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The jade cat was sitting on her bedside table, in front of the clock. It had not been there two minutes ago, she was certain of it.
Chapter 4
Zane hadn't been able to sleep, but had hours ago settled in front of his computer to study a file of Brotherhood documents. Over the past several years he had read it all, and now he was looking again to see if he might've missed something. There had to be a way to stop II Colletore without sacrificing Ruby.
According to their carefully kept records, the victims were always female and young. Those who had been properly identified had been between the ages of fifteen and thirty-two. There had been no male sacrifices, but that didn't mean a male sacrifice would not be accepted. If he had to get Ruby to a safe place and take on the demon himself, he would. Was there a safe place? Was there anywhere in the world those who served the demon would not find her?
He wasn't surprised when the phone rang. After hearing about Ruby's dream, he'd suspected there would be more. Somehow, the demon had already begun tormenting her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, not bothering with a greeting.
For a moment, she didn't answer, then she breathed a "No," that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He ran.
Again, all the lights in Ruby's house were on. She lit up the dark street when she opened the front door long before Zane leapt onto her front porch. She was pale, and even from a distance he could see that she shook. Her hair was mussed, and it was so short that meant it stood on end. That style should've been amusing, but was not. She was terrified.
"Tell me you hear it," she said in a hoarse, sleep-roughened voice.
Zane listened carefully. "I don't hear anything."
Ruby laughed sharply, then clapped a hand over her mouth.
Zane closed the door behind him and instinctively gathered her into his arms. She fell there easily, accepting of his comfort. She continued to shake, but the trembling soon eased.
"Better?" he asked softly.
She shook her head. "It's stopped," she said, relief evident in her voice.
"What's stopped, Ruby?" he asked. "Tell me."
"Sounds from the walls and the floor. Cat sounds. Purring, with the occasional mewing." She pulled her head away from his chest and looked him in the eye. "Tell me the truth," she said.
"If I can."
"I didn't change my mind and bring that damned jade cat home with me Sunday night, did I?"
"No, you didn't." He could at least be a little bit honest with her. "It came here on its own," she whispered.
"I believe so."
"It moved again, from the living room to my bedside table, then from the garbage can to the coffee table. Explain that!"
"I can't," he said, running his hands through her hair to smooth a particularly wayward strand. And to comfort her, too, he supposed.
"I think I'm losing my mind," she said. Though she no longer clung tightly to him, she did not let go.
"I doubt that. Did you have another dream?" She nodded.
"Want to tell me about it?"
The shake of her head that followed that question was fierce. "Not yet. Aren't you cold?" she asked, wrinkling her brow slightly.
"No." Zane glanced down, just now remembering that all he wore were faded flannel sleep pants. No shirt. No shoes.
"I woke you up again," she said, then she offered him a poor attempt at a smile. It didn't last.
"I wasn't asleep," he said. "I was working on my computer."
"Woowoo stuff?" she asked.
