by Maya Daniels
At least suffering I as familiar with.
In an instant, the weight crushing me disappeared. Not trusting that it meant I was out of hot water, I held my breath until I heard the grunts. I flicked one eye open, almost afraid to look but knowing I had to know what was going on.
Only one man stood above me, the rest nowhere to be found. This one wore a long, dark duster jacket, his emerald eyes plastered on mine with a very intent look I couldn’t decipher. Chestnut hair with honey-colored highlights floated around his face as if an invisible wind was playing with it. He looked like an avenging god, but then he smirked and reminded me much more of the devil himself arriving to collect my soul.
Shaking off that stupidity, I sat up from the ground, ignoring his offered hand as if it would bite me. I pretended not to see it and climbed to my feet on my own, albeit not as gracefully as I should’ve.
Truth be told, I was still a bit shaken.
“What, no thank you?” the man murmured, his deep timbre doing naughty things to places I shouldn’t be thinking about right then.
“No. I don’t work well with thank yous,” I muttered, my gaze landing anywhere but on him.
Then I remembered the woman, and my eyes darted to the place she was, though I didn’t see her there anymore.
“If you won’t say it, I will. Thank you. Both of you.” The raspy voice came from behind me, so I spun around, startled that the night I’d almost gotten myself killed, I’d also let someone sneak up behind me.
“Well, look at you. I’m assuming you are okay?” I asked, remembering the beating she’d taken.
She shrugged, just a twitch with one shoulder. “Yeah, I’m good. A bit shaken up, but I’m sure you feel the same. I’m Crystal by the way.”
I jerked my head up in the semblance of a nod, not wanting to admit to anyone how stupid I’d been, especially to myself, ignoring her attempt at introduction. “Do you know why they wanted you?”
“I really have no idea. I’m nothing special. So… yeah, no clue although they did look like idiots so their reasoning could go in any direction really..” She paused, angling her head to the side. “Now who are you”—She let her gaze pass from me to the guy standing beside me—“and you?”
“I’m Elijah, the all-knowing and all-seeing.” He preened and winked. “At your service, of course.”
“Okay,” I added dryly, not sure what I was saying it for but not willing to give her or him my name.
“What happens now?” Crystal asked after the silence stretched too long between us.
I glanced around the alley, noticing the bodies. The least mysterious Elijah could’ve done was clean up. Typical man. Rolling my eyes, I looked at Crystal. “Now you forget.”
“Huh?” Crystal took a small step back, her eyebrows puckered in confusion.
As she was speaking, I grabbed her shoulders, locking my gaze intently on hers. “You forget tonight happened. Nobody tried to kidnap you. No one put a binding spell on you. And you saw nothing, especially not me. Do you understand?” My voice floated between us, melodic and alien even to my own ears.
“I saw nothing.” She nodded, her eyes going in and out of focus. “Nothing happened tonight.”
“Good girl. Now go on home and sleep.”
“I do feel tired. I will go home and sleep,” she repeated, and she jogged away, leaving me alone in the alley with Elijah.
The shadows, I’ve realized, were more than just a defense. They were good for cleaning up too—don’t ask how I knew this part—and as I walked through the alley, I moved my hand over the bodies I passed, wrapping them in the shadows until they were swallowed whole.
“That’s a cool party trick, but are you sure it was wise to just let that girl walk away?”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I told him plainly, throwing the last body into the abyss. Dusting my hands off, I peered over my shoulder at him. “Since that’s done, I think I’ll head home, too.”
He moved like lightning, standing in front of me so fast I almost bumped into him. “Elijah Hawthorne, at your service.” Extending his hand in front of him, he waited while I struggled to wrestle back control over myself from the effect he was having on me.
With a cocked eyebrow, this time I took it, giving it a firm shake.
“Aren’t you going to tell me your name?” he asked, a frown marring that beautiful face of his.
I inched around him, striding forward with my head held high. Once I was almost at the end of the alley, I glanced back at him. “No. Not tonight.”
I didn’t turn back again, not even when I heard his delectable laughter following me like the shadows I loved so much.
Not even when his chuckle turned smoky and reached for something deep inside me.
Hell no, I wasn’t opening that can of worms.
3
“Stupid.” Yanking on the door of the fridge, I glared at the carton of eggs, half a bottle of milk, and a sad looking lettuce that somehow ended up there. “You seriously are very stupid, Brigit.”
Waking up this morning after my stupidity last night was worse than a hangover. I couldn’t blame my behavior on booze, no. It was all me. Poking my nose where it didn’t belong.
Heart rattling from anxiety, I forced my shaky hands to be steady so I didn’t spill eggs all over the counter. Cracking their shells with more force than was called for, I took my anger out on them. That was how I ended up shoveling tiny pieces out of the mixture with a damn fork. It seemed I couldn’t do anything right, not even make an omelet. My stomach voiced its protest loud and clear, and cursing under my breath, I poured the barely beaten mixture over the hot oil, leftover eggshells and all.
Staring at the pan, I replayed the end of my night over and over in my head. It wasn’t like I wasn’t aware there were mages in this city. It was hard to miss the pompous asses. Walking around like the world owed them a life debt, they were like cockroaches invading the place. Luckily, the humans couldn’t smell the sweet stench of their magic, which followed every mage like a cloud of bad perfume. Unlucky for me, I could.
Yay me.
Hot oil popped out of the pan, searing the skin of my hand. Sucking air through clenched teeth, I rushed to the sink, deflating like a balloon when the cold water soothed the burn. Next, I’d probably be chopping fingers like celery if I didn’t get my head out of my ass. To top off my wonderful morning, the smell of burning eggs reached my nose, and this time I cursed out loud. Snatching the spatula, I flipped my half-burned breakfast before sliding it on the plate.
It looked just like I felt.
Screwed ten ways to Sunday.
“Why couldn’t I just keep walking?” I asked the ceiling, looking up as if it held the answers to all my questions. “Why?”
When no answer came, my head dropped, hanging low on my shoulders, and my hold on the kitchen counter tightened. A few slow inhales and exhales later, I felt stable enough to walk the couple of steps that took me to the small table with one chair, which was positioned under the window. The hollow thump of the plate on the wood was the only sound accompanying the scrape of the chair before I plopped on it. Taking my first bite, my mouth twisted into a grimace at the bitter taste that coated my tongue, and I scrunched my forehead as a healthy crunch accompanied my chewing. Eggshells are healthy for you, right?
Gazing unfocused through the window, I almost dropped the fork when Elijah’s face decided to make an appearance at the forefront of my mind. The man was intriguing, I’d give him that much. Fortunately for him, every time I used the shadows to fix a problem, I felt high from it, which made my mood much more chirpy than it should be. He could look like a god as much as he wanted, but if I was in my right mind, he would be dead. Instead, he was walking around this city with knowledge of what I could do.
“I should stab myself in the eye with this fork,” I told the window, brandishing the said utensil like a sword. “What are you going to do Brigit? Think, damn it!”
My stomach growled again like an angry b
ear, so I shoveled the wannabe omelet into my mouth, chewing only once before swallowing each bite. Everyone thought better on a full stomach. Well, not me. I was more like a sloth after I ate, so I’d probably drag my ass to the faded sofa and nap, but that was beside the point. However, when the fork scraped over the empty plate, the sound setting my teeth on edge, a plan came to me.
I was going to find Elijah.
This time, I’d make sure he forgot all about me.
It would be a great plan if I knew where to look.
That brought a new torrent of questions. How did he know to show up in that alley? Was he passing by just like I was when he heard the sounds of a fight, so he came to investigate? No, that would be too much of a coincidence. Was he following the mages and my involvement messed up his plans? But why would he follow them? There was an aura around him that pricked my skin, and it screamed danger. Elijah had bad-boy vibe down pat, so he sure as fuck was not a cop or anything like that. Maybe he had a personal issue with them. That sounded more like something a man like him would do. Stalk his prey, play with it before killing it. He was a predator, through and through, and I wasn’t dumb enough not to notice that little tidbit, even if my ovaries were exploding from his nearness.
“I need to get laid.” Scrubbing a hand over my face, I got up and threw the ceramic plate in the trash. Washing dishes was for suckers.
The shrill sound of my phone going off pierced the air in my tiny apartment, and I almost tripped over my own feet to reach it. Fumbling around, I nearly dropped it twice before sliding my finger over the screen and cracking my skull when I slammed it to my ear.
“Hello?” It was more a pained hiss than a greeting, but whatever.
“Brigit?” Hank’s voice came through so loud I jerked the phone away from me. “Brigit, you there?”
“Yeah, stop screaming, damn it. You busted my eardrum.” Holding the phone in front of my face, I glared at it.
“Oh, sorry.” Although I couldn’t see him, I knew Hank had a sheepish look on his face just by the tone of his voice. “I thought I lost connection.”
“What’s up?”
Hank was my friend. My only friend, you could say, regardless that he was a human. When my powers started manifesting and I was freaking the hell out thinking something was wrong with me, I met him on a chat line. On one of those sites where freaks talk about things like aliens coming to invade the earth while swearing to everything holy they’d been abducted and probed, you’d think their butt holes were caves full of treasures the way they were explaining the experience. It turned out, while I was doing my research on what was happening to me, Hank was doing research for some bullshit essay he needed to write.
It was easier to talk to people while hiding behind a screen.
Either way, he still didn’t know the truth about me. Hank was aware there was something not so normal about me, but we agreed he wouldn’t ask question and I would only tell him what I was comfortable with. Which was zilch, but he was okay with that. Too happy that I fed him the truth about mages living in the city, he made it his life mission to keep track of them, and with that, he kept me informed of the comings and goings of the magical community. That was until two years ago.
One day, Hank called to tell me he had a client willing to pay good money if we could find his book of shadows that mysteriously disappeared from his home the night before. I bulked at the audacity, but eventually he convinced me to do it. When I asked where on earth he was finding clients, he told me he would share his secret if I shared mine. Up to this day, I’d never asked that stupid question again. Nope, I was good. Hank could keep his secrets. At least I had a job that provided food and a roof over my head, and I worked on my terms.
“… we need to find her asap.” Hank gulped air as if whatever he was saying was rattled in one breath. I heard jack shit.
“What are we finding again?” Tugging my tank top over my head, I veered to the bathroom. I’d need a shower because I had a feeling Hank would hyperventilate if I didn’t get moving as soon as he was done talking.
The human was a pest.
“His daughter,” Hank huffed, annoyance broadcasting loud and clear through the speaker. “Did you hear a word I said, or were you daydreaming again?”
“Nanayas.” His teeth were grinding as if he was standing next to me. “Spill, or I’ll hang up.”
“You’re such a bitch.” Although he tried, he couldn’t hide the whine in his voice.
“Why thank you,” I gushed. “I do try.”
“One of these days, Brigit, we will meet face to face, and I swear to God I’m going to kick you,” Hank grumbled, which only made my smile grow, “in the shins.”
“Whose God, Hank? Mine or yours?” I couldn’t hold my snickering at his sigh, which was so long and heavy that I swear I felt it on my face. “Okay, okay, I’ll behave. Whose daughter do we need to find and how do we find her? Has he tried the cops?”
“He is human, Brig.” My lips tilted at the corners hearing the nickname. Only two of them called me that and it always made me smile. “But he swears his daughter is special.”
“Special how? She licked the window on the school bus?”
“Brigit.”
“Fine, sorry not sorry. Since when did you become a grumpy old man?” This time, I grumbled, kicking off my knickers and turning the tap on so the hot water was ready when I hung up. “Okay, so this little girl is special, and we need to find her how? I’m not a hound, I can’t sniff my way to her, Hank.”
“Actually, you can.” At his words, my hand paused over the tap.
“She has magic.” It wasn’t a question, and Hank didn’t answer.
The silence spoke volumes.
“First, a kidnaping attempt last night, then a mysterious hottie, now this.” Mumbling under my breath, my brain was spinning with so many possibilities it was making me dizzy. “What are the odds, huh? I don’t believe in a coincidence, and this stinks to high heavens like a coincidence.”
“What are you talking about? What kidnaping attempt? The girl has been missing for a couple of years.”
“Never mind, Hank. I’m just daydreaming again.” Rubbing the back of my neck, I refused to be sucked into another clusterfuck.
And this had clusterfuck written all over it.
“Call the guy and tell him no can’t do.” I was already lowering the phone to the counter and about to end the call when Hank spoke, his words rushed like he could see what I was about to do.
“He is offering five hundred thousand dollars if you find her.” Everything sounded like one word, but I understood five hundred thousand.
“We pocket two hundred and fifty if we find her?” My finger hovered over the phone.
“No, Brig.” The excitement was palpable over the phone. I could almost touch it. “Five hundred thousand dollars each.”
The phone slipped and cluttered across the bathroom sink as I clawed around so I could grab it. Hank was blabbering something I couldn’t hear, but my brain was stuck on the number and all the possibilities that would come with it. I could move to another city. Instead of looking for the mysterious Elijah Hawthorne, who could spread my secret like the plague, I could change my name, move away, and pretend I’d never seen the drool-worthy man in my life. He could star in my fantasies while I took matters into my own hands, but I didn’t have to look over my shoulder. I didn’t have to worry if one day someone would be chasing after me. Finally taking hold of the phone, I brought it to my face, blinking at it.
“Brigit? Did you faint?” Hank snapped.
“The phone slipped.” My bare feet shuffled on the cold tiles. “What’s the catch, Hank? People don’t go around offering a million bucks like it's confetti.”
“No catch I swear, but …”
“But?” I prompted when he trailed off.
“We only have a name to go on. No other lead.” His tone was wary, as if Hank was preparing for my rejection of this futile search.
“A nam
e is better than nothing, right?” My mind was already thinking of which cities were a good option to move to.
“Really?” I frowned at the phone.
“Five hundred thousand, yo! Yes, really. I’ll dig her out of her grave if she’s dead.”
“That’s not a nice thing to say.” Sounding like a disapproving old lady, Hank grumbled something about karma and whatnot.
“People don’t pay me to be nice. Anyway, what’s the name so I can jump in the shower and start searching for the little girl?”
“It’s not a little girl, it’s a young woman.”
“You sure she didn’t find a good dick and run away with him?”
“I swear you are worse than a drunken sailor, and yes I’m sure she didn’t run away. According to her father, she was pursuing a career, and all her focus was on that.”
“Career in what?” I was getting impatient. Why he couldn’t just give me her name and the address where she last lived was beyond me.
“Quantum physics.” Judging by his tone, even Hank knew the woman was trying to use her magic to advance in life. Smart cookie.
“Name and her last address Hank, before I hang up.”
“I’ll text you the address as soon as we hang up. The name is Crystal.”
The line went dead.
I was chilled to the bone and tremors raked my spine.
“Son of a fucking coincidental bitch!”
4
After a steaming hot shower, I was ready. The fact that I had Crystal in my clutches only last night and sent her away without a single memory of what happened wasn’t lost on me. If that was the Crystal I was looking for, and knowing my luck, it sure as hell was. In fact, I was so sure that she was at the forefront of my mind as I threw on my clothes. All black. The color of my soul.
Okay, that was a bit morose, even for me.
I stood in the middle of my room, staring at the floor. How did I get myself into this mess? Oh, yeah. I mucked it all up. That was how.
