Magic, New Mexico: A Touch of Curiosity (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by ML Guida

  Not waiting for them to respond, she walked over to her porch and sat on her swing, trying to figure out what to do next.Theo, Martin, and Ray walked around Frank and stopped focusing on her. Cé stood under a tree with a faraway look in his eyes.

  The quietness allowed what she’d just witnessed to seep into her mind. She’d watched a friend die—saw him take his last breath, saw the light go out of his eyes, heard his struggled gasps.

  Then the killer had turned on her.

  Her hands shook uncontrollably, and her bones shivered. She felt so alone, and her constricted, cutting of her air. She rubbed her trembling arms. Her friends were dying all because of her.

  She caught Cé watching and gave him a reassuring smile, trying to be brave. But she couldn’t shake what she had seen. She wanted someone to hold her and tell her it was all a nightmare. That tomorrow, everything would be all right. Frank and Lisa would be alive, and they’d all have a good laugh.She needed someone to tell her this, anyone—even a stranger.

  As if reading her mind, Cé walked toward her.

  Theo blocked his path. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Cé met his threatening gaze. “The lady looks distressed. I’m just going to sit next to her.” Cé stood closer. “Are ye goin’ to stop me?”

  Pandora rolled her eyes at the male dominance game.

  Theo put out his arm out and allowed Cé to pass.

  Cé stood in front of her, casting his shadow over her and blocking her view of Frank’s company. “Want some company?”

  She wiped her cheek. “Sure.” She leaned back in the swing. “I just can’t get Frank’s cries out of my head. He sounded so scared.”

  He sat alongside her and rubbed the back of her neck. “There was nothin’ ye could have done, lass.”

  “Yes. There was. My spell should have worked.”

  Neither of them spoke. They watched them load Frank’s small body onto a gurney and wheeled him to an ambulance.He patted her hand, then gently picked up her wrist. “What are these marks?”

  The concern in his voice touched her, and some of her frustration diminished.

  “What I don’t—” Her voice died as she looked at her wrists. Three long purple bruises circled her flesh. She frowned. “I don’t know how they got there.”

  He gently pushed her hair back. “Ye’ve even have them on yer neck. Did someone try to strangle you?”

  His slight caress made her shiver, and she couldn’t stop staring into his deep blue eyes. “I...I...tried to cast a spell to help Frank, but it wasn’t strong enough.”

  Anger flashed in his eyes. “Strong enough to piss something off. What the hell happened?”

  “I don’t know. Something pushed me back onto my bed, pinning me there. I couldn’t move. It was terrifying. I can’t help but think of what Lisa and Frank must have gone through.” Her voice grew smaller. The cold terror and guilt crept up her spine, and she shivered.

  He draped his arm around her and hugged her. The fear dissipated. She laid her head on his shoulder, and taking a deep breath, inhaled his masculine scent. It soothed the tension in her muscles.

  “Even if you canna send me back, I promise I willna let the creature harm you.”

  She looked up into his determined face, and his protectiveness warmed her heart. “I believe you.”

  He pushed back her hair then he kissed her briefly on the lips—a soft brotherly kiss. Disappointment weighed heavy on her shoulders. She wanted so much more than friendship. Normally after a disappointing meeting with a cute guy, she would have called Lisa. Lisa would have made her feel better—saying the guy really wanted her or the guy didn’t know what he was missing or the guy was a jerk.

  But Lisa was gone.

  Chapter Eight

  Cé cursed himself as he turned away from Pandora’s sweet lips. This wasn’t the right time to seduce a warm and tempting woman—not with a corpse and the sheriff and his men watching their every move.

  Pandora rested her soft hands on his chest, and the morning sun made her skin glow. He stole a glimpse down her shirt and caught the mounds of her creamy breasts. Her hair was disheveled as if she’d just woken up. Her sleepwear was as scanty as her day clothes. She had on a half shirt and the shortest trousers that he’d ever seen. What caught his eye was the sun glistening off a diamond stud piercing her flat belly button. He wanted to lift her shirt and gaze at her full breasts and move his hands to cup her smooth buttocks. He closed his eyes and ground his teeth, for he could feel himself growing, thicker, fuller with each tiny movement and sweet sigh she made. The captivating woman tempted every bad pirate impulse he possessed.

  The sheriff and his men gave him a disapproving scowl. This wasn’t the time to try and seduce such an enticing lady, but it had been so long since he’d been with one that his judgment had left him. He wanted to get as far away from Pandora, but she still trembled, and he couldn’t leave her frightened.

  “I’m sorry I kissed ye, lass,” he mumbled. He winced at the red finger marks around her slender neck. “I dona know what came over me.”

  “I wasn’t complaining, but we shouldn’t be doing this. Not after what just happened. Not after Frank. Not after Lisa.” Her voice cracked, and she stopped tracing her fingers in his hair. “Will you do something for me?”

  Her seductive voice and the tears shining in her eyes could have coaxed him into the fires of hell. He caught his breath in his throat. “What?” The single word sounded more like a grunt than an answer.

  She quickly dropped her hands to her side and lowered her head. “Theo won’t let me investigate what happened to Lisa and Frank, but I need to find out. Will you help me find their killer?”

  Her soft plea sent tingles of desire sweeping down the back of his neck. “Aye, I will, lass. I promise.” His lust squashed any hint of reason.

  Theo tipped his hat up. “If you two love birds, could get back at the event at hand?”

  Cé clenched his teeth tightly to keep from growling at the sheriff’s retort.

  Pandora pulled away, and her cheeks were flushed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” She looked down. “I...need...to...get dressed.” She hurried into the house.

  Not on my account.

  He kept the thought to himself. Normally, he would make a slur. After all, he was a pirate who hadn’t had a decent woman in a long, long time.

  Cé crossed his legs uncomfortably, hoping no one noticed the bulge in his breeches.

  Ray aimed a small black box at the little body. Each time he moved there was a soft click.

  Cé watched, not really paying attention. All he could think of was the taste of Pandora’s lips and how perfectly she molded against him. Suddenly, a flash came out of the black box, and Cé jumped back on the swing, slamming his head on the wall.

  “What’s he doing?”

  Theo chuckled and shook his head. “Taking pictures. Why the hell are you so nervous?”

  Cé glared, rubbing the back of his head.

  “Pandora caught his tongue.” The deputy snickered.

  Cé got out of the swing and headed toward the deputy. Through the white grate of his teeth, he released a sharp hiss. “Dona talk about her like that.”

  The deputy stopped smirking at the warning growl in Cé’s voice.

  The door slammed shut and jerked Cé’s attention back to the house. Pandora strolled outside wearing a plaid blue shirt tied right below her full breasts and a pair of cut-off blue trousers that revealed her smooth, firm legs. She was determined to test what was left of his honor.

  She lifted her delicate eyebrow slowly at his open stare, and a rare twinge of guilt prickled Cé’s conscience. He’d never turned his eye from a beautiful woman, but this one made him feel like a school boy trying to peek under the teacher’s dress.

  She motioned with her hand. “Come with me. I need to talk with you.” She glanced at the yellow markers on the pebbled ground. “I can’t be out here anymore. Will you please come inside?” />
  Cé brushed past the deputy and the sheriff.

  “Don’t plan leaving town, vampire.” The sheriff’s warning voice didn’t even put Cé’s hackles up.

  Compared to the nightmares back home, the sheriff’s threats came up short. Cé didn’t answer him. Where the hell did the blasted man think he was going to go? He was in a supernatural place in an unnatural time. It wasn’t like he was going to be rescued anytime soon. No, the real question was if the past caught up with him, would he want to return to an ocean of pirates, vampires, and demons?

  He hurried toward Pandora. She looked so small and frail on the porch, and she kept rubbing her arms as if she was shivering.

  Once inside, he put his hand on the wall and crowded her against it, disturbingly aware of her sensual scent. “Ye have me. What is it ye want?”

  “I want you to help me find the creature that is killing my friends.”

  “Why me?”

  She licked those luscious lips. “Because—” She lowered her voice. “It’s my fault. I have to stop it.”

  “Your friends willna help ye?”

  “That’s the problem. My cousin Lacey is always fixing my mistakes,but she’s not her. Why did she have to be five light years away? Don’t you understand? We have—”

  He ran a finger down her smooth cheek. “We?”

  “Yes, we have to stop it. When it attacked me, I could feel it’s intelligent, evil, and hungry...really hungry. It won’t stop.”

  “Ye could sense that?” he asked slowly, not sure he believed her. “A vampire cloud? How could this be possible?”

  “I know it sounds strange, but there’s something else. It...it...talked to me.” She put her hand on her neck as if protecting it. “It was hungry, then it tried to strangle me.”

  He clasped her clammy hand. “Why would it try and strangle ye but drain that poor bastard lying over there?”

  She deepened her brow. “I don’t know...Maybe because I tried to use a spell. Wait a minute.” Her eyes flared with excitement. “The silver box! It was afraid I could put it back in the box. It’s gotta be.”

  He could feel her rapid pulse as the excitement burst within her. She was such a passionate woman, and all he could think about was how he could unleash her fervent passion in the throes of ecstasy and listen to her call out his name.

  “Come on,”—she wiggled her hand to get out of his strong grip—“it’s in my bedroom! We have to find it.”

  He groaned inwardly. Her bedroom was the last place he should be—unless Pandora wanted to find herself flat on her back.

  “I’ll stay here and wait for the sheriff.” A lie but he didn’t trust himself. Besides,he didn’t think there would be any danger for her hunting for this object. Not with him in the house.

  He sat in an overstuffed chair. Her home was filled with warmth—hardwood floors, tan walls, stuffed furniture, and reddish-colored lamps.

  Pandora ran down a hallway with a small slender silver box in her hand. “I found it!”

  It didn’t look like anything special just a smooth box that would fit in the palm of his hand.

  “Let me see it.”

  She sat in another cushioned chair opposite of him and handed it to him. Her slender fingers brushed over his, sending desire pulsing through him. He was amazed her slightest touch could bring him to his knees.

  He turned it over then flicked the clasp, but it wouldn’t open. “Seems to be stuck.” He turned the switch but it wouldn’t move. He drew on his vampire strength, but it wouldn’t budge. “Are ye sure this opens? I canna open it.”

  She stretched out her hand. “Really? Let me try.”

  Amusement flickered through him. “I’m a vampire. If I canna open it, how do ye—”

  Her dark eyes narrowed at the mockery, and those pouty lips turned into a tantalizing frown. “I’m not helpless, pirate.” She snatched it out of his hand and moved the latch with her thumb. The lid snapped open, and cool air whished around them.

  Chills cooled Cé’s blood, and dread prickled his skin. His strength had never failed him before and he’d bested many of the crew in contests of vigor. He frowned. “There’s somethin’ not right with that.”

  “You don’t understand. It has to be because of my magic. I cast a spell, and then the lid opened.”

  “That’s when ye released the cloud.”

  Her excitement faded from her eyes, and her shoulders slumped. “Yes, we covered that. I was curious—that’s all.” She wiped her cheek. “I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.”

  He lifted her chin, and the tears on her long eyelashes tugged at his protectiveness. “I know. We’ll stop it. I promise.” He had no intention of her getting near this thing, but telling her he’d face it alone would be another battle of wits.

  “Thank you.”

  A strand of her disheveled hair fell across his finger. He noticed that her shorts had accidentally slipped lower and her shirt clung to her breasts. He forced himself to move away. “I suggest ye put on something less revealing or I’ll never be able to concentrate.”

  She laughed. “Can’t get your mind out of the gutter?”

  “There’s only so much a pirate can take.”

  “I wouldn’t want to torture you.” She turned and disappeared down the hallway, then closed a door.

  He leaned back, then the chair then it flipped back on its own. He jumped out ready to battle with an angry spirit. A soft chuckled caught his attention.

  The sheriff leaned against the doorway. Cé hadn’t seen him slip inside which was unusual. Not many people could sneak up on him, but when it came to Pandora, even his vampire senses were distracted.

  Theo’s lips turned into an amusing, annoying grin. “I take it you have never seen a recliner.”

  Cé glared. He’d like nothing better than to attack the galling sheriff, but he’d no intention of being flung back into his vampire-proof jail. “What do ye want?”

  “We’re done with the crime scene. Where’s Pandora?”

  “Changing. Why?”

  “Good. Let me give you another warning. It’s true, I do not have enough to charge you now, but if another dead body shows up, you’ll end up back in my guest house.”

  “When this last one was killed, I was locked up.”

  “Doesn’t mean you don’t have a partner or you know something you’re not sharing..”

  His persistence in hanging these deaths on Cé wore down the last of his nerves. He refused to be locked up in a cell over a crime he’d nothing to do with. “Ye always show this much hospitality when a stranger visits yer miserable town?”

  “Only when bodies start dropping all over the place.”

  “Theo, why do you keep hounding him? I told you who the killer is.”

  They both turned, and Cé groaned inwardly. He’d asked her to put on something respectful, but the woman was determined to test his will. She wore the same blue shorts and had put on a tight, sleeveless shirt that had a low v-neckline.

  “Because I don’t believe your story, Pandora,” Theo said, as he opened the screen door. “Only a vampire could do these murders. And it’s none of our people. I am telling you, just like I told him—another person ends up dead, and he’s back in my jail. Got it?”

  Pandora folded her arms under her chest. “But it’s not him. I swear.”

  Theo tipped his hat then left.

  Pandora and Cé silently watched the metal carriages drive away, throwing dust up into the air.

  Cé put his arm around Pandora. “I guess we better hope this thing doesna kill anybody else.”

  “So, you believe me?”

  “I only know I didna do this, and I’m not about to rot in a cell for somethin’ I didna do.”

  Chapter Nine

  Pandora caressed his scarred back with her hand, feeling the tension in his muscles. “We’ll prove Theo wrong. I promise.”

  He turned his gaze to her. “What do ye suggest we do next?” His voice was ragged with anger. />
  He was a man used to being shoved down again and again, but for a moment, she saw passion and desire reflect in his eyes, and he held her closer. She turned around in his arm, pressing her body against his. She could feel his heart pounding as hard as hers. Wanting to taste his strength, she parted her lips. A vein throbbed in his temple, and he gritted his teeth. It was as if he was battling to stay a gentleman. He put his arm down and backed away. The moment slipped away.

  She stuffed the silver box into her back pocket. “We should go.”

  He folded his arms across his broad chest. “Where?”

  “I think we should go back to Hidden Canyon. That’s where I first found you and the box. There might be another clue up there to show us how to trap this thing.”

  “What if there isna? Then what?”

  “I don’t know. Don’t you get it? It’s my fault these people are dying. You’re a pirate. You’re used to death. I’m not!” Dreaded tears slipped down her cheeks, and her vision blurred. Her body shook with grief, anger, and fear. “It’s my fault. Lisa and Frank are dead because of me. I have to fix this. I have to make things right.” She broke out into hiccups, feeling like a helpless female.

  Strong arms wrapped around her and held her close. “No one gets used to death.”

  His voice had lost its anger and had turned sad as if he was tired of watching his friends die.

  “I’m sorry.” She hiccupped. “I know you’ve had a hard life.”

  “Shhh.” He kissed the crown of her head.

  He only held her and didn’t try to seduce her. His skin smelled so good, and she wanted to feel his lips and hands on her body, making her forget the terror of the last two days, but people were dying—dying because of her.

  She eased out of his arms and wiped her cheeks.

  He clasped her hand. “Feel better?”

  “Yes,” she said shyly. “Sorry for my damsel-in-distress meltdown.”

  He pulled her close and kissed her on the lips—this one was longer and definitely not a brotherly kiss. He pushed open her mouth with his tongue and indulged in exploring, becoming possessive and domineering, reminding her this was a man used to taking what he desired. Her body shook with need, but as much as she wanted his lips and hands on her hot skin, she wasn’t ready. Not yet. Not with this dark cloud hanging over her head. She put her hands on his chest to push him way, afraid he wouldn’t release her, but he surprised her.