Demon Seer

Waiting for the elevator was almost as annoying as waiting on the barista at Ember Morgan’s favorite coffee shop to stop chatting up cute guys and actually take her order. She folded and refolded her arms, staring at the light atop the contraption, second guessing whether or not she should take the stairs.

“It’ll be here,” Carson reassured her over her left shoulder, and Ember had the distinct feeling of deja vu before she realized she’d likely had this exact conversation with him on more than one occasion as the elevator always took forever, and she was always impatient.

“I still don’t understand why we don’t just take the stairs,” Ryan said on her other side, shifting on his feet even more abruptly than Ember and her unruly arms.

“Because we want to blend in.”

Jake’s response would’ve made more sense if they weren’t currently dressed in black leather and obviously doing their best to obscure more weapons than would’ve been permissible even if they happened to live in Texas--which they didn’t. Before Ryan could say anything in response, the relieving ding of the elevator had Ember muttering, “Thank God,” and they all stepped forward.

A couple dressed to the nines occupied the space in front of them, and Ember screeched to a halt, the guys bumping into her from behind. She waited for the pair to unlock their faces from each other and make their way off of the elevator, the impatience building again, and then hurried in with a huff, her men doing the same, though Carson seemed amused at her frustration, and Jake was as mellow as he always was, which was starting to be more than a little irritating to Ember. Once the four of them were aboard, she pressed the button for the top floor and refolded her arms, ignoring Carson’s snickers.

The building was only fifty stories high, and most of the time, Ember didn’t seem to notice the floors shooting by when no one had called the elevator between the lobby and the penthouse, but she was in such a hurry at the moment, it seemed as if the lift was just that--and the person doing the lifting was an eighty-year-old man with twigs for arms. She checked her watch, not even sure why she cared what the time was--the elevator would get there when it got there. Still, it had been almost fifteen minutes since she had gotten the call from Ruby Rogers that she needed to come home, something that never happened, and she desperately wanted to know what was going on. The fact that the other Xana wouldn’t tell her more wasn’t too surprising to Ember. It wasn’t as if Ruby was known for being calm and collected under pressure. Ember wrapped one long strand of blonde hair around her finger over and over again, pulling a little harder than she should, and tried to breathe.

The forty-ninth floor crept by, and Ember darted forward before the ding had even finished reverberating through the elevator and the doors were fully open, all three of her men following her down the hall. There wasn’t far to go. Their apartment was the only one on the floor and thus the door was only a few steps away. Still, she was in a rush, and under the circumstances, she was using every bit of the Flyer power she had left on hand, which wasn’t much. She’d definitely need a recharge from Ryan later--assuming whatever Ruby wanted wasn’t going to occupy the rest of her night.

The apartment door was unlocked, which bothered her, even though she knew Ruby could handle any human that might try to invade her personal space, and it wasn’t likely any Scale would dare attempt to meet a team of Sorcha in their private quarters. Still, remembering Ruby’s trembling voice on the phone, it was unsettling to simply push the door open without having to use a key or any sort of superpower. “Rube?” Ember called, stepping into the foyer and rushing through the short hallway to the sitting area adjacent to the kitchen. “Rube?”

Ruby didn’t say anything only stood, one arm, folded across her slight frame, holding the other at her elbow. “Good. You’re back.” Her eyes flickered across the four of them. “All of you.”

“What’s going on?” Carson asked as Ember pondered why Ruby would be surprised she’d brought her team back with her. They almost always went everywhere together, particularly at night when the Scales were out and about. “Are you all right?”

The fact that Carson was inquiring about Ruby’s well-being was a pretty good indicator that she was shaken as it wasn’t exactly like him to notice when anyone was upset, except for possibly Ember, which would’ve also been about the only other being he would’ve cared about assisting in such a predicament.

“I’m okay,” Ruby nodded. “Just… confused. And… a little dumbfounded.” She ran a hand across her forehead and pushed her unnaturally bright red hair off of her forehead.

“What is it?” Ryan asked, crossing over to her and putting a comforting hand on the petite girl’s back. “You sounded really upset on the phone.”

“I am. Tonight, I saw something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before--in any of my lives.” She rested her hand on Ryan’s arm for a moment before she sank back to the couch.

Ember caught Ryan’s eyes before she looked at Carson and then Jake. Taking a few steps forward, she dropped onto the loveseat across from where Ruby was sitting. “What did you see, Rube?”

Before she could answer, Ember heard the faint rumble of the guest bathroom toilet flushing and the rush of water into the sink. Her eyebrows knit together, and she turned her head expecting to see someone from Ruby’s team emerge from the bathroom. Instead, a man she did not recognize stepped out, and while it was obvious he was doing his best to appear calm and collected, he looked even more shaken up than Ruby. “Who the hell are you?” Ember asked, standing. He paused in the hallway, his eyes glued on Ruby, as if he wasn’t sure whether he should try to run, or if she could save him.

“This is Zach,” Ruby said. “He’s the one I wanted to tell you about.”