Watcher in the Darkness, Book 3: Imprisoned

Chapter 31

Dawn came and went. Traffic grew congested and the buses began to vomit dead-eyed business drones. The morning rush hour passed and Kingdom Come's double doors never opened. By ten-thirty, I'd passively collected thirty-seven dollars from people who'd mistaken me for a bum.

Karen wasn't coming. I knew she wouldn't have broken her promise to me, not if she could help it. Therefore, she couldn't come. Khalid wouldn't allow her to leave.

I screamed in frustration as I slammed my fist into a nearby tree. The trunk split, scaring a flock of small, white birds into flight. I had no reason to believe Khalid could hear me, but I jabbed a finger toward the cathedral. "This isn't over. I'm coming back, and I'm going to leave with her."

A calm voice on the wind said, "Tick-tock, bloodsucker."

If I clenched my teeth any harder, they would grind down to sandpaper. Khalid knew about my trial getting moved up. That didn't surprise me; I mean, it wasn't a secret, or anything. I just wasn't worried about it until that moment. Okay, yes, I'd planned to plead guilty when the time came. Unfortunately, Khalid had everything to gain if I got prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In that instant, I knew Karen would die of old age before I saw daylight again.

The incredible pressure of time coiled around my chest as I sprinted back to the Sanctuary. Halfway there, it began to rain, because of course it did.

Thanks to Michael's open invitation, I was able to burst into his house without knocking. Rainwater cascaded over the carpet as I shouted, "Michael! Michael, I need your help!"

Michael came out of the bedroom, his hair a mess but his skin color a thousand times better. The rash had faded to patches of pink. His scent still held traces of infection, but his fever was almost gone. "Is everything okay?" he said. "Did you find Karen?"

I stripped off my soaking wet hoodie and tee shirt. "I found her but I couldn't get to her. That's where you come in."

Michael frowned in confusion. "Me? What's going on?"

I grabbed a handful of paper towels to pat myself dry. The outer layer of my skin looked, and tore, like wet tissue paper. "Karen's entered into a contract with a goddamn demon." My left ear dropped from my skull like a petal from a flower. "Fuck!"

Michael couldn't hide his disgust. "Dude, are you going to clean this up?"

No, I was not. "Michael, I am so over all these fucking..." I couldn't think of a better word to describe Gwen, Khalid, the hellhound, or Aliese the Whore. Instead, I yelled at the top of my lungs as I drove my fist through the wall.

Michael held up his hands. "Deep breaths, Toby. I understand that you're under a lot of pressure, but no good can come from getting sucked into a rage spiral. All right, Karen has entered into a contract with a demon. What's the nature of that contract? Was it verbal, like yours?"

"I wish. She signed it in her own blood."

Michael reacted as I expected him to. "Are you freaking kidding me? Who in the hell does that?"

"Someone desperate." Try as I might, I couldn't get mad at Karen. I saved all that blame and anger for myself. "I've got to go in there and get her, but there are these fucking wards I can't get past. That's why I need you."

"Why me?"

"Because you're good at wards, Michael. You made those wards for the Sanctuary that only activate when a vampire is about to lose their shit."