Brown-eyed Devil by Evan Gilbert

Author:Evan Gilbert
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2012-12-03T21:42:03+00:00

Chapter 16

IT LOOKED like somebody’s kid brother. The thing appeared to be a boy who was maybe twelve, right about five feet, with big gray eyes and straight black hair that hung in long bangs down to his eyebrows but was cropped short over the rest of his head. With his bronze skin, he seemed to be Hispanic, or perhaps Native American, like Anoki. He was slender and wore green fatigues, big, black scuffed work boots with the laces undone, and a yellow plaid short-sleeved shirt, unbuttoned to reveal a white T-shirt.

I knew the body was just a convenient shell, but my senses couldn’t detect sight or scent of the invasive spirit. It didn’t help that Anoki seemed determined to block me from getting a good look. Spirits preferred to keep their actual forms invisible to human eyes, and this one—like the shade inhabiting Anoki’s body—was going to great lengths to hide itself from my enhanced vision.

The boy’s expression was decidedly surly. “What the hell do you want?” he spat. “I was just about to get some fool woman run up on a corrupting-the-morals-of-a-minor charge.”

“Information is all I need,” Anoki said in the kind of voice that should have made the boy-thing mind its tone with him.

The boy sniffed disdainfully and cocked an eyebrow at him. “In exchange for what?”

“I’ll pay the standard price—your freedom from the circle.”

“Hell no. I want more.”

“There will be no negotiation. You give me information on all the topics of my choice, I set you free. Or you keep the information and I trap you forever in the circle. Your choice.”

The boy scowled, and all the grass within the circle blackened instantly, as if seared with invisible, scorching heat. “Bitch,” he snarled at Anoki through clenched teeth. Then his eyes narrowed even more. “Who is that behind you?”

“That is not your concern.”

“Oh, I get it. It’s some little flower boy too scared to speak for himself.”

I shot to my feet, anger flaring. “What did you call me?”

Anoki turned and shook his head warningly, eyes flaring.

The boy laughed at me, then looked at Anoki. “Why’d you bring that thing with you? Devil’s Fire ain’t got nothin’ on me. Neither does fairy dust.” He did a little twinkling dance.

I snarled, baring claws and shark teeth. “Let him outta there,” I growled as I started to pass Anoki. The tall Native American gestured, and something invisible grabbed me around the waist, holding me back.

“Oh, you want in on this, sucker?” The boy-thing grinned, gray eyes shining.

“I am in on this!” I shot back. “And I wanna know what you did the last time you came through this circle.”

“Cool. I tell you that—only that—and I go free.”

Anoki gave me a look that said, I am going to choke the life out of you when this is over. It sobered me enough that I was able to rein in my hot temper and step back.

“Well. This could take a while.” The boy leaned over and stretched out as if lying down on a bed, using one hand to prop up his head.

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