Wicked Edge (20 page)

“Let’s expand on that a little.” Edge didn’t smile back. “Conscienceless
but creative killer. Also kicks demon butt when provoked.” His gaze flicked to Passion and then away.

“Children, children.” Holgarth heaved an exaggerated sigh. “It’s fantasy time, so you’ll have to put away your squabbles for the night.”

Bain was laughing as he and Holgarth stood. They followed Edge from the restaurant.

Passion sighed.

“A sad sigh?” Sparkle looked curious.

Passion realized she wanted to talk to someone. She wouldn’t ordinarily have chosen Sparkle, but who else was there? Hope? She didn’t know Hope, never had. “Yes.”

“You know I’m here for you.” Sparkle’s eyes gleamed with avid interest.

Okay, if Passion was going to say this, she needed to get it out now before she thought too much about it. “Edge took me with him last night. I watched him kill.”

Sparkle pursed her lips. “Stupid, stupid man.”

Illogical as it might seem, Passion had the urge to defend him. “He gave me a choice.”

“Why did you go?” For just a moment, something incredibly ancient looked out of Sparkle’s eyes. Then she laughed and was once more the Sparkle that Passion knew. “I mean, if you want to sleep with him, just do it. Don’t muddle it up with all kinds of moral judgments.”

Here came the hard part. “The man’s death didn’t horrify me. It should have. He was a serial killer, but I should’ve tried harder to save him.”

“If you want me to tell you that your feelings were okay, then consider yourself told.” Sparkle smiled. “But I don’t think my opinions count for much with your boss.” Her expression turned thoughtful. “Whoever that turns out to be.”

Passion bit her lip. “You’re right. It has to be me.
I
have to come
to terms with my feelings.” She sighed. “But there’s more. I was mad at Edge for…everything, and I said some stuff about him not caring for people and maybe enjoying his job. I mentioned how none of you guys seemed upset about the people who lost their homes when Ganymede went crazy. That wasn’t fair. I can’t look into his heart to see his emotions.”

Sparkle leaned back in her chair. She played with one glittery earring as she seemed to think about what she wanted to say. “Edge contributed a huge chunk of money for those people. Then he nagged us into doing the same thing. He even hired architects and contractors to help with the rebuilding. Of course, many of the victims had insurance, but Edge made sure any that didn’t would have new homes.” She speared Passion with her stare. “Edge cares more than he wants to. In his job, that’s a liability. So he tries to cover it up with his I’m–a–cold-bastard act. And if you ever tell him I said that, I’ll inflict female pattern baldness on you for the rest of your short life.”

“Okay, I feel so much better now.” Passion felt lousy. But she didn’t know how to make it better.

“Why did you come to me for this talk?” Sparkle sounded honestly puzzled.

“I didn’t have anyone else to go to.” That was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to admit. “I don’t have a family. I don’t trust Ted anymore. And I was never close to Hope.” She shrugged. “I never made any close friends. Guess that left you.”

Sparkle raised one perfectly shaped brow. “Umm, how about the Supreme Being? A logical choice. Love, forgiveness, compassion?”

Passion closed her eyes. “I’ve never seen the Supreme Being. I’ve never talked to the Supreme Being. I’ve only talked to Archangel Ted. And I don’t think I believe in Ted anymore.” She opened her eyes. “I don’t know what I think.” She started to get up. “This was a mistake.”

“Sit down.”

Passion sat.

“Two tortured souls. You’re perfect for each other.” Sparkle’s eyes shone. “You’re right. I was the wrong person to talk to. I’ve never had doubts about my place in the universe, about the things I do or don’t do. I’m happy. You need someone who can empathize.”

Passion just stared.

“You’re a virgin, right?” Sparkle answered her own question. “Of course you are. What else could you be? I can’t believe you’ve slept in the same bed with him for a week and nothing’s happened. You need help, sweetie.”

“I don’t see—”

Sparkle held up her hand. “Quiet. I’m thinking. How can you make any decision about your existence when you’ve never really lived?”

Passion didn’t see where Sparkle was going, but from her gleeful expression, Passion figured the trip would end badly. “Forget I even talked to you. I—”

“You want Edge.” She waved away Passion’s attempt to interrupt. “Don’t feel bad, all women want him. But you have an advantage. He wants you back. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

Passion’s heart did the
ker-thunk
thing.

Sparkle leaned forward. “I’m on a roll now. Don’t stop me. You and Edge are the perfect storm—life versus death. Plus there’s this total sexual attraction for each other. This is my moment in time. I can create sexual chaos on a scale no one could ever imagine.” Her eyes seemed to grow unfocused with the sheer joy of the thought.

“One problem.” Passion almost hated to wipe that joy from her face.

“What?” Sparkle didn’t look as though she was paying much attention.

“We’re completely wrong for each other.”

Sparkle blinked. “That’s the whole point, sweetie.”

“And he hates me now.” Sorrow pulled at her with each word.

Sparkle’s smile was a slow slide of almost orgasmic pleasure. “I’m the queen of sex and sin, Passion. Remember that. I’m at my most powerful when I’m walking that blade’s edge between love and hate. When you merge two powerful emotions, beautiful things can happen.” Evil moved in that smile. “Or everything can go to hell. It’s all about the game. And chaos can be…euphoric.” She reached over to pat Passion’s hand. “So sit back and enjoy the ride. Edge will teach you about life.”

Sparkle was scary. Time to put a stop to this. “No. You’re not going to meddle in my life, such as it is. And considering what Edge does for a living, he’s not the best person to teach me anything. I think I’ll go back to my room.”
Running away?
Definitely.

She’d told Sparkle what Ted would expect one of his good angels to say. But Passion wasn’t that person anymore. Did she want to make love with Edge? Yes. Not Sparkle’s way, though. Passion never wanted either of them to feel manipulated.

Sparkle didn’t react to her announcement. Instead, her gaze grew vacant as she began to hum a tune.

Passion frowned. “Light My Fire” by the Doors. She recognized it because Hope had downloaded the song from iTunes. It was one of Murmur’s favorites.

“Jim Morrison of the Doors was one of my successes.” Sparkle’s voice had taken on a singsong cadence. “He was a beautiful, sensual powerhouse.”

Passion pushed her chair away from the table and started to rise. “Thanks for listening to me, but I’ll work things out on my own.

Without warning, Sparkle knocked her chair to the floor and stood.

Startled, Passion froze, her gaze riveted on Sparkle.

The cosmic troublemaker slowly rose into the air. Lightning flashed around her as her eyes took on a now-familiar amber glow. Her hair floated in the air, crackles of energy making the ends spark.

She began to hum “Light My Fire” again. The tune echoed throughout the room, stilling everyone there, weaving a strange compulsion that pulled at Passion.

Ohmigod, no! Passion stumbled over her chair as she backed away. Frantically, she looked around the restaurant. No cosmic troublemakers, vampires, demons, or angels. No one powerful enough to help, including her. Passion would kill Hope for once again not being within easy calling distance.

Sparkle continued to hum, staring blankly from those glowing amber eyes. Someone else was sitting at her control panel while Sparkle took a coffee break. As she swept the restaurant with that eerie gaze, Sparkle toed off her shoes and then began to remove her clothes.

Erotic energy flowed from Sparkle in waves that grew stronger and stronger as she unzipped her black silk dress and let it slip to the floor. Her black bra and panties followed. She kept her earrings. Passion felt the waves of energy as phantom fingers touching her breasts and trailing down her body. Desire pooled low in her stomach.

Around her, men and women were stripping naked and turning to whoever was closest to them. Horrified, Passion watched a woman who had to be at least eighty tackle a buff twentysomething guy at the next table. They fell to the floor. Passion looked away quickly because some things once seen could not be unseen. Nope, didn’t want that picture stuck in her mind forever.

Turning, Passion raced for the exit just as the chef dashed from the kitchen and made a grab for her. She dodged his flour-coated fingers and ran from the restaurant. As she fled, she glanced back to see Sparkle, naked and still floating above the floor, starting to drift toward her.

Once out in the hotel lobby, Passion looked around. Everything looked normal…until Sparkle floated out through the restaurant door. Passion ran toward the great hall even as the people in the lobby started to strip. It would only be a matter of time before Sparkle’s sexual power overcame everyone in the hotel.

But what could she do? Instead of shouting “Fire!” should she scream “Sex!”? Somehow she didn’t think that would motivate people to flee in terror.

She had to find Edge before she ended up on the floor naked with some stranger. Passion didn’t pause to think about why it had to be Edge. She was going with gut instinct.

So she ran. And as she raced toward the great hall, she glanced at her watch. Oh, crap. It had been a lot more than five minutes since Ganymede left, and he hadn’t contacted her. He was in trouble. But she couldn’t do anything to help him now.

Passion was out of breath by the time she burst into the hall. Sparkle’s erotic pull was making it hard to think, urging her to tear off her clothes and join her body with whoever was nearest. Uh–oh. She realized she’d already unbuttoned her top while she was running.

It looked as though the first fantasy was about to begin. Panicked, her gaze skittered around the room. No Edge.

“I’m afraid if you wish to take part in the fantasy, you must purchase a ticket. Didn’t we have this discussion before? And I’d suggest you wait until you reach the dressing room to disrobe.” Holgarth’s supercilious voice sounded right behind her.

She spun to face him. “Where’s Edge?”

Holgarth narrowed his eyes. “Is something the matter?”

“Where. Is. Edge?” She just managed to control her need to shake the wizard until every bone in his skinny body rattled.

“He’s in the dressing room. Now, what is the—”

“Sparkle.
Run
.”

She left him staring as the door between the great hall and the hotel lobby slowly swung open. Sparkle floated into view. The last thing Passion saw before she stumbled from the room was Holgarth methodically undressing. Ugh, gross.

Passion slammed open the dressing room door and rushed in. Edge turned to face her. He’d shed his shirt and was in the process of sliding his jeans down over his hips. “What the—”

She was gasping for breath, whether because of all the running she’d done or because Sparkle’s sexual compulsion had found its target of choice.

Her gaze slid across his powerful chest, paused at his tempting male nipples—what would they taste like, feel like, as her tongue swept across them—before slipping down his hard stomach to where the bulge of his cock—wow, “cock,” another word she’d never used—grew even as she stared.

Passion pulled herself from the brink. “Sparkle’s lost control. Everyone in the castle is doing it with whoever is closest to them.” She shuddered even as she plucked at her top, the need to rip it off almost overwhelming.

Edge watched her from hooded eyes, and for just a moment she thought she saw excitement flare in them. She must have been hallucinating, because when she glanced again they looked normal for him—cold, emotionless, and just a little amused.

She narrowed her gaze. “This isn’t funny. We have to get out of here and find Hope. Unless you know a way to stop Sparkle before she leaves the castle and infects all of Galveston.”

“Infected by sex?” He glanced at her open top and then looked away. He clenched his hands into fists. “Not the worst way to go.”

Something primal stretched and licked its lips as she noticed his interest in the swell of her breasts where her top hung open. It purred its approval at his clenched fists that hinted at control issues.

He took a deep breath. “You’re right. We need to get out of the
castle. Then we can try to figure out how to stop Sparkle.” Edge didn’t bother putting his shirt back on. He merely pulled up his jeans and quickly fastened them.

Passion was losing her battle with the sexual compulsion coiled inside her. Even as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door, need uncurled, slithering along every nerve until it reached its target. There it expanded, filling her with hunger that was almost pain. She slapped her free hand over her mouth to stifle a cry.

And as Edge reached for the door, they heard it.

The soft echo of “Light My Fire.”

Drawing closer.

Edge dragged her down a hallway leading away from Sparkle’s eerie humming.

“Where’re we going? We have to do something about Sparkle.”

“Can’t right now. Too distracted.”

If he felt the way she did, then “distracted” was a really weak word. How about so overwhelmed with lust that all she wanted to do was drag him to the floor and then…
Think about something else, something
not
sexy.
Passion filled her mind with the image of a tuna and peanut butter sandwich.

“Ganymede could stop her. They have an emotional bond.” He sounded reluctant to admit that. “But he hasn’t shown up yet. That’s bad news.”

“Ohmigod! Ganymede. I forgot to tell you.” She filled him in about the power Ganymede had sensed. “And he hasn’t checked in with me.”

Edge’s muttered curse held all his frustration and worry. “Damn
cat had to go off on his own.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Can’t do anything about him now.”

“Even…distracted, you should be able to stop the humming until we find Ganymede. You were able to hold Ganymede in check last week, and Sparkle isn’t as powerful as him, is she?” Passion was gulping air, probably because of all her running. But the hunger clawing at her emotions, her body, was also taking its toll.