Grave Attraction (6 page)

In a perfect world, they could simply pick up where they left off. But Cassie was right. For better or for worse, Marlena was a much different woman than she'd been when she married Christopher Walther. Harder, sharper. Less trusting. She no longer possessed a fire for living, just a simple talent for survival. And as the years crept past, it got increasingly difficult to find things worth living for.

To be honest, she probably would have ended her life if not for the orphaned girl who'd tried to pick her pocket on the streets of Paris. The little girl had triggered Marlena's maternal instincts, and instead of turning her in to the police, Marlena cleaned her up, taught her English, brought her home to the United States, and raised the child as her own.

She stole a sideways glance at the child, and her heart swelled with love. Of course, the child now appeared old enough to be her grandmother, but that made no difference to her. No matter what, Cassie would always be her little girl, the one she'd taught how to ride a bike and tie her shoes, and the one she'd brought to a local coven when her abilities began to manifest during those tenuous teenage years. If she hadn't given the young witch the proper outlet to develop her powers, who knew how she would have turned out.

Marlena's thoughts tracked back to the young, handsome reaper, and her heart sank down to her stomach. “What if we're both so different we're no longer compatible?” The possibility was enough to make her nauseous.

“You worry too much.” Cassie rubbed a hand along Marlena's back. The soothing circles usually calmed her nerves, but at the moment they weren't nearly as effective. “I'm sure you've both changed a lot over time, but deep down, you're still the same people.” Her hand stopped moving. “Do you want him to remember who he was?”

Marlena's first impulse was a resounding yes, but then she thought about it a little while longer and her resolution wavered. What would it do to him? How would he react? What if he remembered her the way she was and despised the woman she'd become? “I—I don't know. What if he can't handle the truth?”

Cassie gave her a sympathetic look. “Well, you better figure out if he can. While you're at it, why don't you get to know him better? You might find you like the new version better.”

T
he first thing Marlena noticed when she returned from her morning workout was the sharp scent of ozone in the house.

That meant Cassie was awake and busy at work casting spells in the kitchen. If the amount of energy in the air was any indication, she hadn't been at it for long. As a child, the witch hadn't been much of a morning person, and the trait had followed her into adulthood.

“Good morning,” Marlena said as she walked into the kitchen. The crackle of electricity in the room was strong enough to make the hairs on her arms stand on end. She grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and downed half of it in one long chug. Only then did she notice Cassie's scowl. “What's wrong, honey?”

“Stupid spell didn't work.” Irritation showed on the witch's face as she poured her latest concoction down the drain. “On the bright side, I think it's safe to say this guy wasn't targeted by anyone local.”

The kitchen counter was littered with ingredients commonly employed for defensive magic. Some Marlena recognized: basil, agrimony, pawpaw, cayenne, patchouli, vetivert, and wormwood. A few she didn't. From the looks of it, Cassie was attempting to remove the negative magic from Dmitri's associate and turn the evil back on its rightful owner.

With a sigh, Cassie set the empty pot in the sink and twisted the faucet, testing the water with her finger every few seconds to see if the temperature had warmed. “So far, I've only used half of the hair, but I called Dmitri for more just in case.”

“Great.” She so didn't want to see Dmitri again. She'd known the reaper for about forty years, but until yesterday, she hadn't seen him since the time he'd helped her and Cassie deal with a troublesome warlock. Technically, they still owed him a favor, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

“You need to wipe that look off your face,” Cassie warned.

“What look?”

“The one you get when you want to rip someone's lungs out. You know as well as I do it wasn't his fault.”

Marlena's jaw tightened, her mama bear instincts bubbling to the surface. “You were young and naïve.”

“I was thirty-two, and I damn well knew what I was doing.” Cassie squared her shoulders, a bottle of dishwashing detergent in her right hand and an expression that brooked no argument. “We were both consenting adults, and he tried his best not to hurt me. It's not your business to judge.”

“Fair enough.” No, it wasn't. Cassie meant the world to her, which meant she had every right to judge the bastard. He should have known that Cassie would fall in love with him and that he was incapable of returning the sentiment. If given the chance, Marlena wouldn't think twice about making him pay for hurting her baby girl.

“I don't have enough pawpaw to make the next batch,” Cassie said as she put the pot in the sink to soak. “Think you could get me some?”

Deciding it was best to let Cassie change the subject, Marlena jammed her hands in her pockets. “It shouldn't be a problem.” Last time she checked, the cow pasture out by the expressway still had a small patch of the native shrubs. Once you knew what to look for, they were easy to find; just look for lots of flies and a slight carrion odor. “Flowers or fruit?”

“Both, and as much as you can find. I can always freeze what I don't use.” She turned off the spigot before tugging on a pair of yellow rubber gloves. “That new reaper—what was his name? Oh wait, I remember. It was Adam. Anyway, he should be by any time now with the hair.”

Marlena blew out a heavy sigh. She wasn't in the mood for her daughter's matchmaking. “Cassie . . .”

“What?” The witch shot her a wide-eyed, innocent look. “I called Dmitri, and he said he'd send Adam.”

“Was that before or after you asked him to?”

Cassie chuckled. “Just trying to help you out, Mama.”

Before she could argue the merits of Cassie's “help,” the front doorbell chimed.

“Don't even think about slinking out the garage door,” Cassie said as she grabbed a sponge and started scrubbing the pot. Glancing up, she flashed a sweet smile. “Now be a dear and answer the door, will you?”

“Meddling witch,” Marlena muttered under her breath. She should have known better than to tell Cassie about her connection to the reaper. Because now that she knew, the woman would do everything in her power to throw them together. Not that Marlena was totally against the idea, but she wanted to move on her own timetable and didn't appreciate the unwelcome interference.

And to be honest, she was more than a little nervous. Yes, he'd come back, but he'd come back
different
. He looked different, smelled different. Acted different. And he obviously had no recollection of their previous life together. Hell, the only reason she'd recognized him was from the way her soul called out to his. Although, to be fair, over the space of four centuries she'd changed quite a bit as well. What if both of them had changed so much they no longer made a good match? Losing him the first time was devastating enough; having it happen again would probably destroy her.

Ignoring the aching pain in her heart, Marlena crossed the foyer. She went up on her tiptoes to check the peephole before yanking the front door open. Adam stood on the other side, his shoulder leaning against the jamb and his legs crossed at the ankles. Her pulse kicked up a notch or two, and the mate bond sparked in her blood.

Damn, the man looked incredible. He had a handsome face and warm brown eyes that glinted with a hint of humor. The jeans he wore were faded at the stress points and molded to his body in all the right places. Long, lean muscles were clearly visible beneath the fabric of his forest green shirt. A pair of sunglasses hung from the collar, and his short dark hair was a little windblown. He smiled, his expression so relaxed and confident it made her temper flare.

“What did you do to my memory?” she blurted out.

There. That wiped the smugness from his face. “Excuse me?”

One side of her mouth curved up. “You heard me, reaper. And don't insult my intelligence by denying it.”

Now he seemed genuinely perplexed. “How do you—you're not supposed to—”

“Well, I do.” She folded her arms across her chest as the edge of her temper subsided. It was hard to stay upset with him when he stared at her like that. “Thank you, by the way, for saving my life. I don't think I got the chance to say it before.”

“You didn't. And you're welcome.” His expression grew deadly serious. “I couldn't leave that house without giving you a chance, but I also couldn't risk you telling anyone about me, which is why I . . .” He made a vague gesture with his hands.

“Screwed with my head?” Marlena offered.

“Yeah. That.” He coughed into his fist. “You shouldn't have any memory of me being there.” She hadn't noticed his accent before, but now she picked up a faint trace of Chicago in his voice.

“I didn't, not at first.” Over the years, she'd heard rumors about reapers being able to manipulate minds. Dmitri had refused to confirm or deny them, but now she knew they were true. Her curious side wanted to know how it was done, but she doubted he'd be willing to share. Maybe later, after they knew each other better, she could talk him into spilling trade secrets.

She opened the door a little wider and motioned for him to come inside. “I take it you brought the ingredient Cassie requested?”

“Ingredient?” His dark eyebrows knitted together, but then a lightbulb must have gone off inside his head because his expression completely changed and a lazy smile curled his lips. “Oh, yeah. Right.” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a sandwich bag filled with clumps of short brown hair. “Here you go. I hope this does the trick. If you need any more, I might have to shave his head.”

God, he was sexy when he smiled like that. Correction: sexier. Marlena reached for the bag, and when her fingers brushed his, heat flashed through every nerve in her body.

He must have experienced a similar sensation, because his eyes widened and he inhaled sharply.

Was the effect caused by their soul bond or from good old-fashioned attraction? She had no idea, and regardless of the reason, she wasn't sure what to do about it. Peering up, she met his gaze, those deep brown eyes so dark and intense they seemed to bore right into her.

Yep. Definitely attraction.

“Oh, there you two are,” Cassie said as she walked into the foyer, and Marlena nearly jumped out of her skin.

Grateful for the distraction, Marlena backed up a few steps to put some distance between them. “Adam came by to drop off the hair sample you needed.”

“So he did.” The witch's gaze shifted from Marlena to the young reaper. “Thank you, Adam. I appreciate you coming over so quickly.”

He nodded. “Not a problem, ma'am. I appreciate everything you're doing to help.”

“Please, call me Cassie.”

“Sure thing, Cassie.”

He smiled again, and although it wasn't directed at her, Marlena felt it all the way to her toes. After being without her mate for so long, she'd lost all sense of hunger. But now those parts of her sprang back to life, and she remembered what desire felt like. The sensation knocked her completely off balance, and she had no idea what to do about it.

“While you're here, could you help us with something?” Cassie asked. “I need Marley to fetch some pawpaw for my spell, but what with everything that happened last week, I don't like her going out all alone. Would you be a dear and go with her? It would put my old heart at ease.”

Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?
Marlena thought. She slanted the old witch a look that could kill, but Cassie merely ignored her. “Relax, I can take care of myself.”

“No, it's okay.” Adam glanced down at his watch. “I don't have anything booked until early this evening, so it's not like anyone will miss me.”

“What about your associate?” Marlena asked. “You know, the guy with no memory or powers?”

Adam gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Oh, he's fine. Dmitri's watching him today.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Where are we going?”

Sensing defeat, Marlena stuffed her hands in her pockets. “Put your keys away. I'm driving.”

Adam shrugged. “Ladies' choice.”

“Fine. We'll go as soon as I've changed.”

“Do you think you could also pick up some demon horn?” Cassie asked as Marlena headed for the stairs. “I wasn't going to ask, but since you won't be out on your own . . .”

Marlena bit back a growl. Boy, she'd stepped right into that one. What was supposed to be a quick trip to the pasture was turning into an all-day affair. “Powder or chunk?”

“Chunk, if you can find it. I can always grind it down. The last two batches of powder I bought were mixed with ash.”

“Anything else?”

“No, I think that'll cover it.” Cassie flashed a grin that said she expected Marlena and Adam to do a lot more than run errands. “Give me a call if you're running late.”

 

The silence was deafening inside Marlena's Volvo as they drove to a part of the county untouched by strip malls and subdivisions. As she drove, she periodically checked the mirrors to make sure they weren't being followed. More than once, she'd felt Adam's gaze on her, but every time she looked in his direction, he was staring out the passenger side window.

At last, they reached a wide-open pasture, and she pulled onto the shoulder of the road and cut the engine. “With all the rain we've gotten, the pasture's bound to be soggy. You might want to wait in the car.”

Adam shook his head as he unfastened his seat belt. “No, that's okay. I'll go with you. A little mud never hurt me before.”

“Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you.” After checking for traff ic, she pocketed her keys and got out of the car. A sliver of paranoia crept up her spine, but she refused to give in to the fear. She paused for a moment to scan the area and saw nothing but pasturelands and passing vehicles. To be thorough, she also scented the air and was relieved when she found no signs of Jeremiah Brentwood or his accomplice.

With Adam walking alongside her, she hiked across the muddy field to a small group of scrub pines. To the left was a cluster of long-leafed bushes with delicate white flowers.

Adam scrunched his nose. “What's that smell?”

“That's the pawpaw.” Over the years, she'd tried to grow them in Cassie's backyard, but the soil and sunlight wasn't quite right. Ignoring the stench, she stepped closer to inspect the plants. “The animals have already eaten the fruit, so we'll have to settle for the flowers.”

That was a shame, but not a surprise. Pawpaw was popular with wildlife. The fruit, which resembled a small papaya, tasted like a combination of mango, custard, and banana. Cassie used the seeds and skin for her spells and potions, leaving the fruit to eat and enjoy.

Mindful of wasps, Marlena picked a handful of the pungent blossoms and stuffed them into her bag. There weren't a lot of flowers still left on the plant, so she'd take whatever she could harvest now and search for more plants in a day or two.

Adam handed her a few flowers he'd picked from the opposite side of the bush. Judging by the greenish tinge to his face, the smell of the plants wasn't agreeing with him. “So what does this demon horn look like?” He gestured toward the dense brush a few feet away. “If you want, I can start searching for that while you finish up with the pawpaw.”