Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

  Tears glistening in her wide, grateful eyes as she tried to keep the tears from falling. I nodded at the acceptance and peace radiating from her, while wishing I could also find that place... somehow conjure my own peace, but my arts were best used to serve others.

  When I first came back to myself and Olivia had re-awakened the magic in me, she made it clear there were things I could never, ever mess with. I had the freedom to act in any way I wished, but I should understand the responsibility that went with it. Whatever we did, whatever we wrought with our power, came back to us threefold. The power of three was unshakeable, even after the Break, and engrained in a witch from the moment they understood what it is to be a witch.

  A selfish witch ended up being a barren and bitter witch.

  Everything sped up again and Katie stood, setting her hand on my arm for just one moment, and it was my turn to tear up as some of her feel-good energy seeped into me and drove away a bit of my grief and sorrow—ah, the law of three. The party moved to the living room and the presents. I sauntered into the kitchen to get ready to serve the cake.

  I already knew Nock was clearing and would soon…

  “I’m not the only person who is smuggy,” he said.

  I giggled.

  #

  I arrived home with my entourage trailing diligently behind me, proud I’d only had one silent girly moment. Nock and I took care of all the catering supplies and washed everything.

  He stiffened and turned to look at me.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m being summoned.”

  “By whom?”

  “My uncle. He’s telling…no ordering me to come. Now.”

  “Okay, go.”

  “No. He says to bring you.” He turned stricken eyes to me. “He insists, Lily. I’ve never experienced this kind of resonance with our earth-talk.”

  He took my hand without saying another word. “Get your keys! Let’s go!”

  “Can’t we take the earth elevator?”

  “No. I can’t take you that way without invisibility. We have to go like we’re visitors.”

  “All right, stop tugging.”

  But he pulled me through the apartment and down to the T-bird. The watchdogs all came to attention and were soon right on our tail.

  “Toadstools,” Nock said, looking more agitated than I’d ever seen him.

  He navigated and I drove, caught between Nock’s anxiety and the relentless pressure of the fae presence behind me.

  My stomach jerked when we pulled up to an aluminum and glass complex situated on the very outskirts of St. Paul. I swallowed hard and turned a glare at Nock. “Is this some kind of joke?!”

  “No. Nothing about this is joke-worthy!”

  “Why did you bring me to the FDA?”

  “You told me to bring the dust to my uncle.”

  I gasped and my heart jumped into my throat. “Your uncle works for the FDA?” I screeched.

  “Toadstools,” he said covering his ears. “Keep your voice down. Those agents are right behind us.”

  My jaw went slack. “Are you out of your tiny gnome mind?” I gripped the wheel, my living tattoo a white-capped sea surging up and down my arm. I concentrated hard and calmed it down, since I didn’t want to tip off the fae about my agitation. But the freaking FDA! “I hear there are dungeons underneath this structure where they lock up people and throw away the key.”

  “First off. No. He would never betray a family member, no matter the consequences. I’m his nephew and that’s that. Secondly, don’t believe everything you hear.”

  “It’s comforting about your uncle,” I grumbled. “Are you sure about the cells?”

  “He wouldn’t, Lily. Let’s go before he does something drastic.”

  “Before he does something drastic…?

  I got out of the car and waved nonchalantly to my three new friends.

  “And…ah, yes, they do have dungeons here where they lock up people and throw away the key.”

  My heart froze, but I kept my face serenely neutral while we entered the lobby. A stunning fae female smiled at my freaking crazy gnome sidekick.

  “Hi, there, Nock. Here to see your uncle?”

  “Yes, Mayaria.”

  “Who is this?”

  “It’s my friend, Lily Starbuck.”

  “Hello, Lily,” she said, smiling at me. “Would you both sign in, please?” She produced two visitor badges and I pinned mine on like a dutiful little citizen, smiling back at her.

  Nock grabbed my hand. “This way,” he said and pulled me down the hall. I glanced over my shoulder to see Talon and his two companions enter the lobby. Even with all this danger surrounding me, and not knowing what Nock’s uncle was cheesed about, I couldn’t help it. That fae was so well put together. He was back in his dark, perfectly-cut suit. He approached the receptionist desk.

  I watched him approach the receptionist, knowing exactly what he would ask the lovely Mayaria. He smiled at her, his body language flirtatious, and I got…yeah…it was unexpected. I got wistful. We weren’t free to do that or get together in any way. I wondered if he knew her beyond work.

  My view of them was cut off when Nock dragged me around a corner. We passed offices filled with people on either side of the hall. When we got in the elevator, Nock pressed the L button.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the basement. It’s where the labs are. I told you my uncle was an alchemist.”

  “Yes, but you conveniently forgot to tell me he works for the FDA,” I said through clenched teeth.

  “Chill, Lily, there are cameras all over this place.”

  I glanced up to find one trained on us.

  “Break take it,” I gritted out.

  When the elevator opened, we stepped out to a subterranean level. “Where are the dungeons?” I asked flippantly. “The D button on the elevator?”

  “No, they have a separate elevator to take you down to the detention and interrogation center.”

  My insides jittery, I swallowed and looked behind me. Nock moved down a narrow hallway past closed doors with keypads on them. The labs.

  He stopped in front of a white door and knocked. While we waited, several white-coated gnomes passed us. They looked at me curiously and I smiled back, projecting as much calm as I could.

  Finally the door opened and a grey-haired gnome motioned furiously for us to enter and slammed the door behind us. I looked around and decided I must be in a mad scientist’s lair, complete with aging stone walls. His laboratory was equipped with the sophisticated tools of modern science: Jacob's Ladders, generators, bulky pilot-lit cabinets, poorly-adjusted Bunsen burners, spiraling test tubes and beakers bubbling with sinister-looking chemicals, murky jars holding mutant monstrosities, and strung wires with bad insulation. A huge tesla coil, a chalkboard filled with what looked like chemical equations, and a dusty pile of manuscripts sat on a wooden table in the back. A whole wall of bins looked to be filled with an impressive assortment of plants and metals, along with jars and jars of a white powder I could only assume was fairy dust.

  Nock’s uncle was wizened, with tufts of white hair which floated when he moved. He was immediately in Nock’s face as soon as the door closed behind us.

  “Where did you get that dust!?”

  Nock looked at me and his uncle’s agitated face creased into deep wrinkles. “For the love of Tweek,” he said to me, grabbing my collar with surprisingly strong fingers as he jerked my face down to his level, “who the hell are you?!”

  “Uncle, calm down. This is Lily. I told you about her. Remember?”

  “I know who she is. What I want to know is who she is!?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, prying his hand off me and stepping back.

  “Where did you get that dust?” his attention went back to Nock.

  “It was on the floor after my friend Olivia died. We don’t know where she got it.”

  He ran his hands through his hair and paced back and forth.
“I want you away from this witch and out of there. You’ll go home to live until you can find another situation.”

  “What?” he said, scowling at his uncle. “No! I’m not going home! I’m not leaving Lily.”

  “Boy, you don’t understand what you have here.”

  “Why don’t you explain it to me?” I said. “What’s wrong with the dust?”

  “What’s wrong with it? What’s wrong with it?” He cackled and I eased closer to the door. “Nothing!”

  The hair on the back of my neck prickled at the sheer terror in his voice.

  “It’s the purest, most powerful dust I have ever examined. One grain of it can power the earth for a century! It had to come from a royal!”

  “A what?”

  “A fae of the royal blood.” His breathing accelerated and he picked up a paper bag and breathed into it as if he’d been doing it every five minutes since he discovered what we had. “Do you know what the FDA will do to you if they find you in possession of this dust? Do you have any idea how they will torture you for the supplier? You must hide this and never, ever tell anyone else about it.”

  My mind fumbled with the information. A royal fae? I didn’t know a whole lot about them, but Nock did. I remembered vaguely he had said the Crystal Fae were without a ruler, instead having a Queen Reagent. Wasn’t there something about the royal bloodline being ended? But I couldn’t remember the details. How was it possible Olivia had gotten such powerful dust?

  Just then there was a booming pounding on the metal door and I almost jumped out of my skin. Nock’s uncle looked like he was going to faint and Nock almost went invisible.

  Then the fist against the door made us all jump, and Nock’s uncle set down the brown paper bag and I could literally see the calm ripple over him. He walked to the door and put his index finger to his lips.

  As the door swung open, my heart pounded. Talon Sunstrike stood there, leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His unique eyes went to Nock’s uncle, who nodded to him, then moved on to me, and then Nock.

  “Agent Sunstrike? What can I do for you?”

  “Well, isn’t this cozy, Dr. Whisk? What brings you to the FDA, Ms. Starbuck?”

  Chapter Five

  Without invitation he sauntered into the lab. I noticed Nock’s uncle didn’t close the door.

  Carefully removing all the emotion from my face, I said, “Nock and I are here…to have lunch with his uncle. It’s time we met. That’s all.”

  His tri-colored eyes never left mine, but he blinked at my hesitation. “Lunch, huh? You know, I’m a little hungry myself.” I groaned inwardly. “Let’s all go,” he said with a wide, mocking smile.

  All my instincts to flee clamored while the elevator rose. I had no illusions that Agent Sunstrike had believed my lunch ploy. He knew something was going on. He just didn’t know what. And he wouldn’t. We all walked out of the FDA, and when we reached my car, he crowded me into the driver’s seat and over to the passenger side while he plucked the keys out of my hand.

  “I’ll drive.”

  He started the car and we went to a local vamp sandwich chain, Vamp Stands. It had started as a food service truck and blossomed into a franchise, with stands all over the city.

  I slipped into a booth and, before Nock could slide in beside me, Talon filled the space, pressing his strong, muscled thigh against mine. I could barely concentrate on what the waiter said after he dropped menus in front of us. I was trying so hard not to be affected by Sunstrike. I hadn’t been with anyone in the three years I could remember. And it had been my choice. How could I offer anyone anything when I didn’t know who I was? Where I came from?

  I shook my head. What the hell was I thinking? Talon wasn’t boyfriend material. He was an FDA agent, and he wouldn’t hesitate to carry out his duty. He would execute me without blinking an eye.

  Break take it, I had to get a grip. He was a seductive bastard, but I couldn’t ever let my guard drop. For all I knew, he could be subtly enrapping me right now. They were so good at it. The fact that I couldn’t tell the difference between enrapping and attraction scared me. Could I ever be sure with this fae?

  I realized all three of my lunch companions were staring at me—Nock with deep concern, his uncle with fear and trepidation, and Talon with such a smug expression I wanted to smack it off his face. The waiter stood expectantly.

  “It’s your turn,” Talon said and it was a taunt. He meant it was my move, and he was waiting for me to make it. I trembled, wanting nothing more than to get out of here and away from his perilous manipulations. I wasn’t some player in this underworld of dust-running and danger. I was a freaking caterer.

  I was operating on adrenaline, and I’d never felt more like prey.

  I selected something from the menu and ordered water, my throat so dry I croaked. Talon turned to me, his hair sliding on the dark fabric of his suit coat. I watched the strands tumble in a tangle of red and gold, silver clasps winking in the light from the large window next to me. His watery blue silk tie was in a really cool, elaborate knot of gathered silk and drew my eye up to the column of his strong throat to his hard jaw.

  “So, we met for the first time yesterday, and now I learn your,” his eyes flicked to Nock, “little friend happens to be the nephew of one of our senior alchemists. What an interesting coincidence.”

  The waiter placed the water in front of me and I snatched it up and took a few gulps. The water went down wrong, and Talon’s warmth on my back as he patted it shot right from his touch to my throat, easing the spasms.

  “My name is Nock,” my little sidekick said, deliberately using a you’re-an-asshole tone.

  Talon’s flame-bright brows lifted and he smiled at the message in Nock’s voice. “I know your name, little one. Your Uncle Remis has mentioned you.”

  “I didn’t know Nock’s uncle worked for the FDA. That part’s a coincidence,” I said, my heart beating fast. I made a conscious effort to breathe, trying not to hyperventilate, but I felt like an overinflated balloon. Where was a brown paper bag when you needed one?

  He nodded and eased just a bit closer to me. Desperate for distraction from his probing, I blurted out. “What exactly is an alchemist, Dr. Whisk?”

  He looked surprised for a moment and after meeting my panicked eyes, said, “Basically, we can alter base metals for use in manufacturing and plants into elixirs and potions to help anything from warts to serious diseases. At its purest, alchemy manipulates magic scientifically, all in relation to mythology, energy and spirituality.”

  The intensity of his looked unnerved me further. “And where are you from, Lily?” Talon interrupted, totally ignoring my attempts to redirect his attention.

  I looked at him blankly. “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  When I told him how I had come to be, his eyes softened, and for a moment, just a quick moment, I allowed it and then yanked my walls up again. His eyes shuttered, as though he’d just realized getting to know me was a double-edge sword.

  “How did you come to be a caterer?” I was beginning to wonder if he felt just as compelled as I did. Nock kicked me under the table, and I flinched, giving him a stop it! look. He gave me one right back, his cute-little-boy features pinched and unhappy.

  I knew I should shut up. I knew Talon Sunstrike was a master at enrapping the unwary, but I couldn’t seem to heed my own or Nock’s warnings. There was something about him…something deliciously dynamic, and it had nothing to do with manipulation. “Olivia, my murdered friend, she took me in and brought me back to life. She gave me purpose and a trade. Reawakened me to the Craft.”

  His hand covered mine, and the warmth penetrated right down to my bones. “Purpose is important,” he said softly.

  He had to remove his hand when the food came, and I felt both relieved and disappointed. I had never considered myself a weak person; I could stand up for myself, and I was confident now I wouldn’t rev
eal anything or do anything I wasn’t comfortable about. Control was simply an illusion, but I had already been through a lot of fire, and it had tempered me.

  “The magic came back to you easily?”

  This time it was Nock’s uncle who asked the question. “Yes, like riding a bike. It took some time, but I built up a new Book of Shadows and got licensed by The Cauldron to practice food and Earth magic. I wonder occasionally if it would have been as easy before the Break as it is now.”

  Talon said, “Magic has always been here, Lily, it slept in shadowed glades, lurked in dark caves, it breathed and lived in skin and bones, in hearts and minds. It moved and danced on silver waves, woven into the fabric of this world we all live in. Whatever plane that is. Whatever reality we understand, magic knows us and loves us. All we have to do is embrace it and understand it. Take it, because magic was meant to be used. Magic was meant to be ours. It knows us like a lover and loves us like a mother. If you understand that, you understand…everything.”

  I felt a rush of energy at his words, so pure and strong. He knew what he was talking about. The fae were born of magic, and it was so much a part of them there was no separating from it until death. “Certain things are everlasting. Magic is one of them. Witches are among the ones who participate in the work of creation in order to nourish the people and protect the earth. You understand that. It’s why you fae came…er…to the Earth plane, isn’t it? Humans are…”

  “Magical.” Talon said, quirking a brow.

  “What?” Nock’s uncle blurted, sitting up straighter. “What are you talking about?”

  “That would interest you,” Talon said, chuckling. “I’m taking the fifth on humans…for now, anyway.”

  “They participate in generating magic. Without them, it would be severely diminished,” I said.

  Talon nodded with wonder in his eyes. “That’s right. Exactly right. How did you know?”

  “It’s easy. I was just at a baby shower. Using my second sight, I saw the hostess’s unborn child radiating the golden magic of life. It’s what we’re all about. You and me. Life. We know the secrets of the Earth, the power of the Moon, the longings of the human heart. If I had to guess, you studied humans and that’s why your people sent you here.”