“Raf, what’s your theory about Willy?”
I opened the bedroom door to find the aforementioned dog, waiting for me. I picked him up and we went down in the elevator. Raf waited in the shadows while Willy did his ablutions. I could have jumped for joy when my precious dog walked almost normally back to me.
“So what’s your theory?” I repeated as we got back into the elevator.
“Remember when he bit the boss?”
I nodded as the door opened onto the main floor.
“I think his blood is healing Willy.”
“You’re not serious.”
“Sure I am. How do you think I became the god of healing?” He shrugged. “Vampire blood has healing properties for humans. Why would it be different for animals?”
“Is that why the pharmaceutical companies are always after y’all to donate some blood?” Tom had mentioned something about that.
“Yeah, they think we might be a cure for cancer or AIDS or something. I don’t think most of us would have a problem with that, but turnabout is only fair, tit for tat.”
“Is that how it worked in Babylon? Tit for tat?”
“Yes.”
His expression grew sad so I dropped it and reached into the fridge for a bottle of Red. Flavor preference?”
“Got apple?”
I did and warmed it, before handing him the bottle and a glass. I poured some O.J., got out the eggs and bacon and turned on the coffee maker. So while we ate, he told me about fairies and werewolves and other forms of shifters, about goblins, gargoyles and ghouls.
A few things I read about in fairy tales never really existed, trolls for instance, and some that once had, did no longer. Both dragons and unicorns at one time walked the earth, or flew the skies above it. Sadly they were killed as so many other species have perished due to over hunting and greed. Only their legends remain. I wish I could have seen them.
He explained the danger of eye contact with non-humans. Some entities, like vampires, could hypnotize, some could read your thoughts, while still others revealed their true appearance in the mirror of their eyes. The mortal mind just wasn’t equipped to deal with such goings-on. Even with Raf’s Readers Digest version there was way too much to soak up, so mostly, I just listened. The few questions I did ask were geared to avoiding a repeat of the infamous garlic chicken episode!
Garlic wouldn’t kill a vampire, but was used as a repellent, as was wild rose — it had to be wild — and Hawthorne. I was thrilled onions held no power over them whatsoever, so other than bad breath, no worries!
Silver could be used to bind and weaken them to prevent escape. It would burn their flesh with direct contact. The deterrent was the material in a cross not the cross itself. My few pieces of silver jewelry would go home with Dee. Silver was fatal to Werewolves and most shifters but only if used while they were in animal form.
I had probably attended church and school with a number of supernatural beings and not realized.
The gist was: no sharp, pointy, wooden objects near the heart. Heads must remain on shoulders at all times. No fire or sunshine. These were fatal to all vampires regardless of their political affiliations.
“You promise to point shifters out to me if any come in the salon?”
“If you promise not to stare!” He finished his second bottle and went to the sink to rinse it. “You sure you want to say goodbye to Randy?”
“You think I could get him to wear a condom?”
“Highly doubtful, I suspect it’s against their union rules.”
I sighed wistfully, “What choice do I have?” The physical sensations of our tryst warred with my will to live. “Does he really look like that?”
“ … Every scrumptious muscle — when he chooses.”
I put my head in my hands. This shouldn’t be a hard decision — life or mind bending sex? Randy was a demon — a demon that made my mouth water. Yeah, okay, he had seduced me, but isn’t that what really happens in any relationship?
“Stop that!”
“What?”
“Thinking about him! Do you want him to show up when you’re trying to swear off?”
“All I have to do is think of him, and poof, he appears?” I was fascinated. Horrified, but fascinated. The idea of getting this over with while I had back up was too appealing.
“Connie!”
Raf’s mouth dropped open. Good thing too, or his fangs would have split his lip!
Randy looked good enough to eat, making my decision harder. His smile said he was very pleased I called so soon. I don’t know what his eyes said because, as instructed, I didn’t look above those luscious lips.
“Hold it!” I held up a warning hand as he moved closer. “We need to talk.”
Raf came to stand at my back.
“What’s wrong my love?” Randy asked.
Was he worried? How can you tell when you can’t look in his eyes?
“I’m very sorry Randy, but I’m going to have to terminate our relationship.” You’ll never know how sorry!
“But why, my love, didn’t I please you?” The mouth pouted.
“You’re kidding right?” The mouth smiled seductively, and Raf clutched my shoulder. Courage girl! “You know you did, but it’s over.”
Is this where I asked if we could still be friends? Somehow, I didn’t think so.
The mouth frowned. “As you wish. But you will regret your decision.” And he was gone.
“Well that went well!” I exhaled shakily.
“Next time a little warning would be appreciated,” Raf scolded with a nod toward the staircase.
“It’s not every day I wake to find a nude incubus in my living room,” Tom remarked from the landing.
Oh Shit! Now what?
It pissed me off. He pissed me off! I’m not sure what I expected Tom’s reaction to be if he found out about Randy, but apparently, this wasn’t it! So, why did his lack of interest bother me so much?
“You said I could date customers. How was I to know he was an incubus? I got rid of him as soon as Raf explained what he was.” I was getting my mad on.
Tom shrugged. “Did Raf also explain that if you think of him again he could reappear? A thought is the same as a summons. Can you manage not to think of him?”
One problem at a time.
“No.” I glared at Tom. “How do you forget the best orgasm you ever had?” Put that in your pipe and smoke it, boss man!
He didn’t respond to my goading, but green sparks shot from the black depths of his eyes and the outlines of fangs pressed against his frown as he turned on his heel and re-climbed the stairs.
Raf wore a huge grin, which at the moment, I did not appreciate. “You couldn’t tell me it wasn’t going to be so easy to get rid of him?”
“And miss all this drama? Not on your life! Girlfriend, I can fix this and your other problem all at the same time.”
“What are you talking about, Raf?” I wasn’t in the mood for riddles.
“I can make you forget how good Randy was. Then you won’t be thinking about him all the time.”
I cringed a little.
“That good?” Raf tisked. “Your choice, hon. Do you want to risk a repeat performance in a weak moment?”
“So, what do we do?” I asked on a sigh.
“Look into my eyes … ”
I did, and that night I drove to work without making a single wrong turn!
CHAPTER 10
Raf jerked me into the building so hard I was surprised my arm hadn’t torn off. I rubbed my aching shoulder. “Damn, Raf! Try to remember I’m human and, as such, breakable!”
“Sorry doll. The spell is still in place. It was either that or have you toss your cookies on my shoes.”
“So, is she the witch?” I gave a nod toward the office. There was a very tall woman talking to Tom. Her black hair fell in waves past her tiny waist. My hand went to my own short do. Tom’s fangs were clearly visible in his ready smile. I turned to find Raf frowning. Had
he noticed the boss’s toothy grin as well.
His arm came across my shoulder, massaging the soreness, “Don’t make trouble, doll. Maybe it’s her time of the month, too?”
“Okay, do you know how uncomfortable that makes me? Knowing you all can sense that. And by-the-way — it’s not.” Apparently my night visitor caused a little bleeding. How was I to know I needed foreplay in a dream sequence? If spotting caused this much interest, I didn’t want to know what problems the “real deal” might create.
He shrugged, “What?” Then, as it dawned on him, “Oh, well then it will be over in no time. Just try to ignore it.”
The witch turned. I tried to act busy as her gorgeous, huge green eyes slanted in my direction. My mood did not improve when she and Tom left the salon together. The night promised to be a long one.
The quad of vamps from opening night made their second appearance and immediately showed fang. Cleo, the black female, shrugged in an understanding way. “Don’t let it worry you,” she said with her thick British accent. “Fact of nature, Pet.”
Her statement probably would be more comforting if her fangs didn’t look three inches long!
“Where’re you from?”
“Grand Caymans,” Cleo answered briefly as she tossed her dreads over her shoulder, and pulled her card from the hip pocket of her cut offs.
“That explains the accent. Enjoy!” I punched her card and those of her three beaus as I kept an eye on the front door.
Tom walked in without the witch and stepped to the counter. “Bianca says it may take an hour or so but there shouldn’t be a problem with such a basic spell. She’s agreed to meet with you afterward.”
His toothsome smile gave his message a menacing quality. I was doomed to see everyone’s dental work tonight. My groan escaped.
Raf glanced over at me, shook his head, and returned to helping a male vamp with shockingly red hair decide what size t-shirt to buy. If I knew Raf, it would be two sizes too small. After he rang up the purchase, he came over and gave me a closed lipped smile.
“Doesn’t that hurt?” I asked. You could plainly see the fangs pushing at the skin.
“I’ve had a lot of practice, but it is uncomfortable.” He flexed his lips exposing his fangs. “So what do you think of the witch?”
“I think she’d be easy to hate,” I said coldly.
“Don’t go there, girlfriend. She could be handy to have around.”
“Why?”
“She’s a shifter as well as a witch.”
“Really?”
I rehashed my earlier lessons. A shifter could change into an animal form. “Shifter” being the politically correct term — only werewolves called themselves Weres, although technically, they too, were shifters. What was the difference? Well according to Raf, a shifter could turn into any animal within a specific group. If it were a feline shifter, any type cat would do, tabby to tiger. Dog? Any canine, tame or wild — except wolf. If you turned into a wolf you were a Were, short for werewolf. Why could they only become wolves? Hell if I knew!
Some strong shifters changed at will, but all felt the draw of the full moon. They functioned as humans the rest of the time.
“Is it unusual for a shifter to be a witch?” It seemed like double jeopardy to me.
“A little, but it makes them a stronger witch since they’re already in touch with the supernatural world. Besides,” he said with a grin. “They can be their own familiar!”
“So is she a Were or what.” There was so much info to keep straight.
“Or what. Cat.”
Well that would explain the huge green eyes as well as seductive prowl. As if our thoughts summoned her — perhaps they had — she walked in the door and straight to me with extended hand. “Hi Connie, I’m Bianca. You got a minute?”
Now why did she have to be friendly?
I shook her seemingly normal hand. No claws or fur, only long nails painted in a silver glitter polish … “Is the lounge okay? Are you already finished outside?”
“Fine. The spell must have been done by an amateur. It would dissipate on its own in a day or two, not very strong,” Bianca told me as we stepped into the employee lounge. She drew a pinkish crystal from the huge tote she carried and held it between her right thumb and index finger. As she moved it toward me it began to glow. “Yep, someone’s messing with you.” She held the crystal over my head and it shone bright. “Been forgetting stuff?
“Some, but mostly I haven’t been my cautious self lately. Ah, I guess I should mention Raf, the cute dark haired vamp out there, did a little number on me to help me forget a guy. Well, an incubus actually. Is that what you’re picking up?”
“Raf and I go way back.” She didn’t bother to clarify that statement. “An incubus, really? So how was he?”
“I can’t even begin to tell you,” I rolled my eyes. I really couldn’t. “Raf did a real good job ’cause I remember I had a good time but not specifically how, and when I try to picture him in my head … I can’t.”
“Is something else bugging you? You look a little put out.”
“Well yeah, not that you don’t seem nice and all, but I don’t normally discuss my sex life — or lack of one with strangers. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. It’s like I don’t have any reservations anymore. Trust me, I’m not like that.”
“Goody. We know the problem so we can break the spell. I’ll do a little reading and research but I don’t foresee any problems, especially if the spell was done by the same one who put the repulsion spell on this place.”
“A repulsion spell?”
Bianca tried to explain. “The spell is set up to protect something from something or someone specifically, in this case, from humans. The magic made you anxious and nauseous, right? To cast a spell strong enough to keep supernatural beings out requires a skilled practitioner. Whoever cast this one is not. Well, I mean spell casting isn’t their strong suit. They could have mad talents in other areas.” She shrugged.
“Do you think the spell has anything to do with the corpse we found in the dumpster a couple of days ago?”
Bianca shrugged again, “Not likely. You had humans in here before you found it right?”
I nodded. “We finished for now? Customers are arriving and Raf’s going to need back-up.” The customers were varying degrees of tan, so I suspected Bianca was right about lifting the spell. Unfortunately, Raf’s vampire speed sometimes freaked humans out.
My identification technique needed work. Gender was easy. I had been able to tell the difference between boys and girls for a while now. Age was impossible without looking at a vamp’s ID card because they stopped aging when they were turned. So basically I went by skin tone. If they came in pale they were vamps. I know, I know, I said it needed work.
What did she just say? I tuned back in to Bianca.
“Yeah you can get back. I have to check in with Tom and let him know what I’ve discovered. Think you can maintain for a day or two?”
“Tom? You’re acquainted?”
“We’ve been friends for a while.”
“So what kind of cat are you?” That wasn’t a rude question, right? Do I care?
“Any kind I choose — depends on the mood I’m in. Mostly I’m a black panther.”
Geeze Lou-ise! And here I figured Persian. I must have gulped, I can’t be sure, but whatever I did brought a grin to Bianca’s face. “Get that a lot, huh?”
“Not as much as you might think. We shifters aren’t out and about like vamps. Only people in certain circles know about us. Now the witch thing is different. I have an ad in the Yellow Pages,” Bianca said proudly.
“Really? Don’t people think you’re just a scammer?”
“Sure, some do. But more people out there believe in the craft than most folks imagine. I mean people have gone to fortunetellers, witches, mediums, and the like for centuries. Do you think it would go on so long if some of us weren’t the real deal? People seem to be more accepting now. I haven�
�t decided yet if that is a good or bad thing. Definitely great for business, though.”
“Hey, Bianca, is there a spell or something to let me know if someone is not human?” This whole not making eye contact could be a problem with humans. It made you look untrustworthy if you couldn’t look a person in the eye.
“I suppose I could work one up. Why?”
“I was warned not to look into the eyes of supernaturals.”
“You do seem to be having a problem with that. So you don’t want to see their true nature or anything? Just know if they aren’t human?”
I realized I had been looking her in the eye during our entire conversation.
“Yeah, that would be a big help.
“I’ll see what I can work up. When is your next day off?”
“I’m off Saturday and Sunday.”
“Oh, he does like you. Weekends off … ”
She didn’t get any farther down that road because Detective Becki Elms walked through the door. “Hey Connie, your boss in?”
“He’s in the office.” I motioned toward the door. She knocked and stepped inside.
“Guess you lifted the spell all right.” I said as Bianca tapped on the office door. I was pretty sure Becki was human.
“Don’t act so surprised. I told you I did. I’ll call you Friday night and let you know if I’ve come up with something to help you out.” She stepped into the office. A few moments later she made her exit.
A customer came in as Bianca left, forcing me to concentrate on work instead of office goings on. A thought flashed through my addled brain and I ran to the door, hoping she wasn’t out of sight. Her raven locks blew in the evening wind as she made her way toward the parking lot.
“Hey!” I called. “What do you charge?”
The witch tossed her mane over a shoulder as she turned back to shout, “Don’t worry, you can afford it.”
Why let cost worry me? Nothing else had. I shrugged and went back inside where a miffed Raf informed me he was taking a break. Perhaps he was ticked off because I left him to do all the work. I didn’t blame him one little bit.
As I walked past the lounge a couple of minutes later with a fresh load of towels, I saw him sipping a bottle of RR and conversing with a really cute guy. The guy barely looked legal. His red-tinged tan coupled with his strawberry blonde hair, Kelly green eyes, and the Pepsi in front of him gave his human status. Well, good for Raf.
Midnight Sun, Inc. (Crimson Romance) Page 8