by Amber Lynn
I didn’t want to tell her about the other offer I’d had, or the fact that he’d said he didn’t mind joining us. I didn’t want to let her mind run wild with the information, and there wasn’t any doubt that it would.
“Yes, I’ll be there, like I have been every week for the last five years. Don’t you think it’s getting to be time that we change the routine up a little?”
“Maybe.” She blew on her tea before taking a sip, instantly pursing her lips because of the heat. “You’re wasting valuable time that could be spent making you pretty by standing around talking to me. Off with you.”
I didn’t remember being shooed in my own home, but as the time got further past eight, my morning routine became even more condensed and rushed. I didn’t bother trying to continue the conversation, and made my second climb up the stairs.
Usually I hadn’t even encountered a trip down the stairs by that time. I didn’t like the way my brain told me it was going to be an omen for the rest of the day.
Chapter Three
Four hours later my day hadn’t improved. It hadn’t gotten worse, but I’d been hopeful something would make my reduced amount of sleep worthwhile. I was tired and two childcare providers decided it was the perfect day to spend a few hours at the library. I loved children, but twenty of them running around was a little much.
I was waiting for Abbie to show up so we could walk across the street for lunch. I needed a few minutes of quiet, since I hadn’t had a moment of it from the time I woke up. I knew Abbie wasn’t just going to sit and let me eat in peace, but it had to be better than the two- and three-year-olds battling for attention. For some reason children were always drawn to me, and they all seemed to want to prove to me how amazing they were.
“Are you able to help me locate an old newspaper article?”
I’d been busy staring at the entrance for Abbie, so I didn’t hear the man speaking come up behind me. I spaced off enough that I didn’t startle when someone brought me out of my stupor. I did startle when someone who looked like a Viking tried to get my attention, which is exactly what I thought of when the man moved to stand in front of me.
Using Jack as reference, since he’d been on my mind, the guy was about his size, maybe a little bit bigger. They also shared a complexion from spending way more time out in the sun than I did.
That was pretty much where any comparison ended. Jack had dark features, other than his kind of pale green eyes. It had been a little hard making things out during our meeting, but I’d catalogued his eyes and black hair.
The man in front of me had eyes that glowed blue and long blond hair that flowed to his shoulders. It didn’t compete with mine for length, but it was longer than most guys I’d met.
“Sorry, I was waiting for a friend so I could go on my lunch break, but she seems to be a little delayed. What year are you looking for?”
“Does the year make a difference as far as helping me?”
He tilted his head to the side and gave a somewhat cocky grin. Unexpectedly I felt a tingle of magic from him. I could tell he was holding back, but he wanted me to know he wasn’t a normal human.
There were such things as male witches, generally called warlocks instead of witches just because they didn’t like the witch stereotype. I didn’t think he fell into that category, though. There was something different about the magic I felt. I didn’t like it, and I wasn’t sure that I liked him being around.
“Older items take longer to find. If you wanted something from before the nineteen hundreds, it could take a whole afternoon.”
Knowing that he was magical intrigued me, but at the same time made me leery of being alone with him. We didn’t often have many visitors to the archives, and I doubted any of the preschoolers were making plans to look something up, so helping him meant we’d be alone.
“You shouldn’t be scared of me. I’ve just recently moved to the area and I’m trying to venture out more. I noticed you last week when I was walking down the street and I thought it’d be nice to meet someone with your skills.”
“My skills? This isn’t the time or place to discuss my skills.”
“I’m aware. I just wanted to let you know why I’m standing in your library. It’s rare to meet someone like you.”
“I’m guessing you don’t get out much if that’s the case.”
I spotted Abbie walking through the automatic door and held my finger up to let her know I’d be a second. She’d changed out of the jeans and t-shirt she’d worn at my house. It was surprising to see her in a cute blue and purple sundress.
She wore dresses about as often as I did, which amounted to maybe once a year. Focusing in on her for second, I noticed her curled hair and makeup. I was fairly certain the getup meant someone had died.
“If you’re talking about your friend, I think we both know she’s not really like you. Some of the same basic skillset, but you’re much more than a tarot reader.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, causing his already tight polo shirt to accentuate his biceps. Evidently it was the time in my life when every male I met looked like a well-toned male model.
“As I said, I don’t feel like talking about my skills right now. Abbie, are you ready to go eat?”
As I expected, she hadn’t waited by the door for me. I couldn’t fault her for wanting to get a closer look, but I wasn’t sure I wanted her exposed to the stranger. There was something about him I didn’t trust.
“Yeah, I’m starving and have been waiting all day to finish the conversation we started this morning. Do you have some things to finish up, or are you good to go?”
I raised my eyebrows slightly that she didn’t immediately start quizzing the stranger. Abbie liked to know everything about everyone she met, and I assumed they hadn’t met before.
“Well, we can’t have you starving. You can help me find the article I’m looking for later, Kennedy. I’m afraid I’m looking for one that you’d qualify as an older item. What’s the afternoon look like around here? Are you expecting more kids to eat up your attention? I’ve been watching for a break in the action to talk, and with my luck it just happened to be the moment you were getting ready to leave.”
“Thursday afternoons get busy around here this time of year, so if you’re trying to be nice and not steal all Kennedy’s attention, it’s probably best if you come back tomorrow. Or better yet, stick around here while we’re eating and ask one of the other librarians to help you out.”
Abbie butted in before I could answer, and every word about how busy it got was a lie. It was hard not to correct her, but I figured she had a reason. Since the guy made me uneasy, I didn’t mind her trying to pawn him off on someone else.
“Come back tomorrow, you mean when she doesn’t work? I’m pretty sure that defeats the purpose of her helping me. As does asking someone else for help.”
“There’s plenty of other people around here who can help. As I said, maybe you should find one of them while we’re eating.”
My previous notion that Abbie hadn’t met the man before started to diminish as she reiterated he should ask someone else. There was an animosity between them that I didn’t think was possible for strangers.
“Since we’re in public, I won’t take the conversation where I want to, but your contempt of me is duly noted.”
During the whole conversation his eyes had remained on me, while I tried to look between the two of them to figure out their connection. I didn’t sense one, other than their words.
“Why don’t you let her feel what you really are? I’m sure she wouldn’t give you the time of day if you weren’t hiding yourself,” Abbie said in a hushed tone.
“Linda, I’m going to run across the street to eat real quick. If another group comes through, don’t hesitate coming over to get me.”
I grabbed Abbie’s arm on my way to the door and got her out of the library before she could say anything else. I didn’t understand why they thought it was necessary to talk about private thin
gs in the middle of the library, but I was done.
“You’ve been pretty liberal about tales of past relationships, Abbie, but I don’t remember any descriptions that fit his bill.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t let him ten feet within my front door, let alone my bed. He’s the one from last night.”
I looked over my shoulder. I felt him follow us out, but he’d stopped outside the door, while we were in the middle of the street.
The grin across his face let me know he was still listening to the conversation from a distance. There was something menacing behind the smile, but at the same time he appeared to make an attempt for charming.
“Why do you say that? He let me feel his magic for a second and it was weird, but I didn’t get the demon vibe.”
I leaned in to try to keep the conversation private as we stepped over the curb. The little deli had outdoor seating, but I had no plans of sitting out there while being stared at.
Abbie pulled the door open and pushed me inside. Once the bells on the door sounded and my nose smelled the delicious bread they baked fresh each day, I felt a little better. Right up to the point I came up with a reason for Abbie to be dressed up.
And that reason didn’t look extremely happy.
“I’m getting a sandwich, and then I’m going to go find a very big hole and bury myself in it.”
“Come on, princess, it’s just a coincidence my partner picked this place for lunch.”
Jack was loud enough that everyone in the deli focused in on him. He was sitting with a man who had his back to me. They were both in dress slacks and button up shirts, but other than the pants being black and the light blue tops, I didn’t see a whole lot of either of them.
Jack’s eyes were focused behind me instead of on me. I sensed the anger brewing under his skin was for the man I’d recently met. I was surprised he was able to sit still when it felt like his skin was about to boil.
The man with Jack turned around to look my way, and he didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was staring at me. He looked a little like Jack, not as intense, though. I knew he was a wolf, and I was sure he knew who I was.
He got his fill and turned back to his food without giving any indication whether he approved, for lack of a better word. After the twenty-four hours that I’d had, I appreciated a man who was more interested in his sandwich than me.
“You could’ve suggested eating somewhere else.”
“I would’ve if I knew. I was too busy thinking about the trouble behind us to look for trouble ahead.”
“Donakalmak,” I said waving my hand.
I was breaking rules by using magic, but I couldn’t handle not knowing what was going on. The people in the deli froze as I turned to face Abbie.
“You honestly didn’t know he was here? Were you able to feel them before we walked in?”
I pointed towards the table to make sure she knew who I was talking about. It was obvious, but with the way my day was going there could’ve been hobgoblins running around.
“It’s hard to feel anything with the monster out there.”
Abbie’s eyes darted around, partially fascinated by the fact that no one was moving. I’d seen people stuck with food hanging inches from their mouths before, so it wasn’t that interesting.
“But you felt Jack last night, right? We should’ve been able to feel him in here.”
“Like I said, monster outside is blocking me from feeling stuff like that. How could you stand talking to him? I was in there about five seconds and it felt like he was corrupting my soul.”
“What is he? I don’t feel anything unless he lets me in, and even then it didn’t feel as bad as you’re making it sound.”
“I have no idea what he is. I’ve never encountered it before, but I’m sure it’s not something you want to be a part of. I didn’t like the way he was looking at you. What did he say?”
I didn’t understand how she could be so vocal against a person if she didn’t know what they were. I understood her warning me about Jack, but without proof that the new guy was the demon she thought him to be, it seemed a little overkill.
“You hate the way everyone looks at me. So, we don’t know what he is. Is it really that bad that he was trying to make a friend?”
“I’ll go out on a limb and say yes, if you’re talking about the man outside trying to kill me just by looking in here. I’ve decided there’s other things I’d rather focus on, but I can feel the daggers.”
Jack’s voice surprised me, causing me to look away from Abbie to see why he was able to speak. Even if I didn’t use my magic often, I knew when I commanded the room to freeze, it froze.
“Special werewolf,” he said as an explanation. “Maybe I should hang around the area today if someone’s causing you trouble. Abbie doesn’t seem to like him much.”
I studied his friend, noticing his hand floating with a potato chip in it on the way to his mouth. I supposed there was some solace in the fact that one of the werewolves had been affected by my magic.
“Explain this special werewolf crap. Why aren’t you frozen?”
“You’d know that if you did your readings any day other than Friday. As far as the fella outside, he’s an incubus, and the real reason I’m hanging out here today. Not that keeping an eye on you isn’t also fun. I figured for the most part you were able to stay out of trouble. He on the other hand has killed two people since he moved into town, and I’m working on getting him out of town.”
“That makes perfect sense.” Abbie’s epiphany was a little loud in my ear.
“I’m even more lost, but I’m glad someone’s following along. You’re saying incubi exist?”
I hadn’t turned away from Jack after realizing he was still animated, and I imagined his eyes hadn’t been off me much after I walked in, other than the early glares out the window. I got the feeling there was something about me that amused him.
“And one has moved into the neighborhood. I imagine that’s about as exciting for you as when my family moved in. Of course, dealing with werewolves is a lot more pleasant than dealing with an incubus.”
Having a species, so to speak, didn’t help clear up the confusion I had. As far as I knew, incubi didn’t play with the weather.
“Does part of your spell keep people from walking in here? I only ask because I’m sure it’s going to look really weird if someone does and only three of the patrons are moving.”
“I’m younger than you, Abbie, but I can still think ahead. So, yes, it keeps people out. It didn’t stop time, though, so we should probably start things up, because I am actually hungry and I don’t have time to ask the other questions I’ve come up with.”
“Good idea. First, I’d like you to promise me you aren’t going to find yourself alone with him. I’m sure the package is appealing, but I really need you for that reading tomorrow, and I’m not sure how you’d fair if he turns on the charm.”
For half a second I almost thought Jack was revealing he cared about me, which would’ve been stupid since we hadn’t even known each other for a full day. A part of me wanted his words to be stronger, like I was forbidden to spend time alone with him or he was going to follow my every move to make sure I was protected.
My brain was clearly suffering from lack of sleep if I was hoping a man would bring out alpha male protectiveness for me.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Now that you’ve been kind enough to fill in the piece I was missing, there’s no way I’m going to let her out of my sight.”
I wasn’t jumping for joy hearing that I was going to have an Abbie-shadow the rest of the day. I’d already assumed the Viking was going to continue to hang around, and Jack being close by probably wasn’t going to change. For some reason my very simple life had become the thing soap operas were made of.
Drama.
Whether it actually had five letters instead of four, it was still a four-letter-word in my dictionary.
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
I waved my hand as I spoke to bring everyone back in motion. It was a good way for me to get the last word.
Since it was in the middle of the lunch hour rush, there were customers in front of us in line. My eyes were still focused on Jack, so I saw the moment when his friend realized something wasn’t quite right. Jack hadn’t moved much, but it was enough for a wolf to pick up.
His friend shook his head, not wanting to make a big deal out of it, or maybe he was trying to tell himself nothing had happened. If he figured out a way to erase things that seemed illogical, I wanted in on the secret.
“What are you getting?” I asked Abbie as we waited.
The conversation needed to move forward, and we hadn’t been talking about anything before the break that I wanted to pick back up on.
“I was planning on waiting to see if they have any specials. I think three weeks in a row is my limit for meatball subs.”
Abbie was into cycles, whereas I was all about routine. We’d been going to the same deli for years on Thursdays and I always got the veggie sub with extra bean sprouts. My constant companion hated that I never picked anything different, which more than likely was why I kept at it.
“You’ve pushed for them to start specials and they haven’t had a single one since you started asking. I think it’s time to give it up and just pick out a favorite.”
We moved up in line as an order finished up. The people making the sandwiches had been there when we’d started coming, so they were pros at moving the line quickly.
“I don’t know how you live on those veggie subs. You’ve got to be starving by the time you head home on Thursdays.”
I rolled my eyes. There were almost as many calories in my sub as there were in most of the meat sandwiches on the menu.
“I manage. Let’s just get our food and eat.”
Most of the tables were full, so I hoped someone managed to leave by the time we got our food. I wouldn’t have minded sitting with Jack, but something told me it wasn’t a great idea with the Viking hanging around. I hadn’t witnessed the stares Jack claimed he was getting, but I imagined the two weren’t going to be best friends.
