“No way.” I was firm as I shook my head in Nellie’s direction. “I’m not taking you there.”
“That’s discrimination.” Nellie was hissy ... and I didn’t necessarily blame him. “Just because I wear a dress doesn’t mean I’m not a person.”
I shot him a withering look. “That’s not going to work on me. I think you’re a fabulous person wearing a fabulous dress. That doesn’t mean everybody can go. We have to limit the number of invitations extended.”
Nellie shrewdly narrowed his eyes. “Did they give you a limit?”
He was trying to trip me up. “They told me to use my best judgment.”
“So ... .”
I firmly shook my head to cut him off. “So I’m using my best judgment. You’re not a good match for an already combustible situation. Only a few of us are going.”
“And who is that?”
I’d been expecting the question, and for once, I had an answer. “Me, Kade, Luke ... .”
“Of course the three musketeers are going,” Raven groused.
“Max,” I added pointedly.
“Me?” Max looked up from the table where he’d been drinking coffee and enjoying the show. “Why do you want me to go? I’m fine staying here and keeping an eye on the others until you return and regale us with stories.”
Nellie’s hand shot in the air. “I claim his place.”
“You’re not going,” I repeated, glaring. “As for you, Max, you are going. You’re the patriarch of our family. Cormack will respond better to someone trying to keep his children safe. We’re not really your children but ... .”
“You’re all my children,” Max countered. “You’ve been my child since you tried to pick my pocket on the street several miles from here. I haven’t forgotten that day, or where it happened. I’m fine going to dinner.”
I exhaled in relief. I wasn’t certain he would agree.
“Is that everyone?” he asked.
“No, we need one more,” I replied, my eyes slowly drifting over the crowd until they landed on Raven. “We need someone who understands the history of banshees because she was there. There’s a lot of talk about these creatures being different. I need someone who can debate that fact.”
“You want me to go?” Pleasure tinged Raven’s cheeks, but she quickly shuttered and turned neutral. “If you get to take your boyfriend, I get to take mine.”
I should’ve seen that coming. “Fine.” It wasn’t worth quibbling over. “That’s the extent of the group. I want everyone else to stay here and watch the perimeter. If the banshees come back while we’re gone ... .” I purposely left it hanging.
“I’ll cut their heads off,” Nellie replied without hesitation. “Hey, don’t look at me that way. If you’re going to keep me from an excellent dinner, I’m going to kill whatever I want.”
I could do nothing but roll my eyes. “Knock yourself out. Keep an eye on Cotton and Michelob. I don’t want them wandering into trouble.”
“We’ll keep them safe,” Dolph promised. “You can trust us.”
I had no doubt about that. Every person I was leaving behind — well, except for the clowns and midway workers — would sacrifice their lives to keep those girls safe. We were strong and united for a reason. That wouldn’t change because there was strife about dinner.
“We won’t be late,” I promised. “We’re going to share information and that’s it.”
“Have fun.” Dolph offered a wave as Nellie continued to glower. “Everything will be absolutely fine here. You have nothing to worry about.”
KADE AND I HAD ALREADY SEEN the house, so we didn’t stare as long as the others when we pulled into the driveway. Max was too cool to stare (although I didn’t miss the way his eyes appreciatively roamed the turrets at the top of the house), but Luke, Raven and Percival’s eyes were busy.
“Does Dracula live here?” Luke asked finally. “This looks like the sort of place a deadly vampire would live while seducing women and wearing a velvet cape.”
I slid him a sidelong look. “That’s a very detailed fantasy,” I pointed out after a few seconds, causing him to chuckle. “No, seriously.”
“It is a detailed fantasy,” he agreed. “This place, though, ... I can’t wait to see inside.”
“The inside is even more impressive,” Kade reassured.
The same stuffy butler from our previous visit opened the door to us. He looked resigned rather than excited when he gestured for us to enter. “This way.”
“Cool.” Luke beamed as he strode past the man. “Thanks for the warm welcome, Jeeves.”
Even though I found the butler stiff and annoying, I felt the need to apologize to him. He was only doing his job, after all. “Sorry. Everyone is just excited to be here.”
He slowly tracked his eyes to mine. “You needn’t apologize. There’s nothing your group can throw at me that the Grimlock children haven’t already lobbed … and with slingshots.”
Oddly enough, I felt that was true. “Well ... .”
“You’re expected in the parlor. The family is already gathered there.”
That sounded ominous. I followed the trail of voices through the house, assuming someone was leading Raven and Percival, who were at the front of our group. Sure enough, we halted in one of the most ornate rooms I’d ever visited ... and it was filled with Grimlocks.
“Ah, you’re here.” Cormack was on his feet and already zeroing in on Max. He introduced himself, nodded with polite interest as Max did the same, and then the men settled in chairs at the front of the room to talk.
That left the rest of the room for the kids to play ... and I wasn’t sure it was going to be a comfortable meeting of the minds.
“You have a baby here,” Raven announced, her eyes landing on the infant Griffin held against his shoulder. He was patting her back, giving me the impression that baby Lily was feeling unsettled.
“We do,” Cormack confirmed. “That’s my granddaughter.” His eyes lit with joy and, for a moment I felt a warm flash of love emanate from him. He loved his family more than anything, was proud of them. His granddaughter was a particular marvel to him, though. “Lily.”
“That’s a beautiful name.” Max beamed at the baby. “She’s a beautiful girl.”
“She is,” Cormack agreed. “She looks like her mother.”
“I’m sure that was inevitable given the genetic freak show you’ve got going on here,” Luke offered. “I mean ... why do your kids all look exactly the same?” He looked from face to face. “Were you and their mother brother and sister?”
Cormack scowled. “Excuse me?”
“Ignore him,” Max interjected smoothly. “He’s addicted to attention. It doesn’t matter if it’s positive or negative. He’ll take anything he can get.”
“That sounds like someone else I know,” Cormack said dryly, his eyes landing on Aisling.
“I’m sitting here being good,” she protested.
She’d been quiet since we entered, contemplative. Her gaze followed Raven. I wanted to question her, but wasn’t keen on the idea of doing it in front of an audience. “So, what did you guys find out today?” I asked, launching to the heart of the matter.
“Really, Poet, we can have a little small talk before we get to that,” Max said, catching me by surprise. “Sit down and have a drink. You don’t always have to be so vigilant.”
I thought about arguing, but the look Kade shot me told me he thought that was a bad idea. With nothing better to do, I settled on one of the ornate settees — Luke and Kade taking up positions on either side — and watched with fascination as Raven circled the baby.
“What are you doing?” Griffin asked finally, protectively sheltering his daughter. “She’s not on the menu if you’re looking to eat her.”
Raven snorted. “Please. I haven’t done that in centuries.”
Griffin’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
Max chuckled nervously. “You’ll have to excuse Raven. Her manners aren’t the
best. She’s drawn to the baby. She can’t help herself. There’s something different about the child ... I’m not sure what it is.”
I’d also sensed something interesting about the baby. “She’s got a bit of magic,” I offered, causing numerous eyes to snap in my direction.
“Magic?” Redmond leaned forward in his seat. “What do you mean by that?”
I shrugged, unsure how to explain. “She’s too young to really get a read on her. I would guess whatever it is starts manifesting when she’s a little older — probably five or seven — and then you guys will be able to make better preparations for when she acts out.”
“You’re not the first person who has suggested that Lily is special,” Cormack noted, his eyes traveling to the door as Braden strolled through it. He had a striking woman with him, long black hair and cheekbones so sharp they could cut salami. She seemed bubbly as she held Braden’s hand, relating an amusing anecdote to him. “And there’s the other person now.”
Braden and the woman pulled up short, glancing around.
“You guys could at least applaud if you’re going to stare like that,” Braden announced, earning a snort from Aisling.
“What’s going on?” the woman asked a bit nervously, slowly tracking her eyes around the room. They lingered on Max, Kade and Raven before finally settling on me. “Who are you people?”
“That’s not a very polite greeting, Izzy,” Cormack chided, although he looked more amused than upset. “These are our new friends from the circus.” He introduced us in turn — although he had to gather names to complete the task because he hadn’t yet met everybody — and when he was finished Izzy turned her full attention to me. “Is there something wrong, my dear?” He looked concerned as he studied the striking woman.
Her coloring was similar enough that people might assume she was part of the family from a distance. Her eyes were different, though, and she practically bubbled over with magic. She wasn’t the strongest being I’d ever come in contact with, but she was up there.
“You’re a bruja,” Raven announced before I could decide how I was going to address the woman.
Izzy didn’t seem bothered by the assertion. “I am, but what are you? I keep seeing a snake in my head.”
Luke snorted. “You’re not far off.”
Raven ignored him. “Lamia.”
“Really?” Izzy brightened considerably. “I was under the impression that most of your kind were extinct.”
“There are very few left.”
“Well, then I’m really glad to meet you.” Izzy’s thoughtful gaze turned to Max. “You’re a mage.”
“I am.” Max wasn’t ashamed to admit it. “Half mage, to be exact.”
“And he’s quarter-mage.” Izzy jerked her thumb at Kade.
“If you don’t mind my asking, how did you know that?” Max queried. He looked genuinely curious.
“I spent most of my childhood in New Orleans,” Izzy volunteered. “There’s a decent amount of mages trying to hide among the bruja down there.”
“Fascinating.” Max smiled. “I didn’t realize that. We visit New Orleans every year. In fact, we’re due to visit in a few weeks. I will have to research that tidbit.”
“They shouldn’t be hard to find,” Izzy offered. “They stick to the French Quarter because it’s easier to blend in with the voodoo folk.”
“That’s good to know. Thank you.”
That left me, and when Izzy finally focused on my face she looked more puzzled than anything else. “What are you?”
It wasn’t until she asked the same question I’d uttered a thousand times that I realized how rude it sounded. “I seem to be a potpourri of things.”
“I’ll say.” Izzy released Braden’s hand and walked closer. “May I?” She didn’t wait for an answer, instead resting her hand on top of my head. “Fascinating.”
“Izzy, you’re being weird,” Braden complained, dragging her away from me before I had a chance to grow too uncomfortable. “You can’t pet her like that.”
“I’m not petting her. I’m just ... you’re not one thing.” Izzy, frankly, looked amazed. “You’re kind of a mixture. You must’ve had a lot of magic folk in your lineage because you’re utterly fascinating.”
She’d used that word twice now. I wasn’t comfortable with it. “I don’t really know,” I admitted. “My parents died when I was a teenager. Before then, they wanted me to hide what I could do. They were insistent that I be quiet about it. Once they were gone, there was no one to ask.”
“I’m sorry.” Izzy was sincere. “I lost my parents when I was little. Luckily I had my grandfather to raise me in New Orleans.”
“We met your aunt,” I pointed out. “We were in her store today.”
“Aunt Max. She’s great.”
“She’s convinced that we’re dealing with mutant banshees,” I noted, taking the conversation full circle to the serious topic. I didn’t care if Max thought it was rude. I wanted to get to the heart of matters. “She thinks they’re different. What do you think?”
“I’ve yet to see one of them,” Izzy admitted, rueful. “My home base is Belle Isle. I have a new employee who is set to come in any day now and I’m down one worker. I’ve been stuck on the island for the past two weeks.”
“Which is stupid,” Braden muttered as he shook his head. “I haven’t had an omelet bar all week.”
I was confused. “What’s an omelet bar?”
No one answered. The Grimlocks were avidly watching Braden and Izzy instead.
“You didn’t have to sleep on the island,” Izzy pointed out primly. “You could’ve slept here — with your brother and father — and left me to my work plight alone.”
Braden made a face. “Oh, don’t be like that. I wasn’t blaming you. I was just saying that I happen to love a good omelet bar.”
“Who doesn’t?” Aisling enthused, climbing to her feet to join Griffin in the corner as he settled the baby. Lily wasn’t making much noise, but it was obvious the baby didn’t want to relax. I had a feeling I knew why.
“You know the baby is aware that she’s the center of all your worlds, right?” I finally announced.
Griffin lifted his chin, surprised. “You read Lily’s mind?”
“I tried, but there’s not much I can see,” Izzy admitted. “You must have stronger mind magic.”
“Maybe,” I hedged.
“No, you definitely excel with the mind magic,” Max agreed. “That was the first thing I noticed when we met. You were trying to push me into believing it was a beautiful evening and at the same time trying to make sure I didn’t realize my wallet was being lifted. As a mage, you shouldn’t have been able to budge me. You gave me a little shove, though, and that’s how I knew you were special.”
My cheeks flushed as Kade grinned and rested his hand on my knee. “There’s definitely a lot of magic in this room.”
“There is,” Max agreed. “Given that magic, we should be able to work together and figure out what’s happening. We need to come up with a plan.”
“Izzy needs to see one of them first,” Braden countered, his hands continually roaming his girlfriend’s slim back. He seemed to constantly need to touch her, which had me guessing that they were a relatively new couple. They were clearly into one another, but they hadn’t yet walked through fire to save each other.
That was still to come ... and it would be interesting.
“I spent the afternoon searching the cemetery,” I said. “I think they have a home base there, but I’m not familiar enough with the grounds to know if there’s a place they could be hiding ... other than the obvious, I mean. I don’t want to invade any of the mausoleums, but I think that might have to be our next step.”
“We invade mausoleums there all the time,” Aisling offered, waving her hand before taking the baby from Griffin. Lily immediately seemed to settle a bit when her mother started swaying back and forth — especially when Griffin moved to the other side, so his chest was ag
ainst Lily’s back and he was facing his wife — the new parents essentially wrapping her in a cocoon. “We can do it again if we have to.”
They were forming a human swaddling machine to make the baby comfortable. I wondered if they realized it or instinct caused them to protect her this way. They were good parents without even realizing it.
They also were going to have their hands full for a very long time.
“We can take a trip to the cemetery after dinner,” I suggested. “Maybe if we’re all there as a group we’ll be able to figure things out. It can’t hurt.”
“It can if the cops come back,” Cillian challenged. The woman sitting next to him on the settee — she’d been introduced as Maya and had Griffin’s coloring – smiled serenely at his discomfort. She was Griffin’s sister, if I remembered the family connections correctly. It seemed there were a lot of intricate ties in the Grimlock world. It was very much like our world ... except most of the people in our world didn’t look exactly alike.
“We’ll post lookouts outside the cemetery to make sure that nobody can sneak up on us,” Max insisted. “I think a cemetery search will be good. If we can find these banshees sooner rather than later it will benefit us all.”
“Then we’re agreed to go on a banshee search after dinner,” Cormack announced. “We have prime rib and a potato bar for dinner, so everyone should eat up before we head out.”
“Prime rib?” Luke was tickled. “Do you guys eat like that all the time?”
“When you have as many children as I do you learn to bribe them with food at an early age.”
“There’s even an ice cream bar for dessert,” Aisling added, grinning as she pulled away from Griffin. The baby was finally asleep. “Gummy sharks and everything.”
Cormack’s smile was indulgent when aimed at his only daughter. “I got you gummy owls, too, because you said you wanted them.”
“Score!”
I couldn’t swallow my laughter. It was like being in a surreal new world set inside an urban castle in which a doting father spoils the crap out of his children and sees nothing weird about it. It was unrealistic … and yet I kind of liked it. I had no idea why.
Freaky Reapers (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 8) Page 18
