Misfortune Cookie

by Casey Wyatt

  “But why? Who is he really?” I had my theories.

  “I can tell you this. He isn’t really a ghost. Not in the true sense of the word. If he was, you would be able to touch him.” What remained unsaid by Luca was that he couldn’t banish Julian through a portal either.

  Good point. My power didn’t sense him the same way as other spirits. “So what is he? An avatar?”

  “A what?” Luca reached over for me, tucking me into his arms. His lips brushed the top of my hair.

  “You know, like in a video game. You choose a character that represents you. It’s kind of like you create the person you’d like everyone else to see on the outside. A projection.”

  “Perhaps.” He trailed his tongue down my throat.

  I could tell by the furrow in his brow he had no idea what I was talking about. And by the hard length of his erection, he could care less at the moment. His lips landed between my breasts, then he shifted his attention to my right nipple. With a gentle tug of his warm mouth and tongue, he had my undivided attention.

  Later. Okay, much, much later, we finally had to return to the real world. It pained me to leave my animals, but I knew I’d see them again. I was lucky to have time and access that most mortals would have killed for. Eventually, I’d discover how to travel to the Hereafter alone so I could find Hunter and Artemis, my so-called parents. I had questions. Lots of questions. I know I could ask Luca, but this was too personal for me to share yet.

  Mr. Meadows greeted us like we hadn’t been away for close to two weeks. Then again, time moved differently on the other side and he was used to our constant comings and goings. He steered us to the dining room. After a filling lunch, I kissed Luca and excused myself.

  A strange urgency nagged at me. I let my instincts guide me and, no surprise, I found myself standing outside familiar double doors. The library.

  Waiting inside was a stoic and silent Julian. I wanted to ask him if he’d been sitting at the desk the entire time I’d been gone, but thought better of it. A new kind of worried vibe poured off him. Not sadness like before, but concern too.

  Again the photo was flat on the desk, making me wonder if he had help or some psychic power I didn’t know about. I came around and stood next to him. I could have looked through his translucent figure, but that would have been so rude.

  His finger rested on a beautiful woman in the center. She was flanked by several handsome and somewhat stern-faced men. They all wore hats and clothes from the early twentieth century. Behind them stood a majestic seaside resort perched on a steep, jagged cliff.

  I leaned closer and squinted. One of the men looked suspiciously familiar. Before I could comment, Julian spoke.

  “You have to go back.” He pointed to hotel in the photo. “The building still stands. I thought we had put the danger behind us. I should have made the connection after the draugr attacked you.”

  “Wait. What danger? And what am I supposed to do there?”

  Julian appeared lost in his own thoughts, his gaze distant, expression guarded. “How did they find out?” He mumbled a string of words in what I guessed was Welsh. It sounded similar to Luca when he was deep in thought and reverted to his native tongue.

  I admit it. A lick of fear danced up my spine. When a spirit looks haunted, it was hard not to be concerned. “Julian, I don’t understand. You lost me.”

  “Look. One by one, they are disappearing. Being erased. You must stop them.”

  Damn. He was right. The photo originally had more people. Two on the end, a young couple, were gone.

  “Go to their time and prevent this from happening.” Julian turned to face me as if seeing me for the first time. The stern expression, downturned mouth, and intense gaze reminded me of Sebastian when he was about to tell me how disappointed he was in me.

  “How? And where do I have to go to? This photo is over a hundred years old. At least.”

  He gave me a long, hard stare. “There are many things you still need to learn.”

  I parked my ass in the nearest chair at the implication. This was too much. Time travel?

  “You must save them.”

  No, please don’t say it, I thought, mind racing.

  “Otherwise Sebastian, Selene, Grace, and you will cease to exist.” He returned to staring at the photograph. A small gasp escaped his lips. “Hell and damnation, this can’t wait.”

  I jumped out of the chair and searched the photo for any signs of change. “What’s wrong?”

  He closed his eyes and his lips moved silently. A thousand volts of power spun around the room and danced across my skin. Julian solidified and a warm yellow light encased his body. He turned and firmly grasped me by the shoulders.

  I reached toward his chest and hit a solid mass. The fabric of his shirt was smooth under my fingers. The heat from his body warm under my palm. “Julian? Oh my God. I can feel you. How?”

  He shook his head, sadness pooled in his gray eyes. “I’m sorry to do this to you. There is no more time. You have to stop them and this is the only way. Oh, and when you meet me, I won’t know who you are so don’t try and explain or you could make matters worse.” His lips moved again and a portal opened near me.

  Oh. No. He was going to –

  “Don’t you dare!” I jerked backward, but he held me fast.

  He shoved me toward the swirling vortex inside. “I’m sorry! I’ll send Luca—”

  I didn’t hear the rest. A concussive force slammed into me and I spiraled head over heels. Colors and sounds a jumble, I lost all sense of equilibrium, spinning round and round. Without warning, I stopped and slammed into the ground with violent force. Darkness covered my vision. Before I lost consciousness, I swore I heard the ocean.

  Hours later, I awoke. Weak sunlight warmed my skin and sandy grit lined the side of my face. Seagulls screeched overhead, while the surf pounded and salty spray coated my clothing like a thick wet blanket. Yup, I was near an ocean. I wasn’t sure which one.

  I brushed the sand off my hands and face as I stood. What the hell was he thinking when teleported me to a beach God knows where? I pulled my phone out of my pocket. No signal. Figures.

  I spun around, trying to get my bearings when I saw the same high cliffs in the old photograph. A majestic hotel with a brilliant red roof and gleaming white walls. In the distance, people strolled alongside the stone sea wall separating them from the sharp drop below.

  Time to get off the beach and find out where I was. I headed for the only exit——a steep wooden staircase built into the side of the cliff. After climbing for what seemed like an hour, I reached the top. Hot and sweaty, I paused to take in my surroundings. Julian had said the hotel remained in business. Maybe they had a phone I could use.

  Two ladies in white-brimmed hats decorated with feathery plumes and ornate flowers strode by arm in arm sharing a delicate parasol. Deep in conversation, they didn’t notice me gaping at their fitted dresses, trimmed in lace and satiny flounces.

  I ducked out of view, palm pressed against my thundering heart. I knew exactly where I was.

  In the freakin’ past.

  Alone.

  “Julian, you son of a bitch.”

  There’s never a dark closet around when you need one.

  Also from Soul Mate Publishing and Casey Wyatt:

  MYSTIC INK

  Welcome to Mystic, Connecticut, where a Satyr owns the local pawn shop, a Minotaur serves the tastiest pizza in town, and the nearest gate to the Underworld resides in the alley outside a tattoo parlor.

  Nix–Sea Nymph, talented artist and proprietor of Mystic Ink–just wants to run her tattoo shop in peace and quiet. Peace and quiet, however, are the least of her problems. Mortal corpses keep springing up in her alley like daisies. Hades is angry that the mortals’ souls are missing. And to top it al
l off, the human authorities suspect Nix of foul play.

  Before long, the supernatural police force takes an interest. They dispatch Agent Calder Quinne to investigate. His assignment is simple: determine Nix’s guilt or innocence by observing her daily routine. Instead, he’s faced with an uncooperative Nymph who resents his presence and evades him at every opportunity.

  Nix finds Cal far too attractive and a challenge to her self-imposed ban on relationships. She wants him out of her life as soon as possible. When Cal’s soul is stolen next and Nix wakes up missing memories of the evening’s events, even she starts to wonder if she’s guilty. Now, she has only two weeks to locate Cal’s missing soul, or he’ll be doomed to spend eternity as a Shade.

  Now available at Amazon.com:

  http://tinyurl.com/qzvk7uo

  MYSTIC STORM

  The Fates haven’t been kind to Zephyr, God of the West Wind. After interfering in a Hero’s Journey, they’ve cursed him. Yeah, he probably deserved it. But come on, does he really have to spend his daylight hours trapped in a woman’s body? And did they have to take away his power over the West Wind, too?

  As if his life isn’t complicated enough, a Muse – a supernatural tabloid journalist – appears on his doorstep. So what if she’s irresistible, whip smart and probably the only female on the planet who doesn’t find him charming, he has dangerous secrets that he’ll do anything to protect.

  Kalliope is a Muse on a mission: Find her wayward brother, Niko, and bring him home. By leaving her island sanctuary, she’s broken the “rules”, but she’ll risk banishment to save him from yet another ill-fated scheme. She’ll even accept help from Zephyr, the immortal world’s most undeniably gorgeous and notorious rake.

  Now available at Amazon.com:

  http://tinyurl.com/m25nruf