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I became aware of other voices. Rory’s voice, Mykel’s voice. Colter’s voice, angry; Rory’s voice, concerned. Mykel, neutral, trying to calm Colter down. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but their tone was enough.
I couldn’t see them.
An argument broke out, but it died down again quickly, and then I felt soft pillows under my head.
“You’re going to be just fine.” Rory’s voice, this time, and nothing else. Someone stroked my hair, and it was soothing. A humming sound filled my ears, and it was soothing, the sound caressing me, cradling me, rocking me to sleep like a lullaby.
“Just rest, honey,” Rory said again.
With permission to let the darkness take over, I let go and fell into a deep sleep.
14
COLTER
Fuck this shit. Fuck the vampires, and fuck the demons.
Fuck them all!
I was in a hell of a mood. The fight with the demon had been invigorating—I loved a good fight almost as much as I loved winning—but that demon had been after Liv.
What the hell did a demon want with Liv? I knew the vampires were after her blood. Vampires couldn’t resist the stuff, but demons? What could they possibly gain by taking her? They were the keepers of the Underworld, made to be what they were. They hadn’t ever had their power given to them by something else. They’d always been the way they were.
They had nothing to gain from Liv, no matter what she was.
After the fight with the demon and making sure Liv was in safe hands with Rory, I’d gone to the Wonderprise offices to talk to Jerry. I had to know if he’d told anyone about Liv. Of course, he’d sworn complete secrecy, but I didn’t trust Jerry for shit.
He was a vampire, for one, but he was also a low-life scum that would do whatever it took to get ahead in life. His loyalties didn’t lie anywhere but with himself. It was a damn shame the vampires would revolt if I got rid of him, because I was just about ready to finish him off once and for all.
After I’d threatened to rip his throat out, I’d left him trembling in his boots, before rushing back to the apartment to check on Liv.
That demon had really done a number on her, and I hadn’t been able to shield her from it.
A pang of guilt shot through my chest. I shouldn’t have taken her out of the apartment. I shouldn’t have let her go get that pendant—it was just a trinket and not worth what had just happened. I’d always told myself I would never allow a woman to call the shots, and here I’d already let Liv dictate what was going to happen.
What was it with this woman? I felt like I was under some kind of spell with her.
I arrived at the apartment. Rory sat on the couch, flipping through one of those magazines that talked about weight loss and sex positions and zodiac and other bullshit made up just to sell magazines.
“How is she?” I demanded.
“She’s okay. The darkness is gone. I made sure of that before I left her alone. She’s sleeping.”
“How did you get rid of the darkness?”
Rory shook her head. “I didn’t. She did it all by herself. She was asleep and probably doesn’t know she did it, but she has a light within her that countered the darkness.”
Shit, this was getting more and more complicated.
“I’m going to talk to her.”
“She’s sleeping.”
“She’s not,” I said. “I can hear her.”
Rory shrugged and turned her attention back to her magazine.
I walked to the room Liv had chosen for herself—the least luxurious, most non-descript room in the house—and found her curled up on the bed. Her dark hair fanned around her head on the pillow, and her eyes were closed, brows knitted tightly together.
