The Exorcist don't got nothin on me {Derek}

[Ilani Moonblood ♬]

Recap:

Ah, the smell of dirt, mold and decaying things. Just the things that any red blooded girl needed to replace coffee, to make her morning complete. Not to mention that ‘morning’ really meant ‘3 freaking AM,’ but she SO wasn’t going to go into that one without throwing an unholy fit.

Resting her forehead against the tombstone in front of her, Ilani resisted the urge to start banging her head against the cold stone. New Orleans’ main cemetery was old, mysterious, large and filled to the seams with ghosts, ecstatic to see a psychic in their midst. She’d only gotten ten steps through the large iron gate that marked the entrance of the cemetery before she’d been surrounded by ethereal figures of men, women, children and animals, all clamoring over each other to catch her attention.

In short? It was a freaking horrible way to start off what was quickly becoming a horrible day. Thank all that was holy that she’d managed to snag Cash and her Confederate buddies, or she might have gone stark raving mad right there.

Talk about a bad time to forget one’s banishing potions. It was a good thing that the soldiers knew self defense, and Cash had the know-how to manifest certain weapons to keep the ghosties in check. Man, this was like tossing her brain into a piranha pond…but hey, needs must.

But back to the work at hand. Straightening, she looked down at the small grave in front of her knees. The dirt was without grass, brand spanking knew and sporting carnations and pictures of the poor, dearly departed. From a wreath of red roses, a little girl’s smiling face seemed to grace the depressing atmosphere of the cemetery, ethereally lit in the soft glow of candles below.

She really did hate this part of the whole ‘help the ghosts’ game. As if being thrown around a room wasn’t enough; now that she was recovered enough to realize that the spirit was angry enough to lash out at her boyfriend, she knew that the only way to understand what the thing wanted, was to go to it.

Aka, traipse around a cemetery in the ass crack of dawn, hoping that the caretaker was asleep and there weren’t any orgies going on where she had to set up shop. Man, talk about really awkward…who the heck would want to get it on in a CEMETARY, she had no idea, but after finding a mass of naked bodies and black robes, she’d made it a point to bring a baseball bat with her, during these morning excursions.

Setting out various objects in a circle, Ilani took a deep breath of the chill morning air and cleared her mind. The ghost that had charged into The Pit had been a strong one, a real pissed off dead person, and had shoved so many images down her throat, that she’d been unable to distinguish what from what. The only real way to make Miss Icy Pants get her butt into the light, was to meet her on her own turf.

“Alright, Jenny,” She mumbled, looking up at the girl’s picture. “It’s time to rock and roll. I don’t think this counts as ‘dangerous,’ especially since I called Derek to let him know where I was. So okay, girly. Time to let Aunty Ilani know who killed you, so she can get laid without you tearing up her bar.”

Ah, the thought of being laid. For a minute there, she forgot that she was currently kneeling on cold ground that was quickly saturating her thick sweats. Derek’s face came to her mind, wearing that knowing smirk. Man, talk about some instant goo-ness, right there. She thought back to the other day, spent not down at the bar as usual, but in her room- and bathroom, and hallway, and balcony, and kitchen- doing things that would make even the most artistic voyeur blush.

Man, if there was one thing that she could say about having a shifter for a lover, it was ‘MROWRRR.’ Stamina had nothing on the man, and she had the whisker burns to prove it. Not that she was complaining; aw hell no. Quite the opposite, actually…as much as it made her pause. She was getting really close to the guy really frikken fast, but that wasn’t the weird part.
The weird part was that she liked it. Whatever ‘meep, meep, get outta Dodge fast!’ feelings that she normally had just weren’t coming into play at the moment. Which meant that she was a) setting herself up for one helluva fall, or b) falling face first into unknown territory.

Either way, she was…happy. For the first time in a long time, she was actually freaking happy.

“Which’s why I’m sending you into the goddamn light, even if it kills me,” She informed the door at her knees. “’Cause nobody but me’s allowed to put a mark on that man. Bad ghost, making him fly into a wall like that! Bad, bad ghost!”

The match flared brightly in the shadowed cemetery, blinding her for a moment, before snuffing out in the small bowl of herbs in front of her. The ritual was old, commanded by her mother’s people and said to let the spirit walk with the dead. To the left of the bowl, she placed the eagle feather normally braided into her hair and to the right went a piece of the ghost’s dress. It was hard as hell to pry the little ribbon out of her detective friend’s cold, not-so-dead hands, but after threats of poltergeists, there it was. With a deep breath, she spoke in the language of her people, summoning the Spirits, the Great Giver, to guide her in her journey to the between.

She half knelt, holding her hands out, palms up. She could hear the murmuring of voices around her, ghosts trying to break through her little ‘barricade,’ and hoped that a certain supernatural was coming for her soon.

There wasn’t anything like some living energy to help out with a séance, that was for sure. Especially if said energy was as hot as that man. Rawr.

---


Didn't it just figure when he finally met a woman he could actually stand to be around for longer than a week, she'd either be already taken or she attract ghosts. Sibeal was the only other female he could handle for any given amount of time but dating her would be like dating a kid sister and all the other females he'd been involved with had driven him crazy right off the mark.

He should have known SOMETHING was up when Lani managed to keep him coming back for more but ghosts had never even entered his mind. It was a testament to how hot the little psychic had him that he hadn't walked out at the first sign of trouble but then.. He'd never been the type to run from trouble. Not even a little see through ghost of a girl with a massively hard backhand. In the moments that had followed, he'd been forced to reevaluate his life and what it would mean without one Ilani Moonblood. It was safe to say it hadn't been at all to his liking.

That whole morning in the bar had been a wake up call in more ways than one and now he was out here in a godforsaken graveyard responding to a funky call his woman had left him. He had a feeling he REALLY wasn't going to be happy with the going on's and his inner animal was already snarling to be let loose.

Winding his way silently around tombs and graves, Derek navigated without a flashlight or match. Being a shifter born, he had excellent night vision and he was able to make out the figure of a woman long before she would have felt him approach. Keeping to the shadows, he took a deep breath and then pulled out the rock salt sawed off that Curse had lent him for the night. If things went south, he was prepared at least!

From his vantage point, he heard the last part of her spell and felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. Oh yeah.... His woman had started without him and he was of half a mind to paddle her ass... But that fun would have to wait for later. If he wasnt mistaken... They were about to have company.

[Ilani Moonblood ♬]

She really, really, REALLY hated this part of the dang job. Sure, she whined about annoying ghosts and getting ectoplasm all over her things when she wasn’t riding herd, but this part was just…icky. Ectoplasm had substance…mucusy, foul smelling, disgusting substance, but it was still there. She could touch it, wash it down the sink.

Going into the place between worlds, where ghosts were trapped until they gave up on their former lives was different. When her mind was open to it, she was neither dead nor alive, and could feel what the departed felt. She could feel their sorrow, the pain of their deaths, the utter cold of having no warm body to encase them.

Thank God for the thick coat she had on. The first time she’d done this, under Cash’s not-so-expert supervision, she’d almost frozen her titties right off. But, now experienced she was prepared; equipped with winter coat, thermal pants and a skull and cross bones beanie.

Not exactly a fashion statement in the summertime, but at least she wouldn’t get pneumonia again.

She kept her voice soft as she chanted the familiar words, tilting her head up slightly to look at the darkened sky above. There was a rustling of grass behind her, but she didn’t dare stop the ritual. Cash would warn her if there were stranger’s nearby…and one sniff of a familiar scent had her relaxing immediately.

He’d come. Oh, thank you Jesus. Tension that she didn’t realize she’d had began to disappear, as the shifter’s familiar presence came closer. She didn’t dare stop the chant until it was finished, or she might lose her connection with the dead girl.

“Jenny Meyer,” She said, voice suddenly hard and forceful. “I call you out. Come to the safety of this circle and the warmth of my flame.”

The words were repeated three times, and the air around her became colder. She forced her hands to remain outward and stared intently at the space in front of the tombstone. Though the winter gear made sure she wouldn’t freeze to death, it was still damn uncomfortable, and she felt her face slowly draining color. Finally, the little fire under her right hand flared, singing the soft skin of her fingers, and she grimaced at the burn. A drop of blood dripped into the bowl beneath, the fire blazed red, and the atmosphere was filled with soft whispering.

It was then that she pushed herself to her feet, taking a step back from the alter. She still had her feather in one hand and the dress piece in the other, and backed up until she stood next to Derek.

“Put the gun down,” She said, without taking her eyes from then now shimmering space around the tombstone. “She’s not as powerful with a spell like this, but she can still pack a whammy. I just need some of your energy while I try to hold her here. I’m going to anchor her with my spirit and ask her some questions about her murder. If you could just stand there and look pretty, that would be great.” She glanced sideways at him, that normal Cheshire Cat smile on her face. “Think you could handle that, Sexy Pants?”

Before she could go on, the whispering suddenly stopped. In the circle that she had created, the expressionless face of a little girl looked up at them. She was wearing a green dress and pig tails, looking like she should have been at a party, rather than a graveyard. But that was the way of death, most times.

Facing the ghost, Ilani lost her smile. “Jenny Meyer,” She said slowly, taking a small step forward. “You came to me to help find your killer. I will do so.”

A smile came to the little girl’s face then, and some of the chill left her.
Questions? The whispers were back.

“Yeah, honey. You tried to show me things, but it was too jumbled. Can you think of his face? Can you show me?”

A soft wind picked up, brushing against her face. The whispers went on for a few moments on, as the ghost’s face grew sad.
No, The whispers said. Not you. You’re protected.

Ilani cursed under her breath. The ward at the back of her skull prevented ghosts from coming into complete contact. Jenny was probably still weak from trying to surge into her mind at the bar. She had to think of something else—

Not you, Jenny went on. Slowly, her eyes drifted to the Derek’s face. Him. I will show him.



((Hehe, I figured that Derek might get bored just standing there, so...this kinda came out. XD You can have fun with whatever goes down next- the ghost will probably just walk right into him and he'll see what she wants him to- and if you no like, lemme know and I'll change. ^_^ ))

[Lt. Derek DeVoux]

((Okies, I give it a shot but since I'm not exactly sure what he's suppose to be seeing I'm going to be a bit vague. Hope it works. Poor Derek))

There's a hate inside of me like
some kind of master
I try to save you but
I cant find the answer
I'm holding onto you
Ill never let go
I need you with me as I
enter the shadows

Put the gun down? That was the first thing his woman said? Not freaking happening. He didn't care how weak or strong the damned ghost was. After round one, he wasn't exactly happy to be setting themselves up for round two. However, he had promised to be here for her so... Here he was. Stupid idiotic fool that he was.

What was it about this woman that entranced him again? Oh yeah, rightttttttt... He really hadn't a flipping clue. Just that his inner beast refused to walk away from her and he got a warm fuzzy feeling in his middle every time he looked at her. God, when had he regressed into some sort of whipped pansy? Any other woman and he'd have been long gone. Oh the joys of falling in love.

Love? What the Hell? Where had that thought come from? No way was he falling in love.... Shit, he was in trouble. Scratch that... He was past the point of trouble. Fuck a duck. Might as well be tarred and feathered cause his wolf side knew its mate when it found it.

Feeling entirely disgruntled, Derek finally turned his attention back to the going ons around him and frowned at Ilani. Sexy Pants? The woman's love names for him were flattering even if they were annoying as hell. Heaven forbid any of his friends here some of the things she called him. Curse would have a hay day with it. He was really going to have to have a talk with her one of these days.

Just then, the atmosphere changed and before he could retort, his attention was snagged by the swirling power around them. Something was taking shape in the circle and the whispers around them had stopped. The face of the little girl from the apartment took shape and Derek forced himself not to give away any of his unease. It wasn't as if he didn't face more terrifying dangers.

Somehow though, he'd take more corporal enemies than ghosts any day.

As Lani talked to the girl, Derek flipped the safety back on his weapon and stowed it in its halter. The young girl didn't seem so angry this time around and she seemed to sense that Lani was there to help her. Keeping alert, he scanned the cemetery for other ghosts but jerked his attention back to the girl when she suddenly looked at him. He didn't know what she was telling his woman but the look in her eyes made him distinctly uneasy. Shit.

Suddenly, things happened so quickly that Derek almost didn't have a chance to brace himself. If he'd have been a normal human, the little girl would have succeeded in taking over his mind completely. As it was, the animal side blocked her out of its consciousness even as his human side reeled with visions.


"Holy Hell! What the fuck?", he thought, dropping to one knee.

Fear, horror, panic, distrust, anger, sadness... All these emotions whirled in his brain. Surprise and confusion were intermingled but he couldn't get through the fog enough to understand them at first. When he did, he realized that he was looking at the soulless body of a young girl and that he was connected to the girl's spirit floating somewhere above. The battered and bruised shell that had housed her for such a short time was bloody and almost beyond recognition.

As a man who hated violence towards women or children, the sight made rage fill him and he had to tap down the urge to shift.

Instead, he let the girl lead him backwards through the events that lead to his death. Unfortunately, they seemed like a scratched movie that skipped and fractured in key parts. Son of a bitch. He got the drift though. Who ever had done this had delighted in the torturing of an innocent and Jenny's little soul was broken because of it. She couldn't rest until she had absolution and some understanding of why this had happened to her.

As suddenly as the visions came, they left and Derek dropped his face into a hand as he knelt where he'd fallen to a knee. The utter horror of what he'd seen hit even his hardened heart. He's seen alot in his day but the pure evilness of this murderers actions made him physically sick. Oh, wait... Maybe that was the after effects of possession. Shit. Didn't this just figure.

Pushing to his feet, Derek stumbled away a few yards and leaned against a tomb as he emptied the effects of the encounter from his body. When he was finally able to function on something more than an invalid's level, he turned back to Lani and glowered.

"Next time we are having a party with spirits.. Remind me to bring my ghost be gone, all right?"

[Ilani Moonblood ♬]

Oh God. Oh God, what the FUCK couldn’t even begin to describe what was happening! She was in a panic the minute that those words whispered through Jenny’s lips, and had a full freak out when the ghost disappeared, and Derek fell to one knee. With a sound between a yelp and a frightened growl, she immediately went to him, smoothing her hands over his face and shoulders, keeping close to him as the visions tore through his mind.

“Dammit, Jenny, stop this! You can show me; I’ll take the damn ward off!” A lie, but…God, the horror flickering across her lover’s face. It was as if he were being tortured right along with the damn ghost; she knew the feeling, having been led through the motions herself.

Man, he was going to be pissed off like no tomorrow when he came to. Guilt, anger, embarrassment, concern; the emotions were ripping through her as she continued to demand, to beg the ghost to stop what she was doing. This wasn’t what she’d meant to happen, when she’d started the ceremony! Not to mention that a ghost never went after her Living-Crutches, as she’d liked to call them, in all of the times she’d performed the ritual.

The ghost must really be desperate if she went after someone other than her medium. Not to mention that the ghost had to know that he wasn’t all human. Usually, dead things kept away from the supernatural, given that most of the ones keeping around town were human, and thus afraid of the ‘unknown.’ Yet Jenny, ever the kid to break the mold- went after a freaking shifter.

Oh MAN, Derek was going to be pissed. Mucho pissed. Maybe so pissed that he’d leave.

Talk about cranking up the panic button. When did she start caring if he came or went? Oh fuck, now SO wasn’t the time…

Suddenly, Derek leapt to his feet and moved away, leaving a small glob of mist behind him. The ghost was tired, depleted of almost all of its ethereal energy. She could see a mouth form in the mist- okay, not creepy- and it mimed out a ‘thank you.’ Then, with a gust of cold wind that blew out the red flamed candle behind her, the little girl was gone.

Leaving her with Mr. Glaring Boyfriend. Oh boy, this was going to be awkward. And bad…and really, really awkward. Maybe she should just cut her losses and tell him to hightail it right now? Things were only going to get worse and truthfully, this was her life on a daily damn basis. Ghost-Be-Gone…ha, she wished. If he couldn’t handle it, he obviously couldn’t handle her.

But did that stop her from flinching at the glowering and the clipped tone of his voice, or from dreading the expected ‘it’s been fun, but I’m out of here, babe?’ Of COURSE not, dude!

“I’m so, so sorry,” She said, feet moving her over to him despite the warning bells in her head. He didn’t seem like a hitter, but then again, she hadn’t practically sicked a ghost on him before now. As usual, her words came out in a full steam rush. “Ghosts don’t usually go after the Crutches I bring along. I’ve done this so many times before and I SWEAR that it never happens! It must be because of the bar; she tired herself out trying to kick the crap out of you and get into my head, but I got this ward tattooed onto my skull ‘cause some stupid ghost-lady tried to make me do stupid stuff and she must not have been able to get through, and…I am SO sorry. Are you alright? Still feel nauseous? I think I might have some crackers in my bag. Stay. Er…not that I’m ordering you to, or anything. You can leave and never come back. Truthfully, I’m surprised that you’ve stuck around this long with all the weirdness. Your stomach will feel crappy for about an hour, but you’ll be fine. GAH, I’M SO SORRY.”

She either ran out of breath or out of steam- or both- and held out a little plastic packet of soup crackers, after having scuttled over to her bag. Then, as if rethinking the situation, she ended up smooshing herself against him in a ‘oh my God, I think I just lost ten years off of my life, and if you run away screaming, I’m gonna follow you like a crazy stalker’ hug.

[Lt. Derek DeVoux]

Jesus Christ, Son of Mary.

Derek didn't know what exactly had just happened but it definitely wasn't an adventure to Disney Land. More like something out of a Twilight rerun. And not the kind of Twilight that had sparkling idiots in it. Hell no..No "TEAM DEREK" slogans for him. More like something out of the Wizard of Oz and he being someones fucked up version of Toto. What was that Lani was saying? It sounded alot like "Where not in Kansas anymore" to his ears.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't quiet THAT bad but damn... Last time he'd been that fucked he'd at least gotten dinner and a drink. Someone had some making up to do and it was going to require a lot more than just a package of crackers that she was now trying to stuff in his face. Oh yes, Ilani Moonblood was going to be showing him were to get one of those damned wards even if he had to sex it out of her.

Rubbing his face, he was suddenly aware of his woman latching on to him and hugging him tight. Vaguely, he realized that she'd been blattering about but he couldn't make out heads or tails of her rushed words. Finally, in an effort to calm her down, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even tighter.

"Whoa.. Whoa! Hold on there, babe. No ones leaving and I'll be fine in a moment." he said in a voice hoarse from his experience. "Just .. give me a moment to get my equilibrium back. Its not every day some damned ghost pops into my body and I can damned well say its not an experience I want to have again any time soon."

Closing his eyes, he went back over the things he'd seen in his minds eye and shuddered. Whether he liked it or not, he was in this with Ilani now. There was no way in hell he could walk away from the thing when a monster like the girl's murderer was still at large on the streets. Maybe even preying on other little girls.

"Next time though... Do me a favor and at least give me a heads up that this sort of thing might happen? Better yet, how about we get me one of those fancy tattoo wards so it doesn't happen again at all? I don't know how you do it... I honestly don't..."

Rubbing his chin on the top of her head, Derek swallowed hard and then sighed.

"And i thought my job was freaking dangerous.... I'd much rather be landing in a hornets nest of baddies than go through that again."

Then, pulling back, he looked down at her.

"We done here? I don't know about you but its chilly tonight and I need something to warm me up. How about we wrap this up and go somewhere we can talk?"

[Ilani Moonblood ♬]

Oh God, oh God, oh God…Derek had almost been possessed. Well, technically, he had been possessed because a ghost had just wandered into his brain, but…holy crap, her boyfriend had almost been possessed! By a ghost! By a ghost that she’d called to the real world because she wanted to catch a serial killer!

Oi, her head was going to explode at this rate. Deep breaths, she told herself as she practically smooshed the poor shifter’s head to her boobs. Deep breaths; he’s fine, he’s alive, he isn’t running away screaming…he’s gasping for air…

“Oh yeah, you’re definitely fine,” She said, smoothing his hair and practically covering his face with little frantic kisses. “And might I say that it’s really charitable of you not to be strangling me right now? You’re taking this surprisingly well…oh, wait, wolf shifter. Gotchya.”

Making sympathetic noises, she forced herself to fall silent, practically vibrating with the urge to babble. But c’mon now; the guy was hurting and her yammering was probably going to make his head explode. So she would be quiet, respecting his need for some recuperation time…

Aw hell, who was she kidding? Her Sexy Pants had just gone through a dirty wash cycle. She was PISSED!

“I swear to all that’s holy, this really doesn’t happen,” She said with an angry glare at the tombstone behind her. “Well, first of all, I don’t normally bring non-ghost people with me…but in the few times I had, nothing like this ever happened! Hell frikken yeah you’re getting a tattoo. Multiple ward tattoos; I’ll make the calls when it’s actually morning and not the ass crack of dawn. God, baby, sure, we can go. We’ll go back to the bar so I can drop my stuff off, and I’ll get you a drink.”

With a kiss on his forehead, she practically threw herself at the grave site, packed in t-minus ten. Hurrying back to him, she slid her arm around his waist, feeling so strangely protective that she was half in the mind to call Jenny back and beat the snot out of her. In quiet, they made their way back to the bar, and with some more cooing noises, she tossed her bag onto a table and motioned for him to sit on one of the stools.

A big, scary soldier-shifter like Derek probably wasn’t about to appreciate her fretting, but she just couldn’t HELP it, man! It was crazy; all this freaking possessiveness, the need to protect him. She seriously was pissed at the ghost, and would have kissed her death-by-touch friend for a chance to strangle the kid, horrible death or no!

She’d never felt like this, not even toward her own freaking family. But, there she was, pouring both of them a stiff one and grinding her teeth against the urge to do some more babying. Derek was a manly man, and he was alright. She would not hug him until his head popped off. Or apologize until her tongue followed after it.

…But she might just jump him like the libido-rabid squirrel she was. Downing her first shot in one gulp, she poured another.

“It was bad, wasn’t it?” She said finally, determined not to give into those very awkward mothering urges. “I only saw bits and pieces before…but you saw it all. Didn’t you?”

[Lt. Derek DeVoux]

This life aint the fairy tale we both thought it would be
But i can see your smiling face as it's staring back at me
I know we both see these changes now
I know we both understand somehow
There's a life inside of me that I can feel again
It's the only thing that takes me where I've never been
I don't care if I lost everything that I have known
It don't matter where I lay my head tonight
Your arms feel like home
They feel like home

Of all the things Derek had expected out of the evening.. It hadn't been being jumped by a ghost. He couldn't conceal his unease with the fact but he also knew Lani was honest in her declaration that it wasn't something that happened a lot. It wasn't actually his womans fault that the dead child had taken it into her head that hed be the better host and he wasn't angry... exactly. He wasnt HAPPY about it.. but he wasn't angry. His emotions were to complex for that at the moment.

After Lani gathered up her things and then they headed back to the bar, the shifter was more than happy to slid on to a stool and allow her to pour him a stiff drink. Her chatter distracted him from what he'd seen until she brought up the topic herself. Picking up the glass in front of him, he slammed back most of it before replying.

"Yeah... I saw it all... Or at least all the pertinent parts.. The son of a bitch did a number on that poor girl.... And he enjoyed every freaking moment of it..."

Deciding the occasion called for something more than just a shot, Derek reached over the bar and plucked up the bottle. Twisting the top off, he slugged right from the bottle and then gave the dark haired beauty a look that was half embarrassment and half still in shock. He could tell he was worrying her but hell, how was a man SUPPOSE to react when he felt like he'd been tossed in the spin cycle and then hung out to dry? He wasn't exactly back to his old self yet.

"Is it like that for you? I mean.. all the time? I don't see how you can stand it. "

And didn't that thought just give him all sorts of happy feelings? His woman felt like this all the time when a ghost decided to stop in for a quick "Hi, How are you?" visit? Wasn't that just the sort of thing a guy had to work through in order to deal with. This wasn't some sort of enemy he could threaten with a beat down if it didn't leave her alone.

He had no idea how he was suppose to protect her if the things could jump a body like that. He wanted to wrap her in bubble wrap and lock her away but he had enough sense to know she'd probably try to kill him for a move like that. So where exactly did that leave him and what the hell was he suppose to do about all this? Talk about a freaking overload.

[Ilani Moonblood ♬]

Aw man, he was definitely in some kind of sensory overload, given the way he was chugging down that scotch. With a wince, she remembered what it felt like to see and feel what the ghost had, during their first encounter. She’d felt raw, violated, exposed in ways that she really shouldn’t have been able to…and even then, it had been buffered by the ward on her skull.

But Derek? Her beautiful, strong shifter-man? He’d had no such protection. God, the things that he must have seen. All of this was too damn much, she thought with an inner frown. She had to somehow get him out of her little ‘investigation.’ She’d be dealing with a lot of ghosts, and with his supernatural side already making him a beacon for baddies…man, she wasn’t sure if the ward would even work, given that fact. Her asking for his help had been stupid, even if she’d promised not to go out alone.

Well, protectiveness went both ways, she thought with an inner sigh. He wanted to protect her by making sure he was around…but after tonight, she didn’t think that she could stomach it. Hello, sudden feelings of nausea at the thought of the handsome man hurt in any way. This was all her little ghost problem, not his.

She was going to have to play the sneaky card. Damn if it didn’t feel wrong, somehow.

When he spoke again, she forced herself out of her head and back to reality. Reaching across the counter, she trapped his free hand in hers, threading her fingers through his.

“It used to be, yeah,” She said truthfully, looking at him with a humorless smile. “When I was going through my ‘denial stage,’ I didn’t know how to keep them out, or that there were things to help make sure I didn’t loose it when they did the Vulcan mind meld. But then I did learn, and that’s where the ward comes in. It’s supposed to act as a buffer between you and the ghost…like a force field around your head. It doesn’t keep the ghosts out permanently, but it helps distance your mind from them, when they take over. I swear to all that’s holy, if you’re still thinking about being around me and not running for the hills, I’m giving my guy a call so he could do one on you.”

Bringing his hand up to her lips, she placed a kiss on his rough knuckles. The poor guy must be going insane with the fact that he’d just been used and abused by an enemy he couldn’t hit back. Rounding the bar, she came up to him again, sifting her hand through his hair.

“Why don’t we go upstairs and I can distract you from what she showed you?” She said softly, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his. “It helps; not thinking about it for a while. You’ll be able to look at the images without wanting to throw up, and you can compartmentalize. So c’mon. Leave the bottle for later.”

[Lt. Derek DeVoux]

It's not like you to turn away
From all the bullshit I can't take
It's not like me to walk away
I'm so addicted to
All the things you do
When you're going down on me
In between the sheets
All the sounds you make
With every breathe you take
It's unlike anything
When you're loving me

In many ways, Ilani was correct in her assumptions that Derek was whirling from the effects of the night. He had faced down many things in the past but he’d never exactly had this sort of thing happen.

Normally, he wore a crucifix around his neck because of his families strong Catholic ties to the church but since joining the Shadow Team, he’d left it off. It was just another weight on him that was uncomfortable underneath the uniform and he’d forgotten to put it back on this evening.

Now, he was suddenly wishing he had it on. Although he didn’t really hold stock with the fanatic beliefs of the church, he did have faith in a higher power and his ass suddenly felt naked without it. Shit, nothing like a little ghostly inhabitation to make a guy find his faith, huh?

Shaking his head a bit at that thought, Derek tossed back another shot and then let his woman take him in hand. He was suddenly exhausted, disgusted and totally out of his element. The idea of taking his lady to bed and making hot and heavy love to her seemed like a good way to get his barrings back. He suddenly needed to feel very much in control again and he growled as his wolf dominated his mortal mind.

With a movement that left Lani squeaking loudly, he picked her up and sat her roughly in front of him on the bar. Then, capturing her mouth in a hard kiss, he took possession of both their senses and let his beast howl.

Forget the bedroom, he needed her here… now… right this instant.

Before any rational thought was made, he had clothing flying through the air and then her bare skin was against his. Groaning in satisfaction, he pulled her hard against him and let her body slid down onto his. Oh yeah, that was just what the doctor ordered. Damn, she fit him to perfection. It was all he could do not to mark that lovely skin with his claim.

“Distract away, baby” he growled into her throat as he nibbled at the delicate skin.

[Ilani Moonblood ♬]

Okay, so when she’d offered a distraction, she DEFINITELY hadn’t been expecting this kind of response! She was prepared for some hedging, some wincing, some leading the big guy into the shower and curling around him for some well needed sleep.

A girl had to appreciate having a macho-man for a lover. Talk about some very welcome surprises.

Clothing went flying, a shot glass was knocked onto the ground as she flailed around for balance after being plopped onto the bar, her ghosts scattered as Cash started screaming out about his eyeballs burning…but none of that mattered. All that was important was that her man was hurting, and she had to take the pain away. Talk about some definite feminine power.

With a sultry smile at his demands for a distraction, she leaned forward to capture his lips again, sliding her fingers through his hair to tug gently, angling his head just where she wanted it.

As distractions went, her version definitely wasn’t anything subtle. There were no words of comfort, no more ‘sorry,’ or freaking, or asking him if he was alright. There was just the two of them, the rickety bar stool, and a whole helluva lot of bar room floor to christen. In the end, Ilani was starting to rethink the whole ‘not include Derek’ plan.

If she needed to give him some distraction therapy every time they came in contact with a ghost, she just might shove him at Cash every other hour. Did that make her evil? Damn, that SO made her evil.

“I hope that you’re feeling a bit better, baby,” She gasped, curling herself around him sometime later. They’d managed to make a little pallet of discarded clothes and dish cloths on the floor and the night’s activities had them resting somewhere near the stage. “’Cause I dunno about you, but I can’t feel my feet. Or my hands. Or…okay, I can definitely feel other things.”

They were both naked, she was practically mooning the doorway and playing the blanket to his tanned self, and it was all she could do not to demand another round. Curling closer, she nuzzled the side of his neck and fanned little butterfly kisses along his cheeks and forehead. Her legs were wobbly- and by the look on Derek’s face, he wasn’t faring any better- but they managed to get upstairs as the crowds began to file in, and with some instructions to her bouncers to keep their eyes open for the night, she was curled back up next to her man in her bed.

Now, all they had to deal with was angry ghosts and a serial killer. But those would wait for tomorrow, if she had anything to say about it.