“What do you mean?” I asked. He’d put his hand on my elbow as we walked to the waiting car in my driveway, a sleek red coupe. “You think it’s the stone that makes me react the way I do around Leo?” I had never thought of that.
“No, it just makes Leo…” He struggled, as if searching for the right words. “It makes Leo harder to resist.”
I’d stopped a few feet from the car. I could see Leo’s silhouette in the driver’s seat, the dying sun glinting off his golden hair. “How?”
“It makes him stronger,” he said. “Look, can we talk about this later? We just need to get through tonight.”
I nodded. I didn’t think I was prepared for any more detailed explanations at the moment. “What do I do? Is there anything I can do to keep him from doing his hypnosis thing?”
“Try not to look at him,” he said. I knew this much. “Don’t touch him…and sit where I can touch you. If he goes too far, I can bring you back. Kind of.”
He opened the back passenger door and helped me in.
“Hello, Valerie.” Leo’s voice was warm and inviting. “You look stunning. Utterly delectable.”
“Thanks.” I kept my head down and my eyes averted. It sounded as though he was describing a dessert, something he meant to consume. My skin tingled.
“Where to?” he asked smoothly.
I gave him directions and we drove mostly in silence. Leo attempted to start a conversation several times during the twenty minute drive but Noel deflected, answering questions for me. If it had been any other situation, I would have been irritated by his domineering demeanor. However, tonight I was grateful for Noel’s intervention. Anything to keep me away from Leo.
We arrived to a crowd milling about outside the restaurant and my heart sank. We were going to be waiting for hours.
Leo went inside to add his name. “Forty minutes,” he said. He stood close to me and I could feel the heat emanating from his body. Noel moved next to me on the other side, his arm touching mine, cooling me down, keeping me focused.
Forty minutes. I didn’t know if I could stand next to Leo that long. I already felt my insides warming, the anxiety and apprehension slowly melting away.
Noel looked at me and whispered, “Stay here and don’t look at him. Don’t talk to him. I’ll be right back.” He disappeared into the restaurant.
I did my best. I scanned the crowd for Geoff but didn’t see him.
“Is this a favorite restaurant of yours?” Leo’s voice dripped over me like melted honey.
I willed myself not to respond, to avoid reacting to his voice. I did feel stronger without the stone burning a hole in my pocket, but not much.
“Talk to me,” he urged. “I want you to talk to me. Valerie…” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hand approach, seeking mine, and I tried to move. But I couldn’t.
“Enough.” Noel moved between me and Leo, breaking the connection his brother had forced. He glared at him. “Honestly, can you give it a rest for a minute?”
“Why should I?” Leo asked. “This is what I’m here for, remember?”
“You don’t play fair,” he countered.
Leo smiled. “Who said I had to?”
I had no idea what they were talking about. Noel referred to the evening as if it were some kind of game…and I was the prize.
Noel frowned but didn’t respond. Instead, he said, “Come on, our table’s ready.”
“How?” I asked. I may have been in the midst of succumbing to Leo’s warm weaving of words but I didn’t think forty minutes had vanished into thin air.
Noel leaned in so only I could hear. “Money talks.”
The hostess led us to our table, the exact place I’d sat only days before with my parents. Leo and Noel both moved to pull a chair out for me but I sat in the one Noel offered. A slight frown clouded Leo’s face.
“So that’s how we’re going to play,” he murmured.
The waiter came and I opted for something different this time, beef with broccoli. Noel and Leo studied their menus, undecided.
“What’s good here?” Noel’s eyes scanned the menu.
“Everything,” I said. “What do you like?”
“I like you,” Leo said. I made the mistake of looking at him. His eyes bored into me, those liquid brown eyes that saw into the very depths of my soul. I leaned toward him, warming to his strong, magnetic pull.
I felt Noel’s cool hand on my knee, steadying me.
And so the evening progressed, with Leo trying to work his magic and Noel providing a safe harbor during his stormy assaults. I downed my meal in a matter of minutes but Leo ate slowly, savoring every bite.
Noel watched him, irritated. He’d finished the same time I had. “Leo, there are people waiting,” he said, looking pointedly at the crowd gathered by the entrance.
I followed his gaze and saw Geoff. He was standing with a girl and he was glaring at me.
Chapter 24
I stood up.
“Um, I need to use the restroom,” I said. Leo and Noel both stood, as well.
“I’ll come with you,” Leo said. He reached for my arm but I was able to sidestep him. I couldn’t imagine what might happen if he escorted me. I’d probably never come back.
“No, I’ll take her.” Noel stood.
I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be right back.” I left the table before they could stop me.
“When did you get here?” I asked Geoff.
“A few minutes ago. How did you get seated so quickly?” He looked different, I thought. I studied him, trying to pinpoint what it was. He wore jeans and a tie-dyed Bob Marley tee. His hair was combed slightly forward, hiding his ears. I looked closer and saw a glint of silver, a tiny hoop earring in his left ear. I was certain it was new.
I answered him. “Noel convinced the hostess.”
“The dark-haired one?” the girl asked. I nodded and she said, “he’s gorgeous. They’re both gorgeous.”
Geoff made introductions. “Valerie, this is Fanchon. Fanchon, Valerie. This is Hope’s daughter—the woman I want you to talk to.”
I said a polite hello and tried not to stare at her. She was petite, shorter even than me, and pencil-thin. Her fiery red hair was cut short, pixie-like, and her blue eyes were ringed with heavy black eyeliner. She sported several piercings of her own; a diamond stud in her nose, a silver ring in either eyebrow and, as she spoke, I noticed another in her tongue. I cringed just thinking of the level of pain involved in getting those.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Her smile was friendly.
“How’s it going so far?” Geoff asked.
I shrugged. “OK, I guess. Noel’s doing a good job of keeping things under control.” I tried not to reveal too much, especially with Fanchon standing there, bright-eyed and interested. She stared, fascinated, it seemed, at my two dates. “We’re almost done. With dinner.”
“Good.” He lowered his voice. “Listen. I know you didn’t want me to but I talked to Hope --”
I pulled him away from Fanchon. “What did you tell her?” My fingers dug into his arm.
“Ouch. Nothing specific. I just asked her about stones…amulets and charms and stuff. She knows a little about Celtic stuff. She said you—we—could come by this weekend. If you want. I didn’t say anything about the stone you found. I promise.”
I let go of him. I didn’t want to need help, especially from someone I’d never met. I glanced at Noel and Leo. They were deep in conversation. I sighed. I was in way over my head and I knew I needed help.
I relented. “When do we go?”
“Either day. She said to just stop by.”
We rejoined Fanchon. If she’d overheard anything, she didn’t let on.
“The band starts in thirty minutes,” Fanchon said, checking the neon blue watch strapped to her wrist. “We’re going to have to eat fast.”
“Where are you guys going?”
“Joe’s Java—My Big Reveal is playing,” Geoff said.
Fanchon looked over me, focusing on the table where my two dates sat. Her expression was clouded, as if her mind was elsewhere. She shook her head as if trying to clear it and smiled, bringing her attention back to me and Geoff.
“Geoff’s only their biggest fan ever,” she said. “It borders on stalking.” She grinned at Geoff. “Have you ever missed one of their shows?”
Geoff snorted. “Of course. But only the ones in clubs where I can’t get in.” They both laughed.
He turned to me. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
I nodded. “I’m fine. Go to your concert.”
He sighed. “OK.”
They left. I visited the bathroom before returning to the table. Leo had finished his dinner; our plates were gone and a smaller plate filled with fortune cookies sat waiting. Inwardly, I groaned. I didn’t think I could handle another insightful, telling fortune. I approached the table.
“…kind. Pure. Good.” Noel was speaking, his eyes on his brother. His voice was low, making it hard to hear. “…unlike any one I’ve met in a long time. Too long.”
Leo was much louder. “So what? You’re being ridiculous,” he said. “I want to be alone with her, dammit.”
“No,” Noel said. “She’s vulnerable. She wouldn’t stand a chance against you by herself.”
“I know. That’s how it should be.” He ran his finger along the rim of his glass. “You’ve never played protector before. Why now?”
“Because the stakes are too high, Leo. You know that.”
Leo chuckled. “You’re just afraid you’re going to lose. It’s not your season, brother.”
“I don’t care about winning or losing.” Noel looked furious. “I care about her.”
“That’s always been your problem,” Leo remarked casually. “You get too involved.”
“And you’re too callous,” Noel retorted.
Leo smiled. “Fun-loving, yes. Frivolous…maybe. But callous? Never.” From where I stood, I could feel the warmth behind that smile, like bottled sunshine.
Noel noticed me then. “When did you get back?”
“Um, I don’t know…” I was having a hard time focusing.
“Sit,” Leo invited. “We were just about to read our fortunes.” His eyes met mine and the conversation I’d overheard floated away as his words washed over me.
Noel handed one to me before Leo could make the attempt. “Here,” he said.
I waited for them to open theirs. Leo cracked one open and read the message aloud.
“You have an unusually magnetic personality.” He said this in a satisfied voice, as if he’d expected nothing less from his fortune. He looked at his brother. “What’s yours say?”
“Keep your plans secret for now.” Noel sounded upset, angry even.
Leo laughed out loud, an infectious laugh that sounded like music. I’d never heard him laugh. It pierced my defenses like the sharpest of swords, the walls of protection I’d put up for the evening crumbling under his melodious assault.
Noel’s hand covered mine and he squeezed. “Tell us your fortune.”
My head cleared enough to read the fortune I didn’t want. “Let your heart make your decisions. It does not get as confused as your head.” Apparently, the seer who was in charge of my fortunes did not realize the effect Leo had on me. He could overrule my head and my heart.
It was Noel’s turn to laugh; his was soft and enchanting and worked its own subtle magic. “I think I’ve heard that before,” he said. “In art class…do you remember?”
The words he’d spoken to me earlier that day echoed in my head, an eerie reminder that this—all of the conversations and events happening around me and to me—were more than what they seemed.
I nodded. “I remember.”
I looked at him and smiled, a tentative but genuine smile. I knew then that Noel was trying to protect me. He had no motive other than to keep me and the stone away from Leo. I knew he would keep me safe.
It was Leo’s turn to look irritated. “Let’s go,” he said shortly. He threw a handful of bills on the table and strode toward the door.
“I think you won that round,” Noel whispered as we followed him to the car.
The ride home was silent and tense. Leo looked like a storm cloud on a summer day, ready to lash out at the slightest provocation. I wasn’t going to start a conversation with him under any circumstances but even Noel refrained from chatting. By the time we reached my house, though, the skies had cleared and he was his usual, sunny self.
“Thank you for coming,” Leo said to me. “This really wasn’t the evening I’d planned, you know. I’d hoped to spend some time getting to know you…without my brother playing chaperone. Can I at least walk you to the door?”
Noel started to protest but Leo silenced him. “I asked Valerie, not you. You’ll be right here watching. It’s not as if I’m going to ravish her on the front steps.”
Noel looked at me and I nodded. I just wanted to get inside and away from his intoxicating brother. A walk to the door. I could do it, I thought, especially under Noel’s watchful eye. I’d keep my eyes down, murmur a goodbye and close the door. Easy.
But Leo didn’t want to play that way. As soon as we reached the door, he took my hand in his and pulled me toward him. I tried to protest, to move away but he pressed his face against my hair and enveloped me in his arms. I couldn’t breathe. His lips grazed my forehead as he whispered words I could barely hear, his heated breath caressing my skin.
“Valerie.” Leo spoke my name softly. “You have something I want…something I need.” He kissed my cheek and the tip of my nose, and the scent of him—new smells this time, of spring flowers and tropical summer sun, of spicy sandalwood and warm cedar—overwhelmed me. I breathed in that divine aroma and turned into him. His lips touched mine, a hot searing kiss that left me gasping. It incinerated every ounce of fear and apprehension I’d felt, igniting a yearning that flared from the very depths of my being. I wanted him.
Cool hands wrenched me free of his embrace.
“This isn’t ravishing her?” Noel’s voice was enraged.
Noel held me in his arms as I struggled to compose myself. I felt my face turn red; not from Leo’s hands but from my ridiculous response to his touch. He had absorbed me. All of my thoughts and emotions had been focused on one thing: him.
Noel glared balefully at his brother. “Get back in the car.”
Leo smirked. “You’re not in charge.” He turned back to me, his voice beguilingly sweet. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you what I want.” He reached for me again but Noel stood firm.
“Leave her alone.”
Leo chuckled. “Oh, fine. No sense in getting all worked up over it, Noel. At least not yet.” He looked at me again. I was too weak from his previous onslaught to even attempt to look away. “I can wait…not too long, though. Promise me it won’t be long. We could have so much fun, Valerie.” His voice was so sincere, so filled with sinful promise that I believed him. And I still wanted him.
He returned to the car but Noel stayed where he was, unwilling to relax his vise-like grip around me. I didn’t know how much time elapsed as I stood there with him; it could have been hours.
Reason finally returned. “I’m fine now,” I whispered. But I wasn’t. I was terrified.
He held me out to look at me, his eyes troubled. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have known he’d try something.”
“How does he do it? The things he does? Is he a magician or something? A wizard?” I threw out every option I could think of. I was tired of waiting, of searching for answers on my own.
“Not quite,” Noel said. He glanced at the car. “I will tell you…but not with Leo here. This weekend…can I come back to see you? I need to be alone, away from him. I’ll tell you everything then…everything I can.”
“When?” I was impatient. And scared.
“I don’t know.” He thought for a moment. “Will you be around tomorrow? And Sunday?”
&
nbsp; I nodded.
“Good.” He smoothed my hair. “Go inside and get some rest. And lock the doors, Valerie. I don’t think he’ll come back tonight. That’s not his typical style but this—this situation—it’s different. I don’t know what he’s going to do anymore.” He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head and left.
They waited in the driveway as I let myself into my darkened house. I shut the door, clicking the deadbolt into place behind me. My house was silent and empty, just as I’d feared it would be. I was alone and I had never been more frightened.
The emptiness closed in around me, suffocating me. I thought back to only moments before, with Leo’s lips on mine, his touch and whispered sentiments rendering me motionless, stealing my thoughts and guiding my emotions. And I thought of Noel and the look on his face as he’d told me to lock the door.
A sheen of sweat broke out across my forehead and my heart hammered. There was no one who could help me decipher what was going on and no one who could keep me safe from Leo. There was no one to keep me safe. No one except Noel.
I moved to the couch and sank into the cushions. The silence buzzed in my ears, louder and louder until it was a deafening roar. I hugged a pillow to my chest, for comfort as much as for protection. My eyes stared, unseeing, at the room around me: at the family portrait that hung about the fireplace, at the beautiful vases and artwork my mother had steadily collected during her frequent visits to antique shops; at the heavy brocade curtains that were drawn, keeping the darkness of night out of the brightly lit room. But the light did nothing to soothe me. It did nothing to lessen the fear that flooded me, the fear that something—or someone—was controlling the events in my life. And that I was powerless to stop it.
Chapter 25
A hand shook me gently, rousing me from my fitful sleep and I sat up, startled.
“What are you doing down here?” It was Dad’s soft voice. “It’s past midnight.”
I looked around. I was still in the living room. Somehow, I’d fallen asleep while I sat on the couch, my legs curled underneath me, the pillow still clutched to my chest.
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