Excerpt

Lightbulbs flashed and popped, and a roar of chatter erupted from a small crowd of reporters gathered at the edge of her tiny front porch. Tucker was the first one out the door, setting Esther behind him. “Get out of here now!” he roared into the howling wind.

But another reporter, with slicked-back blond hair, jammed a microphone in Tucker’s face and asked, “Don’t you think it’s suspicious that you’re here at the home of Gomez Sanchez’s niece? The man responsible for killing one man and making countless others sick? Reports allege—”

“Hey!” a hulking figure bellowed from the shadows, stepping into the light from the front porch, making everyone turn around. “Y’all might wanna move along here, now! You’re on private property—which means you better skedaddle ’fore I call the po-po.”

As the enormous figure approached, pushing his way through the lot of vultures, Esther didn’t need an introduction. Nina had mentioned her demon friend Darnell was coming in case there was any trouble. He, according to her, was big and loveable and could help in Wanda’s stead. Wanda, who was hard to keep awake and not supposed to be on her feet.

Yet, to see him for the first time was undoubtedly intimidating. He was bulky and crazy tall, his round face hard and angry, and he didn’t look at all loveable right now.

As he made it past the small throng of people, he turned and held up his phone. “I’ma tell y’all one last time—get! Ain’t nobody here got nothin’ to say to you. Go on now,” he demanded, waving an arm in their faces, making everyone duck and gasp before he crossed his arms over his brick wall of a chest and waited for everyone to leave.

As the crowd dispersed, frightened by a man as imposing as Darnell, he turned to Tucker and held out his granite slab of a hand. “I’m Darnell. Good to meet ya, man.”

Tucker grabbed his hand and shook it hard. “Pleasure’s all mine.”

And then, with a smile that transformed his entire face, making his eyes gleam, he spotted Esther, who was still in shock. “You,” he said, pointing a finger at her and wiggling it, “must be Esther. C’mon and give ol’ Darnell a hug.” He held out his bulky arms, his NY Giants shirt shifting to reveal his soft center.

Yet, she was a little afraid. He was a demon and she was a good Catholic girl. And that was some crazy mixed-up dichotomy of religion.

But Nina gave her a light shove from behind. “Don’t be a chicken-shit, Little Fish. He’s not that kind of demon, nitwit. Long story short, he escaped hell. He’s on the good side.”

Oh, well then, you could never get enough hugs from a guy who looked like a big brown teddy bear with a wide smile and more chains around his neck than a set of tires in the winter who was on good’s side, could you?

Esther went willingly into his embrace, finding it warm and reassuring, and it didn’t hurt that he smelled good, too. “I’m Esther. It’s nice to meet you.”

He patted her shoulder with his thick hand and set her from him. “Look at you. A mermaid. Sweet! And you ain’t got nuthin’ to worry about anymore. I’m here now. I’ll keep you safe. Welcome to the family.”

Suddenly shy, because there were so many of these people welcoming her into their fold with almost no questions asked, she choked up a little. “Thank you, Darnell. Please come in.”

And as he did, and the ladies greeted him with hugs and kisses, and Carl, his smile beaming like a fluorescent bulb, thumped him on the back, Esther and Tucker stood and watched.

“They’re like this bizarre family of misfits, huh? Wait, maybe the word isn’t bizarre. Maybe it’s more eclectic, but they all move in tandem, even if they yell a lot and Nina snarls. There’s real love there.”

Tucker nodded, his eyes hinting at sadness as he put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “She is good at snarling, isn’t she?”

“She’s also good at pretending, and lifting, and a plethora of things I’ve heard about but haven’t witnessed. Except for those fangs. Jesus, those fangs.”

Tucker leaned into her, her shoulder just touching the top of his muscled pecs. “Yeah… I hate to admit it, but I had no idea vampires were real, by the way. Or werewolves, or any of this, for that matter.”

“Thought you guys had the market on the paranormal, didja? Kind of presumptuous, wouldn’t you say?” she teased, taking a step away from him because he was just too dang close and he looked and smelled too dang good.

He scrubbed his jaw and shook his head in wonder. “I think I did. I mean, it’s not like we don’t communicate with the outside world, or surface people, as we call them, but this? This is really something else.”

Esther nodded and smiled, but she felt a little empty inside, and maybe even a little jealous. Sure, she had friends—good friends—but they weren’t ride or die like these people were. Maybe their dire circumstances had called for such loyalty, but if what Marty said was true, they’d been together for almost ten years now when they didn’t have to be together.

They chose to be together—which was pretty awesome.

And watching them, seeing this interaction with Darnell, made her miss her parents and her grandparents more than ever. But when she looked up at Tucker, she realized how self-indulgent she was being. He’d been booted out of his family, for heaven’s sake.

Reaching out, she touched his arm and willed her fingers not to test the bump of muscles by tracing them. “I’m sorry about what’s happening with your family right now.”

He stared off into the kitchen, where Archibald hugged Darnell before giving him a plate full of pasta. “I am, too. I’m also sorry the press is hassling you. I don’t know who tipped them off or even how they’d link you to this mess, but—”

Wanda, who was finally awake, though still quite sleepy-eyed, waddled toward them and held up her phone in Tucker’s face. “This is how they’ve managed to link Esther to you. The disgusting vultures.”

Esther and Tucker read the headline from some site on the Internet.

Ex-VP of H2O-Yo Woos Niece of Dead Scientist Responsible for Tainted Water Debacle.

Attached to the article was a picture of she and Tucker sitting on the beach today, his arm around her. Thankfully it was after she’d gotten her legs back, but that someone was skulking around, taking pictures of her without her knowledge, scared the shit out of her.

“I will kill whoever did this,” Tucker spat, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Wring their bloody necks!”

Esther gulped, swallowing hard as she looked to Wanda, dread filling her stomach. “So now my uncle’s name is out there as the person responsible for the death of that man. Perfect.”