Wicked Memories (CASTLE OF DARK DREAMS)
Page 6
“Then you can take a message to your boss. He must close the pier down, sell it, and leave Galveston.” They edged a little closer.
Thorn narrowed his eyes. Now they were officially in his space. “Why?” He crouched, ready to make mush of their very ordinary faces.
“If he does not follow directions, he will die.”
Okay, Thorn could accept that as a reason for now. He’d find out the real reason later, once he’d stomped on their heads a few times.
“We will give you something to make sure you will remember our message.”
Thorn admitted it, he was a bigot. He didn’t trust anyone who never used contractions. And now they’d try to beat him to a pulp to make sure he delivered their “message.” Well, he was about to deliver his own message. He smiled.
Kayla saw that smile from where she hid in the shadows and wondered if he was crazy. He was about to get pulverized by those men. Jeez, the tall one must be over seven feet and built like a jumbo jet.
She didn’t know what the men wanted with Will. She had decided to follow him at the last minute and had just caught up. But she didn’t have time to figure out what was happening before both men drew back their fists.
Kayla reacted instinctively. No gun. Too loud. She reached down and pulled the knife from her ankle sheath. Then she stepped from the shadows. “Move away from him.”
All three men turned to stare at her. The two big men looked shocked. Will just looked disappointed. Maybe he didn’t like a woman saving his beautiful ass. Too bad.
Kayla widened her eyes. “What? You’ve never seen a woman with a knife before?”
“Only in the kitchen.” The biggest man smiled. Not a nice smile. “You are small and insignificant. I do not believe you know what to do with your weapon.”
He hadn’t just said that. No one could be that dumb. She forgot all the snarky comments she could have made and just stared at him.
“Give me that knife, little girl, and then go away so we can finish this.” He started toward her.
Two things happened at once. Will leaped into the air and kicked only-in-the-kitchen in his big stupid head, followed immediately by a shot to his gut. Kayla would have liked to stand and enjoy his amazing speed and ferocity, but the shorter man had pulled out his own knife and looked as though he wanted to carve his initials in Will’s back.
Kayla shook her head in disgust. See, it was fine for him to carry a knife, but not small and insignificant her. With one smooth motion, she threw her knife. The blade sank into his throwing shoulder. He grunted and dropped his weapon.
She didn’t give him time to recover. Even as he bent over clutching his shoulder, she ran in and yanked her knife from his flesh before kicking his legs out from under him.
Glancing toward Will, she saw that his opponent had fled the fight. Giant wuss. He was stumbling across Seawall Boulevard. Must have a car parked nearby. Her guy scrambled to his feet and followed at a staggering run. She was surprised how fast he moved with a stab wound. Thinking that was the end of it, she crouched down to wipe her blade on the grass. But she was wrong. Will was racing after them.
Reluctantly, she followed him. She didn’t want Sparkle to find out about this. Rescuing random men outside of the park wasn’t part of her job description. Kayla was lucky the man she’d stabbed hadn’t screamed and brought everyone running.
What did Will hope to accomplish by chasing them down himself? They were still huge, and there were still two of them.
Her conscience bothered her a little. She should call the police, but she didn’t need any probing questions about knives and what she was doing at the castle. She needed to keep a low profile.
Damn, Will ran fast. He was closing in on the men by the time she ran across the street and climbed down the steps to the beach. Why the hell had they tried to escape here? She was panting when she caught up with him. And the only reason she did catch up was he’d stopped running. What . . . ?
It was dark on the beach, but she could see a little because of the lights on Seawall Boulevard and the moonlight. She stood beside him, staring openmouthed.
Both men had run into the Gulf. She could see them moving farther and farther away from the shore.
“What’re they doing? They’ll both drown.” And if her voice had an edge of hysteria to it, she had good reason. She’d wanted to stop the attack on Will, not see two men die. Kayla pulled her cell phone from her pocket and started to punch in 911.
Will put his hand over hers. “You won’t need that.”
“What do you mean? They’re . . .” She followed his gaze. Kayla could still see them, but something wasn’t right. She strained to see in the darkness. It almost looked as though . . . “No. It can’t be.” But it was. The dark shapes of the men seemed to be melting and flowing into . . . “Fish?” Even saying the word made her question her sanity. “Tell me they didn’t just change into big fish.” She heard the shrillness in her voice, but she couldn’t seem to control it.
They were gone. They’d just walked out into the Gulf, turned into fish, and disappeared. She glanced up at Will. In the darkness his features were harsh, his eyes hard and unreadable. “What just happened?” Kayla’s finger still hovered over her phone while confused thoughts scrambled to make meaning of what had no meaning.
“Put the phone away, Kayla.” His voice was quiet, devoid of emotion.
“We have to report this. We—”
He turned to look at her. “Reporting it would accomplish nothing.”
“I don’t believe this.” Her voice rose even higher. “They both just walked into the freaking Gulf of Mexico and changed into—”
“Whales, actually. Not one of the large species.” Will’s expression never changed. “They’re shape-shifters. They’re sea creatures in their animal forms.”
He said this in the same tone of voice he’d use to explain why the sun would come up in the morning.
She started to shake and slowly back away from him. He was crazy. Had to be. “Shape-shifters?” Why not? A cat had spoken in her head and Sparkle had said a vampire owned Nirvana.
Will didn’t move, didn’t try to stop her. “I’m sorry.”
He didn’t look sorry, only angry. “You might not want to mention this to Sparkle. Once opened, some doors can never be closed.”
“Who are you?” Her question came out in a frightened whisper. “How did you know what they were?”
He shrugged and looked back at the Gulf. “Just someone who knows that things aren’t always what they seem.”
Kayla turned away then. Calm down. Breathe deeply. You’ve made it through talking cats, vampires, sorcerers, and goddesses. What do a few shape-shifters matter? You can handle this.
Her mind had it all figured out. Unfortunately, her body didn’t get the message. Her heart pounded and she fought for each breath while she concentrated on not running back to the castle. Walk. You are in control. As she crossed the lobby, Kayla barely noted the lack of any sewage smell. She didn’t even wonder how Sparkle had gotten rid of it so quickly.
Once she was back in her room, she’d get a grip. No panic, just rational thoughts. This was just a job. Okay, a really bizarre one.
“I sense a shitload of panic, confusion, and fear. Anything Sparkle or I can help with?”
The voice in her head again. She looked down. The gray cat, no, Ganymede stared up at her from wide amber eyes. Oh, shit. “No.”
“Why not? Haven’t we welcomed you with open arms? Okay, open paws? Hey, Sparkle hasn’t even tried to hook you up with anyone. She usually starts working on that within an hour tops.” He padded along beside her. “What’s the problem?”
She stopped walking. “You’re the problem. And Sparkle telling me that the owner of Nirvana is a vampire, that’s another problem. And . . .” Should she mention the shape-shifters? Once opened, some doors can never be closed. No. Not now. “Do I need anything else?” She tried to ignore a nearby couple watching her talk to herself.
Not surprisingly, someone did. Sparkle hurried toward them. Kayla didn’t doubt that the cat who had talked in her head had also put out a silent call to Sparkle.
“I hear that you’re upset.” Sparkle looped her arm through Kayla’s and steered her toward a room near the restaurant. “Let’s sit for a moment and talk about it.” She sighed. “No use putting it off any longer. I suppose it’s time for those answers I promised.” She opened the door.
It was a conference room. Kayla was more than ready for some answers. She walked in and sat at the long table while Sparkle paused to talk to the cat.
“Order something good for us to nibble on.”
Great. The cat was going to order dinner. Her adrenaline rush over, Kayla felt almost too tired to keep her head off the table. But she had to ask the question. “What is Ganymede?”
Sparkle joined her at the table. “Not what, who. Mede is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He’s the cosmic troublemaker in charge of planet-changing chaos—volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteor strikes, the big stuff.” She absolutely glowed with pride. “And he’s my fluffy-bunny.”
Just kill me now. Kayla didn’t know how many more of these . . . revelations she could take. May as well get it all out of the way at once. “And you are?”
“I’m a cosmic troublemaker too. Sexual chaos is my specialty.” Her expression said she totally expected Kayla to believe and accept what she said.
Uh-huh. Sure. “So I assume if Ganymede is your . . . fluffy-bunny, then he must change into human form.” A shape-shifter.
“Of course.” Sparkle widened her eyes as though that must be obvious. “When he’s in human form, he’s a golden god.” Her lips tipped up in a sly smile. “He’s a sexual beast in bed.”
Didn’t need to know that. Kayla closed her eyes. “How can he talk in my head?”
“It’s one of his powers.”
Well, that cleared things up. Kayla opened her eyes. “Anything else you want to fling my way?”
“Holgarth is a real wizard, and Zane is a real sorcerer. They’re the reason why that disgusting smell is gone so quickly. You saw Klepoth and Eric. Klepoth is a demon and Eric is a vampire.” Sparkle put her hand on top of Kayla’s. “You’ll meet a few other nonhumans, but I think that’s enough for now.”
“Definitely.” She wanted to jerk her hand from beneath Sparkle’s, but she didn’t seem to have the energy. Would this cursed day never end?
“I know you want to run away from us, Kayla.” Sparkle’s voice softened.
“You think?” She could hardly wrap her mind around the possibility that Sparkle, Ganymede, and Will were telling the truth. But think about what you’ve heard and seen. And Dad didn’t deny the existence of vampires. She couldn’t explain those things away.
Just then the door swung open and Ganymede padded back into the room. A waiter rolling a cart followed him in. And for the next few minutes she allowed herself not to think as she watched the covered plates being transferred to the table. Finally the waiter left.
Kayla ate her way through two servings of everything while Sparkle watched bemused. Ganymede had his own plate and was having no trouble matching Kayla serving for serving.
Finally, Sparkle didn’t seem able to stand it one more minute. She reached out and whipped Kayla’s plate out from under her raised fork. “I can’t believe you ate that much.”
Kayla felt a moment of embarrassment before pushing it aside. “When I’m stressed, I eat. You can tell the level of my stress by how much I eat.” She’d broken a record at this meal.
“Time to talk.” Sparkle ignored the cat who was still stuffing his furry cheeks with food. “What can I do to make you want to stay?” She paused, her gaze turning thoughtful. “Besides threatening to sue your father for breach of contract.” She brightened. “By the time I’m finished, I’ll own his company. I’ve never involved myself in that type of business before. It might be fun. Oh, and of course, I don’t think he’ll kick in any money for law school if you run home without getting the job done.” Sparkle smiled as though everything was very simple.
Food had a calming effect on Kayla, which is why she only called Sparkle a bitch once in her head. She’d save the multiple “bitches” for another time. She decided not to mention that she’d already decided to stay. “Be reasonable, Sparkle. I won’t be any good to you. I don’t know how to deal with supernatural entities.”
“Nonsense.” Sparkle stopped long enough to aim a glare at Ganymede, who was trying to lick the garlic mashed potato residue from the serving dish. “What’s to know? You just sneak around, do a little spying, a little sabotaging, and once Nirvana folds, you go home and everyone’s happy. Besides, if you need any help with the nonhumans, I can loan you some paranormal muscle.”
Kayla thought about that. She knew how to do her job, and as long as she kept out of sight, how hard could it be? And if Sparkle could supply her some nonhuman help, she’d feel a lot safer.
Listen to yourself. Do you really believe all this? Kayla closed her eyes, shutting out Sparkle’s sly gaze. She had always tried to be practical and a realist. And as much as she’d like to make excuses for everything that was happening, she couldn’t. The evidence was mounting that a paranormal world she knew nothing about really did exist.
Kayla opened her eyes. Time to face facts. She’d be going up against a bloodsucking creature that frankly scared the crap out of her.
Ganymede lifted his head to stare at Kayla. Mashed potatoes covered his face and whiskers. “Yo, Sparkle. Sweeten the pot for her. We need to keep her here.”
Sparkle sighed. “Fine. If you’ll stay and do the job, I’ll double whatever your father is offering. In fact, if I’m happy with the results, I might give you a job here after you pass the bar exam. Holgarth has been making retirement noises lately. I’ll need a new attorney.”
Kayla widened her eyes. Work as Sparkle’s attorney? That would have to be one of the scariest jobs on the planet. No amount of money could tempt her to accept it. But the extra money that Sparkle had offered for this one-and-done job sounded great. Kayla tried to look as though she was struggling with her decision. “I’ll stay. But I want you to get my helper to me as soon as possible. I have a lot to learn about the supernatural realm.” Understatement of the year.
Sparkle glowed. “You won’t regret this. We’ll have fun destroying Thorn Mackenzie.”
Kayla frowned. Sparkle sounded as though she meant it. “I have one question. What are cosmic troublemakers?”
Ganymede was washing his face with one gray paw. “We’re incredibly powerful and charismatic beings gifted with the ability to cause chaos in every aspect of human life.”
Gifted with huge egos as well. “Then why haven’t I ever heard of you?” Of course, Kayla’s knowledge didn’t go beyond the usual—vampires, werewolves, angels, and demons.
Ganymede finished with his face and gave her his full attention. “Because there aren’t that many of us, and we don’t have a great PR department.”
Kayla nodded. That was a good enough explanation for the moment. She started to rise but then sat down again. Earlier, she’d decided not to mention Will or the men who’d walked into the Gulf. But now she needed to know more. Besides, Sparkle was paying her to investigate. She wanted to show her client that she was getting her money’s worth.
Kayla gave a brief rundown of events, starting with the attempted mugging and ending with Will and her standing on the beach watching the men run into the Gulf. She had to take a deep breath before telling the last part. “As the men got farther away from shore, they started to . . . change.” Just say it. “They became some kind of whale.” She met Sparkle’s gaze. “Was I seeing things or can that really happen?”
Sparkle glanced at Ganymede. Kayla sensed somethi
ng passing between them.
Then Sparkle shrugged. “There’re all kinds of shifters. Some sea creatures have been known to take human shape, but we don’t see many around here. Lately though . . .” Abruptly, she stood. “Well, I think we’ve covered everything for the night. You must be tired, Kayla.”
Kayla recognized a dismissal when she heard it. “Right. See you in the morning.” She stood and headed for the door.
“Yo, spy lady.”
Kayla stopped to glance back at Ganymede.
“You might want to do some snooping around the castle in the morning.”
“Why?”
“Because the crappy smell that drove everyone out of the castle wasn’t a plumbing problem. It was sabotage. Probably payback for the refreshment stand I blew up. The war is on.”
Kayla experienced sudden insight. “I bet that puts you in your happy place, doesn’t it?”
Ganymede narrowed his amber eyes and twitched his tail. “You have no idea.”
5
Thorn figured he’d exhausted a thousand years of curses in every language he’d ever known. Tonight had pretty much sucked. Except for meeting Kayla. But she’d probably be gone from Galveston by morning, so he couldn’t even put her in his plus column. He slammed the door in disappointment’s face. Nowhere for that relationship to go anyway.
How much would she tell Sparkle before she left? If Sparkle found out that her recent dungeon guest had been wearing a wig and colored contacts, and that said guest had been in the castle right around the time of the Great Stink, it wouldn’t take her long to follow the clues. She probably already knew her plumbing was fine and had figured out the attack came from him. But he didn’t want her attaching a face to that attack just yet.
He slipped back into Nirvana. Grim had turned off all but a few lights, so no one saw him return. He found Grim standing by the carousel.
His security chief grinned. “Seemed to be lots of excitement going on across the street. Looked like someone stepped on their anthill the way everyone was running out of there.”