The Banshee's Embrace (5 page)

             
"Because he was a wizard like me."

             
Her eyes widened. Eric? A wizard? Doubtful.

             
"I see your doubt. Close your eyes," Toby said. "I'm going to look at your memory of the past. I want to see that night for myself."

             
She closed one eye. "You aren't going to kill me, right?"

             
"Would I really tell you if I was? Relax. Take a deep breath," he said. "Think back to when the man grabbed you."

             
Jacqueline breathed deeply, closed both eyes, and tried to remember.

******

             
The man had yanked her so hard she stumbled, falling to her knees. Thinking quickly, she's screamed Eric's name, managing to get it out before the slap to her face knocked her completely to the ground. The man leaned over her, a look of wonder in his eyes.

             
"So you're what the fuss is all about," he said. "I thought you'd be more of a fighter."

             
As she'd fallen, her hand had grazed against one of the heavy rocks that lined the walkway to the house. She swung her arm, pleased when the rock connected with the stranger's head. He stumbled back with a cry of pain.

             
She pulled herself up and ran to the house. Eric opened the door just as she reached for the handle.

             
"Help me," she gasped.

             
Eric's gaze went over her shoulder. With a grim face, he pushed her in the house and then stepped out into the rain.

             
"Stay here," he ordered, not waiting for her answer. "Call the station."

             
Eric strode across the grass to where the other man lay on the ground. Grabbing the man by the shirt collar, he roughly hauled him up. Blood dripped from a deep gash on the side of his face. Keeping an eye on the action outside, Jacqueline grabbed Eric's cell phone from the hall table and dialed 911. She thought the man said something to Eric, but she couldn't make out the words.

             
"911, what is your emergency?" The operator's voice cut through her thoughts.

             
"I'd like--"

             
She stopped. The strange man had pushed her husband, freeing himself, but his hands---they sparkled with red light. Shocked by the oddity of the sight, Jacqueline could only stare as the man thrust his blazing hands at Eric. Even more shocking was when her husband, raised his own hands which also glowed with a strange, white light. As she watched, the two men appeared to fight each other, the streams of their independent lights pushing between them.

             
"What the hell…"Jacqueline said.

             
"I'm sorry, ma'am. What did you say the nature of the emergency was?" The operator's voice was impatient, but Jacqueline ignored that. She placed the phone on the table again and stepped back into the rain.

             
"There's your pretty bride," the man who attacked her shouted. "Did you really think we wouldn't find her?"

             
"Jacqueline! Get back in the house!" Eric ordered.

             
"No need for that!" The man darted behind her car, breaking the streams of light. Then he tossed a new stream at her.

             
The edges of the light seared at her chest, causing a stinging sensation. However, it was Eric who took the brunt of the blow by jumping in the path of the light. He howled in pain and thrust a fireball at the stranger before dropping to the ground.

****

             
"Eric," she whispered. "He really was a wizard."

             
"Yes." Toby watched the emotions streak across her face which was ringed with exhaustion. "Do you know what happened to the man that attacked you?"

             
"He must have thought I was dead. I remember falling to the ground, the pain in my chest unbearable at first. It was a few minutes before I even was able to move to Eric."

             
"Maybe you were dead."

             
"What do you mean?"

             
"What your memory just showed is that you were hit with a very powerful blast of magic. If Eric hadn't taken most of it, you would have died. However, maybe you got just enough to trigger your inner banshee," Toby mused. "Where is your family from?"

             
"They're from here," she said. "My folks have lived in
Galesburg
Falls
all of their lives."

             
"What's their last name?"

             
"Green."

             
"And what about your ancestors? Where do they come from?"

             
He watched her chew on her lip, obviously disturbed by his question. For some reason he found himself distracted by her lips, wondering how they would feel to touch. He quickly shook the thought off.

             
"I don't know. I was adopted," she admitted with a small yawn.

             
Adopted? That could explain a few things. He sighed and glanced at the clock. As badly as he wanted to question her, she really needed to rest. Her face was drawn and pinched with exhaustion, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. The rest of the discussion could wait a few hours longer. However, he didn't want her to stay alone. Too many dangerous things lurked in the night. The safest place would be for her to stay with him at his cottage down the road, but somehow he didn't think she was going to go for that.

             
Women tended not to want to go back to your place once you told them you were going to have to kill them.

             
"Well, your biological family's roots may be something we need to look in to," Toby said. "The banshee from earlier is connected to them. We just need to figure out which family that is."

             
"This is too overwhelming."

             
"You need rest."

             
"That's an understatement."

             
"I'll take you home."

             
She looked him, the worry in her eyes almost palatable. "Is it safe at my place?"

             
He knew what she really meant.
Are you safe? Will you try to kill me?

             
"I'll make it safe."

             
"How?"

             
"I'll stay the night with you."

             
He would have given anything to know her thoughts just then. Fear mixed with a slow blush crept over her face. Hmmm…maybe she'd been more aware of him than he'd thought. Could it be that she was attracted to him as he was to her?

             
No. Of course not. Women like Jacqueline did not go for guys like him. Especially with his quirks. And what was he thinking anyway? He wasn't attracted to her. He just liked her…hair.

             
"I have a spare bedroom," she said softly. "You could stay there."

             
"Sounds good." He cleared his throat. "I'll weave some protection enchantments for your house, too, after I've had some rest."

             
She studied him a moment as if trying to make up her mind, and then grabbed her purse.

             
"Cool. You make protection spells and I'll make breakfast."

****

             
The man pressed closer to the outside wall of Merlyn's Bar and smiled. The simple cloaking spell he'd cast a few minutes before had allowed him to escape the gaze of Toby Williams and keep his presence a secret just a little longer. Oh, sure, he knew that he'd have to introduce himself to the woman eventually, but years of experience had taught him the art of observation. It was amazing what one could learn just by keeping silent, by letting others over look you even.  Information in his sly hands had a habit of becoming a true weapon.

             
If only his partner had taken his advice and been more discreet. But no.
Trenton
had gone to the woman's house and allowed things to get out of control. As a result, they now had a powerful weapon that was on the Brotherhood's radar.

             
Damn.

             
Ah well. Some things couldn't be helped and as he watched Jacqueline be escorted out of the bar by the other wizard, he knew that she would soon be his. There was no doubt about that at all. No one could resist him. 

             
The man frowned as he watched Toby Williams start up the woman's car and then drive off.

             
Toby is another little problem I can't wait to deal with.

             
But even as he thought that, unease grew in his belly. Toby would be tricky. To deny his talent as a wizard was unthinkable. In fact, most wizards knew to keep their distance from the formidable bartender.

             
But he wasn't most wizards. He was Derek Spark, son of the great Jonathan Spark, who was head of the high council of the Brotherhood. No one would dare classify him as any ordinary wizard, even if he was an outcast.

             
Derek Spark was special. And soon, everyone would know it.

*****

             
She fell into a deep sleep.

             
But it wasn't peaceful. All sorts of images clustered around her in the dream and Jacqueline couldn't quite get free of them. Over and over, she replayed pieces of the night Eric died, only in her dreams, she saw herself turning into the terrible hag that had been outside Merlyn's Bar.

             
She woke up, barely able to stifle the cry of terror that threatened to come out. Taking a few deep breaths, Jacqueline struggled to get control. After a moment, her heartbeat slowed and she lay back against her pillow.

             
Banshee. The word rolled around in her head.

             
"I'm a banshee," she whispered.

             
It sounded too silly to be real. In fact, it couldn't be real. She was a normal person and no normal person would call themselves a banshee.

             
Then again, most normal people didn't go around singing when someone died.

             
Can you say freak show, Jacqueline?
 

             
Frowning, she pushed back the covers, got up and went to her computer.

             
Banshee. She typed the word into her search engine and scrolled through the information that came up. There was much to choose from. Jacqueline clicked on a site called
Myths and Legends of
Ireland
.

             
A banshee is a feminine spirit who is seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Underworld
.

             
"Great," she said. "I'm an omen of death."

             
The banshee can take on the guise of a young or old woman and is often attached to a particular branch of an Irish family.

             
"Okay, what else you got?" Jacqueline scrolled further down and read out loud. "Banshees were originally thought to be fairies under the watch of the goddess, Morrigan. They're job is to foretell of a person's death and to escort lost souls to the other side."

             
She sat back. The site indicated that banshees were ultimately spirits. Jacqueline knew she was very much alive. None of this explained who was after her and why her banshee tendencies had been activated.

             
Her belly rumbled, reminding her of her promise to make Toby breakfast.

             
"Let's go see if the wizard is hungry and then find out what the hell is going on," she said, her stomach tightening with nerves.