by Jayde Scott
I wasn’t even sure that wasn’t the truth. “Got it. I’ll pretend I’m bored out of my mind while I try to peer behind their armor, discover their secrets, and find the culprit.”
He kissed me. “You’re the smartest girl I know. I couldn’t ask for a better equal. While I keep the guards busy you search for clues.” He trailed his fingers down my neck as his blue gaze interlocked with mine. I stared at him, mesmerized. “Just don’t stray too far and be careful. I couldn’t bear if anything happened to you.”
“When are we starting?” I managed to say, heart pounding and all.
“Tonight,” he whispered. “When darkness descends you’ll see the scariest thing of your life.”
After my last possession and Rebecca’s poltergeist activity, which almost made me want to lock myself up in a pretty, white cell, I highly doubted anything could scare me more. But I nodded nonetheless. As our lips connected in our first heated kiss of the day, it completely slipped my mind that I hadn’t told him about my meeting with Elyssa.
“I wanted to give you a normal life, but at this point I doubt it’s even possible,” Aidan said, breaking away from me for a second.
“I’m in this relationship for the long haul and that’s all that matters.” Supernatural was my middle name now. I appreciated the fact that Aidan wanted to give me the perfect life with the white picket fence and all, but that was never going to happen. Not in his world. Not until we won the war.
“You’re a cute addition to the paranormal community.” His lips nuzzled my neck. I drew him closer and leaned back to enjoy his soft kisses, ready to forget the world around us. His hands trailed down my back and settled on my hips. I reached up his chest to loop my arms around his neck as his lips finally settled on mine in a long kiss. My legs wobbled beneath me, but Aidan held me tight as his lips brushed over mine in one eclectic kiss after another, making my head so dizzy I thought I might be standing in the center of a tornado.
Eventually he broke our embrace and walked over to what looked like a briefcase to retrieve a red plastic bag. “What’s that?” My voice came low and hoarse as my head still floated in ecstasy.
“You need to drink…just in case,” Aidan said. To my delight I realized his self-control didn’t fare any better. His eyes burned with passion, though I couldn’t tell whether for me or because of what was inside the bag.
I needed to feed. He was right about that. As much as I hated doing this, it’d buy me a few days of peace. I grabbed the bag from his outstretched hand and headed upstairs to lock myself inside the bathroom so no one would see me ravish my disgusting meal.
A few minutes later, I peeled off my bloodstained clothes, took a hot shower and wrapped a soft bathrobe around my energized body before returning to the bedroom, surprised to find Aidan was still here. Upon seeing me, he jumped up from the canapé and reached me in three long strides. His arms went around my waist as he pulled me closer.
“I know this is hard for you,” he whispered in my ear. His voice was low and soothing, a sweet caress like his fingers against my skin.
I nodded and inhaled his scent, muttering, “You’ve no idea.”
“Trust me, it’ll get easier with time.” If his words were meant to comfort me then they failed big time. But I nodded nonetheless, letting him think it was working. “I’ll stay with you no matter what, Amber.”
“Then prove it.” I had never let him kiss me after feeding because I was ashamed of my body’s need for blood when he could go without it now. Even though he had fed for centuries before the ritual freed him from his unnatural longing, I somehow felt beneath him now.
“How? You know I’d do anything to make you believe me,” he whispered so low his words were almost lost in the muffled noise of Morganefaire’s daily business carrying over through the open window.
“The worst thing about blood is that you can never wash away its scent, no matter how hard you try.” I smiled bitterly. “But you know that since you lived like I do.” He nodded. His gaze betrayed his uncertainty as to where this was heading. I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the bed, then forced him down next to me. “I want you to see the dark side of me.”
My mouth found his and our lips touched. He flinched slightly at the metallic scent on my tongue. My hand moved to the back of his nape and pressed gently. Aidan pulled back and his gaze locked on me. His fingers touched my lips and a tiny spark flew between us. He smiled lazily.
“Did you think I’d head for the nearest door at the outlook of a bit of blood on your skin?” His blue eyes sparkled with something. Danger, determination, defiance, I couldn’t tell. “You can try me all you want. I’m up for the challenge, Amber. I hope you can handle what you’ve unleashed.”
I barely got enough time to draw a sharp breath before his lips found me again in a earthshattering kiss. My body melt into his as my brain went foggy. And then the ground beneath my feet began to spin and I was lost in Aidan’s heated embrace and the sweet touch of his hands on my skin.
Chapter 14
I spent the rest of the day rummaging through my wardrobe like a headless chicken, tossing clothes out, then back in, only to go through them one more time. For someone who had thought of packing for every opportunity, I found I completely forgot to pack for a night out in the cold, patrolling the streets like an invisible shadow, while most sane people were sleeping soundly in their beds.
“All black, babe. You need to blend in with the night. That’s about the first rule of the Night Guard,” Aidan said from the divan near the bed, his lips twitching as usual when he found me particularly strange or amusing, or both.
“What?” I feigned surprise. “You mean my red sparkly dress and stilettos won’t work?”
He laughed. “Definitely not. No heels.”
“Why not?” I shrugged. “I can run faster than you in a pair of heels. You see, I have impeccable balance.”
“I’ve seen your impeccable balance...without heels.”
“It’s a stupid rule if you ask me,” I muttered, frustrated. “This is the only black top I have.” I tossed a sleeveless, sheer piece of nothing toward him. He caught it in mid-air and spread it out in front of him.
“Uh, no.” He grimaced. “In fact, you’re not wearing this outside the house, or I might just have to fend off your countless admirers trying to break down the door to get a date with you.”
I smiled and leaned in to plant a quick kiss across his gorgeous lips. “Thank you. You’re too cute.”
He put the shirt aside, probably planning to burn it later so I wouldn’t wear it outside, and came to his feet, his gaze narrowing on me. “I’ll meet you downstairs at dusk. Please don’t be late.”
Waving him out, I assured him I wouldn’t be. Unfortunately, something else came in between: Julie.
Aidan was barely out for a minute and I breathed out, happy to be able to focus on choosing the right clothes when a voice squealed with delight, startling me. “You have so many clothes. Can I try them on? The white dress’s just gorgeous. You’d never find anything like that in Morganefaire.”
I didn’t even look up. “If you haven’t noticed already, I’m kind of facing a fashion disaster here.”
“Spill.” She hovered a few inches above my bed, the usual black fog gathering beneath her.
“I’m joining the Night Guard.” Only after catching her expression did I realize my blunder. “It’s for investigative purposes,” I hurried to add.
“Oh, okay.” Her stance relaxed a little, but not fully. “So, they offered you the position?”
I shook my head vehemently. “No, of course not. Aidan knows someone, who got him in. He’s checking out what’s going on, so he asked me to join him because he worries about leaving me behind.” It was half the truth. Aidan worried a lot about me, but I’m sure he would’ve felt better if I stayed behind, locked up in my room. Julie’s lips curled into a wide smile and her expression brightened again. The little white lie was definitely worth it.
“And you’re looking for something to wear? I think I can help.” Without waiting for an invitation she jumped up and glided over to flick through my wardrobe, muttering, “Nope. Urgh. Yeah, not so much. Maybe—if you were going on a hot date with your boyfriend.” By the time she finished her thoughts were written all over her face. “You know Morganefaire isn’t Hollywood, right?”
I snorted. “You sound like Aidan.”
“He might be a bit uptight, but I think in this case he has a point.” She tapped her fingers against her lips, and for the first time I realized she wasn’t wearing the same nightgown as before.
“When did you change?” I asked, surprised.
“Oh, this rag.” She pointed down her skinny jeans, silver tank top and black faux leather jacket. “I picked this up on my way here.”
I inched closer to get a better look at the fog enveloping her feet. It wasn’t as dense as before so I caught a glimpse of her open-toe, five-inch boots with tiny diamanté straps running across her ankles. “Are those designer shoes?”
“What?” Julie laughed. The squeal sounded so loud and fake, it made me want to press my hands against my ears to tune out the noise. “Do you think they are? I didn’t even notice.”
“But you’re a ghost. I don’t understand. How can you do that?”
She smiled. “I’ve been practicing, you see. I can touch physical stuff by concentrating really hard. It gives me a headache and I have to rest.” Which must’ve been the reason why she disappeared right before donning a new outfit. I nodded encouragingly so she continued. “With clothes, it’s a breeze. I can close my eyes and picture them on myself, and they just appear. I think I got it licked. Now giving Kieran a smooch, that’s a whole different story.” She pouted. “I have yet to figure out how to touch people and make them feel it.”
My curiosity piqued, hundreds of questions raced through my mind. I wanted to ask where she got her outfit from and whether she could change any time, but I had other things to worry about. Time was running out. If I was late, Aidan might not mind so much but I doubted the Night Guard would wait for me to make my grand entrance.
“You know what, tell me about it later.” I waved my hand. “Right now, I need something black. Anything, as long as I blend in.”
“I know this place that’s just perfect,” Julie said. My brain screamed this was a bad idea, that I should ask Aidan to teleport back home and get me something from my own closet, or go myself, and yet I kept quiet. For one, Aidan was busy and I didn’t want to burden him with my tiny and meaningless problems. And second, sneaking out of Morganefaire without telling him was out of the question. Besides, Julie seemed so enthusiastic about the whole idea, I just couldn’t break her heart. Okay, I admit those were just excuses because I missed going shopping with my girlfriends and I was very curious about what Morganefaire had to offer in terms of retail therapy.
“We’ll have to be quick,” I said, grabbing my purse and heading out the door.
Julie walked past and took charge, hurrying me through the narrow cobblestone streets. The evening sun hid behind thick rainclouds. A few people were hurrying home, probably eager to barricade themselves inside their houses before darkness fell. After a brief, hastened walk we reached a side door.
“Are you sure this is it?” I asked unconvinced. The gray building with closed shutters looked like it hid a felon or two. Being a vampire came with unnatural strength and what else not, but I had yet to learn the tricks. I didn’t want to go in there and risk being kidnapped and offered up for ransom.
“Loosen up,” Julie said. “I swear you’re slowly turning into Aidan. Now, come on in.” I didn’t want to point out she only knew Aidan and me for less than forty-eight hours. I tried the door and to my surprise found it unlocked. Julie breezed past me, so I had no choice than to follow her.
Chapter 15
From outside, the building looked like it belonged to a gang but once inside I realized everything was clean and tidy. The back door led into a spacious hall with tiny windows that barely let any daylight through. Thick gray curtains parted the space into various partitions with racks full of clothes. Chairs, makeup tables and mirrors lined the walls to the left and right. My boots thumping across the naked floor, I walked from partition to partition, trying to figure out what this place reminded me of. And then the answer dawned on me: the backstage of a theater. My breath caught in my throat.
“Julie,” I hissed. “What the heck? You said you knew the perfect shop. You can’t have me enter a theater without permission.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Uh, no, I never said shop. I said I knew the perfect place. You’ve got to admit I was right.” She smoothed out her outfit and smiled. “This is where I picked up my jacket. Isn’t it gorgeous? I used to get all my clothes from here before, you know—” she cleared her throat “—things happened.”
My jaw dropped. “You didn’t.”
She grinned, all white teeth flashing. “I did!”
I felt like slapping my forehead or, better yet, slap her. “It’s illegal.”
“Who’s going to catch me?” She smiled diabolically. “See, that’s one of the perks of being a spirit.”
“It’s still illegal,” I said. “I’m going home.”
She stepped in front of me, blocking my way. “Don’t be such a wuss. Like you’ve never done anything illegal in your life.”
That kind of shut me up. I did a few things. The worst one yet was sneaking into a hut in the woods and taking a bag of worthless jewels that belonged to the ruler of the Lore Court, Layla, just because my brother insisted he had been watching the hut for weeks and no one lived there. Not only did it grant me my necromancy gift, it also had half the paranormal world hunt me down.
“I’m still leaving,” I said, walking past her. “Last time I went down this road it only ended in complete and utter disaster. I learned my lesson the hard way.” Julie swooshed toward the door and slammed it in my face. The walls reverberated from the impact. I cocked a brow, unimpressed. “Nice trick. You’re learning a lot out here on your own. From trial and error or did someone give you tips?”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Julie hissed. I peered at her shiny eyes in horror, almost expecting her to turn into a demon. “If you don’t blend in, they’ll never let you join them and you’ll never solve my murder. I swear if you mess this up, I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. And it won’t be pretty.” Something in her tone told me she meant every word of it. I hesitated. If I caved in, Julie might start thinking her threats worked on me. If I didn’t do as she demanded, she might just decide to haunt me indeed. I couldn’t live with a ghost breathing down my neck.
“Don’t go,” Julie begged. “I’m not always such a moody pants but I’m trying to hide the pain that I may never go to Heaven or Hell—or anywhere at all. I don’t want to just drift around here for eternity. No one can hear me. I have yet to meet another ghost. It gets lonely.”
Her lips quivered, her hands gathered in her lap, twisting the hem of her shirt nervously. Now this was worse than anger because I didn’t know how to deal with it or what to expect next. I regarded her intently as I tried to figure out whether she was putting on a show. Her expression remained earnest, the pain in her eyes real. Oh, for crying out loud! If she was lying, I was falling for it big time, and I couldn’t even help myself. I didn’t want her to be trapped forever. “I won’t let that happen to you, Julie,” I said softly as I inched closer.
She clapped her hands, her expression brightening instantly. “Then let’s get down to business because we’re on the clock. There’s tons of stuff to choose from. You’ll be spoiled for choice.”
I shook my head in disbelief at her sudden mood change, too sick of it to start an argument. “Fine,” I said. “But I’m paying for everything. And—” I raised a finger to stop her from interrupting me “—once we’re done I’m bringing everything back, cleaned and ironed, or so.” I might just skip the last part because ironi
ng wasn’t really my thing. It wasn’t a matter of not enjoying it, but somehow, as my brief period of working for Aidan proved, irons didn’t particularly like me and managed to burn everything in their wake, including my fingers.
“Deal,” Julie said. “Follow me. I know my way around. Basically, this is my second home.” Why didn’t I doubt that? I didn’t even get a chance to ask what she meant because she continued her monologue. “I always wanted to be an actress, a dancer, and a singer, and used to perform here once a week.”
I watched her happy face and smiled. “A triple threat.”
“I can’t help that I was born with this much talent.” She grimaced, good-humored, and remained silent for a moment, giving me a chance to look at the racks filled with clothes of all shapes and sizes. As Julie skimmed through them, I walked a step behind her, growing more and more exasperated with myself for letting a ghost bully me into agreeing to do something as stupid as this. Of course a theater wouldn’t have the kind of clothes you’d need to blend in with the Night Guard, but Julie didn’t seem to agree.
“Anyway,” Julie resumed her chatter, a sadness permeating her voice, “wouldn’t it be awesome to travel around the world and perform in Broadway plays? I wanted to do it all, from musicals and comedies to Shakespeare, and maybe one day even see my name in lights and work in the Big Apple. I was just waiting for my big break.”
Her words sat in the pit of my stomach like a rock. I tried to ignore the sudden melancholy washing over me. “I’m sure you could do Broadway in Heaven. There’s all kinds of heavenly choirs to join. At least that’s what Cass told me. Her mother’s an angel.”
“She’s sweet?”
“No.” I laughed. “She’s literally an angel.”
“Uh-huh.” Julie stopped flicking through one rack and pulled out what looked like a giant, black bed sheet or something a monk from the fourteenth century would wear, staring at it intently. I couldn’t believe she was seriously considering it. After what seemed like an eternity, she put the monk gown slash bed sheet back and resumed both her search and chatter. “You know a lot of odd people.”