.
Her phone vibrated again and she realised she hadn’t put it down after she’d tried to call Flicky. She glanced at it, sighing when she saw it was another text from Ben. She almost didn’t read it. Until she realised he was the only problem she had that she might actually be able to solve.
Mess isn’t going on active duty. You won’t be partnered with her.
She called him back, pulling away from Dev.
Ben answered shortly after a clattering noise told her he’d dropped the phone. “Sarah?”
“We need to talk,” she told him.
“What’s wrong?”
“If you don’t know, you should,” she said, putting her boots on.
Dev was watching her expectantly from the couch. Slipping out on him right after she’d told him her parents couldn’t know they were together felt wrong, but she couldn’t just sit around doing nothing when her life was such a mess.
“I honestly don’t know. Can I come and see you?” Ben sounded desperate.
“Meet me in White Oaks.”
“Okay,” he agreed quickly.
A plan snapped together in her head as she grabbed her jacket. “One hour. The coffee shop. Don’t bring Mess.” She hung up and stuffed her phone into her pocket.
“So we’re going for coffee,” Dev said, getting up and shoving his feet into his trainers. “I’ll get the car.”
“Ben did this to Ray,” she said. “You might have to hold me back.”
“I’m not making any promises,” he said, hesitating after he took Ray’s spare car key from his pocket. “Wait. You’re letting me come with you?”
“We’re taking the train. It’s just coffee,” she told him, reassured that she wouldn’t be tempted into killing Ben if Dev was there. “We might need to drop in to Flicky’s shop first. I want to make sure he’s being truthful when we talk.”
“Great,” he said, with a faint smile. “That’s not going to be awkward or anything. Is Flicky allowed to know we’re together?”
Sarah winced. That he had to ask those kinds of questions made her feel awful. “Yeah. I just can’t tell my parents right away. There’s this whole stupid administrative thing when a tracker dates a human and I already got harangued into it when I was seeing Ray…”
His face had dropped a bit and she hated to see him look so miserable. She seemed to be the only thing that could make him feel that way. She’d thought those days were behind them.
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, not wanting to feel the disappointment that was pouring out of him. She didn’t try to take it away. She just tried to show him how she felt. Words could fail her too easily, but her body never did. She backed away once his mood had lightened.
“You know I love you. And everyone else will know soon. I promise.”
“So it’s just your parents we can’t tell?” He grinned. “Flicky’s not going to believe it.”
Chapter Five
Dev kept Sarah’s hand in his as they walked to Flicky’s shop. The thing about her parents not being allowed to know was kind of a downer, but being able to tell his own was good enough for now. The slushy ground made him shuffle rather than walk, which kept their pace leisurely. It was kinda nice just being out for a walk with the girl he was seeing, even if it was cold out. He wondered how much she’d hate it if he called her his girlfriend. He wondered how it would feel if she called him her boyfriend. The thought of it didn’t exactly freak him out. It made him smile.
He was still thinking about it when Sarah let go of his hand to go into the shop. He followed, wiping his wet trainers on the mat as Sarah greeted her friend. Flicky was looking unusually tense. Her long black hair didn’t quite swish fast enough to cover the blush in her cheeks when she looked at them and then made a mad dash under the counter.
“What the hell?” Sarah glanced at him, amusement in her eyes.
Flicky popped back up and planted Ray’s denim jacket on the counter. She twirled a strand of her hair around a finger, the way she always seemed to do when she was nervous. It was cute. Something was definitely up.
“Uh, thought you might be back for this.”
“Why might you think that?” Sarah sounded suspicious.
“I didn’t know what he was up to until it was too late, and then, well then there wasn’t anything I could even do,” she blurted, “I mean he was already dead. That’s why my spells didn’t work! He’s free though. He doesn’t have a maker…”
“Ray,” Sarah said, nodding. “That’s so not why we’re here, but since you’ve mentioned it, what’s this about him not having a maker?”
“Long story,” she said. “His maker died and came back. The price for that, well it meant he had to remain a vampire. He’ll never walk in the sun again, put it that way.” She swallowed, glancing nervously at Sarah and blinking as if she was only just noticing Dev when her eyes met his.
“O-Kay,” Sarah said. “We need a truth compulsion spell.”
“Oh, sure. Just a second.” Flicky darted out from behind the counter. She headed into the room where she’d closed Dev’s demonic doorway before. He shivered, remembering it against his will.
“So you can’t save him,” Dev said, before clamping his mouth shut with a grimace, rolling his tongue-ring and immediately wishing he hadn’t said it.
Sarah sighed. “I wouldn’t have tried anyway. He made his choice.”
He’d made it for her. Dev didn’t say it. She knew as well as he did that Dredd had done what he’d done to make himself what she needed. Or what he thought she needed. He hadn’t been able to see past his own insecurities. Sarah didn’t need a fighter; she didn’t need someone to stand by her side while she was tracking demons. She needed a guy who could make her happy at the end of the day. Someone she could come home to relax and be herself with. He put his arm around her, feeling protective all of a sudden.
Flicky came back and passed Sarah a small pouch as she moved back around the counter. “On the house.” She still looked stiff and uneasy but she folded her arms rather than twirl her hair again.
“Thanks,” Sarah said, her gaze going to the jacket as she pocketed the spell.
“So, um, what’s new?” Flicky glanced pointedly at Dev.
He had to force a smile. The elation he’d felt on the walk there had faded with the news of Dredd’s doomed situation. His oldest friend was stuck as a walking-dead bloodsucker. No matter what Sarah said, he knew she would have wanted to do whatever she could to save him. She was just mad right now and even Dredd wouldn’t blame her for that.
“Yeah, we’re together,” Sarah said, smiling wryly. She hadn’t stopped frowning and her gaze hadn’t completely lifted from Dredd’s jacket. “Surprised?”
Flicky’s wide-eyed stare was pretty insulting. Her mouth dropped open, but she didn’t speak.
“It’s not that shocking,” Dev said, managing to sound amused, even though he was kind of annoyed.
“I… No… Just…” She shook her head. “I couldn’t imagine Sarah with anyone but… Shit! Sorry. I’m being an idiot. Just ignore me.”
“Anyway, we’re late,” Sarah said, taking his hand as he dropped his arm from around her.
“I didn’t mean it,” Flicky said, cringing. “I’m happy for you two. Honestly.”
Her face told a different story. She was closer to Dredd than she was to either of them and Dev knew it. She was going to sympathise with him, not them. Dev kept his sigh internal as Sarah led him out of the shop.
“Yeah, that’s probably the kind of reaction we’re going to get from some people,” Sarah said as they started towards the coffee shop.
“I don’t care if you don’t,” he said quietly.
She smiled, but her gaze told him she was a million miles away right now. He wished he knew where she was exactly.
“Is it really okay for me to come with you right now?” He wasn’t sure it was such a hot idea.
She gave him a far more focused stare. “Don’t you dare bail on me, Parrish.”
He smiled. “No bailing. Just making sure.”
“This isn’t a job. I just need to interrogate Ben. I need to send a message he won’t ignore.”
***
Ben was waiting when they walked in to the coffee shop. Sarah took in the dishevelled state of him as he stumbled to stand up. She smiled tightly, forcing her feet to move forward at a normal pace. Ben had a guilty look on his face. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. He was overloaded with conflicting emotions right now. She felt them and ignored them, unwilling to be swept up in sympathy for him.
“You know something,” Dev muttered, “I really don’t like the way this creepy bastard looks at you.” His fingers tightened slightly around hers.
Sarah’s anger was still burning brightly within her. She didn’t know how she was going to contain it, but she had one idea. She turned to Dev and kissed him, refocusing her overflow of anger and turning it into passion within a few heated seconds. Dev’s desire was quickly roused and he kissed back as eagerly as he always did.
They were broken apart by a loud cough. The waitress gave them a shady look and a head shake as she passed. Dev gazed at her, stroking her face. “Let’s just forget this whole thing and go home.”
She laughed. “Soon. I promise.”
He smiled. “Good enough for me.”
She approached Ben with a far calmer head on her shoulders. Getting out the spell, she looked at him and smiled sweetly. “I hope you don’t mind if I make sure you’re not lying to me before we get started.” She didn’t wait for a reply. The spell took seconds to activate once she spoke the invocation word.
Ben’s big brown eyes went blank. He was ready to answer her questions.
She sat down and turned to Dev. “Can you get us coffee or something?”
He nodded and went to the counter.
She looked back at Ben. The biggest mistake she’d ever made was bonding to a demon to free him. Or maybe that wasn’t right. Maybe her biggest mistake went back a little bit further. She bit at her lip. If she hadn’t been so careless about who she flirted with, he’d never have been on Melissa’s radar in the first place. He’d changed so much from the guy she’d met that night. What he’d become wasn’t human. She still couldn’t make herself believe that made it okay to kill him.
“Is it your fault Ray got himself turned into a vampire?” It wasn’t a fair question, but she didn’t know where else to start.
“Probably,” he said, shrugging limply.
“You provoked it?”
“I wanted it,” he said, nodding. “I gave him a push.”
“Fuck,” she swore. “Why?”
He didn’t speak.
“Why did you want Ray to do this?” She felt her nails bite into the skin of her palms as she asked. Her anger was coming back.
“I wanted him to die,” he said, sounding hollow.
“Why did you want that?”
“I wanted you. We belong together,” he said, reaching for her hand.
She flinched, moving out of his reach. “This makes no sense. What about Beth? Did you ever even care about her?”
“I loved her.” He sounded fierce. She knew he meant it. His voice softened as he opened his mouth again. “But you were my first.”
That again. She sighed. Her guilt was starting to chew at her anger. “That wasn’t…”
“My first love,” he explained, with a wince. “Before I was turned.”
“But we barely even made out,” she said. She couldn’t believe he felt that strongly about her going back so far. It was crazy.
He started to blink, confusion starting to cloud his features.
“Shit,” she swore, knowing that the spell was wearing thin. What else did she need to know? She had to make this quick. “What are you planning on doing now?”
He smiled. “I’ve started seeing Mess.”
The spell had officially broken. She rolled her eyes. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“Like I had to see you slobber all over that stupid streak of piss?” He motioned towards Dev. He was grinning and the girl at the cash desk was laughing as she put drinks in cardboard cups down on the counter. Ben’s eyes were narrowing as he stared at her. “He’s only human, Sarah. They’re breakable.”
She moved into the seat next to him and slid a stake out of her pocket. His mouth slackened as she gripped her weapon tightly. She swiftly stabbed his leg with it, leaving it there and moving back to her seat. He stared at her and she knew. He didn’t feel any pain. Just like a vampire.
“That was a warning. Come near any of my friends again and the next time I come at you with one of those, it’s going straight through your heart.” She got up. Now wasn’t the time. Ben was something that wasn’t supposed to exist, but she’d have to bide her time in unmaking her biggest mistake. The coffee shop was too public and there were too many witnesses in the room who knew exactly who she was.
“Your boyfriend will die. If it’s not me, it’ll be someone else. War could take him,” he said, grinning. “Maybe I’ll help him do that.”
“You do that and I’ll destroy you.”
“You already did.” He glared at her, his raging emotions pelting her anger with guilt.
She couldn’t stand to look at him another second. She caught Dev’s eye and motioned to him to follow her. Opening the door, she let him out first. He glanced back at Ben as he left. Sarah closed the door with a bang, her hand shaking as she let go of the handle.
Letting Dev out of her sight wasn’t going to be an option now. She took her jacket off as they walked, knowing what she had to do and not liking a single bit of it. Her skin felt like it was on fire. The bond needed to be broken. She had to find out how to break it. Ben’s threat was anything but empty. She knew now he was broken beyond repair. Whether Beth dying had caused it or not didn’t matter. All she knew was she had to protect Dev. As long as Ben was around he was at risk. As long as the bond existed he was at risk.
She looked at him, knowing he was full of unasked questions. “We need to go back to Flicky’s shop.”
“Okay,” he said, holding out one of the cups. “You want?”
She shook her head. “It’s too warm.”
“Are you sure you’re not sick?” He tossed one of the full cups in the bin outside the coffee shop.
“Trackers don’t get sick.”
“Oh, aye. Right. So what’s up with your skin then?”
“It’s a side effect of the demon bond,” she said, wondering if she could talk to him about it because he already knew, or because she’d bonded with him in a different way. She knew now that human bonds were stronger than demons wanted them to think.
“Oh.” He started to frown. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s not. I need you to tell Flicky for me,” she said, wondering what the witch would make of the mess she’d gotten herself into. It didn’t matter if she helped her break the bond. She didn’t care what it took now. She’d been stuck with War for far too long. He was close to being forced back to hell and she’d be the one to send him there for good, even if it killed her.
They walked in silence. Sarah let go of Dev’s hand when they got to the shop. She could sense War’s presence as they approached the door. He was back inside her head when she followed Dev into the shop. You know the bond can’t be broken, he warned her.
She smiled tightly. There was only one reason he could force his way in to her head like that. They both knew it. He knew the bond was being threatened. Only a real risk of danger could open the link they shared without her desire. The bond could be broken. He was afraid that she’d break it.
