Beg Me to Slay

by Lisa Kessler

  Tina sat in a velvet-upholstered antique chair with lion heads carved at the end of each armrest and gestured for them to sit in the chairs across from her. They were armless and much less throne-like. Stacks of tarot decks, velvet pouches of who-knows-what, and candles littered the shelf behind Tina’s chair.

  Tegan knew nothing about witches, but if a room could feel magical, this was probably it.

  Tina’s eyes were on Gabe. “What makes you think someone is working dream magic?”

  “Because they broke into my office, and they didn’t steal the computers or weapons.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “I’ve been having violent nightmares. Lots of them. But they’re always the same. Sound like magic to you?”

  Tina shrugged. “Could be, I guess. Violence is a constant in your life, though. It could be affecting you more than you realize. It wouldn’t take magic for it to creep into your subconscious.”

  Gabe rocked back, shaking his head. “I didn’t come here to be analyzed. Tell me who lives nearby that is capable of casting the spell, and we’ll be out of your hair.”

  “I’m not analyzing, just making an observation. I do know you, remember?”

  Tina wet her lips, and Tegan’s blood went cold. They were lovers. They had to have been.

  Gabe stood up. “I remember. That’s why I came to you. But if you aren’t going to help me, then I don’t have time to waste catching up.”

  Tina tipped her chin up, her gaze still on him without her getting out of her chair. “I haven’t seen you in two years. Why should I bend over backward to help you?”

  “Because it’s the right thing to do.” Gabe walked out the door, leaving Tegan staring at Tina.

  Tegan stood, keeping her voice down. “I don’t know your history together, but Gabe hasn’t slept in days. His work is dangerous…”

  Tina rubbed her forehead. “I can give you a couple names.”

  …

  Once they were back in the Mustang, Gabe rolled down his window and stared at the names Tina had written down. Tegan’s glare burned the side of his face. Balling up the paper, he chucked it on the dash and turned toward her.

  “She gave us bullshit names.”

  “How can you tell?” Tegan glanced at the paper and back at him. “And how come you didn’t tell me you slept with her?”

  “Because one of the witches on her list is dead.” He met her gaze. “And you didn’t ask.”

  “That’s not an answer.” She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Maybe she gave you a dead witch because you didn’t call her for two years.”

  Gabe shook his head. “It wasn’t like that. Neither of us wanted a relationship.”

  “Not as far as you know.”

  Gabe reached over to take her hand. “Seriously. Could you imagine a psychic trying to be with me when she can see what’s coming? There was no future. It was comfort during a rough time—nothing more.”

  She looked at their joined hands. “And what exactly are we?”

  He followed her gaze, and his heart lurched. Even sleep-deprived, he knew she meant more to him than a simple hookup. But what did she expect him to say? The closer he got to her, the more danger he put her in. His feelings weren’t worth shit if he couldn’t protect her from the demons heading their way.

  He opened his mouth to reply, but something slapped his door. Gabe spun in his seat and caught Tina’s wrist before she fell down.

  Her eyes were wide, chest heaving. “We have to get out of here now.”

  Gabe jumped out and popped the seat so she could climb in the back. Once she was in, he slid behind the wheel and gunned the engine. The Mustang’s tires squealed, rocks pelting the car as they bolted into the street.

  Adrenaline had him fully alert. He glanced in the rearview mirror. Tina panted in the backseat. “What’s going on?”

  “They have Mara.” She leaned forward from the backseat. “That’s why I couldn’t help you in my shop. They’re watching me.”

  Gabe frowned. “Who?”

  “Demons.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “They took her a week ago, and her life depended on that dream spell.”

  He gripped the wheel tighter. “You gave me the nightmares.”

  “I had no choice.” A sob hiccupped out of her lips. “I’m sorry. They’ll kill her if I refuse. I couldn’t tell you in the shop. They have a presence there now.”

  “Who is Mara?” Tegan dug a Kleenex out of her purse and passed it back.

  “My half sister. She’s only eighteen.”

  “Which demon has her?” Gabe kept his eyes on the road.

  “The demons who come to me are minions. I have no idea who their leader is.”

  Frustration gnawed at Gabe’s already-frayed nerves. “You can’t see him in your mind’s eye like you did me?”

  “No.” She sniffled, wiping her nose. “Demons aren’t of this world. My gifts don’t work on their plane. You know that.”

  He did when he could think straight.

  Tegan shifted, turning toward the backseat. “If you cast the dream spell, you can stop it, right?”

  “They’ll kill her if I remove the curse.”

  Tegan sighed. “How would they be able to tell?”

  “They’re watching me constantly. I had to cast a time-blurring spell to get outside.” Tina took a deep breath. “They’ll be able to report that you came to see me, and I didn’t tell you that I cast the spell. For about one minute, time in my shop froze. When time resumed we were already gone. Hopefully they won’t realize I left with you.”

  “What about your car? Won’t they figure out you came with us?”

  “I live next door. My car is still in my garage.”

  Gabe pulled into a strip mall and parked. “Let me get this straight. You don’t know who is blackmailing you to curse me. We have no clue where they’re keeping your sister. And you can’t lift the curse because they’re watching you. Any other impossible problems to add to the list?”

  His head was going to explode. He kept telling himself it was the sleep deprivation talking, but taking Tegan and running away to an ice cap in Greenland seemed like a perfect plan at the moment.

  Tina slumped in the backseat. “I hope that’s it.”

  Tina didn’t realize that the problems he’d just listed were only the tip of the shitstorm of demon armies and dragons blowing in. He wasn’t going to set her straight, either.

  Tegan interrupted his wallowing. “If someone else removed the curse, would the demons be able to tell?”

  Tina’s brow creased. “I don’t think so. They can’t usually sense magic, which is why they’re always watching me.” She sighed. “But I can’t think of any witches who would risk lifting the curse. It’s black magic. I wouldn’t have cast it, but my sister’s life is on the line.”

  He glanced at Tegan. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking I can follow directions. If Tina can tell me how, I can remove the curse.”

  They both stared at her as if she was nuts. Maybe she was, but she was also the only one inside the Mustang who was offering up solutions.

  “Magic isn’t just a recipe.” Tina crossed her arms. “It’s in your bloodline. You can give someone ingredients and words to say, but only a witch can bring the magic to life.”

  Gabe patted Tegan’s thigh. “We’ll figure something out.”

  Seeing their placating glances stoked the fire of her temper. “It’s better than sitting around letting the demons call the shots, right? If it doesn’t work then we haven’t lost anything but another sleepless night for Gabe.”

  Her name was in her father’s old journal, written in after she was attacked by a demon. Her father didn’t believe it was random, and she didn’t, either. Who was to say her bloodline wasn’t gifted in some kind of magic? Either way, she wouldn’t find out until she tried.

  “I could write out the directions, but Gabe will have to help you with the ingredients.” Her opinion of Tina
went up a notch. A teeny, tiny notch. “I’ve been gone too long already.”

  Gabe glanced at the strip mall and pointed toward the 7-Eleven. “I’ll run in and get a pen and paper. You can write it down on the way back to your place.”

  He jogged away, leaving Tegan alone in the car with Tina and a massive amount of uncomfortable silence. She struggled to find something to say. How many times did you and Gabe sleep together? Nope. Isn’t he amazing in the shower? Probably not.

  Tina beat her to it. “How long have you known Gabe?”

  “About a week.”

  Tina nodded while Tegan strip-mined her brain for a safe topic. “Is your sister a witch, too?”

  “No.” She stared down at her hands in her lap. “Our powers usually manifest when puberty sets in and hers never did.” She lifted her gaze. “But she’s powerful in other ways.” Tina wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “Mara was my responsibility. We had a fight the night she ran off. If I hadn’t shouted maybe…”

  Tegan shook her head. “Don’t do that to yourself. If the demons were planning on taking her, they would have done whatever it took.”

  “I should have known what was coming.” A shrill edge cut through Tina’s voice. “But I can’t see them.” Her voice faded to barely a whisper. “They blind me.”

  “That’s not your fault, right? You said they’re not from this world. Did you see that we were coming today?”

  Tina shrugged with a nod. “It’s not like I knew, but I had a strong suspicion.”

  “Could you feel how much your dream spell hurts Gabe?” How can you sleep at night knowing he can’t? She kept that question in her inside voice.

  Tina lifted her gaze to meet Tegan’s eyes. “You’re protective of him.” She stared at her for a second and added, “A battle is coming, and he won’t be able to face it alone.”

  Tegan’s gut churned and a chill slithered down her spine. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Tina broke eye contact and stared out the window. “I did what I had to for my sister. Gabe is strong. He’d figure it out eventually.”

  He opened the door, defusing the anger and dread that threatened to overwhelm Tegan. “Here’s a pad and pen.” He handed the bag back to Tina and glanced over at Tegan. “Everything okay?”

  Tegan shifted forward in her seat. “It will be.”

  God, I hope it will be.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gabe pulled over a couple of blocks from Tina’s shop. She got out, leaving the pad and pen on the backseat. Leaning into the driver’s-side window, she brushed a kiss to his cheek.

  “Good luck, Gabriel.”

  He tipped his head. “Stay safe, Tina.”

  She turned and walked away. He watched her go, wondering if this would be the last time he saw her. It was a pretty common occurrence in his world. People died or disappeared often. Another reason to keep everyone at arm’s length. If he allowed himself to care about all the people who wandered into his life, insanity wouldn’t be far behind.

  But in the time he’d known Tina, he’d always believed the world was better off with her in it. She helped people find their way through this crazy world. Hopefully she’d find her way out of this mess.

  Tegan broke his train of thought when she unbuckled her seat belt and reached into the backseat. Retrieving the pad, she tilted it toward the dim, yellow streetlight. “I know you consider Tina a friend, but she cast this spell on you understanding completely that it would hurt you. What kind of friend does that?”

  “Maybe a friend who’s scared for her sister’s life.” He drove away from the curb. “Are you hungry? We can look over the ingredients while we eat.”

  Her stomach answered for her, making him smile.

  “Food sounds good.”

  He pulled into a metered space near the Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach and turned off the engine. Tegan grabbed the pad from the seat. He almost asked why before he remembered the spell. It was unsettling to realize his brain was so muddled.

  Outside the car, he took Tegan’s free hand. Her fingers laced with his, binding him to the moment. His lifeline while the world blurred around him. They walked along the beach, silent, watching the moonlight sparkle on the waves. It would’ve been romantic if they weren’t talking about unraveling sleep curses.

  A lopsided smile curved his lips.

  “What’s so funny?”

  He glanced down at Tegan. “What?”

  “You chuckled.”

  “I did?” He shook his head. “I might be more screwed up than I realized.”

  “Having out-of-body experiences?” She gave his hand a squeeze.

  “How did you know?”

  A beautiful smile crept across her face, sending a warm breeze of calm through his scarred soul. “I went to USC, remember? I spent whole semesters in a cloud of sleep deprivation.”

  They wandered into a seafood restaurant and got a window table looking out over the ocean. Gabe stared into the distance. “Too bad we missed the sunset.”

  Tegan nudged his foot under the table and gestured to interior of the restaurant. “They’ve got plenty of sunsets on the walls.”

  His gaze wandered around the room. There were even a few photos of the legendary “green flash” on the Pacific Ocean. Impressive. He’d witnessed hundreds, possibly thousands, of sunsets and never caught the flash of the sun dipping into the horizon. That final, mythical green flash.

  He needed to get his head back in the game or they might not have many sunsets left. They had to infiltrate the Eden Club and find Tegan’s Hingo demon before the army Lago spoke of took some kind of action. But in Gabe’s condition, he’d be lucky to get through the door, let alone keep her safe.

  Tegan sat across from him, ready to attempt witch magic to grant him some rest. He’d never met a woman like her. Sometimes her courage terrified him. He’d never been in a position to lean on anyone before, and the vulnerability ate at him. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, but the thing between them kept growing. It was getting harder to ignore.

  To deny.

  She caught him staring at her. Her cheeks flushed with color. “What?” She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Do I look that bad?”

  He shook his head. “You look beautiful.”

  She swallowed and lifted her eyes. “You never got a chance to answer my question before Tina ran into your car door.”

  Their conversation slowly replayed in his mind. “Yeah?”

  Crap. What did she ask?

  “I just want to say whatever this is between us, I’ve got your back, okay? I’m ready to fight.” Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight. “And I’m ready to kick ass.”

  “You are by far the sexiest demon killer I’ve ever met.” In spite of the exhaustion, part of him was ready to show her he meant every word.

  …

  While they ate, Tegan pulled out the pad with Tina’s notes on it. “This looks way too simple.” She handed the list to Gabe. “Magic should be more complicated. More ingredients and magic words or something.”

  Gabe glanced at her from under his thick lashes. “Magic is intention. The ingredients help, but it’s usually the spell-caster who makes or breaks the magic.” He stared at the list again. “That’s why bloodline matters. Witches like Tina are few and far between.”

  Tegan took a swig of iced tea, hoping to douse the fire in her belly. “You don’t think I’ll be able to do this.”

  He passed the pad back. “The only spells and curses that I’ve ever seen work were cast by witches or the demon lawyers. I hope you prove me wrong.”

  Hearing that demons had lawyers derailed her for a second, but she didn’t take the bait and stayed on topic. “My name is written in that journal for a reason. Who’s to say I don’t have magic in my bloodline?”

  He raised his hands up in mock surrender. “I didn’t say you don’t. But we should have a plan B if we can’t get rid of the curse on my dreams.”

  She blew out an indig
nant sigh. “Fine. What’s your plan B?”

  “We have to get into the Eden Club. If your demon is there, you’ll recognize him, I can kill him, and you’ll be free. The door to hell stays closed.” He downed another whiskey shot and stared out the window. “But I can’t face the demons like this. It’s all I can do to keep conversation, let alone remember how to kill different demon species.” He put his glass on the table. “I’ll have to kidnap Tina and force her to lift it.”

  “That plan B seems awfully simple. What about Tina’s sister?”

  He turned, weariness and exhaustion plain in his green eyes. “She’s probably dead already.”

  Tegan stared down at her food. She’d never met Mara and she wasn’t very fond of Tina, but the thought that a young woman was dead, killed by demons, made all of this even more real. She’d be next if they couldn’t stop the Hingo demon. And for an added bonus to the suckage, if the demons did kill her, there was a chance some president of hell would be paying the rest of humanity a little visit. Her parents, her karate students, everyone she cared about would be in danger.

  Gabe paid for dinner and excused himself to the bathroom. Tegan sat at the table and glanced out the window. The waves rolled in while she lost herself in thoughts about magic, demons, and bloodlines. A couple of kids rode by on skateboards, a guy on a bike, beach bums pushed shopping carts, and gradually the hair at the back of her neck began to tingle.

  She blinked and stared into the darkness, focusing on the people instead of her thoughts.

  She scanned the boardwalk all the way over to the pier. Her heart stuttered. Leaning against the entrance to the Crystal Pier was a tall, slender man with olive skin and jet-black hair. He wore blue jeans and a green button-down shirt, and the second she made eye contact, his eyes glowed golden. He smiled, flashing his much-too-white teeth, and raised his fingertips to his lips, blowing her a kiss.

  Him. Her attacker, the demon they’d been hunting. He was back.