by Ranae Glass
Shane hit play and Sue sat back, snuggling into Shane’s side. He stiffened for just a moment, and then exhaled. He reached over, snatched the noodle box, and grabbed a bite, holding it out to me. Sue leaned forward, slurping the noodles off his chopsticks, mesmerized by the movie.
I had to admit—I had a dream like this sometimes. It didn’t involve me being possessed…
Sue chuckled.
…but it was this. Shane and me, just like the old days. Part of me wanted to just relax and enjoy the moment, but a nagging voice wondered how the hell I was going to explain all of this tomorrow.
The credits rolled up the screen and we sat up, stretching. It was already dark, but not nearly as late as it felt.
“Tired?” Shane asked, switching off the movie.
“No, not really,” Sue said, hiding a yawn behind a fist.
“Uh-huh. Come on. I’ll walk you to bed.”
“I know the way,” Sue said jokingly. “But really, I don’t want this day to end yet.”
Shane sat forward. “You know, despite what you think, you aren’t going to have to shuffle off at midnight. You don’t have to turn into a pumpkin. We can have tomorrow. And the next day, and the next…”
His blue eyes were so sincere, so hopeful. I could feel my heart cracking along the carefully repaired pieces.
Sue answered, her eyes heavy. “I wish that were true. Honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to feel about any of this tomorrow. There might not even be a tomorrow, not for me.”
He turned his head, concerned. “Why would you say that?”
She held out my hands, palms up. “Because I’m human, Shane. I could have a heart attack in my sleep, or get hit by a bus or,” she touched the bandage, “slip in the stupid shower. There are a million little things that could keep me from waking up in the morning.”
“What are you saying?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. Just feeling melancholy, I suppose.”
Whatever he was thinking, he shook it off. Standing up, he took me by the hands. “Come on, Cinderella. You’re just tired.”
Sue nodded and let him walk me up the stairs. We paused outside my door. Shane raked his hand through his hair. He looked… unsettled.
This is it, Sue said inside my head.
“What?” I said, realizing too late it was out loud.
Sue had retreated, and I’d slipped back into the driver’s seat seamlessly.
It’s time for your gift. This moment. This is where you choose. Say goodnight and go to your room, lock your door, and go to bed alone, or…
“It’s just today,” Shane said, shifting himself so he was close to me, almost touching me. “I feel like you let me in today in a way you never have before. I’m afraid that I’ll walk away and tomorrow things will be back to—back to how they were yesterday.”
“Is friendship so bad?” I asked, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.
“I didn’t think so. I thought everything was fine. It was working. We were working. I didn’t realize…” He looked away.
“Realize what?”
Shane took a deep breath. Looking back to me, he held my gaze. “I didn’t realize you were as miserable as I was.” He closed the gap between us, pressing me against the line of his body. I was trapped between him and the closed door. There was no graceful way out. No way to move without it being a rejection. And truth be told, I liked the feel of it.
“Being so close to you has been miserable. I’ve wanted so badly for things to be the way they were between us again, back before… I want to be able to reach out and touch your cheek.” He reached up and grazed my cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Or kiss your mouth…” He closed his eyes. Lifting my chin, he leaned forward.
I was dizzy. Everything was moving so quickly that I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. My heart was pounding like hummingbird wings in my chest. Deep in the back of my mind, Sue smiled.
Consequences, I tried to remind myself.
Oh, shut up, Sue scolded me.
And for once in my life, I listened. Shane was just a fraction of an inch from my face. I closed my eyes, swallowing the doubt, the panic gnawing at my belly, and I kissed him.
My alarm didn’t go off, or if it did, I slept through it. The daylight streaming through my curtains was what woke me. I blinked against the light, stretching my arms over my head. I felt good, surprisingly so…
Launching myself forward, I turned, expecting to see Shane in bed beside me, but it was empty. I ran my fingers through my hair. Was it all a dream?
No, sweetheart, Sue answered in my mind.
I squeaked. Damn it, she startled me.
Wait a minute, then what—?
Shane snuck out before dawn. He left you a note, she said, sounding unbearably smug.
The night’s events came rushing back so quickly my head ached. The movie, the kiss, the after the kiss…
“Holy shi—”
Sue cut me off.Nope, none of that now.
“You shut up, body snatcher. This is all your fault!” I raged, tossing my blankets off and stomping to the closet. A glance at my useless alarm told me it was nearly ten. Attached to my closet door was a note.
Isabel-
Sorry I had to run out this morning. I have some urgent business I have to deal with at the Conclave. Then I’m going to be running some errands. If you wake up a grumpy pumpkin, just know that yesterday was amazing and wonderful and I don’t regret a thing. So relax, take a deep breath. We’ll work everything out.
If however, you find you are still a princess, I’ll pick you up for dinner at seven.
All my love,
Shane
I clutched the note to my chest, trying not to cry. So many conflicting emotions were running amok inside me. I didn’t know where to begin untangling the mess.
He loves you. You love him. Don’t let it get complicated. Don’t stand in the way of your own happiness, Isabel.
“Shut up,” I mumbled. Carefully folding the letter, I tucked it in my jewelry box.
Don’t forget, you’re supposed to go help your sister today.
“Yes, I remember. Maybe she can help me sort out this mess.” I dressed quickly, grabbed the keys, and headed downtown.
i
Heather’s shop window display looked amazing. The sign was finished, and an array of interesting occultist items were artfully arranged on glass shelves in the background. A rainbow of candles, their uses explained by a number of books with gold-embossed titles such asSpiritual Enlightenment, brightened the left corner of the window shelf. On the right was a shimmering gold velvet table drape, its folds cushioning a sparkling crystal ball on an intricately carved pewter pedestal. An array of Tarot cards were randomly scattered around the centerpiece, and twinkling crystals and amulets dangled from invisible plastic thread above the entire display. Hidden from view was the source of their twinkle, which I knew to be the recessed lighting I had helped Heather install earlier. Now I appreciated her insistence that the lights needed to focus downward.
I turned the corner, knocking on a beveled windowpane of the now bright red shop door. Heather popped her head out of the back room. Her hair was wild and wavy, yet somehow overshadowed by her large, peacock feather earrings and the assortment of chains wrapping her neck. I waved. Smiling, she patted her skirt. She paused, looking confused for a minute, and then held up one finger in a hold-on gesture before vanishing again.
Are you going to tell her about me?
“I’m going to have to, if she doesn’t already know.”
Are you going to let her exorcise me?
“No. I told you I wouldn’t. But we are going to solve this case, sooner rather than later. I’ll be very glad to have my mind and body to myself again. No offence.”
None taken.
Finally Heather re-appeared, a ring of keys in hand.
“Sorry,” she said, opening the door, and then re-locking it behind me. “I had some woman just walk in yesterday. S
he didn’t realize we weren’t open yet, and I didn’t realize I’d left the door unlocked. Bit of a shock, you can imagine.”
I nodded.
“Uh-oh. I know that look.” Heather ushered me into the back room and pushed me into a chair. “What happened? Spill it. Now.”
I hung my head. “I slept with Shane.”
She gasped.
“But it wasn’t exactly my fault,” I backpedaled quickly.
She took the chair across from me and held out her hands. “Oh sis, why would it be anyone’s fault?”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”
She bristled. “Of course it was. It was inevitable actually. Though, the timing surprises me. What happened?”
“Sue Hardy happened,” I said with a snort. Then I opened my mouth and the whole story gushed out. When I finished, I sucked in a deep breath, as if I’d been holding it the whole time.
Heather fiddled with her jewelry. “And Sue is still in there now?”
I nodded.
“We can get rid of her, if you want,” Heather offered, her eyes narrow. “I tried to warn you about doing that séance.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, you told me so, and you were right. Happy?”
She shrugged, looking smug. “A little.”
“But no, I don’t want you to get rid of her. I need her to solve this case. There’s next to no evidence. Her memory of that night is all I have to go on right now. Besides, she thinks that solving this murder will bring her peace, let her move on.”
“And you trust her?” Heather asked.
I nodded again.
“Alright then. How can I help?”
I sat back. “There’s not much right now. I need to figure out who the victim was first, and then I have to try to find her body. Until I can do that…” I held up my empty hands.
“Well, once you have a name, see if you can get me a personal item. I might be able to figure out where the body is,” she offered. Standing up, she walked over to a large bookshelf filled with dusty volumes.
“How’s that?”
“I can do a card reading for the victim. Maybe I’ll see something. It’s not a promise, but it might at least help.”
I nodded again. “Will do, sis. Thanks.”
She beamed. “Of course. Now, get to work.” She closed the book she was holding and pointed to a stack of paintings on the floor.
With a grunt, I rose and set to work hanging her gallery of strange art.
SHANE
Shane waited in a chair inside Xavier’s office. He crossed his legs uncomfortably. He didn’t want to be here. In fact, the only place he wanted to be was back at home, lying beside Isabel. He wondered if her head was healing, and if it would bring back the distance between them. He lay for hours, just watching her sleep, trying to decide what to do if she woke up angry, regretting what happened between them. At least his early morning meeting with Xavier had spared him seeing that look in her eyes—that look of revulsion. He couldn’t stand to have her look at him that way twice in one lifetime.
Xavier strode through the door. Nine in the morning and he was already dressed to kill—possibly literally—in a black Armani suit. One of the perks of being undead was that there was no real need to sleep. They could, and did, but it was a luxury, not a biological necessity. It occurred to him that he could spend the next eighty years watching Isabel sleep if he wanted to, if she decided to let him.
“You look pleased this morning,” Xavier commented, taking a seat at his desk.
Shane tried to pull his face into neutrality. “I got what you asked for.” Standing, he crossed the room, tossing the folder on Xavier’s desk.
Xavier picked up the folder, his face going dark, his eyes brimming with blood. In a blink, he had Shane by the throat, pressed up against the far wall.
Shane grabbed his hand on reflex, but forced himself to remain still, calm, while Xavier leaned forward and took a deep breath. He dropped Shane to the floor, tugging his suit coat back down.
“Care to tell me where you’ve been this evening?” Xavier hissed, walking calmly back to his desk.
“Not really any of your business,” Shane said, rubbing his throat and standing up.
Xavier cracked his knuckles. He was fighting to control himself, Shane could see that much. And he realized why before Xavier could say the words.
“I can smell her on you.”
Shane shrugged. “We live together.”
“Do not lie to me,” Xavier warned, sitting back down and folding his hands over the folder.
“Lie about what?” Shane knew he sounded cocky, but he couldn’t help it. He felt cocky.
“You have no right to be smug with me, boy!” Xavier forced his shoulders back. “I forbid you to have a physical relationship with any human. You are too young, too unable to control yourself.”
“You are forbidding me from sleeping with Isabel, is that it?” Shane laughed.
Xavier looked surprised. “You find that funny?”
“You really don’t know her at all, do you?” Shane stepped up to the desk. “Forbidding us from being together is about the only thing you could do that would ensure she does exactly the opposite.”
“My order is for you, not her. And she will never know about it. Is that clear?” Xavier folded his hands under his chin, resting on them.
Shane swallowed. He wanted to tell Xavier Ambrose to shove it, but something stopped him, like a wet towel in his mouth. He clenched his jaw until the muscles twitched. He would figure out whatever Xavier was hiding, and then turn it against him like a knife in the gut.
“I am only thinking of Isabel and her safety,” Xavier said, his voice tight.
“With all due respect, you are a liar. You want her. Even if it destroys her, you’ll get your way. It’s not love. It’s possession. I actually love her. I’ve loved her for years.”
Xavier stood, his eyes staring daggers. “Don’t make the mistake of believing you are the only one who cares for Isabel. And do not think to disobey me on this.”
Shane bowed from the neck and walked out of the door, heading straight for his motorcycle. He had the address of the San Lucas estate memorized. With a quick flick of his wrist, the machine fired up. He sped off, flinging gravel behind him.
XAVIER
Xavier stood watch from his window. As soon as he heard the roar of Shane’s bike speeding off into the distance, he turned and, in a blur of motion, grabbed his large oak desk with one hand, flinging it into the far wall where Shane had just stood. Gerard burst into the room.
“Is everything alright, sir?” Gerard asked, his German accent thick.
Xavier waved him off. “Yes. Fine.” Moving slowly across the room, Xavier retrieved the file from the floor where it’d fallen and handed it to his lieutenant. “Take this down to the boiler room and incinerate it.”
Gerard bowed and left to follow orders.
“You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen something get under your skin like this,” Ahnarra said, gliding past Gerard and into the trashed room. She walked over, lifted the desk upright, and carried it back to its original spot, setting it down with a thump. “You need to talk about it?”
Xavier walked back to the window. “I’m honestly not sure why I’m so upset.”
“You don’t share well—you never have.” She stood beside him. “In all the years I’ve known you, I don’t think anyone ever denied you anything once you turned on the charm.”
Xavier glowered. “Are you saying I’m behaving like a spoiled child?”
“Why, I would never say that, to your face.” She smirked out of the corner of her thin mouth. “But I think you would do well to remember that we do not always get what we want. Not even you.”
“I almost always get what I want.” He smiled, twisting a curl of her hair in his palm.
She slapped it away. “Xavier, I’ve known you for decades. You can’t fool me with your arrogant act. Besides, you don’
t need to convince me. You have been the best sire, master, and friend I could have hoped for.”
“You flatter me, Ahnarra.”
“If Isabel knew you, the way I know you, she’d never choose that whimpering child Shane.”
“She would make an amazing vampire, you know. She’s already so formidable, ferocious. So smart. As an immortal, she would be—”
“Dangerous,” Ahnarra finished for him.
“Perhaps. But to me, she is already dangerous,” he admitted.
Ahnarra turned, leaning over to whisper, “It seems so. But if you are determined to win her, perhaps it is time for a new strategy. Perhaps it is time to win a battle with honesty rather than your usual weapons. Something tells me it would be the faster way to her heart.”
With that, she sauntered out, leaving Xavier to contemplate his next move.
"All done,” I hollered, folding up the small stepladder.
Heather came over to inspect my work. “Looks good, sis. Just a few more boxes to unpack and we’ll be all set.”
“Why are you opening on Halloween, anyway?” I asked as we circled back to the stockroom.
With a long, silver knife much too formal for cutting tape, Heather slit open a large box and handed me a crate filled with mini star charts. “These go on the rack by the door,” she said and pointed. “And I chose Halloween because it’s the time of year when the veil between the worlds is weakest. There’s a reason the Celtics and Druids used to celebrate it. It’s a powerful night.”
“And there will be tourists everywhere,” I added.
She shrugged, and her bangle bracelets jingled. “I suppose. But my readings that night will also pack more punch. I’ll be able to be more… accurate. In tune.”
“Oh.”
There was a tap on the glass beside me, and I jumped. Phoebe was standing there, a pizza box in hand. Heather quickly let her in.
I pried open the box and let the smell of sausage and olives spill out, making my salivary glands go into overdrive.
“I’m starving,” I said, greedily snatching two big slices.
Heather perked up. “I forgot to mention that. You may be more hungry than usual right now. Being possessed is taxing on the body. You’ll need to eat more to keep your energy up.”