* * *
Cobblestone Press
www.cobblestone-press.com
Copyright ©2007 by Yolanda Sfetsos
First published in 2007
* * *
NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.
* * *
CONTENTS
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Epilogue
Author Bio
* * * *
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Alana Blues
Copyright© 2007 Yolanda Sfetsos
ISBN: 978-1-60088-180-0
Cover Artist: Tuesday Dube'
Editor: Nancy Baker
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
Cobblestone Press, LLC
www.cobblestone-press.com
Dedication
This one's for my muse and everything paranormal. They make a terrific combination.
I'd also like to thank Sable Grey and Deanna Lee, who helped lead me down this terrific path with their first acceptance.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter One
The rupture of the bullet as it hit its target still resounded inside his head. It used to happen almost every night, whenever Matt Jensen took the opportunity to catch some sleep. But now the memory would even find him if he sat in silence long enough.
It was a constant hit to his broken heart. One that after almost a year should have eased, but it hadn't. The pain of loss was still raw, especially with Halloween night fast approaching.
Matt had wrestled with the building emotions for weeks during the time they protected her from the dark creatures that skirted reality. The initial desire had warped into more, something that included his heart.
But she was gone now.
He'd waited too long to confess how he felt, hadn't taken the opportunity to let her know while she was within reach. Fate had decided they were never meant to be.
He didn't believe in destiny, but Alana had. She believed in a lot of things. One of them was Matt. But he had let her down, wasn't able to protect her in the end.
"Are you listening, man?"
Matt sighed, nodded slowly.
"What the hell's the matter with you lately, anyway?” Cain's blue eyes were wide and angry.
His friend and business partner had put up with his absentminded attitude since her death.
"We have to focus if we're going to do this,” he continued.
"I know, I know.” Matt ran a hand through his hair. He was overdue for a haircut, but didn't care about mundane details in his constant state of loss. “It's just—"
"It's just nothing! Matt, she's been gone for a year. Can't you just let her go? Don't look at me like I don't know, man. We've known each other too long.” The same force Cain used every time he suspected Matt was lost in daydreams of what could've been was applied now.
This was a conversation they'd exchanged too many uncomfortable times. And Matt knew exactly how sick and tired his friend was with the topic. Cain just didn't understand what it was like to truly love someone.
"It hasn't been a year yet,” he whispered. Matt cut his gaze across the parking lot, wanting to avoid Cain's. A woman in a white uniform headed toward the only car left in the large lot. What the hell was she doing on her own out here anyway?
After so many years of doing this, Matt still couldn't believe how many people constantly put their lives on the line without a moment's thought to consequence. If they'd seen and felt half the stuff he had, most would never leave their home. And even then, cocoon themselves from the many nasty things that took refuge in people's abodes.
"Whatever, man. Honestly, I'm getting a little bit sick of you moping around all the time. She's not the only chick in the world, y'know?” Cain continued his barrage. “What you need right now is an easy lay. Someone to blow your mind full of sex so much that you won't even remember her name afterward. Tell you what, after this we'll pop into a pub and pick you up a nice piece of ass. Someone has to make you forget all about Alana!"
"Check it out!” Matt pointed his chin toward the lonely blonde-haired woman in the parking lot. He wanted to abandon this conversation. He'd heard it a million times, but the answer was still the same. No one would ever replace, or make him forget about Alana. She was his one big regret. Still, that wasn't why he couldn't let go.
Cain didn't know it, but he'd fallen in love with her. And on that day, before she was stolen away from him, Matt had planned to tell her. That day he'd woken up knowing, deep in his heart, that he and Alana were meant to be together. The tension, the flirting and teasing, it would all turn into a meaningful relationship.
That was before a human weapon killed her.
"Okay, are you ready?"
"Of course, I'm ready!” Matt made a move to stand up, but his friend caught his denim jacket.
"No, man, I'm serious! Are you up for this, or will it be more dangerous to have you face this thing than to leave you here?"
Matt pulled his jacket out of Cain's grip. “Don't be stupid. Of course, I'm up for this!"
"That's what you said back in Tassie and look how that almost turned out."
"That wasn't my fault!” That incident had also taken place a month after her death. Less than a month after she'd been buried six feet under, and he'd had no choice but to face that Alana was gone forever. He'd never really accepted it. Sometimes reality was harder to believe than myth, especially in his life.
"You almost got us killed,” Cain whispered.
"Back off.” Matt stood up the rest of the way, stalked out from behind the bushes and into the open parking lot. They'd had no choice but to hide a fair distance from the lonely car and wait until the last minute. The lot was too open and empty. Now the creature was already on her.
"Matt!"
The creature's shadowy body buzzed, revealed itself for a second as it struggled to keep the woman's mouth open long enough to complete its invasion. Matt wasn't going to allow that to happen. Not on his watch. No one would ever die on his watch again.
Matt pulled out his small bottle of holy water and uncapped it as he ran and gained ground.
It was so quiet here that even the cap made a sound loud enough to echo in the night. He was only a few feet away from them now. The creature's red eyes were bright in the haze of black that was its face.
"Matt!” his friend continued to call.
He didn't pay any attention. What the hell was wrong with Cain that he felt a need to give away their approach?
Matt slowed down to a walk, took two long and heavy strides as he inhaled small breaths to calm himself. The stench of rot attacked his nasal passage instantly. This thing looked as if it had literally crawled out of the sewers.
Matt threw the bottle against the woman's chest. It wasn't the most sensitive thing to do, but hers was the corporal body. The glass shattered instantly, and the liquid contents splashed onto the murky entity. The writhing was instant
, as was the high-pitched squeal.
The woman fell out of its grip and collapsed against the side of her car, slid off and landed on her butt. Matt made a move toward her to help her up, but Cain was at his side.
He grabbed his elbow. “It's not over yet, man. Look at it properly."
The main mass of black was disintegrating right in front of their eyes, but another smaller one tore away from it with an audible slurp.
"What the hell?"
"It's a companion demon."
"A what?” Matt turned to look at his friend in utter confusion. As far as he knew, they both had access to the same texts, the same Web sites and occult contacts. Where had he been getting the extra knowledge?
"A companion demon travels as one entity but is really two—male and female. They force their way into a human body, live in it for as long as it takes to consume it from the inside out, and suck that person into them as well. Then, there are three. Make sense? It keeps expanding, gains size until it becomes so big it's almost impossible to defeat.” Cain explained the new discovery without making eye contact. His gaze was pinned on the creature still writhing from the holy water attack, while the other half slowly detached itself.
"How did you know that?"
"That's not important at the moment. All that matters is that we get rid of it right now!” Cain had his own bottle of holy water out, except his was a one liter bottle. He uncapped it, walked toward the entity, and poured the contents onto the cloudy mass.
The commotion continued, as did the high-pitched squeals. Cain poured the water until the bottle was empty. Both halves of the creature vanished completely.
Cain stood still for a few seconds before he made his way toward the woman. He threw the bottle on the ground.
The woman was crying, huddled against the side of her car. She jumped when he kneeled down beside her. Cain grabbed her chin softly, forced her face up so he could meet her eyes.
"I need you to drink this.” He said offering a small bottle like the one Matt used on the first entity.
"What ... what is it?” she cried. The woman rubbed her face with the back of her hand.
"What's your name, hon?"
Matt felt his insides quiver. A flash shot through his mind. Back to the late winter morning when they'd met the gorgeous, raven-haired Alana Alvarez. She'd contacted them and was willing to pay whatever it took to exorcise her apartment. She believed a legion of demons had found their way into her home. Cain had asked her what her name was in the same manner he'd just done with this stranger.
That silky, caring voice that could be friend or lover ... given the choice, maybe even both.
"Sandy."
"Okay, Sandy, I need you to drink this for me,” Cain said with a small smile. “It's to make sure that monster didn't get the opportunity to hurt your soul."
"My soul...?” she echoed. The tears fell along her cheeks, and Cain caught a few with his thumb.
"Please, it's not much. Just drink the contents of this tiny bottle, and we'll know for sure."
She eventually nodded, took the bottle into her shaky fingers, and drank the contents. The glass shattered a few seconds later when she dropped it on the gravel. Her face scrunched up as she stuck her tongue out.
"Does it burn, Sandy?"
"No, it's disgusting,” she said with a cough.
Cain looked over his shoulder, met Matt's eyes, and nodded.
That was code for: She's clear.
"I'm so scared. Do you think you could make sure I get home all right?"
"Sure, we can drive behind you.” Cain nodded as he made a move to stand up, but she caught his hand.
Sandy shook her head, spared a quick glance at Matt before she turned her attention back to him. “No, I meant just you and me. In my car, I doubt I could sleep alone tonight after this."
"Oh."
Matt sighed.
Cain sounded so sincere and surprised, but he knew that his partner always used this tactic on damsels in distress. Now that he thought about it, Cain seemed to find it hard to separate business from pleasure. Sure, this woman wasn't paying them, but the man who'd hired them to take out the demon was. In fact, except for Alana and the odd girl who just wasn't into guys, Cain wound up bedding every one of the females they crossed paths with.
"Okay, I can do that for you.” He stood up, this time taking her with him.
"Thanks."
"Just give me a sec, huh hon?” Cain turned away and headed for Matt. He lowered his voice when he got close enough. “You're okay with this, aren't you, mate?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"I wasn't lying about the pub thing though. You and I need to pick up a nice babe for you real soon, but tonight I need to console this poor, scared woman.” Cain winked as he checked her out over his shoulder. “She'll be real grateful that I saved her tonight."
"Yeah, you do that. I'll pick up the cash."
"That's not necessary. I can handle it later on."
Matt rolled his eyes. “I think you'll be busy later on. Don't worry. I can handle the money."
"But can you handle Miller?"
"Sure I can.” Matt knew for a fact that there was no way Samson Miller would answer his own door. One of his servants would make the payment.
"All right, if you're sure.” The shadows that played along Cain's face made him look different, eerie.
"Just go. Don't keep her waiting.” Matt gave him a friendly push. “Get out of here."
"Thanks mate. Don't wait up for me, huh?” he called over his shoulder as he walked toward the woman.
"I never do,” Matt whispered as his friend climbed into the passenger side of the stranger's car. After all, that's exactly what she was, another stranger who Cain trusted just because she was a female. He'd tried to warn him before, but Cain was fearless. Besides, after he fell in love with Alana—also a client—Matt couldn't exactly throw stones.
The small white car drove past, and Cain offered him a wave.
Matt returned it as he stood alone in the open parking lot. Only one light was erected toward the back. Other than that, the place was concealed by trees on three of its four square sides. It was situated behind a bunch of stores, which explained what a woman in a white uniform had been doing here alone at night.
Well, she wasn't going home alone.
The only one alone now was Matt.
Cain and Matt had been business partners for years. And friends for even longer, but he still felt alone most of the time. He'd run away from home as a teenager. After he found out his mother was some sort of medium who channeled ghosts all the time, and that his father was less than human. He never understood, not even now, how his mother had conceived him with a dead man.
After he found out the truth, Matt couldn't stick around any longer. It was sick. It still made him sick to the stomach to think that his mother would do something so screwed up. He'd always known she was strange and different, but never realized she'd pushed her crap onto him.
Cain didn't know Matt's secret about his mother. He'd never been comfortable with it himself, let alone enough to share it. Well, that was a lie. He had confided in one person—Alana. He'd told her about his mother's confession on his sixteenth birthday. Though he would've been more than happy to keep living the lie his mother initially told him:
"I'm sorry honey, but your father left us a long time ago and won't ever come back," she said on his tenth birthday.
On his thirteenth, she claimed that she would "help him connect with your father one of these days." And since he'd assumed his father was dead and buried, he didn't understand what she meant.
Until his sixteenth birthday when she gave him a gold chain and cross she claimed had belonged to his father. She told him he could use it to connect with his ghost. "Matt, your father and I ... There's no easy way to tell you this, honey. But he was a ghost when we conceived you. He'd been dead for years, but his ghost constantly connected with me."
Those were the last words he'd
heard her say. Matt learned to block out the rest of the conversation. He'd packed a few things and left that night. Matt didn't bother to contact her after that, but he knew she was as dead as Alana. He'd felt her touch his shoulder several times, whisper for him to turn around and talk to her. But he couldn't.
He could never forgive her.
Yet, he couldn't help but wonder ... if he'd listened, would he have learned a little more about the gift that was manifesting inside him?
He knew that whatever power his mother possessed had been passed on to him. And now with Alana gone, Matt wished he knew how to use it selectively. He didn't want to connect with the ghosts that tried to get his attention. He only wanted to connect with Alana, even if it was for one last time.
He would never forget her.
"I will never forget you either," the whisper was in the air.
Matt shook with the cool breeze that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He turned around in a full circle to make sure he was still alone.
He was.
A shiver slid down his spine, and he shook it away.
Matt picked up the discarded water bottle and pulled the car keys out of his jeans pocket. Then decided it was best to leave the parking lot and all the memories it was stirring up inside him.
The only thing Cain was right about was that he did have to get on with his life. Sure, it didn't have to involve other women, but he needed to clear his head of all the pain.
And with Halloween night only a few days away, maybe it would be as simple as a cleansing spell.
Not that he believed in magic.
* * * *
Alana's hand was stretched out in front of her long after she'd watched Matt walk out of the parking lot. She finally retracted the hand that had touched his arm. She was positive he hadn't felt her, again. This was getting harder with each passing moment that he didn't realize she was there, in the corner of his consciousness.
She waited patiently for Matt to open up to his gift. The gift that would allow them to see, talk to, and feel each other again.
"Oh, Matt.” Alana hated to see him look so sad, so alone. “I'm right here waiting for you."
Alana Blues Page 1
