Coming Together Read online

  He heard Jackie call his name and craved her so fucking bad he couldn’t think of anything but sinking inside her. Until he registered the tears in her eyes and reality hit him like a lightning bolt.

  Frustrated, he hit the wall, then did it again, not feeling a damned bit better as he spun and slid down the fractured surface, dropping his head into his hands.

  The door cracked open and Jackie leaned in. “Eddie, I… shit, don’t do this to yourself. Please.”

  He met her gaze and shook his head. “How do I fix us?”

  She crossed the room and sat beside him, leaning against his shoulder, staring into his eyes. “Don’t have to fix anything. You’re hurting enough. You weren’t even awake.”

  Her aquamarine eyes held him captive.

  Eddie wanted to kiss the worry from her face. She was right, though. He should be torn up over Kim. But as much as losing Kim hurt, it was nothing compared to the fact he may have destroyed their friendship. Jackie was the one person he couldn’t live without.

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just… fuck. I’m such a bastard.”

  “Shh.” She laced her fingers through his. “It’s only wrong because you thought you were with someone else.” She blinked back tears. “I have to do a few things this morning, but I’ll be here tonight. We’re fine. We’ll talk then.”

  He couldn’t process those words fast enough. While he sat there stunned, she leaned over to kiss his cheek before leaving the room.

  Eddie stared at the door, trying to sort out what she’d really meant. His phone buzzed, reminding him work would start in an hour, but there was no way he could manage today. First time in four years he had called in. He couldn’t imagine they would say no.

  Eddie pulled up Toryn’s number and hit talk.

  The phone had barely rung when he answered. “Hey, heard about Kim. Dude, take the day off. Take a week off. Whatever you need.”

  “Thanks, man. Hey, I need to ask a huge favor. Can one of you maybe keep an eye on Jackie? I fucked up and doubt she wants to see me right now, but I have to know she’s safe.”

  “What did you do?”

  He let out a sad laugh. “Took things too far in my sleep. Scared the shit out of her. She left instead of talking about what happened. Jackie says she’s fine, but fuck, I doubt she is.”

  Toryn was silent too long. Before Eddie could further explain, he finally answered, “Uh… I think you two will work things out. But one of us will keep an eye on her today. Don’t stress.”

  That gave him a flutter of hope. Toryn didn’t often offer insight into the future, but he was never wrong when he did. “Thanks. If something happens and you need me, call. I doubt I can handle more than a day or two off.”

  “We’ll be fine. You take care of yourself right now.”

  “I’m getting ready to meet Kim’s father. We’re planning the funeral in a few days. I’ll want to be off for that.”

  “Of course. Seriously, take all the time you need.”

  “I will. Later, Toryn.”

  Eddie checked the clock before heading to the bathroom. He’d better take a shower, and wash Jackie’s scent off, before meeting Mr. Xhangxi.

  * * *

  Jackie walked to the park in silence. The last place she should be after Kim’s death, but she couldn’t redirect her feet. Seeing Eddie so broken up didn’t help. He blamed himself, but the morning wasn’t his fault. She knew it had everything to do with the powers she wanted to ignore.

  Brent was right. She needed to talk to him about her mother, and what was going on with her. Fear held her back. She wanted to hide awhile longer, avoid the bitter truth.

  Jackie plopped down beneath a tree. Wrapping her arms around herself, she attempted to figure out what to do.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Mike asked as he sat down beside her. He often brought his dog, Sasha, to the park. They’d been friends since high school, and later went to art school together. Until some months before, he’d hidden the fact he was a druid. When he finally told her the story, she understood why.

  Sasha put her head in Jackie’s lap. She rubbed behind the dog’s soft ears.

  Sighing, she turned to face Mike. “My whole world is falling apart.” Quite possibly a massive understatement. “I think I have to talk to Brent before I really wreck things with Eddie.”

  “What do you mean? You two…” Mike looked away with a strained laugh. “The two of you will figure it out. I can’t imagine one without the other.”

  Blushing, she looked away. No way did he mean what she hoped.

  “You heard about Kim?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Investigating the cause of death. Seems we have a vampire problem.”

  Jackie cringed. “I met a vampire last night. Should I be worried?”

  Mike nudged her. “Who?”

  “Stefano. Didn’t ask for a last name. Brent says he’s Tiana’s nephew.”

  “He’s not one of our suspects. His record confirms the relation to Tiana, but I’ll look deeper to make sure you’re safe.”

  She smiled over. “Thanks. Who are you guys looking into?”

  “Two Shadowstalkers who came to town a couple weeks ago. We knew they were vampires, but not the subspecies, until Others started showing up drained. We did some digging into their travels in Europe. I wish we’d caught the problem sooner.” Unclipping the dog’s leash, he threw a green tennis ball and Sasha charged off. “They’re the psycho mass murderers of the bloodsuckers. They get high on Other blood. Can do some scary shit, so don’t go out alone at night. Have Eddie pick you up or something. I’m sure he’s worried sick.”

  A groan slipped out. “He always is. Especially after this morning.”

  “This morning?” His brow arched.

  She sighed. “Don’t ask. I have to talk to Brent. I’m working up the courage.”

  “What about?”

  “My other half.”

  “Which means?”

  She shrugged. “You know I’m part mage?”

  He nodded.

  “Well, I’m also part fae. Siren to be exact. I went through an awakening I guess.”

  A smirk lifted one corner of his mouth as he looked away. “I heard.”

  Jackie groaned. “Someone probably should have told me what that was about beforehand.”

  “Nah. You had to get through it. Otherwise, you would have put off the discussion. Trust me, I know all about that.”

  She smiled. “I remember you turning into a tiger at Scotty and Jayde’s party. Got to say, I’m impressed.”

  He nodded. “Thanks to Gwen, who got through to me, I finally accepted my true nature.”

  “Why did you hide for so long?”

  “My mother had convinced me no one should ever learn about my magic. Our father was a truly evil man. A blood druid. Similar to a dark mage, though he drew power from blood, instead of essence. I didn’t believe her until Amanda freaked out one night.”

  “When a mugger attacked you guys and you shifted, even though your magic was supposed to be locked down?”

  He nodded. “Amanda feared all magic, thanks to her brother. Well, her leaving convinced me I was a monster. It took Gwen to pull me out of that darkness.”

  “I’m glad she did.”

  “Eddie will accept you, regardless of your parentage. I do. Hell, Eddie works with fae. They’ll show you what you need to know. No one will be afraid of your magic.”

  “Except myself. My magic, at least that portion of it, is sexual in nature.”

  “What happened this morning?” Mike asked.

  “I should talk to Brent before I try to understand.”

  “I’ll make you a deal,” he offered.

  Her brow arched. “What’s that?”

  “You talk to Brent, figure this out, and get ahold of me if you’d appreciate an extra set of ears. Meanwhile, I’ll call you when I learn something more. Stop stalling. If you’d like, Sasha and I will walk you to the café.”

  “Thanks, but
I’ve got to do this on my own.”

  “A word of advice. Accept your nature, embrace it. You’ll be happier.” He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight. “Trust me.”

  “Got to happen sometime.” She stood up and grabbed her bag, giving Sasha a final pat. “Thank you, Mike.”

  Chapter 9

  Brent sat in the corner of the café sipping his mocha. Jackie blew through the door and slid into the booth, across from him. He didn’t miss the way her hands trembled, or how her eyes swept around the room.

  “Jackie, you look rattled.” He hoped that meant she was ready to talk.

  She closed her eyes and drew a few breaths before pulling the necklace from under her shirt and handing it over. The clear crystal now swirled with black shadows. Meaning Shadowstalkers had been near her, attempting to influence her, or someone within reach of her.

  “What the fuck does this mean? I noticed it in the shower, and after this morning, I’m freaking the fuck out.”

  He frowned, taking the necklace and moving it under the table. The crystal had done its job by absorbing the mental influence from the Shadowstalkers. He needed to purge the energy so it would absorb more, because he was willing to bet they would be back.

  He regretted introducing Jackie to Stefano. The Shadowstalkers were trailing him, and now her.

  “What happened this morning?” Focusing his energy into the pendant, he watched Jackie carefully.

  “The problems don’t even start there. Everything is a damned mess since the photo shoot.” She looked out the window, shifting in her seat as she bit her lip.

  He looked away with a sigh. “You had to finish going through the awakening. Time to embrace the new knowledge. Now that you’re ready to talk, we can sort this out.”

  “Might be too late. This morning…” Dropping her head into her hands, she squeezed her eyes shut. “Eddie was going to propose to Kim last night. Instead he found out Kim had died.”

  “Died implies accident or sickness. That may be the story all over the news, but Kim was killed. As were the other victims.”

  She nodded. “Mike says Shadowstalkers. Are you sure I can trust Stefano?”

  He wanted to promise she could, but had a bad feeling. Things weren’t adding up. “Not sure, Jackie. I trust Tiana, and she trusts him. Maybe the Shadowstalkers hunting Stefano are behind the killings. That being said, I can’t say for certain.”

  She met his gaze. “If he’s bad news, can I handle him?”

  He nodded. “One of two ways. If he touches you, you can send him a compulsion to leave you alone. Beyond that, you have magic at your fingertips. I’m not worried about Stefano. It’s the other two who are a more serious concern.”

  “What do you know?”

  “Kim’s the nineteenth victim. The media only learned of ten. There will be more. Keep this necklace on. If you were all siren, you would be naturally immune. You’re not, and without asking a vampire to enthrall you as a test, I have no way to confirm my theory.”

  “Siren? Like a mermaid?”

  His head tipped side-to-side. “You won’t have a tail when you shift.”

  Her eyes rounded as she sat up straighter. “I’m going to shift?”

  “Yeah, wouldn’t recommend swimming in public. Tomorrow night, you and Eddie should go camping with me. He can deal with his shift once the full moon is up. You can experience yours in the morning. Some siren can stop a change in water, but that takes practice.”

  “Why haven’t I shifted before?”

  “Because you’re only half. If you were full, you would have shifted from the beginning.”

  “And you’re sure about this?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Probably why you have an affinity for water magic. The other elements require practice, but water comes naturally.” He took her hand. “You’ll get through this and settle on solid ground.”

  * * * *

  Jackie gave him a half-hearted smile. She couldn’t remember a time he’d ever been wrong. Hopefully, the trend continued.

  Leaning forward, she started, “About this morning…”

  Brent prompted, “Yeah, what happened?”

  “Eddie was a mess last night, understandably. We held each other all night, like we’ve done every time life takes a nosedive for one of us.” Squeezing her eyes shut, she pressed her hand over her heart. “My mother’s magic is sexual in nature, right? ‘Cause Eddie was dead-asleep when he tried to have sex with me this morning. If I hadn’t woken him up—shit, this is such a mess. It’s my fault, isn’t it?”

  “Not completely,” Brent told her. “In part, yes. But in order for your magic to work that way, it has to be something he wants. A siren can’t enthrall someone who doesn’t lust after them. You were the first woman he fantasized about.”

  She shook her head adamantly. “No, couldn’t be. I remember his first kiss. His first girlfriend. The first time he had sex.” She looked away. Through the years, she’d listened every time he told her of his experiences, and secretly wished they had been with her instead of the girls he chose. “He told me about all of them.”

  “Because you acted like he was family.”

  “Damn it, Brent. Until I hear those words from him, you can’t expect me to believe.”

  He shrugged. “You will soon enough. After you hear his side of the story.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked softly.

  “That he’s also going through his own changes, much like your awakening. When Eddie finally accepts his beast, he’ll get a similar rush of power. The main difference is sex isn’t involved, though his hormones are off the charts.”

  “But Kim, he loved Kim. He had to be dreaming of her this morning.”

  “Ask him. I bet he’ll say otherwise.”

  Shaking her head, she forced back tears. “He was going to ask her to marry him.”

  “Because Eddie has always believed he couldn’t have you.”

  “Sorry, Brent, but that’s something I need to hear from him before I can believe it.”

  “Fair enough.” Brent handed the jewelry back. “Don’t take this off.”

  Jackie shook her head and slipped the necklace on. She didn’t have a clue what to do with Brent’s suggestion. And Stefano—she couldn’t help wondering what was up with him. Last night, and every night for more than a week she’d had the sense someone was following her. He seemed to share that concern.

  “Tomorrow, we’re going to have a long talk,” Brent promised.

  “I’ll need alcohol. Lots of it.”

  “As long as you finally listen. Do yourself a favor, don’t worry about this morning. I’m sure Eddie is as twisted up as you are.”

  “See you later.” She slipped from the booth and decided to visit Stefano, to tell him she had plans. She owed it to herself to figure out where she stood with Eddie before she made any kind of decision about a future with the vampire.

  * * * *

  Stefano leaned against the counter with his phone, looking up everything he could about the recent “sickness” hitting the Seattle area. “They’re going to target her.” Stefano lifted his head to find Tiana rolling her eyes. “I can’t drag her into this.”

  “Too late. They’ve already seen her with you. And Jackie resembles Eloise enough to be her sister.”

  “I don’t want Jacqueline hurt.”

  “Then protect her.”

  Bells rang as the door opened. Stefano smiled when Jacqueline walked in. Her answering smile never reached her eyes, and her hands trembled. “Hi, thought I’d stop by to say hello.”

  Tiana gave him a pointed nod before heading down to the basement.

  “How’s your roommate?” He already knew though. Devastated. More if his stance in the window was any indication of his true feelings.

  “Not so well. His girlfriend was found dead yesterday. He needs a friend tonight. When I get off work, I’m going to head straight home.”

  “May I walk you home?” He hoped some time might
give him a chance. Besides, this would ensure her safety.

  Her smile brightened and his heart soared. “I’d like that.”

  “I’ll be at the Jitterhouse before you’re off. Maybe tomorrow night you’ll go out with me?”

  “Tomorrow won’t work. I’m camping with family. We’ll figure something out.” She stepped toward the door. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Until then.” He watched her go.

  Tiana’s hand curled over his shoulder. “She’s in the middle of some major changes. Don’t give up.”

  “What if my attraction has more to do with how much she looks like Eloise than anything else?” He wasn’t sure that mattered though. For the first time since his wife’s death, he felt something for a woman.

  “Only you can decide that. Once you get to know her, I doubt you’ll compare the two. Though if it is all about her looks, do yourself a favor, and walk away now. You’ll be greatly disappointed if you’re expecting her to emulate Eloise in any way.”

  Not in the beginning. She will learn.

  Chapter 10

  Hours after dark, Sidra watched as Stefano strolled toward the coffee shop where his tragic wife’s doppelganger sat sketching in a notebook. Pathetic, but she had to give it to the woman. Jackie had nerves of steel. They’d spotted her when they first came to Seattle, but she’d managed to stay several steps ahead of them.

  Stefano slowed, looking in the window with a lazy smile she returned. “How damned pathetic. Lovesick over a lookalike for his lost love.”

  She remembered the first time she’d seen him. How her heart had nearly stopped beating in her chest. He looked so much like her master. How badly she’d wanted to break the man and create an adoring slave, willing to bend to her every whim.

  Jude had been a devil in angel’s robes. Beautiful, divine, but a monster lurked under his skin. He lured her in with his sweet smile, then broke her body and soul, creating a hard woman who took everything she wanted.