Something Wicked lie-2 Read online

  “You sensed it?”

  “Yeah, I can do that. Sense things.”

  “That’s because you’re sort of psychic.”

  “Right.” She didn’t think this was a good time to discuss the potential of her having angel in her background. Or the black-witch thing.

  One paranormal species at a time. Today would be Official Werewolf Day.

  “Sounds intriguing and definitely worth investigating even though it seems like pro bono work.” He swallowed and touched his rapidly healing face. “I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. Were you close?”

  “No. I hadn’t seen him in years, but it still hurts to lose him.” She grabbed Andy’s arm and squeezed so hard he flinched. She loosened her grip a little. “That’s why I can’t lose you, too, you hear me?”

  “I’m still here.”

  Darrak went to the door and glanced at the hall outside. “We’ll have to get you checked out. If the doctor checks your wounds again, she’s going to wonder what’s up.”

  “I’m a werewolf,” he said.

  “You are,” Eden confirmed.

  “Well, shit.”

  That pretty much summed it up.

  Together that made the three of them a werewolf, a part-angel witch, and a demon. Sounded like the beginning to a really scary joke.

  Ben paced back and forth in his living room. He wanted the phone to ring. He wanted Eden to call and ask him about last night. Hell, it was okay if she demanded to know about last night.

  He just wanted to know she was okay.

  Oliver had told him not to leave the house. It felt as if he’d been out drinking the night before. Apparently that’s what black magic did. It knocked you out and left you with some lasting pain. Oliver had originally been wary of the demon, which is why they’d had Sandy dampen him, but he’d had no idea they had to be wary of Eden as well.

  It would be amusing if it didn’t scare the hell out of him.

  There was a knock at the door, and he went directly to it, swinging it open, half expecting to see Eden. Instead it was Sandy.

  He was strangely pleased to see her instead.

  That pleased feeling departed when he noticed the fresh bruise on her cheekbone.

  “Can I come in?” she asked.

  “Sure.” Ben stood aside, and she swept past him smelling pleasantly of vanilla. He’d met her shortly after being inducted as a member of the Malleus. She’d applied ointment to his brand. He’d called her Florence Nightingale at the time.

  “I probably shouldn’t be here, but I wanted to see you,” she said, wringing her hands.

  “What happened to you?”

  She looked confused for a moment.

  “Your face,” he clarified.

  Sandy touched her bruise and flinched. “Somebody’s not too happy with my job performance.”

  A line of fury ripped through Ben. “Oliver did this?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Damn it, Sandy.” He closed the distance between them and moved the long blonde hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. Then he gently touched the light purple patch of skin. “He had no right to hit you.”

  “I tend to agree, but what’s done is done.”

  “What is his damn problem?”

  “He thinks I was keeping things from him. Like I should have known Eden was a black witch.”

  “Should you have?”

  “Yes.” She swallowed. “Actually, I did figure it out before I said anything.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Because. . because Eden isn’t evil. And the way they deal with black witches, well, it’s not always a good thing.”

  “It’s the demon inside her forcing her to do these things.”

  “No. I think Eden’s going through a lot right now, but the Malleus. . and you. . are looking at things from the wrong angle. I honestly don’t think the demon means her any harm.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Because she’s convinced he isn’t.”

  Ben sighed with frustration. “Deception only.”

  “I think Eden needs help, but as far as your single-handed mission to save her. . well, I think it’s extreme, and as you can see, it doesn’t go over that well with her.”

  “You think she’ll continue to kick our collective asses if we get close to her?”

  She managed to grin a little at that. “Yes. Without a doubt.”

  It was nice that one of them could see the humor in this. “So what do we do?”

  “Quite honestly, I think we should leave her be. The Malleus has enough things to worry about other than her.”

  “I can’t just forget about this.” He clenched his fists and turned away.

  “She doesn’t want your help, Ben.” Sandy frowned and looked closer at him. “Hey, did you hit your head last night when you fell?”

  He touched his forehead at the hairline. “I got a bit of a bump, but it’s no big deal.”

  “Let me see.”

  “Sandy, it’s really not necessary.”

  “Are you going to argue with me or be a good boy?”

  He smiled despite himself. “If I’m a good boy do I get a lollipop?”

  “We’ll see. Sit down.”

  He sat on the edge of his leather sofa. It was the same spot where Eden had been magically restrained twelve hours earlier. Sandy pushed his hair back so she could see the small cut better.

  “Am I going to live, doctor?” he asked.

  “Luckily, you seem to have a mutantly hard head to take any blows.”

  “Thanks. So what’s required? A Band-Aid?”

  Sandy’s fingers slid farther into his hair. “No, but I think I can help a little.”

  He was about to protest. He didn’t want her to use any magic on him, even if it was just to heal a cut. It felt wrong to him. But then he felt her lips brush against his forehead and a breath caught in his throat.

  “Sandy. .”

  “See?” She smiled. “All better.”

  “Strangely it does feel much better.”

  “I’m very good at my job.”

  “And how about this.” He touched her bruise.

  “The same treatment might help,” she said.

  He nodded, then took her face in his hands and brushed his mouth softly over her cheek.

  “Much better,” she managed.

  “First aid is a good thing.”

  “It is.”

  He’d noticed her mouth before — couldn’t help it, really. Full lips. Lush, in fact. And she never wore any bright lipstick, just a touch of gloss to bring out the naturally pink color. He couldn’t help himself. He pressed his lips against hers and kissed her. A small moan escaped her throat as her mouth opened to his.

  A moment later she pushed him away, her cheeks reddening.

  “Whoa, we can’t do that,” she said, scrambling back from him.

  He touched his mouth, surprised by what had happened as much as she was.

  “Why not?” He stood up from the sofa feeling a bit unsteady on his feet all of a sudden.

  “Malleus members are not allowed to. . well, not with other members. It’s unprofessional and distracting. That’s why it’s against the rules.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Ridiculous or not they’re very strict about it.”

  “You’re not even a member. You’re a consultant.”

  “Still. If Oliver found out, he’d. .” She swallowed hard.

  “He’d what?” Anger returned to Ben right on schedule.

  “He’d be mad. Besides, you’re in love with. . with Eden. Right?” Sandy looked away. “I get that. It’s why you want to save her so badly. It’s okay, really. It’s easier that way for me.” She grabbed her purse, which had fallen to the floor. “Look, I need to go. Let’s just forget this ever happened.”

  “Sandy. .”

  But she wasn’t sticking around to discuss their kiss, or the fact Ben suddenly wanted to k
iss her again.

  “I’ll see you later,” she said.

  Sandy went out the door and shut it behind her. A second later he opened it, but he didn’t chase after her. She was in a hurry to go, and he wasn’t going to stop her from doing what she needed to do.

  He wiped a hand over his forehead, which had suddenly started to ache again. And his forearm itched. He wished the brand would just heal up, already. He’d refused any and all magical remedies. Just because he’d chosen to become a member of the Malleus, didn’t mean he necessarily believed in some of their practices.

  Especially when some of those practices including striking women like Sandy for not living up to expectations. As a cop, Ben had witnessed his share of abused women, and it never got easier. Abusers, to Ben, were as bad as demons. Unfortunately, the most you could do with a wife beater was to throw him in jail. Couldn’t exorcise him, even though that would solve a whole lot of problems.

  Damn it. He couldn’t just stay here and do nothing, waiting for Oliver to get in touch and give him permission to leave his house. It was his life, after all. And he would do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. And he wanted to make sure Eden was okay.

  He scratched his brand again. It allegedly gave him extra strength, the ability to sense the otherworldly, and the power to exterminate them easier than the average Joe.

  Ben wasn’t sure what he’d do the next time he was face-to-face with Eden’s demon, but he was damn sure he’d do the right thing. Whatever the hell that was.

  After staring down his share of murderers, rapists, and arsonists, Ben knew he could tell the difference between good and evil. Darrak was evil. Ben had no doubt about it.

  He grabbed his keys and left through the front door, locking it behind him. His old black Chrysler LeBaron was parked in the driveway. He slid a key into the lock.

  “Excuse me,” a voice said from behind him. “Are you Ben Hanson?”

  “I am.” He turned to see a tall man who looked to be in his late twenties standing there. The man had tanned skin and sleek black hair tied back from his face. “Who’re you?”

  “I’m a friend of Darrak’s,” the man said with a grin.

  Ben frowned. “You’re a—”

  Pain suddenly washed over him, and a moment later he felt nothing.

  SIXTEEN

  Eden was concerned they wouldn’t be able to get Andy released without a lot of questions. Darrak had a funny feeling she might try to use some of her magic again to “persuade” the doctor.

  He wouldn’t let that happen. She’d used enough black magic for one day. More than enough.

  He had his own way of persuading the doctor.

  It did help that she was a woman — and one that was remarkably susceptible to his charms.

  He still had it. Good to know.

  Eden just shook her head as Darrak wheeled Andy out of the room after a five minute chat with the doctor.

  “Ex-incubus,” he said simply.

  “And that explains everything?”

  He shrugged, and grinned a little wickedly at her. “It’s a miracle you can keep your clothes on around me. I’m usually impossible to resist. As was just proven with Dr. Anderson. Monica Anderson. She gave me her number.”

  “Congrats. You know, I did introduce you as my husband. It’s so wonderful to see she didn’t have a problem with that.”

  “I guess humans and werewolves are similar when it comes to their views of infidelity.”

  “Not all humans.”

  He couldn’t really read her expression at the moment. Sure, he had a way with women, but it wasn’t as if he’d proved it time and time again. Since he’d possessed Eden, he’d barely looked at anyone else.

  Some ex-incubus he was.

  Andy had nothing to add to the conversation, although Darrak couldn’t blame him. He’d just discovered he was the latest werewolf citizen of the greater Toronto Area.

  Andy would deal. After all, he had Eden helping him.

  Darrak had been mildly surprised by the depth of her concern over the guy. Sure, they worked together and seemed friendly enough, but her reaction to his phone call and then the pain in her eyes earlier as he learned of his condition — well, she cared about him a lot. It was obvious.

  Eden’s compassion and distress had stirred something inside Darrak. It had made his feelings for her grow even deeper.

  And that could not be more annoying to him. He was messed up enough as it was, without falling any harder for her.

  So damn inconvenient.

  Especially when he knew she probably hated him now after what happened with Theo. How was he supposed to know Theo planned on sucking the celestial goodness out of that angel right in front of her? Darrak had to say, he was torn. Theo now had the weapon he would use to destroy Lucifer. Hooray. But the whole thing felt kind of. . wrong to Darrak, and he wasn’t really sure why.

  Boo.

  He attempted to summon some enthusiasm, but he felt drained. Using his power in the alley to scare off the werewolf had taken it out of him. There were two ways he could recover this energy. He could just give himself time, and he would eventually recover naturally. Or he could absorb some of Eden’s energy. This had two downsides to it — it would exhaust Eden for hours at a time, and the act also ran the risk of Darrak taking too much and accidentally killing her because she tasted so good he couldn’t stop himself.

  Probably not such a good idea.

  Demons were energy mosquitoes when they had to be. Vampires from hell, only his drink of choice wasn’t blood — it was life itself.

  Something was bothering Eden, above and beyond what had happened with Andy. And it wasn’t only to do with Theo since she’d had this cloud over her since earlier. Darrak watched her carefully, trying to figure out what she wasn’t telling him. It would really help if he could read her mind. But, unfortunately, he couldn’t.

  They dropped Andy off at his house. Eden volunteered to stay with him, but he waved her off.

  “I’m fine,” he said and began to peel his bandages off to reveal the almost fully healed skin beneath. He touched it gingerly as if he couldn’t believe it was for real after how much that werewolf had torn him apart.

  Darrak supported him as they walked to the brown corduroy couch. An old TV Guide and an empty bottle of Coors Light sat on the coffee table.

  “You’re sure?” Eden asked, skeptically.

  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  She still looked concerned. “What about that werewolf who attacked you? Do you think he’ll come after you again?”

  Andy grimaced. “The last thing he said before he shifted was for me to leave him and his girlfriend the hell alone. If I don’t go near him again, he won’t have a reason to finish the job, will he?”

  But Eden still looked worried. “Not if he knows what’s good for him.”

  “I’m fine,” he assured her. “Really.”

  She touched his face. “Really?”

  He swallowed and then grinned a little. “Well, maybe I’m a bit traumatized. I’ll admit it. But I’ll survive.”

  Eden hugged him, and Darrak watched her emotional outpouring with a tight feeling in his chest. Andy wasn’t really a father figure to her, or even an uncle. He supposed she thought of him as a good friend. He knew she didn’t have very many friends in the city since she kept to herself a lot. It would make her cherish the ones she did have.

  “Hey.” Andy leaned back so he could see her. “What’s this?”

  “What?”

  “Tears? Don’t cry over me, Eden. It’ll make your eyes all puffy and unattractive.”

  She laughed. “Wouldn’t want that.”

  “Definitely not.”

  Her expression sobered. “This is all my fault, you know. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have werewolf clients in the first place. And you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

  “And Triple-A wouldn’t be thriving at the moment, allowing me to start paying off my monumental debt. Our new super
natural clients seem to have plenty of money, and that’s more than okay with me.” He looked at Darrak. “Take her home. She’s exhausted. And growing puffier all the time. I can’t handle anyone crying around me. It’s going to make me start crying, too.”

  “I’m not crying. Demons don’t get emotional like humans.” Darrak didn’t even know if he could cry. It had never been an issue before.

  “Demons are manly creatures, aren’t they?”

  “Except for the demonesses. They’re even manlier.”

  Andy finished removing his bandages and threw them on the coffee table in a white gauzy pile. “I’ve decided to look into Luxuria later today and find out if something funny’s going on there.”

  “The hell you will.” Eden had her arms crossed. “What you’re going to do is recover and deal with your own problems. The last thing I’m going to let you do is investigate something else that might put you in danger again.”

  Andy rolled his eyes. “Yes, mom.”

  She huffed. “I’m just trying to think logically.”

  “You’re very logical for a possessed redhead. Fine, I’ll take today off and watch some soap operas and talk shows.”

  “Good. Just heal.”

  His forehead wrinkled. “Is that a dog-trick command? Because I might have to start taking offense to that.”

  “Not heel. Heal. With an A. And don’t just take today off. Take tomorrow off as well. Nothing at the office is urgent enough that it can’t wait until Friday. Got it? That’s a direct order from your equal partner in the business.”

  “You only own 49 percent,” he reminded her.

  “Whatever.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “And, just so you know, if you get hurt like this again, I’m going to kill you.”

  Andy laughed. “Such an angel our Eden is, isn’t she, Darrak?”

  Yes, Darrak thought. She sort of is.