quietly.
He squeezed her hand, his grip warm and reassuring, but his face was grim, as if some dark future was chasing him, and she was the only one who could stop it. Oy. What if she couldn’t? How bad was the hell chasing him?
“I can’t be discovered.” The hedonism student looked like she was about to keel over. “No one can know that Ella Smitweiser knows about mysticism. It’s imperative.”
Natalie saw the fear in Ella’s eyes, and her heart tightened for her. She knew what it was like to have a past you didn’t want. She also understood that it was possible that the choices of Ella’s past maybe hadn’t really been Ella’s choice. “Who is after you, Ella?”
But the woman shook her head. “No.”
Nigel looked back and forth between them, and she saw him quickly analyze the situation, sift through the facts, and assess what he was going to have to do to make things happen the way he wanted. “I’m monitoring,” he finally said, his tone making it clear that he wasn’t feeling the love for the fact he had to give Ella comfort. “I’ve got it covered. No one’s going to come in that store without me knowing about it.” There was such finality in his voice, such raw assurance, that Natalie immediately relaxed.
Some of Ella’s tension eased also. She clearly realized that one of Angelica’s warriors in battle mode was a force worthy of reckoning. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll do my best.” She shook out her arms to loosen her muscles, then took Natalie’s hands.
Her fingers were ice cold. Too cold for a living being. “Are you okay?”
Ella laughed quietly. “Sweetie, I haven’t been okay for a long time, but I’m working on it.” Her gaze flicked to Nigel. “Assisting you guys will help.”
Natalie sensed a huge weight on the woman’s soul, and she squeezed Ella’s hands. “It’ll be okay, Ella.”
“Maybe.” Ella leaned forward. “But this is your time.” She smiled lightly. “Stop worrying about me. I’m fine. Really. Just haven’t done the mysticism thing for a while.” She tapped the back of Natalie’s hand. “I need you to concentrate on you, not me. Can you do that?”
Natalie noticed that there were little gray circles on the back of her hand where Ella had tapped them. They faded quickly, but why had they been there at all? She would have to ask Nigel later. “Okay,” she said. “I’m ready.”
Ella nodded. “Suggest something to Nigel. Something easy.”
Natalie looked over at Nigel, and something twitched in her belly. He was entirely focused on her, and she could almost feel his energy pulsing at her. “You will blink twice.”
He didn’t blink.
“Oh, I forgot. You need chocolate.” Natalie pointed at the tray near him. She’d brought in the last of the virility balls. “Have a virility ball.”
Nigel eyed the chocolate spheres like they were noxious beasts of hell about to attack him. “Got anything that doesn’t have to do with sex? I don’t want anything messing with my manhood.”
“You don’t need to worry about your manliness.” Natalie exchanged knowing looks with Ella. Men were so sensitive about their masculinity. It was sort of endearing. That’s why she loved her job so much, because she had insight into the one thing that made men vulnerable. “It increases your sexual performance, so you can only benefit.”
“I got that covered, sweet cheeks.” Nigel’s gaze swept over her with piercing intensity, as if daring her to find out exactly how much he did have it covered. Such a guy!
But his look worked. Heat pulsed in her belly, and she tried to hide her reaction by gesturing at a box on one of the shelves. “That’s some raw chocolate. You could go with that.” Yeah, playing with fire wasn’t a good idea when Nigel was concerned. She needed to be over the sex thing, thank you so much. If a man she didn’t even like could get her worked up so much that she couldn’t stay away from certain death by orgasm, then
He squeezed her hand, his grip warm and reassuring, but his face was grim, as if some dark future was chasing him, and she was the only one who could stop it. Oy. What if she couldn’t? How bad was the hell chasing him?
“I can’t be discovered.” The hedonism student looked like she was about to keel over. “No one can know that Ella Smitweiser knows about mysticism. It’s imperative.”
Natalie saw the fear in Ella’s eyes, and her heart tightened for her. She knew what it was like to have a past you didn’t want. She also understood that it was possible that the choices of Ella’s past maybe hadn’t really been Ella’s choice. “Who is after you, Ella?”
But the woman shook her head. “No.”
Nigel looked back and forth between them, and she saw him quickly analyze the situation, sift through the facts, and assess what he was going to have to do to make things happen the way he wanted. “I’m monitoring,” he finally said, his tone making it clear that he wasn’t feeling the love for the fact he had to give Ella comfort. “I’ve got it covered. No one’s going to come in that store without me knowing about it.” There was such finality in his voice, such raw assurance, that Natalie immediately relaxed.
Some of Ella’s tension eased also. She clearly realized that one of Angelica’s warriors in battle mode was a force worthy of reckoning. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll do my best.” She shook out her arms to loosen her muscles, then took Natalie’s hands.
Her fingers were ice cold. Too cold for a living being. “Are you okay?”
Ella laughed quietly. “Sweetie, I haven’t been okay for a long time, but I’m working on it.” Her gaze flicked to Nigel. “Assisting you guys will help.”
Natalie sensed a huge weight on the woman’s soul, and she squeezed Ella’s hands. “It’ll be okay, Ella.”
“Maybe.” Ella leaned forward. “But this is your time.” She smiled lightly. “Stop worrying about me. I’m fine. Really. Just haven’t done the mysticism thing for a while.” She tapped the back of Natalie’s hand. “I need you to concentrate on you, not me. Can you do that?”
Natalie noticed that there were little gray circles on the back of her hand where Ella had tapped them. They faded quickly, but why had they been there at all? She would have to ask Nigel later. “Okay,” she said. “I’m ready.”
Ella nodded. “Suggest something to Nigel. Something easy.”
Natalie looked over at Nigel, and something twitched in her belly. He was entirely focused on her, and she could almost feel his energy pulsing at her. “You will blink twice.”
He didn’t blink.
“Oh, I forgot. You need chocolate.” Natalie pointed at the tray near him. She’d brought in the last of the virility balls. “Have a virility ball.”
Nigel eyed the chocolate spheres like they were noxious beasts of hell about to attack him. “Got anything that doesn’t have to do with sex? I don’t want anything messing with my manhood.”
“You don’t need to worry about your manliness.” Natalie exchanged knowing looks with Ella. Men were so sensitive about their masculinity. It was sort of endearing. That’s why she loved her job so much, because she had insight into the one thing that made men vulnerable. “It increases your sexual performance, so you can only benefit.”
“I got that covered, sweet cheeks.” Nigel’s gaze swept over her with piercing intensity, as if daring her to find out exactly how much he did have it covered. Such a guy!
But his look worked. Heat pulsed in her belly, and she tried to hide her reaction by gesturing at a box on one of the shelves. “That’s some raw chocolate. You could go with that.” Yeah, playing with fire wasn’t a good idea when Nigel was concerned. She needed to be over the sex thing, thank you so much. If a man she didn’t even like could get her worked up so much that she couldn’t stay away from certain death by orgasm, then
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