Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

  Chapter Ten

  Tessa was restless the next day, her mind going back to the night before with Nikolas. A part of her longed to see him, and another part almost dreaded it. She wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted from him and with him. It wasn’t clear to her why Nik scared her so much, especially when she wanted him at the same time. Maybe it was because she wanted him that she feared him. The feelings she had for him were more intense than any she had ever known, and maybe that’s what really scared her the most.

  “What’s wrong with you?” asked Jan, coming into her office bringing a paper bag.

  “Nothing. What’s in the bag?”

  “This is our lunch,” said Jan. “I know how you forget to eat sometimes. Now tell me what’s wrong. You used to always tell me everything, and now it seems you’ve started holding things back.”

  “You mean like you were holding back the fact you have those ‘feelings’?” asked Tessa with raised eyebrows.

  “Touché. Now, let’s eat these yummy burgers and you can tell me what’s going on.”

  Tessa smiled in spite of herself. She knew she couldn’t keep anything from Jan. She took the bag from her and laid the contents out on the table. When the food and soft drinks were ready to be eaten, Tessa finally told Jan what had happened with Nikolas.

  “I don’t really know what to think. I can’t figure out why he scares me so much, but at the same time, something draws me to him. Yes, he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever met, but there’s much more than that.”

  “He is kind of mysterious,” said Jan. “In all your conversations with him, has he told you much about himself?”

  “No, not really,” Tessa admitted. “And what do you think about what he did with the blood on my finger? Do you think it’s weird or sexy?”

  Jan thought a moment. “I think it’s both. I mean, it’s a little out of the ordinary but kind of hot at the same time.”

  “Yeah, it was pretty intense. What about how you used to think there was something off about him? You warned me about him at the beginning, but now you don’t seem to be that worried.”

  “I don’t know,” Jan said. “At first, I sensed something…not quite right. But now it seems like there’s not really a threat, just something different about him. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think you’re in danger.”

  “I don’t really think he would hurt me. But I still have an irrational fear of him. I just don’t know why. And it was weird that we were having this intense conversation on the phone, and I really put myself out there, and he hung up. It didn’t seem like he was upset about the conversation. But he just whispered my name and hung up.”

  “Maybe he’s afraid of you, too,” Jan said with a laugh.

  “You know, that almost seems right,” said Tessa. “It is almost like he’s afraid of me.”

  Jan thought for a moment. “Maybe you’re both afraid of getting hurt. It might not be anything out of the ordinary…just regular relationship fear.”

  Tessa shook her head. “I don’t know, that doesn’t feel right. If that’s all it is, I could deal with it. No, it’s something different, something I just can’t quite put my finger on.”

  “Well, I hope you work your feelings out. I’d hate for you to miss an opportunity for a relationship with someone that good-looking,” Jan said as she stood to go.

  “I agree. I might not get another chance like this. I just wish I knew what kind of secrets he might be hiding, because I’m sure he’s hiding something.”

  After Jan left, Tessa picked up a heavy tome and laid it on the table. She hoped she could find a picture or description of the jar with the unusual light. This had been one of the hardest artifacts to find information on, and it was getting frustrating. She didn’t know what she was going to tell the curator if she didn’t find anything. She pored over the contents of the text all afternoon, but she only got through about a third of the book by closing time. She hadn’t been working late at the museum since she had been doing research for Nikolas in the evenings. It was actually kind of liberating…she had been spending way too much time at the museum without extra compensation.

  Tessa decided to take the heavy book home with her that evening. She hadn’t found anything so far, but she thought if she kept looking, she might even find a reference to the soul repository. It would be a double treat if she could find answers to both that and the jar. She signed the book out in her office log before hefting the large volume into her arms and starting out the door. By the time she was halfway home, the book started getting almost too much for her to handle. Her arms and shoulders were aching from carrying the book plus her large shoulder bag. She was about to stop and put the book down for a few minutes when she heard a noise behind her. She whirled around and saw Nikolas standing there, an amused grin on his face.

  “You scared me!” she exclaimed.

  “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to. I was just wondering how long you could tote a book that heavy before having to rest.”

  “You’ve been following me? How long? You could have offered to help, you know.”

  Nikolas’ grin grew wider. “I’m sorry, but it was kind of fun to watch you carry such a big book. It was actually kind of hot, with the straining muscles and everything.”

  Tessa blushed furiously. “I can’t believe you did that. You’ve been following me since I left the museum, haven’t you?”

  “I guess you’ve caught me. I’m really sorry if I upset you. I was just having a little fun. I would be glad to take up your burden the rest of the way to your apartment.”

  She didn’t know whether to kiss him or slap him. In the end, she did neither, but hefted the book up into his hands. He held it as if it weighed nothing. She was impressed…even a man should find the book heavy.

  “Lead the way, my dear,” he said, still smiling.

  When they got to her apartment, Nik set the book down on the table where she usually worked. She felt awkward after the phone conversation they had last night, but Nik seemed oblivious to her discomfort. She sat down and opened the text to where she had bookmarked the page.

  “I was looking through this book today, trying to find out something about the jar, and I thought it might be a good place to look for information on the soul repository.”

  “Repository?” he asked.

  “Well, that’s what I call it for lack of a better word.”

  Nik frowned. “What’s this jar you’re talking about?”

  “It’s just a jar. There’s not much information on the artifact, so I’m having trouble deciding what it is.” She had no idea why she was keeping information from him about the light in the jar.

  “So you think you can kill two birds with one stone looking through this text?” he asked.

  “That’s what I’m hoping for. Of course, while I’m here at home, your research comes first.”

  “I know it does. I have confidence in you and know you’ll do your best. Well, I guess I better go.”

  Surprised, Tessa said, “Don’t you want to stay awhile? Maybe we can look at the text together. I could make some tea or something.”

  “I’m sorry, Tessa, I have to go. I have things I need to do. Call me later tonight if you find anything. I’ll be up very late.”

  Trying to hide her disappointment, Tessa walked him to the door. She wondered if maybe he would kiss her tonight, both hoping he would and hoping he wouldn’t. Her emotions were just crazy when it came to this man. He said goodbye and started out the door. Her stomach felt like it dropped to the floor, but it leapt back and filled with butterflies as he turned back around. He picked up her hand and slowly and softly kissed the back of it. Then he turned it over so that her palm was facing upward. He kept his eyes lifted to hers as he kissed her palm, running his tongue along all her lifelines. Her knees went weak, and she almost lost her balance, but she managed not to make a fool of herself. He let go of her hand and smiled, and she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the smile seemed al
most predatory. She felt goose bumps pop up on her flesh.

  “I’ll be seeing you, Tessa,” he said before turning and walking away.

  Tessa let out a sigh of relief as she watched him go. She didn’t know if she could stand a relationship with someone that already felt this intense even before their first kiss. She wondered if the kiss would cause so much sensory overload that she would die from it. What was she going to do with this man?

  ***

  Nikolas stalked the young woman with the stealth of a tiger. He hung back far enough that she couldn’t see him in the dim light of the street lamps. There was no need to worry about losing her; once he had caught her scent, he could track her easily. Luck was on his side as the woman decided to take a shortcut through the alley. He smiled a predator’s smile as he followed her into the darkened passageway. Her steps were slow, and it was obvious she was unaware of any danger lurking close by. Nikolas closed the distance as quickly as a cat, and he had his hand over her mouth before she could utter a sound. He looked into her eyes and as her eyes locked onto his, she stopped struggling. She let out a little sigh that actually sounded like a moan of pleasure as he brought his mouth closer and closer, going slowly to prolong the anticipation. As his fangs punctured her skin, he heard a soft cry, and then her blood was flowing into his mouth and down his throat, sweet and satisfying. He took only as much as he needed, and then he licked her wound to heal the two little holes made by his teeth. He hadn’t even taken enough to make the girl weak, even though her breath was coming fast as she stood there unmoving. He knew it was pleasure she was feeling, not pain. Nikolas kissed her briefly on the lips and thanked her for her gift, and then he walked away.

  As he started for home, Nikolas marveled at the self-control he was developing. Maybe being a vampire wasn’t so bad, after all. He was now able to take blood while using restraint so he wouldn’t kill his victim. The intoxicating feeling of feeding from a human stayed with him all the way home. When he got there, he built a fire and poured himself a small glass of Scotch. As he came down from his high, he started thinking of Tessa, and the guilt crept in. He pushed it back, though, because he was a vampire, and drinking blood from humans was what he did. Was he losing all of his humanity now? He could feel the remnants of his soul, what made him human, slipping away from him. The memories of right and wrong he had been hanging onto weren’t so vivid in his mind anymore. The loss of his soul was starting to mold him into what he was meant to be when that essence of what he once was had slipped away. He guessed he had hung onto his humanity longer than most vampires did.

  “No!” he roared, as he poured more Scotch with trembling hands. “I will find my soul. I will not be a monster!”

  Chapter Eleven

  Tessa rubbed her eyes as she sat back in her chair, trying to work the kinks out of her back. She had been poring over the large volume for hours. She looked at the clock and saw it was one o’clock in the morning. Sighing, she got up and stiffly walked into the kitchen and put on a kettle of water for yet more tea. When it was ready, she carried the teapot, cup, and sugar over to the table where she had been working. Tessa knew she needed to go to bed, but she was almost through the book and she didn’t want to stop yet. The tome had proven to be the most interesting one she had read before, and she just knew she was going to find out something tonight. She felt it somehow, as if the book were speaking to her, telling her to go on.

  After taking several sips of her tea, she finally got back to the book. She read about several artifacts, some she actually had in her collection. She had found out what most of the artifacts were, but this book told more than she had ever heard about any of them. She wondered where this book had even come from. She didn’t remember seeing it until recently.

  It was about two o’clock when she found it. Her eyes widened as she read and reread what was written in the book. She actually had killed two birds with one stone…the jar…she couldn’t believe what it was!

  When a human is turned into a vampire, the soul leaves the body and travels to the Cave of the Lights where it is captured by the Keeper of the Souls. The soul is placed into a sanctified jar where it exists in limbo, neither traveling to Heaven or Hell. The souls in the jars resemble trapped lights, hence the name given to the cave. The location of the cave is a well-kept secret and is revealed only in the Book of Sacred Truths.

  Tessa sat back, stunned at what she had read. The jar contained a soul! The jar she had been trying to discover the truth about was also involved in what she was supposed to find out for Nik. Was it a coincidence that everything had come together this way? Or was a higher power guiding her steps. Did God want her to find this?

  She checked the clock again and winced. She really needed to tell Nikolas about this, but she was afraid he would be angry if she woke him up this late. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she told him, so she took a chance that he would understand she felt like this was something he needed to know right away.

  She dialed his number, and to her surprise, he picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”

  “Nik? I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  “No, of course not. I keep very late hours and sleep most of the day. But what are you doing up at this hour? You aren’t still reading from that monstrosity of a book, are you?”

  “Well, yes. I couldn’t stop. Listen, I really need to talk to you about something I found. Can you come over?”

  Nik hesitated. “At this hour? Can’t it wait until tomorrow evening?”

  “Not if you really want to know something about the vampires’ souls.”

  “You found something?”

  “Oh, yeah, I found something all right. And I really did kill two birds with one stone. I found out what you wanted to know and what I was researching for work. It’s one and the same.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

  When Nikolas arrived, Tessa was already at the door to let him in. She took his hand and pulled him over to the book she had opened to the passage she wanted him to read. Her finger pointed to the text and he read it, his face going pale. He turned to face her.

  “This jar you spoke of earlier. Did it contain a light?”

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  “Why did you keep that from me?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t realize the jar was connected to the vampire souls you were asking me to research. Only when I saw this passage did I understand what I had.”

  “Let’s go to the museum. I want to see that jar.”

  “Nik, it’s late. I can’t just go waltzing into the museum at two thirty in the morning!”

  He grabbed her upper arm and said through clenched teeth, “I don’t care, we’re going now.”

  Pulling herself from his grip, she backed away from him. “Nik, what’s wrong with you? We can’t go now. Why is this so important to you?”

  “Tessa, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…look, I can’t tell you why this is important, but please trust me. This might be a matter of life and death.”

  “For you or for someone else? And why?”

  “Let me see the jar. Then I can explain everything. Please, Tessa, do this for me.”

  She looked at him for a moment, considering the request. Then she nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it. Let me get my purse so I’ll have my keys.”

  When they arrived at the museum, Tessa said, “Let me talk to the guard. Just don’t say anything, okay?”

  Nik nodded, and Tessa unlocked the side door to the museum. They made their way toward Tessa’s office, and a guard came around the corner. He frowned and walked toward them.

  “Tessa, what are you doing here at this hour?”

  “My friend Nikolas would like to see some of my artifacts,” Tessa said to him with a wink.

  “Oh, I see,” said the guard with a grin. “Just lock the door when you leave.”

  Tessa gave him a sly smile and turned to unlock the door to her office. When she and Nikolas entered, she l
ocked the door behind them.

  “That was…interesting,” said Nik.

  “I happen to know the guard brings women here to impress them. I also know he’s away from his post for several minutes at a time. It was easy to make him think I was doing the same thing.”

  “Oh, I see,” said Nikolas as it dawned on him what the guard thought they were doing.

  Tessa grinned, but then she became more serious as she turned on the lights and walked over to the shelves where the artifacts were kept. She picked up the jar carefully and set it on the work table. Nikolas reached out and touched the jar almost reverently. The light grew brighter and moved toward his hand as if it wanted to touch him. Tessa could see the tight expression on Nik’s face and wondered why this all meant so much to him.

  “Nik, are you all right?” she asked.

  “This isn’t the right one,” he said.

  “The right one? What do you mean?”

  “It’s not the right soul!” he said, pounding his fist on the table.

  “Stop it, Nik! The guard will think something’s wrong and try to get in here. What’s wrong with you?”

  With a defeated look on his face, Nik dropped into the chair in front of the table. He put his elbows on the table and his face in his hands. Tessa move closer to him and put her hand on his back, and she could feel the trembling of his body. She knelt down next to him and pulled his hands away from his face. She could see the tears that coursed down his cheeks, and she was shocked at the sight. She had always thought of him as a strong man, a little on the tough side, so the tears surprised her. He didn’t make any move to turn away from her and didn’t seem embarrassed by his show of emotion.

  “I really thought this could be the answer,” he said. “But it’s not mine.”

  ***

  Nikolas jumped out of the chair and ran for the door, startling Tessa. He yanked it open, and hurried out, much to the surprise of the guard standing outside the door. Nik ran out the side door of the museum and out into the cool air of the night. When he reached the next block, he leaned his back against the cool brick, breathing hard, and not from the exertion of running. A vampire couldn’t be winded from exercise, but apparently they could be from shock and dismay. Because that’s what he was feeling right now. When he had gotten the call from Tessa, he was sure she had what he was looking for at the museum. His disappointment in finding the soul belonged to someone else was overwhelming. He knew Tessa had to think he was a madman, running out of the museum like that. But he had to go. He couldn’t stand being in the same room with another vampire’s soul, knowing he couldn’t find his own. In fact, he had been so crushed by regret and despair that he might have lost control and bitten Tessa, taking the blood he longed for with every fiber of his being. Yes, running had been the right thing to do no matter what Tessa thought of him now. What was he going to do at this point? He needed to find the location of the Cave of the Lights, but to do that, he needed the Book of Sacred Truths. His only hope of finding that book was Tessa. She had resources he couldn’t even begin to access, and he needed her help. But now that she probably thought he was crazy, was there any hope of engaging her services for this?