by Rain Oxford
I figured I could find someone who could read German, and it was probably important if he went through the trouble of hiding it, so I took it. We went back to Cindy’s house, where I picked out a few of her magic books and spent the night looking through curses. Wizards were powerful, but witches could give them a run for their money when it came to revenge.
* * *
1989
I was five years old and hiding in my bed, under my blankets, with all the lights on in the room. A scratching sound on my closet door kept me awake well into the night. When it stopped, I felt safe enough to get out of bed and leave my room. I ran all the way to the basement lab and threw open the door. My dad was sitting in his chair, looking at some blood under a microscope.
He turned to me, concern on his face. He was five-nine and slender, with shaggy brown hair and silver/gray eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s something in my closet again.”
“Sweetheart, I told you that the closet monster is nice. He’s protecting you from the mean monsters.”
“Where are the mean monsters?” I asked.
“They hide in the shadows, but not all shadows.”
“Then how do you know they’re not in the closet?”
“Because I’ve talked to the monsters in your closet, and they only want to help you.”
Behind him, shadows moved across the floor, even though there was no object moving in the room.
* * *
My dream suddenly took a very different turn. Logan and I were in a massive bed and he was on top of me. His lips separated from mine and then he kissed my neck down to my breast.
I opened my eyes to find myself in Cindy’s basement… but Logan was still on top of me. I had no intention of stopping him. Instead, I pushed myself up and over so that I was on top of him and kissed him. His body was solid, but vampire strength gave me the upper hand and I was going to use it.
There were too many clothes between us. I reached for his jacket and pulled it off carefully. I wouldn’t rip it. I wanted to build the anticipation. The sheet of cardboard I was using as my bed wasn’t the ideal location, but I hadn’t seen Logan in months.
He was six-foot-two with dark brown hair and aquamarine eyes. His pants, shoes, leather gloves, and suit jacket were all black. Last time, I picked up almost no scent from him. This time, I smelled his lust.
A small lamp had been placed out of the way on a box. Instead of turning on the overhead, he had gone the extra mile to protect my light-sensitive eyes. I didn’t even bother wondering how he could sneak up on me; that had to be a demon talent. I was glad that Deimos and Phobos were somewhere else.
As slowly as I removed his jacket, I unbuttoned his shirt. His hands gripped my waist with the effort not to rip my clothes. He leaned up to kiss me, but I pushed him down. “Patience,” I admonished.
“Patients are for doctors.” He grabbed his own shirt out of my hand and ripped it off, then did the same to mine before sitting up, wrapping his arms around me, and kissing me.
Three months was a long time to ignore what had been building between us. I thought I would get over him and forget, but instead, there was always “what might have been” hanging over my head. Either by our texted conversations, someone calling me “Ms. Ares,” or even the smell of leather, I was reminded of him every day. A lot of my customers wore leather, especially shifters because it was good at blocking the scent of their animal. There were fewer fights on neutral ground if a shifter didn’t know what he was antagonizing.
“Are you getting distracted, Ms. Ares?” Logan asked.
“I was wondering if gold or steel would go better with your eyes.”
“It’s a little early for shackles.”
“I wasn’t planning on putting it around your wrists. And for the record, you can use my given name when you have my shirt off.”
“You are quite fastidious, Aurora. What do you want me to call you when I have your pants off?”
“It doesn’t matter, because you won’t be able to speak when I get your pants off.”
“Promises. Are you all bark and no bite?”
“Oh, I’m going to bite you. Be nice and I’ll make it hurt.”
He growled, sounding as natural as a shifter. The change from his normal, apathetic and cold appearance was a turn on. I liked making him lose control.
I reached for his pants and was surprised when he rolled me over so that he was on top. I could have fought him, but I was curious where he would go with this. He snapped the button of my pants and slipped his hand inside to tease me. His eyes met mine and I knew he was silently making sure I wanted this. Logan was hot as hell and I liked that he could hold his own, even if he was an asshole. I nodded.
A loud chirping filled the room and Logan growled with frustration. This was a very different growl than the one he’d emitted a few minutes before, and instead of exciting me, I knew it meant our fun was over.
“Do you need to get that?” I asked.
“Yes.” He didn’t move.
“You need some help?”
“If I grab it, I’m going to smash it to pieces.” I laughed, reached over, and picked it up off the floor. I showed him the number. “I don’t know it.”
I answered the call. “Hello?” Logan kissed my neck and I barely held back a moan.
A man said, “Well, that hasn’t happen to me before. I must have the wrong number.”
“You’re looking for Logan?” Logan showed no interest in the phone call.
“That depends on who I’m talking to.”
“I’m a---” I bit my lip as he bit my nipple. “… a friend of Logan.”
“Oh. Yeah, alright. Please let him know his systems guy called.”
Obviously, Logan heard the words, because his head popped up and he snatched the phone out of my hand. “Marcus? Did someone break in?”
I considered getting even with him for a second before deciding it was a bad time. I caught just enough of the conversation to know that someone had broken the windows out of Logan’s shop but they hadn’t entered the building. When Logan hung up, he looked angrier than I expected him to be.
“Was something stolen?”
“No one went inside.”
“That’s good, right?”
“According to the cameras, all of the windows shattered simultaneously and without cause. Someone was testing my wards.”
“What did the cops say?”
“They haven’t gotten to it yet. It happened five minutes ago. Marcus is going to report a minor earthquake.”
“It’s good to have thorough employees.”
“That it is.”
“Do you want to get off me?”
“Not really, but I guess I should. We have work to do.”
“Unless you think all our problems can be solved by sex.”
“I think if whoever wants to kill my mother was too busy having sex to kill, then… oh, crap. Now I’m thinking about my mother having sex. I’ve just lost my appetite for a month.” He stood and held out his hand to help me up.
I laughed at the horror on his face, even though I was disappointed, and let him pull me to my feet. “Let’s talk to Cindy. She did let you in, right? You didn’t just sneak in?”
“She invited me in.”
I adjusted my bra and started to reach into my bag for another shirt. He picked up mine and held it out for me. As I took it, I felt warm energy crackle from it like static. The strips of torn, dark blue satin were completely repaired. “I thought you didn’t have that much magic with your chain on.”
“Repairing material like this is easy.” He fixed his own shirt and put it on.
I stopped him before he started to button it up so that I could run my fingers over his tattoos. “Did these come by necessity or precaution?” I asked.
He had a number of magic protection tattoos, but the most important one was a thin chain wrapped around his chest.
“This one,” he said, pointing to the one over
his heart, “was made by an old girlfriend after her brother shot me.” It protected him from being stabbed in the heart. He indicated an ankh. “This one was made by a friend to protect me against fae and other beings that feed on energy. It was prevention, because I had to deliver a few nasty artifacts to a few nasty fae.”
“Sounds like fun.”
He gestured to a Celtic cross on his right side. “This was actually created by a wizard priest in order to prevent someone other than myself from removing my chain.”
“But I removed your chain when we faced Marluk.”
“That’s right, so either it’s not working, or you’re special.” He pointed to a compass tattoo on his right shoulder blade. “This one improves my sense of direction. It helps me find anything and anyone I’m looking for.”
“I guess that one is working.”
“It seems to lead me to you a lot. So, what’s the situation?”
“Aside from your mother being mummified? I don’t know. I poured through spell books last night and didn’t find any that described this curse.”
“I know of a few objects and spells that can kill in that fashion, but without seeing her death or remains, I can’t be sure what it is exactly. We’ll ask Cindy to find out the date.”
“Lilly is trying as well.”
“Cindy is more powerful. If she can’t do it, I know some people who can. I would prefer not to call in those favors, though.”
We went upstairs to find Cindy at her table, which was over-filled with books. Phobos was playing with the cat and Deimos was glaring out the living room window. I grabbed a Sanguatine out of the fridge. “Lilly foresaw her mother’s death, but we don’t know when it will be. Can you find out?”
“I need something of your mother’s or some of her blood.”
Logan pulled a vial of blood out of his jacket and held it out for her to take.
We both gaped at him. “Do you seriously walk around with your mother’s blood in your pocket?”
He gave me a deadpan stare. “I knew it would be required for something, so when I arrived in town, I first went to her and got some of her blood.”
“I bet that went over super well.”
“Was it rude to start the bloodletting without you, Ms. Ares?”
“Would you two take your sexual tension elsewhere? You’ll distract me,” Cindy said.
“I had no idea you were into watching. Did Logan tell you how she’s supposed to die?”
“No, and don’t tell me. It will influence what I see. Search her house for hex bags or dolls or---”
“Anything witchy,” I interrupted.
“Yeah.”
I was prepared to walk, since the four of us couldn’t fit in my Thunderbird or Logan’s Crossfire, but when we stepped outside, I saw a black 2017 BMW X5 in the driveway. “How many cars do you have?”
“I am renting this one. I figured you would have the boys with you.”
“You can rent a brand new luxury SUV?”
“Why not?”
Instead of answering, I opened the back door so that the boys could get in.
“Any word on finding your father?” he asked as we pulled out of the driveway.
“No. I haven’t given up, though.”
“I didn’t think you did. I have a number of people watching for him, but as unique as his name is, it’s not a lot to go on.”
“I appreciate you looking anyway.”
We arrived at Lilly’s house and Logan knocked on the door. It was Lilly who answered. “Mom’s not here,” she said, stepping out of the way. “I haven’t found anything out, though.”
“Keep trying. We need to search the place.”
“Deimos, Phobos, look for magic outside of Lilly’s bedroom.” The boys nodded and split up. Deimos started with the kitchen while Phobos went upstairs. Logan and I searched Meredith’s bedroom first.
Unlike Lilly’s bedroom, it was halfway classy. It had a king-side bed with maroon bedclothes, a dresser/television stand, two closets, and an attached bathroom. The walls were white and the curtains were maroon to match the bed.
The instant I stepped into the room, pain filled my head. I put my hand over my ears on reflex.
“What’s wrong?” Logan asked.
“Nothing,” I lied, putting my hands down. It didn’t help anyway. “I don’t smell anything. Can you sense magic?” I asked.
“No. Maybe the attack is meant for Lilly and Meredith will somehow get in the way. If the curse is based on hair or nails, it’s not difficult to get it mixed up with another’s.”
I walked out of the room and felt instant relief. “It’s worth checking out. You said your mother lived in Oregon before moving here?”
“She was born here, I believe, and moved to Oregon when I was an infant. She moved back here when I was eighteen or nineteen.”
“Do you know if she has any enemies there who might do this? It seems a little coincidental that your shop is broken into now.”
“My shop was broken into now because I’m not there to guard it. As for Meredith’s enemies, I wouldn’t know.”
Next, we checked the kitchen. It was twelve-by-twelve with high-end, stainless steel appliances, white cabinets, and a white-marble island. Again, the pain started, but I let Logan search it without me and went back into the living room. The pain was slow to fade.
One of the cons (and sometimes pros) of being a vampire was that we were immune to most drugs unless they were mixed with blood. Even mixed with blood, things like Excedrin didn’t work.
Deimos and Phobos waited in the living room for further instructions. Lilly let us search her room, but every time we pointed something out that was magic, she said it was hers. We left the house quietly, both feeling like we had wasted our time. “There is another option,” Logan said.
“What’s that?”
“Perhaps Lilly lied about seeing Meredith’s death to get us together.”
“She told me not to call you.”
“My sister is an excellent liar,” he said.
“Why would she do it, though?”
“I don’t know. I’m more concerned with the fact that you lied to me.”
I didn’t insult him by feigning ignorance.
“However, as it is clear that you’re lying to yourself about hearing voices in your head, I will wait until you’re ready to talk about it.”
“How did you know? Do you hear it, too?”
“No, I made a guess based on your denial of it and the fact that you covered your ears when we walked into Meredith’s room. It’s most likely a side effect of being marked by Marluk---”
“Which was your fault,” I interrupted.
“Have you been able to make any of them out?” he asked, unconcerned.
“What happened to waiting for me to be ready to talk?”
“I was lying to distract you.”
“Unless you actually think Marluk is back, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I don’t think Marluk is back, but I do think the issue can become more serious if we don’t figure out the cause.”
It’s already getting more serious. I didn’t say anything, though. We reached Cindy’s house. Before I could open my door, Logan grabbed me by the arm, pulled me towards him, and kissed me.
I have kissed people before and thought it wasn’t my thing. It just never felt good, even when I really liked the person. Logan was different. It was passionate, yet I felt friendship in it, which was the strangest sensation. I felt like I was kissing someone who I had known a lot longer than three months.
A loud knock on the window beside me made me jump and I groaned when I saw Cindy standing outside. “She might be the ultimate cock-blocker.” I opened my door.
“I saw how Meredith is going to die, and it’s bad.”
“Like, ‘we have to hunt down another demon’ bad, or ‘settle the will’ bad?”
“She’s not the only target. I saw the shadows converge on her and mummify her alive.” S
he held up her phone and showed me a picture, but the light of it agitated my eyes and I had to look away while they adjusted.
“Woah. You have eyes like a cat’s. They shine in the light.”
“It’s a tapetum lucidum. Did you get the date of her death?”
“No, but that’s not what’s important.”
Logan came to my side and checked out the picture. “It’s a mummified body.” He took the phone and changed some settings on it.
“The police found her body a few days ago. She was in perfect health that morning, according to her daughter. By four in the afternoon, she was this.”
Logan handed the phone to me and the light was much less abrasive. He had turned off the blue light. When my eyes adjusted, I was able to make out the picture of a woman on the floor. Judging by the tools hanging from the wall in the background and the concrete floor she was on, I figured she was in a garage, shed, or basement.
“Lilly was right. This looks like an insanely difficult way to kill someone with magic, though.”
“It would be. Someone really hated that woman.”
“Where is she? We can talk to her friends and family to find out how she’s connected to Meredith,” I said.
“Like if they had a common enemy,” Logan added.
“That might be a problem. She lived in Louisiana.”
“Yeah, that might. What would Meredith have to do with someone in Louisiana?”
“I don’t do well in warm, wet weather,” Logan said.
“I take that to mean you don’t want to go and check out the body.”
“You would be correct.”
I didn’t believe him. There had to be a different reason for him to avoid Louisiana. Considering his job and arrogance, I bet he had some enemies down there. “Then I’ll be back with answers, hopefully.” I opened the door to let the boys out. “Phobos, you’ll stay and help Logan guard Meredith.”
He grumbled.
“Did I just hear that you wanted a bath before I go?”
“How do you bathe a dog that weighs twice as much as you?” Cindy asked.
Because it was easier to show her than to explain, I went to the front of Logan’s SUV and picked up the front end. It wasn’t even a strain. Lifting up the entire car would have been a hassle only because it was so bulky. “Vampires are a lot stronger than we look.”