by Ciana Stone
"That's my name," Rock answered. "My real name."
"So you're not Rockwell Burns?"
"I am, but it is an alias."
"Could the two of you discuss that later?" Augustus asked. "We have limited time on this connection before we open ourselves to possible notice."
"Oh sorry. Sure," Jazz agreed. "After just one question. Why would a Wizard choose me to protect Rock if you all can do it better?"
"Because we can't."
"Pardon?" Augustus said.
"She's part Daemon."
"No I'm not." His statement shocked Jazz.
"You are."
"No. I'm not."
"Then perhaps you could tell us about your family. Where you grew up."
"Fine. I grew up in New Orleans. I was raised by a woman who took me in when I was two. I don't know who my parents were, not even their names. She gave me my name."
"And this woman who raised you? What is her name."
"Abella Boudreaux."
Severin's gaze moved to Andre and Jazz took note of the look that passed between them. It was a couple of seconds before they both turned their eyes at her.
"Abella Boudreaux is quite old. Born of a Daemon father and Wizard mother, her powers are considerable. She is, even today, one of the most formidable of the Seven in terms of ability."
"You must be thinking about someone else." Jazz looked at Rock for a moment. "Seriously. She was just a kind and caring lady. And besides she died ten years ago."
"Hardly." Andre's comment had her turning her attention to him and he continued. "She did not die. She left New Orleans and took residence in France."
"No." Jazz would not accept that. Abella died. Jazz went to her funeral, scattered the ashes herself over the bayou where she and Abella would go on weekends to fish and gather wild herbs. "She died. I'd know if she were alive. She wouldn't fake her own death."
"She would if she were trying to protect you."
Jazz gaped at Andre in disbelief. "That's crazy."
"Or maybe not." Rock spoke up and when Jazz looked at him he held up one hand. "Just consider. If you are mixed race and she thought you were in danger from either humans or the Seven, being with you might have drawn attention to you. Our kind changes identities and locations every seventy-five to a hundred years, as a general rule. We have to in order to keep from drawing attention to ourselves.
"It may have been simply time for her to move on, or she may have been protecting you. We won't know until we talk to her."
He looked at Andre. "I'm assuming that can be arranged?"
"Yes. We will make arrangements, and we will endeavor to locate and contact Stanzia as well."
"And that leaves us where?" Rock asked. "Why would I need protection? Against humans? My security far exceeds human standards and we all know I can disappear if cornered so who am I being protected from?"
"That is an excellent question." Augustus spoke up. "If there is someone planning you harm then what would be their motivation? What are you working on?"
"Alternative power and the portal project."
"Ahhh," Augustus nodded. "The portal."
"You know something the rest of us don't?"
"No, but consider, who is threatened by your success in reopening the portal and being able to monitor and maintain it?"
Rock sat up ramrod straight. "Asha."
"Precisely. We have her contained, but she still has support. And if this Wizard, Stanzia has reason to believe that you're in danger it could only be from one of two fronts - Asha and her supporters or Seven who support the Darkness."
"Well, my home is secure as it can be, and unless they send a Seven from the Dark side against me, I'll be fine.
"And I'll be there." Jazz added. "I might not be a Seven but I can fight and shoot to kill and I will protect him."
"And she's agreed to the mind link to prove her trustworthiness." Rock added.
The way he phrased it gave her a twinge of hurt feelings, but she told herself she was being too sensitive.
"And are you ready for the joining?" Augustus asked.
"Sure. I guess." She looked at Severin. "What do you want me to do?"
"May I?" Severin gestured to the sofa.
"Oh yeah, sure." She scooted over to make room.
He took a seat, angled to face her and then reached over and placed his hands on either side of her head, his thumbs resting on her temples and his hands cupping her head.
"Look at me, Jasmine."
That was no hardship. She looked into his eyes and in the space of a heartbeat, reality fell away. She was swept up in a maelstrom of images, memories rushing at her so fast it was chaos.
As suddenly as it had started, it ended, leaving her feeling a bit lightheaded.
"Are you all right?" Severin did not remove his hands.
"Yes. Just a little... Yes, I'm fine. Did you find what you wanted?"
"I did, thank you." He walked over to the window and stood staring out. Everyone was silent, waiting on him to speak. When several minutes had passed, Andre broke the silence.
"Severin?"
Severin turned. "Forgive me. This ... I was surprised and needed a few moments for the information to assimilate."
"Surprised?" Augustus asked. "In what way."
Severin gesture toward Jazz. "As we surmised, she is not entirely human. Not Wizard, but certainly part Daemon and ... and something else. Something I am not familiar with."
Everyone looked at Jazz and she looked at Rock. "What does that mean?"
"Ask him." Rock pointed to Severin. "Can you elaborate?"
Severin took a seat. "There are many kinds of magic, many forms of power. What I found is connected to the old religions that migrated to New Orleans."
"Clarify. Please." Augustus said.
"Vodoun."
"Vodoun?" Rock asked at the same time Jazz blurted "Voodoo?"
"Yes."
"Now that's just insane," she protested. "I grew up in New Orleans and heard about Voodoo my entire life - the mambos and hougans and bokors - all the mumbo jumbo. It's all just a bunch of superstitious crap."
"Hardly." Andre said. "Those are the wizards and witches of the people who migrated from Africa, the Yoruba, and they have powerful magic."
"Yes." Severin added. "Our people are to be credited with having a hand in that. There were some among us who interbred with the Yoruba and those offspring are possessed of impressive abilities.
"Indeed," Andre agreed. "Their magic stems from that of their own kind and that of ours. It is far from superstitious crap."
"Well that doesn't mean I have any of that... stuff." Jazz argued.
"And yet you can locate people." Severin pointed out.
"Whatever." She jumped to her feet. "You people do what you need to do, talk to who you need to talk to and ... and whatever. I'll be beside Rock and will do everything I can to keep him safe, but I've had enough of ... of this."
She didn't wait for an argument or comment, she just walked out of the door and kept walking until she hit the beach. She took off her shoes, walked to the edge of the water and stood there, watching the waves. She didn't want to believe that she was anything other than what she knew herself to be. A woman who was good at what she did.
What Severin and Andre said scared her. But that was because she'd lied to them. She did believe in the power of Vodoun. She feared it. And she wanted to have nothing to do with it.
"I once read a science fiction book about a young man of a noble family. This family accepted the stewardship of a desert planet. Since this planet was the only source of a rare and valuable spice, control of the planet was coveted and replete with danger."
Jazz turned as Severin approached her. "Dune," she said. "Yeah, I read it."
"While the book explored multi-layered interactions of technology and politics, religion and ecology, the exploration into human emotion was one of the things that stood out in my reading. And to this day I remember a quote about fear from that book."
"The Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear."
"You know it, then."
She nodded. "As silly as it may sound, it's gotten me through more than one tough scrape."
"Yes, I suppose in a profession such as yours fear is very much a mind killer."
"Yeah, but why are we talking about words from a sci fi novel?"
"Because right now fear threatens you."
"What makes you think that?"
"I saw inside you, Jasmine. And like it or not, that gives me insight into who you are. You see Vodoun, or Voodoo as you call it as something evil and if you are connected to such a thing then by association you must also be evil."
Jazz opened her mouth to argue then closed it. What was the point in arguing with someone who'd just been inside your head?
"And?"
"And a label is simply that - a word. It does not define you."
"Easy for you to say."
Severin laughed and she was shocked at how incredibly handsome he was when the severity was removed from his face. "Indeed, easy," he said. "As someone who walks the earth with the label Daemon."
"Oh, well, I guess you have a point there. But Rock said it's not like you're from hell or anything."
"Not to my knowledge."
"And he said the word originated from a Greek word that meant deity. It's a big jump from that, to Daemon so how exactly did you get stuck with that label?"
He shrugged. "Originally we were thought of as deities, and selfishly I will admit that was not unpleasant. However, following the onset of the Protestant Reformation in Europe there were a series of religious wars. Some refer to it as the great witch hunts. It was during that time that Daemon was subverted to Demon and we were labeled as creatures of a supernatural being of supreme evil."
"And that doesn't bug the holy shit out of you?"
He shrugged. "There have been times, but for the most part, no. It is simply a word and does not describe or define me. Any more than your heritage defines you. We are what we make of ourselves, Jasmine. The choices we make, the path we choose to walk define us."
"I haven't exactly been a saint."
"Who has? Even Angels have been known to make bad choices and they are the most moral among us. But an evil person, of whatever race, is one who chooses to do harm to others."
She looked at him for a moment then smiled. "So my ... locator ability. You think that's some kind of power I inherited?"
"I would venture to guess that it is."
"And that's all I got?"
"Perhaps that is the extent of your power and perhaps there is more. Only time will tell - and your willingness to explore that aspect of yourself.
"That's for you to decide. Right now, I want to speak to you of something personal. I know you have fallen in love with Conner -"
"I never said I was in love with him."
"You did not have to say it. It's inside you, but if it is more palatable, let me rephrase. You have strong feelings for him and I wonder if your emotions will hamper your — clear-headedness where he is concerned. While the technology he is working on for alternative energy is vital to this world, his project for unlocking and controlling the portal to the other dimension is vital for our people on the other side, and perhaps for humanity as well.
"Peace does not seem promising and already we are being hunted. Make no mistake. We will hide as best we can, but if forced, we will fight. And if we fight we will win. We are many and we are powerful. Humanity cannot stand against us.
"And that is what we do not want to happen. There are those among us who would prefer having all of the Seven return to the other dimension rather than go to war.
"War benefits no one, despite what your history leads you to believe."
"I won't argue with that. But I will say that my feelings for Rock - Conner, won't get in the way of what I need to do. You have my promise on that."
Severin smiled and held out his hand. "Give me your phone."
She pulled out her phone and put it in his hand. He spoke as he worked. "I am entering my private contact number. If you ever have need of me all you have to do is call."
"Same here." She said as he returned the phone to her.
Severin smiled and gestured toward the house. "Shall we rejoin?"
Jazz shrugged and accompanied him to the house. Everyone was standing on the front porch. "It's time we left." Andre said to Severin."
He nodded and looked at Rock. "If you have need ..."
"It'll be my first call. Thank you my friends."
Jazz gave Andre a nod as he and Severin made their way to their car. Once the car pulled away, she looked up at Rock. "So, what do I call you. Rock? Conner?"
"Honey, baby, lover boy?" He asked and chuckled. "Okay, fine. Rock is fine. No sense in trying to use one name in public and another in private."
"I am capable of remembering to do that."
"Okay, then Conner."
"Conner."
He pulled her to him. "I like the way you say it."
"Conner," she whispered.
His lips captured hers and his arms went around her. She lost herself in the kiss. When he pulled back, he stared down at her. "Let's stay here tonight."
"I'm guessing it's safe?"
"Completely."
"Fine by me. You ready to turn in?"
"Yes."
"Then lead the way."
To her surprise, once they were undressed and in the bed, Rock had no desire to make love.
"Lie in my arms, Jazz and sleep with me."
"Whatever you want."
Within minutes, he was asleep. She listened to the sound of his breathing, resisting sleep, wanting to prolong the blissful moment. But his warm body wrapped around her gave her a feeling of safety and belonging she'd never known and it was too strong to resist. With a sigh she gave in, drifting into a dream world where Conner, the man she knew as Rock, wasn't her assignment. He was her love.
Chapter Eight
A month ago I thought I had a good bead on things. Sure, reality wasn't what it once was now that everyone knew that Preternaturals weren't just fiction. Still, I could deal with it. Now? Now I realize that the story is so much bigger than anyone imagines.
Not only is humanity at risk, but every Preternatural here and on another dimension. Okay, it feels completely sci-fi to have that thought.
And it's not the biggest change in my life. Unbelievably, I've fallen in love. I didn't think I'd ever find myself saying or even thinking those words, but here I am. Conner, or Rock, or whatever other name he wants to call himself – he's blasted through every wall I have and touched something I never allow to be touched.
My heart.
Two days had passed since Jazz and Rock returned from wherever they'd run off too. Barnette woke with his chin on his chest and his back in a cramp. With a curse he stood, hands on his back. He'd been camped out in the damn swamp for two days watching Burns' house, and since the brain-trust had carried Jazz inside there'd been no sign of either of them.
An annoyed snort accompanied the cracking sound of cramped vertebrae realigning as he stretched. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what they were doing. He knew Jazz. She was a lusty bitch to say the least and Burns was the kind of guy who would flip her switch. Big and muscular. Jazz didn't go for pretty boys or wimps.
He checked the time. Half past ten. Surely they weren't going to stay in the fucking bed all day. As if in answer to his wish, Jazz appeared. She stepped out onto the patio, raised her arms up over her head, and stretched lazily.
A moment later Burns joined her. Barnett grimaced as they embraced and kissed. Much more of that and they'd disappear inside again. No way was he going to spend the day in this fucking swamp.
The kiss ended and they reentered the house, hand-in-hand. Barnette stooped down to gather up his binoculars and the tarp he'd spread on the ground to protect him from the damp. Might as well head back to the hotel and pick up surveillance later.
Which meant Burns was home alone. A perfect time for Barnette to slip in and nab him. When the bitch returned it would be to an empty house and no clue where Burns was.
Barnette grinned as he imagined her wondering if lover-boy had skipped out on her. Maybe he'd leave her a little note. Rub it in that he'd snatched the brain right out from under her nose. That'd piss her off.
But what did he care? By the time she figured out he had Burns, he'd be so far ahead of her she'd never pick up the trail. At least not until he wanted her to. Then he'd settle the score once and for all with Jazz Boudreaux.
*****
Jazz was a mile away from her house when her sixth sense sprang to life. This time it wasn't her tracking sense but a warning of danger.
She scanned the road around her. Nothing in sight. So why were her inner defenses on red alert?
Her heart slammed against her chest as a new possibility entered her mind. Conner! Shit on a stick! She shouldn't have left him alone.
Executing a sliding turn in the middle of the road that would have done a stunt driver proud, she opened up the engine of the powerful bike for as much speed as it would give. Even at top-speed she was a good half hour away from Conner's house.
Sending out a silent plea that she'd end up with egg on her face and Conner would be safe and sound, she raced toward his house.
*****
Conner was safe. But as pissed off as he'd ever been in his life. Not only had he neglected to turn back on the alarm system after Jazz left, he'd forgotten to arm the security in his lab.
Now he sat at his desk with a giant of a man standing three feet away with a gun pointed straight at him who claimed to be there to take him to a man he was going to do business with.
That told Conner enough. Someone either wanted what he was working on bad enough to kidnap him or to get rid of him. Either way, it was exactly as Jazz had predicted.
"Here's the deal, doc," the giant said with a snide grin. "You'n'me's gonna take a ride. And you ain't gonna fight me, cuz if you do, I'll shoot you in the knees and drag your sorry ass outta here. And what's more, if you give me any trouble, and I do mean any at all, I'm gonna come back and wait on that bitch Jazz. And when I finish having my fill of her, I'll deliver her head on a platter. Now we straight?"
