Julian ignored the strange feeling tugging at him while he held Raelyn in his arms. He liked being close to her, that’s all.
◆◆◆
After Raelyn left to go to work, Hineker found Julian sitting with his laptop on the couch in the large living area. The demon placed a glass of sweet tea on the coffee table near his master.
“Letting the hound off her leash already?” he asked with amusement in his tone. The earlier conversation with Raelyn had put the enforcer demon in a playful mood.
Julian dismissed the verbal jab with a roll of his eyes and began to read the results of his search out loud.
“More than fifty percent of this state is covered by forests, there’s over fourteen million acres of it.” Julian scrolled down the screen. “It’s estimated that there’s more than eight billion trees.” He ran his fingers through his hair, disturbed by the results.
“This is a lot of ground to cover. Why couldn’t the demon have shown up in a state with less woods, like North Dakota or Nebraska instead?” Julian said, frustrated.
“It’s plenty of space to walk a dog,” Hineker commented, determined to get a rise out of Julian.
The demon master refused to take the bait and continued to focus on the research.
“Does the demon have a maximum range?” he asked.
“That depends on the creature’s age. The older the Chiranthodendron, the wider the radius of possible hand activity,” Hineker replied and tilted his head. “Your concern is unnecessary. The hound will lead us to the creature.”
The demon moved closer, certain that his next words would crack Julian’s stone exterior.
“You just need to train her.”
A muscle in the human’s jaw twitched.
Gotcha!
Hineker smirked, pleased to have finally gotten under Julian’s skin. The demon handed Julian the local newspaper, opened to the page of current events.
“Take the hound to this,” he pointed to the advertisement on the page.
Raspville Pumpkin Festival. Celebrating over forty years, the Raspville Pumpkin Festival draws folks from all over the state each year for music, crafts, and pumpkin pie. Come and experience a fun range of activities including arts and crafts from more than one hundred vendors, sample pumpkin inspired treats from the food courts, and enjoy the music from two concert stages that keep the music going all day and night. Fun activities for kids include face painting, carnival games, a pumpkin village, corn maze, pony rides, and a petting zoo.
“The festival will be crowded, loud, and filled with distractions. It’s a perfect training opportunity, and if the training doesn’t go well, leave her in the petting zoo.”
Julian’s fingers hovered over the screen of his phone, his reluctance to involve Raelyn evident.
Hineker’s lips pulled back into a sneer at the sign of hesitation. If involving the talents of someone who was gifted would help them win, then so be it. The game always came first. Both demon and master knew that.
Besides, his master had already started to develop deep feelings for Raelyn. Spending more time together would only serve to help foster their budding relationship and Hineker’s ultimate goal.
“Master Julian,” Hineker said, insistent. “You have no choice in this matter. Besides, you’ve already offered her your help.”
“I know,” Julian muttered, his face a mixture of emotions that Hineker failed to understand. Eventually, the demon master typed a message to Raelyn. He placed the smartphone on the coffee table.
And waited.
Bored, Hineker exited the room.
The pace at which humans built romantic relationships was so slow, it was almost painful. The enforcer demon has been around Rickelson men falling in love for more than a century, and he still didn’t understand why humans went through so many steps and struggles before making a commitment. It was such a colossal waste of time.
Chapter 18 - Raelyn
It was only half past ten and the pumpkin festival was already bustling with people. Raelyn’s mouth watered at the smell of delicious food. She walked by men and women waiting in line, with auras of curiosity and excitement at the possibility of trying something new. She passed colorful tables filled with arts and crafts. The auras of the vendors radiating with anxiousness and anticipation for future sales. Music from the concert stages carried to her ears, along with the yells of happy children who ran around with auras of playfulness.
The hand holding Raelyn’s own squeezed, drawing her attention away from the energy of the building crowd and back to the sexy man walking next to her.
Julian was dressed casually, a plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The t-shirt stretched tight enough to follow every contour of his chest, the jeans hugged his fine ass to perfection, and the Chelsea boots somehow added a touch of both sophistication and ruggedness to the look, all in his signature color—black.
Black had very quickly become Raelyn’s new favorite color.
“Are you ready?” Julian asked, his gray eyes focused solely on her.
He looked at her like she was a rare and mythical creature. Something to be cherished and praised. Her heart fluttered under his undivided attention.
When Julian had invited her to the festival to work on her gift, well, to say that she’d been surprised would have been an understatement. Sure, Julian had said that he wanted to help her, but to have him actually do it? The phrase “actions speak louder than words” had never felt truer to Raelyn. No man had ever treated her the way that Julian did. He believed in her. He wanted to help her, and she didn’t want to disappoint him.
Raelyn nodded, suddenly anxious for an entirely different reason.
“Relax,” Julian squeezed her hand again. “You’re going to do great. Just listen to the sound of my voice and ignore the rest.” He turned away, scanning the crowd. “You see that boy over there, in the green t-shirt? What’s he feeling?”
She followed his gaze to a child standing in line with his parents. The child was young, maybe six or seven years old. He jumped up and down, tugging on his mother’s sleeve. Raelyn tried to focus on the child’s aura but he was surrounded by other people. Another child ran in front of him and Raelyn flinched.
“I can’t tell. There are too many people.”
“Focus. Just focus. Ignore everyone else. Look only at him. What color do you see? How do you feel?”
Raelyn stared at the child, using Julian’s voice as an anchor. She ignored the flashes of colors around him. The nearby colors began to fade away, except for one shade that surrounded the young boy.
“Orange. His color is orange. He’s excited.”
“Excellent,” Julian praised.
He led her towards another family, this one with two children.
“What about the little girl in pink?”
The little girl ran to the vendor with cotton candy, then back to her parents. She turned around and pointed in the direction from which she had come. The father shook his head no, his aura radiating disapproval.
“She wants something but her father said no.”
“Focus on the little girl,” Julian said, steering Raelyn’s attention away from the father. “What’s she feeling?”
Raelyn shifted her attention towards the little girl. She watched the child tug on her father’s hand, then point at the vendor with cotton candy. Her aura flashed orange for a moment.
“She’s excited.”
The father shook his head no again. The little girl’s aura changed from orange to blue.
“She’s not happy anymore,” Raelyn said. “Now she’s sad.”
“Good. Let’s go find someone else.”
Julian continued to lead Raelyn through the fair. Each time picking someone out from the crowd and asking Raelyn to describe what she felt.
Eventually Raelyn realized that there was something unique about Julian’s choices.
“You’re only picking the children.”
“I was wondering how long it would take y
ou to notice,” Julian smiled. “Children are filled with innocence, they view the world with a simplicity that gets lost as we age. Basic emotions that they express strongly, and more importantly, clearly.”
He was right.
Raelyn could easily pick out the auras and emotions of the children. Children really did express their feelings loud and clear.
A nearby toddler let out an ear piercing wail and both Julian and Raelyn winced.
Sometimes, a little too loudly.
After taking a short break and sampling a few treats for themselves, Julian moved on to the arts and crafts stalls. Now that Raelyn was comfortable, it was time to try something a little more challenging.
“There’s one thing that both children and adults have in common. Emotions dictate reactions. This time, I want you to guess what the person will buy, before they do it.”
“A person might buy something for a lot of different reasons,” Raelyn pointed out, skeptical.
“True,” he agreed. “That’s why I want you to filter out all of the emotional triggers for why the person will buy, and focus on what they will buy. A person is only going to buy something when it makes them happy, the reason why doesn’t matter.”
Julian pointed to a couple browsing a collection of ceramic dishes. “Focus on the wife, what does she want to buy?”
Raelyn stared at the woman’s aura. Unlike the children, the woman’s aura shifted rapidly as she browsed.
“It’s too much,” Raelyn shook her head. With each negative emotion, it felt like another pile of dirt was being dumped on top of her. If she stared for too long the negativity would bury her alive.
“What color do you see when a person is happy?” Julian asked.
“Yellow.”
“Ok. Now I want you to ignore all other colors that you see and look for only one,” Julian said, his voice low and commanding. “Focus only on happiness. Look for the color yellow. Let all the other colors become part of the background. Wait until you feel the person is happy, then tell me what made them happy.”
Raelyn nodded. It was just someone shopping. She could do this.
The woman moved on to another booth, talking with her husband. When the couple reached the third booth, Raelyn saw it.
A yellow flare-up.
Happiness.
The woman stopped, staring at a table lamp with an antler base and a burlap shade. The woman’s aura brightened when she picked the lamp off of the table, inspecting it.
“The lamp made her happy,” Raelyn observed. “She’s going to buy that lamp with the antler base.”
“Let’s see if you’re right.”
Raelyn and Julian watched the woman as she talked with her husband. After a few minutes of conversation, the husband pulled out his wallet.
“Told you,” Raelyn grinned at Julian.
“Good job,” he praised. “Ready for another one?”
Julian continued to pick out shoppers, using the instructions Hineker had given him to help Raelyn sort through the conflicting emotions. Her confidence climbed with each correct guess. It became easier for her to ignore negativity and wait until she saw the first spark of happiness. Eventually, finding the aura of happiness got easier and her responses came faster. Soon Raelyn was not only identifying when someone would buy something, but also when they wouldn’t.
“She’s going to get that cow print pillow.”
“They’re going to buy the magnolia tree print.”
“Nothing for him this time.”
“It’s going to be the harvest sign.”
“She’s not buying anything.”
Issuing a silent challenge, Julian started picking shoppers who argued with each other, increasing the strength of the emotional backlash that Raelyn felt. Once again, his calm voice and steady presence helped Raelyn maintain her focus, without becoming overwhelmed by all of the negative energy. Eventually, her responses started coming just as fast as before.
“It’ll be the sunflower centerpiece.”
“Nope, nothing for them.”
“She wants those pumpkin candles.”
“He’s buying that pecan spiced tea.”
Switching tactics again, Julian began picking patrons buying more outrageous things.
A smile blossomed on Raelyn’s face. She’d never had so much fun interpreting auras before!
“She wants the purse with the hidden gun pocket.”
“He’s buying the floor lamp made out of beer cans.”
“It’s that crazy cat lady figure.”
Raelyn burst out laughing and looked over at Julian doing the same. He steered her towards an open picnic table. “Let’s take a break.” He patted the bench next to him and Raelyn sat down. He turned to face her, a look of amazement on his face.
“You’re incredible.”
A blush warmed her face at the praise. She couldn’t explain it, but something inside her felt connected to him. A thrill shot through her. She’d never been able to experience her gifts like this before. Normally, when the pumpkin festival came to town, she would hide inside her apartment. She would try to avoid the crowds as much as possible. But today, the two of them had walked around the festival grounds for hours and she’d barely been bothered.
A wave of gratitude washed over Raelyn. She’d never been able to stay around crowds this long before. She looked up at the wonderful man sitting next to her.
It was all because of him.
Julian reached up and caressed her cheek with his thumb. The tender touch made her insides melt. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his thumb as it slowly traced down to her chin. With gentle pressure he lifted her face upward and pressed his lips against her own. She parted her lips and his tongue swept the inside of her mouth, while her hands raised up automatically, coming to rest against his chest.
She loved his kisses and gave herself to him, pouring every drop of gratefulness into his mouth. It felt like the world faded away and it was just the two of them. He shifted closer and she could feel the heat emanating from beneath his clothes. She couldn’t stop her hands from running up his chest or circling behind his neck. She needed to touch him, to feel him. To reassure herself that this man pressed up against her was actually real. He nipped at her bottom lip and heat shot straight through her core. Her palm rubbed against the erection straining through his jeans. Julian growled, breaking the kiss. He pulled back, the raw desire in his eyes making her panties wet.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said hoarsely.
“Definitely,” she whispered.
Julian grasped her hand and pulled Raelyn to her feet. She hurried to keep up as he speed walked through the crowd. Passing by the arts and crafts area, he stopped long enough to buy a blanket then continued onward towards the parking lot.
“What’s the blanket for?” she asked, barely keeping up with Julian’s quick pace.
“You’ll see.”
Puzzled by the vague response, Raelyn followed Julian as he led her towards the parking lot. Parts of her body wantonly throbbed with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to be skin on skin with him.
The parking lot was busy with cars and pick-up trucks both entering and exiting. Julian’s brisk pace continued, the grip on her hand firm as he walked—right past his vehicle.
“Wait,” she tugged on his hand, “your car’s over there.” Raelyn tugged again, harder, forcing him to stop. “We’ve got to go back.”
“That line looks like it’s at least half an hour.” He pulled her body up against his own. She could feel his erection straining against his jeans and her insides warmed in response.
“I can’t wait that long.”
She just about spontaneously combusted at his heated words.
“Trust me, Country Girl.”
Julian led her to the far end of the lot and slipped through an opening in the gate. He continued to walk down a manmade path, the ground little more than dirt and rocks. After a few minutes they emerged from the brush, onto a paved pat
h surrounded on either side by grass and park benches.
“Are we in Wilton Meade Park?” Raelyn asked, confused. She had never noticed how close the park was to the yearly festival.
“Yes. I noticed the opening when we parked. Today the park is closed because of the festival,” Julian responded, turning once more off the path and back into the woods.
“How do you know that?” she asked, curious.
“The local paper,” he grinned, wickedly. “We should have the park all to ourselves.”
Raelyn hesitated. If the park was closed and they got caught inside, wouldn’t they get in trouble?
Probably. But, that was only if they got caught.
The idea that they were taking a risk sent a thrill of excitement through Raelyn. She hurried her pace to fall back in step behind Julian. She breathed in deep, enjoying the fall air. In her day-to-day life, she spent most of her time indoors, usually working or reading mystery books.
It felt good to be outside for a change.
The surrounding trees were alive with the colors of fall. The park was quiet, the only sounds the occasional rustle of a bird passing through the trees.
Julian continued to take the lead. How he knew where they were going, she had no idea. Raelyn opened her mouth to ask, when suddenly they emerged from the trees.
Julian stopped.
“What do you think?” he asked, turning to face her.
The sight in front of her took Raelyn’s breath away.
The meadow was large and flat, with wildflowers in yellows, oranges, and pinks covering every square inch of it. Butterflies moved back and forth, from one flower to the next. The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow across the space.
It was one of the prettiest landscapes that she’d ever seen.
“How do you know about this place?” she breathed, awed by the peace and tranquility of the meadow.
Julian moved to stand behind her as she stared. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his front up against her back. She relaxed into his hold, enjoying the comfort of his warm body pressed up against her own.
Demon Aura Page 15
