by J. C. Hart
"Shit, don't die on us!" Kelly declared, laughing. She drank deeply and tucked into her food.
Brandon drank as well, thumping his chest and swallowing hard.
"You okay?" Alyssa asked. "I promise I'm not trying to add 'kill you' to my list of crappy neighbour things."
"I'm fine, really. Could I use your bathroom though?"
"Sure, it's down the end of the hall, on the right". Alyssa waited until he was inside before rounding on Kelly. "I don't know what you think you're trying to do, but quit it. I don't need your help."
"Are you sure? Hon. You've been out of the game so long, I just wanted to make sure he knew you were into him. You're not making that very clear."
Alyssa shook her head, impatient. "I need to do this my way. I'm not you."
"What does that mean?" Kelly declared, finally sitting up straight and taking the conversation seriously.
"It means that I don't just throw myself at men and use my womanly charms to lure them into bed."
"Low blow, Lysie. Low blow." Kelly dumped her plate on the ground and knocked back the last of her drink.
"I'm sorry, Kelly. I didn't mean it like that!" Alyssa stood, crossing the distance between them and grabbing her friend by the arm. "You know I love you to bits, but I'm not as forward as you. Not as confident."
"Well maybe you should be. Maybe that lack of confidence is partly why things with you and Grant fell apart."
Alyssa froze, her mouth wide open. Kelly froze too, the shock on her face apparent. She reached for Alyssa but Alyssa took a step back. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back soon. You can tell Brandon... I don't know, tell him whatever the hell you want." And with that, she took off.
She'd barely made it to the end of the street when she heard footsteps pounding behind her.
"Hey, wait up," Brandon called. "Don't you know it's not very hostess-like to take off on a guest?"
"Oh shut up," Alyssa said. She couldn't find it in her apologise for snapping, didn't even know if she wanted to, so she just kept walking, even picked up her pace a little. But it didn't stop Brandon, his legs were longer and he matched her stride easily.
"I’m sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood. What's going on? Kelly said she'd upset you."
"Well, she did."
Brandon huffed out a little laugh. "Is this like, regular girl fighting, or something more?"
"Something more. I think. I'm not sure." She finally stopped walking and turned toward him. "I am sorry for walking off. I just needed to get some space. Things have been a little weird with Kelly and I don't know why. It's not your fault."
"But my presence is making things a little more tense?"
Alyssa sighed, knowing she would regret what she was about to say. "She seems desperate for me to hook up with you. I have no idea why, it's not like her."
Brandon paused a beat, assessing her before he spoke. "And what about you?"
"What do you mean? Am I desperate to hook up with you? No, I am not desperate, but I'm curious. You're easy on the eyes and I like your sense of humour."
"Okay then." He nodded slowly. "I can work with that. Do you want me to back off until she goes?"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Alyssa declared, throwing her hands up in the air. "Why the hell are you being so bloody rational? I think I take it back. I'm not interested—"
He cut her off with his lips. Kissed her deeply so that the words, the doubts, the protests all disappeared, replaced by a want, a need, for more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him and giving in to her desire. She didn't care what the neighbours thought. Didn't care that this was just what Kelly wanted, because it was what she wanted too. And clearly, what Brandon wanted. His lips were divine, his smell intoxicating. His hands roamed down, cupping her butt and drawing her further in. She could feel him, hard against her belly. Oh boy.
Alyssa extracted herself from the kiss, pushing him lightly away. "Wow." She exhaled the words. "You sure know how to stop an irrational woman."
"You're kind of cute when you're irate." He reached for her hand and brought her fingers to his lips. "Still need a walk, or do you think we could go back? I'm a little hungry." Lust flared in his eyes, and while she was half sure he wasn't talking about the food kind of hunger, her belly was feeling a little empty and maybe some sustenance would be good for her. At least it would put the brakes on with whatever was going on here for a bit.
"Yeah, I'm hungry too. Come on."
Brandon held her hand all the way back to the house.
Chapter Eight
Kelly was nowhere to be found when they got back, though her car was still there. Which was a good thing because she'd had way too much to drink.
"Do you want me to go and look for her?" Brandon asked, slipping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her in for a hug. God, it had been so long since she'd been hugged by a guy, aside from her rotten family members at Gran's funeral, which counted for nothing. Nothing at all.
Alyssa shook her head, enjoying his embrace for a moment longer. "No, she gets like this sometimes. She'll come back soon enough, and we'll apologise and get over it. We fight sometimes, and since I left the city things have been a bit odd. We just need time to figure out what our friendship is going to look like now."
"Yeah, I get it. Do you want me to wait with you?" He looked hopeful, though not expectant.
"I do, but, you can't. I need to sort this out and if you're here when she gets back it's going to be awkward. Sorry." Alyssa grimaced.
"Well, you know where to find me if you need me. Just, knock on the front door this time hey?" His lips curved into a grin and he gave her a soft kiss before picking up his plate. "I'm going to take this with me, but I promise I'll return it. Washed even."
Alyssa rolled her eyes and laughed. "Sure. That's totally fine."
Brandon gave her a little salute and headed back around to the front of the house, while Alyssa plopped herself back on her chair and sighed. "Well, I guess that wasn't a complete failure," she said. She kind of wished that Magnus was still here. He could be a pain in the ass, but he always had good advice.
She reached for her plate and picked at the food for a few minutes before giving up. Thinking of Kelly, wandering around the streets of the Bay made her feel ill, but she wasn't going to be the one to chase after her. Sure, she'd said something bitchy, but what Kelly said had been a million times worse. Kelly was the only one who knew how much it had hurt when Grant broke up with her. Alyssa did her best to frame it as a mutual agreement, but it wasn't. Even months on it still stung a little, and for her best friend to declare that it was Alyssa's fault?
Alyssa stood, picking up the dishes and dumping them on the kitchen bench before grabbing some hot water to scrub down the grill, using her anger and hurt to make it as clean as she could.
"Hey.”
Alyssa froze upon hearing Kelly's voice. She placed the scrubbing brush in the bucket of water and smoothed her hands down her jeans, trying to compose herself before she turned to face her best friend.
"Hi," she replied.
Kelly's face crumpled in three seconds flat. She shuffled toward Alyssa, reaching out hands which Alyssa grasped. "I'm so sorry. That was such a cruel thing to say. I don't know why I said it. I..."
Alyssa shrugged. "It's okay."
"It's not. I'm sorry." Tears were streaming down Kelly's face now.
"No, it's not, but I don't want you to feel bad." Alyssa started to cry too and she pulled Kelly close. "I forgive you. I don't know why things are weird now. I was a bad friend, and so this is my fault too. I'm sorry. We just need to figure out a way through this."
"Thank you," Kelly whispered into her hair. She sniffed loudly as she pulled away, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Now, you need to give me the gossip. What happened with Brandon?"
Alyssa snorted with laughter. "Some things never change huh? I guess this is the first chance we've ever had to do this, because I was with Grant when w
e met."
"Yup, so spill. Did he kiss you? Did he storm off? It is on, or off?" Kelly sat down and picked up her glass. Alyssa did the same, unable to stop herself from smiling. At least they had pushed past the issues for now.
"He came after me, and we talked a little. He did kiss me, and it was amazing. My word. It's been a long time since someone kissed me like that." Alyssa sighed in contentment. "He gave me some space when we came back so it wouldn't be weird when you got home."
"Hot and considerate. He sounds perfect. When's the wedding?"
"Kelly!"
"Oh come on, you know I'm joking. I'm happy for ya chook, it's about time you met a decent man."
"I hope he is. Not like I know a whole lot about him at this point."
"Plenty of time for that. First you need to get him in the sack so that you can tell if he's a keeper." Kelly grinned lasciviously.
"Might wait until you've left town for that to happen. I'd hate to keep you up all night." Alyssa poked her tongue out and Kelly dissolved into laughter.
Chapter Nine
Brandon pulled the door open and frowned at the small older lady standing on his doorstep. She wasn't quite the person he'd been hoping to see this morning.
"Can I help you?"
"Mr Cartwright, it's Mrs Nolan. From the Preservation Society."
Ah, fuck. He'd been putting off going down to the office, but apparently he couldn't any longer. "I thought I left a message saying that we could catch up on Friday?"
She pursed her lips. "This cannot wait. We didn't contract you so that you could come down here for a holiday, you have a job to do." She eyed up him and gave a little shake of her head, as if he didn't quite measure up to her standard. "Well, are you going to invite me in?"
He stepped aside and she stomped past him, waiting as he closed the door before leading the way into the lounge. It was strange enough being in his grandmother’s house without this woman here. But if it hadn't been for the promises she'd made, he never would have come at all. Mrs Nolan was the gatekeeper.
"I hope you've made yourself at ease in this place, though it still reeks of Angela."
"I get that she wasn't that wonderful, but she lived here for most of her life and you never drove her out of town, so you're partially to blame. Besides, if you want me to work for you then I don't want to hear another mention of her name." He was conflicted enough without hearing the shit this woman thought she knew.
Angela had been reduced to a blubbering moron and was now living in a home in the city. Not that it bothered Brandon much. She'd been more drawn to the dark side than most of his family, and it was probably safer for everyone this way. He didn't know precisely what had happened, but when Mrs Nolan had contacted him, she seemed to dangle that information over his head.
"Fine. Let's get down to business." Mrs Nolan clasped her hands together and placed them in her lap. "As you may know, the Bay is not your ordinary town. We require certain safeguards, and at present, those needs are not being met. I understand that you have a particular skill set which can help us to bring the security of the Bay back up to scratch."
"You mean I'm a necromancer?" He quirked an eyebrow, and got a kick out of seeing her squirm. He felt no shame for what he was, but he needed his clients to understand what that really meant.
"Yes." The single word was clipped out.
"So who is it you want brought back from the dead?" He shrugged, as if it were no big thing. That wasn't entirely the truth, because every time he raised the dead it cost him. He'd burnt himself out on it in his younger days, though those were just short jobs and he had a feeling that this woman wanted something a little more long term.
"I don't necessarily need someone brought back. If you can convince someone to take on the role her bloodline has performed for the lifespan of the town, your other, darker, services won't be required." Mrs Nolan peered over her glasses. "I've heard that would be not only in our best interests, but in your own."
Brandon shrugged again, though his shoulders tensed. Somehow, this woman had more information on him that she’d let on originally. He had to wonder what else she knew. "And this someone?"
"A young woman who is fairly new to the Bay," Mrs Nolan said, giving a little nod.
Brandon shook his head, of all the fucking luck. "You're talking about the girl down the street, right? Alyssa?"
"You two are acquainted?" It was Mrs Nolan's turn to be taken aback. "I thought you didn't know anyone from the Bay. I need you on form, Mr Cartwright. This is serious business, and if things don't revert back to the way they were, we're all in danger. All of us." She gave him a pointed look. He wasn't from the Bay but he still had skin in this game; Michael’s life.
"We met the other night, when she thought someone was trying to break into the house. That's all." He hoped she believed him, but her eyes were pools of mistrust. "She seems like a nice girl though, concerned for the welfare of the neighbourhood. I'm not sure why you need the likes of me to convince her to do as you've asked. What, specifically, have you asked her to do?"
"Her Grandmother was a powerful witch, and it is the duty of the women of their line to help protect the boundaries of the Bay. Alyssa doesn't feel like this is her calling."
Brandon leaned back on the couch and scrubbed his hand against the stubble on his chin. This wasn't good. Not good at all. It was one thing to convince someone to use their talents when they were already accustomed to them, another thing entirely to railroad someone into using magic when they weren't comfortable with it. He'd got a nice zing from being around Alyssa, could feel that there was magic in her, but it wasn't overt like in most of the magical people he knew.
"So, basically, you either want me to convince her to do what you want, or pull her Grandmother from death to signal boost your boundary?"
"Exactly."
"No deal." He shook his head and stood, towering over the woman. "You can leave now. I'll head out of town in the morning." Not that he really wanted to. He was just getting warmed up with Alyssa, but it was better to skip out now than stick around and force her to do something she didn't want to.
"No, you won't. We made a deal, Mr Cartwright." She stood too, and even though she was almost two feet shorter, her presence filled the room. "And you will fulfil the terms of our agreement."
"The agreement was that I come to the Bay and bring someone back, and in return, I'd be able to collect all of Angela's belongings, some of which you know have incredible value to our family. And this cure-all you said you had."
"Oh, come now, if you'd really wanted them, you'd have found a way into the Bay whether I wanted you here or not." Her voice dripped with mockery. "After all, our boundary is weakened."
Brandon clenched his jaw, barely managing to contain himself from having an outburst at the woman. "You can't make me do this to Alyssa."
"I can, and I will. This Bay and all those who live within it are more important than the wants of one young woman who doesn't know any better. And she doesn't."
"Have you even given her a chance? Or have you just made unwarranted demands on her?"
"I don't have time for this. Busy woman and all. You will complete your task, and you will not leave the Bay until you do so." With that she headed for the door. "Lovely chatting with you." She closed the door behind herself, leaving him to seethe.
"Argh!" He released the groan through gritted teeth. That woman was infuriating. It was no wonder Alyssa was denying her what she wanted. Brandon was certainly going to.
He headed for the bedroom and shoved his things back in his bag. He'd only been able to find some of the artefacts, which he’d stashed securely in a padlocked briefcase in the boot of the car. He hadn't got what he'd really come for, but he'd just have to find another way.
If he wasn't certain that Mrs Nolan would try something, he'd stop in to see Alyssa, but the least he could do was scribble a note and drop it in her letterbox on the way out of town. If she wanted to get in touch, she could always ca
ll him.
Satisfied that he had everything he could reasonably get that might help, he grabbed his keys and headed out.
Chapter Ten
The pounding on the door was relentless, forcing Alyssa to drag her sorry ass out of bed and down the stairs. "I'm coming!" she called out. "For the love of all things holy, will you stop making that noise?" She swung the door open, rubbing her eyes before squinting in the bright morning light to see Sam standing on the doorstep.
"You know I don't lock the door, why didn't you just come in?" Alyssa covered a yawn and nodded toward the kitchen. "Shut the door, would you? There's a kitten around here somewhere."
"Where the hell have you been?" Samantha demanded. "I've been calling your cell non-stop and I saw your car at the beach."
"Yeah, left it there and walked home. I guess I must have left my phone in it." The lie fell flat, she could tell by Sam's expression. "Okay, fine. I just wanted to clock out for a bit. I know you have something important to tell me, but I just... Well, I didn't want to know." Alyssa put the jug on and slammed two bits of bread into the toaster. Socks entered the kitchen, heralded by the tiny bell on his collar. She reached down to pat him, purposefully avoiding Sam's gaze for a minute.
"You've been doing a lot of that since you got here, and it's time that stopped." Sam placed a hand on one hip, lips pressed firmly together.
"Wow, I guess you went to see Mrs Nolan huh?"
"Yes, I did." Sam shook her head, but then her features softened. "Where's your friend. Kelly, wasn't it?"
"Still sleeping probably. Nothing wakes her until she's well and ready."
"Okay. Good." Sam nodded, then took a deep breath. "You make coffee, I'll talk."
"Sounds good to me." It didn't, not really. She'd just rather not know, but apparently she could no longer run or hide from whatever was so freaking important.
"You know Constance was a witch."
"Yup," Alyssa said, pretending it was no big deal. It wasn't, not really, but she didn't like the fact Sam had gone there directly. She poured water into the mugs, the tang of coffee hitting her nostrils and slightly lifting the headache she could feel coming on.