The Banshee's Embrace (6 page)

             
Wizards were real. She couldn't quite accept that as she descended the stairs, and yet, she couldn't ignore it either. Something had happened the night her husband died and last night, outside of Toby's bar--the old hag had been real. So why was she having such a hard time accepting everything that had occurred?

             
"Because it's not logical," she muttered, before catching sight of Toby in the living room.

             
All logic rushed away.

             
He was seated cross legged on the floor, facing the stairs. Jacqueline would have thought he was meditating, except that there were several objects floating in the air around him. They appeared to be some sort of spinning blue crystals.

             
At her gasp of surprise, the crystals lowered slowly to the ground, making a circle around Toby. He opened his blue eyes and smiled.

             
"Just practicing a few spells," he said. "How did you sleep?"

             
"Fine," she managed to get out. "What are those?
Crystals
?"

             
"Yes. They are just used for clarity. Pretty harmless stuff."

             
"Harmless. Good," she stammered, aware of his warm gaze watching her. "Are you hungry?"

             
"I could eat."

             
"Bacon? Eggs? What would you like?"

             
"Whatever you make will be fine. I don't usually eat much for breakfast." Toby stood up, and she couldn't help but once again notice how broad his shoulders were, how his biceps strained against the sleeves of his black T-shirt.

             
"What's Mastodon?" she asked, pointing at the logo on his shirt.

             
"A metal band."

             
He followed her into the kitchen, seeming huge in the tiny room. Eric had been tall, but he never filled the space in quite the same way that Toby did.

             
"Do you like music?" Toby asked, sitting at the kitchen table. In the soft morning light, his blonde hair glistened gold, and Jacqueline had to force herself to look away from it.

             
"Yeah. I do. I don't really listen to metal though. I'm more of a pop person, I guess."

             
"I guess I can forgive one or two flaws in you."

             
"Well, thanks. How do you like your eggs?"

             
"Like my women. Over easy."

             
She grinned at him, though she knew she was supposed to be offended. 

             
"There's a smile," he said, with an answering grin of his own. "You don't smile enough, Jacqueline."

             
"With all that goes on in your bar, I'm surprised you've ever noticed."

             
"I notice more than you think."

             
Jacqueline was silent, thinking about his words, about him. How different he seemed from her experiences with him in Merlyn's Bar. He always came across as gruff, grouchy even, but this morning--it was like he was a whole different person.

             
"What are you thinking?" he asked.

             
"Nothing, really. Just that you seem so…different outside of the bar."

             
He frowned. "What do you mean?"

             
"When you are at work, you are tenser. You don't like to let people close to you." She turned her back and cracked the eggs. "Now you seem relaxed. It's nice."

             
When Toby didn't say anything, she glanced over her shoulder at him. He was staring at her speculatively. What could he be thinking? Something in his gaze unsettled her, and she bustled around the kitchen, trying to give off a semblance of control.

             
"It won't work, you know." Toby spoke softly. "I can tell you're worried."

             
She stopped and turned to him. "Wouldn't you be?"

             
"Probably. But I've been dealing with oddities all my life."

             
"I guess so."

             
"Does it hurt to do what you do?"  He tilted his head to the side, the speculative gleam in his eyes growing. "I mean, when you are in full banshee mode, does it hurt?"

             
"It makes me sad," she said. "I'm so overwhelmed by the grief that it feels like I'm drowning in it."

             
"You are very powerful. I don't think you even realize it."

             
"Powerful?" She laughed and turned back to the stove. "Singing to dead people doesn't seem like much of a power to me."

             
"That's because you haven't tapped into what you can really do."

             
Toby had moved up behind her, and she jumped at his sudden nearness. How had he done that without her hearing? Was he part cat? She could almost feel his warm breath on the back of her neck, and it gave her tingles in places that had been dormant awhile. Jacqueline was tempted to lean back, to place her head against his chest, to invite his teeth to nip along the delicate line of her neck.

             
"Do you know what you can do?" Toby whispered and touched a strand of her hair. "You can call out people's souls. You can take evil from the world and eradicate it. And you don't even have to wait for people to die."

             
What was he talking about? Eradicate evil?

             
"What the hell are you doing?" The deep voice came from the doorway of the kitchen. Startled, Jacqueline turned to see Toby standing there, an angry glower on his face.

             
Then who was behind her? Who had she been talking to?

             
As she turned to face the person she'd thought was Toby, he grabbed her so that she couldn’t move, pinning her body to his.

             
"Think about what I've said, little banshee," the voice in her ear no longer sounded like the gruff bartender. "You are only learning what you can do. Don't waste your talents by listening to the demands of the Brotherhood. You can be more."

             
Mist surrounded Jacqueline, carrying with it the faintest scent of moss and earth. The arms holding her seemed to dissolve, but not before the lightest of kisses was placed on her shoulder. Then the air cleared and the real Toby stood before her.

             
"Jacqueline, are you okay?"  Gently, Toby touched her face and tilted her chin so he could see her eyes. "Look at me."

             
She did and then asked, "Who was that?"

             
"Someone who wants you dead."

             
"How come he looked just like you?"

             
"Because that's his specialty, changing shapes. However, he needs something that belongs to the person he wants to look like in order to do it." Toby looked around the kitchen. "Wonder what he used. And how he got in."

             
"When I came down the stairs he was floating blue crystals. I think he left them in the living room." Jacqueline watched the frown stretch deeper across his face. "What are those crystals?"

             
"Divination tools." He went in to other room, returning with the blue crystals which he placed on the table. "He was able to mimic me based on these. They've been in my family a long time so my essences is imprinted on them, but his essence should be left behind now. We can find out who he is."

             
"Do you think he's the wizard who killed Eric?"

             
Toby met her gaze and for a second, something flickered in his eyes. Sympathy maybe? She couldn’t be sure.

             
Without answering her question, Toby chanted some words in a language she didn’t recognize. The crystals shook on the table, almost as if they were fighting against an unseen force. Then a color of light burst forth from them: red.

             
"Just as I thought." Toby rubbed at his beard. "This essence belongs to a Spark."

             
"Spark? What does that mean? I just see red light."

             
"That's because you aren't a wizard. All members of the Brotherhood carry the color of their family essence. It may look like plain red to you, but it carries a distinctive shade to it. This belongs to a member of the Spark household."

             
"Are they bad?"

             
"You gonna eat those eggs?" Toby pointed behind her to the eggs still on the stove.

             
With a swear, she turned the burner off and slid the eggs onto a plate.

             
"I was cooking them for the other you. You want them?" She handed him the plate and watched him sit down in the same chair as his imposter had been in. "That's just creepy. I can't believe I was talking to…a fake you. How did he even get in? I thought you put a protection thingy on the place last night."

             
"It's called a spell, not a thingy, and I'm glad I came in the room in time. If this wizard is the Spark I think he is, then he's pretty dangerous."

             
A slice of fear stabbed at Jacqueline's heart. She'd been so easily tricked, even attracted to an imposter. She could feel herself blush with embarrassment.

             
"Hey," Toby said, watching her. "He could have fooled anyone."

             
"I should have known he wasn't you."

             
"How would you have? The resemblance is pretty strong."

             
"The way he was acting should have been enough."

             
"Oh yeah? How was he acting?"

             
Nice. Approachable. Friendly. All of the words were on the tip of her tongue to say, but she kept them to herself.

             
"Let's just say, his demeanor was a little more relaxed than yours," she said with a smile.

             
Toby grunted in response.

             
"Exactly." Jacqueline picked up the pan for the eggs and rinsed it off in the sink.

             
"Aren't you going to eat?"

             
"I've lost my appetite."

             
"You've been through a lot. You need to eat to keep up your strength."

             
Jacqueline grabbed an apple and took a big bite while looking in his direction.

             
"Toby, what am I supposed to do with all this new information?"

             
"Thought you'd never ask." He pushed back his chair and took the empty plate to the sink. His arm brushed hers, sending off a small shock of electricity. "First, we need to protect your house. Then we need to have a long talk about your husband."

             
He brushed past her again, sending off another shock.

             
"And, Jacqueline, whatever my demeanor may be, just remember, that I'm on your side."

*****

             
Women. He never could seem to figure them out. Toby sighed and pulled off his T-shirt. Tossing it onto the bathroom floor, he stepped into the hot shower. It had taken a few hours, but the spells had been put in place that would protect the perimeter of Jacqueline's home. He should have put a stronger one in place than the one he'd conjured hastily the night before. Obviously, it wasn't strong enough to keep a Spark wizard out. She should be safe now until he had a chance to sort out what was going on.

             
But damn, the woman was a pain in the ass. Always asking questions. Always wanting to make conversation. Always in the way. Always tossing her hair or swishing her hips or bending over to pick stuff up. It was enough to drive anyone to madness.

             
How had her husband stood her?

             
Eric Huston must have been a saint. Or at least very patient. Toby frowned as he thought about the deceased cop/wizard. He hadn't known Eric well, but he'd known about his presence in
Galesburg
Falls
. After all, wizards weren't that common. Two in one town were practically unheard of. Technically, Toby had been there first, but he'd never been one to snipe over territory. Besides the Huston branch of wizards were known to be peaceful, watcher types.