Two men stood atop a tall building with a limp body at their feet. The pair had similar facial features, but their hair and eyes differed.
The shorter of the two, who had long, ashen gray hair and silver eyes to match, grimaced as he looked down at the man lying on the ground. He was dead and beaten beyond recognition.
"This could have gone terribly wrong, Kaine," he said, looking back at his companion with furrowed brows. "Boss would have been so mad if you had gotten caught. She nearly saw you!"
"No shit, Darion," Kaine hissed. His jet-black hair fell over his red eyes, and he put his face into his hands in frustration. "I don't know how I didn't sense her! This hasn't happened before!"
"Your senses are usually even better than mine," Darion agreed pensively. "I wonder how she managed to sneak up on you. Quite the mystery."
"Why are we watching her, anyway? She's just some nobody, an insignificant human bartender," Kaine grumbled. "Boss won't tell us anything."
"I have no idea," Darion shrugged and gave his companion a reassuring pat on the back. "I'm sure he'll explain when the time is right. He wouldn't hide it from us for no reason."
"I know, I know," Kaine's shoulders sagged slightly. He sighed in resignation, "I trust his judgment. I think I'm just depressed because I nearly got seen beating a lower-level demon's ass by a little human girl. My ego is bruised."
"You're lucky she had that disgusting-smelling ward on. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to get away in time." Darion glanced down the side of the building, where the girl in question stood with the police. "If it makes you feel any better, she's going to have a terrible night trying to explain this to the cops."
Kaine took a few steps toward the edge of the building and looked down. A mischievous smirk tugged at the edge of his lips. "It does make me feel better. I hope they also take her in for questioning and testimony. Waste her entire weekend."
"Police don't take kindly to having their time wasted," Darion nodded thoughtfully and smiled. "I'm sure she will be miserable."
Suddenly, their mind-links activated simultaneously.
'Where are you two? Did she return home safely?' the demanding voice echoed in their heads.
'About that…' Kaine trailed off. He looked at Darion desperately, hoping for some help, but his brother just looked at him and shrugged.
'Kaine, what did you do?!' their boss' voice thundered angrily. 'I will disembowel you and feed you to the hellhounds while you're still alive.'
'No! Everything ended up fine; she's safe,' Kaine started explaining frantically, his stomach churning as the image of him having his guts removed appeared in his mind. 'I was getting rid of one of her pursuers, and she nearly caught me-'
'She almost saw you?!' the boss' voice was trembling with anger. 'Come back. Now.'
Darion chuckled and spoke aloud. "Sorry, twin, there's nothing I can do to save you this time. I'll make sure that he gets only the cutest hellhounds to eat your intestines."
Kaine's face paled.
It was SO over.
—
[ASURIEL]
The bags under her eyes had turned dark enough to make her look like a zombie. She flung herself onto her bed, fully clothed.
After spending the entire night at the police station trying to explain what she heard and getting scolded for wasting valuable time with a false report, she was exhausted.
Asuriel dialed her mother's number with a defeated sigh.
As soon as the line connected, she forewent greetings and started talking, "Mom, I thought the incense was working, but I hallucinated on my way home and changed my mind. I'm never burning that stuff again."
"Hallucinated?" Elara echoed, a concerned twinge in her voice. "What happened, baby?"
"On my way home, I heard the sounds of someone getting beat up in an alley – like, super bad. I called the police and went to stop them, but as soon as I walked into the alley, there was nothing there!" Asuriel lamented.
Elara was silent for a long moment as she considered Asuriel's words. Then, she asked in confirmation, "Nothing? Not a single sign of a fight?"
"Not even a trace! No people, no blood, not even a knocked-over trash can. Nothing!" Asuriel groaned in defeat. "I swear, it sounded so real… but when the police showed up, there was no evidence. Fate has cursed me with bad luck, Mom. I think I'm going insane."
"No…" Elara hummed, deep in thought. "I don't think you were hallucinating… but I do think that the incense is the reason why there was nothing there."
"What?" Asuriel furrowed her brows. "How?"
"The incense I gave you is a ward against evil," her mother explained. "It works exceptionally well against demons; they can't stand the scent. If the people causing a ruckus in the alley were infernal and caught wind of your ward, they'd likely have run away as quickly as possible."
Asuriel fell into contemplative silence.
If that were true, everything about last night's incident would make sense. It explained why the enigmatic guy told her she smelled bad, too! She had already known he was an infernal creature of some kind… it wasn't exactly challenging to discern.
Asuriel couldn't help but feel a little sorry; had she known that the incense was a sexy demon repellant, she would have asked Rowan to deliver the drink instead. It probably ruined his appetite!
"Asuriel?" Elara called in a worried voice. "Are you okay?"
"I'm alright," she answered with a self-deprecating laugh. "It's just that everything makes sense now. You should have told me that it was a ward!"
"You wouldn't have burned it if I told you," Elara replied bitterly.
Asuriel bit her lip. "You're right; I probably wouldn't have done it. It's just, well, I work at a place swarming with demons! It's bad for business if I scare away all the customers."
"I know," Elara acknowledged confidently. She admonished Asuriel, "That's precisely why I gave you the incense! Since the moon isn't aligned in our favor, you're more likely to befall accidents – and there's nothing more likely to cause an accident than a demon."
Asuriel didn't know how to respond. As always, mother was right. Infernal creatures were known to be harbingers of misfortune and prone to mischief.
"Keep burning the incense every day, please," Elara implored. "I know it isn't ideal for your situation, but you only need to do it until you come home for your birthday next week. I can help you properly, so you won't need it anymore."
"Alright," Asuriel agreed, albeit reluctantly. She would rather be a little 'stinky' in the eyes of some trouble-making demons for a week than get seriously hurt. "I'll do it, I promise."
"That's my girl. Now, you ought to get some rest," Elara told her but fell quiet – as though she had something else to say.
"Mom?" Asuriel prodded. "Are you alright? If there's something else you have to say, say it."
Elara heaved a shaky sigh. "Please… just be careful – and make sure you come home to see me as soon as possible."