Page 17 of Bent Out of Shade
Huh. I sidled closer to him, ready to call up Delilah. “Being given directions for the summons, are you?”
He grinned, and that cult-like zeal from one so young unnerved me. “It’s exciting, isn’t it?” he said.
For you, maybe.“Who should I address my greetings and salutations to?”
He laughed like I was a toddler who’d asked to drive a car. “You haven’t earned first-name privileges.”
I ruled out a demon because their minions didn’t come off as sugared-up toddlers hyped for playground time, plus, I’d totally have been given some evil moniker. “How about you let me hold the amulet, since I’m being summoned and all?”
He clapped his hands together, thrilled I was finally on board with the plan, and with great reverence, he deposited the amulet in my palm.
“So.” I tapped the three figures engraved on it. “Want to chat about these?”
“The less said the better.” He yanked the blades out from the floor to resume carving, but the pattern was too abstract to identify. Was he making a tiny landing pad? A Star Trek “beam me up” circle?
Before I could inquire further, Emmett grunted, using some crazy wrestling move to get the woman in a headlock. She was fighting back but only to escape, not to hurt the golem.
“I must light the candles!” she cried, stretching for the fallen lighter. “It is my sacred duty! And I get to use the scented ones.”
I sighed. Time to leave Planet Crazy. “Uh, Emmett?”
“Tap out, bitch,” he snarled, knuckling blondie’s head. “I dare you.”
“That’s enough, Hulk Hogan.” I pulled him off her.
Jesus-hair dude was oblivious to these antics. His intricate floor art was very pretty but sadly we wouldn’t be here to see it to completion.
I ran down the aisle, trusting Emmett to follow, but out of nowhere, the door to the foyer slammed shut and a lock was engaged.
The woman dropped her outstretched hands, nodding in satisfaction, while her partner glanced up, his brows drawn together, and pushed to his feet. “Wait! It’s almost time.” He waved at us with the blades.
Emmett took that as a threat, grabbed the man, and threw him to the ground.
Dude lost his hold on his weapons. Typical hippie. Then one whistled past me into the wall, and a sharp pain seared through my body.
Something had happened that was bad. I doubled over. I didn’t want to look, didn’t want to know the horrible specifics, but my vision was blurry. Colors blended into sweaty smudges, and I squeezed my eyes closed, my heart hammering in my ears. No. This couldn’t be the end.
“Emmett…” I gritted out through my teeth against the pain.
The golem caught me before I listed totally sideways and hit the ground. Scooping me up, he kicked down the foyer door and ran into a shadowy corner.
“Knives hurt,” I mumbled.
He slapped my cheek. “Come on, toots. You’re our only way home. Go into the Kefitzat Haderech.” He slapped me harder. “That’s an order.”
I reached for the shadows to part them, but they slid out of my hands like beaded curtains. My entire left side where the blade was embedded had gone numb, and when I tried to reach out for the KH again, I couldn’t move that arm.
“Taxi?” I slurred.
“Please come back! You don’t want to miss this.” The blonde ran toward us with a fat lit candle reeking of vanilla in her hand.
Emmett pinched me hard.
Delilah shot out of me and grabbed him by the throat.
“KH,” he croaked.
She tugged and the three of us fell through the shadows.
