Wicked Fantasy

by Nina Bangs

  “Walking on the beach?” Conall grinned. “You’re so whipped.”

  Eric offered him a glare before stalking away.

  Conall felt his smile fade. He wouldn’t call Eric. He’d handled his curse for eight hundred years, and he’d keep on keeping on. He got off the stool and headed toward the woman at the table.

  Gerry Kavanagh had come here to catch a snake, but she’d caught a Sparkle Stardust instead. She preferred the snake. Who had a name like Sparkle Stardust anyway? Gerry rubbed the spot between her eyes where a headache would’ve been forming if she could still get them.

  “Look, Sparkle, I love your club, and I appreciate that you sat down to keep me company. And huge thanks for the heads-up on what I need to do to make my outfit more sensual. But I’m here on business, so I’d better get on with it.” She glanced at the nearby tables. Whoever had e-mailed the anonymous tip had promised that Jinx would be here tonight. “Uh, have you seen a guy that sort of looks like a snake?” Did that sound dumb or what? Besides, Jinx in human form looked more like a happy ferret.

  Sparkle raised one perfectly arched brow. “Snake? Why? I mean, if you’re going to hit on a guy, pick one who’s decadently gorgeous and built for sex. Like him.” She pointed toward the bar so Gerry wouldn’t mistake exactly which “him” she meant.

  “I’m not here to hit . . .” Gerry glanced at the bar. Whoa! Would you look at that. There were a bunch of men at the bar, but only one worthy of a “whoa!”

  He was a visual hot fudge sundae and a major wow on her personal sizzle meter. Not only was he tall—hard to judge sitting, but he had to be six-four or six-five—he had the broad shoulders and muscular body to make that height seem formidable. Dark, shaggy hair and a hard, uncompromisingly male face pushed every one of her buttons from her neck all the way down to . . . wherever. She was totally unbuttoned.

  She coughed to clear her heart out of her throat. Snake. She was after a snake. That’s all she needed to concentrate on right now. Play wasn’t on her agenda tonight. “Yeah, he’s spectacular, but I don’t mix business with pleasure.” She fixed her gaze on Sparkle. Absolutely no pleasure allowed. Damn.

  Sparkle made a small moue of disappointment. “How shortsighted. And your business would be?”

  Okay, important decision here. She had to find out if Sparkle knew anything about Jinx without—

  “Hi there, sweetie. We were just talking about you.” Sparkle reached up to grab the arm of the man who’d walked up silently behind Gerry and was now hovering over their table. “Sit for a while.” She urged him into the seat between them.

  Gerry met his intense stare. Gray eyes. Hard, like the rest of him, but softened by a thick fringe of dark lashes. Uh-oh. Business and pleasure were about to collide with enough force to rain down pieces of her good intentions onto her hapless head. How could she concentrate on Jinx when Mr. Whoa was only inches away? She firmed her lips; she’d find a way.

  Sparkle leaned toward him and slid her fingers the length of his arm. Gerry lived the moment vicariously—the feel of the smooth silky shirt over flexed muscles and warm flesh.

  “Gerry and I were talking men. She was looking for some guy who looked like a snake, and I thought that was pretty pathetic. So I pointed you out as an alternative to the snake.” Sparkle’s smile was a sly lifting of her lips. “She thinks you’re hot.”

  Gerry forced herself to glance around the club again. If she didn’t look at him, maybe . . . Hot? “I didn’t say he was hot.” Okay, so she’d used the word spectacular. But spectacular didn’t have the same sexual connotation as hot. Fine, so he was hot, but Sparkle didn’t need to put words in her mouth.

  “Meet Conall McNair. He helps run the Castle of Dark Dreams. So if you wake up in the middle of the night with an insatiable appetite for something sweet, make sure you call Conall.” Just in case Gerry didn’t “get it,” Sparkle slid her tongue across her lower lip while her strange amber eyes gleamed with the joy of her wicked suggestion. “He’ll cure any woman’s craving for sweets.”

  Sparkle was so outrageous that Gerry couldn’t help herself. She grinned. Then she made a major mistake. She looked at Conall. He returned her smile, but his was a lot more effective. It was slow heat set for long, leisurely loving until she was fork tender.

  Gerry swallowed hard. Snakesnakesnake.

  “Sweet?” He looked offended. “I might be a lot of things, but sweet isn’t one of them.”

  He was right. Conall’s overwhelming physicality—a smooth-muscled body that was so there it screamed sexual animal—combined with the hard eyes of a man who’d seen too much violence and the sensual mouth of a man who’d seduced too many women, delivered a one-two punch of erotic desire.

  Violence? Her imagination was officially out of control. She broke eye contact to sweep the room again. No Jinx. Stiffening her spine, or whatever part of her body needed stiffening, she looked back at . . . Sparkle. Coward. “It’s been great meeting you and Conall, but I really have to find this guy—”

  “Why?” Conall leaned forward, his large hands resting open on the table.

  Body language? Leaning forward, aggressive. Open hands, nonthreatening. Which signal to believe? “Because it’s my job.” There, she’d said it. Now how to explain what she did in a way that wouldn’t have them making a call to the nearest mental health facility.

  “Not to repeat myself, but your job would be . . . ?” Sparkle tapped one perfect nail on the table. Definitely threatening.

  “I’m like a cop, but I work for the private sector.” The private sector as in all those entities that officially went bump, grind, or boo in the night.

  “You mean you’re a PI?” Conall looked confused.

  “Uh, not exactly.” She glanced at the floor for inspiration . . . and spotted Jinx slithering along the baseboard in his little green snake form. He was wearing a megawatt diamond ring around said sneaky form. Well, hell. “Oops, gotta go.”

  Gerry pushed away from the table and rushed in pursuit of the snake. She didn’t know whose ring he’d snatched, but she wanted to catch him before the victim discovered it was missing. Hysterical shrieks and confusion would only aid Jinx in his escape. Humans rarely looked down when they were pursuing a thief.

  As Gerry wound around tables, trying to keep her attention totally on the snake, Jinx spotted her and slithered faster. He was heading for the restrooms. Gerry grinned. She had the little bling bandit. He’d probably stashed his clothes in the men’s room. As long as the room didn’t have an open window, Jinx had nowhere to go. Besides, he’d need a few seconds to change back to human form. She’d pounce on him as soon as he changed forms.

  But fate intervened, as fate had a way of doing. No one came out of the men’s room so that Jinx could slither inside, but someone did leave the ladies’ room. Jinx didn’t have time to be choosy. He slithered inside just as the woman let the door swing shut.

  Gerry charged in after him . . . and came to a skidding halt. Five women jockeyed for position in front of the mirror.

  “Ugh, I can’t stand it. Look at these lines in my forehead. Good thing I have my plastic surgeon on speed dial. I feel a Botox moment coming on.” The woman leaned closer to the mirror, the better to view the horror.

  “God, I hate these lights. They show up every little thing. Look at these grooves next to my mouth. I look like Pinocchio.”

  Gerry coughed to get their attention. “Umm, has anyone seen my pet snake? He slipped in here—”

  Oomph. The women shoved her against the wall as they all stampeded from the restroom like the wrinkle fairy was in hot pursuit. The two women still in the stalls screeched as they lifted their feet off the floor.

  “Is it poisonous?” This from the stall nearest the exit. Sounded terrified. “If I tiptoe, can I slip out the door?”

  “Who the hell would bring a snake into a club anyway?” The middle stall. Sounded really cranky. “I bet it’s illegal. Where’s my cell phone? I’ll ask my lawyer.” Rooting-around-
in-purse noises.

  Uh-oh. Gerry had to keep them there until she cornered Jinx. He’d be waiting for the first woman to open the door so he could slither out. “Leaving is so not a good idea. Jinx attacks anything that moves. Stay still. And keep your feet off the floor. He loves ankles. Can we say bloodthirsty predator? He enjoyed the last ankle he bit so much that he left his little fang embedded in it. Don’t worry, though, the fang grew back.”

  Silence. Okay, that had worked out semi-nicely. Gerry figured it wouldn’t take her long to locate Jinx and then—

  Someone flung the restroom door open. Damn. Jinx’s body was a green blur as he made a break for freedom. “Stop him!” If she didn’t catch Jinx, she may as well flush her budding career down any one of the room’s toilets. What were her chances, though, that any woman walking through the door would collar Jinx?

  But the hand that reached down with blinding speed to scoop Jinx up was very male. And very familiar. “I think you have some explaining to do.” Conall’s sexy mouth was drawn into a grim line.

  He glanced at the stalls. “I have the snake, ladies. You can come out when I leave. Be sure to talk to Sparkle Stardust. The club will want to make up for all your mental anguish.”

  “Mental anguish? Give me a break.” Gerry blinked to keep from rolling her eyes.

  “Mmm. Every club should have a sexy guy in the ladies’ room for little . . . emergencies that come along.” Eyes peered at Conall through the cracks in the stall doors. The middle stall was in a better mood now.

  Conall held Jinx by his tail. The ring slid from the snake’s body and into Conall’s open hand. He studied the ring before handing it to Gerry. Then without speaking, he pulled open the door and waited for her to walk past him.

  Once in the hallway, he studied the little green snake still dangling from his fingers and then speared Gerry with a tell-all-or-die glare. “Talk.”

  Urp. Gerry stared up at Conall. Way up. Good Lord, he filled the whole doorway. And he looked determined. Really determined. She didn’t blame Jinx for not trying to change back to human form. This guy would make green Jell-O out of him.

  There’d be no escaping without feeding Conall some kind of story. Possibilities raced through her mind, all completely implausible. If she couldn’t think of a believable lie, she may as well tell him the truth. He’d think she was crazy, but that was fine with her. As long as he gave Jinx back.

  She nodded at the snake. “Jinx is a thief. He’s also a shape-shifter. I work for a group dedicated to making sure that nonhuman entities obey Texas laws.” There. He’d gaze at her blankly and then either laugh or shake his head in disbelief. “Now if you’ll give Jinx to me, I’ll see that he doesn’t visit the Castle of Dark Dreams again.” She held out her hand.

  Jinx turned his beady little eyes toward her, and Gerry didn’t have any trouble reading his intention. He’d wait until Conall was gone and then he’d return to human form, counting on his speed and strength to escape from the rookie cop. Was he in for a surprise.

  Conall raised his hand, moving Jinx out of her reach. Jinx looked a little panicky as the floor grew more distant.

  “Uh-uh. Don’t touch. Thieves don’t slither in and then just slither out. I figure Jinx came in this direction because he left his clothes in the men’s room. I’ll go get them and then we’ll meet you outside the castle. Jinx and I need to have a man-to-snake talk.” Conall smiled at her, but the humor didn’t reach those cold gray eyes. “So you police the paranormal world? A cool but strange job for a human.”

  “Uh, right.”

  “Give the ring to Sparkle. She’ll get it back to the owner.”

  Gerry stared wide-eyed as he turned and walked into the men’s room, leaving her standing there. Not only did he believe her, but he’d kept Jinx. She was screwed.

  Anger roiled, and she thought about racing after him, using her superior strength to body-slam him to the floor, and then ripping Jinx away from his grasp. What a satisfying thought.

  Of course, she’d have to do this in the men’s room. In front of men performing necessary bodily functions. Not the low-key approach Payton favored. Maybe Payton was right about not calling attention to her . . . uniqueness.

  Okay, she could handle this. First she’d get rid of the ring, and then she’d retrieve her prisoner.

  It didn’t take long to find Sparkle. She was waiting for Gerry at the end of the hall. “A mob of women almost knocked me down a few minutes ago, and I just saw Conall go into the men’s room holding a snake. Dare I hope for an explanation?” Her eyes were bright with curiosity as she led Gerry back to her table.

  “No.” Gerry didn’t have time for idle chitchat. She held the ring out to Sparkle. “I found this in the restroom. Someone must’ve taken it off when they washed their hands.” The lie didn’t matter since she’d never see Sparkle again.

  Sparkle took the ring and stared down at it. “So glittery, so beautiful.” She sounded mesmerized.

  Weird. Gerry half expected her to fly off to her nest with the shiny bauble, cawing happily. “Well, it was great meeting you, but—”

  “You should answer your phone.” Sparkle never once glanced away from the ring.

  Gerry frowned. “Why? I turned it off when I—” Her phone rang. What the . . . ? She pulled the phone from her pocket. Yeah, it was definitely ringing. She moved away from the table to take the call.

  “Gerry, this is your supreme leader. I assume no one is listening.”

  Gerry sighed. Supreme leader? God save her from old vamps who’d once been dictators of small third-world countries. “I hear you, Payton. What do you have?” She knew her boss wasn’t calling about Jinx. Little pissant thieves didn’t warrant a call from Payton the Pompous.

  “I just received a tip from a reliable but anonymous source that one of the most dangerous entities on earth is staying at the Castle of Dark Dreams.” Payton oozed self-importance. “Unfortunately, you’re the only one we have on the spot.”

  She could almost hear his frown. Gerry grinned. Tough shit. This was her chance to prove she could handle more dangerous criminals than Jinx. “Name and description?”

  “Mmm.” Payton would be studying his computer screen right now. “He has many aliases. I’ll e-mail you a list. Usually only uses a first name. No last name on record. Tall, sandy-colored hair, amber eyes, and irresistible to women. Oh, and he has a grim reaper tattoo on his right arm. Do not, I repeat, do not try to apprehend. If you locate him, simply observe whom he meets and what he does. I’ve recalled Burke from his assignment. He’ll be down to take over as soon as possible.”

  Gerry narrowed her eyes. Not if she had anything to say about it. She was ultracompetitive. Always had been. This was her man. “What type of entity is he, and what’s he wanted for?”

  She spoke quietly as she glanced at Sparkle. Sparkle offered her a finger wave before turning to the two angry-looking women bearing down on her. Gerry guessed these were the “mentally anguished” women from the restroom.

  “It doesn’t specify what type of entity, but he’s wanted for marrying, fleecing, and then permanently disposing of five hundred wealthy women.”

  Five hundred? Wow. If she handled this case right, she would advance right up the paranormal police ranks. “So he’s offed a bunch of wives. Definitely a creepy criminal. But he’s just dangerous to his wives, right? I mean, he’s not a whoever-gets-in-my-damn-way serial killer?”

  “The report says he murdered three hundred twenty-one husbands and one hundred fifty nosy neighbors who ‘got in the way’ of his marriages.” Payton was starting to sound a little bored.

  Too bad. This was her butt on the line. “So that’s it, right? Just his wives, their husbands, and their neighbors?”

  “Along with ten pizza delivery guys, four meter readers, three pool boys, and two carriage drivers who saw too much.”

  Gulp. “Carriage drivers?”

  “He’s been around for a while.” Payton coughed, his signal that the briefin
g was over. “Good luck. Oh, did you catch Jinx?”

  “Yes.” Kind of.

  “Good, good. I’ll let you know when Burke is on his way.” Payton hung up before she could involve him in a chat about a few minor details.

  Like how the hell was she supposed to catch a nonhuman killing machine when she’d only been on the force for a few months? Yeah, she’d wanted to move up from tracking the Jinxes of the world, but this guy sounded seriously homicidal.

  Okay, choices. She could hang around until Burke rode to her rescue. Not a choice at all. Her extreme drive for success had paid high dividends in her sales career before she became vampire. She intended to parlay that same drive into a great career at PUFF. To do that, she had to ID this murderer and then bring him down.

  Right now, though, she had a snake to arrest. She’d worry about Hell’s Husband afterward. She turned to smile at Sparkle, who’d made short work of her two outraged customers. “I think I’ll be staying in the castle for a few days. Hope they have a free room.”

  Sparkle looked way too pleased. “Oh, yesss. I’ll have time to expand your sensual universe beyond your wildest dreams. That’s assuming you have any wild dreams.” She almost purred at the possibilities. “September is busy, but talk to Holgarth and he’ll get you a room. You’ll find him in the great hall organizing the nightly fantasies.”

  Fantasies? Oh, right. The Castle of Dark Dreams was part of Live the Fantasy, an adult theme park where people could role-play until they dropped. Good thing she didn’t have any desire to act out strange and scary scenarios. Been there, done that. Besides, she had work to do. A killer was on the loose and probably scoping out another rich wife even as they spoke.

  “Will do. Now I’ve got to go out and collect my snake.” She winced as she realized what she’d just said. Sparkle would bury her under a deluge of questions.