SEDUCTIVE SUPERNATURALS: 12 Tales of Shapeshifters, Vampires & Sexy Spirits (188 page)

Evelyn nodded. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

“Will I know if it works?” Lauren asked.

“You should. I would likely be able to control my energy output, and you’d probably be able to hear my thoughts.”

Lauren pulled a face and looked at Jesse. “Thanks, asshole. Bet I’m in for loads of fun.”

“Don’t worry,” Evelyn said. “It probably won’t work anyway.”

“This is uncharted territory, ladies, so I can’t give you many suggestions,” Sasha said. “Lauren, maybe you could try maintaining your hold on Evelyn’s body while visualizing summoning her back into it. And Evelyn, you’ve actually done this before with someone you were comfortable with, so try to relax and do your thing.”

Evelyn didn’t look anywhere near relaxed. “Okay, Lauren, I’m ready. It’s now or never.”

He wanted to tell her good luck or crush her to his body, but he didn’t know where they stood now. She’d said she didn’t love him and he had to accept that. Problem was, as he sat staring at her and took her in—her profound beauty, her sharp intellect, her fierce pride—he knew for a fact he loved her whether or not she felt the same, and he always would.

And Jesse could do nothing but watch as Lauren entered her body, and the woman he loved receded into the ether.

* * *

Evelyn’s first conscious thought was just an image—the mermaid mosaic under her feet and Caesar wagging his tail, as though hoping to go out for a walk. It felt no different than being in a dream, but the image was dimming to black.

“She’s heating up faster every time,” Lauren said. Her lips moved but she hadn’t tried to speak. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to do this.”

“Shit.” It was Jesse’s voice. “It’s not working at all?”

“Wait, the heat is fading.”

Lauren?
Was this really working? It wasn’t anywhere near as easy as with Casey, but the fact that Evelyn was conscious of her own thoughts was a victory in itself.

Can you hear me, Lauren?

“Damn, that’s creepy. It’s like Evelyn is trying to possess
me
now. I think I just heard her.”

“Don’t push back,” Sasha told her. “Just let it happen.”

Evelyn felt the Sentinel in her body—Lauren’s presence layered over her own bones and muscles. She blinked her eyes and the foyer of her temporary home came into focus. Then suddenly, Jesse’s face was before her.

“Can you hear me, Doc? Do something if you can hear me.”

She turned her head away in anguish, not able to meet his eyes.

Sasha winced. “Yep. I’m pretty sure she can hear you.”

Evelyn…are you there? God, this is awkward.

Yeah, Lauren, I’m here. And yes, it is.

Jesse looked dejected, and that cut Evelyn to the core. He’d been so wrong not to share Clark’s plans with her, but she could forgive him for that. What she couldn’t do was let him give up his dreams for her. She’d dreamed about them being together somewhere they could have the dogs and be a family of sorts. But now she knew that couldn’t happen, and she was desolate.

Just hours before, Jesse had been inside her, and she’d been wrapped in what she thought was the safety of his arms. As a lover, she’d never had better. Images of his naked body poised above her came to mind. Images of her legs on his shoulders and his hands on her hips. It had been amazing…and she’d thought it was just the beginning of a lifetime of experiences. Instead, it had probably been their last.

“Oh, gross!” Lauren exclaimed, and Evelyn’s face puckered like she’d sucked on something sour. “Don’t be thinking about that right now, Evelyn. That’s frickin’ nasty. And Jesse…”

He blinked in surprise. “Yeah?”

“Way to go, stud.” And then she winked.

Jeez, Lauren. A little privacy, please? I can’t help it if my thoughts wander. If you don’t like it, don’t listen. And above all—don’t share it! You’re breaking the code.

We have a code? I thought we were “exploring uncharted territory”?

Well, if we have to do this, we darn well need a code. How about: Whatever happens in the body, stays in the body.

Lauren laughed out loud.
Sounds fair to me.
“Sorry, Jesse. That was private, and apparently, I broke the code.”

Jesse walked to the door with a bottle of wine in one hand. He was shaking his head and mumbling something under his breath. Finally, he turned to face them. He looked so tall and handsome in his navy slacks with his biceps straining the sleeves of his polo shirt that Evelyn looked away so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the sight of him.

When he started talking, Lauren moved their gaze back to him. “I’m going to have to turn on my comm device now,” he said. “So Evelyn, that means from now until we call back in, they’ll be monitoring your vitals. Keep in mind that once this is switched on, they’ll be able to hear everything within my ear shot. So if anyone has any concerns of a private nature relating to today’s events, it’s best to get them out now.”

Evelyn snorted. There was no way she was mentally going down that road again. She needed to stay focused.

Hey, wait, that was me. I snorted! That means I might be able to talk, too.

Congratulations. Do you want a medal or something?

Oh, Lauren…the joys of having you in my body. How will I ever cope when you’re gone?

After she’d thought it, Evelyn felt a twinge of fear and anxiety in Lauren’s inner being. Maybe Lauren wasn’t as tough as she made herself out to be. Maybe she was more scared of existing as a spirit than she let on.

I’m fucking fine. Can we stop brain-talking now?

Uh…sorry. Yeah, let’s just try to stop.

“Evelyn and Lauren—anything you’d like to share with the class?” Sasha asked. They stared at her blankly in response. “And keep in mind if you guys are talking to each other in there, be discreet. It looks slightly psycho from where I’m standing.”

“Okay, we got it. We’re fine,” Lauren answered.

Jesse touched his earpiece. “Ops control, we’re ready to roll. Have the local Sentinel unit on standby. I have no reason to expect trouble, but I’m hoping for it. This is our last house, and if there’s no spirit activity here, our ship is sunk.”

They walked out the front door as the sun was starting to go down. The lights from the fountain were almost magical. Evelyn was going to miss this place when this assignment was done. She was going to miss the little slice of life she and Jesse had carved out. Maybe it hadn’t been real…but it had felt real to her and Jesse while it had lasted.

“Will you hold my hand, Laura?” Jesse asked her. Using her cover name was his way of saying
game on
.

She gripped his hand, but Lauren spoke. “You have the spectral gauge, right?”

He shook his head. “It’s freaky not knowing who I’m talking to, ladies. But yeah, I have it. I didn’t need a reminder every other time I took it on a run.”

“Ooh, defensive.”

He glanced at them sideways. “That was Lauren, I bet.”

“Give that man a prize,” she said.

“So, Evelyn, can you talk? Do you want to test it out?” The muscles in his jaw clenched, like he was trying to stay detached, but the events of the day had worn on him.

“Hello, Jesse,” she said softly, and she noticed goose bumps break out on his forearms in response.

“Hello, Doc.” His voice was just as quiet as hers, but the depth of feeling behind it weighed heavy on her. She still hadn’t fully processed that when this assignment was finished, all her dreams were finished with it. No more Immortal Bounty investigator. No more Jesse Hayes. And of the two, she was discovering the last one hurt the most.

Hey, Evelyn… I know this has been a rough night, but try to stay focused. Your thoughts are banging around in my head like a drum, and you’re starting to overheat again.

I’m trying, Lauren. I really am.

She needed to put what had happened between her and Jesse behind her for now, because this was the last house on the block they hadn’t checked, and if the body-traffickers weren’t somehow connected to this home, they were out of places to look. She needed this bounty. When Clark let her go, her signing bonus alone wasn’t going to have a long-lasting impact on her family.

It wasn’t a long walk to the neighbor’s house, but that it took any time at all just reminded Evelyn of how massive their properties were compared to most master-planned communities. That they’d built around the area’s natural oak savannas just made it that much more beautiful.

“Have any hunches on this?” Lauren asked Jesse.

He snickered. “Ask me in an hour.”

If their team did find criminal activity on this street, especially on the scale of this trafficking ring, Evelyn wondered what it might do to property values…but then she remembered that it wouldn’t matter because she would be back in the dirty slums of her hometown by then anyway. Her bonus would be enough to move her and her dad to a better place, but it wouldn’t be enough to hire someone to permanently relocate the rest of the family from their final resting place.

Her and Jesse’s rented home was French renaissance architecture, but Anne and Henry’s house looked to her like a grand Spanish villa with white stucco, dramatic archways, and a red tile roof. The front gates were left open and a golden retriever ran out to greet them as they walked down the drive.

“Since when did they get a dog?” Evelyn asked as she stopped to pet his silky fur.

Jesse gave her a look. “Laura, honey…remember when you weren’t feeling well today and Gizmo crawled under the fence to play with Caesar?”

He scratched your tits and slobbered all over your face.
Hehehe.

Evelyn put on a smile as the dog sniffed her up and down, indiscreetly lodging his nose in places better left alone. “Of course I recognize good old Gizmo.” Then she added more quietly, “Knock that off, you little creeper.”

His tongue lolled from his mouth in a happy doggy smile, and he gave her a little
woof
. He was a cheery guy, but not quite as dignified as Caesar and Princess Leia. Of course, with a name like Gizmo, what did she expect?

Now remember
, Lauren projected at her,
let me do the talking. We don’t want to be stammering over each other.

Yeah, I got it.

It didn’t bother her that Lauren was the lead on this part. Just to be conscious in this moment and know it was possible to share a lucid possession with someone other than Casey was a huge victory.

Jesse released Evelyn’s hand and rang the doorbell. An elaborate chime sounded, announcing their arrival, and shortly after, Henry opened the door. “Jessop! Laura! I’m so happy you two made it.”

They shook hands, and then Henry ushered them in. “Outside, Gizmo,” he told the dog and closed the door behind him.

Jesse handed their host the bottle of wine. “Thank you for inviting us, Henry.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he replied. “Laura, you’re looking so much better. Anne and I were a little worried about you earlier. We’re so glad you decided to come.”

Evelyn smiled, waiting for Lauren to reply, but she didn’t.

I thought you were supposed to do the talking?

Lauren mentally sighed.
You should have seen the way he looked at your body in that bikini today. Trust me, he doesn’t need encouragement.

Gross.

I know. And his wife, Anne, is a hottie. She’s the blond with the big knockers, the little waist, and the frozen face that could use a little less injectable toxin. You won’t be able to miss her.

Good to know.

They trailed Henry through the house, and it was very similar to hers and Jesse’s…not the style, but the professionally decorated look with few knick knacks. It wasn’t very “lived in,” to Evelyn’s mind, but artificial.

I noticed that, too,
Lauren projected.
But I’m not sure it means anything. People rich enough to live in places like these usually hire people to clean and decorate them and opt for conversation pieces instead of clutter.

Evelyn mentally shrugged. Her family’s apartment was small and old, but at least it wasn’t sterile like this house.

They followed Henry onto the back patio where there were tables and chairs set around the large, tropical space. The pool had a waterfall flowing into it, and the attached spa was heating, making little motes of steam rise from the surface in the waning light. Colorful flowers, green plants, and shrubs abounded.

A man in a white, short-sleeved dress shirt manned the barbeque, and another was busy chopping cilantro at a food preparation table. A woman dressed similarly walked around with a tray serving fruity blended drinks.

So apparently, inviting the neighbors over for stale pizza and warm beer is out,
Lauren quipped.

God, what a lot of work just to impress each other. At least I won’t have to worry about throwing a block party.

Evelyn didn’t need to think about the fact that she would be leaving all of this soon. She was still raw from the afternoon’s revelations and couldn’t think about it if she was going to make it through the night.

A blonde who looked just as Lauren described stood and made her way over. “Laura! I’m so glad you made it.”

She reached for Evelyn’s hands and both Evelyn and Lauren inwardly cringed.

I got this
, Lauren projected. “Hi, Anne! Wow, your home is beautiful! Thank you so much for inviting us.”

“Come on. You and Jessop can sit with me and meet some folks from the neighborhood.”

Jesse put his hand on the small of Evelyn’s back to guide her. Anne had two spots reserved at her table and seating for eight. The ensuing chatter was almost unbearable. They met neighbors, tried to memorize names and occupations, and listened for anything out of the ordinary, but to say that it was dull would have been kind.

Would you be mad if I poked our eyeballs out with a fork?
Lauren asked.
I’m thinking it might be more entertaining than listening to that woman from down the street
say one more thing about her choice of faucets in the bathrooms or her special order dual-flush toilet. If I’m not the one sitting on it, I don’t give a shit.