by Renee George
“I can see that,” I said breathlessly.
“Can I kiss you, Charlotte?”
“Yes.”
His soft lips pressed mine. It was a slow burn, our mouths moving against each other’s. Jared was careful to keep contact to the kiss, but I broke my own rule by sliding my arm over his waist as I rolled my body in his direction. He cupped my neck and deepened the kiss. His tongue touched my lower lip, and I opened for him.
Jared scooted closer, his legs tangling with mine as his hands explored my back. He pulled me to him, my breasts mashing against his wide chest, and groaned as I slung a leg over his hip and pressed against his erection.
“Oh, my,” I said as I got an up close and personal tour of Jared generous proportions.
“You all right?” he asked, smoothing the hair away from my face.
“Yes. Maybe.”
“This is fine for me, Charlotte. If we do nothing else, I would feel like a blessed man.”
“Take your shirt off,” I said. “I want to feel your skin on mine.”
Jared stripped the gray tee over his head. The amulet slid around, but Jared didn’t seem to notice. I took a deep breath to steady myself, and then I removed my shirt. Well, his shirt. His lips parted slightly as he admired my naked breasts.
Hubba, Hubba, someone said. I didn't feel Kobal in my head, so I knew it wasn't him. I looked at Jared. His lips hadn’t moved. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
I shook my head. “Never mind. My mind’s playing tricks on my obviously.”
“Come here,” Jared said. He wrapped me in his arms, and the feel of the soft fur of his chest against my nipples brought them to attention. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I’m completely taken with you, Charlotte Madder.”
A happy noise struggled from my throat as tears wet my lashes. “And I you.”
I put my arms around him, my elbow brushing the amulet. “Ow!” I snapped my arm back accidentally hitting Jared in the jaw in my rush. I covered my mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
“What happened?”
“That dang charm of yours shocked me again.”
Jared threw it behind him so that it dangled down his back. “We’ll just keep it out of the way then.” He kissed me again until we were both moaning. He nudged my knees apart and rolled on top of me. His lips moved from mine to my neck to my collar bones…splotches of color rose in my vision as he took one of my nipples into his mouth teasing and sucking until I raised my hips against him. He came back to my lips, his lower body moved against mine in a rhythm that made me weep his name. I felt building pressure in my groin that threatening to explode as sensations I’d never experienced cascaded through me.
“Oh, Jared. Oh!” My hips jerked against him, as pleasure tore from my sex to the tip of my head then back down my spine and curled my toes. The ecstasy shattered me from the inside out.
Jared kissed my cheek and wiped a tear that had dripped down my cheek. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to be even more beautiful.” He placed a light kiss on my lips. “But I was wrong.”
Ha, ha, ha. Now that’s what I’m talking about!
I sat up. “Did you hear that?”
“I don’t hear anything.” His expression had turned to concern. “What does it sound like?”
“I swear I hear someone talking. And it isn’t you or I?” I yanked the covers over my chest.
“There’s no one here, honey.”
That’s what he thinks, the voice said. The sound was coming from behind Jared. I peered closer and could make out a shimmer.
“Show yourself,” I said. I’d spent almost fifteen decades as a ghost. I know what’s possible and what isn’t, and if this guy was able to talk to me, he could damn well appear.
“Who’s here?” Jared asked. He was sitting up now and looking around the room.
An old man with short silver-gray hair and a handlebar mustache apparated next to Jared’s side of the bed. Aloysius the Magnificent at your service, Madam, the ghost said. It’s so nice to finally have someone to—
I held up a finger. “Uh-uh. I am not that someone. How dare you comment on our intimacies. And how dare you watch in the first place.”
The spirit looked downright offended. It’s not like I have a lot of choices. Where Jared goes, I go. We are a packaged deal.
“You tricked him into a binding,” I said.
He accepted my little charm willingly, the ghost protested.
“Because he didn’t know what he was getting himself into with it. You are an evil man.”
“Christ, honey. Who are you talking to? Is it Kobal? Is he back again?”
“No.” I shot a nasty glare at the ghost and then turned back to Jared. “Your magician friend, Aloysius, is here. And apparently, he’s been watching you since he died.” I couldn’t bring myself to say that he’d just watched us love up on each other, but Jared’s widening eyes told me he got the picture.
“Does he know how to break whatever hoodoo he put on this charm to free me?”
Like I would tell him. Aloysius scoffed. I’m not going anywhere. Ever.
I reached out and grabbed the ghost and smiled at the surprise on his face when my fingers found purchase. “I’ll break that amulet right over your head if you don’t tell me what unnatural force of nature you used to hide from your demon lord.”
Aloysius goggled at me then disappeared, leaving me holding thin air.
“What’s he saying?” Jared asked.
I grimaced at Jared. “Your friend has pulled a disappearing trick.”
He shook his head and sighed. “He was always good with the hocus-pocus.”
Chapter 8
You are not getting rid of me, minion. I would rather spend ten lifetimes attached to a mortal twit than spend one day in Hell with Kobal.
“Are you sure you can’t see him?” I asked Olivia. I pointed to the corner of Jared’s living room by a lamp stand. “He’s right there.”
“Nothing,” she said. “But honestly, when I was a minion, the only ghosts I saw where you and the twins.” Olivia had asked Elise to go home and watch Johnny. Ennis went with her, but Frank and Ray had stayed. Ray, because of his expertise in ancient artifacts, and Frank, because there was no way he was leaving Ray’s side.
Jared wore the amulet outside his shirt, wanting it to touch as little of his skin as possible. “I don’t see him either, and the damn fool is attached to me.” He yanked on the chain again to no avail.
It’s because I don’t want him to see, the ghost said. I’ve given him the greatest gift. Myself. And this is how he thanks me. By wanting to get rid of me. Ungrateful. He wouldn’t be nearly so talented a magician if I hadn’t taken him under my wing.
“At least he didn’t have to sell his soul to be talented, you fraud,” I said. Jared rubbed my back, and I leaned into his side. “I’m sorry. That man raises my hackles.”
Eliza showed up early in the afternoon with my suitcase of clothes from the hotel. I liked wearing Jared's clothes, because it felt like I wore him around me, but I was glad to get into a skirt and blouse. “I don’t see any ghosts either. Maybe it’s because the guy belongs to you-know-who. I mean, it would make sense. Your demon boss is the demon he bargained with, so…” she spread her hands.
As if summoned, Kobal spoke inside me. Where is he, Charlotte? I know you’ve found him. I felt him near you last night in this hovel, and I feel him near you know.
He forced my head to turn as he looked around the room. I was getting tired of being his personal puppet.
Olivia crossed the room to me. She grasped my arms to get my attention. “What’s wrong, Char?”
“He’s here,” I said. “He’s in my head.”
David withdrew a small burlap sack tied with silver thread. He grabbed my hand and pressed it into my palm.
I screamed as Kobal’s presence was forcefully ejected from my mind. Thankfully the pain was short-lived. Then I yelped as he appeared
next to me. “That was unpleasant, Charlotte.” He dusted off his vermillion tuxedo jacket. An unnecessary move because the jacket was immaculately clean and pressed. He rubbed the tip of his shoes, one at a time, against the back of his slacks. He tipped his top hat to Olivia. “You must be the famous Madder sister.” He smiled a mock-ish grin. “Whispers of your exploits have reached the recesses of hell."
David stepped forward to shield Liv from Kobal’s attention.
The demon lord waved him off. “No need, Anunnaki.”
Anunnaki meant child of the Nephilim. David was a descendant of Afriel, the angel of youth. He’d fallen to earth thousands of years ago and had become Nephilim, angels who had taken on the task to watch over humans and make sure that the angels who had fallen to Hell never broke the angel accords—a bargain struck between Heaven and Hell. It restricted the angels from interfering with a human’s free will and kept demons from going on killing sprees to get the souls they wanted.
Kobal turned his attention back to Liv. “No one misses Moloch. Kudos to you for making Hell great again.” He rubbed his hands together. “Now, where’s my soul?”
“He’s gone,” I said. “He disappeared as soon as you arrived.”
“Now, look, Charlotte. I know that I made Aloysius a great magician, but he’s not a real mage.” He looked over at Jared as if only just noticing him. “Not like your young man here.” He lowered his brows as his gaze grew more piercing. He tapped his chin. “You’ve just become infinitely more interesting, Jared Samuel Jackson.”
“Trust me, he’s as boring as day-old bread.” I didn’t want Jared to be interesting to Kobal.
“Thanks,” said Jared drolly. He turned to Kobal. “What do you mean by a real mage?” Jared asked.
“He’s baiting you, Jared,” I told him.
“That’s just hurtful, Charlotte. I never have, nor would I ever misrepresent myself to anyone.” The demon lord managed to look as if I’d crushed his spirit. “I’m just pointing out the obvious. You’ve managed to attract a mage to you. Do you have any idea how rare a gift that is in this day in age? Mages, after all, are a dying species.”
“Species?” Jared tucked his chin. “As in something other than human?”
Kobal gave him a beatific smile. “Precisely, my dear lad. You are special. No wonder my dear Charlotte is so taken with you.” He cast a sly glance at me. “And so protective. I don’t blame her, really. If I’d managed to get a mage to fall in love with me, I wouldn’t let anyone else near him, either. I would inexplicably give new meaning to the word covet because you would be mine, all mine.” His gaze took on even more meaning. “Just like Charlotte is mine, all mine.”
I swallowed the hot lump in my throat as the misery of Kobal’s words settled into my gut. “He is not in love with me.”
“Actually, I am.”
“Hold your tongue, Jared Jackson.”
“Charlotte.” He stretched his hand toward me.
It took every bit of my willpower, but I stepped out of his reach. “You’ve known me less than a day. Real love doesn’t happen like that.” My words sounded desperate because they were. If Jared loved me…if I loved him, then he was mine. And what’s mine was also Kobal’s.
“Now, Charlotte,” Kobal said. “We can discuss all the benefits of having a mage in your life later. For now, my only concern is that scoundrel Aloysius and where he’s been hiding.”
Jared, looking mighty angry, held out the Goetic seal, and said, “He’s right here in this damn ornament. If you can take it off my neck, you can have him.”
Kobal leaned forward for a closer look. “This is a predicament. For someone not very bright, Aloysius found a clever way to escape me. He’s bonded his soul to yours, young mage. He’s done it in such a way that I can’t take him unless I take you too.” He smiled roguishly. “I look forward to the challenge.”
Before I could protest, Kobal tipped his hat to me and poofed out of the room. I turned on Jared, tears hot in my eyes. “How could you be so stupid?”
“Uhm,” Olivia said. “This sounds like a private conversation for just the two of you. David, Eliza, and I will head into town for dinner. Call me when you’re done.”
Eliza smirked. “Coward.”
Liv grabbed her arm and hauled her toward the door. “Damn right.” David shut the door behind them. After they left, I put the entirety of my attention onto Jared. “How could you tell him about the key?”
“Because I want Aloysius out of my life for good.” He grimaced. “And I was mad at you.”
“Well, I hope you’re not planning to do something self-destructive every time you’re mad at me because that could make for a very short life. As it is, I’m going to have to figure out just how bad a mess we’re in now that Kobal knows you are tied to that old asshole.” I cringed as the word left my mouth. I rarely cursed, not like Olivia, but on special occasions, stronger words were called for, and this was as special as the occasion got.
“Who you calling an old asshole?” Aloysius said.
“I’m going to kill you,” Jared said, leaping toward the ghost. Spirits are slippery, and Aloysius was in another spot four feet away before Jared could get near him.
“You can’t kill someone who’s already dead,” Aloysius said.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t have all kinds of fun trying,” Jared growled.
I narrowed my gaze at Jared. “You can see him now?”
“Yes, he can.” The magician straightened his collar. “Because I am allowing it.”
“Why did you do this to me?” asked Jared.
“Boy, you are as dense as the day is long. I knew what you were two seconds after meeting you.”
“That's nonsense about me being a mage? That’s crap. Everything I do is pure sleight of hand. Illusion.”
Aloysius snorted. “Keep telling yourself that. You don’t get to be as talented as you are, and not have some of it be real. It’s the kind of magic I always wanted, but even with a demon’s deal couldn’t achieve.”
“But why tie yourself to my soul?”
“Because you’re a sorcerer, you ninny. Which was the only way the key would work. And, let’s not forget, you agreed to take the amulet.”
“I didn’t know you were in it.”
“Semantics. You took the Key of Solomon. Freely, I might add, and without reservation.”
“I want you gone,” Jared said.
“And people in Hell want snow cones.” The ghost’s face took on an almost evil appearance as his mouth curled into a vicious smile. “You’re stuck with me, Gandalf, so unless you want to sell your own soul to Kobal, you better get used to me.” He snapped his fingers and blinked out.
“Oh, Jared.” I sighed. “Why’d you have to tell Kobal you loved me?”
He grabbed me up roughly and pulled me into his arms. He kissed me in a way that made my toes and every other part of me bounce with joy and lust. When he finished, he held me back at arm’s length and stared me straight in the eyes. “I told him I loved you because it’s the truth. I love you, Charlotte Madder.”
Chapter 9
We met Eliza, Olivia, David, Ray, and Frank at The Castaway Pub and Grill for an early supper. I tabled the love conversation between Jared and I. It was ridiculous to think he could possibly love me enough to put his soul in jeopardy. And while a silly part of me hoped it was true, the practical part of me prayed it was a flight of fancy. A young man’s sexual desire turning his brain to mush. I know my brain felt a little squishy around him.
We sat quietly out on the restaurant’s deck, overlooking the Table Rock Lake, until after the waitress took our orders and brought us our drinks. The Branson area was part of the Missouri Bible belt, and I didn’t want any of the fine folk in the diner having palpitations over our discourse.
Ray started the conversation. “I found some interesting texts related to the Keys of Solomon. I believe that it takes the magic of a necromancer to capture a soul the way the artifact you’re we
aring has done.”
Eliza pressed her hand to her chest. “Necromancer? You mean, like the someone who raises the dead?”
“It’s a loose interpretation,” Liv said. “In Biblical terms, necromancer, magician, diviner, sorcerer, and other such names have all been used to describe those who do unearthly magic.”
“That’s usually true,” Ray said, “but in this case, I think the texts refer to an actual necromancer.”
“Aloysius is a lot of things, but I he could barely raise himself out of bed most days. I doubt if he could raise the dead.”
“I agree,” Ray said. He stared meaningfully at Jared. “I believe you are what the ancients called an Ashshaph.”
Eliza snorted some of her soda out her nose. “An asshat?”
Frank handed her a napkin. “Pull yourself together, girl.”
Eliza blew her nose. I cringed. “Sorry, Ray. Carry on,” she said.
He smiled. Ray had a sweet spot for Eliza. What my sister lacked in decorum, she made up for in wit and bravery. Other than tight spaces, I’d never seen my sister afraid of anything, least of all, what people might think of her. I wish I had been born with a tenth of her lack of shame.
“I’m not an ashy-whatever or a necromancer or a mage. Believe, me, I’ve loved magic for over half my life. If I could perform real tricks, I would have.”
“I believe that your bloodline has to have a catalyst to activate your abilities.”
Jared shook his head and sipped his tea as he considered Ray’s words. “Nope. I’m sorry. If you are saying that my magic put Al in the medal around my neck, then it’s already been activated. So why haven’t I performed any other magical feats?”
“I believe Aloysius harnessed your magic with his knowledge of how the keys work.”
“How?” Jared asked. I watched him absently touch the amulet.