by Judith Post
“I’m Ally’s friend.” It was an evasive answer, but after Ally thought about it, Dante didn’t want Jason to know any more than necessary. Then, if Theo caught him, he couldn’t spill information he didn’t have.
Jason got the message too and nodded. “Where to?” he asked, as they climbed into his Audi.
Ally gave him directions, and soon, they were climbing the stairs to her apartment.
Dante looked around, saw her pottery on the airing porch, and went to see it. “You’re an artist, an accomplished one.” He sounded pleased.
She shrugged, striving for indifference. “I’ve fallen in love with clay lately. And cooking.”
“Cooking?” He walked past her to the kitchen. He studied the yellow walls, the white wainscoting and cupboards. “Cheerful. I like to cook too.”
A snide note entered her voice. “Is there anything you’re not good at?”
“Finding the perfect mate.” He locked gazes with her. “It’s eluded me so far. And I’m ready.”
She felt heat rush to her face. Her cheeks burned. What was he going on about? She took a step backward, an involuntary reaction. “What? No girl gargoyles like you?”
“No such thing. We have to come up with other immortals—Weres, witches, or gorgons…..” He gave her a meaningful look. “Someone who’ll last as long as our life spans.”
She tried to swallow, couldn’t, decided to stick with what was practical. “If you’re both going to stay here, you’ll have to toss for who gets the couch and who gets the love seat. It’s only a one-bedroom place. I made the second room into an office.”
“With a library. I noticed. You like books as much as I do.”
Jason looked from one of them to the other, a confused expression on his face. “How did you two hook up?”
Dante smiled. “You brought us together. I killed the Were that was hiding in the parking lot to attack her, the night you stood her up.”
Jason grimaced. “I did stand her up. I apologized to her for that. But I didn’t know anyone was waiting to attack her that night.”
“Your wraith spirit didn’t tell you?”
“I’ve thought about that. It only warns me when I’m in trouble. I was on an airplane, leaving town. Only Ally was in danger.”
Dante nodded. “Wraiths are personal protectors, not guardians.”
Ally stopped to consider Jason’s wraith too. “Will it warn you whenever Theo’s close by or sending someone after you?”
“Every single time.”
“So we’ll have some advance warning.” She went to rummage in a spare closet and pulled out extra pillows and blankets.
“Only if I’m threatened.” Jason rubbed a hand across his forehead. “I’ve thought about that a lot too. It warned me when Theo first came after me, when I ran to Stheno’s island. But it never came before the warlocks burst into her cave. That worried me for a long time. But I think it knew that Theo had shifted his focus to Stheno and not me. At least, then.”
He sagged onto the sofa, and Ally went to wrap her arm across his shoulders to comfort him. “It’s not your fault. It’s Theo’s. You were honest with Stheno. Knowing my sister, she was probably happy she could DO something again, have a purpose in life. If she’d faced anything other than magic, she’d have won.”
“And if you face magic?” Jason asked.
“I’ve learned from past mistakes. I know what to do.” Another elusive answer, but what Jason didn’t know was a blessing for him.
Dante glanced at the clock. “You can have the couch, but you two had better get some sleep. From what you’ve told us, your brother doesn’t like to sit around and wait. He’ll think of some other way to attack us soon.”
Ally looked at the loveseat and then at Dante. Not a good fit. “Where are you going to sleep? You won’t fit on that.”
“Gargoyles don’t sleep. We have to stay alert twenty-four hours a day to stand guard over our cities.”
“That sucks.” Jason clamped his lips tight. The words had slipped out before he could stop them.
Dante shrugged. “It gives us plenty of time to read. I’ll go check out Ally’s library.”
She wondered which book he’d choose first, what his likes and dislikes were. There was a hodgepodge of different genres on the shelves—mysteries, fantasies, and romances. “You two figure it out. It’s been a long day. I’m going to bed.”
Dante’s gray eyes twinkled. She ignored him and slammed the door behind her. A girl needed her beauty rest. She stripped out of her clothes, letting them fall as she stepped out of them. Without washing her face or brushing her teeth, she flopped onto her mattress, pulled her sheets up, and drifted to sleep.
Chapter 6
The aroma of coffee woke her. More, eggs were cooking and bread was toasting. She tossed her long, cotton, summer dress over her head, yanked it in place, and headed to the kitchen.
Dante was slicing a grapefruit when he looked up at her. “Hungry?”
Her stomach growled.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
He poured her a cup of coffee and placed it on the table. Plates and forks were already in place. “Jason didn’t last too long after you went to bed. The stress is wearing him out.”
Ally glanced at the body lumps under the throw blanket on the sofa. “I feel sorry for him. He’s had it rough.”
“So have you.” Dante slid an omelette on her plate. He followed it with two slices of sour dough toast. Then he plated up for himself.
Ally rubbed sleep from her eyes, took a sip of her coffee. “His brother’s a demi-god. He could be relaxing in some version of heaven, enjoying himself. Why chase Jason around the world to steal his birthright?”
“Different things make different people happy. Theo’s a spoiled tyrant who thinks he should get whatever he wants. He’s pitiful really.”
“Sick and warped, if you ask me.” Ally glanced at the popped-out glass over her kitchen sink. Clay pots burst with herbs on each shelf. Dante had filled the omelettes with shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and slivers of fresh basil. Delicious. She nodded to her plate. “This is good.”
“I’d serve you breakfast in bed if you invited me over for sleepovers.” He smirked at the surprise on her face, then returned to business. “Theo’s paid two sets of mercenaries and lost all of them. I’m guessing the next time, he’ll come for Jason and you himself.”
“Are you sure? Maybe he’s the type who never hits the front line. He’ll make plans from the safety of a bunker somewhere.”
“I used your computer, did some research. His father was Ziu, the German god of war, all about honor. He wouldn’t be proud of Theo, probably washed his hands of him a long time ago.”
That’s what her parents had done with her. Gods obviously didn’t like to be embarrassed. Ally finished her toast. “So, I’m guessing Theo’s father won’t want revenge if someone offs his little boy.”
“He’ll probably rejoice.”
“It sounds as though Ziu would respect the man Jason’s become.”
“Maybe that’s why Jason’s wraith has kept him alive this long.”
Ally blinked. “I didn’t think of that. Maybe Ziu is helping Jason as much as he can.”
“I don’t know any other wraith that’s bonded with a man’s flesh. It makes him almost a demi-god, like his brother.”
Ally carried her plate to the sink to rinse it. “Makes me admire this Ziu.” She bent to put it in the dishwasher and caught Dante ogling her ass. “Is there any way for us to track Theo? For us to take the offensive?”
“None that I can think of. But he has a temper. We might be able to goad him to come to us.”
Ally shook her head. “He’s a soldier, a warrior. He knows strategy. He’s not stupid.”
“Then we prepare as much as possible. And Jason doesn’t leave this apartment unless one of us is with him.”
Ally nodded. It was a plan. Not much of one, but it was the best they could do.
&nb
sp; Later that afternoon, she took Jason’s car to drive to the grocery store. She lived alone. She bought supplies for one person. And she only bought enough for one or two days ahead. Soon the cupboards would be empty.
She walked up and down the aisles, unused to shopping for three. Would Dante and Jason want eggs every morning? She didn’t eat that much meat, but men were supposed to, weren’t they? Should she buy bacon or sausages?
She was reaching for milk, when a woman bumped her with her shopping cart. Ally raised an eyebrow at her, irritated.
The graceful, young woman gave an eerie smile. She seemed to shimmer in and out of focus, until a translucent entity separated from her and floated toward Ally. A sylph. Soulless. A spirit of the air. Capable of slipping inside Ally’s body and fighting her for control of it.
Ally reached for the chain that circled her neck. She was never without it. The sylph hit an invisible barrier and tried to wriggle through it. Ally whispered a chant, and the barrier sparked with power. The sylph quickly jerked away from it. She returned to the young woman, standing slumped and disoriented, and slid inside her flesh once more. She frowned at Ally, then turned to hurry away.
Ally watched the girl’s retreating back. She’d won this battle, but Theo would know she had magic now. She sighed and went back to her shopping, probably bought more than she needed, and drove home.
Dante was at the bottom of the steps to help her carry the groceries inside. As they put them away, she told him about the sylph.
Dante rubbed his chin, upset. “Theo’s not the belligerent, throw-punches guy I was hoping he’d be. He has more of his father’s genes than I expected. Theo might not have honor, but he’s shrewd. He’ll try to outsmart us before he tries to stomp us out of existence.”
Ally shook her head. “I haven’t seen a sylph since I lived in Europe.”
“Theo’s from German blood—ancient origins. Who knows what he’s allies with? But I’ve never seen a sylph. I wouldn’t have known what the girl was.”
“And here I thought you knew everything.” She was beginning to worry he was omniscient. “Could she have entered you, taken your free will from you?”
“Pretty hard to do when I have stone lungs.”
She poked his chest. Hard, but not marble. All muscle. “You feel real.”
“I am real. But I was chiseled from marble. The city gave me life, so I’m flesh and stone, not flesh and bone.”
She wasn’t quite sure how that worked, but decided not to think about it. Funny, how alike they were. She was flesh, but turned people to stone. Ironic.
Dante had other concerns. “Can the sylph come here, to find Jason and enter him?”
“No enemy can pass my perimeter. My magic charms are too strong.”
“You have charms, all right.” Dante smiled. “You’re quite the woman, do you know that? A two-for-one. A gorgon and a witch.”
“You make it sound so romantic.”
He laughed. “To me, it’s a real turn-on. I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“I’m the last gorgon standing, if that’s what you mean.”
“And a true marvel.” He bent so quickly, he kissed her before she knew what was coming. “I figure I’m living on borrowed time. When we finish with Theo, you might toss me out. I’d better make my moves while I can.”
She ran her tongue over her lips. “Mmmm.” He might be made of stone, but his kiss was soft and warm. He tasted as good as he smelled.
His grin widened, showing a deep dimple. Damn. The man just got better and better.
A ruckus outside distracted them. A man stood on the sidewalk in front of her building, shaking his fist at them. “Open the door down here and let me in.”
Ally looked at his eyes. They sparkled. The sylph was inside him. From the looks of him, he had a few drinks in there too.
Ally opened her window and called down. “I don’t know you. You have the wrong person. Go away.” She knew it wouldn’t change his mind, but it would convince the cop, who was stepping out of his squad car across the street, that the man was a nuisance.
As she’d hoped, the cop started toward him. Someone steady and strong. The sylph slid from her swaying host to a better one. The cop shivered as she melted into his flesh. Ally went to her closet and took a chain, one of many, off a hook. Then she returned to the window. “Hey! Here. Thanks for helping me!” She tossed the cop her present, and he automatically caught it. The minute the metal hit his hand, the sylph shot out of him. The cop shook himself, stared at the chain, and slid it over his neck.
The sylph returned to the swaying drunk.
The cop got a firm grip on the man’s elbow, and said, “Come on, buddy. Let’s get you inside before you fall and hurt yourself.”
Dante turned a surprised look on Ally. “You keep magic necklaces in your closet?”
She pulled her own necklace from under her shirt. “After I met my first sylph, the idea of having someone or something take control of me, scared the crap out of me. I magicked dozens of these. I take them everywhere I go.”
He squashed her in a hug. “We can make Jason wear one. We’ve been getting by on dumb luck, but things are coming together.”
She handed Dante a chain. “Just in case.”
“Will it break if I shift?”
“Mine never has. It’s charmed.”
Ally glanced out the window and watched the sylph slide from the drunk to a man, entering the city/county building, with a briefcase. He paused, looked confused, then turned toward the underground parking lot. Soon, he’d be driving her to meet Theo. When he came back to himself, he’d scratch his head, wondering where he was and how he got there.
Ally closed her window and sagged onto the loveseat across from Jason. When he blinked awake, she handed him a necklace. “Wear this, and never take it off.”
He didn’t even question her. He slid it on.
Chapter 7
The next day was a waiting game. Ally knew it. So did Dante and Jason. The sylph must have reported back to Theo. He’d know she had magic. He wouldn’t know she had a friend carved from marble.
Jason worked from a laptop in Ally’s living room. Ally threw mud on her wheel. Dante was stuck with little to do besides read. He paced from room to room every couple of hours. Ally sighed. “Come on, gargoyle. Think of something. I’m guessing you’re every bit as good at strategy as Theo. Let’s force his hand.”
“What if we made him nervous? Made it look like we’re going to run?”
“All three of us?”
“Theo doesn’t know about me, but what if he thought that you and Jason were going to take off together and disappear?”
Ally turned off the wheel and looked at Dante. “I like it. That just might work. I’m not good at waiting.”
He gave a slow smile. “I didn’t think you would be.”
She turned away from the door when Jason entered so he couldn’t see her blush. “I didn’t mean to overhear, but I couldn’t help it. I’m ready for action too.”
Dante’s brows furrowed. “No action for you. When Ally and I take off, I’m dressing like you do. We’ll take your car. Hopefully, Theo will think I’m you. While we drive north, you’ll drive Ally’s car in some other direction.”
“No.” Jason crossed his arms over his chest, a determined look on his face.
“I’m not judging you,” Dante argued. “But you can’t help us. You don’t have any magic or gifts. Theo does. So will his friends.”
“Stheno told me the same thing, and I ran. I’ve always regretted that.”
Dante’s tone shifted, trying to reason with Jason. “If you’d stayed, she’d have still died. You would have too.”
“I’m not running.”
Dante glanced to Ally for support. She went to the sink to wash the clay from her hands. “It’s his choice. He knows the risks.”
“Ally! I thought you liked this guy.”
“I do. That’s why I know how he feels.”
“I’m going.” Jason shifted back and forth, from one foot to the other. Nerves. He wasn’t a warrior, but he didn’t intend to back down. “What did you have in mind?”
Ally started to the bedroom. “Let’s go now. The sooner, the better. Weres don’t like to be seen during the day. I’ll grab two suitcases. We don’t have to pack. It just has to look like we did. We’ll drive to your hotel to get your things, and I’m betting we won’t get too much farther than that.”
Dante put up a warning hand. “I can’t call my friends. We don’t like to shift in daylight either.”
Ally shrugged. “So it’s the three of us. Let’s do it.”
“Right here? Right now?” There was caution in Dante’s voice. He hadn’t had time to think things through. He struck Ally as a planner. She walked to her closet and pulled out her luggage. Dante sighed. “Where do you think Theo will stop us?”
“Before we leave town. All of his connections are here. He doesn’t know where we’re heading. He won’t want to lose us.”
Dante grinned. It was slightly predatory. “I haven’t met a demi-god for a long time, but I know they can die.”
“We all can.” Ally’s gaze went to Jason.
“There are worse things,” he said, “like constantly running and living in fear. If I don’t survive this, Stheno will be there to meet me on the other side.”
With a quick nod, Ally started to the door. Suitcases in hand, Dante followed her. Jason brought up the rear. They went to his car, tossed the cases in the trunk, and took off.
“My church first,” Dante said. “I need a few things.”
Jason pulled into the cathedral’s back parking lot and watched as Dante ducked inside. When he returned, he carried a sword and a shield.
“Really?” Ally couldn’t believe how big and heavy they were.
