When he’d invited her to lunch, she almost thought he was interested despite his disclaimers. Even if she did let herself believe the desire in his gaze was real, she wasn’t in the mood to pick at a salad in a crowded restaurant, just so no one would ask if she was sure she needed a side of fries with that burger.
She hung her suit in the closet and snagged a pair of her favorite jeans. The ones with the tears right under her ass, because of the way she’d worn the denim out. She grabbed a tank top from her drawer and tugged it on as she made her way back to the kitchen table—the most comfortable spot for working in the one-bedroom.
Time to do some digging and find out if Blake’s answers were bullshit, or if she was just being paranoid because of her experience with Craig. She plucked a bottle of iced tea from the fridge and settled in to do her research.
She didn’t want to find out Blake was a fraud. Despite everything, she enjoyed the conversation with him. The way they’d flowed from technical questions to pop culture, to music, to art had been the most fun she’d had talking to someone in a long time.
An hour later, her head spun from the circles she’d run in, chasing invisible trails. She’d found several references to Blake’s company, all for different functions and businesses, but each time she followed a new link, it dead-ended.
She needed to just tell him no and find a different contract. One that probably wouldn’t pay as much and almost definitely wouldn’t include the mental stimulation or eye-candy, but it wasn’t like she had either of those things before this morning.
Her thoughts ground to a halt when the next website loaded. A phone number and an address. Disappointment nudged her senses. Blake had said he only had one office, and it was in Nashville, Tennessee. This was in Tampa Bay, Florida. Maybe it was just a coincidence, and the two weren’t related at all. Best way to find out would be to call and ask if the place had anything to do with Blake. She hesitated with her hand over her phone.
She was being stupid. She needed the answer. Putting off the call wouldn’t change what she already knew—taking this job was a bad idea. She sucked in a deep breath and dialed the number.
“F and M Communications.” A pleasant voice greeted her.
Maybe she should have thought more about what she was going to say before she placed the call. “May I speak with Blake Ugagnkin?”
Silence greeted Luci. She checked her phone. The call hadn’t been dropped.
“Blake—?” The pleasant voice snapped off. “I’m sorry, he’s not in this week. Can I transfer you to someone else or give him a message?”
“No. Thank you.” Luci disconnected. It wasn’t proof of anything. So he worked in an office he’d implied didn’t exist. No big deal. Except, combined with everything else...
She couldn’t do this. The pros didn’t make up for the risk she’d take signing on. That was a practical business decision. The best one she could make. Even if nothing was there, her uneasiness was enough to make the job a must-avoid. She could find another one.
Chapter Three
“Thank you for your time. I’ll be in touch.” Blake shook the hand of the contractor he’d interviewed. As soon as the man was gone, Blake sank back into the hotel-lobby sofa. He raked his fingers through his hair and exhaled. This guy had looked good on paper, but he’d shown up in a battered T-shirt, cut-off shorts, and reeking of... Blake wasn’t even sure. Weed, beer, and sweat. But the job didn’t require people to be presentable, just accurate. The meeting had consisted of an hour and a half of stories about past clients, and how stupid they’d been. The best thing about the interview was it had been Blake’s last for the day.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he grabbed it. The device was set to remain silent, except for priority messages. He dialed into his voice mail and listened to the short message from his brother and business partner, Eli—Byleist, as he’d been known when they were younger. Eli was one of the first impacted by the old myths and curses, and was proof results could vary from the assumed interpretation.
The message was short. “One of your appointments is digging. She talked to Freyr’s office. Call me.”
Uneasiness danced through Blake’s joints like a million tiny jolts. When Eli’s fate had played out the way it did, Freyr had become the company’s most vocal opposition. In the past few months, his people had become increasingly aggressive and violent in response, hunting down mortals and weaker gods on the list, and eliminating them. It shouldn’t matter that one of Blake’s applicants had called, though. Given his encounter with Morrigan this morning, Blake’s location wasn’t a secret, and that would make it simple to figure out who he was interviewing if Freyr cared.
So why couldn’t Blake sit still? He dialed Eli’s number, and drummed his fingers against his leg while he listened to the rings.
“You got my message.” His brother skipped the formalities. After centuries of working together, they didn’t usually bother with things like hello.
“Fill me in.”
“This woman is on one of our outlying lists, and now they know who and where she is.” Papers shuffled in the background. “Lucinda Tansey?”
Fuck. Dread spiked through Blake, and he clenched his empty hand until his knuckles ached. That meant she played a part in the prophecies. A mortal with a destiny, and very susceptible to things like death until her fate came to pass. “I thought we vetted all the applicants against known names.”
“We found this reference buried in a filing cabinet from decades ago. We wouldn’t have known to look, if your person in Freyr’s office hadn’t given us a heads-up when Lucinda’s name set off their warning bells.”
This was why they needed to make everything digital. Exactly the reason he was hiring contractors. Because there was too much to keep track of on paper. “What tier is she?” That would determine if her ties to the myths were significant, minor, or just a remote possibility.
“We’re still digging up information about what her fate may be, but she’s designated as significant. Could be a clerical error or...” Eli trailed off. They both knew that wasn’t the kind of risk they could take. “I can send someone for her this afternoon.”
The correct answer was yes. They needed to dispatch a local operative, to start surveillance and intercede as needed. If Luci accepted the contract keeping an eye on her would be easier. Then again, if Freyr decided she was an immediate threat, an operative might not be able to step in quickly enough.
“Helblindi”—Eli’s sharp tone carried over the line—“make a call.”
“I’ll handle it myself.” Blake shouldn’t have said that. What was he going to do? Follow her around like a stalker? An operative could take care of that. Or Blake could knock on her front door and tell her, ‘It’s possible you’re being hunted by a powerful god because you may or may not be a threat to his future’?
There was no scenario he could picture in which that went over well. It didn’t matter. He’d figure out it. His cock stirred at the thought of seeing her again. Her sarcastic laugh. Her witty comebacks. Her gorgeous curves. Long forgotten emotions he’d locked away—he thought forever.
Since he wasn’t one of those gods who could teleport or fly, he had a bit of a drive ahead of him. With any luck, it would be enough time to think up a plan and convince his mind to stop taunting him with graphic fantasies of stripping Luci down, one piece of clothing at a time.
****
Her pizza was here. The knock on the front door pulled Luci from her job search. She hadn’t told Blake yet that she wasn’t accepting his offer, but she would. First thing tomorrow morning. Well, not first thing. Maybe later in the day, to make sure he wasn’t busy and...
She shelved the rambling thoughts that had assaulted her since she made the decision not to take the contract, grabbed the money from the table beside her, and crossed the living room. She opened the door. When she registered the sight in front of her, she frowned.
The woman on the other side looked up, pale eyes wid
e. “I’m sorry. I was looking for Joey?” She trailed her finger along the edge of her collar.
Who? “You have the wrong apartment.” Discomfort rolled over Luci. Something about this woman made her grind her teeth. “I don’t know him.” She pushed the door shut. It was abrupt of her, but her skin crawled, and the urge to bolt surged through her.
“That’s all right. You’ll do.”
The knob was yanked from Luci’s hand, jarring her wrist, and the door crashed into her arm before colliding with slammed into the wall. A sharp gust shredded through the room. Her hair whipped in her face and stung her eyes. The slam echoed off through the room, and just as suddenly as the wind kicked up, it vanished. She shoved strands of brown out of her field of vision.
Her visitor stood immediately in front of her, smile in place. Pale blue eyes searched Luci’s face. “It really is you. It’s been a long time.”
The run-anywhere-but-here instinct pounded inside Luci until her head ached. What the hell was going on? “Morrigan?” She didn’t know this woman’s, but the name had popped into her head, associated with those pale eyes, and felt as real as Luci’s swelling terror.
“You remember me.” Morrigan sounded smug. “You’re really”—she looked Luci over again—“kind of bland, aren’t you? Not that it matters.” She held up her right hand, thumb and middle finger pressed together, as if she were going to snap.
“Enough.” A roar filled Luci’s ears and skull, and Morrigan stopped moving. It wasn’t just her snap that froze mid-air, but her entire frame, down to a grotesquely stalled smirk.
Luci blinked, to clear her eyes and thoughts, but it didn’t help. A jumble of questions assaulted her mind, mingling with a fear she didn’t understand. When she focused again, she wasn’t sure she was seeing right.
Blake had Morrigan pinned to the far wall, his hand at her throat. Her feet dangled so her toes only brushed the carpet. “Leave.” His voice was low and threatening, rolling on a breeze that didn’t have a source.
Terror spilled through Luci. Whatever this was, she wasn’t going to put up with it. Her apartment was a wreck, and she had no idea who these people were. This was too much. “What the fuck is going on?” she screamed.
Blake glanced back at Luci and then at the blue-eyed lunatic. Morrigan dropped, landing lightly, and dipped her head toward Blake’s. “Catch you later, lover boy. Good luck with this.” And then she vanished.
Luci shook her head. There was no way a woman had just disappeared from her living room. She looked at Blake. Why hadn’t he answered her? Why was he even here? “Blake?”
He frowned, not meeting her gaze. “We need to get you out of here.”
“What?” With the strange woman gone, Luci’s terror ebbed, leaving room for confusion and frustration. “No. Answer my questions. Who was that? Why are you in my apartment? And why the fuck would I go anywhere with some guy I’ve only known for a few hours, and don’t even trust?”
The creases in his brow deepened, and was that hurt in his eyes? Good. Served him right. He shook his head, and a blank mask slid onto his face. “You come with me, or stay here and the next one who comes for you will kill you. Decide now.”
She sank to the couch and rubbed her hands over her face. He was lying. This was some sort of... She didn’t even know, but it wasn’t real. So why did every inch of her tell her to do what he said?
Chapter Four
An hour’s drive to find this place, and Blake still hadn’t figured out what he was supposed to say. Morrigan provided an ice breaker, but seeing her had summoned centuries of demons, rage, and grief. Blake would have ripped her to pieces right then and there if it was within his power to do so.
Despite his ultimatum, no part of him was willing to leave Luci to her fate. He racked his brain for a next step. “You’re being hunted by powerful gods, because you may or may not be a threat to their future.” It sounded just as crappy and crazy when he said it aloud.
Her raised brows and twisted mouth indicated she felt the same. “You’re insane. I don’t know what kind of game this is, but I’m calling the cops unless you leave right now. Hell, I’m calling them anyway. Was that even a real job interview this afternoon?”
Her distrust left an ache inside, but he ignored it. “You can’t call anyone. Just listen. Morrigan—or someone like her—will be back.” With any luck, it wouldn’t be her. He didn’t need to see the past repeat itself.
She stood, crossed the room to the kitchen, and grabbed her phone. “I’m calling the police.”
“Hear me out.” Despite the adrenaline racing through him and the desire to get her to safety now, he forced his voice to stay calm. “Please.” He had no idea why it was so important to him she listen. With anyone else, he’d have already tossed them over his shoulder and spirted them away to safety regardless of what they thought of him. Mortals were fragile, and he wasn’t a god known for his patience. But it was important she trust him, even though he couldn’t explain why he was being irrational about that. “If I can’t convince you, I’ll go.” He couldn’t though. There was no way he was leaving her.
She clenched her jaw and crossed her arms. Seconds ticked away, and the uncomfortable silence grew. “You have two minutes.”
Great. That didn’t make it any easier to come up with an explanation. Fuck it. He held out his hand, and with a flicker of concentration, summoned a ball of electricity and let it float about an inch above his palm.
A gasp strangled from her throat, and her phone clattered to the table. She snapped her jaw shut and closed the distance between them. “Bullshit. That’s a trick.” She pushed up his sleeves.
When her skin met his, a shock of familiarity seared through him, and images flooded his thoughts. Random snippets he couldn’t make sense of. Memories of a woman he’d known almost two centuries ago. A nightgown. A high collar. Her soft gasps, as he stripped away her clothes, mingled with Luci’s sigh in the now and dragged him from the vision.
He found his voice. “It’s not a trick. It’s real.” He pulled off his suit coat, draped it over the back of a chair, and rolled up his sleeves. “See? It’s just me.”
“Can you vanish like that woman did?”
“No. Teleporting isn’t in my arsenal.”
She made a sound that was half huff, half sniff. “You need better tricks.”
Wounded pride swelled in his chest. “I have better tricks.” He closed his eyes, bowed his head, and inhaled deeply through his nose. He summoned an image of the afternoon sky, heavy with clouds blocking most of the sun. Electricity and water broiled through the air. Through his eyelids, he saw the light fade. He looked at Luci again, as a clap of thunder rattled the windows and echoed off the walls.
She squeaked and jumped. Her hand flew to her heart, and she met his gaze. “Did you do that?”
That was a better response. He smirked. “We need to go now. I’ll explain everything I can, once we’re safe, but that requires you to follow me.”
*
Luci looked out the window—rain hammering against it from a sky that had been bright blue seconds ago—then back at Blake. She still had no idea what to believe, but she didn’t know of a single magic trick that could make it rain in an instant. The flash of images she’d seen when she touched him... they’d felt like her memories. They couldn’t be. Was he doing something to her head? Hypnosis, maybe. That made more sense than a random god having it in for her and Blake coming to the rescue.
Even knowing all that, she couldn’t convince herself to send him away. It had to be better than waiting for some vanishing woman who could summon wind from thin air to come back and kill her. “All right. I’ll go.” Luci expected more anxiety at speaking the words. Instead some of the fight escaped her, and relief sank in.
He pulled a blank card from his wallet, intertwined his fingers with hers, and tugged her toward the closet. What the hell?
“I can’t teleport,” he said as he passed the credit-card sized object over the knob,
“but this always gives me a doorway home.” He opened the door, and her eyes grew wide. Instead of coats and jackets, an entryway stretched out in front of her.
He pulled her hand. They stepped into the new room, and the door swung shut behind them. This was too weird. She didn’t know if she should freak out or just enjoy the madhouse. She whirled and yanked the knob. The other side was an unfamiliar street, instead of her living room. “How did you....? What...?” She didn’t know what to say. Nothing in her scope of experience prepared her for this.
“It’s magic.” He flashed her a broad smile.
She might have to start believing that or lose her mind.
“You’re back.” A female voice interrupted Luci’s thoughts. A woman tossed her arms around Blake’s neck, and he returned the hug. “You’re early,” the woman said.
Jealousy speared Luci, leaving a sharp pain in her lungs. That was ridiculous. She didn’t care who Blake had waiting for him at home, even if the woman was tall, thin, and almost glowing.
“We need to rethink our plans.” Blake stepped out of the woman’s grasp.
Another man joined them. He looked a lot like Blake but not as broad in the shoulders, and instead of a suit he wore more casual jeans and a T-shirt. He glanced at Luci before turning back to Blake. “You got there in time. I have more information about her relevance.”
Luci was a guest, and it was true she had almost zero idea what was going on, but she still didn’t like being ignored. She opened her mouth to protest, but Blake rested a hand on her lower back and nudged her forward. The contact sent a jolt of warmth through her and snatched away her objections.
“This is Luci.” Even in a few short words, Blake commanded the situation. “She had the distinct pleasure of running into Morrigan, so no, I didn’t make it in time. Did we know there were other pantheons involved with her name?” He looked at Luci. “And this is my brother, Eli, and his fiancée, Marley.”
Seducing Destiny (Brothers of Fate Book 2) Page 2
