Beneath the Blood Moon

Chapter Seven: Where'd You Get Those Peepers?

"You look lost, love."

The voice called out from behind a towering stack of weathered books. They leaned precariously on the edge of a dusty counter that was littered with all manner of refuse, papers, and mystic trinkets Nnandi wasn't one hundred percent sure worked. The entire shop was a cluttered mess, reeking of burnt something or another, old ink and paper, and a tinge of robust cologne.

But there, under all the different scents, the unmistakable flavor of Ariete magik. Though it was different in a way. Familiar and odd altogether.

Still unable to see who spoke, she wandered farther in, squeezing between a life-size replica of the mummy and a dirt caked trunk. She stumbled forward and braced herself for impact with the filthy floor.

In a swirl of black mist, he appeared before her and she collided with his chest. The hit didn't shake him in the slightest, and he placed his large hands on her shoulders, steadying her against him. Feeling much more stable, but not anymore comfortable, Nnandi fidgeted in his grip. The way she fell into him, there was no way she could move away without pushing off against him. She twisted slightly and looked up directly into the most startling pair of eyes.

Neither matched. Neither was natural.

The one on the left side of his face was fiery ochre. The one on the right. A gasp caught in her throat as she stared into the eye that resembled that of a Sentinel. Reflective and shining cerulean, it terrified her immediately. She'd come so far, done all that running, only to race into the arms of the enemy. A Sentinel in the heart of the wild magik center. Energy rolled from his very skin, freezing her in fear.

Even if she'd had the thought to pull free, what good was it? He could overpower her without even trying. The man just materialized in front of her, for Aries' sake.

As if reading her thoughts, reveling in her terror, he smirked down at her, flashing his dazzling white and gold smile.

Gold?

As with Saphine and those in her inner circle, his canines were sharpened and, she assumed, pure gold. That bit of magik metallurgy was reserved for those with enough strength to fight the Midas' curse that the Elder's bestowed as a final test. Many failed Elite Sentinel initiates decorated the halls of the Elder's Chambers, solid and petrified forever.

Did the Elders or Saphine plant him in the city to monitor for runaways or threats? She didn't know they could operate so far from the confines of Ariete Territory, there was something in the old books about treaties and territory lines. Neutrality.

Even if he was placed there undercover, Nnandi didn't recognize his face, or the gold inked markings on his neck. Did he belong to a different coven?

"You must be what all that noise is about." To echo his point, the sirens pulsed just low enough to pierce the sultry saxophone filling the shop. She looked behind her to the door, half-expecting the guards to walk in any second. But not even a shadow crossed over the broad window. She turned back to the man and his many mysteries.

"Who are-"

"Elrick, sole proprietor of this fine sundries shop," his voice was warm and smooth, like an old jazz melody, "Who are you?"

"I..."

She forgot her name. She forgot what she was doing there, how she got there. She forgot everything in her panic. Questions filled the space where her answer used to be, the prevailing one as she stared up into his long, handsome face, was why did he smell so incredible? "I..."

"You?"

She was lost in it, something earthy and spicy with a tinge of rosewater. And the magik. He was the source of the strange variation of the Ariete's signature scent. Both rolled off him in soft waves, nostalgia swept over her. She couldn't quite put her finger on where she'd encountered it before. Possibly in passing at an assembly, maybe as she sat around the Sabat Spire at one of the festivals. Maybe it was in the library. Time ticked away as she tried to recall the memory, it wasn't until Elrick cleared his throat that she realized she never responded.