A Fistful of Demons

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I need you to stay here,” she instructed Patrick when she rejoined him, grabbing him by the shoulders to make sure he was absorbing what she said. “If anyone else shows up — two men named Tyler or Cooper — tell them what’s going on and that I’m out looking for Logan. Do you understand?”

  Patrick’s eyes filled with tears and his lower lip quivered. “You have to find him.”

  “I’m going to find him.”

  Hannah was determined when she left the saloon. She looked in both directions on Main Street. Finding nothing, she closed her eyes and opened her senses. She hadn’t practiced the magic that seemed to be building inside of her, constantly clamoring for action, since she’d taken out Leanne. It wasn’t that she was wallowing in guilt as much as she wanted to take a breather. She assumed she would have plenty of time to practice ... and now she was kicking herself for holding off. If there was ever a time she needed magic, it was now.

  As if understanding her, the magic inside shifted into overdrive, and she turned with decided determination to the east as a small voice inside prodded her to move faster. She didn’t question the voice, or the adrenaline rushing through her. Instead, she picked up her pace and started running.

  It had been sunny earlier in the day. Only an hour before, in fact, the sun had been bright in the sky. Now it was overcast, cloudy, and there was a dreariness settling over the land. Hannah registered the weather phenomenon in the back of her mind but pushed it away to think about later. She had much more important things to focus on now.

  The magic propelled her to the outskirts of town. She was on the far side, the area tucked away from view of Main Street. Tyler’s stable was on the opposite side of town and Hannah was internally lambasting herself for not engaging his help before running off half-cocked. That thought completely dissipated, though, when she caught a hint of movement in the field behind the blacksmith station.

  She pulled up short, her hands on her hips as she tried to catch her breath, and frowned when she realized Logan was indeed there. The dark-haired boy was still, his gaze on the horizon, and he seemed lost in thought.

  Hannah took a moment to watch him, curiosity getting the better of her. She hadn’t forgotten his flashing eyes. She wasn’t ready to discard the demon theory, which meant the boy could be dangerous. Now that she’d found him, the initial worry forgotten, she wanted to study him.

  The compunction didn’t last long.

  It was the hissing sound, followed by a threatening rattle, that drew her attention. Her heart lodged in her throat as she took in the scene in its entirety. Logan was most definitely there, staring into nothing as if in a trance. Two feet in front of him had to be the largest snake Hannah had ever seen. It was coiled, tail shaking, and it looked ready to strike.

  Hannah opened her mouth to warn Logan away. However, the words she thought she was going to say remained trapped inside. Instead, another word escaped, unbidden.

  “Glacio.”

  The word was foreign and yet Hannah knew what she was saying. As for the snake, it did as she instructed — in Latin, no less — and froze in its spot. Even as she marveled at what she’d managed to accomplish, Hannah rushed forward. She put herself between the boy and the serpent, which was probably unwise, and stared hard into his eyes.

  He was most definitely in a trance, lost to the world, and the fear Hannah felt dissipate when the snake stopped moving reappeared with a vengeance.

  What in the heck was going on here?

  “I WANT HER ARRESTED RIGHT NOW!”

  Lindsey was shrill when she arrived on top of the mountain. Her voice was screechy, her eyes sharp. She also looked as if she’d lost a few pounds and was on the verge of falling over because the weight of the world was so great it dragged at her diminutive shoulders.

  Not long after tracking Hannah down, Cooper called Boone for backup. It was obvious he wanted to yell at her for taking off the way she did, but he managed to hold it together in front of witnesses ... just barely.

  “And on what charges should I arrest her?” Boone asked calmly. Cooper had filled him in on the pertinent details mere seconds before Lindsey arrived. He was cool under pressure, though, and displayed none of the irritation he was obviously feeling.

  Lindsey’s eyes filled with fire. “She kidnapped my son!”

  Cooper made a growling sound deep in his throat, but Boone shot him a quelling look that was enough to silence him. When Boone turned back to Lindsey, he had on his pragmatic face.

  “How did she do that?” he queried. “She was here all morning. There are witnesses.”

  “Witnesses on her payroll.”

  “There are also cameras at the base of the mountain,” Boone added. “I have men down there right now. Do you know what they told me? The cover has been pried off the chairlift controls. That means someone broke into the equipment from the bottom of the mountain. Why would Hannah do that when she has a vehicle?”

  “I—” Lindsey broke off and worked her jaw. When she regrouped, she had a different plan of attack. “How did my son manage to get the cover off the controls?”

  “We’re not sure, although there’s a crowbar and hammer down there, too,” Boone replied. “Both tools have the initials T and L burned into the handles. I’m assuming they belong to your late husband.”

  Lindsey looked like a guppy as she opened and closed her mouth. She obviously didn’t have an answer.

  “Mrs. Lincoln, I understand you’re under a great deal of stress,” Boone hedged. “I can’t imagine what you’re dealing with. Your son is the one who caused damage to Ms. Hickok’s property in this particular instance, though. She is not to blame for what happened.”

  Cooper stirred. “She also saved your son from a rattlesnake,” he added. “She put herself in danger to make sure he was okay.”

  Lindsey’s gaze turned accusatory. “And I suppose I should just thank her for saving my son.”

  “That would be the polite thing to do,” Boone agreed. “You don’t strike me as a woman in a polite frame of mind, however. I can guarantee that Ms. Hickok is not to blame for what happened here.

  “In fact, if she wanted, she could press charges against you,” he continued, not missing a beat when Hannah jerked up her head and glared at him. “Your son damaged her property. He’s to blame for this, not her.”

  Lindsey made an obscene sputtering noise. “I can’t believe you’re blaming this on him. He’s a child.”

  “A child who knew exactly what he was doing when he headed out this morning. Your other son chased him, knew exactly where to go. According to the security footage, he was a full thirty minutes behind the younger boy. How did he manage that if there was no pre-meditation?”

  “I ... .” Lindsey clearly didn’t have an answer. “What do you want me to say?” That didn’t mean she was willing to apologize, or suddenly turn soft. “If you think this is going to stop me from suing her, you’re dead wrong. I’m going to take everything she has.”

  Hannah swallowed hard at the woman’s words but managed to remain silent. Cooper wasn’t feeling as magnanimous.

  “Ma’am, I understand that you’ve suffered a terrible loss,” he started, ignoring the way Boone shifted to stare. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through. What happened isn’t Hannah’s fault, though. She wasn’t even there.”

  Lindsey was incensed. “Are you saying it was Todd’s fault?”

  “No.” Cooper immediately started shaking his head. “I think something terrible happened, but it was out of everybody’s control. Sometimes things just happen and there’s no one to blame for that.”

  “You’re just saying that because you don’t want to lose your job,” Lindsey spat. “Well, let me tell you something: When this place is mine, I’m going to fire all of you. I’m going to make sure that everyone who had a hand in my husband’s death pays.”

  Cooper thought about pressing her further but knew it was a wasted effort. The woman was clearly out of her mind with grief. S
he couldn’t see past the future she believed she’d lost and recognize there were two boys who needed her love and attention. She was too bitter to focus on anybody but herself. To his utter surprise, it was Patrick who stepped in to smooth things over.

  “Mom, you can’t be mad at Ms. Hickok,” he started, bracing himself with a steadying breath when her hateful glare landed on him. “I know you’re sad about Dad — we’re all sad and upset — but she didn’t do this. When I went to her for help, she jumped right in. She made sure I was safe and then she went looking for Logan herself. She didn’t even slow down for a second.”

  Lindsey held her oldest son’s gaze for an extended beat, to the point where Hannah managed to convince herself that she was about to apologize ... or at least take a breath. Instead, the bereaved woman started fervently shaking her head.

  “Your father is dead. Do you know what that means? It means he’s never going to another soccer game ... or baseball game ... or another picnic in the park.” She started sobbing between words. “He’s never going to be there to tuck you in or listen when you have a story. He won’t be there for your children. He was stolen from us.”

  “Or perhaps he was accidentally lost,” Boone countered. “Not everything terrible that happens is for malicious reasons.”

  “Oh, well, I can see where you stand on all of this.” Lindsey collected herself quickly and grabbed Logan — who had remained absolutely silent since waking up in the field — by the shoulder. “We’re going home. The next time you see us, it will be in court.”

  Hannah didn’t say anything. Honestly, there was nothing to say. Until Lindsey started thinking clearly, it was impossible to have a conversation with the woman. Instead of pushing matters in a fruitless effort, Hannah focused on Patrick.

  “Thank you for standing up for me,” she offered in a low voice. “Thank you for coming after your brother, too. You were brave. If I hadn’t known to start looking for him, something terrible could’ve happened. You were courageous and smart today. Good job.”

  Patrick nodded, morose. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.”

  Lindsey grabbed her oldest child’s arm and dragged him toward the door. “Don’t apologize to her! We’re suing her.”

  “Mom,” Patrick sounded exasperated. “Just ... let it go.”

  “I will never let it go.”

  Hannah watched the small family shuffle toward the door, her eyes automatically going to Logan. She expected to find the same vacant expression. Instead, the red eyes were back ... and he looked absolutely merciless.

  A small gasp eked out of her mouth at the same moment a pile of evil energy invaded her mind with the strength of a wayward freight train. She took an inadvertent step back and almost fell over. Cooper was there to catch her, though, and he held her close as she sank to the floor.

  Her senses were overloading, her mind threatening to collapse. Something very bad was happening, something terrible in origin. She didn’t know how to fight it. All she could think as Lindsey disappeared with her children, none the wiser, was that her lights were about to go out permanently.

  The pain was so great she almost welcomed it.

  HANNAH FELT AS IF SHE’D BEEN run over by a semi-truck when she woke. She was on her couch, a blanket resting over her, and when she shifted her eyes to the left she found Cooper sitting on a chair watching her.

  “Hey.” Her voice sounded ragged, as if she’d been gargling razor blades all day.

  “Hey.” His face was filled with concern as he leaned forward. “How are you feeling?”

  To Hannah, that was a complicated question. “I’ve felt better. What happened?”

  “I was just about to ask you that. What do you remember?”

  Hannah struggled to prop herself up so she was no longer prone on the couch. “I remember being in the saloon. Lindsey Lincoln was there ... the boys ... she was extremely angry.”

  “She had no right to talk to you the way she did.”

  “I don’t know that I feel that way. If it was my kid ... .” She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t have to.

  Cooper reached over and snagged her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “You didn’t cause any of this, Hannah. You were minding your own business, trying to learn the ropes up here, and this happened to you. It didn’t happen because of you.”

  He was so earnest Hannah could do nothing but sigh. “Thanks for saying that. It’s nice having you in my corner.”

  She didn’t expand on the statement, but Cooper recognized the part she left off. “You were going to add ‘for a change,’ weren’t you?”

  “No.”

  “Yes, you were.”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  “Don’t deny it.”

  All she could do was sigh. “Do you really have to pick a fight when I’m not feeling my best?”

  He laughed at her expression, which was somewhere between annoyance and mirth. “I’m sorry.” He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm, which was romantic enough to cause her heart to stutter and corny enough to cause her to grin. “What happened to you there at the end? It almost looked as if you were having a seizure.”

  Being reminded of the magical assault was enough to wipe the smile off her face. “I saw it again.” She swallowed hard. “The eyes. The red eyes. I saw them again.”

  Concerned, Cooper shifted from the chair to the couch, sliding her legs over so he could get comfortable next to her. His arm automatically went around her shoulders and he tucked her in tight at his side.

  “I was watching the kid a lot of the time,” he admitted, smoothing her hair. “You’re right about him being off. None of his reactions were normal. I didn’t see red eyes, though. When did you see them?”

  “When they were walking out. He kind of looked back, over his shoulder, and he stared directly at me.”

  “I was focused on Lindsey when they were leaving. Maybe a little on Patrick, too. I feel bad for that kid. He’s suddenly the man of the house and he’s chafing under the additional weight.”

  “Yeah.” Hannah rested her hand on Cooper’s chest and closed her eyes. “Either the kid is evil or there’s something evil inside of the kid.”

  “Tell me about the snake. You didn’t have a lot of time before. I should’ve asked more questions, but I assumed it was a normal encounter. I’m guessing there was more to it than that.”

  Hannah bobbed her head. “There was definitely more to it than that. It was as if he was frozen. I mean ... he wasn’t moving. He was staring into nothing and the snake was coiled and about to strike. He didn’t do a thing to get away from it.”

  “But you did. You did something to the snake, right?”

  “Yeah. Actually ... I’m still not sure what I did. It was like when Leanne came after me. I just reacted. Something inside of me knew exactly what to do.”

  “That’s because you’re awesome.” He kissed her forehead and grinned when she rolled her eyes. “What? Too much?”

  “Just a little bit.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll try to be a little less schmaltzy.”

  “I don’t mind the schmaltz. It’s kind of sweet.”

  “That’s me. Kind of sweet.”

  “You’re entirely sweet when you want to be.”

  “Don’t tell anyone. I want to maintain my street cred.”

  “I’ll try to refrain.” She closed her eyes again and let loose a small sigh. “I didn’t know rattlers were in Kentucky. It was kind of a surprise.”

  “They’re here, although they’re nowhere near as prevalent as other places ... like Texas. Most of the time you never see them. They hang by Mammoth Cave. I don’t know why this one was up here.”

  “Maybe it was here for the boy.”

  Cooper stilled. “You think the snake attacked him because it recognized he was different?”

  “I don’t know. It’s something to think about, though.”

  “It definitely is.”

  They lapsed into
amiable silence that was only interrupted by a knock on the door. Then, not waiting for anyone to answer, Tyler barreled through with takeout bags in his hands. He stopped when he saw them on the couch.

  “Is this a private moment or can anyone join in?”

  Cooper glared at him. “It’s a private moment.”

  “Don’t be hasty,” Hannah interjected, a mischievous smile on her face. “I might be open to suggestions depending on what’s in those bags.”

  Tyler barked out a laugh at Cooper’s sour expression. “I knew this was going to be fun.”

  Cooper wanted to argue the point but Hannah’s laughter had him rethinking his stance. There were worse things than sharing a meal with Tyler, after all. He was up for whatever bolstered her spirits.

  10

  Ten

  It turned out, Tyler was a witty conversationalist. He had Hannah laughing until her already hoarse voice was ragged.

  Cooper spent his time making sure she didn’t overexert herself while keeping her flush with fluids and joining in on the occasional story. In truth, he wasn’t as gregarious as Tyler. That didn’t stop Hannah from sticking close to him, absorbing his warmth as she recovered, and looking to him constantly to make sure he was enjoying himself.

  It was an entertaining evening.

  “Well, I think I should probably get out of your hair,” Tyler offered, glancing at the clock shortly before seven. “It’s getting late and you guys probably want some alone time to finish up whatever it is you were starting when I came with dinner.”

  “You don’t have to go,” Hannah protested automatically.

  “Yes, he does,” Cooper countered sternly, earning a hearty chuckle from Tyler.

  Hannah elbowed him in the stomach before climbing to shaky feet and walking Tyler to the door. “Thanks so much for dinner ... and the stories.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Tyler squeezed her shoulder and slid his gaze to Cooper. “Are you spending the night?”

  Even though he didn’t consider himself the sort to be embarrassed, Cooper’s cheeks heated as he shot his friend a death glare. “No. I’ll be staying long enough to make sure Hannah is comfortable. Don’t go spreading that rumor.”