by Anna Argent
Echo was sleepy, but craved a little alone-time with Mom, so she’d fought sleep and stayed awake with her. Mom was drawing something, which wasn’t unusual. Echo had asked if she could draw, too, but rather than let Echo help, Mom had given her a clean piece of paper and a pencil of her own.
I want to help you, Echo had complained.
This drawing is special. It’s a map for your sister when she’s a grown up.
A map to what?
Treasure. Important treasure.
Do I get an important drawing, too? Echo asked.
Sure, said Mom, her tone indulgent. I’ll make one for you next.
Echo had fallen asleep before Mom finished, but the next day, there was a drawing of their new basset hound puppy, Solo, sitting on the dashboard.
“Are you sure it’s your mother’s writing?” asked Stygian.
She nodded, her throat too tight with emotion for words. She couldn’t tell if it was the same map her mother had drawn that night, but there was no mistaking the handwriting.
Echo and her sisters had rarely gone to school. Mom had homeschooled them. Echo had spent countless hours reading her mother’s handwritten notes and lessons.
“What is it?” Harold asked.
Echo blinked back tears to study the page. There was a grid work of lines, small pictures of trees, smiley faces and angry faces. In the center was a dark X with an arrow pointing to another drawing in the corner. That one contained a drawing of a brick wall with another X on a specific brick. “It’s a map.”
The men shared a confused look.
“All I see are a bunch of squiggles,” Stygian said. “It looks just like that page of prophecy you brought here.”
Echo glanced at the page again. “What are you talking about? It’s obviously a map. Here are the streets. This is a park. A school. These happy faces are safe shelters we stayed in and the angry faces are places that are best to avoid.”
“Sorry,” Stygian said. “Just a bunch of squiggles.”
The librarian picked up his lighted magnifying glass and studied it more closely. “Is this what the rest of you see when you look at prophecy? No wonder you can’t read it.”
Finally, Echo realized that she wasn’t seeing the same thing they were. “Are you telling me that I’m the only one who can read this map?”
“It appears so,” Harold said.
“And the fact that you knew where to find it was a little creepy. How did you know it was shoved all the way back there on that bottom shelf?” Stygian’s gaze darkened with suspicion. “Did you sneak in here and put it there?”
Echo shook her head. “No. I could hear it humming to me. Calling me—just like that page of prophecy did at the thrift shop.” Then it hit her. “But how did the map get back there? My mom has never come here, has she?”
Stygian shook his head. “We’ve only lived here for a little while.”
“Where were these books before?”
“Locked up tight in a library inside a mansion in St. Louis.”
Had her mother been there? It seemed impossible, unless she’d gone there before her dad had left and Mom went on the run.
“Could someone have put this here?” she asked.
“I have no idea,” Harold said, “but what a lovely mystery to ponder. There are all kinds of tales about the mysterious movement of important artifacts, how they seem to appear where they are needed most at the proper time. If you ask me, it’s prophecy at work right before our eyes.”
She wasn’t so sure she shared that sentiment, but to each his own.
“Where does the map lead?” Stygian asked.
Echo studied the page for some kind of legend, but found none. Her family moved around a lot. They’d lived in a lot of cities, but the memory of Mom drawing was from the time they stayed in Memphis. She couldn’t remember how long they’d lived there, but it couldn’t have been more than a few months.
Maybe that was the right place to apply the drawing with its gridwork of streets.
“Do you have a computer I can use? I need to look at a map.”
Harold snorted in disdain. “Not in here. I don’t allow that artificial stuff around the books.”
Stygian grinned. “We’ll go see Marvel. She’ll have whatever you need.”
“Be quick about it, will you?” Harold said.
“I thought you said you needed some time to finish the translation.”
“I do, but even I can’t dawdle.” He ran a gnarled finger along a line of squiggles. “This part right here is very clear. Once the prophecy is delivered, the hunter only has until the next new moon, which is in four days.”
“Four days? For what?”
Harold frowned at her like she was an idiot. “To live, of course.”
Chapter Eight
Stygian had always known from the time he was a small boy at his grandfather’s knee that he was going to die ugly, but it was strange to know when it was going to happen.
“Are you okay?” Echo asked as he led her back to the main hall and Marvel’s office, where all the tech lived.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because an old man who can read things no one else can just told you you’re going to die in a few days if some chick you just met can’t save you.”
He gave her a grin and a wink. “Around here, that’s just a normal Tuesday.”
She put her hand on his arm, pulling him to a stop. The feel of her touch unknotted some of the tension he carried in his back, and gave him a little extra room to breathe. He didn’t know what kind of magic was in her fingertips, but it was a welcome one in the face of Harold’s grave prediction.
“You can pretend if you like,” Echo said, “but no one gets news that bad without feeling something.”
“I do feel something. It just doesn’t matter. Feelings won’t fix the problem. Feelings won’t get the job done.”
“Don’t you think you should deal with this?”
“I am dealing with it. By attacking it.”
“Okay, Mr. Tough Guy. If you’re going to play the role of a robot, that’s fine, but I’m freaked out here.”
“Why?”
“Because all of you seem to believe this prophecy nonsense, and if you’re right, then I’ve got to find a way to save your life—something I’m not at all equipped to do. I can’t even change a flat tire without busting my knuckles. How the hell am I supposed to save anyone?”
She chewed on her top lip in nervousness. Stygian took pity on the tender flesh and used his thumb to pull it from the grip of her teeth. It was red and puffy from the abuse. And once he had his hands on her pretty face, he wanted to kiss her so badly he had to clench his jaw to hold himself back.
If he was going to die in a week or so, didn’t he deserve a little kiss before he went?
Maybe more than a little kiss?
Just like that, his mind wandered to a lovely place where Echo was back on his bed with his body pinning her down, only this time they were naked, and his cock was gliding in and out of her slick pussy.
Pure heaven.
His balls drew up tight and tingled with need. His erection was swift, and with no way to hide it, all he could think to do was keep her eyes on his.
He held her chin so she couldn’t look down.
“You have probably already done your part by finding that map. I’m sure that once the librarian finishes reading the text, he’ll see that all I need is for you to provide me with direction where to go so that I can defeat whatever the threat to my life is. So, don’t worry. There’s no need for you to break a sweat, much less your knuckles.”
Her shoulders relaxed in relief. “You think so?”
“I do. All you need to do is translate the map and sketch it out so I can read it, then all will be well.” He hoped it wasn’t a lie, but even if it was, there was no way he was taking this sweet, vulnerable woman into danger. If it was his time to go, he would, but he was going alone.
She closed her eyes and le
t out a long breath. “Okay. I can do that.”
He needed to kiss her. Just once. Just to know what her lips felt like on his. With her eyes closed like this, her lips parted and her face turned up toward his, she looked like she was waiting for it. Maybe even needing it the way he did.
His mouth watered for a taste. His muscles coiled in anticipation, and his lips tingled.
He might not have much time left. What harm could there be in indulging himself just this once? It was only a kiss.
She opened her eyes just as he bent his head and covered her mouth with his. Tension claimed her slender frame for a moment before she melted under him. Her sweet breath swept out in a warm rush of air filled with a soft sigh.
His hands slid around her waist and pulled her tight against his body. He didn’t care that his cock was hard. Let her feel what she did to him, let her know just how much power she wielded over his body.
His fingers eased under the hem of her shirt to find the silken contours of her spine. She speared her fingers through his hair and went up on tiptoe to deepen their kiss.
His heart pounded, his blood went hot, soaring through his veins in a swift, heady rush.
He’d just met her and yet she already moved him more than any other woman ever had. Then again, Stygian had never had many women—at least not ones he talked to. There were some that he fucked—women who were willing to perform a mutual scratching of itches. Twice he’d paid for sex because it seemed a lot less messy than dealing with any kind of emotional attachments.
But with Echo, he couldn’t help himself. He needed to taste her, to sweep his tongue beyond her plump lips and learn every secret she had to hide. He needed to feel her skin beneath his hands and hold her against him until the desire trembling through his body eased.
He didn’t know how he was going to get enough of her to sate his growing hunger. The urge to pin her against the wall, slide her jeans down and lift her onto his cock was almost more than he could stand. The greedy way she fed from his mouth, her tongue dancing with his, her lungs pulling the very breath from his body—it all merged together into a haze of need. Of longing.
She nipped at his lower lip, and some hibernating animal inside of him woke from its slumber and took notice. It wanted her. Craved her.
He slid his hands down to cup her ass, then lifted her up until her legs were locked around his hips.
She let out a sound so sweet, it made him go still in the hopes of hearing it again. The noise was part desire, part heat, part music. It stroked across his skin and made goosebumps dance along his limbs.
He was going to fuck her. Right here. Right now. There was no other option. His need for her was too strong, the hunger in her song too potent for him to resist.
He took two steps toward the wall, intent on holding her there long enough to get her jeans down so he could slide his hand between her thighs and make sure she was ready for what he had to give her.
Before his hands moved to the button of her pants, he saw someone coming down the hallway a second before he heard their footsteps approach.
Eden. She was almost here. He couldn’t let her see him pawing at Echo like this. Eden was too young to understand the desires that passed between adults. And even if she wasn’t too young, he didn’t want to embarrass either of them. He didn’t want anything getting in the way of him having Echo right back here, eager and hungry in his arms.
He lifted his head just as she opened her eyes. So pretty. That pale teal color was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. He would say that a man could get lost just staring into those intriguing depths, but lost indicated being somewhere he didn’t want to be.
There was nowhere he wanted to be more than where he was right now, his lips hovering near hers, their bodies pressed together, heat building between them and moving headlong toward the kind of pleasure he could only dream about.
Her mouth was red from his. Shiny, puffy. Her cheeks were flushed, and her breath came in deep, fast waves, proving she was as affected by their kiss as he was.
She started to speak in a voice that trembled as much as his legs. “That was—”
“Stygian?” It was Eden. Her voice was no more than a hushed whisper, but it was enough of an intrusion to ruin his chance to taste more than the mere kiss of fairy magic.
He put space between him and Echo, but moving even that far felt like pulling off his own skin.
She swayed slightly, as if standing was a challenge. He held her just long enough to steady her before Eden came close enough to see the sheen of sweat covering his brow.
“Yes?” His voice was low, rough and thick with unsated lust.
Eden hesitated as she looked from him to Echo and back again. “Uh. Sorry to interrupt, but we need to talk. Now, while Argo is busy with Garrick.”
Stygian kept his hips turned away from the girl while he struggled to gain control over his erection. “Okay. Give me a second.”
“I’ll just, uh, be in my room.” Embarrassment weakened her tone as she shuffled off.
He stared down into Echo’s eyes because he didn’t dare look at her body. Even the flush of arousal on her cheeks was nearly too much to bear without kissing her again.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “Surprised, but okay.”
Had he crossed a line? Her body was all for his actions, but that didn’t mean her mind was. Women were complex creatures with mysterious thoughts men could never begin to understand. What if he’d done something to piss her off? Shove her away?
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Not upset. Just surprised. I’ve never felt…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “That was…I mean…holy wow. That was one hell of a kiss.”
A dark smile of satisfaction curled his mouth. “I hope you enjoyed it, because I plan to do it again. Soon.”
“I’m not sure my nervous system will take it, but I’m dying to find out.”
This conversation was not helping his erection ease, and there was no way he was going to face Eden until he was decent.
Time to change the subject. “I’m going to take you to Marvel’s office so you can use one of her computers. Play nice with her. She has way more power than anyone else here.”
“What kind of power?” asked Echo.
“The power of ones and zeros.”
***
After the brief introduction by Stygian to the resident computer expert, Echo stood in the glass airlock, waiting for the curvy woman wearing her emerald green hair in two buns to let her in. Apparently, entrance into her lair was a rare privilege.
Marvel Manning’s voice came through a speaker overhead. “Are you sick?”
“No.”
“Have you recently been sick?”
“No.”
“Been around anyone who’s been sick?”
“No.”
“Fever? Cough? Sneezing?”
“Uh, no.”
Through the glass Echo could see the other woman study her. She had vivid blue eyes so bright they looked backlit. She was shorter than Echo by several inches, with the kind of curvy hips and breasts that would make any flat-chested woman envious. Her face was pretty in a classic kind of way. Very girl-next-door. But there was no mistaking her intelligence. It seemed to scroll behind her eyes like lines of computer code Echo could never hope to decipher.
“If you lie to me and bring disease into my germ-free lair, I will end you,” Marvel promised.
Echo had no doubt that threat was genuine.
Marvel pressed a button and the second door on the airlock slid open, giving Echo permission to enter.
There was a ten-foot high wall lined with computer screens. The light overhead was dimmed, but on the far side of the space was a row of workbenches that were all brightly lit. Cell phone and laptop carcasses sat with their guts in small plastic bags and glass jars, as if undergoing an autopsy.
To the right was a pathway that led to another space Echo couldn’t see.
There was an impression of bright white space and germless expanses, but that was all.
The room smelled of disinfectant, flux and hot plastic. There was a chorus of hums from the wall of computers, as well as from a bank of servers tucked off to the left, blinking in silent communication.
Marvel’s cobalt blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Who are you to Stygian?”
“I’m Stygian’s…” Friend? Captive? Shardmate? She wasn’t sure exactly what she was to him. “We share shards. I’m not sure what you call that.”
“I call that Stygian’s problem. What do you need from me?”
“What makes you think I need something?”
“Everyone does.” An alarm went off on Marvel’s phone, then she rolled her wheeled desk chair to the far keyboard and began typing frantically.
Echo watched her fingers fly so fast they were a blur over the keys.
“I need to look at some maps. Can I use one of your computers?”
Marvel came to a dead stop, turned in her chair and gave Echo a stare that could only be called a glare. “I’ve known you for all of ten seconds, and you want to touch my tech? Are you insane? Is this a joke? Stygian is trying to get me back for forcing him to change his passwords again, isn’t he?”
“Um. No to all of the above. I really just need to use your computer for a minute.”
“Is your cell phone broken? Can’t you just pull up a map on it?”
“I don’t have a phone.”
“Did you lose it?”
“No, I just never felt the need to get one.”
Marvel cocked her head to the side as if she’d heard the words but they’d been spoken in some alien language. “How do you email people? How do you call them?”
“I don’t really have anyone to call.” It sounded sad and pitiful when she said it aloud.
Too bad it was true.
“Oh,” said Marvel, clearly at a loss for more words. “It never occurred to me that anyone…. I mean surely there’s someone….” She held up a finger. “One second.”
She dialed her phone and went into the airlock, shutting the door behind her. Her voice was muffled, but Echo could still hear her through the glass. “Is this girl for real? How can she not have a phone? Was she raised in a cave in Outer Luddite?” Marvel nodded as she listened, stealing a glance at Echo. “Of course, I’ll help her. But for heaven’s sake, give a girl a little warning next time you go bringing in the freaks. I have enough problems of my own without you adding another.”
