Seduced by Two

by Stephanie Julian

  Nica heard Tira put the phone down and walk to the door. Their apartment door opened with its distinctive squeak…

  And Tira’s scream ricocheted through the phone for one brief, terrifying second before it cut off.

  “Tira! Oh Gods, Tira! What’s—”

  “Hello again, Niccola.”

  Fear seeped through Nica’s veins like ice as she recognized the voice of the man who’d attacked them the other night.

  “You! What have you done to Tira?”

  “Your friend is fine and will remain fine. As long as we hear from you Monday. Your roommate is our insurance. You don’t have to worry about her health. We just want you to make the right decision, Nica. Come Monday, when we contact you again, she’ll be released.”

  “Please, just let her go now,” Nica begged.

  “She will be fine. And Monday, when you come to work for us, she will be returned safe and sound. You have my word.”

  “That’s not worth much after the other night. You nearly killed him.”

  “But you had the power to heal him, Nica. Apparently you did such a great job that he’s had no trouble performing. You and the brothers having a good time?”

  “You bastard—”

  “You have until Monday morning, Nica. I’ll be back in touch.”

  The phone went dead.

  “Wait!”

  Blessed Goddess. That madman had Tira. And it was all her fault.

  She needed to contact Sal, needed to call Teo and his brother Cam to find Tira. She opened the door—

  And ran into the arms of two scowling men.

  “Nica.” Tanner’s tone held absolutely no give. And Jensen’s expression was downright hard. “What’s going on?”

  She wanted to tell them. Blessed Goddess, she wanted to confide in them, didn’t want to have secrets between them. But they’d never believe her.

  Unless she gave them back their memories from the night before.

  Looking into their eyes, she saw their concern for her, their need to know and to help. They were good men and in another time and place, she could love men like this.

  So not fair…

  What would they do if she told them everything?

  Would they believe her?

  “Nica.” Tanner’s voice soothed jangled nerves. “Come on, babe. It can’t be that bad. We only want to help.”

  But they couldn’t. They had no magic to protect themselves.

  And aren’t you putting them in even more danger by not telling them exactly why you’re in danger?

  Of course, she was. They deserved to know. And if they couldn’t handle it, she’d bring in someone more powerful to wipe their memories, for good this time. Which she’d have to do Monday anyway.

  A sharp pain in her chest made her gulp in air. “I’ll tell you what’s going on but… It’s going to sound crazy. You’re going to think I’m nuts and I’m not, just… Please, keep an open mind.”

  Jensen’s gaze narrowed even further. She knew he was the one who would have the most trouble with what she was going to tell them. Tanner would shake his head and smile but when she demonstrated her power, he’d believe her.

  She’d show them what they didn’t know about the world. And when this situation was over, their memories would be erased. And she’d disappear from their lives.

  * * * * *

  Nica had been right, Jensen decided.

  He thought she was crazy.

  For the past ten minutes, as they sat at the kitchen table, she’d gone on about how she was a descendent of the ancient Etruscan magical races, a strega, otherwise known as a witch, and that she could perform magic.

  “You really believe you’re a witch?” Jensen slid a glance at Tanner, trying to gauge his brother’s thoughts, but Jensen couldn’t tell what Tanner was thinking. “And you really expect us to believe you.”

  Nica nodded, her expression as serious as a heart attack. “Yes, and I can show you.”

  “You can do magic?”

  She shook her head. “Not sleight-of-hand. Not parlor tricks. My particular Goddess Gift is healing.”

  She turned to Tanner. “You saw me heal Jensen two nights ago. He was attacked by the man who’s holding my friend hostage. I wiped those memories from your mind and—”

  “Not completely,” Tanner said.

  Jensen whipped around to look at his brother. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “The dream we shared, there was more to mine.” Tanner didn’t look at him. He kept his gaze locked with Nica’s. “Your hands glowed. What happened to Jensen?”

  “He was struck with a spell, one that attempted to shut down his internal organs. I was able to heal Jensen. Then I performed a spell that took away your memories of me. Obviously, I messed that one up. I think…because I didn’t want you to forget me.”

  Jensen shook his head, even though he heard the sincerity in her voice. She believed every word she was saying. And Tanner did too.

  “No. No way.”

  “Go ahead,” Tanner continued to address Nica. “Show him.”

  With a sigh, she nodded, got up and walked to the sink, where a sharp knife lay drying on the drain board. Before he realized what she meant to do with it, she sliced her arm.

  “Jesus Christ! Nica, what the fuck are you doing?”

  Jensen’s chair toppled as he rose and stalked to the sink. He grabbed her throbbing arm and held it over the sink.

  “You see the cut,” Nica said, her voice so quiet he had to strain to hear it. “You see I’m bleeding and it’s no trick?”

  “Christ almighty, you’re going to need stitches, Nica. Why the hell—”

  “No, I won’t. Do you see, Jensen?”

  Yes, he saw. The wound was real. Thick red blood welled on her arm and fell to the sink with distinctive little plops on the stainless steel. Her flesh peeled back on each side of the wound. She’d cut fairly deep and would need stitches—

  “Watch,” she said.

  Nica placed her hand over the cut, her eyes closing as she went completely still.

  And her hand began to glow. An ethereal blue, like someone was shining a flashlight through her skin. Jensen released her, his hands falling to his side as he watched.

  She held it there for several long seconds and when she removed her hand, the cut was gone.

  “Holy shit.” He took one step back before he forced himself to hold his ground.

  With jerky movements, she flipped on the water and washed her trembling hands then splashed away the blood in the sink.

  With a ragged deep breath, as if she had to work up the courage, Nica looked him straight in the eyes, her expression stoic but the pleading in her gaze killed him. She was waiting for him to refute her yet wanted so much for him to believe her.

  Jensen was no fool. He’d seen the cut. She hadn’t faked it.

  He glanced at Tanner, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression somewhere between “Holy shit” and “I told you”.

  This woman—

  No, this wasn’t just some woman. This was Nica. She hadn’t turned into a monster in the past ten minutes. She was still the same sweet, hot woman he’d fallen for.

  And he’d fallen. Hard.

  Those feelings hadn’t changed because she had an ability that wouldn’t be out of place in an Alan Moore comic book.

  And he knew Tanner’s feelings hadn’t changed either. Because Jensen could sense how his brother felt.

  Some people might call that magic. Their father had never believed them, had called them freaks—and worse.

  Nica could heal with her hands. Yeah, it was weird. But she healed.

  She wasn’t a monster. She wasn’t a freak.

  He would deal.

  Behind Nica, Tanner drew in a deep breath, as if he’d been frozen, waiting for Jensen to make up his mind.

  Nica still looked worried, her teeth lodged in her bottom lip, so hard he thought she might draw blood.

  He reached out to
cup her cheek, sliding his thumb across her bottom lip until she released it.

  “Tell me about the other night,” he said. “You said someone attacked me? And you wiped my—our—memories with a magical spell?”

  She nodded slowly, her gaze still wary, making him feel guilty for his initial disbelief.

  She’d have to cut him some slack. This was an admittedly huge development to comprehend. But one he found fascinating.

  “Yes,” she said. “His employer wants me to work for him. He knows what I can do. I don’t know how they found out but my people are very careful to keep our powers hidden from the eteri.”

  “And that means regular humans, right?” Tanner asked.

  She flashed Tanner a smile that quickly faded. “I need to contact someone who can track down Tira. But I want you both to know what’s going on. I’m afraid if Tira is rescued, that man will come after you. You’re both in danger only because I selfishly gave in to my desire. You need to know what’s going on and because I wanted to offer you protection at a safe house until this situation is resolved.”

  Jensen opened his mouth to say they didn’t need protection but Tanner beat him to the punch. With the complete opposite reaction.

  “We’ll go right now,” his brother said. “Why don’t you go upstairs and change, Nica. Jensen and I will take you to this safe house. And we’ll stay.”

  Nica visibly relaxed and Jensen realized why Tanner had agreed. He wanted Nica in this safe house as well. Good thing one of them was on their game.

  Shutting his mouth, Jensen headed upstairs as Nica gathered her clothes from the first-floor bedroom. Tanner followed him a few seconds later.

  At the top of the steps, Tanner shook his head, just once, and headed for his own bedroom.

  Fine. They wouldn’t discuss this. Not now, anyway.

  * * * * *

  Tanner drove, following Nica’s directions back into the city.

  They turned south on Penn then headed east into a part of the city he didn’t know well. Tiny streets and alleys laced through an older neighborhood filled with townhomes and small businesses.

  Finally, Nica had him park on a one-way street lined with three-story brick row houses.

  As he shut off the SUV, Tanner took a look through the front window. Most of the houses were in decent repair. Only a few derelict properties stood out. Not a bad neighborhood. Not a great one either.

  Before Jensen could get his door open, Nica practically flew out of the vehicle and headed straight to one of the houses that stood out in no way from the others.

  Tanner slid out slowly as Jensen followed on Nica’s heels. His brother only had eyes for Nica. Tanner took it slower, checking out their surroundings, noticing the faint but elaborate decoration on the wood trim around the front door.

  Nica knocked once before pulling out a key from her back pocket, an old skeleton key that she fit into the lock and turned.

  The door swung open soundlessly and she waved them into a small foyer.

  The house looked…normal. Maybe stuck in an eighties’ time warp but…

  He didn’t know what he’d been expecting but normal hadn’t occurred to him.

  Even the dark-haired kid walking down the stairs directly in front of them was normal. He looked to be ten or eleven, with a knit cap pulled down over his ears.

  “Hey, b—Nica, how’s it going? Everything okay?”

  The kid eyed them with intelligent dark eyes, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, a black t-shirt from a Rolling Stones concert hanging off thin shoulders.

  Nica audibly sighed at the sight of the kid and Tanner’s gaze narrowed.

  “Sal, the man from the other night took Tira. He called this morning to tell me. This is Tanner and Jensen Miller. I’ve told them who and what I am. I told them what happened Friday night and…and I’d like you to offer them sanctuary until this situation is under control.”

  She turned and glanced at each of them in turn. “Jensen, Tanner, this is Salvatorus. He runs this house.”

  Tanner’s eyes widened for a brief second. This kid ran the safe house? What the hell was going on?

  Tanner turned to find Jensen looking at him, the same questions in his eyes, before Jensen moved to put himself in front of Nica. Tanner moved behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder and trying to draw her back against him. Shielding her.

  Sal’s head tilted to the side, as if contemplating Nica’s request before he started to grin. The kid checked out Jensen first, looking him over from head to toe. Then his gaze connected with Tanner. Holy hell, the kid’s eyes…

  Tanner’s spine stiffened in reaction. This was no kid.

  “You think they can handle it, sweetheart?”

  Nica nodded, though she didn’t move from behind Jensen. Tanner had the feeling she was humoring them, making them feel…useful.

  “Handle what?” Jensen said for both of them.

  “Who Sal really is,” Nica answered. “I know you’ve already seen what I can do, but Sal is…special.”

  “And she don’t mean short-bus special, kids.” Sal snorted, his voice seeming to deepen with a sarcastic edge. But the look he gave Nica was almost apologetic. “Niccola. I don’t want you to get hurt, babe. And this has the makings of heartbreak written all over it.”

  “We would never hurt her,” Jensen spoke before Tanner could open his mouth, saying exactly what Tanner had been thinking. “And we don’t want to see Nica get hurt.”

  Sal must’ve caught Jensen’s undertone because he smiled. And his image went blurry.

  Tanner blinked, thinking he must have gotten something in his eyes. They didn’t hurt or burn or feel gritty. The kid’s whole body just blurred.

  And then his vision cleared.

  And instead of a child, something else stood there.

  Something with the upper body of a man and the lower body of…

  Tanner blinked and sucked in a deep breath, feeling like he’d been gut-punched.

  “Holy fuck.” Jensen’s muttered curse left him no doubt that his brother felt the same.

  The…whatever he was smiled, a hint of pity in it. “When they catch their breath, bring them back to the kitchen, hon.” Sal clomped down the stairs, his hooves—Jesus Christ, he had hooves. “I’ll get some coffee on.”

  Tanner tracked the thing as it walked down the hall and through the room beyond before disappearing through a doorway.

  His mouth opened then closed. He didn’t have a clue what to say.

  Luckily Jensen recovered faster. He turned to stare at her, his eyes wide but not afraid. “Jesus Christ, Nica, is that a fucking satyr?”

  Satyr. Yeah, that was the word Tanner had been trying to dig out of his non-functioning brain.

  “In English, yes. In Italian, his proper designation is salbinelli.” Nica caught her bottom lip between her teeth again before she continued. “He’s one of the most brilliant men I’ve ever known. He’s also one of the kindest.”

  Jensen started to shake his head and couldn’t seem to stop. “Nica, that…that guy looks like he jumped off an ancient Roman tomb painting.”

  Nica nodded. “Yes, he does.”

  “How long has he lived in Reading?” Tanner asked. It was the only question that came to mind. It didn’t matter one good goddamn in the whole scheme of things but… Holy shit.

  “A couple of centuries at least. No one knows for sure. He’s always been here.”

  Tanner’s mouth dropped open as did Jensen’s. But neither of them could come up with anything.

  Then Jensen’s head started to shake again but the look on his face… Jensen’s gaze slid past Nica toward the back of the house. He wanted to go talk to the goat man.

  Tanner had a brief flash of the bookcases in Jensen’s room, filled with fantasy and sci-fi books. Jensen had always loved those genres. Meeting a creature—no, Nica had been very specific when she’d called him a man. Meeting a man who seemed to have stepped off the pages of one of his books must see
m like a dream come true for Jensen.

  Tanner wanted to doubt his eyes but he couldn’t. Not with Jensen nearly salivating to go talk to the thing. No, to the guy. A guy with goat legs.

  Ooh-kay.

  “Tanner.”

  Nica’s soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked into her dark eyes. Worry made little lines around her eyes and he lifted his hand to rub his thumb over them, trying to wipe them away.

  He didn’t want her to worry about him. She had enough to deal with right now. But holy shit—

  No. Suck it up.

  “I’m fine, Nica, but I could use the caffeine. And Jensen is dying to talk to your…friend.”

  “I’m sorry I got you both wrapped up in this.” She shook her head. “I never wanted either of you to get hurt.”

  “We’re fine. Really. Yeah, it’s…kind of a shock to realize—” He stopped, not knowing where to go with that. Not knowing what he could say that wouldn’t make her feel worse. He saw remorse in her expression and he hated it.

  Christ, Jensen was chomping at the bit to go interrogate the satyr and he wanted to run the other way.

  Which he wasn’t about to do. If he walked out, Nica would follow him. And there was no way he wanted her to leave, if this place really was as safe as she said it was. She was in danger so she had to stay here.

  And since Sal apparently knew everything, Tanner needed to talk to the guy with the hooves.

  * * * * *

  Jensen knew Tanner was having problems coping.

  Hell, it wasn’t every day you met a creature out of mythology.

  But from the moment Nica had revealed her powers, Jensen felt like he’d been invited into the best secret in the world.

  The fact that Nica felt safe enough with them to share it made him want to pump his fists in the air like Rocky.

  So when Tanner finally took a breath and nodded, Jensen felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders. Nica sighed, as if she felt the same.

  Tanner leaned in and laid his mouth over hers, kissing her until she swayed into him. And when Tanner pulled back, Jensen grabbed her shoulders, turned her and kissed her too.

  Her lips softened under his, one hand reaching to thread into his hair as if to hold him to her.

  When he pulled back, she looked up at him with wide eyes but a smile flirted at the corners of her mouth.