by Cate Dean
“After I saw you. None of your business. I’m telling you now. Any other questions?”
“This is not the time for your sarcasm, Reese Anna.”
It had been a while since Mom used my middle name. I could remind her that as an adult I could ignore it—but she had a point. Not that I’d tell her that.
“I was told that what I see in the future doesn’t always happen. Is that true?” I held my breath, not sure I wanted the answer.
“Yes. What you see is a possible future.” Mom let me go and rubbed her forehead. I knew she was getting one of the headaches that had plagued her for years. “Who was it? Who did you see?”
I so didn’t want to tell her. She had been playing matchmaker since I moved out of the house. She would not approve of Bran. All her matchmaking had been human—and so normal they bordered on boring.
“I met him at a crime scene, Mom. This morning.”
She gasped, one hand going to her throat. “Not more?” she whispered.
“Another one. Younger than the others.” My throat threatened to close up, but I kept talking. I had to get it out. “I saw what happened. I saw who did it. But I don’t know why—the man I met at the crime scene can help me find out.”
Mom crossed her arms, giving me The Look. I could never defend myself against The Look. “Who is he, Reese?”
“His name is Bran. One of the officers at the scene told me that he’s a private investigator.”
“Not Bran Malcolm—please tell me it’s not Bran Malcolm.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.” I wasn’t going to tell her that I was already falling for him. Nope—not going to tell her. “I need his help, Mom. He understands what’s going on, and he can see the Fae. That’s going to come in handy, since one of them is the killer.”
“He is a demon—”
“Half-demon.”
“Demons and Fae do not mix. Ever.” Instead of the anger I expected, pain flared in her eyes. “You are done with this, Reese. You hear me—you are done—”
“I can’t walk away.” I took Mom’s hands, holding on tight when she tried to jerk free. “Whoever did this, whatever did this, they’re not done yet. I felt it, Mom. I saw it. I can’t stand by and do nothing—not now.”
“Oh, honey.” Mom leaned in and kissed my forehead. “I never wanted this for you—it’s the reason I kept you in a bubble for most of your life. But you’re right.” She freed herself and walked out of the bedroom, returning with her jewelry box. All my life, I’ve never been allowed to so much as touch the box. Now she set it between us on the bed, and for the first time, opened it in front of me. “I have talismans that can protect you.” She sighed. “And Bran.”
I saw the pendant that had started this all tucked in the box, and was more than happy to let her keep it. She must have put it away after bringing me here—not hard, since the pendant had been in my hand. Honestly, I never wanted to see the damned thing again. She pulled a blue velvet pouch out of the jewelry box. I stared at it, because it glowed. “Mom—”
“You can see it, can’t you?” I nodded, still staring at the bag. Mom opened the bag, took my hand, and emptied the contents into my palm. “You need to wear these at all times, Reese. Never take them off, or they will lose their ability to protect you.”
She talked about the pieces in my hand like they were alive. The strange thing is, they felt alive. The blue, iridescent stone in the center of both rings looked solid—until I slid my gaze away from them. Then they swirled like a miniature whirlpool. And the bracelet—it looked like the artist had taken vines and dipped them in silver. It was so intricate, and so delicate, I was almost afraid to touch it.
“Don’t let the bracelet fool you,” Mom said. She smiled when I looked up at her. “It was created by the most powerful metal found on the other side of the Veil.”
“So—these were made by—Fae?” I wanted to drop them when they started pulsing in my hand. I did drop them when that pulse matched my heartbeat. “God—”
Mom caught them before they hit the bed, put them back in my palm. “They were made for you, Reese.” She hesitated, and stared at her hands when she spoke again. “They were made by your father.”
My heart threatened to burst out of my chest. “My father—he wasn’t—”
“Heavens, no. But he understood the Fae, in a way that most mortals do not.” She looked at me, and I knew better than to ask any other questions. “Wear the ring and the bracelet, Reese. The second ring is yours to give—but choose wisely, so you don’t regret that choice.”
I knew she was warning me off Bran. She’d do that until her dying breath. I couldn’t blame her, but I wasn’t going to let her prejudice against supernaturals keep me from getting to know Bran better. Or asking for his help.
“Bran—” I searched for the clock that used to be on my student desk. It was still there—and told me I was beyond late. “I need to go.”
Mom blocked the door before I could get through. “You’re meeting Bran tonight?”
“Not a word, Mom. Bran is going to be part of my life, at least for now. So get used to it.”
I stared at her until she sighed, and stepped out of my way. Before she could change her mind I ran, out of the bedroom, and out of the house. I skidded to a halt when I realized my car wasn’t here. I was trapped in suburban Orange County.
When I turned around, Mom stood on the front porch, hands on her hips. “Need a ride?”
“I’m going to borrow your car. Since you decided to yank me out of my own life, you’re going to loan it to me.” I walked over to her and held out my hand for the key. “I’ll get it back to you tomorrow.”
She dug the keys out of her pocket, and dropped them in my hand. “Watch your back, Reese. You can’t trust a demon.”
“And that’s the last time you get to say those words, Mom.”
I walked away from her, pushing the button to unlock the huge SUV. I hated that car, but it would get me back to Santa Luna. Back to Bran.
I had to see him, touch him, know that he was okay.
After I opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat, I uncurled my fingers and stared at the alien jewelry. Whether I wanted it or not, I needed the protection that Mom offered. At least until I knew the limits of my power—and what I was willing to do with that power.
I slipped one ring on the middle finger of my left hand. It felt right there, and fit me perfectly. The bracelet fit my left wrist like it was made for me, and weighed nothing. I should’ve been surprised, but I wasn’t—not after everything that happened to me today.
When I looked over at the house, Mom still stood on the porch, her arms crossed, hugging her waist. I knew she was worried, and not only about my attraction to Bran. But I had to live my life my way, whether she liked it or not. Though I would keep in contact with her, so she knew I was okay.
I waved to her before I started the car and pulled out of the driveway. I had a date to get to.
~ ~ ~
I turned onto Forest and found a space in front of my store. With most of the stores closed for the day, it was easy to find a parking space. There was a black, sporty convertible two spots down, and I had the feeling it was Bran’s car. But he was nowhere in sight—and I had been too dazed after meeting him to get his cell number, or give him mine. If he had tried to call the store—
I slid out of the car and headed for the side street leading to the back alley. When I rounded the corner into the alley, I collided with a tall, fast-moving figure.
Strong hands grabbed my arms—in the same spot where Mom left bruises. I let out a yelp, and they let go.
“Reese—” Bran hovered as I found my balance, using the back wall of my store to help. “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry—sometimes the demon’s strength gets the better of—”
“It wasn’t you.” I looked up at him, and that same shock drove through me. Damn, I liked him already. Too much. The concern on his face had me liking him even more. “How long have you been
here?”
“When you didn’t answer the phone at the store, I got worried. What happened to you?” He sounded concerned, but under it was an anger that I could understand. I’d been feeling it since I opened my eyes and realized my own mom had kidnapped me.
I gave him a quick summary, watching his smile widen with every word. “Laugh, I dare you.”
He pressed his lips together, obviously controlling himself. I had to admire him for it—most men would have given in and laughed. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m not all that sure I want to meet your mom.”
“That sentiment is mutual.” Instinct had me digging the ring out of my jeans pocket and handing to him. “This is for you.”
I dropped it in his hand before I could change my mind.
He stared at the ring, then at me. “Are you sure?” The tone in his quiet voice told me that he knew exactly what I had just given him.
“I am now.” Because he didn’t slip on the ring and take advantage of the offer of protection, I knew my instinct was right. Demon or not, he was a good man. “I want you safe, Bran. It will be hard to get to know you if you’re dead.”
His laughter eased the fist trying to squeeze my heart. The fist let go as soon as he put on the ring. He chose the same finger, and like my ring, it fit perfectly.
“Come here,” he said.
I stepped to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, standing on tiptoe to meet him halfway. This time his kiss felt—powerful, and more intimate than any I’d ever experienced.
Fireworks and rubber knees happened again, but I was expecting them this time. I found that I actually liked the sensation, and that he was the only one who made me feel this way. When he finally eased away, we were both breathless.
“Dinner?” he whispered.
“Starving,” I whispered back.
“Let’s have dinner first.”
I burst out laughing, and the last of my anger at Mom faded. “As long as the service is fast.”
Bran grabbed my hand and practically dragged me around the corner, toward the street. “I know just the place.”
I laughed again as he headed straight for the Starbucks.
~ ~ ~
We ate slightly stale muffins and sipped coffee as we walked along the boardwalk that edged the main beach.
The sun was just starting to set, and in a few minutes it would touch the watery horizon, turning the ocean to liquid flame.
What can I say—I’m a poet when it comes to sunsets. I love them, especially when water is involved. Sunsets and the beach were two of the reasons I chose Santa Luna as my permanent home.
Bran guided me to one of the wood and wrought iron benches on the boardwalk. We sat, and I leaned against him, far more comfortable than I’d ever been with anyone. He kissed my forehead, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in tight. As the sun set, the air cooled, and my thin leather jacket couldn’t compete with the chill. Bran let go of me long enough to take off his black leather bomber jacket and drape it over my shoulders.
“Better?” I didn’t hear him—I was too busy staring at the gun on his belt. How did I not notice that before? “Reese?”
“You carry a weapon?”
His right hand moved to the gun. “I wear it when I think I’ll need it. We met at a crime scene, remember?”
“Right.” I relaxed, and leaned into him again. He was a professional; having a weapon was part of his job. It was just so alien to me, but then, pretty much everything about today had been alien. “I didn’t mean to react like that—it’s just been—”
“One hell of a day. I’m right there with you, beautiful.” He gently rubbed my arm, obviously remembering my reaction earlier. “All right?”
“Better than all right.”
I settled in and watched the sun set, more content than I had been in a long time.
Six
After a good night kiss that made Bran want to take Reese inside and kiss every inch of her good night, she finally eased back, smiling at him.
“Thank you for the coffee and stale muffins.”
“Next time I’ll do better.”
“I don’t doubt it.” She grabbed the front of his shirt and stood on tiptoe to kiss him again. Even his demon liked the way her lips felt against his, and the slim curves of her body under his hands. “Okay,” she whispered. “I really need to go, while I can still walk.”
He nodded, his brain still dialed to need her mode. After she handed his jacket over, she smiled at him and closed the door to the converted Victorian. He leaned against the porch post and focused on breathing. His life was never going to be the same.
From this moment, there was going to be a before Reese and an after Reese.
Bran wanted to stay firmly in after Reese—for good.
Hell, was he in deep.
Seven
I didn’t remember climbing the stairs, or unlocking the door to my studio. Reality yanked me back by tripping me up. Literally. With a pair of boots I knew I had left at the end of my bed.
They now stood in the middle of my tiny living room. Once I recovered from my near face plant with the pine floor, I saw the note sticking out of one boot.
My fingers itched before I even touched the paper. Maeve was all over it. I hated that I knew things like that now, before I even touched an object. Annoyed, I plucked the paper out of the boot.
I didn’t need to turn on a light—I always kept a light on in my apartment, and at the store.
I’d been afraid of the dark since I could remember, and walking into a dark room, even as an adult, left me breathless. I refused to be ashamed, so I worked around that fear.
I also kept a supply of bulbs in my closet. Long life bulbs, just in case.
I unrolled the small piece of heavy paper, and words appeared as I skimmed it.
Reese,
We must talk. Alone.
M.
As if I’d spend a second alone with her again.
I tore the paper into pieces, and burned the pieces in a small ceramic bowl I kept on my kitchen table. You can never be too cautious when it came to the Fae.
Mom may have sheltered me from them and their world, but she still gave me a complete education about them. Oh, she cloaked it in the pretty disguise of faerie tales and folklore, but I’m betting now that every single story was true. Mom was preparing me. Just in case.
Maeve may have gotten a note in my apartment, but she was never stepping one foot inside my home. I would never give her permission.
Exhaustion smacked me, and I fumbled through my nightly ritual, ready to crawl into bed by the time I pulled on one of the oversized t-shirts I slept in.
I gave my faded Def Leppard shirt a tired smile, turned off every light but one of the under cabinet lights in the kitchen and the small lamp on my dresser, and climbed into my queen size bed. I let out a relieved groan as every muscle finally relaxed.
It had been the longest, most life-changing day. All I wanted to do was sleep, so I would have a clear head tomorrow to process everything.
Bran’s face appeared the second I closed my eyes. He had been the one pleasant surprise in a day crammed with unpleasant.
His clear grey eyes, the black hair brushing the collar of his bomber jacket, framing his angular, tanned face—I etched every detail in my mind.
I was hardly a dating novice—I had to make up for lost time after I left home. But no man had ever gotten in so fast, and so completely.
I couldn’t wait to see where things went from here.
With his image in my mind, I drifted into sleep.
Tomorrow would no doubt be another eventful day.
~ ~ ~
The eventful came earlier than I planned.
I expected my dreams to be more than a little messed up, after the day I’d had. I was right.
I fell into the most vivid dream I had ever experienced. I stood in a clearing, the colors around me too rich, too saturated to be real. But the man who stood in front of
me was all too real—and when the taloned fingers grabbed my wrist and yanked me forward, the dream became all too real.
“You will never be safe from me, Seer.” His dark voice vibrated through me, deep and seductive, but at the same time more terrifying than anything I’d ever heard. “Even in your dreams, I can draw you to me.”
“What do you want?” My voice sounded strangled, and more real than it should have in a dream.
“You.”
With one word, he told me everything.
I was screwed.
Eight
Bran’s sleep was more restless than normal, images of Reese floating through his subconscious. That should’ve left him happy, and at least turned on. Instead, a growing certainty filled him.
Reese was in trouble.
He clawed his way out of the hazy dream, using his demon side to wake him. The demon never dreamed, or slept, which came in handy at times like this. The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was grab his cell phone and tap out Reese’s number. Her phone went directly to voicemail—and that scared him more than the images in his dream. He bolted out of bed and grabbed the closest pair of jeans, pulling them on while he tried calling her again.
Nothing.
He picked up a t-shirt and his boots, and snatched the keys off his dresser before he ran out of the bedroom, headed to the garage door. He kept calling Reese every other minute as he drove to her apartment, grateful that it was the middle of the night and that Santa Luna turned into a dead zone after midnight.
He screeched to a halt in front of the converted Victorian and leapt out of the car from the passenger side, running by the time he hit the sidewalk. Panic left his fingers trembling as he picked the lock with a kit he always kept in his car. Finally, the tumblers fell into place and the lock clicked open.
Reese had told him she lived on the second floor, so he ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, panting by the time he reached her front door.
