Possession (3 page)

Tonia squared her shoulders and met his solemn eyes. “Very well, Fallon. Until you decide to be honest with me, I don’t want to see you anymore.”

She slid out of the booth. “Goodbye.”

He didn’t look at her. But remained very still, his jaw tense and his eyes fixed straight ahead, lips pressed into a thin line.

At his reaction, she almost faltered and began to ask him again who or what he was, only to realize that he had not denied the possibility of being like them.

Was he a sort of demon she’d not encountered before?

The thought made her stomach clench, and she rushed from the coffee shop. The sounds of traffic and the beating music of the club across the street engulfed her, helping the nausea subside.

She wanted to hate him, to feel repulsed. What she felt instead was disappointment at Fallon for not coming after her.

Chapter 2

Fallon stared straight ahead, not moving, while he fought against his desire to run after Tonia. To stop her from leaving, not allowing her to go until she agreed to see him again.

She’d been dressed for clubbing again, her tight dress accentuating her slender waist, her well-formed butt and those killer long legs that he would give anything to have wrapped around him again. She'd worn her long blonde hair loose down her back tonight, the way he liked it. Her almond-shaped eyes full of promise. At least that’s what he'd seen in them.

What are you?
She’d had every right to ask the question and deserved an answer. A picture of the distrust in her vibrant green eyes flashed in his mind. He would answer it if he could, funny that at the moment he wasn't exactly sure himself. If what Julian, his leader, said was true, he was in the midst being primed for demonic possession by Gerard, a Master demon. Which meant that he could soon very well be the one thing Tonia detested the most.

Gerard an everlasting thorn in the Protectors’ side was dying, weakening every day and needed a strong body to possess. The damn demon was always at work, his minions killing innocents all over the city and his higher-level demons’ mission— to kill all Protectors.

Fallon went to stand, but sat back down. Tonia was probably in her car and headed home by now, or inside Inferno. The latter worried him.  She did not belong in there, if too angry and distracted it would be easy for her to fall prey to a demon.

What could he possibly say to her that would make sense? He couldn't divulge being a Protector. Whatever else he told her, she was too intelligent, and would see through any lie he manufactured.

He looked through the window across the street as Sebastian slid into the booth opposite him.

The incubus' nostrils flared. “I have told you Protectors to steer clear of my club. Why were you headed…” He didn’t finish when a brunette squeezed in next to him, not too gently bumping the incubus to move over.

The woman leaned into Sebastian totally ignoring Fallon, her arousal evident by her dilated pupils, and the scent of it tingling Fallon’s nose. By the way she pushed her hair away from her flushed face and lifted her exposed cleavage, her message was clear, yet she spoke anyway. “I don’t care what I have to do, I need to be with you.” She pressed her lips against a startled Sebastian’s and practically climbed into his lap as Fallon watched, eyebrows raised, unable to control a smirk.

Sebastian held up a finger signaling for him to wait, and pushed out of the booth. He untangled the woman from around him and took her hand. With the woman in tow, he disappeared with her towards the café’s restrooms.

Not even half an hour later, the incubus returned. Seconds later, the woman walked past their booth. By the dazed disheveled appearance she’d been well pleasured.

“Do you think you can spare a minute before the next one?” Fallon asked, not sure if he cared for the pang of jealousy that bit his gut. He'd planned to be with Tonia tonight. Hell, he’d rather be with her right now than watching the incubus get lucky.

“Sorry, I needed that.” Sebastian told him, speaking matter-of-factly. “You seem troubled.”

Fallon nodded, then growled in aggravation when two new women slid in, one next to Sebastian and another next to him. The incubus gave him an apologetic look and turned toward the woman in the seat next to him. When the woman went to put her arms around him, he looked into her eyes and she immediately went limp where she sat. The woman who sat next to Fallon jumped to her friend’s aid. “What did you do?”

Sebastian placed his hand on the back of the frazzled woman’s neck and she slumped forward as well. The incubus looked around. “Good thing this place is packed, no one seems to have noticed. Come on.”

After an awkward climb over the slumped women, Fallon followed Sebastian out the rear door and around to the back of the building.

The incubus sat on the top of a dilapidated table with one foot on a rusty chair and waited for him. Fallon inspected another chair and decided against sitting on any of the dirty surfaces.

“I never considered how difficult it is for you,” he told the sullen incubus who glowered at him, jaw tense. “How do you constantly deal with it and not lose your temper with them? You must be sick of sex.”

Sebastian’s eyes glowed like beacons when they met his. “I need them to survive, I feed off sexual energy. So the least I can do is give them a good time and not get upset by their reactions to me. Funny thing is that I rarely have actual intercourse.” He shrugged. “It’s not their fault, they can’t help what they feel when around me.” He looked up at the starry sky. “So what's up with you? You didn’t come to talk about my sex life.”

The incubus could betray him, especially if Sebastian was in alliance with the Master demon who'd marked him. It was a chance Fallon was willing to take, he needed information. For whatever reason, Julian seemed to trust Sebastian, so he decided to put stock in that.

Fallon took a breath. “A month ago, in Centennial Park, I approached a demon attacking a woman. The demon was a high level one, a Master. I don’t remember much about him but the bastard did something to me.” Fallon paused before continuing. “I passed out, or blacked out.  The next thing I remember is regaining rational thought in my car. I was driving back to my house.”

“That’s not all.” It was a statement, not a question from Sebastian.

“No, that’s not all. I’ve changed. I have violent dreams when I allow myself to sleep.  Then there's the change in my personality, I am constantly agitated, more violent. It’s worrisome, as the target of my anger does not seem to matter.” He looked at the incubus. “My sex drive is off the charts. I can’t stop thinking about getting laid. Like I’m a horny teenager or something.”

“I know the feeling,” Sebastian laughed at his own joke. “Seriously, it sounds to me like you’re targeted for possession.”

Fallon jammed his hands into his jacket pockets, at the confirmation of something he already knew.

"When I finally confessed to Julian what happened, he informed me that unless I find and kill the bastard, I could be possessed by the demon."

The information had come after Julian’s painful “treatment” which could only be compared to putting a nail gun to your head and shooting, over and over again.

Sebastian nodded. "Makes sense."

“What can I do to fight it?”

“I’m afraid it depends on the Master.” Fallon’s eyebrows arched in a 'no duh' look and Sebastian continued. “Yes, it has to be a Master demon. Only they are strong enough to possess an immortal. There is only one way to stop it. Julian is right, you have to find the Master to stop the process. If you know another Master demon, maybe he can give you more information.”

“Shit. Yeah, Sebastian. Why didn't I think of that? I happen to have a bunch of Master demon buddies.” Fallon exploded. "What the fuck am I supposed to do? Go to Match Me with a Master Demon dot com?”

He took a few steps away and kicked a garbage bag, sending it flying and landing with a thump against a ragged fence. The incubus gave him no new information, nothing that he didn't already know. He'd hoped there was another way to block the dark emotions that filled him day and night.

“I’m sorry.” Frustration emanated from Sebastian when his black eyes met his. “You have to find him.”

“And?”

“Kill him.”

“Right, I’ll get right on that,” Fallon replied, his anger rising, with a rumble in his gut. “The only Master demon in this area is Gerard. Are there others?”

When Sebastian didn’t reply, Fallon stormed at him, grabbing the lapels of his jacket, he pulled the incubus up from the sitting position. “Are there any other fucking Masters in Atlanta?” he gritted the words out, his fury unleashing.

The incubus struggled to free himself and shoved Fallon away angrily, “I am not your fucking informer Protector.” He started to walk away but then stopped, and faced him. “The only reason a Master would prepare you for possession is because there is some sort of deformity or defect in his current body. He’s become too weak and needs a stronger one. Killing him may not be as impossible as you may think. I have to go.”

Fallon didn’t try to stop him. He didn’t want to risk the already tenuous relationship between Sebastian and the Protectors. For some reason, none of them knew, Julian and the incubus were on friendly terms. On several occasions when needed, Sebastian helped them out of a bind.

A startled cry sounded. Fallon rushed around the building, just as a demon dragged a struggling woman into the same alleyway Tonia had seen the couple in earlier. The woman’s blonde hair stood out in the darkness, as she tried to fight off the demon.

Tonia
.

His heart caught in his throat, Fallon pulled his short sword from his hip holster and ran across the street. Upon reaching the alleyway, he flew at the demon slamming him against the wall. The high level narrowed his red-rimmed eyes and flashed his fangs. Without hesitation, Fallon sliced his head off, the thump of the headless body overshadowed by the hysterical woman’s cries. The woman threw herself into his arms, sobbing. “Thank you, oh my God, thank you so much.”

It wasn’t Tonia. He lifted her face with care, his eyes meeting with the woman’s. He passed his hand over her face and erased her memories then walked her to her car, once she was seated and belted in, he commanded her to drive home, go to bed and forget the last few minutes.

The long night of vigil began.

If only he could be like the woman, go home and forget. Instead, Fallon stalked down the street hoping to spot another demon to kill. The urge to slay and destroy skyrocketed. His body strung tight, the desire to kill so strong that the short encounter with the last demon barely whetted his appetite.

***

At dawn, Fallon arrived home, entering the house through the kitchen door from the garage. He was immediately greeted with the aroma of a dinner meal, the barking of a dog and a pretty Fae, Wendy, his partner Kieran’s wife, trying to catch the black Labrador before the creature jumped on him.

At Wendy’s prompting, his butler Hector and she cooked a dinner meal in the mornings when they arrived from work and breakfast at night before they prepared to leave. He’d easily adjusted to the schedule by the obvious grumble from his stomach at the smell of food.

“No jumping Albert, bad dog,” Wendy admonished, pushing the black lab away from him. The dog continued wagging his tail, his bright eyes looking up to Fallon. He reluctantly petted the dog's head.

The petite redhead’s already large green eyes rounded, spotting the bakery package in his hand. “Please tell me those are oatmeal raisin cookies from Rico’s,” she said seizing the box from him before he could reply.

“Good morning to you too, Wendy,” he told her, unable to keep from grinning when she shoved an entire cookie into her mouth. He liked to indulge the sprite. Not only because she was one of the few people that managed to still make him smile, but because it annoyed the shit out of her ill-tempered husband.

Sensing freedom, as he'd left the garage door up, Albert, the dog rushed past him. As soon as the animal went through the door, Fallon closed it behind the incorrigible beast.

“If that dog digs up the flowerbed again, Hector will skin him alive.”

Wendy didn’t reply, her attention back to the cookie box.  She claimed a second cookie. “Yum!” She took out a cookie and bit into it. Then closed her eyes and rocked. “Oh my goodness, I’m in heaven.”

Fallon laughed at her enthusiasm and took one out for himself. He went to pour water into a teakettle for tea when she came over and hugged him, pushing him toward the table. “Thank you Fallon, you're a sweetheart. Go sit, I’ll fix your tea. I already started coffee for Kieran.”

“You don’t have to do that,” he replied, moving to the table knowing she would not allow him back near the teakettle.

“It’s the least I can do. You’re so nice to let us live here.” Wendy set the kettle on the stove and turned the heat on. “Our house won’t be finished for at least six months. I keep changing my mind on the details, I want it to be perfect." She giggled. "I think the builder wants to kill me.”

“There’s absolutely no hurry,” Fallon told her, meaning it. “Besides after you leave, I’m still stuck living here alone with Logan.”

“Did I hear my name?” The Texan walked in, his duster flapping against the back of his legs. Fallon didn’t reply to the Protector who'd recently moved to Atlanta from Texas.

Wendy smiled at him. “Good morning Logan. Fallon was telling me how much he enjoys having us as his houseguests.”

“I bet he does,” Logan replied, his hazel eyes flickering briefly to him. “I didn't look for a place to live because I was supposed to return to Texas by now. Now that Julian's changed his mind I'll have to start looking." He looked to Fallon. "Since he insists I stay permanently, I’m gonna get my own place soon.”

Fallon reached to get the cup of tea Wendy placed in front of him. “You should remain here.” He met the Protector’s eyes, hoping he understood the underlying reason.

Logan frowned and got his unspoken request. “Yeah, alright. This place is big enough that we don’t have to be on top of each other anyway. Well most of us.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Wendy, who rolled her eyes and smiled back.