Demons Prefer Blondes (Demons Unleashed #1)(56)

Rafe crossed his arms, his eyes thoughtful. “It isn’t safe.”

“I know!” She grabbed Rafe’s shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes. “But the more we argue, the more unsafe it gets for my mom.”

Drawing in a long breath of air, Rafe pulled her hands from his arms. “Lucy…”

She reached up and stroked a strand of hair from his chiseled cheek. “Come on, Rafe,” she urged. “Besides, you’ll be right behind me.”

“Fine,” Rafe growled. “Let’s go.”

“Thanks, hon.” With a smile, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. Electricity crackled through her entire body. Just from one little friendly peck? She gazed up at him, mesmerized by the swirling of his silver eyes.

A loud moan echoed through the house, bringing thoughts back to her mom. Spinning around, she took off like an Olympian and sprinted down the hallway toward her mom’s room.

“Lucy…”

She turned to face Rafe, his gaze stony serious.

“Rafe?”

He stuck his fists in his pockets, his jaw ticking. “Be careful.” Yeah, his jaw may have been twitching, but the shimmer in his eyes was undeniable. It was like he actually trusted her.

She threw him a smile. “I will.”

With that, she threw open the door to her mother’s bedroom. And in a flash, she wished she hadn’t. Her face drained of color, and as nausea set in, the saliva filled her mouth. Every child’s nightmare had come true.

“OMG! ICK!” were the only two thoughts that she managed. She wanted to lose her lunch all over her mother’s beige Berber rug.

The sight of her mother straddling a man other than her father in their bed would remain burned in her brain forever. Then again, so would the sight of Mom and Dad.

There she was, performing acrobatics Lucy didn’t even know were possible at fifty-plus years. Mind-boggling. She probably had her beat too. She wouldn’t know. Then again, maybe she didn’t want to.

“Oh God!” She threw her head back in ecstasy. Thankfully, a blanket covered her naked body. “Oh, Lou!”

Lou?

Her mom was doing a man in the middle of the afternoon and she called him by her dead husband’s name? Talk about messed up. Lucy needed to get out of there. She should’ve left already. Talk about train-wreck syndrome.

Maybe she could get out of there without them noticing. One could hope, right? She backed up slowly, not wanting to make one tiny sound. Stealthy wasn’t a word that usually described her. Then again, maybe since she inducted herself into the realms of sex demons, that had changed.

Creak!

Her foot faltered on the loose floorboard. Then again, maybe not.

“Oh my gosh!” her mom’s frantic voice rang in her ears.

There wasn’t any way in hell Lucy was going to wait around and have a friendly heart-to-heart with dear old Mom. Not now. If her mom thought she was embarrassed, she was ten times more.

“Lucy, come back. It’s not what you think.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she muttered, fleeing toward the bathroom. Instead, she came face-to-face with a brick wall. One of the most magnificent brick walls ever.

“Everything okay?” Rafe whispered as she reached for the bathroom door.

Her mom stood in the hallway, her robe wrapped tightly around her, the hair she’d done for her earlier a tousled mess. So that’s why she needed a makeover? So she could get her freak on? Thanks, Mom!

“Lucy…” Rafe’s tone took on a calming edge, and it worked for the most part. “You need to talk to your mother. It’s important.”

“It’s all right,” she murmured. After all, she was a woman. “She has needs, just like any other woman.” Lucy just didn’t care to know those needs. “Let’s go. Looks like the hooded guy’s gone anyway.”

Rafe sucked in a breath. “No, he hasn’t.”

“Huh?” She narrowed her gaze. “I don’t feel any negative energy.”

“I’m still here, Lucy.”

Now her ears were playing tricks on her. Either that, or her mom had pulled out the old home videos. Maybe this whole sex demon thing had taken its toll. It didn’t surprise her at all.

“Lucy, look at your mother.” There was no masking that authoritative tone. It always put her in place as a child.

She swiveled around to face her mother, her hair disheveled and cheeks rosy. Gripping her pink terry cloth robe tightly, she blew out a sigh of relief.

Behind her mother, tall and proud, stood the very image of Dr. Louis Gregory. The same way she remembered him, not a day older. Was this some sort of trick by the Infernati? Or was she the subject of some twisted practical joke? Whatever it was, she wanted to retch. In this case, she had a right to.

There’s that expression “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.” Lucy had, literally. She swiped a hand over her sweat-dampened forehead as her legs crumpled beneath her. Darkness took over.

Blessed darkness. At least for now.





Chapter 16


The darkness was short-lived—thanks to her mom. Lucy awoke to an ice-cold rag pressed against her forehead. Swatting the offending hand, she groaned.

“Get that thing off my head,” she growled.

Her mom’s attempt at a soothing voice came out like a squeaky hinge. “Lucy, dear, can’t you keep it on for a little bit. I want to make sure you’re okay.”