Page 15 of Thief of Night
After making some noodles, Charlie took another shower, then headed to bed, wrapped in a worn blue towel. Her bedroom was a disaster. Half her clean clothes were in boxes on the dresser and most of her laundry was scattered on the floor, reminding her how much packing she still had to do. She hoped the place on State Street came through.
As she shifted, she noted that the towel was dotted with blood. Evidently, the glue on her wound hadn’t held through the whole shift. It was possible that Red had been right, and she ought to have gotten stitches. It was possible she still should, but it was late and she didn’t want to spend hours in the emergency room, just to find herself deeper in debt. Her insurance had a brutal deductible and in her short time as the Hierophant, she hadn’t caught enough Blights to make much in the way of bounties.
Charlie planned to chew up a couple of aspirin, take a weed gummy, and see how badly she hurt in the morning and how swollen her eye became. It wasn’t a good sign that she felt stiff enough that going for underwear and a fresh t-shirt felt like something she had to talk herself into, though.
For a moment, the air felt static, a familiar enough sensation that she knew what it meant. She turned to see Red staring at her with burning eyes.
She pushed wet hair back from her face, refusing to let him see how much he rattled her. “Throw me a shirt to sleep in.”
He couldn’t hurt her. She was in control. Wasn’t that what he was always telling her—that she had power over him? She had no reason to be afraid.
Red walked to her dresser, opened it, and took out a tee with the logo of a club from a vampire TV show on it. He handed it to her carefully, as though she might bite, and his gaze lingered a moment too long on her collarbone.
He turned away, but her fear had already mutated into something else. Desire, sharp as a kick to the teeth.
Most of the time he seemed to despise her, but not always. Tonight, she’d made him laugh. And now he was staring at her.
Charlie took a deep breath.
“Want to come to bed?” she whispered, letting the towel fall. At least no one could call her fainthearted.
For a moment, he went entirely silent. Then a muscle moved in his jaw. She could see his body respond to her. Seemed he was human enough for that, still full of blood. When he spoke, his voice was rough. “Remy could never have loved someone like you.”
His words felt like a slap. For a moment, as with physical pain, she had to remain still until the feeling settled. Then she put on her most vicious smile. “Maybe you don’t love me either. But youwantme—you’ve always wanted me.”
He took a step back, which she considered a triumph.That’s right, terrifying Blight. I’m a loose cannon. I can hurt you with words.
“Too bad you’re not getting me tonight,” she went on, leaning into the pettiness. She grabbed the t-shirt he’d given her and pulled it over her head. “Offer of sex rescinded.” Then she had to go through the indignity of getting up and finding a pair of underwear. Once they were on, though, Charlie flopped onto the mattress, turning her back to him.
“You could make me, you know,” Red said, from where he still stood, close to the door. “You don’t have to ask.”
Charlie turned over in surprise, pain making her regret the swiftness of her movement. “What?”
He didn’t repeat himself, but if he wanted a fight, she was ready. It would be a relief to turn her shame and confusion into anger. “Youwantme to order you around? Is that it? You like being told what to do?”
“Stop pretending,” he snapped, biting off each word at the end. “You’re going to send me to do ugly things eventually. Why act like you won’t? Why play this game?”
“If you don’t want to be tethered to me, then give me one of the onyx knives in the bedside table and I’ll cut you free right now. The Cabal might hunt you down, but that won’t be my problem.”
His lip curled. “You wouldn’t.”
“Hand one to me and find out,” she said. “Unless you’re worried that if you get too close, I’ll stab you through the heart.”
“Maybe we’ll play that game another night,” he said. And then he was gone, dissolved into darkness.
“Only a coward ends a fight like that,” Charlie shouted, throwing a pillow at the space where he used to be standing.
He didn’t return.
9
[DRAFT] Transcription via AI from recording by Madurai Malhar Iyer
Context:I was asked to talk to the shadow in these recordings, who refers to himself as “Red,” with the hope I might remedy memory loss caused by Red’s transformation from a self-sustaining shadow (sometimes also called awild shadoworBlight,although the negative implications of the latter designation are obvious) to a parasitic, bound shadow.
Personal bias:I have a friendship with Charlotte Hall, the person to whom Red is bound and a closer friendship [note to self: situationship? something else that sounds more scientific? tk] with her sister, Posey Hall. I didn’t know Red before he lost his memories, although I am aware that he went by “Vincent” and was able to pass for human.
Further personal bias [remove? tk]:I have wanted to talk with a Blight for a long time.
