A Girl's Guide to Demon Hunting (17 page)

    “It’s just a haircut, I promise.” He said, giving me a smile; it was over bleached but sincere enough.
    “Okay, but the first sign of pain and I’m outta here.”
    “What kind of style are you looking for?” he asked as I sat down in the chair.
    “Um…I don’t know, just something easy, I guess. I don’t really care.”
    Whatever I said, he loved it. Spinning me around so I couldn’t see what he was doing, he went to work. While he chatted away, I found out he hadn’t been Julie’s stylist but he was working when she came in. According to Mark, she looked like a million bucks when she left here, golden hair done up in a demure twist. When the conversation bounced back to the last movie he saw, I closed my eyes and tried not to freak out as the pile of hair on the floor kept growing.
    “You, my dear, are a masterpiece.”
    I was speechless as I stared in the mirror.
    “No more hiding those beautiful cheekbones from the world.” He said as he ran his hands through my now shoulder-length hair.
    Shorter in the back, he had cut my hair at an angle so there were longer pieces in the front. I was glad he hadn’t told me what he was going to do ‘cause no way I would have let him. I really liked it though and it did kind of make my cheekbones stand out. Jenny was going to totally freak.
    I found Max outside leaning against the hood of his car.
    “Wow!” 
    “Thanks.” I said walking towards him. I couldn’t help but smile at his reaction.
    The stop at the salon had taken much longer than I realized. My stomach growled as we drove back toward Jenny’s. Max must have been just as hungry because he pulled into the nearest restaurant.
    “This okay?” he asked, parking the car.
   “Sure.” I’d never been here, but any place with a giant cartoon pig on the sign was bound to be good.
    “You get anything out of Ms. Runway?” I asked after we ordered our food.
    “Nope, just that Julie got a treatment. I'm getting tired of dead ends.”
    “Yeah, same here."
    Taking a sip of my soda I asked, "So what’d Lokess want last night?”
    Max twirled the straw in his sweet tea a minute before answering. “He wanted to know more about you; about all of you.”
    “What’d you tell him?”
    “The truth: that I didn’t know any of you very well but I trusted you and he should too.”
    My stomach sank at his answer. I didn’t like the fact that Lokess was asking about me but even more I didn’t like him asking about my friends. I knew I should turn the conversation to something little less me-centered but I wanted to take advantage of our time together.
    “You said The Council would help me?”
    “Right, with your shield. From what I understand it’s a relatively easy process. You’d meet with The Council, they’d have you tested to see where your strengths are. Once you know what you want to do they will pair you up with a Guardian to help keep you safe.”

    "Well whoever it is, their insurance should probably be doubled."
    Max laughed. “The other Guardian has to agree to take you on.”
    “Are there a lot like me?”
   “There are very few born without a shield. I’ve only heard of two in the last fifty years or so and they declined Council assistance.”
    "What happened to them?"
    "No idea. If I had to guess I 'd say they went into hiding."
    I made a face at the thought, I'd had enough of hiding.
    "Judging by your expression that's not something you're interested in."
    "I spent ten years running and hiding. It's be a last resort for me."  

   
I walked into the apartment after Max dropped me off. We'd decided to split up and tell everyone about the Spa treatment. Max was going to talk to Julie's parents, hoping maybe they would know why she came all this way for a haircut.

    “Hey.” I said to Jenny who was currently standing in front of the map. Pancake was stretched out across the back of the couch, softly snoring.
    “Do you want to tell me something?” Jenny asked, turning away from the map.
    “Um…I got a haircut?” I said, confused.

    “What? No, I meant about the dead Demons.”
    “What dead Demons?” I asked, walking to stand next to the map.
    There were three large photos pinned next to the map. In each photo was a body-a human body-positioned on their backs. Two men and one woman, different ages and races.  
    No blood, no obvious cause of death.
    “How do you know they’re Demons?” I asked.
    “Because of these.” Jenny said, handing me another set of photos.
    The top one in the stack was of the back of the woman. Two red scars about six inches long ran parallel on either side of her spine.
    “They all have these?” I asked, staring at the marks.
    “Yes, and unless there’s a serial killer out there that can kill without leaving any trace, I’m guessing Demon.”
    Giving her back the photos, I went to sit on the couch.
    “You know what those marks are?” Jenny asked, sitting next to me.
    “When I was a kid, my parents spent a lot of time teaching at a Guardian school. I found this book once that told all about Demon lore. In it, there was a story about how Demons dealt with betrayers. If a Demon betrays a Demon, their wings are cut off and then their back is marked to make sure the scars are clear. The scars act as a warning for other Demons not to trust them.”
    “That’s awful.” Jenny said.
    “Oh, it gets worse. For an extra dose of gross, the victim will mix their blood with the betrayer's. This ensures the victim will always know if the betrayer is near. It’s one of the reasons we’re so careful about blood. You find your blood mixed with some betrayer and the next thing you know, you find yourself on the wrong end of something pointy.”
    “Is that what’s happened here, someone seeking revenge?” Jenny asked, worried.
    “I don’t think so. For three bodies to turn up at once like this is unlikely and I don’t think a Demon out for revenge would leave this much behind. If I had to guess, a Demon is going after their power and it just happens these three were marked.” 
    “Do you know when they were killed?” I asked.
    “Nothing exact, sometime in the last few days. From what Ace and Shooter found out, the bodies were fresh.”
    “Well I'd say it's Demon on Demon. Best for us to stay out of it for now.” 
    “Oh well, I’m not going to cry over three dead Demons, that’s for sure.” Jenny said.
    Laying her head back, she closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.
    “You okay?” I asked.
    “I guess. It’s just I feel like we’re getting no closer to finding Julie. How’d the salon go, besides the hair cut?”
    “It was a dead end. All I got was that she had her hair done. Is there anywhere else Max and I need to go?”
    “No, Ace and Shooter are covering to the rest of the list now. Father H is checking the rest of the hospitals and shelters. I’m telling you, it’s like she just disappeared in a puff of smoke.”
    “What does Lokess think?’
    “I don’t know. If he’s found anything he’s not sharing. Last I heard from Father Henry, they searched her hotel room. Lokess is combing through her belongings now.”
    “How is everyone else holding up?”
    “Nick and Sam are climbing the walls just itching to go after some Demons and her parents are demanding that The Council bring in more Guardians. I’m worried Allie, what if we’re wrong and it’s a local who took her? What would the Guardians do?”
    “I don’t know but it wouldn’t be good.”
    “Great, and on that happy note I have to go meet up with Father H. I want to brief him on these Demon killings. You never know, it might tell us something. Anything would be better than the constant dead ends.”
    I told Pancake to guard Jenny and waved to her and Jenny as they walked out of the apartment. I didn’t move until I heard the soft purr of her Porsche as it pulled out of the back parking lot. Once I knew it was all clear, I went into the bedroom and grabbed my helmet. Thirty minutes later I walked into my dark apartment, turning on the lights as I moved through the rooms.
    I lied to Jenny earlier when I told her I didn’t know what the Guardians would do if we didn’t find Julie. I knew exactly what they would do: they would descend on Las Vegas like a storm of avenging angels. Which meant if I was wrong and if it was a local, I would be responsible for not only Julie but countless others. It wasn’t a cost I was prepared to cover.
    Digging through my closet I found my only pair of stilettos and tossed them on the bed. Standing up, I pushed my clothes across the bar and pulled out a black garment bag. I unzipped it and pulled out a short black leather ruffled skirt, a see-through long sleeved top and a deep purple corset with matching panties and garter.  It was by far the most revealing outfit I’d ever purchased, let alone worn. It was worth every penny though, considering all the information I’d gotten while wearing it.

   Undressing, I wiggled into the corset and garter belt, leaving the rest for after I’d done my makeup. Under the bright lights of the bathroom, I lined my eyes with black eyeliner and a dark silver shadow. Not bothering with lipstick, I used my usual lip gloss and ran a brush through my hair.

    It wasn’t a long walk to Peter's club but it was chilly and I couldn’t ride the Vespa without flashing my underwear to half of Vegas. I walked the two blocks towards the strip before the stilettos got the better of me and I broke down and hailed a cab. Once we were at the club I directed the cabbie to the back entrance. I took off my jacket to better display the goods and pulled hard on my power, letting it flood me with its warmth.
    “Evening, Rupert.” I said smiling to the large man dressed in a suit who was in charge of guarding the back entrance to the club. He didn’t bother asking for my I.D., he knew there was no way I was old enough to get into this club but the law wasn't much of a threat here. He just flashed his red eyes and snarled. Seeing the anticipation in his eyes as I walked past, I couldn’t help but shudder in disgust.
    The club was packed as usual and heavy base was thumping, Peter must have gotten the DJ he’d been wanting. The air was heavy with the scent of sweat and perfumes. I pressed my way through the crowed, averting my eyes from the couples in the shadows. No way was
that
dancing. Staying away from the crowded bar area, I made my way to the edge of the dance floor.
    I scanned the floor looking for Peter but between the mass of bodies and the strobe light it was difficult. I finally found him across the room, sitting at a table surrounded by a pack of blonde, tanned girls. While I waited for Peter to ditch his groupies. I snatched a drink off a passing tray and chugged it. Yuck, I hate whiskey.
    Out of habit I began counting the Demons in the room. I know I passed one in the shadows near the back door. Peter would have at least one stationed at the front entrance and one behind the bar. My stomach rolled as I felt Demon power begin to build in the room. There was no doubt they knew I was here. I counted an additional fifteen Demons in the crowd and those were the ones who were on the first floor. Which was more than normal, I had a feeling word about the dead Demons had spread. Thankfully Peter only allowed the strongest of his Demons to feed in the club, the weaker were closely monitored at an off-sight location that I never ever wanted to see.

    Two songs later, Peter peeled himself away from his groupies and made his way across the dance floor. He was beautiful, I’d give him that, but as the Demon Lord for the Lust Demons he had better be. He didn’t look any older than twenty five; tall with deep brown eyes, dark blonde hair cut in the latest style. His clothes were all tailored close, showing off his perfectly muscled body.  His eyes flickered to a point behind me and I felt the air stir around me as Penny, his number one lackey, appeared at my side. She was shorter then me, which was saying something. Dressed in a skin tight gold dress, it set off her beautiful Asian features perfectly.
    “Your jacket.” She said, holding out a perfectly manicured hand.
    “I'd better get that back, Penny.” I warned her as I handed it over and she disappeared into the crowd. I’d left here more than once missing some article of clothing.
    “Allie, I barely recognized you with the new hair. Not that I’m complaining, it’s very sexy.” Peter said, coming to a stop at my side, draping his arm around me and pulling me close.
    “Now what brings you here?”
    “I need information. From someone I can trust.”
   “I’m honored you would think of me.” He said, placing his hand over his heart as if I’d given him some expensive present. At my eye roll he dropped all pretense and with a slow smile asked, “Now…what are you going to do for me?”
    In answer I pulled away from him and I pushed my way to the center of the dance floor.

The music changed into something fast with lots of base and Peter pulled me into his arms, his hands on my hips as he moved us in time with the music. I’m a good dancer but with Peter leading I’m great. As he twisted and turned my body to match his moves, I could feel his power thick in the air around us. He was always careful to keep it from touching me, pushing it out into the crowd where it would do the most damage. It’s effect was almost immediate. The dancing became more sensual as bodies were pressed closer together and hands began to roam.