The Demon in Me

boy.”

“You can call him whatever you want. Just try to be nice.”

She heard a toilet flush and her back stiffened. She’d thought they were alone. Slowly the stall behind Eden opened up and a blond woman emerged. She looked confused.

“Oh, I thought maybe you were on your cell phone,” she said. “But were you just talking to yourself?”

Eden gave her a frozen smile. “Bad habit.”

“Okay.” She cleared her throat nervously. “None of my business, of course, but I have a wonderful therapist. If you want her card, I have some extras in my purse.”

“Not necessary. Really.”

“If you say so.” She washed her hands and then dried them on the pyramid-shaped stack of folded towels on the counter. “Have a nice evening.”

“Yeah, you, too.”

The woman left with a last concerned glance over her shoulder.

Eden looked into the mirror and shifted her purse to her other shoulder. “People think I’m insane.”

“Maybe you are. Maybe I don’t exist and I’m just a figment of your psychotic imagination.”

“I wish.”

She glanced at the stalls behind her. She hadn’t used the bathroom yet while Darrak had been “present” in her mind.

“How do I get some privacy from you?” she asked.

“Why? Do you need to use the facilities?” His previously sullen tone turned amused.

“Maybe.”

“Don’t worry about me. I don’t mind.”

“Well, I do mind.”

“Then I suggest you find a way to hold it until tomorrow morning.”

“There has to be some way to block you… what’s the term?”

“Dampen.”

“Yeah, there has to be a way to dampen you out for a while.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Afraid I can’t help you.”

Her brows drew together. “Why did you pause there? Is there a way?”

“If there was, it wouldn’t really benefit me in any way, would it?”

She crossed her arms and peered at her reflection. “Tell me.”

“Nope.”

“This has to do with your instinct to protect yourself, right?”

“Can we talk about something else?”

“Is it anything like when I forced you out of my body yesterday? I was just all determined and single-minded about it. Can I dampen you, too, if I wanted to?”

“You’d better get back to golden boy. He’s going to wonder if he should call the Humane Society to pick up his rabid date.”

She gritted her teeth. “I’ll figure it out.”

“Good luck with that.”

She left the bathroom and returned to the table. Ben looked up at her anxiously.

“Are you all right?”

That was a tricky question.

Her cheeks flushed. “I don’t know what happened. I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be.” He stood up. “This restaurant is horrible. There must have been something in the food that you reacted to. I told the waiter and he was less than helpful, but I got the impression this wasn’t the first time. Maybe I should have flashed my badge.” He shook his head. “Forgive me.”

“Forgive you? For what?”

“For being lousy at picking restaurants.”

“It was fine, really. Besides, I’ve, uh… recovered.”

“Let’s go somewhere else. Your choice this time.”

She waited for Darrak to say something to that. He didn’t.

“Sounds good to me,” she said.

“Great.” He put a hand against the small of her back as they left the restaurant and made their way to his car.

Then he turned to her. “I really wanted to make a good impression on you tonight.”

“You have.”

“Do you think it was an allergic reaction? I can take you to the hospital.”

“Seriously, Ben. I’ve completely recovered.” She couldn’t help but smile. “You wanted to make a good impression on someone you consider a crazy psychic troublemaker?”

He laughed a little. “Did I use those exact words?”

“Not the crazy part. But I think it was implied.”

He reached in his pocket for his keys as they stood by the trunk of his LeBaron. “I’m so out of practice at this dating thing.”

“You think you’re out of practice? I was the one foaming at the mouth.”

He grinned. “I’m surprised you didn’t psychically predict you were going to do that.”

“Like I said before, I really should have checked my horoscope this week. I’m sure it would have read: Gemini — stay away from seafood restaurants unless you want to foam at the mouth.”

“That would have been very specific.”

“Besides, my abilities, such as they are, seem to be only applicable to tarot cards or sensing the location of people or things.”

“Clairvoyancy without the ghost whispering.”

She smiled. “You’ve done your research.”

“I have indeed.” He moved around to her side and leaned against his car door. “So, can you see ghosts?”

“Nope. No ghosts. Just little white dogs. And serial killers”—and really good-looking but annoying and insensitive demons—“and a friend once lost her keys and I was really helpful there, too.”

“You know, you’re different.”

“I’ve heard that one before.”

“I mean different in a good way. You seem so — I don’t know. Like everything about you is right on the surface. Like you don’t hide anything. You like to get it all out front and center.”

She could have sworn she heard Darrak snicker inside of her. She ignored him.

“Well, thanks,” she said. “I have been going through some stuff recently, but I’m going to do whatever it takes to fix it.”

“You’re all determined.”

“I get that way about the things that matter to me.” Eden studied the pavement for a moment. Then she looked up at him, realizing he was right next to her now. He brushed her long hair back over her right shoulder and brought his hand to her face. She forgot to breathe for a moment.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” he said. “Is that wrong?”

Her breath caught and a shiver ran down her arms. “Aren’t you afraid of catching my rabies?”

“Surprisingly, no.” He grinned and lowered his mouth to hers.

A moment before his lips would have brushed against hers, she slapped him.

His eyes widened and he stepped back from her.

Wait… no. She hadn’t slapped him. Her hand had acted all on its own. She had nothing to do with it.

Her eyes narrowed. Darrak.

“Huh. Just like your leg earlier,” the demon in question murmured inside of her. “Didn’t realize I could do that, but I really didn’t want him to kiss you right now. Don’t be mad.”

A flash of white rage moved across her vision. He’d made her slap Ben before he kissed her. Because he