She blinks. “Feisty. Maybe that’s what he sees in you.”
I just stare at her, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. I could try and rip her head off I guess, but am I sure she’s even a demon? She could be a ghost. Or a witch. God forbid a vampire, now that Max told me that those things exist. And if she’s a human and I try to take her head off, there’s gonna be consequences.
“What do you want?” I ask, wishing my voice wasn’t shaking.
“Nothing to do with you, don’t worry,” she says plainly. “I’m here for him. He knows it, too. He knew one of us would come through looking for him. You guys should have left him in Hell, Ada. He was much happier there. He didn’t even want to leave.”
I shake my head, having a hard time swallowing, breathing. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No. You’re the one who has no idea. You have no idea who you’re traveling with, no idea what he’s made up of. He’s made up of nothing, Ada. Haven’t you looked?”
I blink. “Looked?”
“Perhaps he’s hiding it from you. His feelings for you might have clouded things. You’re keeping him alive. Are you sure that’s what he wants?”
Wait. Wait. “Feelings for me? What feelings?” And also, wait. “Of course he wants to be alive! He asked me to come with him!”
She stares at me for a moment and I’m starting to think that maybe she’s not a demon after all.
Then she smiles.
Shark teeth.
And before I can react, she’s in front of me, pressing my arms against the tiles on the wall, fingers searing my skin right through my long-sleeved shirt, and I know I’m going to die. I can’t move at all, can’t even think, the energy inside me fizzling out.
“I’m not here for you,” she says, voice so deep and raspy, eyes going blacker and blacker until they’re two swirling dark holes and I’m pretty sure I can see my own death in them. “So as long as you stay out of his way.”
Then she leaves and I collapse straight down to the floor, my hands breaking my fall at the last minute.
The restroom door opens, and a middle-aged woman pokes her head in. “Good heavens, are you okay? Do you need help?”
I nod and the woman helps me to my feet. “I slipped,” I say feebly, looking around the restroom until I know we’re alone.
“What happened to your arms?” she asks and I look down to see my sleeves covered in burn marks from the demon’s fingers, the skin raw underneath.
“Cigarette burns,” I tell her. “I gotta go.”
I push past the woman out into the ferry, unsure how to deal with my arms, with anything.
What the fuck just happened?
And why wasn’t Max there?
Twelve
“Your head’s like a haunted house, peepin’ at your mumbo jumbo.”
– Head Like a Haunted House
I make my way through the ferry to the back of the boat where we were sitting, but when I get back to Max, he’s actually asleep, his head back, mouth open.
“I need to borrow your jacket,” I tell him, standing in front of him. When he doesn’t wake up, I kick his shoe lightly.
He wakes up and looks around, looking very disoriented. When he finally focuses on me, he frowns. “Ada?” Then he looks down at my arms, eyes going wide. “What happened to you?”
Other people sitting near us are looking over, so I motion for him to give me his jacket. “Just give me your jacket.”
He nods and quickly shucks it off, handing it to me. “Do we have to take you to the hospital?”
I throw on the jacket, my skin stinging. “No. I’ll explain later.”
Thankfully, as soon as I say that, the boat docks. Max grabs my hand and pulls me through, his large frame cutting a swath through the crowd until we’re on back on the embarcadero, traffic and pedestrians zipping past.
He pulls me to the side, away from prying eyes, and puts his hands on my face, holding me in place. I feel energy surge from his palms to my cheeks and I close my eyes, letting it sink into me.
“Tell me what happened,” he says. His voice is gruff, shaking slightly.
I take a deep breath through my nose, then open my eyes to see his just inches away and for a moment I forget everything.
Then I remember.
His feelings for you might have clouded things.
You’re keeping him alive.
Are you sure that’s what he wants?
He’s made up of nothing, Ada.
Haven’t you looked?
“What?” Max says, voice getting flinty, a line drawn between his brows as he searches my eyes. “What is it?”
I could keep this to myself. The things that demon told me felt too personal. But despite her telling me that he’s hiding things from me, I don’t want to believe it, and I don’t want to do the same to him.
I swallow, my throat painfully dry. “I saw a demon in the restroom on the ferry.”
His lips part in surprise, a subtle shake of his head, his fingers pressing into my skin. “Why…why didn’t you tell me right away? What happened? Did you destroy her?”
“I couldn’t tell you with everyone around us. And no. I didn’t destroy her. She was too powerful. She left.”
“Through a portal?”
“Through the door.”
“What?!” he exclaims. His hands drop away from my face and he’s looking around wildly. “That means she’s here somewhere.”
He could be right. But I somehow doubt it.
So as long as you stay out of his way.
What way?
“I think she’s gone,” I tell him, feeling weak, my knees trembling. “I didn’t know at first what she was. My alarm bells didn’t go off. I’m sure your eyes would have glowed though.”
“I fell asleep,” he says, horror dawning on him. “Deep sleep. I don’t…I don’t think it was natural.”
“She obviously wanted me alone.”
“And she didn’t hurt you?”
“No. Well…yes.” I gesture to my arms. He makes a growling noise in response, running his hand
