The Isis Collar (12 page)

Isaac laughed.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll take a look around the place.” John had wandered plenty last time he was here with me, but he was at least trying to be polite and give me some time alone with Isaac.

“Not at all. Make yourself at home. Celia and I have things to discuss.” John wandered off happily. I, on the other hand, was left scrambling. Because, like his wife, what Isaac likes to discuss most are my marriage prospects, or lack thereof. Given a chance, and a gender switch, he’d be the world’s biggest yenta. I needed a change of subject—fast.

“Isaac, do you have protection charms that will hold off demons?”

He leaned in and elbowed me lightly in the ribs, his eyes fixed squarely on Creede’s nicely packaged backside. “Keep that one close and you won’t have to worry about demons. He
glows
with magic.”

“It’s not like that, Isaac. It’s just business.” Actually it might be like that. Or not. I was never sure with Creede. When we both had time we would sometimes go out. But we almost never had time. He was, if anything, more of a workaholic than me; something I would never have believed possible.

And then there was Bruno.

He seemed to read my mind. “Let me guess. Bruno.” The way he said the name held a world of disapproval.

Both Isaac and Gilda think Bruno did me wrong, and they’re not inclined to forgive him for it. Still, Isaac is wise enough not to push … much.

“Anyway
,
”
I continued quickly, “I have a problem, and I’m hoping one of those boxes has the solution.”

“Really?” He tilted his head to the side, in a gesture much like a curious bird. “Tell me about it.”

I told him what had happened as simply as I could. During the explanation his expression grew serious, his eyes going nearly black and narrowing with suspicion. “Do you think it’s part of that rift from last December?”

I shrugged. I frankly didn’t know. “Could be. But this felt very different. I don’t know if it’s serious, but I want to be protected as best as possible.”

“Anything that can slip in and out of Federal police barriers is serious, Celia. Let me look around. I have some new things in back that might work.”

“Sure. I’ll check out the jewelry.”

His smile got a little wider and a
lot
more acquisitive. “Yes. You do that.”

I joined Dawna at the counter. She was examining a delicate gold and garnet cross that I realized might be a nice present for Gran for her birthday.

Creede appeared at my side. “I have something I want you to see, over here.” He put a firm, no-nonsense hand on my elbow and guided me away from Dawna. He wasn’t normally that aggressive, so I went along without protest. It was likely he wanted to talk to me about something work related and didn’t want to make a private issue public.

He led me to the medical magic section, one of my favorites. Spells could cure a host of ills, from simple cuts and scrapes to broken bones. I scanned the tiny identifying labels under each carefully packed box. “See anything here for demon possession?”

He pulled in a sharp breath. “Is that what’s wrong with you?” A small growl followed the words and his voice lowered to a whisper. “Jesus, Celia, why didn’t you
call
me and why are you just walking around the streets? C’mon, we need to get you to a priest.”

His urgency startled me and I pulled back from his frantic grasp on my wrist. “Creede, slow down. I’m fine. I haven’t been possessed—at least not in the past few months. Why are you so jumpy today?”

He let go of my arm and leaned back to stare at me quizzically like I’d grown a second head. His arms crossed over his chest and his chin lowered. “I got a call from Dr. Jean-Baptiste about a particular spell. I decided to check you out myself without you expecting me.”

He
got a call? So he was one of the “experts” the doctor mentioned? Jeez, I could have done that myself without dinging my credit card for a specialist.

Creede continued to talk. “The last time I saw you limp like that, you had a bleeding leg full of glass shards. You’re squinting at the slightest hint of bright light. Your magical aura is all wrong. Something is definitely wrong with you. Talk to me, Celia, or you might find yourself trying out that body-binding charm I made for you while I take you to a hospital.”

Okay, that was several levels above disturbing. “My magical …
what
? I don’t have an aura.”

He sighed. “Yes, you do. You’re supernatural. Vampires have auras and so do sirens. You have a very distinct pattern that’s not like anyone else’s, and it’s not the same today as it was the last time we had dinner together. There’s something chewing at it. The colors around your head are scrambled and weird looking. Demonic possession would definitely do that.”

Could a demonic
entity
have been housed inside the bomb casing? That would certainly have been dangerous enough to warrant a metal case. Crap. “That honestly never occurred to me. But I’ve had a headache I can’t shake since the problem at the school. And my leg hurts every time I put weight on it.”

That made his frown deepen and he looked around the room before pulling me to an ornate chair outside the dressing rooms in the back of the store—the store’s grudging acknowledgment that not everybody likes to shop. “You’ve had the problem that long? He didn’t give me your name for confidentiality reasons, or details other than asking about a spell affecting your memory.” He snorted in amusement. “But seriously … how many half-vampire women with siren blood are there in town?” He stared at me for a long moment. “Sit.”

I did. He straddled my legs so that he could look down on the top of my head. He began to whisper a spell that was too soft to make out and I felt power flow from his fingers, his very skin. It was like lowering myself into a heated pool. The sensation of pulsing magic made me warm and drowsy and very relaxed.

That is, until his hands hovered over my hair. The gesture was gentle, so soft it bordered on tickling. But my skin instantly began to tingle and the pleasurable shivers that ran down my spine were so hard that I had to curl my toes to stop myself from shuddering visibly.

But Creede wasn’t trying to tease me. He was utterly serious as he traced his fingers over my hair without moving a single strand. A golden glow filled my vision until the room disappeared from view. My brain felt fuzzy and I couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything other than the buzz of white noise in my ears. My insides were liquid with feelings I shouldn’t be having in the middle of a weapons store. When he reached my shoulders he stopped and I flicked my gaze up to see his furrowed brow. The flames in his eyes grew until they were the eyes of a cat caught by a flashlight after dark. “There’s a spell at work here. No question. It’s not demonic, but it’s amazingly complex. I understand why Dr. Jean-Baptiste couldn’t unwind it.”

Crap. “What kind of spell?” I could hear the sudden fear in my voice and my heartbeat sped up to match my quickened breath.

Creede knelt in front of me, his hands still on my shoulders. His gaze locked with mine and the compassion in his eyes made me believe the words he spoke next. “I don’t know. But I’m going to find out. I promise.” His fingers squeezed just a bit. “All right?”

A promise from him could be put in the bank. “Okay. Thanks. What should I do until then?”

The corner of his mouth turned up a fraction and his hands moved until they were on either side of my face. “Quit trying to be superwoman. Ask for help when you’re hurt. Remember that if
you’re
hurt, it’s serious.”

It sounded so logical when he said it. But … “That’s not so easy for me.”

The quirk of a smile became an amused flash of teeth. “Tell me about it.” Without any warning, he leaned forward and eased his lips against mine. I found myself being pulled into the kiss before I realized what was happening. His hand slid around my head, fingers twining in my hair, and my eyes closed automatically. I leaned into him before I realized I was doing it. My breath froze in my lungs and I couldn’t seem to think past the dual sensations of magic and gentle pressure as he slowly moved his soft, full lips against mine. Warm breath on my cheek, magic sweet as candy, and the caress of his tongue made my knees weak and my stomach do flip-flops. His hand, lightly stroking my hair, sent electric shocks to my scalp. It was a good thing I was sitting down. My heart began pounding hard and my fingers buried themselves in the fabric of the armrests to keep from wrapping around him and pulling him into my lap. I wanted to … a lot. The strength of the desire terrified me.

The kiss was probably over in seconds, though it felt like it lasted a week. He drew back slowly and I wound up suspended, eyes closed, enjoying the remaining pull of the magic that tugged at my stomach. A quick, nearly chaste kiss in the back of a store shouldn’t really be that big a deal.

Right.

The fuzzy tingles ended as quickly as they’d begun, when he yanked several hairs right out of the top of my head, causing my startled, “Ow! Damn it, John! What was that for?” My hand went to the source of the pain and I rubbed while he held up his prize to the fluorescent lights overhead and inspected the strands.

“I need to do some testing in a proper casting circle to figure out the source of that spell, and since the major disturbance was around your head, I’ll stand the best chance with hair.”

His infectious smile made me glare at him and let out a small growl. “You could have just asked instead of grabbing it while you were kissing me. And you didn’t have to do
that
to begin with.”

I knew I was being petulant and couldn’t seem to help it. He sighed. “I wasn’t still kissing you, just for the record. I’d never hurt you like that. But I did have to. I like you calling me John.”

There was something in his eyes that surprised me. I suddenly realized I’d hurt his feelings when I called him Creede. That was new. I was also startled to discover it bothered me. “I’ve called you Creede since we met. Last names are part of the business. It’s nothing personal. You know that.”

He nodded, but the intensity in his eyes didn’t match the acknowledgment. “And it was fine while we
were
business. We’re not anymore, Celia. This is personal. You know it just like I do.”

We stared at each other for a long moment. I blinked first and lowered my gaze to stare at my feet. I didn’t want to think about it, couldn’t really deal with the reality of what he was saying. I wasn’t lying to Isaac. I expect that Bruno and I will get back together.

Eventually.

But I also can’t deny that John and I—yes, in my head, I did think of him as John—had an intense chemistry. I have to struggle not to throw myself at him whenever we’re together. And he’s impressed me, both as a mage and as a bodyguard. I trust him with my back, which I couldn’t say about many people. He’s intelligent, powerful, and magnetic. Trust and attraction—a heady combination.

Was it more than business? Yes. How much more? Thus far I hadn’t been willing to find out. Relationships are complicated and I’m not very good at them. Why get involved just to discover it won’t work?

“Can we keep it business for a little longer if I promise to call you John? I need to find out what’s wrong with me before I think about anything serious.”

He stared at me for a long moment and then dipped his head once. “I told you once that winning you would be a marathon, not a sprint. Today just proves that. Deal. You stock up on any charm you can find to stave off the demonic and I’ll find out what this spell is. Tell Isaac I’ll have to do the fitting another time. I’ve got a few minutes before a meeting this afternoon, and then I have to go out of town for a day or so. But I’ll get back to you on this tomorrow at the latest. You find anything on the wall to stave off the demonic and
use
them.”

That made me frown. “You just said it
wasn’t
demonic.”

“That’s true. But the spell could have opened you to a random event. I’d recommend as many aura protection items you can afford and maybe a
Clear Mind
charm or two.”

Oh. Yeah, that made sense. And hey, if I was lucky they might stave off the sleepwalking. Maybe. But it made me nervous, too. I don’t like being vulnerable and he’d just told me I was. “You think you can figure out how to fix the spell, right? So it shouldn’t be a big deal.”

His face became the poster child for intensity. “I
will
fix the spell. I’ll go to my workshop and start a casting to break down the elements of the spell. That can work by itself even while I’m out of town. I’ll have to move around a few appointments, but I can manage it. Expect a counterspell done by dinnertime. Keep your cell handy. You might have to come to me for the working when I figure it out.”

He sounded suddenly so much like Bruno it made me smile. They were very competitive and talented enough that they felt that nothing should be beyond fixing. And they’d never admit that they couldn’t unwind any sort of casting.

I stood up, put a hand on his arm, and met his flame-kissed eyes. “Thank you, John. Really. I don’t want you to worry about me. Still, I think it’s sweet. And I know this screws up your day. But you’re making me feel a lot less scared about something I’ve been trying not to think about.”

He let out a slow sigh and pulled back his hand just enough to interlace his fingers with mine. “I don’t want to worry about you, either, Celia. But you live a life that makes it almost impossible not to. Now shoo. I’m going back to the office to clear my calendar and then to start to work on this. Get your charms and get somewhere safe until I call.”

Sounded like a plan to me.

10

Safe
is
a relative term.

Dawna tossed me the keys on the way out to the car. “I know how much you hate being a passenger. Besides, I’m tired.”

“Maybe you should take the rest of the day off.”

“I would, but I have this important research project I need to work on.” She gave me a tired smile as she climbed into the passenger seat. “I’ll be fine. Really.”