A Fistful of Demons

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I think we’ll have to be more subtle than that.”

  “I hope you have other tests.”

  “I do. Demons react negatively to salt, don’t like warm temperatures because it reminds them of being in Hell, know more than they should be able to know, and react poorly to religious symbolism, like crosses and pentagrams.”

  Boone folded his arms across his chest. “You can’t be serious. That’s how we’re going to test him?”

  Cooper nodded. “I have a cross in my back pocket and I figure there will be salt in the house if we need another test.”

  “I just can’t even ... .” Boone shook his head and then straightened his shoulders. “Okay. I’m with you on this. If it gets weird, though, I’m pulling out and you’re on your own. The last thing I need is a grieving woman running to the newspapers because I threw salt on her kid and tried to cast the devil out.”

  Despite the serious situation, Cooper laughed. “Do you ever wonder how we get ourselves into these situations?”

  “Every single day of my life.”

  HANNAH WAS FRUSTRATED. SHE HATED being left behind — this was her theory they were testing, after all — and the fact that Casper Creek was again closed thanks to interference from the state pathologist had her in a tizzy. She could’ve returned to her apartment and taken a nap, which she desperately needed, but instead she headed for the creek.

  She had more ideas, questions she wanted to bounce off someone, and it seemed she’d reached the limit on Jackie’s information on the subject. That meant she had to seek out someone else, and the only other person she could think to approach was Astra.

  Although the white-haired siren wasn’t at the creek when she arrived, Hannah settled down with her back against a tree to wait. She had no doubt the witch would show up eventually ... and she wasn’t disappointed.

  “I knew you would be back.” Astra beamed as she slid into the shade provided by the tree on the other side of the creek. A magical barrier had been erected to keep her out of Casper Creek and the line ended on that side of the water. The barrier had faltered weeks before thanks to tunnels under the town. The coven witches who previously studied under Abigail worked overtime to close them, however, and so far it seemed to be working.

  “Yes, well, you’re one of the few people who believes me about the demons,” Hannah offered. “You said you were going to do some research. I don’t suppose you’ve held up your end of the bargain, have you?”

  Astra’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. No matter what you hear about me, I’m a woman of my word.”

  Hannah couldn’t stop herself from needling the woman. “Did you promise to help Abigail? Didn’t you join her coven and then break to form your own?”

  Astra scowled. “That was an entirely different scenario. I never promised to join Abigail’s coven forever. That’s something I could never follow through on, so I wouldn’t bother pretending I could.”

  “Fair enough.” Hannah shifted to get more comfortable. Weariness invaded her very bones, but this conversation was more important than sleep. “I saw something last night.” She launched into her story — the complete story, including Logan’s visit and the potential snake attack from the afternoon — before she could take the appropriate time to consider whether it was the right course of action. She went with her gut, which told her Astra had nothing to do with the specter that appeared in her apartment. When she was done, she sat back and waited for Astra to respond.

  It took the witch longer than Hannah anticipated to find her voice.

  “It moved through the wall?”

  That wasn’t the part of the story Hannah thought Astra would be fixated on. “Yeah. Why? Is that weird or something?”

  “It’s odd.” Astra rolled her neck and shifted from one foot to the other, considering. “How much do you know about demons?”

  “Not much. Jackie only had a little information to share and I haven’t had a chance to read much on the subject because I’ve been busy with other stuff. The mother of this kid is threatening to sue even though they haven’t announced a firm cause of death yet.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about the mother.” Astra waved off the statement as if she were nothing more than a pesky fly. “People threaten to sue all the time. Once she sits down with an attorney and realizes how much this is going to cost her, she’ll change her mind. Unless they can prove malice on your part — which is impossible — she has no case.”

  “You sound fairly certain of that.”

  “I am. The mother isn’t going to be a concern for very long. She’s grieving. People do crazy things when they’re grieving.”

  That was true. Hannah was hopeful she was right about Lindsey. Right now, however, that wasn’t her main concern. “What about the boy?”

  “He sounds strange.”

  Hannah belted out a laugh. “That’s the one thing everyone can agree on when it comes to this kid. He’s strange ... and he doesn’t bother hiding it. If he’s not a demon, there’s something very weird going on.”

  “Oh, I’m going to wager he’s got a demon inside of him. It would have to be a non-corporeal demon, however. Those are fairly rare these days. Most have been snuffed out.”

  Hannah was confused. “There’s more than one sort of demon?”

  Astra bobbed her head. “Think of it like humans. We have numerous races, mixed races, and so on. It’s the same for demons. They’re not simply one thing.”

  “That makes sense. What do you think I should do?”

  “You have to exorcise the demon from the boy.”

  “You say that like it’s a normal thing.”

  “Normal? No. It’s doable, however. I can help you ... for a price.”

  Hannah stilled. She should’ve seen this coming, she realized. Astra was always going to try and press an advantage. “And what is it you want?”

  “I want the grimoire. I know Abigail left it to you. I want it. It should’ve been mine from the start.”

  Hannah didn’t hesitate before answering. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Then I want Cooper.”

  Hannah almost fell over she was so surprised. “Excuse me?”

  Astra didn’t back down. “You heard me. Cooper was mine long before you came to town. I want him back. He should be mine again. That’s not going to happen as long as you’re whispering in his ear.”

  Hannah was flabbergasted. When she finally found her voice, it took everything she had not to fly off the handle. “Cooper is his own person. He’s not mine to give.”

  “You’re together. Are you going to sit there and deny it?”

  Hannah worked her jaw. “I can’t deny it, but we haven’t defined what we are together. It’s the beginning. He’s most certainly not my property, however.”

  “If you back away from him, he’ll come back to me.”

  “I don’t believe that. It doesn’t matter, though. I don’t want to push Cooper away and there’s nothing you could offer me that would cause me to do that. If that’s what you want, you’re going to be bitterly disappointed. I won’t ever trade a person.”

  Astra blinked several times in rapid succession and then shook her head. “Fine. I don’t expect anything in return.” She looked disgusted ... in herself. “I just thought I would try. As for the demon, he’s dangerous. We must kill him.”

  “We have to get him out of Logan first.” Hannah was firm. “We can’t attack the demon as long as the boy is at risk. There has to be a way to get the demon out of there.”

  “We need to cast him out.”

  “Do you know how to do that?”

  “I think I do. It will require more research, though.”

  “Then you’d best get on that. I don’t think we have a lot of time.”

  LINDSEY WAS SURPRISED TO FIND Cooper and Boone on her front porch. After warning them that she had every intention of suing Hannah — whether they liked it or not — she allowed the two men into
the home. They said they had questions and if they could ultimately provide answers on her husband’s death, she was more than willing to entertain them.

  “What do you want?” she asked as she sat at her kitchen table and sipped from a mug of coffee. She offered some to the men, but they both politely declined.

  “We want to know about your time at Casper Creek,” Boone hedged. He’d decided to treat this as he would any other interrogation. Sure, he was trying to get a child alone so he could question him about being a demon, but that didn’t mean additional information wouldn’t be welcome.

  “Why?” Lindsey’s face was blank. “I’ve already told you what happened.”

  “You have, but we’re still trying to nail down the timeline,” Cooper offered smoothly. “We don’t know that it will be any help, but we have questions ... and it’s never good when there are questions of this nature in a death investigation.”

  Lindsey rolled her eyes. “Fine. Ask away. If I don’t like any of the questions, though, I won’t be answering them.”

  “Fair enough.” Boone launched into his spiel, giving Cooper a chance to survey the room. Patrick was nowhere to be found — perhaps the boy was out with friends, or at school — but Logan was watching from the open archway that led to the living room. He didn’t look happy at the interruption.

  After a few minutes, when Cooper was certain Lindsey was rapt up with whatever Boone was talking about, he slowly slid away from the table and approached the boy.

  “How’s it going?” he asked in his most amiable voice.

  The boy looked at him with dead eyes. “My father is dead.”

  “I know. I’m sorry to hear that. You must miss him a great deal.”

  “Not really. He yelled all the time.” Obviously bored, Logan surveyed his fingernails for a moment and then looked past Cooper so he could focus on his mother. “She’s not much better, though.”

  Cooper didn’t trust the kid, but he couldn’t hide his surprise at the callous way he spoke about his parents. “There must be something good about her.”

  “Nope.”

  “I’m sure she tucked you in and read you stories when you were a little kid.”

  “She’s too lazy to do that.”

  Lindsey pushed away from the table and got to her feet, drawing Cooper’s attention. “I think I have some medical records in the office,” she explained to Boone. She hadn’t paid a wisp of attention to Cooper and her youngest child. “I can let you look at the records.”

  “I would appreciate that,” Boone said, remaining in his chair.

  Lindsey flashed a tight smile in Cooper’s direction before skirting around her son. The second she was gone, Cooper decided to take advantage of the situation. He angled himself so he could see into the mirror on the wall. It was an antique, silver frame, and he was eager to see Logan’s reflection in it. Unfortunately for him, Logan was standing just outside the arc where he could be seen.

  “Come here,” Cooper instructed, gesturing for the boy to move closer.

  “I’m good here,” Logan replied.

  Cooper clenched his jaw. “Just ... come here.”

  “No thanks.”

  Cooper looked to Boone for help, but the sheriff was busy filling his hand with salt from the shaker on the table. Logan’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits when he saw what Boone was doing.

  “You shouldn’t make a mess,” he intoned, shifting from one foot to the other. He looked ready to bolt should Boone try tossing the salt in his direction.

  If Cooper wasn’t suspicious before, the boy’s understanding of what was about to happen would’ve tipped him over the edge. He decided to play things a different way. “We know what you are,” he said finally, keeping an ear open for Lindsey’s return. He would rather the woman not hear him accusing her son of being a demon. “We know what you’re doing.”

  “Do you?” Logan’s eyes lit with mirth as he snickered. His response made him seem older. “What is it you think I’m doing?”

  “You’re a demon,” Cooper replied, not missing a beat. “Don’t bother denying it.”

  Boone made a groaning noise. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  Cooper ignored his reaction. “I want you to stay away from Hannah,” he warned. “Don’t even think about going near her again.”

  Logan’s smile only widened. “Are you threatening me?”

  “Don’t think of it as a threat. Think of it as a promise.”

  “Well, in that case ... .” He sauntered into the room, taking up a position directly in front of the mirror. There, in the reflection, Cooper saw the confirmation he’d been looking for. The boy’s features were twisted to the point where he looked as if he had horns growing out of his head.

  “Holy ... .” Boone’s mouth dropped open as he stared into the mirror. It was obvious, right up until this moment, he had his doubts about what they would find. Those doubts disappeared with his shaky gasp.

  “I have no interest in your witch,” Logan supplied, his eyes flashing with malice. “I find her interesting, don’t get me wrong, but she doesn’t have enough power to tempt me. How about we make a deal?”

  Cooper swallowed hard. His mouth had gone dry. It was one thing to suspect, even lob accusations, but to have the proof standing directly in front of him was jarring. “What sort of deal?”

  “I’ll leave the witch alone if you go away and never come back.”

  “We can’t make that promise,” Boone replied, shaking his head. “We’re going to get you out of that boy whether you like it or not.”

  The laugh Logan let loose was something straight out of a horror movie. It would’ve made more sense coming from a demented clown rather than a ten-year-old. “You’re so funny ... and weak. You don’t have the power to take me on. Neither does that witch you seem so intent on protecting. I wonder what her insides would look like spread across the floor.”

  Cooper’s temper flared. “You’re going to stay away from her,” he hissed, hunkering down so he was at eye level with the child. “Don’t go near her. Stay away from Casper Creek.”

  “I do what I want ... when I want. You can’t stop me.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

  The boy — er, demon — blinked several times and then adopted a lazy smile. “I think we’re going to have a lot of fun playing together. How about you?”

  Cooper wasn’t sure how to respond. “Stay away from Hannah.”

  “Oh, it’s too late for that. You should’ve agreed to stay away. Now I’m not going to have a choice but to fight you.”

  “You’ll lose.”

  “You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you? I’ve been around longer than you’ve been alive. I’ll still be kicking it when you’re long gone. There’s not a thing you can do about it.”

  He sounded sure of himself, but Cooper was determined. No matter what, he would protect Hannah ... and get that creature out of the boy. Nothing could stop him now. He wouldn’t rest until Logan was free and Hannah had her life back.

  There was no turning back now.

  13

  Thirteen

  “We have to get the demon out.”

  Hannah was matter-of-fact as she sat at one of the saloon tables, her hands resting on top of the wooden surface, her fingers constantly clenching and unclenching.

  Cooper had been eager to get back to her, the boy’s demeanor setting his teeth on edge. He was an antsy mess until they were reunited. Even then he couldn’t refrain from pulling her in for a long hug, which seemed to amuse Tyler and the other coven members Jackie had called for backup.

  “We need to think long and hard about what we’re going to do,” Cooper corrected, leaning back in his chair. Now that he was away from Logan, he was feeling braver. He would never forget the chilling look on the boy’s face, though. It would haunt him for aas long as he lived.

  “What’s to think about?” Hannah challenged. “He’s a little boy. He’s being ... invaded. We have t
o help him.”

  “I agree we need to think about helping him.”

  She shook her head, firm. “Not think about it. We actually have to do it. I can’t live with the idea that he’s trapped in his own head and can’t get out.”

  Cooper frowned. “Where did you come up with that idea?”

  Hannah shifted on her chair, suddenly uncomfortable. “Oh, well ... .”

  Suspicious, Cooper narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t spend your afternoon down by the creek again, did you?”

  Instead of lying, or making excuses, Hannah merely shrugged. She was done kowtowing to others. That included Cooper. Sure, he hadn’t made demands of her time like previous men in her life had, but she wasn’t about to make herself small so someone else could feel large and in charge.

  “Astra has information that can help us. I talked to her. It was fine.”

  Cooper made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. “It was fine?” He was incredulous. “Have you forgotten that one of her acolytes tried to kill you two weeks ago?”

  “She didn’t have anything to do with that.”

  “She still terrorized you. She wants what’s yours.”

  Hannah had to swallow her amusement. Cooper had no idea exactly how right he was. However, there was no way she could tell him the whole truth about their conversation in front of an audience, so she held it together. “I’m not pretending Astra is an altruistic soul. She can help us, though. She’s researching ways to exorcise the demon.”

  “I’ve already been doing that,” Jackie volunteered. “I’m pretty sure I can handle it.”

  Hannah perked up. “Really? Could you handle it today?”

  The question clearly caught Jackie off guard. “I don’t know. Do you want to do it today?”

  “Today is a bad idea,” the youngest member of the coven announced, speaking for the first time. Becky Gibbons was twenty-three, blond, and completely enamored with Cooper. She couldn’t stop staring at him even as the others in the saloon discussed freeing a small child from terrible torment. “Cooper is right. We should do whatever he says.”