I pressed the button and held it. "Levi, it's Sam. I need to see Crwys."
I heard some swearing on the other side. "No Sam. Sorry. He's not—"
Then I heard Crwys's voice in the background. I waited, Grey and I looked at each other.
The gate buzzed and the speaker turned off.
I guess that means we can come in.
"Yeah." I hurried up the concrete walk, noting the gigantic oak in the front yard and the swing hanging from it. Solar powered lights were spaced out evenly along the walk's edges amid a colorful array of pansies. "This is so not Crwys's house."
Just as we got to the door, it opened. I stopped when I saw Crwys, wearing only a pair of soft, worn jeans and a whole lot of bruises. They littered this chest, arms and stomach. His hair was mussed and his eyes looked bruised. What caught me more off guard were the emotions rolling over me like waves along a shore. Relief, happiness, frustration, disappointment, desire and above all—possession.
This man was mine.
I knew it in that instant. I didn't know how. Might have been the way his eyes moved up and down my body and his mouth hung open.
"Crwys…" I ventured. He looked like he'd frozen in place.
What I didn't expect him to do was rush forward and grab me. Both of his arms came around my own in a breath-taking embrace. He buried his face in my neck and I felt him kissing me. He released me, grabbed my face and gave me the longest, deepest and most sensual kiss he'd ever given me.
I had to blink a few times to realign myself when he stopped. His amber red eyes searched my face. "You're alive."
"So…so are you."
"Come in. Grey. Please, both of you come in," he stepped back and waved us in.
When the door closed I turned to him and he kissed me again. "Crwys—"
"No. Not here. Come in here. Levi and I need to be brought up to speed."
When I turned, I got the enormity of the house thrown in my face again. Sweet Lord and Lady! The foyer was the size of my entire apartment! The floor was white and beige marble, with a huge six-foot floral arrangement in the center beneath a three-tiered chandelier. A single staircase moved upstairs to the left just past the flowers and behind that was a living room, complete with fireplace and flat screen TV. I could see a row of closed doors to either side of it and I wondered if those doors opened up to a pool.
The room he guided us to looked like a smaller version of the room behind the stairs. The room's theme was green and gold, with a light beige carpet that sucked my low-heeled boots right down.
The walls were painted a forest green and the curtains were gold and pulled tight. A fireplace to the left heated the place and the two couches looked as if Levi and Cryws had been sleeping on them. White sheets half sagged off the sides of one and a mount of pillows still had the indentation of an occupant.
Levi lounged on the other couch, a stack of books in front of him on the coffee table. I bent over to look and noticed several big names in mystery. "Wow Levi, I never pegged you for a mystery fan."
"I am. And just so you know, I am not happy about you and the wolf being in here. This house is supposed to be off the grid, so to speak."
I assumed he meant the magical grid. "This is a safe house, isn't it? For Revenants?"
Now Levi sat up and stared at me. "How did you know that?"
"What else could it be? This isn't Crwys's place."
Crwys came up behind me and guided me to the couch with the sheets draped over it. He sat at one end and I sat at the other. Grey insinuated herself on the couch between us. "You look…incredible."
"You look like shit. Crwys…what happened?"
"He thought you were dead," Levi said as he tossed a book on the pile. "You looked dead. So when he stupidly tried to get in that beast's way, he got mauled."
I took a closer look at Crwys, at the bruises and the marks and remembered the thing sinking its teeth into him. "It bit you."
"Yeah, two places," Crwys touched his shoulder. "But it's almost healed now."
"Because you drank Levi's blood, right? That's why you two have been holed up in here?"
I sure hoped the two of them never played poker because they could not keep the guilty looks off their faces. When they exchanged glances I waved at them. "Look, all I need to know is are you Levi's Ghoul? Is that why my dex can't figure out what you are?"
Levi threw his head back with a deep, heart-filled laugh. Crwys threw a pillow at Levi. Grey snorted and kicked her back leg at Crwys. "Ow," he said before he rubbed her back. "Your mom's not happy I left you alone."
"That was my fault, Grey," Levi sat forward. "I realized how bad Crwys was hurt so I got him out of there."
"But not to a hospital," I narrowed my eyes. "If he's not your Ghoul then why not a hospital?"
"That would bring questions we really don't want to deal with," Crwys reached out and put his hand on my shoulder, over Grey's back. "I've never said I was human."
"No you haven't, but you've also never told me what you are."
"And it's not time. So…" he squeezed my shoulder. "Tell us what's happened."
"First, you two need to tell me what happened. Like why were you in that house in the front room with Bastien and Circe?"
The two of them looked at one another. "We don't know," Levi said. "We saw Jack outside and then went up the steps to knock on the door and then…" he said and shrugged. "We were sitting in the room with Bastien and I could hear all kinds of shit happening outside."
"Yeah," Crwys said. "I was woozy. Real dizzy and I stumbled to the window. I could see this big ass monster wolf-man tossing you around like a boss so I ran outside and got in its way." He squeezed my shoulder again. "I really, really thought you were dead."
"No. And I've been worried about you."
"Okay," Levi rubbed his hands together. "Your turn. Fill us in."
So I did. I started from where Kyle and I arrived, what we did, what Circe said and ended with me waking up at Arden's mansion. When I told them about her suggestion there could be things in there that would destroy Circe, Crwys shrugged. "I don't know. Magicians are still a new thing for me."
"New thing? Seriously?" I looked at him.
"Witches have been around since the beginning. Gaia and Diana are your patrons. But Magicians don't really follow any doctrine that I know of. They're pretty much all for themselves. I would assume your weaknesses are theirs."
"No." I rubbed at his hand on my shoulder. His skin was warmer than ever. If he were human, I'd say he had a fever. But this was normal for him. And I knew my temperature was still up. "A weakness would be exhaustion. But even that's different for me than it is for Kyle. I don't know how Magicians's work magic."
Ritual. Grey pressed her nose into my side. They use a combination of Hedge Magic with Elemental, though they've warped it over the years.
"How is theirs different?" Crwys asked Grey. Apparently he'd been able to hear Grey since the day they met.
Rudimentary usage. For instance, before Sam was warlocked, her Elementals manifested at her call and made the magic for her, but they also used her thoughts and will, as well as her essence for the three laws.
Crwys frowned.
"The different levels things affect us. Mental, physical and spiritual. My Elementals are a part of me so they work with me," I said.
As for Kyle and his Hedge Witchery. He works with the Elements, the colors, the sounds of words in a spell…the cadence and the herbs.
"I still don't get it."
"We work with, become a part of and give ourselves to. But a Ceremonial commands, breaks and transforms all with their will. There's no cooperation on any level except the basic need or want for something," I sat forward. "What Arden's suggesting we do is bring the things they're afraid of inside. We find Circe's barriers, cut a new Circle along the edge and invite in the Elementals." I grinned. "It'd be like trapping them in a cage with their worst nightmares."
Levi chuckled. "I like this idea."
"So do I
. That way they'll be so busy freaking out that we can go in and grab Kyle, Marilla and Jack. Will they stop Circe?"
"I don't know. We'll have to play it by ear."
"Don't trust Arden," Levi said as stood and stretched. "Just remember that. Don't. Trust. Vervain. This is a good plan. What do you need to do?"
"I need to get back there. Make sure they do what they say they're going to do and save Kyle and Jack."
Crwys put his hand on mine. "And look for that Codex."
"Yeah."
Levi smirked. "I'm gonna take a shower. You go save the world," he pointed to Crwys. "And you are staying put."
"Like shit I am. I'm not letting Sam put her life in danger again."
This time I scooted Grey off the couch and moved closer to him. "Yes you are. You're going to stay here and heal."
He pulled me close. "How, exactly, are you going to make me?"
And once Levi left the room with Grey behind him, I showed him exactly how I was going to make him.
NINETEEN
I shoved the charger into the phone once Grey and I were upstairs in my apartment. I pulled out my usual uniform of jeans, shirt and one of my older jackets. Not leather, but denim. I had to take a shower, just because I needed to not smell like sex when I met up with Bastien.
Do you have any clothes like that in your closet?
I looked over at Grey where she'd sprawled on my bed. "I have some things. You know…stuff I bought during my Stevie Nicks phase, which is a phase I tend to go in and out of. I've also got this killer club dress in here, white, but there's nowhere in New Orleans to wear it. Why?"
Because Crwys liked you in that skirt. And you look pretty in it.
I stared at the wolf. "I do?"
Honey, I know this isn't the time for this conversation, but we really need to have a talk about your wardrobe. And don't give me that look. At least you can still wear clothes.
I couldn't help but smile as I jumped on the bed beside her and gave her a big hug. "I love having you with me."
I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Now, get cleaned up so we can bring the boys home.
The water in my apartment runs either really hot or really cold. There is no middle ground, and there's no rhyme or reason as to which temperature is chosen for any particular shower. Or when the shower is taken. It never failed that when Crwys took a shower he always got the extreme cold. I swear I thought I saw steam coming out of the bathroom when that happened.
What I normally did to combat this inconvenience was to summon my Undine to balance the temperature. She was always happy to do it as long as I stopped up the sink and filled it with water so she could hang out while I showered. She would splash and sing, most likely a siren's song, which didn't affect me. But since the warlocking that wasn't possible. I'd been taking my showers in silence and alone.
But I was still in the habit of filling the sink. When I realized what I'd done, I just left it there.
My phone pinged in the other room with a text message. I debated going back in to see, but if it was Ivan telling me they found the house, he could send me one of his floaty glowing text boxes.
When I got in the shower this time, the water was scalding hot. I figured if I left the window open it would balance the heat. It wasn't going to stop my skin from turning red, but I could soothe it afterward with cooling lotion. Stepping in, I was shivering at the cold and thought of ritual baths and how it might be a good idea if I brought the three of us back into the Old Ways a little at time. Having the full moon ritual had been a good idea. It wasn't my fault a pack of Lycans showed up and sort of changed everything.
It was during that scalding shower, with me going from shivering to sticking my head out of the shower to escape the water that I thought I heard a commotion nearby. At first, I assumed it was something outside. I lived on Bourbon Street, after all. And the noise to drunk ratio was pretty high. I took another few minutes to rinse off as the water started evening out to something very nice, much like my Undine would keep it.
When I shut the water off, I heard Grey barking, snarling and banging on the bathroom door. But she wasn't talking to me.
"Mom?" I said aloud, wondering if she could hear me.
That's when my ears popped in a very familiar way. The only time my ears popped like that was when a cap had been placed. But only Clerics did caps. Oh crap—was the Hive here? Downstairs? Was that why Grey was trying to get my attention?
I grabbed the towel hanging over the curtain rod and wrapped myself in it. When I pulled the curtain away, I found myself face to face with the barrel of a gun with a silencer. Holding that gun was the robed and angry looking Fred. And I was holding nothing but a towel.
"Go on, Samantha. Step out of the shower."
I'd been in a lot of sticky situations, but never anything like this. I was unprepared and silently panicking. Grey continued to run at the door, snarling and barking and I was still curious as to why she wasn't talking to me. Was it the cap? No…it couldn't be that. But then…how would I know since I'd only had one visit from the Hive since learning Grey was my mom and could talk to me?
Pulling the towel tight around me, I stepped down and moved into the corner at the foot of the tub. It wasn't a very large bathroom. Just enough space for a tub, sink and toilet. The tile was like ice under my feet and I was dripping all over it. "Hi Fred."
"Shut the hell up." Fred's tone was so full of hatred it hurt to hear. This guy hated me.
"What are you doing here?" There. I think I sounded pretty good, considering I was a blithering idiot on the inside.
He held that gun steady as he pointed it at my head. "I want to know why you're not going crazy. I want to know why you're not falling apart like my dad did. His warlocking destroyed him, it tore him apart from the inside out until he cut his own throat at the dinner table one night."
Was he serious? Oh damn. I had no idea. And I assumed this was something Fred had seen which, of course, had emotionally scarred him. How in the hell had Cromwell approved this man to be a freak'n Cleric with this kind of emotional trauma?
He pushed the gun at me and I backed up. The wall stopped me and I knocked over a few hair products. "Answer me!"
"I don't know!" I used one hand to hold up the towel and held the other up in defense. "Maybe Cromwell did something different?"
"It's all the same. And it's not right. You were supposed to suffer the same way!"
I felt warmth grow in my chest and I knew this was not going to end well if I didn't calm Fred down. "I didn't do anything to your dad, Fred. That was my mom. That was another time."
"Your mom is dead, so that leaves you. You're the only one I have left to punish."
"Why—why do you have to punish me? It's not going to bring your dad back, and it's sure as hell not going to make you feel better."
"See? You don't get it, do you? You don't know me. You don't know anything about me. I have to punish you because she says that's the only way."
She? I caught that. But it was getting hard to hear him over Grey's insistent slamming against the door. She was really freaking out and I could tell it was wearing on Fred as well. Mom! Stop! He's crazy!
But there was no answer other than the angry wolf noises on the other side of the bathroom door.
"Shut that damn mutt up!" Yeah, Fred was losing it.
"Grey! Be quiet!" I hoped she would hear me and stop when I glanced past him to the door that vibrated every time she threw herself against it. That's when I saw something moving at the sink.
Undines are interesting things. Elementals in general are. Mostly because they don't really have form, other than what we give them. Sort of like the Destructor in Ghostbusters. That particular character let someone else choose what form to take. Elementals were the same. Once they bonded with their Witch, the two agreed on a shape that would always be recognizable. Most of them came in the usual commercial packages because as a group we'd all watched the same movies and read the same books.
/> My Undine was a mermaid. But not just any sort. She was blue, green and mother of pearl and she looked like me in the face. That was her idea. A little joke, I'm sure. But her tail was that of a betta fish, with beautiful hues of blues and greens. It undulated beautifully behind her as she moved through air and water.
I would know her anywhere.
So what I didn't understand was why or how she was sitting on the edge of my sink with her tail in the water I'd left there, watching us. Miss Water of the Clerics had my Undine. That's what Cromwell had done when he'd sealed them away from me. The seal apparently prevented me from immediately knowing she was there. I wasn't in control of her.
Fred turned to see what I was staring at but it was obvious he didn't see her. "What? You look freaked out."
"Nothing. I mean, I'm naked in my bathroom and you're holding a gun on me. I am little freaked out."
That made him smile. "Good. I want you to be freaked out, and you'll be more freaked out when you find out what's in store for you."
"In store for me?"
"Oh, we're not done with you yet."
Uh…what? We? "Fred, who's we?"
He moved the gun again and pressed the silencer to my forehead, ignoring my question. "And since you're not this Elemental Witch anymore and just a plain old Cowen, I can make you dance like a puppet," he smiled at me. "Drop the towel."
Grey charged at the door again and barked.
"No."
"No? You think I'm kidding here?"
You know…I was getting irritated now. One of the things we're taught from an early age is not to use our power against the Cowens. We were born to protect this world, not fuck it up. One of my biggest pet peeves was dickheads like this guy thinking just because they were born with the right kind of blood in their veins they had the right to use it for their personal gain. I straightened my shoulders as I narrowed my eyes.
-He's going to shoot us.-
Us?
My phone rang.
He shoved the gun against my head this time and it hurt. "Drop the damn towel!"
I glared at him. "No." Don't get me wrong. I was scared as hell and shaking like a vibrator with new batteries.
Elemental Moon: The Eldritch Files, Book Three Page 13
