by Meg Anne
“How’s the throat?” Lucas asked, turning as she approached.
Skye shrugged. It hurt like a mother, the blinding pain damn near debilitating when she swallowed, but there was nothing to be gained by admitting it. “I’ll live.”
His eyes narrowed, but instead of interrogating her, he simply closed the distance between them and held out a steaming cup of coffee.
“Bless you,” she rasped, taking the cup gratefully.
“Lizzie came over and brewed it before she went in to work,” he explained, and Skye could feel his eyes on her face. He studied her, searching for cracks in her armor, but he’d find none.
She was reinforced and ready to kick some Druid ass.
“That was nice of her. Definite perk of having her live down the hall,” Skye said with a neutral smile.
“She wanted to wake you up and grill you about yesterday, but I kicked her out.”
Skye let out a laugh that sounded like more of a cough. “Thanks for that.” Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she looked up at him. “And thanks for staying with me. I actually slept better than I have in a long time.”
Her words caused a satisfactory smile to cross his face, and he said, “Anytime, Giovanni.”
Skye took a seat on the couch and curled her legs up underneath her body. The warmth from the coffee soothed some of the aching in her throat, but the pain remained, a silent reminder of how close she’d come to death.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” Lucas asked, taking a seat next to her.
“You just did,” she teased, but he didn’t respond with his usual groan and eye roll, so she sat up a bit straighter. “Of course you can. I think we’re way past secrets at this point.”
“Have you ever Seen your death?”
Surprised by his question, Skye just stared for a moment. “No,” she finally responded. “I’ve never heard of any Seer being granted a vision of their own death. God, I don’t know what I’d do if I ever did.”
How fucking terrifying would that be? Could there be a bigger mindfuck than knowing exactly how it would go down, but not knowing when it would come to pass? It would drive her absolutely insane knowing that it was coming and being incapable of doing anything to prevent it. Especially if it wasn’t due to natural causes.
He nodded. “I’m glad.”
“What makes you ask?” She took another sip of her coffee.
“Curiosity, mostly. I’ve been up scouring the internet for information and came across a couple articles talking about fortune telling.”
“Most of that is just crap.” A memory surfaced, and Skye smiled. “Although, it’s also a great tourist trap. I made a killing with my tarot cards one summer.”
He lifted an eyebrow at the confession, but just shrugged. “You’ll have to show me that sometime.” Lucas got to his feet and started walking toward the back of the apartment. “I’m going to grab a shower.” He stopped at the hall and turned back to face her. “Feel free to join me if you don’t want to be alone.”
The temptation to see a wet and naked Lucas was real, but Skye forced herself to resist. “I’m good, Detective, thanks.”
“It’s an open invitation.” He winked.
Skye shook her head with a laugh, and Lucas disappeared down the hall.
Feeling the need for sunshine, she moved to the balcony. She closed her eyes against the wind as it moved the strands of hair that had fallen from the messy bun on the top of her head. She breathed deeply, even though it stung a little. Why? Because she could. That bastard had done nothing to her except light a fire under her ass.
Now she was more determined than ever to find something that would help them kick his.
Chapter 34
Lucas
Lucas stared down at the runes Skye had found in her grandmother’s third journal. Based on the inscription, they were some kind of protective ward, but they required a Druid to activate them. Or rather, Druid blood.
Great, one Druid coming right up.
Although he didn’t look forward to cutting a vein open for any reason, doing so might be the definitive test of whether or not he really was a Druid. If his blood was able to power these so-called wards, there really was no turning back.
Skye had been busy reading through the journals while he searched the web. They’d been at it well into the afternoon, but all he’d discovered was that the ancient Celtic Druids had once been religious leaders and political advisors. Up until they disappeared, they had been held in high regard. There had been no mentions of ritual sacrifice at all.
It made him wonder why their Druid had gone off the rails. What set him off? Skye had heard him tell Professor Zane that he’d been sent to the Wasteland during her odd not-vision. Was that trip to the Wasteland what triggered this?
“You ready for this?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“To slice open my hand and paint blood on my walls? Sounds like a great time.”
Skye rolled her eyes. “It’s not going to be that bad, you big baby.”
He eyed the knife in her hand. “Says the girl holding the knife. That’s a big ass blade.”
“Are you going to sit there complaining all day, or can we start trying to kick this guy’s ass?”
He held out his hand, and Skye stared at it.
“Gonna sit there all day?” He smirked, raising one eyebrow.
She narrowed her eyes and sliced open his palm without a trace of ceremony. She winced when the blood pooled, but she tried to hide it, and he was far too focused on the sting from the cut to comment. Fuck that hurt more than I thought it would. The throbbing was immediate, but Lucas did his best to hide it from her.
“Alright, so, now you go do your thing.” She stepped away and wiped off the blade, then set it down and folded her arms.
“Do my thing? What thing is that? In case you forgot, I have zero idea what I’m doing.”
“I think you’re just supposed to draw them on the wall.”
“With my blood.”
She shrugged. “As far as I can tell.”
“I swear, Giovanni, if we just cut my hand open for nothing—”
“Just try it.” She grabbed his hand and, after consulting the images she’d sketched out, Skye dipped his finger in the blood on his palm and used it to draw the runes on the walls.
“That doesn’t look creepy at all,” he commented dryly once they’d finished.
Symbols were painted on every exterior wall of his apartment. The goal was that the runes would bar anyone with magic, other than himself of course, from entering the apartment. While the idea of it seemed cool, it wasn’t like they could test the theory. He was pretty sure there were no Druids in the phone book. Did people even use phone books anymore?
“What are you thinking about?” Skye asked.
“Phone books.”
“What?”
He shrugged. “Blame the blood loss.”
She rolled her eyes. His sister must have been rubbing off on her because Skye tended to do that a lot more now than she had when they’d first met.
“How do we know if it worked?”
Skye shrugged. “I’m just as much a ward virgin as you are, Detective.”
“Not anymore,” he murmured, pleased with himself when the blush worked its way into her cheeks.
“Alright, you cheeky monkey, focus. Maybe you’re supposed to do something else to activate them.”
“What, like shout the magic word? Shazam!” he yelled, pointing his finger at the wall.
Skye snorted. “Oh, brother. Maybe you should sit down before you hurt somebody with that thing.”
Lucas chuckled but remained standing.
Skye bit her lip and glanced back down at her grandmother’s journal. “Hmmm. Look at this.” She turned the book toward him, pointing at a word scribbled beneath the runes.
Lucas squinted and stepped closer to see what was written.
“What does that say?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s
the name of the pattern?”
“Or the magic word?”
Skye looked up at him. “Worth a shot. Say it out loud.”
“Skye, I don’t even know how to pronounce it. And what if I do it wrong and, like, start a blizzard or something?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure we’re safe from any accidental snow storms. Stop wasting time. Just try it.”
Lucas looked at the letters scrawled on the page, sounding them out a few times in his mind before deciding he was comfortable enough to try them out loud. “Do…” he started, but stopped, feeling like he’d already said it wrong. “Do,” he said again, this time pronouncing it like dough. That felt right, so he finished the next part, “Ingair.”
A small jolt shot through his body and everywhere the runes were painted flared a bright blue.
Skye’s eyes were huge as they met his. “I think it’s safe to say that worked.”
Lucas’ mouth fell open. Did that really just happen? What the hell! “I guess so.”
After a few more seconds of stunned silence, the wards faded completely.
“So… is this the part where I get to say I told you so, or…” Skye trailed off with a smile.
He shook his head. “Shut it, Giovanni.”
“You’re no fun.”
“You hungry?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yes, but shouldn’t we get you cleaned up first? You kind of dribbled on the floor.”
Lucas looked down at the small drops of blood and then back at his hand. The blood had dried, but still coated most of his palm. “Good point. I can go take care of that if you want to order in?”
“Actually, I know we just made this place a safe space, but do you mind if we head over to the diner? I have a major craving for one of your sister’s cheeseburgers.”
“We can definitely do that.”
“Besides, we’ll have to ward it after she closes.”
“Um, I think that might be a violation of the health code.”
Skye shrugged. “So is murder. I know that they faded after you said your magic Druid word—”
“Shazam,” Lucas said again, just to see Skye’s blinding smile.
“—but we can cover the runes with a picture or something, just in case. That way there’s no chance anyone sees them.”
“Lizzie is going to hate that so much,” he said with a grin. “Naturally, that means I’m all for it.”
Chapter 35
Skye
“You want to do what to my diner?”
Lucas had been right; the idea of painting symbols in blood on her walls was enough to make the typically level-headed Lizzie pissed off. She was red faced, and James had sat back to watch the exchange with a smile on his face. All he was missing was popcorn.
“You could help, you know,” Skye scolded under her breath.
“Why the hell would I do that? My money’s on Lizzie whooping Lucas’ ass.”
Skye shook her head and looked back at the siblings.
“It will protect you, Lizzie.”
“Maybe! Up until yesterday, you didn’t even believe you were a Druid!” She poked him in the chest.
“Well, now I don’t have the luxury of burying my head in the sand,” Lucas growled back.
“Oh! So now I’m burying my head in the sand?” She threw her hands up and turned away from him. “Ugh!”
“Lizzie, don’t you want to protect yourself? Or your customers? If he comes in here in the middle of the day, people could die.”
Skye winced. Low blow, Lucas. But at this point, it may have been the only thing to bring Lizzie around.
“Are you fucking kidding me, Lucas?” Lizzie spun back around, her eyes narrowed blue slits.
Skye had to admit that even she was a little scared for her big bad detective.
“What about Matthews? He’s here protecting you, what if he gets killed in the crosshairs all because you were too damn stubborn to let me protect you!” Lucas yelled at her.
“I’ll take that bet,” Skye muttered, and James shot her a grin.
“You’re a real dick, you know that?” Lizzie shot back.
Lucas folded his arms. “Yeah, I know. You like to remind me every chance you get.”
“I keep hoping one day it will do the trick and de-dickify you, but so far, no such luck.” Lizzie let out a sigh and finally nodded. “Fine, do it. But you damn well better cover them up when you’re done.” She stormed back into the kitchen to finish her cleaning for the night.
“Well, that was entertaining.” James got to his feet. “I think I’ll go see if she needs any help.”
Skye glanced at Lucas, whose shoulders were slumped, making him look completely worn down. He ran his hands through his hair and winced when he pressed too hard on the bandage from their earlier magic.
“You’re doing the right thing,” Skye said softly, touching his arm.
“I fucking hope so, Giovanni, because if this doesn’t work, she might actually murder me. Although, I suppose if she did, we wouldn’t have to worry about the Druid gaining ultimate power, right?”
“Not even a little funny.”
Lucas shrugged and held his unmarred palm out. “Shall we?”
Skye carefully pulled the blade out from her purse and waited for his terse nod before she sliced it across his palm. The blood welled up on the surface, and they went to work protecting Lizzie’s diner.
Chapter 36
Lucas
Later that night, Lucas lay in bed alone. He stared up at the ceiling and watched the fan blades, irritated that the routine was becoming his new normal. How the hell was he supposed to sleep when he wasn’t even sure their warding had worked? Something happened when he’d uttered that word, but for all he knew, he’d just soundproofed the room; there was no guarantee they were actually safe.
They had warded Lizzie’s apartment after coming home, but she still insisted Matthews stay with her. Lucas hadn’t bothered arguing the point; it was his preference as well. Even though he knew Lizzie’s reasoning had more to do with ogling his partner than her own safety.
Lucas groaned. That was not something he wanted to think about right now.
Resigned to the fact that he was clearly not meant for sleep, Lucas got to his feet and walked out into the kitchen to pour himself a drink. The bottle of scotch called to him as he pulled out a glass and poured well over two fingers inside.
“Have enough for one more?”
Lucas turned. Skye stood in the doorway to what he had started thinking of as her bedroom. His entire body came to life when she was around, and his fingers itched to reach out and touch her. So he could feel the soft strands of her hair as he buried his hands in the tresses. He was desperate for another taste of her, and it took everything in him to not haul her to his bedroom and worship her like he’d wanted to since the first night he’d seen her.
The tired look on her face jolted him out of his thoughts though; she was just as exhausted as he was.
He nodded. “Come join my party.”
“Is it a pity party?” she joked, pausing halfway as if she might decline.
“Just a regular two-in-the-morning party.”
“Well, in that case, thank you, kind sir.” She took the glass he offered her, draining the liquid in one gulp.
“Not exactly the way I prefer to drink an eighteen-year scotch, but color me impressed.”
Skye winced. “Had I known it was a good bottle, I might have at least pretended to taste it.” She chuckled and shrugged. “I usually drink whiskey to help me sleep after particularly rough visions.”
“You had another?” he asked, concern making his voice louder than he’d intended
She shook her head. “Not since the last one, I just meant in general.”
Lucas drained his glass, then refilled them both, gesturing that they should venture out to the balcony. She agreed with a nod and followed him. Lucas took a seat in one of the patio chairs he had positioned to overlook the
city while Skye took the one opposite him. The night was calm, and the chill in the air was offset by the warmth in his glass.
“So, what’s keeping you up tonight?” he asked.
Skye sighed. “Everything. I’m terrified he’s going to find a way past the wards, and even more terrified that we did them wrong and now have a false sense of security.”
Lucas nodded in understanding; that was his fear too. They couldn’t afford to get complacent, not now when the targets on their backs were even larger. Despite his own doubts, he forced himself to say, “I think it’s going to be alright.”
“Really?” She turned to him just as the wind lifted a strand of dark hair from her face. Damn, she was beautiful.
Lucas looked away. “Yeah, I do.” It has to be. He refused to contemplate the alternative.
They finished their scotch in silence, and Lucas got to his feet. “I think I’m going to try this sleep thing again, feel like joining me?” When she raised an eyebrow, he added, “No funny business, I promise.” He needed to feel her beside him, to know that she was safe and sound; it was the only thing that would let him calm down enough to drift of. When she nodded, he finally felt himself relax.
They had just stepped back inside the apartment when the familiar buzz of his cell phone grabbed his attention. Lucas glanced at the readout. Fuck.
“So much for sleep,” he muttered, snagging the phone off its charger.
“Who is it?” Skye asked, already on full alert.
“Detective MacConnell,” he answered, mouthing the word ‘work’ to Skye.
“Hey Detective, sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but you told me to give you a call if we got any more of those ritual murder scenes.”
Lucas straightened, and his eyes landed on Skye, who was staring intently at him.
“When did it happen?”
“M.E. is guessing about two hours ago, but we can’t be sure until we get the report back.”
