Chapter 11 - Owen - Purge With My Demons

Luci was staring at me with curious eyes, without a doubt contemplating if I posed a threat to her owner. A low clicking sound came from me, and Luci perked up, flashing the red in her eyes.

I remained on the fence, observing. I watched as Eleanor got the hound’s attention, and they began playing again rather than going back inside. Eleanor tossed the large rubber ball, and Luci returned it with nothing but joy on her face. It was so strange to see this type of behavior from a Hellhound. So rarely do we see them on the Earthly side of the Gates. And in Hell, they’re fierce protectors—never leaving the side of their owner. Which, in a sense, it seems that's the role she's playing here for Eleanor.

Eleanor tossed the ball again, and it landed near where I’m perched. Luci ran over but was distracted by my presence. She sat and began staring at me, cocking her head side to side.

“Luci! Bring it back, girl!” Eleanor began walking over a few moments later. “What are you looking at, baby girl?” Eleanor followed Luci’s line of sight and made eye contact with me.

Those fucking eyes. God damn. I wanted to drown in them.

“Did you make a new friend?” She was looking directly at me. “Wow, you are a gorgeous crow. Are you the sweetie who has been leaving me presents?”

Eleanor’s steps brought her closer to me. I knew that to maintain my facade, I should fly away, that’s what a normal crow would do. But I couldn’t, I needed her near me.

“How strange.” She was still walking toward me. “Are you not afraid of me?” Her hand reached toward me. As her fingertips got closer, that was my queue. I launched into the sky.

I flew, and once I found an alley in a secluded area, I shifted, adjusting my clothes back to normal.

I began my walk home. Still trying to understand why Eleanor had a Hellhound, I decided that I would ask Giordana next time I saw her. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

There was a lot I was having trouble wrapping my head around. Giordana already knew Eleanor had my soul. Very few know about my deal with Lilith. If Giordana knows, who was she really?

My phone went off with an incoming text message.

Tristan:

Hey man, you almost home?

Dammit. I looked at the time, realizing it’s going to be dark out soon, and I needed to get home and get ready. I was so sick of all of us needing to be at Amon’s beck and call. Living with this burden for hundreds of years was taking its toll. Plus, knowing I put my best friends in this situation as well, tethering them to me and this bargain, was adding to the stress. My madness was already beginning to boil. We had to get the demons for Amon tonight, and I could let the madness out on them soon enough. I needed it all to come to an end. I did my best to clear my thoughts of Eleanor and be there with my best friends tonight.

Me:

Yeah, on my way now.

As soon as I was home, I headed up to my room to change. I didn’t see anyone as I made my way upstairs, so they all must be getting ready or hanging out somewhere in the house. I was dreading having to deal with this shit tonight. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the information on the demons we are going after tonight. Looks like a trio of lesser demons masquerading as a blue-collar worker, a finance bro, and a college student. Shouldn’t be too much of a headache tonight.

I buttoned up my black denim jeans and pulled on a black shirt. I was pulling my hoodie down when I ran into Ashton on the stairs. One thing I will say about when we go out to do these jobs was we all did look hot as fuck.

“Goddamn Ash.” They twirled in their skin-tight black leather pants, long-sleeve black shirt, and knee-high boots.

“You like?” They continued to pose and accentuate just how great they looked.

“You look gorgeous. But that’s not fair because you always look amazing.” I scooped them up into a bear hug and kissed their cheek.

“Awww, Daddy Owen passing out compliments. You know the deal when we are home, though.” They winked.

“Oh, I know. I’m not getting in the way of that.” Ashton and Tristan had this thing after we went on these runs for Amon. They both came back, horny as hell, and there was no telling what all they got into. Knowing Tristan, though, it was kinky as fuck.

“If you wanna join in though, big boy, all you have to do is ask,” they said, patting my chest.

“No, I’m okay. Thanks though. You two do your thing.” I smacked their ass as they turned to walk away.

“Suit yourself. I’m sure you’ll have a nice little date with your right hand later, anyway.”

“Hey, wait just a minute.” I ran to catch up as they continued toward the living room. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

They laugh as I catch up. “That brown eyed cutie has you by the balls, so I heard.”

“Fucking Finn.” I rolled my eyes, grabbing my boots from by the couch, and began putting them on. Finn can read me like a book. It’s both frustrating and satisfying to have a best friend who knows you better than you know yourself. His reading of people’s emotions doesn’t help either.

“Oh no, don’t go blaming Finn. You know I can feel emotions just like he can. We can both tell something is up. You like this girl more than you’re letting on, and that’s totally fine.” They place their hands on my shoulders. “She has your soul, it’s warranted.”

“She’s fucking beautiful, Ash.” I pulled my phone out and showed them the photos I saved from her social media profile.

“Holy shit. She’s perfect. You may have to share, big guy.” They nudged me with their shoulder, then ripped my phone from my hand and zoomed in on her eyes. “Her eyes are fucking nuts, look at that!”

I snatched my phone back from them. “Yes. I know,” I said sternly.

They chuckled. “You know I’m here to support you one hundred percent. But if you get her, which I know you will, and she’s into it and you’re down…I’m in.” A sly smile made its way onto their face.

“Ash, you already know the only people I would ever consider sharing with are the four of you. And if I get her and she’s down, she really will be fucking perfect. Beyond fucking perfect, actually.”

I started heading down to the basement where the rest of our gear was, Ashton right behind me. We found Finn, Cora, and Tristan getting their weapons together and strapped on. We traveled light but armed. That’s the thing about demons that live on this side of the Gates, they get comfortable with the human weapons, they won’t kill us, but they still hurt like hell.

We finished suiting up in silence. I grabbed my favorite knife and sheathed it into my thigh holster. “Everyone ready?”

There were collective nods in the room. I hate that I’m the reason we have to do this. “Let’s get this shit over with.”

We all began to file out of the basement when Finn stopped me. “You know, none of us blame you for this, right?”

I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and squeezed him tightly. “I know, man, but that doesn’t mean I don’t blame myself.”

We decided to split up to track down the demons Amon has sent us after. I didn’t always go on these runs with them, but tracking down three in one night would be a bear, so I thought I should tag along. Tristan and Aston put together as much information as they could find on the demons we were looking for, and based on what we had, it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.

Finn and Cora checked their phones to make sure they had the information they needed and left to go to Manhattan. They are searching for a demon named Todd Williams who lives on the Upper East Side in some swanky high rise. They’re perfect for the job. Tristan was able to find that Todd had a reservation at some new fancy restaurant. He hacked their reservation system and got Finn a reservation as well. He and Cora were dressed to the nines with their weapons strategically hidden.

“My lady,” Finn said with a mock posh accent, extending his hand to Cora.

She rolls her eyes in response. “Oh, fuck off.” She took his hand, and they were out the door.

“Oh, to be a fly on the wall while the two of them pretend to be on a date.” Ashton chuckled.

“It will be interesting for sure. Where are we starting?” I directed my question to Ashton as they more than likely put our plans for the evening together in the most efficient way for us to get this done and get to the Gates quickly.

“Both of the demons we are looking for should be here in Brooklyn. The first, Kyle Frewn, works at the docks, and we should be able to catch him when he’s getting off of his shift. The other, Mackenzie Lowe, frequents bars and clubs in the area. She is going to be the tougher one to find. The plan will be to find Kyle first. Owen, you’ll take him to the dungeon, then fly back to meet us wherever we are and help us with Mackenzie if we need it.”

“That sounds good to me.”

Tristan, occupied by his phone and whatever he was typing, chimed in. “By then, Finn and Cora should have Todd, and they will wait for us at the gates.”

“Alright, let's go.” Sliding my phone into my pocket, we left through the front door.

* * *

We arrived at the docks, and it’s clear a shift was coming to an end. Workers were saying their goodbyes and getting into their vehicles. We maneuvered around crates and boxes, staying out of anyone’s line of sight.

“His truck is right there.” Tristan pointed to a simple, silver pickup truck. It was inconspicuous; this was good. We wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb when we drove away.

While we waited for Kyle to make his appearance, Ashton jumped on top of a crate to listen in on what was being said as the workers were leaving. We decided that it’s safe to assume that if there was one demon working here, there were likely more than that. If we can glean any more information from Kyle’s colleagues, why not? Ashton lay flat on the crate so as not to be seen by the people approaching.

The sounds of the water in the bay lapping against the dock, mixed with the distant chatter of people saying their goodbyes at the end of a long shift, were all I heard until two knocks on metal came from above.

“Time to go,” Tristan announced in excited, hushed tones. He was so amped for this, it’s almost concerning.

“Ready, big boy?” Ashton jumped on my back, scaring the shit out of me. I didn’t even hear them jump down.

“I swear, Ash, you’re like a terrifying mouse. You make no sound.”

“Fucking sexy, right?” Tristan asked quietly. They kissed each other over my shoulder, Ashton still on my back. He backed away, winking at me.

“You told him about earlier, didn't you?” I tossed Ashton an annoyed expression.

“Mmm, maybe.” They licked my neck and then jumped off my back. “You need to go get that beautiful girl of yours, Owen. You need to get laid.” Then, like nothing happened, they skipped away from me, right behind Tristan.

We assumed our pre-planned positions around Kyle’s truck. Ashton at the driver’s door, me at the hood, and Tristan was at the passenger’s door. I didn’t know what Ashton had planned, but I was told several times to “relax”, that it was “under control.” Normally, this would have eased my anxiety, but for some reason, I was exceptionally nervous. Something in my gut didn’t feel right.

“Stay down low,” Ashton whisper-yelled to us as Kyle approached.

I could see Ashton leaning against the mirror of the truck, twirling their hair as Kyle got closer. We all put contacts in before we left to mask the red aura around the iris of our eyes. If you looked close enough, it was still slightly visible, but we had used this tactic several times, and it never failed us.

“Oh, hi there, you must be Vince. I’m Holly,” Ashton said this with such ease, it just rolled off their tongue.

“You got the wrong guy. Now, want to tell me why you’re leaning on my truck?” I couldn’t see what was going on, but I didn't hear Kyle telling Ashton to leave, so that’s a good sign.

Ashton began speaking again. “Well, I was sent here for Vince. I was told he had a truck just like this. But apparently, this isn’t his truck.” Their voice deepened, growing more sultry. “I’m paid for through the night though, if you’re interested.” Now I’m remembering reading in the file Tristan had that Kyle was notorious for finding sex workers on the weekends, despite having a girlfriend at home.

“Is that so, Holly?” I heard the truck doors unlock.

“We can see what kind of trouble we can get into.” Ashton’s voice was full of innuendo.

That line was our cue. Kyle sent Ashton around to the passenger side of the truck while he got in the driver's seat. He turned the truck on while Ashton climbed into the passenger’s seat. Tristan and I simultaneously made our presence known.

Tristan yanked Ashton out of the truck, still continuing with the ploy that they weren’t involved in what we are doing. Their scream was muffled by Tristan’s hand while he took their place in the truck. Tristan sat Ashton on his lap with a snatch, still covering their mouth. While this was happening and Kyle was distracted, I opened the rear driver’s door and situated myself in the backseat. I had one of my favorite knives ready to intimidate the bastard as soon as he settled back into his seat.

“Fucking let the chick go, man! What do you want? We haven’t done anything!” Kyle was yelling at Tristan. Tristan’s crazy ass was sitting there smiling at Kyle, not answering him at all.

Finally, Tristan let his smile fall into an eerily serious expression. “Kyle,” he hissed his name, and immediately the demon sat up straighter. “I suggest you calm down and drive this truck to Bushwick. Is it safe to assume you know where that is?”

Kyle just nodded.

“Good.” Tristan removed his hand from Ashton’s mouth and leaned into their ear closest to Kyle, just to make sure he didn’t miss anything. “How was I, baby?”

“Fucking perfect.” They kiss Tristan aggressively, I couldn't help but groan and roll my eyes, my groan getting Kyle’s attention.

“What the fuck?! Who the fuck are you?”

“Your worst nightmare. Now drive.” I took my knife and held it against his side so that he knew I wasn’t messing around. “Can you two fucking quit it?”

“Owen, do you feel left out?” Ashton reached over and cups my face. I closed my eyes and leaned into their touch because truthfully, I was aching for intimacy, for that familiar contact. And I was horny as fuck. Being so close to Eleanor has had every nerve ending in my body aching for her. But now is not the time to think about that, so I pulled away and snapped out of it quickly.

Kyle put the truck in reverse and began to back out of the space. He turned around and as soon as he got a better look at me, the color drained from his face. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I haven’t done anything, I swear! What does he want from me?”

“Drive the truck, Kyle. We are dropping them off, then you and I are going for a ride,” I snapped.

As Kyle began to drive away from the docks toward Bushwick, I kept the knife trained at his side. Every now and then, I would subtly nudge the tip into his ribs to remind him that it’s still there.

After a short drive, Kyle pulled into a small lot outside of a busy bar. “Is this okay?”

“It’s fine.” Tristan opened the door, and as he and Ashton got out of the truck, I moved up to the passenger’s seat.

Before they walked away, Ashton’s phone began to ring. “Finn?” They sound concerned, and I knew it was because calling is not part of the plan; something must be wrong. “Whoa, whoa. Slow down. What's going on?” They’re squinting their eyes in concentration, clearly trying to understand what Finn is saying.

While Ashton and Tristan figured that out, I moved my attention back to Kyle, who was frantically looking around outside the truck. “Hey,” I shout at him to get his attention. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing. Nothing, I swear.”

“Keep acting squirrelly, and I’ll knock you out before we get to where we are going, which I don’t want to have to do, got it?” I didn’t want to do that. It always fucked with their heads and took them too long to recall when I asked a question.

Kyle nodded in understanding, and I turned my attention back to Ashton, who was no longer on the phone. “What did he have to say?”

They looked at me with a concerned expression. “They got Todd, and they’re at the Gates. Cora had another premonition. You need to talk to her, Owen.”

Immediately, alarms in my head were going off. I knew something didn’t feel right about tonight.

“Don’t freak out,” Ashton added quickly. “They’re both okay, and everything is fine. You just need to talk to her.”

“Okay. You guys do what you need to here, call if you need help, I can send Finn.”

Tristan stepped up to me and gripped my shoulder. “Don’t worry about us, just take care of this idiot” —he gestured to Kyle, who glared in response— “and talk to her. We will handle the rest.”

Tristan and Ashton walked away, and I slammed the truck door shut. I took my knife and shoved it into Kyle’s side a little harder than I had before. “Drive us to the Gates, in Hell's Kitchen. Now.”