Everything went black.
— When Eden woke up, she smelled lasagna.
She raised her head from the sofa where she currently lay to look over at the kitchenette. Darrak was removing a piece of lasagna — courtesy of the departed Leena — from the microwave oven.
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
His shoulders tensed. “This is for you. I sensed you were about to wake up and thought you should have something waiting when you did.”
He brought it over to her with a fork and placed the plate on the coffee table in front of her. Then he took a few steps back to give her space.
She felt nervous with him standing there watching her after everything that had happened, but reached forward to have a few bites of the pasta dish. Leena hadn’t been kidding. She really knew how to cook.
A glance at the clock on her wall unit told her it was almost four o’clock. “Guess I’ve been out for a while, huh?”
“I took too much energy from you. I couldn’t control myself.”
“It’s understandable.”
He barked out a laugh. “Is it?”
“You were in rough shape.” She pushed the plate away from her. Then she started folding the afghan that Darrak had covered her with while she slept. The demon stood with his back against the breakfast bar. Even though he looked strong and energized, his face was still as pale as it had been when he’d almost faded away to nothing. “You still don’t look so great.”
“I’ve made a decision.”
“Oh, yeah?”
He nodded and pulled a business card out of his pocket. “I found this in your purse. Malcolm gave you his phone number when you saw him last night?”
She stood up from the sofa, moved toward him, and snatched the card out of his hand. “You went through my purse when I was unconscious?”
“I went through your closets yesterday. It was only a matter of time before I got to your purse. I’m eyeing your medicine cabinet and lingerie drawer next.” There was a momentary spark of humor in his blue eyes at her outraged expression. “You need to call him.”
“And why would I want to do that?”
“You already intimated you’d scheduled my exorcism. I assume it’s through the boy wonder.”
When she didn’t say anything he must have taken that to be a confirmation.
“Why didn’t he already do it?” he asked.
Eden tried to think of a reasonable explanation for everything but decided that the truth was the best idea, all things considered. Otherwise, she’d be a bit of a hypocrite, wouldn’t she? “He couldn’t do it when you were dampened. And then when he found out you’re an archdemon he had to go ask his superiors how to…”
“How best to squash me like a cockroach from Hell?” he finished.
“He didn’t put it that way, but that was the general idea.”
“Call him and tell him he doesn’t have to ask anybody anything. I won’t fight him. He can come over right now and we can finish this. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to bag an archdemon. He might get a medal or something for his efforts.”
She exhaled. “I’m so glad to hear you feel that way. Could you please be a doll and bring me the phone?”
He stiffened, then walked over to the dinette table, grabbed the cordless phone, and brought it over to her.
She took it from him. “Thanks so much. I wonder if he’d mind picking me up a coffee on his way over?”
Darrak shrugged. “I don’t know. You should ask him.” She glared at the demon. “You don’t really think I’m going to call him right now, do you?”
His jaw was tight and there was no humor in his expression. “I can’t think of a single reason why you wouldn’t call him. Don’t you want to be free of me?”
“To say it’s been a goal of mine would be putting it mildly.”
“So do it, already. This is your chance.”
She placed the phone down on the dinette table and put her hand on her hip. “You saved my life.”
“Then I almost sucked it out through your mouth. And I’m draining you of energy every single day you’re possessed with me. Everything I am, everything I do, is killing you.”
She cringed. “We’ll figure out another way.”
“There is no other way. Call Malcolm. He wants to help you. He can help you. Even though I’m corporeal right now, I’m still bound to you, so don’t fight him. You need to open yourself up to him the same way you opened yourself up to me earlier.”
She looked down at the phone. “Are you saying I need to make out with him? He’s a little too young for me.”
He grabbed the receiver and pointed at her with it. “This isn’t funny.”
“Darrak, let’s talk about this.”
He sighed with frustration. “What’s there to talk about? I lied to you over and over. Shamelessly. I’m an evil archdemon from the belly of Hell who turns nice girls into black witches. And I’m killing you, little by little, even without trying just by my very existence. What’s the problem here?” He thrust the phone out to her.
She didn’t take it from him. “What happened to your self-protective instinct?”
“I’m fighting it as we speak. I might start crying like a baby in a moment if you don’t take this phone from me. But I know this is the right thing to do. Just do it, would you?”
That made her actually laugh out loud. It was a small burst of hysteria that surprised even her. “The badass, evil archdemon is demanding that I call somebody to exorcise him so he doesn’t hurt me anymore. Is that it?”
He glowered. “That’s pretty much it.”
“What happened to the whole ‘I’ve been infused with humanity and I’ve changed to be a good boy now’ story?”
His face was expressionless. “All lies, of course. I’m evil incarnate. You saw what I look like in demon form. Did that look like a fluffy, helpful bunny to you?”
“No, it certainly did not. Bunnies don’t have horns or hellfire going on.”
“Then… there you go.”
“There’s one problem with what you’re saying, though,” she said.