"I went to the cops. They said they couldn't do anything. There were no fingerprints on any of the notes. There were none at my house. Nothing was broken. Since there was no damage and I hadn't actually seen anything, there was nothing they could do about it. So much for the wonders of our great law enforcement. What am I going to do, Seth?” Her brown eyes cut through to his soul, and he saw the terror and himself reflected in them. Her wild hair had come free of its elastic prison and framed her face like a soft golden halo.
Seth knelt down in front of Jayd and took her hands in his. Her gaze intensified, surprise lightened her grim expression. It was obvious she never thought he'd be kneeling in front of her. He had always made it a point to keep a polite distance between himself and her. “Jayd, I swear to you. I'll do whatever it is in my power to make sure you are safe. I'll stay with you tonight. Here or at your house. Wherever you want. No one is going to harm you."
"Seth, I can't ask you to protect me. I..."
The Raven Warrior waved his hand and shushed the shop owner. He was not going to let anything happen to her. He had already made up his mind on that. Seth was human for the next three days and nights, and he was going to use his time how he wanted. No one was going to call him away from his assignment. “Jayd, trust me when I tell you, I can take care of myself. There's much that you don't know about me."
Jayd giggled when he said that. Seth always enjoyed the sound of her laugh because it reminded him of the bells above the door. It circled his heart and lifted it. Whenever he was in the shop, he always joked around with her, but kept aloof. In the two years he had worked with Jayd, he had only touched her a handful of times. It was the lightest of brushes when she was handing him money or when they passed one another in the shop. When he was not chatting with her, Seth was settled in one of the chairs reading a book and waiting for his massage clients to come in. Reading was another pastime for him. He loved reading about his homeland, about Ancient Egypt and things the archaeologists were digging up and claiming to be marvelous discoveries when they were normal everyday things when he was alive. He found it funny every time they found a different mummy from a different dynasty and thought it was great miracle. If they ever did find the Temple of Ra, they'd be surprised at all the mummies in the catacombs. There were thousands. When he was a child he was afraid to wander there alone. He thought the mummies would reach out and snatch him up. Then, he realized they were the bodies of all the priests who had come before him. Seth vowed that he would never let himself become one. And he hadn't. He had been tricked into becoming a sacrifice.
Seth shook his head. It was not his time to dwell on the past. He had to think about the now. He had to plan what he could do to save Jayd. There was only one other person who possessed more knowledge about vampires than him, and that was Caleb. I can't go to him. He won't listen to me anyway. Caleb already thinks my fascination with Jayd is too macabre since she's not my charge. Besides, my wondrous leader is involved with Betha trying to keep her sedate. Seth shivered when the echo of disruption rippled through him at his thoughts about the Banshee Queen. Something was not right with her. I'll just have to deal with this. Crosses don't work on vampires and neither does garlic. Holy water is a joke and silver doesn't do anything to them. That only pertains to werewolves. The only way to kill the undead is to take their head or stake their heart. In some respects, they are similar to us. If we are beheaded, then we will die. Or if you poison us with an enchanted silver dagger, we can die. Thank the gods they are rare and Seneca and Jet know the antidote. It was bad enough taking care of Darius when he was stabbed.
"Seth, can I ask you something?” Jayd drew him from his thoughts.
"You can ask me anything you wish. I might tell you the sky is purple, but I promise I will answer."
Her fantastic smile turned his heart. His body began to constrict. He'd have to be careful around her and keep his distance. Now was not the time to frighten her and turn into a Raven. If Jayd saw that, she would be terrified of him and think that he was the one trying to hurt her instead of the real nemesis.
"Tell me why is it you only work on the three days of the full moon? You don't have a bank account from what I can tell, and you never talk about your past. Who are you really, Seth? You don't even have a last name. You just have one name, like a rock star or something. Is that what you do the days you're not here? Do you have some secret identity making millions singing for a living, and humor me by coming in here three days a month? Or are you a werewolf?"
Seth chuckled. His grin widened even more until it hurt the edges of his face. He shook his head, and his laughter continued to boom from his chest. Jayd didn't know what he was, but her suspicions and conclusions were not too far from the truth. If only he did tell her what he was, what would she do? A werewolf. He patted her hand and shook his head. “No, Jayd. I'm not a werewolf. Have you ever seen me get furry? If I sing, I sound like a sick raven cawing all over the place. I'm certainly no rock star. And you're right. I have no bank account.” He smiled more to himself than to her. What good was money to him? Like he told Arik, he gave most of it away. When you had magick at your feathertips, there was no point in needing money. Most of what he had left over he donated to a charity. When he thought about her other questions, about not having a last name and who he was, it made him grim. He used to have a last name. He didn't remember what it was. It might have been recorded somewhere on some temple. The scrolls with his cartouche had all turned to dust. The temple walls had been worn down by ages of sand. All he had left of his past were his ring and a few of the trinkets he had in his hair. Everything else was ancient history. He lifted his eyes and made sure some of his power touched Jayd's mind so she would understand and not ask any more questions about his past. He hated to use his power on her, but it was the only way of not revealing his true nature.
"Jayd, does it really matter why I'm here only three days a month? My past is my own, and I don't like to talk about it. Let's leave it at that. Okay?” He pressed his power into her thoughts, leaving a mild suggestion not to ask about his past again and to focus on getting things in order for the rest of the day. Seth was going to be with her. Nothing was going to change that. He instilled a sense of comfort in her so she wouldn't have to worry so much about the coming night. The Raven Warrior pushed that a little deeper into her psyche than his first suggestion and hoped it would stick. He hated seeing her terrified. Whenever Seth was around Jayd, he felt at ease in his human skin. It wasn't because he'd made up his mind to watch her either. He was fond of her.
After a moment, Jayd blinked coming out of daze and nodded her head. The smile she gave him was semi-dumb. “Oh God, I can't believe I've been sitting here talking your ear off and bawling over what happened last night."
Jayd got up and stretched. It seemed his suggestion was taking root because some of the color was returning to her cheeks and her hands weren't shaking as they had been before. Seth watched her turn away from him and took a few steps toward the cash register and then she turned back around. There was a hardness in her eyes that hadn't been there before. She had made her mind up about something. “Seth, thank you for staying with me. I don't mean just about tonight. I mean in general. I've always wanted us to spend more time together."
The blood turned her flesh pink, reminding him of newly blossomed roses, when Jayd realized what she had said and how it sounded. She was about to apologize, but Seth held up his hand and waved it off. “I've wanted to spend more time with you too, Jayd.” More than you know.
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Chapter Five
"Seth, why do you always eat french fries? I don't think I've ever seen you eat anything else. Not even the occasional burger to go with the fries. You always get cheese fries or chili-smothered fries. You know that those are bad for you!” Jayd teased him. She glanced over the schedule. Surprisingly, Seth didn't have any massages booked today. Then again, it worked out pretty well, considering she didn't want to have him ou
t of her sight.
Seth looked up from his book and gave Jayd one of the winning smiles she so loved about him. It made his rock hard face brighten. Her insides quivered and she felt like a teenager staring at her favorite crush over the lunchroom table. She was grateful to him for stepping in and helping her this morning. Maybe he knew I was in danger. Maybe I should've told him sooner about what was going on. Jayd shook her head. The one thing she'd learned from her Aunt Gabrielle was that everything happened for a reason. Even if Jayd didn't have faith in some of the other things her aunt tried to instill in her, it was the one thing close to her heart. Jayd believed more in fate than she did in a heavenly creature watching down over all of them.
Seth glanced at his fries, which were drowning in cheese, and licked his lips. Jayd didn't know what it was he saw in those things. He reminded her of Aubrey, who drank nothing but whatever wheatgrass-barley shake she was fond of drinking at the moment. He only ate french fries, and he seemed to favor the ones from the pizza place on the next block. The strangest combination she had seen him come in with one day was french fries covered in tomato sauce, mustard, jalapeños, and pickles. The thought of it turned her stomach, but he ate them without complaint.
"Hmm, honestly I don't know. Ever since I discovered potatoes, I've always liked them. I like loaded baked potatoes too, but french fries are my favorite. Now, my beautiful Jayd, how are you doing? Do you need me to get you anything?"
Jayd shook her head. The burning of a blush touched her cheek when he called her beautiful. He was being valiant about staying with her and she almost felt bad about asking him, but something had changed in her mind ever since he had shown up. Whatever or whoever was after her was going to be in for a big surprise with Seth being there. Seth would be at her side. With him, she did not have to be scared.
Jayd skimmed the appointment book. It was after one. Seth was eating fries again for lunch. She couldn't think of eating anything her stomach was still in knots from earlier. She let her eyes slide up from the appointment book and settle on Seth. The breath caught in her throat every time she looked at him. This morning having him so close to her ... and then he'd taken her hands in his. Her insides had turned to knots. At that point, she wasn't sure what she was more frightened of, Seth holding her hands and the possibility that he might lean in and try to kiss her or the mysterious stalker who was coming after her tonight. Everything about Seth twisted Jayd into pretzels. She doubted he suspected the extent of her feelings, the enormous crush she had on him since first seeing the masseuse. At first, Jayd thought Seth was gay. Seth had asked to only work on male clients. After she got to know him better, she chided herself for thinking that, because by no means was he attracted to men. He said he preferred working on men. However, the massage therapist did have quite a following. Every time Seth was scheduled, he was booked. Except today. No matter how much of a great worker he was, she would never admit how she felt about him. Nor would she confide in him that she always counted the days when he would come into work. For the two years since Seth was hired, he had never missed a scheduled day. Seth always deflected any personal questions, but in a nice way. He was always punctual and volunteered to stay late if she needed the help. He never came onto her or made her feel uncomfortable. When they were alone together, he normally kept his distance. This morning was the first time she remembered him touching her of his own free will. Jayd never saw him hanging out with friends or had anyone come in and visit him. He was calm, cool, collected, and so damn fine she wanted to jump him every time he appeared at the store.
God, it's been a long time since I've been on a date with anyone. The business takes up so much of my time, and then with this crazy stalker after me, I haven't wanted to go out with anyone. Besides that, I need to get laid. Maybe after all this Seth and I can ... no. Bad idea. I have a rule about dating my employees. But today, he looked at me and I thought I saw interest from him. And I almost let myself slip about telling him I wanted to spend more time together.
I have to pull myself together. I have to stay focused. She glanced at Seth again. He was reading something on Egyptian history. Once and a while, he chuckled, turning his lips up into an inviting smile at the words. His dreads hung halfway down his back and jingled every time he moved. Egyptian symbols were woven into them. She knew he had several ankhs but was never too sure on the rest of the symbols except the Eye of Horus. She was never good about history and mythology, and whenever she saw him in his off time, he was always reading and was more knowledgeable than she about the past. His voice was low, with a hint of an exotic accent that had been tamed over time. Seth reminded her of a wild animal caught up in some kind of cage, the way he stalked her store. It was a panther or a lion. She didn't know if there was anything higher on the food chain, but whatever it was, it was Seth. His features were chiseled from the most beautiful onyx. His skin gleamed even in the faintest light. Everything about him reminded her of dark, creamy chocolate, and she loved dark chocolate.
Her stomach lurched forward when she thought of the way his fingers would feel winding through her curly hair. Would they be velvety soft on her cheek? Would his lips touch her delicate places that had been hidden from men for so long? I can't think about this. I have a store to run and a schedule to redo.
"Jayd?” The chimes jingled when the door hit them. Jayd looked up and saw Aubrey standing in the doorway. The incense smoke that surrounded her had made her seem hazy and out of sorts.
Jayd smiled when the other massage therapist walked in. “Hey, Aubrey. Thanks for closing up for me yesterday.” Jayd looked down at the schedule and noticed she was not on it.
"Why are you here?” Aubrey asked.
Jayd noticed Seth looking up at the new arrival over his book. Aubrey hadn't noticed that Seth was there yet. “Ahh, I work here. I own the place. Why wouldn't I be here?” She crossed her arms over her chest and tried not to stare at Aubrey. She wondered what Aubrey's intent was for saying what she had said.
"No, no. Sorry, I mean ... I was just saying that you said you came down with something yesterday, and it was so sudden I thought you'd be home in bed sleeping the bug off. Or maybe curled up with some tea trying to get over the flu. I figured I'd come in and keep an eye on the place while you were out of commission. What are friends for?” Aubrey smiled.
Relief washed over Jayd. Yes, what were friends for? She was too on edge not to trust one of the only people she considered a friend in the shop. Aubrey had been with her since the first day she had decided to do massages. Aubrey had been a godsend over the past few years, being there when Jayd needed her. Of course she's thinking about the shop and how I was doing. I have to get this stalker out of my mind. Before you know it, I'll be seeing enemies everywhere. Like the silly crow I keep seeing. I know it's not the same one. It can't be. It's just different ones and I happen to focus on it whenever I see one. “I'm sorry, Aubrey. It's been a tough night. Thank you for wanting to look after the shop. I do appreciate it. However, Seth and I have got it covered."
"We sure do,” Seth chimed in. He made it a point to put his book down and stand up to his full six-feet-five frame. Aubrey turned and looked at him when Jayd did.
"Seth, my goodness, I didn't know you were scheduled today. Well, I'm glad to see that you're in capable hands. Since that's the case, I will let the two of you get back to whatever it was you were doing. Jayd, I'll see you soon."
Jayd watched Aubrey stop for a split second and stare at Seth. The tension in the air mounted between them. Jayd had never seen Aubrey act unkindly toward the other massage therapist. On the contrary, she was always willing to help him out if he ever needed it. The shop owner watched when Seth crossed his arms over his chest and stared back at Aubrey. His jovial demeanor changed and he got serious. The other massage therapist's eyes went between Seth and herself. Jayd wondered if Aubrey thought there was something going on between her and Seth.
"My God, I'm being so rude. Seth, I'm sorry. I just haven't seen in you so lo
ng.” Aubrey threw her arms around Seth. A large smile appeared on his face when he hugged her lightly. A bolt of jealousy ran through Jayd when she saw Seth in another woman's arms. It wasn't right. She knew that, but it still made her green. He met Jayd's eyes and she looked away when he released Aubrey. “How are you?"
Seth chuckled. “I'm fine. Thanks, Aubrey. It's good to see you too. I..."
The bells rattled above the door. Jayd looked over to the entrance and saw a tall, blond man dressed all in black standing there. Seth stopped talking to Aubrey. Jayd stared between the newcomer and Seth. Whatever tension there had been between him and Aubrey now doubled to almost cuttable. Terror filled her gut. Whoever this new guy was, she doubted he was here to buy something. He didn't seem the type to be interested in an occult bookshop. His blond hair was bound in a short ponytail. He appeared to be carved from ice. He was the exact opposite of Seth in every way. Jayd swallowed. Aubrey backed away from the two men to avoid being in the middle of them.
"Seth."
"Arik, what are you doing here?"
Jayd watched when the stranger stared down Seth. No one ever came in here looking for him. Was he in trouble? Had he done something and now this guy was coming to collect on a bad debt? Was Seth a criminal and the blond was a bounty hunter come to haul him off to jail? Arik's gray eyes caught Jayd's. They reminded her of the color of thick fog on an overcast day. There was a weight on her mind as if someone was pressing against her forehead the longer she was captured by his gaze. She tried to look away. It seemed if Arik was whispering inside her mind. It was a warning for her not to get involved with why he had come for Seth.
Whispers in the Dark [A Raven Saga Book 3] Page 5