by Cecy Robson
Aric followed me into our bathroom. I brushed my teeth and slipped into a short blue sundress before he spoke again. “I know you want to believe that we didn’t let you down—”
“Because you didn’t!” I hissed. My abruptness surprised us both. I took Aric’s hands in mine when he raised his brows. “I’m sorry…I’m not sure where that came from.”
“It’s all right.”
“No, it’s not,” I said, meaning it. Aric and I weren’t in the habit of snapping at each other. And for me to do it so easily was odd and completely uncalled for.
My fingers threaded through his while my mind tried to work through my thoughts. “Aric, enough people feel bad about what happened to me. They shouldn’t, especially now that Anara is dead. Let’s try to move on, okay? Hang on to what’s still good, all right?”
Aric shook his head. “It’s not as easy as you might think, sweetness. You’re Pack as far as my Warriors are concerned. We watch out for our own, and hurt when they do.” His thumbs passed over the back of my hands. “I’ll speak to them about giving us space, but it’s hard when my emotions amplify theirs.”
I nodded. Aric, the wolves, my sisters, everyone was trying. And while they meant well, I couldn’t shake the sense that they continued to walk on eggshells around me. I was a tough girl, damnit, except the last couple of months hadn’t allowed that side of me the opportunity to shine through. I needed to prove to them and myself that I was still me, ready to squeeze lemon juice back into evil’s eyes.
Or, well, something like that anyway.
When Aric finished dressing, we walked downstairs to breakfast. “So you didn’t see or feel anything?” Koda asked, following my rather unhelpful and pathetic recap.
I munched on my seventh piece of bacon. “No. It was more like something was simply there.”
“On top of Aric,” Gemini repeated.
Emme sat next to him. Taran was at the sink washing a pan. She was going to scrub the Teflon right off that skillet with how hard she was working the sponge. I glanced at her before answering. “There wasn’t any space between us, his body was against mine.” I felt the rush of heat claim my cheeks. It wasn’t as if the world didn’t know we were having sex, but my comment still triggered my shyness. “But it was like something was there, trying to force its way through us.”
Gemini’s dark almond eyes cut to Aric. “What did you feel?” he asked.
“Nothing,” he answered. “Just Celia’s fear.”
Gemini rubbed his goatee. “No entity of any sort, no spirits?”
“No,” Aric said. “But I believe her.”
Gemini nodded when he returned his focus to me. “Rest assured, we do as well, Celia.”
Nice to know that my sanity was no longer in question. I’d had enough of “Celia’s crazy” as the go-to excuse.
Shayna played with the edge of her long ponytail from where she perched on Koda’s lap. “So no ghosts, no spirits, no entities, no goblins—goblins aren’t real, right?” she asked Koda. At his nod she continued. “So then what? And is there any like, mojo detector thingy we could bring into the house? Something that can pick up anything magical we’re missing just to make sure?”
The wolves exchanged glances. Shayna frowned. “What?” she asked.
Gemini leaned forward and pressed his forearms against the table. He let out a breath, but it was Aric who spoke. “It may not be a good idea at this time.”
“Agreed,” Koda said, his deep voice low.
Silence simmered like boiling water. Every preternatural I’d ever met always teetered on the edge of aggression. Danny, a human turned wolf and a passive male in general, was one of the exceptions. Gemini, who embodied Zen, was a close second, despite the viciousness I’d seen him unleash in battle. But the Zen within him was lost then. He lifted his chin. “I don’t see another alternative. And regardless of my…situation, as your Beta I am to advise without prejudice. You need to bring her in.”
Emme turned and angled her chin his way. “Who?” she asked.
Shayna released her hair, her eyes widening as she glanced at Taran. Taran had stopped scrubbing and a spark of blue flame crackled above her head.
Oh shit.
I knew who it was even before Gemini answered. “Genevieve,” he said. “Tahoe’s head witch.”
—
“Fucking Genevieve!” Taran yelled for the fourth time.
She stomped around the kitchen in stiletto heels capable of skewering shrimp. In her defense, she managed to bite her tongue until the wolves left. If you knew Taran, that was one hell of an accomplishment.
“The wolves only mean to keep Celia safe,” Emme added.
Emme’s tone was gentle. Taran’s response? Yeah. Not so much.
“By using the same goddamn coven that tried to kill us when we first got here?” she screamed. “Screw that!”
“Well, technically most of the coven is new, seeing how the majority were impregnated by demons then eaten by their babies.” Shayna held up her hands when Taran scowled at her. “I’m just saying, dude, it’s a whole new batch of wand-wavers.”
Demon impregnation and consumption by said offspring. Yup, yet another conversation that was fairly common around here.
The Tribe—super-nasties made up of demon lords and disgruntled vamps and weres—was responsible for the demon infestation. Thankfully, they were beaten down by those of us in the Alliance. “Alliance” was more of a polite term than anything real. In general, head witches, master vamps, and were Leaders didn’t play nice. Too many supernatural muscles flexing in one room did not polite conversation make.
The weres and witches, though, had the whole obligation-to-the-world thing bonding them, usually leaving the vamps as the odd ones out. Not that the vamps cared. They had power, supermodel beauty, mattresses stuffed with hundred dollar bills, and sex with ridiculously good-looking humans to make them feel better.
As head witch, Genevieve had frequent interactions with Aric as a were Leader. But during the war against the Tribe, Aric had Gemini deal with Genevieve more and more, something that hadn’t fared well with Taran.
“I caught her putting the moves on him once,” Taran said.
“When you say, ‘putting the moves,’ what are you saying, exactly?” Emme asked.
Taran reached for her elbow-length gloves to cover her hands. “It was back when Celia was living at vamp camp. I walked in on them in Aric’s office. Gemini was looking up something on the computer. She was leaning against him.”
“Are you sure it was, you know, definitely flirting?” Shayna asked.
Taran gave her a hard stare. “I know what I saw.”
I crossed my arms. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Taran tightened her jaw. “We exchanged words—well, magic really—so she’d know he was mine and that she needed to respect that. The thing was, the flirting didn’t bother me. I know females hit on my—on Gemini. And it was obvious he wasn’t interested.” She huffed. “He didn’t even seem to notice her.”
I approached her slowly, keeping my voice neutral. “So then why are you so upset he suggested that Genevieve come here?”
She held up her right arm. “A few things have changed since then, don’t you think?”
I shook my head. “Taran…he loves you. You’re mates.”
“You’re wrong,” she said. Her deep blue eyes shimmered. “Nothing has been the same since I lost my arm. He’s distant, and now I’m starting to have nightmares again.”
I drew closer. When I had nightmares, it was because things were wacky in my life or I’d had bad takeout. But when Taran had them, they presented themselves as a warning.
“What have you been dreaming about?” I asked, although I was afraid to know.
“Eyes,” she answered.
“Eyes?” Shayna repeated. “That doesn’t sound as bad as demons tearing at your clothes.” She held out her hands in surrender when Taran tightened her stance. “T, you have to admit. Those were pret
ty damn bad.”
“But in a way, these are worse. They’re dark—almost black.”
“Like Tía Griselda’s?” I asked. She was the crazy witch aunt who cursed us before we were born. Good ol’ Tía Gris meant to harm us, but her curse backfired and gave us our “weird” powers.
Taran nodded. “Yes. Just like coals—and like you’d described them, so black, they didn’t seem to have irises. And, hell—” She shuddered. “Just murderous.”
“So were Tía Gris’s the way I remembered.”
Emme placed her hand carefully on Taran’s arm. “You don’t think Tía Gris is back, do you? I mean, if you keep seeing her eyes like you do, and if she’s as powerful as our cousin Nieve claimed, is it possible she was resurrected?”
Taran looked to me. “I don’t see how,” I answered. “People, even those of magic, simply don’t come back once killed. That said, I don’t think any of us should brush off the warning if that’s what it is.”
“Fantastic,” Taran mumbled. “One more screwed up thing in my life that I need to worry about.” She stormed out of the kitchen and toward her room.
Shayna jerked her chin in the direction Taran had disappeared. “She’s so not herself. What do you think we should do?”
I gathered my hair in my hands before letting it drop. “I don’t know. I’m hoping these dreams are nothing, but we’d be stupid to ignore them.”
“What about her and Gemini? Can we help them work things through, you think?”
I considered what to say. “I’m not sure how. He’s not himself, either.”
Emme played with her hands. “Does Aric say anything about Gemini’s behavior?”
“No. It’s a wolf thing, and a guy thing. He won’t say much about what Gemini’s going through except that he blames himself for failing to protect Taran.”
I lowered my eyelids as one of the painful spasms stabbed at my belly. This one was worse than the last. I clutched my stomach, breathing slowly to help it recede, only to fall to my knees as a horrible pain ripped through me. Shit. I slumped to the side, clenching my teeth.
Our landline rang. As did my cellphone in my room, and Shayna’s phone, then Emme’s.
My sisters’ frantic voices filled my ears. I was vaguely aware of Emme’s pale light as it cocooned me.
Several long seconds passed before my eyes blinked open. Spots danced in my line of vision as the pain slowly subsided. Taran stood over me with her cellphone clutched in her hand. “Don’t tell him,” I mouthed, knowing who was calling.
Shayna cradled me in her lap. She exchanged glances with Emme, who removed her hands carefully from my face. Taran spoke into the phone. “Celia’s fine,” she said.
“That’s not what I felt,” Gemini responded.
“I said she’s fine,” Taran answered, her voice terse. She disconnected when he tried to ask more.
The phones continued to ring as I sat up and pushed the hair out of my eyes. “It’s Aric and the others.”
“No shit,” Taran said back.
I wiped the sweat from my brow. “Don’t tell him what happened. It will only upset him.”
Shayna shook her head. “Ceel, he needs to know.”
“It’ll only make things worse,” I told her. “I’m all right. The pain comes and goes but it’s getting less frequent.”
“What if it gets worse?” Emme asked.
“Then I promise I’ll tell him,” I answered quietly. “For now, it’s best that he doesn’t know. He’s not coping well with what happened to me and is carrying a great deal of guilt.” I met Taran’s stare. “All the wolves are having a hard time.”
The perfect angles of Taran’s stunning features softened with sadness when Emme and Shayna reached for their phones. “You heard her,” Taran said. “It’s best the wolves don’t know what Celia’s dealing with. Any of it.”
Chapter 4
Aric’s alarm clock rang too early a few weeks later. He let out a deep groan. I cuddled closer to his warm, naked body. My sleep had been deliciously content. A huge part of it was due to Genevieve’s reassurance that no crazy evil had invaded our house. She’d scanned every inch of our home with her magic whoop-ass staff while we’d waited patiently outside. Well, except for Taran who was so furious to have her in our house, she’d left—without Gemini—and didn’t return until Shayna called her to say Genevieve had gone.
Gemini hadn’t tried to persuade Taran to stay, nor had he attempted to follow her.
I wasn’t sure whose actions had bothered me more.
As much as their problems troubled me, I did my best to focus on the good in my life and the happiness that Aric brought me. When Aric and I first became more than bloody acquaintances who’d collided in a dark alley, I had relished his affection and his passion. My experience with males was minimal, and he was my dream come true. And yet, as sweet and adoring as he was, I could sense him holding back.
Now, after everything we’d endured, all I felt was his love.
His warmth and luscious skin had me melting further against him. A small whimper escaped my lips. “Do you have to go back to work?”
He ran his hand down the length of my back to rest on the small curve. “The world’s not going to protect itself, sweetness. I wish it would, but there’s too much supernatural shit threatening to pollute it.”
He stared at the ceiling and rubbed at his chest with his opposite hand. The gesture he made with his hand had become a habit. For some reason it bothered me, but I wasn’t certain why.
“I had a meeting with the Elders yesterday,” he said, continuing. “I have to talk to you about something.”
He’d gone to the Den to prepare for his return. He’d arrived home distracted, on edge, and irate enough that Koda and Gemini gave him ample space. He seemed to settle when I embraced him, so it reassured me that he’d simply had a rough day.
We’d spent the remainder of the evening alone, in peace, and in bed. “I could tell you were upset when you came home,” I said, remembering. “What was wrong?”
He rubbed his chest again. “Did you ever hear of Shah?”
I groaned, dreading what was coming. “You’re not talking about some hip-hop artist, are you?”
He laughed. “Oh, I wish. He or she is a sacred stone.”
I had to find a sacred stone once. It sucked. I’d almost died. Sense a theme here? Hearing one referred to as him or her was something new, though. “He or she?” I repeated.
Aric pinched the bridge of his nose, but kept his smile. “Okay, this is going to sound strange.”
“I have no doubt,” I muttered.
He laughed again. “Shah is believed to be a living entity, considering he—I’ll just say ‘he’ for now—is a large clear crystal. It’s believed he’s as old as the earth and has absorbed its power since his creation. Shah’s different from other magic stones. The majority possess a moderate amount of magic that has been amplified through witchcraft or sorcery. Shah was potent from the start and has only grown stronger with the passage of time. From what I’ve gathered, he’s also developed a personality along the way.”
Okay. Definitely new territory here. “So when someone says a person has the personality of a rock…?”
“He wasn’t referring to Shah,” Aric finished for me. “His personality borders on funny—as in, his behavior is odd and some find him humorous.”
My impression was that of a rock telling knock-knock jokes, but I doubted that’s what Aric was getting at. “All righty. So, where is this magic rock capable of ha-ha’s?”
The smile eased from Aric’s face. “We’re not entirely sure. Centuries ago he was hidden away because of his power.”
When someone needed to hide something because of its power, it was never wonderful news for the good guys if the bad guys discovered it. “This rock can’t raise demons, can it?”
“Well…”
Okay, so much for hoping. I plopped my head back down on his chest. “A rock that can raise demons. That�
�s just fantastic.”
“Thankfully, it’s not as simple as that.” Aric kissed the top of my head. “Shah can do anything his holder wants, but only when he feels he will obtain something of value in return. So yes, if his holder wants to raise an army of brain-sucking demons, we’re screwed if Shah feels he’s been fairly compensated.”
“The rock has a price?” It was crazy just saying it. “What could a rock want?”
Aric sighed. “Good question. That’s where his personality comes in. We’re worried about his needs being met and what his holder will demand of him.”
I pushed up on my elbows. “Who’s his current holder?”
“We’re not sure yet. But we think a bunch of software geeks discovered him and have so far had their wishes granted.”
“Software geeks have him—as in humans?”
Aric nodded like he couldn’t believe it himself. I understood his reasoning. He viewed human inhabitants of the world as those in need of protection from the dark ones. Unless they were mated to a were, humans remained unaware of the dangers lurking in the shadows. Those humans who encountered evil did so by chance and typically died a horrid death. I’d encountered enough corpses and dismembered parts to know that for a fact.
“There’s this new computer game that came out several weeks ago simply called Shah,” Aric said, drawing me away from my disturbing memories. “Alliance members in charge of policing Internet chatter caught wind of it when it was first being developed. Shah’s legend is infamous, but like most legends, humans hadn’t given it much merit. The Alliance put the software developers on their radar, but didn’t initially feel they were worth investigating.”
“Because they were only human.”
Aric nodded. “Yes. With no supernatural ties, no magic in their families, and no relationships with any weres.”
“So what changed then?”
“These geeks discovered more details about Shah and incorporated them into the game— his last known location, what Shah does, how strong he is—more information than they should have known based on existing legend. Want to hear the kicker?”