And where was Darrak?
The moment she thought his name, Richard let go of her. The demon in question had grabbed him and pulled him off her. Darrak stood in front of Richard, his eyes a bright, flickering amber as if he was burning with fire from the inside. He grabbed Richard by the lapel of his jacket, and with his other hand on Richard’s wrist, Darrak bashed it against the wall hard enough to make him drop the knife.
“Don’t you dare touch her,” Darrak snarled.
Richard cocked his head to the side. “Interesting. Didn’t expect to meet up with a real live demon today. I would have worn my Sunday best if I had.”
Darrak narrowed his fiery gaze and studied the man for a moment. “You’re a drifter. That explains everything, actually.”
“Good guess.” Richard smiled thinly at him. “Obviously we have tons in common. So why don’t I leave and we can forget about this little incident.”
“We have nothing in common.” Darrak’s eyes flicked to Eden. “You okay?”
“Fabulous. Really.” Although she’d come very close to being sliced. Eden tried to keep her teeth from chattering. “Thank you for the intervention.”
“Sorry it took me so long. I was observing.”
Her eyebrows raised. “Observing?”
“I was trying to figure out what this guy is. Now I know.”
She glanced at Richard with distaste, then back at the demon. “What is he?”
“Drifters are disembodied earthbound spirits. They travel from human to human to survive.”
“Possessing them, you mean.”
Darrak’s attention was still focused on Richard, whom he held prone against the wall. “They don’t have to wait until their host dies before they can move, but that’s right.”
Sounded chillingly familiar, actually. No wonder the drifter thought he had something in common with Darrak.
She glanced around to see if anyone could spot them, but this side of the strip club was shielded from the road and there was a high fence to their left blocking off the sight line from other local businesses.
“Is the real Richard still in there?” She peered at the drifter warily. She and Darrak were able to talk to each other when he possessed her. Was Richard okay with this? Or was he fighting to get his life back?
“No,” Darrak replied. “Drifters are able to put the consciousness of their hosts into a psychic coma so they can take over completely. That way, if they want to, they can take over the human’s entire life.”
“Uh… what exactly are you doing?” Richard’s expression had turned bemused during Darrak’s explanation. “Helping a human? Educating her on Netherworld factoids? Must say, it’s the first time I’ve ever witnessed something like that. You sure you’re okay, friend?”
“I’m not your friend.” Darrak didn’t loosen his hold.
The drifter’s black eyes moved toward Eden, taking a moment to leisurely inspect her from head to toe.
Darrak bashed him against the wall. “Don’t look at her.”
“Sorry, can’t help myself. She’s kind of hot. Is she yours?”
“You need to leave this shell today.”
Richard shrugged noncommittally. “But I like this body. This guy’s got a lot going on. Good job, pretty fairy wife… and she’s filthy rich, too. My current host probably didn’t even know he had access to her bank account or the secrets she’s been keeping from him.”
“That’s her business.”
“Maybe.” Richard grinned. “Have you seen my new girlfriend? She’s so hot it burns. Who made the rule you’re only allowed one woman these days? Not fair at all.”
Eden watched their exchange cautiously. She didn’t like this guy’s attitude, and not just because he threatened to cut off her nose. She was very fond of her nose exactly where it was, but even aside from the violence she now sensed something else. Something… Other about this guy. Was it only because she knew there was more than meets the eye about him or was she starting to get more sensitive about that sort of thing?
“You’re in way over your head,” Darrak told him. “If you don’t release this human’s body it will not end well for you, I can promise you that.”
Richard’s brow creased. “Why are you so pissed off about this? I’m playing with a few humans. So what?”
Darrak clenched his jaw but didn’t respond to that.
“I was about to carve some sense into this one”—he jutted his chin in Eden’s direction—“until you stopped me. Humans need to know they’re inferior to us.”
Darrak tightened his grip, and his fiery gaze flicked toward Eden for a split second. “You’re damn lucky you didn’t hurt her.”
Richard snorted. “Oh? And what would have happened if I had?”
“I would have torn your arms off.”
He didn’t sound like he was kidding. In fact, Eden had never heard him sound more serious about anything since they’d met, even during the “don’t take the elevator without me” conversation. The violent edge to his voice made a shiver race down her spine.
“It would suck to be armless,” Richard agreed. “Then I’d have to shift into a brand-new body when I’m perfectly happy with this one. But, no arms? Definitely a deal breaker.”
“This isn’t funny.”
Richard didn’t look terribly concerned, but his expression turned curious. “There’s something different about you, demon. Didn’t sense it until just now, but you’re weaker than you should be, aren’t you?”
“What part of ‘leave this body now’ are you having trouble understanding?”
“All of it.” Richard broke Darrak’s hold easily and shoved him back. “It’s been a while since I saw my last demon face-to-face, but I’m sure hellspawn are way more fun than you’re being right now. Does this bitch have your balls in a knot? I’ve never seen a demon so whipped before. I almost feel sorry for you.”
“Darrak…” Eden said cautiously, remembering how strong the drifter was when he held her against the wall. “Maybe we should go.”
He didn’t look at her. “Not yet.”
Richard shook his head, looking at Eden and Darrak each in turn. “You both need to stay out of my business.”
“Or what?” Darrak growled.
Despite the smile on his face, Richard’s expression was chillingly unfriendly. “Or I’m going to find your little human girlfriend when you’re not around and have some fun with her. Before and after she’s dead.”
Darrak’s fist moved too fast to register as he punched Richard squarely in the face. The drifter staggered backward and whacked his head against the side of the building. Blood gushed from his nose as he slumped to the ground. Darrak’s eyes were ablaze, his arms flexing, and he moved forward to grab Richard’s throat and lurched him back up to his feet.
“I’m going to kill you.” The words were coated with fury.
Eden grabbed his arm, which felt like a steel bar. “Whoa. Hold on, Darrak. Stop. Don’t hurt his body. If what you’re saying is true, you’ll be hurting the real Richard, not the demon inside him.”
“He’s not important enough to be a true demon,” Darrak hissed through clenched teeth. “A drifter is nothing more than a migrant spirit. Worthless troublemakers, that’s all they are. More garbage for the rest of Hell to clean up in our spare time.”
“Forget about him.”
“He threatened you. Right in front of me.”
His body shook with anger and Eden grabbed his shoulders and then touched his face to force him to look at her. Finally, he let go of Richard.
“Hey,” she said. “Come on. You’re starting to scare me.”
His chest heaved and he blinked those fiery eyes. “He was going to hurt you.”
“But he didn’t. You hurt him, instead. I’m okay with that, really. But I don’t want you to kill him.”
Richard took the small window of opportunity, scrambling to his feet and running away from them without saying another word.
Darrak tensed a
s if ready to pursue the fleeing drifter.
Eden tightened her grip on him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
He looked at her with confusion. “I need to go after him.”
“No, you don’t. My shoes were meant for a surveillance duty today, not for running, and we have to stay close to each other, remember? We’ve figured out what the problem is. And it’s a big, really freaky one. But, case solved. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. I’ll let Fay know.”
He swallowed and seemed to relax the longer they stood there. “You’ll tell her that her husband’s possessed by an evil spirit?”
She forced a smile. “I had no idea how much we had in common. Maybe we’ll become best friends.”
“I’m not evil.”
“So you keep telling me.”
He looked at her. “Do you finally believe me?”
“Aside from the threats of death and arm removal I just witnessed… I’m…” She swallowed. “I’m starting to. Yeah.”
“You are?” He looked surprised.
She nodded. Her hand now rested on his chest and she could feel his heart beating. It was reassuring that he had an actual heart somewhere in that very human-looking body of his. “How can you be evil? You’re totally my guardian angel.”
He snorted at that. “Now let’s not start using the A-word. That’s just insulting.”
“It’s just an expression, not a full-out accusation of having wings and a halo.”
His eyes slowly shifted back from the scary swirling amber flames to their normal cool blue color. He blinked. “I’m sorry I reacted like that.”
She stroked his dark hair back from his forehead. “I’m okay with it, actually. That freak was going to cut my nose off. How am I supposed to make a living as an exotic dancer without a nose?”
He traced a line down the nose in question with his index finger. “It would be difficult, but I have a feeling you could make it work.”
“Yeah, sure.” She exhaled shakily. She was putting on a good front but the run-in with the drifter had scared her deeply. “I wasn’t so thrilled with the death threat, either.”
“Drifters are tricksters and opportunists but they’re rarely murderers. I think this asshole was just saying that to scare you and get a rise out of me.”
She felt a small bit of relief. “He got it.”
“He did.” He scowled. “He’s probably laughing at me right now.”
“And bleeding.”
“That, too.”
It helped ease her mind a little bit to learn this additional fact about drifters. She wondered if she should start keeping notes on all of the Others she was meeting. It might be a good idea.
She suddenly realized that she and Darrak were so close they were practically embracing. Even though he was a demon, and a weakened one at that, she felt safe with him, especially when his arms were around her.
“Uh…” She forced herself to move away from him. He broke his hold on her with no argument. “Let’s go back to Triple-A. I can call Fay and give her the news. Actually, I’m surprised that since she’s Otherworldly herself she wasn’t able to tell there was something up with her husband.”
He leaned against the brick wall. “Drifters are hard to detect. They’re like con men, easily able to adapt and thrive in their human camouflage. But the good news is that as a fairy she’ll have the right contacts to exorcise the drifter right out of him—even if she doesn’t want to dip into her own magic to do it.”
“So you’re saying I shouldn’t recommend Malcolm and Rosa’s services to her?”
He shook his head. “That’s a bad idea.”
“I was kidding.”
His lips twitched into a half smile. “I figured.”
She fished into her purse for her cell phone. She had a text message from Andy asking her to come back to the office as soon as possible. He’d left it two hours ago.
“Maybe Andy has some news on your elusive witch,” she said, tucking the phone back into her purse.
“I hope so.”
She put a hand on her hip, waiting for the remnants of her afternoon fear-fest to leave her. “Then again, if everyone is possessed these days, maybe it’s the latest fashion. Maybe I should keep you as an accessory.”
He eyed her. “Kidding again?”
“Oh, yes. Completely.”
She drove back to the office, struggling to keep her attention on the road. She was still shaken by the events of the long day. Between figuring out what Darrak was trying to hide from her to being attacked by another possessed person, it was a bit too much to process. So she focused exclusively on the demon.
He’d protected her. Fiercely. Did he do that because he was defending his current host? Or for other reasons? Last night he’d admitted to being fond of her. Was that the truth?
She hadn’t been lying when she told him she believed he wasn’t evil. He’d been a pain in her ass so far, but he hadn’t done anything to make her feel overly threatened. And he was her guardian angel, although she agreed there was probably a better term for it.
Eden didn’t think he was evil, but he still scared her. The last time she’d had this much drama in her life was when she’d gone out with Zack in college. She’d repressed most of those memories but they’d all come flooding back when talking to Vanessa about her situation.
If there was one guy in the world who had the ability to hurt her in more ways than one, it was Darrak. Good or not, he was a literal demon, while Zack had only been one in theory.
Was he fond of her? Maybe.
Was she growing fond of him in return?
She couldn’t help it—she was.
But no matter how much he tried to protect her, at the end of the day she knew he was using her. How could he not? This was his chance after so many years to finally break his curse. If she was in his position, she’d do whatever it took to find the answers she needed.
And how much did he trust her in return? He wouldn’t tell her his real name because that would give her power over him. He wouldn’t tell her how to dampen his presence because ditto on the power. He wouldn’t admit to using any kind of glamour to make himself more attractive and disarming, but she had a strange and chilling feeling that he did.
So what did that leave her with?
The man she’d been passionately kissing and attempting to undress that morning so they could do more than just kiss? Or an energy-draining creature of darkness who was using her to get what he wanted?
Place your bets, she thought.
———
They arrived back at Triple-A and Eden was surprised to see that the small parking lot outside of the Hot Stuff coffee bar and the detective agency was busier than she’d ever seen it before. Two people brushed past her as she entered through the front door with Darrak right behind her.
“Hi there,” a balding man said. “It’s so wonderful to know you’re here for us. We appreciate it more than you can imagine.”
Before she knew what was happening, he grabbed her into a tight hug. She didn’t hug him back, instead opting for feeling awkward and confused.
“Uh… great,” she managed when he released her. “Thanks, I guess.”
Before she could ask who he was, or who the beaming woman next to him who gave her a big thumbs-up was, he left and they made their way to the VW Beetle parked next to Eden’s Toyota.
She looked at Darrak, who was frowning deeply. “What?” she asked.
“That’s strange.”
“What?” she repeated.
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I’m sure I’m just imagining things, but…”
“But what?”
“I could have sworn those were a couple of werewolves.”
“Were—?” She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from shouting. Then she whispered, “Werewolves don’t exist.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not slipping into denial all of a sudden, are you?”
“No, I wish. But werewo
lves?”
He waved a hand. “They’re just shifters like your werecat. Only I sensed wolf in those two.” He grinned. “You are so lucky I’m around. I’m like your guide, or something.”
“Or something.” Her stomach felt queasy. Could she not just have a couple hours of normal to help balance out the not-so-normal? Was that too much to ask for?
“Andy?” she said, tentatively, hoping that he wasn’t freaked out or terrified by being visited by Others. Maybe he had no idea. Come to think of it, if they were all over the place and looked human, it was very possible she herself, back in her blissfully ignorant days, had met more than her share of them and never been the wiser.
The good old days.
There were a couple of people standing in front of Andy’s desk, and he shook their hands. “That’s Eden right there,” he said. “Speak of the devil.”
There was an expression that wasn’t as innocent as it used to be.
They turned to look at her with smiles on their faces. “Wonderful,” a woman with short brown hair said. “Then I take it my case is in good hands.”
“The best,” Andy assured her.
“You’ll be in touch?” she asked.
“In a few days at the most. Thank you for choosing Triple-A.”
She smiled. “It’s as if it chose me, not the other way around. I was compelled to come here.”
“Our ad in the Yellow Pages is eye-catching.”
“Yes.” Her smile held. “I’m sure that’s what it was. Come, darling.”
She and her companion left the agency.
Darrak leaned toward her. “That was a white witch and her shifter lover.”
She tensed. “Please stop.”
“White witches are all nature- and animal-loving vegetarians. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried, I just want you to stop talking.”
They were alone in the agency. Andy looked at her with a huge smile on his face. “You are not going to believe my day. I texted you! I wish you’d been here!”
She cleared her throat nervously. “What happened?”
“A phoenix has risen from the flames.”