“Nate’s
immune to my power.” Charisse snapped back.
“Really?
Are you sure? I say this only because… how did you put it, no one else
has the guts to. Are you absolutely one hundred per cent sure that the
warrior is immune? That you’re not influencing him in any way? That
you haven’t dreamt of a big strong man who would come along some day and save
you from your dreary little life and all your insignificantly mundane problems?
That you haven’t made Nate over into the
image of that man?”
Charisse
took a deep breath and then another one to calm her nerves. “I don’t need
anyone to save me.” She stepped left quickly into the open doorway,
pivoted and fired the crossbow.
Destiny
didn’t even flinch, laughing instead, looking down at the arrow stuck fast in
the frame of the window, only inches from her face. “That’s where you’re
wrong.”
Charisse
was about to ask what Destiny meant when she felt the pressure of a gun barrel
pressed to the back of her head. Softly she began to hum under her
breath, letting a blanket of tranquillity settle over the
room.
Destiny
laughed again, shaking her head. “Don’t waste your breath Cyd.
Kimberly can’t hear you.”
Charisse
inhaled sharply, fine, no humming, but she could still scream for help.
Except Kimberly, who she was guessing was Destiny’s human daytime minion,
jabbed her even harder in the back of the skull… ouch.
“Put
the weapon down.” The words were low and toneless, exactly like you’d expect
from someone who couldn’t hear their own speech.
Complying,
Charisse slowly pointed the crossbow down at the floor. She may not be
able to tap into her Siren powers to resolve this situation but she was far
from helpless. After a lifetime spent with sneaky cousins she still had a
trick or two up her sleeve. Swinging her arm back, she blindly fired off
the crossbow, pivoting in place even as Kimberly howled in pain, the arrow
having penetrated her boot and into the floor beneath. Ducking, Charisse
rolled away out of Kimberly’s reach, even as Nate raced into the room tackling
the daytime minion to the ground.
“Go
Cyd.” Nate had knocked Kimberly out and was in the process of securing
her with some rope.
Charisse
staggered to her feet. She promised Nate she’d follow his instructions to
the letter. Still, it didn’t mean she couldn’t turn at the doorway and
fire off her last arrow in the direction of the vamp Queen still clinging to
the outside of the window frame.
It
made it much easier to leave the room knowing she’d caught Queen D off her
guard and Vamperella now had an arrow embedded just below her right breast.
Score
one for team Siren.
Chapter
Seventeen
“You
okay Cyd?” Nate eased himself down onto the top step of the second floor
staircase next to Charisse.
“I’m
fine.” Truthfully her hands were shaking a little but that could be
attributed to the adrenalin wearing off and the fact that Bettina was plucking
at their bond like it was a violin. Bettina’s distress and worry
vibrated through the tether… on her behalf?
Strange, probably concerned something might happen to her meal
ticket.
Still, not something she had the
time or energy to investigate further right at this moment. “How about
you?” Her eyes travelled over his frame quickly; except for the
jagged wound on his arm he looked unhurt and unruffled.
“Fine.”
He wrapped a warm muscular arm around her shoulders giving her a reassuring
squeeze and satisfying his own soul-deep need to touch her. “Destiny has
more depths than I gave her credit for. She played us. Used her
last two minions to distract me and sent her daytime minion into the house to
get to you.”
“What
did you do to Kimberly?” She found herself leaning a little too eagerly
into Nate; taking a deep breath she straightened her spine. “The daytime
minion?”
“Oh
her. She’s tied up. I’ll put a call into the enforcement team, let
them come and collect her for rehabilitation or… storage. I took out one
of the vamp minions so Destiny’s down to her last one.” Nate reluctantly
forced himself to let her go and stand up. Maat, he could have sat there
all night with Cyd snuggled under his arm. “I think it’s time vamp Queen
and I had this out, once and for all.”
“Nate.”
Charisse found herself standing, clutching at his arm. “She thinks the
two of you are soul mates. That I’ve worked some sort of magic, that I
have you under my spell. You can use that against her.”
He
nodded slowly. “What else is bothering you Cyd?” Even in the dim
light of a nearby lantern his whiskey eyes danced with flares of sunlight as he
studied her.
“She
said something.”
“Kimberly?”
Nate clarified.
“No
Destiny, she asked how I could be certain you were immune to my… powers.
That maybe the reason you’re here and we… did what we did, earlier today, was
because I lured you in.”
Nate
barked out an amused laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I’m
glad you think it’s funny Sheriff.”
“Oh
Cyd, she’s just trying to screw with your head. Besides, anyone with half
a clue would know that you were the one
lured
in by my all too obvious charm, wit and innate skill with the ladies.” He
leaned over, planting a brief hot kiss on her stunned lips. “Remember, you were
the one to ask me to dance in the first place.”
“Only
because Darcy made me.” Okay she hadn’t intended to blurt that revelation
out quite so tactlessly.
Nate’s
arm flexed so taut under her grip she was forced to let go.
Nate’s
voice when it came was a harsh low whisper. “Just how far did Darcy instruct
you to go?”
“Excuse
me?” She crossed her arms over her body, rearing back, hoping he wasn’t
implying what she thought he was implying.
“You
said it yourself.
Darcy will go to
practically any extreme to get what she wants. So I think it’s a fair
question. Did she tell you to insinuate yourself into my life, did you
intentionally get in the middle of this vamp mess so I’d demand you stay?
Just how far are you willing to go to get the information Darcy wants?”
“Why
don’t you just ask?” Charisse was suddenly vibrating with anger.
“Ask, if my having sex with you today wasn’t all part of my master plan to get
you to spill the beans regarding Darcy’s mystical mark? Please, she’s my
cousin, and madder than a cut snake but she would never… never, ask me to whore
out my body. My talent, sure, she has no qualms about manipulating me on
that front. But to say… to imply, that I’m some sort of… Goddess, I can’t
even look at you right now. Go kill Destiny.” She waved a hand in a
dismissive gesture.
“What,
so then you can leave? Forget the last few days ever happened? That
seems to be a recurring theme in your life Cyd. Put your head in the sand
and maybe the problem will go away. Maybe one day the rock will magically
reach its dickhead quota and say thanks for all your hard work Cyd, were
done. Is that why you so eagerly shove men down its gullet? Is that
why you let the thing manipulate you at every turn, practically indenturing you
out there? Have you ever once dug your heels in deep and said ‘no
more’? To hell with the cost? To anyone? To the rock?
Darcy? To the men who prostrate themselves at your feet?”
Charisse
fisted her hands, fighting the urge to punch him. “Why are you trying to
pick a fight with me Nate?”
“Because
from the moment I met you, I thought you were the most gorgeous, sassy…
complicated woman I’d ever had the privilege to meet. You’ll go toe to
toe with me.
Maat, you’ll face off with
Vampira but you won’t admit to having hopes or dreams. You’re so busy
treading water Cyd, you’re letting life pass you by.”
“That’s
not true.” Charisse rested her clenched fists on her hips.
“No.
Then tell me why you’re so determined to push me away at every turn? Keep
me at arm’s length? Giving me that whole
Darcy made me
crap?”
“Nate.”
Charisse grit out his name.
“No,
I believe I have a vampire Queen to destroy so that you can hurry back to your
fulfilling life.” He turned to head downstairs.
Charisse
did the only thing she could think of to stop him. She opened her mouth
and began to sing.
“Maat,
woman.” Nate slapped his hands over his ears, turning to scowl back up at
her. “Don’t do that.”
“Well
don’t you lay all that crap on me and expect to just walk away without letting
me have my say.” Charisse walked slowly down the stairs until she could
look directly into his eyes. “First off, you don’t get to judge my
life. Not the man who describes his own existence as ‘mostly’
satisfying. That pretty much sounds like the definition of treading water
to me. I get you’re shaking things up, buying the Folly, doing it up… but
I am not part of your renovation project. You don’t get to judge my
relationship with Bettina just because you’ve known me for a week and we’ve
slept together.” She took a deep breath, the echo of her words rolling
through the house was eerie, but she refused to get distracted.
“You
don’t know what the past fifteen years have been like for me… the pressure, the
pain. Dealing with it alone. And you certainly don’t get to be
upset because Darcy strong-armed me into dancing with you. After all the
traps she’s laid for you, are you actually shocked I had an ulterior motive in
asking you to dance? A dance which half way through you just up and
walked away from, I might add. What was that all about?”
Nate
froze for a split second before exhaling deeply. “Is that everything?”
“No,
because I’d like to know why you’re suddenly angry with me? And I’d sure
as heck like to know why I’m now yelling at you?” She drew in a deep
breath, trying to calm down. “Now I’m finished.”
Nate
lifted a hand, reaching out to cup the side of her face gently. “I’m
angry at you because I… care. And I really, and I can’t stress this
enough, really don’t like walking into a room to find someone holding a gun to
your head.”
Charisse
shifted her weight, leaning into his hand. “I like that you care…”
“But?”
He forced himself to say the unspoken word out loud.
“But
I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Because?”
Charisse
bit her lip. “You have to ask? Now you know about Bettina and
exactly how much of a bad bet I really am?”
“Like
I said Cyd, from the first moment I laid eyes on you I knew you were different
and I think you felt the same way about me. I know you think Bettina’s
presence in your life is a big deal and that your family are kind of demanding
and… unique. But essentially, they’re just excuses. And I think you
know it. You keep saying one thing Cyd but your actions… your actions say
a completely different story when it comes to me.”
Charisse
jerked her head back suddenly from his touch, as if she was only just realising
the intimate hold he had on her.
Nate
shook his head, laughing under his breath.
“What?”
She scowled, confused by his amusement.
“You
know what you said a minute ago about it not being a good idea for me to
care? Well that ship has long since sailed Cyd.” From outside came
the crash of steel against steel. “It sounds like Destiny is getting
impatient to meet her maker, I have to go.”
“Damn
you Nate.” She hissed softly under her breath. “Don’t get dead out
there tonight, this conversation isn’t over.”
“Count
on it Cyd.” He handed her the small cross bolt firing device. “You
take this, my swords are downstairs.”
Charisse
followed him down the dimly lit stairs to the ground floor, her mind whirling
with questions. Did she really use Bettina as an excuse… not to get
involved? Not to let people close? Not to plan and dream?
Perhaps
no more so than a Maat warrior, who immersed himself in an immortal quest to
fight injustice, right wrongs and balance chaos. Yet hadn’t Nate already
proven he was willing to step beyond that world. Case in point,
Kaleidoscope Folly and the mission he was on to renovate it. He had plans
here… dreams and a vision for change. For more in his life than just;
kill the mystical bad guys when they step out of line, sleep, wake up and do it
all again the next day.
Could
she truthfully say the same? What were her plans and hopes for the
future? It was kind of confronting to realise she had none. Oh,
sure she loved to paint. But where was the challenge in it? On a
personal achievement level, triumphing over the dreaded flowery wallpaper had
proven more exhilarating… more fun, than she’d experienced in… forever.
Goddess
damn it, she hadn’t just become complacent when it came to Bettina, she’d
become complacent with herself. What were her goals? Get out of
bed, head out to Bettina, paint, go home, sleep and do it all again the next
day?
Hardly inspiring stuff.
Sure
she was a successful painter, but success wasn’t what she sought when she
painted… escape was, from her life, from Bettina, from her very small
world. That’s why her paintings were so colourful and often so
large. She’d felt trapped and burdened for so long, she’d been
suffocating and hadn’t even realised it.
Grrr,
it kind of peeved her that Nate had been right. A smug warrior was an
annoying warrior she’d found. Of course none of these realisations
resolved the two major issues on her plate. What was she going to do to
get out of the rut she’d let herself sleepwalk in to? And what, Goddess
help her, was she going to do about Nate? He said he… cared for
her. What in the name of the Goddess did that mean in guy speak? It
was such a wishy washy word now she’d begun to think about it.
Not
in fifteen years of having compliments showered upon her had a man ever
declared that he ‘cared’ for her. Goddess, she had scrapes on her ass
from where they’d had hot mindless sex up against the bedroom wall, the word
‘caring’ just didn’t seem appropriate after what they’d shared together.
Too insipid, too minor to describe something that felt so major, life changing
even.
As
she followed Nate down the final staircase she glared hard at his back.
So what was the right word she asked herself, if caring didn’t fit the
bill? Love? She’d been battered by that word since she was a
teenager. It spilled so carelessly, so effortlessly, so relentlessly from
the mouth of almost every man she’d ever met that she found the word to be
meaningless. Love?
A word that too
often in the past had made her cringe.
But
Nate, he
cared
for her? She found herself smiling for no
particular reason. They were on their way to face off against a mad
vicious vampire Queen and she was smiling like some smitten schoolgirl because
Nate hadn’t said he loved her but that he
cared
for her. Goddess
help her, she was in so much trouble.
Ahead
of her, setting a fast pace, Nate was almost at the doorway leading into the
conservatory where he’d left a cache of wicked sharp weapons.
Charisse raised the cross bolt instinctively as she caught sight of
Destiny pacing outside, past the wide open double doors.
A
smug smile curved the vamp Queen’s lips, her incisors glinting in the
moonlight.
“I
was beginning to think you’d forgotten our date Lover.”
“Now
Destiny would…” Nate ducked as out the corner of his eye, a shadow
detached from the corner of the room, racing towards them. Shit, Destiny
had a second daytime minion.
Another
woman, dressed in Destiny’s regulation minion attire of all black, pointing a
gun at Charisse.