This was one of those mornings he should have stayed in bed. It was difficult to say who would be angrier, Wystan or Eban. Eb’s job as liaison meant he kept the humans from suspecting their neighbors were demons or deities and provided the magic that produced glamour. If Jeffrey started spouting off that the Heckmasters were demons, they’d have a riot on their hands.
Just like the one that ended in their mother’s death. A pang hit him in the chest. He wasn’t worried for himself or his brothers, but for Rhia, Beryl and Sylvie. Their children. The women were human and the kids were a quarter demon, but they were innocent in all of this. The same way Seneca’s sons and daughter had been. He had to protect them no matter what. If it meant dying to save them, so be it.
He’d try to find Wystan at the jail first, then grab Eban from the clinic. The second he pictured the jailhouse, the floor dropped out from beneath him.
He landed on Wystan’s desk, his heel inches from his brother’s fingers.
“What the hell?” Wystan rolled his chair away from the desk.
Tell blinked and shook his head. “Well, that’s new.”
Wystan’s brow furrowed. “How?”
Tell stepped off the desk and thumped onto the floor. “I just thought about it and poof. Without a poof though. I was planning to walk. Doesn’t matter, I have something else to tell you.”
“It’s bad,” Wystan guessed.
“Worse. Jeffrey Spinner, Sylvie’s buddy, came to my house and he knows, Wys.” He plucked at the hole in his sleeve, then showed Wystan his hand. “He burned me with silver.”
Wystan’s jaw dropped.
“I might have scared God into him for that. I kind of melted his silver ring.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t plan it, but I got so pissed at him for threatening me. He said if I didn’t order Sylvie to start seeing him again, he’d say I did bad things to her when she was little.”
“Shit.” Wystan leaned back in his chair. “Where is he now?”
“Don’t know. I ran him off, told him to get out of town, but I doubt he listens.” His chest burned with new anger. “I don’t want this to turn into a witch hunt. I’m worried he might tell the rest of the town and it’s all gonna go to hell.”
“Shit.” Wystan dragged his hand down his face.
“Before you get pissed off at me, I only did what I had to do to protect myself. I didn’t hurt him.” Could have. Wanted to. But hadn’t. “Might’ve scared him a little.” Or a lot.
Wystan’s mouth pinched and he sighed. “I believe you did what came naturally when he threatened you. Can’t fault you for that. It’s hard to hold the demon when someone is at your throat. You’re sure he’s not hurt?”
“Pretty sure.” Relief nudged some of his anxiety away. If Wys wasn’t mad, it was one less issue he had to worry about. “I wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t come at me with silver.”
Wystan nodded. “Fair enough. That thing you did when you came here by thinking about it?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you do it again?” Wystan rose.
“I can try. I can’t guarantee we’re not going to end up on Eban’s roof, if that’s what you’re asking.” If they were lucky. For all he knew, they’d wind up in Australia. But what the hell, the man wanted to travel. “When you’re ready.”
Wystan rounded the desk. When he offered his hand, there was no backing out of it.
“Hope you kissed Rhia and the kids goodbye this morning.” Tell latched onto Wystan’s arm.
Wystan grinned.
The floor swayed, vanished, and they dropped into the study of Eban’s clinic. More precisely, on top of Eban. The three of them hit the floor in a heap.
Eban’s eyes bulged and he groaned.
“Coulda been worse.” Tell disentangled himself from his brothers.
Eban coughed and pushed Wystan away from him. “What the hell are you two doing? How are you—why would you—don’t ever! Stop doing things like that.”
“I didn’t intend to use you as a cushion.” Tell picked up his hat. “It wasn’t pleasurable for me either.”
“Stop using those powers. I swear, I think you want to turn into a hell-raising demon.” Eban brushed at his clothing. “Why are you here?”
A little guilt washed over Tell. “You’re mad. C’mon, Eb, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“I don’t know—you could transport yourself to Hell and create all kinds of trouble. That’s the last thing we need. I like the way my life is going. I have a wife and children to think of. You want me to have to tell them that uncle Tell is plotting to murder all of us because he has no impulse control?” Eban scraped his hand through his hair.
The motion was slow enough to reveal that Eban’s cuticles were raw and red.
Anger and disappointment flooded through Tell. “I have control. Plenty of control.” His fingers tingled. “For example, I’m not setting you on fire right now.”
Eban jabbed his finger at Wystan. “And you. Letting him use those powers. I know you know better, because we both know about power.”
“You’re jealous because you have to walk everywhere.” Tell shoved his hands into his pockets. “I swear by all that’s holy, I’m not about to raise an army from Hell or try to take over the world.”
“Enough.” Wystan stepped between them. “Spinner knows about us. If he tells the other humans, we’ve got a problem on our hands.”
Eban’s mouth opened and closed with a snap. His sharp gaze pierced Tell.
“Instead of blaming me, we could figure out a solution.” Tell ran his thumb over his knife sheath. “I say we kill him.”
Wystan glared. “Not an option.”
“He damn well didn’t show any mercy when he thought he’d compel me into doing his dirty work.” He wasn’t going to forgive easily for that.
“Wait, wait. He tried to compel you?” Eban’s face reddened. “He doesn’t know as much as he thinks he does then.”
Tell snorted. “I never thought he was particularly bright.” Nowhere good enough for his Sylvie.
“We need to find him and smooth this over before he makes it public that things aren’t as clean-cut as they seem. So Eban and I will talk to him.” Wystan held up his hand when Eban started to protest. “Tell, you make sure he hasn’t gone to bother Sylvie again.”
He bristled at the order. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to get rid of me? Check on Sylvie? I taught her how to shoot. She doesn’t need a bodyguard.”
“You think she carries a gun to work?” Wystan asked.
“You think she doesn’t? That’s cute. She’s smarter than that. But if you think I need a mindless chore while the big boys handle the schoolyard bully, fair enough.” He shrugged. “I’d say I got the better end of the deal. Enjoy spending time with Spinner. I’m interested to hear what he has to say about me.”
Eban grabbed his arm. “You walk. Don’t you dare show up in her shop the way you did here.”
Tell rolled his eyes. “It’d scare her employees to death if I poofed in there that way. I’m not an imbecile.”
“It’s debatable. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.” Wystan threw him a dark look.
He yanked his arm out of Eban’s grasp. “I’ve been taking care of myself for years. I think I can handle a little walk across town.” If he didn’t get the urge to set someone or something on fire. Or run into Spinner before his brothers.
“You check on her, you go straight home afterward,” Eban said.
“Yes, Ma. I’ll be sure to do that.” Tell shook his head. “Can I go now, or are there other instructions?”
Wystan gestured at the door.
“Give Spinner my best.” He winked at Wystan, faking humor he didn’t feel. The temptation to disappear in front of them was strong, but he left through the door the way they’d orde
red. Between the two of them, they could come up with some sort of story to feed Spinner that would put out the fire Tell had caused.
He didn’t like leaving Eb and Wys to clean up his messes. It was cowardly, irresponsible and childish. Three things he wasn’t, no matter what everyone thought of him. Some days he wanted to crack Wystan and Eban’s heads together to make them realize he wasn’t a child any more, but there was no denying they looked out for him when he needed it.
I’ll kill them last when I go demon-shit crazy.
Well, before he killed Sylvie. God, what good would it do to rule the earth if he didn’t have someone pretty and witty to share the apocalypse with?
He walked to Sylvie’s shop—a long walk considering his interesting new talent—without encountering anyone who might have heard he was the harbinger of death. Or everyone was taking it well. He hoped for the latter.
The bell jingled as he stepped through the door. The women Sylvie employed were absent, but Sylvie sat at her sewing machine with her back to him. Some kind of ugly gray material hung across her lap and snaked down her skirt.
“Hang it all,” she snapped. Her foot eased off the pedal and she fumbled with the feed dog. “This is impossible.”
“Sylv?”
She jumped, then twisted at the waist to look at him. “You scared me.”
“I seem to be the cause of a lot of that these days.” He smiled, but it was as forced as the wink he’d given Wystan. “You all right here?”
She shoved the material onto the sewing machine stand. Her stool squeaked as she spun, then held up her hands. “Material sprung straight from the Devil’s loins.” Her hands were rough, chapped and bright red.
“What the hell are you using it for, then? Get rid of it.” He stepped closer. “I don’t care what it’s made from—it wasn’t worth the money you paid for it.”
She flinched when he took one her hands between his. “Can I tell you something?”
“Are we alone?”
“Yes. I sent the ladies home with some simple sewing. I didn’t want them here to see this.”
He nodded. “Good. I have something to say too.”
Her brow furrowed. “More bad news?”
“Nothin’ good.”
“Oh, Tell.” She leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “What’s happened now?”
Her embrace gave him the strength to get the story out. He explained about Jeffrey. Her eyes widened behind her spectacles and her face reddened with every word he spoke.
“That-that…asshole. How dare he think he can threaten you? How dare he think I would agree to see him again after something like this? I’ll murder him myself. I’ll choke him with this horrible dreadnaught.” She lifted a corner of the cloth. “I think you were well within your rights to set him on fire, no matter what your brothers say. That despicable man. Why, if I wasn’t a lady, I’d set his house ablaze.”
It was touching that she wanted to kill for him. He sure didn’t deserve that kind of loyalty. “They’ll take care of him. Don’t worry. He won’t put a toe out of line when they get done with him.” He wished he felt as confident as he sounded. “What were you going to tell me?”
Her fierce expression fell. “It’s not important right now. It can wait.”
“I’m always here to listen to you, Princess. You can talk to me about anything.” He lowered himself to one knee so they were eye level. “C’mon, tell your old buddy.”
She sighed and her shoulders slumped. “Meacham brought me the dreadnaught cloth.”
“Yep, seems like something he’d find. It’s just as revolting as he is.”
She lifted a scrap between her fingers. “Try to set it on fire.”
He shrugged. The snap of fire started in his chest and pushed through to his fingertips. When he held them up to the cloth, the smallest flame lit from his pointer finger. “Huh. That’s not what usually happens.”
He lifted his finger higher, holding it beneath the cloth. It remained undamaged, but every bit as ugly as before. “Fireproof?”
“Supposedly resistant to anything that can damage it. It’s taking a toll on my sewing machine.” She glared at the little scrap. “Meacham insists I make garments out of it anyway.”
“Why?” Not that a fire-resistant coat wouldn’t come in handy.
“To save your brothers and our family from you.” She laid the cloth aside and put her hands in her lap. “He says you’re going to accept your demon side and destroy Berner. Not only Berner, but everything.”
Tell’s stomach flipped. “Meacham said that, huh?”
Sylvie nodded. “He came in with a big crate of dreadnaught yesterday morning and showed me a vision of the future. I told him I don’t believe it, but…how can I ignore what he wants me to do when I have the material on hand?”
He bowed his head. He’d never known Meacham to be wrong about a vision or prophecy. “Listen to him. Better safe than sorry.”
“I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. I know you can’t help what you are. I don’t care about your demon blood. You know that, don’t you?” She put her hand on his face. “You’re stronger than that, Tell. You’re a better man than Jeffrey Spinner. Don’t give up.”
He tried to smile. “That means a lot coming from you. Wys and Eb already tried to convince me to cast a circle and get inside just to be safe.”
“There’s no need for that. They’re worried, of course, and rightly so, but that’s no excuse to imprison you. The demons working for your father will figure something out and this will all be a bad memory before we know it.” She leaned closer. “You’re my friend. I have faith in you.”
All the threats Spinner had spewed, all the trouble with his brothers, all his worry that the humans in Berner might find out what he was vanished because of Sylvie’s smile. Peace fell over him like dust after a storm.
“Thanks, Princess. Good to know someone still trusts me.” His chest hurt with the truth. The little cloud of darkness hovering at the back of his mind broadened. A small part of him wanted to make his brothers pay for suggesting the town would be safer if he was in a protective circle. Bastards.
“How could I do anything else? I’ll speak to them. There won’t be any more of this locking you away nonsense.” Her chafed fingers trailed down his cheek. Despite the pain she must be in, she gave him another tender stroke. “Maybe we should leave town a while. There are a few merchants I’d love to visit in Santa Fe. You could escort me. Wys and Rhia wouldn’t mind. How could they? You’re practically my brother.”
Tell closed his eyes. The sweet scent of jasmine clung to Sylvie’s skin. It made him lightheaded, but bold. “I’m nothing like a brother to you.” He leaned closer and captured her lips.
She folded her fingers together behind his neck and pressed her mouth against his. No resistance, no hesitation. Sylvie Duke kissed him back with as much hunger as he possessed.
The fire that never died in his chest flickered weakly. The longer he held Sylvie, the colder the ember seemed. He nibbled her lower lip and pulled her to his chest. Although the floorboards were digging into his knees, he never wanted to leave this spot, not so long as she was willing to remain in his arms.
She mimicked his action, taking his lip between her teeth with a tug. Her fingertips pushed through his hair and sent tingles down his spine.
He was more than ready to take her, here on the floor of her shop, in broad daylight, with the window shades wide open. To hell with anyone who passed by. He’d long awaited the moment he’d claim Sylvie with a kiss. He wanted her in every way possible, as quickly as he could get her. With her in his arms, he felt damn near human.
She drew back a bit. “Tell.” Her glasses sat askew, her expression was a trifle glazed. Sylvie’s face flushed.
“Where’d you learn to kiss like that? Not from Spinner.” His voice was
gruff, but he didn’t want her to back away now.
“As it happens, you’re not the first man to kiss me. I like you, Tell, but I don’t want it to be this way. It’s…” She waved a hand at the window.
Like he’d passed his magic mind-reading skills on to her, she’d come to the same conclusion he had. If they kept on, someone would find out. She’d be ruined.
“Sorry.” He rose, then straightened her glasses. “You’ve got a lot to think about. Making these coats, killing Spinner. I didn’t mean to add to your troubles.”
She looked down at her hands. “The minute I laid eyes on you, I knew you were trouble. Nothing’s changed in that aspect.”
He managed a smile. “You ain’t wrong. I’ve had similar thoughts about you.”
“Thank you for the lovely demonstration with your mouth. It was…enlightening.” The flush returned.
“I know a few more tricks.” Was this what Wystan and Eban felt when they walked into a room and spotted their wives? The strong urge to taste her again almost pulled him toward her.
“I expect you’ve got more tricks than one woman could ever experience in a lifetime.” She lifted her gaze and smiled. “You told your brothers you’d go straight home after you made certain I’m all right. I am all right. At least I will be if my heart ever slows down.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to run me off.”
“Unfortunately, I have orders from Meacham.” Her smile faded. “I’m sorry, Tell. I feel as though I have to make these coats. I have to do it, because—”
“You saw something that scared you. I understand.” He expected the fire in his chest to blaze, but it remained tiny, almost nonexistent. “I’ll give you some peace. You come straight to me if Spinner bothers you any time, got it?”
“I will.” She nodded. “You come to me with anything bothering you, understand?”
“I always have.” Except in his search for a companion guide to The Lesser Key of Solomon. He’d traveled the States and Territories looking for the damn rumored book that might contain an answer to his demonic problem. He’d used the excuse that he was tracking demons that needed to be sent back to Hell, but he’d never told her about his real quest.
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