But wasn’t that who was staring back at me? I examined my eyes. I’d been attacked again. And why, I didn’t know. I did remember, after the attack, my blissful time with Thorn.
He didn’t have answers. I didn’t have any either. Who could possibly care about the local cashier of a flea market? It wasn’t as if I had the key to some secret government facility.
Somehow I managed to clean myself up and creep down the stairs. With each step, I knew a perfectly good workday was swirling down the drain.
From below, I heard Agatha and Will’s banter.
“You wouldn’t believe the crazy times we had,” Aggie said.
“From the way you put it, you two made quite a pair.”
“Yeah, she saved my ass a few times. I won’t tell you about the time I was arrested six years ago.”
“You do come off as the bad-girl type,” he chided.
I shook my head with a smile. Will had to be, what—nineteen or twenty? I knew Aggie, at twenty-four, wasn’t snatching pups from the local pet store window, but the guy didn’t have much in terms of prospects. Aside from his winning personality, Will still had some growing up to do.
When I entered the kitchen, Aggie flashed me a smile. “I thought I heard you thundering down the steps. I can fetch crutches if you like.”
I offered her a middle finger.
She snorted. “See how grateful she is? Even though I made breakfast
and
cleaned up afterward.”
I checked the counter, and sure enough, it remained pristine. All those nights of watching me clean as if I
planned to perform open-heart surgery in my kitchen had finally sunk in.
“There’s a warm plate in the oven for you. I’m sure you caught a whiff of breakfast.” She stepped up to me and examined my neck. “You need to head back to bed, Nat.”
“I’ll be fine.” I brushed past her and opened the fridge to grab some juice.
“I’m not a doctor, but I know we had our asses smeared into the pavement last night.”
It was only then that I noticed Aggie favoring her right side. They’d hurt her badly as well.
My eyes closed as a wave of pain hit me. Aggie opened my palm and placed a pill in it. “You didn’t take any pain meds, did you?”
A few more steps and I could take my drink and food to the table. I reached toward the cabinet and winced. The bruise under my breast was from a solid hit. Maybe I’d even cracked a rib. Swell. “I took some aspirin.”
She snorted. “That’s enough for the pain associated with a pinprick. Take the horse pill.”
While I backed away from Aggie, Will came to my rescue, fetching a glass from the cabinet for me. From behind him, Aggie leaned into his backside. She pushed two cups back in line from where he’d moved them. She winked at me, then escorted me to the table.
There’s nothing like a comfortable chair when you feel horrible. I released a long breath and closed my eyes to block the pain. “How come you’re moving around?” I downed my pill and the acidic aftertaste burned my throat. She’d given me the good stuff.
From across the table, Aggie murmured, “I’ve fought before. Many, many times.” An awkward pause. “But that’s a story for another day.”
Apparently, both of us had memories from the last five years that we wanted to bury.
Will coughed. “I didn’t want to wake you, so I’ve been waiting here to brief you on the current situation.”
Aggie interrupted him with a stern face. “She’s in no shape to worry about the Long Island werewolves right now.”
“I’m afraid it’s urgent. If she wants to reenter the pack, she should be aware of pack business.” He turned to me with darkened eyes. “The attack last night was done for a reason we don’t know. But now that you know you’re a target, you need to be careful. You’re no longer allowed to travel alone at night. With Aggie here, you’ll do fine. Thorn or I will stop by from time to time at night to check the property.”
The medicine coursed through my body. With a sour smile, I took a generous bite of French toast. The delicious food slid down my throat, but his words echoed in my soul. I was still a target—and they’d come for me again. “Maybe I need to leave town. I don’t want to put anyone at risk by having them stay here.”
Aggie huffed. “You have family here and, no matter what anyone says, I believe blood is thicker than the pack. So don’t feed me a piece of your bullshit pie. I’m already full of it.”
From the wry look on her face, she knew my words were empty. I’d never leave my ornaments behind. My head drooped as I concentrated on my breakfast.
Aggie continued her diatribe. “You’ll stay here and continue with your life. Of course, you’ll have to be more vigilant with those crazy bastards roaming around. My father told me about packs like this one. They attack in waves, but eventually if you hold them off they give up in favor of easier prey.”
The shrill ring of the phone interrupted Aggie. Will found the kitchen handset and gave it to me.
“Natalya, it’s Nick. Would it be a problem if we met at Archie’s right now for the exchange?”
I rolled my eyes. The only direction I could go right now was up. My mind flashed to my appearance in the mirror. I looked like I’d survived a beating. How could I possibly explain this? A mugging? Eh, I didn’t see a place like South Tom’s River passing itself off as the mugging capital of New Jersey.
I heard burgers sizzling in the background. It was so tantalizing I couldn’t help but wonder how I could pull off the exchange stress-free—and get a burger out of it.
“Nick, last night I had a break-in. This isn’t the best time to visit. And anyway, I thought you wanted to meet tomorrow.”
He ignored my last comment. “Are you all right? Did they catch the guy?”
“More or less. Could we do the exchange another day? I’m a mess right now.”
“Would you mind if I stopped by to check on you?”
I swallowed. Either the guy was persistently kind or he didn’t believe my story. “I promise I’ll do the exchange. I can even put my roommate on the phone to corroborate my story.”
A long pause. The sounds of Archie’s faded. Damn, he’d left the restaurant. “Natalya, I’ve worked with Zac for months. He couldn’t con me, and you can’t either. When I knock on your door, you’ll do the exchange.”
I gripped the phone and Aggie leaned forward with concern. “Can’t you tell him this isn’t the best day to drop off Girl Scout cookies?”
I nodded faintly. My mouth went dry as he ended with, “I know where you live. No need to give me an address.” He hung up, leaving me in a state of panic.
Aggie saw my face. “Will and I will handle him. Who does he think he is anyway?”
“He didn’t believe me,” I mumbled.
“What’s going on?” Will asked.
Aggie turned to him and explained that I attended
group therapy—therapy that included a pushy wizard who’d been ordered to exchange an item of value with me.
“So what’s the big deal?” He gestured to a stack of boxes. “Give him an ornament and call it a day.”
Icy shock gripped my stomach, and my mouth dropped open. Aggie stepped in quickly. “She went through major stress last night. I think you should tell this guy to come back another day.”
A loud knock on the front door nearly stopped my heart. How did Nick reach my place so quickly?
I just couldn’t give away one of my ornaments. Not right now. All the strength I’d had just a few days ago was gone. Aggie held my hand while Will answered the door.
A few seconds later, Nick’s voice floated from the foyer into the kitchen. “Is Natalya home?”
“This isn’t a good time. We had some problems here last night.” It didn’t take keen werewolf senses to detect Will’s distaste.
“Is she safe?”
“She has friends here to watch over her.”
“I want to see her.”
“Don’t push me, Wizard. You’re in my territory now.”
“Be that as it may, I will see her to verify her safety.”
I stood and stalked into the foyer before a fight ensued. “Enough, you two.”
When I’d first met Nick, he’d smelled sweet, like cinnamon, and he’d had a rough edge that made me curious to know the mystery behind his black irises. But now, frowning, his eyebrows lowered, he gave off an overwhelming scent of burnt cinnamon that made my eyes water. He’d held back before, but not now. Now this wizard stank of power.
“Calm down, Nick. As you can see, I’m fine.”
The odor faded with the next breeze that passed through
the doorway. Will moved aside as Nick approached me with wide eyes.
“So it’s true. What happened to you?” Dressed in his black trench coat, he resembled a ’forties gangster without the tommy gun.
“Like I said on the phone, I had some problems.”
He glanced at the stacks of boxes in the foyer and grinned. “So this is what you wanted to protect from me, huh?”
Aggie entered the foyer. “And you can come back tomorrow to pick up the ornament. She’s in no shape to do the exchange today.”
Nick assessed me with his black eyes. I couldn’t resist falling into them. They twinkled for a moment, and a wave of warmth cascaded through the small space. A dose of delicious magic like Dr. Frank’s, but much stronger. A white-wizard spell of some kind. The warmth from his magic caressed me, from my forehead down to my toes, like a gentle lover’s hands.
“Holy shit!” Aggie released a sharp breath. “Did you do that?”
Even Will sensed it. He took a step back and gulped.
“You should feel a bit better now.” Nick reached into his pocket. He paused as if deep in thought.
“Nick?” I asked.
Reluctantly, he pulled a long-stemmed rose from his pocket. He rubbed his fingers against the thorns and stem. The sweet scent from its petals hypnotized me, and my blurred eyes followed the rose as if it were a beacon.
From far away I heard him blurt, “Sorry about that.” When my vision cleared, I blinked. He was stroking the petals, completing some kind of spell.
Will growled deep in his throat, and anger boiled to the surface of his skin. I didn’t blame him—this wizard clearly had powers we didn’t understand. At times like
these I understood why my mother was suspicious of spellcasters.
Nick turned to Will, unafraid. “Don’t worry, I mean you no harm.”
With two werewolves ready to pounce on him, this wizard was still keeping his cool—he had balls the size of snow globes.
“This is my offering for the exchange.” For the first time, through his nonchalant visage, I saw a sliver of his anxiety. He didn’t want to give me the rose, but he’d come all this way and was determined to make good on his word.
I peeked at the nearest box, the dilemma of the moment gripping me. This exercise should be simple. I’d open a box and hand him one of the ugly ornaments. (Hey, even they needed love.) Perhaps I’d give him a big bulky lawn ornament with enough beeps and annoying lights to drive Christmas carolers away.
A line of sweat formed on his brow. He continued to hold out the rose while his heart beat rapidly. How long would he hold out?
“Natalya, take the rose,” he whispered.
The first footstep toward the stack lasted a lifetime. One step. And then another with more confidence. I opened the box on top. A wave of nausea hit. I couldn’t do this. These were my friends. Damn it! I lowered my hand into the box and pulled out the first thing I found. I couldn’t look—I simply handed the ornament over.
The rose stem tingled in my hand after I took it. Even though I gripped it tightly, the thorns didn’t bite into my palm. I snuck a peek at the flower while Nick handled my ornament. How could he give something so powerful and beautiful away?
Somehow, Nick placed the ornament in his pocket. I tried to think,
Out of sight, out of mind
. But the whole
experience left me exhausted. I slouched forward and tried to resist the siren call of my bed.
“I’ll see you next week at Dr. Frank’s.” He turned around and touched the doorknob. “Plant it at the perimeter of your property. Sprinkle it with frankincense, and the flower will protect you from those who mean you harm.” And with that, he left.
I
slept
for the rest of the day. I had to recuperate before I could cope with everything that was happening. The next day I’d have to go to work no matter what, since I’d taken today as a sick day. Bill didn’t care whether I walked in limping—he wanted goods sold. So there was no way, with his money-grubbing habits, that he’d just give me a couple of sick days. I could hear him now, “I thought you werewolves healed quickly. You’ve had a few hours. Just walk it off.”
After that, I’d open myself to an all-day lecture on how it used to be in the Dark Ages. “Back in the day, you took a spear up your butt and you moved on. I could have half a leg torn off and I’d still show up to work. Do the same, Natalya, and you’ll go far.” I wondered how many college students would find inspiration in such words during a commencement speech.
It was also true, though, that even if Bill wanted to play the patron saint of employers and let me take tomorrow off, I’d still find a way to sneak in to organize things.
The next morning, I crept out of the house so I could avoid Aggie’s complaining about me heading into work. On my way out, I noticed a rose among the bushes along the edge of my property. While I’d slept, Aggie had planted it. The vibrant red flower stood starkly against the deep
green of the bushes. The beautiful bud was a persistent reminder of the exchange with Nick.
Unexpectedly, the workday wore on without any problems. Aggie called to berate me for leaving her at the house alone. But I reminded her that she was the so-called guard who’d slept through her charge’s departure.
“I’ll see you at lunchtime,” she’d grumbled over the phone.
How she’d get to town I didn’t know. But since Aggie didn’t mind taking cabs, I knew that, come hell or full moons, she’d find a way to show up promptly at 11:50 a.m.
And indeed, by lunchtime, Aggie was waiting for me at Archie’s with a frown. A tourist had taken my usual booth. For years I’d picked the one that was farthest away from the busy door and had the cleanest tabletop. I took a nearby seat so I could stare him down. From the way I glared at the man in the booth, Aggie knew I was about to make a fuss.