Make Me A Match (The Matchmaker) (8 page)

I jogged across the empty street. As my foot hit the
sidewalk, an eerie shiver swept over my body. The feeling was so familiar that
I couldn’t mistake it. I paused on the footpath. Someone was following me. I
glanced back, searching the shadows where the streetlamps didn’t reach. No one
was there. She was good, damn good, but then I expected nothing less
considering her job; hiding in bushes, spying. Still, she couldn’t hide her
energy. At least, not from me.

I hesitated, wondering if I should call her out now, but for
some reason I held back. Hell, let her witness it firsthand, if that’s what she
wanted. Perhaps then she would believe me. I reached for the cemetery gate.
Inside, the area was quiet and still, shadowed by mausoleums and old oak trees.
As my feet fell upon the soft moss, I felt her following. In the middle of the area,
hidden by darkness and shadows, I closed my eyes and sent a mental message.

It was as Jotham was entering that I heard the snap of a
branch. I glanced over my shoulder to see Emma standing there. Fully dressed,
she wore tight jeans and a fitted green sweatshirt, while her hair was in a
lopsided ponytail, as if she’d thrown it up in her haste to follow. I barely
had time to be annoyed.

“Did you shut the gate?” I demanded.

“Seriously, what is it with you and cemeteries? No offense,
but they’re kind of creepy. Can’t you—” Her eyes grew round as her gaze shifted
to take in the area beyond me. “Holy crap!”

Served her right for spying. “I assume Jotham has arrived?”
I turned to find the old man watching us curiously, hands folded demurely in
front of his green robes. He was all calmness and patience. I envied him
greatly. Then again, he didn’t have to deal with Emma.

“He…he…” Emma pointed at Jotham, who only lifted gray brows
in response. “He just freaking appeared out of nowhere!”

“Actually,” he said with a smile, those eyes twinkling with
amusement. “I used my own energy to merely travel from my chambers to here.”

“Right,” she whispered, then released a stunned laugh. She
wasn’t nervous, she wasn’t terrified—she was amazed. The girl wasn’t afraid of
anything.

“What a lovely dear,” Jotham said, causing Emma to flush.

Of course Jotham found her charming. He would. The man had a
wicked sense of humor. I pulled my glasses off and rubbed the bridge of my
nose, frustrated, bemused. How the hell was I going to question Jotham about
Emma when she was standing right next to me?

“You needed something?” Jotham turned toward me, as if
reading my mind. The old man knew exactly why I’d called: Emma. And he
obviously found it amusing that I was now struggling over what to say.

I replaced my glasses. “I have a…problem.”

The old man’s gaze slid to Emma, then back to me. Yeah, he
was spot-on. “I see.”

Emma frowned.

“Not her, at least not directly.”

A blackbird flew from a tree, resting on a nearby tombstone.
Animals were drawn to Jotham’s ease and serenity. “Then what is the problem?”

“It’s just that…I can’t…”

Emma watched me curiously.

This would be so much easier without her here. “I saw her
past. We touched and I saw her past, her memories.”

Jotham didn’t say a word, merely stood there staring at me
with those fathomless eyes. That wasn’t good. Wasn’t good at all.

“Is that normal?” Emma finally asked.

Hell no, it wasn’t bloody normal. Jotham held out his arm
and the blackbird hopped from the tombstone to his forearm. “Not exactly.”

“What is it then?” Emma demanded, crossing her arms over her
chest. When she glared at me, as if this were all my fault, I had to resist the
urge to glare back. Like I wanted to see her memories. As if I wanted to be
even more connected to her than I already was.

“The elders call it a glitch, a mutation. It has been known
to happen at times.” Jotham tickled the blackbird’s throat. “I believe it
happened with your friend, Sebastian.”

My blood went cold. We all knew what had happened to Seb.

“But we must be sure that’s what you’ve experienced before
we define it.”

Shite, that wasn’t good. I could hear the unspoken warning
in his comment.

Emma’s confused gaze went back to me, as if expecting
answers. Hell if I knew. As a Protector, it was normal to see a Matchmaker’s
matches, but I’d never, in all of my nineteen years, heard of a Protector
seeing past life events…until now. Why hadn’t Seb told me?

Jotham lifted his arm and the bird flew away. “I shall head
home and see what I can uncover.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, frustrated with his lack of
answers. Even more frustrated with the fact that this was all moving much too
quickly. We both knew that if Jotham started asking questions, the Consulate
would realize I had left without permission. I was surprised they didn’t know
already.

Jotham’s hard gaze focused on me. “I suggest you head to
France as soon as possible.”

In other words, it was time to tell the Consulate. Yeah,
just as I’d suspected…it wasn’t normal to see her life’s events. He might seem
calm but I could sense the unease. It wasn’t normal; the relationship I had
with Emma wasn’t bleeding normal.

“France?” Emma stiffened. “You’re leaving?”

I didn’t miss the hopeful note in her voice. This time I did
glare. “Not alone.”

“What does that mean?” she demanded.

“Children.” Jotham held his hands up, interrupting what was
sure to become a heated argument. “I understand that there are many things you
need to discuss. But you have something more important to worry about at the
moment.”

A shiver of unease whispered over my skin, a tingle of
warning. “Bloody hell.”

“What?” Emma asked warily as she scanned the cemetery. She
sensed it too; I could tell by the way she stood, legs braced apart, as if
preparing for battle.

“Another demon,” I muttered.

“It would seem you aren’t the only one who now knows about
our Emma. Have fun.” With that, Jotham disappeared. Great help he was. But I
knew what he was doing…heading home to find out just how screwed up my
relationship with Emma was.

“Demon?” Emma demanded. “Did you just say demon?”

I didn’t respond but slowly turned, searching with my
senses. We didn’t have time to appease her demands or her curiosity.
There…coming from near the vault where I’d left the other demon. “Another
Bubontic.”

“That gray blob thingy you showed me in the vault?”

I shrugged off my jacket and tossed it to a nearby
tombstone. “Yeah. Lucky you, you get to see one in the flesh.”

“Wow, my life just keeps getting better and better,” she
muttered.

She was taking it calmer than I’d expect most newbies to,
and for that I had to reluctantly respect her. “They consume their own kind
when one dies. I should have burned it when I had the chance, but a fire would
have been noticed. I don’t suppose I can talk you into returning to your home?”

“Not a chance.”

She actually looked thrilled to fight. I resisted the urge
to sigh. The sky had turned from black to gray. I had to kill the thing before
the sun rose and there were witnesses. I reached into my vest pocket, finding a
small bottle. “Here.”

I tossed the holy water. She grabbed the bottle as it
twisted and turned in the sky toward her. “Will it kill it?”

“No, just stun it for a bit.”

“Wonderful,” she drawled out. “How about you give me
something that can actually do some damage?”

I resisted the urge to scoff. “You know how long I’ve
studied?” We moved around a mausoleum. “How many demons there are? How many
ways to kill them? You know nothing about my world. Your assault rifles won’t
do shite.”

“Yeah, well, I deal with vindictive husbands. I think I can
handle a demon.” She followed me, moving impressively silently. “Besides,
according to you it’s my world now too.”

Damn it all, she had a point. I frowned, reached into my
vest, and handed her a dagger. If she wanted to fight, let her think she was
going to. I just hoped she didn’t hurt herself in the process. “Fine. Here. Aim
for the left side, right below the ribs.”

“Why?”

Dear God, the woman never stopped asking questions. Did she
not see I was sort of busy here? “Because it’s where the heart is. Every demon
has a heart in a different spot. Destroying the heart is the easiest way to
kill them.”

She took in a deep, shuddering breath. “Good to know.”

Just like that, my annoyance fled. She might feign strength,
but I could sense her nervousness. She’d be a bloody idiot if she wasn’t
nervous. An idiot, or insane. But although she was nervous, I also knew enough
about her to know she wouldn’t run away. No, she would fight till the end. Even
though she’d never in her life battled a demon, never even known they existed,
she would stand her ground until she killed the beast, or he killed her. She
was going to make my job a living hell, but damn it all if she didn’t impress
me.

“Whatever you do, do not let it get its claws into you.” I
might be able to survive the poison, but she never would.

“Why?”

“Just don’t.” A car drove down Main Street, the headlights
briefly flashing across the cemetery. “Go left,” I whispered. “We’ll meet him
around the back.”

She nodded and took off, didn’t even bloody wait for me to
explain more. Holy hell, the woman was going to get herself killed. I sighed,
heading right. The only reason I didn’t stop her was because I knew the demon
was closer to me. I could sense the beast. Emma was in no immediate danger…as long
as I kept the demon nearby. Maybe I could kill it before Emma even had time to
react. I kicked a rock, sending it skittering across the ground until it hit a
tombstone.

The noise had the desired effect, drawing the demon closer.
If Emma honestly thought I’d let her fight the thing, she was bloody insane. We
each had jobs to do; my job was to protect her, her job was to make matches.
Once she accepted her fate our lives would be a lot easier. Unfortunately, I
had a feeling it would take some time before she settled into her new role.

Silence, and then the softest shuffle. The beast was coming
toward me and he wasn’t in his human form. Good, if Emma saw the demon for what
it was, a terrifying monster, it would only help my cause. Hopefully she’d
leave the killing to me. A huge dark form stepped out from behind a mausoleum.

“Good morning, you disgusting bastard,” I called out in
greeting. There was nothing more amusing than taunting a demon. “Why don’t you
tell me how you know about my Matchmaker, and perhaps I’ll kill you quickly?”

The beast lifted its gray lips and growled. His massive
shoulders hunched, rounding as he prepared to attack. Fortunately, Emma was
still at the back of the cemetery and out of harm’s way.

I held my arms wide, urging the thing to attack. The faster
we got this over with, the better. “Come, let’s chat, shall we?”

The demon burst forward, a blur of darkness. I tossed the
water toward him just as he hit me. His scream ripped through the air, raising
the fine hairs on the back of my neck. The water might have stung, but it
didn’t stop him. He hit me hard and we fell together with a thud, his heavy
body crushing me into the soft earth. This close, I could hear the sizzle of
his skin from the holy water. But my glory was short-lived. My lungs squeezed
painfully, the demon crushing me with his heavy weight.

I grappled at my side, reaching for my knife when suddenly
Emma appeared, hovering behind us like some damn guardian angel. She raised her
right arm, the dagger in hand. Hell, she was going to save my pathetic arse.
She brought her arm down directly into the demon’s back. I could hear the
swoosh of the blade cutting through muscle and tendons.

The demon shivered, groaned, and collapsed atop me. The
weight would have killed a human. I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful, or
embarrassed that she’d just come to my rescue. The sticky tar of the demon’s
blood seeped down around me, soaking through my clothing. I shoved my hands
into its shoulders and heaved the carcass away. It fell to the ground with a
thud that shook the cemetery.

Emma grinned down at me. “Well, that was easy.”

I looked away, frowning at the quickly decaying carcass.

Shite. She was right…this just kept getting better and
better. If Emma could protect herself, why the bloody hell was I here?

Emma

The brilliant sunlight brought with it a harsh reality that
didn’t leave room for magic and demons. I moved across the street toward the
coffee shop, practically oblivious to the early morning traffic. Although it
had been hours since I’d killed the demon, hours since I’d last seen Owen, my
hands still trembled. I’d never killed anyone…anything…whatever it was. Should
I have felt nervous? Guilty? Grateful? Oddly, all I felt was numb.

A car honked, startling me. Every noise was a threat, every
shadow a potential enemy. My entire world had changed. Nothing felt safe
anymore. Slowly, I glanced up and down the street, peering into the familiar
faces of my neighbors. Who could I trust?

Shaking off my unease, I pulled open the door of the coffee
shop and breathed in the familiar aroma of pastries and coffee beans. This was
reality. This was where I belonged, in this world of humans and nonmagic, in
Michigan with Lizzie. Tony stood behind the counter, smiling at a customer. It
was all so achingly familiar that my heart twisted painfully. What if it were
true? What if I suddenly had the ability to match people? What if Paula and
Tony belonged together? What if my entire world were about to change, whether I
wanted it to or not? No. I steeled myself. I wouldn’t accept that I was not in
control of my own life.

I moved to a table near the windows and picked up a
newspaper, hiding behind it. I was vaguely aware of the bell above the door
jingling, announcing the arrival of another customer, but I continued to watch
Tony, studying the man and my feelings for him.

Lizzie suddenly appeared next to me. “Okay, Emma, seriously,
what’s up with this Owen guy?”

“Sit down!” I hissed, latching on to her arm and jerking her
into the chair next to mine. I swore she’d been born merely to blow my cover.
“Can’t you tell when someone is hiding?”

“Good God, you’re spying again?” She glanced around the
room, her long auburn ponytail swishing across her tanned shoulders. “Who is it
this time?”

“He’ll see you.” I gripped the edge of her chair and pulled
her closer, the legs screeching against the floor. “And I’m not working. At
least, not really.”

“Who?” she whispered, leaning close to me. “Who are you
spying on?”

I lifted the newspaper, hiding us both. “Tony.”

“Tony?” She stiffened, frowning. “Since when do you not want
Tony to see you? You’ve always gone out of your way to make sure he notices
you.”

Flushing, I slid her a glance. “You know?”

She grinned. “About your little crush? Uh, yeah. You get all
flirty and girly when he’s around.” She brushed her ponytail over her shoulder.
“So in other words, the total opposite of how you normally act.”

It was my turn to frown. “I’m not Attila the Hun.”

She sighed, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in
her palm. “I don’t mean that. You’ve never had a problem talking to him before.
Why not just go chat?”

“Because I don’t want to chat with him. I’m…” What was I
doing? Sitting here waiting to see if some sort of magical love potion would go
into effect the moment Paula arrived?

“Ridiculous,” I muttered, tossing the paper down. Yet, I
couldn’t deny that what Owen had said up until this point had been true. Crap,
what if he was right about my matchmaking abilities? What if those demons were
only the beginning in a long line of threats? I glanced at my sister. My sweet,
innocent, totally clueless sister.

“Hey,” I said. “I need you to stay at Beth’s for the next
couple of nights.”

Lizzie raised her brows, her brilliant blue eyes showing her
shock. “Seriously? You’re
that
into
Owen?”

I flushed. She was totally getting the wrong idea. I’d never
lied to Lizzie before about anything important, but I didn’t see how I could
tell her the truth. This new world I’d suddenly found myself a part of would
eat her alive within seconds. “Yeah. I am.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Emma, you just met the guy. I mean,
I’m glad you like him, but don’t you think you should wait before getting that
serious?”

I looked heavenward and sighed. She would never let it rest.
Maybe I should have just told her the truth. If anyone would believe in magic,
it would be her. But I wasn’t about to have this conversation here…in a coffee
shop while waiting to see if the guy I had a thing for would fall in love with
my neighbor. “Let’s go home.”

I started to push away from the table when the door opened,
the bell overhead ringing. There on the threshold stood Paula. My shoulders
sank, my heart followed. I swore I didn’t believe in these newfound powers, so
why did I have the sudden urge to shove her back outside before Tony noticed
her?

“There you are.” She gave me a hesitant smile. Obviously she
was confused. We chatted in the halls and I fed her cat when she went on
vacation, but we were far from coffee-drinking buddies. Besides, she was in
college, and didn’t have any desire to hang out with a seventeen-year-old high
school student.

“Hey,” I muttered weakly.

Lizzie slid me a confused glance.

“Hey, Lizzie.” She turned her smile to my sister. I could
admit that Paula was pretty in an understated way. Her smile was contagious and
her eyes always friendly. But it didn’t make the vision of her and Tony kissing
any easier to take.

“Hi!” Lizzie said, doing her best to hide her confusion. She
was wondering why the heck Paula and I were meeting. “How’s Mr. Whiskers?”

She settled her oversized leather bag on the empty chair
next to ours. “Great, he’s great.”

We lapsed into uncomfortable silence, both Lizzie and Paula
looking at me, waiting for my next move. I couldn’t very well ditch them now.
“Maybe…maybe we should go to the café instead. It’s pretty busy here—”

“What are you talking about?” Lizzie looked pointedly around
the shop. “There’s hardly anyone.”

I gritted my teeth, glaring at her. Did she not get a hint?

“Should we sit?” Paula asked hesitantly.

“Yeah.” I forced my lips up into a smile. Why not…why not
see what happened when she and Tony met? They wouldn’t connect. I knew it. She
liked cats. She stayed at home and studied. He was a freaking stereotypical
Latin lover, always social. I settled at the table, almost eager now. I
couldn’t wait to rub it in Owen’s face when they didn’t connect.

When Tony headed our way, his typical smile in place, I
stiffened, barely breathing. It was only a few moments, but it felt like
forever. The entire world slowed. Paula no longer mattered. The people around
me disappeared, the conversation became muted. My gaze focused on him…only him.
I felt like I was in some bad music video for a cheesy romance song, and still
I couldn’t help myself.

“So, did you need something?” Paula asked, her voice coming
out muffled over the crazy thump of my heart.

Tony’s gaze shifted from me to Lizzie, then finally landed
on Paula. His friendly smile fell. I could see, somehow, when his pupils widened.
The pulse in his neck jumped to life. Even noticed how his nostrils flared ever
so slightly. He stumbled, paused as if struck dumb.

As if sensing his attention, Paula turned ever so slowly,
glancing over her shoulder. I wanted to throw myself in front of her to block
her view. I’d been wrong, so very wrong. My regret was immediate. When their
gazes met, I swore it was as if the world ended. As if a great, huge comet hit
the earth. The ground trembled, the coffee shop disappeared, and for a brief
moment I saw only red. A heated, passionate warmth swept through me, making my
heart ache, my body tingle. Someone’s hand touched my arm and just as quickly
as it had happened, the world of red disappeared. Startled, I blinked the room
back into view.

“Are you okay?” Lizzie whispered, her voice warbled, her
face wavering in and out of focus before me.

“Hey.” Tony was at our table, but his gaze was pinned to
Paula. Suddenly the world came sharply into focus. “I’m Tony.”

It was like Lizzie and I didn’t even exist. Not once did
Tony or Paula look at us. Her hand slid into his and I felt a tremor go through
me, almost as if I felt their very connection. “Ugh,” I muttered, resting my
head in my hands. Bad enough that I had to watch them fall in love, but I had
to feel it too?

“Paula.”

I peered between splayed fingers as they clasped hands for a
ridiculously long time, their gazes held. It was like a freaking scene from one
of Lizzie’s romance novels, and Lizzie and I were the lame secondary
characters. The inconsequential extras.

I had to escape and fast before I did something
embarrassing, like vomit. They were talking, but I couldn’t understand a word
over the roar of blood in my ears. Paula stood, and as she stood, the red glow
around them pulsed, beating together, forming one red blob. They were
completely connected. I was surprised I didn’t see cartoon hearts floating
around their heads.

“Well, crap.” Lizzie sighed. “He’s obviously taken.”

I jerked my gaze toward her. “Did you feel that? See that?”

“What?” Lizzie asked, frowning. “Emma, what the heck’s going
on?”

I ignored her and focused on Tony and Paula. They were
cuddled in the corner near the bakery items. Already they looked like a couple.
But it wasn’t the way he brushed a lock of hair from her shoulder, but the glow
around them that caught my attention. A red, pulsing glow that surrounded them
in a bubble of heated passion I could feel even from where I sat. It made me
sick. I shoved away from the table and raced toward the door, ignoring Lizzie’s
call to wait. Owen had been right. Hell, I was a freaking Matchmaker.

When I pushed open the door and stepped outside, the lake
breeze brushed across my fevered skin, offering some comfort. I took in a great
gulp of air, attempting to ignore the ringing in my ears, the frantic beat of
my heart. My mouth felt dry, my skin too tight…as if my body weren’t my own.

“Are you all right?”

I despised and craved that voice all at once.

Slowly, I turned, glaring up at Owen Emerson. “I’m fine.”

Lizzie rushed from the coffee shop, stumbling to a halt beside
us. “Oh, Emma, I’m so sorry.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “I know
you liked him.”

A heated flush rushed to my cheeks. Yeah, did I mention
Lizzie had no clue? Owen’s gaze traveled from me to the shop windows, where we
could see Tony and Paula seated at a small table, heads bent close together.
His gaze returned to me.
I told you so
was
written plainly across his gorgeous face.

“Don’t say it,” I hissed, shoving past him and heading
toward the loft, leaving Lizzie confused and Owen, no doubt, gloating behind
me.

********

There was one thing I was sure of…Owen Emerson despised me.
The way he glared at me, the way he tried to avoid contact, the way he gloated
when he was right. Yep, the man despised me.

I dumped my slushy into the trash can outside our apartment
building. You could say I was avoiding Owen, Lizzie, and life in general. I’d
been wandering around town for hours, but you had to eventually face your
life…right? I pulled open the door and trudged up the steps to our apartment.
But it was totally fine if Owen didn’t like me because I didn’t exactly like
him either. I shoved open the door and stomped inside.

Thank God, Lizzie and Owen were still out. I shrugged off my
sweatshirt and tossed it to the couch, tugging down the hem of my tank top when
it rode up. I didn’t understand any of this. Not the matches, not the feelings,
and certainly not Owen. Was this really what my life would be from now on?

I kicked off my Converse and moved into my bedroom, slamming
the door behind me. Tony was gone. No way did I have a chance with him now. I
flung myself upon my four-poster bed and pulled my stuffed cat, Fluffy, close.
Thunder rumbled low and menacingly, vibrating my windows so the glass rattled.
I’d always liked storms; they fed on my frustration, helped me release my
anger. And today, more than ever, the weather matched my mood.

“Rest, Emma,” I whispered, closing my eyes. “Breathe in,
breathe out.”

Lizzie would have had me meditating or some such nonsense.
But I’d never slept well; I had too much to worry about. Now I had even more
issues. True love was real. Great. Wonderful. But so was death and destruction.
My life had become a horror novel.

A floorboard creaked.

My eyes popped open. The building settling? A shiver of
unease whispered over my skin. I lay still, frozen upon my bed. There were
times on a stakeout when instinct kicked in and I knew in my gut I was in
danger. Instinct was kicking my butt at the moment.

Someone was watching me.

Even as my heart thumped painfully hard, I knew I needed to
stay calm, pretend I didn’t know he was in my room, whoever
he
was. Frantically, my mind spun. A
weapon, I needed a weapon. I inched my hand across the mattress toward my
bedside table, hoping to find my stun gun, the only real weapon I owned.

“You’re not what I was expecting.” A man’s voice rumbled
menacingly through the room.

I froze, swallowing my startled cry. A surprise attack would
have been his best option. Obviously he was arrogant, or an idiot. Either way,
I could use it to my benefit. Slowly, I settled my palms into the mattress and
sat up.

The approaching storm had thrown the room into darkness. I
searched the dim shadows until I found the culprit sitting in my only chair in
the far corner. Could I make it to the door before he caught me?

“What were you expecting?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.

“Someone more mature. They’ve been old crones for centuries,
you know.” He chuckled then, his voice so raspy it practically raked over my
skin. “But you are absolutely delightful, and your energy…I’ve never felt
anything like it.”