Harlequin Nocturne March 2016 Box Set (33 page)

His twin returned. “What brings you here?” she asked bluntly.

“I did come to talk about Annie,” he admitted. “Can't you cut her a little break? She's been drawn into this whole mess, just as we were years ago.”

“Drawn in? What if she was recruited in by Nalusa? We've no reason to trust her.”

“Trust or not, we need her. Her aura-hearing can be used to track wisps and to prevent Nalusa attacking us unawares.”

“We've done fine without her up till now.”

“Not true and you know it. Nalusa's gaining ground, has been for a couple of years. The number of wisps multiplies faster than we can kill them. If this keeps up, he'll soon wander past the bayou boundaries and wreak havoc everywhere.”

Tallulah pinched her lips. “So you say.”

“You know I speak the truth. Once he slips past us, there will be no hope of containing the evil. He'll blaze a trail of death and misery on a national scale.”

“So be it. We've done all we can.” Her hands gripped the wash rag like a lifeline.

“That's my point. Now it's time to get outside help.”

“What do you want me to do? Bake her a cheesecake and welcome her into the fold? Not happening.”

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “All I ask is that you be civil. Don't attack her.”

“You can't keep me from telling the truth.”

“You don't know the truth,” he exploded. “Just stay away from her, that's all I ask.” He turned and started for the door. The long walk home would do much to cool his anger.

Tallulah ran in front of him, blocking his exit. “Don't be an idiot. Think with your brain and not your dick. This girl could be trouble.”

“Her name's Annie, and she could be our salvation. You're the one not thinking straight,” he snapped. Tombi took a deep breath. “I don't know who you are these days, Talli girl. And neither would Bo if he were still alive.”

Raw pain bruised her eyes, and she sucked in a breath.

He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry. But you needed to hear that. Consider what I said. If you can't treat Annie with any decency, it might be best if you stopped hunting altogether.”

“You can't be serious,” she said in a strangled voice. “You've known this girl only a few days. Are you completely under her spell?”

He withdrew his hand. “Leave Annie alone, or I'll exile you from the hunters.”

* * *

Grandma Tia had been unchanged from yesterday's visit, as if any moment her eyes would flutter open. Annie could picture that moment. Her grandma would blink in confusion at the sterile, strange surroundings and then jolt out of bed, demanding to go home.

She had to believe that would happen. Had to believe that, despite her bad heart, her grandma had many months left. Peaceful months that would allow her to approach the end of life among her altars and herb garden and where she could sleep in her own bed at night. Months of entertaining friends and helping customers with her root workings.

Despite all reason, Annie had hoped her mother would come down for a visit after informing her of the stroke, even though she swore she'd never set foot in Bayou La Siryna again. But even with Tia hospitalized, Annie's mom was still being stubborn and heartless about not coming down. Grandma Tia never talked about it, but Annie knew the rift between them hurt her deeply.

She lit candles everywhere, and the glow was comforting. Although only late afternoon, the sky was a pewter gray and the sun hidden behind dark clouds. She hadn't paid attention to the news, but no doubt a hurricane brewed somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. That or tropical storms always resulted in the Gulf area darkening and churning, making normally stagnant air whip with a briny bite, and the birds, even noisy seagulls, retreated in silence and out of sight.

The candles weren't just for atmosphere. If the upcoming storm were severe enough, the power would likely cut off.

Annie sat at the kitchen table and gripped her hands together. Excitement and fear chased in circles in her gut, percolating like a storm of their own.

Magical Musings
, page forty-three.

The title and page number had flashed in her mind when she visited Grandma Tia earlier today. Annie sorted through the papers. She even knew what the book would look like: a brownish-yellow bundle of papers tied up with raffia, a sprig of marjoram in the bow.

At last she began going through the stack of books until she found
Magical Musings
. The aged, frail papers trembled in her fingers like bedsheets flapping on a clothesline. Page forty-one...forty-two...page forty-three. There.
Communing with the Dead or with Animal Spirits
.

Eagerly, she ran a finger down the ingredient list and began gathering the needed items, grateful for Tia's well-stocked pantry and hoodoo supplies. Lightning cracked, and the air sizzled with the smell of ozone. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Missis—

Thunder crashed. The lightning had struck only three miles away.

A frisson of unease chased down the nape of her neck to the base of her spine. Which was ridiculous. Grandma Tia wouldn't have sent such a specific message if she hadn't meant for her granddaughter to try the spell. Still, Annie wavered and shifted on her seat.
Maybe the timing is wrong?

No. She wasn't going to let a thunderstorm give her the heebie-jeebies. They were a dime a dozen during the Alabama summers. She'd been seeking an answer for years to stop the music, and now she couldn't stand to wait another evening. With great care, Annie dressed the candles, lit the incense and began her petition. And waited.

And waited.

A great swell of silence numbed her brain. A silence so utter and profound it might as well have been a banshee screaming in her ears. A single word over and over:
no
. Disappointment sliced through the numbness. Surely, after all the signs, there had to be something.
Try harder.
Annie squeezed her eyes shut and strained to hear something—anything.

A great flapping beat the air, a stir of energy swooshed by like a freight train. She gasped and opened her eyes.

Whatever connection she'd made was instantly severed. Outside, the rustle of leaves in the wind and a scrape of limbs clawing the windows. A distant rumble of thunder. Whatever had made itself known had vanished.

Not fair. She stood and paced the room, hands fisted by her side in frustration. She'd try again before bedtime. And she'd keep trying the spell until spirits in the Great Beyond responded—if only to get rid of her and her constant petitions.

The lights died.

Gee, thanks, Alabama Power. This night just keeps getting better
. Best thing to do with the little light that still oozed through the windows was to fix something to eat and get a bath.

Twin blazes of light pierced the den. Tombi? She hurried to the front door and opened it. Rain soaked his long black hair, and his jeans and T-shirt were soaked.

“Where's your umbrella?” she called out as he rushed up the porch steps.

He lifted his head and stared her dead in the face.

That wasn't Tombi.

Numbness froze her lips and limbs. “Hanan?” she asked dazedly, leaning against the door frame for support. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled, but the severe angles of his face and the sharp beak of a nose failed to lighten the overall impression of harsh cunning. “I came to clear the air between us. Tombi told me what you heard. What you
imagined
you heard.”

Annie calculated the viability of how swiftly she could shut the door and lock him out versus Hanan's speed and agility to block the move.

She wasn't optimistic.
Play along. Play it off. Play it cool.

She returned his smile, smoothing her features to betray no concern. “We're good. Tombi explained you must have been dreaming. A nightmare, maybe.”

Or maybe the sneaky Tallulah was the betrayer. She could only imagine how Tombi would take that news, seeing as how he got all defensive about a friend.

She tried to be fair. Tombi's explanation was rational.

A couple of beats of awkward silence passed. She raised a hand and gestured at the open doorway. “Come in, if you'd like.”

He swooped in at once, and she tried not to wince as he brushed by her side and into the cottage. Annie listened intently, but not a single note escaped his tightly controlled body and mind.

She looked longingly at the yard. Her car was in the driveway, mocking. It might as well have been a mile away. She had a wild idea of grabbing her car keys and making a run for it. Just leave Hanan alone in the cottage.

And look like a complete fool for running off. Tallulah would have a field day. Reluctantly, Annie shut the door and faced Hanan. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No. I won't be long.” He went to the sofa and sat, one leg bent, resting an ankle on the opposite knee. “That's some special ability you have,” he said, getting straight to the point. “As a hunter, my senses are enhanced. I can see, hear and smell better than other humans. But I've never heard of anyone able to judge a person by hearing their energy.”

Was there skepticism in his tone? Hard to tell with his poker face and silent aura. Annie never realized before how much she used her extraordinary hearing to glide through interacting with people—anticipating another's thoughts and motives before engaging in conversation. And always working on an exit strategy if the music became too disturbing or uncomfortable. She nodded slowly, unsure how to respond.

His gaze moved deliberately around the room, taking in the candles and altars and saint statues. The air smelled of patchouli and frankincense. “Feels like I'm in church. I expected Hoodoo Henrietta's place to have the opposite atmosphere.”

Annie found her voice. He could put her down but not her grandma. “What did you expect? Broomsticks and skeleton skulls everywhere? A simmering cauldron? A black cat?”

He shrugged, seemingly unfazed at her anger. “Anybody would. Easy to judge someone on little to no evidence. Right?”

A clever trap. She'd fallen right into it. Heat scalded the back of her neck. “Point taken,” she conceded. She'd been willing to condemn him on what may have only been a dream.

A loud, staccato hammering erupted at the door. Annie jumped.

Hanan smiled slyly. “I know who that is.”

CHAPTER 9

T
ombi didn't wait for permission to enter. He burst into the room. The only light came from candles lit everywhere. A romantic tableau if he'd ever seen one. His veins throbbed with anger. Some friend Hanan proved to be. Bo would never have gone behind his back and visited his girlfriend.

Girlfriend.

The word was like throwing ice on fire. His hot anger melted. Annie was
not
his girlfriend. Not his lover, either.

And he still didn't like her being alone with Hanan. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

Hanan slowly stood. “Just saying goodbye.” He offered his hand to Annie. “Are we cool?”

“Sure.” She stood as well and shook his hand.

Her eyes were downcast, and Tombi couldn't decipher her mood. Embarrassed? Distressed?

“Why is it so dark in here?” Tombi asked, ever suspicious.

“Power's out.” Hanan nodded at him and swept past.

“Be back in a minute,” Tombi said curtly to Annie.

He followed Hanan onto the porch. “What did you say to upset her? Did you confront her about what she heard?”

“
Confront
isn't the word I'd use,” Hanan drawled. “I pointed out that I shouldn't be condemned on so little.”

“Nobody condemned you. If I believed you were a traitor I wouldn't have told you she pointed a finger your way. You had no right to come over here and upset Annie.” The anger boiled up again. He shouldn't have left her alone—not even during the day. His rush to finish the Anderson carpentry job on deadline had tainted his judgment.

“You would have done the same had the positions been reversed. Both of us hate to have our integrity questioned.”

True. He couldn't argue against that.

Hanan pushed off from the porch and started down the steps. “See you later,” he called over his shoulder, with no rankle in his voice.

Tombi watched his friend drive off in the rain. He'd just acted like a complete ass, bursting into Annie's cottage and demanding explanations. As if she owed him one. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and returned inside. An unfamiliar feeling of sheepishness weighted his shoulders.

Annie stood at the rear window, back to him.

“Sorry about that,” he mumbled.

“Don't be.” She turned and walked to him with a shy smile. “I'm glad you came when you did. He chastised me.” She hurried on at the sight of his frown. “But in a gentle way.”

“He did the same with me outside,” Tombi admitted.

“You're all wet.” She ran her fingers down his hair, and his breath caught. “I'll go get you a towel.”

Her ass swayed in her tight cutoff jeans, and he'd never seen anything hotter. Just being in the same room with the woman had him knotted up in sexual tension. Tombi peeled off his wet T-shirt and ran a hand over his wet locks.

“Here ya—” Her voice faltered. She stood in the darkened doorway, holding a towel and staring at his chest, as if mesmerized.

Tombi shifted uncomfortably in his suddenly tight jeans. He wanted to peel out of them, undress her and make passionate love. But he didn't want to scare her. Wasn't sure if she had any experience in lovemaking.

“Bring the towel to me,” he said huskily.

She obeyed, as if in a trance. She walked so slowly to him that he was conscious of the rain beating against the windows and the smell of something earthy in the air. A cozy intimacy of the two of them against the rain-sloshed world outside.

Annie lifted the towel and began rubbing his skin. He wished it were her hands instead of fabric. Satisfied with her work there, she ran the towel through his hair.

Tombi abruptly pulled her to him and kissed her thoroughly, smothering her gasp of surprise. Her arms went around his bare back, and her hands traveled the length of his spine. He pressed his manhood against her core, and she arched into him, silently asking for more.

“Annie?” he asked hoarsely.

She gazed up at him with hooded eyes. And then blinked and took a step backward. Tombi swallowed down a groan of frustration.

“Not yet,” she whispered. “I'm sorry. It's too soon for me.”

He ran a finger down the side of her delicate, heart-shaped face. “Never apologize. A lady has every right to say no.”

Annie nodded and cast her head down, her dark wavy hair obscuring her face. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

He needed space. Space to cool his lust and dispel the awkwardness. He strode to a window. Rain washed against the panes in sheets, but at least the thunder and lightning had grown distant. With any luck, the storm would pass within the hour.

“Why did you come back?” Annie asked from behind.

“I felt uneasy leaving you alone. Especially now that the power's out.” He faced her. “Come back to the cabin with me. I'm not asking you to sleep with me. I have an extra bedroom.”

“Or you could stay here tonight. No sense in you driving home in this weather. I can't offer much in terms of dinner, but I can always scrape something together.”

He'd rather be at his own place, in his own bed, but he'd take what he could. Staying in the cottage beat camping out in her backyard or sleeping in his truck to keep an eye on things. “Deal.”

She smiled, the awkward shyness dispensed. “Have a seat and I'll be back with food.”

Tombi sank into the sofa, listening to Annie bustling about the kitchen. The domesticity of it settled warmly in his gut. How long had it been since someone fixed him a meal? Too long. Strange, he'd never noticed before how solitary, how lonely and stark his existence was at the cabin. He devoted his life to hunting during the full moon and the rest of his days to running his carpentry business. Always focused, always doing everything with a purpose and sinking into bed at night, exhausted.

He propped his legs on the coffee table and crossed his arms behind him, head relaxing into his palms. Inside was soft candle illumination, and outside the rain and storm were contained. He closed his eyes. Relaxed. He was exactly where he needed to be, and all was well in this moment. Tension drained from his body and flowed down to the ground, where it was absorbed.

A soft touch jiggled his shoulder.

He bolted upright and took in the unfamiliar surroundings.

“It's okay. You've been asleep.” Annie's face was calm and a soft smile lit her eyes. “You've been out a couple of hours at least. But I couldn't wait to eat any longer and didn't want to dine alone.”

She sat across from him, and he set his feet down. A tray on the coffee table was filled with apples, grapes, cheese and bread. He was starving. Even though it was late in the day, the pewter clouds had been rinsed clean by rain, and it was lighter now than before he'd fallen asleep.

“Sorry I couldn't do better. Power's still out.”

“This is perfect. I can't believe I slept so soundly.” Highly unusual. If he'd eaten before falling asleep, it would have made him wonder what Annie had slipped into his food unawares. Instead, he'd completely let down his guard. Was he a fool as Tallulah accused? He watched as Annie poured iced tea from a pitcher and handed him a glass.

She pointed to the dishes and silverware. “Help yourself.”

He dug in and bit into a sweet, crisp apple, quickly downing fruit with slices of tangy cheddar cheese. She nudged over a wicker basket full of biscuits. Even cold, they were delicious smothered in real butter.

“Thank you,” he said at last, fully sated. He leaned back in the sofa and crossed his arms against his chest, studying Annie.

“For what? Dinner wasn't much of anything.”

She might not think so, but Tombi hadn't been so relaxed in weeks. And to have someone else fix and serve a meal, no matter how simple, was a novelty. His loins stirred. It had been a long time since that, too. He wondered if it was the same for Annie. “Have you been seeing anyone in Bayou La Siryna?” he asked. Subtlety was not his strong suit.

“As in...a man? No.” She shook her head, dark hair spilling over her shoulders. Her eyes shuttered. “Not interested,” she added in a flat voice.

Somebody had been burned. Fairly recently, judging from Annie's expression. “So, how long ago did you break up?”

She opened her mouth, as if to deny it, but then shrugged. “Four months.”

He raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question.

“His name was Evan.” Annie tapped a knife against the edge of her plate. “He's from North Georgia, where my mom and stepdad live. We dated over a year. Until he decided I was too weird...and someone better came along.”

“He's an idiot.” The words slipped out, unbidden. But at Annie's sudden smile, he didn't care.

“What about you?” she said.

That was the trouble with asking direct questions. Now she felt free to interrogate him on his past love life. He'd set himself up for it. But fair was fair.

“It's been over a year since I've seen anyone seriously. Her name was Courtney.”

Annie raised her brows in a parody of his earlier gesture.

“She broke it off, complaining that my priorities were screwed up and that I cared more about the hunt than I did her.”

“So she knew about you. About your supernatural tracking.”

“No. I saw no need to tell her. She just thought I was into hunting with friends. But it didn't sit well with her. Courtney accused me of being secretive.”

“You should have told her the truth. If you really loved her, that is.”

“That's what she said.” He'd thought about it and come close a few times, but something had always held him back.

“At least we're honest with each other,” Annie blurted. “About what makes us different. Not that we're in a relationship or anything,” she added quickly.

“No way.” Relationship? It hadn't worked before, and it certainly wouldn't work now, not with Nalusa gaining power. He didn't have time for a relationship. Especially not with a woman like Annie. Sex? Sure. But her hesitation made him realize she wouldn't view it casually. He shifted uncomfortably, aware she looked offended.

“What I mean is, I don't have time for a real relationship.”

“Just some sex on the side with a woman who's convenient? Hmm? Someone always underfoot anyway because you watch her closely to see if she's in league with your enemy?”

He wasn't fooled by her deceptively sweet voice. Annie was furious. “When you put it like that...”

“I put it truthfully. Praise the saints I turned you down earlier.” She jerked to her feet and gathered up the uneaten food on to a tray.

“Annie, wait. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I wouldn't sleep with a woman I didn't care for.”

“I no longer give a damn.” Her chin lifted, and she refused to meet his eye.

He stood beside her. “I can't think of having a serious relationship now. All my energy and focus need to be on Nalusa and doing the things I must to keep up the cabin and put food on the table.”

“Your life sounds as miserable as mine.” The anger melted, replaced with tears brimming her eyes.

He'd take her wrath any day over this. “I'm not miserable, and you shouldn't be, either.”

“Really? Sounds to me like you have no life. All work, all grim responsibility, with no room for love and happiness.”

Strange, he'd never given it much thought. Maybe at first, when he began hunting all those years ago. Somehow over the years, the hunting had taken over everything. But it wasn't as if he had a choice. To quit wasn't an option. “I do what I must.”

“What are you—a machine or a man?”

Her words cut deep, and he struck back. “Are you saying I should be more like you and run away from everything? Close my eyes and stick my fingers in my ears?”

“I don't...” She clamped her lips into a thin line.

He'd gone too far. “I'm sorry.”

She stepped backward and regarded him stonily, the food tray a fortress between them. “Go away and leave me alone.”

Damn. He'd really made a mess of everything. “You're upset. Just let me sleep on the couch tonight to make sure you're okay. We'll talk in the morning when you've calmed down.”

“Don't you dare tell me to calm down or how I'm supposed to feel.”

He sighed. It was going to be a long night sleeping in his parked truck.

* * *

The sizzle of a rising sun, the pure notes of a Native American flute and an unidentifiable whooshing.

Annie squeezed her grandma's hand. “Are these sounds connected?”

Tia Henrietta remained immobile, her olive skin tinged with gray. The faintest vibration passed through Annie's fingertips where they rested in her grandma's palm.

Yes, a sign.

Somehow, everything was linked, connected by a thin gossamer thread she couldn't see.

The first two noises she associated with Tombi. The whooshing only started once she'd cast a spell to find a spirit or animal guide. So it might have been an ancestor spirit or an animal passing nearby, stirring the air.

Micro pressure tingled in her hand. Annie hardly dared breathe, awaiting a new message. She stared intently at Tia. A flutter of the eyelids and a twitch at the corners of the mouth passed over the remote, beloved face, a sign of presence.

“I'm here, Grandma. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”

A gentle press upon her fingers, and Annie gasped, suffused with hope. She lifted Tia's frail, weathered hand and brushed her cheek against the arthritic knuckles. If tears could heal flesh, Tia's hand would be rejuvenated.

Should she call a nurse? Annie pushed the call button on the side of the hospital cot. “You're going to be all right, Grandma. We need to get you home soon. Would you like that?”

Again, a slight twitch at the corners of her mouth. And this time her eyes opened a fraction, revealing nothing but white. Her mouth soundlessly opened and closed.