"Are you okay?" Damien asked Audrey. He brushed her disheveled hair out of her eyes.
She turned her tear-streaked face up to him. "I'm hurt. I think my collarbone is broken."
He let his fingers linger on her cheek. I did it. I found her! Elation warred with confusion, and he pushed the realization of how he'd found her out of his head; he'd deal with that later.
With his knife, he cut the ropes holding her feet. Mindful of her injury and the fact her feet would be numb but soon prickling as the feeling returned to them, he picked her up as gently as he could and let her whimper against his shoulder. The sky, now a leaden gray, drizzled a fine mist on them. He handed her off to the paramedics.
"Don't leave me again," she said.
"I'll stay right here."
She bit her lip, her face pale, and he wished Charlie had left the creature who'd hurt her alive so Damien could punish it himself. The paramedics put her arm in a sling, then put a pillow against her chest and secured the sling against it with a band to keep it immobile.
"Your collarbone might be broken," one of them told her. "We'll take you to the hospital so you can get an x-ray to make sure." As he talked, the other one gave her an injection of something, and Damien relaxed along with her when he saw the relief on her face.
"Damien, is she questionable?" asked Charlie.
"I don't know." She'd had a horrible night, and she didn't even know that her boyfriend was cheating on her.
This morning is gonna get worse before it gets better.
"Take your time," Charlie told him with a hand on his shoulder. "Just remember we don't have much. Maggie's going to need a full report, and I have to notify her of those things in there before anyone else finds them." The E.M.T. stepped away, talking on his radio, and Charlie added in an almost whisper, "We found vampire coffins, too, so that will take care of them, at least."
"What about…?" Damien nodded to the three S.W.A.T. guys who'd gone in with them and had seen the whole thing.
"They're my special ops team for things like this. They won't talk."
"I'll go with her to the E.R."
"No," said Audrey, her speech slurred, "you won't. You have enough to worry about." She wrinkled her nose. "I can call…Kyle. I guess." She looked up at Damien, and he wanted to think she didn't like the idea any more than he did, but he couldn't assume.
Damien glanced at Charlie, who said, "Let Damien stay with you for now. Your boyfriend probably isn't up yet."
"Okay." Either the medicine and injury had mellowed her out, or she knew something was up. Damien suspected the latter.
"I have a lot of things to ask you," he told her. "I can stay with you until he comes. If you decide to call him."
"Fine."
The young blond E.M.T. who had explained things to her returned and helped her into the ambulance, and Damien hopped in beside her. He turned to see Charlie talking to the other young woman, who looked familiar.
"Who is she?" he asked, more to keep Audrey distracted from the pain, although it seemed that whatever they had given her was working. She lay on the stretcher, and her eyes fluttered open and closed.
"She's a water nymph," she mumbled. "Nimue."
He wanted to ask her more, but he noticed the strange looks from the E.M.T.s and remembered not everyone knew about their supernatural drama. It would probably sound strange to any sane, normal human being. Hell, it still sounded strange to him, and he'd seen the were-bats and spoken with vampires. He looked at Audrey, who seemed to be resting, her brows drawn together in a little frown. The thought popped in his head that he hadn't imagined she could be so vulnerable and that she looked pretty adorable lying there on the stretcher. The cynic in him told him he had better be careful for more than his usual reasons.
No one wants to be the rebound guy.
The sounds of an argument distracted him, and he saw Charlie in earnest conversation with the water nymph.
"You have to go. They need to make sure you're not hurt."
"I don't want to go back to that awful place."
Damien pulled himself away from Audrey's side and joined the conversation. "Look," he said, "I promise I won't let them lock you up again. Besides, they might not let me go into the exam room with her, and she might need you."
Nimue turned suspicious eyes to him. "And how do I know you'll keep your promise?"
Damien had no trouble answering honestly. "Because now that I know who your friends are, I'm too frightened not to."
"Go," urged Charlie. "If you wander off again, your mistress may not be able to come and get you."
"I can't return on my own, so I will go with the human." She crossed her arms. "Her dream-weaving got us rescued. This will allow me to pay my debt. But if you try to lock me up again…"
A cold drop of water plopped on to Damien's forehead.
Damien raised his hands. "I get it."
Damien held Audrey's hand the entire ride to the E.R. She closed her eyes, her face pinched against the pain, and he wished he'd thought to make Charlie break the news to her that when they had talked to Kyle, he hadn't been alone.
He looked away, too tired to think about how to handle that sticky situation, and tried to remember where he had seen the blond E.M.T. before. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice they had reached the E.R. entrance until the doors opened and they wheeled her out.
"Officer Lewis?" The E.M.T.'s voice snapped him out of his pondering.
"Yes?"
"They need to see what happened to her collarbone and make sure there aren't other injuries. The other young lady can come back with us. You may want to stay close by in case they need to ask you about how Ms. Sonoma got hurt."
"I wish I knew," he said, more to himself. "Ms. Nimue can likely help you more with that. And this has been driving me nuts. Where do I know you from?"
"I was there when Doctor Rizzo was shot." The young man sighed. "I wish I could've gotten there sooner."
"I'm sure you did the best you could."
Now Damien added guilt to the stew of emotions that roiled just beneath the surface of his thoughts, guilt that he found Audrey so attractive in her vulnerability and that he hadn't been able to prevent what had happened to Rizzo. Or to her. He decided to wander out to the waiting room and watch television until the nurses called him back. He didn't have to wait long.
"Officer Lewis?" It was the dark-skinned nurse he'd talked to on the morning Rizzo was shot. So much for distraction.
"Yes?"
"Would you like to see Doctor Rizzo while you're waiting? He's in a coma, but he may know you're there. He'd probably like it, actually. He hasn't had any visitors outside of the hospital staff." She shook her head. "No family or anything."
"Sure, but—" His desire to see Rizzo warred with his need to stay close to Audrey.
"I'll let them know where to find you."
She led him to the I.C.U. where the patients each lay in a separate glassed-in room. Rizzo looked fragile and sunken, the I.V. tubes snaking out of his arms. Without his eyes twinkling behind his glasses, he looked more like an old man and less like the vibrant doctor Damien knew.
Damien sat on the chair by the bedside and forced himself to look at the man he'd considered to be a force of nature. He'd heard that people in comas knew if others were talking to them, so he decided to give it a try.
"Wow, old friend, you wouldn't believe the last couple of days. It seems like there's a whole world I had no idea existed, and between the two of us," he said and looked around to make sure no one heard him, "it scares the shit out of me. My grandmother knew about it, and we all thought she was hallucinating. But she, well, she couldn't handle it."
He looked down at his hands, not sure how to phrase things. The words stuck in his throat, but then he remembered the books in Rizzo's office.
"I don't know how much of this you can hear, but I think you'll believe it because of what I know about you…" He went on to tell him about Persephone, the nymp
hs, Maggie, Audrey, the cheating boyfriend, and Charlie being mixed up in it, too. Then about his dream and how it had led had them right to the captives.
"I know it sounds silly to say that my reality has been turned upside down when you're in a freaking coma, Arthur, but that's how I feel. It's like I've stepped out of the world I knew and can't go back. Maybe I don't want to be a detective, not if this is what I have to deal with."
He thought Rizzo's eyes moved beneath his eyelids, but he wasn't sure.
"And the weirdest thing is that I think you knew about it, and you were trying to ease me into it with that book you loaned me. I haven't even had time to read it with all the crap that's gone down. I don't need to read about the gods and goddesses anymore because I've met some of them. How crazy does that sound? They're not myths, they're real."
He put his face in his hands and hoped no one heard him. He recalled his grandmother saying something similar just before they'd locked her away in a nursing home for mentally unstable old people. She'd died within a month.
"I really need you to wake up, Arthur. I know you're hurt and hurting, but I really need you to help me make sense of all of this."
Rizzo's face didn't change. Damien watched him so intently he didn't realize he breathed along with the rhythm of the E.K.G. monitor, nor was he aware when he closed his eyes and succumbed to the adrenaline crash from the morning, the sleep deficit of the past two days, and the relief at being able to tell everything to a sympathetic listener.
He opened his eyes to a sidewalk swirling with mist.
"It's about time you found me," Rizzo grumbled.
11
Lyle Ames woke, stretched, and watched the sun rise over the Atlanta skyline. Last night had been a particularly good one in the temple. He thought he'd recognized the two venture capitalists to whom he had given a tour earlier that week and who had left with samples. That was encouraging. Support was good, addiction even better.
He looked down to the street and saw a familiar brown sedan parked across from his building. So Amelia's private investigator was earning his keep. Not that he'd have anything interesting to report other than her husband had slept in his office again. Lyle didn't mind the man's presence or the insignificant toll the man's fees would put on his finances. On the contrary, it would be more material for the sales portfolio: "Guaranteed P.I.-proof."
After a quick shower and shave in his private full bathroom, which he'd stocked with work clothes for times like these, he was ready to face the day. The first buzz from his secretary after he'd sent her to fetch a cappuccino from the coffee place on the corner put him in a cautious mood.
"Mr. Zeus to see you, sir."
"Send him in."
Mr. Zeus, or just Zeus to his friends, strode into the room, and immediately the lights flickered out.
"I told you never to have that fluorescent crap on while I'm in here."
"I apologize, Zeus, but I didn't have much warning."
Lyle studied his business partner and once again tried to ascertain what gave the man such presence. Zeus had been straight with him and let him know that he was a Greek god—and he'd proven that fact many times in their acquaintance, leaving no room for skepticism—but there had to be something more, something that could be translated and used by mortals. If nothing else, maybe Lyle could get him into motivational speaking.
"And to what do I owe the honor of your visit? Things are going well with the investors, and didn't you say you weren't going to appear here too much? You don't want Hera to get suspicious."
"Hera is out of Olympus today, and things are not going as planned." Zeus took a seat in one of the overstuffed leather chairs and turned toward one bank of windows. "The goddess Persephone has been rescued and will be returned to Olympus shortly. One nymph has escaped, the other one killed and trapped in Hades, and there's a certain dream weaver who needs to be monitored. Also, we've come to the attention of the authorities."
"The police? But how?" Lyle frowned. "And what would they care? We're not breaking any laws."
"No." The way Zeus looked at him made him feel all of six inches tall. "The supernatural authorities, the Truth Seekers."
"Right." Lyle tried to appear like he knew what those were. Think in two worlds, he reminded himself. "So our risks have increased?"
"Luckily they have not found the temple, and I'll keep it such that they won't until we have all the links in place, and it will be too hard to destroy it."
Lyle really needed that cappuccino. His brain chugged along, processing what Zeus had been telling him. "Wait a second. You said one nymph has escaped?"
The look on Zeus' face made Lyle wish he hadn't asked, and the tone of Zeus's voice reminded him of the ominous rumble of an approaching storm. "The nymph has been rescued by the human authorities."
The muscles in Lyle's face loosened, and his jaw dropped. "From the warehouse?"
"Yes, from the warehouse."
"But they could then trace it all back to us. To me." He got up and faced the window, pressing his fingers against the cold glass to ground himself. After a deep breath, he turned and asked, "Okay. What do you need me to do?"
"I'll make the paper trail disappear. The humans won't have much time for close investigation yet. My sources tell me that the dream weaver has been damaged and is in the hospital." Zeus' smile made Lyle shiver. "She has been accompanied by a nymph named Nimue."
"The one who escaped. I remember. Are the barriers still in place to keep her from returning to the C.U.?" Lyle sat behind his desk. He knew the large mahogany piece of furniture couldn't protect him from the god's wrath, but it helped him to feel secure and powerful.
"Yes. Which means that her mistress will be here to fetch her soon."
The smile on Lyle's face mirrored Zeus' own. "So we can take her then. Won't she be angry her other nymph was killed?"
"The other one belonged to Persephone, so she was expendable," Zeus said. "As for capturing Nimue's mistress, I don't want to use the vampires and were-bats. Any supernatural activity will be too obvious. I shall dismiss the vamps and keep a minimum number of were-bats to guard the transfer site."
Lyle pondered the logistics. "I'll get my men on it. Your description still applies, correct?"
"I'll have Toady give you the materials you need to trap her here. Let me know when you have succeeded."
"Will do."
"Oh, and Lyle?"
"Yes?"
"If you fail at this, all will be lost." Zeus stood and leaned forward on the desk, his fingertips touching the surface. He towered over Ames, and the angle of the light highlighted the harsh planes beneath the carefully groomed exterior. "More than the mortal investors will be unhappy if this falls through."
Lyle watched Zeus turn and walk out the door. He waited for his heart to stop pounding in his ears, picked up the phone, and dialed with trembling fingers.
"You're looking a lot better here than in the hospital," Damien said. He wore his police uniform and stood beside Arthur. Even if this isn't real, I'll take it.
"As are you. You look like you're not missing any sleep in spite of all your adventures." Arthur looked hale and well-rested. He wore a long white robe and was accompanied by an owl and a small silver dragon.
Damien laughed, but he suspected he still had dark circles under his eyes even in the dream world. "I was hoping you could tell me what's going on."
"I'm not sure, but I know I'm not supposed to be stuck here like I am." He huffed his frustration. "I got a summons, so I take it I'm supposed to find something. Maybe it's you."
Damien touched the weapon in the holster at his belt. "At least I'm armed this time. Lead the way, Doctor."
"That will likely not help you here, but if it helps you feel better…"
The wind picked up again, and Damien shivered even though he now wore his police windbreaker. Arthur's owl took wing and landed on a scrawny tree, the dragon following. The mist retreated to show a familiar area: an open rectangular concre
te "square" with a bandstand surrounded by grass, on which picnic tables stood empty.
"Let's go that way," Arthur suggested and pointed toward the stairs to their right, which led to a long sidewalk with shops and restaurants, all closed and dark. "My spirit guide is telling me that's our direction."
"Your what? I've heard that somewhere before." Damien followed him. His instincts told him to be careful, but also that Arthur could protect him, although he didn't know how.
"It's a projection of your personality into the dream world, the unconscious part of you that's in touch with the deeper, more intuitive aspects of the spiritual realm."
"Do I have one?" He hoped it might be the dragon; the small creature was fascinating to watch as she darted about. She flew more smoothly than a bird, her flowing movements like an underwater creature.
"Everybody has one, but you must accept the reality of this realm and your experiences before it shows itself to you. The dragon is accompanying us temporarily until she finds her own human."
"Oh."
Damien's rational mind refused to let go of the desire for a logical, concrete explanation for everything, including the fact that it was morning, and they walked through a deserted city that was never quiet during the day. No cars lined the streets or competed for the few coveted parking spaces. Even the subway station stood empty. The only noises that came to his ears were their footsteps and the wind. And something else.
"Stop for a moment," Arthur said, and Damien halted. He turned his head and caught it, a whooshing sound. Arthur put a finger on his lips and motioned for Damien to follow with his other hand.
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