Zoe stared at Bob in disbelief.
“I’m a process server,” Bob said. “I did tell you this wasn’t over yet.”
She looked down at the official-looking document he’d thrust into her hands.
Zoe had spent hours doing research on demons and hell. She’d had to face a demon in a funeral home and learned that her mother was accused of using black magic to send someone to hell. Then she’d been kissed by a vampire. Twice.
To top it all off, she had almost used black magic herself … maybe. Maybe the Latin phrases were black magic, maybe not.
That was enough to upset anyone. Even a witch. Especially a witch.
But Zoe’s day had just gotten worse, because behind Bob, Dr. Powers’s process server, was none other than her ex-fiance, Tristin.
He stood there as good-looking as ever. His light brown hair was a little on the long side and slightly rumpled. That was the only rumpled thing about him. His jeans and light blue shirt were crisp. He was no nerdy absentminded academic. He was a con man … who should have forgotten all about her.
Gram had cast a spell on Tristin to ensure that he’d forget Zoe. Or to be more precise, that he’d forget she’d confessed she was a witch.
“These humans are getting on my nerves,” Damon muttered for her ears only. Then he focused his attention on Tristin. “Is he with you?” he asked Bob.
Bob nodded.
Damon moved toward Tristin. “Who are you?”
“Zoe’s fiance,” Tristin said.
“Ex-fiance,” Zoe corrected him. “And I have nothing to say to you.”
“But I have something to say to you. Unless you want me to reveal your secret to everyone?”
Shit. The spell hadn’t worked. Looking in Tristin’s light brown eyes, she could tell that he still knew she was a witch. She opened the door wider to let him in.
“I thought you’d come around to my way of thinking,” Tristin said.
“You thought wrong,” Damon said before moving with vamp hyper speed to slam Tristin against the foyer wall and hold him by the throat six inches off the ground.
“You’re a warlock!” Tristin gurgled.
“Much worse.” Damon bared his fangs at him.
“A vampire?” Tristin stuttered.
“Bingo.”
“Are you going to turn me?” Tristin seemed excited by the possibility.
Damon dropped him in disgust. “No way.”
Tristin scrambled to his feet. “Why not?”
“You’re not worthy.”
“What do I have to do to be worthy?”
“There’s nothing you can do.”
“A vampire.” Tristin shook his head in amazement. “Are there more of your kind?”
Damon shot a glance at Zoe. “Is this guy for real?”
“I don’t know what she’s told you about me—” Tristin said.
Damon cut him off. “Enough to know that you’re an asshole.”
“I’m a professor of paranormal activity,” Tristin said.
“Is that supposed to impress me?” Damon asked. “Because it doesn’t.”
Zoe turned to find Bob the process server staring at them as if looking into the gates of hell.
She didn’t regret the fact that Bob was afraid. After all, the man was making her life more difficult than it already was. But she couldn’t afford to have him go out and spread the news about Damon being a vampire. She wasn’t confident enough to cast a spell after her last inadvertent incantation had brought up the possibility of dark magic.
Damon moved toward Bob. Looking into his eyes, he compelled him. “Go sit on the couch and be quiet.”
Bob complied without a word.
“I’ll deal with him later,” Damon told Zoe.
“Are you going to drain him of all his blood?” Tristin said.
“No.”
“So you’re going to turn him?” Tristin pressed.
Damon rolled his eyes. “What is it with you?”
“Zoe couldn’t give me any of her powers,” Tristin said. “But if you turned me, I’d have your powers. The powers of a vampire. Immortality. I want it.”
“Tough shit,” Damon said.
“You can’t compel me,” Tristin said.
“Really?” Damon raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”
“Because I have a very powerful mind,” Tristin bragged. “Tell him, Zoe.”
“He’s an idiot,” Zoe said.
“She’s just angry because I dumped her. I’m sorry,” Tristin told Zoe. “Upon further reflection, I decided that I was unfair to you. I know your grandmother cast a spell over me but I had anticipated that. So I had a file about you on my laptop. All about you being a witch, and how you helped me. Unfortunately, I didn’t know to look for it —hence the lapse in time. I was going through some old files on my computer and ran across the one involving you. It may have taken me a while, but I’m here. And it’s not like what I did was that bad. I mean, I could have blackmailed you by threatening to reveal the fact that you’re a witch. But I didn’t. You love me—”
“Loved you,” she corrected him. “Past tense.”
“I don’t believe you,” Tristin said.
“That’s your problem,” she shot back.
“
“What did I do to piss you off?” Tristin said.
Damon tilted his head toward Zoe. “You hurt her. Big mistake.”
“I’ve acknowledged that,” Tristin said.
“Not sufficiently. I can’t decide whether to have you grovel at her feet and beg for forgiveness or bray like a donkey.”
“I’ll do both those things if you’ll turn me,” Tristin said.
“Not gonna happen,” Damon said. “Get over it.”
Zoe finally regained enough presence of mind to ask the questions buzzing in her head. “How did you know where to find me? What’s your connection to the Powers people?”
“They came to me,” Tristin said. “They Googled you and found our engagement announcement, which included the name of the college where I teach. They said they needed to contact your grandmother, and I said you always stuck together. If they found you, they’d find her.”
“Why didn’t you come with them when they stopped by earlier?”
“I wanted to see what kind of reception they got,” Tristin said.
“He was afraid you’d turn him into a toad,” Damon said.
“I waited because I knew Bob would be coming back,” Tristin maintained.
“How did you convince him to let you tag along?” Zoe asked.
“I told him that as the man you’d agreed to marry, I could convince you of the error of your ways because you still loved me,” Tristin said.
“Talk about being delusional.” Zoe shook her head. When her bangs fell into her eyes, she impatiently shoved them aside. “Dr. Powers has nothing on you.”
