(BLAINE)
"Go." Thereon says as a shade leaps on his back. He rolls forward to loosen its hold before body slamming it on the grass and jabbing it on the throat. The smoke blazes a bright orange then the creature turns into ash. "I got things covered out here."
I take off across the streets, making sure to keep to the shadows. The side entrance door has an alarm system that I easily disarm then softly close the door behind me before slowly creeping forward in the dark hallway.
I hear murmurs come from the TV upstairs. I glance at the stairwell and notice a closed door. The entrance to his loft. I go down the corridor quietly, looking into each room that I pass. One has a mini fridge and a table, and the other one is a bathroom.
I keep going, following the trail of power that I feel lingering in the air. Old as I am, there are a very few things that unsettle me, but the darkness that I feel in me twists and knots in my gut.
When I first entered the room, it was dark, but my eyes somehow adjusted. It doesn't take me long to find it. A container just about the size of a cigar box sits on top of a shelf, surrounded by old books and other random figurines.
Outside the box are symbols warding against the demons, meaning that they wouldn't be able to open it. Whoever owned the box must have been powerful themselves. That type of warding takes precision and an extensive knowledge of spell work. The lock has been removed, and the lid is now open.
So much for keeping the demon out now.
Just as I take a peek into the box, a creak sounds from behind me, and the air stirs at my back. A metal bar swings towards my head and I duck.
"Get out of my shop." The man yells. "I have already called the police."
I spin around and catch the bat just as he swings again. "Stop."
His eyes go wide before he thrusts out his other arm and lands a punch to my chest. I grab him by the wrist and hold him as he thrashes around, trying to kick me.
"Stop." I sigh. "You look ridiculous."
"What? I'm supposed to stand here, watch you steal from me and do nothing?" he brings up one knee with an intent to kick me on the crotch, but I deflect the kick and press him against the wall, still with both of his arms pinned. His heart thrashes wildly and he begins to panic.
"Damn it. Calm down." I growl.
"Wait," he says, peering at me. "You are the guy from earlier."
"Aren't you perceptive?" I snatch the bar from his grip and toss it to the side, and the metal clanks against the hardwood floor. The sound makes him flinch. I release the hold on his wrist."" I'm not here to hurt you."
"To rob me then?" he flips on the light and glares at me as he rubs his wrists together. I can tell that beneath the attitude and the way that he is putting up, he is actually scared. Who wouldn't be? "Like that is so much better."
"Just to take this." I say, closing the lid of the box and grabbing it off the shelf. With the lid closed, the dark power is contained inside. Still, I feel uneasy.
"The ring? Why?"
So it is a ring, interesting.
"It is a family heirloom." I lie. "It is very precious to me."
"And why is it in that creepy box?" he asks, narrowing his eyes. They appear greener right now with bursts of orange around the pupils. My gaze trails to his lightly stubbed jaw and his full bottom lip. The top one is thinner. His nose has a rounded tip, which for some reason, I find endearing.
"I wasn't aware that it was creepy."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier when you came in that it was special to you?" the man asks, stepping towards me, which I have to admit that surprised me a bit. I tower over him by at least 7 inches. He has to tilt his head to be on eye level with me. "Heirloom or not, it doesn't excuse the fact that you are breaking into my shop and stealing."
"I didn't break anything. It's not my fault that your alarm is a piece of shit."
"Wow, so a criminal and an asshole. Good to know."
"I killed the shades." Thereon mind links with me. "But I sense that there are more coming. A lot more. Hurry."
"As enthralling as this talk is, I'm afraid I have to leave now."
"Not so fast." He slaps a hand across my chest as I try to pass him. The warmth of his palm seeps into the material of my shirt. Much as I try to ignore it, the painful truth is that I like the feel of his touch. "I'm not an idiot, and I can't let you steal from me. This is no family heirloom."
"Fine then. Name your price."
"Huh?" he walks in after me as I leave the storage room. " What kind of a thief are you?"
"I'm not a thief." I head down the hall to the exit.
"Says the man I just caught stealing from me."
"Would you rather I not pay you?"
"No." he grabs my arm and quickly lets go when I whirl around to face him. "I didn't get the chance to examine it well. I don't know it's worth yet."
"Blaine, hurry."
"Five grand?" I ask, losing my patience.
"Five thousand dollars?" he gapes. "Uhm…isn't that a bit…I don't know. Too much?"
"Look, I have no time for this." The back of my neck prickles with the oncoming of shades. They are scurrying through town and are headed rIght for us.
I run for the door.
"Wait." He calls after me. I spin on my heels and notice him several feet away, his eyes wide alarmingly. Humans are so weak. So fragile. If the shades swarm his shop, he will be torn into shreds in a second. I need to get this box as far away from him as I can. "I didn't catch your name."
"You don't need it."
Then I leave and secure the door behind me.