Demonically Tempted (Frostbite 2)

I might have snubbed his humor since this was in every way not amusing, but Dane’s sigh distracted me.

“This isn’t a quick conversation. And to be honest, I’m not as skilled as I would like. But I do know someone who is.”

“Who? A priest or something?” I’d watched enough movies to understand how it all worked and such, even if my brain had trouble accepting it.

Dane shook his head. “A priest would bless the man who is being possessed to get rid of the possession, but it won’t banish the demon. And seeing we’re not dealing with just a ghost, I think it’s best if we look for outside help. This isn’t something to mess around with.”

“Yeah, no shit,” I bit back. Kipp, again, laughed. “This isn’t funny. Seriously, this is scary. Why are you laughing?”

He inclined his head, his posture lax, even if amusement still played in the depths of his eyes. “You’re right, it’s not funny, but you are. I love your reactions as much as I love you.”

“Okay, that was sweet and all, but stop it. This is serious.”

Dane grunted. “If we want to deal with this, we need to go to Salem, Massachusetts.”

I ignored the annoyance creasing his features, and waved him on. “And we need to go there because….”

His gaze burned wicked. “Gretchen Howe, a witch, lives there, and she’s the best to assist us now.”

I chuckled. Maybe to rid the nerves that drifted up from his reaction. What was up with him? He appeared so angry, and at what? Just another thing to add to list of shit I didn’t understand. “Wonderful. First a demon. Now a witch. What else are you going to throw at me? Are we about to take a trip to Hogwarts?”

Dane’s brow creased. “You both might find this all amusing, but I’m not making a joke, and she’s the best one to help us. I don’t trust in my abilities to deal with a demon properly. And I don’t know about you, but I would rather not make a mistake when dealing with anything from Hell.”

“Good point.” I glanced at Kipp, who studied Dane, then I focused on the man in question myself. “So this woman is a real witch?”

“Her family ties with witchcraft run all the way back before the Salem Witches.”

Kipp asked, “This witch will know how to deal with the demon?”

I relayed Kipp’s question, and Dane nodded. “She’s beyond skilled, especially when it comes to dark energies.”

My options were limited. I couldn’t back out now seeing that I’d told Holly I would help her. I did trust in the fact that Dane seemed knowledgeable. But one thing remained heavy on my mind. “I’m not in danger here, right?”

Dane’s features tightened. “We’ll all be in danger if you do nothing. It’s best you learn of the darker side now, then when I’m no longer with you and you have no one to ask.”

I blinked, yet again. “Did you just avoid my question?”

His expression somehow grew even tenser, and the smile that grazed his face was as cold as Kipp’s icy touch. “You don’t want me to answer that question.”

Before I could either find someone else to deal with this demon, Kipp interjected. “I’ll come with you to meet the witch and see what she’s all about. Once I believe you're safe enough, I’ll return here to watch over the house.”

I jerked my head toward him. “First of all, I think I can go somewhere without you and take care of myself. And second, I don’t think sticking around here where a demon dwells is a good idea.”

Kipp’s gaze shifted to Dane. The air seemed to thicken from his death stare. “You’re not going anywhere alone with him, Tess.”

“Why?”

His tone dipped low, as his steely eyes returned to mine. “Because I don’t trust him.”

I sighed at Kipp, then studied Dane. His jaw was clenched, obviously he could feel Kipp’s disdain. But I couldn’t see what Kipp did. Sure, Dane had stepped over the line with the soldiers earlier, but I did believe he acted that way because he thought it was in my best interest.

Was that a reason to distrust someone?

And I had enough of this shit! I needed Kipp to be helpful and tell me everything was going to be all right, not add to the tension.

“Oh. My. God!” I threw my hands up. “We don’t have time for this. If you haven’t noticed there’s a demon and I’m somehow suckered into finding out how to deal with it. You’re just going to have to chill out and accept that, right now, we have to deal with things we don’t want to. Got it?”

Kipp merely stared at me, arms folded, and said nothing.