Rebirth of the Seer (25 page)

A tense silence followed. I
extinguished my cigarette and slid my hand into my coat, producing
the business card
. H
anding it over to Wesley when
he closed the gap between us, I heard
a
rush of air which sounded conspicuously
like an exasperated sigh escape
Wesley’
s mouth. His
gaze lowered to the scrawled writing
, though,
before I could acknowledge it
, eyes scanning while
his brow furrowed. “Jess, get me the map book.”

“My purpose in life, at last,” Jesse said, rising to a stand. He padded away while Wesley settled closer to Mark and together, the two poured over both sides of the business card. I looked toward Monica again and shook my head once
she peered in my direction
.

She scowled in response and nodded.

I frowned. ‘
What are you hoping to accomplish with this?
’ I asked, projecting the thought to her through our private channel. ‘
I hardly wish you in the midst of this, let alone your friends.
’

Monica mirrored my frown. ‘
And I don’t want you doing this alone. It’s either all of us or me. Personally, I’d like the added back up
.
’

‘
It is not enough that I worry for your sake?
’ The twisting in my stomach worsened, reminding me of its existence. My fingers itching with the urge to rip through my hair in frustration, I tapped
them against
my knee and glanced toward the others as Jesse returned with their book of maps. He sat beside Wesley, who took it in hand and asked him a question. My eyes found Monica again. ‘
The vampires would not be nearly so merciful to you.
’

‘
So wouldn’t it follow that we should have more people helping us?
’

‘
I do not trust their ability to keep you safe
.
’

‘
Why?
’

‘
F
or one, they are reckless. T
wo, they are being watche
d. A
nd I daresay we would be better off without them
.
’

‘
I
f we’re facing a dark magician worth his salt, you just strolling through the front doors by yourself would be suicide
.
’

‘
We are going to be at constant odds about this, are we not? If the concern is over my well-being, consider me flattered, love. But this is entirely unnecessary
.
’

She laughed aloud. The trio glanced up at her, confusion latent in their stares which was directed toward me as well when they glanced between us. Jesse smirked, even when Wesley and Mark remained mute. “I know a telepathic argument when I see one,” he said, followi
ng his observation with a
chuckle. His gaze settled on me. “Good luck fighting with Miss M. She’s stubborn as a mule.”

“This discussion is finished,” I said, looking toward Monica again.

“Like hell it is.” She stood, pivoting to face me, but addressing Wesley with her question. “Is there somewhere I can talk to Flynn in private?”

“Yeah, sure.” We both looked to him when he lifted a hand and pointed toward a shut door at the far end of the room. As our gaze met again, I realized how much I had vexed Monica. I refused to relent, though, telling myself throughout the entire stroll away from our inquisitive hosts that my demands would be met one way or the other. My watcher opened the door and we both strolled into what appeared to be an office
currently lit by the slivers of moonlight peaking through the blinds
. She waited for the door to click shut behind us before issuing another word. “Goddamn it, I could slap your head right off your shoulders fo
r saying things like –”

It happened just as soon as the spark of impulse made its presence known to me. I turned to face her, but grabbed her hand and pulled her against my torso. The gesture interrupted her tirade, which was further silenced by the pressing of my lips against hers. She yelped against my mouth, and then sank into the embrace for
a few lingering seconds
. By the time she pulled away, I heard the tempo of her pulse escalate. “I don’t care how good of a kisser you are, you bastard,” she said. “You’re not weaseling your way out of this.”

I released my grip in favor of placing both hands on her shoulders. The sensation gnawing at me had grown from a whisper to a shout in the short span of time it took for the door to close and her to speak to me once more. I could not be certain of its origin, but I could not deny something was straining to capture my attention.

The notion provoked a frown. “I do not know what manner of persuasion I must give you,” I said. “Or how much I must beg that you excuse yourself from this entire debacle, but I am willing to get on my knees if necessary. I do not have a good feeling about this.”

“I know.” Her demeanor settled and she sighed as she looked up at me. “Why the hell do you think I demanded that we come here in the first place? Because I hate pillow talk? Ian said he wanted you there by the end of the week, and I don’t feel right about you doing this alone.”

I blinked, at a sudden loss. “Why did you not tell me this before?”

“Would you’
ve agreed to come?” Her eyebrow raised in an accusatory fashion.

“Perhaps not.” I shook my head. “If I am having my misgivings and so are you, then what does this mean?”

The look on her face turned conciliatory. “I would’ve given my right arm for you to be properly trained. I’m so sorry things had to be like this. You’ve dealt with a master seer and now, you’ve got a date with a dark magician and you haven’t experienced two minutes’ worth of field instruction.” Her shoulders sank under my hold. “And I wasn’t an ounce of good to you injured.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I haven’t been the best at laying out the basics. All of those nasty feelings that you get when you’re in the presence of black magic should be pinging off the charts and if you’re getting the chills, it’s because I am, too.” She frowned. “The first thing they teach a seer is to trust his instincts and right now, your instincts are telling you we’re sitting in the middle of a shit storm.”

I did not answer at first. Lifting a hand, I slid my glasses from my face and tucked them into my pocket temporarily. Her expression softened in the darkness, echoing the concern she undoubtedly saw written on my face. “My instincts tell me to protect you, love.”

The
flicker of a smile tried to emerge. “Mine say the same thing about you.”

“And as I said to you in the room
, I appreciate the concern, but –
”

“You agree to bring the Scooby Gang and I’ll agree to one of your demands.”

My brow furrowed as hers arched again. Finally, the grin blossomed on her face. “Well,” she said. “Go on ahead, tell me what you want me to do, but let me warn you I’m not staying home when you go to confront Ian. That isn’t on the table, period. If we’re going to keep the ‘fraternizing with vampires’ ruse up, I need to be there pretending to channel a spell”

As apt
as I was to argue, n
either could I refute the point. I drew a deep breath inward and exhaled it slowly. “I have to bring the bloody amateurs?”

She lifted a hand, settling it above my silent heart. “Yes. Both for reconnaissance and for the mission itself.”

“Damn you, woman.” We stared at each other for interminable moments, as much to evaluate as to exchange an entire conversation without stating a word. I listened to her pulse skip a beat, her breathing tense as though something was lodged in the back of her throa
t waiting for a final push.
A torrent of emotions clamored in my head with defiant dissonance,
making it all the harder
to distinguish sense from the chaos it created. It seemed a wonder, that one person co
uld unnerve
more than anyone who had ever preceded her.

I looked away. “Stay home tonight, if just so I might see what we are facing without my concern for you tainting my perceptions. It would both be a relief to me and would enable me to focus on this more intently.”

“Alright.” The way she spoke the word entreated my gaze back to her. “I’ll sit this one out if you agree to my terms.”

“There is no way you are going to a
cquiesce
to this otherwise, is there?”

“Not a chance. Jesse’s right, my stubbornness is legendary.” She lowered her hand, motioning closer to me until her chest pressed against mine and her chin rested where her fingers had just been. “Besides, don’t forget, I know how to take care of myself, tough guy. I was the one sneaking your unconscious ass back into a coven where the wicked witch of the west was waiting to eat me.”

I could not suppress the urge to laugh. It lit up her face when I continued indulging the impulse. Both of her arms wrapped around my waist and, as I peered down at her, I saw her emerald eyes staring back up at me.  I shook my head. “Quixotic witch,” I said.

“I love you, too.”

The same light in her eyes engulfed my heart. I clutched her tight against me in response. “One more confusing chord in an alien symphony. That is the sole thing I am certain of at the moment – that I do indeed love you. The rest…” I trailed off, pausing to gather my thoughts. Finally, I nodded. “We shall take you home first?”

Her grin broadened. “Just be careful. You don’t have more than a few hours before dawn.”

“I shall be careful, Dearest.” As her eyes met mine, they formed an entreating siren call forcing me to bend even closer to her. She hitched up on the balls of her feet and as our lips met, I felt the sweetest form of temptation overwhelm me. For a few, fleeting moments, the rest of the world ceased to exist.

“Flynn? Monica? Everything alright in there?”

The sudden intrusion of Wesley’s voice tore us away from our brief visit to nirvana. I sneered, straightening my posture as I turned to look at the closed door. “Fucking impatient mortals,” I muttered.

“And here comes Flynn again.” Monica smirked.

I narrowed my eyes. “Those beings would try anyone’s patience – human or vampire.” When I glanced back at Monica, I frowned and produced my sunglasses once more. “And again, this creature is reminded he is still a child of the night. Do not allow the darkness
to claim you before I return
.”

Monica nodded. She took the glasses from my hand and unfolded them, reaching up to slip them on my face. “I’ll be fine,” she said, punctuating her words with a kiss. “You make sure you bring a weapon this time, though. Just in case.”

“Yes, I shall fetch m
y sword. A throwing dagger
for good measure as well.”

“Now
I
can relax.” A mischievous expre
ssion played across her face. “You q
uixotic
seer
.”

Snickering, I followed her lead as she opened the door and led us back out to the living room. Wesley stood, holding the map book in hand, and Jesse and Mark both regarded us from their positions on the couch. The befuddled look on Wesley’s face was shared by his counterparts, as though they inhabited a hive mind from which they could not disengage. Wesley’s eyes flicked between Monica and me without settling on either for long. “I think I know where this place is,” he said, raising the card in his other hand.

“Any place of note?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “It used to be an upscale hotel back in the day, but it’s been abandoned for a while. Makes sense, I guess. Enough room for a coven of vampires.” Our gaze converged and while his expression read of something wishing to burst out through the seams, he visibly struggled to maintain his composure. “Flynn, I can’t stress this enough. You having a few other people with you is going to be crucial. And considering this has been my livelihood for the past few years –”

I held up a hand to stop him. “We have already discussed the matter, Wesley. My watcher has informed me of protocol and I have assented to acknowledge it. That is, if the three of you are not too fatigued to indulge a quick visit.”

Mark rose to his
feet. Jesse slapped a thigh, coming
to
a stand as well. “I’ll load
up so we can see what the bloodsuckers are mucking around in,” he said, wandering off without any further
input
,
I presumed
to fetch whatever equipment
they normally brought
. Mark watched him walk away, and then met my eyes with his in an indistinguishable manner. The exchanged look lasted only for a beat and set me aback enough that I was startled when Wesley spoke again.

“Been a while since we’ve pulled an all-nighter, but considering Jesse
offered to fetch coffee, I’m going
to let him.” He grinned, looking at Monica. “Maybe you can show Mark a few of your tricks.”