A Very Paranormal Holiday

by J. T. Bock

  Yes, I'd taken first aid during my undergrad studies. It came in handy now. "He's alive," I said.

  By that time, a crowd had gathered. "I'm a nurse," a dark-haired woman knelt beside us. She checked pulse and respiration. The victim woke while she tended him.

  "What happened?" he mumbled.

  "You ran a red light," the nurse explained. "You and these two ladies, here, are lucky to be alive. If this one hadn't pulled you out of your car, you'd be toast. The fire department is on the way, but there's not much to save, now."

  "Wow," he lifted a hand to his forehead. His clothes were scorched in a couple of places, but his skin wasn't burned.

  "What's your name?" the nurse asked.

  "Cliff Murphy," he said automatically.

  "Come with me," Louise grabbed my arm and steered me away.

  * * *

  It took an hour to fill out an accident report and convince the police we were all right. By that time, Parke and Daniel had arrived. Daniel wasn't happy; Parke looked angry enough to kill. At least his eyes were clear instead of tinged with black.

  "Cliff Murphy is Bridgett's half-human cousin," Louise whispered in my ear as we walked toward Parke's Mercedes. "I haven't seen him in years, so I didn't recognize him right away."

  "What does this mean?" I asked. I was shaky enough as it was; now it looked as if I were embroiled in even more intrigue.

  "It means that Bridgett was having him tail my new fiancée and Cliff fucked it up," Parke growled behind us. "Then you end up saving the bastard's life after he tries to kill you and my sister."

  "Is she crazy? This Bridgett person?" I blinked at Parke.

  "Extremely jealous, exceptionally possessive and seriously nuts," Louise confirmed. "Mom always said maybe it would calm her down if Parke married her, but he and I have been against that from the start. She's always nice around Mom, but I've seen the other side of her a few times."

  "Are you sure you're all right?" Parke asked as he opened the back door of his Mercedes so Louise and I could climb in.

  "Might be stiff tomorrow, but otherwise okay," Louise confirmed.

  "You'll let me know if I should call Doc Xavier?" Parke asked.

  "We will."

  Louise slid in first—I waited for her to get comfortable before moving to sit on my side of the back seat. "Wait," Parke gripped my arm.

  "What?" That's all I had time to say—Parke pulled me against him and kissed my hair. So glad you're both all right, he said mentally before letting me go.

  Louise was grinning when I sat beside her and fastened my seat belt.

  * * *

  Kate fussed over both of us when we arrived at the house. Eventually we were settled in the library, with hot tea and blankets while Kate and Parke ignored our assurances that we were all right and called the Demon doctor anyway.

  Doctor Xavier listened, poked and prodded before saying we'd probably be sore and achy for a few days. He handed Parke a bottle of pain relief designed specifically for our race and explained that it would help.

  Louise shot Parke an I told you so look after the doctor walked out with Kate. "I don't care," Parke stuck his tongue out at Louise. She giggled. I tried to hide a smile. "Here," Parke handed each of us a pill. "Take that and I'll help you get to bed."

  Louise grumbled while Parke held her arm as we walked up steps to the second floor. Her bedroom, as it turned out, wasn't far from mine. She was dropped off first, making a face before shutting the door on Parke.

  "She always was an independent sort," he grinned and took my arm.

  I wanted to make a face at him, too, but I didn't. I figured most people shouldn't glare at their intended shortly after becoming engaged. "I think the medication is starting to work," I mumbled instead.

  "Good." Even I couldn't predict what happened next—I was lifted and carried to my room, undressed carefully and covered up in bed by the time I fell asleep.

  * * *

  Parke

  "Virgil Murphy has called three times." Mom handed my cell phone to me when I made it to the kitchen.

  "What does he want, besides his baby girl as wife to the Chancellor?" I snapped. "It won't happen."

  "I think it's more serious than that," Mom said as I hit redial on my phone.

  It was.

  "Virgil?" I asked when he answered the phone.

  "I'm sorry, Parke," he said right away. "When Cliff showed up at the house, Bridgett shot him and took off."

  "What?" I exploded.

  "She thinks she killed him. Granted he's had a tough day, but bullets don't kill half Demons as easy as they kill humans. Our doctor says he'll be all right. Cliff says Bridgett paid him to follow your new fiancée. I'm sorry about the accident. Grateful your girl saved Cliff's ass—he's not fire-proof."

  "So what does this mean?" I asked. "Other than an attempted murder charge against Bridgett?"

  "I'm asking you to be lenient; you know she had her heart set on you. Yes, I know you kept saying no, but she doesn't really understand that word. Cliff says he's willing not to press charges."

  "She's indirectly involved in an attack on my sister and my fiancée," I snapped.

  "Your eyes, Parke," Mom warned from nearby.

  "Your father," Virgil began.

  "My father would have been more than pissed that his daughter was placed in danger," I shouted.

  The line went dead—Virgil hung up. At that moment, I wanted to punch something. The last thing I remembered was Mom yelling at me to go outside.

  * * *

  Cassie

  "Oh. My. Gosh."

  Parke's Mercedes looked like a pretzel. I didn't see (or hear about) the damage done until the following morning after breakfast. "Parke did that after Virgil Murphy called and asked him to look the other way when Bridgett shot Cliff. She was pissed that he messed up his tailing assignment and caused the accident, which implicated her." Kate shook her head as Louise and I surveyed the damage.

  "Parke had a conversation with the Prince of Washington State this morning, and there's a warrant out for Bridgett's arrest. She meant to kill Cliff. If he'd been completely human, he'd be dead," she went on.

  I wasn't sure what Louise thought, but I was grateful to be learning all this after the fact. And the pretzel that used to be a car? That was Rock Demon work if I ever saw it. "So Cliff is still alive?" Louise asked.

  "Yes, although he's staying with his human mother at the moment. She says she's had enough of Demons for a while."

  "Half-Demons are rare," I said. Louise nodded her agreement. They were protected by Demon law, just like the rest of us.

  "He's lucky to be alive—twice over," Kate huffed. "If you hadn't pulled him out of that car when you did," she shook her head. "I always liked Cliffy. Who knows what Bridgett threatened him with to go after both of you."

  "I thought you liked her," Louise said dryly.

  "Hmmph," Kate muttered. "Come on, let's get out of this wind. It's cold."

  It was cold out, and less than a week before Christmas. Doctor Xavier was right, too—I ached from the accident. Cliff had been driving quite fast when he plowed into us. Humans would be either dead or seriously injured from the impact.

  The Worths were down two vehicles, too.

  "Want to get in the hot tub?" Louise asked as she and I hobbled into the house after Kate.

  "I think I have a swimsuit. Somewhere," I shook my head. "Where is it? The hot tub?"

  "On the south side in the solarium," Louise said.

  It took nearly half an hour for me to get back upstairs, find my swimsuit, put it and a robe on and then find the hot tub. Louise was already soaking in it when I finally reached the solarium.

  An indoor pool waited there, too, but that wasn't my goal. Hot water bubbled around Louise's shoulders and I wanted some of that. That's where Parke found us, soaking aching bones and muscles in frothy water.

  "Hey," he sat on the flagstones surrounding the spa, rolled up his pants, removed his shoes and socks an
d stuck his feet in the water.

  "How are you feeling?" he asked, tucking loose hair behind my ear.

  "Hot water makes a big difference," I leaned my head back to look at him. "I saw your car," I added.

  "Hmmph," he said. "Could have been worse. I was pissed."

  "Remind me not to piss you off," I said.

  "You don't have anything to worry about," he said and leaned down to kiss me. I was shocked. Louise snickered.

  * * *

  Parke

  "I sent them upstairs," I said. "What do you have?"

  "This," Daniel handed his iPad to me. "Whatever Ross Diablo intends to do, the Prince of Alabama is in it up to his teeth."

  "How did you get this communication?" I asked. Somehow, Daniel had gotten his hands on an e-mail from Ross to Prince Willis of Alabama. The gist of the communication was this; I'll find her before he can marry her, and then we'll see who's in charge.

  "I have friends—and ways," Daniel shrugged.

  "This is sounding like a coup," I said. "Why the hell does he want her so badly?" I frowned at Daniel.

  "I suggest you start calling your supporters now," Daniel said. "I've got eyes on both, but my people have been instructed to be discreet—no contact."

  "Understood," I nodded. "I'll make calls. Meanwhile, arrange for a flight to Vegas, with a quick turnaround. We'll see who gets the girl."

  * * *

  Cassie

  Two pain pills, six hours and a rough flight to and from Vegas meant a ring on my finger and my last name changed to Worth. Something was happening, but Parke wouldn't tell me what it was.

  He kept saying not to worry about it and in my foggy, medicated mind, I believed him.

  Chapter 6

  Cassie

  The next day, our photographs were all over Demonnet; Parke in his tux, me in a rented gown, with Daniel, Kate and Louise smiling around us. There were photographs of us together. Photographs of us signing the marriage license. Photographs of Parke kissing me (I barely remembered that).

  If that didn't piss Ross Diablo off, then nothing would. If I knew him at all, he'd be on his way to Seattle with his extensive family behind him.

  Parke worked from home, handing Geoffrey a plausible excuse, while I was still officially recuperating from my automobile accident. Christmas was four days away, I was married and expecting the end of the world at any minute.

  "Baby?" Parke kissed my temple, waking me from a brief nap in my new suite.

  "Huh?" No, I'm not at my most articulate when I'm waking.

  "I need your help on a few things. Feel up to doing your paralegal thing for me?"

  "Sure." I sat up and shoved hair out of my eyes. "Let me get dressed."

  "Nah, your jammies are fine. Come on, Mom's making coffee."

  * * *

  "I like this," Kate beamed as she set a tray of coffee and sandwiches on a corner of Parke's desk. He and I were doing business as usual, except we were doing it from his father's old study at home and I was wearing my cat PJs.

  Writing up briefs and typing letters into the extra laptop Parke scrounged from somewhere was almost automatic; it gave me time to think, once the coffee cleared my head.

  I thought about Ross. Then the Demon Prince of Alabama, who appeared to look the other way at all of Ross' antics. My mind then wandered to Geoffrey, Annabelle and—eventually—Bridgett. I even had some theories swimming through my head as Parke handed me another missive to type for his signature.

  In order to test my theory, I had a mission to plan. Also, now that I was married, I had to find a way to include Parke without having him lock me up for lunacy.

  I had to wait for the full moon, just as I'd told him in the past. That was Christmas night. I wasn't looking forward to it.

  The printer pushed out the latest letter; Parke grabbed it, read it swiftly then sat down to sign it. "I've hired a few people," he informed me while I stuffed letters in envelopes. "I'll be doing a lot of work from home from now on, as the Chancellor. I have two competent attorneys hired for the business, and they'll hire two paralegals. We'll find a law school for you next fall, and if you agree to keep working as my paralegal until you pass the bar, then I'll let you have plenty of hands-on experience."

  "That's what I had in mind when I took the job at Gruber, Taylor and Worth," I said. "I wanted to keep my hand in it, hoping I could finish law school eventually."

  "I think you've done an exceptional job, even when you had to work around Geoffrey," Parke grinned. "Arthur Hillman is certainly grateful."

  "He deserves better than what Geoffrey was giving him," I huffed. "That's why I kept everything up to date, hoping Geoffrey would do the right thing."

  "You did a wonderful job, sweetheart," Parke rose and walked toward me. He leaned in to give me a quick peck. "It feels really good to be able to kiss you," he said, kissing me a second time. "Mom and Louise don't care about the law. Louise is studying Veterinary Medicine. Now I have somebody who'll understand when I say Writ of Replevin."

  "I know that term and plenty of others," I said.

  "Talk dirty to me," Parke pulled me close.

  "Animus nocendi," I said. "Compos mentis."

  "Oh, yeah," Parke deepened his kisses.

  * * *

  I think if we'd been anywhere besides Parke's father's old study, he might have asked for more than kissing. I'd started thinking it might not be a bad thing. I hesitated to tell him I'd never had sex with anybody—that could be embarrassing.

  Still, he probably ought to know. We'd gone back to work after ten minutes or so of kissing and petting.

  "Dinner," Kate walked in at seven, when we were wrapping things up for the day. I was glad to be fully dressed, even if I was still in my pajamas.

  "I should change," I said.

  "I'll come with you," Parke offered.

  "I expect you at the table in fifteen," Kate warned. Parke grinned and hauled me out the door.

  We made it—barely. Parke insisted on helping me dress.

  "I get to help you, sometime—it's only fair," I shook a finger at him after he zipped me into the only nice dress I had.

  "I would welcome it," he laughed. "Having somebody pick out the right tie sounds like heaven."

  "Wear that black Armani and the burgundy tie for the Hillman case," I said as we walked out of my suite. "You look amazing in that."

  "You think I look amazing?" he lifted an eyebrow.

  "Pretty much all the time," I said.

  "I'll settle for that from my girl," he grinned.

  My breath caught—I was his girl. It was finally beginning to sink in. It made me wonder whether Geoffrey and Annabelle knew. If any of my theories were correct, it was possible.

  * * *

  Daniel arrived for dinner, then he and Parke had a private meeting afterward. Kate, Louise and I had wine and talked in the family room, while an old rerun of CSI played in the background.

  "Tell me about your sister," Kate said.

  That question made me glad I had a glass of wine in my hand. "Cute. Perky. Smart," I sighed. "I haven't seen her for a year." I gulped my wine. "Aunt Shelbie gave us money to get away, but I sent most of mine with Destiny."

  "Dark hair, like yours?" Louise asked.

  "We look like sisters," I agreed. "Dark hair, blue eyes, et cetera and so on."

  "It's uncommon to have two girls in the family. Two boys are more likely," Kate said. That's the way it was with Demons—I figured it had something to do with genetics, way back when Demon wars were more common. Males tended to be more warlike. It's just the way things were.

  "The tree is going up tomorrow," Louise said, changing the subject. "I love Christmas."

  * * *

  Parke

  "I have this—I really don't want to tell Cassie."

  "Shelbie Watts is dead?" I frowned at the information Daniel handed to me. "This isn't good. Shelbie's the only one—besides Cassie—who knew where Destiny King is."

  "I hope that's s
till the case," Daniel said. "But we don't have any guarantees."

  "What do we have on the murder? I'm assuming that's what this is?"

  "No doubt about that," Daniel nodded. "I have photographs of the crime scene, but we probably should keep those away from Cassie."

  "I'm worried about her reaction if we tell her Shelbie's gone. She'll imagine the worst."

  "I'm imagining the worst, too," Daniel sounded grim. I agreed with him.

  "My worry is for the girl. Did you get any information from Lance Thorne?"

  "Not about that. I'll contact him again. If he knows anything, we may be able to get to Destiny first, and get her away. If they already have her, Lance may know that, too."

  "Get him on the phone. Put the call on speaker. I want in on this conversation."

  * * *

  Cassie

  Aunt Shelbie was dead—I could feel it. It woke me in the middle of the night—somehow my mind had received the message, just as I'd received a message ten years earlier that my mother was gone.

  Some people called it clairvoyance. I had no idea what to call it. My sorrow for Shelbie was intensified by my fear that Destiny was in terrible danger. Half my night was spent in sleepless terror while I huddled in a chair and fought tears away. By morning, I didn't need anyone to tell me that my little sister was in the hands of the enemy.

  * * *

  "What the hell?" Parke exploded when I opened my bedroom door to him. I wasn't showered or dressed and looked like I'd been crying for a week.

  "Aunt Shelbie's dead and Ross has Destiny," I mumbled, working to hold back fresh tears. Somehow, they'd managed to fly from Alabama to California in a matter of hours to snatch Destiny away from Shelbie's relatives. I worried they were dead, too.

  "You have the sight?" Parke stood, unmoving, while I wiped tears away. "That's an unusual gift in a Demon. Why didn't you tell me?"