Demoness' Pet

Chapter 3

I sniffed the air contently as Claire, Jaz, and I got out of Claire's clean silver Civic. The sky was swelling with dark purple cumulus clouds which blockaded the sun completely.

We had driven to a small house nestled by some woods up in the mountains. Jaz slept on my lap the whole forty-five minutes ride in the rear. She looked a lot nicer in the clothes Claire had brought. The black tank-top, sweatpants, and neon-blue sneakers fit well. Since there was a chill wind in the forecast, I lent her one of my blue and black striped hoodies. It ended at her knees and made her look like a child trying daddy's clothes on.

I personally thought it was cute, and Jaz didn't mind as long as she was warm and comfortable. "Everyone's in there, right?" I mumbled to Claire.

"They told me to come ASAP. You..." She paused as her cell-phone vibrated in her pants-pocket. "You head in. I'll be in soon."

"OK." I got a terrible pain in my chest as I walked sheepishly to the house. It was actually more like a log-cabin and had a basement, and today there was a bright internal glow emanating from within. Fixed on top of the door was a wooden sign that read THE DEN. There were about ten or so cars parked behind the house on a gravel lot.

Jaz was right beside me, whipping her head in all directions, devouring every scenic detail as if it would all vanish if she didn't imprint it in her memory. She said into my ear as I we stepped onto the porch, "There are many hot energies inside this building. I noticed that since that woman came to your home, you have been indirectly leaving me out of something between the two of you. Would you care to explain? I'd have liked it better if we never left your home, but you were in such a rush. Unlike you, I'm being hunted. I don't belong in this world. You were the one who interfered. I just wanna remind you that if anything happens relating to me,  it'll be your responsibility to deal with. I have no power left at the moment, and I'm getting a peculiar sense about those inside this place."

I was at a loss for words. Maybe I should've left her at my apartment and locked the door and windows. Maybe I shouldn't get her involved. How could I tell her that I wasn't human myself? She crossed her arms over her chest as if to say, I'm waiting.

“You’ll just have to wait and find out.” I answered coolly. Her deep lilac eyes shone with amusement.

I turned the rusty door-knob and in we went. There was a circle of people seated in grey foldable chairs whose heads immediately turned to us as we entered the building. The room was lit on all sides by rows of flickering candles, all varying colors, every one safely contained in a glass holder. The floor was all wood, and a rose-themed wallpaper decorated the walls. A cordial stone fireplace enlightened one end of the room, which was accompanied by an attractive Persian rug, in which a leather couch and two chairs were placed along the edge. Although it was a comfortable and warm setting, I couldn’t stop the shiver that rippled across my skin.

“Hey, Liam! We were just about to start.” one of the seated people greeted. His name was Mark, and like me, he was a man in his mid-twenties. Unlike me, he had a pair of rectangular glasses that were tinted so that, even if he was outside or inside, the lens were black and you couldn’t see his eyes at all. His dark brown hair was slicked back with gel and gave a full view of the ten or so piercings in each ear. He had a slight beard and mustache and, if you took the time to notice, a jagged scar that ran from his left eyebrow to his right cheek.

I gave him an embarrassed smile. “I’ve never been the first one to anything.”

Mark chuckled and then his eyebrows knit together. “Who’s the chick?”

“She’s not from around here.” someone said. Jaz crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

“I’m not a chick. I’m Jaz.”