Page 20 of A Wicked Dance of Obsidian and Light (Echoes of Darkness #1)
Someone’s been in my apartment…at least, that’s what I think. Or I could be finally going insane; you never know. Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed small changes, like the chairs at my kitchen table being slightly shifted, things that I previously put in one place disappearing and appearing in another, and last of all, some of my underwear is missing.
The changes are so minute that a person without an acute sense of awareness would surely miss them. Still, I can’t be certain my tired mind is not playing games on me. The nightmares have been increasing in frequency since the memory flashback, and I’ve been waking up groggy every day since, feeling like a herd of elephants danced macarena on my head.
For all I know, the washing machine could have played hocus pocus with my underwear. I can’t even remember how many times I searched for socks over the years to only find one out of the pair. The incertitude is driving me up the wall, and I’m seriously considering installing a security system. I even took out the key that I used to keep in the fake pocket I had sewn under the mat at my front door.
Oh, and let’s not forget about the fact that the lingerie set I got from Kaiden disappeared into thin air, too. Well, that could have also been me, or better said, the stupid drunken version of me that possibly found it offensive to wear lingerie from an Elite demon and threw it out.
Now, I regret not going through the trash that day to make sure I did throw it out, but I was too hungover when I woke up and then got caught up in other things—other people, more precisely. I want to kick myself in the shin because that was the softest, most luxurious fabric to ever grace my skin, and I probably won’t get the chance to wear something like that again, dammit.
“What ‘cha doing?” Tony’s sudden appearance pulls me out of my thoughts forcefully and the mascara wand misses my lashes, poking me in the eyeball hard and smearing black streaks all over my left eyelid as I blink on instinct.
“Ow!” I mutter a sharp curse under my breath and give his reflection in the bathroom mirror the stink eye. “You could have better timing, you know. How the fuck am I going to fix this?” I blow out a frustrated breath as my eyes start watering.
“Sorry, buttercup. I didn’t mean to scare you. If you wait for the mascara to dry, then flick it off with one of those spooly thingies you use for your eyebrows, it should come off just fine.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that. Thanks,” I say, sniffling, and wipe the tears at the corners of my eyes gently with a tissue, then move on to applying blush to the apples of my cheeks. Now that Tony’s here, I want to ask him about his past. He seems lucid, but I don’t want to bombard him with questions right off the bat. Maybe If we engage in normal conversation for a while, I could coax information out of him slowly.
“Sure. Going somewhere fancy?” he asks, popping off and appearing in a seated position over the closed lid of my toilet. He waggles his eyebrows at me. The gesture reminds me of Sam. “Please do share. I’m bored to fucking death, pun intended.”
“I’m going on a date.” My heart somersaults as my nervous excitement comes back with a vengeance.
He sighs dreamily, steepling his fingers under his chin. “Uuuuh. Who’s the lucky guy?”
I apply a thin layer of lip gloss before saying, “It’s the guy who saved me that night you first saw me in the national park.”
“The broody, gorgeous tattooed guy? I didn’t quite see his face, but his body is to die for. Is he a demon? I couldn’t get an exact read on him. I tried to get a better look, but this bright light blinded and scattered me. It was pretty annoying.”
I gape at him. “You know what he is?”
“Of course. When you die, you suddenly become aware of the existence of demons and all of the other creatures of the world. It’s like the rose-colored glasses are lifted. How do you think I was aware a wolf shifter killed me?” he asks with a pointed look my way.
“Well, I haven’t thought about that. I was too busy freaking out that I can see a ghost,” I mumble.
“All this information pours into you once your soul separates from your body, but lately, everything that I’ve learned seems to be slipping through my fingers like sand, along with all my memories.” Tony heaves a deep sigh, and I can’t help but feel the sadness in his words pressing over my chest like a heavy weight. “Sooo, what’s his name?”
“Kaiden Black,” I tell him and try flicking the smudged mascara off now that it’s dry. Huh. It’s working better than I expected.
“Isn’t he the head of the Obsidian Conclave?”
“Yup.”
“Wow. Can you even date a demon? Aren’t you, like…supposed to hunt and kill them?”
“Well, we’re not allowed to kill demons that have permission to be here and are under the Conclave’s wing, only the ones that slip through the veil. But it’s a hundred percent forbidden to fraternize with them. Let’s not even talk about going out on a date. The thing is, Kaiden has something I need, and he strongarmed me into going on a date with him in exchange for it.”
Tony snickers before he gives me a wry grin. “Um-hum…don’t look so devastated about it.” He changes the subject, thankfully. “The Obsidian Conclave is in charge of the dark creatures, right?”
“Yup,” I say as I take the hair out of my bun and start brushing it. “I assume the one who killed you was a rogue, which is the majority of dark creatures, unfortunately. All dark creatures that don’t bear the Sigil of Baphomet are considered lawless. But even if they do have the Sigil, any dark creature that breaks the fundamental law will be punished at the hands of the Conclave. Hellseekers are not allowed to meddle unless they witness a dark creature killing a human.”
Taking out the hair straightener from the drawer under my sink, I plug it in, then start parting my hair into sections while the straightener heats.
“What about hellseekers? Are you like a special race? You’re all in an Order if I remember correctly.”
Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I consider how best to explain the intricacies of our world to Tony. “So,” I begin, pointing the hair straightener at him before running it through the first section of hair. “A hellseeker is essentially a warrior, one who hunts demons. Some members of our Order are not hellseekers; they have other roles, such as doctors, accountants, surveillance…you get the gist. My aunt, for instance, works at the library’s compound. We’re all referred to as lightborn, since we have blessed blood running through our veins. So, in a way, you could say we’re a distinct race, but lightborn were once human.”
“Can lightborn leave the Order? What happens to them?”
“Some left, wanting a normal life, so yeah, you can leave if you want. My mother did. Only if you do, or if you get kicked out, you can’t come back. You have to live as a human and by their rules. And, of course, you’re not allowed to tell anyone about the Order or the reality of our world.”
“Mkay, enough about this. What are you planning on wearing for the date?” Tony inquires with excitement. He floats after me as I stride to the bedroom to finish getting ready.
“Will you help me choose?” I ask, opening my closet.
“Sure, buttercup. If there’s something I know, it’s clothes. I had the biggest closet at home, and I loved playing dress up as a kid. Well, not just as a kid. Halloween was my favorite holiday.”
“Anything else you remember?” I say casually while taking out the three outfit options for tonight and draping them over my bed. My stomach isa restless ball of nervous energy as I sneak a look at the clock perched on the wall. I only have half an hour left until Kaiden’s going to be here.
“Oh yeah, that’s why I popped into your bathroom in the first place. I remembered that I used to work as a server at a bar in the Raven district and wanted to tell you. Don’t remember why, though. So, what are we working with here? Did Kaiden tell you where he’s taking you?”
“He said he’s picking me up on his bike and that the rest is a surprise, but to dress casually. You don’t remember anything else? The name of the bar…maybe your surname or how long ago you died?”
He pops off and appears near my bed, analyzing the clothes I laid out. “Unfortunately, no. That’s the first thing I remembered in a long time.” He pauses, then tilts his head. “Hmm, I think I like the second pair of jeans, but none of the tops. I love that red number I saw hanging in your closet, though. The one with the tag still on.”
I worry my lower lip between my teeth. “I don’t know about that. I mostly wear black.”
His lips twist in amusement as he raises one eyebrow in my direction. “You don’t say. I couldn’t tell with the soulless void that is your closet,” he deadpans. “Trust me, you’re going to look amazing in it. You’re a true cool winter.”
“Huh, what’s that?”
“Your color palette. Now, c’mon, get dressed. You can change if you don’t like it, but I guarantee you won’t want to once you see how good you look in red.”
“Fine,” I say, rolling my eyes dramatically while striding into the bathroom to change. The second I step back into the bedroom, Tony whistles, making me laugh, and I do a little pirouette for him. “Well, you were right. The top was a gift from my best friend, and I never even tried it on because I didn’t think it would look good on me. Now I feel like a dumbass.” Checking myself in the mirror again, I say, “I don’t think I have ever worn red be—”
“My friend’s favorite color is red,” Tony interrupts me.
I whip my head around to look at him. “Can you remember anything else about her?”
Suddenly, his form starts flickering. He reappears at my back, head tilted. I don’t get a response because he starts laughing with a high pitch that rattles the windows. Then, he vanishes into thin air. I wait patiently for him to show up again, but he never does.
My phone vibrates in my back pocket, startling me, and my stomach takes a nosedive. I almost drop it from my sweat-slicked palm as I fish it out and tap on the screen.
Kaiden: I’m o utside.
Me: ‘Kay. I’ll be dow n in 5.
I’m ready, but I need the extra minutes for a pep talk. “You better not forget he’s a demon, Iris. You are not risking your whole future for a sexy as sin, tattooed demon. Are we clear?” I say, jabbing a finger at my reflection in the mirror. With a deep inhale, I spin on my heel, grab my leather jacket from the upholstered chair in the corner, and make my way downstairs.