by Deanna Chase
I moved up the front walk, and our hands disconnected in slow motion. “Good night, David.”
“Good night.” He waited for me to get inside and then sped off into the night.
I leaned against the closed door, catching my breath. So many emotions in one day.
“Did you cut off his balls?” Phoebe asked from the living room couch, lying under a cream-colored throw. A cup of what I’d bet my last dollar was Chimney Bark sat on the end table next to her.
I smirked. “It’s over.”
“Good. Talisen’s waiting for you in the kitchen.”
The tension instantly drained from my shoulders. Then guilt and trepidation took over. What would he say? The temptation to hole up in my bedroom was strong, but I couldn’t put off talking to him. And right then, I needed my best friend. I started up the stairs and asked Phoebe, “Where’s Maude?”
“Resting in my room. I offered it to her for the night. Talisen said she might need some restorative fae thing later. He said he wanted to keep her close for a few days, then she’s going to go back to her place. But not before I search it for all evil-director paraphernalia or tampered edibles.”
I smiled. “That’s kind of you.”
She shrugged. “She’s your aunt.”
“Thanks, Phoebs.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s what I do.”
I grinned.
Nervous energy trickled its way through me as I slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor. What would Talisen do once he knew the truth about Beau? Would he go back home? The mystery was solved. There was really no need for him to stay. A hollow ache filled my chest. I didn’t want him to leave. Not yet.
I rounded the corner and stopped in the doorway, watching him scoop varying sizes of cookie-dough balls onto a baking sheet. Link was curled up close to his feet. I smiled, noting the batter covering the counter. “Looks like you could use a baking lesson,” I said, keeping my tone light.
He glanced down at the mess in front of him, then grinned. “They’re definitely not Martha Stewart style, but wait until their chocolaty goodness is melting on your tongue.”
My mouth watered. And not from the thought of eating his cookies. His easy charm combined with the flour gracing the front of his jeans made me want to…I shook my head. Never mind. I’d basically just broken up with David for good, and here I was thinking about undressing Talisen. I took a seat at the table. “I can’t wait.”
Watching him work, I said, “I thought you had something important to do. You left The Red Door awfully fast.”
“I did.” He scooped another large mound of dough into his spoon. “University business. I had to meet one of the professors for the project we’re working on. I’d already canceled twice. One more time, and I’m pretty sure he’d have cut me loose.”
Yikes! This was his career, and the only reason he’d miss an appointment was because of me. “I’m sorry. I hope everything’s okay.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” A couple of minutes later, he popped the dough in the oven, set the timer, and rinsed his hands. He grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator and joined me.
I took a swig of the Turbo Dog he handed me. “I’m sorry about earlier. The way I bailed on our conversation and calling you to Allcot’s place. I know I put you in a tough position.”
His smile vanished. “Forget it. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Bad timing.” Reaching out, he grabbed my left hand, caressing my fingers. “But don’t think that conversation’s over.”
My heart did a flip-flop in my chest.
“And don’t worry about calling me to Allcot’s. The way I see it, I owe you an apology. I was still pissed you’d left, but after I saw your aunt…Well, you obviously had your priorities in order.”
“Tal, I—”
He held up his other hand. “Really. Let’s forget about it. Now, Phoebe says you have news.”
Right. I cleared my throat. “It’s about Beau.”
He stopped drinking mid-sip and slowly lowered his bottle. “I’m listening.”
I stared at our joined hands and took a deep breath. “I have something to tell you first.”
When he didn’t answer, I glanced up and met his patient eyes. He nodded.
My breath caught as a lump formed in my throat. Talisen always knew what I needed. Knew I didn’t need to be pressured, that I’d explain everything as soon as I found the words. He knew me. Sometimes better than I did. I swallowed. “I talked with David tonight.”
His eyebrows pinched in anger and he pulled back, releasing my hand.
A sharp pain tore through my heart. I wanted his hand in mine. But I had to get this out first. “I won’t be seeing him again.”
Surprise flickered over his face and he sat back, waiting.
“I mean…son of a…This is hard to tell you, you know.” I bit my lip and searched his face for some clue of what he was thinking.
He nodded slowly. “I guess it would be.”
It wasn’t much, but enough to keep me talking. “When David and I broke up, I was blindsided. I mean, I had no idea it was coming. Usually girls can sense when the relationship is going south. But I got none of that. Everything was fine, and then the next day I get a Dear Jane text message. I mean, talk about the worst way to break up with someone.”
“Brutal,” Tal agreed.
“Yeah,” I huffed out a laugh. “Anyway, then I was called home, and I had such a great summer hanging with you, I hardly even thought of him. I was doing fine.”
“Until you came back and found out he was a vampire?” His brows pinched again. “Wasn’t that enough? He’d turned vamp, for fuck’s sake, Wil.”
“I know. If you’d asked me four months ago if I’d ever get involved with a vampire, I would have scoffed. Laughed in your face. But…” I paused. “I wasn’t over him. I still loved him despite the changes.”
Talisen’s face fell, and a dark shadow clouded his deep green eyes. “Do you still…love him?”
The words hung in the air between us. Slowly, I shook my head. “I care about him. It’s hard not to. We have history, and I changed him into a daywalker.” I suspected because of that, we’d be tied to each other whether I wanted it or not, but I couldn’t tell Talisen that. Not right now. “But do I love him? No. The things I’ve seen him do make it impossible to be part of his world. Not to mention the lies. I can’t give my heart to someone like that.”
Talisen’s shoulders eased, and he reached for my hand again. His long fingers wrapped around mine, bringing warmth back into my being. “He hurt you.”
“He can’t anymore. I told you, his touch doesn’t affect me.”
“No, Wil. He hurt you.” Tal pointed to my chest. “You trusted him and he let you down.”
“Oh, that. Yeah.” He had, but it was more than that. The violence and the unjust way his father treated people. The way he thought nothing of human life if he thought someone wronged his family. And David accepted it. Went along with whatever Allcot said. It was disturbing and wrong. “I think he thought he was doing the right thing. Heck, maybe he was. I don’t know. I just can’t be part of his world. It isn’t me. You were right. I need life and he’s death.”
Tal squeezed my fingers. “I’m sorry.”
I chuckled. “No, you’re not.”
His lips twitched. “You’re right. I’m not sorry to hear you’ve come to your senses. But I am sorry about the way I acted. I’m also sorry you’ve been hurt.” His intense green eyes locked on mine and for a second, I swore I saw a flicker of joy. Love even.
My heart soared. “There’s one more thing.”
He pulled back again, but this time he didn’t let go of my hand.
“Nothing happened between me and David.” Much. “Not after he turned, anyway.” For some reason it was important to me that Talisen knew I hadn’t shared a bed with David.
Talisen’s smile came back in full force. “That’s good to know. I’ll keep it under advisement.”
Talisen’s grin faded and all seriousness returned. Once again, he understood me like no one else. “You need to tell me something about Beau.”
I took a deep breath. “He was murdered.”
Tal stared at me, his face suddenly blank of emotion. “That’s what we’ve always thought.”
“Now I know why.” I let the words hang in the air until Talisen leaned forward and grabbed my other hand.
“Why?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you unless you agree to a silencing spell.”
His eyes narrowed with suspicion and then understanding smoothed out his features. “Allcot’s request?”
Sighing with relief, I nodded. “I know it’s awful.”
“It’s all right. Do what you gotta do.”
I jumped up and ran to my supply cupboard. A pinch of augmented dill and thyme would hold his tongue. “Everything we say for the next thirty minutes or so after you swallow these will stay between you and me.” I strode back to the table and handed them to Tal. “Okay?”
In answer, he swallowed the concoction and chased it with his beer.
I sat across from him, taking his hands in mine once more. Then I explained everything Allcot had told me, about the family history, Beau’s ability, Asher’s psychotic religious beliefs, and Allcot’s theory that the ability somehow transferred to me because I was Beau’s twin.
Talisen’s eyes went wide with disbelief. “Beau was killed because he could sense vampires? Feel them like you do?”
“Yes, but he also would’ve been able to turn vamps into daywalkers.” I pulled one hand back and started to pick at the label on my beer bottle.
“But he never said anything about it to me.” His brow furrowed.
“Me neither. But Carrie knew.”
“Carrie?” He straightened and his confusion turned to surprise.
“She’s here.”‘ I filled him in on the rest of the story, and by the end, silent tears leaked from the corners of my eyes. “My nephew’s name is Beau.”
“Oh, baby.” Talisen got up and pulled me to my feet. His arms came around me, holding me tight to him. He rested his chin on my head and lightly stroked my spine. “It’s been a really rough week.”
A laugh got caught in my throat and came out as more of a sob.
“Shh. I know it’s hard. But we have answers now,” he soothed.
I nodded, clutching his shoulders, willing him to stay there with me, forever. But I knew deep down he’d go home now. My fragile heart started to rip in two. He’d come to help me find out what happened to Beau, and now we knew.
“Did Carrie seem open to letting you spend time with Beau?” Talisen asked gently.
“Yeah.” I sniffed. “But we need to be careful. His life is at greater risk than mine if anyone finds out he exists. I can’t let anything happen to him.”
Talisen hugged me tighter, understanding this was all I needed.
Eventually the oven timer buzzed and pulled us apart. I took the oven mitt from Talisen, needing to distract myself for fear I’d burst into tears again. I set the cookies on a cooling rack and turned to face him. “What happens now?”
The worry left his face, replaced by serious eyes and a raised chin. “I’ll watch Maude tonight to make sure she doesn’t suffer any lasting effects from that piece of shit Nathan. You’ll finally take those self-defense classes Phoebe’s been harping about. I’ll finish what I started with the university here and then we’ll go back to our normal lives. We’ll figure everything else out as we go along.”
My heart sank. Go back to our normal lives. Mine here in New Orleans and his in Eureka. I was too chicken to ask how long he planned to stay, but he’d already been here a week. It couldn’t be much longer. “You’re right. Back to normal.”
It’s what I wanted. Right?
Tal gave me one more hug, kissed my temple, and headed out of the kitchen. “I’ll be in Phoebe’s room watching Maude if you need me.”
After he left, I scraped the biggest cookie off the sheet and stuffed it in my mouth. Despite the presentation, the warm chocolate melted on my tongue, and I decided they were the best damn cookies I’d ever tasted. Or maybe I was too distraught to notice the difference.
After scraping half a dozen cookies onto a plate, I snapped my fingers and Link and I headed off to bed. I only hoped my oak could heal my tattered heart while it rejuvenated my tired limbs.
Chapter 33
Over the next three days, between the catch-up needed at The Fated Cupcake and Talisen’s meetings at the university, we only spent about twenty minutes together. And that had been while rushing around the house getting ready for our respective days. Absolutely zero time to discuss the future.
“I’m sure he’ll let you know when he makes his plans to go back to California,” Maude said from a stool in the middle of my lab. We were at The Fated Cupcake, working on an antidote to the modified Influence the Void had been producing under Director Felton.
“Yeah,” I agreed absently. I wasn’t at all sure he would. I’d tried bringing it up that morning but he’d brushed me off, dodging the question altogether. It was classic Talisen avoidance when he didn’t want to tell a girl he’d moved on. A hollow ache formed in my chest right where my heart should’ve been.
I suspected now that David really was out of the picture, his interest in me as more than a friend had vanished. Of course it had. The challenge was gone. And an invisible wall now stood between us. Exactly why I hadn’t wanted to cross that line.
I rolled my shoulders. “It doesn’t matter that much anyway. He can’t stay forever. He has a job in Eureka.”
Maude used a paring knife to chop up dandelion roots in a rapid motion. She paused. “You had a job there before you moved here. That didn’t stop you.”
I ignored the remark. Talisen had never shown any interest in leaving the redwoods. He was fae. It was in his blood. “I just want to know when, so I’m not surprised one day when I wake up and his duffel’s gone.”
“Understandable.” Maude glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’ve got to get to the Arcane building. President Fischer’s coming today to appoint the new Director of Ops.”
I pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. “Are you in the running?”
She shook her head. “I doubt it. Not after Felton managed to control me. Makes the entire Void branch look vulnerable.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll continue to be a field agent, which is all I ever was to begin with.”
“Except everyone thought you were appointed after Felton supposedly stepped down.” The Arcane was keeping a tight lid on recent events, just as they always did, except this time Maude had made many enemies while being controlled and hardly anyone knew the real story. “You won’t have nearly as many resources to fight back if anyone comes after you as a field agent.”
“I have you.” She stood. “Don’t worry, little one. We’ll handle it.” She gave me a kiss on my cheek and headed to the door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’ll be here.” I waved and the door shut with a soft click.
I spent the next thirty minutes moving the dandelion stems, blossoms, and leaves to separate jars and cleaning my work table. Tomorrow, I’d work on the first test batches of antidotes. It wouldn’t do me any good to start with a distracted mind. I logged the augmented plants, made a to-do list, and tacked the sheet of paper to my corkboard.
It was just as well Talisen was too busy to spend any time with me. I was way behind on business. We were completely out of Truth Clusters and Mocha in Motion. The Truth Clusters could wait, but not the Mocha in Motion. I grabbed a tray full of already augmented dried cocoa pods and a gallon of my hand-roasted coffee beans. After a trip through the industrial grinder, the mixture was ready to be brewed, using my secret blend of caramel-and-vanilla-infused liquid. I was bottling the concentrate when a soft knock sounded at the door.
“C
ome in,” I called, twisting the cap on a glass bottle.
“Willow?” Tami poked her head in. “You have a visitor.”
“Okay, I’ll be out in a minute.” I put the prepared drinks in the walk-in and wiped the counter down one last time. Back in the storefront, Tami was busy helping a customer and pointed to my office.
Who the heck would be in my office? Phoebe? No, she was busy delivering the new agent Maude had tried to saddle her with to the Baton Rouge office. She couldn’t be back already. Oh, no, David? It was still light out. He shouldn’t be visiting me, especially so blatantly. I scowled and yanked my office door open, letting it crash against the inside wall.
Talisen sat in the seat across from my desk, his eyebrows raised in amusement. “Tough day?”
I stopped short in the threshold. “Hey.”
He got up and gently pulled me into the room, closing the door behind us. “Hey, yourself.”
I let him lead me to the old, comfortable couch against the wall. “It’s been a while,” I said and sat next to him, stiff with anxiety.
“Just a few days.” He leaned forward, his hands clasped lightly.
Right. A few days after I’d told him my life was in danger, and I’d heard barely a word from him. “Yeah. Only a few days. Are you leaving?”
Surprise flickered through his eyes. “What makes you ask that?”
I shrugged. “You’ve been working hard to finish your business with the university. I figured you needed to get back to California.”
He sat back, studying me. “Do you want me to leave?”
I shrugged again, avoiding his gaze.
Talisen was quiet for a moment, then he chuckled. “You’ve pegged me all wrong. Again.”
“Huh?” I jerked my head up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
His face turned serious, almost angry. “It means you’re thinking the worst of me, as usual. Do you really think I’d leave you now? After finding out about Asher?”
“But…” I rubbed a hand over my eyes. “Where have you been the last three days?”