The Entity Within

Chapter Four

Zoe refused to allow Damon to intimidate her. Not in her own home. They were on her turf now.

Okay, so it was only a rental turf, but still …

And yes, they weren’t paying rent, but that didn’t mean surly vampires could walk in and glare at her. She’d had enough fangy angst for one day.

She raised her hands in the air in a mocking motion of surrender. “I get it. You don’t want me here. No need to keep pounding it home. Message received loud and clear.” She lowered her hands to place them on her hips. “But I’m not going anywhere, so get over it.”

“It would be easier to get over it if you were half as trustworthy as you claim to be.”

“I don’t know what your problem is—”

“My problem is you,” he said, interrupting her. “You’re not even here twelve hours and already you’re spinning spells.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. You disabled the cameras with your magic so no one could see what you were up to.”

“Cameras?” She looked around the room. “You’re spying on us?”

“Most places in Vamptown have surveillance cameras.”

“Why?” she demanded.

“For security reasons.”

She didn’t like his answer and neither did Gram’s cat Morticia, who jumped onto the arm of the denim couch and hissed at him.

“That your cat?” he asked.

“Morticia is my grandmother’s cat. That’s my cat,” she said as she hurried to scoot Bella from the creamer she’d been sticking her paw in. Scooping Bella into her arms, Zoe glared at him. “I can’t believe you had the nerve to plant cameras in here. There has to be a law against that. Were you hoping to get some kind of kick out of watching the video?”

“I don’t watch the video,” Damon said. “Someone else does.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“I don’t care how you feel,” Damon said.

Morticia growled at him. Bella merely yawned. Zoe was well aware that her grandmother’s familiar was being more protective than her own.

“What I care about is getting those camera feeds back online,” Damon continued.

“Online? You mean you’re posting them on YouTube or something?”

“They are linked to our neighborhood security system.”

Zoe hugged Bella closer for protection. “I don’t like it.”

“I don’t care.”

“Does Nick know about this?”

“Yes.”

“What about Daniella?” Zoe asked. “Does she know, too?” Something made her add, “And what’s going on with the funeral parlor?”

Moving with vamp speed, Damon pinned her and her cat against the wall. “What do you know about the funeral parlor?” he growled with clear menace.

“Everything okay down here?” Gram asked from the stairway before joining them. “I see you met my cat Morticia.” She moved closer to run her fingers over the calico cat’s head.

Damon stepped away from Zoe and turned to face Gram.

“Wise move,” Bella muttered.

He instantly turned to face Zoe. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Leaning down, she whispered in Bella’s ear, “Behave.” She didn’t want Damon knowing that Bella could speak. Zoe’s general philosophy was that the less outsiders knew about her, the better. And that went double for vampires. Triple for Damon, in particular.

“I expect you’re here about the cameras.” Gram sighed.

Damon once again turned to face her. “What do you know about them?”

“Don’t answer him, Gram,” Zoe said before stepping between them to protect her grandmother from any possible vamp wrath.

“I’m assuming he already knows they’re not working at the moment,” Gram said.

“And I want that rectified,” Damon said.

“Haven’t you learned that you can’t always get what you want?” Zoe countered.

Damon’s smile was sardonic. “Haven’t you learned that vampires always get what they want?”

“No.”

“Then consider this lesson number one,” Damon said. “I want those cameras working again right now, so remove whatever damn spell you put on them.”

“It’s not that easy,” Gram said.

“I still don’t know why you have cameras all over Vamptown. Are they in bathrooms, too? Bedrooms?” Zoe demanded.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Considering they might be in my bathroom or bedroom, I’d say it certainly is my business.”

“We witches value our privacy,” Gram said. “That’s why I disabled the cameras as soon as I detected them. My decision. I’m sure you understand, Damon.”

“I don’t give a damn that you value your privacy,” he said. “If you want to stay here, you will abide by our rules.”

“And how many other outrageous rules are you going to come up with in your pitiful attempt to make us leave?” Zoe challenged him.

“As many as it takes. Now get those cameras working again.”

“I’m not sure I recall how to do that.” Gram sounded flustered as Damon towered over them both ominously.

“Stop bullying her.” Zoe set Bella on the couch, where she curled up and watched them with an amused gleam in her eyes.

“Or what? You’ll sic your cat on me?” Damon mocked.

Uh-oh. Bella did not like being mocked. In fact, it was one of the things sure to push her feline familiar buttons. Zoe saw the meltdown coming. Bella’s eyes began to glow brilliantly. All sign of amusement was gone as the cat sat up and focused her attention on Damon.

“I know spells to make a vampire’s privates shrivel up and fall off,” Bella announced.

“That didn’t come from me,” Gram hurriedly said.

Damon went straight to Zoe. “Then it came from you.”

Zoe wasn’t sure what to say in answer to that. She glanced nervously at Bella.

Seeing that, Damon’s sardonic smile returned. “Are you worried about your dainty feline? You should be. I eat cats for breakfast.”

“Not this cat,” Bella said. “Not if you value your privates.”

Damon’s anger flared. “Is this some kind of trick? A spell to make me think your cat talks? Do you think I’m so stupid I’d fall for that?”

“I think you are stupider than that,” Bella said. “You’re a vampire. You’ve been around a long time. You’ve never heard a cat talk?”

Understanding dawned in Damon’s dark blue eyes. “It’s not the growling cat. It’s you. You’re Zoe’s