Take These Broken Wings_A novel of the Paramortals

by Livia Quinn

  Relief poured through me as I found myself staring down on my opponent but it was short-lived. The creature was not intimidated by my size or bulk. It just kept coming. Concern about my lack of fire breath swept through me then I thought of Tempe's earlier joking comment. I jumped back as the zombie tried to stomp on my feet then with my claws fully extended I aimed for its left arm. It hit the ground in five neatly carved blocks.

  Hooyah! As satisfying as that was, I knew it wouldn't stop. The word "regroup” wasn't in its DNA. It had no emotional attachment to losing a limb and felt no pain so I aimed for the other arm, turning it into chunky tofu as well. But a glance at the pieces on the ground proved they weren't dead, or dead-er. I might be just multiplying the damn thing like a Hydra.

  I got serious, swiping at it, cutting and dicing until it couldn't walk, just wobbled, its head trying to lurch the torso forward. I looked around for a butane tank, a tiki torch, something I could use to light the giblets up. Something moved in my peripheral vision and a hot wind preceded the fire that engulfed the zombie chop suey. The creature burst into flames like a movie stuntman doused with gas. I looked up.

  Conor hovered above me. Fire from his mouth shot like a torch over the leftovers on the ground turning them to embers. His eyes glowed a fiery red. I was as usual enthralled by his awesomeness and didn't turn back to the zombie until the dragon's eyes went golden again.

  He funneled down into the sword-carrying knight and strode over to the still smoldering bits, stomping on them with his heavy metal boots. Ah, those boots came in handy for putting out fires.

  I shifted and knelt beside the body of what I believed was Mr. Karrakas. He didn't seem in danger of coming back to "life" anytime soon so I turned to Conor, who said, "You did well, aye?"

  I snorted. He'd been the one to annihilate the thing. "I didn't do much," I shrugged my bare shoulder.

  "Ach, a baby bird must risk leaving the safety of the nest before it can fly." I could only hope his analogy was supposed to eventually apply to me. But did he see me as some kind of child? I didn't know how I felt about that.

  A siren shrilled in the distance and Conor suddenly vanished leaving me alone. I looked around, anxiously waiting for my valet to appear with my clothes. The siren grew louder and was joined by another, and then another. I peaked around the side of the gazebo. Where was the damn valet? I'd actually come to depend on them to deliver my clothes and had even stopped stowing a change in my unit. Sweat trickled down my naked back while I crept about the once immaculate yard looking for somewhere to hide. Geez, could this get any worse? It was just what I'd been worried about.

  I surveyed the damage to the backyard as I glimpsed Montana's van coming down the street and heard Ryan's cruiser screech to a halt. Now what? I heard the ME call out to Rafe and I ducked around the side of the house. It wasn't that I was particularly modest but I wasn't exactly thrilled to walk out into the middle of my crime scene in the nude either.

  Shit. Where was my valet? I really, really needed my clothes. I crouched behind an azalea bush and watched as Thorpe knelt on the ground by the body running his fingers across the spots where the grass had been burned away. He picked up something but tossed it back to the ground as Ryan and Montana approached. Maybe I could get Ryan's attention somehow.

  More lights and sirens announced the arrival of even more deputies and I eased back toward the other end of the house. It was just a matter of when, not if, I would be discovered lurking naked in Karrakas’ shrubbery. Finally, when everyone had relocated to the backyard, I made a run for my unit. There was no one to witness my shame except a parked delivery truck across the street.

  Thanking God it wasn’t locked, I climbed in and cranked the car. I did a little recon on the street then looked over into the back seat for a jacket or a blanket, anything. Nada. Damn, I'd have to take the back streets to the house and hope no one saw me.

  A phone rang from somewhere in the car. My cell phone! I searched for it, as the female voice sang, "That ain't no way to treat a lady. That ain't no way to treat a woman you love…" Not my ringtone. I looked through the windows and leaned over the console and reached for my phone on the back seat. The display read, Unknown. What the—

  The radio squawked. Peggy put me through to Ryan. “Hold on a second, boss,” he said and I heard him talking to the ME. "There was only one victim, Doc. That's him, Mr. George Karrakas. I wouldn't be surprised if he was poisoned. Can you get me the report asap? Yeah, Jack. Where are you?"

  "I saw you arrive and knew you'd handle the scene. I have to get up to Campbell Green to see Mystiq Campbell." I stopped there. He didn't need to know everything.

  "This back yard's a wreck. If I didn't know better, I'd think someone had breathed fire all over it," Ryan said his tone speculative. I could tell he was trying to figure out how everything had gone down.

  "Could be. Doesn't matter. Once I saw the cabinet holding the chemicals was unlocked, I knew it was going to be difficult to prove her motive and intent when Manny also had access. We'll lay the whole fiasco at the feet of Mrs. Karrakas for the murder of her husband when Dan gives us the COD."

  There was probably no way to know when Mrs. Karrakas was turned into that creature. It was evident she'd been involved in River's kidnapping and the power play by the variants. She, or it, had glamoured herself and the husband’s body, and fooled us all until I discovered him on the ground. My guess was at one point, she was probably as human as Georgeanne had been but she'd been corrupted by the variants, used and eventually possessed in one of their common tactics.

  Phoebe said Destiny had probably inherited a gang element from the Chaos, beings that would wait until the right time to take their shot. But after the Para-moon, Mrs. K had filed another complaint against Tempe. Why would she call attention to herself? I was reminded of Georgeanne, another narcissistic variant on a power trip. Karrakas obviously thought she was smarter than everyone else, including those she employed.

  "Write it up, Ryan. I'll meet you at the office later and fill in the blanks. Luckily traffic was light and I made it into my garage without seeing anyone and hoped no one had seen me.

  Jack

  It didn't take long for me to dress at the house and head to Hugo where the Campbell Glen estate was located. I packed a backup in case my valets fell down on the job again and thirty minutes later pulled into the crowded parking lot near the entrance.

  As soon as I walked through the double stained glass doors of Nature's Lagniappe and wound my way through the line of customers waiting for tables, I was hit with the sound of dishes being shuffled in the kitchen, servers taking orders and the general din of a busy restaurant. Mystiq, the owner of the estate smiled at me from the hostess table and held up her index finger.

  While she and the hostess directed customers to tables, I looked around at the West End's most popular new restaurant. She'd taken a bold stance with the Storm Lake Tourism Board, insisting on stronger guidelines for the environment on the lake before she agreed to spend an enormous amount of family money turning the Campbell Green estate into a growing tourist draw. It was smart business on her part in an age where the push for renewable resources and green living was increasing.

  But Mystiq's motivation was based on more—she was an old friend of the Pomeroys and a magic healer who'd been the one to save Dylan. She'd promised to keep looking for antidotes to help him return to his old supernatural self. It was one of the reasons I was here.

  The room was crowded with families and it reminded me of when I'd brought Jordie and Tempe here. I'd had so much hope for our future that night, but really, the only thing that hadn't changed for the better since that night was my own attitude. Tempe had accepted her power and the circumstances surrounding her parents' schemes. Jordie thought our new life and the realities of it were exciting.

  "Jack, it's good to see you. You were on my list to call but I've been swamped."

  "Looks like business is great, Mystiq. I'm sorry to show up unannounc
ed but there have been some developments." I looked around for a secluded spot. There were none. "Is there somewhere private we can talk?"

  "Of course, pardon me a minute." She studied her clipboard and after directing the seating of several parties handed it over to her hostess. "Let's go to my office," she said. I wound through the crowd shaking hands with a few locals, following her past the front counter to a small office with a one-way mirror overlooking the kitchen.

  She smiled when I glanced in at the activity there. "The kitchen is the hub. I can easily tell how things are going overall by watching the orders coming in and out." She offered me a seat near her desk and pulled an old leather journal off a shelf, handling it as if it were very fragile then she placed her hands on the edge of the desk and leaned forward. "So, tell me… what's happened?"

  "Yesterday, Dylan showed up in his human form and he's able to shift between that form and his canine wolf, but so far, no Finrir."

  She sighed. "I'm happy to hear that. Perhaps this will be the first step toward a full transformation."

  This wasn't what I was expecting to hear. I leaned back in the chair. "How so? I thought you said something about an antidote."

  "I searched for an antidote but what I found," she paused as she carefully opened the huge thick-paged book to a bookmarked spot, "was more about the history of supernaturals and let's call it the physiology of Paramortals." With her gaze locked on mine, her brow arched. "You're aware that not all beings who accepted the Paramortal pact were blood, or even spell, bound, right? Some of the older species simply gave their word of honor. Imagine how powerful this pact was to transcend centuries and generations of progeny." Her words made me appreciate the Paramortal ancestors' foresight and their dedication to their decedents' future. Our present.

  "These journals include a physiological knowledge base that would rival an IT giant on subjects like magic, essence, and restorative powers. They answer questions about how beings mature, digress, even what contributes to extinction. Tempe's progression since her first awakening is a perfect illustration of what can happen when supernaturals are pushed to their limits. It's repeated over and over in these pages."

  Her long elegant fingers landed on top of the open book. She paused briefly, her eyes direct, "Dragons are not considered Paramortals, Jack. They were one of the honor clans."

  My shock drew a kind laugh from Mystiq, "Yes, I know you're having some trouble adjusting but rest assured, that's normal."

  So the knight—wait, "Is that why Conor didn't lose his power during the Chaos?" She nodded. What about my parents, my mother? What else did she know about me? If there was history, were they in those journals? Questions were bouncing around in my head faster than I could form words.

  Chapter 35

  “Phineas, we’ll finally get a chance to have phone sex.”

  Tempe

  When I turned into the driveway to Inez' little bungalow before class that evening, I parked next to Mr. Jackson's red pickup. The thing was ancient. Inez' newly revitalized boyfriend needed something spiffier, a ride he could show his lady off in. I was surprised and pleased to see them back together but as I got closer I realized that all was not rosy in geriatric land.

  "Phineas, I am not promising to spend the night with you tonight. I have some important research to do. Ah, here's Tempe now."

  Ha! Is that what she was calling it? I could almost hear Elvis and the Blue Moon witches singing, I..vve put a spell on you…da dada dadum!

  "What the devil does that mean? Research." Mr. Jackson turned to me. "Have you decided to do something about this mess you've created?"

  "Phineas, lay off of Tempe. Things could be worse. You could be dead." Thank you, Inez, for pointing out the obvious.

  That stopped him in his tracks. "What are you up to, Inez?" he asked.

  "I'm just trying to… how does the younger generation put it?" Her eyes narrowed in thought then her eyebrows hiked. "Oh, yes. I'm getting outside the box. But don't you fear, dear. I'll be back on the saddle in no time."

  I nearly choked on my next words as I tried not to picture these two doing any, um, riding.

  Mr. Jackson turned toward me, obviously frustrated, but his hands no longer shook and when he spoke, his voice was stronger and deeper than his eighty plus years suggested, also more contrite, "Did you decide to help us then, Ms. Tempe?"

  Inez answered, "No, Phineas, Tempe turned me down. Now go on home, I've got work to do."

  Mr. Jackson looked so distressed I said, "Inez has her own"—kooky, foolish, cockamamie—"um, unique plan, Mr. Jackson, but I'm am working on the problem. Don't give up." Even so, he deflated a bit as if I'd been his only hope. In truth, I was. I didn't give this sex casting thing of Inez' much hope. I added, "Who knows, her plan might work?"

  He squinted down at Inez. "What are you up to, little one?"

  "Phineas Jackson, finding my soul mate this late in life was meant to be, so I have to believe we'll figure this out. Now, give me a hug, you big lug."

  He wasn't big but next to her, he was a giant. He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up off the floor squeezing her gently. He said, "I miss you, sweet pea," and two tears escaped her lashes to spill down her cheeks. He set her down and released her reluctantly. "Promise you'll call me tonight when you get between the sheets."

  "I will, Phin. Just think, we'll finally get a chance to have phone sex."

  That little episode ran us late and the classroom was jumping when we got there. Montana and Kat had saved us two seats. Unfortunately, that put Inez next to Jane Fortune who'd managed to grab seats for herself, and Dickhead, front and center where they could get the most attention from the instructor. Dick and I didn't exchange pleasantries since our interactions usually escalated into unpleasantries, the last time resulting in Jack "suggesting" Dick get a drawer at the mail center.

  Jane was brimming with all the latest gossip. But this time, I was rapt. "Well, the sheriff finally got revenge on Mrs. Karrakas for you, Tempe."

  "What do you mean? Revenge?"

  "Oh, come on, even I know that woman's been out to get you fired for months. And now that she's dead—"

  I jumped up and ran to the hallway to call Jack. He didn't answer so I called the station. Ryan was filling out the paperwork and simply said they'd confronted her and she had attacked Jack. Things escalated and finally, he admitted Conor had taken the woman out, burned her to a crisp. So Ryan now knew about Jack and Conor.

  I went back to my seat and turned to Montana. "So you knew about this?"

  "Yes." Montana shrugged. "I was about to suggest a trip to the bathroom to fill you in but Spydo the psycho gossip beat me to it. Jack's fine. Conor's fine. Mrs. K's not." She grinned that feral warlike smile that said Mrs. Karrakas got what was coming to her.

  "Come on, enjoy the class. Jack will fill you in as soon as he's finished with cleanup, I'm sure." She made a face directing my attention behind me. "Look," she snickered. "Jane brought her wicker baskets. Get it? Wicker? I swear between her and Dick they've probably set a new record for the lowest couples' IQ."

  "No question. Montana, while we have a few minutes before class," I lowered my voice, "I need to know more about Fierce Winds Isle. More of what Conor told you about it … anything you can tell me that won't get you in trouble with Conor."

  While the class assistant hauled out materials and set up the slide projector, she filled me in on some of the Isle's features, history, and a little about its magic. When she was finished excitement bubbled up inside me. A seed of an idea had been forming. Now to just set it in motion.

  Jordie and Aurora slipped in to the row behind me and Montana. "Hi, Tempe." Jordie was fairly jittering with excitement. "I brought my tarot cards," she said holding up a pack with an elf's image on the box.

  I sighed, "I forgot mine at the house, but the tarot portion probably won’t be covered until later in the course."

  Aurora said, "Shannon won't be here. She's transferred away from Destiny. We'
ll be getting a new parish librarian."

  Katerina said, "I'm sorry to hear that. I was looking forward to getting to know her better. I went by Bons Amis to pick up Bailey but she couldn't leave. I told her we'd see her after class as usual." Bailey Duplessis was our resident chameleon, who always leant some fun to our get togethers. Blonde moments were apparently a species trait.

  "I can't go. I, uh, have a thing, after class," I told Kat.

  "What kind of a thing?" Kat looked at Montana who shrugged. "How come I didn't know about it?" Zeus, this was strange, good strange but still, Katerina had totally flipped a switch into include me mode.

  I said in a hushed tone, "There's a problem with Harmony. I'm meeting Elvis and Dylan there tonight after class to kick out some bad spirit."

  Kat's eyes went green, like chartreuse neon green. Shades of Unc's krakens! "Katerina, please don't be mad. I had to have someone with a personal connection to River."

  Kat visibly relaxed and shook her shoulders out. "I'm not." She looked around, "This is all so new, you know, with Dylan…"

  "You didn't mention any of this to me, Tempe," Aurora said, her voice full of concern.

  "I didn't want to bother you. Besides Elvis just happened to show up on my route yesterday and offered to get rid of whatever it is. The house hasn't been the same since Chaos but especially after River came by a few days ago." Aurora didn't like my answer so I changed the subject. "Which reminds me, I haven't heard from Dutch and Phoebe in days, do you know where they are?"

  "No, and don't think changing the subject is going to end this. I'm glad Dylan will be there, but you call me at the first hint of trouble."

  Jane turned toward Kat, her arm snugged tight against Dick's massive fleshy arm. "Did I hear right—that hunky investigator is back? Where's he been?"