Demon Inside

“Come on, we have to get out of here before the—”

Another gunshot, and another, but slower this time, as though only one gunman was left. Megan thought she was going to pee herself. The quiet suburban street had become a vast wasteland, with nowhere to hide. Greyson’s car was out front and she knew as well as the gunmen did that they had to get back in that car if they were going to escape.

Like mice they scuttled across the lawn. Megan’s legs burned and ached. Trying to keep her balance on the frozen ground in her high heels was not easy. Like most petite women she could handle heels just fine, but this wasn’t simply trotting across a rainy street. This was balls-out ru

Flashing lights reflected off the front of the houses down the street as the fire engine started to make its turn. Greyson yanked open the passenger door of the car and practically threw her into it, then jumped in himself, shoving her into the driver’s seat. He pushed the button on the console to start the engine.

“Go! Go!”

She’d never driven his car before. The seat was way too far back, but there wasn’t time to adjust it so she perched on the very edge. He shoved the car into gear for her and she slammed her foot on the gas, glad she knew how to drive a stick.

Only her grip on the wheel kept her from falling backward as the car practically leaped away from the curb. The fire engine bore down on them, but Megan refused to look at it, staring instead at the road in front of her as they raced away from the gunmen, the demons, and the fire.

“Fuck! Fuck! That miserable little—damn it!” Greyson glanced back over his shoulder. “You weren’t hit? You’re okay?”

She managed a nod, shifted into third.

“Where was that bar?”

“What?”

“The bar, the one you went to last night. We need to go there, immediately.”

He was in shock, that’s what it was. This was the final straw, he’d finally cracked. “We can send the boys out for something when we get back to the room, let’s just—”

“We need an alibi, Meg. I don’t doubt for a second Maldon’s going to try and pin this on us. We have to go—”

“But Tera and Brian—”

“Tera and Brian aren’t from here. Get us to that bar. No, don’t slow down!”

“How is that an alibi?” But she was already making the necessary turns, heading for Kelly’s Tap. At least it was a plan, and even in her frazzled state she knew he was right about Tera and Brian. Those two could claim they’d been holding a prayer revival at Bev’s Holiday Hideaway, complete with choir, and the local police wouldn’t give a fuck because they were her friends.

“I’ll hypnotize them and you’ll help me.”

“How can—we don’t really look like we’ve been hanging around in a bar all night.” Even in the dim light from the dash she could see his left eye starting to swell from Maldon’s earlier blow.

“I’ll get in a fight.”

“But—”

“I’ll be with you, won’t I? I’m sure someone will have something to say. They certainly did last night.”

The parking lot of Kelly’s Tap was about half full when they arrived. Megan recognized a few of the cars from the night before. Great. Bed had never sounded more appealing. Especially now that it started to dawn on her what exactly Greyson meant to do.

“Okay.” He took her hand and led her toward the door, then stopped just outside. “Remember how you reached for me at the house? With your power, not anything else?”

She nodded.

“Lower your shields and do it again.”

“I don’t understand—”

“I’m not sure I do either, but it works in the other direction, so we’ll give it a go.”

Heads inside the bar were starting to turn. Greyson’s hand tensed on the door handle. “Just try it, bryaela.”

Megan closed her eyes and focused. She’d done it before, she’d felt those things like tentacles inside her body sweep through her veins and break through her skin…but nothing happened. She was too cold, she was too scared, she couldn’t relax.

He let go of her hand and touched her cheek, tilting her face up. “We’ll try it this way then,” he murmured, and her eyes fluttered shut again as he kissed her.

Smoothly, calmly, as if they weren’t standing outside a crowded bar full of people who hated her while the cops could arrive any moment. After a second or two all of that disappeared, as she leaned into him, clutching him around the waist with both arms while his fingers tightened against her cheek.

She relaxed, no longer cold, no longer worried, and let him coax her mouth open so his tongue could slip inside.

The familiar rush of his power and heat flooded through her body, turning her sigh into a moan. Alibi, schmalibi. They should go back to the hotel. They should go back right now…

Usually he stopped here, holding back to let the pressure build until they both couldn’t take any more. Not now. He kept pushing, pressing that glowing energy into her head, into her body.

She started shaking, not able to control it. His hand on the back of her neck forced her not to pull back even when she thought her head might explode in a shower of sparks.

“Give it back,” he murmured, his voice rough. “Come on, give it back…”

Somewhere in the back of her mind enough sanity lurked to remember what he was talking about, to remember the time he’d put his power behind her abilities and read a roomful of people in seconds.

“Please, Meg, I can’t—”

Her abilities…she lowered her shield and started to read, but instead of focusing on the people around her she focused on Greyson, and Greyson alone. With all her strength she shoved at him with her mind, pushing into him, and somehow those tentacles sprang again from her head and reached, invisible and intangible but real nonetheless.

For a split second she thought it hadn’t worked. For another second she actually caught a glimpse of something, a fuzzy image of an imposing white house set back among flowering trees. Then a flurry of thoughts and pictures, of ugly feelings and happy ones, all smoothed over as Greyson hypnotized the entire bar.

He’d managed to open the door somehow before he pulled away from her. Megan turned, her vision still blurry from passion and the jolting unpleasantness of feeling the crowd’s emotions in her head, and saw them all standing calmly, staring at Greyson.

He blinked, and his mouth fell open slightly. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him look so surprised. “We’ve been here since seven. Go back to your seats.”

The little crowd nodded and started to turn away. Greyson moved his hand, a gesture almost like pulling a rope back into himself. Megan hadn’t realized the air around them was heavy and silent with power until it ceased, as quickly and definitely as a snuffed-out candle.

He took her hand and strode over to the bar. Tension crackled from his body. “Whiskey.”

The bartender’s heavy features twisted into a scowl. “Haven’t you had enough?”

“No.” Greyson pulled out his money clip, peeled off a hundred-dollar bill, and tossed it on the bar. “Give me the bottle and two shot glasses.”

Silence pressed in on them as the bartender obeyed, silence broken by increasing mumblings from the patrons. Greyson poured out two shots, handed her one, dumped the other down the front of his shirt, and proceeded to drink half the bottle in one long gulp.

“Crazy fucker,” someone muttered.

“What d’you expect? He comes in here with her, after we tole her—”

Greyson gri

Brian picked him up from the police station first thing in the morning. None of them thought it was a good idea for her to go, having barely escaped being arrested herself. She still wasn’t sure why he’d allowed himself to be—he’d never even had so much as a speeding ticket and, given the way he drove, it was impossible to believe he’d never been pulled over.