Myths & Magic: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection
Page 162
“Hey, Fin, what’s up with you?” The mystery amplified the thumping in my head amid my brain’s sluggish return to work. “What time is Ronan’s plane landing?” I picked up my purse and the tote bag, felt for Mom’s envelopes.
Adam gathered our bags from the inside storage bin. “We have an hour’s lead. He’s setting up a telecon with his father. We do nothing until he gets to the hotel.”
Dying to drop an unlucky bomb on Dickard Riley, the idea of the telecon appealed to my sense of safety. Worrying for Zoe contributed to the persistent ball of fire in my gut. Ronan assured me his father wouldn’t hurt Zoe, not if he needed leverage to snag me—us. I believed in that modus operandi. Better choices weren’t flinging cue cards my way. Calling the police played big-time in my backup plans. Zoe could handle herself. Not that she was a slut, but she knew how to use her voluptuous body for the good of mankind. And she loved a challenge, especially when it gave her fodder for her next paranormal psychology research paper. I could almost see her fingers flying over her keyboard already. Ronan’s warning rang in my head, dispelling the vision. We were breaking laws just breathing.
A driver waited with a sweet black limo at the bottom of the airstairs. “Aria Walker, meet Jon Morrison,” Adam said. The older brother next-door, auburn-haired driver threw me a winning smile. Tall and built like a tank, Jon filled out a black suit nicely. A flock of blackbirds—thirteen birds to be exact—squawked overhead. A white bird bomb smacked Jon’s shoulder. Oops. The frown on his face was worth the unexpected bad luck I didn’t even try to foil. I stifled a grin as he wriggled out of his jacket without smearing the gooey glop.
Adam took my arm and steered me to the limo, shaking his head. “You make him nervous.”
I clutched my chest and in my best Indian chief voice said, “Me? Little Aria make big, beefy man nervous?”
“Chill, Aria.” Adam pressed his hand in the small of my back. “Get in.”
“Yes, Ronan.” Barbarian dust was definitely sticking to Adam.
I sank into the lap of Luxury—with a capital L—again, deciding I could get used to Adam’s lifestyle. Men from rich families didn’t impress me any more than men without the dough. However, hot ticket items like private jets and limos worked for me when I had friends to rescue, doppelgängers to save, and Rifts to conquer. I might be blonde, but this cookie had a full load of chips. I planned to use every one of them.
Adam’s thigh pressed against mine. Like we didn’t have an acre of space to spread out in. “Jon’s been on my mom’s payroll for three years. He and his brother, Jax, are the best in security.” He blushed. “I think my mom’s hot on them.” He nodded toward the smoky glass partition. “I’d rather certain matters remain between you, me, and Ronan.” His hand landed on my knee as if he’d been touching me since the Abolishment.
Awkward warmth infused me. I tried to ignore his friendliness by rearranging the inside of my purse, which took all of five seconds. Too friendly too fast, and it twisted and turned inside my chest. Didn’t fairies love to get all touchy feely with people? That’s all it is, right? Add another item to my expanding research list.
“I’d miss you if you weren’t near me,” Adam said in a pebbly voice.
I flicked the vent toward me. Sixty degrees and it wasn’t cool enough sitting so close to him, hearing the flirtations spewing from his too-sexy-for-mortal mouth.
I shifted in my seat, placing distance between my deaf hormones and his natural and unnatural fairy charisma. “A girl could take that comment several ways.”
He rested his head against the seatback. “You kill my pain.”
What the what? Sympathy fogged my judgment, and I fitted my palm flat against his chest. “Does it ease when we’re touching?”
“God, yes.” He walked his fingertips from my knee up my thigh, stopping before traveling out of bounds. “It’s a slow burn in my blood, bones, muscles, eating away at my skin. When you’re near, I feel your aura inside me, around me like a cool breeze in a heat wave. When we’re touching, the burn’s almost gone.”
“In true romance fiction, I’m a balm to your senses?” I snuggled into the curve of his side. I knew he wasn’t playing me because his fever subsided whenever I touched him. I had mistakenly thought it was his aura making room for mine. “Why didn’t you cop to this before?”
He swung his arm across my shoulders. “I didn’t want to scare you off or cause you to think I was hitting on you. We just met yesterday.” He dragged his fingers through his undulating hair, silky strands that kept intertwining with my shorter locks.
“Is the proximity to the Rift making it worse?”
He nodded. “Ronan will feel it too. I don’t think we have much time.”
“Which means Ronan and I probably can’t be on the same sphere.” The words hung in the air as if visible. Weird doppelgänger effect?
“His magic’s making your faulty developing power worse and vice versa?” The limo drove beneath the porte-cochere at the entrance to the Rainbird Corporate Suites.
“That’s our guess, although I’m not sure I’m adversely affecting him as much as the tainted Rift magic.” Adam climbed out of the limo behind Fin. Fin always had to be in first place. Must be a dog thing. My cats would still be lounging on the seats, giving me the stink eye for subjecting them to the rain. I took Adam’s outstretched hand, his sick magic tugging on my aura, seeking relief.
Nippy, damp air clung to the Seattle night. Billowing steel clouds blocked the night sky, threatening to unload at any moment. My heartbeat sped up. I cast a glimpse at the solid cover over the drive-through and my anxiety subsided. Did the sun and stars ever shine in Seattle, the Emerald City of perpetual gloom?
Adam flipped his hood up and stuffed his baseball cap on, hiding half his face. We entered the lobby and rushed toward the bank of private elevators. I expected no less, so my eyes only bulged slightly in surprise. Jon engaged the elevator lock.
Off to the left, I spied a petite figure determinedly striding toward us, a navy snowcap tugged down to her eyebrows. Matching gloves covered her hands and her chin dipped into a navy and white stripped scarf. I suspected her berry lipstick and tan foundation hid her cadaver look. I literally felt her tainted magic burn into me. Hello, I’m not the Fairy Godmother!
Adam stepped into the elevator, tugging me along. Nervous wrinkles broke out around his eyes, and sweat beaded his forehead. Jon sprang in front of us, a gun ominously engulfed in one large hand hidden behind his back.
The young woman stopped a few feet from the elevator. A wisp of pale blonde hair flapped from underneath her snowcap. The strand sprang out like a corkscrew and she tucked it back under the cap. Angst assaulted my aura in a blaze of red, leaving me jittery.
“Please, I must speak with you.” Her gaze darted around the sparsely populated lobby before resting on my face.
Adam moved in front of me, abreast of Jon.
I skirted him and nudged the tower of Jon, without much success I might add. “Let her in.”
“Jon, scan her.” Adam stepped back. “Touch her,” he whispered in my ear.
I nodded, my mind already one step ahead of the bodyguard brigade. Although, I didn’t need to touch her to know she could be Adam’s fairy princess. If she was a fairy doppelgänger, that meant she was linked to a Thirteen sorcerer or at least another Forbidden or some other creature from that era. The more I experienced each hour, the more I believed Adam was truly a descendant of one of the created Forbidden Thirteen suicide doppelgängers. I don’t know how I knew this, but the idea refused to die. Yet, I didn’t think that meant he’d strolled out of the Rift after the quake rave twenty-one years ago.
“I’m not armed.” Her gaze continued to bounce, never resting on one spot long. “I…I sensed you across the room. I suspect we have a similar problem.” She traded level stares with Adam, then pierced me with a look of deep longing. Whoa, girl, I’d like testosterone with my order.
Arms wide, feet spread, she gave in
to the paranoia and allowed Jon to scan his handheld device over her from head to toe. Once my security detail permitted her onto the elevator, she leaned against me, gratitude swimming in her eyes, her aura flaring weakly.
I touched her feverish cheek. “Who…what are you?”
Sobs convulsed her shoulders. “Sorry.” She buried her face in her gloved hands.
The elevator rocketed toward the top floor. Adam looked like he wanted to dive into the elevator shaft to get away from her. I didn’t pick up evil vibes off her, just deader than a doornail vibes. At least Adam possessed some life within our linked auras, skewed though it was. With her, you’d think an archeological crew had just dug her pruney body out of the pyramids.
She wiped her eyes. “I’m just a normal girl. I don’t know what’s happening to me.” Renewed tears welled in her puke-green eyes.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. We followed Jon into the depths of the penthouse floor. A chance peep at the crystal chandelier in the hallway had me ducking. The light fixture swayed as if a fan had suddenly blown on it. I deflected attention by grabbing the fairy girl’s hand. Three of the thirteen bulbs popped dead in my wake. No one mentioned it. Lucky me, unlucky hotel.
“Who are you?” she asked, her hand pressed to her heart as if I possessed all the fairy bells and witchy whistles. “Do you know what’s happening to us?”
Adam’s hand tensed on my back, cutting short my urge to run screaming for the nearest loony bin for telekinetic-sorcerers off their meds. “Sort of.”
Jon deactivated the alarm at the suite door. After dumping our bags inside, he split to retrieve my not-so-better third from the airport.
The penthouse’s opulence was lost on me. I was too busy studying the newest freak to join the Court of Delusion. I tossed my purse on the earthtone granite counter between the living room and kitchenette. Wishing I could ward off the taint, I zipped my jacket to my chin.
Adam slipped off her cap, releasing her luminous hair. He yanked off his hood and baseball cap. Flinching, she stared at his one pointy ear.
Pretty in a country chic way, her translucent hair swayed like a wheat field around her shoulders. She was the same age as us with a few extra pounds and a rounded face that put her in cute territory. Her tainted magic stole the color out of her green eyes, leaving them dull and cloudy.
“Who are you?” Adam literally radiated suspicion. “How did you find us?” He stripped to a T-shirt, and then jacked down the thermostat. “Sorry, but I’m burning up.”
I waved it off, but refrained from discarding my layers. A polar bear would freeze in the room at the current temperature.
“Kiera Kendrick.” She released my hand. Our bizarre connection sank into the dense rug and my aura practically sighed with relief. “I was visiting my aunt who’s here on business, and I sensed you as I was leaving.” Her gaze shifted to Adam.
He edged closer, his arm brushing mine, seeking relief. I smelled his unease overriding the subtle floral perfume Kiera wore. “Are there others like you?” I asked.
Tears created muddy tracks down her cheeks. “Not that I know of.”
“Have you seen anyone who looks similar to you?” I held my breath. “Were you adopted?”
“Why do you think that?” Her back drew straight and her expression stilled. “I mean, how did you know I was adopted? I’m not a twin if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“You’re sure?” I wasn’t ready to spill the doppelgänger secret. Let her think I meant a twin.
Kiera averted her eyes, sweeping them across the paisley carpet. “I was left in Washington Park by my birth mother.” She shrugged. “Alone.”
The freak flags flew full mast. I plunked down onto the plushy armchair behind me. I didn’t want anyone touching me, draining my spirit and energy. I wanted Ronan here so bad. Hell should freeze over after that wish. But I wanted his aura, sick as it was, fusing with mine. It made me feel safer, less hollow. I wanted to ensure he was okay. I wanted him to make Kiera go away.
The fairy wannabe in question flicked her hand in Adam’s direction, anger sparking in her faded eyes. “There’s something going on in the park, at the stone circle. Something drew me there a month ago. It was magical, for lack of a better term, as if all those fictional things you read about stone circles being portals to fantasy worlds is true. Ever since then, I’ve been getting worse, like him, with washed out skin tone, hair growing inches a day and falling out. A constant bonfire burns inside me.”
Rocking forward, I dropped my face into my hands. “Fuck. A. Duck.” Fin dashed over and gave me a sloppy, wet doggy lick. Absently, I scratched her ears, needing to distract my hands before they adopted a life of their own.
“Excuse me.” I shot up, punched redial on my phone on the way to the bathroom. I sat on the closed toilet lid and waited for Ronan to answer. No such luck. My frustration careened off the rails as I whisper-yelled to his voicemail, “You need to get your ass to the hotel ASAP. Something’s happened, and I’m ready to off your dickhead father myself.”
No sense in not putting the bathroom to use. I cleaned up and stole a long look at myself in the beveled mirror. Dark craters had formed beneath my eyes. My hair imitated a victim of a tornado. In the mirror’s reflection, I spied the jetted tub behind me and wanted to sink my thrashed body in hot, bubbly champagne with a hose connected to my mouth. Then I wanted to sleep for days, hoping I’d wake at home to a nightmare my overactive mind had conjured up in a snit of boredom. “Aria Walker, come on down. You’ve just won the grand prize for The Best Sucktacular Life.”
A soft knock hit the door. “Aria, you okay?” Adam asked.
I propped my forehead against the door. “No.”
“Kiera’s not going anywhere.”
No shit, Sherlock. “Give me a sec.” I wet a washcloth, landed another hungry look on the tub, and left the dazzling marble sanctuary.
Adam stood over Kiera, her impromptu watchdog. I experienced a slew of emotions too twisted to separate, except for a maddening trace of stupid jealousy. Grayish rivulets striped Kiera’s foundation, giving her a zebra complexion. Add the streaks of mascara and she had a silent shout out to a makeup-artist. I handed her the wet cloth.
She took it, her feverish fingers resting on mine longer than necessary, burning into my skin. “Thank you.” Her eyes shimmered. “Adam said your name’s Aria.”
“Yes.” I dug my fists into my front pockets. “What else did he say?” I asked with a dagger-launching look at him that set off the drums beating in my head. A dull ache plagued my leg and ankle. My hand merely throbbed. Time to party down with a bottle of painkillers.
“Nothing.” Adam approached. “Sit. You look ready to crash. Need anything?”
I sank into the overstuffed couch, pressing into the lush comfort, easing the weight off my lower body. “Pain killers and a bottle of water, pretty please.”
Adam left the room smiling.
Kiera perched on the edge of the chair. “Why does your touch ease my pain?”
She hadn’t given me anything to dislike about her, but I remained wary. “I have no idea.” I was so not letting every fairy in the world feel me up. “Do you sense Adam’s magic?”
“Just a prickle of energy from him, nothing more. Your magic I definitely feel. It’s drifting off you like a strong perfume.” She patted the washcloth over her streaky face.
“Wonderful,” I grumbled.
“Is it really magic?” She cast her gaze at her feet shuffling on the floor, as if afraid to hear the truth.
“Just exaggerated aural energy.” A half-lie’s not really a lie, right?
Adam brought me ibuprofen and water. “Thanks.” I downed the tablets with half the bottle of cold reality. He sat, drawing me into the crook of his arm. As he rubbed my neck beneath my jacket, his pain diminished and his temperature normalized. The only fairy I wanted touching me was already wrapped around me.
“Have you seen a doctor?” Adam asked.
Tension twinged my aching back muscles. “Have a lot of people seen you this…sickly?”
She set the wet washcloth on the burgundy and gold paisley rug by her feet. “Not many. I attend an online college so it’s easy for me to stay out of sight. My aunt was ready to call the CDC.”
“Have you been to a scientific or paranormal research facility of any kind?” Adam tugged on his ear, his anxiety pressing on my aura.
“My boyfriend, Scott Walton, contacted a local place called Dominion Research and even spoke to the CEO, Richard Riley. They make those ESP detector devices and research paranormal phenomena.”
Arctic air swept over me, crashing into Adam’s fiery aura, alternatively freezing and boiling my blood.
He whispered in my ear, “Don’t say a word.”
I fixed him an iceberg-melting glare. “Go on,” I urged Kiera with a heartening smile I didn’t feel.
“I have an appointment on Tuesday.” She reached toward Adam and quickly withdrew as if afraid she’d grow a ragged pointy ear too. “You should join me.”
Anger tensed him against me. “Did they ask you to stay?”
“Sure. They agreed to pay my expenses while studying me. I didn’t give them my full name or anything because I was afraid they’d turn me over to the cops. I mean, I’m not illegal or anything,” she quickly added. “But I feel something growing in me.” Renewed tears flowed down her cheeks.
“All that and a bag of stale chips.” Rubbing my bruised head, I had no doubts Riley planned to imprison her.
Adam’s finger dipped beneath my three layers to my bare shoulder, pressing a warning into my skin. “I think you should stay away from them. We believe their motives may be detrimental to you. We can help you, but we need to connect with others first. Give me your contact info.”
Her face brightened, and she extracted a red smartphone from her Barbie-sized purse. “I’ll send it to you.”