Elianne Adams, Cassandra Curtis, Marie Hall, Annie Nicholas, Sadie Haller, Deanna Chase, Ellis Leigh, Cate Dean, Madelynne Ellis

545 Pages·2015·3.09 MB·English

by  Hallows Dark

BUMP IN THE NIGHT
By Elianne Adams

The last thing Libbie expects when her friend thrusts her out of her self-imposed
isolation is to find the one person meant for her and only her. Can she face the pain of dealing
with her failure as a daemon in order to be with him?
CHAPTER 1

“Stop looking at me like that.” Libbie threw her hairbrush onto her dresser,
glaring through the mirror at the woman behind her. “I don’t care who he is, or what
danger he might be in. It is none of my concern. And I don’t need the headache.”
“But he doesn’t deserve this. He’s a good man. He was a wonderful husband. I
can’t go until I see him happy again. Please. I have nowhere else to turn,” Jennifer
whined. Her body shimmered, her form becoming hazy.
“I. Don’t. Care.” She just couldn’t do it. Not ever again.
The woman huffed and stomped her ghostly foot. Then she was gone.
Libbie closed her eyes and sighed. Three times this week, this woman had come
to her and begged for help, and all three times, she’d given her the exact same answer.
What more did the woman want? For you to help her damned drunk of a husband, that’s
what. But she couldn’t do it again. The memory of Pete, the last man she had tried to
help, surfaced, making her insides quiver. Excess spit pooled in her mouth, and as it
always did when she thought of him, bile rose to burn her throat. The entire scene played
over and over in her mind. The sickening sound of him hitting the ground echoed in her
ears, along with the evil laughter following him all the way down before he hit the
ground. Her stomach knotted as she tried to control her reaction, but it was no use.
Rushing to the washroom, she pulled her hair to the side, reaching the toilet just in time
to keep from emptying her heaving stomach all over the floor.
Jordan, her boss, had offered to remove the memories of that awful night,
promising not to take anything but those horrible memories away, but she had refused.
There was no turning back time. Pete was dead, and had she been a better daemon, she
would have been able to save him. She wasn’t, and she hadn’t.
Brushing her teeth after she’d been sick was always a joy. Her gag reflex worked
overtime, but she managed to get the nastiness out of her mouth. Already running late,
she didn’t have time to brush her teeth three times before April got there. Why on earth
had she agreed to go out? She should have made more excuses, found a good reason not
to go, but her best friend had caught her in a moment of weakness. April had made great
arguments, but in the end, she hadn’t given her a choice. Not really. The guilt she had
piled on had been enough to have Libbie agreeing to just about anything. Truth be told,
Libbie hadn’t gotten out for more than work and groceries since that horrible night. She
hadn’t wanted to meet with friends to have drinks, or even coffee, and they were worried.
When she had tried refusing the invitation, April had come barging in and told her
she was going out, and that was that. She had thrown the witch costume on the couch and
told her to be ready at eight. When Libbie had been about to refuse again, April had
looked at her, eyes brimming with tears. “Please,” she had begged. “I miss my best
friend. You’ve holed yourself up in this little house and never leave anymore. I’m
worried about you.” And with that, Libbie had agreed.
She had no desire to be with a bunch of drunken Halloween revelers. Hell, she
saw enough ghosts as it was, but as much as she hated to admit it, April was right. Libbie
hadn’t been much of a friend over the past nine months. With a long sigh, she headed
back to the bedroom and finished getting ready.
When they got there, the bar, aptly named The Witch’s Brew, was packed. It
wasn’t a huge place, but, according to April, it was the place to be on Halloween night.
Libbie readjusted the bustier top over her breasts with a tug, hoping to restrain the girls
long enough to keep from embarrassing herself. She couldn’t even blame April for the
revealing costume. She hadn’t bothered to glance at it after her friend had thrown it on
the couch until she was getting ready, leaving her no time to shop for another. It wasn’t
that she was embarrassed of her body — if anything, she liked her curves — but she
wasn’t in the market for a boyfriend, least of all a drunken one she’d find at a bar.
As soon as she walked in, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was
watching her, but after a quick glance around, she gave up trying to figure out who it
might be. Too many people, and too much noise.
“Yeah, this is going to be fun.” Maybe if she was lucky, whoever it was would
stay away from her, and she wouldn’t have to deal with some touchy, feely guy who
couldn’t take no for an answer. Or better yet, maybe she could sneak out and April
wouldn’t notice she had left. She had already told her she was heading to the ladies room
as soon as they got there, so she didn’t bother trying to yell at her over the loud din of the
bar.
Libbie shuffled on her feet. The line for the ladies room hadn’t budged in at least
five minutes. What the hell was taking so long in there? Shifting her weight, she caught a
glimpse of long, flowing blond hair out of the corner of her eye. Groaning, she turned
toward the wall, admiring the tacky decor, hoping against hope that Jennifer hadn’t
spotted her.
***
Jay saw the gorgeous redhead the moment she stepped foot in the bar. Hell, every
other man in the room had. When he spotted April come in right behind her, his heart
accelerated, and his whole body tightened. That couldn’t be the elusive Libbie. April had
warned him that her friend might not show tonight, but he hoped that wasn’t the case, and
that the beautiful creature who had just walked in was his date for the night. A blood red
bustier pushed the mounds of her breasts up in a sexy display that had his mouth
watering. The skirt hugged her curves in all the right places, then flared at the bottom.
The suggestive costume left little to the imagination, making him want to growl at every
man in the bar, warning them against even looking at her, much less touching her. Mate.
Mine.
Jay nearly dropped his glass at the wolf’s outburst. His mate? His heart raced, and
his palms grew damp. It wasn’t that he wasn’t ready to be mated, he was, but he had
given up on finding his a long time ago.
Setting his Coke on the table, he sat straighter, watching as the woman veered
away from where they sat, while April went alone to the bar. Damn. It didn’t matter. Just
because she hadn’t come in with April didn’t mean he couldn’t introduce himself. The
woman disappeared around the corner leading to the washrooms, and he had to fight the
impulse to follow her.
He tried paying attention to his friends, and probably would have been oblivious
to April’s approach had she not plunked a tall pink drink on the table in front of the
empty spot right next to his. “She’s here.” She mouthed the words at him, then smiled
wide, her hands flapping in front of her like an excited teenager. April had been trying to
set him up with her friend for weeks, but each time they made plans, the woman had
flaked out and not shown up. If it hadn’t been for April’s insistence that she was perfect
for him, he would have told her to forget about it.
Jay took a deep breath, ready to ask her where her imaginary friend was, when a
sweet scent wrapped itself around him. Snapping his head up, he spotted the redhead
heading toward the bar. With furrowed brows and a deep frown, the woman looked
pissed. She stopped next to a man who was practically falling from his stool and tapped
him on the shoulder. Maybe this beauty wasn’t April’s friend after all. Not that it
mattered. As much as he hated to disappoint April, there was no way he was leaving the
bar without meeting his mate.
CHAPTER 2

Libbie knew without having to ask which of the drunks in the room belonged—or
had belonged—to Jennifer. A man in his early thirties, slouched on a bar stool, staring
into a glass of whiskey. So intent on drowning his emotions in his drink, he didn’t notice
her, until she was right next to him, tapping him on the shoulder.
“Hi,” she said when he looked at her and focused his eyes.
“How’re you doing tonight, sssugar?” he slurred.
“I’m fine, but you,” she said, pointing her finger at his nose, “are not.” A small
shiver raced down her spine as the gaze she’d sensed on her earlier found her again.
“Is that so? It just so happens, I’m not feeling any pain at all.” He smiled at his
own joke.
“Being drunk doesn’t mean you aren’t in pain. It just means you’ve drowned it in
liquor and shoved it aside, instead of dealing with it.” She met his gaze, challenging him
to deny it.
“Fuck. You don’t know a damned thing.” He motioned to the bartender for
another drink before downing what was in his glass.
“I know you’re in pain.”
“Are you going to ease my pain tonight, sugar?” He looked down at her chest and
up again, openly leering at her. When she didn’t rise to the bait, he shrugged. “So what
makes you think I’m in pain?”
“She told me so.”
“How very fucking mysterious. Who told you so?” he asked, with a hiccup.
“Jennifer.”
“Fucking hell.” Kurt staggered to his feet, sending his stool crashing to the floor
behind him. Slamming his palms onto the bar, he rounded on her again. “Who put you up
to this?”
“I’ve already told you.” She didn’t back down, didn’t flinch. She had dealt with
drunken idiots before, and she would deal with this one.
“I’m not going to ask again. Who-the-fuck-put-you-up-to-this?” he growled.
“Jennifer did.” She stood her ground, even when he let out a stream of curses that
would make an inmate blush.
“Jennifer is dead. She’s been dead for over a year. Now, who put you up to this?”
he asked through clenched teeth, his lowered tone much more intimidating than his
yelling had been.
Mason, who had been conveniently absent until then, came around. “Are you
okay, Libbie?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m delivering a message.” She hadn’t seen the bartender in
months, but she still considered him a friend. The last she had seen him, he was still
working across town at the old country honky-tonk, Country Nights.
“Damn, woman, when are you going to stop doing that shit? You’re going to wind
up hurt or worse one of these days.” He grabbed Kurt’s glass and tucked it in the sink
behind the bar before wiping the area down.
“I tried, but they won’t leave me alone.” She glanced over at him and smiled.
“Thanks for watching out for me though.”
“I know she sounds like a loon, buddy, but she’s one of the sanest people I
know.” The bartender moved down to the other end of the bar.
“Whatever, I’m not listening to this shit,” Kurt said, grabbing his jacket from
where it had fallen on the floor.
“She says you broke your promise, and she wants you to keep it.” The sooner she
got Jennifer’s message out, the sooner she could get on with the evening and go back
home.
“Is that right?” His voice cracked a little when he spoke. “And did she tell you
what that promise was?”
“No, she didn’t, but it doesn’t matter. She wants you to honor your promise to
her. She’s refusing to move on until you do.” She tilted her chin up and set her jaw.
“She wants me to find a gorgeous woman, fuck her brains out, and then move on
with my life. So, are you going to help me with that, Libbie?”
The way he drew her name out had her rolling her eyes. “That’s not going to
work.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Isn’t it? It’s what she wants.” He leaned
closer and looked down at her breasts, and Libbie fought the urge to slap him. He reeked
of whiskey and some other stench she couldn’t quite pin.
“No, it’s not. I’m not going to run away screaming because you’re being an ass. It
takes a lot more than a drunk to have me running scared, so forget it.” She shook her head
and grabbed a cocktail napkin, jotting her number down before slapping it on the bar next
to him. “Call me when you sober up if you want to know more, or don’t. I don’t care. I
have done what she’s asked of me. Now maybe she’ll leave me alone, and I’ll have some
peace and quiet.”
He took the napkin and scrunched it in his fist. She thought he would toss it onto
the bar, or maybe the floor, but then he surprised her and stuffed it into his pocket before
motioning to Mason for another drink. “Go sleep it off, buddy,” Mason said before going
to another customer.
Libbie glared at the man as he staggered out the door. She doubted he would
remember their conversation, much less the napkin in his pocket, so the odds of him
calling were minimal, which was fine with her, more than fine.
Beside her, Jennifer nibbled on her lip. The woman’s gaze shot from her, to the
door, and back several times before she huffed, “Are you just going to sit there and let
him walk away?”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” she muttered under her breath. “I’ve
relayed the message you asked me to pass along to him. Now, go away.”
“You can’t just let him go. He’s drunk. What if he hurts himself?”
When she continued to ignore her, Jennifer huffed, then disappeared.
Libbie turned toward the table where April was sitting. Next to her, with one
empty chair between them, sat a gorgeous hunk of a man. Wide shoulders, strong,
angular jaw—he was scrumptious. Hellooo, sexy. His dark hair came to his nape in soft
waves, with an errant lock falling over his forehead. He followed her with his gaze, his
smile widening when it became apparent that she was heading to their table.
She didn’t have to fake her smile as she reached the only open spot at their table.
She said hello to everyone as they greeted her, waiting until the last to face Mr. Tall,
Dark, and Handsome. Maybe the night wouldn’t be a total bust after all.
He stood and pulled her chair out for her. Okay, so the guy had manners. Point for
him.
“Libs, this is Jay Conners. Jay, this is Libbie.” April rushed through the
introduction, a huge grin on her face. Yeah, she’d set this up.
“Pleased to meet you, Jay.” She held her hand out to him. The instant his fingers
wrapped around hers, a jolt of energy zinged through her, and she gasped. His smile
widened. Had he felt it, too?
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Libbie. I was starting to think April had
imaginary friends.”
Libbie choked on the drink she’d just taken a sip from. If only he knew of the
“imaginary friends” she herself saw on a regular basis.
When he sat down again, he scooted his chair a little closer. His aftershave, and
the warmth radiating from his body, teased her senses. She wanted to lean in close, take a
big whiff, and bask in his heat. The music was loud, but not so loud that she couldn’t hear
him, yet he leaned in closer. “So, how come this is the first time we’ve met? April tells
me the two of you are the best of friends, yet I’ve never seen you around before.”
Part of her wanted to tell him the truth, watch his reaction and see what he was
made of, but the other part, the one that tingled at his nearness, didn’t want to alienate
him just yet, so she shrugged. “I’m just busy, that’s all. Maybe now that I’ve seen the
new company she keeps, I’ll try to get out more.” She smiled as she delivered her cheesy
line.
His gaze dropped to her lips, and his eyes flashed a shade lighter. “You definitely
should.” He smiled, revealing a matching set of dimples on each of his cheeks.
She opened her mouth to ask him where he knew April from, but Jennifer
appeared right behind him. More than anything, she wanted to ignore the woman, but her
horrified expression wouldn’t let her. “They’re going to kill him. You have to help,” she
cried.
As much as Libbie wanted to wash her hands of the whole ordeal, she couldn’t.
She didn’t know who was trying to kill Kurt. He’d acted like an ass, but he didn’t deserve
to be hurt because of it. She took a deep breath and smiled at Jay, then turned to April.
“I’m going outside for a breath of fresh air. I’ll be right back.”
April furrowed her brow and looked as though she would protest, but then she
nodded. “Would you mind going out with her, Jay? I’d hate for her to run into trouble
outside alone.”
Jay was already on his feet. “Not at all. I could use some air myself.” He grabbed
his jacket and tossed it over his arm before coming to stand with her.
“I don’t want to trouble you, really. I’ll be right back.” Heaven only knew what
she was about to get herself into. She tried to step away from him, but he followed her.
Damn it. The last thing she needed was to worry about a human seeing things he ought
not be seeing, or worse, getting hurt.
“It’s no trouble.” He shrugged and gave her a grin that showed his dimples again.
Did he have to be so cute?
Unable to find any more excuses, she glared at her friend and headed for the door.
April should have warned her that she had set her up on a date, but knowing her, she’d
probably been afraid that Libbie would back out at the last minute. And she would have
been right. Libbie sighed.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like Jay, she did, a lot. He seemed sweet and polite. His
dark, brooding good looks were exactly what made her girly parts tingle, but she hated
being set up. The only thing that had kept her from telling April exactly what she thought
about it, was that she’d done so well with Jay.
She couldn’t deny there was chemistry between them. When he’d asked her why
he’d never seen her before and his breath had fanned against her neck, a small shiver had
coursed through her, and she’d wanted to lean closer still. How long had it been since her
last date? A year, maybe more, and even longer since she’d last had sex. Maybe going
outside was a good idea after all. She could do with some cooling off.