Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels
Page 61
“Fine, then you understand the quandary we’re in.” Oriel straightened and ran both hands through his hair, the heat from the lights causing sweat to bead on his brow. Extra strength bulbs, right. He could only imagine what his electric bill would be after this little venture.
After knocking Georgia into unconsciousness and securing her in the back of his car with makeshift rope, he’d made a pit stop at the nearest home improvement store to buy the highest voltage lights he could get, knowing she’d be out cold until they got back. Hoping for it, at least. His bright—pun intended—idea had paid off so far. There wasn’t enough darkness in the room for her to melt into and escape. He just wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand the heat.
“Please,” he said, lowering his voice until he was shy of begging. “Tell me what you wanted with the potion and maybe we can come to a mutually beneficial decision. I’m trying to work with you, here.” He decided to air on the side of honesty. Lying had never been his forte. “I don’t want to hurt you. The fact remains. We aren’t equipped to keep you here, it’s true, and I’m not sure what to do with you. I need answers.”
Against his better judgment, he crossed the room and helped Georgia into a sitting position. She didn’t fight him this time. Instead, she allowed his hands to guide her she was in a seated position again, the back of the chair against the wall. Then she tilted her face up to look at him.
The second her eyes met his, Oriel forgot how to breathe. Worse, every bit of air in his lungs was pushed out of his body. Like his brain had switched off and his organs forgot how to work on their own. His lungs were dead in the water.
He sputtered something at her when her gaze speared through him. Her eyes were green, dark enough to border on blue, with tiny golden stars around her irises. This, he thought dimly, was stronger than any kind of magic in the world. This immediate pull between a man and a woman on a cellular level. one where there was no rational thought involved. It was basic human chemistry.
“I want it,” she began slowly, keeping her voice soft as well, her eyes never leaving his, “so I can live. There’s something inside of me I don’t understand and it’s eating away until I want to carve out my insides. That potion is the only thing keeping me upright. I want it. It’s mine.”
“I need the nullum fame for my business.” He tried to make her understand his desperation. It might not be equal to hers, but it was close. Close enough to be considered splitting hairs. “Try to understand. There are hundreds of people like you who have a need for it, and I’m the only one in the city with the supply. They don’t know it, but they know they feel better when they leave here. I know the crime rate has dropped since I began to add it to my drinks. I’m helping people. Please.”
He leaned in closer without realizing it, drawn into the pull of her eyes. Forgetting about Jasmine still standing in the room or the ropes binding Georgia and keeping her prisoner. He forgot about everything even though a distant part of him knew it was stupidity.
Georgia hadn’t forgotten. When he was close enough to touch, she slammed her head forward and brought the thick part of her skull in contact with his nose.
“Ouch!” He brought his hands up to cover the throbbing area. Unsurprised when they came away smeared with blood. At once he felt lightheaded. “Why did you hit me?”
“Don’t you dare touch me again.” Although she couldn’t move, she sent a walloping glare upward in his direction, the expression poisonous enough to melt glass.
“I wasn’t trying to touch you.” He wasn’t sure what he was trying to do other than get close to her. He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
“I want you to let me go, tough guy. Let me go right now and give me the nullum whatever it is. I’ll be on my way. If you don’t there is going to be hell to pay. I can promise. I don’t think you’ll do anything to me.”
Jasmine held her sides against a gale of laughter. “She’s got you!” she called out to Oriel on a cackle. “She has your number.”
“You might think you have the upper hand. You might have me tied here with reinforcements waiting at the door for all I know, but I’ve survived this long without any help. I’ve survived not knowing what I am or what to eat or how to live. And I am not going to be taken down by someone with a huge ego who thinks he can tell people what they can and cannot do!”
Her voice rose until it echoed through the room. At the same time, the lights began to flicker. Oriel and Jasmine raised their heads as one when the fluorescent bulb began to pop and crackle.
“Are you seeing this?” Jas asked in a singsong tone. “What’s happening?”
“Whatever it is you’re doing, stop.” Oriel kept one hand pressed to his nose to stop the blood from dripping on the floor. “Ms. St. Edmond, please. Stop it.” He tried using her name in an effort to reach her.
Georgia was having none of it. “I’m not doing anything except fighting for my life.” She tried to rise to her feet, lost her balance one. Finally, she got onto the balls of her feet and threw her head back to stare at him, eyebrows drawn together. It was a hard look. Lethal, more painful than the knock to his face.
“If you bust these lights, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” she interrupted. Calling him out.
“Just don’t bust the lights!” he yelled.
“Buddy, pretty soon you’ll have a bigger problem than your electric bill.”
The lights went off with a final pop.
Oriel spun around unable to see a thing in the sudden change. His eyes struggled to adjust to the difference. “Dammit! Jasmine, grab her.”
“I don’t know what’s going on,” his sister cried.
He stifled a growl. “She can blend in with the shadows. Try and find her before she escapes. Block the door, Jas.” He flung his arms out in front of him hoping to catch Georgia before she went for the door.
“I can’t exactly see in the dark here, Oriel!”
“Where the hell can she be?” He pushed aside the throbbing in his nose and lunged forward, swinging his arms in a circle in an attempt to lasso his wayward—and unseen—actress. No luck. He stumbled forward and lost his footing on the dropped ropes, slamming into the wall and further damaging his bruised nose.
“Son of a—” he broke off on a swear and swiveled ninety degrees. He had to be calm, or he would never find her. Even though his eyes had adjusted enough to make out shapes in the room, as long as there was any hint of darkness, he wouldn’t be able to find her. He’d witnessed firsthand her little magic trick on the boat.
The little minx could blend. His piddly human sight was no match for whatever she was. He had to rely on his other senses to get her in time. Smell, hearing…
He tried to tune out Jasmine’s grumbled complaints about trying to find the way out.
“Just stay still,” he demanded. “I can’t hear anything with you stomping around like a cow.”
He was prepared for her outraged squawk and made a giant leap forward with arms outstretched at his sides before slapping them together like he was trying to catch a runaway animal. Sometimes being human was a real pain the ass. It would certainly help to have super sight.
There was only so much room to maneuver. Oriel set out determinedly in the direction he hoped led to the door. At the last moment, he paused, his ears catching a slight hitch to his left. The sounds of shoes scuffing on the uneven tile.
Gotcha.
This time when his arm swung out it collided with something. It didn’t matter what. He leaped forward and tightened his hold on what felt like her shoulder. Brought the body closer and going for a death grip on whatever he held. He was rewarded with a slight choking sound.
Oops, maybe not her shoulder.
“So, you can’t dematerialize and maintain it for any length of time. Good to know,” he muttered, trying to keep his hold on her. The lights were done for. Whatever she’d done to douse them, they weren’t coming back on. It was money out the window. “I’m not going to let you
out of here,” Oriel continued.
“Then you might as well kill me,” the captive in his arms spat out, “because without that potion, I’m as good as dead. I’d rather not suffer any more than I already have.”
Georgia’s voice was too close to his face for comfort, and he automatically jerked back to avoid another skull and nose collision. His mind worked quickly, the cogs clicking together while he tried to come up with a way to solve this unsolvable problem. She needed the potion to live, and he needed it for his livelihood. There was no way in hell he was letting it go with her, not even to save her life. In the end, whatever it came down to, it was a fight for his and Jasmine’s survival, which he wasn’t willing to compromise.
On the other hand, if he let Georgia loose, she’d come for him. Again and again, until she had what she wanted. As he wasn’t equipped to hold her against her will, that left…crap.
“Maybe we can come up with a solution.”
“What do you mean?”
Her movement didn’t still. It was trying to hold onto a wildcat with his arms coated in oil. Still, he persisted. “I can’t let you leave with the good stuff, but you won’t survive without it. Come work for me.”
“What!?” Jasmine was squawking again. From across the room, he might add. “Are you kidding? That’s what you come up with?”
“I don’t pay the rent on my back, champ,” Georgia spat. “Or whatever it is you want from me.”
“I run a coffee shop for paranormals. I think I’ve made it clear by this point I’m not willing to compromise on this matter. Work for me, we’ll see what we can do to find out what you are and how to keep you alive. Until then, I’ll let you have some of the nullum. It’s the best deal I can think of and one where both parties can leave the room alive, if not happy. Otherwise, we’re stuck.”
“I hate to break it to you, but I lie to people for a living. At least, I did before the accident. I can tell when something sounds too good to be true. It usually is.”
“I’m trying to work with you, Ms. St. Edmond. Because truthfully, my arms are getting tired and my face feels like there is a hundred-and-fifty-pound weight sitting on it. I’m exhausted, hungry, and all I want to do is take a bath. If I let you go, can I trust you not to walk away?”
“No.”
He sighed. “Then it’s going to be a long night.”
4
Georgia shifted in his embrace, her hands scratching against the forearm keeping her pinned to his chest. Her mind began a rapid fire back and forth on all the pros and cons of the situation. It was one of her gifts. Something that had made her a dynamite at choosing parts with the best long-term payout. Something that helped her memorize her scripts in half the time it took her fellow castmates. Something that helped her navigate the treacherous waters of Hollywood as well as the back alleys of Oregon after her death.
If she couldn’t figure her way out of this situation, then she was worse than useless. And if she couldn’t handle the man…
Well, maybe she would leave time for handling him. He certainly felt strong and solid and nummy pressed against her back.
“Think you can loosen your hold and let me breathe a little bit?” she asked instead. With a venomous dose of sarcasm.
Oriel let his grip loosen but only just. “Well?”
“I’m thinking, man, I’m thinking.”
There was something to be said for having someone there to help her, or at least offer to help her figure out what she’d become. If he let her have some of the potion even better, because—
“You and I both know there isn’t much of this stuff going around. The alchemist responsible for the nullum fame hasn’t produced a fresh batch in the last twenty years. Who knows when another vial is going to be available?”
How the hell did he know what she was thinking? The man was obviously up to something. Now if she could only figure out what it was.
“What is it you expect me to do?” she wanted to know.
“The usual. Cleanup, stocking, work an espresso machine. Be polite to the customers who come in. Try not to make a big deal out of their…you know. Eccentricities.”
“I’m not going to be expected to take care of the Loch Ness monster, am I?”
“He hasn’t yet, but if he did, yes. I would expect you to treat him with as much kindness and respect as anyone else.”
“Just let her go, Oriel,” Jasmine chimed in. Her fumbling footsteps coming closer. “She isn’t going to want to work for you. If I were her I wouldn’t want to sign your W2 either.”
“Do we have a deal?”
It took Georgia less than a second to agree. “Deal.”
Oriel released her with such swiftness she stumbled forward. Her hand fell on the door knob and for the briefest moment she considered bolting. She could be gone before the bumbling hulk found her and tackled her again. But then, there was something about his offer…about the soothing way he spoke and the rich cadence of his vowels…it put her at ease. Even the tiniest kernel of peace in her heart was more than she’d been afforded in recent years.
“I’ll do it under one condition.”
His laugh sounded close to her ear and she felt his breath ruffle the soft hairs on her temple. “You’re still trying to bargain.”
It was work to keep her tone even. “I get some of the potion tonight. I haven’t eaten in weeks and I’m not sure how steady I’ll be if I don’t have it.”
“Agreed.”
The man was big on the one-word answers. That she could tell.
“Do you have any place to go?”
This was the woman again, whom Georgia could only guess was the man’s sister. From what she’d seen, the girl was young, in her early twenties at most, with a kind face and snapping dark eyes.
Oriel’s hand covered hers on the door and she jerked back from the unexpected contact. Then he pulled and at once light from the hallway flooded the room.
Georgia blinked at the change, watching her limbs become visible again. She thought about the question, and she thought about the various hell holes she’d been squatting in since the accident. She hadn’t felt safe anyplace and never stayed longer than she had to, er hunger ushing her further and further up the West coast.
“No,” she said decisively.
“Then you can stay with us. We have a pullout couch in the office.” Jasmine blinked innocent eyes at her brother. “What? It will be better to watch her, too.”
Oriel glanced between them for a moment, his face hard, then a mask fell over his eyes. “Jas, take care of her.”
He was out the door before Georgia could question him about the potion. Now that she final had her arms and legs free, and a spare moment to think, she recognized the pain in her abdomen again. Felt how it reached out with skeleton fingers to claw at her insides until everything beneath her skin hurt.
Jasmine took the order in stride and smiled at Georgia, revealing a gap between her two front teeth. “Come on. I’ll show you around. Just don’t try to tackle me to the ground. I have a delicate constitution.”
“Somehow I doubt it,” Georgia muttered under her breath.
“You’d be right to. We all have our secrets, don’t we?” The two women stepped out into the hallway and Jasmine took her time perusing the once great actress. “Wow, even with your hair all mussed and dirt on your face, you’re still really gorgeous. The cameras did not lie about it.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean, people think you’re dead! And now here you are, and you’re standing two feet away from me, and you tried to kill my brother…wow. Wow!” Her hands went to her hips and her head cocked to the side, goofy smile still in place. “Would it be wrong to get your autograph?”
Georgia’s stomach squealed in protest and she felt an urge to run. Run far away before she gave into whatever darkness the pain brought and hurt someone. She had before. “Maybe later,” she said instead.
Jasmine gestured for her to follow. “Come on. We have an apartment abo
ve the coffee shop.”
“Is that where we are now?”
“Yeah, it’s an old building Oriel bought. Good location but we’ve had our fair share of issues.”
“Oriel.” Georgia tested the name. It fit the man, she determined. “Sorry, we never got around to basic introductions. Not while he was hogtying or choking the life out of me.”
“He can be that way sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother, but he’s a real pain in the can. He likes things done his way and he doesn’t really take anything else into consideration. A real macho man. I’m Jasmine, by the way.”
Jas turned around and offered her hand. Who was this woman, Georgia thought, who put herself into harms way without second thought? Not that she would do anything to hurt the girl. Still.
A split second of hesitation saw her slowly extending her hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“God, I’m touching a movie star. I’m so glad I did my nails earlier tonight.” Jasmine made it to a side door which opened to reveal a rickety staircase leading to the second floor. “I am never going to wash this hand.”
There was enough raw excitement in the statement to have an answering smile tug at the corners of her mouth. It stopped her cold in her tracks. God, when was the last time she’d smiled? It had to be two years. Way before the accident, because things hadn’t been going well on set and she distinctly remembered the stress. The panic they wouldn’t make their deadline.
The project had been doomed from the start.
“I guess Oriel wants you to stay with us while you’re working. Although knowing him he’ll tell me I’m wrong sooner or later. If you give me a minute to get the spare sheets out of the closet I’ll make up the bed for you.”
“Aren’t you worried I’ll go rogue? Maybe kill you in your sleep?”
Jasmine paused at the door to the upstairs apartment. “Will you?”
“Well, no, but I’m a stranger to you. One who has a vested interest in stealing something from you.”
“No one is perfect. Besides, it’s Oriel’s deal with the nullum whatchamacallit, not mine. You want to take it from him, fine.” Jas opened the door then stepped aside to let Georgia push past her. “I’m just happy for the extra help. Right now, he has me pulling extra shifts because we only have a few members on staff and we’re open twenty-four-hours a day. I want a break. Maybe a chance to go out and chill with people my age instead of creepy monsters. Not that you’re creepy or anything.”