Freaky Deaky Tiki

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I don’t know what that is,” I said.

  “She’s a giant snake.”

  “Oh, well ... .”

  Aisling’s eyes drifted to Griffin as he moved toward the front door. “Where are you going?”

  “I have to help, baby.” He was firm. “I know you don’t like the idea, but they can’t do everything themselves.”

  “I’m going with you.” Cormack detached from Aisling, a large sword in his hand.

  “Where did that come from?” I asked, confused.

  “I gave it to him,” Wesley volunteered. “I brought more if you want one.”

  “I want one,” Aisling said, stepping forward. “I’m going out, too.”

  “No, you’re not.” Cormack shook his head, firm. “You’re staying here. That’s the one thing Griffin and I agree on right now. You have to protect my grandchild. That’s your primary job.”

  Aisling didn’t look as if she agreed. “But ... .”

  “No.” Griffin snapped out the word, making me realize that no matter how indulgent he was, he put his foot down on important things. “You are staying here. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but you are not going outside. Aisling, promise me.”

  She jutted out her lower lip, defiant. “I’m mad at both of you.”

  “You can punish us later.” Griffin gave her a small salute. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “You’d better. I ... love you.” She looked pained at laying herself out there for everyone to see, but she never moved her eyes from his face.

  “I love you, too.”

  Cormack patted her shoulder as he moved past. “I love you, too, Aisling. We’ll be back. I promise.”

  “I’m going to punish both of you like you wouldn’t believe,” she gritted out.

  “I have no doubt about that.”

  Once they were gone, it was only the women and Wesley left. His main focus was Casey, but he kept glancing at the door, as if readying himself to bolt through it.

  “I should help them,” he said over the strangled cries that emanated from the yard. “They’re still outnumbered.”

  “You’re needed here,” Lilac said, finally pushing herself away from the wall. The determination on her face was chilling. I had so many things I wanted to ask her, but she was almost to the door. “I’ll take care of them.”

  Wesley watched her, a mixture of worry and relief on his face. “Be careful, Lilac. You know what happens when you lose your temper.”

  “It’s a bit late for that.” Her normally blond hair started glowing red. It started at the tips, the color spreading fast, and before I realized what was happening she was completely covered in orange and red flames. Her eyes, normally so friendly and welcoming, had gone completely black.

  I was too surprised to draw back. That would’ve been a mistake, but one I wouldn’t realize until hours later. I was too stunned to do anything but gape.

  “I’ll be back,” Lilac announced, her voice suddenly much deeper. “If you hear someone scream, don’t worry. I’ll try to stop myself from killing as many of them as possible.”

  I stared in her wake for so long I thought I’d imagined it. Inside, though, I knew I hadn’t. I finally managed to scramble toward the door. Wesley caught me before I could go through it.

  “Where are you going?” he demanded.

  “What was that? I ...who?” There were too many questions running through my brain.

  “She’s half-demon,” Wesley explained. “She doesn’t like to talk about it. If she wants to share information with you, she will. For now, you have to let her do her thing.”

  It turned out, her thing was fairly spectacular. When I stepped to the front door I found Lilac already in the middle of the fight. Booker was on one side of her, magical arrows zinging in a multitude of different directions. When the arrows hit, they didn’t kill. They wrapped their targets in a tangled net, and no matter how hard they struggled, they couldn’t get out.

  Galen, still in his wolf form, fought with one of Taurus’s male followers, one of the big guys who was armed with an ax. I wanted to help him, but I recognized I’d be more of a hindrance, so I remained rooted to my spot.

  Cormack and Griffin were fighting two other men, and although Cormack slashed at his opponent his intent looked to be maiming rather than killing. There were bodies scattered all over the yard, odd magical nets anchoring them to the ground. Taurus was still on his feet.

  “You cannot beat me,” he bellowed when Booker missed him with an arrow and Lilac’s burst of dark magic glanced away from his head, leaving his hair singed. “I am the end of time. This is my island, my home. You cannot beat me!”

  He was clearly losing his mind.

  Slowly, as if sensing a new player had joined the fight, his eyes tracked to the door and pinned me with hatred. He ignored everyone else and started striding in my direction. As he moved, his muscles twisted and his form turned from that of a man to a charging bull ... complete with horns.

  I opened my mouth to call for help, and then realized that was idiotic — and weak. I didn’t have to think about using the magic this time. My fingers simply flared to life as I raised my hands to fight him off.

  “Hadley!” Booker yelled my name as he swiveled, another arrow ready to take flight. Galen responded to the sound of my name and pulled away from the man he was fighting, the intent to run down Taurus evident on his wolf face.

  It was too late. I didn’t need them. I knew exactly what I was going to do.

  I extended my fingers, a ball of fire growing. It surged out of me, hot anger and fierce determination fueling it, before the bull hit the front steps. It barreled into Taurus with such force that he was bowled over, flipped onto his back. I thought it would be enough to stop him, but he fought to regain his footing.

  He was hurt badly enough that he couldn’t maintain his shape and slowly resumed human form. His face reflected fury, and I knew he would come after me a second time. I was readying myself to fight even as Galen and Booker struggled to close the distance, and then a figure appeared behind me. Aisling had her gun in her hand.

  “What are you doing?” I gasped, fighting to form another fireball.

  “I’m sick of this.” Aisling strode directly in front of me, leveled the gun at Taurus’s head, and then pointed the gun about three feet down before firing.

  The sound was deafening, causing everyone in the yard to cease fighting and focus on Taurus. The bullet hit exactly where Aisling aimed — his groin — and he whined like a child about to throw a tantrum, grabbing his testicles as he listed to the side.

  He hit the ground hard, tears leaking from his eyes, and Aisling showed zero remorse as she looked down on him. “You had that coming and we all know it.”

  “I was going to take him out,” I complained, finding my voice. “I had everything under control.”

  “Well, you weren’t working fast enough.” Aisling wasn’t the type to apologize, and this time was no different. “By the way, that chick inside is insisting on pushing. We need to get her to the hospital ... and now.”

  THINGS HAPPENED IN RAPID succession after that. Wesley, Griffin, Aisling and I loaded Casey into the golf cart and headed to the hospital. I wanted to stay, to help Galen and talk to Lilac about what had happened, but we each had a job to do and I intended to hold up my end.

  Casey’s parents met us at the hospital, and her mother accompanied her into the delivery room ... as did Jacob’s soul. He would still have to be absorbed, but Aisling seemed resigned to letting him witness the birth of his miracle baby.

  “He’s not hurting anybody,” she said quietly.

  I cast her a sidelong look. “You’re not turning into a softie, are you?”

  “Nope. I’m as hardcore as they come.”

  “I think you proved that when you ... um ... took the bull by his horns,” Griffin offered, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He looked more amused than upset. “You probably shouldn’t have done that, baby,
but you always know how to end things with style.”

  “That’s my superpower,” she agreed, resting the back of her head against his chest.

  “One of them.” He kissed the top of her head. “The others will be here soon, Hadley. You don’t need to fret.”

  He seemed to read my angst, and I was thankful for the words, but I wouldn’t be able to relax until I saw my friends and family ... all of them. I didn’t have long to wait. Galen and Booker strolled through the double doors of the maternity ward, grime lining their faces. They seemed happy, chatting away as if they didn’t have a care in the world. That didn’t stop me from throwing my arms around Galen’s neck the second I got to him.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” He stroked his hand down the back of my head and kissed my cheek. “Booker is fine, too.”

  “Everyone is fine,” Booker volunteered. “In fact, things are so fine Lilac is going to throw a victory party at her bar tomorrow night. After the cleanup is complete at the lighthouse, she’s going to focus on those preparations.”

  The statement took me by surprise. “She’s not here? I wanted to talk to her, to ask why she didn’t tell me what she was. I ... she was amazing.”

  “She was,” Galen agreed. “You have to understand, demons aren’t exactly welcome in most circles. Lilac tries to keep that side of her nature suppressed. She helped us today because that’s who she is. That doesn’t mean she’s not embarrassed.”

  I didn’t understand. Of course, I understood very little about the paranormal world. That was becoming more and more apparent. “Should I go to her?”

  “I would give her a little time.” Galen gave me a long kiss. “She’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time this has happened. She needs to calm down. It’s the rage that fuels her demonic side, the hate. She needs to decompress after embracing the darkness. She’s throwing a victory party tomorrow, and then everything will be fine. You’ll see.”

  I was dubious, but he seemed to know what he was talking about. “What about Aurora and the water warriors?”

  “They only saw a few people run into the water. They’re all fine.”

  “And what about the other members of the cult? Where are they?”

  “Those that haven’t run have been taken into custody,” Galen replied. “The rest will be easy to round up. As for Barry, he’s being wheeled into surgery. It seems Aisling’s bullet did quite a bit of damage.”

  “A lot,” Booker agreed. “So much that the doctor is doubtful he’ll ever be able to perform again. Barry was on drugs when he heard that, but he started screaming anyway. I can’t say I blame him.”

  “Yeah, well, he had it coming.”

  “He did,” Galen agreed, grinning at my worried expression. “Are you afraid that I’m going to arrest your friend? If so, you can relax. I don’t want her staying on this island for one second longer than necessary.”

  That was a relief. “Casey is giving birth. Jacob is with her. Aisling is letting him stay until after he sees his baby.”

  “That’s good.” Galen’s smile lit up his entire face. “You did good, honey. I mean ... really good. You would’ve taken Barry down yourself if Aisling didn’t get trigger happy.”

  “We all took him down.”

  “I guess we did. You still did good.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “I did?”

  “I’m going to reward you properly later.”

  “We still need to talk, Galen,” Wesley barked when he realized what Galen was implying. “I haven’t forgotten.”

  Galen rested his forehead against mine and sighed. “I guess this day isn’t over quite yet.”

  29

  Twenty-Nine

  True to form, Lilac hosted the victory party to end all victory parties the following evening. She was in a good mood when we entered the bar, holding court with several regulars as she described the fight. She offered me a wave, but didn’t move to intercept me. Apparently she wanted me to make the first move.

  I was fine with that.

  She almost appeared relieved when I immediately crossed and gave her a long hug. Galen had to talk me out of tracking her down after we’d left the hospital the previous evening, reminding me that she needed time to decompress. Giving her that time was painful, but I finally acquiesced. Now, there was no power on this island that could pull me away from her.

  “You were amazing,” I offered, grinning. “I had no idea.”

  “Yeah, well ... .” She shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. “It’s not something I like to talk about.”

  “I don’t know why. What you did ... you saved everyone.”

  “They were holding their own before I went out there. I just helped them along. You saved everyone when you took on Taurus. You’re the real hero.”

  I didn’t feel like a hero. I felt like a woman still catching up. “You did the heavy lifting. I only showed up at the end.”

  “And I’m the one who took down Barry the nutless bull,” Aisling announced, appearing behind me. She looked fresh and relaxed, none the worse for wear after our battle.

  “Yes, you were the hero, baby.” Griffin slipped his arm around her waist. “I need a drink to toast your heroics. You’re not going to give me grief for drinking, are you?”

  “Not even a little.” She gave him a playful shove, waiting until it was just the three of us to speak again. “He’s been a little clingy. I’m hoping he’ll get over that by the time we get home. It’s going to be difficult carrying out my regular duties if he’s glued to my side.”

  “He loves you,” Lilac noted. “You should be thankful for that. Not everyone gets to enjoy a love like the two of you share.”

  “I guess.” Aisling watched him for a moment and then shrugged. “By the way, that demon thing you do is awesome. That would come in handy in Detroit, if you ever want to visit.” She flashed Lilac an enthusiastic thumbs-up and then drifted across the bar to join her father. He seemed to be expecting her, because he flashed an indulgent smile when she approached and handed her a plate full of maraschino cherries.

  “She’s odd, huh?” Lilac said, breaking the silence we’d lapsed into.

  “She defies categorization,” I supplied, amused. “I think I’m going to miss her.”

  “I think I’ll miss her, too.” Lilac’s expression was rueful. “She was fun for a few days, though, right?”

  “Definitely.” I bobbed my head, sliding my gaze back to Lilac. “If you ever want to talk ... .”

  “Thanks. I’m not sure I will. It’s not something I like to dwell on.”

  “But if you do, I’m here.” I didn’t want to push her. “We don’t have to. You’re still the best friend I’ve made on this island. I just want you to know, what you did, well ... it was spectacular.”

  Lilac’s cheeks flooded with color. “It was nothing. Seriously, don’t get all crazy. I’ve done it before and I’m certain I will have to do it again. You don’t need to freak out or anything.”

  “I have no intention of freaking out.”

  “Good.”

  Silence again. This time, Lilac grew uncomfortable first and broke it. “So ... how is Casey? I know you guys went to the hospital with her last night. I’m sure I would’ve heard if things went poorly, but I needed some space. After the transformation ... well, I always need to cool down.”

  “Casey is good.” I thought back to the last time I’d seen her, which was shortly after giving birth. She couldn’t stop the tears and thanked me profusely for saving her. “She had a boy. Jacob. She named him after his father, who witnessed the birth.”

  “Is he still around? The first Jacob, I mean.”

  “He’s not. Aisling turned weepy seeing the family together, so her father had to absorb Jacob’s soul. It was sad all around, but it was happy, too. I don’t know if that makes sense.”

  “I understand what you mean. One door closes, another opens. Jacob’s legacy is intact even though he didn’
t get a chance to be a father to his miracle baby. Something tells me Casey will never let his memory die.”

  “No,” I agreed. “He’ll be a presence in that baby’s life forever.”

  “What about Taurus? How is he holding up after Aisling ... changed the course of his life?”

  I had to bite back a laugh. Technically, it wasn’t funny. Okay, it mostly wasn’t funny. There were parts of it that felt utterly hilarious.

  “The doctors had to reconstruct his equipment so he’ll be able to urinate properly. As for other things, that’s officially off the table.”

  Lilac smirked. “I see. That must be hard for a headstrong bull.”

  “I haven’t seen him, but Galen was there when he received the news, and he said Taurus didn’t take it well.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “In fact, he started screaming that he was trapped in a nightmare. I guess it was sort of pathetic.”

  “He had it coming.”

  “Definitely.”

  “Did he say why he killed Adam Grimport?”

  I nodded. “Cormack’s theory was correct. He wanted access to souls. He would’ve stolen the scepter and computer and left Grimport alive, but the reaper was home when they broke in and didn’t have a choice.”

  “Is there a reason we haven’t seen Grimport’s soul?”

  “A reaper’s soul apparently automatically escapes to the nearest scepter once it’s activated, no matter who is wielding it. It’s some trick of birth or something. Taurus’s followers used it in a ritual. Aisling said that means it’s gone for good. They’re going to check to make sure, but she doesn’t think there’s anything they can do to save it.”

  “What about Jacob?” Lilac asked, her mind clearly busy. “Why didn’t they absorb his soul?”

  “They didn’t realize there was a trick to the scepter. Jacob escaped even though they tried to trap his soul. Only a reaper can access the magic of the scepter correctly, so they weren’t counting on that.”

  “So ... basically you’re saying it was a mistake.”