Irresistible Magic (7 page)

My support system was truly messed up. These were two people I’d wholeheartedly trusted. Now I was just disappointed. I paced across the room and then strode toward David. “When’s Allcot coming?”

Confusion flashed in David’s eyes, then he shook his head. “He’s not.”

I bit down hard on my tongue to keep from screaming and then forced out, “Then why the hell am I here?”

He nodded toward my mom. “To talk to your mom. After what happened today, Father is setting up security for you until we can track down Asher.”

Wait. What? “This was all so I could speak to Mom?”

“Yes, in private. Since she’s here to see Beau Junior, it’s best if you’re not seen together. Best if she isn’t seen at all, actually. Otherwise she’ll be tailed and in danger as well.”

The reality that she wasn’t in New Orleans to see me crashed down around me. I’d just had a bomb dropped on me, and we weren’t even going to have time to work through it. I took a deep breath and focused on the other reason I was here. “Security? What does that mean? Is Allcot assigning me a bodyguard too? Because that isn’t going to work for me.”

David chuckled. “No bodyguard. At least not the way you’re thinking. He’s assigning a detail to you and to your shop to protect your employees.”

I fell silent, overwhelmed that Allcot would think of the safety of my employees. I knew he wanted to keep me safe, but I’d been convinced it was only due to my ability to turn vamps into daywalkers and his desire to exploit me.

I raised a skeptical eyebrow at David. “What does he want in return?” There was a challenge in my voice.

And David heard it. He scowled. “Nothing, Willow. He’s doing this because he’s invested in your family now. Get used to it.” David stormed off, leaving Mom and me alone in the sterile white room.

“That wasn’t very polite,” Mom admonished.

“I thought you didn’t approve of David.” Hadn’t she just laid into him for his life choices?

“It’s not my call that matters.”

“What does that mean?”

She shrugged. “Just that he’s trying to help us both and you were rude. You might want to apologize.”

Yeah, that wasn’t happening. I turned and headed toward the door, then paused and glanced back. “Talisen is waiting. Tell David to send for me before you leave.”

Mom nodded and her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to figure something out.

I chose to ignore the look and had one foot out the door when she called, “Wil?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

The frustration coiled in my depths started to fade. She’d made a mistake and paid the ultimate price. She didn’t need me to punish her further. “I love you, too, Mom. It’s really good to see you.”

Chapter 5

When I slipped back through the hidden door we’d used to head upstairs, the bar was full of patrons waiting for the adjoining restaurant. Talisen wasn’t at our table. I glanced around and didn’t see him anywhere. Perfect. I’d lost my date and Link. Scowling, I headed to the front entrance, scanning as I went.

Curious stares followed me, more than I usually attracted, and I had the distinct impression I was being watched. Unease quickly took over my irritation and a tremor ran through my wings. There weren’t many faeries in New Orleans. Humans knew about the fae, as well as witches, and vampires of course. We weren’t some secret, hidden race or anything. It was just that we spent most of our time near forests, where we thrived. Not in the concrete confines of the city.

With my senses on high alert, I did my best to appear casual and stopped at the entrance of the bar, scanning both the lobby and the restaurant entrance. No Talisen and no Link. Damn them both. Where had they gone? I couldn’t go outside to look for them. I’d be too exposed.

I pulled my phone out of my small purse, tapped a message to Tal, and waited. And waited. And waited some more.

“Excuse me,” a quiet, masculine voice said from behind me.

I jumped, and my wings fluttered, lifting me a few inches off the ground. I spun in the air and tilted my head to take in the human who had to be a few inches shy of seven feet.

His onyx eyes crinkled with humor. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

I forced myself to land and took a step back. “Can I help you?”

A deep chuckle escaped his lips. “Not yet.”

I raised my eyebrows in slight irritation and gave him a tight smile. “If you’ll excuse me.” I turned to retreat back into the bar, but he grabbed my wrist. The move wasn’t so much aggressive as it was a request. His touch was light and I could’ve easily slipped from his grasp. Instead, I stared for a moment at his fingers circled around me and then met his eyes. “You’re entirely too familiar for a person I’ve never met before.”

He released my hand instantly and backed away, holding both of his hands up. “My apologies, Ms. Rhoswen. Mr. Allcot sent me to escort you to your party.”

“Allcot?” That got my attention. I studied him, taking in his dark skin; slightly-too-long, wavy black hair; the outline of bulging muscles hidden under his open sports coat, and realized I’d seen him with Tal right before David had taken me to see my mother.

My phone, still in my hand from earlier, buzzed and I read the screen. It was from Allcot himself.
I’ve sent Harrison to retrieve you. Do not be difficult.

The nerve! Do not be difficult? What an ass. I eyed the man beside me. “What’s your name?”

“Harrison.” He wrapped an arm around me and leaned down to whisper, “I’m going to escort you upstairs, but we’ll want the person watching you to think we’re an item.”

So my instincts were correct. Someone had been watching me.

He cast me an appreciative glance. “With that dress and your creamy white skin, no one will have trouble believing we’re about to—”

A lightning-quick punch caught Harrison in the shoulder, knocking him back a few paces. His angry gaze landed on David, who’d just appeared, and he grinned, rubbing his upper arm. He placed his hand on the small of my back. “Weak, man. I thought turning vamp would help with those reflexes.”

David snorted out a laugh. “Right. Talk to her that way again and you’ll find out what this fist can do to your face.”

“Ahem,” I said loudly. “Are you two frat boys done? Because I’d really like to get on with my date.”

David’s face went blank and his voice came out flat, void of all humor and emotion. “Of course.” He nodded at Harrison. “Get her to the fifth floor. Father’s waiting.” Then he stared me straight in the eye. “Do what Harrison says, otherwise someone other than you might get hurt. Got it?”

Was he threatening Talisen? Anger coiled so tight in my chest I thought I might lunge at him. If any of Allcot’s people so much as breathed in Tal’s direction, I’d find a way to bring hell down on the whole corrupt institution known as Cryrique.

David let out a frustrated sigh at the expression on my face. “It’s not a threat. It’s the truth. If Harrison fails to keep you safe, Father will punish him. Harrison’s a good guy, Wil. I know you hate me right now, but you have to trust me on this.”

Oh, crap on toast. He’d been talking about Harrison. My anger fled. Of course if he failed Allcot would make an example of him to the rest of the humans who worked for him. Guilt settled around my anger and ate it up. David turned to go, but I grabbed his hand. His blank eyes met mine and I knew he was hiding emotion behind that frustrating veil all vampires possessed. “I don’t hate you.”

His eyes searched mine with something very close to hope for just an instant. Then the cool expression returned. Nodding once, he disappeared into the crowd.

“Well,” Harrison said, “that was awkward.”

“Shut up.” I started to move toward the elevators.

He caught up in two long strides and wrapped a possessive arm around my shoulders again.

I tensed and had to fight to keep from throwing him a death glare. I didn’t want his hands on me, but I also didn’t want him to suffer Allcot’s wrath. Besides, we had a ruse to keep up.

As we crossed the lobby, he leaned down and brushed his lips across my cheek. I brought my hand up to smack him away, but he caught it and whispered, “Your stalker is watching. You don’t want him to think we’re fighting, do you?”

Did I? If this clown had been following me all night, wouldn’t he know I’d arrived with Tal? I just didn’t know how to play this situation.

“Make him think we’re into each other and he’ll assume you’re staying the night. You and the fae can go out the back and ditch this loser. If we play it up now, it won’t look suspicious when I’m hanging around for the foreseeable future.”

I paused and glanced up at him. “I’m with Tal.”

He frowned. “I know. This isn’t a proposition. It’s a strategy.”

I took a deep breath, praying for calm. Having a fight, especially in the lobby, wasn’t going to help anything. “I mean I’m with Tal. I’m not going to hide that. I don’t want anyone to think I’m with you. It will be obvious who I’m with.”

Harrison quirked an eyebrow. “So you’re exclusive with the fae?”

What was with this guy? “Yes. Not that it’s any of your business.”

His hands came up to rest on my shoulders, and he turned me so we were face-to-face. Well, more like face-to-chest. I tilted my head back so I could see his eyes.

“Right behind you is one of the two men who have been tailing you for the last three days. If he finds out you’re with the fae, your friend will be in just as much danger as you are, if not more. It’s bad enough you’re obviously close, but a romantic relationship they’ll use against you to get whatever it is they want. If they think we’re together, I’ll be the target.” His hands moved down my arms in a loving caress, supporting the illusion that we were having a moment.

And I supposed now we were. As soon as he’d said Tal would be in danger if Asher’s people knew we were intimately connected, I’d made my decision. To keep Tal safe, I’d do just about anything, including pretend to be into this Harrison guy. Let him take the brunt of the fallout. I wasn’t going to be able to get rid of him anyway. Not if Allcot had ordered him to keep me safe.

I reached up, cupping his cheek, and then stood on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. From the outside looking in, it probably appeared I was making a suggestive comment, but instead I said, “Fine. We’ll play this your way. But keep your hands in neutral territory and kissing is strictly off-limits. If you put your lips on me again, I’ll—”

“What? Force-feed me a Truth Cluster? I assure you, I’m already in love with you. No need for such antics.” Laughter bubbled out on the last word.

My anger came back full force, and it took every ounce of willpower I had to not knee him in the nuts. “Funny guy. If you ever bring up anything from my past with David again, I’ll unleash my witch roommate on you. She’s been experimenting a lot lately with vise-grip spells.” I let my gaze wander to the fly of his dark blue jeans. “Ones that impair a person’s ability to…uh, use their limbs effectively.”

His face contorted with horror as my meaning sank in. He sucked in a breath. “My apologies.”

I smiled sweetly and took his arm in mine. Phoebe was working on those spells, but they were for securing supernaturals when she had to bring them in. They had nothing to do with that portion of the male anatomy. Essentially they were magical manacles that not only chained captives, but also leeched power from their being, rendering them unable to escape. But Harrison didn’t need to know that.

My threat didn’t seem to impair his ability to play his role, however. After a few steps, his hand moved from my lower back to caress my spine and ended with him kneading the base of my neck. Everything was so wrong. What would Tal do if he saw this guy’s hands on me? I didn’t even want to think about it. I fought to keep the scowl off my face. I was supposed to be interested in this, not repelled. I shook my head, letting my hair form a drape to hide my expression.

His strong grip kept me firmly sealed to his side. There was no doubt what anyone watching would assume about us. It made my stomach ache. I didn’t want to hide what I had with Tal, but I’d do it to keep him safe. I had to. Losing Tal wasn’t an option.

Waiting for the elevator, Harrison pulled me in front of him, using his body to block me from prying eyes. “Flutter your wings.”