by Livia Quinn
Dylan said, “Buy me some time.”
It advanced toward us so I called the wind, extending my hands out. I’d been correct; the wind had little effect. It might not actually be a ghost but I decided to risk a little electric shock therapy, something ghosts were said to abhor. Sending pulses of power to my fingertips I cast a spray of negatively charged orbs at it. They disappeared inside the swaying phantom like little space ships entering an anti-matter cloud. But nothing bad happened and I momentarily felt a sense of relief. I heard a loud crack behind me and turned to see Dylan pull his foot back through the splintered door.
“Shootfire, Dylan, do you know how old that door is? I’ll never find a replacement…” Zeus, it looked like he and Freddie were working together to wreck my house.
His eyes widened. “Look out,” he shouted, jerking me out of the way just as Smoky spit my own energy back at us. It hit the door and finished the job Dylan started. Dylan didn’t waste time on words, just pulled me through the hole and down the hall to the stairway. “Is there a quicker way out than the front door?” But we didn’t make it that far.
At the bottom of the stairs two more of the eerie specters stood guard, one at the end of the hall leading to the kitchen, the other between us and the front door. Again, the black aura. Why hadn’t I realized… these were vengeful spirits that traveled in groups, kin to the harpies, known as the Shameful Hour. They preyed on weak creatures like Elvis to gain control over beings they wouldn’t normally care about. But why us? We had to avoid touching them or we’d be sucked into that soulless mass and be lost forever.
“Don’t come into contact with them,” I said to Dylan. “Shameful Hour.”
“Great. What now?”
For the first time I noticed the symbols drawn around my door facing with black soot. I pointed at them. “Elvis must have done that while we were upstairs. It wasn’t here earlier.”
Pounding came against the front door, making the dark heints jump in unison. “Who is it?” I yelled.
“It’s Jack…me in.”
Dylan yelled, “We’ve got hostiles—three of ‘em. Can you break in?”
“Wait a second…don’t hurt the house, Jack!”
There was a thump against the door—he was throwing himself against it and each time, our attackers jumped.
“That’s lame, Lang. Can’t you shift and push the door in or something?” Dylan called out.
Not a good idea. Harmony was starting to look a lot like Humpty Dumpty about to take a great fall. Anyway, I didn’t think Jack could hear him over the roaring the Shameful Hour were making. All at once, white bolts sparked from their black cloudy depths. Weather I could handle. Maybe.
“Dylan, watch them.” I yelled over the din. “They’re producing electrical energy.” Well, duh, Tempe. I was fairly sure I could withstand or repel whatever they could dish out but Dylan couldn’t. “Can you lure this one toward the dining room and then get back behind me?”
He looked dubious. The house shuddered under constant blows of our mid-sized dragon, and the monsters dimmed to a lighter shade of gray. Going pale must be an indicator of distress. That was a positive development. While they were distracted Dylan shifted ad bound through the opening to the dining room. The one nearest the door followed, not through the door exactly but fading through the wall and appearing on the other side. I bit my lip when I couldn’t see Dylan. It seemed like forever but was probably a blink of an eye then Dylan slipped around the door and backed toward me.
I thought from the continued attacks on the outside wall that any second Jack would crash through the side of the house but he didn’t. The shivering of timbers told me he wasn’t giving up and I shuddered, picturing what he was doing to Harmony’s lovely exterior. Two Shamefuls advanced, joined by the third resembling floating black holes. This was what I’d felt in the house all along, and the spell Elvis had woven and Dylan’s presence were giving it power.
“So you’re mad, now, huh?” I taunted them. “Stay behind me—” I hissed at Dylan but the “leader”, the one that had confronted us first upstairs threw a charge of power at Dylan. I tried to intercept it with one of my own but I was too late. He crashed to the floor, his body jerking and spasming as if he’d been tazed, which of course, he had. Hopefully that was all.
The door split under Jack’s next kick, the point of a giant claw poking through the crack, but the wood held, then the claw withdrew. The evil spell must have created some kind of invisible barrier that even a dragon couldn’t get through. That was depressing.
I heard rhythmic sounds coming from outside, like chanting. I couldn’t make out the words but the symbols around the door started to smoke then the markings themselves caught fire. I watched as one by one each symbol turned to flames and the wood burned around the perimeter of the door. The Hour watched as well, their energy dimming just a little.
Dylan lay still but at least they weren’t focusing on him. “Dylan!” I called to him but it sounded only in my mind as menori responded to the diminishing energy from my opponents. A charge surged from my core through my cells and nerves, and out through skin and bone and tissue. Blue fire crackled along my arms but when I raised them to send a bolt in their direction it felt as if it was blowing back on me, the charge entering my lungs, freezing them.
Sunlight streamed through the wall in my periphery but some corner of my mind said it couldn’t be, because it was night. Then several of the burning symbols merged together and bright beams filled the holes left in the wood. Again, the three dark masses in front of me flinched.
Come on, sweetheart, grab my hand.
Jack’s voice. Where had that come from? Oh, right, the mindlink I had with Jack, I thought dully, as I automatically extended one hand toward his.
That’s it. Now, give me some of those blue bolts!
As soon as my hand clasped his, power burst from me in a long strobe-like flash that would have blinded Dylan had he been awake. It went on for several long seconds, the brilliance pulsing, expanding across the floor, through walls and ceiling, into corners and cracks until I sensed that there was no space or crevice left in shadow. I got an image of Harmony from outside, beams of bright light shooting out into the night from every opening.
I was vaguely aware of the door disappearing, letting in even more of that brilliance and slowly normal sight returned. Shading my eyes, I realized it was Jack sparkling like a zillion stars.
Chapter 38
“I’ll get right on that…eat him, Jack.”
Tempe
I scanned the foyer. Dylan was stirring, the Shameful Hour was gone, and Elvis was stumbling down the stairway. My house felt as clean as a whistle though the front of the house was going to require some repairs. Now I just needed to get Elvis out of it.
Jack reached out with one claw and plucked Elvis off the stairs. The sixteen-foot ceilings and wide entry hall gave him plenty of room to maneuver. Elvis dangled in the air kicking and trying to get away from the fierce face of the dragon. “Tempe, help.”
“Sure, I’ll get right on that. Eat him, Jack.”
As I bent to help Dylan up, Elvis screamed, “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I just needed the money…”
Jack roared in his face turning the man dangling from his claw into a shivering wad of chrome and rhinestones. “Hubba bubba…hunka burning…I’m a-al-all sh-shoo-k-kkup.”
I pointed my finger between his eyes. “You have some explaining to do.” I looked around me as Dylan walked up to Elvis and glared at him. “Are you okay?” I asked. Dylan nodded. Except for the door Dylan trashed and the burn holes in the front wall, my house was crystal clean, beyond sanitized, it’s aura enhanced as if there were a force of light repelling all darkness.
“I know how he afforded his new place.” Dylan looked down at Elvis. “Tell her, you maggot.”
I had a bad feeling. What did Elvis have that was worth anything except—that wish! The one I’d traded to get the new amphora. How could
he have taken advantage of River’s situation after what he’d gained through the years from the Paramortal community? But I was partially to blame for taking the easy way out and putting the djinn in my family in a terrible position.
Anger boiled in my blood, shaking the old house and rocking Dylan against the wall. Someone in my periphery reached out to put a hand on my arm, which was no longer an arm… Jack. Some part of me realized he’d taken his human form again. Dylan’s voice said, “Don’t let her hurt him. We need to know what happened to that wish.”
“Tempe,” Jack’s soothing voice… “Sweetheart, back ‘er down now. He’s not going anywhere.”
I closed my eyes and concentrated on calming the storm. When I opened them again, Dylan had Elvis’ arms behind him, and Timmie, dressed in a snazzy black butler uniform and top hat, was handing Jack his shirt and hat. He actually looked the part of a valet.
I strode toward Elvis, nodding at Dylan to let him go. Elvis cowered against the wall. “D-don’t be cruel…”
“Shut-up. If you sing one more note before you tell me what I want to know, I’ll send you on to Graceland, you get my drift?” Eyes wide, his head bobbed up and down. “I tried to warn you.” I frowned. “I changed the words…” That he had, but it hadn’t been enough. He still brought the Shameful Hour to my house and assisted them with their plan.
“What did you do with River’s wish? Did you sell it to the Hour?” I asked. Zeus’ blazing fire! But wait, if he’d traded the wish to them, there would no longer be a claim on it. They were gone. I crossed my fingers but my relief was short lived.
His head moved slowly side to side. With a low rumble I growled, “Then who has it?”
“I—”
My control faltered. “Ow!” He slapped a hand to one arm. “Stop.” Another stray arc crawled along his skin toward his face. He stared at it, frozen in place. “Ah…agh..”
I hissed with the last of my restraint, “Tell me, now.”
Words poured out in breathy spurts, “The money was… in my account when… I made the oath transferring it… t-to their representative. I didn’t… know him. He was… d-disguised.”
I bounced my head against the wall three times, felt a hand on my shoulder. “Tempe,” Jack’s voice was full of compassion. Elvis had bartered my brother’s freedom to someone he knew he couldn’t trust and it was my fault.
“Oligeard Pandaruz Coots,” Dylan proclaimed, “misusing the identity of a beloved star simply because you hated your true name is a crime in itself, but these acts, turning on the Paramortal community who’ve supported your business for a century all because of greed, will not go unpunished. You’ve imperiled the balance of good and evil.”
He looked at Jack. “He’s in my jurisdiction, now. I’ll handle it.” I felt Jack stiffen momentarily but he didn’t interfere. “He doesn’t have to fear me, though I’d love a piece of him. I’ll just make sure he’s in a secure place until Dutch comes for him.”
Coots’ face blanched and his head whipped to both sides, fear making his eyes enormous. He tried to speak but his Adams’ apple bobbed up and down like a broken spring.
Dylan led him away and I turned to Jack, “What were you doing out there?”
Jack grinned. “Casting a spell.” He let that sink in but when I just stood there with my mouth open, he took advantage of my silence. The next thing I knew he’d swooped me into his arms and kissed me, and my own arms wrapped around his neck, my fingers tangling in his silky hair.
“Hmm…” my mind went blank as his tongue pressed against my lips and I opened for him. For a minute we went at it as if our lives depended on it. But I pulled away; it felt wrong all of a sudden. “No, Jack…” I pushed against his hard chest. He released me, a frown on his handsome face and I hardened myself against the feelings being next to him aroused.
Dropping my hands to my side, I backed away, though it made my heart ache. “I—can’t just go back to how we were, Jack.” His expression went from joy to worry. I steeled myself to say what I must. “I trusted you and… you left without a backward glance. I know what happened wasn’t your fault and I’ve tried to be patient, but I’m done giving the men in my life a free pass to step on my heart.”
His brows dipped and he reached out, “Sweetheart…”
I shook my head. “I mean it, I can’t keep doing this. I’ve waited a long time to be happy, put everyone else’s needs before my own, but no more. My happiness will not be placed on hold, not for you or anyone else.”
I sighed, assured I was doing the right thing and gambled, “As they say on the bayou, ‘It’s time for you to fish or cut bait’.”
Chapter 39
“Are you sure you didn’t inhale some of that gray smoke?”
Tempe
Jack sighed and took my hand, not letting me tug it free. “You’re right, Tempe. Will you allow me beg for forgiveness? I could get on my knees.”
“You could,” I agreed and he frowned. I softened then, damn it, because he’d sounded serious. “I’ll think about it. Go on.”
He said, “I have a lot to tell you. Why don’t you make us some coffee while I board up this door and cover all the holes?” He nodded toward the mess. “Sorry about the wall.”
I shrugged, “It gives me a good excuse to get rid of that Para-moon purple.”
He chuckled and asked, “Where are your tools?”
Over coffee Jack told me about lunch with his parents. Settling down on a stool next to me, he said, “Everyone’s been asking, ‘How did this happen’, including me. How could a mere human sheriff suddenly just turn into an earthbound silver dragon?”
He laughed. “That’s the first time I said that and it didn’t seem strange. I’m a dragon.”
I grinned and leaned forward eagerly. “So tell me what you found out.”
“My mother ‘invited’ me to the house Monday and after eating a giant feast they’d left for me, they surprised me with their supernatural selves. I got the dragon gene from Dad. My mother—”
I waited, eyes wide, “Yes?”
He shrugged, “I have no idea. She looks kinda like she’s made of flame-shaped mirrors.”
“You didn’t ask her?” I couldn’t believe he had the answers right in front of him.
“I was in shock, Tempe. I could barely handle what I saw. And now, they’re not answering my phone calls.”
“Dutch and Phoebe aren’t either though Montana saw them earlier in the week and Papa said they were spending time together getting reacquainted after so long apart.”
“I think I know why we haven’t heard from them,” Jack said. “Mom explained the reason for all that traveling they did. They’re members—maybe even leaders—of a special Paramortal Global Disaster team that responds to remote events where humans can’t go, at least in the early stages.”
“The volcanic eruption in Chile!” My hand went to my lips. “That might have provided a way for my parents to be useful while appearing to be absent from our lives.”
“Makes sense,” Jack said. He took my hands in his, drawing little circles on the backs of them with his thumbs. He seemed to be gathering his courage for some big admission. Or another bomb. I’m always looking for the other shoe to drop. Heartache has always followed right on the heels of good news in my life.
“You have good reasons for feeling the way you do, sweetheart. I could kick my ass for hurting you. It’s just that commitment has always meant something different to me; it didn’t include a relationship because of Georgeanne. I’m new at this. I got married and left for the service right out of high school, then Jordie came along followed by years of dealing with Georgeanne, the investigations into her activities and trying to keep Jordie safe. You probably wonder why I stayed with her so long.” His narrowed gaze connected with mine and I shivered. “When I commit to someone or something I take it seriously, but it’s easy to get a case of tunnel vision.”
He was wrong. I understood the fix he’d been in with Jordie while he
was out of the country, the precarious balance it took to thwart Georgeanne’s manipulations while gaining custody of his daughter. And once the truth had been exposed about her, it all made sense.
And I’d always known what drove this man, a higher code of loyalty, justice, service. It made him the man I loved.
“I’m very sorry for letting you down, for acting like a spoiled toddler and leaving you holding the bag. You wouldn’t have allowed my situation to get this far if I hadn’t shut you out.” He stroked my hair back with his long fingers then settled them on my shoulders. There was a sense of peace in him, and hope.
“Sweetheart, would you, can you please give me another chance to prove I can be everything you need…a better friend…”
Wait. A friend?
His lips curved in a smile when he saw my expression. It made his green eyes sparkle, and my heart do flips. I’d fallen in love with that cocky expression even when it was covered in shaving cream. “Baby, I don’t wanna be just friends.”
He got up from the stool and walked toward me, one step forward for each one I took in the opposite direction until my knees hit the arm of the couch. His lips curved up and the laugh lines deepened around those gorgeous eyes as he pushed me backwards onto the long sofa and followed me down, kissing me until I no longer felt like arguing. “You crazy woman. I want more than your friendship. Maybe I’m not the best bet but…”
He took my hand and placed it next to his badge. “Your love has been right here with me these last months, even when I didn’t know it, like a life raft keeping me from drowning. Your faith and constancy gave me time to adjust and even then, you knew when to push me. I might have drowned if you hadn’t shown up on that levee looking for me.”
He kissed me tenderly and cupped my face between his palms. “You held onto the hero in me even when I was acting like a selfish fool. From the very beginning, you’ve seen the real me, not the prig, the man, the father or a crippled dragon, but my potential, my soul.”