by Su Williams
I ‘hmm’d’ at him. “Well, I intend to be one of those Caphar. I am so….” But I couldn’t finish because the only words that threatened to spill out were curse words. Then, a memory shot through me like a knife in my gut, and clutched the leather lanyard around my neck. “Ari…” I gasped. But her cool, hard body lay heavy against my breast. “Oh my god. I thought she was dead,” I said as I unclasped her and kissed her tiny head. Seriously? I’m kissing a spider? I hate spiders. But Ari was different. Ari was magic. Sabre held out his hand for her, but I tucked her against me and scowled. Sabre laughed.
“You understand the concept of ‘imprinting’, I take it?” he said.
“What? Like seriously?” Now, Sabre was alluding to pop-culture movies? Sabre nodded.
“The magic is bound to you by blood.”
“But we saw Thomas crush her,” I argued.
“May I?” he asked this time. And as an afterthought, “Please?” Nick’s eyebrows arched at the unfamiliar word coming from Sabre’s mouth. Sabre held out his hand. It was like giving up a limb, but I handed her over to him, willed her to keep our secrets. He turned her over and over; my eyes locked on every movement of his hand. He tugged on her blade, but it refused to budge. Maybe she was broken after all. With a derisive snort, he handed her back to me. My fingers prickled with electricity from her contact.
“Did you feel that?” I asked him.
“Probably not as much as you did.”
I tugged on the blade, and it gave in my fingers. Holding it up to Sabre, I said, “Hmm, it worked for me.”
Sabre muttered, “Why am I not surprised.” I shot him a questioning glance. “You are bound to it…I am not.”
“She!” Nick and I said together, and laughed. Ivy would have jinxed me.
Sabre scoffed. “I think you will also find that she is constructed of titanium. It is one the hardest substances known to man. And that makes—her all the more magical, because titanium must be cast in an motionless atmosphere.” That concept sent my mind into a whirl. If Ari was millennia old, it would take a special kind of magic to create her—because a static, motionless environment was relatively new technology.
Sabre rose, and spun the chair back under the table. “All right, lover boy, let’s get home and clean up the mess.”
Nick wrapped his arms around me. “Nuh-uh. No way am I leaving her alone with Thomas still on the loose.” Sabre scowled, but I pre-empted his response.
“Ya know, I think it’ll be fine. Thomas is off licking his wounds somewhere. I’m gonna get a hot bath—maybe go pick up Eddy.”
“Wow. Two against one. Fine. I’ll come help. But if Thomas shows up, you need to…”
I shoved him toward Sabre. “I know. I know. Haven’t I proven I’m a big girl, now? Go. I’ll be fine.”
Nick wrapped his fingers around my belt loops and leaned over to kiss me on the forehead. “Fine. But just remember…” My sneer silenced him. “Fine,” he said again.
Nick started and stoked a blaze in the fireplace, and Sabre urged him again to head home. Carnage lay in wait for them at home—nasty stuff, like disposing of a body. Nick remained adverse to leaving me alone with Thomas still out on the prowl, but I reassured him with gentle weave. My ability to get into his head, no matter how minimally, still seemed to unnerve, even unhinge him.
After the guys phased out, the cottage was still and quiet, except for the creaks of its old bones. It felt strangely empty, and I wondered how I survived all those months of aloneness. My boys. That’s what William had called Nick and Sabre. My boys. It felt warm and safe and—familiar. Family. Maybe I did still have people I could call my own.
I soaked in a hot bath but even that didn’t assuage the cold, hollow emptiness that echoed within me. At the very least, I needed my teddy puppy to keep me company.
Chapter 29 The Boys Are Back in Town
Ivy met me at the Division St. Y, after I called and told her my ‘family-ish’ plans had been cancelled. She was all drama-queen, and pouted spectacularly, because she had to give Eddyson back so soon. His soft, warm pelt and ropey muscles twitching in a fanciful chase charmed even the hardest hearts. Ivy’s tender heart didn’t stand a chance. I hugged her in my arms like it was years since I saw her. My gratitude for her safety throbbed in my chest and squeezed tears to my eyes. I kissed her temple and crushed her in my arms some more. No, there was nothing wrong, or awkward with affection toward my friend. No matter what, she was still my girl, my Ivy.
Eddy and I got home in time for the local eleven o’clock news. No unusual anomalies to report from the smiling anchors. If they only knew. My cottage was warm and still, but for its usual old-house settling and the fire popping in the grate. I pushed aside the violent, blood-washed images of the day; and pulled on images of a sun-drenched beach and Nick’s sweat-soaked body pressed to mine. With Eddyson spooned to my chest, sleep washed over me in solar waves.
Nick and my father stood facing one another in an unfamiliar place. Daddy reached out his hand to Nick and Nick shook his hand in some kind of silent agreement. My father looked into Nick’s eyes with tears in his own, and clapped Nick on the shoulder in a fatherly way. “Guard her well, my old friend.”
My eyes shot open and I launched upright as Eddyson began to growl. Thomas’ voice echoed through my head. “My night terrors are not the only thing your beloved has been keeping from you, Sweet girl.”
“What do you want, Thomas? Didn’t you get your ass handed to you enough for one day?”
“I only think it’s about time you knew the truth about your boys. Don’t you?”
“What? Like one of your demented, twisted truths, Thomas?”
“You have the ability to decipher if my words are true, now. Do you not?” he countered.
“Maybe. But as you say, you are far more powerful than I am.” I felt Thomas bristle, but couldn’t understand why. Maybe I’d reached into him more easily than he gave me credit for.
“Perhaps, you are more powerful than I assumed.”
My head buzzed with confusion. To trust. Or not to trust. Why should I trust a word that came out of this Wraith’s mouth? He’d lied, deceived, manipulated. But something niggled at me to hear him out. And consider the source.
“Fine. What is it you want, Thomas?”
“Only one thing. One thing you should ask of your beloved. And demand the truth. Can you do that? Can you handle the truth?”
I rumbled a growl of my own, frustrated with his game. “Whatever! Just spit it out already.”
Thomas was quiet so long I thought, perhaps I’d offended him and he’d skulked away injured. When he finally spoke, his words eviscerated my heart.
“Ask Nick,” he said, “how he knew your father—before I killed him.” In a cacophony of echoing laughter, Thomas vanished from my thoughts. And I knew the truth of his words. All those phantoms that ghosted in and out of Nickolas Benedetti’s inky blue eyes, were the ghosts of my beloved mom and dad.
Epilogue
Sabre
If hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, I pity Nickolas the wrath of Emari Sweet. Her figure whorled into my home in flaming sparks, savaged the pictures of death from the wall and stood like a lambent coal in the midst of the room.
Lies.
All is built on lies.
And she has found them out.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have been so amazed and blessed to meet some of greatest people in the writing community. My journey with the Dream Weaver series continues to be one of learning. Special thanks go out to Kandy Kay Scaramuzzo, who went from stranger to friend quicker than a Texas country mile. To UK author extraordinaire, Sam Whitehouse, who I hope someday to see as a global household name. To the many reviewers who’ve given the Dream Weaver series a BIG thumbs up!
I’d especially like to thank the girls from the band Hell’s Belles, who participated in interviews for Rock Star, even in that great dive bar downtown where they read slam poetry. Thanks Mandy, for
letting me borrow your son’s name. To Jamie Nova and Mischa Kianne of Witchburn, thanks for rockin’, babes! To photographer Jason Burns for his amazing shot of Mischa for the cover of the book. (Jason Burns Gallery)
Always, always to my family who have supported me in uncountable ways as my dream began to grow. I love you all!
My name is Su Williams. I live in Spokane WA, with my husband, Ben, two kids, Sarah and Josiah, and have two grown kids, Jack and Aundraic. Our family also includes our beagle, Dyson (yes like the vacuum), two cats, Friday and Necco, and a crested gecko named Reid (like Spencer on Criminal Minds.)
My ‘playlist’ for Rock Star is included in the book, you just have to find it. It’s not really hidden.
Thank you again, for purchasing and reading my work. Reviews are like currency for indie authors, so please take a moment to write one on Amazon.com and/or GoodReads.com. Positive and constructive input will help me improve my writing and I welcome your emails.
The final book of the series is Private Eye, tentatively due out June of 2014.
For author questions or comments, please email me at: [email protected].
You can also visit me on my website: www.dreamweavernovels.com;
Dream Weaver Novels on Facebook;
On Twitter at: @DreamWeaver526.
http://pinterest.com/tyrowritersu/ & http://dreamweavernovels.blogspot.com/.
And as always…
Dare to Dream!
