The Mark (Interracial Paranormal Romance) (Toil and Trouble) (14 page)

I closed my eyes as a flood of emotions came rushing back. Excitement, optimism, love, fascination. Riley was the first supernatural I met after my awakening, or when my magical ability fully realized.

I was sixteen and spending the summer in the boondocks with my mother. I'd snuck out to Greenville to party with an old friend's sister who went to East Carolina. I hadn't known then that Riley was a were, but I could tell there was something different-something about his aura. When he changed form for me, I'd been terrified and heartbreakingly optimistic. I was different, guys had always been put off by me. But Riley was different too...and when he said three words, I was sold. I was going to become his mate and we'd have a battalion of half breed babies.

I was so naïve. A few days before the end of summer vacation, Riley fell off the grid. I went back to NY without even telling him goodbye. I found out later that he imprinted on another female were and they were to be married.

Riley ran a hand over his buzzed hair. "I should have told you. Or said goodbye at least."

"You've got a lot of nerve," I said acidly. "You think you can just breeze in and out of my life? All bets are off. I'm in big enough trouble anyway...oath breaker is the least of my worries." I looked at the ceiling. "I lacked imagination back then. I bet you'd have trouble screwing people over if you had a dick for lips. Allora iseia-"

"Wait," he interrupted. "Just-" he clenched his fists, fighting to keep his composure. "I know I have no right, but just hear me out."

I closed my mouth and stared at him with death in my eyes.

"My mate," he began. "My partner, Arrissa, she, uh, died a few weeks ago."

I cleared my throat. While I'd wished a whole lotta ill on Riley, I never blamed the other girl. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks Jay."

"Jade," I corrected hotly.

"Right," he nodded pushing out of his chair. "Natural causes supposedly." He paced the room back and forth. "I know it's not your problem, but my dad's real sick and Mom-"

"I heard," I cut in. "I'm sorry about your parents.

He nodded again then turned to look at me wearily. "My whole life I wanted to be leader of the pack. But the costs-" He stopped, clearing his throat. "Anyway, her mother, Arrissa's, holds a lot of pull with the pack. Her mate was one of the original weres."

I let out an agitated sigh. "Even if I wanted to help, like say, if you would have asked me like a normal person instead of kidnapping me, I can't because-"

I leaned forward, as close to him as I could with my restraints. "If Athanasia harms one hair on Jack’s head, I’ll stake her myself. Then I'm coming for you."

His face softened then, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "The rumors ARE true then. You're pretty serious with the fanger, huh?"

"You might as well have," I said stubbornly. "Clearance or not, I don't respond well to gunpoint summonings. Find another necromancer."

Riley crossed his arms, his face going hard. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."

"What? You gonna torture me ‘til I say yes?"

"I don’t need to torture you," he answered icily. "I know you, Jay. You're hot headed, stubborn, and a pain in the ass...but you're no murderer. The Watchers, however, don't know you. Once they come looking for you for Trial and you're nowhere to be found, you may as well tie yourself to a stake. My compound is pretty tightly enchanted. If they were patient, they could probably break through and locate you, but if I recall, they’re not."

I gulped.

"A summoning will take what, 30 minutes? Then you can go back to your business of hating me and trying to clear your name."

I sunk into the seat as my heart sunk to the soles of my feet. I hated Riley with the passion of a thousand suns, but he was right. I really had no choice.

"You're a bastard, you know that?" I said pathetically, giving up. "Grab a pen and paper. I'm going to need supplies."

Chapter Eighteen

Shotgun Summoning

I tried to take solace in the fact that I was at least untied. I could wiggle my toes, fingers and nose. Although escape was far from an option since Riley had two of his beefy packmates stationed outside the room, it was nice to be able to move about freely. But it didn't make what was to come any easier to swallow. I had to do a summoning, on a crescent night, in a room that reeked bad juju. Oh and besides having to deal with Riley, I had to deal with Arrissa's mother, Lynda who was touching all of my summoning materials.

I turned to Riley, my jaw set. "When I agreed to help you, I said I'd allow her mother to observe as long as she didn't disrupt anything."

"Lynda..." Riley began warily.

"I'm just excited is all!" Lynda exclaimed, her southern drawl oozing. That wasn't the only thing that oozed. She wore an expensive Juicy jumpsuit, paired with stilettos with spikes for heals. Her blonde hair was obviously a die job, glowing fluorescently in the dim light of the candles. She might've been pretty, decades ago, but botox and other cosmetic delights had turned her into a Joan Rivers lookalike. Her put together obviously took hours. What kind of grieving mother gets all dolled up for her freshly dead daughter's summoning? Where was the tear streaked face, the shabby clothes and bird nest of hair?

"I need you to back up several feet," I ordered her. "Riley and I are about to begin."

She crossed her arms. "I'm not some country bumpkin, necromancer." She walked over to where her designer bag sat and pulled out a ziplock bag. "I brought some personal stuff. And I’m her mother, I should make the circle."

From the amused look Riley gave me, I gleaned that she was pretty much 'mother' in name only. "Do you want to-" I cocked my head in her direction, hoping he'd be the one to tell her why.

"Nah," he said with a smirk. "You're the witch, you should tell her."

Lynda's ice gray eyes set on me.

I cleared my throat, tucking a curly strand behind my ear. "Er, uh..." I swallowed. "Mrs. Carter, Riley is creating the circle because it's best to use a bond between-” I paused. “A husband and a wife. The bond between lovers." While Mrs. Carter was pretty annoying, I wasn’t just telling her this to get her out of the way. The bond between a mother and her offspring worked if the ghost was a child, or a virgin. Otherwise, I could say every Latin word in creation to no avail.

I braced myself for a temper tantrum to rule all temper tantrums, but it didn't come. Mrs. Carter just rolled her eyes and strutted to an armchair, sinking into it with a sigh. "Let's get going. I ain’t getting any younger."

The room went quiet as I walked over to the grocery bag and tossed Riley a can of salt. I pulled out the studded dog collar next, a tiny bell fastened to the side. Someone had a sense of humor.

I could hear the sound of the falling salt as Riley created the circle. When it was complete, I took a step back and said the incantation. A silver wisp appeared, gyrating and weaving before giving way to the ghost of Riley’s wife.

Lynda gasped, pushing out of the chair. She took haggard steps forward, not wanting to believe what was before her eyes. For all her experience talk, it was clear this was her first summoning. "She's still beautiful!"

Arrissa Carter stood in the middle of the circle. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. When I'd come across their wedding announcement all those years ago, I'd hoped to find someone homely. But the girl I'd seen beside Riley was classically beautiful...slender, fair skinned, golden hair, with ice blue eyes. To top it off, she was graduating top of her class and had plans to study teaching at ECU. The All-American dream.

Even in death she was gorgeous, her short blonde hair hanging in a curly halo around her peaceful face. Well, peaceful until she realized she was standing in the middle of the circle, summoned from her sleep.

I’d been trained to view the ghosts as objects, to create distance. But even though I’d just met Riley’s wife, I knew she was more than just a ghost. She was Arrissa.

I felt the power from her words and put up a shield, standing my ground. "I summoned you, yes. But at the request of your husband."

"Keep on feeding her lines, you son of a bitch," Lynda said sharply. "We both know that you killed my daughter."

"Here we fucking go," Riley said with an eye roll.

"You're damn right!" Lynda screeched, pacing back and forth. "I knew you were trouble from the minute I laid eyes on you."

Riley's face went hard. I remembered that face well...the one he wore when he talked about how his life wasn't his own. When he talked about a father that called him a disappointment and a mother who lived by, 'It's 5:00 somewhere' twenty four hours a day.

I saw Arrissa take a step closer to the line, but still at a healthy distance. Apparently she was familiar with the danger zone as well.

"Riley and I had our problems," she said gently. "Every married couple does. But Riley didn't kill me, Mama. It was just my time."

Lynda's perfectly put together face crumbled then as she sunk to the floor. "I know I spent most of your life-"

"Filled with jealousy?" Riley growled at her.

Lynda ignored him, still on her knees in front of her daughter. "I know I wasn't the best mother, but you have to know that I thought we had more time," she sobbed. "Time for me to make it up to you, time for me to make it up to my grandbabies. This just can't be it!"