Wicked by Any Other Name (21 page)

But Ginny didn't answer her.

“I haven't changed! I didn't do this,” Stasi protested, starting after her then halting when Ginny's face flashed with fear.

The woman shook her head. “This is all wrong. We all loved you two, and now you do this.” She wiped her eyes with her gloved fingers. She turned around and returned the way she had come.

Stasi wanted to cry, but she knew her tears would only freeze on her face.

“Come on, Stasi, we need to get inside and get warm.” Trev took her hand and led her around the back of their building.

The foursome was quiet as they climbed the rear stairs and stepped inside the kitchen. They were surprised to find the room dark and as cold as the outdoors.

“It's about time you got back,” Nick greeted them in a voice taut with worry. “All hell's been breaking loose around here.” He hugged Jazz tightly.

“It must have started snowing this hard right after we left in order for it to pile up this much,” Stasi said, pausing to allow a frenzied Bogie to float into her arms. The dog whined as he licked her face and brushed his paws against her shoulders. “Did the snowstorm cause a blackout? We were outside and watched the streetlamps go out one at a time, but the power had to have been out for some time to get this cold inside. We have a generator for emergencies.”

Nick's expression was grim as he surveyed the small group. “You've been gone for two days.”

“Two days?”
Stasi's mind reeled. She knew that time moved differently in The Library, but any of the other times she visited the realm she returned home to learn it was only a few hours later. Never two days.

Nick continued to hold Jazz tightly, as if afraid to let her go. She buried her face against his shirtfront, then moved her face to the side.

“Nick, love, I know you don't need to breathe, but I do, and I think you're cracking a rib,” she wheezed, struggling in his embrace.

“I was afraid something had happened to all of you,” he admitted, releasing her, but touching her hair as if he needed to assure himself she wasn't a figment of his imagination. “The snow started falling hard and fast a few hours after you left and it was easy to sense the emotions going on out there.”

“It's been a nightmare,” Irma agreed, walking into the room wearing a flannel bathrobe and fuzzy slippers and with her hair up in curlers. Sirius and Fluff and Puff were on her heels. The slippers immediately raced over to Jazz, chattering away as they tried to slide up her legs. “I went with Nick when he went outside to see what happened when the lights went out. It was so cold out there I swear I thought my bones would turn to icicles.”

“Says the dead woman,” Jazz muttered.

“At least my nose doesn't look as if it belongs on a reindeer,” Irma sniped back.

Jazz immediately held up her hands in surrender. “Sorry. What was happening?”

“The power started going out in the homes one by one. Even their generators won't fire up.” No one bothered to ask Nick how he knew this, since his hearing was more sensitive than anyone's. Not to mention Irma could enter any building without anyone being aware of her presence. Since the ghost had gained her freedom from Jazz's T-Bird she liked to “visit.” Jazz never asked whom she visited or what she saw. She figured she was safer not knowing.

Irma's hand was shaky as she lifted her hand with a cigarette glowing in the darkness. No one said a word as she puffed on it several times.

“None of this is good,” Irma pronounced.

Stasi looked around her at their grim faces. “Raise your hand if you're not spooked by all this.”

No one moved a muscle. The silence was deafening.

She couldn't stop the whimper that escaped her lips. If Trev hadn't been holding her, she knew her knees would have given out on her and she would have been on the floor.

“Okay, let's get a grip. I'll make some coffee.” Blair headed for the counter.

“No power,” Stasi reminded her. “And the back-up generator is dead, too.”

Blair wiggled her fingers. Sparks be-bopped around the digits. “Then it's a good thing we have an additional backup, because right now I would kill for some high-test caffeine,” she said as she went to work.

“What did you find out?” Nick asked. “Nothing useful,” Jazz replied. “Except that The Librarian has relatives. Who knew? It seems Trev's his nephew. Which is further proof you can't choose your relatives.”

“Oh honey, everything will be fine.” Irma patted Stasi on the shoulder. Stasi tried not to flinch as a frigid sensation swept through her body from the ghostly touch. “These things happen to Jazz all the time, and somehow she always manages to get out of them. She usually leaves a mess behind, and that head witch is never happy with her, but Jazz always manages to come out of that dung heap smelling like a rose.”

“Although I still have you in my life,” Jazz muttered, rummaging in the freezer. “Oooh! Cinnamon rolls.” She placed them on a paper plate and zapped them with a bit of her power. Pretty soon the kitchen smelled of cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar.

The coffee was ready, and Blair handed out filled mugs.

“Let's go into the family room so we can be comfortable and see if we can re-group,” Stasi suggested and they filed into the other room. She walked around the room lighting candles. She wasn't surprised that Nick hadn't bothered with them, since he could see just as easily in the darkest night as anyone could see in the bright light of day.

At that moment, she wanted to curl up in her favorite easy chair with the plump pillows. Trev wasn't about to let her go too far from him, so she shared the chair with him and luckily, it was large enough for two. She discovered sharing the space wasn't so bad, especially when she felt so cold inside.

Blair dropped into her favorite chair and stretched her legs out on the matching ottoman, while Jazz and Nick settled on the couch.

“Okay, so we don't know any more than we did before?” Nick asked, stealing some of Jazz's coffee. She took her cup back and took a big swallow. A flick of her fingers refilled the cup without her having to get up. A second cup appeared in Nick's hand, and she grinned at him.

Stasi laid her head back against Trev's shoulder. “The Librarian said we should look up Fae, even if some of the spells don't seem to be Fae inspired. The book said you could only ask about one type of magick at a time, except what we have here is inter-connected. But who says that there aren't Fae working with someone else to create all this?”

“Fae don't play well with others,” Jazz brought up. “They have their areas and they don't leave them. They always want to be the big fish in the little pond.”

“And this is a small town,” Stasi murmured. Her brow furrowed in thought. “Not that many new people have moved here in the last couple of years.”

“The Palmer siblings, Mr. and Mrs. Lucas, that wood sculptor who bought the Frederick's vacation cabin,” Blair thought out loud. “That's it.”

“And the only ones who have basically constant interaction with everyone in town are Reed and Poppy Palmer,” Stasi said. “And now Reed's sister is here.”

“I've never liked them. They're always bringing over cookies and muffins.”

“Which we do our best not to eat except those couple times we weren't able to refuse.” Thoughts came fast and furious, suppositions that Stasi refused to voice until she knew she was correct.

Blair jumped to her feet when they heard a knock at the back door.

Nick waved her down. “I'll get it.”

Stasi closed her eyes and pinched her nose. She felt the need of a good headache spell but was too weary to chant the words to make the pain disappear.

“You need to relax,” Trev whispered, gliding his fingers across her forehead as he chanted a few words under his breath.

She looked up and smiled as her headache disappeared. “First my forehead. Now you cure my headache. You should have been a healer.”

“No way. I've been known to faint at the sight of blood.” He brushed a kiss across her temple. “I'm a lawyer, I'm not exactly hero material.”

She kissed him back. “You're
my
hero.”

“This is cozy.” Jake followed Nick into the family room. He had shed his coat, but snowflakes still lingered in his dark hair. He grinned at Blair as he picked her up and sat down, then settled her down next to him. She growled at his highhanded manner but didn't move out of the chair.

Jazz got up and went back into the kitchen, returning with a coffee mug that she handed to Jake.

“We heard the power's out everywhere,” Stasi said.

Jake practically inhaled the hot liquid. “Thanks, this really helps. Yeah, like you, everyone's using candles and lanterns. Generators won't kick in, and that makes no sense. But considering what's going on around here, I guess it does make some kind of crazy sense. Cell phones aren't working either. Word has it the cell towers are inactive, but no one knows why or why not one generator in this town works.”

“I used telepathy to connect with Letiticia,” Nick said. “It's the same situation at the resort. The guests are in a total panic, since they can't get down the hill. Even the snowmobiles up there aren't working. Some of the people want to hike down the mountain, but like before they only get so far and can't seem to go any farther.”

“So we're trapped up here.”

Jake nodded. “That's pretty much it.” He finished his coffee and glanced at Blair. “Is there any more?”

“Do I look like a waitress?” But she got up and came back with a coffee carafe, walking around to refill everyone's cups, leaving Jake's cup for last.

“I'm sorry, everyone, but my witch here looks like she's ready to fall over from exhaustion.” Nick got up and pulled Jazz to her feet. With his arm around her shoulders, he guided her toward the guest bedroom. “Good night.”

A chorus of good nights followed them.

“I guess I'll be next.” Blair pushed Jake to one side so she could climb out of the chair. “Go home, Jake.”

“You're throwing me out into the cold? There's no power, remember?”

“If I remember correctly, your cabin has a fireplace. You won't freeze.”

“You can sleep on the couch, Jake,” Stasi said, not wanting to send anyone back out into the icy air. “There are blankets and spare pillows in the linen closet.”

“Sounds good to me.” But he kept his eyes on Blair, who ignored the question in his dark eyes and headed for her bedroom, while Irma headed for the room she used and Bogie followed her.

Stasi was grateful when Jake went into the hallway in search of the linen closet, giving her and Trev a bit of privacy.

“With the roads blocked, you won't be able to return to the resort,” she said softly.

He kept his attention on her eyes. “Maybe Jake will let me share the couch, or I can make up a pallet on the floor.”

She stood up and held out her hand. “Or perhaps you'll receive a better offer.”

Trev took her hand and got up, standing close to her. “Are you sure?”

She nodded without a hint of hesitation.

Jake returned with an armload of blankets and a couple of pillows. He didn't look surprised to see Trev follow Stasi into her bedroom and murmured a good night. She closed the door and ran her hands along the door seam. Magickal energy flashed along the door, effectively sealing them in.

“Privacy spell,” Trev guessed.

She nodded. “No sound will leave the room and no one can enter without my consent.”

He grinned, sincerely hoping her intent was what he was imagining it would be. He stood there waiting to see. “Or leave.”

She couldn't help but grin back. “Or leave.” She paused long enough to pick up Horace and tuck him in a drawer, not only closing the drawer but also sealing it with a spell.

“No fair!” The gargoyle's muffled protest reached them from the drawer. “I never have any fun!” His grumbling finally settled down.

“He can't hear, or peek out either,” she assured Trev.

“Good idea. We wouldn't want Horace taking notes, would we?” he grinned.

Stasi went around the room lighting candles until the room glowed warmly. She walked forward with delicate grace and curled her fingers along his sweater's hem, then pulled it up over his head, dropping it to the carpet.

“No just zapping the clothes off?” he teased.

Stasi shook her head. “Let's try it slow and easy this time.” She stood up on her tip-toes and bent her head to the side, inhaling the musky scent of his skin mixed with the dry musty whiff of old books, and magick. She lapped the rough skin the way a cat did, tasting what she smelled. Feeling his strength in his flavor. She smiled when Trev shifted from one foot to the other under her touch. “Don't move,” she whispered, peeling off his T-shirt and dropping it to the floor to lie beside his sweater.

“You're already killing me here,” he groaned.

“I haven't even started yet.” She fingered the cold metal of his belt buckle and took her time unfastening it.

Trev closed his eyes and took a deep breath only to discover it put him in closer proximity to Stasi. He inhaled the spring-like fragrance of her skin; something that reminded him of bright flowers and green grass. “I was afraid you'd say that.”

She turned her attention to the other side of his neck. “Just be glad I'm not a vampire.” She breathed against his skin as she worked on his jeans' fastenings. She slowly lowered the zipper, mindful of his erection thrusting its way forward. She laid her palm against the full flesh straining against black cotton.

Trev felt his breath leave his body. “Depends on where you bite.”

“By the time I finish you won't care.” She knelt down and dispensed with his boots and socks, slowly sliding his jeans off past his hips.

Trev didn't miss that Stasi was eye level with his cock, which had a mind of its own and was ready to burst through his briefs. The fact that she was taking it slow wasn't helping, but the look of her fully dressed and kneeling in front of him while he was naked was sexy as hell. He only hoped he wouldn't die of heart failure before she took pity on him and touched him.

“Poor baby,” she crooned, tucking her fingers in the sides of his briefs and pushing them down. “Looking for attention, are we?” She curled her fingers around the base of his cock and slowly slid them upward to the head. Trev hissed a curse then a second one when she just as slowly brought her fingers back down to the root. He started to bend down to grab her when her hold tightened. “Don't move,” she ordered with a flash of gold in her eyes.

He breathed heavily through his nose and closed his eyes to better appreciate the sensation Stasi was creating with her touch that maddened him as much as it aroused him. But she wasn't about to stop there.

Because his eyes were closed, he had no warning when she covered him with the silken wet heat of her mouth. What almost had him shooting through the roof was the tingling that spread from her lips all the way down.

“Fates save me,” he breathed. He speared his fingers through her hair. He needed that anchor, so he wouldn't fall to his knees. She took him deeply, using the suction of her mouth to create a seal that refused to release him while the tingling seemed to increase in intensity. Trev felt as if his lungs would burst as his balls tightened with each up and down motion of her mouth. Words in a long forgotten language spilled from his mouth. He praised her beauty, gloried in her passion, and was convinced he would die a happy man.