The Matchmaker's Mark (9 page)

"What haven't I seen?"

Good point. "The new galleries." Cade loved art almost as much as food - a secret as closely guarded as the exact location of the high court. "And there's a new sushi place in North Charleston."

"They have the super hot stuff, right? Saw it on Food Network."

"They've revamped the whole neighborhood. It's a pretty community up there now. We should make some time."

He shrugged assent and raised his beer, while she thumbed the lime into her own long neck bottle.

"Are you going to actually drink this one?"

"I'll save it for the meal." She didn't drink often and on an empty stomach half a beer would leave her giddy.

"Lightweight," he teased.

"Lush," she accused with a wink.

He aimed a sudden scowl at the kitchen and she was reminded of the risks of socializing with a battle-hardened elf. The ruthless emotional control was never far from the surface and the instincts tended toward cynical. And, of course, genteel conversational skills were the first casualty when Cade's danger-radar went off.

And the elf branch of her family tree wondered why she preferred the humans.

Lily used what little magic she had to scan her brother for signs of weapons. He was surely carrying something, but she couldn't get a clear read. She could only hope it wasn't his bow.

"Back off, Lil'."

She stopped short, irked that he'd noticed. His distraction should've given her a momentary advantage. When it came to magic, she'd always needed every advantage available.

"There's magic in the kitchen," he whispered.

"Of course there is. It's Mama Rita's." Lily noticed his hand reaching inside his coat, and she reached out to pat the other hand still curved around his beer. She scooped some of the famous hot salsa onto a chip. "Have a chip and relax."

He glared at her. "You know what I mean."

She felt it then, like a soft breeze drifting over her, as he examined her magically. "Stop that, Cade."

Quick as lightning, he grabbed her left hand and jerked her forward while pushing up her sleeve. "What is this?"

She cringed. The stupid mark was growing faster than wisteria in May. "You forgot?"

His grip turned hard, but she didn't flinch. She knew his weaknesses too. "When did you see her?"

"Her who?"

"The Matchmaker. That mark wouldn't be changing, unless..."

With a twist Lily jerked free and drew her sleeve back into place. She glared at him over the bottle as she took a long pull on her beer. For the first time, the worst possible time, the kitchen was taking forever to deliver their food.

Cade's gaze swept the small dining area, the counter and back to the kitchen before settling uncomfortably on her once more. "When did you meet him," he whispered.

Lily rolled her eyes. This was ridiculous. She hadn't met anyone new. Immediately Mr. Sunflowers popped into her head, but that didn't count. They hadn't met. Not really.

Cade arched a brow and shot a pointed look at her arm. "I'll post a guard if you don't tell me."

"You wouldn't!" She regretted her outburst as heads turned their direction. "You won't," she insisted, lowering her voice. "Or I'll have Henry deliver a message to Dad."

Cade blanched, knowing full well what message she referred to. But his expression cleared in a hurry. "You don't have the control to send Henry where I don't want him to go."

The old barb struck a nerve. Her lack of magical control was too well known. One more reason she hung out in the very human city of Charleston. Even here, so close to the tree of life that marked her elf father's house, her magic hadn't matured as hoped. Casting a few simple charms on the flowers that left her shop and covering a bad hair day with a little glamour seemed to be the max of her skills.

When faced with the overachieving brother of an overachieving family rooted in magic, it sucked to be so very human. Irritated with the rush of self pity, she defiantly pulled her sleeves back, exposing the lower half of her morphing birthmark.

She met Cade's dark glare with a sweet tea smile. "Don't want my sleeve dragging through the salsa."

Their order arrived, saving her from Cade's retort, if only temporarily. After sorting out who had what, the server tapped her on the shoulder. "Did you get that tat at the place near the beach?"

"Ah, no," she stammered, aware of Cade's prickly temper.

"Oh. Well, I suppose it could happen anywhere. I wouldn't mess around with that infection though. Helluva thing when I got this one." He started to raise his shirt, but Cade intervened.

"We're eating here," he said, his voice pained.

"Yeah, sorry. Y'all enjoy." The server ambled back to the kitchen, but Lily knew it wasn't over. She pulled her sleeve back down to her wrist anyway.

"Explain that thing."

"He is a person. Working in a position titled 'server' or 'waiter'," she said, giving every word space and deliberation. She turned her attention to her burrito, though she felt the weight of Cade's scrutiny.

"Long sleeves? That was your big plan to hide it from me? You couldn't possibly think it would've been enough."

"You couldn't possibly think I'd bother with anything more elaborate."

It was like sharing a meal with a grumpy old bear with a toothache, with the grunting and rumbling as he tore into his huge burrito. She didn't think it was cowardly to hope the meal would make him sleepy. Cade on a hunt for anything was an intimidating prospect. Bad enough that he'd been spoiling for a fight long before he'd seen the changes in her mark.

"Really, big brother, it's nothing. I probably got into something while processing yesterday's order."

"Right. What a coincidental path for the rash to take."

She picked at her burrito, wondering why he had to ruin her appetite by conversing about this in public. At home, she'd yell or even throw something, but Mama Rita's wasn't the place for one of their sibling-style battles.

"Just tell me when you saw her."

"Her who?"

"Don't be so blonde, Lily."

"Me?" She hated his continuous baiting. "You're the one going from grateful to stupid in less than sixty seconds."

Cade's fingers drummed the table. Not a good sign. He leaned forward and waited for her to mirror him before he whispered, "The Matchmaker, Lily. Save us both some time and tell me when she came to see you."

Lily leaned back, all hope of enjoying dinner gone. She propped her legs on the bench next to Cade's hip, symbolically caging the bear. "People come to see me all day, as I run a successful retail business. If some freak-eyed old woman with an entourage and a love-sick groom in tow walked into my shop I sure wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. The whole damn town would know, and half of the Angel Oak house, before she had time to introduce herself."

"So you have seen her."

Lily caught the teasing gleam in his eye just before she did something stupid. Like jump across the table and throttle him. She struggled against the hysterical laughter bubbling inside her that threatened to draw more attention than Cade's dark sex appeal.

She tipped back her beer. "Know what I think?" She took another long pull while he shook his head. The alcohol was a welcome contributor to her sudden bravery. "I think you've found a woman and now you're obsessed with the Matchmaker because said female won't have anything to do with you."

His snarl sent her into a flurry of alcohol induced giggles. He sent brooding looks to those customers brave enough to stare and soon it was as if they were completely alone in the packed restaurant. For once, though it was his power that created the effect, she didn't feel inadequate or unworthy, only amused. She giggled harder.

"Why didn't I think of that?" she mused aloud. She'd never considered taking the initiative and seeking out the mythical woman or witch or whatever the Matchmaker technically was.

An observant big brother, Cade clearly recognized the idea taking root in her brain and gaining momentum. "You'll do nothing of the kind. You can't just close up shop."

"Why not? I'm entitled to a vacation." She'd been thinking about it, hadn't she? Delight and terror pulsed alternately through her system. Could the change in her mark really mean her soul mate was nearby? And would he be her soul mate in a good way, or merely the best match for the future of their house? Oh, she was a lightweight. With her mind muddled by beer, she couldn't separate legend from reality. "You really think she came to see me and I didn't recognize her?"

"Good grief, you're drunk."

"Not if you'd let me eat," she pouted.

He pushed the chips closer to her. "Better ask your tattoo buddy for some coffee."

"Ewww. Not here." She wrinkled her nose at him. "Maybe a margarita."

"No way I'm dealing with you after tequila. Where do you recommend we go for coffee?"

"There's a dessert cafe a couple blocks over." They sold superb coffee and a divine praline brownie.

"Lily, pay attention." Cade's whipcrack command brought her back to Mama Rita's and the sting of reality.

"You pay attention. I told you I don't know her. I'm surprised you even believe she's real."

"Oh, she's real all right. And if that thing's changing, she must be close."

"Or my true soul mate is close," she teased, batting her eyelashes.

Cade scoffed. "That's a load of crap old women tell their granddaughters. She's a tyrannical manipulator. At best, she's a useful tool for those in search of stronger allies and more power."

Lily blinked at his harsh assessment, as far from her romantic dreams of white stallions bearing handsome knights as any nightmare.

"We have a bigger problem." He glared over her shoulder at the kitchen doorway. "There's some dark magic brewing in the kitchen. You need to get out of here."

"Dark magic?" She laughed. "I think the habaneros burned out your common sense." But the joke was too late. The spark of battle lit Cade's eyes. She gripped his hand. "Why don't we both get out of here?"

"I'll hold him off, you run."

"Cade, you don't even know what you're up against."

His hard grip landed unerringly on her mark. "I know this makes you a liability."

A slap across the face would have hurt less. She hated the tears welling in her eyes.

"Lily, there's no time for this. I can't defend myself or shield these people if I'm worried whatever it is will carry you off to the Matchmaker."

As if she'd be the target of a love-bolt wedding. Somehow that insanity cleared her head. "Let me shield them." She jerked a thumb in the direction of the other customers. His snort of laughter stung her pride like a thistle. "I'm staying. Deal with it. Besides you haven't finished your beer."

He lifted the bottle to his lips and drained it. "All done now. Can you cover the tip?"

She rolled her eyes and dug out the cash from the bottom of her purse. "There." He was hovering behind her and she knew only time and distance would make him drop the overprotective routine.

"Ready," she said, scooting out of the booth.

His eyes were on the kitchen door, and whatever he thought was in there, his look said he planned to annihilate it. Reaching into his coat, he shoved her toward the front door. "Run!"

"Jeez, Cade." He had to be overreacting. When he moved, her lungs just stopped, her heart too, at the sight of the man looming in the kitchen doorway.

He looked like a man who'd had a hard day, but her magic recognized the creature snarling under the surface. Werewolf.

Worse: werewolf with an attitude and a nasty red rash near his left wrist. His eyes raked her from head to toe and back up again, stopping as if he could see through to the mark burning under her sweater. Her flower-scented dreams went up in smoke and a scream lodged in her throat.

She heard Cade bark another order at her, but she was already bolting for the door, out of the restaurant, before that thing had a chance to match his mark to hers.

My dearest Amy,

How delightful that you'll be spending January in Charleston! It's a lovely area, though I haven't been there in many years. Midwest winters do get rather stale and you're smart to gather a little sunshine. You simply must spend some time on the beach, but no swimming! That part of the Atlantic in winter is not so friendly. Oh, and you must promise me you'll visit Mama Rita's. Maeve will know just where it is. Oh, how I envy you! If I were to manage some free time, would your musty old aunt be welcome to drop in?

All my love,

Auntie Camille

Dare fumed, faced with the belligerence and tag-teaming of the women sitting on the other side of the kitchen table. First, the new Matchmaker had forced him to discuss these private matters in front of her human friend, over take-out food. True, the human took it well, but now they refused to understand the danger of a Matchmaker lingering in the same town as an irritable, marked werewolf.