Chapter Nine
“Did you call her parents?”
“No. She doesn’t want to see them right now.”
“Well, you’d better call someone to figure out what the hell happened to her.”
My eyes are closed, and I’m lying on something. A bed? The couch?
I’m glad Haines hasn’t called my mom and dad. They are the two people who have lied to me the most. Right now, I need the truth. I may not make it through another whatever the hell just happened to me.
“Who do you think we should call, Haines?”
I finally muster up enough strength to talk. “Ghostbusters?” I almost just floated through the ceiling like a ghost.
“Holy crap!” Ryan sounds relieved. “You’re awake.”
Haines comes and sits down next to me. On the bed in my room. His shirt is still bloody from my cough and a few flecks of red cover his cheek. “Can I get you anything?”
I try to sit up, but a deep pressure in my chest stops me. “Water. A doctor? That blood was foamy.”
Haines puts his hand on my stomach to make me lie back down. “I believe you punctured a lung.” He clears his throat, looks at Ryan and then back to me. “And you had internal bleeding.”
Ryan grimaces. “Internal bleeding?”
“Yes,” Haines says, lifting up my shirt. “Blood was pooling on the right side of her belly, but you’ve healed.” He runs his hand up and down my side.
“I’m guessing that’s not what us sex demons do?”
He smiles. “Not as fast as you did. You had your…episode about two hours ago. About twenty minutes after you passed out I heard your bones mend.” He shakes his head and looks over at the closet where I put my clothes last night. “It would take days and a few feedings for me to heal from something like that. And I’m strong.”
I think he’s avoiding eye contact. Maybe he thought I was going to die in his living room while he stopped himself from calling my parents. Hell, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything.
Ryan touches my hand. “What the hell happened to you?”
I shrug. “I have no idea. That’s not what it’s like to come into your powers, is it?”
Haines shakes his head. “No. I don’t know what happened to you.” A line forms between his eyes and I can see the frustration on his face.
I look at Ryan. “Where are Trent and Roman? How did you get here?”
“Trent is at home with Roman helping him with homework. He’s also trying to figure out what happened to you.” He looks at Haines. “Your sweetie here called me.”
Haines gives me a weary smile. “I didn’t know what to do. They are your friends.” He uses his index finger and massages the center of his forehead. “I figured you’d want a friend near. I knew you didn’t want me to call your parents. So I didn’t.”
Haines is being nice. Really nice. I like this Haines.
“He didn’t want to upset you,” Ryan chimes in. “We’ll straighten this out. I did find out a few things while you were sleeping.”
I try to laugh, but it hurts my chest. “You two are awesome. Not even a whole day has gone by and you’re figuring stuff out.”
Ryan frowns. “It may not be what you want to hear. Maybe we should—”
“Lay it on me.”
“Perry, really, maybe we should wait?”
I shake my head. “Ryan, there is no better time than right now, damn-it! What is it?”
Ryan looks to Haines for help. “Neither you or Haines, or the two of you together, can kill Samael. A demon can’t kill an angel. It’s like impossible.”
I look at Haines and he shakes his head. “We don’t know for certain.”
“Dude, I checked like three sources,” Ryan says, rubbing my hand. “A demon can’t do the job. Even if Perry takes your power, she’s still a demon. And she’s half human.”
Haines sighs. “You are wrong.”
I touch Haines’ hand and look into his eyes. A desperate anger shows on his face, and I see it—a look of hopelessness. A hope for revenge, dying. Samael has taken someone close to him, and maybe me killing him is the only hope Haines has left.
I won’t give up, and I won’t let him give up either.
I smile at him. “We’ll find a way. There has to be something.” I scoot down farther in the bed. “But we’ll talk about it later, okay? I’m really tired.” I never did get that water.
“Of course.” Haines pulls the blanket up to my chin and smiles at me. “Do you want to change your clothes first?”
I shake my head. Taking off my clothes might hurt a little too much. My goal for the next hour is to get comfortable and heal enough so I can take a shower without the fear of falling over.
Haines smiles at me and nods. He can be nice. When he’s not being a dick.
****
“Haines! Something is wrong!”
I can hear Ryan yelling but I can’t move. I can’t open my eyes or scream out in pain. My body is shaking, and tears are running down my face. The soft bed hurts as it presses against my skin. The skin on my hand feels like it’s going to blister off as Ryan holds it, trying to comfort me.
If you let go, Lady Bug, it won’t hurt anymore. Samael’s voice is soothing. The crazy bastard!
Bite me! I’m not letting anything go.
“Get off her,” Haines says calmly to Ryan.
“I ain’t gonna hurt her!” Ryan sounds wounded.
“Earlier, she said it hurt when I touched her.”
Ryan drops my hand. “You have to call someone.”
“Her parents haven’t been that forthcoming about anything. Not to her and not to me. This shouldn’t be happening.”
Come on, Perry. You know you want to.
Go away! Wait, why are you in my head? Get out!
“Do you hear that?” Ryan asks.
“Yes,” Haines says, almost growling. “It’s her bones breaking.”
“Look, you need to find someone who knows how to help her.” Ryan lowers his voice. “What if she dies?”
“Ryan, please. She’s not going to die.”
“She’s changing!” A sing-song voice sounds off in the room. It’s Samael.
“Oh, dear lord!” Ryan yells.
“Help her or get out.” Haines’ voice is deadly.
“Nothin’ I can do.” Samael’s voice is getting closer.
“Please.”
I wish I could open my eyes. Not being able to see scares me. I don’t know if Samael will try to hurt one of them, or me. I’ll focus on their voices. It’s better than trying to ignore or breathe through the pain that racks my body.
“You know, Haines, she really does like you.” Samael is standing next to me. I can feel the crazy pouring off him. “Lady Bug may curse and look at you like she wants to stab you in the face, but you’re starting to grow on her. All fungus-like.”
“Please.” To listen to Haines is heartbreaking. His voice is usually so casual and strong and sure. But now he’s pleading for me. “Make this stop.”
“Especially with what y’all did this afternoon.” He sounds disgusted. “Woo-doggie. She’s stronger than any of us thought she’d be. Wait till you tell her mommy and daddy. They. Will. Freak!” I hear him clapping.
“Get out!” Haines and Ryan say in unison.
“Oh, lookie-lookie! She’s gonna do it again.”
“Do wha—” Ryan starts.
My body is yanked upward, and I hit the ceiling, hard. The initial shock is painful, but the cool feel of the paint is almost comforting.
“If you can hear me, Lady Bug, and I’m pretty sure can, you come to me when your parents lie to you. Again. And I’ll tell you the truth. The whole truth and nothing but it, baby. Then you’ll know exactly what you got yourself in to, Haines.”
A scream finally explodes from my mouth when I feel and hear a grinding noise. My bones are mending. Grinding all my teeth against a chalkboard everyday once an hour would be better than this.
All at once the pain is gone. And I’m falling.
Strong arms catch me before I hit the bed.
****
I open my eyes to a white ceiling stained with bloody handprints. My bloody handprints. There’s a splatter in the middle where blood must have oozed out of my mouth. Or my ear.
Soft breathing catches my attention. I glance over and see Haines. He looks tired as he sits across from me. He must have brought a chair upstairs from the kitchen.
“You know,” I say, “you should really get Trent to decorate this place. Then you wouldn’t have to bring a kitchen chair upstairs just to have a place to sit.”
A light smile crosses his face. “You and Trent can work on decorating the house when you get better.” He comes and sits on the bed. “How are you feeling?”
My voice wavers. “I’m fine.” Tears begin to fall, and I thank Lilith it doesn’t hurt my face. “But I’m afraid. I can’t do that again. I don’t think I’ll make it.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“I don’t know if I can hold on if it happens again. Maybe something is wrong with me. Maybe I should just let—”
Haines touches my lips with his fingers. “Never think that again. You’ll be fine.”
I shake my head. Maybe Samael did something to me to make my change go all wonky. This is terrible. I don’t think my body can take that again. I don’t think my sanity can take it again. “We have to find someone to help me.”
He bites his bottom lip. “I called your mother.”
“I was just starting to like you, Haines.” I know he wants to help but I don’t want any more lies. “Why would you call her?”
“Because I don’t know what to do.” He moves a stray hair from my face. “I can’t listen to your bones break and heal or watch you turn blue because blood is pooling beneath your skin.”
I laugh. “You wuss.”
“Call me what you will.”
It’s dark outside. “What time is it?”
“About five.”
I haven’t been asleep that long.
“In the evening. On Tuesday. You’ve been unconscious for almost twenty-four hours.”
Wow. “What time should my mom get here?” I look down at my clothes. They should be covered in blood. I haven’t changed them since… “My clothes?”
“Yes, I ahh…bathed you last night and changed your clothes.” He almost looks bashful.
“So, you got to see my goods, eh?”
He clears his throat. “Your parents should be here soon. Barbara said she would call the witch that led her to me. It’s a start.”
“Can you get me some water? I’m kind of afraid to move.”
“I did have water and a sandwich waiting for you that Ryan made before he left, but I ate it. I didn’t want to leave you.”
Less than twenty-four hours and Ryan and Trent are our new besties. I hate that word—besties.
Haines stands up quickly. “Yes. I’ll be right back.”
He walks out of the room, and I can hear him running down the hallway. I guess he wants to be here if I go all ouchy and floaty again.
I don’t want to be here if I go ouchy and floaty again. I can’t go through it another time. It may sound like a bad move, but if this is the norm, Samael will have one more of us to add to his list.
“Lilith,” I say to an empty room. “If you can hear me, please help me. Tell me to keep going or tell me to let go. Tell me something.”
“You may not let go.”
“Lilith?”
“No, you dolt, it’s me.”
“Aunt Rita!” God no! “Are you Lilith?” Her round face peeks from behind the door.
“No, you silly girl. I’m just a witch who knows a little too much.”
My mother and father trail in behind her, followed by Haines who looks completely murderous.
I sit up in bed as Haines hands me a glass of water. “You know, I didn’t want my dearest husband to call either of you. But you,” I say, shaking my finger at Aunt Rita. I look at Haines. “Why didn’t you tell me the witch was my Aunt Rita? Or should I just call you Rita?”
He looks confused. “I didn’t know it was your Aunt Rita. She looks different.”
Different. That’s one word we could use. She looks less like the round hag with eerily glowing eyes and too many teeth than my slightly plump aunt. Great cover.
Rita huffs and takes off her jacket. “I’ve lost weight. Two hundred and eighty pounds really changes the way people look at you.” She winks at me. “Your mom brought you to me to do a reading when you were sixteen, when your mom was ready to admit to herself that you were different. Before that I was just your homebound, weird aunt that you barely came to visit.” She sits on my bed and puts her palm to my forehead. “And you can’t blame Haines, dear. I always change my appearance when I’m in my ‘lair.’ It’s to protect all who come to seek my advice. Though I may not be your blood relative I am still your aunt and you may not call me ‘Rita.’ I’ve been around since before you were born.”
My father sits down next to Aunt Rita. “Your aunt has helped to keep you safe. Our other brothers and sisters don’t speak to me anymore.”
I smile at him. “Because you’re a liar? Because you married a liar? People usually don’t like to be lied to, Dad.”
My mother comes to stand next to my dad. “Don’t talk to your father like that, Perrian.”
“Do you know what she’s been through the past few days?” Haines’ voice is low and his hands are shaking. He must really like me! “You weren’t here to listen to her bones break, to see blood pour out of her ears and nose—”
“It did!” I interrupt.
“—to watch her limbs contort while she slept as her bones healed! I listened to her breathing slow to the point where I thought she was going to die.”
My mother stands up and points at Haines. “Who do you think you are? You two don’t even like one another.”
“In some way I’ve cared about her since we met. We may not get along perfectly, but…”
I shrug. “He’s all right. I don’t hate him.” I look at Haines and smile. “I kinda like him now.”
My mother steps closer to him. “She’s our daughter so you can—”
“And now she’s my wife. Either tell us what you know or get the hell out of our house.”
Wow. Our house. Haines does like me. A lot.
Everyone is silent while auntie and I stare between my mother and Haines. Looks like they may wrestle it out. Haines may be bigger but my money is on my mom.
I tug on Haines’ shirt to get him to back off. “Should we clear the floor so you two can scrap?”
“Well,” Aunt Rita says. “That was uncomfortable. Back to Perry. What did you two tell her?”
“Nothing,” Haines and I answer.
“She’s a succubus and human mix,” Haines says. “I told her about Lilith and the three women who are our ancestors, and that they are the reason we are so strong.”
“And that’s all we know.” I think it over for a minute. “Oh, and that I’ll be taking Haines’ immortality and killing Samael.”
“Oh, boy!” Aunt Rita laughs and points at my parents. “That’s…that’s wh-what you told her?” She’s laughing so hard she can barely speak.
“Harty-frickin har, Auntie.”
Once she’s finished laughing she sits up and wipes the tears from her eyes. “You two!” she says, pointing at my parents. “That is horrible. Shall I do the honor or would you like to do it?” In their silence she takes her queue. “Let me start.” She turns to me and takes my hand. “Let me clear one thing up, darling. You are not human. Not one bit.”
I glare at my father.
Aunt Rita understands my look. “Oh, Perry. He is your father. And yes, he is human. But he wasn’t always human.”
I look back to my dad. “Take it away, Dad. I want the truth. And if I don’t think you’re being completely honest with me, I’ll ask Samael.”
My father looks horrified. “Stay away from him, Perry.”
“Then start talking because I’m done with the bullshit.”
He takes off his hat and rubs his bald head.
“Now, Dad.”