Humans, they were such fragile creatures, and constantly required food, rest, and relaxation. The demon gave a snort of disgust, recalling how fragile the human body really was. Their skin wounds from something as basic as a piece of paper. Paper edges aren’t lined in teeny, tiny knives!
Extreme reactions from the human body weren’t limited to innocent pieces of paper either. Sometimes it was the human’s immune system that responded to things that were typically harmless. A perfect example was Julian’s abnormal response to lilies back at the funeral home.
Hineker’s master left the funeral home with red, watery eyes and a runny nose. Tomorrow he would be weak and tired, and not from a battle either. Julian would be worn out simply because his foolish immune system overreacts whenever he’s exposed to lilies. Lilies. It was a flower!
Hineker added destroying the wretched blooms to his to-do list for the evening.
Eyeing the empty glass, he couldn’t recall the last time his master had a good night’s sleep. The enforcer demon and his master had always been busy, it was part of the job. But the past month they couldn’t seem to catch a break. Every single time Hineker killed one demon, two more seemed to appear in its place.
The lack of rest and relaxation wasn’t a problem for the demon. Hineker found the sudden abundance of demon souls to eat exhilarating. The enforcer demon licked his lips. Demon souls were absolutely delicious. It was the best part about being an enforcer demon.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for his human master. The hard schedule was starting to wear the human out—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Hineker scowled as he pondered the question.
How could he help Julian get a little rest and relaxation?
Chapter 5 - Raelyn
Hiding behind a large potted plant, Raelyn watched her mother greet Mr. Tall, Dark, and Auraless. He wore the same black suit and tie from yesterday, except today his shirt was solid black. The all black ensemble made him look even sexier.
“Wow, he’s hot.”
Raelyn nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected comment.
“Trey!”
Ignoring her startled friend, Trinity continued. “I mean look at that ass. And the way that suit hugs his curves,” the ghost whistled. “I bet he’s got a six-pack covered up under there.”
“Trinity, stop ogling the mystery man.” Raelyn tried using the power of full names to rein in her man-crazy friend. “That’s not why we’re here.”
“Aw come on Rae. You know that I’m right.”
Raelyn shivered from the pocket of cool air as the ghost hovered over her shoulder. “Although, you never mentioned that he’s got a hot friend too.”
“What?”
Trinity pointed at the newcomer. Dressed in a dark navy blue suit with matching tie, paired with a light blue shirt, Mystery Man Number Two was both taller and leaner than his companion. He had a broad nose, sharp chin, chiseled cheekbones, and thick, downward sloping eyebrows. The combination of his salt and pepper hair and the feline grace behind his movements suggested that he was a man of both strength and elegance.
But what was his relation to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Auraless? Were they a couple?
Raelyn’s heart wavered at the thought, while she watched a pair of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen walk down the hallway together. It would be just her luck that Mr. Tall, Dark, and Auraless would already be taken.
As if reading her friend’s mind, Trinity moved out from their hiding spot.
“Trey, what are you doing?” Raelyn whisper-shouted.
“It’s not like they can see me.” The ghost glided closer, inspecting the mystery men as they followed the funeral director towards the viewing room.
“Neither one is wearing a ring,” she called out. “That’s a good sign.”
Trying to remain hidden, yet keep everyone in her sights, Raelyn moved forward, ducking behind a fake tree.
“Trinity, that’s enough. Get back here!”
Ignoring her friend, the ghost followed the group into the viewing room.
Cursing, Raelyn ducked into the adjoining room and grabbed a floral arrangement. The funeral spray was three feet tall and four feet wide, leaving only her lower legs and feet visible. Struggling under the heavy weight, she shuffled across the hallway and into the room with the two mystery men.
The ghost laughed at the sight of her friend peeking through the large blooms.
“You look like you’re playing hide and seek,” she wheezed, “and losing.”
“Shut up.”
“Okay,” Trinity wiped away her non-existent tears. “Okay, I’ll stop.”
The ghost snorted at the pair of China blue eyes glaring from among the floral display.
“Trey, come on,” Raelyn pleaded.
She spent the next minute pondering the pros and cons of their friendship, while Trinity’s laughing fit calmed down. Her friend could be so obnoxious sometimes.
“He still doesn’t have an aura,” Raelyn reported, attempting to return her friend’s focus back to the task at hand. “Actually, neither of them do.”
Finding one auraless person was curious enough, but two of them?
Raelyn was completely baffled. She’d never experienced anything like this before.
Auras were the ever changing flow of life energy that surrounded a body, which in turn required one key element to exist, the creature had to actually be alive to emanate life energy.
These two men walked, talked, and breathed. All signs that they were still alive. But when Raelyn searched for the energy surrounding their bodies, she saw nothing.
“What do you think it means?” Trinity asked.
Raelyn shrugged, the floral arrangement moved along with her.
“I have no idea.”
◆◆◆
The sudden movement captured Hineker’s attention. Turning around, the demon immediately noticed a new addition to the room. A classic, white floral sympathy spray stood near the entrance. In place of the wire easel was a pair of denim clad legs that ended with two feet sporting black clogs.
His mouth twisted into a grimace.
Were clogs fashion’s new ugly-chic shoe trend?
The demon closed his eyes to protect his sight from the fashion disaster. He reached out with his magic towards the figure in the ugly shoes and searched for the presence of demonic energy.
Nothing.
“Master Julian,” Hineker kept his voice low as he opened his eyes. “We have an unexpected guest.”
Julian took a deep, cleansing breath. Was it really too much to ask for a few moments of peace while attending his aunt’s funeral?
“What is it?” Julian asked, irritated.
“Over your left shoulder, a human female is hiding behind the white floral display.”
Thank goodness their problem was simply a nosy human.
The demon master’s gaze skimmed over the floral display in the corner, stopping at a pair of familiar footwear.
“I know those shoes,” Julian said. He barely held back a chuckle at the woman’s poor attempt to hide. “I ran into her last night when I was leaving. I think she works here.”
A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as he recalled those amazingly beautiful blue eyes.
“Who is she?” Hineker asked.
The answer was on the tip of Julian’s tongue.
“A gorgeous woman with the most captivating pair of eyes that I’ve ever seen.”
Hineker smirked at Julian’s comment.
Wait, did he just say that out loud?
Julian’s face flushed red, embarrassed.
What was he doing? He wasn’t at a bar trying to pick someone up. He was at a funeral, his great aunt’s funeral. Once he was done with that, he had to attend to his demon master responsibilities. This afternoon Hineker and he had to investigate the site of the three car crashes and see if there were any traces of demonic energy.
Running his fingers through his hair, he
mentally berated himself.
Get a grip Julian.
“The priest should be here soon,” Hineker said. “I’ll go retrieve the car.”
Familiar with Julian’s mannerisms, the demon began to form a plan.
Sex and happiness, they went hand-in-hand.
The demon smiled. He’d just found a little mouse for his master to play with.
All he had to do now, was catch it.
Chapter 6 - Raelyn
Raelyn’s muscles burned with exertion as she stepped back into the hallway.
“This thing must weigh about twenty-five pounds,” She muttered, struggling to maintain her grip on the floral arrangement.
Trinity circled around her friend, unable to contain her excitement.
“I have an idea.”
“No.”
“But you didn’t even hear it yet,” the ghost whined.
“I don’t have to,” Raelyn countered. “When you’re this excited, I already know that I’m not going to like it.”
“Just humor me for a minute Rae,” Trinity said. “Auras fluctuate throughout the day, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And grief is exhausting, it leads to low energy levels?”
The embalmer nodded. With all of the sudden uncertainty, it was refreshing to talk about a familiar topic.
“So what you’re really saying is that grief can affect the body?” the ghost asked.
“Of course.” Raelyn nodded. “Grief is a natural response to losing someone you love. It’s not uncommon for someone to feel fatigue or a loss of energy, have trouble thinking or a lack of concentration–”
Trinity held up a hand, interrupting her friend before she could continue on her tangent.
“What if your mystery man is auraless because his energy levels are too low? You know, because he’s grieving?”
Raelyn placed the floral spray back onto the wire stand.
“That’s an interesting explanation, Trey.”
The ghost beamed at the praise.
“But before we could come to that conclusion,” Raelyn engaged her inner detective. “We’ll need more evidence, Dr. Watson.”
Raelyn’s playful nature rubbed off on her friend.
“Rest assured my dear Holmes,” Trinity said. “I think I know exactly how you can get some.”
“How?”
“Simple. You go out with him on a date.”
Raelyn’s playful attitude sank as fast as a stone tossed into a lake.
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Trinity protested.
Why did Raelyn have to be so difficult sometimes?
“All you have to do is ask him out. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. Take him for coffee at JavaBean across the street.”
“Nope, not going to happen.”
“Why?”
“Well for starters, we’re at a funeral home,” Raelyn argued. “Plus, he’s going to be leaving in a few minutes for the cemetery. This isn’t exactly the ideal situation to be asking someone out on a date.”
“Then give him your number and tell him to call you later.”
“How do you expect me to do that?” Raelyn crossed her arms in front of her chest, scoffing at the suggestion. “Excuse me sir, I know you’re here for a funeral, and you’re probably grieving right now, but I work here and I’d like to give you my number.” Her mocking tone continued. “See, you’re really hot and I know that I don’t know your name but would you like to go out on a date with me?“
“I can arrange that,” said an unfamiliar voice.
“Aaahhh!” both women yelled simultaneously.
Startled by the unexpected voice, Trinity blinked out of sight, while Raelyn jerked to the side. The embalmer bumped into the decorative table and knocked a vase off of the top before she lost her balance and fell to the floor. The vase shattered, the loud crash followed shortly thereafter by fast moving footsteps.
Julian rushed into the room moments later.
“Miss, are you alright?” He asked, pausing to take in the scene for a moment before moving to the fallen woman’s side.
“Yes, I think so.”
Rising to her feet Raelyn tripped over the wire plant stand and stumbled forward, directly into the body of the man in front of her. Her hand pressed against his chest as she tried to steady herself. She felt his warm hands instinctively wrap around her waist, offering his support.
“Thank you,” Raelyn whispered.
She dared a quick glance at her rescuer’s face, then instantly regretted it. It was Mr. Tall, Dark, and Auraless himself, holding her in his arms, again.
This was the second time in two days that Raelyn had found herself captured within his arms.
And she liked it.
Keeping her gaze focused on his chest, she hoped that he couldn’t see the blush on her face. With him so close all she could think about was his body near hers. His touch on her waist sizzled through her like lightning. Something inside her yearned for him. She’d never felt like this before.
“Miss, are you alright?” he repeated his earlier question.
“Y-Yes, I’m f-fine,” She stumbled over the words.
Moving closer to the pair, Mystery Man Number Two disagreed. “Actually Miss, your arm is bleeding.”
Pushing away from Mr. Tall, Dark, and Auraless, Raelyn twisted her arm and hissed at the sudden stab of pain. A trail of blood ran down the length of her forearm. She must’ve caught it on the edge of the table when she fell.
“We should get you cleaned up,” Mr. Tall, Dark, and Auraless offered, gently holding her arm as he studied the wound.
Her face was on fire, the warmth of his touch made her stomach do little flip flops of excitement. She didn’t want him to let her go, but it wasn’t fair to pull him away from the funeral for his loved one.
“I’ll be fine, it’s just a scratch,” she said. “You should go back to your service.”
His hesitation made her heart beat faster. She inwardly cursed as she forced herself to do the right thing.
“I’ll be fine,” Raelyn repeated.
He didn’t look convinced.
She amended her statement, trying to reassure the handsome stranger. “I’ll be fine, really. Some disinfectant, a couple of Band-Aids, and I’ll be good as new.”
“The priest will be here soon,” he reluctantly admitted, inwardly cursing the poor timing. “I should probably go back and wait for him.”
Hineker leaned against the door frame and rolled his eyes at his master’s behavior. He’d just put the beautiful mouse in his master’s lap. Plus, there was a coffeehouse directly across the street from the funeral home, offering the perfect opportunity for a first date.
Seriously, did he have to do everything?
“Excuse me, Master,” Hineker said. “You have an opening in your schedule tomorrow morning. Why not sample the coffee from the shop across the street while you’re in the area, say around nine-thirty?” The demon refrained from tilting his head in the direction of the blushing beauty, barely.
Thankfully, Julian recognized the opportunity without further prompting.
“Would you be around then?” He clarified. “To join me tomorrow morning, for coffee?”
“Yes.” Biting her lip, Raelyn added, “I’d like that.”
His wide smile brightened the room.
Raelyn’s heart did a pitter-patter of excitement. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Auraless was twice as handsome when he smiled.
“Then it’s settled, Miss…?” Mystery Man Number Two’s voice trailed off, prompting for her name.
“Raelyn,” she said. “Raelyn Bakowski.”
The flustered woman held out her hand in formal greeting, then immediately regretted the action.
What kind of loser offers her full name and a handshake to a gorgeous man asking for a coffee date?
“Julian Rickelson,” he replied, his voice low as he gently grasped her fingers with his warm hand. His touch sent a shiver
down her spine.
Mystery Man Number Two turned his head, as if hearing sounds no one else did. He cleared his throat.
“Master, we must go.”
“Ok,” Julian agreed, his eyes never leaving her own. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning,“ he said, removing his hand from hers.
The loss of his touch sent a pang of longing through her body.
She nodded her head in agreement, too afraid to open her mouth. She didn’t want to say something else embarrassing before the two men exited the room.
◆◆◆
Raelyn gingerly laid a row of Band-Aids along her forearm, while updating her cowardly friend on the latest development.
“And now we’re supposed to meet tomorrow morning for coffee.”
“Wait just a minute,” Trinity said. “You mean to tell me, after you just gave me crap about asking him out for coffee during a funeral, that Mr. Tall, Dark, and Auraless did it himself, anyway?”
Thankfully that wasn’t the case. Raelyn wasn’t sure she could handle her friend’s gloating for the rest of the day.
“Actually,” Raelyn corrected, “Mystery Man Number Two suggested it.”
“Really?” The ghost was impressed at the man’s boldness. “A man after my own heart.”
Raelyn rolled her eyes as she carried her laptop into the kitchen.
“How’s the arm?” Trinity asked.
“It’s just a scratch.” Raelyn waved away her friend’s concern. She removed a folded up piece of paper from her pocket and placed it beside the computer.
“What’s that?” Trinity asked.
“I made a copy of the obituary for Mr. Tall, Dark, and Auraless’s deceased relative while I was covering the phones.”
“Who died?”
“His great aunt.” Raelyn smoothed the paper with her hand. “He’s the only name listed as a surviving relative.”
“Does this mean that he’s the last one?” Trinity asked.
“Yeah, I believe so.” Raelyn opened the laptop and clicked on the web browser.
Demon Aura Page 4