“Great,” she said. “I’ll get them ready.” She headed back into the house.
I shifted my attention back to Jonas. “Boss mentioned she might be able to help me.”
He rose and looked down at me. “She’s a shape shifter. She might be able to assist if you want to try to turn into a mist. And she would be a good candidate to test your mental skills on.”
I got up and followed Jonas. “Why can’t I test that ability on you?” I asked. The thought of compelling someone to do something against their will seemed wrong, yet the idea intrigued me.
He stepped through the glass door. “I’ve got special contact lenses to shield my thoughts. Shape shifters can’t wear them.”
I followed him inside. “Where do you get those kinds of contacts?”
“Boss got them from a powerful warlock,” he answered, shutting the patio door and locking it.
“A warlock?” I asked, wondering what other supernatural creatures existed.
“Boss has connections with every breed, every race. He’s worked for the council for many centuries.”
“What are you talking about?” Tabby asked. She stood at one end of the kitchen island, untwisting the tie on a bag of bread.
“Special contacts. You can’t wear them.” Jonas opened the refrigerator and picked out several items from the inside door.
Tabby divvied bread slices out on plates. “That’s why I don’t go out too much, especially at night.”
Jonas set various condiments on the counter. “I’m fixing her sandwich.”
“She may not like your kind of sandwiches with all that stuff.”
“Only one way to find out,” he said, snatching a plate.
Grinning, I sat in one of the chairs and watched the two prepare the sandwiches. Their playful brother and sister attitude had me wondering how long they’d known each other. Jonas slapped mayonnaise and some yellowish brown goop on a couple slices of bread. After he finished, Tabby layered several pieces of meat with a slice of cheese in the middle. Once she was done, Jonas mashed each sandwich together, then slid a dish to me and one to Tabby.
The three of us picked up our sandwiches at the same time. I bit into mine and tasted delicious flavors of sweet mustard with mayonnaise, ham, and Swiss cheese on nut bread. “This is good.”
“I cook on occasion too,” Jonas said.
“Really?” I asked.
He nodded as he chewed.
“He makes a killer gumbo,” Tabby said as she took a bite of her sandwich.
“Gumbo? Are you from the south?” I asked.
“Born and raised.”
“You don’t have an accent.”
He lifted his shoulders. “I’ve been away for a long time.”
How interesting. I wondered what else I had yet to learn about Jonas.
As Tabby and Jonas playfully argued, I continued eating, listening to them. When the subject somehow turned into shopping and other chores, I decided the time had come to ask questions.
“So how long have you known each other?” I asked.
Tabby stood near the sink, drying a plate. “About five years now.”
Jonas stood next to her, rinsing utensils. “She was a stray cat we found at the grocery store.”
“I’d lost my job and my boyfriend kicked me out. I didn’t have anywhere to go and hardly any money. Boss and Jonas were kind enough to take me in.”
“You know what they say about taking in stray cats. They never go away,” Jonas said with a devilish grin as he washed his hands.
Tabby shelved the last of the dishes, and whipped the dish towel at Jonas's back. He turned at the right moment, caught it, and yanked it out of her grasp. They both smiled.
Tabby put her hands on her hips in another girlish pose. “I don’t lie around the house and do nothing all day. I clean the house and help out.”
Jonas set the towel on the counter. “Yes you do. And speaking of which, we need your help with something.”
“Sure. I’d love to.”
Jonas leaned back against the sink with his palms resting on the edge of the countertop. “We need to find out if she is a demon. I think the best way to find out is to see if she can mist or wiggle into your mind and make you do something.”
Tabby sighed. “Okay. What do you want me to do?”
“Let’s start with the easy one first. All you have to do is look into her eyes.”
“That’s it?” Tabby asked.
“That’s it,” said Jonas before he turned to me. “Focus on her eyes and what you want her to do.”
I rose from my seat and walked around to the back of the center island. A touch of fear turned into curiosity. Testing my demon abilities seemed like a great idea, as long as I could control them.
“Do I need to tell her or think it?”
“Try both. I’m not actually sure which will work since you're...different.”
Different? What a nice way of calling me a freak. I took a deep breath. “Okay.”
Tabby met my eyes and I stared deeply into hers. I slipped into her head and listened to her thoughts.
This is so weird, I
don’t know what I’m doing. Can this even work? I’m going to beat up Jonas if I do something embarrassing
. I wanted to laugh. Her last thought gave me an idea.
I slipped back into her head.
Punch Jonas.
She blinked and sighed.
Punch Jonas
, I said again, staring deep into her eyes.
She didn’t move.
You want to punch Jonas
, I said silently.
She blinked again and looked bemused. Clearly this wasn’t working.
Jonas came to stand between us. He looked from Tabby to me.
“Punch Jonas,” I said verbally.
“Why?” Tabby asked.
“He embarrassed you earlier. Punch him in the arm.”
All emotion drained from Tabby’s face. Her eyes became glassy. “He embarrassed me.” Her soft voice sounded mechanical.
“Yes he did. Punch him. You know you want to,” I said.
She lifted her balled fist and hit Jonas’s arm.
“Hey!” He took a step back.
“You can be a real jerk sometimes. I can cook just as well as you can,” she said, anger laced her voice.
Holy crap! She’d actually hit him.
He held up his palms in self-defense. “Okay. You can cook. I was kidding.”
Tabby folded her arms and glowered at him. Her stiff posture and the tension on her face revealed a different woman. All the cheerfulness and kindness she once held had vanished in a blink of an eye.
“It’s all right Tabby,” I said. “He didn’t mean it.”
She turned her gaze to meet mine. “What?”
“He didn’t mean to embarrass you,” I repeated. “My mistake.”
She blinked and her hand rose to her mouth. “Oh my God.” She looked wide-eyed at Jonas. “I hit you.”
Jonas laughed.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I think we can say you passed the test,” Jonas said, smiling at me.
I sighed. “And I don’t find it good news.” Compelling someone to act against their will proved I had demon abilities.
The smile drained from his face. “Mind control is one demon ability. We need to know if you have any others. Tabby.” He turned to face her. “Can you help her change into mist?”
“I can try.”
“Think of it as teaching her how to change. Explain it to her and see what happens.”
Tabby nodded and shifted her gaze back to me. “You might want to stretch your muscles first. I find it always helps me.”
“Stretch?” I asked.
“Yeah, loosen up. Do this.” She grabbed her hands and straightened her arms out in front of her. Keeping them taut, she lifted them up above her head. Her shirt rose, revealing her bellybutton.
I stretched out my arms and followed her movements.
“Hey, wait a minute. We have a video camera.” Jonas said.
Tabby spread her legs and bent down. “It’s in the room across from yours.”
“Don’t start until I get back,” Jonas said as he dashed out of the kitchen.
I extended my arms, twisted my spine, rolled my head, stretched my leg muscles, and popped a few bones. Unlike me, Tabby had the gift of flexibility. By the time Jonas returned holding a camcorder, my body felt looser, and a little sore.
He stood near the open doorway, fiddling with the device. “This can record heat patterns. If you are able to change, we can follow you.”
I flexed my hands and rolled my neck one last time. “I’m ready.”
Jonas held the recorder up. The red light illuminated. “Go ahead.”
Tabby looked at me and smiled. “What I always do is picture myself as what I want to be.”
“Should I close my eyes?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied.
I closed my eyes.
“See yourself weightless and able to float,” she said.
I took a deep breath, and pictured myself invisible and as light as a feather. My temperature rose and I felt a small vibration under my skin. The buzzing sensation spread from head to toe. In my mind, I saw myself floating in the air. When I opened my eyes, I saw Tabby with a look of surprise and her hands covering her mouth.
I waved my arms in front of me and a dark blur flashed by. Mist. I was fucking mist!
“Move around,” Jonas said.
His voice sounded garbled, yet I understood him. My body buzzed more as I moved down the hall. I stopped at the front door, turned and saw Jonas following with the camera still pointed at me. Tabby stood behind him. I passed through the dining room, back into the kitchen, and stopped at the closed door leading to the basement. My body heat rose as I pictured myself on the other side of the door. Slowly, I moved forward.
“Did you see that?” Tabby asked, her words distant and muddled.
I had made it to the other side of the door, and proceeded down the dark steps. I followed the path Boss had taken me before, rounding the corner and going down another hall. The first bedroom door was open with a glow inside. I floated in and found Boss without a shirt, staring at a computer monitor.
My temperature shot up as I crept closer to him. He continued typing without a pause. His pale skin shimmered from the little bit of light. He was average in build with a fine set of biceps and broad shoulders. I moved closer until I was within an arm’s reach.
Boss stopped typing, and tilted his head to the side. My body tingled while I waited to see what he would do. He swiveled around in his chair, and looked cautiously in my direction. He looked around the room, no doubt sensing me, yet not seeing me.
“She’s right in front of you Boss,” Jonas said.
He shot up from his chair so fast I gasped and stepped back. I lost my concentration and rush of coldness swept through me. I knew I'd taken human form.
Boss grabbed hold of my neck and slammed me into a bookshelf. I struggled to breathe. Black eyes full of rage pierced me. Two sharp canines peeked from his lip.
“Boss!” Jonas yelled.
Boss let go of my neck. I dropped like a boulder and landed with a hard thud on the carpeted floor. I gasped for air. Note to self, not a good idea to sneak up on a vampire.
Tabby ran to me and wrapped her arm around my back. “Are you all right?”
“Get away from her!” Boss snapped.
I looked up and his cold eyes bore down on me.
He pointed toward the door. “Get out.” Fear mixed with anger poured out from his vampire body. “You are an abomination.”
I stared up at him in disbelief. Panic fueled my fast-beating heart. Did he just disgrace me and tell me to leave?
Chapter 9
I sat on the sofa in the living room of the dark basement, leaning forward with my elbows digging into my knees and my hands on the sides of my face. A few feet away, Boss and Jonas argued. Tabby sat next to me, keeping her arm on my back. Her compassion was the only thing keeping me from breaking down. I hated myself. Not only was I part vampire, I was also part demon. My stomach churned and I wanted to puke.
“She has to leave,” Boss said for the umpteenth time. He paced the room, barefoot and shirtless. His body was stiff and he reeked of hostility.
“You can’t throw her out because she’s different,” Jonas argued.
“You don’t understand. She’s dangerous.”
Jonas stepped closer to Boss. “Dangerous to herself. She has no memories. She didn’t know what she was. She didn’t even know how to feed.”
“Thirty-one people have died around her Jonas.” Boss said, his voice elevated.
Thirty-one? There were thirty at the dump. Oh, the man behind the counter at the pawnshop he killed. Guess that counted against me too, though none of them were my fault. At least, I didn’t think so.
“She didn’t kill any of them,” Jonas said.
“We don’t know if she did or not. And you’re missing my point. She puts our lives at risk. I will not have her hurt you or Tabby in my fucking house.”
I shot up from the sofa. “I wouldn’t hurt them. I’m not a killer!”
They both turned to face me.
“Boss,” Jonas said, calmer. “I sincerely doubt she would hurt us. Besides, we are more than capable of defending ourselves.”
A beeping sound interrupted the argument. Boss lifted his hand to silence us. “It’s my alarm. The sun is up. Stay here.”
Boss darted down the hall and Jonas's gaze met mine. He shook his head and lifted a finger to his lips, gesturing for me to keep mum.
The beeping stopped and Boss reappeared. “Jonas, she cannot stay. I’m sorry.”
“You can’t throw her out. She's one of a kind,” Jonas said. “She’s like the biggest treasure imaginable.”
I swallowed my laughter. I was more of a freak than a goldmine. Lips sealed, I sat back down.
Boss gripped Jonas’s arms. “Listen to me. Someone created her and is bound to be looking for her. Whoever it is, they must be very powerful. This goes beyond the organization and beyond any creature or entity I have ever known.”
Tabby rose from the sofa. “You can’t make her leave. It’s not right.” She strode over to Boss. “She needs our help.”
Boss shook his head. “Tabby, this is not your concern.”
“If you throw her out, I’m going with her.” Tabby crossed her arms.
I couldn’t believe my ears. This near-stranger was willing to give up everything to help me.
Boss glared at Tabby. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“If she leaves, I leave too,” Jonas said.