Dark Spirits (26 page)

His blue eyes widened, and he dropped the menu on the table. “Paige!”

“Shhhhh.” I placed a finger on my lips and gestured for him to lean closer. I could see the intrigue in his eyes. I just hope he didn’t think I was a nut. “I’m incognito,” I whispered, and when the crease between his eyes wrinkled, I continued with a lame ass excuse. “I broke up with Nathan tonight and didn’t want to run into him. I couldn’t sleep. So I came here. Like this.” It was sort of true, but I wasn’t sure he would buy it. Thank God he did.

He smiled, revealing deep dimples in each cheek. “I’m glad you came. You know, my dad owns this restaurant now, right?”

“Really? I didn’t know. I’d heard this place was for sale, but I didn’t know your dad bought it. That rocks.” I smiled, feeling dorky in my glasses and was really hoping he’d take my order.

He absently picked up the menu, still smiling. “Yeah, he actually purchased it with the intention of giving it to me someday.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded and shifted the menu in his arms. “I don’t know if you know this, but I want to be a chef.” He looked down, appearing bashful.

“Omigod, Max. That’s great,” I said and meant it.

He looked up, his face alight with happiness and excitement. In that moment, I envied him for having a simple life and knowing the direction of his future. I shifted in my seat and dropped my gaze.

“Are you okay?”

I glanced up at him. He was studying me. “Um, yeah . . . hey, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m starving.”

“Oh! I’m sorry.” He smacked his forehead. “Duh.”

He tried to hand me the menu, but I waved it away. “I know what I want–a bowl of clam chowder, fish and chips, and a Dr Pepper.”

“Do you want a salad while you wait?”

“Sure. With ranch dressing.”

He smiled and winked. “I’ll be back in a jif.”

As I waited, I couldn’t help but wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been marked for immortality or had that damned power inside me. I would’ve gone to Arizona to investigate my dad’s death, then to a community college for two years. I knew that for sure.

“You know, it’s your fault I forgot to take your order.” Max set the salad and a tall, icy glass of Dr Pepper in front of me.

I picked up the tiny bowl of ranch off the corner of the plate and slathered it on my salad. “How so?” I asked, stabbing a fork full of lettuce and vegetables.

“Because you surprised me. I haven’t seen you all summer. I thought maybe you fell off the face of the earth. I didn’t even see you at The Lion’s Den or Café Nation.”

“I was camping on an island,” I said between mouthfuls.

His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. “No joke?”

 “I stayed on one of the Swedish archipelagos,” I said, taking a drink, enjoying his reaction.

“Cool.” He paused and glanced behind him. “I have a break coming up. Would it be all right if I sat and visit with you?”

“Not at all. Just as long as you don’t mind me pigging out in front of you.”

He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to check on your order. Don’t worry about the bill. It’s on me.”

I made a face. “Do I look that pathetic?”

He laughed. It was short, unpretentious. He shifted his weight back and forth, and I could hear his heart beating faster. “No. I just want to.”

“Thank you,” I said, wondering why he suddenly became nervous. Weird.

“No problem.” He turned on his heel and went to get my order.

I pushed the plate aside, wiped clean from all evidence of vegetation, and took a deep drink of my Dr Pepper. I was glad I came here. Max made me feel normal again, and it was nice to forget about my life for a while.

Then my ears rang, reminding me of who I really was. I slid down into my seat, my eyes darting to the entrance. It was the same dark-skinned guy Nathan and I had seen that one day at the grocery store when Aosoth approached us. I wondered if this could be Roeick, the guy Carrie told us about from Aosoth’s memories. He went straight to the end of the counter where a cash register sat and leaned forward, impatiently looking about. He was tall, and his dark brown hair was cut short–military style.

“Hello.
I’m here to pick up an order,” he said, sounding perturbed.

I continued to watch him from beneath the bill of my cap. My ears were still ringing but the sound began to fade.

“Be with you in a minute!” I heard Max holler from the kitchen.

The dark-skinned guy sighed and pushed himself off the counter in disgust. “Incompetent humans, wasting
my
time, space, and air. Pieces of shit,” he muttered under his breath. He leaned his back against the counter and scanned the room, looking bored. I had the urge to duck under the table, but thought it might call his attention to me. So I stared out the window instead. A thin layer of fog blanked the black water, illuminated by the bright silver moonlight, giving the illusion of reptilian skin slithering across the surface.

I waited a moment, then peeked to see what he was doing. He hadn’t moved from his position but now had his phone in his hand texting somebody. I noticed the smirk on his face. My stomach sank and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I told myself I was just being paranoid. I mean, Max didn’t recognize me at first, and we’ve known each other almost our whole lives. The guy (Roeick?) was probably texting about having to wait for his dinner.

“Here’s your food, sir. Sorry for the delay.” Max placed a white paper bag on the counter and tallied the bill on the cash register. “We’re shorthanded tonight,” he added.

The guy pocketed his cell phone and grunted as he paid Max. The cash register clunked when it popped open, and Max handed him his change. The guy grabbed his bag, but when he headed toward the door, he stole a glance my way. His eyes locked onto mine, and a laser beam of light flashed across them. I looked away and thought there was no way he could’ve recognized me. It had to be a coincidence. When I glanced up, he was gone. I moved to the window and could hardly see his back through the hazy fog. Taking a deep breath, I scooted across the bench seat and took a drink. That was close.

Max expertly navigated around the bar with a small platter of food, balancing it on the palm of his hand. He shook his head, half-smiling.

“Did you see that asshole?” He set a plate full of fried cod and chips, followed by a bowl of clam chowder in front of me. After he placed the empty platter on the next table over, he sat across the table from me.

“Yeah, I did.” I reached for the malt vinegar, but he beat me to it and handed it to me. I must have had a puzzled look on my face because he grinned.

“Seventh grade field trip when we stopped at Scallywags for lunch.”

“Oh yeah.” I covered my mouth pleasantly filled with yummy fried cod and giggled. I totally remembered that day now. Tree and Brayden each brought a do-rag with them and slipped it on their head on the way to Scallywags. When we got there, they were totally playing it up, acting like pirates. They were hilarious and had everybody laughing, including the owner.

“Remember you were bummed because the only malt vinegar left was at the next table but being used by an elderly man?”

I nodded as I shoved more food into my mouth, trying not to choke on my giggles.

“Brayden went up to the guy,” Max continued, “and had him laughing so hard that he handed over the malt vinegar.”

I almost spit my food out and took a drink to wash it down. “Brayden and Tree were a riot. I totally forgotten about that until now.”

“I saw Brayden the other day. Have you seen his car yet?”

“I did. It’s badass. I love it.”

Max leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I swear to God, when I saw his car, I almost shot a load in my pants.”

I slapped a hand on the table and leaned back, squealing with laughter.

Max held a hand up. “It’s the honest-to-God truth. Brayden’s car is like a mythological beast escaped from hell. It’s beyond bitchin’.”

“I agree,” I said, slipping my hand in Max’s and squeezing it. “Thank you. You don’t know how much I needed a good, solid laugh.” He squeezed back. I released his hand to try to finish the rest of my dinner. Believe it or not I was getting full. I noticed his cheeks were turning red. I hope I hadn’t embarrassed him.

He cleared his throat, looking a bit awkward.

“I’m sorry, Max,” I quickly said. “I’ll keep my hands to my--”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He sounded horrified but looked worried. “It’s not you. It’s me.”

I finished off my Dr Pepper and shrugged. “Okay. If you say so.”

“No, um, well,” he stumbled, taking a deep breath. “I know I shouldn’t be saying this because you just broke up with Nathan, but I’ve had a thing for you for years.” His cheeks were the color of a tomato now. “I know Brayden is still in love with you as well, and I don’t stand a chance, but I had to tell you. I didn’t want you to think you were offending me.”

At first, I didn’t know what to say. I had no idea he felt this way about me. I mean, we’ve been friends for years, and I’d never received any vibes from him in that manner. I did like him, though, and if I had a normal life and were single, hell yeah, I’d go out with him.

I pushed my plate aside and wiped my hands on a napkin, watching him stare at the ring of water my glass made, feeling his awkwardness again. I reached for his hand because, well, I liked him, and I appreciated he made me feel like my old self. Right now, that was priceless to me, and I couldn’t thank him enough. He looked at me when my fingers touched his. “I like you, Max, and if my life were different from what it is now, I’d go out with you in a heartbeat.” I slid my hand off the table and sighed. My heart felt heavy from the sadness of knowing I had to go and leave this behind.

“What is it? Is it Nathan and Brayden?”

“Much more than that, but I can’t tell you. Let’s just say my fate is sealed, and I can’t go back and change it,” I answered, sounding glum.

“Are you pregnant?” he tried to guess.

I laughed, though it wasn’t funny. “No.”

“I don’t understand. How can your fate be sealed?”

I groaned and flipped my palms out. “Forget about it.”
Why did I say that?
“I have to go.” I picked up my jacket and slipped it on. “Thanks for the meal and the company. I really enjoyed seeing you.” I shot him a weak smile and noticed the anxiousness in his eyes.

“You don’t have to leave now,” he said, scooting out of the booth the same time I did. “We close in a half hour. If you wait, we can talk some more. I don’t want you to leave like this.”

I could feel the tears welling because Max had brought out something in me I thought no longer existed–my humanity–and he reminded me of what it was like to be human. I missed it more than I thought possible.

“Please don’t go.” He followed me to the front, watching me wiping at the tears with the back of my hand.

Stupid tears.

 I should not be crying.

But I knew why. A part of me mourned for my humanity, and although I could harden myself to stop the crying, I didn’t. I turned and tried to smile, but failed. “I have to, Max. Maybe I’ll see you around.” I stood on my tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “Thanks again. It was nice talking to you.”

“Can I at least walk you to your car?”

“No. I’ll be fine.”

 “You don’t look fine. Just let me walk you to the parking lot.”

“No. It’s not safe,” I barked.

He jerked his head back. A mixture of confusion and surprise entered his face. I panicked and left quicker than I should have. I made my way to the end of the pier and stepped into the shadows on the other side of the building, violently shaking. Hugging myself, I slid down the white, clapboard siding in an attempt to gain control.

“Paige,” Max whispered outside the front door.

The sound of his feet moving in my direction, knocked against my eardrums. He was looking for me through this soupy fog, and I knew I had to get out of here. Then my ears rang. I rose to my feet, hearing footsteps to my left. Then I heard them in the front of the building, and again to my left.

Crap!

I looked around, squinting through the fog to make sure Max was okay. I turned to my left, and Roeick stood right in front of me as if he had materialized out of thin air. But before I could react, he smothered my face in a cloth drenched in a strong, sweet smelling substance. A sharp pain pierced my brain. Then everything went black.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Nathan

My hair and face were dripping wet from the rain, thanks to the wind slanting it sideways, straight into my face. I thought about stopping and trying to contact Paige, but then decided against it. I’d already called her ten times and left messages explaining the situation with no success. A desperate hollowness made camp inside my chest, the product of my fear.

Why wasn’t she picking up her phone? Was she lost to me?

Redirecting my thoughts to the task at hand, I entered the dense forest off highway 26. Shafts of moonlight streamed through the canopy of trees, throwing rays of white light around me. A billowy mist covered the ground, and I slowed to a rapid stride, moving along the dead leaves and twigs. An owl hooted from above, then a burst of wings exploded through the leaves in front of me. My heart lurched, causing me to stop and get my bearings.

Jesus Christ! Damned bird.

The forest came to life as I calculated how much farther I had to go. Small critters scurried along, rubbing against the underbrush, making splashing sounds in the small pools of water. The rain had reduced to a slow drip. Raindrops hit the foliage and splattered against each other, echoing in my ears. In the distance, a high-pitched whistling sound ripped through the night, followed by a low and throaty grunt. Then another one followed–elk’s bugle.

 Unalarmed, I headed south, trekking down a sloping terrain. I could smell a river ahead–dank and fishy. According to Carrie’s directions, the cabin wasn’t far from it. As soon as I thought about Paige possibly being held captive there, I bristled and quickened my pace. Through the spaces between the trees, I could see the surface of the river. With the moonlight reflecting, the water looked like a sheet of black glass gleaming through the ghostly mist. It was eerily still, which for some reason made me really nervous. My gut twisted, and I had a bad, bad feeling. I stopped and dropped my head into my hands when a sharp stabbing pain shot through it, making my eyes water. Paige was in trouble. I knew it.

Something inside me snapped. I dropped my hands as a burning heat crept up my neck. I raised my head, focusing my eyes beyond the river. My hands balled into fists, and my heart hammered against my rib cage as adrenaline coursed through my veins. All I could think about was getting to the cabin and saving Paige. I ran and leaped over the huge body of water. When my feet landed on the ground, I continued to run until the cabin came into view. It was a small, simple looking structure, nestled among the trees in this remote area. I could smell firewood burning and saw smoke snaking from the chimney.

As I neared the cabin, my ears rang. I paused and could make out somebody rummaging inside. Tilting my head, I listened intently and heard only one beating heart, which meant Paige wasn’t there. But it didn’t quell my rage. If anything, it fueled it. My body jerked forward and in lightning speed, I burst through the wooden door. It cracked and splintered before banging against the pine walls. I stopped in the center of a sparsely furnished living room and listened.

“So, you decided to bring the little bitch here after all.” Aosoth’s pitchy voice came from a back room to the left of the kitchen. She continued in an annoyed tone. “I told you not to bring her here, and--” She let out a choked scream when I rushed in her room and grabbed her by the throat, pinning her to a mirrored wall. Her brown eyes were huge, her mouth forming around the word “you.”

“Where is she, Aosoth?” I snarled.

 Her foot flew up in an attempt to kick me, but I blocked it with my knee and threw her across the room. I hadn’t realized the walls were covered in mirrors until she smashed into another one. It cracked, spider webbing, then shattered, raining shards of glass on her head. Beside her, dangling from the ceiling, was a black hanging swing with padded stirrups. Trying to catch her breath, she grabbed it and pulled herself up, her bare knees crunching on broken glass.

I reached above her, yanked it down and out of her grip. She fell forward with a grunt. I caught a quick glimpse of my reflection. My ears were red, my eyes blazing out of a stone-cold face. “You should’ve backed off,” I said, ignoring the cunning person in the mirror. In one swift move, I wrapped the nylon straps around her body, pulling it tight, restraining her arms to her sides. “And don’t think I’m going to let you off easily by killing this human,” I added as I ripped off loose straps and snatched her ankles.

“Go to hell!” she hollered.

I glared, and she sucked a sharp intake of breath. “Wrong answer.” I twisted one of her ankles, snapping it, causing her to howl in pain. I wrapped the strap around her ankles and pulled it tight, garnering another wail.

She wiggled her body like a worm. A futile attempt to loosen the straps I supposed. I lifted her and threw her over my shoulder as I walked around the four-poster bed. The bathroom light was on, and when she tried to bite my back, I dropped her like a sack of potatoes. Her head made a sickening thunk against the white tile floor. She rolled to her side, cursing in Latin.

With the toe of my boot, I flipped the toilet seat up and grabbed her by the hair. Dragging her to the front of the commode, I forced her on her knees.

“I’m going to ask you again. Where is she?” I pushed her face into the bowl, inches above the water.

“I–I don’t know,” she said, then made a weird gurgling noise when I submerged her face. I held her there for half a minute, then pulled her back by her long brown hair. She spat and coughed, trying to breathe.

“You know where she is. If you don’t tell me, I’m going to do this until I get bored.” I yanked her head back, forcing her to look at me. A laser beam of light flashed across her iris. Water dripped down her face. “Believe me. You don’t want me to get bored.”

She sneered and curled her lips over her teeth. “Flocci non facio.”

“Oh, but you will give a damn.” I shoved her face back into the liquid, splashing it over the bowl. I stepped on her broken ankle, slowly pushing my weight down. Her head jerked back and forth in my hand, and she let out a gurgling, choked scream. I leaned my knee into the center of her back and dunked her face deeper into the bowl. She squirmed beneath me as panic began to set in. I waited, then jerked her head back. “Well, I’m bored now, so if you’re not going to tell me, we’ll move on to something more entertaining.” I shoved her, and she fell sideways, gasping for air. I searched the bathroom, looking through drawers and cabinets, until I found it. Rubbing alcohol.

She was coughing and gagging, rapidly blinking her eyes from the water dripping in them. “Irrumator!”

Ignoring her calling me a bastard, I grabbed her legs and pulled her into the living room. I released her near the stone fireplace and searched the room and kitchen for a rope. I couldn’t find one, but I did find a long electrical cord. I wound it around my hand and dragged a wooden kitchen chair to the living room. The scraping noise against the wood floor filled the silence. I set the chair beside Aosoth, picked her up, forced her into it, and wrapped the cord around her. I moved the chair in front of the couch and sat. When I pulled a knife from my front pocket, her eyes widened.

I flipped the blade up, clicking it into place. “Where’s Paige, Elizabeth?” I used her human name to throw her off. It worked. Her face paled.

“How–how do you know my name?”

Her short black vinyl skirt rode up her thighs, and I slowly ran the blade across them between the nylon straps. “I know more than you think.” Her thighs trembled, and I lifted my gaze, fixing my eyes on hers. “If you don’t tell me where Paige is, I’m going to cut up parts of your body, and then pour alcohol into your gaping wounds. Once I get bored with that, I’ll move on to something worse.”

“She’s with Roeick!” she said and continued in a rush, “He called earlier and said he bumped into Paige when he went to pick up our dinner. I told him not to bring her here, and he said he had just the place for her.”

I stuck the point of the blade beneath her chin. My voice was low and dangerous. “Where?”

“I–I don’t know. It’s a new place he hasn’t shown me yet. He told me he’d call me to tell me where it’s at.”

“Where’s your cell phone?”

“On the bed.”

I went into the bedroom, snatched her phone and resumed my position in front of her, pressing the knife blade into her thigh.

“If you press redial, you’ll get him.”

I did what she said. It rang and rang and rang until it clicked to voice mail.

Damn it!

“Roeick, this is Nathan. I have Aosoth. If you want to see her again, you better tell me where Paige is. If not, I’ll torture her. You’ll be next, and so will everybody else you ever loved. I have Aosoth’s cell. Call it.” I tossed the phone beside me. “Son-of-a-bitch.”

“How do you know my name?” Aosoth demanded. “Nobody knows my human name. Not even the ‘old one.’”

I lifted the knife off her thigh. “You mean Bael.”

“What? That’s his name?”

“It is.” The rapid beating of my heart pulsed in my ears. All I could think about was Roeick being alone with Paige. What was he doing to her? I couldn’t stand waiting much longer. Horrific images flipped through my mind like a criminologist turning over photos of a slain victim.

And then Aosoth threw back her head and let out a shrill laugh, startling me. I shoved her chest, knocking her backwards. The chair landed with a loud bang. She continued to laugh hysterically. “No wonder . . . he’s like a moth, wanting to be near the light inside Paige. Not only does he want the power to control the dark spirits, but he wants to bask in the light. It makes sense now.” She paused to catch her breath. When she did, her voice turned dark and cold. “But I hate that bitch. I hate her!”

I had no idea what the hell she was rambling about. Nor did I care. She was mad, but when she said that about Paige, she went too far. I pushed her chair up, swiped the knife blade across her thighs and doused the wedge shape gaping holes with alcohol. She shrieked in pain and whimpered as the sharp smell of alcohol reached my nose. I pulled away and wiped the blade on the dark-green couch cushion, eyeing the watery red liquid running down her legs, pooling on the floor.

The phone rang.

I grabbed it and pushed the talk button. “Roeick, where is she?”

“She’s right here, Nathan.” A sharp cracking noise erupted in the background, and I felt a crushing blow to my chest when I heard Paige’s agonizing scream.

I jumped off the couch and paced, beyond pissed. I could barely get the words out when I spoke. “You’re going to pay for this,” I growled.

Aosoth looked at me and for the first time tonight I saw downright fear in her eyes. “Tell him,” she yelled in a panic, scratchy voice.

“I’ll tell you where we’re at.” Roeick’s whole demeanor changed when he heard the terror in Aosoth’s voice. He sounded worried now. “I’ll exchange Paige for Aosoth, but you have to promise you won’t hurt us.”

“Stop hurting Paige and leave her alone,” is all I said.

“I will. I will.”

I knew Aosoth’s deep-seated hatred of Paige, and her power-hungry nature would propel her to continue pursuing her obsessions. Therefore, Roeick would as well. I needed to do something to them to make them think twice before they tried another stunt like this. But he was already going to pay for what he had done to Paige, so it didn’t make much difference.

“I accept your proposal. Now give me the directions.”