Six paragraphs from THE DEMON WHISPERER, a dark paranormal romance.
1. He dropped his truck keys, wallet, cell phone, and motel key
card onto the nightstand before stripping. Grabbing his toiletry bag, he strode
naked into the bathroom where he treated himself to a long, hot shower. But
instead of climbing under the sheets to sleep in the raw, he dressed first. Too
many times he’d been interrupted by something nefarious, giving him no time to
pull on even a pair of jeans. It was easier to make a run for it if he at least
had his pants on. Police were rather skeptical when they pulled over a man running
around in his birthday suit who claimed he was being chased by demons.
2. “It was risky enough being as close
to you in that bar as I was. Now that you’re here, your skin’s been imprinted
with my scent, or my aura, or whatever it is they track. If any of those things
come around you, they’ll know you’ve been in contact with me and use you to
come looking for me.” He groaned and scratched his bearded chin. “I’m sorry we
hit it off. I’m sorry you were caught up in this. But there are days and weeks
when I have no human contact whatsoever. Zip. None. At least in a bar I can
believe I’ve rejoined the human race again. I just wasn’t counting on someone
like you.”
3. He saw their call
suddenly end. Automatically, he pressed harder on the accelerator, exceeding
the speed limit and unmindful of the cars he passed. He knew better than to
pull such a stunt, but his mind was focused on Lady. On keeping her out of
harm’s way. What he hadn’t told her was that once he expelled a demon from a
person’s body, that person was never the same again. After Boothe filed his
reports, he was usually sent an update on the person’s condition. Usually but
not always because sometimes the person disappeared and was reported missing.
The worst ones were the suicides, meaning the demon won. Most of the time, the
person was permanently scarred mentally or emotionally, in one way or another.
Meaning that again, the demon could claim victory. He couldn’t risk that with
Lady. But his inattention cost him.
4. “I understand.”
Wiping her fingers, she pulled out her wallet from her back pocket, opened it,
and extracted something from it. “I’m going to be bluntly honest with you,
Boothe. I want a night with you that I’ll never forget. Something I’ll always
remember you by. And since having a little whoopee in a church is frowned upon,
I’m suggesting we first make a quick detour over to the Maple Leaf Motor Inn.”
5. As she exited the
street, she noticed the OPEN sign above the tavern door wasn’t lit. Neither
were there any cars in the parking lot. That told her they weren’t open for
business as usual. Instead of parking in the back where she’d normally leave
her car, she took one of the slots next to the fence in the back row. She knew
she could have parked in her normal spot, but the memory of what had happened a
couple of days ago was too fresh and still sent shudders through her.
6. The two demons in
front of her suddenly stopped and parted, each going a different direction.
When she saw what was in front of her, she nearly gagged. A table had been set
up over the oil changing pit in the garage floor. A stained bedspread covered
it. The foul odor here was more predominant, and now she knew why. What
appeared to be the remains of a small animal lay on top. It was impossible to
tell what kind had been sacrificed, as there was little left that she could see
but a few bones and lots of dried blood. She didn’t dare look into the pit
itself, terrified of what she’d discover.
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