Love Charms (116 page)

When Jacob still didn't move, I sighed,
aggravated. “Come on Jacob. We don't have a lot of time.” I reached behind me
to unzip my skirt and began to shimmy out of it. Jacob finally blushed and
looked away when he caught sight of the lace thong I wore. We may have slept
together, but we hadn't
slept
together. It had all been very innocent
and he saw more of me now than he had the night before. Once again, our
relationship had taken on an awkward edge, reminding me that no matter how much
I might deny it, we did have a mutual attraction to each other that superseded
the circumstances of our meeting.

With a mumbled 'sorry' he took off his
shirt, careful to keep his head turned as he changed. I finished putting on a
pair of black drawstring sweat pants, happy to find, aside from being too long,
they fit just fine. If I pulled the waistband up past my waist and tied it just
under my bra, the pants actually fit perfectly. With the T-shirt untucked and
hanging loose, no one would know I could probably pull the pants up to my neck
if I wanted to.

Dressed, and figuring payback was fair
turnabout, I watched with unabashed interest at the way Jacob's muscles rippled
underneath his golden skin as he changed. Part of me wanted to reach out and
run my hand along his back, to feel the muscles jump at my touch, but a bigger
part of me wanted to live. There was no time for hanky-panky, that would have
to wait until we weren't running for our lives. The second he was done
changing, I grabbed our clothes and shoved them into the bag. Pulling the
zipper shut, I handed the bag to Jacob. “Here, you carry this. I don't want the
police to know we've changed.”

Jacob took the bag with a nod and opened
his door. “Ready?”

I opened my door in answer and we both
left the car. The cement bumpers at the head of each parking space meant there
was enough room for us to walk in front of the cars, staying well out of range
of the surveillance cameras. Walking single file, we made our way to the stairs
leading to the street. I hadn't heard any more sirens since we turned into the
garage, but I still peeked out cautiously from the behind the door before leaving
the relative security of the parking garage. Not seeing any cops or police
cars, I stepped outside with Jacob right behind me.

The subway station sat just across the
street, but, out in the open as we were, it felt like it was miles away. Miles
in which we could be spotted. Tension kinked itself in knots up my spine. We
were so exposed out here. Defenseless, with nothing to stand between me and a
bullet. I began to shake then, the tremors starting in my hands and working
their way up my arms and down my legs.

Jacob moved to stand beside me. “Are you
okay?”

I nodded and took a step forward grateful
I had worn flats today. Not only did they blend in better than heels with my
new clothes, but I had more balance and my wobbling knees needed all the support
they could get. Noticing my bones had become rubber, Jacob slipped his hand
through my elbow and whispered, “Here, lean on me.”

I did as he suggested, cursing myself for
being such a chicken. I was alive, a status that wasn't likely to change. The
police didn't know where we were and we had a plan to keep it that way. As
life-threatening events went, this one was pretty much handled. Now if I could
just convince my suddenly boneless body of that fact, I would be all set. Until
then, I leaned on Jacob and together we headed toward the subway station. I
jumped when a car turned the corner and put a hand over my heart.

“Calm down. You look guilty as sin,”
Jacob said.

I pulled hair down over my face and
retreated behind its silken curtain watching the small hatchback that had
nearly given me a heart attack pass by. Not even close to a cop car and I had
almost jumped out of my skin. Jacob was right, I needed to get a grip. “Sorry.”

Jacob stopped and swept my hair away from
my face shushing me when I started to protest. “That is a little too obvious.
We've done nothing wrong, let's act like it.” He tugged me forward. “Come on.
Work with me. Stand up straight, keep your head up.”

I threw back my shoulders and lifted my
chin, attempting to follow his advice. My efforts earned me a dazzling smile
and a pat on the back. “Half the battle is running a good bluff. And if there's
one thing lawyers know, it's how to bluff. Relax, okay?”

I murmured a noncommittal answer and
concentrated on the subway station, which lay right in front of us. All we had
to do was cross the street and we could blend in with the people waiting for
the next train. I had to force myself to walk and not break into a run, so
desperate was I to burrow underground, away from the sun. Even Jacob, with his
'play it cool' talk, walked faster, his hand tight on mine.

We crossed the street without a problem
and entered the subway station. Keeping our heads down to avoid the cameras
mounted over the ticket booth, we stood in line to buy tickets. The station was
busy with people moving to and from the platform in a steady stream. No one
gave us a second look and some of the tension in my shoulders eased at the
anonymity. At the counter, Jacob paid cash for two tickets and we made our way
together to the platform to wait for the train.

As if the universe knew we needed to make
a quick getaway, a train pulled in just seconds after we got to the platform.
Brakes hissed and the doors swished open discharging passengers who jostled
each other in their hurry to be first off the train. We waited for the door to
clear and then found seats at the back of the car where we could watch all the
entrances.

Stretching his arms over head, Jacob
sighed. “Man, I've never felt so paranoid in my life.”

“Me either.” I rested my head against the
window and watched the people still on the platform.

“I've never been shot at either.”

“Same here.”

He laughed.

“What?”

“Just my luck to hire an 'expert' who has
no experience.”

I bristled. “Situations like this are the
very reason I didn't want to be a P.I. And, if it wasn't for me, you'd probably
be dead right now. I'm expert enough to keep us alive.” I crossed my arms and
glared at him.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. It
just strikes me as funny that neither one of us is really prepared for the
situation we're in.” When I didn't say anything, he cleared his throat and
said, “Why did you take me on anyway?” At my raised eyebrows, he hastened to
add, “I mean, you've made it pretty clear you don't want to do investigative
work.”

I shifted in my seat, stretching my legs
out under the seat in front of me. “I don't.”

“Then why keep doing it?”

With a shrug, I said, “It seemed like the
right thing to do at the time. You needed help.”

“And now?”

“You still need help.”

Jacob tensed beside me. “Don't look now,
but a cop just got on.”

My eyes flickered from the window to the
entrance of the train and I caught a glimpse of a blue uniform. “Shit,” I said
softly.

“Be cool.” He put a hand on my knee which
was bouncing up in down like a kangaroo on a pogo stick.

I nodded, making a conscious effort to
relax. How did innocent people act again? I pondered the question and decided
innocent people didn't stare fixedly out windows. They should blink and move
every once in a while. I turned my head, in what I hoped was a casual movement,
and watched the cop, a tall, burly guy, move away from us to head towards empty
seats at the front of the car. The newspaper under his arm and the Styrofoam
coffee cup in his hand led me to believe he wasn't actively chasing us. Probably
just off duty. Of course he had to pick the rear facing seats that put us
directly in his line of sight. Abruptly I looked out the window again, craning
my neck to hide as much of my face as possible.

Jacob leaned over, pretending to look out
the window too. “If your head goes back any further it's going to pop off.”

I gave a nervous laugh, jumping when his
fingers brushed my hair aside to expose my neck. Warm lips pressed against my
sensitive flesh and goose bumps rushed across my skin.

“You know, they're looking for a P.I. and
her client," he paused to plant more kisses on my neck. “Not lovers.”

I moved to face him. “It would hide our
faces.”

Jacob didn't give me a chance to say
anything more as his lips descended on mine. His hand reached up to cradle the
back of my head and he deepened our kiss, parting my lips with his tongue.
Rational thought disappeared under the sensual onslaught. Jacob was a very good
kisser and, for several long moments, I forgot all about the cop. I stopped
breathing too, and, when he released me, I sucked in air like a diver who'd
lost their oxygen tank.

Jacob smiled and moved to kiss me again,
but I held up a hand to stop him. He took it and, locking his gaze with mine,
ran his lips across my knuckles and then flipped my hand over to caress my palm
with his mouth. I would've thought since no mouth-to-mouth action was involved
that I would've still been able to breathe, but no, Jacob took my breath away
no matter where he kissed me. We had chemistry, there was no denying it.

“He's moving," Jacob said, pulling
on my hand until we were nose to nose. “Kiss me.”

And I did, but not before taking a deep
breath, hoping it would keep me from drowning. The train whined to a stop and
the doors slid open. Footsteps thumped up the aisle, and, out of the corner of
my eye, I watched the cop exit the train.

Breaking contact, I leaned back in my
seat putting a hand to my forehead as my emotions ran amuck. Passion. Guilt.
Relief. Relief the cop was gone, but not that the kissing had stopped which led
to even more guilt. A cool breeze raised the hair on the back of my neck
announcing the presence of Mark. As if I didn't have enough problems.

Mark drifted from behind me to settle
into the seat in front of mine. The stormy expression on his face told me he
knew about the kissing. Anger roiled through his aura, turning his customary
mix of blue and white almost black. He sat across from me and said nothing,
just glared until I looked away.

Jacob, mistaking my movement as an
invitation to kiss again, leaned toward me. I ducked under his chin and put a
hand on his shoulder.

Surprised, he said, “Is something wrong?”

Catching sight of the subway map on the
wall above us, I pointed to it. “Our stop is coming up.” It was the first
excuse I could think of, I had no idea where we were, but looking closer, I
realized I was actually telling the truth.

“Oh, we have a few minutes then.” He ran
a hand through my hair and smiled.

I intercepted his hand and placed it on
his lap. “Please don't do that.”

“But I thought...”

“You thought wrong," I said my voice
crisp, but eyes downcast avoiding both Mark and Jacob.

“I see. You didn't feel it?”

“What?” I peeked up at Jacob and my heart
cringed at the hurt in his eyes.

“Never mind. If I have to ask, you didn't
feel it.”

But I had and I wanted to tell him so,
yet couldn't. Not with Mark glowering at me. I couldn't openly hurt Mark like
that when he was so obviously not ready for me to move on. I slumped in my
seat, and, when the train stopped, I practically climbed over Jacob in my rush
to get out.

Jacob ran after me, calling my name, but
I didn't stop. Mark floated silently next to me, but I didn't look at him. I
couldn't say anything to Mark, it would break my 'no talking to empty air in
public' rule and really, what could I say that wouldn't feel like a knife
thrust in his heart? He still loved me. I would always love him, but I wasn't
in
love anymore. I loved what had been, the haunting not so much. Mark was dead, I
wanted to move on, but he made it impossible.

My own guilt made it worse. I felt like I
owed Mark something since it was my fault he was dead. But what could I give
him that would balance the scales? Mark seemed to think he could ask me to put
my needs, my life on hold and it irked me. For one, it wasn't fair. Even
convicted felons weren't continually forced to face their victims or their
families. Two, I was attracted to Jacob. Really attracted to him. I had a
chance at something good and I wanted it with an intensity that surprised me.

But could I do it in the face of Mark's
jealousy? I glanced at Mark and he ignored me, his face set in a stony frown.
Jacob caught up with me then and I turned toward him, thinking to say
something, but the hurt anger in his eyes stopped me cold. My pace faltered, I
reached out to touch Jacob's shoulder, but he brushed past me.

From the stiff indignation of his
shoulders, I realized it might already be too late. With a sigh, I trudged
after him wondering if everything good in my life was destined to be ruined.

Chapter
Eight

Vera opened the door before we could
knock, a bright smile on her thin face and her blue eyes dancing with
amusement. Nothing phased Vera. She met disaster with the same good humor most
people reserved for sunny days. Only she didn't need sun, her cheer was innate.
Built-in cheer. Some people had all the luck.

“Come in, I've been waiting for you.”

I bent down to give her a quick hug and
stepped over the threshold with Jacob following right behind me. Vera led us to
the kitchen, the blue robes she wore for her work billowing around her bare
feet. “Why don't you two have a seat while I get us something to drink?”

Jacob and I settled into chairs at the
antique oak table. Jacob took in his surroundings with wide eyes. For a witch,
Vera was pretty mainstream and her house looked a lot like a home you would see
in House Beautiful except for the tools of her trade. Mixed in among the wood
floors and cathedral ceiling with sky lights were all sorts of unusual magical
implements. Clear jars filled with things like dried frogs' legs, eye of newt,
and tarantula fuzz lined the kitchen counter. A cauldron bubbled in the kitchen
fireplace, and several tomes of arcane lore sat open on the kitchen counter.
Although not visible from where we sat, on the other side of the kitchen lay a
scrying room. Vera had let me see it once after I pestered her about it.

A gifted futurist, Vera's divination
abilities were the best in the nation, and the scrying room was where she did
her readings. As a psychic I had some clue as to what she did, except I sifted
through time to see the past instead of the future. I used to ask her all sorts
of questions about seeing the future until, with a few gentle nudges from Vera,
I figured out she didn't like to talk about it. The future, she often said,
will come whether we know about it or not and it was all too easy to spend the
present worrying about it without her making things worse. Before Mark died, I
thought they were wise words. Now I wasn't so sure.

Vera set a pitcher of lemonade on the table.
“I see you've got yourself into some trouble.”

“How much do you know?” I asked.

She grimaced as she brought glasses over
to the table and poured our drinks. “More than I care to. A necromancer of all
things. I didn't believe it at first.”

“It's true and worse, he's been turning
cops into zombies.” I took the glass she offered and drank.

“Now they're after you.” She sat in the
chair across from us and tucked her long, dark hair behind her ears before
taking a sip of lemonade.

"And somehow, the druids are mixed
up in this. They were at Jacob's brother's house. They tried to stop the
necromancer."

Vera whistled. "Druids? Are you
sure?"

I nodded. "I saw them same as I see
you."

"Interesting."

"I thought so."

"Yeah, tell me more about the
druids.” Jacob leaned forward, elbows on the table. “How are they
involved?"

"I don't know anything but
rumors." Vera said with a frown. "Rumors that say the druids walk
through time and space serving as guardians of what they call the circle."

"That doesn't really tell us
anything. Sounds like a bunch of New Age mumbo jumbo," Jacob said rubbing
his forehead.

"Oh, you want New Age mumbo
jumbo?" Vera gave us both an arch look. "How about Stonehenge is a
time machine that shuttles the druids between the past and the future?"

"How do you know this?" I
asked.

She shrugged. "I don't. I don't even
see anything when I scry. If the druids are out there mucking around with the
future, they're shielded from my talents. But I hear things every now and
again. All secrets whisper."

"So we're no closer to knowing
what's going on." Jacob slumped in his chair. "And the police want to
shoot us, no questions asked."

I sighed. “I'm sorry. I should've been
more careful. I should've read the police station before we went in.” I always
worked so hard to filter everything out, taking more of a defensive approach. I
wasn’t used to playing offense, to having to read things just to stay alive.

“Nonsense," Vera said, her voice
brisk. "You can't go about reading every little thing. It's impossible to
plan for all eventualities. You had no reason to think the police couldn't be
trusted.”

“Still...”

“Hush,” she raised a hand, interrupting
me, “You and I have had this discussion many times. There is no way you can
read things twenty-four hours a day. One, it's exhausting and not good for your
health. Two, it's impractical. Being psychic doesn't make you a superhero.”

“I know, but now what?” I asked,
exasperated.

“Well, based on my divinations, you're
not safe here in this plane.”

“What does she mean by that?” Confused,
Jacob looked from Vera to me.

“Fairy. We're going to have to go to
Fairy.” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. It was the only other plane I
knew of.

“Are you nuts?” Jacob's eyes widened.

Vera shook her head. “Nope, sorry. Fairy
is the only place the dead cannot walk and a necromancer, while technically
alive, is owned by the dead. Neither he nor his zombies can cross over to
Fairy.”

“Are you sure there isn't a charm or
spell that would work?” I gave her a pleading look. Fairy was a tricky place,
and not my first choice for a safe haven.

“At most, a charm would delay him, but
not for long. Even going to Fairy isn't much of a solution. It will only buy
you some time, just enough throw him off the trail. You're still going to have
to confront him.”

“Can't you just tell us who the
necromancer is?” I knew the answer would be no, but I had to ask.

Vera's eyes clouded and she looked away
from me. “You know I can't do that.”

“Can't or won't? If you know who they are
you have an obligation to tell us,” Jacob said, his eyes narrowing.

Shaking her head, she said, “Life is
about the journey. The future is not a math problem you can work backwards.
There are no answers before problems.”

“Is that what my brother was, part of an
equation?” Jacob didn't bother to hide his anger and shook me off when I laid a
calming hand on his arm.

“I'm sorry for your loss,” Vera said, her
tone even. “I understand you think knowing who the necromancer is right now is
the solution you need, but trust me when I say it isn't. There are things that
must happen-- in our lives, in the world-- in order to end up where we should.
You can't skip parts of the journey and be successful. The future can't be
outwitted.”

Jacob crossed his arms and scowled. “I
thought you were Sofia's friend. Your rules mean more than her life?”

For the first time, I saw her calm facade
slip. Her eyes seemed over bright and she worried her bottom lip. “No, they
don't mean more than Sofia's...anyone's life. Never think that.”

“Then tell us who the necromancer is.
Tell us what will happen so we can prepare.” Jacob slapped his palm on the
table. “Why not help us anticipate the future?”

“Because it does no good...” Vera trailed
off.

“Why?” Jacob looked at me as if I knew
the answer. I just shrugged and kept my silence having already had a version of
this conversation with Vera after Mark’s death. If she wouldn’t tell me, she
wouldn’t tell Jacob. She had more discipline than I did. If I could see the
future instead of the past, I would not have hesitated to use my foresight. But
apparently there were rules. Rules that demanded innocents be left to die.

 Frustrated, Jacob threw up his hands.“I
don’t get it. If you can see the future, why not do something? It doesn’t make
sense not to.”

Vera sighed."It is so much more
complex than it seems and nowhere near as heartless as you believe.
Foreknowledge of the future changes it. Anything I tell you would be wrong. You
would act on it and the ripple effect would invalidate anything I told you. Nor
can I see the effect of the druids, they are a wildcard. Since your lives are
at stake, it would be dangerous, you could end up worse off than you are now.”

“Great. Just great. So what's the point
of being able to see the future then?” Dejected, Jacob slumped in his seat.

“Because there are things, subtle things,
I can and will do to help you. The future is not set it stone, but you can't
use foresight to change it with a direct assault. Not and survive in one
piece.”

Jacob crossed his arms. “People don't
come back from Fairy in one piece either.”

While I agreed with his sentiment, I knew
better than to disregard Vera's advice. Between the three of us, she was the
only one who knew what was coming. It seemed wise to at least listen to what
she had to say. “How would we get safe passage?” No human went into Fairy
without some guarantee of safe passage, not unless they had a death wish.

“It just so happens the dragons have need
of a psychic and you fit the bill.”

“What do they need?” I loved Vera, but it
was exhausting sometimes to keep up with her when she was always three steps
ahead.

“You can't be serious,” Jacob turned to
me, an expression of disbelief on his face. “We can't go to Fairy. It's too
dangerous for humans. We'll get stuck in a time storm and end up trapped there
for a century or, worse, the Goblin King will have us for dinner and we'll be
the entree.”

“Time storms are rare and the Goblin King
is a vegetarian now," Vera said.

“And safe passage will keep us out of
trouble. It's better than waiting for the Necromancer and his police zombies to
find us,” I added.

"Plus, going to Fairy will give me
time to do what I can to help," Vera said. "I have some contacts,
some people who may know what's going on, who can see things I can't. Whatever
this is, it's bigger than just you two. Druids don't get involved in simple
bank robberies."

“I'd rather take my chances with the
necromancer,” Jacob said, anger throbbing in his voice.

I rubbed my forehead, annoyed. I
understood Jacob's concerns, but the reality of our situation overruled his
reservations. If we did not cross into Fairy and do it soon, we had a good
chance of ending up as zombies ourselves.

“Jacob, what do you truly know of the
Sidhe?” Vera asked. “Have you ever met one?”

“No.”

“Would it be fair to say what you know
you've learned from television?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think that maybe Sofia and I
might know more than you. I'm a witch, that makes me part Sidhe and she's a
psychic who knows a thing or two about my kin. Do you really think you're the
best person to make a decision here?”

He shook his head. “No, I guess not, but
why can't we face the necromancer head on?”

I sighed, just as frustrated with our
situation as Jacob. “Look, I've never dealt with a necromancer or zombie cops
or anyone else for that matter. I’m an antique dealer, remember? If Vera can do
anything to help us out of this mess, I want to give her the time to do it.”

“You've got maybe ten minutes before the
cops get here," Vera said glancing at the clock hanging over her kitchen
sink. "Fairy is your only option right now. Trust me on this."

I nodded. "Besides, as long as I'm
working for the dragons, we'll have safe passage. They can’t touch us.”

“I've seen you work, five minutes, half
hour tops you'll be done and then we'll lose the dragon's protection,” Jacob
protested.

I held up a hand. “Not quite. The Sidhe
are a lot more political than we are and use magic more often than we do on
this plane. Just because I know what happened doesn't necessarily mean I'll
know who's really behind what's going on right away. We'll be gone for a few
days at least.”

“Then what?” he asked.

“We’ll have time to strategize. Hopefully
Vera will have contacted the people who know what to do with a bank robbing
necromancer who's attracted the Druid's interest."

"And if not?" Jacob looked doubtful.

"We come back and kick some zombie
ass.” Or die trying. Maybe some combination of the two. Hell if I knew. But I
wasn’t going to stay and fight when I could run. Even out of shape, I was
better at running. “Listen, Jacob. I’m going to Fairy whether you come or not.
It’s the only way I can see to stay safe and shake the zombie cops. You can
either come with me or stay and let the zombies have their way with you. Your
choice, but I am leaving.” I blew out a long sigh while Jacob stared at me, his
expression grim.

“So are we agreed then?” Vera prompted
when Jacob didn’t respond.

Jacob was still long enough that I
thought he would insist on staying behind, but then he nodded in grudging
assent. I gave Vera a weak smile, “Looks like it’s Fairy for us.”

“Very well, let me call the pixies then.”
Vera took a piece of paper from a small desk she kept in the kitchen and wrote
a quick note. Then she grabbed a few bottles off a shelf and mixed their
contents into a small bowl. Muttering words in a language I didn't understand,
she threw the mixture into the fireplace.