A Fistful of Demons

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Shut up.” Cooper elbowed his friend but kept his eyes on Hannah. “I really don’t like how pale you are.”

  “Well, I’m sorry about that.” Hannah chose her words carefully. “I don’t want to worry you. I’m not sick, though. That’s not what this is.”

  “Okay.” Cooper feigned patience. “Tell me what this is.”

  “Something happened last night.”

  “I knew it.” Tyler looked practically triumphant, a wide smile on his face. After a few seconds, the smile faltered. “Wait ... if something happened between the two of you, why did Cooper leave in the middle of the night?” His gaze turned accusatory. “You can’t just leave after. That makes you a dog.”

  Cooper’s glare was withering. “Stop being annoying!”

  “Stop yelling,” Hannah muttered, rubbing her forehead. “I have a headache.”

  “See.” Now it was Cooper’s turn to puff out his chest. “She’s sick. She needs to go to the hospital.”

  “I’m not sick.” Hannah slapped away his hand when he reached for her forehead a second time. “I don’t have a fever. Physically, I’m fine.”

  Tyler caught on to what she wasn’t saying before Cooper. “What about mentally? What did you guys do last night?”

  “That’s none of your business,” Cooper muttered.

  Hannah agreed it was none of his business, but she wanted an opinion from both men. “We finally got the cabinet open.” Her voice was low. “There was a lot of stuff inside.”

  Tyler slid his eyes to Cooper, an unsaid question drifting across his features.

  “I was there for that,” Cooper confirmed. “Nothing happened, though.” Then, unbidden, an image of the dust rising from the book and smacking into her chest assailed him. “Well, almost nothing.” He licked his lips and moved his hand to the back of Hannah’s neck so he could rub. “Maybe we should call for Jackie. She might be able to tell us more about that magic book thing.”

  Hannah wasn’t opposed to that. Still, it wasn’t her main worry. “It wasn’t what happened with the grimoire. I definitely want to talk to Jackie about that, but ... that’s not why I didn’t sleep.”

  “If you won’t go to the hospital, maybe we can get a doctor to come out here.” Cooper was officially fixated on her health and wouldn’t let it go. “You can sit down — or, better yet, I’ll carry you upstairs and you can lie down — and I’ll get someone out here to check on you.”

  Hannah’s eyes darkened as she drew her eyebrows together. “Cooper, I know you’re trying to help — no, really I do — but if you mention the hospital one more time, I’m going to strangle you.”

  “And she won’t have sex with you,” Tyler added helpfully.

  Hannah moved her annoyed glare to the veterinarian. “Tyler, if you don’t stop making inappropriate sexual jokes to irritate Cooper, I’m going to strangle you, too.”

  He had the grace to be abashed. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  “I’m not embarrassed. Another morning I would’ve found it funny. Something legitimately happened last night, though.”

  For the first time since she descended the stairs and Cooper went off on a tangent about her health, he really looked at her. More importantly, he listened. “What is it? What happened? Was it Astra?”

  “I honestly don’t know.” Hannah sucked in a breath to steady herself. “So, the thing is, after you left last night I crashed out hard. Basically I locked the apartment door, put the grimoire back in the cabinet and locked it because I didn’t think it was wise to leave it out in the open, and then crawled into bed. I was out fast and was in the middle of a great dream when something woke me.”

  This time when Cooper tensed it was for a different reason. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. I might’ve heard something, but I don’t know that I believe that because Jinx never stirred. He was down for the count and that’s why I headed into the living room by myself. I figured if someone was inside, he would’ve woken up.”

  Cooper’s heart sank. “Someone was in your apartment?” He jerked up his chin and stared at the second floor. “I’ll switch every lock in this town tonight. I’ll buy an electrical security system, too. I won’t leave until you feel safe again.”

  Tyler shot his friend a dubious look. “Dude, I don’t think she’s done with her story.”

  “I’m not,” Hannah agreed. “Thank you, Tyler. I’m glad one of you is taking the time to listen to me.”

  Tyler preened under the compliment. “You’re welcome.”

  “Oh, don’t get too full of yourself,” Cooper chided. “You’re the one who was one building over and didn’t know she was in trouble.”

  Tyler’s smile faltered. “I didn’t think of that. I’m so sorry, Hannah.”

  Now her temper did flare and she slammed her hands on the table to get their attention. “I know you guys are alpha males and you like to take control of a conversation, but I have a serious problem. If you guys aren’t willing to listen to me, I’ll take my concerns someplace else.”

  Cooper’s eyes turned dark. “We’re listening.”

  “No, you’re not. My story isn’t even that long, but I can’t get it out because you guys keep interrupting.”

  Cooper wanted to argue but the more he thought about it, the more he realized she was right. She’d barely said anything. Every notion he’d run with had come from his head. He felt ashamed.

  “I’m sorry, darling,” he offered lamely. “I didn’t mean to ... tell me what happened.” He straightened and regrouped. “Tell me it from start to finish.”

  Gratified — and a little flustered at the “darling” endearment — Hannah slid into one of the open chairs. “There was something in the living room when I went out there. The curtains moved. For a second, I thought I left the window open. I knew that wasn’t the case, though.”

  “No, I definitely shut the windows,” Cooper agreed. “I double-checked they were locked while you were sleeping.” When he realized she was glaring at him, he held up his hands in capitulation. “I wasn’t trying to interrupt that time. I was just trying to confirm.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes but remained calm. “I was frozen in place when I saw it.”

  “Saw what?” Tyler asked curiously. “I assume we’re not talking about a normal invader, right?”

  “Definitely not.” Hannah wasn’t sure about much, but she was definitely sure of that. “I thought it was a ghost at first. It was the eyes that told me differently, though.”

  Cooper was behind. “I don’t understand.”

  “It was dark in the living room. I couldn’t see. Then ... then there were these eyes. They glowed red. When the creature moved — and, no, I don’t know what it was — it had a shadow for a body. It wasn’t like when I saw Abigail. It wasn’t like a regular ghost.”

  Cooper swallowed hard. “Did it touch you?”

  She shook her head. “It looked at me. I think it was smiling. Then it disappeared through the wall — I mean ... like really disappeared into thin air — and I just stood there like an idiot.”

  “Did it come back?” Tyler asked.

  “No.”

  “Did it say anything to you?”

  “No.”

  Cooper’s silence felt belligerent.

  Slowly, she turned and found him scowling. “What? You can’t possibly be mad at me. You’re the one who kept interrupting.”

  “Oh, I’m mad at you.” Cooper shook his head, disgusted. “I’m so mad at you I don’t even know where to start.”

  “I’m the innocent victim here.”

  “You’re most definitely innocent,” he agreed. “You were also vulnerable ... and there was something in your apartment. Why didn’t you call me?”

  Hannah was taken aback. Honestly, she hadn’t even considered it. “I don’t know. I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “You didn’t want to bother me?” Cooper’s eyes flashed with fury. “I’m head of security. You’re supposed to
bother me.”

  “Yeah, well ... I’m not weak.”

  “It’s not about being weak. It’s about being safe.” He adjusted his tone because he could tell she was preparing to dig her heels in and fight. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. It would upset me a great deal.”

  “Me, too,” Tyler echoed, drawing Hannah’s attention to him. “I get why you didn’t want to bother Cooper. I get it better than he does. In your head, you probably thought he would assume you were calling him to come back because you changed your mind about sexy time.”

  Hannah’s cheeks heated. “That didn’t even cross my mind. I wasn’t even thinking anything like that.”

  “Don’t be an imbecile,” Cooper snapped, hunkering down so he was at eye level with Hannah and softly moving her hair away from her face. He felt like a failure. “You should’ve called me. Did you think I wouldn’t have dropped everything to get back to you?”

  “I knew you would do exactly that,” she countered. “I don’t want you to see me as weak.”

  “Hannah, I could never see you as weak. You’re too strong for anyone to see you as anything other than a strong woman. I promise you that.”

  Hannah was gratified by the words. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m still kind of mad. You should’ve called me.”

  “She should’ve called me,” Tyler corrected. “I was the one right across the way. Why didn’t you come to me for help?”

  That was a good question and Hannah was worried her answer would sound ridiculous. “I don’t know,” she admitted after a beat. “I just kind of stood there ... for hours. I was afraid to move, afraid it would come back. I couldn’t even close my eyes again until it was light out.”

  Cooper’s heart rolled, slow and painful. He hated thinking about her being terrified in such a manner. “Well, it’s done now.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and considered their options. “I think we need to talk to Jackie. She might know what it is that Hannah saw.”

  Hannah was already convinced she saw a demon, but she didn’t want to start a fight if it wasn’t necessary. “Let’s call Jackie. That’s an awesome idea.”

  UNLIKE THE MEN, JACKIE CAME in with no preconceived notions, listened to Hannah from beginning to end, and didn’t interrupt once.

  “It sounds like a demon,” she announced when Hannah was finished with her tale.

  Hannah swung her eyes to a worried-looking Cooper, and bit her lip to keep from hopping up and down in victory. The last thing she wanted was to argue with him … again.

  As if sensing her unease, Cooper squeezed her shoulder and nodded. “Fine. It was a demon.”

  Hannah exhaled heavily. “You believe me.”

  “Stop saying that.” He swiveled on her. “I never didn’t believe you. We’ve been over this a hundred times now. I believed you saw ... something. I was just confused about the demon part. I didn’t think they were real.”

  “Oh, they’re definitely real.” Jackie was thoughtful as she stared out at the street. “I’m of two thoughts on this. The first is that the demon somehow manages to leave the boy at night and then return in the morning. Demons can’t walk during the day without a physical shell.”

  “But they can walk at night without a shell?” Hannah queried.

  “That’s the rumor. I’ve never actually come face to face with a demon.”

  “Then how do we know we’re dealing with a demon?” Cooper challenged. “I mean ... it could be something else, right? What if the thing Hannah saw isn’t even tied to Logan? It could be something else entirely.”

  Hannah was frustrated. “What? What else could it possibly be?” She was sick of him questioning her and her temper was about to make a loud appearance.

  “What if it’s Astra?”

  Hannah wasn’t expecting the question. “Why would it be Astra?”

  “Why does she do anything?” he grumbled. “I don’t know why she would choose to attack this way ... other than the fact that you were down at the creek talking to her about demons yesterday. Maybe she decided to make a fake demon to scare you.”

  “In that case, her plan would’ve seemed to have worked,” Tyler noted.

  Hannah rubbed her cheek as she considered the suggestion. To be honest, it made sense. Astra was the sort of person who looked for a weakness to exploit at all times. Perhaps that’s exactly what she tried to do with Hannah.

  “I guess it’s possible,” she conceded after a few beats. “I don’t really want to think that she’s capable of doing something so heinous, but I’ve already seen her in action. She would do that and more to scare me away.”

  “She would,” Cooper agreed. “It’s possible Astra is behind this. It’s also possible it’s the thing inside the boy. I think we all agree there is something off about that kid.”

  “I only spent a few minutes with him yesterday, but I could tell that he wasn’t a normal boy,” Tyler agreed. “Not only does he show no outward signs of grieving, but he also has control over the mother and brother that no normal kid would be able to wield.”

  Cooper was surprised by the observation. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that the brother especially seemed afraid of him,” Tyler replied, not missing a beat. “Patrick is older ... and bigger ... but there’s real fear there. As for the mother, she never even really looked at the kid. She treats him like a commodity rather than a child.”

  “Did she look at Patrick?” Hannah asked.

  “She did a few times. They seem to be relatively close. There’s a wall between her and the other boy, though. It’s obvious she feels she has a duty to take care of the kid because she’s his mother, but she doesn’t love him like she does Patrick.”

  Hannah tapped her foot on the ground. “I think we have to talk to Logan again. His mother can’t be present for it either. It would be better if the brother was conveniently absent, too, quite frankly.”

  “Do you have a suggestion for how we get a child away from his grieving mother to question him about the demon living inside of him?” Tyler queried. “If so, I’m all ears.”

  “I do not have a suggestion.” Hannah flicked her eyes to Cooper, hopeful. “He’s the security guru. He’s the one who should come up with the idea.”

  “I have an idea,” Cooper confirmed, causing Hannah to brighten. “It’s not one you’re going to like, though.”

  Instantly, Hannah was suspicious. “You’re going to cut me out of this, aren’t you?”

  Cooper knew better than lying. “Just this part of it,” he reassured her quickly. “I’m going to need Boone to pull this off and we’re going to have to head back to the house. If you’re there, Lindsey will go off. She won’t even consider leaving us alone with Logan. It’s going to be hard enough to manipulate the situation without you, but it will be impossible if we have you in tow.”

  Hannah couldn’t hide her disappointment. “But ... what if he only shows his demon side while I’m in the room?”

  “Then we’ll have to tackle that problem after the fact. For now, it’s got to be Boone and me. It’s the only configuration that makes sense.”

  Hannah was understandably bitter. “I can’t believe you’re cutting me out of this.”

  “I promise to make it up to you later.” Cooper swooped in and gave her a quick kiss, ignoring the amused glances Tyler and Jackie shared. “You can yell at me later if it will make you feel better.”

  “It’s going to take a lot of effort to make it up to me,” Hannah warned.

  “I think I’m up to the challenge.”

  12

  Twelve

  Boone met Cooper on the street in front of the Lincoln house. He didn’t look happy about the interruption to his morning, but Cooper didn’t really care.

  “Before you say anything, I have a good reason for calling you here,” the security chief offered by way of greeting. He didn’t wait for Boone to respond, instead launching into Hannah’s terrifying story from the night before
. When he finished, Boone was thoughtful.

  “Do you really think there was a demon in her apartment?” he asked finally.

  Cooper could do nothing but shrug. “I don’t know. I’m having trouble with the demon thing, although I’m doing my best to keep that to myself. She doesn’t react well when she thinks I’m doubting her.”

  “What are our other options?”

  “Astra. She knows Hannah thinks she’s dealing with a demon. It’s possible Astra conjured ... whatever it was ... to terrorize Hannah. She’s still convinced she’ll be able to claim Casper Creek as her own before it’s all said and done.”

  “Does she plan on doing that by running Hannah out of town?”

  “That’s exactly how.”

  Boone scowled. “Well, we’re not going to let that happen,” he said, making up his mind on the spot. “We can handle Astra after the fact. If she’s the one doing this, we’ll be able to shut her down. It’s the boy that concerns me. He’s ... weird.”

  Cooper bit back a chuckle. “He’s definitely weird, and not in a fun way. Everyone basically says the same thing when they come into contact with him. He’s odd and there’s something off about him.”

  “I don’t like casting aspersions on kids — not even my own and she’s a righteous pain in the behind — but there’s definitely something wrong in this scenario. If the kid isn’t a demon, then he’s a sociopath. He didn’t show one moment of true emotion yesterday. Not one. I was watching him.”

  Cooper turned rueful. “I was watching him, too. I think we need to test him.”

  “Test him?”

  “Yeah. Jackie gave me some tests we can run to see if we’re dealing with a demon.”

  “And what do those tests entail?”

  “Um ... .” Cooper drew his phone out of his pocket and checked the list he’d made before leaving Casper Creek. “We should check the kid’s reflection in a mirror. It will look different, like distorted. Jackie described it like those scenes in that old movie The Ring.”

  Boone made a face. “So ... I’m supposed to pick up the kid and shove him in front of a mirror?”