Devil inside, p.18
Devil Inside, page 18
The violent and jagged shock of darkness that had been slowly becoming a part of her, calmed to a comfortable hum. The beating itself against the door of her mind settled into a comfortable embrace and she felt herself let go of a breath that she had not realized her body had been holding. She could feel the bed underneath her and she could feel the griminess of her skin and her hair as it lay against her face. She felt her nose flare and her chest expand as she took a deep breath. It felt like the first breath of air after being stuck under water for a very long time. It was a sweet relief and her body tingled in pleasure. With a small pop her ears opened and she became aware of whispering from across the room.
“I think the bond is almost initiated.”
“Have you ever seen a bond take this long before?”
After a long pause, “No.”
“What does it mean?”
Another long pause, “I’m not sure.”
A lull in the conversation. “Do you remember how long my bond took?”
“Almost a week. And that was the longest bonding I had ever experienced. Until now.”
“Harley has been like this for almost two weeks.”
Nya didn’t respond.
“You don’t have any ideas as to what it means?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t have ideas.” Harley could hear the humor in Nya’s voice. She was relieved that Nya’s sense of humor seemed to have come back. It must mean that she wasn’t worried about her anymore. “My best guess? An unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.”
“Care to explain that?” Levi asked dryly.
“Had Harley been one to give up easily her Nocte would have taken over control long ago. Had her Nocte been…weaker…less inclined to succeed, they would have both died already.”
They both grew quiet considering this explanation. Harley could tell that Levi was worried by the stress in his voice. It was an odd sound coming from him—someone who was normally so controlled and calm. Harley could imagine him rubbing his face as he spoke. Nya just seemed more curious than anything so Harley didn’t feel concerned with her situation any longer. If Nya was calm—Harley would be too. Harley felt so tired. She knew that she had been stuck in this bed for two weeks (had it really only been two weeks) but she felt drained of energy anyway.
Slowly she opened her eyes. Thankfully, the light was turned low this time so it was less painful on her eyes. She could see Levi and Nya sitting in chairs across the room. They faced each other with their sides to her. Nya had a phone in her hands and looked like she was playing a game. Levi was nervously playing with his large knife while sitting at the edge of his chair. His shoulders were hunched and one hand rubbed the back of his neck as the other fidgeted with the knife. He kept gently tossing it in the air and catching it by the handle. As her eyes focused, Harley realized that she could see clearly again—she could see very well actually. Not just well for being in the low light and having been unconscious for two weeks. But supernaturally well. She could count how many times the bands were wrapped around Nya’s braids from all the way across the room. Even though she could tell that Levi’s knife spun quickly through the air, if she focused on it she could make it slow down until it looked like a special effect. It took a moment for her to realize that she wasn’t actually slowing it down, she was just able to follow its movements so well that it seemed slower.
These realizations made her heartbeat pick up a bit. It wasn’t as scary as it was exciting. Well maybe a little scary. It was like learning how to drive a car. Realizing that you are in control of a lot of power—power that you didn’t exactly know what to do with. Taking another deep breath, Harley resolved to sit up in the bed. She slowly shifted her body so that it was no longer on her side. She made the movement in small increments. She hadn’t moved on her own in a long time and her muscles needed loosening. They screamed in protest as she slowly rolled onto her back.
When she was finally looking up at the ceiling she took a deep breath and told her body to sit up. She felt her stomach muscles contract and as she pulled herself upright. It was easier than she had expected. It hurt, but her muscles cooperated with minimal complaint. Her head swam as the blood readjusted its flow. She could feel her tank top stick to her back with old sweat and she knew that her hair stuck up in some places and was plastered to her head in others. She heard a sharp thud and slowly turned her head. Both Levi and Nya were watching her. Levi looked amazed and had clearly been shocked into dropping his knife because it was now embedded blade down in the floor. Nya on the other hand just looked amused and happy.
“Good evening, Sunshine,” she said with more brightness that Harley felt was appropriate.
She didn’t find that she could respond just yet. Her body ached and her head hurt and she felt completely out of sorts. It had taken a lot of effort just to sit up and Harley couldn’t find it in her to think of a response to Nya’s annoying cheerfulness just yet. She looked around the room with wonder. The minute details that she could make out were mystifying. She could see the grains in wood and the fibers in cloth. She could see a fine layer of dust on the top of, yet another, generic landscape painting that had been hung carelessly. She could even make out the brush strokes in the paint.
She felt the bed dip next to her and Harley turned to see Levi sitting on the edge. He watched her without speaking for a minute. Harley watched him watch her. When she looked at him she felt a pull deep from within her belly. The feeling confused her. It wasn’t the shivery, burning desire that she normally felt when she looked at him. It was something different. She was troubled by this but it was something that she would have to decipher later. For now she was overwhelmed with sensations, so she tucked it away for the time being.
Slowly, Levi reached out towards her face. Harley didn’t stop him. She was curious as to what it would feel like. When his fingertips made contact with her cheek she felt the hair on the back of her neck and her arms stand on end. She could feel the heat from his skin burn through the coldness of hers and it tingled in the best way possible. She felt like rubbing herself against his hand like a cat. Levi’s eyes widened as he picked up on her feelings. He trailed his fingers down her cheek to her neck and then to her shoulder. She closed her eyes against the pleasure and tilted her head to bare more of her shoulder and a soft hum almost purred out of her. Good lord, what is that? Harley wondered, almost embarrassed by how obvious it was just how much she enjoyed this. Levi’s eyes dilated blackly in agreement.
Abruptly, Nya broke the spell by clearing her throat. Levi scowled and blinked away the blackness from his eyes. They both gave her the same dirty look and she laughed heartily.
“Slow down, kids. Harley, you have been through quite the ordeal. You need to recoup a bit. Eat something, drink something. Take a shower maybe?”
Harley realized she was right. She felt disgusting. She could feel the fine layer of body oil all over herself. Furthermore, she realized that the feeling that filled her up right now, the desire that she felt for Levi was strong enough to devour him. She wanted to consume him. Her jaw ached to bite him and her fingers itched with a need to grab onto him with such force that her fingernails would sink into his flesh. He is mine. She was startled by the thought. She wasn’t sure if it came from her, or the Nocte inside her and she was appalled by her own thoughts. She had never been the possessive type before, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she…what?” Owned Levi? She clenched her teeth and shook her head and came back to her senses. There was an edge to Nya’s smile that made Harley think that Nya may have known how she felt.
“You’re right,” she finally spoke. Her voice was dry and rough from lack of use. “I definitely need a shower. And something to eat.”
Chapter 14
Harley tried to figure out how she felt as she stood in the shower, letting the hot water run over her head. She felt more alive than she ever had before. Her entire body vibrated with life. And even though she was tired, she felt strong and jittery. Her every sense was heightened and when she focused on something she could see it, hear it, smell it or feel it to a degree that she found impossible to describe. Beyond that, she felt something else lurking inside her. It was underneath her skin and in the back of her mind and it hummed in time with her heartbeat. She knew that what she was feeling was the devil that now lived inside her. She could feel it sliding beneath her skin and squeezing at her heart and churning her guts. Harley found the foreign life inside her unsettling and she felt herself unconsciously push it away. She couldn’t rid herself of the feelings of being invaded. She tried hard to relax despite her discomfort.
After scrubbing clean, Harley stood in front of the mirror trying to determine if she looked as different as she felt. She looked paler than normal but she really didn’t look all that different than she did before. She was somewhat disappointed. She had hoped that she would look...I don’t know. Supernatural? She knew that her journey wasn’t finished yet so she told herself to be patient. She dressed in comfortable clothes—pajama pants and a sweater of Levi’s—and made her way towards the kitchen. She was surprised that she remembered the way since she had only been brought this way once before. Maybe the bond is helping my memory. Before she made it to the kitchen she could hear Levi and Nya talking. She tried to not listen in because it felt rude. But once she heard their conversation she found it impossible to tune them out again.
“…know who is doing this?” Levi asked.
“Damon isn’t sure. But whoever is responsible is very powerful, we know that. Nocte, Lux and Ignis alike have all been killed.”
At this Harley stepped into the eat-in kitchen and both Levi and Nya stopped talking and looked up at her.
“Feeling better?” Levi asked her, looking at her carefully.
“I feel cleaner,” she answered. “But I am starving.” Her stomach growled louder to emphasize her point. Nya chuckled and Levi stood up.
“Have a seat. There is leftover chicken and some sides.”
Harley’s stomach growled again in agreement. She sat in the chair next to Nya and across from where Levi had been sitting. Nya looked at her, smiling her usual small smile. She was surprised to realize she didn’t feel intimidated by Nya’s examination any longer. Nya looked no less powerful, but now Harley realized that part of the other woman’s intimidation resulted from her “other-worldliness. “ Harley didn’t know if it was because she herself was now “other-worldly” or if she just simply better understood the Nocte’s nature, but she felt more comfortable with Nya now than she had before.
“Was I really out for two weeks?” Harley asked. Levi and Nya looked mildly surprised that she had known that. “I heard you guys talking before I woke up all the way,” she explained.
“Yes, you were,” Nya answered, watching her for a reaction.
“How is that even possible? How did I not starve or dehydrate and how am I just able to hop out of bed like it had barely been anytime at all?”
“Your body isn’t human now,” Nya explained. Levi kept quiet, letting Nya answer the questions while he watched their exchange. “I have never heard of a Lux or Nocte, or even an Ignis, starving to death. You would go insane and die another way first.”
Harley shuddered at that thought. “Good to know,” Harley responded. “This is just all going to take some getting used to. Nya and Levi both nodded in understanding. “Were you guys talking about what was going on in Miami?” Harley asked after a moment.
“Yes,” Nya answered simply.
Harley was somewhat surprised by Nya’s frankness. It must have showed because Nya’s smile grew wider. “We don’t keep secrets here.”
Levi sat a plate of cold chicken, mashed potatoes and a mixed vegetable down in front of her. “Strange,” she said sniffing the food like a dog.
“What is,” Levi asked.
“It’s just weird to be eating normal food as a vampire. Again, I’m struck more by normalcy than I would be by weirdness.”
Nya barked out a loud laugh at Harley’s calling them vampires. “You young people today and your vampires!”
“She does it just to aggravate me,” Levi explained rolling his eyes.
“At what point will I start drinking blood?” Harley wondered out loud.
“You might not be human any more, but if the bond isn’t finished you won’t be able to drink blood yet,” Nya explained. “Well I guess you could if you really wanted to, I can’t imagine it would be all that pleasant though,” she laughed.
Harley shuddered at the thought. She realized that she was surprised that she didn’t have any cravings for blood. She had just assumed that it would happen right away. “The Nocte is inside me, and the Nocte feeds on Ignis blood, so how does it live until I start drinking blood?”
Nya shrugged. “Your Nocte is with you, but not really a part of you yet.”
It was Harley’s turn to shrug. It was a bigger idea than she could actually process yet. Nya was giving her important information but she was so distracted by her new powerful sense of smell, she could do little more than sniff at her plate. She was like a dog finding a new scent. The food gave off so many different delightful smells that she could barely make sense of any of them. Her mouth began to water and her stomach rumbled louder. She tore a small piece of chicken from the bone and placed it in her mouth. She wanted to start small—instinctually she knew that the complexity of the meats and spices would be overwhelming with her new senses. Harley was right. She couldn’t stop the moan that escaped from her as she chewed the food. “Oh my god,” she moaned. Nya roared with laughter again and even Levi gave a rare honest laugh.
“I remember how good food tasted after I bonded,” Levi said watching Harley enjoy the food.
“I don’t really,” Nya answered wistfully. “It’s been too long.”
Harley continued to moan as she shoveled the meat into her mouth with her fingers. There was no way she could eat politely. The flavors exploded in her mouth. She felt like she had not eaten for years. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, savoring each flavor as her tongue tingled with pleasure. She could actually feel each taste bud zing like a struck piano cord. God if this is how good food is, I can’t imagine how good sex is going to be.
“You should probably slow down,” Levi cautioned. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”
“Mmmphf,” Harley replied without slowing down.
Nya laughed again and she and Levi picked up their conversation where they left off.
“So, does Damon think it is an Ignis behind the murders?” Levi asked, leaving Harley to her food.
“No. He said he gets the feeling that it is not Ignis.”
“Who is Damon,” Harley asked around a mouthful of food.
“He is a Praesidio Captain in Miami,” Levi answered.
“Oh,” Harley said, trying to look like she knew what that meant.
“There are rumors that a Lux is responsible for the murders,” Nya offered.
“Why do people think it is Lux?” Levi asked. Harley watched their conversation as she continued to shovel food into her mouth.
“A body was found by the police. The reports indicated that it had burns that sound consistent with Lux feeding. Nothing had been done to hide how the person had died so the coroner noted it in his report. He said the body had burns on its head. Humans don’t turn to ash when they die so the body was still there and human bodies just end up with burn marks,” Nya answered.
“Wait—you’ve seen a human killed by a Lux?” Levi asked perplexed.
“Once or twice. It’s rare for a Lux to kill a human though. They tend to view that the same that we do.”
“But what did the Lux feed on? If the human wasn’t possessed by an Ignis?”
Nya shrugged. “I didn’t say that they actually fed. I just have seen a body of a human that a Lux tried to feed on. I don’t know if they were successful. I can’t imagine it would be much different than if we tried to feed on a human. I can’t imagine it would be satisfying or nourishing.” An uncomfortable look crossed Levi’s face and even though Harley looked at him he purposefully didn’t meet her eye. She couldn’t tell if Levi was remembering an unpleasantness from feeding on her or if it was something different
Harley finally swallowed enough of the food in her mouth to interject with a question. “Ignis burn when a Lux kills them?”
“Yeah,” Levi answered. “They usually burn until nothing is left but ash.”
“What about when the Noc—we kill them? The guy at your house didn’t burn when you killed him. Neither did the ones that attacked me and Jamie.” Her heart stuttered when she said Jamie’s name. She found she was relieved that her feelings about her friend had not changed. She didn’t want to lose that pain. As long as she had that pain, she still had humanity. She still had the desire to stay motivated in her revenge.
“It doesn’t always happen right away especially when they are really young.”
“Oh,” Harley replied. She went back to her food. It was interesting information, but didn’t take precedence over satisfying her hunger.
Nya finally spoke again. She had been silently contemplating something for a moment. “Levi, I’m going to need you to go to Miami.”
“When?” Levi asked, with apprehension creeping into his voice as he looked at the Nocte general.
Harley felt concern lazily flop in her belly at Nya’s words. She knew that she should be more disturbed, but she found that she wasn’t really. She would rather Levi stayed, but she knew there were more important things she needed to focus on. She was more concerned by her lack of concern but she set it aside along with the other complex ideas that she didn’t have the ability to focus on yet.
“Soon,” Nya answered softly. “Tomorrow. I would rather you went tonight. But—," She looked from Harley to Levi with a small smile. “It can wait a little while.”
Neither Harley nor Levi argued with Nya. She could feel Levi’s anger at having to leave. As well as see it in the set of his jaw. Again, she was concerned by the fact that she wasn’t that upset. She didn’t like it, but she was so distracted by her new nature that she found it easier to focus on other things. She finished eating and sat back in the chair. Levi was watching her and this time it was she who didn’t meet his eyes.
