The Trouble with Demons Read online

  “Then it stopped working. She’s not powerful enough. This isn’t any of her affair.”

  “We have to find your father, Hunter. He might know of an antidote for the poison.”

  “In Seplichus?” Alana asked, her voice nearly a whisper.

  “Yes.” Hunter said to Jared, “I told you I don’t know who my father is.”

  “But we can find out who your mother is, and she might know,” Jared argued.

  Alana looked from Jared to Hunter.

  Hunter shook his head. “I’d have to ask my parents, and you know how I feel about that.”

  “We could tell them the truth, that we need to locate your mother because she might have some antidote in her blood that would save you. Then we’ll see your mother and—”

  “No. And that’s final.”

  Jared stormed out of the room.

  Alana stared at the empty doorway.

  “Go with him. He’ll take you home.”

  “You’re living with human parents?”

  “Yeah. It’s not so odd. Jared also lives with some.”

  Alana tucked her hair behind her ears. “Your mother was a demon?”

  “No.”

  She took a deep breath. “You’re only half demon?”

  Not liking what she was getting at, he ground his teeth.

  “Me, too,” she said softly.

  His jaw dropped. “You’re not a full demon?”

  She shook her head. “Now I see why you’re not a killer like the other Matusa.”

  Oh, he was a killer all right, but he hoped he would only be forced to kill the Matusa murderers.

  She licked her lips and swallowed hard. “What can I do to help?”

  Chapter 8

  Alana hurried out of Hunter’s hospital room, stopping briefly only to wake the nurses, then she headed for the elevator, with a new mission in mind. In the lobby downstairs, a housekeeper waxed the floor with a lemon fragrance, while Jared paced nearby. Seeing Alana, he stopped abruptly and jammed his hands in his pockets, his face wearing a scowl.

  “I want to help you find Hunter’s birth mother,” she said, joining him.

  “And?”

  “What do you mean, and?” she asked, her voice elevating.

  “What do you hope to get out of it?”

  “I want to help, no hidden agenda.”

  Jared took a deep breath. “You can’t look at the data on the Kubiteron until you’ve healed Hunter.”

  “That’s not why I want to help.”

  “Why then?”

  “Maybe…” She bit her lip. “Maybe he can help me later, if we can make him well.”

  “How?”

  “I witnessed a Matusa murder a woman. He saw me. He’ll come for me.”

  Jared stared at her, then cursed under his breath. “He’ll kill us all if we try to protect you and Hunter’s not well enough. Just super. We pick a healer who can’t heal, and now we learn she’s on a Matusa’s death list. Terrific.” He glowered at her. “You just wanted to help—no hidden agenda, right?” He stormed out of the hospital.

  She hurried after him, trying to keep pace with his long stride. “Are you half demon?”

  “No, full.”

  She gave him an irritated look. “Figures.”

  “You’re only half?”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s why I want to help Hunter, too.”

  He gave a dark laugh. “Figures.” He stalked out to the Jeep, and she shadowed him. Then he turned to her, his brow furrowed. “So, if you’re only half demon, what’s the other half? It can’t be human.”

  Though her blood sizzled, she disregarded his remark. “Can’t you find anything about his birth mother on your laptop? The Internet or something?”

  “No, I looked, despite Hunter telling me not to. I figured he could get angry with me later.”

  They climbed into his Jeep while Alana pondered the news. “But you had no luck.”

  “No. The best way to go about this, I assume, is to get hold of his birth mother.”

  Great, as if that would solve all their problems. “But she might not know who his father was.”

  His look gloomy, Jared glanced at her.

  She shrugged. “My mother didn’t know my father’s name.”

  “That’s all I needed to hear. Can you possibly think of something more upbeat?”

  ***

  When they arrived at Hunter’s home, the one-story house was shrouded in dark, except for a single security light hanging from a lamppost in the yard.

  Jared shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the door.

  Alana glanced at Jared when he didn’t knock on the door. “Well? You have to be the one to approach them. I don’t know them.”

  “I know, I know.”

  When he still didn’t react, she rang the doorbell.

  He glowered at her. “Why aren’t you wearing contacts?”

  “I took them out so I could show my uncle I’m half demon.” She tilted her chin up.

  He shook his head. “And here we’re always trying to hide the fact we are.”

  “Me, too. Normally.” She rang the doorbell again.

  “Coming, coming,” a gruff male voice said.

  “Hunter’s father. A mortician,” Jared said.

  “Gruesome.”

  The door opened and a dark-haired man stared at them, his dark brown eyes bleary. He wasn’t nearly as tall as Hunter and his skin was darker, his nose bigger, more hooked. He definitely didn’t look like Hunter’s birth father. He looked Alana over, then faced Jared. “What’s going on?”

  “We need to find Hunter’s birth mother. Her blood might contain an antibody that could help him.”

  Mr. Ross frowned. “No one from the hospital has said anything about this to me.”

  “He seems to be dying, Mr. Ross.” Alana’s words were tinged with anger. “This might be his only chance.”

  Shaking his head, he started to close the door. “If the hospital calls me and tells me what you have, I’ll consider it. But not before—”

  Clenching her teeth, Alana quieted her rising temper. “You want to tell us her name.”

  “Crissie Carruthers.”

  “Where does she live?”

  He shook his head, but waited obediently for her to release him.

  “Thank you, Mr. Ross. You don’t remember us coming here tonight. You don’t remember giving the name of Hunter’s birth mother to anyone. You may go back to bed and have a nice sleep.”

  Mr. Ross shuffled back into the house and closed the door.

  Jared cursed under his breath. “How did you do that? No demon can use mind control.”

  “Must be my other half.” She pointed at his laptop. “Can you find her address in there?”

  ***

  Twenty minutes later, Jared pulled up to a small stone house, and Alana took charge. A petite blonde peered at Alana through navy drapes, her electric blue eyes worried. But Alana was still concerned that the demon wouldn’t have told the woman his name. And then what?

  “I’m here to speak to you about your son, Miss Carruthers, Crissie. I have to talk to you. Please, open up,” Alana said, standing on the front porch.

  The door remained shut like a castle barricade between them. “I don’t have a son.”

  Great. Just great. Alana hadn’t thought of that scenario.

  “You had a son.” Alana looked at Jared to help her out. “How old is he?”

  “Eighteen,” Jared said.

  “You or someone summoned a demon, and the man made you pregnant,” Alana said to the woman.

  The woman opened her door to Alana and Jared. She looked like she was about to collapse, and Alana helped her into the living room. “Does anyone else live with you here?”

  Crissie shook her head.

  “Did you ever marry?”

  “No one could ever be like him.”

  Alana’s heart nearly stopped. Her mother had spoken nearly the same words. “But you gave up y
our baby.”

  Crissie’s eyes filled with tears. “My father was ashamed of me for having a child out of wedlock. He forced me to give my son up when he was born.”

  “Who summoned his father?”

  The woman swallowed hard.

  “Did you summon him?”

  She nodded.

  Alana didn’t sense the woman had any magical abilities. She must be like the Goth women she’d seen, just experimenting into the realms of the unknown. “Crissie, this is so important. Your son’s name is Hunter, but he was trying to send an evil demon back to his world. The demon tore Hunter’s skin, infecting him with some kind of poison. We think the only way to save his life is if we find his father. He may know of an antidote.”

  “Can I see him?” Crissie asked, her voice no more than a whisper.

  “Hunter?” She wasn’t sure if his mother wanted to see her son, or the man she had loved.

  “Yes, my son.”

  Now what? Hunter didn’t want to see his mother. But she couldn’t deny his mother the chance to be with him. Especially when he might still die.

  Jared shifted from one foot to the other.

  “Yes. We’ll take you to him.”

  Thankfully, Jared didn’t contradict her, but he gave Alana a look that could kill. Good thing he was wearing contacts.

  “So who was his father?” Alana asked as they climbed into Jared’s Jeep, though she feared Crissie wouldn’t know, just like her own mother didn’t.

  “Bentos.”

  Relieved, Alana took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

  “What will you do?”

  “Try to summon him to the hospital room.”

  Crissie ran her hands over her lap, smoothing her jeans. “Will Hunter hate me?”

  Probably, if he were full demon. Maybe not, being half human. Alana didn’t answer her. His mother would have to learn the answer for herself.

  ***

  When they arrived at the hospital, Alana quickly put the nurses at the station to sleep, but Crissie was so eager to see Hunter, though she incessantly wrung her hands, she didn’t seem to see what Alana had done. Jared, for being a full demon, looked a little spooked when Alana used her magic on the nurses. Good, she felt outnumbered by the two male demons. This gave her a slightly better edge.

  Now, the problem—Hunter—and hoping he didn’t go ballistic over their bringing his birth mother to the hospital.

  “Alana, where are you?” Uncle Stephen telepathically communicated to her. He sounded both anxious and angered.

  Having forgotten all about him, she about had a stroke. “Safe, Uncle Stephen, but I’ve got to take care of a friend. I’ll be home soon.”

  “Alana!”

  She silenced his communication to her. The business at hand was too important to dismiss. If they weren’t careful, they might unleash a new Matusa and have a whole lot of bloodshed on their hands. Though, she couldn’t understand how Crissie had summoned the Matusa, and he hadn’t killed her for it already.

  Jared went into the room first to check on Hunter.

  Unable to stand Crissie’s nervousness, Alana wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “My mother felt as you did. Except she kept me.” She wasn’t sure why she told the woman, except she wanted to show her there were others who were like her—in love with a demon they could never have.

  The revelation seemed to surprise Crissie. “And your father?”

  Alana shook her head. “My mother didn’t know his name. She didn’t even tell me about it until I turned seventeen.”

  “I’m sorry,” Crissie said.

  Alana managed a smile. “I love my mother. I just don’t know anything about my father. Hunter’s been raised by a nice family. But you’re still his mother.”

  Jared came out and gave Alana a look that she couldn’t read. But she guessed it wasn’t good. “He said to go in.”

  Alana raised her brows.

  Jared shook his head, but Crissie seized Alana’s hand with titan strength and pulled her toward the room. “I can’t go in alone, and you understand the way it is. You can help smooth things over.”

  Right. Alana was not the smooth-things-over type. She’d been angry with her mother for not telling her about her father. If she ever met him—which she never wanted to do—she’d give him an earful, too. She’d pissed her uncle off now. Smoothing things over was not her bag.

  Crissie nearly crept toward the bed, Hunter’s blue eyes fixed on her. “I’m Crissie Carruthers,” she said softly. “Your birth mother.”

  His eyes hardened, and his jaw ticked with rigid control.

  “My father forced me to give you up. I wanted to die.”

  Hunter looked at Alana, and she nodded. “My grandparents forced my mother out of the house when she vowed to keep me. She struggled for years to support us. Crissie did what she felt she had to, gave you to a family who could care for you better than she could.”

  “Your father’s name was Bentos,” Crissie said. “If I can do nothing more for you, I want to help you live.”

  For an instant, he closed his eyes. Looking sunburned from the fever, he shivered endlessly.

  Feeling they had no other choice, Alana said, “Call him forth, Crissie. Summon him.”

  Her blue eyes grew big. “He said he’d kill me if I called him here again.”

  Fisting her hands, Alana feared the worse. He was a true Matusa, a Dark One. “Call him forth. Then you leave. If he sees his son, hopefully he will change his mind.” If not, she would defend him to the death, even though she feared Hunter already didn’t have long to live.

  “I won’t leave. I want my son well again.”

  Hunter nodded.

  Crissie raised her hands and did the incantation. The portal opened, but no one came forth.

  “Why would a demon who’s been summoned by name not show?” Alana asked.

  Jared cleared his throat. “Maybe he’s dead. Or if not that, maybe he’s too far away from the portal. Like you said, you were summoned when the portal opened, but only if it was close by.”

  Alana felt a strange tingling all over her body. “My uncle. Ohmigod, he’s trying to locate me.” Panicked, she turned her attention to the portal’s shimmering blue-green lights. “Before my uncle finds me and stops me, there’s only one other thing we can do.”

  “What’s that? Though I hate to ask,” Jared said.

  “We find Hunter’s father.”

  “No,” Hunter said. “I wouldn’t want you to—”

  “Too late. I’ll need your help when I return. You’re of no use to me half dead.” She tossed him a simpering smile, then stalked toward the portal. “Coming, Jared? I’m not sure a half demon will survive in this world. I might need your help.”

  “Yeah, I’m coming. I think I got me a girlfriend.”

  “In your nightmares.” She glanced back at Hunter who winced in pain. “Don’t you die on me, Matusa, or I’ll wring your sickly neck when I return.”

  He gave her a half smile, and she winked. Keep thinking those evil thoughts, Dark One.

  Dreading what she might find in the demon world, she held her breath and stepped into the portal.

  Chapter 9

  Alana was not normally a clinging vine, but she hugged close to Jared in the demon world. She wished Hunter had been well enough to go with them since he was a Matusa, and she assumed most of the lesser demons would leave them alone had he been with them.

  But as soon as she looked over the city, she wondered if she’d lost her mind. How was she supposed to find Hunter’s father? Brick buildings and glass ones towered toward the heavens, but the sky was a dingy gray and shadows seemed to lurk in the darkened alleys. The city street looked very much like their world otherwise, except darker.

  “Have you ever been here before?” Her words and footfall echoed off the buildings and glistening wet street. The air smelled different too, earthy, which seemed strange for city streets.

  “Now you ask. Yeah, the hall of records is
straight up the street. We’ll search for Hunter’s dad there.”

  Guardedly relieved, she nodded. “Tell me what I should know about my demon kind. What powers can I call on if I need them?” She swore Jared shivered. “Jared, answer me. What do you know about my kind?”

  He took a deep breath and bumped her arm when a demon looked out a storefront window at them. The guy said something to another.

  “Matusa,” Jared said under his breath, his voice jittery. “You don’t know anything about your heritage?”

  “How could I? My mother didn’t even know my father’s name. She didn’t know what kind of demon she’d called forth.”

  “How do you know what we are?” Jared’s gaze kept shifting to the dark alleys which made Alana nervous. Jared quickened his step.

  Alana nearly had to run to catch up. “Inborn trait, I guess. I don’t know why I couldn’t tell what I was though.”

  “Maybe your other half blocked your ability to recognize what you are?”

  She cast him a dirty look.

  Jared let out his breath. “I have to tell you that Matusa like female Kubiteron. I’ve heard the Matusa often will find a female they want and force them to be their mates.”

  She gave Jared a scathing look, not believing he’d keep such a thing secret from her until they’d entered the demon world. “And you didn’t tell me this before because?”

  “We have to save Hunter.”

  “You could have told me, you jerk!”

  He smiled, but the look faded when a shadow moved closer to them.

  Frowning, she tried to calm the new anxiety crawling inside her. “How many times have you been here?”

  “Several times, looking for my parents. Nobody bothers me, but I hadn’t realized having you tag along would be a problem.”

  She was a problem? She was the solution! Was Jared going to find Hunter’s father on his own? No siree! “Hey, I’m here to help Hunter, just like you. So why does Hunter want to return demons to their world? I wouldn’t think he’d care since he’s a Matusa.”

  “He’s half demon,” Jared said.

  “So? Not all humans would risk their necks over someone they didn’t know. Especially if they had to fight a Matusa.”

  “He’s half Matusa.” Jared gave her a smug smile.