Demon Aura

by Lisa Deerwood

  But first, she had to answer his question; after all, it would be rude not to. Then she could start asking some questions of her own.

  “To answer your question, no, I don’t come here very often.”

  Trying to decide what to ask first, Raelyn broke off a piece of pumpkin scone to buy herself some time to think.

  How does she ask Julian about his aura? Especially when she didn’t want to tell him about her gift? She’d already had one guy break up with her for being too weird, the last thing she needed was for it to happen again.

  Raelyn popped the piece of pumpkin scone into her mouth and barely held back a moan of pleasure as the flavor flooded her taste buds. The pumpkin pecan crunch muffin from yesterday had been good too, but today’s baked treat might replace it as her new favorite.

  “This scone is amazing.” She pushed the plate forward. “You’ve got to try a piece.”

  Under Raelyn’s eager stare, Julian broke off a piece of the scone and took a bite. His eyes lit up in surprise at the mixture of pumpkin and spices.

  “You’re right, this is really good.”

  “JavaBean was voted best coffeehouse in Tennessee for the past three years.” Raelyn took another bite. “Their first store was in downtown Nashville. Since then they’ve opened up another six stores throughout the state. This location opened up late last year. Everyone at the funeral home has been hooked on their coffee and pastries ever since.”

  “Yet, you don’t stop by before you go to work?”

  Raelyn considered the answer to his question. She loved JavaBean’s food and drinks, but so did everyone else in town, and one thing Raelyn didn’t love, was being around crowds of people. That’s why she relied on her co-workers at the funeral home to bring JavaBean’s stuff to her instead. But she wasn’t ready to tell him about one of her quirks, yet.

  She picked another reason instead.

  “If you want to get the best baked items of the day, you have to come here first thing in the morning. The only people who get in early enough to do that are Nancy and my mom.”

  At his look of confusion, she clarified.

  “Nancy is the receptionist, you didn’t meet her because she’s been out with the flu. My mother you’ve already met, she’s the funeral director.”

  “That’s nice, that you work with your mom. What do you do there to help out?”

  Raelyn’s stomach flip-flopped. She really wished what she did for a living hadn’t come up at the very beginning of their date, but maybe it was a good thing that it did. If he was going to think that she was weird because of her job, he could end the date now and save them both time and energy.

  She took a deep breath and braced herself for his reaction.

  “I’m the embalmer.”

  “Really?” He leaned forward, interested. “What made you choose that?”

  Raelyn barely held back her look of surprise. Although she couldn’t read his aura, it was obvious from Julian’s face that he was genuinely curious.

  Did this mean that he didn’t think that she was weird?

  The possibility sent a flutter of excitement through her veins.

  “I grew up around the funeral home, so it was always a possibility to join the family business.”

  Raelyn sucked in a deep breath. How was she supposed to answer the question? What could she say that wouldn’t scare him away? If he really didn’t think that her choice of profession was unusual, then she didn’t want to risk her good fortune by telling him the real answer.

  I like working with the dead because they don’t have auras. Being able to see and feel what other people are experiencing overwhelms me, so I try to avoid the living.

  Nope, that’s not going to work.

  She settled for a half-truth instead.

  “I worked in the office as a part-time job when I was a teenager and thought all of the paperwork and phone calls I had to do were boring. In some funeral homes, the job of funeral director and embalmer is combined, but my parents always kept the two separated. My mother works with the families and helps them with their funeral planning. My father, he died from a heart attack several years ago, he used to do the embalming. I learned everything I know from him.” Raelyn took a sip of her coffee and continued, comfortable talking about a familiar topic. “My favorite subjects in school were anatomy and physiology and I like helping people, as long as it’s from a distance. Being an embalmer is the perfect mix of both. It’s a chance for me to help people through a difficult time in their lives, from behind the scenes.”

  “That’s very noble of you,” he said.

  “What about yourself,” she hurried to shift the focus onto him. “What do you do?”

  “I’m in the family business as well.”

  “Do you work with your parents too?” she asked, excited to find some common ground with this handsome man.

  “No, my parents have both passed away.”

  Her sense of kinship faded away in a flash, and she struggled to backpedal. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry I asked.”

  “Don’t be,” he waved his hand. “It was a long time ago. I’ve made peace.”

  She took another sip of her latte, hesitant to ask her next question. She still didn’t know what he actually did, but would it be rude to ask in light of his parents passing?

  Raelyn bit her lip, a good detective wasn’t afraid to ask the tough questions, no matter how uncomfortable or awkward it made the situation. Her decision made, she plowed onward with her first date Q&A.

  “What’s the family business?”

  “Public safety,” Julian replied, moving to take a sip of his coffee.

  His answer had been both vague and interesting. She waited a moment, hoping he would elaborate.

  He didn’t.

  Raelyn sipped her drink while she gathered her thoughts. He certainly looked fit enough to work in law enforcement. Except his hair was too long for him to be a cop, although she supposed that he could be a detective instead. But law enforcement didn’t feel right for him. Maybe he worked for a security company or something. Before she could ask him to clarify, he beat her to the next question.

  “Tell me more about being an embalmer. Do you work long hours?”

  Raelyn blinked. She’d never met anyone who actually took an interest in what she did for a living. Whenever the topic of her job came up around her ex-boyfriend, Brady would call her weird, then hurry to switch topics.

  But Julian, he was different.

  Raelyn sipped her drink and stared into his gray eyes. There wasn’t a trace of disgust to be found. The man in front of her was both handsome and seemed genuinely interested. He was almost too good to be true.

  Julian weaved his fingers together, as if waiting for her to do something.

  No, he was waiting for her to answer his question, again!

  Focus Raelyn!

  In her haste to answer, she started to babble.

  “My hours are pretty irregular. I never know when a body is going to come in, so I’m on call twenty-four seven. Some embalmers, like myself, are self-employed and work independently with multiple funeral directors. Bakowski is one of only two funeral homes in Raspville, Bond-Latimer is the other one, and I also help out over there. Once in a while, I’ll work at Woodlawn & Ellis too, they’re in downtown Nashville, which is about thirty minutes west of here.”

  “I’m familiar with them,” Julian nodded. “They’re not far from where I’m staying.”

  Finally, an opportunity to get some answers.

  “Where’s that?” she eagerly asked.

  “The Baldridge,” he replied.

  “Wow,” her jaw dropped open.

  The Baldridge Hotel was one of the most exclusive luxury hotels in downtown Nashville. Popular with visiting musicians and celebrities, it was also one of the hardest to get into. Reservations were recommended to be made anywhere from three months to six months in advance, and up to a year for awards season.

  His aunt had died only last week. To
get a room on such short notice, suggested that he was a man of influence, which only made him even more mysterious.

  Just who was he?

  “What about yourself, do you live nearby?” Julian asked, changing topics before she could ask a follow-up question.

  “I’m across the street.” Reacting to his confused expression, she amended her statement. “I live in the studio apartment above the funeral home.”

  She hurried to turn the conversation back to him.

  “Where do you live?”

  “I’m about an hour outside of New York City,” he replied.

  “Oh.” Her heart sank. “That’s about fourteen hours from here.” Too far to drive often for a long-distance relationship. Not that she was considering that sort of thing, of course.

  Julian shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips.

  “The flight itself is only about two hours. With a private jet you don’t have to deal with the lines or delays that can happen when flying commercial, so the overall trip is pretty fast.”

  Continuing their volley of back and forth questions, Julian asked the next question.

  “Have you ever traveled?”

  “I’ve been to Memphis a few times. Going west from Nashville, it’s about three hours by car,” Raelyn said.

  “What about somewhere outside of Tennessee?”

  Raelyn had lots of places she wanted to visit, but traveling took money and she hasn’t been able to save up enough to do it yet.

  “I’ve never left the state before,” she reluctantly admitted. “I’ve never been on a plane before either.”

  She withered under Julian’s stare. His talk about private and commercial flying suggested that he’d traveled quite a bit, while she’d never been anywhere. She hoped her lack of traveling didn’t make her seem unusual.

  “I know that’s common,” he finally said. “Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

  “I have a whole list of places I want to see, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet,” she said, relieved. If he was still asking her questions, then she must still be ok, right?

  “Like where?”

  “I’d really like to see New York City. And some place by the coast, I don’t care which one as long as I get to see the ocean. I want to see the desert, maybe go to Arizona or California for that. Maybe see Death Valley, after all I am an embalmer.”

  Julian smiled at her attempt to joke.

  “Oh, and I want to see a state with snow.”

  “Doesn’t Tennessee get snow in the winter?”

  “Yeah, but barely. We get less than an inch at a time.” Her eyes glittered with excitement. “I want to go somewhere in the Northeast, maybe Vermont or New Hampshire, and see lots of it. Feet and feet of snow!”

  “What about outside of the United States?”

  She counted off countries on her fingers. “England, France, and Italy, I think those three are a rite of passage for anyone who’s traveled. Also, somewhere deeper in Europe, Germany might be nice. I also want to go North, I’ve read that Iceland is really pretty.”

  “What if you could only pick one place overseas, what would it be?”

  Her answer was fast and firm.

  “England. I’ve always wanted to go there. If I could only do one trip in my lifetime, it would be England.”

  “An interesting choice,” he observed. “Why England?”

  “I want to see 221B Baker Street.”

  His face twisted in confusion. “Is that where Sherlock Holmes lived?”

  She nodded, enthusiastically.

  “He’s my favorite detective.”

  “Oh,” he leaned forward. “Why?”

  Raelyn dived into her favorite topic. “He’s the first real super hero. He knew everything about you from looking at you for ten seconds. He had amazing powers of observation. With one look he’d know you’re a doctor in Norway with a wife and a dog. He was also the smartest man in the room and he knew it. Plus the mysteries are just really good. You can escape into a different world that’s interesting and unique.”

  Julian’s gentle smile encouraged her to continue.

  “And Watson, he’s the every man. He’s relatable. As the reader, you can feel the camaraderie between Holmes and him. He’s the mirror for Holmes to look into himself.”

  “Did you like the new movies?” he asked.

  “No,” she scowled. “And I don’t know why they made a second one. They’re just awful. The movies are not true to the character. The lead actor, he makes a great Iron Man, but he just didn’t capture the soul of Sherlock Holmes. And that Watson. I can’t even recall the actor’s name.”

  Raelyn switched to the television version.

  “The Sherlock TV series on PBS has been really good. They’re going into their fourth season. The show is sharp and sophisticated and Holmes and Watson are great. My favorite episode was The Sign of Three because Sherlock Holmes gives the best, best man’s speech, ever. In general the series really nailed the characters, but everything is a little over the top, sometimes it’s just too theatrical. Like Holmes’s younger sister, Eurus, I just can’t get into her. But her disguises have been really interesting. However, the best Sherlock Holmes, ever, was Jeremy Brett. I have the entire collection of his show on DVD.”

  Raelyn stopped, realizing that she’d been speaking for a long time. A blush rose to her face. She’d never told anyone all of this before. She didn’t know what had gotten into her, she just felt comfortable with him. It was easy for her to open up around him. It’s been kinda hard up to now.

  “I just realized that you have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

  “Not a clue,” he smiled. “But it sounds like a lot of fun.”

  “What about you?” She desperately tried to return the conversation back to him. “What hobbies do you have in your spare time?”

  “My job keeps me pretty busy.” Julian shifted in his seat, pausing for a moment. “I travel a lot and I try to work out when I can,” he added. “I suppose you could say those two things are my hobbies.”

  She wasn’t convinced, but before she could figure out a way to question him about it, she made the mistake of glancing at the clock on the wall.

  “Crap, I’m late.” She quickly began to gather up her garbage.

  “Here, I’ll throw it out,” Julian offered.

  She placed her empty cup and crumpled napkins into his waiting hand. He tossed everything into the trash bin and followed her to the door. Their date was almost over, but Raelyn didn’t want it to end.

  Once outside she felt her nerves stirring up again.

  “I had a great time,” she said.

  The line was cliché, but true.

  “So did I,” he replied.

  She twisted her hands, uncertain what to do next. Should she ask for his phone number or kiss him on the cheek?

  The warm hand that wrapped around her own captured her attention.

  Julian’s calm gray eyes helped her feel at ease.

  “Will you have dinner with me?” he asked. His soft hands gently covered her own. Her heart fluttered inside her chest. She wanted to feel those hands touching her everywhere.

  “Raelyn?”

  His question reminded her that she had yet to answer.

  “I really like you!” she blurted out, her nerves having removed any mouth filter that she had.

  Oh no, what did she just do?

  He moved his hands away from her own. She looked down at the empty space, already missing his touch. Her hair fell forward and she tried to hide her embarrassment behind the loose waves. She felt her face warm slightly. Stupid pale skin, it was a constant source of emotional betrayal. A finger underneath her chin forced her face upwards.

  Julian grinned at the flustered woman in front of him. His eyes flickered down to her lips momentarily. He leaned in and pressed his lips against her own without hesitation. The kiss was soft, gentle, and quick.

  The black SUV pulled up alongside the cur
b. Mystery Man Number Two got out and walked around the front, and opened the rear passenger side door.

  “What’s your number?” Julian pulled out a smartphone from his pocket.

  Dazed by the delicate kiss, Raelyn blinked in confusion.

  Why did he want her number?

  Julian chuckled.

  Oh no, did she just say that out loud?

  Raelyn felt her ears burning up. Something about this man made her lose all self-control.

  “What’s your number?” he repeated, a look of amusement still on his face.

  Raelyn recited her phone number, thankful that her traitorous mouth stayed on task. A moment later, the phone in her back pocket buzzed with a new message.

  I had a great time.

  She looked up to reply, but Julian had already walked to his car. With shaking hands she texted back her answer.

  Me too.

  The reply was short and sweet.

  :)

  The black SUV drove away before her body regained its ability to move and her attention returned to the present. Only one thing filtered through her mind as she darted across the street. She couldn’t wait to see him again.

  Chapter 9 - Julian

  Inside the waiting area of surrogate court, Julian shifted his weight and the plastic chair creaked with his movement. The waiting area was small, with six chairs lined up against a wall facing an empty reception desk. When he’d signed in, the clerk informed Julian that they were running behind on their appointments. The demon master glanced at the clock on the wall. It had already been twenty minutes. He vented a breath; clearly this was going to take a while.

  Looking down at the list given to him at check-in, Julian grimaced. Titled The Survivor’s Checklist, the list of important things to do was both long and overwhelming. He leaned back and let his head rest against the wall, bored. Technically, he didn’t really need to be here, his legal team would take care of finalizing his great aunt’s affairs. It was one of the nice things about being wealthy, he could pay people to do the things that he didn’t want to do.

  Of course, there was one area of his life where money wouldn’t help him. Finding the demon master.