Obsidian Son (The Temple Chronicles Book 1) (15 page)

Gunnar stood, but Dean was faster, snatching up the plate with a derisive sniff. Gunnar merely shook his head, grinning. “Thanks. Ready when you are, Nate.”

“Good. Let’s saddle up. I’m just going to grab my things from upstairs.” I wobbled, quickly regaining my balance. The food was helping, but I still felt the lingering effects of the nightcap. Wait, plural nightcaps.

“I need to change too. I’ll walk with you upstairs.” Indie said.

Gunnar rolled his eyes; amused at implications only another man could derive from the statement. “Meet me out front when you’re…finished.”

Before I could hit him, he left through a different hallway, leaving Indie and I to walk upstairs in peace. Indie tucked an arm through mine, supporting herself, or me, I wasn’t sure. After a few minutes, she spoke. “Nate… I had a wonderful time last night.” I murmured acknowledgement and she smiled. “Thank you for letting me spend some private time with you. It meant the world to me. Ever since I started working for you, it’s been harder and harder for me to make friends outside of the crew at
Plato’s Cave
, and to them I am merely an authority figure. I work, and then go home. It was nice to get out and have fun with… you.”

“But you had a hot date planned.” I argued.

“A lie.” She answered softly. “I’ve seen too many weird things since meeting you.” And that was true. She had seen me do magic, and had spent time around some of the more dangerous private clients I dealt with. The curtain had been pulled back for Indie, revealing some truths about the world that would definitely make it difficult to cope in mundane normalcy, and I was only pondering those consequences now. “To be honest, I haven’t been able to find anyone who really interests me enough to spend time with. I really enjoy working for you. But it’s more than the secrets you keep. I think it’s just you.” She slowed to a stop in front of her room, not letting go. “I guess that I’m trying to say that you are probably the best friend I have. I don’t want to push you or anything, but just know that I’m here for you. Always. In whatever capacity you need. Whether as a friend, a confidant, or…” Her deep eyes studied me intently, her silence speaking volumes.

This was a line I had never thought we would cross. Indie was a knockout, and one of the most brilliant women I had ever met. Aside from appreciating both her beauty, and cunning skills as my store manager, I had forced myself to maintain a professional distance. “Is that why you let Gunnar think what he thought?” I asked softly.

She thought for a moment. “Maybe. Maybe not. He approved of his assumption, approved of
me
with
you
. That was a very special thing for me to realize. But on the other hand, my denial would have merely served to confirm his assumption anyway. So I remained silent. It felt…nice.” Her eyes crinkled in thought. “Like Gunnar said, you really are a great man, Nate. One of the last. I just want you to know that I have never felt about another man the way I feel about you. I …adore you, and couldn’t imagine not having you in my life. In whatever capacity I am allowed. It’s hard to talk at work without sending the wrong impression. You have everything, but just know that you could have nothing, and my feelings would remain the same. I’m lucky to have you as a friend.”

“And I, you.” I answered honestly.

She smiled. Then she leaned close on tiptoes, and kissed my cheek, holding her warm, soft lips against my skin for longer than necessary. “Thank you, Nate.” My body reacted on it’s own, and I pulled her in close. She didn’t resist. We stared at each other from inches away, tasting each other’s breath. My heart raced wildly, my brain trying to logically sort my emotions. I found myself leaning closer, her silk-encased torso pliant against my desire. I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she craved my touch in a not so professional manner, and I craved to be touched by someone who actually knew me and cared for me. She was genuine — a rare find. Maybe even a meal to be savored rather than the desserts I had known my whole life. Others saw the Temple heir, but Indie saw Nate. Just Nate. Her skin was hot beneath my fingertips, and her breathing grew deeper as she studied my face.

“Oh, Indie…” I whispered, my fingers shaking as they pulled her closer. “This is a line that cannot be uncrossed…” I began.

“Cross it if you wish it.” Her pupils dilated with honest lust. “But know that you can have me however you desire. I know your heart better than anyone, Nate. You live a lonely life. I only want to see you smile. I only want to
make
you smile…”

I leaned in, resting my forehead against hers as I closed my eyes. I felt her lips softly brush mine as she whimpered delicately, her skin on fire now.

Then my fucking phone vibrated in the other room.

We both stepped back instinctively, my heart thudding with adrenaline as if a bucket of ice water had suddenly been dumped over my head. Then, in a twirl of silk, Indie skipped into her room, pausing at the threshold. “Think about it, Nate. I’ve made myself clear, I believe, and I am not ashamed to say it. Not to you. Never to you.” She smiled coyly, untying her silk robe, and letting the two halves separate slightly, revealing an unbelievably toned torso. Her grin stretched as my genitals threatened to mutiny against my still-ringing phone.

“We’ll talk. Soon.” I promised. I took a step to her door, trying not to look away from her eyes. I pressed my car keys into her soft hands, squeezing them closed. “Take my car. I can pick it up later. Can I do anything else for you before I leave?” Her eyebrows lifted as her gaze swept over my body from head to foot, and then to her own scantily clad frame, before returning with a hungry twinkle.

“Do you really want me to answer that, Cap’n?”

“Right. Time for me to leave before I fall victim to your feminine wiles.”

“One must use the weapons available to her.” She smiled.

I turned, instincts screaming against me, and I heard her sigh softly behind me. I glanced over my shoulder in time to see her robe billow to the floor of the hall, and her naked silhouette slowly strut out of sight as she went deeper into her room to change. I almost walked clear past my room. I glanced at the phone, and saw that it was
Plato’s Cave
. I listened to the voicemail on speakerphone as I began to change, and a roiling ball of ice slowly built up in my stomach as the words crashed home.

“Nate, it’s Jessie.” The new employee Indie had hired. “I don’t know how to say this, but…” He took a deep, nervous breath on the other end of the line before blurting out in a rush of forced air. “The shop was broken into last night. They did a number on your loft, but the rest of the store seems okay. Books were tossed from shelves, but I don’t think anything is missing from the store. The third theater room wasn’t broken into either. The cops are here. You should be too. Call me when you’re on your way, I guess.” Then he hung up.

The dragons were playing hardball now. I sat down on the edge of the bed, wondering if they had broken into the store in pursuit of their precious book. If they thought I already had it they were grossly mistaken, but at least they thought highly of me. It was something to remember, a card to exploit later. Another thought hit me a second later. What if I hadn’t picked up Indie last night? A chill ran down my spine at the possibility of her being kidnapped and used as leverage against me. If the dragons wanted an angry wizard, I would give them the angel of the Apocalypse. I finished changing, rounded up all my things, and flew down the stairs to meet Gunnar, trying to focus on anything other than Indie and my fucking shop.

Indie’s scent remained close, replacing the last fog of the drink from last night with an altogether new high. A whole body high. The high of future possibilities.

Chapter 16

S
o,” Gunnar began. “Indie looked pretty good. She also looked tired. You keep her up all night?” He was grinning, his beefy hands massaging his new leather steering wheel.

“You like the car?”

He shot me a stupid smile.

“Interesting, because they haven’t sent out the title yet. One phone call, and I put the car in my name instead of yours. One teeny-weenie phone call, and your dream car becomes my demolition derby car. I will drive it off a goddamn cliff, and send you the
YouTube
video.”

Gunnar grumbled back, but kept the smile on his face. “Fine. Just asking.”

I watched the shop windows fly by past the car, still feeling on cloud nine from Indie’s touch. “I think she likes me.”

Gunnar scoffed. “And I thought you were a genius. You really are an idiot sometimes, Nate. Of course she likes you. She’s worked for you for, what, five years now? She’s not staying around for the health benefits. More like possible fringe benefits.”

“The health benefits are completely free to my employees.”

“Oh, well maybe she is staying for the benefits then.”

“Just forget it. Let’s get back to business. We need to swing by my shop.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“It was broken into and tossed last night.”

His grip on the steering wheel creaked. “What?” He demanded in a low growl.

“I got a message from Jessie while I was changing. The cops are there.”

Gunnar swerved across incoming traffic to take us to the shop. We drove in a brittle silence, both furious and nervous at the implications of dragons breaking into my shop. He didn’t even need to ask who it was. We both knew it was the stinking reptiles. Then a thought crossed his face. “Do all your employees have their paperwork in order? They’re all packing, right?”

I waved a hand, looking out the window as we turned onto my street and I saw my shop swarming with flashing red and blue lights. “They’re set. Don’t worry.”

He parked a safe distance away and we climbed out into unusually warm autumn air. My heels pounded into the now dry sidewalk as I prowled up to the caution tape surrounding my shop and home. I glanced at the surrounding rooftops, hoping to see a dragon that I could blow to smithereens. Nothing.

We halted as a cop held up an instinctive hand at our approach, not even looking at us. “Sorry, this is a crime scene. No shopping today.” I didn’t move; staring at his badge, imagining all sorts of frightening magic I could use to get his attention. Then I recognized him as the young cop who had been standing outside the interrogation room two nights ago and grinned. Perfect. Before I could scare the bejeezus out of him a second time, Gunnar whipped out his badge. The rookie turned to us then, and his jaw dropped as he all but leapt back a step upon seeing my smiling face. “M-master Temple! My God. Where have you been? Never mind. Get in there. The Captain wants to speak with you.”

“I take that to mean Kosage?” The rookie nodded nervously. I stared into his eyes until he began to squirm, and then whispered in a dramatic voice as we ducked under the caution tape. “Thanks for the coffee.” His legs all but quivered as I glanced back at him, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. I briefly wondered what he thought about the display of magic in the interrogation room the other night, but the thought evaporated as I stepped inside
Plato’s Cave
.

Cops milled around everywhere, taking pictures and sipping coffee from my coffee bar, probably not even paying for it. Damn the pigs. The shop was a mess, but not nearly so bad as it had been after Raven’s visit. I chided myself for not setting the wards last night when we had picked up Indie. Then I saw him. Our eyes locked together at the same time, but mine tightened in anger.

“Kosage. What happened?” I hissed, as if blaming him for the invasion.

“Ah, Master Temple. Nice to see you again. As you can see, your shop was broken into. It seems they just broke through the tempered glass window, which was quite a feat given their makeup. They practically would have had to shoot it in, but no one reported gunshots. I take it you live in the loft upstairs?” He asked, flicking his eyes up above. I nodded. He flipped open a small notepad. “Where were you last night between the hours of two and three in the morning?”

“At Chateau Falco.”

“Can anyone vouch for that?”

I leveled my hooded wizard eyes down on him, making his short, delicate stature an obvious distaste. “You’ve already tried that tack, Kosage. Be very careful. Don’t dare accuse me without solid evidence.” My threat rolled off his back like water on a duck.

“Speaking of
that tack
, it seems my notes were mistaken from our previous discussion.” He flipped a page. Then another. “I quote.
I have nothing to do with my parents company
. Seems that’s changed now, hasn’t it?” my eyes were coals, but he continued on. “Any known enemies who might have wanted to steal from you?”

I hesitated, sensing Gunnar’s apprehension. “No. But I do have some very pricy merchandise. Was anything stolen?”

“Your employees are checking the inventory as we speak. But so far it seems like nothing was taken, although they put up a hell of a search.”

I nodded, thankful they hadn’t tried breaking into the third theater. My secrets would be over if they had succeeded in opening that door.

Kosage closed his pad, lifting his eyes. “We should be done shortly. We haven’t found any smoking gun, so to speak. And all your employees’ paperwork for their firearms are up to date, so there isn’t really anything else we can do. Do you have anything to add that might aid us?”