“He’s done nothing? What’s this then?” Jerry stood in front of me in an instant, lifting my shirt to poke at my swollen stomach with a blunt fingertip.
I gasped. “Really? Is it so offensive? Don’t look at it then.” I jerked down my top. I’d changed into low-riding jeans and a green tank to help Penny pack. Bad choice since the knit clung in all the wrong places.
“It’s not offensive except as a reminder of what MacDonald’s drug did to you.” Jerry actually tried to drag the top up again. “You are always beautiful to me, no matter how strange your stomach looks.”
“Keep talking, Jerry, and you will never see me naked again.” I darted to the opposite side of the roof.
“That didn’t come out right. Besides, that’s minor compared to this latest nonsense he’s filling your head with—blood with powers, making you out to be some kind of paranormal entity. It’s insane!” He held both hands up, obviously still unsure how to make his unwieldy tongue push out the right words. “On some subjects, such as your loyalty to Valdez, you’ve lost all perspective. There’s no reason to risk your immortal soul to protect the man’s by-blow.” He gave me a narrow-eyed look. “Unless there’s more between you two than I know.”
“You know there’s not anything going on now except friendship. And my immortal soul?” I clenched my fists. “You’re assuming I ever had one. News flash, Jer. Whatever I am may not be in the running for a nice hereafter.”
“Of course you have a soul. You’re good, Gloriana. Too good for Valdez with his demon taint. You’ve got to know that Alesa’s story of conceiving while inside you is bullshit. If that baby is his, then it’s clear he bedded the she-demon before or after she inhabited your body. He did marry her once. What does that say about his standards?”
“Lay off, Jerry. Even you were young and foolish once. Does the name Mara ring a bell?” I had him there. His ex made Alesa look positively angelic. Mara had a history of lying that included keeping the truth about who her daughter’s father was for hundreds of years. That’s why Jerry had only recently learned he had a daughter, made before he was turned vampire.
“Don’t try to change the subject.” Jerry had crossed the roof, close now. “We’re talking about Valdez.”
“Rafe denies sleeping with the demon and that’s good enough for me.” I was so tired of Jerry always taking the wrong side of these arguments.
“Valdez has demon blood. Lying is like breathing to those creatures. Why are you forgetting that?” Jerry tried to approach me again. “You’re letting your fondness for him overcome your common sense. Think, Gloriana. The man is not who you thought he was. He played a part with you for five years. Now he’s finally showing his true colors.”
“He played a part because you paid him to do it, Jerry!” I felt my temper explode. I wanted to hurt him for not seeing my side of things. Damn him for being so blind and stubborn.
“Calm down. See reason, Gloriana.” Jerry reached for me. That did it. Rafe bashing, discounting my own instincts, I’d had it. I concentrated and he froze where he stood.
Yep, I turned Jerry, the love of my life, to stone. He couldn’t even blink but his eyes burned as he realized what I’d done to him. I backed away. For a moment I actually gloated. Hah! Look what Glory could do. Then I came crashing down to earth.
Oh, God. What now? A quick thaw? Or should I explain this while I had a captive audience? Because he sure as hell wouldn’t listen to a thing I had to say once he was mobile again.
“Uh, sorry about that. Meant to tell you. While I was with Alesa earlier, she said she discovered I had some untapped powers when she was inside me. Part of my non-human thing, I guess. She taught me the statue trick. I take it as proof that Ian didn’t lie about that at least. That I started out as some kind of paranormal.” I gulped and tears stung my eyes. “Jerry?” This was bad, very bad. I could read his thoughts and they weren’t words he usually used around me. Jerry hated feeling or being helpless. As a warrior it was his worst nightmare.
“You see? This could be a clue about what I am, er, was.” I was babbling, stalling. This wasn’t going to be pretty when I released Jerry from the freeze. Had to do it. I stared at him, wisely put a dozen feet between us first, then did the deed.
He whirled as if testing his freedom, then glared at me. “What the fuck was that?”
“I told you. A new skill.” I took a shaky breath. He was stalking me, bearing down like he was intent on shaking me until my fangs rattled. I deserved it.
“And you used it on me,” Jerry ground out, mere inches from me now.
“S-s-sorry about that. Really. But you made me lose my temper.” I backed up until I hit that door to the stairs.Jerry slapped his hands against the steel on either side of my head. He leaned down until his breath touched my cheek. “Sorry? Sorry that you made me look foolish, standing there unable to so much as twitch?” He wound my hair around his hand, his voice so menacing I felt my knees go weak.
He wasn’t hurting me, but I could feel the pressure and see the urge to kill in his set jaw.
“Jerry, please. I didn’t mean—”
“To make me helpless? To shut me up so you could win your argument?” He watched as I licked my dry lips and I saw heat flare in his eyes.
Oh, no. Arguing had fired his blood, made him want to punish me. Show me that he was stronger than I was, as long as I didn’t cheat with powers that came from God knew where. His gaze roamed over my body where my top clung to nipples suddenly alert to his nearness. Stupid knee-jerk response. He pressed closer, obviously aroused, and I reacted shamelessly before I could stop myself. Down, Glory. I’d be damned if I’d let this end in bed.
“Bed? Of course I’m reading your thoughts. Why don’t I just drag you down to this concrete and take you there?” He gave my hair a sharp tug. “But I’d never make it, would I? You’d turn me to stone before my thought became deed. What else has the demon bitch taught you? Can you read through my blocked thoughts now?”
“Don’t know. Haven’t, um, tried. But I wouldn’t—” I slid my hands across his chest. “I will never, ever do that to you again, Jerry. It was a mistake. Unfair. No, mean. And I love you too much to do that to you.” I did press against him, deliberately this time, and reveled in the taut proof of his lust. It would be so easy to settle this that way and so wrong. “I hated seeing you like that. Helpless.” Shut up, Glory.
“No more than I hated feeling that way.” He hadn’t released my hair but he did ease the pressure. “I want to hear you swear it, Gloriana. With your mind open. That you will never use that power against me again.” His lips were within a breath of mine.
“Yes, I promise, Jerry. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’ll never do it again.” I leaned the inch it took to touch my lips to his. “Please forgive me. My temper got the best of me.”
“You never used to have a temper.” He released my curls and ran his hand down my throat, stroking my pounding pulse there.
“It’s living with a demon. I won’t deny it’s working on my last nerve. I could really use some sympathy here instead of another lecture.” I stretched my neck when he followed his hand with his lips.
“Yet you’re allowing her to teach you tricks such as this statue maneuver.” He raised his head and stared down at me. “It’s a valuable defense. I’m glad you have it. Though it raises questions.”
“Yes!” I slid my hands up to twine in his hair. “What can I be that I have this power? Thank God Alesa assures me that I’m not demon. Not that I ever thought I could be. I do attend church, hold crosses, talk to God. All things a demon can’t do.”
“Exactly. And I’ll say again that, except when you’re in a temper, you’re a fine and decent person, Gloriana.” Jerry finally smiled.
“I owe you some serious groveling to make this up to you.” I ran a fingertip around his ear then traced a scar just visible in the open collar of his shirt. “Perhaps ending up in bed isn’t such a bad idea.”
“That sounds like an interesting proposition. But it won’t be in that apartment of yours. It smells like Willy Wonka’s candy factory down there.” Jerry frowned. “And knowing the demon is down the hall is a real joy killer.”
“Willy Wonka?” I laughed. “What do you know of such things?”
“My daughter decided we needed to catch up on some of the things parents did with their children when they are growing up. She rented a pile of children’s movies and made me watch a marathon of DVDs. That was one of them.” Jerry laughed. “It was a nice evening. The kind a mortal family would share. Beat the hell out of Lily bringing home another undesirable male.”
“Movie night sounds like fun. Next time I’d like in on it.” I leaned against him. “I’d be happy to go home with you and grovel. But not tonight. It’s late and I wouldn’t have time to do a proper job. Maybe tomorrow after church? What do you say?”
“I say that if I can’t change your mind about your current situation, I’ll take what I can get.” He rubbed my back and we just held each other for a long moment. “Church, eh? I bet your demon didn’t like the sound of that.”
“Exactly. So of course Penny and I wouldn’t miss it.” I kept my arms around Jerry’s waist, appreciating how solid he felt.
“Tell me, are there any more powers lurking inside you that the demon knows of? Anything else she can teach you?” Jerry looked into my eyes. “You know I’m all about defense. And if you can use the creature while she’s camped in your apartment, I say you should take full advantage.” He brushed my hair back from my face. “As long as it doesn’t cost you your soul.”