He sounded very angry. Well, actually he sounded like he was reading from a newspaper account. No emotion at all, which translated into seriously pissed off in Damon-world. He and Jen had that much in common.
“Thanks,” I said.
“I was in the neighborhood,” he said dryly.
“The gargoyles said that the spells were pulling magic from all of you. That you could die.” My voice cracked, despite my efforts to act as matter-of-fact as he was.
He didn’t answer, which told me the gargoyles had been right. That I’d been right not to dawdle in destroying Aunty Mommy’s spellwork. Emotion rose in me, and my throat tightened. To distract myself, I tipped my head back so my eyes went under the water. I blinked a couple of times before Damon pulled me up.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I was getting water in my eyes. I can’t see very well.”
He started swearing again, a litany of imaginative curses centering on the Wicked Bitch and spreading out to my families, magic, gargoyles, himself, and me. Pretty much he covered all possible territories with marvelous creativity and zest.
Eventually he ran out and glared at me. I could feel it.
“Can you not just get well, stay out of trouble, and stop scaring me shitless?”
“Ducking my head halfway under the water was scary? I have to tell you, you set a ridiculously low bar on what constitutes the ‘what terrifies Damon’ category on this episode of Beck Jeopardy.”
He muttered something and I thought I heard the word spanking, but my ears were half full of water and I couldn’t be sure.
“I’m tired.”
“Guess you should have stayed in bed today, shouldn’t you?”
“Your lack of sympathy is noted.”
“Good.”
After that, I drifted off into a half sleep, unable to keep awake. I faded in and out, the murmur of Banana Buddha’s and Damon’s voices mixing with the lap and rush of water to lull me to sleep.
“Beck? Beck, come on now, time to wake up.”
Damon shook me gently and tilted me up upright against him.
“I wasn’t asleep,” I lied groggily.
“It’s time to go.”
“I’m healed up?”
“Enough. I can do the rest.”
I yawned and my stomach made a fierce growling sound. “And pass out so I can go gallivanting off where I want without you knowing?”
His teeth ground loudly together. I could see him clearly now. The numbing spell had worn off, and I ached all over, but nothing like I should have. My ribs didn’t hurt nearly as bad as I thought they should have, especially after I’d been tossed around like a rag doll. I bet my belly flop onto the floor or my flight into the side of the wall at the end had made sure all my ribs broke.
I didn’t have the heart to look at my hands yet. They’d been cooked extra-crispy style, and I couldn’t handle seeing the damage. I kept them in the water as Damon held me.
At some point, he’d stripped off his shirt and tossed it onto the shore. He radiated warmth, likely thanks to magic, but since I was starting to shiver, I melted against him, sliding my arms around his waist and snuggling against his satin skin. His heart beat strong beneath my cheek, and I couldn’t resist the urge to lick him. His arms contracted sharply and then loosened.
“You won’t go gallivanting. I’ll set the girls to keep watch. I don’t think you’ll be getting past them,” he said, totally ignoring the lick.
I made a face. “You don’t have to sound so smug about it.”
“I know, but why fight it?”
“Payback’s a bitch,” I threatened.
“And how are you enjoying it?” he taunted me. “Come on. Let’s go before you start gnawing on my arm. The way your stomach’s been growling the last hour, I wouldn’t put it past you.”
I glanced upward to the sky. It was still day, but sundown wasn’t so far off. “How long have we been here?”
“Six hours, maybe seven.”
That long and he’d been here in the water with me the entire time? “Thanks.”
His brows rose. “I love the hell out of you. Where else would I go?”
I couldn’t get any words out through the knot in my throat, so I pushed out of his arms and swam to the pool’s little beach. Ajax leaped up, wagging fiercely. He barked and hopped up and down, bouncing his front feet in the water. I sat next to him and put my arms around his neck. He licked my face and then thrust his nose into my bare belly. I complied with the silent order and scratched his ruff. My fingers felt pretty good for being charcoal. I sucked up my fears and looked at them.
“That’s not even possible,” I said, turning my hands over and examining them. “Not even hours in the water could fix the damage I did to my hands.” And yet they were perfect. Pale healthy skin covered webs of muscle. I looked at Damon. “How?”
“When you aren’t under a death curse, I am quite able to help,” Banana Buddha said, shimmering out of thin air.
He hung above the water just in front of me. His smiling face was shaded with irritation and something like ... hurt. Because I’d refused to come back? I mentally kicked myself. Why wouldn’t he be hurt? He’d made this place for me. It was a gift I’d cherished my whole life and never even knew he existed. He was like my fairy godfather. He’d looked out for me the best way he could, and I’d run off and stuck my head in the sand so I wouldn’t have to deal with my feelings. Stupid feelings, at that. I’d felt so betrayed—by Damon, by the sanctuary itself for letting him enter, and maybe even by the little buddha who’d been there spying all those years and never told me.
But was it spying if he honored my wish to be alone? And Damon—he’d blundered in where he had no business, but he’d apologized, and I knew he'd never meant me harm. As for the sanctuary, it had always been faithful to me; always here when I needed it. The betrayal I felt wasn’t because of any of them. It was all on me because I’d somehow decided that the very place I’d always felt safe couldn’t be that if anybody else came inside. I’d been so used to going it alone, to handling all the pain and the hate and the horror of my childhood all by myself, that I hadn’t realized I didn’t have to. I had the girls. I had Damon. I had Ajax. I had Banana Buddha and Kenny and Monica and Ben and maybe even Ballard and Jeffers. They might not have understood my pain, but they certainly understood and cared about me.
How about that? I had a weird and wacky family that wanted the best for me and were there to help me along the rough roads. I wasn’t alone at all.
In short, I was an idiot. A really big one. Luckily, I wasn’t so stupid I couldn’t learn.
“I’m sorry. Will you talk to me when I come back? Tell me about yourself?” I kind of felt like I was asking him out on a date.
His smile was positively dazzling. He clapped his hands on his knees, and his yellow flesh jiggled. “I would like that very much.”
One down, several to go.
I looked at Damon, who still stood in waist-deep water, just behind the buddha.
“What would you say to helping me throw a little party? Tonight.”
It’s amazing what can be accomplished in a matter of a couple hours when everybody wants to help. I started calling people the moment I got back in the truck. I decided to hold the party at Aunty Mommy’s house for lack of a better location. Only it wasn’t her house anymore. It was mine.
I called in the staff and told them what I was up to. A shocked Dierdre and Linus promised to come in and do what they could as far as decorations. I sent the girls, Kenny, and Monica for food after calling around to various restaurants to see what they could provide on short notice. Next I texted and called to issue invitations. I ordered Ben not to come if it would in any way screw up his homework or tomorrow’s classes.
I had Damon phone Mason. When my uncle was on the line, Damon passed his cell to me.
“How are you?” Mason asked, sounding worried.
I smiled. “I’m actually pretty good
. Listen, I’m throwing a party in just a few hours at the house. Do you think you could let Elena, Ethan, Marco, Soren, Hannah, and Kenneth know? And maybe you could make sure everybody stays away from the Wall. It’s probably dangerous.”
Damon had said it looked as though someone had set a bomb off inside, which was fairly close to the truth. Debris littered the ground inside the cage, and a residue of magic continued to swirl and pulse. We’d have to clean that up, Damon told me, or it could turn into something ugly. But that was a chore for tomorrow ... or maybe the next day.
I’d decided to stage the party in the garden room and back patio to take advantage of the warm evening. I wanted to head over there and start getting it ready, but Damon took me to the hotel instead.
“Go shower and get changed. I’ll be back for you in a while.”
“Where are you going?”
“You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”
He pulled me into a long, slow kiss that made my bones melt and then pushed me out the door and left me on the sidewalk as he drove away with Ajax in the backseat.
He came back for me an hour and a half later. I’d fallen asleep on the bed and woke to his closing the door on the bathroom. I heard the shower start. I got up and found Ajax in the little kitchen having dinner. It looked like a hash of steak, rice, and yellow squash. He ate it all. I shook my head. The dog was not going to like the idea of kibble. Not that it would ever show up in his bowl. I could afford to feed him gourmet food, and I didn’t have any problem doing it, especially given how tough his life had already been.
After he finished, I sat on the floor and petted him, scratching his stomach and chest. I couldn’t feel his ribs so easily anymore. We were both healing, inside and out. Thanks to the sanctuary pool, the bruises and swelling from my fight with Garrett had all but disappeared, and those I’d gained in rescuing the female gargoyles were already turning green and yellow. All in all, I’d made it out of the week all right.
Damon came out ten minutes later. “Are you ready?”
“Yep.”
I got to my feet. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door and downstairs before I could say anything else. The time in the pool had erased the bruises on his hand, and his bones showed whole beneath his skin.
We drove up to the house just after sunset. Pinks and oranges still streaked the sky in a lovely watercolor, and the night twined thick with the scents of flowers and the lush green smells of nearby irrigated pastures.
The circular driveway was already filling with cars. Damon parked and we hopped out. I headed for the front door, but he grabbed my hand and guided me around back. We retraced our steps of that day when the cops had questioned me and I’d revealed what Aunty Mommy had done to me on the Wall. It seemed like a year ago.
The Wall was gone. Where it had stood was now a bower of trees and vines and cascading flowers.
“Illusion,” Damon said as I gasped and stopped to marvel.
“It’s lovely.”
He smiled, clearly pleased at my reaction. “Come on.”
He pulled me onward and around to the back of the house. I stopped dead, my mouth falling open. Glittering flowers of light in every color sparkled and shone on the house and overhead in a fairy canopy. Vines twisted and twirled over invisible supports. Glowing butterflies fluttered from flower to flower while puffs of gold sparks floated across and fell like stars.
“It’s stunning,” I whispered.
“I hoped you’d like it,” Damon said in his deep, rich voice.
A thrill of pleasure and excitement ran through me. “You did this? For me?”
His hand tightened on mine. “I wanted to remind you that magic can be beautiful. It isn’t always blood and agony.”
I turned and put my arms around him, a knot growing in my throat, my heart swelling. “Thank you,” I whispered against his neck. “Thank you so much. I love it.”
He wrapped his arms around me, snugging me against his hard form. He kissed my forehead and cheek.
“I thought I lost you today,” he said, his voice rough. “You looked so broken. I didn’t think you were even breathing.”
“I’m sorry.” Not that I would have done it differently. He knew it too. “Did anyone talk to the gargoyle males?”
“Mason. They already knew their mates had escaped. They were grateful.”
“They shouldn’t be. They should be pissed as fuck that they were all turned into slaves and victims.”
“Trust me, they are. But they also know that you risked your life to free the females.”
“It doesn’t feel like nearly enough.”
“It’s hope like they haven’t had since your aunt captured them, and that’s a lot. You told them you’d try to free them, and I think they believe you now.”
“I hope so. I am going to find a way. Are the females coming back ever?” I hoped so.
Damon shrugged. “Likely, but hard to say when. Your aunt didn’t harm their calves, so they will have gone to reunite with them. Anyway, come on. You’re late to your own party.”
It was a lovely evening. Just about everybody I’d invited came, including all my employees. Even Jeffers and Ballard put in an appearance, both startled at my swift healing. Since I couldn’t rationally explain it, I didn’t try. Instead I pointed them to the food and drink, then Lorraine, Jen, and Stacey descended on me and pulled me aside.
“You’re okay?”
“On the road to recovery.”
“You scared the life out of us,” Stacey said and she started crying.
I hugged her. Her tears were catching, and my eyes burned. “I’m so sorry.”
“We got here just as all hell broke loose,” Jen said. “You should have seen Damon. He was a force of nature. He pulled you out of the wreckage, and if you could have seen his face.... He looked gutted.”
“He wouldn’t let anybody near you except us and Ajax. He was kissing your hands and begging you to wake up. It was a breath of relief when you came to and asked what happened, but then you passed out again,” Lorraine said.
“We told him you had to go to the hospital,” Stacey said. “He was about to, and then Elena—your mother, I guess—offered put a spell on you to numb out your pain.”
“We kind of got in the faces of your so-called family,” Jen said, not at all apologetic.
I grinned and pulled them into a group hug. “I heard. I was awake. You guys were spectacular. I was a little surprised you let Damon take me.”
They all gave me one of those looks that totally questioned my mental capacity.
“He knew where this sanctuary place was. Plus, like I said, he was wrecked,” Jen said. “The man was more than desperate. He was out of his gourd. He’s got it bad for you, Beck. Really bad. You’re going to have to seriously consider keeping him. Otherwise I might have to take him off your hands.”
Stacey snorted. “As if. He can’t even see another woman but Beck.”
I’d started blushing and decided it was time to deflect. “Did you meet Marco?”
“You mean Sex-On-A-Stick-Man? Oh, hell yes. Don’t tell me he’s bad news. Or maybe do. I like ’em bad,” Stacey said, sliding the tip of her tongue along her upper lip suggestively. “Bad is lovely when it’s temporary.”
“I don’t know if you’ve got a chance, Stace. He was eyeing Lorraine like she was a lollypop he wanted to lick all over,” Jen said.
“Oh, please,” Lorraine said. “He’s a tomcat. Every time you two turn your backs, he’s checking you out.”
“Maybe you should talk him into a foursome,” I suggested.
Stacey shook her head. “Too many vaginas, not enough dick.”
We all broke out laughing.
I made the rounds, talking to everyone, stuffing my face with as much food as would fit into my stomach, and generally enjoying the fact that I was still alive. Breathing is a wonderful thing.
At some point, I had to talk to my mother and father. They approached me separately, Elena first.
“Thank you for the numbing spell,” I said.
“I’m glad it helped. You look much better.”
“I am.” She was clearly curious about how I’d been healed, but I wasn’t going to enlighten her. I had no reason to trust her, nor any desire to.”
“I would like to know you,” she said. “I have no other children.”
My brow furrowed. “I was one of triplets, or so I’m told.”
She bit her lips and looked away. “I’m allowed no claim to the others.”
“So? They’re adults. Call them up and have lunch or coffee or something.”
Her lips curved. “That is forbidden.”
“That’s stupid. Why would you sign a contract like that?”
“It was ... a good contract, and my family desired it.”
“Did you?”
“It was a good contract,” she said again.
“If you say so.” I took a swallow of wine to clear the bad taste out of my mouth. “So what do you want from me?”
“To get acquainted with you.”
“What exactly does that mean? Understand that there’s no way in hell I’m moving anywhere. Not with you and not with dear old Dad.”
Her smile held a hint of triumph. Maybe this counted as a win over Ethan. Or revenge. Maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, it repelled me.
“I can visit here. Perhaps take a house here.”
Take a house? She wasn’t talking anything short term. “I’m pretty busy, especially rebuilding my shop and pulling my business back together.”
“I’ll be pleased with whatever time you can offer.”
She smiled again and I wondered if letting her into my life was a big mistake. Or maybe the better question was how big a mistake it would turn out to be.
“It looks like Ethan would like to speak with you. Excuse me.”
She walked away, to be instantly replaced by my sperm donor.
“I’m glad to see you so much better,” he said.
That was a general theme of the night. But when he and Elena said it, it felt more like they were glad their prize pig wasn’t damaged beyond use.
Putting the Fun in Funeral Page 35