Me and My Shadow

by Katie MacAlister

  “Tch.” He made an impatient gesture. “You will assist me in acquiring the von Endres blade, and I will grant you a full pardon for those crimes of which you are charged.”

  “Do you think it’s possible to take the sword away from Baltic? If it’s something important, he’s not likely to let it go without a serious fight. And while I’m up to kicking him out of my house, I don’t know that it will be possible to get the sword from him without killing him.”

  Dr. Kostich evidently came to some sort of a decision, for he nodded his head twice and murmured, “Yes, it will be a good test for Jack. Tully is weaker, but such an experience will be invaluable to her.” He raised his voice and added, “Does it matter if the dragon is dead? Given your reputation, I would have thought you would relish an official sanction to destroy him.”

  “I am not a hit man, if that’s what you’re implying,” I said rather huffily, straightening my shoulders and trying to look down my nose at him. “I’m a thief, and even then, there are extenuating circumstances. I do not go around murdering dragons, even those that threaten me.”

  He made a careless gesture. “Whether he lives or dies is not a concern. The blade is. Do we have an agreement?”

  I bit my lip and looked at the others in the room. Cyrene nodded her head and gave me a thumbs-up. Nathaniel and Obi watched me carefully, but I sensed their approval. Maata alone looked concerned, her silver eyes dark with worry.

  “Yes,” I said, coming to a decision. In for a penny, in for a pound . . . “Yes, we have an agreement.”

  Chapter Seven

  Dr. Kostich hadn’t been kidding when he commented that a full arcane concussion blast could blow out the walls of Gabriel’s house.

  “He underestimated it, however,” I said to Cyrene as we sat huddled in a police car some eleven hours later. “It blew out the walls of the houses on either side, too. I hope they find the two cats belonging to the old lady who lives next door.”

  “And her fish,” Cyrene said, hugging the blanket that was the only thing between her bare skin and everyone else. “I feel so bad about the fish. What was Baltic thinking trying to blow us up like that? He knew we wouldn’t be killed.”

  “No, but we’re vulnerable now,” I said in a hushed voice as yet another policeman bustled past, talking into her radio and carrying a clipboard. “We don’t have a stronghold to keep him at bay, and he knows it. We’ll have to set up camp at a hotel or find another house. But even that—it wouldn’t be safe against Baltic. Not until we’ve had some time to put in security systems.”

  “I know a house that’s safe from Baltic,” Cy said, yawning.

  “Really? Where?”

  “That yummy Drake. I bet he’d take us in if you asked nicely.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but nothing came out. And really, why should I protest? As I thought the idea over, I realized just how sound it was. Drake’s house was sure to be protected from unauthorized entrance. Not only that, we’d have the power of the green dragons to help in case Baltic might, somehow, make it into the house. There really was no downside to the idea.

  “Congratulations, Cy,” I said, pulling out my cell phone to call Gabriel again. “You’ve had your first good idea. I’m so proud of you, I’ve got tears in my eyes.”

  “That’s what you said the last time I had a good idea,” she said smugly.

  “Way back in 1922. You may want to pace yourself just in case you overload your brain,” I said with a dead-pan face.

  Regardless of my joking, it was a good idea, and although Gabriel approved of the plan, he did sound somewhat worried. “Drake will not allow harm to come to you, but I don’t like you being under his roof for any length of time.”

  “Worried I’ll succumb to his charms?” I teased.

  “Not in the least. Aisling would turn you into a slug or something equally unappealing if you so much as laid a finger on him. I’m more concerned about what reaction the shard will have after a prolonged exposure to him. They are not your sept, but the shard might not recognize that fact, and may force you to act in a way that is . . . er . . .”

  “Illicit?”

  “Inappropriate,” he said. “As for your first question, no, we have not found Fiat, although I believe his trail is fresh. I hope to have him by the morning.”

  “I miss you,” I told him, glancing around to make sure I wouldn’t be overheard. “I miss you a lot.”

  “And I you, little bird. But now I must go. We are taking portals to our destination in order to conserve time, and you know how they discompose me.”

  “Bon voyage,” I said, smiling at the memory of how rumpled portals made Gabriel and the other dragons feel. “Wish me luck with the police. So far, they believe the story of an unexplained bombing, but that has much to do with Cyrene hysterically recounting a tale of a militant extremist boyfriend.”

  “I should have been an actress,” Cyrene said with a smug look on her face. “I really am good.”

  It took another two and a half hours before the police, firemen, and emergency services people were willing to release us. As I surveyed the wreckage of Gabriel’s rented house, I didn’t blame the police for wondering how we’d all survived unscathed. The other silver dragons who had been present when Baltic made his midnight second assault had left on my advice—I felt we had a better chance at glossing over any trouble points the mortal police might raise with only a couple of us to be explained.

  “Jim, you can talk, but if you bitch at me one more time, I will do something extremely unpleasant to you,” I told the demon as we slumped into the back of a sleek black BMW, Nathaniel behind the wheel.

  “Like being hit on the head by a chair as it flew out the window?” it quipped. “How about losing the hair on half of my head? Or making all my whiskers drop out? Oh, I have it—how about pointing out the fact that I was almost blown to smithereens a couple hours after I returned to you?”

  I lifted a finger. “Anything more?”

  “No, sheesh. It’s not worth getting banished over. My magnificent coat will grow back, even if I look like a leper until then. I wonder if they make prosthetic whiskers?”

  “I’m sorry about your hair and whiskers. You don’t look like a leper,” I said, averting my eyes from the singed side of its head. “And I told you I’d take you to be groomed as soon as possible. I owe you something after you found those two cats for the lady next door. Although you didn’t have to drool on them quite so much.”

  “Eh. It was no biggie. Those cats were too bony, anyway. They wouldn’t have made a proper meal.”

  “You made Mrs. Patterson deliriously happy by finding them; that is counting heavily in your favor,” I said, patting it on the furry side of its head. “But don’t push it. It’s been a long day for all of us.”

  “Yeah.” Jim slumped for a moment, then perked up. “I can’t wait to see the look on Drake’s face when we all come trooping in and tell him Baltic blew up your house. He’s going to be torqued.”

  “I just wish we’d been able to find Magoth,” I answered, more worried over the missing demon lord than about Drake. “I wonder where he got to? He couldn’t have been hurt, could he? He’s not technically a demon lord anymore. He’s not really anything.”

  “Just immortal,” Jim agreed. “If you didn’t find his severed head, oozing and smoking and covered in guck, then he’s alive somewhere. Probably got the hell out of Dodge while the getting was good.”

  “I wish I’d thought of doing that,” Cyrene grumbled, pulling the blanket tighter over her chest when Jim ogled her mostly visible breasts.

  I don’t know how most people would react to a small army of dragons showing up on their doorstep, but Drake was completely unconcerned . . . until Aisling hauled herself downstairs to find out what was going on.

  “Judging by the fact that Jim’s coat—what remains of it—is smoking, Cyrene appears to be naked under a blanket, Maata is walking crooked, and May is wearing nothing but one of what I assume
is Gabriel’s shirts, I gather something happened over at Chez Silver Dragons.”

  “Baltic bombed us,” I said, trying to look as calm as Drake. When faced with us on his doorstep, he had simply ushered us into the house, not even a simple “What happened?” passing his lips. “We could go to a hotel if there’s not room for us.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Aisling said as she started down the stairs. “There’s plenty of room. Let’s see. I’ll put you in the . . . no, Catalina commandeered that room. How about the . . . oh, wait. René is there. I know! You can have the yellow room; it has a view of the river. And Cyrene can have . . . hmm.”

  “I like rivers,” Cyrene said, yawning. “The yellow room will be fine for me.”

  “No, wait—hang on,” I said, holding my twin back when she was about to go up the stairs. Guilt dug at me with spiky little fingers. “I appreciate you putting us up—I really can’t think of anywhere safer we could stay—but if space is short, then Cy can go back to her flat. She has one in town.”

  “So do you!” she countered.

  “Not anymore. I gave it up a few weeks ago.”

  “You can’t expect me to go back to my flat alone! All by myself?” she squeaked. “I’m emotionally distraught! I’m a wreck! I shouldn’t be alone at a time like this—everyone knows that!”

  “You broke up with a boyfriend, something you’ve done several hundred times over the last thousand years, so I think you can handle one more,” I pointed out.

  She glared at me. “You have no heart, Mayling.”

  “I have a heart. I also have an idea of how many people Aisling has crammed under her roof right now, and I’m sure the house is about at capacity.”

  Cyrene gave Aisling a pathetic look, allowing her lower lip to quiver just a smidgen. “Aisling?”

  “It is a bit tight now,” Aisling said.

  Cyrene sniffled, and did her utmost to look pathetic and frail. “Fine. I’ll just go back to my cold, dark, lonely, empty flat, and think cold, dark, lonely thoughts.”

  “You forgot empty,” Jim said helpfully.

  She stepped on its toes.

  “Ow! You’re not allowed to abuse me! Only Aisling can do that! Or I suppose May could if she wanted to, but May is obviously not the evil twin, and would never do anything so cruel and heinous as stepping on my toes.”

  I pinched its ear.

  “I’m going to be black-and-blue all over by the time Aisling pops that baby,” Jim grumbled, huffing its way over to sit next to Aisling.

  “There is the attic,” Aisling said slowly, tapping her fingers on her belly as she thought. “Those rooms are habitable, aren’t they, Drake?”

  “Yes, but they have not been decorated since the First World War,” he answered.

  “Anything is fine, truly,” Cyrene said, making large puppy-dog eyes at her. “I just don’t want to be alone.”

  Aisling smiled. “I’m sure we’ll fit you in. There are four attic rooms, so that should take care of Cyrene, Maata, and the two other bodyguards.”

  “You know, I should really have the yellow room,” Cyrene said as we trooped down the hallway. “It has a river view, and as a naiad, I’m the best choice for the room. Don’t you think?”

  I didn’t buy that line of reasoning, and told her so, much to her irritation. Despite that, it wasn’t long before we were all settled into our respective rooms. Drake refused to allow Aisling to do more than bring me a new toothbrush, a couple of towels, and a bar of soap. As green and silver dragons bustled back and forth, getting bed linens and other necessities, I pulled Aisling aside into the small room in the back of the house given over to me.

  “You’re limping. Were you hurt in the explosion?”

  “No, that’s a souvenir from Baltic’s earlier attack. Maata did the best she could with the wound, but it is still a little tender.”

  “I could get a green dragon healer—” Aisling gestured toward a phone.

  I waved aside her offer. “It’s not necessary. I’ll be fine.”

  “All right, but if you change your mind, let us know. I’m sorry that you and Cyrene will have to share a bathroom with Nora and René,” Aisling apologized as I sat on the edge of the bed. She eased herself into an old gold and rose damask-covered armchair. “I’d dearly love to boot Catalina out so you can have the room that you and Gabriel normally have when you stay with us, but I think it would take an atomic bomb to get rid of her,” Aisling said with a heavy sigh. “I’m so glad you have a nice mother-in-law. I’d offer to trade you, but I wouldn’t wish Catalina on anyone.”

  “I didn’t think she was that bad,” I said with a little smile. “A bit forceful, and refused to believe me when I said I wasn’t deranged, but some people are like that. And stop apologizing for the accommodations—we’re nothing but grateful that you are willing to put us up.”

  “I want to hear all about what happened with you and Baltic,” she said, casting a glance toward the open door. “But Drake will be coming back as soon as he gets your bodyguards settled, so it’ll have to wait until morning.”

  “Actually, I had something else I wanted to talk to you about. Rather, talk to you and Nora about.” I gave her a concise recounting of the events with Bael.

  “Holy moly,” she said when I finished. Her eyes were wide as she looked me over. “A demon lord’s powers, but not a demon lord. You’re not proscribed, so I assume you haven’t used the dark power?”

  “I don’t know what that is, so I guess not.”

  “You’d know it if you used it. Have you tried using any of the power?”

  “No, nor do I intend to. The dragon shard possessing me is quite enough, thank you.”

  “That must be why you’re able to keep it from messing with you the way it did me,” she mused, her hands rubbing her big belly. “It just about drove me nuts, but you’ve got that piece of dragon in you, and everyone knows dragons aren’t easily controlled by anything. In a way, it’s lucky you have the shard.”

  I let that comment go. “What I want to know is what I can do about the situation. I was hoping you and Nora would be able to advise me.”

  “Absolutely,” Aisling said quickly. “She’ll be happy to help, as will I. Jim, what the devil do you have on now?”

  Jim paraded past the opened door, tangled long black strands of hair straggling from its head. “Wig. Found it in the attic. Needs a bit of trimming, but I think it’ll do until the rest of my coat grows back.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake . . .”

  “Would you like me to banish it for you?” I asked Aisling.

  “May!” Jim said, one eyeball glowering at me through the mass of black wig. “Ixnay on the anishbay, would ya?”

  “It’s tempting, but not just yet,” Aisling said, looking thoughtful. “If it gets overly snarky, though, feel free to command it to spend time with Catalina.”

  “I’d rather be banished,” the demon grumbled.

  “I’ll see you later in the morning to talk about your problem, OK? Sleep well. Jim . . .” She gave Jim a helpless look, shook her head, and left the room mumbling something about there being no words to describe her thoughts.

  “Hey,” Jim said, swinging its head so the long strands of hair wafted in the breeze. “How long do dreads take? You think Gabe would set me up with some?”

  I slumped a little, emotionally drained by the events of the last day. “Go to bed, Jim. And please don’t bother anyone, especially Aisling.”

  “I think it would be a good look for me,” Jim said as it continued to swing its head. “It works for Gabriel; it could work for—”

  I closed the door in its face and crawled into bed, exhausted, worried, and missing Gabriel. We hadn’t been parted much since my return from Abaddon, and I was somewhat bemused with just how easily our lives had meshed. I felt comfortable around him; more than comfortable, I felt right. It was as if I were shadow walking when he wasn’t with me, life taking on a bleak, insubstantial cast. Things seemed to click into p
lace only when he was around, a fact that worried me to no end.

  “What do you look so pensive about?”

  I jumped, startled by the voice. “Cy, you almost scared me to death.”

  “You can’t die,” my twin said, closing the door with a mildly disgruntled flash in her eyes. “And don’t give me that look—I knocked, but you didn’t answer. I just peeked in to see if you’d gone to sleep with the lights on. Are you all right? You have the strangest expression on your face. How much of the river can you see? Oh. Not much of a view. Ah, well.”

  Indecision warred within me, yet another emotion that was unfamiliar to me. I was normally a very decisive person, making plans and following them through. Now I was flooded by strange emotions, and they were starting to take their toll on me.

  “Mayling, it’s just me. You can tell me whatever’s bothering you,” Cy said, plopping down on the end of the bed, giving my feet a little pat. “Go on. I can see you want to talk.”

  I opened my mouth to tell her I was just fine, that nothing was bothering me, but that’s not what came out. “It’s Gabriel. I’m worried.”

  “About Chuan Ren hurting him?”

  “No, I know he can take care of himself well enough. It’s what Gabriel means to me,” I said, miserable enough that I was willing to share my concerns with my less-than-sensible twin.

  “You love him.”

  “Yes, I do. And he loves me. The loving part isn’t the issue.”

  “Then what is? Oh!” Her eyes, so much like mine, opened wide with understanding. “You don’t like the fact that you love him.”

  “What a ridiculous thing to say,” I said scornfully.“Why would I not want to love the man who loves me?”

  “Because it means you’re not on your own anymore. Because now you’re tied to him, bound to him, and nothing will ever be the same. Let’s see, you’ve been living with him for almost two months. . . . Yup. That’s about right. The bloom is off the honeymoon, and now you’ve realized what the relationship is really about.”

  I stared at her with surprise. “How on earth do you know these things? You’ve never had a relationship that lasted more than a few weeks.”