Come to me

Present day

Elle ran a frustrated hand through her short unruly hair. Her dark eyes wandered quickly over the inventory report sitting in front of her. Somehow yet again, she was coming up short on the paperback section. She had ordered 10 books off the new Harlequin romance novel catalog, and yet her inventory check only showed 7. 

“I can totally manage a bookstore, no I have no experience but you can absolutely trust me not to solidly mess this up…” She mumbled sarcastically to herself. “Can’t even count to 10 apparently.”

“Inventory?” David, her assistant manager and bestfriend whispered behind her, startling her into spilling her coffee into her lap. Elle jumped up, throwing her paperwork on the ground in the process. “Here let me get that,” David managed in between huge fits of laughter “You should have been a ballerina Elle, so graceful.”

“And you should have been a burglar, you make no noise!” She raged, “Just skulking around, scaring innocent women!” 

“Innocent? I’ve known you your whole life, you’re hardly innocent.” He countered.

“Listen here…” She began, warming to the subject.

“I can see your panties through your pretty, little, soaked white jeans,” he pointed out, “Lovely shade of pink, who even wears white jeans?” he teased.

“Says the man who owns 5 pairs of  jean shorts.” She retorted, “for your information, these cute little numbers were half off at Victoria's secret, consider yourself lucky you even get to see them!” She called back, as she retreated to her locker.

“I do feel pretty privileged, usually I have to ply a girl with more than a cold shot of coffee to the lap to see their secrets.” He yelled back.

“Har-har,” She said sardonically, “Listen while I have you here in my state of undress, can you look over that inventory sheet for me? Either someone is getting their jollies from my grannies favorite smutty authors, or I’m missing something.” She asked, sobering. 

“Miss Elle Prashana, youngest manager in the bookstore’s history, graduated with honors, can sell garbage to a landfill, missing something?! Be still my beating heart.” David cried out in sham shock, grasping his chest.

“If you're doing some sort of pantomime in there, realize you are doing it for the ghost of the back office, because I definitely can’t see you.” Elle told him, “Get your shit together, Dave.” 

“Put something sexy on for me, baby!” He screamed out to her, as he saw one of the cashiers walking past the open door. It was Patrick the new kid, who turned horrified and stared at him through the door. David blew him a kiss and winked at him. “It's okay Patrick, I’m only doing it for the vacation time,” he told him.

“What…?” The boy replied confused.

“Don’t listen to David, he’s a jackass.” Elle answered, walking over to the door, “Clock in and start organizing the magazine section will you? Someone,” She turned to glare at David, “decided it would be a hilarious idea to put the men’s health magazines under the mental health section.” 

“If wanting to get so muscular you can’t wipe your own ass isn’t a form of body dysmorphia, then I don’t know what is!” David replied, smothering a grin.

“Pretty proud of yourself aren’t you?” She asked.

“Always, what's not to be proud of? Good Looks, brilliance, the wit of the bard himself…”

“The asspain of an anal fissure.” She finished for him. “Well sir, you are now officially working every evening this week,” She held a hand up to stop his protests “It's done, and you are not going to complain because your wonderful, amazing, lovely, all too kind manager decided not to give you a write up.”

“Fine,” he said grumpily “But if you think you're getting off without a single random meme of Patrick’s plumbers crack, you are sadly mistaken!”

“I don’t have plumbers crack!” Patrick said defensively, pulling up his already falling skinny jeans, as his round framed glasses slipped down his nose.

“All night Elle, All. Night. Long.” David told her, looking her dead in the eye. “What are you still doing here? Get to work Patrick! No one has all day for your shenanigans!” He said to the boy not taking his eyes off Elle. Patrick jumped startled, barely catching his glasses at the tip of his nose, and ran off to start his shift.

“He’s afraid of you,” Elle commented.

“He should be, I’m a crazy man!” David replied. “Never mind the boy who lived over there, what exactly are you doing with your suddenly free evenings then?”  He asked coyly, “Man friend? Girlfriend? Are you the one secretly stealing dirty novels?!” 

“I wish, no I’m going to be home listening to sad music and eating cheetos if you must know.” She told him, not entirely lying. Elle had been single for a long time, and was not even remotely interested in looking. Aside from David, she only had a handful of close friends, and an alarming number of them were married, engaged, or engaged to be engaged. No, at this point she spent the most time with the neighbor’s cat that sometimes sneaked into her apartment to hang out. 

“That is so sad, I’m sad now, you’ve depressed me. Jesus I need a nap and I’m not even living your sad little dowager life.” He replied, disgusted. “Maybe you need to go get a few more of Victoria’s secrets, and then maybe you need to go out and show those secrets.”

“Right, I’ll just go stand outside in my skivvies and give poor Patrick a heart attack,” She retorted. “Hi everyone, David Mann suggested I stand out here and show you all my secrets, so…”

“Maybe someone will give you their number, or 20 bucks so you can go buy your own cat, instead of the rent-a-kitty situation you have going on with the old lady across the hall?” He offered.

“Felix and I have a special bond! How could you even suggest I cheat on him?” She asked in fake outrage.

“He is a cat, if you die, he would absolutely eat your face. You are just wasting your loyalty on that mangy bag of cat turds.” He told her. 

“Felix loves me, he sucks on my fingers and cuddles with me!” She told him.

“Oh it's all cute when he does it, but when I do it, it’s all ‘stop it David? How did you get into my house, David?Why are you in my bed, David? I’m not Elle, David!!’ I'm sick of your shit, Elle!” He told her, “I’m going to go to work, you sit here and think about that for a while.”

“Think about what exactly? You breaking into some random person's house, climbing into bed with them and sucking on their fingers?” She called to his retreating back.

“Exactly!” He yelled back in sham rage, “Think about it!” 

Elle stared after him, not sure whether to laugh or cry. “I can’t really think about anything else now…” She murmured, stifling a giggle. Elle had been managing Books and More for 2 years now, and if not for David she was sure she wouldn’t have been as successful at it as she was. Despite his teasing and playful nature, David was whip smart and very capable. He was however completely adverse to paperwork, and so Elle, trudged her way back to her seat in the back office and started pouring over her sheets again. She supposed no one could be good at everything. 

A few hours later, Elle, completely frustrated and no closer to an answer to the mystery of the missing novels, decided to chock it up to loss prevention and joined her staff on the floor. She was not happy, she ran a tight ship and had managed in the last 2 years to drop her loss to an almost insignificant number. To now be missing books every week for the last month was infuriating, she distractedly found her way to the till to take over for Patrick.  

She wasn’t paying attention, lost in her own thoughts of the missing books, and what she could implement to solve the problem, she walked headlong into what felt like a brick wall. She stumbled back, but was saved from hitting the floor by a strong pair of hands steading her.

“Oh I’m so sorry.” Elle said, staring up, up a long way at the person who had both brought her down like a felled tree and saved her from smashing her melon on the floor full force. 

“Are you alright, Laila?” She asked, concerned, in what Elle thought was a dutch accent. She was a tall, almost ridiculously tall woman. She had hair the color of snow, and light ice-blue eyes. There were a few lines on her strong face, but she looked as if someone had carved her from stone. She was breathtaking, literally, Elle felt winded from her collision. It took her a minute to understand what the woman was saying to her

“I’m sorry, my name isn’t Laila, it’s Elle, I apologize for walking into you Ma'am, are you alright?”  She replied using her best professional tone, hoping her red face of shame wasn’t too apparent.

“Elle,” She said the name, it sounded strange and musical on her tongue, ‘Eh-lah’. “You always choose parents that like the “L” sound” She said. 

“Um, I’m sorry?” Elle replied confused.

“Do you know me?” She asked softly, looking into Elle’s confused eyes. 

“I don’t think we’ve ever met, I feel quite certain I would remember you,” Elle told her, “You must be mistaking me for someone else, I have one of those faces I suppose.” 

“You do not, you are very beautiful.” She told her gently, “Tell me, do you own this store?”

“Thank you, no I’m the manager.” Elle replied, disconcerted. “Can I help you find something?”

“No, I have found what I was looking for, but it seems that it is lost to me for now.” She said, “I am Ute, I hope you will know me soon.” And with that, the woman turned and walked away.  Elle stared after her, not sure how to feel about the strange interaction. There was an energy about the woman that made her feel both comforted and startled. She felt as if someone had run their fingers across her scalp without her knowing, a shivery warm kind of sensation. 

“Are you okay? Did inventory break your brain?” David asked her, “You have the weirdest look on your face.”

“I’m fine, just…” She let her sentence trail off, not sure how to describe her encounter with the strange yet lovely woman. 

“Okay, well someone needs a non lap coffee, be right back doll face,” David said, bopping her on the nose lightly.  “I am such a good friend, you are so lucky to have me.” He told her. “Who else would run out in these wild conditions to get you a steaming cuppa? Ha? Who? No one that's who! Eat that, Felix the thumb sucking asshole cat!”

“Wild conditions? It’s 20 degrees out and absolutely gorgeous, not even a cloud in the sky, chinooks for the win! And we both know the only reason you’re going to the coffee shop is that cute little ginger nerd-bait barista you’ve had your eye on, Apple, Plum, Raincloud, or whatever hippy dippy name she has.” Elle retorted snarkily.

“It's Pepper actually, and someone just talked themselves out of a scone,” He told her while walking away. “Maybe you should be stealing those novels, you need some stress reduction, you salty madam.” 

Elle let the comment pass, she didn’t really feel herself at the moment. Maybe she did need that coffee. 

****

10 o’clock had taken its sweet time getting around Elle thought, as she locked up the store. David had managed to weasel his way out of closing, having finally gotten the number for the adorable Pepper the Barista, and basement tattoo artist as it turned out.  Elle couldn’t begrudge him his date with his dream girl of the week. Besides as she had said, cheetos and Felix could wait.  It had seemed awfully altruistic in the moment, but now Elle wished she’d kept her mouth shut. She had worked 14 hours straight, and was seriously considering how badly she really needed friends. 

“Books and stolen neighborhood cats will be my friends,” She mumbled to herself, as she walked down the back alley behind the store to get to her car. This too she regretted, the alley was well lit in the day time, and usually had regular foot traffic, but at night time felt like Jack the Ripper might well be hidden behind one of the dumpsters. She laughed at her own hubris, “Come rob the penny-less manager, steal my knock off prada purse and my pay-less shoes.” She called out to the darkness to highlight how ridiculous the thought was. In Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in the back alley behind her sad bookstore, someone was going to steal from her, at 10 pm for god sakes.

She felt rather than heard something  behind her.  As she turned to look, his arms wrapped around her, and a rag was shoved into her mouth, before she could scream. He lifted her clean off the ground and threw her bodily into the wall behind, her head connected with the brick and she saw stars for a moment. Adrenaline kicked in, and she was up, clawing and kicking, but he was too strong, he forced her hard against the wall, his body pressed against hers giving her not even the space to breath. His forearm pushed hard against her windpipe, she choked and sputtered, desperate for air. She felt one of his legs push between hers, spreading them. Panic hit her brain, she had to get away, and she had to get away now. She thrashed her legs, clawed at his arm, tried to grab the rag from her mouth, tried desperately to scream. No! NO! NOO! Not this, please god not this!

It was no use, he shoved her hard against the wall, her head ricocheted off the brick again, he forced his forearm even tighter against her throat, and she felt with alarm a hard cold object against her stomach.  He pressed his face against her ear, she could feel his hot breath on her, terror making her suddenly cold.

“He won’t have you this time,I found you first” He whispered to her harshly, “He can have what’s left. I won’t kill you, but you will wish that I had, I’m going to break you the way you broke me, you stupid bitch,” He pulled the object up to her face, so she could see. Absolute horror filled her as she saw the switchblade in his hand, “If you keep fighting me, I’m going to have to make you stop, one way or another. Choose do you want to walk away from this with scars or no,” He punctuated this by running the blade gently against her face. “Nod twice if you understand me, if you’re a good girl, I’ll even let you breathe.” Tears ran down her face, she nodded her head twice hard, he released the pressure on her throat slightly, she gasped out hard, her chest burning. “That’s a good girl, behave yourself and this will be over quickly.”

“Get away from her, Hadeon.” A woman called out from behind him, her voice was vaguely familiar, though it didn’t permeate Elle’s terror struck mind. 

“That's an old name, Ronan or do you prefer Aoibheal? What are they calling you these days, spawn of sin was always my favorite.” He called over his shoulder, his body still pressed hard against Elle.

“Leave her and go,” The woman said, moving into the light slightly, her white blond hair glowed, and even from this angle Elle could see her piercing blue eyes filled with rage. “If you harm her Hadeon, there is no hell you can escape to that my son will not find you! He is coming, and his memory is long,” 

“Is he your son this time? How convenient, you can deliver her to him once I’m done.”  He told her, Elle could almost hear the cruel smile in his voice. He turned back to her, moving his face back slightly so she could see him, “Look at me, look at my face, and know me,” He commanded, Elle looked up at him, her brown eyes meeting his rage filled gray. He looked to be in his 30s, his body was hard and strong, he had gray at the temples of his dark hair, lines at the corner of his eyes, his skin had the appearance of one who spent a lot of time outside, tanned and leathery. He was clean shaven, and had a scar that ran from the corner of his jaw up diagonally to his temple. She noted that he smelled vaguely of tobacco, and sweat. She had never seen this man before in her life. “You useless whore! You don’t even know me do you?!” He screamed enraged, she felt the tip of his blade press against her throat, fear gripped like a vise around her heart, she was going to die.

It happened so suddenly she could barely process it. One moment he was against her, all his weight holding her up against the wall, and then he was gone. Her legs collapsed under her, and warm thin arms caught her before she hit the ground. She looked up, shaking and on the verge of nausea to see who had her now.  She met a set of eyes, one blue and one green, and red hair like a cloud around a pale face. 

“It’s alright lass, I’ve got you.” The redheaded woman told her in a warm Scottish accent. “You’re safe now, it's alright. Can you stand up?” Elle nodded slowly, allowing the woman to help her to her feet, “I’m not gonna hurt you, I just have to check he did no’ cut you, can I bring you into the light?” The woman asked her gently, Elle nodded again, the woman was tall and slender, built like a willow, but she was strong, she was all but supporting Elle’s weight. “It’s alright, you lean against me, I’ve got you.” 

“Is she alright, Maeve?” A deep, man’s voice asked from the darkness, Elle gripped the woman hard in fear. 

“It’s alright lass, it's just Max, my husband. He will no’ hurt you either, He’s the one who got that beast off you.” The woman told her, leading her forward into the light, “Max show yourself for god sakes, you’re scaring her half to death,” A man walked out of the shadows, and if Maeve had thought her husband being hidden was scary, she clearly had not thought through what the sight of him coming out of the shadows would do to poor Elle. He was huge, well over 6 feet, a viking of a man, his golden locks tied back into a low hanging ponytail, ice blue eyes in a handsome, chiseled, yet terrifying face. He looked like a sculpture come to life, a golem from some sort of scary bedtime story meant to stop children from misbehaving. 

“Oh Shit…” He said reaching out to her. 

This was the last thing Elle heard before blackness blissfully engulfed her.