Wicked Memories (CASTLE OF DARK DREAMS)

by Nina Bangs

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, that’s comforting.”

  Banan didn’t comment because Sparkle had pulled him close and was talking quietly to him. Kayla was glad she couldn’t hear what her client was saying. Probably filling his head with more ideas for how to destroy her competition.

  She needed fresh air. Without looking back to see if he was following, she hurried from the castle. Once across Seawall Boulevard, she decided to take a short side trip before buying her ticket into Nirvana.

  Kayla glanced behind her. No Banan. Good. She’d have a few minutes of freedom to get a look under the pier. She quickly climbed down the steps to the beach and moved into the shadow of the pilings. Above her, she could hear the shrieks and laughter of the people still crowding the park. The vampire owner was probably lying in his coffin somewhere counting his money.

  Down here it was semi-quiet, just the sand along with the soothing murmur of the waves rolling in. For the first time today, she relaxed. No Ganymede shadowing her footsteps doling out apocalyptic ways to end Nirvana’s existence, no Sparkle nagging her with questions she couldn’t answer yet and making not-so-subtle suggestions about everything from her hair to her shoes, and no snark from a bad-tempered Holgarth who seemed happy to vent his anger at his son on anyone who wandered too near.

  Kayla walked along the edge of the pilings, looking for a way down from the pier—steps, a ladder, anything. She’d need an emergency exit in case things ever went south and people were guarding the main entrance.

  She didn’t worry about anyone seeing her. She could just claim to be taking a walk on the beach before going back to the hotel.

  For a moment, she allowed herself to stop and just enjoy the moment. She lifted her face to the cool sea breeze and thought of . . . Will. Okay, she admitted that he’d popped in and out of her mind all day. Kayla wasn’t sure why. Banan was just as spectacular as Will, but Banan made her feel uneasy. Will made her feel . . . She wasn’t sure. She wanted to see him again to clarify her emotions.

  Kayla had a second reason for wanting to meet him again. Why the wig and colored contacts? He’d been inside the castle right before everyone started to smell the odor. A coincidence? And he’d known that his attackers were shape-shifters. She could connect dots. Was he nonhuman? Did he work for this Thorn Mackenzie?

  She peered into the darkness. There. At the end of the pier she could see steps that led down to the water. Waves lapped at them. Kayla didn’t know anything about how amusement piers were built, so she didn’t have a clue about what purpose the steps served. It wasn’t as though people could tie up there without the waves slamming their boats into the pilings.

  Wait, there was something in the water near the steps. Kayla hated that her first instinct was fear. She pushed it aside. She took a deep breath. Focus. What was it? She had to get a closer look. Taking off her boots along with her ankle sheath and knife, she dropped them onto the sand. She still had her switchblade in her pocket. Kayla hesitated before leaving her gun and cell phone with her shoes. But she’d rather not take a chance of getting them wet if she had to wade out farther than expected. She rolled up her pants, and then stepped into the surf. If she soaked her pants, she’d just go back to the castle to change before entering the park.

  She moved closer to the object, straining her eyes to identify it. Please let it be a floating branch. She’d taken a few more steps before she realized the thing was swimming toward her. Swimming? Alive. She stopped.

  It looked like the top of a horse’s head. Okay, so a horse wasn’t that scary. But what was a horse doing out here? Kayla moved a little nearer. The water was now almost to her chest. She hadn’t meant to go in this far.

  The water chilled her and she had to plant her feet to resist the current’s pull. Now she could see it clearly. Definitely a horse. Black. It had raised its head completely above the water and was studying her. Mesmerized, she again moved toward the animal.

  She must have stepped off an underwater ledge because suddenly she plunged beneath the surface. Kayla came up sputtering. She lifted her chin to keep the small waves from washing over her head. Damn.

  From a distance, she could hear someone yelling. She glanced back to the shore.

  Banan was racing toward her, his long pale hair blowing behind him. “Get out of the water!” He waved his arms and shouted again. “Now!”

  Puzzled, she turned her attention back to the Gulf. There was nothing near her except the black horse. She could see its beautiful dished face and flared nostrils as it swam closer. Kayla had always loved horses. Its owner would be frantic. Maybe it had escaped from a barn, gone into the water somewhere along the coast, and gotten caught in a riptide. It didn’t matter; she had to think of a way to rescue it.

  She didn’t have anything to use as a halter, but maybe the horse would follow her onto the beach. Then she could call for help.

  The horse drew nearer and nearer, almost close enough for her to reach out and grab its mane. She could use the mane to drag herself onto its back. Riding the horse to shore would make things easier.

  It was right in front of her now, and Kayla could see its large expressive eyes. Green? Horses didn’t have—

  She was staring into those green eyes when it happened.

  That gorgeous black horse opened its mouth and showed her its teeth. Not big flat horse teeth, but sharp pointed teeth. Ohmigod! What the hell—?

  Kayla had no time to think. She knew she’d screamed, but all she could hear was the thud of her heart, the rasp of her breaths. She fumbled for her switchblade. Her shaking hand didn’t make the search easier. Why had she left her other weapons on the beach?

  She looked up, up as the monster reared above her. Kayla didn’t have time to process the horror as instinct took over. She threw herself back as those deadly hooves hit the surface right where she’d been. The creature stretched out its neck and snapped at her. She flailed wildly and heard the click of its teeth closing on empty air.

  Kayla knew the thing would catch her before she reached shore, but imminent death was a great motivator. She splashed toward safety just as someone wrapped a hand around her waist and yanked her away from the horse.

  “Back off, Kel!”

  The voice behind her sounded familiar, but she didn’t have time to think about it as the person, no, the man dragged her toward shore. And who the hell was Kel?

  Kayla turned her head to the side in time to see Banan race past them, shedding clothes as he went. She wanted to shout to him, to warn him not to go near the horse—no, definitely not a horse—but he was gone before she could open her mouth. Helplessly, she watched him disappear beneath the waves.

  Kayla and her rescuer reached the beach. Her legs wouldn’t support her and she sat down hard on the sand. She should turn around to look at the man behind her, but she couldn’t look away from what was happening in the Gulf.

  A battle? Who? What? The monster horse almost leaped from the water, lashing out with hooves and teeth. Kayla couldn’t make out what it was fighting, though. She squinted into the darkness. The water was a white frothing maelstrom. Whatever the horse was battling had to be huge.

  “Damn dumbasses. Anyone could see them out there.”

  What a weird thing to say. Kayla knew she should turn around, look at the man behind her, but she didn’t. Because she recognized that voice. Because she knew he was somehow connected to the horse. Now that she had a moment to think, she recalled his command to Kel to back off. The only one in the water at the time that needed to back off was the horse. The horse? Who spoke to a horse that way unless the horse was . . . ?

  Then she remembered—two men running into the Gulf and becoming something else entirely.

  The battle ended suddenly. The horse turned away and disappeared beneath the waves. Kayla kept her attention fixed on the spot where she could just make out the shape of something large in the water. Without warning, the creature the horse had been fighting broke the surface.


  “Oh. My. God!” Not here. Not in Galveston. Not this close to shore. But she’d seen enough pictures in her lifetime to recognize what she was looking at. “A great white shark.” Was this a real shark? How could she tell?

  She finally turned to look at the man crouched behind her. He had the same sensual mouth and the same sexy body, clearly exposed by the wet clothes clinging to his body. But his blond hair was now black, damp strands framing his lean beautiful face. And his brown eyes were now blue, muted in the darkness.

  Kayla shifted her mental picture of him to fit the real man beneath the wig and colored contacts.

  “Will.”

  But that’s all she managed to get out. Panicked, she swung her gaze back to the water. She’d forgotten. Kayla scrambled to her feet. “Banan! We have to save him. He’s still out there.”

  7

  Kayla stumbled over to her pile of things. She tossed her phone at Will. “Call 911.” Scooping up her gun and knife, she headed back toward the water. Even if the shark was a shape-shifter, it could still kill.

  Was she too late? Had the shark found easier prey in Banan? Her father’s words played a repeat reel in her mind. “Do not be impulsive. Do not allow emotions to make you stupid. Always think things through.”

  Dad would give her a failing grade for this night. Too bad. If there was a chance that Banan was still alive, she would go in shooting and slashing. She remembered something she’d read about stopping a shark attack: punch it in the nose. God, she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

  “He’s safe.” Will grabbed her arm. “Look.”

  She looked. Sure enough, Banan was struggling out of the water. He’d recovered his jeans, because he was trying to pull them on. Not easy when both he and they were soaked.

  At another time she would have paused to admire the absolutely amazing body her “partner” had, but right now she was too overcome with joy that said body was still intact. Dropping her weapons, she splashed into the surf and flung her arms around him. “You’re alive.”

  Banan looked puzzled for a moment and then grinned. “Well, yeah. I’m tough to kill.” His grin turned just as quickly to a frown. “Never go into the water alone at night.”

  Kayla finally realized that she was still hugging him, the partner she didn’t think she wanted. But he hadn’t hesitated to put himself in danger to help her. She stepped away from him. “Thanks.”

  Banan’s smile returned. “Hey, that’s what partners do.”

  Kayla didn’t miss the emphasis on “partners.” Sparkle must have mentioned her lack of enthusiasm for his title.

  She wanted to turn to the man who had dragged her to safety, but she hesitated, trying to come up with exactly the right words. “I appreciate that you saved my butt, but who the heck are you?” or “Who is Kel, because the only one out there besides me and thee was the monster horse?”

  The silence seemed to stretch on forever. If they were waiting for her to say something brilliant, they’d be waiting a long time. But Kayla’s brain finally kicked in. Its short hiatus was understandable. Paralyzing terror could do that.

  If she assumed that Banan had run past Will and her to stop the horse from following them, then why was he getting naked as he ran? Where were his weapons, because there was no way he could battle that monster without weapons? And how had he emerged without even a scratch from the exact spot where a great white shark—probably a ticked-off shark because it had lost its horsey meal—had been a moment before? Kayla didn’t really buy into nose-punching as a viable defense against Jaws.

  Aware of the man who called himself Will standing silently behind her, she swallowed hard and asked Banan the tough question. “What are you?” She held up her hand to stop a possible lie. “The truth.” She thought she knew, but she wanted to hear him say the words.

  Banan studied her for a few beats too long before nodding. “My other form is a great white shark. Sparkle and Ganymede thought I’d be the best one to protect you on land and in the water.” He shrugged. “After what just almost happened, I agree with them.”

  She tried to slow her breathing, calm her heartbeat, but none of her body systems seemed to be paying any attention to what she wanted. She was surprised that Banan couldn’t hear her pounding heart because she sure could.

  Kayla nodded. Right now she didn’t think she’d be able to speak to Banan without her voice shaking. She turned to face Will.

  He wasn’t looking at her. He was glaring at Banan. What was that about? When she felt that she had herself under control enough for him not to hear her panic, she spoke. “Well, at least I know what you really look like now, Will.” A beautiful liar. “So what’s your true name? Because if you had fake hair and eyes, I can assume the name is fake too.”

  “Whatever you want. I’m open to suggestions. Nothing like a new name to wipe the old slate clean.” Will’s smile never reached his eyes. His blue eyes.

  “How did you just happen to be here in time to save me?” Kayla couldn’t believe how furious she was with him for everything he hadn’t told her. But that didn’t make any sense at all. She had secrets too. Besides, she didn’t know him, didn’t want to know him, so who or what he was didn’t matter. You are such a liar. “Oh, and who is Kel?”

  “I happened to be here because I work at Nirvana. Someone from security reported a woman sneaking around the pilings. I came down to take a look.” He held up his hands. “Can I help it if I was in the right place at the right time?” He tried on an innocent expression.

  Fake. It didn’t work. “Who is Kel?” Her mind was slowing down, clogged with enough freaking-impossible input to bring it to a standstill.

  Will smiled, a real smile this time. “The horse.”

  Kayla had sort of expected that answer, but she knew her mouth was still hanging open. What did you say to that kind of an admission?

  Banan moved up beside her. “Kel is a kelpie.”

  Kayla forced herself not to edge away from the shark. “Explain kelpie and why he was lurking in the dark.”

  Will glanced up at the pier. “You know Sparkle, you work for Sparkle, and so I have to believe you also understand what she and Ganymede are. Ordinary security wouldn’t help Nirvana’s owner protect his pier from an attack by Ganymede. He decided to bring in a team that could hold its own. Kel is part of that team.” He met her gaze. “A kelpie is one of the fae, a shape-shifting water horse. I’m sorry about what happened. He wasn’t going to hurt you. Kel just wanted to scare you so you wouldn’t come snooping around again.”

  “Right. Just wanted to scare me. Then why did you race into the water and drag me to shore?”

  Will glanced away. “Sometimes Kel gets a little carried away with his job. Better to be safe.”

  Banan snorted his contempt at Will’s explanation. “You just wanted to play the hero.”

  He glared at Banan. “You overreacted. Anyone glancing down from the pier could’ve seen you guys. If a crowd had collected, someone would’ve gotten it on the news. I don’t think Nirvana’s owner or Sparkle would be happy about that.”

  Banan narrowed his eyes. “Then maybe your boss should keep his hired help from attacking innocent humans.”

  Banan reached out to put a protective arm across her shoulders, and Kayla forced herself not to shudder.

  Will caught her in his unblinking stare. “Innocent? I’m beginning to wonder.” Then he turned away. “I’ve got to get back to work.”

  Kayla watched him leave. He’d just disappeared from view when she realized she hadn’t thanked him. Whether she’d been in danger or not, Kayla appreciated his effort. She allowed herself a small smile. If he’d wanted to play the hero, he’d done a good job.

  After she’d retrieved her boots and other things, Banan guided her back toward the castle. Kayla swallowed her hysterical giggles. She could imagine what they both looked like. He wore only his wet jeans, and his hair hung long and dripping down his back. Okay, it was a great look for him. On the other hand, she was a
mess. Her boots were dry, but that was about it. And she was sure her dripping hair didn’t look as good as his dripping hair.

  Once she reached the hotel lobby, she stopped. “You can take the rest of the night off. I’m going up to my room and staying there. I have a lot to think about.”

  He nodded. “I have to report to Sparkle. See you tomorrow.”

  Kayla turned to the elevators. She was lying, of course. She had no intention of staying in her room for the rest of the night. Yes, the thought of crawling under the covers and pulling them over her head held a certain appeal, but Sparkle wasn’t paying her to hide in her bed.

  Surprisingly, she felt calm. There were just so many times she could freak out before the ohmigods grew redundant. Right now, she had a job to do.

  After a hot shower, she dried her hair and reapplied her makeup—Sparkle would expect nothing less. Taking a lesson from he-who-calls-himself-Will, she pulled on a hoodie and headed over to Nirvana for a few hours of entertainment and espionage. She hoped Banan didn’t see her leaving the castle. He was way too visible for what she was planning.

  As she stood in the long line still waiting to enter Nirvana even at this late hour, she noticed the sign by the gate: NO ONE UNDER 13 ADMITTED. What was that about? Young kids loved thrill rides. An amusement park wouldn’t last long if it kept children out. Sparkle had to know that, so why was she worried? Of course, her park didn’t allow children either.

  Once inside, Kayla looked around. Same rides she’d seen in hundreds of other parks. The amusement pier was huge, which would make it easier to stay off the radar of one über-sexy enemy. Because if Will worked for Nirvana, he was her enemy. She just hoped he didn’t know it yet.

  As she started to tune in to those around her, she noticed something a little strange. The crowd was a lot more intense than she’d expected. Crazy screams and whoops of something more than just excitement came from the people on the rides. And the people passing her seemed too enthusiastic for just another amusement park. Weird. The rides looked normal, but the crowd’s reaction to them wasn’t. It was something Kayla would have to investigate, because she never knew where she’d find ammunition to use against Nirvana’s owner.