A Witch, a Fairy, and an Esper Read online

  “It’s been ages since I’ve done it for sure.”

  We heard the small bell on the outer door jingle. Elsa stood and said, “Let me go see who that is. Then maybe later you can regale me with that hot dream.”

  I had to smile at her. “Fat chance.” I winked, “Maybe I could show you tonight. Now scoot.”

  Elsa was the love of my life. I’m saying it again because after six years she still amazes me. She was smart and sexy and pretty and not real tall. But at five-four she is pure dynamite. She enjoyed her profession at that time. She loves what she’s doing now a lot better.

  Memories came unbidden as I heard her talking to someone in the outer office. I’d pulled her out of a very nasty situation which is how I met her.

  I’d been trying to find an asshole who skipped on his bail and that led me to one of Seattle’s less than desirable locations.

  The man I was after was standing with another guy, staring at something behind a dumpster. They were laughing and drinking beer and appeared to be having a good time. Or so I thought when I entered the ally.

  Seeing them, I cast a glamor spell on me. It’s not an invisibility spell. Rather, in glamor their eyes wouldn’t be able to see me. I’m like that thing people think they see out the corner of their eyes but can’t quite focus on when they turn to look. Kinda like eye-floaters, I guess. They could feel me though, so I had to be careful not to bump into one of them or kick some trash as I approached.

  While I’m a damn good street fighter, I do need to know the odds about what I may be walking in to. Two men against me wouldn’t be a problem. Many more, and I might be pushing my abilities. Using glamor, I could see what was going on behind the dumpster and then decide what to do. As I said, I’m a big, strong, solid girl but there might have been too many for me to handle. I mean, I might have broken a nail or something.

  What they were laughing at was Elsa. Little, pixyish, beautiful Elsa. I froze in my tracks and almost lost my glamor when I saw her. She was half-naked and lying in a pile of trash bags. Black ones, I remember.

  She was trying to fight the two guys I hadn’t seen. They were kneeling beside her, holding her down. One had what was left of her blouse and bra in his hand. He was squeezing the hell out of her breast, too. The other was trying to rip off her panties. Her blue skirt was up around her waist.

  I blew well past angry when I saw what was happening. I became furious and when I am like that, I sometimes lose control and that’s never good. I forced myself to take a breath and try to rein myself in a little. I could use magic to kill the four attackers and it was all I could do not to.

  These idiots had to learn a lesson that night. It came in the form of a two-and-a-half-foot length of five-eighths rebar wielded by a big, terribly angry witch. They couldn’t see me or the rebar but they sure as hell felt the results. As badly as I wanted to, I didn’t kill any of them but all four ended up in the hospital.

  When I helped Else back into her ruined clothes, four men lay around us broken and bleeding. The police showed up and arrested the man I was hunting. They had no idea about what had happened, and I gave up that bounty because I didn’t want to be associated with the scene. As we slipped away, I looked back on them and spit on the ground. Bastards. I guess a couple of them ended up in ICU at St. Anne’s anyway.

  I took Elsa to another hospital and got her patched up. We told the ER doc that she’d fallen down a flight of stairs. He had no reason to question it because that kind of thing happened, and we were two women. Had I been male, things might have gone differently.

  I took her home with me that night and worked a little magic on her injuries. She was badly scratched around her breasts and waist and had some nasty bruises all over. The doctor had straightened out her nose and cast her wrist. I took away the pain and sped up her healing process. She stayed at my place that night and the next one.

  The rest of that first night she lay in my arms crying softly. There was no way she was going back to her job, not after what happened. Those guys all worked where she did.

  The next day we took the time to get to know each other a little. Mostly she slept which was fine. Rest helps the healing magic work.

  That night I found out that she was bi, like me. No, I did not coerce her. She is bisexual and while I did save her life, making love with me was real, not some kind of reward. The rest is history. Not long after that we opened our agency.

  Today, my little pixie wore a dark red skirt that was snug across her firm, shapely butt and a little shorter than it should be for the office. The white blouse barely disguised the nude bra she wore. On the other hand, I wasn’t dressed much better, either. I was wearing snug, cloud gray slacks and an orange blouse. I had stopped buttoning it at the band on my bra. My three-inch white heels pushed me to an even six feet.

  Like Elsa’s short skirt, maybe too much of me was showing on top but yes, I felt damn sexy, too. Man, that really was a hell of a dream.

  Elsa came back into my office a couple of minutes later with another woman. She stared up at this woman as if she were star-struck; like she was seeing a famous movie star or some other celebrity.

  The woman was a few years older than me and smiled widely. She was attractive, statuesque, and had the most amazing silver hair I’d ever seen. I felt certain it was her natural color. Her brows were darker silver and perfectly arched. Her eyes were large and astonishingly gray. I’d never seen eyes that color.

  I knew she wasn’t dangerous…to me, anyway. But that energy she gave off told me no one screwed around with her more than once. If they did, they’d live to regret it.

  A thrill shot through me. Wow! That ‘don’t fuck with me’ vibe overlay an intensely sexual one, too. I shivered a moment and then it was gone.

  I had a strong sense that she was vastly different than anyone I’d ever met. Boy, was I ever right.

  I took a long, deep breath to settle me down to something other than a randy teenager. After a moment, I reached out to shake hands with the woman who was about to become an entirely new part of my life.

  She continued to smile at me as she took my hand. With a delightfully British accent, she introduced herself. “My name is Nissa Stanley, and I’m a detective inspector with Scotland Yard.” She opened a dark brown leather wallet and showed me her badge and ID. “I work with Seattle Serious Crimes division and we, Jocelyn Palmer, and you, Elsa St. Germaine, have a nasty problem that’s liable to get a whole lot nastier before it gets better. I am here to help you solve it. Before I talk about that issue, we have something else to discuss first. Now…I can just stand here, or you can invite me to sit down.”

  Nodding, I said, “Uhh…I’m sorry. Excuse my lack of manners. Please have a seat. Coffee? Tea?”

  “Tea would be pleasant this afternoon. Earl Grey, if you have it.”

  Elsa remained frozen and staring at the woman.

  “Hey,” I went over to her. “Earth to Elsa. Let’s get coffee and tea for the three of us. Okay?”

  She slowly nodded and we left my office for our small breakroom. I’d never seen her like this and wondered what had happened to cause it.

  While Elsa floated around gathering the cups, sugar, and half and half, I commanded hot water. “Elsa? What the hell is up with you? You’ve seen more than one beautiful woman in your life.” I fake pouted, “Me for one or at least you tell me that from time to time.”

  Elsa set the tray down on the small table beside our window and said to me, “You are beautiful and always will be. But Jo, she is different. I mean really, really different! I can’t figure it out, but I hope to.” Then she gave me an odd look, as if seeing me for the first time. It gave me an eerie feeling, to be sure. I actually pinched my arm to make sure I was alive and she wasn’t looking at my dead body in a casket.

  I was the same woman she lived with…made love with just last night. And yet I shivered. I was missing something here.

  We returned with the tea and coffee. Nissa Stanley sat comfortably on
the couch with her legs crossed, waiting for us. She still had that hint of a smile on her perfect lips as she watched us. It was strangely disturbing; as if she knew something she wasn’t sharing.

  Now that I had a chance, I took a good, long look at her and mentally cast an aura spell. Her aura was a bright and shimmery silver with streaks of a much darker color. Titanium? Platinum? The overall vibe she gave off was that of positive energy. The darker colors spoke of strength, both physical and mental. It was an interesting combination but then I suppose mine would be about the same.

  Goddess! Was she a witch, too?

  Nissa stood again and stared straight into my eyes. She too, was searching me as if seeking something about who I am…or what I am. I felt I had no fear of her. None. I already liked what I saw and heard.

  Since I had kicked off my heels like I normally did when I was in the office, Nissa was as tall as me but she was wearing low black pumps. Her gray jeans fit her shapely butt smoothly, as if they were tailored for her. Her short-sleeved, ecru-colored button up shirt was like her jeans; expensive and apparently tailored for her. Or she shopped in a better women’s boutique. I was captivated by her enormous gray eyes. They were amazing, those orbs to her soul.

  Smoking hot sexual vibes continued to pour off her as she faced me. They were different from what Elsa exuded but just as hot. I had to wonder what the hell was going on in my world. That intensely erotic dream this morning and now this woman? Scorching fantasies flashed through my mind’s eye. And standing right over there was the woman I loved. I needed to rein this in immediately.

  Then I noticed the expensive wedding ring set on her left hand and my little erotic fantasy immediately disintegrated. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.

  As she returned to the couch, Nissa said, “Sorry to burst your bubble, Jo, but I’m happily married. On the other hand, my husband is a lot more openminded than your ex ever was or ever will be. So…who knows?” With a wink at Elsa, who was still spellbound, she added. “It’s a strange universe, and we’re going to talk about it before we get to the problem we all have.”

  I was completely off balance with her and that never happened to me. So much for saying ‘never.’ Like, how in hell did she know about Bob and his religious fanaticism? Or the fact that he was my ex? Or, I swallowed hard, that I even swung that way?

  To this point, Elsa and I didn’t know anything about Nissa Stanley other than the fact she was a cop and she turned both of us on. Bad! Elsa told me about that later, after Nissa left.

  “Well, Ms. Stanley,” I said to her as I returned to my chair and faced her. “You have the floor. I have to ask why you, a British cop, are here? How do you know Elsa and me? And what do you want from us?”

  After adding a little sugar and milk to her tea, she dipped her tea bag a few times before setting it aside to steep for a minute. “I’ll get to who I am in a moment. I don’t really know both of you. I’d like to and hopefully I will. By the way, I know what you are, Jo.” With a glance at Elsa, she added, “Elsa? I don’t understand you at all.”

  I was caught up in those eyes of hers when that comment snapped me back to Earth. “Wait! What I am? What the hell? And Elsa? That’s pretty bold, don’t you think?”

  “I’m sorry. I put that badly.” Nonchalantly, as if the tension in my office hadn’t just shot up a thousand percent, Nissa dipped her tea bag up and down again then pulled it out of her cup. After carefully wrapping the string around the bag and squeezing out the tea, she took a delicate sip and set the cup down. The cup and saucer didn’t clink together. I felt that being delicate with cheap china was a cover for what she could do in a nasty confrontation.

  She looked at me then Elsa and said, “I know that you, Jo, are a witch.” She waited a beat then added, “And believe it or not, I'm a fairy.”

  I froze as I lifted my coffee cup to my lips. A fairy. I stared over at her and set my cup down trying not to rattle it against the saucer. Elsa met my eyes and I knew that she wondered, like me, if this woman was a total nut case. I can take about anyone in a fight, but she was as big as me and as I said, gave off this vibe to not screw with her. I certainly didn’t want to screw with her like that. In the quiet of my house though? Upstairs in my bedroom? That’s a cat of a totally different color.

  Then I jerked myself out of yet another erotic daydream and back to Earth. “So, you’re a fairy, eh?” I said. I couldn’t keep the sarcastic tone out of my voice.

  Nodding, she replied, “Yes. A fairy. No, I don’t have little gauzy wings and yes, I’m obviously larger than Tinkerbell. And why, may I ask, is that so hard to believe, considering what you are?”

  “Because it is. Okay? If you’re for real, then it’s going to take a minute to digest.”

  After another delicate sip, she continued, “I’ll give you that since this one’s no doubt new to you. I’ll be honest here. I’ve been planning on seeing you anyway, to invite you to join our community. You know there are other witches and now you know there are Fae as well. People like me. Are you familiar with the term?”

  I met Elsa’s eyes. I think she was now firmly back on Earth, too. She knew I was a witch and had since the beginning. It was my ability that helped her heal and kept her from any unwanted pregnancies, although she hadn’t been with a man since we met.

  But then, neither of us knew anything about fairies other than that they were the subject of countless books and movies and tales worldwide.

  I wasn’t buying it, of course. I said, “A fairy? That's kid’s tales’ crap.”

  Laughing, Nissa took another delicate sip and said, “And witches are real? No, Jo, I’m a real, genuine fairy. I can also read your mind. That’s how I knew what an amazing fantasy you came up with when I came in and again, just now. I’ll be honest. I turn both of you on and I saw that fantasy almost before you became aware of it. I know about you and Elsa, too. Your story is almost too beautiful to be real and yet, it is. The love you share with each other.” She smiled dreamily.

  I think Elsa turned every shade of red there was as she stood to go back to her desk.

  Nissa watched Elsa for a moment, cocked her left eyebrow and then said, “Please stay, Elsa. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  Elsa stayed but now looked angry more than anything else.

  Continuing, Nissa said, “Jo, I’ll teach you not to send like you do.” She sipped her tea. “Nice. Is this store-bought or did you conjure it?”

  I replied none too graciously, “I bought it. Is that a problem?”

  Unfazed by my snarkiness, she answered, “No, of course not. You are a witch and I kind of thought you might have done. Jo, why are you fighting this so hard? We are what we are.”

  She was hitting me with too much stuff much too quickly. I stared incredulously at her. “Hold on there, Ms. Stanley. That’s movie shit. People can’t do that for real.” I knew I was grasping at straws because I was thinking erotic thoughts. My emotions were all over the place this afternoon. Now I was becoming put out by her abruptness.

  I leaned back and reheated my coffee with a touch of magic. After a sip, I decided to hear her out. Fighting her and what she claimed to be and what she could do wasn’t going to help me figure out her angle.

  I said, “So…you’re a fairy who reads minds. I don’t much appreciate that.”

  “I completely understand, and I won’t say that I’m sorry I did it…doing it. You have a strong, powerful mind, Jo, and as I said, I’ll help you learn to shield your thoughts.” One more time she looked curiously at Elsa who now remained stone faced.

  She continued, “I don’t mean to. In fact, I try my damndest to stay out of people’s minds. You wouldn’t believe the crap people, good, normal seeming people, think about. Now…about us, I guess. I promise not to read you as much as I can. Okay?”

  I nodded, still grumpy.

  “There are the Fae and there are humans,” she said. “I guess Fae could be considered an umbrella term for all of us, ahh, paranormal folk.
It wasn’t long ago that my husband and I were dealing with an ogre. The real thing, not some knuckle dragging asshole. The bastard damn near won, too. Look.”

  She put her cup down and stood. Surprising me, she pulled up her blouse and showed me a fresh, nasty scar just off center in her tummy. “The bastard gut shot me. Good ol’ bullets. They kill as easily as magic and he almost killed me. He’s not a problem anymore, thank the gods.”

  “Okay. I remember reading about that case.” I pointed at her mid-section. “I really didn’t need to see that. You still haven’t told us why you’re here other than to say we have a problem.” I was not going to be swayed from my questions. “So, Detective Inspector Stanley, what exactly is the problem you need to help us with?”

  “Why…the Sato murders, of course. Let me backtrack just a little if I may.”

  I nodded and she relaxed back into the couch. Just to be me, I flicked a finger at her tea and reheated it.

  She saw what I did and smiled at me. After a sip, she began, “I was thinking about coming to see you this morning anyway when your lovely ex picked you up to take you to Sato’s house. Yesterday, I’d been sort of mentally attached to you, seeing if you might be amenable to joining us, the Northwest Fae Association. I saw what was in your mind about him and I wanted to do what I could to protect you should he get out of control.” She grinned. “I was just down the street and saw what you did to him after he brought you home. It was pretty obvious that you didn’t need my help at all.

  “That’s how I saw what happened at Sato’s house. Through your eyes. I also knew when I did, what caused it. Cerna nokisas, true creatures from nightmares. Two of them were attached to the trees at the side of the house resting while you were there. Jo, you could have put your hands on one of them and not have known it was anything other than bark.”

  She finished her tea and set the cup down. “Ahh, unfortunately, they saw you, too, and I’m sure they think you recognized them. This may not be a good thing for you or Elsa or me as they tend to be extremely defensive and dangerous as hell. I apologize for that in advance because of the problems they will no doubt cause us in the long run.”