by Vella Day
Not paying much attention to where she was going, she found herself at the Silver Lake café. In her realm, a good cup of coffee didn’t exist. Given what lay ahead of her, she could use a strong cup of java.
The café was just like she remembered it; only this time there were a mere three customers in there. The last time she’d been, it had been packed.
“Sit anywhere you like,” a waitress said as she rushed over to an elderly couple near the window.
Vinea was tired. Having her hatred of all things lessen with each passing day scared her—an emotion she hadn’t experienced in hundreds of years. At first, she hadn’t thought much about the bolt of light her sister had shot through her, but there was no denying it any longer. It had adversely affected her. Unless she succeeded in her mission, she would be kicked out of the dark realm. Then where would she go? The light realm wouldn’t welcome her. That was a given. She might have to try Cargonia, but she doubted those gods would want her either. Damn you, Naliana.
She found a seat toward the back and plopped down. With a swipe of a hand, she created some money in order to pay for her coffee. Setting her purse on the seat next to her, she dug her hand inside to retrieve her wallet with the newly acquired cash.
“Vinea?” The deep voice jarred her, sending her heart into overdrive. Shit. Where was her goddess cool when she needed it?
Vinea looked up and debated disappearing. “Devon McKinnon. What the hell are you doing here?” The better question would have been how the hell had he even recognized her?
Chapter Twenty-One
‡
Missy wasn’t sure what to make of the potion Ophelia had handed her. First off, neither she nor Izzy had told her about Zane’s recent problem, nor had there been any mention of wanting a spell, so how had Ophelia known what to bring?
Did it really matter? As her mom would say, some things were never meant to be understood. Missy suspected that Ophelia would always remain one of those mysteries.
Once she said goodbye to the old lady, Missy shoved the pouch filled with some potion into her pocket and slipped back into her car. On the drive back to the spa, she repeated the curse Ophelia made her learn, even though she wasn’t sure it would work. Ophelia wouldn’t say for sure whether it could kill a demon from Cargonia. She just said to try it. Missy had no problem with trying as long as she didn’t fail. Zane’s life was on the line—and maybe hers too.
She slapped the wheel. The more she dwelled on Zane’s situation, the more upset she became. If the great Ophelia wasn’t sure she could help, then what could Missy do? Ask Rye to keep Zane at the fire station twenty-four seven? Or let him stay in the safe room at McKinnon and Associates? If she thought Zane would go for it, she would. The problem was that she doubted the demon would tire of waiting around and just leave.
“Are you all right?” a deep voice said suddenly entering her head.
Missy jerked, and the front wheel hit the berm. Heart pounding hard, she managed to straighten the car and return it to the pavement. “Yes,” she said. Crap, she was talking to herself.
“Missy, it’s Zane. I can feel your pain. What’s wrong?”
It took a second for her to realize he was sending his thoughts to her. Sure, people who had mated were capable of telepathy, but she hadn’t thought she and Zane could ever achieve something like that. After all, he wasn’t the typical shifter.
“I’m fine, really. I was just thinking about the demon, that’s all.”
“Okay, but if you need me, I’ll be there.”
“You need to stay put,” she warned.
“Stop worrying about me. I’ll be fine.”
How could he say that? They both knew the demon was here to kill him. “If you say so.”
It was unsettling to speak with Zane in her head. She liked talking to him face to face better so she could see the expression in his eyes.
“Missy, don’t be like that. I’m scared too. Okay? I’m working hard to remain upbeat. What will help is to let me do all the worrying.”
Zane was right. He shouldn’t have to worry about her too. “I’ll try,” she telepathed.
When she arrived at the spa, her hands were still shaking. Both her mom and Teagan were busy with customers, so Missy checked the inventory to see what needed to be ordered, but her mind wasn’t on work. She didn’t need to be psychic to know the next few days would be bad. While Missy really wanted to be with Zane, he was safer staying at work.
As soon as her mom’s customer left, she motioned Missy into the break room where her mother poured them some coffee. “Tell me how your meeting went with Ophelia.”
Izzy must have told her. “I’m not really sure. For you to understand everything, I need to start at the beginning.” She mentioned the regatta and how Zane thought he sensed the demon and how he reacted. From there she went straight through to the mating. With each remembrance her excitement built.
“Oh, Missy, you should have told me you two had mated, though I did sense something was different about you.” She smiled.
Missy sighed. “I figured you could tell. You can see why I needed to meet with Ophelia.”
“Yes and Zane sounds like a wonderful match.”
“He is.” Missy could almost feel Zane biting her on the neck once more, and her body reacted accordingly.
“Mate, you are being a bad girl. I am trying to work; behave.”
Hearing Zane’s voice in her head startled her once more. She wasn’t used to having telepathy. “Sorry, hon, but just thinking about you gets me hot. I will try to behave. Love you.”
“Love you too, beautiful.” She could almost hear him chuckle.
When she realized she’d been grinning, heat raced up her face.
Her mom cleared her throat. “I’m so happy for you. I can see why you’re worried about this demon. You think that when he finds Zane alone, he’ll kill him, which was why you needed Ophelia for the magic spell, right?”
“Yes.”
Her mom sipped her coffee. “I wish I had a solution. I know if anything ever happened to your father, I’d be lost.”
That wasn’t helping, but Missy wasn’t going to lose Zane. “We just have to be careful.”
Mom placed a hand over hers. “Careful yes, but make sure you enjoy your young man as much as you can.”
That implied she too believed their time together might be short. Her heart burned. “I plan to.”
No sooner had her mom returned to the front than Teagan rushed into the back room. Her face was drawn. Oh, shit. Missy jumped up from the table. “What is it?”
“I had a premonition.” Teagan grabbed the back of the chair.
While Teagan’s visions weren’t always bad, from the way she was shaking, this one had been. “Sit down and tell me.”
Teagan pulled out a chair. “I really don’t know what it means, but I saw ashes.”
That didn’t make sense. “As in a fire? Or do the ashes represent the firehouse and hence Zane?”
“I can’t tell. I sense tremendous pain, and then everything turns brown.”
“Brown?”
She shrugged. “I’m stumped. All I know is that you have to be really careful at all times.”
Missy sat across from her and clasped both of Teagan’s hands. “I promise. I’ll warn Zane too.”
The bell above the front door chimed, and Teagan inhaled then bit down on her bottom lip. “I better get back to work. I can’t dwell on what might be.”
“I’m right behind you.”
As hard as she tried to concentrate on work, Missy kept going over Teagan’s warning. While her visions were rarely clear and often misleading, they were accurate. The problem was that the warning wasn’t necessary. Missy understood all too well what was at stake.
Eventually, five o’clock rolled around, and her mom and Teagan left. Missy said she’d stay to lock up because Zane wasn’t off work until six, and she’d insisted on picking him up. Because she didn’t want the demon to think she was
alone either, she locked the front door, turned off the lights in the store, and went into the back. With an hour to spare, she booted up the computer to research demons, trying to find out if they had vulnerabilities. Could they die by fire or some other method?
Unfortunately, the only thing she could find were myths, and no two articles made the same claim. Hoping to take her mind off the terrible situation, she changed tactics and researched new herbal remedies.
At six, she shut down and left. Even though she’d just mentally spoken with Zane, as soon as he stepped out of the station, relief poured through her.
He climbed into the car. “Want to catch a bite to eat?” he asked.
“I hope that doesn’t mean you plan to hunt for something?” Zane was catching on to some of the modern lingo, but she could never be sure. “I have some chicken at home I can prepare. It’ll be faster and easier.”
Zane burst out laughing. “No, I didn’t mean catch in that sense. I heard some of the guys at the fire station ask each other to go for food that way.” He sighed. “I thought a restaurant might be more crowded. We’d be safer with more people around us.”
Despite the heat, chills raced up her body. “How long will you have to hide in plain sight?” she asked.
“Until it’s over.”
*
“I still don’t understand, Vinea. Why did you target Sam?” Devon asked.
The man was dense. She had the feeling that if she avoided answering him, he’d never leave. “Because I wanted his powers.”
His jaw tightened. “It was bad enough that you lied to me, but stealing a man’s magic is just wrong. Doesn’t that bother you?”
That was rich. “No. As for stealing being bad, tell that to my parents and sister. They stole my powers and then kicked me out of the light realm.”
“You probably deserved it. Even if you didn’t, it doesn’t give you the right to take what belongs to someone else.”
There was no use talking to a man with such strict morals. “Look, I gotta go. Just forget you saw me okay?”
He reached out and grabbed her hand. While Vinea could have evaporated, she didn’t need the exposure.
“Listen, I didn’t mean to come down so hard on you.” He looked around. “How about we go someplace more private?”
Where had that change of heart come from? It didn’t really matter. As much as she hated to admit it, her body was going wild with desire, something that should never happened around a mere mortal. “Where do you have in mind?”
“How about we drive over to the lake? No one goes there during the day.”
If he wanted a dalliance, she could get into it. Besides, the big takedown wouldn’t happen until tomorrow. Vinea pulled a five out of her wallet and dropped it on the table. “Let’s go.”
As if he’d forgotten all about her evil past, Devon placed a hand on her back and led her outside. If he weren’t so straight-laced, she’d think he was trying to con her. Who was she kidding? Even if he weren’t so uptight, he wouldn’t be able to fool her—no one could.
Even though Vinea believed Devon wouldn’t try to pull some stupid stunt, she glanced around, hoping Sam Pompley wasn’t there. She’d failed to take his powers, but the fact she went at him with a crystal knife was enough to build distrust in a person—or would it be more accurate to say everlasting hate?
“Hop in,” Devon said.
She liked his tricked out truck. “Nice ride.”
“Thanks.”
She slid in. “I’ve never been to the lake,” she said. It was too close to where James lived—and Naliana on occasion.
“You’ll like it.”
It only took ten minutes to reach it. During that time, she asked about his work as a way to take the focus off her, but once he started talking, she realized she was interested in his life. He came across as someone who was angry, a little bitter, and very driven. She was pretty sure she’d had a hand in the angry and bitter parts, after what she had done. Vinea didn’t want to think about why that bothered her now.
“You know,” he said. “You and I aren’t all that different.”
Vinea refrained from laughing. “Oh, really? Why do you say that?”
“I told you that Connor was asked to run McKinnon and Associates after my dad retired, but were you aware that he’s my younger brother?”
An uncharacteristic twinge pinched her heart. “So you understand what it’s like to be passed up?”
“Totally.” Devon stopped the car. “The lake is right past those trees.”
He jumped out, came around to her side, and opened the door. No one had ever treated her with that kind of respect, and she didn’t like it one bit. Being beholden to anyone wasn’t her style.
Devon led the way. He kept his pace slow, probably because he could tell walking in heels on the soft dirt was difficult. When they approached the lake, a spear of delight shot through her—a highly unwelcomed emotion. For a goddess of the dark realm, it could be quite dangerous.
Vinea worked hard to push those new feelings aside. She did not want to care about Devon. Her heart was black, and she was just fine with that. She would fight it and win.
“Come over to the water,” Devon said. “It’s so clear you can almost see the bottom.”
Vinea stepped over and peered down, not liking her reflection. Now that she no longer had to hide from Devon and his family, she swiped a hand over her face. A second later, her auburn hair appeared, and the dark rimmed glasses disappeared.
The dress and shoes were way too uncomfortable, so she imagined a cute pair of shorts and a turquoise halter top, and her new outfit appeared.
Devon jumped back. “Whoa! How did you do that?” He held up a hand. “Never mind. I don’t even want to know, though you didn’t have to go to all that trouble for me.”
She hadn’t been thinking of him. Before she could explain, Devon kicked off his shoes and then dropped his trousers. “I can’t wait to get in the water. Get undressed.”
“You want to go for a swim?” she asked. Here she thought they’d make out first then move on to have some hot, sweaty sex.
“I wanted to cool down first. Seeing you has my libido jacked up again.” He lifted off his shirt and moved closer.
She didn’t believe it until she spotted his huge erection. “Nice cock.”
“You can try it out after we take a dip. Come on.”
“No thanks. You go ahead.”
As if he thought she needed convincing, he cupped her face and kissed her. Her body exploded with need, and she pushed him away, hating her emotional reaction.
“Why did you stop?” he asked. “It’s what you want, right?”
“Yes, no…” She couldn’t come up with a good response.
“You’re going in whether you like it or not.” His cheerful demeanor turned dark. At least that response she understood.
She’d had enough of his he-man attitude. “I am not.”
Devon dunked his shoulder and plowed into her, taking both of them into the water, and while Vinea fought and kicked, he overpowered her. She called on her ability to throw his sorry ass twenty feet, but that power had evaporated. Water surrounded her and she couldn’t breathe. If she’d been in the dark realm, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but on Earth it was.
Vinea had never been swimming in her life. When her head hit something hard, pain ricocheted through her. She had no idea how long she could hold her breath, so the only thing to do was to disappear. But when she tried to change form, nothing happened, shooting her pulse into overdrive. She couldn’t breathe. Devon was trying to drown her, but she couldn’t let that happen. It didn’t matter she was immortal. Her stomach churned, and a tight band squeezed her chest. How had she misjudged him?
Even though her eyes were closed, a strong light appeared in front of her. Then it was as if she were floating, and an amazing sense of warmth filled her. Something good seemed to be trying to root out the evil in her body, and she couldn’t let that happe
n.
As hard as she tried to make her muscles move to fight him off, nothing worked. Androf, I’m sorry I failed you.
A rush of water flew past her face, and the next thing she knew, Devon was dumping her on the hard ground. Vinea sucked in a large breath and coughed. When she opened her eyes, he was leaning over her, smiling.
“You bastard. You nearly killed me.” She rose to her feet. Still shaky, she punched him in the chest, but he didn’t budge.
“I did it to save you,” he said with such smugness, she wanted to hit him harder.
“Save me from what?” The man was crazy. He placed a hand on her back, but she jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”
“How do you feel? Did the quartz thaw out that cold, black heart of yours?” Devon cocked a brow and looked way too satisfied.
“I feel like I nearly drowned.” Vinea wouldn’t tell him about the white light and the feeling of being loved.
She stepped away from him. One of her shoes was missing. With a sweep of her hand, she was immediately clothed in another pair of shorts, a dry T-shirt, and new sandals. Thank goddess, she hadn’t lost that power.
As much as she wanted to yell and scream at him for attempting to kill her, she couldn’t drag her eyes off his body. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I don’t appreciate it. You’re a dick.”
Devon grabbed his crotch. “I admit I have one, but I guess you’re not interested anymore.”
“Fuck you.”
“Listen, Vinea, I was hoping the rose quartz would draw out your evil.”
She laughed in his face. “You’re a fool. That’s only for Changelings, not for goddesses.” Or so she hoped.
He tossed her a charming smile, but she could tell it was fake. Deep down, Devon McKinnon hated her, only he was too polite to say so.
“It was worth a try,” he said. “I really did like you, you know, until you basically screwed over my friends.” His lips twisted into a sneer.
