Charlotte's Pact (Demons in New York Book 1) Read online

  “Having fun?” Charlotte asked, rosy-cheeked.

  “So, this is what you Yanks do for sporting entertainment, huh?”

  “Oh right, because soccer is so much better!”

  For the next ten minutes, Liam and Charlotte debated the pros and cons of hockey versus soccer. They were interrupted once Jack Eichel, the beloved Sabres forward scored. The arena exploded with celebration. Fans were cheering, dancing and handing out high-fives like candy on Halloween.

  “Thank you for taking me,” Charlotte said once the hype died down.

  “So, you forgive me then, for last weekend?” Liam blinked his eyes rapidly trying to appear cute and coquettish.

  “Yes, I forgive you. But don’t pull that shit again, okay?”

  “Yes, darling!”

  “Now, pass me the nachos,” Charlotte said, decked out in blue and gold.

  After engulfing her loaded nachos, Charlotte noticed some of Liam’s co-workers sitting in the suite next to them.The three men, of which Charlotte recognized, kept glancing toward their direction, but Liam always seemed to be looking the other way.

  The men looked anxious to obtain Liam’s attention, but Charlotte was grateful he either hadn’t noticed, or purposefully avoided their gaze. She did not want him to talk business on their night out.

  Once the game ended in Buffalo’s favor, fans exited the arena, exhilarated. They whooped and hollered while skipping down the sidewalks.

  Charlotte and Liam went home, to spend the rest of the evening together, finally able to celebrate moving in together.

  …

  The next day, the couple had finally finished unpacking and began decorating their new condo. They had hung several pieces of artwork and Charlotte made sure to hang or display all of their framed photographs.

  In the evening, Charlotte decided to cook to dinner to further celebrate taking the next step together. She planned on serving the meal on their balcony overlooking Lake Erie.

  “Stop hovering, Liam. I’m capable of cooking you dinner on my own, ya know?”

  “Not hovering, just observing! I want to watch the cook at work,” he said kissing her cheek.

  “Well, there won’t be a dinner at all if you don’t get out of my way!” Charlotte playfully pushed Liam away.

  Liam stayed back, but leaned against the counter, still observing Charlotte gather and mix ingredients.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. “You look nervous.”

  “Nervous? I’m not nervous,” he stuttered.

  “Liam, you’re tapping your feet and cracking your knuckles. You’re nervous about something. What’s up?”

  “Sorry, love. Just work stuff on my mind. I’ll go set the table outside, okay?”

  “Sure, babe,” Charlotte said relieved to have the kitchen to herself again.

  Once Charlotte finished cooking the dinner without any additional distractions, she served the two of them outside on the patio.

  “You’re stuck with me now, you know that?” Charlotte said, putting a massive piece of chicken parmesan on Liam’s plate.

  “Wouldn’t have it any other way, love,” Liam said. “This chicken parm is fantastic, by the way. New recipe?”

  “Pinterest for the win,” Charlotte said.

  “Oh, you little devil.”

  After she finished chewing a bite of chicken, Charlotte asked, “Hey, how come the basement door is locked? I wanted to move some of my old college things down there to make more room in the spare bedroom. I tried looking for a key to open the door, but couldn’t find one.”

  “Ah, the basement needs to be refurnished, I believe. There is water damage from the last major rain storm,” Liam noted.

  “Well, it can’t be that bad, right? Can I just—“

  “No, Charlotte. Leave the basement alone,” Liam demanded sternly.

  Charlotte nodded, knowing not to push any further.

  “How was work today, babe?” Charlotte inquired.

  “Same old, same old. Working on gaining some new accounts for next quarter.”

  “Sounds stressful.”

  “I think we’ll be okay, though. How about you? How’s your article coming along? The one about the new business on Hertel Avenue, right?”

  “It’s coming along really well. The boutique is opening up next month, so my story will be finished just in time for our holiday issue. I asked if I could take my own photos for the story as well. I think I’ll get the go-ahead. Which reminds me, can I borrow your camera?”

  “That’s wonderful, Char. I’m happy you’re enjoying your new job,” Liam said, squeezing her hand. “Just remind before you go to shoot and I’ll find the camera for you.”

  “Thanks, I’m really happy too! And thankful I actually get to make some use out of my degree! You wouldn’t believe how many of my classmates cannot find a job in our field. I really did get lucky. Thanks to you, of course.” Charlotte raised her glass toward Liam.

  “We are both lucky,” Liam said, rubbing her other hand across the table.

  “Hey,” Charlotte began after she noticed her phone vibrated with a push-notification, “Did you hear about the cocktail waitress who was murdered outside the casino last weekend? Her name was Jessica Collins.”

  Liam choked on his drink and promptly covered his mouth with a napkin.

  Charlotte looked at him curiously, “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, sorry. Wrong pipe,” he exclaimed. “I did hear something about it, but nothing specific.”

  “According to the news, she was dragged outside after a private party and beaten to death. How could anyone do such a thing? Monsters!”

  “Dreadful,” Liam said plainly.

  Charlotte remained quiet for a few more minutes while she browsed further through the article on her phone.

  “Darling, do put your phone away while we are eating,” Liam implored.

  “Wait. The article says the autopsy concluded her time of death was last Friday around midnight. Why does that day sound so familiar?” Charlotte pondered.

  Liam remained silent, but continued to sip his wine.

  “Oh, I know! Wasn’t that the night you went to the casino? Holy shit! You didn’t see this woman, did you?” Charlotte showed the victim’s picture, a glamorous selfie taken from Facebook, to Liam.

  “Charlotte, let’s talk about something more cheerful, shall we?” He forcefully moved the phone out of his face.

  “Oh sure, sorry. You know I’m always interested in these sorts of things and you were there that night,” Charlotte insisted. “You’re sure you didn’t see her? Maybe your client or your co-workers might have seen her?”

  “Charlotte, drop it.”

  She obeyed his plea and continued picking at her dinner.

  The sun had just begun to set and the lake reflected all of the warm pastels of the sky across its surface. Soon enough, the lake would be covered in ice and snow.

  “Are you happy?” Liam asked as Charlotte finished the last few pieces of chicken on her plate.

  “The happiest I’ve ever been in my life,” she said, glowing with satisfaction. It was easy to be blinded by Liam’s charm, no matter how mad or annoyed he made her sometimes.

  “Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?”

  Charlotte chuckled, “I guess so.”

  “Will you still love me no matter what? Even down the road when we are old and wrinkly?”

  “I will always love you, Liam. I promise!”

  “What if I turn into a mean ‘ol bastard?”

  “Well, I doubt it would ever happen, but even if it did, I’d just smack some sense into you,” Charlotte smiled.

  “What if I ever did something really, really bad?”

  Charlotte’s grin faded quickly.

  “What do you mean? Did you do something?”

  He quickly recovered and pulled her hands into his.

  “Sorry love, nothing is wrong, just a hypothetical question,” he said, reassuringly.

 
“Okay, if you say so,” Charlotte eyed him suspiciously.

  She began to rise to clear off the table when Liam stopped her.

  “No, no, you cooked, let me clean up.”

  “I won’t stop you,” Charlotte replied, sitting back down.

  As Liam cleared off the table and carried the dishes to the kitchen, Charlotte remained outside on the balcony with her glass of wine, gazing at the warm sun hanging just above the horizon.

  Could she actually love Liam forever, even if he did something to hurt her? She thought about all the things she’d be able to handle or tolerate in her mind.

  Cheating? Definitely not. Money problems? She doubted it would ever happen, they were both excellent with saving and handling money. Children? No, they both wanted a family. She promptly shook away the negative thoughts as Liam trotted back outside, his dirty blonde hair swaying in the soft, sweet breeze.

  “That was fast.” Charlotte looked accusingly towards her boyfriend.

  “Well, I figured the dishes could wait, there’s something else I wanted to do beforehand.”

  “Liam, you know you can’t let the dishes sit there, the food will cake onto them like last time!”

  Liam put a finger to her lips to quiet her nagging. He smiled, pulled her to her feet and said, “Let’s go, I need to take you somewhere.”

  12

  Present

  “My soul?”

  “Yes, the wonderful and magical spirit within you humans,” the stranger responded, rolling his piercing eyes.

  “But why? What use could you possibly have for my soul? How do you know you can even get it? This is ridiculous!”

  Charlotte began squirming in her bed, attempting to take out her IV.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” the stranger smirked.

  “I’m getting out of here, this all has to be some kind of sick, cruel joke!”

  Charlotte attempted to move off her bed, but crashed to the floor instead. Her body, still too weak to support herself, crumbled.

  The stranger snorted and walked closer to her.

  “Get away from me!” Charlotte cried, crawling backward.

  “Get up, you’re embarrassing yourself,” the stranger said matter-of-factly.

  Tears began streaming down Charlotte’s face. It felt as though she was dreaming, but it also felt too real to be a dream. The fearlessness she’d felt moments ago faded with a rush of uncertainty.

  The stranger finally closed in on her and reached out. Charlotte cringed and closed her eyes, begging her subconscious to wake up. She felt the stranger’s hands firmly grip her arms and lift her upward. His hands were abnormally warm, as though he had been holding them over an open flame.

  “Don’t touch me!” Charlotte squealed.

  “Do you humans ever shut up?” the stranger said, lifting Charlotte back in bed.

  Once she realized no harm had been brought upon her, Charlotte opened her eyes. She wondered why he kept referring to her as a ‘human,’ wasn’t he a human, too?

  “So, this is real? This isn’t a dream?”

  “If this was a dream, I’d be sipping a coconut daiquiri and on a beach somewhere far, far away from this shitty city.”

  “Okay, so I’m not dreaming,” Charlotte said to herself, trying to process the situation. “And, you are asking for me to hand over my soul?” she asked slowly.

  “Yeah, that about sums it up,” he said.

  “This is seriously messed up,” Charlotte announced.

  “You have no idea,” the stranger commented. “Now, no more delays. I need an answer now. Give me your soul or Liam will die.”

  “How can you just expect me to hand over my soul without any kind of explanation? Tell me why you need it. Oh, and when can I get it back if I agree?”

  Charlotte fell short of breath, it was all too much to take in. The mysterious stranger continued to stare with brooding, fiery eyes. She felt weak, her knees quivered under the stiff hospital sheets. She quickly pinched her forearm and closed her eyes. This had to be the morphine, right? It was impossible for someone to steal a soul. No matter how hard she was trying to come to terms with her present predicament, she continued to feel overwhelmed and in a state of complete disbelief.

  “Ah yes, I’m terribly sorry, but again, this is not a dream. And most of your morphine has been filtered out of your system. All of your questions will be answered in due time. Just not at this time.”

  “I know,” she exclaimed. “Is this some kind of get well soon act?”

  “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  “Did someone send you? Maybe my office thought it would be a funny way to cheer me up?”

  “I wonder if she hit her head in the accident,” the stranger said quietly to himself.

  “No, you weren’t sent here from my office. Did Tori send you? Ugh, I knew it. She’s pissed we didn’t make it in last night and she’s sent you to mess with me!”

  “Charlotte!” he boomed. “This is real. This isn’t a dream. I am not in your imagination and I was not sent here by your pathetic friends or co-workers.”

  His eyes ignited and his entire body stiffened. He loomed over her so threateningly, Charlotte feared he may hit her.

  “Now, for the last time, I need you to answer my question,” he barked.

  Charlotte closed her eyes and visions of marriage, children and a life with Liam zoomed around her head. However, the harder she tried to concentrate on the future, the faster the images began to fade away.

  She needed to have a future with Liam, because if they didn’t end up together, what would be the point of living? A life without Liam seemed impossible and she didn’t want to let it happen. She wouldn’t let her love slip through her fingers.

  “Yes,” she whispered. She’d finally succumbed to her new reality.

  “I’m sorry, what was that?” the stranger asked, cupping his ear.

  “Yes!” she shouted.

  “Fan-tastic,” he said while rubbing his hands together excitedly. “Now, all I need is for you to put your hand up, like so,” he mimed the act of a witness being sworn in before the court.

  Shaking, Charlotte sat up and put her legs over the bed. She couldn’t lie down for this. She copied him and put her hand up, fearing for what would happen next. Then, the stranger put his hand up high against hers. As soon as they touched each other, the lights flickered rapidly like a strobe light during a rave. The window ferociously flew open and it felt as though a tornado was tearing through.

  Despite the fantastic scene before them, no one else on the hospital floor seemed to notice. No alarms sounded and no doctors or nurses came to discover the distressing elements. It was as if Charlotte and the stranger were in a different universe entirely.

  Their hands, now fastened together, created a surge rushing through Charlotte. The connection allowed earnest electrical currents to travel between the stranger and her and vice versa. She didn’t think she could pull away and break the connection if she tried.

  The stranger, salivating, didn’t break eye contact with Charlotte while they touched. And then, a different sensation began to phase Charlotte. She felt a pull deep in the pit of her stomach. It was as though the stranger physically put his hand into her body and was unraveling a rope and pulling it wildly out of her.

  “What is happening?” she quivered.

  The stranger did not reply, but his menacing grin alluded to the fact he was not done quite yet. A sharp pain stabbed at Charlotte’s stomach and she looked down in time to see a glowing orb leaving her belly. It floated around her and hovered in the air curiously.

  Still connected to the stranger via her right hand, her left reached out to touch the light.

  Instantly, the stranger pulled away, breaking their bond. He carefully grasped the orb out of thin air before she could reach it herself. He put it into a small mason jar which had appeared out of thin air, and placed it inside his jacket pocket.

  “There’s no turning back n
ow, Charlotte.”

  13

  Past

  “Where are we going?” Charlotte asked anxiously.

  “Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

  Charlotte slumped back in the passenger seat, slightly disappointed with the spontaneous trip. She was really looking forward to staying in, having some more wine and spending the evening outside on the patio with Liam.

  “Don’t look so excited,” Liam laughed.

  “I’m sorry, babe. I just wanted to stay in. I’m still exhausted from the game last night,” she admitted.

  “Well, don’t worry, sweetheart. Tonight will be just as magical,” Liam said winking.

  Less than an hour later, Liam parked the car on a busy side street.

  “Niagara Falls?” Charlotte questioned.

  “Yes, we are going to the Niagara Falls!” Liam said.

  Still, Charlotte wasn’t thrilled.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve been to the Falls about a hundred times. It’s kind of lost its allure. Hazard of being a Western New Yorker.” She shrugged.

  “Remember the night we met?”

  “How could I forget?”

  “You said you’d take me to the Falls sometime, remember?”

  Charlotte began to laugh, “Yes, I remember.”

  “Well, I’m just making sure you keep up your end of the bargain!”

  “Okay, okay. Let’s go.”

  Liam and Charlotte walked a few blocks and crossed the border using the pedestrian bridge. It was dark now, but the Canadian side of the Falls was packed with people, mostly tourists.

  Children ran and wove in between them playing a game of tag, others had their binoculars and cameras out, and some younger teens hung out and gossiped with their friends.

  “This is absolutely incredible,” Liam awed.

  “Yeah, it is pretty amazing, huh?”

  “I’ve seen dozens of pictures, but they really don’t do it any justice!”

  Liam put his arm around Charlotte as they gazed at the roaring falls and the changing lights within the powerful and majestic water.