Freaky Deaky Tiki

by Amanda M. Lee

  “We’ll be here to help,” Cormack insisted, mustering a wan smile. “Good luck.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wait.” Aisling lurched forward and grabbed his wrist before he could exit the lighthouse. For a moment I thought she was going to offer words of encouragement, apologize for the trouble she’d caused since arriving. I should’ve known better. That’s simply not how Aisling rolls. “Maybe you should let me do the talking. I have a way with people.”

  Galen’s forced smile slipped. “So now you’re an expert on diplomatic negotiations?”

  “You would be surprised.”

  “Stay here.” Galen was firm. “Keep your mouth shut.” He turned to Cormack. “Under absolutely no circumstances give her back that gun. She’s a menace.”

  Cormack shrugged. “She’s good in a fight. She’ll surprise you.”

  “She’s spoiled rotten,” Galen shot back. “Absolutely nothing she does now surprises me.”

  “You shouldn’t say that,” Griffin said. “She’ll take it as a challenge.”

  “Right now I want her to keep her mouth shut.” Galen gave me one more kiss, this one quick, and then moved toward the door. “Do what Booker and Cormack tell you to do, Hadley. They have your best interests at heart. Trust me.”

  I did trust him. That was the problem. “Don’t get hurt.” I blinked back tears.

  He smiled before slipping through the door, his gaze heavy as it locked with Booker’s. “You know what to do.”

  “Always. It will be just like that cave troll uprising three years ago.”

  Galen snickered. “Let’s hope it doesn’t end up like that.”

  I WAS A BUNDLE OF NERVES as Booker killed the living room lights and moved to the nearest window to watch Galen interact with the cult members on the lawn.

  “It’s best if they can’t see us moving around,” he explained, his voice low.

  I nodded as I edged closer to him, my heart pounding as I caught sight of Galen moving toward the steps that led to the yard. I would’ve preferred he stay as close to the lighthouse as possible, but that simply wasn’t how he operated.

  “You shouldn’t have come here, Barry,” Galen called out. “That was a mistake. I think you know that. You can turn around and go. There’s still time. Don’t make this worse.”

  The expression on Taurus’s face — which was partially covered by a bandage — was positively chilling. “It’s far too late for retreats, Galen.”

  “You can’t win this,” Galen argued. “I have Booker inside ... and Hadley ... and Lilac. You know what she’s capable of.”

  I shifted my eyes to the bar owner and found her intently looking out another window. She didn’t as much as glance in my direction.

  “I have might and right on my side,” Taurus hissed. “You invaded my home, broke our laws, tried to take my land.”

  “That’s not your land.” Galen’s temper flared. “How many times do I have to tell you that? The beach spot wasn’t your land — and you knew going in that you would be forcibly moved at some point. The parcel you’re squatting on now isn’t your land either. The DDA is simply allowing you to live there because nothing else is planned for the acreage at this time.”

  “It is my land. We’ll get the ocean spot back, too. We’re growing faster than you can imagine.”

  “Is that why you killed Jacob?” Galen demanded. “Did you find him on what you consider your land and decide to send a message through him?”

  “Jacob was a victim of his wife’s urges,” Taurus replied. “She wanted a baby above all else. There’s a price for creating new life.”

  Casey whimpered from the couch, and I heard Wesley trying to comfort her.

  “Don’t listen to him, Casey. You didn’t know. Jacob will forgive you.”

  “You’re running a fertility racket?” Galen pressed. “I guess I should’ve seen that coming. You always liked to pretend that you were some sort of divine sex deity — even when we were in high school — and some people actually believed you. I’m betting you got off on the power you wielded over those women, tried to twist it to your advantage.”

  “You know nothing of my power,” Taurus boomed. “I am a god!”

  “You’re a tool,” Aisling shot back, taking me by surprise. I scanned the room for her, my heart pounding, and I realized relatively quickly she was nowhere to be found.

  “Where is she?” Booker hissed, his temper on full display as his eyes darted to every corner of the room.

  “Upstairs,” Griffin replied, sighing. He looked as exhausted as I felt. “She slipped up there when I wasn’t looking. I think she’s at Hadley’s bedroom window.”

  “Well go get her!” Booker’s eyes fired red in the darkness, catching me off guard. “Hadley, I don’t care if you have to physically drag her out of that window. Shut her up!”

  “Okay.” I raced for the stairs, taking the steps two at a time until I hit my bedroom. Sure enough, Aisling was in the window, and she had what looked to be a gun in her hand. “Who gave you that?” I hissed, storming toward her.

  She ignored the question and focused on the people below us. “I’m guessing you have a very small appendage in your pants, little Barry boy,” Aisling offered, smirking when Taurus lifted his gaze to her. “That’s why you spend all of your time over-compensating.”

  “Little girl, you’ll see the true scope of my power very soon. You should start running.”

  “I’m good.”

  “Is that child you carry good, too?” Taurus challenged. “What will you feel if your actions cause the loss of your offspring? Will you finally be convinced that some women should be seen and not heard then?”

  “Hey!” Galen roared to life a floor below us as I moved to stalk to the window to tell Taurus to blow it out of his behind. I pulled up short when I joined Aisling at the window, anger coursing through me with each beat of my heart.

  “Don’t talk to her that way,” Galen ordered. “She’s not one of your disciples. And while we’re at it, don’t threaten that baby. I think you’re going to find the people inside don’t enjoy that.”

  Something occurred to me. “How did you even know about the baby?” I called out, racking my memory for instances when we’d mentioned Aisling’s hitchhiker in front of Taurus. I came up empty. “How can you possibly know that she’s pregnant? She’s on her honeymoon, just visiting. I know we didn’t say anything in front of you during our previous altercation.”

  “I know all and see all,” he intoned.

  “You’re full of crap,” Aisling shot back. “You couldn’t find your own butt with two hands and a case of the trots. Shut up for a second. I think we’re all tired of listening to you.” She lowered her voice and pinned me with a look. “What’s bothering you?”

  “Someone told him you were pregnant,” I said, my brain working at a fantastic rate. “How many people knew?”

  “It’s not as if it’s a secret,” Aisling argued. “I’ve been complaining about it since I found out.”

  “You haven’t interacted with very many people since you arrived,” I pressed. “Booker knew. Lilac. Your father. Griffin. Galen. Wesley. May. None of those people would share that information.”

  “Okay.” Aisling was blasé. “Who are you suggesting shared the information?”

  “Who else is in this house?”

  Aisling’s face drained of color as she moved away from the window. “Oh, crud on a cracker. You’re saying we have a pregnant Trojan horse in our midst.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  We tore down the stairs together, Aisling close on my heels. When we returned to the living room, we both focused on Casey rather than Griffin.

  “Thank you so much for opening your big mouth, Aisling,” Booker growled. “Now Galen is spending all his time taking up for you instead of negotiating a way out of this mess.”

  “We all know negotiation won’t work,” Aisling said dismissively, her eyes brimming with lavender fur
y. “Barry the wonder idiot can’t back down because he’ll look weak to his followers. If he looks weak, someone might try to break ranks. His power comes from the fact that he can keep everyone in line ... no matter what the occasion. This will be a fight regardless.”

  “I happen to agree, but you didn’t need to make things worse,” Booker growled.

  “Forget about that,” I snapped, my eyes locking with Casey’s fearful orbs. She seemed to sense that we’d figured things out, that at least part of the puzzle was about to be solved. “You’ve been in contact with Taurus, haven’t you?”

  “What? No.” Casey’s voice squeaked. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because he knew Aisling was pregnant. She’s not showing. Only a few people know. You were one of those people. It was mentioned in front of you, and you told Taurus. You’ve been working with him this whole time.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Casey acted offended, but there was something about the way her eyes darted that told me I was right about what she’d done. “He killed my husband. Why would you possibly think that I would help him?”

  “Because you think he’s going to take the baby from you,” Aisling answered simply. She didn’t appear nearly as angry as I felt. “In your head, he gave you the baby and took your husband as payment. You’re afraid that he’ll take your reaction as insolence, assume you’re not thankful for what he’s given you, and take the baby. You can’t lose both of them. The baby is the last piece of Jacob you have.”

  As if on cue, Jacob’s soul walked through a nearby wall and moved closer to Casey. He didn’t look angry. In fact, he looked anguished.

  “Leave her alone,” Jacob barked. “Don’t treat her this way. She doesn’t deserve it. She’s frightened.”

  Casey didn’t react to Jacob’s presence, which told me she wasn’t aware that his soul was still around.

  “Jacob is here, Casey,” I said softly, keeping my voice low. “He wants us to leave you alone.”

  Casey’s eyes widened as she wildly looked around the room, baffled. “How can he be here? He’s dead. I ... is he really here?” She looked so hopeful it almost broke my heart despite the fact that she was a traitor.

  “He’s here,” Aisling said. “He’s worried about you. He loves you.” She briefly held Griffin’s gaze before continuing. “We won’t let Taurus take your baby. He may have threatened you with that, but he doesn’t have the power. Everyone here is working together to take him down. We need your help to do it.”

  “You said that you were angry and upset and wanted Jacob’s murder to be avenged,” I reminded her. “Was all that an act?”

  “No!” She swiped at the tears flowing freely down her cheeks. “I meant it. Then he found me at my mother’s house a few hours ago and said if I didn’t help him get to you, tell him everything I knew and act as a spy, that he would take my baby. I can’t lose Jacob’s baby.”

  She looked so desperate I wanted to hug her ... even though I was furious she had turned on us. “We won’t let him take your baby.”

  “Definitely not,” Aisling agreed, straightening. “What’s going on out there?” she asked Booker. “Is Galen making any headway?”

  “No.” Booker shook his head. “Barry is full of himself, as always. He thinks he has the upper hand.”

  “Talking won’t accomplish anything,” I argued, my temper growing. “We have to fight. It’s time. He thinks he’s won simply because he outnumbers us. We have to make him aware that’s not true.”

  “That’s the plan, but let Galen make his move. Just ... don’t let her escape. If she tries to get out of this lighthouse, tackle her. I think Barry is waiting for word from her before moving.”

  I looked to Casey. “Is that true?”

  She nodded. “I’m supposed to message him information about your numbers and locations in the lighthouse. I haven’t done it yet.” She handed over her phone, and when our fingers touched I realized she was profusely sweating.

  “Are you feeling okay?” I pressed my hand to her forehead. “You’re sweating.”

  “I think I’m in labor,” Casey admitted, squirming on the couch.

  “What?” I was horrified.

  “I think I’m in labor,” she repeated as warm fluid gushed from the couch, from between the hems of her skirt to be exact, and covered my sandals. “Oh, my ... what was that?”

  “Her water broke,” Wesley replied, calm. “She’s most definitely in labor.”

  “Oh, my ... this can’t be happening,” Casey wailed.

  Those were my thoughts exactly.

  28

  Twenty-Eight

  “Oh, this is just ... ridiculous.” Aisling was furious. “You have to hold that kid in. No one here is going to deliver it.”

  “We’ll do what we have to do,” Wesley said tersely. He seemed more worried about Casey’s needs than anything else. “She doesn’t need you yelling at her.”

  “Whatever.” Aisling turned petulant. “We need to get this show on the road so she can go to the hospital. I’m not delivering a baby.”

  “Aisling, come over here,” Cormack instructed, holding out a hand. He was standing next to the window with Booker. “Just ... come to me.”

  She did as instructed, making a petulant sound in the back of her throat as Cormack wrapped his arm around her back. I joined them out of curiosity, and found Galen and Taurus still embroiled in a rather deep discussion.

  “You’re not fooling anybody,” Galen supplied. “You’re not as powerful as you pretend, no matter what you’ve convinced your followers of. You don’t have a choice here. You either turn around and leave or we will fight.”

  “I expect you to fight,” Taurus snarled. “You’re a warrior. I’m a warrior. When you’ve fallen I will make sure everyone on the island knows you fought bravely. Perhaps I’ll even erect a statue in your honor.”

  I pressed my lips together at the absurd statement.

  “Enough is enough,” Booker muttered, pushing away from the window and heading toward the door. “It’s time we end this.”

  I opened my mouth to ask what he planned to do, but the question never escaped my lips. I was flabbergasted when his eyes momentarily went opaque and his hands glowed red, a magical bow and arrow seeming to leap into his hands.

  “What the ... ?” Aisling stumbled away from her father. “Where did that come from?”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Booker growled. “It’s time. Everyone, get away from the front door. I’m going out ... and I’m taking no prisoners.” He clearly meant business as he nocked an arrow. “The goal is to take out Barry. Once he falls, the others will flee. Does everyone understand?”

  I nodded dumbly, my fingers suddenly itchy. It was as if the magic wanted to take over, a small voice whispering in the back of my head as something inside prodded me to join the fight. “Be careful.”

  “I’m always careful.” He winked at me. “Besides, you’re forgetting my superpower.”

  “You have a power more super than creating a bow and arrow out of thin air?” Aisling challenged.

  He nodded. “What do you think happens when I try to attract women? What happened to you was a byproduct of what I am. I wasn’t using my powers to entice you. When I use my powers, well, let’s just say that women are helpless.”

  Aisling cracked a smile. “And most of Barry’s army is made up of women.”

  “You’re smarter than you look.” He offered her a smile. “You need to stay inside, though. What I’m about to do will impact you, too. Stick close to your husband and father. I don’t want you rubbing yourself all over me. That will make things difficult.”

  Her smile slipped. “I don’t rub myself all over people.”

  Griffin cleared his throat as Cormack shook his head.

  “Stay inside,” Booker repeated, his gaze hopping over faces until he landed on Lilac. “I’ll clear the way.”

  She nodded, grim. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Booker took a d
eep breath and then threw open the door, his bow gripped tightly in his hands as he strolled out. He let an arrow fly before he was clear of the threshold, and the reaction from the yard was intense as voices raised in alarm.

  Then the screaming started, and my heart jolted. It was officially on.

  I WATCHED FROM THE WINDOW as Booker joined Galen on the porch. They didn’t speak, instead utilizing a form of shorthand they’d clearly honed over the years, and Booker gave Galen a wide berth as my boyfriend extended his hands to his sides ... and started to shift.

  The one previous time he shifted in front of me I hadn’t been able to see anything. It was too dark and he was hidden in the foliage on the side of the road. This time I saw everything, and the sound of shifting bones and muscles – even though he was ten feet away – filled my heart with cold dread.

  “Holy ... !” Aisling’s mouth dropped open as she watched Galen turn from a handsome man rippling with muscles to a beautiful wolf twice as large as it should be. The beast on the porch boasted black fur, but when its eyes moved to the windows they were blue ... just like Galen’s eyes.

  I tried not to gape, and he didn’t linger more than a second before leaping into the fray. I assumed his transformation would be enough to scare many of Taurus’s followers — and if that didn’t work Booker had his magic bow and arrow — but I was wrong. The people in the yard didn’t flee at the sight of Galen, even when he raced toward the nearest man (who was armed with a sword) and attacked with snapping jaws and excited howls. No, the yard occupants stood their ground ... and some of them began to shift, too.

  “This is unfreaking-believable,” Aisling hissed, shaking her head as a woman at the front of the pack turned into what looked like a giant serpent. “Look at that! That woman turned into a giant snake.”

  “She’s a lamia,” Wesley volunteered from behind us. He’d left Casey’s side long enough to take a look. The laboring woman wasn’t alone. Jacob and May were close and trying to help, but she couldn’t see them and was too focused on her breathing to pay attention to what was going on around us.