Crossroads

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘How the hell do you know all of this?’ his mouth fell open in surprise. ‘You’re like a female rain man.’

  ‘My point is’ she sighed, ‘you just have to take it out of its historical context and move it into the modern day. In the Middle Ages alchemy was considered heresy, yet today we call it science. Back then Necromancy was the domain of demons, witches and practitioners of dark magic but today we call it spiritualism and it is practiced by mediums.’

  ‘Mediums?’ he groaned, suddenly understanding. ‘Fiona?’

  ‘Yes,’ she nodded sympathetically. ‘Fiona.’

  ‘We need to talk Fiona into giving us some of her blood?’

  ‘Not just that, as she is an extremely talented medium we could really use her help.’

  He groaned again.

  ‘What have you got against Fiona?

  ‘Nothing exactly,’ he shook his head, ‘it’s just the woman is a whole bucketful of crazy.’

  ‘I’ll admit she’s got a few quirks.’

  ‘A few?’

  ‘Alright a lot,’ she laughed as she took a sip of her wine, ‘but at least there’s no guessing with her, you know exactly what you’re getting.’

  ‘That’s true I suppose’ he grimaced, ‘I just don’t want to deal with her legion of cats and that’s after navigating the minefield of garden gnomes just to get to her front door.’

  ‘You don’t like gnomes?’

  ‘Not when they number more than the entire population of the state of Texas.’

  She laughed warmly and lifting her feet she curled them comfortably under her as she turned to face him more fully. Casually propping her uninjured elbow on the back of the couch she rested her head against her hand and took another sip of wine.

  Jake leaned back and tilted his head, watching her quietly. She looked so comfortable and relaxed in his company, her intense blue eyes watching him, her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the room and the wine. One of the straps of her tank top had begun to slide slowly off the curve of her shoulder and his fingers curled involuntarily with the urge to reach out and stroke her skin, to see if it felt as soft as it looked. His jaw tightened and he fought the urge for his gaze to dip once again. It was pure torture knowing she wasn’t wearing underwear and he had to keep reminding himself that they were just friends, but damn he wanted his hands on her desperately. For a nerd she was pretty damn sexy and the crazy thing was she didn’t seem to know. He watched mesmerized as her tongue slid slowly across her lower lip to catch a drop of wine.

  ‘It’s getting late,’ she murmured.

  ‘Late,’ he repeated absently, his gaze fixed on her lips.

  A small series of yips from across the room drew his attention and broke his gaze as they both looked across to where Beau was laid out on his back across a cushion, his paws in the air twitching madly.

  ‘He’s probably chasing rabbits again,’ Jake shook his head.

  ‘You can leave him here tonight if you want.’

  He turned back to look at her.

  ‘I can take him to work with me in the morning; you’re probably going to be busy with the Baileys.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘It’s not a problem really, he’s such a sweetheart,’ she gazed across to the cute little twitching ball of golden colored fur. ‘I always wanted a dog,’ she murmured absently.

  ‘You didn’t have one growing up?’

  ‘Mother didn’t like dogs,’ she replied blandly as she drained the last of her wine.

  It was telling he thought, the way she referred to her mother. He’d noticed on several occasions she never called her mom, it was always mother and he got the distinct impression her childhood had been a lonely one, filled with impossible expectations. It was no wonder she couldn’t see how great she was now.

  ‘You could get a dog of your own now.’

  ‘Maybe,’ she slid the empty glass onto the table, ‘maybe if I get a bigger place, a house, perhaps with a yard.’ She mused thoughtfully, ‘I’d like my own little house in Mercy, somewhere I could put down roots, that is of course if I end up staying.’

  Jake jolted slightly in surprise.

  ‘What do you mean if you end up staying?’

  ‘I’m still on probation remember, if they decide to hire someone with more experience to run the museum I’ll have to move to wherever my next job is.’

  ‘I’m sure Mayor Burnett has no intention of hiring someone else, it’s probably just a formality.’

  ‘No, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to work my ass off to impress her.’

  She smiled at him as she unfolded her legs and stood, slowly stretching out the kinks as she went. Jake’s mouth went dry as his gaze slid to the smooth skin of her flat stomach, when suddenly his eyes narrowed and he tilted his head.

  ‘Is that a tattoo?’

  ‘What?’ she looked down at him and saw his gaze firmly fixed on the small splash of color peeking above her pajama pants which were now riding her hip bone. ‘oh um…’

  She yanked her tank top down to cover it but merely succeeded in revealing even more of her cleavage.

  ‘Damn it’ she muttered, her cheeks flaming red in embarrassment.

  ‘Ah come on Roni,’ he looked up and grinned, ‘you can’t flash me and then leave me in suspense, what is it?’

  ‘My pathetic attempt at teenage rebellion.’

  ‘Let me see.’

  ‘No,’ she laughed.

  ‘Please.’

  Sighing in defeat she rolled her eyes and hooked her finger in the waistband, lowering it just enough to reveal the small tattoo riding high on her hip.

  ‘It’s a…a…a bat?’ his eyes widened and a laugh bubbled out, ‘why on earth do you have the batman symbol on your hip.’

  ‘I was in college, there was a party…’ she shrugged, ‘the one and only time I ever got really drunk and I ended up waking up with the bat signal permanently etched into my skin.’

  She rolled her eyes and fisted her hands on her hips as Jake continued to laugh.

  ‘You know it’s really not that funny,’ she shook her head, ‘and it taught me a valuable lesson on the merits of sobriety.’

  He continued laughing as he stood up.

  ‘You’re a wild woman Roni’ he smiled, ‘still waters run deep don’t they?’

  ‘Don’t,’ she shook her head in amusement, ‘can you imagine what my mother would say. She still thinks I’m going to marry a stuffy accountant or a lawyer.’

  ‘For what it’s worth I love it and compared to some of the drunken tats people get, it’s really not that bad.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘I’ve got one too you know.’

  ‘What? A batman tattoo?’

  ‘No,’ he laughed again, ‘a drunken tat; you want to see it?’

  He moved his hands to his belt, clearly intending to drop his pants.

  ‘No!’ Roni laughed, ‘I do not want to see it, and I’m kicking you out now so I can go to bed.’

  He slowly walked backwards, still laughing lightly as she pushed him towards the door.

  ‘Okay, okay I’m going spoilsport.’

  He turned to retrieve his jacket and her eyes automatically dropped to his rather fine ass. She let out an involuntary sigh and allowed her mind to drift for a moment. God, she was willing to bet money he’d look real good without his clothes on, it was obvious he was fit and well-toned. He had the physique of an athlete, in fact she’d also be willing to bet he’d been quarterback in high school.

  ‘That’s a sucker bet,’ he laughed as he turned around to face her, ‘of course I was the quarterback in high school, I was a God.’

  ‘What?’ the color drained out of her face.

  ‘You said, you bet I was a quarter…’

  ‘I didn’t say that,’ she shook her head; ‘I thought it.’

  ‘No, you definitely said it. I heard you quite clearly.’

 
Her brow folded into a frown. No, she’d thought it, she could’ve sworn she hadn’t said a word. How much wine had she had? Maybe she was drunk…funny she didn’t feel drunk in the slightest.

  ‘It’s also true that I have a very fine ass,’ he laughed.

  Her face blazed red.

  ‘That’s not…I didn’t say…’

  She looked so cute floundering like that. He couldn’t say if it was her mortified expression, or the amount of wine he’d also had, that had him leaning in but as his lips settled on hers she stilled.

  He’d only intended it to be a light teasing peck on the lips but one touch of her soft warm mouth had him pausing and leaning in further. The scent of her wrapped around him, crawling under his skin luring him in. Her lips opened in a surprised gasp and he deepened the kiss, helpless to do anything else, one taste of her and he was lost. The jacket dropped to the floor from his nerveless fingers and he found himself wrapping his arms around her impossibly tiny waist and pulling her in closer. His fingers toyed with the hem of her tank top, teasingly gliding underneath as the pads of his fingers traced the incredibly soft skin of her lower back. She rose up on tiptoes and wound her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair and the nape of his neck. She tilted her head and kissed him back, and every thought drained from his head, every thought but her.

  They broke apart suddenly breathing heavily, both staring at each other in something akin to shock.

  ‘I...Uh…need my jacket,’ Jake frowned as his eyes dropped to the heap on the floor at his feet.

  They both reached for it at the same time and managed to bang their heads.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  Roni pressed her hand to the top of her head, her blue eyes wide. Not trusting herself to speak she nodded slowly.

  ‘Good…that’s ah... good, I’m just going to go then, get you to bed.’ He shook his head, ‘let you get to bed…to sleep.’

  She watched him in silence as he turned to the door and opened it abruptly, catching it on the toe of his boot and managing to smack himself in the forehead.

  ‘Shit,’ he swore as he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind him.

  ‘Shit,’ she heard from the other side and as she glanced down she noticed half of his jacket wedged in the door.

  It opened again and Jake pulled his jacket loose.

  ‘Um, I’ll see you tomorrow; I mean I’ll get the dog tomorrow.’

  He shut the door behind him.

  Roni stood for a couple of minutes staring at the closed door before she finally leaned forward and double locked it. Turning around she leaned back against the cool wood of the door and let out the deep breath she’d been holding. Sliding slowly down the door until she was sitting on the floor she touched her fingertips absently to her swollen lips.

  ‘What the hell just happened?’ she thought in confusion.

  Chapter 6.

  Olivia glanced up at the large foreboding building in front of her. Funny, she thought to herself, she’d never thought of it that way before. Then again it was usually a hive of activity, brightly lit, noisy and full of drama. Now it was silent as the grave, its white walls washed in the strange blue grey light of the Otherworld. She pushed the double doors open and stepped inside. It really was creepy she decided, as she took in the empty gurneys and trolleys lined up against the wall. She moved further into the emergency room past the unmanned desk. All the charts were blank and stacked neatly on the edge of the desk and the computer held nothing but an empty screen.

  Walking slowly past the curtained cubicles the beds and bays were all vacant, with neatly stacked, fully stocked supply trolleys, and silent monitors. Ignoring them she headed for the room Theo had first been taken to when he’d collapsed in front of her car. She walked slowly down the corridor to the private rooms, the only sound was the dull click of her boots and her shallow nervous breaths. It was ridiculous, there was no one else here but her and yet she still felt a chill run down her spine and her palms grow clammy. She stopped and turned back to the still dullness of the corridor behind her and stared. There was nothing there but her unease continued, causing her to swallow hard. Turning back around she resumed her slow search, despite feeling the primal ‘fight or flight’ impulse clawing in her chest. It felt like she was being followed, her eyes cut across to a picture frame on the wall beside her and just for a second in the glass she could’ve sworn she’d seen a large dark shadow.

  She spun around but the corridor was still deserted. The cloying scent of lilies suddenly filled her nose and throat. She felt a whoosh of air next to her, so close it brushed the skin of her cheek, icy and unfamiliar. She spun again to face the other direction, her heart pounding in her chest., knowing she was no longer alone. The hairs on her arms stood up as the air began to crackle with static electricity. Not waiting for whatever it was to catch up with her she bolted down the corridor towards the private rooms, hoping desperately that Theo was there.

  She rounded the corner and suddenly hit a solid warm chest. She felt herself tip backwards but a strong pair of arms wrapped around her to stop her from falling. She looked up and found herself staring into familiar blue eyes.

  ‘Sam,’ she breathed in relief as she straightened herself, disentangling herself from his arms. She looked back towards the corridor from which she’d come but the feeling was gone. She turned back to Sam, her eyes narrowing suspiciously, ‘were you following me?’

  ‘No’ he frowned, ‘why, what’s wrong?’

  ‘I just thought…’ she turned back to glance uneasily down the corridor once more. ‘Nothing, it’s nothing, I guess I’m just a little spooked.’

  She drew in a deep shaky breath as she stepped back and looked up into his curious blue eyes.

  ‘’What are you doing here Sam?’

  ‘I told you, my father…’

  ‘No I mean what are you doing in the hospital?’

  ‘Looking for you,’ he shrugged.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because you interest me.’

  ‘Why do people keep saying that’ she muttered sourly, ‘I’m really not that interesting.’

  ‘I want to ask you some questions, about what you said back at the pub.’

  ‘Well,’ she resumed walking, glancing up as he fell into step beside her, ‘I’m not sure exactly how much I should be telling you. I don’t really know how the whole time traveler thing works.’

  ‘You’re serious aren’t you,’ his eyes narrowed thoughtfully, ‘you really do believe I can translocate through time?’

  ‘Sam, I know for a fact you can’ she sighed, stopping abruptly as she turned to face him once again. ‘The truth is I don’t know much more than I’ve already told you, and I’m sorry but I really don’t have time to chat. I need to find Theo and apparently after that I have to stop a demon from getting his hands on the most powerful book in history.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Sam,’ she retorted irritably.

  ‘I tell you what, how about a deal? I’ll help you find your friend.’

  ‘And in return?’

  ‘You tell me what you know about me, this demon and the book.’

  She pursed her lips thoughtfully. She wasn’t entirely sure telling him everything was the right thing to do, but…she decided, what the hell? She needed all the help she could get at this point and even though he wasn’t the same Sam she knew, she still felt as if she could trust him.

  ‘Fine,’ she agreed, ‘deal.’

  They wandered the deserted corridors of the hospital and she told him everything, starting from her childhood, her parents, arriving back in Mercy, the murders, Chief Walcott, and Theo being dumped in front of her car. She spoke of Charlotte, Charon, the gateway and the spirits overrunning Mercy. Nathaniel, Infernum, her mother, everything just came pouring out right up to the moment Hades dropped her in the middle of the Otherworld. When she finally finished they stopped walking and Sam stared at her t
houghtfully. Although he looked a little disturbed she felt so much better, it was almost like a purge, being able to talk through everything from start to finish. He’d only interrupted a few times to clarify or to ask a question but for the most part he’d just listened patiently and it had been almost cathartic.

  ‘So let me get this straight?’ he frowned, ‘your mother raised a demon?’

  She nodded as he continued. ‘And she is using him to find the Hell book?’

  He frowned again.

  ‘What?’

  ‘We were taught the books were just a myth.’

  ‘Books?’ she repeated slowly, ‘books as in plural?’

  He nodded thoughtfully.

  ‘Five of them in total, no one seems to know for certain where they came from, in fact no one has even seen one in nearly two thousand years, and slowly all knowledge of them passed into myth. Most people have never even heard of them.’

  ‘But you have?’

  ‘I have a…friend who has some knowledge of them.’

  She didn’t question him too closely but a fleeting look had crossed his features when he mentioned his friend and for a moment Olivia wondered if his banishment to the Otherworld had something to do with it.

  ‘Okay,’ Olivia spoke slowly, prompting him to keep talking, ‘so…’

  ‘Well, like I said there are five books, Infernum, Caelorum, Purgatorio, Alterum and Terra.’

  ‘Latin?’ Olivia replied recognizing some of the names. ‘Hell, Heaven, Purgatory, Otherworld…?’

  Sam nodded.

  ‘It’s an older version of Latin with some slight variations but that’s essentially what it translates to.’