Truth or Demon nov-5 Read online

  She paused and studied the drawing. Pretty good. Sighing, she set the book aside. Then she headed to the kitchen for another cup of coffee.

  In the hallway, she could hear her sister and the girls talking quietly in Daisy’s room. They all had been very reserved around her these days, clearly remorseful about what had happened.

  Poppy considered speaking to them, in an attempt to let them know she was fine, but she didn’t.

  She wasn’t fine. Not totally. But she was trying.

  A demon. Killian was a demon. Leave it to her to fall for a demon. The idea should have scared her. The very idea that demons existed should have terrified her, but it didn’t. Killian might be a demon, but he was also the best man she’d ever met.

  And it did explain his appearing in the apartment that first night. And why, several times, she’d overheard the word demon. And in Swedish, Killian had even used a term that definitely sounded like demon.

  She took a sip of her coffee. Yeah, leave it to her to fall for a demon.

  But whatever had happened, Killian was gone now. She had to accept that and move on. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know how to do that. Loss was a part of her life.

  And he’d probably never loved her anyway. Did demons even know how to love?

  CHAPTER 37

  “Daisy!” Daisy!”

  Daisy stopped and turned, nearly getting run over by several other students on their way to class. Behind their glaring and muttering was Emma. She ran toward Daisy, her blond curls bouncing.

  “We can bring him back. There’s a way to bring him back.”

  “What?”

  “Killian. We can bring him back. The new Jenny Bell book has a spell.”

  Daisy made a face and shook her head. “No way. I’ve messed up enough stuff.”

  “But Poppy loves him.”

  Daisy shook her head again. “What if it makes things worse?”

  “Can they be worse?”

  “What if Killian doesn’t love her?”

  Emma made a face is if Daisy was just being silly. “Of course, he loves her. He wouldn’t have gone back to”—she shot a look at the floor, which was actually above the cafeteria, a hell of sorts, Daisy supposed—“if he wasn’t her soul mate.”

  Daisy wasn’t sure about that.

  “It’s worth a try. But he can’t stay unless he’s willing to sacrifice something big.”

  “Like what?”

  Emma made a face. “He has to pick what that is for himself. But what other choice do we have? Poppy is miserable.”

  Daisy sighed. “All right.”

  What did she have to lose? Actually, she didn’t want to think about that.

  Daisy arranged for Emma and Madison to spend the night the following Friday.

  Daisy tiptoed to Poppy’s room, listening. Her light was out, and the room was quiet. She snuck back to the living room, where Madison lit several candles.

  “This one is more complicated,” Daisy said, looking at the circle Emma had made on the floor with salt.

  “It will be worth it,” Emma said. She brushed off her hands, excess salt flying, then reached for the book.

  “Okay,” she said in a whisper. “Stand around the circle, and each hold a candle.”

  The girls moved around the circle, spreading out until they were equidistant from each other. They held up their white candles.

  Emma, who still held the book in one of her hands, began to read the incantation.

  “To everything—turn, turn turn.”

  She gestured for the girls to turn.

  “Counterclockwise,” she reminded them. “Three times.”

  They did, coming back to the middle.

  “There is a season—turn, turn, turn.”

  They rotated three times again.

  “Isn’t this some old hippie song?” Madison asked, her usual skepticism in place. “I think my mom listens to this. Or maybe my grandmother.”

  “Shh,” Emma hissed, but Daisy thought Madison had a point.

  “There is a reason—turn, turn, turn.”

  More spins.

  “A purpose to all things above and below us.”

  Emma raised her hands, still trying to see the book, which was now above her head.

  Daisy just hoped she didn’t spill wax on her head.

  “We evoke the powers of all around us to do as we bid. Gather and bring us the one we request. Energies of all, bring Killian O’Brien. And should he choose to sacrifice, then he shall receive the thing he desires most. And in doing so, happiness shall prevail.”

  Daisy hoped so. Happiness was all she’d ever wanted for Poppy.

  “Come, Killian O’Brien, come.”

  Killian tugged off the shirt of his uniform. Another day’s work done. Nothing but an eternity more to go.

  A job he was finding unbearable. Vepar could have it. Before, he’d just done his work, never thinking much about the damned souls he was escorting to their appropriate place in Hell. He never thought about who they were, or what they’d done to get there. He just did his job.

  Now he often wondered what wrong choice they’d made. What they would do differently now if given a chance, if they’d realized what the outcome would be?

  And he thought about the fact that he had no choices. He was created here, and he would stay here. Tortured in his own way.

  He wandered into his bathroom, a white-tile-and-chrome affair, stark and cold. He turned on the shower, then turned to grab a fresh towel from a closet.

  As he was about to place it on the towel rack, his vision closed in on him. Just slightly and just for a moment. He blinked.

  Weird.

  He turned to test the water.

  Again, his vision narrowed in. Like briefly peeking through a keyhole. Grabbing for a towel, he wrapped it around his hips. Maybe he needed to go sit down for a second.

  He reached out for the wall again as another wave of dizziness hit him. What was going on?

  Then his vision blackened completely and his head began to spin. He flailed out his arms, feeling as if he were falling like Alice down the rabbit hole toward Wonderland.

  “It’s him!”

  Killian blinked and gradually his eyes came back into focus. In front of him stood …

  “Daisy.” He blinked again. She was still there when he opened his eyes. “It’s really you.”

  Utter joy filled him. He looked around him and saw Poppy’s apartment with its mismatched furniture and knickknacks, Madison with her haughty looks, Emma blushing as usual.

  He could hug them all. But he kept searching, trying to find the one he wanted to hug first.

  “Where is she?”

  As if she heard him, Poppy’s bedroom door opened.

  “What are you girls …” Her words trailed off as she saw him. She blinked, too, as he just had.

  She didn’t move, just standing there, staring as if he was a figment of her imagination.

  He stared, eating up the sight of her, hair tangled from sleep, wearing pink polka-dot pajama bottoms and one of her vintage T-shirts. This one had the Byrds on it.

  “Poppy,” he said. He wanted to walk toward her, but something held him back.

  “Sorry,” Emma said, “you can’t leave the circle.”

  He looked down, realizing he was indeed inside a circle of some sort of white granules.

  When he looked back up, Poppy was coming toward him, her movements slow, unsure.

  She paused a couple feet away. They just stared at each other.

  Finally, she said, “Are you really a demon?”

  He hesitated, then nodded. “I am.”

  She nodded as if that was the most normal thing in the world.

  “But he’s your soul mate,” Daisy added, then made a face as if she realized being a soul mate with a demon was less than ideal.

  Poppy didn’t say anything for a moment, then sighed. “I know.”

  “You do?” Killian said, stunned. He’d expected disbelief, anger
, disdain. Anything but quiet acceptance.

  “Yes,” she said, “but I don’t see where we go with it.”

  “I don’t know either,” he admitted.

  “But we do,” Daisy said.

  Both Killian and Poppy looked at the girls.

  “This spell will give total happiness,” Emma said with one of her dreamy smiles.

  “But you have to make a sacrifice. Something big,” Madison said with a slight smirk.

  “But then you can be together,” Daisy said with a hopeful grin.

  Killian and Poppy exchanged looks.

  “Is that what you want?” he asked.

  Poppy stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”

  He released a pent-up breath, relief washing over him. “That’s what I want too.”

  “But what can you sacrifice?” she asked. “Definitely not your designer clothes.”

  She looked pointedly at him, and the girls giggled. Then he remembered for the first time he was wearing only a towel. Thankfully, it covered the crucial bits.

  He smiled too, but then sobered, thinking, realizing he didn’t have much. He had wealth, but that didn’t seem so important now. He had stuff, but that would be no sacrifice to leave behind. Nothing was more important that her, and he’d do anything to be with her.

  He shrugged, feeling helpless. “I don’t know what I have to sacrifice, but I know I would die for you.”

  As soon as he said the words, darkness enveloped him again.

  Poppy watched as Killian collapsed to the ground. She vaguely heard the girls’ cries and gasps, but all she could focus on was Killian.

  She ran to him, falling on her knees beside him. She touched his face, his hair. His skin was cold. His skin a terrible gray color.

  “No,” she cried. Liquid dripped onto his motionless face and she realized vaguely it was her own tears. She moved to cradle his head in her lap.

  This wasn’t fair. She’d lost enough, not Killian too. Not him. Not when she’d just gotten him back.

  Then she felt him shudder. At least, she thought she did. No, maybe it was her own body, heaving, wracked with sobs.

  Then she felt him move again.

  “He just moved,” one of the girls said as if to confirm her own wishful thoughts.

  “I saw it too.”

  Poppy cupped his cheek, turning him toward her. “Killian. Killian?”

  Just when she’d thought they’d all imagined the movement, his eyes fluttered open. His beautiful golden eyes.

  “Poppy,” he said, his voice raspy.

  More tears spilled down her cheeks as she kissed him. He reached a hand around her head and kissed her back.

  Behind them the girls cheered.

  When they parted, Poppy said, “Don’t do that again.”

  Killian smiled, albeit weakly. “I don’t plan to.” Then his expression grew serious. “All I’ve wanted was to get back here to you, to tell you I love you.”

  She smiled, more tears filling her eyes. “I love you too.”

  EPILOGUE

  Cheers rose up around them along with Abba’s “I Do, I Do, I Do,” an homage to Killian’s first “fiancée.” The newly married couple turned to beam at their guests.

  “So when we came here that first day,” Killian said, referring to the park, “you never guessed you’d be marrying me.”

  Poppy leaned toward Killian and whispered, “No, I didn’t. But then I never guessed I’d be married to a demon either.”

  “Ex-demon,” he said as he always did when she mentioned being in love with a demon. He stole another kiss, to all of their wedding guests’ approval.

  Daisy appeared, hugging them both. “You look so happy.”

  Poppy squeezed her sister, who looked beautiful in her red bridesmaid gown. “Thanks to you.”

  Daisy’s brown eyes were a little teary, even as she grinned.

  Madison and Emma, Poppy’s other bridesmaids, came forward to hug them too. Emma, of course, got emotional, but even too-cool Madison looked a little verklempt.

  “Well, I can see why you were looking for this guy,” Ginger said, coming up to congratulate the new couple. “And believe me, none of my cousins are this handsome.” She winked at Killian.

  Killian smiled back. “Thanks, Ginny.”

  Ginger looked a little confused, but let the nickname go. Killian had that effect on women.

  “Mrs. Mahoney,” Poppy greeted the older woman who was with Ginger, “I’m so glad you made the wedding. I wasn’t sure if you would. When did you get back?”

  The old woman nodded. “Got back a couple days ago. Strangest thing. I swear someone was staying in my apartment.”

  “Really?” Poppy glanced at Killian, who managed to look totally innocent.

  The old woman nodded. “Yes, things were moved all around, and Sweetness hasn’t been acting right since I got back.”

  “That cat is Satan. And I would know,” Killian muttered as soon as the old lady tottered away. “And even her dress is covered in flowers.”

  “Behave.” Poppy kissed him.

  “I’m not that much of an ex-demon.”

  Another guest approached the couple. This was Mr. McCarthy, Poppy’s boss from the legal publishing firm.

  “Frank,” she said. “I’m glad you could come.”

  He smiled, hugging Poppy and then shaking Killian’s hand. “I hear we are celebrating more than a wedding today.”

  Poppy grinned. “Yes. Little Red School House Press offered to buy my book. Thank you so much for mentioning me to the editor.”

  Poppy had received a call yesterday from an editor who wanted to publish her first children’s book, Lily and the Demon.

  “No problem. Congratulations to you. Both.”

  Killian hugged Poppy to him, his pride clear for all to see.

  “Married to my soul mate and a published author,” she sighed. “Life is perfect.”

  “It is,” he agreed.

  She couldn’t help asking, “But don’t you miss being immortal?”

  He shook his head. “Not at all. Even if we only had one hour, I’d take that over an eternity without you.”

  Poppy smiled at him, knowing he meant it. She also knew life was too precious to spend time guarding herself against hurt and loss. She’d done that, and had been lonely and sad.

  Now she planned to live every moment. With her family by her side.

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