She smiled, then frowned in confusion. "Wait a sec. How did you get in our house?"
"I'm also a burglar."
Kim said nothing, entertaining the thought.
"I'm joking."
She laughed and reached out to hug him. Alex returned the gesture, giving her a light pat on the back.
"Hey, what happened to your shirt?" Kim asked, feeling his skin.
"The demon probably ate it."
Kim shook her head, but didn't press further. She turned to face her house.
"Remember, don't burn the Ouija board."
"You got it. Wish me luck."
"It was nice meeting you, Kim."
She walked away. She was halfway onto the grass when her parents noticed her from inside. They burst through the front door, the police right behind. Keith was awake and stayed next to a policeman.
Mother and father embraced daughter. Everyone dropped to their knees, and there were enough tears to fill a swimming pool. There was probably a punishment coming up, and some therapy, but for now, Alex enjoyed the sight from twenty feet away.
"What happened?" Donna asked.
"Alex found me," Kim said. "He helped me."
"Where is he?"
"Right behind—"
She turned to see nothing. Alex had already vanished before the Felders even left the house. He could do without the additional questions, some of which Kim had already asked. How did he get in the house? What happened to his shirt? How did he get rid of the demon a second time? How did he find Kim?
All he had to do was wait for the scene to die out, and then he could start his truck and drive home.
A twinge of sadness ate at him as he slid through the driver's side door and behind the wheel. His phone sat on the passenger's seat, right where he'd left it. But something was missing.
Nate.
Alex never got the chance to say goodbye to the young ghost.
The police led the Felders inside. The street was empty, and he'd never get a better opportunity to simply disappear. Reappearing in the living realm, he started the truck. It roared to life, cutting through the silence. He braced himself for the drive home.
"Case closed."
CHAPTER 4
Alex parked behind Cindy's car as he slowed in front of their house. He killed the engine and closed his eyes as he leaned back in his seat. Enjoying the quiet. Enjoying that he was finally home. Enjoying the feeling of closing another case, and actually getting paid for it.
He didn't bother checking the time. That was one piece of information he didn't want to know. The darkness still ruled the night. It was early in the morning. Alex was satisfied leaving it at that.
A yawn forced its way out as he stretched his legs on the sidewalk. He didn't take a break on the drive home, and getting a quick stretch felt great. The wind blew through his ruined shirt, and he could imagine the look Cindy would give him.
He paused to admire their yard as he approached the front door. With Halloween around the corner, Alex and Cindy had taken great pride in sprucing up for the holiday. He didn't think it was a leap to say their yard was one of the better decorated ones on the street.
Fake spiderwebs were spread across the two trees on the right side. A few coffins, along with creepy headstones, were on the opposite side. Cindy had bought a motion sensor that Kevin had set up. Whenever someone made it halfway down the sidewalk, lights behind the coffins would light up.
Halloween would be a fun night.
Alex didn't bother turning the lights on after stepping foot in the living room. He knew the house so well he didn't need light, or night vision. Peeling his ruined shirt off, he tossed it on the chair. He had no idea how much time he had to sleep, but he'd make the most of it.
He promptly tripped on Cindy's laptop bag.
The couch was the only thing that saved his fall. The lamp on the end table nearly went for a tumble, but he grabbed it just in time. Cursing silently, he turned on his night vision anyway.
The rest of the journey to the bedroom went without incident. As quietly as he could, he stepped out of his jeans, keeping an eye on Cindy. She was fast asleep, lying on her stomach. Alex smiled as he willed his night vision away and leaned against the doorway. It was rare he got to admire his wife as she slept.
Cindy was a beautiful woman. Alicia joked that his demonic powers must have included mind control, as that was the only possible way he'd somehow convinced Cindy to share the same bed with him. Joking aside, Cindy loved Alex for who he was. That included the fact that he wasn't entirely human.
She was never a fan of sleeping completely under the covers. She was a messy sleeper. Half of a blanket was on the floor, while another only covered her from the knees down. Alex had no problem with the view. Cindy's tee shirt stopped a little above her hips. His eyes danced along her legs and butt, covered in small, white underwear. Cindy was a runner, and her figure reflected that. The light from outside gave her dark skin an exotic sheen.
Alex was smart enough to know how lucky he was.
He stifled a laugh as she let out a snore. Shifting in her sleep, she turned on her side. She kicked the remainder of the blanket off and curled her legs. Now nothing blocked his view. He got to enjoy the sight of his wife in bed wearing nothing but a tee shirt and underwear. Life was good.
As gently as he could, he settled in next to her. The mattress felt like heaven when his head the pillow. He tried to give Cindy space. He loved touching her, but didn't want to wake her.
A loud screeching sound assaulted his ears.
Cindy stretched her arms over her head. Alex watched in disbelief as she moaned and spun over to turn off the alarm. Noticing her husband, she cuddled closer and threw a leg over his waist.
"Hey, sexy," she said. They seldom addressed each other by their real names since getting married. "When did you get home?"
He sighed. "About three minutes ago."
The news of Alex's late night brought Cindy out of her sleepy haze. She rested her head on her hand, giving him her undivided attention.
"Holy shit. Did everything go okay? Are you okay?" Cindy couldn't hide the amused gleam in her eye. "Did you get lost again?"
"Ha ha," he said sarcastically. "Everything went okay. Just some delays, more than anything else."
"Maybe you should stay home today? Get some rest?"
Alex shook his head. One thing he told himself he wouldn't do when he started his side job was miss time from his real job. He wanted to use his vacation time for a real vacation, not to speak with ghosts and demons.
"Nah, it's okay. It's weird, but I'm actually wide awake."
He tried to sit up, but Cindy didn't budge. In fact, she squeezed him tighter with her leg. She smiled playfully as she inched closer.
"How awake are you?" she asked. "I don't have to be in the shower for twenty minutes."
Alex laughed and shifted to face her. They grinded closer to each other. Only their underwear prevented them from having an interesting morning.
He could think of no better way to start the day.
"Twenty minutes," he said, letting a hand fall on her hip. "I only need five."
"That's not something you should brag about."
"What are you talking about? You only need two."
Cindy could only shrug. She knew it was true.
"Well, then." She pressed her breasts against him. They were both ready to go. "We can do it a few times."
Alex and Cindy both underestimated themselves. Two pair of underwear and a tee shirt were tossed across the room. They surpassed their initial estimation of five minutes.
Cindy was a wild woman. She was the only woman Alex had ever been with that knew of what he was. They both enjoyed each other completely. She actually enjoyed having sex with Alex in his more demonic state, which amazed him. She liked the wings. She liked wrapping her legs around his hips while they flew. Their sex life was certainly unique.
That particular rendezvous, he kept his wings to hims
elf. Cindy was in the mood to control, and straddled Alex's hips. She arched her back, giving Alex a wonderful view of her breasts and stomach. Alex sat up to meet her. His back finally had some room, and he couldn't help himself. His wings came out to play.
He wrapped them around Cindy, and she squealed with delight. She pressed her hips harder against him, and they both knew it wouldn't be long before they were half conscious in each other's arms, trying to muster the strength to go to work.
Alex was lost in the moment. He could only feel Cindy. Her thighs, shoulders, breasts, neck.
He didn't feel the cold chill.
A familiar, suddenly annoying voice joined them.
"Whoa! Dude! It actually worked! I had to shake down four ghosts to get here. You have to love Baltimore and all the dead people walking around. You're more famous than I think you know. You wouldn't believe…." Nate was quiet as he finally realized what he stumbled on to. "Damn…."
Alex, without meaning to, granted Cindy a wide-open window into the spirit realm. Full body contact usually did that. She screamed first, followed by Nate. Her eyes went wide as she climbed off Alex and tumbled to the side of the bed. Cindy, no longer touching Alex, couldn't see Nate on the other side of the bedroom. Alex grabbed a blanket from the bottom of the bed and threw it over his erection, amusingly making a tent. Cindy frantically searched around her.
"Where is he?" she asked. "Is he still here?"
"Man," Nate said, his mouth open. "Alex, you weren't kidding. Your wife is fucking hot."
"Nate!" Alex shouted. "C'mon, man! Turn the hell around."
"Is he over there?" Cindy said, rising to her feet. She held a sheet in front of her. "He's in the room?"
"Yeah. Don't worry. He's cool."
"Cool?" Cindy said. "How many cool people spy on a couple having sex?"
"This would be my first time," Nate said, his back still to them. "And believe me, it was worth it."
"Nate, shut up." Alex sighed and leaned over to reach for Cindy. "He's still here, if you want to talk—"
"I'll pass, thank you very much," Cindy said, yanking her hand away. She wrapped the sheet around her. "You know, I'm getting sick of ghosts watching us screw. I'll be in the shower. Make sure he stays out."
Alex had to agree. It wasn't the first time their orgasms were interrupted by the spirit world.
Cindy crossed the room. Alex watched her leave and disappear into the bathroom down the hall. Only after she shut the door behind her did he realize Nate was watching her as well.
"Man," Nate said, turning around. "Good job! How did you land her? I've never really been attracted to black women. It's not a race thing. I just happen to like redheads. But wow. What did you say her name was again? Cindy? The body on her—"
"Nate!" Alex shouted. "You want to stop talking about my wife? What the hell are you doing here? Turn around again."
Nate did so as Alex quickly stepped into a pair of sweatpants. His erection was fading, making it easier to talk with another male in the room.
"I lost track of you back at that haunted house. It took me a while to find you. A lot of ghosts know of you, but no one knew where you lived. Finally, one pointed me to Baltimore, so I just zoned in there. It took a few more tries, but someone gave me this address. And here I am. Sorry, man, I didn't know you were…you know, busy."
Alex was speechless.
"So, can I turn around now? How did everything end up with that case?" Nate peered down the hall. They could both hear the shower running. Nate lowered his voice, even though he didn't have to. "Dude, you have wings? Like flap flap? And Cindy lets you stick her up with them out? I watched a lot of porn before I died. I never seen no shit like that."
Alex lowered his head, embarrassed that he was laughing. He forced aside the humor quickly. Part of him wanted to tell Nate to leave, and never come back. But that was a small part. Nate was a good kid, and obviously lonely.
"I have to get ready for work. Look, Nate, just don't pop in like that. Give a warning or something."
"You got it, man. Sorry, I don't mean to be a pain. Don't worry, I'll just stop in every now and then."
Alex had the feeling Nate wasn't being entirely truthful.
"And tell Cindy I'm sorry," Nate said. "Maybe take her out to dinner or something as an apology."
"It sounds like you know women," Alex joked.
"Are you kidding? I've been fifteen years old a few years now. I already know everything." Nate saluted him. "Later."
The ghost faded away, his destination unknown. Alex shook his head as he walked toward the bathroom.
It had already been a crazy morning.
A wall of steam greeted him as he opened the bathroom door. Cindy loved her hot showers. He left the door open so the mirror would clear up. Alex and Cindy had their routine, like any other couple. She always showered first while he shaved.
She was quiet. He enjoyed her lovely silhouette through the curtain as he grabbed his razor. Alex employed the use of his Cindy-senses, trying to read her mood through the silence. Rage? Amusement? Was she still turned on?
"What was his name?" she asked. "Nate?"
"Yeah. I met him last night. He's okay."
"And he followed you here. Should I be expecting more visits from him?"
"I'll talk to him. Lay down the law."
"I don't care if he visits. It's not like we haven't had a hundred ghosts through here already. Just not, you know…when your penis is inside me."
They laughed. Alex was glad to see their halt of passion hadn't soured her mood.
"You looked like a ninja," he said. "Diving across the room like that. I'm going to start calling you Cindy the Ninja Assassin."
"I did not. At least I wasn't pushing my parts all up on the sheets and making tents."
"I don't know. That chest of yours could probably make some nice tents."
"Anyway," she continued. "Tonight, you owe me a long, nice scream."
"I think I can do that."
"You'd better. How was the case?"
"Fine. I just had to work around another team there. But I did get paid."
"Really?"
Cindy's shock wasn't without cause. Alex had been stiffed on payment before. Sometimes people simply couldn't afford to pay him.
He helped them anyway.
"Yeah. Oh," he said, remembering. "We need business cards."
She stuck her head out of the shower to read his face, see if he was serious.
"People with haunted houses care about business cards?"
"Eh, I don't know. But it can't hurt."
"Well, it makes sense," she said, nodding before disappearing back into the shower. "We're trying to start a business. Make money. Did you take any notes?"
"I actually did. I even got video of me sending the demon home."
"Demon? It was a demon? Holy shit." She was quiet a moment before concern entered her tone. "And…you're okay?"
"Of course."
Cindy breathed a sigh of relief. Humans weren't comfortable with demons, and they shouldn't have been. As close as they were, it sometimes amazed Cindy that he could look a demon in the eye and smack it across the face without so much as blinking.
"Okay, well, I'll grab your phone after work. I'll give it to Kevin, so he can upload everything into that database he's working on. Did you get them to sign the paperwork?"
Alex said nothing, only clenched his eyes shut. He'd forgotten all about it, and the paperwork was still in the glove compartment in the truck.
"Babe?" Cindy said, noting his silence. "Please tell me you didn't forget."
"Uh, forget is a mighty strong word—"
"Alex, it's important. If any of them so much as have a bad dream, they'll probably sue us now."
"I'll get it over to them. Don't worry."
She poked her head out of the shower for a moment to glare at him, but ended with a bright smile.
It was still hard to believe it was really happening. Cindy said she was g
oing to grow what she called the family business, and she wasn't joking. Alex had dreams of helping haunted families for an actual living. No more driving a forklift all day in a warehouse. No more getting bitched at by his boss who hadn't worked an eight-hour day in ten years. He wanted to use his powers to help people, and make enough money to put food on the table. That was a respectable, noble goal. However, it wasn't an easy one.
Thankfully, Alex had Cindy.
She already had a plan in motion, although Alex had trouble following it. He could barely operate the phone she bought for him. One of the many phases of the plan was getting Kevin to build some kind of database to track and log all the cases Alex worked on. Cindy imagined a day when people would pay just to get a look at Alex's case files. She literally wrung her hands together in glee when she brought that idea up.
"I want to talk to Kevin about that database," Alex said.
"Get Leese over here. He'll draw one of those magic portals real quick for her ass."
He rolled his eyes at the thought of Alicia and Kevin. The vet tech and the witch. Definitely an odd couple. Somehow, they were perfect for each other.
"It can wait until Halloween. They're still coming over?"
"You know it."
Cindy opened the shower curtain without bothering to turn the water off. She looked Alex up and down as they traded places. Alex winked, knowing they were going to have a fun night. Most of their nights were fun, regardless of what they did. They led an interesting life. Only in their marriage could Alex talk with a visiting ghost in the house while Cindy did accounting work from the dining room table.
"I'll head out in a few," Cindy said. "You want me to make you anything before I go?"
"No, thanks, though."
They shared a quick kiss. She pointed at him on her way out of the bathroom.
"We've got to talk more tonight about the business."
Cindy was trying to hide it, but Alex easily picked up on her enthusiasm.
"You thought of a name, didn't you?"
She smiled. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. Maybe we'll call it Cindy's Slave."
"Funny."
"You deserve a break. Try not to talk to too many ghosts today."
Demons LLC (Damned and Cursed Book 7) Page 8