SEDUCTIVE SUPERNATURALS: 12 Tales of Shapeshifters, Vampires & Sexy Spirits (176 page)

Sasha smiled. “You’re in the right place, Evelyn. There are bound to be specialists here who have an idea or two on how we can help you develop your skills. And with the right training…wow.” She looked to Jesse. “Can you imagine what she could do with all that energy?”

“Yes, I can,” he said, but his dry tone wasn’t exactly comforting.

“Before we contact Lauren,” Sasha began, “do you have any requests for us in regards to your possession? Anything we should know?”

Evelyn realized she’d brought her arms around her torso as though she were cold, so she made a conscious effort to relax. She wanted to show them she wasn’t scared and that she could handle this as well as any IB Mark. “Privacy, I guess. That’s the worst part about not knowing what’s going on when I’m out. You know, waking up and not being sure who’s seen what, and what they’ve done with me. I’m a pretty modest person, so—” she swallowed and met Jesse’s eyes, “—if you could let Lauren know, just in case she’s a little less inhibited than I am.”

All those damned spirits were less inhibited when it wasn’t their own body they were shaming.

“So the naked dance parties are out?” Jesse quipped.

Would it be unprofessional to smack her partner? “If you want to dance naked, Jesse, feel free. I’ll bring the dollar bills. Just wait until I’m back in my own body so I can enjoy the show.”

He chuckled at that, but then as his eyes met hers, he looked so deeply into her she felt it in her core. “Seriously, Doc… I want you to know that I’m here to protect you, and you can rest easy when I’m on the job. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. Got it?”

Her lips quirked up. “Yeah. I got it.”

And she did. He was like a noble warrior of old, and she’d never felt safer. There was no reason she should trust him this much this soon, no reason she should want to take his hand in hers just to feel his heat soak into her palm. He was handsome, and manly, and hot as hell, but…he was more than that, too.

Sasha looked between the two of them with wide eyes and bit her lip. “Okay. So… I’m obviously not going to animate Lauren. She can’t take over your body, Evelyn, if she has one of her own. But she is going to need a little help from us.”

“We’re all ears, Sash,” Jesse said. “How are we going to do this?”

She looked at Evelyn. “Once Lauren manifests and has control of you, she’s going to need to be able to feed off your joules to stay in your body long-term. Don’t worry too much about that. Because she has such weak spectral energy and you have joules to spare, I don’t think she’s going to hurt you.”

“Sounds good,” Evelyn replied, but she’d never uttered such a ridiculous lie. It didn’t sound good. It sounded insane. Not only was Lauren going to possess Evelyn’s body, she was going to have to consume Evelyn’s energy to do it. That was how bodies got used up and dumped into a ditch when a spirit was done with them. Yeah, Lauren might only be a level three spirit, but still…

Sasha smiled. “Great. I think we’re ready then.”

“Wait. Just wait a second.” Jesse ran a hand through his hair and he looked pale. “Are you sure Lauren wants to do this? Are you sure she’s ready to be back at IB?”

Sasha picked up the gun. “I’ve talked with her extensively and she knows what to expect. Clark wouldn’t have authorized this otherwise.” When Jesse flared his nostrils, still shaking his head, Sasha added, “Jesse, it’s been a year. Maybe you’re the one having trouble with this whole thing.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m fine, Sasha.”

“You haven’t been fine in a long time.”

Evelyn desperately wanted to ask what they were talking about since it must have a bearing on her assignment, but she knew she was witnessing a private discussion between two people who’d probably known each other for quite a while. It was hard to butt in when she’d known Jesse for exactly two days.

Sasha held the gun in her hands and closed her eyes. Evelyn could actually feel the energy rise in her and envelope them. “Lauren Marie Jacobs, I call you from your resting place and invite you into this space. Join us, Lauren. We welcome you.”

You didn’t have to summon a spirit with exact phrasing to get the job done, particularly if you had extra energy to put behind the summoning, so Evelyn found each practitioner’s method and verbiage totally fascinating. Sasha had a soft, warm feel to her energy, but she was channeling so many joules that a “Get your ass over here, Lauren” would probably have been as effective.

A moment later, the air shifted and a tall figure began to materialize between them. When Sasha and Jesse rose to their feet, Evelyn followed suit. Lauren was slightly transparent, but even so, her red hair and black fatigues were apparent. She had to be pushing six feet tall, yet her frame was lithe.

The ghostly Sentinel found Jesse and her attention locked onto him.

“Hey there, Red,” he said to her. “Long time, no see.”

“Jesse…”

His mouth hung slightly open as he searched for words. “You, uh, look good. Been keeping in shape, I see. Lost a little weight?”

The ghost laughed—an annoyingly sexy laugh at that. “And you’ve gained, I think. What is that, grandpa, belly fat? Quarters used to bounce off those abs. Shit, what’s the world coming to?”

Jesse glanced down at his stomach with a frown, and Evelyn tried not to bristle. He was perfect. For his body to be any harder, it would have to be cut from stone. But he didn’t look offended. Instead, he smiled. “Yeah, I’m going to seed all right. We lost our best trainer, or didn’t you know?”

Lauren smirked at him, and even though she wasn’t completely opaque, her emerald green eyes were startling. “Can’t have my boys going soft. Vacation has done me good, but I’m ready to get back to work.”

“That’s good, Red, cause we’ve needed you here. It hasn’t been the same. Rios has no one to flirt with at dinner anymore. Now he’s making eyes at Dannigan.”

She laughed again. “He was always making eyes at Dannigan. I was the distraction so you wouldn’t figure it out.”

Jesse raked a hand through his golden brown hair making it stand a little higher. “No shit?”

“I shit you not.” Finally, the spirit seemed to remember there were other people in the room. She turned to Sasha. “I have to tell you, Sasha… I know we were never close. It used to bug me that you were so warm and fuzzy with the spirits on some of the insane missions we went on. But I’m not minding so much now. You may have your uses after all.”

“Think so?” Sasha answered dryly. “I’m so happy you saw the light.”

“Haha.
Saw the light.
Yeah, that’s original.” The Amazonian-sized Sentinel looked Evelyn’s way, and her smile faded. “Who is that?”

Sasha took a step closer to Evelyn. “This is Dr. Evelyn Vale, our newest recruit.”

“Hello,” Evelyn chimed in awkwardly.

“No.” The ghost shook her head, her red hair blurring as it floated slowly around her head. “That is
not
my body.”

Jesse cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah, Red. That’s her—Dr. Vale.”

The spirit lifted off the ground, as though she needed to put some space between them. “Jesse, please. I’m not trying to be a bitch, but come on. I couldn’t possibly fit in
that
. What is she? Four-foot-nothing without the hooker heels? And look at her scrawny arms. She looks like she couldn’t lift a squirt gun, much less all the gear I need.”

Jesse crossed his arms over his chest. “You may not be trying to be a bitch, Jacobs, but you’re succeeding. Show a little respect, please. Not everyone was meant to be a kick-ass Sentinel.”

Evelyn was so mad she was practically foaming at the mouth. She’d show that haughty bitch a kick in the ass. And Jesse…she couldn’t tell if he was defending her or demeaning her.

Sasha put her palms out between Evelyn and Lauren, as though anticipating Evelyn was going to let some choice words fly. “Okay, let’s break this down real quick. Lauren, you’re not strong enough in your spirit form to take over anyone else’s body. If we didn’t have someone like Evelyn who was so easy to possess and packed a little energy snack for you, you wouldn’t be on this assignment at all. Evelyn, you finally got the job you’ve been applying for all these years, and without Lauren, the steward would have passed you over yet again. In my opinion, you gals are a match made in heaven.”

“Good point, Sasha,” Jesse said. “And listen, Red, the fact that Evelyn isn’t hugely tall is an asset to the mission. It gives all the more reason you might be looking for a new host.”

“Damn right I am,” Lauren muttered.

Evelyn’s nails bit into her palms. Was it too late to back out of this? Because she couldn’t imagine allowing that flirty, bitchy, ghastly woman anywhere near her body. It was absurd. “I need some air,” she said and turned toward the exit.

“Oh, how cute,” Lauren called after her. “Look at those little legs run for the door in that tight skirt. Reminds me of a penguin with an egg shell up its—”

“Hey!” Jesse said. “That’s enough, Jacobs. Sasha, turn down your juice. Your energy has Lauren all amped up or something.”

“This isn’t my doing,” Sasha fired back. “I have tried and tried to be sensitive to her situation, but this is what happens when you enlist the help of a woman who would eat her own young.”

“Hey, watch it!” Lauren protested. “Even in my living years, I never would’ve birthed young.”

Evelyn wasn’t going to listen to another word. She crossed the threshold and had only taken a few steps down the hall before a big hand clamped onto her upper arm. “Evelyn…wait.”

She turned on him, her chest bumping into his abdomen. “Screw her! I can’t believe you expect me to allow her to use my body. She’s horrible!”

His hands came to her shoulders and he hunched to her level. “She was totally out of line.”

“And you were just letting her do it. You’re supposed to be my partner!”

“I wasn’t letting her! Fuck… I don’t know. Was I? It’s complicated between Lauren and me. There’s…history. That’s all I can tell you.”

“Well, it’s not so complicated with me. I’m through with this.”

She was about to turn away, but he brought his hand to her cheek. “Evelyn, please. I’m asking you to trust me.”

She pulled back. “Then you’re asking too much.”

He glanced up at the ceiling in frustration. “Lauren talks a tough game, but I swear, she’s not that bad. Think about what it must be like for her, going from being one of our best Sentinels to a level three spirit that can’t even manifest without help. I swear the bitchiness will wear off once she gets her head on straight. And I promised you, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. You may not trust Lauren—hell, I wouldn’t expect you to. But do you think you could trust me?”

Jesse was so solid and real in front of her. She’d only known him for a short time, but she did trust him—that was the one thing she could cling to in this titanic mess. Lauren might make her blood boil, but this was only one little assignment in the long career ahead of her. This job would feed her father and keep a roof over her mother’s head until she could figure out how to move them to a better home one day—all of them, even the Getfields and little Casey if they were willing to be relocated. That was Evelyn’s family…all she had left in this world. And she could deal with Lauren for them, couldn’t she?

“I do trust you, Jesse. But could you do me a favor and go in there and tell your Amazonian Princess that if she makes one more comment on my stature, I’m going to claw her wispy eyes out?”

“You got it. And thank you, Doc.” He surprised her by taking her hand and pressing a firm kiss to her knuckles before going to deliver the message. And heaven help her, but when he turned to go, she placed her other hand over where he had kissed her, like she could seal it into her skin and keep it for a good luck charm.

If she was going to be hosting Lauren Jacob’s spirit—she clearly needed all the luck she could get.

Immortal Possession: Chapter Seven

Lauren had been sullen but not a total bitch when Evelyn returned to the room. Her attitude would have pissed Jesse off, except that he didn’t want to judge her too harshly. He wouldn’t know what it felt like to die and come back as a spirit. Plus, he figured it was a pretty good sign that Lauren was listening to him at all and not making his life an utter hell, as she had every right to do.

She hadn’t apologized to the good doctor, but then he hadn’t expected her to. At least they’d finally gotten the possession to take. With Lauren only being a level three spirit, Evelyn was going to have to drop her guard if they didn’t want every damn switch to be a struggle from here on out. Getting these women to work together was going to be harder than anything he’d had to do with Blue Unit. But other than that, Evelyn was turning out to be a pretty easy partner to get along with—if he didn’t find her soft feminine presence so damn distracting.

Jesse glanced over at Evelyn. She was curled up in her seat, resting her cheek against the window. “Vale…are you awake?”

She lifted her head, her long brown hair falling over her shoulder in soft waves. “Yeah. Did I fall asleep?”

She followed her question with a yawn, covering her mouth with her dainty hand. Her fingernails were painted the color of an ocean shell—pink, but not quite—and he loved the look of it. He could imagine those nails dragging over his skin, along with her very tempting mouth. Her lips were plump and rose-colored, even with that clear lip balm she applied, and when she slept, her mouth went all pouty. It made him wonder if she had a guy back home who got to kiss those lips when she woke in the morning with her eyes contented and slumberous like they were now.

No matter what anyone said about her stature, he didn’t figure there was a warm-blooded man around who wouldn’t react to Evelyn’s natural sensuality. His mind flashed back to the way she’d looked at him in the locker room, her hungry gaze caressing his body, and he had to shake his head to erase the image. Those unwelcome thoughts weren’t going to make his job any easier—especially not a month from now when Clark canned her and her budding regard for Jesse turned to hate.

He cleared his throat. “You might have dozed off for a few minutes. I wish the drive was longer so you could get a real nap.”