Damned and Cursed | Book 10 | Fallen Skye

by Bullion, Glenn

  Jack said nothing as he studied him. Did he believe him? Not entirely. There was remorse there. But Brandon was still young. He didn’t understand his own feelings from one moment to the next.

  That Jack was even granting Brandon a second chance wasn’t lost on him. Not long ago, he’d have already killed him. There was a possibility he may end up doing so. But that was entirely up to Brandon.

  “Don’t worry about Ronnie. He’s receiving the best care money can buy, with doctors I flew in personally.” Jack stared at Brandon. “It sounds to me like you need new friends. Did you even know Tina is in love with you?”

  “She is?”

  Jack shook his head.

  “So stupid.”

  The silence and tension still hung in the air. Brandon was hopefully reevaluating his life. Gina was reassessing her opinion of her brother. Jack checked the time on his phone. He’d already wasted more oxygen than necessary addressing the Shaeffer children. He had a long flight ahead of him. It was time to go home, back to the beach and his family.

  His gaze drifted to Gina. He wasn’t going to address the issue, but he couldn’t ignore it any longer.

  “Gina.”

  She jumped at her name. He had to choose his words very carefully. It wasn’t his intention to destroy the young woman.

  “You look absolutely horrible.”

  She swallowed a lump in her throat as she tried to speak.

  “I … don’t really care what people think—”

  “Yes, you do. That’s why you dress and act the way you do. Because you care. Keeping people at a distance, because you want to be close. It’s the most ridiculous logic I’ve ever seen, but it’s not the first time. I can’t help with your broken personality, but the style, maybe. And hopefully that will get the ball rolling.” He retrieved his phone to sort through his contacts, finding the one he was looking for. “Ah, there she is. I’m going to give you the info of one of the most successful makeover stylists in the world. I was thinking about siccing her on an acquaintance. He’s in dire need of help, along with cooking lessons.” He took her in again. “But you need help far more than he does. Give me your phone.”

  Her hand shook as she reached for it.

  “I don’t think … my phone—”

  He took it from her and frowned. It was like holding history in the palm of his hand.

  “What the hell is this?”

  “It’s … just a phone. It doesn’t store contacts. It just makes calls.”

  He shook his head.

  “Just … wow. Do you have a paper and pen? Some ink and a feather? Maybe some smoke signals?”

  She pulled a notepad and pencil from a drawer. Her cheeks had gone from white to green. Leaning over a toilet was probably in Gina’s future.

  He scribbled the info, trying to be neat. It had been some time since he’d written anything by hand.

  “It’s like I’m in the nineteenth century all over again.” He tore the page and handed it to her. “I’ll tell her to expect your call. Don’t worry about cost or anything.” He cast a sideways glance at Brandon, who was taking everything in. “Just maybe, I’ll have her give a thought to you, too.”

  He clapped his hands together. Gina jumped, again. She was so panicky. He could feel his mood improving. The visit was almost over.

  “I wish I could say it was a pleasure meeting both of you. But I’d be lying. Tell me, what did we learn here today?”

  The Shaeffers looked at each other with blank expressions. That fast, Jack felt his mood slip. Was the entire trip a waste? Despite his best efforts, would he have to kill them?

  Brandon spoke, to Jack’s surprise.

  “That we … I need to be a better person.”

  “Exactly! You got it! I’m so proud, I could almost hug you. But I’ll leave that to your mother. Just tell her to wash her hands first.” Jack let out a relaxed sigh. He could think of nothing else. “I feel pretty good about this. With some common sense, and a little luck, you both should live long, happy, useless lives. No one got hurt today. And your dog is perfectly fine, outside taking a dump. Do you feel as good as me?”

  Gina lurched forward, then angled toward the side of the kitchen island. She vomited once, with only a short lull before her stomach failed her again. Jack winced in disgust as Brandon patted her back for comfort.

  “I guess not.”

  CHAPTER 8

  JACK TOOK A moment for himself when he stepped off his private plane onto the mobile staircase. A single worker hustled below, getting his luggage from the bowels of the aircraft. His simple trip to the Shaeffers was only a day, but he still brought more than he needed. He’d have to tip the worker well.

  It was a beautiful late afternoon. The nap he forcefully took on the flight was heaven. The rest of the airport at large was full of life, off in the distance. Machines and mortals moved about, working in near harmony all with two goals. Moving people through the sky and making money. Jack could relate to making money. Maybe he’d buy a small airport one day. It could cater to a unique clientele.

  The wealthy who wanted to fly, but hated people. He knew such businesses existed. Victoria had told him stories. She used them occasionally, before her gift of sunlight immunity. Now she chose to fly with mortals, for reasons he would never understand.

  He felt a presence next to him. DeSoto, the pilot he’d worked with for almost ten years, smiled and nodded. He knew better than to attempt a handshake. Jack returned the gestures.

  “As always, Mr. Kursed. A pleasure.”

  “Same.” Jack reached into his pocket for some extra money, counting out a thousand dollars. The bill was already paid in full, but there was wisdom in keeping his pilot happy. “Take your girlfriend out to dinner tonight.”

  “Actually, she’s my wife now.”

  Jack frowned and shook his head.

  “Ah. I’m so sorry.”

  DeSoto laughed. Jack did not.

  “Thanks for everything,” Jack said.

  “You got it. I’m just glad you gave me some notice this time.”

  Jack did laugh at that. He’d put DeSoto through the ringer over the years, calling at all hours of the night, with strange requests and destinations.

  “Don’t get used to it.”

  “Oh, believe me, I won’t. I’ll make sure the plane’s taken care of.”

  “Thank you.”

  His plane was paradise in the sky, but it was great to be back on the ground. His limousine service was right on time. The vehicle approached as the worker finished organizing his luggage outside the plane. Jack couldn’t be happier. Maybe he’d cook some steaks for Tiffany and himself when he got home. Some green beans, baked potatoes. Ice cream for dessert. They could rent a movie, or if Tiffany wanted her minions to come over, he’d work in his garden. Work was over. It was finally time to relax.

  The ride was brief. The first sign something was amiss was when the limousine slowed to a stop outside his house. Normally, after a business trip, Tiffany would sprint through the front door, rushing to greet him. It was strangely quiet at the Kursed household as he gathered his luggage from the trunk. Moving up the sidewalk, he scanned his house. The inside front door was open, not an uncommon sight with the warm weather. There were no unusual cars nearby. His truck was still outside the house. Andee, the babysitter, had parked behind him.

  His hand touched the door handle, and the only clue he needed fueled his hyper senses.

  The smell of a pre-heating oven touched his nose. Taking a deep breath, Jack hung his head and froze in place, suddenly apprehensive about entering his own home.

  Only one person would dare touch his oven.

  He shook his head, trying to compose himself. It had been over three months since he’d last seen him. He could have easily gone three more.

  But they had unfinished business.

  Jack opened the door, wheeling his luggage behind him.

  He took in his living room. There was one surprise he wasn’t expecting
. Victoria sat on the couch, swiping through a tablet. She’d crossed her legs, with her bare foot mindlessly tapping the air. She dressed like she’d been at the beach all day, wearing cut-off jean shorts and a bikini top. He imagined it must be nice for her, not having to wear sunscreen. She treated him to her full smile when she looked up to greet him. He did the same. He could honestly say he missed the woman he called a sister. It was a delightful treat to see her.

  The other uninvited guest, not so much.

  Kevin Mishnar stood at the breakfast bar. He too had the look of a day at the beach, wearing swim trunks and no shirt. At long last, the young witch had some color, a good look for him. The oven was still heating behind him as he had an assortment of ingredients laid out. He was chatting and laughing with Andee, the babysitter whom he paid a small fortune to watch his daughter, but yet, was watching Kevin.

  “Please,” Jack said. “Don’t get up. Make yourselves at home.”

  Victoria laughed and rose to her feet. He wondered how many mortals tripped over themselves when she sauntered by in the sand. She approached and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. Jack returned the affection, minus the kiss.

  “Welcome home,” she said.

  Jack nodded and eyed Andee. The teen waved shyly as she left the kitchen area and joined him in the living room. Victoria moved to give them privacy, joining Kevin at the counter. Jack got right to the point, asking the only question that mattered in that moment.

  “Where’s Tiffany?”

  “She’s out back. In the garden.”

  “Anything I should know? Did everything go okay? Well, except for the surprise visit.”

  She smiled sheepishly.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to let them in. But then Tiffany saw them. She blew up, went crazy. She hugged Kevin, called him her brother. So, I figured everything was okay. Is Kevin your son?”

  His eyes went wide.

  “Andee, please, never say anything like that again.” He watched the supernatural pair, the vampire and witch. “I’ve always thought babysitters made shit money. I know Tiffany can be a handful. Hopefully, I paid you enough to deal with him.”

  “I think I should pay you.”

  Jack regarded her, noticed her smitten gaze. Kevin chatted with Victoria while working at the counter. Andee couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  “Oh, Andee,” Jack said, giving her his deepest frown. “No.”

  Andee shrank, her neck vanishing into her shoulders, as she turned red. Her freckles seemed to multiply.

  “What?”

  “Please don’t tell me Glinda, of all people, is the one that’s got your fallopian tubes throbbing.”

  “Well, look at him. That will tell you why.”

  “I’d rather not.”

  “Why do you call him Glinda?”

  “Because I don’t like him.”

  “Then why is he here?”

  Jack let out a sigh. That was a good question. Much to his grief, Kevin had been stopping by more, at least until his self-imposed exile. Tiffany loved him, and he put a smile on her face. That was sometimes barely enough to keep Jack’s temper at bay when dealing with the witch.

  But to get a visit from both Kevin and Victoria couldn’t be a good thing. He didn’t see happiness in his immediate future. They wouldn’t be playing Twister while Jazz music filled the living room. To come home after a long trip, and see Kevin desecrating his kitchen, got his immortal blood pumping.

  “I guess I’d better find out.” Jack pulled out two hundred-dollar bills and folded them into Andee’s palm. “Thank you for watching my daughter.”

  “Jack, you already paid me. Before you left—”

  “We’ll just call that a tip. I’ll take it from here.”

  Andee smiled as she stole a peek back at Kevin. The witch was sprinkling cheese over marinara sauce, making a pizza.

  “Actually, I can stay a while longer, if you want—”

  “Leave, Andee.”

  “Okay, okay. Just let me say bye to Tiffany.”

  Andee gathered her backpack and purse and aimed for the kitchen door, to the garden. She drank as much of Kevin in as she could on the way. Jack hadn’t been physically ill since he drank that fateful potion. One of the few joys of immortality was never getting sick. But watching Andee nearly float away on teenage lust, he thought there was a chance he’d vomit.

  “You’re leaving, Andee?” Kevin said. “You’re not staying for some pizza?”

  “Ah, I can’t. But maybe I’ll stop by later—”

  “Andee,” Jack warned.

  She waved goodbye as she disappeared.

  Jack settled his luggage in the corner and approached the bar. Kevin was in the middle of unleashing his goofy smile as Jack pulled up a stool.

  “Where are the mushrooms?” Jack asked.

  Kevin looked up.

  “Mushrooms?”

  “You’re making a pizza without mushrooms?”

  “Well, I didn’t want to go raiding through your cabinets.”

  “You’ve already done that. Might as well go all the way now. The second cabinet, second shelf. Get the damn mushrooms.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  He didn’t take his eyes off Kevin as he glided through the kitchen. Kevin was so comfortable in Jack’s home, and he wasn’t sure how much that bothered him.

  Victoria and Jack locked eyes, and she saw the look on his face. Wisely, she scooted away a few inches.

  “So,” Jack said, watching Kevin fan out the mushrooms. “How was your little vacation?”

  “I wouldn’t call it a vacation, but I survived. How did you know where I was, anyway? Marie said—” Kevin dismissed the train of thought. “Never mind. Leese and I, we’re back together. We—”

  “Oh, thank God. That kept me up at night, wondering if you were going to give the blonde your witch-dick again.”

  Kevin wisely said nothing. Surprise and shock spread across his face. Everyone present knew it wasn’t merely a case of Jack being Jack.

  He was angry.

  The two had communicated during his exile, very little, about that project of Kevin’s, his workshop. A text here and there, an email or two. But what Jack had to say, he wanted to wait in person.

  That time was now.

  “Do you remember when those wolf hunters took Tiffany to leverage Marie and me? I’m assuming you didn’t forget.”

  Kevin cleared his throat and looked to Victoria for help. She said nothing. She knew when to stay silent.

  “Don’t look at her,” Jack said. “I’m the one talking. Do you remember?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You saved Tiffany. And after it was all said and done, I … confided in you. I doubted everything, with her living here. You gave her a wrist-rock, which I very much appreciate. You told me not to worry, that we were friends. And you were going to come up with something to help with our enemies. Then we shook hands.” He glared at Victoria. “You’ll tell no one this.”

  Victoria simply raised her palms in self-defense, acknowledging him.

  “Jack—”

  “But the same thing happened to you. Your little girlfriend became a target, and what did you do? You kicked her to the curb and ran, like a coward. You did everything you told me not to do.”

  The air in the kitchen was thick with tension. Victoria leaned forward, holding a finger up to get a word in.

  “Maybe we—”

  “My daughter cried because of you. I’ve killed people for making her cry. Almost every day, she’d ask me when you were stopping by. I told her the truth, that I didn’t know.”

  “I’m sorry, Jack. But if you’re so pissed at me, why help me with the war room? Why pay for custom storage in New Zealand?”

  “Because I want your mind swimming in magic, so you can get me a cure. It’s that simple.”

  Kevin lowered his gaze.

  “So much for friendship.”

  “Yeah. I said the same thing, when you ran away with your
tail tucked.”

  Silence. Kevin waited for more, but Jack was done. He said his piece. Victoria watched the both of them, cautious.

  “I am sorry,” Kevin said. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Good.” He took a breath, unhappy with what he was about to say. “Next weekend. Come over for dinner. I’ll cook. And you owe Tiffany thirty movies. Anything but Frozen.”

  Kevin almost smiled, but his mood was still dark.

  “Will do. Is there anything else you want to get off your chest?”

  “Yeah. Put the pizza in the oven. I’m starving.”

  Kevin did so without saying a word. He moved to his coat, hanging on the back of the living room chair. The thought of the witch wearing swim trunks and a knee-length coat made Jack laugh inside. Kevin pulled out a trinket.

  “What is that?” Jack asked.

  “I told you I’d come up with something. And I did.”

  He set another bracelet on the bar. This one had multiple stones, each a different color. Jack picked it up and studied it. It was beautiful.

  Oddly, two of the stones glowed. One was a bright red, the other a deep blue.

  “Wow. Another wrist-rock.”

  “Most trinkets need me to touch them. But this will work without me.”

  “What’s with the glow?”

  “It’s just an opal bracelet. If the red one glows, it means a vampire is nearby. Within a hundred feet or so.”

  They both glanced at Victoria. She batted her eyes playfully and smiled.

  “At least red is my favorite color.”

  “The blue one is for witches. The brown one, werewolves. And since they’re magical stones, I’ll always be able to find her. We’ll be able to talk to each other.”

  “Can I talk to her?”

  “No. The stones all point back to the source. To me.”

  “What about mortal threats?”

  “I’m … still working on that. I don’t really have anything for picking up humans. They’re kind of everywhere.”

  “Sadly, yes they are.”

  “But the black one, here—” He pointed at it. “It will counter some magic. Not all. But a sleep potion, a memory potion. She’s safe from that.”