The whole thing was so sad and sick, with the smell of him stronger now that he was burning with adrenaline—like booze and sweat.
“Come on, I’ll let you out.” I walked him through the side door into the foyer.
He didn’t stop until his hand was on the front door. His gaze dropped to my ouroborus tattoo. “I haven’t seen that in a while.”
I suddenly remembered Theo slowly kissing the circle on my shoulder. A wash of residual pleasure shot through me.
“You haven’t been around,” I managed to say. I used to see Phil every month, but now he came only a few times a year. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”
Revving up a smile, he said, “Sure. That’s better than admitting I’m next to useless.” His words fell flat, and he knew it.
“Don’t worry, we’re both in the same boat.” I felt sorry for him, but there was nothing I could do to help. He wouldn’t let me make him feel better. He never would.
I bolted the door behind him and closed the one that led into the bar. There was no sound from above. Theo was up there, sprawled out on my chaise, ripe for the picking. If only I could go upstairs and pull him onto the daybed for a proper lovemaking session, nice and slow this time, to forget all this for a little while longer . . .
If only . . .
I ran up the steps and pushed open the door. The light streaked through the front windows, looking exactly the same, but the door hit something.
Pushing harder, I saw Theo’s legs sprawled on my kitchen floor. He was naked, wearing only the white bandage around his ribs.
6
“Theo!” Kneeling next to him, I gave him a slight shake. He didn’t respond, lolling unconscious.
“Shock?” I hurried into the front room. Shock’s foot was resting on the floor, but she was still out of it. “Shock! What happened?”
I hated to think the worst—that Shock had hurt Theo. But it was hard not to. I shook Shock a lot harder than I’d shaken Theo. “Tell me, Shock! What did you do?”
Blinking languidly, Shock mumbled, “Huh?”
“Shock, what happened?”
“Demon. . . .” Her fingers flexed.
Her nails had blood on them.
I stood straight up, every sense alert. “Demon? Here? I don’t feel a demon.”
Shock slumped back into her stupor. I rubbed her fingers, and the blood came off on my own hand. It had the distinct scent of demon, as if it were slightly fermented. Shock’s aura was also weak, much weaker than before.
My heart was pounding as I ran back and closed the door, locking it. I checked all the windows, and saw the gates were intact. I even looked in the closets and under the daybed, just to be sure. But nothing was out of place.
Where did it go? How did it get in? The front door was supposed to lock automatically when it shut. Maybe someone had been standing nearby as I let Phil inside. I hadn’t stepped outside; anyone could have been huddled in the doorway to my neighbor’s house or in one of the cars at the curb. If a demon was quick, it could have caught the door before it closed.
“Phil . . . ,” I said out loud.
Phil could have let the demon inside. I couldn’t remember if I heard the bolt click behind him as he went into the bar. I ran up the stairs so fast to get the money. He could have waited until I went inside my apartment and let a demon inside. I couldn’t figure out how a demon could get upstairs without my seeing it, but Phil had been standing behind the bar, making me keep my back to the door.
Why would Phil do it? For the money? That was the obvious reason, since the man didn’t appear to have any loyalty. Phil had been waiting outside for me to open up. He might have come across a demon drawn here by Petrify’s birth. The demon bribed him, like everyone bribed Phil, to let it inside my bar. That would explain why Phil had been so aggressive toward me—he felt guilty.
As he should!
Phil didn’t know how close he had come to death himself, dealing with evil like that.
Whoever the demon was, after it fed from Shock, it must have snuck back downstairs and let itself out, while I was inside the bar talking to Phil. Shock wasn’t shielded, so it would have taken only a few minutes.
Any longer, and Shock would be dead. I was almost sick to my stomach at the thought of Phil trying to take another drink. If I hadn’t stopped him and kicked him out . . .
The most frightening part was that I hadn’t felt a signature. Shock’s signature was so invasive that as the hours had passed, I had basically shut down my ability to sense it rather than go mad. But even when I was actively trying to sense around Shock’s signature, it was difficult—like yesterday, when Savor came to the bar without my knowing it.
Regardless, it was my fault for being so careless, when I knew Petrify’s birth had painted a huge target on us.
I returned to the kitchen to kneel down next to Theo. Checking his pulse, I found it strong and steady. He was fine—it appeared the demon hadn’t taken any of his energy. Shock had been the target.
“Theo? Are you okay?” I stroked his cheek, and only then noticed a huge red knot on his cheekbone. A black streak smeared under his eye, the beginnings of a black eye. “Oh, no . . .”
Theo licked his lips, groaning. Anxiously watching him, I felt awful.
How could I let this happen?
Most men would have been uncomfortable waking up naked on the floor in front of a woman. But Theo smiled up at me as he opened his eyes, and for a moment I remembered how it felt to have him inside of me. I was the one who blushed and glanced away.
Then he winced and put his hand to his cheek. “Who was that guy? Please don’t tell me it was your boyfriend.”
“Of course not.” I waved that off. “What happened?”
He rolled onto his side, shaking his head slightly to clear it. Propped up on his elbow, he looked even better than flat on his back, as the muscles in his chest and arms flexed. His penis was heavy even when relaxed, lying on his thigh. He had dark curls at his groin, and a dark line of hair down the middle of his chest, but otherwise his dusky flesh was smooth.
I forced my gaze away.
This isn’t the time for that.
“I was going to the bathroom, but the front door was open,” Theo explained. “I heard voices down below. Then this guy burst in and punched me.” He gingerly touched his cheek. “That’s all I remember.”
“Was it the same man from last night? The one you pulled off me?”
He frowned at her. “No, this guy was darker, with black hair. Latino, maybe.”
It could have been Pique, but in a different guise. I wasn’t used to being on full alert in my own home. I didn’t like it.
“You didn’t see him?” Theo asked.
“No. I was busy with the delivery guy.” I didn’t want to go into who Phil was.
“I hope you don’t mind my saying this,” Theo said kindly, “but from the looks of things around here, you need some muscle. Don’t you have someone watching out for you?”
“I can take care of myself.”
His admiration was clear. “I bet you can.” He shifted his eyes down to his taped chest. “But it seems to me that people are getting hurt.”
I swallowed. “I’m doing the best I can.”
He touched my knee through the thin cotton of my skirt. “You can ask for help.”
“Ask who? You?” I met his eyes. “Why—are you a part-time bodyguard?”
He seemed surprised. “I have been. But I’m not sure if I’m what you need. . . .”
It was an awkward moment, and suddenly I wasn’t comfortable with his being naked on my floor. He must have gotten the same feeling, because he gave me an apologetic grin as he got up.
I left him to get dressed as I checked on Shock. She didn’t rouse this time. I clasped her hand and focused my fear and confusion into her. It was just the sort of feeling that Shock loved.
I shuddered at the sight of blood under her nails. Another few minutes and Shock would have died.
As Theo washed up in the bathroom, I fed Shock. She never opened her eyes or said another word. When Theo reappeared, I gently detached my hand from hers and met him in the kitchen.
“How’s your sister?” he asked.
“Not as improved as I’d like. But she’ll survive.”
He made a faint attempt at a smile, as if he didn’t know what to say to that. The streak under his eye was darkening.
“I’m really sorry.” I wasn’t going to lie to him and say I had no idea who hit him. Actually I had some ideas, and all of them involved demons. “Thank you for helping me last night.”
“That sounds like good-bye.” He sounded disappointed.
My shoulder lifted. His gaze stopped on my tattoo, but again he didn’t ask me about it. Instead, he said, “I’d like to see you again.”
I couldn’t stop looking at his black eye and the huge cut on his forehead. It didn’t matter what I wanted; I couldn’t keep using him as a human shield against demons. “We both know, for our own reasons, why this was a one- night stand.”
I could tell I was right because he had to look away, in a rare moment of discomfort.
The silence stretched out until I started to feel uncomfortable. “You can always stop by and have a drink on the house,” I offered.
“I don’t drink anymore.”
“Ah, that’s why I’ve never seen you before.”
It was cold, awkward, but I couldn’t help it. I was too upset by the thought of a demon sneaking past me. It was time for him to go—he was a distraction.
Theo wasn’t being very warm and inviting, either. But on top of all of his intimacy and avoidance issues, a punch in the face could do that to a guy.
I went to the front door. “I’ll let you out.”
He gave one last glance around my place, then followed me into the stairwell. I pulled the door shut and listened for the bolt click. As I went down the stairs, I concentrated as hard as I could through Shock’s now-weakened signature, but I couldn’t sense any other demons.
I opened the bottom door and stood propping it with one foot. There were a number of people sauntering past on the sidewalk, heading to Sunday brunch with friends, running errands, out for a holiday. Still no sign of any demons. I hoped Theo would get home safely.
He paused on the stoop. “Are you going to the police station to check mug shots this morning?”
“I’m supposed to.” I didn’t add that it wasn’t likely. I was too spooked to leave the bar. “Are you?”
Theo nodded. He leaned over, and I tensed. But he kissed my forehead, touching mostly my tousled hair with his lips. “Take care, Allay.”
I was surprised that he said it correctly. He must have heard Lolita last night. “You, too.”
He gave me a shy smile, then headed off. I watched him until he turned the corner. For some reason, I didn’t want to go inside and close the door. It felt as if it would be the ending of something that had barely gotten started. Thwarted dreams—that was my life.
That, and danger.
I closed the door and made sure it locked. With fear skittering at my feet, I ran upstairs to my apartment. Only when the door was shut behind me did I feel safe.
And empty.
I rejoined Shock and sat down on the edge of the sofa. After all these years, I shouldn’t feel sad. But there was no getting around it.
I’m not fit to love a man like him. Not fit to love a man, period.
I laced my fingers with Shock’s. She didn’t rouse, but I felt the slight drawing sensation as she consumed my sorrow.
I lay down on my side, facing her. Her head was propped on the same cushion. Her face and body were smoothed out, with none of the fine details she usually gave her guise. Her porcelain skin suited her apparent youth, but right now she looked unfinished, like a doll in the making.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, holding Shock close and pouring my love and concern into her.
Eventually, I had nothing left to feed her. I sighed and gently untangled our fingers. Shock didn’t resist, but she shifted and tried to open her eyes, murmuring something. I stroked her short blond hair, bending close and whispering, “You’ll be all right, Shock. I’m going downstairs to open up the bar. I’ll be right back.”
Shock’s aura was stronger now, and mine was much weaker. I needed to feed. And it was time to get to work. I hoped Shock would wake up soon.
I pulled away from her reluctantly, my white-flowered skirt flaring out. Then I quickly searched my place again, being more thorough this time. Paranoid, sure, but I relied on being able to sense demons before they got close to me. I had to be more vigilant from now on.
Pepe arrived not long after I raised the metal shutter halfway up. He ducked to get under and opened the front door of the bar. It was made of old wood that matched the cherry panels on the front, with carved leaves and flowers on the lower sections. It didn’t matter if the door was weak, because the metal shutter protected the entire front of the bar when it was down.
“
Cómo está?
” I asked.
“Bien, bien
.
”
Pepe was a stolid, middle-aged man with four kids and a wife in Bushwick. He worked a couple hours a day doing the heavy cleaning in the bar and any odd jobs that I needed. He was also the super of his building and several others in Brooklyn. He was as reliable as a metronome, and several years ago I had given him the key to the padlock on the shutter in case he needed to come early to clean.
On the blackboard, Boymeat had written the afternoon special—
Bagel Free with Bloody Mary
—and illustrated it with a grinning cartoon queen holding a bagel. Below it Lo had written,
Drain in backyard clogged
