by Eve Langlais
More than one, with a smaller dentition, a different bite mark entirely, which made them all wonder, was it a demon or something else?
“What did you fight about? Was Mike making you listen to his jazz channel again?” Sebastian teased, oblivious to the source of tension.
Since he kept enough secrets because of his work with disturbed patients, Mike didn’t like keeping any at home. “We ran into Brenda yesterday.”
“What?” Sebastian straightened from his slouch. “I thought she was off-limits on account she was Pete’s girlfriend’s best friend.”
“Yes, was, is,” Mike emphasized, “off-limits. I didn’t hunt her down on purpose. I ran into her at work.”
“And she kissed him,” Dale added.
“She kissed Mike?” Sebastian didn’t have to sound so incredulous.
Mike glowered.
“Don’t be too worried. She called it nice,” Dale mocked.
“Don’t be so smug,” Mike snapped. “She said the same thing about you.”
“Hold on a second, you both kissed her?”
“Kissed and groped. But we didn’t go all the way if that’s what you’re asking,” Dale replied.
No, they hadn’t, though Mike didn’t admit that had she not walked away, he would have totally claimed her. On his desk. The very idea of it so wildly out of character, yet he hoped she’d come back to finish what they’d started.
Sebastian slapped his hand on the table. “Totally unfair. I thought we’d made a pact to stay away from her. And now I find out you’re both making out with her behind my back.”
“Not behind your back since it only happened yesterday and we’re telling you now.”
“So, who’s getting her?”
While the word “me” sat on the tip of his tongue, Mike held back. “No one.”
“Let’s not be hasty,” Dale interjected. “She’s obviously interested.”
“So you want to let her choose?” Mike wouldn’t fare so well in a straight-up competition with Dale. He lacked some of the suave moves and pretty words his friend used so easily.
“Hey, if we’re letting her decide, then I should get a turn, too. After all, I was interested before Mike was.”
Add Sebastian to the mix with his long hair and flirty manner?
It wasn’t just Mike who growled, “Fuck no.”
Dale continued. “Let’s not make this more complicated than it has to be.”
“In other words, two’s company but three’s a crowd,” Sebastian bitched.
Actually, three was a ménage, but Mike kept his mouth shut. Despite today’s laws encouraging women to have harems to keep the male population in check, he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.
How would he handle jealousy?
Sharing her body?
I can’t. He wanted her to himself.
Still, that dream…that fantasy almost made him think another way was possible.
Madness.
Or the only way to win her over?
One thing’s for sure, if I want any kind of chance with her, I’m going to have to be nice. Even if it killed him.
10
Feeling in fine form Sunday morning, I was all smiles and sunshine for my weekly brunch with my BFF.
The mimosas were already ordered, and a plate heaped with bacon to nibble on already sat on the table while I waited for Chloe to arrive.
She entered the café we’d been coming to for years. Spotting me, she came over. Alone.
“What happened to your men?” I asked. These days, it was rare to see her without at least one of them.
“Preparing to make some room for Pete’s stuff at Anthony’s place.”
I almost spewed my drink—which would have been a waste of alcohol. I swallowed quickly and said, “What happened to Pete not wanting to live with ‘Fang Boy?’”
“They finally realized that bouncing back and forth was driving me nuts. I mean, I’d go to get dressed for work, only to realize my good skirt was at Anthony’s or I’d left my makeup at Pete’s.”
“You should have kept your place and made them come to you.”
A shadow crossed her face. “I couldn’t go back. Not after what the demon did.”
Stupid me for having forgotten. The cleaners and painters had done a good job eradicating the damage, but the memory still haunted my friend.
“No sad faces. Not today. Today, we celebrate.”
“What are we celebrating?” Chloe lifted her glass.
“The fact that Peabody is 100 percent possessed.”
“I heard something about an incident at the asylum.”
“Incident?” I arched a brow. “Dude was dancing on the ceiling. You should have seen it, Chloe.”
She grimaced. “No, thank you. Seeing one demon was enough for me. I’ll stick to watching it on the television screen.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“Did you or did you not almost die?”
I made a disparaging noise. “Bah, I’m sure Mike would have stopped Peabody before he hurt me.” Mike probably didn’t know it, but I was sure he harbored a hero inside. If only I’d not suddenly decided to have some morals and walked out on him before we got to test the sturdiness of his desk.
“Speaking of hurting…care to explain what happened yesterday afternoon?” She spoke sternly to me, and I couldn’t help but feel chagrinned.
Chloe had tried calling me the night before, but exhausted, I’d fired her a text saying I was all right and I’d see her at brunch.
“I went to Peabody’s house.”
“After I told you not to?” Chloe tsked as she shook her head.
“I thought I’d be okay. I mean, I’d just seen Mr. Peabody, and it was obvious he was possessed. I honestly thought there wouldn’t be any danger.”
“Obviously, you were wrong. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought someone slipped you a mickey. What happened to you?”
“Peabody’s wife slipped me a mickey.”
“She what?”
“Drugged me or poisoned me. I’m not entirely sure, but whatever it was made me barf my guts out.” All over poor Dale, who somehow looked past it to still try and get with me.
Imagine that, a guy not scared off by my mouth, attitude, or barf. So why couldn’t I just choose him over Mike?
“Are you okay?” Chloe’s face creased in concern. “Why didn’t anyone tell me? I would have come over.”
“And done what, watch me sleep?” I snorted. “Please. I’m a big girl.” Still, it was nice that Dale had stuck around for a bit instead of taking off. But even nicer would have been if one of the guys had checked on me that evening or asked to spend the night. After all, someone had poisoned me.
“Have you seen a doctor?”
“No, nor do I plan to.”
“Brenda.” She stretched my name.
“Why would I waste a visit? Still alive.”
“Still blonde,” Chloe grumbled. “And dumb. You should have gone to a hospital to have your stomach pumped.”
“I puked enough on my own, thank you very much.”
“Stop being a smartass,” Chloe snapped. “I’m worried about you.”
“I feel fine.” I leaned forward to put my hand over hers. “Really, I do.”
“You better. Love you,” Chloe said, her voice thick.
“Me, too. Admit it, what you’re really worried about is Mrs. Peabody having designs on my body.”
At that, Chloe snorted. “You think everyone has designs on your body.”
True. “More seriously, I think she was planning to do something nefarious”—God I loved that word— “to me, but I escaped the house just in time.”
“A good thing Dale was close by to rescue you.”
“Thanks for calling in the cavalry.”
“Anytime. I have to ask, how did Mrs. Peabody drug you?”
“She lured me with coffee and cookies.” I still shuddered at the thought of those cookies.
Getting
up this morning, I’d noticed the plastic baggie still on the console table. Only when I grabbed it, there weren’t any cookies inside but rather some kind of sludge squirming with maggots.
If there’d been anything left in my stomach, I would have barfed again. In that moment, I made a vow to myself and my ass to never eat any cookies again unless they came out of a box from the store.
You didn’t really think I’d abstain from cookies forever, did you?
“But why would she do that?” Chloe’s forehead knitted into a frown. “She had to know we’d trace any disappearance back to her.”
That was the part where my theory fell apart. “If she was possessed like her husband, would she really care?”
“Speaking of possessed.” Chloe leaned forward. “Don’t say anything, but there might be another demon on the loose.”
“No.” I breathed the word, more excited than horrified. Stupid. I know. But talking about demons and possession and attempted kidnapping was much more exciting than the lottery pool at work we had for the PowerBall coming up.
“Pete says it looks like there might be up to three demons this time. Smaller ones. They’re working on getting some proper dental molds to be sure. Anthony’s also running some trace evidence to see if the genetic markers match the demon genome.”
Anthony, being long-lived, had access to things humans could only write about in books or dream up in movies. It was enough to make me insanely jealous.
“Is this possible new demon part of the reason why Pete’s moving in?”
Chloe rolled her shoulders. “It’s hastening the process, shall we say.”
“If they’re that worried about you, then why are you here alone?”
“Not alone.” She pointed out the window to a car.
Imagine that, I knew the guy sitting in it.
“He’s got Dale guarding you?”
My jealousy meter went up like a thousand notches.
“Only for a few hours. Then Pete needs Dale elsewhere.”
“With him worrying about your safety, does this mean I’m going to have the wolf pack dictating”—the verbal kind not the cream filled—“to me again?”
“Maybe. Anthony thinks that last time the only reason the demon came after me was because of his involvement in the case. Some kind of rivalry thing between their kinds.”
Demons versus Vampires. I think I’d played that once at the arcade.
“So I’m safe?” Bummer. Not that I wanted three guys cramping my style. Although giving me a cramping charley horse because of strenuous activities in bed? Whole other thing.
We spent the rest of breakfast chatting about more mundane things while eating copious amounts of food. Being a nice girl—who still wanted to get in someone’s pants—I had the restaurant send out a Styrofoam food container filled with carbs.
Didn’t want Dale fainting should he require energy for later.
As for me, my appetite had returned. My tender tummy needed filling after the rude abuse of the previous day. By the time we stepped out of the restaurant, I was bloated and happy.
Being full meant I felt a need to suck it in at the sight of Dale, standing outside his car, leaning against it, dressed in snug blue jeans and a button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to show the muscles of the forearms he held crossed over his chest.
Being a good friend, I walked Chloe over to her ride and smiled. “Hey, Scooby.”
“You’re looking better, kitten.”
“Feeling better, too. Not that you would know.” I sniffed, a girly sniff, which required me jabbing an elbow at my best friend, who snickered.
“Actually, I did know. I peeked in on you last night just to be sure.”
“You did not.”
“I did too. You were sleeping.”
I blinked. “How would you know? I had the door chained shut.”
“Fire escape.” He smiled. “At least you’re smart enough to keep the window locked.”
Chloe’s gaze bounced between us, and I could see her mind working furiously. I only wished the conclusion she came to matched a reality I wanted.
“A lock wouldn’t keep a real man out,” I sassed. “But it does keep the riffraff and animals away.”
“Not really. If an animal wanted you, nothing would stop him.”
Was I the only one hearing the innuendo?
“How come you were out and about last night?” Or did he only come to see me?
“There’s been another murder.”
“I heard. Chloe says we might be looking at three demons.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“But…” I prodded.
“Something about it seemed different. The bite marks weren’t just smaller, they weren’t the same as those on the other witch victims we encountered before.”
“Could it be a different type of demon?”
“Could be. It’s not like we have a guideline when it comes to them.”
“How about we not talk about demons?” Chloe hugged herself as she shivered. “If you ask me, I’d be happier finding out a pack of rabid squirrels attacked than another one of those things.”
“Whatever it is, it’s deadly, which means you shouldn’t be out alone,” he said, glancing up and down the street.
“I’m not a witch.”
“Maybe not, but you did grab the attention of whatever is haunting the Peabodys.”
I flapped a hand in nonchalance. “Bah. I’ll be fine. How much trouble can I get into at the library?” All those dusty books. Gross. I wasn’t keen on the whole reading part, but a girl had to do what a boy told her not to do.
“You, in a library?” His lips pursed. “This better not be about the Peabody case. I told you to stop looking into it.”
At that, Chloe snickered. “Like telling her no is going to work. Have you met Brenda?”
“I have. She needs a keeper.”
I couldn’t help a flirty smile. “Are you volunteering, Scooby?”
A slow smile pulled at his lips. “Maybe I am. Get in. I’ll drop you off.”
“No, thanks. I’ve got Big Blue with me.” I waved down the street to my truck.
“I know, and I am still telling you to get your ass in that car. I’ll drop you off at the library and pick you up when you’re done. That way, I know you’ll be safe.” He reached for me, but I skipped away.
“No, thanks. But if you’re that concerned about me, feel free to stop by tonight with a pizza. And beer,” I yelled as I skipped away to my truck.
“You are the most annoying woman to deal with,” he hollered back.
“I know.” Part of my charm. Take it or leave it.
Hopefully, he didn’t see my crossed fingers that he’d take a chance on me.
Was it wrong to hope he’d bring his friends?
Dale Interlude
“I want to throttle her,” Dale muttered as he slid into the car.
A boisterous belly laugh burst out of Chloe. “Everyone does. That’s what makes Brenda so special.”
“I’ll say she’s special, in a needs-a-helmet kind of way. She has no sense of self-preservation.”
“No, she doesn’t. Brenda embraces every new thing she comes across without thinking of the consequences.”
“She’s going to get hurt if she doesn’t start being more careful.”
Chloe’s lips pulled down. “I know, which is why she could use a good man or two or three in her life.”
“Has she said so? Is she looking to settle down with a harem?” Despite knowing he sounded like a pussy, Dale couldn’t help but ask. Someone get the gun and shoot him now.
“Not in so many words, but let’s face facts. Brenda’s a handful, and while I know all she really wants is one person to love her, being that she’s so energetic, I think part of the reason relationships fail for her is because she overwhelms people.”
He could see that happening. Brenda was constantly go, go, go. He liked that about her and, at the same time, hated it. How did C
hloe handle it? “You’ve been friends for a long time, right?”
Chloe nodded.
“She doesn’t overwhelm you.”
“Don’t kid yourself. Being with her is like being sucked into a tornado, chaos and noise all the time. But there’s a reason why we never shared a room at college or an apartment. I can’t do it twenty-four-seven.” Chloe hastened to add, “That’s not to say I don’t love her. Brenda is my best friend. I would step in front of a bullet for her. However, if we ended up in a bomb shelter alone, the last two people on earth…” Chloe shrugged. “I’d probably shoot myself.”
“Not her?”
“I told you, she’s my best friend. I’d never hurt her. I want what’s best for her.”
“And you think what’s best is a harem of guys because you don’t think I could handle her alone.”
“Maybe you could. I mean, you’d certainly try.” Chloe shrugged. “However, once you moved in, and it’s just the two of you, all day, every day, with her bouncing off the walls and talking non-stop…”
“Afraid I’ll choke her to death?” He said it with a grin.
“That would be better than breaking her heart. She’s had that happen enough in her life.”
Someone had hurt Brenda? Give him an address, he’d kick their ass. “What happened to her?”
“It’s not my place to talk about it. Let’s just say boyfriends aren’t the only people in her life who’ve left her. She deserves better than the shit hand life has dealt her. She deserves love, so if you’re not ready to fully commit, then don’t lead her on.”
Love? Was what he felt for Brenda anything close to that emotion? Lust, he had no trouble recognizing. A certain possessive need, definitely. But love?
Would a man in love contemplate sharing her with his best friend?
Would a man in love call Sebastian and ensure his friend went to the library to keep an eye on her, even knowing that long-haired Casanova would probably make a play?
Would a man in love have dreams of tag teaming her body?
If only he could figure out the answer. He certainly didn’t want to hurt Brenda. But Chloe raised some valid points. In, or out. He couldn’t hover halfway.