That Old Black Magic

SIX



After he left Eden to her busy office-workings, Darrak was a bit surprised to see Stanley sitting at a table at Hot Stuff. Although it did make sense. After all, his brand-new fiancée worked behind the counter.

Two words: free coffee.

Stanley spotted Darrak and immediately turned to study the wall as if looking for a crack to crawl into.

“Relax,” Darrak said as he approached the nervous-looking man. Other than Stanley there were a half dozen other customers in the small, delicious-smelling café. “I come in peace.”

“Sure. Great.” Stanley ran a hand through his thinning hair. “Glad to hear it. Hey, Darrak, how are tricks?”

“Tricks are for kids. Or wizards.”

“Oh, right. You—you saw Maksim earlier, didn’t you?”

“I did indeed. Believe it or not, he helped us. More than I even thought possible.”

“Thank God.”

“Or whomever.” Darrak cast a glance over at Nancy behind the glass counter filled with pastries, who in turn was sending a look of love and devotion toward Stanley. “So you and Nancy are tying the knot, huh?”

Stanley gripped his coffee mug tighter and leaned back in his seat. “We are.”

“Your idea or hers?”

“Mine.”

“Really? I didn’t think you were that into her.”

“Things change quickly. I love her. I know it’s crazy and fast, but that’s just the way it is. I’m an old-fashioned guy.”

“I never would have thought it.”

“Maybe you should do the same with Eden.”

Darrak frowned. “What?”

Stanley shrugged. “Ask her to marry you. Why not? I get the feeling you’re into each other.”

That was a thought. A completely insane—if vaguely intriguing—thought. Ask Eden to marry him? Stanley had been drinking one too many espressos today.

“Not so sure about that, but thanks for your opinion.”

“When I found the right girl, I knew I’d want to spend the rest of my life with her. Whammo. That girl is Nancy. And here we are.”

“Here we are.”

“I’m going to leave.” Stanley cast a plaintive look toward the exit.

“Don’t go on my account.”

“Oh, no. This has nothing to do with you. I, uh, have a bunch of things I need to take care of.”

“I’m not going to hurt you, Stanley. Seriously. Just chill. What’s your problem, anyway?” Darrak was starting to get a complex. If he wanted someone to be scared of him, then that was one thing. A flash of talon or horn from his demonic visage usually did the trick. But this was . . . weird.

So much for making friends and influencing people without even trying. This was more like terrorizing and traumatizing.

“I don’t want to go to Hell,” Stanley blurted out. “I’ve done some bad things in my life, but now that I’ve found Nancy, I’ve found a reason to redeem myself. Spending time with . . . well, with demons isn’t going to earn me any brownie points.”

Darrak took a seat across from him. “You think I have any pull down there anymore?”

“You’re a demon.”

“Uh . . . yeah. And your point?”

“I know you’re not dragging anyone’s ass to Hell at the moment, but that might change at any time.”

Interesting point. There was a time, not so long ago, that Darrak had been convinced that this was temporary, this humanity that infused him, making him feel guilty about anything remotely demonic he did. He’d been certain once the curse that destroyed his original form was broken, when he was able to reform himself on a permanent basis, his old ways would return in full force.

But that wasn’t going to happen. He had it on very good authority.

Darrak was a changed man. A demon with morals.

Which obviously sucked for way too many reasons to count.

He tried not to think about it. Accepting it was not something he was ready to do yet, but he’d have to eventually.

The main problem was that morals got in the way when it came to life in the proverbial basement. It wasn’t such a nice place, depending on how you looked at it, but from a normal demon’s eyes, it was business as usual. If Darrak returned to the pit with his new outlook on life, he might start trying to rescue the damned souls who’d been sent there. The ones that screamed the loudest, anyway. That sound wouldn’t be quite as melodic anymore. It would actually bother him to hear anyone in agony like that, whether they deserved it or not.

Maybe he’d just try to steer clear of the main hot spots. So to speak.

As if going back to Hell was even an option for him. What a laugh. As soon as he stepped foot anywhere within the Netherworld, he’d be exposed for what he was—a freak of nature. He was now an outcast, a hybrid, a demon with humanity and a bit too much celestial energy he’d digested, thanks to Eden, that he needed to burn off before he could go anywhere near Hell again undetected.

What a mess.

Quite honestly, the only thing keeping him from gnashing his teeth, or whatever, about this situation was Eden.

He knew the love he felt for her weakened him, made him less of a demon. And the craziest thing was he really couldn’t care less. He’d never experienced something like this before. Ever. And it made him . . . happy.

At least, when it wasn’t making him completely miserable.

Ah, love, Darrak thought. I could totally write one of those sexy romance novels if I wanted to.

Hmm. That might be a good idea, actually.

He heard somebody whimpering. He looked up from his thoughts and realized he had Stanley’s wrist in a death grip. He let go immediately, no harm done.

“Hey, baby!” Nancy called over from the counter. “Everything okay over there?”

“Oh . . . yeah. No problem. Just chatting with Darrak.”

“Cool! Darrak you want another donut?”

“I’m good, thanks,” Darrak said. Good. Well, that might be an overstatement, really.

Nancy sent another shiny smile their way before she moved to answer the phone.

Darrak cast a look at the man tensely sitting across from him. “Look, Stanley, listen to me and I want you to hear the words coming out of my mouth. I’m not going to hurt you, maim you, eviscerate you, or otherwise bother you. I am not going to kill you and drag your soul to Hell. I do not like green eggs and ham. Et cetera. Get it through your head.”

Stanley frowned. “So you’re being totally serious with me. The rumors are true that you’ve changed.”

“Uh-huh. Wait, you’ve heard rumors?”

He shrugged. “A few from, uh, Maksim. He called this morning to let me know he was back, which was why I was so surprised to hear from you immediately afterward.”

Darrak grimaced. Another mark against him that made him feel like less than his once-powerful self. “Perfect timing.”

“Are you going to see Maksim again?”

“Not sure. I got a bad vibe off him, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. For his sake, I hope he wasn’t screwing around with us.”

“Will you hurt him if he was?”

A slow smile snaked across Darrak’s face. “You know, everyone always assumes all a demon ever cares about is violence and mayhem and the sound of tearing flesh. But, trust me, that’s actually only 95 percent of the time. We do have a few other hobbies, you know.”

The look of horror that crossed Stanley’s face shouldn’t have amused him, but it did anyway. Maybe he was still evil down deep.

It was a comforting thought, actually.





Eden spent the day organizing Andy’s files. It was what she typically did on Thursdays, nice mindless work—mostly deciphering her partner’s lousy handwriting. She went out midafternoon to Hot Stuff to grab a sandwich, which sat heavily in her queasy stomach.

Stomach flu. Definitely.

She had to look on the bright side—she’d removed Darrak’s spell. That was a huge step in the right direction and it made today a wonderful one.

Visit from dead mother and darkening amulet notwithstanding.

Her mother was back. Her dead mother had returned from both the grave and Hell itself to show up on her doorstep. This revelation brought with it conflicting emotions in Eden. On one side she was glad Caroline had survived her trip to Lucas’s domain unscathed. It showed that he did follow through with his promise to release her. On the other hand, the last thing Eden needed right now was a mother set on redemption who wanted to pitch in and help save her daughter from the big bad demon.

She’d deal with Caroline, and of course she’d want to see her again and try to work things out between the two of them. Just not today. Today she needed to deal with the black magic. If only it didn’t come at so heavy a price, she would use it for just about anything. Housework would be a breeze, for instance. And cooking. And getting dressed. She’d be Samantha Stephens and Darrak could be Darrin. A happy couple who made the differences between them work, no matter what.

Happy couple.

Was that possible? Did they really have a future together, despite how many odds were stacked against them?

It sounded like a pipe dream at best to a realist like Eden. There were just too many difficulties for her to just ignore.

Love didn’t fix everything, even if she really, really wished it could.

But still, she couldn’t help but be hopeful.

When it was close to sunset, it was time to shut down the office and go get Darrak and leave before his curse hit and he lost corporeal form. Eden grabbed her coat from the rack near the door and slid it on, grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, then reached into her pocket for her keys. Something else was in the pocket, something small and hard; for a moment she didn’t know what it was until she pulled it out.

A marble.

She looked at it. “I don’t remember putting you in my pocket.”

The marble immediately heated up and she squinted against the bright light it emanated.

“Oh—” she began, but by the time she finished she wasn’t in the Triple-A office anymore—“shit!”

Eden was now standing on a beach.

The marble was a summoning crystal given to her a couple of weeks ago. It always brought her here, to a place that looked exactly like a beautiful tropical beach at sunset, with ocean waves lapping gently against the shore, golden sand, and a warm breeze scented with papaya and lilies.

She’d just been summoned here, to a place that didn’t actually exist in real life.

And she already knew by whom.

Another feeling of queasiness went through her, but this had very little to do with a stomach flu. Turning her head slightly to the right she saw him approach from down the beach. He wore white pants and a white shirt. No shoes. He was smiling.

A shiver raced down her spine.

“Hello Eden,” Lucas said.

She cleared her throat. “What am I doing here?”

“You’re looking well.”

“Thank you. What am I doing here?”

“You think I sent for you?”

That’s exactly what she thought, and it made her nervous. “Did you predict I’d touch the marble just now?”

“I’m afraid I’m not capable of predicting the future, so no. A gift like that would come in handy, though, I have to say.”

“I guess I find it difficult to believe that someone like you doesn’t have that ability.”

He laughed. “Oh? I guess my reputation gives the impression I’m much more powerful than I really am.”

This was one of the biggest problems with Lucas. He was so disarming, so charming, so friendly. Even the way he looked—or chose to look when in Eden’s presence—didn’t help. Short brown hair, a bit shaggy. Warm brown eyes. A very attractive, but not intimidatingly handsome face. He looked like the perfect guy next door.

He’d also nearly destroyed Darrak with a mere thought the last time they’d been face-to-face. Lucas might be charming, but the Prince of Hell didn’t take disappointment very well.

He was powerful, dangerously so, even if he didn’t readily admit it.

Eden felt a great need to fill the uncomfortable silence that fell between them. “My mother is back.”

“Is she?”

“I think you already know that. She’s a drifter now.”

“You don’t seem pleased by this.”

“I’m not. How do I get her to Heaven?”

He studied her. “You don’t. She is where she needs to be. Her soul is an in-between case, Eden. Not dark enough for me to keep in Hell indefinitely, but not light enough for her to ascend to Heaven.”

“So she stays in the human world forever?”

“The slate is not cleared for Caroline Riley, but this is a chance for her to redeem herself—or damn herself further. Her actions now will tilt her one way or another. And one day she might be given the chance to move on, be it up or down. It’s nice to have choices. It’s something I never got.”

Eden wasn’t going to touch that bitter comment with a ten-foot pole. Lucas had issues when it came to his fate. She had no idea how many years, centuries, millennia it had been since the original fallen angel was first sent down to Hell, but he had a chip on his shoulder the size of the planet Jupiter about it.

“Fine. So I guess I’m stuck with my mother.”

“You saved her soul. Does she even know that?”

“No. And I’m not planning on telling her.”

“So modest.” He walked a slow circle around her, and she felt very uncomfortable as his gaze slid leisurely over her.

“Why am I here, Lucas?”

“I like that you call me Lucas. It makes me feel more human.”

“No comment.”

“But you’re right. I did want to see you. Approaching you when Darrak’s around probably isn’t such a good idea.”

She snorted. “Believe it or not, he mentioned you earlier today. Said that I should—”

She clamped her mouth shut before she finished that sentence. Perhaps it was best not to venture into that territory.

“Said you should what?” Lucas’s scrutiny was almost palpable as he took another turn around her like a circling shark scenting an injured seal. His gaze finally fell on her amulet. “Maybe I can guess why my name was brought up.”

She clamped a hand over it. “Are you a mind reader, too?”

“Another ability that would prove extremely useful. No, Eden, I can’t predict the future and I can’t read minds. But I’ve existed for a very long time and my skills of deduction are second to none. Your amulet is darker. You’ve been using your magic again.”

Eden thought about the curse removal she wanted to attempt tomorrow morning. “I need to use it.”

“Even knowing the consequences.”

“Yes.”

Lucas’s lips twisted with amusement. “Was it Darrak who suggested you kiss me again so I can take some of that darkness away or was it you?”

Her cheeks warmed. “Neither.”

“Liar.” Then the humor faded from his expression. “Drinking your darkness goes against my ultimate plan, Eden. I want to get back to Heaven, not push myself farther away.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not asking you for anything.” She focused on the ocean and the sunset that didn’t rise or lower from its eternal position. “I need to go back now. I have things to do.”

“Like attempting to break Darrak’s curse?”

She stifled a gasp. “How do you know that?”

“Skills of deduction, remember?” His smile returned. “Have you told him what your delicious celestial energy has done to him yet?”

Eden blanched. “The subject hasn’t come up.”

“It will destroy what little sense of self he still has left. The ego is very important to demons—especially lesser ones.”

“I disagree.”

“Then why haven’t you told him yet?”

Frustration pricked at her. She turned away from Lucas to study the calming waves of the ocean. “I have to get back. He’ll wonder where I’ve gone.”

“No he won’t. I’ll return you within the same millisecond that you left.”

This earned him a look. “Really?”

He nodded. “Or . . . maybe I should return you a hundred years from now. I might not see the future or read minds, but I do have certain abilities. Keeping you away from him at sunset would certainly help break his ties to you, wouldn’t it? He’d be sent directly to the Void if he can’t find a new body to possess in time.”

There was a veiled threat behind the softly spoken words. He was right. Lucas was in control—he was always in control. He could tear Eden and Darrak apart with only a thought, he had that much power over them.

Eden struggled to breathe normally. “You brought me here for a reason, so let’s get to it. Enough small talk.”

He studied her for a moment before nodding. “Fine. When we were last together I told you that you worked for me now. You owe me for how things worked out last time.”

Lucas had wanted to get his hands on a weapon—a diamond that had been infused with celestial energy called an angelheart. With it he planned to kill his inner beast, the anchor that kept him trapped in Hell. He called that beast Satan. Eden hadn’t met Satan—Lucas’s split personality—but from what she’d heard, she never wanted to. Eden gave him the diamond, but its power had already been spent and it was useless to him.

To make up for this, she was now his Girl Friday.

“What do you need me to do?” It would be futile to try to deny him or say no to whatever came next. The best thing for her to do was hear him out and then figure out a way to do it.

Lucas pulled a small card out of his pocket. “There’s someone I need you to find for me.”

She took the card from him. “It’s blank.”

“I know.”

“Why is it blank?”

“Because this person has been cloaked from me. The details are written on that card, but I cannot see it. It will remain blank for as long as I’m near it.” His lips thinned. “Which is why I need you.”

“Okay.” It didn’t make sense to her, but she wasn’t going to argue. She needed to get back to Darrak before sunset. “Why me?”

“You’re a private investigator. I assume you’ll be able to find a missing person with a little bit of digging and a couple clues. All I do know is that they can be found somewhere in your city.”

Seemed shaky reasoning at best, but she kept her lips sealed. Lucas would have an arsenal of demons to send out to do his dirty work. Why use her?

“Why do you want this person?”

“I want to talk to them.”

“About what?”

“That’s my own business.”

“Just talk?” She looked at him skeptically. “Not torture? Not imprison in Hell? Not use against someone else?”

He held her gaze steadily. “Just talk.”

“About what?”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t answer her. He pulled a silver chain out of his pocket and put it in her palm. It looked like a charm bracelet without the charms. “You’ll place this on his or her wrist.”

“And then what?”

“That’s it.”

She looked at the chain. “Sounds too simple.”

“Are you refusing to do this for me?”

“And if I do?” she asked, then flicked her eyes to meet his. His expression didn’t change.

“I suggest you don’t.”

He sounded so pleasant, but the threat was there. This man—this thing—in front of her might not be able to read minds or see the future, but he was the most powerful being she’d ever met. And if she could help it, she’d rather not piss him off anytime soon.

“When does it have to be done?”

“Tomorrow. Right after your attempt to remove Darrak’s curse.”

She looked at him sharply, but bit her tongue. He couldn’t see the future, but he knew way too much about her. It made her extremely nervous.

“Will you do this for me?” he asked.

“I can’t believe you’re actually giving me a choice.”

“You need to say yes, or this isn’t a binding agreement. And you need to do so of your own free will.”

“Will you destroy Darrak if I don’t agree to this?”

He didn’t speak for a very long moment. Then finally, “No. But know this, Eden. It’s your choice if I’m your friend or your enemy. And trust me, you don’t want me to be your enemy.”

She had absolutely no doubt about that. “I’ll look for your guy tomorrow. I promise.”

“Glad to hear it.”

She turned away to look at the ocean. “Now I need to get back to—”

Lucas pulled her around to face him and before she could say anything, he crushed his mouth against hers. She gasped against his lips as he kissed her and her hands went up against his chest to push him back. He was smiling when she managed to break away, but his eyes were black—fully black.

“Damn,” he said. “Wish that didn’t taste so good.”

She touched her fingertips to her mouth. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”

“Good-bye, Eden.” He snapped his fingers.

She’d been dismissed.

A bright flash of light and she stood in the Triple-A office. She staggered back a few feet until she felt the edge of her desk behind her.

A moment later, the door jingled open and Darrak walked in. He looked at her standing there in shock, clutching the silver bracelet.

“Did I miss something?” he asked with a frown.

“I—I had a visitor. Sort of.”

His gaze moved to her amulet, and his expression turned tense and concerned. Fire flared up—literally—in his previously ice blue eyes. “Lucifer was here.”

“Not exactly. He summoned me. He said it was only a millisecond.” She glanced at the clock. No more than five minutes had passed. Not a millisecond, but close enough. “He gave me an assignment. Wants me to find a guy for him and put this on his wrist.” She raised the bracelet.

He appeared to relax slightly now that he knew she was unharmed, but there was nothing pleasant in his gaze. “Pretty. So was that before or after he stuck his tongue down your throat?”

“Uh . . . before. And there was no tongue.”

“Glad you thought my idea to kiss him again was a good one after all.”

“I didn’t ask for that. He just did it.”

“Well, that was nice of him, wasn’t it? So helpful, the Prince of Hell. A real swell guy.”

“Don’t, Darrak,” she warned. The desk legs squeaked against the floor as she pushed away from it. “Seriously. I’m not feeling up to this right now. You don’t have to be jealous about this. Of all the people in the universe I’d like to kiss, he’s not even on the list.”

He frowned. “I know that. This is actually much worse than a little jealousy. You’ve become an object to him. Something he now desires.”

She shook her head. “He doesn’t feel that way toward me.”

“It’s not as simple as him wanting to have sex with you. Trust me. That guy could have his pick of anyone in the universe if he wanted. But he wants you. There’s something about you he’s drawn to. He doesn’t do nice things just because. He’s freaking Lucifer, Eden. He’s up to something. Some master plan. And it has to do with you.”

Her breath caught. “What?”

“I don’t know. But even with our bond, he has the ability to snatch you away and I can’t protect you. I don’t like that at all.”

“I can handle him.”

“Really? You can handle Lucifer, the Prince of Hell.” He didn’t sound like he held much faith in that statement. He paced over to the glass door and looked out at the darkening parking lot.

Could she handle him? Maybe it was a good time for a little bit of optimism. “Sure I can. Why not?”

His brow furrowed. “It—it’s time, Eden.”

“Time for—?”

“What do you think?” Darrak clamped his hand over his stomach and doubled over. He nodded toward the window. Outside the sun had sunk beneath the horizon. Night came early in mid-November.

A moment later, his body shifted from a solid six-foot-tall handsome man to an ominous column of black smoke, which then moved through the office toward her as if she was a magnet.

Eden swallowed hard. “Tomorrow, Darrak. I’m going to break this curse first thing tomorrow morning once and for all. I swear I will.”

She closed her eyes when the smoke made contact with her and a gasp caught in her throat as he possessed her.

Being possessed by Darrak had always felt good in the past—warm and oddly orgasmic. Today it felt different. It was cold for a moment, as if she had just walked through a freezer, before the cool sensation moved through her limbs right down to her fingertips and toes.

It had to do with the spell she’d removed. That the sensation of being possessed had changed was only more proof she’d been successful. Realizing for certain that what she’d experienced for the last month was a daily anomaly caused by a malevolent spell brought back her previously queasy feeling.

Queasy was definitely the word of the week for many reasons. Terrific.

So, being possessed wasn’t an orgasmic experience anymore. Fine. But it was more proof that she’d be able to successfully break the curse, finally giving Darrak—and her—freedom.

And that was definitely worth celebrating.

“You really think you can break the curse?” Darrak said, his voice now in her head.

“Yes, I do.”

He was quiet for a long, tense moment. “One try. That’s all. And if there’s even a glimpse of anything bad, we stop. Maksim saying it could work doesn’t mean a damn thing. I don’t trust that wizard.”

If it wasn’t for Maksim, she wouldn’t even have attempted the spell removal. “He was trying to help us.”

“Right. Which is pretty much why I don’t trust him. Wizards aren’t usually the most helpful types.”

“But you’re not going to attempt to stop me. One try. You said so yourself.”

“Yeah, fine. But if anything weird happens, we’re pulling the plug.”

Anything weird.

That was the story of her life lately. Why should tomorrow be any different?