The Silver Stag

by Yasmine Galenorn

“Don’t you talk. I know you’re thinking about her too. The girl with the pendant. Besides, I’m just looking up stuff on the internet. I’m not talking to anybody.” I glanced over at her, where she had started chopping tomatoes and peppers.

  Angel set down the knife. “Yeah, I am. I just can’t get the fear and pain out of my head. Whatever was after her is terrifyingly huge. I’m not sure if I mean in stature, but big and powerful and violent. And it’s so hungry, and everybody looks like food.” Angel leaned against the counter, staring at her knife. “Everything I own is gone, Ember. My brother, my home, my car, my things… It’s as though my entire life has been ripped away and I feel like I’m in freefall.” The bravado of the day vanished and she burst into tears, leaning over to rest her elbows on the counter as she cried into the pile of tomatoes.

  I pushed back the laptop, uncertain of what to say. We had always been there for each other. When my mother and father were killed, Angel and Mama J. kept me going. They had been my anchors and rocks. Now, Angel was the one who was adrift. DJ might still be alive, but he wasn’t around. And though Angel didn’t own anything worth a great deal, what she did have represented home to her and a connection to a mother who had cherished and valued her.

  I wrapped my arms around her shaking shoulders. There wasn’t anything I could say to make it better, but I could feed her my strength, remind her that I would always be at her side.

  After a few moments, the tears slowed and she let out a long sigh. I handed her a tissue, and then another, and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Then, washing her hands, she turned back to the vegetables.

  “Thanks. I just needed…” Her voice drifted off as she stared at the cutting board.

  “I know. I understand.”

  “I hope you don’t mind a little extra salt in the food.” She attempted a smile, and I laughed.

  “You know me, the saltier the better. Maybe Herne and Viktor will find something left.” I wasn’t one for holding out false hope, but right now, she needed something to cling to.

  “Maybe they will. Anyway, at least I’ve got a job now that I like. That’s something. And DJ—I meant it when I said he’d be better off where he’s at. He’ll have a good role model. Cooper had such an even, steady energy. I hope to get to know him better. I don’t want to intrude on his life, but I’d like to learn more about the person who’s taking care of my brother.”

  She began chopping vegetables again and, following her lead, I began rinsing the dishes as she finished using them.

  I was setting the table when the doorbell rang. As I glanced out the peephole, I saw Herne standing there, holding a large bag. I opened the door.

  “I told Viktor to go home, but I thought I’d bring these things over now. There wasn’t much left, I’m afraid, but they should make Angel feel better.” He paused, staring down into my eyes. “You two have a friendship that I envy. I have a lot of friends, but I don’t have anyone I can call my best friend.”

  Taken aback by his admission, I sought for words. “I think sometimes the word ‘friend’ is overused. I don’t have many friends, but the few that I do have, I cherish.”

  Standing so near him made me weak-kneed. He smelled like cinnamon and honey, smoke and musk, all yummy things rolled together. His hair flowed down his shoulders, out of the braid he had worn it in this morning. I noticed how broad his shoulders were, and how straight, and his jaw was firm but he held it soft, as though he didn’t need to prove anything to anybody.

  Suddenly realizing that I had been standing there staring at him, I stuttered, reaching for the bag. “I can take this, unless you want to come in and tell her what you saw. Maybe that would be good.” The rush of words sprayed out of my mouth, like a garden hose gone wild.

  “That would be nice, but you’re standing in the way.” He moved closer, staring down at me with a questioning look in his eyes. “Ember?”

  “Yes?” I could barely breathe.

  Angel peeked around the corner. “Who is it?”

  Feeling like an idiot, I flushed and took a step back.

  Herne blinked, looking startled. “Just me. I come bearing gifts. I hope that they help. I know you suffered a great loss.” He set the bag on the coffee table in the living room.

  “I’m just finishing up dinner. Would you like to stay and eat with us? There’s enough.”

  I tried to flash her the message of Don’t ask him don’t ask him, but apparently she was ignoring me.

  “Don’t mind if I do. I’m pretty hungry, and we never did get the pizza at work.”

  As he settled onto the sofa, I gave Angel another look, this one saying, I’m going to kill you later. Wrinkling her nose at me, she smiled and motioned for me to join her.

  “Why don’t you give me a hand in the kitchen, Ember?” As she headed back into the kitchen, I followed, swearing that I’d get even with her later.

  Chapter 9

  THE NACHOS WERE good, as usual. One thing Angel had inherited from her mother was the ability to work a stove. Mama J. had been an incredible cook, and she had made the best pie in the world. Everybody had come to her diner, first out of hunger, then the food kept them coming back. During dinner, Angel kept looking over at the bag that Herne had brought, and I could see that her thoughts were focused on whatever lay within.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to open it now? We can eat afterward.”

  I was over my snit about her inviting Herne to stay. It felt comforting to have him there, actually, once I got my hormones under control. I was amazed that Angel didn’t have the same reaction to him that I did. A lot of times we tended to gravitate toward the same type of men. It hadn’t proved an issue, however, given Angel only dated men who were taller than she was. I was short enough that it was never a problem.

  “I’m almost afraid to,” she said. “When I think about everything that went up in flames, it breaks my heart. It’s like, there’s this hope that maybe something survived—my photos or DJ’s baby blanket, or something important. If I look, and they aren’t there, then I know they’re gone forever.”

  I could understand her fear. Sometimes it was easier to hold onto the hope of what might be, rather than face the reality of what was.

  I glanced over at Herne. He had a sober look on his face, as he set down his plate. He had practically licked it clean, and now he wiped his hands on his napkin.

  “If you want, I can open it for you, and Ember and I can bring out what survived. It might be easier to watch us unpack it.” He stood up, motioning for me to join him.

  Angel nodded, biting her lip. She was holding her stomach as we walked over to the bag. She looked like she might throw up. I nodded for Herne to move out of the way as I sat cross-legged on the floor beside the bag. It would be easier for her to watch me unpack it than a stranger.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  I slowly opened the large garbage sack. As I peeked inside, the scent of soot and ash blew up in my face. My nose tingled and I coughed. I rolled the plastic down, gingerly reaching in to pull out the first object I could find. As I lifted it out of the bag, a fine layer of ash covered everything, falling to the floor as I shook it off.

  “The carpet—” Angel began.

  “That’s what vacuums and carpet shampooers are for.” My hands black from the soot, I realized that I was holding a photo album. “Look! Pictures!”

  Angel had squeezed her eyes tight and now they flew open. I motioned for Herne to hand me the paper towels, and I wiped the cover of the photo album off, cleaning it as best as I could. I handed it to Angel and she laid it on her lap, opening the cover. She gave a cry of relief.

  “They’re intact. Mama J. had three photo albums, and this is the one that has a lot of DJ’s baby pictures in it. Thank you, thank you so much for finding this.” She looked over at Herne, tears in her eyes.

  “I just hope I found other things of value as well. I’m so glad that I was abl
e to sift through the rubble. The cops didn’t like it, but I told them to back off.”

  “You’re a good man,” I said under my breath. But he caught my words and flashed me a genuine smile.

  I dug deeper into the contents of the bag. Another photo album containing pictures of Angel when she was young, and of Mama J. and her relatives, had survived the fire. Two rather ratty stuffed animals—both bears—and a few outfits had also made it through. There were also some pots and pans, and about thirty books that had somehow escaped the flames, along with Angel’s jewelry box, which held her mother’s wedding ring and her grandma’s necklace.

  “I wish we could have found more, but everything was pretty much burnt to the ground. The entire house is gone. I talked to the landlord while I was there and he said that he’s just grateful you and your brother weren’t at home. There was a smell of gas in the air, and I think it’s likely the fire marshal will blame a gas leak for the fire. But don’t believe it,” Herne said. “I’m pretty sure the Light Fae were up to no good.”

  “What will they do when they realize they didn’t kill her and her brother? It’ll come out that they survived.”

  “By then, word will have filtered through that Angel and her brother are under our protection, so it should be all right. But we need to keep DJ safe and out of the way, just in case.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take these things into my room. I’ll be back in a few minutes. There’s dessert if you want—I found some more cookies in Ember’s cupboard.”

  As she dragged the bag into the guest room, I let out a long breath. Grateful that Herne and Viktor had managed to find enough of her sentimental belongings to make a real difference, I dropped onto the sofa, leaning back against the seat as I closed my eyes. A moment later I felt someone next to me and when I opened my eyes, Herne was sitting there, curled up beside me, staring at me. I slowly blinked, and once again, felt my breath quicken.

  “You and Angel are tighter than sisters, aren’t you?” His voice was soft, and he was too close for comfort, but I didn’t want to scoot away.

  “Angel and I have been soul mates since we were kids. I think we’ve been around several times on the wheel before.”

  “Sometimes, you just know when you’ve lived lifetimes together.” He reached out slowly and pushed my hair back away from my face. “I hope that you enjoy working with us. If you ever need anything, just say so. I’ll do my best to help out. I know this is a difficult transition, but I’m glad that I’m part of it.”

  I could barely breathe. The feel of his fingers on my face sent ripples through my body, quickening my pulse. I wanted his hand to drop down, to trace along my breasts, new boss and stranger or not. But it felt like I knew him from somewhere, like our energies meshed together in a way that was familiar and soothing. His lips bowed with a gentle sway, making me want to lean in and press my own lips to them. But I caught myself before I could blunder, and—shaking —straightened.

  “I’ll remember that.” I felt like my words were hanging in midair, but then Angel returned and I abruptly pulled away. I pushed myself to my feet, almost tripping. Angel flashed me a knowing grin, but I looked away, not wanting to display my emotions on my face.

  “I suppose I’d better go,” Herne said. He stood and put on his leather jacket, zipping it up against the rain. “See you both at eight tomorrow morning.”

  As he headed for the door, he caught my gaze and held it for a moment. I stared back at him. There was so much going on unspoken between us, but I didn’t want to assume anything, and so I just showed him to the door, giving him a little wave as he headed toward the elevator. Shutting the door behind me, I leaned against it, letting out a soft groan.

  “You like him,” Angel said, a wide grin on her face. “Don’t try to wiggle out of it. There’s something between the two of you. I can feel it from a mile away.”

  I wanted to believe her, but the fear was still there. While I doubted that Herne would end up dead like my other boyfriends, there was enough uncertainty that I was afraid to chance it. And there was still the fact that he was my boss, and also the son of a god.

  “Don’t even start,” I said. “Did you have a chance to unpack?”

  “Yeah, I’ll clean it all off later.” She crossed to the kitchen, holding up the box of cookies. “How about I make you an espresso, and we watch some TV? I need to unwind, and I think you need to cool off.”

  I couldn’t argue with her there, so for the next hour we watched a documentary on penguins in the Arctic. But all the while, I could still feel his fingers tracing my face, and the fire that they had left behind.

  WHILE ANGEL WENT through her things, I returned to my search. I had jotted down the names of some of the parapsychology groups that I knew our four victims had belonged to. As I began searching through the websites, looking for anything that might stand out to me, I began to notice a common theme. Each of the groups met at least once a month, and had at least three or four field trips per year. Several of them had member lists posted on their sites, and I was able to find the names of our victims included in them. While not every victim belonged to every group, there was some overlap, so at least some of our victims must have known each other.

  “Find anything?” Angel asked as she returned from the guestroom. I had a daybed in there, and I had moved some of my weapons and gear out of the way for her.

  “I think so,” I said. “There’s something here and I can’t quite seem to put my finger on it. But I know there’s some connection. I think at least a couple of our victims had to know each other. At least a cursory acquaintance. Wait a minute.” I paused. I leaned forward, staring at the screen. And then I realized what looked so familiar. “Here. I’ve seen this on several of the groups I looked up.” I pointed to a picture on one of the field trip pages. “This group, the Faustians, recently took a field trip to look over the Castle Hall area. At UnderLake.” I glanced up at Angel. “I think…”

  I rapidly switched between tabs, searching on the various websites.

  “What?” Angel sat down beside me, craning her neck to see the screen.

  “Four of these groups recently took a field trip to Castle Hall.” I looked at her, my mouth dry. “Besides the fact that DJ overheard the Light Fae there…the fact that several of our victims probably visited the area recently seems like there’s got to be some connection. Either that, or it’s a massive coincidence.”

  “I don’t believe in coincidence,” Angel said.

  “I know you don’t. I do, but this seems too coincidental to be a fluke. Do you think I should call Herne?”

  “I think you just want to hear his voice. Maybe you should wait till tomorrow.” Angel gave me a long look. “You need to walk softly around him, Ember. There’s so much energy between the two of you that it could spontaneously combust. Find out a little more about him first.” She reached out to pat my hand. “I want you to be happy. I want you to find the right guy. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “And you think that I will, if I go for it with him?” It wasn’t a rhetorical question. I trusted Angel’s instincts.

  “I don’t get a feeling on that either way. I just know there’s more to him than meets the eye. They brought you into the agency for more reasons than just because of me. I think you need to find out what those reasons are before you jump into anything else.” With a yawn, Angel stood. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a shower and go to sleep. It’s been a long past couple of days.” She paused, and with a sad voice, added, “I miss DJ. I miss that little guy so much.”

  “I know you do. And I wish things could be other than what they are. But like you said, there’s so much on the line right now, for both of us. Go take a shower and go to bed. We both need sleep.”

  As Angel headed into the bathroom, I crossed to my own room. I was too tired to do anything but fall under the covers and sleep. But my dreams were filled with screaming victims, and dark shad
ows chasing them, and at one point I turned around and felt Herne’s eyes on me, watching me closely, like a hawk. And then he turned into the silver stag and dashed through the woods, and I found myself alone again with a growing shadow threatening to gobble me up.

  COME MORNING, ANGEL had toast and eggs ready. I fed Mr. Rumblebutt, then made my latte, and fixed her a cup of tea. We gobbled down our breakfasts, and carrying our travel mugs, headed for my car.

  “I need to buy a new car as soon as I can,” Angel said. “I got a call this morning while you were showering. Sure enough, they’re chalking up the fire to a gas leak. They say that it managed to travel to my car as well, because they said my car was in the garage. But I didn’t leave my car in the garage. I didn’t tell them that, though, given what Herne said would happen.”

  “Did you have renter’s insurance?”

  She shook her head. “Are you kidding? Who can afford that? But I did have car insurance, and while it won’t pay for a new car, I should be able to get a decent clunker that will last for a while.”

  “With your new job and pay rate, you should be able to get a loan for a new one.” I still couldn’t get over the fact that we were both making so much more money than we had ever seen in our lives.

  “I suppose so. It seems like we have job security. Maybe I’ll go talk to the bank later today.”

  The city streets were slick with rain as it sputtered out of the heavens. It was a gloomy day and I longed for a sun break, just a few days of balmy weather. The wind picked up at that moment, and I shivered as the car rocked. I’d hate to be dealing with buses right now.

  “Well, here we are,” I said, pulling into the parking garage. “Are you ready for the day?”

  Angel nodded. “We don’t have much choice, so we might as well make the best of it. And it could be worse. I could still be at my old job.”

  “Yeah, I suppose you’re right about that.”