Ruman just shrugged. Caly narrowed her eyes at him. "Why go? You didn't even like the guy."
"I'm not going for him." He turned on his heels and left before she could form coherent words.
"You go, we go." The fierce looks on their faces healed a small fissure across her heart.
A slight smile kicked up the corners of her mouth. "We leave in ten minutes."
Chapter Twenty-one
Darkness shadowed the bridge like a hungry cloud; ready to eat anything that dared get close. Caly cut the engine then lowered the kickstand. Ignoring the brisk cold that tried to peel off her skin, she scanned the area. Nothing moved, not even the air, making her acutely aware she was alone. She hesitated then forced herself to dismount.
The bike and a little extra gas gave her a ten minute lead over the others. Glass crunched under her boot heel as she passed under a light post. All the lamps were doused twenty feet in each direction, creating a darkness that could hide anything. A chill swept up her arms and down her back. Something was watching her, and she was too exposed.
As she crept closer to the shadowy overpass, the blade glowed a vivid red, easily seen through the sheath tied to her thigh. Trouble. The deep cold burn soaked through her clothes and pressed heavily into her bones.
The color from the knife dimmed as it seeped into her flesh. Heat snaked under her skin like an injection. Her flesh tingled. Every inch became sensitized. She could detect shifts in the air, felt the microscopic grooves and bumps of the road under her boot.
She saw well in limited light, but tonight, her vision penetrated the darkness deeper. The smells though, she could do without. She wrinkled her nose at the nearly overwhelming urine odor. The street under the bridge was one large trash receptacle.
Blue and red swirled over the blade again. Without hesitation, she yanked it free. A fierce yearning flooded her system, a sense of homecoming, and the gut-deep feeling that she'd never be helpless again.
"What did you think to achieve by coming here by yourself?" The words hovered in the air.
Caly whirled, instantly recognizing the voice from her childhood, a voice that at one time saved her sanity then later had her questioning it. The one person who tried to stand up to Oscar and protect her. And the very same one who left her as soon as she could. Not that Caly could blame her. If she had stayed, she would've died. Her chest tightened with emotions she didn't know how to express. "Djinn."
"Death Wielder." She nodded her head.
The name sounded unusual to Caly's ear but, she guessed from a demon's standpoint, appropriate. It'd been years since she'd last seen her double. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed her.
"You need to leave." The words were careless as if the demon was bored, which was more than likely. Caly locked away the memories of the past and tried to remember they were not friends anymore.
"Can't. I came here to retrieve a friend." It was strange to look at herself and see what she could've become if she'd lived a normal life. They say that djinn were supposed to be the darker version, but Caly couldn't help feeling that she'd absorbed that trait. Her djinn's appearance spoke of enjoyment of life, while Caly had more of a warrior toughness that sent people scampering away.
The djinn raised a brow and stepped forward only to stop abruptly, a pained look on her face. Her gaze dropped to the dagger then bobbed back up. "You need to listen. There are things you don't understand."
Caly barely managed to hold back a cynical laugh. "I understand all too well. Trap. My death." She waved her arm around the street.
"Shut up and listen. We don't have much time. Your welcoming committee is gone for now, but they'll try again. If you get yourself killed, it's only a matter of time before I'm destroyed, too. I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to die." She lit a cigarette and blew out a heavy cloud of acidic smoke. "Demons are trying to find the unclaimed Wielders."
A tremor shook her fingers, and Caly sheathed the dagger before she dropped it. She had no intention of using it on her double, and they both knew it. She'd wanted this meeting; she needed to use her time wisely. "Tell me."
"If they find out you survived the claiming, the demon council will stop at nothing to take you alive. That you already have the weapon only sweetens the deal." She puffed almost continuously on her cigarette; her gaze darted about as she searched the ebony night.
Caly could almost swear the demon was trying to protect her. "I can take care of myself."
"Does that include your angel?" A smirk came and went, but there was no threat behind the comment.
The mention of Ruman was like a kick in the gut. The demons knew about him, and they were going after her anyway. Either Ruman wasn't as big a threat as she thought, or they wanted her that badly despite him.
"The demons hunt you because they know you withstood a demon possession. That we both survived. It doubles your value." She dropped her cigarette and ground the butt under the toe of her shoe.
Parthina's words came back to haunt her. Don't let them take you alive. A shiver worked up her spine. "What do you mean, ‘that we both survived'?" Caly assumed it was a given that demons survived.
"As children, we're kept within a certain distance of our double until we grow into our power. Ever wonder why so many kids have invisible friends? Anyway, the older we grow, the greater the temptation to merge.
"Most possessions can't be separated once they join. Eventually one person gains dominance, and the slow slide into insanity begins."
Caly remembered all too well, fighting thoughts and emotions not her own. What drove all the blood out of her head was the thought of being stuck in her body with someone else at the helm. Her talent, her knowledge, used to destroy humans. "They plan for us to merge and use us as a weapon."
A harsh laugh escaped. "If the one in charge remained sane long enough. Before, our minds were young enough to withstand the onslaught. Our neuropathways weren't fully formed. Though we survived the separation, there are some days I wonder if it might have been better if we hadn't."
Caly often asked herself that very question. "Aren't you worried you'll be punished for talking with me?"
"What're they going to do? Banish me? Most of them pretend I don't exist anyway. Kill me?" She shrugged. "As your double, I'm too valuable. I can locate you at any time." She smiled devilishly. "If I wanted."
"Come with me." The invitation was impulsive, but it felt right.
It must have surprised her double as well, for when she went to light another cigarette, she almost dropped her lighter. "What?"
"You're in as much danger as I am. I have an apartment above an old barn. It's nothing fancy. We know the danger we pose to each other. We're stronger and smarter than when we were children. We can make it work." Caly laughed self-consciously. She wasn't a people person and it felt odd to reach out to someone. Her double was in danger, and she could do nothing to protect her if they remained apart. "I can pass you off as my sister."
The silence lengthened between them. "I don't-"
Before she could finish, two vehicles rounded the corner. Tires squealed and headlights raced toward them. The screech of brakes filled the night, and her crew piled out, weapons drawn. The sharp smell of exhaust filled her nose.
"Caly, behind you."
Light laughter danced on the air, and Caly winced at her djinn's amusement. "Jarred, I'd like you to meet my djinn."
"Hello, handsome." She gave a side look to Caly. "My name is Cambrie. You may call me Brie."
The way she walked, the come-hither voice, her smile, all portrayed the perfect picture of seduction. Jarred's weapon lowered a fraction, wavered before it trained on her once more.
"She's a friend, Jarred, put away your weapon." Caly stepped into the shine of the vehicles' headlights. The rest of the group remained by the vehicles and watched as the scene unfolded, their heads bouncing between her and Brie like at a ping-pong match.
Ruman lingered behind the others, anger radiating from him even at the distance. He gazed at her, his arms crossed for a full, disapproving minute as if contemplating what he planned on doing to her when he got his hands on her. Caly shivered, her mind slipped into the gutter at the thought of touching him, unable to take her eyes from his as memories exploded through her.
"She's a demon." Jarred's words snapped her out of her lust-fueled daze. The usual mask of disinterest he wore was ripped away, leaving him raw and painfully exposed.
His reaction was so unlike his normal, placid self that Caly was baffled. "She is not a threat to us and will not be harmed."
Brie laughed, a sexy sound that could reach down into a man's gut and turned it to mush. She ran a finger down the front of Jarred's chest, playing with the buttons of his shirt.