Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “You didn’t answer my question. What the hell were you thinking leaving Jordan with Belial in a hotel?”

  He closed his eyes momentarily, regaining composure. “I could not risk letting the demon catch up with Edmond before I did. We would never have gotten an accurate statement from the rogue angel about why he’s doing this. I knew that Belial would not violate his word at such an inopportune time. It was the logical thing to do.”

  “Of course it was,” I replied with heavy sarcasm. “Only one Seer on Earth right now and you left her with the man who has tried to kill her on two separate occasions, and succeeded on one of them. This is exactly why I wanted to go instead of you, Gabriel. When the chips are down, you’re going to protect the world instead of protecting her.”

  “Don’t you dare accuse me of not caring about Jordan!” he snapped, stepping forward. “I knew her long before you did and I care for her now as much as I did at the beginning. You cannot fault me for doing the right thing when the stakes are so high. You cannot expect me to sacrifice the world for your wife.”

  “I would never ask you to, brother,” I said, fighting to keep my voice level. “You know that. But you and I both know how bad it could have gotten if Belial had something planned for her. He’s always been good at finding loopholes. I don’t want a repeat of history.”

  “Neither do I. I knew Jordan could handle herself around him. She’s done it before. No matter how silver the demon’s tongue is, she’s immune to it because she loves you.”

  “That didn’t stop Zora.”

  Gabriel shook his head once, his brow darkening. “Don’t bring Uriel’s lover into this. She is not Jordan. Why can’t you see that, Michael?”

  “Because I’d be a fool not to. It’s been centuries, but history is starting to repeat itself. Don’t you remember how few Seers were on the earth back then? How chaotic everything was? What do you think is going to happen if the rogue angel keeps up his game? We’ll be right back where we were when Zora was banished.”

  “It won’t come to that,” Gabriel said in his most patient voice. “We’ve got every angel available looking for him. We’re going to catch him and this will be over. You’ve got to stay focused or you’ll end up blowing this mission and more innocent people will die.”

  “Stay focused? I can’t just flip it off like a switch. I’ve watched her bleed to death, Gabriel. I’ve held her cold and dead in my arms. I will not do it again.”

  “What would you have me do, then?”

  “Make the Call.”

  He shook his head. “No. Absolutely not.”

  “Damn it, Gabriel, we don’t have time for red tape and politics. You know he has the resources to get this man found.”

  “And you want me to jeopardize everything I’ve built for one man?”

  “No. Not for him. For Jordan.”

  Gabriel clenched his jaw. “I will do everything in my power to stop Edmond, but do not ask me to sabotage my own company, Michael. There are millions of people who depend on my work and my influence.”

  Anger sizzled through my chest. “No, I understand. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

  I stalked towards the door, wrenching it open and stopping for one last comment. “But you should know…you sound just like Edmond.”

  I slammed the door shut.

  Chapter 11

  Jordan

  “I NEED YOUR help.”

  Lauren arched one perfectly plucked eyebrow. “With what? Did you kill another customer and you need me to help you shove his body in the sewer?”

  “Please. Like I’d put him in the sewer. The oven would get rid of the evidence faster.”

  My best friend rolled her eyes. “Stop watching so much Castle. And I repeat, with what?”

  I sighed, not wanting to say the next few words. “…withthewedding.”

  She gave me a confused look. “Whiffer what?”

  I resisted the urge to groan. “With the…wedding.”

  Her brown eyes lit up and a huge grin spread across her lips. “You’re serious? Finally?”

  “Yes, I’m serious. I need your help planning it.”

  She squealed and wrapped her arms around me, crushing the air from my lungs. The other servers sent us bemused glances and a few customers turned their heads to watch.

  I pried myself out of her grip, shushing her. “Calm down, I don’t need everyone and their mom to know—”

  “Are you insane? I’m gonna invite literally everyone in this joint!” she exclaimed, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of sight. We hid in the narrow hallway that led to the break room, whispering back and forth.

  “Okay,” Lauren said. “What time do you get off? We’ve got to start checking the basics: the location, places for a cake, a dress, flower arrangements, announcements, food, the works. At least we’ve got the music taken care of. Michael’s band can play, hopefully for no charge.”

  “Do we have to do that today? When I asked for your help, I didn’t mean immediately,” I protested, but she waved the comment away.

  “There’s no time like the present, trust me. It takes months to plan so we have to get started early—”

  “Months? Really? Isn’t it going to be pretty small?”

  She eyed me. “How small were you thinking?”

  I shrugged. “Twenty people, tops.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me, woman.”

  “What? I don’t have that many friends. You know that.”

  “True, but that doesn’t mean you need to have such a small wedding. I’d expand that to fifty people. You may not have that many friends, but I’m sure Michael does.”

  I thought about it. To be honest, I didn’t know how many friends he actually had. The people I usually saw him hang around were his band mates and the other archangels, mainly Gabriel and Raphael. Who would be the best man?

  “I guess you have a point. But I’m not sure if I can go today, I’ve got some work to do.”

  “You always have work to do. We should at least map out where we’re gonna go when we shop for real.”

  It was my turn to lift an eyebrow. “We’re gonna shop to plan shopping?”

  She grinned. “Now you’re getting it. Maybe one day Santa will bring you that vagina for Christmas.”

  I slapped her in the arm and she cackled, scurrying away as Noah called out our orders. I brought food to several customers and grabbed my notepad as I spotted someone new at one of my tables.

  “What can I get…” I walked around to face him and stopped dead in my tracks, the last word falling limply from my lips.

  “…you.”

  Lewis flashed me a small smile. “Hey.”

  Several emotions crashed against the surface of my mind, but I reminded myself that I was at work and couldn’t cause a scene. Instead of yelling, I forced a thin smile across my mouth and spoke through my teeth.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you.”

  “Do you see a case full of money up my ass? I don’t have anything to give you,” I said with no small amount of venom.

  He held up his hands in surrender. “I ain’t here for that. I swear. I just wanna talk. That’s it.”

  “I’m working. I don’t have time to talk.”

  Lewis cocked his head to the side, glancing at Lauren with a smug look. “Uh-huh.”

  I ground my teeth, raising my pen. “Fine. Order something first.”

  “I’ll take a coffee, black.”

  “Naturally,” I muttered, scribbling the order on my pad and walking back towards the kitchen.

  Lauren noticed my expression and followed me. “Whoa, what the hell did that guy say to you?”

  “Nothing,” I grumbled, grabbing a full pitcher of coffee and a mug.

  Lauren glanced in Lewis’ direction and then at me. “That didn’t look like nothing. Do you know that guy?”

  “No. And I don’t want to.” I stalked back over to his table and set the cof
fee down, crossing my arms beneath my chest.

  “Two minutes.”

  He sighed. “You are just like your mother. Colder than a polar bear’s ass.”

  “Thanks, that’s sweet.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Lewis poured the hot drink himself and took a sip before speaking again. “I got caught up the other day. Cops found me gambling and I couldn’t shake ‘em. Your husband bailed me out.”

  I went completely still. “He what?”

  “I know. I had the same reaction. Didn’t think he’d bail me out, but he did. Gave me this whole speech about how I should either get my shit straight or leave town. I still don’t like him. He’s a punk.”

  A dark chuckle escaped him. “Kind of like me at his age.”

  “This is fantastic news, but you’re running out of seconds and I’m running out of patience.”

  He frowned a little, but continued. “My point is that he was right. I came at you wrong. I was in a bad way and you didn’t deserve to get thrown in my shit. My situation doesn’t matter. You do. So will you give me a second chance?”

  It would have been so easy to tell him to piss off. The words were perched on the edge of my lips, so ready to jump out at him. But I didn’t say it. As angry as I was with him, there was genuine honesty in those eyes that matched mine. He may have been a criminal and a deadbeat dad, but he was still part of my family. Could I get to sleep at night if I denied him a second chance? Not long ago, I had needed one too.

  In the end, I just told him the truth. “I don’t know if this is another part of your scam or not, but against my better judgment, I’m gonna give you one chance to make it up to me. Dinner tonight at Mojo’s. Eight o’clock sharp. If you screw that up, we’re done. Understand me?”

  “Got it. Thanks. I know I ain’t exactly been Father of the Year, but maybe I can make it up to you.”

  “I already have a father.”

  I turned and walked away without looking back.

  * * *

  “HOW ABOUT THIS one?”

  I followed where Lauren’s purple fingernail pointed to the page in the magazine laying open in her lap. I studied the dress, tilting my head.

  “Mm, not a big fan of strapless gowns. Mostly because I’m not a fan of strapless bras.”

  Lauren snorted. “You do know most of these dresses have built-in corsets and bras, right?”

  “Oh. Well, then toss that in the Maybe pile.”

  She tore out the page and placed it on the coffee table where a small stack of magazine pages already lay. We sat on her squishy black leather couch sharing a bag of chips and onion dip. Lily sat on the loveseat, completely enraptured in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Normally, she watched kids’ shows on the Disney Channel, but I had a fondness for 90’s sitcoms so I bought her the first season to see if she’d like them too. It seems the child was quite taken with Carlton Banks after a couple of episodes, to my great amusement.

  “This one?”

  Lauren shook her head. “Nah, that’ll make you look short. You need something that makes your legs look long and that dress is cut too high.”

  “Got it.” I flipped to another page, scanning it and trying my best to ignore the prices. I hadn’t known Lauren before she got married so I knew little to nothing about weddings. I’d managed to talk her out of taking me shopping today and instead convinced her to let me go through the bridal magazines she had kept. I couldn’t use her dress for two reasons: one, she was three inches taller than me and a lot more voluptuous; two, she sold her dress the day her divorce was finalized. Got a pretty penny for it too.

  “What ideas do you have for the color scheme?”

  I shrugged. “I guess I like lavender?”

  “That could work. I had my bridesmaids in light blue. Thank God you’re not one of those women who insists that the bridesmaids look hideous so she’ll look prettier.”

  I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Yeah, that stereotype always bothered me. I can accept it if my friends are better-looking than me. I’m the one getting married so who cares?”

  “Exactly. The only person who needs to think you look beautiful is Michael. Or, one of your Freebie Fives.”

  I shook my head. “You’re shameless.”

  “Hey, just sayin.’ You have to keep your options open.”

  “Naturally.” I paused, lowering my magazine and nudging her shoulder. She glanced at me as I spoke.

  “Are you sure this isn’t bothering you? I know things ended badly between you and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”

  She adopted a small smirk. “Y’know, Voldemort would have been preferable to my ex. At least he was ambitious.”

  I gave her a stern look. “I mean it.”

  Lauren patted my knee. “I’m a big girl, Jordan. I can handle it.”

  “It’s a two way street, y’know. You asked me to be honest with you and I agreed that I would be.”

  She frowned. “You are, huh? Then what’s the real story about that black guy at your table today?”

  I winced. I had hoped she would forget about him over the course of the workday, but Lauren had an eye for details. She could tell when something was bothering me even when I tried to hide it. In the end, I just sighed and leaned my head back against the couch.

  “He’s my…father.”

  “Your what?”

  I lifted my head to see her staring at me with her mouth agape. “Are you serious?”

  I shrugged. “You wanted to know the truth.”

  “How can he…I mean, when did he…what?” She ended up sputtering again.

  I couldn’t help but smile a bit. “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “How did he even find you? And why did he find you?”

  “Apparently, he Googled me and then found me through my mailman. Showed up at my place a few days ago and told me he needed a loan.”

  “And you’re sure he’s not some scam artist or something?”

  “He had my mother’s rosary. He must have gotten it from my aunt. Who, by the way, neglected to tell him my mother died.”

  “What a b—” Lauren glanced at her daughter, who of course paid us no mind. “B-I-T-C-H. How much money did he want?”

  “More than I’ve got, trust me.”

  “So what are you gonna do?”

  “He came to the restaurant to talk to me. He claims he wants to make up for his messed up behavior earlier. Wanted a second chance. Against my better judgment, I’m giving it to him. I’m gonna meet him for dinner tonight and see what he has to say.”

  “Geez.” Lauren ran a hand through her hair. “This seriously came out of nowhere. Does Michael know?”

  “Yeah. Actually, he bailed Daddy-O out of jail the other day. Neglected to tell me too.”

  “Hey, don’t get that look on your face,” she scolded, poking the spot between my eyebrows as I frowned. “He probably thought it was for the best. Michael’s a sweetheart and because he doesn’t have a family, he knows how important it is for you to have one.”

  “I know, I know, it’s just…” I pulled my legs up on the couch, wrapping my arms around my knees as I tried to put my thoughts into words.

  “Lately, I’ve decided to stop being such a chicken and actually commit to my marriage like I’m supposed to. That’s why I agreed to start working on the wedding. But it also opens up a whole new can of worms. We’ll have to move in together and spend every waking moment with each other. He seems perfectly fine with it, but to be honest, it scares the S-H-I-T out of me.”

  “Why? He loves you to death.”

  “I know he does. That’s what I’m worried about. This whole situation with my dad is exactly the kind of stuff I don’t want in my life. Michael’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’m already dragging him into my crap. He doesn’t deserve that.”

  “It’s not about what he deserves, Jor. The second he put that ring on your finger, he agreed to deal with whatever comes at the two of you. It’s not
something you have to do by yourself anymore. He’s your husband. You’re supposed to depend on him.”

  “I’m trying. It’s just hard to do when you’ve been single as long as I have.”

  Lauren tugged me into a hug. “God, you are such a friggin’ buzzkill.”

  I hugged her back, unable to keep from giggling. “Every party needs a pooper.”

  She let go, patting my hand. “You’re going to be fine. Your dad will turn out to be as awesome as Liam Neeson in Taken and your wedding will be beautiful and nothing bad will ever happen to you again.”

  “Thanks. I needed that lie right about now.”

  “I know. Now let’s get back to finding dresses. Then we can move on to the fun stuff.”

  “Fun stuff?”

  “Honeymoon night lingerie.”

  “Oh, God save me.”

  * * *

  MOJO’S WAS A small Mexican restaurant tucked between a laundromat and a discount video rental store about fifteen minutes from my apartment. Stan, one of Michael’s band mates, had recommended it to us once and we fell in love with it. The service was always fast and friendly, the place was never crowded, and the food was delicious. It quickly became a regular date-night spot for us when our lives were calm enough to go out. Instead of taking the bus, we would walk home so the heavy, delectable food could settle in our stomachs and I could work off some of the extra calories that came with it.

  I’d picked it on purpose because not many people knew about it so the atmosphere was always quiet. Plus, if Lewis tried to pull something stupid, I could just get up and leave with little to no trouble.

  Michael had met up with me when my shift ended at the restaurant and I let him know about the change of plans. Earlier, we had agreed to meet to discuss Apocalypse conspiracies, but this meeting took precedence over that one for now. I told him I would keep it to just an hour and then meet him at his apartment afterward. Lauren and I hung out until seven thirty rolled around and I left to meet my so-called father.

  “Ah, hola, Señora Amador! ¿Que pasa?” River Santiago greeted me with a wide, pretty smile when I walked in. She was in her late forties, but she stayed in shape and looked not a day over thirty.