Stealing Joy Read online

They said their goodnights and left Yuki and me cuddled together on the couch.

  Yuki and I watched them climb the stairs, and then we looked at each other. We were alone. No wolves, no guards.

  “I’m gonna go get Jade.” She was off the couch and then I was alone.

  The living room was creepy and too big now that everyone had left. The entire other side of the room was in the dark since we were all gathered around the big screen TV for the movie. I hoped Yuki and Jade would come back soon. Hell, I wished anyone would come back soon. I didn’t like the thought that Gage had left without saying something.

  I heard shouts from outside. I turned and nervously watched the front door. I wanted to get up and go look out the window. Suddenly, there was a loud thunk and something heavy hit the wall from the outside. That was it; I had to go see what was going on.

  I wish I could say I ran across the room and looked out the front door, but that’s not what happened. I started trying to limp my way across the floor. I walked on the heel of my left foot and a slow step with the entire right foot so that I didn’t put weird pressure on the areas trying to become infected.

  I stopped in every seat I encountered. All two of them. I just couldn’t walk.

  There were shouts and yells and I couldn’t get to the door.

  Jade ran in front of me. Her hair was a mess, and she was wearing Mark’s shirt. Go, Jade!

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she yelled at me.

  I pointed, and Mark was already ahead of us and throwing open the door.

  “I don’t know what’s going on, I was left all alone, and Gage and Max are out there.”

  Mark dragged someone in by the armpits. He lay Gage down on the floor. His face was covered in blood.

  “No!” I cried out. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing.

  Mark was up and out the door.

  I wanted to throw myself across Gage’s chest and sob. But I was stuck, I hurt, I didn’t have it in me for one heroic adrenaline push of energy to get to him.

  Fortunately, Jade was mobile.

  She knelt by his side and put her hand on his neck.

  “He’s alive.”

  I sat back and sucked in air.

  Jade continued to do something to Gage’s head but I closed my eyes, he was okay.

  I heard the rest of everyone run back inside one at a time. Heavy footfalls accompanied by heavy breathing.

  “That was fucked up,” Travis announced as he came in last.

  I got up on my knees and turned so I could see over the back of the chair I was in.

  Mark kneeled by Jade. Travis was next to the closed front door, hands on knees. Zeke was holding his nose; a stream of blood ran down the lower half of his face and onto his shirt.

  Max glowered over Gage.

  “What happened?” I asked. I hated that I was helpless in the face of something that looked really really bad.

  “The official story is going to be a bear,” Max grumbled.

  “That wasn’t a bear,” Travis said standing up.

  Mark helped Jade roll Gage on to his side.

  I hissed.

  The back of his shirt had been torn like party streamers and the skin underneath shredded.

  Jade leaned in and sniffed his back. She flinched.

  “Witchcraft.” Jade’s voice went funny. “It tried to move into him, but he already has his own monsters.” She sat back and coughed.

  Her eyes locked with mine and my blood ran cold.

  “Whatever is trying to get to you through Gordon, tried to get into Gage. But he’s protected.” Her gaze landed on each of the men in the room. “You’re all protected.”

  “What are you saying?” I felt hopeless and dumb.

  “You aren’t only dealing with a serial killer, you have a demon on your hands, kiddo. I always thought Gordon’s aftershave smelled funky. But I can smell its scent on Gage. Torment. Torment kills joy.”

  Max lowered himself and picked up Gage as if he were light as a feather.

  He directed Travis to take care of Zeke, and Mark to get Tracey. He turned to me. “You don’t go anywhere until I come back for you. Stay off your feet. Jade call the FBI. Can you suss them out? Make sure they’re clean somehow?”

  “Only if I can be in the same room with them.”

  Max grunted. “Do what you need to, this asshole went and made everything about twenty times more complicated.”

  “What about Oz?” Yuki asked.

  “He’s probably found a nice warm bed to occupy himself in. I’m not worried about him, so neither should you be.”

  Everyone went to their assigned tasks, and yet again, I was left on my own. I refused to be helpless in the face of this new information. I stood up. It lasted about two seconds and then I was in Max’s arms.

  “What did I tell you?”

  “I hate being like this. I can’t even walk across a fucking room,” I cried.

  Max picked up my IV pole with the hand of the arm under my knees. He carried me upstairs like it was no big deal.

  Gage was already in my bed when we got there.

  “He’ll heal better with your comfort. And this room is already set up with all the medical toys.”

  “Toys? Seriously, Max,” Tracey chastised him. “If you guys keep bringing injured people in at this rate, I might finally convince you to set a proper medical ward, with hospital beds and everything.”

  Gage’s shirt lay around him, clearly, it had been cut off.

  Tracey used swabs to clean the cuts along his back. I couldn’t see because I lay in bed next to him, staring at his face.

  He hurt, and some of the cleaning caused him to wince.

  I stroked his face. I was rewarded with him opening his eyes and giving me a weak smile.

  He grabbed my fingers, hard, and kissed them. “I feel better already.”

  “Jade said a demon did this?”

  He nodded. “I fucking hate demons. Bailey, I think it was Gordon.”

  Enjoyed Stealing Joy?

  You need Finding Home!

  Or get the Complete Set: The Wolves of Wet Waterfalls now!

  About the Author

  Bio-engineered to be the only redhead in a generation of blonds, Lulu feels that “aliens” may actually be the best answer for a life-time of being asked, “Where did you get that red hair from?”

  She did not come into writing from years of scribbling words on paper. Her background is rooted in visual arts and making pictures. Encouraged to make those pictures out of words Lulu began writing just to see what would happen. What happened was two full-length manuscripts in three months.

  Lulu cannot ride a horse, a motorcycle, spin a hula hoop, or play roller derby. Yes, she has attempted all of those, even if it has been decades since she’s been on a horse or a motorcycle. She embraces the crazy that comes with that one little genetic mutation, and attempts to live up to the reputation that proceeds her. Lulu would like to apologize for her contribution to the hole on the ozone layer from her use of hairspray in the 1980s.

  For more information, visit:

  www.LuluMSylvian.com