Personal Demons (18 page)

“What were you doing out
there?
That quarry is dangerous,” she says, outright glowering at Luc now. “You need a warm shower.” She pulls me through the door and slams it in Luc’s face.

“It was my fault, Mom. Luc jumped in after me. Really.”

She drags me up the stairs. “Thank God you’re okay. I told you not to spend time with him, Frannie. We thought you were with Taylor and Riley tonight.”

“Mom, I don’t know what happened to make you like this about him, but he’s not a bad person. Really.”

“We’ll discuss your consequences later,” she says, pushing me into the bathroom at the top of the stairs. “Just get cleaned up.”

“My consequences?
Like, punishment?”

She eyes me thoughtfully, like she’s just now realizing she should have had the birds and bees talk with me a long time ago. “We’ll talk later,” she says and closes the door.
Great.

I wait to hear the creak of the bottom stair before I pull the door open and run down the hall into my room. I rush to the window and throw it open.

Luc’s car is in the driveway, door open, but Luc is nowhere.

“Luc!” I say, my voice a harsh whisper.

“Hey.” His voice comes from under my window.

I press my face against the screen and look down just as he walks out from under my window, toward the driveway. “Hey. Sorry about that. My mom’s just stressin’ a little.”

“No problem,” he says, looking up at me but also into the oak branches just outside my window.

I smile. “You thinking about climbing that tree?”

He glares up into the tree for just a second and then smiles at me. “If I did, would you let me in?”

I feel my cheeks flush. “Not tonight. I think we’ve given Mom all she can handle for now.”

“You’re sure?”

No. “Yes.”

He looks only a little disappointed when he says, “Okay. Do me a favor, then. Does your window have a latch?”

“Yeah.”

“Close it and latch it, okay?”

I crack a grin. “Why? You can’t be trusted?”

“No, I can’t. But it’s not me I’m worried about at the moment. Just do it. Now, okay?” The urgency in his voice scares me a little.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just do it. Please,” he nearly barks.

“If you tell me what’s going on.”

“Oh, for the sin of Satan . . .” he starts, exasperated, then glares up at me. “Please, Frannie.”

I glare back. “Whatever,” I say and slam my window shut.

He just stands there for a minute, looking up at me until I realize he’s waiting for me to latch it. I do, grudgingly, and he slides into the Mustang. He backs out of the driveway into the road and I watch till his taillights are lost behind the trees. Leave it to him to ruin my perfect night by turning into a jerk.

But just before I drop the curtain, I look out into the dark, at the tree outside my window.

My breath catches as I stumble back from the window.

And I tell myself the pair of red eyes floating in the branches is just a cat.

A second later, the door cracks open and Kate’s head pokes through. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” But the shake in my voice betrays my unease.

“What happened?”

“When?”

“Just now. You screamed.”

“I did?” I say, thinking of those disembodied eyes and shuddering.

She pushes through the door and closes it behind her. “Yeah, you did. So, you’re okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. Something surprised me.”

“All right.” She turns for the door.

“Wait!” I yell, glancing back at the window. I’m a little creeped out, and I don’t want her to leave just yet.

“What?” she says, turning back.

And suddenly I feel a little awkward. “So . . . what’s up?”

She just stares at me. “Are you sure you’re okay? ’Cause you’re kind of losing it.”

“I’m fine. I just thought we could . . . you know . . . talk, I guess.”

She rolls her eyes and turns for the door again, and suddenly I think of something I really
do
want to ask her.

“Kate . . .”

She barely glances over her shoulder as she reaches for the doorknob. “What?”

“When you and Chase . . . you know. When you first . . .”

She spins toward me, annoyed. “What, Frannie?”

“Had sex . . . when you first had sex. How did you know you were ready?”

Her expression softens and she smiles wistfully. “You just know.” But then concern brushes her face. “Don’t let anyone pressure you, Frannie. If any part of you is saying no, then it’s a no.”

But what if all the parts of me are saying yes? I think about Luc, and, even though I’m pissed at him, a tingle starts low in my belly. “Thanks, Kate.”

She still looks concerned as she turns for the door again. She closes it behind her and I stand staring at the window for a long time. Finally, I pull out Matt’s journal. I climb on my bed, trying to sort my thoughts, then start to write.

So, Matt . . . there’s stuff going on inside me that I don’t even have words for, so sorry. But it’s kind of scary, feeling like this. Out of control.

I stare blindly at the wall, my insides churning.

Luc . . . it’s like he’s some kind of drug. I can’t get enough of him. And if this is how drugs make people feel, then I can see why they get addicted.

I feel a thread of fear wrap around my heart, and I lift my head from the journal and rub my eyes, pushing Luc’s face out of my mind.

I don’t want to need anybody like that. I’m not going to let myself get addicted to Luc.

I close Matt’s journal and sit staring at the wall as everything becomes crystal clear in my head. I can want him physically
without needing him. It’s called lust. No emotional attachment necessary. And that’s what this is—just physical. I’m sure of it.

Gabe, though . . .

As my thoughts shift to him, the tingle in my belly turns into an ache in my chest. ’Cause I’m starting to think whatever I’m feeling for him is deeper than lust and a lot more dangerous.

I was wrong before. Luc is definitely the safer choice. I know what I’m getting, and it won’t ever turn into something I can’t handle.

Belias.
This is bad. Why would Beherit send Belias? Why would he send
anybody?
I haven’t been checked up on in four thousand years. There’s no doubt that was him outside Frannie’s window, though.

I drive slowly and watch to see if he follows. When he doesn’t, I realize it’s worse than bad. He’s not just checking up on me. He’s after Frannie. Swallowing my panic, I circle back, coast up within a few houses, and sit for a second, assessing the situation.

Belias is in Collections. Why would Beherit send Collections? Frannie’s to be tagged only. Unless things have changed. And if Belias tags her, her soul will be bound to him. She’ll be
his.
Something primal flares in me—something deep and territorial. He can’t have her. She’s
mine.
Suddenly I’m grateful that Mr. Cavanaugh is in tight with the Almighty. If I, a First Level demon, can’t phase into the house, neither can Belias.

I step out of the car and phase across the street. How is this going to work? He isn’t going to come with me just because I ask. I creep up under the tree, duck behind the trunk, and call out to him with my mind.
Belias!
I know he can hear me, just like I can hear him. Our nefarious psychic connection binds us, whether I like it or not.

The faintest rustling, no more than a squirrel would make moving through the branches, and Belias is standing beside me. His shaggy black hair partially obscures his glowing red eyes, which illuminate a two-foot radius nonetheless, his sharp cheekbones casting shadows across his face. He grins at me. “Lucifer. It’s been far too long.”

“What are you talking about? I just saw you a few weeks ago.”

“Yes, and the boss says you’re taking far too long. Those are his exact words.”

“It’s only been two weeks. I wasn’t aware there was a time limit,” I lie.

“Well, there is. In case you haven’t noticed, Gabriel is here. If you wait too long, it will be too late.”

“You can run along and tell Beherit I have things under control, thank you.”

“Mmm . . . yes, it looked that way at the quarry. Very sweet, Lucifer. Though how you could be that close and not take her—her flesh, I mean—I’ll never understand.”

How did I not sense him there? I’m letting myself get too distracted. And, as the weight of his words hits me, I feel a stab of pure rage slice through me like a razor.

It was Belias.

My fists clench by my sides, and I glare death at him. “You
wouldn’t have had anything to do with Frannie’s little mishap, then? Because drowning her doesn’t seem like the most prudent strategy before she’s tagged. Frannie’s soul in Limbo would not bode well for us.”

A malevolent grin stretches across his face and his eyes flare. “But, see, there’s the problem, Lucifer. She shouldn’t still
be
untagged. You had the perfect opportunity to take her flesh—the first step to claiming her soul. She was serving herself up. Even you couldn’t miss her ginger. But you chose to play the gallant suitor instead of getting the job done. You’re losing your touch. A fact that hasn’t escaped Beherit.”

A combination of fear and panic grips me. The last thing I need is for my boss to be taking notice. “I can’t just take her, Belias. In case you’ve forgotten, there are rules.” But as I say it, it feels false—I’m making excuses.

His eyes flash red lightning as he grins wider. “The rules are changing.”

“Really? I didn’t get that memo.”

His grin pulls into a grimace. “This one is important, Lucifer. There’s no room for mistakes. Don’t blow this.”

My king’s voice echoes in my head.
Don’t disappoint me.

“That’s why I’m taking my time. No mistakes. Now run along. I’m sure Avaira is getting cold.”

He smirks. “I could finish this job and get back to Hell before Avaira got cold.” Creatures of lust are truly disgusting—which is why I won’t let this slimy incubus anywhere near Frannie.

“Well, I could leave you to this,” I gesture to Frannie’s window, “and go keep Avaira warm for you.” I’m bluffing, but he glowers at me.

“The boss is impatient. Don’t take too long.” Then he phases in a puff of brimstone—poof, gone.

I wait for a long while, still tucked behind the tree, deciding what to do. Finally, I move through the shadows to my car and stay the rest of the night there—watching.

My heart is pounding as I wait at my locker ’cause, after last night with Luc, I’m not sure what to expect. I stare blindly at my books and shift my weight from foot to foot, failing spectacularly at trying to appear casual. And then I catch the faintest wisp of cinnamon, and I smile just as his hot hand eases around my waist and pulls me to his burning body.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

His voice sends a shiver through me despite his heat. I open my mouth to argue
about the “gorgeous” thing, but then I’m too busy melting into a puddle on the floor to actually say anything. I turn around in his arms, and he kisses me. And the crowded hall full of sweaty high school students is the only thing keeping me from tearing right into him. But there’s nothing I can do about the stupid grin that pulls at my mouth when he takes my hand and leads me across the hall into room 616.

He leans his shoulder into mine as he reads aloud through the end of
The Grapes of Wrath
, and I catch Mr. Snyder’s smile as he notices.

“Nicely done, Mr. Cain,” he says with a wink. “There will be no final exam for this class, but your wrap-up essays for
The Grapes of Wrath
will be twenty-five percent of your grade for the course. I’ve put together some questions to help you frame your final thoughts on this book.” He drops a stack of papers at the end of each row, and they’re passed down. “You want to take your time on the outline—really formulate your thoughts—before starting on the essay. Utilize all your chapter outlines to pull this together. This is Thursday. I’ll give you until Monday to put together your outline based on this list of questions. Your essays will be due the following Monday—the last day of class. Take a minute to read through the questions before the bell.”

Luc scans the page, then he looks at me with a crooked smile. “I think we’re going to need to spend all weekend locked in my apartment working on these.”

I lean into his shoulder. “Will I be your prisoner, or am I free to come and go?”

His crooked smile pulls into that wicked grin. “You won’t
want
to go anywhere.”

And the bell rings, shocking my heart back into rhythm.

But, when we step out into the hall, I’m shocked again. My heart sputters and nearly stops. ’Cause Gabe is leaning against my locker, smiling at me like some kind of angel.

God, he’s beautiful.

My feet stutter, and Luc wraps his arm around my waist to steady me. I take a deep breath and force my feet forward.

When Luc sees Gabe, his hand around my waist tightens. “Gabriel.”

I can’t look Gabe in the eye, but I hear the disappointment in his voice and it nearly rips me in half. “Walk with me to physics?”