Desire

by P. T. Michelle

  He exhales, his breath stuttering out. “The past couple of months.”

  A couple months? A group of people walk up behind us, so I pull Matt off to the side and say in a low voice, “Do you remember when you started seeing the image?”

  Matt squints, sifting through his memory. “It wasn’t long after Drystan came to live with us. I remember because I wanted to tell him but was too freaked out about it.” His expression tenses once more. “I’ve tried to research the symbol, but nothing pops up on the web. All I know is…each time I saw it in my mind, I felt compelled to draw it. The whole experience was so out there, I didn’t tell anyone about my drawings, but Lainey happened to see one and asked me about it. She’s the only person I’ve shared this obsession with until you.” His face tenses. “It’s driving me crazy that I keep seeing it.”

  I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him down. “Lainey said you planned to get a tattoo.”

  “Yeah. I asked an artist buddy of mine if he’d do it for me. He’s doing tattoos on the side. The guy’s talent is through the roof. I didn’t tell him about the imagery, visions...whatever it is. Do you think if I got it inked…” He pauses and swallows. “That maybe the image I keep seeing will go away?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know what the symbol you’ve been seeing means. Regardless if it makes the vision stop, I do know that the one on my back gives a level of protection. If you’re going to get a tattoo, get that one.”

  Matt nods, his expression resigned. “Lainey told me that I should consider where I get it done so I don’t lock myself out of certain jobs later.”

  I release him and offer a half smile. “Yeah. Good point.”

  A group of people walk out of McCormicks, cutting off our conversation. I nod toward the door. “You want to come inside and listen to the band? They’ll be playing a few more songs soon before packing up for the night. I’ll be here for another half hour, then I have to be at Nara’s by seven-thirty.”

  Matt grins. “That’s why I’m here.”

  I turn and open the door. “Good. I’ll have someone to talk to while my brother completely ignores me for the new girl in his life.”

  “You came here on a date with your brother?” Matt follows me inside, laughing.

  I shake my head. “No. I invited Emily tonight because she’s new in town and she’d asked for my brother’s number before. She was the nurse who took care of me at the hospital.”

  As we wind our way to the table and Matt sees where we’re headed, he nods toward Samson and Emily and mutters under his breath, “Their chairs are pretty close together. I’d say they’re getting to know each other real well.”

  I snort, then step up to the table, grabbing my jacket off the back of my chair. “Hey, Samson and Emily.” I try not to wince as I quickly shrug into my coat to cover the wound on my arm. My ribs definitely took a beating tonight. What the hell happened while I blacked out? I don’t like the fact that I lost a chunk of time. Just when I say, “This is my friend, Matt,” the lights go down and Weylaid starts playing. I have to raise my voice to be heard over the music. “He’s going to hang with us for a bit.”

  Once Emily shakes Matt’s hand, her attention quickly shifts to me. “That was some amazing guitar playing, Ethan. Thanks for inviting me.”

  I nod and mumble my thanks. I feel my brother’s heavy gaze on me, but I refuse to look at him. He’s going to rip into me when we’re alone. Even though I don’t drink, a beer sounds really good right now. Unfortunately, ordering one would probably send Samson off the deep end, so I turn my chair toward the stage and settle in for more music.

  A half hour later, snow coats our hair as my brother and I head toward the deck after he walked Emily to her car parked on a side street. I’m surprised he hasn’t said anything to me yet, but I’m not saying anything to disturb the peaceful silence between us.

  We’re almost to the parking deck before Samson speaks. “Were you ever planning on telling me?”

  I dig my hands a bit deeper into my jean pockets. “It’s no big deal.”

  “No big— you mean like the cut on your brow?”

  I tense, feeling defensive. “Some guys were trying to mess with Matt when I went outside to meet him. I jumped in to—”

  “How is it that I had no idea you played?” my brother cuts in, saying what’s really on his mind.

  I shrug, but refuse to look at him when we enter the parking deck stairwell. “I just picked it up recently.”

  “Recently? Ethan, you played like someone who’s been playing all his life.”

  “Yeah, it just came to me.” I skip up the stairs ahead of him. Opening the door to the floor we’re parked on, I hold it until he follows me out. “I can’t really explain it any better than that.”

  Samson shakes his head. “You still should’ve shared.”

  I lift my eyebrows. “Does this mean you’re going to share why you got so mad at Mom and Dad earlier?”

  He frowns, then turns to walk toward his car.

  That’s what I thought. I quickly fall into step beside him, a half smile on my lips. “So, you going to ask Emily out?”

  We’ve almost reached his car, when my brother clamps his hand on the back of my neck. Yanking me toward him, he curls his muscular arm around my neck, then knuckle-noogies the top of my head, driving the snow into my scalp. “You’re going to tell me next time, right?”

  “Yes,” I snort out, trying not to laugh. He hasn’t done this since I was a kid.

  Without a word, he releases me and moves to his side of the car.

  Shaking my head, I grab my door handle and stare at him over the roof. “Well?”

  He laughs. “Yeah, we’re going to dinner next week. Now get in the car and quit grilling me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nara

  “I don’t understand why you’re coming to get me so early,” Gran says while I help her into my car.

  A quarter inch of snow has already coated my windshield in the time it took for me to sign in at the front desk at Westminster’s retirement community and knock on Gran’s door. “This steady snow is supposed to turn into a blizzard later,” I say before I shut her door. I’m glad I left early and reburied Freddie’s book by his graveside for safekeeping before coming to get Gran. With this bad weather, it might be a few days before I could get back out to the cemetery.

  Gran’s riffling through the recyclable grocery bag she’s set on the floor by her feet as I slide into my side of the car. “It’s a good thing I brought this,” she says, holding something up with a wide grin.

  I snicker at the thin tool and start my car. “A screwdriver?”

  “What?” Confusion deepens the wrinkles on her face. “Oh, not that.” She quickly drops the tool back into her bag and rummages through it once more before pulling out a toothbrush. “If the weather’s as bad as they say it’s going to be, I’m prepared. The last time I stayed over, you had to open a new brush for me.”

  “Ah…” I nod my understanding, and she tucks her toothbrush back into her bag. I’m almost afraid to ask, but I do anyway. “Why do you carry a screwdriver in your purse?”

  “Who doesn’t?” Gran says, looking at me like I should know better. “It’s like duct tape. Comes in handy for so many things.”

  I chuckle and shake my head. “I’ll um, take your word for it, Gran.”

  Patting her curled hair, she sighs. “I don’t know why I bothered to go to the beauty salon. The snow is going to ruin my fancy hairdo.” Setting her hands in her lap, she narrows her gaze on me. “Okay, now tell me the real reason you’re picking me up early.”

  The real reason is…it’s all my fault Mom’s running around in super angst mode. I shrug. “Mom wants your help preparing dinner.”

  Gran makes a harrumph sound. “She wants my help or she needs my help?”

  “Same thing.”

  “No, it’s not, dear.” My great aunt chuckles. “Your mom might need my help with the meal, but I guaran
tee you she’s not going to ask for it. She’s definitely her mother’s daughter in this case; my sister could be very stubborn. So why is Elizabeth suddenly a titter over a meal? For someone who balances numbers all day, she sure can’t follow a recipe to save her life. It’s like she sees the measurements as suggestions. If she wants to impress her new man, she should save the improvisation for other activities—like trapeze pole dancing.”

  Shaking my head to get rid of the sudden disturbing image of my mom twirling half-naked around a slowly swinging pole, I can’t help but snicker as I turn onto the highway. “It’s not about the food, Gran.” I casually glance her way. “Dad’s coming to dinner with Aunt Sage.”

  Gran’s gray eyebrows shoot high. “Really? And the plot thickens. How did that happen?”

  I wait for traffic to clear out of the way before merging into another lane. “I recently reconnected with Dad, and as a favor to me, I asked Mom to invite him since she’d already invited Aunt Sage.”

  Gran pins me with a surprised look. “That was awfully brave of you, Inara.”

  Grimacing, I fold my fingers like a vise around the steering wheel. “Yeah well, the only reason Mom agreed is because David was also coming.”

  “That makes a bit more sense, I suppose,” Gran says, bobbing her gray head.

  “There’s just one slight problem.” I cast a furtive look her way. “David called to cancel an hour ago. He doesn’t feel well.” I had been the one to answer the phone when he called. Instead of asking to speak to Mom, he told me that he’s still not feeling himself after what happened yesterday and asked me to tell my mom that he’s just not feeling well. Guilt knotted my stomach once I hung up the phone. I’m still not sure if Mr. Dixon cancelling was a temporary thing, or if he just couldn’t handle yesterday’s craziness and was distancing himself.

  “So, it’s just going to be you, your mom, Sage, Jonathan, and me?”

  Gran’s question snaps my attention back to her. “My boyfriend, Ethan, is coming too, so you’ll finally get to meet him.”

  Flashing me a quick smile, she tilts her head and asks, “Does Jonathan still love your mom?”

  “Yes,” I say, then bite my lip and wait for the judgment of my dad’s choices and utter lack of respect for my mom to fly from her lips.

  Gran cackles and slaps her thigh. “This is going to be better than any of those soap operas on TV.”

  I’m so shocked, all I can do is wait until she gets control of her laughter. “You’re not mad at him?”

  Gran shrugs. “You saw past whatever reason he had for leaving. That’s good enough for me.”

  If only Mom could trust my instincts like Gran does. While some of the tightness eases from my shoulders, Gran says, “I’m too old to carry grudges, sweetie. That’s way too much baggage to haul around in my advanced years. I leave all that heavy stuff to the youngins. I know your mom is going to give that man holy hell. I almost feel sorry for him.”

  With her last sentence, I sigh.

  Fifteen minutes later, when we start to walk through the front door, Gran grabs my arm and points to the mistletoe in the top of the doorway. “Can’t mess with tradition.”

  Tugging her bag up on my shoulder, I grin and bend down for her to kiss my cheek. “I had no idea you were so superstitious, Gran.”

  She pecks my cheek, then pats it with her gnarled hand. “Your grandmother had her obsession with ravens, I have mine, dear.”

  “Which is?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

  “Never you mind,” she says, winking.

  “Corda, I’m so glad you could come,” Mom calls from the top of the stairway, her voice a bit higher than usual. She has also changed clothes from the ones she had on before I left to get Gran.

  Oh, yeah…she’s stressed.

  As my mom descends the stairs, Houdini thumps down the steps at rapid speed beside her, Gran follows me inside and snickers in my ear as I shut the door, “Yep, it’s going to be an entertaining evening for sure.”

  “Shhhh, Gran,” I say in a low voice, then immediately tell my mom as she approaches, “The snow is coming down harder now. The roads are getting messy.”

  Slight relief filters across her face. “Oh, well, it might just be the three of us then.”

  When Gran bursts out laughing—if she were Lainey, Drystan or Ethan, she’d be getting an elbow in the ribs, but Gran’s pushing eighty—I shake my head and tell Mom, “Gran’s in rare form tonight.”

  Nodding her acknowledgment that Gran is having one of her loopy moments, Mom’s gaze drops to the bag on my shoulder. “Why don’t you put Corda’s stuff in her room and then you can help me set the table.”

  “Take the gifts from my bag and put them under the tree first,” Gran says.

  I follow Gran’s instructions, then head upstairs. Just when I start down the stairs, the doorbell rings. Of course Houdini rushes forward barking, but Mom is quick to pull him back and open the door.

  Holding a handled shopping bag, Ethan is standing there in jeans, a black sweater and a leather bomber jacket. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Collins.”

  “Mer—Merry Christmas, Ethan.” Mom pulls the door wide and stands back for him to come in.

  Mom has paused for a reason, and when I greet him, I see why. He has a deep cut along the edge of his eyebrow. “Are you okay?” I step forward, searching his face.

  He shrugs and stomps the snow off his boots. “I’m good. Caught the corner of the cabinet when I bent over to toast some bread earlier.”

  Before he can take a step inside, Gran tuts, “Uh, ah.” Wagging her finger, she points to the mistletoe. “Follow tradition, young man.”

  Ethan flashes Gran a wide smile before he turns to me and drops a chaste, but sweet kiss on my lips, saying in that sexy, low voice of his, “I like your Gran already.”

  I rub my arms and mumble about his mouth being cold to cover the fact I just shuddered in response to his kiss. Even though I’m worried about the real reason he got that cut, my body still reacts to his incredibly warm mouth pressing against mine for the briefest of seconds.

  Once Mom shuts the door behind Ethan and I officially introduce him to Gran, I turn to him. “Can you come upstairs and help me bring down my gifts? We usually open them right after dinner.”

  After Ethan shrugs out of his jacket and then follows me into my room, I turn and start to say, “What happe—”

  But he steps close and clasps my jaw, pressing his mouth against mine. I curl my fingers into the hem of his sweater and melt against him, kissing him back.

  A few seconds later, he lifts his head and wraps his arms around my waist, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “That’s the kind of kiss I wanted to give you under that mistletoe.”

  I giggle that he sounds so disgruntled and start to peck a kiss on his jawline when I pause at the sight of slight bruising under his skin there. I gingerly touch his jaw. “What happened?”

  Ethan cups his warm hand over mine. “It’s no biggie. The demons Drake’s Furia sent my way finally found me.”

  “Demons?” My eyes widen. “How many?”

  He shrugs. “Just five.”

  “Five.” My voice hikes and I quickly lower it. “Five? Oh God, Ethan.”

  Clasping my shoulders, he shakes his head. “I’m fine, Nara. They’re all taken care of. I’m just glad they didn’t jump me while I was with my brother. Matt almost got caught in the crossfire, but thankfully he didn’t see much. He just got banged up a little bit.”

  I gape. “Matt saw you fighting? How did he get hurt?”

  “It was dark in the alley beside McCormicks—Samson and I went there after the disaster that was supposed to be our family dinner. Don’t ask. Anyway, Matt stumbled across the demons attacking me and got knocked out. He did see my sword, but I convinced him that he was seeing things since he woke up groggy.”

  “So he’s alright?” When he nods, I exhale my relief. “Did you get a chance to talk to him about the image he’s been seeing?”

&
nbsp; Ethan nods. “Yeah, him seeing my sword gave me an idea how he might’ve seen the raven yin-yang symbol before we officially met. Our gym classes are back to back, so it’s entirely possible that he might’ve subconsciously seen it while I was getting dressed, then recalled it later. At least that’s what I suggested to him.”

  “And he bought that?”

  Shrugging, he chuckles. “It is possible, and it’s a far easier pill to swallow than to believe he’s losing his mind. I convinced him to get a tattoo like the one on Lainey’s locket instead of the one in his head.”

  “Did you learn anything about why he’s seeing the image in the first place?”

  He sighs. “The only thing he told me that I found interesting was the timing of when he started seeing the image. He said it wasn’t long after Drystan came to live with him.”

  I blink. “You don’t think Drystan is the cause of what he’s seeing, do you?”

  “I don’t know what to think, but you have to admit the timing is a little too coincidental.”

  I nod and bite my lip. “I agree it’s odd timing, but I’m pretty sure Drystan had never seen the symbol before he met me. Matt seeing it may have nothing to do with Drystan at all.”

  I can tell by his expression Ethan doesn’t like the scenario I’m implying—that I might be the source of Matt’s vision. Grunting his frustration, he pulls me close and folds his arms tightly around my waist. “At least I convinced Matt to get the right tattoo if he insists on getting one. Eventually we’ll figure out what the image in his head means.”

  I rest my head on his shoulder for a few seconds and hug him back. Glancing at the bag he set by the doorway, I sigh and say, “Ready to help me bring down my gifts?”

  Ethan gestures to the bag. “That is part of your gifts.”

  I tilt my head, eyeing him. “Huh? You brought those.”

  He looks serious as he retrieves the bag and opens it for me to see inside. “These are all gifts for your family, Nara.”

  My attention snaps from the small wrapped boxes in the bag to him. “Why did you get gifts for my family?”