by E A Price
“They’re just glasses, not a seven-foot boyfriend called Lars.”
Sydney relaxed a little and shuffled slightly closer. “Would you find that off-putting?”
“Depends on whether you’d be willing to dump him for me.”
“He’d be toast,” she murmured playfully.
Kurt laid his arm on the back of the couch and twirled one of her unruly locks between his fingers. “You don’t really like it here, do you?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“And you don’t like mojitos, do you?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“So, why’d you say you did?”
She looked up at him through her lashes. “Because… I like you, and I don’t usually like men. I mean, I like men, but I’m not usually interested in anyone… what are you doing?”
Kurt carefully pulled her glasses off.
“You’re not going to do the hokey thing where you take off my glasses and tell me I’m beautiful, are you? I hate that when it happens on TV shows.”
“Definitely not.” Kurt smiled a strange smile as he felt predatory excitement course through him. She looked so sweet and innocent, and that gave him a perverse thrill. He wanted to debauch her all night long. “You’re always beautiful. I was just taking them off to do this.”
He pressed his mouth to hers and her lips parted as she squeaked in surprise.
*
Avery watched with a wildly beating heart as Wolfman pummeled the robbers.
“My hero,” she murmured and rubbed her lip with her forefinger. Her inner lioness rumbled with appreciation as they watched his tall, lithe form move with effortless ease.
They were words that would have sounded soppy from any other woman, and they were words that Avery certainly never thought she’d say, but this was only a dream, and she could be as soppy as she liked.
Wolfman turned to her, cape billowing around him and a small smile touching his masculine lips. “My love,” he cooed.
Avery bounded to him, her lioness roaring in glee. Except… Wolfman ignored her. Where he’d usually pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless, he walked right past her.
“My love,” he repeated, pulling a buxom brunette into his arms.
Her lioness growled. “What the hell?” she snarled.
Wolfman pulled away from the smug looking woman, and red slutty lipstick smeared his lips. “I’m sorry, Avery, but I don’t want you. I want Kelly.”
“No,” Avery whispered.
She was a strong, tough lioness, but he’d done to her the one thing that she feared most, that stopped her from getting too close to anyone – he rejected her.
They started kissing again, and Avery felt nauseous. Her stomach roiled as hot, burning fury rose in her. It was just a dream, yet her heart seemed to be breaking, and she had the urge to tear Wolfman and Kelly to pieces. The growl started deep in her stomach before it erupted out of her mouth.
Now if only she could get her shoulder to stop shaking…
“Hey, kitty-cat, wake up. C’mon Avery.”
A familiar voice cut through her grief, and she awoke to find Wayne – her temporary roommate – shaking her shoulders. She blinked, staring at her apartment. It was just a dream; it meant nothing. Yet it felt so real – too real, in fact. So much so that her lion was edgy and urging her to shift in case danger lurked.
“What’s happening?” she mumbled, trying to sit up.
Wayne looked at her in concern. “You were napping on the couch, and then you started growling. Thought I better wake you up. Bad dream?”
“No… yes… I… Who’s that?” Avery peered around him to see a bored young woman leaning against the kitchen counter and drinking one of Avery’s beers.
“New girlfriend,” smirked Wayne, “Kelly.”
“Kelly?” snarled Avery. “Kelly?! You’re dead, Kelly!” The lioness tore out of her skin before reason could prevail.
*
Kurt walked Sydney to her door - a true gentleman. She was in two minds about whether that was a good thing. They’d spent all evening kissing and talking, and she’d forgotten where they were and just enjoyed herself.
His soft kisses pleasured her but also made her itchy, because they hinted at something else she was missing. She wanted more from him but wasn’t altogether sure about how to ask for it. Her one and only sexual experience had been awkward, brief and incredibly unsexy. How could she dive into something she had no idea about?
Kurt smiled as they reached her door and he pulled her in for another kiss.
Then again, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard. She’d certainly dived into kissing, and that was pretty sweet. Her only other kiss involved her one and only ex virtually licking her face. It was… awful. But kissing Kurt felt natural and easy. She’d never been happier or more comfortable than she was when she was in Kurt’s arms.
He pulled away and smirked as she moaned at the loss of his touch.
“See you tomorrow?” he murmured.
“Uh-huh.” Words were hard at that moment.
“Maybe we can go out again after work.”
She didn’t like the sound of that maybe.
“We’ll get something to eat and ah, chat some more.”
That sounded more like it. His eyes flashed, and she suspected that was an innuendo. She assumed chat was code for make out. Ooh, a guy was making innuendo with her! Rather than just asking her whether her hot friend, Tara was available.
“I better go,” he said reluctantly.
Sydney bit her lip. Not wanting the evening to end, she said, “You could come in for coffee.”
Kurt’s lips quirked. “You have coffee?”
“No,” she admitted, remembering earlier that she’d told him she never drank it. Curse her honesty!
“You ready for me to come in for… coffee?” he asked softly.
Sydney looked down. Kind of, but she could count the amount of times she’d had sex on one finger, so maybe she ought to think about it first.
“No rush,” he murmured and kissed her earlobe. A place never kissed before. She wondered where else he might kiss her that she’d never been kissed.
I’ll see you tomorrow, Sydney Weathers.”
“Yes, Kurt… ah… Kurt.” What the heck was his last name?
He kissed the tip of her nose and with a wrench took two steps back. He hesitated a moment before shaking his head and walking away.
Sydney leaned against the door for a few moments, willing her heartbeat to return to normal. It wasn’t her favorite genre, but on her mother’s recommendation, she’d read a few romances but had never known what it really meant to feel breathless. Now she did.
Logic told her that she was rushing and should slow down, but everything just felt so… so right.
Sydney unlocked her apartment – making sure she used the right key this time – and switched off her alarm.
If she was virtually walking on air as she made her way to the bedroom, the next thing that happened had her crashing to the ground.
“Hello, Sandy,” sneered a very unwelcome voice.
Sydney let out a yelp as Trina turned on the light and gave her a chilly smile.
“Oh my god,” panted Sydney, “that was so creepy. How did you get in here?”
Trina waved her fingers. “Magic. By the way, I drank one of your raspberry sodas; I left some change on the counter.”
“So you’re a thoughtful intruder?” said Sydney, still a little freaked out and wondering who would come running if she screamed. Probably no one. Her next-door neighbor, Allen was sweet but eighty-five and usually stoned out of his mind – in his defense, he had a lot of ailments and a prescription for marijuana.
“Umm hmm, by the way, do you have every flavor of soda in your fridge? There must have been about twelve different types.”
“Fourteen – peach, cherry, apple, orange, lemon, raspberry, mango, strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, mandarin, grape, cream, and guava. I like soda.”
“Fascinat
ing,” she sneered. “Have fun with my boyfriend?”
Sydney frowned. “I didn’t even know you were dating anyone…”
“I mean Kurt!” hissed Trina.
The frown deepened to the point where Sydney was convinced her forehead would be permanently furrowed. “Are you sure?” Would Kurt really have spent the evening kissing her if he was dating Trina?
“Of course I’m sure.”
“It’s just that…”
Trina stood up to her six-foot-two –including heels – glory and sauntered towards Sydney, who held her breath expectantly. “Kurt and I are destined to be together. Stay away from him.”
Trina sneered again and then left. Sydney made sure to lock the door and check the locks twice over.
“Really creepy,” she muttered to herself.
Disappointment lanced through her. She guessed it was too much to hope that a guy like Kurt would be single and interested in her. But as short as their acquaintance was, she didn’t honestly think he was the sort of guy to cheat on his girlfriend.
Maybe Trina was a loon – it would certainly explain the whole breaking and entering thing.
Sydney made her way to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror, wincing at her enormous glasses. She could probably get a more up to date style of frame – hers not being in fashion since nineteen eighty-never, but there was no point since she wore her contacts everywhere.
Her neck was surprisingly shiny, and she found it was glitter. In fact, there appeared to be glitter all over her clothes. That must have been from the club – come to think of it there was someone spraying something everywhere. She sniffed it and blanched as she recognized the combined scent of patchouli and lemongrass. Just like her substance at work.
Huh.
She felt a tingling that she was on to something. She just wasn’t sure what.
*
Present time
“James, let me in, please.”
Lucie tapped on the bathroom door. Cutter stared into the mirror while his wolf howled angrily.
“It was just a dream,” he repeated to himself. “It wasn’t real.”
After the first dream, he tried to get back to sleep, but he had another, even worse than the first. Lucie’s screams still echoed through his head.
“James, please open the door, or… or I’ll break it down!”
She sounded so serious, if he weren’t currently in hell, he’d laugh. But the image of Lucie restrained, in agony, bleeding while he helplessly watched wouldn’t leave him. He gripped the sink, squeezing tightly as his wolf pushed forward, wanting to kill, wanting to protect their mate. Protect her from whom? From everyone snarled the beast. She’s ours; we’ll never let her get hurt. It was his biggest fear - losing Lucie, something happening to her and him being unable to stop it.
Fury surged through him, claws and hair pushed through his skin and he ripped the sink off the wall with a roar.
Lucie started banging. “Honey, please!”
*
Sydney reread the e-mail. Bettina e-mailed her the results of the tests she did, she listed the ingredients she found, but couldn’t say what the actual purpose of the substance was. Though, she had listed some suggestions as to what some of the combinations of ingredients could be for. Sydney skimmed through them with a sinking heart until she came across mood enhancement. Mood enhancement. Their victims were experiencing great fear, could this broadly be called a mood?
She grabbed her phone, about to call Bettina and realized it was starting to get a bit late. But surely someone would be around at the SEA. Maybe Isis would be working late – she often worked late and then came in late the next day. She was a cat – she liked curling up with her mate in bed all day.
“What?” snarled Isis down the phone.
“Ah, it’s Sydney,” she squeaked. There were crashing noises in the background. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” huffed the tiger shifter. “Cutter and Avery went nuts. They both had bad dreams and freaked out.”
“You mean like the victims?”
“Yeah, I guess it is like them. We had to tranq them to get them here and they’re starting to wear off. Avery wants to kill all women called Kelly, and Cutter won’t let anyone near him or Lucie, he’s almost crushing her he’s holding her so tight.”
Sydney explained about the substance she found, and Avery and Cutter sniffing and potentially inhaling it. “Do you think that was enough?”
“Shit, I don’t know – maybe. If it is potent enough one sniff might do it.” Isis paused. “We need a cure for it before they hurt themselves. Jessie found the hosts of the party – the female’s in hospital. I’m heading over to interview them. Maybe they can shed some light on what’s happening.”
“But…”
There was another lengthy roar and Isis hung up before Sydney could get another word out. She tapped her fingers on her desk, worrying about her colleagues. Their victims died within a day of being covered in the substance – which meant Cutter and Avery didn’t have long.
She had to do something. She couldn’t rest knowing they were suffering.
Sydney dialed Kurt, hoping for some guidance from him.
*
“Blg… splk… grk…”
The huge rhino shifter frowned. “What was that?”
Kurt tried to reiterate. “Blg… splk… grk.”
It wasn’t exactly easy to talk with a meaty hand wrapped around your throat. A few more seconds and he would have to resort to magic to get rid of his giant attacker. He hadn’t yet for two reasons. One, the huge rhino could potentially be one of Sydney's overprotective brothers, in which case his behavior might be slightly forgivable.
Two, while his magic had calmed down while he was taking the time to enjoy the delights of kissing Sydney, he worried it wasn’t entirely fixed. He might flick his wrist and blow up something important – like the guy’s head. Not something he could do while in control, but he wasn’t in control at that moment.
“Nope, didn’t understand that,” said the rhino slowly.
He released Kurt’s throat and dropped him. Kurt panted for a few moments before raising himself to his full height, ready to face up to the behemoth of a man. While not huge in height, the male made up for it in width. He looked like he would have trouble with doorframes.
“I said, do I know you?”
The rhino grunted. “I saw you with my fiancée.”
Kurt wracked his brain. He hadn’t been with a woman for a few weeks. That had been a fling with a holidaymaker from Canada.
“Sydney,” said the rhino in annoyance.
“Ah.”
“Ah? Is that all you have to say?”
“Yeah, look, if Sydney is engaged to you, why would she spend the evening making out with me?”
The rhino cocked his head to one side, wondering at the logic.
Was Kurt worried about the huge rhino in front of him? Maybe in as far as not having his arms and legs broken. But as to losing Sydney, no. Sydney was his. He didn’t doubt it now. She was lovely, sweet, perfect, gorgeous and his. One night with her and he knew. Being with her was just right. Like their souls were intertwined or some other soppy nonsense like that.
Unfortunately, it appeared that someone else could see how wonderful she was too.
The huge male’s aura was an interesting tan shade - which meant dependable, but could also mean dull.
“Sydney’s supposed to be mine,” he said placidly. “Her father said so.”
“Yeah, buddy, most girls don’t really listen to their fathers about this kind of thing.”
The rhino looked thoughtful, and Kurt checked his watch. It wasn’t too late.
“You want to get a beer or something?”
The huge guy shrugged.
*
“C’mon, Kurt, pick up, pick up.”
Sydney chewed on her lip – a nervous habit that was really starting to sting.
After Kurt didn't answer the first time
, she called the club, and after a very loud conversation, she was told that they purchased their magical glitter from a magic shop. Apparently, it contained mood uplifters to make all their patrons happy. No wonder she’d been so open to kissing and flirting with Kurt. Not that she regretted it, but she doubted she would have been quite so easy without the happy glitter.
The magic shop didn’t have a phone number listed on their website. The website was fancy and listed loads of items for sale as well as some interesting sounding ideas for spells, but there were no contact details - only opening hours. Sydney wondered whether the regular patrons communicated through a crystal ball. She could ask Kurt. Or would he find it offensive? She doubted Kurt would find anything offensive. He’d probably laugh at her naïvete and then kiss her nose again, before moving down to her lips… sigh.
The shop wasn’t that far away, and according to the website – if it was accurate – they were open for most of the night. She supposed most people who shopped there tended to be night owls, and possibly some of them were actually owl shifters.
She could just pop down there and take a look around. Technically, she shouldn’t, but the temptation was too much. With the rest of the SEA concerned about Avery and Cutter, what could it hurt just to ask a few little questions?
*
Kalinda’s Magical Emporium. Sydney stared up at the sign. This was a bad idea. Every inch of her naturally shy, submissive body screamed it, and yet, she was going inside. While shy and submissive, she was also curious – hence the incident of blowing up the tree house.
She checked her phone again, hoping for some reply from Kurt, but there was nothing. She left him a message telling him what she was doing, hoping he’d run to her side, telling her he would never let her face danger alone, telling her he adored her, kissing her senseless… Phew, she needed an ice bath because she was heating up!
An irrational jealous thought leaped at her that did the job of cooling her ardor – what if he was out kissing and canoodling with another woman? What if he left her for another date? Ugh – with Trina?
No, no, no. She was being ridiculous, but she could forgive herself a few wild thoughts. Kurt was her first boyfriend – if he was even her boyfriend – and she was still finding her way.