Chapter 18.

I don't know what shook me from sleep. It might've been the warm brush of air on the back of my neck, or the fact that my feet were sticking out of the covers and were cold like ice. Most likely it was the fact that Devon, her pink pigtails looking as perky as ever, was sitting on the edge of the bed at my uncovered feet, scowling at me.

"Who the h.e.l.l are you?"

Gasping, I flinched away from Devon's outstretched hand. It looked like she was about to rake her ragged fingernails down my instep. I pulled my legs up and sat back against the headboard, unsure of exactly what to tell her.

"I said, who the h.e.l.l are you?" She growled again.

"Salem," I managed to squeak.

"What are you doing in my Trevor's bed?"

"Your Trevor?"

She grinned at me, but it wasn't pleasant at all. In fact, I swore I saw the tips of four fangs in her mouth. Did succubi have fangs? G.o.d I hoped not. I reached up to my mouth and rubbed a finger over my gums. Just in case.

"Yes, he's mine." She blinked and her eyes turned to black. She didn't try to hide it. She wanted me to see it, to scare me. Little did she know that I could do the same trick.

Thankfully, the door burst open and Trevor stumbled in affording me a reprieve from doing something stupid and outing myself.

"What are you doing here, Devon?"

She stood and set her cold dark gaze onto Trevor. "I came to tell you that we're heading to the club to set up." She nodded toward me. "And look what I found in your bed. A stray dog."

That put my back up and I opened my mouth to say something.

But Trevor was quicker. "I'll be at the club within the hour. You don't have to check up on me. And I appreciate it if you use the doors instead of popping in here," he lowered his voice as if to keep his next words from me, "through the shadow-ways."

"I can come and go as I please."

Trevor snarled. "Not in my room, you can't. You don't own me."

With a malicious grin on her face, she strutted toward him. She stroked one finger down his arm. "Of course I do. You should know that by now."

"Get out," he muttered under his breath.

"Don't be late to the club. Thane won't like it much if you are."

"Tough s.h.i.t."

"I'd be more careful, if I were you. The only reason Thane keeps you around is because of me. Remember that and maybe I'll let you keep your new pet."

With a parting sneer toward me, she sashayed out of the bedroom. Neither Trevor nor I moved or said a word until we heard the distinctive opening and closing of the hotel room door.

When she was gone, I let the breath I was holding out. "Holy c.r.a.p, Trevor. She was sitting on the bed watching me." I shuddered. The thought of her being near me for so long without my knowledge gave me the severe creeps. It just about made me sick.

"I'll have to ward the hotel room from now on. To keep them from popping in and out."

"You can do that?"

He nodded. "With salt."

"How does it work?"

"You have to pour at least half a cup in each corner of each room. It's like making a protection grid. If someone tried to access a room that's been salted they'd bounce out of the shadow-way."

"Like bouncing off a huge rubber ball?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just like that."

"Cool."

"K, get up and get dressed."

"Where are we going?"

"To the club. If you're going to hang around you might as well earn your keep."

"Fine," I groaned.

He turned to leave.

"Hey Trevor?"

He stopped. "What?"

"Can't they, you know, tell what I am?"

"Only if they taste you."

"Ew."

"Not like that, sicko. A kiss, a lick of skin, would be enough to tell."

I nodded. "Okay, got it. Don't let anyone kiss or lick me."

"Especially not Thane. He's the one you need to watch out for."

Trevor left the room so I could drag my a.s.s out of bed and get dressed. I dreaded being anywhere near Thane and the others but Trevor said he needed me to help him bring Malice down. I'd never had that kind of power before. It felt kind of good. Like maybe I didn't need to be a victim. That I could rise above what Thane had done to me. Maybe after I helped Trevor kill the demons I could go back home to my mom, to Chloe, to my life however drab it may have been. A girl, even a freak cambion one, had to have some sort of dreams.

Forty-five minutes and a tall mocha latte with cinnamon sprinkles later, Trevor and I arrived at the club where Malice would be playing later that night. Quinn met us at the back door.

"What took you so f.u.c.king long?" he barked.

Trevor didn't back down. "I'm here now, so relax."

Quinn eyed me curiously. He was the shortest of the band but definitely the biggest and baddest. I had the urge to hide behind Trevor but instead stood my ground.

He sniffed. "She's too skinny to be a roadie."

"She's stronger than she looks," Trevor said, "Anyway I'm teaching her the ropes. So if you don't mind?" He gestured toward the door so we could go through.

After another sniff, Quinn stepped aside. But as we walked past, I sensed his gaze on me. I dug my nails into my palms to suppress the urge to turn around and flip him the middle finger.

Trevor had instructed me to keep my cool and shut my mouth, and avoid any confrontations with any of the band members. I had smiled and nodded thinking aeno problem, I got this' but I didn't have s.h.i.t. I wanted to yell and scream and hit something, preferably him. Thane wasn't the only one that stole from me. They all had partic.i.p.ated in my violation, by their cooperation and their own transgressions, which were plenty I was sure. Even if Quinn hadn't been the one to sit on me and suck out my life, he was still culpable in my transformation.

In my opinion, they all had to die. From that moment on, I decided I would do whatever Trevor asked of me to help him with that plan.

For the next two hours, I worked harder than I ever had before. I lifted and carried equipment from the van to the stage. I helped set it up doing everything Trevor told me to do. He told me I was a quick learner. That had made me smile. Not that praise from him sent me into a tizzy; it was just that he didn't treat me like a fragile little girl.

I appreciated it. Although my muscles didn't. While taking a break and drinking a c.o.ke, my arms felt like goo. It was difficult to even lift the can to my mouth. I said as much to Trevor as we sat together on the edge of the stage pa.s.sing time and quenching our thirst.

"Maybe you need to start lifting weights to get stronger."

"I thought you said I'd be stronger because of..." I leaned closer to him, "you know."

"I also said it'll take time for everything to kick in. you're still learning how to control your new found power."

My stomach rumbled then. I rubbed a hand over it, embarra.s.sed.

He smirked. "Speaking of control."

"Hey, that's just regular hunger talking."

He elbowed me in the side. "I know. We'll get something after we finish here, which shouldn't be much longer."

"Cool." I drained the rest of the soda and set the can down beside me just as Thane appeared at my other side. I flinched. Trevor put a hand on my arm to keep me from bolting.

"Is it bring your pet to work day?" he leered at me.

I couldn't believe that two weeks ago I'd found that smile attractive, s.e.xy even. Now it made my stomach roil. I had a sudden urge to vomit.

"I'm training her to roadie."

"So," Thane eyed me up and down, "you're going to be around more often? I could get used to that." He licked his lips. "I'm getting hungry just looking at her."

In another life, I would've swooned at the thought of the punk rock G.o.d making innuendos about me. But as it was now I wanted to kick him in his junk. But Trevor's hand squeezed my arm tighter and it calmed me somewhat.

Lowering my gaze, I looked down at my scuffed boot instead of at Thane. I hoped he mistook it for shyness instead of murderous intent.

"She's not on the menu." Trevor slid off the stage onto his feet. They were now face to face. I looked at them from between strands of hair.

I could see Thane's eyes go black. The dark purple aura around him swirled violently to black, as thick as tar. I suspected it meant he was angry. Trevor's aura also darkened but it never reached the inky darkness of Thane's. It was obvious Trevor still retained some semblance of his humanity. Thane was completely devoid.

My body shook. I was so scared. I wouldn't blame Trevor if he backed down and offered me up as a midday snack. Thane was that frightening. But he didn't. He kept the incubus' gaze, not flinching, not wavering. No one had ever stood up for me like that, with that much fort.i.tude. Not even my best friend Chloe.

Without thinking, I reached over and slid my hand into Trevor's. I don't know who was more surprised me, Trevor, or Thane. But it had an effect. Maybe not the one I was expecting but beggars can't be choosers.

Thane started to laugh and all the tension that had been building like a brick wall around them, broke apart. I wouldn't have been surprised to see pieces of red clay scattered all over the club floor. It had been that palpable.

"All right, Trevor, you win." Thane took a step back. "You got some ma.s.sive b.a.l.l.s on you dude."

I squeezed Trevor's hand and he finally looked over at me. Except he didn't look too happy. Actually he always kind of looked miserable, like one of those brooding heroes in a historical novel. What was that one guy from the Jane Austen novel I had to read for English? Mr. Darcy. That was it. He'd been a miserable b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

"Are you claiming her, then?"

Trevor's head snapped back to gape at Thane.

"She's obviously claimed you," he gestured to the hand holding thing, "But if you're not actually claiming her then, well, she's still fair game, isn't she?" He smiled again, and this time I didn't hide the shudder that racked my body.

Trevor looked at me again, then back to Thane. "Yeah, I'm claiming her."

Thane slapped him on the shoulder. "All right, man, fair's fair." He shook his head, still smirking. "Devon is going to rip those b.a.l.l.s right off of you." And with that he slunk away like the slimebag I now considered him to be.

Trevor tugged his hand out of mine, then sat back down on the stage, noticeably not as close as before.

"What exactly was that about?"

"Claiming is part of their societal rules, what little of them they have." He ran a hand over his face and through his hair. "I claimed you so that means no one can physically touch you."

"Well, that's good right? I'm safe from them, then. Devon included, I hope. She scares me almost more than Thane does."

"Yeah, that means Devon too."

I lifted my hand to the sky. "Thank you, Jesus." I chuckled letting all my nervous energy out. I smiled at Trevor but he was scowling even more than usual. "Obviously, there's a problem."

"This means we have to act like a couple. Like we're tighter, together. Or Thane won't believe it for a second."

"Oh." Oh G.o.d, my cheeks were going red. I couldn't believe I was blushing so hard. It wasn't like Trevor and I had to do...anything. We just had to pretend. How hard could that be?

He glanced at me, and then jumped to his feet. He must've noticed my flushed face. "Don't go all moony on me. It's just an act. We aren't really together."

"I know that." Anger was quickly swelling inside me. "Jesus, you don't have to be such a douche about it."

"I just don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"Don't worry, I won't." I stood, suddenly wanting to hit him in his pointy chin. "That would mean you would have to have a heart. And it's obvious to me you don't." I went to stomp off, tired of being near him. Before I could, he grabbed my arm.

I looked down at his hand encircling my wrist. "What the h.e.l.l do you think you're doing?"

His answer was to pull me to him and cover my mouth with his.