by Calinda B
“I told you. I couldn’t.” He lets out a deep sigh. “Nothing bad will come to you because of you and me.”
Our gazes still entwined, I see he means what he says. Can I trust it, though? People say one thing but actions speak volumes. I study him for what seems like a long time. “All right,” I finally say. “You can come on the journey. I may be bat shit crazy, but I think I need all the help I can get.”
His face grows so warm and bright that I think I my heart will burst. “I’m still going to get my walk in, though. Make the others think I’m deliberating.”
“As you wish, my love. Want some company?” He asks, hopefully.
“Sorry, no. Time with my dog and the woods is sacred to me. I’ll see you later, though, guaranteed.”
Chapter 11
I take the Tesla, agreeing to meet Daniel at the house—Tom said he’d give him a lift. I roll the windows down, with Sober sitting shotgun, his wings flapping out the window and in my face.
“Wings!” I command.
He spares me a glance, tucks them neatly, and sits tall in the seat, happy, tongue lolling.
“Let’s take this baby for a spin, Sober.”
He puts his head back and barks. One bark. Two barks. Three barks.
I laugh, pressing the gas pedal to the floor. This is what River does to me. His essence encourages me to let go. It’s a heady, exhilarating feeling. We’re going a hair over 90 mph, last I checked anyway, heading toward Seattle, and a cop car pulls out behind me, lights flashing. Without thought of consequences, I zip into a nearby Warplandia portal Rafe told me about. I’m instantly immersed in this strange world between worlds.
Looking back at what people call ‘reality’ when you’re in the Shadow Lands is like looking through a halocline. The layers separating the two realms stratify, like oil and water. Everything refracts and appears fuzzy. Observing through the distorted, curtain-like film, I watch the officer speed down the freeway. I laugh again. Sober barks. A few minutes later, the cop’s tearing down the road in the opposite direction, heading straight for the concealed Tesla. I step on the gas and fishtail out onto the road of his world, waving to him as he whizzes past me. His stunned expression makes me laugh even harder.
The guy hooks a U-turn in the middle of the freeway, surprising me. He bears down behind me, practically shoving the nose of his car up my bumper. I head for another portal, floor it, and sail out of sight. I’ll bet he’s bewildered.
The Shadow Land I call Warplandia is pure psycho bizarre. Like I said, it coexists side by side with Earth-based realities, but it has its own shifting rules. For instance, the last time I entered this portal, I was transported to a scenic drive, with deformed, misshapen trees encircling something that looked like water, all shimmering and splendid, but when you got closer, you saw it was a sea of silvery-blue serpents writhing and coiling around one another. That one freaked me out.
Today Sober and I are traversing through what I hope will still be a shortcut to my house, but this time it looks like a desert. Saguaro cactus dot the landscape. A waterfall appears in the middle of the desert, flowing out of thin air, disappearing into the sand below. Dead animal bones lay in heaps, as if the animal died and withered on the spot. Makes me shudder to witness.
Up ahead is the place I know to be an exit. I gun the engine, the car surges forward, and then halts abruptly, held by invisible restraints. I step on the gas. The wheels turn in place, kicking up a sandstorm behind us.
Sober looks at me expectantly, whining.
I shrug and put the vehicle in reverse. We begin to move backward, but get caught in a... net? Unseen hands? All I know is that we can’t get the car to move. “Come on!” I say, to no one in particular. “Let me go.”
Shadows form on the hood of the car, extending all directions.
“Uh oh. More magic,” I say to Sober. “I feel it. Can you?”
His tail thumps in agreement on the seat.
More and more shadows appear until what looks like hundreds of long black, finger-like petals shoot from a point in the center. A man blurs into form in the middle. He grins at me, wickedly.
“Kaine,” I say. “The Shadow Numen.” My face contorts in disgust. I met him once before. Didn’t like him then, don’t like him now.
“One and the same, sweet thing.”
A disturbingly pleasurable sensation washes through me. “Stop that. Whatever you’re doing, stop it.”
He lifts a shoulder and lets it fall. “Looks like you were headed out of here. I didn’t get a chance to say hello. That would be rude, don’t you think?”
“I was in a really, really good mood, Kaine. What do you want?” I tap impatiently on the leather bound steering wheel.
“I hear you’re looking for recruits to take on your journey—recruits to fuck. I’m volunteering.”
I’m sure my face looks like I just ate something horrid. My lip pulls back in a sneer. “Ew. No thanks. The positions are full.”
“Shame, sweet thing. I’ve got skills none of the others possess.” He stalks around the car and places his hands on the windowsill, leaning in close.
He smells neither unpleasant nor pleasant, merely odd. He’s got a scruffy, stubble-lined chin, and long, wavy, black hair. His eyes are as dark as midnight. His skin is olive. He wears nothing but black—pants, shirt, boots, all black. Everything about him is dark, foreboding and intense.
“Sucked more souls lately?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he says, flashing his wicked grin. “Didn’t you notice my shadow count is higher than normal?” He sweeps his hand to indicate the gloomy wisps surrounding him. “People on planet Earth are getting evil, man. Corruption is at an all-time high. I help ‘em out, suck their shadows and get their souls all leaky like, oozing out of their systems like slime. That’s when the dregs of goodness exit their bodies and I finish ‘em off.” He makes a slurping sound, dragging his long, pink tongue along his lips. “Tasty,” he says. “Shadows and souls.”
“You’re weird, Kaine. And not in a good way.” He’s got a low, gravelly voice like you’d expect from a biker dude. It would be kind of sexy if it wasn’t attached to the likes of him.
“Nah. Got a job to do, sweet thing. We all do. We keep the balance, you hear me?”
“Yes, I hear you.”
“But sometimes we need fortification to do our jobs.” He looks down his nose at me and leers. “The kind only a woman can give.”
Oh, great. Kaine’s got a hard on. I shiver and grip the steering wheel.
Sober growls, fangs bared.
“It’s okay, I got this,” I tell my dog.
“Your mutt is no match for me,” Kaine says, laughing. “If I wanted you, I could take you, no problemo. Only thing is,” he says, shrugging, “I’d have the Night Numen to deal with and he and I are tight, you catch my drift, sweetness?”
The guy disgusts me, plain and simple. “Yeah, I catch your drift. Are you going to let us pass or not?” My hand drifts down to where my sword lays.
“Ah, don’t get your britches in a twist, sugar. Take you hand away from the hilt of your sword. I’ve got a message for you. Been hearing a rumble in the jungle.”
“The jungle?”
“You know…the Shadow Lands. Word is they’re going to be watching you. They’ve been getting ready for your arrival.”
“What? Who’s been getting ready?”
“The darklings, saucy wench. Evil. There’s a bunch of ‘em banded together to end you and your sorry lot of friends.” He makes quote marks around the word friends, accentuating his statement with another leer. “Want to take over the world, they do. You’re in the way,” he says, stroking his fingertips along my lips.
I shiver, an intense chill forming in my belly. “Cut it out, Kaine.” I grab his fingers and shove them away.
He laughs. “Feisty thing, aren’t you. I see why they all want you.” He grabs his crotch. “Here’s where the action is, cutie pie. Want to feel a stallion between your legs? A
dark stallion humming with the souls of hundreds?”
“You’re disgusting, Kaine.” I stare straight ahead.
“I’m a good ride is what I am, princess.” He pauses, looks around. “Why do you think this place looks like a boneyard desert today, sweetness?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Because that’s all that will be left if they have their way. Daniel’s father, Armando—he may have been wounded, but he’s scheming. You haven’t seen the last of him, mark my words. The dude’s got allies. He’s calling in his markers to end things. He wants his power back.”
“It was never his power to begin with,” I retort, indignant. “Daniel seized it fair and square.”
Another shrug of his shoulder. “Tell that to him, next time you see the rat bastard. There’s nothing fair about power games.”
I suddenly feel ill, like I could vomit.
Kaine whacks the side of the car with his palm. “You give the Night Numen my regards. Tell him Kaine’s got his back. You never know when you’re going to need to call in a marker.” He grins—it’s a cold and deadly stretch of the face. Then he leans close, so close I feel his breath on my lips. “And anytime you want to take a walk on the wild side, sweet thing…” He drags a cold fingertip along my jaw, making me shudder. “Anytime you want that, you holler. I’ll hear you plain as day and I’ll come a running.”
“No thanks, Kaine,” I say coldly. “Only the good stuff gets between these legs. You’ve got to have a heart, and I don’t believe you have one.”
“Ouch,” he says, clutching his chest.
A disturbing look passes across his face, like my words hit an old, festering wound. His eyes grow dark and menacing and I wonder if he’s going to harm me in some way. My hand slides to my side, ready to retrieve the sword.
“You won’t need that, girl,” he sneers. “And I’d watch who you piss off. I’m one of the good guys,” he says.
A glacial fright, dark and terrifying, snakes up my spine, making me wonder if I’m going to pass out. “I’m s-s-sorry, Kaine, I didn’t mean that.”
“Yeah, you did. A word to the wise, poppet. A guy likes me needs to be tough to do his job. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart.”
Wow. Did I press a button or what? “Again, I apologize, Kaine, I’m sure you do, I have no doubt that somewhere inside you have a big, big heart,” I say, starting to blather.
Kaine lets out a bitter laugh. “You’re too easy, sugar. Give them all my regards. They’ll have fun with you, I’m sure. And again…don’t forget who the good guys are…you never know when you’ll need my services.”
He gives me a penetrating look, his face somber, his eyes clear, and something passes between us. I can’t describe it, but it’s as if he’s communicated something essential to me, schooling me with my blundered words. I slowly nod my head.
He lets out a deep breath, a sigh of acceptance and understanding, then stalks away.
Chapter 12
“You do realize,” Daniel says, sitting on the deck off the bedroom, “even though you can enter the Shadow Lands and mess with a cop, the license plate exists in a database in this reality, right, dulzura?”
I jump, not expecting him to be out there.
Sober trots to him, giving his tail-wagging greeting.
Daniel ruffles Sober’s back, pats his head, and accepts the slurpy, sniffy hello.
“Uh,” I say, dropping my purse on the side stand next to the bed. “What did you hear?”
“Cop’s a friend of the family,” he says, as I saunter in his direction.
“Uh,” I repeat, glancing at him. “Another cigar, huh? New trend?”
He’s lounging on the deck furniture, looking extremely comfortable, incredibly sexy, and a little bit scary, an unlit cigar propped between his fingers, a glass of bourbon by his side. “I do what I want, cariño, you know that. I forgot how much I enjoy a good cigar until the other night.”
A jolt of electricity shoots through my arms, briefly illuminating my skin. The other night…
Daniel laughs. “Just as I can’t conceal my arousal, you can’t either, can you?”
“How do you know I’m aroused?” I look at him, revealing nothing.
His face becomes impassive, betraying nothing, and he pats the seat next to him. It’s a luxurious wicker love seat, with a back that curves up and over the top like a cresting wave. We’ve shared fine moments on this wicker nest, observing the sea, the sky, and culture below.
Saying nothing, I perch on the seat next to him. My gut’s tighter than a trussed turkey but I attempt to appear calm. “I had a bit of fun, that’s all. I was feeling free.”
“Uh huh.” He picks up the matchbox next to him, strikes one and rolls the cigar in the flame, puffing lightly.
I glare at him. “Would you just come out and say it? Am I to get a scolding?”
He shrugs. “I took care of it.”
“Took care of what?”
“The strong warning I received on your behalf. I was told, and I quote, ‘to rein in my girlfriend or face enormous fees in the future.’”
“What did he think I did?”
He takes a drag on his cigar. “Besides traveling 120 mph on a busy freeway, he thought you performed some kind of fancy traffic maneuver and escaped him.”
“One hundred and twenty miles per hour! That’s an exaggeration!”
“Uh huh. Those radar guns are so inaccurate,” he says sarcastically.
“Tell me about it!” A small smile creeps along my face. “And…well…I did perform a traffic maneuver.”
“Just not one he could comprehend.”
“No.” I don’t like non-communicative Daniel. I don’t like to guess what he’s thinking or feeling. He’s cloaked his mind from me so our psychic rapport is blocked. “What are you doing? Should I go back to my house?” I’m starting to get peeved.
“Why would you do that?” He asks, puffing on his cigar.
I feel a storm of emotion, watching him. He’s evoking the same, tight control he wielded the other night—the same control which scared me…the same control that got me hot, aroused, and sated when the night ended. “I don’t know, I guess I’m not sure where your head’s at right now.”
“Do you need to know?” He replies, coolly. He draws on the cigar and blows a stream of bluish smoke over his head. He rests the cigar in the ashtray next to him and takes a sip of his drink. “Can I get you anything?”
“A glass of wine would be nice.”
He nods, taps a small, indiscrete console on the table next to him, and says, “Karen?”
“Yes, Mr. Navid?”
“A glass of cabernet for my beloved, please.”
“Right away, sir. Would you like some appetizers, too?”
“Yes, that would be lovely.” He turns to me and asks, “So. How was your walk? Did it clear your head?”
“Yes, Sober and I enjoyed ourselves, didn’t we, boy?”
Sober, resting at Daniel’s feet, thumps his tail in agreement.
“Come to any decisions?”
“About?”
“Sanguis Numen.”
“Shouldn’t Rafe be here when I tell you?”
“Ah ha,” Daniel says. He picks up the cigar again and puffs.
“Ah ha, what? I don’t like it when you’re being obtuse.”
“Ah ha, you made your decision and he’s going with us.”
“It’s my decision,” I say defensively.
“It is.”
Karen knocks at the door to the bedroom. “Mr. Navid?”
“Come in, Karen,” Daniel calls.
She makes her way to the deck, sets down my wine and appetizers, ignores me, and says, “Will there be anything else?”
“That will be all,” he says. “We’d like a late dinner downstairs on the deck. It’s a beautiful night.”
“It is that, sir, I agree.” She inclines her head, nods curtly at me, and disappears.
“Will she
ever accept me? She still doesn’t like me,” I say, reaching for the wine. I pause before my hand embraces the glass stem, appreciating the setting sun, Puget Sound, the boats, the houses below—we have a breathtaking view from our hilltop perch.
“She’s slow to trust. I’ve been hurt before. She doesn’t want to go through that again. She’s been with my family for a long time, remember.”
“Right.” I pick up my wine and sip before selecting a cracker with a dollop of pear infused goat cheese on top.
“How was your discussion with the Blood Magi? Get things sorted?”
“Uh huh.” Two can play at non-communication.
“Excellent.”
“I think so.”
“Were you ever going to tell me about him?”
Another generous swallow of wine enters my throat. “What’s to tell? It was a one night stand.”
“Obviously he meant something to you.”
I meet his eyes. “Still does, Daniel.”
“In what way?”
“Are you jealous?” I ask him. “Is that what’s going on?”
“I will not lose you, Marissa,” he says, exhibiting twenty times more emotion than a moment ago. “Not to the Sanguis Numen, not to the Stealth Numen, not to anyone.” His eyes flare with blue light.
“You don’t have to lose me. I don’t want to lose you either. I’m in love with you, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Yes, but I’m not the only one you love.”
Our eyes lock.
“No,” I say. “You’re not. Am I the only woman you love?”
“Yes,” he says simply. “The only one I will love. The only one I want.”
A wash of pleasure at being claimed runs through me, causing joy to spring in my heart. Then there’s a stain of displeasure at the thought of being possessed, bleeding across the joy, obliterating it. “Well,” I say cautiously. “I’m enjoying having an extra lover.”
He nods. “I understand. I don’t want to be unchosen. That’s all.” His eyes appear wounded, haunted.
Does he really understand? I wouldn’t if the roles were reversed. And how can this toughest of the tough appear so vulnerable? “Apparently, I did choose you.” I roll my eyes. “I simply wasn’t aware of the choice.”