Page 19 of Dark Stars
"Alejo, huh?" Jones asked with a smirk.
"Don't start with me, or I'll talk about howmuch you and Harold flirt."
The smirk vanished. "Not if my life dependedon it."
"Keep telling yourself that."
Jones narrowed his eyes, but before he couldrespond, Harold returned and tossed the phone on the bed. "Hisparents were about two seconds from coming themselves when I toldthem what was happening. Managed to talk them off that ledge."
"Did they give you the full story?"
"Yeah, and it's not a pretty one," Haroldsaid with a sigh. "Alejandro here has—had—a friend, Wiccan, whosummoned a demon and made a horrible fucking deal with it. Exceptwhen he went to Alejandro, he said he just needed help banishing itand to not tell anyone because it was all a mistake and he didn'twant to get in trouble. Same shit, different day."
Jones and Bobby sighed in unison.
"Basically, except the friend was abackstabbing cretin and instead of banishing the demon, hetransferred the bargain, left Alejandro promised to it, and ranoff."
Rage trembled through Bobby, making the roomshake again, pictures and dishes rattling. "Where is this so-calledfriend?"
"Two of his siblings are hunting the bastarddown. Focus on Alejandro, Bobby. The only ways to fix this are:transfer the bargain, make a new bargain, or kill the demon. Evenyou ain't gonna have an easy time of it killing a demon as powerfulas Leviathan, and it's likely to bring down even more trouble."
"I'm not transferring the bargain, so thatleaves making a new bargain. So be it. Where should we summonit?"
Harold sighed. "Somewhere far away frompeople would be best, but somewhere other people aren't likely togo around here will suffice."
"The roof," Jones said. "I'll attend it." Heslipped out of the room, and Bobby went to scoop Alejo upagain.
"Poor kid," Harold said with a sigh. "Beenbackstabbed like that myself a time or six. The hurt never reallygoes away; you just get used to it being there."
Bobby gave a small laugh. "Honestly, it'sthe way my family works. If not for my human father and my motheracting so out of character for him…" He shrugged one shoulder. "I'dbe the monster everyone assumes I am."
"Nurture goes a long way toward how peopleturn out, but some things come down to nature."
The door swung open, and Jones gesturedsharply for them to follow him. Up the elevator as high as it wouldgo, then up a couple flights of stairs and through doors thatshould have been locked, and they were on the roof. "Whatnext?"
"Now I summon a damn demon," Harold said."Keep out of my way."
Bobby obeyed, wrinkling his nose as hewatched Harold work. If he were able to access his full power, hecould essentially snap his fingers and make the demon show up. Evendemons had nothing on the primordial, though it was true killingone of the most powerful demons would bring down more trouble thanany of them needed. Especially as he had a family cult to dealwith.
Sitting down on the cold roof, he settledAlejo in his lap as comfortably as possible, holding him close andstroking his hair in an attempt to soothe that seemed to work.
"He trusts you," Jones said quietly,crouching down next to him, eyes on Harold. "You ain't even knowneach other two whole days, but it's clear he trusts you likefamily. What gives?"
"He was born on a night of dark stars andhas an affinity for insects, especially fireflies." They called toeach other, him and Alejo. Bobby just wasn't sure what the hell todo about it.
Jones's brows vanished into his hair."That's…interesting. Chance of one in several million.Acolyte?"
"No, I don't want acolytes, that's how youget cults," Bobby replied. "I'm not my relatives, I have no desireto be worshipped, to tie my existence to how many people worship meand are willing to spill blood to prove it." His lips curled at theidea. He loved violence and blood and chaos as much as the nextprimordial, but there were more efficient ways to enjoy thosethings.
He rested fingers gently against Alejo'scheek, chest twisting at the way Alejo immediately turned into thetouch, eyes opening ever so briefly, flashing with light, before hefaded back into unconsciousness.
"He's a child."
"Everyone is a child compared to me," Bobbysaid. "You'rea child comparatively, and you're older thanmost countries."
Jones rolled his eyes. "I just meant, becareful with him."
Bobby didn't reply, just kept soothingAlejo, mind warring between what he wanted and what was right, whathe preferred to do and what heshoulddo.
