Page 32 of Insidious Monsters
“I told you, you need a new battery,” Archie said.
“Or a new phone,” Uncle Fred suggested. “That one looks like it’s taken a few knocks.”
She turned it over, staring at the cracks in the screen protector. “I know. I need to get on that.”
The door opened and Quentin entered, dusted with snowflakes.
“No way!” Archie rushed to the window. “It’s bloody snowing!”
We joined him at the window, standing in a row, looking out at the swirling flakes.
“Now can we put up the decorations?” Archie whined.
* * *
We were climbinginto the car to leave for Bentley Station when my phone rang. Seeing Lothos’s name evoked nostalgia in my chest. I hadn’t been to visit him since our encounter in the satiation room. He couldn’t risk feeding me his life force because he was afraid of his own hunger and losing control.
I missed my friend.
I missed his calm dulcet tones and our deep conversations.
I climbed into the backseat and answered the call. “Lothos, what can I do for you?”
“August, I need you to come see me. Now. Tonight. It’s urgent.”
“What’s this about.”
“August, please, trust me. Come to me. Now.”
I’d never heard Lothos in a panic; heck, I’d never even heard him flustered. “I’m on my way.”
* * *
Nandi and Archiedropped me off by Moonset Walk Station. We agreed that we didn’t need three of us for a chat with Margie. Nandi would be safe with Archie. He had a killer right hook, and his spectral nature gave him an edge when it came to hand-to-hand combat.
Still, worry gnawed at me as I made my way toward Mystic Pleasures. The panic in Lothos’s voice needled at me.
The streets were quiet at this time of night as most patrons had found a home in a bar on a stool or in a booth. It would be midnight before the streets were filled with people headed home as most of the bars and eateries closed.
Mystic Pleasures glowed like a beacon of sinful deliciousness across the street. I was one boot off the pavement when a sleek black limo ground to a smooth halt in front of me, blocking my path.
My stunned reflection glared at me from the tinted passenger side window before it rolled down and a familiar midnight-blue face smirked up at me. It was the royal incubus who’d tried to seduce me a few weeks ago. If Lothos hadn’t shown up and claimed I was his nova prima and under contract to feed only him, then goodness knows what would have happened to me.
Why was he here now, and why the hell was he staring at me as if I were a tasty snack. Fuck, did his presence have something to do with Lothos’s call? What was this guy’s name again? Bartol, Bart something…
“Join me for a drive, August,” he said.
I stepped back, unease writhing in my belly. “Sorry, I have a prior engagement.”
“At Mystic Pleasures, with Lothos?”
The unease intensified. “Yes. I’m seeing Lothos.”
He flashed even white teeth. “You need to come see me right away, it’s urgent,” he said in Lothos’s voice.
What the fuck? “Youcalled me?”
“Guilty. We need to chat.”
