The Devil's Cowboy by Kallista Dane Read Free Book Online

speak.
    He led her back to the foyer, paused for a moment at the stairway, and looked her in the eye. She nodded again to let him know she was all right and started up the stairs, but he pulled her back.
    “I go first,” he said, in a tone that told her he was used to being obeyed.
    Ellen bristled. No matter how much experience he claimed to have, she was no novice at this work.
    “Don’t start ordering me around,” she retorted.
    “You’ll do as I say or I’ll put you over my knee again.”
    At his words, the house they were in seemed to disappear. Through a haze, Ellen suddenly saw herself standing in a Victorian parlor, wearing an old-fashioned long black skirt and ruffled white blouse. Rafe was in front of her, seated on a heavy carved settee upholstered in burgundy crushed velvet. She was yelling at him, but he never uttered a word in response. Instead, he simply reached out, yanking her face-down across his lap. Now he was pulling the floor-length skirt up to her waist, uncovering some sort of white pantaloons slit open in the back, exposing her bare bottom.
    She blinked and the scene faded away. Despite her irritation at his high-handed tone, she felt a sharp tingle of arousal from the vision. Angrily, she forced the image out of her head.
    “What do you mean—put me over your knee again? ”
    “We can discuss that later. Right now, we need to go upstairs. And you need to remember to do as you’re told.”
    Ellen had worked with other psychics before, but never with anyone so bossy and overbearing. Still, the dark energy in the house seemed stronger now and, although she hated to admit it, she was grateful for his presence. Grudgingly, she allowed him to pass her and followed him up the stairs, with his hand firmly gripping hers.
    When they got to the upstairs hall, he stopped, as though taking his bearings, then led her into the center of Amy’s room. They paused as Rafe took in the crayon drawings covering the walls, most of them marred by a gray-black mass added somewhere in the picture, scrawled with an angry hand. Ellen stared around the room uneasily. She’d never had a place affect her this way. The dark mass was nowhere in sight, but something was definitely wrong here. She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself. Her throat tightened and suddenly she was suffocating. Her eyes widened and she put up one hand, certain she would feel an arm clamped around her throat, cutting off her air supply.
    Panicked, she fought for control. This isn’t real, she told herself over and over. The cheerful yellow walls suddenly felt like they were closing in on her, trapping her. A wave of grief hit her out of nowhere, a palpable pain in her chest so overpowering that she nearly fell to her knees. She let out a muffled cry, yanked her hand out of his, and dashed back into the hallway.
    He caught up with her in two long strides.
    “You don’t let go of my hand—and you don’t go off on your own. I’m not going to tell you again.”
    Ellen glared unseeing at the tall male figure in front of her, hatred glowing in her eyes. When he reached for her hand, she burst into wild sobs. “You can’t make me stay here,” she shrieked. “I know what you are, what you’ve done.”
    He grabbed her shoulders. “Ellen, stop. Come back. It’s not him, it’s me. She’s taken over your mind. You have to fight this.”
    She struggled to get free, pounding him with her fists. He pulled her close, wrapping both arms around her, and trapping her hands against his chest. She sagged against him and her sobbing gradually subsided, turning into a silent river of tears. Rafe held her tight, stroking her hair, alternately murmuring to his spirit guides and whispering soft words in her ear, until her shoulders quit heaving. Then he led her back down the stairs.
    He headed for the living room and sank onto the couch, pulling her down beside him with one arm firmly planted around her waist.
    Ellen’s head was throbbing and she