Demon in My View

to wake instantly.

During those confused moments, a vague memory flashed in her mind of meeting a witch who called herself Monica, a witch who had offered to give her back her hard-lost humanity.

But why had the witch—

'Do you usually sleep outside in trees? ' Startled awake, Jessica sat up too quickly and almost fell from her perch. Alex was the one who had spoken. He was sitting, completely at home, on another branch.

'Couldn't you rustle some leaves next time?' she grumped, though she felt herself beginning to smile at her odd but welcome visitor. ' I nearly fell out of the tree. How'd you get up here without my hearing you?'

'I flew.'

Jessica just shook her head.

'Well, if you don't like it, I'll get down.' Alex jumped from the branch and landed gracefully, like a cat. Jessica followed more slowly, having no desire to break an ankle by showing off. They walked aimlessly through the darkened woods as they spoke.

'Don't you live somewhere? Or do you just follow me around all day?' Before, she had asked him a similar question as a joke, but this time she truly wanted an answer. It seemed a bit too much of a coincidence that he was out here tonight.

'I live nowhere,' Alex answered, his voice serious despite the hint of teasing she could see in his eyes, 'and it isn't day.'

Jessica shook her head again as she realized there was no way to get a straight answer from him.

As she contemplated this fact, she noticed a design on his right wrist, which was only visible because his sleeve had slipped up when he had leapt from the tree.

'What's that?' she asked, pointing to the tattoo.

Alex rolled up his sleeve to reveal the entire design: a black wolf with golden eyes and white fangs stalked across his wrist. Jessica knew this beast; it was Fenris, the giant wolf who swallowed the sun in Norse mythology. Aubrey had the same design on his right wrist.

She took a deep breath to keep herself from speaking until her thoughts were under control.

This could not possibly be a coincidence.

Over the past day, she had struggled to come up with an explanation—besides the impossible one that Alex was Aubrey—that would account for all the similarities between the two of them. Now a stunningly obvious scenario at last occurred to her: Alex was a fan of Ash Night. Aubrey was described down to the last detail in Tiger, Tiger. What would stop someone, if he was so inclined, from getting black contact lenses, a matching pendant, and replicas of Aubrey's tattoos?

But before Jessica could comment on Alex's tattoo, he asked her, 'What are you doing out here so late at night?'

'I couldn't sleep,' she answered, still unnerved. 'You?'

'Maybe I am stalking you,' he teased.

'Well, then I'm flattered,' she joked back, though the light words masked more serious thoughts. If her theory about his fascination with Aubrey the vampire proved true, how far might he take this role-playing game of his?

She began walking in the general direction of her house, and he walked with her. Their conversation fell into silence.

'You're quiet suddenly,' Jessica observed. They were within sight of her house, and she had stopped walking to look at him. 'What are you thinking about?'

Alex sighed. 'Nothing you would care to know.'

'Why don't you tell me, and let me be the judge of that?' she pressed.

'Blood and death and people who know too much,' he answered, his voice more tired than threatening. 'Go inside, Ash Night. I'll speak to you another time.'

He walked away silently, not giving Jessica a chance to respond. By the time her mind had processed his words, he was out of sight.

Her anger rose again for an instant, in reaction to the fact that yet another person had somehow discovered who Ash Night was.

However, the anger was quashed by a prospect that was intriguing, yet frightening. If he was Aubrey, and vampires did exist, and he and his kind knew who she was…her life could end up being a great deal shorter than she had intended.

CHAPTER 14

'HOW CUTE,' Fala spat, approaching Aubrey as he entered Las Noches. 'How disgustingly cute.'

'Excuse me?'

Fala laughed, a biting sound that told anyone within hearing to beware. 'Do you honestly think I haven't been keeping my eye on the author, after all the trouble she's been causing? And you've been out there practically flirting with her!'

For a moment Aubrey hesitated, fighting an urge to check on Jessica and make sure Fala hadn't harmed her after he had left.

'Leave Jessica alone,' he commanded, his voice hard. It wasn't wise to show any attachment to a human, but he refused to let Fala harm the girl.

'What is it about this human?' Fala sneered. 'Aubrey the almighty, the hunter, the warrior, who feels nothing but contempt for anything mortal … If I didn't know better, I'd say you were attracted to her.'

He laughed in answer to her taunt, which she had obviously hoped would bother him more. 'You've made up my reason, Fala. What's your interest in her? Fala, the child who has been abused and hunted by almost every immortal creature on Earth, the coward who wants power without risk, the fake goddess …' He paused and watched the rage flicker through her eyes in response to his references to her humiliating past— the past Ash Night knew all too well. 'If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous.'

Aubrey knew this last accusation was ridiculous. Fala hated him far too much to be jealous of his attraction to anyone, much less a human. But the expression on her face as he said those last words was priceless.

'You vain, arrogant, human-loving idiot,' Fala snarled. Then she disappeared before he had a chance to retaliate.

Aubrey ignored her words and chuckled as he wandered over to the bar. He wasn't worried about Jessica for the moment. Had Fala actually killed her, she would have made it clear that she had done so. She would have insisted on sharing every bloody detail with him.

CHAPTER 15

CARYN RASHIDA WAITED inside the front door as Anne Allodola went to wake her daughter. Caryn ran over possible scenarios in her mind for the hundredth time.

'Shell be down in just a moment,' Ms. Allodola said as she returned.

Caryn nodded nervously. She had made up her mind, and this time she would not let Jessica's frosty putdowns turn her away. Of course, waking her up might not have been a good idea, but how was she to know that Jessica would still be sleeping? It was almost noon.

When Jessica finally came downstairs, Caryn could instantly tell that she was in for a challenge. Jessica's aura hummed with annoyance and anger, as well as some confusion. As soon as she saw Caryn, the emotions found an outlet.

'What the hell do you want?' Jessica snapped.

Caryn flinched slightly. 'I need to talk to you, Jessica.'