by Rene Folsom
As I kept a slow, steady pace toward my car, I glanced back through the windows to see my professor lean in close to my target, his dimples showing as if he thought they were the only two people in the universe. Seeing him talk to my target like she was his best friend, I made it a tool for my mission. Mentally placing the fact in my back pocket, I tried desperately not to think about it as something I was jealous of. I had to squash my gut reaction when she smiled at him, his grin an automatic response.
It was enough to make me walk away.
I had the upper hand in this battle—and Kirsi Ranta didn’t even see it coming.
She pushed her black-rimmed glasses up on her face. When he leaned close to her ear and whispered something to her, her face flushed purple where pink should’ve been.
After all, she was the queen of frost.
I’d done my research. Mr. B didn’t have a significant other, and from all student accounts, everyone thought he was gay. Regardless of how immature I found my fellow students, the whole idea still made me laugh, especially since I was about to put the moves on my favorite teacher.
First though, I had to suck up my pride and meet with my partner.
Blake was far from someone I would’ve chosen, but seeing how attached my target was to my professor gave me a new idea, and Blake’s talents would definitely come in handy. Still, I hated to depend on anybody. With the knowledge I was stuck with someone just as new to this whole job as I was had annoyance tickling my insides. My dad seemed to get a kick out of seeing which probationer would survive their first mission intact.
I drove to our meeting place shortly after texting him and thanked the gods he wasn’t in his true form. Granted, he never roamed the city that way, but since we were meeting in a park where the nearest main highway was a good bit away, I hadn’t been sure.
“Nice night, huh?” I said, needing to verify I was talking to the right person. Regardless of the fact I was staring at a normal-looking man, I had no idea if he truly was Blake.
“It’s an Encanti kinda night,” he said with an almost-scary smirk.
But mentioning my family name meant he was legit.
Blake was what the sancti called an Echo. He was the only Echo I’d ever encountered, but that didn’t mean I was dumb when it came to his kind. I’d done my research. Basically, they had the ability to manipulate the minds of anyone they wanted. Read. Write. Execute. It was their way of life.
While similar to me in some ways, there were differences. Blake had the ability to manipulate anyone’s mind into thinking he was someone they knew. He had shape-shifting abilities, allowing him to replicate the appearance of another being. In this case, he was echoing someone he had in captivity. The only way he could hold this form so resolutely was if he had that person locked away so he could take their form and read their memories. There was always a sacrifice when using powers. Always.
The thought made me cringe.
I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of the horrible realization he had an innocent trapped to do his bidding. Then again, it was a hell of a lot better than seeing him in his natural form, which was basically a pretty nasty and rather gigantic lizard.
He only chose that form if he wanted to frighten his prey… or didn’t have the strength to echo someone’s soul.
“Look, I was scouting our target tonight, and I think I know how to reach her,” I said, interjecting authority into my tone. I needed to hurry this meeting up.
“Go on,” he prompted.
“She’s dating someone I know.” I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like I had to be careful. Did I really want this reptile to take Mr. B into captivity?
“And she trusts him?” he asked. Thank Christ he was getting to the point—neither of us wanted this meeting to last longer than necessary.
I nodded.
“Good. You name the place and the time, and I’ll be ready.”
Class was scheduled for the next evening, and I knew just where my professor was going after everyone departed. Casually meeting him at the pub wouldn’t be creepy, right?
Nah.
He seemed like a loner, someone who would fawn over a pretty girl who gave him attention. Not that he wasn’t handsome. He honestly was. But he was the nerdy type—the kind who probably didn’t have many friends or family. Then again, it was entirely possible I was only seeing the professional side of him. The side who chose to be less personable, especially while on campus.
I did have one pretty significant barrier when it came to Mr. B, and I kept trying to push it from my mind like it didn’t exist, even though it was a very prominent revelation.
He was a witch.
It wasn’t like he’d announced this to the class or anything, but I could sense his power and knew dead on what he was. What kind of fae would I be if I couldn’t pinpoint another sancti out from a crowd?
If I could sense him, he very likely could me as well, and there was no doubt he’d pick Blake out. Magic magnetized to magic. Plain and simple. I could only hope the entire bar would be so clusterfucked with sancti that he wouldn’t be alarmed with Blake’s presence or be able to pinpoint what he really was.
My stomach turned—not because of nerves, but because I had the basics of what Blake had to do in order to echo a soul. It didn’t matter who my dad was or what line of breeding I had to follow, that kind of manipulation never sat well with me.
The mission.
I needed to push the thoughts out of my mind and focus on the mission.
Mr. B would just be collateral damage… which sucked, but it was part of the job.
So finding Raz at the door of my apartment was a distraction I didn’t need. We’d left each other in a pretty iffy spot earlier in the night, but I still didn’t have the time to dwell on something I couldn’t have… not when my first mission hung in the balance.
“I thought you were pissed at me?” I asked. I tried not to look at him, my fingers fumbling with the key to the door.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” His voice was warm, yet to the point, as always. “I’m pissed at our situation and how hopeless it is. Regardless of how you have chosen to deal with your father and the weight he has put on your shoulders, I shouldn’t take it out on you. I’m sorry.”
I’d already heard the deadbolt click, but still let my hand hover over the knob of the door. I felt frozen in place, unable to move lest he change his mind.
Then again, I was in deep shit if I dared to entertain his apology. He was right to push me away. We weren’t meant for each other, and we both knew it.
Against my better judgment, I steadied my hand and turned the knob, pushing the door open and allowing him to follow me into my home. It wasn’t like Raz hadn’t spent hours upon hours behind these doors, but after our little tiff today that made things all too real, I felt like the paradigm between us had shifted. Before, it was always me who pushed to spend time together. Now it felt like he was meeting me halfway, which had me feeling both giddy and very uneasy.
Raz and I had this pattern of evade Sarah’s desires… and now he was breaking that model by showing up at my door uninvited.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind us, the sound of my deadbolt clicking in place still startling even though I was the one to turn it, he spoke, his words making me tense up, my muscles rigid.
“Your dad wanted to hire me to distract you.”
My hair flew around me like a dancer’s skirt as my sight honed in on him. I still hadn’t flicked on the light, but I could see his face illuminated in the dull light of the moon shining through my living room windows.
“Come again?” I demanded. I needed to make sure I heard him right.
“Your dad… he approached me tonight and wanted me to throw you off,” he explained, his eyes never meeting mine as he spoke.
I couldn’t help the defensive tone. “Throw me off what?”
“He said he gave you your first assignment, and he needed to test you.” His words were like sandpaper t
o my psyche… a rock to my head.
When I didn’t look in his direction or respond with words, he held his hands up in defense.
“I’m risking everything by telling you. Trust me when I say his offer was more than tempting.”
“Then why are you here, Raz?” I gritted out. “Are you here to follow through on his assignment?” I spat the last word like it was vile poison, hoping to the gods that none of my neighbors could hear.
“At first, I thought I’d come and warn you.”
“Warn me of what exactly? That my father is a manipulative prick? Because I already knew that. I just didn’t realize you fell into that same category.”
“I was wearing my pendent the whole time… you know that. I’m only here for you.”
“Did it dawn on you that your presence is a distraction in itself? You and Daddy both know damn well how I feel about you. I just didn’t realize you were low enough to take that to the bank.”
“I didn’t realize until now just how much of a mistake it was to be here,” he said, shame taking over his form. “I honestly didn’t. I’m just here because I care about you. Hell, you’re my best friend. And when your dad was the cab driver who picked me up from the bar and gave me this ultimatum, I didn’t know what the hell to do!”
His voice was increasing in volume, and the sound of his stress had me flinching. Raz never got heated like I did… ever. He was my opposite. I was the yin to his yang on normal terms. I was used to being the darkness in his droplet of light. To hear him switch sides made me hurt.
I hid my discomfort, trying desperately to keep the pain from showing in my eyes as I approached him. I didn’t want him dragged into my world. The magic flowing through my veins was never meant to be good. Even though I found the darkness in my soul to be beautiful, it didn’t mean I wanted Raz to be drawn into that beauty. He deserved better.
Sauntering toward him, I reached for him, brushing a lock of hair from the corner of his eye. “How about we fool him? Make him believe you’re a distraction?” I tried to speak softly, sweetly, hoping to gods he’d trust me.
My stomach fluttered with nerves at the look he gave me. His gaze was mixed with a combination of concern and lust. The latter had excitement flowing through me. I wanted nothing more in this world than to have Raz as my first.
“The last thing I want to do is be on your father’s dark side, Sarah.”
I nodded, studying the floor as if the shitkickers he wore were way more interesting than his beautiful eyes.
“What did you tell him?” I asked and backed away, my hands no longer touching him even though they itched to keep the contact solid between us—like magnets.
“Don’t get mad,” he said while matching my step away with a step forward, continuing to keep the close proximity. “I told him I would. I agreed with him for two reasons.”
“One being you don’t say no to Daddy. I get it. But what’s the other?”
“The other being that I can’t stand to lose you.”
I couldn’t help the skepticism I felt, again flinching at his words. He’d never once showed more than big-brother affection toward me. And now? Now he was looking at me with desire in his eyes.
“Why would you say such a thing?” I asked. I pushed at his chest with my hands, forcing him back several feet. “You know how I feel about you. Why would you even play with a fire you know damn well you can’t tame? Is this part of your ploy to distract me? If it is, you’re not the man I thought you were, Raz!”
My volume was damn near nuclear, but I still couldn’t believe my yang could be so harsh with my feelings.
“No.” He shook his head. “I mean, yes… yes, I’m trying to distract you, but not for his benefit, trust me.” Raz took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his long hair. “I know how stressed you’ve been over the whole idea of your father bringing you on board. You’ve talked about nothing else the past few years. Now that he has, I can’t even imagine how you must feel. Not only that, but I definitely don’t want to lose you to him. You’re too important to me.”
He held his arms out to his sides as if he were a family member welcoming a hug. “So here I am.” The amulet he wore to protect his mind from my powers hung like a boulder around his neck.
It was the exact reminder I needed.
“Thank you so very much for your pity, but I don’t need a sympathy bone,” I spat.
“It’s called support, not pity. I can’t even fathom why you’d think I’d be here for any other reason,” he said hotly.
I would’ve felt bad if he hadn’t just admitted to feeling sorry for me.
“I honestly thought you knew me better than this.” I tried to not let the tears bubble up in my eyes, yet my body betrayed me.
His arms dropped right along with his head. “I’ve gone about this all wrong.”
“Gone about what? Pissing me off? Because you’re doing a bang-up job if that’s the case. I’d say your approach is a success.” I couldn’t hold back. I was so over being used.
“I just wanted to be near you, and instead, I’ve pissed you off.” His words sounded honest, yet my mind still couldn’t wrap around the idea that my father had sent him. Regardless of my mixed emotions, my stomach still leapt at the mere thought he wanted to be near me… be with me. The last I thought, he saw me as the enemy in his world.
After all, we were opposites. Our families hated each other, regardless of the fact they respected each other’s powers.
Without saying another word, Raz slowly approached me again. This time, I didn’t flinch away, the need to feel his touch on me stronger than the repulsion that he was yet another Encanti minion.
His fingers brushed along my cheek with a soft caress, and I leaned into him, relishing in the feel of his warmth on me.
I took pride in being a strong woman. I really did. But Raz was my weakness, and I had to wonder if he knew just how much he undid my resolve.
Did I dare kick up a fuss and ruin what might finally happen between us? Or should I just shut the hell up and enjoy the few moments we’d have together before it all went to hell in a hand basket?
Yeah… I shut my mouth, because having Raz for even a few moments was better than not having him at all. At least, I wanted enjoy the moment. My mind still ran amok, and I couldn’t seem to keep my thoughts straight.
“Raz, wait…” I said with a stutter and grabbed his hand from my face, holding it like it were a tire iron. “This is definitely a mistake. You didn’t want me before my dad commissioned you. You’ve never wanted me. I was only a buddy to you, and that doesn’t change just because someone says it can.”
Raz sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair, something he did when he was nervous or stressed.
“Don’t you get it?” His voice was strong… pleading for me to hear his words. “I could never touch you like I’d wanted to. You have been like a forbidden fruit, right at my fingertips and unattainable. Yet now… now I have the green flag from someone you admire. Now I can finally touch you…” He stepped closer, cupping my cheek in his hand once again. “Now I can finally kiss you the way I’ve wanted to for so long now. I’d be a fool to pass this opportunity up.”
I looked into his eyes and sought out the truth that emanated in his words. Did he really want me? Or was this just another ploy to distract me? Either way, he’d completed his mission. I was utterly and thoroughly distracted. There was no way I’d recover from this encounter, regardless of its validity.
I was head over heels for Raz. The only thing that kept me from running from his charms was the fact my father couldn’t have known just how much this man meant to me. Yes, he knew I had feelings for Raz, and I talked about him more than any other being I’d come in contact with. But he didn’t really know how deep my feelings ran for my best friend.
And other than our underlying knowledge I was promised to another, there was never an instance where my father had to forbid my time with Raz. He knew we were friends, but there
was never a situation that would make him think there was more.
I searched my memories… searched my thoughts to try to find a single moment where my father would’ve chosen Raz as my undoing.
Nothing came to mind.
My heart had to consider the fact Raz was actually interested in me. And if he wasn’t—if this was all a ploy to complete his mission—I’d be a shattered soul for the taking. If nothing else, at least I’d do my father proud, especially considering he was the one who arranged this whole charade.
“So, Sarah?” he asked, his gaze searching mine. “May I kiss you?”
I just stared at him dumbfounded, my eyes darting back and forth between his in every attempt to read the man I thought was my absolute best friend.
If I thought giving in to manipulation would actually make my daddy proud, I was a fool. Then again, if I thought that this decision had anything to do with my father, I was also a fool.
Damned no matter what.
There was no doubt that my heart wanted Raz. There was also nothing anyone could say to keep me from accepting his request. Anyone but Raz.
And it was the look he gave me in that moment that did me in. It was him. I knew my best friend enough to realize just how sincere he was being. And if he wasn’t speaking to my heart honestly, I didn’t care to know what the truth held in this moment.
Resigned to the fact I’d been waiting for this moment from the first time I laid my eyes on him, I let Raz reach for me, never flinching or pulling away. If I got hurt in the wake of his momentary adoration, so be it.
Right now, we were no longer strangers from different factions of our fragile worlds. I’d so easily forgotten my role as a fae, and he was no longer a witch in my eyes. We were just two young lovers putting our hearts out there in the hopes the other would graciously accept. Regardless of the insane amounts of time we’d spent together, he’d always kept things friendly, never allowing me to cross the line into a world we couldn’t pull back from.
