“If you make the spell worse, it’s possible I won’t even be able to touch you at all anymore. That’s one of the reasons I’m touching you right now so you can sense if something bad is happening.”
“That really could happen?”
“Sex is the extreme. Touching is the safe end, but it’s still in the same realm. I have agreed not to have sex with you again for your own good, but not touching you at all for an eternity of being bound together like this would be much too cruel. It would mean I could never kiss you again. Hold your hand. Brush against you. Nothing.”
Her breathing sped up. “That would be bad.”
“Glad to see we agree about something.”
“Can we stop this and regroup?”
“No, it’s too late. You’re too deep and you’ve already accessed the spell enough to see it. Keep going, but take as much time as you need.”
She’d dived in headfirst without thinking much about it first. Didn’t sound like her usual self—that had been much more reckless than she normally was.
They couldn’t stop. But she had to be very careful.
Eden concentrated and went deeper still, a few more floors down. She was in this now, for better or for worse. She’d already touched the spell—the gossamer coating that covered his form on this level of consciousness. That was what she focused on.
Go now, she thought. Leave here. I no longer need you. As she thought the command, sending out the magic through what she now knew was her soul, she felt it respond. It was as if the spell had a personality—like a puppy. It recognized her magical signature and wagged its tail. And then it extracted itself from Darrak to return to her and . . . disappeared.
Hocus-pocus.
She inhaled sharply and tried to stand up from her chair, but her knees buckled. Darrak caught her in his arms.
“Eden . . .” he said from what sounded like a great distance. “Eden!”
She blinked, her eyelashes fluttering as she opened her eyes and smiled up at him. “I think I did it.”
His expression looked strained, concerned, but hopeful. “You should be teaching Magic 101. I can’t help but be impressed.”
“Maybe Maksim’s advice was too good not to be true.”
“Maybe.” Darrak looked conflicted by this possibility. Part of him, though, looked cautiously optimistic. But then his gaze moved to her chest. It only took her a moment to figure out why.
Her amulet.
Damn.
“It’s darker,” she said. “Isn’t it?”
“Maksim said this wouldn’t use your black magic in a destructive manner.” He swore under his breath. “But he was wrong. It used your magic and your soul at the same time. It was like introducing two horny people on a blind date. They went for each other immediately. It was a direct conduit to your soul for that black magic.”
She glanced down at the amulet, taking the cool piece of oval-shaped stone in her hand. It was significantly darker by at least two shades. It was now a medium gray with lines that were the color of charcoal. It was quite pretty, actually, if you didn’t know what it really meant.
Instead of panicking, she felt a strange sense of resolve.
“It was worth it,” she said, mostly to herself. “Besides, I don’t feel any different.”
“Not yet.” He paced back and forth before stopping and looking at her. “You know, there is a way to take it back a few shades before it gets too much darker.”
She shook her head. “No, Darrak.”
“You think I like the idea of it? But if necessary, it’s what you have to do—”
“Stop it.” Her voice cracked on the words.
“Another kiss from Lucifer wouldn’t really be so bad, would it?” His eyes burned bright with immediate jealousy, but a dark smile twisted on his face.
“Keep it up, Darrak, and the next time I see him I might not only kiss him.”
That helped erase the humorless smile completely.
However, she couldn’t exactly argue with his logic. It had already been proven that kissing the Prince of Hell, even a chaste, emotionless kiss, drew the darkness out of her and straight into him. He was the ultimate magnet for evil. But he was a devious, manipulative man. Fallen angel. Demon. Prince. Prisoner. A split-personality Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
All of the above.
She didn’t trust him. That her life was now irrevocably intertwined with his didn’t exactly help her sleep that well at night.
In a way she felt sorry for him, and that didn’t help much either. Lucifer, or Lucas, which was the name she preferred to use for him, felt trapped in Hell. His only desire was to go back to Heaven where he thought he truly belonged, but his darkness was an eternal anchor keeping him stuck in the Netherworld.
Lucas thought he was cursed. Eden couldn’t very well say he was wrong about that.
When the prince chose to come to the human world, he did so with one drawback. Here he was mortal. He still had power, especially over beings like Darrak, whom Lucas had created himself, but his mortal body could be killed. And if so, his essence would be sent back to Hell with no chance to escape again for a very long time.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“What for?”
“Everything.”
“You’re taking my lines again, because I’m the one who’s sorry.”
“Maybe we’re just a sorry pair.”
He snorted. “No kidding.”
She slid her hands up his chest. “There is some good news, though.”
“Oh?”
“Your spell is broken.” She smiled. “You can’t give me any more black magic than I already have.”
“Oh.”
“Can you feel it?”
“I think so.”
“How does it feel?”
He lowered his face so they were eye to eye. “It feels very good.”
“This means we can be together. Whenever we like.”
She thought he was going to pull away, tell her to wait, but instead he kissed her, a kiss that didn’t hold back anything. It was deep, searching, passionate, and she wanted more. Desire swelled within her swiftly, immediately.
“Here?” he asked.
She just nodded.
A smile spread across his handsome face. “Your wish is my command.”
He pressed her back against the desk, his mouth moving down the column of her throat, and then she heard the sound.
A jingle. Somebody had entered the office.
Damn it. They should have locked the door. They were lucky no one had walked in during the spell removal.
She swore against Darrak’s lips as he kissed her one more time before releasing her, and they turned toward the door. A young and pretty raven-haired woman stood there looking at them with a hand on her hip and a raised eyebrow.
“Am I interrupting something?” she asked.
Eden cleared her throat and stood up. Her legs felt shaky, and she ran a hand through her long hair to neaten it.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “That must not have looked very professional.”
Darrak shrugged. “Sometimes I just can’t keep my hands off her. She’s irresistible.”
Eden couldn’t help but laugh as she cast a look in his direction. “Anyway, let’s start again.” She moved toward the woman and stretched out her hand. “I’m Eden Riley. Welcome to Triple-A Investigations. And you are?”
The young woman grasped Eden’s hand tightly in hers, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “Honey, it’s me.”
Eden frowned. “Excuse me?”
“It’s me,” the woman said again. “Your mother. I’m back!”
FIVE
Eden tried to process what she’d just heard.
Her mother? That was impossible.
This dark-haired woman was barely in her midtwenties and was completely different from her mother. Caroline Riley had looked just like Eden, only with blonde hair rather than the bright red Eden always dyed to a less attention-grabbi
ng auburn.
“I know this comes as a shock, sweetie,” the woman said. “But it’s true. Maybe you should sit down.”
Eden did just that, staggering behind her desk and dropping back into her swivel chair. “What the hell is going on?”
The woman spread her hands. “Okay, so I died.”
“I know that part.”
“Next thing I know I’m in a holding cell in Hell scared out of my mind. I had no idea why I was there and it truly felt like forever, before they told me I was free. Next thing I know I’m back here, but I had no body. I had to improvise.”
“You’re a drifter,” Darrak said, eyeing her carefully.
The woman eyed him right back. “Is that what I am? Sounds like a good term for it.”
Eden’s heart sank. A drifter was a bodiless spirit who was able to possess humans at will, pushing aside their consciousness to make way for their own. Unlike Darrak, who was stuck with one human host until their death or his exorcism—or, preferably, his curse removal—a drifter could change bodies as easily as changing their outfit.
Her mother had died three months ago after breaking her neck falling down a flight of stairs in Las Vegas. She already knew Caroline had been sent to Hell. Lucas used her mother as blackmail to get Eden to help him out recently. She’d agreed, albeit reluctantly, and the last she knew her mother’s soul had been released.
Eden assumed she’d gone to Heaven.
Instead she’d flitted around until she’d found a suitable body—a young, pretty brunette.
“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Caroline laughed at her own joke. “Listen to me. Still hilarious after everything I’ve been through. But seriously, thank God I was able to find a body. Otherwise I’d be totally screwed. No way to communicate with you or anyone else. That would be so horrible. You know how much I love to talk.”
“Where did you get this body?” Eden said tightly.
She turned in a circle as if modeling a new dress. “She’s an aspiring actress. Twenty-three. She’s done a little lingerie modeling to pay the rent in the past. Adorable, isn’t she? I barely remember having boobs this perky.”
“And you just stole her body like it means nothing?”
“Borrowed. There are agencies out there who help set up this sort of thing. Who knew, right? This girl has rented out her body to me for six months. It’s not cheap, believe me.”
“Are you serious? You rented it?” Eden had never heard of anything like that.
“You think I’d just steal a body? What kind of person do you think I am?” Caroline pouted. “And here I thought you’d be thrilled to see me. Guess I was wrong.”
The nausea Eden had felt earlier again rose in her throat. “I don’t feel so good.”
“Can I do anything to help?” Caroline asked, moving closer.
Eden held up her hand. “You should leave.”
“But I just got here.”
“Seriously . . . Caroline, right?” Darrak said. He’d gone back to finishing off his donut from before. “This is a lot for her to take all at once. It’s been a difficult day already.”
Caroline’s gaze turned sharply toward the demon. “I don’t know what your game is, demon, but trust me, now that I’m here you’re not going to be able to corrupt my daughter any longer with your evil ways.”
Darrak sighed. “Just what I need. A cranky mother-in-law from Hell.”
Eden couldn’t process this. Her mother hadn’t been horrible, but she wasn’t exactly a kindhearted woman who’d baked cookies for her only child and been there as a shoulder to cry on or offer up advice when it was needed. No, Caroline Riley was more of a hard-drinking, professional gambler who’d been away more than she’d been at home, who’d paraded a succession of equally unreliable men through their lives as Eden was growing up.
Eden had learned at a very early age how to avoid phone calls from collections agencies, make dinner for herself, and take public transit at the age of ten since Mom wasn’t always around to pick her up from a friend’s house.
No wonder she had issues with trust and always had a desire for a solitary, peaceful life.
Despite her flakiness, Caroline didn’t have a hard or cruel heart. She meant well, really she did. At least, Eden always hoped so.
She eyed the brunette. “Wait a minute. How do I know this isn’t some sort of trick?”
The woman frowned. “A trick?”
“I’m just supposed to take this all at face value? Just believe what you’re telling me with no proof? I don’t think so. I don’t know if you’re trying to con me by using the grief I feel for my mother—”
“You really felt grief for me, honey?” She looked pleased by this. “I knew you were angry that we didn’t spend much time together anymore. I wasn’t sure if you’d be glad I was gone, but you missed me!”
Eden let out an exasperated sigh. “I can’t deal with this.”
“It’s true. I’m here. It’s really me. I can prove it . . .” She chewed her bottom lip and looked thoughtful. “You had a teddy bear when you were a kid. You called him Mr. Snuggles.”
Eden crossed her arms skeptically. “That’s not exactly a huge secret.”
“You spilled grape juice on him and I tried to wash him, but he fell apart. You were devastated. We buried him in the backyard and then I bought you that . . . uh, a turtle. A little green turtle.”
“And what happened to the turtle?” Eden asked slowly.
She seemed to concentrate for a moment before her expression fell. “Oh, honey. I ran over him with my car.”
“And then you tried to pretend that he committed suicide.”
She grimaced. “Sorry.”
It was enough to prove to her that this woman was her mother possessing the body of a lingerie model. She’d never told anyone what happened to Speedy.
Her mother was back and Eden felt . . . well, Eden didn’t know how she felt about that other than feeling a dull ache in the pit of her stomach. She needed time to absorb everything.
Eden directed Caroline toward the door. “We’ll get together soon and talk about all of this, I promise. Right now, though . . . I—I just can’t deal with a surprise like this.”
Caroline looked over her shoulder at Darrak. “I don’t know what’s going on here, honey. Why are you with this scumbag? Can I do anything? Can I help you?”
“With Darrak?”
“Is that his name? He’s a demon, you know.”
Eden flinched. “Yeah, well, he’s not as bad as you might think.”
“Please. I just spent three months in Hell’s waiting room. I think I know a little something about demons. They’re evil, vile, disgusting creatures of darkness.”
“Stop,” Darrak said. “You’re making me blush.”
“Darrak’s different.”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “Sure, that’s what they all say. So, what? Are you in love with him?”
Eden flicked a glance at him. She had told him she loved him just after she’d nearly lost him forever, but today didn’t feel like the right time to say it again. Especially not in front of present company. “We’re . . . involved. Deeply.”
Caroline’s voice lowered to a whisper. “Is he forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do?”
She sighed. “No.”
“Then what is this? Eden, honey, when did you discover this sordid side of life? Did you summon him for sex?”
That actually earned an amused look from Darrak as he waited patiently for her reply.
“Look, it’s not like that. Darrak . . . he—he has a curse. He’s bound to me right now.”
“Bound to you?” She looked confused and her gaze moved to Darrak.
He crossed his arms. “Yes, your daughter and I met during an unfortunate demonic possession. You know eHar-mony? This is sort of the opposite of that.”
Caroline’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God.”
“Not exactly.”
“Eden”—Caroline grabbed her sh
oulders, concern etched into her rented, wrinkle-free face—“what can I do to help you?”
“Help me?” Eden said dryly. “Why would you want to do something like that after nearly thirty years of the exact opposite?”
“Sweetheart . . .”
“This isn’t a good time. I’m dealing with a laundry list of problems right now and to have you around, too . . . well, it’s not something I need right now. You have to move on. There has to be a way to get you to Heaven.”
“I haven’t been seeing any tunnels of light. This is it, I think. I’m stuck here in the human world forever.”
“Then if you’re here forever, we’ll have lots of time to catch up later.” She hated how dispassionate she felt about this, but she had enough to deal with without adding her estranged mother’s presence to the list.
Caroline’s mouth thinned to a straight line. “If you think for one moment I’m just going to pretend I don’t see what’s going on here, and that I don’t want to help you, then you’re wrong.”
“I don’t need help.”
“You do. You’re possessed by a demon.” She looked at Darrak. “Strange demonic possession with you standing right there. Didn’t know it worked like that.”
“It’s daylight right now,” he told her. “After sunset it’s a bit more traditional.”
“Disgusting,” she spat at him, then turned to Eden again. “How could you let this demon convince you not to exorcise him the moment you had the chance?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Mom,” Eden said wearily. “Why didn’t you tell me my father was an angel?”
Caroline blinked. “Excuse me?”
“An angel? My father—the red-haired guy who came by for a five-minute visit when I was a kid?”
Caroline just gaped at her. “Daniel was a—an angel?”
Oh boy. She hadn’t known. “Forget I said anything.”
“Daniel was a drifter . . . a loser. Nobody I wanted around for long. Sure, he was hot as hell, but it was a mistake I regretted almost immediately.” At Eden’s sharp look, she added, “Well, I didn’t regret you. You were a blessing, honey. But that man . . .” She frowned. “An angel? Seriously?”
This wasn’t exactly something she’d lie about. “Trust me. He is.”