Authors Note: Okay sorry if this has kind of taken forever, but I've been kind of distracted. Things around the house have been crazy, then I got writers block. Not like I didn't have anything to have happen, more like I didn't know how to make it happen. And with Diriel and everything I wanted something good to happen in this chapter. Also, I was afraid if I tried to force it, it would sound forced and the chapter would suck. So hopefully it's worth the wait. Comment please and review, your reviews do not go unloved. I cherish them! Haha no really I just come on here and read them and smile like an idiot. I started Kelley Armstrong's other series and it's really good. Give it a read if you haven't already!
Suddenly the room got cold, and the lights flickered. I heard a musical lilting voice, "Child, you escaped, how wonderful. I was worried that you would be unable to get out of that place. I am pleased to find you unharmed, and with your lone wolf, how lovely. And his foster family too. And dear Auntie Lauren escaped unscathed as well. Good, good. But where is the young spellcaster?"
"She was kidnapped," I didn't know how to address her, should I call her Diriel, or was that a no-no? She greeted me like an old friend but come on, hello Chloe, she's a demon she wants you to lower your guard.
"Ah, so you expect me to uphold the contract that we made, considering I was unable to do so while we were still at the Edison Group's hideaway?"
"Yes. Please, I wouldn't have called you if there was another choice. Tori is my best friend, and I will not let them hurt her. We know who took her, but we don't know who's in on it. We assume she's been hired. You have to help me, your contract is incomplete."
"Oh I have to do I?" Wind whipped around me, causing my hair to fly into my eyes, I pushed it out anxiously looking around, realizing that it wasn't going to help. Diriel hadn't taken on a form so I only knew where she was when she was speaking.
"Chloe what's going on? What's she saying?" Derek rushed up to my side, looking around also. I guess that answered my question from before. No, anyone other than necromancers could not hear demons unless the demon happened to be in human form.
"I don't think she wants to fulfill her contract," I looked at him desperately. This was our only chance, we had no other way of knowing what had gone on at the Edison Group, or if they had hired Simon's mom." I began to think only of Tori and what she was going through. Where was she?
"Child, I never said that I would not help you," the demi-demon's words shocked me back to the conversation.
"What?" My head shot up to look straight into the space where I thought her face would be.
"I am indeed bound to help you, but more than that I would like to get back at those who imprisoned me for so long." A look of hope crossed my face and I continued to look at where the sound of her voice was coming from. "However," here it came: the condition, the one that made it impossible for me to accept her help. It would be something along the lines of, and we have to kill everyone from the group. Not that I would even be too upset about that but I knew it was wrong so I could never let anything like it happen. At least not until it was the only choice left. Or maybe something like: Give me your soul in exchange.
That's stupid Chloe, you know she doesn't want to be trapped in a human body, and she's as free as a bird right now.
"However," she repeated, "you are not in control of me. I am not a corpse to be commanded. I am a demi-demon, I am Diriel," and with that she materialized into human form.
I was shocked for a second, she was very beautiful. She had long black hair, down to her mid-back, she was very tall, probably about 5'10", her face looked just like a model, and her eyes were startling, at first they glowed orange like how Brady's and the dead guard's had, but after the first burst of color, they faded to a rich brown color with highlights of yellow in it, they were almost an amber color. Even though they looked common, I found myself just staring at them, my body automatically noticing something ethereal and focusing on it.
I forced my gaze away and glanced around at my companions to tell them that Diriel had promised to help us and I saw them gazing at her in much the same way I had. I cleared my throat and told them anyway.
Derek recovered first, a shocker I know. "Good," his resonate voice rang out against the silence, "Ask her to tell us what she knows about the Edison Group, does she think they were involved?"
"Ask her yourself," Diriel said and smirked at Derek and his taken aback look.
"Well uh, do you-" he began again, not used to her.
"No, I do not think they were behind this, but I do think they will be involved as soon as they are back on their feet. I would bet that they were aware the snatch was going to occur," she looked bored.
When she looked ready to speak again, Simon decided to join the conversation, "Hey, wait a second, when she said sister back at the Group's headquarters, she really meant sister. I could have found out then and you stopped it."
"Well, Simon I didn't think that was really the time what with us running for our lives and everything," I hadn't meant to sound so snappish but I wasn't in the mood. I was really trying to plan.
"I'm not angry Chloe, I just didn't think that was like you," he went over to the table we had been standing by and sat down.
Diriel looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself. So naturally being the non confrontational person that I am, I decided to change the subject. "How do you know it wasn't the Edison Group?"
"They lack the subtlety it would take to not have a werewolf notice that someone was being kidnapped on his territory." Derek's lip curled. Aunt Lauren looked like she might have thought it was his fault, but then another look crossed her face. She had a very deep rooted mistrust of werewolves and it was going to take some time to completely dissipate.
"Also," she continued, looking like nothing had happened, but I had seen her gaze flit to both Derek and Aunt Lauren. Great, dissention, that's exactly what we want the demon who might want to kill us to see. "They are not anywhere near recovered from my magic slipping away from there."
I thought about the time I had released her. Why hadn't any demonic spirits come with her? I repeated the question out loud.
"Well," she began in a voice like she was explaining something very simple to a little child, "I asked them not to come very nicely." She smiled angelically. "Also, I called in a favor and had someone much stronger keep them from slipping through. That is why it took me a little longer than it usually would to answer your summons; I am normally much more prompt."
Why would she care if I had to deal with a few pests? Whatever, it was unimportant.
"So what's the plan?" I asked her desperately hoping she was planning something.
"Well boss, I was just going to follow you, but if you wish I could come up with something I think. We need to-" she was cut off, as I saw Liz appear.
"Liz, where have you been? This is Diriel, she's a demon. She has been telling us about the Edison Group and what they were like and-" this time it was her words, rather than her appearance that cut someone off.
"The Edison Group? Chloe we already worked out that it was Simon's mom!" she looked outraged.
"Well we don't think they're working alo-" I started before being interrupted. Again.
"You're asleep all morning and then when you finally wake up you don't even try to find Tori!"
This was surprising me. I had always thought of Liz as calm person, slow to anger. Slow, yeah right more like never to anger.
"I guess she just doesn't take priority for you. She was never great friends with you anyway so what does it matter if they're torturing her! God only knows what's happening." She looked hysterical. I didn't know what to say to her.
Stop being crazy? Stop being stupid? Of course I care about Tori? How could you even say that I didn't?
I rebelled at the thought. Liz had been there for me when I'd most needed someone. I had to be there for her too, even if she thought I was the bad guy. "Liz, Diriel is trying to help us find out who is involved because it's smart to wait. We need to plan things out. She's not in danger yet. If they wanted her dead, she'd be dead, so we can assume they don't. They might plan to get information from her. We need to know who and what we're up against before we charge at them and get ourselves killed."
She looked a little calmer. I wished now more than ever that I could just hold her. She looked on the verge of tears.
"Okay." Her voice was weak. "Okay." She repeated firmer. "What's the plan so far?"
"We were just about to find out." I turned to Diriel.
"Well, when they took," a pause "Tori was it? They took off in a car so our werewolf," another pause, "Derek, cannot hunt them down by scent alone." I almost wanted to laugh when I saw her use their names. It looked like a new experience. Being on a first name basis with children? Bah!
"We have two choices, we can either wait for their call-" she stopped abruptly as both Liz and I jumped forward.
"Unacceptable." I said, while Liz said "No way."
"Or," she gave us a meaningful glance, daring us to interrupt again, "we could steal the security tapes from the back room downstairs in the 'security office.' Even this place has video cameras to watch the parking lot and road. One of the few blessings of living in a technological era."
"Better, but how are we going to get in there? There's bound to be someone there watching?" Yep, that's me, always worrying about the fat sleeping security guard who might possibly wake up just in time to see us leaving and get confused.
In response Diriel just raised her eyebrows at me.
"We'll do it, right Lauren?" Kit volunteered.
"Absolutely, Kit can talk us out of anything just in case there's a problem, which there probably won't be anyway, but we would both feel more comfortable just handling this ourselves."
"Okay, that sounds good. We'll wait for night and then can you two do it then?" I asked putting the question in just so I didn't sound too bossy.
"Sure sweetheart. Will you go to the boys' room while we're gone? I don't want you in here by yourself." That was Aunt Lauren. One demi-demon and one poltergeist were definitely not enough to protect me for a half an hour while they grabbed a video tape.
The rest of the afternoon passed painstakingly slowly. It made me anxious to do something, so when darkness finally came, I was relieved enough to bolt to the door and swing it open waiting just long enough for my aunt and Diriel to follow; Liz just walked through the door.
I went over to the guys' room and knocked. The door swung open while my hand was falling for the third rap. I smiled and laid my already moving hand on Derek's chest, looked up and then walked in.
The guys' room was basically a mirror of the one I shared with Aunt Lauren, with only a few differences. For example, they had a T.V. equipped with a DVD and VCR player which was good because otherwise there would be no way to watch the tape we were about to steal. Also, it was spotless. They hadn't left a single thing out of place. Kit had suitcases for all three of them that he had been keeping in his van, but they were all lined up against the wall, waiting to be grabbed in case a quick escape was necessary.
I figured that was just what they were used to. The whole "be prepared and don't leave a trace of yourself" idea had never applied to me before. But I knew that as soon as we got back I was definitely cleaning up our hotel room.
"Okay, we'll be right back," Kit said with a smile as he and Aunt Lauren left the room.
I settled into the small couch in front of the T.V. and Derek came over and sat next to me. We both got comfortable and prepared to bide our time. Simon sat in the armchair across from us as Diriel just sat on the table that was in the room. Liz began to pace and we all made light conversation as we waited for the adults to come back with the evidence that would help us hunt down the jerks that had taken Tori.