The Sapphire Talisman
Book Two Talisman Series
by
Brenda Pandos
NOOK EDITION
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Published By
http://www.obsidianmtpublishing.com
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Text Copyright © 2010 by Brenda Pandos. All rights reserved.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination, or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond intend of the author.
No part of the book may be used or reproduced without written permission of the author.
For Lucy,
My Wonder Woman
Do not be overcome with evil,
But overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
Chapter One
I sat in the waiting room together with my older brother Luke, my dad, and Erin, my uncle’s sister, in upholstered chairs with wooden arms, my internal experience vastly different from anyone else’s. Our scenery consisted of four white walls adorned with pastel flower paintings and a TV hung in the corner, playing a late night talk show. My eyes kept drifting to the large red “NO SMOKING” and “NO CELL PHONE USE” signs, reading them over and over, wishing I didn’t have the ability to read other people’s emotions, especially in a maternity ward. When another wave of pain would arrive, I’d close my eyes and place my hands under my legs to grip the edge of the chair where no one could see, desperately trying to ignore the stifling agony. Relief only came when invisible explosions of incredible elation burst forth, sweetly followed by Brahms lullaby tinkling throughout the corridors.
With each passing episode though, I hoped the last one would be for us. Suddenly, my uncle John appeared in the hallway, dressed in a blue smock and booties, overflowing with love.
“It’s a girl!” he exclaimed.
We all jumped to our feet simultaneously. The wait was finally over.
“A girl,” Dad said in jubilation while putting his arm around my shoulder.
“Yes.” John’s eyes were moist. “Our little Emma Mae is finally here. Come. Jo would like to see everyone.”
When John turned, motioning for everyone to follow, I nudged Luke in the ribs. We’d had a bet whether it was a boy or girl. Luke’s wrong guess meant he’d be doing dishes for a week.
Josephine, my aunt and somewhat adoptive mom, had invited me to be a part of the birth and initially I had agreed until I found out she was going to give birth in the hospital without drugs. There was no way, with that much pain, I’d be able to compose myself and not let everyone in the room know my talent—the secret ability I’d acquired at age five, right after my mother’s mysterious disappearance. Though I didn’t actually feel the pain itself, it seemed real enough to overwhelm me. Pain, of all the emotions, was very distracting. Later, after watching a documentary of a real birth in Health Class, I had to gently tell Jo I didn’t think I could handle it. She was disappointed, but understood.
I figured, if I ever had kids of my own in the future, I’d definitely get drugs just in case someone in the room next to me decided to go without like Jo did. I wanted to avoid that kind of pain at all costs. But with a half-vampire as a boyfriend, even if we did get married someday, I didn’t know if having children would be a possibility.
“Jo did so well . . . without any drugs . . . her nurse kept saying she was a natural at it,” John said breathlessly, as he padded down the hallway in his slippered feet.
Part of me was glad to hear everything went well, but another was annoyed he kept telling the details—her story. I just wanted him to lead us and keep his mouth shut.
We arrived at her door and walked in. Jo looked slightly tired but gushed a beautiful sea of love while holding a little pink bundle in her arms. Her eyes were glistening as she invited us to come in.
I got to Jo’s side first, wringing my hands awkwardly, unsure if she’d let me hold Emma. Without a word, Jo passed me the baby. I smiled down at my new cousin.
Emma’s peace surrounded me instantly while she slept, taking me to a utopia I’d craved all night sitting in the waiting room. Faintly, in the background, I heard Jo fill her sister-in-law, Erin and Dad in on what happened. Luke stood by John, slightly grossed out at the details.
A little tuft of black hair stuck out from under Emma’s hat, framing a wrinkled forehead. Tiny lashes rimmed closed eyes, rosy cheeks surrounded a button nose and little puckered lips,—she looked like a cherub. I remembered back to the first time I’d felt Emma’s emotions. Sometime during Jo’s second trimester, Emma’s contentedness began to compete with Jo’s general motherly woes. Emma loved her sanctuary within the protection of Jo’s womb. Only yesterday did I sense something new—a growing disquiet. I wasn’t surprised to hear after I left, Jo’s water had broken.
“Five more minutes,” a heavy-set brunette nurse called through the open doorway. “Then you’ll all have to leave.”
Erin’s agitation increased and I sighed, gently passing Emma to her. She’d been anxiously awaiting her turn. Without Emma’s sweet aura to hide within, I suddenly wanted to go. Hospitals drained me.
As if sensing my discomfort, Jo’s hand caught mine and she pulled me into a hug. The embrace comforted my spirit.
“How are you?” she asked quietly.
“Me?” I laughed while shaking my head. “Uh, you just gave birth. How are you?”
Jo squeezed my hand a little tighter. “If only I could share how wonderful I feel.”
I glanced away and grinned. I already knew.
“—but I want you to remember, while Emma is my real child, she’s not going to replace you or your brother. I still consider you both my children too, you know.”
“I know,” I whispered, leaning into her shoulder.
She’d become our mother when Dad moved us from L.A. to Scotts Valley after our real Mom disappeared, shortly before my sixth birthday. But, unbeknownst to any of us at the time, she hadn’t disappeared; she was murdered. I’d just learned the truth a few months ago, when Nicholas saved me a second time from an unseen stalker—a vampire. The first time, I was lucky while my mother was not. Nicholas, too late to help her, prevented the bloodsucking vampire from taking my life as well. In his guilt, he vowed to secretly protect me always.
But with my second encounter, Nicholas was no longer able to keep his presence or his identity a secret after I learned the truth. We’d been dating ever since.
Jo kissed the top of my head. Her loving tenderness covered a multitude of longing and sadness for my mother.
“So proud of you, Jo,” Dad called across the room. “Emma is beautiful.”
A general murmur of consensus rang through the group. Being between two ecstatic parents and a contented baby put me in the perfect Bermuda triangle of love. Everything seemed perfect until Attila the Hun came back.
“Visiting hours are now over,” Atilla said in a gruff voice. “My patients need their rest.”
I rolled my eyes, said a quick goodbye, and waited for my family in the hall. I wanted to text Nicholas and tell him the good news anyway. I’d been keeping our relationship a secret from my family. Nicholas believed, even though I wore a vampire-warding talisman, anyone I loved could still be in danger of retribution since Nicholas was a hated vampire slayer. Luckily, and completely puzzling to us, none of the leaches had returned after the last attack. Whether Nicholas’ reputation preceded him or they were off wreaking havoc on easier targets, we didn’t know. Even still, he wanted to be extra careful.
Within two seconds his reply text came back.
- Congrats. Leaving soon? <
- Yes. 30 mins. 3
- Great. Sleep tight.
I bit my lip to stop the huge grin from forming upon my lips. Sleep tight didn’t mean good night; it was code for us to meet outside my bedroom window on the roof ledge later, something we did almost every night. The < from his text and the 3 from mine represented a heart when put together, reminding us of the one I’d carved into a piece of symbolic wood that brought us together, but broke when I carved it, both of us keeping a half. For sometime, I’d suspected my dad frequently checked my text messages online, so we’d resorted to code.
I read his messages several times before deleting them—another precaution I decided to take after the last attack. If another vampire ever stole my phone again, they’d never know who I consorted with.
I rested my head on the back of the seat during the drive home, relieved to finally be free from the birthing tormentors. Dad and Luke wordlessly sat in the front, all of us emanating a tired peace. I held the talisman that hung around my neck, anxious to get home for my good-night kiss. Our nightly roof-top meetings were risky, but I was confident that I would feel if someone had awakened, and was close enough to catch us.
Dad parked in the garage and I feigned needing something out of my car so I could see if Nicholas was here yet. The crisp night air refreshed my tired senses as I walked across the dewy grass. Once I rounded the corner, I felt a tiny bit disappointed when I discovered he hadn’t arrived. I wondered what might be taking him so long when my phone vibrated.
-Give me 20. <
-3
I grinned as my heart beat a little faster, knowing the wait was only 20 minutes more. Maybe he had a surprise for me.
Just before I opened the front door to go inside, I noticed movement in the shrubs next to the porch swing. I knew it had to be an animal, since I couldn’t sense any human emotion.
“Aladdin, is that you?” I whispered, keeping my distance, worried to get too close in case it was a raccoon. I squinted to see evidence of our tuxedo cat, Aladdin, when another cat appeared—pure black with icy blue eyes.
One I knew. One that wasn’t really a cat.
I froze.
“She’s back.”
Chapter Two
“Enigma, nice to see you again,” I spoke internally, my words laced with sarcasm. “Let me guess, I can’t say anything, right?”
“Correct,” she said in my mind.
“And if I do?”
Her tail twitched ever so slightly. “Disastrous consequences.”
“For who? You? Or me?” I asked tempestuously while staring daggers into her little kitty face. “Because when Nicholas finds out I’ve been lying this whole time, he’s not going to understand. I’m putting everything in jeopardy to keep your secrets.”
“Not for me—”
“Really? Really!” I let my air out forcefully in preparation of my well-rehearsed speech. “I’m only giving you grace because you saved our necks last fall, but my patience is running thin, especially since all you’ve told me is to keep quiet, then you disappear, and even now, you’re leaving me in the dark.”
“I have my reasons. In time, this will all make sense. ”
“Yeah, right.” I leaned up against the porch pole and folded my arms. “I should take you to the Pound.”
She arched her back, bristled the hair across her spine, and tightened her cat-eyes.
“You lack manners, young lady. I’m older than you can fathom. I deserve your respect for that at least,” she hissed.
My eyebrows shot up at the revelation, stealing away all my bravado. In human form, she only looked a little over twenty-five.
“Your job is to help Nicholas find Alora before she finds you, but he’s going to need his father’s help first.”
With a slouch of my shoulders, I leaned my head back. Yet again she insisted on more impossible things. Alora was the meanest and most cunning vampire I knew, who, unknown to Nicholas, narrowly escaped after he defeated her coven. Enigma made me vow I wouldn’t mention I knew of her until it was time. But getting Nicholas to admit he needed help, let alone ask, was never going to happen—especially when it came to his father.
Lovely.
“Anything else?” I asked haughtily.
I heard a guttural snarl. “Stop trying my patience.”
Humph. I let my lip curl a tiny bit. It was nice to feel like I’d had some control for once.
Enigma, a mind-reading shape-shifter, was used to having the advantage whenever we ran into each other, able to ruthlessly sift through my secrets. But now that I wore the talisman, my thoughts were shielded against her invisible grasp. She could only read what I wanted her to, leveling the playing field since I couldn’t read her emotions while she was in cat form.
Before I could lay in another retort, a waft of my dad’s confusion floated over me, distracting my concentration.
“Julia?” he called while he poked his head out. “What’s taking you so long? It’s late.”
“Sorry, Dad,” I said quickly. “I was looking for Aladdin.”
“Pretty sure she’s upstairs,” he said and stepped onto the porch to usher me inside. “Come on.”
I looked over my shoulder to give the cat one last angry reply, but she’d already disappeared.
Figures.
Enigma’s words echoed in my mind while I lay on my bed, cell phone in hand, trying to figure how to warn Nicholas with nothing coming to mind. He was somewhere in the city, patrolling the area like always at 2:20 in the morning. If it were under any other circumstances, I’d have chuckled, but I worried he’d run into Alora without me and meet the demise a fortune teller predicted to me a while back.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
- Miss me?
The surprising buzz of the phone made my anxious hands jerk, almost dropping it on the floor. The relief was instantaneous; he was still okay. Nervously, I punched the keys to reply.
- Yes. Where are you?
I held my breath.
Please be close.
- Long story. Sleep tight. Talk to you soon.
I smirked at the secret code he used to throw my dad off. Whatever happened was going to be interesting.
Since there weren’t any vampires to rid the city of, Nicholas had become the resident incognito superhero, minus the costume. He’d document the crime in process via film, catch the bad guys, and leave them cuffed at the precinct where they’d be found (usually in the alley). It was reported Nicholas had said, “Do you feel lucky today, Punk?” which coined him Dirty Harry in the Sentinel. Tonight must have been more intricate than usual.
I began to pace, knowing he’d arrive on my roof at any moment and I didn’t feel ready to talk yet. The hospital left me shaky from the barrier I tried to create during those three long hours, and now, with Alora back, I knew he’d hear the worry in my voice.
If we could just touch first, his soothing spirit would relieve my tension in a second. The tap on the window made my insides jump even though I’d already felt his presence.
“You’re here,” I said after opening the window. I leaned out so he could reach me.
His strong hands gently cupped my cheeks and his green, electric eyes focused on mine. The energy zinged from his fingertips down to my toes and weakened my knees. His lips met mine and were firm, yet gentle. My eyes closed as I submitted to his kiss. The only thing that mattered anymore was us being together, and I crawled out of the window into his waiting arms.
“Are you doing okay?” Nicholas asked while he stroked the back of my hair.
“I am now.”
I stayed firmly planted into his side, not wanting to move, and wondered if we could just stay like this forever—then nothing bad would happen.
Pride swelled inside Nicholas and he chuckled.
“What?” I said quickly and pulled back to look into his grinning face.
“One of the guys asked if I was Dirty Harry after I tied them up.”
“Oh?” The kiss had made me fo
rget all about his escapade he’d mentioned earlier. “So, what happened?”
“I caught them trying to jack a car. So I tied them up, put them in the trunk, drove it down to the precinct, and parked out front.”
“Aren’t you afraid the cops will see you?”
“Not really,” Nicholas said and wrapped his arms tighter around me.
“But the bad guys saw you.”
“I gave them the look.”
“The what?”
Nicholas hesitated. In his excitement he’d revealed more than he wanted.
“I let the demon out.”
He’d always referred to his vampire side as a demon fighting to overtake control. I’d regularly felt the wall he’d stuffed all the hate behind, unsure what really lay there. Even during the most recent attack with Bettina and the rest of her vampires, he’d managed to keep it under control. The thought of what Nicholas would turn into if the animal within was allowed to emerge frightened me.
“I’d show you, but I don’t want to scare you,” he said apprehensively.
Inside him, I felt the excitement of something new, something separate from the man I loved. It wanted to frighten me. It wanted all the control. I sensed the urge tempt Nicholas’ desire to quench my curiosity before the feelings vanished, stuffed back into Pandora’s Box.
“Um . . . better not then,” I said with a nervous twinge in my voice.
He hugged me tighter and nuzzled my hair gently with his nose. He’d told me several times he was addicted to my scent—a cross between cotton candy and a fresh rain storm. I felt the same about his—earthy yet ocean-like.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he said with caution. “This whole vamp hiatus has got me a little worried. I need to go see someone in L.A. to find out what’s happening, and it might take more than a day.”
My anxiety jumped. I didn’t like the idea of Nicholas being so far apart from me, especially for so long.
“Why?” I said while pulling away.
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