Personal Demons 2 - Original Sin (7 page)

My pulse pounds in my ears as I reach for the front door handle. With a final glance up the stairs, I pull it open and step quickly out onto the porch.

Luc climbs out of the car and races across the street when he sees me. He grabs my hand and hurries me toward the Shelby. “What is it? What's wrong?” he asks, his eyes darting wildly around my yard.

“I—”

“Is he here? Damn! How did I miss him?” He pushes me into the passenger seat of his car.

“No. It's not that. I just—”

“What did he do, Frannie?” He crouches next to me and looks me over with panicked eyes.

I taste the coffee on his lips as I lean forward, twist my hand into his hair, and press my lips into his. His wired muscles don't relax, but the tension changes. His attention shifts from out there to right here. To me. Which is where I want it. After a minute, he presses into me and cups the back of my neck with his hand, pulling me deeper into the kiss. Finally, I push back.

“I didn't want to be alone.”

Luc pulls me out of the car by my hand and crushes me into the curve of his body. “It's not safe for you to be out here,” he says softly into my hair. “You need to stay in the house, behind your dad's field.”

I push back from him. “My dad's
what
?”

His lips press into a line as he contemplates how he wants to answer that. “There's something about your father, Frannie. I don't know what it is, but I couldn't read him…when I was a demon.” His eyes slide over the street then back to me. “I also couldn't phase into your house, which can happen only if there's a celestial field.”

I think about Dad: Mr. Apple Pie and Baseball. “You think there's something wrong with my dad?”

He shakes his head, but his brow is creased, still contemplating. “Not
wrong,
but he's connected upstairs. You don't know of any reason—?”

“No. There's nothing weird about my dad…well, except that he actually likes brussels sprouts.” I feel my face involuntarily scrunch.

Luc's black eyes sparkle in the silver moonlight as he smiles and loops his arm around my waist, guiding me back to the house. “What time is it?”

“I don't know…maybe four.”

“You should be asleep.”

I smile up at him. “So should you. Your first day on the job starts in, what, six hours? Don't want to fall asleep and drool on the books.”

He turns concerned eyes on me. “Not after what happened at the Gallaghers' tonight. Rhenorian is lurking. I'm not letting you out of my sight.”

We reach my doorstep and he pushes the door slowly open. He pulls me into a kiss and when he tries to pull back, I don't let him. When I smooth my hands over his chest, I can feel the thrum of his heart under my fingers, almost as fast as mine. His lips trace a path from my mouth to my ear and down my neck.

I peel myself away and look into his eyes. “I think that means you have to come upstairs with me,” I whisper.

I twine my trembling fingers into his and pull him through the door. He hesitates at the threshold and shakes his head.

Please. Please. Please come in.

He draws a deep breath. A guilty smile curls one side of his lips as he steps through. His eyes question me and I answer by turning and leading him quickly up the stairs to my room, hoping the creaking stairs aren't really as loud as they seem.

I close my door and press into him, listening for any sound in the hall. After a minute, when all stays quiet, I relax and look up at Luc.

In the pale silver light of the moon, his eyes sparkle. An electric tingle whispers over my skin when he leans in and kisses me again, raising goose bumps. I pull him to the bed and slide my jeans off. He lets out a shaky sigh as I climb in and hold an arm out to him.

“Frannie…,” he whispers, his hand reaching back for the doorknob.

I hold a finger to my lips, then hold my arm out again.

He shoots a glance to the door, then kicks off his boots and slides into my bed. I burrow into him, nuzzling into his neck.

“This is a really bad idea,” he whispers into my hair. But as I glide my hands along his chest, his stomach, lower, I can tell his body likes the idea just fine.

I nibble my way up to his ear. “I think it's the best idea I've ever had.” I press into him and kiss him hard. “You have way too many clothes on,” I whisper into his lips. He props up on an elbow and I pull his T-shirt over his head, then my own. He just stares at my near nakedness for a minute, and I try not to let him see me shake.

“Frannie…,” he whispers again, and I realize I'm not the only one who's shaking.

I twist my fist into his hair and bring his lips back to mine. His mouth slides to my ear. “So much for not using your Sway on people.”

I shudder at his hot breath in my ear and smile. “You're the one who told me I need to practice.”

When he lies back on the pillow, his expression is strained. “I was hoping you might choose a different target. You already know your Sway works on me.” He covers me with the sheet, tucking it around me, and sweeps my tangled hair from my face with a finger.

Rolling onto my back, I blow out a frustrated breath. “You want me to use my Sway to lure someone
else
into my bed? Most guys wouldn't need to be talked into sleeping with their girlfriends.”

“I would think by now you would know I'm not ‘most guys.'” His finger traces the line of my eyebrow. “I've spent seven millennia doing the
wrong
thing. This is one thing I want to do
right.
”

“But I love you. It's not
wrong
to want to be with you.”

His face darkens and his eyes go distant. “I'm fairly certain that everything about you being with me is wrong.”

“Don't make me use my Sway on you again,” I say, touching his cheek and bringing him back to the room.

When his eyes lock on mine, they're deep. “Frannie…” He trails off and shifts onto an elbow above me, still gazing into my eyes. “You don't have to use your Sway on me to make me want you. In all my existence, I've never wanted anything more. But I need this,” he gestures between us, “to be about more than sex.” He cups my cheek in his palm. “I don't want to mess this up by doing something rash.”

I shove him. “Are you implying I have some communicable disease?”

He stifles a laugh and tucks in next to me on the bed, wrapping his arms around me and nuzzling his face into my hair.

I want to be mad, but I feel strangely content as I settle into the crook of his shoulder and lose myself in the silk of his skin.

Until there's a crash in the hall.

In a flash, Luc is over the side of the bed and onto the floor, between the bed and the window. I grab my T-shirt off the floor, but when I pull it over my head, I smell cinnamon. I've got Luc's instead. I yank it on anyway and pull the sheet tight around me.

The light in the hall flips on and I hear doors opening as my whole family empties into the hall. After a minute, there's a knock on my door.

“Huh,” I say, trying to appear groggy even though my heart is hammering and I can barely breathe. I'm about as far from sleepy as I can possibly get. I've never been this wired in my life.

The door cracks open and Dad peeks through. He looks around and says, “You okay?”

“Uh-huh. What was that?”

“The mirror in the hall fell off the wall. The nail must have given way.”

“'Kay,” I say, rolling away from him and pretending to be mostly asleep. After a long moment, the door closes.

I lie perfectly still as the house quiets back down and the light in the hall is turned off. After forever, Luc pokes his head up over the edge of the bed. “I told you this was a bad idea,” he whispers with a nervous smirk. “If your parents caught me in here…”

He doesn't need to finish the thought. We've just started making some headway with my parents. They don't really
like
Luc, but they don't seem to hate him anymore either.

I sit up in the bed and he notices my T-shirt. “I like the look.”

“Sorry,” I say, and start to lift it over my head.

He holds up a hand, a hint of panic in his expression. “Don't. I have my button-down in the car.”

I smile, liking the way he looks without it. I hold my arm up to him again, but he shakes his head even as a slow smile creeps across his face. “I think we've pressed our luck as far as it will go.”

He moves to the window, looks down, and hesitates. “This would be so much easier if I could phase out of here.”

I climb out of bed and move to his side. “You're gonna break your neck. You should stay.” I take his hand and wrap his arm around me.

Stay with me.

“Frannie, please. It was your Sway that got me up here in the first place, against my better judgment, I might add. But I really have to go.”

He kisses me, then looks back out into the tree. With a hammering heart, I watch him pull the screen from the window and climb onto the window frame. He reaches up for a branch and tugs it a few times, then grasps it with both hands and swings away from the house. The branch sags under his weight. I gasp when I hear a crack, but it holds him long enough for his foot to catch a larger branch lower down and closer to the trunk. He reminds me of a lithe black cat as he shifts from one branch to another, sure-footed and steady, and eventually swings himself to the ground. I realize I'm holding my breath and let it out in a slow, shaky puff as he steps back to look up at me. And God, he's beautiful.

The horizon is beginning to turn pink with the start of a new day. He backs away slowly toward his car and my heart aches more with every step.

“What the Hell is wrong with you?” Matt's hiss in my ear scares the hell out of me.

I bite back the yelp, then turn to look at him. He's scowling at me, and when he sees my T-shirt, he rolls his eyes. “
Here?
You were going to do that here? With Mom and Dad just down the hall?”

My face is on fire and I have to fight to keep my voice a whisper. “You were
watching
?”

He backs off a few steps. “I'm an angel, not a voyeur. I wasn't watching. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you aren't dragging your boyfriend into your room in the middle of the night to
talk.
”

“For your information, we
were
just talking, because
Luc
stopped.”

“Yeah. That's why you're wearing his T-shirt.” His smile is sour.

I turn to hide my flaming cheeks. “And anyway, it's none of your business what Luc and I do. Or where.”

“It's
exactly
my business. My job is to protect you, even if it
is
from your stupid self. I'm not going to let you do this, Frannie. I'm not going to let you ruin your life.”

Rage erupts out of my emotional black pit when it hits me…what he did. I stand up and shove him as hard as I can. “You ripped that mirror off the wall. Didn't you?”

He staggers back a few steps, and a grim smile curls his lips.

“Jesus, Matt!” I grab fistfuls of my hair and yank before groaning and turning toward the window. I look out at the Shelby, still parked outside, and breathe deep, then turn back to Matt. “Can we talk about this later?”

His face softening, he nods and disappears.

I climb into bed and pull the sheet over my head. After a long minute, I lift my head out from under the sheet and scan the room. Still empty.

I trace the path of Luc's lips with my hand, still feeling the tingle of my skin from his touch. Closing my eyes, I bring his T-shirt to my face, breathing my heart back to a normal rhythm.

I'm so glad to have Matt back, but who knew having a guardian angel would turn out to be such an epic buzz kill? He's like my own personal chastity belt. Even though I swore I wouldn't use my Sway on family, maybe I should try it on Matt, just to get him to lighten up a little. I need practice, after all.

I smile, remembering how well it almost worked on Luc. 'Course, I really didn't mean to use it. I finally doze off with the smell of cinnamon in my nose and the tingle of fire under my skin. And in my dream, Matt doesn't interrupt us.

Luc

The Haden branch of the Essex County Library is a gray granite monstrosity near the high school. It's in what used to be the town hall, one of the older buildings in town, dating back to the mid-1700s. And like most buildings in Haden, it looks every day of it. I pull into the parking lot and jog across the street to the stone building. Glancing at the clock tower, I see I'm just on time. I'd meant to be early for my first day, but I dropped Frannie at Taylor's on my way, and I couldn't leave until I knew for sure that Matt was there.

I can't help the smile as I peer through the glass panel in the carved wooden doors, then push them open and step inside. Even my human nose can appreciate the scents of the library—dust, old paper, and history. I scan the spines on the bookshelves as I make my way to the counter—a rather limited selection, but all the classics and some excellent obscure titles as well.

The tiny stick figure of a woman behind the curved counter in the center of the cavernous room is filing books off the cart onto a shelf labeled holding.

I stride over, lean across the counter, and clear my throat. When she turns, I hold out my hand. “Hello. I'm Luc Cain.”

She looks me over with appraising pale gray eyes. She can't be a day less than one hundred, despite the jet-black curls framing her creased face. She takes my hand with her thin, bony one and grips it with surprising strength. “I'm Mavis Burnes. Head librarian. We spoke on the phone.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she says in a quavering voice, releasing my hand. “I have to say, I was more than a little surprised by your knowledge of books and our system,” she says, looking me over again. “You're obviously too young to have done any library work in the past.”

“But I've spent a lot of time reading.” I turn and scan the stacks again, wondering if there's anything in them I haven't read—that's worth reading, anyway.

Chase Gallagher, who happens to be the way I heard about this job, emerges from the stacks in a way-too-bright tie-dye T-shirt. He walks up and drops a stack of books onto the counter, then smooths his dark hair back into his short ponytail with his palms.

“Hey, Luc. Ready?”

“Absolutely.”

Chase orients me to the computer and filing systems while Mavis eavesdrops and interjects to underscore the importance of particular points. He wraps up my orientation with a tour.

“We're moving the kid section over here next week—” He indicates a larger section of the library near the front that currently holds travel references. “—so we'll need you to stay late at least one night—probably Thursday next week—to help reshelve the books.”

“Shouldn't be a problem.”

He elbows me. “Then maybe we can head over to the Cavanaughs' for our women.”

I almost can't suppress laughter, thinking about what Frannie'd do if she heard him refer to her as “my woman.” I picture her flipping Chase, head over heels, onto the ground. A smile breaks across my face. He misreads it and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“Those Cavanaugh girls are something, huh?”

My smile widens. “Something, indeed.”

He dips his hand into his pocket and comes out with a key. “Mavis always opens,” he says, nodding his head toward the counter. “And we'll switch off closing, so you'll need this.”

As I take the key from his hand, I glance over his shoulder and see that girl from my apartment building—Lili—slip past an exiting patron into the room. She pauses just inside the door, then turns and looks like she's going to leave again.

“Excuse me,” I say to Chase. I stride over to where she's pulling the door open.

“Did you need something, Lili?”

She jumps a little and turns back to look at me, her eyes wide. When she sees me, she exhales. “Oh, hi, Luc.”

I smile reassuringly at her. “Can I help you find something?”

“Um…I was hoping there'd be like a job board or something.”

“You're looking for a job?”

“I barely scraped together this month's rent. I need to find something fast.”

“Hmm…” I glance around and the only bulletin board I see has library-related notices for children's story time and an author reading. “Let me ask Mavis.”

She jumps again when I touch her arm to guide her to the counter, but she lets out another long breath and ventures a small smile. She walks with me to where Mavis is scanning in books.

“Mavis, do you know of anywhere there may be community job postings?”

Mavis looks from me to Lili and fingers the tiny silver cross hanging from a delicate chain around her neck. “Other than the newspaper…there's always the community center on Elm Street. That would be your best bet.”

“Thanks,” Lili says, dropping her gaze.

“Do you know where that is?” I ask as we head back to the door.

Lili nods. “So, you work here?” She scans the stacks before settling her gaze on me.

“As of today.”

Her eyes light up as she smiles for real. “So you're not just a pretty face.”

I laugh out loud, and Mavis scowls at me over the top of her glasses.

Lili's eyes flick to Mavis. She cringes and lowers her lashes. “Sorry,” she whispers.

“My fault.” I give her another reassuring smile. “Don't worry. I'll see you later?”

She nods and slips through the door.

But just as I make it back to the counter, the doors swing open and Rhenorian steps through. He browses the shelves up front, but his eyes aren't on the books. They're on me. He nods almost imperceptibly—a reminder that he's watching me.

Stalking me, more like.

But better me than Frannie. I wouldn't say anything to Frannie, but after that party at Chase's house, I'm not sure Matt is as focused as he should be. It was my fault that Rhenorian and his crew were there, but Matt should have known before they got that close. Gabriel chose Matt because he has a vested interest in Frannie, but I'm not sure that's enough.

Rhenorian smiles with a quick flash of his fangs before turning and pushing back out onto the sidewalk. I walk to the door and watch as he slides into the driver's seat of a silver Lincoln with a black faux ragtop. Part of me hopes he'll leave, but when he doesn't, I decide it's for the best. There's something reassuring about knowing your enemy—or at least his whereabouts.

I think about Frannie partying with her friends at the quarry. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wanted to go, and Matt swore he'd do his job. I ended up giving in because Frannie can't live like a caged animal. She needs to have her life. Which means I need to trust Matt.

But still, it's better to have Rhenorian where I can keep an eye on him.

When I leave the library at five, he's still there. He watches me cross the street to the Shelby. I think about heading back to my apartment—keeping to myself, away from Frannie. But I can't make myself do it. I need to see her—to be sure she's okay. So I drive up to the quarry.

And Rhenorian follows me.

Even though he doesn't seem to pose any immediate threat to Frannie, I still don't like it. As much as I hate to admit it, a piece of me wishes Gabriel hadn't left, because my infernal shadow is going to put a serious crimp in my ability to protect Frannie.

The thought that Frannie might be better off if I left flits through my head as I watch Rhenorian tail me. But even if that's true, despite what I promised her grandpa, I'm not sure I could actually make myself do it.

Frannie

When I see Luc standing on a boulder near the path, I can't help my grin. I swim to the rocks and pull myself out of the water, pressing into him and totally soaking the front of his T-shirt and jeans. But he only pulls me closer.

Being in his arms on the rocky edge of the quarry brings memories back. I glance over at the rope swing, remembering the night I brought Luc out here, under the stars. I shudder with the memory. It wasn't our first kiss, but it was definitely the most romantic—and the most romantic night of my life up till that point. Something about the stars, maybe. But more than that, Luc let down his guard and showed me who he really was that night. I'm pretty sure that's when I fell in love with him, though I never would have admitted it to myself at the time.

At the moment, however, one of my least favorite people has laid claim to the rope swing. Angelique Preston is sitting on the wooden disk at the bottom, blond curls blowing back, dragging her foot along the surface of the water as she swings out over the quarry, and trying to look as sexy as possible in the process. She won't actually go in the water, though. God forbid she should trash her hair and makeup and come out looking like a drowned rat. Her double-Ds are barely contained in her black bikini, and I'm hoping Luc and I will be gone before she's had a few more beers and they make their appearance. To her credit, they're totally real. All of us, boys and girls alike, have been watching their progress since sixth grade with fascinated interest.

Riley and Trevor climb the rocks out of the water and come over to where we are.

“Hey, Luc,” Trevor says. “Tore yourself away from those books, huh?”

I elbow him. “Shut up, Trev. Maybe if you knew how to read…”

He flashes me a sarcastic grin.

“Where's Tay?” I ask.

Riley points down the quarry to a group of guys showing off on the diving cliff—which isn't really a cliff at all. Just a place where the rocks stick out over the water. It's only about a ten-foot drop, but it makes the guys feel more manly to call it a cliff, I guess.

Sure enough, Taylor's up there, looking killer in a red string bikini. I squint to see who she's talking to.

“Holy shit! Is that Brendan?”

Riley nods. “He's back for the summer.”

What the hell is she thinking?

My face twists into a scowl. “So Taylor exists again. How nice of him.”

Brendan Nelson is the boy Taylor lost her virginity to, and despite all her big talk, he's the
only
guy she's ever slept with. He's also the only guy to ever break her heart. He left for Penn State last year on a full football scholarship, and as far as Taylor knew, they were still together. When he stopped answering her phone calls and never bothered to tell her he was home for Thanksgiving, it became clear they weren't.

“I know,” Riley says. “I can't believe she's over there.”

Trevor rolls his eyes. “The guy's a total dick.”

I look up at Taylor again just as Brendan slithers a muscle-bound arm around her waist. She wraps her arm around his shoulders, and he leans in for a kiss.

And makes me want to puke.

But the very next second, Brendan Nelson is wheeling through the air, screaming like a little girl. He hits the water and the screaming stops, only to start again when he breaks the surface. From the way he's thrashing around, some of his buddies catch on that he can't swim and dive in after him. They drag him to the rocks, him pulling them under every few feet, with much yelling and swearing.

I crack up as Taylor waves at us, then dives off the “cliff” in a beautiful, arcing swan dive. She swims over and pulls herself out of the water. “What a dick,” she says, echoing her brother.

I turn to explain the deal to Luc and see his eyes still locked on the cliff. When I follow his gaze, I notice three guys tucked into the trees at the edge of it, all very inappropriately dressed for swimming, in jeans and black T-shirts. I recognize the one in the middle. He's the crazy-tall red-haired guy from Gallaghers' and Ricco's.

I feel Luc's fingers weave into mine. “I shouldn't have come here,” he says low enough that only I hear him.

I turn back to the cliff and they're gone. “It's okay. We can go.”

He smooths his fingers over my cheek. “Is Matt here?”

I nod, pretty sure it's true, and then a rock flies through the air and hits Luc in the back of the head. He winces and shoots a look behind him—where, of course, nobody is.

“He's here,” he says, disgusted.

I glare into the empty space behind Luc. “Let's go.”

He smiles and kisses me softly on the cheek. “You should stay with your friends. I just needed to know you were okay”—he shoots a glance over his shoulder again—“and not alone.”

I tug his arm. “Stay.”

His eyes dart back to the cliff. “It'd be better if I didn't.”

“Fine,” I huff. “Be that way.”

He laughs and pulls me into his arms. “You have no idea how cute you are when you pout.”

I crack a smile, then press harder into him and stick out my bottom lip. “Cute enough to make you stay?”

Still smiling, he glances around. Angelique steps off the rope swing and strikes a pose. He looks back at me and rolls his eyes. “Have fun and I'll see you later.”

He squeezes my hand and heads up the path, and in the shadows of the woods, I catch three dark shapes weaving through the trees behind him. I start to take off up the path after him, but something tugs on my shoulder. Matt.

“He's a big boy, Frannie. He'll be fine,” comes his whisper in my ear.

So I watch Luc go, wishing he didn't suck so bad at judo.

Matt

Once I know Frannie's going to stay put, I follow the demons up the path behind Luc. Luc climbs into the Shelby, and when Rhenorian and the Tweedle brothers phase into the Lincoln, so do I.

“So, I've been thinking—”

Before I can finish the thought, three glowing fists are inches from my face.

“Nothing like shooting the messenger,” I say, lacing my fingers behind my head and slumping back into the backseat.

Rhenorian's eyes follow Luc's Shelby as he pulls out onto the road and drives by. He lowers his fist and the others follow suit. “What do you want?”