Truth Seeker Page 9

  "Yes. No. Crap, Philippe is back there with Lucia. I need to get back to him."

  "Your friend?" Charlie asked. "With the other locket?"

  "Yes. He's gravely injured. I only hope he's held on." She could sense him, but barely, and then his energy changed. "Crap!" She broke into a run, and Charlie followed.

  They burst into the clearing in time to see a vampire holding Philippe up by his neck. The gray vampire. Maggie groaned.

  "Philippe!" She clenched her fists, but he turned and wagged a finger at her.

  "Well met, Margaret."

  Before she could reply, Charlie pulled a small stake from the quiver on his back, took aim, and fired. The vampire let Philippe go and toppled to the side before disappearing, but not into smoke and ash. Before he did, he smiled at Maggie, and she stepped back. She knew from experience that it would take more than a small stake to end him permanently—he was that powerful.

  "Maggie." Philippe started toward them with a smile, showing a brand new set of fangs.

  "No." Maggie put her hand over her mouth.

  Charlie had reloaded and aimed at him, but Maggie put a hand on his arm.

  "Don't shoot him."

  "He's a new vamp. He's dangerous."

  "No. No, he can't be." Not him. Not Philippe, who looked at her like he saw her as the girl she'd once been, not a Truth Seeker or associate of King Arthur, but just her. Maggie. She'd tried to push him away to protect him, but it hadn't worked. He'd been killed anyway, and now he'd be doomed.

  Yes, the damn curse was in full effect.

  "Look, Maggie, I've got the necklace." Philippe held out a hand to reveal Niniane's locket sparkling in his palm. "It came out when I…" He gestured to himself. "I changed."

  Some of the tension in Maggie's stomach eased. At least she wouldn't have to extract it from him. "Great, please give it to me." Maggie slowly walked forward but stopped when Philippe's nostrils flared.

  Philippe took a step, his gaze locked on her neck. "Maggie, you smell amazing."

  "It's because you're a vampire. A new one, and especially hungry." But she didn't move back. "Please don't come any closer. Just toss me the necklace."

  She allowed herself a slight exhale when he stopped. Now a familiar expression crossed his face—confusion. "What's wrong? Why can't I come closer?"

  "You're dangerous."

  He looked at the necklace, then lobbed it to her. She grabbed it out of the air. When the cool metal met her palm, a tremor rippled through the ground. The part of her that had been attuned to the tunnels told her they'd closed with Niniane's last escape chance in her hands.

  "Thank you."

  "Now what?" He grinned, revealing his new fangs. "I can help you with your curse now. You and me. We have all the time in the world."

  "No." She shook her head. "It's already too late." She gestured to his changed form, and thick tears threatened to choke her. "You've already been doomed."

  "It's never too late!"

  The air vibrated with the anger in his voice and energy, and Charlie moved to her side.

  "Can it be reversed?" Charlie asked. "Since it just happened?"

  "No." Maggie struggled to breathe around her grief. She hadn't meant for this to happen. "We need to contain him, but"—she lowered the crossbow, which he'd raised—"not kill him. I can't have his death on my hands any more than it is."

  Philippe watched them, his lips twisted into a snarl. "I'm so hungry." He looked down, and when he lifted his head again, the ring around his irises glowed red. "And you smell delicious."

  Maggie didn't have time to react when he lunged at her, but the twang of the crossbow indicated Charlie had. The stake caught Philippe in the shoulder, and he staggered back, his swipe barely missing her. A glowing golden lasso closed around him, and he disappeared. The lasso also vanished, but the man holding it didn't, and he stepped out of the shadows.

  "Merlin," Maggie said, pressing a hand over her pounding heart. "Have you been there the whole time?"

  "Long enough." Merlin shook his head, but he grinned. "You do like to cut things close. And who is this?"

  "Lieutenant Charles Allen MacKenzie." The two men nodded to each other with familiarity. "But you knew that."

  Merlin nodded. "Lieutenant MacKenzie."

  Charlie inclined his head. "Sir Merlin."

  Maggie recalled their previous conversation. "He's one of the humans you've recruited as part of your experiment. That explains how he knew who I am."

  "Correct. And he's performed admirably. You can expect to work with him in the future."

  Good. So she'd remain a Truth Seeker. As for further contact with Charlie… She'd sort her feelings out about that later. "What did you do with Philippe? Please tell me you didn't kill him."

  "Unfortunately I don't have cause to execute or hold him indefinitely since he hasn't killed anyone yet, but we can at least get him through the transition. Then I'll release him somewhere he won't do much, if any, harm."

  She didn't know where that would be, but she didn't ask. Hopefully he would find a nice lady vampire to take his mind off her. And maybe he would agree to help their side at some point. Eventually. After he'd gotten over her and gained control over his new urges and powers. And forgiven her, if that was possible.

  "We need all the allies and help we can get," Merlin said as though he'd read her mind. He may well have. She was too exhausted to block her thoughts. "And you need to rest. Signs and portents are pointing to unrest in the Collective Unconscious, and Zeus has been missing for long periods of time. I'm going to need you again sooner rather than later."

  "And me?" Charlie asked.

  "Likely." And with that, Merlin disappeared.

  "Wow." Maggie looked around. Night had descended fully, and the sounds of battle had given way to the stirrings of the nocturnal wildlife. "Where did everyone go?"

  "The others are on creature cleanup," Charlie said. "Lucia said she'd help. My job is to get you home safe. Do you want to get something to eat? There's a Waffle House nearby."

  Maggie looked up at him. Another young man. Another handsome face. Another guy she'd try not to put in danger.

  "I need some time to myself after all that." It wasn't a lie.

  "Understood." Disappointment flickered over his face, but he didn't pout. "It's hard to lose a colleague."

  She nodded. "Exactly. Especially like that. I shouldn't have left him."

  "Don't second guess yourself." He clapped her on the shoulder like she was one of the guys. Maybe that's all she could be, but this time the notion didn't satisfy her. "You couldn't have known a vamp was waiting to grab him."

  "No, but I should have suspected." She rubbed her eyes. "But thanks. I appreciate your support." Her words sounded hollow.

  They walked toward town through the cemetery. Charlie didn't holster his weapon until they were well on consecrated ground.

  Then he asked, "What did he mean, now you have all the time in the world?"

  "I don't know." But she suspected. Could her curse be broken? That little glimmer of hope made her smile. "But I aim to find out sooner rather than later."

  About the Author

  Cecilia Dominic wroteher first story when she was two years old and has always had a much more interesting life inside her head than outside of it. She became a clinical psychologist because she's fascinated by people and their stories, but she couldn't stop writing fiction. The first draft of her dissertation, while not fiction, was still criticized by her major professor for being written in too entertaining a style. She made it through graduate school and got her PhD, started her own practice, and by day, she helps people cure their insomnia without using medication. By night, she blogs about wine and writes fiction she hopes will keep her readers turning the pages all night. Yes, she recognizes the conflict of interest between her two careers, so she writes and blogs under a pen name. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with one husband and two cats, which, she's been told, is a good number of each. She also e
njoys putting her psychological expertise to good use helping other authors through her Characters on the Couch blog post series.

  Find Cecilia Online

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  Cecilia's books available everywhere e-books are sold. Look for paperbacks in select brick-and-mortar stores.

  If you'd like to get a peek at the first full-length book in the Dream Weavers and Truth Seekers series Tangled Dreams, please continue reading for an excerpt.

  Please enjoy this preview of Tangled Dreams, the first full-length book and next tale in the Dream Weavers and Truth-Seekers series…

  "My baby! Someone stole my baby!"

  The cry jolted through Audrey, and she dropped her sausage and egg biscuit. It landed with a splat on the plate and fell apart, but she didn't notice, having half-risen to search for the flurry of activity that should accompany that kind of cry. But the only curious glances she saw were directed her way. She sank back to her seat, trembling with unspent adrenaline.

  "Did the sandwich try to escape?" J.J. wiped a bit of mustard from his close-cropped beard. "Or did you just see that cop you've been coffee-stalking?"

  "No." Audrey glared at him and attempted to suck in a couple of belly breaths. "Didn't you hear that? Someone just got kidnapped."

  "The only thing I heard was your breakfast hitting the paper and falling apart." He gestured to the table between them.

  Audrey looked down. He was right. The sausage hung over the open bottom half like a panting tongue, and the scrambled egg pieces had scattered in a half-hearted bid for freedom. She retrieved the top half of the biscuit from its precarious position at the edge of her plate, but she had to clench her hands in her lap to stop their shaking. She snuck glances to either side. How did he not hear the panic-stricken call for help? Or anyone else?

  "That's what I get for asking them to hold the cheese," she attempted to joke.

  J.J. raised an eyebrow. "Told you it'd be better with it all melted together. You should listen to your brother."

  She only half-listened to him yet, her attention on the nearby moms with small kids, but no one indicated they'd heard or made the cry.

  "I know I heard it." With mostly steady hands, she did her best to reassemble her breakfast, but her fingers still felt weak. Was this the first step to madness?

  "You're edgy today. Did you get enough sleep?"

  She snapped her gaze back to him. Something tickled the back of her mind in response to his question before it was swallowed up by the tension that always overtook her when he tried to 'brother' her. He was her editor, not her brother, for Pete's sake! Okay, he was her brother, but they were here to discuss her next day's assignment, so she tried to keep things professional. But she had to answer.

  "Yes, Kyle gave me a sample of something last night. Some drug that's been getting a lot of press." She cringed, anticipating his reaction.

  As expected, J.J. rolled his eyes. He was nice and predictable like that. "Just because the media likes it, doesn't mean it's good for you."

  Instead of getting into the same old argument, Audrey took a bite of her biscuit, but her heart still beat in her throat, and a piece of sausage stuck. She coughed, and J.J. reached across the table and thumped her back.

  "Maybe you should take the rest of that home," he suggested. "You're not doing so hot with thinking and eating at the same time."

  "You're probably right." With a sigh, she wrapped up the rest of the breakfast sandwich and stuck it in the paper bag with the apple she hadn't touched. She hated it when he was right, but there was no point in choking on a bite due to her imagination, which had been going strong since the night before with vivid dreams she could only remember in flashes. She'd woken feeling like she hardly slept.

  J.J. stood, as did she, and another glance around the coffee shop revealed her favorite cop, who walked into the coffee shop. His uniform hugged his broad shoulders, and she knew from previous sidelong glances that he had a nice, tight ass to go with them. The best part for her was his gray eyes – bedroom eyes, her mother would have called them – that stood out against his olive skin and wavy dark hair. Somehow his appearance calmed the deep inside part of her that still trembled with the sense that something was very wrong.

  "What are you smiling at?" J.J. turned around. "Oh. Is that him?" he asked in a stage whisper.

  "Shut up before I punch you," Audrey said through clenched teeth behind her smile.

  The policeman must have heard them because he turned toward them and cocked his head when he saw J.J. like he thought he looked familiar. Then his gaze met Audrey's, and he smiled.

  Audrey returned the grin and waved before following J.J., who'd become suddenly eager to go out into the bright autumn sunshine.

  "Do you know him?" Audrey asked once the door closed behind them. "He looked like he recognized you."

  "Nah, you know I've got one of those familiar-looking faces." But J.J. didn't slow his pace. "You could talk to him, you know. Actually say hi, give him your number."

  Although the idea thrilled her, Audrey shook her head. "And what? Ruin the fantasy?" She practically trotted to keep up with him. She'd forgotten how his skinny pants obscured how long his legs were. "Besides, haven't you forgotten something important?" She poked him on the biceps with each word. "I. Have. A. Boyfriend."

  "I wouldn't know," J.J. told her. "Considering I never see you with him or hear of you hanging out with him."

  She couldn't argue with that. Instead, she reminded him, her smile gone, "You know my rule: no dating cops. Too much of a chance they won't come home."

  Finally J.J. slowed and looked at her. She guessed they both had the same sadness in their green eyes. "Like Dad."

  Why did thinking about that horrible night still make her throat swell with tears that should have run out by now? "Right, like him."

  J.J. gave her that mixed sympathy with a look that said, "Your reasoning is a flimsy excuse," but he only asked, "Do you want a ride home?"

  The cry came from Audrey's right: "My baby!" She turned so quickly she almost lost her balance. Two women sat on a restaurant patio with brightly-colored tables and chairs. Between them, they had five children, all young, a laughing, squirming, tumbling mess. One of the moms held out her arms to a blonde cherub, who toddled around in a diaper and pink t-shirt.

  "There's my baby," she cooed. "What a big girl you are, walking all by yourself."

  Audrey blinked to clear the buzzing sound from her ears, and the sense of wrongness returned. "Yeah, a ride would be good so I'd get home faster. I need to lie down before Kyle gets off. I'm hearing things."

  J.J.'s cupid's bow lips curled. "It's probably your biological clock."

  She punched J.J. in the arm. "Just because you don't want kids doesn't mean I'm going to pick up the slack for you."

  He smiled, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. "But really, how are things going with Kyle? Do you actually have a date with him this afternoon, or does he just hook you up with sleep drugs? That's a dealer, not a boyfriend."

  "No," she sighed. "I'm hoping he'll have time for coffee. Since he's on his sleep rotation, he's got to be back tonight to observe study hookup, but he said he might stop by after they're done rounding at the hospital."

  J.J. used the keychain remote to unlock the car, then opened her door for her. "I don't like how he treats you."

  Audrey slid on to the soft leather and waited before he got into the driver's seat before saying, "Not everyone was raised a gentleman like you. Besides, he's a medical resident. Things will get better once he goes on fellowship."

  "Uh huh." J.J. pulled the car out of the square and turned right. Audrey wondered how to continue the conversation, but decided not to. J.J. liked to be overprotective.

  But what if he's right?

  Audrey rolled down the window to let the air in to cool her cheeks and distract
her from her doubts. The Bartlett pear trees, red at the top, yellow in the middle, and green on the bottom, ruffled in the breeze, which carried hints of chilly nights to come. She took a deep breath, savoring the autumn smells: dried leaves, wood smoke... Wood smoke? It's warm to be running a fireplace. The aroma disappeared.

  The car carried her through the neighborhood and past a small park, where someone had dug up the bed in the middle to plant a flat of pansies. The flowers sat by an abandoned set of tools, and the red clay stood out against the still-green grass, a gash in the earth.

  Audrey's vision tilted, and dizziness made her grab the door handle to anchor herself. She'd seen something like that recently. The memory tickled at the back of her mind. That's where I heard the cry the first time. But it had all been a dream…

  "My baby!" A distraught woman in tan robes screamed and looked into a pit of fire. Hands held her back from jumping in.

  Audrey blinked, and the scene faded. It had only been a dream, a vivid dream. So why did her stomach knot just thinking about it?

  "Audrey? Audrey!" J.J. shook her shoulder, and she realized they'd pulled up in front of her duplex.

  "Sorry, daydreaming." Or day-nightmaring.

  He didn't release her. "You look like you're coming down with something. Maybe you should just take the night off from everything, even Kyle."

  "I'll think about it." She hoped he didn't see how she had to clutch at the door to keep her balance when she got out of the car. He didn't say anything, so perhaps not. She waved as he drove away.

  "Someone took my baby! My baby girl!"

  The cry reverberated through Audrey's head and faded into throbbing pain. She'd managed to distract herself after her weird morning. But now that she had time to take a nap, she couldn't get the sound of sobbing out of her head. Listening to music hadn't blocked it. Talk radio only made it worse - no surprise there. She rolled over and clutched her pillow to her face, willing away the sensation that someone stood just out of view and watched her attempts to sleep.