Mistfall Page 3

The club was closer than home so I headed back that way, hoping Melissa was still there. If she had taken off, I could count on Vin to help me. I made it as far as the parking lot before collapsing on my back.

  While lying there, I felt Melissa’s potion wear off. It felt like someone ripped a warm blanket off, exposing me to the cold air. Great, if help does find me, they’ll just kill me now. I should have been more worried about that, but the thought was quickly forgotten. My mind was focused solely on the torment I was in.

  After what could have been minutes or hours I heard feet shuffling towards my head.

  “Mags? Holy hell, what happened to you?”

  I opened my eyes and saw Luca towering over me with a horrified expression on his face. “Wolf,” I half whispered, still in shock, too exhausted to try and talk.”

  He bent down to pick me up and I groaned when his hands touched the already painful wounds. Luca carried me to his car and paused before opening the door.

  “I’m sorry. If I had walked you out none of this would have happened.”

  “Not your fault,” I murmured in another half sentence.

  Luca set me down as gently as he could in the seat before making his way to the driver’s side. He sat silent a moment, swore something unintelligible under his breath and started the car.

  “Mags, I can take care of the wounds, but we need to get out of here. Where do you live?”

  I gave him the directions, leaned my head on the cool glass of the window and closed my eyes while he drove away.

  I didn’t want to move an inch by the time we pulled into my driveway. I begged Luca to let me sleep where I was.

  “If I leave you where you are then you have to come home with me tonight,” he gently teased me and chuckled softly.

  It hurt too much to laugh, so I just groaned and rolled my eyes at him.

  “Do you think you can walk?” he asked

  “I think so, but I’ll need your help.”

  He came over to my side of the car, opened the door and helped me up. I felt lightheaded and steadied myself against his arms. I looked back to the car and saw that there wasn’t an inch of the seat that wasn’t now covered by blood, my blood.

  Luca let me lean against him as he helped me inside, his warm body cocooning me like a safety net. He deposited me softly on the couch while he went around turning on the lights.

  “Mags, I need clean rags, water, some herbs, and a few other things.” He listed off what he needed and I directed him, to the kitchen where Melissa kept her spell ingredients and the bathroom, for the rest of what he was looking for.

  He laid everything in front of me on the coffee table and handed me a towel. “Um, you’re going to have to take off your shirt and, um, bra so I can clean you up,” he said with a slight pink rising in his cheeks.

  “Oh. Could you give me a minute please?”

  Luca acknowledged my need for a little privacy and turned his attention to the make-shift first aid kit while I struggled to get out of my shirt. My top was shredded, caked in blood and dirt. All things considered, I was more upset about the ruined halter top than the current state of my body. I really liked that top and it looked good on me.

  After I had adjusted the towel to cover the appropriate parts of me I didn’t want on display, Luca gave me something he said would take away the pain. It looked like tar and smelled even worse. He promised me it wasn’t as bad as it looked. He lied. Tree bark and battery acid would’ve tasted better. It took me a few minutes to swallow it down, in between the gagging. Not long after, I started to feel the drink’s effects. It made me a bit woozy, but numbed the pain and sedated me.

  Once I was feeling the full effects of Luca’s pain remedy, he had me lie down on the floor so he could clean the wound. His fingers were gentle and cool, comforting against the fire that surrounded the gouges in my back.

  Maybe it was a side effect of the medication, but I was thinking of his hands on me in a more inappropriate manner. The thought caused goose bumps to break out against my skin and I shivered.

  “Are you okay?” There was a tone of concern in his voice.

  I turned bright red and it was a good thing my face was against the floor, turned away from him.

  “I’m fine, it’s just a bit cold,” I lied, praying he couldn’t hear the nervousness in my voice.

  “I’ll be done soon and then you can put on something warmer.” His voice was caring and soft which didn’t help me focus on cleaner thoughts.

  “I could wrap myself around you to warm up,” I murmured.

  He coughed. “What did you say?”

  Oh crap! I said that out loud. Stupid pain potion! I tried to use the fog of the pain meds to cover my verbal diarrhea and prayed he hadn’t heard what I said.

  “What was that?” I asked him.

  “You were saying something about arms, legs, and me, I think.” Damnit, he did hear me.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, trying to sound half out of it. Yep, not only did he hear me, but he knew exactly what I had said, word for word. Being a gentleman, he said nothing more about it and continued his ministrations on my injuries.

  I must have fallen asleep because I was being gently prodded and Luca’s deep velvet timbre was floating around in my ears.

  “Mags…Mags, open your eyes for me.”

  I was a bit groggy, but opened my eyes, finding myself in bed. “How did I get in here?” I asked him.

  “I brought you in after I finished binding your back. I thought you would be more comfortable in here while I worked on the injury to your face.”

  Instinctively, I brought my hand to my cheek, wincing at the bruise that had formed from where the mutt had hit me.

  Luca bent over me and brushed my hand away from my face, replacing it with his own. His thumb lightly caressed my bruised cheek and I closed my eyes, relishing in his gentle touch.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “You don’t need to thank me Mags. If I had walked you out of the club this wouldn’t have happened and I can’t forgive myself for that.”

  I opened my eyes and looked at the remorse and genuine concern on his face. “Luca…” I began to say he nothing to apologize for, when my brain kicked into high gear and I realized the brew had worn off earlier. My eyes grew wide and panic set in.

  “You know what I am. Please, I’m not like the rest of them, don’t turn me in,” I pleaded as I shot up into a sitting position, grabbing the towel and keeping it firmly in place. My eyes darted around the room like a cornered animal, trying to find possible escape routes and potential weapons.

  “Mags, calm down, you have nothing to worry about.” He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “Your secret is safe with me, I promise. You need to relax though or your wounds won’t heal.

  I scoffed. Like I was going to relax being found out by someone I had just met. I didn’t know where his loyalties lied.

  “Everyone wants me dead, why should you be any different?” I demanded.

  “For starters, I’m not everyone else,” he scolded, making me feel like a child. “The issue with your kind was a long time ago. Surprised as I am that you even exist, I doubt you carry your ancestor’s politics. Besides, I reserve the right to pass my own judgment on the character of others.”

  Relief washed over me and I reclined back, thanking my lucky stars that I survived the attack and though, found out, wasn’t going to be strung up by my toes.

  “I’m guessing you use some sort of glamour?” Luca asked and I nodded in return. “That would explain a few things,” he mused.

  “Like what?”

  “The fact that I could feel something was different about you, but when I tried studying you, I found myself distracted.

  Luca had already found me out, so I didn’t see why I couldn’t tell him about the brew. I explained its inner workings. He found it rather ingenious.

  He ran his index finger across my mouth. “You’re lip has healed
and your bruise is already fading, but your back will still need a few hours. I suggest you rest and let the binding do its work,”

  I had no argument with being told to sleep. My eyes were already drooping.

  “You’re not driving home tonight, are you?” I asked. The bags developing underneath his eyes told me that he was well beyond tired. “You can stay here,” I offered before he had the chance to answer. “There are extra pillows and blankets. You can sleep on the couch.”

  Luca’s eyes swept the room and he pointed to the overstuffed lounge chair in the corner. “I’ll stay here, the chair will be fine. I’m not going anywhere until I know you’re healed.” He gave me a small smile before he furrowed his brow and got lost in thought. I was going to ask him what he was thinking about, but never got the chance. His face evened out and he looked at me with a half-cocked smile.

  “Before you go to sleep, there’s something I need to do. Something I’ve regretted not doing since you left The Lamp earlier.”

  Confusion and curiosity danced through my mind at his comment “What’s that?”

  Luca didn’t answer but leaned in, his hands entwining themselves in my knotted hair.

  “This,” he smiled, bringing his lips within an inch of mine.

  He paused only momentarily making sure I was receptive of his offering. When I didn’t back away he closed the short distance, enveloping my lips in his. His lips were soft and full, the kiss gentle. His tongue swept lightly across my lips and that tingle from earlier returned, only this time it went straight south and melted.

  He broke away too soon, before our kiss had a chance to deepen. I think he did that on purpose, knowing that I hated the manhandling David had given me earlier at the club. I smiled at him awkwardly (You know the smile. The one you get the first time you kiss someone.) and could feel the flush rising in my face.

  “No regrets?” I asked, filling in the silence.

  “Not where you’re concerned,” Luca replied cheerfully, his perfect white teeth gleaming through the grin plastered on his face.

  He let go of me, somewhat reluctantly and I settled down in bed while he took the chair. “Good night gorgeous” was the last thing I heard when I closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion pull me fully into dreamland.

  3. Running

  As I slept, my dreams decided to take on a life of their own, reliving the first and only other time I had been found out for who I was.

  I was twenty and living in southern Wisconsin. It was around midnight and I was out with friends at a party when I had gotten a frantic phone call from my neighbor, Willa.

  “Mags…all my fault…run.” She was coming in and out and I couldn’t ‘make out everything she was saying.

  “Willa, I can’t hear you, you’re breaking up. What’s wrong?”

  “Run…don’t come…they won’t stop until they find you.”

  “Willa, you’re scaring me…” The line went dead.

  I was frantic. Something very bad was happening and Willa was involved. She was the grandmother and mentor I never had. She taught me to control my powers and to fight the hellions that came after us. Without her, I would’ve been dead long ago and now I’m afraid death is on her doorstep.

  I ran out of the party, jumped in my car and sped all the way home. I fumbled with my pants pocket to free my phone so I could try and call Willa back. The phone rang and rang until voicemail picked up. I tried calling my parents next. Even though they may have been no match for whatever was going on, the denizens of Hades tend to shy away of a human audience. Only the annoying repetition of a busy signal answered my call. Maybe they’re already over at Willa’s.

  Twenty minutes later I turned onto the street I lived on. I pressed down on the accelerator a little harder when I noticed a house on fire. Please no! I was maybe two houses away when I saw that the house on fire was mine. Unidentifiable shapes were lined up on my front lawn. It only took a split second for the realization set in. Those shapes were bodies. I threw the car into park, leaving it in the middle of the street, and ran over to them.

  It was pointless to even check for a pulse. Willa, my mom, and dad lay lifeless in front of me, their hands and feet bound, their throats slit from ear to ear. It must have been the shock that kept me from freaking out because I couldn’t even cry or scream.

  I knelt by Willa and took her cold hand into my own.

  “Oh Willa,” I whispered.

  I saw what appeared to be someone moving away from Willa’s house out of the corner of my eye. I turned and stood, looking for whoever it was. I only took three steps when the house exploded.

  I was thrown backwards and landed in a heap on the ground. My ears were ringing, but I wasn’t hurt. I took one last look at the lifeless bodies. There was nothing I could do for them and whoever attacked them was still out there, so I did the only thing I could think of. I ran.

  I raced to my car, my heart pounding, and took off, not knowing where I was headed. When I saw the sign for the expressway, I felt an indescribable need to take it. I checked my mirrors to see if anyone was following. I only had the darkness and the two semis in front of me as company.

  I took a big breath and exhaled slowly, letting the night’s events sink in slowly. I didn’t have the luxury of safety to mourn their losses. That would have to wait until later. I just hoped there was a later for me.

  I had been driving for over six hours and wasn’t even sure what state I was in. Willa’s last words were still in my head.

  “They won’t stop until they find you.”

  The fear of my own demise kept me going most the night. It was only by miracle I hadn’t been pulled over for driving like hell was following me.

  It was now 8 a.m. I was exhausted, running purely on adrenaline. The gas tank was almost on empty and a mysteriously heavy fog was settling all around me. Since I didn’t feel safe enough for sleep, I pulled into the next diner I saw and settled for a pot of coffee.

  I looked around in the back seat of the car to find something to hide my eyes. There was a baseball cap in the back window and my sunglasses were in my purse. I was pretty sure I would get some strange looks for wearing sunglasses indoors, so I settled on the baseball cap. I would just have to keep my head down and not look anyone in the eyes.

  Normally, I wore contacts to hide my violet eyes. Granted, any Otherworlder would still be able to tell I was jinn, but hopefully it threw them off of what kind of jinn I was. Tonight, however, my eyes had become red and irritated by the smoke from the fire and I removed them.

  The diner was shaped like a flying saucer on the outside. It was an homage to the World’s Fair or some nuclear-era design. Based on the age of the building, I wondered what awaited me on the other side of the door. I was pretty sure that a mud puddle on the side of the road might taste better than the coffee they were serving. My options were limited as there was nothing else besides a gas station on this road, so I sucked up a big breath, opened the door, and hoped for the best as I walked through.

  “Holy crap!” I muttered to no one in particular as I walked in. Guess I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, I thought. The inside looked brand spanking new. It interior was designed like every 1950’s diner you’ve ever seen.

  There was a horseshoe shaped bar jutting out from the kitchen where solitary diners could sit and eat or drink coffee. The booth seats were made out of that gold glitter plastic I loved to sit in when I was a kid. I always wanted a chair made out of that stuff at home.

  There was a three hundred and sixty degree view all around, on which one side had a breathtaking view of the valley below the cliff the diner was butted up against. On top of that, the place was clean! Things were looking slightly less grim at the moment.

  Choosing a corner booth, I sat down and angled myself enough towards the window that I would be less noticeable.

  The waitress wasted no time in coming over. She seemed to not care if she couldn’t see my face under my cap.

  “Can I get you
something miss?” she asked.

  “I’ll just have a cup of coffee please.”

  “No problem, I’ll be right back with that.”

  While I waited I glanced around the diner to take in my surroundings. It was pretty busy and the clientele was so varied I didn’t’ think I would have a problem hiding out here for an hour or so. Bikers, bankers, and thieves, oh my!

  The waitress returned quickly. I don’t think I had ever been as grateful as I was right now. “Thank you. You don’t know what a godsend you are this morning,” I told her.

  “No problem miss. You just let me know if you need a refill.”

  She walked away, towards the two guys that had just sat down in the next booth, leaving me to my solitude and my caffeine. I said a little silent prayer to the coffee gods, stared out the window and drank my coffee.

  A few feet away from the backside of the diner is a forty foot cliff that tapers off into a valley. Since it was late spring, the valley was alive with the variety of fresh greens that seemed almost magical. The sun was shining, blanketing the valley in its golden glow. That’s odd, I didn’t notice the fog lift, I thought. Wildflowers were in bloom, dotting the carpet of grass that lined the beautiful vista I was looking at now. I finally had a moment of peace. That’s all it was too, a moment.

  One of the two guys at the next booth turned around and interrupted my solitude.

  “I’ve never seen you here before.”

  I didn’t even bother looking up, one glance at my eyes and I could be in serious trouble. I could tell there were Otherworlders in the diner, but I didn’t know who they were. Darting my eyes around the diner, I guesstimated my chances of making it out of here if anyone did take notice of me. Figuring my chances were better at making a few minutes of small talk, I answered the rude one looking my way.

  “That’s because I’ve never been here before. My name is Mags by the way. And you are?”

  He put his hands out in front of him apologetically. “I’m sorry Mags, I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s a small town and I know just about everyone around here. It’s nice meet someone new. My name’s John.”