Silver-Tongued Devil

by Jaye Wells

Page 63

 

  I dragged my eyes from Adam and nodded. “Of course. ” I turned to grab my coat from where I’d left it on the altar.

  Gasps echoed through the chapel. I paused and looked over my shoulder. Shocked stares greeted me. A cold chill passed over me. What the hell?

  “Slap me on the ass and call me Dionysus!” Giguhl exclaimed. I looked up at Adam, whose mouth had fallen open. He approached me slowly, as if I might disappear. He and Giguhl reached me at the same time.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded. I craned my neck to look at the spot on my back where everyone was pointing, but Adam and Giguhl both yelled at me to stay still. Warm fingertips and a pointy claw prodded the skin of my left shoulder blade. “Guys?”

  “Holy shit, Red,” Adam said. “What the hell happened to you in the Liminal?”

  I frowned. Hadn’t we gone over this? “Wha—”

  “You’ve got two birthmarks now!” Giguhl said, drowning out my question. I stilled, a chill spreading across my skin. A vague memory of the chaotic seconds surrounding Maisie’s death flashed through my memory. The searing pain when the orb rotated around my body.

  Rhea ran toward us then. “Oh, my gods,” she breathed. “Sabina!”

  I turned to her, accepting the embrace she offered. “This is a sign,” she said.

  “You and your signs,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

  The air tingled with magic as Rhea summoned a mirror for me to use. I glanced back into the surface to see what they’d seen. My breath left me in a sudden rush.

  Identical eight-point stars now scored both my shoulders. Is this what Phoebe had meant when she said that Maisie would always be with me? Had this birthmark been my sister’s parting gift? Or was it just some other fucking arcane symbol I wasn’t supposed to understand yet?

  “What does it mean?” Giguhl asked.

  I shook my head. My throat felt tight, but hope bloomed in my chest. The skin under the star felt hot, like a healing wound. I paused. It didn’t really matter what it meant to anyone else, I guess. Because I chose to see it as a positive sign. A totem, a good luck charm. Proof that even though she couldn’t be there in person, Maisie would always have my back.

  “Whatever it means,” Rhea said, her voice hoarse, “it’s got to be a good omen. ”

  I met her gaze and smiled. Finally, a reason to hope.

  Adam cleared his throat and tried to covertly wipe the wetness from beneath his eyes. “The sun’s going down so we probably need to motor,” he said in a gruff tone. “Aunt Rhea, can you call ahead to Zenobia and let her know we’re coming?”

  “Absolutely,” Rhea said. “I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you all again. ”

  Zenobia. Gods, I never thought I’d be seeing her again so soon. I definitely didn’t think that when I did it would be under such dire circumstances. “I don’t plan on being in New Orleans long,” I said. “But we could probably use any supplies she can offer. ”

  I saw Giguhl tense. Most likely at the prospect of seeing Pussy Willow again. But before we could deal with the ramifications of going to the Big Easy again, we had to begin the tough process of leaving New York.

  “You guys ready?” Adam asked.

  I grabbed Rhea in a tight, hard hug. “You be careful,” she whispered. “Check in as often as you can. ”

  I swallowed hard and nodded. “I promise. ”

  “And, Sabina?” She pulled back with her hands on my shoulders. “Don’t doubt yourself. You’re ready for this. ”

  “You don’t know—”

  “Hush now,” she said gruffly. “Don’t question your elders. ”

  “Yes, ma’am. ”

  With that, she released me and said her good-byes to her nephew. When she turned to Giguhl, she said, “You take care of them for me or I’ll whip your scaly hide. ”

  Giguhl chuckled and lifted the elder mage into an undignified hug. “You bet your sweet ass. ”

  All around the room, awkward glances and sniffles punctuated the tension of the impending farewell.

  Finally, Giguhl released Rhea. Turning toward Adam and me, the demon clapped his claws and rubbed them together. “All righty, let’s get this quest under way already. ”

  I smiled up at him. “Quest?”

  He shrugged. “Sure, isn’t that what you call it when someone rides off into the sunset to meet her destiny?”

  I shook my head at the demon. “You’ve been watching too much TV again. ”

  “All right, you two. ” Adam’s upbeat tone was forced, and his red-rimmed eyes hinted at how much he was hiding. “Circle up and we’ll be eating beignets in no time. ”

  Rhea joined us in the circle, more out of solidarity than a magical need. Giguhl held my right hand. “On three,” I said, forcing my tone to stay strong. Beside me, Giguhl and Adam nodded, giving me the all-clear.

  “One…” Rhea’s smile wavered.

  The wind rose up, cold and harsh as a stranger.

  “Two…” Adam squeezed my hand. Over his shoulder, I spied the tense, hopeful faces of the Queen of the fae, the vampire Enforcer, and the dozens of members of all the dark races who were putting their faith in us.

  Through the haze of magic and the pull of time and space, I sent a little prayer to Lilith that this would not be the last time we were all together.

  “Three. ”