Cat Adams - The Isis Collar

It sounded so logical when he said it. But … “That’s not so easy for me.”

The quirk of a smile became an amused flash of teeth. “Tell me about it.” Without any warning, he leaned forward and eased his lips against mine. I found myself being pulled into the kiss before I realized what was happening. His hand slid around my head, fingers twining in my hair, and my eyes closed automatically. I leaned into him before I realized I was doing it. My breath froze in my lungs and I couldn’t seem to think past the dual sensations of magic and gentle pressure as he slowly moved his soft, full lips against mine. Warm breath on my cheek, magic sweet as candy, and the caress of his tongue made my knees weak and my stomach do flip-flops. His hand, lightly stroking my hair, sent electric shocks to my scalp. It was a good thing I was sitting down. My heart began pounding hard and my fingers buried themselves in the fabric of the armrests to keep from wrapping around him and pulling him into my lap. I wanted to … a lot. The strength of the desire terrified me.

The kiss was probably over in seconds, though it felt like it lasted a week. He drew back slowly and I wound up suspended, eyes closed, enjoying the remaining pull of the magic that tugged at my stomach. A quick, nearly chaste kiss in the back of a store shouldn’t really be that big a deal.

Right.

The fuzzy tingles ended as quickly as they’d begun, when he yanked several hairs right out of the top of my head, causing my startled, “Ow! Damn it, John! What was that for?” My hand went to the source of the pain and I rubbed while he held up his prize to the fluorescent lights overhead and inspected the strands.

“I need to do some testing in a proper casting circle to figure out the source of that spell, and since the major disturbance was around your head, I’ll stand the best chance with hair.”

His infectious smile made me glare at him and let out a small growl. “You could have just asked instead of grabbing it while you were kissing me. And you didn’t have to do that to begin with.”

I knew I was being petulant and couldn’t seem to help it. He sighed. “I wasn’t still kissing you, just for the record. I’d never hurt you like that. But I did have to. I like you calling me John.”

There was something in his eyes that surprised me. I suddenly realized I’d hurt his feelings when I called him Creede. That was new. I was also startled to discover it bothered me. “I’ve called you Creede since we met. Last names are part of the business. It’s nothing personal. You know that.”

He nodded, but the intensity in his eyes didn’t match the acknowledgment. “And it was fine while we were business. We’re not anymore, Celia. This is personal. You know it just like I do.”

We stared at each other for a long moment. I blinked first and lowered my gaze to stare at my feet. I didn’t want to think about it, couldn’t really deal with the reality of what he was saying. I wasn’t lying to Isaac. I expect that Bruno and I will get back together.

Eventually.

But I also can’t deny that John and I—yes, in my head, I did think of him as John—had an intense chemistry. I have to struggle not to throw myself at him whenever we’re together. And he’s impressed me, both as a mage and as a bodyguard. I trust him with my back, which I couldn’t say about many people. He’s intelligent, powerful, and magnetic. Trust and attraction—a heady combination.

Was it more than business? Yes. How much more? Thus far I hadn’t been willing to find out. Relationships are complicated and I’m not very good at them. Why get involved just to discover it won’t work?

“Can we keep it business for a little longer if I promise to call you John? I need to find out what’s wrong with me before I think about anything serious.”

He stared at me for a long moment and then dipped his head once. “I told you once that winning you would be a marathon, not a sprint. Today just proves that. Deal. You stock up on any charm you can find to stave off the demonic and I’ll find out what this spell is. Tell Isaac I’ll have to do the fitting another time. I’ve got a few minutes before a meeting this afternoon, and then I have to go out of town for a day or so. But I’ll get back to you on this tomorrow at the latest. You find anything on the wall to stave off the demonic and use them.”

That made me frown. “You just said it wasn’t demonic.”

“That’s true. But the spell could have opened you to a random event. I’d recommend as many aura protection items you can afford and maybe a Clear Mind charm or two.”

Oh. Yeah, that made sense. And hey, if I was lucky they might stave off the sleepwalking. Maybe. But it made me nervous, too. I don’t like being vulnerable and he’d just told me I was. “You think you can figure out how to fix the spell, right? So it shouldn’t be a big deal.”

His face became the poster child for intensity. “I will fix the spell. I’ll go to my workshop and start a casting to break down the elements of the spell. That can work by itself even while I’m out of town. I’ll have to move around a few appointments, but I can manage it. Expect a counterspell done by dinnertime. Keep your cell handy. You might have to come to me for the working when I figure it out.”

He sounded suddenly so much like Bruno it made me smile. They were very competitive and talented enough that they felt that nothing should be beyond fixing. And they’d never admit that they couldn’t unwind any sort of casting.

I stood up, put a hand on his arm, and met his flame-kissed eyes. “Thank you, John. Really. I don’t want you to worry about me. Still, I think it’s sweet. And I know this screws up your day. But you’re making me feel a lot less scared about something I’ve been trying not to think about.”

He let out a slow sigh and pulled back his hand just enough to interlace his fingers with mine. “I don’t want to worry about you, either, Celia. But you live a life that makes it almost impossible not to. Now shoo. I’m going back to the office to clear my calendar and then to start to work on this. Get your charms and get somewhere safe until I call.”

Sounded like a plan to me.

10

Safe isa relative term.

Dawna tossed me the keys on the way out to the car. “I know how much you hate being a passenger. Besides, I’m tired.”

“Maybe you should take the rest of the day off.”

“I would, but I have this important research project I need to work on.” She gave me a tired smile as she climbed into the passenger seat. “I’ll be fine. Really.”

There was no point in arguing with her. Besides, I wasn’t in the mood. The snow had all melted away, leaving behind rich green sprouts and flowers only a little the worse for wear. I had a bag full of new goodies in the backseat, including lots of protection charms and the pretty garnet cross for Gran. I even bought a shiny new agate pinkie ring that promised aura protection. I’d already broken one Clear Mind charm and felt my thinking sharpen. I felt ready for anything—for at least the next twelve to twenty-four hours, or so promised the packaging.

Dawna was wearing several new bracelets with delicately braided runes in pretty patterns, plus her jacket, specially adapted by Isaac to hold several wooden stakes and a few holy-water squirt guns. I convinced her to splurge on the One Shot brand because they’re reliable in a crisis. There’s no beating that, even though they’re twice the cost of most of the alternatives.

I guess I hadn’t realized how much she was still struggling with the fact that she’d been attacked by a vampire. Lilith had been an ancient bat, so powerful she qualified as a full-fledged demon. She wanted me and had used Dawna to get information.