“You introduced an eager young exorcist to a real demon. He’s obviously intrigued.”
She swallowed her lingering guilt from the exorcist experience. “So do you sleep? Is that how you recharge your batteries?”
“Something like that. It’s… it’s more like a deep meditation, really. I kind of zone out.”
She waited for more of an explanation, but he didn’t offer any. It seemed like something she should know. Knowledge was power, and all that. “Then go zone.”
He was in a somber mood and entered her bedroom. She shut the door to give him some privacy. And herself. Privacy was good.
Her apartment was small enough that there was nowhere she could be that was farther than sixty feet from her bed. No risk of forcing the demon to painfully dematerialize. She had a feeling testing those boundaries wasn’t such a good idea at the moment.
Her date was in eight hours. She’d be able to do a clean sweep and then have a quick nap before getting as gorgeous as possible for Detective Hanson.
She turned to look at her messy apartment to gauge how much work she had in front of her.
It was spotless.
She rubbed her tired eyes and looked again. No, it was still spotless. Any mess in the kitchen from earlier had disappeared. The coffeepot sparkled. The counter was empty. She inhaled a whiff of lemon-scented cleanser in the air.
“Well, that’s very strange,” she said aloud.
She moved into her living room to see that the knitted afghan she’d had over her lap the night before was now folded neatly and placed strategically on the back of her sofa. The cushions were propped up in their designated places. Her small selection of current magazines was in a tidy stack on the coffee table.
The carpet even looked freshly vacuumed.
She turned around in a slow circle. Had her apartment been broken into by Molly Maid while she was gone?
Maybe Darrak had worked some sort of demon cleansing magic before he’d left the apartment to follow her earlier.
But, no. He said his powers—whatever they might be—were drained.
It didn’t make any sense.
“Mrroww?” the black cat rubbed against her leg.
“Oh, there you are,” she said out loud. “Who did this?”
The cat didn’t answer her.
“Don’t think I’m forgetting you,” Eden said. “Come on, I’ll put you out and you can go back to wherever you came from.”
She reached down but the cat darted away from her and dove under the easy chair.
She put her hands on her hips. “Fine, be that way. Just don’t get used to it.”
Eden sat down on the sofa, suddenly more exhausted than she’d been in recent memory despite her bewilderment about the mystery tidiness of her apartment.
“I’ll just have a five-minute nap,” she said, pulling a beaded cushion under her head as she lay down. “And then I’ll figure out what happened here.”
Was she feeling this way because of donating energy to Darrak? Was a side effect an overwhelming need to fall into unconsciousness?
If so, she thought wearily as she closed her eyes, that was very inconvenient…
When she opened her eyes to see the view outside of her balcony the sun was low on the horizon. Considering it hadn’t even been noon when she got back, that wasn’t a good sign that she’d only fallen asleep for five minutes.
“Damn.”
“Never thought you’d wake up,” Darrak said.
She sat up so quickly she got a head rush. “What time is it?”
“A little after six.”
Ben would be there at quarter to seven. She turned to see Darrak sitting in the easy chair next to the sofa. “And you’ve been watching me sleep for how long?”
“About two hours.”
“That’s really creepy.”
“I do my best.” He cocked his head to the side. “Do you know that you talk in your sleep?”
That was one of the things her ex-fiancé cited as an unattractive feature about her. “Is that right?”
“It is.”
“Did I say anything interesting?”
“Something about wanting to donate regularly to some cause. What was that about?”
She thought back to their kiss. “I have no idea whatsoever. Anything else?”
“And then you prattled on about your date tonight. I know you’re nervous about going out with your golden boy.”
She got up from the couch. “I have to get ready.”
“Maybe you should—”
“Should what? Cancel? No way.” She shook her head emphatically. “I’m going. You said you’d help me. We had a binding agreement.”
He gave her a slow smile. “I was going to say maybe you should let me help you pick out something to wear.”
“Oh.” She deflated. “What are you, a demonic fashion consultant?”
“I just have good taste.”
She chewed her bottom lip and shook her head.
“What?” Darrak asked.
“Nothing. It’s just…”
“Just what?” His brow was furrowed as he waited for her to finish the sentence.
“Are all demons like you?”
“Charming, handsome, and incredibly helpful?” He glanced down at her pile of magazines topped with Entertainment Weekly.
She pushed away the afghan she’d pulled over herself. “You just seem different than I would have thought a demon would be.”
“I thought I explained that demons aren’t what you think.”
“I know, but it’s still difficult to accept.”
“You’re not developing a soft spot for me, are you?” He grinned at her.
She blinked. “Not even remotely.”
“Because the moment my curse is lifted, I’m out of here.”
“I’m counting on it.” She inhaled slowly and put her hand against the brown corduroy sofa to help herself stand up. “But Darrak… there isn’t… I mean, you’re not just putting on this front to get me to go along with what you want, are you? I’ve seen movies where demons do that. They have this nice fake exterior, but on the inside they’re all scary fire and brimstone. And isn’t Satan himself called the Prince of Lies? I know I heard that somewhere before.”
His gaze was steady on her. “I am what you see. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Well, if that was true then he was just a very good-looking man, not a demon. In her apartment. Who’d been watching her sleep. She supposed if he meant her any harm he would have had ample time to do something while she was unconscious.
“Okay,” she said halfheartedly after a moment.
“I know this situation is difficult. And I am grateful for your patience, despite the few glitches we’ve already experienced. I know we’ll figure this out and it won’t take any time at all. And I’m going to make sure you and the cop hook up. I promised to play Cupid for you and that’s exactly what I’ll do.” He smiled again. “I have to make sure there’s someone around to take care of you after I disappear for good.”
She relaxed slightly at his assurance. “Then I better go get ready.”
“Actually, I must admit I already picked something for you to wear tonight and left it on your bed. It’s been a long afternoon with you all unconscious.”
“You…” she began and then sighed. “So you really are my demonic fashion consultant.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“Mrroww.” The cat moved past them.
Eden grabbed it. “Can’t forget about putting you back outside so you can finally go back home. I’m sure your family’s been looking for you.”
The cat started fighting her. She felt its sharp claws slice her forearm and she yelped in pain and dropped it.
Darrak was at her side in an instant.
She held her hand against the scratch, which stung badly. Blood welled on the wound. “I shouldn’t have taken it by surprise. Totally my fault.”
“Let me see.”
“Ow. Okay.” She peeled her fingers away.
His eyes narrowed. “I need to fix this before it’s too late.”
“Too late? Too late for what?”
“Shh.” He held her arm in his then pressed his palm against the wound. “I need to concentrate. I keep a small amount of healing power in reserve and I think it’ll be enough.”
“What are you doing?”
“What part of ‘shh’ didn’t you understand?”
The heat of his skin suddenly seared into her flesh and into the wound itself. Whatever she was going to say next was knocked out of her mouth with the overwhelming sensation.
Darrak grunted, his expression strained as he stared down at her arm. Again she could have sworn she saw an amber flicker come into his blue eyes. They appeared to glow with a strange inner light as he drew in a ragged breath.
Her arm felt as if it was literally on fire and she tried to pull away from him, but he was much too strong and easily held her in place.
“There. It’s done.” His grip on her finally decreased. “Damn. I need to sit down before I fall down.”
He staggered, and she grabbed him. He wasn’t kidding. She led him over to the sofa and he sat down heavily.
Then she looked down at her arm. The scratch had healed completely.
“What—” she began. “What did you do?”
“What does it look like?”
“You healed me?”
“That’s right.”
She was stunned. “But it was only a scratch. A nasty one, but it wasn’t anything to get all worked up about.”
The cat darted out from under the couch where it had hidden again and Darrak stopped it with his foot, pressing the feline down against the carpet.
“I tried to play along, kitty,” he said. “I even gave you some cream this morning because I was trying to be nice.”
It hissed at him.
“Tell it to someone who cares,” Darrak continued. “Enough of this. Show yourself before I make you.”
What the hell? Eden watched him with wide eyes as if he’d lost his demonic mind.
After another hiss, the cat went silent, glaring up at the demon through glittering eyes. Then, before Eden had a chance to say anything, the cat morphed into a woman with dark skin and long, shiny black hair who was wearing burgundy jogging pants and a white tank top. She lay on her side on the carpet with Darrak’s foot still pressed against her shoulder.
“Let me up, demon,” she growled.
Eden skittered back until she hit the kitchen counter. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Your cat is a shapeshifter,” Darrak explained. “Although I would assume that is obvious now. But I wasn’t sure if she was a born shifter or a made shifter. That’s why I had to heal you. Otherwise, with a scratch like that, you might be looking for a groomer and a garden of catnip of your own in the next few days.”
“I’m a born shifter,” the woman said unpleasantly. “She would have been fine.”
“Do you normally con your way into unsuspecting homes and then mooch off the kindhearted people who let you in?”
She smiled thinly. “Do you?”
“Touché.” He removed his foot and she scrambled up to her feet. She looked over at Eden guiltily.
“Please don’t make me leave.”
Eden’s mouth was open but no words came out for a moment. “I can’t believe this. You… were a cat.”
The woman’s expression was tense. “I was. And I will be again. I promise if you let me stay I’ll be very quiet. I won’t make any trouble. I won’t scratch you again—but just don’t grab me when I’m not expecting it. That’s not cool. I don’t have any money right now but I can keep your apartment clean—”
“You’re the one who cleaned up?” Eden asked, stunned.
She shrugged. “It was the least I could do. But don’t go thinking I’m your maid and you can boss me around. That’s not going to happen. This is just my way of bartering. I keep your place looking good… hell, I can even cook a bit… in return for you letting me crash here for a little while.”
“No,” Darrak said.
The woman glared at him. “I wasn’t asking you, demon.”
“The name’s Darrak.”
“My ass it is. And I’m watching you, hellspawn. Don’t think I’m not.” Her attention turned to Eden. “You need me. I can help protect you.”
“Protect me?”
She nodded emphatically. “Demons are repelled by shifters.”
“I thought I was just allergic to cat fur,” Darrak said dryly.
“If he tries to hurt you or suck out your soul, or whatever, I can stop him.”
“I’m not going to hurt Eden,” Darrak said. “If I wanted her hurt then why would I have used any of my stored-up power to heal her?”
An excellent point. Eden looked at Catwoman, who regarded the demon with obvious distaste.
“Because if she’d been infected and was a shifter then you wouldn’t be able to use her body anymore.” The woman glared at him, then smiled. “You’d have to find a new home then, wouldn’t you?”
Darrak’s expression had turned stony. “I didn’t even consider that.”
“Sure you didn’t.”
“Is that true?” Eden asked.
Darrak met her eyes. “A shifter can’t be possessed. It’s true.”
That was food for thought. Food she’d rather shove into the fridge until later when she could pick through the leftovers a bit more thoroughly.
A glance at the clock confirmed there was less than a half an hour before Ben arrived. It was one supernatural disaster after another today.
“What’s your name?” she asked the woman.
“Kathleen Harris.”
“And let me guess,” Darrak said without any friendliness. “You go by the nickname Kat, right? That’s almost as adorably predictable as a fairy named Fay.”
“Sure. As much as you go by the nickname asshole. Actually, you can call me Leena.” She turned back to Eden. “Please. Please. You have to let me stay here.”
“Why here?” Eden asked helplessly, her mind drowning from the flood of information.
She wrung her hands and her eyes shifted nervously around the small apartment. “I’m hiding from somebody who wants to kill me. I’ve been wandering the streets for weeks and eating out of Dumpsters, which blows even more than it sounds like it would. I can’t go home. I’m desperate. Then last night I sensed you—I felt you were different. That you’d be able to protect me.”
“Me?” Eden pointed at herself. “Protect you from somebody who wants to kill you? That’s ridiculous. You need to go to the police and explain this to them. They can help you.”
She shook her head. “They can’t. They won’t believe me, anyhow. I just need to lay low for a while until all the shit I’ve been going through passes. Then I’ll be out of your hair. A week or two tops. I promise.”
“I don’t know…”
“Please.” Leena looked at her with such open desperation in her gold-flecked brown eyes that Eden knew she couldn’t possibly kick her out. Not yet, anyhow.
She spread her hands. “I don’t have any room. This apartment is barely big enough for one person.”
“I can stay in my cat form.” Leena’s eyes lit up with hope. “I’m seven pounds that way. Tiny! And I don’t eat much. I’ll shift back to human form when you’re out. Come on! I make a really amazing lasagna.”
Well, Eden was a fan of homemade lasagna.
Ever since Darrak had come into her life it seemed as if she was a magnet for paranormal beings—demons, fairies, and now… feline shapeshifters? And everyone seemed to be dealing with a life-or-death scenario. Including her.
And she’d thought working for Psychic Connexions had introduced her to strange, desperate people.
The least she could do was help out a bit. She would hope that somebody might help her in return. She was all about the karma. The universe looked kindly on that so
rt of thing.
“Fine. Two weeks,” Eden said. “And that’s it.”
Leena smiled widely. “Thank you!”
“Just keep your claws to yourself.”
“Well, you do seem to have a walking/talking first aid kit currently in residence.” Leena shot an unfriendly glance at Darrak.
“That was only a scratch,” he said, his arms now crossed in front of him. “Anything more serious could have drained me completely.”
She looked at him skeptically. “Pretty weak for a demon, aren’t you?”
“Luckily, I have a nice personality.” He smiled thinly. “Didn’t you say something about turning back into a furry, nontalking animal again? Any time would be good.”
She pointed at her eyes and then at him. “I’m watching you, demon.”
“I do enjoy an audience.”
Leena grabbed Eden and gave her a big hug. “Thank you. You totally rock.”
“Oh… okay.”
“You’ll have fun on your date. It will be nice for you to spend some time with a real man,” she said pointedly. “Humans make for the safest lovers. Trust me on that.”
Before Eden could reply to that, Leena shifted and shrank until she was a small black cat again that scooted into her bedroom.
Did that just happen? She turned to Darrak.
“Her clothes disappeared when she shifted,” he said and shook his head. “Did you notice that? So convenient.”
“I…” she began. “I… just… I don’t know what to do right now.”
“If you’re taking suggestions, you really shouldn’t think too much about the paranormal paradise of your life and instead go get dressed. Time is a fleeting thing.”
He looked very pale, and he leaned against the wall by the wall unit her flat screen TV was on and a picture of her mom and her when Eden was ten years old.
“Are you drained again?” she asked.
“I’m at a level where I can recover on my own.”
“Well, no matter what your intentions were, I appreciate you… uh… healing me. Thank you for that.”
“My intentions were honorable, I assure you.”
“Do you need to take a little energy from me again?” And no, she wasn’t just looking for another earthmoving kiss from the demon. Because that would be wrong on too many levels to count. Especially when she had—she glanced at the clock—twenty-five minutes until Ben arrived.