Page 36 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

Vain set his glass down and went into the small room in the back of the plane to grab a fuzzy blanket from the bed. He draped it over her carefully and tucked it in around her shoulders.

She stirred slightly at the touch but didn’t wake, her breathing heavy. Apparently, her body had finally given in and decided her need to rest was more important than keeping one eye open.

I nudged him, throwing him out of his trance. Stop staring at her, you creep.

“Your loss,” Vain replied aloud and then retreated to the bedroom. I wasn’t about to turn down the promise of more sleep either. I curled up into my subconscious and allowed Vain to lull me into the dreamless dark.

ELEVEN

Ava

Ijerked awake amid a bout of turbulence rocking the cabin. The lights had been dimmed, bathing the all-white interior in a soft glow from the hidden bands of LED backlighting throughout. To my surprise, there was a soft blanket wrapped around me, and whether it was Vain or Rory who had done it, my heart warmed traitorously at the thought. I peered over to the seat across from me, but neither of them was there. Not sensing them close by in the cabin either, I breathed a sigh of relief and sank deeper into my seat. Rubbing at the ache in my neck, I watched as the dazzling lights of the city below grew closer as the plane made its final descent.

I couldn’t trust Vain—shouldn’t trust him. He was still a demon after all, and no matter his dangerously deceptive charms, or the promises that he was good on his word, there was no way I’d ever be able to fully let my guard down around him. Saving Rory was my priority, and while Vain claimed we shared the same goal, there was no way to know for sure how genuine his true motives were.

As the wheels hit the tarmac, an interior door in the back of the cabin slid open, startling me from my thoughts. Vain sauntered out and ran his fingers through Rory’s disheveled dark hair before looking straight at me. Against the low light of the cabin, he was every bit the preternatural hunter I feared, possessing an alluring and unnatural stillness. He melted into the shadows as if he were waiting for an opportune moment to strike. I shivered under his captivating gaze.

“Sleep well?” Vain’s coal-black eyes drifted to the blanket I clutched to my chest.

I gave a disdainful huff and turned away from him, but not before I caught the flash of his signature smirk. He stalked into the cockpit as the plane parked in a private hangar. I shoved the blanket off, stood, and snatched my bag from my feet.

Both Vain and the demon pilot, Alastair, exited the cockpit together and released the exit door. Alastair descended the steps first, and Vain motioned me toward the exit with a slight tilt of his head.

My heart raced in my throat as I turned my back to Vain and descended the steps, fully aware of the predator sizing me up as he followed me down.

Alastair led us to a nearby black sedan, and I could have sworn that as we followed him, I saw a pair of bright green eyes flash open from the nape of his neck before they disappeared again. Maybe the lingering exhaustion was making me see things, but I couldn’t shake the feeling it had been real. I shouldn’t have been too shocked though, as it wasn’t uncommon for some species of demons, even higher demons, to possess similar abnormal physical characteristics. And multiple sets of eyes were certainly further down on the list of possible least threatening traits.

Alastair held the door open for me and I slid into the back seat. Vain entered through the other side, taking the seat next to mine. A black leather center console divided the space between us, and I felt thankful for the distance it provided, however small it was. I wasn’t used to the feeling of being in an enclosed space with a demon, let alone two of them.

The awkward silence resting between us made my skin itch, so I focused instead on the skyline as Alastair drove. We crossed a long bridge over a wide river, the lights from the skyscrapers casting the water in a twinkling glow, and for a moment, I forgot about all the possible dangers within the city—the demons and monsters that likely plagued the humans there. Larger metropolitan areas were prime breeding grounds for demonkind. The higher the human population, the more opportunity for demons to sow their chaos and feed off their fear.

“You talk in your sleep, you know?” Vain’s smooth voice cut through the quiet.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I do not.”

He shrugged. “Just trying to make conversation.”

“Well, you can stop. I don’t have much interest in talking to you unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

As I looked away, I caught sight of Alastair’s eyes in the rearview mirror bouncing between us. I quickly averted my gaze.

Vain sighed. “If you insist on being a bore, then—”

“You love listening to yourself talk, don’t you?”

“I’ve been told my sultry voice and sharp tongue are some of my best features,” Vain said as he leaned back against the headrest and winked at me.

I forced myself not to think of all the other ways Vain might use his sharp tongue besides his incessant, annoying remarks, and pressed myself further against the door, creating as much extra space as I could between us.

The car cruised to a slow speed as Alastair turned down a sidestreet before pulling into an underground garage.

Vain turned to me and said, “Welcome to your new home.”

“Not my home,” I snapped.

“Yes, well…temporary housing doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.” His expression brightened at my scowl. “Regardless, you will be my guest in this house, and I only wish for you to be comfortable while you are here.”

“Trust me, it won’t be a long stay. I’m done with you once I get the exorcism to work.”

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