Sinful Instincts (Woodland Creek) (9 page)

“A spell,” I repeat.
God, this just keeps getting better.

“There was a scroll. That night, I couldn’t take her back to her family. They would convict and hang me for her death. I laid her to rest within the woods of Fallen Crest. With his newfound powers, Zander was able to steal her soul. She lives within him. Knowing that information, I was in search of someone who performed magic. One who could explain how he was gaining his powers and how I might be able to reverse it. In time, I found someone. He was a wizard, and he spoke of an old labyrinth spell.”

I really wish I put vodka in my coffee.

“Zander was in search of seven items that would result in immortality. I was to find these items before him and destroy them so he was unable to complete his spell. Then once I found Zander, taking his life would release all the souls he had captured. Including Gabriella’s.”

Okay, maybe I should have skipped the coffee and gone straight to the vodka.

“Okay, so… Yeah, you may have lost me at spells and eating souls.” I’m starting to feel like he’s pulling my chain here. I mean, sucking the soul outta
huh
?

Sin says no more, releasing my wrist and tossing my arm away from him. “I don’t need you to believe me. I just need you to help me, which you will.” His voice is thick with fury. I really hate being told what to do, but the scary, beast-like snarl he is giving me tells me maybe I will make an exception just this once.

“Fine, I get it, and I’m sorry. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around all of this. I mean, come on, it’s not every day I meet a leopard shifter looking for a magical spell to release his dead girlfriend’s soul.”
Because right? Have you?
I live in a normal world where this stuff happens in books, people! Not real life.

“I was headed back to the wizard’s home to trade gold for the scroll. Before I was able to return, Zander got to him first. His throat was slit and his insides were eaten clean out. Zander was gone, and so was my copy of the scroll.”

Ew.

“Okay, so what now? Does he even know what to do with it when he finds them all?”

“Yes.”

Okay, throw me a bone here, man.
“
Aaaand
?” I retort.

“He knows that once he retrieves all the items, he can gain eternal power. It’s like raising the souls of the dead to create an unnatural army of sorts.”

Army of dead souls, got it.
“Okay, so if he knows what to do, why hasn’t he used it yet?”

“I believe he hasn’t found all the items on this list yet. From the research I have done, legend says there were only a select few who carried these certain items. I was unable to break down the language the wizard wrote in, but I wrote down some of the words I did remember and I had them translated. Some of the items were located in certain regions in which Zander had been located. As time passed, I realized he was slowly finding each item.”

“Shit,” I mumble.

“Yes, well, if I am correct, based on the information I have collected, he is on the last item. Hence why it is important that he is stopped before he finds it.”

“What is it? How will you know if he’s found it or not?” Besides seeing a portal from Hell opening up.

“I imagine that whatever it is he is looking for, it is located here in Woodland Creek.”

At that, I laugh. Nothing is here in Woodland Creek. “I highly doubt anything magical is hidden in this town. Trust me. I haven’t been here long, but it’s nothing all that special.”

“Ahh, that is where you’re wrong, Emma. Woodland Creek is anything but ordinary. The town resides on a ley line, which means it is very,
very
populated with the unknown.”

“The unknown.”

“Yes. Shifters, witches, you name it. The supernatural tend to flock to the same areas. They can be anyone. Your nosy old neighbor could be a shifter, and you would never know it.”

I gasp. “Mrs. Peterson?”

Sin chuckles. “Well, don’t worry, she’s not. I would have smelled it on her right away. She is actually a fae. A fairy, of sorts, which explains how she heard us last night when we barely made a sound.”

Get out of town with that shit!
“Okay, so wait,” I pause. “Let’s rewind. So, you’re telling me there is an unstable beast with a grocery list to open up the portals of Hell, this town is anything but the average small-town folk growing up and growing old in the land of Boringsville, and my ninety-year-old neighbor is a fairy?”

“You are correct, smart one. How you follow so well.”

I ignore his sarcastic remark toward me. Wow, now
that
is super nuts. I try and think of sweet, old Mrs. Peterson being anything but old and sweet. Then of
anyone
I’ve ever come across and wonder if they are really aliens. Marty the cook from the Bar and Grill always seemed off to me, but I would never suspect he was anything but a boring, forty-five-year-old hermit who still lived with his mother and gets off on playing video games.

I shake off the thought. “So, how will you know what it is? This item. I mean, you say you need to find it before he does. Is that possible? And how do you know if this last item is really even here? I mean, you could be chasing something that no longer exists.”

“I could be. But this wizard was convinced all items were alive or accessible.”

“
Alive
? Like, as in a living person?”

“That I also do not know. I know nothing. The details and clues are on the scroll Zander holds.”

“And you need the scroll to claim the items. How do you know he doesn’t have all of them?”

“I don’t, but once I catch him, I will determine what he has and doesn’t have. I will continue from where he left off, if that’s the case.”

Very interesting. I mean, I thought that beer guy was the most interesting, but who would have thunk it? “Man,” I mumble to myself. I shake my head, trying to wrap my brain around all this new information. “So, what happens if it’s a human who carries the magical item?”

“They die. It’s just a sacrifice they carry.” Well, that’s kind of sad and somewhat disturbing at the same time.

“What happens if it’s, like, a baby?”

He doesn’t even hesitate before he responds. “Then he or she will die.”

“Geesh, really? That’s kinda messed up!” I exclaim.

“It’s the steps I am willing to take to give Gabriella peace.”

“You know this is all
really
messed up, right?” I respond.

He just nods.
Okay then
. “For what it’s worth, it’s just a small theory. All items have been mainly objects. There was an eye of a very rare Shetland sheep that is only bred in the European Region. That has been the only sacrifice of anything living so far.”

I consider his theory. Still so sad, if you ask me. And of course, my fat mouth shares that thought. “I feel like that is all just so sad. Like you deserve more than living in a world of vengeance.” I speak without really thinking. My thoughts are trying to wrap around this poor man’s hatred. I’ve hated and I’ve been suffocated by revenge, but to let it consume me would be letting the enemy win.

Sin leans in closer, pressing his rough hand to my cheek. “I won’t tell you again, Emma.” His breath warms my skin. “I can smell the overwhelming sense of pity pouring from your veins. I told you. Do
not
pity me.”

I lean into his touch, closing my eyes as I listen to his deep, alluring voice. A sound that is so threatening and soothing all at once when he speaks. My eyes slowly drift back open, and his face is closer than it was before. His lips are within reach of my mouth, and it would just take a simple tilt of my head to lock his sweet lips to mine. We stare at one another, both fighting the same urge.

I don’t know why we continue to put ourselves in this position. He doesn’t want me, and I seem to be unsure of
what
I want. I feel his breath skim my lips, knowing a hairsbreadth separates us. Anytime I’m near him, I lose sense of myself and my body takes over, begging for his touch. For his plump lips to kiss me, his hands to take me and explore every single inch of my body. Raising my chin to get the right angle to press my upper lip to his, I offer myself to him. Just when I see the look of surrender, the doorbell sounds off and I jolt forward, banging my head into his.

“Ouch!” I groan, grabbing for my forehead.

Sin, on the other hand, jumps into action and hops over the couch. “Get down!” he growls at me as he makes his way to the door. “Are you expecting anyone?” His hard tone is back, peering through the peep hole.

“No, I don’t think so,” I reply, nurturing my poor head.

“Get up. I want you to ask what they want. Do not open the door.”

“How the hell am I supposed to do that if I don’t open the door?” I ask, bewildered. This guy is off his rocker, and becoming very bossy if you ask me. I throw my body off the couch and head toward the door. “Can you at least move out of the way?” I give him an eye roll, pushing him away from my peep hole.

“Hello?” I raise my voice so my visitor can hear me through the door. I look through the peep hole, only to realize it’s a police officer. “Shit!” I jump away from the door. “It’s a cop,” I loudly whisper, nervously staring Sin down for what to do next. “One does not simply
not
answer the door for a cop.”

“Ask what he wants,” he demands sternly. I give him my ‘
are you serious’
look. He gives me the ‘
do it or else’
look.
Yep, asking him what he wants.

“Ms. Waters. My name is Officer Aaron Bellaire from Woodland Creek Police department. Your purse was turned in this morning, and I was just returning it.”

My purse
. I turn to look at Sin, excited to get my stuff back. How nice of someone to be kind enough to turn my stuff into the authorities. I smile and go to unlock the door when I remember my poor door doesn’t have a working lock anymore. That’s when Sin’s strong hand slams against it, throwing it back closed.

“What the hell?” I whisper harshly. “Dude, what’s your problem? He has my purse. He’s an officer of the law.”

“Yeah, and you don’t know this isn’t a trap,” he replies, fury in his eyes.

“A trap,” I repeat, putting my arms across my chest.

“Ms. Waters, is everything okay?” Officer Bellaire inquires from the other side of the door.

Sin’s facial expression turns feral, and he spins to possibly attack my door. “Jesus Christ, relax.” I put my hand up to stop him from what looks like ripping my door down and pouncing on our local law enforcement. With another attempt at opening the door, Sin’s hand reaches out, once more slamming it shut.

“Would you knock it off!” My voice has escalated. We are having a stare-down and this time, I am
not
backing down.

“Ms. Waters?”

After a simple flinch tactic of my head silently telling Sin to stay, I turn for the final time and open the door. I hold it close to me so the officer doesn’t take notice of my irritable house guest.

“Yes, hello, Officer Bellaire. Thank you so much. I must have dropped it last night on my way home.”

“Yes, of course. It was turned in by Mrs. Finkle. I’m sorry, but we had to go through the purse first to figure out the owner. Your ID card wasn’t in your wallet, but Mrs. Finkle was able to give me your address.”

My ID was gone? Strange.

I feel the presence of Sin’s body heat closer to me. “Wrap it up,” he whispers, so quietly I’m not sure how I even heard him.

“Okay… so… thank you again,” I stumble over my words, reaching for my purse. He kindly hands it over, hesitating to release the bag.

“Oh, it was no problem. It was my pleasure, actually,” he replies nervously. “I’ve seen you around, and I’ve been in Fibber McGee’s a few times. And... Well, you know, if you ever wanted to grab a drink sometime or dinner, I would love to escort you—”

Before he even finishes, a loud growl interrupts him. My eyes widen, and I side-kick Sin.

“What was that?” Officer Bellaire questions, eyes wide.

“Oh, that? That’s just my big, fat, annoying cat. He’s an attention whore and doesn’t like me talking to other people.” I fake a smile, hoping he falls for it.

“Oh... okay.” Looking confused, he continues, “Soo, then if you ever—” He doesn’t get to finish that sentence either because Sin pulls me back and slams the door in his face.

“What the hell!?” I turn to Sin, who looks anything but happy right now.

“Ms. Waters?”

I give Sin my meanest stare and turn toward the door. “I’m sorry, Officer Bellaire. Like I said...
very
big, jealous cat. Thank you again!” I say no more because Sin is pulling me away from the door. Before I’m even able to catch my balance, he’s pushing me down into my kitchen chair. Grabbing—more like snatching—my purse from my hands, he begins searching through it.

“Hey! That’s mine!” I grab for it back, but he’s too quick. “God, what’s your problem?” My patience is running thin with this guy.

“Your ID was gone. Did you lose it prior to last night?”

“What? Um... no. I had to have it to get into Vider’s. I don’t think I left it there, so no, it would have still been in my wallet.” He growls again and continues rummaging through my purse. “What exactly are you looking for?” I ask, annoyed.

“Clues.”

“Clues…” I repeat lamely, wanting to wake up from this never-ending acid trip. I lay my back against the chair, placing my head on the top of the chair rail. I run my hands through my hair and proceed to squeeze and pull. Once I’m done trying to relieve some pressure in my brain, I lift my head to Sin sniffing inside my purse.

“Okay. That’s it!” I stand and snatch my purse from his grip. Or I planned on doing it. But Super Cat over here has other plans. My legs are off the ground within seconds, and he has my back on top of what’s still standing of my kitchen table as his solid body hovers over mine.

“Who was that man, Emma? Is he a lover of yours?” His tone is void of humor. I’m kind of confused on who he’s even talking about, until a couple seconds pass by and it clicks.

“Officer Bellaire?” I snicker. Of course, he doesn’t use his words to respond. He simply nods. His dominance shows he doesn’t have to use words to get the answers he wants.