by Calinda B
Daniel smirks. “There are people in the back seat, here. It’s a little too much info.”
“Oh, shush. Let a couple express their love,” Betty says, waving her hand in the air. “Open the package, honey girl.”
I untie the string and peel the brown paper back, revealing black cloth.
“Well?” Betty says eagerly, her face shining.
I pull the contents free, unfolding it until I see the garment I’ve always pictured myself in. “Oh! It’s beautiful, Betty. Did you make it?”
She beams. “Yep, me and Buddy. He gave me tips and instructions. I sewed it. We’re a good team, me and Buddy.”
I finger the soft, sturdy fabric. It’s a black jumpsuit. A slash of bluish-white lightning zips across the chest. When my fingertips land on it, it crackles and zings with electricity. “Oh!” I say, startled. “How’d you get this effect?”
“It’s attuned to you,” Betty says. “Buddy did some research in the other world…talked with some spirits in his world. They advised us on how to tune it to your frequency.”
“Well, it’s beautiful. I love it!” I hug it to my chest.
“The material’s tough yet soft, durable for wear in the field. It repels bacteria, so you can wear it for days if needed. We put every technology we could get our hands and paws on to good use.”
“Try it on,” River says.
“Yeah, put it on.”
“We’re in the van, in case you haven’t noticed,” I say.
“We won’t watch,” River says.
“Much,” Rafe adds.
“Go on, dulzura,” Daniel adds, grinning.
“Bastards,” I say. “Suit yourself. Tom, you don’t watch. That’s just wrong.”
“Eyes on the road,” Tom says.
“I’ll make sure of it,” Betty says.
I slither free from my jeans and sweatshirt, until I’m down to panties and bra. “Still breathing, guys? I don’t hear any signs of life.”
They let out a collective exhale.
“Don’t get all hard and hot on me, now.”
“That’s exactly what we want to do,” Rafe says, his voice all throaty and deep.
“Oh, yeah,” River adds hoarsely.
“Calm down.” I open the neckline of the stretchy fabric, guide my legs into it, and pull it up my body. The lightning bolt immediately throbs to life. “Whoa, baby.”
“Nice,” says Daniel.
“You can look now, Tom.”
He glances in the rearview at me. “Looks good, girl. You did real fine, Betty.”
“Thanks,” she beams. “Buddy did all the legwork and research.”
Tom’s eyes roll. “You and that damn dog,” he mutters.
“Does it have any protective powers? Anything other than a really cool garment?” I ask.
“Yep, sure does,” Betty says. “Say the word ‘conceal’ while making this hand gesture…” She waves her hand in a precise moment. “Watch what happens.”
“Conceal!” I say, matching her gesture.
“Shit,” Rafe says. “Where’d you go?”
“Right here,” I say.
“Can’t see you. That’s no fun,” River says.
“How do I get back?”
“Say ‘reveal’ and reverse the hand gesture,” Betty says.
I do it and it works. “This is so cool, Betty! I love it! When the lightning’s ripping through me this will come in useful.”
“We thought so,” she says, patting Buddy’s see-through head. “Actually, the whole thing was Buddy’s idea.”
“Thank you, Buddy!”
“Can’t wait to see you standing in it, dulzura. Looks like it reveals every curve,” Daniel says.
“Never mind that, it makes me more capable in the field,” I say, rolling my eyes. “My sole appeal isn’t my body.” No one says a thing. “Come on, you guys, give me some credit.”
“You’re beautiful, you’re sexy, you’re strong, and you’re pure power, cariño,” Daniel says softly to me.
“I’m with you on that,” Rafe says.
“Same,” River says.
I beam.
“Well, last leg of the journey,” Tom says, flipping on his turn signal. He veers right onto Mt. Spokane Park Road.
“I sure hope this outfit keeps me warm,” I say, peering at the snowy landscape.
“Don’t worry, darlin’. Rules and climate are different in the Shadow Lands, you know that.”
“Uh, oh,” Tom says. “Looks like trouble ahead. Flying checkpoint. Cloak yourself, Marissa.”
Up ahead there’s a roadblock. A uniformed officer stands by the side of the road, his hand up, indicating we should stop. Tom steps on the brake and rolls down his window.
Sober scrambles to his feet, alert, watchful.
The cop scans the license plate and taps the side of his eyeglasses, no doubt punching the number into his KDP computer goggles. He waits. When he gets the results, he saunters to the van.
“What seems to be the problem?” Tom asks congenially.
“License and registration, sir,” the man says crisply.
Betty opens the glove box and hands them to Tom, who in turn extends them to the highway patrolman.
The man walks back to his car and taps his glasses again, checking Tom’s record against the criminal database.
“What do you think’s going on?” I say.
“Oh, that’s weird,” River says. “You’re a disembodied voice.”
“I think it’s trouble, that’s what,” Tom says. “Everyone keep your eyes open, act natural.”
Several dragged-out minutes later, the cop strides back to our car. “Open the windows, please…all of them.”
Daniel leans across me and opens the window. “Officer,” he says sternly.
“Looks like an odd crew you’ve got there,” the cop says to Tom. “Soldiers?”
“Yeah. They were in my unit when I was still in the Marines. They’re still in. Off duty at the moment. R and R.”
The cop salutes the three males in the back.
They return the salute.
“We’re taking them on a picnic,” Betty says. “Got us some fine grub.” She points behind her at the bulging picnic basket resting next to Daniel’s feet. “You want some? We’ve got enough to share.”
“No, thank you. Nice looking dog, too,” he says, glancing at Sober.
Sober bares his teeth. His wings start to unfurl.
“Oh, look!” Betty says, quickly redirecting. “There are squirrels trying to get in your car.”
The cop quickly turns his head.
“Wings,” I hiss at Sober.
The wings snap into his sides.
The cop turns back around. “I don’t see any squirrels.”
“Oh, my eyes,” Betty says, rubbing them. “It was pinecones. Nothing but pinecones.”
The officer glares at her suspiciously, and then relaxes. “We’re looking for a young woman about yay high, long dark hair. Said to be a real beauty. Have you seen her?”
“Oh, my, no,” Betty said. “Haven’t seen a woman like that. These boys would tell me if we did! They’d be all over her like male dogs sensing a bitch in heat. Is she in trouble?”
“Armed and dangerous. That’s all we know.”
“Oh, gosh!” Betty says, looking frightened.
The cop leans forward, both hands on the window sill, scrutinizing everyone. “Well. I’ll let you get on with your day,” he says, handing Tom’s paperwork back to him. “Gentlemen,” he says with another salute. “Ma’am.” He stands aside for us to pass.
As Tom pulls away, I whip my head around as he strides back to his car.
He pulls the walkie-talkie from his belt and starts talking.
Tom slowly eases past him, waving congenially.
The cop’s still talking, growing animated. Looks up at us and speaks some more. Starts to wave his hands and run after us.
“Hold on!” Tom steps on the gas. And that’s when the
bomb goes off, sending us careening into the snowy landscape.
Chapter 20
Sober has the good sense to send his wings a fluttering, enabling him to land softly. Apparently the training we did using Rafe as the decoy really worked. My dog kept his wits around him in the midst of an explosion. He’s alert and ready to go. The rest of us aren’t so lucky. We hurtle into the snow, yards away from the road, with a chorus of moans, groans and cries.
Rafe’s the first to get to his feet. “Everyone up. Inside this secret portal. Now! Marissa, if you’re still with us, move your ass. Sober, let Betty use you for support.” I grumble assent as I get to my feet. He assists us in crawling, limping, and shuffling in the direction he’s indicating behind a stand of trees. We slip into Warplandia just as Armando’s crew labors around the corner in snowshoe clad feet, Armando following in a wheelchair whizzing along the road, pushed by a hefty female.
“Where the hell did they go?” Armando snarls. “There’s no portal entrance here.”
“They probably raced up the hill to the right place—if they’re alive that is,” another male says.
“We should search around to see,” still another male says.
“I don’t see any dead bodies, do you?” Armando yells. “Let’s go!”
“You’re not paying me enough to run this hard,” the female says through panting breaths.
“I’m not paying you at all if you don’t push me up the hill. Now go!”
After they’ve sped away, Daniel asks, “Is everyone okay?”
“Well as can be expected,” River says. He peers anxiously at the group. “Marissa? Give the command so we can see you, love.”
“Reveal,” I say, giving the appropriate gesture, dropping my hands onto my knees to catch my breath.
“Shit! You’re bleeding!” Daniel says, rushing to my side.
“I also can’t hear very well.” I shake my head, trying to stop the ringing. “You don’t look the greatest either. Tom? Betty? How are you?”
Betty’s face is as pale as her ghostly Chihuahua.
“Where’s the med kit, Rafe?” Daniel asks.
“Probably blown to smithereens. It’s a wonder we survived. Let me see if I can find it.” He starts to slip out of the Shadow Lands.
“Wait! They might see you!” I say.
“Stealth Numen, darlin’, remember?”
I smile sheepishly at him as he steps through the blur. “Holey moley,” I say, leaning back against a sturdy pine. “This is fucked up.” I dab at my bleeding cheek, wincing.
River’s next to me. He looks at the others and back to me, furtively, shifting side to side. “You don’t need a med kit, love.”
“What?”
Daniel and Tom ease Betty into a patch cleared of snow.
“I can help,” River says. “Please.”
“Step right in, Blood Magi,” Daniel calls. “You have skills, use ‘em.”
Eyes hooded, he steps in front of me, placing his back to the rest of the group. “I need to lick your face,” he whispers.
“You have to lick my face? Like a dog?” I start to laugh but he looks so sincere I quash the impulse.
“It will heal you. And, well, the effect on me will be quite evident.”
I cock my head to the side, puzzled. “Okay,” I whisper. “I trust you.”
He takes my face in his hands, and draws his tongue slowly along one of the cuts.
A sharp, stabbing burn lances my face, making me yelp.
“What are you doing to her?” Daniel growls. Betty moans, drawing his attention away from me. “Fuck. Where’s Rafe? Betty needs attention, now.”
“Hold on, love,” River says. “That was the anesthetic. The next one will feel better, I promise.”
He places the tip of his tongue along the sliced skin and tenderly, gently licks me, eyes closed with evident pleasure. The feeling is sensuous and arousing. I glance at his hips and see the effects on him. “Do you, um, get that way with everyone you heal?”
“Only you. I don’t think I can heal anyone but you. My teacher told me I can only heal those with whom I’ve shared depth and passion. I told you—we’re in each other’s bloodstreams.”
Affection blooms in my heart. “This sounds like a wonderful side effect of love. And you won’t be harmed in the process?”
“Nah.” He smiles. “Only…” He glances down at his hips and gives me a wicked leer.
“River…” I say in protest, becoming deliciously slick and swirly inside.
He lets out a low, deep laugh. “One more, then we’re done, love. I’m so happy to be back in your life,” he murmurs in that same sexy voice. He continues tending to my face as Rafe blurs back into form.
“Found it,” he says, holding the med kit he always packs in his backpack. “Most of our supplies are gone. I found a small amount of food…a few odds and ends…the van’s history.” He distributes the concentrated food bars. I tuck mine into my invisible storage pouch.
“I needed a new one, anyway,” Tom says. “Transmission was about to go. Now get your ass over here and tend to my gal.”
“I’m all right,” Betty says. “Winded me, is all. Where’s Buddy?”
“Investigating with Marissa’s dog,” Tom says. He places his fingers in his mouth and lets out a sharp whistle.
The dogs race toward us, romping in the snow. Buddy races over and leaps in Betty’s lap.
“Oh, my little champion,” she says.
“You didn’t alert Armando to our presence, did you?”
“This portal has a different frequency,” Rafe says. “Only a few of us know about it. This one’s like an alley. It leads to the main part of the Shadow Lands. We can follow it to get to the one we need.” He crouches next to Betty, pulling supplies from his kit, peering in her eyes with a flashlight and tending to her wounds. “No concussion. Good.”
“You can lick my face, too, Numen,” Betty says to River. “I wouldn’t mind a bit.”
“It wouldn’t have the same effect, ma’am.” He plants a kiss on my face and steps away from me. “I’ve got to take a piss. Be right back.”
I smirk. I know what he needs to do. He needs to soften up so the extremely large bulge in his pants goes down.
I scramble to where Daniel, Tom, and Rafe tend to Betty. “Are you okay, Betty? Can you at least listen? We need a new plan when River comes back.”
“I’d still like him to lick my face,” Betty says. “You appeared to have enjoyed that immensely.”
“It, uh, the effects sort of come with the, uh, connection,” I say to her, my face growing hot.
“I’m game…if this old stallion doesn’t mind.” She points to Tom.
“Betty,” Tom says. “Let’s focus here, you old fool. What are your thoughts, Marissa?”
“I don’t know these portals like you do, Rafe. I barely know them at all. You can lead us to the right place, then we can follow the map. Tom and Betty…what are your plans? You were only going to drop us off.”
“As soon as the missus gets her head together, we’ll assume a disguise and head home.” Tom manifests a blade of grass and begins chewing on it.
“Let me guess—you’ll be a fly and Betty will assume a dragonfly shape, right?” I say.
“It does things to me when he buzzes so close to me,” Betty says, fanning her face. “When we get home….”
“Okay, moving on,” I say. “Guerreros del diablo will beat us there, although I don’t know how Armando can make it through the Shadow Lands in a wheelchair.”
“Yeah, pushed by that tank of a woman,” River adds.
“It’s the Shadow Lands, don’t forget,” Rafe says. “If he’s got any mojo left, he can bend reality to suit. Like, he can coax the terrain to always be going downhill…things like that are possible, especially where we’re going.”
“Interesting. If it’s that easy to get around, why should it be so difficult to find the sisters?”
“That’s the thing, darlin’,”
Rafe continues. “The Shadow Lands are alive. They have consciousness. If he bends the rules to serve his own needs, the consciousness of these lands will join the game.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Think of this place like a giant cat. Cat sees a mouse. Cat wants to play with mouse. Cat likes to have fun and spread the game out as long as it can. When we mess with the Shadow Lands, they mess back. I always traverse with respect and humility when I’m here.”
“I didn’t know that, Rafe,” I say. “Makes me love you all the more.” I smile warmly at him, and then place my hands on my hips. “Okay. So we have that going for us—Warplandia consciousness. I think the bomb was a test shot. It was bad enough that our goods were destroyed, but not bad enough that we were killed in the process. You know and I know that Armando could have done serious damage to us all. I think he wanted to issue a warning, and if he got lucky and we died or were seriously injured, then case closed. But he didn’t get lucky. I think he has something far worse in mind.”
Daniel grins at me. “Dulzura! You’ve added strategist to your playbook. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks, love.” I tap my chin. “What’s the worst he can do to us…the very worst thing?” I look around the group. “Anyone?”
Daniel’s face pales.
“What?” I say, alarmed.
“Oh, God,” he says, his face twisted in torment. “Goddamn it!” He drags a hand through his dark hair, blue eyes blazing.
“Out with it,” I say.
“You know how I told you I’m in charge of the underworld? My responsibility is to keep evil at bay and manage the beasts that feed on evil?”
“Yes…I remember.”
“I’ve been neglecting my duties.”
“What do you mean?” I’ll bet my face is white now, too.
“Fuck!”
“Come on, Daniel, you’re freaking us out!” I glance around at the horrified expressions of Betty, Tom, Rafe and River.
“This doesn’t sound good,” River says.
“Shit,” Rafe says. “What the hell, Night Numen?”
“I’m supposed to let them out from time to time…you know, to eat.” Daniel appears anguished. “I’ve been so wrapped up in training you that I completely forgot. What a jackass moron!”