Wicked Pleasure (2 page)

Fo was wrong. Her voice was
always
expressing something. Fo should've put a mouth on her screen instead of eyes. Better yet, Kim would feel a lot more comfortable if Fo looked like all of the other demon detectors—no human features, just a screen filled with technical info pertinent to the evil entity in question.

“Be quiet now so I can concentrate on the castle, get a feel for it, absorb its essence.” Okay, so all Kim really wanted to do was wallow in the joy of her first job as an architect.

When Holgarth—not Holgarth Jones or Bob Holgarth, just Holgarth—had written to express the owner's desire that she be the one to make a few changes to the castle, she'd been thrilled but cautious. When something seemed too good to be true, it often was. So she'd done some investigating and found the offer was legit. Holgarth explained that the owner, whose name he never mentioned, was looking for new and enthusiastic as opposed to experienced and jaded. Well, Kim was certainly new and could out-enthuse
anyone
. This was a breathtaking opportunity to start her career with a bang.

She turned the screen toward the castle so Fo could see it, too. As theme park attractions went, this one was awesome. Live the Fantasy Theme Park advertised that it was a place where adults could role-play their fantasies, childhood or otherwise. From the pirate ship to the Wild West street scene, it invited customers to throw away their inhibitions and play.

But the Castle of Dark Dreams was something more. It looked as authentic as everything else in the park—a keep with four square towers, a curtain wall, moat, and drawbridge—but the white walls that imitated the lime-washed color of ancient castles didn't fool her. This was no Magic Kingdom castle. Its master planner had captured a spirit of danger and mystery in every sharp angle and blunt line. Wonderful. Of course, whatever she did would have to maintain that ominous aura.

“Ooooh! Scary.” Fo was happy again. “I'll have to do a scan of my systems to make sure I'm ready to off dozens of demons. I like it here.”

Oh, jeez. “Look, Fo, you can't keep seeing demons behind every bush. I mean, I can't believe you shouted
demon
at that woman in the shop we just left. Sparkle Stardust isn't a demon. She's just a nice lady who owns a candy store. Sure, her name's a little strange, but hey, lots of people have unusual names. That doesn't make them demons.”

She held up her hand to forestall Fo's interruption. “I know, I know. So my fifth grade teacher, Mr. Ozzlehoot,
was
a demon. But he was an exception. And Mom took care of him at the first parent-teacher conference. I don't sense mobs of demons hanging around this castle. Loads of atmosphere but no demons.” Maybe a little too much atmosphere. Kim walked across the drawbridge, through the open gates, and into the courtyard. She paused to look back at the gates. “The castle needs a gatehouse.”

This time when the emotions hit her, they were strong enough to make her gasp—fury, hopelessness, and sexual hunger that wasn't about pleasure. What the hell . . . ? They weren't
her
emotions. And they couldn't be someone else's because she was the quintessential ordinary person, other than her job, of course. Ordinary people didn't get slammed with unexplained emotions. Kim gloried in her ordinariness. She had no psychic abilities. Thank God. She pushed the emotions aside to be taken out later and examined from every angle and then reasoned away.

Fo laughed, a light trill of amusement. “You couldn't sense a demon even if it tattooed the words
Malevolent Spirit
across its forehead.” Pause. “You know, that would be a lot to get on a forehead, but if it had a really wide forehead—”

“Drifting off topic, Fo.” Kim's reminder was automatic. Fo jumped from subject to subject like the frenetic zigzagging of a water beetle.

Fo blinked. “Oh, yeah. Anyway, over the centuries, your whole family has lost its ability to sense demons. That's why you need a demon detector. And Sparkle
is
a demon, a very old and evil one.”

Kim didn't bother arguing with Fo. It wouldn't do any good. Besides, Fo was right about one thing. Kim couldn't sense demons, didn't
want
to sense demons. During her short career as a demon destroyer, she'd used Fo to zap a measly five of the evil entities. And that was only because they'd been really dumb. Even she couldn't miss a demon when it attacked her in its true disgustingly gross form. Ugh.

Besides, before they'd attacked her, four of them had given her indisputable proof of their demon status. They'd mooned her. Together. And there on all of their repulsive bare butts, she'd seen the imprint of a small bat.

For the last six hundred years or so, demons had taken to imprinting an animal shape somewhere on their bodies, usually on a spot normally covered by clothing. They picked an animal with ambiguous symbolism, one that throughout history had both good and evil connotations, as a representation of their ability to confuse humans. The bat was a sign of good fortune in the East, but it represented demons and spirits in medieval Europe. The animal thing was a stupid affectation because it was just one more way for destroyers to identify them. But then, demons weren't the brightest sparks in the fire.

“You know, your heart isn't in this business, Kimmie. Why don't you quit? You can build big beautiful houses, and I can be your interior design consultant.” Fo blinked her large purple eyes. “I'm great with color.”

“Can't do it.” Kim shuddered at the concept of Fo as interior designer. “I made a deal with Dad. I stay in the family business until I marry. Then I'm gone.” She continued walking toward the massive doors leading into the great hall. Holgarth had overnighted the castle's blueprints to her, and she'd seen photos on the Web, so she felt she knew every inch of it now. But studying blueprints and looking at photos hadn't prepared her for the total impact of the place. It was WOW on a gigantic scale.

“Humph! At the rate you're going, you won't find Mr. Right or even Mr. Sort-of-Okay until you're a card-carrying AARP member. Not that AARP isn't a great organization. It gives its members—”

“Floating off course again.” Kim fixed her attention on the grotesque gargoyles protecting the castle's doors. Very effective details. But would they really keep evil from entering the castle? Her ancestors thought so.

Only a short distance now and she'd be inside and hopefully safe from random attacks by weird emotions.

“I knew that. Now what was I talking about . . . ? Oh, I remember. The search for Mr. Right.” Fo narrowed her eyes to indicate her displeasure with Kim's ongoing, and for the most part futile, hunt for the perfect guy. “What exactly do you
want
in a man?” Fo's tone suggested that at the advanced age of twenty-seven, Kim should settle for anything human and male that had the right sexual organs and would marry her. “Just tell me, Kimmie, and I'll help you find him.”

Kim glanced up at the keep where light streamed from the many arrow slits. “Cool place. Tour the castle, buy stuff in the shops, eat in the restaurant, take part in a fantasy, and then sleep in your cozy chamber for the night. Great view of the Gulf of Mexico, too. Bet this place makes tons of money.”

“I want to talk about Mr. Right.” Fo was in sulky mode.

Kim sighed. “I want an
ordinary
man so I can have
ordinary
kids and live an
ordinary
life.” Qualifications for her perfect mate? He'd never seen a ghost or wanted to see one, never glimpsed a UFO or wondered about alien abductions, and laughed at even the suggestion that vampires, werewolves, or demons existed. And he'd have to have a job that could never,
ever
intersect with the paranormal world.

Chances of her finding and actually settling down with Mr. Ordinary? None. Because he'd be gone as soon as he met her family.

“Sounds sort of boring. But then what do I know about exciting?” Fo's tone said that if she had a body to go along with her eyes, she'd aim a lot higher than ordinary.

“Forget men. I have to think about the castle. Holgarth wanted me here right away, so I didn't get a chance to pull together any ideas at home.” She didn't want to talk about her love life. It gave her a headache. Call her picky, but she couldn't seem to find a man who lit her lamp
and
fulfilled her perfectly reasonable qualifications. Was she expecting too much? She firmly shut the door in her mind labeled Hunky Normal Husband and concentrated on something more accessible, like getting a quick look at the great hall.

Since Dad had assured Kim that no way was Fo a sentient being, and because Kim had always believed Dad knew everything, it followed that she should put Fo back in her pocket. Kim kept her out. Fo liked to see things.

As she drew nearer to the doors closed against the damp and chill, Kim noticed a corner protected from the spotlight's glare. Within the shadows lurked a darker shape, massive with no identifiable form. And for the moment it took her to catch her breath, fear rippled through her. Strange emotions, dark shadows—this place was messing with her mind.

Kim glanced around. Castle and surrounding area lit by bright spotlights, people still walking around even in the drizzle. Fear? What was that about? Hello? She was a demon destroyer. Black blobs skulking in the shadows didn't scare someone who hunted demons. She wasn't even afraid of a big butt-ugly minion of the Supreme Scumbag. Okay, maybe she was a little afraid. Very little.

Throwing whatever stood in the shadows a casual and totally fearless smile—she was still practicing her totally fearless smile in front of her mirror—Kim reached for the door.

“Do you really want to go inside? You're not dressed to kill.” The voice was light, female, and amused.

Startled, Kim almost dropped Fo.

The scary blob separated, revealing the shapes of two people, a man and woman. The woman stepped out of the shadows. Short blond hair, a pixie face, and large, dark eyes. She looked perky. Kim winced at the description. Ms. Perky's long black sleeveless dress was slit up the side, plunged low in front, and was set off by the sparkle of diamonds at throat and ears. Silver sandals with fourinch heels helped with the height thing, but Kim figured that she'd barely break five feet two in her bare feet. Wasn't she freezing to death out here without a coat?

“Dressed to kill?” Kim glanced down. “Well, no, I guess not. Can't I go in wearing jeans?” Why didn't the man step out of the shadows?

The woman's laughter was friendly, her smile contagious. Kim smiled back. Sheesh, how embarrassing. Lucky her family wasn't here. Kim could see the black-bordered blurb in the family newsletter: Kimberly Vaughn, formerly known as a tiger in the demon-destroying world, has been disowned by her family for the crime of being afraid of her own and other people's shadows. The Council of Demon Destroyers has reduced her to the rank of scared rabbit.

Fine, so even on her most ferocious day, Kim would never describe herself as a “tiger of the demon-destroying world.” That title would go to her sister, Lynsay.

“No one will stop you.” The woman inventoried Kim's outfit.

“But you're still not dressed to
kill
.”

“Kill?” Kim didn't get it.

The shadow man hadn't moved, didn't seem to even breathe.
He
certainly wasn't filled with friendly perkiness. In fact, something about his complete stillness made her shiver. She pulled her jacket more tightly around her.

“Only vampires pass through these doors on a Saturday night.” The woman's smile widened. “The Castle of Dark Dreams holds a Vampire Ball every Saturday night. Everyone does the basic black clothes and fake fangs thing. Oh, and I'm Liz. I've been staying here for a few weeks. Really neat place.” Liz's expectant pause meant Kim would have to reciprocate with name and trivial info.

“Kim Vaughn, and I'm an architect.” She got an adrenaline rush just saying that out loud. “The owner hired me to plan a few additions to the castle. So we'll probably run into each other again.”

“I'll only be here for two more days, but I'll look for you.” She slid her tongue across her lower lip. Liz sounded really eager, and her smile was really friendly, but Kim decided that something about Liz and Shadow Man was really creeping her out. Probably just a by-product of the last few minutes' weirdness and her scared-rabbit syndrome.

Fo's paranoia must be catching. “Guess I'll go in and take a peek at the great hall.” Kim reached for the door again.

“Psst, Kimmie.”

Damn, Kim had forgotten she was still holding Fo.

“Uh, she's a demon.”

Kim glared at Fo.

“I'm whispering. She can't hear me.” Fo looked aggrieved that Kim didn't appreciate her attempt to be discreet.

Kim cast Liz a cautious glance. Yep, Liz had heard Fo. “It's just my cell phone. My brother did some creative programming. He has a warped sense of humor.” She hoped her smile said amused embarrassment.

Kim never found out what Liz thought of her brother's warped sense of humor because at that moment the man stepped from the shadows.

Oh. My. God.
Kim felt frozen in place, not able to close her mouth or blink as she got her first look at him. At the same moment, the emotions struck again with enough force to almost bring her to her knees.

“Umm, Kimmie? Did you hear me? I said she's a D-E-M-O—”

Kim flipped Fo shut and crammed her back into her pocket, all without taking her gaze from the man. She couldn't reason away what she'd just felt. Even as she stared at him, she could feel her ordinariness trickling away, and she hated him for that. Because the emotions were coming from him. She knew it, felt it on a primitive level.