Мишель Роуэн - Something Wicked

That was the first thing he had to say to her?

“A little,” she admitted. “But not much.”

“Bad girl.” His Adam’s apple shifted as he swallowed. “I feel like a marshmallow that’s been roasted over a campfire.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“Where’s Lucifer?” he asked.

She looked over at the bar. Lucas was gone.

“Not here,” she said.

“Too bad. Because I am so ready to kick his ass.”

She snorted softly. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Why did you stop him?” He wasn’t smiling.

“From destroying you?” Her chest felt tight. “That’s a stupid question.”

“Still. . why? I’ve destroyed your life, lied to you, stolen your body, uh, et cetera, et cetera. Why didn’t you take this as the chance to finally get away from me once and for all?”

She stared down at him. “You really are pretty, but all kinds of stupid, aren’t you?”

“Eden—”

“Because. .” She wiped a tear away and then touched his face. “Because. . I love you, Darrak.”

His eyes widened and he struggled to sit up. He failed, but trying did count for something. “You love me?”

“Don’t get cocky.”

“Me? Well. . I just—”

Eden bit her bottom lip. “You just need to be quiet and take more of my energy so you can get up off this nightclub floor. There are plenty of things to still deal with in my crazy new supernatural life, and I need your help with most of them. Obviously this is a partnership that I can’t just break at the first, or second, sign of trouble.”

Darrak looked up at her incredulously. “You love me.”

She touched his hotter-than-normal chest. “Yes.”

He placed his hand on top of hers. “If I didn’t feel like a roasted marshmallow right now, I might be very happy to hear that.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Because you already know how I feel. .”

She covered his mouth before he said anything else. “Demons aren’t supposed to feel anything, remember?”

“Oh, right. Forgot about that for a moment. Guess it’s the streak of angel juice running through me now. Makes me say crazy things.”

Angel juice. She wondered if that celestial energy he’d been absorbing from her really would truly change him like Lucas had predicted. It already had changed him. The humanity he’d gained from his previous human hosts had stuck whether he wanted it or not. There was no going back now.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Pretty crazy. Now shut up and suck out some more of my energy, demon, and then let’s get the hell out of here.”

Darrak shook his head and grinned at her. “You are such a sweet talker.”

She was. She really was.

Feeling drained after helping Darrak recover from their standoff with Theo, Asmodeus, and Lucifer, Eden slept through most of the afternoon. Thankfully, it was a dreamless sleep. She’d banked up enough nightmares to last her for many years to come.

She had no official confirmation, but if Lucas held true to their deal, her mother’s soul had been released from Hell. It was a great relief.

You’re welcome, Mom , she thought. Now try your best to get into Heaven, okay? You’re on your own now.

Eden had woken at sunset only long enough for Darrak to possess her before she fell asleep again. It was beginning to feel like a natural part of her day — an oddly comfortable habit, despite its horror-movie trappings.

At the moment, she wasn’t complaining. She was just relieved that he was still around. More relieved than she ever would have guessed.

Then again, she did tell him she loved him.

She hadn’t been lying.

But love or not, having her privacy back one day was a goal she wasn’t ready to give up on yet. However, if it came at the risk of Darrak being exorcised and destroyedWell, she could probably get used to this living arrangement.

If she had to.

Triple-A was closed for business that day as Andy recovered from the werewolf attack. But Friday morning, it was back to business as usual.

Andy smiled brightly as they entered the office. “Good morning, my favorite employees.”

Eden eyed him cautiously. “You’re looking good, Andy.”

“Thank you! I feel good!”

“But we’re not your employees, remember?”

He waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, you know what I mean.”

“I’m your partner, and Darrak is, uh. . he’s our consultant on all things supernatural.”

“Unpaid consultant,” Darrak added. “I work for donuts. Preferably untainted ones.”

Apart from what had happened with the lust elixir, Darrak had finally shared his theory with her about how the act of possession might trigger Selina’s black magic spell, but it wasn’t as much of an issue for her as it was for him. Eden felt that she was filled to the brim with black magic already and had a strong feeling that Selina’s spell would have no affect on her anymore. The damage was already done.

So did that mean she and Darrak could be together and not worry about the ramifications?

It was a definite possibility.

She glanced at him — this handsome, protective, celestial-energy-infused demon from Hell she’d admitted to being in love with. Not exactly the boy next door, was he?

He watched her curiously.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Eden cleared her throat and decided to focus on something else. Something a bit safer. “Andy, you seem rather chipper today.”

“I am chipper,” he confirmed.

“So. . you’re okay with all of this? Everything that happened to you?”

He blinked. “You mean being bitten and mauled by a werewolf, infected with lycanthropy, and at risk of becoming a werewolf, myself?”

“That would pretty much cover it, yes.”

Andy pressed his palms against the edge of his desk and stood up from his chair. “I’ve decided it’s not going to happen to me.”

Eden frowned. “Not going to happen?”

“That’s right. It’s all about mind over matter. I don’t want to be a werewolf. Therefore, I won’t be one. Easy.”

Eden and Darrak exchanged a glance.

“Not sure it works that way, Andy,” Darrak said. “But if you just—”

Andy held up a hand. “Anyway, like you noticed, I’m feeling terrific today. Better than ever, actually. Nothing like a brush with death to make you really start to appreciate life.”

Terrific , Eden thought with a sinking feeling. He’s in complete denial.

It didn’t help that all of his wounds had healed, leaving no scars or marks behind. Denial would be much trickier with stitches, broken bones, and bite marks.

No, Andy had healed up perfectly. In fact, he looked younger than he had before. He could easily pass for forty now, instead of nearly fifty. His blond hair looked healthier. His skin was less lined — even when he smiled the wrinkles that used to fan out around his eyes had lessened significantly. His body looked fit and lean.

“You look good,” she admitted.

“I’ve never felt so good in my life. You know what this means, right?”

“That you’ve been infected with lycanthropy and you’re due to turn into a werewolf in two weeks?” Darrak asked, then glanced at a desk calendar. “Actually, make that twelve days.”

Andy’s expression tightened. “No. It means that we should go out and celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” Eden asked.

“The fact we’re all alive and well. The fact we’re together. Friends you can trust are few and far between.”

Eden glanced at Darrak. He hadn’t spoken about Theo, but she knew his friend’s death had hit him hard. Theo had killed Graham, so she wasn’t sorry he was gone, but she did empathize with Darrak’s pain.