before him, like that will reassure me.
“I’m here to offer you a deal,” he says.
“I’ll just bet.”
“What if I told you I could restore all your lost memories? How much is that worth to you?”
“A lot,” I answer, before I can stop myself.
Dammit. I just gave up some leverage.
“Excellent.” The man looks dreadfully pleased. “And what if I told you that regaining your memories means losing Jesse Saldana forever?”
Shit. Is that his price? I’m familiar enough with the concept to realize I’m being offered a demonic bargain.There’s always an awful aspect to the deal, but they don’t usually spell it out for you upfront.
Yet I don’t even have to think about it. “Forget it. I’ll handle the uncertainty. I won’t live without Jesse.”
“That’s exactly what I told them you’d say,” he murmurs.
When I turn, he’s already gone.
Nine
The week ends without further complications. This makes me nervous because demons have been all up in my business, whatever that is. I imagine it’s related to the memories I’ve lost. Since they want Jesse as the price for getting them back, well, it’s not happening. I’ll deal with this some other way.
I don’t see Jesse until the following Saturday, though he sends regular texts, so I know he’s thinking of me. And I hope he’s contemplating our situation. But I’m trying not to be pushy. He has to want this as much as I do.
Early on Saturday afternoon, he calls me. “I’ll be at your place in half an hour. Pack a bag.”
“I’m not moving in with you. What if the sex is terrible? I’ll have to take all my stuff home again, and I’m opposed to so much extra work.”
“Stop trying to sidetrack me, woman. I know I’m supposed to want to prove my prowess now.”
“And don’t you?” I ask softly.
“Dammit, Shan. Later.” He sounds equal parts amused and turned on. “We’ve got a meeting with Twila tonight.”
She’s the woman who runs Texas. I’ve never met her, but I’m told she’s the most powerful person in the whole state, so far as the supernatural community is concerned. Whether you’re a witch, warlock, wizard, Gifted, or demon, you owe Twila fealty. I probably should’ve gone to see her when I first arrived, but I had other things on my mind, like not being homeless or unemployed.
“Does she know about my gift?”
“Twila knows everything, but she’ll ask a steep price for her information.”
“If I can afford it, I’ll pay. And…I’m getting my stuff together now. Gotta go.”
I hang up on him again, something that gives me inordinate pleasure. The background noise made me think he was in the car when he called, so I hurry through packing. I take enough for an overnight stay: clean panties, bra, fresh outfit. The combat boots I’m wearing will work tomorrow, so I don’t need extra shoes. Then I stuff my huge cosmetic bag into the backpack.
The weird thing is, I can imagine washing off my makeup before going to bed with Jesse. I can picture letting him see my naked face in the morning, the way other people rarely see me. In my mind, it’s like when a Victorian maiden lets down her long hair only in front of her husband. There’s a sexual component to it, a sense of stripping down with him completely. I want that. The other night, I didn’t take my paint off, so it was kinda smeared when we woke up, but he was in such a hurry that I don’t think he paid much attention.
I’m waiting out front when he arrives. Waving, I jog toward the SUV, but he’s faster, sliding across the hood to keep me from opening my own door. I find his eagerness adorable. He sets a palm to my cheek and kisses me softly, sweetly.
“Hey,” he says, and it’s a thousand words crammed into one. It’s hello and how are you and I missed you and thanks for coming when I call .
I hear him. I hope I always do.
“Hey yourself.” I don’t know if I’m as eloquent with my tone as he is with that sexy-as-fuck drawl, but
“I’m here to offer you a deal,” he says.
“I’ll just bet.”
“What if I told you I could restore all your lost memories? How much is that worth to you?”
“A lot,” I answer, before I can stop myself.
Dammit. I just gave up some leverage.
“Excellent.” The man looks dreadfully pleased. “And what if I told you that regaining your memories means losing Jesse Saldana forever?”
Shit. Is that his price? I’m familiar enough with the concept to realize I’m being offered a demonic bargain.There’s always an awful aspect to the deal, but they don’t usually spell it out for you upfront.
Yet I don’t even have to think about it. “Forget it. I’ll handle the uncertainty. I won’t live without Jesse.”
“That’s exactly what I told them you’d say,” he murmurs.
When I turn, he’s already gone.
Nine
The week ends without further complications. This makes me nervous because demons have been all up in my business, whatever that is. I imagine it’s related to the memories I’ve lost. Since they want Jesse as the price for getting them back, well, it’s not happening. I’ll deal with this some other way.
I don’t see Jesse until the following Saturday, though he sends regular texts, so I know he’s thinking of me. And I hope he’s contemplating our situation. But I’m trying not to be pushy. He has to want this as much as I do.
Early on Saturday afternoon, he calls me. “I’ll be at your place in half an hour. Pack a bag.”
“I’m not moving in with you. What if the sex is terrible? I’ll have to take all my stuff home again, and I’m opposed to so much extra work.”
“Stop trying to sidetrack me, woman. I know I’m supposed to want to prove my prowess now.”
“And don’t you?” I ask softly.
“Dammit, Shan. Later.” He sounds equal parts amused and turned on. “We’ve got a meeting with Twila tonight.”
She’s the woman who runs Texas. I’ve never met her, but I’m told she’s the most powerful person in the whole state, so far as the supernatural community is concerned. Whether you’re a witch, warlock, wizard, Gifted, or demon, you owe Twila fealty. I probably should’ve gone to see her when I first arrived, but I had other things on my mind, like not being homeless or unemployed.
“Does she know about my gift?”
“Twila knows everything, but she’ll ask a steep price for her information.”
“If I can afford it, I’ll pay. And…I’m getting my stuff together now. Gotta go.”
I hang up on him again, something that gives me inordinate pleasure. The background noise made me think he was in the car when he called, so I hurry through packing. I take enough for an overnight stay: clean panties, bra, fresh outfit. The combat boots I’m wearing will work tomorrow, so I don’t need extra shoes. Then I stuff my huge cosmetic bag into the backpack.
The weird thing is, I can imagine washing off my makeup before going to bed with Jesse. I can picture letting him see my naked face in the morning, the way other people rarely see me. In my mind, it’s like when a Victorian maiden lets down her long hair only in front of her husband. There’s a sexual component to it, a sense of stripping down with him completely. I want that. The other night, I didn’t take my paint off, so it was kinda smeared when we woke up, but he was in such a hurry that I don’t think he paid much attention.
I’m waiting out front when he arrives. Waving, I jog toward the SUV, but he’s faster, sliding across the hood to keep me from opening my own door. I find his eagerness adorable. He sets a palm to my cheek and kisses me softly, sweetly.
“Hey,” he says, and it’s a thousand words crammed into one. It’s hello and how are you and I missed you and thanks for coming when I call .
I hear him. I hope I always do.
“Hey yourself.” I don’t know if I’m as eloquent with my tone as he is with that sexy-as-fuck drawl, but
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