Lost in Darkness

Chapter 5-Playing Bait

Chapter 5
 

"Raven!" Cole yelled right next to my ear, making my heart pound in my chest. I had been lying in bed, in that blissful state between reality and dream land. And then, out of nowhere....BOOM! I mean, seriously. Can a girl get no peace?

 After the rude awakening, I was backed up against the headboard, where I had automatically moved when I had been so rudely startled. I glared at Cole. He grinned, unrepentant. 
"Good, you're up," he said cheerfully.

 I saw his eyes flit to my chest in the skimpy black tank top I wore, and all of a sudden, I felt self conscious and a little awkward. I saw his eyes darken for a moment, with what exactly, I didn't know, nor did I want to find out. I refused to admit that something deep inside me stirred at the attention.
'No Raven, don't go there,' I thought. Then his eyes flitted back up to my face, completely normal, and it made me wonder if I'd imagined the whole thing. I shook my head. Hard.  

 "What do you want?" I muttered, my voice scratchy and unused after the day of sleep I had most definitely earned. The day before had been rough. I don't know how Cole did it. No matter how many hits he had taken the night before, he always seemed to bounce back. 
"You, silly," he told me, and my suddenly wide eyes flashed to his face, alarmed. He chuckled at my expression, moving off of the bed and towards the door. "We have a job tonight," he reminded me. 
"Oh, right, of course. What time is it?" I murmured, scolding myself for even thinking that he'd meant it in a sexual way, and trying my hardest not to blush. Of course Cole didn't like me like that! 
"Almost 6," he replied, hovering in the doorway. I sighed.

 The demon we were going after was just a Demitto, one of the lower things on the menu. I was glad too. Last night, Cole and I had tackled an Infestus (your averagely powerful demons) before I had ended up at the beach. This one had been particularly strong, and we had been lucky to make it out with just bruises, rather than broken bones. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for my 'gift', we wouldn't have made it out. While Cole's 'gift' was useful, it wouldn't have been able to save us.  
'Stop thinking about that stupid gift, Raven,' I scolded myself. 

 "I've studied it's routine," Cole continued, oblivious to my wandering mind. "It comes out of the office at 7:30pm every working day. So you go play bait outside the main doors. Then, lure it into the nearby alley. There's only one alley, so it shouldn't be hard to find, but we'll go a bit earlier to make sure you know where. I'll wait in the alley, and then we can take it down. Got it? " I nodded. 

 That was always the part of the plan I hated. Me going as bait. Because no demon could resist eye candy. I was small and petite, despite the fact that I was 20; I took after my mother in that sense. I had my father's ice blue eyes, and my mother's brown hair, a strange combination, one Grace and I had shared. My face was heart-shaped, and innocent looking, the perfect bait for a filthy demon. 

 "I still don't see why you can't go as bait," I muttered, hiding my face in my pillow. It smelt faintly of the lavender washing powder we used. Cole chuckled.
"Somehow, I don't think the demon is that way inclined. And anyway, a small, delicious looking female like yourself is bound to get its blood racing. They can't resist corrupting an innocent." Cole winked at me, something I only saw through cracked eyelids as I sneaked a peak at him. I tried to ignore that fact that he had just called me delicious looking, but it was proving difficult. I could feel the blush stinging my cheeks, so I hid my face again, not wanting him to see. 

 "Now, get your lazy butt out of bed missy, or I'll come in here and dress you myself," he threatened. I had been doing so well in the not blushing department, but that little comment had brought it back in full swing. I threw a few choice words at him, making him chuckle. He easily dodged the pillow I threw his way. 

 After quickly making his escape, I slowly found the will power to get out of bed. As I began the chore of dressing and showering, I thought about that last line Cole had thrown out there. When he'd said that he'd come and dress me himself, had there been a glint in his eyes? 

 I shook my head, immediately dismissing the possibilty. Cole didn't like me. I wasn't really likeable, at least not in that sense. I had given up on the idea of a partner a long time ago. I mean, it wasn't really fair. Partners were supposed to be equals, and any human I dated would certainly not be my equal. Then there was that whole issue of my constantly going off to battle demons every night. I chuckled darkly as I imagined the situation.

 "Hi honey, how was your day?" my partner would ask.
"Good dear. There was a close call with that bastard of a demon, but I have it under control. What about you?"

 Yeah, no.  That was so not going to happen. I would just be putting my 'future partner' in danger all the time, and that wasn't fair. I would not be a selfish bitch that let other people get hurt for her if I could in any way prevent it. The only reason I was partnered with Cole was because I knew that it was safer if we went after demons together, rather than separately. Because there was no way that Cole wouldn't hunt demons. He enjoyed it too much. 

 I sighed. As much as I would like to sit around all day and do nothing, I couldn't. I had a demon that needed to be killed.