Demon Hunting In the Deep South (29 page)

Trey opened his eyes. “Meredith?”

“Right here, Snooky.” Meredith levitated above Trey. “Your Mer-Mer is right here.”

“Oh, God.” Trey groaned. “I’m losing my mind.”

“You’re not losing your mind,” Evie said. Brand helped Trey to his feet and then her. “I can see her and so can Addy and Brand. Right, Addy?”

“Unfortunately.”

Evie shook her crumpled skirts. “See? You’re not crazy.”

Trey leaned against the wall and raised a shaking hand to his brow. “Can everybody see her?”

“I don’t think so,” Evie said, remembering Trish and Blair in the flower shop. “I think it’s a gift.”

“A gift?” Trey’s laugh was bitter. “I hope to hell it’s returnable.”

“Snookems,” Meredith cried. “You don’t mean that.”

“Great.” Trey looked a little gray around the edges. Taking a deep breath, he pushed away from the wall. “I’m going home.”

Meredith floated closer. “I’ll go with you. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Brand will help you to your car, Trey,” Addy suggested. “Won’t you, babe?”

“Yes. Wait for me in the ballroom. You will be safer there.”

“Hey,” Trey yelped as Brand tossed him over one shoulder and disappeared.

“Wait for me,” Meredith cried, streaking after them.

Evie shook her head. “I wonder if it’s ever occurred to her that Trey may have killed her?”

“Snookems?” Addy said. “No way. Not that I would blame him, mind you, but I don’t see him killing anybody with a knife. Trey’s too squeamish. Remember how he blew his groceries all over Mrs. Walker’s biology lab when we had to dissect a cat?”

“Oh, yeah. I’d forgotten about that.”

“What did he want to tell you, anyway?”

“He says I’m in danger.”

“Big news flash there. That’s why I asked Ansgar to keep an eye on you in the first place.”

Ansgar.
Evie’s stomach did a somersault. She needed to see him, right now. She rushed down the hall toward the sound of the music.

Chapter Twenty-nine

E
vie hurried through the doors of the ballroom. To her disappointment, there was no sign of Ansgar. Her giddy excitement faded, replaced by concern. The Dalvahni were powerful, but they weren’t completely invulnerable, and Mr. C’s contrabulator
had
turned orange, indicating the presence of true evil. What if Ansgar had been ambushed, or was hurt or—

“What’s the rush?” Addy said, joining her.

“I was looking for Ansgar. Do you see him?”

Addy surveyed the dance floor and the people mingling in the room. “Nope.”

“Shoot.” Evie’s anxiety level rose. She’d go after him, but she had no idea where to look.

“Stop fretting,” Addy said. “Blondy’s a big demon hunter. He can take care of himself. You ought to know that by now.”

“I should? How? I’ve known the guy two days.”

For some reason, Addy developed a sudden fascination with the color of her toenail polish. “Oh, you know,” she said, staring at her feet. “I just meant you’ve heard me talk about Brand and demon hunters and stuff.”

Uh huh. Addy Corwin was good at many things, but she was terrible at lying.

“Fudge,” Evie said. “There’s something you’re not telling me. What is it?”

“Me?” Addy looked a little wild eyed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

An agitated Jackie Kennedy rushed up to them. Good heavens, it was Miss Bitsy, the spitting image of Jackie Kennedy in a hot pink suit with a mandarin collar and a matching pillbox hat.

“Evie, dear, you look lovely in Aunt Ethie’s dress,” Bitsy said, patting a strand of her perky brunette wig back into place. “I’m proud of you for coming to the dance tonight. That took courage. If anyone says anything ugly to you, you let me know and I’ll give them what-for.”

“Thank you, Miss Bitsy. Where’s the chief?”

“He’s working.” Bitsy made a frantic little gesture with her hands. “Some maniac has been attacking Chihuahuas. Lucy Saxon’s dog was shot with a paintball gun, and Jimmy Wheeler’s dog got run over. Lucy was so upset she had to be given oxygen, and Jimmy showed up at the station with his shotgun. Car-lee had a time calming him down.”

“How awful,” Evie said. It sounded like Frodo’s dog stalker had come to Hannah. She’d better warn Nicole. “Are the dogs all right?”

“Oh, yes. Gracie—that’s Lucy’s miniature Chihuahua—was bruised pretty badly, but she’ll be okay. And that new vet—what’s his name, Addy? Oh, yes, Duncan something or other—was able to save Jimmy’s dog.”

Addy’s color rose. “If somebody ran over Dooley, I’d be after ’em with a gun, too.”

Blip!
Brand materialized behind Bitsy. Bitsy turned and started when she saw him.

“Gracious, Brand, you gave me a fright,” Bitsy said, fanning herself. She looked him up and down. “Who are you supposed to be? I’m dreadful at guessing these character names.”

“Brand’s a demon hunter, Mama,” Addy said.

“A demon hunter, really?” Bitsy’s laugh sounded strained. “See, I never would have guessed that. But then I don’t watch much television.”

Addy rolled her eyes at Evie as if to say
Tell them the truth, for once, and they don’t believe yah.

“Is everything all right, Miss Bitsy?” Brand said. “You seem disquieted.”

“I
am
upset. I declare, I don’t know whether I’m coming or going.” Bitsy fluttered her hands again. “It’s Shep. He’s here with Lenora, and she’s wearing that string dress again. It’s a disgrace. You’ve got to do something with him, Addy.”

“Me? What do you expect me to do with him, Mama? Shep’s a grownass man.”

“Watch your language, young lady, and talk to your brother.
Please
.”

“Why do I have to talk to him? He’s your son.”

“I have talked to him until I’m blue in the face, but he won’t listen.” Bitsy assumed a tragic expression. “And why should he? After all, I’m just his mother, the woman who bore him and nursed him and—”

“Oh, for crying in the beer, Mama, don’t start,” Addy said. “I’ll check on him. Although what you expect me to do about Shep’s hoochie girlfriend, I have no idea.”

“Just try to get Lenora to put on some clothes. Please, before she starts a riot and your brother gets in a common brawl right here in the country club. I think they’ve had a tiff. Lenora is ignoring him and flirting with every man in sight, and Shep looks positively ferocious. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“Do not be concerned, Mrs. Corwin,” Brand said in his calm way. “Adara and I will handle the matter.”

Bitsy looked relieved. “Would you do that, Brand? That would be
such
a comfort! I declare, this thing with Shep and Lenora has me turned every which away. He’s not acting like himself.”

Promising to do what they could, Addy and Brand left Bitsy. Evie went with them. With any luck, she’d find Ansgar. Besides, she really wanted to see the string dress.

“Damn,” Addy muttered once they were out of earshot. “I do
not
want to get all up in my big brother’s business.”

“Do what you can, my love,” Brand told Addy as they threaded their way through the people in the ballroom. “I will deal with Lenora.”

Evie’s heart did a nervous little tap dance as Ansgar materialized in front of them without warning.

“Ansgar,” she cried, relieved to see him whole and in one piece. Her imagination had run away with her, and she’d pictured all kinds of horrible things. Gracious, she needed to get hold of herself. He’d only been gone a few minutes.

“Brother,” Brand said in greeting. “All is well?”

“I have learned much,” Ansgar said. “We will speak of it later.”

Brand nodded. “And Peterson? How did you leave him?”

Ansgar put his arm around Evie’s waist and drew her close. “Alive, much to my regret.”

“That can soon be remedied,” Brand said. “In the meantime, we have a situation.”

Ansgar gave Brand a questioning look.

“It is Lenora,” Brand explained. “I fear she has loosed her powers on the humans, perhaps in a bid to make Shep jealous. It is difficult to discern the motivations of a thrall.”

Ansgar swore. “She is out of control. We must stop her. Conall will not be pleased.”

“Who’s Conall again exactly?” Evie asked. She remembered Ansgar mentioning the name.

Addy rolled her eyes. “Another demon hunter. Some kind of big cheese, apparently.”

“He is not cheese, and he is not ‘another demon hunter,’ ” Ansgar said stiffly. “He is our leader and a most bold and valiant warrior.”

Taking Evie by the hand, he strode forward. The crowd melted out of their way. He was like a Dalvahni wrecking ball.

“By the sword, ’tis worse than I feared,” Ansgar said when he saw the thrall. “Stay here while I try to reason with her. I will return anon.”

Giving Evie a quick, hard kiss, he approached the thrall, speaking in his mellifluous voice. Evie caught the words “Directive Against Conspicuousness” among the flow of soothing words. His smooth tone appeared to calm the agitated men that watched the thrall with hot, greedy eyes. But Lenora didn’t seem to hear him. She stood with her head thrown back and her eyes closed. Her long, ebony hair and the ribbons of the string dress fluttered around her as though stirred by a mysterious breeze. Evie gaped at her in awe. Lenora was a windblown, mostly naked, centerfold model for Pure Sex with a built-in fan and more curves than a bowl of corkscrew pasta.

Shep, on the other hand, looked ready to murder somebody,
anybody
. He stood nearby, his arms crossed and a scowl as black as an August thundercloud on his face. Evie had never seen Shep like this, and she’d known him all her life. When she and Addy were kids, he took them to Pensacola to the movies and to the Dairy Spin for ice cream. When they turned fifteen, it was Shep who took them to get their permits and taught them how to drive. After her mama died and her daddy started drinking, Shep made it a point to check on her at least once a week. On more than one occasion, he’d shown up at the house unexpectedly, helped her pour her daddy into bed, and left without saying a word. Shep was a nice guy, steady, solid, and reliable. Good to his mama and his sister, crazy about his two kids, and faithful to his wife until she ran off with a younger man.

Evie had never thought of him as sexy or good looking. He was simply Shep, Addy’s older, wiser, slightly boring big brother.

So, it was with considerable shock that Evie realized Shep Corwin was a total babe.

There were women in the crowd, and they weren’t looking at Lenora. They were looking at Shep. He wasn’t wearing a costume, and his blond hair was tousled. It looked like he’d come straight from the house wearing jeans and a long-sleeve cotton Polo. The jeans looked good on him, and the little guy on the horse stretched across a wide chest that was all muscle.

Addy and Brand pushed their way through the packed bodies, joining Evie. Actually, Brand lifted people and set them aside, like so many bowling pins.

“Oh, my God,” Addy said when she saw the thrall. “She’s like the goddess of hard-ons.”

“Lenora is a powerful entity, but when it comes to emotion she is as a child,” Brand said. “I believe she has feelings for Shep. That must be a bewildering thing for a thrall. She has no idea how to deal with emotion.”

Evie had expected the thrall to be something out of the ordinary—and, boy, was she ever!—but what she couldn’t get over was the change in Shep.

“Shep looks different,” she said to Addy.

“It’s the hair. He stopped shellacking it after he and Lenora hooked up. Drives Mama nuts. She says he looks messy.”

Velma Lou Pugh elbowed her way in front of them. “He’s a mess all right. A hot mess.”

Velma was married to a dentist and had three kids in college. She was dressed tonight as a lady pirate. Velma Lou the Pirate looked like she wanted to shanghai Shep and take a ride on his belaying pin.

“Look at those arms and shoulders.” The older woman gave Shep a leer that would put Captain Jack Sparrow to shame. “That’s a whole bag of uh uh uh. Somebody’s been taking their vitamins and working out.”

“Good grief,” Addy said. “Velma Lou, if you and your vagina would take a step to the right, I need to speak to my brother.” Addy pushed past Velma Lou and stepped into the circle. “Oh, my God, look at Roy Van Pelt. He’s all red in the face, and his eyes are starting to bulge. Brand, you’d best get Lenora to turn off the tractor beam before somebody’s penis explodes.”

“Poor Lenora,” Evie said with a twinge of sympathy. Love could be a bewildering thing, no matter where you came from. “She must be terrified.”

“Oh, yeah, she looks scared to death,” Addy said.

Addy was being sarcastic, but she had a point. The thrall didn’t look scared. She looked ticked. Lenora exuded a force field of sexual energy, and her face glowed with the cold, white brilliance of a star. She was beautiful and terrifying. She looked hard, fierce. Alien.

A woman dressed as Xena: Warrior Princess shoved past a clump of women and said something to Shep.

“Perfect, Marilee’s here,” Addy muttered. “I’d better get over there before things break out in ugly.”

Shaking her head, Addy hurried over to speak to her brother and ex-sister-in-law. Brand went to help Ansgar with the thrall, leaving Evie alone. Fortunately, no one paid her any mind. The drama playing out in front of them was too fascinating, like something under the Big Top.

See exotic Lenora perform her magical strip tease. Watch her ribbons fly! Will all be revealed or will the grim-faced, dangerous warriors at her side succeed in taming the sultry vixen? Hold your breath as Shep Corwin battles his feelings for Lenora and locks horns with Xena, his two-timing cougar of an ex-wife. Will love triumph or will Shep let loose a bubba thrashing of biblical proportions on the men lusting after his ladylove?

Yep, better than a circus, Evie mused. People would be buzzing about this juicy little business for weeks. Maybe this was the Something Big Muddy had prophesied. Although why Muddy said she needed to be here, Evie couldn’t imagine.

“We will dance now,” a sonorous voice said in her ear. “Come.”

Startled, Evie turned. “Thank you,” she said, “but I don’t—”