Hoodoo Woman (Roxie Mathis Book 3) Read Free Page B

your finger out of my face, old man.”
    The vampire blushed, a sight that never failed to make my eyes just about bug out of my head. Shelby Conrad calling him old man always did that, and she liked to do it a lot. I never knew whether to be amused or terrified.
    I said, “Bubba, I think what she’s trying to say is, maybe sometime you could sing something a little more current.”
    Shelby nodded. “Yeah, I’m tired of that geezer crap.”
    God damn it. I was not in the mood to referee another fight between these two. I’d had enough country music of any decade, too. I tapped the table for Shelby’s attention. “Have you heard from Blake? He should have been here by now.”
    Guilty knowledge colored her face. “Um.”
    My heart rate sped up. “What?”
    “No, it’s cool. He just wanted it to be a surprise.”
    My heart nearly stopped. “He wanted what to be a surprise?”
    Daniel said, “What’s going on, Shelby?”
    She glared at the vampire but relented. “He just said he wanted a romantic evening for y’all. You’ve both been busy and he wanted to surprise you with something nice.”
    I sat back in the chair, relieved. “Let me guess, flowers and wine at his place.”
    Shelby smiled. “Yours, actually.”
    Shitshitshit . I launched from the rickety chair and ran from the bar. I was halfway to the parking garage when Daniel caught up. He must have argued with Shelby first, his vampire speed could certainly do better.
    He handed me the coat I’d forgotten. “What’s going on?”
    “Nothing.” I couldn’t look him in the eye while lying so I concentrated on getting into my coat.
    “Bullshit. You don’t want him in your home. Why?”
    “I don’t want anyone in my house when I’m not there. Would you?”
    He grabbed my arm, careful not to hurt me though he definitely could have. I had no choice but to stop. It was like being held in a gentle steel trap. “This is me, Roxie. I know you better than he does, way better than Shelby. You’ve been hiding something for months. Ever since the Maple Hill job.”
    I tried to wrench my arm away but he wouldn’t budge. Even on a cold weeknight there were plenty of people out on Broadway. If he didn’t let me go soon, passersby would notice. “Let me go, Bubba.”
    He lowered his hand to grasp mine, his skin cold but not from the weather. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me.”
    I still couldn’t meet his eyes. Instead I stared at our joined hands.
    He lowered his head so only I would hear. “For Christ’s sake, I’m a vampire. There’s not a damn thing you can tell me I’m likely to pass judgment on.”
    I knew that was true but for some reason I still couldn’t do it. And it wasn’t embarrassment over unintentionally summoning Stack. Maybe I wanted Stack all to myself. If no one knew, there would be no questions about his origins. No questions about the magic I worked with him. No questions about the way I could feel it changing me.
    But if there was anyone I could talk to, it was Daniel. Finally I raised my head and made eye contact. “I’ll tell you. I promise.” I squeezed his hand. “But not right this minute. Okay?”
    He studied me for a long moment. “Think you got a mess waiting on you at home?”
    “I sure hope not.”
    “Call me if you need me.” He kissed my cheek and let me go.

Chapter 4
     
    The front door of the trailer was ajar. I steeled myself and opened my senses. For years I’d relied mostly on my auric vision, using my glasses to shield me from a sensory overload of color and emotion. In recent months I’d developed a new technique, one I should have taught myself ages ago: a focus of will followed by opening my senses, with an emphasis on viewing the auras and spirits. That led to working on other senses, most important of all learning the taste of magic in the aether.
    The tang of whiskey and smoke lingered. Stack had been here but since left. A cold, dark diamond of power shone through my own tangled earthy