“Well, what I’m saying is that people like you and me would be able to tell the difference. Why do you ask?”
I took a deep breath, placing both hands around the cup still filled with bad coffee. “I crossed paths with something today. Well, yesterday. This entity seemed to fit the demon mold—hot spots, dangerous behavior, aversion to religious icons—but it also had poltergeist qualities. I don’t know. Maybe there’s some sort of mutation going on with ghosts.”
Her eyes widened. “Is that even possible?”
“Who knows?” I didn’t know anymore. Why couldn’t things just be simple and straightforward?
Lavie sucked from her straw until the annoying sound of her empty glass echoed around us. She continued to suck from it, cheeks puckered as she moved the straw around before finally giving up. “I’ve heard of demons using poltergeists as a pathway to crossover. Sometimes powerful and greedy demons want to pass through to our patch so badly they’ll risk such a thing. I don’t know if they survive the attempts but it’s been known to happen. Maybe that’s what you dealt with.”
“Maybe…” I wasn’t convinced.
“So, did you kick its ass?”
I laughed and nodded, thoughts of the experience ticking over inside my mind. It should have made me shiver with disgust and fear, but Lavie had a way of making things seem more interesting. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
She leaned forward. “How’d you do it?”
I didn’t particularly want to share something so intimate with someone I’d just met, but also didn’t want to lie and make myself sound like an inexperienced moron. If we were going to work together on this Burr dilemma, I didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot. Besides, I’d already decided I liked Lavie the demon hunter.
So I told her the only truth I knew. “I have no idea.”
Chapter Six
I extended both legs under the cool sheets, stretching the entire length of my body until the bones in my arms and legs creaked in protest. The bed felt so comfortable, cool and soothing against my bare skin. The scent of lavender filled my nose, keeping my eyes closed off to my surroundings.
My skin still buzzed with the memory of the lingering dream lapping at my mind. It had been a very satisfying experience, which for some reason had starred Papan, instead of Jonathan. Jason Papan—my friend and private investigator with an office above mine—seemed to appear in my dreams a lot.
I shook my head, hoping to release the imagery. But no, it still hung in there—the panting, the touching. Oh boy! I needed a cold shower.
The sun was trying to break past the heavy blinds, but it wouldn’t happen. I made sure they were insulated for this particular reason. Being me, sleeping during the night wasn’t always guaranteed. Most of the time I’d either fall into bed in the early hours of the morning, or sometime after the sun was already high in the sky. At a time when normal people were making their way to their very normal jobs, not trying to push everything out of their minds so they could drift off to sleep.
There was nothing normal about me or my job, and the incidents in the wee hours of this morning proved that. All those new faces flashed through my mind, one after the other. The experience felt a little surreal while I lay on my back lazily staring at the darkened ceiling of my bedroom.
Had it really happened? Or was I having some sort of delusional episode because I didn’t want to be the only “weird” person I know? Okay, so Ebony’s pretty weird, but these people had opened my eyes to many possibilities. The world outside my front door suddenly felt darker, the streets full of seemingly average people hiding their true selves until it was time to feed whatever calling was embedded within their souls. What kind of powers did these hunters possess in order to battle their nemeses? My powers—as limited as they seemed—were still enough to enable me to entrap suspicious, dangerous or stupid spooks.
Did the others have powers to help ease their jobs too?
I thought of Lavie and her jumbled exterior. She seemed a mess. I could see her being like that all the time, not just because she’d dropped by after some sort of confrontation with a demon, but because it was what her life dictated. Then I remembered sliding out of the booth with my eyes focused on the puddle of goo sitting on the seat where her backpack had been seconds before. I saw her wince when she wrapped her arms around it before glancing back down at the puddle. Her eyes had brightened as she moved to head for the door.
Was she going to wipe it up with a magic rag, or did she have another way to make the residue disappear? I didn’t know and wondering about it wasn’t going to provide any answers. Lavie had, however, provided me with a very real possibility about the creature I’d faced at the Prevette house.
If the gap in the fibers between was wide enough, surely demons would be the first to jump on board, using anything available to pass through unnoticed.
Poltergeists would be the perfect vessels—young, devious and very curious. Those qualities alone were enough to be overcome by a greater demonic creature while providing the perfect cover.
I turned onto my side and buried my head further into the soft pillow. The lavender helped me relax and I could feel my mind wavering. I was slipping back into sleep, heading towards a dark place with no floors, walls or ceilings.
After taking a deep breath, I lifted a hand and found it was translucent. I wasn’t even standing, more like floating in midair.
Someone else was there with me.
My heart sped up. I wanted to reclaim connection with my body. Was this what it felt like to be a ghost? Disconnected from everything?
The sudden scent of strawberries filtered through and I knew what that meant…
But my body shuddered violently, legs jerked awkwardly as my eyes fluttered open. I was still lying in bed, the sheets had fallen away from my body, but I was sweating. The crisp coolness of the sheets was gone. The air inside the bedroom smelled stuffy.
The sound of the telephone pierced my brain. It was sitting on the bedside table, ringing. I took a second to wipe my eyes and sucked in a deep breath before answering.
“Hello?” My voice sounded groggy, mouth felt dry.
A heavy sigh was followed by, “Where the hell are you? So much for giving me lectures about not doing my nails before nine. You didn’t even bother to turn up to work. It’s two in the afternoon, Sierra.”
Two in the afternoon? I double-checked the alarm clock. The red numbers confirmed it. “Sorry, Ebony, I just had a late night again.”
“Ah, okay.” She lowered her voice. “And who exactly did you have this late night with? I’ve got Jonathan waiting here for you. Apparently you were supposed to be having a late lunch at one thirty.”
Oh shit, how could I have forgotten again? I scrambled out of bed. “Don’t let him go anywhere. I’ll be over as soon as I can.”
“Sure, but you owe me, boss!”
“Okay, okay, I owe you.”
Ebony raised her voice and said sweetly, “I’ll see you soon, Sierra.”
“Yeah”—I sighed—“and Ebony…”
“What now?”
“Thanks.”
“Hey, are you sure you’re all right?”
“Positive.”
Jonathan wrapped a firm arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “You sure smell good.”
“Like lavender?” My hip bumped into his as we walked side by side down the busy street.
“Mmmm…I think so, but it could just be you,” he murmured into my hair.
A shiver of delight raced down the back of my neck every time he touched me. The spidery feel of his whisper in my hair, breath hot against my scalp, hand on my waist—everything excited me. Jonathan always made me feel semi-normal. I could temporarily forget about all the weird stuff in my life as long as we were together. He liked me for me, something I usually had a hard time believing of anyone.
I’m not the most exciting person in the world. I don’t have much to talk about that doesn’t revolve around my job, and probably
look distracted most of the time. It’s not that I don’t pay attention, because I do. In spite of what others may think, I’m actually a very good listener. It’s the filters inside my brain that sometimes make it look as if I’m in la-la land, a thousand miles away. My head gets bogged down with junk too often.
Jonathan pressed his lips to my cheek. “Oh yeah, it’s definitely all you.”
“I doubt it,” I replied, trying to stifle a yawn. I hadn’t had enough sleep once again. Actually, I hadn’t had time to jump in the shower before rushing out to meet him either. Luckily, the lavender on my sheets clung to me, giving me a false sense of feeling refreshed.
“You look tired. Didn’t sleep well?”
“No, actually I didn’t. I was…” I shut my mouth. There was no point in finishing the rest of the sentence. Telling him about the bunch of strangers in the abandoned part of town wouldn’t be a good idea. Not only was it my business, but he’d probably frown and worry about me more than he already did. Jonathan knew I could take care of myself, but it didn’t stop him from worrying and wishing I didn’t spend so many nights working.
He raised an eyebrow as he looked down at my face. “You were what?”
“I couldn’t get comfy, so it took me ages to fall asleep. That’s all.” A half truth. I was getting good at this.
“I’m sorry.” He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. “Maybe you just need some help getting to sleep.”
I laughed. “Yeah, right, like that’s going to help me sleep.”
“You’d be surprised.”
I snuggled into his shoulder. The doorstep to my office building was within sight. The chicken salad I’d forced myself to eat while I bathed in his glory sat rigid inside my stomach, swimming in the water I’d drank.
“Well?”
“Well what, Jonathan?”
He stopped and tugged on my hand lightly so I had no excuse not to face him. Jonathan placed both hands on my shoulders and lowered his face to mine, touching my lips with his. It was a simple, soothing touch, a feathery kiss.
Jonathan was such a turn-on. I was surprised we’d managed to stay out of bed this long. But between my trying not to rush into anything physical too early in the relationship, his going away for several months, and my job keeping me busy, we’d only managed to get close a few times. Even indulged in a bunch of foreplay, but never quite got there. It seemed like such an unreal situation for two adults.
I didn’t know about him, but I was really starting to crave more.
“How about we call in a pizza at my place tonight and see where it leads us?” he whispered, his lips lightly brushing against my earlobe.
I shivered, in spite of the heat from the sun beaming down on us. “Uh, there’s nothing I’d like more, Jonathan…but why wait for tonight?”
He met my eyes, questioning. “So we can build up towards it.” His fingertips were running up and down my bare arms, raising my flesh with excitement.
“It doesn’t have to be a big production, you know.”
“No?”
“No,” I said slamming my lips against his and pressing the front of my body flush with his. I wrapped my arms around his neck. My tongue found an opening and slipped into his mouth. When they collided in a rush of desire, Jonathan withdrew his. “Come upstairs to the office.” I couldn’t believe I let the thought slip out through my mouth. This was crazy, but the compulsion to consummate things with Jonathan was starting to peel away at any resistance I’d been holding on to.
“Right now, in your office?” He took a small step back, his eyes so dark they looked almost black.
Something flashed in his gaze and it made gooseflesh race along my skin, but I was sure it was just our mutual desire. “Sure.” I closed the gap between us again.
“Ebony’s up there.”
“She can run some errands.” The heat burned me from the inside out, and I was afraid it would scorch me at any minute. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me, but all I wanted was Jonathan’s hands all over my naked body. And I wanted it right now. Of course, having him run his fingers over my arms wasn’t helping my growing fever.
He pushed me back a little, sighing loudly. “I can’t right now. I should get back to the store.”
I ran a hand down his hard chest. His heart was beating as fast as mine. “Come on, I know you want it.”
He took another step away from me, holding both my hands in his. A sharp breath escaped him and he closed his eyes for a second, as if he was fighting for control. When he opened them again, he said, “Of course I want it, I’ve wanted you since the beginning, but something always gets in the way. Right now it’s my job, for once. Can you believe it?”
I took a deep breath of his scent, hoping the knot of desire would loosen. “I guess I’ll have to settle for tonight then.”
“Great. I can’t wait.” His fingers slid away from mine as we continued down the footpath. Seconds later we were standing at the doorstep. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“No, how about I meet you at the bookstore? I was hoping to sneak a look at some of your demonology texts, if that’s all right with you.” Recalling my demonic troubles was better than a bucket of ice, because the desire suffocating me only moments ago had completely dissolved. Strange.
Jonathan squeezed my hand. “You know it’s more than all right, Sierra.”
“Okay, I’ll be there around six.”
“Six?”
“Do you really want to waste any more time?” Jonathan smiled before lowering his lips for another kiss. This time he didn’t hold back. He pulled me into the tight embrace of his arms and pressed his lips harshly against mine. I opened my mouth to him, letting his tongue wander inside.
When we pulled away, I was breathless.
“I better get going before I take you up on the offer of going upstairs after all.” Jonathan pressed his lips down into a firm grimace, as if he was finding it hard to control himself. “It’s a bit of a walk back to the store.”
I couldn’t stop a chuckle. “Okay.” I let my hand slip away from his.
“Bye, Sierra,” he said before turning away.
I wrapped my arms around myself. The heat of the late-afternoon sun couldn’t thaw me out at the moment, even though the fervor of desire had burned bright only seconds before. I was freezing, felt cold all over when I let my back fall against the stone formation of the building, afraid my legs would give out on me.
What’s going on with me?
I kept my eyes on Jonathan’s back until he crossed the road. He quickened his pace, never looking back. Just when I was about to look away, I could’ve sworn he jumped into a waiting car. By the time I squinted my eyes to hopefully get a better look, the sea of people on the sidewalk and the cars on the road swallowed up any chance of following him with my gaze.
It took several minutes for my heart to become steady, but my mind was wandering.
“Sierra Fox?” The voice startled me out of my romantic reverie turned delusion, and disrupted my calming heart.
I almost jumped out of my skin.
Chapter Seven
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I pushed off the brick wall to focus on the person who’d ruined my brief romantic escape and glimmer of confusion. Wasn’t I allowed one moment’s peace without some sort of interruption? I would’ve enjoyed the chance to take a few deep breaths before having to deal with anyone.
Yet, here she was. Another stranger, her blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail. Several strands strategically framing her narrow face as her blue eyes stared into mine. Closer inspection revealed light brown eyebrows, and similar roots along her hairline.
“I hope I’m not intruding, I was just on my way up to your office, but I recognized you.” Her tone was only a degree higher than a whisper.
Damn those newspapers for putting my picture out there for everyone to see. Even if one of those pictures had been an ad Ebony somehow convinced me to tak
e out. I really had to stop listening to every little scheme she came up with.
I took a step forward, glancing at the woman’s black gloves. How odd, to be wearing gloves in summer and on such a sunny day. The rest of her outfit seemed a little winterish too—a gray coat fell past her hips, over matching-colored pants, and a white shirt peeking beneath.
“Do we have an appointment?” I finally found my voice, after drowning the lustful residue Jonathan had left behind.
She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, we don’t. I’ve tried to get through to you several times during the last few days but your receptionist continually takes messages. I really need to speak with you.”
Her voice was so low I was starting to struggle. The noise on the street was muffling her so much I was afraid I’d miss something important. The thought of Ebony and receptionist being used in the same sentence made me smile. She’d love that. “Why don’t we go upstairs, Miss…?”
The woman cleared her throat. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rude. My name is Carleen Hocking.” She held out her gloved right hand.
I shook it. Just like her features, her handshake was frail. “This way, Miss Hocking.”
“It’s not important, but it’s Mrs.”
If it wasn’t important, why did she mention it? Either way, I nodded and stepped into the cool building. A line of goose bumps emerged along my uncovered arms. I wasn’t dressed for business after slipping into my comfy worn jeans and light T-shirt in my haste to meet Jonathan.
The beauty of this old building was that even if the office heated up during the day, there was always enough natural coolness circulating in the corridors and stairwell.
The blonde followed me up to the second floor, high heels clacking against the wooden floor, the scent of expensive perfume leaving a trail behind us. I couldn’t stifle a sneeze. Perfume has that effect on me. Or I get so light-headed I feel like I’m drunk.
“Bless you.”
“Thanks.” No amount of blessing had ever helped my situation.
I reached the familiar door, turned the handle and stepped into the darkened office. Ebony had music blaring out from the computer speakers, something loud by a band I didn’t recognize. Although there was less than a decade between us, Ebony always managed to make me feel old.
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