by Jami Gray
“When you first saw Rimmick, did you see anything?” Raine pushed. “Sense anything?”
“You mean besides the pieces?” Alexi’s short laugh was bitter. “No, just him and the blood…oh gods, Raine he was like some horrible jigsaw puzzle. I didn’t want to push past that circle. Those runes were demon magic and they made my skin crawl.”
“Are you sure it was demon magic?” Raine hated what she was doing to her friend, but she needed whatever she could get out of her. It was a race to see if she and Gavin could figure this out before another Kyn showed up missing or dead. “Have you ever felt it before?”
Alexi nodded, a little too rapidly, and again Raine saw something unreadable swim through her eyes. “It was definitely some sort of demon magic. Did you see those runes? I may not have been trained, but I know enough to recognize the stench.”
“What do you mean ‘stench’?”
The barkeep spread her slightly shaking hands out across the table. “I don’t know how else to explain it, but when a demon invokes magic it leaves a burning stench. It was faint but there. I didn’t think demons tore their victims up.”
“They don’t usually,” Raine answered.
“This doesn’t make sense.” Alexi raised frightened eyes to Raine. “Why would they leave him outside my bar?”
It was Raine’s turn to sigh and look away. “I don’t know. None of this is making sense.”
The scraping of chair legs against the hard floor pulled Raine’s head up. The smaller woman went behind the bar, her movements jerky. She grabbed a towel and began wiping down the counter. After a few minutes, she started on the line of bottles on the far wall, her back to Raine. “You never answered my first question, Raine,” her voice cut through the deepening silence.
In the large mirror behind the bar, she made eye contact with Raine. At Raine’s blank look, she gave a small smile. “What brings you down here in the light of day?”
The confusion cleared. Raine sighed and went to the bar. “I had to do some shopping.”
Alexi turned around, her face a study of surprise. “Shopping?” Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you and where’s Raine?”
Raine smiled. “It’s for work, so I didn’t really have a choice.”
“Does it involve the walking wet dream you brought in the other night?” Alexi ran the towel absently through her fingers.
Raine felt her face heat. “Unfortunately, yes.”
Her friend raised her eyebrows, then her gaze turned speculative. “What do you mean, unfortunately?”
Raine hunched her shoulders, unable to meet Alexi’s gaze. “We’ve had a slight difference of opinions.”
“What did you do?”
Her question jerked Raine’s head up, her defenses rising. “Why does it have to be something I’ve done?”
The barkeep rolled her eyes. “Because you don’t let anyone get close to you. The minute they start trying, you pull back behind your fortress of solitude.”
Raine felt her eyebrows rise. “Fortress of solitude?”
Alexi’s expression turned serious. “Whatever you want to call it, it’s what you hide behind so no one hurts you.”
She wanted to argue, but it was pointless. Alexi was right. “Well, this time it wasn’t me. It was him.”
“How so?”
Raine had never told her friend about her past. With Gavin’s response still achingly fresh, she wasn’t about to risk this relationship. “I let him in the fortress of solitude, but he didn’t like the decor. So he left.”
“What dragon do you have hiding in there?” Alexi tilted her head, her gaze knowing. “He didn’t strike me as the wimpy type.”
Raine shrugged. No way was she sharing how Gavin couldn’t handle the fact she was a sociopath who enjoyed hunting people. If a man who killed for a living couldn’t handle it, there was no way her gentle-hearted friend could. “I guess some knights just don’t live up to their armor.”
Sympathy played across Alexi’s face. “I’m sorry, Raine.” She laid a hand over Raine’s. “Sorry he wasn’t what you thought he was.”
Her sympathy was enough to make Raine’s eyes burn. She blinked a few times to chase the sensation away. “No worries.” She forced a grin. “I’ve got enough on my plate to worry about right now.”
Alexi took the hint and changed the subject. They chatted for another hour and then it was time to open. Raine followed Alexi to the door, giving her a quick hug before slipping outside with a wave as her friend switched the door sign to OPEN.
The early evening air was crisp. The smell of burning leaves drifted through the open window of her SUV. As the scent lingered, half-formed feelings of peace and comfort flowed through her. She wasn’t sure why, but she loved this particular smell. Maybe it had to do with the time of the year. Fall was coming to an end and winter was just around the corner. Patches of yellow gold, vibrant orange, burnt amber and deepening green flashed pass her windows, a tribute to the changing seasons.
Turning onto the road leading to her house, she passed through the leafy tunnel, parading the autumn colors. A black Jeep Wrangler sat outside her wards’ perimeter. Unless he had more than one car, it didn’t belong to Gavin. Besides, they were meeting at Taliesin before Talbot’s party. Slowing, she palmed a wrist blade.
As her SUV came to a stop, the Jeep’s driver-side door opened and Cheveyo’s tall form emerged. He walked around the front end of the Jeep and waited for her to approach.
She turned off the engine and got out. Why he was here? His unexpected arrival left her unsettled. She debated the wisdom of just ignoring him but knew it was pointless. Still, she didn’t re-sheath her blade. “Hello, Cheveyo. What brings you out to my neck of the woods?”
He leaned back against the Jeep. “Well, I figured since I was in town I might as well visit.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Nice piece of land you have here.” His gaze roamed and came back to her. “Isolated. It suits you.”
“It hasn’t seemed isolated enough lately,” she muttered.
He laughed. “Poor Raine, too much company?”
She let out a sigh. “Not to be too blunt, but why are you here? I have a party to get ready for, remember?”
“I know. It’s why I’m here.”
“What? Are you my new date?” Her tone was dry, sarcastic, but deep inside there was a little twinge as she wondered if Gavin had backed out.
A purely male grin crossed Cheveyo’s strong face, making her wonder, yet again, if this witch could read her mind. “Not this time. I actually have a gift for you.”
“A gift?” There was no hiding her shock.
Something close to pity flashed across his face at the disbelief even she heard in her voice. “What? A man can’t give a beautiful woman a gift?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, he could. But it’s me, so what’s the deal?”
Cheveyo opened his mouth to say something and then apparently thought better of it. “Look, I thought about what you said happened at Mayson’s. If whatever set that spell makes an appearance tonight, I wanted to give you some help.”
Where was this leading? “I appreciate the thought, but I don’t have the time to learn a spell right now.”
He shook his head. “It’s not a spell, it’s a charm. You’re going to be spending energy on glamour tonight to hide your tattoos and scars. This will help offset the drain and provide an added layer of protection.”
He held out his hand. In the center of his palm lay a beautiful silver lynx. It was wrapped around a deep blue tanzanite gem, strung between onyx and delicately pink hued kunzite beads on the braided leather. “This particular animal is known as a guardian and keeper of secrets.”
He held the leather, letting the charm dangle. The light caught on the tanzanite and reflected purple flashes.
She tentatively traced the handcrafted lynx. The silver was warm. Thankfully silver didn’t seem to burn her as it did some of the other Kyn. Cold iron, on the other hand, tended to le
ave a nasty reminder behind. “It’s beautiful Cheveyo, but you didn’t have to do this.”
“No, I didn’t.”
She searched his eyes, confused. They were a deep velvet black, like looking into a starless sky. She pulled herself back, shaking her head slightly. “It’ll match my outfit perfectly. Thank you.”
She moved the blade, still hidden on her left side, into her jacket pocket, and then reached out and took the necklace. Closing it in her fist, she paused, “Wait a second.” She narrowed her gaze on his face. “How did you know what I’m wearing?”
He touched the tip of her nose, startling her. “I’m a witch. I know a lot of things.” He went back to his Jeep. Turning, he shot her a cocky smile. “Enjoy your ball, princess.” Then he got in and started the engine.
She watched him leave, looked at the necklace lying in her palm, and shook her head. Men were the most confusing creatures on earth. She wasn’t even going to try to understand what had just happened. Putting the necklace in her other pocket, she re-sheathed her wrist blade and headed home to get ready for the next unexplainable male encounter.
Chapter Eighteen
Raine pulled into Taliesin’s parking lot with only minutes to spare. The damn outfit took longer to put on than expected. The ankle length black leather skirt fell in a straight line, while the blue tinted silver material of the bodice gave the impression of a corset, complete with leather laces up the back. After fifteen minutes of contortions proved she wouldn’t be able to lace it herself, she left it loose, hoping Rachel would still be at the front desk to help tighten it.
The outfit’s major selling point was the skirt—long enough to wear heeled boots where she could hide two of her blades—the side slits starting just above her knees giving her quick weapon access. The hilts would rub against the outside of her knees—uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as being dead. Hiding other blades with this outfit was tricky, but she managed to tuck one more down the front of her top. It worked unless she bent over too fast.
Below an elegant silver lace choker, Cheveyo’s braided charm-necklace lay against the base of her throat. The choker’s matching wristbands were under the shimmery material of her sleeves. Not wanting to mess with conflicting jewelry, she wore diamond studs in her ears. Her glamour pulsed softly along her skin, hiding her scars and tattoos from sight and touch. It was one magic she perfected. As long as you could alter your clothing, it became an instantaneous disguise at the flick of a wrist. It had saved her skin more than once.
The whole make-up and hair situation frustrated her. If Mulcahy hadn’t been so adamant about her and Gavin playing up the glamorous Taliesin image, she would’ve left her hair down. She didn’t have the patience to come up with something elaborate, so she settled on a simple chignon and stuck with the basics for make-up, something she rarely wore.
Even the slight changes made her squirm. In her rearview mirror, her pale gray eyes seemed opaque, surrounded by heavy lashes, and her crimson covered lips were in direct contrast to her pale skin. It gave her a delicate, but foreign, appearance and should fulfill Mulcahy’s orders nicely.
Getting out of her SUV, the night’s chill barely made a dint thanks to her one indulgence, an opera length black velvet coat. She headed into the quiet building, noticing Gavin’s car parked near the doors. Stepping off the elevator at the office level, she groaned at the empty front desk. Heading toward Mulcahy’s office, she could hear her uncle’s voice and Gavin’s answering one.
She stepped in the doorway and their conversation ground to a halt. “Sorry, not interrupting, am I?” Her breath caught as Gavin stepped into view. Damn, she gave Alexi’s earlier description credit. He was definitely a walking wet dream.
In a black tux with an oriental collar instead of bow tie, the man was a threat to any woman’s hormones. His dark hair was held back at his neck by a leather band, and the embroidered edge of the collar was the same vibrant emerald green as his eyes. Her gaze slid over his broad shoulders covered in black, across his solid chest clothed in pristine white, down to his tapered waist and long, black-clad legs.
She realized she was shaking her head slowly and stopped. “Wow, Gavin,” her voice was a bit husky, and she coughed to clear her throat. “You clean up well.”
“Thanks. Not so bad yourself.” His voice sounded deeper than normal and she could’ve sworn it carried an edge of heat.
Dear gods, she had to get herself under control! Where in the hell were these stupid hormones coming from? Didn’t they know it was futile? No way was he making any moves in her direction, not after their little “discussion”.
Turning to her uncle, she caught a glimpse of amusement on his face. Great, just great. She took a deep breath, which turned out to be the wrong move, as she felt the laces in back start to loosen, and the blade start to slip. Raising a hand to keep both weapon and her top in place, she cursed the color rushing to her cheeks.
Doing her best to ignore her embarrassment, she asked Mulcahy, “Is Rachel around?”
“No, she went home a few minutes ago. Why?”
Her face flamed brighter. “I need someone to help me lace up the back. I couldn’t reach it.”
The amusement in Mulcahy’s eyes spread to his curving lips, but it was Gavin who spoke. “Drop the coat, Raine. I’ll do it.”
Lovely. Now she was giving everyone a good laugh. Another reason to hate wearing things like this.
Sighing, she moved closer to him and gave him her back. Only then did she shrug her coat down her arms, revealing the loosely laced top. As he tied it off the laces, his knuckles brushed her bare skin and sent a shiver through her. Before he finished she swore she felt his fingertip trace the line of her spine. Either that, or her over active hormones were playing tricks again. Regardless, goose bumps erupted over her skin.
“There, all tied up,” his voice reverberated down her back, leaving wicked images dancing in her fevered mind.
She quickly stepped away and pulled the coat back on, hoping he hadn’t noticed her reactions. Murmuring her thanks, she stepped away putting some space between them.
“Here,” Mulcahy handed the heavily embossed invitation to Gavin. “It’s your ticket into the party. Keep in mind you two are representatives for Taliesin Security tonight. Talbot hinted he was making some big announcement. Let him talk, get information on his projects, see if he lets anything slip.” He reached into one of his desk drawers and drew out a check, which he also handed to Gavin. “This is Taliesin’s donation.”
Raine looked at Mulcahy. “We’re giving Talbot money?”
Mulcahy got up and moved to grab his coat hanging near the door, motioning for the two of them to leave, then pulled his office door closed behind him. “Yes, McCord. It’s a fundraiser. We’re a prominent company, and regardless of what we think about Talbot and his foundation, we are going to play the game. If we didn’t contribute, not only would Talbot wonder why we won’t support his philanthropic endeavors, so would the rest of the mundane world. We don’t want to clue him in to the fact we know what he’s up to.”
The group boarded the elevator and waved to the night security in the lobby. With his hand on the door, Mulcahy looked back at them. “I told Talbot I had a conference call I couldn’t reschedule, but would send my top two employees in my place. There will be press, so keep it calm in front of the cameras and don’t start a fight.”
She smiled. “We won’t embarrass you, Mulcahy. We’ll play our parts. We’ll ask questions and listen, that’s it.”
Her boss studied her. “I hope so. Be careful.” Then he was out the door and slipping inside the waiting dark sedan. She watched him settle in and give directions to the driver. Gavin moved up behind her, and she met his gaze in the reflection of the glass door.
His arm appeared around her, pushing the door open. “Ready?”
She held his unreadable gaze and stepped outside into the chill night. “As I’ll ever be.”
Without saying a word, Gavin opened th
e passenger door. Raine muttered a subdued, thank you, and slipped into the car. He shut the door with a little more force than necessary as she occupied herself with arranging her skirt.
All right, maybe he was still angry with her. Not a big surprise. For the last few days, she made sure to be anywhere he wasn’t. The few times she found herself alone with him, she discovered any possible reason to escape quickly. For a woman who normally faced things head on, running scared did not sit well. Yet she couldn’t figure her way across the very wide chasm between them.
His door opened and he climbed behind the wheel. His quick assessing glance faltered briefly on her nervous hands.
After he started the engine, she looked down and felt heat spike her cheeks. Thanks to the side slit on her skirt, her hands managed to move the leather in such a way to frame the white skin from mid-thigh to just below her knee. Great, just flash the man! She pulled the skirt over, hiding her pale flesh.
The silence lay heavy in the car, the tension so thick she battled the urge to scream. This shouldn’t be so hard, he was just a man. Yet, here she was, stomach in knots, racking her brain for something to say. She’d rather face a rabid shifter than start this necessary conversation. Finding the courage to open her mouth took more effort than was pretty. “Do I owe you an apology, Gavin?”
He didn’t even look at her. “I don’t know, do you?”
His answer set her teeth on edge. Okay, so maybe this was his idea of punishment. Part of her yelled to shut up and let the conversation drop, but for the first time in a while, she ignored it. “I’m not sure.”
Her answered earned a quick, considering look. She didn’t know what he saw, but for a brief moment he seemed almost amused. His attention stayed on the road. “Look, Raine, are you really sorry you didn’t tell me, or are you just sorry that you did?”
She opened her mouth to respond and then stopped. She wasn’t sorry she had told him. She was actually glad. It had been a relief to tell someone, especially him. She studied him, taking time to see him.
