Coveted

by Shawntelle Madison

  “The pickle place? No thanks.”

  I laughed at her. “You too good to serve long green pickles to people?”

  Misty arrived with our food—and served it with a smile, no less. Good girl.

  Aggie tore into her sandwich. “Yes, I’m too good to stand behind a counter and place pickles on plates like they’re eight-inch dildos.”

  “Well, they’re hiring and you need a job.” I glanced at my bare wrist to examine my imaginary clock. For some reason I’d forgotten my watch today. “I have a few minutes before I return to work. I think I’ll go fill out an essay or two at Barney’s on my past experience as a rich Manhattan socialite.”

  When I came home from my Saturday shift, I found Aggie sitting in the living room wearing a nice blouse and dress pants. Of course, she had a snack in her hands.

  “You look—nice.”

  “Thanks to your glowing application and recommendation, I was called in this morning for an interview.”

  I plopped down on the couch and wrestled her bag of Doritos away. “That fast?”

  Aggie flipped back a thick strand of her hair. “Apparently, I work well with others and have an aptitude for teamwork. Where did you pull that shit from?”

  “I can be imaginative when necessary.”

  “Oh, yes, it’s from your new book, The Guide to Being a Smart-Ass. We should use your old New York connections to get it published.”

  I tried to imagine what my coworkers in New York would think if they saw me now. Not all my memories of them were pleasant. Back in the day, one of them had grumbled about me from another room, “I should invite her to the Christmas party, but she’s way too creepy. I heard from somebody that she’s at work all the time—and that she wears the same clothes every day.”

  At times, werewolf hearing royally sucks.

  Chapter 12

  With the Long Island werewolves on the prowl and all those kids hunting for candy, Halloween didn’t have the same exciting vibe as usual. At least I knew someone planned to visit my house for something other than slitting my throat. I tried to harness some positive thinking while I sat in the nest with the rest of the cuckoo birds in Dr. Frank’s office. I wasn’t doing too well.

  I had a few more days until the full moon. The tides roused the wolf’s hunger in my blood. The animal under my skin writhed and eagerly awaited a chance to spring forth. I hoped Heidi was managing the changing of the tides better than me.

  The beautiful rose, wrapped in parchment paper, rested in a bag over my shoulder. As I was getting ready to leave the house, I found myself wishing Thorn would stop by. We hadn’t spoken to each other in a while, and I wished I was bold enough to just call him. With resolve, I closed my bag instead of picking up the phone.

  Aggie offered to escort me into the city, but I declined. “The last thing I need is for you to witness the freak show I attend.”

  “I’m sure they’re just regular people who have—problems. Hell, I can’t talk with the way I eat every fifteen minutes.”

  I glanced at her clothes. She’d borrowed one of my dressy shirts and pulled her hair into a professional bun. Agatha McClure appeared … responsible. “And don’t you have to report in to work or something?”

  “I can call to tell them I’ll be late.”

  I headed into the kitchen to fetch my keys. “You’d be more than late. I have to drive into Manhattan and stay there for the afternoon. This isn’t a casual day trip.”

  “As your friend, I’m not comfortable with you being out alone. We were attacked, and I expect my father to find me sooner or later, which means even more trouble—”

  Someone knocked on the door. Aggie paused and raised her nose in the air. “I didn’t hear them approach.”

  “Neither did I.” My claws itched to come out, but I got a knife from the block in the kitchen instead. My reindeer blade wasn’t exactly menacing, but I hoped it might frighten them anyway.

  Aggie peeked through the keyhole and groaned. “It’s the wizard from last week.”

  Nick? What the hell was he doing here?

  Aggie headed back into the kitchen and I opened the door.

  The wizard, dressed in his usual black ensemble, stood outside with a smile.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked. “I have your rose if you want it now.”

  He raised his hands. “Oh, it’s not that. If I remember right, you said you’d had some werewolf trouble, so I thought I’d make sure you reached the city safely.”

  How did he know I was leaving now? My eyebrows rose. “Did Aggie or Dr. Frank call you about a ride?”

  Aggie’s voice floated in my direction from the kitchen. “I didn’t say a thing.”

  “Look, I don’t need help today. Head on back to the city and I’ll see you in a few hours.” I checked behind him, but I didn’t see a car. “How did you get here?”

  He grinned and folded his arms. “I have my own transportation. Are you sure you don’t want a free ride into the city? I’m even willing to offer you lunch. I’m assuming you’d have to stop and eat.”

  “I don’t know.” What did he mean by “transportation”? That materialize/dematerialize thingy he’d performed back at Dr. Frank’s office seemed all sparkly and flashy, but I’d seen Star Trek movies. Some people didn’t make it back when Scotty beamed them home from the monster-laden planet.

  He opened his black trench coat. From one of the pockets he pulled out my ornament. “I didn’t want to use this little guy as an incentive.” He examined the round green ornament with plastic rhinestones around the middle. The sunlight reflected facets of forest green on the walls. “You could have this back in your hands much sooner.”

  I took a step forward, transfixed. “Or you could give it back to me now.” I reached for it, but he put it back inside his coat.

  My heartbeat quickened and I couldn’t suppress a growl. “You shouldn’t tempt a wolf by dangling a bone. Especially a shiny one.”

  He laughed. “Well, if you went with me, we could accidentally stop by a few stores. And I won’t tell Dr. Frank if you won’t.”

  By the time Nick said, “I won’t tell Dr. Frank,” I’d grabbed my jacket and bolted out the door.

  “I have a ride, Aggie.”

  Before I slammed the door shut, I heard Aggie yell, “You better come back empty—” With my hearing, I caught every word she said, but perhaps she meant something else.

  We walked across the porch to the front lawn, where I asked how we’d reach the city.

  “We need to walk over to the field across the street from your place.”

  “I thought wizards waved a stick or something and then they magically teleported places.”

  He chuckled. “I can do short distances, but those are restricted to teleporting myself. Since you’re my guest, I’ll have to use a jump point.”

  Now, as a werewolf, I shouldn’t allow magic and its associated intricacies to surprise me. I mean, on every full moon I sprouted fur and hunted wild rabbits. “What’s a jump point?”

  We began to walk across the lawn. The brown, red, and orange leaves crunched underneath our feet.

  “In the past, the world was covered in forests, which were full of magical places and towns. As time passed, larger towns and cities were built over those magical spots. Man built buildings and paved roads, but the magical points remained. Whether it was a great wizard or a fairy who charmed those places is unknown.”

  I nodded to encourage him to continue. He had a charming look in his eyes when he explained things.

  “Wizards like me can use these magical places as ‘jump points’ to teleport between locations. Some of us have staffs and wands to increase our natural spellcasting ability, but the quality ones are hard to come by.”

  “Expensive too. We stock that kind of stuff at the flea market. I know we’ve got something rare when the witches turn into crazy vultures.”

  We reached the road and walked across. With the lack of traffic, we didn’t need to watch out
for cars, but a thicket of trees slowed our progress toward the field in the distance.

  “How do you work at The Bends without feeding your habit?” he asked.

  I opened my mouth and snapped it shut. I’d never been asked that question before. “I don’t know. I guess I’m too busy doing my job. In the beginning when I started working there it was really hard.”

  He parted some branches for me to cut through. “Yeah, I work at a pawnshop in East Village. I’m not really helping my hoarding either.”

  “I’m not a hoarder.”

  He paused before he turned back to reveal half a smile. “Ah, yes, you’re a collector.”

  “Hoarders have filthy homes with a bunch of garbage. My home is clean.”

  “We’re almost there. So that’s your definition of a hoarder, then? Dirty people?”

  “No, they’re not all dirty people.” I paused for a moment. The collector in me wanted to deny that I should be labeled a hoarder. If I was a hoarder, then I had to be like all those people I’d heard about on TV or in the paper. I’d never be that kind of woman, who’s discovered by the police lying under a heap of her own stuff.

  “We’re almost there.” He dropped the subject, but a part of me felt ashamed. I knew he had an anxiety disorder. He hadn’t told me or the therapy group what kind it was, at least not while I was there. So far he’d treated me with respect and kindness. (Even after taking my ornament away.)

  Beyond the thicket of trees a mile of plowed farmland loomed. The remnants of cornfields lay in the rich soil.

  “Are we close?” I asked.

  “The jump point’s over a rock near the edge of the field.” He directed me to a five-foot limestone rock that jutted from the ground. My nose couldn’t detect anything magical or otherwise amiss.

  “So this is your magical rock, huh?”

  “Well, you obviously can’t feel it, but this entire field is charmed. Perfect farming grounds. The farmer even used this land, even though there’s this troublesome rock in the middle of a plowed row.” He took one of my hands with his dry, yet warm fingers. Then with his other hand he reached for the rock and touched it.

  A strange humming vibrated in my jaw and slithered down to my toes. The sensation left me with an uncomfortable chill that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. I yanked my hand away and mumbled, “That’s weird.”

  He nodded. “This stone’s imbued with magic. It’s most likely that whoever placed it here masked its scent to keep curious supernaturals like your kind away. I would too if I created a teleportation point here.” He took my hand again and whispered words in an unfamiliar language. The vibrations began again and spread throughout my body. Just when I thought I’d wrench my hand away and pull his arm from its socket, my body jerked and then somehow I shifted into another place, almost like walking down a path and failing to see a cliff in the distance. Well, I plunged right off that cliff.

  The brightness of the day vanished and turned into darkness. I blinked twice as my eyes adjusted. Within the folds of the shadows, Nick stood beside me. A strong stench of decay cascaded over my nose in waves. My face scrunched up. All this dampness, mildew, and vermin made me squirm. Where the hell had he taken me?

  I turned to him and paused in surprise. In the dark, his skin looked different, almost ethereal with a slight glow. When I calmed enough to take a step forward, he walked toward an arched doorway on the other side of the room.

  “We’re in an office building basement in Brooklyn. All we need to do now is head upstairs to leave.”

  “So you’re saying we’re in New York? Right now?”

  “That’s what jump points do. They teleport people to different destinations.”

  I couldn’t resist smiling. How neat.

  Nick reached into his coat and pulled out something that appeared to be a marble. Without much light I couldn’t discern its exact shape. But after a few seconds the marble quivered and bright light enveloped the room. I squeezed my eyes shut from the glare.

  “Hey, could you be careful with your flashlight there?”

  He chuckled. “Sorry about that. This basement has cockroaches and all sorts of nasty things.”

  My nose had told me the place wasn’t clean, but after he’d turned on the light, I wished he’d turn it back off. Every corner of the basement was filled with boxes—covered in mold.

  I covered my mouth and tried not to retch. “I thought I smelled mold, but I didn’t know it was this bad. Oh, my goodness, it’s everywhere—”

  We weaved around the maze of boxes until we reached the end of the storage room.

  “Couldn’t they … move the jump spot?”

  “For my sake, I wish they could. But this building belongs to a warlock who doesn’t appreciate others casting spells in his domain. He’s been kind enough to allow me access.”

  I huffed. “So you’re saying someone willingly lives like this?” I reached into my purse and pulled out a baby wipe to use on my hands. They weren’t dirty, but I still felt soiled. I offered one to Nick and he gratefully used it.

  “When you see where we are, you’ll feel better.” Eventually we emerged into a lobby, a rather clean one, at an office. I watched as men and women emerged from the Greenpoint Gazette building to head out for an early lunch along Nassau Avenue.

  We walked out into the street and I gazed at the buildings. How I missed New York. I immediately recognized the location—the Greenpoint community of Brooklyn. So many scents, both welcoming and repulsive, but a cornucopia of richness for me to absorb. I noticed many places we could have lunch, whether we wanted American or Polish food. Archie’s was great, but even I knew a little variety never hurt.

  “From the look on your face, you’re hungry. We could eat before we head to Dr. Frank’s.”

  “I’d love to.”

  We strolled for ten minutes. Eventually, Nick pointed out a pizza place, but I declined.

  “But they’re owned by werewolves. I’ve had their pizzas before and they’re not too bad. I thought you’d feel comfortable there.”

  “Yeah, but just because they’re clean doesn’t mean they can make pizza. Werewolves make the worst pizza.”

  He shrugged. “Your choice. But unfortunately the rest of the places nearby aren’t clean to … our standards.”

  I hadn’t expected my escort to cater to my needs. From the look in Nick’s eyes, the werewolf pizzeria would offer a sane place for us to eat.

  “Lead the way. We have time to eat and do a bit of shopping. I want to be on time.”

  After we entered the place, I knew I’d come back again. It was pristine and well organized. A hostess in a black dress greeted us at the door. “Ready to eat? Booth or table?” She wasn’t a werewolf, but she smelled of magic. Perhaps she was the daughter of a supernatural and a human.

  “A booth, please,” I said. I hated tables and sat at them only if I had no choice. Tables offered points of vulnerability.

  With only the workers who were having lunch early roaming about, we had no trouble finding a perfect booth.

  As we sat down I said, “This has to be a dream.” The jade-green seats were comfortable and wonderfully clean.

  “Yeah, I eat here often. The owner is … like us. He’s pretty strict about cleanliness. I think he’s won awards from the Department of Heath for the cleanest kitchen.”

  I ran my finger over the table and just about purred. Perfect. Just the way I like it.

  “He told me a few weeks ago that he’d had some Department of Health trainees come through to see how he runs his business.”

  A waitress appeared to bring water and take our orders. While I perused the menu, Nick struck up a conversation. “So you lived in New York before?”

  “I lived here a little over four years ago.” My voice trailed away as I scanned the listings. Nick had entered dangerous territory.

  He paused for a moment and folded his arms across his chest. “And? Most people live in the city for a reason. You moved back to
New Jersey to work at a flea market?”

  “People leave the city all the time. I had a job that didn’t work out for me.”

  “In what way? I’d have thought you’d crack working in a city like this.”

  My grip on the menu tightened. “Over the past few years, things in my life have changed in many ways. Some of them haven’t been good.”

  He took a sip of his water. “And that’s why you’re seeing Dr. Frank.”

  I nodded. “Yet again. I guess I finally want to get my life back on track.”

  “I fell off the track and I’ve been off it for years.” He cocked a grin. “Perhaps too long to climb back on.”

  His positive nature was infectious. “So you’re going to work at a pawnshop for the rest of your life?”

  “I wish I could. Dr. Frank tried to take me on as an apprentice but that would require a few years of medical school.”

  “I think you’d be a great therapist. That calming spell is divine.”

  He chuckled. “Sometimes we wizards get a thrill from the exchange too—if it’s with the right person.”

  I tried to hide my smile as we sat for a bit. Was he implying that he got as much from using his magic to calm me as I did?

  To end the silence I asked, “So, are you a goth wizard or something?”

  “Goth? Whatever made you think that?”

  I pointed to his death-march clothes.

  “Oh, I guess I would give that impression. No, I prefer to wear black. If there were any dark stains it would be harder to see them, and my whole wardrobe looks the same, so there’s less stress.”

  Every once in a while, Nick stole a glance at my face. The whole encounter didn’t bother me at first—I’d had men check me out before. But it was unnerving the way he stared at the contours of my face as if he found me interesting. His heart rate hadn’t changed, nor did his scent indicate that he was aroused. Thorn never examined me like this. He would’ve undressed me with his eyes by this point. Suddenly, I couldn’t stop my cheeks from reddening. Was Nick using glamour to hide certain things from me? To me, the world is a place of smells indicating the state of everything, including whether someone was sick, aroused, or angry. A scent revealed everyone’s true nature, but somehow the man in front of me showed me one thing but told my nose something else.