Callie deserved a kiss right on the mout—
I stumbled a step, realizing I was blushing at the thought. I hadn’t meant it as anything romantic. But my mind raced with the thought as I continued on.
Chapter 18
Callie smirked at me over the rim of her wine glass – an excellent white I had ordered. I was more a fan of the thick, chewy reds, but a nice, crisp white was nice after a big meal. She had caught me up on most of her recent adventures, and I was still reeling to hear about some of her new acquaintances. I could tell she hadn’t told me everything, but I was fine with that.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said, eyes flicking to the satchel at my feet. “The last time I saw you, your satchel looked to be in pretty poor shape. I asked Darling and Dear for something a little more… resilient.”
Callie was a bombshell, her narrow face as smooth as porcelain, and she knew how to make a man smile. The most distinguishing thing about her was her long, white hair, even though she was younger than me by a few years. I swirled my glass, leaning closer to speak in a low tone as I met her blue eyes. Purple flecks mixed in with the blue to create a very alluring, cool palette.
“Callie… that thing had to be expensive. You really didn’t have—”
“Stop. No givebacks,” she said, smiling playfully. “Now, you owe me one.”
I nodded in defeat. “Fine.” I glanced down at the bag, leaning back in my chair. I hadn’t wanted to leave it with the porter, too attached to it. And I definitely hadn’t wanted to leave it home, out of my sight. Not with the cargo inside. The items from the Mausoleum.
“I’ve never even heard of Darling and Dear before…” Then I snapped my fingers, smiling excitedly. “Carl wasn’t pleased about it being Elder hide, by the way.”
“Fucking Carl,” she mused, taking a light sip of her wine. “You’ll have to come by the shop sometime. Although I should warn you, Darling and Dear are very… quirky. But the things they make…” she said, voice trailing off in wonder.
I pointedly eyed the jacket draped over her chair, and she nodded. I had assumed it wasn’t just an ordinary coat based on how I had seen her finger caressing it every now and then. Also, she hadn’t checked it at the door. “What’s up with the purple marks on the back?” I asked, having noticed them when I followed her to our table.
“Have you ever heard of a Gruffalo?” she asked, frowning.
I blinked at her. “There’s no such thing as a Gruffalo,” I said.
She studied me for a moment, eyes calculating. “Well, Darling and Dear seem to think they exist. Said my coat was made from one.” She shrugged. “No offense, but I think I believe them, although I’ve never heard of one before.”
I shook my head, disappointed to find that she hadn’t heard of the children’s book. Then again, she was younger than me. If anything, that should have switched the tables, as I was certain it was fairly recent, closer to her childhood than mine. Still. These leather-smiths made goods from Elder and Gruffalo hides, and were able to re-forge black dragon scales.
“So, you went grave-robbing?” she said in a smoky tone, eager to hear the details.
I shrugged. “I guess. It wasn’t my intention, but that about sums it up.” I had told her about my findings over dinner, because if I could trust anyone in this world, it was Callie and Gunnar. I wasn’t sure why I felt that way about Callie, whom I had only known for a short time, but there was something about her naivety that drew me in. She was iron underneath, even if she didn’t know it, but she was genuine to the core. Plus, she was new enough to all of this that she very literally couldn’t be behind anything nefarious.
And I considered it a good investment to have an ally within the Vatican. Since Callie hunted monsters for them, I decided to put all my money on her, knowing I wouldn’t be getting information from their side in any other way. Hell, I was possibly a Horseman, and I didn’t want to introduce myself to them in that capacity. They might just kill me out of fear. Or lock me up.
Also, Callie wasn’t really a fan of churches, believe it or not. She wasn’t necessarily against them, but she wasn’t drinking the Kool-Aid, either.
“What do you think they are?” she asked, eyeing my bag as if able to see the items inside.
“I don’t know. But you can bet your ass I’m going to find out.” She nodded, eyes momentarily locking onto mine. I saw a brief flash of wariness, and frowned. “Is everything okay?” I asked, thinking I had said something wrong.
Her cheeks blushed faintly, contrasting with her brilliantly white hair. We were sitting at a private table for four, well back from the rest of the restaurant. She had wanted to go somewhere new and exciting, and since geography wasn’t really an impediment to us, I had chosen this fancy steak place in Manhattan.
I could tell she felt mildly uncomfortable, but no one else would have known it. They would have taken one look at her and assumed that she was local royalty. Callie had a way about her – able to adapt and control almost any social encounter – that was truly astounding. I didn’t think she was aware of it, but it was fun to watch her in action. She was so instinctively familiar with psychology, that she could very likely convince the Queen of England that she was a distant cousin, and that it was perfectly reasonable to let her try on the Crown Jewels.
“I took out the second demon in Kansas City. Amira, the one who had been working with Johnathan when we first met,” she said in a soft tone. “I… learned some things.”
I waited patiently, keeping my eyes locked on her, letting her know it was okay to talk about it – or that it was equally fine if she chose not to share.
“I went back to the house. The one he took me to.”
I nodded slowly, letting her share the story at her own pace. That had been one hell of a night. A demon had abducted her, wanting to kill her for something her parents had done to him. The problem was, Callie hadn’t really known her parents. She had been given up at a young age, left on the steps of Abundant Angel Catholic Church in Kansas City.
“Johnathan had a secret room there. And he was especially interested in Missouri. The number of beings, gods, and Freaks residing there in recent years. Apparently, there are a lot of factions in play. You should have seen his map of St. Louis…” she said, shaking her head.
I stared at her, frowning. “What do you mean?”
“There are several gangs, or neighborhoods – little kingdoms, if you will – in both our cities.”
I leaned back, nodding. “That’s common. Groups tend to stick together. Safety in numbers—”
She shook her head. “I understand that, but this was different. It made me think of an organization. Like the mafia. And our two cities were the only ones he cared about. If this is common, why did he only have maps of our cities, here in Missouri?” she asked, more to herself. Then she came back to attention, leaning closer. “Anyway, we can look into that later. If I said Hope, would that mean anything to you?” she asked, watching me intently.
“Hope is undiscovered disappointment,” I said shortly, not wanting to talk to her about my Mask, fearing her reaction and what dark suggestions the church might have put in her head on the subject.
She tensed, frowning at my tone. “Oh.”
I waved a hand. “Sorry. Sore subject.”
“Right,” she said, still watching me. “When I was in that house, in Johnathan’s secret office, I had… a vision. Of five… things riding down a giant mountain…” she said, staring into my eyes.
My mouth went dry. Me and… the Four Horsemen? “Oh?” I asked carefully.
She squinted in disapproval. “Nate, please stop. When I woke up, my partner said I was shouting Caballarii over and over again. That loosely translates to Horsemen. And I remember Roland saying something about that. About you…”
I took a sip of my drink, and then pulled out my coin. I set it on the table and slid it her way, nodding finally. “I don’t think it’s official or anything. At least, not yet. But that’s m
y Mask. Of Hope,” I admitted. “Consider it a job offer given to me. The Fifth Horseman.”
“I recognize it,” she said warily. “You carry it everywhere. It changes?” she asked, touching it with a finger.
I nodded. Then I smiled. “Just for the record, anyone else who touches it gets the living shit zapped out of them. Fun times.”
She stilled, slowly raising her eyes to meet mine. “Which brings up another point… We share powers. The white magic thing. I’m pretty sure where mine comes from, and hearing your confirmation on the Horseman question, I’m about as sure as I can be on how we’re connected.”
I waited, wanting her to say it for herself.
“You’ve got access to powers granted from Heaven as a Horseman. White magic. My father was a Nephilim…”
I slowly nodded. “I think you’re right. Somehow, we snuck past the Pearly Gates…” I said lightly, hoping to ease the tension.
She let out a breath, shaking her head. “What the fuck, Nate? How? We are the last people who should be playing with that kind of juice…”
I shrugged. “I kind of agree.”
“You mentioned once that you had a friend who might have answers…” she said, staring down at her glass of wine.
“Yeah. An Angel named Eae. It means Demon Thwarter…” I added for no particular reason.
She snorted indelicately. “That’s way cooler than the one in Kansas City. His name is Angel,” she muttered drily. “Angel the Angel.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re kidding.”
Her cheeks split into a grin. “I shit you not. How lame is that?”
I let out a breath. “I wanted you to come to your own conclusions before I let an Angel convince you of something. Someone else telling you what you are sounded like a really bad idea… You’re the kind of person who some might describe as stubborn,” I said, grinning at her.
I also wasn’t sure how Eae would react to meeting Callie. Favorable or entirely unfavorable. And I really didn’t want to see Callie kill Eae if he acted like an Old Testament pillar of dick.
Salt, whatever. Something large and phallic.
She scowled back, but finally nodded. “Yes. That was probably best.” She glanced around the room, smiling at the scene. It wasn’t her typical type of place, because Callie hadn’t come from a family with money like I had. Her father was in the middle class, so places like this were typically reserved to a scene in a movie. “When do you think I could meet him?”
“I can set it up whenever you want, but if you want me present, it might be a while.”
She frowned at that, sensing my tone. “What idiocy are you considering, now, Nate?”
I grinned, leaning back. “I need to go save a friend. In the Land of the Fae. Time moves differently over there, so I could be a while.”
She blinked at me. “You’re going back? You only just returned.”
I nodded. “Unfortunately.”
“Wait, who is in danger?”
I met her eyes. “Ashley—”
“Damnit. That means Gunnar is going, too. And probably a small army, if you’re smart. Talon?” she asked, eyes distant, sounding more like a recommendation. I grunted agreement.
“We’re taking the winged Mr. Eds, too. We can’t afford to be gone long. Not again.”
She nodded, waving a hand dismissively. “I’ll check in. Make sure Falco is secure.”
I squinted at her, remembering how she had taken care of Falco during the war, when I had been stuck in Fae. “That was pretty impressive how you were able to juice up my wards. Thanks.”
She shrugged offhandedly. “It wasn’t too hard. The house wanted me to help…” she said, blushing at the words. “We should probably get you out of here so you can get ready for your travels. I’m sure Gunnar’s anxious.” She paused for a few moments, debating something in her head. “Need any help?” she asked carefully.
I smiled at the offer, but shook my head. “You have enough going on. And to be honest, I’m not sure it’s okay to subject you to that place.” Her eyes flashed fire, slowly rising to mine. I held up my hands innocently. “Easy, Callie. What I meant to say was that I’d rather you not take over the Land of the Fae. I think it’s dangerous enough over there without you in charge.”
A small smile crept over her cheeks, but I could tell she didn’t buy it.
Which was true.
There was no way I was going to risk taking her over there. That place was twisted beyond belief, and I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror if I did anything to change Callie from exactly the way she was right now. Realizing I was staring too long, I cleared my throat.
“Right. I’m sure Alex is getting into all sorts of trouble. We should go.”
She nodded. “He’s probably still enjoying his first slice of New York pizza. Isn’t Alucard with him?”
I nodded, climbing to my feet, tossing enough cash on the table to more than cover dinner. “Yeah, but he’s a terrible chaperone,” I muttered. Then I remembered Conquest’s advice, and cringed inwardly. I had asked him to join me on our quick trip to accompany Alex, to give the kid a taste of a normal life. And to extend a little confidence in the vampire. And here I was talking smack about him. No wonder he was out of whack. I was demeaning him at every chance, not even consciously thinking about it.
Callie slipped ahead of me as we made our way to the door of the Manhattan steakhouse, calling over her shoulder. “If Alucard’s so incompetent, then why did you—”
The glass door blew inwards, striking Callie full-on. She slammed into my chest and then the hostess’ podium. It crashed to the ground, trapping her legs, and she didn’t immediately move.
I climbed unsteadily to my feet, surprised I wasn’t injured. All I heard were screams and a loud buzzing noise in my ears as the restaurant imploded with panic.
But one thought sent a chill down to my heels. Where were Alex and Alucard?
Chapter 19
In the seconds of chaos, I didn’t immediately know what to do. Check on Callie, or try to prevent a second attack – whatever the hell it had been? I hadn’t sensed anything, but unless someone had picked our restaurant out of thousands in Manhattan, and decided to place a handmade bomb directly in front of the door, right as we were walking out…
I was willing to bet the bomb was meant for one – or both – of us.
But was it a distraction or an actual attack? I heard Callie grunt, and then the podium resting across her legs simply exploded into splinters – the debris nabbed up by an instant vortex of magic – that whipped over my shoulders and out the jagged opening of the door, where I heard grunts of pain and surprise.
Our attacker, apparently.
I glanced back to see Callie gracefully rising to her feet, her eyes a polished silver shine.
I blinked, decided it wasn’t relevant to our immediate survival, and then ran out into the streets where car alarms were squealing and blaring.
I skidded to a halt, feeling Callie right behind me. The street was in flames, and several bodies littered the sidewalk.
Then I heard a familiar voice shriek in protest. Alex.
Before I could take a step, a fist grabbed me and yanked me backwards. A ball of black flame splashed into the pavement where I had been standing, melting the ground, and I realized Callie had just saved my life.
I followed the arc of destruction to see a large, ginger-bearded man snarling at me from across the street, his face a wash of splinters and blood where Callie had tagged him with the remaining pieces of the hostess’ podium. He held a struggling Alex by one fist. I recognized him. Matthias Temple. The Mad Hatter. My grand-whatever. Time seemed to slow, and then Wylde screamed from deep within my soul, a primal, guttural sound that gave even my own arms goosebumps.
Not.
Today.
“Mine!” a new voice shrieked as a comet slammed into Matthias, knocking Alex free and the large ginger man into the alley. A form materialized from within the comet,
and a new face glanced over a shoulder to leer at me as he darted for Alex – who was trying to run away.
I blinked.
Castor Queen? I hadn’t sensed magic, and the nondescript older man looked similar to when I had last seen him.
“I think it’s safe to say we can kill both of the old dudes, right?” I heard Callie snarl from beside me, squeezing my hand one time.
“Oh, yes,” I growled, squeezing back.
“Right. You take the ginger, I’ll get Alex.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but she was suddenly gone. She reappeared right beside Alex as a flash of silver seemed to dance around her like a quicksilver shadow. She stabbed Castor Queen in the shoulder with a backwards thrust of a kama made out of pure energy, and he howled in both pain and outrage as she abruptly disappeared with Alex.
I heard Matthias storming out of the alley, so that the three of us stared at each other, everyone bleeding but me. The pedestrians had wisely chosen to leave the area, those still alive, anyway.
“You two fucktards really should have made an appointment, first,” I growled loud enough for them to hear as I stormed across the street. A clueless taxi driver had decided to cruise down our street, letting out an angry honk at the jaywalking wizard. So, I casually let loose a blast of air, knocking his vehicle sideways and into a building. He would bruise, but he would live. Much safer than if he got between me and my targets.
Crackling whips of power trailed on the sidewalk at my feet as I stormed closer, scorching the pavement and giving the Big Apple a few new potholes. Hell, I might have even fixed a few. I flicked my wrists as I walked, slamming the power into the road in a drumbeat, smiling darkly at the two Makers. “You two pissed off the wrong Godkiller…” I smiled, my forearms beginning to glow with golden light.
The two men snarled at me, but not before snarling at each other. Which made me reconsider. It wasn’t two on one. It was… a free-for-all.
Because Matthias refused to hear me out. Maybe I could change that.
“Hey! You do know that I didn’t kill Ichabod, rig—”
War Hammer: A Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Book 8 (The Temple Chronicles) Page 10