Tempting Nora

by Evanston, A. M.

  Demonic Hauntings

  Demonic hauntings are a rare and dangerous type of haunting. This type of paranormal activity is caused by a spirit that is not human and has never been human. These demons, otherwise known as fallen angels, blame the humans who dwell on the earth for their fall from heaven. Their sheer goal is to hurt as many people as possible to get revenge. Their hateful nature is what makes this type of haunting the most frightening.

  A fallen angel will appear as a black shadow, unlike all other types of hauntings that usually appear as a flash of light or an orb. Victims of fallen angels will often be scratched and maimed while they sleep. Demons will use profanities, hiss, speak in foreign tongues, kick, hit, and manipulate humans. They will also torture animals since they find harming all life forms to be amusing. Oftentimes these demons will first reveal themselves to you in small ways—knocking over objects, whispering. As time goes by, the attacks will grow more violent. Keep in mind that a person can be haunted just as easily as a house. In order to prevent a demonic haunting, people are urged to refrain from using Ouija boards, as they are particularly dangerous.

  Nora froze, feeling like she'd been kicked in the face. Fallen angels? That was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard! And yet she couldn't forget the fear she'd seen in her dog's eyes as he chased down the shadow. Chubby had been terrified as well. Then there were her emotions. She felt like she was being watched constantly. Maybe when she thought she was being stalked by a man, she was being stalked by a demon.

  A hysterical laugh burst from her lips. As she tried to stifle herself, she heard somebody ring her doorbell. For a moment the image of a demon with cloven hooves filled her mind, but that was a ridiculous thought. If the arrival was really a fallen angel, would he bother to use the doorbell? Yeah, right! Her paranoia was getting out of hand.

  She hopped to her feet and headed to the door. Mr. Fleas followed behind her, his tongue lulling out of his mouth. Chubby hopped off the bed, but instead of accompanying her down the hall, he lingered in the living room. When she opened the door, she froze when she saw Gideon standing on her welcome mat. He looked as gorgeous as ever in a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt that clung to every last flawless muscle, and a leather jacket. She was painfully aware that she was in torn pajama bottoms and a shirt with a chocolate stain on the front.

  Why is he here? she thought. Then she remembered. Oh crap. The date. As Gideon's smile shrunk several molars as he examined her clothes, she swayed awkwardly.

  She began, "Gideon, I forgot—"

  Mr. Fleas leapt through the door and took a flying leap at Gideon. The dog sunk his teeth into the man's pant leg and started to tear the fabric.

  "No, Mr. Fleas." She seized the dog by the middle and pulled him away, but the deranged canine was still snapping and snarling.

  Gideon stared down at his pants as if he wasn't quite sure what had happened.

  "I don't know what's wrong with him." Mr. Fleas squirmed in her grip, trying to attack Gideon at all costs. "I'll put him in his travel kennel."

  She rushed inside as Mr. Fleas flailed wildly. He wasn't being himself. Yeah, the dog always barked at strangers, but this was the first time he'd ever tried to chew off somebody's limb. She rushed over to her hall closet and retrieved the travel kennel. As Mr. Fleas squirmed in desperation, she forced the dog inside.

  "I'm sorry." She hated locking Mr. Fleas up, especially after how valiant he'd been last night.

  The dog ignored her and continued barking. Gideon must have come inside because she heard footsteps behind her. She straightened up just in time to hear Chubby make the same strange yowling sound he had last night. The cat tried to wedge himself behind the flower pot for the second time. The pot tipped over, showering the floor and the animal with soil. Chubby, covered in dirt, lay down as if hoping his mountainous form would go unnoticed.

  Last night had taken a psychological toll on her animals. Both her dog and cat were acting crazy—well, crazier than usual.

  She clamped her hand to her forehead. A migraine was coming on.

  "What a day," she groaned.

  "I take it you weren't expecting me," Gideon said. "I did tell you that I was coming over no matter what, didn't I?"

  "I know. I was expecting you, but…" She shook her head. "I had a heck of a night, okay?"

  "What happened?" Gideon raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

  "I—I—" Oh, for heaven's sake, she couldn't tell Gideon what she'd experienced. He'd heckle her non-stop. "I'll tell you later."

  Or never.

  "Okay." Gideon nodded.

  "I'm going to get dressed," she said. "I'll be right back."

  Before he could respond, she headed into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. The sound of her dog barking could still be heard. What on earth is going on in that dog's mind? Shaking her head, she headed over to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans.

  After she gave an exhausted sigh, she pulled off her pajama bottoms, embarrassed to no end that Gideon had seen her in her less-than-sexy sleepwear. Normally, she would have asked him to leave, but the truth was, she was going even crazier than her animals. She knew after her web search, she was going to be seeing dark shadows everywhere, whether they were there or not. As much as she and Gideon didn't get along, she wanted to escape her apartment, if only for a few hours. Maybe then she'd feel better about the situation.

  At least, she hoped so.

  After she dressed, she tied her hair into a ponytail. She could have put on makeup, but she didn't want to leave Gideon in the living room with her deranged pets any longer. Plus, she didn't want him to think she was trying to impress him. The last thing her fringed nerves needed today was an abundant amount of teasing. And if he made one comment—one—about anything inappropriate, she was going to smack him.

  As Nora grimaced, she headed into the dining room. Gideon was leaning over Chubby's quivering form.

  "Easy," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

  Chubby—possibly the sweetest cat in existence—did something she never thought possible. The fat feline gave a mighty hiss and clawed Gideon's hand.

  "Whoa." She may have thought Gideon was a major thorn in the side, but that didn't mean she wanted him to be mangled by her pets. "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah." Gideon stared sadly down at his fingers.

  "Chubby has never done that before," she said.

  The cat mewled, wearing an expression of utmost fear.

  "It's not his fault." Gideon shook his head. "This happens to me all the time."

  "It does?" She raised an eyebrow.

  "Yeah, animals hate me," he said.

  "Well, it's odd that my pets hate anybody," she said. "Especially Chubby. He's pretty much the gentlest cat in the world."

  Except for when it comes to Gideon and black shadows, apparently.

  Even at the thought of black shadows, she cast a fearful glance over her shoulder. She didn't see anything, but she could still remember the words from the website: Demons will use profanities, hiss, speak in foreign tongues, kick, hit, and manipulate humans. They will also torture animals since they find harming all life forms to be amusing. Still she found herself more fearful for Chubby and Mr. Fleas than she did for herself. She gnashed her teeth and stared at the cat who slinked into the bedroom.

  When she turned her attention back to Gideon, she saw he was watching her with a concerned expression.

  "Are you sure you're okay?" Gideon asked. "You look exhausted and, well…"

  "Well, what?" When Gideon paused mid-sentence, it couldn't be good.

  "Scared," Gideon said. "Right now, you look scared."

  She threw back her head and laughed, though it sounded fake to her own ears. Despite the fact she was still alarmed by her pets' behavior, she didn't want Gideon to see her as weak. The last thing she wanted to be was a poor, defenseless female in need of rescue. She didn't need a gallant prince to come save her—she could free herself from the tower and slay her own drag
on.

  "I'm fine," she said. "A little tired, but that's all."

  Gideon obviously didn't believe a word she said. In fact, the man looked, if possible, even more worried.

  "Please don't look at me like that," she said. "I hate it."

  Every day in the orphanage people had looked at her with a similar worried expression. That was why she loathed it.

  "Stubborn as always," he said.

  "Not nearly as stubborn as you." She forced a grin on her face. "Now are we going or what?"

  "I'm shocked," he said. "I thought I'd have to tie you up and drag you from your apartment. Your willingness to go on a date is more than I expected."

  Of course he had to heckle her…

  "I can change my mind in an instant, you know." She crossed her arms. "One more comment and I'll decide not to go."

  "Okay, okay." The guy winked at her. "I'll wait to tease you until you're in my truck and the door is locked."

  "You'd better have your mouth shut even then." She glared at him.

  With a grin, Gideon pretended to zip his mouth shut.

  When she focused on his lips, she remembered the dream from last night. His mouth on hers had been great. No, it had been better than great. It had been completely earth shattering. She could still remember the way it felt to have his hands tangled in her hair with his big, masculine body pressing against hers. Heck, her mouth started to water at the memory of his chocolate flavored kisses.

  Suddenly, she realized she was ogling. Again. What on earth was she thinking?

  She clapped her hands to her face in horror. No, she would never, ever think about that dream again. Not in this lifetime. For heaven's sake, she didn't even like Gideon. The only reason she spent any time with the man was because she didn't have another choice.

  She gnawed at her bottom lip as her sanity frayed. After everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours—the kissing dream, the shadow's appearance—she felt like she was being punished for something. Maybe she was the victim of karma.

  "I was a mass murderer in my past life, wasn't I?" she yelled, shaking her fist at the ceiling.

  Oops. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

  "I was going to take you to a bakery, but I think a trip to the doctor would be more appropriate," Gideon said. "Why the heck did you scream like that?"

  "I was just kidding." Or not. "Let's go."

  She headed over to the travel kennel and picked it up.

  "You're taking your dog on our date?" Gideon looked like he wanted to shoot himself.

  "I'm taking both of my pets over to my neighbor's apartment while I'm gone," she said. "My neighbor is a little old lady who lives all alone. She adores Chubby and Mr. Fleas."

  If her neighbor watched the animals, then she wouldn't have to worry about the shadow coming back while she was gone. No matter what, she had to protect her pets from the invisible force.

  "Oh." Gideon's shoulders slumped in relief.

  "What?" She frowned at him. "Mr. Fleas is a good dog. Well, normally, anyway…"

  It was hard to say Mr. Fleas was a good dog to the person who'd been attacked by him.

  "I'm sure your dog is normally, ugh, quite well-mannered. It's just his barking would distract me from seducing you." Gideon winked at her. "I have big plans for us."

  A shiver of horror ran down her spine. That was an inappropriate comment if there ever was one. She marched toward him, her eyes narrowed.

  "I was kidding." Gideon inched away from her.

  "Uh-huh," she said, not believing a word of it.

  When she reached him, she hit him over the back of the head. As he groused and ran his hand over his now disheveled hair, she gave her first genuine smile of the day. If there was ever something good for her mood, it was smacking around a pervert.

  ****

  Nora stared out the truck window as Gideon drove. Even after all that had happened, the sunlight streaming through the pane put her in a better mood. Maybe she should take a book outside every once in a while instead of sitting on the couch.

  As she let out a happy sigh, Gideon glanced at her.

  "Good," he said.

  "What's good?" She straightened up.

  "You're looking a little better now," Gideon said. "You were pretty pale in your apartment."

  "Well, a little sunshine is good for the soul." She shrugged.

  "That it is." He looked fondly at the sky. "But what happened that made you so freaked out?"

  Uh-oh. She'd hoped he'd forgotten that she said she would tell him.

  "Nothing, really." No way was she telling him about the shadow.

  "Nora." Gideon frowned at her.

  "Yes, Gideon?" She batted her eyes innocently.

  "Tell me," he said. "You said you would."

  "Nope." She shook her head. "I don't want to."

  "Are you sure you want to be like this?" Gideon frowned at her. "I can make things difficult for you, pumpkin."

  Yuck. The endearment pumpkin didn't even sound natural coming from his lips.

  "Don't call me that." She shivered in horror. "And what do you mean you can make things difficult for me?"

  Gideon chuckled and took a right.

  "Well, it seems that you hate public displays of affection, darling." Gideon grinned devilishly.

  "I told you to stop using nicknames." Why had she decided to go out with him again?

  "I won't stop with the nicknames unless you tell me what happened," Gideon said. "I also can fill today's date with lots of hugging, kissing, and cuddling. Imagine it now—you'll be standing in a popular bakery filled with people while I kiss your neck. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?"

  "You wouldn't dare," she said.

  "Oh, I would dare." He winked. "You know how I love public displays of affection. In fact, I live for them."

  No doubt the pervert did, but not her. The thought of somebody seeing Gideon kiss her neck made her stomach twist.

  "I'll hit you if you so much as touch me," she warned him.

  "Then you'll look like a woman abusing her super sweet boyfriend." Gideon sped past another driver. "How can you eat cake in peace while everybody is glaring at you?"

  "Cake?" she asked.

  "What did you think I was going to buy you at a bakery, turnips?" Gideon snorted. "I know how much you like dessert and this bakery is supposed to have the best chocolate cake in Chicago."

  "The best chocolate cake in Chicago?" Her mouth watered at the thought.

  "Mmm-hmmm." Judging by the mischievous sparkle in his eye, he knew he had her. "When planning our date, I tried to think of things you like and cake was at the top of the list."

  She tried not to be touched, but she was. He'd actually thought about what she wanted to do.

  Of course, Gideon had to kill the moment by saying, "Unfortunately, you won't be able to enjoy your cake if I, say, have my hand on your thigh."

  "If you so much as touch my leg, I'll disembowel you," she said nastily.

  "Even if you hurt me, you'd forever know my hand had been on your thigh." He whistled as he drove down the crowded road. "You should just tell me what happened to you already. That way, you can enjoy your cake in peace."

  She could have argued with him further, but right now she was exhausted and had a migraine so powerful she was surprised her brain didn't melt and ooze out her ear. With a sigh of defeat, she hung her head. Should she tell him? Her story about the shadow would pretty much guarantee that she would be razzed…or locked up in a psychiatric hospital. Still she knew this argument would continue all day long if she didn't tell him. The thought made her nauseous.

  "Do you want to know what happened that badly?" She chewed her bottom lip, knowing she was making a serious mistake by opening up to him.

  "Yep." Gideon nodded as he stopped at a traffic light.

  "Fine." Here comes the heckling. "Promise me you won't laugh."

  "I cross my heart and hope to die," he said.

  She glared at him suspi
ciously, making sure there wasn't a trace of a smile on his lips.

  "Okay, I know how ridiculous my story sounds," she said.

  "Uh-huh." Gideon nodded.

  "I mean, it's really crazy," she said.

  "Are you going to tell me or not?" Gideon raised an eyebrow.

  "Okay, okay." She fiddled with her seatbelt. "A few days ago, Chubby and Mr. Fleas were acting odd. Mr. Fleas barked at something I couldn't see. It was a little strange, but I didn't think anything of it."

  "Alright." Gideon nodded, startlingly sober.

  "So last night it happened again." She shivered at the memory. "I couldn't figure out what was going on. Both Chubby and Mr. Fleas were looking at the same corner. The dog was barking and the cat was yowling."

  "Is that everything?" A vein throbbed in his jaw.

  "Well…"

  "Well, what?" He glanced at her.

  "That wasn't the part that really scared me." She gulped and shook her head. "Mr. Fleas rushed at the corner. A shadow moved and a picture was knocked over. All of the sudden, my animals were calm again. It was like whatever had been in the corner disappeared."

  Gideon didn't say anything, but his fists were unnaturally tight on the steering wheel. He must think I'm a total nut. She winced, desperate to redeem herself.

  "I'm trying to think of a logical explanation." She hated how panicked she sounded. "I swear I'm not crazy."

  "I don't think you're crazy," Gideon said.

  "You don't?" She was surprised by the amount of relief she felt.

  "Of course not." Gideon took his eyes off the road for just long enough to glance at her face. "Nothing tried to hurt you, right?"

  "Hurt me?" She paused, startled by the amount of concern in his eyes. "No, nothing tried to hurt me. It was just creepy because of how my animals acted. Especially Mr. Fleas. He was super anxious. It was as if he was trying to chase whatever it was away from me."

  "Smart dog," Gideon muttered under his breath.

  "What was that?" She frowned at him.

  "Nothing," he said.

  "Help me think here," she said. "What do you believe it could be?"