Devon Monk - Stone Cold

Zay pushed off the rail and took the distance between us in three strides. He stood there, towering above me, glowering.

“Angry black man hasn’t worked since we were fifteen,” I said.

“You want to kill these people, I won’t stand in your way,” he said. “But if you don’t tell me who you’re after before you go after them, I will shut you down, Shame.” Gold rolled across his eyes again. Heat lightning signaling a storm. “I will take you down.”

“I already have a mother, Z. Don’t need you riding my back.”

“Are you hunting anyone now?”

A car engine cut off and a door opened and thunked shut. Someone was coming this way. Not that I could see around Mt. Zayvion.

“Right this minute?” I grinned.

He cracked his knuckles and Terric strolled over—finally—and put his hand on Zay’s arm.

“I’ll watch him, Zay.”

“Like you can,” I started, then shut my mouth. Kind of a dumb thing to say because Terric of all people could watch me. We were bound at the soul. His magic, my magic. If I killed he’d know. He’d feel it. He’d probably felt it all along.

“Hell,” I said.

“Before,” Zay said again. “Tell me before you kill. So I can cover your ass, you idiot.” He punched me in the shoulder, just hard enough it stung.

“Hey, now,” I said. “Keep that up and it will get personal.”

“Tell me you heard me,” he said.

“I heard you.”

“Terric. Zay,” Dashiell called out from the yard. “You two killing Shame?”

“Not yet,” Zay said.

“Good,” he said. “I have news.”

Zay tipped his head down just a bit, giving me one last look. I took another drag off the cigarette and exhaled smoke through my smile.

He pulled back and got out of my space.

Which was good. It wasn’t easy controlling the Death magic when he was that close, burning that hard, pumping life with every beat of his heart.

“What’s the news?” I asked.

I wiped the sweat off my mouth and paced over to the railings where Zay and Terric had been standing, needing some fresh air. My hand was shaking. Not out of fear. Out of need. That little magic trick Terric and I had pulled in the car had worn off already.

I needed to kill. Soon, to take the edge off Death magic’s hunger.

Dash looked . . . different. I’d been so used to him in an office setting as our assistant when Terric and I had been, ridiculously, given the job of running the Authority in Portland after the apocalypse that I almost didn’t recognize him in casual mode.

Dark thick hair, a little too long, looked like he’d combed it back with his fingers into a sort of messy, wavy thing. He had on black-framed glasses that actually looked good on him. But that’s where assistant Dash stopped resembling day-off Dash.

Day-off Dash wore faded blue jeans and a heavy gray wool sweater that showed just a bit of the brown belt at his hips, and opened up at the neck in a collar held together by a single wooden button. He hadn’t shaved, and the stubble showed cheekbones and a strong jaw. When he caught sight of Terric and smiled . . .

It was weird to know a guy you used to work with—a friend—was sort of into the man you were unwillingly tied to.

Weirder still to get that emotional echo of Terric’s confused feelings about Dash.

Terric liked Dash. I thought he might like him a lot. But ever since the complete disaster that had been Terric’s last boyfriend, Jeremy, Terric had been avoiding the whole relationship thing.

“The news,” Dash said, “is that we have a lead on Davy.”

“You know where he is?” I asked.

“We know where he’s been.”

“Where?” Terric asked.

“Spokane.”

“You don’t think he’s there now?” I asked.

Dash shook his head. “We sent some people from the area to take a look around. The entire building is empty. No one’s there.”

“Do you have records? Eyewitnesses who saw him?” Terric had suddenly snapped into ex-head of the Authority mode. He was all about dotting i’s and crossing t’s during times like this.

At times like this, I was all about getting out of the work he’d want to saddle me with.

I pushed away from the rail. “Well, then. I’ll leave you boys to it. Thanks for the beer.” I took a step toward the house.

A shadow darkened the doorway, then moved just enough to let the light fall on her features. Sunny, Davy’s girlfriend.

“If you take one step off this porch, Flynn, I will hunt you down. You owe me.”

The others fell silent and each gave Sunny a measuring gaze, then looked at me to see what I’d do.

I didn’t have to guess what she was talking about. I owed her a favor, and it looked like she’d come to collect on it.

SHAME

Zayvion strolled over to Sunny, faced off in front of her, the width of his shoulders and body pretty much blocking her view of me. It effectively broke our staring contest.

“Let’s have this conversation inside,” he said calmly. “Over coffee. Have you eaten?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Plenty of food left.” He placed his hand on her arm kindly.

So I must not be the only one who saw how badly Davy’s kidnapping had worn her down. Zay shifted so she could see past him again.

She glanced at me. Waited to see what I’d do. She was too pale, lack of sleep shadowing her eyes. Being a Blood magic user, being a Hound, meant she’d seen plenty of shit in her days. But Davy disappearing wasn’t just another shitty day on the job. She loved him.

And love made a person go through all sorts of hell.

No need for me to be one of her hells.

“You know what? I’m starving,” I said. “Let’s get some food.”

“Fine.” She turned, walked inside. Zay threw me a quick look of approval before walking in behind her.

Terric and Dash waited for me to follow, so that pretty much closed off my escape route.

While I was all for dealing with whatever Sunny wanted from me, the hunger that wouldn’t be satisfied with food rolled knuckles against my gut and squeezed at my heart.

Death was hungry, and the Life magic Terric had fed it wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy.

Plan: Give Sunny whatever she wanted, then go out and kill something. Also, drink more beer.

I strolled back inside.

Zayvion calmly announced that he and Allie had enjoyed everyone coming over, but that Allie was tired now, and could everyone please head home.

Apparently I’d been out on the porch long enough ignoring the living world that they’d gotten through gifts and food and all the rest of the baby doings.

Good-byes were said, hugs and handshakes exchanged, and the house cleared out pretty quickly.

“We need a beer run?” I asked when the last Hound, guest, and even Violet, my mum, and Nola were all on their way. “Be happy to score us some hooch.”

“Plenty of beer in the fridge,” Zay said, patting my shoulder as he walked past me toward the sink with empty coffee cups in his other hand.

Stuck with the living in a no-kill zone. Good times.

Dash had somehow talked Sunny into actually trying the food and was talking to her quietly in the corner of the kitchen while they both ate.

She leaned against the counter mostly watching me. I didn’t know what she wanted, but I knew the favor she’d given me.

Back a few months ago I’d killed Terric’s boyfriend. I hadn’t told Terric about it. I hoped I wouldn’t ever have to tell him, but if it came up, I wasn’t going to lie or defend my actions. Jeremy had been a grade-A asshole. He’d hurt Terric.

I’d taken care of that problem.

But Sunny had helped me track him down and had kept her mouth shut about it.