Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  I had to fix this.

  Thyme held my gaze as I moved toward her, but when I was almost close enough to touch her, she blinked out, leaving nothing behind but her lemony scent.

  “Dammit, Ty,” I muttered hands curling into frustrated fists. I felt a warm presence behind me and turned.

  “What’s wrong?” Rachel asked looking puzzled. “Who’s Ty?”

  “I thought I saw an old friend.” I shrugged. “Obviously I was mistaken.” I motioned toward the exit of the counter service restaurant. “You ready to go?”

  “Sure.” She hitched her purse strap higher on her shoulder following me out.

  As we moved past the barricades that kept vehicular traffic off Bourbon Street at night and made our way back toward the apartment side by side, we weren’t touching any more. But I could feel her speculative glances. The tension between us intensified the closer we got to my place. I knew what was on her mind. She was wondering if I’d ask her up. Normally, I’d have been game. But tonight, all I could think about was Thyme.

  And that wasn’t fair to Rachel. She seemed like a nice girl, after all.

  “I had a good time tonight.” I stopped pivoting to face her. “But it’s late. I know you came with Tony. I don’t keep a car here but I want to be sure you get home safely. Can I call you a cab or something?”

  “No.” She hiked a thumb at the open doorway to the Cat’s Meow. “My brother bartends here. I’ll just go home with him.” Disappointment brimmed in her gaze. “I had a nice time, too.” She moved toward the club stopping in the doorway to look back at me over her shoulder. “Call me… if you want to go dancing again I mean.”

  I dipped my chin in acknowledgement waiting on the sidewalk until she disappeared inside. Then I turned the corner and picked up my pace almost sprinting by the time I reached the outer entrance to the apartment.

  I let myself in, jogged up the steps, the soles of my old boots slapping the wood. By the time I was inside my heart was pounding hard.

  “Thyme!” I called from the center of the living room. “Come on out. We need to talk.”

  She didn’t answer and I couldn’t sense her presence. I moved through every room calling for her, to no avail. I was more than a little angry by the time I made it back to my bedroom. I dropped into the chair beside the bed and unlaced my boots.

  I threw them unceremoniously onto the floor, along with my socks. I waited a couple of beats hoping the clutter might entice her out of wherever she was hiding. No such luck.

  I yanked off my ball cap and ran a hand through my hair. Things were beyond a simple adieu with my ghost girl. For her or for me.

  I needed answers and she had them. If she wouldn’t come when I asked nicely, I’d have to be a little more insistent.

  I opened my nightstand drawer and withdrew the case I hadn’t touched in over a week. I popped it open. My hands shook as I brought the harmonica to my mouth. I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen with Thyme. It might summon her. I hoped it would. It would definitely call forth those others, but I would just have to deal with it.

  I slid the cold metal against my lips producing the opening notes of the Black Crow’s ‘Good Friday’

  .

  *****

  Thyme

  “Where have you been, Ty?” Morpheus’ voice echoed across the distance from where he sat preening his feathers atop the tallest spire in the middle of our five hundred yard wide canyon. His favorite perch was roughly seven hundred feet high and narrow, just enough of a ledge for him to balance on. It gave me the heebie jeebies. I never went out there myself since it lay across six feet of open air away from the larger house sized outcropping of rock where we made our home. “I looked in all of the usual places, but you were nowhere to be found.”

  I turned my back to him. Even though I hadn’t yet crossed the precarious narrow land bridge that led to our dwelling, I knew he could see my features. He had a raptor’s eyesight to go with those wings. I didn’t want him to know how upset I was. I stepped to the side and the wooden trapdoor to the secret staircase I had just climbed slammed shut.

  I tried not to sigh at my continued bad luck or look down as I carefully made my way over the twenty foot length of bridge. Morpheus was usually lost in his own thoughts out there with the sheer white and rust colored walls casting their shadow over him. I was still holding out hope that I would be able to duck into the house past him without getting grilled.

  “I was just listening to music outside My Bar,” I explained when I reached the spot right between him and the front steps up to the porch. I avoided eye contact, but it was difficult to moderate my tone when all I wanted to do was go inside to the privacy of my room and try to process all the crazy feelings careening around inside of me.

  “Balderdash,” he said softly, rising from his perch and leaping effortlessly across the void. “You saw Blade again.” He moved quickly to block me from the sanctuary I sought. “Don’t try to deny it.” He circled me. “Thyme, your whole silhouette is lit up like a glowstick right now.”

  Sighing, I lifted my chin and looked him straight in the eye.

  He hissed in a sharp breath.

  “What’s happening to me?” I asked, my lip trembling.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it.” From an arm’s length distance he studied me for a long moment, his expression betraying his concern. “But I’m going to find out. I promise you that.” He closed the remaining distance separating us and leaned in. I imagined I felt his lips on my hair. “There’s a necromancer in Florence. An ancient one, rumored to have developed the magic Laveau uses to remain young and alive after all this time. I’m hoping he might have some answers.” He leaned back, multicolored gaze stern. “You need to stay away from Blade. I’m worried what might happen to you if this continues. He definitely seems to trigger the reaction.” He put his hands on my shoulders, really put them on me. I felt it. His eyes widened. I gulped.

  “This shouldn’t be happening, Thyme.” He cursed under his breath. You’re actually warm. I can feel your heat.” He shook his head and let out a long sigh. “I wish I could take you with me.” He couldn’t. I was bound to remain in the city I had never left in life.

  “I’ll put a watch on you again. This... transformation you seem to be undergoing, I don’t trust anyone who witnesses it to remain silent. Every single shade on this side of the River would give anything to be made whole again. If your immortality is somehow returning to you...”

  He suddenly shook out his thirteen foot wingspan, folding his wings around me, his eyes gleaming in the private cave he’d created just for us. “You know how badly Apollyon wants to usurp his father. If he can reanimate the Offspring he drains and then re-infuse them with immortal power again as his slaves, he could easily achieve that goal. And he’d like nothing better than to experiment on you.” His wings tightened around me. “Promise me that you’ll remain here, out of sight until I return.”

  “I promise, Morpheus.”

  “Good.” He released me, turning toward the edge. “I’ll see you soon.” Wings unfurled again he leapt off the ledge.

  Underground wind currents aided his climb and bioluminescent waterfalls made him visible as he soared high along the sheer walls of the canyon. I watched for a moment completely spellbound by the speed and power of the flight of the fastest immortal on the planet. He quickly disappeared into the inky underground night.

  I turned to enter the home I jokingly called our treehouse, which was really a beautiful luxurious mountain cedar planked cabin with wrap around porches on both levels and all the amenities of any above ground domestic domicile. Morpheus had built it himself digging out the secret staircase at the same time. Our home was fairly unique among Dark Immortals. Most didn’t have homes not below the surface anyway. If they needed a bed they usually just rented space from Apollyon.

  I had just crossed the polished wood floors of the entryway when the most enticing melody I’d ever heard caressed my e
ars. The notes entwined around my mind, completely captivating me with their promise to fulfill my deepest desire.

  I followed the lure but it kept moving further away just out of reach. Setting my lips into a determined line, ignoring the layers of earth and everything else that divided me from having what I wanted, I leapt into the air, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself looking right at it.

  At him.

  At Billy.

  Chapter 25

  Time taught him a deep answer -when she loved. - Lord Byron

  Billy

  Her pretty violet eyes went from vacant hypnosis to complete clarity as soon as they settled on mine.

  I stopped the tune. The other ghosts who had crowded the bedroom popped out one by one in the order they’d come in, but I grabbed her hand before she could even think about leaving.

  I stared at our joined hands. I was surprised that I was able to grip her. I marveled at how warm and substantial she felt. How utterly and completely right.

  My gaze lifted to meet eyes wild with surprise and fear. “Let go of me,” she demanded, her slightly accented voice stirring a depth of feelings within me that Rachel could not.

  I shook my head tightening my grip. “We can talk here in the bedroom or in the living room. But make no mistake about it. We’re going to talk. I didn’t summon a room full of screeching ghosts just for my own amusement.”

  “Wait.” A cute crinkle formed between her delicate brows. “What do you mean summoned them?”

  “I blow into my harmonica and they come.” I shrugged. “I’ve gotten used to it.” Sort of. Mostly. Because of her. “I probably wouldn’t mind if I could understand what they were saying.”

  Her crinkle deepened. “They speak the same way I do and yet you understand me.”

  “You have a sexy French accent.” I shook my head. “They just sound like high pitched howling inside my head.”

  “You don’t understand. I can’t be here,” she mumbled trying to tug free again as if she had just remembered we were still attached. She frowned when I didn’t give her that play.

  “I’m not letting you go until I have the answers I want.” And maybe even longer than that. I liked having her this close. Feeling her warmth. Smelling her scent. My soul deeply yet inexplicably soothed by her presence. “Give me your word.”

  “Alright,” she whispered glancing around nervously as if someone might be watching us. Her gaze stopped. “I’ll stay. But can you draw the curtains closed, s'il vous plaît?”

  I nodded in response reluctantly letting go of her hand.

  She sat primly in the bedside chair while I covered the windows.

  “First tell me what’s got you so spooked?” I joked trying for a little levity as I placed my palms on the mattress and took a seat on the bed opposite her.

  She glared, less than amused by my lame play on words. That was ok. I’d just try harder next time. At least I’d gotten that frightened look off her lovely face.

  “What’s going on?” I pressed. “The way you looked tonight at the pizza place. The way you look now. It’s obvious to me that you’re upset or scared.”

  And what could frighten a ghost? It had to be significant. My hands formed fists ready to be her defender. Why would anyone want to hurt her?

  She held my gaze as those questions ran through my head. “Those are two separate things.” Her hands twisted together in her lap and her next words floored me. “I was jealous earlier. I didn’t like leaving you. Then to see you like that with someone else so soon…” She trailed off glancing away. “It doesn’t matter though. It’s for the best. I can go back to my existence. You can go on with your life. It was the right decision for both of us.” She turned her head back to face me, beautiful and brave, but still afraid. “There are rules for my kind. It’s forbidden for shades to interact with humans the way we were doing. I could be punished--severely.”

  “By whom?” I leaned forward, wanting to still her fidgety hands but not knowing if she’d allow it. “I don’t understand your world but I want to. I think I have a right to know.” I left a significant pause. “Considering what I can do.” I think she saw the larger real reason I wanted to know. I wasn’t trying very hard to disguise the way I felt about her.

  “The Council of Seven. The Favored Progeny. They judge and punish Progeny and Offspring who violate the Code.”

  “What the hell are Progeny and Offspring?” I asked.

  “Progeny are the immortal children of the Heirs. The Heirs are the three sons of the Creator, the Original One. Offspring are the result of a union of two Progeny.”

  “Immortals?” I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped open. I snapped it shut and asked, “You mean they really live forever?”

  “Yes.” She nodded thoughtfully. “It’s not quite that simple, though. The Heirs are fully immortal since they live mainly on their own plane. But their Progeny have lived so long on earth that they’ve become weakened. They can be harmed or killed by certain means, predominately by weapons fashioned from obsidian.”

  “Isn’t that just some lava rock?”

  “No. It retains the potency of pure creation magic. All immortals fear its bite.”

  My eyes went wide in astonishment. It was one thing to believe in ghosts, but what she was sharing with me now was major, a complete re-shifting of the way I thought the world worked. But then I’d been out of the wheel house of normal from the moment I first started seeing dead people. I whistled long and low. Thyme sat up straighter blinking her eyes a couple of times.

  “I know that it’s a lot to take in. I felt the same way when I found out that the world I knew was just one narrow slice of the one that actually exists.” She searched my face as if to make sure I was ready for more. I managed a nod, so she continued. “The Creator delegated the governing of his creation to his three Heirs. They rarely visit our world anymore except when there are problems only they can solve or when there are festivals they enjoy attending like Mardi Gras. Hades is the Dark Heir and the father of the Dark Progeny. Apollyon, Ares and Hephaestus are his Favored. He reigns over the underworld where I live and rules all the Dark Progeny and their Offspring. Zeus is the Light Heir and the father of the Light Progeny. Eros, Phoebus, Hermes and Bacchus are his Favored. He presides over those who live in and beneath the sky as well as all the Light Progeny and their Offspring. Poseidon is the third Heir. He is neutral and prefers his solitude. His children are his own, and they rarely become involved in the politics of the others. They aren’t subject to the Code that Zeus and Hades drafted for the rest of us.”

  “That seems simple enough.” I made a sarcastic face.

  She giggled. And it was delightful like the tinkling of a bubbling stream running over smooth rocks.

  I grinned. That was more like it. Making her smile made me feel grounded even though her explanation had turned my world upside down.

  “There are all sorts of creatures that I’m sure you thought were only myths.” She scooted closer. “Like woodland and river nymphs, fairies, trolls and werewolves, too, though we call them Roux-ga-roux around here.”

  “I guess vampires are real, too?” I rolled my eyes.

  “Oh, yes. They’re Dark Offspring. I don’t understand why everyone has become so fascinated by them lately. They’re extremely volatile especially when they feed. Most live here year round since NOLA is headquarters for the underworld.”

  “Ok,” I drew out pausing to take a breath. I couldn’t take much more. Really. “Give me a minute for all that to sink in.”

  She nodded sagely as I continued to stare at her. It all sounded so crazy but I didn’t doubt that it was all true. And that realization didn’t bother me as much as I would’ve thought, mostly because she was here to talk me through it.

  “You say the underground is where you live. Is that where you go when you’re not here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Isn’t that…creepy?” I didn’t like the thought of her living in a dark cave somewhere.
>
  “Some parts are. Where I used to stay right after I died certainly was. The entire underground is as vast as the surface. It’s interconnected by passageways known by all though many aren’t easily accessible or safe. There are good and bad parts of town beneath the earth just like there are topside.”

  I must’ve given her a skeptical look.

  “Truly.” She smiled, white teeth peeking out between her full lips. “The place I call home has beautiful bioluminescent waterfalls and streams that make our canyon glow in the dark.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Our canyon?”

  “Morpheus’ and mine.”

  “And who the hell is Morpheus?” I growled.

  *****

  Thyme

  “My best friend.” I put my hands on my hips returning his glare. Was he jealous now?

  “Another shade like you?” His harsh expression seemed to soften somewhat.

  “No, he’s the Dream Falcon. The only known one of his kind. He has these incredible wings. And he’s very handsome,” I tagged on that last bit at the end interested to see how he responded.

  He didn’t disappoint. He got up and paced the length of the room before returning and stopping directly in front of me. “Is he considered a strong immortal?”

  “Oh, yes. Very. He’s the fastest of them all, at least in the air. He can fly three hundred miles per hour at certain altitudes.” I could see a muscle twitching in his tightened jaw.

  “And this Council that you’re worried about. Can he keep you safe from them?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “He may want to, but he wouldn’t be able to stop their Enforcers.” It would devastate him if something happened to me like what had happened to his mother. I stood. “I should go now.”

  “Don’t leave.” He put his hand on my arm.