I found Norma and Mel standing in the living room, the size of which put my entire house to shame. Again, the look here was modern but bare. The furniture was cursory: a couch, a few chairs, and a table with a heavy, rounded iron lamp. The room looked untouched, as if it had been staged for sale and then picked clean of the items that were supposed to make it feel homey. The space above the gargantuan fireplace looked barren, and I thought that it needed a family portrait or another painted landscape.
When I finally stopped scanning the room and focused on Norma, I was just as impressed with her as I had been with the house. She was the same height as Mel, slim and busty, with long blond hair that fell in casual waves to her hips. Her nose was narrow, her lips full. Large blue eyes were currently focused on Mel, and they held a lot of anger. His posture was bent, as if he felt torn between standing his ground and crumbling to the lush carpet to kiss her feet.
She was gorgeous, and even her outfit couldn’t detract from that. It was mismatched and unflattering, the orange and yellow button-up top hanging loose over a whitewashed denim skirt. Her socks were two different colors, neither of which matched her top or skirt, and her left shoe had a very noticeable tear along the top. I turned my attention back to her face and watched her lips move as she spoke. When I was finally able to focus, I realized I was feeling a little drunk.
“Mel, I don’t want to see you anymore. You need to go away. I have to find Stanley. He’s gone and I thought he’d left to buy me presents but I couldn’t find him. I always see my pets again when they buy me presents. But he’s left and I have no presents.” She bared her teeth, wrinkling her nose, and it was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. “I told him about the house, but he’s not come by. I want you to leave before he gets here. You;ve probably scared him off.”
“I took Stan,” I said, before frowning and looking to the floor to consider why I’d spoken. When I looked back up, Norma was staring at me. I felt a snap of curiosity against my skin, followed by the scalding wind of her anger.
“You have Stanley?” she demanded. Mel looked between us and then reached out toward her hand. She slapped at him and stepped away, leaving him to look absolutely crushed at the rejection.
“Oh yeah, I’ve got him. I mean, I took him. I don’t have him.” What was I saying? “But I used to have him. I’m his ex-wife. You’re pretty.”
Norma took another few steps toward me before stopping and looking to the floor herself. She seemed to consider something before I felt another burn of anger across my cheeks. I squinted into it and took a step toward her. Maybe she just didn’t want to come all the way to me; I needed to do the work and go to her. Her delicate features held a formidable glare as she watched me approach. When I stepped up close enough, I felt warm, like my organs had tiny little space heaters focused on them. It was pleasant, but I had the feeling it wouldn’t be if I made her angrier.
“I know you,” Norma hissed, watching me approach. “I almost had you once before.”
“You can have me now,” I moaned, delighted at the prospect. “Can I have a kiss? Can we just make out for a bit?”
“Gwen, that’s inappropriate,” Mel hissed from behind her. Norma’s eyes narrowed before she turned to face Mel. He winced when she did but I decided not to concern myself with him; I just wanted to touch her. My gaze moved from her face to her breasts and I started to really understand what it was that Stan had been talking about. Her boobs were phenomenal.
I had to touch them.
She turned just slightly away and my intended grope turned into a slight brush but she didn’t seem to notice. I took this as further invitation and stepped in closer, laying my hand over her left breast so that I could feel her nipple in the center of my palm.
A giddy little thrill ran through me and I closed my hand to squeeze. She still didn’t seem to care that I was molesting her. Part of me wondered why this was and considered that she should at least have given me permission to do this, right? The other parts told that part to shut up and in fact considered kicking it in the face and ejecting it from the whole.
Both hands now pressed to her breasts, I gave a little sigh and leaned in, laying my head on her skin. I could hear her voice through her chest and it was so pleasant that I actually took the time to listen to her words as my hands continued their rhythmic squeezing.
“…ex-wife? I would eat her alive for hurting my Stanley, but I must know, does she really have him? Where has she taken him? Was he back in her home?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see him. Norma, I didn’t mean to—”
“I don’t care,” Norma hissed. The little space heaters on my organs shot up to full power and I whimpered against her. I couldn’t bear to pull away, though the pain made some small part of my brain consider it. “Stanley, did you see him?”
“I don’t—she called me and she asked me to bring her to you. There was no mention of this… You don’t need him, Norma. You have me. You have me and it doesn’t even matter that Gwen knows what you are. I can get rid of her for you. I can—” Mel cut off with a yelp, as if she’d hit him, even though she hadn’t moved.
I felt a tension run through her body and I let out a whimper as she took hold of my wrists and pushed me away from her. Opening my eyes (when had I closed them?) I looked up to her face, intending to beg to keep touching her. I wanted her to kiss me and run her hands through my hair. I wanted to undress each other and see what she felt like under the roughness of her denim skirt.
“Who told you what I am? Why are you here? Where do you have my Stanley?”
“I’m here for you,” I said, feeling a goofy smile spread over my face. I pushed upward to kiss her but she didn’t lean down to meet me, and my lips ended up pressed against her chin. That was okay by me.
“Gwen,” Mel whined and I felt him step up close. Like Chloe with the ice cream earlier, I suddenly felt vaguely threatened. I twisted to put myself between Mel and Norma, grunting unhappily. He didn’t take me seriously and I felt him try to slip a hand between us. I retaliated by pressing myself harder against her, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to reverse her grip on my wrists. She didn’t let go of me and I tipped my head up to plead my case with my gaze.
She was unhappy with me and I felt my world crumble around the edges.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as Mel tried to shove himself between us again. She ignored him, continuing to watch me.
“Where is he?” Her grip on my wrists was starting to hurt as she held tight to keep Mel from separating us. “I want him back. What do you want?”
“I want to be with you.”
“Gwen!” I felt desperation snap out of Mel as he finally figured out that he was much, much stronger than me. His hand pressed against my chest and I flew back, landing firmly on my back, all the air going out of me. My wrists were sore, raw from being yanked so harshly out of Norma’s grip. Struggling against my body and the pain the impact had left along my backside, I waved my arms, trying to get back to my feet.
Mel stood over me, glaring. His entire stance had changed when I’d realized how much I wanted Norma for myself. I couldn’t blame him, of course. The fact that he was currently between us was making me think it would be brilliant to grab the heavy lamp from the table next to the couch and start hitting him until he was no longer a threat. Norma and I wanted to be alone, and he was clearly too stupid to realize that.
“That’s enough, Gwen.”
“Make her tell me where Stanley is,” Norma demanded. I wanted to tell her, to give her anything she could ever want, but I couldn’t speak. I wheezed at them both, attempting to spout something clever and viciously insulting at Mel for separating us. Nothing came except a painful cough and the sound of a body hitting the floor. Was it mine? Had I fallen over again? I didn’t think so. Mel was still standing, and I’d gotten my arms under control so I was nearly sitting up. Just one more step to my feet and then I could hit Mel, pick Norma up off the floor and we could—
Han
g on.
“Mel,” I wheezed. He stepped forward, teeth bared. I pointed behind him. “Norma.”
Coughing, I slapped at my chest, trying to dislodge the pain there and free my voice. Mel blinked down at me and then turned to face the woman I loved. When he saw that she’d collapsed to the ground and was currently bleeding all over the nice rug, he let out a strangled cry. He dropped to the ground alongside her, clearing my field of view. Chloe and Owen stood at opposite sides of the room, both aiming handguns at Mel and Norma.
I realized in that second what had happened, and it made me so spitting mad.
I took a gulp of air and finished pushing myself to my feet, stumbling to the side before I caught my balance completely. Mel was still on the ground, grasping at Norma’s body gently, as if worried he’d make the hole in her head bigger with too much jostling.
“What did you do?” I demanded. Chloe’s eyes flicked to Owen and I followed her gaze. He’d been behind this. He’d been here in Seattle solely to kill Norma and he’d gotten me to help him. She was dead because of me but, more importantly, she was dead because of him.
Ignoring the pair of guns that swept up toward me, I stepped around Norma, grabbed for the lamp on the end table and tried to make my way toward Owen. The iron was heavier than I expected though, and I got it just off the table before my arm felt like an angry Sasquatch had appeared to yank it out of socket.
“Dammit,” I hissed, sweeping my arms so that I could grab the lamp with both hands. Irritation lashed out of Owen and I saw Chloe’s aim shift rapidly back to Norma, as if she didn’t see me as a threat. She was stupid, then, because she had no idea how much damage I could do in the name of my one true love. As I crossed the room, much slower than I would have preferred thanks to the leaden lamp, Owen jerked a chin toward Mel.
“Watch him, I’ve got her.”
Lifting the lamp proved harder than I would have thought and it gave Owen the chance to lower his gun, holstering it under his arm. He hopped back, nimble as a jungle cat, when I swept the lamp as high as I could—roughly waist level—and tried to hit him. Before I could heft it up again, he lifted a leg, kicked at the lamp and knocked it out of my hand. The abrasive metal tore at my skin as it scraped out of my grip, but I just stumbled and changed tactics.
Bringing my hands up like I’d seen people do in movies, I threw my fist at his face, pushing the whole of my body toward him. Owen let out a small laugh and I felt his irritation change to humor as he dodged my punch, grabbed my wrist and twisted to shove his shoulder into my chest. He rolled his body along mine, and the next thing I knew, I was on my back. Wincing at the pain of once again having the wind knocked out of me, I struggled to get back to my feet and continue my attack.
Owen lost interest in me as soon as I was on the ground, but I felt that, like Chloe with her gun, he was being pretty stupid. I don’t know much about fighting but in that moment I was convinced I could take out an entire army. Norma was dead and with her my last chance at happiness. Something surged up in me, rushing through my limbs in a tingle. My empathy seemed to flare over the room, sharpening every feeling within my range. Hell, even outside my range. Generally, I can sense those around me in a sphere about the size of Owen’s rental house. I can shift it, pushing my power out like spinning a hula hoop around my body. It takes concentration and I get strained if I really force it, but it’s possible.
The anger inside me, the demand that I avenge my succubus mistress, seemed to double my range, strengthening my power until I could see the feelings of everyone and everything spread across my vision like spilled paint over glass. Mel’s despair was slimy, flooding out over the room like an oil spill and, as much as it disgusted me, I understood. I’d lost Norma, too.
Within the despair was anger. That, I could appreciate. That I could understand. That I wanted for myself and I considered taking it, closing in to suck it out and add it to my own. I’d never in my life considered going after someone’s negative emotions on purpose but, in that moment, the idea seemed flawless.
I was on my feet and I didn’t remember getting off the ground. Then I was right behind Owen, even though I didn’t remember closing in. I could feel some anger in him, too, though it paled next to the glowing rage at Mel’s core. I paused, turning my attention to the two humans in the room, and wondered for a moment what their emotions were worth.
Chloe was standing near Mel, her gun still aimed down at him, though her stance was loose, distracted. I could feel the greasy pool of pity in her gut, cold and thick against my senses. I had a vision of pulling the knife from the sheath at Owen’s hip and slicing her open to spill it out over the ground. Pity would do me no good.
Owen noticed me as I grabbed for his weapon, twisting to face me, surprise naked on his face. He caught my wrist as I reached, the surprise bleeding into irritation. Pity here, too. I hated it.
“What are—”
“Stop,” I hissed, lifting my free hand to press against his face. I shoved my empathy inside him, reaching for the pity, aiming to tear it out and fling it wide. I could feel everything now that we were touching, all his emotions both past and present. I recognized everything he’d felt with me over the last few days, saw it all like a timeline packed with notations. As fascinated as I was by this new ability, I couldn’t reach into his past and pluck out what he’d felt before. I needed to focus on the now, on what I could steal and capture for myself in the moment.
There were other notions there inside him too, things I’d never felt before. Anger, jealousy, love, those I knew well. These feelings weren’t new to me, and I understood them immediately by touch. The others, though, the more—I liked the way they felt. Ambition, drive, the desire to live itself. I could feel it all and, if I wanted, I could rip it out. I could take it for myself, make each one a part of me and leave Owen empty on the carpet of Norma’s beautiful home.
I had the pity, could feel the slippery glide of it in my grasp, and it made me gnash my teeth in revulsion. Pity was weak.
Owen’s eyes were on mine, wide with confusion and surprise. There was no fear, no panic, just shock. I was just about to suck away the pity, to pour it out into the ether, when I felt a hand on my jaw. Nails dug into my skin, the pain a tingle against my throat, and I felt my head turned away. Chloe was close, her face filled with concern.
My empathy pulled back from Owen, fascinated by what it saw deep in her past. There was guilt churning, roiling like pool of lava buried in the earth. It was ancient, an echo of something past. I knew from the touch of it that she had let go of it years before, and I instantly wanted to know where it had come from. What had this fascinating woman done to deserve such a well of remorse?
“Gwen,” Chloe said, her voice soft. “Don’t let it control you.” I blinked, the thing surging in me pulling back, retreating at the feeling of her love for me.
“Probably shouldn’t touch her,” Owen said. There was a shaky edge to his voice I’d never heard before, but before I could get a hold on what caused it, he knocked my hand away from his face. I barely noticed as he adjusted his grip on my wrist to twist it up and back, forcing my arm into an impossible angle. The pain roared through me, all I could feel for a moment, and before I knew it he had me on my knees, his face serious over mine. Through the tears in my eyes, I could see both him and Chloe watching me, concerned.
“Ow,” I whimpered. “Stop.”
Owen did, bumping his knee into my chest just hard enough to knock me onto my back. He flicked his gaze to Chloe in what looked like an ‘I got this’ signal, before reaching into the pack strapped along his hip and thigh.
“This is not how I pictured it going the first time I tied you up, let me tell you,” he said. His tone was conversational, casual, but I could still feel worry inside him, a faint disquiet over what I’d done. He snapped plastic loops around my wrists, yanked them tight, and then grabbed me under my arms, pulling me away from the center of the large room. He propped me up against the far wall, bound m
y ankles, and then we both froze as Mel let out a roar of pain.
“Shit,” Chloe said, her free hand going to her gun. Owen got to his feet.
“Yep,” he said, as if resigned.
I fought against my bonds, but it was no good. When I tried to kick at the backs of Owen's ankles, he just glanced briefly back at me before drawing his gun.
“We can’t kill him,” Chloe said. I felt Owen’s exasperation at her words, but I wasn’t sure if I agreed with him or her. On the one hand, Mel seemed to be the only one left to avenge Norma. On the other, he had tried to steal her from me.
Perhaps I would kill him after he killed them. I liked that idea.
Owen stepped sideways through the room, drawing Mel’s ire away from Chloe, putting his back to the massive fireplace. As he moved, I got a good look at Mel for the first time in several minutes. He was standing over Norma’s body, and his eyebrows had grown back, along with the uneven hair on his head. His teeth were bared but his jaw looked misshapen, like it was pushing outward under his skin. He was breathing heavily, and a little growl slipped out with each exhale. His focus entirely on Owen, he didn’t notice that Chloe was slipping up behind him, gun still aimed at his back. Owen didn’t betray her movement, keeping his gaze directly on Mel.
“Get them!” I called. Mel jerked his gaze to me briefly and it was all Chloe needed. She holstered her weapon and yanked a long, needle-thin gold chain out of her pocket. Using the couch as a springboard, she launched herself onto Mel’s back, wrapping the chain around his neck and tugging. He grunted and I felt his shock as he twisted in an attempt to face her. I caught sight of the hair at the back of his neck growing down his shoulders and under the collar of his shirt to join the thick hair on his arms.
He did two complete turns with Chloe clinging to his back before he seemed to get smart. Owen had holstered his own weapon and opened another pocket on the leather pack strapped to his thigh. Before he could pull out whatever it was he was reaching for, Mel clipped him in the shoulder with his furry hand. Owen grunted but seemed to move with the impact, catching himself before he face-planted into the stone of the fireplace. Mel ignored him for the moment, grabbing back for Chloe.
Business With Pleasure (Empathy in the Preternatural PNW Book 2) Page 22
