The name struck Henry the next night when he a woke, his head groggy from lack of feed and his body still lethargic, he was sure that he had read the name in one of the books he kept locked away because of their content. As much as he hated black magic he kept the books to insure that no one else got their hands on them, but which book had he seen it in? And what connection did she have to the dark arts? Reclining in his bed with it's decadent black silk sheets and matching black bed hangings he brought the image of her face to his mind, those eyes that seemed to glimmer with intelligence, flashing from blue to green then darker when caught in the throes of passion. He remembered the cynical edge in her voice and the dark sarcasm that seemed to match his own, closing his eyes he pictured the tilt of her eyebrows and the curl of her dark brown hair, almost black in it's denseness. Yes, she was certainly a drug, a potent one that was even now weaving it's way through his body, making him intensely aware of every sensation, the softness of his sheets, the cool of the breezes that blew through the open window.
Henry froze. An open window? With a shot of adrenaline and pre-natural speed he shot off the bed and stared at the open window off the balcony of his room, when? Who? In confusion Henry stepped out onto the balcony and looked around, as if searching for the culprit but no one stood outside or crawled a long the ledge for him to find, instead there was a note taped on the railing of the balcony.
Just a friendly little warning. Stay away from Ms. Cromwell.
Friendly? This was hardly friendly. So what did Aurielle Cromwell have to do with this?
Auri (Earlier that Afternoon)
Things were not going well, already the bad luck was beginning to rear it's ugly head, showing up in little things, like showing up late for work after having to take a cold shower because her water heater was hopelessly fried, then coming in to hear that her Prep-Chef had quit and at least four of her waiters had called in sick. Three accidents having to do with spilled drinks on favored customers, an elbow to the face of a food critic and a fall involving gravy. It was not a good day for both Auri and her restaurant Kat Pajamas Café, she was frustrated beyond belief and angry at Valerie for disappearing.
"Ma'am?" said Ethan, her head chef and old time friend.
"What?" she snapped irritably then shook her head and looked up from the long row of numbers that filled the page in front of her. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright, I understand. Cassandra gone again?"
"Yeah, and it's bloody frustrating."
"How long?"
"Four days."
"Maybe it's time to call the police?"
"I'm hiring a private investigator."
Not that she would admit it out loud but she was afraid of the police, afraid they would find out what she was and she would be right back where she started, at the mercy of a sick and vengeful goddess who came in the form of a very annoying black bird. There was also an edge of fear for her sister, something didn't feel right about the whole situation, something that prodded her to continue looking for her errant twin, something she couldn't explain.
"You want to talk about it?" He said, leaning negligently against the doorjamb of her office.
"Don't you have work to do?"
"Nope, the waiters decided to revolt and close early."
Figures. She thought to herself, not that she minded, in fact she had been considering the idea herself for over an hour, with things going so badly she was seriously considering giving them a few days off on a paid vacation, at least until Valerie turned up.
"Any idea when she might be getting back?"
"No."
"Who's the detective?"
"Victoria Nelson."
Ethan shrugged, his broad shoulders raising and falling minutely, and crossed his arms across his chest, he watched her with intense blue eyes but all she could think about was hazel eyes, burning into her and soft hands wrapping around her. She tried to concentrate on Ethan's light brown hair but kept coming back to Henry's dark gold silky locks. Her thoughts returned to the night before despite her attempts.
"Auri?"
"Yes?" she said dreamily.
"Are you okay?"
"Fine."
What the hell was wrong with her? Was she damaged? One night of mindless passion, one night of very therapeutic sex and it was all she could think of when she needed to concentrate on the numbers before you, or the conversation she was so easily failing to be a part of.
"Are you sure you're okay? You look a little glassy eyed."
"I do?"
Yanking herself out of a daydream that sent shivers down her spine involving a certain golden haired man and chocolate sauce she shook her head and smiled at Ethan who was staring at her, one eyebrow raised searchingly.
"What?"
"You went to La La land again."
She sighed. "Can't seem to concentrate." Auri looked at the clock, half expected to see that only the breakfast rush had passed then paled when she saw that it was nearly two in the afternoon. "Shit!"
In a hurry she shot up from the desk, oblivious to the slam of the chair hitting the back wall and the crunch as the plaster cracked, she winced then grabbed her purse and dashed around the desk in a hurry. "I'm late!" she called over her shoulder as she passed a very confused Ethan.
"Have fun!"
"Doubtful!"
Ripping open the door she stepped out onto a busy sidewalk bumping into a tall man with graying hair and ended up with a blouse stained with coffee as he went down and his cup went straight down her blouse.
"I'm so sorry!" she said quickly, dabbing her blouse with a napkin then helping the man up.
"It's quite alright." he said congenially.
"Here, let me pay for another one." She offered, handing him a few dollars.
"Why thank you." He said, taking the bills with a bright smile.
A shiver of awareness crept over her skin, goosebumps flashed over her skin when his fingers brushed hers accidentally over the bills, something about the man was making all the signals in her head go off at once.
"Again, I'm really sorry."
"It's fine."
She nodded and walked past him, still feeling the nervousness even after he had disappeared into the crowd…….
So beautiful…the man thought. …even from afar she is an exquisite creature, so young and yet so old, a wealth of knowledge and yet a gentle naivety at the same time. She will make a powerful addition to my collection…
TO BE CONTINUED
Hope you liked this chapter, sorry it took so long but I've been distracted lately. But here I am! SO REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW