The Beckoning of Beautiful Things (The Beckoning Series) Read online

  “I have no car,” she said, smiling. “And I haven’t said I believe you yet. Maybe you’re a bit touched in the head. I don’t want to make any sudden moves.”

  He stilled, his face got stony and serious. “I’m not touched in the head,” he said, defensively. “And you’re perfectly safe with me.”

  “I was kidding. You know, trying to lighten the mood a bit?” She shifted uncomfortably. “Why did Karin think if Josephina could have been a Numen it would have made any difference?”

  “You’re awfully inquisitive, Ms. Engles.” His face softened.

  “Would you rather not tell me?”

  “No. I’d rather share.” His face darkened. “The Numina are a trained…never mind. It’s a group that exists. I’m only loosely allied. But if Josephina had been a Numen, she could have combined her skill with mine, and we could have stopped him.”

  “How so?”

  “I am a Night Numen, trained to manipulate and shape the night…the dark…to do as I see fit. I have studied with some of the finest, most powerful individuals in the world.” His eyes squinted as he stared at her.

  A curious chill unfolded in Marissa’s back, like a cobra rearing up out of a basket and flaring its hood. She beseeched her brain to cough up any references to Night Numens. “A Night Numen, huh?” I sure know how to pick the odd ones. I just got rid of a stoner surfer dude in favor of a Night Numen. “What exactly does a Night Numen do?”

  He shrugged. “Maintain balance and order. Heed the call of beckoning beauty.” He winked at her. “It’s an important job.”

  She narrowed her eyes. He’s making light of something. He’s not telling the truth. “Maybe…maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

  “What? The dinner?”

  Marissa picked at some unseen lint on her top and nodded. “I’m just an ordinary woman suddenly wanting to get back to my ordinary life. I’m not a Light Rebel. You’re wrong.” Gah! No car! Big mistake – Dating 101 – always have your own form of transportation. Well, he did give me his word.

  Daniel’s face fell. “I think you’ve been sent to me to free me of this cursed event. I think we met for a reason.”

  “I see. So I’m here to serve some purpose for you.” Just like I’ve been Jason’s personal crystal ball.

  “No, that came out wrong. That came out sounding selfish. I just meant that…”

  Marissa cut him off. “What if I don’t want to help you? I want to be more to someone than just a tool that men can use at their convenience. Besides, I’m no big deal – just a simple woman.”

  “That’s where I believe you’re wrong. I believe you are abyssi bene lucis et magicae. Auguratricis de lumine. Lux rebellem.” The Latin rolled smoothly from his lips.

  “Right!” Marissa sputtered in protest. “What in the world is that?”

  “You’re a bottomless well of light and magic – a sorceress of light. You’re perhaps one of the most powerful I have ever met. Whereas I command the night, you shape the light. You are a Light Rebel, to put it simply.”

  “What? Please. Are you serious? Come on, Daniel, we barely know each other. How can you say that?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “I think this date is over. I’ve had a really good time and all, but it’s late, and I need to work tomorrow.”

  Daniel’s face fell into a pool of sorrow. “Alright,” he said flatly. “I’ll send for the car.”

  She hesitated. He looks so sad. Her hand inched toward his.

  The emotion drained from his face, leaving a stone mask.

  He looks so…dangerous. “I think that would be best. I’m sorry, but I’m suddenly very tired. It’s been a wonderful birthday treat.” At least up to the Night Numen and the Light Rebel part.

  “Is it your birthday? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have taken you out to celebrate.”

  “Sorry. We don’t know one another, so I thought it was a need to know kind of detail.”

  “I see.”

  “This was preferable to going out, anyway. It was perfect.” Mostly.

  Daniel looked at her somberly.

  The two of them sat in awkward silence.

  Six hours since I met him. Six hours since my birthday wish began to unfold. Keep breathing. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. At least Jason taught me something.

  Daniel whipped a cell phone out of his pocket and tapped some numbers on the screen. “Javier? She’s ready to leave. Alright. Ten minutes. She’ll be at the front door.”

  When he’d put the phone away, Marissa said, “I’m sorry to spoil all the fun. It’s a tragic story – you and your girlfriend, I mean. I wish you all the best in your quest for healing and, er…revenge.”

  Daniel scoffed. “I’m not seeking revenge.”

  “Oh, really?” Marissa lifted one eyebrow.

  “Yes, really,” he said emphatically. He stared out at the darkness. “What if I could prove it to you?”

  “Prove what?”

  “That you’re an extraordinary woman.”

  “How could you do that?”

  “You’ll have to trust me for a moment. Can you do that?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, regarding him with wary eyes. “Why should I?”

  “Please. I just want to show you something about yourself and then you can go. You can go and never see me again if that’s what you want. Please,” he said again.

  She paused, considering. What have I got to lose? A sigh left her lips. “Alright. Show me.”

  He focused his gaze on hers and held out his hand to her.

  When she took it, he clasped it hard, bearing down so she couldn’t escape. She gritted her teeth as the most powerful electrical shock she had ever experienced coursed through her arm. There were no gentle butterflies, this time. Instead, a bolt of lightning ran shot through her arms. It sizzled up her neck and her face. It zinged down her back and crackled through her legs. “Stop!” she cried. “Let go of me! Make it stop!”

  “Only you can stop it,” Daniel said, with utter calm.

  “Stop it, please, Daniel, I’m begging you. My body’s on fire!” She pulled against his strength with all her might. She clawed against Daniel’s grip with her free hand.

  “Find that place inside of you – the place of calm.”

  Tears streaked down her face. “Please, just let me go. Make it stop. Please.”

  “Find that place, Marissa. You can do this. I know you can.”

  “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!” she wailed.

  “I sensed it in you when I met you today.”

  “I don’t believe you.” The sizzling, searing sensation intensified. “My blood is boiling. It’s steaming! Please, please, please let go of me.” Her voice came out in a strangled screech.

  “Shh, mi corazón. Find it…find the place you know so well inside.”

  Okay, okay, okay. The trees in the forest. The wind. The wind blowing through my hair. Sober Dober and I are walking. The pond surrounded by ferns. Beads of sweat tracked along her cheeks. Her arm vibrated with electricity. My art. My painting. My solitude. My safety net. The sweat trickled down her neck and slid down her back. Water. Safety. Stillness. The woods. The trees. My dog. My art. Arcs of fiery sensation competed with the tiny trickles of moisture. Just pour a whole bucket of water over your head and get it over with. Slowly, the electricity zinging through her veins subsided. Her heart stopped beating like a caffeinated hamster scampering on his little wheel. Everything inside of her stilled, a gentle wave of pleasurable sensation replaced the torrid thunderbolts.

  “See what I mean, mi corazón? You’re the source of electricity. I am only a conduit.”

  She wiped the back of hand along her tear-stained face. “How do I know that? You’re the one who claims to be a trained Night Numen, whatever that is. How do I know this isn’t just a trick?”

  “I assure you it’s no trick. But I can’t convince you. You’ll have to find the truth within yourself.” He pulled a strand away from her dam
p face.

  “So I can help you,” she said sourly.

  “No, so you can free yourself. So we can find out who we are to one another,” he replied. “Only if it’s important to you, mi corazón.”

  “I’m not your heart,” she protested.

  “Fair enough. Mi amiga then. Will that do?”

  She squinted at him, considering. “For now, yes.” She reached out to shake hands. “Wait. That’s probably not the smartest idea. Knuckle bump?” she asked, proffering her fist.

  He gently tapped knuckles with hers as the doorbell rang. “And now your chariot awaits. As will I.”

  Chapter 5

  At five in the morning, Marissa abruptly awoke to the dog barking and a man yelling. She rolled over and groaned, pulling the pillow over her head. “Jason,” she muttered into the mattress. “How did he get in here?”

  “Hey, get your mutt away from me. Marissa! Marissa! Marissa!” The last plea echoed as thunderous shout.

  She flung the covers back, wrapped her robe around her, jammed her feet in her slippers and stormed out of the bedroom. Jason crouched on the kitchen counter, while Sober barked a slew of orders and curse words in Dog.

  “To bed! To bed! Go to your bed.” Marissa commanded. When the Doberman refused to budge, she picked up a spray bottle from the counter and shot his face with water. Sober yelped. She had his attention, at least. “To bed!” The dog slunk to his kitchen bed, tramped in a tight circle, and folded his body in repose. He gave one last bark in Jason’s direction.

  “Knock it off!” Marissa glared at him before turning her head in Jason’s direction. “What are you doing here?” She yanked the coffee maker away from the wall and scooped coffee in the top from the little blue and silver canister.

  “I was on my way over to the shop,” he said, gracefully leaping off the counter like a monkey, “and I wanted to stop by and see how your date went.”

  “A telephone call at an appropriate hour would have been nice. I don’t usually get up until seven, and I seldom get up to the sounds of yelling and barking.” She grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and slammed it on the wooden cutting board with a sharp thwack. “And what made you think that you’d suddenly made peace with Sober after 11 months? He still doesn’t take kindly to B&E.”

  “I’m not a robber. I wasn’t breaking and entering. I know where you keep the key.”

  “Well, that’s going to stop.” Note to self – change locks immediately.

  Jason walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Sorry, baby-doll. Sorry to break your Zen snooze. I thought maybe I could sneak in, crawl into bed with you, and give you your birthday gift.” His eyebrows went up and down suggestively.

  Marissa rolled her eyes. “That probably would have pissed me off even more. We broke up, remember? They’re called boundaries in case you’ve never heard of them.” She shook his hands off, pulled the granola box off the shelf, seized a bowl out of the dish rack, and sprinkled the mixture into the bowl. “Get me some milk out of the ‘fridge, will you?”

  “Can I get some tea? Chai maybe?”

  Marissa said nothing.

  “Want me to make my own chai?”

  “What I really want you to do is leave me to my morning and not show up unannounced – or ever again for that matter.”

  “It doesn’t sound like your date went very well,” he said, retrieving the milk. “Here…” He handed the carton to her and wandered into the pantry.

  The date…Marissa froze, clutching the milk carton. She’d come home, tossed and turned for hours, finally fell asleep. Daniel’s a Night Numen, I’m a Light Rebel…right. Isn’t that the stuff of myths? Either that or Star Wars…

  Rustling around in the storeroom, Jason found a tea kettle, strode out, and filled it with water from the spout. “I wish you’d use filtered water.”

  “So you’d feel safe?” She poured milk in the bowl. “We’ve had this conversation so many times I could scream. Tap water’s fine with me.” She picked up the mug, filled it with coffee, took a sip, then headed over to the kitchen table with her cereal. “Why would the city of Seattle want to poison us? We’d all be dead and couldn’t pay for their service.”

  As she munched her granola, she studied Jason, moving quietly around the kitchen, fixing his tea. He’s probably doing his breathing exercises, thinking it will calm me down. Ignoring him, she stared out the window at the trees. Safety. She looked up at a painting hanging on the wall that she had created. Comfort and escape.

  Jason slid in the seat across from her. “Okay, baby-doll, spill the beans. What was so bad about your date?” He stuck a spoon in the tea, poured some milk into the cup and stirred. The spoon made a soft, muffled clink against the mug. “He wasn’t as good in bed as I am, right? He doesn’t have the moves. We can work on that, you know. I can show him some things.”

  Marissa’s lips curled back. “Ew, Jason, that sounds disgusting. Even if I did make love with him I wouldn’t want you to coach him. We’re done, remember?”

  Jason looked hurt. “The name’s Harmonia. And I’m a trained expert in pleasure in bed and enlightened thinking.” He took a sip of his tea. “So you didn’t go there?”

  “None of your business.”

  “I’m your boyfriend…sort of. Don’t you think it’s important that we share?”

  “You’re no longer my boyfriend.”

  “Your friend then.”

  “Some friend. Do you tell me what you do with your other girlfriends?”

  A churlish expression colored his features. He glanced out the window. “I don’t have other girlfriends.”

  “Really? I kinda don’t believe you.”

  “Well, none like you, Marissa. You’re different.”

  “Different how?”

  He regarded her with his child’s-blue eyes. “I dunno. You’re special. You’ve got something inside of you. I keep hoping you’ll reveal it to me.”

  “The special something that doesn’t exist? Right. Keep hoping.”

  Ignoring her, he continued. “I keep hoping we can tap it and become a highly esteemed couple in the community. That’s why I keep showing you everything I learn.”

  “So, I’ll be an asset to you…in your community…the community I have nothing to do with - that one?” Marissa spoke with a cold and flat tone. She shook her head slowly side to side and resumed eating her breakfast.

  “No, not so you’ll be an asset to me, just so we can connect more deeply and help others.” His voice came out kind of squeaky, like an adolescent boy’s.

  “And when, exactly, did I agree to this plan? I never agreed to it when we were dating, and I sure don’t agree to it now.” She finished her cereal, got up from the table, and put the bowl in the sink. Sober thwacked his tail against the wall. “Oh, I’m sorry, Dog! Let’s get you some food.” He scrambled up to her, his metal dog tags clinking, and his toenails clattering.

  After feeding the Doberman, she stomped into her bedroom, pulled on jeans and a sweater, came back to the kitchen, and sat back down across from Jason. Her head throbbed. Too much wine. She took a swallow from her second cup of java and rubbed her temples. Too much to process, more like it. “I need to go for a walk, and then get ready to go to work.”

  “I could walk with you.”

  “I thought you had to get to work.”

  “Oh, you know.” He waved his hand breezily in the air.

  “It can wait? You can get there when you get there?” Marissa repeated the words he’d said to her on many an occasion. “Besides the fact that the store doesn’t open until 10:00 and it’s only 5:45?”

  “Oh, come on. I wanted to check in on you. You were pretty upset yesterday.”

  “I was upset because I broke up with you and you didn’t believe me. You still don’t. Go home.”

  “Was it good intense?”

  “Was what good intense?”

  “Your date.”

  “It was intense.” Sober came over and rested his chin
in her lap. “Using me as a napkin, Dog?” She brushed the kibble from her robe and patted the dog’s head. “Harmonia,” she said sweetly. “Tell me why you think I’m so different. Anything besides the crystal ball mind stuff?”

  “Well, yeah. Aren’t you aware of it? You’re…I dunno, you’re like powerful or something. Your seer abilities are one thing, but you seem to channel something different…something big. I haven’t been able to put my finger on it.”

  “Explain what you mean,” Marissa said, wandering to the back door to retrieve her tennis shoes.

  “It’s when we make love. That’s when I feel it the most. You’re different than the other…I mean, you’re different than…”

  “Your other girlfriends…?” Marissa reached for her coat and the leash.

  “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  “Who are you comparing me with then?” Annoyance rumbled in her belly. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. Go home.” She opened the back door and stepped into the yard. The cool, quietude of the forest draped itself around her, inviting perspective and reflection. “Come here, Sober.” The dog trotted over to her. “Sit.” She snapped the red leather leash on his collar and began to walk briskly down the path through the dew covered lawn, the big dog by her side.

  “So, company, yes or no?” Jason asked.

  “No. Go.”

  “Well, at least give me some love then.” He ambled up to her and wrapped his arms around her. “We could share a little breath. That calms you right down.”

  “Gah! Go away.”

  A flash of uncertainty flickered on his face. “Something happened on that date last night.”

  “Of course something happened. We ate, we talked, we laughed.”

  He appeared wounded. “You don’t laugh with me. You’re always so serious.”

  “Sometimes we laugh.”

  “Not often enough.”

  “Jason, please. I just want to walk. Now can you go? Please? And get it through your skull that I don’t want to date you anymore. We’re not a couple anymore.”