There was a pause and faint growling on the other end of the call. Catherine smiled as she imagined Martina’s face twisting into an ugly scowl. She was too easy.
“Can the elves help him?”
“I think that they think that they probably can.”
Another growl. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means exactly what I meant. I’m no elf. Why would I know what they’re capable of?”
“Is Wayne still with you?”
“I left him with the elves. He looks like bacon but he doesn’t smell very fragrant. Being in his presence was making me nauseous. Lucky for him, the hospital’s natural stench of sterility overpowers everything.”
“Fine. We need to find a temporary alchemist and theorist as well as prepare some sort of statement. Get back here immediately.”
The connection terminated with a faint click.
“Gladly,” Catherine honestly said, though she had lied about one thing. She could stand Wayne. It was the milky-eyed elves making her nauseous.
Just looking at them turned something in the pit of her stomach.
— — —
“They’re glowing,” Jordan said.
“Not that much. Hardly more than normal.”
Irene disagreed. Eyes weren’t supposed to glow. Any amount of glow was automatically more than normal. In Eva’s case, it was looking like a lot more than normal.
Jordan sported a wide grin as he pressed his face right up against Eva’s. The intensity with which he stared at her eyes was almost as frightening as Eva herself. Even Eva took a step away from him with a worried look on her face.
His antics weren’t winning him any favors with Shelby. Irene’s twin took on a cross look when he moved back up next to Eva. It wasn’t until she linked her arm with his and pulled Jordan away that he finally gave some space to the glowing-eyed girl.
Part of her wondered if they were dating yet. Shelby hadn’t said anything, but that didn’t mean anything; unlike most popular depictions of twins, Shelby and Irene did not share absolutely everything with one another.
They certainly lacked the stereotypical means of telepathic communication. If they had a telepathic connection, Irene would be asking her sister what exactly the girl was thinking when she smiled and put her hand on Eva’s claw thing.
Irene sighed as she glanced at the only other participant in their little meeting. At least I’m not the only one keeping my distance.
Max was hanging back at her side. His kind smile had turned into a frown the moment Eva took her gloves off. Irene thought he was going to make a run for it when Eva pulled the leather band off of her eyes.
Irene had the decency to keep her expression neutral. She knew something was wrong with the girl and had always maintained a polite atmosphere around her. At the very least, Irene possessed the mental acuity not to offend the girl who now walked around with what amounted to knives on her fingers.
And eyes she had stolen from a demon.
They probably had all kinds of inhuman abilities.
Irene had a sinking feeling in her stomach as Eva glanced up. Their eyes met for an instant before Eva gave her a small smile.
Oh no. She can read minds.
Every nasty thought she’d ever had for Eva surfaced. She tried to blank her mind and return Eva’s smile at the same time.
It didn’t help.
The smile on Eva’s face slipped.
She knew.
Irene froze. Her eyes flicked down to Eva’s claws and then to her legs. Even if she wanted to run, she wouldn’t be able to get away.
And then what. She still lived next door. Shelby lived there too. She couldn’t–wouldn’t leave behind her sister.
“I’m sorry,” Irene blurted out. “I just need time. To process.”
“You could say that again,” mumbled Max.
“Irene,” Shelby said softly. “She’s the same Eva we’ve know–”
“I know. I know. It’s just, well, creepy. It’s how she’s seen all this time with her eyes shut. She doesn’t even need to open her eyes to know what’s going on around.” Irene glanced at the wall. “She can probably see through walls. That’s how she knew about the bull even when we couldn’t see it.”
Eva raised one shiny black finger into the air, pointing at her eyes. “Actually,” she said, “I only got these eyes last night.”
“I just, I don’t know.” Irene could feel her panic settling in. The situation was just too out there. She missed Shelby moving to her side until her twin pulled her into a hug. “I-I need a book. I need to know–to explain everything to myself.
“You just pull a demon’s eyes out and pop them into your sockets and it just works?” A small whisper of horror snapped in the back of her mind as she realized something. “And your hands are the same, aren’t they? Your pet spider is a demon too.”
Eva’s wince told Irene that her guess was correct. Magical creature from Africa my ass. “We’ve been living next to a demon.” Irene couldn’t keep the tremor out of her voice.
“Is that true?” Shelby asked.
“I didn’t want to mention. My hands and eyes are pushing the limits. I could potentially get demon hunters after me with them. Widespread knowledge of Arachne would definitely give hunters cause to turn their gaze in my direction.”
“Well, I don’t know about hunters, but that seems pretty cool. Is she like a–”
“Cool? Cool? You don’t get to dismiss a demon living next to us as cool. It is a demon. They’re–”
“They’re what?” Eva interrupted. “Evil? Going to kill us all? Please. I’m perfectly willing to loan you a book to educate yourself with, but use your head a little.
“She is a demon and I apparently cannot keep a secret if my life depended on it. Which it might,” Eva added with a sigh.
“Arachne has lived next door to you since I got here. She was on the airplane. How many times has she gone on a murderous rampage?” Eva paused and tilted her head as if thinking to herself, making sure her count was correct. “None. If anything, she’s saved people. We were the ones who drove the necromancers out of town. Not the Elysium Order.
“I’m well aware that I’m creepy. Especially now with,” she raised and clacked her fingers together.
“I quickly alienated everyone at my old school. I was the creepy one who sat in the back and drew strange symbols all over her papers. By the time I realized the niceties of social interaction, it was too late. I’d already alienated myself from everyone. Only two of my fellow students ever spoke to me and that was borderline bullying.”
Eva took a deep breath as she glanced around the group. “Arachne was my friend. My first and only friend for the longest time. She wasn’t around as often–she wasn’t contracted to me then like she is now–but we always managed to be together on Halloween. Sometimes we’d have a party or even an occasional trick-or-treat.
“I’m rambling, but what I’m trying to say is this: she isn’t a murderous monster who is going to go around killing everyone.”
Eva let out a long sigh.
“Probably.”
Irene had almost been feeling bad. That feeling vanished in one word. “Probably?”
“A joke. Nothing more,” Eva said with her creepy hands raised. It was supposed to look placating, but it ended up more threatening. “If you really want a book, I do have one. It has no directions for summoning or anything, merely a neutral look at demons. Though you should keep it hidden anyway.”
“I don’t know. I just…” Irene shot her sister a glare as Shelby mouthed something to Eva. She’d probably be getting another lecture later.
A brief moment of silence reigned over the group until Jordan cleared his throat.
“If you don’t mind my asking,” he said, “how did you see?”
“That’s a secret.”
Jordan’s face fell. The look of absolute dejection on his face immediately turned Eva’s features softer.