Page 83 of Kick the Candle (Knight Games 2)
This was too much to take sober. I held up one finger and gulped down my wine. The Cabernet tasted bitter, like maybe the cork went bad before they opened the bottle, but I was so desperate for numbing I finished it anyway. When I lowered my glass, Logan was standing directly in front of me.
He locked eyes with me, lifted the empty glass from my hand, and lowered it to the desk. "I think the hooded woman represents every relationship I've ever had. Sensual but faceless, promising but meaningless, and my mom is telling me to find what's real. She wants me to find you."
"I don't think that's what it means, Logan. I can't be with you. I'm, ah, I'm-"
His face was so close, and the wine was rushing to my head. Something else, I was woozy. His eyes seemed to twinkle in a cartoony way, and light played in his hair, tiny dancing bears of white light. Shit! I was tripping. There was something more than wine in that drink. What the hell?
"Theresomethinsflibbitygibbit." I was not making any sense. The floor bent up to say hello and I steadied myself on the first thing I could reach, which happened to be his hips. He took that as encouragement and pressed into me, his spicy cologne seeming to waft through me in my altered state.
And then he was kissing me, a human kiss that was nothing at all like the ones we'd shared when he was a ghost. Even in my altered state I couldn't deny the heat. His lips met mine, soft and warm. He pressed me into the wall, his body enveloping me as his tongue invaded my mouth. I didn't so much return the kiss as absorb it.
I felt like I'd gone down the rabbit hole. One moment I was kissing Logan, and the next Rick's face was in front of me. Wait. That was Rick. And he was pissed. He held Logan off me with one hand and held me up with the other. He looked at me with vile contempt.
"Grateful," he said. Wait. What happened to mi cielo? "I always knew I loved you more, but I never thought you were cruel. Why did you send Poe to find me? Did you want me to see this?"
"No." I fumbled forward. My hand trailed through the air in front of me. "Mishtake," I slurred.
But he wasn't looking at me. Instead, he was fending off Logan who was getting all, 'back off buddy' in Rick's face. I stumbled to the desk, unable to process what he was saying.
"We love each other. We have something," Logan said.
Who was he talking about? I didn't love Logan. Sure, I'd been attracted to him and we shared a deep friendship, but love? I needed to explain.
I turned toward Rick but he was gone. Logan was on his ass on the floor and the door to the office was hanging off its hinges. I stumbled back out into the crowd, calling for Rick.
"Top of the evening to ya," the shy redheaded guy said to me, blocking my path. "Hope you're enjoying the little something extra in your drink." He grinned wickedly. I noticed he had a number of gold teeth. He leaned in closer. "Nobody steals a leprechaun's seat at the bar. Not even you, Hecate. See you soon." He spit on my shoes, and blended away into the blob of colors I recognized as the crowd.
See you soon? Not if I saw him first. I swam toward the door, hoping I could catch up with Rick. How long did it take me? I have no idea. Time was doing weird things just as the walls were buckling in on me. Somehow, I spilled out into the parking lot, thankful for the deep breath of cold air that filled my lungs.
A broad fist connected with the side of my face. OW! I tried to retaliate but my arms wouldn't work. BAM! A foot slammed into my ribs. Then the concrete bent up to give me a kiss. Oh, how sweet. Ouch, my head. That's all right, I decided. I could sleep right here on the pavement.
tine's
I'd slept until noon but didn't feel rested. All my worries about the increase in supernatural activity in the area, losing my house, trying to find the Book of Flesh and Bone, and my dream of Rick drained me to the point of exhaustion. After a quick shower, I pulled on my most comfortable jeans and a warm fleece my dad had brought me back from a visit to Canada. I jogged down to Rick's cottage with wild hair and not a stitch of makeup on my face.
Knocking twice, I let myself in again. The Tesla was still gone, my note still on the counter. Where was he? My phone rang and I pulled it from my pocket. "Rick?"
"Rick? You told me he doesn't even have a phone."
"Michelle! Hi. No, he doesn't have a phone, just wishful thinking."
"Then why did you think he was calling?"
"Rick's been on my mind. We had a fight and then he disappeared. I haven't seen him in over a week."
"What?"
I exhaled. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. Where could he have gone?" I laughed nervously.
"How bad of a fight did you have?"
"I said I wished I'd never met him."
"Jesus, Grateful, what brought that on?"
"Nothing I feel comfortable telling you over the phone."
"Well, that's okay because you can tell me tonight at Logan's party."
