Red Blooded
Page 82
The power of five had settled in and become a part of me with little fuss, like the demon essence before it. It was dormant at the moment, but I knew I could call on it when I needed it. Either all at once, or independently. But I had no real explanation of what was going on inside me, or why my body worked the way it did. “Honestly, I think my special gift just happens to be adapting magic. It’s as simple and as complicated as that. Tyler can run faster than any other supe, James can heal faster, Nick can use persuasion, and my body just happens to take in the magic of other supernaturals.”
“Seeing you work the new magic on Lili was an amazing thing to witness,” he said, leaning down to kiss me lightly on the lips, and then he deepened the connection, his lips firm and full against mine. I opened up to him as naturally as taking a breath.
The phone rang, shrill in our quiet room, and we sprang apart.
Rourke met my eyes as he gently tugged me out of the room.
We arrived at the big island an hour earlier than scheduled. The fishing boat had delivered us in less than forty-five minutes, and it was still only 5:04 a.m. There had been no taxi waiting, but the nice fisherman had driven us to the airstrip, where we now stood talking to our sleepy pilot. “The closest available place to land on the west coast of Florida is in the town of Everglades,” he said. “It’s all national park down there. Lots of swampland and little else.”
“That’s fine,” I told him. “We don’t have a better location at the moment. We’re waiting for a friend to show up. Chart a course for Everglades and we’ll go from there.”
He left. The pilot had asked us zero questions, and didn’t seem upset we had woken him early. Marcy had been right, if you had enough money no one questioned you. I didn’t want to know what this was costing the Pack, but from now on I would get used to spending Pack money. That’s what it was there for. And I was Pack.
“Do you see her anywhere?” I asked Rourke for the second time that morning, craning my neck up to the sky as we walked toward the parking lot to wait.
“No,” he replied. “And I don’t have to remind you we’d only see her if she wanted us to see her. But we’re early, so don’t start worrying just yet.”
“Worry is my middle name. And before you start complaining, I like my humanness. It keeps me grounded in this crazy supernatural world. Worrying feels normal and useful. I care about Naomi and if something happened to her it would be my fault, thus I worry.” My wolf yipped. I know you don’t agree, but I’m not asking you.
Rourke stopped abruptly and turned me toward him. “Jessica, I love your humanness.” He pulled me in and I rested my forehead against his clean white shirt. He placed a hand on my shoulders and his warmth felt good.
“I’m glad you do,” I mumbled. “It would be hard if you hated it.”
“Before I met you any scrap of humanness I’d ever possessed was almost gone.” His chest rumbled as he spoke. “You brought it back, and because of it, it’s made me start rethinking things.”
“Maybe that’s why Fate bound us together?” I lifted my head and glanced up at him. “You’re clearly the best supernatural on the planet to teach me how to become an Enforcer, and I’m the best supernatural to keep you human.”
He stepped back slightly, his hands sliding down to my waist. “I swear to you that I’ll make you into the greatest supernatural fighter the world has ever seen.”
“I’m so lucky—”
There was a noise in the trees to our right. I broke away from Rourke immediately, expecting Naomi. But knew I was wrong the moment his scent hit me. “Ray?” I called, moving forward. He stepped out of the trees looking clean, showered and ready to go. “What are you doing here?” I couldn’t mask the confusion in my voice.
“Um, I guess you could say I’m reporting for duty?” he answered musingly. “Why the hell else would I be here?”
I glanced around him into the woods. “Where’s Selene?”
“We landed right in our own backyard about six hours ago, in the middle of a fucking lake,” Ray groused. “We were about a mile from the Safe House. I took Selene there first. She was beat up from the trip and wasn’t healing. No one was there. So I took her to your office. Marcy was just leaving, and let me tell you, that secretary of yours is a spark plug”—tell me something I didn’t know—“and she had a solution in about seven seconds. We took Selene to the local shaman house and they agreed to heal her for a fee, and then deliver her to the nymphs for safekeeping. I guess nymphs are only second in heavy artillery to the witches or some such thing? Anyway, Marcy had a contact there and made all the arrangements. We’ll pick Selene up once we get back.” I started to interject and Ray held up his hand. “Just a minute. Before the interrogation starts, I have one more thing to tell you.” He strode toward us right as a horn tooted in the distance, from what sounded suspiciously like a golf cart. “In order for her to help us, Marcy made me promise—”
“To bring her with you,” I finished. “I know, I figured that out the moment you mentioned you saw her.” I turned as a little white golf cart darted into view, containing a spunky and slightly disheveled redhead.
She flung out of the cart before it came to a full stop. “You didn’t honestly think I’d miss this party for anything in the whole wide world, did you?” She smiled like a shrew as she made her way toward us. “But I can promise you, my hand to the goddesses above”—she struck her chest with her right hand—“I’m never flying Vamp Airline again. That was the most hideous experience I’ve had in a long time. I’m still picking the bugs out of my teeth.” She mocked spitting on the ground.
I laughed as I walked to meet her halfway. “Well, once Naomi arrives,” I said, “the gang is mostly all here. It only makes sense you’d tag along. The boys are heading down from Virginia last I heard.” I embraced her. “The plan is to meet up in Florida. Any word on your aunt?” I asked as I stepped back.
She shook her head. “I haven’t been able to find out much, which is irritating my nails to the quick. I called all the European Covens. It took a long time to find someone who would actually talk to me. Some chick in Romania told me there’s some sort of magic disruption in Italy and there’s been a convergence of supernatural activity there in the last week and everyone seems worried.”
“Seeing you work the new magic on Lili was an amazing thing to witness,” he said, leaning down to kiss me lightly on the lips, and then he deepened the connection, his lips firm and full against mine. I opened up to him as naturally as taking a breath.
The phone rang, shrill in our quiet room, and we sprang apart.
Rourke met my eyes as he gently tugged me out of the room.
We arrived at the big island an hour earlier than scheduled. The fishing boat had delivered us in less than forty-five minutes, and it was still only 5:04 a.m. There had been no taxi waiting, but the nice fisherman had driven us to the airstrip, where we now stood talking to our sleepy pilot. “The closest available place to land on the west coast of Florida is in the town of Everglades,” he said. “It’s all national park down there. Lots of swampland and little else.”
“That’s fine,” I told him. “We don’t have a better location at the moment. We’re waiting for a friend to show up. Chart a course for Everglades and we’ll go from there.”
He left. The pilot had asked us zero questions, and didn’t seem upset we had woken him early. Marcy had been right, if you had enough money no one questioned you. I didn’t want to know what this was costing the Pack, but from now on I would get used to spending Pack money. That’s what it was there for. And I was Pack.
“Do you see her anywhere?” I asked Rourke for the second time that morning, craning my neck up to the sky as we walked toward the parking lot to wait.
“No,” he replied. “And I don’t have to remind you we’d only see her if she wanted us to see her. But we’re early, so don’t start worrying just yet.”
“Worry is my middle name. And before you start complaining, I like my humanness. It keeps me grounded in this crazy supernatural world. Worrying feels normal and useful. I care about Naomi and if something happened to her it would be my fault, thus I worry.” My wolf yipped. I know you don’t agree, but I’m not asking you.
Rourke stopped abruptly and turned me toward him. “Jessica, I love your humanness.” He pulled me in and I rested my forehead against his clean white shirt. He placed a hand on my shoulders and his warmth felt good.
“I’m glad you do,” I mumbled. “It would be hard if you hated it.”
“Before I met you any scrap of humanness I’d ever possessed was almost gone.” His chest rumbled as he spoke. “You brought it back, and because of it, it’s made me start rethinking things.”
“Maybe that’s why Fate bound us together?” I lifted my head and glanced up at him. “You’re clearly the best supernatural on the planet to teach me how to become an Enforcer, and I’m the best supernatural to keep you human.”
He stepped back slightly, his hands sliding down to my waist. “I swear to you that I’ll make you into the greatest supernatural fighter the world has ever seen.”
“I’m so lucky—”
There was a noise in the trees to our right. I broke away from Rourke immediately, expecting Naomi. But knew I was wrong the moment his scent hit me. “Ray?” I called, moving forward. He stepped out of the trees looking clean, showered and ready to go. “What are you doing here?” I couldn’t mask the confusion in my voice.
“Um, I guess you could say I’m reporting for duty?” he answered musingly. “Why the hell else would I be here?”
I glanced around him into the woods. “Where’s Selene?”
“We landed right in our own backyard about six hours ago, in the middle of a fucking lake,” Ray groused. “We were about a mile from the Safe House. I took Selene there first. She was beat up from the trip and wasn’t healing. No one was there. So I took her to your office. Marcy was just leaving, and let me tell you, that secretary of yours is a spark plug”—tell me something I didn’t know—“and she had a solution in about seven seconds. We took Selene to the local shaman house and they agreed to heal her for a fee, and then deliver her to the nymphs for safekeeping. I guess nymphs are only second in heavy artillery to the witches or some such thing? Anyway, Marcy had a contact there and made all the arrangements. We’ll pick Selene up once we get back.” I started to interject and Ray held up his hand. “Just a minute. Before the interrogation starts, I have one more thing to tell you.” He strode toward us right as a horn tooted in the distance, from what sounded suspiciously like a golf cart. “In order for her to help us, Marcy made me promise—”
“To bring her with you,” I finished. “I know, I figured that out the moment you mentioned you saw her.” I turned as a little white golf cart darted into view, containing a spunky and slightly disheveled redhead.
She flung out of the cart before it came to a full stop. “You didn’t honestly think I’d miss this party for anything in the whole wide world, did you?” She smiled like a shrew as she made her way toward us. “But I can promise you, my hand to the goddesses above”—she struck her chest with her right hand—“I’m never flying Vamp Airline again. That was the most hideous experience I’ve had in a long time. I’m still picking the bugs out of my teeth.” She mocked spitting on the ground.
I laughed as I walked to meet her halfway. “Well, once Naomi arrives,” I said, “the gang is mostly all here. It only makes sense you’d tag along. The boys are heading down from Virginia last I heard.” I embraced her. “The plan is to meet up in Florida. Any word on your aunt?” I asked as I stepped back.
She shook her head. “I haven’t been able to find out much, which is irritating my nails to the quick. I called all the European Covens. It took a long time to find someone who would actually talk to me. Some chick in Romania told me there’s some sort of magic disruption in Italy and there’s been a convergence of supernatural activity there in the last week and everyone seems worried.”
