by BA Tortuga
“She’s worried about Lily. Very bad. She told me. She told me about you, too.”
“Yeah? Does she come talk to you at night?” That was Grandpere Ben’s MO. He’d even told Marc about how he and Brigit had been a big item once. Ben swore he loved Marc’s grandma, but Brigit had been the one who got away, the one he could have beaten the cancer for.
“Sometimes. Sometimes at home. She says she tries hard not to come to my work.”
“What about the Granny with Lily and your mom right now?” He knew that couldn’t be Lily’s grandmother, but Mikey was the only other person who had a handle on it.
Mikey ducked his head. “That is not my granny. That is a nasty poop monster bitey thing.”
Damn. Marc wondered if he’d made a mistake, leaving Lily and her mom with what could potentially be a dangerous possession. Surely the thing would keep up the ruse with Lily’s mom. “Tell me everything you know, Mikey. I can help.”
“It wants to bite Lily, bad. Granny said so. It wants to bite her soul off, just like it bit Granny’s.” Mikey sighed, shook his head, and teared up. “My granny is made out of lights now, not people parts.”
Marc’s whole body went on high alert. He pulled out his wallet, tossing a couple of bills on the table. “That should be enough for you to get dessert, too, buddy.”
“Oh, are you two done already?” Lily’s mom came in, a coffee in each hand.
“Mom!” Mikey beamed at her. “Come have pie! Lily’s Lion bought!”
“I hope you like chocolate cream.” He smiled at her, but he could tell it was strained, because it didn’t make her look less worried.
“I do. Are you going to Lily? Now?”
“I am.” He turned on his heel and left the cafe, feeling like he’d been the biggest kind of fool. He’d just assumed that whatever it was in there wouldn’t do anything with Lily’s mom in the room. He hadn’t thought her mom would leave.
Hell, he was man enough to admit that he’d been half-stupid from the most amazing sex in the history of fucking with the most amazing woman in…
Oh, shit.
Oh, fucking hell shitballs.
The store was black through the windows—not dark. Black. Even with the fullness of the morning sun beaming in. He glanced around, and no one else was on the street. There was no one to notice. Was that the magick or just a small town?
One way or the other, he’d better go in through the back.
He slipped down the alleyway, heading past the other stores. The scent was foul back here, rotten, sour, fetid, and he shook his head as he moved. He’d been so fucking stupid, underestimating what was going on. Marc knew he’d let the poltergeist activity distract him.
Just as the demon had meant it to.
And now it was in there with a little psychic nuclear reactor who had absolutely no defenses.
His little psychic nuclear reactor. So his. He wasn’t letting her go easily, especially not to some asshole demon who was just going to corrupt all that magick and snuff it out in the act of trying to take it over.
No fucking way.
He hit the back door hard, knowing that he only had one chance to break in, surprise whatever the fuck had stolen that old woman’s body. Marc put all of his body and all of his will behind it when he hit the door, popping the latch.
It was pitch black inside, barring the odd glow of the candles, and he shook his head, trying to rationalize how this tiny space could suddenly be cavernous.
Not daring to open his mouth to call out, Marc moved through the darkness, his feet feeling like they were mired in deep mud.
When he saw Lily, he stopped short. Naked, taped up against one of the bookshelves, she looked pale as milk, especially with the sigils painted on her belly, her chest, her sex, her forehead.
So the body transition hadn’t happened yet. Thank heavens that Lily was as strong as an ox and that fucking thing couldn't just take her over like it had her granny. It didn't hurt that Brigit's body was on its last leg. Relief made him an idiot, and he started toward Lily, ignoring everything else, intent on freeing her.
Her eyes popped open—huge, wide, and staring behind him over the strip of duct tape that kept her silent.
Behind…
The blow between his shoulders knocked him winding, his arms flailing furiously as he rocked against the other set of shelves, the jars of goddess-knew-what beginning to clatter, shake as they tried to fall.
Oh, fuck.
No. He thought it as hard as he could, and the shelf stopped rocking. The thrust of all of his intent sent him rocketing the other way, though, landing so hard on his back that his teeth rattled.
The thing—because it wasn’t Lily’s grandmother anymore—capered across the floor, naked and hunched, the poor woman’s body perverted and disfigured by the beast in it. “Going to have such fun with your fine body, Lily-girl.”
Lily screamed behind the tape, Marc could hear her, and he struggled to get up, to make himself move, but something in his leg screamed, the pain sudden and sharp.
He couldn’t look away, so he just started to crawl, trying to ignore the pain.
“Lily. Lily Lily Lily.” The beast singsonged her name as Lily screamed, fighting furiously as the thing moved closer.
The air in front of Marc shimmered, his grandfather appearing there, damn near solid. “Brigit? Brigit, girl, are you going to let that thing have your granddaughter?”
Tinkling laughter sounded. “You’re still a bastard, Benjamin-dear.”
A woman face was right in front of him—young and happy, eyes dancing. “You’re my Lily’s Lion, are you? Ben was mine, my lion, and I lost him. So stupid of me. Don’t worry, boy, you won’t lose Lily.”
“Brigit.” Oh, Lily’s Granny was a bright soul. “Help me.”
“I’d be happy to, now that I have you and my Lily-girl in the same place.” She nodded and stood, a floodlight in the darkness. “Hey, you bitch! You leave my grandbaby alone! Lily, Lily-love. You have to let Marc in, baby. You have to trust him with everything, not just sex.”
The demon turned, growling at Brigit, and fuck, that was the ugliest thing he’d ever seen—blood-filled eyes and a toothless maw. “I’m going to wear her like a cheap fucking suit, you cunt.”
Then the beast grabbed Lily’s face, stared into her eyes, and a dull foulness seemed to cover his lady.
“No…” He shook his head, the sudden sense of defeat nearly crushing.
Grandpere’s hand slapped the back of his head, rocking him and jarring his brains. “Quit being a pussy, boy! You deserve her, fight for her!”
“Fight for her? How?”
“Don’t be stupid. Do your job, Marc.”
A bulbous, chunky jar rolled across the floor, bumping his broken leg. Then another one rolled. And another. And another. Marc looked at them, blinked, shook his head. His job. His job, right. He caught these nasty fuckers and made things safe.
Just like his father and his father before him.
Lily’s eyes rolled back in her head, showing nothing but pure white, and tears started rolling down her cheeks, but he got it. He suddenly fucking got it. They could do this. All of them, together. Marc reached out and grabbed one of Lily’s handmade pots from the floor, the fat, heavy little thing singing with pure joy, with sex, with need.
She’d thought of him when she made these, of them together.
Of love.
Yes.
“Lily! Honey, you fight that thing! Do you hear me, woman! You fight that thing right now or I’m going to beat your ass!” He opened the jar, laughing at the rush of love that poured over him. “Lilith St. Marc! You fight that bitch!”
He forced himself to stand, waving one arm in the air. “Did you hear me, Lily? I’m going to make you mine, going to keep your fine ass forever, but you have to fight her!”
Lily’s dark eyes tore away from the demon’s met his. Yes.
“That’s it, honey. I’m right fucking here.”
A rus
h of pure power hit him, square in the chest. His Lily. His Lady. His girl. She was so strong, strong enough to fight anything, as long as she believed it.
The walls started to tremble, the candles flickering, and the demon’s claws dug into Lily’s scalp, blood streaking down her face. Lily never looked away from him.
“Good girl, Lily. Keep it up.” As she spoke, Brigit’s hand shot out, the light pushing through the demon’s chest, making it scream. “Have I mentioned I have a weak heart?”
The demon shrieked again, the bloodless lips drawing back from the jaw, the gums shining, dripping slime. It shimmered, almost like a Hollywood movie ghost, like the light was showing through it from behind.
Lily’s power flooded him, gave him the strength to step forward, to get closer. Good girl, Lily. Good girl. I’m going to need you to give her a shove, baby. Hard. Toward me. Okay?
Please hear him. Please.
Lily looked right at him, and he saw the tiny nod, her eyes narrowing with a determined look.
He summoned everything he knew about magick, every bit of power he could gather without all the official casting and calling, and he put it into that jar, making it a kind of vortex, a shitstorm that would suck that thing right in.
There was a sound—like a huge bell was hit with a screaming cat—and suddenly Lily flared with this surge of light and power, the demon flying back, slamming right out of the skin it inhabited, the foul slickness of it hurtling toward Marc.
He steeled himself, willing it into the jar rather than his body, using the amazing flare of power he and Lily generated together. The sound it made then was like metal on metal, like an airplane landing on a warehouse. The room seemed to contract, the very air compressing, everything getting too small for them to possibly fit into.
Then the lid slammed on the jar and Marc traced a sigil on it with his finger, chanting a hasty blinding spell.
“Good boy.” Grandpere nodded, his ethereal finger tracing the same path. “Very nicely done.”
He forced himself to carefully set the pot aside before collapsing and crawling to his girl. Panting, he touched her foot, trying to get to her, get her free.
“Lily! Lily! Oh, my God! Mom!” The door from the back opened, light flooding the place. “Oh, God. Mikey! Call 911!”
Lily’s mother came in, stumbling to Lily and him, yanking the tape off Lily’s mouth. “Baby, what happened?”
For a split second, Marc thought Lily was going to just lose it, but she blinked, and Marc saw a light pass her face, almost wash over it. Her lips quivered. “Break in. Marc scared them away. He’s hurt. Help me down.”
“Lily’s all painted!” Mikey was turning in circles, hands flapping like he was going to fly. Marc grunted.
“Mikey. Man. Help me up, huh?”
“Uh-huh. Lily, you’re naked.” Mikey hefted him up, so strong. “Granny says if we don’t put a blanket on her before the cops come she’ll never let you have girl babies. Only hairy boys.”
Marc surprised himself by chuckling, reaching out for Lily as soon as he was upright again. “Lily?”
“Marc.” She looked up and him and started to cry, hard sobs that shook her tiny frame. “You came in time.”
“Don’t be a stupid girl, sister. Marc is your lion. It’s painted on his arms.”
Mark smiled when Lily stroked one of his winged lion tattoos. Yeah. He was her lion. And she was his girl.
“I’m sorry about your granny, Lil.” He leaned on her a little, Mikey still holding him up.
“I tried to save her.” Her big eyes were devastated.
“I know. There was no saving her after that first day. You know that, right?” He needed her to know they’d done their best. Needed her to trust him.
“I dropped the mirror, Marc.”
It was an accident, Lilith. Hell, it was my time, baby girl. Brigit stood there, close enough to touch, but not solid enough for it. You had to get through your trials; I just didn't think they'd happen so damned fast. Didn't I tell you my granddaughter would inherit all I worked for? I did. I’m so proud.
For a long moment Brigit was there, where they could see her, smiling, her lined face peaceful. Then she held out a hand to his Grandpere Ben, which he took in his, and they were gone.
Somehow there was a clock, still ticking, even after all the carnage. Marc’s leg buckled a little, and he tried not to pass out. “You need clothes, honey. And we need that blanket for Granny. After that, I think I need to sit down.”
Her eyes rolled, and she grabbed at the pile of clothes that had been dumped, covering her bloodstained body. “Asshat," she teased. "Mikey, go get Marc that wheelchair before he falls on the ground.” She met his eyes. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you proposed, either. I’m not saying yes. I’m not yours.”
Marc grinned at her, wiped the blood off her face, the sound of sirens getting louder. “Oh, honey, you so are. I’m not letting you out of my sight, not for a long, long time.”
Mikey came with the wheelchair, helping him ease down into it. “You hafta marry him, silly. He buys pie!”
“Right. I’ll keep that in mind.” Lily helped her mom cover the poor, still body on the floor up, smoothing the hair from Brigit’s still face. “I expect your blessing, Granny. And no hairy boy babies.”
There would be babies, though. Marc could feel it. They were probably going to have to get married sooner rather than later.
He’d better get busy building that house on Grandpere Ben’s land.
Epilogue
“Hold still, Lily. You’re going to burn yourself on the frigging curling iron.” BJ tugged Lily’s hair, hard. “I love the little rhinestones at the corners of your eyes. It’s so exotic.”
She laughed. Marc would be fascinated by the way the late summer sun made them sparkle. Marc was as much a cat sometimes as the lions inked into his skin. He loved sparkly things. He was fascinated by the choker he’d given her last night, the gold and diamonds heavy, undeniable, sort of like the touch of his hand on her tender ass.
Learning control was at once harder and way more fun than she’d thought it would be. “Is Sara May here yet?”
That girl had gotten stupid drunk last night and had been worshipping the porcelain gods at eight when Lily’d checked in.
BJ snorted. “She’s five minutes out. She had to find pantyhose.”
“Right. You really like your dress, right?” She’d found simple, pretty, deep purple sheaths for both of them and Marc’s two sisters. Mikey looked great in his tux, too, wearing his best man cummerbund with pride.
And if he insisted on calling it a “cummerybun,” well, Lily wasn’t telling.
“Lily! Are you coming?” Mikey stuck his head around the corner of the room the girls were using. “You’re almost late.”
Mikey thought a half hour ahead of time was late.
“Almost, Mikey.” She turned around, showing off her dress, the beads catching the light. “How do I look?”
“Like a stupid girl.” Mikey winked at her, grinned. “But you’re a sister. It’s the best you can do.”
“Thanks, Mikey. Go find Marc, huh? You’re the best man.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I got it, sister. I got it.”
A flutter of nerves hit deep in her belly, and she grinned at BJ, her eyes getting a little damp. “Fan me! I can’t cry right now.”
“Dork.” BJ fanned, her brown eyes bright. “You look like a princess.”
“Yeah, a weird, antique-store owning shop girl princess who’s marrying a witch. I told you when he kidnapped her, old dudes are weird.” Sara May stumbled in, hair jacked to Jesus.
BJ shook her head. “Warlock.”
“Sorcerer.” Sara May countered. “Who won’t let her drink with her best girlfriends.”
She flipped Sara May off. “I just didn’t want to be exhausted today. Wino.”
“Uh-huh.” BJ was the skeptical one, the one with the knowing eyes. “He thinks there’s a bun in the oven, I bet. I s
ee the way you two can’t keep your hands off each other.”
“Shut up. I’m about to get married and you two have to make sure Marc’s sisters don’t eat me alive for stealing their knight in tattooed armor.”
Katrina and Marc’s twin, Marsha, had been polite, mostly. At least after Marc had shown them the back room at the store, and they’d gotten to ooh and ahh over all the magickal weirdness.
“They should be happy to get rid of a boy…” Sara May winked. “Okay, I need to put on my pantyhose. BJ, can you come help with this power slip?”
“You got it. You okay here, honey?”
Lily nodded. “Go. I’m going to touch up my lipstick. While you’re out there, tell Daddy it’s time to come get me, okay?”
She grabbed her lipstick, filling in the deep red. It would look so good in the pictures. So pretty.
The light in the mirror shimmered, shifted, and she saw a familiar, beloved face.
“Granny.”
“You look stunning, baby girl. Absolutely beautiful.”
She fanned herself, sniffling a little. “Thank you. I miss you. I think about you, every day.”
Granny nodded. “I know. You’re doing fine, you and Marc. You keep up the good work, hmm?”
She nodded. “I will. We’re…organizing in the back. I’m getting really good at special containers. Really good.”
Granny’s smile was so bright Lily had to look away. “Honey? I have to go. Ben’s waiting for me. I have one favor to ask, though.”
Lily swallowed down the lump in her throat. “Anything, Granny. Anything at all.”
Granny’s laughter filled the room, and outside in the garden, she heard Marc’s voice. She couldn’t hear the words, but the joy in her soon to be husband’s voice was palpable. It sounded like someone had given him some good news, like he was so tickled he might just burst.
Granny was still laughing as her image faded from the mirror. Her voice didn’t fade at all, though, when she said, “Name them Brigit and Ben.”
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