Vaguely, I could hear Jotham and Falconer calling after me, but I couldn’t seem to stop. Couldn’t focus on anything but that woman. My heart slammed against my ribs, my blood roaring in my ears, urging me onward as I wove between people, darting across the street, barely aware of the oncoming traffic. I had to see her, must match her.
The woman turned down a lane. So did I. The crowds faded. The sound of the city disappeared. She turned down a narrow alley and of course I followed. Vaguely, I was aware of how stupid it was to head down a dark alley after a stranger, but I couldn’t seem to stop.
“Excuse me,” I called out. “Pardon.”
The woman paused and glanced back, her dark eyes curious, and wary. “Oui?”
I didn’t stop when I reached her, but boldly grasped her hand. She drew back, startled, but I didn’t let go. I couldn’t. I needed to touch her. Lord, she was beautiful…her skin practically sparkling. Before I could get over my shock, an image flashed to mind.
A man flashed before my eyes. A pub. A man serving drinks, laughing, smiling. A handsome man who enjoyed life.
Lyon.
The words whispered through my mind.
Le Petite Café.
Just as quickly as the premonition had arrived, it disappeared. The fog faded from my brain and the world came sharply into focus. “The Petite Café,” I gasped out.
The woman jerked her hand away. “No.”
“Lyon,” I said. “You must go to Lyon.”
She shook her head, confused, and I understood the look in her eyes only too well…she thought I was insane. I didn’t blame her. God, this would be so much easier if Owen were here to help.
“Do you understand? Lyon. To Le Petite Café.”
“I think I understand,” she said in a thick accent. “But…it’s impossible. Isn’t it?”
It didn’t matter if she could barely speak English. All that mattered was she understood. I grinned, feeling relieved, as if I’d awoken from a deep sleep. “No, not impossible. He’s there. You’ve dreamed of him…a guy with dark hair, a small scar.” I pointed toward my chin.
The confusion cleared and realization lit her brown eyes. The woman pressed her hand to her mouth, stifling a cry as tears filled her gaze. “Oui. Yes.”
“He’s there. Your…true love.” I felt like an idiot even saying the words, but oddly she seemed to believe me.
“Lyon?” the woman repeated.
I nodded. “Yes. Go.”
“Merci.” The woman drew me close and gave me a quick hug.
“Oh, okay, you like to hug.” I patted her awkwardly on the back.
“Merci!” She released her hold and dashed down the alley, leaving me behind. Just like that, it was over…the calm after a storm. I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets and looked up at the sky, my body light, my heart soaring. This was it. This was what it felt like to fall in love. I didn’t want to admit it, and I sure as heck wasn’t going to wax poetic about it, but I savored the feel of the match. It made me, dare I say…happy to help others?
With a grin, I turned back toward the street. “Jotham, did you see…” My voice trailed off. Jotham and Falconer weren’t there. The alley was empty.
Crap, I’d probably lost them and would have to fumble my way back to the castle. I started toward the street. I’d assumed they would follow, was shocked they hadn’t. When I reached the street, it was to see that it was completely empty. No one was there. I paused in the middle of the cobbled lane. I could hear voices, conversations, laughter, the rumble of cars and mopeds…but where? I could hear the noise of the town…somewhere. Where the hell was everyone?
I started down the road. Panic wedged itself into my gut. Something was wrong. Really, really wrong. The more I walked, the quieter the voices became. The bakery stood to my right, the castle loomed above, but the faster I raced toward that familiar sight, the farther away it seemed to be. I froze, gasping for air.
“Hello?” I cupped my hands together and peeked through the window of the bakery. The place was empty. There weren’t even pastries under the glass. Almost as if…as if the world had been abandoned, vanished.
“Ridiculous,” I muttered to myself, spinning around, searching for signs of life.
They couldn’t all just disappear. The world hadn’t ended. This wasn’t some post-apocalyptic movie. I’d find them. Or they’d find me with their magical powers. And if I couldn’t find them, well, then I’d just look for an opening and head toward the castle.
But as I turned a corner and the next street was empty too, my panic returned. “This can’t be normal.” A heavy, sinking feeling of dread washed over me. “Damn it, Owen, where are you?”
I started down another street, brushing against the stone wall. It felt real and solid. But the crowds…I could hear the roar of their conversation somewhere, out of reach. Where? Where was everyone? I braced my hand against the wall of an empty shop, using the stone as support.
“Falconer! Jotham!” Their names echoed down the alley, bounding off the stone walls.
No one responded.
I froze where two alleys intersected, indecision holding me captive. No movement. No people. Nothing but that hum of voices, just out of reach. People I couldn’t quite find.
“Owen!” I cried out, my fear turning into anger. “Where the heck are you?”
A shiver of awareness caressed my skin. A cold, bitter, sickening feeling that said I wasn’t alone. I spun around, hoping to find Falconer or maybe Jotham. No such luck. A huge dark form hovered at the end of the alley. I knew immediately it was a demon.
“Hell,” I muttered.
He made the demon who had attacked me at my loft look like a freaking Hello Kitty. Huge clawed feet thundered toward me. From his nostrils, smoke trailed up in curling waves. A monster. A demon. He looked like a bull crossed with the very devil. I didn’t know what the hell it was and I wasn’t about to wait around and find out. I spun around, preparing to flee. The demon suddenly appeared ten feet in front of me, his lips lifting into a snarl.
The scent of rotting carcass infused the air, making me gag. “Oh God.”
“God won’t help you now,” he growled.
“Crap!” I spun around and ran full speed down the alley. Weapon, I needed a weapon. My freaking self-defense wasn’t going to do any good on this monster. I didn’t suppose he would readily tell me where his heart was located.
I turned a corner and ran straight into a hard body. Firm hands gripped my upper arms.
“No!” I lifted my fist and swung. My hand was easily caught in a tight grip.
“Emma,” a familiar voice called out. “Emma, look at me.”
I forced my gaze to focus, my panic to recede. Owen stood in front of me. I’d never been so happy to see him, but I didn’t have time to tell him how I felt. With a cry, I shoved my hands into his chest, pushing him back. “Run!”
Owen’s gaze shifted to the area past my shoulder. “Hell.” He latched on to my arm and jerked me behind him, always the Protector.
“Damn right,” I said. “Where the hell have you been?”
“I’ve been where I always am…at the castle.”
I brushed off his response. If he didn’t want to talk about his date with Petunia, then fine. “We need to get rid of him before he hurts a human.” I glanced around the area in search of a weapon. “Where’s his heart?”
“I told you not to worry. I’m here to protect you.” Owen lifted his hand and a fireball appeared.
Stunned, I could merely glare at him. He was here to protect me? Was he joking? Where the heck had he been five minutes ago? Ten minutes ago? Talk about leaving it to the last minute.
Owen threw the fireball and hit the demon directly in its chest. The thing burst into flames, releasing a high-pitched screech that raised the fine hairs on my body. I had only a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, when Owen spun around and lifted his arm, throwing another fireball directly over my head. I squeaked and jumped back against the wall. A
second demon behind us burst into flames. They burned quickly…too quickly. All that remained were two piles of ash.
Their cries of outrage faded, leaving us alone. The sounds of the city suddenly burst back into life, almost too loud. A couple strolled down the street, chatting and laughing, not even noticing us. Life went on as normal. Yep, everything was totally normal.
Owen was breathing heavily as he stepped closer to me. I realized with a start that he was wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt. I’d never seen him in anything but his dress clothes. Crap, he looked good. Really good. I followed the tattoo designs up his forearms, to his muscled biceps.
“Are you all right?”
I jerked my gaze to his face and nodded. He looked good, but he also looked angry. Glasses gone, dark hair mussed, jaw clenched. I stiffened, immediately defensive. Why was he angry? I’d done nothing wrong.
“You will not take my Matchmaker out without my permission again, do you understand?”
For a moment I thought he was talking to me. But no, he wasn’t looking my way, his gaze had shifted to the alley behind me. Slowly I turned and saw Falconer and Jotham standing there mutely. Both men looked so shocked, with their wide eyes and gaping mouths, it was almost funny. Almost. Where had they been when I’d needed them? So help me, if this had all been a test…
Then suddenly Owen’s words pierced my muddled mind. You will not take my Matchmaker out without my permission again.
Owen hadn’t known I was going to town? But Falconer had implied Owen was in a meeting, which was why he hadn’t come with us.
Falconer narrowed his eyes. “You forget yourself, young man. You are not in charge here. You work for the Consulate.”
Owen took my hand in his, jerking me to his side in a way that would have made a caveman proud. “No, lest you forget, I work for Emma and only Emma.” He turned, pulling me with him, and for the moment I kept my mouth shut. I glanced over my shoulder right before we turned the corner. Jotham was smiling, but Falconer looked pissed.
“What was that about?” I demanded as soon as we were out of sight.
“Mortalitas demon. They can produce an invisible wall, blocking out other humans—”
“No.” I jerked my hand away from him. “Where the hell were you?”
He sighed, raking his hands through his hair. “A meeting.”
My heart sank. “So Falconer was telling the truth? You left me, your assignment, to go to a freaking meeting?”
“No.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “He didn’t tell me he was taking you. Damn it, he had no right to escort you outside the castle without my permission.”
“Permission?” I stiffened. “I’m not a child.”
“Don’t make this about you.”
I laughed. “It is about me!” I spun around to leave, then thought better of it, realizing that not only did I have nowhere to go, but without Owen I was a freaking target for demons. I hated having to rely on him. “I’m tired of being used. You and the Consulate want me to match, demons want my energy, and vampires…well, we don’t know what they want, but it’s obviously something.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I know.”
But at the moment, it wasn’t so much my powers that angered me, but his lack of emotion. “Where the heck were you?” Yeah, I was angry. Angry that he hadn’t known until the last minute. Angry that after admitting he liked me, he’d disappeared for days.
He grasped my hands, holding me captive. “I’m sorry. I came as soon as I sensed you.”
He looked so dang sincere that my anger fled. God, we were both being used here. It wasn’t his fault, it was mine for relying on him, for relying on anyone. I’d learned long ago to count only on myself, but the more time I spent with Owen, the less I seemed to remember how. And that scared me to death.
I tore my hands from his and stepped back, putting distance between us. Time to regain control. He’d wanted a professional relationship, and I realized now that was what would be best. “What happened? How could this happen?”
“I have a feeling,” he started, sounding exhausted and wary, so unlike him. “That someone set you up to die.”
Chapter 15
Owen
If I had been doubtful before, I was no longer.
Someone had betrayed Emma’s aunt, and now that same person was trying to kill Emma.
I’d be damned if I’d let that happen.
“You’re not concentrating, Emma.”
She glanced over her shoulder, glaring at me. Yeah, maybe I was being too hard on her, but the demon attack in town three days ago had made me realize just how screwed we were. She’d been right all along…she needed to know how to protect herself.
I leaned back against the wardrobe in her bedchamber and watched her do a roundhouse kick toward the stuffed dummy hanging from the chandelier, setting the crystals trembling. My nerves were still shaken. I couldn’t get over the fact that because of the Consulate, she could have died. For not the first time, I wondered what the hell Falconer had been thinking. Or did he truly believe that he and Jotham had enough power to keep her safe? If they were so bloody out of touch, they shouldn’t be running things.
I shoved an ottoman out of the way as she spun toward me. I’d pushed the furniture back to the corners of her room, giving us plenty of space. She might not be able to control her powers, but she sure as hell could protect herself.
“I don’t see why we can’t train in the training room.” She swiped her arm across her forehead and eased from her fighting stance into a relaxed position.
Because I didn’t want anyone to know we were preparing. She’d been trained in self-defense, had even taken a few years of tae kwon do. But this…this fighting required skills she didn’t have. This wasn’t sparring with rules and a referee; this was kill or be killed.
“Come on,” I said. “You were the one who insisted on training. Remember in the US? You said you could protect yourself?”
She glared at me, snatching her water bottle from the desk. “Of course you have to bring that up.”
“You’re thinking too much.”
She tossed her braid over her shoulder and sauntered toward me. “And as a woman, of course, I shouldn’t think?”
“No, as a person trained to kill, you don’t have time to think. React, instinct, you must learn to use them.”
I reached out, latching on to her arm, and straightening it. Slowly, I drew my fingers over the sensitive spot behind her elbow. “Here…there’s a pressure point.” I released my hold and slid my hand up the back of her neck. “And here.”
Yeah, I was completely aware of her body so close to mine, the heat, the shiver that raced over her skin as I slid my hand up the back of her neck. I was aware, but I had to ignore it.
“With just a little pressure in the right spot, you can bring a man to the ground.” I released my hold and stepped back. “But first you need to trust your instincts.”
She frowned, rubbing the spot on her arm where I’d touched her. “I do.”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course. In my line of business, I’ve had to rely on my instincts.”
But I knew her better than she realized. I moved toward the chair where I’d discarded my jacket and grabbed the blue silk tie. “Turn around.”
She frowned, glancing at the tie warily. “Why?”
“Don’t you trust me?” I mocked. We both knew the answer to that question, but I was daring her to admit it. She didn’t trust herself, whether she realized it or not, and she sure as heck didn’t trust me.
She hesitated for a long moment. Finally with a sigh, she turned, surprising me. I moved closer to her, my chest at her back, and slid the smooth material over her eyes. Her silky hair brushed my fingers, that vanilla scent driving me mad.
“Kinky,” she muttered.
I tied the ends, blindfolding her. “Not quite.”
“Then what are you doing?”
I leaned closer, my breath stirring th
e locks that had drifted toward her neck. I didn’t miss the pulse that pounded in the side of her throat. “Testing your instincts. Quiet your mind and your body, let the answers come to you.”
“What the heck does that mean?”
I stepped back.
She spun around to face me. “Very funny, Emerson.”
I didn’t respond, merely moved a few more steps away, out of reach, and waited to see what she would do. Yeah, I needed the distance as much as she needed to practice. My mind didn’t like what she could do to me. My body, good God, my body liked her…too much.
She placed her hands on her hips, standing there in a patch of sunlight that pierced the white curtains. “I’m not playing this silly game.”
I didn’t move, didn’t say a bloody word. It served her right, she hated not being in charge. But if there was one thing I’d learned, it was that Emma couldn’t resist a challenge. Would she rise to the occasion, or would she fail?
“Fine,” she snapped. “Do your worst.”
I appeared left, disappearing just as quickly. She felt a stirring and swiped her arm wide, but I was already gone. Her frustrated sigh had me grinning. There was something incredibly amusing about taunting her, and for a brief moment all our issues, our worries, vanished.
“Nice try,” I whispered, appearing near her right side.
She turned, even knowing I was gone before she fully faced me. “No using your disappearing powers! Not fair.”
“You think demons and vampires won’t use theirs?” I said in her left ear.
She spun toward me and jabbed her arm. Her fist hit my stomach. My grunt brought a smirk of satisfaction to her face. “Well, look at that.”
But with a swoosh, I disappeared. She’d reacted quickly, had diverted my attention with her comment. I wouldn’t make the same mistake. “Quiet your body and your mind.”
“How can I when you’re constantly talking,” she said.
And there I was…grinning again. Nevertheless, she took in a deep breath and relaxed her taut shoulders. Yeah, she’d relaxed, but she was too relaxed. I appeared behind her and waited for her to sense me. Her shoulders stiffened a moment before she spun around, fist raised.