by Keri Arthur
“I’ll stay,” I said. “You two are so drained a gnat could overpower you right now.”
Monty’s smile was a pale echo of its usually robust self. “Only if said gnat has superpowers.”
But he didn’t argue any further. He simply turned and hobbled away. Ashworth hesitated, obviously torn between the need to protect Eli and the knowledge that he wasn’t going to be of much use if the Empusae did hit us again. Common sense prevailed, because he nodded and followed Monty into the trees.
Eli quickly constructed another demon snare, weaving in an exception that would allow the local wildlife to seek its shelter without setting off the trap. Once he’d finished, I said, “Do you want me to lay another concealment spell around it?”
He shook his head. “I doubt the Empusae will come back here—not now that she’s aware we know they’ve been using it. She’s too canny for that.”
I nodded, and we headed out of the clearing. Vita’s essence faded in the opposite direction. I guess her need to recover overran the desire to follow me about.
Once Monty had been dropped off, Eli drove home. As both men walked inside, I jumped into the driver seat and headed back to the café.
Belle was waiting with a reviving potion, a couple of strong painkillers, and the demand I head upstairs and rest. I didn’t argue. I might not have been the one performing the harder magic in that clearing, but I nevertheless felt drained.
It was close to ten the next morning by the time I woke. I grabbed the plastic wrap from the kitchen to protect the bandages from water and then had a quick shower.
Aiden just walked in came Belle’s comment. And he’s not happy.
Feed the man a brownie and tell him I’ll be down in a sec.
I don’t think a brownie is going to cut it.
Meaning he’s probably heard of our little adventure last night.
Probably. I can tell him you’re still sleeping if you can’t be bothered facing questions right now.
Which will only make him more annoyed. Especially given he was well aware that I only overslept when I’d overdone it magically.
I pulled on a sweater to hide the bandage and then slipped on jeans and some shoes. Every movement made my arm ache, but there wasn’t really a lot I could do about that aside from taking more painkillers.
I clattered down the stairs and spotted Aiden waiting at his usual corner table. Though his expression wasn’t giving much away, his aura spoke volumes. As did the untouched brownie slices sitting in front of him. I grimaced and delayed the inevitable confrontation a few seconds longer by first making myself a coffee, then cutting several bits of thick banana and caramel cake. It wasn’t what dietitians might recommend for breakfast, but right then I wasn’t caring.
“Why didn’t you ring me last night?” he said, the minute I sat down.
I squashed the instinctive rise of annoyance and raised the muting spell so those at the nearby table wouldn’t hear our conversation. “Because you would have been a liability.”
“It was my duty—”
“It’s your duty to maintain law and order and to keep both the human and wolf population safe,” I cut in bluntly. “It’s Monty’s duty—and Ashworth’s, while he’s acting reservation witch—to take care of any supernatural nasties that are endangering said population.”
“That doesn’t negate the fact—”
“That you would have been a fucking liability out there. The four of us barely coped, and we were all well prepared and well protected by magic. Having you there—having to expend extra time and energy protecting you—might have gotten one of us killed. So stop with the alpha bullshit, Aiden, because I’m really not in the mood for it this morning.”
He stared at me for several seconds, his expression unreadable, then reached past the plate of brownies and gently took my hand. “How bad did you get hurt?”
I scowled at him. “Why do you always presume it’s me who’s hurt?”
“Because now that I’ve been so rightly told off and have calmed down, I can smell the antiseptic.” He carefully pushed the sweater sleeve up to reveal the bandage. “What happened?”
“The Empusae used her magic to counter my protection spell—something I wasn’t aware was possible. She missed my face, but got my arm.”
His gaze jerked upward and scanned me, searching for wounds that weren’t present. “I’m glad that was all.”
I smiled. “So am I, trust me.”
His fingers tightened on mine, then he leaned across the table and kissed me. It was soft and sweet and filled with caring, and made we wish he could simply take me in his arms and hold me forever. Kiss me forever.
“Well,” I murmured, ignoring the regret that rose when his lips left mine. “That’s sure to set a few tongues wagging.”
“I’m not sure why—it isn’t exactly a secret that you and I are going out. Hell, they were all placing bets on the possibility.”
I smiled. “Yes, but public displays of affection have been few and far between.”
“Because I generally refuse to give the gossips fodder. But they’re not here today, and you looked as if you needed a kiss.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So if they had been here, said kiss would not have been forthcoming?”
“Possibly.” He picked up a brownie and took a bite. “Ashworth tells me that he and Monty killed another Empusae last night.”
I nodded. “We’ve also set a trap around a cave we found up near the Garfield Water Wheel, so keep your fingers crossed that we catch her sooner rather than later.”
He nodded. “A thorough search of all three compounds has now been completed. We didn’t find any onerous scents that would indicate the presence of this demon.”
I started in on my cake. “I didn’t think you would. These things are too clever to make a mistake like that.”
“And yet they’re not beyond making them—as evidenced by the fact two are now dead.”
“Yeah, but the most dangerous one still lives, and I’ve a suspicion she’ll raise some hell before we manage to stop her.”
“I can always rely on you to bring a bit a reality to the discussion.”
I waved a spoon at him. “Hey, you’re the one that wanted honesty in this relationship.”
“Which I appreciate greatly, even if it sometimes seems otherwise.” He paused. “My father sends his thanks for your help up in the compound yesterday.”
“And does that thank-you also come with a warning not to expect further invites?”
“No. Though it would be appreciated if you kept what you saw to yourself.” He hesitated and glanced toward Belle, who was plating up an order at the counter. “Well, between you and Belle, anyway.”
“Because of all the sparkle?”
He nodded. “You can imagine what would happen if its presence became common knowledge.”
“There’d be carnage.”
“Yes, because wherever there’s gold, there’re humans who risk all to get at it.”
“Your pack’s secret is safe.” I hesitated. “Is it only the O’Connor compound that so ostentatiously displays its wealth?”
“The Sinclairs’ gold runs through internal ceilings and walls. The Marin compound have several thick veins of gold running underneath their building, but for the most part, it remains untouched.”
“So why has your pack put it so openly on display? I know few humans are allowed up there, but it’s still an unwarranted risk.”
He shrugged. “You have to remember, we’ve held this land almost as long as white settlement has been in Australia, and for a good part of that history, this area was totally closed to all humans. It was only when the forced resettlement happened and the treaty was struck that humans were allowed entry.”
And even then, only in certain portions of the reservation. “Then the gold rush struck.”
A smile touched his lips. “Yes, and that influx of humans also meant an influx of coin. Humans might hunger for gold, but they cannot live on it alone.”
“How’s Jeni?”
“Good—she’s come off sedation, and the murders she witnessed are nothing more than a distant dream—troubling but not mind-destroyingly terrifying. Belle did good work there.”
“It’s lucky that Jeni was so young—her mind is a little more malleable than that of a full adult.” I finished the last bit of cake, then picked up my coffee and took a sip. “Are you on late shift tonight?”
“I finish at eight—why?”
“I feel the need to have your arms around me and your body pressed close as I fall to sleep.”
A smile twitched his lips. “If I’m pressed too close, sleep might be a little… hard.”
“Careful lovemaking would not be unappreciated. You’ll have to do most of the work, though—the arm is still rather sore.”
Concern crossed his expression. “You should have a doctor check it.”
“The wounds are sealed, and there’s no sign of infection. It’ll be fine.”
He didn’t look convinced but he knew me well enough now not to argue. Instead, he finished his coffee, leaned across the table to give me another kiss, and then stood. “I’ll pick you up when I finish tonight, then.”
I watched him leave, then rose and moved back to the counter. My arm protested vehemently the minute I tried lifting anything heavier than a mug, so I manned the coffee machine and plated up cake orders for the rest of the day.
Aiden picked me up a few minutes after eight and, once we’d arrived at his place, made me dinner, ran me a sweet-smelling bath, and generally cossetted me. When we finally did make love, it was sweet and gentle and filled with such deep passion that my heart sang. I went to sleep with his arms wrapped around me and a contented smile on my lips.
Only to be woken hours later by a shrill ringing.
Even as Aiden reached for his phone, I threw off the sheets and began to dress. I had no doubt what this call was or what it meant.
“I’ll be there in twenty,” Aiden said. “Call Ashworth and Monty and get them out there ASAP.”
“The Empusae?” I asked when he’d hung up.
He nodded and climbed out of bed; the moonlight streaming in through the windows silvered his muscular body and made him look almost otherworldly. He caught my sweater before I could pull it on and tugged it out my hands.
“You need to stay here.”
“What? No—”
“Liz, be sensible. If this attack follows the pattern of the others, the Empusae will be long gone.”
“What if it’s another trap? What if she’s waiting up high and does to you what she did to Byron?”
“Then you can tell my ghost ‘I told you so.’” He tossed the sweater onto the bed and stepped closer, catching my chin with his fingers and lifting my lips toward him. “Ashworth and Monty will be there. They’ll cope. You need to rest and recover.”
“I need to be out there—”
“That is not your job.” His voice was gentle, but held a hint of steel. “To be as blunt as you were earlier, you are not this reservation’s witch and you do not have unending reserves of either strength or magic. You need to rest.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. What he said was totally sensible. I just didn’t feel sensible right at this particular moment. “Remind Ashworth that he and Monty need to capture this thing, not kill it.”
Aiden frowned. “Why?”
“Because of the White Lady. She’s here for vengeance, as I said earlier, and if she doesn’t get it, all hell will break loose.”
“Oh, things just keep getting better, don’t they?” He kissed my nose. “I’ll call you if we do snare the Empusae. Until that moment, however, you need to rest. I can smell your weariness.”
“You can’t—”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’m a wolf, remember.”
“But still basically human, and our noses aren’t capable—”
“Except that they are. Even in this form, we have millions more olfactory receptors in our noses than regular humans do. So stop arguing and get back into bed so I can leave.”
I grumbled unhappily but did so. He left a few minutes later, and despite my anxiety and frustration, I quickly fell to sleep.
It was close to six by the time he crawled back into bed. I turned around and snuggled closer. He wrapped an arm around me and gently caressed my spine.
“Bad?” I said.
“Yes. But we’re not entirely sure it was the Empusae.”
His touch moved down to my butt and pressed me closer. I slipped a leg over his and rubbed myself against him. Teasing him, readying me, although neither was really needed. Not if the desire surging between us was any indication—its scent was so strong that even I could smell it.
“Why?”
“Because while it was brutal, no one was flesh stripped. And I really don’t want to be discussing this right now.”
I raised an eyebrow, a smile teasing my lips. “Then what would you like to be doing?”
“You.”
He slipped inside. From that moment on, there was no talking, only rising desire and utter satisfaction.
Afterwards, when he was asleep, I rose and had a shower, then left him a note and caught a cab home. As much as I would have liked to remain in bed with him, I had a business to run.
It was a slow morning in the café, which was probably just as well given I was basically restricted to one arm. Monty hobbled in just after one and claimed the corner table.
I wandered over. “You here for lunch?”
“And to update you.”
I raised the muting spell again. “Aiden said you weren’t sure the murder last night was the work of the Empusae.”
He wrinkled his nose. “It had some of the hallmarks, but none of the bodies were eaten.”
I blinked. “Bodies? Plural?”
“Yeah—the victims were an old couple who lived on the outskirts of Dundoogal.”
Which was one of the border towns, if I remembered correctly. I frowned. “That’s out of the Empusae’s hunting area—do you think she did it as a parting gift?”
“I don’t know.” He scrubbed a hand across his face and, for the first time, the cheerfulness fell. “I’d like to think so, but I’ve a suspicion that’s not the case.”
“The White Lady might be able to tell us.” Belle placed a plate of steak and vegetables in front of him. “Felt you coming and asked Mike to cook this up for you.”
“Anticipating your man’s desires is a sign of true—” He stopped, his gaze running past us. “Daniela, what are you doing here?”
My head snapped around. She strode toward us, her expression giving little away, and her aura a vivid orange that oozed satisfaction.
I had a bad feeling that meant bad news for me.
Her brief smile was as remote and cool as her expression. “I just wanted a final word with Ms. Grace before I leave the reservation.”
I tried to quell the instinctive rise of annoyance and fear and forced a smile. “What about?”
She hesitated. “Perhaps somewhere more private would be best?”
I waved a hand toward the table. “There’s nowhere more private than here.”
Her gaze narrowed, then she nodded and sat down. “The muting spell is clever. I would still prefer, however, if it was a one-on-one conversation.”
“That would be my cue to get out of here.” Monty picked up his food and rose. His gaze met mine, full of warning.
I didn’t react, simply because Daniela watched me. Belle touched my shoulder and followed Monty across the room.
I sat down opposite Daniela. “To repeat, what do you want to talk to me about? I’ve already told you I don’t know the woman you’re looking for.”
“Does the name Clayton Marlowe mean anything to you?”
So
mehow, I didn’t react. Somehow, I kept my fear to myself, even though it exploded inside of me.
“No,” I said, voice even despite the inner storm. “Should it?”
Her gaze scanned me. I had no doubt her other senses were, as well, even though the charm around my neck remained mute. “I suspect so.”
“You can suspect anything you like, Daniela, but that doesn’t make it the truth, no matter how much you might wish otherwise.”
She smiled coolly. “Indeed.”
The sense that twelve years of running, of careful lies and mistruths, was about to come to a crashing halt sharpened abruptly. My heart raced so hard it was all I could hear, all I could feel.
I licked my lips and said, perhaps a little hoarsely, “Is there a point to this? Because I really need to get back to work—”
“I thought you would be interested in knowing that I’ll be leaving this afternoon. My report should be on my employer’s desk within a few weeks.”
If I’d thought my heart couldn’t race any harder, then I’d been wrong. “Must be a damn long report if it’s going to take that long to write it up.”
“There are still a few things I need to check first.”
“Huh.” I paused, not sure what to say to the woman who was about to destroy my whole world. “And why would I be interested in knowing any of that?”
“Because,” she said softly, “my report concludes that you fit the description I was given in all ways except for one.”
How I held still—how I managed to present a calm front when the confrontation I’d spent twelve years avoiding had just became inevitable—I’ll never know.
“And just what is that?” I somehow managed to say. “Eye color? Because that’s pretty damn major.”
“Yes,” she said calmly. “Which is why I will be recommending that Clayton Marlowe come to this reservation and judge for himself.”
Thirteen
I stared at her.
I couldn’t do anything else.
Not for several minutes. Clayton was coming. Here. To see me. To get me. To make Belle pay and to force on me what he’d been unable to have with other women.
It felt like there was a fist around my heart, squeezing tight. I couldn’t seem to get enough air, and Daniela’s face swam in and out of focus.
