Jordyn (A Daemon Hunter Novel Book One) (11 page)

"Time's up, hot stuff," Emrys said, running his hands down my back before cupping my butt firmly in his hands and pulling me tightly against every inch of him. Gasping with awareness, I locked my arms around his neck, needing his lips back on mine. Grinning at me, he pulled back abruptly and disappeared from my embrace just as my bathroom door splintered open.

I staggered around like I was drunk, trying to focus on the glowering figures standing in the doorway. In the rational part of my brain I knew I should say something—anything. At least act indignant that they had broken down my bathroom door. Instead, the only thing I could focus on was how my lips tingled from where Emrys had just been. Reaching a finger up, I stroked my bottom lip, relishing how amazing his lips had felt against my own. Distantly, I could hear Mark and Krista talking, and I finally dragged myself from the kiss-induced stupor.

"
What's up?" I croaked innocently in a voice even I didn't recognize.

"
Are you okay?" Krista asked, suddenly concerned about my sagging stature and strained voice.

"
Sure. Why?" I answered, trying to release the counter that was still supporting the majority of my weight. My legs wouldn't cooperate as they impersonated Jell-O.

Krista eyed me critically. I could tell when two and two finally clicked in her head and sudden awareness filled her face, quickly followed by wariness. She may have not witnessed the act, but she was well aware that I had just been kissed senseless—literally.

"Oh, I see," she said, taking a step back. "We'll talk when you're done showering," she continued, grabbing Mark's arm and dragging him away from my bathroom door that now resembled a pile of kindling. I wondered exactly what she saw. Did I look like someone who had just been kissed senseless in the most literal sense? Were my lips swollen? They felt swollen. I could have looked, but that would have required movement.

Now that I was alone, I finally gave into my weakness and let myself slide down to the floor and rested my forehead on my knees. I tried to gather my bearings. I couldn
't remember a time in the last year that I had felt as weak and vulnerable as I did at that moment. My every limb felt like cooked spaghetti and completely useless. If a Daemon appeared in my room at that moment, I was pretty convinced it would be able to kick my ass. Who knew kissing would be so intoxicating?

Finally, after several false starts, I was able to drag my sorry butt off the floor and into the shower. The steady stream of water worked wonders on my muddled brain, and by the time I climbed out of the shower, I felt completely rejuvenated. Of course, regaining my senses allowed me to focus on the fact that yet again Emrys had left me without a goodbye. Not to mention the fact that he deserved a knee in the nuts for leaving me with a splintered bathroom door and a suspicious aunt.

I grabbed my favorite coconut lotion off  the top of my dresser and sat on the edge of my bed. I was in no hurry to face what I was sure would be another interrogation. Flipping open the lid, I inhaled the sweet smell of the creamy lotion as I smeared it on. Working with the guys on the beach had its downfalls. The salty air made my skin turn to something akin to alligator skin if I didn't keep it properly moisturized. Becoming the queen of procrastination, I dragged out the process. I was in no hurry to get dressed and face another roomful of disapproving looks. After the third coat of lotion, my body was no longer absorbing it and I began to resemble a beach bunny. "Well, time to pay the band," I said. The hunger pains in my stomach outweighed facing the music anyway.

Krista was in the process of draining noodles when I entered the kitchen.
"Hey, would you mind setting the table?" she asked, flashing me a brilliant smile.

"
Uh, sure," I answered, not sure what kind of strategy she was up to now. "Who's all eating over tonight?"

"
Just the three of us," she replied, still smiling broadly.

Feeling like some dumb animal walking into a trap, I opened the frosted glass cabinet and pulled out three ceramic plates. Stacking them on the counter, I added three glasses to my pile and carried them to the little nook that we preferred to eat
in when it was just us. The nook sat nestled on the far side of the kitchen near a huge bay window that overlooked the ocean beyond. I continued playing along as I contemplated what Krista was up to. Maybe they had decided shackles would be the only thing that would keep me away from Emrys. I could just picture Mark showing up with heavy-duty chains that even I couldn't bust out of. I wonder how Emrys was at picking locks?

"
Jordyn?" Krista said, breaking through my thoughts. By the look on her face, I could tell this was not the first time she'd called my name.

"
Yeah?"

"
Can you grab a serving bowl for the sauce and the can of parmesan cheese out of the refrigerator?"

"
Sure. Are we having bread too?"

"
Yes, Mark went to get a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery. He should be back in a couple of minutes. Hopefully with something in the chocolate variety too," she said, winking at me.

"
Right, like he'd come home without something for your chocolate fix," I said, grabbing the butter and the pitcher of ice tea from the fridge also.

"
Were you talking about me?" Mark asked, coming into the kitchen with a platter of brownies and a loaf of bread. Depositing them on the table, he turned and brushed a kiss across Krista's lips before smiling at me.

Shit, they were definitely up to something. Krista smiling at me after the bathroom episode I could buy. Mark
, on the other hand, acting like he hadn't just splintered my bathroom door sent warning bells ringing throughout my head. Knowing my luck he'd already deposited the heavy chains in my room. I'd be lucky if I saw the light of day ever again.

Not returning his smile, I sat on the padded window seat with a sigh. Mark sat across from me with the same dippy smile on his face. I stifled a groan. This was shaping up to be as much fun as listening to an all
-day lecture on fossil fuels. Krista joined us a moment later with a glass bowl towered high with cooked spaghetti.

"
Smells great, love," Mark said, sniffing appreciatively.

"
Yeah, well it'd be pretty bad if even I screwed up spaghetti," she answered dryly, heaping noodles on her plate. "And don't you dare mention those first couple batches," she continued, threatening him with her fork.

"
What? It wasn't that bad. I, for one, didn't see the big deal of cutting the noodles with a steak knife," he said, shooting her a real smile. "It was at least better than my first attempt," he continued as Krista gagged slightly at the memory.

"
What happened?" I asked curiously, despite my misgivings about their intentions.

"
Well, just put it this way—you could have plastered a wall with my noodles," Mark answered chuckling as Krista made more gagging noises. "Come on, babe, it wasn't that bad."

"
They tasted like they'd been run through a food processor. We had to eat them with a spoon. Remember? You kept trying to convince me that if I added more sauce it would help. I wound up eating just the sauce with my spoon," she said, laughing at the memory.

"
Come on, now you're hurting my feelings," Mark said defensively.

"
Really? That's why I saw you dumping your plate in the trash?" she teased, taking a bite of bread.

"
I was stuffed, that's all."

"
Right," Krista said, openly laughing now.

Despite myself, I couldn
't help joining in their laughter. "I guess I can see now why we get takeout so much," I said, slurping my noodles.

"
Yeah, culinary skills seemed to be on the low end of the spectrum when The Light created us," Krista said, still chuckling.

At least for now, the tension disappeared while we finished eating. I knew the boom was still coming, but at least they were serving me one last meal before I was locked away for good.

We were just about done eating when Krista finally spoke. "So, your uncle and I were talking," she began, looking at Mark for his approval before she continued.

"
I figured as much," I said, scooting my plate away. "So, let's hear it. I now have to wear leg irons or maybe just a ball and chain, right? Wait, I got it. You guys have decided to build a dungeon under the house. Just to throw my two cents in, a dungeon might take away from the curb appeal of the house," I added.

"
Well, a dungeon did cross our minds, but we figured that wouldn't do any good at keeping you
r
frien
d
from springing you," she said. "Kidding. Truthfully, we just finally came to the conclusion that we're treating you both unfairly. My mom once tried to keep me from Mark and it turned out to be a disaster," she continued.

"
Really?" I asked, sitting excitedly forward. This was the last thing I had been expecting.

"
Yes, but with stipulations," Mark answered, bursting my bubble.

"
Right," I said, sinking back on my seat.

"
Nothing unreasonable," Krista reassured me. "We just feel that before we allow you to hang out with this Soul Trader, we should get to know him too. We're not comfortable with you running all over the world with him, getting tattoos in Shanghai and who knows what else."  

Gah
, freaking Lynn was going to get a smack the next time I saw her. Shanghai was supposed to be our secret. "What do you have in mind?" I asked, still leery of where the conversation was going.

"
We thought, instead of sneaking into your room and bathroom, he could visit you like a normal boy your age would. We'd obviously like to have him over for dinner so we can get to know him, and then from there maybe we can move to double-dating."

"
No way are we going on a double date with you guys."

"
I'll try not to be offended over your reaction, but no, we weren't thinking of double-dating with us. We figured you wouldn't mind going out with Lynn and Robert," she said dryly.

I exhaled a breath I wasn
't even aware I was holding. This was doable. Sure, the idea of a family dinner was cringe-worthy, but I'd been wanting to double date with Lynn and Robert for months. Emrys would probably find the whole idea ludicrous since he was used to coming and going as he pleased, but maybe I could talk him into it. Besides, if he really likes me the way he seems to, he'll at least consider it, and surely after they all saw how fantastic he was we'd eventually be left to our own devices.

"
What exactly will the family dinner entail? And won't Haniel crap a brick when he finds out?" I asked, suddenly afraid their plan would be smothered out before it could even begin.

"
We've already discussed it with him," Mark answered, sitting back in his chair. "He has grudgingly agreed to trust us on this, although he plans on joining us for the family dinner," he added, smiling almost gleefully at the thought.

"
Oh, god. I can just imagine how that's going to go," I griped, not relishing a night of hanging out with Haniel, my aunt and uncle, and Emrys.

"
You have to understand his side, Jordyn. Soul Traders have earned their bad reputations for good reasons. More times than not, Soul Traders turn away from helping souls move on to a better place. The Dark One entices them to bring the souls to him instead with promises of power and immortality," Mark said, defending Haniel.

"
I thought Soul Traders were immortal?" I asked, confused.

"
They are to a certain extent. They can live forever in this realm, guiding souls as they see fit, but they can be destroyed much like you destroy Daemons. Once their earthly forms are snuffed out, they can never return to this realm again. They are forever forsaken to eternity in hell."

"
What if they don't align themselves with The Dark One?" I asked, trying to ignore the knot in my stomach.

"
They are still condemned to spending eternity in hell. Remember, The Light does not allow Soul Traders in heaven, no matter how many souls they've delivered. By denying him in their time of judgment, they gave up their place in heaven. The Light allows them to stay on Earth and the Between, but he denies them passage through the pearly gates."

"
That still just doesn't seem fair at all," I said, finding a hard time grasping the idea of being denied access into heaven. It seemed so barbaric to me.

"
Harsh maybe, but The Light believes if you truly wanted to go to heaven, you would never had denied him," Krista said, brushing crumbs off the table into her cupped hand.

"
So, all that being said, you're telling me even though he's immortal, Emrys is going to wind up in hell at some point?" I asked, wanting to punch something in a sudden burst of anger.

"
Well, his place on Earth is relatively safe as long as he continues to deliver souls to both sides and stays under the radar," Mark said. "Usually, what you see with Traders is that they eventually get too cocky or desire more power, and make alliances. Since The Light isn't exactly a dealmaker, many of them stop delivering any souls to The Light and instead only bring them to The Dark One."