Demon's Doorway (6 page)

"They were nice people, weren't they, Oscar?"

Oscar opened his eyes briefly, green, narrow slits, and mewed. The crowds of people making noise didn't bother him in the least.

His attention was drawn once again to Best Buy, as a small crowd gathered in front of the TV display. Another update was on about the kidnapping at the Smithsonian. It was the only interesting thing Kevin had to listen to all day, although it was a horrible story. More details had finally gone public, and the story had already spread throughout the nation.

It was officially a kidnapping. The child was Robbie Reigns, son of wealthy businessman Todd Reigns. Kevin's heart went out to the father as he stood behind a podium at a press conference, directly addressing the kidnappers.

It had turned into a ransom case.

"We've received your demands," he said. His eyes were red, his voice shaky. "Please, don't harm my son. We're working now to make sure everything you've asked for is met."

The crowd watching broke apart as the news segment ended. They whispered and talked amongst themselves, pulling their own children a little closer.

Kevin wondered if he could make a tracking potion or trinket of some kind. He'd read his spell-book, the history of his family and a few others, several times. Sometimes the reading inspired him, and new potions or upgrades to old ones popped in his mind. He didn't know how it worked, and stopped questioning it. If he read pieces of it once more, and kept Robbie Reigns in his thoughts, would something happen? Could he find the young boy?

He honestly doubted it. It seemed the stronger potions usually involved some very strange ingredients. In the case of a theoretical tracking potion, he would probably need skin or something personal from the boy.

A group of women stopped near the restroom across from Best Buy, pulling him from his thoughts. They were in their twenties, and Kevin had no problem admiring the view. They hadn't yet got the message that summer was over, and he appreciated their shorts and low-cut shirts.

One woman slightly bent over, holding a hand to her head. Her friends tended to her from both sides.

"My head is killing me."

"Is it a migraine again?"

"No, but I hope one's not coming on."

Kevin grabbed a small bottle of water, hidden away in his long coat on the table. His coat held many different ingredients, but water was his introduction to the world of magic, and was key in many potions and trinkets.

He covered the opening with his thumb and tucked the bottle under the table. The world around him didn't see the water turn blue for ten seconds.

"Uh, hello?" he called.

The women noticed him, and he gestured for them to come. They approached, curiosity in their eyes, their heels tapping the floor.

"Are you okay?" he asked the woman in the middle. "Do you need a drink of water?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you."

She took a long drink, and her friends noticed Oscar sleeping on the table.

"Aww! You have a black cat!"

The four talked for several minutes, about Oscar. The ladies cooed him and ran their hands down his fur. They laughed together when he rolled on his back to show his belly. He didn't bring Oscar to work to get attractive women close to him. He just wanted Oscar's company. But he wouldn't chase the women away, either.

Black cat or not, Oscar must have been good luck. They actually introduced themselves. Bree, Carly, and Rhonda. Carly was the one with the headache. Rhonda seemed like she might have been interested in him.

"Well, we have to go," Bree said. "It was so nice meeting you. Carly? Are you feeling okay?"

Carly was surprised at the answer to the question, and Kevin's lip curled slightly.

"Wow. Yeah, I actually feel great."

"All we needed was an adorable cat and a cute guy," Rhonda said.

The three walked away. Rhonda turned her head to give one last look. They leaned close to each other and giggled quietly. Kevin wondered if he should have asked for her phone number.

He sighed in defeat. What was the point?

"Ah, Oscar," he said, reaching for his cat's tiny dish. "For that, you deserve some nice magical healing water. You earned it." He turned his attention back to his game of checkers. "Why can I never win if I'm red? It's so weird."

There was a voice behind him.

"Well, we've got the witch and cat. All we need is a cauldron and a broomstick, and we've got ourselves a party."

He looked over his shoulder. "Victoria!"

They both laughed as they shared a hug, drawing attention from the people nearby. She looked the same as always, deceptively beautiful. Long, red hair, pale skin, bright green eyes, supernaturally enhanced figure. Underneath all that beauty was a frightening creature with fangs and a thirst for blood. They'd started out as enemies, but became good friends. They talked every few weeks, and had a Skype video call a month ago.

He gestured to the other chair at the table. She had a wrapped present with her.

"Sit down, sit down. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just passing through the neighborhood."

Oscar stood up and stretched, making a pass in front of Victoria. He cried for attention, and Victoria happily obliged, even though she was surprised. Most animals stayed away from her.

"Yeah, right," Kevin said.

"I should ask
you
what you're doing here." She waved around her. "What is this?"

"It's what I do now. I don't work at Friday's anymore. There's a bunch of these little kiosks around the mall. I watch a few of them, a different one each day."

"That sounds…boring."

"Oh, no, it's exciting as hell. I get to watch people, all day long. Three people will walk up and buy something, and my life is complete. I was born for this. And my checker skills…never been better."

Victoria simply shook her head and laughed, still absorbing the surroundings. Her gaze fell on the TV display at Best Buy, and Kevin's eyes lit up.

"Hey, I know. Let's go find that missing boy. D.C., right? That's not too far away."

She smiled. "I don't normally get involved in mortal affairs like that."

"What if a goblin kidnapped him?"

"Then I'd have heard about it by now."

"You're no fun." He was quiet a moment, letting the subject drop. "So, what's happening on your end?"

"Actually, my life right now is revolving around a wedding. You remember Alex?"

"No. I forgot about the guy with glowing eyes that can fly."

"He's getting married in two days."

Kevin's brow furrowed. "To another demon?"

She playfully smacked his shoulder. "What? No. To a woman. A wonderful woman."

He said nothing, lost in his own thoughts. Victoria watched him, studying his body language and expression.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine. I'm happy for him. He's a cool dude."

Victoria didn't push further, but would remember to revisit the matter later. She grabbed the neatly-wrapped box next to her and set it on the table. Oscar was immediately interested, pawing at the wrapping.

"What's this?"

"A present for you."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Open it."

She kept her sadness in check as Kevin ripped at the box. His simple astonishment at receiving a gift reinforced the fact that he didn't receive many.

Kevin laughed as he balled up the wrapping for Oscar to play with. He turned the box over in his hands, noticing the smile on Victoria's face.

"We agreed I owed you a laptop," she said.

"Yeah, my last one died. Most laptops die from a shot motherboard. Mine was actually
shot
by a bullet. But it saved a lot of lives, right?"

"You wouldn't believe how many."

"Then it was worth it." He held the box up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm not a tech girl. The salesman said that was a good one."

"He was right."

"Is that what you like to do? Computers? Maybe you should push for that, and not sit in a mall all day."

He checked the time. "Actually, what I want to do is go home. Just an hour and a half to go."

"Kevin—"

He held up a hand, asking for quiet. She followed his stare to a man approaching them. Young, probably just out of high school, with a patchy beard. He looked around nervously as he approached the table.

"Hey, Kevin," he said. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

"It's cool." Kevin gestured to Victoria. "Don't worry. She's a friend. Victoria, this is Josh."

"Do you got it?"

Kevin set his present down and reached under his coat, splayed out across the other end of the table. He felt through the unusual things he always carried with him. Salt, pepper, water, glasses, empty vials, markers, snake blood, baking soda. His fingers finally found the vial he was looking for, marked with a piece of tape.

"Ah, here we go."

Kevin handed Josh the vial, and Josh handed over a hundred dollar bill. Victoria's jaw dropped.

"Okay, now, listen," Kevin said. "You still have to study. The night before all your tests, drink that, and read everything you can. You'll remember it all. It doesn't matter what it is. If you read War and Peace, you'll remember every word for the next forty-eight hours."

"Thanks, man. You're a life-saver."

Josh tucked the potion in his pocket and walked away. Kevin sat down next to Victoria once again, and finally noticed the stunned expression on her face. He looked at her curiously, wondering what it took to make a four-hundred-year-old vampire speechless.

"What?"

"Did you just…
sell
a potion to that young man?"

Kevin smiled. "A memory potion. Five dollars and five minutes to make. And he gave me a hundred dollars. I guess it's worth it when he passes all his exams."

She said nothing. She looked back and forth at the retreating Josh and the coat on the table. Finally, she met Kevin's gaze, and he recognized the anger.

"Are you forgetting that a year ago, one of the most influential vampires tried to have you killed for simply
existing
? Witch-hunters, attacks on your family, nearly dying. Does any of this jog your memory?"

He was genuinely confused. "Uh…it's a memory potion. It's not the Black Death."

"Part of the deal for you to be left alone is to keep a low profile. Selling magic is
not
a low profile."

"Okay. So, when
you
need magic, it's okay. But making a little money for myself? Nope, not allowed."

"Now you're comparing saving millions of lives with helping a student cheat."

"
Millions
? Millions of lives? Really?" He shook the statement from his mind. "Victoria, look, again, it's just a memory potion. They don't even know it's magic. They probably think it's some kind of crazy energy drink."

"And if he tells his friends? And they tell theirs?"

"Hmm. Then maybe I can actually make some real money."

She leaned back and crossed her arms, shaking her head. "I see now why your sister called me."

"Kristin…did what?"

"She's worried about you. Says you don't do anything. You just work, and stay in the basement. You don't talk on the phone—"

"Guys don't talk on the phone."

"You don't go out with friends—"

"I don't have any friends."

"You don't do anything a normal nineteen-year-old should."

Kevin laughed sarcastically. "And what does a nineteen-year-old witch do?"

His voice was getting louder, drawing a few odd stares from couples strolling by. Victoria calmly gestured for him to quiet down.

"Victoria, this is me," he said, holding his hands outward. "What's Kristin worrying about? I've always been a loner."

"You had friends."

"No,
Rachel
had friends. I visited her at college, went out with her new crew a few times. But they were never
my
friends."

"Ah, finally. So, that's what this is about? Rachel?"

He rolled his eyes. "God, now you sound just like Kristin. I'm over Rachel, I promise. There's no bitterness or anything. She didn't cheat on me. She wasn't freaked out about what I am. She just didn't want to be with me anymore. It happens, you know? Us young, stupid kids go to college, and lives change. I know it's not the end of the world. I've actually went on a few dates since we broke up."

"And how did they turn out?"

He said nothing, and that told Victoria all she needed to know.