The Entity Within by Cat Devon Read Free Book Online Page A

what you did or did not do. How convenient for you.”
    “This is not convenient at all,” she retorted.
    “Damn right. Demons are not convenient. Do you know what they do? They possess humans and kill. They suck the brains out of witches.” He tapped his index finger against her temple.
    “Actually I think sucking brains is a zombie thing, not a demon thing, but I could be wrong,” Gram said.
    Seeing the look of fury growing in Damon’s eyes, Zoe said, “Gram, why don’t you wait for us in the hallway.”
    “Stay where you are. Both of you,” Damon growled.
    He made Zoe so nervous, her legs were shaking. She found the strength to pull away from him, but it took such effort that she ended up bouncing on the edge of the bed.
    Damon towered over her but she didn’t have the strength yet to stand and confront him again.
    Placing a hand on either side of her, he bent over until his mouth was mere centimeters from hers. “You have no idea what you are dealing with here, little witch.”
    Staring him in the eye, she said, “I’m dealing with a pissed-off vampire falsely accusing me of calling forth demons.” She tried to shove him away. It was like trying to move a tank. She ducked under his arm and stomped to the other side of the room.
    Okay, it was more like a scurry than a stomp, but at least she’d put some much-needed distance between them.
    “Whatever happened, it was an accident,” she said.
    “Fix it,” he ordered, stalking her as she moved around the room.
    “We need the book to do that,” she told him.
    “Find it.”
    “I don’t even know who took it.”
    “So you say. But maybe you have it stashed here in the house.”
    He started dumping out the dresser drawers that Gram had filled with her unpacking spell earlier.
    “You have no right—” Zoe said.
    He cut her off. “I have every right. If you get in my way, you will both be banished from Vamptown immediately. Don’t bother calling Nick,” he said as Zoe reached for her smartphone. “He’s already agreed with me on this matter. And get these surveillance cameras working again,” he snapped as he dumped more belongings on the floor.
    Looking nervous and remorseful, Gram said, “I’m working on it.”
    “Work harder. Meanwhile tell me what this book looks like.”
    “It’s beige calfskin with gilded edges along the pages. It’s not as thick as our family Book of Spells,” Gram said. “We only saw the outside of the book. Once we heard the howl, I snapped it shut again. I don’t know what’s inside.”
    Without speaking, Damon moved on to the living room, which he ransacked with the same disrespect that he’d displayed in Gram’s room.
    His search was meticulous. Beneath furniture, behind it, inside couch cushions.
    He went through the kitchen with similar thoroughness. There wasn’t much to go through, as Gram hadn’t unpacked those boxes yet. Damon ripped them open with vamp speed, rummaging through them.
    “Be careful. That belonged to my mother.” Zoe grabbed the ceramic soup tureen out of his hands.
    He grabbed it back and tore the lid off to check it inside.
    Finally satisfied that he’d covered the main floor, Damon announced, “The upstairs is next.”
    Zoe tried to get there before he did but could not compete against his freaky fast speed. He’d already wrecked half her workroom by the time she walked in.
    Using his arm, he swept her soaps from the shelves, dumping them all on the floor.
    “Be careful,” she cried out as she saved a bottle of rare and very expensive essential oil from shattering on the floor.
    It took a moment or two for her to realize that she’d used magic to prevent the bottle from breaking, freezing it in midair.
    Damon noticed her relapse immediately. “So you don’t use magic, huh? What do you call that?”
    “Necessity.” She wished she could freeze him in place.
    “What’s this?” He reached for an old book sitting in the middle of her worktable.
    This time she didn’t