But she did remember her first impression of his physical appearance when he’d taken form. That it was too perfect, too appealing, to be real. That it was some sort of a trap to lure her closer so he could devour her whole.
She shivered.
“There are some things about me,” Darrak began, a bit tentatively, “that it is best you don’t know.”
The fear that had disappeared toward the demon came slithering back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He looked at her sharply. “I tell you that there are things about me you shouldn’t know, and you still want to know?”
“I’m curious.” And terrified, she amended internally.
“Don’t be. This is who I am, Eden. The man you see in front of you. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“You’re a demon, not a man. Men don’t turn into black smoke at sunset and have to possess people in order to survive. Men aren’t afraid of draining others of too much energy.”
“And a full demon wouldn’t care who he drained.”
“So if you’re not a full demon, then what are you?”
His face was blank of expression, but his brows had drawn together as if he was concentrating very hard. “I wish I knew. Three hundred years of living inside of humans… it’s changed me, Eden.”
She was about to ask how it had changed him when his eyes narrowed as he looked out the windshield. “Your cheater is on the move.”
Richard left through the front doors of his office building at just after two o’clock. She shifted into drive and followed his car as he seemed to go through a list of chores. Drugstore, liquor store, even the library.
She tried very hard not to think about what Darrak had said. Or rather, what he hadn’t said. She almost wished he’d lied — said he wasn’t using any kind of glamour. But he hadn’t said that. And what did that mean? Did he look different underneath his handsome exterior? More demonic? More scary and dangerous? Not somebody she could feel relaxed about sitting in a car with for more than a second?
She gripped the steering wheel. She really didn’t know who Darrak was at all. All she knew was what he’d told her. She was going on faith alone. Faith in a demon who’d been cursed to lose his former body — whatever it had looked like then — over three centuries ago by a black witch.
Which sounded completely insane when she actually thought about it.
“Relax,” he said, noting her tense form. “Nothing’s changed. I’m not going to hurt you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No, of course not. You’re too weak.” She cleared her throat. “But if you weren’t, then maybe I’d be in trouble.”
“I could have taken way more energy from you yesterday. Or even when you were sleeping and dreaming about your golden boy. But I didn’t.”
“You said you might not be able to stop.”
“But I did stop. I’m not saying it was easy, but I did. We might not get along that well, but I mean you no harm. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me so far.”
Eden pulled the car to the side of the road as Richard stopped in front of another Starbucks. “I haven’t done anything.”
“Sure you have. You’ve accepted something into your life that would make a whole hell of a lot of humans run for the hills screaming. You didn’t know any of this was real until just a couple days ago. And you’ve handled it so well. You’re very strong.”
“Is that the impression I’m giving you?” she said. “Because I’m shaking like a leaf on the inside.”
“Can I do anything to make you feel more comfortable with me again?”
“Again? Did I feel comfortable with you before?”
His lips twitched. “Well, you know what I mean.”
She thought about that. “Tell me your true name.”
He turned his attention to their left as Richard left the coffee shop. “Can’t do that.”
“Then I guess we’ve reached an impasse.”
“I guess so.” His jaw clenched.
They continued to follow Richard’s car as he got onto the highway headed west and after twenty minutes stopped in front of a motel by the Toronto airport. The booming sound of planes departing and arriving overhead filled Eden’s ears. Eden parked at the curb and quickly wrote down the address in her notebook.
“Get the camera ready again,” Darrak said. “I think we’ve got something here.”
Eden fumbled with the digital camera and raised it up so she could look at the viewscreen. She zoomed in on Richard getting out of his car and walking up to a motel room door. He knocked. The door opened and a blond woman stepped outside, embracing and kissing him passionately.
She snapped a few pictures, her heart sinking.
“I guess Fay was right,” she said. “There’s the mistress.” Fay herself was a beautiful woman, but this girl — and she couldn’t have been too far into her twenties — had a blatantly sexy appearance. Bimbo might be a good word to use. Tight clothes, short skirt. Long bleached blond hair. Big red lips. Big boobs that Eden could tell, even from thirty feet away, were fake.
“See, humans use glamours as well,” Darrak said pointedly. “It’s used to improve on what’s already there.”
“You think that’s an improvement?”
“It’s certainly… eye-catching. But even you use glamours. Your hair color for one, your makeup. When you wear high heels. It’s an unnatural way to enhance your undeniable natural beauty.”
She rolled her eyes. “If you’re trying to get on my good side again, just know you were never on that side to begin with.”
“Can’t say I didn’t try.” His gaze moved down from her face. “Your breasts, however, unlike this woman’s, are completely and flawlessly natural.”
She’d had a feeling that her shirt was too low cut for a Thursday. “Thanks for the newsflash.”
“My pleasure. Really.”
Eden expected Richard to disappear into the fake-breasted woman’s motel room, but instead she got in the car with him. Eden followed as they drove a mile down the street to a strip club called Kristoff’s. The car stopped at the front doors, the girl got out, and Richard drove away.
“Taxi service?” Eden said out loud. “That was unexpected.”
“I tried to sense any magical essence coming from the girl but didn’t get anything. I’m not at full strength so I could be wrong. You should go in there and talk to her. Find out who she is.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“All we need to know is if he’s cheating on his wife against his will by being magically coerced. It happens more often than you think. Needy witches and their spells.” His expression turned sour. “They won’t take no for an answer.”
“Sounds like a really bad date.”