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THANE
They eventually returned to the apartment complex to find it almost eerily quiet. Parking in his usual space, Thane got out and headed to get his groceries. Nikki beat him, picking up half the bags without needing to be asked. So Thane took the rest and the case of beer. The only other sound he could hear were cars a few streets over.
"Dahlia said they were done," Nikki promised. "Maybe everyone's hiding inside because they got their ass chewed?"
"No idea," he admitted, thankful he wasn't the only one who felt like it was just a little too still.
But when they made it to the staircase that led up to Dahlia's apartment, he noticed something in the courtyard. It wasn't much, and the area was poorly lit, yet the smell of char proved his eyes weren't lying to him. That was a burn mark. A jerk of his head made Nikki look the same way, the oppressive silence encouraging him not to break it.
"What the fuck?" Nikki asked. "C'mon, let's get upstairs. This feels off."
So they jogged. Three flights wasn't that much, but by the time he reached the top, Thane was still breathing just a little harder. Nikki reached over to test the door, and finding it open, she pushed it wide enough for Thane to go in first. On the other side, voices immediately stopped.
"Oh, good," Dahlia said as he stepped inside, "it's you."
"Expecting someone else?" he tried to joke.
It was Roarke who answered. "Kinda, yeah." He was sitting on the futon, but bent over his knees like their conversation had been the tense kind.
Thane just kept going to the kitchen. "Everything ok?"
"Your girlfriend fried the phantom," Roarke said.
"Wife," Cain corrected, "and I think combusted is a better word."
"She used a fucking Word," Roarke said, not bothering to correct himself. "Two, actually."
"Not bad," Thane said. "So what's the problem?"
"And did it burn vitality?" Nikki asked as she set her bags down on the counter. "Although, speaking of vitality, in full disclosure, I kissed your husband."
"Was it good?" Dahlia asked.
"Yes," Nikki, Thane, and Roarke all answered at the same time.
Cain just laughed, and it wasn't the subtle kind. "Ok, Dahlia. You remember how I said I'd make my own decision? It's been made. He stays."
"He would've anyway," Dahlia said. "I'm still glad you agree."
"He works. The Words are also useful," Cain admitted. "I think the rest will think twice before going against our rules again."
"Well," Thane said, "it's not all good news."
"Go," Nikki told him. "I think I can put this away."
So Thane stepped around the end of the kitchen in order to see the rest with nothing between them. "While we were shopping, I spotted a hunter. He made it to the cashier with a priest. That means there are at least two inquisitors here. Now, I don't know if there are more, or if they're just here to check on the anomaly of murders. The problem, though, is that theyarehere."
"Fuck," Roarke groaned, flopping back on the couch. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess those aren't the friends you've been talking about, right?"
"They are not," Thane agreed. "Now, I could ask Brice to figure out who they are, but if he gets caught, that could make things worse. It also might not help us figure out when they're going to leave. So, this means everyone in the community needs to be even more careful."
"And I really don't want to tell the others tonight," Cain admitted. "I should, but after you used those Words, Dahlia? They'll blame Thane for bringing them. We should've told the rest you'd been learning them because now this looks like a conspiracy."
"Don't care," Dahlia decided. "If they don't like it, they don't have to stay."
"Which is great and all," Thane said, "but if you really want to take down the Church, it's going to take more than just a handful of us. I hate to say it, but a few more immortal demons would really be a help."
"Only if they can make it through the door," Nikki pointed out. "I mean, Roarke can't even handle the cross yet."
