A Demon Does It Better
Read A Demon Does It Better Online
Authors: Linda Wisdom
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by Linda Wisdom
Cover and internal design © 2012 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover illustration by Tony Mauro
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
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An excerpt from
50 Ways to Hex Your Lover
An excerpt from
Wicked by Any Other Name
An excerpt from
Hex in High Heels
An excerpt from
Demons are a Girl’s Best Friend
In memory of my mom,
Thelma Randall, 1923-2011
You taught me a lot over the years, Mom.
I love you, miss you, and I hope
I will always do you proud.
In memory of Beverly Barton,
who departed this earth on April 21, 2011.
Your Champagne smile and infectious laugh
will never be forgotten, just as you yourself won’t.
We miss you so much.
“You’re all going to die!” A vulture, perched on a granite gargoyle guarding the double doors, flapped his large wings.
Dr. Lili Carter, witch-healer extraordinaire, rolled her eyes at the death scavenger as she walked down the stone steps. “You wish.”
She trudged wearily through the parking lot toward her dark purple Mazda CX-7. Early morning fog caressed her ankles with frosty, whispery fingers and slid through her clothing. She shivered from the damp cold that permeated her heavy coat.
Lili tossed the oversize bag holding her scrubs into the backseat and climbed behind the wheel. She wasted no time starting up the engine and cranking up the heater to push back the night chill. She sat there, staring through the windshield, waiting for the interior to warm up.
The towering edifice known to the supernatural world as Crying Souls Hospital loomed before her.
The building hadn’t changed over the years. Crafted of dark gray stone in a style popular in the 1700s, it sported squat windows, and old-fashioned carriage lamps dotted the front. She recalled her last time working here, when centaur-drawn ambulances pulled around back to the ambulance bay and dropped off patients unable to fly or materialize in.
The centuries-old hospital might have still boasted an antiquated exterior but the interior was ultramodern and well-known for its excellent care for all creatures in need of healing.
After an exhausting full moon night in the ER, she should have been thinking about going home and crawling into bed for some much-needed sleep, but Lili knew, after that tiring shift, that any form of rest would be a long time off.
She smiled to herself. “If I’m going to stay awake, I may as well go do some shopping and visit old friends.”
***
“She is back! My much-loved healer has returned! And so beautiful is she!” A portly wizard garbed in brilliant blue silk robes embroidered with gold and silver sigils waddled out of a shop. He smiled broadly as he threw his arms around Lili. Although he was a good five inches shorter than she, he used his magick to ensure he could properly embrace her and kiss each cheek. “Ah, Cleo, my lovely feline. You have also come to visit me.” He smiled down at the cat that poked her head out of the cayenne-colored leather tote bag. The fluffy feline inclined her head, accepting her due.
The witch laughed as his salt-and-pepper bushy beard tickled her cheeks while she hugged him back. “You look wonderful, Asmeth. How are you?”
“I am blessed, but only because you knew how to cure those rasthe scales that tormented me.” His round body jiggled like Jell-O as he laughed heartily. “Is it true you returned to Crying Souls?” His dark eyes showed curiosity. “And did I hear correctly that while you have been away you even treated mundanes in your last hospital?” He tsked and shook his head in wonder. “Ah, but then you do not have an aversion to working in mundane hospitals, do you?” His tone indicated he couldn’t understand why she would do such a thing.
Lili laughed. “Even mundanes need a good healer, Asmeth. Plus, it’s good experience. I’ve missed visiting Inderman,” she said lightly, even as she made a quick visual examination to make sure her old friend was speaking the truth about his health. Rasthe scales were nasty as they changed the skin to a rapidly hardening surface until the victim suffocated. Even worse, they didn’t always completely disappear after treatment. She was pleased to see he was still scale-free. “Now you won’t have to travel as far when you need my skills,” she teased.
“But I enjoy traveling to the odd lands of the mundanes to see you. Although I must say I was not very fond of that place you called Minneapolis,” he declared, with the drama he was well-known for—one more reason why the wizard was considered larger than life. “Will you stay in Inderman? I know of a few cottages to let.” He referred to the magickal plane that offered up everything a preternatural creature would require. Such as his shop, which displayed a wide variety of clothing for the discriminating sorcerer.
Lili shook her head, her high ponytail of curly black hair swinging between her shoulder blades. “I still have my house. I moved back in a couple days ago, although I still have a lot of unpacking to do. I just finished my first shift at the hospital tonight. Since I wasn’t tired, I thought I’d come here and do a little shopping.” She knew she didn’t need to worry about the late hour. The Inderman plane was always open.
“You have come here to see what has changed and what has not changed. Alas, there have been few changes in Inderman.” He waved his hands outward. “Reacquaint yourself, but then return to me. We will have wine and talk. I will give you all the gossip,” he said with a twinkle in his dark eyes.
She nodded and moved on.
The color, sights, and sounds of Inderman’s magickal plane assaulted Lili like a maniacal carnival. It was a place that was more energizing than tiring. There was no need for electricity when globes filled with faery light were much more reliable. She knew she would find everything supernatural she might need and even more she wouldn’t. From her first visit, years ago, she’d loved the community that catered to every creature known to the magickal world. She was convinced she could even smell magick in the air like a variety of rare spices, tickling her palate. She watched wraiths weave in and out among the corporeal as they had their own gathering places.
“Some things never change,” Cleo said, hopping out of the tote bag and walking beside the witch, her plumed tail held high. The chinchilla-colored Persian feline walked with the dignity that denoted her full name. “It was loud and insane the first time we came here in 1782, and it still is.” She sniffed with typical disdain.
“I call it more alive and filled with energy,” Lili corrected her. “Something I doubt I’ll see that all that much at Crying Souls.” Not when she thought about the real reason for her seeking a position there. She looked at the cat who shared the house with her. It was a fact that you couldn’t own a cat. They were too arrogant to belong to anyone. Even if Lili was a gifted witch in the healing arts, Cleo was by no means her familiar. She had rescued the arrogant feline from a goblin who thought Cleo would make a tasty meal. Cleo had stayed with her since.
“It is a depressing place, but then, someone has to heal the sick, so it may as well be you, I guess.” Cleo looked from right to left. “Is the gourmet fish store nearby? I’d love having some salmon or perhaps some lovely caviar.”
“Salmon I can afford, for caviar you need to find someone with a larger bank account.” Lili stopped at the fish-and-fowl shop to pick up Cleo’s food.
“Ooh, take a look at the hottie,” Cleo purred, perking up. Her malachite eyes widened in appreciation as she practically levitated with excitement. “You should go talk to him.”
“Not interested,” Lili sang under her breath.
“Look to your right and say that again, because he’s seriously checking you out. Just don’t look like you’re looking. You tend to be too direct or talk too much about your work, which only scares them off,” the feline advised. “This is why your sex life is nonexistent. A female cannot live by battery-operated instruments alone.”
Lili winced. “Is not.” The witch whispered a spell under her breath that allowed her to have a better view of who could be spying on her. “I had a date recently.”