The Wraith's Bargain: The Wraith, #1

By Jo Narayan

A year has passed since the nightmares began, and Dana is running on fumes. Her nightly torture by demons has left her reliant on caffeine and desperate for change.

Change comes, in the most unexpected way. When a demon comes for her in real life, Dana is saved by an Order of local demon hunters. They offer to help her to manifest and learn to control her own brand of magic, which could turn her life around. It will take time, but Dana is prepared to put in the work. That is, until she encounters the demon king himself who promises she won't have to wait--and is left with her head spinning.

Dana knows nothing good will come from trusting the demons--but she doesn't know how much longer she can handle the nightmares. It's not until a charming stranger starts turning up in her dreams and helping her out of sticky situations that she realizes she may have a third option. Unfortunately for Dana, he's a demon too--but he has just the bargain that could get her out of this mess for good. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jo Narayan
• Release date: Jul 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781734476514

Book preview

For Nik, who gave me the courage

to follow my dreams.

1.

Six-year-old Dana Sailors crouched with her ear pressed against her bedroom door, brow furrowed as she tried to understand the distorted words of the argument on the other side. The moonlight from her window painted a silver beam across the wood and provided just enough light to see. The angry voice of her father rose louder and louder and Dana felt her stomach clench. All at once her mother’s voice sounded, clear and unmistakable, " Demons pursue me, and the devil himself lies in wait."

As though the admittance aloud summoned them, shadows began darting around Dana’s room. She tugged on the doorknob, hands slick with sweat, but it was locked. Her parents were too wrapped up in their argument to notice their daughter beating on the wood and begging to be let out. Pushing herself off the floor, Dana fled to her bed and crawled under the covers.

A long scraping sound left her arms and legs shaking and Dana clasped a hand over her mouth to keep her scream inside. A low growl echoed throughout the room as the comforter was pulled away. Strength surged through her as her body grew, and suddenly the little girl was now a teenager. A flash of rage and courage made Dana launch herself at the monster. She tried to take it by surprise and escape, but the creature caught her by the leg. Claws dug into her skin and she shrieked, cursing and punching at the monster to no effect.

Dana awoke with the smell of matches still in her nose, her throat raw from strangled screams. At least, she was pretty sure she hadn’t screamed, since her father hadn't bolted into the room to check on her. She pushed herself up to sit on the edge of the bed, muscles shaking and mind still somewhat clouded from sleep. Dana glanced at the alarm clock as she trudged to the bathroom. Was it worth it? Four hours of sleep in exchange for...what? Terror and pain? No, thank you.

Dana rubbed at her temples as she climbed into the shower, the shot of adrenaline already giving her a headache. Once clean, she stood in front of her closet, wrapped in a towel. Her eyes scanned the choices and she shoved half of her wardrobe further back so that she could choose from the darker colors. Crammed in the back of the closet were dresses and tops in pastel colors, a fine layer of dust settled over the delicate lace and beading. In the end, she chose a long-sleeved burgundy turtleneck and some dark jeans. A groan escaped her lips as she stared at the mirror. The permanent dark circles under her eyes told testament of how often she had sleepless nights. That they were a badge of self-preservation and not an internet addiction made no difference; the world didn't know that.

Thirty minutes passed before she emerged, makeup now covering the evidence of her early morning. Dana checked the time again; it was only 6:20.

I guess I should study, she murmured to no one, walking out to the kitchen. She glanced sideways at the coffee pot; it was one-third full. Her father and step-mother must already be at work. Dana grabbed the pot and tipped the rest into a thermos, then rinsed out the pot and left it by the sink. There was no use wasting the caffeine, and she would need the energy. Dropping some Pop-Tarts in the toaster, she grabbed the creamer from the fridge. It wasn't the flavor Dana would have picked, but she'd prefer her parents not know that she was drinking coffee. She winced at the sweetness of the cinnamon eggnog flavoring, understanding for a moment why her father drank his coffee bitter and black.

An hour later, Dana's alarm went off on her phone. She reached over and shut it off, then shook her head. She'd been staring at her history book but hadn't taken a word of it in. Dana packed her school things back into her backpack, then retrieved her allowance from her room. She tucked the bills into her back pocket and went to her hiding place behind the bed. Stooping and worming her fingers along the edge of the wall, Dana pulled out a yellow cardboard box. She slid the sheet of pills out, then frowned. No, no, that can't be right. Have I gone through that many already? With a sigh, she pressed the two remaining pills out of the foil and stuck them in her pocket. Okay, coffee first. Then one pill before lunch. That will be enough.. right?

Her eyes clouded as she remembered the last time she had run out, a few months back. She'd stayed awake too long, and her body had been too exhausted to wake itself up. The damage that had been done... she shuddered. The monsters had caught her, and they had done more than just scratch and pull hair that time. They'd broken bones, nearly suffocated her, burned her feet... Dana's fingers trembled as she wiped at her eyes and she had to take several deep breaths. It will be okay. I'll just drink the caffeine, it will work. I only have to last until school ends.

When she arrived at school, Dana made her way down the hall, casting her eyes down as she passed a group of girls.

There she is, Becky said, not bothering to keep her voice down. Too good for us now. I guess the goth boys are worth giving up everything for. Her derisive tone earned a laugh from Jessica and Ashley.

I'd love to set Becky's perfect curls on fire. That would show them. Dana batted the errant thought away, making a beeline for the lobby where her closest friend waited, as he always did.

Marvin was leaning against the wall, one foot propped on the brick behind him. She lifted her chin to meet his eyes, thankful that he was only slightly taller than her.

’Sup? he asked, pushing himself to a full standing position. The chains on his pants clinked gently, but Dana was used to those. Her eye was drawn to the line of safety pins he'd attached around his bony wrist in the shape of a bracelet.

Those ever stick you? she asked, taking a sip of coffee.

Only if I want them to. He winked, earning a laugh, then stared at something over Dana's shoulder.

She turned to look, then sighed at him. Becky and them might be pretty, but they have zero personality. All they care about is how they look and what they can get away with because of it.

Like you used to? Marvin teased, eyes still following the girls. Sounds like you're jealous. At least they still have something going for them.

What's that supposed to mean? Dana grumbled, turning back to face him.

They have a life and friends. Hell, even I write poetry in my spare time. What do you do, Dana? Her silence only encouraged him. You can't say they have zero personality when you're about as interesting as a piece of paper.

A sarcastic piece of paper, Dana retorted, crossing her arms. But if you feel that way, I guess I'll go over here by myself. She turned, walking toward the vending machine.

Marvin followed her, thumbs hooked in his pockets. Come on, now, you know I don't mean anything by it.

Except that you do, Dana muttered, punching the correct buttons.

Well...okay, I do. But in a nice way. He watched as Dana retrieved the can of Mountain Dew and shoved it in her backpack.

Yeah, yeah. She took a sip of her coffee and picked up her bag. See you later.

✽✽✽

Dana smiled at Marvin as he slid into the booth next to her at lunch. She took a big gulp of her soda and rapped on the table with her knuckles. What's up?

Dana... he paused, a pained look on his face, I care about you. You know that, right?

Of course. You're my best friend. She frowned, not liking the direction this conversation seemed to be taking.

I figure if anyone needs to say something, it's me. He ran his hand through his shaggy blond hair. Something's going on with you. You're guzzling soda like there's no tomorrow, and I see you taking some kind of pill when you think no one is looking. You won't talk to your old friends, you quit yearbook. What happened?

Dana glared at him. None of your business. And you don't understand about the caffeine pills—I need them.

Need? Marvin paused. "No, I need pills; I have a diagnosis. You want them. You want the effects, you want to trick your brain into working better when you could do fine without any help."

Marv! Dana's voice rose and turned sharp. "You don't know what you're talking about. The best night of sleep I ever get is five hours—it’s usually closer to two or three. I used to be smart enough to get by in class, but now I just can't focus on anything when I'm so damn tired! Yes, I'm using caffeine probably more than I should. But I do not want to fail another grade. I'm already an outcast, almost nineteen and still in high school. So yes, I do need them."

Marvin stayed silent for a long minute. Dana flushed and looked around, hoping not too many people had been listening. Unable to interpret his silence, she bristled, ready to defend herself. Her mind whirled through an argument on fast-forward, preparing her defense. Marvin raised his eyes to meet hers. Instead of the defiance or disdain she half-expected, his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Why aren't you sleeping? His voice was low, and Dana realized she had never shouted at her friend before now.

Marv, I'm sorry. Her voice lowered back to a reasonable level, tempered with guilt. Sometimes I have trouble controlling myself. I shouldn't have yelled at you.

He nodded, accepting her apology, and waited for her to continue.

I can't sleep because— Her voice hitched and she took a breath. He would be the first person she'd ever told, but he deserved this trust. Because of my dreams. Last year I started having dreams where these...these monsters were chasing me. Before long, they started catching me and hurting me. It started happening more and more often. Almost every time I sleep now, I wake up drenched in sweat. My muscles ache. My head is pounding. And I can't go back to sleep. I feel like I've tried just about everything, so now I just try to stay awake as long as possible. To delay the inevitable. Dana felt hollowed out after confessing. It was a strangely good feeling.

Marvin stayed silent for another minute. This time Dana recognized that he was processing the information before speaking.

His fingers fiddled with the safety pin bracelet as he spoke, Thank you for telling me. This is serious stuff, Dana. But I'm going to find a way to help you. Look, I—my mom is into dream interpretations, and it sounds like these dreams mean that your life is messed up and out of control. You need to work on making yourself better and taking control to make them stop.

Dana rolled her eyes. Thanks, Marv, but I don't believe in that stuff. Besides, monsters chasing me seems more like it'd be about...oh, I don't know, fears or something. I'm glad I told you, though. I feel a little better.

Maybe all you need is a therapist. I'd be glad to offer my services. He smiled then, and Dana knew they were returning to more familiar ground.

Yeah, okay, Dr. Marv. I'm not crazy, I don't need a therapist. Her voice was sharper than it should have been for the comment, but he didn't know that she had reason to take comments like that to heart.

✽✽✽

The rest of the day passed in a haze. At the end of classes she stored her doodle-covered notes in her locker. Dana cringed as she realized she'd drawn monsters with jagged teeth and claws chasing a stick figure. Even in her waking hours, she couldn't get away. A year of running had changed something in her; Dana couldn't force herself to care or pay attention to classes she'd sat through before. She was in her last year of high school—she hoped—and it was almost halfway over. Senior-itis had been brewing for over a year now, and her grades reflected that.

✽✽✽

After the last bell, Dana hoofed it to the gas station a few blocks away. Almost there. She walked slowly down the sidewalk, lost in thought. I made it. I made it through the day. She squinted against the sun, eyes burning, and wished she'd had the foresight to bring sunglasses.

Darkness crept into her vision, followed by red eyes and the sound of rushing feet. A growl sounded behind her, and Dana froze. Slowly, she turned around. A blaring sound shook her to her core, unlike anything she'd heard from the monsters before.

It sounded again.

Light flooded her vision as Dana squinted, arm held protectively in front of her face. Gradually, colors began to resolve into shapes. A truck? Her mind caught up and she immediately ran back to the sidewalk. Traffic resumed as she stared at the street in horror. I.. I fell asleep walking? Is that possible? The adrenaline surging through her veins told her that yes, it was. She rushed the remaining distance to the gas station.

Hey, the cashier greeted her. Dana gave a nod of acknowledgment, arms and legs still trembling, and went straight to her usual spots in the store. Plopping down three Monster energy drinks and a box of caffeine pills on the counter, Dana started digging in her pocket. Be calm. Breathe.

$14.76, the young woman said, watching Dana count coins. You know, this stuff is cheaper at the grocery store.

Or you guys could give me a discount for buying so much. A punch card, or something. Dana managed to get enough cash together and handed it over.

They're not gonna do that, the cashier replied, her tone implying she'd tried to affect change before. Unless you shit talk them on Facebook. Then they might give you a coupon.

I'll try it. Dana muttered, sweeping her purchases into her backpack. Giving the woman a wave, she walked outside and immediately opened the box. She swallowed the pill dry and then jogged toward the city bus stop.

A shiny black pickup truck sat in the driveway. Dad must be home already. She eased open the front door and kicked her shoes off onto the mat by the wall. Her dad walked out of the kitchen, drinking the last of a can of Mountain Lightning.

You're home early, she commented.

You're late. He crushed the can and tossed it into the trash. Hanging out with that weird friend?

Marvin isn't that weird, Dad. His mom is head of the PTA.

Just means his mom isn't weird. I heard he's on medication.

Dana sighed. It's ADD medicine, Dad. It makes him more...normal. She winced internally at the word. Otherwise you really wouldn't approve of him. Like you don't approve of me.

A moment of awkward silence passed.

At least being home early gives you more time to work on your projects, Dana forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Her father nodded. That's better. You should go visit Mrs. Hutchinson, she'll give you something to do.

Dana smiled blankly and nodded in agreement, waiting for him to leave.

The moment he did, she sank onto the couch. It was so exhausting, pretending to be normal. No way could she keep it up around the widow who lived down the street. Sure, Dana used to go to her house all the time, but she hadn't been in almost a year. When the nightmares got bad, she'd stopped doing a lot of things.

She rubbed her eyes and shook her head. Without anything to distract her she'd almost nodded off within moments. She pushed herself up and walked into the kitchen, slipped her energy drinks into the back corner of the fridge, and went to her room. Closing the door behind her, Dana went straight to her hiding spot to stash her new box of caffeine pills. She took a swig of the half-empty can of Mountain Lightning she'd left out last night and downed another pill, just to be safe.

While waiting for it to take effect, she turned on her laptop and started to browse the web. Dana's eyes strayed over to a shoe box on her desk, a thin layer of dust on it. Inside lay the pieces to the last project she'd started with Mrs. Hutchinson, the ring, beads, and cord all ready to be made into a dream catcher. Dana shook her head and turned back to her computer. She wasn't superstitious and those things didn't work. The internet, however, did work, especially for keeping sleep at bay. Maybe she could lose herself for a few hours.

Not that there was much to lose.

2.

Dana slumped in her chair, eyes unfocused as she stared at the board in her last class, wishing that she had an unlimited supply of the drug that brought her so much alertness and clarity. She doodled a stick figure with a caffeine IV sticking from its arm.

If only I could avoid the jitters and nausea....

When the bell rang, she started in her chair and shook her head, putting her things away. Dana stared into the dark hole in her bag for a moment, dazed. When she looked back up, the room was empty except for her teacher.

Dana. The man was walking toward her, his plaid sweater vest drawing her eye.

Yes, Mr. Edmond?

I know I've said something to you before. He sighed, and Dana wondered whether she must look particularly bad lately for two people to feel the need to talk to her. But I'm concerned. You were a solid B+ student last year. You put in the effort, you did your assignments, but halfway through the year, you just stopped. You float through the classes, scraping a passable grade by the skin of your teeth. So far, you're on track to not have to repeat the class again, but if this continues you'll have to. You don't seem to care about much of anything anymore, even your future.

Dana nodded. None of this was new information.

Is something going on in your home life? A divorce, or anything else that might make you unhappy?

No, not really.

Are you ill?

Dana considered that for a moment. She supposed a partial truth couldn't hurt. I might have insomnia.

Mr. Edmond thought for a minute. Sleep deprivation would explain some of your behaviors. Have you been to a doctor?

No.

The school nurse?

No.

He sighed. Dana, I recommend you go to the doctor. Have your parents make an appointment. There's a medicine that could help you. Going without sleep can be detrimental at your age; your brain is still developing.

Okay.

If I don't see improvement within a few weeks, I'm calling your father and demanding he take you to a doctor. In the meantime, stay away from sodas and try some exercise or something before bed to see if it helps.

Alright. Thanks, Mr. Edmond. She picked up her bag and high-tailed it out of the classroom, mentally berating herself for making her situation worse.

From now on, I'll have to wait until later in the day to take the caffeine so I can seem more normal in his class. It was unfortunate because some of her favorite classes were in the morning. Well, they used to be her favorites. They might still have been if she was up to participating.

That afternoon, Dana spent a long time thinking about the things that Marvin and Mr. Edmond had said to her. It was nice to know that people cared, but worrying that her troubles were so obvious to others.

Who else has noticed? Or noticed but not cared?

Dana sighed, running a finger over a framed photo on her wall. The picture was of her parents, together and smiling, a brown-haired toddler on her mother's lap. As she'd grown older, more and more into her mother's likeness, the distance between her father and her had only grown. Her memories were fuzzy at best, but Dana was pretty certain that her mom had talked about dreams. She had at one point researched whether or not her mother's disorder was hereditary, but found no solid answer. The idea was daunting and one Dana didn't care to revisit often. Needing to move and walk off her worries, Dana went to the kitchen to get a snack.

Maybe I really could improve myself....

She grabbed a bag of barbecue potato chips and popped a few in her mouth.

Right then, her stepmom walked in. You know it's almost dinner time, right? she joked. Dana chuckled a bit, taken off-guard.

Growing kid over here. I could probably eat any time and be fine.

Tara sighed wistfully. I miss that metabolism.

Dana didn't respond, she was used to comments like that from the woman. She was nice enough, but not home very often. Her job as a grocery store manager had her working odd hours.

Will Dad be home for dinner?

Yep, he answered, walking in the front door, carrying his shoes. He