Midlife Demon Hunter: The Forty Proof Series, Book 3

by Mayer, Shannon

  The real question was why that paperwork would have a deterrent spell on it. Who was trying to keep me from finding out about Gran’s and my parents’ deaths?

  “Any idea who did it?” I asked. “I mean, I assume it was someone who had something to do with their deaths, but a name would be great.”

  Tom sighed. “I can’t trace magic like that. Sometimes the spell bears someone’s signature style, and it’s obvious, but not in this case. Though you could ask Missy. She’s better at tracing spells than I am.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I’ll put that low on the priority list, thanks.”

  Corb, who’d stood quietly beside me the whole time, finally spoke up. “So she’s okay? It really wasn’t bad?”

  Tom grinned and looked from Corb to me and back again. “She’s fine, Corb.”

  Holy crap, was he that worried about me? I felt the tension in him slide away with Tom’s words, and a terrible warm, fuzzy feeling suffused me. The spell hadn’t been a big deal, but Corb hadn’t known that. And that was why he’d gone out of his way to get Tom over here.

  I squeezed his hand. “Thanks.”

  Corb didn’t let me go. “I don’t want to lose you, Bree.”

  The hum of power under his skin whispered to me, and the smell of the ocean tugged on me. I bit the inside of my lip and pulled my hand away. I wasn’t sure what to think about the possibility of him and me . . . not when Crash was in the picture. Not when Alan was in the damn picture, for that matter.

  Behind me, Robert grumbled. “Friend.” I twisted around to him. He pointed at Sarge.

  Sarge was across from us, sniffing the air, and I grimaced at the thought that he might be smelling Roderick. I couldn’t say why, but I didn’t feel like explaining my dealings with the council. “What are you smelling?” I asked.

  “Goblins.”

  That one word from Sarge—goblins—was not unexpected. I shook my head, relief flowing through me. “I have a goblin neighbor, Bridgette. She came over here earlier.” Or so I recalled from my drunken haze.

  Sarge shook his head again, nostrils flaring and the muscles across his chest flexing with the deep breaths he was taking. “No, there were a lot of them—a full mob by the way it smells. Way more than should be anywhere this far into Savannah.”

  “A mob of goblins?” Tom asked. “There hasn’t been anything like that in Savannah in years. New Orleans, yes, but that’s a whole other ball of wax and trouble.”

  A niggling bite of fear had my feet moving toward the front door of the house. I’d warned everyone, but my friends could be stubborn. What if they’d come back anyway?

  Just in case, I headed up the stairs and into the house, shouting, “Eric, Feish? Suzy? Kink?”

  No answer.

  My stomach rolled, although I wasn’t sure why—if they hadn’t come home, they wouldn’t be there to answer, right? Still, something felt wrong.

  I picked up speed, heading straight up the stairs to the bedrooms. “Gran, have you seen anyone?”

  “No,” she answered quietly. “No one has been here since they were taken. The spider did not stop them.”

  I skidded to a stop, grabbing at the banister railing on the second landing. “What did you say?”

  Her image was wispy and faded in and out as she walked toward me. “They were taken.”

  Only . . . only this wasn’t Gran as I knew her, but a younger version. Like she was aging in reverse and was now closer to fifty rather than a late seventy year old. Was that possible? What was happening to her?

  Her image stuttered as if she were on a projection screen that had suddenly hit a rough patch. Her voice was soft, and she kept her eyes low. “They took them all, Bree, and you are the only one who can save them.”

  20

  I wanted to grab the ghostly version of my now youthful Gran and shake her until her teeth rattled, but of course that was impossible. I settled for snapping my fingers at her, which had worked rather well with Alan’s ghost. Her eyes flew upward so her gaze met mine, hard and flinty with a steel that age had mellowed in her.

  “Took them all. Who is gone?”

  “The bigfoot, siren, river maid, and fairy, your four friends. The goblins took them. The spider was here too, but they scared her away,” she said, her words barely audible. As if all her energy were going into projecting this more youthful visage. Damn it, when did she get vain?

  I raced downstairs to find Corb in the kitchen, leaning over a piece of butcher’s paper. “Let me guess, ransom note?” I asked.

  He stared hard at me. “How did you know?”

  “Much as I’d love to pretend it was a good guess, Gran told me.” I leaned over the paper myself and shook my head. “It’s in that same Goblinese crap,” I growled as I scooped it up.

  “I was trying to decipher that,” Corb said.

  “I’ve got someone who can read it.” I jogged out the front door, feeling the pull of time on my entire body.

  Grimm had said I needed to protect the paperwork for three days, but I’d only made it two. If I got the pages and coin back to the people who wanted them, they could use them for whatever nefarious purpose they had. Something to do with the silver moon.

  And if I didn’t?

  Well, I only knew I wouldn’t let them hurt my friends.

  I bolted across the street—okay, I was limping a little, but that was because of a muscle pull from earlier in the week—and ran up the steps of the brick house that Charlotte and her mother, Ryoko, lived in with their resident house goblin. I banged a fist on the door.

  “Bridgette, tell me you’re home!”

  A scuffling came from inside and then the door cracked open. Bridgette’s big round eyes stared up at me in surprise that didn’t look feigned. “Breena? What’s wrong?”

  “Did you see a mob of goblins take my friends?” I bent onto one knee so we were at eye level. “They left this.”

  I held the butcher’s paper out to her, and she took it gingerly, her eyes scanning the glyphs and letters that made no sense to me. Her eyes rose to meet mine. “They took them to Goblin Town. You have until midnight to bring the spell book to them.”

  I blinked a few times. “Spell book.”

  Holy shit, so they didn’t want Grimm’s paperwork at all?

  That left two options. Either they wanted the black spell book that I’d found in the library, the one that Oster Boon had said I’d need to take. Or they wanted Gran’s spell book. With everything that was happening, I was leaning toward the black spell book. I didn’t really believe in coincidence, which meant I had it for a reason.

  “Is that it? No other dire consequences?” I doubted that was the case, which was why I asked.

  “If you don’t deliver, your friends will be killed, fed to the pit monster.” Her eyes closed and a tear slipped out. “And Savannah will be overrun by goblins.”

  “That it, huh?” I took the butcher paper back and folded it up, tucking it into my bag.

  Bridgette’s eyes popped open. “What do you mean, is that it? Isn’t that enough?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, it seems rather un-original, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t understand.” She stared up at me. “Why aren’t you afraid?”

  I shrugged. “I am afraid. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that all fear does is slow you down and make you want to lie flat on your back, tits to the sky. I can’t do that when my friends are in danger.” I paused on the bottom step and looked back. “Thank you for your help.”

  She swallowed hard. “You can’t take anyone from the Hollows with you. That’s what it says on the paper.”

  Both of my eyebrows climbed up. “What’s the exact wording?”

  “You may bring no one who works for the Hollows or for the SCE,” Bridgette said. “But I could come with you.”

  That gave me serious pause. “That would put you in danger, for people you barely know. Why would you do that?”

  Her big eyes blinked rapidly and t
ears filled around the edges. “The king is a tyrant and he hurts anyone who stands against him. My family was one that did that, and . . . most were killed.” Her round chin tipped upward. “And they threatened Savannah. This is my town, too, now and I’ll protect it if I can. It’s where Ryoko and Charlotte have made their home and . . . I love them even though they don’t see me.”

  Oh man, right in the heart strings. Her words plucked at my emotions, and I found myself nodding and speaking around a rather tight throat. “Right. Okay.”

  Bridgette fell in behind me as I hurried back across the street. Tom, Corb, Sarge, and Robert stood in the front yard of Gran’s house.

  Gran watched us from the open door, still younger than before, closer to her forties and her image flickering in and out of stability.

  “We have problems of rather unprecedented proportion,” I said as I drew near. “The goblin mob took Kinkly, Eric, Suzy, and Feish to Goblin Town and are threatening their lives if I don’t give them this.” I pulled out the small paper-covered book from my hip bag. I handed it to Tom first. He flipped it open and then dropped it like it was hot.

  “Bree, where in the seven hells did you find that?” His eyes shot to mine. “And why are you carrying it around with you?”

  I grimaced. “Where would you put something like that, something you didn’t want anyone else to get their hands on?”

  Sarge scooped it up, flipped it open, and then literally threw the book at Corb, who caught it. He held it the longest of the three, though he paled. “The goblin king wants this?”

  I waved a hand at Bridgette, who cleared her throat. “His ransom note says the spell book for the lives of your friends.”

  “No Hollows Group members can come with me. No one from the SCE either, not that it matters,” I said. “That’s part of the deal. Bridgette is going to come, and of course, Robert.”

  Sarge was the only one of the group who could see the animated skeleton, and his eyes shot to him. “It won’t be enough, Bree. This is bigger than fighting the O’Seans, and it’s a hell of a lot bigger than fighting an old lady in a graveyard. You’re going to their home. This will be a fight all the way with more goblins than you can imagine. Someone might even challenge you to a duel.”

  “I can’t leave them there,” I said. “I won’t.”

  Alan chose that moment to step out from under the tree. “You’re an idiot. Your friends wouldn’t fight for you, you know that, right? You were always the fool, running to save your friends. Even though they didn’t deserve it.”

  “I’ve had about enough of you.” I reached over, grabbed him by his ear once more, and stuffed him into my bag. “You can stay in there forever, for all I care.”

  I caught Corb looking at me as I finished with Alan. “You can’t come with me—”

  “I quit the Hollows Group,” he said softly, and a tiny bell sounded in the air, like a gong going off. Tom groaned.

  “Corb, this isn’t a game. You quitting will cause all sorts of issues with—”

  Corb’s eyes never left mine. “I’m not letting her go in there without me.”

  Sarge sighed. “I quit the Hollows group too then.”

  Another little bell pealed through the air, and Tom all but whimpered. “You two idiots. Do you know how pissed Eammon is going to be?”

  Eammon might be pissed, but I thought my ticker might burst from sheer emotion. I understood a little why Corb had put it all on the line for me. But Sarge?

  “Sarge, are you sure?”

  “While there was a minor rough patch last week,” he drawled. Rough patch? He tried to ducking kill me. He continued, “I consider you a friend. More than that, I think you are a kick-ass bitch.” He slung an arm across my shoulders. “And I owe you.”

  I put an arm around his waist and tipped my head up to him. He bent and kissed me—not in a sexy way, but a quick peck on the lips. “You’re good people, Bree. I knew that from the moment I tangled with you in the graveyard.”

  “You mean when Robert ripped your ear off?”

  Robert let out a growl and Sarge shivered. “Yeah, even then.”

  I pulled back from him and looked at the quickly assembled team. Tom shook his head when my eyes landed on him. “I am going to tell Eammon what you fools are up to.”

  “You aren’t going to try to stop us?” I offered.

  “You aren’t children, none of you.” He turned his back on us. “But try not to get killed, and don’t give them the book.”

  There was a moment where we were all quiet.

  “Okay”—Sarge clapped his mitts together—“let’s go.”

  I shook my head. “We have six hours. Bridgette, how long will it take to get to Goblin Town?”

  “About an hour, maybe two at most if there are blockades up,” she said.

  I nodded. “Then we prep first. If this is war, I’m not running in willy-nilly.”

  Corb nodded. “You have a plan?”

  “Working on it. First, we need to visit Gerry.”

  The two guys frowned in unison, which tickled my funny bone. “Who the hell is Gerry?” Corb asked.

  I grinned and crooked my finger for them to follow me. “My seamstress.”

  *_*_*_*

  Death Row was bustling when we got there, almost shoulder to shoulder shoppers, which was the fullest I’d ever seen it.

  I didn’t pause anywhere but went straight to Geraldine’s—Gerry’s—stall. She saw me coming and gave me a once-over from head to toe and back again.

  “Girl, did you get laid?”

  Oh shit, was it that obvious I’d had an orgasm?

  I stumbled, partially stunned, and Corb stumbled right into my backside. To keep us both upright, his arms shot around me and yeah, he got two handfuls of the girls.

  We both froze for just a moment, and then he adjusted his grip and helped me up. I held both hands in the air. “I’m fine, I can walk on my own two feet, no need to use my handles.”

  “Didn’t look that way to me.” Gerry winked and then took a good long look at Corb. “And I don’t blame you one bit for buckling to the pressure.”

  I put a hand to my head. “It’s not like that. Look, I’m wondering if you can whip up some new clothes, for all three of us.”

  Gerry looked us over. “What kind are you thinking?”

  I motioned for Bridgette to step forward. “Something that can camouflage us, like Bridgette here.”

  The goblin stepped close to Gerry. Gerry took a good look at her. “That cloth is expensive.”

  I grimaced and nodded. “How much?”

  Gerry ducked under her table and pulled out a bolt of cloth that was mottled green and black. “This is all I have. Will probably take the whole amount to get three of you decked out.”

  “How much?” I repeated and watched as she caressed the fabric. Yeah, this was going to cost me.

  “Three thousand,” she said.

  I started to nod, thinking that wasn’t too bad.

  “Each,” Gerry clarified. “This fabric is hard to come by. The goblins don’t give it up easily.”

  Corb tugged on my arm, dragging me back a few steps. “Not worth it.”

  I looked at him. “I’m not asking you to pay, Corb. I invited you to this party. I’ll pick up the tab.” I flipped open my bag and pulled out the money. Because, yes, I did just walk around with thousands of dollars in my handbag.

  Of course not. I’d brought all my cash with me for our shopping trip.

  “Gerry, we need these done right away.” I plunked the cash down on the table but didn’t take my hand off it. “How fast?”

  She blew out a breath. “Two hours. That will be pushing it, but I can make it happen.”

  I took my hand off the cash and she tucked it away and set to work, her hands flying over the bolt of material with a pair of wicked shears that seemed like a better fit for cutting wool off a sheep than making clothes.

  Corb put a hand on my shoulder and a cool wash of his power rolled
down to my toes and back up again.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  He smiled. “A little extra protection. Should deflect anything for a little bit. Why don’t you go see Annie, see if you can get any information out of her? Just be careful; like we said earlier she’s been off. Not herself.”

  Annie being the psychic who pulled tarot cards for the Hollows Group’s new recruits and had been the nicest to me when I’d first rejoined the shadow world.

  I nodded. It wasn’t a half bad idea, and now that he’d mentioned it, I did feel a pull to go talk to her. “You guys look around for anything else we might need,” I said, stepping back from Corb and Sarge. Bridgette stayed close to my side. “We’ll go on up to Annie.”

  The guys nodded and slid through the crowd toward the weapons vendors, the blond twins with the cheap wares. When would they learn?

  I sighed and wove my way through the crowd to the stairs that led up to Madame Trebon’s Tarot Readings, Annie’s shop.

  “Tell me what you can about Goblin Town,” I said to Bridgette.

  “There are multiple ways in, but the two main ones are west of Savannah. They are both heavily guarded. There are other ways, but they’re harder to find. One is through the land of faerie. I think that the note said you’re supposed to come to the main gate. That is where King Derek likes to hold his trials.”

  Great.

  With one hand on the wall, I made myself go all the way up the stairs without stopping, which was, in and of itself, a freaking miracle. At the top I paused, breathing hard, my legs tingling horribly as my muscles seemed to scream for air. “Oh, that’s going to hurt come tomorrow.”

  Bridgette nodded. “I hate stairs too.”

  Sometimes it was hard for me to remember that I’d only been at this gig, trying to keep up with the young ones, for about a month. Had I lost some weight? Yes. But I still had extra pounds on me, and I wasn’t fit by the standards of those I’d been running with in the most literal of senses.