The Banshee's Embrace (12 page)

             
"I don't mean that kind of birth. I mean your half banshee nature!"

             
"I can't help that either!"

             
She screamed as he lunged at her again.

             
"Can't we just talk about this?" Jacqueline asked before ducking through the bedroom door. Trying not to fall, she ran down the stairs, headed for the front door. "Shit!"

             
Gabe materialized in front of her, a small smile on his handsome face.

             
"You can't get away from me. I know how to track you. We're blood, Jacqueline."

             
"Then why are you trying to kill me? I mean, family is supposed to be the one thing you can count on," she said as she backed away.

             
"That's why I want to kill you. Look at it as the ultimate family gift."

             
"Gift? How do you figure stabbing me is a gift?"

             
"Because then you'll be dead and we can carry on with our respective job functions within the family tree." Gabe tapped his foot. "Hasn't that wizard explained to you that you are too dangerous the way you are now? You are upsetting the balance! If you die, everything will be as it should be."

             
"I don't want to die!" Anger surged, bubbling up like a volcanic lava flow that had been repressed in the core of her being for too long.

             
Gabe's eye widened.

             
"What do you think you're doing," he asked. "You know you can't actually hurt me, right? I'm way too powerful."

             
"You're pissing me off," she answered. Energy pulsed beneath her skin and she raised her hands.

             
Now it was his turn to step back. Jacqueline thought she saw just a hint of fear in his eyes, and she knew instinctively that he was lying to her about his inability to be harmed. What else might he be lying about?

             
He placed the knife on the table next to the front door and held up his hands.

             
"Okay, look. I've put the knife down."

             
But the anger had taken hold and the energy she felt reminded her of the same strong feeling she'd gotten when the silver box was opened. Electricity sparked from her fingers.

             
"Why are you scared?" She narrowed her eyes. "After all, you’re already dead. It's only living people I can harm. You said yourself that you are a more powerful being. Right?"

             
He nodded quickly, but his eyes told a different story.

             
"Wrong." She moved to him with small slow steps. "I bet I can hurt you. Maybe even tear your pathetic spirit apart."

             
She lifted her hands, a part of her surprised at the crackle of energy that sparked from her fingers.

             
"I've wanted to experiment with my powers. Thanks for helping me out."  The palms of her hands faced each other with just a small space in between. She focused her thought on that space, pleased when the sparks connected. Jacqueline glanced up at Gabe who watched in fascination and horror, and then slowly she pulled her hands apart, imagining that it was him she was stretching.

             
"Wait!" Gabe pleaded and to her surprise, it did appear that his essence was being pulled apart just as her hands widened the space between them. "Please, Jacqueline."

             
"What would happen if you I pulled my hands apart as far as I could?" Jacqueline gave him a cold smile. "I bet I could destroy you, split your very being. Doesn't sound like a pleasant option to me."

             
"I'm sorry." Gabe looked like a bloated fruit ready to explode. "I was only trying to help." This isn't the kind of person you are, Jacqueline. What would Toby say if he saw this side of you?"

             
Toby. She flinched at the name. Self-doubt crept into her consciousness.

             
"Toby wouldn't… want… you… to… kill me." Gabe voice became garbled as he struggled desperately to speak. His essence was fat, reminding Jacqueline of the over-juiced Violet from
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
.

             
"You don't know anything about Toby."

             
But
she
did. And she knew that for all his gruffness, his tough talk, Toby was a kind person on the inside. He probably wouldn't want her to end Gabe this way even if he had attacked her.

             
And wasn’t this exactly why the other wizards wanted her? To kill?

             
No! She was not a killer.

             
Carefully and with all the concentration she could muster, Jacqueline brought her hands closer together until Gabe was no longer stretched out. She imagined the sparks in her hand being doused with water, and to her relief, they died out, leaving only a small scorch mark behind on each palm.

             
"You did it." Gabe gave her a look filled with awe. "You actually controlled the power."

             
"Who says I couldn’t?"

             
"Everyone in the family. The last time there was a case like yours, the half banshee destroyed most of
Europe
before she was finally killed."

             
"Well, if my ancestors handled her the way you were trying to handle me, maybe she just freaked out." Jacqueline took a deep breath, exhaustion hitting her.

             
"But you didn't freak out, Jacqueline. You can control it!" Gabe sat down on the couch. "This is amazing."

             
"Does it mean you're going to stop trying to kill me?"

             
"I don't know. Wait!" he said hastily as her eyes narrowed again. "What I mean is, if you can control your power without the help of anyone else maybe there is hope."

             
Jacqueline thought about that for a minute. Hope. It was a word to cling to, a word she desperately had needed all these long months of being alone and confused by the odd changes occurring within her.

             
"How can I test this idea that I can control what I'm doing?" she asked. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

             
"Simple. We set a trap and then you use your power on someone who might deserve to have their soul ripped out," he said. "That way if you can't control it, then it's still a win-win."

             
"Um…I don't know if I want to kill someone even if they are bad. That's not my decision to make," Jacqueline said, alarmed by the idea.

             
"What if it was the wizard who killed your husband?"

             
Jacqueline gasped, shocked at the idea and yet…tempted, too.

             
"Not that I'm agreeing to do that, but how would I find him?" she asked.

             
"You need to be somewhere where he can be lured out into the open. Obviously, he's been watching you so why not help him out?"

             
Angela. Hadn't she invited her to dinner that night? Jacqueline relayed the information to Gabe who nodded.

             
"Yes. That could be perfect," he said.

             
"But what about Angela? I don't want to get her hurt. Or her friend, for that matter." Jacqueline sighed. "No. This is a bad idea. Too risky. We should talk to Toby."

             
"Look, no wizard is going to attack you in front of an entire restaurant full of people. He'll wait till you're alone. Only you won't be because I'll be there to guide you. Let's leave Toby out of it for now." Gabe grinned. "I think this is the way to prove you can control your gift and get the others wizards to back off. See, they think all they have to do is put a command spell on you, and then you will do whatever they want. But if you show them that you are the one in command, they might give up on their idea."

             
"Well, I like any plan that doesn't involve me dying or being controlled by others. I'm in," Jacqueline said. "I'll go call Angela."

******

             
"Jacqueline, this is my friend Derek," Angela said.

             
Jacqueline reached to shake his hand, but instead of offering his in return, Derek gave her a gentle hug. Reflex made her return the hug, though she didn't like being pressed against some stranger. When he pulled away, both of his hands rested on her shoulders and he gave her a shy grin.

             
"I feel like I already know you," he said. "Angela is always talking about her best friend Jacqueline."

             
"Well, we've been friends for a long time." Jacqueline returned his smile and then looked at Angela who beamed with happiness. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner."

             
"Our pleasure. Come. The table is ready for us."

             
Derek led them into the dining room of Antoine's French Restaurant. Jacqueline couldn't help but notice how heads turned to look at Angela and her boyfriend. They were a pretty good looking couple, she thought. Jacqueline glanced at the simple green sundress she'd worn and sighed. She'd never outshine Angela who always looked radiant.

             
But as they sat down, she saw more than one woman in the room stare longingly at Derek.

             
Uh-oh. Angela's got to keep her eye on this one
.

             
Derek seemed oblivious to it, making sure that both ladies were seated before he took his own chair. The next few minutes were a rush of lightheartedness and small talk, but Jacqueline couldn't help but glance around the room.

             
Could the wizard who'd killed her husband be here? Would he come out to play? A shiver ran down her spine and she tried to focus on the conversation.

             
"Why don't we take Derek to Merlyn's Bar after this?" Angela suggested.

             
"Oh, I don't know. We had so much excitement there last night." Jacqueline looked at her menu. The last thing she wanted was to go to Merlyn's Bar where Toby would have a chance to figure out what she was up to and the rogue wizard probably wouldn't go. The more she thought about it, the more she knew he would not approve of her plan.

             
"Excitement? What happened?" Derek smiled at Angela. "You didn't mention anything earlier."

             
"That's because I was so swept off my feet by you this afternoon." Angela blushed. "But someone was killed there last night. Jacqueline saw the whole thing."

             
"Well, then I could see why she wouldn't want to go back. That would be a lot to take in."

             
"Oh, yes…of course…I'm sorry Jackie, I wasn’t thinking." Angela patted Jacqueline's arm." You are feeling better, right? I just thought you might want to see…"

             
"Yeah. I had some trouble sleeping, but I'm okay. I think we should go somewhere else for after dinner drinks, though." Jacqueline ignored the comment about who she might want to see.

             
Dinner went smoothly after that, but about halfway through it, she began to get an odd feeling of being watched.  On alert, she scanned the restaurant.

             
"Looking for someone?" Derek asked, sipping his wine.

             
"No. I'm just a people watcher."

             
"Me, too," he confided and patted her hand.

             
A spark of electricity flew between them.

             
What had Toby said about sparks being a way to recognize another supernatural being?

             
Cautious, she looked at Derek. He gave her a small smile and tilted his head to the side, a curious expression on his face. Without hesitation, Jacqueline put her other hand on top of his.

             
The spark happened again.

             
"Wow, that's some static electricity you have there," Angela commented.

             
"Silence." Derek waved his hand in a broad circle and all the sound in the restaurant lowered, as if someone had turned the volume down on a stereo. "Freeze."

             
As Jacqueline watched in stunned silence, the world around them slowed. Waiters froze in mid-step, and the other diners sat like statues, some with forks halfway raised to their mouths.