“Did you know that long, long ago, there was a very brave king? He cared very much about all of his subjects, and he was loyal and faithful until the very end of his days. This kind of personality inspired love, and he was loved very much by everyone, but most of all, by his knights…”
I recognized the very tale that I used to tell him when we were young; the story of King Arthur, one of my favorites. Kicking off my shoes and forgetting all about the bag of muddy clothes, I pressed the phone tighter to my ear and went upstairs. Listening to his voice, I crawled into the bed and closed my eyes.
I forgot about Eagleton and the possibility of the Venator slaughtering my whole family. I forgot about my past and my own fears of the humans. I even managed to forget about Jackson and the confused, nervous, happy feelings I felt around him. But Jackson was a topic that refused to be forgotten for long.
Chapter 10
Meet us at Stallott’s right now,” Jenny said, her voice booming through my cell phone. “It’s time to continue your education.” She giggled and I could hear others in the background.
“What do you mean? Stallott’s isn’t even open,” I said. Since Max’s visit the day before, I’d been in something of a daze. I couldn't get over my anger at Ivanna, and even though I knew it was my duty to follow her and trust her, I couldn't agree with her choice.
The punishment Ivanna gave me was severe for my 'crime,' and I couldn't come to terms with the injustice of it all. Mingled in with those feelings was the understanding that I was being childish; that I wasn't handling things the way some of the others in my coven might have. Even more importantly, I was worried. The thought of my family being in danger was nearly crippling, especially if I couldn't take action to help. I craved the distraction the humans would bring but I wanted to avoid them as well. I wanted to avoid thinking at all but that seemed to be out of the question.
“It’s not open for the public, but we have this little tradition. You’ll see. It’ll be fun. Come on,” Jenny said. She was beginning to sound exasperated and I felt the corner of my mouth turn up. Her exuberance never failed to amuse me.
“Okay,” I shrugged, guessing I should welcome the chance to get out of my own head. “Wait. My car is…broken, so it’ll take me a few minutes.”
Sounding distracted, Jenny told me to hurry and then hung up.
I sighed and reluctantly abandoned my cozy spot on the couch in the library. I’d been doodling and allowing myself to get lost in my own thoughts. I'd been trying to make sense of why the Venator would be so adamant about finding Everett. Sure, his abilities were unique and amazing, but what was the reason behind it? Why did they need him so badly? Why were they attacking Wise Ones but not killing them? When I actually noticed what I’d been drawing, I cringed. The hunter’s arrows, crossed and menacing even in ink from a Bic pen. I tossed the notebook onto the couch and went upstairs to get dressed.
I threw on a pair of jeans and a red and silver blouse Sylvia had given me. It was a good color with my hair and eyes, but when I looked in the mirror, I could see the fatigue and the worry in my face. I kept my hair down, brushing it until it shone, and then I grabbed my bag and went outside. Jackson was waiting at the curb, and my heart skipped when I saw him.
His hair was styled in the usual messy and perfect way, curly sideburns framing his angular jaw. He grinned and I returned it immediately, reflexively.
“I was sent by the almighty Queen Jenny to collect you,” Jackson laughed.
“Thanks.” I got into the jeep and felt my low mood immediately started to lift.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered if that was a good thing. After shooting me another grin, he pulled away from the curb.
“So, what’s going on at Stallott’s?” I asked, more than a little curious.
Jackson gave me a mischievous smile and said, “Poker.”
When I stared at him without responding, he cocked his head at me. “Let me guess,” he said. “You’ve never played poker. Why am I not surprised?”
Jackson may not have been surprised, but when we walked into Stallott’s and I saw that the entire crew was there – including Paula – I was surprised. Jenny was at my side immediately, strands of her hair dyed red this time, and her favorite blue eye shadow framing her light eyes.
“Olivia!” She wrapped me in a quick hug and took my hand, leading me to a large booth where the Erika, Paula, and Rick were already getting settled. I wondered whether I shouldn't have just stayed home. Even though none of these people had ever treated me badly - except for Paula - I still felt like some kind of specimen when I was around humans.
“Orders,” Renee called, and moved toward the bar. Seeing me, she winked and said, “I hope you brought all your tips, honey, because I plan to take them.”
“Olivia and I will have an amaretto and pineapple,” Jenny said, giving me a grin. She put her mouth close to my ear and said, “You teach me mad fighting skills and I teach you how to drink.” Giggling, she scooted into the booth.
“Hey Olivia, I’m glad you came,” Erika said, giving me a warm smile. Jenny patted the booth next to her and I slid in, not missing Paula’s glare. She had definitely noticed that Jackson was the one to bring me. She looked stunning in a tiny white tank top and dark blue jeans. I felt a little like a night light sitting next to a star; inferior. Apparently, she didn't want to miss the chance to drive that point home.
“Oh, little girl,” Paula said with a sweet, vicious smile. “This is a grown up game.” She frowned as if she were confused, and then added, “Oh, Olivia. That’s you. Sorry.”
“Give it a rest, Paula,” Jackson said, shooting her a fiery glare of his own and sliding into the booth next to me.
Jenny laughed. “Yeah, and if maturity is a sign of being grown up, you’d better take your sweet ass out of here right now.”
Paula narrowed her eyes at Jenny and I had to hide a smile.
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen,” Renee said. “Drink up.” She placed drinks in front of everyone and I recognized the deep honey color of the amaretto in mine. Jenny bumped my shoulder with hers and looked pointedly at the drink. I took a long pull on the straw and was rewarded with the sweet liquid, and then a moment later, the warm sensation. Again, I was second-guessing myself, but I really liked the amaretto.
With everyone settled and sipping on their drinks, Rick started dealing cards and I was instantly confused. I watched everyone pick up the five cards they were given and look at them intensely, and I tried to look like I was doing the same. I paid close attention to the amount of money they put in the center of the table and I followed suit. Jackson leaned in the booth so that his mouth was close to my ear.
“Hold the two kings and put the rest of your cards down on the table,” he whispered.
I followed his instructions, to be rewarded with three more cards from Rick.
“Now,” Jackson said, “they’re going to put another bet down. Put more than they put, because you’ve got a great hand. It’s called raising.”
I watched as the others put more money in the middle and I grabbed a wad of money from my bag and put it in the middle without counting it. It didn’t matter. I had all of my tips and all of the money Ivanna had sent with me. Rick whistled and put his cards down on the table.
“I fold,” he said.
“That means he doesn’t think he has a hand good enough to beat yours,” Jackson said quietly. Both Jenny and Renee folded as well, but Paula looked at me with a strange glint in her eye.
“I call.” She put her cards on the table, and Jackson and Erika followed, so I did the same.
“Woohoo,” Rick said, clapping his hands. “Beginner’s luck, beginner’s luck.” With a flick of his wrist he began gathering the cards up. Renee pushed the money toward me and Jackson gave me a proud grin.
“You won,” he said. I returned his smile involuntarily, and excitedly took another long drink. Paula won the second hand, and when she did, she looked straight at me with an i
cy-cold smile. I could practically hear her thinking, There bitch. How do you like that? Refusing to be flustered by her, I smiled back genuinely. I picked up on the rules quickly and by the third hand, I realized I needed just one more card to have a full house. When I got it, I sat straight up and smiled from ear to ear. Everyone except for Paula laughed at me.
“You’re not supposed to squeal when you get a card you need,” Erika laughed. “You’re supposed to keep a poker face…so no one knows what you have. Then, you can bluff if you need to…you know, make the others think you have something you don’t or make them think you’re losing so they’ll throw more money in the pot.”
“Oh,” I laughed at myself. The others put their cards down, because after my outburst, they knew I had a good hand.
So, the third pot came to me as well. Renee refilled the drinks and I sucked at mine greedily. The warmth was becoming even more pleasant, and in it I recognized the same feelings from the other rebellious things I had done; numbness, thrill, and excitement. We played several more hands, most of which I won, and Paula’s glares became more frequent and more heated. I barely paid attention to her. By then, I’d had three more drinks and felt wonderful. Everything was moving in a surreal sort of haze.
I felt like nothing had the power to get to me in this state, and even thoughts of the Venator didn’t scare me the way they should have. Jenny had been drinking just as fast as I was, and she started whispering things to me that I found hilarious for one reason or another.
“Olivia, look at me. Hurry up,” she slurred. When I did look, she focused on my face with an exaggerated concentration. “You’re so pretty.” She put her hand on my face and added, “I think you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Also you’re even prettier because you don’t really know that you’re pretty.” Then she squeezed my cheeks together with her hand and collapsed in a fit of giggles. For some reason, I also thought it was funny and started giggling.
“You don’t know you’re pretty either,” I said, and patted her leg reassuringly, which made her and Erika laugh even harder.
Jackson leaned over and put his face next to my ear. “I thought you said you didn’t drink.” I turned my face to look at his and realized we were just an inch or two apart.
“I don't,” I replied. He raised an eyebrow at me and took a shot of his whiskey. A bit of the liquid lingered on his lips and I had a sudden urge to kiss it off. The feeling shook me, and I looked away from him quickly, only to see Paula glaring at me again.
Her hand moved quickly and tipped her drink in my direction. She gasped at the same time and said, “Oops.”
The liquid poured across the tabletop in my direction, but as the others were moving to get out of the way, I put my hands under the table and tipped it up. The alcohol and ice changed directions quickly and Paula’s reflexes weren’t as fast as mine. It ended up in her lap, and she emitted a true gasp of surprise, her jaw opening as she shot me a look of hatred.
“Oops,” I mimicked her, putting my napkin on the table in front of her.
The others around the table were quiet, and then Jenny began giggling quietly. Paula apparently decided she didn’t want to give me the satisfaction of watching her get mad, so she took the napkin and began to brush the ice off of her lap. Even pissed and drenched in whatever drink she’d been enjoying, she managed to look elegant and beautiful.
“Well,” she said when she looked back up, “I’m going.” Then she gave Jackson a sultry look and said, “Want to get lost with me, Jackson?” She looked so amazing when she said it that I almost wanted to get lost with her, whatever that meant. The tension around the table was thick as everyone waited to see what Jackson would say. I looked down at my hands and was hit with a wave of jealousy that surprised me. It was a new feeling for me.
“I’m already lost, Paula,” Jackson said quietly after a long pause.
I drank more as she slid out of the booth and glanced from Jackson to me. Without another word, she turned and left.
“That,” Jenny whispered loudly to me, “was awesome.” She laughed, and I tried to hide my smile. Now that the awkward moments were over, the haze returned with a force. Before long, the others began leaving one by one, while Jenny and I kept sipping as fast as we could. When Rick stood, he gave me a lopsided grin.
“It was fun guys. Olivia’s not invited next time.” He winked.
“Come on, Jenny. You can stay with me tonight,” Erika said, standing. She looked pointedly at me with concern on her face. “Are you going to be okay, Olivia?”
“Me? I’m going to be perfect,” I said, smiling back at her. Jenny laughed and Erika hauled her up out of the seat with gentle hands.
“I’ll take her home,” Jackson said to Erika, and Jenny gasped.
“Don’t corrupt her.” She said. “We don’t want her to turn out like Paula.” Then she giggled, but when I glanced at Jackson, he was looking down at the table, not sharing her amusement.
“Jesus, Jenny. Come on,” Erika said, shaking her head, and led Jenny toward the door.
“I guess I should take you home,” Jackson said.
“You don’t have to,” I said. “I can walk.” I didn't want him thinking he had to babysit me.
“I want to,” he said. The way he looked at me sent a wave of nervousness through me. A moment later, he smiled a sweet smile that seemed familiar somehow. I realized it was the smile I’d seen in my dream, and I couldn’t look away from him.
A moment later, I was kissing him. I don’t know what came over me, but my usual inhibitions were gone...way gone. His arms went around me and he returned the kiss with heat, his mouth pressing hard against mine. My hands cupped his face, and I savored the feel of the stubble on his chin and the silky softness of his hair. The tingling feeling was more intense than ever, and I was lost in the kiss.
“Whoa, Slayer,” Jackson said, pulling back from the kiss to look at me. He was flushed and he looked at my lips for a few seconds before he spoke again, huskily. “We better get you home. Come on.” Jackson led me to the door, where he turned off the lights and locked up. I stumbled a little on the way to his jeep, but he kept his arm around me and prevented me from falling.
“Wow,” I said, looking out into the night. As small as Staves was, the lights looked beautiful to me. Jackson followed my gaze and then looked back at me, raising an eyebrow and chuckling.
“In you go,” Jackson said, and then he lifted me into the passenger-side of the jeep. When he leaned across me to buckle my seat belt, I could smell the subtle, deep scent of his cologne.
During the ride home, I tried to keep my eyes away from Jackson by looking out the window, but the lights we passed blurred and made me feel woozy. Most of the time, I kept my eyes on my hands, and once Jackson reached over and touched my shoulder.
“Are you okay? You’re not feeling sick, are you?”
The look of concern on his face made me grin, and I shook my head. When we stopped at the curb in front of the house, I watched him get out and walk around, opening my door.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi,” Jackson chuckled. “Can you walk?”
I made a sound of exasperation at him and then hopped out of the jeep quickly. It's a good thing he put his arm out to steady me, because I was feeling dizzy.
Despite the warm feeling I had from Jackson's arm being around my shoulders, another feeling was trying to worm it's way into my muddled consciousness. Maybe it was the fact that I'd trained to stay vigilant always, but here I was, more vulnerable than ever. My reflexes were no doubt impaired, and more than anything I wanted to sit in a quiet place and examine my growing fondness for this human.
I was definitely distracted, and that's probably why it took longer than usual for the warning to penetrate my brain. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up just as we reached the porch. My eyes flicked up to the door and my senses automatically stretched out so that I could attempt to hear or see the danger that my body was picking up on.
In the space of a second, my mind began going through the possibilities. Could Everett or Max have come back? Perhaps they'd gone inside to wait for me. No. That was impossible. Not because I didn't think they were capable of showing up unannounced, and not because Ivanna had forbidden them to come back here - but because their presence in the house would never have sent waves of alarm through me. I'd felt this feeling before. Every cell in my body was buzzing and trying to fight past the alcohol to go on alert. It had happened in New Orleans when I'd encountered those two Venator in the alley.
“What's wrong, Slayer?” Jackson brushed a strand of hair from my forehead and I realized that I'd frozen, my foot still on the bottom step as if I were going to ascend. “Don't tell me you're going to throw up,” he added, chuckling. Jackson! I had to get him out of here. My brain went into overdrive. Using my enhanced senses, I listened as hard as I could, directing my attention inside and around the house.
Jackson's heartbeat was a loud, steady drumming that threatened to block out all other noises, but I pushed past that and reached as hard as I could. There were feminine voices coming from my left. I glanced in the direction and immediately disregarded those as belonging to the neighbors. Then I heard it; a muffled footstep coming from within the house, as if someone were trying to walk quietly. The sound of breathing from at least two people. The elevated heartbeats as they waited for the fight. They'd heard us pull up and were now waiting for us inside. Shit!
Slowly, I put my finger to my lips and signaled for Jackson to be quiet. He furrowed his brow, and started to say something else. He was probably blaming my behavior on the alcohol that was still making my thoughts jumble up. I had to make him leave before the enemies inside - Venator, surely - saw that he was here.
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