by A. P. Jensen
She turned towards him and he slid down her body and put his mouth on her. Her nails dug into the sheets and she’d been put through this beautiful torture enough during the past day to know she wasn’t going to die. When he slid up her body, she wrapped her legs around him and he pumped his hips so hard she thought she saw stars. It was their fastest climax yet and just as satisfying as the others. She would have to make a note about that, she thought as her eyelids drooped. Cain slumped over her and she felt him playing with her braid.
“Thanks,” she yawned.
“No problem.”
Less than a minute later, she was fast asleep.
The next time she woke, the sun was in her eyes. She groaned, rolled over and tried to burrow beneath the warm object surrounding her. Raven blinked and saw that Cain was on his side facing her. She examined his husky body with lazy eyes. She had sensitive breasts and no matter how much she told him not to, he played and sucked on them all the time. Turnabout was fair play, she decided, and latched onto his nipple. Cain gasped and went rigid as a board.
The next fifteen minutes passed with Raven teasing and playing Cain’s body as easily as he had hers yesterday. Cain didn’t take it well. When she went down on him, he lost control and reached down and wrapped her braid around his wrist and forced her mouth away from his cock. When she grinned he put her on her hands and knees and took her from behind. He tugged on her braid and yanked her head back so he could bite her neck. They both went over the edge at the same time that the water show climaxed in a series of blasts.
When Raven’s wits floated back to her, she glanced at the clock and saw it was noon. Her stomach growled.
“What do you want to eat?” Cain asked.
The doorbell rang.
Cain swore and shrugged on clothes while Raven dashed into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and turned her face up to the spray. The ring of the doorbell was a bad dose of reality. Knowing the person on the other side of the door wasn’t the Battalion should be reassuring but it really wasn’t. After being on her own for so long, accepting Cain’s presence hadn’t been easy and now having his family, the Council around made her feel on edge.
“Grandpa’s here.”
Raven shrieked and bumped into Cain, who walked through the bathroom door and shower stall.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to you doing that,” she said, hand on her chest.
Cain shrugged. “He wants to take us out to lunch.”
“Really? Why?” she said suspiciously.
Cain shot her a put upon look. “Can you not sound like you suspect like he’s trying to trick you into something?”
“I can’t help it. I thought we were supposed to hide out.”
“The Battalion would be suicidal to approach my parents or my grandpa. We’ll be fine. What do you want to eat?”
“Greasy,” she decided.
Cain shrugged. “I don’t think he’s ever turned down anything greasy. He’s a simple guy at heart.”
“You dress like your parents, but I can see a bit of him in you,” she observed.
Cain grinned. “I dress up like Grandpa every now and then.” His eyes lit. “What do you think about you wearing boots and a Stetson in bed?”
“Does he know you’re in here with me?” Raven said, scandalized.
“Of course. He suspected we would hook up.”
“I thought you said he didn’t have any other visions about me!” she snapped.
“He had a vision about me and a woman, but the woman’s face kept changing. When he found out you were an Unmemorable, he figured it out. You don’t show up in any of his visions. All the info he gave me in the beginning was “female” and your home address since that’s what he could glean from the Battalion. He knew the Battalion was closing in on someone important but he wasn’t sure who.”
She tried to shrug off her goose bumps. If Cain hadn’t been there that night, she could be dead. She couldn’t figure out if being invisible to Rich was a good or bad thing. She hopped out of the shower and got dressed in jeans and a coat. She watched Cain dress in a baby blue long sleeve shirt. He tugged the cuff around the braid wrapped around his right wrist and she cocked her head to the side as she watched him pull on pants and thread his belt through his pants. She’d never watched a man dress and she couldn’t figure out why she was so intrigued by his simple, everyday gestures. Why this simple task seemed more personal than what they did not too long ago in bed was a mystery to her.
Cain looked up and raised a brow when he found her watching him. She shrugged and walked out into the living room. Rich had his boots stacked on the coffee table and he was flipping through the TV channels, muttering to himself.
“Grease sounds good,” he said.
Raven blinked. “What?”
Rich looked up and frowned. “Who are you?”
“You mind if we give him a bit of your hair today?” Cain asked, standing beside her. “It’s gonna be annoying if we constantly have to remind him about who you are.”
She hesitated. “He has to give it back.”
She didn’t want strands of her hair floating all over the place. She didn’t mind that Cain had it, but she wasn’t sure she wanted the head of the Council keeping tabs on her. If, at some point, she had to leave she wanted to be able to disappear completely. Cain pulled up his sleeve and handed her the braid wrapped around his wrist. He kept his hand on her arm, not giving her power a chance to influence him. Raven unraveled the braid and took several strands, just enough to make a bracelet and handed Cain the thicker braid. Rich watched without saying a word. When she handed the tiny braid over, Rich took it and the moment he made contact with her hair, he smiled.
“Thanks Raven. That’s quite a gesture of trust,” Rich said and tied it around his wrist.
“I trust Cain,” she clarified.
“I know,” Rich said, not offended by her wariness. “I’m glad. Let’s go for a walk and see what we can find.”
They filed out of the room and by mutual accord, she and Cain walked side by side while Rich walked ahead.
“My parents are still here?” Cain asked.
“For another day and then we all have to go back. Not good to leave headquarters for so long. So, Raven, what did Angel offer you?”
Raven stumbled and Cain took her arm. His name ratcheted up her tension to a screaming pitch. She faced Rich in the empty elevator.
“He offered me everything you probably will.”
His lips twitched and he took the hit gracefully. “Well, is there anything I can do to convince you that you’re in good hands?”
“No,” she said flatly. “Time will tell.”
“Blunt, aren’t you?”
“So are you,” she accused.
He smiled and touched the brim of his hat. “That I am. Refreshing to find it in someone else.”
They made their way through the crowded hotel and walked onto the crowded Strip. It was a moody, freezing day. Up above, the sky was dark with temper and Raven took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. Being out in the open wasn’t something she took lightly since she was always on guard, but having Rich in front and Cain behind let her just enjoy the moment. People rushed around them but no one bumped into them. Something about Rich’s outlandish outfit cleared a path for them. Rich beckoned her up beside him and took her hand. She resisted the urge to yank it away and the glance he shot at her said he knew she was fighting her instincts.
“I wanted to tell you up front, if you ever need a safe place we’d give you sanctuary.”
“For a price,” she countered.
“We would use your natural skills for our purpose, but wouldn’t send you on a mission unless the odds were in our favor and you were ready.”
“I like making my own way.”
“That isn’t an option anymore. You can try, but Angel won’t stop and we can’t afford to let you work for him. It’s too dangerous.”
“How can he make me do anything fo
r him?” She had a suspicion torture was involved, but she was curious what Rich would say.
“Angel has his ways of making people do what he wants. He’s… not right in the head.”
“No kidding.” She shivered when she thought of him drinking her blood.
“I’m sure Cain told you about our headquarters in Texas.”
She pointedly flicked her eyes up to his hat and then the sweater he had on. “Yeah.”
“There’s only so many people with power since it can only be passed down through blood.”
“Angel says he knows who my father is.”
“He suspects. He can’t be sure, but you’re an Unmemorable. Your power is passed through an Unmemorable male which is why Angel dangled that in front of you.”
“What do you know about the Unmemorables?”
Rich waved his hand elaborately. “Well, legend is that the moment you look away from an Unmemorable, you don’t remember anything about them. The legend goes that before they were Unmemorables they were rakehells, cons and cheats. A bitter woman of power cursed the males of that family so they would walk a cursed life where people could see them, but retain no memory of them. She wanted them to suffer.”
“No kidding,” Raven said thoughtfully. “That’s some punishment. But, did you say it was only the males of the family that were cursed?”
He squeezed her hand and swung it back and forth. She frowned when she saw white paper falling from the sky. She blinked and realized tiny snowflakes swirled around them. She pulled the collar of her coat up.
“Yes. But there’s a prophecy.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course there’s a prophecy.”
“The prophecy is that one day a woman will come along that can control the Unmemorables and if she wants to, reverse the curse.”
Raven tripped and Rich gripped her arm and tilted his head up to the sky and took in the snow and smiled.
“This is unusual weather for Las Vegas, yes?”
Raven nodded. “Very.”
“I like it,” Rich decided as they continued on.
“So you think I’m that female,” she said carefully.
“I never thought the female that would break the curse would be an Unmemorable too, but it makes sense. You have to be one of them to see them, right? Like calls to like and all that.”
“But you don’t even know if they exist,” she pointed out.
Rich smiled and pulled out a big cigar from his pocket and paused to light it. Raven didn’t find the smell off putting and they continued on with her hand hooked through his arm.
“There’s a seed of truth in all legends, right? Angel likes to pay attention to legends and by God, he was right.”
“Maybe he’s not so crazy after all, then?” she said archly.
Rich choked on his cigar and shot her a chiding look. “Angel’s as crazy as the name his mom gave him.”
Raven snorted and glanced back at Cain and saw him shake his head at the pair of them. She didn’t admit it out loud but she liked Rich. She knew he had an agenda. Men in high positions always had an agenda, but he was up front about what he wanted and she could appreciate that. She sensed the power within him, though she might have labeled it charisma before she found out magic was alive and well in the world.
“So you and Angel think that the Unmemorables will follow me because I’m the female that’s going to break the curse?” Raven said.
Rich puffed on his cigar. “Precisely.”
“How long have they been cursed?”
“Century. Maybe more.”
Raven tried to discern if he was kidding, but he didn’t elaborate.
“A century,” she mused.
“That’s when the legend started. Las Vegas is a hot spot for con-like behavior that can’t be explained.”
“It’s what Vegas in known for,” she said, compelled to defend these unknown Unmemorables.
“There’s power’s involved. Whenever I send out agents to investigate, no matter how good they are, they come back empty handed and with less information than what they left with. Why did you come back to Las Vegas?”
She was surprised by the question. “It’s cheap to live here.”
“You didn’t come back for any other reason?” Rich pushed.
She looked sideways at him. “What are you getting at?”
“Las Vegas is the Unmemorables territory. Most of us don’t come here and if we do, we don’t stay long because… things happen.”
“Like what?”
“We get robbed, our cars or weapons disappear. Our computers with confidential information go missing. We’re not careless or stupid. The only explanation is someone invisible is playing us.”
“Maybe there is someone invisible.”
“No one can stay invisible for long and we’d notice if our laptop starts floating away. The only explanation is that someone we can’t remember came in and walked out. An Unmemorable doesn’t even have to hide his presence because the moment we blink, we can’t describe them.”
She knew Rich was onto something but she couldn’t, wouldn’t, admit it out loud.
“So it comes back to you. Cain said you’re a gypsy.”
She wasn’t offended. “Work’s slim and I’ve never felt safe no matter where I was.”
“Which you weren’t, since you kept getting attacked by the Battalion.”
She tried to look cool, but he felt how tense she was.
“So, out of all the places you lived, even Texas,” he shot her a loaded glance, “you come back to America’s Sin City, which is loaded with cons, crime and illusion. Vegas feel like home?”
She shrugged uncomfortably. When he said it like that, she sounded like an idiot.
“How many times have you come back to Vegas over the years?”
“About five.”
“More than any other place?”
She nodded.
“I think you’re drawn to the energy in Vegas. Maybe you’ve been walking side by side with other Unmemorables and never even knew it because you didn’t know what you were.”
She licked dry lips and stared straight ahead. Could that be true? Rich navigated her through hotels, escalators and sidewalks until she found herself in the New York New York Hotel heading up to the arcade games. Rich led them to a little restaurant called Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs which was filled with kids ordering hot dogs, burgers, beer battered onion rings, chili and more. Rich went right up to the counter and ordered enough for all of them and stepped back.
“Order whatever you want. My treat,” he said gallantly.
“Cheap, are you?” Raven said.
Cain slapped her ass and Rich laughed. After they ordered, Cain pulled her over to a booth and pushed her in. He cupped her face and kissed her. She was surprised by the PDA but before she could say anything, Rich sat across from them. Cain put his hand on her upper thigh and Raven shot him a warning look. Rich grinned and slapped the table.
“You like Cain?” Rich asked.
“Sometimes.”
Rich threw his head back and laughed. “Cain’s never had trouble with the ladies.”
“Grandpa,” Cain said warningly.
“He has quite a fan club at headquarters.”
Raven tried to shove his hand away but Cain gripped her thigh and wouldn’t let go.
“I’m sure he does,” Raven said sweetly.
“He’s right below Bernt in security. I’m proud of him. Always keeps a cool head, right, son?”
Cain nodded and they all dug in when their meal was delivered. Raven got a hot dog loaded with everything and a side of onion rings. They munched happily and she looked around, as curious as a tourist. Like most locals, she stayed away from the Strip unless she was working. She never walked through the hotels to look at their themes. Someday, she always told herself. She noticed they were near the rollercoaster ride and the yells from the kids made her ears ring. She slapped Cain’s hand when he tried to steal her onion rings. He kissed
her and took five before she came to her senses. Rich was watching them and she didn’t like the calculating look on his face.
Rich leaned forward. “So tell me what happened with Angel.”
The food she consumed churned and she sipped on her lemonade to give herself time. She recounted the tale and Rich listened carefully and glanced at her forearm when she mentioned the cut.
“That devil may be crazy, but he was smart all the way until he handed you the knife.”
Raven didn’t know how to take that and she saw Cain staring at Rich with hard eyes.
“I have to admire him a bit, don’t I?” Rich said defensively.
“No,” Cain said in a flat voice.
Rich shrugged and returned his gaze to Raven. “You’re either lucky or a good fighter.”
“Or both,” Raven said coolly.
“Or both,” he conceded. “You want to ride?”
Raven blinked. “What?”
He gestured behind him. “I love rollercoasters.”
“Grandpa,” Cain groaned.
Rich scoffed. “Cain doesn’t like them. Even when he was a kid, I had to drag him.”
“Never been on one,” Raven admitted.
Rich’s eyes lit like a five year olds. He threw their wrappers in the trash and pulled her over to the line. The young kids handing out tickets looked him up and down skeptically.
“It’s snowing a bit,” one said dubiously.
“That’s fine with me,” Rich said.
“You might want to put your hat in a locker, sir,” the kid said while texting on his phone.
Rich turned to Cain and slapped his Stetson on his head and paid for two tickets and went right up to the waiting rollercoaster since no one was crazy enough to ride in the snow. Raven and Rich climbed into the front seats and they were off. Raven checked to make sure the bars locking her in were secure while the rollercoaster made the long climb upwards. It was so steep she was practically flat on her back.
“You okay?” Rich called.
“Golden,” she spat as snow fell on her face.
They sat upright as the tracks leveled out. Above the clicking of the rollercoaster she could hear horns blaring in traffic below and every now and then she saw lights flashing through the snow. The rollercoaster hovered on the precipice for a heart stopping moment and Raven peered down at the drop and let out an ear piercing scream as the rollercoaster tipped over the edge. Her stomach lurched and she heard Rich yelling, “yeehaw!” She thought she was going to die as they went upside down, sideways and dropped, all at break neck speed. What made it worse was the snow concealed whatever came next so she couldn’t prepare herself for it.