by Tricia Owens
My body wanted to breathe fire just as Lucky was doing. It wanted to lift into the air and burn down the front of the house while he took care of the back. Our fire would meet in the middle and it would swirl together into a mad tornado of flames that would feel so good but not as good as if I opened my mouth and bit into the roof while my claws dug up—
No, no, no.
I had to remain in control. I couldn't give in to the fantasy of letting my wings burst free, or of roaring so that every house in the neighborhood shook on their foundations and all the predators in the desert became aware that a true predator was in town and they quailed in fear of my dragon and what I could do, oh, what I could do if I could just let out the fire and burn it all—
"Stop," I whispered, horrified by my manic thoughts.
I shook out the rising tension in my shoulders, alarmed by how close I was to my dragon nature. It would be madness to succumb to the urge, even all the way out here in the boonies. But my nature was knocking. It was right there, poised to take over and wreak havoc.
Lucky belched more fire. The patio cover blackened and the outer walls spidered before crumbling to the ground in smoking piles of plaster. The sliding doors cracked and collapsed inward, sending the robed figures scurrying to the other side of the room.
Lucky was gaining his head. I was definitely right behind him. The skin around my eyes felt hot, like the orbs were glowing with otherworldly fire. My hands by my sides were curled into such rigid claws that I wasn't sure I'd be able to straighten my fingers out again later. Would there be a later? It was high time to rein my dragon in before we both built up too much momentum and razed this entire neighborhood to the ground.
As soon as I made that decision and mentally braced myself for the pain of pulling Lucky back in, I was punched in the chest by magick.
It hurtled me backwards through the air like I was a stuntwoman in a movie. I smashed into the water in the pool with a loud smack! and immediately began to sink.
Saltwater poured into my mouth. I choked, regained the sense to spit it out. My solar plexus felt crushed. I couldn't draw enough air to inflate my lungs. I floundered in the water, trying desperately to keep my head above the surface. I was a decent enough swimmer, but losing the ability to breathe affected the coordination in my entire body.
I breathed in more saltwater. Gagged. Choked it up. My head slipped beneath the surface again. Stayed there longer.
I was going to die. I knew the truth of it in my heart.
And I was afraid.
Occasionally during difficult nights I'd prayed for a reunion with my parents. Especially now, with Uncle James having apparently abandoned me, I fell into pits of self-pity and wondered what was the point of going on if I was going to do it alone.
Now, on the verge of death, I understood the point of going on: I had friends who loved me. I wanted to grow old with them. I wanted to spoil their children. And I was pissed that some guy with ugly tattoos was going to get the better of me. It wasn't fair. I didn't deserve this.
No way was I letting it happen.
I called for my dragon, the part of myself that one day could very well destroy me. Lucky dove into the pool with a massive splash and slid beneath me. My feet found slippery purchase on his back. I willed him to rise. Like a gymnast on a balance beam, I teetered on Lucky in the rocking water until my head broke the surface and I could take a huge breath of air.
Someone slapped me across the face.
"Oops! Sorry!"
It was Melanie, my wonderful, blue-haired best friend, backlit by flames. She leaned farther over the edge of the pool. "Grab my hand, Anne!"
Lucky pushed up. Melanie heaved. Thanks to their combined efforts I managed to flop over the edge of the pool and then roll onto the concrete, where I promptly hacked up a lung.
"We have to go, Anne!"
Melanie, as small as she was, found her own inner monkey strength and hauled me to my feet even though all I wanted to do was lay there and try to breathe something other than water. But I understood her urgency. Christian's house was an inferno and worse, two figures stood at the other side of the fire, gazing out at us through the smoke and flames.
One of them was Mr. Tattoo and he was grinning, which told me that it was his magick that had punched me into the pool. He was no ordinary occultist, if such a thing existed. He was a magickal being and he was strong. Freak-me-out strong.
Beside him, the second robed figure had lowered their hood. It was a woman with light red hair.
Bingo. The nebulous connection my brain had been trying to make when I saw Christian again snapped into place. This was the same woman who'd purchased the werewolf bed from Moonlight and who had chided me for using magick with Mr. Big Shot Gambler. Judging by the color of her hair, she was Diana, Christian's mother.
It all made such stupid sense now. It was she who'd seen the gargoyle statue in my shop. Likely she'd followed her son and witnessed him selling it to me.
That still left questions unanswered—such as why Christian had had possession of the statue in the first place. And why did his mother want it back and why was she trying to help summon a demon in Christian's living room?
But those answers could wait. Melanie and I needed to boogie.
"The boys are a mess," Melanie said, breathing hard as she helped me hobble out of the backyard.
Sparks and flames lit the sky above our heads. No neighbors came out to investigate the conflagration, though. Diana did one thing right by driving them all away.
"Christian still needs to rehydrate—he's all wrinkly!—and Vale is losing the fight with his demon. Oh, my god, Anne, I hope they both don't die!"
"It'll be okay," I said, because I was a vision to inspire confidence at that moment.
When we got to Melanie's car, the guys were slumped together in the backseat. I opened the back door and said, "Hos before bros, guys. Christian, move to the passenger seat. If that demon takes over Vale, you'll want me back here to deal with it."
I wasn't bragging; Christian was a water fey. What could he do when faced with a demon? Slap it with his fish tail? Fortunately, he didn't argue and quickly changed seats, allowing me to slide in beside Vale. He didn't look good. He was pale and was pressing both fists to his forehead, like Bruce Banner holding off the Hulk.
"Sorry about the wet kids in the back," I said with a weak smile to Melanie.
She gunned it out of the driveway. "At least neither of you is a wolf shifter. I can't stand the smell of wet dog. So gross!"
Christian twisted around in his seat and watched through the back window for anyone following us. He grimaced slightly when he saw the black funnel of smoke rising from his house.
"You weren't kidding about the insurance, were you?"
"My dragon likes to go big." I coughed more pool water from my chest. "I saw your mom back there."
Christian went pale beneath his awful sunburn. "Was she alright?"
I'd expected him to have a different reaction, such as anger or surprise that she was helping those creeps.
"Why was she helping them summon a demon?" I demanded.
A pained look crossed his face. "She never wanted to. Especially not twice."
My eyes widened. "She summoned the demon that's in Vale?"
"Not alone, but yeah, she helped them do it."
He looked to Vale, who hadn't moved since we'd left the house. He remained hunched and miserable-looking. Christian's expression of guilt couldn't have been faked as he looked at his suffering friend.
"We're new to Las Vegas," he began, "and my mom has been feeling isolated. It was my fault, in the end. I suggested she find a new coven here. I thought it would make her feel better."
"That's not unusual," I said. "Witches are social. They like to get together and have spell casting parties."
Not like sorcerers, who were super suspicious of each other. I'd even come up with my own admittedly lame joke: what do you call a gathering of sorcerers?
&nbs
p; By his first name.
"Well, you're right," Christian went on, "except the coven began to change. There were a lot of men in the group, but I knew they weren't warlocks. When I asked my mom about it she brushed it off, said they were groupies. She didn't want to hear anything bad about the group because she really liked its leader."
He thumbed absently at a blister on his chin. "She asked me if the coven could hold a gathering in my place while I was out. They liked my home because of how far from the city it is, and because of the banishment spell my mom won't admit she put on the neighborhood. I said yes. I didn't see anything wrong with it. What a mistake."
He closed his eyes and shuddered, as if recalling a bad memory. "I lost track of the days and I ended up being home when they arrived. I was in the middle of downloading some movies in my bedroom. They didn't know that I was home and I figured as long as I remained quiet and out of sight they'd never know. I had no idea they were going to do a ritual. Neither did my mom.
"When she realized they'd called forth a demon she summoned shadows to distract everyone while she tried to banish the demon to the closest object she could find. That's the easiest way to control a demon and refuse it entry to our world. You put it in something you can destroy. In this case it was supposed to be the mirror behind the front door."
Christian looked bleakly at his friend. "But Vale walked into the house like he always does, without knocking. Maybe nothing would have happened had it been anyone else, but with him being a gargoyle and having three forms—something went really wrong. My mom sent the demon into him instead of the mirror." He swallowed. "He was knocked into his statue form and had no idea what had happened."
"I know now," Vale gritted out, lowering his fists to his thighs. The dark circles around his eyes made him look like he'd been punched. I didn't know if he was still wet from the pool or because he was streaming sweat. "Keep going."
"The occultists were in chaos," Christian went on, flinching at his friend's appearance. "I heard them screaming, so I came out to find out what was going on. They didn't realize at first what my mom had done; they thought they'd screwed up and the demon was loose. While they were shouting each other down, my mom confessed to me what she'd done. I knew right away that I had to hide Vale from them. I didn't know who to turn to until I remembered what we were talking about last week. About Anne and her family."
I eyed Vale. "Why were you two talking about me?"
"It doesn't matter," he muttered, but my B.S. meter was buzzing.
"I grabbed you and took you to Anne's shop," Christian told him. "I'd hoped she would have the resources to help, that she'd be like—well, it doesn't matter now. I was right, thank god."
"If your mom did this by accident, why did she track Vale to Moonlight?" I asked. "What was she going to do with him? And for that matter, why send those goons after us to try to steal Vale back?"
"Because she had no choice. That guy with the tattoos on his head? He's called Vagasso, but I don't think that's his true name."
"Because you think he's a demon," I guessed. My voice sounded calm, but inside I was sick with a rising terror. I had to stomp it down, otherwise I would have thrown up all over myself.
Christian winced like I'd just said the name Voldemort. "He's not a demon, but he's something inhuman. I don't know what he is and I sure as hell would rather not find out. He has a plan to overthrow the Oddsmakers and siphon the valley's magick. It's something he came up with after he found a grimoire that contains rituals to bind specific demons to him. He figures with enough demons behind him, he can take over Vegas."
"There's a lot of energy here, that's for sure," Melanie said as she broke the speeding limits on the way to the freeway. "The chance magick alone is through the charts. That's what Celestina told me, anyway. She says whoever controls the chance magick here can take over the world!"
"Why go to all the trouble of tracking Vale down when they can just summon another demon?" I asked.
"You just saw them try it and fail. Vagasso needs a specific rank of demon to form the basis for his army, one that's difficult to summon from Hell. It's easier to just remove the one that's in Vale. It's already made it through the gates." Christian sighed in apparent defeat. "As soon as he learned that I'd escaped with the demon, Vagasso sent others to search for me. His goons grabbed me a few hours after I'd dropped off the statue at your shop. I didn't tell them where you were," Christian said to Vale, "so they staked me out in the backyard. I thought I was going to die there."
"I'll take you to my parents' home," Melanie told him. "They've got a humongous Jacuzzi tub and big bags of salt that they use in their water softener. And I'll put lime slices on you. You'll be okay, I promise!"
He smiled at her with cracked lips. "I'd appreciate that."
"How did they learn Vale was in Moonlight if you didn't tell them?" I pressed, still not satisfied with what he'd told us.
Christian's shoulders slumped. "Vagasso told my mom that he'd set me free and let us both leave if she found Vale. She used a blood kin tracker and followed my footsteps to your shop, where I guess she saw the statue."
I turned over everything Christian had said. I decided it made sense and it also scared the crap out of me. Vagasso wouldn't let Vale go. He needed the demon inside him for his world domination spell or whatever. Megalomaniacs were such assholes.
Right on cue, Vale stiffened in his seat. His hands flew to his throat and he began choking himself. Christian shouted as Vale's face began turning red. I tried with all my strength to peel Vale's fingers away from his throat but they were like steel bands.
"Vale, fight it!" I yelled at him.
Christian continued yelling and then Melanie yelled, too, just because she couldn't tell what was going on behind her. The car swerved on the road, throwing us from side to side. It was a madhouse.
I wasn't worried that Vale would die. He couldn't actually choke himself to death this way, but he could choke himself into unconsciousness, which would allow the demon to fully come through. If that happened in the close confines of Melanie's car, I'd have to call up Lucky full blast. The car would be torn apart, my friends would hurtle into the freeway, and I'd undoubtedly lose myself to my nature.
All of that was undeniably awful, but what drove a knife through my heart was the fear that people who depended upon me would die because I let them down. I was the strongest magickal being in that car. I was beholden to stop this demon from taking over no matter what was required of me.
So I caught Vale's face between my hands and I kissed him.
It wasn't true love's kiss or any of that nonsense. Vale made horrible gagging noises throughout and getting a mouthful of his tongue only because he was choking to death was also a major turn-off. But I kissed him. I kissed the hell out of him.
After several tense seconds he stiffened beneath my lips. I quickly raised my head, afraid he was going to go for my throat. But his hands abruptly dropped into his lap and his head lolled against the headrest.
His chest rose and fell with a deep breath and his lashes fluttered. I wanted to stroke his cheek, tenderness rising in me, but I sat back instead, conscious of Christian staring at me and Melanie yelling to know what the hell had just happened.
When Vale finally opened his eyes, he blinked them twice, sleepily, and then he turned his head on the headrest to look at me. "You kissed me."
"Well, you're a guy," I mumbled, feeling myself blush.
His brows crossed in bewilderment. "So?"
"Nothing calls out a guy faster than the prospect of getting some action."
It sounded so stupid when I said it, but Vale awkwardly found my hand and squeezed it. "Thank you, Moody."
I squeezed back, feeling both bashful and proud. Since he didn't let go, I didn't either.
"Er, where to next?" Christian asked, trying and failing not to glance at our clasped hands.
I dreaded it, but it had to be done.
"Next, we go to Orlaton's," I declared,
"and boot this freeloader out of Vale once and for all."
Chapter 7
Melanie drove us all the way back to Moonlight Pawn. Even though she speeded, it took us way longer than I felt comfortable with. Sunrise was racing toward us faster than a Californian driving into Vegas for a weekend of hookers and blow.
Back on my street, the houses and businesses were quiet as usual, with the usual suspects also apparently awake. I shot an apprehensive look at Tomes, whose windows glowed like the eyes of a jack o' lantern.
"You two should go," I insisted as I began removing the wards on the yard. With rocks in my hands, I made a shooing motion at Melanie and Christian. "Go on. We don't need you for this part and no offence, but Christian, you make me wince every time I look at you. Please tell me you'll pour a gallon of aloe vera gel over yourself as soon as you can."
Christian, who stood leaning against the car, wasn't fazed by my discomfort. "This involves my mom. I need to be there."
I shook my head. "It may not involve her at all. Once we get the demon out of Vale and banish it back to Hell I'm hoping that'll be the end of it."
"You know it won't be that easy," he said stubbornly. "Vagasso is going to come for the demon. He'll bring the others with him, including my mom."
"Then we'll deal with them without hurting her."
I could sense that Christian's insistence on joining us was driven in part by shame. I didn't know how I'd feel if it were my mom who'd invited a soul-sucking demon into the world. Once, I'd invited two friends who I hadn't known were fighting out to lunch. But the worst that could have happened from that ill-advised invite was a cat fight, not the literal end of humanity. Though come to think of it, by the end of that tense lunch I wouldn't have minded being swallowed up by a hole in the Earth.
"I promise I won't hurt her," I repeated for his sake.
"My mom isn't evil, I swear to you." He smiled wanly. "Overbearing, sure, but she never intended to summon a demon. She was just too trusting."
I shrugged. "On the bright side, you get to chastise her for hanging out with the wrong crowd."
