Chapter Five

That little bitch!

How dare she disobey me!

I need a fucking body

 
Why the hell did I wait so long?

This shouldn’t be happening this way

She should be here, lying under me, accepting my seed, doing what she was made to do

Serving me

That’s her purpose now

I won’t stand for that tall man and the way he’s looking at my conquest

It’s obvious he wants her for himself, but that won’t happen

Once she’s called me into existence, I’ll find a way to take care of her new admirer

This time things will go as they are supposed to, and I’ll finally get the child I need to continue my line

* * * *

“You heard the demon?”

Devlin was the first one to break the silence, and Tempest wondered where he’d found his voice. Hers seemed to be lodged somewhere in her lower intestine, and she felt as if she’d never find it again.

Her heart rate had morphed into an irregular static rhythm that made her wonder if it would ever get back to normal. For some reason, even after telling them about it, it hadn’t seemed real until Franco said he’d heard the demon. She wanted to think he was mistaken, but she knew that he wasn’t. He’d read her mind at the restaurant and known what she’d wanted to talk about before she’d said anything to anyone.

She hadn’t even told Quinn what she wanted, exactly. She’d only said she needed to discuss ghosts. If he’d heard the demon, did that mean it was corporeal?

“How can it speak to you? I’ve never seen a body, remember. Or a face.”

Franco frowned, and then he cleared his throat. “I think I intercepted a message that was meant for you.”

“Oh God, this can’t be happening.” She collapsed onto the stone bench, her hands shaking, her heart hammering even faster. “Every bit of money I had I put into that house. I can’t leave it. If you can’t get rid of it, I…”

“We can get rid of it,” Franco said, sitting down next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest into a comforting hug. “It’ll just take us a little bit of time to do some research. This is something I’ve never encountered before.”

“We never have either,” Dev said. “But we have several members of our group that specialize in demons. We can call them and get some information. In the meantime, you can come and stay with us.”

“Yes,” Quinn said. “I’ll go inside and pack a bag for you.”

“Thanks, but no.” Tempest squeezed her hands into fists in an effort to stop their shaking. “I won’t allow this—thing—to run me off from my home. I’m staying here.”

“I’ll stay with you.” Franco caressed her shoulder and she felt better from the contact. Until she remembered the demon inside her house. She was about to tell him no, he didn’t have to stay, but then she thought better of it. It would be a comfort to have him nearby.

Tempest nodded, then realized that the others in their group had moved toward the center of the garden. They were huddled together, their voices low as they talked.

“What are they doing?”

“Probably discussing who should call who,” Franco replied. “They’ll set things up for us. My main concern is you, and making sure that you’re all right.”

“Why didn’t I hear him when you said you did?”

“I’m not sure.” His voice was very soothing. “I can honestly say that I’ve never had anything like this happen before.”

“Does that make me special?”

“Very.” His fingertips trailed down her arm and she shivered, this time in delight.

“Thank you for staying.” If she’d been thinking straight, she would question the fact that she was allowing someone who was almost a perfect stranger to stay in her house and protect her from a demon. It was almost like using an unknown to fight an unknown.

But he was a friend of Quinn’s, and she trusted her friend very much. Plus, while she didn’t want to leave her home, she didn’t want to be alone, either. Since neither Culo nor Pero would come into the bedroom, she would have been horribly alone if Franco didn’t stay.

“I don’t mind staying. Trust me. Why did you name your cats are named after characters in ‘The Tempest’?”

She laughed, her body actually feeling as if it were getting back to normal. “The idea you can hear what I’m saying, before I say it, is going to take some getting used to.”

“Sorry, I was just trying to make you relax.”

Tempest gazed up at him, her breath catching. Her body quivered at his look. Yes, she definitely wanted him, and it was disconcerting to know that he knew it. She smiled, then licked her lips, determined to keep the conversation away from sex, no matter what her body wanted.

“My parents are both English professors at Tulane. My mother is an expert on Shakespeare and my father on Hemmingway. I have three brothers and a sister, and my parents named all of us after books written by those two authors. I figured since my parents named me Tempest that I should name my cats after characters from the play, Trinculo, a jester, and Prospero, the Duke of Milan.”

“Great names.”

“They fit.” She glanced back at the group of people who were still talking. “Can we sleep inside the house? If it’s tied to the house will it…come visit me again tonight?”

“We can sleep in another room. Sometimes that confuses the incubus. Or we can sleep outside, on the balcony. I don’t think it can come outside. It didn’t follow us out here.”

I want to have sex with you, but…

“I know.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “We just met. But you had some great ideas in your fantasy back at the restaurant. I like the second one, especially.”

She closed her eyes and she swore she could feel his tongue on her clit, swirling around it, sending vibrations of pure bliss through her.

“Yes, just like that.” He kissed her forehead again. “I’ll be right back.”

He made his way toward the group and Tempest clasped her arms tightly around her. She would have an orgasm tonight, but this time one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever met would be the cause of it.