Forever Wicked (Castle of Dark Dreams)

by Nina Bangs

  While Mede waited for Bourne to return, he leaned close to Sparkle. “What were you thinking?”

  She only had time to raise one brow before the security men hurried off in different directions and Bourne started back to continue his interrogation. Mede was worried. Bourne was pretty even tempered, but Sparkle was pushing him. If worse came to worse, he’d protect her.

  “I can take care of myself.” She met Ganymede’s gaze.

  She knew how his mind worked. “Doesn’t matter. I’m here to take care of what needs taking care of.”

  “Stubborn never ends, does it?”

  He would have smiled if the situation hadn’t been so dire. “It’s forever. Deal with it.” She didn’t get a chance to slice and dice him because Bourne was back.

  “I don’t think security will find them. They’d be foolish to stick around. But our guys might find someone who saw which way they went when they left the park.” He scowled at Sparkle. “If we knew who Amaya was impersonating, because she damn well didn’t walk out of here as herself.” Bourne nodded toward the bag she carried. “So what kind of girl thing did Amaya want?”

  Sparkle opened the store’s bag and pulled out a box of tampons. “Amaya was too embarrassed to call the front desk.”

  Ganymede doubted that. He might be furious at Sparkle, but she earned points for making a smart choice.

  Bourne frowned. “Then you should’ve called it in.”

  Sparkle shrugged. “Like I said, an emergency. No time to make calls. You’re not a woman. You wouldn’t understand.”

  You wouldn’t understand. The game-ending line. Ganymede silently applauded.

  Bourne chose not to fight that fight. He switched his attention to Ganymede. “You were down there. What do you think happened?”

  “I’d bet that Amaya took the form of someone no one would question,”—he glanced at Sparkle—“while Mistral became the ass I always knew he was and kicked down the door.”

  Sparkle narrowed her eyes. “You’ve always hated him, Mede. What, too much competition for you?”

  Now it was Ganymede’s turn to narrow his eyes. “From him? Never.” He deliberately turned his attention back to Bourne. “Since I didn’t see any dents in the door, I’d guess Mistral took his wind form and used all his hot air to blow the door off its hinges. Then he probably breezed right out of the Castle. Invisible.”

  Bourne cast Sparkle one last piercing stare. “Better hope we find them. Amaya could cause us trouble.”

  Sparkle looked as though she was considering his comment. Then she shook her head. “I don’t think outing us is high on her priority list. Besides, if she’s with Mistral, he won’t allow her to betray us.”

  “You’re sure of him?” Bourne didn’t look convinced.

  “I’ve known him for a long time. He drives me crazy, but I don’t believe he’d do anything that would put me in danger.” Then she returned to Momo and Tuna. “Why do you have Ky’s gods?”

  Bourne allowed himself to be redirected for the moment. “I like them. They’re…cute.” His expression said the word “cute” wasn’t one he used often. “I offered to watch them while Ky and Blue took care of some business.” He scanned the hall, his gaze never pausing on Sparkle and Ganymede.

  Ganymede got it. Bourne had been at the top of the food chain for a long time. He stayed there by being as close to invulnerable as possible. Anything that softened him would be a weakness in his eyes.

  “Ky has been feeding them regular cat food.” Bourne finally looked at Sparkle. He shrugged. “I might have gotten the restaurant’s chef to give them both some raw steak.” Momo tucked his head under Bourne’s chin. Bourne looked embarrassed. “I probably should get these back to Ky.”

  Afraid of turning into a big softie? Ganymede couldn’t hold back his grin. “Raw steak is

  a great ice breaker. Looks like they love you.” Ganymede swore Bourne winced at the L word.

  Then the Big Boss pulled his authority around him and tried on a scowl aimed at Sparkle. “I hope you didn’t purposely allow Amaya to escape. That would make me really unhappy. Now, I’ve got to find a fox.” He started to stride away.

  Suddenly, both Momo and Tuna went ballistic. They clawed their way onto his shoulders where they clung screaming and flapping their wings. They dug their sharp talons into him. Bourne cursed as he gripped their legs so they wouldn’t fly away.

  Before Ganymede could move to help him, Ky raced into the great hall from the courtyard. Ganymede could hear shouts behind him. Ky slammed the door shut. He cast a panicked glance around the room before spotting them. He ran to them, pushing aside anyone who didn’t move out of his way fast enough. Breathing hard, he slid to a stop in front of the Big Boss. “Courtyard. Portal. Opening. Father!” He sucked in breaths between each word.

  Sparkle didn’t hesitate. “Are any of the guests out there?”

  Ky could only shake his head. Horror bled from him. Good old dad must be some kind of monster to put that much fear into his kid. Ganymede hoped he would be the one to give the king a taste of real terror.

  “Great.” Sparkle reached for Ky’s hand. She gripped it tightly. “I want you to clear the great hall and hotel lobby. Tell my people to send all guests to their rooms and to keep those trying to enter the hotel out until the danger is over. Don’t worry, they’ll know what to do. I’ve prepared them for this kind of emergency.” She dropped his hand. “Make sure they secure all exits. Help them in any way you can. It’s important that no humans are hurt. Will you do that for me, Ky?”

  Ky nodded before running toward the door that separated the great hall from the lobby. When she turned back to Bourne and Ganymede, her expression was calm. “What now?”

  Bourne winced as he finally managed to yank Momo’s talons from his shoulder. “Holgarth is out there. He’ll lock the gate leading from the courtyard to the rest of the park.” He looked at Ganymede and Sparkle. “We have to contain them in the courtyard. If the battle spills over to the rest of Galveston Island, we’re screwed.” He shoved the two animals at Ganymede. “Keep them safe.” He turned and strode toward the door leading to the courtyard.

  “What the…?” Momo and Tuna screamed, flapped, and clawed. Ganymede cursed. A lot. In fact, he pulled out a few he hadn’t used since the reign of Henry VIII. But through the flapping, and the feathers, and the cursing, he held on.Ganymede cast Sparkle a desperate glance. “Maybe you could—”

  Sparkle widened her eyes. “Nope. I’m allergic to feathers.” She watched as Bourne reached the door. “I’ll go with him. Come out as soon as you finish calling in help.” She started to back away.

  Coward. Ganymede scowled at the struggling animals. “How long before Ky realizes you manipulated him?”

  She shrugged. “He doesn’t need to be where his father can see him. If the king gets past us, then we’ll have to think of something else.”

  Ganymede watched her leave before he turned his attention inward. Momo and Tuna still thrashed and beat their wings, but they didn’t break his concentration. He opened his mind to all friendly beings of power within the range of his thoughts. Then he called for help.

  A few minutes later, Ganymede ran toward the door to the courtyard, the scream of the Castle’s warning system almost deafening him. Guests wouldn’t know what the exact danger was—maybe a T. rex stalking the Castle halls—but they would know it wasn’t safe to leave their rooms.

  Ganymede thought about locking Momo and Tuna in his suite. No. Time was important. He had to get outside to help the others right now. But he couldn’t take them with him. Ky and the two gods had to stay hidden. Ganymede paused, scanning the hall for someone he could trust. There. Old Dave had worked at the Castle long enough to understand that weird stuff happened here. He called Dave over.

  Then he gripped the struggling animals tightly and explained things to them. “See, I don’t know how much you understand, but here’s the scoop. Stay quiet and don’t try to escape from Old Dave. He’ll keep you
safe from the king and his priests. They won’t come in here.” Two pairs of round, blue eyes studied him. They stopped squirming. Ganymede smiled. Message received.

  Old Dave shuffled over then stopped in front of Ganymede. He eyed Momo and Tuna. “Gotcha a pretty pair of yella parrots there, boss.” He blinked and peered more closely. “Eyes ain’t what they used to be, but them parrots look a mite strange.”

  “Yeah, well they’re a new breed. Look, Dave, I have something to do in the courtyard. I want you to guard Momo and Tuna until I get back.” He held the old man’s gaze. “Don’t let anyone take them.”

  Old Dave chortled. “Like those names. Sure, I’ll keep them birdies safe for you.” He took the two gods from Ganymede. He held Momo and Tuna against his chest, making soothing sounds as he rocked back and forth. The gods seemed to relax.

  Ganymede grinned. “Thanks, Dave. Oh, if they’re good, you can get them some steak from the chef.” He left the old man standing in the middle of the great hall dressed in the suit he insisted on wearing each day, holding two gods who looked a little perkier at the mention of steak.

  He emerged from the Castle to chaos in the courtyard. Daylight was fading, but it wasn’t quite dark yet. He hoped no one was stupid enough to turn on the lights. Night was their friend. He only hoped guests in rooms facing the courtyard weren’t glued to their windows.

  The portal had formed in front of the far wall. It was open.

  An army of men wearing yellow robes, waving swords, and shouting, massed behind their leader—the king. He was huge, all bunched muscle, threatening snarls, and a formidable beard. He rode an animal with eight legs that looked a lot like an elephant-sized spider. Hey, snarls and formidable beards didn’t bother Ganymede, but all those guys in yellow robes—probably the priests—could be problematic. Then there was the sea of other figures, some of whom didn’t look too human, behind the priests. Ky had said the king was powerful. How powerful? Too bad Ky wasn’t here now to answer those questions.

  Ganymede raced to join Bourne, Holgarth, Zane, Sparkle, and the four newbies as the giant spider thing carried its still-snarling king into the courtyard. A bunch of screaming priests followed closely behind him. Someone should tell Zendig he had an inferior portal. These guys didn’t come through naked, and they got to bring their weapons with them.

  Then things got crazy.

  Sparkle slipped off her heels and bashed two of the yellow-robed dudes in the head with them. They went down with a shocked look on their faces. Probably surprised a female not wearing their holy color dared to touch them. Sparkle in hand-to-hand combat was hot.

  He didn’t have time to notice much else as the sheer numbers coming through the portal threatened to overwhelm them. But Team Castle had power on their side. Ganymede reached out with his and tossed a handful of the enemy into a mosquito-laden paradise in a distant Louisiana swamp. From the corner of his eye he saw Orion raise an earthen wall to imprison another yellow mob.

  Jill wasn’t far away. The enemies near her stood frozen, expressions of horror on their faces. Well, well. Those faces said waking nightmares. Jill must’ve had a power surge. If she could reach her victims when they were awake now, then no one was safe. Paternal pride filled him.

  On Ganymede’s other side, a crowd of priests fell to the ground gasping for air that wasn’t there. Jerry’s work. And above the roar of Holgarth’s gargoyles—who were doing an excellent job of mowing down the enemy—he could hear the squeals of Blue’s strange pig-like animals. Not from Earth, but who gave a damn right now.

  Then there was Bourne. A circle of yellow-robed bodies surrounded him like some grotesque wedding ring.

  After that, Ganymede lost track of everything except taking out the king. The royal jerk still rode his spider mount, trampling his own people as he charged from one side of the courtyard to the other. Not brave enough to dismount and fight like a man—Ganymede glanced to where Sparkle stood surrounded by a bunch of priests clutching their groins and screaming in agony—or even a motivated woman.

  Concentrate. It was all about the crap-ass king. Ganymede closed in. The king had paused in a corner while he scoped out the battle. Ganymede couldn’t use his big guns for fear of taking out all of Galveston along with His Royal Butt-crack. This would have to be a surgical strike. Sure, he could just send the king to some exotic place for an extended vacation, but Ganymede wanted the satisfaction that only came when he fought face to face with an enemy. He concentrated his power like a laser and aimed at the king’s body. Ganymede would blow this guy all the way to Houston. He let his power rip…and watched it bounce off the king and then take out half of the courtyard wall.

  Well, shit. The jerk did have some magical skills after all. And the exploding wall would bring the cops even if all the shouting and cursing didn’t. He glanced up to see a bunch of faces pressed against the hotel windows. At least half of them had their phones out and were recording the battle. Great. Just freaking great.

  Frustrated, Ganymede shouted over the roar of battle. “How about climbing off your spider and dropping your shield so we can see who the real power is here?” He shrugged. “Or I can just expend a little more energy and shatter it. Personally, I don’t like to work any harder than I have to.”

  The king managed a credible sneer. “You are nothing. I’ll destroy you, and then I’ll take back our gods. But before I leave, I’ll rain fire down on your world.” He seemed to think about that threat. “Perhaps I’ll spare Hollywood. They provide entertainment, especially their movies filled with death and suffering.”

  An impressive threat. Ganymede appreciated an enemy who thought big. He rubbed the sweat from his eyes. Texas heat was a bitch. At least he could see the king was bathed in sweat, too. A bunch of bloodcurdling screams distracted him for a moment. He glanced away. Blue stood in the middle of a sea of yellow that jigged and jumped to some tune only it could hear. She turned toward Ganymede, grinning as she mouthed, “Fire ants.”

  As Ganymede turned back toward the king, he noted that some reinforcements had arrived. Brynn, Conall, and a few others fought their way through the mass of yellow. But now some of the nonhuman creatures were crowding into the courtyard.

  This wasn’t good. Ganymede had to end it now. That meant taking out the king. Once their leader was down, his army might retreat. Ganymede couldn’t afford to finesse this. He would strike fast and hard and hope that Ky wouldn’t hold it against him if he killed his father.

  Except…the king was gone. The corner was empty. Ganymede started to scan the area, thinking that maybe his quarry had slipped away while he was distracted. Nope. Then Ganymede remembered one of Ky’s skills. He could teleport. Trailing a string of curses, Ganymede raced into the great hall.

  He was just in time to see Momo and Tuna gripped in the king’s arms as the giant spider scuttled toward the great hall wall. Just before he reached the wall, spider, king, and gods disappeared.

  Old Dave crouched beside Ky. The boy lay on the floor, a pool of blood gathering around his head. Dave raised his tear-filled gaze to Ganymede. “He just popped up in front of me on his spider and grabbed them birdies. Too old to stop him.” He shook his head. “Then the boy tried to take them back. The rotten buzzard struck him down.”

  “Is he alive?” Ganymede was grimly determined. He would wipe the king from this universe and any other he tried to hide in. He’d tried to kill his own son.

  Dave nodded.

  Ganymede allowed himself a moment of relief. “Call the desk. Ask for Ella. She’ll take care of Ky.” He thanked the gods Sparkle had insisted they get a healer for the Castle, one who understood how to treat victims who weren’t quite human.

  Then Ganymede ran back to the courtyard. He was just in time to watch the unthinkable happen.

  The enemy was retreating back through the portal taking their dead and injured with them. The king rode in their midst, still holding Momo and Tuna in a crushing grip. Evidently, he’d decided not to hang around to rain dest
ruction on Earth. The little gods snapped and fought to get free, but it wasn’t happening. The giant spider thing had almost reached the portal when Bourne leaped toward it.

  The Big Boss had superhuman jumping talent to go along with all his other skills. He landed on the back of the spider. Bourne grappled with the king, trying to wrest the gods from his grip. But the king’s magical power was making it a little tough. Ganymede had no doubt that Bourne would win, but he didn’t get to see it because at that moment the spider leaped through the portal and it closed behind the creature.

  The silence almost crushed Ganymede. He ran to where the portal had been and tried to force it back open. Nothing. Frantically, he looked around. He met Zane’s gaze. “Open the damn thing.”

  Zane tried. Holgarth tried. Ganymede made them all try. No luck. And while everyone except for Sparkle lined up for a second shot, Ganymede dropped onto the grass and stared at the spot where Bourne had disappeared. Sparkle sat beside him. She wrapped her arm around his waist then rested her head on his shoulder.

  He closed his eyes. In the distance, sirens signaled that the police were on their way. “Fuck.”

  She nodded. “Exactly.”

  22

  Sparkle hadn’t come to terms yet with Bourne’s disappearance through the portal. At any moment she expected it to pop open and burp him out carrying Momo and Tuna. Minutes passed. Nothing. Meanwhile, the sirens drew closer.

  “Why did he go after them?” Even as she spoke, a thought surfaced. If the king had taken Mede, she would’ve leaped through a ring of fire to save him. But this wasn’t the same. Or was it?

  “Loyalty. He’s big on taking care of his own. That makes up for some of the stuff he puts us through. Ky is one of his because he’s one of mine. And the gods belong to Ky.” Mede stroked her hair.

  Not loyalty. She thought back to the expression on Bourne’s face as he’d held Momo and Tuna. Love. He’d cared for them. Who could’ve guessed that when the mighty Big Boss fell it would be for two tiny yellow animals with big blue eyes?