Tied In Knots (Immortals Book 7)

by LJ Vickery

  Jake was surprised to find Dorian lingering at the entrance to the garage.

  “You waited?” Jake asked incredulously.

  “Don’t take it personally. They used the restrooms and just finished.”

  Agent and warlock slipped through the door that separated the concourse from the garage, close on the heels of Matthew and Beletseri, intent on their prey.

  “Here’s how we’ll do this,” Dorian whispered. “I’ll cast myself before the goddess, while you use your firearm to discourage the human male from moving.”

  Jake grunted and pinned the warlock with a stare. “Which would be fine if I had a gun.”

  “Look in your coat pocket,” came the cool reply.

  Jake stuck his hand into his jacket and found a Glock 26. Small, it fit perfectly into his palm. Nice.

  “Thanks, man. You come in handy,” Jake whispered back. “You ready to go for it?”

  Dorian nodded.

  “On the count of three. One, two…” The warlock disappeared, and on three, he appeared directly in front of Beletseri, blocking her way.

  Simultaneously, Jake pointed the gun at Matthew. “Don’t move, either one of you. I have a gun aimed directly at your head…Matthew.” Jake wanted the goddess and her male to understand they were being confronted by emissaries of the gods. “Hands up, and we’ll take it nice and easy from here while we go meet Marduk and company. Maybe then you’ll help sort out the location of their missing Chosen.” The tall blond man dropped the suitcases to the ground and raised his hands.

  ****

  Anna watched from the shadows. How interesting. They didn’t know where Charlie had gone. It seemed plausible the girl had sensed some kind of danger, and taken herself off somewhere. Why she hadn’t contacted her mate-to-be, Absu, was a little worrying though. Cold feet? thought Anna. It was certainly possible.

  Anna saw Beletseri sniff in Dorian’s direction, and watched as her brows came together in a frown. “And just who…or what are you?” The goddess inhaled deeply again. “You’re not a god. A shifter perhaps? Maybe a large, black cat?”

  “Dorian Penmarch, at your service.” The warlock bowed elegantly without taking his eyes off the woman, clearly not about to enlighten her as to what kind of immortal he was. “Let’s just say that I’m here on behalf of the gods, and they’re going to want to ask you some questions.” He moved swiftly. Beletseri anticipated his grab, but not quickly enough. She attempted to mist out, but Dorian was faster. He managed to get hold of one little finger, which oddly kept her from fully disappearing. She shrieked in frustration, and Anna shook her head, completely flipped out. The goddess’s body was invisible, but her hand remained corporeal.

  “Let her go,” Matthew roared, taking advantage of Jake’s distraction at the odd scene of floating digits. He flung himself forward to tackle Dorian. The warlock, taken by surprise, lost his grip and fell back. Beletseri gained her freedom. Matthew landed hard on top of Dorian as the two hit the concrete floor.

  Damn. Now Jake was in deep shit. Fury shuddered through the stale garage air as Beletseri, invisible and incensed, chose the agent as her target. She ripped the gun from his fingers. Jake had no opportunity to protect himself since he had no idea what was coming. He was lifted from his feet by a force he was unable to see or combat and hung a foot above the ground. Beletseri became embodied below him, where one of her powerful hands reached up to encircle his neck. She squeezed and laughed.

  “Puny mortal,” she chortled. “The gods are pathetically weak, sending humans to do their work. I don’t know what your friend is,” she spat toward the dark male, getting the upper hand over a straining and determined Matthew, “but I’ll deal with him once I’ve dispatched you,” she sneered. “Say hello to Nergal when you reach the Underworld.”

  Anna could see the bitch tightening her hold on Jake.

  “I’m sure you’ve done plenty of naughty things that will send you there,” the goddess continued.

  Jake’s face was bright red as he tried desperately and unsuccessfully to pry her fingers away. He struggled and fought, kicking out with his legs, but was clearly losing the battle.

  Anna had seen enough. Flying across the garage, she aimed for the woman’s rib cage. With an elevated kick, she landed a direct blow to the evil goddess’s midsection.

  Beletseri, shocked by the interference, dropped the now unresponsive Jake and spun around, leaning over to cradle her side.

  “Who dares challenge me?” Beletseri drew in a painful breath, confronting Anna. “I see,” she sneered. “Another puny human. Female this time, and hardly worth my effort.” Beletseri glared. “You will remain still,” she told Anna with a stare that led her to believe it was supposed to invoke some kind of enchantment. Not. But she wouldn’t let the goddess know that. She pretended to freeze in place.

  “There.” She stood up straight and turned to Matthew. “Now that the two humans are incapacitated, I’ll help you with your being of unknown origin,” she called out to her partner.

  Anna took a quick peek at the―thankfully―breathing Jake, before turning her attention to the developing battle. Although Matthew had bulk, Dorian clearly had craft and wiliness. Every time the human attempted to punch the warlock, Dorian blocked it with what could only be a quick spell, and feinted either right or left to make it seem like the punch had missed. Smart, thought Anna. The warlock hid his true powers, just as she was biding her time to acquaint Beletseri with hers.

  It had to be tiresome for Dorian not to use his magic to incapacitate the mortal, but then the goddess would know what he was, and he might lose his edge. That would be bad. Still, it was hardly a fair fight.

  Anna almost giggled. Beletseri had guessed Dorian might be a black cat. A panther? And the wily and truly sarcastic warlock had just this moment cast a spell making himself into such. He used his long, sharp claws to shred the shirt off Matthew’s chest. Nice. Dorian pinned him with one sharp barb over the heart, drawing blood as he held the human down.

  Beletseri hurried to aid her lover, and Anna figured it was time to intervene again.

  Lacking weapons, she leaned down and removed one new boot. Putting all of her superlative strength behind it, she let it fly.

  Bel stopped cold and turned slowly, rubbing her head and contemplating the boot that had smacked her in the cranium and now lay on the ground. “What the― You dare hit me with footwear?” Beletseri growled. Her eyes narrowed. “So. Obviously no compelling for you.”

  Whatever the hell that means, thought Anna.

  “How inconvenient. Matthew, you’ll have to hold your own for a few more seconds. That’s all it will take to dispatch this bothersome, human pest,” she bit out. “Who will wish she’d stayed out of this.”

  “Bring it on, bitch.” Anna stood, ready for the fight. Her adrenaline was pumping. She wanted to beat the crap out of this arrogant goddess, and avenge her downed agent. And if she could kill Beletseri? So much the better. Her children’s well-being depended on it.

  Early in her solitary years, Anna had taught herself to fight. With her preternatural strength, hand-to-hand combat had come easily. The boxing gym where she’d trained had been cheap and rough, the fighters rougher, but they’d come to respect her and her powerful right jabs. They’d taught her well. There wasn’t a human she couldn’t best, but she knew better than to take this goddess for granted.

  She’d never battled an immortal before, but if what Jake said was true, she had the blood of royalty in her veins. Even though partly human, it had to balance the odds against a run-of-the-mill goddess. Anna certainly hoped so.

  Beletseri stalked forward and arrogantly led with a punch. Had it landed, it would have crushed Anna’s trachea. But Anna saw it coming and used immortal speed to sidestep the blow. The dark goddess looked momentarily astonished, and stepped back to reassess. She narrowed her eyes. Clearly, Beletseri was no fool.

  “So. Not merely human,” she murmured, and avoided repeating her mistake, but circle
d Anna instead.

  “What could you be?” she pondered while assessing. “The golden curls on your head are lion-esque, and the dark male is a panther. You are both anomalies,” the goddess mused. “My guess is that you are feline, too, although where the gods found you both is a puzzle.”

  Beletseri stilled, obviously weighing her odds. Anna could tell the minute she’d come to a decision.

  “Matthew,” she called to her consort. “Stop fighting that cat. If I disappear, he won’t kill you, they’ll take you as captive to the gods. It’s our best bet, and I’ll be back for you. I promise.”

  The goddess misted out, and a look of incredulousness came over Matthew’s face. But to give him his due, he never once protested or gave another ounce of fight.

  Anna dropped to her knees beside Jake, ignoring what was going on with Dorian and the baddy, and perused the nasty bruises forming around the agent’s neck. He had come around and struggled to get up.

  “Hey, stay put.” Anna pressed a firm hand to Jake’s shoulder and gently eased him back. “Everything’s okay.”

  His eyes focused and he gave a ferocious scowl. “What happened? Where is she?” He strove to form the raspy words that scraped from his injured throat.

  “She dropped you and disappeared.” Anna was not about to let on that she’d confronted the goddess. “Dorian has Matthew.”

  Jake shook his head to clear it as he managed on his second attempt to sit up. “I feel like shit.”

  Anna stood and sent down a tentative hand. “Do you think you can stand?”

  Without answering, Jake rolled to his knees and eased to his feet. He would have toppled over, but Anna quickly ducked under one arm to support his weight. Jake snorted, and Anna knew why. He easily weighed two-twenty-five.

  “If you didn’t have super powers, I’d feel pretty emasculated right now,” he allowed sheepishly.

  “Well, it looks fairly hilarious from where I stand.” Dorian chuckled, having turned back to warlock and taken hold of Matthew’s collar, while the petite Anna supported the agent who had a foot in height and more than a hundred pounds on her.

  “Screw you,” Jake grunted, with a voice like gravel and an upward quirk of his lip. “Try getting choked by a vicious bitch from Hell and see how you like it.”

  He shook Anna off and walked under his own steam to where Dorian had Matthew subdued. “I’ll call Marduk and friends at the dock and tell them we’re on our way.” He fumbled for his phone, still shaky.

  “No need.” Anna hesitated, but felt pretty sure she’d been hearing something she needed to mention. “I think I’ve been tuned in to them for the past half hour. It started out like buzzing hornets in my head, but separated into a few distinct voices. I’m almost positive I can communicate with them.” She really wanted to try. Jake had told her how they all connected via head talk, and she was intrigued. Anna centered herself, then opened her mind and gave it her best effort.

  Can anyone hear me? she asked. Beletseri has gone, and we have Matthew secured.

  She could almost feel the moment of confused silence, but waited patiently for a response.

  Who is this? The question came back at her suspiciously.

  Anna Kensilton. Who is this?

  They could hear her, and it should be a total surprise. The gods knew she was coming, but they hadn’t been told she had immortal powers. Jake had promised her he wouldn’t fill them in on any particulars because she wanted to explain herself to the children first.

  A painfully long silence ensued.

  “Maybe I’m not doing it right,” she confided to Jake. “I sort of got through…”

  The words died in her throat as three large, beautiful males misted in one by one. Anna stood silently watching, trying to keep her mouth from falling open. Two were dark haired and dark eyed followed by one who was blond. Anna swallowed a dry lump. Could the blond be…The hair was right. The eyes were deep brown. She fought back full-blown panic and stood transfixed, waiting.

  Vaguely, she noted the vast expanse of his chest and shoulders, the muscled arms, the extra-large feet encased in boots. She was unable to move, even when one of the gods spoke. Her eyes darted back and forth between the newcomers.

  “Okay, Jake. You win.” One of the dark-haired ones looked from the agent to her and back again. “She looks just like Tess, but never in a million years would I have imagined immortal.” He put out a hand to her, and she took it unconsciously in a trembling clasp. “I’m happy you can finally be with us,” he said graciously. “I’m Marduk, and I’m married to your…to Tess.” He shook his head incredulously. “You’ll have to excuse us. We were expecting someone who looked…”

  “…old,” finished the other dark-haired male coming forward. He reached for her hand when Marduk dropped it. “Dagon,” he offered. “I’m married to Holly.”

  She murmured something then, but couldn’t say what. She was barely able to acknowledge the introduction. Her eyes remained riveted to Huxley. And upon examination, it could only be Huxley. Her chest heaved with tendrils of long-held pain. The anguish of all the years she’d lost bubbled up inside her. Anna’s throat closed and, dammit, the tears she promised to hold back were coming.

  Quickly, she turned and walked away from the group, fists pressing into her eyes. Stop it. Stop. But she couldn’t capture the sob that wrenched from her gut and forced its way up and out her mouth. Anna felt physically assaulted. Her legs buckled. She dropped to her knees. Jake rushed to her side.

  “Shh, Anna, I’m here. It will be all right. Everything will be fine.” He tried to cradle her, but she shrugged him off.

  Huxley hadn’t come to her. He hated her, and that was only right. “So much lost time…without them,” she wept aloud, but her inner turmoil raged. He was my baby. She sobbed for all the missing years. My beautiful baby boy. Those soulful brown eyes. Once, I was the only thing in the world to those eyes. She choked on her tears. “I had so little time,” she whispered to Jake. “You can’t imagine what my life has been like without him…without them.” I can still feel them all in my arms. After they were gone, my hands were empty. Always empty.

  Anna rocked back and forth, head to knees. Seeing her son had brought back all the years she’d missed; the feeling of family she’d had so briefly, but would clearly never enjoy again.

  Anna sensed a presence at her back, but this time it wasn’t Jake. A hand came down on her shoulder and a body knelt down hesitantly, inching closer to her trembling body.

  The words, when they came, were not what she was expecting.

  “It’s okay, Mom,” Huxley soothed. And wetness sprung fresh to her eyes. His voice sounded just like his father’s.

  “It’s okay. I’m here now, and you’re home.”

  Moisture splashed on her neck, and their tears mingled for the first time in many years.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  It was the second time in two days that Charlie had made the five-hour drive toward San Francisco. But this time, she would stop short of the big city by fifty miles. She was tired, and it was early evening when she navigated the final twist in the long dirt road that would lead to the lodge. She hadn’t called ahead because she knew Ken and company would be able to trace her phone if she did, and she wasn’t ready to be found yet.

  After removing money from her safety deposit box, Charlie had reached an epiphany. She couldn’t just jump from one safety net―her brother and Absu―into the arms of another―Teri. No matter how promising the opportunity in Boston sounded, she’d be indebted to the woman for the cost of a plane ticket and lodging for her and Maity until she began working. It just wouldn’t do. She had to act like an adult.

  There was one place Charlie remembered where she might have the time and space to plan the next steps in her life, without breaking her meager bank. Charlie could only hope that her destination was still run by the wonderful woman she remembered from her childhood, and that there would be room to put her and Maity up.

  A
nd speaking of Maity, her daughter had been so well behaved on this trip, alternately sleeping and playing with the toys and books Charlie had stacked in and around her car seat. She hadn’t even complained of hunger, and Charlie’s own stomach was telling her it was way past time to eat.

  The lodge came into view, and Charlie pulled the car up in front, letting out a relieved breath. It looked the same…sort of. Or was it more upscale than Charlie remembered? It had been a destination for wonderful, wild camping experiences when she was little. Would it still provide the solace she craved? She spied a few cabins through the trees. They looked the same. But wait. Were those yurts?

  Time to stop speculating and find out if the woman Charlie had known as Aunt Bee-Dee was still running the place. She removed her seatbelt and opened the door, stretching her cramped limbs and breathing in the chilly night air. It was still only February, which was luckily not high tourist season. Perhaps there would be a vacancy for her and Maity.

  The little girl fussed in the backseat, and snapped Charlie’s brain back to attention. “Hey, baby. We’re here,” she exclaimed, trying to pump up some enthusiasm while extricating Maity from her seat. No. No second thoughts. This was a good idea.

  She left her car parked at the check-in lot, and with a squirming toddler in her arms, made her way into the main office. A young woman about her age stood behind the desk.

  “Can I help you?” the clerk asked cheerily.

  “I don’t have a reservation,” Charlie fumbled. “I didn’t call ahead.” She tried to focus so she wouldn’t ramble. “I used to stay here summers with my family when I was young,” she clarified. “I was wondering if…” Damn. She only knew the woman as Aunt Bee-Dee. That sounded silly coming out of her mouth as an adult, but she didn’t have any other way to ask. “There was a woman who ran things back then. We called her Aunt Bee-Dee. I don’t suppose she’s still here?”

  “I am indeed, Charlie Dunsky.” The husky voice was achingly familiar as it spoke from the shadows behind her. She turned and her eyes latched onto the woman from her youth, her tone amused. “And where have you been for the last twelve years?”