Devil Inside, page 15
“Me too,” Levi began stripping off his clothes. Neither of them bothered with pajamas. Levi flopped into bed in his boxer briefs and she chose to sleep in underwear and the undershirt she had been wearing. She piled her clothes in the chair on top of Levi’s and climbed into bed beside him. She buried her face in the pillow and breathed in the fresh laundered smell. It seemed like such a normal smell she could also forget that they were in the headquarters of a “vampire” organization. She held her breath to prevent the giggle that threatened to bubble out of her. She felt Levi shift next to her and she found comfort in his presence. Sex wasn’t on either of their minds, instead, they both quickly drifted off to sleep.
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For once it wasn’t Harley who jerked awake from a nightmare. She bolted upright when she felt Levi jerk awake with a small gasp. She looked around the room confused for a minute. Then remembering where she was she looked back to see Levi rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
“Nightmare?” she croaked.
“Mmm,” he groaned back. He didn’t say anything more and she didn’t press for details.
Harley could see dying light around the edges of the black curtains. “It looks like the sun is going down. What time is it?”
Levi picked his phone up from the nightstand next to the bed. The room was dark enough that Harley herself squinted when he turned the display on to check the time. “7:00pm.”
“Ugh. Did we just sleep over twelve hours?”
“Apparently. We should get up,” Levi croaked sitting up beside her.
“Do we have to?” Harley asked. Despite her hesitant words her heart picked up in excitement. It was time to take the plunge—things were going to happen today—scary things. She was wide awake now. She climbed out of bed, as did Levi. They both stretched the sleep out of their bodies and yawned audibly.
Levi ran his hands over his face again. “Do you want to wash up before we find Nya?”
Harley swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yeah, definitely,” she said around a dry tongue.
“OK, well it’s across the hall. I’m going to go find out where everyone is. I’ll come back and get you in about…half an hour?”
“Yeah that’s fine.”
He pulled on his jeans as she gathered the few things she would need to shower. Going across the hall she knocked lightly at the door Levi had pointed out. When she didn’t hear a response she turned the handle and pushed the door open. When she saw the bathroom on the other side she felt silly for knocking. It wasn’t a single bathroom. It was a large communal style bathroom. Luckily, no one else seemed to be in here to hear her knock like an idiot. She stepped inside and let the door swing shut behind her. It looked like the bathroom had at one time been at least two bedrooms and had been turned into one large bathroom. It housed three large shower stalls that were enclosed in frosted glass. There were two large hot tubs on the opposite wall and at the closest end were three sinks with cabinets above them. Separating the sinks from the showers was a row of toilet stalls. Set back into the wall in between the sinks and the toilets were shelves and cubbies to store personal items.
Harley found an empty storage area in which to stash her stuff. There was a set of drawers and shelves that held wash rags and towels next to the hot tubs. She got what she would need and chose a stall farthest from the door. The water pressure was great. She turned the water on as hot as she could stand it and let it beat down onto her sore body. The shooting streams slowly melted the stiffness from her shoulder and back and stung her scabby knees. She let the water wash over her and relax her as much as it could before she turned off the water and began to towel dry. She knew she was taking a much longer time than normal, a part of her was dreading the “test” she was going to have to go through. What if they make me fight an Ignis? She cringed inwardly at the thought. She wanted to kill Ignis, lots of them. But she knew that in an actual fight she would be lucky to come away alive right now.
Her senses pricked up and she realized she wasn’t alone in the bathroom. She could tell someone else was moving around outside of her stall. She held her breath for a minute trying to figure out the best option. Should she pretend she didn’t hear the other person out there? She didn’t know how everyone here would treat her and she was cautious about encountering them. Technically—none of them were human. So, she had no way to predict how they would react to her.
Before she had a chance to decide, the person made the choice for her. “Hello,” a bright female voice called out.
“Um, hello,” Harley answered back.
“Hope I didn’t startle you,” the woman said politely. “I figured it would freak you out more if I knocked on the shower door or something,” she laughed softly.
“Oh,” Harley smiled. “It’s fine.” She resumed drying off and wrapped the towel around her before opening the door. The voice had come from a young blonde woman who was sitting her stuff in the first of the shower stalls. And she was completely naked. She popped out of the stall when she realized that Harley was out. She pranced towards her with her hand outstretched. She had long blonde hair and light blue eyes and a child-like round face. She looked like the typical California girl, all the way down to her large round, bouncy boobs. She was skinny, but Harley could tell she was fit and strong by the muscles that bunched under her pale skin. Had the woman been human and not Nocte she would have not been all that remarkable. But the darkness and strength that Harley was beginning to recognize in the supernaturals that she encountered enhanced the woman’s beauty. Harley tried really hard to not acknowledge that the woman was stark naked as she shook her hand but since she was several inches taller than her it put her breasts closer to eye level than Harley was comfortable with. Apparently modesty does not come along with the Nocte she smirked to herself. She didn’t have a problem with nudity—whether it was male or female. But she was having a hard time not staring at the woman’s boobs in her face.
“I’m Evalynn,” the woman chirped. “Everyone calls me Evie though.”
Harley forced herself to not grimace as the strength behind Evie’s handshake. If she had doubted that she was a Nocte before she definitely didn’t now. “I’m Harley.” Evie must have noticed Harley flexing her hand as she pulled it away.
“Oh, gosh—I’m sorry. I’m so used to being around others like us that I forget how strong I am sometimes,” she grinned sheepishly.
Harley brushed the apology away. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you don’t get too many humans in your bathroom, right?”
“Right,” Evie laughed easily. “It’s not the norm, that’s for sure.” They both smiled at each other awkwardly for a moment. Finally, Evie broke the awkwardness. “Well, I’m sure I’ll see you around later.”
“Right!” Harley answered, still carefully not looking at the woman’s boobs. As the woman showered Harley finished up in the bathroom. She went across the hall to finish dressing and a short time later she heard the bathroom door open and close as the woman apparently left.
She was relieved to know that, apparently, not all Nocte were so serious and dark and intimidating as Levi and Nya. She didn’t mind levity—but it was nice to know that darkness didn’t automatically come with the bond. Evie had been bright and pleasant and friendly. Harley let go of some of her tension. So far, Levi had been right. This place seemed more like a boarding house than a headquarters. Nya was apparently in charge, and while she was strong and intimidating, Harley didn’t get the impression that she was a dictator or tyrant. Levi had actively joked with her and the woman had also done so in return. Harley sat and waited for Levi to come and get her while she brushed her hair. He had said that he would come back for her in about half an hour so he should be back any minute. She knew that she wasn’t a prisoner; it was just because this place was huge and she had no idea where she was going that she needed to wait on Levi. She was still nervous and kept fidgeting with the blanket on the bed. As nervous as she was, she wasn’t nearly as scared as she knew she should be considering she was facing a test and possible death.
Harley got tired of sitting and stood in front of the mirror over the dresser. She watched the brush glide through her hair without blinking. Her hair didn’t have any more tangles in it but she enjoyed the feeling of the brush scratching against her scalp. She realized that she had let herself fall into a rhythm and zoned out as she stared into her own green eyes. She tried to imagine what she would look like with black eyes and was disappointed that she couldn’t call the image to mind. Her nervousness was passing and in its place was a growing reckless excitement.
As she was finishing brushing her hair the door opened and Levi stepped in. He came behind her and watched her pull her wet hair into a short ponytail. He reached out and tugged on it, sending chills down her back. Apparently, he was thinking the same thing. “I wish we had a few extra minutes,” he mumbled.
“Mmm, I could use that distraction,” Harley said accidentally knocking the brush off the dresser.
“I told you,” Levi picked the brush up, “you’ll be fine.”
“I know, I know—” Levi interrupted her by spinning her around and planting a kiss on her mouth, sucking at her bottom lip as he pulled away.
Harley took a deep breath, “Whew! You know how to distract a girl, huh?” she laughed.
“I do my best,” Levi smirked.
“Am I dressed OK?” Harley hadn’t wanted to ask that question but couldn’t help it. She was wearing a tee shirt that Levi had brought her and jeans and sneakers. While she guessed that anything was fine, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she should be more dressed up than this.
Levi looked at her steadily. “Nobody cares what you wear, trust me.”
“OK—OK!” Harley waved Levi towards the door, indicating that she was ready. He led the way down the hall and towards the woman that Harley had to convince she should be a Nocte. She took deep breaths and tried to convince her insides to stop squirming as they made their way through the house.
Chapter 11
Levi led her to a door on the second floor without encountering anyone else on the way. The house was dimly lit but Harley was able to get a much better impression of the house now that people were up and about. The house was sparsely furnished and decorated as an afterthought. There were random pictures of flowers or landscapes hung in the most likely places as if they were a formality. Someone had seemingly thrown them in to give the impression of a real home, not unlike a hotel room.
Levi stopped outside a plain white door and knocked softly. Without waiting for a response he eased the door open and held it for Harley to enter. She looked at him questioningly, confused because it seemed like he wasn’t coming in also. Levi returned her scowl with raised eyebrows and a slight smile. He winked at her just before he shut the door in her face. Her mouth fell open in shock but she quickly recovered. She was annoyed by the fact that he hadn’t explained that he wouldn’t be here for this. The annoyance only lasted a moment because she soon realized that if she embarrassed herself she would rather it wasn’t in front of Levi anyway. Taking a deep breath she slowly turned and surveyed the room in front of her.
The decorations in this room were certainly more personal—and infinitely stranger. Hung on every square inch of wall space were pictures of cartoons. Everything from old classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner to new, half naked cartoons that Harley didn’t know the name of that looked Japanese. There was a desk placed in front of two large windows. It looked like it was made of bright blue plastic and was covered with important looking papers and maps. Harley couldn’t quite wrap her head around what she was seeing before her examination was interrupted by Nya who spoke from a bright orange couch to Harley’s right. “Good evening,” she said simply.
Harley jumped and slapped her mouth closed. She quickly realized that she wouldn’t be able to cover up her amazement with the room, so she didn’t even try. Moving on, she responded, “Hello.” She worked hard to make sure that her voice didn’t squeak or crack. Nya was reclined on the couch but sat up as she once again began studying Harley. She held her hand out inviting her to sit with her. Harley lowered herself onto the opposite end of the couch. She was close enough to Nya to smell the coconut lotion or perfume that she wore. Her braids hung down around her shoulders and she was wearing a large black sweater and black tights. She was watching Harley with that same slightly amused smile again. Harley wanted to avoid getting caught in a stare down again so she continued to take in the room around them while Nya watched her.
The room must have originally been more than one room, just like the bathroom she had used to get ready. It was as big as at least two decently sized bedrooms. Besides the couch and the desk across from it, there were comfortable looking chairs and the other side of the room was filled with a large comfy looking canopy bed and shelves of DVDs and books. The middle of the extra large room was empty and it looked as if it had been left purposefully left bare since the rest of the room was so heavily furnished and decorated. The rest of the furniture seemed to be placed around it and in the center of the empty space was a large round carpet that looked like it had been taken from a child’s daycare. It was black with bright geometric designs floating across it. She couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows at the décor of the room and she wondered if Nya had purposefully designed it to look like the nursery that belonged to the children of circus performers. Despite the room’s absurdity, or maybe because of it, Harley appreciated Nya’s sense of humor even more.
When she wasn’t able to avoid it any longer, Harley turned to look at Nya. The woman was still watching her, but the smile had grown even wider and her eyes burned through Harley with enough intensity that she had to will herself to not flinch. Watching Nya watch her, Harley realized what was so unsettling about the heat of the woman’s gaze. It gave off a mad quality that made Harley expect the woman to sudden whip out a teacup while putting on a giant hat. Harley swallowed hard and forced herself to meet the woman’s gaze and not laugh at the images that bounced through her head. She couldn’t help but feel like the woman was purposefully trying to make her nervous by staring at her. Well, I hope you have fun with that lady; Harley thought to herself and refused to be the first to break the silence.
After what seemed like ages, Nya finally spoke. “Why do you think Levi brought you here?” Her velvety voice wasn’t judgmental or cruel. It was simply curious.
Harley considered the question carefully. “He says it’s because I’m strong. That I should be able to defend myself—and avenge my friend…”
“Do you feel strong?” Nya asked still curious.
Harley shrugged. “Sometimes.”
Nya nodded knowingly. “So, are those the only reasons he brought you?”
Harley took a deep breath. “Those are the most important reasons,” Harley answered cautiously. Nya’s smile turned into a grin and her hazel eyes glittered.
“Why do you want to join the Praesidio?”
“…I want to avenge my friend’s death. I want to stop other people from getting hurt. I want to be strong…” Harley’s answer trailed off. She found it harder than she expected to put her desire into words.
Nya watched her for a while longer. Harley refused to be intimidated by her stare. She went back to looking around the room.
“Are you prepared to die to gain the power to achieve these goals?”
Harley mulled this question over. Was she will to die to avenge Jamie’s death? Did that really seem reasonable? No, it doesn’t. Harley had to be honest with herself. She knew that while revenge burned at the very core of her being, there were other motives behind her actions as well. She didn’t deny there was a selfish desire for power that lay behind her decision as well. Having recognized that fact, she made her peace with it. When Jamie died, so did her last desire to belong—to fit in with a society that she had never really felt connected to anyway. Finally, Harley answered slowly and surely. “Yes,” she said with confidence meeting the other woman’s intense gaze.
Nya gave one of her nods again. “Welcome to the Praesidio,” she said simply after a brief pause.
“Huh?” Harley asked, losing all her hard fought composure.
Nya laughed loudly, throwing her head back. “What were you expecting?”
“I-I have no idea really,” Harley stammered. “I just figured that I would have to convince you or something.”
“You did. You had convinced me that Levi was right last night.”
“Huh?” Harley asked again stupidly. Well said, dumbass
Nya watched her for a moment. “I agree with Levi. You are strong.” She was quiet for a moment again, finally she continued in barely more than a whisper. “I think the balance needs you.” The words had barely left her mouth before she shook her head slightly and looked a bit confused—as if she wasn’t sure why she had said that and then continued on as if it hadn’t happened quickly recovering her half mad grin. “I think Levi was drawn to you. He watches the balance, and I think he senses the balance has set its sights on you as much as Levi himself did.”
Harley was dumbfounded and speechless. Before she had a chance to question Nya’s words the woman stood up, revealing just how tall she was. She was easily six foot even in her bare feet. “Let’s go,” she said motioning towards the door.
“Where are we going,” Harley asked, standing up from the couch.
“I’m sure you are hungry, right? I told Levi I would bring you to the kitchen when we were done.”
“Oh, OK.” Harley followed Nya from the room feeling dazed and trying to catch up to what had just happened. At only five-four Harley had to scramble to keep up with the long-legged Nya. She swiftly led her through the house back to the kitchen that they had entered through last night. Harley had time to consider Nya’s theory that Levi’s sense of the balance between light and dark compelled him to bring her into the Praesidio. She didn’t doubt that Nya was probably right. It would explain why Levi would get involved with a human in the first place. He had explained that it was frowned upon—to say the least—for Nocte to associate with humans. It didn’t change her feelings toward Levi. If the knowledge changed anything it only made her more confident that she was making the right choice in joining the Praesidio.
