by Rose Pressey
We took off down the sidewalk in hot pursuit, but she was nowhere in sight. The chase would be a waste of energy. I could tell these guys were demon hunters because my speed was putting them both to shame. No wonder they couldn’t catch the demons. Maybe I should start a side business. Show them how it was done. I zipped by the old buildings with their intricate ironwork adorning the windows, weaving around the people who crowded the narrow streets of the Big Easy.
“What’s the matter, boys, you can’t keep up?” I chuckled internally.
We looked down every alley as we whizzed past, but it was as if Jennifer had vanished. Well, I whizzed and they wheezed as they tried to keep up. Had I really seen her? Yes, there were only so many girls wearing that kind of get-up. Most of the hookers didn’t hang out in that area.
When I glanced over my shoulder, Neil had stopped. He leaned down with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. They were dropping off like flies. If I kept up the pace, Cole would be the next to drop.
“What do we do now?” I asked.
Maybe Cole would get lost and then I could find Jennifer. He was slowing me down. At first I’d thought he might be able to help, but now I just figured he was dead weight.
“We continue to look for her, that’s what,” he said between pants
“Why don’t you go your way and I’ll go mine. If I find her I’ll call you and you do the same,” I said with a smirk.
Cole’s stare lingered a little longer than I was comfortable with. Finally, he said, “As you wish.”
Okay, now I was suspicious. He’d given in to that a little too easily. “Fine then,” I said calling his bluff. I expected him to relent, but instead he turned and walked away. Whew. I was glad that scene was over.
After searching every place I could think of within several blocks of our building and not finding Jennifer, I decided to head home to see if she was there. With any luck, she’d gone home.
I hurried back to my building. The crowd on the streets was growing even larger, making it hard to run. Jazz music whirled in the distance and couples held hands as they strolled down the sidewalks. My heart ached. I’d thought the curse on me had passed, but was all this chaos just another aspect of that hex? There was always an obstacle blocking my way to find true love. I longed to be strolling down this sidewalk hand-in-hand with Jack. But maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.
Every time I glanced over my shoulder, I expected to see Cole following me. Had I made the right decision by letting him leave? Something about him made me uneasy and I didn’t believe he had Jennifer’s best interests at heart. I wasn’t about to lead him right to her.
Lily was waiting for me when I returned to my office. That was the last thing I needed at the moment. I didn’t want to hear any of her yammering on about wedding favors and where to have her save-the-date photos taken. I didn’t care. The best place for her to take the photos was far, far away from me.
“What do you want now, Lily? I’m busy,” I said as brushed past her and made my way through the door.
She followed close on my heels, not taking the hint when I let the door close in her face.
“You’d better be busy planning my wedding.” She pointed.
This woman was truly out of her mind. “I’m planning the wedding all right. Down at City Hall. Just elope, for heaven’s sake.”
“You’re not very romantic. I would have expected more out of the supposed matchmaker.” She used air quotes.
“Jennifer is missing and I have to find her, so excuse me if I don’t have time for your little party.”
She let out a little sigh. “I understand your dilemma, but you’d better find her and get back to planning my event because you promised. It won’t be a pretty sight if you don’t.”
“I promised never to talk to you again either and look where that’s gotten me.”
She sneered.
“Are you threatening me, Lily?” I asked.
“Now would I do a thing like that?” The corners of her lips tilted up in an evil grin.
“Yes, you would.”
Chapter Eleven
How to Date a Demon, Rule #11
Let sleeping demons lie.
Lily stomped toward me with her nostrils flaring. “Rylie, you can’t just leave me to do all this by myself.”
“I think you can handle it until I have time to help. The wedding’s not until next year.”
“Well, that’s the thing. We’ve moved the date up a bit.”
I stared for a beat, then asked, “When is your wedding now, Lily?”
“In one month.”
My eyes widened. “What? Why would you do something like that?”
“That’s none of your business,” she snapped.
“Well, I can’t help you. Sorry.” I waved her off.
She plopped down in the leather chair in front of my desk. “There are so many things to do.” She exhaled loudly and batted her eyelashes. “And all the details. Come on… there are caterers to find, a wedding dress to pick out, bridesmaid dresses, which, of course, you know you have to pick out one that looks good, but not too good, and lots of beef to order too. Where are we going to get that much meat?”
I shuddered at the thought of what type of wedding dress Lily would select, and heaven knew I did not want to see the bridesmaid dress I would have to wear. Why had I agreed to take on any of this mess? It just showed that I was completely losing my mind.
Lily tapped her fingers against the chair, drawing my attention back to the scary reality. “So, I’m thinking that my colors should be brown and black, and of course, I’ll be wearing white.”
I almost choked. “Of course, white.” I concealed my smirk.
“So help me, Rylie, if you have any smart-aleck remarks about me wearing white I will beat your ass.” She pumped her fist.
I rolled my eyes. How many times were we going to have this conversation? Instead of paying attention to Lily, I continued to search my list of numbers to see if anyone had seen Jennifer. I didn’t know what else to do since she wouldn’t answer her cell phone. The last thing I wanted to do was call her mother. She’d just worry.
“I think you will look lovely in a white gown, Lily,” I said through gritted teeth. “You’ll look just like an angel.” I plastered a fake smile on my face.
Lily glared at me.
“Anyway, a white dress is fine, but brown and black are your colors?” I asked.
“Yeah, you know, colors of meat and maybe some red sprinkled around to look like blood.”
What kind of sick and twisted event had I signed on to be a part of anyway?
“What the hell kind of meat are you eating? No, never mind, don’t answer that.” I gestured in disgust.
“Werewolves want to eat meat. I am a werewolf and if you weren’t a sorry-ass werewolf you’d know that meat is the main part of a werewolf’s wedding reception.”
Lily had reached a whole new level of delusional.
“Okay, I am done with this conversation now. We can discuss this later. Real soon, okay?” I tried to appease her without having to jump up and kick her butt out of my office.
I needed to make calls to see if I could find Jennifer and she was not helping the cause. I was done with Lily for the day.
Lily eyed me up and down, then said, “You’re looking for Jennifer?”
I smirked. “Duh, I just told you I was.”
“She was just behind your window.” Lily pointed.
“What?” I whirled around, but didn’t see anyone. I moved over to the window and peered out. “I don’t see her. Are you just yanking my chain?”
Why does she keep showing up and disappearing? Why didn’t I see her? Was it a coincidence?
“As much as I love yanking your chain, and as easy as it is to do it, no, I am not.” She studied her fingernails.
I didn’t know whether to believe her or not, but regardless, if Jennifer had been at the window, she wasn’t there now. Was Jennifer losing her min
d? Did she not remember where she lived?
I dashed out the door and hurried around to the back of the building. Unfortunately there was still no sign of Jennifer. Puddles of water, trash cans, and a few empty skids were all I saw. The sound of footfalls caught my attention.
When I turned around, Lily was standing behind me.
I held my chest. “I wish you wouldn’t creep up on me like that.”
She furrowed her brow.
“What was Jennifer doing? Peering in the window? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” I asked.
“You didn’t ask.” She waved off my question.
“But you knew I was looking for her.” I wanted to toss her out on her butt.
“I figured she’d come inside. Besides, I have more important things to worry about. My wedding won’t plan itself and it looks as if I’ll have no help from you.” She clenched her fists at her sides.
“If you don’t stop f’ing around with me, you won’t have to worry about a wedding.” I pointed in her face.
Her eyes turned a glowing yellow.
“I’m not scared of you, Lily Friedman. You need my help so you can just knock of the changing your eye color thing. I can do it too, remember?”
“Whatever. You’d better pick up my call when I need you. I’ll be calling later to discuss the cake.” She stomped off.
I’d love to stuff her face in a cake.
With my hands propped on my hips, I stood on the sidewalk wondering what to do next. A few people walked by and gave me strange looks. I guessed they were wondering why the crazy woman was standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring blankly at nothing in particular.
What would Jennifer suggest if she were here to offer advice? Then it hit me. If there was one person who I thought would know all about demons, it was the voodoo priestess next door. I had to pay her a visit pronto. I made my way out and down the sidewalk toward her shop two doors down.
I couldn’t believe I was actually going in there by myself. Jennifer had practically dragged me in there each time we’d gone. Sadly, she wasn’t with me today to drag me in kicking and screaming. I had to pull up my hideous granny panties that Jennifer made fun of so much and drag my ass in on my own. Time to be a big werewolf.
But going into the shop was something that had to be done. And now that I’d finally gotten rid of Lily and Cole, I could look for Jennifer without any distractions. At least I thought that was the case. So much for that thought.
Chapter Twelve
How to Date a Demon, Rule #12
Don’t use phrases like “Hell fire” in front of your date.
Cole was headed straight for me as I moved down the sidewalk. I looked to my side to see if I could duck out of sight. It was too late, he’d already seen me. This guy was not helping me at all. He was just causing a distraction and taking away valuable time that I could use to find Jennifer.
“What do you want now?” I snapped when he neared.
“Good to see you again too.” He smiled with a slight cockiness.
I frowned.
“Where are you headed?” he asked.
“None of your business.”
He looked to his right. “You’re going into the voodoo shop, aren’t you?”
“Again, none of your business.” I folded my arms in front of my chest.
“What do you think you can accomplish by going in there? Planning on placing a hex on someone?” A sly smile played across his lips.
“Yes… you. Now if you don’t mind I have business to attend to. So beat it.” I narrowed my gaze.
We were at an impasse as we stood in front of each other. I wasn’t about to move. He could go around me. I folded my arms in front of my chest.
“Well, let’s go inside and see what she has to say.” He gestured with a tilt of his head.
“I think I can handle this on my own. Thank you.”
“What? You don’t want me going with you?” He winked.
I raised a brow. “Whatever gave you that idea? Of course I don’t want you to go in with me. I can’t believe it took you this long to figure that out.”
“I guess I’ll have to pay a visit to the voodoo shop on my own then.”
I felt eyes on me, so I turned to my left. The voodoo priestess was standing at the door of her shop with her arm reached out, pointing at us. Dangling bracelets covered her arm almost to her elbow. They clanked with the movement. She motioned for me to enter.
The building commanded my attention. Once again, I had to confront my voodoo fears, but if I had done it twice, then surely the third time would be the easiest. I had to do this for Jennifer. The building looked run-down and derelict, but it was only a façade, made to look that way to add to the tourists’ experience.
There was no getting away from the mysterious vibe in New Orleans. It was a part of the city, as much as jazz music, beignets and Mardi Gras. Voodoo, however, was something I’d never known anything about until recently when the priestess had urged me to use an amulet to fight the curse placed on me and to find Jack. The necklace had seemed to help. I’d give her credit for that much. But I had no way of knowing if it had been real or the power of suggestion. I hadn’t known the first thing about voodoo when I stepped into her shop for the first time… and I was still clueless.
On the outside, old, battered shutters bordered the faux windows. I hesitated at the doorway, then sucked in a deep breath and pushed forward. Jennifer had pushed me inside the other times. Now I was on my own.
Inside, the chipped, muted-yellow paint covered the walls. It would have been impossible to fit another voodoo doll in the place. The creepy little things seemed to stare at me as I entered the door. Books, beads, jewelry, candles, and masks were just some of the many items covering every square inch of the space. The items covered the walls and even hung from the ceiling.
The hardwood floors creaked as I moved across the space. I couldn’t seem to stay away from this place. What kept drawing me back there? I thought for sure after the second time that I’d never have a reason to return for advice from the voodoo priestess. Was it the shop that seemed to call to me or the priestess? It was as if she knew when I needed her advice. The shop was quiet and I was the only customer. Scanning the room, there was no sign of the priestess.
“Hello, I called out.
Without warning, she appeared next to me. How did she always do that? She always had an air of confidence, moving with the grace of a dancer across the floor. Each time I saw her she appeared younger. I had no idea of her age.
The store always seemed overly hot. My stomach churned and sweat beaded on my forehead. It could have been my nerves, or the fact that I was in New Orleans. Panic rushed through me every time I stepped foot into this place. I pushed back the feeling though; I wouldn’t let it take over.
This woman was still enigmatic, but I had to know if she had any idea about the demons who might have Jennifer.
The priestess focused her stare at Cole. “He can’t come in.”
I hadn’t expected to hear that. I was beginning to like this woman. Maybe she wasn’t so scary after all. Okay, I had been a little terrified of her at first, but she was really growing on me.
Cole looked a little taken aback. I guessed no one had ever told him no before. Well, there was a first for everything. I snickered on the inside.
“What? Why can’t I come in? What did I do?” He didn’t move from his spot on the sidewalk and closer to the door.
By the glare in her eyes, he knew she meant business.
“Glad to see that you’ve returned.” She moved toward the other side of the store and motioned for me to follow.
Why did I get the feeling that she was always expecting me? I shrugged and followed her across the room. When I reached the counter, I turned around and gave Cole a little wave. He narrowed his eyes at me, but didn’t comment. Something told me he’d be waiting for me when I came out. Maybe the priestess could give me something to keep him away. I didn’t trust th
e guy.
“I’ve been expecting you,” she said.
I swallowed hard. See, I knew she had been waiting for my arrival. But how did she know? I had to fight back tears. Jennifer had always been with me, now I had no idea where she was. This was beyond sad.
“I guess you know why I’m here then?” I managed to squeak out.
“Your friend is in grave danger. You need to find her soon.” She pointed toward the street.
Everyone told me what danger she was in but no one knew where to find her. “That’s why I came to you. I need help. I don’t know where to look or why she’s acting this way. So many crazy things are going on around me.”
“I don’t know what it is that she has that they want, but they’re trying to drag her to hell to get it. They’ll take over her body and eventually steal her soul. There’s something she has that is making them want to find her.”
She wasn’t offering as much help as I’d wanted. But the message was chilling. Didn’t she have a crystal ball that she could peer into and tell me exactly where to find Jennifer? I supposed that was too much to ask.
“What do I do now?” A wave of panic washed over me.
She didn’t look up at me or respond. Instead, she reached on a shelf and pulled out a necklace. Another necklace? I didn’t see how that could possibly help me out of this pickle. Was it like GPS? Because that was the only way it would help me find Jennifer.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Cole was still pacing back and forth in front of the shop. It was almost as if he couldn’t come in even if she’d allowed it. Was there some kind of force shield keeping him away? I wished I could have that shield to keep him away from me.
“Why wouldn’t you allow him in?” I gestured toward the front of the store.
She glanced out at Cole. A flicker of darkness covered her eyes. “I don’t want him bringing those demons in here. They’re all around him.”
My stomach did a flop. What did she mean? I didn’t see any demons. Were they freakin’ invisible?
