by Jane Cousins
No. He wouldn’t tell Nico about this just yet. Not until he’d come up with a way to discover if this new information would be of any help what so ever. No point in upsetting the life they had made for themselves here. No point in running off half cocked.
Matias grimaced down at the hundreds of folders detailing their search for Copper and the answers to what had happened that day on the Merry Maverick. Fuck, and one more question to add to the pile, why was he remembering the tablet now?
What was different about today? There was mention in his personal log of a car accident yesterday. Had something happened that triggered the memory? The mysterious monster he’d supposedly fought off? Could it be the same creature that killed everyone on board the Merry Maverick? Certainly if the fresh, almost healed scars on his chest were an indicator, it very well might be. They eerily matched the old scars on his shoulder raking down to his elbow and the shallower ones on the backs of his hands.
Fuck, why now?
He would keep the information to himself for the moment... speaking of which.
He’d just finished recording the new information onto the MP3 audio file and making several notes in his journal, highlighted by slashing asterisks, when he heard Nico call his name.
Nico! Suddenly he needed to see his brother. See with his own eyes that he was okay. Reassure himself that though his life was a daily nightmare there was still one good thing left to live... to fight for.
* * *
Quinn released a short bitter laugh as she pulled the handbrake and contemplated her destination. The Five Alarm Bar. The exact place she had sworn to avoid at all costs, doubly so since her encounter with Matias Yanez yesterday.
But life was funny like that. Throwing up challenges. Planting pitfalls around blind corners. Thankfully she was a competent, professional, resilient woman, she would handle this with poise and dignity. Yet it felt like Fate... and the weather, were plotting against her.
Grrr... she was just feeling out of sorts. Thanks to the rain this morning she’d been unable to perform her sun salutation yoga and she felt antsy. Her skin too tight and strangely tingly.
Yes, the way she was feeling today could definitely be blamed on the deviation from her strict schedule. In no way did her discomfort have anything to do with her interaction with that... that annoying man.
Okay, she might have tossed and turned last night, restless. Plagued by the constant replay in her head of the anomaly. Matias sprawled out naked beneath her. His hands reaching for her whilst she leant down to... crap, it had been a year since she’d experienced the vision and yet it still felt raw and compelling. Made her skin tingle in memory, her heart race, her sex ache. Seeing Matias yesterday had brought all these feelings… sensations back to the surface once more.
Damn, she needed to stop thinking about the surly, gruff asshole, and come up with a plan to avoid him today.
Which shouldn’t be hard, given the crowd. It was a wedding after all. Matias would hopefully be trapped behind the bar. And she could always feign a patient emergency and leave early. Tricky though, since most of her patients would be attending the wedding, but not insurmountable.
Slowly, Quinn released a deep breath, she could do this. Pushing open the car door, she snapped open her umbrella and made a fast run for the covered sidewalk. Whew. There she joined the crowd steadily streaming into the Bar.
Pity the heavy low pressure system had been so vast, otherwise one of her magically air-talented relatives would have been able to blow the system out to sea. Then they could have gone ahead with the original plan of a beach wedding, followed by a celebratory party in the adjacent park.
Still, with only limited time to decorate the substitute venue, the relatives had done everyone proud. Large silver urns sat on tall pedestals, placed back against the walls, filled with elegant white roses, lush peonies and frothy green ferns. Thousands of fairy-lights were strung across the ceiling, intermingled with garlands of velvety white daises. The mass kept aloft by magic. Whilst delicate silver dragonflies buzzed around lazily overhead, mingling with fluttering diamanté butterflies and darting, sparkling, glass hummingbirds.
Quinn made her way through the gathering crowd, heading for the rear of the Bar. The glass doors had been pushed back and a tent attached to the rear of the building, covering the large outdoor space. The decorating committee’s touch had extended to the tent. Candelabras hung from the tent roof, candlelight casting a warm soft glow, counteracting the gloomy grey skies outside. More flowers and fairy-lights completed the picture. The place looked lovely.
Quinn smiled as she spotted her cousins Gigi and Darcy standing off to one side. Sidling over, she greeted them. “Hey. You both look great.”
Gigi was wearing a vintage, silk printed dress in a purple that matched her lovely eyes. Whilst Darcy, with her Louise Brooks styled black short hair, rocked thigh high yellow patent leather boots, a yellow plaid mini skirt and a baby doll short-sleeve cardigan.
“Oh, I love that dress.” Gigi admired Quinn. “Did Riya make it for you?”
“Yes. She dropped it over last night.” And Quinn had hummed and hawed for a good hour over whether to wear it today. Not that it was racy or revealing. It was just that the dress was perhaps a little too flattering... which sounded whiney and ungrateful, and that was the reason she’d chosen to wear it in the end.
It reminded Quinn of something from the flapper era. With two layers of material, the delicate gold strappy under layer clung to her curves, ending high on her thighs. Whilst the antique gold lace second layer had a higher neckline and fell to her knees. Matching lace long sleeve gloves completed the picture.
The colour complimented her skin tones and looked incredibly daring without in reality delivering anything risqué. With her hair in a loose side plait, wispy white gold tendrils caressing her bare neck, Quinn felt both beautiful and stylish. Thank Goddess for Riya, whose magical dress-making skills never made her feel like she was going down the white gloved grandma fashion pathway.
“Oh, game faces on.” Gigi elbowed them both. “It’s starting.”
Eli, in a white strapless gown with an overlay of fine lace, decorated with tiny sparkling daisies, looked gorgeous as she exchanged vows with her meld mate, Rafe, Elite Warrior of Maat.
The groom, tall and handsome in black formal trousers and a black shirt, appeared slightly stunned at his immense good luck as he placed the wedding ring on Eli’s finger.
“She looks so happy.” Quinn commented as the newly married couple took to the dance floor.
“Yes. Though I must say it’s an unusual song to choose.” Gigi smiled as the orchestral rendition of It’s A Small World, flowed from the speaker system.
“She’s high on good sex.” Darcy groused, glaring daggers at the oblivious couple.
Gigi laughed. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“I’m far from anti-good sex. I’m just anti all the meld hoopla of tying yourself to one man for the rest of your very, very long life.”
“Don’t start.” Quinn warned.
“I’m not going on a rant. Not when I’m surrounded by this many family meld couples who drank the Kool-aide. I’m just saying that I despise the fact that when it comes to our love lives... Fate, or Destiny, or whoever is in charge of this sock puppet show, seems to strip away all our free will.”
Quinn coughed into her gloved hand. “Control issues.”
Gigi hid a smile. “Well, Eli doesn’t look like she has been brainwashed.”
“Far from it.” Quinn agreed. “If anything, there is a peaceful quality, an acceptance that she never had before. As if Rafe... balances her.”
“Thank Goddess you didn’t say he completes her. First I would have gagged, then I would have had to find a way to hurt you.”
Quinn grinned at Darcy. “Ooooh, look how scared I am at your empty threats. We both know you are just channelling your anger at Great-Aunt Alma onto the nearest convenient target.”
“I’
m surprised you aren’t stalking our devious family match maker and plotting her downfall right here, right now.” Gigi observed.
Darcy’s left eyelid twitched ever so slightly, but for her she might as well have screamed feeling guilty about something.
“Oh, what did you do?” Quinn stared in horror at her cousin.
“You’ve killed her, haven’t you?” Gigi turned very pale.
“I haven’t killed anyone.” Darcy protested. “Um... hold on, let me clarify that statement to - I haven’t killed Alma.”
Gigi was standing on tip toes, surveying the crowd frantically for some sign of their Great-Aunt.
Quinn eyed Darcy with a steely glare. “Okay, not killed then. How about trap, incapacitate, detain illegally, abduct-”
“I’m innocent. Okay, not innocent. But you know, some equally goody-two shoes word that means I didn’t do anything to Great-Aunt Alma... yet, anyway.”
“It’s okay, I see her.” Gigi relaxed. “She’s on the other side of the room. And she doesn’t have any obvious injuries.”
“Huh, as if I’d ever leave a mark.” Darcy scoffed.
“Seriously, never take the stand if you are ever arrested on suspicion of murder.”
“You know my personal motto; no body, no trial.”
Gigi shook her head, laughing. “You need a new motto. Something a little less scary, like the early bird catches the worm.”
“We’ve gotten seriously off topic here.” Quinn interrupted. “Darcy, you’re hiding something, what is it?”
“I’m hiding a multitude of things. Not only did I sign a confidentiality agreement when I became Sanctuary Liaison, but you guys are always going on and on about not wanting to hear the details of my work.”
“Please, Goddess protect us. I like to sleep without waking up screaming every ten minutes.” Gigi shuddered and turned. “Oh, look champagne. I’ll go grab us some.”
Quinn studied Darcy for a moment longer, unconvinced. “Keep your secrets. But just remember, I also operate under a confidentiality code, so if you need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.”
Darcy’s chin dipped ever so slightly as she seemed to actually consider Quinn’s offer, before abruptly shifting her focus as Gigi reappeared with three full glasses. “It’s a party. Let’s celebrate.”
An hour and half later, Quinn was congratulating herself. The party was in full swing. She’d had a few drinks. Eaten lots of delicious finger food. Danced with her father, grandfather and two of her uncles. Now she only had to survive until the cutting of the cake and she could make good her escape.
Her plan of avoiding going anywhere near the bar was an official success. If you didn’t count the number of times her gaze had travelled there, that was.
There was just something about Matias Yanez. Something magnetic that kept her attention wandering his way every so often... okay, every few minutes.
It couldn’t be his sparkling personality. He scowled at everything and everyone.
Not that that seemed to stop the female contingent of the family from flirting with him. The Great-Great-Aunts in particular appeared to take great joy in trying to get a reaction from Matias. A futile quest it seems, as the man never cracked a smile or said more than two words. Leaving it up to Nico to soothe ruffled feathers or share a joke.
“What are you looking at?”
Quinn jumped and whirled to find her cousin, Fraser, standing behind her. “Nothing.”
Fraser’s crystal blue eyes contemplated the direction Quinn had been staring. “Sure, sure... nothing is looking particularly hot today.”
“Don’t be silly. I was just checking that the Great-Greats were behaving themselves.”
“And are they, behaving themselves? Keeping their hands to themselves... oh, asked and answered. Adelaide just pinched his cheek.”
Heavens, Matias would bite her hand off. Quinn whirled and then relaxed. Adelaide was leaning over the bar and chatting with Nico.
“Hmmm... so not him then, it must be the brother... oh, my...” Fraser had wicked observational skills. Not to mention her specialised magic gave her a very unique perspective.
“What, what do you see?”
Fraser was frowning, studying Matias hard. “I see... well, he’s kind of hard to see actually. Like a mirror reflecting sunlight... but silvery.”
“Silvery? Which emotion is silvery?”
Fraser saw people’s auras, columns of light and colour that indicated a person’s core beliefs and moral code. And if her magic had just stopped there, all would have been fine. Unfortunately for Fraser, she was an emotional tuning fork. So if you were a predominantly angry person, around Fraser, you would go nuclear.
Jealous people became overwhelmed with irrational blind rage. Unhappy people burst into tears. Sleazy men wouldn’t take no for an answer. Kind people became insistent that they help you.
Unintentionally, thanks to her magic, too often Fraser started quarrels, brawls, fist fights and riots. To say Fraser, when possible, chose to stay out of the mundane world would be an understatement.
Frowning, Fraser continued to stare at Matias. “I’ve never see anyone...” Fraser squinted slightly. “Shine like that before...” Turning back, she looked at Quinn, worry in those crystal blue depths. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Quinn stepped closer, concerned. “Are you okay?” Fraser’s power had been spiking lately, getting stronger, the myriad of aura colours growing brighter and more defined. Her magnification of emotions stronger. “Is it the crowd?”
“No. Since most everyone here is family, I’m good. And those that aren’t, it’s not a big deal. The brave Elite Warriors not melded into the grid only feel braver.” Fraser smoothed down her black strapless bridesmaid dress, overlaid with a layer of fine black lace studded with sparkling, tiny, jet coloured daisies. Absently Fraser reached up to check on her dark golden blonde hair braided in an intricate coronet, studded with black daisy hair pins.
Her cousin seemed nervous. No, it was more than that. Fraser seemed scared.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Fraser smiled, but it had a bitter edge to it, as she leant closer so no one could eavesdrop. “I think... I’m beginning to see things that aren’t there.”
Quinn reached out with her gloved hand to capture Fraser’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Things?”
“It started about a few weeks ago, there was this... presence, in the corner of the room. At first I thought it was a trick of the light. Just a shadow.”
“A person?”
Fraser shook her head, frustration warring with the fear. “It’s hard to explain.”
“Just take your time.”
“It was indistinct at first... just a blob of ill defined colour... grey. It’s been getting stronger. The grey is more luminous now, with a pearly lustre. And it’s bigger. A lot bigger.”
“How big?”
Fraser swallowed hard. “Tall as a man.”
“Anyone you recognise?”
“No, it’s still blob like... except this morning... this morning when I woke up I looked in the corner where it usually stays and I thought I saw... it felt like it was watching me.”
Damn. That couldn’t be good. “The colour. What does that shade mean?”
“Protector.”
There was something in the way Fraser said the word that had Quinn worried. “Why is that bad?”
Fraser crossed her arms, as if she were suddenly cold. “Because it’s not me it’s protecting, I think it might see me as the threat.”
Quinn winced. “What can I do?”
“Tell me I’m not crazy.”
Quinn forced a smile. “You’re family, of course you’re crazy.”
Fraser laughed. “True. Okay, then tell me I’m not delusional or being paranoid.”
Quinn frowned slightly. “I think your powers are changing. We’ve discussed this. Maybe it’s just a new aspect of your magic.”
�
�Wonderful.” Fraser hugged herself. “I wish I could just write this off as a lingering ghost or something.”
Quinn winced in sympathy. Their family members were very long lived and when they did die, they were pretty jazzed about seeing what was on the other side. Things rarely went bump in the Sanctuary; they were generally too busy exploding thanks to someone’s magic gone awry. “Maybe it is a ghost... it’s not impossible.”
Fraser shook her head, smiling fleetingly as she caught a glimpse of her younger sister, Eli, on the dance floor, snuggling up to her besotted groom. Turning her attention back to Quinn. “It doesn’t feel like anyone... familiar.”
“What does it feel like?”
“Dangerous. Of course I am an artist, perhaps my imagination is just getting the better of me.”
“Maybe.” Quinn agreed with a weak smile. “Perhaps you need to lay off the dark, eerie graphic novels, and focus more on the light, fluffy nursery murals.”
“Speaking of which. I should have some mock ups for Hadleigh to look over next week.”
Quinn smiled. “I’m glad she called you.”
“Oh, she called alright. I think she might have been killing several somethings when she rang though. There was an awful lot of pleading for mercy and screaming going on in the background.”
“All I care is that she called. I’ll make sure she books a time for next week to run through your ideas and turns up. In the meantime, about the other thing, maybe you should stay somewhere else for a while.”
Fraser’s gaze darted off to a nearby corner for a split second. “Shadows are everywhere, Quinn. Hiding won’t help.”
“Have you tried talking to it?”
“Conversing with the imaginary shadowy blob following me around? Doesn’t that strike you as a little too Harvey-esque crazy?”
Quinn shrugged. “If it turns out to be a giant talking rabbit, call me asap. But what can it hurt to try? This is magic we’re talking about here. And maybe it will give you a few answers.”
“What about if I don’t like those answers?” Fraser grimaced.