The Banshee's Embrace

by Victoria Richards

  "The Spark Family? So Toby was right. He thought you were one of them." Jacqueline tried to keep calm. She eyed the door, wondering if she could run for it. And just where the hell was Gabe? Wasn't he supposed to be watching for this?

  "Toby Williams and I go way back," Derek said. "He was once involved with my sister, Gabriella. The Spark and Williams clans no longer mix though. We had a…how can I put this? A parting of the ways."

  "Sorry to hear that. Maybe we could go to Merlyn's Bar after all and patch things up between the two of you."

  "No." Derek gave her a grim smile. "I have plans that only include you."

  She swallowed hard, afraid. What was she going to do? How could she defend herself? That's when it occurred to her that she could do something. Wasn't that the point of this outing she and Gabe had schemed about? To draw out the wizard who killed her husband? To test her powers?

  "Did you kill Eric?" Jacqueline watched Derek's face tighten.

  "Erik Huston was in my way. He was tracking me and another associate. However, I was not the one that killed him."

  "But you would have." Jacqueline nodded, certain she was right. Anger welled in her and with it came the familiar sense of power. If she could just channel it…

  "None of that." Derek's face twisted into an ugly sneer as he grabbed her arm. "Save your energy."

  He closed his eyes and whispered something. The words made the world grow dim and the last thing she saw before passing out was Derek leaning closer to her, his lips pressing gently to hers.

  ****

  It had been a strange dinner. Angela sat in her car, contemplating the weirdness of it. Everything had been fine and then it was like…well, like she'd missed part of the conversation or dozed off. One moment they were talking about visiting Merlyn's Bar and the next thing she knew, Jacqueline was gone. Derek had gone on chewing his food, polite as ever.

  "Where did Jackie go?" she asked, looking around the restaurant.

  "She left, remember? She was complaining about a headache." Derek gave her a smile and pointed at her plate. "I guess you were so busy eating, you didn't even notice."

  "That's weird. I don't remember her saying anything."

  "Maybe you should slow down on the wine then."

  Angela looked at her wine glass which was empty. Wow. Surely, that hadn't caused her to lose some time…

  The rest of the dinner had felt off. Derek didn't seem like his usual self either. Her attempts at small talk had been met with polite "yes" or "no" answers. Afterwards, she'd been expecting to go back to the hotel room, but instead, he'd dropped her off at her house with a short kiss and sped away.

  So strange.

  Angela climbed into her car, not ready to call it a night, but not sure what exactly had happened. She'd driven to Merlyn's Bar, halfway expecting to see Jackie's car outside of it. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, debating on whether or not to go in.

  "What the hell," she muttered.

  Toby nodded at her when she walked in, already getting out the red cups he used to pour wine in.

  "How's it going Angela?"

  "Alright. Is Jacqueline here?"

  "No. Why would she be?"

  "She left dinner so quickly. I just thought she might have come here."

  "Dinner?" Toby frowned. "She went to dinner with you?"

  "Yeah. With me and my new guy, Derek. But she left quickly. In fact," Jacqueline gave an embarrassed laugh, "I don't even remember her leaving."

  "You didn't see her get up and go?"

  "No. And I didn't really think I had that much to drink." She sipped the wine he handed her and made a face. "When the hell are you going to get something worth drinking around here? Would it kill you to pay an extra three dollars for the halfway decent wine?"

  But Toby wasn't letting the talk of her failed dinner go.

  "Did anything weird happen? Did Jacqueline seem okay?"

  "Uh-oh…do I detect a bartender with a case of puppy love?"

  "Just tell me how she was acting. It's important, Angela!"

  "Okay! Geez…" She leaned back in her chair. "She did seem a little tired to me and on edge."

  "But you didn't see her leave?"

  "No!" Angela glared. "I told you. It was like I dozed off or time stopped or something. One second she was there and the next, poof! Gone."

  "Time stopped…" Toby shook his head. "What's your boyfriend's name again?"

  "Derek Spark." Angela let out a long sigh. "But I don't see what that has to do with anything."

  "Derek Spark?" Toby's face went ashen. "This is not good."

  "Do you know, Derek?"

  He was quiet a minute, staring off into space.

  "Hey, you okay?" She waved her hand in front of his face.

  "Yeah. I'm fine." He focused his attention back on her. "How would you feel about playing bartender for a little while?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I need to run an errand. I'd like you to run the bar for an hour or so." Toby came out from behind the counter.

  "Uh…I did some bartending back in college, but that was a long time ago." Angela stood up as he pulled her from the stool she'd been sitting on.

  "You'll be fine." He led her behind the bar, handing her a calculator and a beer opener. "Use this to add up the tabs and this to open the beer. Show some cleavage and you'll have better sales."

  "Do I get to keep my tips?" She called after him as he strode away.

  "Sure."

  And with that he was out the door.

  Angela shrugged. Oh well. She liked adventure. Unbuttoning her blouse a little more, she shouted, "I'm running a drink special, boys! Who's thirsty?"

  *****

  Toby walked to his house, fuming.

  The woman had gone to dinner. She'd left the house and now was in the hands of Derek Spark. Dammit! Why had he ever left her in the first place? What had he been thinking? Give her space? He should have closed in tighter!

  What if she was dead? Oh, god.

  "No," he muttered out loud. "Spark wouldn't kill her. He wants her to be his weapon."

  But Toby was ready to kill Derek.

  Thoughts of Gabriella drifted through his mind, but he pushed them away.

  Focus on the here and now with Derek. Don't let him take another innocent woman and hurt her.

  Once inside his house, Toby went directly to his cellar. Dank and dark, it was perfect for storing his alchemy tools. A would be burglar, a nosey neighbor--neither would want to spend time in such a creepy place. He blew dust off the top of one of his books and began searching through it for a scrying spell.

  "There you are." He tapped the spell on one of the pages and then pulled out an old silver amulet from a nearby box. Raising it high, he chanted, "Master of Wisdom and fierce skies, let the one I seek materialize. As I will it, let it be done!"

  The amulet shook in his hand. Holding tight to it, Toby watched steam slowly slip from the metal. Wispy tendrils of smoke formed a pattern in the air and one word become visible: Harrington.

  Harrington. The only place he knew called that was the local cemetery.

  Why would Derek take Jacqueline there?

  It didn't matter. All he needed was to stop the other wizard.

  He just hoped it wasn't too late.

  ****

  "Where am I?" Jacqueline's head hurt and she couldn’t fully open her eyes. The lids felt too heavy.

  "Some place safe."

  She knew that voice. Derek. The wizard who'd captured her. Fear grew in her heart.

  "You don't need to be frightened." He placed a hand on her leg and caressed it softly. "You're just feeling the after effects of a little spell I put on you. It's powerful stuff."

  "My head hurts." She tried to sit up and forced her eyes to open.

  "Oh it will for a while. That's part of the process."

  Jacqueline looked around. They were in a small room with lots of long tables with wheels. Something about them was familiar, but s
he couldn't quite put her finger on it. A sharp stab of pain in her head caused her to cry out.

  "There, there." Derek soothed, continuing to rub her leg. "It will pass. The spell takes time to get used to. Don't fight it."

  His voice was hypnotic. She could listen to it all day. Nice. Relaxing.

  "There you go," he whispered and moved closer to her, touching her hair and massaging her head. "That's better. Don't fight and just listen to me."

  "Alright." She stared into his eyes. They were so pretty… such a nice hazel color.

  "You are under my command now," he said. "You will do as I tell you."

  "Yes." She nodded. "I can do that."

  "Do you know where we are?"

  Jacqueline studied the place more carefully.

  "Some sort of ER room or doctor's office?"

  He laughed softly and then gave her a brief kiss on the lips.

  "No. This is the embalming room at Harrington's Funeral Home. It's owned by a friend of mine, one you've met, I believe." Derek nodded to someone behind her.

  Gabe, the Keeper of Souls, moved in to her line of vision.

  "Hey, Jacqueline," he said, with a sarcastic smile. "Bet you wish I'd killed you now."

  "Gabe?"

  His smile grew bigger and he shook his head.

  "No. My name isn't Gabe and I'm not the real Keeper of Souls. I was only in that box as part of a bargain I made with your family banshee--you know, the hag that Toby killed for us," Gabe said. "You should really lock up your house more carefully from now on. It was easy to break in and find the box. A little magic helped the hag open it."

  "Who are you really?" Jacqueline struggled to stay focus, to fight the effects of the Derek's spell.

  "I am the guy that killed your husband." Gabe leaned in closer to her. "You were right when you said that the first time you saw me. I was there to stop Eric from hunting Derek and myself, but you got in the way. See, Derek here is on the outs with his hoity toity family. He's the black sheep who pissed them off royally a while back. Your husband was helping them find Derek. Who knew that almost killing you would turn out to be such a bonus? You're just what Derek needs to get back into his families good graces."

  "That's enough." The harshness in Derek's voice made Jacqueline flinch even though her heart pounded with fear and rage. Energy began to from around her. "Jacqueline, calm down."

  And she did. Immediately, her heart rate slowed and the rage lessened. She longed to hear Derek speak again.

  "None of what this man has said matters right now. You are a blessing that will make my father proud." Derek kissed her again. "And you will make me very happy, too."

  "You've got her wrapped around your finger pretty good," Gabe said.

  "It's the spell."

  "Let's try her out, see what she can do." Gabe rubbed his hands together. "I want to see what we've been risking our lives for now that she is finally under our control. She almost killed me today, you know. All I wanted to do was wound her a little so she'd be easy to bring to you."

  Jacqueline listened to them talk, her mind a whirl of emotions. She couldn't seem to keep up with the conversation though. Maybe it wasn't important to. Sitting quietly felt good and besides, it gave her a chance to listen to the soothing rumble of Derek's voice.

  "Come with me," Derek said to her.

  Obedient, she followed him up a set of stairs, past quiet rooms and out into the night air. The tombstones were illuminated by the full moon, and she had the strangest urge to move among them, to sing soft lullabies from a land she'd never even see. How odd. But she forced herself not to indulge in such pastimes. Derek hadn't given her permission to do that.

  "Are you sure he's coming?" Gabe's voice was anxious.

  "I didn't bother to hide where we are." Derek looked around the quiet cemetery. "I know he cares about Jacqueline. I'm sure he used a scrying spell and is on his way."

  "I should stay out of sight then," Gabe said.

  "Don't you want to see the death of your father?"

  Jacqueline frowned. What were they talking about? Gabe's father was coming? If only she could get her head on straight…

  But before she could give it more thought, a light flickered to the left of where they stood. The wind picked up, carrying with it a bitter chill and a scent…something familiar and warm to Jacqueline's mind. Instinctively, she moved towards the wind, curious. The light drew closer to them until it bobbed and weaved amongst the tombstones.

  "He's here," Derek announced.

  "Who?" Jacqueline glanced at him, noticing that there was no sign of Gabe now.

  "Your old friend," Derek said.

  The light twisted and grew until it became the solid form of a man.

  "I know him," she said, softly.

  "Get away from her!" The man's loud voice echoed in the cemetery, and the wind continued to surge around them, as if somehow reflecting his feelings.

  "Now, now, Toby. You must calm down. It's been a long time since we've seen each other." Derek stood close behind her and lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "In a moment, you must go with this man. Tell him whatever you want about our time together, but do not tell him I put a spell on you."

  Jacqueline nodded.

  "Derek, I know what you're up to," Toby said. "Jacqueline isn't going to help you reclaim your ties to your family. You lost those long ago."

  "Oh, I think she might help. Power is, after all, always a commodity."

  "Is that what you told yourself when you betrayed your sister Gabriella?" Toby's eyes flashed with anger and the wind gusting through the old cemetery felt strong enough to knock even the heaviest tombstones over. "Were you thinking about power then?"

  "Gabriella was a whore. The whole family knew. You should be glad your child died before it could take a breath. Otherwise, you would have been saddled with my sister and a mutant child that the Brotherhood would have hunted down anyway." Derek spat the words at him.

  "Shut up!" Toby threw a fire bolt which Derek easily dodged. Jacqueline felt Derek shove her Toby's direction as he shielded himself from the assault.

  She fell to the ground and crawled a few paces away, hiding behind one of the larger tombstones. She could hear the men shouting curses and chants, but none of it seemed to matter. Her head felt muddled and she only wanted to curl up into a ball that no one would take notice of.

  What is wrong with me?

  After a few minutes, the noises died down. Still, she couldn't bring herself to move from her spot.

  "Jacqueline?" Toby squatted next to her. "You okay?"

  "Toby?" She peered up at him.

  "Come here," he said and pulled her to him. "It's over. He's gone. You're safe now."

  But even as she fell into his warm embrace, Jacqueline knew something wasn't quite right. She just couldn't quite remember what made her feel that way.

  "Take me home," she whispered, closing her eyes.

  *****

  Toby watched her sleep. She seemed so right, nestled into his bed, surrounded by the clutter of his bedroom. It was a place that he didn't often bring women, preferring to keep it as his private sanctuary. When he had physical relationships with women, it was usually at their place or some other location that didn't mean anything to him. Less complications that way. But right now, seeing Jacqueline lying there in what appeared to be a troubled sleep, it just felt right.

  He sat in the recliner by the window waiting for her to wake up. It was still night and she'd only been asleep a few hours. Thoughts of what Angela was doing to his bar crossed his mind, but he tried not to worry about it too much. Jacqueline was more important.

  He smiled at the realization. Jacqueline was more important than his work or anything else. When the hell had that happened?

  Her eyes opened and he leaned forward, anxious.

  "Jackie?"

  "Toby," she murmured. "That you?"

  "Yes, I’m here." He moved to the bed, sitting on the side. "How do you feel?"


  "I don't know." She rubbed her head. "Sort of hung over. What happened?"

  "Derek Spark." Toby watched her expression change to one of distaste. "Do you remember him?"

  "Yeah. We were at the restaurant, and he told me that he wanted me for his personal weapon. He put a spell on people at the bar so that it seemed like time stood still and then…I don't know what happened. I woke up in a morgue or something."

  "That's where I found you. At Harrington Cemetery's funeral home. Do you know why he brought you there?"

  Toby had been asking himself the same questions while she slept. It had been too easy to get Jacqueline back. Something else was going on.

  "I... I don't know. There was another man there." Jacqueline's eyes grew wide with the memory. "He was the one that killed my husband. He told me so!"

  "Who was he?"

  But she couldn't get the words out. Instead, Jacqueline began to cry, deep sobs that broke Toby's heart to hear. He put his arms around her, saying nothing. After a few minutes, she calmed down, but he couldn't bring himself to let her go. The smell of her hair, the warmth of her body, the curve of her against him--it was intoxicating.

  She looked up and he could see the desire in her eyes. Gently, he wiped away a stray tear and then lowered his lips to hers. She returned his soft kiss, but the heat between them began to ignite, and her hands gripped his body as if she were drowning.

  God, she felt so perfect in his arms. The taste of her kisses was sweet, like an exotic whiskey he could have survived on for days. She broke away from his embrace, and then pushed him so that he lay on the bed as she straddled him. For a moment, Jacqueline studied Toby and he thought there was just a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

  "Don't think," he whispered.

  With a grin, she slipped the shoulder straps of her green dress down. He reached up and ran his hands down her neck and over her bared skin. It was nothing to yank the dress down so that her breasts fell free of the fabric. Unable to stop himself, he touched the silky skin, delighted when her nipples grew hard.

  She gave a low moan and the sound ripped through him, turning him on, stirring his desire. Not caring what she thought, Toby flipped her over on to her back on the bed, and slipped the rest of the dress off. The sight of her in nothing but green, lacy panties had him hurriedly ripping off his own T-shirt and pants.