Daniel > Recent Status Updates

“I was an overnight sensation,” he always told interviewers in later years. “A year after they heard me the first time, they called me back!” Everyone caught the boyish modesty, but they may have overlooked the understandable pride. Mr. Phillips had called him back—his perseverance had paid off. He had finally gotten his break.

18 year old Elvis at Sun Records waiting his turn in the lobby to record a 45 record for his mama (paid $3.98 + tax).

“If you know anyone that needs a singer….”

“What kind of a singer are you?”

“I sing all kinds.”

“Who do you sound like?”

“I don’t sound like nobody.”

Oh, one of those….“What do you sing, hillbilly?”

“I sing hillbilly.”

“Who do you sound like in hillbilly?”

“I don’t sound like nobody.”

There were demons in the audience, but other Lost Ones too, and a few humans with . . . collars on. Oh . . . Wait . . . The humans were wrapped up in those skinny, leather belt–like outfits. Ah, they were demon bait.

Since I’d been called demon bait more than once, I clearly looked as though I should be wearing a collar and paraded around with my ass out.

I mean . . . I wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea.

"You want to ask if I know anyone who will help you murder a vampire? Well, fuck, just come right out and say it.” His grin grew, stretching over sharp teeth. “That’s an average Friday night in Demontown.”

“Oh good.” I’d been worried he wouldn’t be on board. From his voracious smirk, I needn’t have.

“Violence is always the answer,” he purred. “Unless it’s sex. Get your coat. I'm taking you out on the town.”

“Fuck this. I don’t have a heart as kind as his. Like I told Baroness Bitch-Face, I will absolutely fuck you up if you ruin what I have here with Adam. You know as well as I do, Adam is worth more than you can afford. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m only good for fucks. You have no idea the nine levels of shit I’ve crawled through to get here, and I will absolutely take you and your leech family out.”

I’d set aside Sunday evenings to hold a meeting. Then—and only then—ghosts can come to me with requests for assistance. Anything presented outside of those hours falls on deaf ears—no matter how persistent said ghosts are in their requests. Hayward and Flapjack are all that I can handle on a daily basis, and still, they give my sanity a run for its money from time to time.

Beechwood Harbor was postcard-perfect on the outside, but it was teeming with paranormal activity and had more than a handful of supernatural residents thriving just underneath the surface. So far, I’d met a vampire, a telepath, and a pair of witches. Knowing that witches and vampires shared your zip code would probably scare the bejeebies out of most people. I, however, was more or less used to it.

The first rule of being a ghost whisperer:

Don’t tell anyone.

Being plagued by needy ghosts 24/7 is one thing; being harassed by a horde of curious—or worse, grieving—flesh-and-blood people is an entirely different circus. I mean, who wants to hold an impromptu séance in the middle of the cereal aisle? Not me, and the manager of the grocery store probably isn’t too crazy about the idea, either.

“Do you know the meaning of my name?”

“Gabriel? One of the seven archangels — God’s messenger.”

“Precisely,” said Gabriel, holding his hand to my heart. “And I am here to deliver a message to you… That you were created with great intention, Elliot. That you are perfect and whole, exactly as you are. You are here to help the world… Because another of the archangels lives in your heart… The angel of healing.”

"You can tell me what you want."
“It’s hard for me.”
“You should tell me what you want,” he whispered.
“I like feeling submissive and not in control, but I don’t trust people enough to let my guard down. I’m embarrassed to ask, so I never have. I don’t want you to think less of me.”
He winked. “I don’t think less of you. I respect you. I like being in control in the bedroom. You don’t need to keep it from me."

“You know a creepy place like that has to be crawling with vampires.”

“That’s why we’re going to drag Dallas with us and start cracking heads.”

I wasn’t expecting the kiss. “We need daylight,” I mumbled against his lips.

“Maybe let’s go slay vampires tomorrow. Today we can stay in bed.” Taleb tugged me closer. “I have my handcuffs, you know.”

“Kill stuff now. Handcuffs later. C’mon.”

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to follow me there,” he said in a very serious tone. “I need to perform an oral investigation. Oh, my god, no! I meant oral as in just talking. Why did I think an interview was an oral investigation? Anyway, the strip mall. I’ll talk to you there. Now you follow in front of me!” He ran to his car. I turned left onto Bristol and let J-Dom lead me from behind to the strip mall.

"I never stopped wanting you. I always wanted you. I want everything of you and I want everything from you.”

He snorted. “You’re not getting my Tony Hawk autograph.”

“Intersection coming up. You can still change your mind. Show me your STD.”

“I don’t have an STD,” he uttered, knuckles white as he held on to the steering wheel.

“Maybe your dick is dead. Maybe it died from loneliness. I could give it CPR.”

"Buckle up.” Pulling the seatbelt across my shoulder, I glanced at the bulge in Connor’s pants.
“Can I see it?”
"What?"
“I said can I see—”
Connor, who was just about to start the engine, stopped and scowled at me. “Not in my driveway, Lars! What is wrong with you today?”
“Then why are we still here? Go, go, go already! You can show it to me at the corner of Lincoln and Vine. We always get a red light there.”

“What are you doing?” he asked as my hand slowly made its way up his torso.

“Nothing,” I said.

Rubbing my arm, he said, “This doesn’t feel like nothing.”

I shrugged and gently rolled his nipple between my thumb and forefinger.

“You’re a very naughty boy,” Connor whispered.

I nodded with a mischievous grin.

Had forgotten how much I enjoyed the first one until I started reading this sequel! Gonna be fun!!

"I wasn’t lying about being a licensed massage therapist. I could give you a good rubdown before bed.”

“Seriously? How did I never know that about you? I know about when you set a car on fire as a teenager, but not this?”

“Hey, that wasn’t my fault. I was just trying to get a boy’s number, and things got out of hand.”

“Right You tell me about arson but not your massage therapist license?”

This is freakin' awesome!! 😁

“We need to meet him across town. Are you good to walk?”

Taleb nodded quickly. Azerlyn was ready with an icepack or whatever else was in his fanny pack. “Let me know if you start feeling weak. I have snacks in my bag if you start to get lightheaded.”

“I feel like you’d be a really great aunt, Azerlyn,” Taleb teased, a smile he was trying to form weak on his lips.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have any gum.”