In the Witching Hour Read online

  Seemingly reassured, a slimy smile spread across the master’s face.

  Jason unleashed the demon, taking a chance of forever losing control. The demonic rage boiled up inside him, shooting out in a ferocious roar. "You dare question me, human? You play with fire." Steam hissed from his ears and his eyes tingled, a sure sign they glowed a fierce red.

  "You’ll do." The slime tore off a copy of the contract and handed it to him. "This is binding."

  Jason snatched it and stuffed it in his pocket, gulping in several ragged breaths, trying to tame the beast, losing the battle. "How soon will I appear on the site?" Eager to find his mate, he wanted to hear "yesterday".

  "No later than October 3rd. Don’t want to fritter the best month away." The guy laughed demonically making Jason wonder about his lineage. Somehow he doubted it boasted any angels.

  "Good. I’ll be expecting a call soon." With that, Jason marched off, burning up with an ancient fever. Now to put the rest of his plan in motion, to lure Meghan outside the dream realm....

  * * * *

  Meg was in a mood to cut loose and get into the full-blown Halloween spirit. Today she wore her floppy bunny ears and slippers around the house earning an arched brow from the vampire-caped Lucy. "This isn’t Mardis Gras, it’s Halloween. You look like you jumped out of a Saturday morning kiddy cartoon."

  Meg wriggled her nose at the Mrs. Dracula wanna be. "You have your way of celebrating and I have mine."

  "Maybe your mom was adopted." Lucy dangled a black licorice spider over her mouth and dropped it in. Closing her eyes, she licked her lips ghoulishly. "We have to mix with demons and ghouls so they won’t come after us. Frankly, my dear, they’ll devour you if you insist on such a get up."

  Her cousin sounded as if she actually believed the silly blather. Being in such close, constant proximity to all those Elvis impersonators must have addled Lucy’s brain. "Lighten up, cuz. It’s all about having fun."

  Lucy eyed her quizzically and an ominous note rang in her voice. "Don’t be so sure."

  Surprise flickered in Meg. Lucy was superstitious. "Don’t tell me you take this junk seriously?"

  Lucy paused, staring at Meg. "I’ve seen some weird shit. Let’s just say there’s a lot of inexplicable things in this world and I don’t totally discount anything."

  Pop-ups littered the computer screen, the uppermost window blinking like mad. Fascinated by the flash of light, Meg read it aloud. "Get a load of this. ‘Want to immerse yourself in spectacular Halloween fun? Adopt your very own demon for Halloween’."

  Lucy unfolded herself from the couch and wandered over to Meg, peering over her shoulder. Trembling, she ordered, "Close it out."

  Meg’s perverse streak reared itself. What? The Mistress of Darkness was scared of a pretend demon? After the way she had ridden her back about ignoring the darker side of Halloween pleasures? "Don’t tell me you believe in this nonsense? It’s pure fun." Not that she really believed so, but she was tired of Lucy being on her back. It would look pretty cool on her Halloween website so she opened the site and began viewing the different demons up for "adoption."

  Chills crawled up her spine as the devilish creatures grinned evilly back at her, but she was damned if she’d let Lucy know. She’d prove she wasn’t all fluff and nauseatingly cute. Besides, the site was extremely compelling, mesmerizing in fact. She couldn’t leave it if she wanted to. Subliminal messages must be enchanting her, telling her to buy some expensive car or time share.

  "I mean it, Meg. Get out of there. It’s strife with bad vibes."

  Meg didn’t know what to call the vibes she was getting. Scrolling down the page, she let off the mouse when she spied one named "Incubus." It blinked furiously and she couldn’t tear her gaze away. Dread and elation warring deep inside, she whispered the oddly familiar name.

  "Really, Meg. Don’t do it." Lucy covered Meg’s hand with hers. "This gives me the creeps."

  Hypnotized, as if something else commanded her hands, Meg clicked the link and then filled out the application. Ghosts floated across the screen, bouncing off the sides, fascinating her. She’d have to peek at the code to install them on her Halloween page.

  "I can’t believe you did that." Lucy started backing away from her as if she was contagious.

  Scowling, Meg swiveled around in her computer chair and leveled a glare at the traitor. "And I can’t believe you of all people are taking this seriously. You, who make fun of my cute bunny outfit and my cuddly black cats."

  The room began glowing and the air grew heavy and moist. Ghouls, demons, and curses made her too fanciful. She told her pulse to stop leaping about like a bull frog on steroids.

  Then to Meg’s shock, the computer flickered and an ephemeral being flew out of it, spreading its wings wide, enveloping the room. At first faceless, it swooped down, making her duck. Gasping, she blinked, unable to believe the vision before her.

  "Yikes! You’ve done it now. You’ve summoned an honest to goodness demon." Lucy screamed and threw her shoes at the spirit.

  The missiles sailed through the spirit, shattering Meg’s lamp, putting out the light. Glass tinkled to the floor amidst a shower of angry sparks. "Get out of here now." Meg skirted the dark room, gingerly feeling her way along the wall.

  Just exactly was she supposed to do now? Hire an exorcist? Find the Charmed ones? Order the demon back to its realm? This couldn’t be real. She was definitely in the throes of the worst nightmare of her life.

  Warm flesh greeted her fingers and she sighed in relief. Human contact felt comfortingly reassuring. "Lucy."

  But then the door swung wide across the room, flooding the room with light from the hallway, silhouetting Lucy’s fleeing form. That meant she was touching someone … something … else.

  Incubus....

  Meg’s heart froze in her chest and her voice choked in her throat as she tried to yell, "Lucy, wait!" It came out a hoarse, wobbly whisper instead.

  Meg’s gaze pivoted to the creature under her hand and she jerked back. A giant of a man stood before her, not a demon, at least not to the naked eye. Tall enough to be a basketball pro, he towered over her. She only caught a glimpse of a rugged face and compelling eyes before he raised his hand and the door swooshed shut across the room. The deadbolt rammed into place with the rage of a shotgun firing, making her jump.

  Backing away stealthily, she held her fingers in the sign of the cross, hoping the crucifix worked on demons as it supposedly worked on vampires. "What are you doing here?"

  A deep husky baritone washed over her, stirring unnamed emotions. "You called for me. We have a bargain."

  Bargain? As in she owed him something contractually? Oh man, she should have read the fine print. What had she signed? "I didn’t sign my soul away to the devil, did I?"

  Could this suave-tongued demon be Lucifer himself? Surely one couldn’t just sign their soul away, could they? She hadn’t precisely signed her signature. She had typed her name so surely that wouldn’t hold in court. Not in any Earthly court, but was she dealing in an Earthly realm?

  She bit down so hard on her lip she drew blood. Great Einstein! If the creature was like a vampire, fresh blood would drive him to attack her.

  Like he wasn’t here for that purpose? Hello! Demons were called demons and not angels for a reason.

  "But who … what are you really? And don’t try to tell me you’re a demon. I--I don’t believe in that junk."

  Light flooded the room with another flick of the man’s wrist. Okay, she was officially way beyond spooked, swiftly bypassing terrified. Although she loved these theatrics in the movies, they didn’t amuse her in real life. If a paranormal being had to invade her home, let it be an angel.

  "I’m Jason Althorp, half-demon, half-human." He paused for half a heartbeat, then lowered his voice several notches, "Your long-lost soul mate."

  Jason! Lord have mercy on her soul.

  Recognition hit her like an avalanche. Jason--her dream lover. It couldn’t be....r />
  For a breathless eternity, she gaped at the handsome devil, her blood pressure rocketing, her knees going weak. Finally, when her mind grasped the import, she consoled herself. So it was just a dream, albeit far more realistic than any other. "Wake up, girlfriend. It’s all a figment of your imagination," she murmured under her breath.

  Irritation lit Jason’s obsidian eyes, to be quickly chased away by mirth. "Sorry to disappoint you, Meghan, but I’m very much alive and very much real. You’re not dreaming this time. I’m really here." He backed her into a corner and leaned against the wall trapping her.

  So now she was supposed to believe the figment?

  Uh huh.

  She had it! She would command herself to wake up and Jason would evaporate. The room wouldn’t be in a shambles and she wouldn’t be in danger.

  Jason’s intense but unfathomable gaze held her captive, making her feverish. When he reached out to caress her cheek, she trembled. He frowned. "Don’t be scared of me. Remember how very much we meant to each other. How deeply we loved one another."

  He was referring to the dreams, ergo he was from her dreams, henceforth she had to be dreaming. Only she seemed to be trapped in the dream, unable to awaken. It wouldn’t be the first time she hadn’t wanted to give up a troubling dream, that the spider webbing wouldn’t release the shadowy world spun by the moonlight.

  She swallowed hard, her throat raw. Clammy, her palms itched, and she wiped them down her pants leg. "All I remember are flashes of dreams. If you are real and I’m not hallucinating, you have one minute to leave before I call the cops."

  * * * *

  Jason had to suppress a hearty chuckle. What did she think the cops could do against a demon? Even to a half-human one?

  She was darned lucky she wasn’t threatening a full-blooded demon or she’d be ash by now. As it was, his beast raged to teach her a lesson.

  So did the man. And the man was sorely tempted by the pouty lips and fluttering pulse at the base of her exquisite throat. So exquisite. So very alluring. How he’d missed her!

  Unable to deny himself, he leaned closer for a taste of her lips.

  She froze when his lips brushed across hers and then the wild cat in her awoke and she shoved him with all her might, catching him off-guard so that he lost his balance and fell backwards, crashing to the floor.

  The beast raged, demanding supremacy. Growling, his face contorting, Jason fought valiantly to keep the tight reign on his demon half, but he was losing. Rather than chance hurting Meghan, he told her, "I’ll be back. I’m not a dream." He orbed out of Meghan’s apartment to a safe spot far away where he could cool off and collect himself. He had to make a plan to win her heart before midnight on Halloween, lest she be lost to him again and he be imprisoned in the demon realm for another eternity and she’d be at the mercy of their enemies.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Breathless and flushed, Lucy rushed back into Meg’s apartment about an hour later followed closely by two men, one in a black frock and wide-brimmed hat, the other in a policeman’s uniform. "Where is the creep? Thank God you’re alive."

  Meg’s heart about leapt out of her chest and the blood rushed out of her head, making her dizzy for the second time that evening. Shakily, her hand grasped her throat. Two intrusions in one night didn’t bode well for her heart. "Lord, you about scared the life out of me."

  Lucy stayed by the door beside the holy man and pointed toward the back of the apartment. "Make sure he’s vacated."

  Meg dragged in a deep breath before stopping her cousin. "Jason left right after you."

  "You mean Incubus?" Lucy’s jaw dropped a few notches. "You exchanged names with a demon?"

  Having him force his name on her wasn’t exactly a friendly exchange. She gulped and linked her hands together in her lap. "He told me that we’re soul mates."

  Lucy gasped and gaped at her. "As in reincarnation?"

  Jason had made it sound so. Scared out of her wits she hadn’t exactly thought to push the source of her fright for details. That would be sort of like asking the boogie man to chit chat. Meg just shrugged. "I suppose."

  The policeman rejoined them, raking a pudgy hand through his thinning salt and peppery hair. His bushy brows drawn together in a scowl, he announced, "The predator seems to have departed. No one else is on the premises."

  "He might be inside her," the priest whispered into Lucy’s ear loudly enough so Meg could hear him. His coal black gaze devoured her, making her squirm.

  "Can you perform an exorcism?" Lucy hissed, her complexion completely draining of color.

  To Meg’s escalating horror, he extracted a vial from his cloak pocket and held it up to the light. "I always keep it on me."

  Meg wasn’t Catholic and didn’t trust this so-called holy man any more than she trusted Incubus. For that matter, when had Lucy converted? They were reared United Methodist. "You’re not Catholic," Meg said, sounding inane. Did Catholic rituals work for non-Catholics? That was saying if they even worked at all and she wasn’t so sure she believed in exorcisms any more than she believed in demons.

  Meg shook herself. The point was moot. There were no demons inside her to exorcise. Wouldn’t she know?

  "Protestant pastors don’t perform exorcisms." A gigantic duh hung in the air.

  Meg wasn’t letting this bozo chant over her and possibly cause more trouble. She made a shooing motion to her uninvited guests. "Well thank you for your concern, but I’m demon-free so I’m not in need of your services. Good night."

  "But Meg...." Lucy squared her shoulders, a sure sign she was gearing up for a fight.

  But nothing. This was her house. Her rules. No whackos allowed.

  Meg beckoned Lucy to join her in the kitchen, in private. "I want them out of my house now."

  "The demon...." Storms chased across Lucy’s normally jovial eyes. "Maybe it’s the demon talking to me, not Meg."

  Meg blinked. "Do I sound like a demon? Am I growling? Foaming at the mouth? Are my eyes glowing?" Nor was her head spinning around or was she vomiting. She was plain ordinary Meg. Lucy was the wild one, with an even wilder imagination.

  "Cole in "Charmed" seems very normal most of the time." Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes as if that proved her point.

  Meg sighed. Hello! "That’s a TV show. Not that I believe in demons." Well almost. "But if I’m wrong and they do exist, do you really think a TV show is the definitive authority on demons?"

  "Neither of us knows enough to be an expert. That’s why I brought one with me. What can a little holy water hurt? If there’s no demon in you it won’t do anything. No harm, no foul."

  Lucy’s logic seemed really warped although Meg couldn’t quite pinpoint at which part it went astray. "No means no. Please take the bishop back to whichever monastery you found him. I hope you didn’t have to pay much for his services."

  The clergyman marched into the room, his chest puffed out, his chin lifted high. "I’m a reverend, not a bishop. And I do not accept earthly rewards for performing my sacred duties."

  Meg stared at the indignant man. Okay, he officially alarmed her more than the demonic figment of her imagination. "It was a dream. We got carried away with the whole Halloween fantasy."

  Lucy grabbed her by her shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. "Listen to me. I was there. It wasn’t a dream. A black spirit flew out of your computer. I’m not going to stand by and let it hurt us."

  Meg replayed the event in her mind. The shock of recognizing the man--creature as her dream lover, had eclipsed the initial terror. "Okay, I’ll consider an exorcism." Just in case. "But I want to consult with other experts first."

  Lucy bent her head and expelled a long sigh. "How long do you think the demon will wait to strike?"

  Meg’s mind was made up. "I’m getting a second opinion first."

  * * * *

  Jason eavesdropped intently. Some demonic powers such as orbing came in handy.

  He’d gotten the beast
under control just to find his arch-enemy, Balberith, staking out Meghan’s house and trying to cleanse her. Meghan was right not to trust him. He should dispose of the unholy demon master posing as a demon hunter, now.

  Only he didn’t want to feed the beast with violence. He feared it could unleash it permanently and he didn’t desire that kind of unholy existence.

  The last thing he wanted to do was to kill in front of Meghan and risk driving her away again. Giving into the beast had cost him dearly. It had frightened Meghan so terribly that it had driven her to her death and nearly destroyed his soul.

  Soul?

  Since when did demons, even half-human demons, possess a soul? Maybe he possessed half a soul. What good would half a soul do him?

  The adversary spoke again, pulling Jason out of his reverie. "It is imperative we destroy this demon before he harms you and your cousin."

  Melodramatic to the end, the faux priest waved his arms about in the air in grand, sweeping gestures. "Incubus is a fearsome evil that must be destroyed at all costs. The safety of the world depends on his demise."

  A growl arose in Jason’s gut. Vile, vicious falsehoods tripped off the man’s tongue. It was he, not Jason who threatened the world as Meghan knew it. He had often tried to master the demons for his own nefarious purpose. When Jason had thwarted him he’d vowed never to give up, and bestow revenge upon him. Upon further introspection, the world’s safety came first and he should destroy the excuse for a man. The man might know of his past with Meghan and try to kill her in revenge.

  He had to remove Meghan from the danger immediately. Only he couldn’t let his enemy know he was here.

  He orbed to the common hallway and made a commotion to draw him away. It worked. The demon master trotted to the source of the sound as he orbed back to Meghan.