outside.
What did he think he was doing? Eden didn’t know the first thing about how to handle new cases. She’d typed them up in the past month, but that wasn’t remotely the same thing. She wasn’t an investigator nor did she want to be one. Ever.
She glanced at Darrak. He was very quiet. His arms were crossed in front of him and he studied the woman with a narrowed, unfriendly gaze.
What was his problem?
“Sorry, Mrs. Morgan, I’m being rude.” She held out her hand. “I’m Eden Riley.”
“Please, call me Fay.” Instead of shaking her hand Fay grabbed her into a tight embrace. “I knew I’d come to the right place.”
The hug was so tight it actually hurt a little.
“Let go of her,” Darrak said sharply.
Fay tensed and leaned back from Eden, her eyes wide. She looked over her shoulder at the demon in the corner and drew in a sharp breath.
“I didn’t sense anything…” she began, then shut her mouth. “I need to leave.”
“No, wait,” Eden said as Fay began moving toward the door. “Don’t go.”
If only so she could understand what the hell was going on. The air felt thick with tension all of a sudden.
Fay’s expression was tight as she turned back to Eden. “I sensed that this was a welcoming place. But now I see that it is not.”
“I’m not what you think,” Darrak said.
“You’re a demon.”
He frowned. “Well, okay. Maybe I am what you think. But just relax. Unless you wish ill to Eden—and I don’t think you do—then I mean you no harm in return. Seriously.”
“And why would I believe that?”
“Because I guarantee it,” Eden told her. “How do you know what he is?”
“I never would have come within a mile of this place if I’d sensed him”—she paused—“but his true essence seems to be somewhat weakened.”
“You could say that,” Darrak agreed. “Now, why don’t you tell us why you came here today?”
She shifted her feet as her gaze darted back and forth between Eden and Darrak. “I suspect my—my husband is cheating on me. I want to hire you to follow him.”
“What is your husband?” Darrak asked.
“ What is he?” Eden shot him a look.
“He’s human,” the woman replied, as if it wasn’t an odd question.
“So you think he’s cheating on you?” Eden scribbled down the information as neatly as she could.
Fay sat down in a chair next to Eden’s desk. “I think he might be enchanted in some way.”
Eden dropped her pen. “Enchanted?”
“Yes. Manipulated by magic.”
“I know what enchanted means.” She swallowed hard. “I’m just not used to dealing with it on an everyday basis.”
Fay glanced back at Darrak. “She’s new to this?”
“You could say that.”
She studied Eden for a moment and her brow lowered. “I thought you were different, but are you only human?”
Eden blinked. “Well, of course I am.”
Fay dared another glance at the demon behind her. “I sensed this place was Other-friendly. In fact, when looking for a detective agency, I was compelled to choose this one in particular.”
“ Other- friendly?” Eden asked cautiously.
“Other than human.”
“Oh.” Eden felt the blood drain from her face. “Of course. Silly me.”
“Eden is human,” Darrak said. “She has some psychic abilities, but has no conscious control over them. And she has been touched by a magical presence recently. Perhaps that is all this is.”
Touched by a magical presence. Demonic possession. Potato, potahto.
Eden exhaled slowly and tried to center herself. “We can have your husband followed, Fay. Believe me, I’m not trying to turn away your case just because it might have some strangeness associated with it that I’m not entirely comfortable with. This is a business, after all.”
A business that was going to fold like a cheap suit without this woman’s case. And if that happened, then Andy would never agree to help them find the witch.
If nothing else, it helped to make Eden’s choices crystal
What did he think he was doing? Eden didn’t know the first thing about how to handle new cases. She’d typed them up in the past month, but that wasn’t remotely the same thing. She wasn’t an investigator nor did she want to be one. Ever.
She glanced at Darrak. He was very quiet. His arms were crossed in front of him and he studied the woman with a narrowed, unfriendly gaze.
What was his problem?
“Sorry, Mrs. Morgan, I’m being rude.” She held out her hand. “I’m Eden Riley.”
“Please, call me Fay.” Instead of shaking her hand Fay grabbed her into a tight embrace. “I knew I’d come to the right place.”
The hug was so tight it actually hurt a little.
“Let go of her,” Darrak said sharply.
Fay tensed and leaned back from Eden, her eyes wide. She looked over her shoulder at the demon in the corner and drew in a sharp breath.
“I didn’t sense anything…” she began, then shut her mouth. “I need to leave.”
“No, wait,” Eden said as Fay began moving toward the door. “Don’t go.”
If only so she could understand what the hell was going on. The air felt thick with tension all of a sudden.
Fay’s expression was tight as she turned back to Eden. “I sensed that this was a welcoming place. But now I see that it is not.”
“I’m not what you think,” Darrak said.
“You’re a demon.”
He frowned. “Well, okay. Maybe I am what you think. But just relax. Unless you wish ill to Eden—and I don’t think you do—then I mean you no harm in return. Seriously.”
“And why would I believe that?”
“Because I guarantee it,” Eden told her. “How do you know what he is?”
“I never would have come within a mile of this place if I’d sensed him”—she paused—“but his true essence seems to be somewhat weakened.”
“You could say that,” Darrak agreed. “Now, why don’t you tell us why you came here today?”
She shifted her feet as her gaze darted back and forth between Eden and Darrak. “I suspect my—my husband is cheating on me. I want to hire you to follow him.”
“What is your husband?” Darrak asked.
“ What is he?” Eden shot him a look.
“He’s human,” the woman replied, as if it wasn’t an odd question.
“So you think he’s cheating on you?” Eden scribbled down the information as neatly as she could.
Fay sat down in a chair next to Eden’s desk. “I think he might be enchanted in some way.”
Eden dropped her pen. “Enchanted?”
“Yes. Manipulated by magic.”
“I know what enchanted means.” She swallowed hard. “I’m just not used to dealing with it on an everyday basis.”
Fay glanced back at Darrak. “She’s new to this?”
“You could say that.”
She studied Eden for a moment and her brow lowered. “I thought you were different, but are you only human?”
Eden blinked. “Well, of course I am.”
Fay dared another glance at the demon behind her. “I sensed this place was Other-friendly. In fact, when looking for a detective agency, I was compelled to choose this one in particular.”
“ Other- friendly?” Eden asked cautiously.
“Other than human.”
“Oh.” Eden felt the blood drain from her face. “Of course. Silly me.”
“Eden is human,” Darrak said. “She has some psychic abilities, but has no conscious control over them. And she has been touched by a magical presence recently. Perhaps that is all this is.”
Touched by a magical presence. Demonic possession. Potato, potahto.
Eden exhaled slowly and tried to center herself. “We can have your husband followed, Fay. Believe me, I’m not trying to turn away your case just because it might have some strangeness associated with it that I’m not entirely comfortable with. This is a business, after all.”
A business that was going to fold like a cheap suit without this woman’s case. And if that happened, then Andy would never agree to help them find the witch.
If nothing else, it helped to make Eden’s choices crystal
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