Irresistible Magic (37 page)

After fifteen minutes of sitting in silence, Allcot and the director reappeared with Elissa in tow.

The tension in the room made me jumpy and it was all I could do to stay seated.

Allcot and Halston stood together at the end of the table, providing what appeared to be a united front. Neither looked especially pleased or upset.

“Elissa,” Allcot said. “Would you please relay the agreement?”

“Certainly.” She pulled out a thick pair of rimless glasses, perched them on her nose, and flipped open a notebook. “The agreement reached decrees that either Mr. Allcot or Mr. Laveaux will volunteer to participate in Arcane-sanctioned testing of their new daywalker abilities. The testing shall consist of no less than eighty hours and shall not exceed one hundred and twenty hours unless a new agreement is reached. In return, the Void will share all relevant findings with the vampires Allcot and Laveaux. In addition, no attempt will be made to restrict reasonable and safe testing of the fae Rhoswen. At the end of one hundred and twenty hours, the Void will cease mandatory testing and must secure an agreement from agent Rhoswen for any additional testing. In regards to the fae Kavanagh, he shall be taken into custody and debriefed but not retained by the Void for more than twenty-four hours unless evidence of intentional harm is recovered.”

David stood. “I’ll volunteer myself for the Void’s experiments.”

Allcot nodded, clearly anticipating his reaction.

“Ms. Rhoswen?” Allcot asked.

I nodded mutely. I was terrified of what the Void would put me through, but if I was honest, the idea that David would be with me lessened the fear. And it really was a good thing Allcot had negotiated for me, as the Void did own me. If the orders came down to test me indefinitely, they could find a way to do it without my consent for the next two years. This way we had a contract. One that involved the most powerful vampire in the city. She didn’t want war with him. No one did.

No one asked Talisen what he thought.

“Good.” The director picked up her phone and hit a button. “The cleanup crew is on their way.” She glanced at Phoebe. “Kilsen, I expect you to bring the humans in as well as the fae.”

“Davidson,” Allcot said. “I’ve agreed to turn over the vampire and two humans that are presently unconscious in your sunroom. Please see that they make it into Director Halston’s care.”

“Of course, Father.”

Tal stood and moved to stand next to Elissa. “There’s no need to apprehend me. I’ll go willingly. The sooner this is over, the sooner I can go home where I belong.”

Where I belong.
Tal wasn’t talking about his trashed apartment. He couldn’t be. He’d only been there less than two weeks. He meant Eureka. Back to the Northern California coast. My chest started to ache. I stared at Tal, trying to catch his eye, but he refused to look up. Why was he so angry? Because of Allcot? Or was there something else?

“Fine. You can ride with Elissa and me. Rhoswen, Laveaux, report for the first round of testing tomorrow evening. Six p.m. sharp.” The director floated out of the room, her wings fluttering with elegant grace. Talisen turned on his heel and followed her with Elissa trailing behind him.

My heart squeezed tighter and I had to swallow back a silent sob. Tal was leaving me.

“Six?” Phoebe asked Allcot.

He nodded. “Ms. Rhoswen runs her bakery and Davidson has his own responsibilities. The testing will happen in the evenings with weekends off.”

David nodded. “That’s good.” He met my gaze. “Can I take you and Link home?”

I glanced at Phoebe.

“Go on. I have to wait for the cleanup crew and deal with these three.”

Harrison and Nicola followed Allcot out.

I gave Phoebe a hug. “Thank you.”

She hugged me back and whispered, “It’ll be all right.”

I sighed and picked Link up. He whimpered and tried to lick his injured tail. “I know, bud. We’ll get you to the vet first thing in the morning.” He settled against me, resting his head on my shoulder.

David placed a hand on the small of my back. And for the first time since he’d turned vampire, I didn’t feel the urge to jerk away.

He paused and glanced down at me with a question in his eyes.

I gave him a small shaky smile to hide the turmoil ripping apart my insides. “Take me home.”

***

I sat in my lab, fingering the red hibiscus petal, contemplating recipe experiments for an all-purpose healing treat. The way those seeds had soothed my insides had been remarkable. If I could come up with something even a quarter as effective, I’d have a new best seller on my hands.

A quiet knock sounded on my door, waking me from my near trance. I’d been sitting there, unmoving, for more than forty-five minutes.

“Come in.”

Tami poked her head inside. “Sorry to bother you, but it’s time for Link’s pain medication.”

“Thanks.” In a mental fog, I rose and headed for my office.

Link raised his head, the cone of shame making him appear even more pitiful than his sad puppy-dog eyes did.

I sat next to him on the floor and ran a hand over his back, holding the meat-flavored anti-inflammatory up to his mouth. “I’m sorry, Link, buddy. It’s for your own good.”

Link took the medication and flopped down on his stomach, staring at the door as if someone would come in and save him from his utter humiliation.

His tail had been broken, and the vet had needed to amputate three inches. Not only was he stuck wearing the cone of shame, he also couldn’t shift into wolf form or he’d rip his stitches out and have to go back to the vet. Though shifters in general do heal faster than non-shifters, it’s a myth that they magically heal when they shift. The wounds just show up in their new form.

It had been three days since the showdown with Asher. That night, David had taken me home and sat with me until Phoebe arrived. He’d been sweet and thoughtful, waiting to make sure I was no longer being followed.

He’d picked me up the next day and we’d headed to the Arcane to start testing. So far we’d only been subjected to blood tests and physicals. I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy forever, but at least we’d been treated with respect and I was starting to feel as if maybe it wasn’t too bad of an idea to really understand the effects of what I could do.

And as much as I hated to admit it, I was glad I had Allcot on my side. They’d think twice before they did anything to piss him off. Not that they wouldn’t, but they would consider the consequences first.

The loud shrill of my old-fashioned rotary phone filled the room. Link jerked and his cone got caught on the edge of the area rug he was lying on. He shook and whimpered until I repositioned him.

“I’ll be right back.” I rubbed his neck and jumped to my feet to grab the phone. “Yeah?”

Silence.

“Hello?” I tried again.

There was a rustling in the background.

I sighed heavily and then yelled into the phone, “Dude! You’re butt-dialing again.” I went to set the receiver back on the cradle but just as I was about to hang up, I heard “Wil?”

My breath caught and everything went cold. “Tal?”

I’d gone to his apartment right after our testing was done at the Arcane the last two nights, but he hadn’t been there. Or if he was, he’d been ignoring me. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since he’d walked out of Asher’s house with Elissa and the director.

“Tal?” I said again.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah.”

“Hey,” I said softly. “Where have you been?”

More silence.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Where are you now?”

“Outside.”

That tightening in my chest was back. I had to remember to breathe. “The store?”

“Yes.”

I moved to my private entrance and opened the door. “I don’t see you.”

“I’m across the street.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure I want to come in,” he said.

Trepidation coiled in my stomach. He didn’t want to see me. He’d stayed away three days and although he was standing outside my store, he didn’t know if he could bring himself to come in. Cracks formed in my already-bruised heart, and I clutched at my chest, trying to keep it together. “Tal, please, we need to talk.”

There was more silence on his end, and then I saw him crossing the street with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. His brows were pinched with determination. He slowed when he saw me, arranging his face into a careful, neutral expression.

I stepped away from the door and gently replaced the phone back onto its cradle.

He paused just inside my office, and for a moment I thought he was going to bolt. But then Link bounced to his feet and tried to run to him. He got three steps before his cone crashed into the floor and he tumbled.

Talisen tried to hide a chuckle as he picked my dog up and snuggled his face. “Did you lose something, Link?”

“Part of his tail,” I supplied, swallowing the building anguish.

“Oh, that’s rough, bud. I’m sorry to hear that.”

Would Talisen ever again be as easy with me as he appeared to be with my dog? My heart didn’t think so. “He’s fine,” I said mildly. “He just needs a few days to recover.”

“Right.” Tal set Link back down on my floor and then shoved his hands in his pockets. He shifted from foot to foot, his mask sliding back in place.

I picked up an empty box sitting on the corner of my desk. “This came in the mail for me the day after the fight with Asher.” I pointed to the handwritten address. “You sent this, right?”

He took the box. “Yes. Was there anything in it?”

I shook my head. “No. It had been opened and resealed though. You mailed the extra drugs to me, didn’t you? That’s why no one could find them.”

He looked inside the box and frowned. “Yeah, but what happened to the potions?”

I shrugged, forcing myself to appear as if his aloof demeanor wasn’t killing me. “Someone stole them. It would explain why that gang David and I ran into appeared to be hopped up on the drug.” I went on to explain our run-in while we’d been looking for Elissa.

“Shit,” he mumbled.

“That pretty much sums it up,” I said. Those drugs could be in anyone’s hands by now.

“I’ll inform the director,” Tal said almost to himself. “They have the resources to investigate.” Then he glanced over my shoulder, not quite looking at me. “I tried my best to keep it out of the hands of criminals. Who better to send it to than you?”

“It was a good plan. Too bad the post office is as corrupt as every other government entity in this town.” I glanced at the duffle bag and noted how he couldn’t seem to look me in the eye. “You’re leaving.”

Talisen nodded.

“When?”

This time he did chance a glance in my direction. “Today. I’m on my way now.”

Anger bubbled up in the back of my throat and it was hard to talk. “You…you didn’t want to discuss it first?”

He shifted his duffle to the other shoulder. “And make it harder?” His voice went soft, almost gentle. “We both know your heart lies with someone else. You’re safe for the time being. It’s time for me to go home.”

I stepped back as if I’d been slapped. “What’s that supposed to mean, my heart lies elsewhere? What are you talking about?” A few days ago he’d told me he was all in. Said he wasn’t going anywhere. He’d even had a tree put in his bedroom. Now he was running. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream or cry.

Tal dropped his bag and leaned against my desk. “Come on, Wil. Look at what you did for him. You brought him back to life when you thought he was dead. You nearly killed yourself to save him. And then you did it again to save his father. But you didn’t do that for Allcot, you did it for Laveaux.”

“I…” How was I supposed to respond to that? Yes, I’d saved them. And yes, I had still loved David when I’d saved him, but shortly after that I’d chosen Tal. Completely.

“You don’t have to answer.” Tal moved forward and brushed a lock of hair off my forehead, his voice and his touch tender. “I can already see it.”

I jerked away, offended he’d taken it upon himself to decide how I felt. “How dare you? Are you claiming you can see into my heart now? That I don’t have a mind of my own?”

He shook his head, his expression resigned. “No. I can’t see into your heart. If I could, I suspect mine would be more battered than it already is.”

There was a sadness about him I’d never seen before. Tal was never sad. And definitely not over a girl. He was broken up about what he was doing. But the determination in his eyes told me he believed he was doing the right thing.

I stepped close and rested my hand over his heart. “I chose you.”

His lips formed a sad smile. “I know. That’s what makes this so much harder. I’m sorry, Wil. I don’t want to be second best. I can’t. I love you too much.” He pressed a light kiss on my lips and then grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

I stared at him, my vision turning blurry with unshed tears as I stood there in total shock. What just happened? “Tal, wait!”

He turned and gave me a bittersweet, pained smile. “I’ll always be there for you if you need me.” The door closed with a soft click behind him as he walked out of my life. Back to the one that didn’t mean he had to compete with vampires for his girlfriend’s affection.