by Gina LaManna
I depressed my Stunner once my Deflector came down, but he had some sort of orb-like shield around his body that protected him from the blast.
So, I did the only thing I could think of and rushed him with my bare hands. I startled him with the attack, backing him toward the entrance of the cave with my sheer rush. He shouted aloud, invoking another Drowner that he tossed behind him. A fresh wave of water crashed over me, dragging me off my feet.
The tunnel was flooding with water, the narrow end of the passageway running out of air to breathe. He continued on, tossing one spell after the next behind him as I floundered from the onslaught of rising water, the rush of the manufactured river backing me into the tiny corner where breath became a mere illusion.
I used the last of the air I had in my lungs and felt myself slip under the surface. Struggling upward, I gasped for air, my lips grazing the top of the cave as I struggled to find the last pockets of oxygen in the small space. Harrison had set up a wall, a barrier, to hold me and the water in place. While he escaped, I’d slowly drown.
I managed one last breath before the cave filled completely with water. There were no air pockets left. My only hope was to somehow dismantle the barrier Harrison had magically put in place and release the trapped water.
Even as I moved toward the rock wall, I felt the breath leaving my body and unconsciousness tugging at my mind. As my fingernails gripped at the rocks—my words unable to form a spell through the water—I couldn’t help but think of the Christmas tree, and the presents underneath it, and the carols I wouldn’t sing and the eggnog I wouldn’t drink. And Rob, and my mother. My poor mother, and Matthew...
And with that thought, something miraculous happened. My fingers wedged a rock free. It wasn’t enough to get through, but it was enough to begin a slow flood into the rest of the tunnel. The pressure built and built as more water poured through, until finally, I collapsed on top of a pile of broken stone and inhaled my first breath.
Weak with lack of oxygen, I rested on the bony carcass of Harrison’s dam. Against my cheek, the vibration of footsteps against earth pounded ahead of me. The thump propelled me to my feet.
I struggled down the tunnel after Harrison. I wouldn’t be able to catch him in my state, but if I could just keep moving, keep from passing out, keep from letting him nab Primrose as a hostage, we might stand a chance.
I could see the entrance to the tunnel ahead. My flare sat at the far end. No other officers had made it to help. Primrose’s figure lay limp, and I wondered if she’d sunk back into unconsciousness... or worse.
Harrison turned his head as he reached the mouth of the cave. He met my gaze and smiled.
My heart sank. He had another way out of here. Through one of the other tunnels, no doubt. And with it, he’d have other defenses pre-arranged—and this time, I wouldn’t be so lucky.
“Harrison, it’s over!” I gasped. “Let it go.”
“Follow me and you die, Detective.”
His statement was punctuated by a sharp cry, and then the clatter of a body as it fell unprotected onto stone.
“Gotcha, asshole.” Primrose rolled to her knees and slammed Harrison against the ground. “Nobody tries to drown my mentor.”
I leaned forward, hands on my knees as I sucked in a greedy breath. “Did you just trip him?”
“It doesn’t have to be pretty,” Primrose said. “I learned that from you.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed, a raspy weird sound that echoed through the hallway. “You’re a quick learner, Primrose. I’ll give you that. Do the honors?”
I kicked over the magic-proof handcuffs that Harrison had used on me. Primrose picked them up, looking quite thrilled at the prospect of roping in her first big-time bust. “Professor Harrison, you’re under arrest for the murder of Mason White and the attempted murders of Detective DeMarco and Professor Bleeker. And if I could, I’d arrest you for being a big huge jerk, but I’m not sure that’s legal.”
“Keep it simple, Primrose,” I said. “By the book.”
She glanced up, shrugged, then turned back to Harrison. “You have the right to remain silent...”
After Harrison had his rights read to him, we worked together to haul him to his feet. “Tell me you see it,” I told him as I nudged him ahead of us down the path. “Now that it’s all over, tell me you see it. You were used, Harrison. Do you have information on The Master? We can work out a deal if you help us.”
Harrison spit on the ground.
“You don’t know a single thing about the files, do you?” I pressed. “You were set up. Used. How’s it feel, Harrison?”
“Not all that bad,” he snapped, a slow grin spreading over his face. “It might be over for me, but he’s coming for you. And when he does, when he ends you, it’ll be a new beginning for me.”
“What’s he talking about?” Primrose asked. “Who’s coming for you? I thought we caught the bad guy.”
“Oh, Primrose,” I said with a sigh. “We did. But there’s always more. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have jobs.”
“I suppose,” she said. “Speaking of jobs, do you think I could maybe get a letter of recommendation when the time comes for me to apply to the detective position?”
“You don’t waste any time, do you?” I grinned. “Detective Primrose. I think it has a nice ring to it, don’t you?”
“You’d really give me a rec?”
I gave her a friendly elbow nudge. “Merry Christmas, rookie. We’d be lucky to have you on the team.”
EPILOGUE
Angels were singing over the plains, halls were decked, and Santa was making his list and checking it twice. The DeMarco family was spending Christmas Eve wrapped in blankets while the first real snow of the year catapulted down in gusty white waves outside the warmth of my parents’ house.
I sat wedged in an oversized armchair with Matthew’s too-large figure next to me, one arm slung over my shoulder. My toes were covered in fluffy socks and a fat blanket sat on our laps as we snuggled underneath. My hands were cupped around a mug of hot chocolate while my glass of eggnog rested on the end table next to me.
“Will you do me a favor, Dani?” My mother scurried over and handed me a parcel. “Give this to that nice girl when you get back to the office, will you?”
Ever since word had broken across the borough about Professor Harrison’s arrest, my mother had been referring to Officer Primrose as “that nice girl”. Rose DeMarco had heard the story of our harrowing time in the tunnel, and in turn, she credited Primrose for giving her only daughter one more Christmas.
I glanced at the package my mother handed me, gave it a squish between my fingers. “Is it mittens?”
“Of course! I make everyone mittens for Christmas.”
I eyed my new pair of mittens sitting on the arm of the chair. “I know. And I’m sure she’ll love them.”
“I even made little primrose flowers on the backs. They’re adorable.”
Once my mother buzzed off to smother someone else with her Christmas cheer, Matthew squeezed me tighter to his side. “Dani, I’ve been thinking.”
“Uh, oh.”
Matthew gave a smile. “With the new year coming, I thought it might be time for a fresh start. How would you feel about coming to New York for a bit?”
“Me? In the human world? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “I can’t leave my post just yet, but I’d love for you to join me there. I hate being apart from you.”
“Matthew...” I sucked in a breath. “I don’t know. I mean, I can’t just give up my job. And it doesn’t make sense for me to come to New York. I don’t understand the regular world. I couldn’t work for the precinct. I don’t think... Matthew, I belong around magic.”
“I expected you to say that.”
I wound my fingers through his. “How long will you be stuck there?”
He blew out a breath. “I really don’t know. That’s the honest answer.”
A knock on
the door drew the attention of the happily chattering crowd. Jack and Willa sat on the floor, slipper-clad feet intertwined with one another as they lounged before the fire. Nash and Doug stood over by the cookie table having a heated argument about gingerbread house construction. Rob had disappeared to the kitchen with my father where I imagined they were adding a little something special to my mother’s holiday punch.
My mother’s face brightened. “Oh!” She turned toward me. “I forgot to tell you. I invited Grey over—I hope that’s okay. He was spending the holidays alone, and...”
I shifted awkwardly in my seat. “Sure, Ma. That’s nice of you.”
As she shuffled to open the door, I stared at Matthew. “Why aren’t you looking more surprised about this development?”
He met my gaze evenly. “Grey asked me if it’d be alright if he joined.”
“Ah.”
Grey stepped through the front door and shook a mound of snow from his head and shoulders, stomping his lean legs and hefty boots against the welcome mat before slipping them off.
He smiled around, raised a bottle of Wolfram Whiskey. “Happy holidays, everyone.”
There were mild cheers from the men. My mother looked curiously at the special blend of werewolf whiskey. I knew from experience it tasted like gasoline.
“And for you,” Grey said, pulling a box from outside that he must have set on the front stoop. “I hope you like it.”
My mother took the package with blustering protests, despite the gleam of excitement in her eyes. She loved presents more than most. “Oh, sweetie, you didn’t have to bring us anything. We’re just happy you could join us.”
“It belonged to my mother—a long time ago,” Grey said. “It’s been sitting in an old storage space for longer than I care to say. It belongs in the warmth of a family home.”
My mother gasped as she eased to her knees and peeled back the cardboard, blowing a cloud of dust away as it fell open. “Oh, Grey! This is beautiful. Are you sure you don’t want to keep it?”
Grey raised a hand and waved her off. “It’s yours.”
I eased out of the chair, leaving Matthew with a lingering peck on the lips before crossing the room to greet Grey. I gave him a side hug of greeting which he returned, smelling of fresh outdoors and evergreen, and looking just as handsome as ever in his soft sweater and worn jeans.
Then I knelt next to my mother and helped her pull out a tiny porcelain nativity set made entirely of werewolves. Each figure was beautifully made, no doubt hand-crafted and painted. A few chips and worn paint told me this set had been well loved. No doubt, it was worth a huge sum on the market. But more importantly, the sentimental value made it priceless. I could see the gleam of happiness in Grey’s eyes as he watched my mother’s exclamations of excitement.
I stood, whispered in his ear. “Thank you, Grey.”
“Happy holidays, DeMarco,” he whispered back.
“Dani, a second?” Rob called from the kitchen, raising a hand in greeting to Grey. “Sorry, this’ll just take a minute.”
I followed my oldest brother into the kitchen. My dad glanced up from where he was guiltily funneling some discolored punch into a thermos.
“Don’t tell your mother,” he said, then snapped the cap on and waltzed out of the room.
“I haven’t thanked you yet.” I broke the silence as I leaned against the counter. “For everything.”
Rob sighed. “Before you say that, hear me out. I wasn’t completely honest with you, Dani.”
“About what?” My heart pounded. If Rob admitted he was somehow part of Harrison’s attempt to take on The Hex Files and fulfill the prophecy, I would quite possibly combust.
“My reasons for coming here,” he said. “I really did want to come here to spend the holidays with the family. Christmas cheer and all that.”
“Oh,” I echoed. “That. Sure.”
“But there’s another thing,” Rob said. “I was recently in talks with Arthur Lemont—”
I held up a hand. “The Chief of the NYPD in New York? The human branch?”
“The one and only.”
“He’s dead. Matthew’s filling in for him temporarily.”
“Right, hence my coming to you,” Rob said. “You’ve already guessed it, but my work has led me into interesting zones.”
“Illegal?”
“Gray areas,” he said with a grin. “Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want my life to go. I got in a tight scrape a while back, and it made me reconsider things. Fate has a way of working things out, and right around the time I was ready for a change, I got a job offer.”
“What sort of offer?”
“Believe it or not, a real job,” he said. “As a consultant to the NYPD.”
My mouth fell open. “To Arthur Lemont?”
“Let’s just say, I have a unique understanding of magic, humans, The Void, and the workings of the criminal underworld,” Rob said. “And despite that, I don’t have a record.”
“Rob, that’s...” I hesitated. “Awesome! Really. I’m so happy for you.”
“There’s a but. When Lemont died, talks fell through. We were keeping things low profile. I’m really interested in pursuing this opportunity, Dani. But I’d have to talk to—”
“—Matthew.”
“Yep.” Rob nodded. “I don’t want to mix business, personal, whatever’s going on. So, I thought I’d clear it with you before I go to King.”
“Rob, I think that’s great,” I said softly. “If you want this opportunity, don’t let me stand in your way.”
Rob smiled, opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when Nash strolled into the kitchen.
“Yo,” Nash said. “I really hate to break up the party, but there’s someone at the front door for you, Dani.”
“But everyone I know is here!”
“I think it might be work related?” Nash shrugged. “I tried to help her, but she was adamant she would only talk to you.”
“Okay,” I said. “Well, I’ll be back. And Rob, I’m happy for you. Really.”
I made my way to the front door, ignoring the eyes following my every movement. I wrapped my sweater tighter to my body as I found Evelyn waiting just inside the front door.
“Evelyn?” I gaped. “What brings you here?”
“Dang, it’s cold where you live!” Evelyn was dressed for Christmas on The Isle, not in Wicked. “I hope you don’t mind me turning up unannounced. My mom knew where to find you somehow. Do you mind if we talk in private for a second?”
She shivered and looked miserable. Even more miserable looking was the poor pup in her arms—Woofie—who was dressed in a Santa sweater and looking out the window at the snow as if it was personally offensive to him.
“Sure, come on inside,” I said. “We can go upstairs.”
“Thanks,” she said, shivering as she stepped deeper into the house. “I’m surprised anyone survives here all year long.”
Before I led Evelyn upstairs, I waited while she deposited Woofie into the very loving arms of Willa for temporary safekeeping. When we finally climbed to the second level, I showed Evelyn into my dad’s study.
I kicked the door closed behind us and perched on the edge of my dad’s huge desk. Evelyn remained standing, looking suddenly nervous as she thumbed a package under her arm. A wall of books flanked the shelves behind her, and a series of police awards sat on the windowsill through which the snowstorm raged outside.
“It’s time,” she said quietly. “My mother decided to pass the torch.”
I waited, folded my hands in front of me.
“As the next in line to take over protective custody of the secret behind the door...” Evelyn hesitated, unsure where to go next. “I got the full story. I understand this file here is very sensitive, and I understand that it’s my duty to protect it.”
I swallowed, understanding. “I see.”
“But every instinct in my body tells me that the best way to protect the fil
e is to give it to you,” she said. With that, she pulled the envelope from where it’d been clamped beneath her arm. “I don’t know what’s in here or whose name is on it—that wasn’t part of the deal. The deal is that my family was to keep this safe until the right time.”
“And this is the right time?”
“I sure hope so.” She gave me the faintest smile. “I think Mason would think so, too.”
“I appreciate this more than you’ll ever know.” I could barely speak. “And I hope you’re not upset at your parents’ choices. All these years, they were just doing what they thought was best.”
“I understand that now, and I’m not mad. I get it,” she said. “But now it’s my responsibility, and I’m sure this is the right choice. Whatever file this is, it belongs with you. Good luck with it, Detective. You must be a very special person to hold this much power.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
Evelyn shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is that my brother was looking for you before he died. And since he passed, you haven’t let him down. I trust you won’t let the rest of us down either.”
I felt my eyes prickle with some combination of stress, emotion, and anticipation. Without a doubt, I held the fate of someone else in my hands. There would be a name stamped inside the file, and once I cracked it open, their life would never be the same. For better or for worse, The Hex Files were reuniting.
“Thank you, Evelyn. Your part in this will not be forgotten,” I said. “Trust me. It’s bigger than all of us. Thank your mom for me, will you? Your family has done the borough a great service.”
She smiled. Exhaled a huge breath. “Of course. And what a relief! This is the best Christmas present of all. To have closure for my brother. To release our family from a decades old bond. To understand what my parents have been through on some small scale. Thanks, Detective. And Merry Christmas.”
“Do you want some hot chocolate before you go?”
“I’ve got to get home,” she said. “My parents are waiting for me. Just promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t open that until the new year.” She nodded toward the envelope, squeezed my shoulder as she backed away. “You have a great family, I can already tell—enjoy them, enjoy the holidays. There will be time for everything else.”
