by Shona Husk
The elevator bounced to a stop on their floor and they stumbled toward their room. A laugh bubbled up, more manic than joyful—this whole situation was absurd and her mind was starting to rebel against what she’d seen. Perhaps she was going mad. That seemed quite plausible.
She opened the door; inside was a maid unloading dinner from a trolley. Beside her, Noah straightened, his muscles tightening, but he’d be useless in a fight right now.
“I didn’t order anything,” Rachel said. If the woman was trying to cover up a theft, there was precious little to steal.
The maid turned, her movements more like a queen demanding respect than someone used to avoiding notice. “Yes, you did. You asked for help, and I am giving it.” Her dark skin glowed with power.
Rachel wanted to step back. She’d seen enough weird tonight. The food smelled wonderful and her stomach gave an unwanted grumble. Had her prayer literally been answered? A shiver ran straight down her spine.
Noah dropped to his knees in what appeared to be a deliberate action. “Morrigu.”
The maid smiled. In that moment She was the most beautiful and fearsome woman Rachel had ever seen. “I’ve merely borrowed this body for a few moments so you may see who Noah serves. And I wanted to see the woman who was able to restore his faith in himself.” The goddess disguised as a maid walked closer, all smooth, fluid motion. “I guided you to the Raven’s door. You heard me, even though you don’t believe in me.” She placed Her hand on Rachel’s cheek. Her fingers were warm, as if She were fevered. “While your talent wilted long ago, you are still sensitive to magic. I wonder which of the gods your family once dealt with?”
Rachel swallowed twice before finding her voice. “I don’t know.”
“You wouldn’t. Your talent was weak to start with.” The Morrigu released her and squatted in front of Noah. She ruffled his hair as if She were very familiar with him, then kissed him on the forehead. “Feast and celebrate, you have earned it. I will choose a new guise for our conversations in the future, as you have outgrown the old one.”
She stood and closed Her eyes. “I need to leave before I damage this flesh. Thank her for delivering the food.” She opened Her eyes to look at Rachel once more. Instead of being brown they were black, like a universe pinpricked with light…or maybe the universe was Her. The maid’s lips smiled. “He must eat and bathe. I’m sure you can work out what else he needs to replenish his energy.”
Rachel nodded, then realized what the Morrigu meant. She glanced at Noah; she was pretty sure the only thing that was going to be happening in bed was snoring. Feathers rustled, and when she looked back up, the maid was standing there staring at Noah.
“He’s drunk. Thank you for dropping off the food.” She stuck her hand into her back pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill, then handed it over.
The maid smiled—which was completely different to the grin that the Morrigu had placed on her lips—took her trolley and left.
Noah was now sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Rachel glanced at the food. It would be easier to bring it to him. Beneath the covers were pasta, chicken and chocolate cake. They sat on the floor and ate in silence. For a moment she thought she was going to have to feed Noah, but after a few bites he actually started to look better and eat more enthusiastically. Apparently recharging wasn’t that hard.
“What would happen if you didn’t eat?”
“Coma.”
Ah. Well, she was glad food had been here. She thanked the Morrigu again, then realized that the goddess had probably helped out to protect one of Her witches, not to do Rachel any favors. Yet, the Morrigu had spoken to her. What had She said exactly?
Rachel knew it had involved magic, she was sensitive to it. Is that why she’d seen Cory’s shadow and felt it when the circle had snapped?
She opened a bottle of water, took a sip and then handed it Noah. “Are you okay now?”
“Getting there.” He was eating like he hadn’t eaten all day.
“You knew it was the Morrigu straight away.” While she’d been wondering what was going on.
He nodded, then shook his head. “I can’t believe She borrowed the body.”
“That poor woman.”
“It wasn’t long enough to hurt her; there’ll be no traces of the Morrigu and only the memory of delivering the food. Like demons, though, gods borrowing human bodies doesn’t end well for the human.”
That’s why Her touch had been hot. “Would she have burned up like…like Cory?” There, she’d said it. It wasn’t that hard. Her husband was dead. She was a widow…except they’d never find the body. Would she be a suspect?
“Eventually. Even if the god leaves before that happens, the person is left with impressions and memories that don’t make sense. It can be hard to live with.”
“Do they recover?”
“Some don’t, some learn to live with it. Imagine having your mind filled with history and battles. You’d never need to go to the movies again.” He almost managed a smile.
“Will I go insane from seeing all of this?” She was pretty sure that with one good push she’d be off the edge of that cliff.
Noah looked at her. “No, but you need to embrace it as real instead of trying to put it aside. Accept that maybe you aren’t as ordinary as you thought you were. And while the time has long passed for you to train as a witch, that doesn’t mean you don’t recognize power when you see it. Maybe that’s part of what attracted you to Cory. Two would-be witches in a small town.”
She tried to remember that first sizzle of attraction she’d felt with Cory. She’d loved him once, even though that man had long since vanished. “He put his talent into football, like you. It’s why people liked him, he was doing it subconsciously. If he hadn’t been injured…”
“No, the crack that let the demon in had started long before that. If you’re using magic for self-gain and to trick other people, you’re already splitting.” He took another drink of water. “I think I’m ready to try standing up.”
If Rachel hadn’t been there to help him, it was entirely possible that he’d have just laid on the bed and gone to sleep, only to wake up in the hospital several days later hooked up to a bunch of machines. She stood up and held out her hand to help him up.
So many people would have run out of the building screaming into the night. Not Rachel. Hell, even the Morrigu liked her enough to hijack a body for a few minutes. While Rachel may not have any magic to use, she could still be affected by it.
“I’m not showering alone.” He tugged her toward the bathroom.
“No, you nearly fainted. You need to rest.”
“I prefer collapsed—it sounds less girly.”
Rachel gave him a glare. “Fainted.”
“Well, if you really want to go to sleep covered in the remains of demon magic…” He knew that would work. She pulled a face, proving he was right, and then let him draw her into the bathroom.
She got the water running. “Seriously, are you okay? You looked wiped.”
He had been. He’d drawn on power reserves he didn’t know he had. Just because he had a goddess didn’t mean he had unlimited power. He could only channel what his body could take, and he’d pushed it in the equivalent of a magical ultra-marathon. It was going to hurt tomorrow, even though he was doing everything he could tonight to patch up any damage.
He undid his shirt; there was a purple-black bruise spreading over his chest, as though something had hit him and broken half-a-dozen ribs.
Rachel stared. “How did that happen? Cory never touched you.”
“Remember when the circle broke? It felt like I was hit by a truck.”
“Magic gave you bruises?”
“Cause and effect. When the circle broke, the power had to go somewhere, and since I was casting it, I took a lot of the impact.” And tomorrow his muscles would be complaining, but at least he wouldn’t be hung over, and he wouldn’t have the guilt of another one night stand.
“Y
ou weren’t just faint, you’re actually wounded.”
“There’s no blood. I’m good.”
That just made her eyes widen. “I didn’t realize magic was so dangerous.”
Noah finished undressing, his back and arms already feeling tight. “Power always has a price.” She was still standing there fully clothed. “Come on.” He started tugging at her clothes. He could feel the heat of the water and it was sounding ever-so-tempting to just get in and wash the night away.
Rachel started helping, and then they were stepping under the water. Hotel showers were not made for two. Well, maybe the really fancy hotels had showers made for two, but this one didn’t. He tipped his face to the water and let everything go. He wanted to let it go, so it took only seconds for him to feel the weight lift. Then he took half a step back and drew Rachel into the water. Her brown hair stuck to her cheeks as she let the water drum on her head. She wasn’t letting it go.
“Turn around and close your eyes,” he said softly.
“What are you going to do?”
“Wash your hair, and you are going to imagine you are standing under a massive waterfall. You can’t fight against it, so let go of everything that you are holding onto.” It was what he’d used to have to do. Sometimes it was hard to let things go and start afresh the next day—even though it sounded like a really good idea.
She turned and he picked up the complimentary shampoo. He lathered his own hair first, he was sure there was still ash and bits of wood in there, then took his time working the shampoo into hers. His fingers pressed on her scalp lightly. While he concentrated on her hair, he was well aware that she was naked and only inches away from him. He nudged her forward so she could rinse her hair. He could feel her trying to let go.
“Just think of the water. Tons of it stripping away everything.”
She nodded and this time it worked. The remains of the night’s magic sloughed away. He made sure all the shampoo was out of her hair before he stepped forward so he was hard up against her—so he could rinse his hair, of course. Then he slipped his arm around her and kissed the back of her neck, even though it was washed away by the water.
“You must be feeling better.” Rachel wiggled her butt against him.
“I am.” If he’d only been halfway there before, his body didn’t need any further encouragement to be hard and ready, but he was not going to stand in the shower—he didn’t have that much energy. He reached around and turned off the taps.
They dried off between kisses, each one sparking and making its own magic that would go back into his energy store without him even trying. Nature doesn’t like a vacuum and magic was no different. While he knew that there were ways to raise even more power through sex magic, he wasn’t going to experiment with that tonight. Maybe once he resumed studying spell craft again it would be something he looked into…if Rachel was willing.
When they were dry, he grabbed a condom and they crawled into bed. He drew her close, her back against his chest. Her skin tasted sweet as he kissed her neck, his fingers sliding between her thighs, dipping into her slick core. He pressed his shaft close but she pulled away.
“I want to face you.” Then she rolled over and hooked her leg over his hip.
He eased into her, and for a moment didn’t want to move at all. He’d never been able to share the fall out of magic with anyone so completely. He cupped her cheek and kissed her, knowing he’d never be able to explain what this meant to him, only that he’d never wanted, needed or loved anyone like Rachel.
Chapter 21
It had been two weeks since Cory had incinerated. Two weeks since Rachel had left New York and gone home. He’d known she would, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so fast. He’d thought she’d stay for a week or so, so they could see if they had something more than running and hiding from demons.
Logically it made sense, the cops were looking for Cory and it just seemed as though she’d gotten spooked in New York and run home to her parents. No one was implicated in anything, which was just the way he liked it.
He’d have liked a phone call.
Usually it was him who did the running and never calling. But they’d had something. He was sure of that. He’d felt it shimmer over his skin. Love sucked. This was the reason he’d never played that game before. He picked up the envelope and letter, scrunched them into a ball and tossed it into the bin. The blood test had given him the all clear. He should be celebrating by going out, but he’d done it for her, hoping she’d call or come back.
He was stuck on the front desk for another half hour, until closing time. He’d thought accepting the job of looking after the coven finances would have gotten him off desk duty—apparently not. And everyone else was conveniently busy on actual cases while he had some down time. This was his third day of front-desk duty in a row.
Admittedly, he had taken nearly a week to fully recover and for the bruises to fade, and he was only just back at training. However, sitting here gave him too much time to think and dwell on why Rachel hadn’t called. Should he call her? Or maybe this was her way of breaking it off. That idea hurt far more than it should.
Around him the building went oddly silent; warning crept down his spine with a warm prickling of his skin. Something was about to happen. He eased the chair back from the desk and drew up some power, snapping a defensive circle around himself just as the door swung open.
Rachel stood in the doorway. Same bag slung over her shoulder as she’d had the last time he’d sat here.
Did he need to protect himself from her? Not magically, but she’d still hurt him. He let the circle drop, but didn’t let his hopes get up off the floor. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
No, he’d just imagined it happening every hour since she’d left. Maybe he was asleep and the Morrigu was tormenting him. That was more likely than Rachel walking in.
“I didn’t expect to be here, either.” She dropped the bag but didn’t come any closer. “I keep having nightmares.”
“Side effect. They’ll last for a while, then you’ll just get them randomly. They probably won’t leave altogether.” He was still waking to the sound of Cory’s enraged screaming, flames licking at his skin. “You could have asked me that over the phone.”
“I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to call, but…but I didn’t want to get brushed off. I didn’t want to hear that you’d moved on.”
It couldn’t be further from the truth. “What did you want to hear?”
She smiled, but it was pale, like winter sunlight. “I want to see you again.”
He stood up and walked over to her. He needed to be sure she was real. When he took her hand, she was warm and solid, not something dragged from his imagination. “I meant what I said.”
She smiled. “I know. I owe you drinks. I haven’t forgotten. Things have been messy at my end.”
“I can imagine. Unfortunately, the Icehotel is booked out for the remainder of this winter…we’ll have to wait until next year.” He’d checked, just in case she came back.
She stared at him for a heartbeat, looking him in the eye when most people would look away, sensing something about him, maybe knowing in their heart that he touched a power they couldn’t. “Wow, I’m not sure I can wait another twelve months to go out on a proper date with you.”
“We could do dinner tonight?” He was hoping she couldn’t hear how loudly his heart was banging on his ribs. He’d rather face a demon than have Rachel knock him back.
“I’d like that.” She put her arms around him and kissed him the way he’d been dreaming of, except this was far better.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Noah picked up his shot glass, tapped it to Rachel’s, then downed the vodka. For a second it was the warmest he’d been all day. There was something about the cold, it didn’t matter how well he wrapped up, it was there—in his lungs, on his face—but it was worth it to see her smiling and laughing.
Icehotel, Jakkasjarvi. Cl
oser to the Arctic Circle than he ever needed to be.
Her cheeks were pink and, sitting in the bar with light bouncing off the ice and making everything seem less than real, he wondered how he’d managed to end up here with Rachel. They’d been together for twelve months. That was a personal best when it came to relationships for him, but he couldn’t imagine living without her.
“What’re you thinking?” Rachel put her hand on his leg.
“How lucky I am.”
She grinned. “Let’s get that thermal sleeping bag. I can’t wait to see you in your long johns.”
“Next holiday we go somewhere warm.” Where there was less clothing involved.
“Put it on the list.”
They’d made a list together and it was now stuck to the fridge in their apartment above the agency. They’d been crossing things off. New bed and sheets. Rachel getting a job—she had, and the school was close by. They weren’t going to let dreams slide by—even though he wasn’t chasing after demons anymore, some still found him. Then there was the other coven work, both magical and financial. While he’d never admit it, he was enjoying working with numbers again.
They collected the double sleeping bag and spread it out on the bed made of ice and covered in reindeer skins. The whole room was a work of art, sculpted in ice and lit softly. Come summer it would all be gone. It seemed like a terrible waste, and yet every year it was rebuilt different and with new sculptures. A reminder that nothing in life was permanent, and yet it held beauty anyway. He drew the curtain that passed for a door and turned around. She was already sitting, tugging off boots and pants.
Last night they’d been in a lovely cozy cabin.
She looked up at him. “What?”
He shook his head.
“You don’t like it?”
“It’s lovely, perfect. I should’ve bought a ring.” This was the golden moment that he would never get again and he’d screwed it up.