by Lisa Sanchez
I took a sip of my drink before getting down to business. “Okay, so tell me everything Nasty Betty said before Xan poofed me into the apartment. I want to know what she’s up to.”
Taylor took a large bite of her roast beef sandwich and started yapping away, mouth full and muffled.
Jessica scowled. “Slow down, Miss Piggy. We can’t understand a thing you’re saying with all that food in your mouth. Try chewing first; it usually helps.” She ducked out of the way as Taylor tossed a wadded up napkin in her direction.
Taylor held up a finger. “Hag,” she managed to say while finishing up and swallowing. “Sorry. I’m hungry, and it’s just you two, so I wasn’t real worried about making a good impression. Anyway, what I was saying was that she just showed up and started talking to Jessica and me like we were her best friends. It was bizarre.”
Jessica took a sip of her iced tea and set it down on the table. “Yeah, it was weird. I didn’t even know she knew which apartment building was ours, and all of a sudden there she was asking questions about what we had planned for the day and where you were. I don’t get it. She hates us. What possible reason could she have for wanting to talk to you?”
“I don’t know,” I said and leaned into the soft back of the sofa. “The last time I saw her, was outside of Fire and Ice the other night. She’d crawled into a limo with some stranger, insulted me, and drove off. I remember sensing a weird vibe coming from the limo, but I just figured it was Edie’s nasty aura.”
“Hmm,” Jessica said. “Well, whatever is going on with her is bringing her down, big time. She looked like hell.” She dropped the last bit of her sandwich onto her plate and pushed it away with a moan. “I’m stuffed.”
Taylor chimed in, her mouth for once, empty. “Yeah, no kidding. I’ve never seen her not look one hundred percent. She’s anal about her appearance, and today she looked — well, she looked like shit.”
My eyes narrowed. “It’s got to be what’s going on with Deanna. I know if one of you went missing I’d freak out and act out of character too. As much as I can’t stand her, I do feel sorry for her.” I was shocked to hear the words come out of my mouth. There was no love lost between Edie and me, for sure, but as much as I disliked her, I didn’t wish the loss of a friend on anyone, much less her.
“So what’s your next move? Are you and Xan going to go looking for Deanna tonight?” Taylor asked, eyeballing the remnants of Jessica’s meal.
With a roll of her eyes, Jessica shoved the plate across the table so Taylor could dig in. “Geez! Where do you put it all?” She made a face before turning back to me.
I shrugged. “I have no idea what my next move will be.” I had no clue when I’d see him next, or whether or not he’d just show up if I went out looking for Deanna and Lucian myself. I was fairly certain that if I found the first, she’d lead me straight to the other. What I’d do once that happened was still up in the air. I needed to come up with a solid game plan. Lucian was by far the most powerful creature I’d ever come across, and I couldn’t just run in guns blazing and expect to defeat him. I needed to think before I acted, which was something I wasn’t real accustomed to. Patience was definitely not one of my virtues.
“I need to track Deanna, but I can’t exactly do it unprepared. I need to make sure I’m armed and ready in case she leads me to Lucian. So I guess that means I’ll be hitting the book again to try and find some way to defeat him.”
“Research mode. Okay, then. Let’s hit it.” Jessica stood up, collecting the plates from the table, including the one in Taylor’s hands, much to her chagrin.
“Hey,” she protested. “I wasn’t done.”
“You’ll live, Little Miss Garbage Disposal. Let’s go.” Jess carried the plates over to the counter, handing them to a very grateful Peter who tossed each of us a candy cane as we exited the shop.
The walk back to the apartment was a short one, which given the icy December wind, was a good thing. Storm clouds, dark and oppressive, loomed overhead, threatening to unleash their fury. Only a few intermittent patches of sun shone through the inky sky. Chilled, I wrapped my arms around myself and rubbed at my arms. Hanaford Park, California, might not see snow in the winter, but it sure as hell saw a ton of rain.
Jessica peered up at the ominous clouds with a frown. “Storm’s coming.”
I didn’t realize, at that moment, just how prophetic her words were. Shivering, I followed Jessica and Taylor through the courtyard and over to our apartment, and was startled when I heard Taylor’s high-pitched squeal fill the air.
“What? What is it?” I said, rushing up from behind.
“Oh, my God, Martha. Look.” I watched as she jumped up and down in place, pointing toward our front door.
I stepped forward to see a gigantic flower arrangement sitting on the ground in front of the door. The vase was filled with red roses, purple irises, and lilies. A large, white envelope with my name written in bold, elegant cursive sat propped against the glass vessel.
I stood stock still, flabbergasted by what I saw. No one had ever given me flowers before. Ever. Did I dare hope? Were they from Xan? They had to be. There was no other man in my life.
“God, Martha. Don’t just stand there. Read the card. Hurry,” Taylor said, shoving me forward toward the door.
I bent down, hands trembling, to pick up the thin white envelope. Butterflies darted around my insides the entire time, as I knew there was only one person it could be from. Xan. My fingertips gently traced over the black lettering of my name, a hope-filled smile threatening to emerge.
“Oh, for crap’s sake. Give me the darn thing!” Jessica wrenched the envelope out of my hand. The sound of paper tearing bounced off the cream colored stucco as she ripped open the envelope to reveal a single sheet of paper.
“Oh,” Jessica said, her voice filled with a mixture of panic and pain. The events that followed seemed to happen in slow motion. Her eyes left the sheet of paper and met mine, piercing me with a wave of sheer terror and anguish. Her body fell sideways onto the cold cement floor, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. A violent seizure ripped through her body until she gave a sudden gasp and became still. Jessica’s back arched off the floor, her arms and legs taut and rigid. She expelled one final breath before her body went slack.
“Jessica!” Taylor leapt forward to grab her fallen friend.
“No!” I stepped sideways, blocking her with my arm. “Don’t touch her…or the paper. She’s been poisoned.” I’d read about these types of curses in the Book of Light on more than one occasion. If Jessica didn’t get help right away, she’d be a dead person. The fact that the poisoned note had been meant for me did not go unnoticed, but I didn’t have time to think about it. Jessica’s life hung in the balance.
Horror stricken, Taylor stepped back, tears falling rapidly as she cried for her friend.
Focusing on the scrap of paper Jessica still clutched, I willed the paper free from her hand, letting it float up and forward so I could read its message.
Nausea hit me like a one two punch. I stumbled back with a gasp as I read the single line of blood red lettering: Let the games begin. It was Lucian. It had to be.
Terrified for my friend, I did the only thing I could think of. I closed my eyes and focused all my energy on the one person who could help me save Jessica: Xan. Hopefully the psychic link he’d told me about was strong. We were running out of time.
Chapter 11
Doing my best to block out all other thoughts (which was near impossible with my friend lying comatose on the floor), I closed my eyes and focused on the one person who might be able to help me save my friend.
Xan! Oh, God. Please let this work. Xan, I need you. Now!
Taylor gasped. “Holy shizznit!”
My eyes shot open to see her jump back, bracing herself against the side of the building. She stretched her arm out and point
ed to something. My head snapped around to the source of her fear and saw what looked like a ghostly figure of Xan standing before us. “Holy…”
Damn! He can astral project. Is there anything he can’t do?
Obviously not wanting a repeat performance from the day’s earlier episode of bloodlust, Xan had opted to project his subconscious self to me instead of risking his body to the harsh effects of daylight again.
“What’s wrong, carino? I sense your fear. What is it?”
My body eased at the sound of his voice, despite his translucent appearance. My voice cracked and broke as I spoke. “It’s Jessica. She’s been…poisoned with…dark magic.” I pointed to the note that still floated in midair, and then to my friend who lay supine on the floor. “I need help. Please!”
Desperation clouded my voice, fear and anxiety choking the life from me. It took a great deal of dark magic to create the curse Jessica suffered from, a type of magic I knew nothing about. If there were any hope of saving her, I’d need the help of someone more powerful than me. I needed Xan.
A ray of light broke through the clouds and shone down on him, making his already eerie appearance even more ghostly. “Move your friend into your apartment without touching her. Use your magic. Do the same with the note. Sit tight, mi amor. I’m sending someone over.”
“You’re sending — ”
He was gone before I could get the words out. Who the hell was he sending over? There was no time to think on it. There was only time to act.
“Come on,” I said, motioning to Taylor. I scanned the area, both thankful and relieved to find the street empty. “We need to get out of the courtyard before anyone sees us.” The last thing we needed was some unwitting passerby to stumble across Jessica’s lifeless body lying in front of our home. Somehow I didn’t think the po-po would believe my friend fell prey to a deadly curse.
Still crying, Taylor gave me a nod. She fumbled with the door for a moment and finally entered the apartment. Gasping and sniffing, she held the door open while I maneuvered Jessica’s limp body through the doorway with my magic, along with the note and flowers.
As soon as I shut the door behind me, I heard a loud cracking noise. Taylor gave another gasp and crumpled to the floor in a heap. Pain sliced through my chest as I watched her rocking back and forth on the floor, her arms and legs curled in on themselves.
I turned and gasped. “You!” To say I was surprised would have been an understatement. Gabriel, the gruff bartender from Fire and Ice, stood towering over the two of us, his lips drawn into a thin line. I wasn’t sure what I expected when Xan said he’d send someone to help, but it sure wasn’t this.
Large and imposing, Gabriel was an enormous presence in the small room. Tall, dark, and exotically handsome, with emerald eyes, chocolate skin, and a body that was built for fighting, he was impossibly easy on the eyes.
He blasted me with a harsh stare. “Yes. Me.” There was a hint of sarcasm tainting his deep voice, and I blanched. Sounded like someone wasn’t very happy to be helping us out.
His gaze left me and traveled over to Taylor. A tic formed in his jaw, the muscles in his face and neck straining as he stared at her. She, in turn, paid no attention to our new guest, and continued crying for her fallen friend. For the briefest of moments his face softened, and he looked as though he wanted to comfort her. He opened his mouth, and I thought for a moment he might say something, but I was wrong. He snapped it shut and looked away.
I narrowed my eyes. What was that all about?
“We need to move quickly.” He strode into the center of the room and whipped around. “Where is the source of the curse?”
I pointed toward the far corner of the room where I’d left the note and flowers floating, encased in a protective barrier.
“Good.” Lifting his hand, with a swift flick of his wrist, the note and flowers disappeared with a flash of light.
Huh. Looks like Xan’s not the only one from the club with magical abilities.
With my arms crossed in front of me, I leveled a harsh stare toward Gabriel, waiting for him to explain himself.
Irritated with my curiosity, he let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, I can wield magic. Now is really not the time for a long-winded explanation about my abilities. I’m a friend of Xan’s, and I’m here to help. Are we cool?”
He was right. There simply was no time for questions. Jessica’s life hung in the balance; we needed to get her to Xan’s apartment, and we needed to get her there now. I gave him a nod and retracted my claws, dropping the issue altogether. Crossing the room in a few small strides, Gabriel stood in front of the couch where Jessica lay and motioned for Taylor and me to come closer.
Not wanting to waste time, I closed the gap between us and turned. Taylor remained on the floor, balled up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth on the floor.
“Taylor, get up. We need to go. Now!”
My desperate pleas were met with silence. Obviously in shock, Taylor tuned out everyone and everything around her. She held herself in a tight ball in a desperate attempt to protect herself from the harsh reality of what was happening. My friends were suffering because of me. I felt sick.
“Oh, God…Taylor.” I started toward her when I felt a large hand grip my shoulder, holding me in place.
“Let me,” Gabriel said and brushed past me.
He closed the small gap between them and knelt down. With a tenderness that surprised me, he gently brushed her long brown locks out of her tear stained face. His affection toward her seemed almost out of place given his massive size and icy disposition. Something was up with those two; I just wasn’t sure what it was.
He cupped her cheek with his large hand, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Everything will be all right, mi dulce. I promise you. Your friend will be fine.”
Wrapping one arm under her knees and the other around her waist, Gabriel lifted Taylor off the floor as if she weighed no more than a feather. He cradled her head against his broad chest, and carried her to where I stood next to Jessica.
“All right, then.” The next thing I knew we stood in Xan’s apartment with Jessica lying motionless on his couch.
Gabriel carefully set Taylor down on a nearby chair. He knelt before her, whispering something softly that I couldn’t make out. I found myself wondering how it was that he’d formed an attachment to her so quickly. As far as I knew, he’d only just met her.
Any lingering thoughts I had about Taylor and her attentive new man candy were squashed the moment I felt a tingling sensation shoot up the length of my spine and a delicious warmth pooling between my legs. Xan. My body sensed his presence before my eyes had a chance to see him. With my heart hammering against my ribcage, I turned. He stood in the doorway of his bedroom, his jaw clenched and neck straining. Those beautiful eyes of his that I loved so much blazed with a mixture of concern and relief.
My eyes traveled briefly over to where Jessica lay slack and motionless, suffering, and on the brink of death from a curse intended for me. Guilt-ridden, I whirled around to face Xan once more, my stomach full of knots and a giant lump in my throat. I agonized over my failure to keep my friends safe. I opened my mouth to speak, only to find I was unable. The dark past I’d been running from for so long had finally caught up to me, and Jessica had been caught in the crossfire.
Struck mute and overwhelmed, I stood in place, silent and beyond pitiful. He teleported across the room and stood mere centimeters from me instantly. Xan’s eyes were ablaze with an intense mixture of worry and ferocity. He looked like a man on fire, ready to take out anyone or anything that crossed his path.
He drew me to him roughly, holding me close and resting his forehead against mine. Inhaling deeply, he breathed me in as if he were trying to make sure it was really me that stood before him. Lacing his fingers through my hair at the base of my neck, he pulled my head against his chest and snak
ed his arms around me, holding me tight.
An undeniable wave of comfort flowed through me as Xan’s steely arms wrapped around me protectively. The feel of his muscular chest against my cheek, along with the sound of his steady heartbeat and the fresh woodsy scent of him, eased the mounting anxiety rushing through me.
“Carino.” His normally smooth voice was raspy and deep, and held an undeniable edge of relief to it. “Sol chingado! Fucking sun! If anything were to happen to you while I couldn’t reach you — Madre de Dios! I would never be able to live with myself.”
I pulled away just enough to look up and see that his eyes were squeezed shut and his lips smashed together. Agony and pain twisted his god-like features. Sensing my gaze, he opened his eyes and looked down at me, resolute and determined.
“Jessica,” I said. “Please. Help her.”
He inclined his head. “Of course, mi amor.” He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead before turning toward the couch where my friend lay immobile.
I watched in awe as Xan’s hands hovered inches above Jessica’s body, glowing white with power as he worked to determine what type of curse she suffered from. After what seemed like an eternity, he let his hands drop to his sides and got up from where he’d been kneeling.
His expression was oddly blank. “It’s not as bad as I’d originally thought.”
“Not as bad? It looks plenty bad to me.” I grew more agitated by the second. My friend lay comatose on the couch, the unwitting recipient of a curse meant for me. The entire situation sucked ass on a multitude of levels. How could he be so nonchalant about the whole thing?
He raised his hands, palms up. “Calm down, carino. Losing control will not help your friend. I only meant that Jessica’s life does not hang in the balance. Your friend will not die, but she will remain like this if we don’t administer the antidote to counter the poison that’s invaded her system.”
“El sueno interminable,” Gabriel said soberly and threw a glance in Taylor’s direction before turning his attention back toward Xan.
