by Rose Pressey
Since her skin was scorching, I figured she must be sick and that was way she’d been acting so strange. The poor thing.
“We need to get her to bed. I think she has the flu or something,” I said.
“I’m really sorry about all this,” Neil said as he followed along behind us toward the sidewalk.
“Save it,” I said over my shoulder.
When we stepped out onto the sidewalk, the men were waiting for Neil.
“Rylie, get out of here,” Jack yelled.
“No, I don’t want to leave you here.” I grabbed his arm.
“I’ll be right behind you.” Jack’s fangs appeared as he moved toward the men.
I didn’t want Jennifer or me between whatever was going on between these men. Without argument, I grabbed Jennifer’s arm.
“Come on, Jennifer. You’ve got to help me out a little.” I yanked her body into an upright position.
She acted as if she’d chugged an entire keg of beer.
As we hurried toward home, I had to slow down my pace so I wouldn’t lose Jennifer. I prayed Jack wasn’t far behind me. When I glanced to my side, Jennifer wasn’t there. I stopped and whirled around. Where was she? And where was Jack? I ran back toward the restaurant. Couldn’t anyone follow instructions? Was it really that hard? Run home. That was a pretty straightforward instruction.
I’d almost reached the restaurant when I spotted Jack jogging in my direction.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “I thought you were going home?”
“I was… but when I turned around I’d lost Jennifer.” I ran my hand through my hair. “She wasn’t at the restaurant when you left?”
“No.” He shook his head and looked around.
“What happened with Neil?” I asked.
“The men tried to attack Neil again, but he pulled out that Taser again and they left for good. I wish you hadn’t gotten involved with him. The guy’s obviously crazy.”
“I’m just sorry I got all of us involved with him.”
“Come on. Let’s see if Jennifer went home,” he said grabbing my hand.
When we reached the apartment, I was hopeful that she’d be there. But when I saw that the lights were still off and I heard no noise, a lump formed in my throat. I knew she wouldn’t be there when I opened the door.
Just as I had suspected, when I rushed through the door, the place was empty.
“She’s not here,” I said around a sigh. “What do you think happened? She was acting so weird.”
“You think?” Jack asked. “I almost choked when she made that comment about sex.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on, but I intend to find out. I’ll try to dial her cell phone,” I said.
A thump sounded from the hallway. When I opened the door, Jennifer fell to the ground. Jack scooped her up and carried her down the hallway toward her bedroom while I followed along behind carrying her purse and shoes. How sexy was Jack? All muscles flexing and in charge. I mentally shook off the thought. I had to get his sexiness off the brain. I had to take care of Jennifer right now.
When Jack laid Jennifer down safely on her bed, I slipped out with him into the hallway so we could talk about her without her hearing the conversation.
“If she doesn’t feel better in the morning, maybe you should take her to the doctor,” Jack whispered.
I nodded. “I will. I’ll keep a close eye on her tonight.”
“Where did that Neil guy come from anyway?” Jack asked.
Ugh. I didn’t want to admit how bad I had been at setting Jennifer up with that loser.
“She wanted me to fix her up with someone and he seemed like a nice guy. He fooled me. I swear, Jack, I think I’m losing my matchmaking touch. Maybe I need to give up the business.” I swallowed the lump of sadness in my throat.
“You’re just upset right now. You’re bound to run into a bad apple now and then,” he said.
“Well, I just had my bad apple with Lily. I thought I was good for a while.”
He touched my chin. “You’ll feel better about things in the morning. You just need to get some sleep right now.” He kissed me lightly on the lips and my knees went weak. “I’ll miss you. I’ll see you in the morning,” he whispered.
“I’ll miss you too,” I said softly.
I hoped he was right about Jennifer. I prayed things would be better in the morning. I needed to think positive. Jennifer would feel better and be back to normal.
Loud music sounded from my apartment and I hurried through the door. Jennifer was dancing in the middle of the floor. I rushed over and turned off the volume.
“Why did you do that?” Jennifer yelled. “I was having fun.” She stopped dancing. Her face glistened from sweat.
“I don’t think you’re in any condition to dance. We need to get you in bed.”
“Why did we leave Neil? I wanted to invite him into my bed.” She wiggled her hips again.
I rolled my eyes. “That’s the last thing you need right now. You’re sick. You need to go to bed. Go on in your room and I’ll get you some juice.”
“No. I’m staying right here.” She folded her arms in front of her chest.
I blew out a breath. “Fine.”
I went to the kitchen and poured a glass of the juice. When I returned to the living room, Jennifer wasn’t there. I sighed. Now what was she up to? I set the glass down and listened to see if she was in the bathroom.
Just then she came through the front door.
“How did you get out there? What are you doing?”
“I was going to look for Neil.” Her lips curved into a sly smile.
“No, no, no,” I said, grabbing her arm. “You have to go to bed. You’re sick, now come on.” I handed her the glass of juice.
Jennifer huffed and stomped into her room. Just as I reached the doorway, she slammed it shut in my face.
Chapter Eight
How to Date a Demon, Rule #8
Please learn the difference between an incubus and a succubus.
I’d already settled down into bed, pulling the thick comforter up under my chin, when a loud bang sounded from the front of my apartment. I sat up in bed and listened. Noises around my place weren’t uncommon, but with the nefarious activity as of late, I had to be on guard. I sank back against my pillow again, but before I’d gotten comfortable, a crash sounded again.
That was it—something was definitely amiss. I remembered Jennifer and I jumped from bed, running toward the front of the apartment. My heart thumped in my chest. The prickle of skin on my arms rose. I had had to shift so much lately that it was getting completely out of hand.
When I reached the living room, Jennifer burst through the front door. Her blonde curls looked as if she’d been in a wind-storm and that rats had a made a permanent subdivision in her tresses all at the same time.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
Jennifer tossed her purse on the floor and glared at me. Her eyes glowed a shiny red. I blinked, thinking that my eyes had played a trick on me. Maybe it was the light from outside coming through the living room window making her eyes look that way?
No, the light outside wasn’t that bright and definitely not red. This wasn’t right. It was no trick of the light. Add in her strange behavior and the profuse sweating, and I knew something was wrong with Jennifer. I’d heard about the red eyes before, but in all my time dealing with the paranormal, I’d never seen it in person.
Red eyes were a sign of one thing: the devil. I swallowed hard as I stood in front of her. She narrowed her eyes and glared at me without uttering a word. I was pretty sure it wasn’t even Jennifer looking at me. Where was she? And how had this happened?
“Jennifer?” I asked in the sweetest voice I could muster.
She looked blankly at me, but didn’t speak.
“Where have you been?” I asked when she didn’t answer. “Are you feeling okay?”
That was probably the dumbest question I’d ever asked and
I’d asked a lot of stupid questions in my lifetime. Of course she wasn’t feeling well. She had glowing eyes and it looked as if she’d been in a bar-room brawl, for Pete’s sake.
“Jennifer, you’re scaring me. Say something already.”
Should I call 911? What would I say? I think the devil is inside my best friend? Would the pack police help me? Heck, they had no idea what to do with werewolf emergencies, much less demonic ones. What would Jennifer do to me? I didn’t want to fight with her.
With my anxiety building, I was already holding back my werewolf instincts to shift. Turning into a wolf wouldn’t help matters at the moment. In fact, it would probably only set her off.
I continued moving slowly toward her in case I needed to take immediate action. This was one situation that I’d never been in before.
“I was looking for Neil. Do you think he’ll ask me on a second date?” Jennifer mumbled.
I was guessing there wouldn’t be a second date. I was seriously losing my matchmaking mojo. Making sure not to agitate Jennifer, I inched closer as if I was trying to capture a wild animal. She was still standing with her fists clenched and her focus pinned on me.
Just as I neared her, she collapsed to the floor like a rag doll. Her body made a loud thud when she hit the hardwood.
“Jennifer!” I yelled.
I dropped to my knees at her side. Her eyes were closed and her skin was burning hot. I scooped her up in my arms and lifted her to a sitting position.
“Jennifer, speak to me. Wake up.” I slapped her across the face.
She would so want to kick my butt when she found out I’d smacked her. Finally, her eyelids popped open. Her eyes were back to the beautiful shade of blue that I’d always known her to have. Her skin was cool to the touch. What the hell? That was beyond strange. Had I been dreaming? No, this was more like a nightmare.
She furrowed her brow. “What’s going on?” she asked in a groggy voice.
“That’s what I’d like to know.” I let out a deep breath. “Are you okay?”
Jennifer rubbed her head. “I feel strange. How did I get here?” she asked, looking around our apartment.
“What do you mean, how did you get here?” I asked, searching her eyes to see if she was really in there.
She shook her head, then finally answered, “I ran into Neil outside. That’s the last thing I remember. Only I don’t remember much about that either.”
I scowled. That dirty rat. What had he done to her? I’d tear him from limb to limb. What was he doing sneaking around our apartment anyway?
“Oh, God. Did he drug me? What the hell, Rylie? What kind of freakin’ date did you set me up on?”
What kind of date was right. If he’d done something to Jennifer, I’d kill him with my claws.
“Come on, let’s get you on the sofa,” I said, lifting her to her feet.
With my arm propped under her arm, I helped her walk to the sofa and she plopped down on the cushions.
“I’ll get you a drink of water,” I said, rushing into the kitchen.
After grabbing a glass from the cabinet and pouring the water, I hurried back to the room with glass in hand, almost afraid of what I’d see when I returned. Jennifer was still sitting on the sofa where I’d left her and her eyes remained her natural shade.
Whew. Thank goodness for small favors. Maybe now we could put this whole mess behind us. She took the glass and drank the water, every last drop with two big gulps. She handed me the glass and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened?” I asked.
She ran her hand through her hair. “I don’t remember much. We were standing outside on the sidewalk and these men showed up to talk with Neil. They looked real badass.”
“The same men from earlier?” I asked.
She frowned. “What men from earlier?”
“Don’t you remember at the restaurant? Neil went outside to talk with them and he was gone for a long time?”
She looked at me blankly.
“You thought he’d ditched you, so you went outside to look for him. When I went out into the alley, he was fighting with these men and you were beating one over the head.”
She listened with wide eyes. It sounded like a story I would be involved in instead of Jennifer. But I’d seen it with my own eyes, so I knew it was true. Why was she acting normal now? I needed to ask, but I’d have to broach the topic carefully.
“I jumped in? That’s totally unlike me. Anyway, the next thing I knew, I’m on our apartment floor. It’s as if I was abducted by aliens and dropped here.”
She stared at me. I supposed she was waiting for me to give her answers. I had none. This wasn’t good. I didn’t like the sound of this one bit. I would call that rat Neil and get to the bottom of this, pronto.
I rushed over and grabbed the phone from the end table. I still had his file on the kitchen table so I leafed through and found his number. With a shaky finger, I pushed in the numbers and listened to the rings from the other end of the line. Just when I thought he wouldn’t answer the phone, a loud knock rattled our door. I met Jennifer’s terrified gaze.
“Maybe that’s him,” she mouthed.
My instincts told me it probably was the rat. He had some nerve showing up here now. I was going to let him have it.
Jennifer straightened on the sofa. Her eyes were wide from terror. What had this guy done to her? I couldn’t run a business this way. I was just lucky Lily wasn’t the one who had gone on the date. She would never have shut up about it, although I wouldn’t blame Jennifer if she never spoke to me again after this debacle.
I hurried over to the door, but hesitated for a brief moment before finally swinging it open. Neil stood in the hallway with a stunned look on his face.
“Rylie, is Jennifer okay?”
I glared at him. “What do you think?” I asked.
He stepped forward as if he was going to invite himself in, but I placed my arm on the doorframe, blocking his entry.
“Whoa, what do you think you’re doing? I don’t recall inviting you in.”
I didn’t want to break a nail dragging his ass down the stairs, but I would gladly sacrifice my Pretty-in-Pink polish for Jennifer’s sake.
“I need to see her. Can I please come in?” Dark circles ringed his eyes and a grim expression twisted his mouth.
I eyed him for a second, contemplating whether I should call the police.
“Please?” he asked again.
I let out a deep breath and stepped to the side. “Fine. But if you try anything else, I will be forced to kick your ass so hard that you’ll have to remove your shirt to… how do I put this in a ladylike way… go poo.”
He looked at me incredulously.
I nodded. “Yeah, I said it. Now what do you want?”
After a brief pause, he rushed over to Jennifer. She slid away from him on the sofa.
“See, she doesn’t want to talk to you. Consider the date over and I’m sorry I ever offered to set you up. Now beat it.” I gestured toward the door.
“Jennifer needs my help.” He turned his attention to me.
“Why in the hell does she need your help? Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”
Jennifer stared as if she was in shock and her mouth no longer functioned.
“Why don’t you explain to us exactly what went on tonight?” I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
He had better have a good excuse for what he’d done. What exactly had he done? Whatever it was, something wasn’t right with Jennifer. The way she was when she got home wasn’t normal, but she’d been acting way bizarre before Neil had showed up at our door. How would I explain that? He didn’t have anything to do with that. He couldn’t have.
“I want an explanation and I want it now,” I said in my best badass voice.
He looked from me to Jennifer and back at me. “What happened to her when she came back in here?” he asked with panic in his voice.
> He knew that she had been acting strangely, so why was he asking? I wondered what had happened on her trip home. Would Jennifer remember?
“She was burning up and her eyes were glowing. Look, I don’t know what kind of freaky crap you’re into, but Get a Mate is a reputable business and I won’t tolerate any weird junk going on. Not only does it affect my business, but when my best friend is involved, well, that is just not okay. You got that?”
“Rylie, listen to me. I have to get Jennifer help right away.”
“What kind of help are you talking about?” I asked.
Jennifer moved further away from him. “I’m not going anywhere with you, creep.”
Neil was such a good-looking guy. I’d obviously been swayed by his looks and hadn’t realized what a freak he was. And I’d put Jennifer in this dangerous situation. How was that for a commercial for my business? Come to Get a Mate where we set you up with freaks.
Neil paced across the floor. When he turned to face us again he let out a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. “Where do I start?” he asked.
“I’d say you’d better start somewhere in a hurry because I’m losing my patience.”
Jennifer nodded. Was it that hot in the room? Sweat was beading on her forehead. She didn’t look as if she felt well at all. Should I ignore the glowing eyes that I’d seen earlier? Sure, people said it was the sign of a demon, but she was talking perfectly normal now. What could I do?
“I guess I should tell you the truth,” Neil said.
I nodded. “I think that would be a wise decision.”
“I’m a demon hunter. Sometimes the business can be a little tricky.”
Jennifer and I stared, wide-eyed. “A little tricky?”
He didn’t answer my question. Instead he continued, “Anyway, a few demons showed up at the restaurant tonight. I never wanted Jennifer to be involved. I never thought she’d come outside to defend me, which was really sweet,” he said looking at Jennifer.
A little smile spread across her face.
“Are you freaking kidding me? Why didn’t you tell me this information before? I would never have sent her out with you.”