by R D Martin
Bella shivered. No, she needed to get up, to get the girl back to her mother. She needed… what? She wasn’t sure what she needed. Was it getting colder in here? Oh well. Time to go… in a minute. Rest, that was what she needed. A minute to rest. That wouldn’t hurt. She just needed to close her eyes for a minute.
The world around her ceased to spin as she closed her eyes. Yes, just a minute. One minute, then they’d leave. In the darkness she could hear the slow beat of her heart and the staccato beat of Samantha’s. There was also a shuffling sound just on the edge of her hearing, not that it mattered. Sleep. Sleep mattered. Then they’d get out of there.
Quicker than she’d have thought possible, sound disappeared as well.
Chapter 28
“Coming,” Bella yelled. “I’m coming.”
Setting the newspaper down on the table, she stood and, with a last glance at it, strode through the kitchen to the front door. Two weeks. That’s all she asked for. One week to get her life back in order and a second week to find another job and forget nearly dying. Thinking of that sent tingles racing from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. She’d lost so much blood, if it hadn’t been for William, well, she wouldn’t have had to worry about finding a new job.
The spell holding him and the bird woman in stasis had just ended when Ladon’s scream echoed through the halls. The sound had startled both combatants, but it had a greater effect on his attacker. The winged creature pushed away from him and, flapping its wings hard enough to kick up a miniature windstorm, disappeared down the tunnel. Freed, he’d run to join Bella, only to find her unconscious.
Gasping, she’d woken up on the floor lying in a pool of her own blood with William pressing a burning talisman into her forehead. Warmth spread throughout her, soothing pains like she was luxuriating in a whirlpool. As it spread, energy suffused her limbs until she could raise herself to her feet.
After that, it was just a matter of opening a portal with Browser’s ring to escape. As bad as they looked walking out of the bathroom and into the soup kitchen’s dining room, they still only attracted a few stares.
Karina, after satisfying herself that she wasn’t about to die, let them know the police and child services were in the back office speaking with the children. She wanted to drag her to them to explain the children’s crazy stories, but thought better about it and passed her the keys to her car.
The pounding on the front door grew more incessant as she approached.
“Okay, okay. I’m here.” She didn’t even bother with the peephole. The wards in place now would keep out anything short of a god.
Standing on the other side of the doorway was her neighbor, Heather, and Samantha. The child gave a high-pitched squeal before darting in and around her to scoop up Cat across the room. Rather than an annoyed hiss, the animal had a smug grin on its face that only widened as it hung from the girl’s arms.
“Hello, Heather. What can I do for you?” Bella asked, opening the door a little more.
“Hi, Bella. You seem… different. Did you do something? Cut your hair or something?” The blonde squinted, trying to zero in on the change.
“No,” she said, putting on as innocent a look as she could. “Nothing.”
There was a moment’s pause before the woman nodded and, stepping past her, entered the apartment.
“I need you to watch Samantha tonight. I’m going out with some of the girls to that new club, you know, the one with all the silver stars on its front.” Turning, she held out a backpack. “She’s almost done with her homework, so you’ll have to help her finish, but that—”
“No.”
“—shouldn’t take too long,” she continued as if Bella hadn’t spoken. “After that, you can order a pizza or something. I know, the carbs aren’t good for—”
“Heather, I said no.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said no. I’ve got company and as much as I love Samantha, I’d like to spend some time alone with him, if you don’t mind.”
“You? You’ve got company?” The woman’s tone was rife with disbelief.
“Yes, she’s got company,” came a reply from behind her.
Both women turned toward the new voice. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of him in a way that made his muscles seem more pronounced, William flashed his gorgeous smile back at them.
Bella rolled her eyes and smiled. If anyone ever accused her of being a drama queen, she’d just have to point to her boyfriend as her excuse. A flutter of butterflies invaded her stomach and a rush of warmth enveloped her like a fine silk robe at the thought. Boyfriend. Her boyfriend.
“What? Bella? Who is this?”
Ignoring the shocked woman, she turned her attention to Samantha, who was currently scratching behind Bella’s familiar’s ears, causing him to purr so loud she could hear it from where she stood.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re not staying. Not tonight, anyway.”
“Aw, but please?”
“Nope. But maybe this weekend, okay?”
That seemed to mollify the child as she stood and skipped across the room, throwing her arms around Bella in a tight squeeze.
“You still wearing the charm I gave you?” Bella asked, hugging her back. It was difficult to send her away, but she really wanted some alone time. Well, not necessarily alone, she thought, smirking. “Good girl.”
Letting go, she watched the child skip into the hall and disappear into her own apartment.
“It was nice to see you, Heather,” she said to the still-quiet woman who hadn’t taken her eyes off William. Putting a hand on her shoulder, she guided the woman out of the apartment and into the hallway.
On the other side of the door, Heather shook her head as if to deny the shift her world had just taken.
“Bella? How?” she began, eyes flicking between the woman she thought she knew and the man in her apartment.
“Good night, Heather. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Bella only saw her nod once before closing the door in her face.
Most of the people walking in the street gave the dirty woman a wide berth as she stood, frozen in one spot and staring up at the building across the street. One man stopped and tried to ask her if she needed help, but was ignored so thoroughly he wandered away, forgetting her in pursuit of his own business.
Though she couldn’t see anyone from where she stood, Ceto could feel her up there, could feel how happy she was. The mark was still there, probably forgotten by the human, but she’d never forget. And she never forgot a debt owed either.
Her plan had worked, though not quite how she’d envisioned it. She’d hoped to possess the Blade, but at least all the shards were together and she could retrieve them later.
If only her son had done as she told him. Retrieve the shards. How hard could that have been? Instead, he tried to perform the ritual on his own.
She frowned. Impatience had always been his problem. Even guarding the golden apples, he’d let that hero goad him into a fight. If she hadn’t heard his cries and been close enough, he would have died then.
Oh well. Children. What could a mother do?
Turning, she hurried as fast as her legs could carry her up the street, dislodging small crustaceans with each step. She hated walking. Hated having to be so far from her ocean home. It all felt so… dry. How could they live like this?
A wry smile flitted across her corpse-pale lips. They wouldn’t have too much longer, she thought. This was a setback, but not the end of her plans. The cycle would be right again soon and she could move forward then. Besides, she had other children, though none as malleable as Ladon. He would have made the perfect sacrifice. Maybe she’d use one of her winged daughters. She’d never liked them much.
Humming a tune that hadn’t been heard in a thousand years, Ceto turned a corner and vanished in the shadows, leaving behind nothing but a salty wet trail.
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About the Author
R D Martin is the author of the breakout Bella Flores Urban Fantasy Series. You can find RD’s online home at www.rdmartinwrites.com, and you can connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rdmartinwrites. If the fancy strikes you, feel free to send an email to [email protected].
