29
Twenty-Nine
We didn’t bother with cleanup. What was the point? Anyone who found the room in the basement would think it was some sort of fallout shelter that preppers built. The gate was down and non-operational, though another gate remained in the cemetery.
“Should we take it down?” I asked as I handed Sami a mug of hot chocolate. We’d regrouped around the fire pit by the trailers and were enjoying cocktails, s’mores and conversation.
“I think it’s best,” Zoe said. “We can go in the morning, before you have to report for duty.”
She looked tired, her head resting against Aric’s shoulder as he rubbed her knee. Thankfully, as soon as the gate fell, her eyes had returned to normal. That was an additional problem none of us had the energy to deal with.
“We’ll go first thing,” Cole said. “Before breakfast. It’s best to knock it out of the way.”
“Um, I expect to be served breakfast in bed tomorrow,” Luke countered, his attention on his reflection as he applied Nixie’s ointment to the bruise on his face. “I’m a hero. Heroes get breakfast in bed.”
Cole chuckled. “You can sleep in. We’ll go knock it down right away. You probably won’t even wake up while I’m gone.”
Luke blew a raspberry and closed the compact. “That doesn’t sound fun at all.”
“Can I go?” Sami asked. Even though she’d been a total badass during the fight she now boasted chocolate smears around the corners of her mouth and a foamy upper lip from her hot chocolate. She was at that odd age where she could be a child one second and an adult the next.
“No,” Aric replied. “You’re staying in the hotel with me.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
“But ... why?”
“You had your adventure today and I want to keep you close.”
“But why?”
Aric looked chagrined. “Because you and I are spending quality father-daughter time together tomorrow. I even found a store that sells Charlie Bears.”
Sami stilled. “I’m kind of old for stuffed animals,” she said. The words rang hollow. “I mean ... Mom said you shouldn’t add any to my collection.”
“Well, Mom has other things going on tomorrow,” Aric replied, shooting his wife a challenging look. “It’s my morning to spoil you. She’ll be fine with it.”
I bit the inside my cheek and looked away to keep from laughing. Honestly, the Winters family dynamic was like a reality television show run amok.
“You could get me a Nintendo Switch, too,” Sami said. “I know Mom said no video games, but it would be fun for all of us.”
“I can probably be persuaded.” Aric looked to his wife. “Don’t say a word. If I want to take her shopping tomorrow, I will.”
Zoe shook her head. “Go nuts. If you’re buying those Switch things, get me one. The gray one. You guys can argue amongst yourselves over the other colors.”
Sami stuck out her tongue. “I want the teal one anyway.”
“Awesome.”
“And the Helter Skelter bear.”
Zoe’s smirk was obvious. “But you’ve outgrown the bears.”
“Whatever.”
The conversation lagged for a moment, and because I was me, I felt the need to fill the silence. “What did they try to make you do, Sami?”
Nobody had talked about what happened on the other side of the gate. Kade’s part — the magical attack and healing — had been glossed over. Even after Max regained consciousness and embraced his son, nothing was said about what he’d done. It could wait, but I was dying to hear his thoughts. Sami had been held captive for hours. I wanted to know.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” Sami said. “They surprised us because they were dressed as clowns. I thought it was creepy but normal — I mean, they do have clowns here. But Luke didn’t recognize them, and by the time I knew we were in trouble it was already too late.”
“How did they get you?” Zoe asked. “You should’ve been able to take them out.”
“I tried but they had this thing, this straw thing, and they blew a dart into my neck. Then they threw some sort of magical net over me … and it hurt. It knocked me out in seconds.”
“They blew a dart into your neck?” Zoe made a face. “If they weren’t already dead, I would kill them all over again.”
“What about you?” I asked Luke. “Did you get the dart treatment?”
He was sheepish. “No. I saw Sami go down and tried to protect her. They just hit me with a board.”
“You’re still a hero,” Zoe reassured him. “You fought for Sami.”
“Dolph was still on his feet when I went down,” Luke explained. “I thought we had a chance. Obviously I was wrong.”
“We woke up in that room underground,” Sami added. “I didn’t know where we were, but Luke told me to listen. That’s when I realized we could hear the water, that we weren’t far from the river.”
She turned to face her mother. “I knew you would come for me. It took you a long time, though.”
Zoe chuckled. “I couldn’t feel you. Paris had to help. I called her, by the way. She’s expecting a video chat with you tomorrow. She was upset when I told her you were gone.”
“That’s because I’m awesome.” Sami sipped her hot chocolate. “It was the runes.”
“What was?” I asked.
“The reason Mom couldn’t feel me. I couldn’t feel her ... but I could. It wasn’t in the normal way.” She looked pensive. “I knew she would find me, but she wasn’t in my head. She can always find me in my head. I was expecting it this time, but she never came.
“I heard them talking, that Celeste woman and the weird creatures with people faces. They said they’d tricked you into thinking there would be a trade,” she continued. “They wanted me to open the gate. They could talk through the gate, but the monsters couldn’t cross over.”
“Did you try to help them?” Zoe asked. “It’s okay if you did. Nobody blames you for trying to protect yourself.”
“I told them to suck it. They said I had a foul mouth and was a rotten kid.”
Zoe grinned. “You get that from me.”
Sami returned the smile. “I kept telling them to suck it, but then they said they were going to kill Luke.” She darted a look to the man in question. “He was still unconscious, and I knew I needed to buy time. I woke faster than they thought I would. Apparently I was only out for twenty minutes. They were mad, said they used up a bunch of blood magic to fool the dreamcatcher, but didn’t have enough time to do what they wanted.”
I leaned into Kade as he slipped his arm around my back. He seemed content to listen to the story and remain close to me. He was likely still absorbing what happened, I told myself. He would want to talk later ... and I would be ready to exalt him for finally breaking through when he was ready. For now, he seemed happy to zone out and listen to the others catch everybody up.
“You healed yourself,” Zoe said. “That has to be it. Even unconscious, you found a way to heal yourself.”
Sami shrugged. “I guess. They were mad, and I wasn’t sure I could protect Luke. I pretended to try to help them and then said I didn’t have enough energy. I thought they would try to grab you.” She fixed her serious eyes on Zoe. “I told them I needed you to bring it down.”
“That was smart,” Zoe encouraged.
“They didn’t believe me. They forced us to the other side of the gate. They said they were going to kill Luke if I didn’t use my magic to open the door. The monster thing looked like a man, but I could kind of see beneath and knew he was something else. Luke was waking up by then, so I did what I always do.”
Zoe’s smile broadened. “You created a dome.”
“Yeah, and then I made him walk up that hill to get away from them. I was worried the monsters might be able to sense me. When we were on top of the hill, I just sat there and waited. We watched them run around like idiots. I knew you would come ... eventually.�
�
Zoe stared at her child for a really long time and then leaned toward her. “You did everything exactly right.”
Sami preened.
“You protected Luke and yourself. You didn’t try to take them down when you were outnumbered. You couldn’t have done a single thing better.”
“You still had to use the black eyes.” Sami was sheepish. “I know you hate when you have to turn your eyes black.”
Zoe smoothed Sami’s hair. “Sometimes it’s necessary, like today. My eyes are back to normal now. Everything worked out as it was supposed to. And, hey, you even paid it forward with the healing. Bob helped you and you helped Kade. Now he’ll always be able to help his friends.”
“Yeah.” Sami turned her grin toward Kade. “I’m like your teacher. You should bring me an apple or something.”
Kade chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Zoe shifted in her chair. “Speaking of, where is Max?”
“He went to his trailer,” Kade replied. “I think he was feeling a bit emotional.”
“Because he almost died?” Sami asked.
Kade shook his head.
“Because Kade loves him enough to heal him,” I said. “They’ve been trying to build a relationship for a long while. Today, you helped them cement a very strong foundation.”
Luke made a face. “I hate it when you use construction metaphors.”
I ignored him. “Your mother is right, Sami. You did things absolutely perfect today. I’m sorry it took us so long to get to you.”
“It’s okay.” Sami was nonchalant. “I’m kind of used to this stuff. On the list of weird things that have happened to me, this is right in the middle.”
I chuckled. “That means you’ve lived a very interesting life.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s going to get even more interesting tomorrow,” Zoe added.
Sami’s eyes narrowed as suspicion twisted her features. “Why? I’m not doing some weird mother-daughter bonding ritual on top of shopping with Dad. No matter what you say, hair band music is bad ... and those guys are gross.”
“You just don’t understand sex appeal,” Zoe said dryly. “I thought tomorrow maybe you could shift and perform with Luke like you originally wanted.”
I was taken aback.
“Yay!” Luke clapped his hands. “We can wear matching collars.”
Sami wasn’t quite ready to embrace her good luck. “Is this a trick or something?”
Zoe shook her head. “No. Your father wants to spoil you. I guess I kind of do too.”
Sami broke into a wide grin. “That’s awesome. Can I pick my own entrance music?”
“Of course,” Luke said. “It wouldn’t be a grand debut if you didn’t. We’ll talk about it at breakfast tomorrow.”
“Oh, this is going to be so awesome.” Sami excitedly wriggled in her seat. “A Charlie Bear. A Nintendo Switch. My show business debut. Do I get ice cream, too?”
“Whatever you want,” Aric said, linking fingers with his wife.
“Yay!”
I turned to the water, where the ghosts had hovered on and off over the past few days. They were gone. Hindsight really is miraculous. The ghosts weren’t there because people were dying thanks to blood magic. They were present to alert us to the gate … and the leviathan. Now that the threat was gone, they had no reason to remain.
I shivered when Kade’s lips brush against the ridge of my ear. He’d moved in close when I wasn’t looking.
“Not that I’m not having fun,” he whispered, “but I was kind of hoping we could have some private time tonight.”
I lightly knocked my head against his. “I was thinking the same thing. Twenty minutes and then we’ll make our excuses.”
“Cool.” He kissed my cheek and then fixed his attention on Sami. “So, little mage, have you readjusted your list after today’s events? I did heal for the first time, after all. That has to be hot.”
Sami’s nodded without missing a beat. “I did, but you’re not at the top.”
“What?” Kade pretended outraged.
“You can heal, and that’s awesome for you, but I can heal too. And I don’t find it cool.”
“Ha!” Luke jabbed a finger in Kade’s direction. “I’m the hero today.”
“You definitely moved up the list.” Sami offered with a pretty smile. “But I ended up having to protect you.”
Luke’s smile began to slide. “So Cole’s still leading? If so, I have to tell you, he’s got this mark on his chest that I’m convinced was once a third nipple he had surgically removed.”
“Hey!” Cole elbowed him in the stomach. “I told you that was a scar from a knife fight.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Yeah, the world’s tiniest knife.”
“Cole isn’t at the top either,” Sami said. “He’s third now.”
“Oh, man.” Cole feigned disappointment. “That sucks.”
“Luke is second,” Sami said.
“Does that mean I’m first?” Kade asked with a wink.
“I already told you no.”
I couldn’t stop myself from asking the obvious question. “Who is first?”
“Dolph. He took on ten people to protect me. He has even bigger muscles than the rest of the guys here.”
Dolph was our strongman, so that made sense. “Good choice.”
“No way!” Luke was appalled. “Dolph looks like a potato with arms and legs.”
“He looks like Jason Statham,” Sami countered. “He’s so hot he could melt a stick of butter without frying a sandwich.”
“Oh, that’s crap,” Luke groused.
“And I would mix that butter with popcorn and have a yummy treat,” Sami added.
Aric’s eyes flashed. “Don’t make me have Nixie turn you into one of those dolls, young lady. I might be feeling like a mushy pushover, but I have my limits.”
Sami accepted the s’more her mother handed her and leaned back in her chair. “The list can still be changed before I go. I look forward to your many attempts to be number one, boys.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth as my shoulders shook and I watched Aric pin his wife with a dark glare.
“She gets that from you.”
Zoe shrugged. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. I look forward to the competition too.”
“I’m going to win,” Luke insisted. “Just you wait. I’m king of the circus for a reason.”
“Have another s’more,” Cole said as he shoved a chocolate and marshmallow sandwich in his boyfriend’s mouth. “We’ll talk about the competition rules tomorrow, after we take down the gate.”
Oddly enough, that sounded like the perfect day.
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Mystic Caravan 11 - Freaky Mage Page 28
