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“Of course, but isn’t it comforting to know that we’re just dealing with a cult with a warped belief system?”
Nelson turned the key in the ignition, starting the car again, but he didn’t change gears. “As opposed to a real order of mystical, reincarnated clerics?” He asked with a bemused snort. “I’ll tell that to Felton before he promotes me to civilian.”
“I told you, I’ve been saving up favors for something like this and I’ve got the press on speed dial. Merlin’s pretty connected as well and he’s really worked up about this. I’ll walk away if Felton hands this to anyone else and the bureau can chase its own tail while we find those girls and stop this wannabe.”
“Good.” Nelson pushed out a hard breath, sounding relieved as he pulled onto the highway. “Felton won’t like this and he’s going to want to shut it down. But I have to find those girls and whoever’s responsible for New Castle.”
“We will,” Nox vowed. He was pleased with the change he was seeing in Nelson. The lost and weary agent who had dragged himself into Nox’s classroom had been replaced with an alert, hungry hunter with a mind as sharp and as quick as his reflexes. That was exactly what Nox needed and he couldn’t wait to tell Merlin that he’d found their knight in black wool-blend armor. “Did anything else happen in this dream?” He asked, but Nelson shook his head quickly.
“No. That was it.”
“Are you sure? Your ears are turning red,” Nox observed.
“There was nothing else.” A firm nod punctuated the declaration and Nelson was silent for almost two minutes. “There was a smell. An oil or an incense maybe? I caught a whiff of it a few times and it wasn’t something I’d expect to smell up there in the woods.”
“What kind of smell?” His voice broke and Nox dabbed at his brow with his sleeve as the cabin of the car grew warmer. Asking Nelson to pull over again wasn’t an option and that was probably a good thing. Nox had felt a peculiar…itch all morning and the way Nelson’s mind worked was fascinating and incredibly sexy.
“It was a…woody smell,” Nelson began, then slid Nox an odd look. “But it was sweet and spicy and…a little fruity?” He kept his eye on the road as he leaned toward Nox and took a deep sniff. “What is that?”
“Juniper,” Nox croaked. He licked his lips nervously. Not because he had anything to hide. “It’s a sacred tree to the druids and ubiquitous to most rituals. The berry’s oil is also sacred and has healing properties. And I like the way it smells,” he added quickly, tugging at the front of his sweater. He was getting so hot and he liked the way Nelson had sniffed him. That was a little weird and inconvenient because Nelson wasn’t going to pull over so Nox could tame the beast he’d spotted in Mr. I-don’t-think-about-that-ever’s trousers. Nelson had squirmed through breakfast and Nox caught a glimpse of a rather interesting bulge as Mr. I’ve-never-felt-the-need slid out of his seat and buttoned his coat. He was certainly in need of something and his toast, cottage cheese, and fruit cocktail hadn’t satisfied Nelson. Shockingly enough.
Yet again, he had poked at his food and nibbled on the flat triangles of whole wheat toast while Nox had happily devoured a syrup-drenched triple-stack, a side of hash browns, four strips of bacon, and cheesy scrambled eggs.
When in Rome.
And Nelson’s attempts to procure a decent, healthy meal had ended in literal heartache, it seemed. The poor man was sneaking antacids while Nox babbled away. He didn’t want to slip into a grease-induced coma when he could be feeding more information into Nelson’s computer brain for processing.
There was also the dream to explore and they were about to step into the life of a young woman who had been abducted and was counting on them to find her. “It’s very likely that Juniper was burned in the torches at our crime scene,” he continued, jettisoning thoughts of bulges and breakfast and focusing on the case. “The smoke is pleasant, not too thick, and it’s aromatic, as you noted. But juniper was also sacred to the Gaelic peoples for spiritual purposes and they called it aittin or aiten, and samh. It was used for purification much like some cultures burn sage or palo santo, but it was also vital during rituals like Samhain to stimulate contact with the spirit realm.”
“And it’s used for cologne,” Nelson added as he cast another odd look at Nox.
“Not as much these days…” He narrowed his eyes at Nelson. “But it’s not that unusual. Juniper oil has protective benefits and dispels negative energy. It’s useful for meditation, focus, and divination. And it’s said to be an aphrodisiac and enhances pheromones,” he added with a shrug. “You don’t like it?” Nox gave Nelson an expectant look but he shook his head.
“It’s fine. Why do you need protection?” He asked abruptly.
“I… I don’t. It’s just one of its properties and an ounce of prevention, you know,” Nox said.
That only deepened the furrow in Nelson’s brow. “Do you do a lot of meditating and divining?”
“Me, specifically?” Nox’s head pulled back. He didn’t understand why Nelson was so concerned about his juniper use. “I meditate regularly when I’m not driving around Virginia and sleeping in gross motel rooms. I also eat a pretty clean, low-meat diet, but I like to cut loose when I’m on the road. And I do practice various types of divination from time to time, but it rarely involves crystal balls and seances and it’s not that serious, Nelson. Things like tarot cards and tea leaves are just tools for tapping into your own intuition, not contacting spirits. Astrology is another good example of low-spiritual interfacing divination. People use moon cycles and star signs to make sense of their lives and portend the future, not realizing that they’re participating in some good old-fashioned druidic divination.”
“So…you wear the juniper as an aphrodisiac, then?” Nelson asked.
“God, no.” The last thing he wanted was to put out a come-and-get-it vibe when he was on campus. “I keep a lot of oils in my bathroom and use them to balance my own moods and boost my energy. And…maybe bring myself a little extra luck when I meet a sexy federal agent,” he flashed Nelson a wink, making him jump. “Juniper helps ward off negativity and I like the way it smells on me. That’s it. I also wear a lot of rose oil because it smells clean and it’s uplifting and calming in addition to the odd romantic benefit.”
“That’s it?” Nelson confirmed with a raised brow.
“That’s it,” Nox stated, but he didn’t like the way Nelson continued to stare out of the corner of his eye. “I also brush my teeth with charcoal a few times a week. Want to see if that’s connected to the crime scene? What’s this really about?” His head tipped sideways, signaling that it was Nelson’s turn but he shook his head. “Come on. You’ve been weird all morning.”
“How do you know? We met yesterday.”
That stung. Nox felt like he deserved a little more honesty than that after all he had shared. “You can say you’re uncomfortable and don’t want to talk about it. Don’t deflect and minimize the things we’ve seen and experienced since yesterday afternoon, Agent.”
“Right.” Nelson shut his eyes briefly, scolding himself under his breath. “I’m sorry.” He swallowed hard and licked his lips nervously as he looked at Nox. “Please, don’t call me that— I didn’t mean to say you don’t—”
His sudden shift in demeanor took Nox by surprise. “Okay…” Nox gestured for him to relax and it was fascinating, the way Nelson let out a long breath and visibly deflated in his seat. “I don’t know you as well as I’d like to yet, Nelson,” he said gently and offered him a smile. “But I can see and feel that something’s bothering you and you’re not feeling like yourself.”
“No, I’m not,” Nelson said, staring past the windshield. “I dream about work every night. I sit quietly at my desk and I keep my head down, making sure that every report is on time and every transcript is completely accurate in hopes that one day, they’ll forgive me and let me out of that box.”
