MySoultoSave (19 page)

“How can you say that?” she finally managed.

Tex blinked and his face fell. “Oh, damn,” he said. “I
didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine.” She summoned a smile she didn’t feel. “Tell the
truth, I wouldn’t mind celebrating, but I’m totally exhausted. I’d really like
to get home…that is, if it’s okay with you, Blue.”

Blue nodded. “Not a problem.”

“Fine,” Tex said, though his expression suggested it was
anything but. “We need to get together tomorrow night, though. Obviously, the
game’s changed a little. We have to talk strategy.” He sent a pointed look at
Jaeryth. “Strictly band business.”

“No worries,
friend
,” Jaeryth said. “I wouldn’t dream
of interfering.”

Blue cleared her throat emphatically. “All right, boys, cut
the shit. Let’s move out. You two can kill each other later, if Logan doesn’t
kill you first.”

Logan smiled. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

With a few strained goodbyes, she and Jaeryth followed Blue
out the back door and into the waiting night.

Chapter Sixteen

Halfway through the ride home, Logan’s hands started to
shake.

At first she blamed her exhaustion, and then thirst, hunger
and low nicotine levels. A cigarette didn’t help. When the trembling worsened
and cold sweat dampened her forehead and the back of her neck, she knew exactly
what was happening. Today had been the most stressful day since she left rehab,
and Tex’s thoughtless comment definitely hadn’t done her any favors. Her body
remembered the fix and demanded it.

This was a pure psychological reaction. But knowing that
didn’t make it stop.

Blue shot her a sidelong glance. “You look like hell,” she
said. “Should I pull over or something?”

“I’m fine.” She folded her arms and tucked her hands beneath
them, trying to hide the shakes. Chocolate had gotten her through a few
episodes of this—trading a minor addiction for a major one. Maybe she could
make it work now. “Listen, can you drop us off at the Wawa instead of my place?
I want to grab a few things.”

“Sure.” Though Blue looked concerned, she didn’t push the
issue. Logan was grateful for that.

She glanced in the rearview mirror and caught Jaeryth
staring at her. This wasn’t going to be easy to explain. She’d never told him
about the meth addiction or rehab…or anything about her life, really. Hard to
believe he’d only been in it for a few days. It already seemed as if she’d
known him forever.

By the time they pulled in at the store, Logan felt as
though she’d walked through a downpour. At least her teeth weren’t chattering
yet. She was already reaching for the door handle before Blue put the car in
park, and it was a struggle to keep from bolting immediately. “Thank you,” she
said. “Sorry I’m being so weird. I just…”

“Believe it or not, I understand. Jacob was—well, let’s just
say he had problems too.” Smiling, Blue leaned over and gave her a one-armed
hug. “Go on. We can talk tomorrow. Or sooner, if you need it. Call me any
time.”

“Great. Now I’m gonna bawl.” She let out a shaky laugh and
looked back at Jaeryth, who was still watching her with an intensity that made
her shiver. “Well, this is our stop,” she said, attempting to sound casual.
“Say goodnight to Blue.”

“Goodnight, Blue,” he said without looking away from her.

Good lord, no man should sound that sexy. It wasn’t fair.

They got out and watched Blue drive away. After the car
pulled onto the street, Jaeryth turned to her and grabbed her arm. “You’re
shaking.” Concern flooded his features. “Logan, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head. Fix first, explain later. “Tell you in a
minute,” she said. “Come on.”

Inside, she headed straight for the snack aisle. She’d
already decided a candy bar wasn’t going to cut it—she needed high-end
intervention. Unfortunately, the bag candy was convenience store priced, but
she’d splurge this time. Five bucks for a bag of Dove milk chocolate squares.
Done.

With Jaeryth all but hovering behind her, she paid for the
candy, then headed out and around to the side of the building. There, she
leaned against a concrete parking barrier and ripped the bag open. “Be fine in
a second,” she muttered for Jaeryth’s benefit, resisting the bizarre urge to
pour the contents of the bag directly into her mouth, foil and all.

By the third piece, the shakes had all but subsided and she
almost felt normal again. This “cure” was all in her head too, but hey,
whatever worked. Maybe she should tell the shrinks at Grothman about this. Dove
chocolate cured crystal meth addiction.

“Perhaps now you’ll tell me what happened?”

Jaeryth’s bemused voice drew her away from remembering. “Um.
Yeah, I’ll get there,” she said. “I just really needed some chocolate. Want
one?” She held the bag toward him.

He frowned at it. “Do they taste like Motrin?”

“Seriously? You’ve never had Dove before.”

“No.” He reached in and took one, and a crooked little smile
materialized on his lips. “They must be good, though. You looked quite…pleased,
eating them.”

The suggestive undertones twisted her insides and she
grabbed another piece to distract herself. “Try it,” she said. “They really are
that good.”

“If you insist.”

She watched him unwrap the foil and hesitate with eyebrows
raised. His gaze locked on hers for an eternity. Finally, he brought it to his
mouth and pushed it in. His jaw worked a few times—and an expression of utter
amazement lit his face. He swallowed fast, cupped his hands together and thrust
them toward her. “More.”

Laughing, she tipped the bag and poured out four or five.
“Told you,” she said.

He ate two more in rapid succession. “Tell me something,” he
said as he tore the wrapper from a third. “How is it that you don’t simply eat
these all the time? No other food compares to this. It’s amazing.”

She couldn’t resist a smile. His reactions were still a
little weird, but he was adorable. Like a child discovering Christmas. “Because
like everything else, it’s bad for you,” she said. “You should really slow
down. You’re supposed to savor them, you know. Have a chocolate experience.”

Grinning, he popped one whole in his mouth and chewed
savagely. “Consider that savored,” he said.

“More like inhaled.” She smirked and helped herself to
another one. “I think these have little messages in them or something.”

“Do they?”

“Yeah. They’re inspirational candy.” She unfolded the foil
slowly and laughed at the words printed inside. “‘Share a chocolate moment with
a friend’,” she read. “They’re psychic!”

Jaeryth blinked at the one remaining in his hand. With a
slight shrug, he peeled the wrapper off and stared at it. “This says, ‘Enjoy
the silky smoothness of Dove’.”

“Well. That’s…really boring.”

“Indeed. But true.”

Logan shook the bag. “Let’s try again,” she said. “We’ll
both take one and we’ll do whatever it says. Okay?”

He smiled. “Even if it’s boring?”

“Yes.”

She stalled and let him open his first. He glanced at the
foil, and then scowled. “I am not doing this,” he said. “Give me a different
one.”

“Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad.”

“It is!”

“Let me see.”

With a heavy sigh, he handed over the wrapper. She read
it—and burst out laughing.

It said,
Wear that perfect dress tonight!

“All right, you’re excused,” she said. “But if I had a dress
handy, I’d hold you to it.”

“Hmph.” He cracked a smile. “What does yours say?”

She opened it.
Be spontaneous.

That was a bit of a challenge. She’d found out the hard way
that without structure and planning, she could leave herself open for trouble.
But she had to learn to live again. She wasn’t tired any more, and a
celebration was definitely in order. It didn’t have to involve booze or drugs.
Normal, legal things could be fun too.

“Well?”

She grinned at him. “It says, ‘Take Jaeryth out to that
little diner we passed on the way, because if he likes Dove chocolate, he’s
going to love chocolate pie’.”

He laughed—and she realized it was the first time she’d
heard him do that. The sound warmed her all the way to her toes. “It does not
say that.”

“You can’t prove it doesn’t.” She crumpled the foil into a
little ball and tossed it across the parking lot. “So, how about it. Are you
game for pie?”

“I am, if it’s better than Dove.”

“No guarantees there. But it’s definitely delicious.”

He nodded. “Lead the way, then.”

They set off toward downtown and Logan couldn’t stop
smiling. For once, life was good.

* * * * *

For a few moments Jaeryth forgot what he was, and even why
he’d been forced into this mortal body. Being with Logan, walking the dark and
mostly deserted streets of Pottstown, talking about everything and nothing—this
was true happiness.

Demons did not experience happiness. Satisfaction, a certain
thrill when the work was going well, but never joy. He could almost understand
how humans managed to carry on, if they had the ability to feel like this.

“There it is.” Logan gestured ahead to the next corner,
which was dominated by a single-story building of chrome and glass with bars of
red light tracing the roof. A spotlight illuminated a wooden sign that simply
read
24-hr Diner
. Two massive trucks stood parked and silent in the lot
alongside the building. “Knew I saw it around here someplace.”

Jaeryth raised an eyebrow. “And this place has chocolate
pie?”

“Sure. It’s a diner, isn’t it? Diners have pie. That’s
practically the law.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the crosswalk,
an apparently unconscious gesture that still sent a jolt through him. “Come on.
All of a sudden, I’m starving.”

Three concrete steps led to a glass door that jingled
pleasantly when Logan pulled it open. Inside, a long counter with several
black-padded stools hosted two men, three seats apart—presumably the drivers of
the trucks. One of them glanced back as the door opened, but quickly returned
to his meal. The row of tables and benches along the windows were empty, and a
young woman wearing headphones and a dark jacket slouched in a booth at the far
wall, apparently oblivious to the world. A sign on a stand by the entrance
invited them to seat themselves.

Logan led them to a booth by a window, and they sat on
opposite sides. Jaeryth would have preferred sitting beside her, but from what
he’d seen, this arrangement was more typical. She plucked a plastic-coated menu
from the holder at the back of the table, flipped it over and smiled. “See?
Pie,” she said, laying the menu down so it faced him.

Toward the bottom was a box labeled Desserts. There was a
brief list next to the Pie entry—Lemon Meringue, Key Lime, Apple and
Mississippi Mud. He was fairly sure he didn’t want to eat a mud pie, even if it
was from Mississippi. “There is no chocolate,” he said.

“Actually…” Smirking, she tapped the word Mud. “This one’s
chocolate.”

“It is?” He frowned at the menu. “Then why do they call it
mud? It doesn’t sound at all appetizing.”

Logan laughed. “You know, I never thought about that. I
guess if you already know what it is, the name doesn’t bother you.” She
straightened and looked around the diner. “I haven’t seen anybody that works
here yet. Have you?”

“No.”

“Hmm.” She played absently with the menu. “Well, it’s pretty
late. There’s probably only a few people on staff. Maybe there’s a bell or
something at the counter.”

Just as she finished speaking, a door behind the counter
opened and a woman emerged and approached their table. Over her clothing, she
wore a wrinkled black apron tied crookedly in the front, with a single deep
pocket and a nametag affixed to one side that said Melody. Her expression was
clearly unhappy, and the smile she attempted when she reached them fell flat.
“Get you something to drink?” she said almost inaudibly.

Logan’s brow furrowed and concern filled her eyes. “Um. Just
water for now, I think, and two slices of the Mississippi Mud.”

“Sure.” Melody turned and shuffled away. One of the men at
the counter gestured for her, but she ignored him and vanished behind the door
again.

“Oh, man,” Logan said. “She looks like I felt earlier.
Totally wiped out.”

“Mm-hm.” He stared at the door for a moment. The waitress
had seemed tired, yes—but there was something else he’d almost sensed from her.
Some darkness he couldn’t quite grasp. He’d nearly decided to look into the
Otherworld, to see if there was a Tempter following the woman around. But if
there was, and he or Logan reacted to the presence, it would likely focus
attention on them.

The last thing he wanted right now was attention from any
demon. His ribs still ached from Samael’s not-so-gentle reminder. He didn’t
want to think about his mission.

“Earth to Jaeryth. Anybody in there?”

He shook free from his thoughts. “Sorry,” he said. “You’re
right. She does look tired.”

“I hope she’s okay.”

“Yes.” Jaeryth glanced toward the door again. There was a
long, narrow opening with a protruding ledge in the same wall, parallel to the
counter. The opening had been empty before, but now a young man with dark hair
and too many earrings stood looking through it, from whatever room the waitress
had entered. The kitchen, apparently. He was staring wide-eyed at Logan. When
he saw Jaeryth watching him, he disappeared from view.

He turned back to the table. “What strange staff they have
here,” he said.

“How’s that?”

Before he could respond, the waitress backed through the
door carrying a large tray. As she passed the counter, the man who’d waved at
her before said loudly, “Hey. Can I get my check here?”

“One sec,” Melody mumbled. With her gaze riveted to the
floor, she crossed to the table and deposited two glasses of ice-choked water
between them. One of them sloshed out nearly half its contents, but the
waitress took no notice. She clunked down plates of what was supposed to be
pie, one after the other, then trudged back with the tray dangling loosely from
one hand, headed for the disgruntled truck driver.