Demon of Desire

The sun peeked through layer upon layer of clouds. Strands of the sun’s rays sneaked into the gym, bringing light into the somber room. Sloan stood between Jake and BB, holding on to them.

They watched from a respectful distance as Ike and Spike mounted Eric’s portrait on the wall. They stood around, staring into nothing, managing the silence the best way they could…with silence.

“I’m going to go,” Sloan whispered into Jake’s ear before sneaking out.

“Hey wait,” Jake said grabbing her arm. “Where are you going? I could come with you.”

“The cemetery, and I need to go alone. I like handling the hard stuff alone, with my parents of course.” She gave him a quick kiss before running out the front door.

In her mind she was navigating her bike toward the cemetery but she was shocked to find herself just outside Levy’s apartment building. She sat there for a while, asking herself if it was a good idea to be there with him instead of being back home with her grieving family. But, yet again, she yielded to the light tug directing her into the building.

“So what happened?” Ali put her foot on the coffee table and zipped her long leather boot.

“I raided the house and, when it looked like I was getting nowhere, I killed one of them. I’m hoping she will be scared shitless and run into my waiting arms.” He twirled the brandy in his glass before throwing it all at the back of his throat.

“You are in love with her, Kellan, but do not let that stop you from doing what you are supposed to.” She cupped his check and gave him an air kiss.

“I’m not capable of love and besides, we are halfway there. Now it’s all a matter of waiting.” He chuckled then kissed her palm.

“Do you think she got ‘damaged’ all those years ago? She was very tiny and your claws can dig deep.”

“I don’t think so. We just have to wait. Patience—” His head turned in the direction of the elevator, and a smile crept on his face “You better leave. I told her you were back in Mexico.”

“Mexico isn’t as warm as where I’m going. Ciao, my love, and get it done.” She blew him a kiss and faded into thin air.

Kellan stood in front of the elevator and waited for the doors to open, and once they did he held out his arms for her. Sloan ran into them, throwing her arms around his neck and desperately trying not to cry. She didn’t say a word when he hoisted her up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom. She needed all the comforting she could get.

“We’ve made love, cuddled, you’ve had something to eat, so don’t you think it’s time you told me what’s bothering you?” Levy said later as he pulled the tray of pastries away from her.

She wore one of his white cotton bathrobes and sat on the bed with her legs crossed. “What would make you think that something is wrong?”

“I know you, and if there was nothing wrong with you, you would have answered back with something sassy and rude.”

“You know me so well.” She took a deep breath then let it out slowly. “One of my house mates died yesterday.”

“Sorry to hear that. What happened?” His fake concern was mimicked by his hand as he rubbed her arm.

“A freak accident.” She was used to telling lies, but for the first time she wanted to say what she felt. “I’m lying.”

“Really.”

“It was a freak accident but—I don’t know how to explain this without seeming crazy.” She twisted her thumbs in the arms of the robe.

“Trust me, nothing you tell me will ever make me doubt your sanity any more than I do now.” He smiled.

“Gee, thanks. I’m glad to know I have your vote of confidence when the men in white come here with a straightjacket to whisk me away to the happy hut,” she mumbled as she stared down at her fingers.

“Stop beating around the bush, spit it out. I swear not to have you committed.” He slid his finger under her chin and raised her head, then looked into her eyes. “Trust me.”

Trust me. Those two words did more damage to her than he could ever realize, but at that moment they were the key to her chamber of secrets. She swirled the words in her mouth first before saying them out loud.

“My parents were killed by a demon. That’s what left the marks on my back. I think I told you that already.”

“We are back to that? Okay, let me guess…the demon choked your friend to death?”

“Don’t mock me. He didn’t choke him to death. He was engulfed by a ball of fire.” Sloan felt insane uttering those words. She didn’t know what was worse, the look in Levy’s eyes or the fact that she felt crazy.

“A ball of fire.” He chuckled. “Let me guess. A huge red man with a tail, horns, and a pitch fork was standing next to it.”

“Is that supposed to be the devil?” A tone of annoyance escaped her lips.

“Trust me, that is exactly what he looks like.”

“I think I’m going to go now,” she said as she leaped off the bed.

“Please don’t go. Have you thought about my offer? Move in with me, Sloan, and leave all this insanity behind you.”

“No.” Her answer was firm and, she realized then, that was the only true fact she knew. “I’m going to catch the thing that killed my family and my friend and my friends’ families. My life is stuck in this warp until then.”

* * * *

“You let her go out alone!” a miffed Archer yelled at the top of his lungs.

“You are using the wrong head to reason, Jake,” Axel teased.

“She’s just going to the cemetery and besides, according to you he wouldn’t hurt her,” Jake yelled back.

“I’m not sure, but I think there is a reason why he spent so much time with her. Don’t you think the fact she is still alive is suspicious?”

Jake shrugged in response.

“Next time regulate the blood flow to the head that sits on your shoulders.” Archer got on his bike, ready to look for Sloan, but she pulled up into the garage.

“What’s up, family?” She turned off the engine.

“‘What’s up, family’—is that all you are going to say?” Archer asked.

“Why? What would you rather I call you? I don’t think we are the mafia. We are organized but we don’t do any crime. Or would you prefer mi familia?” At the last words she feigned a Spanish accent.

“Where have you been, numb nuts?” Axel asked.

“Cemetery, didn’t Jake tell you?” She got off her bike and snuggled next to Jake.

“I did, but they still went off on me. They were worried about you after what happened yesterday?”

She realized the seriousness of the situation and dropped the jokes. “Sorry, guys, I never thought of it that way. I’m really sorry.”

“Its fine, just don’t go out alone anymore,” Archer said.

“I need a crash course on this guy we are hunting and a timeline. When are we going to kill him and how fast can we start the search again?” She was straight to the point and her voice was matter of fact.

“What’s the hurry, is there someplace you need to be?” Axel tilted her head to the side as she eyed her suspiciously.

“Yes, actually, the sooner we find the fleabag the sooner we kill him and the sooner I get back to my life. Or, in a real sense, the sooner I get to start my life over. This is not a career choice for me and I don’t plan on doing this for the rest of my existence.” She knew for sure that once this life was over there was no way she could go on seeing both Levy and Jake at the same time. She would have to make a decision, and the faster that time came the better for her.

“This isn’t what we thought we would do for the rest of our lives either.” Axel took an angry step forward. “Don’t you think that I wanted to go to college, have a family, make a name for myself?”

Archer held his sister back. “I’m sure that’s not what she meant. It’s not easy to find Kellan, and if it were we would have killed him years ago. But it’s not.”

“Not then but now it is.” A smirk danced on Axel’s lips.

“That’s not a good idea.” Archer shot it down.

“Let’s ask her.”

“I won’t allow it.” Jake had been a spectator in the family squabbles, but now he had to speak up. “I will not allow it.”

“One,” Sloan cut in. “You have no say in any decision that I make and two, what is Axel talking about?”

“I’m talking about using you as bait. You are tied to Kellan because of the scar on your back, and he has been tracking you,” Axel explained.

“But he also has a scar on his neck. Why not use him as bait?” Sloan put her fingers on Archer’s neck.

“Because he didn’t get it from Kellan, he got it from his mate. She is not obsessed with him as much as Kellan is with you.” Axel put both her hands on Sloan’s shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. “So what do you say, cuz, can we hook you up and dangle you before the devil?”

“Yeah, sure, why don’t we do that? I always wanted to die at eighteen. Hell, I think nineteen is so last season,” she stated sarcastically.

“That isn’t what she meant either.” Archer clearly felt like a referee standing in between two women ready to claw each other’s eyes out. “We just need for you to get him close enough to kill him. And the only way to do that is by keeping you close to us.”

Immediately the words left his lips a moment of the previous night came to mind. As the bodies fell from the walls they all formed a shield around her, protecting her from something.

“Is that what that was yesterday? You all just stood around me.” She looked at each of their faces, waiting for a response but searching for an answer. “Is there an echo in this room? Answer me?”

“Yes, we were protecting you. We took you with us last night because we hoped that he would turn up and he did. I’ve gone up against this dude before and barely made it out alive,” Archer said.

“Congratulations, you are a true survivor,” she hissed.

“He does the maximum damage and the only reason I survive is because his mate marked me, but otherwise I should be dead right now.”

“Wonderful, you have a fan. Get to the point, please.”

“He didn’t want to hurt you. He waited until you were out safely before trapping Eric in the house.” They all went silent as Sloan absorbed it all.

“In a nutshell, what you are saying is if Eric had gone before me he would still be alive. Thanks for letting me know. I don’t feel guilty at all.” She slumped back and leaned on the wall.

“Yes and no, but he is attached to you and has been for the past two years. You are the only one who can kill him.”

“How will I know it’s him?”

“He has been hanging around you and you have spoken to him before.”

“I have spoken with hundreds of guys this past year alone. You aren’t narrowing anything down.”

“That is why Archer, Jake, and I will be shadowing you from now on. This way we can point him out, and when you are ready you will kill him,” Axel put in.

“When, before or after I ask him out for lunch? I need some time alone.” Sloan turned toward the door.

“This will all end soon. You just have to help us.”

“Thanks, that’s no pressure at all. I’m so relieved that people’s lives do not depend on whether or not I can kill a guy I know.” She banged the door behind her.

* * * *

Axel and Archer stood at the bottom of the stairs, hiding behind the railing, and watched as Jake went after Sloan.

“Where are you going?” Jake stood at the bottom of the staircase as Sloan ran down.

It was dark and Sloan needed to ride her bike with the night air in her face to help her think. It was a response her housemates had come to know well. She had been in a rush to find a way to kill the source of her destabilized life, and finding out that she was the answer probably made it all too surreal.

“I’m going out for a ride. Let me guess, you are my detail tonight.” She stretched out her hand to Jake and he took it gently in his own.

“I am the only detail you have got. I thought it would be a better way for us to spend more time together without any interruptions.” He lifted the back of her hand to his lips.

“I see…you want to keep me all to yourself. Wouldn’t you want to share me with Kellan?” She probably meant it as a joke, but the reaction she got from Jake wasn’t that of amusement.

“Don’t even say that. I would never share you with anyone, especially not with that devil. I’d rather die first.”

“I didn’t know you felt that strongly about it. Just chill, you don’t have to share me.” An odd, half-guilty look crossed her face.

“I’m glad to hear that.” He pulled her into his arms and gingerly kissed her neck.

* * * *

Sloan was clearly lying again, but one thing Axel knew for sure was that the lies would come to an end soon. Until then she used her sex to distract the poor boy. Sloan ran her arms up and down his back.

“I think I changed my mind. I don’t want to go out after all,” she whispered into his ear.

“I like the way you think.”

“What now?” Axel lay back on the sofa, her feet on Archer’s legs.

“Now we wait. Jake is with her and he will know what to do if Kellan turns up.”

“Has Jake seen him before?” she mumbled as she chewed on a licorice stick.

“I have a picture of him…actually a newspaper clipping from the nineteen nineties.” He pushed her feet off him and walked to the wall-unit drawers. Taking something out, he came back with a piece of laminated paper in his hand. “There isn’t a recent photograph of him, and this is all I have.”

Axel took the picture and looked at it from all sides. “You laminated it.”

“As I said, it’s old and I needed to preserve it.”

“One thing is for certain, he is pretty cute.” She held the picture up closer to her eyes.

“Could you please not have a thing for this guy? Keep in mind that he is a demon and we have to kill him.” Archer sat back down and propped his legs over the coffee table.

“Just because I am on a strict human diet doesn’t mean I can’t admire his devilish good looks.” She chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” BB walked into the room with her hands full of a sandwich and a cola.

“You eat more than the guys in this house. Axel, does she have to eat so much?” Archer pouted.

“Why don’t you guys just make out and get rid of all this sexual tension building up between you,” Axel teased.

“Are you crazy?” Archer sniped.

“I’d much rather make out with that guy.” BB peered into the photo in Axel’s hand. “Hey, I know that dude. He’s the ‘last seen with’ guy.” She laughed.

“What do you mean?” Axel sat up in panic.

“You have seen this guy before?” Archer grabbed the photo and put it close to BB’s face.

“I’m a hog, not blind. I can see perfectly fine without you sticking that thing in my face.” She pushed his hand away. “And to answer your question, yes, I have seen this guy before. In fact I think I still have his picture in my cell.”

She gave Archer the sandwich and cola, then pulled her phone out of her pocket. Scrolling through her gallery she found the image she was looking for.

“Here.” She held the phone up to them. “Why—who is he?”

“Where did you get this picture from?”

“This is Sloan’s boy—I mean friend back in high school. He used to take her out plenty of times.” She took her sandwich from Archer and took a large bite. “Why?”

“He is—” Archer’s line of thought was broken when Axel elbowed him in the chest.

“He is an old friend of our family. We haven’t seen him in a while, but it’s good to know that he still keeps in touch,” Axel lied.

“Awesome,” BB mumbled, her mouth still full.

“Do you think you could find out if Sloan still sees him?” Axel held up her cola for her.

“I’m sure she still does. Who do you think got her the BMW and the full ride to NYU? Don’t forget the spontaneous trip to México…it was all him. I wish I had such family friends.”

“Does she still see him now?” Archer’s voice was more impatient.

“Why don’t you ask her Siamese twin, Jake. Or better yet, ask Sloan. Geez, people, I’m not the gossip column.” She plopped down in the arm chair and concentrated on her meal.

Axel and Archer exchanged concerned glances, but they knew that they had come one step closer to finding Kellan.

“Umm, BB, do you think you could ask Sloan where he lives?” Archer asked.

“What? Why would I want to do that?” BB got up and left the two in the room.

Once he was sure that BB was out of hearing range, he confided in Axel. “Edwin called me when he first saw him. He had been going to Sloan’s school disguised as an entrepreneur saying that Sloan was his protégé. But when he saw me he backed off. Then one night he just left town. After her graduation Sloan went missing, then she was back a day later with a new car and a new tan.”

“What is he playing at? What does he want from her?”

“We need to just wait and see, but this changes everything.” Archer waved as Jake and Sloan walked into the front door and headed up the stairs.

* * * *

“Sir, you haven’t been at ease since taking Sloan back home.” Gabriel held out a glass of whiskey to Kellan as he paced around his room.

“I had to take her back there. If I had taken her away they would have suspected it was me. I’m sure they have discovered our connection by now. I don’t want them to know I am here, not yet.” He tilted his head back and splashed the drink down his throat before picking up the bottle and guzzling it all down.

“Sir, you seem distressed.” Gabriel replaced the empty bottle with a new one.

“What was your first clue?” He sat on the couch with the empty bottle in his hand. “The underworld has promised an uprising and naturally I am with them. There is nothing more fun than tormenting humans, but now with Sloan among them I’m on the fence about the whole thing.”

“I’m sure Madam Ali will be able to reach an understanding with her people.”

“She might be queen of the underworld but, like God, she gave them free will. If only I could get Sloan away from the hunters then the demons can be free to wreak havoc on this world. Refill my bottle.”

Gabriel poured a tot into a glass but gave Kellan the bottle. “What do you plan on doing now?”

“I shall wait for my wife to get back, and if there is no hope of us stopping the party I will have to get Sloan out of the line of fire.” He downed the other bottle of whiskey and threw the bottle out the window. “Gabriel, bring me another case of that.”

Ali swayed into the room and sat on Kellan’s lap before pointing at the empty bottles on the table. “I can’t believe you started without me.”

“I was too nervous to wait. But Gabriel is going to fetch us a new case.” Kellan waved him away with his finger. “Tell me, my darling, how did it turn out?”

“Let’s just say that you should be putting all your worldly treasures in one little box,” she whispered as she nibbled on his ear.

* * * *

Ali grabbed a torch from one of the hooks on the wall and lit her way down the dark, stone-walled corridor. She had walked down the murky tunnels for centuries and she knew the columns by heart.

“It’s two thousand and eleven, and for the life of me I don’t know why he insists on keeping it like it’s one zero eleven.” She scraped the wall with her finger, untangling the webs that seemed to be as old as the stone itself.

She felt the air shift and she immediately knew she wasn’t alone. “Glad you could join me, Kellan. I was beginning to think you would never show.”

“We both know that’s not true. Who am I to defy a summoning from the devil himself?”

Ali stopped, tossing her hair back and turned to face him. “Is that sarcasm I hear, husband?”

“I would never do that.” He took a step forward, leading her to a greater, more open room.

“Aguares.” Ali’s accent sounded the ‘g’ like an ‘h’ and her ‘r’ rolled off her tongue, echoing from the top of her mouth.

“How would you like it if I called you Succubus?” A seemingly elderly man sat on a stone throne. His long, decayed nails rapped on the stone, as his unkempt beard dangled from his chin.

“How have you been, Father?” She dropped to a knee before his feet and slightly bent her head.

“Have you no respect?” Aguares said to Kellan.

“Forgive me.” He knelt a half-step behind Ali but got up as soon as his knee touched the scum on the ground.

“Ali, I am impatient. When I’m I going to get the next leader of the underworld?” Aguares did not take his eye off Kellan as he spoke.

“You don’t have to burn a hole into me, sir. It’s only a matter of time,” Kellan responded.

“Patience, Father. Kellan will get it done,” Ali assured him.

“The question is, will he be able to get the girl to go along with all of this?”

Kellan didn’t know what he meant, but he knew that he would take Sloan if he didn’t do anything to stop him. “She does what I tell her.”

“Are you sure about that? Being a god, no matter how small my authority is, I can see everything.” With his unsightly nail he scratched into the gravel.

“I can see into humans’ minds too—”

“But not hers, and from what I can tell you have developed a weakness for her,” Aguares said.

“I don’t have a weakness for her, and she trusts me. She will do what I tell her to,” Kellan argued once more.

Aguares looked at him with laughter in his eyes. “Maybe Ali could see what’s going on in her insignificant mind, since you can’t and I definitely cannot, thanks to you.” He combed his decayed fingers through her bouncy hair, twisting his nails into her curls.

“Ali, don’t!” Kellan hissed angrily. “You harm her and I will kill you.” His long, sausage-like fingers turned into claws as a lethal feral growl vibrated in his throat and seeped through his lips, echoing his warning.

Tilting her head to the side, she her lips curved into a wide grin. She took his threat as a challenge, knowing very well that he couldn’t kill her. With a kiss she materialized out of the room.

Kellan tried to follow her but he was cemented to the floor. No matter how hard he tried, burning out each and every ounce of his strength and power. he couldn’t move, Aguares was too strong for him.

* * * *

“So what happened down there?” Gabriel handed Kellan his usual pitcher of whiskey.

“I don’t know why I drink this stuff. It doesn’t help me.” He tossed the glass out the window and jumped to his feet with a growl.

“Gabriel, answer this question honestly. Do you think, or have I shown any indication, that I am abnormally attached to Sloan?” He walked out to the balcony and rested his weight on the railing, taking in the fresh breeze and the view of the city.

“Honestly, yes I do.” Gabriel stood a cautious distance away from him, aware of the repercussions of Kellan’s anger.

Kellan could smell his fear. “Speak freely. Do not be afraid.”

“You refer to her by her name and you are very considerate with her. Plus, you spend most of your time thinking of her.”

“But I think about all the women Aguares wants me to mate with. He wants the next best thing from demons. The new kind of Evil that is also His—” he pointed up at the sky, “—creation.”

“As you said, this is not the first one, but you care for her. It might be because your connection has been there for over a decade, but yet again it might be because you have spent too much time in the human world.” Gabriel handed him a new glass of whisky and he immediately poured it down his throat.

“I know that I have been here for decades, but I don’t think I am turning into a human or adopting their nature. She’s just different. The others didn’t mind being given orders by me…as long as they had access to my money they didn’t mind, but her— ”

“Sir, it is that kind of thinking that gets you in trouble.”

Kellan looked down when he heard the roar of a motorcycle engine. Immediately he knew who it was, and when he realized how excited he was by that sound he knew Gabriel was right. Clenching his fists at his sides, he stood upright and closed his eyes. He then took a deep breath before turning to look at his servant.

“Your posture says one thing but your eyes say another, sir. No matter how hard you try, you cannot hide the excitement you feel right now.” Gabriel picked up the empty glass and tidied up the place to make it suitable for company. He left Kellan to his thoughts and to his boyish joy and anticipation of Sloan’s arrival.

Kellan stood where he always did when Sloan came to visit, in front of the elevator doors. Gabriel, Ali, and Aguares’ voices danced inside his mind. He was torn between what he was supposed to do and what he wanted to do. Even with the dilemma, he was still aware of his true nature and knew it was only a matter of time before that kicked in.

* * * *

Sloan was back in her old bedroom. She was seated in front of the mirror and her mother was running a brush through her hair. Puzzled, she continued to stare into the mirror, not moving a single inch, scared that if she did Chemtai would disappear into thin air.

“Did you brush your teeth, sweetheart?” The words left her mother’s lips just as a beautiful tweet a Robin would coo.

“Uh-huh,” was the only thing she could manage to say.

It was like she was eight again, but her reflection in the mirror was that of an eighteen-year-old. Despite her hair being long again, nothing about her had changed.

“Mommy.” She struggled with the emotion choking her. “I miss you.”

“Why is that when I am right here with you?”

Chemtai traced the outline of Sloan’s jaw with her finger, lifting her chin up and tracing it back down her throat. Curling her long fingers around her throat, Chemtai caressed her before tightening her grip.

Sloan grabbed her mother’s fingers, desperately trying to claw them away but failing miserably. She could feel her throat dry up as her lungs desperately fought for a single breath of air. She could feel herself drifting in and out of consciousness. Her hand fell limp to her side and the only thing holding her body up were her mother’s hands.

Chemtai let go of her daughter’s neck, sending her crushing into the ground. She took a step back and watched as Sloan coiled on the floor, gasping for air.

With her hands guarding her neck, giant tears welled in Sloan’s eyes as the air painfully claimed its place in her lungs. Taking huge, deep breaths, she pulled herself into a sitting position, gazing at her mother in terror and confusion.

Chemtai took another step back and immediately the once colorful and lit room turned into a shadowy echo. Amid Sloan’s protests, Chemtai stepped back into one of the shadows, disappearing into the darkness.

“Mommy!” She scrambled to her feet and let her hands lead her in the dark, waving her hands around, hoping that in the nothingness she would feel her mother’s familiar gentle touch.

“Mommy, please.”

“You need to choose.” her voice called out.

Sloan whipped around toward the voice. “Mommy?”

A little light illuminated the room and immediately after Chemtai came into plain sight. Her long hair still sat on her shoulder and her white dress poured at her feet. But there was something different about her, and the fact that she had just tried to kill her seconds ago wasn’t it.

“You need to choose, sweetheart.” Chemtai went to her and the light moved with her. Gently she cupped her cheek and stroked her with her thumb.

“Choose what?” She leaned her head into her palm.

“Choose me.” A different voice boomed from a different side of the room. Although this time there was no light, she recognized the voice. Taking her mother’s hand, she turned toward the voice.

“What are you doing here and what do you mean? Why should I choose you?” She peered into the darkness.

“You need to choose, sweetheart.”

Sloan squeezed her mother’s hand, just to confirm she was still there. “I don’t understand…what do I need to choose?”

“You need to choose.” Levy stepped out of the darkness, but all that she could see was his face. His voice was much harsher and direct than it should be.

She stood between, them her head whipping right to left as they both persisted in asking her to choose. And then finally it dawned on her…she had to choose between the two of them, but how could she?

“No, I won’t…how could I?”

“She’s dead, come with me.” Levy extended his hand to her. “Come with me.”

Sloan stared at his hand and felt her mother’s hand in hers. She held on to it tighter than before, but her eyes never left his hand.

“Why?”

“You can’t have us both, sweetheart.” Chemtai combed her fingers through her hair.

“But, Mommy--” She shook her head as she stared at them each in turn.

Slowly Chemtai slipped her hand away and took a step back. Sloan was left at the center, all alone and clueless as before. But, just as a feeling of desolation clambered onto her, a new hand replaced the emptiness Chemtai had left. Jake stood by her side and held on to her, and immediately she felt at ease.

“I’m here. Whatever decision you make I will be right here with you.” Jake gave her a reassuring smile.

She took one last look at Levy, then at her mother, and she knew what her decision would be. Slowly she took a step to what she knew was the right direction.

Sloan woke up with a start, the cold sweat beading on her forehead. She kicked the covers off her and pulled her sweat-drenched pajamas off her body.

She stood under the shower, her body untangling as each drop of water beat on her skin, kneading into her flesh.

* * * *

“I knew I would find you here.” Jake stood next to her, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets.

“You know me so well.” Sloan turned to look at him and a flash of him from her dream came to mind. How he held onto her hand, his reassuring promise ringing in her head. “You are my superman.”

“Why would you say such a thing? Do you know something I don’t?” he joked.

“I know that you are a great guy. And that you will always look out for me. I know you don’t deserve to be mistreated and I know that someday, once all the BS is done, you are going to be a great individual.”

She looped her arm into his and rested her head on his shoulder. Sloan looked down at her mother’s grave, wondering what she was trying to tell her and asking herself how Levy was involved in it all.

“You want to get out of the cold and go home now?” Jake mumbled over the top of her head.

“Not right now. I just want to be here for a few more seconds. Under the stars with you…it’s kind of romantic.”

“Nothing screams romance as loud as a cemetery, especially when you are standing over your girlfriend’s dead parents,” he teased.

“Aren’t you funny? We can go if we have to,” she growled.

“No, its fine, we can stay here for a while.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. “We can stay for as long as you want to.”

“Thanks for keeping me company. I know this place freaks you out, so I am aware of the sacrifice you are making.” She laughed.

They walked up to the front door of the house as the sun came up. Jake lifted the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it. He looked longingly into her eyes, as if feeling like he was looking straight into her soul.

“I lo—” She started before she was interrupted.

“Where have you been?” Archer stood at the now open front door. “We were worried.”

“Thank you for ruining that moment,” Sloan grumbled as she marched past him and into the house.

“She was with me. What exactly did you think would happen? I told you she would always be safe with me.” Jake gingerly punched his shoulder and headed straight for the kitchen.

“You don’t get it. I think Kellan is back—”

“I think it’s pretty obvious that he is back. Did you miss Eric roasting in a ball of fire? She s going to be fine with me, don’t worry about it.”

Axel walked into the kitchen with an empty glass in her hand. “And he is back. So how is my little cousin?”

“Alive,” Jake responded.

“That is all I need to know.” Axel winked before breaking out in a laugh.

Up in Sloan’s room, BB’s curiosity got the best of her. Archer and Axel’s interest in Sloan’s man friend had been gnawing at her.

“Sloan, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Does it matter? You are going to ask me anyway.”

“True. When was the last time you saw Levy?” BB chewed on her finger, her eyes firmly directed at the bed cover.

Sloan wanted to tell another lie, but this was her best friend and she had to share her secrets with someone. Her dream, or rather her nightmare, was taunting her and she needed someone’s perspective. Reaching under her bed, she brought out a large box.

“Is that a body?” BB teased.

Sloan didn’t answer. She removed the top of the box and exposed a black coat. Smoothing her hand over it, she pulled it out and held it up for BB to see.

“This is his,” she whispered, hugging it.

“You miss him that much that you are hoarding his coat?” BB gave her a suspicious glance.

“No and yes. I see him every day in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep.” She held the coat tighter to her chest.

“I don’t get it. Jake takes you? I’m only asking because you came back home together.”

“I didn’t go last night. I had a strange dream so I went to the cemetery. It helps me calm down.” She took in a deep breath. “It was like my mother didn’t want me to be with him.”

“Okay, you are having dreams about your dead mother and your friend. That is creepy, but what do you mean by ‘be with him’?”

“Do not judge me, but I am kind of seeing both Jake and Levy at the same time.” Her eyes darted around the room, running from the cold gaze BB gave her. “I didn’t plan it. I can’t explain it.”

“That isn’t fair to Jake.” BB leaped off the bed.

“I know that, and I think that dream was trying to tell me something.”

“I don’t care. The only reason I asked about Levy was because Archer and Axel had a picture of him and they were asking questions. Personally, I don’t care.” She reached for the door but Sloan cut her off.

“What do you mean?” She was frightened that she had been found out.

“They had this old picture and they said it was a friend, but there was something strange about their reaction when I told them that I thought you were still seeing him.”

“I’m going to ask them.” Sloan marched out of the door and headed to where the voices were.

“Hey, cuz,” Axel chirped.

“I heard you were asking questions about Levy.” She was going to try her best to deter them.

“Levy?” Axel asked.

Archer walked past her and whispered Kellan’s name in her ear. “We were just wondering what happened to him. Uncle Edwin told us that he is a friend of yours.”

“Oh.” The response slipped out as relief took over from panic. “I haven’t seen him since high school.”

A little sound of surprise echoed from BB’s throat. To cover up she quickly shoved Jake’s sandwich in her mouth. “This is good.”

“You haven’t seen him since then?” Archer gave BB a sideways glance.

“No, no I haven’t. I heard he left the country, so I haven’t heard from him in a long time.” She quickly shoved her hands into her pockets to hide her jittery fingers.

“Are you sure?”

“Uh-huh. Definitely.” She looked around the room and decided that it was time to make a subtle exit. “I have to go take a bath. BB will be taking me to the cemetery this afternoon, unless you mind, babe?”

“No, not at all. You can have some girl time,” Jake said.

“But I don’t want to go to the cem—” BB was interrupted by Sloan’s elbow.

“That is why we are going in the afternoon. The sun will be shining bright and there will be no chance of zombies rising up,” Sloan teased. Linking her arm with BB’s, she dragged her away.

“You are going to see him, aren’t you?” BB protested once they were out of ear shot.

“I might be, and you will not be coming with me. You can go to the mall or wherever you gothic guys go to.”

* * * *

The hot mist lifted off the ground with the quiet crackling of the ground as Ali sifted through it. As her foot lifted she carried a lump of dirt and strings of fern.

“Father.” Ali took her seat beside her father. She hated the underworld and called it a grey area. Her father had insisted on her not taking too much time above ground, afraid that the human world would intoxicate his daughter.

“I know you want to leave, but I would rather have you here with me. You know why.” He patted his daughter’s hand.

“But, father, you forget—humans are worse than demons. The only difference between us is that they hide their true nature in the pretense of keeping up appearances before others.” She respectfully kissed the back of his hand.

“I know, but as much as there is evil, there is good. I have been watching your husband and I once thought he could rule, but ever since she came back into his life I am not sure.” He combed his plagued nails through his beard.

“He doesn’t have to. I am here. All he has to do is convince her to join him and then we can make sure that both of them are on the right side.”

“How do you suggest doing that?”

“Easy. I’ll go visit the other Sloan.” She beamed a smile at her father as he slowly cackled. His evil laugh bounced off the moldering walls, echoing into the tunnels, sending the horrible sound round the underworld.