“How did she get here?” I bent down to scratch her head, and she purred. Liv didn't look at either of us.
“Who knows? That cat's as crazy as your great-aunts. It was probably followin’ you.”
We started walking, and even Link could feel the weight of the silence. “So what happened back there? Was Lena with Vampire Boy, or what?” I didn't want to think about it, but I could tell he was trying not to think about someone, too. Ridley wasn't just under his skin. She was crawling around in there.
Liv was walking a foot or so ahead of us, but she was listening.
“I don't know. That's how it looked.” There was no point in trying to deny it.
“The Doorwell should be straight ahead.” Liv held her head high and almost tripped over a cobblestone. I could see how awkward things were going to be between us. How many things could a guy screw up in one day? I had probably set some kind of record.
Link put his hand on my shoulder. “I'm sorry, dude. That's real —” Liv stopped so fast neither of us noticed, until Link bumped right into her. “Hey, what's up, MJ?” Link nudged Liv with his elbow playfully.
But she didn't move or make a sound. Lucille froze, the hair on her back standing on end, her eyes transfixed. I followed her gaze to see what she was staring at, but I had no idea what it was. There was a shadow across the street, lurking just inside a stone archway. It was formless, a dense fog, constantly shifting in a way that gave it shape. It was wrapped in some kind of material, like a shroud or a cloak. It had no eyes, but I could tell it was watching us.
Link took a step backward. “What the —”
“Shh.” Liv hissed. “Don't attract its attention.” The color drained from her face.
“I think it's too late for that,” I whispered. The thing, whatever it was, shifted slightly, moving closer to the street and to us.
I took her hand without thinking. It was buzzing, and I realized it wasn't her hand but the contraption on her wrist. Every dial was spinning. Liv stared at its face, unbuckling the black plastic strap to get a better look.
“I'm getting insane readings,” she whispered.
“I thought you made that up.”
“I did,” she whispered again. “At first.”
“Then what? What does it mean?”
“I have no idea.” She couldn't take her eyes off the device, but the black shadow shifted closer to us.
“I hate to bother you when you're having so much fun with your watch, but what is that thing? A Sheer?”
She looked up from the spinning dials, her hand shaking in mine. “I wish. It's a Vex. I've only read about them. I've never seen one, and I bloody well hoped I never would.”
“Fascinatin’. Why don't we bolt and talk about this later?” The Doorwell was in sight, but Link was already turning around, willing to take his chances with the Dark Casters and creatures at Exile.
“Don't run.” Liv put her hand on Link's arm. “They can Travel, disappear and materialize anywhere faster than you can blink.”
“Like an Incubus.”
She nodded. “This could explain why we saw so many Sheers at Exile. It's possible they were responding to some kind of disturbance in the natural order. The Vex is most likely that disturbance.”
“Speak English, real English.” Link was panicking.
“Vexes are part of the Demon world, the Underground. They're the closest things to pure evil in the Caster or Mortal world.” Liv's voice was shaky.
The Vex continued to move slightly, as if it was being blown by the wind. But it didn't come any closer. It seemed to be waiting for something.
“They aren't Sheers, ghosts as you call them. Vexes don't have a physical being, unless they possess the living. They have to be summoned from the Underground by someone very powerful, for only the Darkest tasks.”
“Hello. We're already underground.” Link didn't take his eyes off the Vex.
“Not the kind of Underground I'm talking about.”
“What does it want with us?” Link risked a glance down the street, mentally calculating the distance to Exile.
The Vex began to move, dissolving into mist and back into shadow again.
“I think we're about to find out.” I squeezed Liv's hand, trembling in my own.
The black fog, the Vex itself, thrust forward like angry open jaws. And a sound, loud and shrill, erupted from deep within. It was impossible to describe — fierce and menacing like a roar, but terrifying like a scream. Lucille hissed, her ears flattening against her head. The sound intensified, and the Vex reared back, rising above us as if it was planning to attack. I pushed Liv to the ground and tried to shield her body with mine. I covered my neck, like I was about to be devoured by a grizzly bear instead of a body-snatching Demon.
I thought about my mom. Was this how she felt when she knew she was about to die?
I thought about Lena.