Max laces his fingers together and presses his forehead into his knuckles. “I’m sorry. She has a way of setting off geysers, then booking it so she doesn’t have to deal with the fall out.”
“Your mom just left you down here?” I ask. “All by yourself?”
Nic uncorks a bottle of wine and fills a glass with the rich, red liquid. “As I said, it was ultimately safer for us to part ways. Once a siren turns fifteen, their powers amplify. The two of us together were bound to need to separate eventually. As long as we don’t sing, things don’t get too bad, but it’s still dangerous. Thankfully, there aren’t many of us running around, at least not in this realm.”
“That sounds lonely,” I say.
“I get by.” Nic smiles and I almost buy it.
Tracing the tattoo on my wrist, I sigh and look at Max. “I know it would’ve been great to find a witness who met Joel, but—”
“I know, I know.” Max heaves a sigh, and his shoulders deflate. “We’ll try and talk to her. Though I doubt this will go any better than trying to find a body in the ocean.”
Panic swells in my chest as our options burn to ash, leaving us with the worst possible choice. There’s no time to sort through it all. This alone exacerbates my mounting worry. I need something to shut it all down so I can function for Max’s sake.
Tugging my wallet out of a pocket of my bag, I slap it on the counter. “Since we’re about to face an impossible task, drinks are on me. Do you take visa?”
The corner of Nic’s mouth curls up like a wave into a half smile. “It’s on the house. So long as you promise to take care of Aline Avila. Make sure she can’t hurt anyone ever again.”
15.
EXHAUSTED AND BOTH a little tipsy, Max and I decide not to attempt traveling tonight. Even only slightly compromised might make either water bamfing or phoenix flight iffy at best and dangerous at worst. No need to accidentally run into a mountain while trying to get back to the states.
Nic recommends a good motel for us to crash at, then gives us her number. “I can’t do that nifty water travel thing,” she says, wiggling a finger at Max. “But if you need help, hit me up and I’ll get to you as fast as I can. To be very clear, I have no fighting skills, but siren magic can be pretty powerful and I’m happy to use it for a good cause.”
“Thanks, little mama. For everything. Look us up if you’re ever in the states.” Max kisses her cheeks, triggering completely unreasonable jealousy in my gut, then gently touches my back.
A typhoon of emotions rages inside me as we follow Nic’s directions to the motel. Even the heavy numb of tequila can’t calm the anxiety of a dead end. I don’t know what I expected considering every bounty hunter before me failed. Surely others came down here to try and find Joel. They probably even spoke with him using something Iris gave them.
This is what I get for my arrogance: wasted time and a nice blow to my ego.
There is one thing I have that the others didn’t though, logic reminds me, and that’s Max. This might be enough to smoke Aline out of hiding. Though it’s clear she’s never been maternal, it’s possible we could appeal to her sense of pride. That is, if I can figure out how to get in contact with her.
In the motel, I grumble my way to the bathroom for another night in the tub. Max follows, again yanking sheets off the bed, and making himself a spot on the tile floor. When we’ve settled, he lets out a quiet sigh.
“Thanks for trying, and just for helping me in general,” he says. “I know it cost you a lot.”
My nose stings as the build of emotions reaches a tipping point. I swallow them back before answering. “Don’t make me think about it too much. I might change my mind.” I laugh, but it comes out weak and recedes back into my chest quickly. “Thanks for staying with me ... in here.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
Max’s hand appears on the edge of the tub and, without considering the consequences, I slide my fingers through his. For the next few nights of travel, we hold to this pattern. Every evening we camp out in motel bathrooms, waiting for my midnight death, dreading it and what might happen if this last resort fails.
By the time we make it back to the states, we’re both quiet, strung out. I collapse unceremoniously onto the bed of our latest motel room in Crowley, Louisiana. It’s early yet, and the thought of curling up in another bathtub makes my whole body ache. Max sinks onto the mattress beside me with a glass of water.
“Do you think you should try to scry again?” he asks, eyes unfocused and surrounded by shadows. “Just to make sure?”
I stifle a yawn. “Probably. Maybe after food.”
“What’s the plan if we actually manage to find her?”
Flinging an arm over my face, I groan dramatically. “I’m still figuring that out. If you have any suggestions or warnings, I’m more than open to them.”
The bed shifts as Max stands. I watch him pace through the slit between my wrist and nose. His expression twists as he wrings the bounty cuff between his fingers. A few times he opens his mouth, then snaps it shut again like he’s dismissing every potential idea before verbalizing it.
This nervous energy floods into my muscles and I stand as well. “We have to think of something.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Max asks.
Frustration swarms my head and I grip the back of one of the hotel chairs for balance. “Well, you know her better than I do. What strategy could we use to try and trap her? Or convince her to turn herself in so you don’t take the fall for something she did?”
Linking his fingers at the back of his neck, Max shakes his head. “It’s no good.”
I grab his shoulders to stop his pacing. “Don’t do that. Don’t you dare give up after I torpedoed my place in my guild and destroyed one of my best chances at finding a way to break this stupid curse.”
Max’s shoulders sag. “Sometimes giving up is the only option. Maybe you can still get your chance if you turn me into Iris. Who knows? She might just want to reminisce about Joel’s life over a cup of tea.”
Fury detonates inside me and I give him a rather violent shake. “Stop it. There’s no way in all the realms I’m going to do that now. Not when I know you’re innocent. Quit your wallowing and help me think. Where’s that insanely slappable arrogance you waltzed into Guidry’s with, huh? It made me want to punch you right in your pretty face, but it was better than this whiney thing you’ve got going on.”
One side of Max’s mouth twitches, then slides into a half grin. “Most people find that arrogance endearing, mama.”
Better.
“Don’t test me,” I say. “Because I will follow through with that desire if it keeps you from turning into a dripping wet baby blanket. You—”
Max cuts me off with a kiss. Cool and soft and gentle, it shorts my brain out completely. I stand as still as one of Medusa’s victims. Then, as the shock fades, pleasure rolls in right on its heels. Hesitantly, I respond, for the barest moment allowing his touch to draw me in, distract me from our desperate situation.
My hands slip from his shoulders to tangle my fingers into his thick hair as his slide down to my waist. A magnetic force pulls us closer to one another. Water and fire, hot and cold, sweet and spicy and all kinds of dangerous. Even dried out his lips are soft, drawing me out gently.
Then, my stubborn brain stokes anxiety again and I dart back. “Max, I—”
A loud bang interrupts me as something slams through the motel door. Out of pure instinct, I jerk Max behind me as bits of wood scatter through the room. I barely manage to shove him into the bathroom when the woman who attacked me on the bus sprints inside, barreling right toward us.
Trapped with nowhere to go, I snarl and burst into phoenix flame, diving forward to meet her head on. My talons just miss her eyes as I attempt to stay out of reach. Her height, however, makes this nearly impossible. She swipes at me with her massive hands. I snap at her fingers, the tip of my beak closing down on a thumb.
Pa
in crunches through my jaw.
As hard and unbreakable as stone, her skin has absolutely no give. Horror strikes me as she takes another swing in my direction. Logic finally catches up to me as silvery, ram-like horns appear on her forehead, gracefully curving up over her head and around her ears. She’s a gargoyle like Hank. Which means there is no way in the realm of the living I’ll be able to take her on. Our best bet is to get out of here as fast as possible.
I swoop around her, trying to get back to the bathroom, back to Max.
Something heavy slams into the very base of my spine, and I tumble out of phoenix form. Blind with pain, I land on my knees, scrambling forward, hoping to feel tile under my hands. The toe of a boot catches my hip. Pain shatters down my leg as the force flings me sideways. I hit the wall, panic rising in my chest.
Then Max’s voice rings out. “Stop. Now.”
Power radiates from his person, brushing past me like a warm wave, all directed toward the woman. Holding my breath, I squint up at our attacker’s face. I don’t hold out much hope. Nearly indestructible, a gargoyles’ paranormal call to protect the vulnerable guards them against most magic.
The woman does stop, but a sneer tugs at her upper lip. “I don’t know what kind of spell she has you under that’s making you defend her, but I’ll find a way to break it. Even if I have to cut her to pieces to do it.”
For the second time today, shock slaps me right in the face. I blink dumbly at the gargoyle. With Max standing between me and her, she isn’t charging anymore, but her narrowed gaze is aimed at me. She clenches her fists. The muscles along her forearms tighten and she shifts onto the balls of her feet.
Max throws out his arms. “Hold up. Who are you? Talk to us a second.”
“Not while you’re under her control,” the woman says.
She sprints sideways, springing up onto the bed, and leaping toward me. I shift again, flying in the opposite direction. The tight space of the motel room limits my movement. One of my wings crunches against the wall as I angle to avoid hitting Max with my talons.
“I’m not under her control,” he shouts, shuffling sideways to try and stay between us. “She’s trying to help me clear my name.”
The woman jabs a finger at his arm. “Hard to believe when you’re still wearing that cuff.”
My stomach sinks as Max glances at his wrist. The muscles between his shoulder blades ball up with tension as he cranes slowly to look at me. I shift back into human form, eyes jerking between Max and the woman.
Finally, I settle them on the water spirit. “It’s for your protection. With all the other bounty hunters after you, I can’t break the connection now.”
“Don’t listen to her lies,” the woman says. “Bounty hunters will say whatever they can to fulfill their contracts.”
Max moistens his lips, but still doesn’t move, his hands now out between me and the gargoyle. “She was going to turn me in, but she didn’t, she’s helping me clear my name.” He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head.
The woman steps a little closer and I flinch back, remembering every blow from a few days ago. “She might be trying to hold out for more money.”
Tension springs out along Max’s jaw.
The sound of voices echo down the hall. With the racket this gargoyle made breaking into our room, I’m a little shocked it’s taken this long for our fellow motel guests to react. Chalk it up to a desire to avoid inconvenience at all possible. Desperation digs into my chest. We’ve got to get out of here.
“You have to trust me, Max,” I say. “The same way I trust that you’re not using your magic on me, trust that I’m not using this spell on you.”
Max shakes his head again, then grabs both of our arms.
I gasp. “Wait!” Before I can finish, a feeling like water rushes over me, and Max bamfs us out of the room.
16.
WE CRASH INTO THE MIDDLE of an empty field near the motel. As I stumble across the flat grass, Max collapses to his knees, coughing and wheezing. The woman lands in a three-point stance. Stone gray wings spring from her back, and with a battle cry, she lunges in my direction. Terror pulses like an electric current through my veins, but before she gets very far, Max grabs her ankle. She pulls him along the soggy grass for a few steps, then pauses to glare down at him.
“For the love of all that is good, and magical,” Max says around a gasp, “stop for two seconds.”
The woman glares at me, and I’m ashamed to admit, I crab walk a few feet away from her. “Fine,” she says. “But only if she takes that binding spell off you.”
Shaking with pure frustration, I spring to my feet, lower back screaming with pain. “Oh sure, I’ll get right on that. All we know about you is that you beat the junk out of me and broke into our motel room. How can I be sure you’re not just another bounty hunter trying to steal my mark?”
The woman’s eyes flash. “How dare you? No self-respecting gargoyle would ever take such a dishonorable job.”
I snort and cross my arms. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Gargoyles are practically perfect in all the ways. Good and pure, protectors of the innocent, all around good guys. My buddy Hank’s told me all about you self-righteous twats.”
Brows jumping to her hairline, the woman unclenches her fist. “Hank Theriot?”
I let my head drop back with a guttural groan. “Please don’t tell me you know him.”
Still at her feet, though now sitting back on his heels, Max lets out a sigh. “Please tell us you do, because it sounds like that might stop the fighting long enough to have a conversation without any ultimatums or bone breaking.”
She rubs her forehead with the tips of her fingers. “Since you’re friendly with Hank, I’ll give you five minutes before I start swinging again.”
I shove my hands into my pockets. “Seeing as how you attacked us, how about you go first?”
Nostrils flaring, she rests her fists on her hips, midafternoon sun casting shadows across her impressive arm muscles. “Not an unreasonable request. My name is Brynn, and I was hired by Max’s mother to find him.”
I gape.
Losing his balance, Max drops onto his backside. “She what now?”
“That’s right.” Brynn looks down at him. “When she heard half the paranormal world had gone after you, she contacted me to find you.”
I shove both sets of fingers into my hair, foolish hope singing through my chest. “So, you know where she is?”
Rolling her gaze to me, her upper lip hooks into that sneer. “No. Aline is extremely careful about giving out her location considering the bounty on her. All she wanted was for me to free Max and get him back to his people in Houston.”
Max slumps over his knees, face in his hands, slightly pale from traveling us here. He sits there only for a moment before lifting his head with that mask of a smile. It fails halfway up his face, the confusion evident in his dark eyes.
“Who knew it would take this long for that latent maternal instinct to kick in,” he says, leaning back on his palms. “We sure could use her contact information if you’ve got it scribbled down somewhere. It might help get the bounty called off completely. Because chances are if you haul me back to Houston, hunters will just keep coming.”
Brynn lunges forward, reaching for my throat. I throw up an inside defense, redirecting her first attack, but missing the second. Her fingers crush my windpipe as she lifts me off the ground, leaving my feet dangling. Unable to breathe, I duck my chin, just barely relieving pressure so I can gulp down a little air.
“I’ll admit, you’re a much more powerful magic user than I anticipated,” she says, her voice harsh and low. “He doesn’t even sound charmed.”
I grip her forearm, and stupidly level a kick at her stomach. Though it probably wouldn’t have done much against her rock-hard skin — other than break my foot — she swivels her hips out of the way.
“I’m not—”
Her fingers tighten. “You will not speak again until you break your
spell on the water spirit.”
Darkness closes in on my vision. Desperate, I attempt to shift into my phoenix shape again. Wings spring out from between my shoulder blades. Fiery power forces me back and out of her grip. I hover in the air, just beyond her reach, concentrating on maintaining my human form rather than fully transforming.
I rub my throat with a palm. “Breaking the spell puts Max in danger,” I say in a croak. “I won’t do it until I clear his name. Right now, all your plan does is put him right back where he was before, with countless bounty hunters after him.”
As Brynn glares up at me, Max stands. “She’s right,” he says. “I can’t keep existing in fear, hiding and hoping that another hunter won’t find me, putting the people I care about at risk. We have to find my mom. Give people closure if we can. Justice.”
Brynn’s chest heaves a moment, her ribcage expanding and deflating with heavy breaths. The tendons along her arms and jaw stand out. A gust of damp wind lifts the strands of her dark hair away from her face. My head swims with each terrified pound of my heart.
Then Brynn’s wings fold in, and her horns fade. “I’ll admit you have a point.” She cracks her knuckles with a thumb. “Are you in contact with Hank, phoenix?”
Still hovering out of her reach, I nod. “He’s been helping us keep the bounty hunter’s guild in the dark while we try to find Max’s mom.”
“Ask him to meet us,” Brynn says. “If I can confirm your story with him, I’ll do what I can to help you find Aline.”
WE WAIT FOR HANK AT a local coffee shop not far from the motel. Though nowhere near as good as Cafe Du Monde, their dark roast isn’t half bad, though it does require a healthy serving of heavy cream to hide a funny aftertaste I can’t quite nail down.
Uncharacteristically quiet, Max sits between Brynn and me, sucking down his third bottle of water. I drag my focus away from his shadowed face and scan the occupants of the patio tables around us. Old or young, well-dressed or shabby, none of them can resist casting a glance at our slightly strange group.
Cursed: Out of Ash and Flame Page 14
