Demon Inn

by Davida McLea

  Lorena gracefully slid feet first into the floor. “A little. I just had to stretch out the kinks. I swear the seat I was in was designed for someone no taller than five feet."

  "Hey!” McKenna was exactly five feet. She plopped herself down on a pillow in the floor. She had couches and chairs in her shop because people expected them. In her home, she preferred pillows, beanbags and cushions, selected for their comfort instead of their colors. McKenna abhorred sharp corners and heavy wood frames. Her pillows kept her off the floor, and they were easy to move if she needed an open space for work. Promotional book posters were framed and hung between shelves loaded with volumes from her store. All in all, it looked like a college dorm and not the apartment of a successful businesswoman.

  "Sorry,” Lorena said with a sheepish grin. “I forget you're so tiny. You carry yourself like an Amazon.” At almost five feet ten, Lorena nearly qualified as an Amazon herself.

  "I have to around here. There's just so much I'm called in to deal with that if I don't walk tall, no one would trust me."

  "Which brings us to why I'm here,” Lorena said. She brushed her ebony hair out of her eyes and took a long pull of her beer. “Tell me everything that's happened."

  McKenna began with the imminent demolition of the old Inn and how Aidan had come back to town just in time to save it. “We all kind of knew that the place was haunted, but it was stuff like seeing lights in the window when here was no power. But really bad stuff started when the renovations began.” She told Lorena how guests were pinched and scratched and pushed from their beds. “People were canceling reservations left and right."

  "I'm sure they were,” Lorena smirked.

  "When the situation became dire, Perry and Aidan, the owners, called us in to investigate."

  "Are they gay?"

  "What?” McKenna was shocked at the question before she realized that Lorena had never met Aidan. She thought of the way his hands gripped her hips when he entered her and laughed. “No, no they aren't gay. What the hell made you ask that question?” Alone in her bed at night she could still feel Aidan's hands and mouth on her body. No way in hell was he gay.

  "Don't get so defensive. You have two male innkeepers. It was just a question.” Lorena raised an eyebrow and McKenna felt transparent, as though Lorena could see right into her mind. It was an occupational hazard of working with a powerful witch. She would have to control herself better.

  "Perry is the money behind the operation. You know how the legitimate Murphys like to throw their money around. Aidan is the muscle. He was a building contractor in Dallas before he moved back to Murphy's Corner. They've both poured a lot of themselves into this business. It was actually Perry who called us. Aidan was a certified skeptic."

  "But he believes now?"

  "He does. He actually agreed to shut down for the whole week so we can get the place cleaned out."

  "Wow,” Lorena said. “It's odd to see a skeptic converted. What kind of stunt did you pull?"

  McKenna thought of how sore she'd been after she fell down the stairs. Some stunt. “I showed him this,” McKenna said as she picked up her TV remote and pressed play. They both watched in silence as McKenna tumbled down. Lorena opened her mouth, but closed it quickly when Aidan's image appeared on the screen, berating McKenna.

  "He's a bucket of sunshine, isn't he?” Distaste painted Lorena's exotic features.

  "That's just it—he's not normally like that.” McKenna felt an inexplicable need to defend him. “It's not just the pinching and choking. Whatever is in the hotel affects people. Outside the Inn, Aidan is warm and funny, but once he's in his office, he becomes a different person. The last time I was there, I felt like I was dying. I was cold and I couldn't breathe. But when I left, I felt fine. Something's not right."

  "It's trying to attach itself to someone,” Lorena explained. “It's a demonic spirit all right, but fortunately, it seems to be a weaker one. If it were stronger, it would have already found a human host. It's just waiting for someone weak or vulnerable enough to take."

  "If that's a weak one, I don't want to see a strong one,” McKenna said.

  "You said you had something else you needed my help with. It's not another spirit, is it? Murphy's Corner is too small to have two demonic entities."

  "You would be surprised. There is a lot of activity here."

  "Nothing about small towns surprises me anymore. I felt the activity when I got to town. This place is an energy vortex. It probably pulls a lot of spirits, but the demonic ones are territorial. All hell would break loose if there were a demon turf war in town. Everybody would know it if you had more than one."

  "It does pull a lot of spirits, but it's not only that,” McKenna said. “It pulls sensitives. People with gifts."

  "People like your ancestors."

  "And people like the Campbells, although Aidan would die if he found out what his grandmother got up to on that old farm of hers.” McKenna knew that Aidan had been slightly afraid of her in high school. If she had been the vindictive sort, she would have told him the truth about his own family—that the women in his family had gifts. “But it's not just old families. We have new people coming in, too. It's one of them that I need to talk to you about."

  "I don't intervene in witch wars, McKenna. Nothing good can come of power turning against power. It can turn ugly real quick.” Darkness closed over Lorena's face, leaving McKenna to wonder what things her friend had seen.

  "It's nothing like that. It's this kid...” McKenna stopped herself. Josh was a grown man, but in her mind he was still that same scared teenager at the post office. “There's this man. He's as powerful a witch as I've ever seen."

  "A man that powerful?” Lorena's eyes danced with excitement. “That's so weird. I've never met a man with anything more than residual power. So he's using his power for evil or something?"

  "He's not using it at all. He apparently inherited all of this from his grandmother. I think she was about to begin his training when his parents moved him here to get him away from her influence. They thought that if they ignored it, it would just go away."

  "And they ended up here?” Lorena asked.

  "I told you that this place draws people with special gifts, and make no mistake, Josh has very special gifts. When I first met him, he was seeing spirits everywhere and he was scared to death. I took him under my wing, mainly so I could keep an eye on him. I didn't want the wrong person to get their hands on that kind of energy source, but I also wanted to help him. I shielded him to try to camouflage how powerful he was, but he's weakened the shields.” McKenna shuddered when she thought of how appetizing Josh must have looked to the demon at the Inn. Josh had no clue how close he had come to being psychic mincemeat. If his shields had been just a little weaker—McKenna didn't want to think about it.

  "On purpose? Can he raise and lower his own shields? Have you at least taught him that much?"

  McKenna shook her head. “I haven't taught him much of anything. I'm afraid that I fell into the trap of not seeing how grown-up he's become. It never occurred to me that he was getting restless and curious, so he started studying on his own. His shields aren't necessarily weaker, but with his studying, he just amped up the energy so much that it started showing through his shields."

  Lorena regarded her old friend carefully. McKenna's gifts were somewhat one-dimensional, but she was usually very aware of energy fluctuations. It was part of what made her such a good investigator. “So what has you so distracted that you didn't notice that kind of energy shift right under your nose?"

  Shit, McKenna thought. Lorena always could get right to the heart of the matter. “The investigation has taken a toll, and I've been training Julie on EMFs and I have a normal business to run in case you've forgotten."

  Lorena leaned forward with a sly grin dimpling her cheek. “It's a man, isn't it?"

  "What? No. Of course not.” But even as she denied it, she could feel her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “When would I ev
er have time to meet a man, much less carry on with him? My vibrator and I are very happy together."

  "Who is it?” Lorena wasn't giving up. “Is it anyone I know?"

  Never try to lie to a witch, McKenna thought. It always comes back to bite you in the ass. She drained the last of her beer and hopped to her feet. “Nope. Want another beer?"

  "No, too many and I get soft. And don't avoid the question. We've been friends for years. If you can't squee over your latest crush with me, then who can you squee with?"

  McKenna gave Lorena a disdainful look. “I don't squee. I haven't ‘squeed’ since I was in junior high."

  "It might do you some good if you did. Whoever it is, he did a number on you because your face is the color of a tomato right now. With your hair, it's not exactly a good look for you,” Lorena teased.

  "Kiss my ass."

  "I don't swing that way,” Lorena laughed, “but thanks for the offer."

  "You're impossible,” McKenna said fondly. She bent down and wrapped her friend in a hug. “I'm so glad you're here. I feel better already.” She pulled away. “So will you help Josh? He needs training, and I'm completely out of my depth."

  "It would mean I would have to stay here for a while."

  "My home is yours. You know that.” McKenna's breath was caught in her throat. If Lorena refused to help Josh, that would add a load to her mind. She felt burdened enough with Aidan and the Inn.

  "You sure you won't mind candle wax all over everything?” Lorena grinned.

  "Wax I can handle, but if you spill Eye of Newt on the floor, you're out of here."

  * * * *

  "Aidan, I'd like you to meet Lorena Boutin.” Aidan couldn't stop his jaw from dropping when McKenna stopped by with her reinforcements. Lorena was so tall that, with the boots she was wearing, he could look her square in the eye. She was vividly colored, with lush jet-black hair and a deep caramel complexion complemented by violet eyes. She held out her hand, but instead of the delicate squeeze that passed for most female handshakes, she pumped his arm like a man. He had expected someone wispy and delicate, like McKenna, but he was facing a warrior.

  "And this is Perry Murphy, one of the owners,” McKenna said. Perry's hand shot toward Lorena fast enough to stir a breeze. He smiled broadly. “I'm just the money here. Aidan provides the brains and the brawn, I'm afraid.” Lorena took his outstretched hand, but turned to regard Aidan carefully.

  He felt like she was sizing him up and finding him lacking in some way. “Pleased to meet you both,” she said, but the pleasantry rang false. She turned away from the two of them in what was clearly a dismissal. “Show me around. I would like to get a feel for everything before my team arrives."

  "Aidan and Perry know the hotel much better than I do, and I think Aidan's had more experience with the entity,” McKenna said. Aidan had almost forgotten about McKenna. Lorena filled the room almost to overflowing. McKenna was so small that she would be lost behind her. At least, he thought so, until he turned his eyes fully to her. She looked the same—sort of. Same red hair, same eyes, but something was different. She seemed taller somehow, more sturdy, and there was a glow from her. Her ivory skin glimmered in the candlelight of the lobby. “He should lead the way.” She gave him a smile that singed the air around her.

  The smile fell from Perry's face. “If I'm not needed here...” Even Aidan could sense the uneasiness in his voice. Since McKenna's tumble down the stairs, Perry hadn't been eager to spend time at the Inn and he steadfastly refused to go upstairs.

  "Whatever.” Lorena shrugged her shoulders.

  For the only time in his adult life, Aidan Campbell was at a loss for words. No one just dismissed Perry Murphy that way, at least not in Murphy's Corner. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

  "Is the Union Suite occupied?” McKenna asked. “Since that's where Josh captured the first image, maybe we should start there."

  "Right.” Aidan breathed a sigh of relief at having something concrete to grasp. “That's a great idea. No one is staying there. We haven't booked the suite since your investigation. No one really wanted to stay in there anyway."

  He led them up the front stairs, but he could hear them whispering behind him. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were laughing about him. Lorena's appearance had thrown him for a loop. He was expecting an old and venerable sage, not a dark-haired Amazon. But it was McKenna that had knocked the wind from his sails. This McKenna was strong and steady, not the delicate, frail creature that had sat in his office the week before.

  When they entered the Union Suite, Aidan felt all of the air go out of his lungs. Goosebumps stood out in sharp relief on his skin. “This is it,” he said. It was difficult to draw a breath full enough to even speak a few words. He glanced at McKenna and saw that the strange glow around her had faded slightly. Lorena reached out and took her hand, and the glow returned, stronger than ever.

  "Focus,” Lorena snapped. “You can't let fear enter your mind. Fear makes you weak, and if you're weak you can't fight it off."

  McKenna took a deep breath and nodded. “You're right. I'm sorry."

  "Better?” Lorena asked.

  "Much.” McKenna dropped Lorena's hand and turned to Aidan. “This is where the demon is attached. It can move from room to room, but the strongest impression is here."

  Aidan stared, slack-jawed, unsure of what he had witnessed. If he didn't know better, he would swear that Lorena had just transferred energy to McKenna. That was what was different about her. Energy seemed to be flowing through her body.

  McKenna caught his look and gave him a small smile. “Are you still with us?"

  Aidan shook himself out of his stupor. “I'm just a little flustered,” he admitted. “I'm still not sure what to make of all this."

  "There's nothing to make anything of,” Lorena told him. “Your hotel has been taken over by a demonic spirit, and if you want to continue doing business here, then you have to allow the professionals to come in and get rid of it."

  Aidan was almost offended at her dismissive tone. Sure, she dealt with this kind of thing all the time, but it was his first haunting. “Well, excuse me,” he said. “I already said that I would close down for a week. What more can I do?"

  "Stay out of the way,” she told him. “Don't interfere. Let us do our jobs without you peeking over our shoulder."

  "You can't mean that you expect me to walk away for a week and let you have free reign over my business.” He had planned to stay in one of the guest rooms, just to keep an eye on things while Lorena and McKenna went about their work, but he didn't want to think of how she knew that.

  "That's exactly what I'm telling you to do.” Lorena crossed her arms as if ready for a battle that she intended to win. “I can't run this operation if I have to worry about you."

  Aidan could feel his blood beginning to boil. He hadn't asked to be put in such a position. Damn her, he thought. This was his hotel and he would do as he damn well pleased. She couldn't put him out. “I will stay here,” he seethed. “And there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

  Surprisingly, Lorena's face softened. “You're right,” she told McKenna. “He is very attached to this place. Strong emotions. That's what drew the spirit here."

  Strong emotion? Hell, yes, he had strong emotions. Of course he was attached to this place. It was part of the town's history and he put a lot of sweat and hard work into making it a place that Murphy's Corner could be proud of. Anyone would feel the same way if they worked as hard as he had.

  "It's tried to take over,” McKenna said. “If he weren't so strong-willed, it might have succeeded."

  "Hellooo...” Aidan waved his arms in the air. “Still here.” He felt like a small child whose parents talked about him as though he couldn't understand. “Would either one of you like to tell me exactly what you're talking about and why Long Tall Sally here was so rude to me?"

  "Downstairs,” McKenna said, and Aidan noticed that her glow was dimming and her face was t
aking on the same pallor that had so worried him before. “I'm not feeling so well."

  Lorena looked at her worriedly. “We need to work on your shields. You've gotten weak.” She turned to Aidan. “Is there anywhere in town we could talk besides this place?"

  "Let's go to The Brewery,” he said. “We can all get some coffee and maybe Julie will have time to show you what she found."

  * * * *

  As soon as they stepped out of the Inn, McKenna could feel a change in the air, a lessening of the pressure that weighted down her chest whenever she was at the Inn. Lorena was right. Years of orbs and minor spirits had made her weak, had lulled her into a false sense of invincibility. She was as unprepared to deal with the spirit that had infested the Inn as Perry was. Lorena had strengthened her shield, but the effect was temporary. For it to be strong enough to ward off such negative energy, she would have to weave a new shield from the ground up, something that would take considerable energy to do. Energy was the last thing that McKenna had in surplus. It was a relief to walk into The Brewery and see Julie's worried face behind the counter.

  Julie hurried the customers through the line and pressed McKenna's favorite coffee, laced with extra cream and sugar, into her hand. “What happened?” she whispered with a glance at the customers enjoying their coffee and scones.

  "We've been to the Inn,” Lorena said. “It's getting stronger. Your boss here needs to build up her strength to fight it off, and unless I miss my guess,” she turned to Aidan, “so do you."

  Confusion wrinkled Aidan's brow. “I'm not quite sure I catch your meaning."

  "I'm fairly sure that the spirit is not permanently attached to the Inn,” McKenna said. I'm not even sure it was there when you bought the place, but when you started the remodel, it was attracted to all of the energy you poured into it, and settled in. There was some residual energy—that was the orbs we found—but this demonic spirit is recent."