by Helen Scott
“Are ye finished?” He thought maybe she was offended that he had clearly just been admiring her, but she just grinned. “You might not be human, but you’re just a man at heart, aren’t ye? Let’s get ye what ye came here for, shall we?” He almost reached out to her, but she was already steps ahead of him.
He trailed after her, barely able to pull his eyes away from her butt. She stopped abruptly, and he ran into the back of her.
“Sorry!” Alec blurted at the same time she turned and asked, “What was it Granddad ordered for you?”
“A scrying mirror,” he said, although his mind was stuck thinking about the softness of her body against his.
“Aha, and what would a scary mirror look like exactly?”
“Scrying. A scrying mirror. Should be about the size of a large book and black.”
“Is black your favorite color?” She eyed his sweater pointedly.
“Nah, just easier to get away with stuff in the dark.” He tried his seductive smile again. It didn’t completely work, but Ellie did flush a little, giving Alec some hope that he hadn’t lost his touch.
She opened the top box on the pile, her T-shirt riding up a little as she raised her arms, giving Alec a glimpse at the creamy expanse of skin that was her stomach. Gods, he just wanted to touch her.
Ellie tugged her T-shirt back down, self-conscious of her appearance. Besides, there was no reason to scare Alec off with her stretch marks just yet. The area in the back of the store was so tiny that most of the product was kept on display, and only a few items were stored back here. Now the area was so full of boxes it was hard to move around.
“Here, let me.” Alec took the box from her, his fingers grazing hers and sending a little jolt of electricity up her arm. Her insides tingled and were more alive than before.
“Thank ye. If ye have some place to be, please don’t let me keep ye. I can find it and text ye or something.”
“Are you asking for my number?” Alec cocked an eyebrow and smiled at her, and she just about melted.
“No, I didn’t want to waste your time.” She could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks.
“Well, as it happens, I’m all yours tonight. I figured once we located the mirror and herbs, I could help you organize this stuff.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“It would be my pleasure.” His sea-blue eyes stared down at her with a raw heat she wasn’t used to, and the blush came back threefold. The intensity in his stare made her squirm with nervous excitement, even though her brain was telling her to stay away.
“Mine as well.” She smiled.
Alec wanted to punch the air. She was attracted to him! He didn’t want to overplay his hand though; she was a skittish one. They moved about, opening boxes and looking through items. Ellie would occasionally ask what something was when she found a strange item—like crows’ skulls and feathers. Alec frequently brushed up against her as they were moving about. His body couldn’t stay away from hers. Her scent was intoxicating, like clean laundry, lavender, and something uniquely Ellie combined.
She turned around and bumped into his chest.
“Were you just smelling me?” She stared up at him with those piercing green eyes of hers.
“No— Ah…” Alec cleared his throat as he stared back; she was unflinching as she gazed up at him. The air between them charged with anticipation. She didn’t move away from him.
His hand moved of its own accord as it brushed a lock of hair behind her shoulder and cupped her face. He bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. Her soft mouth eagerly responded to his, and he knew he could lose himself in kissing her for hours at a time.
Ellie opened her mouth and darted her tongue out along his bottom lip, earning a groan of pleasure from him. Alec took full advantage of her open mouth and began exploring it with his own tongue. He clutched her tightly and reveled in the feeling of her body pressed against his. He could feel her breasts moving against him as her breathing increased. Alec moved one hand around to her stomach, earning a small gasp from Ellie as it made contact with the skin under her T-shirt, and he kissed a trail from her jaw to her collarbone.
Alec backed Ellie up to a wall, careful not to move too quickly. When Ellie realized she had something stable at her back, she came alive a little bit more. Hands that had been roaming all over his body now desperately clutched him to her. He groaned his approval into her mouth as she ran her hands down his back to his butt, moving him against her where he wanted her most. Her body was pressed deliciously into his, and all he wanted was to get rid of the flimsy bits of clothing separating them.
He ran a hand up to her breasts, and the noises that came from her were sweet music to his ears. She lifted a leg around him as his mouth scorched hers, his tongue delving into her before being followed by her nipping his bottom lip. He took the hint from her leg and picked her up so his hips were pinning her to the wall. She eagerly wrapped her legs around him, and her core pressed against the length of his cock. Alec could feel the heat coming from her, and it made his breath catch in anticipation. He rocked against her as gently as he could, not wanting to smash her into the wall, earning himself low moans from Ellie, which made his cock even harder. He loved that he could feel everything through her leggings. Ellie had dipped her hands under Alec’s sweater, her hands seeking out the prize of his nipples, while he was rocking against her, driving her into a frenzy of need.
Suddenly the door burst open, causing both of them to panic. Ellie screamed as Alec dropped them both to the floor, moving her behind him and reaching for the dirk in his ankle holster. He popped back up and began assessing the situation. The intruder was mindlessly going through the boxes, hunting for something, completely oblivious to them.
“You need to leave,” Alec growled. When he received no response, he pressed his advantage. He silently glided forward between the boxes until he was directly behind the intruder. He angled the dirk at the back of the man’s neck. A swift forward movement would bring instant death. Alec’s power flared and sought out the water in the intruder’s body, only to find that there was hardly any there. Out of all the brothers, his ability to manipulate water was the most destructive. He prepared to make the small amount of water he could find boil, praying that his power remained under his control and didn’t seek any further sources of water, like Ellie.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
“Wolfsbane. Monkshood. Mousebane. Devil’s Helmet. The queen of all poisons!” The voice was raspy and low, like it hadn’t been used in a long time.
“We don’t sell poison. Now leave.”
The creature spun around to face Alec. “Liar. I know what this place is and what you sell, and I will have what I came for.”
The thing’s face was half-decayed, the eyes lifeless white orbs in its head, and its jaw was almost unhinged on the one side. He was surprised that the thing was able to form words, let alone speak.
“You should leave. Now. Before this gets ugly.”
“Weakling. I have no use for a half-breed. Give me my poison, and I will let your whore live. Deny me, and you both shall die.”
“Like I would let the likes o’ you kill me?” Alec’s head nearly exploded when Ellie chose this opportunity to speak up, earning the creature’s full attention.
“I won’t let you hurt her.” Alec focused on bringing the water within the creature to a boil.
“I will hurt any who get in my way.” The thing was practically losing parts of his mouth as he spoke. Alec couldn’t believe there was no smell coming off him.
“Last chance. Leave while you still can.”
“I must perform the task my mistress asks of me!” The voice sounded clearer, less raspy, but the thing’s attention seemed to have focused on Ellie, causing it to shuffle toward her.
Alec was so over this guy. Who the hell did he think he was, coming in here looking like someone who had been living rough for a century or more and demanding poison? With a flick of
his wrist, the dirk went flying, landing squarely in the target of the intruder’s heart. Perfect shot.
Only it didn’t stop. The intruder just turned back around to face Alec, its mouth tilted upward on one side in what Alec thought might be a smile. It seemed satisfied that it now had control of the only weapon in play. Alec, however, was not satisfied. He launched himself in a flurry of attacks against the intruder.
He landed punch after punch against the thing without earning so much as a grunt from it. Standing there, barely reacting, the creature just took all the punishment he was dishing out. The most his attacks were doing was taking off chunks of the dead skin that covered its body. Alec paused, and the thing moved faster than he would have thought possible. With a blur of movement, it landed one massive punch, snapping Alec’s head to the side. Pain radiated from his jaw across his face. He stumbled back and tripped on the stairs; the thing was about to punch him again when he heard a clang and saw Ellie trying to get to him from the corner he had left her in. While he admired her courage, it was the last thing he wanted to worry about right now, which was why he never saw the second punch coming.
Ellie had to get to Alec. He had gone limp after the second punch from this thing, and she wasn’t going to let him die in Granddad’s store. Especially not after that toe-curling make-out session. The trouble was, she had knocked something over, and now the creature’s interest in her had returned in full force. The thing was hauling an arm back like it was going to punch her, when self-preservation took over. She ducked down. Adrenaline felt like electricity racing through her veins; her arms felt hot and tingly. It roared at her, and she screamed, throwing her hands up to defend herself. There was a bright flash, and the next thing she knew, the punch never landed. She peeked between her fingers, and the creature was standing in front of her with a hole through its chest, the edges charred and the rags of clothing smoldering.
The creature looked confused and slowly trudged out of the store. Ellie followed it to the door, wanting to see where it went.
“Are you okay?” Alec’s voice sounded behind her. Ellie turned to find Alec sitting up behind her, tentatively feeling the swelling in his jaw.
“Other than the smell, I’m fine. What about you? How many fingers am I holding up?” Ellie peered at him, her forest-green eyes filled with concern.
“I think I need an ice pack or ten. You’re supposed to actually hold fingers up when you ask that question. What smell?”
“Come on, let’s get you upstairs. Then you can explain to me how you couldn’t smell that thing. It was like death itself crawled into my nose.” Ellie shuddered.
She offered her hand to Alec and helped haul him to his feet. He was heavier than he looked. As they wobbled their way upstairs, Alec seemed a little worse for wear, and Ellie’s heart felt like it was going to punch a hole in her chest. She had struggled with anxiety on and off for most of her life, and this felt like the beginning of her worst anxiety attack ever. Her heart was drumming the next great club anthem in her chest instead of its usual two-step beat.
“Sit there.” She deposited Alec onto the couch, where his version of sitting was stretching out and allowing his whole body to extend, as he gingerly placed his head on the armrest.
“That was quite a show you put on downstairs.” His eyes closed against the light.
Ellie quickly turned off the overhead light, leaving just the lamp from the side table on and retrieved the pillow from the armchair. As she looked down at Alec’s prone form on the couch, she realized that he dwarfed it. Her brows furrowed as she put the cushion under his head and perched on the sliver of couch he wasn’t occupying, tucking a stray lock behind her ear.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Her fingers fidgeted with one another.
“I mean the light show that erupted from your hands.”
“Nothing came out of my hands.” She shook her head, and the lock of hair came free again.
“I beg to differ.” Alec cracked an eye open with a raised eyebrow, telling her he knew she was lying.
“Fine, what did you see?”
“Lightning arcing out of your hands and punching a hole through that thing’s chest.”
“And what was that thing exactly?”
“Someone raised the dead and sent them here to retrieve wolfsbane and probably other things.”
“This just keeps getting weirder. Just when I think I’ve hit the wall of weird, I notice a door and go right on through to the next level of weird.”
“So just to recap: undead attack, lightning hands, and magical items. You have a pretty low limit for weird.” Alec’s mouth lifted on one side, giving him an adorable, lopsided smile, which let her know he was teasing.
“You forgot to include the existence of sirens and that Greek gods and magic are real. How much weirder does it get?”
“Oh, much, much weirder.”
“Ye aren’t going to tell me?” She faked a pout, and the heat in Alec’s gaze made her shiver as he focused on her mouth.
“Well, if this is too much for you, I don’t want to freak you out further.”
“Fine,” Ellie said, rising and making her way to the kitchen.
Ellie grabbed a mug and poured herself a drink. After a couple of swigs, she felt a little calmer. She grabbed some bags of frozen peas for Alec’s head and wrapped them in one of Granddad’s old kitchen towels. It was one of his favorites, featuring a bagpiper and a castle with the words of “Amazing Grace” along the side. His funeral had bagpipers playing that same song; it was enough to raise the hairs on Ellie’s arm and give her chills.
The anxiety attack she had felt beginning earlier kicked back into gear. Her heart started beating a waltz, feeling like it had stopped and was now skipping every few beats. Ellie fell onto her hands and knees, struggling to find her breath as her heart beat its unsteady rhythm. Sharp gasps were her only way of getting oxygen.
The sudden, overwhelming fear that came with an attack was drowning her, making those gasps of oxygen even harder to come by. Her eyes felt like they were rolling in her head as dizziness took over. She saw Alec at some point. He was talking to her, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying over the roar of blood in her ears.
A strange sensation came over her. Her skin felt too full, like she was about to burst, and her mind became crystal clear. She could see Alec and his wings even though they hadn’t been there a moment before.
His thick eyebrows were drawn together, and his gray eyes were practically swirling with concern. All around him was an amber glow, moving out from his core in waves. She was just admiring the muscular arms and narrow waist she had been touching only a little while earlier when she heard a voice in her head that was most definitely not her own.
Chapter 6
Well, well, you do have an eye for a strong body, don’t you? The voice bounced around inside her.
What’s happening? Who are you? She had no idea if she had said it aloud or not.
I’m not someone you want to tangle with, little girl. I’m just here to borrow your body for a moment. I need to send a message, so to speak.
Get out!
I’ll be gone shortly. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak with your siren over there.
Ellie’s body stiffened and moved out of the position it had been in without her command. It stood, more fluidly than she could have managed herself.
“Ah, half-breed. So good to see you again.” It was her voice, but it had a different accent. Gone was her lilting Scottish, and in its stead was a voice almost devoid of accent, with only a touch of something that was fluid. Almost like a Southern drawl but with hard edges like Russian.
“Ellie? Are you okay?”
“Is that her name? It fits. She’s weak and vulnerable. She’s exposed to me; I can do whatever I like to her right now, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Ellie realized she had become an observer; she felt like she was trying to throw herself around. When her body didn’t move, she scr
eamed her frustration but was aware that her body wasn’t making the sound. She was trapped inside, no matter how much she might rail against it.
“Who are you?”
“You don’t recognize my voice? I’m hurt.” The voice laughed. “Well, of course you wouldn’t. All the women you’ve been with over the years, I would be surprised if you recognized any of them. But that’s not why I’m here.”
Alec just stared at Ellie, the dramatic pause clearly not luring him in as the voice wanted.
“Fine, don’t play along. I’m here to warn you to leave the torches alone. Do not search for them. They are mine now to do with as I will. Hecate wasn’t using them anyway.”
“They are not yours; the magic is not yours, and we will find them and get them back!”
“Well, if you insist on searching for them, maybe I’ll turn you into swine when you get here… or maybe a cardinal. You will just have to be surprised, won’t you?”
“Circe?”
“Ah, you do remember me! Wonderful!”
“What are you doing? You’ve lived in peace for centuries now.”
“Peace is boring. I’ve been taken for granted too many times. Too often have your disgusting brethren asked for my favor and never paid tribute as they should. Not to mention how I am depicted in movies and comics! I mean, Wonder Woman’s enemy? Really? Or pining after Odysseus? Ah! It’s enough to drive a goddess mad.”
“That doesn’t mean you need to steal Hecate’s torches and create an army of the undead!”