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OK, moving along…
“You saw Eden twice, right?” Claudia asks for the thirty-second time.
“Yes. I saw her blurring down the street and performing a break-neck blow job in the back of a town car.”
She nods and takes a sip of her cold tea. “And what else do you see, Lily?”
What the hell kind of question is that? “Let’s see, there’s your sitting room and the granny-chic furniture and your mismatched teacup collection in the curio.”
“Not what I mean, dear.” Claudia leans in, closing the space between us. “What do you see that you think you shouldn’t?”
I want to back away from her, but I’m already pressed into my seat as far as I can go. And she’s made an effort to keep her lips covering her teeth as much as possible, so…“Do you mean your shark teeth and Eden’s veiny face? Or the weird shit my condo did the other day?” Take your pick.
The two women’s eyes lock on each other, schemes and plans forming wordlessly.
Claudia shifts, leaning closer to Eden. “She doesn’t show a single psychic talent or ability. But she also doesn’t show any signs of possession in her psyche.”
“What does it mean?” Eden asks.
“And she seems to have hung on to their second-sight. A regular human wouldn’t notice your veins or my teeth. But someone who’d been host to a demon horde just might.”
“So, what do I do?” I ask, ignoring the fact they are talking about me like I’m not there.
Claudia crosses her arms. “Get rid of them, obviously. Demons can’t exist on the earth plane without a human host. Whatever they’re doing here isn’t good, and you shouldn’t allow them to keep doing it any longer.”
I want so badly to press on my hash marks but, fearing they’d figure out what I was doing with their super senses, I resort to chewing the skin around my thumbnail.
“What about you? What do you think?” I ask Eden.
She shakes her head. “I’m new to the supe game. I don’t know anything about demons except whatSupernaturaltaught me. You’d be better off trusting your own gut than taking my advice.”
Claudia glares daggers at her across the table.
“I said what I said, Claud. If she’s strong enough that she’s not showing any signs of their possessionandshe’s latched onto some of their power, I say let her figure it out herself. She’s clearly no damsel in distress, despite the outward appearance.”
Claudia purses her lips in displeasure before leveling her gaze at me. “Exactly how much control do you have while they inhabit you?” She takes a delicate sip of tea and rests the cup and saucer back on the low table between us.
Control? Up until today I hadn’t had any control, which was the biggest part I looked forward to. But…
“I think I’m gaining more control with each possession. Today, I heard bits of their conversations and eventually kicked them all out of my head.”
Claudia chokes on her tea, coughing and sputtering for a full minute before pulling herself together. “You ejected them without any outside help?”
I shrug. “I mean, I guess?”
She gives me a long up and down. “And you’re sure you’re not anything but human?”
I nod.
“Well, then it’s a simple matter of protecting yourself to keep them from entering your mind at all.” Claudia rises and heads to the emerald green curio cabinet behind us. “Usually I’d prefer a talisman that’s been charged under at least two moon cycles…” She trails off, rooting around in the cabinet, pushing aside stacks of teacups and saucers. “Ah, here we go.”
Claudia returns and hands me a small pendant. “Wear this. It will keep them from inhabiting your mind.”
I take it and examine the pendant. A small silver snake coils around a dagger on a thin leather cord. Honestly, it looks like something you might buy in any cheap witchy themed store.
“How does it work?” I ask, not wanting to be rude but still curious if Claudia is some kind of charlatan—pointy teeth aside.
“Lily, I hardly have time to explain the ins and outs of esoteric spellcraft.”
