A Demon Does It Better (6 page)

The mantra he kept going in his head was the only thing that allowed him a sliver of sanity.

Past experience told Jared all it took was for him to breathe for them to accuse him of doing something wrong and beat him to a pulp. There was nothing ogres loved better than turning someone into raw meat. These two were experts at it.

He took his time standing up, not making even the smallest move that could be construed as a threat. Past experience had him learning that if he wasn’t careful, he’d end up with a variety of cuts and bruises.

He’d barely straightened up when he found himself kissing the filthy stone floor.

“You need to watch that.” Coing chuckled from his spot behind Turtifo’s shoulder, the sound like razors across Jared’s skin.

“Yeah, I do,” he muttered, refusing to show any sign of pain.
Your
turn
will
come, asshole, and I’m going to enjoy returning the favor.
He wiped his face of all expression and walked out of the cell with Turtifo leading the way and Coing taking up the rear.

His insides knotted up at the thought of going to Dr. Mortimer’s Therapy Room, something that was straight out of the Spanish Inquisition but even more inventive. He had no clue how the “treatments” were supposed to help anyone get well.

The clean female scent filled his nostrils again. He lifted his head enough to see Dr. Carter standing in the doorway of a room he’d never been in before.

“Bring 1172 in here,” she instructed crisply. Her eyes looked him over and apparently didn’t like what she saw.

He hid his smile. Seemed she wasn’t too fond of the ogres, either.

This time the push into the room wasn’t as forceful as usual. He figured that was due to the witch’s keen-eyed observation. He didn’t miss the magick sparking from her fingertips. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she used it on his guards when she felt they got out of hand. Or even on him.

He had desired her from the first moment he had spied her at Inderman. That attraction grew each time he saw her. But she was a witch, an enemy of his kind. Besides, even if she wasn’t a magick user, he had been raised to stay within the circles of his own kind.

Dr. Carter inclined her head toward a chair. “Sit there,” she told him. Her head snapped up when she saw the ogres pull up iron manacles that were attached to the chair. “Not necessary,” she snapped the two words.

“We need to—” Turtifo started, but she cut him off.

“No, you don’t. And close the door on your way out.” To guarantee they understood exactly what she meant, she swept her hand out, forcing them out the door, which slammed shut after they crossed the threshold. She muttered a few words. Jared easily heard the
snick
of a magickal lock that he bet would even keep out two cranky ogres.

This
could
prove
real
interesting.

She conjured up two mugs of coffee and handed one of them to him.

He inhaled the hot steam with an appreciative nose. “Handy trick,” he said, sipping it slowly so as not to burn his tongue. He didn’t have a fire demon’s tolerance for scalding liquids.

“It got me through four medical schools,” she replied, taking the chair across from him. “Well, well, well, Patient 1172. I fully expected you to ignore me and speak only in your birth language. Unlike the other night, when you broke into my house and was coherent for someone who didn’t appear to have a cohesive thought in his head. Thank you for having the good manners not to continue the deranged act.”

“There are times I can be polite,” he continued, savoring his coffee. “Any chance you could hex up something to go with this? Cookies, sweet roll, ham and cheese sandwich? Maybe some steak fries?”

He realized her smile was the kind to entrance anyone with enough testosterone.

“Look, buster, I’m no kitchen witch. Lunch. Party of one.” She snapped her fingers.

He wasted no time digging into the ham-and-cheese sandwich, pleased to see she’d chosen sharp cheddar cheese and Black Forest ham along with crispy fries topped with seasoned salt.

“You’re a great cook.”

She settled back in her chair and watched him. “Don’t you eat when you’re away from here?” she asked mildly.

The sandwich hovered at his open lips.

“I see that Greeks have stubborn streaks too,” he said. He eyed her curly hair, swept up in a high ponytail that teased her shoulder blades, coffee-brown eyes, and the slight olive cast to her skin. “I eat sometimes.”

“So why are you pretending to be a homicidal demon when it’s clear you aren’t? And, especially, how do you manage to fool Dr. Mortimer when he’s one of the foremost practitioners in this field?” She pulled her computer tablet out of her pocket and sat back in her chair.

He gestured to his sandwich. “Think I can eat first?”

“I won’t forget what I’m asking,” she reminded him.

“I didn’t think so, but I’d hate to see what looks like an awesome sandwich and fries get cold. Room service tends to be erratic around here.” He popped a fry in his mouth. “Doesn’t do much good to complain to the management, either.”

“When was the last time they allowed you to bathe down here?” She wrinkled her nose.

Jared chewed and swallowed. “Hosed down with icy water is more like it. I heard you talking to Dr. Mortimer on how all this reminded you of the older hospitals in Europe. I guess you can already tell his idea of running this hellhole goes back to the Dark Ages.”

“We’re not talking about Dr. Mortimer, we’re talking about you.” She tapped away on her tablet, her fingers flying at the speed of light.

He watched her with fascination. He might have been a virtual prisoner for too long, but he’d managed to get out and about enough to know about modern conveniences. And missed them when he was pulled back here. Computers intrigued him, but since Dr. Mortimer was happier using quill and ink, he hadn’t seen one in use the way Dr. Carter used hers.

“It seems your kind have abandoned you.”

He winced at her blunt words. “You don’t believe in soft and fuzzy words, do you?” Now that his stomach was full, and lo and behold, so was his coffee mug, he felt a lot better. All he needed was a long hot shower and a lot of soap to make him feel like a whole new demon.

“Not when getting to the point moves things along a lot faster.” Lili looked up from her tablet.

“Are you going to tell Dr. Mortimer about my going AWOL?”

“I’ll keep quiet—for now.” Her lips curved in a smile, letting him know she now held all the cards. “And I’ll make sure those two do the same.”

Jared draped an arm over the back of his chair, content to study the lovely doctor.

He might not be able to see the protective sigils woven into the fabric of her clothing, but he could feel them pulsing around her like an extra heartbeat. For a brief moment, he wondered if she would taste as exotic as she looked. Temptation rolled along his muscles, but he ignored the lure. No use getting on her bad side too fast. Not when she was willing to feed him.

“Your boyfriend must really love you to provide you with clothing guaranteed to keep you safe from us crazies,” he commented, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

Lili smiled as if she knew what he was doing.

“Do you participate in any group therapy with the other patients?”

“The inmates, you mean? Crazies? Loony tunes?” he mocked. “The ones who need a lot of help and don’t get it.”

She leaned forward. “Why are you so open with me about your complaints? Or are you yanking my chain to see how close I am to Dr. Mortimer, Patient 1172?” She noted a slight flinch.
So
he
doesn’t like being called that.
“Do you want to see if I mention any of this to him?”

His dark eyes bored into her with a chill she felt all the way through to her bones. “You smiled at the little girl.”

That stopped her cold. “What little girl?” She could play coy too.

Jared smirked. “Give me a break, Doc. The wraith that haunts our gloomy hallowed halls.” His grin suddenly morphed into something dark and not so friendly. “A child that doesn’t belong down here among the monsters.” His words sliced across her skin like icy razor blades. “You’re the expert. You wanna tell me how an innocent could land down here in the house of horrors when it’s obvious she belongs in the land of fuzzy bunnies and playful puppies?”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I will have to talk to her and see if I can find out how it happened. It won’t be easy, since she’s so young and might not have any idea how she came to be here. Has she been around as long as you have?”

He shrugged. “It’s not like I have a calendar on my wall. But I’d say she’s been here for decades.” He looked away. “She cries all night, always asking for her mother. Pepta screams at her to shut up, which only makes the kid cry harder.” He paused. “All I know is that she’s not one of us.”

Lili’s stomach cramped at his words. She knew he didn’t just mean the little girl wasn’t a demon.

“She’s a mundane somehow pulled here,” she whispered.

“There’s nothing else she could be.” He nodded. He lifted his arms over his head and stretched them toward the ceiling. The thin fabric of his ragged T-shirt grew taut over his muscular arms.

It wasn’t easy, but she managed not to ogle too much or allow any drool to slip past her lips.

Dirty, smelly, and still gorgeous. Cleo was right. She needed to get herself a social life. It took her a moment to remind herself she was a doctor. A professional who shouldn’t be fantasizing about a patient even if he was… Another mental slap upside the head.

“Why did you wipe out that vampire bloodline?”

She kept her doctor’s face on. Watched every nuance in his expression as he stared upward while she waited for his response.

She was nothing if not patient.

It turned out so was Jared.

Silence grew by the minute until he smiled briefly.

“Do you know Dr. Mortimer asks me that exact same question every time he sees me,” he said, matter-of-factly. “But he doesn’t ask like a doctor wanting to find out what’s going on inside the inmate’s head. It’s more like he wants to know what it takes to create such a heinous act.” It was clear he was quoting the doctor.

“What is your name?”

He hadn’t expected that. No one else around here cared.

“Why?”

“Because calling you Patient 1172 just flat out sounds dumb, that’s why,” Lili said lightly. “Don’t worry. I won’t use it to mess with your power.”

“Wouldn’t happen even if you tried.” He pulled down his shirt’s neckline.

Lili frowned at an oddly shaped brand that scarred his shoulder. It wasn’t the one next to it that denoted him as a mental patient, but something else that glimmered with dark power.

What
in
Hades
is
going
on
here?

“What is that?”

His smile wasn’t the least bit pleasant. “You might say I’ve been neutered. While every patient here is branded to show what they are, my decoration is demon-made and meant to keep my powers in check. It also warns anyone coming in contact with me that I’m a danger to polite society,” he drawled with deliberate malice.

“It doesn’t seem to work very well if you’re able to get out. Or is there more that goes on with you?” Although she already had an idea of what he’d say.

Jared smiled slowly. “Before I lost my mind, my gift was used to bring death to those who deserved it. And my name is Jared.”

She returned his smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Jared.”

***

Lili wasn’t surprised when the door almost fell down from the pounding on the other side.

“Asshole’s time is up!” Turtifo bellowed.

She released the lock and waited for the ogre to enter.

“Door’s not supposed to be locked.” He scowled at her as he roughly pulled Jared to his feet in a grip that could have easily dislocated his shoulder.

“Just make sure that Patient 1172 is returned to his cell in the same condition he’s in right now,” she ordered, tacking on a snarl of her own.

Turtifo bared his teeth at her. “Won’t matter, since you won’t be here all that long.” He pushed Jared in front of him.

Lili watched them leave, noticing Jared didn’t look back. She didn’t think he would, but it would have been nice. But then she knew he couldn’t show any weakness in front of the ogres. Just as she couldn’t, either.

“That’s me. Making friends everywhere I go,” she murmured to herself, tucking her computer tablet in her lab coat pocket as she wound her way back down the hallways. She stopped where she’d first seen the spirit and turned in a slow circle. She cast her senses out in search of her quarry.

“Little girl,” she whispered. “Can you come to me? I want to talk to you.”