by C. C. Wood
A woman who looked a lot like Rhiannon Temple was featured in most of them. I seemed to be making attempts to seduce her. Pursuing her relentlessly. Though I could clearly hear the words I spoke, they weren’t mine. In the nightmares, I offered her anything and everything to share her power with me, telling her that she would be my queen and that we would rule together. It made no sense. When she didn’t agree, I threatened her with unspeakable acts. As monstrous as I considered myself, I never would utter threats such as those to a woman.
With each night that passed and each dream I had, I became more and more certain that it was Rhiannon I saw in the dreams and not a woman who resembled her. I also became more convinced that I was experiencing Cornelius’ memories. The things I said were similar to the threats I’d heard him utter before.
I wondered what Rhiannon Temple wanted from Savannah or Ava. Or from me. I doubted she’d approached Savannah for business reasons, as she claimed. Especially considering the unique gifts that Savannah had or the massive power that resided within Ava’s body. If my suspicions about her were true, the woman was as old as I was, which meant she was no mere human. The fact that my brother had known her and wanted her deepened my anxiety. Cornelius never did anything without a reason. Even when he had killed people, he always had a goal in mind and it usually involved strengthening his own power.
Then there was the fact that I was the last known animavore. Soul eaters were once feared and treated like the boogeymen of the supernatural community. Though they were now considered myths because, to my knowledge, Cornelius and I were the only ones. That didn’t mean that the lore didn’t spread far and wide. The thought of creatures like me was frightening to those who practiced white magic. The dark witches and wizards were in constant pursuit of the knowledge required to make them because legend said that the more souls the animavore consumed, the greater his power. If one could take the soul of the animavore they would also have his magic.
I knew from experience that this was true. But the magic required to remove the soul eater’s power was immense. Very few witches or warlocks in the world could manage it. I’d met one in Dallas and considered her a friend, and another was now my landlord and I very much doubted she wanted my power when her own was likely more potent than mine.
I poured another glass of water and drank this one at a slower pace, carrying it over to the pair of stools that sat next to the kitchen island. I settled on one, taking in the quiet darkness of the house and trying to get my mind off the nightmare that had woken me.
I distracted myself with thoughts of Savannah Baker. Just the memory of my last evening with her was enough to slow my heart rate.
In the two weeks since our first date, I’d spent nearly every evening with Savannah. She would cook or I would bring food and we would talk or watch television. One night she tried to teach me how to play poker. Considering she had to stop and look up the rules several times, that didn’t go well, but it was still entertaining. I enjoyed it. Actually, I enjoyed every moment with her. She had the ability to make even the most ordinary activities seem special. Even her silence was comforting.
She was sweet and arousing at the same time. I found myself making an effort to make her laugh because I craved the sound. I often pulled her into my side when we sat on the couch, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and just breathing her in. I wanted her close to me.
Every night, I struggled with the desire to do more than kiss her good-bye, but this wasn’t a fling or a quick tumble. I knew she wanted me too, that she wanted me to do more than give her gentle kisses. I could feel her desire, but I was courting this woman and I wanted to take my time. I wasn’t so locked in the past that I didn’t understand that most people would have had sex by now, but after Savannah admitted to me that her last relationship had been seven years ago, I wasn’t going to push her too hard, too fast. I wanted her to trust me completely before we moved to the next step. I didn’t want her to regret it later, even if she was eager now.
Even though I tried to ignore the need she emitted, it was difficult. Every time I touched her or kissed her, she would melt against me. Though the weight of her body and the scent of her skin were becoming an addiction, I wanted more from her. I wanted everything she offered me without a word.
But I couldn’t take it. Not yet.
In the quiet darkness of the early morning hours, I wondered how I ever thought I could stay away from Savannah Baker. There was so much about her that called to me. Even if Ava hadn’t arrived on my doorstep two weeks ago, I would have caved eventually. I would have cracked and ended up knocking on her front door, pleading with her to spend time with me. To speak to me again. In an incredibly short period of time, Savannah had gotten beneath my skin and I doubted she would ever work her way out.
When my mind and body quieted, I put the glass in the sink and walked back to the bedroom. If tonight was like all the others, I would be able to sleep now and the nightmare wouldn’t return. Most nights I wouldn’t dream again once the nightmare woke me, but sometimes I would dream of Savannah. Of touching her. Kissing her. Making love to her.
Still, even if I couldn’t have the reality, my dreams were a welcome if poor substitute.
Tomorrow I would go to The Magic Bean and speak to Ava. If my dreams of Rhiannon Temple were anything to go by, danger waited for one, if not both of us in the future and we should be prepared. I hoped that she would have some insight into what was happening to me and what Rhiannon might be up to.
After over two millennia alone, I’d finally found a woman that I could envision a future with and I would not allow anyone or anything to hurt her. I would protect Savannah with everything I had. Including my life.
Chapter Fourteen
Savannah
“So, how’re things with Rhys?” Ava asked me casually as we stocked and organized the bookshelves in the Bean.
The afternoon was a slow one, so we were taking the time to tidy the shop and restock books. I was surprised by how neat the witches were when they came into the shop. Everything that they picked up was put back into its proper place if they decided not to buy it. It was rare that a customer left things in disarray.
When I’d mentioned it to Ava, she laughed. “That’s because the witches can feel the spell I put on the shelves. If they don’t return things to their proper place, there is a price to pay. Typically, it’s only the humans who aren’t tidy.”
“A price to pay?” I asked, my eyes growing larger. “What do you do to them?”
Ava shook her head. “Nothing horrible. But they aren’t surprised when their spells go awry for a few days or they need to replace their supply of dried herbs not long after a visit.”
“You hex them?” I asked, my voice growing higher.
She laughed again, louder and longer this time. “Not really. It’s more of a little spell to throw them off-kilter for a few days. It’s harmless.” She paused. “Though one witch did come in after she burned her eyebrows off when one of her candle spells didn’t go as planned. I had to adjust the charm then.”
I shook my head at my friend. “You’re a menace. Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
“I don’t think you could,” Ava replied. “Though we might find out if you change the subject again when I ask you about Rhys.”
I sighed as I dusted the shelves in front of me. I should have known she would notice that I did that every time she asked me about Rhys and how our dates were going. The truth was I didn’t want to tell her because I wasn’t sure I even knew what was going on.
For the past several weeks, Rhys came over to my house every day. Most of the time it was in the evening after I finished working for the day. Sometimes he came just after lunch and helped me in the garden when I was only at the Bean for the morning shift. I enjoyed his company and looked forward to seeing him every day, but his behavior confused me.
Rhys wasn’t overly affectionate. He only held my hand from time to time and often when we sat on the couch
watching television, he’d put his arm around my shoulders, but that was it. His hands and eyes never wandered. Surprisingly, I wanted them to. I wanted him to touch me and I definitely wanted to touch him. I found nearly everything about him attractive, from his endearing lack of understanding of pop culture to his not-quite-dimples. For the first time in years, my libido was awake and raring to go. Too bad he didn’t seem to get the memo, even though I knew he had to feel my desire for more.
If it hadn’t been for the kisses he gave me each night before he left, I would have thought that maybe we were just friends. But even the kisses were somewhat chaste. Rhys always kept the contact brief and his hands never strayed from my waist.
For the first time in my life, I was dating a man who took old-fashioned values seriously. My grandmother would have been ecstatic.
However, I was ready for more. Maybe not sex, but definitely some making out or a groping session on my couch. I felt like I was back in high school and my boyfriend wouldn’t touch me because he was afraid my parents would come down the hall and catch us.
“Savannah, are you going to answer my question or am I going to have to get out my hex book?”
I blinked at Ava. “Sorry. I was thinking.”
“I could tell. I think I smell smoke, so whatever it is must be serious.”
I made a face at her insinuation. “My brain isn’t overheating, I’m just a little…confused about what I should do about Rhys.”
“Well, why don’t you talk to me about it and I’ll tell you what I think you should do.”
I laughed. “You may be my boss here at the Bean, but my private life is my own,” I retorted.
“Wrong. I may be your boss here, but I’m also your best friend, which means you have to at least consider my suggestions,” she corrected.
Still laughing, I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
“Okay, no you don’t,” she sighed. “But I’m dying of curiosity, so please put me out of my misery. I know you think it’s rude to kiss and tell or whatever, but I feel like I had a bit of a hand in getting you two together. I need details.”
“Something would have to happen for me to kiss and tell,” I muttered to myself as I dusted the candles on their shelves.
“What did you just say?” Ava asked.
I glanced at her. “You heard me.”
“Okay, back up. Instead of saying something would have to happen, why don’t you tell me what has happened so far?”
I tossed my dust rag into the plastic basket of cleaning supplies. “We spend time together. We eat dinner or watch TV. Then he leaves.”
“That’s it?” Ava asked. “No fooling around or anything?” She sounded shocked.
“Well, he does kiss me good night before he leaves, but that’s it.”
“One kiss?” Now she seemed horrified. “No groping or dry humping or anything?”
I made another face at her reference to dry humping and she rolled her eyes. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”
Considering I’d never dry humped before and didn’t have any plans to start now, I let the subject drop. “No, nothing other than one kiss.”
“Does he at least slip you the tongue?” she asked.
“Ava!” I cried out, twisting toward her. “I can’t believe you asked me that.”
“What? The way you put it, he’s acting more like your BFF than your BF.”
I made a face at her. “BF as in best friend or boyfriend?” I asked.
“Boyfriend, Savannah,” she replied, clearly exasperated with my joking.
“I think he’s trying to take things slowly,” I stated.
“Probably, but there’s a difference between smart slow and glacier slow. A kiss with tongue isn’t exactly scandalous in this day and age.”
She did have a point, but we didn’t have a chance to debate it because the bell over the door to the shop rang and we both turned to face the customers.
Rhiannon Temple stood just inside the door. As she had before, she looked sophisticated and sleek, her long black hair hung in a straight sheet to her waist. She wore a royal blue sheath that hugged her slender figure. Over her forearm, she looped a handbag that carried a discreet triangular label that I recognized. A tall man loomed over her, his broad body dwarfing her though her heels put her nearly at the same height. He was large and muscular and he looked as though he belonged on a calendar for sexy bad boys on motorcycles.
“Hello,” she said, coming deeper into the shop. Her eyes flicked to me. “It’s nice to see you again, Savannah,” she greeted as she held a hand out to me.
Though I didn’t want to shake her hand, I took her fingers and released them as quickly as possible. Touching her skin made me feel chilled all over.
“Hello,” I replied.
Rhiannon turned to Ava. “Hello, you must be Ava Amaris.” She reached into her bag and removed a small cream-colored card. “I’m Rhiannon Temple and I’m a property developer and real estate agent in Austin. I stopped by several of your rental properties in Travis Heights and I would be very interested talking to you about them.”
Ava took the card but didn’t spare it a glance. “May I offer you and your…friend a coffee?” she asked, neither confirming nor denying Rhiannon’s assumption that she was Ava Amaris.
“That sounds lovely, thank you. I’ll take a nonfat cappuccino,” Rhiannon said with a small toss of her head. Her black hair rippled before settling back against her spine, moving as though it had a life of its own. I wasn’t sure why but the sight of her hair falling perfectly into place made me wonder if perhaps she was a witch. It was almost as if the strands rearranged themselves until they were completely smooth.
Ava’s eyes shifted to the man behind Rhiannon. “Can I get you something…” she trailed off.
“My name is Macgrath,” the man replied. “And I don’t want anything.”
His voice was rough and low, as though he didn’t use it often. Ava nodded and turned to me.
“Savannah, would you mind?”
Sensing the undercurrents of tension in the room, I hurried behind the counter, unsure of what I should do. Unlike Ava, I had no magical abilities and for some reason, I felt as though I might need them. My intuition wasn’t as strong as a witch’s, but it was twanging sharply at the moment, warning me that there was danger here. Mostly because the few emotions that radiated from the others were defensive or hostile. There was also an underlying sense of smugness but I couldn’t quite tell where it emanated from.
Quickly I made a medium nonfat cappuccino, putting it into a paper to-go cup. When I carried it to Rhiannon, she took it without a word of thanks, which only solidified my vague aversion for her into concrete dislike. My gaze flicked to Macgrath behind her and I found his gaze on me.
Disturbed by the way he was looking at me I lowered my own eyes and walked over to the shelves next to Ava. I began putting away the cleaning products, loading everything in the basket just to keep my hands busy.
“Why are you interested in my rental properties?” Ava asked Rhiannon.
The woman took a sip of the cappuccino before she answered. “I’d like to buy them from you,” she stated. “You own several homes on the same block and I’m interested in refurbishing them for resale. I would, of course, offer you fair market value for them.”
Ava crossed her arms over her chest, studying Rhiannon closely. “Thank you for your offer, but I’m not interested in selling at this time.”
The real estate agent’s mouth thinned at Ava’s words and I noticed that Macgrath smirked behind her, as though he were pleased that she had been thwarted.
“Are you sure? Perhaps an extra twenty percent on the purchase price would change your mind?”
Ava shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t.”
Once again I saw her eyes move to Macgrath. He met her gaze with an implacable stare and the strange tension in the room intensified tenfold.
“You seem like an intelligent woman,” he said to Ava sudd
enly.
She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him. “I believe I am.”
“Then perhaps you should think about her offer.”
I nearly choked at the thinly veiled threat and twisted my head to look at Ava.
My insane boss threw her head back and laughed. “What is this, a mob movie?” she asked. “Will there be a horse head in my bed tomorrow morning?”
Strangely enough, the corners of Macgrath’s mouth twitched as though he found Ava’s complete lack of fear amusing. He grinned and I watched in horror as his canine teeth extended and his eyes began to glow. He was a vampire.
Ava merely shook her head. “Your parlor tricks don’t frighten me, vampire, so save the theatrics.”
His grin widened but his teeth receded back. “Of course not.”
The door behind him opened, but he didn’t react, which made me wonder if he’d heard the person approaching before they arrived. I glanced around him and saw Rhys. Macgrath turned then and looked Rhys up and down.
“Excuse me,” Rhys murmured, stepping inside and letting the door shut behind him.
Without a word, Macgrath moved to his left. Rhiannon had turned when Rhys spoke and now she was smiling at him in a way that I didn’t like. At all. Her gaze was very nearly predatory.
“Nice to see you again, Rhys,” she greeted him.
He nodded to her. “Ms. Temple.”
“Oh, please, call me Rhiannon,” she invited him, placing a hand on his arm.
Rhys’ eyes came to mine and I watched as their color changed, the blue of his irises quickly swallowed by the black of his pupil. Within seconds the whites were encompassed as well, leaving his eyes black as night.
Next to me, Ava went stiff and I knew she saw it. Rhys stepped away from Rhiannon so that her hand fell away. He blinked several times and when he looked up once again, his eyes had returned to blue.
