Rylie Cruz 3 - How to Date a Demon (12 page)

He looked to his right. “You’re going
into the voodoo shop, aren’t you?”

“
Again, none of your
business.” I folded my arms in front of my chest.

“
What do you think you can
accomplish by going in there? Planning on placing a hex on
someone?” A sly smile played across his lips.

“
Yes… you. Now if you don’t
mind I have business to attend to. So beat it.” I narrowed my
gaze.

We were at an impasse as we stood in
front of each other. I wasn’t about to move. He could go around me.
I folded my arms in front of my chest.

“
Well, let’s go inside and
see what she has to say.” He gestured with a tilt of his
head.

“
I think I can handle this
on my own. Thank you.”

“
What? You don’t want me
going with you?” He winked.

I raised a brow. “Whatever gave you
that idea? Of course I don’t want you to go in with me. I can’t
believe it took you this long to figure that out.”

“
I guess I’ll have to pay a
visit to the voodoo shop on my own then.”

I felt eyes on me, so I turned to my
left. The voodoo priestess was standing at the door of her shop
with her arm reached out, pointing at us. Dangling bracelets
covered her arm almost to her elbow. They clanked with the
movement. She motioned for me to enter.

The building commanded my attention.
Once again, I had to confront my voodoo fears, but if I had done it
twice, then surely the third time would be the easiest. I had to do
this for Jennifer. The building looked run-down and derelict, but
it was only a façade, made to look that way to add to the tourists’
experience.

There was no getting away from the
mysterious vibe in New Orleans. It was a part of the city, as much
as jazz music, beignets and Mardi Gras. Voodoo, however, was
something I’d never known anything about until recently when the
priestess had urged me to use an amulet to fight the curse placed
on me and to find Jack. The necklace had seemed to help. I’d give
her credit for that much. But I had no way of knowing if it had
been real or the power of suggestion. I hadn’t known the first
thing about voodoo when I stepped into her shop for the first time…
and I was still clueless.

On the outside, old, battered shutters
bordered the faux windows. I hesitated at the doorway, then sucked
in a deep breath and pushed forward. Jennifer had pushed me inside
the other times. Now I was on my own.

Inside, the chipped, muted-yellow
paint covered the walls. It would have been impossible to fit
another voodoo doll in the place. The creepy little things seemed
to stare at me as I entered the door. Books, beads, jewelry,
candles, and masks were just some of the many items covering every
square inch of the space. The items covered the walls and even hung
from the ceiling.

The hardwood floors creaked as I moved
across the space. I couldn’t seem to stay away from this place.
What kept drawing me back there? I thought for sure after the
second time that I’d never have a reason to return for advice from
the voodoo priestess. Was it the shop that seemed to call to me or
the priestess? It was as if she knew when I needed her advice. The
shop was quiet and I was the only customer. Scanning the room,
there was no sign of the priestess.

“
Hello, I called
out.

Without warning, she appeared next to
me. How did she always do that? She always had an air of
confidence, moving with the grace of a dancer across the floor.
Each time I saw her she appeared younger. I had no idea of her
age.

The store always seemed overly hot. My
stomach churned and sweat beaded on my forehead. It could have been
my nerves, or the fact that I was in New Orleans. Panic rushed
through me every time I stepped foot into this place. I pushed back
the feeling though; I wouldn’t let it take over.

This woman was still enigmatic, but I
had to know if she had any idea about the demons who might have
Jennifer.

The priestess focused her stare at
Cole. “He can’t come in.”

I hadn’t expected to hear that. I was
beginning to like this woman. Maybe she wasn’t so scary after all.
Okay, I had been a little terrified of her at first, but she was
really growing on me.

Cole looked a little taken aback. I
guessed no one had ever told him no before. Well, there was a first
for everything. I snickered on the inside.

“
What? Why can’t I come in?
What did I do?” He didn’t move from his spot on the sidewalk and
closer to the door.

By the glare in her eyes, he knew she
meant business.

“
Glad to see that you’ve
returned.” She moved toward the other side of the store and
motioned for me to follow.

Why did I get the feeling that she was
always expecting me? I shrugged and followed her across the room.
When I reached the counter, I turned around and gave Cole a little
wave. He narrowed his eyes at me, but didn’t comment. Something
told me he’d be waiting for me when I came out. Maybe the priestess
could give me something to keep him away. I didn’t trust the
guy.

“
I’ve been expecting you,”
she said.

I swallowed hard. See, I knew she had
been waiting for my arrival. But how did she know? I had to fight
back tears. Jennifer had always been with me, now I had no idea
where she was. This was beyond sad.

“
I guess you know why I’m
here then?” I managed to squeak out.

“
Your friend is in grave
danger. You need to find her soon.” She pointed toward the
street.

Everyone told me what danger she was
in but no one knew where to find her. “That’s why I came to you. I
need help. I don’t know where to look or why she’s acting this way.
So many crazy things are going on around me.”

“
I don’t know what it is
that she has that they want, but they’re trying to drag her to hell
to get it. They’ll take over her body and eventually steal her
soul. There’s something she has that is making them want to find
her.”

She wasn’t offering as much help as
I’d wanted. But the message was chilling. Didn’t she have a crystal
ball that she could peer into and tell me exactly where to find
Jennifer? I supposed that was too much to ask.

“
What do I do now?” A wave
of panic washed over me.

She didn’t look up at me or respond.
Instead, she reached on a shelf and pulled out a necklace. Another
necklace? I didn’t see how that could possibly help me out of this
pickle. Was it like GPS? Because that was the only way it would
help me find Jennifer.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw
that Cole was still pacing back and forth in front of the shop. It
was almost as if he couldn’t come in even if she’d allowed it. Was
there some kind of force shield keeping him away? I wished I could
have that shield to keep him away from me.

“
Why wouldn’t you allow him
in?” I gestured toward the front of the store.

She glanced out at Cole. A flicker of
darkness covered her eyes. “I don’t want him bringing those demons
in here. They’re all around him.”

My stomach did a flop. What did she
mean? I didn’t see any demons. Were they freakin’
invisible?

“
What demons? I don’t see
any demons,” I said.

“
You can’t see them. But
they follow him. They’re just looking for any opportunity to do bad
things,” she said.

Well, just peachy. That was the last
thing I needed. They’d already gotten to Jennifer. What was next? I
knew I didn’t like that guy, with his sexy, cocky smirk. To top it
off, he had demons following him around. Maybe he was bad like the
demons?

“
Is he a demon?” I
asked.

She looked out the door at him as he
paced. “Nah. He’s okay. But you stay clear of him, you hear? He’ll
lead you into nothing but trouble.”

I didn’t need her to tell me that. I’d
already sensed it.

“
Here, you take this
necklace and wear it. It’ll keep the demons away from you while you
search for her, although you have a strong barrier already set up
against them. That is good. Don’t let them break you.”

Well, I’d sure try my best. But I had
no idea who they were, so it was kind of hard not to let them break
me.

“
You can’t tell me where she
is?” I asked as I took the necklace from her outstretched
hand.

“
I’m afraid I can’t. The
demon will tell her where it wants her to go. Unless you find out
which demon is controlling her, then I don’t think you’ll be able
to track her down.” She busied herself with moving items off the
counter.

How would I find out which demon was
responsible for this? Who could help me? Cole was practically
waving his arms and screaming, “Pick me, pick me,” as he traced a
groove in the sidewalk with his pacing.

I let out a heavy sigh. Maybe he could
help me find Jennifer. He seemed to be the only one who had any
information about these demons. But the priestess had just told me
specifically to stay away from him. That seemed about right. As
soon as someone told me not to do something was the exact moment
that I actually did it.

During my last visit the priestess had
sent me to a man who had information about vampires. Maybe that
shop owner knew about the demons. He seemed to know a lot about the
vampires. I wouldn’t bother asking the priestess this question. I’d
already bothered her enough. This was something I’d do on my own.
Heck, I was practically like freakin’ Nancy Drew now. One way or
another, I’d find Jennifer.

I left her shop without the answers
that’d I’d hoped for, but what had I really expected the woman to
tell me? She had no idea where Jennifer was. Unfortunately, she
couldn’t work miracles.

One thing was for certain, I could
just stay home and hope that Jennifer came home like a lost little
kitty, or I could get out there and hunt her down like the werewolf
that I was. I didn’t have a super smeller for nothing. It was time
I tried to use the thing.

How to Date a Demon, Rule
#13

Devil’s food cake isn’t
necessarily her favorite dessert.

When I stepped out of the store, Cole
made his way over to me in a hurry. “What happened in there?” he
asked.

I narrowed my eyes. “Aren’t we
inquisitive?”

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know if
you want to find your friend or not, but you’d better stop playing
games with me if you do.” He didn’t blink.

My nostrils flared and I felt hair
sprout on my arms. “Fine. Either tell me what you want with us, or
leave me alone to find her. I don’t need your
snarkiness.”

He held his hands up in surrender.
“I’m not trying to piss you off.”

“
Well, for someone who isn’t
trying you’re doing a good job of it.”

He looked as if he was biting back a
smile. “Just tell me what the voodoo woman said.”

I clenched my fists and looked him
right in the eyes. “I’ll tell you what she said. She told me to
stay away from you and she doesn’t want you in her store either.
She says you have demons hanging around and she doesn’t want any
part of them. Good enough for you? I think it was sage advice and I
plan on following it.”

I brushed past him and headed toward
the man’s store. I felt Cole walking behind me. What would it take
to lose this guy? He needed to go very far away.

My world was upside down at the
moment. But then again what was new? Jack had left with Quinton,
Jennifer was nowhere to be found, and I had to help plan Lily’s
wedding. It couldn’t get any stranger. Oh, except for the fact that
a demon hunter was following me.

“
Where are you going?” he
asked.

“
I’m going to find my
friend, if you don’t mind.” When I reached the shop’s door, I
turned around and glared at him. “Now beat it.”

He looked up at the sign. “Can I come
in there with you or am I banned from there too?”

“
It’s no wonder demons
follow you around. You’re an ass and I’m sure they love that.” I
pushed the wooden door open and walked through, letting it close
behind me. With any luck it would hit him in the face.

The first time I’d been in the shop
was when Jennifer and I had needed information about the vampires.
Not having my sidekick was lonely. Instead of my best friend I was
stuck with a jackass. At least he smelled delicious.

Questions swirled in my mind. How had
this demon gotten to Jennifer? One thing was for sure, I believed
that it had nothing to do with the attack from the men who had
fought with Neil like Cole had first suggested. Jennifer had been
acting strange when I returned home from finding Jack after he’d
been kidnapped by the vampires. He’d been taken by the vampires for
his special blood. I’d gotten some good information about the
vampires from the store owner and I hoped he could provide some
insight into the current demon situation.

“
Hello,” I called
out.

The space was filled with different
collectibles and jewelry, nothing spooky, and nothing that looked
vampirish. So who was this man? Where was he? I didn’t spot anyone.
Not one appeared to be working there and no one was shopping,
either.