He rushed forward and hugged her as a spark popped between them. He picked her up off the ground and spun around. He almost didn’t see the short guy until it was too late. But the little man moved quickly, stepping sideways.
“Brad?” Livvy said, almost in his ear.
Gods, she’s light!
“Livvy!” he said again.
He wanted to look at her. He set her down with a jolt but gripped her shoulders. She was as gorgeous as ever–maybe more. If he hadn’t had an audience, he might have kissed her. He glanced down at the dwarf and was startled by his eyes.
“Brad,” Livvy said. “You’ve changed.”
He grinned at her, puffing out his chest. She’d noticed. All those hours in the gym had paid off. He’d put on thirty, solid pounds of muscle.
“You look so much…” Livvy paused. “So much more mature.”
Standing this close, Brad realized he was easily a couple of inches taller than her. He’d never noticed how slim she was. Sunlight caught in her incredibly green eyes, and he found himself staring.
“You haven’t changed,” he said. “Not a bit.”
They stood looking at each other for a moment. He could imagine it might take her a minute. To say he’d changed was an understatement. He’d been a scrawny teenager the last time he’d seen her, still living with his parents, still in school. Those days were gone. He was his own man now.
“Let me introduce my friend,” she said.
As she backed away, he found he had to let go.
“SK,” she said to the dwarf, “this is Brad.”
The little guy held out his hand and Brad shook it, trying not to crush it.
“Pleased to meet you,” SK said.
What’s the deal with his eyes? Is it part of being a dwarf?
“Likewise,” Brad said.
“Brad,” Livvy said, “you never met SK.” She took the little man’s hand as a tiny spark of light popped. “But he’s my intercessor.”
Intercessor?
The word fell like a hammer between Brad’s eyes, and now he remembered. Livvy had mentioned him a couple of times, and Brad had seen him on TV. Brad stared at their hands.
What the–
“Could we come in?” she asked.
“Um, sure,” Brad said. He glanced up at the dark plastic dome in the corridor. “Yeah. Maybe you should do that.”
He shut the door after them.
“I can’t believe you’re living here,” Livvy said as she let go of SK’s hand. She stepped into the center of the small living room and turned.
“Like what I’ve done with the place?” Brad asked, grinning at her.
“Well,” she said, glancing around. “It looks like you haven’t done anything.”
He’d insisted on having her old apartment, and he’d kept everything the way it was. The connection he felt to her was strong here and now she stood in front of him, proof of that connection! As she moved toward the window, he followed her.
“I see you’ve made one addition,” SK said. “This is an interesting piece.”
Brad stopped. SK was peering at the mottled, olive green glass, still resting in folds of red velvet. The tortured, knobby surface of it had been formed when it had impacted the earth. Brad had left it in its ornate case, more for safekeeping than display. But it lay open on a pedestal in the corner of the room.
“Moldavite,” Brad said cautiously, noting how close the intercessor stood to it. Why had he gone right to it? Brad’s mind raced for any reason to get him away from it. “Have you had the tour?” he asked.
“No,” SK and Livvy answered together.
Though he’d visualized this moment forever, when he and Livvy would be together, Brad had never imagined a third person–especially not a dwarf. Especially not an intercessor, and definitely not some type of boyfriend. With a tiny pop of electricity, SK took her hand again. Brad forced himself to look away.
“Let’s start with the spa,” he said, though the last thing he was thinking about was a tour. What is she doing with him? How do I get her alone? “No intercessors,” Brad muttered.
Though the two of them had been headed toward the door, they stopped and turned. Brad had to blink when he realized he’d said it out loud.
“What?” Livvy said.
“Um, yeah,” Brad said. “Yeah. House rules. No intercessors.”
Livvy and SK looked at each other.
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“I’m surprised he even got in,” Brad said. “Intercessors aren’t allowed at the Institute. Ask anybody.”
“He is standing right here,” SK said.
“Hey,” Brad said, bristling and feeling his muscles tighten. “It’s not my rule. I’m just telling you.”
“Actually,” Livvy said, stepping between them, “we didn’t come for a tour.”
I would hope not, Brad thought.
Livvy faced him squarely. “Brad,” she said, “your parents called me.”
Brad’s face flushed hot and he turned away. My parents. He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking for nothing in particular. He grabbed a bottle of water.
“Oh, really,” he said. “What did they want? They know I don’t need a shaman.” That reminded him. He spun so fast that he knocked the refrigerator door into the wall. “I’m a shaman now! Did you know that?”
He couldn’t wait for her to see his awesome powers in the Multiverse!
“Yes,” she said simply. “I know. That’s why I’m here. Why we’re here. We’d like to meet your mentor. Valentin Vankeev, right?”
That was not the reaction Brad had expected. He remembered the cold bottle in his hand. Then he closed the refrigerator door.
“Valentin? Yeah, sure. But no intercessors. House rules.”
“Right,” Livvy said quietly as she and SK exchanged looks.
An idea occurred to Brad. “I know,” he said, brightening. “I’ll invite him to dinner. Tomorrow night.” He pointedly didn’t look at SK. “Just the three of us. Here because I’ll cook.” She seemed to hesitate. “Valentin doesn’t go out much,” he added.
Livvy seemed to silently check with the dwarf, as though she needed his permission. But then she turned back to Brad and smiled warmly, even radiantly. Brad’s heart raced.
“Dinner would be fine,” she said. “Tomorrow.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“YOU KNOW THAT’S not a date,” Liv said as they headed down the sidewalk.
SK felt her hand tighten on his. Although he’d been relieved when she’d called this morning, sounding like her old self, he’d been doubly glad when she’d taken his hand. As though a silent understanding had passed between them, there’d been no mention of the kiss or of Min. The last thing he was worried about was someone with a crush. Besides, he could see she loathed the whole thing as much as he did.
“I’m glad to hear it won’t have to be pistols at fifty paces,” he said, and Liv laughed a little. “But I was under the impression Brad was a teenager. If I had to guess an age, I’d say he was thirty.”
Liv nodded and been about to reply when her hand tugged hard on his. One look at her face and SK knew what was happening. She was listing to the right. The vertigo had returned. Though he moved quickly to her side, he had to run to keep up. She was taking long, fast steps. In moments, they were at his car.
“Not the same spot,” she gasped. “But close.”
He tried to remember exactly where the vertigo had struck the first time. “Closer to the car now,” he said.
Whatever was happening with the Multiverse, it was spatially oriented in the real world. But it’d also happened in a plane. He looked south, toward LAX. What could possibly have effects like that?
In the street, a car horn beeped. SK ignored it. They could park elsewhere. He concentrated on the path the plane had taken when they were landing. It would have been moving fast.
The horn beeped again–twice.
“SK?” Liv said. “I t
hink he’s trying to get your attention.”
“Who?” SK asked, stepping around her so he could see the street.
The driver was a young man, dark hair and eyes, overweight with a round face. He waved at SK through the open passenger window.
“I don’t know him,” SK said. But as the man pointed to the back seat, the tinted rear window lowered. “Alvina?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LIVVY PILED INTO the back seat right behind SK.
“Goodness,” Alvina said reaching out. “It’s good to see you both.”
Her smile sparkled as brightly as her diamond-studded bracelet. Both were in contrast to her wrinkled and leathery skin, and Livvy knew it wasn’t just her Native American ancestry. The sun in Palm Springs was a killer. Livvy couldn’t help but remember that first time SK had taken her to meet the older shaman. Livvy had nearly melted in the withering heat.
She hugged Alvina with SK in the middle, though he didn’t seem to mind.
“Alvina,” Livvy said, as a little crackle of electricity popped at Alvina’s back.
The older shaman wore her usual outfit: a floral print dress and the long, pocketed vest woven from soft threads the color of the desert.
“Lightning Shaman,” Alvina replied, but she was already looking down at SK. “And you, young man, let me see you.”
She had obviously heard about his eyes. Even so, her eyebrows arched high, though she didn’t say a word.
“Alvina, what are you doing here?” Livvy asked.
“You didn’t tell her?” Alvina asked SK.
“Tell me what?” Livvy asked her, but Alvina only looked at SK. “Tell me what?” Livvy asked SK.
“That I called Alvina last night,” SK said.
“Did you,” Livvy said flatly, not surprised.
SK shrugged.
“Albert,” Alvina said to the driver. “Would you take us around the block?” He put away his phone and checked the mirror before he pulled out. “Always with the phone,” Alvina said under her breath. “Always doing something with the phone.” She indicated Albert with her head. “My great nephew, my sister’s grandchild.”
Albert, who looked as though he might be in his early thirties, glanced at them all in the rear view mirror.
“Not that calling me did any good,” Alvina said to Livvy. “The passing of Lightning Shamans isn’t something that I know about.”
Livvy exhaled in exasperation, turning a glare on SK that might have melted steel. In return, his face was stern and unapologetic.
“Oh, don’t blame him,” Alvina said. “He’s just trying to help.”
Livvy had never told anyone and now two people knew. SK took her hand.
“And,” Alvina said, wagging a finger at their hands, “you already know what I think about that.”
It had been Alvina who’d told them that the Water Baby and Lightning Shaman could never be together. Ideally suited for Multiverse work, a physical relationship was not to be. Though they’d seemed destined to fall in love, the thing that had brought them together now kept them apart. The news had been a blow that nearly ended their relationship. Alvina obviously believed it should have.
Even through the tinted windows, the shadow of a bank of clouds crossing the sun was noticeable.
“And don’t start that business, Lightning Shaman,” Alvina said, glancing over her shoulder. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“It’s not?” she and SK said at the same time.
Alvina shook her head. “I didn’t spend three hours in the car to ask about your health.”
For a moment, maybe because Alvina was no longer backlit, Livvy realized how much she’d changed–how much she’d aged. It wasn’t her hair or skin–already antique to begin with–but she was somehow looking more fragile. Had she lost weight?
Alvina sat back and gazed at them both. “I’ve come to offer you a job.”
“A job?” SK asked.
“You mean, you have a client?” Livvy asked.
“I mean,” Alvina said, “that I’m thinking about the future. I don’t have an apprentice and the tribe doesn’t have an intercessor. A Water Baby would be welcome indeed. A Water Baby and a Lightning Shaman…” She held up her hands. “It would be a blessing like rain in the desert.”
“But you’re not retiring,” SK said. “Not for years.”
Alvina chuckled. “How time slips by, eh?” She glanced out the wide back window as Albert rounded the corner. She was looking up at the flashing Institute sign. “How things change.” She paused and seemed to reflect on her own words. “That’s the way of things, my young friends. I know you see it.” Her sad smile turned to each of them. “Of all people, I know the two of you see it. Things change.”
There was a finality to her words, the sound of an inevitable conclusion. But Alvina was right. As the neighborhood slipped by outside, Livvy couldn’t help remembering how it used to be. This was where she’d lived when she and SK had met. It felt like so long ago.
“None of us know how long we have,” Alvina said quietly. “Not you. Not me. But I have my people to think about. Even kids like Albert here.” His eyes flicked to the rear view mirror. “I won’t live to see the future, but I must try to envision it. And that, my friends, is worth a three-hour drive. Wouldn’t you say?”
Livvy and SK looked at one another. The future wasn’t something they had wanted to talk about. Though Livvy tried to read his face, they all fell into shadow. Clouds that were heavy and dark had completely covered the sky. Alvina reached up and turned on the dome light.
“Think about it,” she said. “But don’t take too long. If Mamacita can be brought down, and people like Ursula and Wan-li can’t work, L.A. isn’t the place for shamans.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LIVVY HAD INSISTED on their destination, but she knew SK was less than thrilled. Even so, the ride had been unusually quiet. She could almost hear the gears turning in his head as soon as they’d left Alvina. But as the white Cadillac had pulled away and the sun had broken through again, the familiarity of the murals in the Institute’s lobby had dawned on Livvy–and also the name: Nicole. It had to be more than a coincidence.
“You’re sure you don’t want the cane?” SK asked as they began their climb.
“No. I’d…I’d rather not.”
The Multiverse injury had never truly healed. Though Livvy didn’t regret what she’d done, it might be a painful reminder to others.
“Let them see,” SK said. “Let them see what it cost.”
“It’s not bothering me today. It’s really not.”
An airliner roared overhead, low and about to land. For a moment, Livvy couldn’t hear her own footsteps. But as they mounted the metal landing, Livvy realized the door at the end of it was open, and Dominique was waiting. Startled, Livvy nearly missed a step.
Dominique was an imposing presence, even in the real world. Her long, dark hair gleamed like the black feathers of her raven spirit helper. Her eyes were alert and piercing. She dressed uniformly in black, in contrast to the light caramel color of her skin.
With the jet not quite far enough away, Dominique simply stood aside and motioned them in. The smells of turpentine and paint assaulted Livvy’s nose. She squinted against the light pouring in through a bank of tall, frosted windows. Blank and painted canvases were everywhere. As the door closed behind them, the decibel level dropped noticeably. The spacious and bright interior didn’t fit Dominique, though Livvy had already expected it wasn’t for her. Nicole was standing at a particularly large canvas, working directly under the window furthest from them.
“Welcome to our corner of the Multiverse,” Dominique said.
Livvy and SK stood together, just inside the door. Livvy extended her hand to Dominique.
“I’m Olivia Lawson,” she said. “We’ve never properly met.”
Dominique had been about to lead them into the loft but stopped abruptly. She stared at Livvy’s outstretched hand.
The on
ly other times Livvy had met either Nicole or Dominique had been in the Multiverse–and not under the best of circumstances. In a bid for dominance, Dominique had once been her enemy.
The dark-haired shaman gripped Livvy’s hand tightly, squelching the brief spark. “Dominique Durand,” she said, looking Livvy directly in the eye as they shook hands and she let go. “SK,” she said, inclining her head to him.
“Dominique,” he said stiffly.
The last time he had seen Dominique she’d tried to drive a wedge between them. Today’s meeting was improbable to say the least.
“You texted about the paintings,” Dominique said to SK. “Well, here they are.”
As they passed the narrow galley kitchen, Livvy noticed prescription bottles on the counter. She was also aware that Nicole had never once looked at her or SK. As Dominique led them through the large and open living area, Livvy had to marvel at the number of canvases. They covered the high, concrete walls and were stacked along every inch of floorboard. It was like visiting a gallery, not a home. In the corner on the floor, was a large mattress. There was a couch and a coffee table as well, plus a metal rack with hanging clothes, but other than that, the loft was a studio for a painter–a very prolific one.
But among the many paintings, Livvy detected a pattern. On the walls, the images were dominated by the symbols of the entrance to the Multiverse. On the floor, there was a mix of mountain landscapes. They could have been identical to the smaller images at Ursula’s place. The resemblance to the expansive murals at the Institute was striking, too. But at the end of the stacks, leaning against the wall, was an image that stopped Livvy in mid-step. SK saw it, too.
“That started when you saved her in the Multiverse,” Dominique said from behind.
Livvy couldn’t help but stare at a life-sized portrait of herself, though it wasn’t her own image that was so startling.
“How can that be?” SK whispered.
It was a painting of Livvy in the Maya Underworld. The gold temple of the Sun Pyramid hovered in the distance behind her. The paving stones of the plaza were the exact color of the limestone of the Yucatan Peninsula. If Livvy didn’t know better, she would have sworn she smelled the resinous odor of smoldering copal incense.
Shaman, Lover, Warrior: An Urban Fantasy Thriller (Olivia Lawson Techno-Shaman Book 5) Page 6
