Rachel rolled her eyes, “Kaleb’s not a stranger Mom. I’ve known him for months. He’s going to help me make lots of money and he wanted me to bring some of my friends along to meet him.”
“I thought you were going out with Emily tonight,” I told Rachel.
“I brought her along but when Kaleb came to pick us up she said he gave her a bad vibe. She didn’t want to go with him but I told her I wasn’t going to pass this opportunity up. I could have made so much money tonight if you hadn’t shown up.” She actually sounded sulky. How the hell had my daughter turned out like this? I knew I raised her better.
“So where did Emily go?” I inquired. I wanted to get as much information as I could before I broke the bad news because I knew Rachel wouldn’t be able to think as clearly once I did.
“Oh, one of Kaleb’s friends said he would give her a ride home. At first she didn’t want to go with him but then she just changed her mind.”
I rubbed my hands over my face, suddenly very tired and Rook reached over to rub my shoulder.
Rachel leaned forward between the seats. “So you didn’t answer, who are you?” she asked Rook.
“I’m Rook and I’m a friend of you mother’s,” He told her in a tone that didn’t really invite further conversation. His eyes scanned the mirrors constantly like he expected trouble.
“You sure don’t look like her usual friends.” Her eyes gave him the once over.
“Rachel please sit back and put a seat belt on.” I think she recognized something in my tone because she actually did what I asked without any back talk.
“Where are you going to take us?” I asked Rook quietly as we sped along the roads much faster than he’d driven on the way there. I got the sense Rook was worried Danarius might try something now that we were away from the relative safety of Kaleb’s house.
“Back to the resort, it’s the only place you’ll be safe until I can put together a protection detail.”
I put my head back against the headrest and sighed. “I can’t stay at the resort Rook. If anyone at work found out it would be the end of my career.”
“And if you don’t stay at the resort for at least tonight it might be the end of your life, and maybe Rachel’s too. Is that what you want Angela?” He pushed out through gritted teeth.
From the back seat Rachel snorted, “Kaleb and Danarius wouldn’t hurt me or my Mom.”
We both ignored her.
“I’m a single parent Rook. How am I going to provide for me and Rachel if I lose my job? Maybe we could just stay in another hotel for a few days.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “There is nowhere on this planet outside of Solomon’s wards the two of you would be safe tonight. Trust me Angela, you don’t know Danarius.”
The air around us vibrated with tension. Whoever this Danarius was he had Rook seriously worried. The force meant a lot to me, and something inside of me would die if I had to leave it behind, but nothing was more important than my daughter’s life.
“Okay Rook. I trust your instincts. Is there any way to get us into the hotel without going through the front door? It’s always under surveillance and I’m already going to have to explain where the two of us went together.”
He glanced at me and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. After another moment he said, “We’ll go in the front then you’ll leave alone so no one will wonder why you never brought me back to the resort.”
“But why would we leave alone if we need to stay at the resort?” I asked, confused.
He turned to face me with a mischievous grin. Oh how I loved that playful side of him, even with all the stress I was currently under. “Because it won’t really be you leaving.”
Chapter Eleven
When we pulled up in front of the hotel things happened pretty quickly. Rook checked with the front desk clerk, then led us to one of the suites on the top floor. It had a werewolf theme and Rachel complained that it wasn’t a vampire’s lair. Personally I liked the artwork with the wolves howling at the moon and the gray and blue color scheme.
Just minutes after we made it to our suite Solomon knocked then strode into the room with two women in tow. He was slender, about my height with sandy blonde hair cut in a short, messy style that suited his artistic personality. Unlike most of the staff here at Myths and Legends who appeared to be in their early thirties Solomon looked like a Gothic teenager, nineteen or twenty tops. I’d always thought of him as a magician but he called himself a sorcerer.
Until the night of the bombing I could never figure out how he pulled off his spectacular shows with smoke and mirrors. Now I knew the magic he wielded was very real and more powerful than I could have imagined. If it hadn’t been for the protective ward he threw up around The Gateway, the fires caused by the bomb would have spread to the rest of the hotel before the firefighters were able to get them under control. And as a result of that ward, the incident reports for that night would have raised a lot of red flags if not for Dragon’s ability to alter human minds.
Rachel had been slouching on the couch but when Solomon entered the room she perked up and let Rook’s coat open enough to show her cleavage. Unlike me, Rachel was well endowed having inherited those genes from her father’s side of the family like most of her other physical traits. Rachel was only about five-foot-five with dark blonde hair, green eyes and a body most grown women would kill for. I shook my head wondering how I was going to keep her from the destructive path she’d chosen for her life.
“Good evening everyone,” Solomon said with his faint English accent. “I don’t mean to be abrupt but the message I got from the front desk said this needs to happen quickly. If the two of you would please stand here in front of me.”
Rachel rose from the couch and sashayed over to Solomon. When she reached him I was thankful but surprised that he didn’t seem to notice the half-naked girl in front of him. Solomon was known as a lady’s man. According to the rumors, he sleeps with beautiful woman of any age bracket wherever the urge strikes him. I’m told he frequently lets women ride him while sitting at the bar in The Catacombs, the hard rock club here at the resort, and their skirts aren’t always long enough to hide what they’re doing. Many of my fellow cops have gone there trying to catch him in the act and arrest him, but somehow they always get sidetracked and wind up playing the slots in the casino instead.
I crossed the room from where I’d been sitting at the table with Rook.
When we both stood before Solomon, Rachel gave him her best come-hither look and said, “I’m Rachel, what’s your name?”
I rolled my eyes and heard Rook stifle a laugh across the room.
“I’m Solomon, the Myths and Legends sorcerer,” he answered with barely a glance in her direction making Rachel frown. Then he said, “I need each of you to hold one of these in your hand for a few moments while I work my magic. If I had more time I could do this without you being present, but I’m told we can’t wait that long.”
He handed each of us a small silver ring and we closed our fists around them. Rachel was looking at me curiously and I thought perhaps she would need to have her memories altered by the time this was over.
Solomon closed his eyes and started chanting quietly in a language I didn’t recognize. The ring warmed in my hand and Rachel’s must have too because she opened her hand and held it close to her wide eyes. I continued watching Solomon as he concentrated on his magic.
After a few moments Solomon opened his light brown eyes and smiled. “That should do it,” he said holding out his hand for us to drop the rings in.
“What’s going on Mom?” Rachel asked, curiously.
“I’m not sure yet Rachel.”
Solomon turned to the table where the two females he brought with him were talking to Rook and said, “Angela, this is Vivian and Rita, they’re dancers here at the resort and they’ll be impersonating you and your daughter tonight so that your friends outside will think you’ve gone home.”
“I
guess they’re close to the right height but I don’t think they’re a close enough match to fool people who know me very well,” I told Solomon.
“Vivian,” Solomon called and the taller woman blew a kiss to Rook who was still sitting at the table, then she sauntered over to Solomon.
As I watched the younger woman walk I realized she was almost a sexier version of me. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were a little darker, a little warmer than mine and compared to my straight hair and almost curve free body, her spiraling locks and voluptuous breasts would be a wet dream come true for most men. My eyes moved to Rook and when I found him watching me with one eyebrow raised I forced my fists to unclench.
Vivian held out her hand and as he slid the ring on her finger Solomon said, “I give you Detective Angela Ruby.”
Just as he finished the last syllable I blinked and then I was looking at myself instead of Vivian. Every detail was the same right down to the brown slacks, off white shirt and police windbreaker I was wearing.
“No fucking way, how did you do that?” Utter delight lit up my daughter’s face.
“Rachel Marie, watch your language,” I scolded her.
“But Mom that was so cool, how did he do that?”
“Tricks of the trade Rachel, tricks of the trade,” Solomon said with a smile then called, “Rita.”
Rita was maybe an inch taller than Rachel, in her mid to late twenties like Vivian and she had brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. Solomon slid the ring on her finger and said, “Ta-dah!” as she transformed into my daughter.
“Wow, can I have that ring when you’re done with it? Or actually could you make another one with me wearing better clothes? That would really help me when I cut out of school. The teachers would never even...”
Rachel stopped when she noticed all of us were frowning at her. “Um, actually I don’t really cut out of school, so I suppose I won’t be needing a ring after all.”
“Uh-huh,” I said thinking I needed to start monitoring her attendance a lot better. “Why don’t you go into the other room now and get cleaned up. I’m sure there’s a robe in there and maybe we’ll be able to round up some clothes for you in a little while.”
“But Mom, I’m eighteen now, I don’t want to be sent away like a child. I want to know what’s going on here and why you came to get me tonight in the first place. How did you even know where I was?”
“Not now Rachel, we’ll have plenty of time to talk in the morning.”
“But...” Rachel spun on her heel and walked into the bedroom.
“What just happened?” I asked, confused.
“I just gave her a push in the right direction so we can discuss business,” Solomon said kindly. “She’ll take a shower then she’ll get into the bed and sleep for the rest of the night.”
I guess that explained why so many cops decide to play the slots after following Solomon around.
“Will that hurt her?”
Solomon shook his head. “Only if someone tried to erase large parts of her memory or if her mind was tampered with on a regular basis over an extended period of time. If you’d like, I could suggest that she likes school and wants to do the best she can possibly do. I could also convince her to make better lifestyle choices,” he added with a shrug.
I thought about it for a minute then shook my head. “No, I want her to make better choices but I don’t want to brainwash her. We’ll just have to work things out the old fashioned way no matter how frustrating it might be at times.”
“Okay, but let me know if you change your mind. Now, if you could please give your keys to Vivian and tell her your address so they can be on their way.”
I handed over my keys and recited my address then the two women left and Rook filled Solomon in on the events of the evening. Shortly after that Solomon left promising to have some clothes sent up for all of us after he tracked Dragon down to give him an update.
“How are you holding up?” Rook asked as soon as the door closed behind Solomon.
I walked over and slumped onto the couch. “I don’t know, I think I’m still numb at this point. How are we going to get home tomorrow if they’re taking my car?”
“I’ll take you home when you’re ready. Do you have to work tomorrow?”
I shook my head.
He came over and sat beside me, so close that heat radiated from him through my pants. Suddenly I was so cold, shivers racked my body and tears poured from my eyes as all the emotions I’d locked inside came crashing over me. Rook pulled me onto his lap wrapping his arms around me. I let him hold me, let that hum of energy soothe me while I cried again letting all the horrible things I’d seen and heard bleed out of me.
His hand slid up my back and neck to the clip holding my hair in place. Pinching the two sides together he opened the clip and the long strands fell like a white curtain around my shoulders and down my back. I nestled in against his chest while his fingers gently combed through my hair. My tears slowed, then we were quiet for a few moments while I tried not to think about how good it felt to have Rook comforting me.
Looking for a distraction I asked, “What did Kaleb call you tonight? The last part sounded like Rook.”
“Sa’jon Ruk. Sa’jon is my name. In the language of my people it means fierce warrior, and Ruk is a title of honor given to our Guardians.” He continued running his fingers through my hair while I rested my cheek against his chest letting the steady rhythm of his heartbeat sooth me.
“If that’s your name where did Devin Delaney come from?”
He surprised me with a chuckle. “I don’t think you’ll like the answer to that question after what I saw a little while ago.”
I pulled back so I could look at his face. “Why wouldn’t I like the answer to that?”
He smiled, a big happy smile. “Because Angela,” he said, tapping his finger to the end of my nose. “You were jealous earlier when Vivian blew me a kiss goodbye and she’s the one who gave me the name Devin Delaney.”
I knew my cheeks turned red, but I was far more curious than embarrassed. “Why would Vivian choose your name? Why wouldn’t you just keep the one you were given at birth?”
“Our names didn’t used to matter, but now we have to change them and our locations every few decades or the humans start to wonder why we never age. The last time I needed a new name I was spending a lot of time with Vivian so I let her pick it,” he shrugged his big shoulder like it wasn’t important.
I was quiet for a moment wondering, not for the first time, what kind of creature Rook was since he was clearly not human. Aside from that, the fact that he’d obviously had a relationship with Vivian at some point in time disturbed me more than I cared to admit.
“Hey, what’s going on in that head of yours?” He asked as his fingertips brushed my cheek.
Moving to the cushion beside him I folded my legs across each other and sat facing him. “Well, there are a couple of things bothering me about what you just said.” I bit the inside of my lip trying to get the courage to ask him what I needed to know. It was a bad habit, but I’d done it for as long as I could remember.
He turned to face me with his arm along the back of the couch and one leg bent across the cushion. “Talk to me Angela. Holding back when something’s bothering you will only put more distance between us, and personally, I’m tired of all the distance between us.”
I licked my lips then asked the question that had been in the back of my mind since we first slid though time together. “You said ‘the humans’ Rook. If you’re not human, then what are you?”
He tensed and his eyes narrowed on me, gauging my reaction when he said, “I’m a time demon Angela.”
Deep down I’d known he wasn’t human, but having it confirmed was a bit of a shock. I waited to be horrified but I wasn’t. He’d always been kind to me and over the years I’d grown to care for him no matter how hard I tried not to. Did it really matter if he wasn’t human?
“So I guess that means not all demo
ns are evil soul sucking monsters like the ones we see in movies all the time,” I said, pleased when the comment had the desired effect on Rook and the tension drained out of him.
“No, all the races have good and evil members just like humans do. Although time demons are usually on the good side,” he replied, obviously relieved. “What else is bothering you?”
“Um...” I blew out a hard breath and looked down, away from his penetrating gaze. “Did you and Vivian have a relationship?” I asked, then I rushed to add, “I know I don’t have any right to ask after the way I’ve treated you, but I need to know.”
He took a moment to answer and my heart ached because of it. I told myself it shouldn’t matter, that Rook wasn’t mine and I shouldn’t have even asked. But I had asked, and it did matter. I didn’t want to think about Rook being with any other woman, especially not one as beautiful and sexy as Vivian.
Quietly he admitted, “Vivian and I were together for about ten years but it ended over twenty years ago. I won’t lie, we’ve been together physically since then, but only as friends, and until recently I let her and Rita feed from me on a regular basis.”
I couldn’t stop the sob that escaped me. Why did hearing this hurt so much?
“Angela, you have to understand that our culture is very different from anything humans are used to. Vivian is a nightshifter and they, like regular shapeshifters can only have children with their true mates. Once they meet their true mates they eventually fall deeply in love with them whether they were already in committed relationships with someone else or not.
For those reasons most shifters choose to have casual sex with many partners rather than risk becoming attached to anyone other than their mates. Supernaturals cannot carry human diseases so we don’t need to worry about limiting the number of sexual partners we have like humans do.
Time demons can have children with anyone able to carry a child but our powers will only pass to a child born with our anai. Since I’m a Guardian my life is dedicated to Dragon. My loyalty to him will always trump any commitment I make to a woman unless she is my anai. Even then, I will always be devoted to protecting him and his mate.
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