Personal Demons

by Lisa Desrochers

  A combination of fear and panic grips me. The last thing I need is for my boss to be taking notice. “I can’t just take her, Belias. In case you’ve forgotten, there are rules.” But as I say it, it feels false—I’m making excuses.

  His eyes flash red lightning as he grins wider. “The rules are changing.”

  “Really? I didn’t get that memo.”

  His grin pulls into a grimace. “This one is important, Lucifer. There’s no room for mistakes. Don’t blow this.”

  My king’s voice echoes in my head. Don’t disappoint me.

  “That’s why I’m taking my time. No mistakes. Now run along. I’m sure Avaira is getting cold.”

  He smirks. “I could finish this job and get back to Hell before Avaira got cold.” Creatures of lust are truly disgusting—which is why I won’t let this slimy incubus anywhere near Frannie.

  “Well, I could leave you to this,” I gesture to Frannie’s window, “and go keep Avaira warm for you.” I’m bluffing, but he glowers at me.

  “The boss is impatient. Don’t take too long.” Then he phases in a puff of brimstone—poof, gone.

  I wait for a long while, still tucked behind the tree, deciding what to do. Finally, I move through the shadows to my car and stay the rest of the night there—watching.

  13

  A Cold Day in Hell

  FRANNIE

  My heart is pounding as I wait at my locker ’cause, after last night with Luc, I’m not sure what to expect. I stare blindly at my books and shift my weight from foot to foot, failing spectacularly at trying to appear casual. And then I catch the faintest wisp of cinnamon, and I smile just as his hot hand eases around my waist and pulls me to his burning body.

  “Hey, gorgeous.”

  His voice sends a shiver through me despite his heat. I open my mouth to argue about the “gorgeous” thing, but then I’m too busy melting into a puddle on the floor to actually say anything. I turn around in his arms, and he kisses me. And the crowded hall full of sweaty high school students is the only thing keeping me from tearing right into him. But there’s nothing I can do about the stupid grin that pulls at my mouth when he takes my hand and leads me across the hall into room 616.

  He leans his shoulder into mine as he reads aloud through the end of The Grapes of Wrath, and I catch Mr. Snyder’s smile as he notices.

  “Nicely done, Mr. Cain,” he says with a wink. “There will be no final exam for this class, but your wrap-up essays for The Grapes of Wrath will be twenty-five percent of your grade for the course. I’ve put together some questions to help you frame your final thoughts on this book.” He drops a stack of papers at the end of each row, and they’re passed down. “You want to take your time on the outline—really formulate your thoughts—before starting on the essay. Utilize all your chapter outlines to pull this together. This is Thursday. I’ll give you until Monday to put together your outline based on this list of questions. Your essays will be due the following Monday—the last day of class. Take a minute to read through the questions before the bell.”

  Luc scans the page, then he looks at me with a crooked smile. “I think we’re going to need to spend all weekend locked in my apartment working on these.”

  I lean into his shoulder. “Will I be your prisoner, or am I free to come and go?”

  His crooked smile pulls into that wicked grin. “You won’t want to go anywhere.”

  And the bell rings, shocking my heart back into rhythm.

  But, when we step out into the hall, I’m shocked again. My heart sputters and nearly stops. ’Cause Gabe is leaning against my locker, smiling at me like some kind of angel.

  God, he’s beautiful.

  My feet stutter, and Luc wraps his arm around my waist to steady me. I take a deep breath and force my feet forward.

  When Luc sees Gabe, his hand around my waist tightens. “Gabriel.”

  I can’t look Gabe in the eye, but I hear the disappointment in his voice and it nearly rips me in half. “Walk with me to physics?”

  I glance at Luc and pull gently away. “Sure.”

  We weave silently through the crowded hall, and I feel Luc’s eyes burning through my back. I keep my eyes fixed firmly on the gray floor tiles as we walk.

  Finally, just before we reach our classroom, Gabe stops walking and says, “So, this is what you want? Who you want?”

  My heart feels ready to explode, ’cause I don’t know what I want. “I … maybe.”

  “Maybe,” he repeats.

  I can feel the weight of his gaze, so I turn to face him. I start to open my mouth, but there aren’t words, so I close it again.

  He wraps a hand around the back of my neck and leans in. At first, I think he’s going to kiss me, and that aching tingle explodes low in my belly as I realize how much I want him to. But his cheek brushes past mine and he whispers, “Tell me what to do to change your mind.”

  This.

  My mind is totally blank, I can’t even remember how to form words. A rueful smile curls his lips as he places his hand on my back and guides me into physics without another word.

  As we slide onto our stools, Ms. Billings sweeps by and dumps an armful of lab equipment in front of me. I focus on the lab and try to forget everything. But it’s impossible to ignore the aching inside, and the way it’s really hard to breathe, and how I want to touch Gabe every time he looks at me.

  By the end of class, I’m a basket case. I can’t even remember what the lab was about. But, as I rush through the halls to my locker, I see Riley and Trevor tucked into the alcove near the janitor’s closet sucking face, which improves my mood. I can’t help laughing out loud. Taylor’s gonna shit a brick.

  When I get to my locker, Luc is leaning against it, looking hotter than Hell. He presses me against the lockers and kisses me, then opens my locker and exchanges my books. Did I give him the combination? I don’t remember.

  “Ready for Sanghetti-fest?”

  “Ready.” I feel kind of stupid, ’cause now that I’m with him, I can’t wipe this ridiculous grin off my face. So I probably look like a total freak the whole time we’re walking to building 2, but his hot hand on my back is all I care about.

  After class, we start up the hall for lunch, but I grab his arm. “So—let’s not go to the cafeteria today,” I say, not quite ready to face Gabe with Luc in the same room.

  He grins. “Did you have something else in mind?”

  “I’ve got some munchies in my locker. It’s a nice day. We could just hang out on the lawn.”

  He slides his arm around me, and I almost purr right out loud. “Sounds good.”

  We collect the bootie from my locker, which mostly consists of Red Vines and Oreos, get some sodas out of the machine, and wander out to the courtyard.

  That’s when I remember that Reefer and the guys hang out here and jam at lunch. He watches us step through the door.

  Luc notices and unwraps his arm from my waist. “We can go somewhere else if you want.”

  I glance back at Reefer and wave. “No. This is fine.”

  I pick a spot on the other side of the raised flowerbed in the middle of the courtyard and sit with my back up against it. While Luc runs to his car for a blanket, I drop my head back and bask in the warmth of the sun, listening to Reefer and the guys play. I sing along softly and try to clear my head of anything that matters. After forever, when I realize Luc’s not back yet, I open my eyes and find him sitting in the grass across from me, smiling.

  “You didn’t tell me you could sing.”

  I drop my eyes and feel my cheeks start to burn. “I don’t much anymore.”

  He gets up to spread the blanket on the grass. We settle in, and I lay back and gaze up at the sky. When I lift my head and glance at Luc, he’s still staring at me, a faint smile perched on those lips. All of a sudden I want to kiss him.

  “I get the feeling there’s more to you than meets the eye, Mary Francis Cavanaugh.”

  I look away and pull a deep breath. “N
ot really. So, why do you insist on picking on Mr. Sanghetti, anyway?” I say to change the subject, remembering how they bickered all through class—again.

  “Just doing my job.”

  “Really?” I break into the Oreos. “And what, exactly, would that be?”

  “Driving him to lie, cheat … whatever it takes.”

  “Whatever it takes to do what?”

  “Send him to Hell.” He gazes into my eyes, waiting for my reaction.

  I just smile, ’cause I got that about Luc a long time ago. “Why him? Why not Mr. Snyder or Mrs. Felch?”

  “Because they don’t annoy me.”

  “Do I annoy you?”

  He grins. “You are so under my skin … this annoying little itch that just won’t stop.”

  “Well, I’m going to Hell already, so you’re too late.”

  “You think so?” he says through a bigger grin.

  I pull my hair out of the knot and swing around to lay with my head on his thigh, like a pillow. “Yep.” I unscrew my Oreo and scrape the white stuff out with my teeth. “And you’ll be there too. I can tell,” I mumble through a mouthful of greasy sugar.

  “Most definitely,” he says, brushing my hair out of my face with his finger.

  When the Oreos are gone, we pull up the blanket and head inside. Taylor attacks us just inside the door.

  “We missed you. Private lunch date?” she says with a raised eyebrow.

  “Semi-private. Reefer and the band serenaded us.”

  She laughs. “That’s poetic.”

  Gabe steps up behind her and looks at me, ignoring Luc. “Can we talk?”

  Taylor’s smile spreads into a grin as Gabe and I step out into the courtyard. He props his back against the wall, all casual, but his face is intense. “Frannie …” He blows out a sigh and looks up at the clear blue sky for a minute as my pulse pounds in my ears. Finally, he looks back at me. “I guess I just need you to know that, no matter what happens with him … with any of it … I’m here for you.” His hand cups my face and his thumb traces the lines of my lips, leaving them on fire. “But, please, think about this. Lucifer is … dangerous.”

  I pull away from him. “So are you!”

  My mouth drops open. Did I just say that out loud?

  From the rueful smile on Gabe’s face, it’s clear I did.

  Oh God. What the hell is wrong with me?

  “I mean …” but my words trail off, ’cause I have no clue what I mean.

  I spin and walk back into the building, my face on fire, and find Luc and Taylor both waiting inside the door. Luc glares at Gabe while Taylor raises her eyebrows over questioning eyes.

  I storm up the hall to my locker, leaving them all in the dust, and avoid them like a bad rash for the rest of the day. But Luc slides into the seat next to me in last period government class. “You free after school?”

  I know I should say no, but I don’t, so he walks with me to our lockers after class and I collect my books. We’re making our way to the parking lot, and I’m totally conscious of Luc’s arm around my waist, not sure if I want it there or not. I finally decide I do, but before we reach the end of the hall, I glance up to see Angelique Preston glaring at me. Her arms are folded across her chest, nearly pushing her boobs right out of her shirt.

  I give her my best smirk.

  But as we walk by, she eyes Luc like they’re sharing a secret.

  And all of a sudden, I come crashing back to Earth.

  I look at Luc. I know I can’t trust him. So why am I trusting him? Even though I only want his body, I’m not thrilled at the prospect of sharing it with Angelique. As we climb into his car I’m starting to wonder if going back to his place to study is such a great idea. I almost suggest that we go to my house instead, but I really don’t want to deal with my alien parents.

  I stare at him as we pull out of the parking lot, a contented smile just turning up the corners of his mouth. “So, what’s going on with us?”

  His smile stretches into a grin. “What would you like to be going on with us?”

  I’m in no mood for games. “Cut the shit and just answer my question.”

  LUC

  “Wow. Okay …” As I think about Frannie’s question, I’m not quite sure how to answer. I’m not sure which would scare her more: “I really want to get you into bed” or “I’m trying to tag your soul for Hell.” Both true. But, under all of that, there’s more—something deeper that pulls at my insides and makes it hard to think anytime I’m with her. Something I can’t even begin to define or articulate.

  What does she want me to say? I start cautiously and turn away from the road briefly to watch her face. “Well, I’m not quite sure. I like you a lot.” Understatement of the millennium. “So, can we just see where it goes?” Like, to Hell, maybe?

  She draws a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess that’s fair.” Then she looks a little unsure and adds, “But I’m kinda curious. Why me?”

  “Why you, what?”

  “Angelique, Cassidy, Taylor … half the girls in this school are throwing themselves at you. Why would you want to go out with me?”

  “Let’s just say I’ve been around the block a few times, but I’ve never met anyone like you, Frannie. You’re one of a kind.” All true—and you’re also my mark.

  We climb the stairs to my apartment, and when I push open the door I realize, too late, that I should have been more careful. There’s a long, lean, raven-haired beauty with glowing black bedroom eyes and some serious curves sprawled across my bed wearing … well … not much.

  “Avaira,” I say through my surprise.

  Frannie’s eyes scream fury and she throws up her arms. “I knew it,” she says, turning to head back down the hall. “You’re such an asshole,” she adds without turning around. And I catch the black pepper of her rage. Mmm …

  It’s clear that there’s a definite glitch in my radar. First Belias at the quarry and now Avaira in my bed. I should have known she was there before I ever opened the door. And it’s more than just Frannie distracting me. My psychic connection to the nefarious seems to be seriously waning.

  Belias and Avaira—the dynamic duo. All of a sudden this place is crawling with demons. Which means Frannie isn’t safe.

  I actually let out a laugh when what I just thought registers. Frannie hasn’t been safe since I got here.

  I slam the door and follow her down the hall. “Frannie, hold up!” But she doesn’t even slow down. “It’s not what you think. She’s my … cousin,” I yell after her as I jog to catch up.

  Nearly to the top of the stairs, she wheels on me as I approach and spits, “You’re so full of shit!”

  I smile, trying to defuse this a little. “Have I ever lied to you before?”

  She glowers at me. “Yes.”

  Maybe that wasn’t the best tactic. “Well …” And I start to say that I’m not lying now, but I am, so that would be a lie.

  “You know what? You can take your ‘cousin’ and go straight to Hell,” she says, spinning and running down the stairs.

  “Where are you going?”

  She says nothing—very, very loudly.

  “At least let me give you a ride home.”

  Still nothing.

  I follow her down the stairs and through the door to the parking lot, trying not to smile. She has no idea how adorable she is when she’s furious. “Fine, I’ll walk you home.”

  She doesn’t look at me. “Just leave me the hell alone.”

  But the thing is, Hell isn’t going to leave her alone. That much is clear.

  I back off and let her go—sort of. But I’m not going to let her out of my sight. Because where there’s Avaira, Belias isn’t far. I strain my sixth sense listening for him. Nothing. But he’s here, I’m sure of it. Because it’s also clear that Avaira was meant as a diversion, or at least a distraction, for me while he went after Frannie. Creatures of lust think everyone is as single-minded as they are.

  We’re not more than a quarter
mile from my apartment, me hanging way back, when I catch the thread of Belias’s thoughts. Anger. I can’t tell if he’s angry with me for interfering or Avaira for not sidetracking me. Either way, I pick up my pace and close the distance between me and Frannie, my guard up.

  But just as I’m about to call her name, a white Charger pulls up at the curb next to her. Apparently, I’m not the only one keeping my eye on Frannie. And for the first time, I’m glad she has an angel for a wingman.

  FRANNIE

  “Hey,” Gabe says as I slide into his car.

  “Hey. Thanks,” I say, relieved.

  “You look like shit.”

  I glower at him. “Thanks.”

  “You okay?”

  “Just say it.”

  “What?” he says with a raised eyebrow.

  “I told you so. I can tell you’re dying to say it. Just do it so I don’t have to sit here like a moron waiting for it.”

  “Okay. I told you so.”

  “I must be stuck on stupid or something,” I say, glancing out the back window at Luc, fading into the distance as we pull away.

  He cracks a glowing smile. “You’re not. You’ve seen the light, yeah?”

  I try to smile back. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “You’re just in the unique position of needing to be very careful what you wish for.”

  What? “What?”

  He stares out the windshield. “Have you ever noticed that if you really want something, you usually get it?”

  “No.” I can think of a shitload of things I want that I don’t have, starting with my brother back. But for a brief second, I wonder, ’cause I wanted Luc—stupidly—and I got him, sort of. And Taylor. She’s never backed off a guy before. But last night … I shake my head. “No,” I say again with more conviction.

  He shrugs and drops it, reaching across to weave his fingers in mine. I catch that scent again, like snow in summer. “You good to come over for a while?”