Tainted: Book Two - Coerced

24. Slave

Rome

I didn't feel like it, but I wanted to scope out the area before full dark. Kerry wouldn't let me go alone, so the two of us went together. I knew I needed to walk to keep my lungs clear, but I had to use a stream of power to hold off the pain, which was exhausting.

Needless to say, I wasn't at my best.

When we reached the edge of the motel's crumbling parking lot, Kerry came to a dead stop and lifted his chin. His nostrils flared, and I narrowed my eyes as I looked around.

"Do you smell that?" he muttered.

I took a deep breath in through my nose and picked up the barest trace of something Diabolical.

"Faintly. Can you tell which direction it's coming from?"

"The car over there." He tilted his head toward the gas station across the road from them.

We started walking toward a gigantic Oldsmobile parked at the pumps. The mid-1970s car was blue with a matching interior and looked to be in pristine condition. As I watched, a girl slid out of the driver's side and walked around the trunk of the car, her gait almost robotic, and the bright lights of the gas station illuminated the area enough for me to see her clearly.

Under a red and white bandana, her honey-blonde hair hung in two thick braids that reached nearly to her waist. Her long-sleeved gray t-shirt and threadbare jeans afforded her little protection from the freezing temperatures. Both were smeared with grease stains and dirt, as were her hands and face. The only saving grace of her outfit were the red, knee-high boots she wore.

"Go flirt with her," I suggested.

"Do what now?" His breathing suddenly sounded labored.

"Flirt with her. It'll distract her while I look in the car."

"Are you insane?" he hissed. "First, I have no idea how to do that. Second, you have a concussion and smashed ribs while I'm on fire to kill something. Third, like I just said, I'm not safe right now. I'd probably hurt her. You flirt with her and I'll look in the car."

"Fine, whatever." I rolled my eyes.

The closer I got to the car, the more I could smell the unmistakable tang of evil. The girl herself seemed oblivious to our presence. She stood there and held the handle of the nozzle and stared off into space. It wasn't until I was two feet away that she seemed to notice me.

She was built like an athlete and taller than I'd thought, less than a head shorter than me. It was a new experience to have a girl's eyes so close to my own. And what gorgeous eyes they were. The most unusual amber color I'd ever seen and absolutely striking.

"Hello." I gave her a small smile. "My friend and I love old cars. Mind if we take a look?"

She didn't break eye contact with me as she shook her head. Kerry must have taken that as permission, because he opened the driver's side door and dove in. Moving closer, she grabbed my coat sleeve - and that was when I realized what she was. The stench of coercion taint nearly overpowered it, but I caught the sweet note of her Divine heritage.

"Help me," she ground out.

"We're going to." I kept my voice as gentle as I could with my ribs throbbing and Diabolical stink going up my nose. "Kerry'll kill the evil thing. I'm not sure how that will affect you. Might hurt pretty badly and might not."

The smile she gave me never touched her eyes.

"Yeah, I get it." I grimaced. "Doesn't matter much as long as it ends, right? I'm Rome. Rome Aalders. What's your name?"