Demons' Home Ch. 07-11

Rebekkah snorted. "A snap shot of you giving the finger to someone is at the club. Next to it is a certificate for the only demon hunter to have a successful trap and subdue warrant. And not just any demon, but Oldavai. Is it true?"

I ignored the question, "So, that's why you want me to go. Demons go there?" I repeated.

Elsie eyeballed me, completely offended, "Come on! If you're her then you should know damn well that wherever demon hunters meet demons are nearby!"

"Seems that way." I looked down at my boots and decided to wear them out, just like the jeans and t-shirt I bought. I picked up my formal shoes and made my way to the register with the two of them following.

Rebekkah hesitated at the entryway. "Come early. Lots of hunters due to the A.O. chaos. Oh and I really love that gold your hair." She waved and bounced her way down the street to her friend.

I smoothed my hand over my brown waves. Sure enough it came away golden, stuff stuck like static.

CHAPTER 11

Ezra was sitting on a sofa reading a magazine when I walked into the hotel room. I couldn't sense Taurin anywhere. We looked at each other and I walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind me. Throwing my clothes on the bed I went to take yet another shower to try to get Oldavai's dust off me. It didn't completely work. I figured it was his way of telling every demon that only he got to kill me. Some call me pessimistic, I'd say realistic.

I plopped down on the bed and took out the crumpled piece of paper from my pocket. The name on the warrant was Iloum. I grimaced, wishing for a reference book, even though I already knew he was no demon I wanted to go against. I lay back on the bed and contemplated how to do what Ila wanted.

Essentially, if I was able to project an image of complete disrespect and recklessness while scaring the Affairs' Office without getting killed then I could pull it off. Thankfully, I didn't actually have to worry about policing Iloum as the warrant stated. He'd probably toy with me for the rest of my life if I tried. I groaned and ran possibilities in my head, while at the same time remembering to shield myself as best I could from Taurin and Ezra.

I woke with a start in a dark room, hearing short, quick synchronized breaths, my heartbeat matched its rhythm. Heavy curtains shielded my eyes from outside, but I didn't remember pulling them over the window. Goosebumps ran up my arms as the breaths turned into incoherent garbling. I closed my eyes tight and heard a scurrying sound sound on the wall. My eyes shot open and watched as tiny shadows moved quickly across the dim light coming from under the bedroom and bathroom doors.

A crawling sensation moved up my back and I slowly turned my head, holding my breath. All I saw was wall as the pounding of my heart started to hurt. The noises stopped, but the sensation of being watched didn't. I turned back to the front and was greeted with a huge black insect leg tapping on the foot of the bed. I scrambled to the head of the bed and tried to scream. Nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing. My breath came out in a harsh wheeze as another leg emerged. There was a scrapping sound on the floor, like it was pushing itself out from under the bed. And it was.

Jaw dropping, eyes widening and totally closed throat told me I was in trouble. I watched the spider emerge, only it was so much worse. It's black body was bigger than a shapeshifter's and connected to it was the chest and arms of a man with a smooth mask of a face. It moved onto the bed in one swift movement, it's legs a little too wide apart to stay on the mattress adequately. He leaned into me and I looked into the horizontal slit that ran the length of the mask at eye level. Inside were multiple glowing red orbs staring at me.

The scream let loose and Taurin came running into the room, dissipating the shadows. I closed my eyes and held tight to him. An unfamiliar breath in my ear caused me to tense and open my eyes in horror. My hands felt something like smooth glass under them and around my waist were spindly extensions. The arms and hands that emerged from his torso moved up from my biceps to squeeze my neck. I heard a voice, but nothing on the mask moved.

He breathed my name, "Dove. Kind of you to call."

I let out an 'eep' and jerked awake, immediately sweeping my arms and waist with my hands to eradicate the feeling of his limbs on me. Dusk glowed through the glass on the window, the curtains wide open. My breath raced with my heartbeat as I replayed the dream. It felt like I had just played a game of Bloody Mary and won the prize, only the name I recited was Iloum. I had no doubt now that he was a nightmare breed of demon. I massaged my forehead and worked at keeping terror from voicing itself out of my mouth. How could I pull this off?

Taurin knocked on the door and called my name. I rubbed my eyes as I told him to come in. He gave me a steady stare and said, "Your thoughts were chaotic."

"I fell asleep. You must have picked up on my dream."

He opened his mouth to speak, but Ezra spoke over him from the sitting room. "That was no dream. It was a nightmare."

"Are you surprised if it was?" I snipped.

"No," he said simply.

Taurin moved until he was sitting on the edge of the bed next to me and smoothed back my disarrayed hair. His lips formed an amused smile as his palm came back sparkly. "It appears you have one pissed off Oldavai stalking you. He really wants his brothers to know who you are." His finger traced a trail down my cheek, "There's still some on your face."

"I figured it was a death sentence," I said without inflection, enjoying Taurin's soft touch even though I gave no indication of it.

"Maybe. I think it's more warning so my brothers aren't caught unaware like he was."

I felt Ezra's heat waft into the bedroom and watched him lean against the doorframe, studying me.

"I've been invited to a local bar. Hunter's Club."

Ezra's eyebrow rose, "You better get ready then."

I nodded wearily, unmotivated to go anywhere, but unsure about falling asleep. I looked up at Ezra again and saw him staring at the mattress. I looked down and saw a shredded warrant, it was unreadable. I decided to ignore the mess and spoke as if it meant nothing, "Are you coming?"

"Are you asking us to?" Taurin said in surprise as he reached over to poke at the pile of paper.

"No. I'm just asking if you're going to be there."

Taurin looked at Ezra with what really might as well be paper pulp in his hand. "I think you can count on me being there," he said calmly.

"I'm going to take my third shower of the day to try to get this dust off."

"It's not coming off, Dove. Oldavai has a hard on for you." Taurin replied.

I paled at the sexual pun and looked at him, "That wasn't nice."

He rained the clumps of paper between us and said, "No. It wasn't. It's also not nice when you hide things from me."

I swiped the pieces onto the floor and guarded my thoughts. This one I had to do on my own to look authentic. Because no one in their right mind would go against a nightmare by themselves if they didn't have to. Hell, the warrant was to be issued to four hunters working together. My heart sped up as I thought about it. Both demons aimed sever stares at me sensing my terror. I ignored them.

"You both hide things from me all the time," I said as I stood up and walked into the bathroom.