Love Charms (66 page)

Chapter Eight

Handler for a Night

I let out a disgusted sigh,
pulling at the spiked collar around my throat. The moon hung bright in the sky
above Hillsborough Street. The sidewalks were peppered with college students
spilling into Farmhouse, their voices filled with excitement and lust. The
voices around Jack and me were filled with the same, young girls wearing their
‘Team Jacob’ and ‘Fangbanger’ shirts, skinny emo kids decked out in all black
and plastic fangs. The Brew was having a Bite Me event, a couple of indie metal
bands rocking the stage, with a lower cover charge for those who rocked their
favorite vampire themed merchandise.

I crossed my arms as Jack
gave me a squeeze on the shoulder.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” he
grinned.

“I could think of a hundred
places I’d rather be,” I said through clenched teeth.

Jack leaned dangerously close,
his teeth grazing my neck. I tried to quiet the stream of heat that flowed to
my face and somewhere a bit…lower.

I used to tell myself it was
just the venom. A vampire’s touch is filled with the same disarming affect as a
spider dishes out to its prey. It's numbing and intoxicating. But this feeling
wasn't just primal. Staring at him decked out in his Dracula best, my heart
swooned.  I knew deep down, I'd do just about anything for him.

He wheeled me around and
dipped me, his lips soft and hard on my lips. My cheeks burned as whoops and
whistles echoed and bounced around us.

My legs felt like cooked
spaghetti noodles as he lifted me back up. I dug my nails into his arms to stay
balanced. "What was that for?"

“It means a lot to me that
you’re helping me out tonight,” he said as he gave me a final peck on the
forehead.

“Uh huh,” I said and cleared
my throat. I adjusted my leather corset and jutted out my lip. “Just tell
Nikolas he owes me one.”

Nikolas Turnovo was Jack’s
handler. Basically, if Jack decided that he was tired of sucking on slightly
warmed packets of blood and wanted something a little fresher, he had to call
Nikolas. They’d hit up bars and clubs together and Jack would charm the
female/male vic. A quick background check would determine if the person could
go missing without drawing too much attention. He was essentially Jack’s
wingman. Tonight, that pleasure was mine.

Jack claimed Nickolas had
some pressing business to attend to or something or other. A new vampire who
needed to be schooled in the art of not chowing down on every Tom, Dick, and
Harry.

“You say ‘claim’ like I’m
full of shit,” Jack said, pinching me playfully. “New vampires are no joking
matter.”

I jabbed him with my elbow.
“Neither is poking around in my head.”

“Please, necromancer,” he
said, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not the only one that likes going for a
leisurely stroll in someone’s thoughts.” He bit his lip, his teeth sparkling in
the shadows. “If you wanted to know all the kinky things I wanted to do with
you-”

I shoved him as laughter
spilled from my mouth. “You’re really a piece of work, you know that?”

He bowed apologetically.
“Forgive me, madam?”

I saw a couple of young girls
up front giggle and eye us with interest.

“Stand up,” I hissed as I
shook my head. “I feel so dirty.”

He stood up automatically,
trailing a finger down my bare back. His touch made me want to melt into a
puddle on the cement. “I’ll make sure I take advantage of that later.”

I tried to control the urge
to jump his bones right there and flashed the bouncer a toothy grin. He glanced
at my ID and stamped my hand. Without even looking at Jack’s outstretched one,
he stamped the back of his hand and let us pass.

“I’m almost offended,” Jack
pouted. “I could be 18 for all he knows.”

“Uh huh,” I snickered as I
looped my arm into his. I eyed the room and felt a pang of guilt. Someone here
was going to find out that in real life, encounters with vampires rarely ended
in happily ever after.

I zeroed in on the bar and a
burly guy in plaid behind it. He was under a spout and stood bopping to the
music as he topped off a pitcher of beer. I nudged Jack. “I’m gonna need one or
ten of those.”

He gave my hand a squeeze,
his eyes sympathetic. “Anything you need, love. I’ll grab you a beer and get
started.”

When he brought back the
pitcher, I sloshed it into a cup and finished my first in one solid gulp. Jack
looked at me, his eyes slightly concerned. “If this is going to be too much-”

I held up a hand to silence
him. I gestured at the small gadget that sat beside my now-empty cup. “I just
type in the name and send?”

He nodded.

I poured myself another glass
from the pitcher. “Let’s get this over with.”

He gave me another peck on
the cheek and weaved into the crowd to begin the hunt.

Think about something else, I
told myself. That’s the only way you’re gonna get through this.

I looked over to the door
where a very anxious guy wore a skin tight shirt with "I kissed a vampire
and I liked it" emblazoned across the front. An equally nervous guy walked
through the entrance, decked out as Eric from True Blood, and stopped a few
feet from the first. He awkwardly extended his hand. First date, I assumed.

I chuckled a bit to myself,
remembering the first time Jack and I met. He seemed so blissfully normal then.
His nose was buried in Psychology Today, and his mug was filled with black
coffee…none of that froufrou stuff that ruined the beauty of the beans. I
wasn’t looking for my Prince Charming, but for a fleeting moment, I thought I
had finally met someone I could build something real with.

Before Jack, there was a
werewolf, a shifter, and even a fairy. After I found out that all the things
that go bump in the night were actually real, I’d made it my mission to seek
them out and learn more about their world. I’d gotten an education, alright.
One thing I'd found was that while breaking a supe’s heart can be slightly
detrimental to living, having your heart stomped on hurt whether you sprouted
hair on a full moon or were hundreds of years old.

After finding out who I
really was, I’d told myself that I didn’t want normal…that I couldn’t have it.
But two dates with Jack and a little voice in the back of my head said,
“Maybe.”

But then I walked in on Jack
cleaning up after a feed. I was both terrified and intrigued. Maybe slightly
more terrified.

Jack was my first real
vampire. The whole necromancy thing meant most vampires kept their distance,
but Jack was mesmerized by it. He said it gave him the chance to feel the
warmth of a mortal without the pesky ‘eating me while I slept’ thing getting in
the way. And at night, when he tossed and turned and threw his arm over me, for
a fleeting moment I almost forget that he’s supernatural. For just a second, we
were just a normal couple, catching some Zs before we go to our apple pie jobs
in the morning.

I jumped as my cell buzzed.
I’d gotten the first name: Skye Roberts. I gulped and punched the name into the
device. A few seconds later, Skye’s whole life story zipped back. Oldest child
of three, sophomore at Meredith. Her father was a preacher in Virginia. It was
Skye’s lucky night. I texted Jack back a sad face and took a long sip of beer.

The crew started setting up
for the opening band and the crackle of mics and scratch of equipment
intermingled with the laughter and conversations that spilled from the crowd.
They all huddled with their painstakingly chosen attire, completely unaware
that a real vampire was in their midst and there was nothing romantic about the
plans he had for one of them.

My cell phone flashed to life
again: Liam Jackson. I downed the last of the PBR and typed in the kid’s name.
Almost instantly, I got back a blurb of Liam’s short life. He grew up in
Charlotte, his mother a drug addict that died in some crack house. He was
bounced around foster homes and group homes before finally being adopted by an
elderly couple in Cary. His adoptive father died from a stroke a few months ago
and his adoptive mother had one foot in a nursing home. The scanner gave Jack
the OK to feed.

With shaky hands I looked at
my cellphone, knots forming in my stomach. I saw death more than most doctors.
It was who I was…a weird mix between a grim reaper and the psychic network. But
this was something different. I didn’t have a direct hand in any of the deaths
of the ghosts I communicated with. I knew their stories, but I was never part
of them.

Jack sent another text, a
series of question marks.

I gulped as I quieted the
phone. No amount of beer was gonna push me any closer to sending him the go
ahead to cut that poor kid down.

I blew on the surface of my
beer, watching the brown froth shimmy and shake. A few seconds later, Jack slid
back up to the table.

“Did you get the text?” he
asked impatiently.

“Yes,” I said shortly.

“And?”

I bit my lip. “I, uh-”

Jack let out an annoyed sigh,
running a hand through his dirty blonde hair. “They said yes, huh?”

I avoided his gaze.

“Every second I spend
shooting the breeze with a target means one more person sees me with them,
Jade.”

“I know,” I said quietly.
“It’s just…” My voice trailed off as tears filled my eyes. “He’s just so young.
He’s got his whole life ahead of him.”

“Ah,” Jack said as he crossed
his arms. “Would it be easier for you if I infiltrated a senior living
community?”

I stuck out my tongue.
“That’s not funny.”

“I’m not laughing,” he shot
back. “I didn’t twist your arm, Jade. If acting as my handler is offensive to
your delicate sensibilities, you should have just said no.”

“There’s no need to be-“

“Have I ever lied to you?”
Jack interrupted, a storm brewing. “Have I ever pretended like I’m something
I’m not?”

I swiped at my eyes. “No,
but-“

“I’m a monster,” he cut in.
“I’ve fed on men, women, children, babies-”

“You’re not helping,” I said
feebly. “I can’t just sign his death warrant. You’re so-” I gulped as my cheeks
burned warm. “Different. With me. I don’t understand how that guy – the
one that makes me cinnamon pancakes at 3 AM and gets me flowers for no reason
– could be so chill about killing someone. It's sick.”        

I could tell he was trying to
keep himself under control. We were drawing attention, the last thing a vampire
wants when it's hunting unless they wanted to be staked by The Watchers. But I
could tell that my words, my naiveté, had offended him. Exposure was the last
thing on his mind.  “Do I look like some caricature from an Anne Rice novel?”
he said acidly. “Woe is me, I have eternal life? Boohoo, I have to eat people
to survive?”

“Babe-”

“DO I?” he thundered,
slamming his fist on the table.

I shook my head.

He looked around now,
realizing that maybe we were attracting the wrong kind of attention. He lowered
his voice, his eyes distant. “I made peace with what I am a long time ago. I
had to.”

I reached out and gripped his
hand. “I know, it’s just hard, and-”

He ripped his hand from mine,
his voice resigned. “Just go home, Jade.”

I felt my heart sink to the
pit of my stomach. “Jack.”

“Just go,” he said firmly,
turning his back on me.

I summoned up the last bit of
dignity I had left and looped my purse over my shoulder. I booked it toward the
exit, but not before some girl saddled up next to Jack.

“That was, like, the best
vampire spiel I've heard all night,” the girl grinned, her pearly whites
gleaming in the dark.

Chapter Nine

Forever Ever?

“Can you feel it?” Sia said
excitedly as she looped her arm through mine. “I was made for days like these!”

Moore Square shone like a
lush garden in the midst of a concrete jungle. Families were lounging on the
soft green grass, chatting excitedly as they ate their bagged lunches. Street
musicians tinkered with tunes and the notes from their weary instruments hung
lazily on the warm air. Even those who zipped past in automobiles glanced at
the park with longing. Saturdays were made for the outdoors, for basking in the
hot rays of the sun.

But my run-in with Jack still
lay heavy on my mind. He hadn’t answered my calls and he didn’t rest in his
apartment or mine. I'd scanned the local news for any missing persons, but
nothing had been reported.

Jack was right...I should
have said no. But if we were going to work out, didn't I have to accept what he
was? I couldn't just turn a blind eye to his feeding or plug my ears and say
"lalalalala" until I was blue in the face.

I smirked as Sia skipped
away. She did a sultry dance around a street musician, the ribbons from her
white linen dress flapping in time to the tune. A couple of bystanders took
notice, clapping and egging her on. I could feel them falling under her trance
as their eyes glazed over and their mouths hung open.

“That’s quite enough,” I said
sternly as I steered her away. Her circle of admirers sighed with discontent,
unaware that I had saved their eternal souls from damnation. “I thought we
agreed, no soul gathering today.”

She flipped her golden hair
over her shoulder and gave me a look. “I was just dancing!”

“Uh huh.” I scooped out my
wallet and paid for two ice cream cones, handing one to her.

Her eyes went round with
delight. “All is forgiven.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as
she slurped the thing down like it was liquid gold. After a moment, she threw
all abandon to the wind and shoved the whole thing down her throat. A stream of
gooeyness seeped down her chin.

“So I’m beginning to think
that I should start charging you an hourly rate,” she said as she wiped her
chin with the back of her hand.  “Or should I be flattered that I get the
privilege of hanging out with Debbie Downer on such a beautiful day?”

My cheeks burned hot. “I’m
sorry, Sia.” I tucked a stray hair behind my ear and unrolled the blanket in my
bag, settling down on one end of it. “I’m just having problems with Jack.”

“Oh?”

I nodded. “I went hunting
with him and we kinda got into it.”

She gave a knowing chuckle.
“That pesky human conscience, huh?”

I fiddled with the hem of my
t-shirt. “I know that he…” I swallowed hard. I couldn't even say it.

“Eats people?” Sia finished.

“Yeah,” I replied as I bit my
lip. “But I’ve never seen it with my own two eyes. When he’s with me and we’re
joking around, it seems like something so romantic and erotic. But that night
it was just so... cold and calculating.”

“Mmhm.”

I pushed down the shades on
the top of my head.  I didn't want her to see how emotional I'd become. “It
made me wonder what the hell I’m doing, you know? If I’m not okay with what he
is, deep down, then I’m just delaying the inevitable, right?”

“Probably,” Sia said as she
lay back on the blanket.

“I mean, maybe our
relationship has run its course. It’s not like we have any sort of future. I
can’t be with him for eternity, we can’t have kids. I mean, I don’t even know
if I want kids, but-”

“You really need a human
friend,” Sia interjected, shaking her head.

I tossed a handful of grass
at her and laughed in spite of myself. “Trust me, I’ve tried it. They kinda
frown on the whole talking to dead people thing.” Or I can’t keep the lies I’ve
told them straight. Or they become suspicious when I tell them I can only hang
out during the day during full moons or whenever I do spellwork. Oh, and they
can never come over to my place. It’s just a hassle that usually ended with me
being called a weirdo.

Sia propped her hands beneath
her head as she peered at me over her designer shades. "You love
him?"

Without even waiting for a
beat, I nodded.

She pushed her glasses up the
bridge of her nose. "Well, that settles it then. Suck it up and deal. Did
I ever tell you about my godmother, Gemma?"

I crinkled my nose. "YOU
have a fairy godmother?"

"Yeah?" Sia said
quizzically. "What's with the shock and awe?"

"You're a fairy," I
said slowly. "And you have a fairy godmother?"

"Is your hearing
going?" she said, slightly annoyed. "Fairies get in binds just like
any other creature."

"Heh," I chuckled,
slurping my cone. "You must keep yours helluva busy."

"Laugh it up,
necro," she said as she stuck out her tongue. "Anyway, Gemma, my
godmother, had a penchant for human women."

"Awesome," I
nodded.

"You have no idea,"
Sia grinned. "You know, on that note, I had a bit of a thing for you when
we met. Briefly considered taking you for my own."

I raised an eyebrow.
"And when you say take me for your own, you mean kidnapping, right?"

"Semantics," she
shrugged. She licked her lips, giving me the once over. "Oh, the things we
could have done-"

"Okay, ew," I said,
plugging my ears. "You're cute and all but one, you're a fairy and I know
what you guys do with your used toys and two, you're like my only friend these
days, so don't screw it up with the girl-on-girl fantasies. It's awkward."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'd
get offended, but it's too beautiful today." She took a long breath,
sucking in the air, and I almost saw her true nature ripple beneath her skin.
It was dark and ugly. And hungry. Reason number three on the nixay on a pair up
between us. As a necromancer, if we were intimate, I'd see beneath her. I gave
my head a hard shake. No thanks.

"No uglier than your
beau's," she said defensively.

"Get outta my
head," I snapped. "Finish your story."

"Right. So my godmother
Gemma, she tried to do what was customary, having a harem or whatever, but then
she went and did something stupid."

I inched closer. "What
did she do?"

"She fell in love with
one of them," Sia answered. "Wanted to make the mortal her mate and
give her the eternal kiss.  Everyone told her it was foolish...that once the
girl saw her true face, she'd run for the hills. But Gemma was in love and she
wouldn't be swayed." She stopped then, twirling a strand of golden hair
around her finger.

"So what happened
next?" I said anxiously in spite of myself. I knew Sia was loving it.
Fairies were the masters of storytelling. It was one of the many ways they
roped in their prey.

"You really wanna
know?"

I gave her a look. "Did
they end up together?"

"Before turning her,
Gemma showed the woman her true face." Sia stretched her arms above her
head, sighing.

"And then?" I said
impatiently.

"The girl was driven
mad," Sia finished. "She eventually hung herself."

I gulped as a chill ran down
my spine. "If you're trying to make me feel better about a supernatural
and a human making it work, you're doing a bang up job."

Sia smirked. "I thought
humans liked honesty."

"Hell no," I
laughed. I bit my lip as I sunk my fingers into the earth beside me. "Not
if the truth is hard to swallow."

"Excuse me?" The
voice was bright and warm.

I shielded my eyes and saw a
frazzled looking woman standing over me. She had a baby propped on her hip and
a toddler that nipped at her knees.

"This is going to sound
random, but my husband is trying to park and he's directionally disabled,"
she said as she shook her head. She gestured at a large multicolored blanket a
few feet from ours. "Would you mind just keeping an eye on our things
while I go find him?"

I could feel Sia's eyes go
wide with delight. "Sure, we'll watch your kids!"

The woman's face brightened.
"I was just going to get you to watch the blanket, but if you could-"

"Eko forenm
zopatio," I said under my breath as I did a charm spell. Fairies were
drawn to children like vamps to blood. Sia wasn't going to have a midday snack
while I was around.

Sia stuck out her tongue at
me. "My friend actually hates kids, so we'll just watch your stuff."

"Oh," the woman
said and gave me a strange look. She eyeballed an older couple beside us.
"Thank you anyway."

I shook my head at Sia once
the woman was out of earshot. "You're a piece of work."

"What?" she said
innocently. "I would have been gentle. Ish."

I lay back on the blanket and
sighed as my body relaxed. I turned my head slightly. There was a young couple,
slicing French bread and strawberries. They looked so happy and carefree and
blissfully normal. I'd never have a moment like that with Jack. I squeezed my
eyes shut, not ready to accept the truth. I had something in common with
whomever he fed on last night...neither of us would get our happy ending.