Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

  Tessa was a little disappointed Nik hadn’t come to her door, but she was also curious about the man in uniform. She gave Jan a little wave as she picked up her purse and went with the man. When they got down to the lobby of the apartment building, the uniformed man held open the door for her, and she preceded him out of the building. There, idling at the curb, was a black limousine. It wasn’t a stretch, thankfully, or she would have been embarrassed. But it was an elegant car, polished until it was gleaming. The uniformed man, whom she now assumed was the driver, opened the car door, and she slid in beside Nikolas.

  “This is a little over the top, isn’t it?” she asked as the driver pulled away from the curb and started down the street.

  “Well, maybe a little,” he said with a sheepish grin. “But I wanted to impress you.”

  “You’ve certainly managed that,” she said, smiling. “Are there any more surprises I need to be warned about?”

  “No, I think this covers it. You don’t mind, do you? I thought it would be nice to travel in style tonight.”

  “I don’t mind, Nik. It just surprised me. It’s really kind of nice to sit back and enjoy such a luxurious and comfortable ride. Thank you. It was really a nice gesture.”

  They rode in silence for a few minutes, but Tessa didn’t feel uncomfortable with it. She found herself relaxing just a bit. Maybe she wouldn’t make a complete fool of herself on this date. Besides, they were also going to talk business, so it wasn’t just a date.

  “We’re almost there,” said Nikolas. “I hope you’ll like the restaurant I picked out for us.”

  “I’m sure I will,” said Tessa. “I have the feeling you’re a man of good taste. What do you do for a living, anyway?”

  “I used to be in real estate, but I’m retired.”

  “Retired? At your age?”

  Nikolas smiled. “How do you know how old I am?”

  “I don’t, but I’m guessing mid-thirties.”

  “Actually, you’re right. I’m thirty-five. But real estate was good when I was really into it, and most of my properties were high-end houses and office buildings. It was pretty lucrative, and I made some good investments, so when I had everything I needed, I retired.”

  Tessa asked, “When was that?”

  “About six months ago. Let’s not talk about me anymore. I know very little about you.”

  “Well, I’m kind of boring,” she said.

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “I just work at a museum in the paranormal artifacts section. Then I go home. Sometimes I hang out with Jan. That’s my life in a nutshell.”

  “But there’s so much more to you than that. I can sense it.”

  Tessa laughed. “Well, you can sense more than I actually know.”

  The car slowed, and Tessa looked out the window. Her eyes widened in surprised when she saw they were at Finn’s, a very exclusive club and restaurant. You had to be a member to get a reservation, and even then they had to be made at least a couple of weeks in advance.

  “Nikolas, how did you get a reservation here?” she asked.

  “I’ve been a member for about five years,” he said. He had the decency to blush when he added, “I’m actually an elite member.”

  Tessa stared at him for a moment. There was a lot she didn’t know about this man. Were there more surprises to come?

  A doorman greeted them as they approached the restaurant, and when they got inside, they were received with big smiles by the maître d.

  “Good evening, Mr. Petrou. I’ll show you to your usual table.”

  The maître d led them to a secluded table in a corner by the window. When they were seated, Tessa looked out and saw the restaurant was situated next to a large pond with colored lights shining down on the water.

  “The view is beautiful,” said Tessa in delight. “It was so nice of you to bring me here.”

  “Only the best for someone as lovely as you,” he replied.

  Her faced turned pink at the compliment, but she was flattered that he thought of her as lovely. She wasn’t sure what to think of this man. Was he really interested in her, or was this just his way?

  “Thank you, Nik.”

  The waiter came to take their drink orders, and they also ordered an appetizer. When the waiter left, Tessa said, “What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Nik? What kind of research are you interested in hiring me for?”

  “Let’s wait until dessert for that conversation,” he said.

  “Dessert? How do you know I’ll eat dessert?”

  “You don’t seem to be the kind of woman who eats like a bird. I like to see a woman enjoying her food, not picking at it.”

  Tessa laughed. “Well, you picked the right girl, then. I’m not one of those women who exists on salads.”

  After they had gotten through their appetizer and entrees, Nik ordered a dessert sampler for both of them to share. When it arrived, they started tasting all the sweet treats.

  “Okay, now that you’ve plied me with food, tell me what you want me to do for you.”

  “I’ve recently become interested in a lot of paranormal things, so I’ve done some reading. I’ve come across something really fascinating. There seems to be some kind of holding area for…well…souls.”

  “Souls? You mean like heaven or hell?”

  “No, this is a place souls are kept after they leave the body,” he said.

  “But when the soul leaves the body, it goes to heaven or hell. There’s nowhere else,” she said adamantly.

  “No, these are souls from people who aren’t exactly…human.”

  “I don’t understand. What kinds of souls are these? And what’s your interest in them?”

  “Like I said, I’m fascinated by this. And the souls are, well, from…vampires.”

  “Excuse me? Vampires?” she asked, shocked.

  “Yes. I don’t mean I believe in all that. I just think it’s interesting, and since I can afford it, I want to pay you to find out more about it. Maybe find out where this place is.”

  “You mean you actually want to pay me to research this?” she asked, still finding it hard to believe what she was hearing.

  “Yes, that’s what I mean. Look, for someone like me, this is something to focus on. Since I retired, I find I have a lot of time on my hands. This paranormal stuff is fun to read about. So, will you do it?”

  Tessa sighed. “If this is something you really want to do, then yes, I’ll do it. But I’ll have to do it in my spare time. I can’t use museum time to research something for you. It will all have to be done at night.”

  “That suits me just fine. I’m a night owl, so I sleep late and stay up late. But I promise not to keep you up too late. You probably won’t need me looking over your shoulder all the time, but I would like to check in with you and spend some time every few nights seeing what you’ve come up with. Does that sound fair?”

  “Well, of course it does. Since you’re paying me, you’re welcome to check in any time you like. I really need to do this at my apartment, so I hope it’s okay to have our base there.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll always let you know when I want to come by. We haven’t discussed payment yet. I’ve prepared an offer for your services.”

  He took out a folded sheet of paper and passed it over to her. She opened it up, and she let out a gasp of surprise. “Nik, this is way too much!”

  “No, it’s not. You’re doing this after working all day at the museum. It’s worth every penny. I can afford it, and I don’t want any arguments about it.”

  “It would be kind of silly to argue with you about paying me too much, wouldn’t it?” she asked.

  “It really would,” he said with a smile. “Let’s finish our desserts, and I’ll take you home.”

  When they got back to her apartment, Nikolas actually walked her to the door of her apartment. She unlocked her door and turned to him.

  “I had a really nice time tonight, Nik. Thank you for dinner.” Then
she added with a smile, “And thanks for the job.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  Tessa hesitated a moment, then said, “Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?”

  Nik reached out and touched her hair lightly. “Not tonight. If you don’t mind, I’ll come by in a couple of days so we can talk more about the research.”

  “No, I don’t mind,” said Tessa, disappointed that he wasn’t coming in.

  “I’ll see you then.” He touched his lips lightly to her forehead and walked away.

  Tessa watched Nikolas as he moved away from her, admiring his confident gait and his fit body. She felt heat rush through her as she replayed over and over how his lips had felt against her skin. There was something different about Nik. No other man had affected her this way before, and she was a little afraid of it.

  She got ready for bed almost in a daze. It was only a light kiss on the forehead. So why did she feel this way? When she laid her head on her pillow, she expected sleep to take a long time to come, but she was out in less than ten minutes. Her dreams were of a dark Greek man with eyes that could look through to her soul.

  ***

  Nikolas stopped at one of the shops on the street and laid his forehead against the cool bricks. He had dismissed the driver so he could walk home from Tessa’s apartment. His blood felt like it was boiling inside his body, and his need was almost physically painful. What had he gotten himself into? How was he going to visit Tessa’s apartment from time to time and not take her? God help him, what if he hurt her? He slammed his fist into the wall, but that pain was nothing compared to the agony that coursed through him. He had made himself refuse her offer to enter her apartment because he didn’t trust himself with her. But what was going to happen when he was in her apartment?

  Tonight, he knew he was going to have to visit the blood prostitute. When he walked into her red bedroom, she was waiting for him. He immediately sank his fangs into her, but he wasn’t satisfied. Growling, he pulled at her clothing until she helped him with it, then she helped him undo his pants. He thrust into her as he continued to draw blood from her neck. It was over in minutes.

  He rolled over and lay on his back, disgusted with himself. For some reason the act of sex shamed him more than the act of taking her blood. He still had memories of his strong morality, and his belief that making love was for people who were in love.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

  “Don’t be sorry. The vampires who come here for blood usually have other things on their minds, too. You were the first one in a long time who only took my blood…I knew it was only a matter of time before you took the rest. It’s okay. It’s my choice to do this.”

  He walked home, immediately took off his clothes, and got into the shower because he could still smell the prostitute on him. For some reason he felt like he had betrayed Tessa. He had known her for such a short time; he didn’t understand his feelings, but the feelings were there nonetheless. And he was going to have to learn to deal with them if he was going to spend time with her. He could never tell her what he was because he couldn’t bear the shame he would feel or the horror he would see on her face.

  After he had taken his shower and dressed, he went into his library, his favorite room, and poured himself a drink. He looked around and thought about what a waste this big house was when he couldn’t even enjoy it in the daytime anymore. Downing the last of his drink, he threw the glass against the bricks of the cold fireplace. He knew it was a dramatic and clichéd action, but at least it made him feel better.

  He paced the floor for several minutes before he picked up the phone. He punched in Tessa’s number but immediately clicked the off button. What was he doing? He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He didn’t want to talk to Tessa on the phone…he wanted to go straight to her apartment, throw her on the bed, and sink his fangs into her throat. Then he wanted to….stop it! It was time to go to sleep. If he could sleep, he could forget for awhile.

  Even though it was early, at least for a vampire, he hurried down to the basement…his prison. He finally settled himself into the freezer and closed the lid. He dreamed of a woman with dark hair and skin as soft as silk. And her blood tasted like wine.

  Chapter Eight

  The next day at the museum, Jan rushed into her office with a look of curiosity and excitement on her face. Tessa couldn’t help herself…she had to grin back at her friend.

  “So tell me,” said Jan, “how did your date with Nikolas go?”

  “It was just a first date, Jan. Nothing exciting.”

  “Don’t lie to me. I saw something in your face. Did he kiss you?”

  Tessa sighed. “Not really. Just on the forehead.”

  “That’s too bad,” Jan said. “I thought he would at least give you a good night kiss.”

  “Yeah, that would have been nice. But we’ll be seeing a lot of each other for a while, so maybe things will heat up a little.”

  “Really? So what was it he wanted you to do?”

  “Well, he didn’t say it was a secret, so I guess I can tell you. He wants me to research some place that’s supposed to hold the souls of vampires. Okay, that actually sounded worse when I said it out loud.”

  Jan stared at her for a moment before saying, “Are you serious?”

  “Nik is serious. I’m still a little baffled. I don’t know why he got interested in such a strange subject. And the whole thing has to be fictional because it’s just too weird to be real.”

  “I don’t know,” Jan said. “All these artifacts you have are pretty weird, too. And you know there has to be some truth in the legends of them because I felt something when I touched them. The paranormal world is real, and I think you know it. You might as well accept it.”

  “I don’t know what to believe sometimes. I definitely feel something when I work with the artifacts, although it’s nothing like what you feel. But it’s so hard to open my mind up that far. If I accept that all these artifacts are what they are purported to be, and if I accept that vampires can exist, then where is the line drawn? What can I not believe in?”

  “Why do you have to not believe in anything? Why can’t you just accept that anything’s possible and let it go at that?”

  “I don’t know,” said Tessa. “That’s kind of scary to just accept anything.”

  “It’s not so scary once you do it,” said Jan.

  “So you’ve accepted that there can be anything lurking out in the world?” asked Tessa.

  “I think I have. I had also known there were things that we didn’t quite understand about the world. I was pretty sure there were beings that existed that were different from humans. But when I touched those artifacts, it pretty much decided things for me. I thought about it a long time, and I came to the conclusion that there’s so much that we don’t know, and I’m going to keep my mind open to anything. I think it makes it a lot less scary than trying to fight it.”

  Tessa couldn’t keep the surprise off her face. “Wow, there’s a lot more to my best friend than I thought. So do you really think this place Nik wants me to research really exists?”

  “I think it’s possible. And, really, won’t it be a lot more fun while you’re working if you believe it’s a real place?”

  “I’m not sure it would be more fun. More interesting, maybe, but also a lot scarier.”

  “But life would be boring if there wasn’t a little bit of a thrill now and then.”

  Tessa laughed. “Okay, I promise to keep an open mind. Speaking of thrills, how are things going with Josh?”

  “I think this is going to be serious, Tessa. He’s everything I was looking for.”

  “See? If I hadn’t prodded you a little, you might have never known that.”

  Jan gave her a wide grin, then left Tessa’s office to go back to her own job. Tessa picked up the jar with the strange light and unfolded the papers that had come with it. There was very little in the documents to tell her what the jar was or what it might c
ontain. The man who had sold it to the museum had stated that he had obtained it in a cave in an island, but there weren’t any details about the cave or what else might have been with the jar. Tessa suspected the man had found other artifacts, but instead of selling them to the museum, he had probably sold them at a collector’s auction to the highest bidder. It happened all the time; the museum only obtained a few of the artifacts that were found. Most of the people who went after these relics were in it for the adventure and the money, not really caring who ended up with them. It was a shame, really, because the museum could find out so much more about what the artifacts really were, and they could be displayed for the public to enjoy.

  Tessa sighed and sat back in her chair, trying to decide where to start with this artifact. Which book should she consult first in trying to find out the origin of this strange jar? As she sat there staring at it, the light inside glowed briefly. She brought her face closer to the vessel, trying to see inside. She didn’t dare break the seal on the jar; the curator would probably fire her immediately for something like that. But, oh how she longed to do it anyway! She wanted to know what was inside.

  She reached out and touched the jar and felt a slight vibration against her hand. Her eyes widened in amazement as she jerked her hand back. She hadn’t felt this before when she touched the artifact. Reaching a tentative hand out again, she felt a tingling sensation before her hand came in contact with the container. Tessa didn’t pull back this time but allowed her fingers to touch the jar, then stroke it softly. The light came closer to the side; at least that’s what it looked like since the glow became brighter. She moved her hand up and down over the glass surface, and the glowing object moved with her hand. Fascinated, she continued to stroke the jar. The vibration felt almost like the sensation you got from touching a purring cat. Was the thing inside the jar purring?

  Tessa began to feel a little uncomfortable with what was going on with the artifact, so she withdrew her hand and scooted her chair back just a little. As captivated as she was by this, there was still a thrill of fear that ran through her. This wasn’t natural, and she didn’t know quite how to deal with it. Finally, she wrapped a cloth around the jar and set it back on the shelf.