The Demon's Song: Paranormal New Adult Romance (7 page)

She only saw one other person as she walked towards the coffee shop. Up ahead of her, under the slight awning of a fitness clothing store, stood a teen boy reading a comic book. He couldn’t have been any taller than Cadence herself and as she walked closer, she noticed the thick pair of glasses he was wearing.

He must be waiting for someone inside
, Cadence thought as she got closer to him.
Probably his mom or something.

As she passed by him, he glanced up from his book and for only a second, Cadence and the teen locked eyes. Something about him made her shudder, but she fought the worry from her mind. The bump on her head and her overactive imagination were making her jumpy. It was nothing more than that, or at least that was what she tried to convince herself of.

Even the Starbucks was empty as she stepped inside and the baristas that were running about earlier were now mostly leaning on counters and it took her clearing her throat for someone to come over and take her order.

“Sorry,” the young woman said. “I guess we didn’t see you there.”

“It’s fine,” Cadence told her. “Is it normally this dead?”

“Not really,” the woman said. “Actually, we’re usually slammed. I don’t know if it’s the weather or people saving up for Christmas season, but this is really weird.”

It wasn’t the answer Cadence was looking for. She was already on edge and didn’t like the idea of things being so out of the ordinary. It only made it harder to believe that she had only slipped and fallen the night before and suddenly she didn’t want to leave the safety of the coffee shop.

“So what can I get you?” the barista asked as Cadence nervously glanced over her shoulder.

“Just a black coffee,” she said.

She had her coffee in hand in seconds and suddenly she wished she’d ordered something more complicated. Not because she craved some sugary concoction, but because she was truly scared to leave. Shadows pressed themselves against the windows and thunder rolled somewhere in the distance.

“Can you believe this rain?” one of the baristas said to another as Cadence forced herself to move towards the door.

“It’s ridiculous,” she heard a man’s voice say. “It’s never been like this before.”

Cadence wanted to stay inside and listen to them, but when she looked outside, she found there was no one out there and she pushed her way out the door. At least she would be alone as she briskly walked back to the store where she’d left Jane to try on more clothes.

As the passed by the athletic store, she noticed the boy who was there earlier had gone and she really was the only person still outside. She wasn’t sure if she preferred it that way, and she couldn’t help but check over her shoulder as her feet picked up their pace.

She was only a few feet from the door to the shop where she’d left Jane, but a voice suddenly caught her attention.

“Excuse me?” a soft voice called to her. “Excuse me, miss?”

On instinct, Cadence turned to see who called to her. Even as her brain screamed at her to go inside the store where Jane was waiting, she turned and answered, “Yes?”

It was the teenager from earlier. His comic was nowhere to be seen and his glasses were covered in rain spots.

“Did you see where my mom went?” he asked her as he ran his arm across his nose.

“Sorry,” Cadence said, a little relieved that it wasn’t Andras who had called to her. “I don’t think I’ve seen her. What does she look like?”

“I dunno,” the teen shrugged. He seemed even smaller as Cadence talked to him and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the kid. She remembered the boys like him in high school; small, nerdy, and forever bullied. “She’s kind of short, has dark hair, I don’t know. I was reading my book and then when I looked up, she was gone.”

“Okay,” Cadence thought. “Do you want to use my phone?”

“Not really,” the kid said. “Can you just come with me and help me look for her? I’m sure she’s worried.”

In her head, a voice was screaming at her to say no. Intuition told her that something was wrong, that she needed to leave the teen on his own to find his mom. Sure, he was small for his age, but he could find his mother on his own. What kid didn’t have a phone anyway?

But there was something about the boy that made her want to help. He was every kid in school she always wanted to stand up for, but never had the confidence to do so. He looked lost and alone and another voice told her she was being paranoid and needed to grow up.

“Okay,” she nodded. “Where did you see her last?”

“This way,” he told her as he moved back towards Starbucks. “Oh,” he said as he stopped. “She parked in the back lot. Maybe she went back to the car to look for me.”

“Maybe,” Cadence nodded. “You good to go check on your own? My friend is waiting for me.”

“Please,” he pleaded. “What if she’d not there?”

“Fine,” Cadence relented. The poor kid was so small and alone. Leaving him would make her the kind of monster she hated. “After you.”

There was a small path that led between two shops towards the small back lot. This one had more cars than the main lot, but there was still no one else around.

“I think this is the employee lot,” Cadence said. “Are you sure your mom parked back here?”

“My mom isn’t here,” the boy said, but something about his voice had changed. Instead of small and meek, it almost sounded like there was gravel in his throat as he spoke.

“I should go,” Cadence said, suddenly wishing she’d listened to the frightened voice in her head. “My friend is probably getting worried.”

“She should be worried,” the boy said, but as Cadence turned to face him again, he wasn’t the same anymore. He was still small, but his back was hunched and his face was pale and gaunt. His teeth were long fangs and his glasses were gone. Without his thick glasses, Cadence could easily see his eyes were that telltale glowing red.

“No,” Cadence muttered as she dropped her coffee in her attempt to back away. “No, it was a dream. I hit my head. This isn’t real.”

“Now you don’t actually believe that,” the monster in front of her laughed, but the sound was hollow and terrifying as he choked out each of his laughs. “God, how stupid are you?” he growled as his laughter turned darker. “Once I eat your soul, no one will mock me anymore. I’ll become more powerful than ever!”

“Is that so?” a familiar voice interrupted the hunched demon.

Cadence recognized the voice, but she still couldn’t help her shock when she saw Draven Crane leaning against the seductive black roadster she recognized from the parking lot at work. It came as no surprise that the classic car belonged to Draven, yet Cadence was more focused on how he knew she was there. That, and how he knew she would need his help.

“Screw off, Draven,” the demon in front of her growled. She had no way of knowing that the strange monster would know her boss’s name, yet she wasn’t surprised. “I caught her fair and square. You can’t keep all that power to yourself.”

“What are you talking about?” Cadence couldn’t help but cry. “What power? Just leave me alone! I’m no one, okay?”

“Shut up,” the little demon growled at her. “You’re mine. I deserve this.”

With that, he lunged at Cadence, but he never had a chance to get close to her. Draven moved faster than she ever thought he could and sent the smaller demon sprawling.

“To think some pitiful, low level demon like you could believe he could take what’s mine,” Draven growled as his eyes burned like red hot coals. “Get the hell out of my town. If I even think I smell you around here again, I’ll turn you to dust. Got it?”

Draven didn’t have to tell the demon twice. The smaller, weaker demon scrambled away on its hands and feet while Cadence and Draven watched.

Cadence’s heart thumped hard in her chest. She didn’t know what to say. What could she say? Everything she had worked so hard to convince herself was just a dream turned out to be real and her boss was some kind of what, demon?

“Cadence,” Draven said once they were alone again. “Are you okay?”

“No!” she couldn’t help but choke. “How could I possibly be okay? Monsters are attacking me and my boss is one too! I have no idea what’s going on and it’s like everyone but me knows all about it!”

“Stop,” Draven said, and with a word, she did. “Please,” he said as he opened the passenger door to his car. “I think you should come with me.”

Cadence didn’t know if she could trust him, but Draven had saved her twice and she didn’t know if she had a choice. The rain was coming down harder and the shadows were creeping in. She was scared, but Draven might just be the only person who could help her figure out just what was going on.

Chapter Six

Cadence fretted with her fingers as Draven drove his sleek black car back towards town. She didn’t know what to say and every time she went to thank him for coming to her rescue, or to question him about just what the hell was going on, she clammed up. Nothing she could have said would have come out as anything but awkward and instead she stayed quiet.

But the silence was too much. It wasn’t a long drive, but Draven kept his eyes on the road while Cadence’s heart only beat faster and faster until she finally blurted out, “This is a nice car.”

“Yes, it is,” Draven agreed without a hint of modesty. “It has served me well for many years.”

Cadence ran her fingers over the old, supple leather of the seats and let her eyes rest on Draven’s hands while he held the large, antique steering wheel.

“Is it a Jaguar?” Cadence asked, trying to exercise her limited car knowledge.

Something about what she said made Draven chuckle under his breath. Suddenly, Cadence felt foolish about her assumption and tried to recover, but Draven stopped her.

“It’s an Aston Martin,” Draven informed her before she embarrassed herself any further. “A DB5. It’s a classic, but under appreciated in America. Everyone here is about Corvettes, Mustangs, and obscene muscle cars. You need to go to England to find the proper appreciation for a car like this.”

“Have you been to England?” Cadence asked, knowing immediately that it was a foolish question.

Draven was not unkind in answering though. “Yes, I’ve spent some time in England. Lovely country, but my business thrives in the American market.”

“Mr. Crane,” Cadence said as Draven pulled on to a familiar side street. “What exactly does your firm do?”

Cadence watched as a slight smile touched the corners of Draven’s lips. “We’ll discuss that inside,” he said as he pulled into a narrow driveway. “That, and more. You and I have a lot to talk about.”

Cadence didn’t know what else to say. Draven put the car in park and got out before Cadence even realized where they had stopped. It wasn’t until Draven opened the passenger side door for her and lent her a hand to help her out of the low car that she had a chance to look up and see just where they had stopped.

In front of her loomed the dark, Victorian mansion that she passed almost daily on her way to work. The street was otherwise empty and the large trees blotted out the little light that made it through the overcast skies.

Even though the place was imposing, Cadence wasn’t altogether surprised that the home belonged to Draven. The dark exterior and old world look seemed to match her boss in every way, but as he walked towards the door, she hesitated.

“Cadence,” he caught her attention again. There was something about how he said her name that sent a shiver down her spine and she was powerless to ignore him. “I suggest you come in. We have a lot to discuss.”

“Um,” Cadence murmured. She was already so overwhelmed that she didn’t think she could handle anymore. “I think I should go home.”

“That’s entirely up to you,” Draven said, his beautiful blue eyes watching hers. “But I think it’s in your best interest to come in.”

He didn’t wait for her answer. Draven simply walked up the short steps at the front of the house and went in the front door.

Doubt crept up Cadence’s spine. Though he’d come to her rescue again, she didn’t know if she should, or even could, trust him. She just didn’t know if she had a choice.

Cadence looked over her shoulder in an effort to convince herself to leave, but when she did all she could see was more of the shadows. Every day there were more of them and they were no longer just at the corners of her vision. They were everywhere and they were closing in.

There was no way to know if it was the right choice, but it was the only one she could make. She turned away from the shadows and walked towards the open door of Draven’s home.

The outside of his home was dark and imposing, but as Cadence stepped inside, she saw elegance instead of darkness and she couldn’t deny that a part of her did feel safer.

The door seemed to close on its own behind her as she stepped inside and Cadence couldn’t help but jump just a little. Draven was nowhere to be seen and she slowly made her way through the grand entrance of his home.

The walls were a gorgeous plum and the ceiling was open to the second floor. The main staircase sprawled out in front of her and led to the second floor. She didn’t know whether to go up the stairs or through one of the doors that led off the grand entrance. Draven could be anywhere and she didn’t know where to start.

“Mr. Crane?” she called, giving up on the idea of searching for him.

“Please,” he said as he stepped through the galley door that must have led to the kitchen. “Call me Draven. Mr. Crane is much too formal.”

In his hands, he held a cup of coffee and handed it to Cadence. “You dropped your cup,” he told her when he saw the confused look in her eyes. “I thought you might like another.”

Cadence had completely forgotten about her lost coffee. She didn’t even remember dropping it when the demon, or monster, or whatever it was, had turned on her, yet Draven had noticed. It was a strange moment of kindness from a man who had been mostly cold and distant to her. Away from the office, there was something different about him though. He seemed warmer and more inviting as he looked down at her and his icy blue eyes seemed to thaw as she took a sip of the coffee.