Dangerous Girls 2, page 9
It was a slightly chaotic mix and match of colors and textures, but it actually worked somehow.
Chanterelle noticed me looking at her, and she held out her arms with a giggle.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I think you look very cool,” I replied with a smile. “It’s like a weird eighties meets the sixties. Disco Mod. Is that a thing?”
“Disco Mod,” Artemis chuckled. “That’s exactly it.”
“Did you help her?” I asked.
“No!” Chanterelle gasped. “I chose everything! Artemis explained to me that clothes should be about wearing what makes you happy because fashion is a lie made up by the people in power who want to sell you cerulean sweaters.”
“Um…” I raised an eyebrow at Artemis, who shrugged and waggled her eyebrows back at me. “Yeah, I guess that’s one way of looking at it.”
“And all of these things make me very happy.” Chanterelle looked down at herself with a pleased expression on her face. “I am a happy Chanterelle in these colors and textures. I do enjoy the feeling of the skirt.”
“That’s corduroy,” I explained.
“It is corrugated.” She stroked her hand over the fabric. “It is ribbed. For my pleasure.”
She said it right as I was sipping my coffee, and I coughed and hacked and spluttered with shocked laughter.
Artemis snorted under her breath and pounded me on the back while Chanterelle nibbled thoughtfully on her toast. She didn’t seem to have any idea that her words might have caused my fit.
“Did you know back blows were the preferred method to help save people from choking?” she said in a thoughtful voice. “But then the American Heart Association decided to stop recommending back blows after they read a study that was partially funded by Henry Heimlich?”
“What?” I managed to wheeze out.
“Henry Heimlich,” Chanterelle repeated. “A study in 1982.”
“The guy who invented the Heimlich Maneuver?” Artemis questioned. “You know, when I was a kid, I thought it was called that after the caterpillar in A Bug’s Life.”
“Don’t,” I warned her. “You’re going to make me choke on my coffee again.”
We managed to get through the rest of breakfast without any more mishaps. By the time we finished, it was almost nine o’clock, so Artemis and I went down to open the shop while Chanterelle went to sit with the jackalope.
I unlocked the door, flipped the sign around to say “OPEN”, and went to stand behind the cash register. Artemis hoisted herself on top of the counter and swung her long legs back and forth.
“So,” I said after a little pause. “Diana says you might get kicked out of your coven if you don’t carry on trying to find the power source.”
“I don’t care,” Artemis said in a fierce voice. “Let them kick me out. I’m not going to turn Chanterelle over to those fuckbags.”
“Yeah, I mean, obviously I don’t think you should turn her over,” I said. “But I would understand if you wanted to make it look like you were still at least trying to search for the power source.”
“Why?” Artemis frowned at me over her shoulder. “Why would I do that?”
“Because I don’t want you to cut ties with your coven if you’re going to regret it,” I said in a gentle tone. “If it’s a group of people who are important to you, then I don’t want you to feel pressured to leave them.”
“It’s not just that.” Artemis shook her head so her frizzy red waves tossed back and forth across her face. “It’s having this ultimatum pushed on me. What kind of atmosphere would I be going back to if I did what they wanted?”
“I just want to make sure you’ve thought about it enough,” I said gently. “I don’t want to underestimate or devalue what the coven meant to you.”
Artemis shrugged. She looked down at her hands in her lap, and she swallowed hard.
“It’s okay,” she said in a too-casual tone. “I can handle it.”
“I know you can.” I reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “And I’m here for you. If you need anything. Talking. Cups of tea. A really good orgasm. Whatever you need, I’m here.”
“You’re so sweet.” Artemis smiled, leaned back, and kissed me on the cheek. “This would be so much harder without you, Mike. I really appreciate how supportive you are.”
“Hey, that’s what I’m here for,” I said with a chuckle. “But on that note, can you think of anything that might discourage Diana from staying in town too long?”
“Unfortunately, she’s very stubborn,” Artemis sighed. “And she’s devoted to the coven. If they ask her to do something, she’s going to do it the best she can. Without distractions.”
“Like I’m a distraction to you?” I asked in a teasing voice.
“Oh, yeah, definitely.” Artemis leaned back and tilted her head so she could look me in the face. “You’re the biggest distraction a girl would wish for.”
“Really?” I murmured as I leaned forward. “Well, that’s… flattering to hear.”
“I mean it,” she breathed.
She reached around and cupped the back of my head to pull me closer. Our lips met, and a fiery spark of desire passed between us like a shock of static electricity.
Artemis gave a little moan. Her lips parted under mine, and her fingers dug into my scalp. It sent goosebumps all down my arms and straight into my crotch. The teasing heat of her tongue tangled with mine, and I smiled against her mouth and groaned as my cock rose to attention. My arm crept around her waist, and I pressed her against my chest, then kissed her cheek and her temple.
“I love the feeling of your body against mine,” I whispered in her ear.
“Me, too,” she gasped. “God, you’re so fucking hot. I want to jump you right now.”
“My cock is so fucking hard,” I murmured.
“I’m so wet,” she purred back. “I should be satisfied, we spent last night fucking like rabbits, but it’s like I’m still craving your cum. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get enough of you, Mike.”
I pressed my lips to the throbbing pulse beating under the delicate skin of Artemis’ throat. She moaned and reached around to cup the back of my neck. I dragged her even closer to me, and my hand dipped between her thighs and felt the heat of her pussy radiating out even through her shorts.
“I’m so wet,” Artemis whispered. “I want you so bad right now.”
“It’s taking every bit of self-control I have not to pull you down behind this counter and fuck you right now,” I whispered back.
Artemis’ whole body shivered with pleasure.
“Mmm,” she moaned. “Fuck. We can’t be this horny again this morning.”
“I think we can,” I chuckled.
“And we’re in the middle of your shop, goddamn it.” Artemis made a noise of intense frustration and pushed herself out of my arms.
She slid to the edge of the counter and got off.
“Oh, my god.” She laughed breathlessly and pressed her hand to her forehead. “My knees are actually weak right now.”
Her face was flushed, and her eyes were huge, dark pools of raw desire. Her chest was heaving, and from the way she pressed her thighs together, I guessed that she was as wet as I was hard.
She looked so fucking sexy that it was difficult to look at her without fighting the urge to tear her clothes off.
“Goddammit,” I muttered. “You’re so hot it should be a crime, Artemis.”
“I’m a criminal.” She grinned at me. “That makes you complicit, too, Wainwright. What business do you have going around in those tight black t-shirts? And those jeans? I mean, fuck, your ass is so fine it could start a riot.”
“There’s only one riot I want to start.” I leaned over the counter and raised my eyebrows to dare Artemis to step closer.
She shook her head and closed her eyes as though even the sight of me was too much.
“No,” she said in a firm voice. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Why not?” I smirked.
“Because every inhibition I ever had will fly out the window,” she said. “And I’ll throw myself at you and tear off those jeans, and we’ll be fucking on the floor behind the counter and it’ll be the hottest fuck I’ve ever had, and then the bell will ring and a field trip of kindergarten kids will come in and we’ll ruin their lives forever.”
“Okay.” I chuckled. “I guess we should think of the kindergarten kids who are definitely going to visit Time & Space on a field trip.”
“Who knows what they’re teaching kids these days!” Artemis shook her head firmly. “So I’m going to go over there and stare at the swords on the wall to distract myself.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” I raised an eyebrow. “Big swords, long pointy blades… It might put ideas in your head.”
“Oh, goddess,” she groaned. “Okay, postcards it is. Lovely, sexless, dry, boring postcards.”
She went over to the stand of them by the door and spun it around with a determined sigh.
“Your ass looks great from here,” I called.
“I’m not listening!” she called back. “These are super interesting postcards!”
I chuckled, but just then the bell rang above the door and a group of guys came in. I snapped into customer service mode as I directed them toward the WarAxe trading cards section.
More customers started coming in, and soon the shop was crowded.
Artemis helped out behind the counter, and I was grateful to have another pair of hands working the cash register, especially when one customer insisted on pulling me into a discussion about the merits of being a druid or a wizard in WarAxe.
I was happy enough to talk to people who were interested in playing the game, but there were way too many people who only wanted to talk about WarAxe so they could show off just how much they knew about it.
“But wizards are too limited in their herbalism skills, aren’t they?” the guy insisted. “Druids are better all-around, and I don’t think enough people realize that, but if they stopped chasing after the Ceruzzi Crystals, they’d have a better chance of fighting the Last Green Dragon.”
“Uh, yeah, sure,” I said with my politest customer smile fixed firmly in place. “I see what you mean.”
Artemis grinned to herself, and when I finally sent the guy on his way, she leaned over and patted my shoulder.
“You know,” she said, “I think it’s really important that we discuss how vital the Last Green Dragon is to the gaming experience. Those noobs who are all about the Ceruzzi Crystals just don’t get it, you know, bro?”
“Don’t,” I told her in a warning tone. “Or you’ll have to deal with the next window-shopper who only wants to talk for an hour.”
We were busy, but every time the bell rang, my heart lurched a little, and I didn’t realize why until I saw that Artemis’ head snapped up with every new customer, too.
“Are you thinking about Diana?” I asked her in a lull between customers.
“Yeah.” Artemis grimaced. “I keep expecting her to come into the shop and… I mean, I don’t really know what she would do if she did come back. She’s already delivered her message, so why is she hanging around?”
“Well, she’s been in town for a while,” I said. “If she was sent here to keep an eye on you, then she probably arrived here at the same time you did, and she’s going to stay here until she gets a good idea of where your loyalties lie.”
“Yeah,” she said with a sigh. “That’s probably it. Too much to hope that the High Priestess might trust me to do a task on my own.”
“What if we showed her the extent of the ley lines?” I suggested. “It didn’t work with David, but it did with me. Would seeing the scope of it discourage her in any way?”
“I don’t know.” Artemis shrugged. “I think seeing the scope of the power worked with you because you’re not obsessed with gaining power. But for David, it just confirmed everything he already suspected. So it might be the same for Diana. She’s so convinced the coven is right above everything else. She would probably be able to talk herself into thinking the coven would do the right thing.”
“Great.” I sighed. “Nothing I like better than a fanatic.”
There were only a few customers in the shop, and one of them came up to the till with a collector’s Blu-ray copy of Mad Max: Fury Road.
“Just this, thanks.” He slid it across the counter and got out his phone ready to pay.
I rang it through, gave him his total, and looked up with my customer service smile in place and the card reader held out to take the guy’s payment.
But the guy was staring at the comic book on the counter like he’d never seen it before. His eyes bulged out of his head, and he licked his lips and swallowed.
“Are you okay?” I asked him with a frown.
“I…” The guy tried to speak, but the words didn’t come out.
He pressed his hand to his throat and tried to cough. He swallowed again.
“Hey, do you want to sit down?” I asked in concern.
The guy’s eyes bulged out even further. Then suddenly his head snapped back. His jaws locked together, and a bloody white foam rolled out between his teeth.
“Hey!” I cried.
The guy’s whole body jerked like he was being zapped by electricity, and he toppled backward and fell to the floor.
Chapter 7
“Holy shit!” Artemis gasped.
In an instant, I was out behind the counter and kneeling at the guy’s side.
His face had turned a sick, white color, but his lips were a livid shade of red, and the sticky white foam was clinging to his chin. His eyes had rolled so far back into his head, I couldn’t see his irises anymore, and his arms and legs were twitching spasmodically.
“Shit,” I gritted out.
I spun around, grabbed my phone from the counter, and dialed nine-one-one.
“I need an ambulance,” I said tersely. “Someone collapsed.”
The emergency service operator took my details and told us to sit tight and an ambulance was already on its way.
The other customers in the shop flocked around and stared anxiously until Artemis shooed them out and turned the shop sign over to “CLOSED.”
The guy was breathing heavily, and there was a clicking wheeze on his inhale that sounded like someone with asthma. His eyelids fluttered, and a choking groan fell from his bloody, foam-streaked lips.
“This looks like it could be a seizure,” I muttered.
“We should turn him over onto his side so he doesn’t choke if he vomits,” Artemis said.
She knelt down, and we carefully turned the guy onto his side so he was in the recovery position.
“It’s okay, buddy,” I said in a calm voice. “An ambulance is on its way. You’re going to be alright.”
Artemis got to her feet. She put her hand on my shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze.
“You okay?” I reached up to pat her hand.
“Yeah.” She nodded.
I turned back to the guy on the floor, and as I did so, I noticed a strange, sweet smell. I frowned, bent over him, and took a quick sniff.
“What is it?” Artemis asked.
“His skin,” I said. “It smells sweet.”
“What?” She knelt down and leaned over the guy so she could smell him, too. “Shit. Yeah. You’re right. What is that?”
“You don’t recognize it?” I asked.
“Nope.” She shook her head. “If it’s something magical, it’s not something I’m familiar with.”
I leaned over and took another sniff.
It was a weird, heavy, cloying smell. It reminded me of honey, or of the smell coming off fields of flowers in the height of summer.
“It makes me want to sneeze,” Artemis said thoughtfully.
“I was just thinking how it smelled like flowers,” I said. “You know the fields of yellow that you drive past?”
“Canola flowers,” she said instantly. “Yeah, it smells just like that.”
“Is that a magical ingredient for anything?” I asked.
“Not really.” She shrugged. “I mean, you can use the oil as a base in a potion or ointment, just like you would use any oil, but I’ve never heard of it being used for any specific magical properties it has.”
“Maybe it’s not that, then.” I took another sniff. “To be fair, it could be any kind of heavy floral smell.”
“I’ll do some research about it,” Artemis said. “But I can think of a dozen more obvious ingredients that you could use to put a spell on someone.”
The guy’s breathing was a ragged wheeze. His limbs twitched suddenly, and his shoes banged against the floor. I looked down at him in concern, but I couldn’t see anything that made me think he was deteriorating any faster than before.
“Hold on, buddy,” I murmured. “The ambulance’ll be here soon.”
“Gods,” Artemis muttered. “It’s fucking horrible having to stand here and watch this happen. I’m so fucking powerless.”
“You’re not a doctor,” I said gently. “And this might not even be something magical. He could just be sick with something.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Artemis lifted an eyebrow. “But it’s a bit of a coincidence, isn’t it? I think it’s way more likely this is something magical.”
“So, what does that mean?” I blew out my breath in a sigh. “Is this connected to Chanterelle in some way?”
“What is connected?” Chanterelle came down the stairs from the apartment into the store. “I heard a noise, and I thought ‘I wonder if this is a good noise,’ and then I thought ‘I should go and see that Mike and Artemis are well,’ and then I thought ‘I must not absorb,’ and then I thought–”
Her voice abruptly stopped as she saw the guy on the floor. She gave a little scream and ran toward him.
“Oh!” she gasped. “He’s dead!”
“No, no,” I reassured her quickly. “He’s not dead, he’s just sick. An ambulance is coming to take him to the hospital.”
“Oh, no.” Chanterelle stared at him with her blue eyes wide open in horror. “Oh, no…”
