Catching Hell Read online

  I’m hungry. May I eat her?

  Hannah always wanted to eat our targets. Sometimes the boss let her. I hated it when that happened. It gave me heartburn for weeks.

  “No.” I had control of my mouth—and my rational mind. Hannah seemed inclined to press the issue, so I put my foot down. Metaphorically. Stomping my feet for real would be silly. “You don’t need to eat her, and you know it.”

  She didn’t have to drain the full life-force out of the lesser demons we hunted. Unlike tempters, Hannah mostly sustained herself through her own magic as well as the energy that fueled me. I think she ate other demons for funsies or as treats, which was more twisted in my humble opinion. All she had to do was ingest part of the essence of another demon to weaken it for capture. The boss decided what happened from there. Hannah and I were strictly a capture-and-retrieval operation.

  Like bounty hunters, only supernatural.

  And way cooler. We totally rocked the camo pants, black Doc Martens embroidered with roses and with custom rhinestones I’d bedazzled myself, and tank top. Very paramilitary chic, but with bling.

  Murkowski moaned and took another step toward the succubus. Time to stop her before she drained him dry.

  I dropped to the ground beside the man and the succubus and then leapt onto the demon’s back, pressing the enchanted knife to her throat with one hand while I clung to her ponytail with the other. Thankfully, the knife glowed red this time. Demon, check—demon-killing blade, check—demon hunter making her move, double check.

  “Mr. Murkowski.” My warped demon voice echoed through the alley as a husky rasp. “You need to leave.”

  The man’s gaze went wide. And if I wasn’t mistaken, it was filled with more than a little annoyance. Why wasn’t he scared? Was it because I was a woman? That was just so sexist and wrong.

  Maybe it was my height, or lack thereof. I clocked in at five feet three with boots. Whatever. I wasn’t short. I was concentrated awesome.

  At least he didn’t seem turned on. Had to take the positives when and where I could.

  “Thank you, Mara.” Mr. Murkowski’s voice also echoed through the alley. “You may go now.”

  Wait, did he say “Mara?”

  No, it couldn’t be.

  “Mara?” Focusing my attention on the succubus rather than her victim, I cursed myself for not recognizing her sooner.

  I’d tracked this particular succubus before. Mara was harmless. Okay, not really. She was a succubus who consumed human life-forces during carnal passion. But she only targeted the bad ones. That was our bargain.

  “We had a deal, Mara.” I tightened my grip on her ponytail while digging the knife into the flesh of her throat. The demon steel could kill her if it sliced through her jugular. If I hit something less vital, it would hurt like hell—literally—and would slow her down long enough for my demon to trap her.

  She didn’t fight. In fact, her body slumped and shrank. That was new. No demon had ever used sympathy as a ploy, which was a good thing. I was a sucker for the downtrodden, the lost, the sad sacks and sadder cases.

  Pathetic, I know, but we all had our weaknesses.

  Hannah didn’t share my empathy, so I channeled my demon’s power and let her cruelty infuse me before I caved. “We gave you a list of fair game humans to snack on and a map to the state penitentiary. And the state capitol. You get a small sip of their life-forces, but no killing, remember?”

  If she’d already burned through the local fare, we could probably book her a flight to D.C. It would take her more than a few decades to make her way through that many politicians.

  “I know.” Her voice was squeaky yet infused with that breathy, Marilyn Monroe quality that drove men and some women out of their minds, not to mention their pants. “I’m sorry, Jinx. He made me do it so he could get to you.”

  Get to me? Someone had set me up? What for? I was a great demon hunter and totally fun at parties, but I wasn’t exactly high on the food chain.

  “Who made you do this and why?”

  I yanked a little harder than necessary on Mara’s hair to show her I meant business. I didn’t want to hurt her, but she didn’t need to know that. This case was already all kinds of weird. Throw in a setup, and I had a sneaking suspicion things were about to go south. I needed answers. Fast.

  I glanced at Murkowski, remembering he’d called Mara by her name and had said something about her going. That didn’t make sense, unless—

  “I did,” Murkowski said. “You’re a hard woman to find, Ms. McGee.”

  I examined him more closely while scrambling to figure out who—or what—he was, not to mention how he knew me.

  “Not really,” I said. “I have a website. It lists my email address and mobile number, and I’m on social media and demonbusters.com.” Of course, finding any of that information required access to the demon web within the dark web. Anyone who’d heard of me in the first place ought to be able to swing it.

  Murkowski grinned, his Santa-like features shadowed with malevolence as his aura grew darker. Holy guacamole. This guy wasn’t Mara’s dinner.

  He was a demon-possessed human, which was way worse.

  Well, that explained why my knife had been blazing a brighter shade of red than a run-of-the-mill succubus could produce. Whatever type of demon was lurking inside Murkowski was powerful. He might even be in the same fighting class as Hannah, or more powerful. I’d find out soon enough because we would fight. I couldn’t let a demon of his level run loose on earth.

  But I didn’t want to hurt his human host.

  The demon inside Murkowski didn’t care about his host, and I had no idea if I could save the man from the demon.

  But I had to try. Time to improvise. Things were about to get messy.

  Chapter Three

  My knife flared, glowing like a neon sign in Vegas, even brighter than before. Whatever type of immaterial demon had taken up residence in Murkowski had been hiding its power. Not anymore. He was more powerful than any demon I’d encountered, other than my own. And the boss.

  I was in such deep shit. So was Murkowski, the unwilling human host.

  “Thanks for cluing me in, Hannah,” I muttered.

  She didn’t answer. In fact, if I had to guess what she was thinking or feeling, I’d have gone with curiosity. Great. At least her presence imbued me with demon strength and power. I hoped it would be enough to get us out of this sticky situation.

  Murkowski’s eyes glowed as the demon inside him glared at me.

  “You have my attention, Bad Santa,” I said, shrugging as best I could with my body wrapped around a frightened succubus. “What do you want?”

  He laughed, with his cheeks like roses and nose as red as a cherry. “This meat sack does have its advantages. So ordinary and unassuming, even for a human, he’s come in very handy. You didn’t recognize me at first.”

  He was right, and I could have kicked myself. No worries. If I survived, the boss would do that for me later. First rule of demon hunting, aside from covering your ass? Suspect everyone. Then again, the boss had put me on Murkowski’s tail, so either he hadn’t known the man was demon possessed, or he’d set me up.

  My combat instincts kicked into high gear, and Hannah grew impatient. She wanted to fight so badly I could taste it, and her hunger infused my mind, body, and soul with battle lust. Good. We had to protect the human.

  The powerful demon wouldn’t give up his host willingly, and he’d have no qualms about tearing Murkowski’s body and soul apart if he needed to make a quick escape.

  “You’re good,” I conceded. “You’d be trapped already if you weren’t.”

  He laughed as his gaze went black save for the glowing red motes of power floating within them. No longer bothering to hide behind the facade of humanity, he said, “Thank you. I almost wish I could say the same about you. Alas, for who and what you are, I must say I’m disappointed. Luring you here was far too easy.”

  Who and what I was? Whatever. Contai
n and capture first, interrogate later.

  I snorted. “You didn’t lure me. I was sent. I’ve been tracking you for weeks. It’s kind of my thing, you know, being a demon hunter and all.”

  Where the hell was Lacey? I needed my partner. Sure, she was a trainee, but she and her demon were great fighters and wicked fast. No help for it, though. Time for plan B. Stall and hope she’d show up soon. The cramp in my leg from perching on to Mara had become almost too much to bear. My mortal body did have its limits, even with my demon.

  “Are you going to tell me what you want?”

  “So many things,” he said, his hooded gaze traveling over me, leering.

  Gross.

  I’d need a shower and a brain scrub after this, and I doubted I’d ever be able to sit on a male stripper dressed as Santa’s knee—again—without a few shots of tequila.

  Wait a minute…

  He wasn’t really lusting over me so much as Mara. No matter her form, a succubus radiated intense sexual magnetism, and no human or demon was immune. That was what made them one of the most dangerously underestimated tempter demon classes. If I hung around Mara long enough while she was throwing off that kind of energy, I’d want to hit it, too.

  And I wouldn’t even need tequila.

  The demon inhabiting Murkowski shook his head and tried to focus his glassy-eyed demonic gaze on me, but it kept returning to the succubus, who’d grown hotter in both the physical and metaphorical sense.

  Oh yeah, Mara was hitting us with some major mojo. If I didn’t get away from her soon, the heat pooling between my legs might become a fatal distraction. It wasn’t her fault. She had strong survival instincts, too, and using sex as a weapon was her thing.

  It was also a thing I could use that to my advantage.

  I loosened my grip on her ponytail and slowly moved my hand to her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. She flinched before lifting the shoulder, leaning into my touch, and going along with the act.

  Or maybe she was sore. Having a demon hunter hanging off her back couldn’t be comfortable.

  I responded to Murkowski’s demon, my voice low and husky, “Me too.” I was acting. Sort of. Mara’s turbo-charged pheromones were hard to resist.

  “What?” Murkowski’s demon muttered. His pupils dilated as his jaw grew slack, drunk on the sensual energy surrounding the succubus. A thick bulge appeared at his crotch, pushing against the fly of his khakis. Ugh, I’d be scarred for life.

  I’d have to get over it.

  “I want things too.” I pretended to fall under the succubus’s spell—mostly. Licking my lips, I gave him a wink and added, “Naughty things.”

  Location notwithstanding, the dank alley had decent acoustics. Sultry guitar chords and a yearning baritone floated in the air from some nearby club. Mara had no doubt added her succubus glamour to the ballad, using it to her advantage in the act of seduction.

  Was she seducing Murkowski’s demon, or was she after me? I was playing a dangerous game, but it was my only chance.

  I bent and kissed Mara’s long, graceful neck. She tilted her head to give me better access, moaning as I trailed my tongue down the column of her throat. I enjoyed it more than I had the right to, but it had been a while since I’d gotten any action. And she was hot. I nuzzled her neck, moving back up to place a light nip on her earlobe while risking a glance at Murkowski to gauge the demon’s reaction.

  Bad Santa growled. Oh, yeah, he was into it, and based on the state of things below the belt, he was getting more into it by the second. The demon possessing Murkowski fed on his human desire.

  I tucked my head against Mara’s neck, letting my hair fall in front of my face, and whispered, “We’re going to give him a show. When I lean in to kiss you, be ready to strike.”

  “Yeeeeesss,” she hissed. Reaching her hand back to grasp my nape, she pulled me closer. My nipples grew hard, and I squirmed a little.

  It might be more difficult to keep my wits than I thought.

  But it was working. The demon inside Murkowski was mesmerized.

  Hannah must have sensed my urgency, or maybe it was the frenzy of sexual energy. Either way, hunger surged through her and into me as she wrestled for control.

  Cut it out, Hannah! We’re working here, I screamed at her in my mind, hoping to get her back on track.

  I pulled my knife away from Mara’s throat and dropped to the ground to stand in front of her, close enough to feel her white-hot, sensual energy coursing over my body. It sent blood racing between my legs and left me gasping. My demon purred. Guess she was on board with this plan.

  Or maybe she was just horny. Hannah only got action when I did, and I hadn’t been all that active lately. I’d have to work on that for both our sakes.

  Mara’s gaze drew me in, and I had to struggle to resist, to stay focused. We might be on friendly-ish terms, but she was a tempter demon. All demons were slaves to their appetites, especially tempters—embodiments of the seven deadly sins. It was possible to redirect those appetites, but not to tame them. She’d suck out my life-force if I wasn’t careful. And if Hannah didn’t stop her.

  Hannah growled. Great. If Hannah stopped behaving and went berserk, we’d probably all get eaten. Mara smiled, baring her teeth in feral triumph as she pulled me close, pressing our bodies together.

  It felt so good. Soft, warm, and inviting in that way unique to women. She was taller than me. At five one, without the boots, practically everyone was taller than me, but the height difference enhanced the sense of warmth and security. Safety. That was one of my greatest desires.

  I resisted, my instincts for survival fighting against the lure of the succubus. She pulled back and shimmered, a sign she was changing form.

  I gasped as Mara’s librarian glamour melted away and she assumed the shape of a hard, decidedly masculine body cloaked in shadow, made for sin. The long lines of that body were at once foreign and achingly familiar. When I’d last seen and touched that body ten years ago, it had been hard and muscular, but still held the last traces of boyhood—eager, yet as inexperienced as my eighteen-year-old body had been.

  That encounter had been all too brief, but it burned in my memory and…other places to this very day.

  In my fantasies, the body and the soul encompassed by it had grown and matured into that of a man, strong, powerful, and with a desire to match my own. There was nothing awkward in those fantasies, no shy fumblings in the dark. In my dreams, I got dinner and a show.

  Go big or go home.

  I looked into the face of the succubus, but Mara was gone, replaced by my fantasy come to life. It was Dominic, my long-lost childhood demon best friend who’d turned into so much more than that for one brief, beautiful moment. The man—demon—who disappeared just when I’d needed him most. He’d vanished after our first kiss. Well, more like first make out session, but it technically counted as a single kiss since we hadn’t come up for air.

  I’d been looking for him ever since.

  This wasn’t D. He was gone. Had to be. No matter how hard the boss and I had tried, we’d never been able to summon him, so we concluded he was dead.

  My heart was still mourning his loss.

  “Jane.” His whispered voice was smooth and smoky as single malt whisky, and just as intoxicating.

  D never called me Jinx, always Jane, and it set my heart racing. I didn’t meet his gaze, but I didn’t need to. Instead, I ran trembling fingers over his face, exploring its contours through touch. How could I forget the strong jaw, those impossibly high cheekbones, and that mouth?

  I’d shared the deep bond of trust with D. That bond shattered when he disappeared, and I’d lost more than an object of lust that night. I’d lost my best friend, my confidant, and my heart.

  Never again.

  I tried to pull away, but strong hands gripped my waist, pulled me closer, and lifted me until I was forced to wrap my legs around his hips. He was all hard lines and lean muscle, and I couldn’t stop my traitorous body from pres
sing against his, gasping as delicious friction set my most sensitive nerve endings on fire.

  “That’s right,” D whispered.

  No, not D. Mara. I had to remember that. I had to resist the lure of the succubus. But my heart longed for D as much as my body did. He trailed his hands down my back to cup my ass, pulling me against his body as he groaned and grew harder.

  “This isn’t real. It’s not D. It’s not real.” I hoped chanting this mantra would keep me from falling into Mara’s spell.

  The succubus’s glamour and power couldn’t be denied, and it ignited every cell in my body. That was tough to resist. But her most insidious weapon, her true power, was the near-perfect embodiment of my heart’s desire.

  Longing was far more dangerous than lust.

  “Where have you been?” I asked before I could stop myself. The succubus was good, very good, but I couldn’t allow myself to fall deeper under her spell. Nor could I afford to rip open the wound D had left deep in my heart. I was acting, damn it.

  “I never left.” He lifted my chin.

  I met his gaze—no, Mara’s gaze—trying to resist temptation. Those sweet words whispered in D’s dark, husky voice pierced my heart. But this was not D. These were not his words. This was not the reunion I’d dreamed about. D was dead and forever out of my reach.

  The succubus leaned down, lips parted, ready to deliver her deadly kiss. Shagging was preferable, but a kiss would suffice if a succubus only had time for a quickie. The kiss of a succubus was supposed to be orgasmic, so I guessed that still counted as the moment of release that would drain my essence. And after she’d taken all that made me who I was, the empty shell of my body would expire. Hell of an awful way to go.

  I bit my lip hard, the pain snapping me out of my stupor, and pushed against the succubus with all my demon-fueled might.

  With one last look at the facade of my best friend and almost lover, I yelled, “Now!”