So I had always known that some part of Callie had not wanted to become a Horseman—and I was only just now realizing that it had been eating at me from within. However, seeing her holding the Mask now…
I knew that I had found my first Horseman, leaving me only two more Masks to hand out.
One thing that I hadn’t noticed before caught my attention. There was a slight indentation on the forehead of the Mask—a horizontal crescent moon with points facing upwards. It was not the same symbol I had once seen branded onto Callie’s forehead. What did that mean?
She set it on her knees, finally looking back over at me in silence, her face neutral. I began to twitch nervously, not knowing what she was doing.
“What are the rules on workplace romance?” she finally asked.
Chapter 37
I blinked. Then, before I consciously realized it, I was standing upright. “I know the boss. I’m sure he won’t mind…” I said carefully.
“Good,” she purred, and a wicked grin slowly split her cheeks. “Because that would have been a deal breaker.”
I could tell by the determined look on her face that she hadn’t chosen the Mask for this reason, but that it was a benefit she didn’t want to give up in exchange for the Mask. And that it may have even been a reason she had stayed away from the topic for so long. That she hadn’t wanted to choose one over the other.
Inside, this made me deliriously happy.
Callie lifted the Mask in her hands, gauging its weight. Although it looked dense, I knew it was no heavier than a light t-shirt.
“You can change its shape,” I said. I touched my necklace and it instantly transformed into a dark charcoal Mask with a single golden streak down the center. The gold streak, resembling a bolt of lightning, was actually a fracture rather than a cool design feature. I was slightly disappointed to see that the fracture hadn’t magically healed after giving Callie her Mask. Maybe I really would have to hand out all four before mine would heal. As I looked at my Mask, I sighed. The Mask of Hope was almost plain in comparison to the Mask of Despair.
The leader of the New Horsemen had the lamest Mask.
Then again, the stone of my Mask was so dark that it was almost hard to point out any specific details other than that it was a man’s face. I turned it back into a coin and smiled. “Just imagine what you want it to look like,” I said.
Callie’s eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration. In a sudden curl of vapor, her Mask shifted into a familiar-looking silver butterfly charm.
Just like the one I had once given her. Back when we first kissed.
In fact, she reached into her pocket to pull out said charm, comparing the two with a nod of satisfaction.
“You’re going to have to teach me how to use it,” she said, grinning down at the butterfly charms.
I grimaced slightly at her statement, trying to think of the best way to explain the usage of the Masks. “There’s kind of a learning curve. I can share my experiences and help you as best as I can, but I think each Mask is entirely unique. They seem to adapt to the user’s abilities or inclinations. At least that’s what mine has seemed to do. Each seems to have its own personality. It might be best for you to figure it out on your own, rather than me limiting you by telling you what to do. You aren’t an extension of me, of Hope—”
“I’m Hope’s counterpoint,” she said softly, interrupting me. “Despair and Hope, two sides of the same coin. We are each other’s murderer,” she said, smiling faintly.
I kept my face neutral, but not to hide any feelings of surprise. Because I wasn’t surprised. I was proud. Regardless of how clever she was, I hadn’t thought Callie would come to that conclusion for some time yet.
“I had…hoped that was what Alice meant, but only because I’ve spent a lot of time around her recently and know how she thinks.”
She nodded, but her eyes were far away, and I could tell she was debating something in her mind.
After a few moments, she glanced up at me. “You know…and I’m just spit-balling here, but it might be a good idea to take this training seriously. Go somewhere secluded. Very secluded, mind you. Just to be safe. And we will need food and drinks. Shelter. And no one knowing where we are. You know, so we don’t get distracted. Because training is important. Very important—”
I burst out laughing at her rapidly blushing cheeks. She wasn’t being as subtle as she thought. “Deal. We will…dedicate ourselves to this training.”
She beamed, her eyes glinting in the sunlight. “It would be a good time for us to talk about things, too. Rather than these brief meetings, we could get into bigger topics. Like the one I brought up earlier…” she said, her smile fading.
I nodded, forcing myself not to demand answers. Gunnar was on the clock, and for all I knew, Ashley might already be having her babies. “I think I would really like that, all scandalous insinuations aside,” I teased, smirking at her blush. “I think sitting down with you and just talking would be fascinating, believe it or not.” And I meant it.
“Of course it would,” she said, sniffing pompously.
“Out of curiosity, who told you to murder hope?” I asked, because she hadn’t sounded surprised when Pandora said it, making me think that she’d heard it before.
“A lot of people,” Callie admitted uneasily. “Including Pandora. Others didn’t necessarily say it outright, but now that I think about it…they might have been saying the same thing in a different way, and I just never caught it.”
I grunted, not wanting to take the time to grill her on it. Because that would lead to longer conversations about what the hell she’d been up to lately. I realized that neither of us had brought that up. No talking about our days at work. I had a good reason. Maybe she did, too. Which meant that if I heard her story, I’d probably feel inclined to go help her out with her problems.
Just like she would with mine in St. Louis.
Which was exactly the problem.
I smiled at her, keeping my thoughts from my face. “Welcome to my life. Someday, maybe you’ll have a crazy mountain of your own.”
Callie smiled, sweeping her gaze across the scenery as she pocketed her silver charm—not her Horseman’s Mask. “Maybe a beach,” she said, rubbing her arms. And that suddenly reminded me that I was wearing only jeans—no shirt or shoes. And she hadn’t commented on why I wasn’t cold. She’d ogled a bit, even though she had tried to hide it. I’d done my fair share of ogling as well, but I had to use more imagination.
“In a very general way, how do I use the Mask? Some kind of ritual or spell?” she asked.
I smirked, shaking my head. “Just slap it on and hold on for dear life. It might not fully wake up the first time. I used mine a few times before it really opened up.”
“You say that like it’s alive…”
I pursed my lips thoughtfully. “It is, in a way. I brought it to life with some of the Nine Souls from Hell.” Callie blanched, looking mortified. I waved my hand emphatically, realizing that it had sounded way worse than I’d intended. “Don’t worry. They aren’t tainted by demons or anything. I technically fed the Souls to the Masks, so if anything, the Masks ate them.”
Callie pointed her toes at the Masks, and a look of relief washed over her face. I remembered that her boots could sense demons, so her quick test actually made me feel a lot better.
She held up her disguised Mask, meeting my eyes. “Things are going to get wild soon. We will need these more than you know.”
I read between the lines, curious about what she had discovered—what she wanted to talk to me about later. “Come back whenever you’re finished in Kansas City. We need to do some talking. And training,” I said, drawing out the word with a grin.
She nodded, but her eyes were thoughtful. “Pandora told me I had to come back anyway. I need to deliver something to someone for her.”
I waited a few seconds to see if she would elaborate on the sheathe Pandora had been holding. I hadn’t had the chance to ask her
about it, but I was betting it was the last part of Excalibur—although I had no idea what any of that had to do with Callie.
“I…would like that, Callie.” Just to be safe, I tried to think of something else to say to make sure she didn’t ask for my help or come knocking on my front door with a bottle of wine and a Netflix t-shirt in a few hours.
A man could dream. Sue me.
As incredible as that would be, I couldn’t afford the risk. “I would offer to come help—if you needed it—but I might cause more damage in my current state. I need to finish clearing my head.”
She smiled at me, her pearly white teeth reflecting the light from the snow around us. “You already helped, Nate.” She held up the Mask meaningfully. “I’ve got it from here.”
I spotted Last Breath poking his head out from the igloo—with Alice doing the same a few feet below him. Callie waved at the pair, letting them know we were finished and that it was time for them to leave.
They hurried over, and I couldn’t tell who was more anxious. Last Breath—to escape the tiny terrorist—or Alice. I grinned, pointing a finger at the dozen or so silver ribbons tied into his impressive mane.
Callie laughed, shaking her head.
“I’ll be back. Soon,” she said, just as Alice and Last Breath reached us. Alice grinned at the charm in Callie’s hand, giving me a nod of approval—and perhaps a subtle hint that I should have done the same with Gunnar. Then she tapped her forehead, pointed at Callie’s forehead, and gave her a thumbs up.
Callie nodded with a faint smile.
“Give them hell,” I said, smiling. It was time for her to go, before I changed my mind and asked her to join me. Two Horsemen against my enemies could cause some very real damage. But what if she experienced something like I had where her Mask broke?
Also, I couldn’t ask her to step into such a dangerous fight as a fledgling Horseman.
Even knowing this, something about her was just infectious. Grimm landed near the igloo with an explosion of blue slush. He was chewing on something that seemed to still be alive. It struggled weakly in his jaws. From where I stood, I couldn’t tell what it had been.
I froze at a sudden thought, and then spun my attention from Grimm to Callie. “Wait. You don’t have a horse! It’s kind of a requirement.”
Callie studied Grimm thoughtfully. I saw the exact moment that some idea crossed her mind, but it was obvious she didn’t intend to share it. “I’ll figure something out,” she said with an amused shrug.
Then she was motioning for Last Breath to follow her back to the still open portal that led back to my Armory. She seemed to be invigorated.
Was that from the Mask?
From spending time with me?
Or maybe it was just Callie—one of the many reasons I so enjoyed spending time around her.
I waited for the portal to close behind them, knowing we couldn’t very well go back into the Armory at the same time. We needed to give her a few minutes to exit.
And I really wanted to find out how the hell she’d become my assistant landlord.
Chapter 38
I scooped up my satchel and turned to Grimm the moment we were in the clear. “I need you to go help Alex and Talon. They’re squaring off against nine of the Knightmares somewhere near the Summer Queen’s Castle. Even if they have a Fae army at their backs, none of them can hurt a Knightmare like you can,” I said, pointing at his horn. “Alex and Talon will do an admirable job, but they need aerial support. Maybe you will see something they can’t.”
He studied me suspiciously. “Swear to call me when shit hits the fan?” he asked.
I smiled, nodding. “Always.”
“I’m serious, Nate,” he said in a tone I’d never heard him use. He sounded afraid. Concerned. “I need you just as much as you need me. Perhaps even more. You gave me a purpose, man. Brought me out of the Dark Lands near the Dueling Grounds. That…” he trailed off, sounding embarrassed. “That wasn’t a good place for me. This Horseman gig, though…I feel important again.”
I stared at him, surprised he hadn’t cursed for such a long string of words. But I was more surprised to hear him opening up to me. I’d always known these things about Grimm, but he’d never had to say them out loud. For him to suddenly think he needed to…
“I promise, Grimm. I need you more than I can put into words. Because none of my cars can fly.” He narrowed his eyes murderously. “And they also can’t stab annoying things with their head,” I added, smirking. “We are brothers, Grimm. I won’t leave you behind. I promise. I want to have my own pair of eyes up there instead of relying on Hugin and Munin, and whatever tidbits Odin decides to share.”
He studied me for a long moment, and then dipped his head. “Deal, Horseman. Call me when you need me. Until then, I’ll get a better look at everything than the ravens could. Then I’ll go to Alex.”
And then he took off into the sky.
I watched him for a few moments, his silhouette growing smaller as he flew further away. Finally, I shook my shoulders to mask my concern for my friend.
Alice was frowning up at me, looking sad. “Why did we lie to her?”
“I don’t want Callie involved.”
“But she’s a Horseman now.”
I grunted. “Not even ten minutes old and you expect me to drag her into my nightmares? No way. I think she’s busy anyway. And I have enough people to look after already,” I said, mussing her hair.
She hissed, jumping back a step.
I squatted down in front of her. I had questions about some of the things she’d said to Callie—like the Omegabet—but I had much more pressing agendas on my mind, and none of my questions would matter if I didn’t figure those out first.
“I need you to put your game face on. Things are going to move pretty fast from here on out, so I want you to keep a discreet eye on everyone in the Armory,” I said, touching my eye meaningfully. “Let me know if you see anything you think I need to know.”
“I always do, Nate,” she said in a soft voice.
I nodded, straightening back up. “Thank you. Welcome to my mad world, Alice,” I said, holding out my hand.
She clasped mine, unwavering. “We’re all mad here,” she said.
“Truer words,” I mused. Then I squeezed her hand and willed us back to the Armory.
We appeared back in the Armory in the room with the balcony. And again, I found Pandora sitting by herself.
She slowly turned to look over at us, smiling without any hint of surprise. “It worked. Callie left hours ago.”
I blinked, frowning. “We left her less than five minutes ago.”
Pandora nodded absently, as if my comment was of no concern.
But it sounded like one of those other concerns. The big ones.
Pandora turned to Alice, smiling conspiratorially. “Can you go see if Freya needs any help? She could probably use some rest, too.” She saw the concerned look on my face and shook her head. “No pups yet, but Freya has been watching over your friend like a hawk. She won’t do Ashley any good if she’s too exhausted to function.”
Alice glanced back at me and I nodded. “Thank you, Alice.”
She left quickly, pumping her little legs as fast as she could without actually running.
Pandora climbed from her seat, straightening her toga. She appraised me thoughtfully. “You need to get cleaned up. You are covered in snowman blood. Follow me.”
I frowned, wondering how she knew the blue blood had come from snowmen. But she was walking away too quickly for me to do anything but chase after her.
I caught up with her just as she rounded a corner. I matched her stride, spotting the door to the healing pool at the far end of the hall. As luck would have it, we also passed Ashley’s room. Drake and Cowan stood guard, both looking up as we rounded the corner. Pandora paid them no mind, focused only on the door to the healing pool.
They appraised me, then Pandora, and wicked grins quickly split their cheeks as they did so
me basic math. They both flashed me a congratulatory thumbs up. I shook my head sternly, silently telling them it was not what it looked like.
It did not help my case that I was wearing only jeans or that Pandora looked like Pandora.
I sighed, telling myself there were worse rumors to be whispered.
We reached the healing pool, and Pandora ushered me inside, closing the door behind us.
“You ride to war, yet you have no one to wash your back.”
I blushed suddenly. Okay, maybe Drake and Cowan had been right.
“Watch or wash?” I asked, hoping she had misspoken.
“This librarian does it all,” she said, smiling as she took a step closer.
Chapter 39
I blushed. Me.
“Pandora, what are we really doing here?” I asked, holding up a hand. Because I didn’t believe the flirting was her true purpose.
Her smile slowly faded. “For many reasons. One was for you to bathe. But I also have things I must tell you, my Host. I had hoped to relax you, first.”
I nodded, feeling better about the whole situation. “I’m plenty relaxed,” I reassured her.
She arched a dubious brow. “Everyone knows that to be a lie.”
I waved a hand dismissively. “Well, everyone is a liar. Talk.”
She took a deep breath, nodding as if to gather her courage. “You must be careful, my Host. Even Hope can die,” she whispered.
I frowned, wondering if this was like Callie saying she needed to murder Hope—which had actually meant her becoming Despair.
“The events happening in Fae are stressing time to an alarming degree. I have never seen anything like it.”
I frowned. “You mentioned that I’ve been gone for hours, but I was only in Fae with Callie for maybe an hour.”
She nodded. “And that was just you speaking with Callie. The other stakes in Fae are much larger. Queens and Kings ride to battle, and everything can change in a blink. It is straining time. The more momentous the event, the greater the time slippage. That is my theory anyway.”
Knightmare: Nate Temple Series Book 12 Page 23