“I don’t care, Paige. You’re in my parish under my protection and, by God, I’m going to protect you.”
“With sticks?”
“With bullets.”
“Against demons.”
“You don’t have any say in the matter.”
Paige put a lid on whatever else she was going to say. Stubborn men.
They had to figure out how to fix their biggest liability.
Her.
“HE SAID WHAT?”
“Dexx, please.” Paige dropped her badge on the table and stuffed her gun in the drawer. “Don’t overreact.”
“Overreact? Overreact. Huh. The man just said he was going to kill you tonight and I’m overreacting?”
“He’s in jail.” Paige headed for the bathroom.
He flung his hands in the air and stormed to the window. “Sven’s not!”
She turned at the bathroom door. “If this were a normal situation, you’d say we needed a trap.”
“Normally? Sure. That’s a great idea, but not this time.”
“Why not?”
“Because!” He clawed his hands. “Because it’s you. This time, it would be you in the trap. No. Just no.”
She didn’t know what else to do. She had no idea how to win this one. They were on the losing side. “I have something I have to tell you.”
He stared at her, his smile upside down, waiting.
“Bal came to see me. He said that every time he’s near me, he feels the need to possess me.”
“You want to know how I knew that?” Dexx folded his arms over his chest and tipped his head to the side. “The symbols carved into you, then magickally burned into you. You’re as open to demon possession as a child.”
“Okay. Did you know there’s a large population of demons and angels gathering here?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I vaguely recall you mentioning something like that off-hand.”
She shrugged. It’d been a busy day. She couldn’t remember everything she’d said.
“Do we have a defense against angels?”
“Not that I know of.”
“And do we know why the angels are here?”
“Since they’re the ones that bound the guardians to the earth and left the gates unguarded? Nope, but I’m guessing it’s not good.”
He paced away. “Shit.”
“Right. And—because we needed things to be more exciting—Sven has all the guardians. All of the Lucius’ brethren. They’re all trapped in the part of the key he has.”
Dexx’s face paled as he turned toward her. “You’re kidding me.”
“I wish. He seems to think that with Lucius as the final soul, he can complete the blood spell necessary to empower the key so he can open the gate.”
“Tell me that’s not possible.”
“How the hell would I know?” She ducked into the bathroom and closed the door. She’d been holding high pee since the police station. She’d needed to get out of there, to go somewhere she felt safe. Not in the inn. With Dexx. He made her feel safe.
How safe could he be when his traps didn’t even work?
Finished, she dried off her hands and re-entered the bedroom.
Dexx sat in the window seat, his phone in his hands. He waved it. “My ink came in. We’re going to—”
“No.”
“Yes. You have a knot work of spells branded into your bones that allow demons to come in. We have to counter that somehow.”
“With a tattoo?”
“They used a knife. I’ve got ink.”
She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t deny she needed to be able to do her job. She couldn’t stop being a summoner. What was she going to say every time a demon popped up? Go away? Nicely? No. Her world, or at least the parts she knew of it, weren’t going to disappear simply because she was broken. She needed to get fixed.
“What if we cut the symbols?”
“You sent the witch who could do that away.”
Paige winced. “Fine. What did you have in mind?”
Dexx laid out a couple of ideas. They decided on two after a great deal of debate. He retrieved his box from the front desk and got to work.
Paige did everything she could think to keep her mind off of what Dexx was doing, but that was somewhat hard, considering the fact he was sticking a needle into her skin repeatedly. It hurt like hell.
With her two tattoos in place and her skin an angry red around them, Dexx declared her done. “Let’s see if they work. Summon Balnore.”
Bracing herself, Paige reached inside and whispered, “Balnore, I need you.”
Nothing happened.
Paige turned to Dexx.
He shrugged. “Try using the mirror. The first time you summoned him, you used a candle and the mirror, and there were things. You know, other, scary things. With fire.”
“But I don’t need to. The mirror just helps sometimes.”
Someone knocked on the door.
Dexx frowned at her. “Did you order a pizza?”
She quirked her lips, but dug her gun out of the table drawer.
One hand on the Glock shoved in the back of his pants, Dexx opened the door a crack. He jerked back, shaking his head, then widened the door.
“You called?” Balnore asked, looking a little disheveled.
Paige frowned at him. “You felt the need to knock?”
“Because when you call me, you never throw up protections.” He rubbed the dark stubble lacing his chin. “It’s safer this way.”
“I didn’t think you could—” Paige stopped herself. “I mean, when you’re summoned—”
“I need to show up where you tell me to? No. What’s up?”
How much did she know about Balnore? He played things safe. Didn’t rock the boat. He guided her when she needed it. But what did she know about him? Really? “I need to know if the protections worked.”
“What protections?”
“The ones Dexx laid on me. The tattoos.”
Balnore shook his head.
She spun on Dexx. “You made this permanent.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, held up a finger and promptly fell back to his notes. “It should’ve worked.”
Balnore narrowed his eyes at Paige. “Huh.” He took two steps closer to her, remaining just out of arms reach. “It did work. A little. It’s easier to control the temptation. I don’t feel as though you’re pulling me into you.”
“Ha!” Dexx snapped his fingers and pointed to her. “I told you it would work. Can you summon another to see if it worked?”
“No!” Balnore held up both hands, his eye wide. “No.”
“But if it worked,” Paige said, “there shouldn’t be an issue.”
“I feel as though you’re not pulling me into you. I didn’t say I didn’t feel the need to possess you. I simply have better control over it. The brands are still whole. They’re still working.”
Paige pinched the bridge of her nose. “How do I fix that?”
“I don’t know, Peanut.”
“Well,” Dexx said, gesturing to the demon with one had. “What have you been doing?”
“Gathering information. Since the globe doesn’t work right now, I decided this would be the best use of my skills.”
Feeling useless wasn’t something Paige was used to. “What did you learn? Is everyone still here? Or have they left?”
“They’re still here. If anything, there are more of them now. Angels and demons. And talking to them didn’t help. Everyone’s confused. They don’t know why there’s a surge in power, who the major players are, or what’s going on.”
“Then why are they here?” Paige asked.
“Because this is where they were summoned to.”
Paige blinked. “Summoned?”
Balnore raised a hand, dipping his head to the side.
“I didn’t summon them.”
“Someone else did.”
“There’s someone else like Paige?” Dexx asked.
“No.” Balnore folded his hands in front of him and leaned against the door. “At least, not likely. There is only one like her in every generation.”
Dexx’s closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m getting really bad Buffy flashbacks. What if she dies? Is another awakened? What if she’s possessed, thrown into the back of her own mind? Is that enough to bring another demon summoner into play?”
“Dexx. Sometimes, your mind gives me a headache.”
“Sometimes, it gives me one, too.”
“I got Jones to confess,” Paige said. “But they wouldn’t give Sven up. I don’t know where the key is. I don’t know where he is. I only know they were able to shove all the guardians into the fragment they have.”
“The guardians?” Balnore asked, his expression stone. “Where is Lucius?”
“He was in jail, but he walked right out.”
“How?”
Paige licked her lips then bit down on them as she struggled to find the words to explain what had happened. “He has the earth magick from me, so the demon traps don’t work.”
“Do you think he summoned everyone?” Dexx asked.
“They’ve been gathering for a while,” Balnore said, his eyes narrowed on Paige.
She shriveled under his gaze. “What about Malika or Jones?”
“Anyone can summon. But, no, I don’t think they’re the ones. Whoever it is, can summon almost as well as Paige.”
“Almost as well as I used to.”
Dexx ran his hands over his head. “Who are the players? This is so frustrating.”
Paige massaged her temple. “Jones is connected to angels, but he’s not a Nephilim.”
“He would not be,” Balnore said. “No. We keep a close eye on all Nephilim.”
Dexx paced three steps, turned and paced back. “How do you figure out he was attached to angels?”
“He said that he wanted to open the Gate to Heaven.” She winced. “But he can also track the movements of demons? Who can do that besides summoners?”
“Other demons,” Dexx said.
“Angels,” Balnore added.
“Great.” She clipped her gun onto her belt. “I need some air.”
“And what about tonight?” Dexx stepped into her path, meeting her gaze. “They’re going to try and kill you tonight.”
“When they spring the trap, we’ll be ready.”
Dexx raised his face to the ceiling. “Really? How? We don’t have a plan. We don’t have anything laid down. We have nothing.”
“Fine. When they spring the trap, we’ll have a plan.” Which was her way of saying they were fucked. She had no idea what they could do and no clue what they should be preparing for.
All she knew was that if that was her last night, she wanted to breathe some fresh air before she died.
Rawr.
SHE MADE HER way to the lake, watching the waves lap against the beach. She needed something more than a plan. They needed a way to win. With broken toys and broken weapons and no information, though, she had no idea how they’d make that happen.
She stooped, picked up a fairly flat rock, and threw it at the lake.
It plopped loudly and sank.
“You’re doing it wrong.”
She hadn’t even heard him come up behind her. “Dexx.”
He ran his fingers along her arm.
She took a step away. That wasn’t what she needed. She needed a level head. She needed a way out of this mess. He didn’t provide that. Yes. She trusted him with her life, but that didn’t mean he was the best thing for her in a situation like this. Those fingers felt too good along her skin, making her crave more. The warmth he offered. The feeling of comfort. Safety.
What a joke. Safety. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
He pushed a rock into the palm of her right hand, laying his fingers around her waist. “First, you’ve got to loosen up,” he murmured in her ear.
Ripples of desire shivered over her. “Dexx. Now is really the wrong time.”
“Yes. Because the world is going to end, so finding solace is always the wrong thing. Shut up.” He moved her hips from side to side. “Relax.”
She smiled, unable to help herself. She felt silly moving as he directed. Well, following someone else’s direction period felt odd and out of place. “What if I don’t want to?”
He stilled behind her. The tip of his nose ran along her neck. “All I’m doing is showing you how to skip a stone.”
Her skin sizzled where he touched her. “Right.”
His hot breath filtered through her hair, warming the back of her neck.
All she wanted to do was to turn around, grab his head, and claim his lips. She wanted to taste him, touch him, devour him.
“Paige.”
No. She broke from his embrace. “The wind’s too high. You can’t skip on this water anyway.”
He cocked an eyebrow and threw his stone. It skipped twice on the broken water and then disappeared.
“What are—”
Dexx’s phone blared, “Warning. Warning. An idiot is trying to call you. Pick up the phone. An idiot is trying to call you. Warning.”
Paige chuckled and walked away.
“Hey. Did you do it? Great. Hold on.” He stopped Paige and handed her the phone. “Here.”
“What?” She took it, but wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to do with it. Obviously, talk, but to who and why?
He waved at her with a quit-asking-questions expression and headed down the beach.
She put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Nick.”
How long had she spoken to him? Years. Right after Leah was born, they’d started talking to one another again. They’d actually developed a pretty good relationship. He’d decided to go into law, so they’d had things to talk about.
But after her memories were banished, she hadn’t remembered she had a reason to call him. Guilt slammed into her like an anvil.
“How’re you doing?”
She smiled through the painful embarrassment. “I’ve been better. You?”
“I’m doing good, doin’ good.”
“I, uh, heard you got a job with a big law firm.” What she really needed to say was sorry. Sorry for forgetting about him. Sorry for trying to kill his mother. Sorry for abandoning him. Sorry for forgetting his birthday for the past three years.
“Yeah.” His cheerful tone sounded forced. “I got the job about a year ago.”
“Oh. Right. Yeah. Time flies.” Lame. So lame.
“Hey, don’t sweat it. I hear you’ve had your hands full with detective stuff and then having your mind wiped clean.”
“Did you know about it?”
“Leslie told me. I didn’t completely agree with it, but what could I do, you know? It’s not like I have any pull and you couldn’t call or stop by anyway, so . . .” He trailed off.
“How is she?”
“Leah?” The tight constriction of forced enjoyment disappeared and became more natural. “She’s doing great. We’re out shopping for ice cream. I had a sudden craving for mint chocolate chip.”
Paige chuckled. “I like Starbuck’s Coffee Almond, myself. But I can’t find it anywhere.”
“Oh,” he said, his voice pained. “Going for the expensive stuff. Well, Leah and I are sharing and she’s too young for coffee.”
Paige could hear a girl laugh in the background and a muffled, “Am not.”
“Here,” he said. “Would you like to talk to her?”
“Sure.” Hope flared painfully in her chest. “Hey, Nick.”
“Yeah.”
She turned her back to Dexx’s retreating form, her voice small. “What do I say?”
He was quiet for a short moment and she began to feel stupid. She was Leah’s mother. How wouldn’t she know what to talk about?
“She’s into soccer and My Little Ponies. You get her talking about either of those topics, and you won’t have to talk. You’ll just be forced to listen fo
rever and ever and ever—Ow! You little twerp.” He laughed. “Here. Talk to your mom.”
Paige waited anxiously until her daughter’s voice came on the line. “Momma?”
“Leah.” Paige’s eyes filled with tears and her throat tightened. Joy surged through her, filling every empty void she hadn’t realized existed. Leah’s voice had changed. It was lower now, more mature. Her voice. Leah’s . . . voice. It felt so good, so good to hear it. A thousand questions rushed to the surface. “Oh my god, Boo. How are you?”
“I’m good,” Leah said. “Uncle Nick’s taking me to get ice cream. So. I’m really good.”
A ghost of a laugh escaped. “What have you been up to lately? I want to hear everything.”
“Oh, stuff.”
“Like what kind of stuff? Have you learned anything in school?”
“Not really,” Leah said. “We mostly review stuff I already know.”
Paige snorted. “Nick said you were playing soccer.”
Paige listened as Leah went on and on about soccer, and all the girls she played with, and the last game she’d played. Each word fell on her heart, warming something so cold she thought it would never melt. She blinked back the tears when her brother said they had to go.
“Boo,” Paige called.
“Yeah, Momma.”
“I love you,” she said softly.
“Yeah, okay.”
Paige’s heart twisted, but what did she think? That a little girl was going to keep on loving someone who wasn’t a part of her life, who never called, never showed up? No.
Leah was quiet for a minute. Paige thought she handed the phone off, but then her voice came through, smaller this time. “I miss you. Why’d you disappear? Why didn’t you fight?”
Paige wanted to tell her everything, but she was a kid. She didn’t need to hear all the horror. She didn’t need all the details. “It’s a really long story.”
“I don’t care.”
“I know. When we have more time, I’ll try to explain.”
“Whatever that means.”
“I miss you, Boo,” Paige whispered through the pain of knowing the phone call was about to end, that the darkness would come back, the ice would take over again. “I love you with every bone in my body.”
“Okay. Well, ’bye.”
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