I Am Lightning (Laurel Defense Series) (7 page)

Unlike sprites concerned with the inner workings of Mother Earth, elementals were concerned with feelings.  They fed on violence,
grief, envy, lust, sloth, pride; in other words, things that humans considered “bad” but felt anyway.  Consequently as they fed on those feelings, elementals could attack by forcing the feelings onto or into a victim.  But what kind of elemental could possibly be inside a club?  I couldn’t guess.  There wasn’t anybody fighting or having sex in the ladies’ room.  Envy?  Maybe.  I couldn’t linger to find out, so I let the door of the stall shut on its own and stepped away slowly.

My first order of business was to find Mark.  I wasn’t a betting person, but if I was I would have bet that the elemental had something to do with the disappearance of the water sprite.  I slowly exited the bathroom and searched for Mark by following his energy signature.  He was in a secluded corner of the club with the two human women.  I didn’t approve of his investigative methods, but I wasn’t his boss.  Now was not the time for a hissy fit about me doing all the work and him doing none while getting his jollies in the club.

Without a word I approached, grabbed his hand, and pulled.  At first he resisted, but my warning look told him I was going to zap him if he didn’t follow.  He followed.  Smart guy.

“What’s the matter?” he asked when we found our own secluded corner.

“There is an elemental in the ladies’ room.”  I watched with satisfaction as his eyes widened.  He whipped out his iPhone and sent Ifan a text.  The captain would have to tell us what he wanted us to do about it.

And what he wanted us to do was get out of the club. 
At once.

CHAPTER
6

Midnight, the Goth club, was as loud when we tried to leave it as when we had arrived, maybe louder.  The crowd was definitely denser.  Mark and I walked through the crowd attempting to find an opening to the front door.  It was tough going for a minute.  Nobody wanted to move and nobody could hear us.  The humans thought we were part of the throng.  I was seriously considering zapping my way through when I felt a strong cool hand grab mine.  Robert.  He brought me close, wrapping an arm around my waist.  I quickly grabbed Mark’s hand so I wouldn’t lose him.

The sea of people parted before us.  Robert’s power was making the crowd obey his silent command.  He led the way out without my having to inflict pain on anybody.  That would have been a disaster.  It could have started fights or worse.  Robert didn’t let me go until we were safely hidden in the dark alley next to the club.

“Are you okay?” he asked me, turning me to face him and holding my shoulders tightly.  I nodded.  His eyes had shocked me speechless.  There was
something scary shining in his dilated pupil.  He made sure I was telling the truth by running his gaze over me one more time, ascertaining that I was whole.  He then let me go and strode purposefully towards Mark.  “You left her alone!” he bellowed, getting just inches away from Mark’s face.  Robert was taller by a few inches, and he seemed to grow bigger, oozing rage.

Mark seemed as surprised at Robert’s outburst as I was.  It took him a moment to recover, and when he did his anger matched the vampire’s.  “I was inside the club with her.  She was safe the whole time!”

“No, she wasn’t!  No!  She was the one who found the elemental.  It could have attacked her.  It could have…” Robert paused and ran his hand through his hair.  “And where were you?  Answer me!  Better yet, answer her!”  Robert was yelling and Mark’s color was veering towards a nasty shade of purple.

“Mark!  Calm down or I’ll shock you!” I said, seeing the telltale signs of Mark’s power rippling through him.  I was sure he would bind Robert in poison ivy or something.  I turned to Robert and put a soft hand on his upper arm.  “Robert, I know where he was and what he was doing, and I’m mad about it but I’ll take it up with Ifan.”  Robert looked down at me, his murderous glare softening slightly.  He seemed to be mad at me too.  I took my hand off him and crossed my arms over my chest.  “What did I do?”

“Nothing,” he said in a tone that sounded more like “you did something, but I’m not going to tell you.”

“Very mature, both of you!” I said and pressed my medallion.  I was standing in front of headquarters in less than a second.  I marched right up the front steps, sensing that the other two males had followed
me.  Thankfully Ifan met me when I was almost at the door.

“Tell me everything,” he demanded.  He planted his feet right where he stood, like a parent asking all his children who exactly had broken the Ming Dynasty vase.

I told him about the elemental, and that I couldn’t tell what kind it had been.  And then I told him everything that had happened afterwards with Mark.  Ifan looked over my head, presumably to look at Mark behind me.

“Go change, Abby.  And for goodness’ sake wash your face!” Ifan said, pushing me inside and ahead of the boys.

No arguments from me on the face-washing thing.  I just hoped I had the right kind of soap.  I was about to go inside the ladies’ locker room when I heard my name down the hall.  Robert was walking toward me, then he sped up tremendously, reaching me vampire fast with a blast of air.  He was still wearing his clubbing gear, piercings and all.  Even though I was wary that he was mad at me, I couldn’t help but smile.  The black looked good on him, even if I wasn’t a fan of the piercings.  I still preferred him in his ninja suit, without the mask or the glasses.

I reached up to touch one of the piercings on his eyebrow and he caught my wrist.  With gentle ease he brought my hand up and bent enough so I would touch his hair.  His dark brown locks were silky soft between my fingers, and before I thought of how inappropriate it was, I found myself caressing his hair.  His eyes closed in pleasure at the same time that he took a deep breath and let it out in a deep murmur.  I remembered doing this to the guy at the club, and understanding dawned on me.

“You saw me do this to that other guy,” I said, my voice quiet.  I was beginning to understand so much more.  Robert was jealous.  This was bad.  He liked me more than I thought.

“Yes,” he said, leaning his head against my hand, almost like a cat asking for more petting.  “You won’t touch me, but you will touch a stranger.”

I moved my hand to his cheek, making him open his eyes.  At that moment they looked so dark blue that they were indigo.  I caressed his cheek with my thumb.  Truth be told all I wanted to do was touch him and have him touch me back.  All night long.  I would even settle for no sex, just touching.  In that way he would be safe.

“I’ll touch you,” I said, my voice coming out on a breathy sigh.  “But I don’t want to hurt you.”  Both my hands were on his face by then, a bit of scruff on his jaw biting my palms.

“Your touch won’t hurt me,” he said, closing his eyes again and leaning forward.  I stood on my tiptoes and tried to reach my lips to his, but something was off in our alignment.

Footsteps down the hall made me let go and jump back a few feet.  Robert didn’t stop looking at me, even as Rhiannon and Tandy passed by us to go to the locker room.  They said a quick hi to both of us and disappeared.  I had to go too because Ifan had given me an instruction that I still had to follow.

“I’ll see you in a little bit,” I said and started turning.

“Will you help me with my feedings?” Robert asked, though I wasn’t sure why.  I’d thought I’d made it clear that I would.  Oh, but then I had added that stupidity about him finding someone else.

“Yes,” I said, “anytime.”

“Thank you,” he bowed, then turned and left. 

I watched him walk with the same grace I’d seen when he wielded a sword.  The motion turned my insides to warm mush.  I wanted him.  He had the ability to break my heart and send me into a whirlwind of desire within minutes.  But he didn’t break my heart by being mean to me.  Instead he’d done it by pointing the ways I’d been mean to him.  I groaned as I walked into the locker room.

Mark shined in his absence as I finished writing my report.  I had no idea where he’d gone at all, and glances at my personal cell phone told me he hadn’t bothered to call or text me.  It was almost time to go home and it was unlike him not to visit his desk and grab his things.  An idea occurred to me that he was still in the building, and I would be able to tell simply by peeking inside his desk drawer, where he kept his car keys and personal cell phone while he was on duty.  I looked in the drawer but it was empty except for a packet of gum and a mess of rubber bands.  He must have gotten dismissed by Ifan earlier.

I put a copy of my report in Ifan’s inbox and asked him about Mark.  Was he in trouble?  Was he suspended?

“I did send him home, but I’m surprised he didn’t tell you,” Ifan said.  “Besides, it was only for the rest of tonight.  You both have to go back to the club tomorrow and see about that elemental.  I’m looking up the spells right now.”

I nodded and frowned.  Ifan was right in thinking Mark would have told me he was leaving.  “Good night, then,” I said and left.

The parking lot was mostly empty.  The only cars left were Jacinda’s (the night receptionist), Ifan’s, Robert’s Mustang, and my little Golf POS.  I hadn’t seen Robert in the office, but that wasn’t unusual.  Sometimes he used the gym at night.

I dropped my bag in the passenger seat and sat for a moment before turning on the car.  The night was cold and windy, but the stars were out.  I liked windy days in the fall, with the wind shaking the leaves off the trees.  It was prettier than a snowstorm.  Ifan was right: I was lonely.  I wished I could have shared this moment with someone, anyone.  Though, that wasn’t right, was it?  I wished I could share moments like this with only one someone, and that someone owned a beautiful speed car.  I looked over the few parking spaces separating me from the Mustang.  The car was empty.  Just as well.

I turned the key in the ignition and heard a click, but no sound of an engine rumbling to life.  My heart sank.  I really didn’t need this on a night when Mark wasn’t around.  I checked to make sure I hadn’t left the lights on by mistake, but I hadn’t.  I popped the hood and tested the battery.  It felt charged.

Unfortunately, my power is no good when trying to decipher how to turn on a car when the battery is otherwise fine.  It was obviously something else wrong, like the starter.  I put my hands on the hood and took some deep breaths.  I would have to ask someone for a ride.

“Something wrong?” Robert asked from a few steps away.  I was sure he would give me a ride home if I asked.

“The car won’t start, and before you ask I checked the battery and
it’s fine.  I think it’s the starter,” my voice drifted, trying to figure out how much a starter would cost.  My savings account was meager at best.

“Do you mind if I take a look?” he asked.  I shook my head and watched as he walked to the driver side and attempted to turn on the car again.  He tried it a couple of times, and one of those times it almost caught, but not long enough to turn the car on.

“I think you’re right.  It is the starter.  I can put a new one in for you…”

“You can?” I asked astonished. 
A vampire mechanic, who was also a wizard, who was also something else that I hadn’t figured out yet.  What were the odds?

Robert smiled, a beautiful smile, a beaming smile, one that said he was pleased to have surprised me.  “Sure, but first I have to order one.  It’ll save you a few hundred dollars though, if you’re willing to wait.”

I nodded before I found my voice.  “Okay, thanks.”

“I’ll drive you home,” he said, and snuck back inside my car.  He emerged with my keys and my gym bag in hand.

The ride to my house was quiet.  It was only a few minutes, but I was feeling awkward and I wanted to touch him again.  Small talk was not going to cut it for me.  Then I remembered that I was mad at Mark.

“Robert, do you mind giving me a ride to work tomorrow?  Mark and I…”

“Are not on speaking terms?” he asked and shot me another smile, like he was pleased about that new development.

“I’m not talking to Mark if I can help it,” I said, sounding all of ten years old.  “Besides, Ifan sent him home and he didn’t even come to say good night to me.  So maybe he’s not talking to me either.”  I looked out the window
as we passed by the cemetery next to an old church and fumed mentally at Mark while I tried to look for ghouls. 

Cemeteries are amazingly devoid of ghosts, but some have horrible grief elementals hiding in the corners.  The newer the cemetery, the worse it is.  Elementals feed on those emotions, so old cemeteries with not a lot of grief-stricken mourners usually don’t have grief elementals.  There are a few exceptions: as old as Arlington Cemetery is, I would never visit it.  I figure I can pay my respects some other way.

Robert pulled into my driveway and left the car running, waiting for me to get out.  I was hesitant to leave him.  We could be friends, right?  Not everything had to be sex.

“Do you want to come in?  Are you hungry for dinner?  Can I offer you some coffee?” I asked, thinking of safe things he could come into my house for.  When I saw his hesitation I backed off.  “It’s okay if you don’t want to come in… I just thought that since you’re helping me…”

“I’d like to come in,” he said in a deeper voice than usual.  “I am a little hungry.”  Robert seemed to have to think about that last one.  The sentence came out almost like a question.

“What do you eat?” I asked as we walked into my kitchen.  I’d been thinking of having a frozen dinner, but with a guest I could prepare something quick and easy.  “Do you eat spaghetti?”

“Yes,” he said, standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

I washed my hands and began taking out pots.  “Give me twenty minutes.  The bathroom is at the top of the stairs so you can wash your hands.”  I moved around the kitchen with purpose.  I hadn’t felt this
excited about making dinner in a long time, ever since I’d moved out of Mark’s house.

The floorboards creaked upstairs and I was trying to remember if I’d made my bed.  I sensed Paul nearby, down in the kitchen with me.  I looked to the kitchen table and there he was
, sitting and watching me cook.  I saw his mouth move, but one thing about ghosts is that I can’t hear them speak.  I’d had to read Paul’s lips to find out his name, but that was as far as my lip-reading abilities took me.

I shook my head.  “I can’t hear you, remember?  Do you want to write it down?” I asked him.  Sometimes he liked to pick up pen and paper and tell me things.  It took a lot of energy out of him, so he hadn’t done it often.  This time he nodded.  I paused my cooking and gave him a pad and a pen from the junk drawer.

“There’s a ghost on your table,” Robert said matter-of-factly when he reappeared in my kitchen.  He’d changed into his suit before leaving headquarters, and now he had taken off his suit jacket.  He was wearing a light gray shirt and black pants.