Novel Square
Chapter 16
I point to the floor and she follows my finger, noticing the water and then putting her hands to her face.
"Why... why'd you miss?" she asks Zev, who smiles in response.
"Because you're a water nymph," he responds in an oddly reassuring tone. "You control the water around your body, just like you can control men."
At that, both AJ and I burst into laughter. Attract, seduce, allure, maybe. But control? If AJ could actually control men, her life would have been way different.
"I'll give you the water gag," she says, looking from Zev to me and then back to her assailant. "But I've got no power over men. If anything, it's the other way around." "Do you live near the water?" Darius asks, a hint of annoyance in his voice at having to teach someone about why they could dodge his mind tricks.
"Yeah, dumbass, the ocean's like five miles from here."
"Can you see it from your home?" If Darius sounded annoyed earlier, he's now fully vexed.
AJ thinks, though she knows the answer. "No, not... no. But why does that matter? Also, plenty of people have thrown beer in my face and it hasn't, like, bounced off me."
"You don't have power over fluids, and just a minimal control over the water near your body," Zev clarifies. "I also imagine you relinquished your power over men."
"What? When? Why?" Her string of questions showcases how little either of us understand what's being said.
"If you don't believe in your own strength," Darius cuts in, "you turn what should be a power into a weakness."
It's a very backhanded compliment, and I think AJ takes it as such. She might've let guys walk all over her up to this point in her life, but if she actually starts to believe in herself, she could put a stop to it now.
"But," Darius continues, "a nymph in the house only complicates things further." He steps toward her, mouth open, teeth sharpening with each step. "I'd like to know what everyone proposes we do."
"How about this," I say, putting my foot down before this conversation gets further out of hand. "This is my house and you three are the entire complication. So why don't you go down to the bar, clean a little, talk things over, sit on the stools and try to look normal. With the power out and nothing to do at home, people will start showing up soon, and I'd love it if you refrained from killing anyone else today."
I look at AJ, still weirded out by her not being human, but nevertheless taking a lot of comfort in her presence. I need a shot of Jameson and a cry on a shoulder, and I know she'll help with both.NôvelDrama.Org owns all © content.
"AJ and I are going to have a quick talk and then we'll join you," I finish, trying not to leave room for any follow-up questions.
The Sexies seem content, or are at least eager to discuss the new situation. They move out of the apartment, with Darius being the last to go, his eyes lingering on AJ.
As soon as he closes the door, she turns to me with a twinkle in her eye I don't think I've ever seen before. "Can you believe this shit? I'm not human!"
I don't know why this makes her so ecstatic, but I guess it's better than her being devastated.
"Are you sure, though?" I'm not ready to buy into all this, especially because we don't know what any of it means. Can she breathe underwater? Talk to fish? Or just stay dry without an umbrella?
"I mean, not really," AJ says, and I take solace in her at least being a little apprehensive. "But that water trick was something, and I'm riding a wave of dead-husband endorphins."
Right. That's still a thing. At some point, when we know what's going on and, well, what she is, we'll need to address the issue of the murdered and now officially missing John.
"What I do know," AJ continues, "is that a sexy vampire tried to get in my head, and then a wicked hot werewolf sniffed my neck and told me I'm not human. Who am I to argue with those facts?"
I stroll into my bedroom while considering her words. It's time for Rain to have a proper sleep in her crib before I have to feed her again. My breasts are already starting to feel heavy again. AJ follows me in, her face going soft at the sight of my daughter. "So," I say as I lay Rain down. "What now? What do we do?"
There's a quiver in my voice as I speak, and I know a monsoon of tears are on the way. I'm overwhelmed by everything and need to cry out some stress before I can use my brain or body again.
AJ recognizes all of this, of course, and brings me in for a hug just as the weeping begins. I bury my head into her shoulder to stifle my sobs and she leads me out of the bedroom away from Rain.
"First off, let's get downstairs and drink some whiskey." As expected, AJ's comfort game is unassailable.
"Second, let's remember who has the dead husband and yet is for some reason doing all the consoling."
It's a fair point, and one that forces me to break from crying long enough to let out a laugh.
"You're right," I say as I dry my eyes with my sleeves. "I've got a beautiful baby and run a halfway house for hotties from other realms. And that includes you, apparently."
"It's a pretty good setup," she says. "Even so, I'll kick your ass if you stay in Rowley longer than is absolutely necessary."
"AJ, I have to run--"
"Nope," she cuts me off before I can launch into my speech about being responsible for the family business. "No buts. You have a gift, it got you out of this place, and as soon as we deal with...whatever it is we're dealing with, you gotta go, girl." We share a brief moment, speaking no words, just smiling gratefully at each other. Thank God for true friends.
"Okay," I say, feeling a bit of a second wind coming on. "I've got to figure out how to run this bar and... well, I've got to figure out everything."
"You," AJ starts, looking at me like I'm nuts, "don't have to do anything. I was going to step in for you after the baby came, and that doesn't change just because she's here early."
I knew AJ would help when Rain arrived, but I was always hesitant to put this on her plate. She's got--well, had--enough to deal with in her personal life, and I can't really afford to pay her beyond what the customers tip. Morgan's is a small bar in a small town, meaning we'll always have enough customers to stay open and never quite make enough money to pay all our bills. The fact that my family has kept this place going for multiple generations is nothing short of a miracle.
"I mean, I'm not going to turn down your help, but I completely understand if you need to go off and think or cry or just fire a gun into the sky for a while."
"Nope, I'm good," AJ says with a shrug. "I don't want to leave you, don't mind being around them, and I'll happily stuff some tips in my bra." She flashes a sexy smile. "I'm going to control the shit out of these human men."
She undoes a button on her shirt to show a little more cleavage. What a strange new version of the same old AJ.
"Great," I say as I turn back to my room. "I'm going to watch my baby sleep for a while, then we'll come meet you downstairs, Nympho."
AJ bounds off to the bar, not at all bothered by the new moniker. I step into my room and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror over my dresser; looks like the bath did me good. Face is still a little puffy and I'm not even going to think about my midsection, but I'm not the monster I felt like earlier this morning.
A cold breeze ripples over my skin, alerting me to an open window on the other side of my bed. What kind of horrible mother leaves a window open in the dead of winter next to a newborn? Even if she's only alone for like five minutes, she could still...
I stop dead in my tracks, standing between the window and the crib.
The empty crib.
My baby's gone.