“Yeah?” I reply, cocking my eyebrow and smiling because she seems eager to tell me her news.
“Yeah. I met the most amazing man!” she gushes. “He is extremely hot and he wanted my number! That’s why I haven’t been back in to work on my assignment,” she says, and it is BFO that she really likes this new man.
“Does this amazing man have a name?” I ask in amusement at the dreamy look on her face.
“Yes…his name is Finn Graham and he has the most amazing Irish accent. He is so hot and you might get to meet him because he said he might be stopping by with his brother Brennus,” she says with a pretty good imitation of an Irish accent when she said “Brennus.” Her anticipation is palatable.
“That does sound… amazing,” I reply, trying to be supportive. I feel awkward because it has been a while since I tried to be friends with a human that wasn’t in on all of my secrets.
“I know!” she agrees with a little squeal that makes me smirk in delight because it was just so… girly. I locate more books for Erin and help her set up on the main floor of the library at one of the study carrels.
When I go back to the circulation desk, Autumn isn’t there. Figures, I think, she’s probably watching the dust motes blow around in the break room.
I begin to organize the mobile cart with the books that I will need to return to their shelves at the end of my shift, but as I lift a book from the shelf, my hand stills in midair. A cold, prickling sensation touches my skin and raises goose bumps on my arms. My entire body stiffens with the awareness that something isn’t right. I immediately scan the first floor of the library, trying to pick out anything that might be threatening.
The cold feeling intensifies to an icy chill on my skin as I zero in on the front doors of the library. Two men enter and cross the lobby’s tile floor, approaching the circulation desk. They are moving like graceful foxes, stealthy and sharp. They seem to be missing none of the details of their environment, but they appear relaxed and at ease with their prowess—a bad sign for me. Reaching over, I ease the letter opener out of the desk drawer, concealing it in my palm as they approach the desk.
The outside doors behind them close, causing the airflow to shift and make me downwind of them. Immediately, the sweetest scent I have ever smelled assails me…it’s floral…poppies maybe, and it’s making me want to rub my nose to get the reek out. My heartbeat kicks up. My wings are twitching inside my back, and I strain to keep them in. What do I do? I think rapidly. If they were angels, I would know what to do—I would have bolted the minute I saw them, but they aren’t angels…and they are not human. Will they know that I’m not human? I wonder as the shorter one, who is at least six foot tall, leans with a casual elegance against the counter of the circulation desk.
He is scanning the library in front of him, not really looking at me. His short black hair has a very in-the-now cut that makes him look tres chic, just like the taller one. They both have a chiseled, high cheekbone profile that is strikingly similar to an angel and that realization is making me feel ill.
The taller one, however, gives me his full attention as he leans negligibly across the counter. I’m sure that most women find him sexy. His green eyes are piercing; they aren’t the deep jewel-tone green of Reed’s eyes, but a light watery green that reminds me of sea foam. The contrast against his pale skin is startling. “Me brudder and I were looking ta get a couple of library cards. Can ye help us out wi’ dat?” The tall one asks me, while his dark eyebrow rises silently as if it is asking the question.
Irish, I tell myself with dread. I glance over at Erin who hasn’t looked up when these two had entered, but is avidly studying the books I had given her. Clutching the letter opener tighter in my fist, I gaze back at the man in front of me, feeling fear twist in my stomach.
“Of course,” I say in a soft tone, not moving from my position a few feet away from the desk. “I’ll just need to see a license or a student ID card,” I add, trying to be nonchalant. A slow, handsome smile moves across his lips as he straightens up, retrieving a wallet from his back pocket. He is dressed casually in a dark t-shirt and jeans, but just like an angel, he makes it look posh, almost elegant, and the awareness of that fact makes me want to run for the door.
The taller one withdraws his license from his wallet, and then he waits patiently for his brother to hand him his license as well while never taking his eyes from me. Reaching out his hand, he extends the cards for me to take. Straightening my shoulders, I approach the desk with reluctance. I reach my hand out warily to take the cards from him, and as my hand nears his, I feel coldness radiate from his flesh. My heartbeat quickens. Trying to keep my hand steady, I watch the man in front of me as my fingers close over the cold, plastic cards. I try to pull them from his hand, but he doesn’t relinquish them to me, instead, he is watching me as if I fascinate him.
I continue to hold on to the cards, saying, “I only need to verify that you are a resident or a student of the school, so I can issue you a library card.” My mouth feels dry.
“Me apologies,” he says in a caressing tone as his other hand comes up to gently cover the top of mine before he lets go of the cards, dropping his hands from me. Astonishment and fear war with my senses as it registers that his touch had been freezing, as if he had just come in from the bitter cold—but it’s summer.
Not wanting to be this close to them, I back up a few paces from the counter. I glance quickly at their licenses, taking only a fraction of a second to scan the information because I don’t want to take my eyes off the eerie pair in front of me. I’m not at all sure what they are, but if I’m innately afraid of them, then I trust my instincts to know that they aren’t good. Fear bleeds into my conscious mind when the names on the IDs register, de Graham…Finn and Brennus de Graham.
Erin has found a supernatural boyfriend of the creepy variety. The license says that Brennus, the tall one, is twenty-four-years-old and his brother, Finn, is twenty-three. That looks about right, but then again, Reed looks nineteen and he is way older than that—way, way older. The address on the ID is local, so they must live together somewhere on campus because the street address is Townsend, which is the road where most of the dorms are located.
As casually as I can, I step forward and place the licenses on the edge of the counter, and then I retreat again to say, “Thank you. If you want to go look around, I’ll have your cards ready for you in a few minutes. You can pick them up before you leave.”
Finn, the shorter one, turns and gives me his full attention. He looks so much like his brother Brennus; they both have silky black hair, pale skin and their eyes have the same kind of iridescent-green shine to them. The intensity by which he is studying me makes me have to repress a shiver because I notice the primal way he sniffs the air around us. He is gathering my scent, cataloging it as I have already cataloged his. I’m beginning to feel hunted as they continue to stare at me even after I have made it plain that they can leave and look around.
My focus is on Finn because he seems to want to say something, but he’s holding himself back and looking to his brother—like a beta would wait for the alpha… My attention turns immediately back to Brennus. If there is going to be something coming, it’s coming from him—by his order.
Brennus’ gaze turns sultry. “Whah is yer name?” Brennus asks me. I want to scream out in frustration because the last thing I want to do is engage the creepies in conversation.
“Lillian,” I answer, lifting my chin a little to show them that they don’t intimidate me even as my heartbeat drums even louder in my ears.
“Is it now?” he asks in a sexy tone, and I’m not sure if that is his typical response, or just his way of telling me he doesn’t believe the lie I just told him. By his expression, he looks like he is enjoying himself, whatever it is he thinks of me.
I nod to him, backing up my lie.
He smiles like he knows a secret. “Dat is a beautiful name, but it does ye an injustice. A lily is soft and sweet—delicat
e. Ye are someting else entirely, are ye na?” he asks me in a seductive tone, toying with the cards I had given back to him.
Adopting my best librarian tone that I have heard Fran use with pushy patrons, I reply, “If there is anything else, I’ll be happy to assist you, but I’m quite busy at the moment. If you will excuse me, I have some things to attend to.”
Surprise widens Brennus’ eyes at my dismissal, and then he bursts out laughing as his brother watches him in amazement. “Did ye hear dat, Finn? I tink she is not atall inta me,” he says with amusement in his eyes. His pearly white teeth are perfect in the grin he gives me. I want to find the nearest door and seal it shut against him. I’m on his radar now and I can tell by Finn’s incredulous expression that they are both very intrigued.
“Whah Brenn, has dat ever happened ta ye in yer entire life?” Finn asks him, amused too.
“I do na recall, Finn,” he responds with his eyes never leaving mine. “But I’m drownin’ in da pools of gray. Go, find yer lass…I’ve found moin.”
My eyebrows draw together in a frown. “I’m someone else’s lass— sorry,” I say in response to their exchange. Finn’s eyes bulge out of his head at my softly spoken statement.
Brennus’ expression darkens. “Show me dis rival and I will fight him for ye,” he says in a deadly tone that does not allow for me to believe that he is joking or being insincere. My heartbeat triples its rate and my wings are begging to charge out of my back. I hold my breath, trying to gain control of them.
Gritting my teeth, I reply, “I fight all of my own battles because whom I’m with is my choice.”
“Now how can I fight ye for yer affection? Dat sounds impossible, but I suppose I can try anyting once. So ye are saying dat, if I win our mill, den ye’re moin?” Brennus asks, and I can’t help but feel challenged by him. Like he has just dropped an invisible gauntlet.
“No. I’m saying you and I will never happen,” I respond succinctly, hoping to head him off on whatever he is planning because I can see the wheels turning behind his eyes. He seems thrilled and I know that when it comes to supernatural beings, they don’t want to leave you alone if you have proven to be a distraction—why can’t I be boring?
“American lasses are a wee bit stubborn,” Finn says to Brennus, but he gives me a nod of respect I wasn’t anticipating. It is either respect, or it is a salute to the truly damned. I wait for Brennus to respond, he looks fierce and I feel the letter opener digging into my flesh, cutting my palm a little as I prepare for the worst.
“Do na do dat, Lillian. I do na want ye ta bleed…yet,” Brennus says, and I lose my breath completely, like he has hit me in the stomach.
“What are you?” I ask him breathlessly.
“Yer destiny,” he replies in a gentle tone as he leans forward to touch my face. I pull back from him quickly so that he can’t reach me. “Ye need protection—I am very powerful,” he says, looking disappointed and maybe a bit unnerved that I’m not letting him get closer to me.
“Anyone ever tell you that if you have to tell someone that you are powerful, then that means you’re not?” I ask warily, inching away from them, looking for my best exit strategy.
“I have heard dat once or twice, but I tink dat it mostly applies ta ladies,” he replies, frowning. Then, his face grows darker, “Ye callin’ me a liar?”
“Ohh, no—sorry,” I say immediately, hoping my apology will calm him down because the realization is dawning now that not many people—uh beings—have stood up to him recently, by the way he is looking at me. Finn looks impressed with me—that’s really, really bad. “Maybe I should’ve just said, ‘no thank you’—for the protection—I got that part covered.”
Brennus slowly shakes his head. “No ye don’t, have ye no sense atall?” he asks, disagreeing with me. “Everyone is lookin’ for ye—and I mean everyone,” he murmurs, and dread seeps into my brain, making it hard to think. “Ye haven’t had protection since, whah, ye were in Crestwood, right, Genevieve?”
Nooooooo! THEY ARE HERE FOR ME! Talking done—no more talking. Find an out NOW! My brain screams at me. No longer in control of my wings, they thrust out of my back of their own accord. Leaping over the cart at my side in a fraction of a second, I kick off my black heels in one fluid motion, landing on my bare feet. I race toward the back of the library to the emergency exit. But, I pull up short when I feel the cold, prickling feeling just ahead of me. Lynnette is standing docilely by the back door with two pale men. One of the men is stroking Lynnette’s arm intimately, like one would a lover. His head of shockingly bright red hair bends toward her as he nuzzles her neck. The other man’s eyes are trained on me. He nudges his red-haired friend to get his attention when he spots me in the hallway. That loser Lynnette let them in the back door, I realize as my search becomes frantic for another way out.
Glancing behind me, I see Brennus and Finn walking toward me from the reception area, like they are strolling in the park. The other two are coming toward me from ahead of me. Using the letter opener in my hand, I stab it into the fire alarm at my side, breaking the glass and pulling the handle down in one fluid motion. A piercing siren blares out of every corner of the library. Human patrons begin streaming out of every corner to exit the building, getting in the way of the cold, creepy freaks. I fly through the door of a conference room on my right, slamming the door shut behind me. Picking up a conference room chair, I toss it through the plate glass window in front of me. I just need to get out in the open and I’ll outrun these cold things.
I rush to the window just as the door of the conference room opens. As I back away to the edge of the window, Brennus and Finn enter with the other two behind them.
Finn’s eyebrows rise as he turns to his brother and says with admiration in his tone, “Brennus, she is a wee bit of a hallion.”
“She is,” Brennus agrees, and then he grins. “Genevieve, ye’re na gonna jump now, are ye? We have fellas all around down dere waiting for ye.”
“I’ll take my chances. Later,” I reply, while flipping them off. I turn and dive from the window, gliding smoothly away from the building and touching down gently to the lawn below me. When my feet touch down, I launch myself forward, feeling the wind begin to whistle, but then it ends abruptly. A loud bang echoes and something tangles and ensnares my legs, causing me to do a face plant in the grassy terrain beneath me. I hit my head really hard and I see several shadowy figures coming toward me.
As I kick feebly at the nylon-like netting that is brutally cutting into my flesh, I clutch handfuls of grass, trying to pull myself back up on my feet so that I can escape. No one approaches me, but there are several prickly cold “fellas” standing around me watching me struggle to get free of the binding net.
I gasp for air from exertion and panic as I use the letter opener in my fist to saw at the ropes. Succeeding in getting a few of them to separate, I still when I hear Brennus’ voice above me. “Ach! Look at da poor craitur,” he says with concern, and it takes me a second to realize he is calling me a “poor creature.”
Stiffening, I glare at him with my one good eye that isn’t beginning to swell shut from hitting the ground face-first.
“Did we banjax yer escape?” Brennus asks me with a solemn shake of his head, kneeling down at my side and gesturing to the fact that I’m lying on the ground tussled up like a Thanksgiving turkey.
I really don’t think I’m able to reason well because I react impulsively to his baiting words. My grip tightens on the letter opener. Before I realize what I’m doing, I plunge the dull blade into Brennus’ foot. I think it hurts him because he grimaces as he pulls it out. He holds the letter opener in his hands angrily, wiping the blade on his pants. Then, it is my turn to scream as he uses the blade to slice through the Achilles tendon of my right heel in one clean cut.
He pulls me toward him by using the front of my shirt as a handle and he says, “Dat is so ye do na run off.” I hardly hear him because I’m trying not to puke. The last thing I see is
his fist hitting my face.
CHAPTER 11
Copper Mining
Delusion. It means a false belief or a mistaken notion. It’s different from denial, which is the refusal to face an unpleasant fact or the refusal to acknowledge the existence of something. With delusion, you never see the something coming in order to deny its existence. I have been delusional in believing that I had escaped Crestwood without detection. But delusion seems to be the prevailing problem with all of the beings I have encountered recently. They believe they can make me one of them, and that is not only delusional, it’s a myth.
I rouse in agonizing pain. Not only does my head ache from tripping head-first into the grass at top speed, it also aches from being pounded by Brennus’ fist. But, that is nothing compared to the pain coming from my severed tendon. It began to heal immediately, but it will be several hours before I can stand on it, which will effectively FUBAR my best means of escape. On top of that, the smell around me is enough to make me ill. It is a sticky, cloying scent that reminds me of being trapped in a bottle of perfume. I think I must have moaned when I came to that conclusion because Finn looks back at me from the front seat of the car to ask worriedly, “Genevieve, are ye gonna boke?”
“Huh?” I ask weakly, because he is kind of hard to understand.
“Retch? Are ye gonna retch?” he asks with impatience. He then turns to Brennus, who is driving the car, and says, “I jus got dis bleedin’ beemer, and why is it dat all yous wans do na understand plain Anglish?”
Brennus doesn’t answer him so he turns to me for answers. “You will have to tell me what a ‘wan’ is,” I say through clenched teeth as I choke on the pain.
With a look of frustration he says, “Ye are a wan—a lass—a waman.” Finn draws out the last word, trying to make it more clear.
“A woman?” I ask for clarity.
Intuition: The Premonition Series Page 26