Spellbinding Starters
Page 56
I hesitated before turning back to the fear demon and placing the chain around his neck. Poof! A nondescript middle-aged man stood before us. Fully clothed. Phew.
My father moved to stand beside me and I noticed that his skin was glowing red. The vengeance demon was gearing up for action.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I said.
“Mick was my good friend,” my father said. “I’m a vengeance demon. What did you think would happen?” He raised his hand and I knew what he intended to do with the hemlock stick.
“No. This isn’t right.” I tugged his arm.
“Isn’t it?” My father looked at me askance. “Ask Mick’s friends and family. Ask Elliott’s wife. Ask Paul Pidcock’s—well, I don’t think that guy had anybody, but you get the idea.”
“I can’t let you kill him. How would we explain it to the new chief?” How would I explain it to headquarters when I’d already called them?
“You think I care about explaining our ways to Chief Fox?”
“Of course you care,” I said. “You were friends with Chief O’Neill for years. That relationship wouldn’t have been possible if you didn’t care.” I stepped between my father and the circle, blocking his access to the demon. “If you want to kill him, you have to kill me first.”
My father’s eyes bore into mine. “There’s no reason to let him live, Eden.”
“Maybe that’s an argument some people could make about you,” I replied. “But I wouldn’t let anyone kill you either.”
“Agent Fury?”
Double-decker crap sandwich.
Chief Fox was hurrying across the grass to reach us. My father’s red glow faded. I glanced at the fear demon and noticed his smirk. My father was right. The moment the demon left the circle, he’d try to feed off the chief’s fears. Or mine. I had to act.
I reached into the circle and gripped the demon’s shoulder. It hurt like hell, but I drew in his power. Anything to weaken the demon so that he could be transported out of the circle without hurting anyone. Once the FBM team arrived, they’d have special cuffs to keep him from throwing his power around. Come to think of it, I should probably request a set. They would’ve come in handy here.
Chief Fox arrived at the scene and frowned at the circle. “What’s going on?”
“This is your killer, Chief,” my father said. “He confessed. We stopped him before he could target his next victim.”
Chief Fox examined the strange setup of the rune rocks and peppermints. “Is he a Satan worshipper or something?”
“Yes, I think so,” my father said.
I released the demon and staggered forward from the rush of energy. “I’ve called the feds,” I managed to say. Of course I didn’t specify which feds, so it wasn’t technically a lie. “They’ll meet you here to take him off your hands.” It took all my strength to respond and sound normal. The fear demon’s power was surging inside me, wreaking havoc on my system. My chest tightened and I wanted to scream. The negative energy was agonizing.
“Maybe we should call a paramedic,” Chief Fox said. “Do we know what happened to him? He looks half dead.”
My father seemed to sense my inner turmoil. “Whatever it was, he did it to himself,” he said. “We found him like this.”
Chief Fox stooped down and lifted a peppermint from the ground. He sniffed the wrapper. “Weird. I don’t associate peppermints with satanic rituals.”
“Even the devil appreciates fresh breath,” I said through gritted teeth. I felt ready to vomit from the overload of fear coursing through my veins.
The chief gave me a concerned look. “You look unwell, Agent Fury. Why don’t you go and I’ll take it from here? We can talk about what happened later.”
“I’ll take her home,” my father offered. “My car’s real close.” He hooked an arm around my waist and escorted me away from the circle.
“Thanks,” I wheezed. My head was spinning.
“You siphoned too much,” he said quietly.
“No choice,” I croaked. I barely made it to the car before I passed out.
Chapter Eighteen
It took me a full twenty-four hours to recover from the demon’s energy. I was just glad that I managed to hold on for as long as I did. I knew from headquarters that the fear demon had been taken into FBM custody and returned to Otherworld. I still worried that Chief Fox would ask questions I couldn’t answer. His presence in town promised to make my job more complicated than I’d like.
My mother appeared to take great pleasure in my weakened state and sent Verity to the attic several times to check on me and came once on her own with a tube of lipstick to see if I wanted to look ‘presentable.’ Anton also brought Ryan up to share his cookie with me, which ended up getting crushed under my cheek on the pillow. Even my grandmother’s cat displayed a modicum of concern. Candy left a dead mouse at the bottom of the mattress, which I discovered when I stretched out my bare foot in the middle of the night. Other than horrible nightmares, though, I was relatively unscathed.
The moment I decided to leave the solitude of the attic, I knew it was a mistake.
“Charlemagne, let go of the bear.” Although Verity’s voice was calm, I detected an undercurrent of fear.
I poked my head into the family room. Verity had Charlemagne cornered. The python had its jaws wrapped around a brown teddy bear. Ryan was bawling in his bouncer in the middle of the family room floor, while Grandma dozed on one end of the couch and Olivia read a book on the other. My mother was engrossed in the television, oblivious to the chaos around her.
“I’m alive,” I said, waving my hands in front of me.
“That’s terrific, honey.” My mother kept her gaze pinned on the television screen. “Clara stopped by to see you earlier, but I told her you were sleeping.”
“Hi, Eden,” Verity said. “I’m so glad you’re up and about. I hate to ask, but would you mind helping me rescue Mr. Cuddles?”
Charlemagne shook the bear back and forth and Olivia giggled from the couch. “Mr. Cuddles is going to throw up if Charlemagne keeps shaking him like that.”
“Mr. Cuddles isn’t real,” Verity said. “He can’t throw up.”
Olivia concentrated on the soft toy. “Maybe there’s a way to make him.”
Verity drew a steadying breath. “Drop it, Charlemagne.”
“Just take it from him and stop interrupting my nap,” Grandma said, suddenly awake. “He’s a snake. What harm can he do?”
“If it’s so easy, then you do it,” Verity snapped.
Everyone in the room froze. No one took that tone with my grandmother. Verity seemed to realize her error. She straightened her blouse and looked my grandmother in the eye.
“Apologies, Grandma,” the druid said. “It’s just hard to think straight with my son crying. It stresses me out.”
Ryan had paused momentarily, but apparently only to gain strength. His renewed wailing cries brought Aunt Thora in from the garden.
“What on earth is happening in here?” My great-aunt stood in the doorframe, holding a basket of lemons. She walked straight over to Ryan and popped one into his open mouth. The crying immediately ceased.
“Aunt Thora, that’s a lemon,” Verity said, aghast.
“A very versatile fruit,” Aunt Thora said.
Verity watched with interest as Ryan took the lemon out of his mouth and examined it with large, round eyes. He licked the side, testing it. The bear was now forgotten.
“He must take after my side of the family,” Aunt Thora said, beaming.
“It’s entirely possible since he still doesn’t show any aptitude for…anything,” Grandma said.
“He’s a year old,” I said. “Give him time.”
“Eden’s right,” my mom said. “She’s twenty-six and we’re still giving her time.”
“Charlemagne, no!” Olivia said, as the snake’s fangs plunged into the bear’s soft body.
My mother abandoned her show. “Oh, for Nyx’s sake.”
She extended a hand toward the snake. “Mother of darkness, take great care. Exert your will and bring me the bear.”
The bear shook loose from the snake’s mouth and shot into my mother’s outstretched hand. I shook my head before shuffling into the kitchen and getting a glass of water to take back up to the attic. Two minutes downstairs and my head was already beginning to hurt.
I climbed up the attic steps, careful not to spill my water. I could still hear chaos below. Apparently, the bear had lost some of its stuffing. Aunt Thora promised to fix it.
I placed the glass on the floor and crawled onto the mattress.
“Peace and quiet again.” I relaxed against the mattress.
“What was that, Eden?” Alice’s transparent head popped out of a box. “You aren’t experiencing more nightmares, are you? It was dreadful listening to you. Your screams are very convincing.”
I groaned and pulled the covers over my head.
“I see you’d like privacy,” Alice said. “I was hoping you could regale me with stories of the fear demon. How did you manage to catch him?”
“I’d love to tell you all about it, Alice, but maybe later. If you don’t mind, I’d like some time alone to gather my thoughts.”
“I completely understand,” Alice said. “There’s no place like home sweet home to reconnect with yourself, is there?” She made a big show of swishing around the attic before disappearing into the darkness.
“Yes, home sweet home,” I murmured, plumping my pillow.
And then there was the sweet sound of silence.
I waited until later that afternoon to return to work, to make sure I was fully operational.
“Rejoice! The kindly one returns.” Neville welcomed me back in the office with a chocolate glazed donut and a cup of coffee. I inhaled the rich aroma.
“This isn’t from Holes,” I said.
“No, I went to the Daily Grind first,” Neville said. “But Paige carefully selected the donut for you.”
“Thank you both,” I said, and bit into the donut. It tasted delicious.
“I received your text yesterday and I also took the liberty of ordering two sets of special cuffs from headquarters,” Neville said. “They should arrive within the week.”
“That long?”
“It’s FBM headquarters, not Amazon Prime,” he replied.
“You’re a dream, Neville. Thanks.” I paused. “Why didn’t Paul have any cuffs? I would think it’s a necessity.”
“He used to, but he lost them in the bay two years ago when he was wrangling a kelpie gone mad. Neither of us thought to replace them. We haven’t needed them often.”
“Well, they’ll make a good addition to our office,” I said.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you,” Neville began carefully. “Have you picked up any new talents as a result of your interactions with the fear demon?”
“You mean did I gain a new fury power?”
He nodded.
“No, not this time.”
“Why not?” Neville asked. “Forgive the intrusive question, but I find your case fascinating.”
I bristled. “I’m not a case, Neville.” I sat behind my desk and sipped my coffee. It was heavenly. “My siphoning power comes from my mother’s side, so I don’t automatically get a fury power just from using it. I think it happened in San Francisco because I became a vampire and bit Fergus. A malevolent act. It just so happened that the siphoning power was the reason I did it.”
“If you say so,” he replied. He didn’t sound convinced.
“Look, there’s no fury handbook, so it’s not like all this stuff is written down for me. It’s based on what I’ve read and my experiences so far.”
“Well, I, for one, look forward to joining you on this exploratory journey, O furious one.”
“Thanks, Neville. It’s nice to have someone on my team.” Someone who wasn’t trying to guilt me or mock me for wanting to be good.
A knock on the door startled both of us. I glanced around wildly in case there was something to hide.
“No worries,” Neville whispered. “The office is cloaked to look normal to humans without the Sight.”
That was a relief because Neville had jars of potions scattered across the table in the back. I had no clue what he was working on, but it looked like quite the project.
Neville opened the door and Chief Fox walked in, followed by Sean. The deputy held a long pole in one hand and a coffee cup in the other.
Chief Fox flashed a megawatt smile that instantly got my blood pumping. “I hope you’re feeling better, Agent Fury.”
“I am, thanks,” I said. A little weak in the knees, but that was a given when Chief Fox was in the room.
He scanned the barebones room and frowned. “I thought you were in the cyber crime division?” He scratched the back of his head. “Shouldn’t there be more high tech gear in here?”
I moved to block his view of the outdated computer on my desk. “We have to make it look like a typical office,” I said quickly. “Otherwise, we’d be a target for tech thieves.”
Chief Fox peered at me. “That’s a thing, huh?”
“Oh, yes, sir,” Neville piped up. “The same groups that break into Apple stores and steal as many devices as they can, they’ll also target field offices with expensive computer systems.”
Sean snorted. “Maybe you should think about putting a lock on the front door then.”
I glared at the deputy. “Did I mention we investigate online fraud and child porn?”
Sean glowered at me.
“I brought you a present,” the chief said. “A token of appreciation for helping catch the killer.” He elbowed the deputy, who seemed to forget he came bearing the gift.
“It’s a sun lamp.” Sean put his coffee cup on my desk and placed the lamp on the floor next it.
“You mentioned how dark your office is…” Chief Fox trailed off as he surveyed the dismal space. “And now I see what you mean.”
A thrill shot through me. He remembered that? “Thank you so much, Chief.” This was one of the most thoughtful presents anyone had ever given me.
“If you’re feeling up to it, maybe we can talk about what happened by the bay,” the chief said.
“There isn’t much to tell,” I lied. “My dad and I were taking a walk and we found him in that weird circle. He was raving like a lunatic, talking about killing more people for his master, the devil. Then he sort of collapsed.”
“So he was a Satan worshipper.” Sean smacked the chief on the arm. “Good call, Chief.”
The chief stared at the spot on his arm where the deputy had smacked him. I had a feeling Sean wouldn’t be doing that again.
“I heard you fainted,” Sean said. I didn’t miss the taunting note in his voice. “No wonder you got sent packing from your old job.” He picked up his coffee cup from my desk.
Chief Fox gave him a hard look. “I read in your file that it took you three tries to get your driver’s license.”
I smothered a laugh. “I remember that!”
Sean’s cheeks flamed. “It was raining the first time. It was distracting!”
“What about the second time?” I asked.
He glared at me. “I don’t know why you think you’re so special, Eden. If you were, Tanner wouldn’t have cheated on you with Sassy.”
My jaw clenched.
“Who’s Tanner?” Chief Fox asked.
“A guy we went to high school with,” I explained.
“Is he still local?” Chief Fox asked.
“Sure is,” Sean said. “He’s a great guy. I’ll introduce you.”
“Please do,” the chief said, in a tone that suggested Tanner might walk away from that introduction with a parking ticket.
“Have you met Sassy, Chief?” Sean continued. “You definitely want to, if you catch my meaning.”
Quickly, I wrote out a spell on the side of my leg. To anyone else, it looked like I was scratching an itch, but I knew better.
“I think we’ve taken up enough of your time,” Chief Fox said. “If you think of anything else, will you let me know?”
“Sure. Thanks again for the lamp.”
Once they left, I plugged in the lamp and turned it on.
“How’d the butter get in his coffee?” Neville asked. “Was that you?”
I smiled. “A simple spell my grandmother taught me as a kid. I used it on the high school principal more times than I care to admit.” I avoided spells like that now, mostly because they tended to indulge my dark side—or my immature side. I wasn’t proud of either one.
“Chief Fox seems to like you,” Neville remarked. He moved to the table to continue whatever experiments he was doing.
“I think he wants to see me as an asset.” Which wasn’t a bad thing. Not at all.
“I think he wants to see your ass,” Neville said. He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth. “Did I say that out loud? Sorry, O benevolent one.”
I swiveled my chair to face him. “Neville, I know you find my situation fascinating, but I’m trying to forget I’m a fury. I didn’t want this job and I’m trying to make the best of it, which also means staying as close to normal as humanly possible.” I sighed. “It would help if you…helped.”
Neville bowed his head. “For what it’s worth, I think you make a wonderful fury. From what I’ve seen so far, this world is lucky to have you on its side.”
I tapped the necklace still around my throat. “You, too. Your charm worked…like a charm.” I unclasped the necklace and placed it on my desk. “Probably best not to wear it on a regular basis, though.”
Neville grinned. “There’s plenty more where that came from, O angry one.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, Agent Fury.”
“Eden,” I said. “Just Eden will do.”
Don’t miss the next book in the series — Fury Godmother, Federal Bureau of Magic Cozy Mystery, Book 2.
Magic & Murder