"Arik!” Seth snapped.
The pressure was released on her thoughts. Arik's eyes were nothing more than dull gray eyes. She shook her head when a slight headache came over her, but she pushed it aside and focused on the two men.
"Um, Seth, who is this man?” Jayd asked. Seth went rigid when he took his eyes away from the newcomer and focused on her. Nothing of the cheerful man she cared for was in his nature. On the contrary, he seemed sharp and deadly, almost if he could kill without a thought. Oh God, I've employed a killer, and now his partner has come to call him out for something.
"Jayd, this is my friend Arik. He and I go way back."
"Seth, we need to talk,” Arik stated.
Jayd realized it was not a statement, but a command.
"Well, I'm going to get out of here before they come to blows,” Aubrey muttered when she slid behind Arik and went out of the door.
Seth didn't say anything, but walked over and grabbed his friend's wrist and hauled him into the one of the private rooms they used for massages. Jayd watched the two of them pass by her and heard the door slam. When they left, Jayd felt vulnerable and exposed. Her eyes checked the shadows, darting this way and that, but they were still insubstantial. There was nothing lurking in the darkness. There were no voices whispering nonsensical things in her mind. Jayd had a bad feeling about the stranger. He was going to take Seth away with him and leave her open to attack. Jayd put her hand to her chest when her heart began pounding like an over energized rabbit's foot thumping on the inside of her chest. Jayd had always assumed she was calm and collected, but in these past few months her world had been turned upside down. She needed some kind of order. Drawing in a breath, she stepped through the beads into the storeroom and decided she needed to rearrange everything. She needed something to keep her mind off the coming night that was drawing closer.
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Chapter Six
"What the hell do you mean by coming here? Bugging me in Raven form is one thing. But when I'm a man ... You had better have a good reason why you showed up here!” Seth seethed staring at Arik.
He had been surprised to see Aubrey. She was shocked to see Jayd. It was obvious that Jayd had not told the other massage therapist about what was going on with her. That made him feel privileged that Jayd had only shared her secret with him, even though it was a horrible secret. To have someone stalking her, and with his suspicions growing that it was a vampire, he knew he had to be ready because the buggers were hard to kill. They were similar to an infestation of cockroaches that kept breeding and breeding. The nest he and Arik had taken care of in the past had had at least thirty. It might have been more, but he didn't remember. It was so long ago. Right before Aubrey left, he sensed something about her he hadn't noticed before. He couldn't put his finger on it, but then in walked Arik. Seth assumed that he sensed the presence of his Raven Warrior brother and that it was throwing him off. He had been thrown off a lot today.
"I don't mean to interrupt you playing human, but you are being summoned.” Arik stared at him.
After a moment of waiting for the punch line, Seth realized that Arik was serious because his demeanor had not changed. It seemed to be growing darker by the minute.
"Who would be sending for me on my days off? Has Caleb deemed I have to go on an assignment? Have I overstepped my bounds? What is it?"
Arik ran his hand through his hair and pulled it free from his ponytail. “Seth, have you not heard Betha's calls? She was silently calling you at first, but now her screams are being heard by all. Soon she'll send either her banshees or the Shadows after you. Caleb got tired of her wails and sent me after you before the hounds were released. Have you been so engrossed in your mortal woman in there that you forgot what you are and who holds sway over you?"
"Great. Just great. I don't need this right now, Arik. I don't need to go to the Banshee Queen because she wants me to spy on Linnea and her children. Besides, Jayd can't be alone tonight."
Arik laughed, breaking some of the tension in the room. He leaned on the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why? Are you planning a romantic getaway between you two? I've seen how you look at her."
Seth felt fire touch his cheeks when he shook his head. “No. Nothing like that. Something is after her. I swore to her aunt, my last charge, that I would protect her. If I go to her Divine Majesty, can you watch over Jayd for me?” Seth hated to ask his brother to do it, but it was the only way he would feel okay with going to Betha. Now, when he concentrated, he heard the Banshee Queen's shrill cries. If mortals heard them, their brains would liquefy in an instant. To the Raven Warriors, it was akin hearing nails on a chalkboard. He wondered why he hadn't heard it before. Everything was turning upside down from his normal way of life. Arik's statement about him being engrossed with Jayd was preposterous. Was he mesmerized with Jayd?
"No can do, Seth. I already made plans with Julius and Rayhan. They want to go see what trouble we can stir up. The rest of them are busy, and our freed brothers are spending time with their heartmates. What about this human you're smitten with? Do you think she's your heartmate, Seth? Maybe that was why you were able to block out Betha."
Seth laughed. Jayd, his soul mate? The one to break his curse? He doubted that very much. She wasn't even magickal. The more he began to ponder the idea, the more impossible it seemed. “No. I just told her aunt that I'd watch out for her. She doesn't have anyone, and if what I think is coming to get her, she needs someone like us to protect her."
"That other one wasn't so bad on the eyes. I don't see how you work around humans and don't turn back into a Raven every time you see that gorgeous rack that walked out strolling by you all the time.” Arik licked his lips, and Seth could tell he was thinking about Aubrey.
"Arik, that is the difference between you and me. I don't see women's breasts as one of their assets to go gaga over."
His brother punched him in the chest and gave him a wide grin. His eyes sparkled in the dim light. “That is so the difference between you and me, brother."
Seth laughed and nodded stroking his chin. “Yeah, it is. That was also the thing that got you cursed from what I remember."
Arik opened his arms wide and spun around. “Hey, it's not my fault there were so many to choose from, and they all wanted a piece of me. I mean we're both prime specimens. It wasn't my fault that my betrothed realized I had bedded her mother, her sister, and..."
"The rest of the village. I know. I've heard the story a hundred times over. You were insatiable. I get it."
Arik laughed a little, but then his seriousness returned. “Seth, please answer Betha's calling. I'm getting a headache."
Seth threw up his hands. He was not going to get out of this one. The sooner he went, the sooner he would return and make sure Jayd was safe. First, he had to tell her that he was leaving. “Fine. Go tell Caleb I'll be there in a minute. I have to talk to Jayd first."
Arik bowed. Seth watched the long shadows in the room weave and wrap around the other Raven Warrior, enclosing him in a shroud until he was consumed. Once that happened, there was a bulge in the dimension where he stood, and then the space was empty. Betha's incessant screaming filled Seth's mind and were beginning to ring in his ears. He tried to force the cries to the back of his mind, but it only worked to dull them a little. He left the back room and closed the door softly. When he did not see Jayd in the main room of the shop, his heart went to lead and dropped to his feet. His breath caught in his throat.
"Jayd?"
He heard rustling coming from the storeroom. Without a thought, he summoned his sword to his hand. He changed his stance into the familiar one he was trained for, into that of a Warrior. He pulled back and let the sword lead him through the beads when he parted them with the blade. Cautiously, he poked his head in and saw Jayd up on her stepladder with her back turned to him. He stopped and let out a long sigh of relief. He found he was admiring her round bottom. He had never noticed it before. Also he
had never noticed the arch of her neck and how slender it was. Her skin was pale as a swan's feather. She was the total opposite of him. The blood rose to his face when he realized he was acting. This is silly. Jayd and I are not soul mates. How can she be my heartmate when she isn't even magickal?
Jayd turned around and jumped, clutching her chest when she realized he was behind her. He still had the sword in his hand, but when she turned, he dropped it, and it vanished into thin air.
"What was that?” she asked.
"What was what?” he asked innocently.
She shook her head. “Nothing. I must be seeing things from the all the stress I'm under. I swore you had a sword in your hand just a minute ago."
He smiled at her and offered her his hand so she could step down from the stepstool. “Nope. No sword. Look, Jayd...” The Raven Warrior lost his train of thought when Jayd laid her hand in his.
There was a spark between them which had been waiting to ignite. Seth couldn't deny it. The pull he felt between them made the shrieks of the Banshee Queen inaudible. All he heard was the blood pounding in his veins and in Jayd's. His groin tightened. His body should have been transforming back to Raven form right about now, but it wasn't. They stared at one another. Jayd's eyes widened. Her breathing quickened. And then Seth was lost in her sparkling eyes. Seth was enraptured. Without thinking, he wrapped his hand around her waist and gently pulled her into him. His palm fit the curve of her hip. At first, he thought that Jayd wasn't going to respond, but after a moment's hesitation, she melted against him. With his other hand, once entwined with her fingers, he lifted her chin up so Seth could taste her lips. She was a good foot shorter than him, but he didn't care. All he saw was Jayd. The whole world had fallen away for Seth in that instant. He forgot he ever was a Raven Warrior and from Ancient Egypt. In this frozen second of time, he was only a mortal man whose heart was swelling with love at the realization he had found the one woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Slowly, Seth lowered his lips to hers and kissed her lightly, not wanting to force himself on her. Jayd tasted sweet like ripe strawberries. Seth had desired to do this thing for so long. What would Jayd do if his curse turned him back? What would Jayd think if he approached her? Had she wanted him the same way he did her? All these were questions and concerns which had held him back.
A soft sigh escaped Jayd's lips and breathed over his when he pulled away. For years, he had thought his curse would never end. Now that he'd endured forever, he knew it was for this one moment. The Raven Warrior wanted to draw Jayd up in his arms and crush her to his body. He wanted to feel all of her pressed against him. He wanted to run the hand that rested lightly on her hip along the curve of her back and make her shiver from the caresses he could give her. His curse had been bestowed upon him so he could discover the one being he could have eternity with. When Seth pulled away, he waited for his body to tighten and for feathers to sprout from the tiny pores presently occupied by hair.
Nothing happened.
His fingers didn't darken into hard talons, and his spine didn't bow with the anticipation of wings. Jayd was his salvation. Is this how Tremain and Darius felt when they realized their heartmates were in their arms? Wetness streaked down his cheek. Thank you, great goddess. Thank you, Nephthys, for giving me a second chance. If she accepts me, I will bring her under your wings for your protection. No. Wait. I've already given my gift away. Great goddess, is it fair to dangle such a prize over my...
"Seth?"
He heard Jayd through a long tunnel. Seth had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he had almost forgotten she was there. He blinked and saw her look of concern. “Yes, Jayd."
He reached for her again, but she stepped back. A sharp blow hit his heart shattering it into a million splinters with a battering ram. She does not want me. After all of this, I should have known. My curse will remain and Jayd will never know how I feel. Whatever happens between us, I will make sure she will be safe. Damn Betha and her summons.
"Where is your friend?"
Seth put on a strong face. “He left. Jayd, I hate to do this to you, but..."
"You have to leave. I kinda figured when he showed up. Does this mean that you're quitting? Was he a hit man? Are you one? Are you in trouble?"
Seth's lips curled at her questions. Her mind was making wild assumptions about him and his brother. If only you knew the truth, beautiful one. If only I could tell you and not expose my secret. He grabbed her shoulders and stared her in the eye. He brushed her mind with his power. Seth had been furious that Arik had entered Jayd's thoughts when he had come into the shop. His brother had no reason to, and Arik knew it, too. “Jayd, I swear I will be back. I only have an errand to run. I'm not in trouble.” I don't think. “And no, I'm not a hit man. What I do in the time I'm not here is hard to explain. Let's just say I watch out for people.” He used his power to reassure her that he would return. No matter what, he would be back before midnight. Betha's screaming was making it hard to think. When he looked around, he noticed the shadows seemed longer and thicker. The queen was getting ready to send her guards to retrieve him.
"I have to go. I'll be back. Promise."
She nodded. There were tears in her eyes. He couldn't tell if it was because she was terrified of him leaving her alone or if it was because she wanted to be close to him. Seth was not about to read her thoughts. It was an invasion of privacy unless he was connected with his charges. He was against departing, but he also didn't want to expose Jayd to the Shadows either. They could be brutal with mortals. He was not going to let them get their hands on her.
"Seth, please don't leave me alone.” The slight whimper in her voice cut him to the quick.
"Jayd, I don't have a choice. I have to go."
"Why?"
Seth sighed. He growled and smashed his fist into the wall. Jayd jumped and a strangled cry caught in her throat. He was better at controlling his emotions in normal situations. The beads shook. The Raven Warrior hated that he scared Jayd, but the screaming in his head was getting unbearable. No matter how much he tried to block it out now, he could not. The cold of the other world was pressing down on him. Soon Betha would pull him against his will, because she had the power to do that. “Jayd, I can't tell you. Please don't make me wait any longer to go."
She stepped back and looked away from him. There was defeat in her eyes. If she only knew the real reason. It's only to protect you, he wanted to say to her. It's only to make sure you're safe. He reached out a hand to her, but curled his fingers in toward his palm before he got to her cheek. It would be too much to touch her supple flesh and not be able to think that she would want him again. He yearned to put his hands over his ears and block out the screeching. The triple raven brand on his left shoulder began to itch. It was the symbol of his curse, a sign of the dark goddess who ruled them. All his brothers had it. Now his was burning, and he was being pulled. Seth used all his will to try and fight the pull of the Banshee Queen. A sharp pain sliced him through the stomach. He doubled over. Jayd stepped forward to help him. Seth couldn't dig his heels in anymore. He didn't want to frighten Jayd or reveal himself, but he couldn't hold on anymore. He reached out his hand to Jayd. Her fingers only touched his fingertips. At that moment, his power wrapped around him. The coolness of the shadows embraced him when he flattened and moved through the Grey, a shadow himself, until he appeared kneeling at the feet of the Banshee Queen, sword in hand, like a knight of old before heading off to a quest or facing certain death.
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Chapter Seven
Jayd stared at the spot Seth had occupied. One minute he was there. The next he was gone. Like a vanishing ghost. Like he never had existed before. This is not possible. He was just here. I know he was. Seth is real. He kissed me. He held me in his arms. I felt the heat of his body against mine.
Jayd shook her head and stepped to where he had been. She reached out and moved her hand through the empty space where Seth had stood. It seemed a
tad colder than the air around her. Puzzlement worked through her mind and painted her face. Jayd had never minded puzzles, but this one was over the top. Horror filled her. Her first thoughts of Seth's disappearance were that he was the one who d been stalking her. He had the time off enough to do it. The more she agonized over it, the more her gut told her she was drawing the wrong conclusion. Seth had made it a point to keep her calm. He had told her he was going to watch out for her. The look on his face when she asked him why he had to go was agonizing. Then he had doubled over in pain.
He wants to tell me what's going on, but he can't. I bet it has something to do with why he only works on the three days of the full moon. Maybe that was why he couldn't tell me what was going on. Maybe I'm just losing my mind. All of this is too crazy. People don't just disappear into thin air. People ... Fear gripped Jayd. She stumbled back into one of the shelves holding her containers of herbs. The bottles banged together from the vibration of her impact. Luckily, they did not fall. Her hand flew to her lips. Seth had kissed her so softly. He had a heart. He was a regular man. But he wasn't a man. He was something else. She slid down the shelves, not caring about the splinters that embedded themselves in her back. Once on the floor, she pulled her knees up to her chest and let her head sink against them. Everything inside of her was going numb. Her mind reeled over all the possibilities. It made her flash back to some of the stories her Aunt Gabrielle had told her when she was a child.
Her aunt used to tell her tales about fairies and creatures that went bump in the night. Jayd had never believed the fables about her aunt being able to pull fire from thin air. Then again, she was never sure about magic in general. To Jayd, it was all smoke and mirrors, something to be seen in a Las Vegas hotel where lions hovered over the audience and chimps appeared in the seat next to you. She never considered herself much of a believer in the supernatural. Even with the yarns Gabrielle had told her. There had been one story that Jayd had loved to hear. It was about a mysterious stranger who had rescued her aunt from three horrible men. Her aunt had told her the men were evil fairies pretending to be demons because she wanted to become more powerful, but she was young and didn't know any better. However, the man who had rescued her aunt was dark and carried a silver sword that had glinted in the firelight. Gabrielle didn't get a good look at him except to say he was tall, strong, and the fairies were afraid of him. After that, her aunt had always said that they both had a guardian angel, and Jayd didn't have to worry about anything bad coming to get her. Maybe Seth was that guardian angel.
Whispers in the Dark [A Raven Saga Book 3] Page 6