Soul Stripper (15 page)

“What the Hell are you
wearing?
” Her eyes traveled down my body.

“It’s a revenge outfit.” I rolled my eyes and walked with her down the stairs.

Her eyes flicked to my door, recalling Wills. “Ah.”

“Anything happen last night? Were you inside the whole time?”

She nodded. “I was invisible all night. I saw nothing. I mean, I
heard
you two. I even had to slip out of your bedroom as unnoticed as possible before he threw you down, but overall it was quiet.”

I stuck my head in my bag and pulled out the note and handed it to Kayce. “Then how did this end up taped to my closet door?”

She was quiet while she read it. “I-I don’t know. Monica, honest. No one was in your house. I would have sensed them.”

“What if they were invisible too?”

She shook her head. “I still would have sensed something. Someone’s presence.” She paused, thinking, her eyes glancing back to my apartment where Wills lay fast asleep. “What if . . .”

We made eye contact. “No. Not possible.”

“He was in your apartment all night, Mon. It’s the only explanation.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not possible. He’s an infant demon. And not a very powerful one, at that. Lucien said to perform these incantations you need a very powerful immortal. Wills is not. Besides, I got a text message last night, too.” I pulled out my phone and scrolled to the text. “And as I got it, Wills was at the bar ordering—no phone in hand. It’s not him, Kayce.”

She read the text, and with a sigh handed the phone back to me. “Let’s just—I dunno. Let’s not rule him out yet.”

I nodded, still not liking where her mind was at. “Lucien can mask his power sometimes. Couldn’t a higher immortal have done that?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, chewing that over. “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” Her head dropped into her hands. “You know, that fucking Newton’s cradle thing was going nuts all night. I thought it was moving because I was in the apartment—but now, I-I don’t know.” She rubbed her eyes and ran a hand through her raven hair. “Shit. I should have paid more attention to it.”

A tremble coursed through my body. The thought of some stranger, particularly one who wanted me dead, watching us have sex was disgusting. “It’s okay, Kayce. It’s not your fault. I mean, if anyone with the slightest bit of immortality enters, it goes nuts.”

She nodded. “I almost forgot. Lucien wanted me to give these to you.” She held up a small device. “This is a GPS tracker.” She tucked it in my purse. “Make sure you keep your purse on you at all times. It’s just in case we lose your tail. And this”—she held up what looked like bulky new age necklace—“is a panic button. If you get in trouble, squeeze the center of the necklace. It’s also a GPS in case you lose your purse in the process of being murdered.”

“Nice,” I muttered. The necklace was hideous and the kind of thing fucking Adrienne would wear. Combined with the outfit, I
was
actually starting to look like her.

“I know, it’s gaudy.” She smiled and turned invisible. “So! Off to work we go. I’ll be with you until lunch. Not sure who’s taking over then.”

I grunted in response. I opted to walk to work today since it was only a few blocks and not too hot outside. The threats were becoming much more real than in the beginning. Something about this person watching me have sex was entirely too unsettling. It was early—especially for Vegas. Not too many people out yet. But the ones who were out—were they just going about their day? Or were they following me? I shivered and clutched the ugly necklace in my fist.

T
he café was already open and serving a few customers when I arrived. I whispered to Kayce as quietly as I could. “You don’t have to be invisible, you know.”

“I know. I don’t want to spook our man, though.”

Drew looked up as I entered, and his eyes became wide, looking up and down at me. “Um.” He stuttered a few moments, finding his words. “Wow.”

I slipped behind the coffee counter and tied a headband around my hair. FDA regulations.

Drew cleared his throat and forced himself to look at my eyes, not eight inches lower. “Not exactly the outfit I expected after dragging you out of bed at six a.m.”

I shrugged. “I was trying to annoy Wills.”

He nodded, allowing his gaze to drop to my thong strings sticking out. “I’m in favor of that.” He nodded, and his fingers traveled to the strip of skin not covered by my jeans or shirt. He ran his rough hands across my stomach and hooked a finger into the thong strap, snapping it back against my skin. “I especially like these.” His face split into a grin. “Exactly how much does this little bit of floss cover?” His breathing was deep and labored. From where I stood, his jeans looked tight in the front.

“Too much as far as I’m concerned.” Goose bumps traveled across my flesh at his touch. His hands were warm and gentle. He looked up at me over his nose, and I felt my chest rising and falling quicker than normal. Behind us, a ceramic mug fell into the sink and cracked in two pieces with a loud crash, breaking our trance.

“Breakfast,” I said quickly, looking over at the broken mug. The hungry gaze in his eyes all but disappeared. “You make breakfast, I’ll clean this up.” I headed toward the sink and picked up the broken shards.

“Right,” he said, and snapped his fingers. All the customers were taken care of for now. I was sure we’d have another rush of people soon enough. I wanted my food before that happened. “How about some chilaquiles for breakfast?”

I grinned. “Look at you, being all ethnic.”

“My mother was half Mexican,” he said matter-of-factly.

“What? No way. You’re like, the whitest white guy I’ve ever met.”

He laughed at that, starting to mix the eggs.

“I never knew that.” I spoke more to myself than to him.

He stopped mixing and looked up at me. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”

I nodded, not knowing what else to say.

I used the time it took him to cook my breakfast to stock the front with coffee beans and grind up some espresso. Only one other customer came in during this time, so I made myself a caramel mocha. I wrapped my fingers around the steaming mug and raised it to my lips. With a sigh, I took my first sip. Heaven. I closed my eyes and savored it.
Coffee is a lot less messy than orgasms and relationships,
I thought as I took another drink.

“Is it that good?”

I opened my eyes to find Drew standing there with a plate of chilaquiles in hand.

“Better than sex.”

He huffed a laugh. “Clearly you’re having sex with the wrong men.”

I leaned on the counter and held the mug out to him. “Wanna sip?”

He shook his head. “No, thanks. I’m not a fan of all that sugar.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “You’ll never achieve the sort of bliss the caramel mocha gives without a little sugar. It could induce multiple orgasms.”

His face creased into a smile. “You’re flirting with me, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not.”
Of course I was flirting
. I guess I was still getting even with Wills.

“You are such a bitch.”
Kayce’s voice was quiet enough that I don’t think Drew heard her.

“Well, here’s your breakfast. As promised.” Drew set the plate in front of me. “Go sit for a bit. Enjoy it. It’s still slow here. I can cover until you’re done.”

I grabbed the plate and inhaled the scent of cilantro, eggs, and spice.

“Oh, and Monica?” I turned to face him. “If you get a refill, be sure to use protection. Those caramel lattes are a slutty bunch.”

I smiled, walking to an empty table and lowered myself to the chair.

“
Psst!
Over here!” came from one of the empty tables to my left. I stood back up and followed Kayce’s voice over to the area I thought she was. I hovered over another empty table. “Nope, one more over.” I went to the left again and saw an empty table with the chair pulled out just enough for one person to comfortably sit.

I set my plate down and lowered myself into the chair next to Kayce. “So?” I said, quietly holding my coffee mug up to my lips. I felt a bit silly talking to an empty chair, though I was certain no one could hear us.

“Someone cast a spell in here. I could sense the incantation coming from somewhere—for all I know it could have been cast from miles away. It was weird. It didn’t feel like a demon necessarily. Whoever it was did not like you being close to Drew. The spell broke the cup.”

I nodded. I don’t know why I didn’t assume that before. It was weird that it just
happened
to fall.

The door to the café opened and in walked George, my favorite incubus. He came over, a bright smile stretching from ear to ear. “Hello, my love.” He bent down and kissed each of my cheeks. George was the oldest incubus known to man—he was also Merlin’s father. Yes,
that
Merlin. Like from King Arthur’s Court. He lowered himself just above Kayce’s lap and looked behind him. “Who the fuck is sitting there?” He looked at me, still half squatting over the seat.

I laughed. “Kayce. She’s undercover.”

“Damn, girl. You could have said something before I stuck my ass in your face.”

“What can I say?” Kayce voice had a mischievous edge to it. “I liked the view.”

George smirked and shrugged one shoulder to his ear. “Well, what can I say. My ass is perfection. Too bad you’re not sixty pounds heavier with a dick. I’d be all over your Asian ass.”

George was wearing his typical look. Slate gray slacks tailored to perfection. Blue short-sleeved button-down shirt, tucked in. Black belt, black shoes. Newsboy hat with coarse, curly hair popping out from all sides. Clear skin the color of my mocha latte. Downright delicious.

He slanted his eyes at me. If he could see Kayce, I’m sure she would have gotten the same look. “What’s going on here?”

I widened my eyes and blinked innocently. “What do you mean?”

“You’re dressed like a whore—very uncharacteristic for our little angel. And Miss Thang there has her invisibility cloak on. I’m not an idiot. Something’s up.”

“Kayce’s avoiding a guy she slept with last night.” I was bluffing. My earlobe itched and I refused to scratch it. It was my tell.

George narrowed his eyes and looked around. “And who exactly was her target? The sweet old man sitting next to his seventy-year-old wife? Or the thirteen-year-old boy sitting with his mom and sister?”

Shit.
I looked around and he was right. There were only two guys in the room. One was lined up for Social Security and the other couldn’t yet
spell
Social Security.

George leaned back in his chair, arms crossed and smiling. Kayce’s voice cackled beside us. “I’m babysitting Monica, okay? You can’t tell anyone, though.”

“And why exactly does Monica need a babysitter?”

No one said anything. I sighed. “Kayce, you’re to blame for this. Lucien’s going to have your head.”

“What-the-fuck-ever. I’ll squeeze
his
head.”

“Amen to that.” George looked over at me, eyes turning serious. “So? What the Hell is going on?”

“Uh, Monica?” I looked up to see Drew standing over me. “Is everything okay?”

I smiled. “Yep. I’m almost done eating. I’ll join you soon. Sorry it took so long. Just catching up with George.”

Drew put a hand on George’s shoulder. “Hey, man, how’s it goin’? Haven’t seen you around in a while.”

“Fantastic, as always.” George held out his hand and Drew took it, slapping him on the back as well.

“Well, it’s always good to see you here.” Drew looked back at me. “Take your time eating. Just wanted to make sure things were okay. You were sitting over here alone talking to yourself for a bit, I noticed.”

I crinkled my nose and George laughed. “Just a—habit I picked up from living alone, I guess.”

Drew grabbed an empty mug from the table next to us. “Maybe it’s time to get a cat then, Mon.”

I shuddered as Drew turned and went back to the counter, wiping down a table on his way. My head snapped back to George. “If I ever end up as the crazy Siamese-owning succubus, please just put me out of my misery.”

“Awww, your mister is so protective of you. It’s cute.” He pouted his bottom lip out.

I ate another couple bites of my breakfast and pushed the plate to the middle of the table. “Either of you want the rest?”

George didn’t answer, but already had a forkful halfway to his mouth. “I can eat while Kayce explains what’s going on.”

I rolled my eyes and went back to work.

 

By one o’clock, I was ready to curl up back in bed. This work stuff wasn’t as easy when you don’t have people’s souls fueling you. Somewhere in the midmorning, I hit my stride. George had left hours ago and I knew that Kayce was switched out with someone. There was a brush against my cheek somewhere around noonish, which I’m guessing was either a good-bye from Kayce or a hello from Lucien or Julian. Either way, it was a comforting gesture—but it made me uneasy not knowing who was around. The café filled up somewhere around ten with the after-church crowd, so I couldn’t even find a moment to ask who was watching me. At one point I thought I smelled peppermint, which would have meant Julian was there—but it could have been the mint tea we carry at the shop.

“Still wearing that outfit, I see.” I turned to find Wills standing stiffly behind me.

“Of course I am,” I said in an equally staccato voice.

He sighed. “Can you please shift into something else?”

My angry facade broke down, face softening. “At my next break, I’ll find something else to wear.” I had a blazer in my locker I could cover up with. Shifting was, of course out of the question. To be honest, the stupid outfit was completely uncomfortable.

His lips tipped into a small, defeated smile. “Thank you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather cord. It had knots with small onyx stones tied in a line and at the center dangled my mysterious blue stone from Erik. “Here. This is for you.”

“Wow, that was fast.” I took the stone in my hand, and it was warm as always. I always imagined stones to be cool to the touch, and this one almost never was. “It’s amazing. I love the leather cord. Thank you.” I reached an arm around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

He also pulled out two little studs with the same matching stone. “A piece of it chipped off when he was setting it in the necklace. Instead of throwing it away, he made these.”

I had a few holes in my ears and put the little studs in my second piercing.

He held the necklace as I finished putting the earrings in. “Here, let me.” He reached around my neck to remove the panic button necklace Kayce gave me.

“No!” I shouted a little too emphatically, and he coiled his hands away from me. “Um, I’m sorry. I just think they’re both so beautiful. Look, they go together well!” I held up his necklace next to the long gold chain that was already around my neck.

A brief look of annoyance flashed over his face. He clearly wasn’t happy about sharing my neck space with another piece of jewelry. Undoing the clasp, he slipped the leather cord around my neck. His fingers brushed my clavicle and down my chest to the edge of my low-cut shirt. He pressed a kiss into the crook of my neck. “Wear it always?”

I nodded. “Definitely.”

He smiled again. “Okay. Well, I’m off. Have some demon business to take care of out in Reno for a day or so. I’ll be back Monday night.”

I nodded. “Business? Doing what?”

He rolled his eyes. “Essentially glorified clerical work. I have a meeting with your Queen’s assistant.” His eyes drooped in a bored kind of way.

“Lexi?” I suppressed a shudder.

He nodded. “I’ve had to work with her before—balancing budgets and whatnot. She’s not so terrible, so long as you do as she says.”

I put my hand to his cheek. He was about twelve hours past a five o’clock shadow, and his stubble scraped my palm. I rubbed my thumb in circles over his jaw. “Well, you’re the sexiest finance demon I’ve ever met.” I pulled his chin in for another kiss and touched the stone on my neck. “Thank you again. It’s lovely.”

He smiled and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me in tightly. “I want a real kiss.” He pressed his lips to mine and our tongues touched hungrily. He released me, backing away a step, and I steadied myself against the table. He smiled. “I just can’t resist when I’m close to you. Dinner Monday?”

I nodded, and he chucked me under the chin before leaving the café.

“Well, that was cute.” Lucien’s voice was so close to my ear, he must have been standing inches away from me. I turned quickly, but no one was there. Invisible. Fucking demons. “Aw, disappointed? Expecting . . . someone else? Don’t worry. Your angel will be taking over later.”

I cleared my throat grabbing a napkin, and whispered as quietly as I could into it. “I can’t talk to you here. You know that.”

He chuckled. “I know.” I rolled my eyes and bused a table.

A brush against my arm made me jump, and I nearly dropped the half-full coffee mug I was cleaning. Drew held his hands up, palms out. “Whoa, sorry.”

I shook my head. “My fault. I’m a bit jumpy today.”

“Ready for lunch?”

I looked over to the counter, and sometime between George, Kayce, Wills, and Lucien’s visits, two of our other baristas had shown up. I blew a gush of air up to get my hair out of my eyes. “I am so
very
ready for lunch.” He took the dirty plates I had in my hands and flashed me a perfect smile.