Wicked Memories (CASTLE OF DARK DREAMS)

by Nina Bangs

  Finally done with security-guy, Kayla followed her unwelcome partner into the park. She should have kept Banan.

  Wow, the place was packed, more than yesterday if that was even possible. She stopped to study the carousel. If she rode it, would it make her trusty sidekick sick too? The thought tempted. He could ride the kelpie. “No one will believe you’re just an ordinary tourist.”

  Holgarth managed to look supercilious even wearing a wig—long black hair to match his long narrow face. He’d colored his pointy beard a matching black and braided it. Sunglasses along with a sleeveless tee, khaki shorts, and flip-flops completed the transformation. Kayla tried not to stare at his skinny arms and legs, but it was a compulsion.

  “Your job is to see what you can see. Mine is to do what I can do. Although I should remind you that I’m not only a wizard, I’m also Sparkle’s attorney. And I explored every legal avenue before you arrived. I doubt you’ll find anything I missed.” Holgarth had perfected the contemptuous sneer. His expression said that since he was an amazing lawyer—and she wasn’t—he was certain she wouldn’t find anything damaging enough to shut down Nirvana.

  “Still—”

  “You don’t have the stomach for the tough stuff, so Sparkle had to send someone who did.” He paused to consider the bumper cars. “I’ll adjust them on my way out. And of course I don’t look like a common tourist. A talented wizard could never disguise his innate brilliance.”

  “His? Are there any female wizards?” Since she’d have to put up with him, she may as well ask questions. Maybe he’d get tired of listening to them and return to the castle.

  “Very few. Women lack the magical sensitivity to excel.” He kept walking.

  “Sexist slime.” She wandered over to examine some machinery tucked behind a small building. Exposed. Sure, there was a keep-out sign that read: THIS AREA OFF-LIMITS. But everyone knew that people never obeyed signs. Besides, the sign was only printed in two languages. Visitors from Russia wouldn’t have a clue. They’d trip over the machine or stick a finger where it shouldn’t be—not that she could see any place where a finger would fit—and lose said finger. Okay, so she was reaching. Kayla pulled out her phone and took a quick picture. She’d add it to her list of unsafe conditions. She wouldn’t guarantee it would fly in court, but it was better than nothing.

  “Interesting. Whatever it does, it won’t do it much longer.” Holgarth stretched his hands toward the machinery and mumbled a few words.

  There was a flash of light, a muffled boom, and something flung Holgarth onto his butt. Luckily, Kayla hadn’t been standing too close to the wizard.

  “I love watching a good ward do its thing.”

  Kayla gasped. Where had Zane come from?

  Holgarth’s sorcerer son walked over to his father and helped him up. “Cool disguise, Dad. But if you were going for the braided-beard-of-the-pharaohs look, you didn’t quite pull it off. I think they shaved their heads. And they didn’t wear khaki shorts.”

  Holgarth glared at his son. “How did you recognize me?”

  Zane’s lips tipped up in a crooked smile. “You mean besides the superiority dripping from you with each step? I guess I was pretty sure it was you when you tried to fling a spell at that machine.”

  Zane glanced at Kayla. “Tell Sparkle to send someone else next time. Someone a lot sneakier.”

  Holgarth drew himself up to his full height. But it was tough to impress when you were wearing flip-flops.

  “Did you ward everything?” Holgarth dusted himself off.

  “The important stuff. After what almost happened to the Ferris wheel last night, we’re staying alert.”

  “Aren’t you afraid visitors will accidentally bump into the things you’ve warded and injure themselves?” She’d have to do some research to see if anyone had ever won a personal injury suit claiming a magical attack as the cause.

  Zane raised one brow. “You mean the visitors who ignore the very big signs?”

  Kayla matched him brow for brow. “The very big signs in only two languages?”

  “Right.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’ve warded our equipment against a direct assault. The attacker’s intent-to-destroy triggers them. An accidental bump does nothing.”

  Holgarth sniffed. “Wise. But I still think you made a terrible mistake agreeing to work here.”

  Kayla smiled. Lost dignity and all, Holgarth couldn’t hide his pride in his son. He was having a tough time maintaining his angry expression.

  Zane slapped his father on the back. “I have some things to do, but I’ll send someone to escort you around the park, sort of a tour guide.” And he was gone.

  Holgarth narrowed his eyes. “He means a guard.”

  “Well, can you blame him?” Kayla felt weary, and they’d only been in the park a short time. Sparkle expected her to stay here until after dark.

  But Kayla perked up a little at the thought that once the sun set she might meet Thorn again. She’d drag Holgarth back to the castle for dinner and then make sure he didn’t return with her afterward. Kayla’s perkiness wilted a little, though, at the thought that Sparkle would send someone else with her. No alone time in sight.

  “I’ll be your tour guide for today. You may look, ride, or cast admiring glances at Nirvana’s wonders, but spells, charms, or other magical tricks are forbidden.”

  Kayla hated the sexy snide voice behind her even before she saw who owned it. Holgarth swung to face the woman, and his eyes widened. Kayla sighed. She wasn’t looking forward to this. She turned.

  The woman was spectacular. Tall and slim, she wore jeans that made her legs go on forever and a skimpy top guaranteed to hold men’s interest. Her long blond hair curled over her shoulders.

  “And you are?” Kayla kept her voice cool but courteous. She wasn’t ready to be banned from the park.

  “I’m Bygul. Park security.” She watched Kayla from forest green eyes.

  By who? Kayla frowned. This woman’s name was as bad as the one from last night. Trje something or other. Who named these women?

  Holgarth puffed himself up. “Feel free to leave. We don’t need your services.” He allowed a small shimmer of flame to flicker from his fingertips.

  Kayla glanced around quickly. His monstrous ego would attract attention.

  Bygosh or whatever the hell her name was didn’t look impressed. A flame twice as large as Holgarth’s danced across her fingers.

  Holgarth sucked in his breath. But his shock didn’t last long. He narrowed his eyes, flexed his fingers, and then whipped out flames that made Kayla do some breath-sucking herself. He was well on his way to turning his hands into freaking flamethrowers.

  Kayla was having an oh-my-God moment. “Don’t make this into a mine-is-bigger-than-yours pissing contest. Put out the fire, wizard. People are staring.”

  Her angry hiss had the desired effect. The flames disappeared.

  Bygone licked her bottom lip, her eyes slits of pleasure. “I can feel your power, wizard. Mmmm.”

  Oh, jeez. Kayla rolled her eyes. This was not happening.

  “Witch.” Holgarth smiled. Really smiled. With teeth and all. “What a pleasant surprise. It’s not often I find a rare jewel among all the cheap imitations.”

  Bygum linked her arm through Holgarth’s. “Since the boss wants me to stay with you while you’re in the park, we may as well enjoy ourselves. Let’s talk shop.”

  Kayla trailed behind them and thought her own thoughts. Everything had seemed so simple back in Philly—put legal stumbling blocks in the middle of Nirvana’s smooth path and do a few harmless this and thats. No real damage. No one would get hurt. Too bad she’d never seen the irony until now of tiptoeing outside the legal lines so she could earn money for law school.

  Kayla’s first two days here had been a big icy splash of reality. Anything she did to help Sparkle would hurt Thorn. Was that what all this soul-searching was about? Not her conscience, but the fact that she liked Thorn? Kayla wanted to believe her cons
cience would put up a fight even if Holgarth owned Nirvana. She thought about the wizard’s snark. Okay, so maybe not a big fight.

  Sighing, she pushed that line of thought from her mind. She had a job to do. Kayla spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about ways to legally drive Thorn crazy. There had to be a way to prove that Nirvana’s employees weren’t safe for visitors to be around. Not an easy sell.

  She could just imagine it. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, notice the big black horse on this merry-go-round. He’s really a mythical monster who will kill your loved ones and enjoy every moment. And you won’t even be entitled to a refund. Why not, you ask? Because the sexy owner of this perilous park has posted a tiny notice—barely legible—stating that Nirvana is not responsible for injuries caused by mythical monsters. You are screwed, people.”

  Kayla finally tired of thinking. Her brain was about to self-combust. Instead, she amused herself by stopping some of the visitors and asking them about their experiences on the different rides. With each telling, her eyes grew wider. No way. She’d have to try all of them. With Thorn? It could happen.

  The sun was just dipping below the horizon when Kayla finally dragged Holgarth away from Bypass. “We have to leave. I want to eat dinner and report to Sparkle before coming back here. Too bad you have to get ready for your nightly fantasies. I’ll just have to stumble along without you.”

  “Yes, too bad.” Holgarth seemed distracted. “Bygul is quite charming. And her skills are extraordinary.”

  “I’m sure they are.” Kayla wanted to get behind him and push. Could he move any slower? He stopped altogether when he reached the bumper cars.

  “Humans have a thirst for violence. Look at them. They get pleasure from slamming those ridiculous little cars into each other.” Holgarth smiled. A happy smile. “I neglected my duty today.” He spoke a few words while making a small hand gesture. “There. Done. My son warded against destructive impulses, but he forgot to protect against simple performance tweaks.” He turned and walked toward the gate, triumph in every step.

  Kayla started to follow him but then stopped. Angry cries rose from the cars’ drivers. No matter what they did, the cars wouldn’t bump into each other anymore. Someone shouted for his money back. She slunk away.

  Dinner left a lot to be desired. Oh, the food was great, but the company wasn’t. Kayla had never thought of herself as sulky, but she was doing a great imitation right now.

  Sparkle sat across from Kayla at the table. They were dining in a small private room off the main restaurant. Her client tapped one perfect crimson nail on the edge of her bread plate. She’d narrowed her amber eyes to ticked-off slits.

  “I may as well tear my money into tiny pieces and let it rain down as confetti on that abomination across the street.” Sparkle paused to slurp her wine. She was way past the sipping stage. “My wizard spends most of the afternoon drooling over some slutty witch and only manages one small act of sabotage. And my well-paid spy comes back with some dreary plans to sue Thorn Mackenzie?” She gulped more wine. “I expected more creativity from you.”

  “You’re right. I’m a failure. Send me home. Dad will get one of my brothers to finish the job.” Only Kayla realized she didn’t want to go home. Not until she worked through the attraction she felt for Thorn Mackenzie.

  “This is all a bunch of crap, cuddlebunny. Just turn me loose and by morning there won’t even be a piling left standing. I can manifest a wave that’ll make Nirvana only a bad memory. The police won’t have a clue.”

  Kayla tried to ignore the whole cat-in-a-restaurant thing. Board of Health? Not her problem. “You can do that? Create a tsunami?” The possibility gave her chills.

  He stood with his hind legs on the chair and his front legs on top of the table. His face was buried in a dish of ice cream. “The big wave is only a thought away. I’m magic, babe.”

  Kayla decided not to comment on that.

  Sparkle studied her empty glass. “Your big wave would also take out the castle, magic man.” She looked at Kayla. “Go back to Nirvana tonight and come up with a few new strategies. Seduce Thorn Mackenzie. I gave you the face and clothes, now use the tools. Find out his weaknesses, things that would make him give up and leave Galveston.”

  Ganymede tried offering his help again. “You want him dead? I can make him dead.” He sat down on his chair and cleaned the ice cream from his whiskers and face with one gray paw. “Or maybe not. Guess I got caught up in the moment. The Big Boss is still stuck in his no-murder-or-mayhem rut.”

  “The Big Boss?” Did Kayla need one more person to worry about?

  Sparkle waved Kayla’s question away. Her eyes looked a little glazed. “He’s in charge of all cosmic troublemakers. Don’t worry, he’s not here right now.” She smiled at the cat. “Keeps Mede on a short rein.” She tilted toward Kayla. “Whoa, I’m a little woozy. Too much wine. Anyway, I don’t want to kill Brandt. Woops, forgot. He’s Thorn now. Just want him to go away. Forever.”

  Ganymede growled, a low angry rumble.

  Sparkle giggled and slapped at Ganymede. “You’re jealous. I like that.” She scratched the top of the cat’s head. “I’ll tell you about him someday. Not now, though. When I’m sober.” Her laughter died. “It’s a sad story. I hate sad stories.” A tear wound a path over her cheek. She swiped it away.

  Awkward. Kayla wanted out of there. Now. But she needed something first. “Do you know a cop who isn’t afraid to write up citations for . . . minor things?” Very minor.

  Ganymede answered. “No, but I can grab one, do some mental hacking, and make a few subliminal suggestions. How’ll that work for you?”

  “Fine.” Not really. But she had no choice if she wanted to show Sparkle results. “Will he go back to normal when I’m finished with him?” This could be a deal breaker.

  “Sure. No problem.” The cat eyed her dessert. “You going to eat that pie?”

  Kayla shook her head and pushed the plate over to him.

  “Thanks.” He stood on his hind legs again and buried his face in the pie. “Too bad it isn’t cherry. With ice cream. Don’t know how you eat pie without it.” He raised his head long enough to burp. “Oh, and it might take a few days to get that cop to you.”

  Kayla took that as a dismissal. “Loved the dinner. I have to get back to work now. I’ll report in the morning.”

  She didn’t go directly to Nirvana. Kayla had something to do first. She went up to her room, sat on her bed, and turned on her laptop. Then she did a search for obscure Texas laws.

  When she had what she needed, Kayla changed into a top that plunged a little lower and clung a little closer. Tonight wasn’t really cool, so she wouldn’t need a jacket. Before leaving, she upgraded her makeup to night-glamour status and worked some life into her hair with a brush and dryer.

  She wasn’t a hypocrite. This makeup wasn’t to please Sparkle. Kayla wanted to look good for Thorn, and his sexy witch brigade was tough competition.

  Kayla admitted that Thorn drew her in a way she didn’t understand, might not be ready for. Sure, other men had attracted her. She’d lusted after some of them, but not this fast, not this powerfully. She wasn’t about to analyze her feelings. She’d better jump-start her self-control, though, because a vampire could never fit into her future plans. Why not? See, when she started asking questions like that, Kayla knew she was in trouble.

  She almost made it out of the castle alone. Almost.

  “Kayla! Wait for me.”

  Sighing, Kayla turned. Cinn, the woman Thorn had rescued last night, hurried toward her. She held a plant, and it was only as she drew closer that Kayla realized it was the same plant Cinn had saved from the fire.

  Cinn smiled as she joined Kayla. “I’m your designated destroyer for the night.”

  “Is the plant your secret weapon?” Kayla returned Cinn’s smile. Hey, she was a huge improvement over Holgarth.

  A fire engine roared past followed closely by two police cars. Cinn waited until the
sirens faded before answering. “No. Vince just wants to visit Thorn. I’m your weapon.” She frowned as she stared in the direction the fire engine had gone. “Have you noticed how many times police cars and fire trucks have gone past today?”

  Kayla shrugged. She hadn’t spent enough time in Galveston to know how often fires or other emergencies cropped up. “I was in Nirvana most of the day. The noise from the park drowns out other sounds.”

  Once again she had to stand in line. Once again security-guy did his thing with the scanner. He didn’t scan Cinn. What was that about? Holgarth was the one who’d messed up the bumper cars. Conclusion? This was done to annoy the hell out of her alone.

  Cinn didn’t say anything else until they were inside the park. Kayla couldn’t help searching for Thorn. She didn’t see him.

  “The tanker that went down is big news. No survivors. No bodies. No reason for it to sink. And two shrimp boats disappeared today. Same thing. No distress signals, no survivors, and no bodies recovered.” Cinn stopped talking for a moment. She looked around. “Wow, can you believe the crowd here? Sparkle’s going ballistic.”

  She’s also hitting the wine. “What’re the authorities doing?” Kayla silently cursed the mob. How would she ever find Thorn among all these people?

  Cinn shrugged. “They’ve told boaters to stay out of the water until they have some answers. Boaters won’t like it. They’ll just go somewhere else. Lots of bad luck to go around.” She shook her head. “Sparkle will be able to open the castle tomorrow, but the last few days are bound to hurt business.” She cast a quick glance Kayla’s way. “I don’t think Thorn had anything to do with the explosion and fire.” She didn’t mention the Great Stink.

  “So what horror are you going to unleash on Thorn?” Kayla didn’t want to talk about Thorn’s possible guilt.

  “I share a part of Airmid, the goddess of healing plants. I’ve inherited some of her power. But in me, the power took a sharp left turn. I grow sentient plants.”

  Kayla nodded. Not believing that for even a second. “Uh-huh.”

  Cinn looked away. “I lost a lot of them last night. But Thorn saved Vince, and some of my plants were in the castle, so I’m trying to take care of the ones that survived.”