by CC Dragon
“Quiet, finally. The house is crazy but that’s normal.” I smiled.
Brody dressed as Brandy nodded and the ringlets on her wig bobbed. “I hear you. I can be back at my apartment. I asked Ivy to move in with me but that didn’t go over so well.”
“It wouldn’t with me, either. I know you probably don’t want a million roommates but you’re welcome to move in if you want to be with Ivy that bad,” I said.
Brandy arched an eyebrow. “Are you just being nice?”
“No, I’m not from the South. Yankees don’t do that. Just help out and understand it’s haunted and comes with ghosts, angels and the occasional demon we need to evict,” I said.
“Thanks. I’ll think about it. My lease is up at the new year,” she said.
“That works.” I sipped my drink.
“And the hot doc? You two going to date? For real?” Brandy pressed.
I nodded. “We’re going out this weekend. I hope it’s not a mistake,” I muttered.
She smiled at me. “I get it. You’re weird. Some men are fascinated by that. Some want to rescue you. I don’t think he’s like that. He’s still finding his place in your crazy world but he’s into you. Not the drama or the supernatural crap.”
“Thanks. Helps to have an outside opinion,” I said.
“Ivy agrees but then she swears if he hurts you she’ll stab him with her high heel. She gets a little dramatic.” Brandy winked.
“Ivy? Never.” I chuckled.
A man in a dark suit slid between Brandy and myself. “Dr. Oscar. You won’t come to us so I come to you.”
“Rudely. You can leave.” I studied his face and recognized the voice. “Luci?”
“Lucifer. Your little club is cute. But you belong with us,” he said.
“You belong outside. She told you to leave,” Brandy sassed.
I nodded. “Out.”
“Fine. Please consider another visit.” He left a stack of calling cards on the bar.
“Security.” I nodded to the big guy in the corner.
Luci was gone in a blink. I picked up the stack of cards and slid one in my purse before chucking the rest in the trash.
Brandy raised an eyebrow with a glance at my purse.
“It might end up being evidence. I have a bad feeling about that vampire club,” I explained and she nodded.
“Time for our romantic duet. I have to get Ivy,” Brandy said and scampered off.
Just then Paul walked in and took Brandy’s barstool.
“Good timing,” I said.
“You still feeling okay?” he asked.
I smiled. “Fine. Sorry if I was weird.”
“You weren’t. Just sorry you needed some drugs to loosen up.” He signaled to the bartender and ordered a drink.
“I’m not uptight. I’m just busy,” I defended.
“Okay.” He shrugged.
“We have a lot to learn about each other, okay? My life is insanely complicated. And you are new. You’re very...academic,” I said.
“That’s bad?” he asked.
“Not bad but if you don’t have faith—those demons will keep attaching to you. They will hound you. If you don’t find some level of being okay with the religious stuff and the supernatural without using it to your advantage, the evil takes over.” I probably sounded insane.
Paul sipped his drink. “My family didn’t have a lot of religion. I mean, they had a lot of different ones. Some Jewish, some Catholic and some Methodist. It never made sense to me until that grandfather told me about all the evil he faced. I’d never experienced anything like that. I had a happy, safe childhood.”
“We’re lucky. My grandfather fought in that war. Never talked about it much,” I said.
“Evil is out there. I see it in my work. My patients. What people do to each other. Verbal and physical abuse. I’m not sure I can take a religious approach to my work but I need to figure out what I believe.”
“It helps me just to know someone else is judging these bad guys when they die.” I pulled up Paul’s sleeve. “How’s the arm?”
“Better.” He showed off the healing wound which would definitely leave a scar. “I guess it does feel better knowing those Nazis are burning in hell.”
I suppressed a laugh.
“What? You don’t think they are?” He gawked at me.
“Oh no, they are. Horrible place. You never want to go there. I can’t even get close. But you know, Jews don’t actually believe in hell. You might be narrowing down your religious comfort zone,” I suggested.
“Never thought about it like that. But tonight is about fun, not debating religious groups. I have faith in you. Is that enough for now?”
“I guess but as much as I’d love to be worshipped, I’m no replacement for the real thing,” I teased.
“I’ll be the judge.” He leaned over and kissed me.
Momentarily stunned, I recovered and returned the kiss to prove I was not uptight. And he was pretty good at it. For a gay bar, we got a lot of applause.
Then Ivy and Brandy took to the stage.
They started off slow with power ballads that made some queens weep. Greg and Mary Lou were dancing. I was still giving them space and not asking questions.
Similarly, Matt and Gunnar were slow dancing quite close.
“I guess Matt came out,” Paul said in my ear.
I nodded. “Good for him. See, even psychics don’t know everything.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gran pop in. She sat at my usual table in the corner. Next to her slowly appeared Mrs. Weathers, though she was a little blurrier than Gran. The two women sat and swayed to the music like the old friends they were.
“Want to dance?” Paul asked.
“Next song. I want to soak this in for a bit.” I did reach over and hold his hand, which was about as romantic as I could get with Gran watching.
A Personal Note from Ivy...
Dear Beloved Reader,
Sugar skulls are so much cuter than those gory and scary decorations for Halloween! Don’t you agree?
I thought it couldn’t get weirder than a zombie and Lester but cannibals? So gross. Those people need serious help.
Luckily, Deanna is on her game. Unfortunately, the stronger she gets—the more she attracts serious demons and danger. She’s freaking me out a bit.
Greg is sure she can handle it and I believe in her too, but we need to keep a closer eye on her to be sure. Especially with a new man hanging around.
Don’t get me started on Greg and Mary Lou...he’s my family and I get protective. She better not hurt him again, that’s all I’m saying.
Finally, I got my man. Think he’ll stay? I hope he’s the one. I feel better with him around, especially with all the chaos ramping up.
Please leave a review wherever you bought this fabulous book, and if you got it for a prize or a gift, there’s always Goodreads.
Kisses from Pearl!
Ivy Delacroix
PS: If you missed books 1 or 2, the titles are listed below!
Book 1: A Mansion, A Drag Queen, And A New Job
Book 2: A Club, An Imposter, And A Competition
Book 3: A Bar, A Brother, And A Ghost Hunt
Book 4: A Voodoo Shop, A Zombie, And A Party
About the Author
A loyal Chicago girl who loves deep dish pizza, the Cubs, and The Lake, CC Dragon is fascinated by the metaphysical and paranormal. She loves creating characters, especially amateur sleuths who solve mysteries. A coffee and chocolate addict who loves fast cars, she’s still looking for a hero who likes to cook and clean...so she can write more!
Keep in touch:
Website: www.ccdragon.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccdragonauthor
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/752998138081518/
Google +: http://tinyurl.com/ccdragong
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorccdragon
etery, a Cannibal, and the Day of the Dead
