Soul Sucker
Discernment

Ingrid Anderson (Frances Dortmund’s) POV

Denver, Colorado

Monday, December 5, 2022

Landon’s insurance physical went quickly, and the doctor assured us he was in great physical shape for a man his age. “I should get the test results back shortly, so if any issues arise, I will call you,” she told him.

He checked the time and shook his head. “I can make the next meeting if I leave now. Can you get home from here?”

“I’ll have my driver pick me up. I’ll be fine,” I replied as I took his hand.

“I’ll call you when I can get away from the office, and we can meet for dinner.” We followed the doctor out to the reception area.

“Mr. Street? My name is Samuel Kincaid with First Insurance.” I turned around, unimpressed with the out-of-shape low-level flunky. Landon shook his extended hand. “My associate, John Miller.”

I froze for a second, fear flushing through me at the name and then the recognition. I’d seen him as Jordyn Carter, but I was Ingrid now. I quickly recovered as Landon introduced me. I couldn’t avoid shaking hands, first with Samuel.

Then my hand touched John’s hand. My body reacted the same way to the shock that passed between us. A strange feeling went through my body, converging on my sex which was instantly ready.

My demon wanted nothing to do with this man, but he held my hand in a death grip.

His eyes were closed, and his face showed his fear of me, but he didn’t let go. He pulled me to the ground as he collapsed, and I landed awkwardly on top of him. “INGRID!”

“I’m all right,” I replied. John finally released my hand, and Landon helped me to my feet as the doctor went to John’s side. “Give them room.”

The receptionist made a ‘Code Blue’ announcement as the Doctor checked his airway, breathing, and pulse. A nurse arrived with a crash cart a minute later, but John still wasn’t moving. “We should go,” Landon said.

“Yeah. There’s nothing we can do to help.” We walked to the elevator, moving out of the way as more medical personnel rushed to the office. I said goodbye to Landon as we reached the lobby, and he continued down to the parking garage. I called my son as I walked to the couches near the door. “Lonnie, I need you to pick me up. We’ve got a problem.”

My son arrived outside ten minutes later. The Jaguar convertible was in the garage for the winter, so he had a Mercedes Defender. I slumped into the heated seat and closed my eyes. “You’re shaking,” he commented. “What’s going on?”

“John Miller came to Denver to see me.”

“John Miller? The guy from Manhattan Life who was poking into Jordyn’s claim?”

“Yes. John and a guy from First Insurance were waiting for us when we left the doctor’s office after Landon’s physical.”

“Fuck.” I let him mull it over as he drove through the downtown streets. “Why would John be there? We intentionally went to a different company this time.”

“He told me in Indianapolis that he was looking into the substantial term life policy, recently purchased, without a clear cause of death. If he suspects a Black Widow, he probably is looking at new policies by fiances or newly married. Fraud investigators share information, and now I’m on his radar.”

Lonnie tapped nervously on the steering wheel. “We could pull the plug. Disappear and lay low for a year or two.”

“There’s more,” I told him. “When I shook hands with him as Jordyn, a shock passed between us. I felt an instant attraction and arousal to the touch, but my demon recoiled. I didn’t touch him again.”

“Weird.”

“Today’s meeting was worse. I had to shake hands, and when we touched? I got the same feeling. Miller had a much stronger reaction than before. He closed his eyes and shook like he was having a nightmare, then passed out cold. He never let go, so I got dragged on top of him. When we left the office a few minutes later, he was still unconscious as they called for an ambulance.”

“Damn. Was it your demon? Did he do something to attack John?”

“Not that I know of. I’ve never had that reaction to anyone before.” We pulled into the parking garage but didn’t talk again until we were safely inside our home. “I need you to look into John Miller using any means necessary. We have to know what he suspects, what he knows, and who he’s working with.”

“I’ll buff up the file I have on him. How far do you want me to go?”

“Whatever it takes. I can’t have this guy poking around after Landon is gone.”

He nodded. “To do it right, I’ll have to go to New York and break into his apartment. I’ll hack his computer and access his work account from there. I can also see if he has any notes or files on you and plant some bugs. We’ll figure out what he knows.”

“Get the tickets and get there before he returns home.”

“I'm on it. What are you going to do, Mom?”

I headed towards my office. “I’m going to figure out why John reacted that way.” I sat at my desk, closing my eyes against the afternoon sun. “What happened back there,” I asked my demon. He’d been strangely quiet since the encounter.

“He is dangerous! Never touch him again!”

“Why? What is he?”

“I don’t know, but he can sense me inside you. If he can replace me, he can kill me. And you know what happens if he kills me, don’t you?”

How could I forget the sight of that poor woman aging decades in seconds before dying?

“I’ll stop him if he comes near us again,” I promised. I didn’t need this complication with the wedding coming so quickly.

I fired up the computer and started to search for people who could see demons. Some called it the gift of discernment, while others called them seers. They could see spiritual forms to some extent. For an unlucky few, they saw the spirit world all the time, as clearly as the real world. They were often misunderstood, attacked, or institutionalized. After all, mortals aren’t designed to see those things.

For others, the sight was temporary or limited. I suspected that was what John’s gift was, a sight that activated on physical contact. I could tell when he looked at me that he didn’t recognize me. He maintained contact with me for over five seconds, and the reaction worsened with each second. If my demon was right, did he see my Succubus form?

Every other victim was looking at my real-life shape while John’s eyes were closed. The facial expressions were the same.

How would John Miller react to seeing a demon? That was the question I had to answer, and fast.

I called around to replace out where John’s ambulance had taken him. It was time to get some answers.