The Demon in Me

“I’ve already written a check, which I imagine is plenty.” She produced that as well and handed it to Eden.

It was made out for fifty thousand dollars. Eden blinked with surprise.

“I was able to leave the Underworld with a small fortune intact—”

“The Underworld?” Eden asked, with a look at Darrak.

He nodded. “That’s where the Unseelie normally live. The outskirts of Hell itself. Not so sparkly now, are they?”

Fay looked at the demon with distaste, and turned her gaze back to Eden. “There will be another fifty when it’s over — no matter the outcome, as long as it’s resolved. My cell number and address are on the back of my husband’s photo. He leaves the house promptly at eight every morning and gets a coffee at the Starbucks on the corner. Please contact me the moment you learn anything.”

“I certainly will.”

She stood up and gave Darrak another unfriendly look. “I will not judge you, Eden, on who you choose to spend time with.”

“Who said I had a choice?” Eden replied, trying to make a joke. A weak one, but at least she was trying.

Fay met her gaze — with no humor. “Just please be careful.”

She left without another word.

“Fairies.” Darrak shook his head. “Can’t stand the freaks.”

“She seemed normal enough to me.”

“Hate to see her with her glamour down. That’s when the sharp teeth and claws are noticeable.”

“Excuse me?” she gasped.

He waved a hand. “Fairies look a little different when they’re in their normal state. They use a glamour — a surface magic — to enhance their looks.”

Eden decided to ignore the comment about “sharp teeth.” And, for that matter, everything else Darrak said.

Andy swung through the door with a tray of coffee and donuts. “Where’d she go?”

“She left.”

“Did you chase her away?” he asked with disappointment.

“Yeah, that’s what I did. But she left a check first. It’s for fifty Gs.”

His mouth dropped open. “You’re shitting me.”

“No shit. It’s a…” Eden swallowed. “A cheating husband case, believe it or not.”

“Fifty grand for a cheater?” His eyes bugged. “Wow, she must be filthy rich.”

“And another fifty when we’re finished.”

“Christ on a cracker! Seriously? Are we on Candid Camera?”

“Will that be enough money to keep us afloat?” She walked over and handed him the check. He looked at it with disbelief.

“If it clears, then yeah. It’ll definitely help.” He looked at her. “And it’ll save Rhonda. It’s like winning the lottery.”

Eden leaned against his desk. “Now about Darrak’s friend.”

“Oh right. Missing person. Totally no problem.” His voice and demeanor had brightened considerably. “I just need her name, last known address, physical description, and any other information you can provide.”

Darrak grimaced. “That might be a problem. I don’t know her name. And the last time I saw her was… well, let’s just say it was a long time ago.”

“It’s very important that we find her,” Eden told Andy. “I can’t stress this enough.”

“But you don’t know her name?”

Her head throbbed. “No.”

“How about a physical description?”

“I can help a little there,” Darrak said.

“Not much to go on. But I’ve worked with less and come up with something.” He grinned and punched Darrak in the shoulder again. “Sounds like a challenge, champ. I like challenges.”

“Please don’t call me champ.”

Andy fixed his coffee. He seemed very happy now — the gloomy look from earlier had disappeared completely. “Why don’t you tell me exactly how she looked the last time you saw her and we’ll start from there. I can always run her profile through a facial recognition program. Donut?” He offered Darrak the box to choose from.

“Thank you.”

“Eden, how much sugar is your brother allowed to have?”

“Uh…” The phone rang and Eden turned to answer it. “Triple-A.”

“Eden.” Ben’s voice was immediately recognizable. “Good morning.”

She inhaled sharply. “Morning.”

“You doing okay today? Recovered from all the drama yesterday?”

Eden eyed Darrak as the demon enthusiastically tasted his first deep-fried chocolate-glazed pastry. “My recovery is an ongoing process.”

“I was going to wait until this afternoon to call, but I had a free moment so I figured now was as good a time as any. It’s good to hear your voice.”

“You, too.”

“Oh yeah?” He sounded pleased.

Her cheeks warmed. “Sure.”

“Any sign of your friends from last night?”

She grimaced at the memory. “No. They’re long gone.”

“That’s good to know.” He was quiet for a moment. “It’s strange, but it kind of feels like I’ve known you for weeks already.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“A good thing, trust me. So… dinner tonight? We still on?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to cancel. How was she supposed to go on a date with a guy she really liked with everything that was happening all around her? Shouldn’t she focus on getting rid of the problem that was Darrak the demon before even considering spending any time with Ben?

But who knew if she’d have the chance in the future?

“Yes, dinner’s still on,” she said firmly.

“How about I pick you up at your apartment at a quarter to seven?”

“Sounds perfect.” Eden told him her address.

“Do you have a favorite restaurant? I can make reservations.”

“Uh… no. Anything you pick is fine.”

“You’re putting a lot of faith in me.”

“I trust you to make this very important decision.”

“Okay,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “Then I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

She hung up. Damn. She really did need Darrak feeding her smoother, more confident lines. Was she always such a doofus when it came to talking to men? She had managed to get engaged to ass-face. But he’d been a friend of a friend who helped ease her into things with a lot of double dates. There wasn’t this awkward “getting to know you” phase.

But she did want to get to know Ben. He was perfect. She needed a little bit of perfect in her life.

“Eden,” Andy called. “You have to look at this! Hurry!”

Oh, God. Now what?

She crossed the room in five steps. Andy held out a piece of paper to her and she looked at a precisely detailed sketch of a beautiful woman with long dark hair drawn in blue ballpoint pen.

“That’s her,” Darrak said, pointing at the picture.

“He’s an artist,” Andy said. “This is really good. And the crazy thing is he says he’s never drawn before. How is that possible?”