“Noo, Aah-ston.” I threw up a spell to block him from chomping down on a hare bounding away.
I stopped for a moment, summoning all of my power and energy, and pulling from Ivy House as well. Instead of an explosive, I fashioned little needles for my attack, sharp enough to pierce spells and skin, but hopefully not deadly enough to kill a fast-healing shifter. This had to work on that blasted potion.
Running now, I covered Austin in a defensive layer, just in case my aim was terrible, and blasted the spell out, pelting all of the glowing blue creatures. Continuing on, I blasted it out again, and again, followed by Austin and Niamh and the gargoyles (overhead), reaching anyone with the potion and punching it away. At the other side of the wood I found the basajaun, hugging three glowing creatures in his great hairy arms. The creatures squeaked, probably the only air they could get out, before succumbing to the pressure. Lights out.
Further on, I found that the rest of the enemy had been trapped between the mage’s magical wall and the shifters. No contest. The only experienced enemy had been up near the house, and we’d taken care of those early. These had clearly run at the first sign of assault. I hadn’t saved all that many. Time had not been on my side.
I took to the sky with the rest of the gargoyles, soaring above my woods, real darkness descending now, but no more glowing creatures remaining. In the front I found Edgar in a swarm of insects, zipping after a leather-clad woman, who was chasing a large gray sort of humanoid. Was that the golem that one of the neighbors kept in their basement? It must’ve been.
I dove down next to Edgar. “Ah-tzz gooo-in ohh’n?”
He popped back into his vampire form but kept running, much slower this way. “Oh, hello, Jessie. The golem got out, which was very helpful for the battle, but he’s about to get away, and I’m not sure this town needs any more nightmares. Can you scare him back the other way? He needs to be plunked back in his basement.”
“Daaa ooo’man?” I asked, hoping he caught that I was asking about the woman.
“Oh, her? Well she’s angry because the golem killed a bunch of her people and she’s trying to kill him. But don’t worry, I’ll deal with her, if you could just get that golem turned back around…”
Honestly, I had better things to do.
I rose into the air and pointed at a couple of the gargoyles, Darid and Jim. Or was it Slith? I always mixed them up. I gestured toward the golem and made a circle in the air. Round him up.
They flew forward, lagging but managing. As I headed toward the front of the house, I noticed the magical shields set up by our extremely vanquished foes were still in effect, shimmering like I’d expected the magic in the woods to shimmer. The battle that had raged there, in a very tight vicinity, was evident in the many bodies piled up on the lawn. Those who’d survived the mounted spears had been done in by the poison fog. If they’d survived the fog or managed to skirt around it, as a few had, probably the mages, they’d succumbed to the grass giving way under their feet and dumping them down into a pit of spikes.
I hadn’t even known those were there. Ivy House’s defenses seemed endless, and I still hadn’t needed to use any of the ones that would seriously deface the property.
The three people who’d made it through the front yard fun run had clearly found Edgar, who had to be plenty full and would no doubt sleep for a long time after this. He’d picked up the slack without having been told to. He might be weird as all hell, but he was a keeper.
Silence settled over the property, that strange absence of sound after the conclusion of the yelling, screaming, and clashing sounds of battle. We had a lot of work cut out for us tonight. There were a lot of unmarked graves that needed digging.
As I put my hands to my waist, gulping in the air and letting the stress of the evening die away, I heard, “Jacinta McMillian, you have some serious explaining to do!”
One battle down, one to go. I had to deal with my parents. There was no way they could ignore magic after this, but worse, they’d now know the danger that came with this new life. I just hoped it didn’t cause any mental breakdowns.
Fortunately, it had to wait until after we got rid of the evidence. I had some time to stall before I faced the music.
Twenty-Four
Dirt on my face, in my hair, and arms limp as spaghetti, I sighed as I looked over the front yard.
“I’ll have this fixed up in no time, Jessie, don’t you worry.” Edgar wiped his forearm across his dirty face, leaning on a shovel beside me.
The bodies had been cleared away and given a resting place in the woods of Ivy House, to be called upon again when we had a need. The motorized magical spears had been shined up and then tucked back into the ground, covered over for now, although they’d left behind scores of dirt in thick lines through Edgar’s lush grass. Little divots also dotted the greenery from where the nozzles had risen with the poisoned fog, perfectly visible, since the lights at the base of the house still shone.
I nodded at Edgar and made my way to the back of the grounds, mostly intact except for the patches of crushed flowers. Austin emerged from the trees, his chest bare and smeared with dirt, the gray sweats covering his lower half equally dirty. Logan, the barrel-chested guy from the bar who had once offered to help me kill and bury one of my internet dates, walked beside him. He’d been one of the wolves. On the other side walked a guy I didn’t know, with a bald head, light blue eyes, and a strong but lithe body clad in purple house sweats except for his bare chest.
Austin spotted me and headed my way, his expression tight. “The basajaun is off to see to his mountain. He told me to tell you he’ll be back to check in. It’ll probably take him a week or so—they don’t rush. He’ll expect some flowers for his trouble. The enemy is all accounted for, either below the ground or let loose, as requested.”
“They shouldn’t have been here,” I said. “They were forced in here, and kept here, for your distraction. It isn’t right to punish them for basically being prey.”
He shifted his weight between his feet, looking off to the side. “I know. You made the right call. I offered them sanctuary here if they need it. Most of the survivors will likely take me up on it.”
I smiled up at him, relieved. His gaze zipped down to me and lingered for a moment, but he quickly looked away again.
“There was no way that mage could be revived after what Niamh did to him,” Austin said. “We’ll get no information there.”
“What information do we need that he didn’t directly tell me?” I turned and started walking toward the back door. The rest moved with me, Austin beside me and Edgar falling back with the shifters. “Except for how he knew I’d walk right into his trap.”
Austin shook his head. “He had a few of those magical pockets set up. I walked into one, as did the basajaun, as did Layan.” I saw the bald man nodding. “How the mage was able to follow your progress and get to the right setup while you were in it, I’m not sure.”
“Magic,” I said, only half joking.
“Yes. Magic. It would be nice if you could learn whatever magic that was.”
“Yes, it would. We need a mage on staff. Someone experienced and resourceful.”
“And patient,” Edgar added.
I dragged my lip through my teeth. “Someone that could work with everyone in the house.”
“A misfit, or they’d never get along with Mr. Tom and Niamh,” Edgar said, which was somewhat rich, coming from him.
I stopped beside the back door, staring at my feet, thinking. Waiting. A moment later, it came, a shock wave of power pulling at my middle before rocketing out into the world, headed away to find someone with the attributes on my wish list. My third summons.
Austin stopped beside the back door. “And now we wait to see if we can handle whatever turns up.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I thought you always came out on top.”
He winked, and I laughed.
When I moved toward the house and he didn’t follow, I turned
back. “You’re not going in?”
“No. I need to get home and change. Then I should check in at the bar.”
“Oh.” I pushed away the momentary feeling of disappointment. I’d gotten used to him hanging around, but I had to remember that the guy had a life. He didn’t live here. “Right, well…thanks. For everything.”
The shifters meandered away, and Edgar slipped into the house, shutting the door behind him to give Austin and me a moment. I licked my lips, suddenly nervous and not totally sure why, other than that Austin’s serious expression, almost regretful, put me on edge.
“Of course,” he said. “You did great this evening. You beat that mage at his own game. You’re really coming along.”
“Looks like I’ll have to keep progressing fast, given the rate Elliot keeps turning up. He always seems to send a barely manageable challenge.”
Austin nodded. “He probably sends people he thinks capable of easily besting you. No one in the history of magic learns this quickly and is this potent after less than a year. I bet you blindside him every time he goes up against you. That can’t sit well with him.”
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “This one didn’t totally make sense, though, did it? He attacked at the same time as someone else. We were all thinking it was so he could protect his interests, but Ivy House largely took care of the front yard attack. The two parties didn’t have anything to do with each other at all. At least not here. Since no one was left alive from the front yard attack after Edgar caught the last, we can’t very well research if there is some other connection. Regardless, it was more like Graves’s guy was using the front yard attacks as a distraction to get me alone.”
Austin turned just a bit, looking back into the woods. “He certainly wouldn’t have been able to do much with the people at his disposal. They weren’t fighters, as we’ve discussed. Maybe they thought we’d have to expend more resources on the other attack. It might have been another way to gauge Ivy House’s strength—your strength.”
I shrugged. “Hard to know.” I took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. At least I’ve identified two spells that make Ivy House vulnerable. The others are listed in that book, and we know which ones Elliot is aware of so far. If I work with Edgar, I can set up some booby traps to find anyone sneaking around. We just have to figure out a way to target those particular spells. I don’t want to accidentally blow up a hiker who’s unintentionally trespassing. In the meantime, we’ll work together to fortify the town and house.” I paused, then added, “Oh, hey, I was thinking. I can’t use those gargoyles at the hotel on my team here. Or Cedric. I only have a certain number of seats available in my council, and I don’t want them all to go to the same magical species, but couldn’t you use them? Some fliers in your pack wouldn’t go amiss, as long as you have someone monitoring them closely. They are lazy as hell if you let them be.”
His mouth turned downward as he thought. Finally, he said, “I could find a use for them if they stay. I’ll get back to you.” He reached out and gently squeezed my upper arm. “Time for me to go. I have a lot of work to get to, so I’ll be away for a while. I’m getting things in place before I buy that winery, so…I’ll talk to you about that at a later date. If you need me…” He paused, dropping his hand to his side, his robust muscles flexing, popping out all over his torso. “I’ll see you around, okay? Call me if…you get into trouble.”
I watched him leave with mixed emotions, wanting desperately for him to stay. Although I knew he had to get back to his life, especially since he was still in the early stages of building his territory, it had been nice to have him around. Nice but also dangerous, because any longer and I would’ve forgotten why I was supposed to keep my hands off him. His comforting presence around the house calmed me in ways nothing else did. Pleased me, if I was being honest. Feeling him curl around my body, or his lips on mine…
I blew out a breath, tore my eyes away, and marched into the house. That guy was special, he was incredibly handsome, he was one of a kind, and he was not looking for a dame on his arm. I might be willing to peel back my regulations about work and pleasure, but he clearly wasn’t planning on it, and that was just fine. He was too hot for the likes of me, anyway. Down with hot people—they made you feel like you had to try harder. I wanted to keep trying very little, thank you very much.
Back in the house, I found my mother in the kitchen, tidying the counters. Time to clear the air.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, stopping at the counter. I felt Mr. Tom upstairs in the doll room, repairing those that had come back without arms, eyes, or a head. The intruders hadn’t been as scared of the dolls as they were of the shifters and basajaun, and a few of the plastic and plaster horrors had been kicked or stomped to high heaven. “How’s…everything?”
She placed a glass in the cabinet. “Jessie, you know that I’m pretty open-minded, but…” She shook her head. “What happened in the front yard… That was a little much. Magic or no, you can’t go around wiping out leather-clad people like that. What if the cops find out? Visiting you in this house has been hard enough, I don’t want to make arrangements to visit you in prison.”
“I know. This whole thing has been an adjustment for me, too, but this is how the magical world works.”
Her sigh was heavy and her body bowed. “Magic is real. All these years you think one thing, and then the wool is lifted from your eyes.” She shook her head, suddenly looking older than her years. “It’s going to take me a while to wrap my head around all this. We’re going to leave tomorrow. We need a break.”
“I get it. Sorry, about all of this. I know it’s hard to process.”
“Dolls walking around, strange animals—do the butler and those boys actually fly with those capes? Like Superman?”
I huffed out a laugh. “Those aren’t capes, they are wings. They’re gargoyles. When they turn into their other form, those turn into wings. Like a bat, kinda.”
Her silent stare was a little manic.
“It took me a while to get used to it,” I murmured. “But it isn’t always so dangerous here, I promise. You just got unlucky.” It was partially true.
She wiped down the already clean island. “I just don’t know. I don’t like the idea of all of this. Why not a peaceful life? Maybe throw your hat into the ring again for love. That Austin Steele is sure a lovely man. Quite the looker. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. He dotes on you.”
“He turns into a polar bear. He’s not part of a peaceful life.”
She groaned and put up her hand. “Let’s not talk about that.”
“He also has a rough past and isn’t looking for a relationship.”
“Well, that just sounds like fear, that’s what that sounds like. He’s gallant and a gentleman, but he’s just as blind to love as the rest of them. He needs you to show him. Give him a nudge, Jessie—that’s all he needs. Show him what you want, and he will serve you up the world, I can see it.”
“I just want to get used to…this new life. I just got out of a divorce, Ma. I don’t need a relationship either.”
“Oh now, Jessie, you and Matt were emotionally divorced for years. It’s about time you connected with someone again. Matt has. I hear he’s happy with his new girlfriend. If he’s moved on, why don’t you? Why not choose someone like Austin?”
“I’ve moved on, trust me. It’s just…” I threw up my hands. “Stop playing matchmaker, Mom. Gawd.”
“I just want you to be happy,” she called after me as I left the kitchen. “And don’t mention the magic to your father. He is dead set against the idea. I told him this was a cult. That seemed to calm him down.”
I stopped at the mouth of the kitchen and turned. “You what?”
“You know your father. He’s stubborn. Just tell him it’s a cult. Remember the neighbor across the street? Patricia? Her son got involved in a cult a while back, did I ever tell you? He was a follower and they took all his money. I told your father
you were the leader. That’s how you can afford the house. It’s much better being a leader than a follower.”
“How is that better than magic?” I asked.
She batted the air as though that was a ridiculous question.
I shook my head, suddenly exhausted. At least she was trying to get on board with the magic stuff. That was a relief. She’d need some time to process, but I had every belief she’d come around.
Her leaving me alone about the relationship stuff was another story.
My dad was in the TV room, as usual, staring up at the moving pictures and encased in a protective wall of noise. Niamh was in her new favorite chair beside him, a beer in hand, watching the TV with him.
“Hey, Dad.” I walked in until he could easily see me and then leaned against the wall.
He muted the TV. “Jessie, quite the excitement earlier. Niamh says you got everything squared away.” He touched the edge of his nose.
“Yeah, we took care of things. Hey, thanks again for helping. And keeping things quiet about the magic part of—”
“Don’t start with that again.” He gave Niamh a long-suffering look. “Always the theatrics with her.”
“You don’t have to tell me, sure ye don’t. She’s always on about the magical house, as though a few hidden doors leading into a secret tunnel makes it magical. I just go with it, though. She’s had a hard breakup. She needs some time to ease into reality.”
I frowned at her.
“Well, that’s it. Too much change isn’t good for a person. It can mess with their mind.” My dad reached for his beer. “At least she has this cult or whatever Martha said it was. That’ll keep her busy for a while. Police tend to give cults a wide berth until they get out of hand.”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen, o’course,” Niamh said.
My dad nodded as though all of this made perfect sense—the pile of bodies, the creatures that Edgar had to take down, burying people out back… There were no limits to what this guy wouldn’t rationalize to keep his current world-view. It was madness.
Magical Midlife Invasion Page 22
