Kiss Me in the Dark Anthology - Monica James Page 0,68

the box in front of her, indicating for me to set them down, which I do, grabbing my jacket from the floor. I feel too hot. Too on edge. This woman, whoever the fuck she is, has managed to get under my skin, and I resent her for it. It’ll be a relief to put her down. I won’t strangle her, though. The thought of touching her is so repellant that the prospect of coming into contact with her makes my skin crawl. No. I’ll shoot her right between her unfeeling eyes and that will be an end to her.

Shelta runs her tongue over her teeth, gingerly reaching out and plucking the cup away from the saucer. She shimmies to the very edge of the sofa and leans forward, stooping over the mulch of leaves that have been deposited onto the chipped china.

Just fucking shoot her and get the hell out of here. Do it now. She’s not even looking. It’d be a small mercy. I hiss through my teeth, setting aside the urge to pull out my gun, aim the business end of it at crown of her skull, and jerk my finger against the trigger. It would expedite this fiasco, but it feels wrong. There’s no right way to take a person’s life. There are only wrong ways. All of them, by their very nature, are wrong. But it seems underhanded and fucking sneaky to loose this woman’s soul from her body without giving her the opportunity to see it fucking coming. I’ve always looked my marks in the eye when I’ve carried out my orders. Always. No matter how much I, personally, might not like this woman, I can’t do her the dishonor of blinking out her existence while she isn’t expecting it.

Out of nowhere, she moans like she’s in pain. “Two towers. There are two towers here. They represent people.”

“We really don’t need to do this.”

She waves her hand, shushing me. Fucking shushing me? “They’re women. Two powerful women who will rule over your life.”

“I have no plans to allow one woman to rule me, let alone two. I’m not really the type to buy into this kind of theater. Let’s just skip—”

“One rises as the other falls.” Shelta blows out an unsteady breath. She extends her index finger and pokes at the leaves, squinting at the soupy brown mess. “There’s no stopping it. One of these towers will fall, leaving so much devastation and destruction in its wake. You won’t be ready for it. The pain and the suffering…” She shakes her head, swallowing thickly. “The other tower…the other tower is impenetrable. Strong. Its walls are thick, and fortified. You will be safe within…but first, you must become vulnerable.”

My vision swims for a second, the colors inside the tent blurring and stretching, pooling together in one big, swirling mass.

What the…fuck?

Oh, come on.

Madame Shelta’s deeply disapproving face morphs into a messy child’s finger painting. Her features become comically rudimental, and a startled bark of laughter bursts out of my mouth.

She drugged me.

Me.

Zeth Mayfair.

This cannot be fucking happening.

I did not just fall for the oldest trick in the damned book.

Madame Shelta gives me a knowing smile, her face—briefly returning to normal—looks practically apologetic. “You shouldn’t dismiss my words so quickly, Zeth. These women,” she tilts the tea dish for me to see, as if the clumps of mangled leaves might resemble anything other than a mess, “they’re important. Both of them. They will fundamentally change you in the most dramatic of ways. Watch for them. They’ll be coming soon. If they haven’t arrived already,” she adds, bobbing her head from side to side, consulting the goop one more time. “Anyway.” She rises to her feet, dusting off her hands as if cleansing herself of this business, and the sound of her palms brushing together roars in my ears. “You should probably pick where you want to sit now, before you fall down. Might I recommend the sofa. It’s very comfortable.”

My tongue feels like a slab of meat. It’s difficult to coax it to life. “Out of…interest…” Holy fuck. Thinking’s almost as difficult as speaking. Get your shit together, Zee. “What was it?” I manage to nod toward the empty cup that held the laced tea.

Shelta looks down at the cup. “Ketamine. Liquid form and obviously very fast acting. Quite a healthy dose, I’m afraid. You’re a big boy. And your reputation does proceed you. We have a rite to perform on this beach today, and I didn’t