MySoultoSave (21 page)

And the look in his eyes suggested his thoughts were the
same.

Just when she’d decided to go for it and see what happened,
her phone went off. She groaned and debated not answering—but it could be Miss
Turner. Her caseworker would not be happy if she didn’t pick up. “I have to get
that,” she said.

“Do you?”

The disappointment in his voice almost changed her mind. But
she couldn’t risk pissing off the one person who could keep her from
performing. “Unfortunately,” she said and twisted away before she could give in
to temptation.

She padded over to the dresser and grabbed the phone. It was
Tex. After last night, she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to him just yet—but
he had mentioned band business or something. Reluctantly, she hit the answer
button. “Hello?”

“Hey, Frost. You ready?”

She frowned. “For what?”

“We’re getting together, remember?”

“Yeah. Tonight, isn’t it?”

There was a pause. “It’s six o’clock.”

“What?” The alarm clock was facing the wall. She must’ve
bumped it when she was putting stuff on the dresser. She turned it around and
saw five fifty-eight. Shit, how could she have slept so long? “Sorry. I must’ve
lost track,” she said, hoping she sounded casual. “So you’ll pick me up at
seven, right?”

“Actually, I was going to head over now,” Tex said in
measured tones. “I have an appointment tonight, so we have to make it quick,
but I’ve got some stuff you guys need to hear.” He paused again. “Frost, are
you all right?”

“Sure. I’m fine.” She still wanted to have a talk with him
about the way he’d acted with Jaeryth—and after the show—but that could wait.
It was a half-hour drive to Blue’s place. “When will you be here?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“See you then.”

They hung up and she tossed the phone back on the dresser.
Damn it. She couldn’t insist that Jaeryth come along, especially if she was
going to ream Tex out about him. But the idea of leaving him alone worried her.
Not that she thought he’d do anything wrong, but those black-eyed freaks
obviously knew how to find him. She turned to break the bad news—only to find
him standing right behind her. “Jesus!” she gasped as her heart lurched in her
chest.

He smirked. “No. I’m Jaeryth.”

“Ha ha. Warn me next time you’re going to sneak up on me.”

“Then I would not be sneaking.”

She let out a real laugh. “I guess you have a point.
Look…um, I have to go out for awhile. For the band thing. Tex is going to be
here in twenty minutes.”

“Tex.” He practically spat the name. “As I recall, he was
quite firm about excluding me from this. I assume I’ll be staying here.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Will you?”

Be spontaneous.
Smiling, she stepped closer and put
an arm around his waist. She had to stand on tiptoe to reach him. “Yes,” she
said, and kissed him.

She didn’t expect it to feel this incredible—as if his lips
had been made for hers. Tingling warmth infused her from head to foot in a
dizzying rush, and for a moment she thought she’d collapse from it.

When she drew back, he shuddered and caught her hand. “Must
you leave?” he said in ragged tones.

“If there was any way I could get out of this, I would.”
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to grab Jaeryth, bring him back to bed
and do a lot more than kiss him. “But I won’t be gone long. Promise.”

“All right.” He smiled. “You are worth waiting for.”

It took a lot of willpower to make herself move. But if she
wasn’t ready when Tex got here, he might want to come in—and then he’d find out
that her “neighbor” was staying in her house while she went out. That would
cause a lot of problems she didn’t want to deal with right now.

She grabbed clean clothes from the dresser and took the
fastest shower of her life. By the time she finished dressing, saying a
reluctant goodbye to Jaeryth and grabbing a quick snack, twenty minutes had
passed. She stepped out the front door just as Tex pulled into the driveway.

He didn’t say anything when she climbed in and not a word as
he navigated the residential streets. Finally, when he neared the highway
onramp, he said, “So I guess you’re still mad at me.”

“What gave it away?”

“Well, the death stare was kind of a tip-off.”

She let out a sigh. It was hard to stay mad at Tex, even
when she wanted to strangle him. But she couldn’t let this one go. “You were
trying to talk me into drinking,” she said. “You know I can’t do that. You
shouldn’t have even asked.”

“You’re right.” His expression was utterly miserable. “I’m
sorry, Logan. I was a world-class asshole. And I have no idea what I was
thinking.”

“Probably that you wanted to celebrate.” She managed a
slight smile. “I’ll forgive you this time, counselor. Just don’t let it happen
again.”

He drew an invisible X on his chest. “Cross my heart.”

“Good.” She actually believed the drinking thing had been a
mistake, a heat-of-the-moment reaction. Tex wouldn’t deliberately try to sabotage
her recovery efforts. But now she had to bring up Jaeryth, which was a tougher
subject. Especially since she was more or less lying about her relationship
with him. Still, Tex’s animosity toward him had to stop, because Jaeryth wasn’t
going anywhere.

She cleared her throat. “While I’m yelling at you, there’s
one more thing.”

“Oh, great.” Tex let out a good-natured groan. “What did I
do now?”

“It’s about Jaeryth.”

Every trace of humor left him instantly. “Oh, right. Your
neighbor.
”

She could hear the air-quotes around the word neighbor.
“Yes, him,” she said. “What’s your problem there? It’s obvious you don’t like
him.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“You don’t even know him!”

“Neither do you, Frost.”

He didn’t shout—and he didn’t have to. She heard the message
loud and clear.

“Have you been to his place?” Tex said without looking at
her. “Because he couldn’t tell me which one was his.”

“Couldn’t, or wouldn’t?”

“It doesn’t matter. He was obviously lying.” His fingers
drummed the steering wheel, sharp and impatient. “Have you met any of his
friends? Do you know where he works, or even what his last name is? He didn’t
tell you that, either—right?”

She didn’t have an answer for any of that. And it worried
her all over again.

“Something isn’t right about this guy. People don’t come out
of nowhere.” Tex let out a breath and glanced over. “I’m worried about you. I’m
your friend. That’s my job.” He patted her leg. “I just want you to be careful,
okay?”

She nodded. “I can do that.”

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart.”

An uneasy feeling settled into her and stayed for the rest
of the ride. Tex was right. The only thing she really knew about Jaeryth was
that he could see the black-eyed freaks. At least one of which knew him—the one
who had been in her house. For all she knew, he could be on their side. And
she’d been ready to jump into bed with him.

She definitely had feelings for him. But until she got some
answers about who he was and what he was doing, she couldn’t act on them. The
risk was too big.

So much for being spontaneous.

* * * * *

Jaeryth remained quietly in the bedroom until he heard the
car drive away. Much as he loathed the angel, he would respect Logan’s wish
that Tex not know he was here.

She’d kissed him.

He could still feel her lips against his, sweet and soft,
painfully tantalizing. How difficult it had been to let her go. But she would
return soon—and he hoped to pick up where they left off. For the moment he
chose to believe that this could last, that he and Logan could be together.

With time to kill, he used the bathroom and showered until
the water was no longer hot. He dressed in the same clothing and lay down,
thinking he would sleep until she came back, but sleep would not come.
Eventually he realized he was hungry.

The kitchen was unfamiliar territory. He knew there were
things in it that could be eaten, but he wasn’t sure how to make them edible.
Cupboards held cans and boxes that required preparation. He tried to read some
of the directions and soon decided he didn’t understand them enough to attempt
them.

In the refrigerator, he discovered more promising
selections. Apples did not require cooking. He took two from the bag and sat at
the kitchen table to eat them. Perhaps he could ask Logan to show him how to
cook a few things.

Just as he finished the second apple and headed for the
living room, he caught a familiar and unwelcome scent in the air. Brimstone.

He hung back, preparing to focus his vision in order to see
the presence that had invaded—whether it was a Tempter or Samael himself. But
near the front door, he noticed a gathering cloud of smoke, and realized
whoever it was wanted to be seen. That couldn’t be good news.

As he watched, Ronwe stepped from the thick haze, brushing
at the impeccable dark jacket he wore as though the smoke had rumpled it. The
head demon glanced around the room with apparent distaste, and when his gaze
lit on Jaeryth, he laughed.

“So this is what you’ve become, quartermaster.” Ronwe moved
toward him at a languid pace. “Samael mentioned that you’d changed, but he
didn’t elaborate. My, but you’ve fallen far in the name of your obsession.”

Jaeryth’s jaw clenched. “What do you want?”

“To gloat, mostly.” He stopped and offered a cold smile.
“Oh, and to send your little prophet to Hell. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem
to be here at the moment. Where is she, Jaeryth?”

His stomach wrenched violently. “Go back to your office and
your petty tyranny,” he said. “I’m handling this.”

“Are you? Well, then I suppose my work here is done. Thank
you, Jaeryth. I’ll just run along home and pointlessly torment a few Tempters.”
Ronwe vanished—only to reappear almost instantly in front of him, pinning him
with a blood-red glare. “Or maybe I’ll take Samael’s word over yours and carry
out this simple task that you’re obviously incapable of completing. Where is
she?”

“Really, Ronwe.” Somehow he managed to speak calmly, despite
the desperate pounding of his heart. “I’m human now, and I know the rules.
Threaten and intimidate me all you like. You can’t touch me.”

Ronwe sneered. “Perhaps I’ll choose to view the fact that
you have no soul as a loophole. Tell me where she is and I’ll refrain from
tearing your flesh to ribbons. Human.”

“I don’t believe you’ll risk it.”

“Try me.”

“All right.” Jaeryth folded his arms. “Go ahead. Tear me to
ribbons.”

For an instant Ronwe’s eyes glowed impossibly redder, twin
flames burning with hatred. Then the demon backed down as quickly as he’d
angered and let out a chilling laugh that rivaled Samael’s. “Ah, Jaeryth. You
were a smug demon. And you’ve somehow managed to become worse as a human. How
ironic that your weakness has forced you into complete delusion.”

“And yet you haven’t torn my flesh.”

“You are no longer worth my time.” Ronwe stepped back, a
small smile lingering on his lips. “Once I’ve taken care of this Logan Frost,
I’ll be rid of you without having to lift a finger. I may even visit you in
Tartarus, just to watch you suffer.”

Though he knew how futile it would be to attack him, Jaeryth
struggled to refrain from attacking the head demon. “Get out, Ronwe,” he said
through his teeth.

“And now you’re trying to give me orders. Unbelievable.” He
shook his head in mock pity. “Look at the facts, Jaeryth. I am a full demon,
with sixty other demons and three hundred Tempters at my disposal. You are a
lone, pathetic excuse for a human. Do you really think you’re going to come out
ahead? You may as well just tell me where she is, and consign yourself to your
fate.”

Jaeryth managed a laugh. “If you’re so all-powerful, then
find her yourself.”

“Oh, I will. And when I do…well, you know what will happen.”
He drew a finger slowly across his throat. “I hope you enjoy Tartarus. Eternity
is such a very long time.”

With that, Ronwe disappeared, leaving a few twisting
tendrils of smoke in his place.

Jaeryth swallowed against rising dread. He knew it wouldn’t
be easy for Ronwe to locate Logan, despite the head demon’s boasting. With
billions of humans occupying the planet, it was never a simple matter to
pinpoint one, even knowing the area to search. Still, it would only be a matter
of time before Ronwe succeeded.

And he could do nothing.

He had no car, no phone and no idea how to use either one,
even if he’d had access to them. He knew only that she’d gone with Tex, but he
didn’t know where. If he were still a demon, he would have been able to go to
her—he had always sensed her presence. Now he could only rely on the damned
angel to protect her.

With a heavy heart, he sank onto the couch for the agonizing
wait ahead.

Chapter Eighteen

As Tex had promised, the meeting was short. And
mind-blowing. Apparently, the manager of the Eight Spot, where they’d been
booked to play this Friday, had heard about the crowd at the Pelican Room. He
decided to sell tickets ahead of time to avoid the mess at the door. They went
on sale at ten a.m. that morning. And they’d sold out in a little over two
hours.

So the manager went ahead and booked Festival Pier, an
outdoor venue on the river with a total capacity of eight thousand. Including
the original tickets, so far nearly three thousand of them had sold. They
expected to fill all the seats by Thursday, maybe sooner.

Blue and Reid had been ecstatic. Logan had been too shocked
to feel much of anything.

Though Blue had offered to drive her home so she could stay
awhile, Logan went back with Tex, who was meeting with the venue management
tonight. She couldn’t leave Jaeryth alone for longer than she had to—despite
her renewed doubts, she still cared about him. Probably a lot more than she
should.