by Alisha Basso
“Yo!” I shouted into his face. “Blood flow problems, buddy. Let go of me!” I jerked and twisted but his grip held firm. “I think we’ve established I’m not going to run away.”
He lifted a brow and after several seconds his grip loosened. “Please, Grace,” he cleared his throat. His actions were calmer but his eyes still held a look of panic, “What did he look like?” he asked again, shaking slightly. His forced calm was almost scarier than his outburst. I had a pretty good idea that he wouldn’t let up until I gave him the information he wanted. It wasn’t a big deal to tell him, so I thought about the beautiful man as the memory of him tingled along my spine.
“He was tall,” I began, thinking of his powerfully built shoulders, “over six feet. He had long black hair and scary, pale eyes. Oh, and he said his name was Seth.”
His eyes grew huge. “He told you his name?” His mouth opened and closed several times without sound then he sputtered, “He told you his name?”
I leaned back, “Yes, Lucian,” I said as condescendingly as I could. “Just like anyone with manners, he told me his name. Isn’t that what most civilized people do when meeting someone for the first time?”
He gave me a lopsided scowl. “I’m just a little surprised that he would offer his name to his prey.”
“Well, he really didn’t know it was… Did you say prey?”
“How could he not have known it was you?” He looked at me, ignoring my question. “You don’t exactly blend in. For one thing you are rather tall and like me, I’m positive he received a full description of you.” He smiled and lowered his chin, “Just so you know, it didn’t do you justice.” He looked up through his lashes, surprising me. I felt heat spread across my entire face.
I took a second to collect myself. His bizarre story laced with the subtle flirting was starting to give me a headache. I tried not to focus on the compliment. After all, I was being flattered by a nut, but all I could do was stare with my mouth open. My mind was racing. Where was he getting this stuff? And most important of all, what in hell did he mean by prey?
FOUR
The church felt like a sauna. I regretted wearing a sweatshirt and the fact that I didn’t have anything on underneath other than a bra. I wasn’t sure if the heat was coming from all of the candles or my libido. I was losing my focus. I was alone with a strange man in a church and all I could do was dwell on my poor clothing choices and the fact that he was beautiful and possibly insane. I could be in danger yet I wasn’t as worried as I should have been.
The man in front of me seemed to think I was the senseless one.
“Grace, will you just listen? I am not crazy, nor have I been drinking.”
I knew he was stone sober, and that scared me a little. “Why are you so concerned for me anyway?” I asked, truly puzzled. “You don’t even know me. What did Ann tell you?” I leaned closer, gaging his expression. “I don’t even remember seeing you there tonight.” I thought about that and realized I was too much of a mess to notice anyone but Seth.
He smiled. “I didn’t acquire all my knowledge of you from your friend. She was just a means to an end. I always believe in taking the shortest route to my goal.” His eyes held mine. The deep brown color was beautiful. Golden slashes broke up the darker brown of his irises. His lashes were much darker than his hair. His eyes were practically burning into mine.
Now I had a better idea what prey was.
I cleared my throat and nervously shifted on the hard pew. “Alright then, I’m ready to listen,” I said, my voice surprisingly normal. “Please, fire away.”
He sighed and stood up. Pacing the ground, he looked at me for a long time. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts, or maybe he was just as nervous as I was.
“Alright, Grace, what I have to tell you may sound crazy, but please keep an open mind. I’ll try to make it as short as I can.”
I only smiled and nodded.
“Okay then,” he looked away. Taking a huge cleansing breath he began, “Many centuries ago, there lived an incredible race of beings called the Madea. Although they resembled humans in many ways, they were very different. They were impossibly powerful and unfortunately for them, impossibly kind and trusting. Humans discovered these beings, and, coveting their amazing powers, they used them and preyed upon their kindness.
“The Madea were tricked into abusing their powers. Men lured them with lies. The Madea believed they were helping the sick or producing bountiful crops, when in reality, they were granting selfish souls their hearts’ desires.” He paused, looking serious and commanding as he walked the floor. “Realizing mankind was abusing these great gifts,” he continued, “The entire population were forced into hiding. Man sought these creatures out with a wild avidity. Their evil hunger for power and wealth resulted in a brutal war. Pitching man against man in a wicked tug-of-war for the control of these creatures and thus, their power. Not surprisingly, the fighting resulted in the destruction of their civilization and the Madea were virtually wiped from the face of the earth. The few who remained were captured and held against their will. Their own gentleness prevented them from striking out against their captors. Fearing the contagion of greed, the Madea vowed to destroy themselves. However, before doing so, they secretly formed their collective powers into a ring. The spells the ancient Madea placed on the ring kept it hidden away, until the soul of a Madea is reborn. Only then, would the ring reappear.
“Once this being, this incarnation, for lack of a better word, places the ring on their finger, they will be transformed into the physical form of a true Madea. This would virtually guarantee that their power could never fall into the wrong hands.” Lucian sat still as he finished. His face twisted into a look of resolve and panic. “That’s the shorter and much edited version of the tale; however, it should be enough for you to grasp your significance.”
I sat for a moment in silence.
“Well?” his jaw worked as watched me.
“Okay…” I began, rising slowly off the pew. “You believe all of that? You actually think that it’s true? How could you possibly? If this really happened wouldn’t there be some sort of record? Wouldn’t there be some sort of documentation? Some kind of proof?” My voice began to steadily rise, “Oh, and a magical ring?” I laughed, “Yeah that sounds disturbingly familiar.”
“Grace!” Lucian stood, his fists clenched at his sides.
“...Let me guess, you have a hobbit in your pocket?” I covered my mouth and snorted out a laugh.
“Grace, would you stop being so friggin sarcastic?” he shouted, glaring at me.
I continued in my half hysterical, half giddy tone. “Did they lose their precious?” I giggled. This was too crazy. Unbelievable good looks were one thing, but insanity was another.
Lucian took a step toward me and I spun.
“I’m getting out of here,” I screeched and shot for the door. Clearing the pews like hurdles, my long legs made impressive progress. I got about eight feet from the door when I was suddenly hit by a truck. Lucian’s arms wrapped around me and I lost my footing as his momentum brought us both to the ground hard. The air whooshed from my lungs on impact as his weight sealed me to the floor. My last conscious thought was…Wow, he smells like sage, then nothing.
FIVE
I woke to the smell of coffee.
“Mmm, coffee.” I yawned, stretching my arms up over my head I sighed and slowly opened my eyes. Light filled the room and I squinted at the intense glow. It beamed brilliantly through a small stained glass window, painting a riot of colors all over the small room.
Stained-glass? “Oh my God, the church!” I rose too fast and made myself dizzy. I sat back down. Only then did I notice the soft cot under my butt. I looked around to see if I was alone. Of course not. Sitting on the floor looking broody was Lucian.
“Um, good morning?” I offered, eyeing the two Styrofoam cups by his leg. “Coffee?”
He stood up and handed me one of the cups of heaven. Turning, he sat on th
e cot beside me. The springs screeched and groaned as they took on his weight.
“Not going to bolt, little deer?” he said, his lip curled in a smirk.
“No.” I said. ”I haven’t had my coffee. No coffee, no boltee” I said jokingly. “What time is it anyway?”
“It’s a little after ten in the morning. You sleep like the dead.”
“Ten?” I jumped up “I have to get home.”
I looked around, my boots sat next to the cot. He must have taken them off for me.
“Hold on, ten. AM? Where is everybody? This place should be crawling with people by now.” I whipped my head back and forth taking in the little room. Lucian smiled, but it wasn’t very friendly.
“It is,” he grumbled, his voice low and angry. “That’s why we’re crammed together so nicely in this tiny room, and not spread out on the pews.” He still looked a little pissed off. Why? I didn’t know. I was the one knocked unconscious.
“I need to get home,” I repeated. I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me. Seeing him in the light of day made me feel sorry rather than scared at his failing mental state. “I’ll be okay, Lucian,” I soothed. “I’m sure the bad guys aren’t out there.” Although I was still pretty sure the bad guys didn’t even exist.
“Grace,” he said quietly, placing his warm hand on my knee, “please, don’t leave. I know you don’t want to believe anything I have to say. I know you don’t want to take any of this seriously, but please…please believe me,” he begged. “You really are in danger. You need to stay safe. Will you please listen to me? He wants you. His people want you. Not only them, there are several groups that think you are the reincarnation of the Madea!”
I stopped sipping my coffee, setting the cup on the floor carefully. “That man from last night, Seth, he said he wanted to speak to me about the ring. He was wearing it.” I looked at Lucian. Hope lit his eyes. “He believes the ring I found is the ring? The one the Mediclorians or whoever they were shoved all that power into?”
He put his face in his hands and exhaled loudly, “The Madea, Grace,” he looked at me. “And yes. This is what I’m trying to get you to understand. To them it doesn’t matter if you believe anything I’m saying. They believe it. I’m sure they know you’ve been warned by now, and are taking precautions to keep yourself safe. I suggest coming home with me. You’ll be safer there. No one will know where you are, and Seth will be physically unable to approach you.”
I frowned, “Why’s that, Lucian? You live in an underground bunker? Or maybe a castle with a moat? Just how are you going to keep me safe?” I stood, folding my arms.
“I have a modest home, not too far from here actually. It once belonged to my great grandfather. It will do until we figure out a more permanent solution.
“Okay, you lost me, why would I stay at your house? With you I presume, when I could stay at my own modest home where I actually know I’m safe? You’ve got to understand, Lucian, I just met you. How do I know you’re not a bad guy as well? How do I know you just didn’t get to me first? I mean, I’d have to be pretty dense not to consider that.”
He ignored my rant, “My home was built on holy land. The ground was blessed, long ago, but I had a priest perform another blessing a few weeks ago. It’s virtually impenetrable.” He looked satisfied, as if that explained everything.
“That’s what makes your place so damned safe?” I scoffed. I was astonished he would think blessings were good enough protection from future assassins. I had very different ideas. “No offense. I know I’m in a church and this is probably bad mojo, but seriously, Lucian. God takes care of those who take care of themselves, and I have never heard of a blessing stopping a bullet. Faith is great, but you’ve also got to use your brain. I’m sorry, but I’m going home. I promise I’ll lock my door and not talk to strangers.”
His eyes narrowed as he paced the length of the room. He looked like a caged lion, all golden and furious, ready to rip something apart. Then he stopped. Closing his eyes, he put his hand on his forehead and growled with frustration. “My home is safer!” he yelled, continuing to pace. He threw his arms in the air, clearly ready to throttle me. “You foolish woman. Seth cannot set foot on my land!” He was getting pretty upset. But that wasn’t really my problem. I was sick and tired of this shit! I was done talking about it because it made no sense. I mean, come on, Seth wanted to talk to me, simple as that. I hardly believe handing out a business card was a sign of a ruthless bad guy. Wouldn’t he have just accosted Ann if he were such a desperate villain? Evidently, that was the shortest way to get to me.
I hated to say it, but I didn’t know Lucian any more than I knew Seth, and that made him untrustworthy. Not only that, but I was still unconvinced that Lucian was a very sane person.
I looked at the door. I had to get out of here. I’d already wasted too much of my time. “Lucian?” I began, as an idea formed. “Could you please get me some water and maybe an aspirin? This room is making me feel claustrophobic. I think I should lie down.” I gave him my most pathetic, sickly look and flopped limply onto the cot.
Concern knitted his brows together and he nodded and rushed from the room.
I didn’t know how far he would have to go or even if the church still had people in it, so I grabbed my boots and slipped quietly from the room.
I heard voices. I said a small prayer of thanks and ran in my stocking feet to the main entrance. I smiled to the scattered people who noticed me, sparing a quick glance behind me to make sure choirboy was still playing fetch. I stopped in my tracks. He was leaning against the wall, mostly hidden by a long curtain. His muscular arms folded across his chest. A scary look of contempt marred his lovely face. He didn’t move a muscle; he was letting me go. A small traitorous part of me felt slightly offended that he didn’t run after me. I was sure he didn’t want to cause a scene by tackling me again. I frowned at him and quickly reached for the door.
SIX
Dark clouds blotted the sun, threatening another thunderstorm. I could smell the rain falling miles away. I wanted to stop and savor the metallic scent for a little longer, but I was forced to enter the stale little world of my Nova.
I unlocked the door and got in. Lucian may not have wanted to cause a scene inside, but the parking lot was pretty dead. No one would have noticed him banging me on the head to drag me back to his cave.
I pulled into my drive a little after eleven. My shift at The Edge didn’t start for several hours. Sitting behind the wheel, I pondered my bizarre night. The entire experience was so surreal; it was hard to make sense of it.
I got out of the car as small droplets of rain began to fall. Taking my four little steps in twos I unlocked my door. The house was just as I’d left it. The faint smell of popcorn hung in the air, making my stomach growl. I entered the kitchen and inventoried the refrigerator. As always, it was pathetically empty. I grabbed a lonely yogurt and quickly scanned the expiration date. It was expiring by the second. I went for it. My stomach may or may not pay for it later. I would swig some antacid before work and hope for the best.
I headed for the bathroom to start the shower. The thought of hot water made me almost giddy. I stripped to my birthday suit and turned on the stereo.
The water felt as wonderful as I’d imagined. The chamomile shampoo all but forced me to relax. I lathered my entire body, foregoing the usual body soap most people use. I never understood that. In my mind, soap was soap.
After my twenty minutes of bliss, I shut off the tap, dried and wrapped my long hair in a towel.
When I opened the bathroom door, I heard the phone ringing. I ran and had to nearly dive to catch it before the machine picked up. Just as I panted, “Hello?” the line went dead. I hate that, but it gave me an idea. I decided to take things into my own hands. I looked around, trying to remember where I put that damn card.
I ran back into the bathroom and grabbed my work skirt from the previous night. Fishing around in the cargo-style pockets, I came out with the small black rec
tangle.
“Yes!” I yelled and gripped the card in my hand as I ran back into the kitchen. Moving the card back and forth, I dialed the number.
The phone rang only once.
“McPhee Estate, Nadia speaking,” a female voice answered sweetly. “How may I help you this afternoon?”
Oh-yeah, this guy was definitely loaded.
“Yes, this is Grace Allen. I’m calling to speak with Seth, er… Mr. McPhee; is he available?”
The woman was silent. The silence stretched and I began to wonder if she was still there. “Yes, Ms. Allen,” she finally began in a skilled office tone. “We have been expecting your call, but, unfortunately, Mr. McPhee is out for the remainder of the day. However, he left a message for you, should you call."
Okay, I guess that was normal. What did I expect her to say? “Seth isn’t here, because he’s on his way to your house. He will be there presently to chop you into tiny little pieces.” I giggled to myself, but only half of me thought it was funny.
“Ah…Thank you.” I puzzled. “What’s the message, please?” I felt a little better. She sounded like someone’s mother. How could he be an insane murdering psychopath with such a nice sounding receptionist?
“He has instructed me to inform you that he will be at a bar called The Edge, if you wish to speak to him this evening.”
Well, hell. “Tonight? But I don’t plan on going there tonight.” I lied, feeling only a little guilty.
She paused again, paper shuffled in the background, “Ah, yes.” She began again, “He writes here that I am to inform you that should you be unavailable, he will come to you.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. What the hell did that mean? How could he come to me? My hand shook, jiggling the receiver against my ear. Lucian said Seth was given a full account of what I looked like. I wondered if he already knew the bartender at The Edge was really me. Lucian didn’t believe Seth was fooled. He seemed a little surprised, actually. Oh my lord, he already knew who I was. He was letting me play my game. I was so stupid.
