Fireballs & Familiars

by T Elizabeth Guthrie

  “Out loud, please,” Marshall told him.

  “Fine.” He started reading, and when he was finished, they sat in silence. “What the hell does all that mean?”

  “It means he’s picked another one our friends here at the club to target,” Marshall said.

  “Yeah, but who?” JuliAnna asked.

  “Still don’t know yet. That part made no sense, but knowing Khobrel, he’ll tip his hand and soon.” Marshall got up and poured himself another drink. “Till then, there’s nothing to do.

  “Yeah, it won’t be long. He never waits,” Chad replied.

  They started talking and making plans to beef up security when Jenna asked JuliAnna if she’d like to go downstairs and have a drink with her. They left the men upstairs.

  “What’s up, girl?” JuliAnna asked once they were out of earshot.

  “I just needed to get out of there. Don’t you ever get the feeling there is just too much testosterone with all of them in one room?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  After drinks, the girls walked back to the annex to check on the cleaning crew. The hallway was spotless, and the destroyed room was almost back to normal. Darrell and Marshall would have to replace a couple of the demonstration props, such as the Saint Andrews Cross and the two spanking benches, but for the most part, it didn’t look like anything had happened.

  “Well, the boss men will be happy it’s cleaned up. I’m sure they probably have spare furniture in the warehouse, so it won’t take long to be back up and going in here,” JuliAnna said.

  “How would Khobrel do this if he was in the bar tonight?

  “Ya know, I’ve been wondering that myself. I wonder if he has a nasty little helper now?”

  “I’m wondering the same thing,” Jenna replied.

  They continued to talk and walk as they made a full circuit of the annex. As the door opened, they watched while Chad and Balan strolled in, and the girls even managed to catch part of the guys’ conversation before the two men stopped talking when they realized they had an audience.

  “What was that all about?” Jenna asked as Chad took JuliAnna into his arms for one hell of a kiss. She had to look away in case the longing showed on her own face. What would that be like?

  Balan was thinking the same thing and looked away at the same time. He turned and saw Jenna looking down at the floor. “Nothin’. We just came from Marshall’s office and watched the entire surveillance footage of the outside of this building, but we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Just the Fetish Masters who are working, their clients, and some cleaning staff.”

  “And one of your bodyguards,” Chad said with a grin.

  Balan felt a growl starting and clamped down on it tightly. He knew he had no right to feel like that over a woman he barely knew. Well then, maybe it’s time to change it. I need to get her to say yes to a real date. Gathering his courage to do it in front of other people, he was about to pop the question when his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket, all the while cussing the caller, even if only in his head. “Hello?”

  “I know your secret, demon spawn, and if you don’t want me to blast it to everybody, you’ll do what I say.”

  He looked around at the others. “Hey, I gotta take this. Be right back.”

  They watched as he went back out the front door before going back to their conversation on the possibility of Khobrel having a helper.

  Balan waited while Violet, another Fetish Master, and her client walked past before putting the phone back up to his ear. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Now, unless you want everyone else to know, you should be a good little boy and obey my commands.”

  “Listen here, you little fuck, I will never obey you or anyone else. And I have no secrets to worry about.” He had no intention of admitting anything.

  “Now, now. Language. Is this any way to speak to your new master?” Khobrel laughed. “Did you all like the little surprise I left for you earlier?”

  “You are nothing to me, other than a nuisance.” Balan was determined not to lose his cool. “And how the hell did you manage to be in two places at the same time?”

  “I’m just good that way.” He paused. “Well, I guess it’s time to show you what else I can do if you decide to ignore me.” He hung up.

  Balan looked at his phone and let the growl he’d been holding come out. “What the hell could that pissant know?” He shook his head and went inside to look for the others. He found them in the main auditorium, watching as furniture movers unloaded some new pieces to replace the ones destroyed earlier.

  “Wow, these new pieces are true works of art,” JuliAnna said as she touched one of the three new spanking benches. “And it looks like the guys decided to add a new piece.”

  Chad, being his usual horny self, couldn’t resist teasing his wife. “I say let’s run everybody off and try them out. Ya know, just to make sure they’re safe for clients and all.”

  “Ha. Ha. Ha. How about if we bend your gorgeous ass over one of them, and I’ll do the flogging to test them.”

  Jenna laughed and had to admit that her friend, JuliAnna, could give as good as she got when it came to getting back at her husband. She smiled through the heartbreak of her own loneliness.

  Balan had sudden visions of Jenna’s lush round ass bent over the benches, naked and waiting on his every desire. He felt his cock harden to the point of pain and had to readjust how he was standing in the hopes of relieving some pressure. He glanced at her and realized she was blushing, which turned him on even more. “Hey, wanna go have a drink?” He was desperate to get out of the room before he did something he might be embarrassed over.

  “What’s the matter, B?” Chad called when he noticed the other couple leaving.

  “Nothin’ at all. We’re going to have a drink!” he hollered back. He heard JuliAnna’s laughter, making him wonder why he’d bothered to answer Chad. Balan knew they’d already been forgotten about. “I swear those two drive me nuts some days.”

  “Yeah. They are definitely in love, aren’t they?”

  Did I just detect a hint of longing in her voice? “Something like that I guess,” he answered instead. “Come on. Let’s go see if the bar is still crowded.”

  “I hate this feeling of not doing something. I mean, we had the guy in our sights, and he disappeared right in front of us. Then we found out the auditorium was destroyed at the same time. What the hell is going on here?”

  “He’s playing with us.” Balan steered her to an empty table and ordered them both a drink.

  “He’s after something, and these little jabs are his way of throwing us off his track. And I think he has someone on the inside helping him.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I agree with you on all fronts, but what is his endgame?” He thanked the waitress when she set the drinks down.

  “Anything for you, love,” she said and took the tip he offered.

  “Love?” Jenna asked and took a long drink from her mudslide.

  “It’s just a sayin’ that Southern girls use. You should know that with the drawl you have.”

  “Uh-huh, sure.” She grinned and put the conversation back on the topic of Khobrel. “And besides, why would he want anything to do with me? I’m new here and, until recently, didn’t socialize with any of you, except Louis.”

  “Speaking of that little weasel, where has he been?” Balan didn’t really want to talk about the younger man, but since she brought it up, he would.

  “Probably with Celeste. She is his current flavor of the week.” Jenna laughed as she said it.

  “She is a good little subbie, for sure,” Balan replied with a sneaky little grin.

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Do I detect a hint of jealousy?” he asked.

  She stopped herself before answering the way she wanted. “Not really. Just curious.”

  “As you said, uh-huh.�
�� He almost howled, like the werewolf they were talking about. Shit, she may like me after all. Now to get her to go out with me. “Jenna, did you hear about the concert that D and Marshall are sponsoring? It’s for a program that pairs K-9’s with veterans, and it’s being headlined by some great eighties’ groups.”

  “No way. Are you serious? I had no idea. When is it?”

  “Tomorrow night, and it’s going to be on the large piece of property in back of here.” He paused and took a drink. “I was hoping you might like to go with me. Ya know, since you won’t set up a playdate,” he said, as a way to buffer the pain if she turned him down.

  She squealed and hugged him. “I’d love to. Who’s playing? I just love concerts and have forever!”

  He was instantly addicted to her enthusiasm and got caught up in it. “It’s being headlined by none other than Rick Springfield. There are several other well-known singers and bands from the eighties.” He listed them all and called to the waitress to bring him one of the fliers for the event.

  “How the hell did I miss this?” she asked once she quickly read through it.

  “Maybe because you were thinking about your grand opening in a few days?”

  “Oh, shit.” She laid the flier on the table. “I can’t go. I really should be working instead.”

  “No way. I’m not letting you out of this. You said you’d go, and I’m not letting you back out now.”

  “I know I did, but I would feel guilty the whole time.” She finished off her drink. “As a matter of fact, I should get going.”

  “I’ll go with you then. I don’t think I have any clients coming in tonight but let me check.” He walked out of the bar and to the lounge to check his schedule. “Dammit. I have one repeat client coming in within the hour. Could you wait for me to get done, and I can go with you? I wouldn’t want you to be alone after everything tonight. In case he tries something.”

  Her heart sank when she heard him talk about a repeat date. “I can’t. I’ve been here too long as it is. I gotta go.” She turned and walked off before she gave away any of the feelings bombarding her.

  “Oh, hell no. You’re not leaving without someone going with you. Let’s see if we can find Louis at least.” He took her arm and all but dragged her through the building, looking for the little wolf, but came up empty-handed. “Okay, you’ll have to wait for me then. I won’t be long, I promise. But I have to get ready before she gets here.” He steered her to the employee lounge. “You can wait here for me.” And he left.

  She waited for all of five seconds before jumping up, and she was pissed. “Who the hell does he think he is to order me around like that?” She was talking out loud to herself and almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice behind her, answering.

  “I don’t even wanna know, do I?”

  She turned and saw Byron standing behind her. “No, you don’t. I’m heading to the shop for a bit and then home. Do I get to be alone or are you still assigned to me?” She knew she sounded like a bitch, but she couldn’t help herself. She was fuming over the way Balan had just acted. He can go fuck whomever he pleases, and he thinks he can tell me what to do? He’s gonna learn I am not the woman to try this shit with.

  She didn’t hear Byron’s answer at first and had to ask him to repeat it.

  “You’re a million miles away,” Byron said and laughed. “I said Marshall has my brother doing other things, so it’s just me. He also doesn’t think you’re one of the targets, so you don’t need both of us. Let’s roll.” He followed her out to her car and waited while she unlocked it. “I guess I’m riding with you since I need to leave the truck here for Brandon.”

  “Will you fit?” Jenna couldn’t help but ask. He was huge, and her little Vette wasn’t.

  “Let’s see.” He opened the door and slid in, barely fitting in the small space. “Can we hurry, please?”

  Jenna laughed and got in with him. They were back in the city in no time and at her new little shop. She loved pulling up out front and knowing it was all hers. She’d never owned anything of her very own and was so excited about this new part of her life. “That’s it! The new name for the shop is Jenna’s Novelty Candy Shop!” It was the perfect name since she covered several themes in one building. She couldn’t wait to call the sign company.

  She would often sit and reflect over the last year and how far she’d come. From being the most powerful witch in a coven and hunting evil paranormal entities, to losing her best friend because she couldn’t protect her and then almost losing her mind to the guilt. Now here she was. “I just have to tweak a few things and make sure all the themes are perfect. It shouldn’t take long.”

  “That’s fine. Take your time. I like the vibes in here and don’t mind being here.”

  He seemed to be much more talkative without his brother around, and she wondered about that, but soon she was knee-deep in decorations, trying to get things done. “Okay. I have all I need for the Bedknobs and Broomsticks room, the Hobbit room, and the Borrowers room. But where the hell is my Scooby-Doo stuff?” She went looking through the storeroom and tore the place apart trying to find it. Finally, she walked out and found Byron going through a box from behind the counter.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Is this it?” He held up a huge cutout of the dog and his friends.

  “Oh my God, yes. Thank you for finding them.” She rushed over and took the box going into the last room, then started hanging things and setting up displays. “Hey, Byron, can you give me a hand?”

  “Anything you want.”

  She thought she heard a hint of flirting but blew it off. “Since you’re so tall, maybe you can hang these without me having to go find my ladder.”

  “Where do you want them?” he asked and stepped right up to her where he could feel her body heat. He knew he wanted more. After all, a couple hours ago, he’d been promised he could have whatever he wanted and that if he just took it, he’d be protected. For now, he decided to bide his time and see how things went. He wanted her to come of her own free will.

  She showed him where to hang the items and stepped back to survey the room once they were done. “It looks pretty good, don’t ya think?”

  “I think it’s beautiful.” He wasn’t looking at the room but at her. He turned away quickly when she looked at him.

  “All I have left is the front display to finish.” She had that and Sinsational Sweets to do, but there was no way she was going in that room with Byron there. You would in a heartbeat if it was Balan. She told her brain to shut the hell up. “We can go on. I can finish tomorrow.” She turned off lights and locked up. “It looks like we’re good to go.”

  “I guess I’ll be staying at your place again since I wasn’t told one way or the other,” he said as he slid into her car.

  “I think we should call Marshall and ask. I mean, I don’t want to tie up your time if you’re needed at the club.” Jenna’s mind was racing with an excuse to get rid of him. She wasn’t feeling very comfortable suddenly.

  Byron wasn’t happy with her decision. “Sure.”

  She didn’t like the way he said it nor the vibes he was giving off. “Hello, Marshall?” She didn’t say anything for several seconds, just sat listening. “Uh-huh. Okay, we’re on our way.” She turned toward Byron. “There’s been an incident, and he needs us both back there right away.”

  “Hey, we can make a little side trip, can’t we? I mean, a few minutes won’t make a huge difference, right?” He wanted to keep her to himself for a little longer. His plan had been to seduce her that night as they shared the house. Women always wanted him. He was big, strong and sexy—and not used to being turned down.

  Jenna didn’t like the tone he was using. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “I really like you, Jen, and I’d like to spend some time with you.” He reached over and laid his hand on her knee.

  She jumped and almost hit the car in front as her foot pressed on the gas pedal. “Uh, where did that
come from? We don’t even know each other.”

  “And that’s my point. I want to get to know you better.” He squeezed her knee. “Much better.”

  “Whoa, Byron. Hey, listen, you’re a hottie, no doubt, but I’m just not at the point in my life where I want a one-night stand or anything longer.”

  “I can change your mind. I promise.” He felt like he was losing her. “Come on, Jenna. Just an hour or so. They won’t miss us.”

  She’d had enough. It brought back too many memories that made her feel mean as a snake. “I’m going to say this nice one time and one time only: remove your hand.”

  Byron squeezed tighter. “And if I don’t?”

  “Please don’t put me in a place where you will end up hating me.”

  “I could never.”

  He didn’t remove his hand, so as a last resort, she zapped him with her powers and watched his hand get thrown off. “I told you.”

  “What the hell are you?” He growled as he rubbed his hand and glared at her.

  “No idea what you’re talking about,” Jenna murmured and continued to drive. At least I know I haven’t lost my touch with the spells.

  He didn’t try to touch her again on the drive out to the club. She was tired as hell and really wanted to go home, but she’d been summoned to bring Byron back to the club. While she was happy, he wouldn’t be under her roof again, she just wanted to go home and get some sleep.

  “Any idea what he wanted?” Byron asked as they pulled into the parking lot, still rubbing his hand.

  He hadn’t spoken to her on the drive. “He didn’t say. Just that there was another incident and he needed us both back here.” She parked and they went inside the building, looking for the others. She saw Balan coming out of the locker room and noticed he’d just showered. She felt her own anger rise, swift and nasty.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Balan took her arm and tried to steer her away from the mountain of muscle she’d come in with.