Bitter Sweet Love (8 page)

Chapter Thirteen

We all stared at Zayne in varying degrees of morbid fascination, watching him happily take a Twizzler from a pack he’d brought into the ’50s-style ice-cream parlor and dip it into his chocolate ice cream.

“That is so disgusting.” Layla watched him, her spoon hovering above her banana split. “I mean, there’re really no words for it.”

“What?” Zayne laughed as he looked at her and held the chocolate-covered red licorice close to her face. “Just try it.”

“Ew.” She jerked back, scrunching up her nose. “Get that away from me.”

Beside me, Dez leaned back and smiled. Since he’d already devoured his cone, I expected him to start patting his belly. “That
is
gross.”

Zayne scoffed. “Whatever. It’s the best thing ever.”

“It’s not,” Layla said, scooping around the cherries. “You could try chips or French fries like a normal person.”

“What fun is being normal?” Zayne countered.

Layla pulled her spoon back as he reached over and plucked up a cherry, popping it in his mouth.

There was no doubt in my mind that these two were close, probably as inseparable as Dez and I had been. And just like my younger self, Layla made no attempt at hiding how she worshipped him.

The more time I spent in her company, the worse I felt about how I’d acted toward her earlier. She really was a sweet girl, and once she got comfortable around Dez and me, she opened up. The chick was spunky.

“Abbot is letting me attend public school next year,” she told us. Excitement sparkled in her odd eyes and shone in her wide smile. “I’m so—”

“I think it’s a terrible idea,” Zayne cut in, eyeing her. “You’re going to be at school during the day, when most of us are resting. If something happens, it will be damn hard for any of us to respond.”

“Nothing is going to happen.” Layla rolled her eyes. “And besides, you can’t keep playing at being my teacher. There’re better things you could be doing.”

Dez frowned. “Has Zayne been teaching you?”

She nodded as she twirled her spoon around. “Yeah, he set me up with this homeschool stuff on the computer and checks my work, but come on. No offense, but I’d like a real education.”

Zayne was quiet, gaze fixed on the old portraits of the ice-cream parlor’s previous owners adorning the walls. It was obvious, at least to me, that he was not a fan of this conversation. I didn’t know what to be more shocked over: that Layla would be attending a public school or that Zayne had been tutoring her.

I knew Zayne had said the other clansmen didn’t want her in their home with their families, but there had to be a female overseeing her education. Someone who’d looked past what she was. “One of the older females isn’t teaching you?”

Zayne scratched his cheek, answering for her. “The main house is outside the city, near Charles Town, where the females and the young ones are. Most of the females don’t travel here anyway, as I said.”

Which was normal. It was the same for us. Our clan had houses in New York City, though the main compound where the mated Wardens and children lived was several hours north.

“Not to sound rude, but why isn’t Layla with them?” Dez asked, and I winced.

Layla laughed. “I think they’d throw themselves headfirst out of a window before they shared the same roof as me.” She shrugged as she took the last bite of her ice cream. “Obviously none of them are willing to teach me, and Zayne can’t keep doing it, so Abbot relented and is letting me go to public school. All in all, it’s a good thing.”

I smiled at her. “I’m a bit envious. I would’ve loved to attend public school.”

“It’s dangerous, though.” Zayne shifted in the booth. “You know how the demons like to come after—”

“Not me,” Layla cut in. The smile faded from her face as she looked over at us. “Abbot doesn’t think it will be dangerous for me, and honestly, I’m not a huge asset to the clan or anything. I’m kind of defective.”

My mouth dropped open, but Zayne’s reaction was a whole lot more explosive. He turned on her, eyes flashing a teal blue. His fingers wrapped around her chin, forcing her gaze to him, and he leaned down, his head inches from hers. Knowing what Layla could do, I stiffened—as did Dez, who must’ve known more about her ability than I did when I met her earlier. Zayne was
too
close.

And he didn’t appear to be worried at all.

“You are
not
defective. There is not a single thing wrong with you.” His voice was low, but there was no mistaking what he said. “Do you understand me?”

Two pink spots bloomed on her cheeks as she held his gaze. “Yes, but—”

“No. That’s it.” He dropped his hand, but didn’t move back. “I swear to God, I want to strangle you every time you say something like that.”

The pink spread across her face as her gaze drifted over to us again. “I don’t have low self-worth or anything,” she said quietly. “I really don’t, but I can’t...” She took a deep breath. “I can’t phase.”

Desperately, I tried to keep my face blank and I hoped Dez was doing the same. If Layla couldn’t phase, everyone had to suspect that any offspring of hers could share the potential... defect. None of the males would want her. Not that they could really have her even if she wanted any of them.

I squeezed my hands together, until I felt my nails biting into my flesh. Sometimes I hated our world, and it became too hard to justify the reasons why things were the way they were. All of us, by our very existence, had our duties for the greater good, but...

But it was total shit.

“So...” Zayne drew the word out, clearing his throat. “How’s Danika?”

The change of subject caught me off guard. “She’s doing well. She wanted me to tell you she said hi.”

Dez snorted. No doubt he was remembering Danika’s real request, which involved a picture and Zayne naked.

Kicking him under the table, I glanced at Layla, who was currently studying her empty bowl as if it contained the answers to life. This might be a better conversation for Zayne, but it wasn’t for her. The pink had completely drained from her complexion.

As much as I wanted my sister to be happy—and the good Lord knew that she’d be happy with Zayne—my heart ached for the girl sitting across from me. She couldn’t be with a Warden. And she couldn’t be with a human either without putting them in danger. That left only demons, which was completely out of the question.

Layla only had a future of loneliness ahead of her.

“She still training to fight?” Zayne asked, completely oblivious the way all guys were.

I wanted to kick him now because with each question he asked, Layla grew quieter and quieter. By the time Dez suggested that he and I check out the city, the young girl practically had her face in her bowl. We said our goodbyes and headed past the line stretching nearly to the door.

We stepped out in the late-evening air and the warm breeze lifted the hair off the sides of my face. The wind carried an odd scent—a musky-sweet smell that reminded me of dark chocolate and sinfully wicked things that were done at night, between soft sheets.

Whoa.

That thought came out of nowhere.

My cheeks heated as Dez stopped at the curb and glanced down at me. His brows knitted. “Are you okay?”

I dodged the foot traffic and stood beside a late-blooming cherry tree. “Yeah.”

“You sure?” His fingers brushed my cheek. “You look flushed. We can go back if you need to rest—”

“I don’t need to rest.” I moved closer to him, tipping my head back. “I’m fine.”

He stared at me a moment and then he dipped his chin, bringing his face close to mine. “I know our seven days are up, but I’m glad to help you fulfill your conditions anyway. We can do whatever you want, but I can’t support the whole demon-hunting thing.”

I opened my mouth, but he rushed on.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s what you asked for, but whether you believe it or not, you’re not completely okay. And after seeing how hurt you were from a tiny bite, I can’t stand by and let you put yourself in danger just so you can prove something.”

“I know. I don’t have anything to prove.” The moment those words came out of my mouth, I knew they were the truth. What would hunting demons do for me? I’d held my own against the Terriers and had a near-fatal encounter with a pukwudgie. I’d say that ran the gamut of demon experiences. And honestly, I didn’t care about the stupid conditions right now or even seeing the city. “I think we need to...”

The sweet, heavy scent teased my senses again. “What is that smell?” I turned, my gaze crawling over the people and the glass storefront of the parlor. I could see Layla and Zayne inside, still sitting side by side. The wide smile was back on her face as she laughed at something Zayne said. “You don’t smell that?”

“No.” Dez placed a hand on my shoulder. “All I smell is exhaust and humans.”

I frowned. The odd, pleasing scent was stronger than those elements. How could he not sense it? Shaking my head, I started to turn back to Dez, when my gaze snagged on something.

I don’t know what it was about the boy that caught my eye, but once I saw him, I couldn’t look away.

He was leaning against the brick wall of the ice-cream shop, only his profile visible. He was tall—taller than Dez and Zayne, but not as broad. There was no mistaking that his body was nothing but powerful, lean muscle. The black shirt he wore revealed the sinewy strength in his arms, but it was that tattoo that held my attention.

The image was of a snake, but... each ripple in the skin had been shaded so that it actually looked three-dimensional, the underbelly gray and the scales defined. It looked real, like a thick copperhead had crawled up the boy’s body and wrapped itself around his arm.

The boy’s artfully messy hair was so dark that it reflected blue in the fading sunlight. The one eyebrow I could see was arched in the middle, as if he was enjoying a private joke. Although I couldn’t see his face fully, the high cheekbones and the tilt of his lips were set in a visage I knew would be beautiful—too beautiful. Like the pictures of all the fallen angels in the books my father kept in his library.

Somehow I knew that scent was coming from him.

And I was also pretty sure he was watching Zayne and Layla—namely, her.

Chills danced down my spine as the boy turned toward us, the sardonic twist of his lips spreading. My insides knotted as I lifted my gaze. Two eyes the color of polished amber locked with mine.

I sucked in a startled breath and stepped back into Dez. The eyes! There was no mistaking what the boy was. Only one thing in this world had golden eyes like that. My stomach dropped and my heart kicked into overdrive.

He was an Upper Level demon.

Chapter Fourteen

No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than Dez shifted so that I was behind him and he was between the demon and me. My heart pounded against my chest painfully. How long had he been there, watching us? That was one of the many problems with Upper Level demons. They could cloak their presence so we couldn’t sense them, giving them the advantage. The fact that I’d picked up on the sweet smell had been rare, and most likely he’d
allowed
me to. I didn’t want to know why.

“Get out of here, Jasmine.” Dez’s voice was low and hard. “Go now.”

There was no way in Hell I was going anywhere without him. I balled my hands in the back of his shirt. “I’m not leaving you.”

Dez cursed. “Go. Please, God, go.”

“Please, God?” The demon stepped toward us, cocking his head to the side. I’d been right about his beauty. It was unreal. Frightening in its sheer perfection. “Are you expecting a response? Because I’m going to go out on a limb and say he’s probably not listening.”

The muscles under my hands tensed as Dez drew in a deep breath, but before he could speak, the demon chuckled darkly as he swaggered forward, paying no heed to those passing between us. And he didn’t need to. Humans seemed to sense that any contact with him would probably be their last. He parted the crowd on the sidewalk like a twisted version of Moses, stopping directly in front of us. He looked no older than me, but there was a worldliness in the way he held himself, in the odd glint of his eyes.

“I don’t think your little friend is going anywhere,” he murmured, those amber eyes glowing slightly as he leaned to the side. He waved at me. “Hi, there.”

Dez shifted, blocking me. “Look at her one more time and I will snap your head off your neck.”

“Tsk, tsk, that isn’t how you talk to a stranger.” One side of his lips quirked up. “So rude.”

People were starting to watch us. No way was this situation going to end well. I could already smell blood in the air.

“I’m not playing with you.” Dez’s hands formed fists.

“That’s good, because you’re the last thing I want to play with.”

Dez stepped forward, going toe to toe with the demon. A shudder worked its way down his back. He was seconds from phasing.

“Oh, I wouldn’t try that, you heavenly reject.” The confident smile remained fixed in place. “You go all Warden on me and then I’ll go all badass demon on you, and then oops.” His eyes widened. “All the little humans in the world will know they’re not alone. And I’m not talking about E.T. Unless that lumpy creature was really a demon.”

For a second I thought Dez was going to say screw it and totally lose his head right there, and the demon’s smile stretched to epic levels. He spread his arms and curled his fingers back in the universal “come get some” sign. Along the underside of the demon’s biceps, the tattoo suddenly moved—the scales gliding over his skin as the tail disappeared under the sleeve of his dark shirt. Around the demon’s neck, black ink spread and the head of the snake appeared. One red eye shining like a ruby focused right on us.

What in the holy Hell?

Dez growled low in his throat. “You have no idea how badly I want to take you apart.”

“What’s stopping you?” the demon shot back.

He was purposely antagonizing Dez. Did he want exposure? I didn’t know what would happen if that occurred, but I was pretty sure it would involve the annihilation of both of our races.

But this moment meant more to me on a personal level. An Upper Level demon had killed my mother and, as strong and cunning as Dez could be, he could fall to this one. I couldn’t stand here, cowering, and do nothing. I wasn’t a little girl anymore.

I summoned my courage and grabbed hold of Dez’s arm. “What do you want?”

“She speaks?” The demon laughed. “And here I thought all female Wardens were incapable of even forming a single thought without the aid of a male.”

“Excuse me?” Disbelief gave way to anger.

Dez held his arm out, keeping me from making my way around him. “I’m going to give you five seconds to get out of here.”

The demon stood there as several heartbeats passed. “Five seconds are up. Next threat?”

“Aren’t you a smart-ass,” Dez snapped.

“Among many, many things.” The demon’s gaze seemed to find the tiniest part of me visible behind Dez. He sighed as his gaze softened. “I have no problems with the two of you, so...whatever.”

Whatever? Had I heard him right?

The Upper Level demon winked an amber-colored eye and then turned. Casting one last lingering look inside the ice-cream’ shop, he strolled away, humming under his breath. The melody poked around at my memory.

“‘Paradise City’?” I said dumbly, stepping to stand beside Dez. “He’s humming a Guns N’ Roses song?”

Dez didn’t respond, and I don’t even know why I was fixating on the song. Maybe it was shock from being
this
close to an Upper Level demon and then hearing him say he had “no problems” with us. He’d walked away. He’d walked away when the demon who killed my mother hadn’t.

I had no idea what had just happened.

Swallowing hard, I glanced at Dez. His body was trembling from the amount of control it took to stay where he was. The small crowd that had started to gather around us thinned out as interest was lost, but a few humans, ones who were clearly observant, were starting to look at us closely.

“Dez?” I wrapped my hand around his forearm, feeling the tension in his muscles. “Are you going to go after him?”

“I should—I
need
to.”

The unspoken “but” was that all Wardens, no matter how ticked off they were or how big their egos could be, knew better than to try to take on an Upper Level demon alone, even one who had turned his back.

Dez let out a ripe curse as he finally looked at me. “I need to warn Zayne.”

“Okay.” I started to let go and then tightened my hold on his arm. “Wait.”

“What?”

I took a breath. “I don’t know, but it looked like he was watching them—watching Layla.”

Dez glanced through the window to where the two were sitting. “If so, that’s not good. Not good at all.”

Dez had pulled Zayne aside while I waited with Layla, and told him what had happened outside. The moment Dez had relayed my suspicion over what the Upper Level demon was doing, Zayne wanted to get Layla home.

Nothing was said to her about why we all were heading back to the compound and she didn’t seem to suspect anything when Dez disappeared with Zayne to speak with Abbot. I followed Layla upstairs to her bedroom.

The room was a mess. Books littered the floor. Mismatched socks peeked out from her dresser and under her desk, but the room was decked out in everything a girl could want—laptop, desktop, stereo, a huge TV and a closet overflowing with clothes. In the corner, a large handmade dollhouse was placed near the balcony doors and, at the head of the bed, nestled between a fleet of pillows, was a teddy bear that looked as if it had seen better days.

Layla plopped down on the bed and bounced once before she crossed her legs. Hovering at the door, I couldn’t help but wonder why the demon had been so interested in her and Zayne.

“It’s okay,” she said, planting her chin in her hands. “You don’t have to hang out with me.”

I blinked. “I’m sorry about the way I acted when I first saw you.”

She shrugged. “It’s no biggie.”

Biting down on my lip, I joined her on the bed. “You get that a lot?”

Layla laughed softly. “All the time. I can’t blame those who react that way. I
am
half demon.”

“But you’re so...” What was the right word?

“Awesome?” she answered, and then giggled. I smiled as she tugged her hair over her shoulder, twisting it. Danika did the same thing. “Can I ask you a question?”

I tucked my knees to my chest. “Sure.”

“Are you and Dez going to mate?” She paused. “Sorry. That’s probably none of my business. I just overheard some of the guys talking and I was curious. Abbot is always talking about mating and I hate the word. It’s so... I don’t know. Can’t he just say get married? He wants Zayne to ‘mate’ with Danika. He talks about it all—” She cut herself off and pink swept across her cheeks. “Anyway, is that what you guys are going to do?”

“I...” I sure hadn’t been expecting that question. My cheeks heated as I focused on a crowded bookshelf. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated?” Her face screwed up thoughtfully. “Do you want to mate with him? Because if you don’t, you can say no, right? That’s how it works.”

“Yes, but I... I don’t know.”

She dropped her hair and the waves unfurled slowly. “Do you love him?”

A pang hit my chest and the answer was right there, on the tip of my tongue. Instead, something totally different came out. “I’ve been in love with him since I was a kid, but he... he left me and he just now came back.” I couldn’t believe I was telling a thirteen-year-old this, but my mouth wouldn’t stop flapping. “And for three years I accepted that I’d never see him again and mating became something I didn’t even think about. I wasn’t prepared when he popped back into my life. I don’t know if I’m ready for everything that comes along with that.”

“That had to be shocking, his coming back like that.” Layla scooted closer and lowered her voice. “But he cares about you—loves you.”

I looked at her sharply and found that I really couldn’t say anything.

“It’s the way he looks at you. He watched you the entire time we were out and on the way back. Even when he left with Zayne, he was watching
you
. It’s... romantic.”

I jerked back in surprise. “He’s never said the words.”

“Have you?”

“No.”

Layla laughed. “Then why should he be the first? I mean, let’s take out the whole mating crap. Is he someone you want? Do you still love him?” she asked, her tone urgent. “Do you?”

“Yes.” I whispered the word, afraid it would be overheard, but dammit, it was already out there. Once something was spoken, it was true. No takebacks.

“Then there’s your answer, because that seems to be the most important thing. I mean, if he loves you and you love him, he’ll wait and everything will work itself out.”

I glanced at her, exhaling slowly. I still couldn’t believe I was talking to her about this, but the girl, no matter how young she was, was saying some pretty wise stuff. “You really think that?”

“Yes.” Layla’s lips spread, and once more, I was transfixed by her smile. “Nothing in this world is stronger than love. It should always be enough, no matter what.”