by Sonya Clark
Maybe there was an element of it, because God knew she certainly brightened his world. But Calla Vesper was no toy, any more than magic was something to be trifled with.
Nate quit browsing, not bothering to bookmark anything. What he was really curious about was never mentioned or even hinted at. Calla was still too prickly to ask her directly.
There was one person who might know something, though.
At the end of the day he hung around to finish some reports, then made his way to the morgue. The last time he’d spoken to Henry, the tech had been working a lot of doubles and split shifts, so there was a chance he’d be there.
Finding a tech he recognized, Nate stopped the guy to ask about Henry.
“He’s on a leave of absence.”
“I didn’t know he was really going to do that. Know when he’s coming back?”
The tech shrugged. “Maybe sometime next month or the month after, I don’t remember. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s looking for another job.”
Nate frowned. “Things that bad here for him?”
“He took it pretty hard when he lost his job as assistant lab director and then Dr. Walker died all of a sudden. I think she was kind of a mentor to him.”
Her death had helped fuel some pretty paranoid ramblings from Henry, but Nate hadn’t given it much thought. It hadn’t seemed like something worth taking seriously at the time. “Okay, thanks.”
Deciding to give Henry a call at home sometime, Nate went home to get ready. He was meeting Calla at Sinsuality later. The club was one of the few public places where she was comfortable being with him, so he took advantage of it every chance she gave him.
* * *
The sheets smelled of fresh, clean lavender as Calla pulled another from the laundry basket. Making quick work of another bed, she moved on to the next, carrying the basket on her hip. Curtains hung between the “rooms” were enchanted with spells to allow the occupants some privacy. As she went through with the fresh bedding, Zinnia worked on hanging the newly laundered and freshly spelled drapes.
This section of the tunnels was known as the dorm. Originally designed to hold two to three dozen people at most, it had been home to nearly a hundred during the weeks the railway had been halted. Nerves were still jittery even though Vadim had given the all clear and the sojourners had started moving people out. With not so much as a peep from DMS and the tunnels empty again, Vadim’s group of volunteers had begun to relax.
As she and Calla finished a room at the same time, Zinnia followed Calla with her own laundry basket to the next. “A little birdy told me you reserved a table for the floor show tonight. A table for two.” She wagged her eyebrows. Anybody else and Calla would have cut them off at the knees, but Zinnia meant no harm.
“He said he wanted to go,” Calla said, trying to keep it casual.
“He seems okay for a cop,” Zinnia said. “Vadim hasn’t tried to run him off.”
“He did try to poison him with homebrewed absinthe. Does that count?”
Zinnia dropped her basket on the floor and pulled out a curtain. Calla separated out a set of sheets and began to make the bed. “Vadim tries to poison everybody with that stuff, so no, it doesn’t count.” The curtain hung, she shook it out and ran it around the rod that demarcated the space. “You seem really happy with him—Perez, I mean.”
Calla smoothed the top sheet down and reached for the pillow and case, careful to keep her face and voice neutral. “He’s a good time.”
“Look, I know it’s none of my business. You’ve been kinda scarce lately. I guess you’ve been busy with him. But people do see you together at the club. They know he stays with you some nights and that you’re off zone all night sometimes.”
“Gossips been busy, huh?”
“You know how it is. I wasn’t sure if you knew what they were saying, so...” She stopped.
Thoughts of Dev and every name she’d called him for whoring himself out to a Normal sent her blood into a fast boil. Slamming the pillow on the bed, Calla said, “So what are people saying? I’d rather hear it from you—you know that. That’s why you’re doing this.”
Zinnia made a face, shoving her hands in her pockets. “You wouldn’t hit an unarmed woman, would you?”
“Spill it, Zinnia.”
“They’re saying Calla Vesper’s head over heels with a Normal.”
Calla snatched up the laundry basket. “Well they can fuck off and mind their own business.”
Zinnia followed her into the next room. “There’s a few people making bets, too.”
“Bets on what?”
“How long before he breaks up with you. Or how much he’s paying you.”
The air went out of her lungs in a sudden rush. Her knees gave out too, and she sat on the bed. “I work my ass off making jewelry and charms. People know that. Or I thought they did anyway.” Looking up at her friend, she said, “Why would they say things like that?”
Zinnia sat next to her. “Jealous, maybe. Or maybe they’re just bored and mean. It’s not widespread but it’s out there, and I thought you should know so it doesn’t blindside you.”
Calla rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, trying to fight off a stabbing headache that was beginning to manifest. “Thanks.” She didn’t know what else to say.
“You want me to finish?”
“No, I’m good.” Staying busy was better than standing still thinking about all this crap. A small group was expected next week, no more than a dozen. The dorm needed to be ready and there was work to do in the kitchen as well.
Maybe if she kept refusing to think about certain things, they would just disappear.
* * *
Nate arrived an hour before midnight, dressed for the club and carrying his usual overnight bag. He kissed her hello. Calla offered a distracted greeting and went back to a cup of tea in the kitchen. He set his bag on the floor by the sofa and followed. “So do I get any hints about this famous floor show before I see it?”
“It’s always different so you never know what to expect.”
She wouldn’t meet his eyes. That was never a good sign. “Are there clowns? Archery?”
“Archery?”
“I’m just throwing ideas out there.” He leaned against the cabinets a foot away from her. Letting her come to him, especially when she was in a mood like this, worked best.
“I’ve got an idea.” She turned away from her tea and faced him. “Let’s stay here tonight.”
It was tempting, especially with that look in her eyes. Something about the suggestion irked him, though. “Nah, I’d like to go to the show.”
“I’ll make it worth your while.” She came closer, slipping a hand under his shirt to caress his abs.
Very tempting, but no. Some nights he wasn’t in the mood to hide, and this was one of them. “Why?”
She dropped her hand. “I just thought it might be nice.”
“I know you think you can bullshit me, but you can’t. Just because I don’t always call you on it doesn’t mean I don’t see it.”
Defiance shaded her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared. “People have been running their mouths and I’m not in the mood to deal with it.”
“So ignore it and let’s go.”
“It’s not that easy. You’re not the one people think is—”
He would not let her finish that sentence. “No, I’m the one people think is buying your company. As if that’s all I have to offer. As if that’s the only way you would ever be with me. You think people don’t talk shit to me too? Every day some jackass at the precinct says something like, ‘Hey, how’s your little freak fuck buddy? She do any spells on you yet ’cos that’s the really hot sex.’ ‘Hey, you get through slumming there’s a girl in the D.A.’s office that wants to go o
ut with you. You might not even have to pay her,’ ha fucking ha. That’s what I get to hear, Calla. All the goddamn time. There’s nothing I can say to shut those people up, so I do my best to ignore them.”
Somewhere in the middle of his outburst she’d turned her back to him. “I didn’t know,” she said in a small voice. “Guess it shouldn’t surprise me though.”
“We can’t control what other people think of us.” He crossed the space between them and took her gently by the shoulder, guiding her to face him. “Are you ashamed of me?”
“No, of course not!”
“I’m not ashamed of you either, so let’s quit hiding. You got us a table and everything, so let’s go to this show and have a good time.”
She leaned the top of her head against his chest and put her hands on his sides. “Sometimes this is too much.”
“I know.” He ran his fingers through her hair, then cupped her chin to lift her head. “Remember what we said? We’re just going to be. Forget about what other people think or say and just be. The rest doesn’t matter.” That was the only lie he’d ever told her, and he knew she’d see through it.
“But it does, that’s the thing.”
“No.” He pressed his lips to hers. “No, it doesn’t. Not right now. Right now, we just be.” Caressing her cheek with his thumb, he mustered a smile and the will to believe his own lie, at least for the time being. “Come on. Let’s go out and have a good time.”
The darkness lifted a bit in her eyes. Not all the way but enough. She said, “I still say we could have a better time if we stayed here.”
He winked. “We’ll get to that. Go get dressed. You said we can’t be late.”
She stood on tiptoe to kiss him, her mouth warm and sweet. “I need a few minutes.” She disappeared into the bathroom.
He managed to hold on to his smile until the door closed behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The club throbbed with an angry industrial beat, relentless and loud until it dipped into unexpected valleys of quiet before cranking back up again. Since they had a reserved table, Calla and Nate didn’t feel the need to rush to the Garden. At the edge of the crowd they danced close, bodies touching. Calla pushed her doubts away and let the music take over. The hard rhythm was the perfect outlet for all her fears and frustrations, Nate’s hard body the perfect foil. She teased him mercilessly, just the way she knew he liked it on the dance floor. Grinding and pushing, careless with her hair as she whipped her head to the beat. He wouldn’t let her stray, possessive hands grabbing her hips if her feet took her too far. The rough slam of their bodies together every time he dragged her back sent a thrill through her. She started drifting on purpose, throwing knowing looks over her shoulder at him.
The looks they were getting from other dancers didn’t escape her though. Some were oblivious Normals just ogling them, but some were Magic Born. The latter looked like they knew about the gossip Zinnia said was spreading. Calla closed her eyes as Nate snaked an arm around her waist and dragged her to him, the solid wall of his chest a welcome distraction. He guided her hips into a slow grind, one hand caressing her throat. With a suddenness that threw her off balance, he turned her to face him. His eyes looked black in the low light, the swirl of shadow and witchlight giving the angles of his face a demonic edge. Bending over, he kissed her, the force of it making her grip his arms for support.
This kind of fierce need in him always took her by surprise. The only thing that shocked her more was her own response. It made her want to give him...everything. Whatever he needed from her, whatever he wanted. She knew what it was like to be wanted, but she’d never been needed before. It took her breath away. Like everything else with him, she didn’t know whether to trust it or not.
Nate released her, a smear of black lipstick on his mouth. Why had she used the real thing instead of a glamour? It wasn’t like her to want to mark a man as hers. She stood on tiptoe to speak in his ear so he’d hear over the music. “I’m going to the ladies’ room. Be back in a few.”
“Okay.” He held her hand as long as he could as she stepped away.
Calla wouldn’t let herself look back at him. Let people talk about how he acted like a lovesick puppy. She didn’t want crap like that said about her. The line for the women’s bathroom was long, but she didn’t need to go anyway. What she needed was to clear her head. There was an exit to the roof up a flight of stairs behind the way to Vadim’s office. She made that her destination, winding through the crowd with ease.
The night air blew cool and gentle in Calla’s face as she stepped outside. There were maybe a dozen people spread across the large space, some alone, some couples wrapped up in each other. She found a spot at the edge of the roof, running her hands through her sweaty hair in an effort to tame it.
The muted glow of FreakTown looked watery and pale in contrast with the shine of the city at night. Letting her eyes lose focus, it was easy to call up an image of cyberspace, overlaid on the pattern of city lights like a matching grid. She hadn’t been back to the arcade in weeks, not since the night she’d stumbled across the other Magic Born in the abandoned building behind it and nearly gotten killed for her bad timing. She needed to find another place to log on but hadn’t yet. Maybe it was time to finally fork over the cash to Vadim for a black market Wi-Fi tablet of her own. That would take some saving. He might have loved her like a crazy uncle, but nobody got discounts from him.
“Hi,” said a voice to her left. “Nice night, huh?”
Ready to snap off the head of whoever was dumb enough to hit on her, Calla turned to the guy. Her putdown got lost as she looked at him. He was glamoured but not well. His face would have passed inside in the funky lighting, but out here, up close, the edges were blurred and the features were a bit off.
Like the Magic Born in the building behind the arcade. The one with a Normal bodyguard who’d tried to shoot her. The one with electric magic much like her own.
She stepped back. “Who are you?”
He sputtered for a moment. “I just wanted to talk. No harm, no foul.”
“Good ’cos she’s here with someone.” Nate came out of the shadows to stand between Calla and the younger man. His posture was loose, his voice relaxed, but he made a definite statement with his size.
Calla rolled her eyes and stepped around Nate, mouth open to speak. The kid was already halfway across the roof, spooked. She whirled on the cop. “What the hell was that?”
“This looks more like the roof than the ladies’ room.”
She blinked. “You followed me?”
“I was worried. I saw you go past the ladies’ room and, I don’t know, I didn’t think about it. I just... Yeah, I followed you.” The genuine contrition in his voice did nothing to mollify her.
“Why? What the hell gave you the right?”
“I’m sorry, I was just worried. That’s all.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to follow me.” She kept her voice down, not wanting to add fuel to the gossip fire.
“I’m a cop. You think being lied to isn’t going to set off alarm bells?”
She couldn’t deny lying to him because she’d done exactly that. Still, it chafed to be called on it. “Maybe I needed some air. Alone.”
“Then say so. You don’t have to lie to me. I’ve got no problem giving you space if that’s what you need.” He came closer, cupping her cheek. “But please don’t lie to me.”
The moral high ground melted into guilt at his touch and the need in his voice. She looked out at the cityscape, afraid to meet his eyes. “Okay.” That was the best she could do, her throat swelling with unshed tears.
“Look, I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to act like I don’t trust you.”
It took a moment to regain her composure. She wrapped her hand around his wrist. “I know. I get it. I ju
st didn’t figure you for the jealous type.”
He broke into a smug grin. “What, me jealous of that guy?” He jerked his head in the direction the kid had run off in. “Not likely.”
Calla debated telling him about the young man’s wonky glamour and how much it had in common with what she’d seen that night a few weeks ago. Nate was a cop though. Did she really want him getting ideas about investigating anything to do with magic? Especially her kind of magic? She didn’t know how far she could trust him, but certainly not that far. “We should get going,” she said. “We don’t want to miss the start of the show.”
He gripped her hand as she tried to move away. “Are we okay?”
“Yeah. We’re good.”
She meant it too, as much as it was possible.
* * *
Nate didn’t like lying to Calla, but he’d liked the sight of Beckwith’s bodyguard in the club even less. He’d spotted the guard right after watching Calla pass the entrance to the ladies’ room, and he’d made a split-second decision that made him look like an ass but was worth it to his thinking. He’d followed Calla, keeping one eye on the guard until he reached the exit. The guard appeared to be looking for someone, but he’d headed off in the opposite direction from Calla. Maybe he’d been after the Magic Born he’d been guarding the night Calla brought the city to a standstill just to escape? Nate didn’t much care as long as the man stayed far away from her.
Now he followed her to the side of the club he hadn’t been to before, known as the Garden. She said they were okay and hopefully she meant it, but there was a stiffness in her shoulders that hadn’t been there earlier. Whatever it took, he would make it up to her.
The entrance to the Garden was several feet ahead. Someone approached Calla, giving Nate a friendly nod. Zinnia, the girl she’d bought that serial from. Nate nodded in return.