Eden’s love life had always been one big fat joke. She couldn’t help but be guarded, even now. Even with Darrak.
Maybe it was because of her mother’s influence. Caroline had never exactly been a glowing example of someone who had healthy relationships. She’d had a one-night stand with an angel and become pregnant from it. Who did that?
“Morning,” Andy McCoy greeted her as she entered the office. Darrak held the door open for her. “Or, rather,
late
morning. Just strolling in now whenever you feel like it, is that how it is?”
Darrak shrugged as he hung both his and Eden’s coats up on the rack near the door. “Had to see a wizard about a problem.”
“I will assume that’s not a euphemism.”
“Eden’s magic is no euphemism.”
Andy nodded gravely. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Well, for starters, you’re going to turn into a werewolf tomorrow night.”
Andy recoiled slightly. “No, I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Am not.”
“Are.”
“Not.”
“You can deny it all you like, Andy, but it’s going to happen. You got bitten by a werewolf. Mauled, actually.”
He shuddered. “I remember that part.”
“And that means you’re a werewolf, too. I’m not sure why this is so difficult for you to grasp.”
Eden felt bad for the guy. He was still in serious denial about what would happen. It was a discussion they’d had several times in the last couple of weeks, but no progress had been made to get him to accept the inevitable.
Maksim had given them a spell that would allegedly help safely contain Andy and cloak the area. Wouldn’t want someone to walk by and see a werewolf clawing at the door to be let out.
Apparently werewolves could shapeshift anytime they liked, but when it came to the full moon, they didn’t have a choice. It was all werewolf all the time, for one night a month.
She glanced around the office, trying to judge how much damage there would be if they made this the containment area. Seemed like as good a place as any. She’d done some research into werewolves, along with Darrak’s knowledge of them, and knew Andy would go one of two ways. Either a rabid, out-of-control beast who had none of his human traits and only wanted to rip things—or people—apart. Or he’d be Andy. In wolf form.
She was hoping for the latter, but planning for the former.
“I am not going to turn into a werewolf tomorrow night,” Andy said firmly. “Just stop it. Both of you.”
He went to his desk, sat down, and took out a silver flask from his top drawer, draining it in one gulp.
Denial was a thirsty state of mind.
Darrak hadn’t looked directly at her since the impromptu lap dance in the car, but they had to talk. If her magic was truly identical to Selina’s, then they had to give it a shot. First with the spell and then, if they were successful, with the curse.
Could it really be that easy after all this time?
The bell above the door jingled as someone familiar entered the office. She was short, with bleached blonde hair, red lips, and a smile that stretched a mile wide. Nancy was the assistant manager at the coffee shop next door, a place called Hot Stuff that Andy also owned. She came by with coffee and donuts first thing every morning, the scent of which usually made Eden’s mouth water.
This morning it seemed to have the opposite effect. She felt a little queasy, actually.
Great. Word had it that the flu was going around. Getting sick was the last thing she needed to deal with right now.
“Hello all!” Nancy exclaimed cheerily.
“Nancy, you’re back bearing more delicious treats. Twice in one morning. What’s the occasion?” Andy grinned at her as if thrilled for the excuse to avoid the werewolf topic. Nancy was blissfully ignorant about a great deal of paranormal activity in the area. She’d come face-to-face with some dangerous magic recently at a local singles club that happened to be possessed by the demon Lord of Lust, but had recovered nicely. Well, except for one very unfortunate result.
The blonde was currently dating Stanley, the weaselly wizard’s assistant whom Darrak had made cry earlier on the phone.
Some women had questionable taste in men.
“I saw Darrak and Eden just got here. Had to bring over more munchies.” Nancy held up a paper bag emblazoned with the Hot Stuff logo.
“You’re an angel,” Darrak said. “And I mean that as a compliment, not an insult.”
Nancy had a large crush on Darrak for a while, but thankfully it had subsided. There was a time she’d demonstrated this crush by making Darrak chocolate donuts in the blobby shape of hearts. Now they were regular blobby-shaped ovals.
“Here, Eden.” Nancy held out a coffee to her.
“Thanks.” Eden took it and couldn’t help but notice something glitter on Nancy’s finger. Her eyes widened. “Wow, Nancy. Nice ring.”
“Oh, this?” Nancy held her left hand out to show off the diamond solitaire and then wriggled her fingers.
“You’re not . . .” Eden frowned. “Are you engaged?”
She would have thought it impossible, but Nancy’s smile shot up another fifty watts. “Stanley popped the question last night.”
“Congratulations!” Andy exclaimed.
“Popped what question?” Darrak asked.
“Stanley asked me to marry him, and I said yes.” More finger wriggling. “I’m going to be Mrs. Dancy!”
“Nancy Dancy,” Darrak said. “It’s catchy.”
Eden’s brows drew together. “I’m glad you’re so excited. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’ve only known him a couple of weeks. Are you positive this is the right thing?”
The brightness dimmed a little at the edges. “Now you sound like my mother.”
“I’m just saying—”
“She was all ‘Is this going to be like last time? Marry in haste, repent at leisure,’ or whatever. But it’s not true. It’s not like the last time. That wasn’t true love. This—what me and Stanley have? It’s real. I feel it deep inside of me like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It’s real and it’s lasting and I want to spend the rest of my life with that man. He’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever known in my entire life.”
“
Stanley
is?” Eden cleared her throat as Nancy’s cheery smile turned into a glower. “I mean, sure . . . he’s, uh, great. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to rain on your parade. I’m just practical about this sort of thing. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
The blonde’s expression softened again. “I know. And I appreciate it. Don’t worry about me, Eden. You’ve always been like an older sister to me.”
“I believe I’m a few years younger than you, actually.”
“It would mean a lot to me if you’d be one of my bridesmaids. Will you do that?”
Eden was at a loss. It felt wrong talking about things like true love, bridal plans, and weddings when she was getting used to dealing with curses, demons, and an unavoidable working relationship with Lucifer himself. “I . . . I would be happy to be one of your bridesmaids.”
“Thank you so much.” Nancy gave her a tight hug. “Listen, I have to get back to work but we’ll talk soon. What fun!”
Then, with her mood elevated again by good wishes and promises of bridesmaids and impending nuptials, Nancy left them to their coffee and donuts.
If anything, Eden felt a bit queasier now than she did to start with. “I just hope Stanley isn’t using her.”
“When did you become such a Negative Nelly?” Andy said.
“Around the time I was a toddler. And it’s called being a realist, actually.”
“I think it’s wonderful. We could use more good news around here lately.”
“Definitely.” Darrak bit into his donut, then held the other one out to Eden. “Want some?”
Their tryst in the car came back to her with full erotic strength.
Oh, she still wanted some, all right, and she wasn’t talking about donuts. But she’d cooled off from before. Enough to keep her attention fully fixed on the issues at hand.
She gave him a strained smile. “Maybe later.”
Andy grabbed his coat. “I need to head out to meet with a client. Glad you two got here so I wouldn’t have to shut the office down completely.”
“More werewolves?” Darrak asked pointedly.
Andy cringed. “Would you stop with the werewolf stuff, already?”
“It was just a question, not an accusation.”
“Then no. Not werewolves. A human client, believe it or not. Wanted me to investigate a missing sister who ran off with a boyfriend without leaving any forwarding address. I already found her living in Vegas. Quick case, nice and easy.”
“Well, good,” Eden said. “Fine, you go do that. Darrak and I have some business of our own to take care of.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
“I’m going to experiment with a little spell removal.”
“Eden, I thought we were going to talk about that first.” There was a warning edge to Darrak’s voice.
She ignored it.
“Well, that’s great. Good luck with that,” Andy said. “But please try not to break anything.”
FOUR
Andy left.
When Eden looked at Darrak she realized he was staring at her sternly with his arms crossed over his chest, his half-eaten donut forgotten.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
“Just what I told him. Spell removal experimentation.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She hissed out a breath. “Actually, the more I think about it, I believe it’s the best idea I’ve had in a very long time. You heard Maksim. Me and Selina—our magic is exactly the same.”
“According to him. He could have been lying through his shiny white teeth.”
“You don’t trust him?”
“I can’t think of any real reason to trust him, let alone to put your safety in his hands.”
She shook her head. “I feel it, Darrak. Inside of me. He was telling the truth.”
He paced to the other side of the small office next to the coatrack and then turned back to look at her. “It doesn’t have to be now.”
“Why not?”
“We can get a second opinion.”
“I don’t want to wait that long.”
“You can’t be
that
focused on sleeping with me again, can you?”
She actually laughed at that. “You think that’s all this is? Just some horny witch who needs to get it on with the closest available demon ASAP?”
“Is it?”
“Oh, yes. You’re just that irresistible that suddenly I can’t control myself. I need you, I want you, I have to have you.”
He mock-glared at her. “Sarcasm is not necessary. I’m very sensitive lately, you know.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Who says I’m being sarcastic? I do need you. I do want you. And I do have to have you. Desperately.”
He leveled his gaze with hers. “The feeling is entirely mutual, but I’m not sure about this.”
She didn’t want to argue. She didn’t want everything to be a struggle between them. “He seemed to think there was only one other solution if this doesn’t work, Darrak, and I don’t want you to even think about that. Ever. If I can remove the spell, then I might be able to remove the curse. Problem solved.”
He studied her for a moment. “Just because he said it doesn’t make it true.”
Eden wrung her hands. “Don’t you want to be free again? You could have your own body all the time, not just during the day. No more possessing me, no more feeding off my celestial energy. You’d be free to do whatever you want, go wherever you want.”
Darrak was silent for a moment. “What if I don’t want to go anywhere but here?”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Then . . . well, that would be your choice. But at least you’d have a choice.”
His expression turned thoughtful. “What if this doesn’t work? What if he was wrong and your and Selina’s magical signatures are not identical?”
“Then we’ll figure something else out. But we won’t know unless we try.”
The alternative hung between them like a dark, bottomless pool. She’d resolved herself to having Darrak possess her indefinitely, but according to Maksim, if he was the root cause of her pain, of her erratic black magic, then their days were numbered.
Much like the oncoming bright lights of a truck in the opposite lane, this possibility was too painful to look at directly.
This
had
to work.
“Come on, Darrak.” She pushed a confident smile onto her face. “This isn’t like you. I’m usually the cautious one, remember? Aren’t you a gambler? Somebody who’s willing to take a chance, roll the dice for a shot at the jackpot?”
His expression didn’t change. “Not at the risk of your immediate safety.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing this isn’t entirely your decision. Because this is happening. Right now.
“Eden—”
“Shhh. I need to concentrate.” She sat down on the edge of her desk. “You can either help or you can get out of my way. What’ll it be, demon?” She squeezed her eyes shut.
Darrak approached and gently grasped her wrist. She opened her eyes to look at him warily.
“I’ll help,” he said, although he didn’t look happy about it.
“Good. So I’m open to suggestion at the moment. I haven’t exactly done anything like this before.”
His handsome face was now set in grim lines. “Okay, well, look at it this way. The spell Selina cast on me when she summoned me out of Hell should still be on me, kind of like a residue. It will be nearly impossible to detect by your average everyday magical practitioner, but it would have remained on the surface. That’s the sign of a spell. A curse is deeper, like rust. A spell is more like a light coating of paint.”
“Magic for Dummies,” Eden murmured.
“Present company excepted. If you share Selina’s magic, you’ll be able to clearly see the spell, and you may be able to focus on it enough to remove it. But don’t delve too deeply into the black magic for this. It’s not worth it.”
She couldn’t disagree with him more. This would be the solid proof of whether her future was bright or dark. It was something she didn’t think would even be possible, so she didn’t want to get her hopes up. But there they were—hopes up high.
“I can’t see anything.” She scanned his body as he took hold of her other wrist as well.
He grinned a little. “Well, no. Not with your eyes open. Human eyes are not the best things with which to see true magic.”