them.
And as for introducing this guy to Angela--no way! He may have escaped the call of Death but there was something about him…something that just didn't sit right with Jacqueline. Sweat dotted his forehead even though Toby kept the bar a chilly sixty nine degrees, and she didn't like the way he looked at her, as if she were a piece of meat he'd like to tear apart.
"Thanks for the offer, but I have other plans." She turned to Toby. "Are we getting together later?"
"Definitely." His grin warmed Jacqueline all the way to her toes. "Looking forward to it."
"Good." She tilted her head to the side. "I've got big plans for you."
"Oh really?"
"Yep. Did a little shopping today. Bought a new nightgown and thought I'd model it for you."
Toby's eyes sparkled with appreciation.
"See you at closing time then," he said, kissing her lightly on the lips.
"Somebody is going to get lucky." Jacob slurred the words a little and whistled low. "Nice."
Gabe just grunted, a sure sign of his disapproval.
Jacqueline moved away, but when she looked back, her heart leapt with excitement. The black cloud of death was back. It surrounded Jacob Hill once again.
And the shadows she'd seen earlier--they danced around the man, frantic and hungry for attention. She didn't know what they were. None of the souls she'd reaped had anything like that attached to them.
No matter.
"You only delayed the inevitable, Gabe," she whispered.
A delicious chill of anticipation ran through her.
****
Kids and girlfriends could be a real pain in the ass, Toby decided.
Especially when they didn't get along.
He couldn't really blame Jacqueline for holding a grudge. Having to face your husband's murderer every day had to be tough. And choosing not to do anything about it? Hell, Toby didn't know if he would have been as strong.
But what really bugged him was that he knew she wasn't telling him everything. It was obvious that her powers were growing and she'd been tense lately, irritated even. Her temper would spark to life too easily.
She was hiding something.
How were they supposed to have a relationship if they kept secrets?
He glanced over at his son, Gabe, who shoved bottles of beer deep into the ice bin. Sullen, depressed, and generally a smart ass, Gabe was a complete mystery to him. Yet, the kid kept hanging around the bar, wanting to help out, but not wanting to admit he needed help.
Toby shook his head, frustrated. He sometimes felt like he was alone in the sea, fighting desperately not to drown. When had life gotten so complicated?
Probably the moment the Brotherhood had asked him to keep an eye on Jacqueline Huston and make sure that her banshee urges didn't get out of control. That had been over a year ago, and for a while, everything had been fine. He was content to watch from a distance, but as the anniversary of her husband's death had dawned, everything changed. Suddenly he found himself falling deeply in love with a woman who was completely in the dark about the supernatural world.
Her husband--the late Eric Huston--had been a guardian wizard. Toby didn't know if it was coincidence or not that Eric had happened to marry a woman with the banshee gene, but whatever the case, Eric had loved Jacqueline.
He'd given his life for her.
And therein lay the problem.
While engaged in a battle between two wizards, Eric had dove in front of an energy ball aimed at Jacqueline. As luck would have it, Jacqueline was just grazed by the energy. However, it was enough to stop her heart.
Using all his powers, Eric saved her.
But doing so had come with a price.
Eric died and Jacqueline's banshee blood boiled to life. The energy he used to bring her back from the brink of death activated her dormant banshee gene, a gene that would have turned her into a true banshee had she stayed dead.
The Brotherhood had not been pleased at this new half breed wandering around. But they had preferred to sit back and play the wait-and-see game. Jacqueline might
And as for introducing this guy to Angela--no way! He may have escaped the call of Death but there was something about him…something that just didn't sit right with Jacqueline. Sweat dotted his forehead even though Toby kept the bar a chilly sixty nine degrees, and she didn't like the way he looked at her, as if she were a piece of meat he'd like to tear apart.
"Thanks for the offer, but I have other plans." She turned to Toby. "Are we getting together later?"
"Definitely." His grin warmed Jacqueline all the way to her toes. "Looking forward to it."
"Good." She tilted her head to the side. "I've got big plans for you."
"Oh really?"
"Yep. Did a little shopping today. Bought a new nightgown and thought I'd model it for you."
Toby's eyes sparkled with appreciation.
"See you at closing time then," he said, kissing her lightly on the lips.
"Somebody is going to get lucky." Jacob slurred the words a little and whistled low. "Nice."
Gabe just grunted, a sure sign of his disapproval.
Jacqueline moved away, but when she looked back, her heart leapt with excitement. The black cloud of death was back. It surrounded Jacob Hill once again.
And the shadows she'd seen earlier--they danced around the man, frantic and hungry for attention. She didn't know what they were. None of the souls she'd reaped had anything like that attached to them.
No matter.
"You only delayed the inevitable, Gabe," she whispered.
A delicious chill of anticipation ran through her.
****
Kids and girlfriends could be a real pain in the ass, Toby decided.
Especially when they didn't get along.
He couldn't really blame Jacqueline for holding a grudge. Having to face your husband's murderer every day had to be tough. And choosing not to do anything about it? Hell, Toby didn't know if he would have been as strong.
But what really bugged him was that he knew she wasn't telling him everything. It was obvious that her powers were growing and she'd been tense lately, irritated even. Her temper would spark to life too easily.
She was hiding something.
How were they supposed to have a relationship if they kept secrets?
He glanced over at his son, Gabe, who shoved bottles of beer deep into the ice bin. Sullen, depressed, and generally a smart ass, Gabe was a complete mystery to him. Yet, the kid kept hanging around the bar, wanting to help out, but not wanting to admit he needed help.
Toby shook his head, frustrated. He sometimes felt like he was alone in the sea, fighting desperately not to drown. When had life gotten so complicated?
Probably the moment the Brotherhood had asked him to keep an eye on Jacqueline Huston and make sure that her banshee urges didn't get out of control. That had been over a year ago, and for a while, everything had been fine. He was content to watch from a distance, but as the anniversary of her husband's death had dawned, everything changed. Suddenly he found himself falling deeply in love with a woman who was completely in the dark about the supernatural world.
Her husband--the late Eric Huston--had been a guardian wizard. Toby didn't know if it was coincidence or not that Eric had happened to marry a woman with the banshee gene, but whatever the case, Eric had loved Jacqueline.
He'd given his life for her.
And therein lay the problem.
While engaged in a battle between two wizards, Eric had dove in front of an energy ball aimed at Jacqueline. As luck would have it, Jacqueline was just grazed by the energy. However, it was enough to stop her heart.
Using all his powers, Eric saved her.
But doing so had come with a price.
Eric died and Jacqueline's banshee blood boiled to life. The energy he used to bring her back from the brink of death activated her dormant banshee gene, a gene that would have turned her into a true banshee had she stayed dead.
The Brotherhood had not been pleased at this new half breed wandering around. But they had preferred to sit back and play the wait-and-see game. Jacqueline might
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