by Mary Abshire
"Is he giving you trouble?" he asked in a territorial tone as he stretched his arm behind me.
"No. Actually, he's nice. He's not the problem. My problem is with Dani."
"Your roommate?"
I nodded. "She told him about my sixth sense."
"And?" He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.
"And she's always telling people my personal business. It really irritates me," I said, a touch of ire sparking my voice. "We had neighbors move in next door to us, and she told them I sensed spirits. The bad part is they're witches."
"You have witches living next to you?"
"Yeah, and I don't trust them at all."
"Are they good-looking?"
Dumbstruck, I stared at him. Was he serious? What did their looks have to do with anything?
"I'm not answering that," I said harshly. I calmed, then added, "I think they might be lesbians."
A devilish grin formed on his face. "Really?"
Frustrated, I glared at him. "You're deliberately missing my point."
"Okay, so Dani is telling people things about you that you don't want her to. Just tell her not to."
I sighed. "I did. More than once."
"So what's the problem?" He slid his hand over on my shoulder. The heat radiating from his gentle touch soothed me.
"Well, she hasn't listened. We keep arguing. I think I hurt her feelings this last time. She hasn't spoken to me for the last twenty-four hours."
"Ah, I see. Well, sometimes these things happen. Friendship isn't all fun and games. Friends don't always agree with each other."
"Yeah, I know. I've been thinking about how to handle this for a while. When I get back, I've decided to tell her the truth—about what I am."
He removed his hand from my shoulder. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"If I come clean and explain myself, I think she'll appreciate my reasons for wanting to keep my personal life a secret. I've known her for three years. We work together and live together. She's like the sister I never had. I believe we can work this out."
"You can love her with all your heart, but she may not understand what you are. I'm sure she'll ask questions about Drake and me, too. Are you prepared to tell her everything? Do you think she can handle knowing there are supernatural beings in this world?"
"She believes in aliens and alien abduction. She believes in ghosts."
He chuckled. "It's not the same thing."
"It's not, but I still think she can handle the truth. I guess my biggest fear is what she'll do with the information. I don't want everyone I work with or meet to know what I am. I know Dani. She can't keep a secret."
The intercom came on and a man announced our flight was ready to board.
Jeremy took my hand. "Come on."
Heat zinged up my arm as I rose. I swung my purse over my shoulder and walked to the gate at his side. He'd listened to me vent my frustration and I was thankful. His warm touch also comforted me, but by the time we reached the line, I'd had enough. I slid my hand free.
"Back to our earlier subject," he said in a low voice while we waited. "If you want my opinion, don't tell her. Leave things the way they are. Whatever you said, I'm sure she'll forget about it and get over it."
I appreciated Jeremy's honesty, but my conscience told me I should come clean with Dani. If she knew about Drake, Jeremy, Mark, and our neighbors, would our relationship change? The only way to find out was to talk to her.
There was another good reason to come out of the closet. If I didn't tell her what I was, the witches might. Then Dani would really be angry with me. I didn't want to lose her friendship. If anyone were to tell her the truth, it should be me.
Upon reaching the ticket taker at the door, Jeremy handed his pass to the young man. Once he examined Jeremy's, he took mine and tore off the edge. The attendant thanked us, then Jeremy placed his hand at the small of my back and a sliver of warmth spread through me.
"Thank you again for coming with me," he said as we headed down the quiet walkway leading to the plane. He removed his hand before I could shoo it away.
"Yeah, well, I still don't like that you told them about me, and I still don't trust you."
Smiling, he said, "I'm going to change that."
I pressed my lips together and kept my doubts to myself.
Air hissed and the engine hummed as I stepped onto the plane behind him. The flight attendant welcomed us with a cheerful smile. She stood to the side to let us pass down the narrow aisle. A few feet away, Jeremy stopped and spun around to face me.
"You can have the window seat."
I looked at the first class, then checked the ticket in my hand. Sure enough, he'd purchased the expensive seats. I scooted over to the leather chair next to the window.
"I didn't realize we had first class tickets," I said, thankful and surprised.
Jeremy settled in next to me and fastened the belt around his waist. "You can thank Alan Vandett."
"I've always flown coach."
"Always?"
I nodded. "Yep."
"I highly recommend flying first class on any trip over two hours."
A hockey player making a six-digit salary could probably afford the luxurious seats, but my salary didn't compare to his. Not even close.
I buckled my seatbelt, then sat with my hands clasped on my lap. Flying was so much fun. I loved the speed during takeoff and the quick rate at which the plane ascended. It was the best part of flying for me. Jeremy adjusted the air while travelers hustled by with their carry-on luggage. He seemed relaxed. I assumed he was comfortable on planes since he had to travel a lot with his team. After every passenger had settled into their spots, the flight attendants made their final checks and gave preflight instructions.
I stared out the small oval window and watched the plane crawl down the runway. Anticipation grew inside me.
"Ready?" Jeremy looked as excited as I felt.
I smiled. "Definitely."
His arm rested on the divider between us. He turned over his hand, open palm up. Since he'd acted civilized for the most part, instead of a sex hungry demon, I accepted his offer and placed my hand into his. Hot energy radiated from him and ran up my arm. It spread through my body, electrifying every nerve and cell within me. The plane accelerated and the energy flamed. My heart raced, fueled with excitement and with the hope everything would be okay. Although I had many challenges before me, I had confidence I could handle them. First, I had werewolves to deal with. Arizona, here I come.
In little time, the plane leveled out above the clouds. I glanced at Jeremy and saw him smiling at me.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look today?" he asked, brushing the bangs away from my eyes.
"If you gave me a dollar for every—"
"I would be broke." He finished for me.
I smiled. Yeah, he'd be bankrupt, all right.
After a few minutes flying through clouds, a small ding sounded and the seatbelt light grayed. Jeremy slid off his seatbelt seconds before the flight attendant showed up at his side.
"We'll be serving lunch in another hour and fifteen minutes. Would you like a snack or something to drink?" The strong scent of her floral perfume irritated me. I held my breath.
"Do you have any peanuts?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes, we do."
"We'll take two bags of those and two bottles of water," he said.
"Would you like cups with ice?"
"Not if the bottles are cold," he replied.
"I'll be right back." She turned and headed for the galley.
"You never ask me what I want. What if I wanted a Coke or something else?"
He eyed me with a knowing gaze. "Every time we eat out, you order water."
"So?"
"So I know you well enough to take care of your needs."
I laughed. "You think you know me that well, huh?"
"Yeah. I do," he replied with confidence.
"And you're just the man to take care of
all my needs," I said, still laughing.
"Without a doubt." He made the statement with steadfast conviction.
My stomach flip-flopped at the reminder of just how deeply Jeremy wanted me. The thought frightened me at times, yet here I was, sitting next to him and agreeing to help his werewolf friend. Maybe I should've checked myself into a mental institution for evaluation.
The flight attendant appeared with a bottle of water and a bag of peanuts in each hand. She handed the items to us. "Can I get you anything else?"
"No, this is fine. Thank you." Jeremy set the bottle in the cup holder at the end of his armrest.
"Thank you." I took the bottle and bag of nuts.
"Let me know if you need anything else." She smiled before she left to serve the couple behind us.
Jeremy tore open his bag of peanuts. "Did you tell your bloodsucker of a boyfriend you were coming with me?"
"Yes," I replied, annoyed. "And I wish you would stop calling him that."
He smirked. "And I wish you'd open your eyes and give me a chance." He tossed a couple of peanuts in his mouth.
My temper flared. "What is it with you? Why are you so interested in me? Haven't you met other female demons?"
"Oh, I've met plenty of female demons," he replied with a devilish grin.
"And?"
"And they were good fucks." He shrugged, tossing more peanuts into his mouth.
"Is that it? Is that all you think about?" I asked, thinking he was as cold as Drake's body temperature.
He faced me with a powerful gaze. "You're nothing like them, and sex is not the only thing I think about."
I bit back a laugh. What a load of bullshit. "What makes me different? Tell me."
His cheek crinkled as if he were trying to get something unstuck from his teeth.
"Well, you don't let the demon rule you."
I gave him a perplexed look. "Excuse me?"
"You know, the demon doesn't control you."
I shook my head. "I don't get it." Unless he was referring to doing what was right and avoiding the wrong, but it didn't sound like it.
He narrowed his eyes. "Do you remember anything from your past lives?"
He'd really lost me. "Past lives? What are you talking about? I have one life, me, here, now."
"Did your parents explain anything to you about our souls?"
For a brief moment, I hesitated to share anything about my past. Yet, he seemed to know way more about demons than I did. Puzzled out of my mind and damned curious to know more, I decided to tell him the truth.
"My mother killed herself before I reached my thirteenth birthday, and I never met my father. A warlock took care of me when I was growing up. I didn't know what I was until after my mother's death."
His eyes grew wide. "Holy shit!" He looked around as if worried someone might have heard him, then he leaned closer to me. "Did the warlock teach you anything?"
I crossed my arms. "He taught me plenty, like not to trust people like you."
"That's not what I meant," he said, shaking his head. "Did he explain anything about demons?"
I shrugged. "He told me a few things. I read a lot about us in books."
"You really don't know, do you?"
"Know what?" I arched a brow.
"Demon souls bounce around from body to body. The older souls remember their past lives and can control themselves. The more control you have over your soul, the greater your strength. Weaker souls have less control and make more mistakes. They also tend to not remember their past unless there is a trigger event, or maybe they're new."
My mind flooded with questions. Bouncing from one body to the next? Remembering past lives? Controlling our inner demon? I'd never heard of any such things and longed to know more.
"So you're saying that since I can control my demon side that my soul must be old and therefore strong."
He nodded as he chewed on more nuts.
I shook my head, still perplexed. "How can our souls jump around? I thought demons went to Hell."
"We do, and we stay there until the master sends us back. And he always sends us back."
I swallowed. The master. The devil. My end all, be all, father. The thought of meeting the devil terrified me. Part of me believed I was destined to end up in Hell since demon blood ran through my veins. The other part hoped my actions would send me to a better place. According to Drake, actions spoke louder. Sending evil souls to Hell had to be worth a free pass out. Right?
"Have you ever had visions of the past?" Jeremy asked.
I thought about the question for a moment. "I've never had a vision of the past, but I have had foresight into the future."
Jeremy leaned back and stared at me as if I were plagued with a disease.
"What?" I asked.
"I've never heard of a demon with the ability to have premonitions."
"It doesn't happen often. They come in dreams," I said.
"That's when we receive our visions, in our dreams. I don't understand how you can see the future. Our souls only know the past." His brows pinched, and he rubbed his forehead. "You said you never met your father. Tell me about your mother."
I let out a deep sigh. Talking about my mother always dampened my mood. "My mother was human. She made a deal with the devil, and then a demon knocked her up."
"Your mother was human?" he asked, one brow arched.
"Yes."
"My God," he said softly.
"Yeah, I'm a real freak—flesh and blood," I said, feeling more alien in a foreign world. Thanks, Mom. Hope the hot sex was worth it.
He shook his head. "No, you're the most beautiful and amazing gift put on this earth. And I can't believe I found you. I knew you were special from the moment I laid eyes on you."
While his words sounded flattering, they only made me feel more out of place.
"Have you had visions?" I asked.
He nodded as he poured a couple of peanuts into the palm of his hand. He tossed them up in the air, then jolted to catch the peanuts in his mouth as they fell. No surprise, he captured them all. He smiled at me while he chewed.
"Are you going to tell me about your past lives?" I asked.
"Not for free," he said, pouring more nuts into his hand.
"You son of a bitch," I blurted out.
He tossed more nuts in the air, then caught them again with his mouth.
"I told you about me," I said. "The least you can do is tell me about your past."
"Here, try this," he said, then tossed a few peanuts in the air for me to catch. When I didn't move, he caught them with his hand. "Catch these with your mouth, and I'll tell you how old my soul is."
Unable to resist, I shifted in my seat and nodded. He tossed the nuts in the air. I leaned to get them, but I wasn't fast enough. I caught the nuts in my hand.
Jeremy laughed. "You have to move quicker."
"You think?" I tossed them up above his head. He positioned himself quickly so they all fell into his mouth.
"Nice," I said.
He grinned at his achievement.
Determined to catch some damned nuts in my mouth, I poured a few into my hand. I glanced at Jeremy. He looked ready to follow my lead. Flinging the nuts in the air, I moved underneath them as they dropped. The nuts hit my chin and fell to the floor.
"Damn it." I laughed.
Jeremy chuckled. "You move like a girl."
"In case you hadn't noticed, I am a girl."
"Oh, I've noticed," he said with a twisted grin.
I poured two more nuts in my hand, then hurled them up. I darted quickly underneath them with my mouth open. This time, they fell into the right place. I stuck out my tongue to reveal my prize.
"Excellent," Jeremy said, and nodded with a joyful smile.
"How old?" I asked.
He shook the nuts he had in his hand. "Ancient." He tossed the nuts in the air.
"Define ancient, please."
He chewed on the nuts he'd claimed. "BC."
&nbs
p; I stared at him with wide eyes. "Before Christ? How can you be sure?"
"I have memories."
"Of what?" I asked, skeptical.
He leaned closer to me. "You have to give me something in return if I tell you."
"Ugh!" I gripped the bag of nuts in my hand and thrust myself against my seat. "I think you're lying."
"Why would I lie to you?" he asked, terse. "What reason would I have? I'm trying to gain your trust, not push you away from me."
"Then tell me." I insisted.
"Oh, no-no," he said, shaking his head. "Not without something in return."
"Damn you, Jeremy." I turned away from him.
Holding the nuts tight in my hand, I stared out the window. He tempted me with knowledge, and God knew I wanted to learn more about him. But making another deal was not an option I wanted to consider. So what if his soul was at best over two thousand years old? That didn't prove anything other than he had an old soul. Big deal. I could live without knowing more. Couldn't I?
"I have an idea," he said. "I'd like to see you at a few of my games. I'd even arrange for you and Dani to stay at a hotel free of charge."
The offer tempted me. A few games for knowledge sounded easy to accept. Then again, he hadn't defined the word "few." Knowing Jeremy, he'd probably ask for at least a week.
"No thanks," I said, confident I could play this out and get what I wanted without giving up much. I just had to be patient.
I gazed at the puffy clouds outside the window. They looked like a soft, fluffy blanket.
"It's a long flight. Let me know when you change your mind," he said softly in my ear.
I closed my eyes and wished he wasn't so damned tempting. But I knew better. I reassured myself any deal was not worth the information. And if I were patient enough, he'd probably share some knowledge. Patience, Jessie. Patience.
Damn demon.
Chapter Nine
The plane landed smoothly with the engines roaring. A small vibration rattled the overhead compartments and the lights above flickered. In a matter of seconds, the speeding plane slowed to a steady crawl. I expelled a sigh of relief, glad the flight was over and I hadn't made another deal with Jeremy.
"Ryan is picking us up." Jeremy's gaze was past me to the oval window. "Since we're a few minutes late, he's probably waiting for us at baggage claim."