Song for the Dead: An Ada Palomino Novel, стр. 26

Seven

“Ain’t gonna worry, just live ‘til you die.”

– In the Fade

Max is staring right over my shoulder at the old ladies two tables down, the flames in his eyes growing brighter and overtaking the green.

“They’re demons,” I whisper harshly, leaning forward.

“One of them is,” he says quietly. He glances at me. It’s unnerving to have him look at me like that when his eyes are on fire. It’s like looking into the pits of hell again. “Sorry,” he adds. “My eyes are doing that thing, aren’t they?”

“I’ll get used to it.” Though I also hope not. “How can that one be a demon? She’s a little old lady. Then again, I did have to fight a nun once.”

Max gives me a crooked grin that makes his eyes glow brighter. “I wish I could have seen that.”

“So what do we do?” I ask. “You can’t just walk over there and rip her head off. People will see. Unless…”

He shakes his head, eyes going back over my shoulder. “No. I’m not going to manipulate everyone in this café. I don’t have that capability and it would still make a mess. I say we just finish eating and leave when they leave.”

“Something tells me this isn’t going to be as easy as mugging her down some side street.”

“Nah, she’s on to us. She knows.”

“How?”

“Well, my eyes I’m sure,” he says. “And she’s looking at me. But they know when I’m around, remember?”

“Do you think she came through the portal because you’re here?”

“I don’t think so. She’s friends with those ladies. I guarantee they’ve been friends with her for a long time. They don’t know the truth. Maybe she sensed me and convinced them to come for lunch here, but I bet she’s local.”

“That’s a bit of a coincidence,” I tell him.

“Is it? Ada, they’re everywhere. In every town, every city, every country across the world.”

Motherfucking chills run down my spine. I knew demons existed everywhere, Jay and Jacob ingrained that in me, but these hybrids, these demons in a human disguise, this is something new. I always thought Michael was the only one.

“So how come you weren’t able to kill Michael?” I ask him.

Pain furrows his brow. “I tried. Some are harder to kill than others.”

“Could you have killed Michael? Could I have?”

“You did, didn’t you?”

“That was in Hell, or close enough.”

“Still counts. Anyway, next time we come across someone like him, we’ll be prepared. There are two of us, and anyway, I have a sword in the trunk.”

“A sword!?” I nearly spit out my beer, which I probably shouldn’t be drinking since we’re supposed to rip the head off that little old lady soon. I should be sober for that.

“Picked it up at a pawn shop,” he says. Then he straightens up in his chair, eyes glued to the demon lady over my shoulder. “They’re leaving.”

“I’ll get the bill,” I tell him, looking around for the waitress. “Though I know it takes forever to pay in this place, you have to go to the register.”

“Let me worry about that,” he says, spotting the waitress behind me. “Hello darlin’,” he says to her as she approaches, turning on the charm with that wicked smile of his. “We’d like to leave now. It was a lovely meal. Thank you for making it free.”

The woman stares at him for a moment, like she’s in a trance. “Your eyes…” she whispers.

“They’re contacts,” he informs her.

“Oh.” She blinks, then smiles. “Okey dokey. Hope you enjoyed your free meal. Have a good rest of your day.” Then she turns and walks off.

He gives me a smug smile and puts on his leather jacket.

Fucking hell, I think as I get up. I am never going to get used to that.

“You’re a fucking great person to have around,” I tell him as we leave the restaurant, trying not to feel guilty about skipping out on the bill.

“I’ll make this situation worth your while, sweetheart,” he says to me, putting his arm around my shoulders briefly and giving me a strong but affectionate squeeze.

I gulp, my heart doing something silly in my chest.

Then he lets go of me as we head out the door, grinning at me over his shoulder as he holds the door open for me.

“Thanks,” I tell him, my voice cracking a little.

We step down into the parking lot and look around. The Super B is just a few feet away. I glance at Max’s eyes, the flames slowly disappearing.

“Your eyes are going back to normal,” I tell him, the green coming through.

He nods. “Yeah. I don’t reckon she stuck around. Perhaps we’re too intimidating for her.”

“There’s no way she’d know what I am, right?”

He glances at me as we walk toward the car, getting out his keys. “I don’t know. I have my theories.”

He unlocks the door and gets in, leaning across to unlock mine. I slide into the seat as he starts the engine. “What theories?” I ask as we drive out of the parking lot, Max handling the car at a respectful small-town speed.

“I think she can read your thoughts, just like many others can,” he says. “They might be doing the same with me, too. Perhaps I draw them near, but they don’t know who they’re looking for. Maybe they scan brains.”

I shudder. Brain scanning does not sound like fun.

“Or maybe it’s my eyes.