I sat cross-legged on the floor, facing the man I loved while my brother held him at Taser-point. Letting myself drift into the trance state might turn out to be something of an issue when I was such an emotional wreck.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, drawing the calming scent of vanilla into my lungs. It was a scent my body and mind associated with the peaceful, dreamy sensation of the trance state, and some of my tension fled with that first deep breath. I could do this. And when I’d explained, Brian would understand.

Even as I thought that to myself, I remembered Lugh’s parting shot—No, I would not expect you, of all people, to take anything on faith. The memory almost dispelled the calm that had begun to settle, but after a quick spike of adrenaline, another breath of vanilla took me farther away from the physical world.

The trance descended on me like an altered state of consciousness. The real world fell away, and my mind opened to my otherworldly vision, the kind that did not rely on my eyes.

In the trance state, I can see nothing but living beings, the physical world around them nothing but a black, empty void. People show up as vaguely human-shaped patches of primary blue, their hue shaded by their emotions. Fear tends to tinge their auras with yellow, and though my focus was on Brian, I could see that Andy’s aura was almost green. I wondered if he was afraid because he thought Brian might be hosting Der Jäger, or if he was just in a perpetual state of fear after what Raphael had done to him.

I forced my attention away from my brother and examined Brian’s aura. There was no hint of demon-red in it, but it roiled with every shade of blue imaginable, his emotions raw and wild. I had a voyeur’s temptation to linger in the trance, staring at his aura and picking out the emotions, finding out exactly what he felt about me at this moment. But then, did I really want to know?

I opened my eyes, and the real world reappeared. “You can relax,” I told Andy. “His aura’s clean.”

Andy lowered the Taser, but I wouldn’t exactly say he relaxed. I started blowing out candles, and the acrid smell of smoke blended with the vanilla.

“May I get up?” Brian asked acidly, “or are you planning to handcuff me to the chair for interrogation now?”

Guilt stabbed through me for a moment, but I fought against it. I hadn’t done anything wrong. There would have been no other way to confirm that Der Jäger hadn’t possessed him.

I blew out the last candle and spoke without looking at him. “I’m not going to apologize again. I’ve got a rogue demon after me, and I’ve got reason to believe he might try to get to me through people I care about. I had to make sure he hadn’t gotten to you yet.”

I was on my knees, gathering up the candles. I heard Brian stand up. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked up at him, the still-warm candles clutched to my chest. The steely look in his eyes told me he hadn’t forgiven me. I struggled to my feet.

“Please sit down,” I said. “We really do need to talk.”

His face closed and shuttered, he pulled the coffee table away from the couch so there was room for him to sit. It wasn’t hard to read from his body language that he didn’t want to hear what I had to say.

“I’ll take those,” Andy said, and I jumped a bit, not having noticed him approach. He reached for the candles, and I gratefully allowed him to take them from me. Then he mouthed “good luck” at me before he tactfully disappeared into the guest bedroom and closed the door.

I had a brief moment of worry, until I saw he’d left the Taser on the coffee table. Brian saw me looking at it, and before I could say anything, he grabbed it. At least he didn’t point it at me.

Once upon a time, I’d have sat next to him on the couch and had a good snuggle—which would have led to a passionate bout of lovemaking. Now, I felt like I was with a stranger, maybe even a hostile one, so I sat on the love seat instead, my hands folded in my lap.

“Do you know how to fire that?” I asked him, and his eyes widened in surprise. I guess he hadn’t been expecting the question. “If you don’t, then I’d be more comfortable if you gave it to me. Just in case my new friend manages to get in the building and breaks down the door.”

His mouth tightened into a grim line, but he put the Taser on the coffee table and slid it across to me. I was glad to have something to hold on to, even if my palm was clammy and my taped fingers made the grip awkward.

“So, what’s the story?” he asked, and his voice was now carefully neutral. It was his lawyer-voice, and I’d always hated it.

A part of me wanted to spill my guts, tell him everything, lean on him so I wouldn’t feel so alone anymore. And despite Andy, and Adam, and Lugh, I really was alone. I distrusted all three of them, to differing degrees and for different reasons. Brian had always been someone I trusted.

But I had done everything I could so far to keep the chaos of my life from dragging him down with me, and I wasn’t going to let my selfish desire for comfort ruin everything.

“There’s not a whole lot to tell,” I lied. “I ran afoul of a rogue demon, and he’s made it clear he’s planning to come after me. I found out tonight that the host I met him in had been abandoned in an alley, and I realized his best chance of getting close to me was through someone I know. Do you have any vacation time coming to you? Is there any chance you could get out of town for a week or two?”

Brian laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “You don’t learn, do you? I’m not the type to run and hide.”

Heat flushed my face, and I had to pull back the reins on my temper. “I understand that. I really do. But this guy’s a demon. And we have no idea what body he’s in. There’s no way you can protect yourself from that.”

“Why is this demon after you?”

It was the question I’d been dreading, the question I had no good answer for. I did the best I could, though I’m a lousy liar. “I tried to exorcize him. I failed, and he got away. Now it’s payback time.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “That’s bullshit. If a rogue demon had escaped confinement, it would be all over the news. I haven’t heard a peep.”

I did my best to improvise, but I knew my answer came too slowly, showing that I had to think a minute. “The police are trying to keep it quiet to prevent a panic.”

He stood up, shaking his head. “Either tell me the truth, or I walk. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a grown, capable man. I don’t need you to protect me.”

I knew it was a stupid thing to do, but I couldn’t help the snort of laughter. I tried to turn it into a cough, but failed. Brian glared at me, and I made a calming gesture with my hand.

“Sorry, but I’m an exorcist, and the bad guy’s a demon. There’s no one more qualified to protect you in this case than I am.”

“Bye, Morgan,” he said, spinning on his heel and striding for the door.

I surged to my feet, the Taser clutched in my hand. “Brian, please! We need to talk about this, come up with a plan, even if you’re not willing to get out of town.”

He held up his hand in a wave, not turning to look at me. Moving almost on autopilot, I armed the Taser and pointed it at his back.

“Brian, stop!” I said in my most commanding voice. When he ignored me and reached for the doorknob, I yelled even louder. “Stop, or I’ll shoot!”

That gave him pause, and he glanced over his shoulder. When he saw the Taser, the blood drained from his face.

I felt a tear drip from the corner of my eye and crawl down my cheek. Words couldn’t express how much I hated this. But how could I let him just walk away? He had absolutely no way to defend himself against a rogue demon. I doubted he could fire a Taser, even if he had one. I sniffled, but didn’t relent.

“I’m sorry if I’m offending your macho, he-man sensibilities,” I said with far more steel in my voice than I actually felt, “but if I have to save you in spite of yourself, I’ll do it.”