Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Margo Bond Collins

  Relief came in silent grateful waves when I heard her. “I need you.”

  Warmth spread over me as if Inerique was cradling me. The air was tender with her spirit.

  “Many bad things are coming. Some of them are already among you.”

  My thoughts shifted to Traer Sharp. He was bad in every way but I didn’t know how to prove it, or how to find out what he was after. There was also the issue of my so-called visions I wanted to ask her about.

  “Lajaria is coming.”

  I stiffened in fear at those three words, particularly the first, Lajaria. “No,” I whispered. Lajaria was once a Protector with her sister, Inerique. The air shifted. I felt as if I was encased in evil.

  “My dead sister has found an unwilling human to inhabit.”

  “She’s a vampire?” Fear rocked like an earthquake through me. Gypsies believe when a person died in a malicious way, like Lajaria had, they could come back from the dead and take over a living being’s body; they become a vampire as they gnaw away the host’s soul and take its place. When the vampire is ready, they will take revenge for what was done to them. The most frightening part was they didn’t usually take revenge on the one who killed them, their intentions were more sinister and devious, and always selfish. Lajaria would only be after one thing, the Irizat Luna.

  “Yes, my sister has found a way to return.”

  My original worry of Traer Sharp had nothing on this new fear, Lajaria.

  “She wants the Irizat Luna, and she will stop at nothing to get it. I don’t know what her intentions are with the relic. But, whatever they are, they won’t be good,” Inerique said.

  “What should I do?”

  “Don’t let the relic out of your sight.”

  It was the obvious answer. But, what else could she say? I didn’t have much more time with her, so I asked, “Inerique, do you know what’s happening to me?”

  The air changed again. As patient as ever, she said, “Magic is for the one who possesses it to realize it belongs to them.”

  “But—”

  “Ah, my dear girl, the timing for every gift is always unknown. Until now, you’ve had no need for the visions.”

  My heart ached. “But, I couldn’t save Kem. I didn’t understand what I was seeing or how to control it, or if the flashes are past or future.” My hands began to shake.

  “I’m sorry for Kem’s loss, but there was nothing you could do to change what happened. There are some fates that cannot be changed. Death had already found you when the death bird cried.”

  Her words should have made me feel better, but they hadn’t. My Protectors were my responsibility. “Is there a way to control or understand what I see?”

  “The visions will become longer and more frequent. As you have more of them, your ability to decipher what you see, and to know how and what to do, will become easier.” She was quiet for a long time. I would have thought she was gone if it wasn’t for the warm air shifting around me.

  “There’s something else, isn’t there?” I asked.

  “There is.” Her reluctance to tell me made my flesh crawl with anxiety. “The Irizat Luna may help your gift. One drop of the iridescent liquid in the exact location as the one on your palm may offer you more clarity.”

  “Isn’t that against every law, magic and gypsy, a second helping of magic, an Echo Ritual?”

  “No. The Irizat Luna will gift you again because you are its Protector, and you are worthy. And, my dear girl, trust me, you are more than worthy. You are the leader of the Protectors. Being able to communicate with me may not seem like a gift, but you have more magic than anyone I’ve known, living inside you.” She paused. “The Irizat Luna needs more protection now than it has ever before. I have no doubt it will be more than generous to you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I will leave you with this to ease your tender heart and concerned mind. The Echo Ritual has only been done once before, and it failed because they were not worthy.”

  That wasn’t very comforting. The term “failed” meant the gypsy who tried to gain more power by using the Irizat Luna more than once had died. I shivered and thought of the risk I would be taking. But, Inerique would never guide me wrong. Not on purpose.

  “I must go,” she said. “I’ve stayed too long already.”

  A gentle wisp of a breeze floated around my face. The air in the room cooled. She was gone.

  My body slumped forward in exhaustion. I should have wanted to tell Plamen everything Inerique told me, wake Cole to open the safe, perform the ritual on myself, confront our visitor using Plamen’s gift of fire, if needed. But, all of it could wait a few hours. I hoped the rest would clear some of the swirling thoughts in my head.

  Sleep.

  Ritual.

  Confront.

  I woke to the sound of retching. It was worse than any alarm clock. The gagging and heaving interchanged. I went into the hall. The bathroom door was ajar; Cole was kneeling in front of the toilet. The hangover he would have would be hell. I soaked a washcloth and handed it to him. He wiped the spittle from his mouth. His eyes were bloodshot and glazed over. I wasn’t sure if he saw me or even knew who I was.

  “Can I get you anything?”

  “A gun,” he slurred, and bent over to throw up again.

  I closed the door behind me and went into the den. Traer was on the couch sifting through muted channels.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey.”

  Through the window, I saw Plamen outside. It was early morning. The sun was just coming up. The sun. It had been days since I’d seen it. The rain had finally stopped. Plamen looked up as I came down the porch steps.

  “Why is he still here if the storm has passed?”

  “He was planning to leave after he made sure Cole wasn’t going to die of alcohol poisoning.”

  “Isn’t he a kind soul?” Waking up to vomit being spewed and Traer on the couch wasn’t my idea of a pleasant morning. “How are you holding up?” I asked him.

  “I’ve been better. But, I’ll get through it.” He poked at a fallen log with a stick. “How are you?”

  Shit, where did I begin? I didn’t know how I felt, much less, how to voice it. “Last night Inerique came.”

  Plamen’s head popped up. “And?”

  “Lajaria is coming.” I felt as though I’d just vomited, like Cole. The sour taste in my mouth was just as bad as if I had. “She’s a vampire.”

  Fierce flames engorged his midnight eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “I wish I was.”

  “She could be sitting on Cole’s couch right this second in Traer’s body.”

  He was right. Lajaria could occupy any body she desired, and we would never know until she wanted us to. “Something tells me, Traer is really Traer.”

  “What else did she tell you?”

  Everything else I had to tell him would be vanilla in comparison. Except, the part about me doing an Echo Ritual. Plamen would not take well to me exploiting the Irizat Luna. Which was far from what I was doing, but it felt the same.

  “What aren’t you about to tell me?”

  “I was going to tell you... it’s just... well it’s not as bad as Lajaria, but it’s...” Plamen stepped closer to me. Not to intimidate, he knew better. His closeness was to let me know I could trust him. And, I did. But, I needed him to trust me in what I was about to tell him. “Inerique knew I was having visions.”

  “So, that’s a good thing, right?”

  “It is. She said to make my gift accelerate, I should do an Echo Ritual.”

  He put his hands on my shoulders. “Jeta, you know what the risk is?” I nodded. “You could die.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you sure it’s worth it?”

  “I don’t know, but I have to try. Inerique said I was worthy of the Irizat Luna.”

  He pulled me into his arms. “You are worthy.”

  I leaned my head against his hard chest. He was warm and
comforting. Although the feeling of safety was only temporary, I reveled in it for the brief moment, until I heard the door open behind us. I broke free from Plamen to see Traer standing on the porch.

  “Just wanted to let you know, I think Cole is going to make it.”

  “Does that mean you’re leaving now?” I asked.

  “Yes, ma’am, it does.”

  “Excellent.”

  He turned to go back inside. When he looked over his shoulder, a wicked grin played on his full lips. “I’ll leave when the sun goes down. The hunting is better at night.”

  Hunter

  I followed Traer inside. He was walking down the hall toward the bathroom. Standing at the mouth of the hall, I crossed my arms over my chest, ready to confront. Traer turned to see me and paused. He slid his hand into his pocket and rested it there. The sly tilt of his head and the half smile would have made most girls fall to their knees. Swooning wasn’t something I did. And, I wanted answers. Traer showing up here wasn’t an accident. Kem getting shot and killed, wasn’t an accident. This guy’s easygoing temperament was too relaxed not to have ulterior motives. Knowing now Lajaria was a vampire, and her knowledge of the Irizat Luna, was a dangerous combination.

  Traer slowly walked toward me. I lowered my arms to my sides. “What do you hunt?” I asked. His pace slowed as he approached me, standing only a foot or so away. My senses told me to run, but running was never an option. I stood firm, taking in all the things I noticed about him; I wished I hadn’t, as I tried to ignore the effect they had on me. He was more than just the epitome of a bad boy, he was used to getting his way. Traer Sharp was a player. He liked games. But, this was one he wasn’t going to win.

  “You have to know you’re stunning. If you didn’t wear that scowl on your face twenty-four/seven, I probably wouldn’t be able to stop myself from taking you right here.” He picked up one of my dreads and ran his fingers along the thin strand, over a bead, and down the length until it dropped from his fingers.

  He was trying to get to me. Ease his charm under my skin until I fell into his trap. “What do you hunt?” I repeated.

  He stepped a fraction closer. His breath was warm on my face. It smelled like coffee and sugar. “Things.”

  “What kinds of things?”

  He shrugged lazily. His mouth turned down nonchalantly. “It depends.”

  “On what?” Dark hair fell over his eyes as his glance grazed down my body and back up to my eyes. I moved closer to him. Our bodies were only a whisper apart. If I breathed too deeply, my chest would touch his. I dropped my voice to a cooing, seductive tone. “Have you ever seen the fire in someone’s eyes?”

  His head tilted toward mine. He leaned in and licked his lips. “I’ve seen the fire of want and greed in eyes of every color; especially when the thing they want most in the world is in arm’s reach. And, all they have to do is take it.”

  I lifted my chin. “You hunt for that fire, don’t you?”

  Again, he shrugged. “Only if the price is right.”

  “You’re a predator of the worst kind.”

  “And you, gypsy girl, are stubborn and beautiful.” Traer rubbed his thumb lightly over my jawline. Gliding it toward my lips. “That fire of want is in your emerald eyes right now.”

  “I don’t trust you,” I hissed.

  He looked at my mouth. “I know.”

  The front door slammed shut. I slid away from Traer and went into my room, closing the door behind me. Plamen’s voice was cutting. “What’s going on?”

  Traer was as cool as ever. “Not a thing, bro. Jeta and I were discussing what fuels us.”

  It was almost noon when I came out of my room. I went to find Plamen. He was on the porch doing pushups. His shirt was soaked with sweat. He counted off his last one as I stepped next to him. “I need to talk to you.” I went on without waiting for his reply. “I don’t think Traer is a regular hunter. I haven’t figured it out yet, but there are too many coincidences for him to show up here and I can’t push that out of my head. I’ve confronted him, but he wasn’t very forthcoming.”

  Plamen got to his feet. “What are you suggesting?”

  Here was the part I wasn’t sure he was going to go for. “A little motivation... from you.”

  “Jeta—”

  “Look, I get why there’re a million reasons for us not to show him a little magic, but, there’s also one very good one, the Irizat Luna.” I went closer to him. “And, he did see Kem shift...” I trailed off. That was odd, too, now that I really thought about it. I started pacing the length of the porch. I was more scared he’d go blabbing to the newspaper or friends, but he hadn’t seemed too stricken after he saw Kem shift. It was like he had accepted it was normal. “It’s like he’s seen magic before.” I didn’t realize I had said it aloud until I saw Plamen nod in understanding and agreement.

  “When do you want to do this?” he asked.

  Traer Sharp’s secrets were about to get a fire under their ass.

  I reached for the door handle. “Now.”

  I called into the house, “Traer, can you come out here please?”

  Plamen retrieved his dagger from the side table and slid it into the sheath on his belt.

  Traer came through the door and stood next to me. “What’s up?”

  “Plamen, can you please start a fire.” Plamen went down the steps. He threw a couple of logs from the pile of wood lined along the house, into the pit.

  I gave Traer a sideways glance. “Fire and fuel are very different.” I gave him one of my own wicked grins. “Why don’t you have a seat?’

  “I’m fine.” He started to edge back to the door.

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  His back bumped into the porch beam. “I need to finish getting my backpack ready.”

  “Aww, you can spare a few minutes, can’t you?” I waved my arm toward Plamen. He unsheathed his dagger. The blade was jagged and sharp. He arced it high in the air and brought it down, slashing it through the air over the logs in the pit. The fire came to life.

  “Thank you, Plamen. Can you be kind enough to show our hunter-friend your flames?”

  Plamen climbed the few steps. Within several feet, the flames in his eyes could be seen from where Traer and I stood. I leaned in close to Traer. “Now you can say you saw the fire in the eyes of a man.” At first, Traer seemed too stupefied to be able to say anything. Ten or so seconds later, the Traer I learned to distrust reappeared.

  “Cool trick.”

  Ignoring Traer’s sarcastic comment, Plamen stood directly in front of him. Traer’s eyes were ice to Plamen’s blazing stare. “What are you here for?”

  “I’m a hunter.”

  Plamen raised his knife next to Traer’s face. The hunter was either stupid or had seen magic more than we thought. The tip of the blade lit like it was a match that had been struck. Traer didn’t flinch. I had to give a guy credit for that.

  “I’m a hunter.”

  “You said that.” Plamen moved the flamed tip under Traer’s chin. “What are you hunting now?”

  Traer’s throat moved up and down. And, there it was, weakness. I smiled at the small movement. Traer Sharp could be broken.

  “Something rare,” was all he said.

  “Who hired you?” Was Plamen’s next question.

  Traer grinned. “Some secrets are better left as secrets.”

  It was my turn to chime in. “Some people are better left dead.”

  “Sorry, sweetheart, it’s “better off dead”.”

  I drew nearer to him and said, “I don’t believe in this case it is.” When I stepped back, I took in all of his non-verbal gestures, he swallowed hard as his hands clenched and unclenched, his eyes shifted from me to Plamen. “Is there something you want to share?”

  “Not really.” The fire on the tip of the blade grew higher. Traer backed away from the heat.

  I glanced at Plamen before I said my next words; he gave me a slight nod. I knew I was taking a
chance, so I called the relic by its English name. “Iridescent moon.” I wasn’t sure if it was recognition or confusion I saw in his face as he stroked the several days’ worth of stubble on his cheek. I decided to play off the latter. “Since you know nothing about what you’re after, I suggest being less of an ass!”

  “Gypsy girl, I know more than you think.”

  I rested my hand on his shoulder and leaned toward his ear. “I really don’t think you do.”

  Traer didn’t like to be wrong, nor proven he was on the wrong path. That was evident when he said, “Its proper name is the Irizat Luna.”

  There it was, the real reason he was here. I took the stones out of my pocket and showed them to him. “Look familiar?” He glanced away from my palm. “It’s okay, go ahead, admit you left them for us to find.” I put them back into my pocket. “Do you even know what they mean, hunter?”

  “Hey, I’m not just some red-neck, deer-shooting, head-above the mantle hunter!”

  Traer Sharp was losing his edge. “Never thought you were,” I said. “But, you are a hunter.”

  “I’m a relic hunter, and well-versed in all sorts of ancient artifacts.”

  I believed that answer to be the truth. He was scared of magic, frightened of us, since he had none of his own. And, I told him as much. “Since you have no magic to speak of, are you looking for some rich fuck to give you a few stones, worth a couple of wishes after you steal a relic or spell book?”

  He cocked his head and grinned. “Gypsy girl, for the price I charge, I don’t need any of that voodoo shit. I just happen to be a good tracker and know my history.”

  “Do you have any idea who you’re working for?”

  “I know she’s got blonde hair, full pouty red lips, a body with curves, and a fat purse. And, it helps she knows exactly what she wants.”

  I almost choked on the laugh I stifled back. Lajaria’s true form looked more like a creature from a horror movie. Her body was shriveled and old, dark with scars and death. The blonde hair he was referring to was gray, thin, with matted strands that clung together off a skeleton’s skull. I wouldn’t give him those details yet. “If you knew what her plan was for the Irizat Luna, you’d stay far away from it, and her.”