Lure of Obsession (The Muse Chronicles Book 1) by Lisa Kessler Page B

poison her tea. He rocked in the chair with a warm smile on his face. Time was on his side. Their leader had blocked the building permits on the theater for at least a month. Plenty of time to thin out the herd.

    Mel waited at a back table in Gracie’s, unable to sit still. Detective Malone, Nate, had discovered explosives planted inside the floor of the stage of the theater. Impossible on many fronts, but somehow he’d found the theater, gotten inside, noticed an uneven floor, and called the bomb squad in before all her and her sisters’ work went up in flames.
    He was like Superman with a gun.
    His broad shoulders filled the doorway as he tugged his sunglasses free. He was in a T-shirt and shorts: tan, muscled, and walking toward her table.
    Yeah, the no-dating pact was flying right out the window.
    He sat down across from her, but he wasn’t smiling. “We have to talk, but not here.”
    “Okay.” She stood and grabbed her messenger bag from the chair. “You told me to meet you here, right?”
    He nodded. “So we could meet up. Not to stay here.”
    He spoke quickly, agitated. Before she could respond, he caught her hand, his fingers lacing with hers, and instead of being shocked or annoyed at his alpha tendencies, her pulse kicked up a notch. She followed him out and across the street toward the shoreline. He donned his shades again and walked her to a bench overlooking the beach.
    “We need to lay some cards on the table,” he said as he sat.
    She stared at his profile, but he didn’t turn her way, his bright eyes hidden by his sunglasses. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
    “I ran to your theater even though I had no idea where it was.” He finally turned her way. “How is that possible? And this…” He raised their joined hands. “This is the first time I’ve been able to breathe in two days.”
    Mel gnawed at her bottom lip. Could he truly be the Guardian Clio found in the scrolls? It wasn’t like she could just ask. But she had to do something. “This is going to sound crazy…”
    He gave a soft chuckle. “You wouldn’t believe how crazy my life has been since I met you.”
    “Okay.” She pulled her hand free of his, readying herself for him to run. “Do you have some kind of odd mark on your body anywhere?”
    He slid his sunglasses off, cringing as if she’d suddenly grown a third eye. “A mark?”
    “I told you it would sound crazy.”
    He shook his head, staring at the waves crashing on the sand. Finally, he tensed and faced her again. “Wait a second.” He tugged his T-shirt over his head, exposing a rock-hard six-pack. Before she could get a good look, though, he turned the other way, putting his back toward her. He reached around and pointed up to his right shoulder. “I have a birthmark that’s been feeling strange. My doctor thinks it might be a rash, but I’m leaning toward skin cancer.”
    On the back of his right shoulder blade was a crescent of color, like a waxing crescent moon. It was raised and bright red.
    “Has it always been this color?” she asked.
    He pulled his shirt back down in a hurry. “No.” He faced her again, suddenly very close. “It started burning the night I met you.”
    It was him. Her Guardian. He had to be.
    She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Have you noticed anything else strange since we met?”
    A muscle jumped in his cheek, his green eyes cold. “My cards are on the table. I showed you the mark. Now tell me what it means. Does this have anything to do with how I ended up at your theater even though you never told me where it was?”
    “I don’t know, but it probably has to do with the mark.” She lowered her voice. “You’re a Guardian.”
    “I’m a police detective.”
    Mel sighed. “Yes, you are, but being a Guardian means you have a latent ability that only surfaces if you find your muse.” She pressed her lips together, trying to recall the exact wording. “Clio found a scroll that mentioned Guardians, mortal men