Spider Web

by Danielle James

  What if he did come? What if he took one look at her and decided it wasn’t worth his time? Shannon knew she was far from the idea of the perfect woman. She wasn’t obese, but she wasn’t rail thin like all the women on television either. She had a little extra flesh on her arms and hips, chubby cheeks and what her friends called a mushroom top. That meant that her stomach overflowed her jeans just a bit. Her nose was slightly askew, a result from having been broken as a kid.

  Nonsense, she told herself. If he can’t like me for who I am, then who needs him? Still, she watched the time tick by on her watch. Seven fifteen. She was getting a sinking feeling in her gut. She tried to bury herself in the book she brought, just in case she ended up eating alone. She turned the pages and sipped her wine.

  Michael sat on the beige couch facing the dining room for about ten minutes, still arguing with himself over whether or not to “meet” Shannon. She was wearing a blue shirt, just like she said, along with a beige skirt and heels. It set off her complexion nicely, he noticed. Her chestnut hair was cascading over her shoulders, but her face was hidden by the book she was reading. Michael tried to see the title of that book, but was unable to make it out. The cover looked familiar, but was too far away for him to be sure. When she basically slammed the book on the table and shoved it to the side, he saw her face for the first time that evening. Her chocolate brown eyes were bloodshot and glazed over, as if she were fighting tears. She glared at the book on the table beside her wine as if it were all the book’s fault that she had asked a basically perfect stranger to dinner and gotten stood up.

  No, Michael decided. He would not stand her up. He would not be the source of her pain. It was just dinner, for goodness sake. He waved to the hostess and made his way to the table where Shannon sat.

  “Hello Shannon,” a deep, sultry voice said. Shannon lifted her eyes and saw a man in front of her table. Man was such a plain description. The man who stood before her was more akin to a Greek God. He was tall, at least six foot, dark brown hair, gentle blue eyes, and a smile that could stop traffic. She smiled back.

  “You must be Mike,” she said, extending her hand.

  “Michael, actually. May I sit?” Michael took her hand, and instead of shaking it, lifted it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

  “Of course,” she said, blushing. She tried to discreetly rub the moisture from her eyes.

  “Are you alright? You look upset.”

  “Yeah, I was just reading. I guess I am just a sucker for a good book. It made me mad, though.”

  “Do you mind?” he asked, taking a seat on the opposite bench and reaching for her book. She gave it a little disgusted push toward him. He looked at the cover and realized why it had seemed familiar. It was one he had read; Phase Moon, by Sally Miller. “Ah, this is a good one,” he mused out loud.

  “You’ve read it?” she asked, cocking her head to the side and raising an eyebrow, obviously surprised.

  “Of course. I have read Midnight as well. How can millions of women across the world be wrong?” he asked through a blazing grin. Shannon’s heart tripped in her chest. Michael knew because he heard it. And of course, he had read both books. It was not his usual genre, but after hearing the thoughts of almost every female of every age from twelve to forty in the library, he had to see what all the fuss was about. He read the first, then the sequel, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was hooked. He waited, impatiently, along with millions of others for the third book to be released.

  “I think she did an excellent job capturing the whole first love thing, don’t you?”

  “I do. And I can just about guess what chapter you are on in this one,” he said, motioning to the book on the table.

  “Men can be such idiots, even the ones who are supposed to be perfect.”

  “But he is acting on what he feels is in her best interest,” Michael offered.

  “But leaving?! Doesn’t Edwin know that Betty will be in more danger if he leaves?”

  “Forget that the main male character is a vampire,” Michael said. “He is just doing what guys do. He feels that his presence in her life is causing her to be in danger from his family, as well as other vampires. So he is removing that danger. We never seem to make the right choices the first time around, but it is vital to the relationship between Betty and Jared,” he hesitated, “Wait, you haven’t read far enough to know that, have you?”

  “No, but it helps to know. But still, I know it’s just a book, but it makes me so damn mad!”

  “Promise me you will read all of it, no cheating.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “You would be surprised, Shannon, at how many people do exactly that. They skip all of the good stuff in the middle, hoping to find Edwin back in the story.”

  A slow smile spread across her face. This man had read Midnight. He obviously enjoyed books, and wasn’t too manly to read a love story. She wondered what else he had to offer in the intellect department. Then something occurred to her. He had addressed her by name. He said “Shannon.” She tried to remember ever telling him her real name. Her cop senses tingled in her mind. It was a useful tool to weed the truth from the lies every suspect inevitably told.

  “How did you know my name?” she asked, point blank.

  “Um,” Michael stammered, unsure of what to say. He knew she had never told him her real name. A stupid and blatant blunder. “I guess you must have told me at some point or another. I’m not sure.”

  “I must really be losing it. I didn’t think I had told you,” she remarked, obviously suspicious. For a moment, Michael considered allowing her suspicions to fester. Maybe that would detour her from inviting strange guys out for dinner. But he didn’t want her to be suspect of him. He wanted her to trust him.

  “I wouldn’t worry over it too much,” he offered. “You have been through a lot lately. Just be careful from now on.”

  “I will,” she promised, not just to Michael, but to herself as well. She knew better than to give out personal information online. She studied his face for any sign that he may be crazy. His features were strong. He looks like some statue of a forgotten Greek god come to life. She saw no sign of anything other than the kindness he had already shown her.

  “Are you ready to order?” the server interrupted.

  “I will have the cappellini,” Shannon said. She had decided before even arriving.

  “I think I will have the lasagna,” Michael said. The server left a basket of bread sticks on the table and promised to bring their salad right out. Michael poured himself a glass of wine from the bottle on the table.

  “So how are things going for you today?” he asked nonchalantly.

  “He called me today,” Shannon answered.

  “Who did? Robert?”

  “Who else? He wanted to apologize. Said he was in a bad place and wanted to make it up to me,” she said while studying her half empty glass.

  “Humm,” Michael mumbled around a bite of bread. He was trying not to voice his opinion.

  “Of course, I told him to get lost, only in less attractive words,” she continued. “I told him that he ruined any chance of ever being with me again. I mean, I caught him! With another woman! In our bed! How could he think he could make that right? It’s just not possible. He’s lucky I didn’t shoot him on the spot.”

  “No, I don’t see how,” Michael said. Shannon went on about this jerk until the server brought their dinner.

  “I’m terribly sorry,” she said, “I have been rambling on and on, and I haven’t given you the chance to say hardly anything. Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

  “There really isn’t much to tell,” he told her. “You already know that I work with children, you obviously noticed that I like books, I like most music. What would you like to know?” Michael had lied and told her he worked with troubled kids. It wasn’t too far from the truth. In reality, guardian angels only had one charge at a time.

  Shannon didn’t
answer at first. She pushed her pasta around on her plate, thinking. Then, she spoke softly. “Am I like you expected?”

  “You are exactly what I expected,” Michael responded, surprised. “What do you mean?”

  “Just, something Robert said today bothered me. I was just curious.”

  Michael fought the anger building inside, clenched his teeth together, and pressed on. “What did he say?”

  “A bunch of bullshit, really. He was trying to hurt me.”

  “You can tell me.”

  “He said that I would never find anyone who would put up with me. That I was no runway model and no one else would want me.” The words had hurt her; he could see it in her eyes.

  Michael sucked in a breath between his teeth and bit his tongue. He wanted to say many things at that moment, but none of them would be proper for a family restaurant. He bit back the growl that was growing in his chest and steadied his breathing. “You’re right. He was only trying to hurt you,” he finally said. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. In truth, he would do good to find someone half as good as you to put up with him! He was a fool, and he knows it. Please don’t listen to him.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered, still eyeing her plate.

  “Is that good?” Michael asked, pointing to her plate and changing the subject.

  “Yes it is,” she replied, her eyes lighting up. “Want some?”

  “Sure, want some of mine?”

  They shared dinner and talked. They laughed and laughed. Once, a server that was not theirs checked on the progress of their dinner. Michael gave no indication that he recognized the man, but Gabriel shot him a warning look as he cleared the plates from the table. Oh, get over it, Michael thought at him. It was none of his business.

  “So, I asked you here to thank you,” Shannon said.

  “No thanks are necessary. It’s what I do,” Michael answered, waving his hand dismissively.

  “It is,” she told him. “I needed a friend and you came through for me. Is there anything I can do to repay you for your kindness? For listening to me ramble on and on about my daily problems?”

  “Your smile is reward enough,” Michael said honestly.

  After desert, Michael walked Shannon to her car. She thanked him again, and when she asked if she would see him again, Michael smiled and kissed her cheek. Then he told her that you never know what may conspire in the future and watched until she was out of sight. He contemplated following her, but decided he had pushed the boundaries more than enough for one day.

  “I’m pretty sure we agreed you weren’t going to meet her,” Gabriel said, appearing behind Michael.

  “Why are you spying on me?” Michael spat back.

  “I was just looking after you,” Gabriel offered.

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “Obviously, you need a babysitter. Michael, what were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking that if she thought I didn’t want to meet her that it would hurt her more than if I just met her on a friendly basis.”

  “You are treading on thin ice, man. Please, be careful. You know what happened to Dylan.”

  “Dylan was a fool. He was having sex with a variety of women, not helping them in any way,” Michael said, frowning.

  “He didn’t see it that way,” Gabriel mused. A devilish smile spread across his face. “He thought he was doing them a service.”

  “That’s one way of looking at it. An angel whore. No, an angel sex instructor! Saving the women of the world one at a time!” Michael laughed.

  “Sometimes, two or three at a time,” Gabriel added. The two dissolved in a fit of laughter.

  Michael had every intention of going to his apartment to read; really. But once there, the small space seemed to close in around him. It was smaller and emptier than ever before. Michael lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, his wings folded neatly against his back. He considered calling Gabriel to keep him company. He finally decided that this is what it feels like to be lonely. Maybe just for a few minutes, he thought. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was in Shannon’s apartment.

  He could hear the water gushing from the faucet in the bathroom; she was getting her bath ready. The smell of gardenias floated through the apartment, filling his nose. That was Shannon’s favorite bubble bath. He sat gingerly on the couch and waited, smiling to himself. He knew she wouldn’t see him, but he would give her privacy, as always. After all, he wasn’t a peeping Tom.

  Shannon slowly lowered herself into the hot water and let her mind wander as she soaked in the perfumed water. Robert sure had some nerve. How could anyone be so mean? He was playing on her self- esteem issues, and she knew it. He knew that she was self- conscious about her weight. He knew that she never thought of herself as pretty. He knew it, and exploited it. At least, Michael had said there was nothing wrong with her. Did that mean he found her attractive? Shannon let the thought flow through her mind until it had spun itself into an out and out fantasy. She imagined kissing his firm lips, hearing him sigh against her skin. She imagined his hands exploring her body, his mouth finding hers. She slipped her hand between her thighs and let out a moan.

  Michael sat diligently in the other room, shifting his weight from one hip to the other. He could hear the sounds coming from the bathtub, both spoken and in her mind, as clearly as if they were his own thoughts; but he remained seated. Not that he wanted to; he wanted to race into the bathroom, lift her from the tub and show her just how beautiful he thought she was. But it was against the rules. He stood his ground. That is, until he heard her sighing his name. That broke his resolve.

  He appeared in the bathroom, his body acting without permission from his brain. His gaze traveled over Shannon’s wet body, watching as she arched her back with pleasure. The bubbles clung to her slick body in all the right ways. He didn’t want to watch. Really. He wanted to be the gentleman he had always been. This was not the first time this particular situation had occurred, so why couldn’t he bring himself to look away? It was because she was thinking of him; because she said his name. Not someone else’s name, but his….. “Michael.”

  His own breath was coming in quick pants, and he was glad she couldn’t see him. A flash burn spread throughout his body, and he nearly lost his nerve. Instead, pinching his brow and ironing his will, Michael turned his back to the woman in the tub. He didn’t have the will to leave the bathroom completely. He rested his head against the damp tile wall near the door and waited, vehemently resisting the urge to do anything else.

  He didn’t turn when she stood up and wrapped a towel around her body. He didn’t turn when she dropped the towel for her night shirt. He didn’t turn when she passed mere inches from him to exit the room, wafting the aroma of her bubble bath across his face. He didn’t turn when she got under the covers and hummed herself to sleep.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Boston, Massachusetts

  Nicolas Winston ran down the steps of his home and wrenched the front door open. Did no one have any freakin’ manners anymore? He had to be at work early in the morning, and it was the middle of the night. The incessant pounding woke him from a sound sleep and he was not happy about it. On the other side of the door, a petite woman of about twenty-five stood, shoulders back, her chin held high. Her shoulder length brown hair curled excessively around her round face, her dark eyes were framed by thick black lashes. She was wearing casual jeans and a pink t-shirt, dark boots and a big grin. A large suitcase rested on the porch beside her feet.

  “What?” he snarled at the woman.

  “Hi yourself,” she answered with wink and an even bigger smile. “I’m Jolice. You’re Nick. It’s nice to meet you too.” The woman stuck her hand out in Nick’s direction.

  Nick ignored the gesture and shook his head. The woman was obviously off her rocker. “What do you want, coming here in the middle of the night?”

  “I considered coming here during the day, but I thought you might be sleeping. I was tryi
ng to be polite. So, are you going to invite me in or what?”

  Nick rolled his eyes. “Why would you think I would be asleep and again, what are you doing here?”

  “I have very important information to share with you and your family,” she said. “And I know that vampires sleep during the day. That’s why I am here at night.” Oh. Well, that still didn’t give her an excuse to pound on the door like a crazy woman.

  “Half vampire and I don’t sleep during the day,” Nick grumbled. It didn’t bother him that she knew he was vampire. Hell, everybody knew. Vampires had been living out in the open among humans for years. “And you can tell me whatever it is now and then be on your way so I can go back to bed.”

  “Wow, I never met a Daywalker before. What I have to say will take more than a minute,” she said. “Let me in.” She leveled her eyes with his and gave him her best no nonsense look.

  With a sigh of resignation, Nick opened the door wider and stepped aside to allow her into the sitting room. It was obvious that she wasn’t going to give up, nor was she going to leave until she said her piece. The woman picked up her suitcase and darted through the space Nick had made for her.

  “Wow, this place is nice,” she said, dropping her bag on the floor beside the couch. “Where’s everyone else?”

  “Who everyone else?” Nick asked as he closed the front door.

  “Your dad, Victor, and Rachel,” she said. How did this woman know his family? And what did she really want? He was running all of this through his mind when he realized she was still talking. “I can’t wait to meet Phoenix. I bet he’s something else. I know all this seems weird…”

  “It doesn’t seem weird, it is weird,” Nick interrupted her. “What do you want?”

  “I guess I should start from the beginning,” Jolice said, twisting her curls into a ponytail. “Like I said, my name is Jolice Henderson. I came here all the way from Florida. I’m a witch.” She waited for the information to sink in. “I don’t have any overly powerful talents, except for knowledge. I know that your father is the Massachusetts Clan Leader. I was scrying the other day, and something very bad is going on. So I tried to dig around a bit and see what it was, but I only got little glimpses of things.