Page 21

Harlow

Tuesday Evening

Dark Haven Library

“ T he demons are tracking Harlow.” Drake dropped the bomb the moment we were gathered around him. The words had panic rising in me until it was hard to breathe.

“What the fuck do they want with her?” Roman demanded. I had a distinct feeling Hiro wouldn’t be making an appearance until all this chaos was over.

Especially with everything Roman just learned. He was a protector through and through, even if he couldn’t see it.

“They seem to know what her purpose is and will do anything to eradicate the threat.”

I laughed at that. “How the fuck am I a threat?!”

“Your purpose is to stop the portal from opening completely,” he countered. “They want it wide open so they don’t have to be confined to Dark Haven.”

“How do you know all this?” Layne questioned.

Drake gestured back at the door he came from. “They’re not exactly being quiet about their plans. They’re bold and have numbers on their side. This place is crawling with them.”

“What about the other patients?” Crew asked. Drake shrugged but I could see it bothered him.

“I warded the sixth floor, but it’s not as strong as Ivar’s wards. I couldn’t get through the other floors. Even the stairwell is loaded.”

“Fuck,” I cursed. “Hel gave me a job and a very deadly present while you were busy running around the halls, so that doesn’t bode well.”

He glared at my commentary. “Well, what is it?”

“We’re not waiting on the gargoyles to wake, I have to wake them. She said this would save me from demons and wake them?”

I held up the dagger and his eyes widened.

“She gave you that?” he hissed, reaching for it but stopping himself from touching it. He shifted his gaze to Roman. “I need Hiro to confirm this. He’s the mythology expert.”

“Well, we’re not a sideshow, I can’t just bring him out,” Roman argued.

“Try?” Drake demanded.

Roman shifted uncomfortably.

“I’ve never done that,” he admitted, but he went over to the couch and sat, closing his eyes. He didn’t move for long enough I worried he fell asleep.

“While we wait, we have to figure out what to do,” Drake continued.

“I’m staying here,” Layne said. “I’m not a demon or a badass.”

“Agreed,” Crew said. “I won’t leave her and we can offer whatever support you need here.”

“Alright,” Drake said, looking a bit relieved. “It’ll be easier to get us up to the roof without a full group.”

“I don’t even know how to wake them, she gave me nothing,” I growled. “Everyone loves to give me half-assed answers and I’m just supposed to figure it out.”

“We’re all from Helheim, what did you expect? Someone to hold your hand?” he mocked. “You figure it out like we all did, and you do what you can to shove these assholes back where they came from.”

“It’s my home, too, no matter how fucked up that is!” I yelled. “I’m not asking for hand holding, but what the fuck does she expect, me to sacrifice myself for them?!”

“I don’t fucking know either, Harlow!” he said, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“Okay, take a breath,” Crew said as he stepped between us.

“Where are we?” Hiro asked quietly, wild eyes staring around.

“Um, so something threw open a portal to Helheim, demons have taken over Dark Haven, and we’re safe here... for now,” I summarized.

“Hiro, I need you,” Drake said. “Show it to him, Harlow.”

“This was a gift from Hel,” I said as I held up the dagger.

Hiro’s eyes widened in awe.

“Is that a piece of her sword?” he asked, reverence shaking his voice. It was like he was grasping onto something familiar to hold his sanity together. “If so, it produces hellfire and is the only material that can successfully kill a demon.”

“That’s what I thought. I probably can’t touch it, but now she can defend herself, especially if we’re going to the roof.”

“What’s on the roof?” Hiro asked.

“Gargoyles, and apparently, I’m the only one who can wield this and wake them. Though heaven fucking forbid someone tell me how.”

“Do you even know how to fight?” Hiro asked with a wince.

“With daggers? Definitely not.” I laughed. “Aim for the heart and stab?”

“It’ll likely do most of the work for you,” Drake offered. “We should go before sundown.”

“So, now?” I deadpanned, pointing to the windows where the sun was already falling behind the horizon.

“Yes,” he said. “Get ready, Harlow. It’s your time to shine. Pretend they’re your bitch of a grandmother.”

In his own twisted way, Drake knew just what to say to get through my panic.

“Done,” I said, clutching the dagger in my hand as I walked to the door. Drake let his human facade fade and his demon took over.

“Hiro, you should stay here,” Drake warned. The poor guy just nodded as he gaped up at Drake’s horns and demon form.

He’d likely read about it from Roman who’d witnessed it, but this was clearly his first time coming face to face with him.

“Holy shit, is it wrong to call you Daddy Drake now?” he breathed out. He’d lost his filter in the shock of it all.

Drake walked over and leaned down, brushing his lips over Hiro’s. “Stay safe here and you can call me whatever you want.”

It was a bold move considering how they’d been with each other and I made a mental note to ask just what happened in that basement.

Fuck, they were hot together. To my surprise, I didn’t even feel a hint of jealousy at the sight. What they were building didn’t take anything away from what we were. And I definitely hoped to fuck them both together from time to time.

“Snap out of it, you’re drooling,” Layne called out before she threw her arms around me. “Don’t die.”

“I’ll try not to,” I promised as Drake pulled me from the room.

Outside of our makeshift bunker, energy buzzed in the air. It felt similar to the other times I’d encountered the stone gargoyles but more intense, as if they were fighting to break free from their cement prisons.

It was mixed with that cold heaviness that surrounded the demons. It was an unnerving mix and had every hair on my body standing on end.

“Harlow.” My name blew through the hall on a breeze and Drake looked at me uneasily, hearing it as well.

“We should hurry. The stairs are to the left. Stab anything that gets in your way.” I swallowed hard and nodded, knowing it would be nearly impossible to do when the time came.

The moment we stepped out of the closet, we were met with a wall of demons. Panic froze me to the spot, but Drake wasn’t so hesitant.

“Fight!” he ordered me as he shoved his hands out, the shadows surging from them, knocking them back a few feet.

It wasn’t until one got up and lunged for me that I finally moved on instinct, the dagger meeting his chest and sliding in almost too easily. Blue flames flared to life and consumed him in a raging inferno until all that was left was ash.

“Who else wants to fuck with her?” Drake demanded as the crowd backed off some.

One more demon decided he was brave and lunged. This time, it was easier, and I felt in control for once in my fucking life. Maybe I was meant for this life all along, as a vanquisher of demons and champion for Hel herself.

The dagger slammed into this demon’s face with a sickening thud. In moments, he was nothing but ash on the dingy floors.

“Run,” Drake ordered. He snatched my hand that wasn’t holding the dagger to drag me along.

Before we could even open the door to the stairwell, my hair was snatched and I was thrown back, hitting the wall hard enough my vision blurred and pain exploded through my skull.

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Drake literally roared like a monster before tackling the demon. They were a blur of shadows and flame before Drake stood as the victor, spitting on the corpse of the demon he’d just killed. Somehow, I managed to get to my feet and join him. “You all right?”

“Thanks,” I said. “I’m fine. Come on before I have to murder more people.” He froze at my words and turned to me.

“Not people, Harlow. Demons. They’re not human,” he said, “They don’t deserve your sympathy.”

“You’re a demon, and I’d never kill you, Drake,” I argued.

“I have humanity in me,” he said. “Not the same. Don’t let this rest on your conscience. Given the chance they’d have watched the light drain from your eyes and danced on your rotting corpse. Your Monty would say the same.”

Bile rose in my throat at the picture he’d just painted. “Nice imagery.”

He let out a soft chuckle before pulling me toward the door. I watched in horror as a demon burst through the door and launched at Drake.

The moment he made contact, anger exploded inside of me. No one hurt my guys.

The thought barely formed before I was lunging forward, dagger ready, slicing into the demon. This time with no remorse.

He’d officially crossed the line. My life was one thing, theirs was another. No one would harm them if I could protect them.

Hel had finally given me a way to do just that.

“Thanks,” he said as he gently lowered my arm holding the dagger and stood, opening the door so we could get out of here.

The stairwell was even more packed with demons, but half had already gotten the memo and backed away at the sight of me. The bold ones still tried to fight, but Drake ruthlessly tossed them down the stairs so they didn’t have a chance to get to me.

I tried to help Drake but my hallucinations were back, mixing with the demons and making it impossible to tell which was real and which was not.

Shadows and dark figures melded into the dimly lit stairwell until I could barely make sense of what I was even stabbing, though I fought them all the same.

Fighting on stairs was much harder than on flat ground. As if the demons could tell my silent struggles, they stopped backing away and joined in, hands grabbed at my ankles. I clung to the railing, pulling myself up as quickly as I could with my blade swinging behind me. The heat of flames hit us every time I made contact, and it was oddly satisfying this time. The danger felt more imminent when there was a floor’s height to fall if they successfully pulled me down.

The sixth floor was eerily silent, given the insanity we’d just escaped. The wards must be stronger than he thought.

Drake closed the door and leaned against it, breathing hard as I sank to the floor to catch my own.

“I’m a badass,” I cheered. “Oh, I think I’m winning! I killed six!”

He gaped at my celebration, and I laughed, the sound half hysterical, but it helped chase away the panic and dread settling within me.

“You’re fucked up,” he finally said as he pushed off the door and started down the hall without me so I was forced to scramble after him.

“This is the lady I watched over when I got stuck up here after dark,” I said as we passed her room. “I hope she’s okay.”

“Mom is fine,” he answered. He was practically whispering, looking from her door then back to me. “Thanks for keeping her safe, Harlow.”

“Holy shit,” I breathed out in shock. The revelation was unexpected, but the more I thought about that woman and that night, the more it felt right. “I knew she felt familiar. When this is over we should visit her, she was so lonely.”

“I try not to visit too often, she inadvertently feeds me,” he admitted.

“So? What mother wouldn’t let her son feed if she could ease the pain of his hunger? I think you’re a bit more in control now. I’ve never seen you embrace this, and you’ve wielded it beautifully tonight,” I told him, walking away before the moment could get sappy or derail us. “We’ll visit together next time.”

“You’re so strange,” he said but it was with a hint of awe that had me biting back a satisfied smile. Sure, I had my flaws, but the guys easily brought out my good qualities and saw them. Going from a girl who was easily thrown away to someone truly seen was sometimes hard to process.

We forged ahead, heading up the back stairs to the roof I hoped was demon free. When we reached it we both let out a collective sigh of relief.

We made it.

Rain pelted the rooftop like some cheesy horror film, but we didn’t hesitate to step outside into the storm. I had a job to do, and the last thing I wanted was to let the patients of Dark Haven die because I couldn’t believe in myself.

I’d learned quickly at Dark Haven that things weren’t always what they seemed, but somehow, I felt connected to this place, wanted to save the people who lived here, and preserve this home in some way.

It was honestly the only one I’d ever truly had. It may have started awful, and Vane ensured I was tormented only a few weeks ago, but the good here outweighed it.

I finally felt like myself and I had people who truly cared about me.

“What do I do?” I asked Drake in desperation as I let the energy pull me toward my gargoyle. The one who’d protected me that night. And as my voice echoed in the wind again, I knew he was the one who had been calling for me.

“Harlow.” My name was so much louder as I approached it, and my vision tunneled so he was all I could see.

Fractures had formed in the stone, and as I rested my hand against the cool rock I could feel it pulsing underneath.

He’s ready to be freed.

But how?

Calm swelled in my chest. It wasn’t my own but I embraced it nonetheless.

My hand instinctively raised the dagger, and I didn’t question what to do as I moved my hand from the stone and slid it over my flesh.

Blue fire didn’t erupt this time, only a sharp pain as blood blossomed to the surface.

Without hesitation, I slammed my hand down on the stone gargoyle, offering my blood to awaken it.

Lightning struck the rooftop at that moment, throwing Drake and me back. As darkness pulled at the edges of my vision, I watched the stone fall away and a huge creature stand in its place.

Drake grabbed my hand, his grip weak against mine, but I couldn't turn away from the beast in front of me.

Leathery wings, a dark gray body that looked as if he were carved from stone, bulging muscles, a shock of dark black hair, icy blue eyes, and claws that could tear any demon to pieces.

He was hauntingly beautiful.

“Close the portal,” I demanded. But I could say nothing more as the darkness won.

I’d done my job, now he had to do his.