Twenty-Four

Joe

The night air was warmer than the last two nights. Seattle weather could be like that. Joe looked up into the sky, unable to make out many stars because of the lights in the city. The view wasn't half bad, despite that. He'd left Kuro to watch over Marie as she slept and come out to walk off some energy. The pain witches had issued their warning the other night, so the chances they'd be out here, breathing down his neck, were slim to none. Babel still wanted him and Kuro to do the job, after all.

He didn't know how long he walked and didn't care how far. He'd even gone over to some of the steps leading down from 1st Avenue to the waterfront and come back up them again. More than once. It took a lot to wear himself out physically, a fact he liked to smirk about any other time.

Fine. He could smirk about it now, too.

But he was still angry. Angry with the pain witches who had hexed him and his lover. Angry with Babel for hiring those damned supernaturals to make things more difficult. Yeah sure, the main goal of Babel was creating chaos. Fine. Adding it into their lives wasn't something Joe had expected, and he was realizing just how terrible it had been for him and Kuro to be a part of doing this kind of thing to others. And it could have been worse. Could still get worse. Which made him angrier.

He was even slightly angry with Marie for asking for knowledge from him. Not that she didn't have good reason. She at least wasn't completely selfish in wanting to know more. At least a major part of what drove her was consideration for others, worrying about what the consequences would be for the people involved.

He used to think people didn't appreciate the truth in the phrase ignorance is bliss . Now, he still thought it was a thing people should embrace more often than not. But having met Marie, he also realized it was a privilege to choose ignorance.

He couldn't keep going through life, taking contracts from Babel, and not realize how much harm came with the kind of chaos Babel incited as an organization. So here he was, angry because a person he was falling in love with had chosen the exact opposite of ignorance and it had been within his power to give her what she sought.

It had been a truth only acknowledged between himself and Kuro that Joe didn't have the best control. He had never experienced fear like watching the pallor take over Marie's complexion as his yeowoo guseul, his fox bead, had been inside her. He'd tried not to absorb her life energy, and when he couldn't stop it, tried to slow the process as much as possible.

Still, he could have killed her. If she hadn't had such a strong will, if she hadn't been such a gifted witch, if she hadn't been surrounded by her plants and in one of her places of power, she wouldn't have survived him.

Worse, he couldn't even control when to take his fox bead back. Because she needed the knowledge, and it was her choice. So all he could do was respect her wishes and be ready, be alert for when he sensed her begin to push him out. Then he'd taken his fox bead from her as fast as he could. The waiting had been torture. The longer it had drawn out, the harder it had been to hold back from consuming her life energy.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, the alarm giving him advance notice of the hour when Kuro would change back. Joe blew out his breath long and slow. He should head back. He turned and looked up at the high-rise that was Marie's apartment building. She was on one of the middle floors, not particularly high, but still a floor that could overlook any of the immediately surrounding buildings. He wondered if he could pick out her apartment, with row after row of plants in the window. He searched for it and failed. Of course. She was a clever witch and her wards probably hid her in more ways than just magical detection.

She really didn't need him.

At least Kuro had been helping her during the day with the investigation. He'd also created the pocket universe for her to use as her own think tank. Yes, Joe had given her knowledge she couldn't have acquired for herself, but he'd almost killed her to do it. She might feel it was worth it, but he sure as hell didn't agree. He couldn't even control his own form to be reliably there for her at any time, day or night. There was precious little he had control over in his life right now and he couldn't remember a time when he had been so miserable, despite being so in love.

There wasn't much he could do, but he could still make good decisions, right? Each one would lead to something better. It had to. Because there were two people waiting at home for him, even if he didn't think he had much to offer them right now. So he could take one step at a time to be more, be better, for each of them. And he'd better get his ass back to Marie's apartment before she and Kuro worried.

"Joseph Choe. Nine-tailed. Gumiho." A familiar voice raised all the fine hairs on the back of Joe's neck. "I warned you things could get worse."

Joe turned to face the pain witch. "Are you kidding me? It's only been a couple of days. What kind of results is Babel expecting?"

The pain witch laughed and it was an ugly sound. "Oh, this isn't because orders came in from Babel. I just don't like your attitude."

Well, damn. This wouldn't be the first time Joe's sparkling personality pissed somebody off.

"You fox demons just popped up out of nowhere. You take contracts and you operate like you're too good for any of the other supernaturals in the city." The pain witch grimaced. "When you come to the offices, you don't acknowledge us. It's like every time is the first time you've ever met me or my colleagues."

Joe raised his eyebrows. " Have we met?"

"Fuck you."

Joe held up his hands, palms out. "No seriously, I'm standing right here looking straight at you and if someone asked me to describe you, I don't think I could."

The man sputtered. "Well, of course not. We're out in public, on the city streets. Precautions are necessary to prevent eyewitnesses."

"Ohhh!" Joe drew his exclamation out, nodding. "I wondered why I could never quite remember what you looked like. Not when you brushed past me the first time and not when you threatened me the other night. Oh, I'm sorry, was that one of your associates and not you? It's really not fair to hold that against me, if your magic is performing as designed. Really, me not recognizing you is just confirmation of a working feature, not a bug."

The man's hands were curving into claws, like he wanted to reach out and strangle Joe. That was okay. It was a common sentiment. He probably shouldn't be antagonizing the pain witch, but he'd been spinning his wheels mentally and emotionally with no outlet for his anger. He needed to mess with somebody. Maybe if he riled this guy up enough, the witch would let something slip and Joe could gain an advantage.

He sneered at the man, tossing his head so his hair flipped back just so. "But really, what can I do to help you feel better? I could recommend a great pho place that serves the freshest liver—cooked, of course. Have a bowl on me."

"Gumiho can give preternatural knowledge."

The memory of Marie's face, becoming more drawn, paler by the moment, floated in Joe's mind. "We can."

Rage was boiling up inside him until he could barely see past it. This was his nature as a gumiho. He was all rage and bloodthirst and he wanted to rip out this man's heart and liver for daring to even mention the gift Joe could give.

"Share your knowledge, give me something to have an edge on the other witches in my coven, and I'll think about delaying the next consequence for you and your lover boy."

The pain witches must have formed a coven within the shelter of Babel. Of course. It would change the balance the established coven of hereditary witches had maintained. Babel was all about chaos. Solitary witches like Marie would be in danger.

Well, that was information he could give to Marie without sucking the life out of her.

Joe chuckled and he knew the sound of it was different, darker. He reached for something to pull him back from the dark abyss. He focused on this man's face, only he couldn't quite register details. No memorable characteristics. Joe recalled what he'd been thinking earlier—when he was determined to be a better person—about Marie's wards. He hadn't really thought about how Marie had been going around the city as striking as she was and not being noticed by these pain witches. Must be a witchcraft thing. But he and Kuro had been able to recognize her. Why? Witchcraft was about intent, Marie had said. She set her wards with intention. Even if she hadn't realized it, Marie hadn't intended to hide from him and Kuro.

Joe smiled.

"Well? Are you going to give it to me or do more bad things need to happen?" The pain witch sounded like a cat hissing and spitting.

Joe sauntered over to the man. "I'll give you the knowledge you seek."

This close, Joe could at least tell where the man's gaze was going. It worked the way it always worked.

"I want to mess up that pretty face of yours."

Joe pouted. "Oh, but then how would I give you my yeowoo guseul? It's not personal. Just say ah."

The man muttered a curse, then opened his mouth.

Joe tilted his head forward enough to seal their mouths together. This time, he let his yeowoo guseul into the man and deliberately drew as much life essence as he could, as fast as he could. There was a long minute when the man stood, lost in the knowledge he was gaining, probably observing the lands within his inner being, then the people. Who knew what horrors a person like him, who had visited terrible acts on other lives, would learn? But then the man choked. Joe raised his hands, grasping either side of the pain witch's head, keeping him from jerking away. Joe reached out his tongue, pushing his yeowoo guseul far down the man's throat. Finally, he reflexively swallowed it, and Joe let him go.

"What? How?"

"Did you look up at the sky?" Joe asked. He'd never done this. Exhilaration left him giddy. This was on a whole new level from what he'd experienced in his past feedings.

"What are you talking about? No. There was just dark." The pain witch put a hand over his chest. "What did you do?"

"You mean what am I doing?" Joe sneered. He could be ugly, too. This was a part of his nature. With this person, he wasn't sorry.

"That's enough." A new voice came from behind him.

Joe shifted his stance to face the newcomer, but before he could do anything the newcomer raised his hand and pointed. Shadows wrapped around Joe and then there was nothing.