Midnight's Jewel (Siren Publishing Classic)

by J. Annas Walker

  “Satisfied?” he asked Eleanor. They had locked stares. It reminded Sabrina of the blinking game she and Clay had played as children.

  “Yes. How soon can you have the decoy here?”

  “In about five minutes. She lives in this building.” He dialed another number, speaking in rapid Italian to the person on the other end.

  “Well, I’m not satisfied! I don’t understand what just happened, and I don’t like it.” Clay was incensed. Sabrina smelled the light musk of scorching wood that emanated from him anytime he lost his temper.

  Eleanor held up one hand to stop his rant. “It is simple. We are going to take a decoy Sabrina out of the city. We will be followed. There are witches and other night creatures waiting for us in a remote location to ambush the people after her. I don’t like this either, but we can deal with the danger and maintain our secrecy. We can’t very well go throwing magic around in a populated area like this. It would cause panic and chaos. The humans must not know,” she explained.

  “How do you know you can trust this guy?”

  “Hadrian’s word settles it. If Brandon screws up, he will have to answer to Hadrian. I can promise you. Brandon is far more concerned with Hadrian’s good opinion than ours. I would just kill him. Hadrian would make him wish I had.”

  “I don’t like it,” Clay repeated.

  “It is the best way. A few days here will do her no harm, young fairy. She will have the penthouse and all it offers,” Brandon interjected.

  “Does that include you?” Sabrina was taken aback. Clay was not usually so rude. It was out of character. The voice in her head gave it a name—jealousy. Suddenly, Sabrina knew what he was implying.

  “Clay Birch! I’m surprised at you! As you well know, I am not that sort of woman. He gave his word and so did this Hadrian person. Eleanor accepted. That is good enough for me, and it had better be good enough for you!” Sparks shot from her fingertips. The crystal glowed to life. Rainbows danced on his skin like a kaleidoscope rotating. He stepped back.

  He hung his head in defeat. “You’re right, Sabrina. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions. I’ll wait in the hall for you, Eleanor.” He walked to the door and left.

  As he went out, a young woman walked in with a smooth rolling movement. It was more like a cat or a wolf prowling around than a walk. Her dark coloring and olive skin made her seem exotic. It was like watching sex in heels and a leather minidress. She gave Sabrina and Eleanor a wide berth, stopping in front of Brandon. She rubbed her face on his jacket before addressing him.

  “What would you have of me?”

  “Camilla, I want you to wear this woman’s clothes,” he directed, gesturing at Sabrina.

  “Kinky,” she purred.

  “Eleanor will glamour you to look like her niece. You are to go with her. Whatever commands Eleanor issues, you are to take as if you were taking commands from me. Understood?”

  Camilla pouted her lower lip and began to strip. “All right, Brandon. I liked the idea better when I thought it was kinky.”

  “Uh, I’m not undressing in front of anyone! I need someplace private!” Sabrina knew she had blushed to a deep scarlet hue. Her cheeks burned too hot with embarrassment.

  Brandon directed her to a bathroom. On the back of the door hung a white fluffy robe with the initials BT monogrammed on the left front breast. Sabrina opened the door only a fraction and gave her clothes a toss. She did not care where they landed. The cracked door served to have a thin woman’s hand reach in and flick the leather minidress into the room.

  Sabrina gave them a quick once-over. There was no way these were going to fit. In a way, she was glad. The too-tight skirt coupled with the too-low top was not something Sabrina wanted to wear, ever. Camilla obviously knew nothing of modesty. She opted to keep the robe.

  She reentered the room just in time to see Eleanor holding her hand over Camilla’s head, walking in a tight circle around her, and whispering. On the third rotation, a ripple of shimmering air enveloped the woman. When the ripples stopped, Sabrina was looking at a mirror image of herself. The red boat-neck top and white skirt clung to her in the same way. The only thing missing was the necklace. It was both amazing and unsettling. The differences were in how the double held her body and the expression on her face. Her movements were those of the slinking Camilla. The real Sabrina relaxed somewhat.

  “There. I think that should do it. What do you think, Clay? A decent decoy?” Eleanor looked at her handiwork with satisfaction. Clay was too busy looking from one Sabrina to another.

  Brandon was looking at a security monitor by the door. He cleared his throat and said, “I suggest you take Camilla and the fairy and go. We have a number of interested people waiting outside the building, and they seem impatient. Just don’t crash through the gate. I have to keep them out while you are gone.”

  Eleanor walked over to Sabrina, placed a hand on either side of her face, and smiled. “Be good, stay calm, and I’ll be back when this is finished.” She turned loose and strode purposefully to the wide-open door. Clay and Camilla were waiting in the hall. Eleanor made it to the threshold when she stopped, looking over her shoulder. Giving Brandon one final sharp glare, she added, “I have Hadrian’s word.”

  Brandon did not flinch but only nodded. “And mine.”

  Eleanor turned back to the elevator, raised one hand, and waved at the open door. It closed, leaving Sabrina alone with a strange vampire.

  Chapter 5

  The sound of the elevator going down made everything seem so final. Eleanor and Clay were gone. Sabrina’s slice of home was gone. Homesickness tugged at her. A sense of loss welled up and nearly allowed a tear to spill over onto her check. She caught herself, took a deep breath, and regained control.

  “You must be starved,” Brandon said, interrupting her internal grief. “I’m sure Eleanor didn’t stop anywhere along the way. What can I get you?”

  “What?” It took Sabrina a moment to realize he was speaking to her. “Oh, thank you, anything will be fine.” She turned back to the open balcony. The broken glass prevented her from walking out, but she only wanted to watch the red and white dots zip along the freeway. Somewhere amongst them was the only family she had ever known. The glass shards vibrated on the ground for only a few seconds before she pushed the sadness back down.

  She paid little attention to the male voice behind her or the corresponding replies. A hot breeze swept across her face, blowing a wayward curl or two. Her pendant had grown darker after her earlier outburst. Now it was starting to lighten and show the dark rainbows trapped inside. Looking up, she saw the moon. Watching it rise and trace its path across the night sky had always comforted her. Tonight, without the trees to frame it, it made her feel even more isolated.

  Whether she stood there ten second, ten minutes, or ten years staring at the moon and the moving dots, Sabrina neither knew nor cared. She did her best to think of nothing, not the man from the shop, not the bombed building, and not the feelings of being abandoned. It wasn’t until a heavy knock on the mahogany door brought her back to reality that she noticed the glass had been cleared away. The room behind her had changed, as well. The previously bare coffee table had had a cloth thrown across it. On top was a service set complete with a cozy over what was sure to be a hot teapot. Beside the tea were two small plates of sandwiches and a bowl of mixed fruit.

  A thin, skittish-looking man wearing outdated plaid pants and a dress shirt with enormous lapels came in carrying shopping bags. His slightly balding head sported a comb-over style right out of the mid- to late 1970s. Pale skin and not so carefully hidden fangs gave him away. His demeanor told Sabrina he was a vampire toady, a hanger-on to more important creatures. He was the skinny kid who made friends with the football players more for protection than friendship.

  “I got the clothes you asked for, Mr. Thorpe, sir. All the credit card receipts are in the bags, just like you asked. Will you need anything else this evening, sir?” The man inched his way to the fro
nt door slowly.

  “No. Not tonight. You are excused, Ferrell,” Brandon dismissed. The nervous man disappeared in a streak of blurred plaid.

  Brandon did not speak to Sabrina until he took a seat in his overstuffed arm chair. He gestured at the sofa and the coffee table covered with food. “Please, Sabrina Rivers, sit and eat. If we are to be roommates for the time being, we should make an effort to get used to each other’s company.”

  She blinked at him in surprise. Eleanor had mentioned her first name, but had not made any formal introductions. Yet, here was a stranger using her full name. Taking the offered seat, she picked up a neatly trimmed sandwich half and nibbled at it. She was both not hungry and famished at the same time. The homesickness battled with her need for food.

  “Aren’t you having anything?” she asked.

  Brandon poured her a cup of tea. As he did, he gave her a wry smile. “No. I ate earlier. Besides, I think you have had enough shocks for one evening. Don’t you?”

  She nodded. “Thank you for helping us. I didn’t know about any of this until today. I knew Eleanor went to Asheville regularly on business, but it never occurred to me ask why. I forget the world is a bigger place than the little town of Sylva.” She gave a small, embarrassed smile.

  “Eleanor is your aunt, correct?”

  Sabrina locked eyes with him for only a moment. The same flood of heat washed through her again. No, it was not the same. This time it was hotter. Wetness began to soak her panties. Her nipples tightened. Everything seemed so confusing. She had never experienced anything like this before in her life, and now, it had happened twice in one night. Her heart beat harder, louder. She was sure he could hear the difference, but if he did, he kept the knowledge to himself.

  “Yes. She is my mother’s sister. I don’t remember my mother. She died when I was a baby,” Sabrina finally answered.

  “And your father?”

  “I’ve never met him. Aunt Eleanor never mentions him,” she confessed. Sabrina left out the speculations of the other witches in their coven. Thinking about their scorn and accusations made her cheeks flush warm. To them, she was a magical cull, little more than something to be tolerated.

  “I didn’t mean to cause you any discomfort. If it makes you feel better, I never knew my father either,” Brandon soothed.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. Her face heated to a burn. She knew she was blushing even deeper. It had been her experience that such topics were to be avoided. She opted to change the subject. “You seem to run things here. Is this a business like Hilgari?”

  “Yes and no. Hilgari is a legal business entity used as a cover for supernatural creatures who owe their allegiance to the Moon Goddess Diana. We operate like a business and owe nothing to anyone but ourselves. It just so happens to be covert,” he admitted. A playful tone crept into his voice.

  “Sounds illegal, since you made the distinction,” she added. Sabrina had the suspicion he was talking about organized crime. She had never heard of a vampire mob boss, but then again, she had never met a vampire until Brandon Thorpe. The thought of his name sent another wave of heat through her, tingling as it spread. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Oh, only a little,” he teased. “I don’t possess the sort of magic they do. Most of us you refer to as Children of Lilith don’t. There is no way I can go out in broad daylight and conduct a business transaction. I can’t glamour myself to look human. I can have a client for dinner but not take him to a business lunch. It would make keeping what I am a secret more difficult. See my point?” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and gave her smile. His fangs were on prominent display. He was eyeing her necklace.

  She looked down at it and back up at him. “Now that you put it that way, I guess it would make life a bit hard.” An uneasy laugh slipped past her halfhearted smile. His gazed had moved back to her face. He sat back and casually placed his hands on the chair arms in plain sight. The effect was disarming. She relaxed slightly but was still aware of his interest in the dark stone.

  “That is a beautiful pendant. May I ask where you bought it?” His tone was still polite and casual. She knew he was mining for information masked in mannerly conversation.

  Sabrina’s heart pounded. A surge of adrenaline pulsed through her. The memory of the man in the shop took over. She squeezed her eyes tight. The tea cup in her hands cracked, drenching her lap in hot tea. It brought her back to the present.

  “I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to break anything!” Sabrina was thoroughly embarrassed. Not only had she nearly lost control, but she had broken something else in Brandon’s home.

  He moved so quickly, it was as if he appeared in front of her out of thin air. Tea towel in hand, he helped mop up the mess and dry her off.

  “Don’t worry about the cup. I never use them anyway. Are you okay?” He continued to clear away the broken china without looking at her. She had the feeling this was on purpose.

  “Yes, I am, thank you. I think the day has been too much for me.” She shook her head. There was no way she could play cat and mouse games. She was no Eleanor. The best thing to do was to come clean and not be coy. “The answer to your question is easy. I didn’t buy my necklace. I’ve worn it every day of my life. I don’t know where it came from, what it does, or even what the stone is. All I do know is that there is no clasp to remove it, and the chain grew as I did. I can lift it and move it like any other piece of jewelry. I just can’t take it off. Today, it nearly cost me my head.” Relief overtook her. Now, there was no reason to bother keeping up any pretenses. There was nothing she could tell him and no reason for him to try. A look of disappointment replaced the concern. He pressed his lips into a thin line.

  “Eleanor told me about the attacks. It never occurred to me you weren’t the warrior Eleanor is. Here I’ve been trying to make small talk when you’ve had a really hard day. It’s nearly sunrise anyway. Why don’t you retire for the day? There’s another bedroom across the hall from mine. You can use it while you are here,” he offered.

  Sabrina only nodded in acceptance and moved in the direction of his extended arm pointing the way. Each step felt as though extra weights were being added to her feet. At the door, she looked back over her shoulder and gave him a weary smile. “Thank you.”

  “Not a problem. See you at sunset.” He shooed her off with a wave.

  Inside the room was a king-sized bed. The décor matched the rest of the penthouse apartment, neutral colors highlighted with art and designer furniture. A panel by the bed housed several switches and a call button. She assumed it was connected but had no intentions of finding out to whom.

  Several shopping bags were by the bed. On the bed, a nightgown and robe in black silk were laid out for her. She noticed they still had the tags and nearly choked when she saw what they had cost. It was a lot of money to have paid for a houseguest he knew nothing about. However, she was too tired to argue. She untied the ribbon holding on the tag. Dropping the robe, she shimmed into the gown as quickly as she could, tossed the matching robe over the footboard, and got into bed. Sleep came before her head could finish sinking into the fluffy pillow.

  * * * *

  Brandon listened for the slither of silk against skin. He imagined touching those bare shoulders, caressing her soft flesh. The thick robe had almost hid her nipples rising into hard peaks. He thought about how much he wanted to suck them. Brandon’s cock stiffened. Her fear and musky sweetness still scented the air. Something had aroused her. The confused look had told him she did not understand. Was it possible to be her age and a virgin?

  Thinking back to how protective Eleanor had been and her insistence on having Hadrian’s word made him believe it was possible. Sabrina reacted to the fairy like a brother, not a lover. It was most likely the only reason Eleanor allowed the friendship. But why guard Sabrina so close? The stone. She said she could not take it off.

  The way the dark stone reacted to Sabrina’s moods made Brandon think it was somehow t
ied directly to her. Perhaps it was made specifically for her. The meaning of such a thing could be highly significant.

  His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Checking the caller ID showed Hadrian’s nameless number. Brandon touched the screen and held it to his ear without speaking.

  “What have you found out?” a deep, husky voice asked. There was a great deal of impatience behind it.

  “Sabrina doesn’t seem to know anything. Eleanor kept her in the dark. It appears she has outbursts of power that go along with her emotions. The stone changes with them. It grows brighter and then discharges dark, jewel-tone rainbows right before she loses control. Every light on my balcony exploded when she laughed too much, and a cup she held cracked just because she became upset,” Brandon reported. There was a moment of silence on the other end.

  “Did you call a local witch?”

  “No. I assumed Eleanor took them with her to draw the would-be assassins out into the open.”

  “Call one. My sources tell me Eleanor didn’t take anyone but the fairy and the decoy. She is using them as bait and hunting down her prey one at a time. That will buy us some time. It will take her days to get all of them in the area. Remember, Brandon, Eleanor may have been living as a common witch, but she is a great deal more. Ask Sabrina what she knows about Midnight’s Jewel. Do whatever you must to find out more. Its destruction is the key to end this,” Hadrian commanded and hung up.

  Brandon stood for a moment staring at his phone. Hadrian was not the sort of man to chase after trouble. There had not been a celestial being on Earth in thousands of years. Why would he want to get mixed up in politics long since forgotten?

  There was no time to ponder the possibilities. He had a witch to call and the sun to beat to bed. Sunrise was in less than an hour.

  Chapter 6

  The view was beautiful. Sabrina stood in front of a large window surrounded by thick stones looking out into the night sky. The stars were bright twinkling points. She could even make out some of the planets from her perch. A thin blue-white glow was just cresting the horizon. The gray mottled landscape was starting to catch the sun in places, but she knew its light would never fall where she stood.