The Banshee's Embrace by Victoria Richards Page A

making him see reason. "Please."
                  Toby nodded and let her lead him out of the room.
                  "What the hell!" she whispered once they were alone. "What are you doing? That guy killed Eric!"
                  "Not possible, Jacqueline."
                  "Yes, possible, Toby. I know that face."
                  "I doubt you do. That face belongs to someone you couldn't possibly have seen, someone who died a long time ago." Toby's jaw had a stubborn set to it that Jacqueline found both appealing and frustrating.
                  "Toby, I--"
                  "That is the face of my son!"
                  Jacqueline let the words die in her mouth. Uh-oh. This was a major problem. Just one more in a long chain of problems she couldn't begin to comprehend. She watched the stubbornness on Toby's face turn into misery, and she couldn't help but wonder about his son, his past life. He'd only been a devastatingly cute bartender to her until yesterday. Now she found herself wondering about this strange man, this wizard, who seemed to be getting under her skin.
                  "Toby, tell me what's going on."
                  "You killed me. I went into the Box of Souls. I met Gabe. He appeared to me in the form I would be most comforted by- that of my dead son. If he'd lived, Gabe's current appearance is what he would have looked like. So you see, there is no way you could have seen him. He couldn't have killed Eric," Toby said. There was a deep sadness in his voice when he said the word son that made Jacqueline's own heart ache a little.
                  "Maybe I'm wrong then." She frowned. "But there is a strong resemblance to the guy I saw."
                  Toby sighed. "Look, I don't know why Gabe wanted out of the box, but part of the reason I'm back is because I made a deal that he could come with me if he let me free. I think he really wanted to meet you. You've sort of become the talk of the underworld."
                  "Great. Just what I always wanted." She looked him in the eye. "I'm glad you're okay. I was really scared you were dead."
                  "I'm fine. No harm done."
                  "Still if anything had happened…I mean, you've gone out of your way to help me…" She lowered her head, feeling at a loss for words.
                  To her surprise, he lifted her chin with his finger. His blue eyes were warm as they looked into hers. Something in the way he studied her made her body tingle with an old familiar sensation: desire.
                  "Nothing happened to me that I couldn't handle," Toby said. "It was you I was worried about. Still am, actually."
                  For a moment they just stared at each other.
                  "Oh to hell with it!" Jacqueline closed her eyes and put all her energy into planting a deep, passionate kiss on his lips.
                  She could tell he was surprised, but as she heated up the action, gradually his body relaxed and the next thing she knew, he had her pressed against the wall of the living room as he hungrily devoured her mouth. The little electric spark that occurred whenever they touched danced around them, a current of heat and passion that intensified as she wrapped her arms around his strong body.
                  More. Please give me more.
                  As if hearing her thoughts, he allowed his hands to skim underneath her shirt and touch her skin. His fingers practically sizzled with heat as he stroked her flesh. She could feel herself letting go, could imagine them falling into bed together.
                  "Wow!" Matilda stood in the doorway. "Now that is some crazy shit with all the sparks and stuff."              
                  Startled, Toby and