Mojo Queen Read online

  Stomach empty, I leaned against the cool tile of the wall. Blake flushed the toilet and lowered the seat. He ran water over the hand towel, wrung it out then kneeled before me, wiping my face gently. I didn’t trust myself to speak yet so we sat in silence for a while.

  “Who was that man?” I coughed, my throat rough.

  Blake swung his backpack off, unzipped it and pulled out a bottle of water. He opened it and handed it to me. I drank, too tired to argue.

  “Daniel explained to me that he would need fresh blood after being so badly damaged. He told me what he does when bags of donated blood aren’t enough.”

  “What, just grab some poor bastard off the street and murder him?”

  “No,” he snapped. “I wouldn’t be a party to that. He uses the sex offender data base.”

  I drew my eyebrows together, not understanding. Blake continued, “Sex offenders are required to register when they get out of jail. Daniel said he keeps an eye on the database.”

  “So that’s supposed to excuse this? Because the man was a sex offender?” I put the cap back on the water bottle and shoved it at him, pulling myself to my feet.

  “He raped a child. I checked all the public records I could at the library, fast as I could. That’s why it took me so long. I searched online and I passed on several on the registry. This guy, though…” Blake shook his head, grimacing. “My conscience is clear. He raped a child.”

  I stared at him hard. Plenty of times I’d seen black market bags of blood in Daniel’s refrigerator. He’d never talked about how he bought them, or from whom, or what else his diet might consist of. It just wasn’t something we’d ever discussed. I had to admit, it wasn’t something I had ever wanted to know.

  Blake ran a hand through his thick black hair. “Look. He didn’t want you to know. For what it’s worth, he didn’t want you to know.”

  “How is that supposed to be worth something?”

  He shrugged. “Let’s just go sit outside, okay?”

  I shook my head, waved him away.

  “Look, I really think it’s better if we go sit in the sun for a while, you know? Come with me,” he cajoled. For the first time in what felt like days the spark was back in his dark chocolate eyes. It felt like days but had we even been here two hours yet?

  “Come on,” he said. “Don’t make me sit out there alone with Seth.”

  Reluctantly, I let him drape an arm around me and lead me to the porch. As we neared the front door we heard a cry from upstairs. It sounded like a cry of pain, and it was not Daniel’s voice. I broke away from Blake and ran the rest of the way out of the house.

  * * * *

  The late winter cold, stress and exhaustion, and hunger weren’t doing me and Seth any favors. I got tired of listening to the kid so I sent Blake to the kitchen for the pitchers of potion I’d brewed. I would save some for the house but it wouldn’t hurt to spread a little around the grounds, just as a precaution. That kept me busy for a while. Blake produced more candy bars from his backpack after I finished. It took a little coaxing but I managed to get Seth to eat one.

  It was nearly two hours before I heard from Daniel. He sent me a text message that said simply, I’m okay now. I showed it to Blake and we went inside, leaving Seth on the porch swing.

  We met him in the kitchen. Daniel had showered and dressed in fresh clothes, looking much healthier now. He wouldn’t quite meet my eyes and I kept Blake between us.

  Daniel said, “I think we need to get out to the lake house and lay low, at least until we figure out what to do next.”

  I nodded. “Seeing as how both our homes have been attacked, it’s either that or a motel.”

  “What, you have a vacation home or something?” Blake asked.

  Daniel nodded once, still looking at the floor more than anything else. “It’s on Kentucky Lake, a couple hours from here. It’s big enough for all of us.”

  “We’ll leave at twilight then,” I said. I left the room, telling myself I wanted to check on Seth, who was out in the sunshine, where Daniel couldn’t go.

  Twilight felt like a long time coming.

  We took the SUV since we wouldn’t all fit in the Miata. Daniel drove, Seth rode shotgun, mercifully done with reading random passages from his bible out loud. I sat in the back with Blake and tried to keep my distance from him. It worked about as well this time as any other. Dude had no respect for personal space. His hand was warm on the back of my neck, strong fingers massaging tense muscles. I supposed I could have made him stop but I was too damn tired to argue and hell, it wasn’t the worst thing.

  We stopped at a drive-in for the three of us who needed real food. Halfway through a cheeseburger I realized it was the most I’d eaten all day. It wasn’t sitting well on my stomach, either, so I gave up the greasy burger for some nice plain tater tots. After eating it didn’t take long for the drive to lull me to sleep.

  His hands roamed my body, his lips insistent against mine. Not that I put up any kind of protest. I pulled him to me, wanting to crush myself against his hard muscle. I couldn’t tell if we were standing, sitting or lying down, I couldn’t see anything but dim flickers of silver in the dark. All I could feel was him. All I wanted was him.

  I woke as the SUV came to a stop. For some reason it was no surprise to find myself cuddled up next to Blake, his arm around my shoulders. He had slid his long form down in the seat and rested his head against the back. His eyes were still closed but I couldn’t tell if he was really sleeping.

  A door slammed. Daniel had exited the vehicle and was walking to the luggage compartment. My glasses were folded and hung on my shirt front. I could see Daniel’s yellow-gold aura through the window’s dark tint. It should have reassured me but it didn’t.

  “We there?” Blake opened his eyes.

  “Yeah.” I extricated myself from him and put on my glasses. His hand trailed down my back as I climbed out of the vehicle. The caress sent a shiver of pleasure through me and made me think of the dream I’d had while sleeping next to him. So very not good. Or maybe just too damn good.

  The old fishing cabin was good-sized and full of modern conveniences, just the way Daniel liked it. There were only two bedrooms, though. I high-tailed it into the one with its own bathroom and locked the door behind me. Those three men could work it out among themselves who slept where, or even have a big threesome in the living room, I didn’t care. I needed privacy.

  I showered and climbed into bed, exhausted. This time instead of erotic dreams of Blake, I had nightmares about Daniel, crouching over me, holding me down, fangs distorting the familiar face of one of the few people I trusted. I woke up screaming shortly before dawn. By the time someone started pounding on the door, I had more or less shaken off the worst of the nightmare.

  Daniel called my name from the other side of the door.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “Be out in a minute.”

  “What’s the matter, Roxie?”

  I hesitated. “Just a bad dream. Can you make some coffee?”

  “Sure thing.” An undercurrent of fear flowed in his voice. No need to tell him what my nightmares were about.

  Ten minutes later I walked into the kitchen, nervous and hungry. Daniel had coffee brewing, bread in the toaster and eggs in a skillet. He was a pretty good cook for a guy who had eaten his last meal a century or so ago.

  “Where’s the others?” I said by way of greeting.

  “Seth is still asleep on the couch. Blake’s in the shower.” He dished scrambled eggs onto a plate for me. “I went out while everyone was asleep. Got some groceries and stuff.”

  I took the plate and sat at the small table. “Thank you.”

  He poured two cups of coffee and sat while I ate my eggs in silence. As I pushed my plate away and reached for my coffee, he said my name. I cut him off, my voice tight. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “We need to, Roxie.” He reached for me.

  I snatched my hand away. I hated it, but I couldn’t stand
the thought of him touching me. Not yet.

  “Look, right now we need to figure out what to do. Whatever Delia is, she’s powerful and she’s running around loose. I have to stop her.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “I think I need to call in one of those friends I was telling you about.”

  I snapped my head up, finally willing to meet his eyes. “Why?”

  “This is bigger than anything you’ve ever dealt with before, Roxie. You need help.”

  It took me a while to respond, while I counted to ten to keep from throwing my coffee in his face. I opened my mouth and realized I needed to keep counting. At fifty I felt calm enough to speak. “I don’t have any problem admitting I sometimes need backup, but you are way out of line suggesting I’m too weak or incompetent or whatever the hell it is you’re suggesting.”

  “I’m not saying you’re weak or incompetent, I’m saying you’re in over your head. Let me call for help.”

  A hand dropped on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Blake. “I don’t think we need to add more variables to the mix here.”

  He helped himself to coffee. His black hair looked even thicker still wet from the shower. He was clean-shaven and wore a different pair of jeans and a dark-blue t-shirt. Waves of color rippled through the nebula of his aura.

  “What you think doesn’t matter,” Daniel said, menace in his voice. “You’re the one who started this nightmare. If it were up to me I’d cut you loose and let your demon girlfriend kill you.”

  “Mmm.” Blake sipped his coffee. “Could you make me some eggs?” Blake the Smirky Sorcerer, and I had to admit even if only to myself, I was starting to like the smirk.

  Daniel shot to his feet, sending his chair colliding into the oven. His eyes darkened, veins along his forearms taut. “You son of a bitch.”

  “What, I think it’s only fair you cook breakfast for me. After all…” He let the smirk bloom into an evil smile. “I provided you with a meal yesterday.”

  I don’t know how I got between them fast enough to keep Daniel from ripping Blake’s head off, but I managed it. “We’re not gonna do this!” I backed up against Blake, throwing up a hand at Daniel. “We’re not going to fight amongst ourselves. That will only help Delia.”

  Blake took half a step closer. I stood my ground until Daniel calmed and returned to his chair. “It’s not a good idea, taking him on as a client.”

  “Duly noted. Let’s move on.”

  Blake’s hand at the small of my back sent me scurrying to my chair. “You still have internet access here?” I asked Daniel.

  He nodded. “Need the laptop?”

  “Please.”

  “I’ll go set it up for you.” He stood. “Want it in your room?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “And thank you for the clothes,” Blake chimed in as he seated himself in Daniel’s chair. “I found some that fit. Did a friend leave them here?” He peered over the top of his mug with an innocent expression that was somehow not at all innocent.

  Daniel bared a fang at him, hissing.

  I raised a hand. “Bubba, please, just get the laptop for me, okay. Please?”

  After a moment he relented and left the kitchen. I promptly kicked Blake under the table.

  Swearing, he set his mug down and rubbed his leg. “What was that for?”

  “Could you try not to give me stress? Or anyone else for that matter.”

  He took my hand in his, mischief in his eyes. “If you’re experiencing stress, maybe I can help you with that.”

  I pulled my hand away. “You can help by not being an ass.”

  Seth ambled into the kitchen, rubbing his face and stretching. “He doesn’t know how to be anything but an ass.”

  I hopped up, wanting to hug the poor kid but not sure how he’d take it so I settled for patting him on the arm. “How are you? Did you sleep okay?”

  “Daniel gave me a valium. Is there orange juice?”

  I checked the fridge, pleased to see what all made Daniel’s grocery list. I poured Seth a glass of orange juice and directed him to sit. After he took a long drink, I asked again, “How do you feel today?”

  Seth stared at the table, running a finger over the swirls in the wood. I waited, not wanting to push and also grateful for Blake keeping his mouth shut for once. After a moment something seemed to occur to Seth and he raised his head to look at me. “Does that mean Daniel’s gay?”

  “Oh, honey, you’re not going to start reading Leviticus at us again, are you?” I couldn’t help myself.

  He blushed, dropping his gaze back to the table. “No. No, I was just wondering.” He took another drink of juice. “I’m, well, I’m not okay. I’m not okay by any stretch.” He shook his head, rubbing his face again. He met my gaze. “I’m not okay but I am better than yesterday.”

  “I want to keep you with us until this is over with. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe.”

  “I know you will. I’m just scared. Real scared, and I can’t really.” He halted. I could hear his feet tapping on the floor. “I can’t get my head around all this.”

  “Maybe you could try doing some of the meditation exercises I taught you,” Blake said. The gentle tone of his voice surprised me. “If nothing else it might help you stay calm. Stay centered.”

  The flesh around Seth’s eyes tightened but there was no sign of the fury that had caused him to attack Blake yesterday. He wouldn’t look at Blake but after a moment he did respond. “Maybe I’ll try that.”

  I refilled my coffee. “You guys okay if I go do some research in my room?”

  Blake faced me, smirk fully deployed. “Why did you get your own room? I had to sleep on the floor. The hard, cold floor.”

  Seth snickered. “That’s ’cause no one likes you.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, y’all are fine for now. Just be nice, okay. Seth, you need me, you come get me.”

  Seth nodded.

  Blake said, “What if I need you?”

  “Are you right-handed or left-handed?”

  “Are you telling me to go fuck myself?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I left to the sound of his laughter.

  * * * *

  Someone knocked on the door while I was finishing some notes on djinn folklore. I looked up as Blake let himself into my room. Before I could speak, he grabbed the laptop and my notebook, setting both on the floor. He stretched out on the bed, laying his head in my lap.

  “What are you doing? I got work to do.” I’m sure the smile I couldn’t help told him I didn’t mind the interruption.

  “Daniel and Seth are watching the Food Network. As thrilling as that is, I thought maybe I should check on you.” He was trying hard but the smirk didn’t reach his eyes.

  I tossed my pen to the floor and gently pushed him from my lap to a pillow, then lay on my side to face him. A lock of heavy black hair fell across one eye. I smoothed it back, and if the motion gave me an excuse to run my fingers through his hair, well, he didn’t seem to mind. He scooted closer to me, one hand lightly brushing against my thigh. I tensed. Seeing it, he froze, but didn’t withdraw his hand. I made an effort to relax, and he saw that too. He trailed his hand to my hip and let it rest in the curve. The weight and warmth of his flesh felt good even through my t-shirt. I thought perhaps I should say something but couldn’t think of what.

  We lay there in companionable silence. Drowsiness relaxed me further and I thought nothing of it when he moved closer. There were just inches between us, our heads on the same pillow. His hand drifted to the small of my back, pulling me closer still. Somewhere in the back of my brain, my what the hell switch flipped. I snuggled into his arms and his warmth, not caring to analyze the why of it or worry about what he would make of it. He felt solid and safe.

  I dozed for a while. A few times I felt his lips brush my hair, his fingers trail across my back and side. I was half asleep when I heard him whisper, “I really fucked up this time.”

  I raised my
head, adjusted my glasses. “Blake.”

  “I’ve done plenty of stupid things, gotten in over my head.” He closed his eyes. “I never got people killed before.”

  “You said you never meant for that to happen and I believe you.”

  He opened his eyes. They were full of moisture. “That won’t bring them back.” He blinked, sending a single tear sliding down the side of his face.

  “Oh, baby.” I wiped the tear away and brushed my lips against his. He kissed me back, holding me tight, both of us needy. His lips were soft as they trailed across my cheek, down to the hollow of my throat. Gentle when he reached my mouth again, the tip of his tongue barely touching the seam of my lips, as if asking for permission. I gave it, parting my lips and meeting his tongue with my own.

  Blake rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him. Conscious thought stopped and I just let myself enjoy the feel of our bodies pressed together, his hands in my hair, the heat of our kisses. Arousal spread through me in a slow, hot wave. He slid one hand up the back of my shirt, his touch raising goose bumps on my skin and making me shiver. He must have liked feeling me move on top of him because he moaned against my mouth. I moved my legs around so I was straddling him. Feeling his arousal kicked down the last of my inhibitions and I ground myself against him. I tore my mouth from his as he moaned again, quickly removing my glasses. I wanted to see his aura as I writhed against him.

  It did not disappoint. His black starfield shimmered with threads of silver and purple. Those were not the colors I was used to associating with desire but I had no doubt that’s what they meant, at least in him. I rocked my hips against him, hard. He groaned and bit his lip.

  Something about the way he looked in that moment--eyes half closed, face flushed with desire, biting his lip--was so damn sexy it nearly undid me. His bottom lip looked so luscious I just had to have it. I nipped it with my teeth then sucked it before kissing him, thrusting my tongue into his mouth, letting it show him everything I wanted.