Hex Type Thing

by Amanda M. Lee

  Galen maintained his cool veneer. “Did someone die? I must’ve missed that.”

  “Probably because you haven’t been here,” another voice called out, this one female. “I haven’t seen you around since this started. It must be nice to have somewhere to go, out of this heat.”

  I wanted to stand up for him, yell at the woman to shut her mouth, but I knew he would frown upon that. He liked to appear professional, and a shrieking girlfriend was pretty far from professional.

  “I care about what’s happening here,” Galen countered. “The thing is, this isn’t the only thing happening on the island.”

  “So, you’re saying we’re not a priority?” Thalia called out. “That’s ... lovely.”

  I pinned her with a dark look. “Aren’t you one of the lucky ones with a hotel room?” I blurted out.

  Thalia’s eyes went wide as at least twenty sets of accusatory eyes lasered on her. “No. I ... no. Don’t look at me,” she barked at those staring. “We’re suffering here and they’re not doing a thing about it.”

  A murmur went through the crowd and I found myself excessively nervous.

  “What would you have us do?” Galen asked reasonably, his voice echoing much louder than anything Thalia could manage thanks to the megaphone. “We didn’t arrange this festival. That honor goes to Alastair Herne and Calliope.”

  At the bottom of the steps, Calliope hunched her shoulders and found something fascinating to stare at on the ground.

  “They took your money, promised you something that didn’t exist and created this fiasco,” he continued. “I have no control over anything that’s happened here. The island’s political leaders are in the same boat. We’re trying to clean up this mess, do the best we can, but we’re in a pickle.

  “The ship can’t return to pick you up for days yet. We can’t command a plane to land and take you away. All of our hotels are booked. We’re doing the best that we can.”

  “So bring out Alastair Herne,” another man called out. “If we can’t beat you to a pulp, give us Herne.”

  “I wish I could do that. I honestly do. The thing is — and this is the reason I wasn’t on the beach first thing this morning — he’s dead.”

  A ripple went through the crowd, a low murmur, and — I swear this is true — I heard a hiss of hate. Were people actually acknowledging their delight that he was dead or was I simply hearing that in my head? I couldn’t be sure, but the noise was enough to cause me to take an inadvertent step back.

  I smacked into Booker as I was trying to tune out the noise. He slipped an arm around my shoulder to offer me a bit of solace. Worry etched across his handsome face and the look he pinned me with was quizzical.

  “What’s wrong?”

  That was a very good question. “I don’t ... .”

  I heard it again. It sounded like a huge snake, the sort that you might find in a nightmare ... or a Harry Potter movie. Someone — or, rather, multiple someones — was enjoying the news regarding Alastair’s death.

  Good.

  He had it coming.

  If anyone deserved it, he was the guy.

  I only wish I could’ve been there to help whoever did it.

  I wonder who it was. Was it someone here?

  They don’t know it’s me.

  My eyes snapped open at the last voice as I searched the crowd, desperate to find a face to match the words. I couldn’t ascertain if the voice was male or female ... and nobody looked as if they were relishing Alastair’s death. On the outside, everyone was the picture of sadness and regret.

  On the inside, though, there was something dark festering in the underbelly of one of these people.

  “The killer is here,” I murmured.

  “What?” Booker’s eyebrows hiked high. “What do you mean? Do you know who it is?”

  I shook my head. “No, but ... I hear him – or her.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. I ... .”

  The hissing started again, this time more intense. I heard overlapping voices in my head. It started as five, easily grew to twenty, and then I became overwhelmed when fifty voices joined the din.

  They were going to fight. They were already out of hand. There was no way Galen would be able to rein them in.

  I’m still not sure how it happened or how I knew it was going to happen, but my inner danger alarm pinged. It didn’t warn me that trouble was coming in my direction, though. It screamed for me to help Galen.

  I was already moving before the alarm finished sounding. I grabbed his arm and gave him a vicious yank away from the crowd. Surprise was reflected in his eyes, and then anger. I didn’t care. I tugged with everything I had, put a little magic behind it, and managed to pull him to the ground.

  A shot rang out. A huge hole had been blown into the stage directly where he’d stood talking to the crowd.

  I could only see it for a moment, and then his arms went over my head as he plastered his body over mine as a shield.

  “Shots fired! Shots fired!”

  It was Theo yelling, and I wanted to shake him. Was he kidding? Could anyone not see that?

  “Keep your head down,” Galen ordered in my ear, his arm over my head. “The cavalry is coming.”

  “The cavalry is here,” Booker countered. He was on his knees directly next to us, his eyes on the water. “Look out. Here they come.”

  I jerked my head out from under Galen’s arm so I could see the sirens rushing from the water, spears in hand. There had to be at least one-hundred of them, and they were screaming orders, high-pitched demands ripping through the air.

  We were plunged into absolute chaos.

  20

  Twenty

  Galen was heavy on my back and I heard him whispering that it was going to be okay. There was no fear coursing through me — something I would have to think about later. I was more curious than anything else. The second I removed Galen as a target, terror had been replaced by curiosity.

  I wasn’t certain that was necessarily a good thing.

  “I want to see.” I moved Galen’s arm from around my head and peered out, my eyes going wide when I saw Aurora taking down two belligerent men. She had a spear in one hand. She used the blunt end to corral the festival-goers. There was some sort of shell in her other hand.

  “What is that?”

  “Hide your head,” Galen ordered, trying to shove me under him again.

  I was having none of that. “I’m fine.” I continued to struggle with him. “The danger is gone.”

  Galen pulled back slightly to look me in the face, his expression reflecting bafflement. “What do you mean?”

  “The danger is gone,” I repeated. “I want to see what the sirens are doing.”

  “But ... .” He didn’t continue to try to wrestle me down, instead rolling off and eyeing the crowd with overt disgust. He rubbed his chin, and when he turned back to me I saw something other than worry reflected back. “How do you know that?”

  “Know what?” I was having trouble keeping up on the conversation, mostly because I was determined to see the sirens at work. They looked to be scarily efficient, and because they weren’t coming after me I was amused.

  “How do you know the danger is gone?” Booker queried, shifting closer to us.

  I shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know. I just know. The same way I knew that Galen was in trouble.”

  “And that’s why you intervened.” Booker turned his gaze to Galen. “She’s getting strong fast. I think she saved your life. That means you’ll have to dote on her all night. I see seafood and endless massages in her future.”

  Galen barked out a harsh laugh, but he didn’t seem amused as much as awestruck. “I think you might be right,” he said after a beat, his thumb grazing my cheek. “You saved me.”

  Until that very moment I hadn’t really considered it. I only knew Galen was in trouble and acted accordingly. If I’d stopped to think about what could’ve happened before acting, things might
’ve been very different. Fear could’ve very easily paralyzed me. It didn’t, and we were safe. That was the only thing that mattered.

  “You’re okay, right?” I instinctively began checking him for wounds, my hands busy as they moved over his shoulders and back. “You didn’t get winged, did you?”

  “I’m okay.” He grabbed my wrists to force me to stop feeling him up. “I’m okay. More importantly, you’re okay.”

  “How is it that I’m more important?”

  “Because I said so.” He swooped in and gave me a quick kiss before shaking his head and turning to the ongoing melee. The sirens had made quick work of most of the problem attendees. There were only a few still being chased about. “I have to handle this.”

  “I’ll go with you.” I moved to dust off the seat of my shorts, but he stopped me with a firm head shake.

  “Stay here with Booker,” he insisted. “This is my job. You’ve already done yours.”

  “But ... .”

  “No.” He pressed his finger to my lips and offered up a rueful smile. “If you’re a very good girl, I’ll take you to whatever restaurant you want for dinner tonight and you can order eight pounds of crab legs. I just ... for now ... I need you to stay here with Booker. I can only worry about one thing at a time and you’ll take precedence if you’re out there.”

  He was being so reasonable all I could do was agree. “Okay, but I’m going to hold you to the crab legs thing.”

  “I have absolutely no doubt.”

  IT TOOK ALMOST TWO HOURS TO GET things under control at the beach. The sirens were efficient to the point of being freaky, but they were still woefully outnumbered by the festival attendees. Still, to their credit, they managed to subdue the crowd ... although the question about who fired the gun was still up in the air.

  “Do you think it was our killer?” I asked Galen as we made our way into Lilac’s bar. Despite his offer to take me to a fancy restaurant, I requested a place where I was comfortable instead. He seemed to understand my weariness and agreed, but promised to make the fancy dinner a reality at some point after our current crisis was handled.

  “I honestly don’t know.” Galen’s hand landed at the center of my back as he prodded me toward our favorite table. Before I could slide into my side of the booth and get comfortable, he wrapped his arms around me and tugged me close. “You did really well today.”

  I absorbed his warmth for a beat and then pulled back. “Was there ever any doubt?”

  His eyes twinkled as he slipped a strand of my dark hair behind an ear. I’d caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror behind the bar as we entered and I looked as if I’d been trapped inside a wind tunnel a good portion of the day. I’d decided to embrace it as a purposeful fashion choice rather than fret about it.

  “Let’s just say that I’ve always known you could do impossible things,” he said quietly. “You’re developing so fast.” He turned rueful. “Don’t leave me behind as you rush forward. We’re still a team.”

  I sensed this was a true moment of melancholy, so I wrapped my hands around his wrists and squeezed. “I can’t leave you behind. You might think I’m leaping ahead right now, but I’m always trying to keep up with you. We’re going to be okay.”

  “Yeah.” He cupped my face and gave me a soft kiss before resting his forehead on mine. “It could’ve been a much different day. Things worked out, so I’m not going to dwell on it.”

  We remained like that for a full ten seconds, separating only when Lilac pushed her way between us and inclined her head toward the booth. “This is an eating establishment. If you guys plan on doing anything else, I’ll need a special license ... which I don’t have time to get.”

  Galen snorted and released my hand before sliding into his side of the booth. He looked tired, as if he could sleep for forty-eight hours straight, but he also looked exhilarated. Things were under control on the beach, which meant his biggest worry had been put to rest. On top of that, he was alive ... thanks to me. It was a good day all around.

  “I saved Galen’s life today,” I announced as I got comfortable.

  Lilac arched an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Is this some new sex game you guys have developed? If so, I’m not in the mood.”

  “No. I mean I really saved his life. Someone had a gun at the festival and was aiming it at him.”

  “Seriously?” Lilac’s sunny blond hair looked to be a shade redder than normal, which gave me pause. “When did this happen?”

  “Almost two hours ago,” Galen replied, cocking his head to the side as he regarded her. I couldn’t help but wonder if he saw the same thing I did. “How has your day been going?”

  “It’s sucked wide, but that’s hardly important given what you guys have been through,” Lilac countered, nudging me with her knee to get me to slide over so she could settle beside me. “Tell me what happened.”

  Galen did just that, relating everything in a calm and concise manner. When he was finished, Lilac was flabbergasted ... but not for the reasons I expected.

  “You tapped the sirens?” She was incredulous. “How did that happen?”

  “They’re looking for money,” Galen replied, his hand finding mine on top of the table. He was feeling tactile this afternoon, which was fine with me because I was feeling the same. What happened on the stage had the potential to plague me with nightmares, though I was hopeful I would be so exhausted I would simply drop off and be dead to the world.

  “They’re always looking for money,” Lilac noted. “Still, you must’ve been pretty persuasive.”

  “I said they could use whatever means they felt necessary as long as nobody died. I also said that if they had to use deadly force I wouldn’t hold it against them.”

  “So you were all over the place.” Lilac snickered. “Wow. I can’t believe the sirens are running the show.”

  “I think that’s another reason they agreed to it,” Galen admitted. “Booker came up with the idea. I was leery about it at first, but seeing the way they whipped that crowd into shape I’m thinking they can hold it together until the festival ends.”

  “Won’t they be expensive?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, but I have discretionary funds allocated from the DDA for emergency manpower. I get a set amount every year and rarely make a dent in it. This year, I’m digging in.”

  “Hey, you have to do what you have to do.” Lilac flicked her eyes to me. “So you’re the big hero. I bet that means you guys will be celebrating tonight.”

  “Actually, we’re celebrating something else. We’re moving in together.”

  Lilac’s eyes widened. “No way. You really are having a big week.”

  I waited for her to say something else. When she didn’t, I was naturally suspicious. “Aren’t you going to comment about how fast we’re moving? That seems to be the point of interest for everyone else.”

  “And by ‘everyone else,’ she means Booker,” Galen drawled.

  “Oh, ignore Booker.” Lilac offered up a haphazard wave. “He’s persnickety because he’s at a crossroads in his life. He’s feeling rootless and can’t decide what he wants to do, so he makes everybody miserable in the process.”

  “I know,” I said. “He mentioned that this morning. He said Galen was his touchstone and he always thought they would keep competing for women until they were in their forties and then settle down. The fact that Galen did it so fast is ruffling his feathers.”

  “He mentioned that?” Galen preened as he leaned back in his seat, his feet coming to rest on either side of mine. “That’s ... awful. Did he sound jealous?”

  I shot him a quelling look. “I don’t think now is the time to focus on that.”

  “It’s always the time to focus on that,” Galen countered. “I’ve had a long day. I almost died. I should be able to get my jollies wherever I want.”

  He had a point. “Fine. Knock yourself out.” I grabbed the specials menu from the center of the table and studied it. “I want a double order of the cra
b legs.”

  “Double?” Lilac’s amusement was on full display. “Are you going to make Galen roll you out of here?”

  “No, but I am going to make him pay.”

  Lilac looked to Galen for confirmation and he nodded. “Today, she gets whatever she wants. She swooped in like a baller and saved my life. I think, at the very least, that merits some crab legs.”

  “I wouldn’t disagree.” Lilac got to her feet on a sigh as several women in the back corner of the bar called out to her, demanding drinks. “Did I mention I hate witches?” she growled. “Present company excluded of course.” Her expression turned apologetic, but only briefly. “These crazy bats can’t get off my island fast enough.”

  This time I was certain that the red in Lilac’s hair had ratcheted up a notch. I glanced to Galen to see if he noticed, but he simply offered a small shake of his head. The message was clear. Now was not the time to mention the phenomenon.

  Once Lilac set off with the drink orders, Galen and I settled into comfortable silence. It was obvious we were both exhausted after a long day — both physically and emotionally — and it was nice to be with someone who didn’t need constant entertainment.

  Perhaps thinking the same thing, he flipped my hand over and tracked his fingers across the palm, his eyes briefly shutting. I smiled at the sensuous way his fingers roamed the lines on my hand and opened my mouth to suggest we get the crab legs to go. That’s when I caught sight of a familiar face.

  “Isn’t that the medical examiner?”

  Galen’s eyes snapped open and he jerked his head in the direction I indicated. The man standing in the doorway looked as if he felt out of place, his eyes busy as they bounced between faces. When he finally caught sight of Galen, he straightened and waved ... and then headed in our direction.

  “Ugh. I hope this doesn’t take long,” Galen muttered, squeezing my hand before releasing it.

  He needed rest, I realized. He was putting on a good show, but the adrenaline burst from earlier was starting to flag. He was the sort of man who needed downtime to decompress, and I had no doubt that’s what he was craving now. I would find a way to get it for him.