‘And Monica who lives at the top of the street went back to Poland—you know, for Christmas. She is going to be back in January,’ said Mum, putting some more gravy on her plate
My dad muttered something like, ‘Mary, just change the subject, please. I’m sure Julia doesn’t want to listen to this.’
‘What about you? Have you been on any dates recently? If you’re going to sit at home and wait for a man to knock on your door, well, that’s never going to happen,’ Mum rambled and I had to roll my eyes.
‘Mum, I don’t want to date just yet. Give it a rest.’
‘Exactly, Mary…give it a rest. Julia is an adult and when it’s time, the right man will be by her side,’ Dad said. ‘Pass the gravy, Mary, will you?’
Dad tried to balance his magical life with his human wife, but I knew that he didn’t have it easy with mum. I’d heard about a lot of mixed marriages, but sometimes it was just easier to choose a paranormal creature rather than a complicated relationship with a human. That was why most elves, vampires, fairies, werewolves, witches, hags, wizard, trolls, and giants got involved with creatures from their castes, avoiding humans altogether.
Dad hadn’t mentioned Jasper’s name through the course of the evening. My ex-boyfriend managed to slip through my father’s fingers yet again and I was devastated. I had to try to solve this problem by myself, but I promised Ella that I would talk to Dad if Jasper got out of control.
Ella called after I got home. She sounded fine, but I questioned her about last night just to be sure that she was all right. Nothing she said indicated that we were supposed to have dinner together. I didn’t know what Nathaniel had done to her but was relieved he didn’t hurt her. I managed to drift off to sleep just before twelve, wondering what he was doing, struggling to stop myself from thinking about him.
Back home, I decided that I wouldn’t call Nathaniel but instead would wait, hoping that Dad would get somewhere with his investigation. Within a week a few more fairies and elves had disappeared in crowded and public places. Dad had a bunch of witnesses, but no one could actually describe the well-built men from the black van.
On a Monday in the beginning of December I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. Work had been hectic, and Dad wasn’t even picking up my phone calls any more. He was fed up with my endless questions. Mum found out about Claudia from Auntie Dorothy and had been calling me various times of the day, checking if I was all right. A slight panic arose amongst other elves and fairies. I could see them in the Tube traveling in groups, afraid that someone could snatch them up at any time of the day.
I’d done a couple of evening shifts last week, so my body clock was all over the place. I couldn’t deny that I wanted to see Nathaniel, not only because of what he offered but also because I secretly couldn’t fight with my new, unexpected feelings that I had for him.
It was just after six when I arrived at Brunel Industrial Park. I wasn’t even sure if he would be in the office, but at this point I was willing to take a risk. I didn’t want to call the switchboard to check if he was in, because I wanted to be as discreet as possible, and I didn’t have his mobile number.
‘Hi, Todd, I want to see Mr. La Caz; is he in?’ I asked the familiar werewolf downstairs.
He wrinkled his forehead with effort and looked at his list. ‘You don’t have an appointment, I presume?’
‘No, but it’s important. I can assure you that he wouldn’t mind seeing me,’ I persisted. Todd didn’t look convinced and I was worried that he would call upstairs to check if I was allowed in.
‘All right, but if I get into trouble because of you, Miss Taylor, then you’re buying me lunch.’
‘You won’t, I promise, but I’ll buy you lunch anyway.’ I smirked and signed in by his desk. He told me that Nathaniel’s office was on the top floor. My heart was in my throat when I thought about him being there with a group of people, or if he had a meeting. My heart thumped wildly in my chest when I reached the top floor. What was I supposed to tell him?
Oh, hey, Nathaniel, you know that you offered to help me, so I was wondering if you would be willing to do that now; you see, I finally made up my mind.
Of course, I couldn’t say that. I had to be polite and promise him something in exchange, and knowing what he wanted, I would probably have to sleep with him.
The door to the elevator opened and I stood in a completely different room than when I came here with Jennifer for the first time. I bit my lips, staring at the secretary who was looking straight at me. My energy stirred inside me again, waking up the magic.
Standing up, she spoke in a high-pitched tone. ‘Excuse me, miss, but how did you get in here?’ She wore perfectly fitted black suit.
‘I came to see Mr. La Caz. I believe he is in, right?’ I said, clearing my throat. I walked up to her and glanced to my right. Seeing the black door, I instantly knew that he was on the other side.
‘I’m sorry, but Mr. La Caz doesn’t see anyone without a scheduled appointment,’ she said.
‘If you just let him know that Julia Taylor is here to see him, I’m sure that he wouldn’t mind.’
She asked me what this was about, but I wasn’t planning to discuss my situation with some fake-tanned vampire bimbo. So she started shuffling her papers, pretending that she was busy. ‘I’m afraid that Mr. La Caz is on a conference call and he cannot be disturbed.’
‘That’s too bad because I’m just about to do that,’ I stated and marched to the door and entered abruptly.
‘Miss, miss, you can’t go—’
‘It’s okay, Emily, the conference call is finished,” Nathaniel said, standing up as I barged through his door. ‘Please leave us.’ I gave the bitchy secretary a winning smile. She looked at me like she was ready to kill me and left.
There I was in his office that overlooked the entire industrial park. I took long pulses of air as he stared at me without a smile.
‘Miss Taylor, what a pleasure to see you here. Please sit down,’ he said with a hint of laugher in his tone. God, he looked good in his tailor-made grey.
I can do this; he won’t intimidate me this time.
I sat down on the chair that he pointed to in front of his desk. My energy collided inside like I was just about to be hit by a windstorm. I tossed my hair behind me trying to distract myself from his intense gaze, but my cheeks were already heated up.
‘There have been more kidnappings in the city and my cousin Claudia still hasn’t been found,’ I began in an uneasy tone. It was way too hot in his office, or maybe I just couldn’t gain control of my body while he was around. Either way I was dripping with sweat. It was embarrassing.
‘So you came here hoping that somehow I could help you?’ he asked, tapping his long finger over his glass table.
‘Yes, I have, and I’m available now, so we could leave as soon as you would be ready,’ I added, indulging myself by breathing in his incredible scent.
‘Is that so, Miss. Taylor?’ he asked and got up, shoving his hands to his pockets. ‘What if I have a very important meeting in a few minutes or I have to pick up my girlfriend for our date in the theatre?’
I started chewing my lip, ignoring that odd, pulsing sensation between my legs, and swallowed hard. ‘If you really have an important meeting, then reschedule it. You’re the boss. And you told me yourself that you don’t date, so let’s cut to the chase. We are talking about the life my cousin and some other paranormals,’ I said as he circled around me like he was going to attack me from behind. The adrenaline started pumping though my body and the air grew dense.
Unexpectedly, he started laughing, breaking up the sudden tension that embraced the atmosphere.
‘Miss. Taylor, you don’t stop surprising me. If all the women in this world could be like you…’ He chuckled. ‘I was only joking. Of course I’ll help you and I’ll do this from the warmth of my own heart and I won’t even ask you for anything in return if that’s what you’re afraid of.’
‘Really? Not ev
en a date?’ I asked, my voice cracking.
‘Only if you insist.’
Chapter sixteen
Pretentious cocky bastard. I hate him; no I think I like him.
We left his office and headed to an underground car park. In the elevator I attempted to again control my inflamed fingers, but nothing was going according to plan, because I was only making it worse. He kept watching me, looking curious.
When he opened the door for me to his immaculate Aston Martin I had to give it to him; he was behaving like a perfect gentleman and I loved his manners. But he didn’t need to know that.
‘Where are we going?’ I asked when he started the engine.
‘To get some answers. Don’t worry; I’ll keep you safe as long as you listen to me. We aren’t going to be in any pretty places, so let me do the talking’
It was already dark and cold when we drove through London. The traffic was atrocious and Nathaniel’s was silent. He put some soft music on and watched the road. I was glad that he wasn’t trying to intimidate me. After an hour of constant driving, I had no clue where we were, but the area around us wasn’t safe. Most windows in the houses has been covered, various suspicious-looking individuals crept around the streets, tons of rubbish lay all over the streets and there was smoke coming out from one of the buildings. When Nathaniel finally stopped the car I wasn’t quite so sure I wanted to go outside.
‘Now, we are going to the territory controlled by giants, and I want you to listen to me very carefully. Let me do the talking. Don’t answer any questions even if they ask you, and don’t make eye contact for more than five seconds with anyone. I’ll try to protect you, but I have no authority around here, so you must promise to keep that beautiful mouth of yours quiet,’ he said, leaning towards me way too closely.
My heart started pounding and I wondered if he was going to kiss me. Instead, with a sharp intake of breath, he got out of the car.
He’d parked the car between the alleys, but it was still exposed, so I didn’t know if there would be anything left of that gorgeous piece of machinery when he returned.
He must have noticed the look on my face because he said, ‘Don’t worry, if anything happens I’d buy a new one.’
Pretentious cocky bastard. I hate him; no I think I like him.
We stopped in front of the wrecked building where I spotted a club or a bar of some sort. I heard music and for a split second I wondered if this was such a good idea after all, because this place looked rough and I had a really bad feeling about it.
‘Ready?’ he asked, seeing me hesitate. ‘We can still go back.’
‘No, I’m fine. Let’s do this.’
He didn’t look convinced, but we entered anyway. As I figured, we were in some obscure bar filled mostly with biker giants. A cold shiver passed down my spine. I reminded myself not to make an eye contact with anyone. The fear poured into my stomach and I tried to keep closer to Nathaniel.
‘Can I have a whisky and a martini for the lady?’ asked Nathaniel. The barman wasn’t too keen on the order. He was so massive he could easily kill us both if he wanted to, but he went away to make our drinks. Every muscle in my body was tensed, but Nathaniel looked relaxed, way too relaxed. I felt an odour of sewage and hairspray and something else, maybe blood, when a large giant approached Nathaniel.
‘Yo, vamper, this is Gordon’s territory; what the fuck you want?’ he barked.
I only glanced at him, he had a large, deep scar that ran across his cheek and left eye, and long silver hair.
‘I’m here to see him. Is he around?’ asked Nathaniel, his voice harsh.
‘He ain’t talking to trash like you, so you better leave before I slash your pretty face. Leave the girl; we can make some use of her,’ continued the hairy giant. Yep, this was a bad idea coming here. Shaking, I moved slightly closer to Nathaniel.
‘The girl is with me. I fed off her, and I want to buy some more elves or fairies. I heard that Gordon caught a few and I want to make him a deal.’
I had no idea what Nathaniel was talking about, but I didn’t like it at all. The giant was getting more aggravated and breathing heavily. Two others approach us not looking friendly at all.
‘Gordon ain’t here. Are you deaf?’
Someone leaned behind me. I glanced back and saw a troll who was obviously interested in me. Nathaniel didn’t look that relaxed anymore, he touched his glass and I was prepared to leave.
‘Our boss doesn’t get involved with shit like that. There ain’t any fairies or elves here,’ barked the other biker, who suddenly dragged me away from Nathaniel and pulled me towards his filthy chest.
‘I like your donor. We’ll have so much fun with her here.’
Nathaniel narrowed his hazel eyes and squeezed the glass that he was holding. We had no chance of getting out of here alive. My energy rolled over my spine, my fingertips started tingling.
‘I’m giving you a warning: let go off her,’ Nathaniel quietly ordered him, still leaning casually over the counter. The barman vanished somewhere and everyone in the bar gathered around us.
Two giants laughed, their large stomachs trembling.
‘What are you going to do, vamper?’
The air was trapped in my lungs when the troll that held me started moving his dirty hand over my T-shirt. Nathaniel must have seen his movement. He squeezed the glass so tightly that his knuckles went completely white and then in a split second he crashed the glass over the first biker, moving so fast, that no one around us had a chance to react. The biker roared, appearing to be blinded by the pieces of glass, the blood dripping from his face as he stumbled backwards. Nathaniel extended his fangs and sent a punch to the other giant, but the biker held his fist and pushed him over the bar roaring like a beast ready for attack.
I started scuffling, trying to loosen the troll’s grip, but whoever was holding me slapped me so hard that I lost consciousness for a split second. When I opened my eyes the pain in my skull was like an atomic bomb. My energy declined, my hands were static, but I felt like someone drained me of my power. Nathaniel was held by the biggest and filthiest giant that I had ever seen. His massive hand was over Nathaniel’s throat, blood drizzling onto his suit.
‘You shouldn’t have come here, sniffing about Gordon’s business, you fucker,’ roared the giant, gripping his hands tighter around Nathaniel’s neck. I tried to get up, but I was sent back on the ground within a moment.
Nathaniel’s left hand was in his pocket. When the group around us laughed, I noticed something in his hand, and then what happened next was so unexpected that it ignited a dose of my own power. Nathaniel pressed his hand onto his opponent’s stomach. The giant looked like he’d been electrocuted. He started shaking and released his grip. His eyes rolled back in his sockets and he fell on the ground, stunned. He didn’t move, and the burning smell of flesh reached my nostrils.
‘Hey, Marcel, let go of the lady!’ shouted another voice that I sort of recognised. I glanced at the door and saw Michael Longbridge standing there holding a baseball bat. I would have been happier if he’d have brought his chain saw. He was with three other guys, all shape-shifters. The troll that held me cursed under his breath, but he didn’t let go of me. Nathaniel was back on his feet, breathing hard. His fangs were still extended, and part of his face was covered in blood, his eyes were glowing with pure rage. He was holding his stun gun in his right hand.
One of the standing giants yelled, ‘Who the fuck are you? If you mess with Gordon, he will rip your head off and eat you for breakfast!’ The air coursed with tension and growing energy. Fear seized me, making it impossible to breathe, but I was praying to get the hell out of here alive.
Michael Longbridge swiped his baseball bat and crushed the table next to him and then moved towards the troll.
‘Let the lady go, otherwise your head will be next and that vampire will feed on the rest of you,’ he shouted and his eyes changed colour, shimmering like yellow flames. The other two shape-shifters move
d forward. I pushed the troll away, and before I could get on my feet Nathaniel was beside me. My head was pounding, my magic rolling over my body, burning my skin. A few giants moved aside letting us through as Nathaniel kept his stun gun ready.
Michael nodded to me and glanced at the frozen party at the bar. I was shaking like jelly. This wasn’t over yet. We still had to get to Nathaniel’s car.
‘We are walking away from here nice and calm,’ muttered Longbridge. Nathaniel was holding my arm so tightly that it hurt. He didn’t even let go of me once we were outside.
‘Let’s move before they decide to go after us,’ barked a guy who appeared to be Longbridge’s mate, moving his eyes around the abandoned street.
‘Julia, can you walk?‘ asked Nathaniel.
‘Yes, just stop squeezing my arm, you’re cutting my circulation,’ I said.
‘Right, sorry.’
Ten minutes later, we reached the alley where Nathaniel left his Aston Martin. I gasped when I saw that some of the windows had been smashed.
‘Fuck, Miss. Taylor,’ Michael said, looking from me to Nathaniel. “I thought you were intelligent. We weren’t sure what both of you planned, but going into Gordon’s bar is like to going to a death row.’
‘I don’t know who you are, but I owe you my life and Julia’s,’ Nathaniel said, wiping the blood off his face.
‘Yes, thank you, Mr. Longbridge, we were looking for some information about my missing cousin. She is one of the elves that has been kidnapped,’ I mumbled, completely losing the plot.
Longbridge ran his hands over his dark hair, looking like he was going to hit me for being so reckless. ‘No one hangs around here. It’s good that we spotted the two of you. Sorry about the car, mate.’
‘I’m in your debt; the car is meaningless. Whenever you need anything, call me,’ Nathaniel said and handed Longbridge his business card.
Paranormal Personnel Saga Box Set - Books 1-3 Page 8