I began shaking my head adamantly. “May as well have,” Mallory chimed in, voice clipped, obviously still furious I had made him play babysitter to Tory.
The Huntress turned to appraise Mallory. “There you are. Thought you had lost your spine there for a while, Old One.” I cringed, growing angrier at her words.
“It’s right where it always was, Lass. Right behind my throbbing stick.” His eyes seemed to welcome a response, anything to release the aggression eclipsing his reason.
“Whip out your throbbing stick, old man. I dare you,” Sonya defended the Huntress.
I didn’t have time to laugh though. “Nate,” Tory demanded. “What did you tell Van?”
I cast my eyes down in shame. It didn’t matter what I said. She was out for blood.
“He said to do whatever it took to convince Boris he was trustworthy. Pull no punches. Do your worst. Something along those lines.” She smiled at me. “Lucky us, Van’s a good listener.”
I shot to my feet, leveling a finger at Gunnar. “And I wouldn’t have had to do that if Gunnar hadn’t tried to kill him to get information on the next abduction. And Gunnar wouldn’t have had to resort to that if he hadn’t lied to me about the first abduction. The one that got Ashley taken.”
Gunnar roared, smashing a table as he slammed his paw down. “Say that again. I dare you.”
“You got your fiancée killed!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, my world suddenly blanketed in a blue haze as my Maker power screamed in anticipation, begging to be used. My vision wavered, the world wobbling for a second, but I continued to glare at my once-best-friend.
Mallory was suddenly pointing a spear at each of us. “Stop, both of you.”
The door swung open to reveal Achilles and Dean. The Myrmidon was holding Sir Muffle Paws, scratching his back. “Oh, I love spears!” he grinned. No one spoke. “Bad time?” he asked.
“You could say that,” I mumbled, taking a deep breath and running my hand through my hair.
He shrugged and waltzed on in, squeezing the Huntress’ shoulder with a roguish grin. The Huntress barely noticed, eyes only for Tory at the other end of the room. Achilles muttered under his breath, “Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride…”
Gunnar blinked, and then barked out an incredulous laugh.
I couldn’t help it. So did I.
Tory blinked at us, not catching the comment, but the Huntress turned red from the neck up.
I nodded at Achilles, and he winked before addressing everyone. “Sounds like the Beast Master had a disagreement with a group of vigilantes tonight. But he came out on top.” His gaze scanned the room. “Got a shiny new Daywalker.” He locked eyes on Gunnar. “Find Van?”
Gunnar grimaced, nodding.
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Achilles turned to me. “Mr. Big Chest came my way trying to find the location of the next abduction. I didn’t know, but knew you had planned to meet Van about something urgent.” He shrugged. “I put two and two together. Sent Gunnar towards my good friend, Van. He deserved it.” He turned to Gunnar. “I take it you got the information you needed?”
I couldn’t believe it. “You sent Gunnar after Van? What the hell is wrong with you? Were you trying to get them both killed? And what the hell were you doing telling him about the other crew? The ones who like embers and sparks!” His face clouded over with instinctive anger, but I caught a small flicker of guilt at mention of the Syndicate.
But I didn’t wait for an answer as I rounded on Gunnar. “And you! You stupid son of a bitch. You could have ruined everything. Van was working for me! To get me information! He’s my inside man at the circus! If he would have died, the Beast Master would have known something was wrong.” I was panting, vision now a storm of blue shards, like sheets of glass shattering over the world around me.
Gunnar flared up. “How the hell was I supposed to know that? If you hadn’t been acting like a psycho lately, I would have been right here with you to help. But instead of trusting your friends, you’re trusting your old enemies.”
“I did warn you of that,” Achilles added.
I took a step towards the wolf, flipping the bird at Achilles. My fists crackled with purple flame. I didn’t even care anymore. They had almost ruined everything. “If my best friend was worth a damn he would have simply shared his concerns with me. You know, during one of those times I came to him for help.”
“I. Did.” He clenched his fists, knuckles popping. “And you tried to kill me!”
Tory flung up her hands, changing the topic. “I’m going. And no one is going to stop me!”
“Sit. DOWN!” I roared at her. The house groaned in response, and she sat her ass down.
Achilles glanced up at the rafters. “That wasn’t ominous…” he eyed me thoughtfully.
Gunnar answered his unspoken question. “Nate married his house. Or woke it up. Or something. He hasn’t exactly been clear on that. Probably because we’re such good friends.”
“It doesn’t matter!” I turned my back on him, pacing. “We need to find an army. An army the Beast Master can’t take away from us. Which means no shifters. One we can sneak inside—”
“As a matter of fact, it does matter.” Gunnar shouted. “Why do you think we’ve been keeping you out of the loop? You’re certifiable.” He began ticking off fingers. “Talking to yourself. Babbling on about creatures speaking to you. Creatures that no one else can see. Magical glass. Going on a vision quest—”
I spun around, staring at him as my anger winked out, but not in surprise at his mention of my vision quest. Even though him admitting that verified that he had insider information. Because that had only just happened, so he shouldn’t have known. But I already knew who the culprit was, because I had seen Othello through the looking-glass from Mt. Kailash, admitting that they needed to ask Gunnar to get through to me. But I couldn’t admit that to anyone here.
No, I stared at him because of something else he had said. “Magical glass…” I whispered.
Gunnar threw his claws up in the air. “See? You’ve lost your marbles! This is exactly why we’ve been working behind your back!”
But I was staring out at the tree, the Gateway, mind flying. It glowed in the darkness. Achilles spoke over Gunnar’s panting breath. “Give him a minute. This might be good. Or fucking insane. Either way, entertaining.” He added. In the reflection on the glass, I saw him prop his feet up on a table, nuzzling Sir Muffle Paws’ face with his beard.
I shoved my hand in my pocket, turning to face everyone. “You guys need to follow me.”
I darted to the office door, and opened it. And I came face-to-face with Ichabod. “What in blazes have you done to my house, boy?” he spat, eyeing the rafters anxiously. “With all due respect,” he added.
“Oooh, family drama,” Achilles chuckled. “I knew I liked having Nate around. It’s like my very own Desperate House-Freaks of St. Louis.
I stared at the traitor through a blue haze, imagining his death over and over again. But not yet. I needed things from him. For now… I forced a tight smile. “Please, won’t you come in?”
Chapter 49
“I repeat. What the hell have you done to my house?”
I leaned back in my chair, absently fidgeting with the sliver of glass. “Nate’s heart stopped. Then he went on a vision quest and spoke to a tree. Sat under it for a while too. Not forty nights or anything, but at least forty minutes.” Gunnar said. “Then he cut loose with a magic show that terrified everyone. Like he was mowing down an army. He came back as a married man. To his house.” He arched a brow at me. “Does that about sum it up, or did I miss something crazy?”
I scowled at him. “No, Othello told you correctly,” I said softly, turning to cast a forgiving look her way. “It’s okay. I overheard your concerns when you were… bringing me back to life. Thought it had been a dream until Gunnar opened his big fat mouth about my vision quest. Which he could only have found out from one of you three.”
I indicated Mallory, Othello, and the Huntress. They stared at me, mouths open. Everyone else was staring at me. Well, except for the Reds. Every now and then, I caught them ogling Achilles as the manly man stroked the cat.
“The house?” Ichabod pressed, voice eager.
I suddenly felt self-conscious at my answer. And at how much had already been shared. I wanted to make sure it didn’t mess with Shiva’s warning to not tell anyone about my plan. But this wasn’t part of that plan. This was just a facet of my new life. Shiva had also said that my plans would upset some people. People who might be in this room with me.
Right now.
I allowed a brief thought to flicker across my mind, phoning a friend.
Then I turned from face to face, assessing them to discern the unlikely enemy, but pretending to think on how to answer the question. I knew it wasn’t Othello, because she was a Regular, and her betrayal had been in my best interest, like Achilles had brought up in the bar yesterday. But I had no idea who Shiva had been referring to, so I played it safe.
“Coincidentally, I was just going to show everyone something.” I glanced at the doorway and smiled. Everyone turned on reflex. “Made you look,” I chuckled. They didn’t find it humorous as they turned back to me. “I thought it would require a walk, but I was wrong.”
The house groaned again, but to my ears it sounded like an approving purr as I teased them.
“Show us, you crazy bastard, or we’re leaving,” Gunnar said, doing his best to ignore the groaning sounds of the mansion.
I sighed. “Alright. If you run screaming like frightened children, know that I tried to warn you ahead of time.” No one moved, but it felt like they had all leaned closer. I turned to Ichabod. “Okay, first off, a little house cleaning.” He frowned as I stared at him, face blank. “So, the Dark Presence we talked about…” I unbuckled the cane at my hip, and handed it to him.
He stared at the silver eagle-headed cane handle warily, not accepting it. “I remember.”
“Here, hold it for a second.” I waved it encouragingly.
He shook his head after a few beats. “No thanks.”
I shrugged. “It’s not just a cane anymore,” I said softly. “It’s a Prison.”
“For the… Dark Presence, as you named it.” He was staring down at it thoughtfully. I nodded, watching his eyes. He was a Maker. He knew all of this already. I let the silence stretch, giving him a last chance. But he remained steadfast.
“You really should have warned me about the Beast ahead of time.” His eyes flashed to mine, stunned. “You may leave. Now.”
“How…” he asked, staring at me in disbelief.
“I read good,” I said, flippantly. He didn’t move, a thousand questions on his face. “In case you didn’t hear me correctly, I asked you to leave.”
And Chateau Falco fucking growled.
He jumped to his feet, staring up at the rafters. “Okay, okay. But we must talk. After… you’ve had time to think.”
“I don’t need time to think. Buh-bye.”
“But—”
“The only way I won’t kill you where you stand is if you have some news on how to take down the Beast Master.”
His face froze at the abrupt topic change. “What?” he whispered incredulously, forgetting all about his argument. “You’re taking on the Beast Master? You can’t do that,” he warned.
“Of course I can. I’m Nate Fucking Temple,” I smiled arrogantly.
He was shaking his head, practically pleading. “No, you don’t understand!” He ran a hand through his hair, eyes wild. “Indie is in the pit!” he finally whispered.
My world halted.
The house creaked, rattled, and moaned. And I found myself unable to move.
“What… did you just say?” I whispered. And I suddenly realized why he had wanted his gems. He had needed to buy tickets to the circus.
Gunnar tackled me to the ground as I unleashed a blast of air at Ichabod without even realizing I had formed it in my fist.
But he was long gone.
Chapter 50
No one moved in my peripheral vision. But I could feel them watching me as I sat on the floor, staring at nothing. The large hole in the wall was a glaring reminder of their fear.
That I had temporarily misplaced my sanity.
And I had been hoping to relieve them of that fear.
I took a slow breath. Then another. Then I climbed to my feet, dusting off my pants restlessly. I lifted my eyes to meet theirs. “Talk about a game changer…” I said softly, unable to smile, but managing to look a bit guilty, chastised, or ashamed. Humble was not my forte, but I tried.
Achilles grunted. “You could say that.”
I saw Dean peer through the hole in the wall from the hallway, eyes concerned. I waved at him, and was rewarded with a grimace of disapproval. Then he was gone.
I sighed. “Okay. Before my crazy ancestor decided to show up, I had something to show you. But there have been a few hot heads lately.” I faced them, face serious. “I want to forgive you.”
Gunnar abruptly turned on a heel, heading to the door as he growled over his shoulder. “You miserable son of a bitch—”
“No, Gunnar, he’s smiling!” Aria burst out laughing for the first time since her injury.
Which made it all worth it in my eyes.
Gunnar froze, and then slowly turned to face me, face slightly red from his temper tantrum. I flashed him a grin. “I maintain my previous statement,” he growled.
“I make a motion.” Raego spoke for the first time. I squinted at him in mock anger.
“Seconded,” Tory growled, playfully.
“All in favor?” Achilles continued.
Every single person said Aye. Even Rufus, the bastard.
I met each pair of eyes with a significant pause, maintaining my smile. “I thought we could all use a good laugh,” I said softly. Nods responded from everyone. “But in all seriousness, I’m sorry.” A chorus of soft apologies filled the room. “Thanks. Now, we have some friends to—”
“Wait, we’re not even going to talk about it?” Othello asked, tone incredulous.
I shrugged, turning to see her face. She stared at me, dumbfounded. “What would it matter? We need to game plan. I have some things you need to see. Because we need to save our friends. Indie chose to go into that pit. And she’s working with Ichabod. A betrayer.”
“Can ye elaborate on that last bit, Laddie?” Mallory asked.
I shook my head. “Maybe later. Right now… I can’t,” I answered honestly, meeting his eyes with a desperate look. He studied me for a few beats, then nodded.
“Good enough for me.” He shared his glare around the room, hitting everyone. “Should be good enough for ye too,” he threatened.
Rock-solid nods answered Mallory, and even though none were happy about the situation, I could see that they were all behind me. “We probably all need to take a seat. I have someone you ought to meet.” I kept my face serious. After a few odd looks, everyone complied. “Thanks. Before I proceed, I need everyone to promise that if I show you this, you will ask no questions. I understand that, given the circumstances, it’s a tall order, but that’s how it has to be. If you’re not okay with that, I get it, but that means you don’t get to see this next part. I need you to trust me.”
The room was tense for a good ten seconds. After a few exchanged looks, everyone gave me a nod of some kind or another, agreeing to my terms.
I let out a breath. “Thanks. For trusting me. Now,” and I smiled a mischievous grin, “shit’s about to get weird.” Then I looked up at the rafters, and said, “Would you be so kind as to let my friends see through the…” I grinned to myself, suddenly hearing how I had phrased it, “looking-glass?” Othello glanced at me sharply, catching the word combination, remembering our talk.
The house groaned in response to my question.
“Thanks,” I replied cheerfully. I met Gunnar’s confused look, and then tossed him the pie
ce of enchanted glass. He caught it, then frowned at me. I pointed at the glass, and then turned to my left as I spoke. “Say hello to Carl,” I grinned.
Gunnar followed my look, saw nothing, and then scanned the rest of the room, even sniffing. I burst out laughing, which didn’t make him give me a happy face. “Who the fuck is Carl?” he asked, not amused.
The Huntress looked at me, then up at the rafters. “Did you name your house Carl?”
Achilles leaned forward curiously, frowning at the glass in Gunnar’s hand. “Hi, Carl,” he said politely to the glass.
I burst out laughing even harder, which gave everyone constipated faces as they shot each other silent, meaningful looks. I grasped my knees, listening to Carl grumble impatiently. “I know, Carl. Just give them a minute. They will eventually get there.”
Everyone looked considerably alarmed now, and Tory was clutching the Reds to her chest.
“Here, watch.” I snapped a finger, and one of the Guardians entered the room. “Say hello to Carl,” I commanded the griffin. Everyone turned to the stone construct to find it staring intently at the empty space to my left, exactly where I had looked a moment ago.
The griffin purred, and forcefully nudged the air with a shoulder… where it struck something unseen. Raego hissed. The Guardian flicked its tail in the air, nuzzled the space with its beak, and then glanced at me. I nodded, and the Guardian prowled out of the room.
“Okay, his house caught his disease, or this is some kind of prank,” Raego grumbled.
I motioned Gunnar to hold the glass up to his eye. He did so slowly, until he was staring at me through the makeshift lens. I pointed at the empty space, and he slowly turned to look.
Then he jumped backwards with a shout of alarm, dropping the glass on the carpet. “Fuck me,” he whispered, staring at the now empty space. “I mean… Hi, Carl,” he corrected.
“Carl, meet Gunnar. Please don’t eat him.” I remembered Shiva’s advice.
Beast Master: A Novel in The Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Series (The Temple Chronicles Book 5) Page 27