Night Call (Book 2): Demon Dei (23 page)

It was a soft, non-demanding kiss. Her lips moved minutely, enough to let the tip of her tongue touch my mouth for fleeting moments. One of her hands rested on my stomach, her fingers flexing in the material of my shirt. All in all, it was very enticing, very seductive. The only thing that kept me from responding in kind was surprise.

Still, Erin ended the kiss naturally, as if my lack of reaction was expected.

She pulled back enough so she could look at me again, but this time she avoided my eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips slightly parted.

I don’t know how many times I’d thought about kissing her, dreamed about it, in the past. At the time, I’d hadn’t known she was married—she didn’t wear a ring and the one time I’d asked, she’d sidestepped the question. Even after she’d let me know—after I’d discovered the fragile foundation within her psyche—I couldn’t help the subconscious yearning to know if she really tasted like honeydew and Moscato and dark chocolate. Yet she’d kept me at arm’s length, at more than arm’s length. She’d sent me away and in truth, it had been for the best.

And I knew it would be best to stop this right here. She was married. I was the completely wrong type of guy for her… for anyone. Best thing to do would be to remove my arm from around her, offer her a
Redbull and make two separate piles of blankets.

Best thing for all.

I removed my arm from her shoulders. Good, right? Maybe not. I moved it to her waist, pulled her against me and kissed her.

I had to know. I wanted to drown in her sweet and bitter flavour once more.

Unlike me, she didn’t hesitate. The hand on my stomach clenched up a bunch of my shirt while the fingers of the other wound through my hair. She was warm and soft and she pressed her body against mine without restraint.

Was it better than I’d dreamed all those months ago? Well, yes and no. Yes because she was real and dynamic and my heart was rollicking around in my chest, alternatively shaking in fear and jumping for sheer joy. And no because I couldn’t taste her.

In my dreams, I’d been swamped in her flavours. Here, no matter how I reached out to her through this very intimate contact, I couldn’t find that heady mixture of sugary sweetness and delicious bitterness. There was nothing—no taste, no scent, no substance. It was as if Erin was empty of all that made her… her.

I sent one hand under her shirt. She was hot to the touch, her ribs heaving with what could easily be mistaken for passion. She murmured an appreciative something and pushed into my hand. I traced the base of her breasts, fingers exploring. They found only smooth skin that prickled under my fingertips.

Breaking the kiss, I grabbed her shoulders and, before she could utter a word, shoved her backwards. Following her down I pinned her under my body, her hands held to the floor by mine. She smiled and did this thing with her hips that could have wiped every conscious thought from my head if I hadn’t already fallen hard from the fever high she’d induced.

“Enough,” I said.

She went still, eyes wide and injured. “What’s the matter? I thought you wanted this.”

“The only thing I want right now is to know why you’re doing this.”

She stared at me for a moment, then closed her eyes. When they opened again, they were their true colour—burning crystal blue.

“What gave me away?” the demon asked in Erin’s voice from Erin’s body.

“Same thing that let Geraldine Davis know you weren’t her husband. You’re a good copy, but not a perfect one.”

The demon sighed irritably. “What did I forget?”

“Two things. I don’t know about demons, but humans have an aura that’s unique to each of us. It might not mean much with your other disguises, but when you’re trying to fool a psychic, it’s kind of important.”

Those alien eyes rolled. “And?”

“The first I can forgive you for. This one, not so much. You threw Erin’s car off an overpass. That sort of event is going to cause more damage to a human body than a broken arm and a cut or two. Erin has broken ribs.”

She growled, though it was one of those I’m-so-stupid growls, not a you-look-like-dinner one. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had to mimic a specific person. I guess I’m a bit rusty.”

“Oh trust me, you were very convincing,” I muttered.

A little smile quirked her lips. It was an odd expression on Erin’s face. “But not convincing enough.”

“Had it not become physical, I would have been none the wiser. Which brings me to an interesting point. How did you find out so much about Erin and my relationship with her?” My hands tightened around her wrists.

She glanced at our hands, that little smile still in place. “I could break you in two. Don’t start thinking it’s you keeping us on the floor.” And she did that thing again, that thing with the hips that made me want to forget all recent history.

“It’s okay,” I said with more confidence than I actually felt. “I know who’s in charge here. Now tell me about Erin.”

“You’re not my summoner. I don’t have to answer your questions.”

“You don’t have to, no. But I’m betting you want to.”

The demon laughed, a sound of sour joy. “What do my wants matter? No one cares about them. All I am is a tool to be used and discarded until someone else wants something.”

“Even if no one else has bothered to find out what you want, it doesn’t mean you don’t have them.” I relaxed my hold on her wrists, then let go. Getting off her, I crouched by the wall, ready to move if I had to. But something told me I would be safe… for the time being.

She stayed on the floor, staring at the ceiling. “I didn’t hurt her.” It was said quietly but I believed it. “I just skimmed her surface thoughts while she was sleeping. She didn’t even know I was there.”

“Why do it?”

“So I could get close to you.”

“To kill me?” I resisted reaching for the Cougar.

“Not tonight. My summoner gave me two more nights. If you don’t stop me, I’ll have to kill you tomorrow night.” She sat up and gave me a very frank look. “Even now the Command is stirring. You’re here and your death is my purpose.”

“You can resist it?”

Eyes glinting, she smiled again, predatory and hungry. “For the time being.”

Her words echoed my thoughts and sent a chill down my spine.

“So, if not to kill me, why are you here?”

“A command is a very binding thing,” she said, ignoring my question. “Tighter than any written contract, and far more comprehensive. My summoner commanded me to kill you, but it goes further than that. Not only does it drive me to end your life, it also stops me from doing anything that might, inadvertently, help you evade me. Did you find out about Solomon?”

“King of the Israelites and perhaps the greatest demon summoner in history. Doesn’t mean much to this situation we find ourselves in, though. By the way, what do I call you?”

She smiled, cold and brief. “Another part of the Command. A stronger summoner can break a binding placed by a weaker summoner, but the Command works to stop that. Even if I wanted you to have my name, I couldn’t give it to you.”

“But someone knows it, obviously.”

She scowled. “True.”

“And I’m guessing you won’t tell me who that person is.”

“Of course not.”

“That is one air tight command.”

“That, and the fact he keeps his face hidden from me.”

She seemed willing to talk, so I asked, “Anything else you could tell me?”

Erin’s lips pursed as the demon thought. “He’s damaged. Someone, or something, hurt him very deeply in the past. What he’s doing now is driven by pain and betrayal.”

“He told you that?”

“He didn’t have to. A summoning is a highly intimate thing. It’s the deepest part of a human psyche reaching out and digging in deep to a demon’s spirit. That sort of connection is hard to fool.”

“Just like you couldn’t fool me into thinking you really were Erin.”

The demon leaned back, stretching so her breasts pushed against her top. Erin’s hair curled over her shoulders. She looked at me and a hint of mischievous naughtiness touched her lips, as if daring me to not appreciate the effort she’d gone to.

Erin’s face and body; strange, inestimable eyes. It just wasn’t right.

“Can you change out of that shape?” I was proud that my voice was even, not showing a smidge of the strain it took to keep from being very appreciative indeed. Lust demon. Oh yeah, I believed Kermit now.

She pouted. “I could, but that would alert your pet vampire.”

Jesus. I’d spent all this time so fixated on this not-Erin I’d forgotten Mercy completely. I sent a quick query down the line.

“Nothing happening,” she replied, her sense bored.

“Nothing there, sure. Hey, can you sense anyone in this house with me?”

The link intensified for a moment and I felt her feeling about. Her snaky little thoughts coursed about the room, roaming all over me with familiarity. I felt them brush over the demon but there was no spark of reaction from Mercy.

“Do you think you’re not alone?” she asked warily.

“I know I’m not alone. Don’t worry, I’m not in danger,” I added before she could launch. “If things change, you’ll be the first to know.”

She settled down, but I could feel her attention shift from the Davis household to this one.

“It doesn’t know I’m here,” the demon said.

My eyes narrowed. “It does now. Why can’t she sense you?”

“We have the ability to condense our spirits. It’s how I’ve been following you around these last couple of days with you none the wiser.”

Okay, that didn’t exactly make me feel so good. I thought of all the things I’d done, places I’d gone, people I’d spoken to over the past two days. All the people I’d unintentionally exposed to the demon. Jacob, Tobias, Dr Jones, Erin. And Lila.

The anger began to rise again. I clamped it down before it got any stronger. This wasn’t the time or place to lose control. Not with the demon right here and Mercy not. Admittedly, she was only two streets away, a blink of time for a vampire, but I was sure that blink would be long enough for the demon to squish me against the floor.

I forced myself to think about what she’d just said and a few thoughts clunked together in my head.

“Your powers are condensed along with your spirit, aren’t they.” I didn’t make it a question. “That’s why you can’t change shape without alerting Mercy. And in this human
form, the adverse reaction you have on vampires is gone. Apart from your eyes, you’re completely human right now.”

She didn’t answer, didn’t change her expression.

I like being right. Time to try it again. “I think it’s also an intentional move on your part.”

Erin’s thin, pale brow arched. “Really?”

“Really. You come to me like this and let me know you’re powerless. You want my help.”

That bugged her. She shot to her feet and paced, hands clenching at her sides, very deliberately not looking at me. Wow. This had to be some sort of supernatural talent I was developing—the ability to piss women off with one or two sentences.

“You don’t want to kill me,” I said. “You’ve said as much tonight. You told me I could stop you.”

“No. I said if you didn’t stop me, then I would be forced to kill you.”

I shrugged. “Same diff.”

She stopped pacing and faced me, arms crossed. Now that was pure Erin. “How are you going to stop me, then?”

“Well now, that would be telling, wouldn’t it.”

“You can’t stop me.”

Standing, I met her gaze straight on. “If I couldn’t stop you, you would have just killed me already. This isn’t you. You hate this.” I waved at her stolen body shape. “You’ve been following me around so you could judge me. Find out if I’m capable of doing what you want. If I would be willing.”

The demon went absolutely still. “And what conclusion did I come to?”

I took my time looking her over. “That I’m your only hope.”

We stared at each other for a moment longer, then she changed. It began at the top of her head and rolled downward, like an old skin peeling away to reveal the new creature beneath. Her glorious wings burst forth and stretched like they’d been bound up. And perhaps they had been. I had no idea on the physics behind her ability to change shape.

On the edge of my senses, Mercy blurred. Two breathes later, she was in the doorway behind the demon. Her eyes glinted silver and her lips pulled back from her fangs. The rising vampire tide threatened to swamp me, but I gritted my teeth and held both me and Mercy in check. It was tough going. Last night, the demon had been weak, her influence not so overwhelming. Tonight, it was like someone replaced the energy saving bulb with a high wattage spotlight.

“You’d better hope you’re right,” the demon said as if Mercy wasn’t menacing at her back. “Twenty-four hours from now and we’ll find out if you are. Don’t disregard Solomon, and don’t forget your other case.”

She began to fade.

“My other case?” I demanded.

That enigmatic smile curled her lips again and then, with a little pop of equalising pressure, she disappeared.