“You’ve met him recently?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, but the way my week’s going, he’s probably lurking around the next corner. Look, give me a phone number where I can reach you and we’ll get together soon. I promise. We’ll figure everything out then.”
Caroline grasped her hands. “My daughter, always trying to help other people, putting them before herself.”
Eden grimaced. “You make me sound like some sort of saint.”
“You are, honey. I never saw it before, but you’re truly wonderful. In every way. And you deserve a bright future.” She cast a dark look at Darrak. “And anything I have to do to ensure that is exactly what I’ll do. Call me, honey. Soon.”
Caroline scribbled a phone number down on a scrap piece of paper on Eden’s desk and handed it to her. She kissed Eden’s cheek and then, shooting an even darker glare in Darrak’s direction, left the office.
Eden suddenly felt like having a long nap. For a couple of years.
“So, your mom seems super nice,” Darrak said dryly.
She shot him a look. “She’s as scattered as she was when she was alive.”
“It’s adorable.”
“No it isn’t.”
“No, you’re right. It isn’t. She hates me.”
“Don’t worry about her. She’s harmless. It’s a whole ‘bark worse than bite’ thing.”
“Famous last words.”
“Let’s hope not.” Eden noticed he looked disturbed. “You okay?”
“Never better.”
“Forget what she said. She doesn’t know you.”
“She walked in right when I was about to ravish her daughter in the middle of a place of business. Not a great first impression.”
“Bad timing, that’s all.”
Darrak raked a hand through his unruly hair. “I’m going to go next door to see Nancy for another donut and I’ll give you some privacy to do your work. We’ll talk later.”
She was about to argue, but she closed her mouth. He was right. Now was not the right time to plunge back into a ravishment in the middle of the office. The moment had passed.
She nodded. “Later.”
Later they’d do many things. One of which, although Darrak didn’t know it yet, was for Eden to break his curse first thing tomorrow morning.
Forget “too good to be true.” She’d managed to remove the spell with a slightly darker shade to her amulet as the only glitch. She was feeling a renewed sense of confidence.
Maybe their luck was finally on an upswing.
It could happen.
Ben waited at his house for Sandy to arrive. And she finally did, knocking on his front door. He went to answer it and let the blonde witch inside. She immediately threw her arms around him and kissed him.
He’d had a lot of time to think about what he overheard in Oliver’s office today. It was possible Sandy was being coerced to act that way. It was also possible she was playing along in order to save her own neck. He was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“How are you?” he asked very seriously, watching for any telltale sign that she was in distress.
“I’m great.” She smiled brightly. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“I guess we’ve both been busy.” Sandy had slept over a couple of nights last week, but this week they’d only seen each other in passing at the Malleus headquarters.
“We need to spend more time with each other.”
“I couldn’t agree more. You sure you’re okay, Sandy?”
She cocked her head. “I honestly can’t say I’ve ever felt better. Things are finally coming together for me, Ben.”
“Glad to hear it.” So far, even with his trained eye, he couldn’t tell if she was being truthful. His gaze moved to her chest. “New necklace?”
She pressed her fingers against the gray pendant hanging on a silver chain. “It’s a witch thing.”
“Haven’t seen it before. It helps you do magic?”
“Something like that.” Her smile widened. “But enough about me. I brought you something.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Some soup I made special for you. Chicken noodle.”
He took the Tupperware bowl from her. The soup was still warm, filled with chicken, noodles and—according to the conversation he’d heard earlier—a large helping of love potion.
His stomach sank. He’d hoped she wasn’t trying to deceive him, but his confidence was slipping with every moment she stood in front of him with that shiny smile on her face.
Her words from earlier replayed in his head:
“He’s a noble guy. Stupid, stubborn, and boring, but very noble.”
He might be noble, stubborn, and boring, but he was far from stupid.
Ben forced a smile and placed it down on the glass table next to his leather couch. “Smells delicious. Thank you. I’ll have it for dinner later.”
She nodded. “Good. Make sure to think of me when you take your first spoonful.”
“I’m always thinking of you, Sandy.”
Her smile widened. “Oh, Ben, what did I do to deserve somebody like you?”
You were assigned the task of making me fall in love with you so the Malleus could use that weakness to keep me in line.
He’d grown very fond of Sandy since he’d first met her, but love was something he didn’t feel for the witch. Especially not at this very moment.
Disappointment and betrayal, yes. Love? No thanks.
“Fate,” he said instead. “It works in mysterious ways.”
She looked back at the door. “I can’t stay, I’ve got so many things to do today.”
“Listen, Sandy, before you go, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“The angel in the basement of the Malleus. He’s still there—it’s been over two weeks now. He has red hair, and his feathers are being plucked daily from his wings. It seems to weaken him. He looks very ill. Do you know what’s going on?”
She cocked her head to the side. “Why would the Malleus imprison an angel?”
“Maybe it’s an evil angel.”
“An evil angel?” she laughed. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before.”
“Well, Eden seems to think her demon is a nice one.” Even saying it aloud made Ben grimace. He had major issues when it came to Darrak and had committed himself to destroying the demon at his earliest convenience. So far it hadn’t been all that convenient. “If that’s true, then maybe it works the other way around.”
“Eden is living in a fantasy world. One that is going to inevitably lead to her death. You know that, I know that, and the Malleus knows that.”
“I still don’t understand why we’re not intervening in that matter more forcefully.”
“Black witches are dangerous.”
He already knew that about Eden from firsthand experience. He’d really prefer to keep his head attached to his body if possible. “But she needs help. Why can’t the Malleus help her?”
“Oliver still wants to know how the celestial energy is affecting the demon. He has a lead on more information. Nothing’s going to be done until he acquires that information. That’s all I can say right now, Ben.”
Everything revolved around that damn demon. “So you don’t know anything about the angel.”
Sandy sighed. “The only prisoner I know about is the shapeshifter we brought in yesterday. And let me tell you, she’s a real bitch to deal with.”
Was she referring to the woman with the almond-shaped eyes and mocha-colored skin who’d glared at him from the shadows of her cell? “A bitch?”
She nodded. “Evil to the core.”
“Yeah?” Bitch, he’d believe. Evil might be a stretch, despite his telling her she probably belonged in a locked room. That unpleasant exchange had stayed with him since he’d walked away from her earlier. “Why do you think she’s evil?”
“She has something to do with Eden Riley and that
demon of hers. Oliver thinks the shifter has information that could help the Malleus, but she won’t talk. She refuses to help us.”
“What’s her name?”
Sandy crossed her arms. “She won’t tell us even that. We tried bribing her, but nothing. My magic doesn’t work on shifters to help coax the truth. Tomorrow we’re going to have to get more serious with her. Oliver is going to want you there. He wants to introduce you to the more high level intel extraction methods.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “I’m supposed to be a part of this?”
“You’re involved in the Eden Riley case already. If she talks to you, it won’t be too bad for her.”
Ben watched her carefully. “And you’re okay with that? With these high level intel extraction methods?”
It was a nice, fancy way to describe torture.
She met his serious gaze and he saw nothing in her eyes to indicate any doubt or worry. “It’s all for the greater good, Ben.”
“Right. The greater good.” Ben couldn’t believe he’d felt something for this woman who stood before him. It was as if the curtain had been pulled back from in front of his eyes showing the messy stage behind it. He’d thought Sandy was one of the good guys—one of the best of them all, actually.
But maybe she was just another hammer.
What the hell had he gotten himself into?
He had no friends, no one to confide in. A brand on his arm that still itched, that bound him to an organization he’d quickly come to doubt—one that used medieval methods in modern times to prove their way was the right way. The only way.
The greater good.
Ben wanted to do the right thing. He did. He wanted to help others more than anything in the world.
But this—it felt wrong to him. So wrong.
“I’ll be there, too,” Sandy assured him. “For moral support.”
“Thanks. I—I appreciate that.”
“Eat your soup. Know that I made it with love in my heart.”
He nodded. “Can’t wait.”
“I’ll call you later.” She went up on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his. Then, with a last flash of a bright smile, she slipped through the front door.
It only took Ben a minute to pour the soup down his garbage disposal.
He’d definitely lost his appetite.
SIX
After he left Eden to her busy office-workings, Darrak was a bit surprised to see Stanley sitting at a table at Hot Stuff. Although it did make sense. After all, his brand-new fiancée worked behind the counter.
Two words: free coffee.
Stanley spotted Darrak and immediately turned to study the wall as if looking for a crack to crawl into.
“Relax,” Darrak said as he approached the nervous-looking man. Other than Stanley there were a half dozen other customers in the small, delicious-smelling café. “I come in peace.”
“Sure. Great.” Stanley ran a hand through his thinning hair. “Glad to hear it. Hey, Darrak, how are tricks?”
“Tricks are for kids. Or wizards.”
“Oh, right. You—you saw Maksim earlier, didn’t you?”
“I did indeed. Believe it or not, he helped us. More than I even thought possible.”
“Thank God.”
“Or whomever.” Darrak cast a glance over at Nancy behind the glass counter filled with pastries, who in turn was sending a look of love and devotion toward Stanley. “So you and Nancy are tying the knot, huh?”
Stanley gripped his coffee mug tighter and leaned back in his seat. “We are.”
“Your idea or hers?”
“Mine.”
“Really? I didn’t think you were that into her.”
“Things change quickly. I love her. I know it’s crazy and fast, but that’s just the way it is. I’m an old-fashioned guy.”
“I never would have thought it.”
“Maybe you should do the same with Eden.”
Darrak frowned. “What?”
Stanley shrugged. “Ask her to marry you. Why not? I get the feeling you’re into each other.”
That was a thought. A completely insane—if vaguely intriguing—thought. Ask Eden to marry him? Stanley had been drinking one too many espressos today.
“Not so sure about that, but thanks for your opinion.”
“When I found the right girl, I knew I’d want to spend the rest of my life with her. Whammo. That girl is Nancy. And here we are.”
“Here we are.”
“I’m going to leave.” Stanley cast a plaintive look toward the exit.
“Don’t go on my account.”
“Oh, no. This has nothing to do with you. I, uh, have a bunch of things I need to take care of.”
“I’m not going to hurt you, Stanley. Seriously. Just chill. What’s your problem, anyway?” Darrak was starting to get a complex. If he wanted someone to be scared of him, then that was one thing. A flash of talon or horn from his demonic visage usually did the trick. But this was . . . weird.
So much for making friends and influencing people without even trying. This was more like terrorizing and traumatizing.
“I don’t want to go to Hell,” Stanley blurted out. “I’ve done some bad things in my life, but now that I’ve found Nancy, I’ve found a reason to redeem myself. Spending time with . . . well, with demons isn’t going to earn me any brownie points.”
Darrak took a seat across from him. “You think I have any pull down there anymore?”
“You’re a demon.”
“Uh . . . yeah. And your point?”
“I know you’re not dragging anyone’s ass to Hell at the moment, but that might change at any time.”
Interesting point. There was a time, not so long ago, that Darrak had been convinced that this was temporary, this humanity that infused him, making him feel guilty about anything remotely demonic he did. He’d been certain once the curse that destroyed his original form was broken, when he was able to reform himself on a permanent basis, his old ways would return in full force.
But that wasn’t going to happen. He had it on very good authority.
Darrak was a changed man. A demon with morals.
Which obviously sucked for way too many reasons to count.
He tried not to think about it. Accepting it was not something he was ready to do yet, but he’d have to eventually.
The main problem was that morals got in the way when it came to life in the proverbial basement. It wasn’t such a nice place, depending on how you looked at it, but from a normal demon’s eyes, it was business as usual. If Darrak returned to the pit with his new outlook on life, he might start trying to rescue the damned souls who’d been sent there. The ones that screamed the loudest, anyway. That sound wouldn’t be quite as melodic anymore. It would actually bother him to hear anyone in agony like that, whether they deserved it or not.
Maybe he’d just try to steer clear of the main hot spots. So to speak.
As if going back to Hell was even an option for him. What a laugh. As soon as he stepped foot anywhere within the Netherworld, he’d be exposed for what he was—a freak of nature. He was now an outcast, a hybrid, a demon with humanity and a bit too much celestial energy he’d digested, thanks to Eden, that he needed to burn off before he could go anywhere near Hell again undetected.
What a mess.
Quite honestly, the only thing keeping him from gnashing his teeth, or whatever, about this situation was Eden.
He knew the love he felt for her weakened him, made him less of a demon. And the craziest thing was he really couldn’t care less. He’d never experienced something like this before. Ever. And it made him . . . happy.
At least, when it wasn’t making him completely miserable.
Ah, love, Darrak thought. I could totally write one of those sexy romance novels if I wanted to.
Hmm. That might be a good idea, actually.
He heard somebody whimpering. He looked up from his thoughts and realized he had Stanley’s wrist in
a death grip. He let go immediately, no harm done.
“Hey, baby!” Nancy called over from the counter. “Everything okay over there?”
“Oh . . . yeah. No problem. Just chatting with Darrak.”
“Cool! Darrak you want another donut?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Darrak said. Good. Well, that might be an overstatement, really.
Nancy sent another shiny smile their way before she moved to answer the phone.
Darrak cast a look at the man tensely sitting across from him. “Look, Stanley, listen to me and I want you to hear the words coming out of my mouth. I’m not going to hurt you, maim you, eviscerate you, or otherwise bother you. I am not going to kill you and drag your soul to Hell. I do not like green eggs and ham. Et cetera. Get it through your head.”
Stanley frowned. “So you’re being totally serious with me. The rumors are true that you’ve changed.”
“Uh-huh. Wait, you’ve heard rumors?”
He shrugged. “A few from, uh, Maksim. He called this morning to let me know he was back, which was why I was so surprised to hear from you immediately afterward.”
Darrak grimaced. Another mark against him that made him feel like less than his once-powerful self. “Perfect timing.”
“Are you going to see Maksim again?”
“Not sure. I got a bad vibe off him, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. For his sake, I hope he wasn’t screwing around with us.”
“Will you hurt him if he was?”
A slow smile snaked across Darrak’s face. “You know, everyone always assumes all a demon ever cares about is violence and mayhem and the sound of tearing flesh. But, trust me, that’s actually only 95 percent of the time. We do have a few other hobbies, you know.”
The look of horror that crossed Stanley’s face shouldn’t have amused him, but it did anyway. Maybe he was still evil down deep.
It was a comforting thought, actually.
Eden spent the day organizing Andy’s files. It was what she typically did on Thursdays, nice mindless work—mostly deciphering her partner’s lousy handwriting. She went out midafternoon to Hot Stuff to grab a sandwich, which sat heavily in her queasy stomach.
Stomach flu. Definitely.
She had to look on the bright side—she’d removed Darrak’s spell. That was a huge step in the right direction and it made today a wonderful one.