Shadows covered the room, the angles highlighted by a stream of moonlight through a streaked window. Though he couldn’t see her features, he didn’t miss the way her shoulders bunched or how the line of her back stiffened. He laid a settling hand on one of her arms as he picked his way through the darkness to a small desk, switching on a dim lamp.
A scattering of furniture materialized out of the blackness, creating new pools of relief in the corners of the room. He turned and leaned his ass against the desk, watching her as she surveyed the space, her gaze seemingly assessing everything. There was something about the way her eyes darted back and forth that made him appreciate her intelligence even more. She definitely wasn’t like other women he’d been interested in, but then if he was honest with himself, he’d never been looking for more than a hot night in bed before.
Temperance sighed and leaned back, copying his stance on the arm of a heavy chair. “Okay, Avery. I’m here. We’re alone…and I can see why the hotel doesn’t advertise this room, but…what’s so important you couldn’t tell me in front of the rest of your minions?”
Avery scoffed. She certainly didn’t make anything easy.
He crossed his arms on his chest. “Are you this charming to everyone you meet, or am I just special?”
“Oh, you’re something, all right. I just haven’t decided what yet.”
“How uncharacteristically human of you, Temperance.” He paused, frowning at her. “Do people really call you Temperance? I mean, don’t you have a nickname or something?”
Her brow furrowed as she stared at him. “What’s wrong with Temperance?”
“It’s just so…formal. And long.”
“And Avery is so much better?”
He smiled. “Tempie? Or Temp? Maybe T?”
She huffed and pushed to her feet, ambling over to the grimy window. “While I’m sure it won’t come as a shock to you, I don’t have a lot of friends. But those I do have call me Temperance, despite the apparent energy it seems to take to pronounce all those syllables.”
His smile widened. Damn, she was cute when she got angry. “Hey, I was just asking. I didn’t want to shorten it then have you bust my balls over it.”
She turned, her gaze dropping to his groin. “I’m sure I could find something else to bust your balls over.” She looked him in the eyes. “Like why we’re standing here discussing my name. Surely that isn’t what you needed privacy for.”
“No. Hell, girl, don’t you ever relax?” He shook his head, uncrossing his arms as he palmed his hands on either side of his hips. “I brought you here to discuss what happened back at the cemetery—explain why I’m not quite the asshole you think I am.”
Her lips quirked ever so slightly, one side of her face glowing in the moonlight. “Okay. I’m listening.”
Avery took a deep breath, his focus falling to the scar on her left wrist. Even in the dim light he could see the dark outline, the tips of the star hued a deep red. Damn, another few minutes and he wouldn’t have been able to pull her away.
The thought sobered him and he dragged his gaze back to her face. “What I’m about to tell you may seem a bit…unbelievable.”
“We’re ghost hunters. I’m pretty sure that means I’m open-minded.”
“Still. Even people directly involved in the paranormal have lines they won’t cross.”
“My lines are very vague. So stop stalling and tell me what the hell that was back there and why I shouldn’t report everything I just experienced to your ever-faithful followers upstairs.”
“I suppose you could do that. But if you decide to take that route, you’d best be prepared for the inevitable outcome.”
“Which is?”
“Five more dead bodies.”
Temperance’s expression changed as her smile faded into a tight line across her face. She glanced down at her wrist, slowly tracing the outline with her thumb before meeting his gaze again. “You have my attention.” She waved at him. “Please. Continue.”
Avery nodded, resting more of his weight against the edge of the desk. “It started about nine months ago. I came down here to investigate some unusual disturbances at the local cemeteries, when I met up with a couple of fellow hunters. They’d been attracted by the same stories and had decided to do a number of sessions in the surrounding tombs. They asked if I wanted to join them in one of the mausoleums in Metairie Cemetery the following night. I agreed, figuring it’d be a good way to get a read on their abilities and see if they had any real leads I should be concerned about.”
Temperance chuckled, shaking her head at him. “In other words, you wanted to measure up your competition and see if there was a way you could discredit their findings while you furthered yours.”
He huffed. “Damn it, Temperance, must you make me out to be the bastard in every scenario?”
“So you weren’t looking to discredit them?”
“Not in the sense you’re thinking.” He sighed at her smug smile. “Look. We’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t give me the benefit of the doubt for just a few minutes.”
Her shoulders lowered a bit as she relaxed against the wall. “You’re right. I’m sorry. So what happened next?”
“I showed up but there was only one of them in the parking lot. I found him rocking on the pavement beside his car mumbling something about him being next. When I pressed him for answers, he screamed and ran off. I had no idea what the hell was going on until I ventured into the crypt. That’s where I found the other investigator.” He pushed off the desk and walked over to her, gently taking her left hand in his. “Her body was like a shriveled up husk, with the only discernible feature being a collection of these.” He caressed the scar, ignoring the way the feel of the raised skin sent shivers down his spine. “As you can imagine, discovering what caused these bloody things became my top priority.”
Temperance shifted her focus from his face to his hand, a soft rasp drifting along the air when he started drawing small circles on her skin. Her breath hitched and held, leaving an eerie quiet in the room.
Avery stepped closer, his chest brushing against hers. “I spent months searching through old texts, talking to people with less than admirable qualities, only to come up with a few sketchy theories. Then, four months ago, tourists started disappearing, only to be discovered in the same state. Police figure it’s some kind of demented serial killer who’s stalking the cemeteries, though they can’t quite determine cause of death. From what I’ve heard, it’s as if every ounce of energy has been sucked out of the victims, aging them to nothing more than withered skin and hollow bones.”
She drew a shaky breath, finally looking up at him again. “So why hasn’t any of this been plastered across the news?”
Avery laughed, waving one hand at the window. “It’s Mardi Gras, darling. Nothing stands in the way of this celebration. And I’m sure you can imagine how spooked the population would have become if this had come to light before the party started, thus…”
“They covered it up so tourists would still flock here.”
Avery shrugged, easing back.
Temperance huffed, pouting her lips. “So this demon…what does it do? Steal the life force out of people who get too close? And how does it move from one cemetery to the next—”
Avery held up his hand, stopping her barrage of questions. “While I wish I could tell you I have all the answers, I’m pretty much as in the dark as you are. As for how it chooses its victims, it makes sense that it’d prey on tourists or paranormal investigators. I mean, who else would be foolish enough to hang out in a cemetery at night, especially in New Orleans, where muggings happen all the time and you have to bribe security guards and workers just to gain access after sunset. But whatever the method, it seems viable that once it picks someone, it performs a very short, very intense form of possession to drain their energy, which, when it’s gained enough, I propose it’ll use it to become corporeal again.”
“Corporeal?” Temperance snorted, pulling her hand free as she stomped across the room, shaking her head. “Jesus, Avery, do you know what you sound like?”
“Someone who’s lost their mind?”
“Irrational, for sure.” She sighed, taking his spot at the desk as she leaned her hip against the edge. “Okay, let’s say you’re right. Why didn’t the entity attack you?”
He lifted a brow. “Once a demon chooses a body to possess, it can’t change course until it either releases that person or the host dies?”
“But it never touched me.”
He pointed at her wrist. “Didn’t it?”
She glared at him, rubbing the area with her thumb. “I’m not convinced that…thing…did this.”
“Of course not. Spontaneous tattoos are common here in the south. Or maybe you just stayed out in the sun too long.”
“Don’t patronize me. This all just a bit…unusual.” She exhaled a slow breath. “So how did you know where to find me anyway?”
He raised his lips into a wicked smile. “I have my ways.”
“Let me guess. You used your ‘psychic abilities’ to probe my location in the universe.”
Avery ran a hand through his hair. God help him, but Temperance Dunnigan was surely going to be the death of him. That, or she’d drive him mad. Either seemed viable as she stood there, shaking her head as she stared him down.
He cursed and stuffed one hand in his pocket. “Actually, Darrin interrupted the meeting to inform me you’d taken my slot at the cemetery. He was ever so concerned about you going there alone.” He winked at her. “I dare say that boy has a crush on you. Anyway, I suppose you’re just lucky I decided it was a nice night for a drive.”
“He’s only a few years younger than you, and I believe I already thanked you for saving my life.”
“And I believe I asked you for the benefit of the doubt for just a few moments.”
She sighed, looking slightly sheepish. “You’re right, it’s just. Damn, are you really psychic?”
“I sense certain things…” He paused, doing his best not to read her thoughts, though she was making the feat next to impossible. Still, he stood there, shielding himself, wondering if she was aware of her own latent abilities. “But then I’m not the only one who can do that.”
Temperance scoffed, looking at him as if he’d truly lost his mind. “Oh no. Don’t even suggest that I’m in any way…gifted. Trust me—I’m the only normal one here.”
He flashed her a smile, not missing the way her pulse fluttered slightly faster at the base of her neck. Despite her obvious reservations, she was attracted to him.
He moved over to her, trapping her against the desk as he palmed the surface on either side of her hips, his legs cradled between her thighs. “You’re a lot of things, darling, but normal isn’t one of them. And just because you aren’t aware of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I think that’s why you have such a knack for unearthing paranormal hotspots. Subconsciously, you sense the energy.”
Temperance stared up at him, her breathing more labored, her mouth a thin, pink line. Her gaze darted to either side, as if looking for a way past him before she huffed. “Whether that’s true or not, it doesn’t give us the answers we need. Like who that demon is and why it’s suddenly obsessed with walking the Earth again.”
He inched closer, wedging her thighs farther apart. A light, sweet scent teased his senses and he couldn’t hold back the sensuous smile that captured his lips. “Perhaps not, but it does give us an advantage. If you found it once, you can find it again, only this time, we’ll be ready.”
“Ready? For what? And I didn’t
find
it, I saw this.” She pulled a medallion out of her pocket and held it out. “It was wedged at the back of the tomb, shimmering in the setting sun, and I went in to get a closer look.”
Avery reluctantly removed one hand from the top of the desk, palming the back of the amulet as it hung from her fingers. One side was completely illegible, the designs either burned or melted into oblivion. He flipped it over, scouring the surface for any discerning marks. “Well, it’s silver, but it’s damn near impossible to tell what kind of trinket it used to be.”
Temperance leaned in, taking a closer look. He tried to stay focused on her face but couldn’t stop his gaze from sliding down her body and centering on the upper swell of her breasts. They peeked at him from the deep V in her sweater, the pale skin glowing in the dim light.
She shrugged and ran a finger over the back. “It feels like there’s a cross on here, maybe some writing, but I’d have to clean it up a bit to tell for sure. There’s a lot of carbon build up on it.”
Avery dragged his gaze back to her face, more than aware she’d kick his ass if she caught him staring at her breasts. “Might give us an idea what we’re up against. Like I said, my theories are pretty transparent at the moment.”
“You mentioned something about that thing being the king bastard of demons. Care to elaborate?”
“I’d rather do a bit more research before I share, but I promise, you’ll be my first.”
“Right.” She gathered up the medallion again, stuffing it back in her pocket before looking at him. “And I doubt I could be your first of anything.” She nodded toward the door. “So is this why you asked everyone to spend the week? Were you hoping one of your minions would fill in the blanks for you?”
He didn’t miss the sarcastic tone to her voice, but at least it had softened slightly. And there was a breathy quality to it that hadn’t been there before. He replaced his hand, once again bracketing her between his arms. “Honestly, I don’t give a damn about the others. You’re the one I wanted to show up.”