Other than demons.
And Richters.
Especially Cade.
“If you’re interested in the snakes, you’ve come at an opportune time. I’m just about to feed one.” He dangles something before him—something that’s squealing and clambering like hell to get free. “Not everyday you get to see a sight like this. Perhaps you’d like to come inside and watch?” His voice is jovial enough, but the words themselves emit a deep greasy yellow that keeps me rooted firmly in place. This man is a dangerous combination of paranoia, lies, and delusions of grandeur. Coming here is probably the worst mistake I’ve ever made.
“That’s a rat!” Lita cries, taking a step back, and pulling me along with her.
“That’s what rattlers eat,” Suriel says. “You have nothing to fear. When you’re filled with divine light, no creature can harm you. But you wouldn’t know about that. Your soul is filled with darkness, which is why you’re steeped in dread.”
Says the man swirling in a cloud of dark, sludgy murk.
“Oh, um, maybe,” Lita says, doing her best to play along as she slowly backs away.
“And who’s your friend, Lita?”
“You know me?” She gasps, effectively nailing the high notes.
“’Course I do. You’re associated with that young Richter fellow. What’s his name, Cade?” He speaks the name as though he’s merely hazarding a guess, but the gr
easy, yellow sludge dripping off his tongue betrays his deception.
“No,” Lita says, eager to dismiss any perceived notion of her alliance with the Richters. “Not anymore. Not for a while now. I have nothing to do with him.”
“Still, you’ve been touched by his darkness. I can see it in you. I’m sure your little friend here sees it too.” He turns in a way that instantly blocks the morning sun at his back, casting me in his long and ominous shadow. “You’re not nearly as blind as you pretend, are you, little one?”
Inside I balk, but outwardly I keep cool. A paranoid, delusional, self-righteous freak with insight—he’s even more dangerous than I guessed.
The rat, still dangling from Suriel’s fingers, squeals in loud protest. Causing Suriel to laugh as he says, “Time to feed.” He tries to appear jaunty but doesn’t come close to succeeding. “If you girls aren’t interested in watching, then it’s best you move on. This is a house of salvation, not a tourist attraction. Though you might want to memorize the location. Won’t be long before you’ll be begging to seek sanctuary here. Never too late to repent.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lita calls after his retreating back.
“The Last Days are upon us. The Shining Days of Glory will follow. I will bring about the New World by ending this one, and neither of you are ready. Clock’s ticking!”
The door slams shut behind him, as Lita grips my sleeve and hauls me back to her car where she hits the accelerator so hard I lift off my seat and slam my head into the roof.
“Sorry about that,” she says about five minutes later, after she’s laid down some serious tracks. “So is he as creepy as I said, or what?”
“Creepier.” I hug myself tightly, wishing I could erase what just happened.
“Wonder if that rat was really for his snake. Seemed like he might be planning to eat it himself.”
We burst into fits of laughter, eager to relieve ourselves of the tension.
“Still, I’m glad we went,” I say, surprised by my words.
“Why? What did you get out of that other than he’s a delusional doomsday fanatic who believes this New Year’s Eve will be our last?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “It’s just good to gather as many pieces as possible. You never know where they’ll fit. Anyway, can you drop me at Auden’s? I sent him a text that I’m on my way.”
The rest of the ride is spent mostly in silence until Lita says, “Okay, so what’s the prize? I mean, now that I survived the creepy encounter with Suriel, it’s time to collect. So tell me, what did I win?”
It takes me a moment to make sense of it. I guess I’d been so focused on trying to find a connection between Suriel’s Apocalypse and the situation between Daire, Dace, and Cade, I’d almost forgotten the promise I made. “Well, you know how you’re always worried about being a third wheel? I think I’ve found a way to fix it.”
“You setting me up with Auden?” She laughs, which to me appears as a river of golden bubbles streaming from her lips.
“Never!” I grin. “But how about the next best thing?”