“Well, buddy, I gotta go to a wedding. You go scare up some birds, huh?”
He blew a puff of air out of his ghost lungs that blew my hair back. Maybe I was pumping a little too much power into his aura. I scratched his ears again and let the power flow away. He turned and trundled back toward the birdcage.
I smiled and headed off in the opposite direction.
* * *
It didn’t take too long to walk to the Jewel Box. An array of pink and gold and light yellow flowers lined the walk to the front door. The glass and steel pierced the lawn like a gleaming Aztec pyramid. The fifty-foot walls were sparkling clean. Lilies lined the pools in front of the building, the place itself an impressive art deco greenhouse. It’d been renovated in recent years and the trees once towering to the top of the building’s interior were now gone. When I first walked through the doors, it felt empty without them. The thought faded in an instant as I realized how clearly you could see the flora decorating the attraction.
I signed the guestbook and turned around when my gaze caught on one of my regular customers, handing out programs. She was short and pudgy, a strawberry blonde with brilliant green eyes. Her eyes overpowered everything else about her appearance.
“Ashley?” I said.
She looked up and her eyes went wide. “Damian? What the hell, er, heck, are you doing here?” Her hand flew up to her chest. Her fingers paused in the space usually reserved for a pentagram before falling down to her side.
“I was invited.”
“By who?”
“The bride-to-be, as a matter-of-fact.”
“No freaking way. You know Beth?” She shook her head as she spoke. “She’s my cousin.”
So the valley goth girl’s cousin was a Wiccan priestess? I laughed. “That’s funny.”
Ashley scrunched up her eyebrows and said, “Why?”
“Ah,” because I slept with your cousin? “because I’ve known Beth since high school.” There, that was a perfectly plausible Saint Louis excuse. The Saint Louis populace has a bizarre and unhealthy obsession with their high schools. It’s just weird.
“Oh,” Ashley said as she nodded and smiled. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around the Double D then.”
“Definitely,” I said as an usher tapped my shoulder and guided me to the bride’s side of the seating area. I continued gawking at the flowers and squared-off levels of glass forming the ceiling above me. The chatter in my vicinity was mind numbing. How many people were crammed into the Jewel Box, I will never know.
I couldn’t remember if we were supposed to stand for the groom or not. No one stood up as he made his appearance ten minutes later, so I stayed planted on my chair. I almost laughed out loud when I realized two of the groomsmen were also Beth’s ex-boyfriends.
A bittersweet melody of love and loss began to whisper from speakers throughout the building. The room stood as Beth entered the aisle on the arm of her short but frighteningly muscled father. She looked happy, like a happy person being eaten by a giant white lace monster.
The guests and I spent a glorious thirty minutes on some of the most uncomfortable folding chairs my ass has ever borne witness to, listening to a pastor who could make a sloth look like a gerbil on crack. It was a little odd being single and watching an old girlfriend get married. It was also pretty funny knowing at least three people in the room, besides the groom, had slept with the bride. I watched the groom and my mind filled with images of his head being removed by a vampire with anger management issues. I couldn’t help but grin.
At the end of eternity, the bride and groom left the stage arm in arm, followed by the groomsmen and bridesmaids and much applause. The ushers led the front rows out behind the supporting cast and eventually made it back to the peasants. I waited patiently through the receiving line.
Beth flashed me a huge smile as I got closer. It looked sincere, which surprised me. Of course, she didn’t know why I actually accepted her invitation. I wondered if Michael had anything to do with our invitations showing up so close to the ceremony. Beth’s eyes wandered down to my shoes and slowly back up. That surprised me too.
A minute later ‘the traitorous bitch’ had her arms wrapped around my neck. She pulled back a bit and looked me in the eyes. Deep auburn hair framed her clear hazel eyes.
“Hi, Beth,” I said.
“Damian,” she breathed. “I’m so glad you could make it. You look great.”
I raised my eyebrows. I could see her new husband stiffen as I disentangled myself from the explosion of white lace.
I gave Beth an awkward smile and stepped over to the groom, extending my hand. “Hello, Michael William Wagner!” I said brightly. “I bring greetings from my sister, Samantha Vesik.” This time Beth stiffened and Michael recoiled like he’d shaken hands with a demon.
“Sam’s dead to me,” he said under his breath. “Go away.”
I reached out and grabbed his hand again, pulling him into an awkward man hug so I could hiss into his ear. “I should’ve let her tear your head off.” I let him go. He rocked backwards and I smiled, slowly baring my teeth. I inclined my head a fraction of a degree as I walked away.
I’m not terribly fond of weddings, probably because they’re a blatant reminder of my less than stellar track record with the fairer sex. Close to the glass doors the flower girl, all blonde curls and blue eyes and white lace, guarded the basket of rice. She smiled up at me.
“Hi, kiddo, you having fun?”
She glanced from side to side and then shook her head.
“Right there with you.”
She giggled. “No rice yet.” Her voice was surprisingly stern for a five year old.
I needed to chase the guardian of the rice off, although it made me feel like a jerk. “You know, rice killed my parrot.”
“That’s bad.”
“Nah, he’s better now. He’s a zombie. Pieces of him fall off sometimes, but we always put him back together.”
She leaned away from me as her eyelids tried to crawl off her face and she ran screaming for her mom. Kids. Gotta love ’em.
At least I didn’t lie to the kid. I really did have a parrot that OD’d on rice when I was in training with Zola. I brought him back as a zombie parrot. It was awesome. Zola didn’t think so. I laughed and wondered whatever happened to Graybeard. He’d developed an unnervingly large vocabulary post-mortem. Lord only knows what Zola did with him after she confiscated the poor bird.
I placed my hand in the big bowl of rice pouches and whispered quietly as I fed my power through each and every one, loading every grain with potential energy while holding a tiny thread of power in my hand. When you’re a necromancer, and not allowed to play with fireworks on the fourth, you learn how to make your own. I laced bits of the growth magic Cara had shown me in with my own special brew. Wedding planners be damned.
I clamped down on the fuse and walked outside, bouncing a little pouch of rice in my left hand. Michael and Beth rushed by a minute later and I hurled the rice and laughed and cheered as they jumped into their limo and sped off.
The pigeons swooped in about ten seconds later, stalking their pearly white prizes and inhaling them all with vicious pecks. I slipped back inside the glass doors and stared out the window. I heard another little kid ask what was wrong with the birds. They were starting to stumble around. One nice old lady actually said, “This is why we don’t throw rice anymore,” as she started to walk outside. Lady, you have no idea.
I grabbed her arm and stopped her and her grandchild from walking into the war zone. “Wait just a moment ma’am, someone was asking for you in the seating area.”
“Thank you, son,” she said as she patted my arm. I watched her walk back into the Jewel Box and turned my attention toward to the gathering outside.
“Here’s to you sis,” I whispered. I let go of the fuse and ley line energy surged and crackled, screaming toward the rice.
A second later, forty pigeons went off like hand grenades. Pigeon shrapnel spla
ttered on the crowd and the flowers and the glass. Screams went up as the harmless bits of feathers and blood and goo saturated everything in a fifty-foot radius, glazing the lowest ten-foot span of the Jewel Box in a red film. I hoped all the screaming people had purchased the tux insurance.
God damn I’m funny.
Now that’s compromise. I didn’t ruin Beth’s wedding, although whatever rice was stuck in her gown probably scared the hell out of her when it popped, and the aftermath was destined to become infamous enough to make Sam happy. It’s all about family after all. I grinned as my feet made interesting sucking-popping noises on the way through the miserable crowd.
I caught Ashley’s eye on the way out. She had her hand over her mouth and was trying desperately not to laugh. It made her jiggle in fascinating ways. I bowed slightly and she burst into laughter and headed back into the Jewel Box.
* * *
On my way back to Vicky I passed several people. Most were friendly and said hello or waved and smiled. I’d decided to take the long way back, past the Muny, an aged and elegant outdoor theater, past the Boat House and the old World’s Fair Pavilion. A brunette in a sequined red dress was leaning against one of the pale stone arches supporting the brick-colored roof of the old pavilion. Her arms were crossed, but she smiled as the wind shifted her hair. The thick smell from the nearby fountain and lake reached me as she waved to me with her fingertips. I glanced around to see if anyone else was around. When I was fairly certain I wouldn’t look like an idiot, I waved back. She disappeared into the shadows of the pavilion.
I paused for a moment, watching the shadows, before I continued on.
“Idiot.”
My head jerked to the side in surprise and I locked eyes with a tall blonde with stunning sharp features standing ankle deep in the edge of the lake. The dying sun glinted across her eyes, flashing crystalline blue and green. Her pale lips curled up just a little as she ran a hand down her waist-length hair and only then did I realize her hair was nearly as white as the gown she wore cinched with a braided belt.
“Excuse me?” I said.
“That’s a vampire.”
“What? How did you …?”
“Did you even look?” Her mouth quirked into a half smile. “You’re supposed to be a necromancer.”
“Who are you?” I asked as I narrowed my eyes.
“Just a friend with a warning, Damian, just a friend.”
My muscles tightened and my hand started to creep towards my gun when it all clicked. “You know Foster.”
“Of course.”
I blew out a breath and rubbed my head. “You kind of freaked me out a bit.”
“Stay away from the vampire, there is something wrong with her.” Her eyes glanced up at the pavilion before traveling back to me.
“What’s your name?”
She tried to hide a quiet giggle before stepping deeper into the water. “I have fulfilled my promise to one cousin. I must return to my family. Fair thee well.”
“What’s your name?” I whispered once more while I held her gaze.
“Nixie.” She smiled again as her body wavered, growing translucent before pooling into the lake without disturbing the water.
* * *
I was surprised to find the brunette waiting when I got back to my car. She looked pale in the moonlight. I focused my Sight and flinched when I saw her aura, black and white twisted with a sickening red.
“What the hell are you?”
She leaned against a giant oak tree, opened her mouth and licked her upper lip. A pair of fangs snapped down as her tongue retreated and the smile on her face turned predatory. My hand was already drawing the pepperbox from under my jacket. Firearms in the middle of Forest Park, yeah, this was going to go over well.
Of course, I never got to find out just how well it would go over because a second later my face was pressed into the soft grass and I could barely breathe. I tried to push myself up and a bony knee jammed my lower back flat.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize why Zola focused her training on repetition. I could still hear her, “Repetition becomes instinct, boy,” and it didn’t fail me. I slammed my knuckles into the ground and mumbled “Pulsatto.” The force of the blow knocked me off the ground enough to elbow the second vampire in the face and get a half step back. I screamed “Impadda!” as he tried to attack again and a shield snapped into being between us. His arm collapsed in a crunch of bone.
I glanced at the brunette, her features slightly distorted by the flowing surface of my shield. “Having a nice evening?” I said as I took a closer look at her aura. “Vampire my ass,” I muttered. Her aura dripped and moved in stutters and shakes as the black and bloody ribbon crept around her. I shifted my gaze to Edward Broken-Hands and found a dim aura plastered to his skin. I was very glad I hadn’t tried to grab on to either of them with my necromancy.
“Kill him,” she said.
A leg swung at my shield and the impact was enough to break the bone. The shock caused my concentration to waver enough that my shield fell. The vampire caught me in the chest with a quick punch and it felt like someone smacked me with a rock. I hit the ground hard, wondering if my ribs were still one big happy family.
He came at me again as I raised another shield. The maniac dove and I watched his face shatter in a spray of blood a foot in front of me, sputtering and hissing on the energy in the shield. I studied his aura in more detail and wasn’t surprised to find it writhing beneath his skin. He slid down the shield, unmoving. I glanced at the brunette, who was smiling. Maybe necromancy wouldn’t work, but I still had brute force line arts. I dropped the shield, raised my hand toward the downed vamp and said, “Inimicus deleotto.” I staggered a step as the ley line energy ripped through my body. The body on the ground jerked as a thick band of blue lightning vaporized its torso. The aura rose and began vaporizing, escaping into the ether with only a thread attached to the remains.
My only thought was shit. I’d never get a shot off against the remaining vampire. I was pretty sure the aura was my only chance of trashing the vamp in the red dress, and now it was dispersing. I reached out with my necromancy and almost pissed myself when I grabbed the aura. There was no flash of memory or personality, but it was hot and raging, and I’d never felt such a wild energy before. Every inch of my body was a tongue on a nine-volt battery. My arms started to go numb as I wrapped more energy around the aura and started to pull it in, almost the same method I used to string out the aura on Zola’s dolls. It resisted for only a moment. I severed the tie to its host and the aura became more and more intense as I condensed it into a small pulsing orb between my hands.
I shook and grimaced as sweat poured down my face. The brunette took one hesitant step forward. Her eyes widened as I looked up. She was tracking the aura as she moved, weaving from side to side. She came fast, with her claws outstretched and a scream on her lips. I forced my arms forward, heels of my palms locked together, as I opened my fingers wide in a quick explosion of motion. The aura was repulsed by the same energy I used to contain it, rocketing toward the vampire’s head.
I missed. The flare of the aura dimmed as the tree line swallowed it in silence. I missed, but it was close enough. The brunette screamed and grabbed her ear. I could see the wounds on her shoulder. Ruptured skin and muscle were exposed and twitching in the evening air. She glared at me as I backed away. I was screwed. I stayed focused on her and started to throw my shield up.
To my surprise, the brunette dove to the side, grabbed both halves of the dead vampire and took off through the park far faster than I could follow. I watched her red dress disappear over a nearby hill. My shoulders sagged and I took a deep breath. I’d never captured an aura like that before, just torn the whole thing away from its body. My fingers still tingled. I’m just glad it got through her defenses.
I shivered and walked to Vicky, happy to see she didn’t have any new scratches, and wondered if I should check for a car bomb. I’d never heard of
a vampire or a demon that used a car bomb, but this was a night of firsts.
I needed to find Zola.
I drove up Government Drive toward the back of the Zoo as my hands finally stopped tingling. Imagine my surprise when a ghost panda leapt out in front of my car. I yelled and swerved, cursing as I bounced over the curb, and landed Vicky’s front wheels in the grass. As soon as the car came to a stop I sighed at my own stupidity. You can’t very well run over a ghost. I looked up at Happy with his tongue hanging out like a panting dog and couldn’t help but smile.
My heart stuttered when the passenger door opened.
“You need more training.”
I stared at Zola, bemused.
“And you should really lock your doors, boy.”
I laughed as she pulled her seatbelt on and grimaced as my damaged chest flexed. As soon as I put the car in reverse, Happy bounded off toward the Zoo again. “Did you seriously get a ghost bear to flag me down?”
“Mmm,” was all she said.
Chapter Fifteen
I jerked awake when the back door slammed and faint footsteps began climbing the stairs. My face was firmly planted on the table in my reading nook.
“Hey, Damian, did you sleep here?” Frank’s voice was quiet in the deadened acoustics of the shelves.
I yawned and pried my face off the book I’d zonked out on, wincing as I straightened my back. “How the hell did I fall asleep like that?”
Frank chuckled.
“Yeah, I was doing some research.”
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