by ML Guida
“No,” she said slowly. “I didn’t.” Not that she wanted to. She almost confessed about the gaseous cloud she let escape, but guilt weighed heavy on her. She wasn’t even sure it was the cloud.
Ray Sterner, a werewolf and the local coroner, approached Theo. He was a short, round man and wore black-framed glasses. “Theo?”
“What do you have, Ray?”
“I can’t be sure, but it looks like she bled to death. Her skin is white, and her lips and fingernails are blue. I couldn’t smell any blood.” He scratched his head. “Strangest thing, though. I couldn’t find any wounds.”
Pandora put her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. Ray had the best sense of smell in his pack. If there was no blood, Ray would be able to determine so.
Theo frowned. “But it takes a human several hours to bleed out. Pandora, did you see Lisa’s car?”
She lowered her hand. “No. I didn’t even know she was coming. If I had known, I would have waited.” She crossed her arms tight. “If I’d been there, maybe she’d be alive.”
“Or maybe you’d be dead, too. We don’t know what killed her. When did you get here?” Theo asked.
Pandora shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe an hour and a half ago.”
Theo looked at Ray. “Wouldn’t it take longer for a human to bled out?”
“Unless the aorta artery was cut, it would have taken at least twelve hours. I suspect something paranormal attacked her.”
“You mean a vampire?”
Ray put his hands in his white doctor’s jacket. “Normally that’s what I would have thought, but there are no bite marks. If it’s a vampire, then it’s not your typical vampire.”
Theo turned on Cé. “Is there anything else you want to tell us? Do you possess any powers we should be aware of?”
Cé’s brows deepened. “Vampires? You dona seem to be uncomfortable with vampires being real.”
“That’s because they are,” Ray answered. “Just like I’m a werewolf.”
“I’m going to ask you again, pirate, do you possess any other abilities I should be aware of?”
Cé slowly arched his eyebrow. “First tell me what ye are?”
Theo removed his glasses, and his eyes turned gold. “I’m a dragon shape-shifter. And you?”
Cé put his hands on his hips. “I’m a vampire. If ye’re asking, sheriff, if I had anything to do with Pandora’s friend. I dinna. Besides, I would leave marks. I was down in the ravine. In pain, tryin’ to figure out where the hell I was and trying to figure out a way back home.”
Theo narrowed his eyes into slits. “So, you say.”
Pandora avoided Cé’s eyes. She’d told him that she couldn’t get him back home, but that hadn’t meant there wasn’t a way. She just hadn’t wanted him to leave. Not until he helped her destroy the cloud. Topper had said that she needed a stranger’s help, and her predictions were never wrong.
Cé motioned with his arm. “How do ye know ’twas not one of yer so-called vampires?”
Theo pulled out a pair of hand-cuffs. “Because we have rules. No vampire has ever committed murder here until you came along. I’m putting you under arrest on suspicion of murder.”
“Bloody hell,” Cé mumbled. “I’d like to see ye try—dragon.”
Pandora could practically see the imaginary line being drawn between the two Neanderthals. “Will you two stop? We have to find what happened to Lisa.”
They both stared at her with suspicion.
“We?” They both said at once.
She stuck out her chin. “Yes. So, don’t try and stop me. Lisa was my best friend.” Especially if Pandora had been responsible. It was her duty to bring the killer to justice.
Chapter Five
Cé was in no mood to fight with another dragon. He’d just left two arrogant dragon-shifters and had no intention of battling a third.
“Get out of my way, sheriff.” Despite his throbbing pain, he drew on his vampire speed, but he wasn’t fast enough.
The sheriff grabbed his arm, and the next minute, Cé’s hands were bound behind his back in chains. He yanked, but his wrists wouldn’t budge.
“Don’t bother,” the sheriff said, as he wrapped his hand around Cé’s arm. “They’re enchanted. You’re my prisoner until I get some answers.”
His smugness brought out the worst in Cé. He wasn’t going to be tortured again. Ever. He jerked his upper body, ripped his arm out of the sheriff’s hand, and took five steps. Sharp agony shot up his legs, paralyzing him, and he collapsed.
Theo easily overtook him and dragged him to his silver carriage.
“Theo! No!” Pandora cried. “Leave him alone.” She ran along side of them and blocked the sheriff’s path.
The sheriff skirted around her and scowled. “Pandora, don’t interfere,” Theo growled. “You can visit him later if you want. But for now, he’s my prisoner until I get the answers I need.”
Her concern touched Cé. It had been so long since any woman had cared for him. Mostly women only cared about his golden coins.
“Watch your head,” Theo said as he maneuvered Cé into the backseat.
There was a metal barrier between the backseat and front seat, and even if Cé had wanted to attack Theo, he couldn’t.
The sheriff slid into the front. “Now, you behave, pirate. And you and I will get along real well.”
Cé glared. “What if I dona?”
“Then I suspect you won’t be getting out any time soon.”
Pandora ran along the car as if she wanted to stop the carriage. She looked so beautiful with her carefree hair that blew around her, and he couldn’t get over her long muscular legs. This wasn’t a frail female, but a strong siren.
With that, neither spoke as Theo drove. Cé forgot about where he was going, intrigued by the carriage. It rode much smoother than a horse-drawn buggy. No flies or bugs buzzed around his ears. Cool air brushed over him. Usually, in a carriage the heat was suffocating. But this was actually pleasant. His body temperature cooled, and he stopped sweating. He could breathe.
More metal carriages zoomed past them at speeds that a horse and buggy couldn’t possibly manage even with twelve horses at a full gallop.
“Sheriff, what do you call this carriage?”
Theo glanced in a rear view mirror. “Excuse me?”
“What we are ridin’ in? What do you call it?”
Theo raised his eyebrow. “Seriously? A police car. Are you playing games, boy?”
“No. I have never seen one before.”
“You’ve never seen a car?” Theo’s voice was riddled with sarcasm.
“We just established that.” Cé lowered his voice and stared out the window.
Theo asked some questions, but Cé refused to answer. His legs still hurt, and now his wrists bound behind his back were beginning to throb. He was damn tired. Without blood, it would take him a few days to heal. He doubted that the jail’s menu included blood.
He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the leather seat. After the battle on Zuto’s island and time travel with the demon’s hideous spider, all Cé wanted to do was sleep, but Pandora’s sexy scent teased other parts of his body, and sleep was the last thing he wanted. As soon as he’d healed, he’d escape and find a way back to the sea. Seafaring and pirating were all he’d ever known. It wasn’t a life for Pandora. She was of the gentry, and he wasn’t worthy of her. But there was something else. He wasn’t sure he could trust her. He’d known too many taken in by a beautiful woman only to end up with a knife in their back.
The last thing he wanted was a half-naked woman tempting him. Temptation had landed him a slave on board Palmer’s ship. He wasn’t about to fall into the same trap, no matter how beautiful the woman.
The silver carriage stopped. “We’re here.”
Cé opened one eye.
Theo took off his glasses and stared at him with golden dragon eyes. “You’d better behave, vampire. This is your one and only warning.”
&
nbsp; As hard as Theo tried to intimidate him, he failed compared to Quinton Palmer. Palmer was an expert on torture, and Cé had the scars to prove it. Unless Theo’s jail was filled with the rack, thumb screws, and chains, his threats fell on deaf ears.
Theo opened the door and helped Cé out of the car. He clasped his arm and escorted him into the jail, but ’twas not like any jail, he’d ever seen. He walked into a room with bright lights and winced. There were several silver machines sitting on three desks. The machines had small words etched on the glass that would have taken a patient and gifted craftsman hours to inscribe. Before pirating, he’d been a poor carpenter and appreciated the hard work from other artisans.
Theo hit a button on a device, and the words disappeared.
“Why would ye destroy such detailed work?”
Theo frowned. “What are you babbling about, vampire?”
Cé tilted his head toward the machine. “It took a great deal of work to carve those words—”
“They are computers, pirate.” He tapped the glass. “This a screen. There’s nothing on it.”
Cé stared in wonder. “What—”
“Forget it. I don’t have time to catch you up on technology.”
Cé shrugged, then wrinkled his nose. “What’s burning?”
“Damn it, my deputy forget turn off the coffee machine,” Theo mumbled.
The tile floors were clean, and Cé didn’t detect any human excrement. If burnt coffee was the worst smell in this place, he could live with it. Not like the brig on board Palmer’s ship. Absent was the stench of dried gore, rust, and endless despair.
“This is yer jail?”
They walked past the desks to a metal door with a small square window. “I’ve had enough of your smart comments. It might not be as big as the one in Albuquerque, but it serves its purpose just fine.”
Theo took a jangling key ring off his belt. He inserted a key into the lock, and it clicked. The metal door slid open as if by magic. Finally, something Cé could relate to: bars, cells, and cots. Once again, he couldn’t believe how clean they were. There was even a sink and a metal seat.
“I’m yer only prisoner?”
“For the moment,” Theo growled. “Most residents are law-abiding here. It’s you outsiders that give us all the trouble.” He unlocked the first cell door and gestured for Cé to go inside.
Cé acted the compliant prisoner and allowed Theo to take off the handcuffs without a fuss. His stomach growled. He wanted to eat, but food would be tasteless unless he satisfied the blasted curse first.
He frowned at the metal seat that had a wide hole in it and water at the bottom. “What do ye call that, sheriff?”
“It’s a john. You take a shit or piss in it.” He reached over and pushed a button on the wall. The water swirled around and disappeared.
Cé collapsed onto the cot that was surprisingly soft. His legs throbbed, and he needed blood to heal. He rested his head in his hands and closed his eyes. Weariness, pain, and hunger gripped him.
“You really aren’t from around here, are you?”
“No, I’m not.” Cé lifted his head and sighed. “How long am I in here for?”
“Until I find out what the hell’s going on. These bars are enchanted, so escape is impossible—even for a vampire.” Theo cast his gaze over him. “You don’t look so good. Are you hungry?” His voice had lost his harshness and he sounded as if he cared.
Cé thought he must be imagining it. Kindness had never been a quality any of his former jailers had possessed. “I am sure ye dona have what I need.”
Theo snorted. “Of course, I do. You need blood.”
Cé didn’t answer him and slid back on the cot. He was done with this tiresome conversation and folded his arms across his chest. He closed his eyes, dismissing the noisy lawman. He wasn’t going to get any blood obviously, but at least he’d get some sleep—unless the good sheriff decided to torture him.
Luckily, Theo didn’t persist in his questions and quietly shut the door. The lock clicked.
Cé wanted to sleep, but all he could think about was a half-naked dark-haired beauty that smelled of coconuts. He couldn’t get over the pain in her eyes at the death of her friend out of his mind. He had wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her.
He frowned. What had killed the woman? The man that the sheriff called a coroner said there were no marks on the lass. What could drain a human without leaving puncture wounds? Not even Zuto’s great spiders or any vampires he knew could accomplish this. This was a strange and terrible place.
“She needs your help, pirate.”
Cé opened one to look at the strangest old woman with bright, fiery red hair and purple eyes. “Who the hell are ye?”
“My name’s Topper. Pandora’s gotten herself into trouble, and she needs your help.”
He rested his forearm on his forehead. “Grand, another witch. So, why do I need to help her?”
“I’m afraid Pandora didn’t listen to my warning, and now, the inhabitants of Magic, New Mexico, are in grave danger. She will not have many friends here. She can’t do this alone. She needs a champion.”
He grimaced then stared up at the ceiling. “I’m no one’s champion.” He couldn’t hide the bitterness in his voice.
“I know who you are, pirate. You must forgive yourself to help her or you will leave her to a life of loneliness and despair.”
Witches were so damn meddlesome, and this one must have fallen into a vat of red dye that had turned her mind into jelly. He grated his teeth at her absurd prediction. “Find someone else to pester, witch.”
When she didn’t answer, he moved his arm. The woman had left as quickly as she arrived. This place had more magical creatures than his time. All he wanted was to be left alone. Rescuing a curious girl was not in his plans.
Soft footsteps walked across the tiled floor, and Cé stiffened. More questions?
“Here.”
Cé forced himself to open his eyes.
Theo held a clear bag filled with crimson liquid.
The spicy smell sent Cé’s senses reeling. The hunger rose in him, and he forced himself to remain on the cot. His nostrils flared, and his fangs lengthened. He clutched the mattress tight, trying not attack the sheriff.
“I know you’re hungry, vampire.” He tossed the bag into Cé’s lap. “Drink.”
Hating himself, Cé picked up the bag and sank his fangs into it. He expected the blood to be cold, but to his surprise, ’twas warm. He avoided looking at the sheriff as he drained the bag dry. Blood seeped down his chin, and he wiped his mouth dry.
“You’ll find one bag will satisfy your hunger.”
Cé didn’t answer him, but ’twas true. The hunger faded. His fangs retracted, and he could breathe easier. The throbbing in his legs lessened, and the soreness in his muscles faded, but weariness still gripped him. He wanted to sleep for a month and wake up in another place, another time, another era.
He heard Theo walk away and then he snatched what he wanted—sleep.
***
A thick fog rolled over Pandora, and she shivered. Brittle cold soaked into her bones, and it wasn’t just from the fog. Something was in the fog. Something evil.
Her heart thundering, she couldn’t see and struggled to breathe. She stretched out her hands to see where she was going.
“Pandora, help me!”
Pandora froze, recognizing the terrified voice. It was Lisa. Hope surged through her. Lisa was alive!
This time, Pandora would save her. She wouldn’t be late. She’d get there in time.
“Lisa! I’m coming.” She ran as fast as she could toward the whimpering cries, but her legs suddenly became made of lead, and she couldn’t move. She was barefoot and sinking into the ground all the way to her knees.
A voice echoed in her mind, “You can’t do this alone.”
“Topper? Help me! We have to save Lisa.”
But it wasn’t Topper’s help that she needed. She needed a pirat
e’s help, but he wasn’t here.
The scream grew louder, closer.
A loud agonizing scream jerked Pandora awake. She kicked her sheets to get free. “Lisa! Lisa!”
For a minute, she didn’t know where she was and took big gulps of air. She sat up trembling, tangled in her sheets.
Fogginess still plagued her, and she was soaked with sweat. Another yell stilled her heart. But this one was masculine.
The shrieks hadn’t been a dream. Someone was in trouble, but it wasn’t Lisa. Lisa was already dead.
The same man cried out in agony.
Pandora flew out of her bed and raced to the window. She pulled back her plantation shutters and froze. A sparkling cloud covered her milkman—Frank Blair. He had his hands around his throat as if he was trying to breathe. His cute little pink cheeks changed to a ghastly white that matched the color of his beard.
She pounded her fists on the window pane. “Frank! Frank!”
But the little gnome collapsed onto his knees.
She called upon a spell she heard once. “Rain, horny toads, wind.” She pressed her palms against the glass. Suddenly, the wind picked up and swished around the cloud. Grass moved and dirt flew into the whirlwind. Frank’s clothes rippled and white beard flipped up into his face, but the damn cloud hadn’t moved.
Her spell wasn’t strong enough. She hadn’t the power of Lacey. She raced through the ranch house. “Hang on, Frank!”
Malevolence crept into her room like a black-widow spider.
On instinct, she drew on a protection spell that Lacey had taught her when they were little.
“Sweet cherries, bumble bees, angel’s wings.”
Energy swelled in her chest, and her heart pumped stronger. Her skin tingled as a golden aura of protection encased her trembling body.
The malice attacked.
A force slammed into her—a wind of evil.
She staggered and fell back onto her bed, landing flat onto her back. She couldn’t breathe or move. Her heart stopped.
Something foul imprisoned her on the bed. It felt as if icy fingers squeezed her neck. Panic seized her. She clawed at her throat but couldn’t feel anything except her own skin. Blood swelled behind her eyeballs. Black dots warm in front of her, and her chest burned for air.
