by AJ Renee
“Tubar, witch, or worse.”
“There’s worse?” she asked as he carried two steaming mugs into the living room.
He raised a brow and offered her a mug. “Of course there’s worse.”
She sat up and accepted the tea. “What else?”
Ryan sat with his own. “Tubars aren’t the only class of demons out there.” The tone in his voice caused the hair on her arms to raise. “Every family has a grimoire. In it, you should find more information than you will ever wish you knew about our world. You need to study it if you want to stay alive.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes after Ryan quieted. “Why won’t you explain it to me?” Brandy asked, wondering why he would mention it and not elaborate on the topic. “You can’t just drop a line like ‘if you want to stay alive’ and then shut up.”
“I’m a stranger, Brandy. You should be learning this from your family, but from what I can gather from the texts while you were knocked out, they don’t know. That’s what I can’t understand.”
Brandy thought about her parents and brothers. “Both of my parents are dead. My mother said my brothers hadn’t shown any signs of having powers.”
“How did she tell you if she’s dead?” Ryan asked.
“In her letter.”
“What letter?”
Brandy bit her lip, unsure how much to tell him. He was right. He was a stranger, and her mother did say to keep the grimoire safe, but he had saved her. She didn’t know how to balance it all. Her gut instinct told her to trust him. So far, her internal alarm hadn’t failed her. When the tubar had entered the café, before she knew what it was, her gut warned her of danger.
“I received a package. In it, I found the grimoire and a letter from my mother. She mentioned she bound my powers so I could live a normal life. She also said none of my brothers showed any sign of powers.”
Ryan studied her and ran a hand across his jaw. “None of your brothers received powers?”
“No.”
He placed his mug on the table and paced her small living room. She couldn’t help but admire the way his T-shirt stretched across his back or the way his worn-in jeans fit him. When he stopped and their eyes met, she reminded herself the visit had nothing to do with interests outside of witchy stuff.
“What?” she asked as she squirmed in her seat.
“Every child gets powers. Some may have very weak powers, but they get powers nonetheless. It’s strange your mother would say they have no powers.”
She thought back to her time growing up and of her brothers now. “I don’t recall there being a time when shit went bonkers with them. Not growing up or now.”
“How many brothers do you have?” he asked.
“Six, and I’m the baby of the family,” she replied. His eyes widened a fraction before she whispered, “Why?”
“You’re telling me you’re the seventh child and only female?” he asked, ignoring her question.
“Yeah w—”
Ryan rubbed the back of his neck as he turned from her. “When did your mother die?” He pivoted on his heels, and his eyes pierced hers. The intensity in them was a mix of awe and curiosity. People always thought it was crazy she was one of seven kids, but his expression was different.
“Does it matter when she died?” she asked, feeling stubborn over the morsel of information. Suddenly the desire to find her mother’s letter hit her. Imagining the beautiful script on the page, she found herself missing the woman she had never met.
Ryan closed the gap between them and sat next to her. “I’m not trying to be insensitive, Brandy. I’m only trying to understand what’s going on here. Since your birthday, things have gotten weirder than normal for our kind. A family your size with only one witch is rare. Did your father have powers? When did your father die? These questions might help me help you.”
Her vision blurred with tears. “She died giving birth to me. My dad died only a few months ago. I don’t know if he had any powers. If he did, we didn’t know about it.”
“I see. How did your father die?”
His line of questioning was beginning to feel more like an interrogation. “A bear attack,” she said after a long pause.
“A bear attack?” he asked with disbelief. “Was he camping or hunting?”
Brandy shook her head. “The house we grew up in backs up to the woods.”
“In this city?” he asked. When she nodded, he continued. “There are no bears in those woods.”
“The police—” Brandy shut up when Ryan’s eyes implored her to think about it. “If it wasn’t a bear…”
“My guess is your father went up against a were. Their attacks can be as savage as a bear attack. Humans mistake the two all the time.”
“But why would a werewolf attack my father?” Brandy whispered.
“You said you don’t remember him having powers. I need you to think hard. Was there any chance your father could have been a witch?” Ryan asked.
“The letter from my mother made it sound like he was. I don’t understand why he wouldn’t have mentioned it. Why not tell us? Why keep me in the dark about my birthday and the powers I would receive?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure they had their reasons.”
Brandy opened her mouth to speak but shut it when a knock sounded on the door. “It’s probably just the pizza,” she said, pushing to her feet.
Ryan motioned for her to stay where she was. “I’ll feel better checking. If it’s the pizza, it means they got in the building no thanks to one of your neighbors.”
Brandy heard his unspoken words loud and clear. She wasn’t any safer in this building than one without the locked doors. The tingling in her body amped up as her nerves became strained.
Ryan looked through the peep hole before unsheathing a knife at the small of his back. Alarm filled her as she realized it was there the entire time.
From her spot on the couch, she couldn’t see the person on the other side of the door. Ryan managed a manly grunt and mumbled a quick thank-you before grabbing the box and locking the door. “Pizza,” he said with a smile that made him more handsome, if it were even possible.
Her stomach growled, and her cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”
“Why? You haven’t eaten since yesterday, and I know your powers wiped you. You need to eat.”
Brandy ate five slices. She had not realized how hungry she was until the fourth. Ryan sat back while she ate and talked to her about tubars—how they could camouflage as a human and how to kill them.
He kept the information rather brief for her liking. “How about the other stuff?”
“There isn’t anything else you need to know. They hide among humans, but you can smell them and kill them. You’re not dating them.”
“You know, you don’t have to be an ass about it.”
His answering smirk threw her off.
“What about the other things?”
“What about them?”
“Sweet Lord. If you aren’t here to help me, why are you still here, Ryan?”
“Werewolves smell like dirt. Lemures are zombie-like ghosts. Ghosts are typically nice and helpful, but you won’t see them much if at all. Not all witches are like us. There are other demons out there. Tubars are just the dumbest ones.”
“Wow. You aren’t a people person, are you?” Brandy asked after his fast summary of this new-to-her world.
“Why do you say that?” he asked, shifting in his seat.
“Ryan…” She sighed before continuing. “You seem to forget all this is new to me. I wasn’t born into it. Giving me a quick rundown like that? Not helpful… at all. I’m not—”
“Hey… you need to calm down,” he told her as he shifted his knees in her direction.
Her heart raced, and her body heated. “Don’t tell me to calm down!”
His warm hand rested on her leg. “Sweetheart, look around. You need to calm down.”
The endearment left her staring at him a second
longer. Doing as he asked, she found her things floating once again. “Oh shit,” she whispered.
“Take a breath and focus on bringing it down slowly,” he said, his tone soothing.
Brandy focused on the warmth radiating from Ryan’s hand. She was so pissed, she had missed the tingling sensation running up and down her body. If she was honest with herself, the feeling was becoming more normal to her. She did not know if she should be concerned or relieved.
Breathing in deeply, she focused on the objects. She watched them bounce in midair a few times before they lowered. Most of them landed with a soft thud while only a few hit the ground with a louder thump.
Ryan squeezed her leg where his hand rested, bringing her back from her concentration. The touch now warmed her for an entirely different reason. Her heart pounded against her sternum, a mix of the energy she had spent on the objects and what his simple and platonic touch did to her body.
“Great job, sweetheart!” His voice was husky, telling her without words he was not unaffected. “You need to get a better hold of your emotions though.”
Annoyed at his words, she faced him. Her chest raised as she forced herself to take a deep breath. “It’s not my emotions causing problems…”
“Are you saying I am?”
“You sure aren’t making things easier. This is hard on someone who didn’t know all those movies at Halloween time weren’t entirely off base.”
“I’m sorry.” He stood, taking his hand with him and leaving her cold. “I’m not good at this—”
“Obviously,” she whispered to herself.
“I’ll answer your questions as best as I can, but first, I want to help you get a better hold of your powers.”
Brandy smiled. “No more being an ass?”
“Not on purpose.”
“That’s fair,” she said and pushed to her feet. She put out a hand and waited for him to shake it. When their palms touched, her breath caught. She stared at him a long moment. What she could only describe as a ball of static energy passed between their skin.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed before looking down at their joined hands. Stepping back, he cleared his throat. “Are you done?” he asked, tipping his head toward the pizza box.
Unsure if her voice would work, she nodded.
“Okay, I’d like to help. How about we work on making things move on purpose rather than randomly or solely charged by what you’re feeling? Do you think you can handle that, or are you still tapped out?”
“I—” Brandy coughed and continued. “I’m not too tired.” The words came out seductive rather than how she’d intended. Her lady bits screamed she would never be too tired for Ryan.
His eyes darkened at her words and held hers a moment longer than deemed acceptable. “You seemed to do well with tossing the banana earlier, so I’m going to get one,” he said and walked to where she kept the fruit.
Strange butterflies, which she did not remember experiencing when she and Greg started dating, took flight in her stomach. Brandy worked on calming her jitters as he moved around her kitchen. When he returned, he moved the pizza box to the side and placed the banana in the middle of the table.
“Okay, this is not heavy but it’s not light. I want you to focus on placing it in my hand,” Ryan told her and put his hand out, palm up.
Pushing aside all thoughts of her family, tubars, werewolves, and her attraction to Ryan, she focused on the fruit. The banana shuddered and dropped. Next, she watched it teeter toward its side. Each time, it shook but it wouldn’t move like she wanted.
“Breathe,” Ryan whispered when her frustration became too much. “You control your powers, not your emotions,” he reminded her.
Brandy nodded as she rubbed her hands against her thighs and inhaled deeply, filling her lungs to capacity, then released it. The banana teetered over once and then twice, finishing on the same side it started on.
“Good. Keep at it,” Ryan said, cheering her on.
She was not sure how long he stood there with his hand out, whispering his encouragement. Her brow was damp with sweat, as was the skin between her shoulders. The tension in her body reminded her of a workout, so she was sure she would feel sore tomorrow.
Releasing the pressure building in her body, she sagged forward. She wiped the sweat at her temples and sighed. Brandy refused to quit, and with one quick glance at Ryan, she knew he would not let her walk away either.
“Okay, I got this,” she whispered to herself and cracked her neck. Scooting her butt to the edge of the seat, she placed her elbows on her knees.
The image of the banana rising into the air and peeling itself popped into her mind. She watched it shake and take a few tumbles before it finally levitated off the table.
She heard Ryan mumble something, but she refused to break her concentration. Her fingers wiggled, willing the fruit to raise higher while she remembered seeing it peel. Brandy superimposed her vision over the reality and smiled with satisfaction when the two images became one.
He chuckled as he reached out for the banana. “Nice touch. We’ll ignore that you were supposed to put it in my hand.”
Her eyes snapped toward his. “Seriously?”
The banana slipped from its peel and smooshed into his face. “Ugh!” he called from under the attack. “What the hell did I say?”
“You’re such a man,” she muttered, silently pleased with herself for maintaining her control over the banana.
Pushing to his feet, he ran a finger along the mess and scooped it into his mouth. Ignoring him and riding her high at what she had accomplished, she grabbed a pencil from her side table. She concentrated on it, hoping to get a better handle on her powers. She was determined to not let this get the best of her.
As time passed, she realized envisioning what she wanted to do made it happen. This only led her to think back to Ryan and the pretty lady in the café. She wouldn’t admit it to him, but she had been jealous. There was something about Ryan touching the brunette to help her up that had caused her to react.
Brandy brought the pencil back to the table and yawned. Lifting her wrist, she peeked at the time. “Shit,” she whispered around another yawn.
Ryan glanced at his own. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how late it’d become.”
“Neither did I. I have to open tomorrow,” she told him and pushed to her feet.
When she swayed, his hand shot out to steady her. “Whoa, you okay?”
“Yeah, just exhausted.”
His warm fingers wrapped around her upper arm and squeezed ever so slightly. His thumb caressed the skin. If she hadn’t been so aware of Ryan’s touch, she wouldn’t have noticed the change in pressure.
“Tomorrow’s going to feel like a hangover,” Ryan warned her, his eyes all the while focused on her lips. “Drink some tea before bed. It should help you feel better in the morning.”
Her breath stuttered, and she fought the urge to lick her suddenly dry lips. “Thanks again, Rye.”
After a moment, he released his hold on her and stepped toward the door but stopped a foot from it. “The spell will keep tubars away. Call me if you need anything.”
“How can I call you?” she asked as he opened the door. “I don’t have your number.”
His gaze flicked from behind her to her lips. “Good night, Brandy.” He winked, but before she could say another word, he disappeared.
She looked up and down the hall but like the time in the alley, he was gone. The only difference was now she knew it was an illusion. She needed to learn that spell soon.
Thoughts of her powers, the things that go bump in the night, and Ryan swirled through her mind, keeping it too active to sleep. After grabbing her phone from the nightstand, she scrolled through her phone with hopes to calm herself. The only thing she managed to accomplish was checking her email and learning Ryan had added himself to her contacts at some point.
She could not believe how much had happened since her birthday. Could a person change that much
in a matter of weeks? And then there was the bond she felt to Ryan…
The way she was drawn to him was almost unnatural. She had never been this infatuated with a man, and yet if she ignored his jackass moments, he was the only one she could recall feeling this connected to.
It was absolutely absurd, with him being a man she barely knew.
Chapter 9
Bending at the waist, he leaned his hands on his knees and panted. Peter, the bastard, looked on smugly. Ryan, unlike Peter, was dripping in sweat from their late-night sparring. Their unlikely, and frowned upon, friendship started over two decades ago.
Naturally stronger and more aggressive, Peter had decided to open a gym. Thanks to his knack for remaining unseen, Ryan’s talent of investigation had become his calling. They often practiced their fighting skills together, never knowing when they would need it to protect themselves. Many times, Ryan needed Peter for backup.
“She’s messing with your brain,” Peter said with a shake of his head. “Never thought I’d see the day when a woman managed to shake a few screws loose.”
Straightening, Ryan glared at Peter as he moved to the water fountain. Brandy’s image flashed in his mind. It had taken everything in him to not pull her into his arms and kiss her sassy mouth the other night.
They had worked for a few hours on her powers, and when he left, he felt so much pride for the woman, he wanted to burst. Sure, his dick wanted to burst free from his boxers, but that was neither here nor there.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Peter asked.
Ryan’s brow lifted. “I didn’t realize you turned into a woman, wanting to ‘talk about it.’ How about another round and then we call it a night?”
Peter jumped around lightly on the balls of his feet. Ryan followed suit, circling the mat and reading each blink, twitch, and shake of Peter’s muscles.
It did not matter how sore he was. He needed the workout to force the woman from his thoughts. His concern for her well-being affected him, and he didn’t like it. He hoped Peter could drive Brandy from his thoughts before it was too late for him.
Thirty minutes later, Peter got in his truck and Ryan unlocked the door to his apartment above the gym. He was exhausted, sweaty, and pissed. Normally, sparring with Peter relaxed him. A calm would wash over him as he worked out whatever issue he was trying to figure out. Not this time.