He raised his eyebrows. “Demon hottie?”
“She’s drunk!” Reggie announced.
“Ten points to rat-boy”—Val jabbed her interesting finger in his direction—“rat-boy wins.
Woo!”
“Asshole.” Nathaniel glared at Bud. “What were you thinking?”
Bud took a step toward Nathaniel so they were chest to chest again. Val watched Bud’s wings bounce gently with his movement. Pretty. “I want you out of here. Now.”
Nathaniel threw the first punch, which Bud easily ducked, quickly coming around to pin the demon’s arm behind his back. “You’re just damn lucky Mayor Vaille has that Belligerent
Magic Decree in effect,” Bud growled, “or I’d wipe the floor with your ass right now.”
In his current position Nathaniel stared at the floor. “It could use it. This place is a hole.”
Bud released him. “Get out of here.”
He glanced over at the window. “But it looks like the start of an unscheduled dark-time outside. We can’t leave yet.”
“Tough shit, demon.”
Val clutched the bar to keep on her feet. “I think I’m gonna hurl.”
“Now you’re definitely leaving,” Bud said. “Or else.”
Bud’s friends stood up from their tables to back their buddy. Nathaniel eyed them for a moment. “Fine. We’ll go.”
“Dark-time,” Val repeated. “Snuggle bunny needs to tuck me in. Where’re my jammies?”
“Come on, Valerie.” He gripped her arm and directed her toward the door.
“It’ll be okay, Val,” Reggie spoke slowly so she’d understand him. “Just don’t pass out on us.
And try real hard not to puke. Or at least give a warning so I can hang on for dear life. We’ll get you some coffee. Are there Starbucks in the Underworld?”
Bud and his friends marched them to the door, opened it, and shoved them outside without another word.
She glanced around. Oh, so this is what he meant about dark-time. Cool.
It was like dusk outside. When they’d entered the bar the sun was high in the sky. Val glanced drunkenly at Nathaniel. He looked around with an expression she’d never seen on his face before. It looked like he was nervous.
“Bud says Julian’s seeing the mayor tomorrow,” she slurred. “Mayor McCheese, or something weird like that. There’s going to be a party. I like parties. I think I like parties. I’m kinda hungry. Want some Jell-O. Maybe another drink. Maybe some pretzels, too.”
“Great,” Nathaniel said. “Let’s get to shelter and we’ll talk about it. And let’s move quickly, okay?”
Her eyes felt weird. No, it wasn’t her eyes. It was getting darker out. Steadily and rapidly darker.
“What’s happening?” Reggie asked. “Is this normal?”
Nathaniel glanced around the empty street. “Unfortunately for us, yes.”
When the last bit of light disappeared and the street lamps flickered on, Val heard the sound.
A distant high-pitched squawking that raised the hair on the back of her neck.
“Whasssaaat?” she asked, clinging to Nathaniel’s tense arm.
“Nightflyers. We need to find shelter immediately.”
Reggie dug his claws into her shoulder. “Nightflyers? Are those, like, hawks? Birds of prey that like to eat rats?”
Nathaniel pulled Val along after him as the squawking and flapping got closer. “Worse.”
“Why’s it so dark?” she asked. She’d never heard of Nightflyers before. She couldn’t get too excited about them yet. Also she was too drunk to care much beyond the feel of Nathaniel’s muscular arm.
Very nice.
“Dark-time happens often in the Underworld,” Nathaniel explained. “More often that night in the earthly realm. There are planned dark-times and some are unexpected. Like this one.
Those faeries should have let us stay there until it passed. Bastards.”
“Biker faeries,” Val added, drunkenly. “With pretty wings.”
“Come Valerie, there’s no time to talk—”
Suddenly a dark shadow swooped over them and Val felt the whoosh of wind and the light touch of a rubbery wing against her bare arm.
“What do they want?” she asked shakily. This was real. And it was bad.
Nathaniel pulled her along with him so quickly that she was afraid she’d trip and fall since her legs already felt shaky and numb. He tried a door to what looked like a convenience store but it was locked.
“Nightflyers only come out during dark-time, they can’t exist in the light. They come out into the open like this for one reason and one reason only.”
“What?”
“To feed.”
She didn’t have to ask what they ate. They weren’t running along the street because the
Nightflyers had a potato chip craving.
“Can’t you do something demony?”
“What does that mean?”