“Don’t hurt him!”
The demon, who looked more solid than ethereal, remained rooted to his spot, clearly undecided. Then the unmistakable sound of pounding steps on the stairs that led to the apartment filled the room.
Help was near, Hannah realized. Someone had heard her scream, realized she was in trouble, and was coming to the rescue. She hated herself for wanting to be saved but she was so out of her element she didn’t know what to do.
Banging started on the door almost immediately.
“Hannah! Are you okay?”
It was Tyler. Hannah’s eyes jerked to the door as she tried to estimate if she could make it across the room and let the veterinarian in without crossing paths with the demon. When she looked back, the creature was gone. He had disappeared again, dissolving into the night.
She was okay.
She was alive.
She was also rigid with fear.
TYLER CALLED COOPER AS SOON as Hannah found the courage to let him into the apartment. Then the animal handler sat with her until Cooper arrived. The security guru was a big ball of nerves when he stormed through the open door, immediately setting his sights on Hannah and rushing to her.
“What happened?” The question was directed to Tyler as he crushed Hannah against his chest.
“The demon was back,” Tyler replied, calm. He’d already had his freakout when Hannah explained what she found when exiting the bathroom.
“You saw it?”
Tyler shook his head. “I saw ... something. I don’t know how to explain it. Hannah had every light in the place on — I figured she might leave them on the entire night or something — and I wasn’t paying all that much attention. Then I heard her yell from downstairs when I was pouring myself a drink. I rushed up right away ... and I heard another voice inside ... but it was gone by the time she let me in.”
“Geez.” Cooper rubbed his hands over her shaking shoulders. She’d obviously been through the wringer. “How did it get up here?”
“I have no idea. I didn’t see anything on the street ... and I was paying attention just to be on the safe side. I’m not sure how it got up here or out.”
“Well ... great.” Cooper stroked Hannah’s hair before leading her to the couch so they could sit. She looked shaken, as if she was barely holding up. He couldn’t blame her. She’d gone through more in a few days than most people could tolerate over an entire lifetime. “Look at me, darling,” he instructed with a gentle tone. When her blue eyes lifted and he saw the fear reflected there, fury took over. “I’m so sorry. I knew I shouldn’t have left.”
“I told you to leave,” she reminded him, speaking finally. She sounded stronger than she felt, which she was grateful for. “This isn’t your fault.”
“It’s nobody’s fault,” Tyler countered. “It’s something we’re going to have to deal with, though. If that thing is still hanging around ... we’re going to have to find another way to kill it.”
“We’ll put Jackie and the others on that first thing in the morning.” Cooper swayed back and forth as he continuously rubbed his hands over Hannah’s back. “Did it say anything to you, Hannah? Do we know what it wants?”
“It didn’t say much,” she replied. “It was angry, blamed me for what happened. Then it said I didn’t know what I was talking about. It had a bit of a meltdown and threw the vase against the wall. That’s what woke Jinx and I was afraid he was going to do something to hurt him. That’s when I screamed.”
Cooper was taken aback. “It threw a vase? I thought you said it wasn’t corporeal.”
Hannah took a moment to consider that. In the moment, when she’d first seen the demon, she didn’t waste time wondering how it was suddenly so solid. That was a fact, though. The shadow from the night before was an actual being in her apartment … although it used magic to throw the vase. When she explained that to Cooper, his confusion only grew.
“Then how did it get out of the apartment?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it can make itself corporeal at times. I can’t answer that.”
“Okay.” He continued rocking, thoughtful. “Well, you’re not staying here alone. In fact, I think maybe it would make sense to move into the extra room over the brothel until this is settled.”
Hannah was flabbergasted. “You want me to stay in the brothel?”
Her reaction was enough to have him chuckling. “I’m not casting aspersions on your modesty, if that’s what you’re worried about. The demon has made it in here twice, though. I don’t want to give him the opportunity for a third try.”
That made sense in theory. Hannah had a few problems with the scenario, though. “What’s to stop him from entering the brothel?”
“Nothing. Are you saying you want to stay here?”
“Well ... .” She wasn’t sure how to answer. “Not alone.”
“And here we go.” Tyler brightened considerably as he shifted and playfully smacked Cooper’s arm. “And here you thought you were going to get shut out of the loving tonight. She just engraved an invitation for you.”
Cooper didn’t want to start yelling and frighten Hannah, but he was at his limit with his friend. “Tyler, I think it’s time you headed down to your place. I’ll take over watching Hannah for the rest of the night.”
Tyler let loose a saucy wink. “You bet you will.” He was feeling full of himself as he swaggered toward the door. “Do you want me to take Jinx so you guys can have proper alone time?”
Cooper was actually considering it, but only because Hannah seemed so worried about her furry friend. When she immediately started shaking her head, though, he thought better of it. She would never sleep if she was separated from Jinx.
“We’ll keep Jinx with us,” he insisted. “He’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Don’t say I didn’t make the offer, though, and don’t come crying to me tomorrow if the dog ruins your play time.”
Cooper managed to swallow a sigh, but just barely. “I will walk you out.” He waited until he was in the hallway with Tyler to unleash his anger. “What is wrong with you? Do you really think now is the time to make juvenile statements like that?” Tyler was usually the sympathetic sort so Cooper had no idea why he was acting the way he was.
“Actually, I think now is the perfect time to say stuff like that,” Tyler replied reasonably. “And, before you start screaming at me, keep in mind that’s only going to make her feel worse. She’s a bundle of nerves and she’s exhausted. She needs sleep.”
“And I’m going to make sure she gets it ... but not the way you’re insinuating. I mean ... what sort of guy do you think I am?”
Tyler chuckled at his friend’s outraged expression. “Don’t clutch your pearls so tight, Esmerelda,” he teased, grinning. “I know you’re not the type of guy who would take advantage of a woman in this situation. Heck, I can’t think of any situation where you would take advantage of someone. It has nothing to do with that.
“I want her to relax and laugh,” he continued, not missing a beat. “She’s coiled so tight she’s bound to snap if you’re not careful. I thought if I teased her, caused her to think of something else, she might ease up a little bit. I wasn’t really trying to mess with you.”
“Oh.” Cooper had to admit that sounded like a good idea. “I guess I take back the mean things I said.”
“You didn’t say anything overly mean.”
“I did in my head.”
Tyler snickered. “I guess I had that coming. Honestly, though, I was trying to help her relax. I guess I’ll leave the rest of that particular program to you.”
“That would be best,” Cooper agreed, peering down the stairs before resting his hand on the doorknob. “I need you to make sure the downstairs is locked up tight.”
“I’ll handle it. Also, don’t worry about breakfast in the morning. I’ll handle that, too.”
“Can you call Boone and get him out here tomorrow morning? I think we all need to have a serious talk.”
“I can also handle that ... and I agree. If that demon is hanging around out here, I’m honestly not sure we should open the town.”
Cooper had been considering that himself. “Did you make the calls to the workers?”
“No. I was going to do that after I got my drink.”
“Then hold off. Right now, I think it’s best for everyone if we don’t open tomorrow. That can’t be the line we hold forever, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. We just eradicated one threat in the form of Lindsey Lincoln. I don’t want to risk someone else dying up here before we figure out exactly what’s going on.”
THROUGH A LOT OF CAJOLING — and some heavy cuddling — Cooper finally managed to lull Hannah to sleep. She slept in the middle of the bed, Jinx on one side and Cooper the other, and curled into him.
He held her the entire night, not relaxing until he was certain she slumbered without dreams chasing her, and even then he was on alert for the slightest noise in the apartment. Thankfully, for everybody, the demon didn’t return.
After nine hours of sleep, Hannah finally stirred. When she opened her eyes, she found Cooper staring at her.
“Hey.” She snapped awake, suddenly self-conscious. She’d forgotten she wasn’t alone when she went to bed. “I ... you’re still here.”
He arched an eyebrow, amused. “Did you think I was going to slip away in the middle of the night? If so, I’m pretty sure I should be offended. That’s not who I am.”
She already knew that. “I didn’t think you would or anything. I just thought ... maybe it was a dream.”
Cooper understood what she was saying. “You were kind of hoping it was a dream.”
“Not because of this,” she said hurriedly. “I would prefer not seeing a demon, but this is really nice. I mean ... really nice. I wouldn’t want to trade this.”
“Just the demon stuff, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I would trade that, too.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then hunkered down a bit so they were at eye level. “This is definitely nice.”
Hannah was certain her hair was a mess and she hadn’t bothered to wash her face before turning in, despite the long soak in the tub. She probably looked a mess, but she didn’t care. The way he looked at her said he didn’t care either.
“What are we going to do today?” she asked when her heart stopped flipping.
He smiled, the expression lighting up his handsome features. “Well, I’ve been giving that some thought. Are you opposed to spending the entire day in bed?”
She shot him a churlish look. “I don’t think we should be worrying about that when we have a demon on the loose.”
“You’ve got a gutter mind, darling. I wasn’t suggesting that. I thought we could spend the whole day in bed talking.”
Instead of being charmed, as he expected, she snorted. “Oh, puh-leez.” She rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle she didn’t tumble out of bed. “There’s no way you and I are spending an entire day in bed together without something happening.”
He grinned at her certainty. “I am a gentleman. I can control myself. You must be worried about your hormones taking over.”
“Ha, ha, ha.” She poked his side. She felt lighter than she expected and she was glad for his presence. “Your hormones are just as bad as my hormones.”
“On the contrary. My hormones are polite and keep their hands to themselves.”
“Good to know.” She rested her chin on his chest. “I’m being serious, though. What are we going to do? A day in bed doesn’t really seem like an option.”
“It’s not,” he agreed, playing with the ends of her hair. It was long and wild after a crazy night, but it suited her. “Tyler is picking up breakfast. We should probably get cleaned up and head down. We’re not opening Casper Creek today after all. I probably should’ve asked you before making the decision, but you had enough on your plate last night.”
“I’m okay keeping the town closed another day. I don’t want a demon attacking some poor, unsuspecting family.”
“We’re on the same page there. Boone is coming out and I asked for Jackie and the other coven members to be here. Basically we need to bounce ideas off one another and go from there because I’m completely out of my depth.”
“Me, too.” Hannah let loose a lengthy sigh. “Can we spend five more minutes doing this? I know it’s not an entire day, but I’m warm and cozy and not quite ready to get up.”
As if agreeing, Jinx thumped his tail on the bed behind her, his eyes remaining screwed shut.
Cooper laughed at the dog’s reaction. “How about ten minutes? We might as well milk it for as long as we can.”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
“Yeah.” He nestled her close, his lips pressed against her forehead. “Once this is finished, though, I think we should definitely consider spending an entire day in bed together. I bet my hormones can outlast your hormones.”
She laughed at the challenge. “You’re on.”
“Just so you know ... I like winning. I’ll hold out on principle alone.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Now I’m really looking forward to it.”
“That also makes two of us.”
16
Sixteen
The group was already in the saloon when Cooper and Hannah hit the main floor. Jinx, apparently on a tear to get outside and greet the day, didn’t take time to sniff anyone before bolting under the swinging doors and hitting Main Street.
“I take it he had some business to do,” Tyler noted, grinning. “Did you guys keep him up all night with your ... conversation?”
Cooper shook his head and frowned. “I’m seriously going to beat the crap out of you later.”
Tyler’s smile never wavered. “I’m looking forward to you fitting me in your schedule.”
“You’re a big talker.”
“I am. I can still take you.”
Jackie made a tsk-ing sound with her tongue as she sat in a chair and graced both men with dark looks. She was in her sixties but looked ten years older given the way she glared. “I’m so glad I never had kids. I mean ... so glad.”
Tyler winked at her. “You would love me as a son.”
“That is a frightening thought.”
“They’re just arguing to make me feel better,” Hannah announced, moving toward the makeshift buffet that Danielle was setting up. She was the resident cook at Casper Creek, but the food had been picked up at a neighborhood diner, which meant she made continuous faces as she glared at the takeout bags and fussed over the layout.
“Why would arguing make you feel better?” Jackie asked, confused.
“It’s a guy thing. Last night they were afraid I was too morose so they started arguing to cheer me up. I think it’s a Three Stooges thing.”
Cooper pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. “I didn’t think you realized what we were doing.”
“You weren’t doing it at first,” she countered. “Tyler was the one doing it. Then you realized what he was doing and tried to join in. It was kind of cute ... and definitely sweet.”
Cooper turned sheepish. “Well ... it’s kind of embarrassing now that you know what we were doing.”
“It’s fine.” She waved off his concern. “I needed the levity after ... well, everything.”
“What’s everything?” Boone queried as he strolled into the room. He looked well-rested, and yet troubled all the same.
“Actually, we were waiting for you to arrive so we could tell the story,” Cooper replied. “We only want to tell it once.”
“Speak for yourself,” Tyler countered. “I plan on telling the story where I raced to a woman’s rescue heedless of my own safety at least fifty times. I’m guessing it’s going to get me applause.”
Cooper pinned him with a murderous look. “She knows what we’re doing so there’s no reason to keep being ... well ... you.”
Tyler snorted. “I’m always m
e.”
“Knock it off,” Boone warned, extending a finger to quiet both men. “While I’m usually entertained by your antics, we have a lot going on and I don’t think we should be focusing on this.”
Cooper sobered. “You’re right. What’s going on?”
“Logan is locked up in a detention center for minors. Given what he’s been accused of doing, they can’t allow him to mingle with the other kids. That’s probably a blessing in this particular case because he’s the youngest one in the facility.”
Hannah sank into a chair as she absorbed the news. “What are the odds of getting him out?”
“They’re not good,” Boone replied, opting for honesty. “They have pretty damning evidence, including eye witness testimony from two neighbors who saw him terrorizing the dog that went missing.”
Sickness rolled through Hannah’s stomach as she attempted to maintain her demeanor. “That is ... horrible.”
“It is,” Boone agreed. “It’s definitely horrible ... and I don’t see how there’s anything we can do about it. The state police are handling the investigation. They’re not going to believe anything I have to say once the word ‘demon’ comes out of my mouth.”
“We have to try, though,” Hannah persisted, refusing to give up. “He didn’t do this. The creature inside of him is the guilty party.”
Boone remained dubious. “Hannah, I don’t want to crush your spirits, but there’s very little I can do. You should be happy that you’re off the hook. They’re looking at Logan as a suspect in his father’s death. I’m guessing they’re looking for the same poison that killed the neighbor. Because of that, you’re free and clear. Sure, Lindsey might try to sue you, but she’ll be laughed out of court if she tries.”
“I don’t want her laughed out of court,” Hannah countered. “I mean ... I don’t want her to win or anything. I don’t want her to suffer more pain either. Believe it or not, I think there’s something wrong with her, too.”
Cooper slid her a sidelong look. “What do you mean by that?”
“Didn’t you watch her yesterday?”
A Fistful of Demons Page 15
