Chapter Fourteen

Hadley waited on Sam's roof that night. If she was right about this, it needed to be taken care of immediately. If she was wrong, she could leave in peace. God, she hoped she was wrong.

She heard Sam open her bedroom window before slipping into bed and switching off the lamp. She was expecting a visitor.

Hadley waited quite a while without any activity. This was the main thing that she hated about her chosen lifestyle. Patience never really came easy to her. She wanted to go out and get the job done. But not everything she hunted could be tracked. Some vanished into thin air during the day. This particular hunch was one such creature.

The cool air stirred around her. Summer was approaching, and it kept the temperature fairly warm. This made it easy to tell when a ghost or spirit-like creature was near, without causing perspiration. Though Hadley didn't get goosebumps when she was in this form, she still felt the chill that would announce one. She half-expected Danny to drop by, but wasn't completely surprised when he didn't. It was probably better that he didn't see her right now. She wasn't very recognizable.

She finally saw a shadow figure float into the open window at about one. The familiar sensation in her gut told her that her suspicions were correct.

Sam was in danger, and she wasn't even aware that she had welcomed it.

…

The next day was the weekend, and Danny slept in, content with the previous night. It had to be a dream. But it was so real, so perfect.

Hadley had shown up at his window around one or two. Her skin was chilly from the night air, but there was a fire in her. She didn't bother to announce herself. She stripped off her jacket and boots, then slid in bed beside Danny. He'd accepted her urgent kisses without a second thought, and undressed her without making a conscious decision. She didn't make a sound, and it didn't occur to Danny to dwell on it.

She'd kissed him sweetly with a devilish look in her eyes before she left. Danny drifted off to sleep right after her shadow disappeared through the window. When he woke, he wondered if she was just cashing in a belated celebration after killing the vampire, or if she'd started to admit to herself that Danny meant something to her. It certainly felt more sensual than the last time. And she didn't taste like whiskey.

A pounding on his window startled him out of his half-conscious thoughts, and he sat up to locate the knocking.

"Hadley?" he rubbed his eyes.

"Open up," she called urgently through the glass.

Had the window been closed? He didn't remember her shutting it when she left.

He flipped the lock and opened the window, letting a coffee-scented Hadley inside.

"Good morning," he greeted sleepily.

Hadley's eyes traveled down, "It certainly is, lumberjack."

It took him a moment to get the reference. When he did, he blushed and reached for some jeans to cover his boxer briefs.

"What's up?" he asked, in a good mood.

"I know why Sam has been acting weird," she said in a low voice.

"Is she possessed?" he joked.

"No," Hadley answered. "But there is a demon involved."

"A demon?" Danny asked. "What kind?"

"A bad one, Danny. It'll kill her in a matter of days if she keeps letting it in."

"Why would Sam willingly allow a demon anywhere near her?" Danny sounded doubtful, running his hand through his matted hair.

"Because she doesn't know it's a demon," Hadley replied. "It disguises itself to her."

"So she doesn't know it's a demon because she thinks…"

"She thinks it's you," Hadley finished, pushing her braid over her shoulder.

"So it's like a Morpho?"

"No, no," Hadley shook her head, her eyes cold. "It's a demon, Danny. Not a ghost."

"What does it want with Sam?" Danny questioned.

"It's not a creature of specific tastes," Hadley said. "Sam's just lucky. Unfortunately, she won't believe me when I warn her because she thinks I want you all to myself or some juvenile bullshit like that."

Danny rubbed his face, trying to shake free of his sleepiness, "She thinks you're trying to get in between me and her but it's not even me?"

"You catch on quick," Hadley remarked sarcastically. "Look, in a few more nights, Sam's body won't be able to recover anymore. She'll die, Danny. We have to kill this thing."

"How do we kill it?" Danny scratched his head, further messing up his hair. "You still haven't even told me what it's called."

"Only I can do it. And it can't really die, it just goes back to hell or wherever Demons are from," Hadley answered.

"How do you know it goes there if you don't even know where 'there' is?" he asked.

"Because I've fought it before," she replied brows low. "They always find their way back, but I never let them hang around long enough to tell me where they go."

"So how do you kill it," he asked.

Hadley sorted through her words carefully. Was she really going to tell Danny her secret? He'd trusted her with his own, but only one other soul knew hers. Not even the Hunters she'd befriended knew what she was.

"I have my ways," she finally replied. "I just need your help convincing Sam. I need you to keep her safe until it's taken care of. She'll be hurt, and definitely scared, but it doesn't matter as long as she's safe."

"Hadley," Danny took her by the shoulders, forcing her to stop the pacing she hadn't been aware of.

"What?"

"That's all great and everything," Danny said, "But you haven't told me what it is. That's kind of important. Then I want to talk to you about last night."

The busied, anxious expression on Hadley's face disappeared and confusion took up residence beneath the three jagged scars, "Last night?"

Danny released her shoulders, "You could've told me the celebrating thing was after every job was done. I was totally on board."

"I didn't celebrate last night," Hadley replied.

"That wasn't because of the vampire job?" Danny asked, a hint of hopefulness glinted in his ocean-blue eyes.

"What?" Hadley's brows pinched together beneath her dark bangs. "Danny, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Was I that bad?" he looked offended.

"What exactly do you think happened last night?"

"You showed up at my window," Danny answered, looking a little hurt.

Hadley's confusion faded, leaving no readable expression on her face.

"You just crawled into bed next to me. It wasn't like last time at all. Only once, then you kissed me and left," he said. "You didn't even smell like whiskey."

"What time do you think you saw me at the window?" Hadley asked without emotion.

"I don't know. One or two?"

"Fuck." Hadley whirled around and slammed a fist on Danny's desk.

"What?"

Hadley turned and jerked his head to the side. Right below the bone behind his ear was what any ordinary person would consider a hickey. Hadley knew better. She could recognize the pattern.

"That wasn't me, Danny," Hadley released his head. "It was the same demon that is messing with Sam. Well, the same type. This one is the female."

"What?" Danny touched the mark behind his ear. "What is it?"

"There are many names for them," Hadley replied. "There are two. A male and female. In lore, they're anywhere from manifestations of the same demon, to allied demons. Nothing is concrete. They call each other Lilu and Lilitu."

"Lilu and Lilitu?" Danny raised a brow. "English, Hads."

"An Incubus and a Succubus," she answered. "Ancient night demons who seduce humans in their sleep. Luckily, it's them and not their relatives."

"Relatives?" Danny was starting to think that maybe he needed to take notes.

"Irdu lili and Adrat lili," she answered. "They are the ones that actually use humans to produce offspring. That's where fiction got the idea for beautiful but deadly demons. Their offspring were inhumanly beautiful."

"How do you know it isn't them?" Danny asked.

"Because they don't return to the same human multiple times, and Sam's has seen her twice," Hadley answered. "And you're awake when they attack. You were asleep when you met yours."

"I felt awake," Danny said.

"The mark behind your ear is how it latches onto you. That's how they get into your head. The rest is staged to make you think it's real so you allow it," Hadley replied.

"How do we get rid of it?"

"Turn it away. That will make it mad. When it loses control of you, you'll wake up," Hadley answered. "I'll take care of the rest. You're job now is to convince Sam."

"Oh, sure. Give me the difficult part," Danny grumbled.