by Liz Schulte
Boone touched my arm. “Maybe doing this tonight isn’t a good idea. We should take a day to think things over. Prepare a little better. I can’t even wrap my mind around how to stop a goddess.”
“We don’t have a day to think,” I said, matching his quiet tone. “A lot can happen in a day. Holda could take the maid then we can’t even be sure she will come back again. Stephanie and Megan could change their minds about helping us. If there are traces of magic, it could fade away…” Or Valefor could find me again, or them, and make all of this moot. “It’s now or never. I will come up with a plan to deal with her. That’s not your department, it’s mine.”
He crossed his arms. His eyes drilled into the side of my head, but I didn’t look at him. “Fine. I trust you, but I am going to help, Maggie.”
“I didn’t say you wouldn’t help.” I also didn’t say how he could help, like driving me to the location then getting the hell out of my way.
“I’ll go get my truck.”
When the witches had everything they needed, we all loaded into Boone’s truck and he drove us to the little boy’s house.
“How close do you need to be?” I asked.
“It depends how much of the magic is left,” Stephanie said, opening the door and hopping down. Megan followed her out.
I glanced over at Boone. “Should we go with them?”
They had paused by the mailbox, holding hands, and were looking up at the house, completely conspicuous. Damn it. I didn’t know what to do. I got out of the cab, went over to them, then stood slightly in front of them, so if the neighbors were watching, it would just look like we were talking. Boone joined us.
Megan and Stephanie whispered in unison, holding their hands out in front of them, fingers laced and squeezed together. I forced a smile and nodded occasionally, like anything they said made sense. Boone looked back and forth between all of us, eyebrows pulled together.
Suddenly Stephanie’s eyes shot open and rolled back in her head. She weaved back and forth, and a strange voice came from her lips. “I see you, soothsayer. I seeeee yooouuu.”
Ah, crap.
With a poof and a sizzle, both girls sagged and their arms fell loose.
“Whoa, that was intense,” Stephanie said in her regular voice.
Megan eyed the crystal they had been holding in their shared grasp. “Looks like it worked.”
Neither of them seemed that concerned about the creepy voice Stephanie had just spoken in or the implication that Holda knew exactly what we were doing. If they weren’t concerned then I guessed neither was I. “Now what?”
“Now we take this back to the shop and enchant a city map. When she uses her magic again, the crystal should point us to where she is,” Megan said.
Stephanie was still staring at the house. “It’s gone,” she whispered.
“What is?” Boone asked.
“Her magic. It felt so strong when we got here, but now…”
Megan looked back at the house. “You’re right.” The held her hands out into the darkness. “There’s nothing. That’s bizarre.”
“Is it in the crystal?” I asked because that seemed logical. If they were trying to harness enough of her energy that they could track it, maybe it zapped out of the house and into the rock.
They both shook their heads. “That’s not the way it works. This is more like a photocopy of the energy. Not the actual energy.”
“It’s just gone,” Stephanie said. “I can’t explain it.”
“Maybe she was trying to stop you from tracing her,” Boone said. “That would explain the voice.”
“What voice?” Megan asked, sounding genuinely perplexed. “I didn’t hear a voice.”
“The one that came out of Stephanie that said, ‘I see you, soothsayer,’” I explained. Getting the witches involved might have been a horrible idea.
The girls tensed. “We have to go. Now.” Megan took Stephanie by the arm and all but dragged her to the truck.
No one spoke the entire drive back to the shop. Stephanie and Megan climbed out and nearly ran to their store. Boone stopped me before I could get out too.
“If their spell works, what happens next? I want to know what your plan is.”
I shook my head. I had no idea, but whatever it was, it probably wouldn’t be easy. “I have to call in a friend. A more powerful friend to help. You should really stay home.” Holda was too interested in Boone, and it wasn’t fair to ask Stephanie and Megan to get involved again. I’d talk to Olivia tomorrow. Tonight, I needed to be ready for Valefor. Something told me she wasn’t just going to give up. The street was empty. I scanned the darkest areas, then glanced at the clock on Boone’s dashboard. It wasn’t even ten yet. Why was everything so quiet? My stomach crashed down. She was already here.
“I should really get home. It’s been a long day. Have a good night.” I got out of the truck and started for Knead to Know.
Boone rolled down his window. “Hey, I’ll drive you home.”
“I’m good with walking. Helps me think. Take care,” I said automatically.
I heard his car door open and shut, then he jogged across the street toward me.
“You need to go,” I told him firmly. “Now. Turn around and go back to your truck. This has nothing to do with you.”
He stayed stubbornly by my side. “We both know you weren’t just hit by a car this morning, Maggie. You don’t have to tell me what attacked you, but you can, at the very least, let me take you home.” He flashed me a dimpled smile and if I hadn’t been so concerned for his safety, I would’ve had to remind myself for the tenth time or so that he had a girlfriend. “I know you’ll be fine walking home, but it would make me feel better if you let me do this.”
“Because I am like your little sister?”
Some emotion I couldn’t quite identify briefly scattered across his face, but then it was gone in a blink. “Exactly.”
There was a loud crash from the alleyway next to my store, reaffirming my earlier fear. Valefor was here. Damn it. I gave Boone a soft nudge toward his truck, which sent him stumbling back a few steps. If Valefor was here, I couldn’t say anything that would make her think Boone was more than an annoyance. “Back off,” I said a little louder than necessary. “I don’t need an older brother.”
With a deep breath, I turned back to Knead to Know and headed directly toward the alley, discreetly searching through my phone contacts for Phoenix. My finger hovered over send, as I started down the alleyway. The streetlights were out, though they’d been fine the night before. Another banging sound slowed my feet. A dark form was sprawled in front of the green kitchen door, unmoving.
Chapter 9
A light appeared over my shoulder and I swung around, dropping my phone.
Boone stood behind me, making me want to hug (out of sheer relief) and yell at him (for being stupid and taking unnecessary risks) simultaneously. “I told you—”
“I don’t think he’s breathing.” He nodded toward the body.
I turned around again. The form in front of my door was a man, but not one I recognized. I approached cautiously, wishing for the thousandth time that I had some way to recognize what other people were. I squatted down and reached to take his pulse. Faint traces of darkness etched his soul, but not enough to tempt me. I searched him for wounds, but there didn’t seem to be anything awry, except tendrils of smoke escaping his ears and nose.
“Is he dead?”
Well, that all depended. If he was human, then absolutely he was dead. If he was something paranormal, there was still a chance. I survived Valefor’s attack. So could he. The man’s hand twitched and I released my breath. “I don’t think so.” I picked up my phone and snapped a quick picture of the man’s face, then texted it to Phoenix with a question mark. It didn’t take long for him to respond.
“Where are you?”
“One of yours?” I replied.
“Yeah. Where are you?”
I didn’t reply. If Phoenix came her
e, then he’d see Boone who was still refusing to leave. That also meant Boone couldn’t be here once the man in front of my door woke up if I was going to keep him out of this mess. “He’s alive. You should go. I can handle this.”
“I’m not leaving you with a body. Shouldn’t we take him to a hospital?”
I shook my head, standing back up. “He’s a jinni. He’ll be fine. He just needs time to heal. Trust me when I say you don’t want someone like him to know about you or what you can do.”
“What about you?” Boone asked, still not budging.
“He won’t hurt me.”
“Great. Then if it is all the same, I’ll just stay with you.”
I sighed. If Boone wouldn’t leave until I did, then I didn’t have a choice but to go without waiting around to question jinni about what he was doing here. “Fine. We’ll both go.”
“What about him.”
I shook my head. “No one will mess with him before he heals. He’ll be fine.”
Once we were in the truck and moving, my worry for Boone’s safety morphed into anger. “If this is going to work, you have to listen to me. I explicitly told you to leave.” Had Valefor been there, I couldn’t have saved him. I wouldn’t even be able to save myself. “There are things out there that are too dangerous for you. I can’t always protect you. This particular problem has nothing to do with any visions you have had. It’s something I have to deal with alone.”
“You aren’t invincible, Maggie. And I never asked you to protect me. If something is after you, then I am going to be by your side and you can’t stop me.”
“I’m a hell of a lot more capable of withstanding a beating than you are. Do you have any idea how dangerous what you did was?”
“No, because you won’t tell me anything.”
I threw up my hands. “I’ve told you everything you need to know. The Abyss is dangerous. Honestly, what we’re doing with your visions is probably stupid. I should have never agreed to it. We don’t know whose attention it will attract. And trust me, plenty of people would like to have a psychic in their pocket. So when I say leave, you need to turn around and walk away. I will either make it or I won’t. It’s not your problem. Protect yourself.”
He gave me a baffled look. “We’re partners. I have your back and you have mine. I don’t need you to be my bodyguard. We’re supposed to be working together, or has that fact gotten lost in your sudden desire to hide things from me?” I crossed my arms. “I really don’t understand what all of this is about. We have been helping people, more than I ever dreamed was possible. I thought you knew that. I thought that meant something to you.”
“It does.”
“Then why are you so bent out of shape now?”
I looked at him through the darkness. “There is a demon after me. One that I can’t defeat. Getting hit by the car this morning saved me from her.” His mouth fell open. Good he needed to be shocked. “I like you a lot Boone. Maybe more than I should. But when she comes after me, if you are around me, she can and will kill you and there will be nothing I can do to stop it. One person I lo—“ I stopped myself before I could say love. “Like was already killed in front of me. I can’t live with two.” Valefor was my and Phoenix’s problem, he’d have to deal with that. We were equipped to handle her. “Actually right now, it might be better if we stop working together for a while.”
“And that’s why you’re yelling at me for helping you. Why are you so afraid for someone to care about you?” he said only feeding my annoyance.
I flinched. I wasn’t afraid to let someone care about me. Just tonight I had been prepared to move things to a different level with Boone—though obviously we weren’t on the same page. I wasn’t the one with the girlfriend who should be trying to add distance to our relationship. This wasn’t what I wanted at all, but it was the right thing to do. Closeness was the one thing I wanted more than anything else, but I couldn’t have it. My life was never going to be simple or quiet, and letting any of the people who were actually capable of caring about me (Izzy, Boone, or any of my human friends) near me risked their lives. Heck, even a jinni I had never met was nearly killed because of me. It was no wonder so many of my Abyss friends were loners. That was the only way this life worked. I knew I’d have to learn how to be more like that, but I had hoped I would have more time to adjust to the idea.
The deal Phoenix offered popped into my mind. Maybe that was the way to go. I could help him out temporarily, and it would get me through the process of learning how to be completely self-reliant. I stared out the window, the city blurring through my watery eyes. Why were the only decisions I ever made bad decisions? I bit my lip hard. No time for self-pity.
The moment Boone stopped in my driveway, I grabbed the door handle.
“Wait,” he said, his voice low and much softer than before. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“For the record, I’m not afraid of people caring about me. It just never turns out for the best.” I glanced back at him. “I really do like you, Boone. But this is a mistake. Go home to your girlfriend and forget you ever met me. I won’t contact you again. Ignore the visions and they might go away. Live the life you want. That’s the kindest gift I can give to you. I’m nothing but trouble.”
I got out of the truck, my chest tight. It was best this way. Boone would never survive my world and he, much like Baker, was one of those rare people whose heart was stronger than his common sense. He genuinely cared more about other people than he did himself. The world needed people like him. I wasn’t going to be the reason we lost another one. I’d figure out the rest later.
“Maggie, wait,” he called behind me.
I went inside and shut the door before he could get to me. Closing my eyes, I pressed back against the door. Boone knocked softly, and I could feel it in my chest. “Talk to me, Maggie. Why are you doing this? I didn’t mean…I don’t want what we have to change.”
I couldn’t protect him. I couldn’t even protect myself. If the goddess didn’t kill him, then the demon would—and it would always be like this. It was a stupid dream to think I could have a normal life. I wasn’t going to be normal.
“We found each other for a reason. We both know that. You need me. And I need you.”
Sure, if bad luck was a reason. I kept my mouth closed and my eyes squeezed shut.
Several minutes later, his truck started and pulled out of the driveway. I finally opened my eyes, wiping tears away.
“Interesting end to a date,” Phoenix said, sitting on my couch, his ankles crossed in front of him. “There’s hard to get and then there’s whatever this was. I can’t quite place a finger on it, but I know it was pathetic.”
“None of your business, that’s what it is,” I said. Phoenix didn’t need to know about Boone and he certainly didn’t need to be interested in who he was.
Phoenix was across the room in moments, catching a stray tear on the end of his finger. “Either you’ve sprung a leak or you’re overly upset about Charles.”
“Who’s Charles,” I asked with a sniffle.
“The body you found. Don’t worry yourself over him. The harm he came to might not have been about you. I don’t know him well, but I hear he likes to be choked. It’s very possible he enjoyed his time with the demon a little too much.” He wagged his eyebrows. “A little choke and poke.”
“Ew. Just stop talking. Why are you here?” I knocked his hand away and headed toward the bathroom because a shower was the only thing I had left that could comfort me. As I went, I removed my contacts, letting my eyes relax.
Phoenix’s hand clapped down on my arm. “Why are you making your life so much harder than it needs to be?”
I snorted, still feeling like crying.
He took my shoulders and pulled me against him, his breath in my hair. “I can make your life so very simple. Your business will thrive. You will never feel hungry or unsafe. Anything you want can be yours. You just have to let me help you.”
“
And that’s it. You will do all of that for me? All I have to do is sacrifice my dignity and freedom to you. Kill whoever you point me toward. You think that will make me happy?”
“Bad people.” His hands ran up and down my arms. “Only bad people, Maggie. How is that any different from what you are already doing?”
The warmth of his skin was misleading. It made me think a real man with a heart and future stood with me. It coaxed me to believe the lies he was selling, but I knew better. Phoenix was who he was. A jinni. A manipulator. But also one of the few friends I still had—even if all he ever did was lie to me. He’d still come if I were in a pinch. I was pretty sure of that. At least fifty-fifty. But all things considered, I wasn’t going to get him killed, which was more than I could say for my other friends.
“So other than that, I would be free to do whatever I want?” Boone came back to mind. If Phoenix could really keep me safe, could I keep Boone in my life? Would my deal extend all the way to him?
“Do you mean whoever?” He pulled me even closer. The hardness of his body was not at all unpleasant. He was steady and, more importantly, present and available. “What do you want, Maggie? Do you want someone who will bring you flowers? Someone who will make you laugh when you had a bad day? Listen to you talk about nothing? Touch you, hug you, cuddle with you? Make you feel valued and worthwhile?”
His words mesmerized me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think anything other than yes, that’s what I wanted. Exactly what I wanted. I wanted the life I saw other people having. The one movies and books taunted me with that was never quite within my grasp. I thought I had it with Baker, but I didn’t. As much as I loved him, he never fully loved me back. Not in the way I deserved. I pressed myself into Phoenix, hoping he would banish the ghost of Baker from my mind. Or at least make me the promises Baker never would. Maybe then, I could take his deal. Even if they were lies, I wanted to hear the words. I could forget all of this saving the world nonsense and be selfish. I really wanted to be selfish.
