“Good luck.” There was a pause that ended with a giggle. “I’ve got to go—I think she’s coming to interrogate me again. I’m so glad you talked me into this. My days were getting really boring.”
“Thanks again.” He hung up feeling conflicted. Happiness coursed through him when he thought of their time together but it slid quickly into discomfort.
He hated deceiving Victoria. Every cell in his body wanted to hold her, protect her. Deception ripped into his heart, making him ache. There wasn’t another way though. He’d tried to get her to notice him, to even look him in the eye for long enough to test the connection, but she’d been so aloof. If he didn’t know better he would have sworn that she’d used a mirage spell of her own to keep others from talking directly to her. Everyone seemed to hear her and do as directed without questioning, without interacting with her. Perhaps she did use her power for something like that.
He wondered again if giving her a gift so soon in his courting of her was a good idea. It could completely explode in his face, but he had to do something. If nothing else, he’d know that she owned something he’d bought for her. He’d bet his entire year’s salary that she’d open it early instead of following the instructions he’d given Gynger.
Chapter Five
The box that Victoria sat staring at was very large and gorgeously packaged. The royal-blue paper stretched tight around the present was thick and heavy, almost cloth-like. Gold and silver ribbons accented the deep color of the paper and brought the eye to the tiny, shimmering stars that moved slowly over it. Magic. It coated the box, the wrappings, and hovered around the present in a warm aura. The stars twinkled, mocking her with their beauty. The price for that type of magic was steep and there were very few who could bind it so closely to the wrappings. Her fingers caressed the velum note again. The silky paper was almost sensual against her fingertips.
She couldn’t decide if the present was a cherished gift from a male she’d pleased or the workings of an obsessed client whom she needed to be wary of. She’d run her fingers over it, absorbing the faint traces of the giver’s energy signature. It was from Nick. She hadn’t needed Gynger to tell her that. She’d recognize his essence anywhere.
When she’d finally fallen asleep the night before she’d dreamed of him, of his energy, of his lust. Dreams rarely woke her, but she’d come awake moaning from an orgasm, coated in sweat and still shaking from the release. She didn’t like admitting it, but she craved him and silently agreed with her inner thoughts that perhaps he was someone she wanted to actually get to know.
Reading the note again didn’t help her to decide what she thought of the gift. Nick had obviously had it planned and had worked hard to get it to her without anyone seeing him or who had delivered it to the building.
Victoria, Please accept this token of my appreciation and affection. I hope you find it as beautiful and unique as I find you. All I ask is that you don’t open it until Thursday evening before our next session. Yours lovingly, Nick
She sighed. If she’d been human still she’d have been terrified that the man was stalking her. In the supernatural world, though, stalkers were rare. Beings who lived thousands of years were strange, bestowing gifts and favors on others with no real comprehension of how it looked to a former human. She couldn’t assume that the male who had sent the gift was doing anything other than simply sending her a present. It wasn’t her first and surely wouldn’t be her last. Many of her clients sent tokens of their affection or thanks. The men she took as patrons were rich, some beyond even her comprehension. Money to the supernatural community was a necessity, but more often than not a joke. When you lived for centuries there was no limit to the income you could make.
So why was she leery of this one? Why did she feel like opening it would seal her fate? Fate. Fuck. Fate was one of those ideas thrown around by everyone in hushed tones laced with respect and fear. If supernaturals feared anything, it was fate and her unerring ability to screw up everything. Humans discussed the idea of fate, but when you had a finite length of time to live it couldn’t be influenced much by fate. Give beings an eternity, inject the idea of uncontrolled occurrences, and watch them scatter like cockroaches. No one liked control more than supers.
Victoria chuckled. If anyone liked control more than her, she’d never met them. The strange sensation that she’d been feeling in her chest was fear. She was scared of the changes she felt in herself. Terrified that her life was about to be flipped upside down.
“So, are you going to open it or just stare at it like it’s going to bite you?” Gynger’s laughter-filled voice pulled a growl from Victoria’s chest.
“According to the note you delivered to me, I’m not supposed to open it yet. He requested that I wait until Thursday.”
“Shit. Really? That’s almost a week away. I don’t want to wait that long, do you?”
“If you haven’t noticed, Gyn, this is my gift. I’m not sure I even want you to know what’s in it. You deserve to be eaten up by curiosity just for the trouble you’ve caused me.”
Her friend huffed behind her. “But you love me, Vic. I’m like a sister. You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”
Victoria turned and grinned at her friend, smiling more widely at the shock on Gynger’s face. “I would, and am definitely thinking about it. You buried his information so deeply that no one can find it and are refusing to tell me what you know. I’ve fired people for less.”
“You love me and you know it. I’m just trying to help you, hon.” She leaned forward, red hair falling into her face, hiding her eyes from Vic. “I love you like a sister and want to see you happy, and you haven’t been in so long. I understand your fears but at some point you need to step out of your personal prison. How long are you going to punish yourself for losing control when you were first turned? Hmm? You didn’t have control. You aren’t at fault. You do understand that right? You know that those deaths aren’t your fault?”
Victoria cringed at the concern in her friend’s voice. Yes, she believed those men’s deaths were on her hands. She was the one who had killed them. She knew, intellectually, that they weren’t truly her fault. She’d woken as a new thing, a changed being. But that didn’t absolve her guilt about what she’d done to them.
To bury those feelings so the others couldn’t sense them she’d had to learn to cover them up, shove them far inside. True, she hadn’t been outwardly jovial in a long time, but she wasn’t unhappy. Was she? She sighed. She hadn’t felt anything in ages. Fear, irritation, concern—those were the first things she’d felt in so long that she couldn’t truly be angry with Gynger. She turned back to the present and scowled. Would it hurt to open it early? What could be important enough to have it delivered now but not important enough to open as soon as it arrived? Or was the male playing a game with her?
“I want to open it now.” She didn’t realize she’d said it out loud until Gynger laughed behind her.
“Do it. I want to see what he sent you.”
A foreign feeling skated over her nerves just before she giggled. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise. Had she really giggled? Her? Victoria didn’t giggle, chuckle, laugh or anything else of the sort. What in the name of all that was hellish was happening to her?
She reached for the package and noted that her fingers shook slightly as they touched the magic surrounding the box. It moved over her arms and goose bumps erupted along her skin. Cool waves of energy tickled across her hand and she stifled another round of grinning.
“It’s coated in magic. Do you think he did something so he’d know when I open it?” Vic pulled her hand back, nervous. She truly didn’t know this male. Could he have added a spell to bind her or harm her?
“It’s possible, but I know he would never try to hurt you, so the magic is harmless,” Gynger answered.
Vic thought about that for a moment then couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. With quick movements she unwrapped the ribbons, stroking them lig
htly between her fingers. Even they were made of expensive silk, beautiful and soft against her hand. She didn’t want to damage the wrappings and refused to look at that conviction too closely. She would normally have ripped into the package, discarded the paper to get into the box. This time she took her time, folding the silk ribbons and placing them lightly next to her before carefully unfolding the paper from around the present.
Once she’d smoothed the wrapping paper out and folded it she stared at the cream-colored cardboard box. She wondered what Nick had sent her and hoped that it wasn’t lingerie or jewelry. She wanted him to think of her beyond sex, and how crazy was that? But from the size of the box and the pulsing magic coming off it in waves she doubted it was either of those things. Shaking her head helped her to dispel the asinine desire for this one male to think of her as a real woman instead of his sexual outlet.
“You going to open it? Come on, Vic. I’m dying here.”
With a glance over her shoulder she noted Gynger’s curiosity and swallowed another laugh. “I could ask you to leave.”
“Please? I want to see what he sent.”
With a flourish, she pulled the top off the box and peeked inside. She thought at first that she was staring at another box, but after a moment she realized that it was a glass container. When she reached in and stroked the cool box it left her fingers chilled. Gently coaxing it from the outer box was made more difficult when her hands started to tremble. Inside a large glass terrarium was an extremely rare and awesomely magical plant she’d only seen in text books. A genuine Bridgetium azulerae, more commonly known as the Etraza tree.
“Oh my gods, Vic. Is that what I think it is?”
Victoria couldn’t even nod for fear of dropping the precious plant. It pulsed with magic even as it remained dormant. She knew that it would take a trigger to release the hibernation spell before it would fully become an animated, living thing again. As it rested in its tiny environment she could see the miniscule buds on the ends of each branch. The miniature tree was perfect in its structure. Tiny branches spread off a thin trunk. Even though her specimen wasn’t much taller than a book, it had to be hundreds of years old. Once reanimated, the tree would experience all four seasons, cycling through growth, sleep and rebirth each day.
Gently setting the glass case on her desk allowed her to release the breath she’d been holding. It left her lips in a whooshing whisper. “Wow.”
“Holy shit.” Gynger gasped behind her. They both stood there staring, silent for a few moments. “Have you ever seen anything so awesome in your life?”
Vic shook her head, still speechless from the enormity of the gift. Nick had to have spent a million or more on that tree. How could he so easily give it to her? She swallowed a few times to push down the lump in her throat. Tears prickled behind her eyes, which dragged a hint of anger from her addled brain. You’ve fought all this time to not be affected emotionally by anything and a gift sends you into tears? Wussy girl. With the back of her hand she scrubbed at the moisture clinging to her lashes. She wouldn’t give in, wouldn’t allow herself to feel cherished or blessed by this gift. Nope, wouldn’t give her heart permission to pitter-patter in her chest with the blooming of warmth. Panic surged through her before she could scoff at her own reaction. Big, bad succubus is scared off by a gift? You’re a sad, sad demon, Vic.
She finally noticed that Gynger was digging around the inside of the cardboard box. At least one of them was still thinking and not dissolving into an emotionally charged pile of girly goo. When the other female came up with a small envelope clutched in her hand, Vic’s mind clicked back on.
“Is that the trigger?”
Gynger handed it over and shrugged. “Probably. Open it. I want to see if this baby does what I’ve heard they’re capable of.”
Opening the envelope emitted a quick burst of energy. It skittered cool and pleasant across her skin. She could see the magic as it shimmered around them, like a mirage dancing in the air. Instantly the Etraza tree responded with a soft glow.
The tiny buds that tipped each branch changed, becoming green and plump. Between one heartbeat and the next they opened, unfurling brilliant jade leaves so small that she wasn’t sure of their shape. Victoria stood, mouth agape, as the leaves grew quickly. Hearts. The leaves were perfectly formed hearts dripping from the branches, weighing them down with an abundance of foliage. She gasped as she watched miniscule yellow flower buds form. Sunshine-colored petals opened, shining enough that she thought perhaps they actually gave off a soft glow. The light fragrance of honeysuckle and lavender filled the air and Victoria sucked it into her lungs, savoring the scent even as she blinked in astonishment.
“That is the coolest thing I have ever seen,” Gynger whispered reverently.
“Who is he?” Vic whispered back. She needed to know who would give her something so magically perfect. Who’d be willing to part with something so unique? He was either super wealthy or crazy—either way a prized possession such as that tree should never be given to a stranger.
“I can’t tell you yet, Vic.” Her friend sighed. “But he is safe and would never harm you. You’ll let him call again on Thursday, right?”
Nodding numbly in answer, Victoria stared at the ever-changing tree. She didn’t even balk at the quick hug Gynger bestowed on her. Her friend said something before quietly leaving the office, but she didn’t hear or comprehend. The enormity of the gift, now changing slowly to the reds and golds of fall, seemed to stop time completely. Now what?
Chapter Six
Victoria found she’d been staring for the millionth time into the terrarium that housed her Etraza tree. It was snowing lightly within the glass container. Tiny snowflakes floated to the dirt and covered the branches with a soft blanket of pure white. The snow was luminescent, glowing enough to cast shadows on her desk. She knew within an hour it would be glowing with sunshine blossoms again, but its serene coolness while in winter matched her thoughts. She rested her fingertips against the glass and let the cold flow over her skin. Even the magic felt glacial as it wrapped around her hand with a frozen whisper.
She sighed. Her entire day had morphed into one emotional hill after another. For someone who prided herself on not feeling anything, the change was devastating. She wanted to backtrack a day and ignore Gynger’s begging. If Vic hadn’t taken on Nick, or whatever his real name was, she’d be plowing through her work without a single care. Instead she sat staring at the ultimate gift, wondering what her heart was really doing thumping away in her chest.
The sudden ringing of her desk phone made her jump and she snickered at her own reaction.
“Yes, Tabitha?”
“Victoria, I’m sorry to disturb you, but there is a male on the phone insisting on talking with you. He says he has an appointment with you and won’t take no for an answer. He’s refused to tell me his name and is tying up all my incoming lines with some form of spell that I can’t unravel.” Tabitha’s normally calm-and-collected voice was ragged and tight. She was one of the highest trained techno-psychics in the nation. For her to be this harried meant she’d spent some time trying to solve the problem already.
“What does he want?” Anger spiked and Victoria swallowed a growl. Would it never end? People couldn’t just leave her and her company alone.
“He wants to speak to you specifically. He’s been nothing but cordial while being shuffled from agent to agent, but he’s refusing to release the spell or chat with anyone else.”
Silence hung heavy between them. This wasn’t the first insane, over-testosteroned male who had gotten it into his head that he could somehow force information from her or the company. Those asses were the reason she had the tightest security money could buy.
“Put him through. But Tab? Find out who he is and how he’s able to do what he’s doing. I want to know ASAP.” She sighed. A boss’s job was never done, especially when dealing with the supernatural public. “I don’t like knowing someone can cripple us so easily.”
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“Yes, Victoria. Thank you.”
Two clicks and a slight pause gave her enough time to take a deep breath and prepare to tear down the asshat who thought he could play some joke on her and her company. She’d find out who this male was and have a few of her security trolls go and pay him a visit. Perhaps she’d send him flowers while he recuperated in the hospital. A grin, fully sanctioned by her demon side, spread across her lips.
“You opened your gift early.”
All her intentions fled with the first word uttered in that voice, smooth and amused, on the other end of the line. A flash of feminine heat shot through her body. Instead of dressing down the troublemaker, she wanted to undress for him. She swallowed a moan as it fought to leave her throat. She’d lied to herself about the impact the male had on her. Now she sat panting at her desk, willing him to speak more so she could feel the heat build in her body.
“I did, thank you. The tree is a very generous present, Nick.”
“I wanted you to have something special from me. Something you’d see every minute you sat near it.”
“Well I’ve definitely been watching it. I think I’ve stared at the tree more than I have anything else today.” She tried not to grin, but felt her lips quirk at the corners. “So you put a spell on the wrappings so you’d know when I opened it?”
He cleared his throat and she could feel his slight embarrassment through his pause. “I just wanted to know if you’d wait as instructed or if you’d be one of those impatient women.”
“Hmmm, I am definitely impatient when it comes to presents. But I have to say that I am so thrilled that I opened it today.” She waited for a moment then decided she’d better get her thoughts out there. “Nick, I really think that sending me an Etraza tree is just too much. I love it, don’t get me wrong, but I know what it must have taken to get one. Something so precious shouldn’t be given to someone like me.”
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