The Red Shoe Chronicles : A Fantasy Romance Anthology

by N. R. Larry

  When the transformation is complete, I pounce on the witches. Caught by surprise, they are slow to react. I disconnect their links to the web they have created. Glancing Karl’s way, I confirm no bonds restrain him. If Jessie sides with the witches, I’m prepared to take them all down. To my surprise, she kneels beside Karl’s chair, checking his pulse.

  Putting that piece of information aside for a later appraisal, I tear at the witches, going for their jugular, growling. One by one, they fall to the ground. When I’m done with the fifth, I shift back wondering why they didn’t even try to hit me with a curse while I attacked them.

  “That was me,” Jessie explains, her outstretched hands still pointing at me.

  “Thanks for the protection spell.” Surprised at her telepathic power, I’m at a loss.

  “I can’t read minds. You drank my blood, we’re connected.” She gestures to the fallen witches. “I should get rid of this mess before the other witches come downstairs. I won’t find your place on my own, correct? The protection spell would deflect my tracking power.”

  I nod. Once.

  She lets out air through clenched teeth. “Fine. Wait here. Be right back.”

  Before I can ask what she means, Jessie vanishes, taking the five witches with her. Awesome. I’m back at the coven’s torture chamber with a human by my side and no plan. I can’t shimmer out of here. My dad will kill me this time, if the witches don’t. I guess the million-dollar bounty for my capture has more appeal to Jessie than whatever revenge plans she has going. Dad is right. Money corrupts humans.

  “What are you babbling about corruption?” I swirl and come face to face with Jessie.

  “I didn’t say anything. You’d better get out of my head, if you don’t want to hear something that’s going to annoy you.”

  “You’re such a brat. I swear I don’t get what Becky saw in you.” I’m stunned silent by her casual admission. “Then again, that’s not my concern. My problem is getting out of this dungeon in one piece. By now, the Hekate witches must have sensed my magic, if they haven’t picked on your hybrid presence yet.”

  “Why are you betraying your coven to help me?”

  “They’ve never been my coven. I joined just to investigate my sister’s murder, which led me to find out your dad’s role in it.” She pokes my chest with an index. “Even if Becky was collateral damage in the never-ending war between your kind and these witches, they were the ones who killed Becky.” She pauses, her eyes travel my length up, down, and up again. When our gazes meet, hers give out nothing. Her tone is flat, “I seek revenge on both sides.”

  I probe her stare, she’s sincere. She’s wrong about my father, but she believes he is responsible for Becky’s death. Muffled voices, and the sound of metal scraping against metal, indicate witches are coming. There’s a long downward flight of stairs to the torture chamber, but that doesn’t give us much time.

  Jessie and I need to coordinate our powers to get out of here alive. I can’t shimmer without her help because of the witches’ protective spell. She can’t pop up in my place because it is equally protected by magic. Sharing common blood provides us with the perfect way out.

  I clasp Karl’s shoulder with one hand, lacing the fingers of the other through Jessie’s. She grabs his opposite shoulder with her free hand. Locking stares, we work together. Without seeing it, I sense it when she opens a portal through the magic dome that the witches had created around their headquarters. I teleport us through the opening, straight to my house.

  Jessie

  Revelations

  We get to Nick’s house before the witches reach the dungeon. I follow Nick as he carries Karl to a bedroom upstairs and settles the guy on the bed as if the huge man were a toddler. Karl’s ragged, shallow breathing and ashen face are signs that he is in much worse shape than I thought. Nick straightens up beside the bed; but holds Karl’s hand in a tight fist. His eyes travel up and down the man’s frame while his lips move without uttering sounds.

  Whenever I think I have Nick pegged, he does something to throw me off. I trusted him after he drank my blood. Even more so when we had sex. Nobody can be that good of an actor. That phone call about Karl shattered that budding trust up into a million pieces. Now this! This heartbreaking kindness toward an employee does not add up. Could I have been wrong about Nick all this time?

  Becky mentioned to me Nick and his brother had been close. My own investigations uncovered how Devon died in that torture chamber. But I thought Nick’s devotion was limited to blood relatives as is often the case with demons. And I absolutely didn’t believe he would care an iota about the fate of mere humans. If I were being honest, I’d admit he treated the students fairly over the semester. Then again, I considered that to be part of his hiding-in-plain-sight act.

  When I planned my revenge on those who murdered Becky, Nick’s father came right at the top of the list. In seeking a way to get to him, I decided turning his only remaining son against him would be a great first step. Enrolling at the university was an obvious thing to do. When I met Nick, I understood why Becky was so infatuated. Undeniable sex appeal, in a perfect body, with a sharp mind make for a dangerous combination where a woman’s heart is concerned. But, for the longest time, I believed my sister had mistaken lust for love. That was until I slept with the man.

  Yes, he has a prominent domineering side. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself. It makes him a great fuck. The glimpses of tenderness that I witnessed have turned my beliefs upside down though. The lazy strokes with which he sometimes moved inside me. The fact that he made sure I orgasmed before he did. The chaste kisses he planted on the top of my head when he thought I had fallen asleep. Am I wrong about my motivations to pursue Nick? Do I still want to show him who his father really is? Or do I want to keep him to myself?

  Shoving the confusing thoughts aside, I run my hands on the unconscious man’s chest to assess the damage the witches caused him. As I move closer to his crotch, a hiss escapes Nick, who’s been hovering like a damn helicopter parent.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” he snaps.

  I raise an eyebrow, barely glancing his way. “Scanning his injuries.” After my hands have covered every inch of Karl’s body, I straighten my spine and meet Nick’s gaze. Genuine concern, true anguish, and pure fear stare back at me. “It’s bad. He’s got multiple fractures and massive internal bleeding. We can’t pop up at a hospital with him. Even if we could, traditional medicine won’t help him.”

  He screws up his face at the blow from the news and I find no pleasure delivering them.

  A muscle ticks on his cheek. “Why?”

  A pang burns my chest at the despair that strangled word reveals.

  “His blood is poisoned by magic potions. God only knows how many the witches used. Merriam, the head of the coven, is extremely good in what she does.”

  Nick hides his face in his hands. “Fuck!”

  Without hesitation, I clamp a hand on his shoulder for comfort. “Trust me?”

  Our psychic connection has opened up a window into his soul. What I peer at is a mess as big as mine. I don’t understand my feelings for him. He thinks I’m a riddle. I struggle to get out of his head. Before I do, his thoughts echo through my mind: She’s a hot-as-fuck enigma. I should be raving mad at her. I don’t know how I feel about her anymore. I don’t trust my own instincts. But, can I trust Jessie Lewis?

  With a nod, he reveals his decision. “Yes, I trust you. Do whatever you must do, just save Karl. He’s the only friend I’ve got.”

  I don’t need magic to hear the loneliness in that statement. I don’t have time to delve into his emotions. Or mine. I’ve got more pressing issues to attend, so I ignore his pain as I peel off my clothes.

  “I hate to sound like a broken record, but what the fuck are you doing?” he mutters.

  I’m not fooled by the low voice. He’s furious. A quick glance tells me he’s also jealous.

  Shaking my head, I counter, “You said you trus
ted me. Now, be a good boy, go sit on that chair by the fireplace, and get out of my way.” I wave him off.

  I wait until he plops himself on the black leather chair. His gaze remains trained on me. Keeping my feet wide apart, I close my eyes to better focus. I stretch my left arm, drawing circles in the air with my right hand. As I whisper the incantation, I sense a thin mist ooze out of my mouth. Opening my eyes, I watch the green haze wrap itself around Karl’s body. The healing energy permeates his being. I exult at the success until I hit a snag. Try as I might, I can’t breach the magic walls surrounding parts of his mind.

  Nick frowns when I stop chanting. “What now?”

  “We’ve got a situation here.” I perch myself on the edge of the bed, staring at him.

  “What kind of situation?” His terse question indicates he is preparing for more bad news.

  “He’s under a binding spell. Do you know what kind of powers are being held back? That intel would be helpful before I proceed. I don’t want to cause more harm.”

  Slack-jawed, he stares back at me for a beat. “What are you talking about? What powers? Karl is human.”

  “This kind of spell is usually applied to repress a supernatural power. I just assumed he was a demon or a shifter.”

  “He’s neither and we’re wasting precious time.” He points at Karl. “Do something. His wheezing is weakening as we speak. I can’t lose him too,” he mumbles the last words.

  The despair in those dark blue eyes spur me into action. I lean down, drape my arms around Karl’s big frame, chanting. I kiss his lips and his breathing eases up a bit. It’s weak, but not raspy.

  “Don’t thank me yet.” I straighten up, cross my arms under my breasts perfectly aware I’m still wearing my birthday suit. “I haven’t healed him completely. Now spill it.”

  His eyes dart to my chest before refocusing on my face. He holds my stare, probing for clues. I offer him only determination and strength. I’m doomed if I let my guard down with this one.

  Damn it! Why does he have to be so hot?

  With a sharp intake of air, Nick sits on the bed and pats a spot beside his right thigh. When I take it, he tells me about growing up with a human older brother and his best friend. He goes into details about his endless teasing of a brother without powers and how Devon would team up with Karl.

  His gaze leaves mine to stare at the man fighting for his life beside us. “At times, I’d get jealous of their connection. It felt like I didn’t belong.”

  When he focuses again on me, I offer a comforting smile. Another chunk of ice falls from the fortress I built around my heart. Damn Nick and his puppy eyes. Wolves also breed adorable pups; except, we shouldn’t trust them. It’s getting harder to remember he’s the enemy.

  He squeezes his eyes shut for a couple of beats; his breathing becomes shallow. I respect his privacy and don’t allow our psychic bond to reveal his thoughts. I don’t need to understand he’s fighting bad memories. Nick’s blank expression confirms my assessment when he reopens his eyes, lifts his chin, and stares at me.

  “What?” I probe when his silence turns uncomfortable.

  “The only time I didn’t feel like an outcast around humans was when I was with Becky.”

  His admission burns a whole in my heart with a mix of envy and longing. I loved my twin sister and miss her like crazy. Her demon boyfriend has put me in touch with aspects of my sexuality I never knew existed. Now, I fear other men won’t get me there. I do my best to lessen the tightening in my chest, but it’s useless.

  Choking, I murmur, “She enjoyed them as well.”

  His nostrils flare, he clenches his jaws, and arches a skeptical eyebrow as he counters, “Too bad money made her forget the good times we had. Becky lied to me, handed me to the coven, which led to the witches killing Devon and stripping me of my powers. Tough luck she didn’t have time to enjoy the bounty.”

  I glower. He still can’t see the truth. “Becky would never betray you.”

  He scoffs, ignoring my words, “It took me a ton of suffering to finally agree with my father. Money corrupts people.”

  I slap my naked thigh. “That’s precious. Of course, your father would say that. I bet he pitched you against Becky every chance he had.” When radio silence is his only reaction to my comment, I add, “Didn’t he?”

  “It wasn’t like that. He was trying to protect me. If I had heeded his warnings, I’d have saved everyone a lot of heartache.”

  I shake my head. “Sorry if I don’t subscribe to your idea of a two-thousand-year-old demon with a heart of gold. Your father betrayed you, not my sister.”

  “I know you want to believe that, but you weren’t there. I was.” He pokes a finger into his sternum. “I was tortured while I witnessed my brother be beaten to a pulp. My father had nothing to do with that. Why would he want both his sons killed?”

  His words strike a chord, but I set the discomfort they cause aside. “My sister didn’t have a reason to sell you out either. She had more money than she could spend in two lifetimes. Actually, we both inherited a fortune from our grandparents.”

  He frowns. “I wasn’t aware of that. Then again, Becky and I never talked about money.”

  Jealousy stings my chest again. I stifle it in the name of truth. I whisper, “More important than that, she wouldn’t betray you because she loved you madly.”

  There’s a visible lump in his throat. His voice comes off hoarse. “You think I haven’t gone through that reasoning a billion times?”

  He grabs my hand as if my touch can soothe him. Crazy as it sounds, his proximity comforts me.

  I entwine our fingers. “Regardless of what happened back then, the fact of the matter is that we both hate the coven. We want them gone. How about we make a deal to work together going forward?”

  He grins. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend?”

  I retort, “More like the enemy of my enemy is a fuck buddy.” He chuckles, shakes his head, and stares at me. I add, “I’m serious. What do you think?”

  “Tempting. I can envision your perfect butt blushing after a thorough canning.”

  Despite the spike in my heartrate, I school my features. “I can live with that.”

  Nick leans, captures my lips, and seals our pact with a hot kiss. It turns searing faster than wildfire. He frames my face, caressing my cheeks with his thumbs. There he goes again. Instead of taking without asking, he offers me a gentle touch that plays havoc with my convictions.

  Karl’s erratic breathing interrupts us before we go too far. I leap from Nick’s arms onto his friend’s trembling frame, molding myself against his chest. That’s the fastest way I know to transfer my healing energy to Karl, who looks greener than a few moments ago. Hyperventilating and shaking, with sweat covering his skin, he stands at death’s door. He must be in excruciating pain because he is bawling.

  Nick kneels beside the bed and talks to his friend. “Hang in there, bud. Jessie’s good at this. It’s not going to take long now.”

  He couldn’t have been more wrong. For the next ten hours, I try everything I know to revert the damage the coven had inflicted upon Karl. Nothing works. He slowly slips away, his body drained by high fever.

  Nick and I kneel on either side of Karl’s emaciated body. In the last hours, he’s shriveled to a pitiful state. Nick holds Karl’s hand between his.

  Without looking at me, he hisses, “Last time I felt this powerless was when I watched the coven kill Devon. They’re winning again.”

  I whisper, “Don’t go there.”

  His tired eyes meet mine.

  He lets go of his friend to grab my shoulders. “Time’s up, Jess. You did all you could.”

  “That’s bullshit. He’s still breathing.”

  “Barely. Let it go. Put on your clothes. We’ll find a way to make it less painful for him. There’s nothing else we can do.”

  “I’m not a quitter.”

  His lopsided grin doesn’t mask his grief. “Neither am I. But this
feels like we’re the ones torturing him.”

  “When you put it like that…” I stand up, get dressed, and sit on the bed again. I cover Karl’s eyes with one hand, chanting. “The best I can do is create a dreaming spell.”

  It works for a while until it doesn’t. Karl sits up, grabbing Nick’s shirt, staring into his eyes. His voice booms in the quiet room. “End this. Now!”

  In shock, I murmur, “He shouldn’t be up, talking.”

  He isn’t done. Karl goes on, “God damn those witches to hell and back! Their potions are turning me inside out. I can’t take it. Nick, kill me, make it quick and painless.”

  He shakes his head. “I can’t.”

  I grab his forearm. When our eyes meet, I echo his words, “We did all we could.”

  I don’t have the courage to tell him about Merriam. The leader of the Hekate coven has been outside his place for a couple of hours. I’ve ignored her to focus on Karl, but she’s a serious threat we’ll have to deal with soon.

  Nick turns back to his friend, whose eyes are glazing over. “Don’t give up. Don’t leave me, too.”

  The heartbreak in his voice guts me.

  Epilogue - Nick

  Reckoning

  Karl’s contorted expression and loud moans break through my hazed brain. I face the sad reality. The coven has won again. This time my defeat is more vicious because I’ll be the one killing.

  Bile crawls up my throat and I swallow hard to keep it down. I’ve killed before, but never someone I cared for. I grab him by the shoulders, and he nods his permission. I don’t glance at Jessie kneeling beside us because I’ll lose it if I spot sympathy on her face. Still, that feeling radiates from her enveloping me in a warmth that’s foreign to me.

  It must be my imagination.

  I’ve got your back, her voice reverberates in my mind.