Free Where There's Smoke by Karen Kelley Page A

to find out exactly what it was, even if it killed her.
    Okay, technically, she was already dead, but she still wanted to know what was up. Well, she hoped he could get it up.
    She drummed her fingers on the dresser. She had to come up with a new plan or she’d never steal Chance’s soul. Just the thought of returning empty-handed left a sour taste in her mouth, not to mention a twinge of fear.
    Demons were not creatures she wanted to mess with. They had unfathomable power and could crush her in an instant. She didn’t even want to imagine what they would do to her if she didn’t bring back a soul. The thought of going before the demon tribunal made her knees knock. She had a feeling it would be far worse than just going to Hell.
    The ringing doorbell made her jump, bringing her out of her dark thoughts. A demon? Shivers of dread rushed through her. How would she explain her failure?
    She frowned, shaking her head. A demon wouldn’t ring a doorbell. Sheesh, now she was getting paranoid.
    Chance then? Her nipples tightened. Her thighs clenched.
    “Ow,” she whispered as she grabbed the edge of the dresser. She wasn’t sure she was up to an all day sex orgy.
    She really wanted to soak in a hot tub filled with bubbles. That would have to go on the back burner. At least until she got rid of whoever kept jabbing the doorbell.
    Destiny made her way to the other room, still as naked as the day she was born. Clothes were such a bother. She reached out and pulled a white terrycloth robe out of thin air. After slipping her arms inside the sleeves, she belted it at the waist.
    Whoever was on the other side of the door jabbed the bell a couple more times.
    “I’m coming, I’m coming,” she muttered, then groaned at the image that created. Hell, she hadn’t been this sore the day after she rode a horse for the very first time.
    She looked through the peephole then groaned again. LeAnn was quickly becoming as annoying as a fly on a hot summer day. Destiny opened the door.
    “I brought breakfast. Do you have coffee on yet?” She pushed past Destiny and headed toward the kitchen, the scent of doughnuts trailing after her.
    If Destiny’s mouth wasn’t already watering, she would have thrown LeAnn out on her ass, but not only was the aroma tantalizing enough to tickle her taste buds, her stomach started to rumble like a coal train chugging up a steep mountain. That’s when she realized she didn’t eat last night.
    “By the way, you look like hammered shit,” LeAnn said over her shoulder.
    Destiny opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. What the hell did she mean by that? Of all the nerve! She dragged her fingers through her tangled hair, glancing into a mirror hanging on the wall as she ambled past.
    She came to a screeching halt and stared at her reflection.
    A tuft of hair poked out on each side almost looking like a pair of horns. They so didn’t do anything for her. She quickly raked her fingers through her tangles, taming her hair.
    Were those dark circles under her eyes? She stepped closer to the mirror and intently studied her reflection. And bags! She was too young for bags! She mentally figured her age. No, she wasn’t going there. Besides, she was twenty-six at the time of her death and she hadn’t aged since.
    But maybe she did look like hammered shit.
    When she stepped inside the kitchen, LeAnn was rummaging through the cabinet but turned as Destiny walked into the room. “Rough night, sweetie? You really have to be careful using the sex toys. Kind of like a kid in a candy store. You can get too much of a good thing.”
    “I’m sore.” Destiny eased down onto one of the chairs at the table.
    LeAnn grabbed a hand towel out of one of the drawers, then went to the refrigerator and opened the freezer door. “I’ve got the perfect cure.” She scooped some ice out of the bin, then folded it in the towel. “Here, try this.” LeAnn shoved it toward Destiny.
    Destiny raised one eyebrow as she took the