Dead Wrong

James clung to me as we walked back upstairs. I looked over at the grandfather clock that was ticking away. 12:23.
“James, why don’t you just go back and watch some TV.” I suggested.
“O-okay” he replied softly, still shaken.

I pulled my hair back out of my face. Outside the storm was still raging. I hoped Jack could make it home okay. He was only working half day today because it was Saturday, which meant he would be off soon.

My pocket vibrated, signaling an incoming call. I pressed talk and put the phone to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey baby.” Jack’s voice said sweetly.

“How are you two fairing?”
”Well the lights went out, but they’re working now”
“Oh, that sucks. Well, I’m going to go by the library and pick up some books I have on hold, and then I’ll be heading home.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
”I will. I love you. Bye.”
“Love you too. Bye-bye” I pressed end and call disconnected. James was still watching the same show as before, giggling away at the picture. So easily amused. Jack had been spending a lot of time at the library lately. I don’t know why either. Every time I brought it up, he just passed it off as nothing of importance.

I didn’t really care that much. It was just weird that it took up so much of his time. It would be two in the morning and he’d have his head buried in some old book. Every time I would look over his shoulder, he would close it and pretend that he was done. Yet sometimes I would leave only to watch him open the book again and resume reading. Whatever it was, he didn’t want me to know about it.

Jack would be home soon anyways, so instead of pondering about it I decided to join James in his show. The credits were rolling and peppy music was playing.
“What’s on next?” I questioned.

“Another episode, it’s a marathon” he explained.
“Great”

He snuggled into my lap, laying his head against my shoulder and playing with my hair.
“I like your hair”
“Thanks”
“It reminds me of my mum’s. She had long hair like you. She would always joke about how hers was black and mine was golden.”
“Oh, that is strange”
”You’re a lot like her Lilly... Always so kind to people”
“Your mum sounds like she was a wonderful person”
”She was” he sighed.

“Do you ever want kids?”
“Um, well I don’t know. Maybe, but then again it isn’t really an option to have my own, per say”
“Yeah, two guys can’t have a kid. That would be silly”
”You’re right. That would be silly. But we have you now!”
“Yeah” he smiled.

The head lights from Jack’s car shone in the window. The door opened and a soaking wet Jack came in, just like the night before. In his hand was a beat up black book.
“Hey honey” he greeted me.
“Hey babe”
“How was the rest of you guys' day?”
“The lights went out” James said.
“I heard”
“Lilly, can I talk to you?”
“Um, sure, James I’ll be right back”
“Okay” he said, already preoccupied by the flashing lights of the TV. I followed Jack into the dinning room.
“Lilly, it’s obvious that James isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and well... I was just wondering if he was going to stay that maybe it would be a good idea if..”
“No” I said sternly already knowing the question. “I’m not going to invade his privacy like that”
“Just one quick peek just to make sure that he’s okay?”
”No, Jack. I don’t like doing that”

He took my hands in his. “Baby, please. It would make me feel better about him staying here alone with you.”
“I’m not worried by him”
“Sweetheart, think of the past. I just want you to be safe”
”I am safe” Truth is, there was more then one reason that tapping into James' emotions was something I didn’t want to do. One was that, yeah it was invading his space; but two, and most importantly. invading the emotions of a boy who not long ago lost his parents would bring back horrible memories in my past.

As an empathy, other people’s emotions become my own. I become confused, and the barrier between the two is lost. I don’t want to ever feel that again; the sickening feeling of someone at death’s door, the sadness of a childhood lost, or the thought of something that I once had, but no longer did. It was for that reason I would never tap into anyone’s mind again. Bottom line: it hurt.

“Lilly, I know you don’t like doing it, but just real quick?”
”Jack, I’m going to tell you for the last time, no”
“Fine, but I still feel uncomfortable about leaving you alone with a stranger”
”He’s just a kid”
“Well, what if everything he told us was a lie? What if he’s just some common thief who uses this story to get people’s money or steal stuff from them?”
“I can’t believe you would say that” How could he accuse this poor kid of being some monster? He was hurt and lost, and I would protect him at all cost. No matter what that entailed.
“I’m just saying that it’s a possibility”
”No, it’s not”
“Lilly, it’s not your kid,and you’re not his mother”
That hurt. Of course I knew he wasn’t mine, but still in a way I was beginning to become attached to him.
“I’m done talking about this” I said, walking off.

Jack just let me walk away and went upstairs, most likely to go read whatever he had picked up. When I got back to the den, James was still watching TV. I sat down next to him again and he again laid his head on me. I stroked his silky hair and closed my eyes.

I heard foot steps coming down the stairs. Most likely Jack. I was right, Jack walked in with something in his hand.
“What do you have there?”
”A broken cross”
“What? We don’t have a cross.”
”I just remembered this thing. It was my great grandfather’s. He always hung it in the guest room”
“What about it?”
”I found it broken under the bed”
“So? It probably fell. Jack, no one has been here in fifty years”
“No, it didn't fall. I saw hanging in the corner a few nights ago”
“So maybe the nail came lose.”
”No, Lilly. Then why is it broken?”
“Jack, it's wood and it's old” James snapped to attention from his nap.
“Why do you have that?” he questioned.
“Did it fall?” Jack asked.
“No, I hid it.”
“Why?”
”I don’t like crosses”
“Why not?”
“Because of the bad men that were after us. The one had a tattoo of a cross on his neck and I saw him shouting at mummy. And ever since, I’ve seen this man in my dreams. He's always surrounded by crosses, but the one on his neck is upside down.”
“An inverted cross... I understand. Don’t worry. It won’t hurt you”
”You promise?”
“Of course he does” I said, soothing him. What a weird fear. But then again, I can tell how something that traumatic could be associated with it, if it reminded him of that man. Jack threw the broken cross in the trash and retreated back upstairs.

“I’m sorry that I broke it”
”Don’t worry about it”
“Okay”
“I’m going to go talk to Jack real quick”
“Alright” he said, getting off me.

I found Jack in his study, hunched over the black book he had gotten today from the library. Silently, I walked over to him and right before he turned around, I grabbed the book, before he could close it.

I studied the pages in shock.
“Demons, really?”
“Lilly...”
“No! I thought we were done with this!”
“Lilly, hold on a second, okay? I’ve been reading more about dealers and takers.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and apparently dealers can only enter the human world on a few circumstances. One is to be summoned by a human for a deal. The second is if their taker is in danger, the taker can summon them. The third reason is to get a new taker in the event their taker is killed, or to finish off the deal”
“Okay, so?” He put his hand on my shoulder. I knew what was coming.

“Lilly, we killed Jezebel not his dealer, he could still be after us” The name his me like a speeding train. A tear fell down my check. Jack could see how much it hurt me and embraced me in a tight hug.
“Jack, I thought this was over”
“I know baby, but we need to be careful okay? And this guy you told me about said something about a guy named Addon. Well, I’ve done a little research. Addon means mayhem and is a known demon, and if he were to come up to look for a new taker, he might becoming for us. And think about James. He could get hurt in all this”
“I know, b-but what about my mum? He already got her soul. The deal is done!”
“That doesn’t stop him from wanting revenge. Apparently takers and dealers are a couple, a relationship deeper them blood”

“Jack, I’m scared” I looked at Jack’s tattered wings, the result of the last fight. I thought of my own scars that lined my stomach. Jack’s wings would only come out in fights, or when he was protecting me. Almost like a shield. Right now all defenses were up. His wings wrapped around me. My own personal shield. My angel.