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  "We're going to have to fix it so you stop sticking to the ceilings. It's becoming a very bad habit."

  Unshed tears still stung my eyes, but I managed to look him in the face. I could see the sincerity there. But I could also see a spark of humor. My lips twitched in response and then I started to laugh. I could just imagine what I looked like bobbing up and down in the air, like a buoy in the water. I laughed so hard that the tears finally streamed down my cheeks.

  I laughed and laughed and laughed until I was empty. Then I became hyper aware that I was still in Trevor's arms. The heat from his body warmed me. This was no small feat, considering I was standing there in a t-shirt that just covered my butt and a pair of shocking red panties.

  For a second, we locked gazes, and I could feel the hitch in his breathing. Was he going to kiss me? Startled by the thought, I pushed out of his arms. But ended up floating toward the ceiling again. This time, he grabbed my hands in time. But instead of pulling me down to the ground, he rose into the air with me.

  In awe, I watched as he effortlessly went from vertical to horizontal while still holding my hands. He smiled at me as we floated all the way up the ceiling, touching the tiles ever so gently with the backs of our feet.

  My stomach rolled over as I looked down. Panic swept over me and I struggled to stay afloat. Trevor gripped my hands tight, forcing my attention onto him.

  "Look at me. Don't look at the ground."

  Taking in some deep breaths, I concentrated on his face, instead of the urge to glance down at the ground nine feet below. Once I felt more stable, I smiled, letting him know I was better.

  "How do you control it?" I managed to ask between deep intakes of air.

  "I don't think about it. I just do it."

  "Okay, that doesn't help me. I'm a girl. I'm thinking twenty four seven."

  "Right. Good point." He adjusted his grip on my hands. Were my palms sweaty? Was he getting grossed out by holding them? I couldn't tell by the stoic look on his face. "Okay, then you have to learn to control your emotions."

  I arched one eyebrow. "Easier said than done. I mean this is all a bit messed up, don't you think?"

  "True, but you have to deal, you know. It's done. This is your life. There's nothing you can do about it, except use it to your advantage."

  I thought about that. He was right. I needed to suck it up and deal with it all if I was going to survive all of this.

  "You're right. Tell me what I need to do."

  "Suck in a deep breath and then let it go. Let it all go."

  I did as he instructed, but when I let my breath out, I dropped to the floor. Like a lead weight.

  And landed like one as well.

  I did have the presence of mind to turn my face to the side so I didn't smash my nose up into my brain. But the rest of my body wasn't as lucky. My knees were still healing from the last time I took a crawl across the stucco ceiling of my bedroom.

  "Holy crap. You dropped like a rock."

  I could hear the humor in his voice.

  Groaning, I pushed to my knees, wincing from the pain that shot through me. "I'm happy to amuse you."

  He hooked his hands under my arms and helped me to my feet. "I haven't laughed this much in years."

  Once up, I glanced down and took stock of my newly acquired injuries. My knees were red and banged up again, as were my elbows. It was then, as I surveyed the damage on my form, that I noticed that my t-shirt had ridden up and Trevor was staring directly at the rhinestone star embroidered on the edge of my panties.

  I shrugged off his hands and took a step back, trying at the same time to yank down the hem of the t-shirt. "Jesus, Trevor. Rude much?"

  He swung around, and shoved his hands into his jeans pocket. But before he turned I could see the blush on his cheeks. "It's not like I haven't seen that before." He wandered back to the sofa, sat, and picked up the game controller to fiddle with it.

  I gasped. "Well, you haven't seen mine. And you never will."

  "Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart. I ain't that interested."

  "Good." I stomped back into the bedroom and slammed the door behind me. I sat on the bed with a huff. I couldn't get over how incredibly rude Trevor was. He had no manners whatsoever.

  And like hell he wasn't interested. I'd seen the way he was staring at me. It made me blush just thinking about it.

  Huffing again, I settled onto the bed and crossed my legs. I could get a handle on this floating thing without him. I didn't need him to hold my hand.

  Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath and then let it out. I did that several times trying to calm my mind and concentrate on the task at hand. Trevor had his way of doing it; I would develop my own way, on my own.

  I took in another breath, and when I let it out tingles radiated up and down my legs. It was the same sensation when my feet fell asleep—the same pins and needles. Something was happening. I risked a look and cracked open one eye. I was hovering, cross-legged, about five inches above the mattress. I grinned in triumph. Take that Mr. Man!

  Now if I could just get higher and turn over onto my stomach...

  Two minutes later, I was dog paddling in the air again, scrambling like mad to find some sort of stability. Up and down I bobbed, like a fishing lure in the water. Except I wasn't trying to catch anything, except maybe some dignity. I could just imagine how foolish I looked clambering for some sort of hold in the thin air. Yet there was no hold to have. No ceiling light, no bookcase in the corner, no curtains on the window. Nothing.

  Once more, I was stuck like glue to the ceiling without any way to get down.

  Well, there was one way, but I really didn't want to take it. I'd been embarrassed enough for one night.

  Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes and tried to calm my mind, tried to visualize my intention—which was to get off the stupid ceiling and back onto the bed. I even imagined falling. I didn't really want to drop like a rock to the mattress, I wasn't sure if my body to take anymore jarring, but if all else failed I'd rather be banged up and bruised than humiliated beyond all reason.

  But my visualizations didn't work. Nothing seemed to.

  I tried pushing off with my feet and hands, but ended up just hanging in midair and then floating back up. Isaac Newton be damned. In my new reality, what went up didn't necessarily come back down.

  I did everything I could think of, pushing, sliding, cursing, grunting, but I couldn't get down. That left one thing to do.

  Taking a greedy gulp of air, I did one last thing...

  I screamed. "Trevor!"

  I didn't have to wait long before the door swung open and he rushed through. He took one long look at me, glued to the ceiling like stucco, and then shook his head.

  "Tomorrow's going to be one long day."

  Chapter 18

  I don't know what shook me from sleep. It might've been the warm brush of air on the back of my neck, or the fact that my feet were sticking out of the covers and were cold like ice. Most likely it was the fact that Devon, her pink pigtails looking as perky as ever, was sitting on the edge of the bed at my uncovered feet, scowling at me.

  "Who the hell are you?"

  Gasping, I flinched away from Devon's outstretched hand. It looked like she was about to rake her ragged fingernails down my instep. I pulled my legs up and sat back against the headboard, unsure of exactly what to tell her.

  "I said, who the hell are you?" She growled again.

  "Salem," I managed to squeak.

  "What are you doing in my Trevor's bed?"

  "Your Trevor?"

  She grinned at me, but it wasn't pleasant at all. In fact, I swore I saw the tips of four fangs in her mouth. Did succubi have fangs? God I hoped not. I reached up to my mouth and rubbed a finger over my gums. Just in case.

  "Yes, he's mine." She blinked and her eyes turned to black. She didn't try to hide it. She wanted me to see it, to scare me. Little did she know that I could do the same trick.

  Thankfully, the door b
urst open and Trevor stumbled in affording me a reprieve from doing something stupid and outing myself.

  "What are you doing here, Devon?"

  She stood and set her cold dark gaze onto Trevor. "I came to tell you that we're heading to the club to set up." She nodded toward me. "And look what I found in your bed. A stray dog."

  That put my back up and I opened my mouth to say something.

  But Trevor was quicker. "I'll be at the club within the hour. You don't have to check up on me. And I appreciate it if you use the doors instead of popping in here," he lowered his voice as if to keep his next words from me, "through the shadow-ways."

  "I can come and go as I please."

  Trevor snarled. "Not in my room, you can't. You don't own me."

  With a malicious grin on her face, she strutted toward him. She stroked one finger down his arm. "Of course I do. You should know that by now."

  "Get out," he muttered under his breath.

  "Don't be late to the club. Thane won't like it much if you are."

  "Tough shit."

  "I'd be more careful, if I were you. The only reason Thane keeps you around is because of me. Remember that and maybe I'll let you keep your new pet."

  With a parting sneer toward me, she sashayed out of the bedroom. Neither Trevor nor I moved or said a word until we heard the distinctive opening and closing of the hotel room door.

  When she was gone, I let the breath I was holding out. "Holy crap, Trevor. She was sitting on the bed watching me." I shuddered. The thought of her being near me for so long without my knowledge gave me the severe creeps. It just about made me sick.

  "I'll have to ward the hotel room from now on. To keep them from popping in and out."

  "You can do that?"

  He nodded. "With salt."

  "How does it work?"

  "You have to pour at least half a cup in each corner of each room. It's like making a protection grid. If someone tried to access a room that's been salted they'd bounce out of the shadow-way."

  "Like bouncing off a huge rubber ball?"

  He nodded. "Yeah, just like that."

  "Cool."

  "K, get up and get dressed."

  "Where are we going?"

  "To the club. If you're going to hang around you might as well earn your keep."

  "Fine," I groaned.

  He turned to leave.

  "Hey Trevor?"

  He stopped. "What?"

  "Can't they, you know, tell what I am?"

  "Only if they taste you."

  "Ew."

  "Not like that, sicko. A kiss, a lick of skin, would be enough to tell."

  I nodded. "Okay, got it. Don't let anyone kiss or lick me."

  "Especially not Thane. He's the one you need to watch out for."

  Trevor left the room so I could drag my ass out of bed and get dressed. I dreaded being anywhere near Thane and the others but Trevor said he needed me to help him bring Malice down. I'd never had that kind of power before. It felt kind of good. Like maybe I didn't need to be a victim. That I could rise above what Thane had done to me. Maybe after I helped Trevor kill the demons I could go back home to my mom, to Chloe, to my life however drab it may have been. A girl, even a freak cambion one, had to have some sort of dreams.

  Forty-five minutes and a tall mocha latte with cinnamon sprinkles later, Trevor and I arrived at the club where Malice would be playing later that night. Quinn met us at the back door.

  "What took you so fucking long?" he barked.

  Trevor didn't back down. "I'm here now, so relax."

  Quinn eyed me curiously. He was the shortest of the band but definitely the biggest and baddest. I had the urge to hide behind Trevor but instead stood my ground.

  He sniffed. "She's too skinny to be a roadie."

  "She's stronger than she looks," Trevor said, "Anyway I'm teaching her the ropes. So if you don't mind?" He gestured toward the door so we could go through.

  After another sniff, Quinn stepped aside. But as we walked past, I sensed his gaze on me. I dug my nails into my palms to suppress the urge to turn around and flip him the middle finger.

  Trevor had instructed me to keep my cool and shut my mouth, and avoid any confrontations with any of the band members. I had smiled and nodded thinking ‘no problem, I got this' but I didn't have shit. I wanted to yell and scream and hit something, preferably him. Thane wasn't the only one that stole from me. They all had participated in my violation, by their cooperation and their own transgressions, which were plenty I was sure. Even if Quinn hadn't been the one to sit on me and suck out my life, he was still culpable in my transformation.

  In my opinion, they all had to die. From that moment on, I decided I would do whatever Trevor asked of me to help him with that plan.

  For the next two hours, I worked harder than I ever had before. I lifted and carried equipment from the van to the stage. I helped set it up doing everything Trevor told me to do. He told me I was a quick learner. That had made me smile. Not that praise from him sent me into a tizzy; it was just that he didn't treat me like a fragile little girl.

  I appreciated it. Although my muscles didn't. While taking a break and drinking a coke, my arms felt like goo. It was difficult to even lift the can to my mouth. I said as much to Trevor as we sat together on the edge of the stage passing time and quenching our thirst.

  "Maybe you need to start lifting weights to get stronger."

  "I thought you said I'd be stronger because of..." I leaned closer to him, "you know."

  "I also said it'll take time for everything to kick in. you're still learning how to control your new found power."

  My stomach rumbled then. I rubbed a hand over it, embarrassed.

  He smirked. "Speaking of control."

  "Hey, that's just regular hunger talking."

  He elbowed me in the side. "I know. We'll get something after we finish here, which shouldn't be much longer."

  "Cool." I drained the rest of the soda and set the can down beside me just as Thane appeared at my other side. I flinched. Trevor put a hand on my arm to keep me from bolting.

  "Is it bring your pet to work day?" he leered at me.

  I couldn't believe that two weeks ago I'd found that smile attractive, sexy even. Now it made my stomach roil. I had a sudden urge to vomit.

  "I'm training her to roadie."

  "So," Thane eyed me up and down, "you're going to be around more often? I could get used to that." He licked his lips. "I'm getting hungry just looking at her."

  In another life, I would've swooned at the thought of the punk rock god making innuendos about me. But as it was now I wanted to kick him in his junk. But Trevor's hand squeezed my arm tighter and it calmed me somewhat.

  Lowering my gaze, I looked down at my scuffed boot instead of at Thane. I hoped he mistook it for shyness instead of murderous intent.

  "She's not on the menu." Trevor slid off the stage onto his feet. They were now face to face. I looked at them from between strands of hair.

  I could see Thane's eyes go black. The dark purple aura around him swirled violently to black, as thick as tar. I suspected it meant he was angry. Trevor's aura also darkened but it never reached the inky darkness of Thane's. It was obvious Trevor still retained some semblance of his humanity. Thane was completely devoid.

  My body shook. I was so scared. I wouldn't blame Trevor if he backed down and offered me up as a midday snack. Thane was that frightening. But he didn't. He kept the incubus' gaze, not flinching, not wavering. No one had ever stood up for me like that, with that much fortitude. Not even my best friend Chloe.

  Without thinking, I reached over and slid my hand into Trevor's. I don't know who was more surprised me, Trevor, or Thane. But it had an effect. Maybe not the one I was expecting but beggars can't be choosers.

  Thane started to laugh and all the tension that had been building like a brick wall around them, broke apart. I wouldn't have been surprised to see pieces of red clay scattered all over the club floo
r. It had been that palpable.

  "All right, Trevor, you win." Thane took a step back. "You got some massive balls on you dude."

  I squeezed Trevor's hand and he finally looked over at me. Except he didn't look too happy. Actually he always kind of looked miserable, like one of those brooding heroes in a historical novel. What was that one guy from the Jane Austen novel I had to read for English? Mr. Darcy. That was it. He'd been a miserable bastard.

  "Are you claiming her, then?"

  Trevor's head snapped back to gape at Thane.

  "She's obviously claimed you," he gestured to the hand holding thing, "But if you're not actually claiming her then, well, she's still fair game, isn't she?" He smiled again, and this time I didn't hide the shudder that racked my body.

  Trevor looked at me again, then back to Thane. "Yeah, I'm claiming her."

  Thane slapped him on the shoulder. "All right, man, fair's fair." He shook his head, still smirking. "Devon is going to rip those balls right off of you." And with that he slunk away like the slimebag I now considered him to be.

  Trevor tugged his hand out of mine, then sat back down on the stage, noticeably not as close as before.

  "What exactly was that about?"

  "Claiming is part of their societal rules, what little of them they have." He ran a hand over his face and through his hair. "I claimed you so that means no one can physically touch you."

  "Well, that's good right? I'm safe from them, then. Devon included, I hope. She scares me almost more than Thane does."

  "Yeah, that means Devon too."

  I lifted my hand to the sky. "Thank you, Jesus." I chuckled letting all my nervous energy out. I smiled at Trevor but he was scowling even more than usual. "Obviously, there's a problem."

  "This means we have to act like a couple. Like we're tighter, together. Or Thane won't believe it for a second."

  "Oh." Oh God, my cheeks were going red. I couldn't believe I was blushing so hard. It wasn't like Trevor and I had to do...anything. We just had to pretend. How hard could that be?

  He glanced at me, and then jumped to his feet. He must've noticed my flushed face. "Don't go all moony on me. It's just an act. We aren't really together."