Demon Aura Read online

  Demon Aura

  The Demon Games

  Book 1

  By Lisa Deerwood

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, brands, media, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Copyright © 2020 by Lisa Deerwood

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this work may be used, reproduced, stored in, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above copyright owner of this book, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Developmental Edit by J. Deerwood

  Copy Edit by Kelly Hogate

  First Edition April 2020

  Contents

  Contents

  Summary

  Opening Quote

  Chapter 1 - Raelyn

  Chapter 2 - Julian

  Chapter 3 - Raelyn

  Chapter 4 - Julian

  Chapter 5 - Raelyn

  Chapter 6 - Raelyn

  Chapter 7 - Julian

  Chapter 8 - Raelyn

  Chapter 9 - Julian

  Chapter 10 - Raelyn

  Chapter 11 - Julian

  Chapter 12 - Raelyn

  Chapter 13 - Julian

  Chapter 14 - Raelyn

  Chapter 15 - Julian

  Chapter 16 - Raelyn

  Chapter 17 - Julian

  Chapter 18 - Raelyn

  Chapter 19 - Raelyn

  Chapter 20 - Julian

  Chapter 21 - Raelyn

  Chapter 22 - Raelyn

  Chapter 23 - Julian

  Chapter 24 - Raelyn

  Chapter 25 - Julian

  Chapter 26 - Julian

  Chapter 27 - Raelyn

  Chapter 28 - Julian

  Chapter 29 - Raelyn

  Chapter 30 - Julian

  Author Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Other Works by Lisa Deerwood

  Summary

  The only thing more unexpected than finding a man with no aura is falling in love with him.

  Raelyn Bakowski works as an embalmer for a reason. It keeps her away from the one thing that can overwhelm her: the aura of a living person. When a gorgeous stranger visits the funeral home, Raelyn encounters the unbelievable—a man who’s not only alive, but also auraless.

  Julian Rickelson didn’t decide to become a demon master, he was born into it. Having witnessed what love did to his parents, Julian has sworn off serious relationships. Following the passing of his great aunt, Julian visits Bakowski Funeral Home with only one goal in mind—getting through his great aunt’s funeral.

  When Julian and Raelyn meet, theirs is an instant attraction that quickly turns steamy. Unfortunately, a demon master is unable to step away from their duties, and when a series of deaths point to demonic activity, and Raelyn’s life is threatened, Julian’s deepest fears force him to walk away.

  But Julian’s foe is more elusive than he expects, and Raelyn can no longer be turned away—or deny the passion that will bring her into Julian’s world.

  This book is intended for mature audiences.

  Opening Quote

  “You’re not weird, you’re special.”

  — Julian Rickelson

  Chapter 1 - Raelyn

  Raelyn took a step backwards and collided with the wall. The action went unnoticed by the two women arguing in front of her.

  This meeting was going downhill fast and she was powerless to stop it.

  Angry energy rolled throughout the space, overshadowing the peace and tranquility offered by the neutral décor. Trapped inside the room with two quarrelling sisters, a sharp pain settled inside Raelyn’s chest as she listened to the siblings argue about the cost of their father’s funeral.

  “Dad sacrificed everything for us. The least we can do is give him a proper burial,” the younger sister said. The gray edges of the haze surrounding the woman’s body turned red as anger moved in to replace grief.

  “We are,” the older sister countered. “I just don’t see why we have to get the Rolls Royce of caskets. We should pick something cheaper. Spending all this money on a box that’s just going to sit in the ground rotting away is a waste.”

  Raelyn closed her eyes, trying to shut out the onslaught of anger, grief, and greed. The longer she was around these two sisters, the stronger her desire to escape became. She struggled with the pressure building inside her chest. Her breaths came out in short gasps.

  She couldn’t breathe.

  She didn’t belong here.

  As an embalmer Raelyn was responsible for preparing a body for viewing and burial, not interacting with the clientele. That task was part of the funeral director’s job, not hers. Where she belonged right now was downstairs in her office, her feet propped up on the desk, eating a grilled chicken sandwich while she finished reading the latest chapter in her mystery novel.

  Instead, she was stuck here, fighting off a panic attack. Death often brings out some of the worst emotions from people.

  For most people, emotions were conveyed through their words and body language. A person knows what someone else is thinking and feeling through outward expressions, tone of voice, fallen tears, bright smiles, gentle touches, and of course, spoken words. A person can choose how to express their emotions, and even hide them, especially if they’re really good at acting.

  But a person can’t control their body’s energy.

  The person’s aura, or energy field, is a light around the human body that reflects their emotional state. Normally a person’s aura remains undetected and the people around them rely on the outward displays of expression.

  Except for Raelyn.

  As a clairvoyant empath, she didn’t have to rely on the physical cues that people gave off. Their auras spoke to her instead. She couldn’t look at a living person without seeing and feeling their emotional state. When confronted with emotions that were strong enough, Raelyn’s sensitivity could even make her physically ill, and trigger a panic attack. Which was exactly what was happening to her, right now.

  The sisters’ voices raised in volume, their auras as clear to Raelyn as a blue sky on a sunny day. So was the emotional backlash. The onslaught of negativity from the two siblings ignited Raelyn’s fight or flight response.

  She didn’t belong here.

  The problem was, Raelyn was the only one free at the moment. Her mother, Colleen, the owner of the funeral home, was next door finishing up a consultation that had run over. Eric and Dylan were out picking up a corpse from the hospital, and the receptionist was at home with the flu. All of this meant that there was no one else at the funeral home available to cover the afternoon appointment. An appointment that was supposed to be a simple review of the funeral contract and a drop off of the deposit.

  Except now it wasn’t.

  The younger sister argued. “No it’s not! We are simply giving dad the best! It’s what he deserves!” The gray and red pattern swirling about a foot away from the woman’s body radiated both grief and anger.

  “No, this is stupid. That’s my money you’re wasting!” The older sister snapped. Her dark green aura quivered as it mixed with red, pairing greed with anger.

  The combination of green and red reminded Raelyn of tacky Christmas decorations.

  “I’m not spending my money on
this.” The older sister crossed her arms. “Besides, it’s not like he’s going to know the difference!”

  “You greedy, self-centered, spoiled bitch!” The younger sister emphasized her statement by throwing a box of tissues at her sibling.

  Raelyn’s breath caught in her throat. The argument between the two sisters was reaching a feverish pitch. If she didn’t leave right now, there would be no stopping her panic attack.

  Pressed up against the wall, her eyes flicked back and forth between the two women. Their auras shifted rapidly as their tempers climbed even higher.

  Gray. Green. Red.

  Grief. Greed. Anger.

  The negative energy was rolling around the room now. Raelyn was overwhelmed, both mentally and emotionally.

  Raelyn eyed the door. If she left right now, she doubted that the two battling women would even notice.

  Moving slowly and quietly, she slid towards the door. Caught up in their argument, the two sisters remained oblivious as Raelyn slipped out of the room and into the hallway. Leaning against the door, she closed her eyes and sighed in relief as the heavy weight on her chest disappeared, and her heart rate and breathing returned to normal.

  “Honey, are you alright?” Colleen asked.

  Startled by her mother’s voice, Raelyn’s eyes snapped open.

  “Yeah, I’m fine Mom.” Raelyn pointed over her shoulder at the door. “You’re going to have your hands full. Those two are arguing over the funeral costs.”

  The funeral director nodded. It wasn’t the first time that she’d had to deal with hostile relatives. Especially when money was involved.

  Knowing how hard it was for her daughter to be around emotional people, Colleen squeezed Raelyn’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I had to bring you up here honey. Go, I’ve got this.”

  At the word go, Raelyn rushed down the hallway, eager for the peace and tranquility of the embalming room.

  ◆◆◆

  Raelyn’s best friend entered the embalming room as she was finishing up for the day. At five foot ten, Trinity Cabello had been one of the taller and more popular girls at school. With large hazel eyes, flawless, lightly tanned skin, and bouncy blonde hair, she’d dreamed about having a career as a supermodel one day. Her picture in the pages of fashion magazines.

  Now that she was dead, the only person who could see her was Raelyn.

  The ghost glided to a stop by the corpse on the table.

  “He was really cute,” Trinity observed as she stared down at the deceased.

  “Jonathan Hall,” Raelyn recalled the information from the coroner’s report. “Six feet tall. Hazel eyes. Forty-five years old. Marital status was divorced. He worked in pharmaceutical sales.”

  Raelyn swiped the sponge in her hand into the cream blush. She patted the pink shade against Jonathan’s cheekbones, using gentle taps to build up the color.

  “The car slid on black ice and rammed into a telephone pole. The cause of death was a broken neck.”

  “A broken neck huh?” Trinity hovered over the body, looking for any signs of damage around the neck area left uncovered by the make-up. Satisfied that the neck was finished, the ghost compared the photograph with the corpse in front of her.

  “I think he needs a little more shading near the hairline.”

  “Thanks.” Raelyn switched sponges and dabbed back and forth between two different ivory shades, blending to customize the color to Jonathan’s skin tone.

  “Is death by broken neck really that common?” Trinity asked.

  Raelyn stopped, pondering the question for a moment.

  “Not usually, but it can happen. When a car comes to a sudden stop and the body jerks forward, the seatbelt should protect you. But if it’s not worn right, the body will jerk forward with too much force.”

  Raelyn pointed to a spot on the man’s forehead.

  “His seatbelt was too low and he hit the windshield here. The force of the crash snapped his neck on impact.”

  “What a shame,” Trinity stared down at the handsome corpse. “All the cute ones are always married or crossed over.”

  Raelyn scoffed at the comment. Her friend wasn’t wrong. Not that it mattered to her. She wasn’t looking for anyone right now anyway. Or maybe ever, especially after her last relationship.

  All of her ex-boyfriends’ problems with her could be summed up in one word—weird.

  Raelyn shook her head, remembering Brady’s words the first time he came to her apartment to pick her up.

  “What kind of girl lives and works in a funeral home? That’s just weird.”

  A few months later Brady judged her again, after she’d trusted him enough to confess to having a ghost as a friend.

  “Don’t be weird Raelyn, there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

  Then there was that time at the holiday concert, when Raelyn spooked around the drunk and rowdy crowd.

  “Why are you acting weird right now, it’s just a bunch of people out having a good time.”

  And finally, Brady’s final words when he broke up with her.

  “This isn’t working out for me anymore Raelyn, no one wants to date a weirdo.”

  His words had cut deep, leaving wounds as raw and tender as if they had been made with a sharp knife.

  But, he was also right.

  Raelyn Bakowski was weird.

  It wasn’t like she could help it. Raelyn had no clue why she saw things that no one else could see. It was just the way things had always been. All living people had an aura, and sometimes, the emotional backlash she got from those auras freaked her out. That’s why Raelyn preferred to spend her time around corpses and ghosts. At least around dead people she found the things that she’d never have around anyone who was still alive.

  Peace, quiet, and tranquility.

  All living people were filled with thoughts and emotions that could, and often did, change at any moment. People were indecisive, careless, egotistical, pessimistic, selfish, cynical, greedy, and cruel. Living beings were black holes that tried to suck the life right out of you.

  Well, maybe not literally. But the amount of anxiety that Raelyn felt when accosted by negative emotions left her wishing that a black hole would come and swallow her up.

  Nope, Raelyn’s happy place was among the deceased.

  Why?

  Because the dead didn’t have auras.

  So maybe she was a little odd, preferring to spend her time around dead people. And yes, maybe it was a little lonely too. But if that was the price to pay to live a peaceful life, then she was perfectly ok with that.

  ◆◆◆

  Raelyn was cleaning up when she heard the click clack of expensive heels striking the cement floor outside. Her mother walked into the embalming room dressed in her usual uniform of a black suit and heels. Colleen’s hair was piled into a tight bun and her make-up was soft, portraying a blend of elegance and sophistication that Raelyn could never seem to achieve for herself.

  Self-conscious, Raelyn pushed wayward strands of hair out of her own face, the dark blonde locks having escaped from her braid. Underneath the lab coat she wore a plain knit top in navy blue, faded boot cut jeans, and a pair of black clogs that were really ugly, yet comfortable for hours of standing on her feet. At the sight of the clipboard in her mother’s hands, Raelyn let out a groan.

  “Don’t clean up yet honey,” Colleen said.

  “Eric and Dylan should be here within the next half hour with two more bodies. A ninety-two-year-old female from Chestnut Creek Nursing Home who died of natural causes.” Colleen turned the page. “And a forty-two-year-old male who died of a broken neck from a car accident.”

  “Really, another one?” Trinity hovered closer to the funeral director and looked over the woman’s shoulder to read the page.

  Colleen shivered from the ghost’s close presence.

  “Raelyn, tell your friend to back off.” Colleen swatted at empty air with her left hand, completely missing the ghost hovering near her right shoulder.


  Trinity had become a permanent fixture within Bakowski Funeral Home. No one could figure out why only Raelyn could see and talk to her, but everyone who worked in the funeral home knew that the pockets of cold air that suddenly appeared, then disappeared, were due to the ghost’s presence nearby.

  “Trey,” Raelyn ordered.

  The ghost stuck her tongue out at the funeral director as she moved away.

  Colleen immediately felt the warmth of the room return.

  “Both families selected two-day viewings with open caskets. They’re scheduled for the end of the week. We should have the photographs of the deceased by tomorrow afternoon.”

  Colleen glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’ve got to go. Some paperwork needs to be finished before tonight’s viewing.”

  Raelyn nodded. After she finished casketing Jonathan Hall in the viewing room, she’d have to start preparations to embalm the new arrivals. While the bodies could be held under refrigeration for a couple of days, Raelyn found that the longer she waited, the harder it was to get good results. That’s why she preferred to embalm the bodies as soon as they arrived at the funeral home.

  Raelyn sighed as her mother walked out of the room.

  It was going to be a long night.

  Chapter 2 - Julian

  The Cessna Citation Longitude flew into the airspace of Millerville Private Airport early Friday evening and prepared to land.

  “We’ve arrived, Master Julian.”

  The gentle touch on his shoulder awakened Julian from his nap. The jet engines roared as the luxurious private jet slowed and taxied across the tarmac to a black Range Rover SVAutobiography that was parked nearby.

  Julian’s Ferragamo loafers touched the ground and he lifted his hands above his head to stretch. The flight from New Jersey to Tennessee had been brief, a little under two hours, but it still felt good to get out and move.