Six Times a Charm

by Deanna Chase

  We ventured as far as the trees and shrubs would hide us. A violet haze enveloped the street out front. The precise line of bikes we’d seen on the way inside tonight lay scattered like matchbox toys. I took heart that about half were missing. At least some of the witches had gotten away. Dimitri’s SUV lay on its side with the windows smashed in. It was impossible to know what hit it, but if I didn’t know better, my first guess would have been Godzilla.

  I didn’t see the bike with the sidecar. I hoped Bob had made it out okay. I wished I knew whether Pirate had gone with him. One thing was certain. Grandma would not have left the bar with any of her coven members still inside. That meant two things. Number one, we had to check this place out whether we wanted to or not. And number two, I had a confession to make.

  Dimitri stood beside me, dark and strong. This wasn’t going to be easy. I blew out a breath and hoped I wasn’t about to torpedo our fledgling truce. “I have to tell you,” I said, practically wincing. “I was supposed to receive the coven’s protection tonight, but it didn’t happen.”

  Dimitri stiffened, anger pouring from him in waves. Good going, Lizzie.

  “I thought they were smarter than this,” he hissed. “If you were a member of our clan, we would have conducted a protection ceremony as the first order of business. They have no right to have a slayer in their ranks if they can’t defend what’s theirs.”

  Theirs? Hello, twenty first century calling. Oh who was I kidding? I had bigger things to worry about. I’d set off his protection vibe. Big mistake. “It wasn’t their fault,” I said, thinking of the botched ceremony in the basement. “It was mine. I have a few trust issues,” I said, in the understatement of the year. “Look, I’ll explain it all later. The point is—”

  “The point is we’re closing in on a demon infestation and you don’t have the proper knowledge, training or security.” He loomed over me until I had to crane my neck to see his stormy expression.

  “Fine.” I thundered back. “What do we do about it?”

  He stared at me, no doubt expecting an argument. I’d moved past that. We needed an action plan.

  Screeches echoed from the house, like metal rubbing glass.

  “First off, we need to save anyone trapped in the bar,” I told him. I didn’t know what was happening in there, but it wasn’t good. The sooner we snuck in, the sooner we could run like heck.

  He drew in a hard breath. “Agreed,” he said, his gaze trickling through me. “Your natural skills will serve you well. But before we begin, you must accept my protection.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. Dimitri wanted something from me. He hadn’t told me what, which in my mind meant it was probably something I didn’t want to give. It made me nervous to think of him having power over me.

  “I’d prefer to rely on those natural skills you mentioned.” I may not have read the handbook, but I could feel my power churning inside me. And while I might be dreading what we’d find, I’d already held my own against a demon and a small army of imps.

  But Dimitri wasn’t letting me off the hook that easy. “Lizzie,” he prodded. “You know it’s the right thing to do.”

  Oh, I knew. I sighed, torn between the urge to stand on my own and the knowledge that he was right. I’d refused to drink the witches’ protection potion. I didn’t want to make the same mistake again. I clenched my jaw until it throbbed. Grandma said I shouldn’t trust him. But I needed him. And without the protection of the witches, I was probably crazy to even think about being as close as we were to whatever lurked inside that house. There was bravery, there was independence…and then there was pure stupidity. I didn’t need to go into this half-cocked. And if Dimitri could help me prepare, well, I had to accept that gift.

  “Fine.”

  He tried to hide his pleasure, but I could tell he was as happy as if I’d told him he could keep me in a lock box and throw away the key. I’d let him enjoy his little victory.

  “For now,” I added, wishing I could scrub the crooked smile off his face.

  Warning bells sounded in the back of my mind. He’s too happy. Of course those were the same warning bells that told me not to drink Grandma’s protective potion. Forget it. I’d made my decision. I had to, or we weren’t going to get anything done here. “How long will it take?”

  He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small, velvet pouch. He tipped it into his palm and out slid an emerald the size of a grape. I whistled despite myself. It was shaped like a teardrop and glowed from the inside out, like it had its own energy, which of course was impossible—like everything else that had happened.

  “This is an ancient stone from the Helios clan. My clan. A proud and ancient order of griffins from the island of Santorini. I will offer it,” he said, “You will accept it.”

  No problem.

  “And my protection.”

  He had to throw that in.

  “With free will,” Dimitri added.

  Ah, so that was the key. Okay. I was willing. For now. “Let’s get this over with,” I told him, eyeing the blue and red orbs cascading from the bar’s rooftop vents.

  Dimitri held his hand under mine. His calloused fingers sent a rough heat spiraling through my veins as he placed the gem in the center of my palm. It felt toasty, whether that was from his pocket or from something else. I felt its energy flow through me like a soft touch. “I offer you the protection of the Helios clan, freely given, freely taken.”

  A bronze colored chain, as thin as a spider’s thread, snaked from the tip of the teardrop. “Um,” I began. The unexpected intimacy of the moment caught me off guard. I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed.

  “I accept.” I paused for a heartbeat. “Freely,” I added, fighting my reluctance.

  It must have been good enough because the emerald glowed warm in my palm. My hand shook as the chain wrapped itself around my wrist. I resisted the urge to pull it away, to break the hair-thin band.

  “Relax.” Dimitri’s touch reassured me as he pulled me farther into the cover of the woods. A breeze caressed my shoulders as I leaned back against the trunk of an old walnut tree. His emerald felt heavy on my wrist. It was strange, but I did feel closer to Dimitri, connected somehow. He narrowed the space between us. Was he going to seal the deal with a kiss? It occurred to me that I should keep my distance. He’d already bound me to him with the emerald. I didn’t need any more complications, but I couldn’t quite make myself walk away.

  I should have been afraid of what would happen next. Instead, I found myself anticipating it. Dimitri was the kind of man who made women want to touch him. Too bad I wasn’t immune. I still wasn’t sure I trusted him. But we did want a lot of the same things. And I had to admit he fascinated me.

  Dimitri hitched one leg against the tree and drew a long bronze knife from a holster in his boot. The thing was ancient, with strange carvings and green gemstones wrapped around the hilt. The polished blade gleamed razor sharp. There’d better not be blood involved in this ceremony.

  Dimitri ran his thumb along the blade of the knife. “Remember this favor, Lizzie.”

  Somehow, I didn’t think he’d let me forget. Frieda was right. It seemed Dimitri’s help did come with a price tag attached.

  “Let’s not forget you owe me too,” I told him. If he hadn’t kidnapped me, I might have been able to get Pirate out and raise the alarm before the house started smoking from every nook and cranny. I was about to get into that when I felt my wrist go disturbingly heavy.

  “What the—?” I looked down. The wisp of a bracelet had thickened into a manacle. Of all the things I might have expected to happen tonight, I hadn’t even dreamed of this.

  “Oh don’t you even—” I watched in horror as thick chains snaked from the cuff around my wrist. They slithered down my leg and captured my ankles. Fear slammed into me. “What is this?” I clutched at Dimitri. He stepped back, empty of emotion.

  “What are you doing to me?” I demanded, my voice cracking. My heart slammed aga
inst my chest. The chains wrapped around my waist and wrapped around the battered walnut tree. “Stop!” I struggled with everything I had, but the chains were relentless, twining around my body, trapping me like a fly in a spider’s web.

  That liar! Dimitri betrayed me in the worst possibly way.

  His gaze traveled the length of my body, sending a rush of hot anger through me. His mouth tugged into a smile, but there was no understanding or warmth. As he advanced on me like the predator he was, I struggled against the chains, dreaming what it would be like to slap the smile off his face. Dimitri leaned in close, his face inches from mine. He radiated heat and a raw power. “I’m doing what needs to be done.”

  His eyes burned with something that wasn’t quite desire, although there was a lot of that too. He cradled my head in his hands. And curse my mutinous body, red hot anticipation shot through me like wildfire.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I told him, my voice not as steady as I would have liked.

  “I’m protecting you,” he said against my mouth.

  As far as I could see, his protection was one of my main problems right now. “Yeah?” I thrust out my chin and ignored the heat spiraling through me. “Who’s going to protect me from you?”

  He pulled away, which was what I wanted. Still, it seemed like I’d missed out, which made me even angrier. I hated games.

  Dimitri brushed his lips against my forehead, strong and confident. I felt his touch all the way down to my toes. Arrogant jerk. He seemed to enjoy taunting me. And I hated myself for buying into it. He’d be better off facing Vald than enduring one minute of what I’d do to that high-handed, good-for-nothing, two-faced brute. I never should have trusted him. Never. If I had to do it again, I’d take his teardrop emerald and shove it up his nose.

  I struggled against the manacles at my feet. This is where trust got me. I was better off on my own. When I’d counted on my skills, I’d survived. Teamwork had gotten me lashed me to a tree. He’d better hope he found Pirate, Grandma and the Hope Diamond in there. Maybe then, after a hundred years had passed, I’d consider speaking to him again.

  I yanked at the chains. The teardrop emerald whipped against my wrist. Never. Never again.

  Dimitri gave me a long, dark look before he headed into the house, alone.

  ***

  He stayed inside the house too long, way too long. With every passing moment, it grew less and less likely I’d ever see him again. Blast it. I struggled until I felt like I’d run a marathon. The chains didn’t budge. A trickle of sweat ran down my back. What if he didn’t find Pirate? Or Grandma? What if he ran into a ticked off Vald? He’d carried one ancient knife inside, and even though it was sharp as all get out, it didn’t look very sturdy. What would I do out here, chained to a walnut tree, if Dimitri didn’t come back?

  Dawn approached, bathing the world in shades of gray. Still, not a bird chirped. Not one car drove down the road in front of the bar. It felt like we’d landed in purgatory. A drain pipe on the side of the house clattered as it began to shake.

  Dimitri burst out the front door. His black T-shirt hung in bloody shreds, and he looked like he was running for his life. He leapt behind his overturned SUV as the house exploded. I would have given anything to duck. Windows shattered with the force. Smoke poured from the house as it sagged in on itself.

  My chains coiled away from the tree. I lurched forward, catching my balance as they wound away from my ankles and up my legs. It was the worst feeling in the world, like something living had attached itself to me. But I had bigger things to worry about.

  Dimitri bolted for the nearest motorcycle still standing, a silver Harley with red skulls painted on the side. “Get on!” He slid onto the seat, rolled the throttle and hit the ignition. The engine roared to life. I ran straight for him, my oxfords crunching against glass and debris.

  For a split second, I thought about grabbing my own bike and getting as far away from here as I could. But I didn’t know how to ride. Worse, I had no idea where to go.

  “Now!” he yelled.

  The bike didn’t even have helmets. Some protector. I caught a glimpse of a pink helmet, half buried under a collapsed bike. It was mine now. I grabbed it and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw the chain around my wrist had morphed into body armor that stretched across my chest. Intricate carvings wound up the armor, with the teardrop emerald centered above my breasts.

  Dimitri slammed his bike to a stop in front of me, spitting rocks and dirt as I shoved the pink helmet on my head and climbed behind him. I wanted to ask him if he found any sign of Pirate, if he saw anything else inside the house and if it was pure stupidity or a death wish that made him tie me up. Before I could get a word out, he jumped on the gas. My back smacked against the metal safety bar as we peeled out into the night.

  ***

  We drove for at least an hour on dusty, unpaved back roads. Dimitri made sure to hit every pot hole and ant hill. I’d never realized what a smooth ride Grandma delivered. I closed my eyes as we hit another bone-rattling dip in the pavement. Please be okay, Grandma. I didn’t know where we were going, but wherever it was, I hoped she’d be there. There were so many things I needed to tell her.

  Dimitri slowed in front of the first sign of civilization we came upon, an old broken down Shoney’s restaurant. Weeds crowded the parking lot, fighting for space between the cracked concrete with its faded yellow lines. The Big Boy himself lurched to one side, in bad need of a paint job and a can of Rust-oleum. Darkening shades draped the picture windows, their window boxes filled with faded plastic geraniums.

  The bike swayed as we rounded our way to the back parking lot. I could feel every muscle and tendon in Dimitri’s back as I gripped him tightly. The blood on his T-shirt had dried, making the material crunchy. The gashes on his back had already begun to heal. Impossible, yes. But I’d been staring at the proof for darned near an hour.

  I eased away from Dimitri as the bike slowed. This place gave me the heebie-jeebies. A mini-city of beaten down trailers huddled at the edge of the lot. Near them stood a haphazard car port with a dozen bikes stashed inside. We pulled up to the end of the row.

  As soon as Dimitri killed the engine, I poked him in the back. “What did you find in there?” And please don’t let it be too awful.

  “No living souls,” Dimitri said, shutting down the bike.

  “Are you sure?” I asked. I couldn’t believe the battle had been over that quickly.

  He took a deep breath. “Yes. I didn’t see your dog or your grandma, either. Both of them must have made it out.” He eased off the bike. “Come on,” he said, reaching for my hand, “let’s get inside. This is the safe house. It’s run by some friends of mine. The Red Skulls were slated to meet here if something happened at the bar.”

  I ducked off the bike, avoiding his outstretched hand. A flash of pain crossed his features. Well, tough. No way was I letting him near me.

  Side-by-side, yet universes apart, we crunched through the gravel parking lot. My ankle throbbed and my legs felt woozy after that hour on the bike. In a lot of ways, stepping off a bike was like getting off a ride at an amusement park.

  I tested the armor on my chest. Solid as steel and just as impossible to remove. I fought back a wave of claustrophobia. It was as if the bronze plates been welded onto me. “Mind telling me what you did to me?” I asked, almost angry I had to say anything to Dimitri at this point.

  He walked beside me, his eyes straight ahead. “I gave you the gift of protection. Ancient magic, designed to defend you. Your panos will always be what you need it to be.”

  “Well, take it back.” Body armor or not, it was creeping me out.

  “It’s a gift.”

  “Yes, one that is slithering all over my body.”

  “Don’t be a drama queen,” he said, proving he had no idea who he was dealing with. As I debated whether to stomp on his foot or shove him into a bush, he said, “It isn’t my choice to make.”

  I wante
d to take the high road. I really did. “You are such a jack—” For the first time, I almost let something nasty slip. But then he opened the glass door and my mouth dropped open.

  I hardly heard the tinkling of the bell as Dimitri ushered me inside. A woman leaned against the hostess’ desk. She wore red button earrings and a matching bandana. Only it wasn’t a woman. It was a werewolf.

  Chapter 9

  The werewolf’s ears pricked as we entered the restaurant. She had a thick coat of streaky yellow hair and flashed claws that could tear your heart out. She growled, low in her throat.

  I went on instant high alert. “Dimitri,” I said low in my throat. Some protector. He’d led me into the wolves’ den.

  “Steady.” He placed a firm hand on my back. “She’s just trying to scare you.”

  Yeah, well it was working. Never in a million years would I have expected to walk in on a werewolf, and at Shoney’s, no less. This was supposed to be a family restaurant, one where people came to eat, not to be eaten.

  The air around the werewolf shimmered. I stood speechless as she began to change. If I hadn’t seen with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. Her body shifted and her hair receded until she was left with smooth tan skin, a sassy blonde page boy haircut and cherry red fingernails to die for. Her body was sculpted, her breasts perky and she lounged against the hostess stand with the practice of a Price Is Right model. Un-fricking-believable.

  The formerly-furry sex goddess dipped her chin toward Dimitri. “Hiya, babe. I knew I’d see you back here one way or another.” From the way she said it, it was obvious those two had a history. And judging from how she undressed him with her baby blues, their relationship hadn’t exactly been rated PG.

  Lovely.

  Dimitri ignored it, either oblivious or a good politician. “Andrea, this is Lizzie,” he said. “Lizzie, this is my friend Andrea.”