Jackie Kessler: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance 2

Aaron ran his fingers through his hair. Of all the possible ramifications he’d thought of when he had first crafted Caitlin’s memory box — and he’d thought of just about everything, from Caitlin despising him to Caitlin throwing herself at his feet and begging for another chance — this scenario hadn’t come up. Hell, this scenario should be impossible. But then, he admitted to himself, when it came to Caitlin’s pseudo-sister Jesse, “impossible” didn’t really exist.

He said, “Tell me everything.”

She did.

By the time she finished, Aaron was sweating and his heartbeat was erratic. Caitlin had been wrong — he hadn’t merely messed up. He’d fucked up, hugely. What was supposed to be a gift for his former wife had turned into a potentially lethal weapon against the one person the Hecate’s followers had sworn to protect. The old saying was true: no good deed went unpunished.

“I need your help,” Caitlin said.

Well, that had to kill her to admit. The thought made him smile. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he said.

“It doesn’t take that long to step.”

“No, dearest. But it does take that long to get a cab.” He paused. “I’m right here in New York, Caitlin. I left Salem after you walked out on me.”

“Don’t,” she said, her voice sharp.

Caitlin never had liked hearing the ugly truth when it came to their relationship. Some things would never change. “Fine,” Aaron said. “I’ll get there shortly. Just don’t touch her.”

She snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“The address would be nice.”

After Caitlin gave him the address, she said, “You could just step here and be done with it.”

“Unlike some,” Aaron said pointedly, “I don’t like throwing around power when something more mundane does just as nicely.”

“Aaron —”

“And taking a cab,” he added quietly, “doesn’t cost me a year of my life.”

There was a long pause before Caitlin said, “Just get over here, Aaron.” With that, she hung up.

Aaron dumped the leftover pizza and beer and turned off his television and DVR. He wasn’t surprised that she had stepped all the way from Salem, even with such a high price to pay. Of course she’d come running to her sister’s side. It’s what Caitlin had been handpicked to do. Jesse was part of her life now — and Aaron was not.

The thought was distressingly bitter.

Steeling himself to work with his ex-wife, Aaron went to flag down a cab.

“I was starting to think that witches didn’t travel like regular people,” Paul said as Aaron took off his jacket.

“Female witches might not,” Aaron confided. “But male witches tend to be more practical. We even ask for directions.”

Caitlin bristled. She hated that Aaron looked so damn good, from his hazel eyes to his mop of sandy hair to the dimple in his left cheek. He wore all black, of course, from his button-up shirt to his slacks to his socks and shoes. His underwear — if he were even bothering with any — would also be black. She remembered that far too well.

Damn it. Stop thinking about him in his underwear. Or not in his underwear.

She did not find him attractive any more. Absolutely not. They were exes, formers, already-done-thats. She wasn’t sorry that she was wearing her comfortable, baggy sweater with its shredded collar, or her well-worn sweatpants. No, not sorry at all.

He was by her side now, flashing his teeth. “Dearest,” he said, offering his hand.

She wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face, but she forced herself to remain calm. Calm, calm, calm. She took a cleansing breath and blew it out slowly.

Yes. She was perfectly calm.

“Call me ‘dearest’ again,” she said sweetly, “and I’ll curse your hair to fall from your scalp and grow on your back.”

Aaron threw back his head and laughed. “Still the charmer, Caitlin.”

“Still a pompous ass, Aaron.”

“Hey.”

Caitlin tore her gaze from Aaron to look at Paul, who was glowering at the both of them.

“Fight later,” he said, his voice dangerously soft. “You’re here to help Jesse. So make with the helping. Now.”

Caitlin felt her cheeks flush, but she ignored it. Paul was right. “Take a look at her, Aaron.”

Her ex-husband walked over to where Jesse lay on the floor, and he squatted next to her. His lips moved as he cast a silent spell — Caitlin used to joke that if he were ever gagged, he’d never be able to work magic — and then white sparks flew from his outstretched hands and covered Jesse’s form. After a few moments, the lights faded. The glow around Jesse’s body remained a steady, soft blue.

“It’s as you said. She’s trapped in a memory. But it’s not yours, as I would have thought.” He glanced at Caitlin. “It’s hers.”

Oh. crap. Caitlin sank down on to the sofa and held her head in her hands.

“What?” That was Paul, sounding worried and angry. “What does that mean?”

“Jesse was a succubus for 4,000 years,” Caitlin said grimly. “Three guesses what sort of memory she’s stuck in.”

“And the first two don’t count.” Aaron let out a strained laugh. “Sex and demons. This is going to be fun.”

“Don’t forget that she’s an exotic dancer now,” Caitlin added with a groan. “So that could be in there too.”

“Sex, strippers and demons,” Aaron corrected. “What’s not to like?”

Oh, Goddess. There was no way Caitlin was going to survive this with her dignity intact.

“So,” Paul said slowly, “what are you going to do? How can you help her?”

“We have to enter her memory and pull her out,” said Aaron.

“You’re making it sound simple.”

“Hopefully, it will be.” Aaron paused, and Caitlin felt his gaze on her. “She knows you, so I suggest that I anchor you.”

Caitlin looked up at him. He was still smiling, but it looked forced. And what she had first taken as haughtiness sparkling in his eyes now looked more like worry. Not that she blamed him. The worst that could happen to her if she failed to find or free Jesse would be getting stuck in Jesse’s memory. But the worst thing for an anchor, should the rescue go awry, would be death. Caitlin was a strong anchor, though. Chances were, she wouldn’t die, even if things went terribly wrong.

“You’re better at navigating memories than I am,” she said. “Maybe it should be the other way around.”

“Won’t work. Jesse doesn’t know me, so she won’t trust me enough to shake her loose from the memory.”

Caitlin couldn’t help it; she barked out a laugh. “You think she’ll trust me? She hates me, Aaron.”

His smile slipped into something warmer. “That doesn’t mean she won’t trust you.”

He had a point. Sort of.

“She’s your sister,” Paul said to her. “She’ll listen to you.”

Caitlin’s lips twitched. For all that Paul was a good man, sometimes he was horribly naive. Even though he knew about Jesse’s sordid history, he still believed she was a good person. He loved her, despite her faults. Paul and Jesse made it work, even though it shouldn’t. A former succubus, in love with a mortal man bound for Heaven? Impossible. And yet, there they were, Paul and Jesse. Together.

“Together,” she said to Aaron. “We can go in together.”

He frowned at her. “That’s not how it’s done. One to enter, one to anchor. It can’t be any other way.”

“Just because it’s not done that way doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Think about it,” she said, imploring. “You’re a strong navigator; I’m a powerful anchor. If we join, we can be both navigator and anchor, with all our strength combined. If we do it together, we have a better chance of getting to her quickly and pulling her free.”