Demonically Tempted (Frostbite 2)

“Don’t be frightened. Literally,” Gretchen said. “Demons feed off fear and when dealing with them you need to be strong. They devour weak souls.”

“Well, I’m pissing myself right now so that’s just another reason for me not to do this.” Although, hadn’t she brought up a good point. “Speaking of that, though, how does a demon enter a soul?”

“A demon will choose a soul that’s willing to seek out darkness. It will need to be accepted, but they can fool you.”

The fear racking my own soul made my voice shaky. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“Possession isn’t easy, which is why it’s rare. It can take a demon years—more years than you can imagine—to find a suitable host. And even then, the demon must overtake the soul, which can take time.”

She flicked her hair over her shoulder and continued, “A demon lives inside a person, side-by-side, so to speak until the soul is completely devoured. And once it steals a soul, it’ll need to find another host quickly. Demons cannot survive for long out of a human body.”

The thought of that horrified me, but she continued as if this wasn’t completely shocking. “Sometimes a demon will fail in overtaking a soul and will need to find another one. They can jump from host to host to ensure their survival until they find a soul to feed them.”

“And when that happens the person wouldn’t die?” I asked, putting two and two together.

“That’s right.” Her eyebrows drew together. “They pray on souls that are in need of something, or they’ll choose a soul that’s so innocent it doesn’t understand how to fight against it.”

I pondered, then finally said, “You’re saying that the person knows they’re being invaded by a demon?”

“Not necessarily,” Dane interjected. “Some might think they’re dreaming. Not believe that a demon is trying to overtake them, but in the end it’s their decision to give the demon their soul.” He quirked an eyebrow. “Or they might just be too weak to continue to fight.”

“And some…” Gretchen added, “will willingly accept it right away believing that the demon will give something to them.”

I mulled this over, forced the fear away to understand. “I’m guessing by the expression of disbelief you’re giving me that demons lie and never give someone what they want?”

“They always lie. Never believe a word they say to you. They’ll tell you anything to get you to succumb to them. Always remember that.”

“I’m pretty sure this shit I’ll never forget.?

? My fear drifted right at the surface, but neither of them told me I could go home, which meant that was no longer an option. Pointless to avoid the inevitable. “So, a demon will belong to another in Hell?”

Gretchen nodded. “Every demon has a leader it rules under. And we need to know who, so we can banish it. If not, the spell could backfire and you’ll end up standing nose-to-nose with a demon that knows you tried to kill it.”

“Not a good thing, I take it?”

She shook her head, slow and steady. “Possibly the worst situation you can find yourself in. But that’s why you’re here and why I’m helping. We’ll do this together and make sure you’re protected and ready to fight it.”

I sighed, the deepest sound that had ever come from me. “Well, I guess, putting it that way makes me feel a little better. I’ve never been happier that I don’t have to face this ghost—demon, whatever it is—alone.”

Her gaze twinkled with surprise. “I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood me.” The knowing look she gave made my stomach turn. “Only you will be able to banish this demon. The fight is yours alone.”

I dropped my head into my hands. How much more could I take? I peeked up at her and pushed every ounce of my irritation outward. “Why do I have to do this alone?”

Gretchen’s features remained impassive. “As I said before, I choose not to deal with demons. I will aid you, but I’ve had enough of darkness to make me stay away from it.”

Again, irritation flashed on Dane’s face. That man was confusing with his odd reactions.

I shoved thoughts of Dane’s strange behavior away and asked, “You’re a medium and share the same gift as me, sort of. You do it.”

“This is your matter to deal with, not mine.” My hopes plummeted. “I’ll assist you, but it’ll do you no good if I dealt with this demon alone.”

My mouth parted to argue, and he raised a hand cutting me off. “Max asked me to teach you, and so I am, but I won’t be around forever. What if this happens again?”

At my pause, he added, “You need to be prepared.” Then, his tone lowered. “But before we do this you have to get a handle on yourself.”

“Pardon me?”

“You heard me,” he retorted without pause. “You need to cut off your ties to how open you are with ghosts. This is incredibly dangerous to you.”