by Opal Carew
Glancing at Drake, Simone saw that he seemed to be just as surprised at seeing the woman as she was. After a moment, his expression turned to one of recognition. Before he could say anything, however, Beck spoke.
“This is Madame Bijou’s granddaughter, Aniyah,” he introduced. “Aniyah, this Drake and Simone.”
“I remember you,” Drake said. “You were here that day I came into the shop.”
She inclined her head. “I was. It’s good to see you again. And to see that you are no longer alone.”
Drake looked around the room. “I expected your grandmother to be here.”
Aniyah’s gold eyes filled with sadness. “My grandmother passed away a few years ago.”
“Oh,” Drake said. Simone could hear the disappointment in his voice, but he covered it up quickly. “I didn’t realize. I’m sorry.”
The woman nodded, a small smile curving her lips as she fingered the crystal pendant on the chain around her neck. “Thank you. My grandmother was always very sorry she couldn’t help you. She spent many years looking for a way to break your curse. Unfortunately, she passed away before she was able to find anything that would help you. But don’t be disheartened. When she died, she passed all of her knowledge and that of those who came before her in our family to me. It’s possible I may be able to help you where she could not.”
“I hope so,” Drake said. “Because the priestess who cursed me no longer seems content with the living hell she’s made my life. Now she’s involved Simone.”
Aniyah nodded. “Beck told me the bokor sent her zombies after you.”
“Is there a way to stop her?” Drake asked. “I’ll do anything to protect Simone.”
The woman regarded him in silence, then gestured to a door on the far side of the room. “Let’s go into my apartment and we can talk.”
They followed Aniyah into a small, neatly furnished apartment. Simone had expected it to look more like the shop outside, but besides the abundance of candles and the smell of incense, it looked like any other apartment in New York City. Perhaps a few more old black-and-white photos than one would expect, but still a very nice, cozy place.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Aniyah asked as she led them into the living room. “I could make some tea.”
Though a hot cup of tea sounded wonderful, especially after the night they’d had, Simone shook her head. She didn’t want to put the other woman to any more trouble than they already were. Drake and Beck must have thought the same thing—or more likely they simply didn’t drink tea—because they both shook their heads as well.
“Please sit down,” Aniyah said, taking a seat on one of the overstuffed chairs.
Simone and Drake both hesitated.
“We’re a little dirty,” Simone said. “I don’t want to ruin your couch.”
But the other woman waved her hand. “Don’t worry about that. The couch can be cleaned and you two look exhausted.”
Simone couldn’t argue with that, so she sat down on the couch along with Drake, while his friend took the other chair.
“Beck said you were attacked by zombies at Simone’s apartment first. Could you describe what happened?” Aniyah asked, looking from her to Drake.
He nodded. “We went out for gelato and they were waiting for us when we got back. They weren’t like me, though. They were more like the kind of mindless zombies you’d see in the movies.”
“That’s because they are the true walking dead,” the woman said. “Corpses that have been called from the grave and reanimated. The reports of freshly turned graves have already made the papers.”
Simone’s stomach churned. That was just creepy. How the heck had a pair of zombies moved around Manhattan without being seen? Then again, this was New York. Two hundred people could have walked right by the things and never even noticed them.
“Tell me what happened up at the cabin,” Aniyah said.
Drake related what happened, with Simone explaining how the Voodoo priestess had tried to kill her.
“That’s not your blood then?” Aniyah asked, gesturing to the dark stains on Simone’s T-shirt.
Simone shook her head. “No. It’s the old woman’s. When I managed to break free of her spell, I unintentionally cut her.”
Aniyah nodded, her expression thoughtful, but she didn’t say anything else about it.
“One thing I’d like to know is how the hell she even found us up there,” Drake said.
“For a bokor of her obvious power, a locating spell would be child’s play,” Aniyah said. “All she would need is a strand of your hair or a piece of your clothing, something she would have had before she cursed you the first time.”
Drake’s brows drew together. “I thought the powder she threw at me is what turned me into a zombie.”
Aniyah shrugged. “It was, but she would have had to include something personal in the powder to make sure you were turned and not someone standing beside you.”
“So, she was in my loft before she even came to my office?” he asked.
“Almost certainly. Though she could have gotten it from anywhere you frequented. And she’s been using those same personal items to keep track of you for the past eight years. She’s known where you were and what you’ve been doing every minute of your life since then.”
“You mean she put some sort of magical GPS tracker on him?” Beck asked.
Aniyah nodded. “I’ve never thought of it that way, but yes.”
Drake let out an expletive and shot to his feet. “Then I need to get out of here before she tracks me down again.”
Simone quickly stood up, catching his arm before he could move toward the door. “Drake, no!”
He turned back to her, the muscle in his jaw flexing. “I have to go. It’s the only way to keep you safe, Simone.” His expression softened and he reached up to cup her cheek with his hand. “I told you that I’d die before I let her hurt you and I meant it.”
Tears stung Simone’s eyes and she blinked them back. “I don’t care how much danger being with you puts me in, Drake. I’m not letting you leave. If you try, I’ll just follow you.”
He sighed. “Simone, please…”
Simone lifted her chin. “We’re in this together. I’m no safer if you leave.”
“She’s right,” Beck said. “We already know this Voodoo bitch can somehow tell what you’re feeling. It wasn’t just random chance she decided to come after you again days after you met Simone. She knows what Simone means to you probably more than you do. If you leave, the old woman isn’t going to say, Oh well, they broke up. I’ll leave her alone. She’s not stupid. She’d still hunt Simone down and hurt her just because she knows it would cause you pain.”
Simone threw Beck a grateful look, silently thanking him for backing her up before she turned to Drake again. “See? You can’t go. We won’t let you.”
Drake looked from her to Beck and back again, his mouth tightening. “It sounds as if you two already have this all figured out. I guess that means I’ll be staying.”
Relieved he’d dropped the testosterone-laden notion of leaving, Simone flung her arms around Drake’s neck and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Keeping one arm around her, he turned to look at Aniyah.
“Beck said on the phone you have a plan to stop the Voodoo priestess. What is it?”
Aniyah nodded. “I do have a plan, but you two are exhausted. Why don’t you get some sleep in the guest room and I’ll fill you in on everything in the morning? It will give me time to finish all of my preparations.”
Drake frowned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if the Voodoo priestess shows up tonight?”
The woman shook her head. “She can’t. Even a bokor as strong as this one will need to rest after raising so many zombies. She won’t be able to raise more for quite a while.”
“And if she does show, I’ll wake you up,” Beck added when Drake opened his mouth to protest.
Drake looked as if he
wanted to argue, but then he nodded. “You’re probably right. Getting some rest would be a good idea.”
Aniyah got to her feet and Simone expected her to show them to the guest room, but instead the other woman’s gaze settled on Simone. Or more precisely, on the shirt she wore. “I’m sure you two would like to change out of those filthy clothes. Simone, you and I are about the same size, so my things should fit you.”
Simone saw Drake’s mouth quirk. “I hope you don’t expect me to fit into any of your clothes.”
Aniyah smiled. “I’ve had different men live here from time to time over the years. I’m sure I have something that will fit you.” She gave Simone a wink. “I like my men tall and broad of shoulder like you obviously do. Come with me and we can get those clothes.”
Simone turned to Drake and fixed him with a pointed look. “Don’t you dare try to leave while I’m with Aniyah.”
The corner of his mouth edged up. “I won’t.”
“You’d better not.”
Going up on tiptoe, Simone gave Drake a quick kiss on the mouth, then turned and followed Aniyah from the room.
“That’s one very special woman you’ve got there, Z-Man.”
Simone would like to have heard Drake’s reply, but the words were muffled as Aniyah closed the bedroom door behind them. Giving Simone a smile, the other woman walked over to the dresser positioned along one wall and pulled open the middle drawer.
Aniyah closed the drawer she’d been looking through and opened another one. A moment later, she turned to Simone, a T-shirt and a pair of jeans in her hand. “Here you go. Now, let me get something for Drake. You’ll probably want to take a shower, too. Just leave your dirty clothes in the bathroom.”
Simone smiled. “Thank you for all of this. Not everyone would take in a couple being chased by zombies.”
Aniyah laughed as she opened the closet door and started rifling through the clothes inside. “I’m a Voodoo priestess. It comes with the job description.”
“Maybe. But thanks, anyway.”
Aniyah glanced at Simone over her shoulder. “You’re welcome. You know, what you did up at the cabin was nothing short of amazing.”
Simone frowned in confusion. “What I did?”
“Breaking a Voodoo spell like the one the bokor put on you isn’t an easy thing to do, not without years of practice and study. That you did must mean you have the blood of a very strong Voodoo priestess running through your veins.”
Simone looked at the other woman in surprise. “How could that be? I’m not of Caribbean descent.”
Aniyah’s lips curved. “Not that you know of. But I bet if you researched your family tree, you’d find a relative who was.”
Simone considered that. No one in her family had ever mentioned having magical powers, so she really doubted it. Then again, Voodoo wasn’t usually the topic of conversation at family gatherings. “I suppose anything is possible.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t thinking about magic at the cabin, though. I was just thinking of Drake and how much I care about him when suddenly, I could move again.”
Aniyah gave Simone a knowing smile as she handed her a second pair of jeans and another T-shirt. “I see. Well, love is a very powerful magic all on its own.”
“Love?” Simone echoed, stunned.
“Of course. You are in love with Drake, aren’t you?”
Simone didn’t answer right away. She’d just met Drake. It was true she felt something for him, something she’d never felt with any other man before, but could she call it love this early in a relationship?
“I…I don’t know,” she finally said.
The other woman smiled again. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Let me show you and Drake to the guest room.”
The two men were talking in low tones when Simone and Aniyah walked into the living room, but fell silent at their entrance.
“Aniyah was just going to show us where the guest room is, if you’re ready?” Simone said.
Drake nodded. “Sounds good.”
He gave the other man a nod, then walked over to follow her and Aniyah, only to stop and turn to Beck again.
“By the way, we forgot to mention something when we told you about what happened at the cabin,” Drake said.
Beck frowned. “What’s that?”
Drake shared a looked with Simone. “You said the guy who owns the cabin owed you a favor. Was it a really big favor?”
The other man shrugged. “Pretty big. Why?”
“Because the zombies set it on fire.”
Beck’s eyes went wide. “You’re not serious.”
“Afraid so.”
“We talking a little fire or a big fire?”
Drake grimaced. “Big. As in there isn’t anything left of the cabin.”
Beck swore under his breath. “Wonderful. Just wonderful.” He let out a sigh. “Well, on the bright side, the zombies will probably do me in before I’ll have to tell the guy.”
“Listen, this is my fault,” Drake said. “You don’t need to be the one to tell him. I’ll do it. Just give me his number and I’ll call first thing in the morning.”
The other man shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Okay. But if you change your mind…”
“I won’t,” Beck said. “Go take a shower. You smell.”
* * * * *
At the sight of the comfortable bed, all Simone wanted to do was crawl into it and fall asleep. But Beck was right, she and Drake did stink. Sleep would have to wait until they cleaned up. While it would have been more fun to shower together, she and Drake reluctantly decided to take turns since the apartment’s only bathroom was right off the living room, where Aniyah and Beck were still sitting talking.
Showering quickly, Simone wrapped herself in one of the oversized bath towels Aniyah had set out on the counter and hurried back into the guest bedroom. Drake was standing in the middle of the room, his hands in his pockets, his brow furrowed in thought.
“You could have sat down while you waited for me, you know,” she said as she closed the door.
He jerked his head up at the sound of her voice, as if just realizing she was there. “I didn’t want to get the chair dirty.” He glanced at his watch. “You were fast in there.”
She smiled. “I was afraid if I took too long you’d fall asleep.”
Drake let out a chuckle. “And miss the chance to see you wearing nothing but a towel? No way.” He bent to kiss her on the mouth. “I won’t be long.”
Simone waited until he left the room before dropping the towel on the chair. She ran fingers through her damp hair and climbed into bed. Afraid she’d fall asleep for sure if she lay back on the pillows, she rolled onto her side so she was facing the door and propped her head on her hand while she waited for Drake to come back.
She didn’t intend for the pose to be provocative, but apparently it was because when Drake came in a few minutes later, he did a double take at the sight of her. She glanced down to see that the sheet had slid down to show off the tops of her breasts. She looked back up at him. His dark eyes lingered on her breasts as he closed the door.
She let her gaze run over him, taking in his muscular chest, six-pack abs, and the towel strategically wrapped around his waist. Too bad they were both so exhausted, she thought as he tossed the towel on the chair and slid into bed beside her. But she was already running on fumes. Which meant he probably was, too. Sex would have to wait until they weren’t so tired.
Drake shut off the light, then got into bed and put his arm around her. Simone snuggled close and rested her head on his chest. Beneath her ear, his heartbeat was steady and comforting. She closed her eyes and was just about to drift off to sleep when he spoke.
“You don’t know how much I wish I’d never had coffee with you that day.”
Simone lifted her head to look at him in surprise. Though the room was dark, there was enoug
h light coming in from the streetlamp outside for her to see the sorrow in his eyes. Her heart squeezed in her chest, making it hard to breathe. “Why?”
“Because if I hadn’t, then you wouldn’t be in danger.”
She swallowed hard. “I suppose. But I also wouldn’t be as happy as I am right now.”
“How can you be happy? You’re being hunted by a crazy Voodoo priestess and a pack of unstoppable zombies.”
She sighed. “For a guy who edits romance books, you really don’t get women, do you? I can be happy because I’m with the most wonderful, caring, sexiest man I’ve ever met. A bloodthirsty horde of zombies is a small price to pay to be with you. There isn’t one thing about this past week I’d go back and change. We’re absolutely perfect for each other.”
He lifted a brow. “Perfect? I’m a reclusive, brooding zombie and you’re a beautiful, successful writer. How do you figure that makes us perfect for each other?”
She shrugged. “Because I needed a dashing, romantic man to sweep me off my feet and you needed a woman who could look past your zombie exterior and accept you for who you really are on the inside.”
The corner of his mouth curved. “I don’t deserve you, you know that?”
She laughed. “True, you don’t. But you’ve got me anyway.”
He shook his head. “You’re amazing.”
Simone was about to tell him that was true as well, but Drake didn’t give her the chance. Instead, he cupped the back of her head and pulled her in for a long, slow kiss.
As his mouth moved tenderly over hers, she forgot all about telling him what he obviously already knew. She parted her lips and invited his tongue into her mouth with hers.
Underneath the covers, his hand slid up her bare leg and over her hip until he came to her breast. He cupped its weight in his palm, his fingers finding her nipple and giving it a gentle squeeze. She murmured her approval against his mouth, the sound somewhere between a breathy sigh and a low, throaty moan.