A Demon Made Me Do It(69)

Kieron.

He sees me looking at him, and I wave him over. Bones growls softly behind me. “Stop it. He can help us,” I mutter.

Kieron comes to stand behind me, and I fill him in on what Catalina had said. He immediately looks concerned. “Any ideas why they might be in some sort of trouble? Did they have any problems with other demons that you know about?”

Catalina and I shake our heads, and Bones glares at him silently.

“No…none that I ever heard of. Everybody likes Ivy, and Cody’s as nice as they come….”

“Hmm. Any first-searchers been sent out?”

Catalina shakes her head again. “No, like I told them,” she says motioning to Bones and me, “no one’s worried about them at all.”

Kieron’s gaze falls on me. “But you’re worried?” he asks.

I lean back against the bar and nod. “If Catalina feels something’s amiss, I believe her.”

Kieron presses his lips together for a moment. “Okay. I’ll go see what I can find. If I can stop by their house first to pick up the trail, this’ll go a lot faster.” He absently runs his hands through his hair. Bones looks like he wants to eat his face off.

Catalina’s face brightens. “You mean it? You think you can help?”

“He’s a Latros,” I say proudly. Bones narrows his eyes and growls again.

“Oh, thank you, thank you,” Catalina gushes. “I’ll feel so much better once I know everything is fine and I’m just being a hysterical drama queen.” She jumps up and gives Kieron a big hug. I know she’s just grateful for his help, but seeing her lithe body pressed up against his grates on my nerves.

“I’m going too,” I say, leaning closer to him.

“So am I,” Bones says.

Well, this oughta be interesting.

******





The three of us race through the night; me on Diablo, Kieron on his Ducati, and Bones as a hellhound. Following their senses, Kieron and Bones have both led us in the same direction so far. But I fear their macho desire to outdo one another will spell trouble for our little tracking party if either of them crosses the line.

“Bones, knock it off!” I yell as he cuts Kieron off for the third time. Kieron swiftly dodges Bones’ sideswipe, and soon retaliates with a near-miss of his own. I groan inwardly and roll my eyes. Boys…

Without warning, Bones screeches to a halt. Kieron skids his bike around once he realizes his racing partner is no longer beside him.

I ease Diablo to a prancing trot. “What is it?” I ask. Kieron pulls up beside me and looks around suspiciously.

Bones points his nose in the air and moves it in several small circles. Then his body shivers and shakes. Kieron averts his eyes from Bones’ nude form.

“It stops here,” he says. Then he looks at Kieron. “Why’d you keep going? Did you sense something I didn’t?”

Kieron nods, still looking away. “I’ve been following something else for several miles. An energy mixed almost indistinguishably with Ivy and Cody’s.”

“Wait, someone care to fill me in…where are Cody and Ivy? What other energy?” I ask, surveying the surrounding area. It’s dark, but Illyria’s moons provide enough light, and my pupils are at maximum dilation. I can see perfectly. Problem is, there’s nothing to see.

“Their scent was solid up to the meadow. It was especially strong by the river. But it trailed away from there and gradually faded…” Bones says.

“Something else was with them,” Kieron adds. “An energy that started by the river. I think we need to follow it and see where it takes us—”

“What kind of energy?” I interrupt him. “We’re looking for Ivy and Cody, not some mystical spark plug.”

Kieron has a strange look on his face. “I think they’re connected. Follow me,” he says and revs his engine. He speeds off, Bones quickly transforms and chases after him, and I take up the rear. The three of us fly over the miles of open countryside.





When we reach the border of Dryndara, we stop. Any further and we’ll be trespassing. Although these neighbors, the Hlbafa, aren’t as hostile as some of the others, we’re forbidden to cross over without permission. Otherwise we’re fair game for attack.

“What now?” I ask.

Kieron shakes his head and shuts off the engine. As he props the motorcycle on the kickstand, I dismount and walk over to him.

Bones sniffs the air again, then resumes his human shape. “I don’t smell anything. Are you sure…”

“I don’t think they came here of their own free will,” Kieron says under his breath. My heart starts racing. With Bones and Kieron at my side, I know we’re a force to be reckoned with. But not knowing what forces we face makes me uneasy.