Protect Her: Part One Read online

  I left the cabin before Paige could hurl any more snarky commentary my way. If I was lucky, when I returned she’d be passed out on the couch. I figured if I just gave her enough time, the medicine would do its work.

  I stood on the porch and examined the clearing again. Other than the driveway that we had so recently used, and the path that Paige said led down to the lake, there didn’t appear to be any easy way to access the cabin. Because I didn’t like feeling like a sitting duck, I moved my feet in the direction of the lake. The path was uneven and clearly hadn’t been well-kept, not unlike the driveway. It made me wonder how often Christopher actually came up to use it.

  As Paige explained, it didn’t take long before the path dropped me onto a small, rocky beach. I looked out at the lake and thought I saw a canoe on the far side. Lifting my hand to shade my eyes from the sun, I tried to ascertain how close we were to the nearest neighbor. I could make out a few small houses on the far side of the lake, but as I looked up and down the shoreline on either side of where I stood, I only saw one other dock several hundred yards down the way. It was empty.

  A small wooden dock stretched about twenty feet into the lake in front of me. As I did a full circle, I noticed an unevenness in the foliage on the left side of the path. Upon closer inspection, I found a camouflage canvas covering a small canoe. The paddles rested inside.

  I settled the canvas back over the canoe, and made my way back to the clearing. It was everything that I had asked for: secluded and anonymous. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were merely biding our time here, and we weren’t nearly as safe as we thought we were. I learned a long time ago that I should listen to that sixth sense.

  I leaned against the side of the SUV and wished that I still smoked. If nothing else, it was a way to pass the time. But once I fully transitioned into my necromancy, puffs of smoke took on a completely different meaning to me. I had an ever-growing list of enemies who would be more than happy to make sure that I disappeared without a trace. It wasn’t a line of work for the weak of heart.

  What I needed was intel. My working knowledge of Calamata Island was around the town, and I hadn’t been on the island long enough to immerse myself in the lay of the land. Mostly I’d been tracking and interrogating dead demons. Which made me glance at my watch and realize that I needed to do another call-in. Halpren wasn’t a patient man, and I had ended our last conversation rather abruptly.

  I pulled out my cell and was pleased to see that I still had at least two bars. The island was remote enough in its populated areas. It felt like it was possible to disappear where we were. I dialed Halpren’s number.

  “You’re lucky that I don’t kick your ass,” Halpren said, as usual without any kind of preamble. “Not many men would consider it okay to hang up on me.”

  “I had to go,” I said. “You may be paying the invoice, Sheriff, but that doesn’t make you my boss.”

  “I think you better rethink that logic,” Halpren said. “Another demon trap was set off in Briar Cemetery. You’ve got a live one ready and waiting.” Halpren chuckled at his pathetic attempt at a joke.

  I had to do some fast thinking. There was no way that I could leave Paige alone, at least not until I had figured out another way to keep her safe.

  “That one last night put up a fight. I need more time to re-charge,” I said, trying to buy myself some time.

  “Like hell. For what we’re paying you, you should be ready to interrogate fifty of these bastards a day if necessary. That’s why you’re the best, remember?”

  Jackass was using my own sales pitch on me. I glanced at the cabin. “And the reason I’m the best is because I don’t burn myself out by doing fifty interrogations a day. The demon’s already dead. It’s not like he’s going anywhere. I’ll pick it up tonight.”

  There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Something you’d care to share, Stone?”

  I hated how perceptive Halpren was. It’s what made him a good cop, but it also made it exceedingly difficult to pull one over on him.

  “I’ve been up for over forty-eight hours. Do you want quality information or not?” I paused just long enough to pull the punch. “Plus, you paid me for three interrogations and this will make the fourth. The price just went up. You probably want to clear that with your boss before I start.”

  I couldn’t help but grin as I hung up the phone again cutting off the barrage of swearing from the other end of the phone. That would slow him down for a few hours. If angels were anything, they were cheap.

  Slipping the phone back in my pocket, I pushed off of the SUV’s hood and made my way back up to the house. I leaned my ear against the door, but couldn’t hear any movement inside. Hopeful that my plan worked, I slowly opened the door. And was greeted by the smell of eggs.

  As I stepped inside, I saw Paige working a cast iron skillet pan on the stovetop. My stomach growled loud enough to bounce off of the cabin’s walls. She gave me a small wave. “Set the table. The dishes are in that cabinet.”

  It had been a long time since a woman cooked me breakfast. Stunned, I just followed her directions and put plates and silverware on the table. I saw that there was a pot of coffee brewing, and so I pulled a couple of mugs out of the cabinet as well. Then I draped myself over the back of the chair and watched her.

  She had pulled her hair up into a messy knot at the crown of her head, but several long tendrils had already escaped. I caught the barest hint of musical notes, and realized that she was humming to herself as she worked. She seemed completely oblivious to my presence. That’s when she looked up and caught me staring at her. She flushed and ducked her head. “I hope you like your eggs over easy.”

  “I’ll take ‘em any way I can get them,” I said.

  She brought the skillet over to the table and slid two eggs onto each of our plates. Several pieces of bacon appeared next, and then she filled my coffee cup up to the brim. “Do you need cream or sugar?”

  “Black is fine,” I said. “Sit. Eat.”

  After returning the pot of coffee to its base, she slid into the seat across from me. We ate in comfortable silence. I was hungrier than I thought, and then it hit me that it had been over a day since I had a decent meal.

  “This is great. Thanks,” I said, catching her eye across the table.

  “I cook when I’m anxious,” she said with a shrug. “Food helps me think.”

  I understood that.

  “Riley, I want to say something.” She put her fork down, and smoothed the front of her shirt. Whatever it was, it was serious. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You didn’t have to help me in the cemetery. You didn’t have to give me that medicine that healed me. You could have taken me to the emergency room and wiped your hands of me. But you didn’t.”

  She looked up at me then and held my gaze. A man could drown in the depths of those eyes.

  “This is my problem. I’m afraid that I’m putting you at risk, and I’m a complete stranger to you. You don’t owe me anything. I can figure out a way to deal with all of this. I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay with me. I understand that you have your own life, and I’ve intruded on it horribly.”

  She was trying to kick me out. I wasn’t sure if I was amazed or amused. She had to know that she was up to her eyeballs in a situation that she was utterly unprepared to deal with. Yet she was willing to face it on her own.

  This woman, whoever she was, was a woman who deserved to be protected.

  I reached across the table and took her hand. Then I winked at her. “I appreciate the sentiment, Paige, but you’re damn crazy if you think that you can get rid of me that easily.” Then I returned to my plate. My eggs were getting cold.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN – PAIGE

  I didn’t understand what to make of him. I ate the rest of my food in silence. I gave him an out. He didn’t need to feel responsible for me. That fact he didn’t appear to be budging confused me more than anything, and I needed to think about it.


  As a person without a past, I didn’t have any family. My meager supply of friends could be counted on one hand, and Christopher was the only person I had really grown close to since beginning my new life. I was responsible for everything, and didn’t have the luxury of parents or siblings to fall back on. My support structure was wobbly thin, which was another reason that Christopher was so dear to me.

  Perhaps it was because such a person, one who wanted to help me, was a rarity in my life that Riley unsettled me so. I understood the early morning savior routine. He seemed like a genuinely good guy, and that kind of thing was bred into them at an early age. But to stick around? That was odd, even from my skewed perception.

  Thinking about Riley’s childhood made me even more curious about him. He said that he wasn’t born into the world of demons, and so at one point, those two worlds interconnected just like mine had that morning.

  “You said that you were from the south?”

  “Yes.” Riley’s chewing slowed, and he stared down at his plate. “Charlotte. North Carolina.”

  My simple question put him on the defensive. I was sure of it. “Do you still have family there?”

  “No.” The answer was abrupt and harsh; delivered in a wholly different tone that I hadn’t heard him use before. It was also very clear that the topic was off-limits.

  “I wonder if I’ve ever been to Charlotte,” I said, changing the subject. “What’s it like there?”

  “Living in a city is totally different than living in a place like this,” Riley said. “Everything moves at a faster pace, and there is always something to do or see. You never have to be bored.”

  “On my days off, I like doing gravestone rubbings.” I was officially babbling. Riley didn’t care what my hobbies were or what I liked to do in my free time. But I wanted to talk about something normal. The demon talk was getting under my skin. I needed more time to process all of that.

  “That’s an unusual hobby,” Riley replied. His eyes had returned to my face, which was good. I definitely preferred the easy-going version of the man across from me.

  “Calamata Island has the more dead residents than living ones,” I said. “Each graveyard throughout the island is unique and different from the rest. They’re very peaceful, and I find some of the most beautiful inscriptions on the stones. For me, it’s my favorite form of poetry.” I thought about my collection of rubbings at home, and wondered if I would be able to go back there to collect them.

  That’s when I noticed that Riley looked unhappy again. I reviewed what I said in my mind, and wasn’t sure what it was that I could possibly have said to offend him.

  A short buzz interrupted my train of thought, and Riley pulled his phone out of his pocket. He looked at it briefly and winced. Then he shoved it back in his pocket.

  “Bad news?” Maybe it was his girlfriend. He had basically asked if I had a boyfriend, and it was on the tip of my tongue to ask him the same question.

  “Work.” He didn’t offer anything else.

  I stood up and took both of our plates off the table and moved to the sink. “I’m keeping you from your job. I told you that you don’t have to look after me. I’m sure that I’m safe here until I figure out what to do. You can go.”

  I felt Riley’s presence as he crossed the distance. He stood next to me, and I felt my cheeks flush at the intensity of his stare. “I can’t leave you here alone, and I can’t take you with me because it’s too dangerous.”

  “Sounds like you’re in a bit of a quandary,” I said.

  “I’ll figure it out,” he replied. He reached out and tapped my shoulder briefly. I wasn’t sure why I was disappointed that it wasn’t my cheek. “I was serious earlier when I said you should get some rest. I could use a little shuteye myself. It’s one of the hazards of working at night.”

  “Are you like a police officer of demons?” So far the ambiguous clues that I had been given about Riley’s job indicated that he had some kind of procedural authority. There was no doubt that the guy knew how to handle himself in a fight.

  He gave a short laugh. “Something like that,” he said. He gave me a gentle nudge. “You cooked. I’ll clean up. Take a breather.”

  I gave in mostly because I knew it was pointless to argue with him. I had learned a lot about Riley Stone already. Plus there was something very attractive about a man who knew his way around the kitchen.

  I sat back down on the couch and scooted up so that I could pull my knees up against my chest. I rested my arm across the back of the couch and leaned the side of my face on it so that I could still watch Riley. I didn’t feel the slightest bit tired. In fact, as I stretched my previously wounded shoulder and rotated it, I thought that it felt better than ever.

  So when my eyes fluttered closed, I didn’t think for a moment that I would fall asleep. Then the darkness wrapped itself around me.

  I was in a familiar place. I heard voices that were vaguely recognizable, and because I knew they were not friendly to me, shivers ran down my spine. I was somewhere dark and damp, and I couldn’t move.

  I started screaming for help, and that’s when the voices stopped. But no one came to my aid. When I felt the first laps of water against my toes, I felt real tendrils of fear band around my chest. Whatever was happening was bad. Very bad.

  A door opened above me and the light outside blinded me. I could only make out the profile of a man. His arm rose up and then swung downward with a violent swing.

  Pain.

  Darkness.

  Death.

  The nightmare brought me bubbling back up into consciousness, and I felt strong arms around me holding me tight even as I struggled to fight and hang on. I didn’t want to die.

  I screamed, and then heard Riley’s voice.

  “Paige. Paige, it’s Riley. You’re safe. You’re safe. Shhhh.”

  I wasn’t submerged in the murky waters of my death. I was engulfed in Riley’s strong embrace. It all rushed back to me. Christopher’s cabin. Riley Stone. Demons.

  I took a deep breath and tried to slow the racing of my heart.

  “Bad dream?”

  Regretfully, I disentangled myself from his arms. I stood up and motioned for him to give me a minute. Then I rushed into the bathroom and closed the door. I took my time splashing water on my face and trying to give myself the pep talk that I used to telling myself that it was all just a dream. Except now I was pretty sure it wasn’t. The dream was clearer than it had ever been in the past, and I knew what it was. It was a memory of the incident that put me in the bay. And it was surely no accident.

  I found Riley waiting on the couch where I had left him. I saw the shadows were long coming through the cabin’s windows. I had slept the day away. Apparently Riley was right. The medicine knocked me on my ass. I still felt wiped out.

  “I’ve had nightmares since the hospital. Usually I take a sleeping pill to knock me out so I can get some rest. I hate relying on that stuff though, so I’ve been trying to wean myself off of it. So far the only thing I’ve found that helps otherwise is physically exerting myself to the point of exhaustion.”

  “That’s why you were out running last night.”

  I nodded. “I think my nightmares are actually memories of what happened to me. There was someone there who knocked me unconscious and dumped me in the bay.”

  “I will make some inquiries, Paige. I’ll find out why the demons are after you.”

  I couldn’t even think anymore. I wanted to go to sleep, wake up, and go about my life without ever hearing the word ‘demon’ again. But that wasn’t my reality anymore. Riley was right about one thing. Once you knew about that world, it wasn’t possible to go back and un-know it again. I was going to be looking over my shoulder for a long time.

  “In the meantime, I do need to get back to work.”

  “Oh, sure.” I felt deflated. After all his talk of keeping an eye on me, he was going to ditch me after all. I had to remind myself that I told him to do it, but that didn’
t help.

  “Look, there’s an all-night coffee shop on Main Street. What I need to do will only take me a couple of hours. You’ll be in a public place, and as long as you do exactly what I tell you, you should be safe there.”

  I felt my spirits lift. He wasn’t deserting me.

  He pulled a hat out of his duffel bag. “We need you to go a little bit more incognito though. Put your hair up and wear this cap. I’ll give you my jacket. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

  “Whatever you say.” I gave him a small salute. I found that I really did enjoy making him smile.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN – RILEY

  I was going to ask Paige to describe her nightmare further, but the haunted look on her face made me back off. It was becoming more obvious that she had been through a lot, not just in the last day since the attack in the graveyard, but in the last few years. Yet she still had a sense of humor and quiet strength that easily drew a person in. I had just barely scratched the surface with her, but anyone could see that she was an amazing person. I wanted to know everything about her.

  Ignoring Halpren proved more difficult than I realized, especially once I received a text that he had agreed to the updated fee terms. I hadn’t expected such ready acceptance, which made me more than a little suspicious. Still, I was on Calamata Island for a job, and I couldn’t just ditch it. Not if I wanted to get paid.

  I wasn’t a fan of my plan for a compromise to keep Paige safe for the next few hours, but there was little that I could do about it. There was no way that I was going to expose Paige to the reality of my world. I dealt in death, and not just giving it, but exploiting it in the worst possible way. I ripped secrets not only from a person’s bones but also from their soul. To keep those souls from eventually exacting vengeance against me, I destroyed their existence for the rest of time. It was a brutal business, and not one readily accepted and certainly never approved of. That was why I was an outcast even in a society of angels and demons.