Rock Star (Dream Weaver #2) (16 page)

             
My shoulders drooped with failure. “Did I do something wrong?”

             
His fingertips grazed my cheek. “No, Sweets. You did everything right. It’s something with the pendant. Sabre should take a look at it. He’s told me stories of ancient talismans, but no one’s seen one in centuries.”

             
As I placed the pendant back in its box, I noticed a smaller spider-shaped impression in the velvet lining and wondered if, perhaps, there was a matching smaller pendant to fill that slot. I nestled the spider in its box, trailed my finger down the ruby abdomen, then snapped the box closed.

*          *          *

              Sabre was detained with some Caphar-ish kind of errand, so Nick and I sat in the warmth of the living room and examined our new-found treasures. Eddy cuddled in the secure nest of my legs as I sat cross-legged on the floor. Sleep relaxed every little muscle, and even his jowls flopped open and loose. Nick riffled through the notebooks in an effort to find something not in Aramaic. Probably Sabre could translate the ancient language. He was old enough.

             
I held the pendant in my hand, awed and amazed by its beauty. Some unknown energy thrummed within it, despite it seeming to be only a piece of jewelry. As I held in my palm, one of the legs twitched so minutely I thought I imagined it, until I felt it prick my skin. In shock, I watched as the spider drank in the bead of blood that seeped from the wound. A silent command to give the pendant to Nick pressed itself into my mind. I handed the spider over to him.

             
Nick’s face flushed with wonder. “It just gave me the memory of your last thought!” he said.

             
“What? How?”

             
“It’s a piece of arcane magic. Little known. Seldom seen. As rare as the Caphar are, rarer yet is this magic,” he explained. “This creature will come to life and do your bidding. It will retrieve memories from whomever you command.”

             
“That is not possible,” I argued.

             
“But it is. Emari, consider what you’ve learned of the world you thought you knew. There is magic all around you that you never knew existed.” Nick handed the spider back to me. “I think it wants its mommy.”

             
“What is that supposed mean?”

             
“Apparently, it has tasted your blood. It’s now bonded to you. It will obey whatever you ask of it.”

             
This all seemed far too mind-boggling to understand, but my heart warmed knowing the magic within the pendant chose me. My mind reeled with ideas of how to put the creature to use.

             
Sabre sauntered in from the kitchen a couple of hours later. “What the hell, Sabre?” I chided. “Don’t you believe in knocking?” He cocked his head at me and shrugged. I guess phasing everywhere you go made you forget your manners.

             
Nick passed him a couple of the notebooks and he pored over them in silence for several minutes. Then, he handed them back to Nick without a word.

             
“Well?” Nick pressed.

             
“Our heritage. In Aramaic.”

             
Nick nodded toward the basement. “The walls downstairs—it’s like they’re sanitized. No memories or even the spark of a memory.”

             
Sabre just nodded and took Nick’s word. Finally, he turned to me. “So, where is this little creepy crawly you’ve unearthed?” he asked, stoic as always.

             
I pulled out the mother of pearl box and the hinges creaked open. But the pendant seemed different now. Gently, I lifted it from its nest, and laid it in the palm of my hand. Before, the legs sprawled across my palm and over my fingers. Now, the spider nested securely in the middle of my hand. I turned it over and over in my hand, trying to figure out how it had managed to shrink. Nick said it contained magic. It had to be magic to be able to shrink like this. Holding the spider in my palm, I ran my index finger down its shimmering body. I jerked my finger away when the legs twitched. And tried desperately not to drop it, when the pendant jerked and sprawled out over my fingers.

             
“What the…”

             
Just to be sure, I traced my finger down the body again. With a twitch the spider shifted to its smaller form. Once more, I stroked the spider’s back and watched it expand. A beguiled smile grew on my lips. “Way cool!” The spider vibrated in my hand, its spell wending its way through me, as its charms trussed me in its silken web.

             
“May I?” Sabre asked, still stoic, but a glimmer of wonder flashed in his eyes. He was excited—as excited as Sabre got—over this treasure. His touch was so gentle, so careful, that he seemed like an altogether different person. He ‘hmm’d’ a few times and reverently placed the pendant back in my hands. “Be home tonight,” he said to Nick. “We’ve preparations to make.” Nick and I glanced at each other, then back to Sabre.

             
“What? No long drawn out dissertation about the history of this thing?” I asked.

             
“Big word for a little girl there, Em,” Sabre said with tiniest hint of humor. I sneered at him. “But no. You have garnered as much as I could tell you from the creature already. It will reveal itself to you alone.” He turned to Nick and snapped his fingers. “You. House. Tonight.” And with that, he sparkled from the house. I hated when he talked to Nick like that.

             
“Ass,” I hissed at him.

             
Nick smirked. “He knows.”

Chapter 19 Uprising

              Absently, my fingers traced the outlines of the smooth mother of pearl embedded in the lid of the spider’s box. The workmanship was exquisite, so ornate and detailed. I opened the box and lifted the sparkling arachnid into my palm. A heartbeat later, one of the mandibles twitched and pricked my finger. The scarlet bead vanished into the creature’s mouth. I was a little creeped out, but then the legs shifted and the spider’s body rose up, supported by the long spindly legs. It turned to face me and I sat staring in shock. Then, a hot sparking fire raged from the palm of my hand to my mind and blossomed in my chest. A voice I didn’t recognize spoke directly to my mind.

             
Greetings. You have just discovered one of the arana onaria in existence. Only three of these talismans were created, as the magic is tedious and extensive. I have named this one Ari. Now that Ari has tasted your blood, she will do all that you bid her—within the parameters of her abilities. Ari communicates absorbed memory through touch. She is able to retrieve memories by contact with the person you are trying to extract information from, or, as in some Caphar, pick up a print of a memory left behind. She will return to you to impart the memories imprinted on her. Also, as the Caphar, Ari is able to evanesce.

             
As you’ve noticed, blood is a catalyst for the spider. She will only obey the person whose blood has brought her to life. Hidden in the lid of the jewelry box are four crystal phials. The small blade, or lancet, is just long enough to puncture the deep artery of the arm to extract blood from a dead or soon-to-be-dead Caphar. Through the same magic, the blood will be imprinted with the memories of the Caphar, as well as any special gifts they may have possessed. Covet the crystal phials of blood with your life—lest they fall to the hands of the Rephaim, who will manipulate the power to their own gain.

             
Ari has been a diligent and faithful servant to me for many, many years. I entrust this magic into your care. Use it well.

              “Whoa!” grated hoarse and gravelly from my throat.

             
“What did it do?” Nick asked.

             
“She.”

             
“She?”

             
“Yes, she.”

             
“Is that some kind of girl thing? Giving a gender to an inanimate object?” Nick teased.

             
I laughed. “Well, let’s just see how inanimate she is.” I stroked Ari’s back once again, and she shifted back to her bigger size. Leaning closer to her to keep Nick from hearing, I whispered, “I need you to share a secret.” And I imparted a memory that spiked my heart rate. Ari’s legs twitched against my palm, but this time, didn’t prick my skin. I guessed she was familiar with my ‘taste’, so now all she needed was the spark of the memory…

              Nick and I sat on the couch while Ivy showered in the bathroom. His miraculous touch bestowed on her the best night’s sleep she’d gotten in many weeks. My heart overflowed with gratitude. I stretched myself up so I was looking directly into his eyes. I ran my fingers across his cheek and he melted under my touch. His eyes closed and he drew in a deep breath that expanded his chest, then released it, relaxing deeper into the cushions. My fingers sparked tiny tremors across his warm skin as I grazed them across his brow. His body answered with a corresponding shudder. I leaned into him, brushing my lips delicately across his; a kiss so gentle and soft it might not have been a kiss at all.

              Ari shimmered and raised her bulbous body up on her spindly legs. I lowered my hand to the floor and she ambled out of my palm and across the floor to Nick. He lowered a hand to lift her.

             
“Ouch,” he hissed through his teeth.

             
“Oh yeah. I forgot to mention. She bites.”

             
Nick’s grimace evolved into a smile. He closed his eyes and his chest expanded as he absorbed the intensity of the memory. Drawing her to his face, he whispered, “I have a secret of my own.” Ari rested a moment in his hand, then scurried across the floor to me.

             
I anticipated the weight of her on my skin, but she was whisper soft as she navigated into my palm. I gasped at the memory she transferred.
Emari Jewel Sweet, I love you more than life.
The intensity of the emotion, the message surged through my mind, filling me with understanding. It anchored something deep inside me. But how could he love me? And how could he love me this intensely? And still, somewhere in the deep recesses of my heart, a spark of worry that he’d leave me—again, niggled at me. I ran my finger down Ari’s back and she shivered into her smaller form. Closing my hand around her miniaturized form, I held her to my chest as though to hold that memory to my heart forever. “Nick,” I breathed.

             
He knelt on the floor before me and took my arms in his hands. “Emari. I do love you. More than my own life. I will never leave you again. I will never hurt you again.” Again, a shadow ghosted behind his eyes. And refracted in that dark cavern within me. Rising to my knees, I wrapped my arms around his neck. My heart throbbed with a fullness I hadn’t felt in so long. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Just tell me you’ll stay—for now.”

             
“For now.” He pulled away from me and held out his hands for the spider. Reluctantly, I handed her over; the bond was already strong between us, and it was almost painful not to be in contact with her. “She,” he said. “It is most definitely a she. Tell me what you’ve learned about this amazing bit of magic, because she keeps most of her secrets for you.”

             
I smiled and slid over by his side, then ran a finger down Ari’s back. She sprawled in Nick’s hand.

             
“Remember the extra hole in the box? The one that looked like maybe there was another smaller pendant?” I asked. Nick nodded and inspected the spider.               “That’s what it’s for—her different sizes. She doesn’t remember the details of her history or who possessed her—like she’s a clean slate with each new master. She only remembers her creator, and even that, she can’t or won’t show me. She’s centuries old, created by a magic that no one has seen or used in ages. She is bonded to me with blood and can draw memories from any blood sample. But she says she can gather memories with a simple touch and memoryprint as well. And she’s able to phase.”

             
“She ‘says’?” he asked.

             
“It’s the best way I know how to explain how she communicates,” I told him and slid the spider pendant into her box, feeling like I’d just released a piece of myself. We were connected now, blood-bonded. I couldn’t explain the magic. All I knew was that this magical creature was now such an integral part of me, I couldn’t imagine my life without her. I’d have to find a way to keep her with me always.

*          *          *

              Later, as we sat in front of the fire, Nick cradled me against his chest and brushed the hair away from my face. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. I nuzzled his chest and grumbled my disagreement. “Emari…” I opened my eyes. The flames sparked and danced in his eyes. He drew me into him, and kissed me. His mouth was ardent and forceful. My lips parted to welcome his probing tongue. My hands roamed his chest, fingers outlined the muscle that lay tense beneath his sultry skin.

             
Without warning, his breath caught in his chest and he recoiled from me like I carried the bubonic plague or something; a flash of fear blazed in his pupils before his gaze darted to the floor.

             
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

             
“It’s okay,” I told him. “I kinda liked it.”

             
He flashed a shy smile but couldn’t keep my gaze.

             
“Nick?” He remained still and quiet. “What is it you’re hiding from me? Why are you so afraid?”

             
He swung me off his lap and leaned forward, ready to bolt. Preparations of a lie melded behind his eyes. Something was going on that he didn’t want me to know. “I can’t…” The rest of the words wrapped around his throat and lodged there.

             
I grabbed his arm when he started to stand up. “Nick! Can’t what?!”

             
He dropped his head into his hands and a quiet sob escaped the dam in his throat.

             
My arms wrapped around him of their own accord. “Nick, honey, what’s wrong?”

             
He turned into my embrace like a frightened child seeking refuge with his mother. “I can’t…” he choked out, and his body quaked in my arms.

             
“Can’t what, honey?” Now I was afraid.

             
“Emi, I am so sorry.”

             
“Why? Tell me what you’re sorry for.” He clutched my body to his. “Nick, show me what you’re afraid of,” I coaxed.

             
“I can’t…”

             
“Please show me.” A tremor racked his body. “Please let me help.”

             
“You can’t.”

             
“‘I can’t’. ‘You can’t.’ That’s an awful lot of ‘can’ts’, Nick.” Maybe a little pissitude would wrench an answer out of him.

             
His chest expanded in a bracing breath and his shuddering slammed to a halt. He released me, sat ramrod straight and adjusted his shirt. “I’m sorry, Em,” he said, all sober and serious now. “You should probably try to get some sleep. You’ll still need it more than Sabre and me.”

             
“What? Like, seriously?”

             
One corner of his mouth twitched up and he huffed an unamused laugh. “Yeah, like seriously. It’s fine. I just let stuff get to me sometimes. It’s fine.”

             
Two ‘it’s fines’ was really not fine, like a double negative makes a positive. I scowled at him. “No. Seriously. It’s not fine.”

             
Nick stroked my hand between his and I got the feeling he wanted to erase the whole episode from my mind. His fingers sparked against my skin and a flood of images assailed me.

Nick’s hands bind my own. His lips speak violence. His hands speak pain. He hurts me. He takes me. Something I would willingly give him, but he takes by force.

              The gift of breath vanished, and my chest convulsed in agony. I whimpered and jerked my hand away from him. “No.” I didn’t understand. It didn’t make any sense.
Nick would never…would he?
“What the hell?”

             
His brows crunched together, his face drained of color and his eyes widened with dismay. “Oh god. No.” Frantic and searching, his eyes implored me to understand. He reached a hand toward me but it was my turn to recoil from his touch.

             
“What the fuck is that, Nick? Where did it come from?” His face contorted in anguish.

             
“Emari. I…I didn’t want you to see that.” He stood and turned away from me. His voice was quiet, crushed under his guilt.

             
“Of course you didn’t. Why
would
you want me to see such a vivid fantasy? Is that what you
really
think of me?”

             
“Emi, no…” But he said no more. Nothing to defend himself, to explain.

             
I withdrew to the window seat but didn’t sit down, just clutched a pillow to my chest to absorb the ache bleeding from my heart. “Is that your desire, Nick? Is that what you dream about?”

             
His eyes filled with tears that spilled down his cheeks when he hung his head. His shoulders deflated and he squeezed his eyes closed, as if that would make the nightmare go away. “I would never…” he whispered.

             
“But it’s in you. I saw it. I saw your dreams. Is that the truth you’ve been hiding from me for weeks?”

             
“It’s not the truth, Em.”

             
“Really? And yet there it is on the inside of you.” I couldn’t believe he could stand there in my presence and not own up to what I clearly saw in his memories of me. “Is that really what you think about doing to me, Nick?”

             
“No, Em. Please. That’s not what I think. It’s…”

             
Boiling inside, I couldn’t take any more. I raised my hand to silence him. “You can go now.”