by Nina Bangs
“Do males and females often fight before mating? Is that an accepted ritual?” Fo looked up from her pouch hanging at Gerry’s waist. “How long will they argue before having sex? Will I get to observe the mating?” Excitement crept into Fo’s voice.
Gerry was getting a headache from Fo’s never-ending questions. But Conall had figured that since they were leaving the castle, they’d better take extra protection with them. Fo was it. Not only could she sense Dell even if he wasn’t visible, she could turn him into a small pile of ash. Perfect.
“No, it’s not an accepted ritual.” Gerry sighed. “And no, you can’t watch them mate.” Probably because it wasn’t going to happen. How had Edge let himself get roped into trying to hook up these two?
“Goo-goo, ga-ga.” Conalla thought Banan and Destiny would never get it on either.
Gerry smiled down at Fo’s baby. She was tucked into her dad’s pouch. Conalla had a pink case and big rainbow eyes. Fo and Gabriel had outdone themselves in making their baby a beautiful sentient machine.
“Damn it. Calm down and take a freaking minute to listen to each other.” Conall was still trying to make something happen between Banan and Destiny, but Gerry heard the temper simmering in his voice.
Personally, Gerry thought Destiny should close her mouth long enough to take a good look at the guy standing opposite her. Banan was spectacular. Wearing only khaki shorts, he was a stroll down every woman’s candy aisle. With long pale hair that should’ve looked washed out but instead seemed to flow with all the colors in the spectrum, and eyes so dark she couldn’t see his pupils, he was memorable on every level.
Banan was the reason they were all standing around on a Galveston beach in the dark. He’d decided he was going to reveal his unique . . . gift to Destiny. Gerry didn’t think that was a good idea, but who was going to stop him?
“She hunts sharks. I think she needs to rethink her motivation for killing every shark she can find.” Mr. Great White reached for the button on his shorts.
Uh-oh. This wasn’t heading in a good direction. Gerry covered Conalla’s screen.
Destiny glared at Banan. Gerry thought he could do worse. Ms. Shark Hunter had a tumble of brown hair, big hazel eyes, and a curvy body. Why didn’t he just shut up about his alter ego and seduce her on this nice warm beach instead? Once they were into each other, she’d be more receptive to his unique qualities. Besides, if he thought being a wereshark was a sticking point in their relationship, he should try on an ancient curse for size.
“A shark killed my brother. Now I take out as many of the cold bastards as I can find.” Destiny seemed to think that was all the justification she needed. “And it’s not as if they’re helpless. One of them bit a chunk out of my boat the other day.” She narrowed her eyes in thought. “That was so strange. A great white. I didn’t expect to find one here, but suddenly there it was. No way did I think it could do that much damage to my boat.”
“It? Where do you get off—”
Conall interrupted before Banan’s anger could explode. “Let’s look at your logic, Destiny. So that means if an airline pilot killed your brother, you’d be hunting the friendly skies now.”
She flushed. “That’s different.”
“Don’t bother trying to reason with her. It won’t work. She needs to see what she’s trying to kill.” Banan dropped his shorts along with his briefs and walked toward the water. He looked over his shoulder. “Follow me if you have the guts.”
Conall cursed softly even as Gerry kept her hand over Conalla’s eyes.
Fo’s purple eyes widened to fill her whole screen. “Look at his ass. I’ve compared hundreds of butt cheeks online, but those are two of the best I’ve seen. He doesn’t have an erection, so I can’t do a comparison check on his penis.” She sounded bummed out about that.
Gerry sent a warning glance her way. “Conalla can hear you.”
Fo seemed puzzled. “Gabriel and I gave her all our knowledge, so she’s familiar with the human body. You don’t have to cover her eyes.”
No way was Gerry taking her hand away from Conalla’s eyes. She was still old-fashioned enough to equate baby with innocent.
Destiny’s shocked expression turned to concern. “What the hell is he doing? That great white is still out there somewhere.” She glanced around as if expecting her spear to materialize beside her on the sand. Nothing. Then she cast Conall a speculative glance. “You have a sword strapped to your back. Your business. I’m not going to pry. But how about loaning it to me so I can go in and save his stupid ass?” Something in her eyes said she thought his stupid ass was mighty fine and well worth saving.
Conall shook his head. “You don’t need to go in after him. Banan can take care of himself.”
No kidding. Gerry stared out at the Gulf where moonlight shining on the water lent it a magical quality. False advertising. Twenty feet and 4,000 pounds of killing machine lurked beneath the water’s glittering surface.
Destiny looked disbelieving.
“Look, if he gets in trouble, I’ll go in after him myself.” Translation: Conall wasn’t handing over his weapon so Destiny could hack away at Banan. But he’d underestimated Destiny’s determination.
“I can’t see Banan anymore.” Glancing around the beach, she strode over to pick up a tire iron half covered with sand. Without a backward glance, Destiny hefted the tire iron, kicked off her sandals, and walked fully clothed into the surf.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Conall looked outraged. “What’s a tire iron doing on the beach?” Troubled, he watched Destiny wade out almost to her chest.
“They’ll be okay. Banan won’t get near enough for her to tag him.” Gerry hoped. “He wants to change back to human form in front of her. Don’t ask me why. Me? I think it’s dumb. And we didn’t get a chance to work on the romance angle.”
“Banan assumes partial shark nature when he changes. She’s ticked him off. I hope he holds on to his temper.”
Gerry stared with Conall. She hadn’t thought about that. The theme from Jaws played a sinister background to her vivid imagination.
Conall waded into the surf a few feet and then stopped. Gerry stayed just at the water’s edge.
“I can’t go in to help. Fo and Conalla would be in danger.” Gerry peered into the darkness. The beginnings of fear wrapped her in chilling tentacles. This whole idea was dangerous. They should’ve tried harder to talk Banan out of it.
“There’s Banan.” Conall pointed, his voice tight with tension.
Sure enough, Gerry saw the shark’s fin break the surface and glide toward Destiny. She held her breath as Destiny scanned the water looking for Banan. Gerry saw the exact moment Destiny spotted the shark’s fin.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Brynn’s voice swung both Gerry and Conall around. “Gabriel finished his work, so I told him I’d take him to Fo and Conalla. Holgarth told me you were here.” He glanced at the water. “What’s happening?”
An explosion of sound answered his question. Struck silent, everyone riveted their attention on the unfolding drama.
A short distance from Destiny a giant conical snout broke the surface. Even from where they stood, Gerry could see the shark’s open mouth. Ohmigod, Banan made Little Red’s big bad wolf look like a toothless old crone.
Destiny screamed at the shark and swung the tire iron. “What’d you do with Banan, you ugly son of a bitch?”
Gerry exhaled in relief when she missed.
“What . . . ?” Brynn gaped.
“Banan.” Conall moved farther into the water.
“A lover’s spat.” Gerry handed Fo and Conalla to Brynn.
Distracted, Brynn took the pouches with Fo and Conalla in them. “I don’t think Banan liked the ‘ugly son of a bitch’ comment.”
Evidently anger made Banan careless because he drew a little too close to Destiny. She clipped him across his nose.
“Uh-oh.” Conall charged into the water toward the two.
Just as
Conall reached them, the water erupted into a maelstrom. Gerry couldn’t see anything. Only one thought registered. Conall.
He wouldn’t use his sword to protect himself from either Banan or Destiny. No way did he need to get between a steamed great white and a really angry woman wielding a tire iron. But he would, because he was a warrior and that’s what warriors did.
Slogging through the waves to reach Conall would take precious seconds she couldn’t spare. Gerry focused, pictured herself levitating, and willed it to reality. Savagely, she shoved aside reason that said she’d never tried this before, that she’d go splat into the water long before she reached Conall. No. She wouldn’t fail.
And as she rose into the air and skimmed above the water to where the battle raged, she forced any twinge of doubt from her mind. She could do this. With all the splashing she couldn’t make out exactly what was happening.
Then she saw Banan’s massive body breach the surface. She didn’t hesitate. Diving, she landed on the shark’s back. Clinging like cat hair, she shouted at Banan. Where were a shark’s ears? “Change, dumbass, before you hurt someone.” She freed one hand long enough to punch him on the top of his head. “If she clocks you with that tire iron, you’ll be walking around with a dent in your head for a week.”
Banan changed.
And Gerry found herself piggybacking on a naked man. Destiny froze with her tire iron in mid-swing and Conall stood staring.
Oh, boy. Gerry grinned weakly and offered them a finger wave. “Hi.” She slid from Banan’s back.
Destiny’s breaths came in huge gulps. “Banan? The shark?” Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and then they rolled up into her head as she keeled over.
“Damn.” Banan caught her before she went under and lifted her into his arms.
Gerry blinked and looked down. Holy cripe, the water was up to her chin. And then Conall was beside her. “Don’t you dare pick me up. PUFF officers leave the water under their own power.” Actually, she was afraid if he touched her she’d fall apart.
He only nodded. “You flew. How? You’re too new to have that power.”
She shrugged. “I concentrated real hard, and suddenly I had liftoff.” Gerry had to tread water to make her way to shore while Warrior Guy strode along as easily as he’d walk across a parking lot.
“Why?” His eyes were silver in the moonlight. “Why didn’t you stay safely on shore?”
“I thought you might need help.” I couldn’t stand the thought of you getting hurt. And with that realization came her personal aha moment. The slippery slope with love at the bottom? Well, she was a human toboggan heading for the L word at the speed of sound. She just hoped she wouldn’t wipe out on one of the tricky curves.
15
“You’re a wereshark?” Destiny sat on the dungeon’s couch staring unblinkingly at Banan. She was wearing a change of clothes Conall had gotten from her room.
Banan nodded. “I knew you’d have to see me in shark form before you’d believe me.”
“I . . .” She rubbed her hand across her forehead. “Yeah, I guess. I’m so not ready to deal with this. I always thought all that paranormal stuff was crap.”
Banan watched her, his eyes dark with emotion. “Well, believe it now.”
She looked brittle enough to shatter into a million screaming pieces. “For God’s sake, why would you show me what you are? You made it clear how much you hated what I did. I was okay with that. I could hate you right back for being so judgmental when you didn’t know where I was coming from. Why not leave it like that?”
Conall thought Banan looked like he wanted to reach out to touch her. Wisely, he kept his hands to himself. Destiny’s emotions were raw and volatile right now.
Banan didn’t seem to have an answer for that. Not good. Conall needed to move things in the right direction.
“Banan wanted honesty between you guys.” Okay, now what? “He wanted the chance to explain what it’s like looking through the eyes of your enemy. You know, to promote understanding between species and all that. Right, Banan?” Would she buy it? Not a chance.
“Uh, yeah.” Banan seemed a little puzzled, but he nodded dutifully.
“So talk. And why’d you put your damn secret in my hands?” Destiny’s eyes glittered with unshed tears.
Thank God, Gerry grabbed the ball and ran with it, because Conall was out of words. “He put the secret in your hands because he cares for you, Destiny.”
Conall watched Destiny digest that revelation. Her eyes softened. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Banan had finally said something useful.
“Why don’t you guys go up to Banan’s room and talk things over?” Gerry’s smile was tense, but triumph gleamed in her eyes.
Banan reached out to clasp Destiny’s hand. She didn’t jerk it away. He turned to Conall. “I don’t know why you bothered to help tonight, but thanks.”
“Hey, no problem.” They were home free. Things had gone a lot better than he could’ve expected.
“We did it because we were trying to hook you guys up.”
No. Gerry didn’t just open her mouth and blow everything. Conall stared at her, as speechless as Banan had been a minute ago.
“I don’t understand.” Destiny didn’t look like she could take another revelation tonight.
“I know, I know, you think I’m dumb for telling them.” Gerry met Conall’s glare. “But Banan decided honesty had to come first or else everything that came after would be built on a lie. Nothing lasts long on a weak foundation. He was right.”
Who cared about foundations? They weren’t building a freaking fortress. This was about throwing up a shack that would last the few days it took to trap a demon. Then the damn thing could fall down. “There’ll be consequences.”
Gerry shrugged. “Aren’t there always?” She turned her attention back to Banan and Destiny. “Sparkle Stardust and Edge made a friendly bet.”
Hadn’t looked too friendly to Conall.
“Edge bet Sparkle that he could hook up you guys before she could get Conall and me together.” Gerry glanced at Conall. He scowled. “We needed a favor from Edge. He said he’d help us if we’d help him.” She lifted her hands. “So here we are.”
Banan nodded. “Now everything makes sense. He’s come down to the beach a few times to talk about how sexy Destiny was and how great we’d be together.”
“Same here.” Destiny didn’t seem too upset about it.
Banan grinned. “I’ll have a talk with Edge tomorrow. Meanwhile, Destiny and I have some things to work out.” If he wanted to know more about the how and why of the bet, Banan was too into Destiny to ask.
Destiny still looked in shock, but she didn’t seem able to tear her gaze from Banan. “Maybe Edge will still win that bet.”
Conall let silence build as they watched Banan and Destiny leave. He waited until Banan shut their new door softly behind him before turning to pierce Gerry with a stare he hoped told her how pissed off he was. “I assume you had a good reason for that amazing moment.”
Anger flared in her eyes. “No. It was completely spontaneous. Maybe, though, I’ve finally had enough of watching people being manipulated. Could be that I wanted to give Banan and Destiny back a little control over their lives.” She rubbed the crease between her eyes. “Since we don’t seem to be having much luck getting any for ourselves.”
Conall refused to recognize the twinge he felt as guilt. So he’d done his own share of manipulating by strong-arming Gerry into letting him move in with her. It was for her own good. And he didn’t have a choice when it came to serving and protecting. It was a by-product of the curse.
As she stared at him, her expression said she knew what he was thinking. Some of the anger drained from her. “Not you. You’re doing what you have to do.” She rose from her chair to pace between the iron maiden and the rack. “We have so many entities pulling our strings I don’t know why they don’t get them tangled up.” She shrugged. “I saw a chance to strik
e back in a small way, so I did it.”
He hated to remind her of this, but . . . “If you make Edge too mad, he might back out of his agreement to let you cart him off to jail.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. I forgot.”
Raking his fingers through his hair, he tried to let go of some of his tension. “Feels like the walls are closing in. Want to go up to the battlements with me?”
She shook her head. “You reminded me that I have a job. I need to e-mail a report to Payton. I’ll come up when I’m finished.”
He opened his mouth to say he wouldn’t leave her alone.
She made a shooing motion. “I won’t be alone. I’ll call Kim right now to ask if Fo can visit for a while. We left Brynn standing on the beach with Fo, Gabriel, and Conalla. I’ll tell Kim what happened so she can pass it on to Brynn.”
Conall waited while she made the call and only left when Kim was finally sitting on the couch with both Fo and Conalla.
Asima was curled up outside the door. He grinned. Sleeping on the job. Good. He wouldn’t have her trailing after him. But he didn’t escape everyone’s notice. As he climbed the winding stairs up to the battlements, Morrigan joined him.
He looked down at her, blinked, and looked again. Then for the first time in 800 years, he almost laughed at her. “What the hell is that—”
“I’ll do the talking, O’Rourke. I don’t see any protecting going on here.” She hopped up a few steps ahead of him.
“Kim and Fo are with Gerry.” Conall stopped and leaned closer. “What’s that on your ass?”
“A wig.” Her crow eyes glowed red. “If you laugh I’ll torture you for untold centuries.”
“Been there, done that, goddess. Why the wig?” He bit his lip and tried to swallow his laughter. The wig was long and trailed behind her. She looked like she was wearing one of those Shih Tzu dogs on her butt.
“An idiot who works in the castle compared me to a plucked chicken.”
Uh-oh.
“His ass is now covered with an itchy, burning, disgusting rash. He won’t be sitting down anytime soon.”
Conall nodded. “So what do you want?”