by Bonnie Vanak
Not a Girl Scout or a demon, but a petite, ebony-haired woman clad entirely in black leather, except for a powder-blue T-shirt with some kind of business logo.
Chaos.
He gave an appreciative visual sweep of his visitor. Very curvy, with long, curly hair spilling down to her waist. She had a delicate, innocent face. Wide, full lips pulled down slightly at the corners, giving her mouth a cute pout. She looked no more than eighteen.
But deep in her green eyes swirled ancient knowledge, and a weariness he’d seen in the mirror these past two months.
Parked beneath a streetlamp was a motorcycle with a very flat tire.
The girl pushed back a lock of hair. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but do you happen to have an air pump? I’ve got a flat.”
Neither the statement nor the soft, pleading words stopped him. It was the look of faint despair in those lovely, but sorrowful, sea-green eyes.
Dale glanced over his shoulder as the admiral strolled down the hallway. “She doesn’t look like a home invader.”
The girl glanced at the very intrigued and curious Admiral Byrne. Panic flared in her gaze and then her expression smoothed out. She ignored the admiral and stuck out her palm to Dale.
“I’m not. My name’s Keira Solomon. I was visiting one of your neighbors two blocks away and my bike went kaput on your street.”
He took her hand and shook it. Memories tugged...the fog temporarily lifting. Pain, so much pain, agony in each muscle, pulling off bone, shredded flesh...and a large black wolf panting in the corner, sorrow flaring in her green eyes, a long, low howl echoing his screams...
The memory died, leaving him grappling for it like a sleeper groping for wisps of a dream. Keegan looked at him, laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Dale? You okay?”
“Fine.” He shook off his hand.
The admiral gave him a thoughtful look. “Have to get home. The wife is expecting me.”
The woman politely stepped aside to let him pass. Suddenly he pushed her against the wall, his palm splayed over her forehead. Eyes opened wide, she stared at Byrne.
Dale remained motionless, watching with interest. The old man hadn’t done a mind-meld in years.
When he pulled away two minutes later, the admiral didn’t look worried or pleased. Just thoughtful. He glanced at Dale.
“She’s a paranorm. Trust her.” Something very old and sorrowful flickered in the other man’s gaze. “She’ll do you more good than you’ll ever anticipate. You both need each other.”
Keira’s wide mouth wobbled precariously. Seeming to gather her composure, she shot the admiral a scathing look as he pushed past her and went down the steps to his car.
Turning to Dale she asked, “Do you have an air pump? Because it’s getting late and I need to hit the road. If you can’t help me, I’ll knock on someone else’s door.”
The knight in rusty armor, he thought. Can’t help you with anything simpler than an air pump. “Come with me.”
He walked to the garage, where he opened a cabinet door and retrieved the pump and a can of instant flat-tire repair. Keira studied his garage. “Very organized. Everything labeled. Military man. I bet you’re the type who irons your underwear and folds it neatly in the drawer.”
He shot her a look, but she smiled at him, mischief dancing in her green eyes. That look turned him upside down. No one had dared to tease him in a long time.
As they walked back onto the street to her bike, and he set about fixing her flat, she plopped down on the pavement beside him. “I know this is a paranormal neighborhood. I’m a Luminaire.”
Dale plugged the flat and reached for the air pump. “Witch doctor.”
Keira laughed. “That’s what some call me. I’m a psi therapist who helps paranorms restore their energy balance. Perfectly legit. Your neighbor, Mrs. Henderson, asked me to cleanse her home. Had a little issue with dark energy. And you are...?”
Although the admiral vetted her, Dale still didn’t trust the girl. She looked like a pixie with her wide eyes and petite body, but pixies could be trouble.
“Dale Curtis. Don’t know what you’re talking about.” He filled the tire and checked the pressure. Perfect.
She gave him a knowing look. “You should. I can feel the power emanating from you. I know you’re a Mage, but can’t tell what type. I have power, as well. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Her teasing, melodious voice almost coaxed a smile from him. Damn, how long had it been since he’d flirted with a pretty woman?
“You first,” he told her.
Uncurling her fist, she displayed a tiny ball of white energy. The ball danced in the air and then slowly drifted upward, exploding into a shower of silver sparks. Dale went still. He hadn’t shown his powers to anyone but Keegan in a long time. Truth was, his powers had gone south since the demons kicked his ass. No telekinesis. All he could do was shift into a wolf and toss a current of power strong enough only to light dry kindling.
“Not bad.”
He focused all his energy and summoned a large ball of energy, which danced in his open palm. Bouncing it like a baseball, he sent it drifting upward, and it exploded in a much larger shower of sparks. Blood drained from her face, but she stood her ground.
“Yours is bigger than mine.”
Dale’s mouth quirked at the joke.
“You’re a Mage—what kind?” she asked.
“Primary Elemental.”
“Very powerful. But your aura is pulsing with dark energy. You need deep cleansing.” She studied her hands. “Speaking of cleansing, may I wash up? I took a bit of a spill back there.”
Mistrust flickered inside him, but he stood and nodded. She was such a tiny sprite, what harm could she do? Still, he took her hand and turned it over, his hand practically swallowing hers. Dale felt no darkness or negativity flaring from her, only a deeper, sexual spark igniting between them. Curious, he circled the scrape on her palm.
“You hurt yourself,” he murmured. “Come inside, and I’ll find antiseptic.”
He picked up the air pump and can, put them back in the garage and let her into the house through the laundry room. Dale fished out a brown bottle of peroxide and bandages from a white cabinet. Keira winced slightly as he ran warm water over her hand, then treated it with peroxide.
“You’re very good with your hands, but wow, the dark energy I feel from you, it’s not you. Not normally you.”
Dale glanced at her as he finished bandaging her hand.
“I use psi therapy, light and massage techniques to eradicate negative energy. High-frequency healing energy, using the natural elements. Harmonic meditation to calm the mind and soothe the spirit.”
“Natural elements?”
“The power of the sun, wind, earth, even fire.”
“I don’t believe in any of that ‘woo-woo’ stuff.” He replaced the bottle of peroxide.
“Of course. Because even though you’re a Mage, you’re very much a military man who believes in what he can see. You’re a natural leader, a colonel or a captain. No, not army, not with the navy base so close.” Keira wiggled her bandaged fingers. “Thanks.”
His gaze narrowed. “Lieutenant commander. How did you know?”
“Simple deduction. The flag out front, this is a military neighborhood, although a paranormal one, and...”
Silently, she pointed to the uniforms hanging on the door, still covered with dry-cleaning plastic. “I’m really quite psychic. I have ESPN.”
As she winked at him, Dale cracked a reluctant smile.
“Seriously, I can tell you need cleansing. You’ve been in contact with some pretty nasty demons.”
His smile dropped. He gestured to the mounds of dirty laundry piled high in the overflowing hamper. “That’s the cleansing I need. My housekeeper quit.”
Sally had quit with the excuse to move closer to her grandchildren. They both knew the truth. Dale’s nightly screams had fractured her nerves.
; She traced a pattern in the air. “There’s thick tendrils of blackness in your aura, blackness pulsing with the other colors.”
“What other colors?” He didn’t believe in Luminaires, but he knew about auras.
“Deep red, indicating you’re a strong-willed and realistic person and a bright, vibrant red that says you’re a powerful and extremely competitive individual.”
“Bright, vibrant red also means someone who’s very sexual,” he said, enjoying the hint of pink spreading across her cheeks.
“Yes, that, too. And you have other colors as well, but they’re so obscured by the blackness, I can’t tell them apart. You’ve come into contact with great evil, evil that touched you deeply.”
This was too close for his comfort zone. He folded his arms across his chest.
“Hire me and I’ll give you a big discount. Only three thousand dollars in cash.”
“That’s all?” he asked drily.
Keira shrugged. “Work is slow right now.”
“And what do I get from you for three thousand dollars?” He pushed close to her, getting in her face, crowding her. “And for how long do I get it?”
His brazen, suggestive words brought an attractive flush to her face. To her credit, Keira refused to back off or drop her gaze. “You get me, for however long you need me. A week. Or a month, or more, if you desire. I need a place to stay while I’m in the area.”
Dale caught a faint whiff of an enticing scent that wound around his body and yanked hard. Oh, yeah...he desired. His body tightened, blood running hot and thick.
Their gazes met, connected. Something long dead inside him stirred to life. He reached out and with calloused fingers, touched her cheek.
Keira’s eyes widened and darkened. Her lush mouth trembled.
Just as suddenly the connection broke. Dale stepped back.
“And why are you in the area?”
“I travel a lot across country. Never been to Virginia before. I like the beach.”
She looked innocent. Guileless.
“What exactly are we talking about? What methods?”
“I combine aromatherapy massage and meditation with crystals to restore harmonic energy and fight evil. Light therapy, massage and reflexology.” At his questioning look, she added, “I work with your feet on certain pressure points.”
“Interesting,” he murmured. He liked the idea of the massages. Maybe this could prove to be worth his time. How long had it been since a woman had grabbed his interest?
“I’ll need you to sign a contract, of course. To protect us both,” she said. Her gaze whipped around the house, so fast he could almost see her mind recalculating like a GPS. It was fascinating and disturbing, because he knew she was pushing him hard to go where he didn’t want to venture.
Hiring Keira would get Keegan off his back. Keegan already voiced his approval of her. She was better than a navy shrink and ten times safer than a damn mind-melder. And much sexier. The surge of sexual interest flared again.
But he’d be damned if he let her try any of her woo-woo techniques. She could clean the house instead, cook his meals.
“I need a live-in housekeeper. You’d have your own room downstairs by the kitchen and I’ll pay you the three thousand and you stay for the month. Come back tomorrow at oh-five-hundred with your contract before I leave for the base.”
A tentative smile. “You sure?”
The hesitant words contrasted sharply with her earlier confidence. She almost sounded like a child hopeful for acceptance. Dale’s curiosity was piqued.
He gave a rueful glance at his feet. “I’m not into all that New Age crap, but my feet could use some pampering.”
“It’s not massage. It’s a technique to free the energy.”
“You’re not going to nibble at my toes? Damn.”
Her mouth wobbled in a tentative smile. Dale chuckled, the sound rusty and grating. Hell, had it been that long since he laughed? “I’m teasing you. I’m not into having my toes nibbled.”
At her widening smile, he added, “There are exceptions, if the mouth happens to be wide, and lush...and a tad crooked.”
The most intriguing blush ignited her cheeks. Keira put her hands to her reddened cheeks as that lovely, wide and crooked mouth parted. “Oh-five-hundred sharp. I’ll be here. I’ll even treat you to coffee.”
She leaped down the steps, marched to her motorbike and with a kick start it coughed to life, and she took off into the night.
For a few moments Dale stood in the doorway, staring after her, feeling something tighten in his chest.
He shut the door and called his neighbor to see if Keira’s story was true. After talking a few minutes, he hung up and then dialed Keegan’s number. “Spill it. Tell me what you saw in her mind.”
“Dale, it’s late....”
“Tell me.”
“I couldn’t get a fix on her memories and who she is, but I’ll say this, you need her. Trust me on this. Do yourself a favor. Let go and don’t question, just go with your gut.”
Right. Last time he did that, his guts almost ended up spilling out on the table where he’d been tortured. Damn, he hated coyness.
“Keegan...level with me.”
“Already have, son. Find yourself help and get straightened out. I don’t give a damn who straightens you out, as long as it’s done. Hire a witch doctor if you must.”
“Already did.” He told the admiral about Keira. “You satisfied now? You’ll get off my back?”
“You’re doing the right thing, Dale.”
He snorted. “We’ll see. I don’t believe in any of that woo-woo shit.”
“Maybe you should. Maybe that’s the only thing that can free you.”
The admiral hung up, leaving Dale to ponder his cryptic words.
He went to the window and stared at the full moon, feeling the itch and pull of scar tissue. Or maybe it was the itch and pull of something deeper.
That wolf that hurt him, if he got his hands on the beast...
Dale went into the kitchen, opened the sliding glass doors and stepped onto his deck. A cool, refreshing breeze caressed his cheeks. He was a powerful Primary Mage, a Mage who could shape-shift into any life form. Right now the wolf called to him, the urge to run wild and free in fur. Closing his eyes, he stretched out his hands and called upon his magick, and shifted into a large gray timber wolf. He ran into his backyard, and leaped over the wood fence, giving a joyful yip as he raced through the woods. Senses filled with the night air, the sights and smells of the land.
Freeing and exhilarating, he relished the feel of leaves and earth beneath his paws. The wolf had no responsibilities, didn’t have to visit a shrink to keep his job. The wolf had no scars, only thick fur. The wolf would never be tied down and helpless and vulnerable.
His wolf had power.
And if his wolf ever got his big paws on the demon wolf that tortured him as a man, that SOB would pay with Dale’s claws.
The wolf grinned as he ran with the night.
Chapter 3
A gentle breeze stirred the American flag hanging next to the front door. Everything about this house, from the bright white paint to the neat black shutters and the truck in the drive, seemed normal.
But nothing was normal, especially not the man living inside.
Keira took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. When the door opened, she gave a bright smile.
“I hope you like your coffee black. Because I took you for a black-coffee guy.”
She thrust a steaming coffee cup at the man in the doorway. Dale Curtis stood military straight in a starched khaki uniform, looking crisp and fresh and undeniably more handsome than a man should look at 0500 hours.
Those scrutinizing gray eyes showed a hint of a smile. “Thanks. Come in.”
Carrying her valise, Keira followed him to the kitchen. Tension knotted her stomach. His older friend, clearly a superior, had done some kind of odd mojo on her last night. She remembered nothing except that h
is smile had been kind.
Still, she couldn’t trust that the older man wasn’t setting her up, even though he whispered into her mind that she was safe now. Right. Nothing was safe anymore. Not since the Centurions had torn her world apart.
This arrangement troubled her. Living with him wasn’t on her agenda, but she needed to buck up his powers so he could destroy the Centurion demons. Keira suspected he hired her only to fulfill an obligation.
The commander set down the coffee, then sat on a wood stool at the breakfast nook. His penetrating gray gaze seemed to bore into her. For too long, she’d operated alone, avoiding others, especially men. This close proximity unnerved her. Dale Curtis studied her, as if puzzling out her real identity. Her hand trembled as she fumbled in her case. Not this soon. She needed time, needed to gain his trust. But instinct warned that was something this man did not easily give.
He glanced at his watch. “Let’s see the contract. You have thirty minutes before I leave for base.”
Tempted to take the watch and throw it into the trash, Keira plopped the contract on the table. “In conveniently large type, unlike most legal contracts. You can actually read this.” She glanced up at the clock. “Of course, I’m sure you’ll have to be at work soon.”
Dale slid the papers closer and began to read, his brows drawing together. Holding her breath, she tapped her fingers. But he was a fast read and finally came to the last page.
“Sign here.”
Keira handed him an old-fashioned quill. When he scratched his name in bold, strong letters, she took the quill and pricked her thumb. A droplet of blood spilled over his signature. She licked her thumb and gestured to the contract.
“I’ll give you a copy. The contract states you are free to break the agreement at any time by declaring verbally to me, ‘I renounce you. I renounce our agreement.’”
She’d seen him pour over the rambling legalese in the document, but wanted to ensure that Lt. Commander Dale Curtis knew exactly what he was getting into.
Without telling him every single, small detail.
But cooperation was essential. No man could be bound to her against his will.