Heroines and Hellions: a Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection

by Margo Bond Collins

  Lily’s eyes were wide. “You ever sewn up a knife wound?”

  “Nope. I leave that to the experts. Just because I can do it doesn’t mean I should. Doc Rawlins told me I stitch like a drunken sailor. If the patient wanted a scar like a country lane, he’d let me at it.”

  Lily laughed. “I don’t like sewing,” she confessed.

  “So, what do you like?”

  A thoughtful look. Not the type of kid who said the first thing that sprang to mind. “Puppies,” Lily said. “I like working with the dogs. I’m good with them too, but Adam said” —a rueful grin and a roll of the eyes— “that they can be dangerous. They’re bred to hunt a warg down, so I have to stay away from them.”

  “Except for Arthur.”

  “I sneak him out,” Lily confessed. “Nobody pays me much mind anyway. They’re all busy, and I know how to get around the barracks without anyone seeing me.”

  Riley stilled. “What about the examination room?”

  “Nobody goes there.” Lily frowned. “There’s nothing there but the warg cage, and the examining table. It’s Eden’s realm.”

  “What if I didn’t want Eden to know I was there?”

  “Take the keys,” Lily said. “Only Adam and Eden have the master sets, but I know where Eden keeps hers. They’re in her desk.”

  Filing that information away for later – and cursing herself for thinking to use a child – Riley straightened. “Why don’t we get something to eat? I’m starved.”

  Lily brightened. “Okay.”

  Leading the way to the kitchens, the child chattered on about Arthur’s penchant for shoes. “Once, he stole one of Adam’s boots!” she said. “He chewed it beyond recognition, and I had to sneak in once Adam was asleep and steal the other one so he wouldn’t know. So he’d think he’d misplaced them—”

  With McClain’s hearing, he’d no doubt heard her, but Riley didn’t want to burst Lily’s wishful thinking. And the story made something tighten in her chest. Maybe she’d been too quick to judge McClain? Few men out here took on a child who wasn’t their own, and despite Lily’s chafing at the rules, Riley had the feeling he might look the other way at times.

  Smuggling Arthur into the kitchens was easier than expected. Lily looked both ways then hurried across the courtyard to the kitchen’s door. Long tendrils of grapevines clung to the timber support beams that covered the courtyard, creating a leafy haven. Riley tugged one of the grapes from the vine and bit into it. The sour taste made her wince, but she enjoyed the rare treat.

  “There won’t be many people about,” Lily told her, easing open the kitchen door. “Most people nap this time of day. Mrs. Divens – the cook – she’ll be in the pantry, but she likes to have a nip of spirits now and then.”

  Coolness washed over her as Riley followed her inside. The kitchens were enormous, dominated by a massive hearth on the far end of the wall and a weather-beaten table in the center of the room. The floors were tiled with terracotta, another luxury that reminded her of how different Absolution was to Haven.

  From the pantry came the soft sounds of someone snoring. Lily winked, sneaking through the azure beads that shielded the door and snatching a loaf of bread, a wheel of cheese and a slab of cured ham from the hook it hung on. Avoiding the cook’s feet, where she’d tucked them up on a chair, the little girl eased through the beads without disturbing them, then reached for one of the enormous butcher knives in the block.

  Riley grabbed it off her in concern, earning a look that indicated that Lily had relegated her to just another overprotective adult. Slicing the ham and cheese, she made a pair of sandwiches for them to eat. Lily grabbed a piece of ham and tossed it to Arthur, who gobbled it up as if scared it would disappear.

  “Come on.” Replacing the stolen items in the pantry, Lily grabbed Riley’s hand and led her deeper into the main building. “We’ll go to my room. Nobody will be up there this time of day.”

  Aware that she was entering McClain’s private domain, Riley followed reluctantly. Unease itched down her spine, and she looked for him, but Lily was right; the house was silent, its occupants busy elsewhere. The opportunity gave her a chance to observe more about the man.

  Like most buildings out west, the rooms were sparsely furnished. There were few trees this side of the Great Divide, so the heavy slabs of furniture must have been shipped west at great cost. A lot of the world's flora had died off during the Darkening, and what was left had mostly come from seeds that either lay dormant or were kept by the survivors.

  Embroidered cushions hinted at Eden’s touch. Gauzy white curtains let soft light into the room, softening the stark walls and solid chairs. A fireplace was surrounded by a heap of chairs, and stairs at the back of the room ran up to the second level. Shelves nailed to the wall were covered in books, another rarity. From the look of the titles, Eden evidently had a taste for the lurid. They were old volumes, no doubt published pre-D.

  A pair of heavy boots sat beside the largest chair in the room. It was practically a monstrosity, with a carved chessboard on the table between it and another chair. A bottle of whiskey rested beside it. Definitely McClain’s throne.

  Lily dragged her up the stairs. “Come on!” she said urgently. “No food in the rooms! If anyone sees…”

  Smiling at the subterfuge, Riley darted through the door into the room Lily had disappeared into. Lily shut it behind her with an emphatic slam, listening intently. Evidently hearing no sign of pursuit, she grinned up at Riley, her sandwich dangling from her fingers.

  Arthur took his chance.

  “No!” Lily yanked back, but the puppy’s sharp teeth tore most of the sandwich from her fingers. “Arthur, you’re not supposed to take food until I tell you to!” She snatched at a piece of cheese, but Arthur darted under the bed with his prize.

  “Damn it,” Lily muttered.

  “We can share.” Riley broke her sandwich in half and gave the girl the other piece.

  Lily sighed. “He’s only hungry because the other dogs eat all the food first. It’s because he’s the runt.”

  “You know a lot about dogs.” Riley took a bite of her sandwich, looking around. Whatever she personally thought of McClain, he’d done a good job in making the little girl feel at home. The narrow bed was painted white, with a pretty pink patchwork quilt, and a wardrobe in the corner was open to reveal a multitude of clothes. A shelf over the bed held a variety of dolls and toys.

  Lily busied herself with the sandwich, tucking it between her teeth to keep her hands free as she swept a bunch of toys off the bed. Taking it out of her mouth, she gestured to the bed. “I spend a lot of time with them. The other kids are usually too busy.” One tanned shoulder shrugged, and she dragged herself up onto the bed.

  Riley got a hint of what life might be like for her. Slightly lonely, hungry for attention... The way she’d latched on to Riley told her all she needed to know.

  With a smile, she crossed to the window and peered out. The main house stood on top of the hill, surveying the entire settlement below. There were so many houses. Maybe more than two hundred, most of them made of white adobe. The occasional jeep traversed the streets. Beyond the wall, rust-colored mountains loomed in the distance. The Blaspheme Mountains. Her chest constricted.

  Clearing her throat, she looked away. Her gaze cut across the shelf above the bed, and Riley froze.

  “So, do you have a room?” Lily asked, her voice sounding distant. “Because I could ask Adam for you if you wanted me to. You could have a room here, in the house. I’m sure he’d let you. I heard him and Eden talking last night about a woman named Riley. He was angry about something, but Eden calmed him down.” A shy smile. “She told him to stop being stupid, and make a goddamned move. Before it was too late.”

  Riley took a slow breath, her gaze returning to the shelf. There were hand-sewn dolls, a stuffed bear that looked frayed and worn, but behind them... A trio of hand-carved wooden dolls, their faces delicately featured, and the patterns on their dre
sses so achingly familiar that Riley suddenly didn’t know what to say.

  Lily followed her gaze. “That’s Julie, Greta and Liberty,” she said. Standing on the bed, she plucked one of the dolls from the shelf and blew the dust off it. “This is Greta. She’s my favorite. My father made them for me – my real father, not Step-daddy Greg. Mama said he used to make them just for me, before he died.”

  Riley reached out and stroked the doll’s face. Her heart was pounding in her chest. It couldn’t be. The coincidence was just too large. Or maybe it wasn’t. Why else would McClain take in a little girl who had nobody else? Guilt was a harsh motivator.

  “She’s pretty,” Riley said softly. “My daddy used to make toys for me too. I guess he must have loved you a lot.”

  Lily shrugged, but her fingers trailed wistfully over the doll’s dress. “He was a hero. He used to hunt the wargs out near our settlement, and keep us safe. But they got him one day.” Her pretty features tightened. “I hate them. I wish they were all dead. Adam’s going to kill that one they brought in the other day. He won’t let me watch, but I know a place I can see from. They always execute them in the Main Square, and I can climb up onto the roof.”

  Riley knelt down, horrified at the vindictiveness that filled the girl’s voice. She wasn’t certain – a lot of men knew how to carve, after all – but the patterns were almost identical. Taking the doll from Lily, she turned it over in her hands, feeling the fine tracery of its lines. “My daddy got taken by wargs.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “I used to hate them too.”

  Lily looked up. “You don’t hate them anymore?”

  “I killed the one that clawed him.” She shivered at the memory. Her first-ever kill. She’d felt so righteous, so full of anger and fury that it had been almost too easy to pull the trigger. It was only afterward that tears blurred her gaze, and her stomach heaved. She’d thought she’d feel better if she finally killed it, but the truth was harder to take. It didn’t feel better. Her father was still gone.

  “But I don’t... I don’t know what to feel anymore,” Riley admitted. “I’ve started thinking lately about what it would feel like to be like my dad. Knowing that you were going to hurt your family, your friends, knowing that when the monster had you in its grips at night, all you’d think about would be the killing. In the end, he was still a man. Maybe I feel a little sorry for them.”

  “I don’t,” Lily said emphatically. Tears glimmered in her eyes. So blue. So breathtaking. Eyes that Riley could suddenly see in another’s face.

  Another fist to the chest. She’d tried to tell herself that this couldn’t be real, but the truth was staring right at her.

  “What was your daddy’s name?” Riley asked softly.

  “Luc,” Lily replied. “His name was Luc.”

  Riley’s knees folded and she knelt on the bed, still clutching the doll like a lifeline. He didn’t know. I walked away from my wife. From everything that mattered to me.... He’d been talking about Lily then, and the baby his wife was carrying. The baby that had died.

  Walked away and never looked back. For their sakes. No doubt he still thought his wife lived. Riley’s grip tightened on the doll. That would be another blow.

  “Are you okay?” Lily asked, patting her knee.

  “I’m fine,” she murmured, looking down. She had to stop this. Somehow, she had to find a way out of this mess for him. Trying to force a smile onto her lips – and failing – she asked, “Do you think I could borrow Greta for a little bit? Just to keep me company at night?”

  Lily nodded with those solemn, very-blue eyes. “I’m too old for her now, but sometimes she... she looks after me at night too.” Then she patted Riley on the shoulder and leaned back on the bed.

  10

  There was no point going to McClain.

  Riley headed straight for the infirmary.

  The afternoon sun was starting to ease up. Instead of broiling, it was now only baking the desert air. Sweat rimmed her temples, the air thick and hard to breathe. By the time she reached the infirmary, perspiration dripped down her spine and hugged her breasts.

  She knocked sharply. “Eden? Eden, let me in.”

  A few scuffling footsteps, and then the door opened. Eden peered out, her body shielding the interior of the room, as though she didn’t intend to let Riley past. “Riley,” she murmured. “I’m sorry, but I’m busy.”

  “We need to talk.” Riley rested her hand on the door and gave her friend a serious look.

  Heat flushed through Eden’s cheeks. “There’s no point. Adam gave me his orders. You’re not to visit Wade.”

  “Is he okay?” she asked.

  At least Eden gave her that. “Awake and breathing,” she replied with a sigh. “And not speaking to anyone.”

  “That could be a blessing,” she muttered, looking around. “Eden, please. I need to discuss something with you.”

  The door gave beneath her fingers slightly, and Riley pushed her advantage. “Please?”

  “Fine.” Eden sucked in a sharp breath. “You have ten minutes. I’ve got to get down and see Mary Clemmons. She’s nearly due to have her baby.” Stabbing a finger toward Riley, she added, “And I’ll warn you not to waste your breath. I’m not letting you in to see him.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled as the door opened and Eden backed off. “I don’t want to see him anyway.”

  The lie rolled off her lips easily, but Eden sighed and dragged her chair out. The bed he’d lain on was once again made, the sheets pristine. No sign of him left in the room.

  Eden picked up a pen and jotted a note on a piece of paper. “What did you want to see me about?”

  Riley could have argued, could have begged the other woman to have mercy. Instead, she reached inside her bag and dragged out Greta. “This,” she said, resting her on top of the paper Eden was writing on.

  Those green eyes locked on the doll as if Riley had threatened her. “A doll? That’s my niece Lily’s, isn’t it?”

  “Your niece?”

  Eden looked her in the eye. And lied. “Adam adopted her three years ago. You’d know that if you’d bothered to talk to him.”

  “We never got past the egos-butting-heads stage,” Riley admitted. “And I’ll be generous enough to include myself in that too.”

  “She’s a good child, but she keeps to herself. I’ve tried to—”

  “Eden.” Reaching inside the bag, Riley drew out the second carving. The one Wade had done in the cave. “She said her father carved Greta. And two nights ago, I watched Wade carve this.” Plonking it down beside the first, she asked softly, “Tell me the same hand didn’t carve them both? Tell me its coincidence that her father’s name is Luc, and we just happen to have a warg called Lucius in the cage?”

  Eden’s shoulders slumped. “Yes, he’s her father.” She bit her lip. “Adam doesn’t know what to do either. We never expected this. Adam always used to keep an eye on Abbie and Lily. Making sure they had enough to make do. He never met them – they liked to keep their home lives separate, he and Luc – but he had a man there who used to radio him occasionally if they needed help.”

  Riley let out the breath she’d been holding. “So Abbie’s dead?”

  “Three years ago, the reivers took the town. Adam barely got the radio message before his contact was killed. He rode there with a war party, and they found the town still smoking. Most settlements have places to hide, just in case the reivers attack. Lily was trapped in one of them.”

  “Adam sniffed her out?”

  Eden nodded. “They’d killed the men, and half the women. The ones they can’t sell down south at the slave markets. Adam found a dead woman in the home Abbie owned. The corpse was so badly burned he couldn’t tell if it was Abbie, but when they finally tracked the reivers down, she wasn’t among the slaves there.”

  “Shit.” Riley kicked back in her chair. “And Wade doesn’t know.” She shook her head slowly. “You know what McClain will do in the end. The whole settlement’
s pushing for it.”

  “It’s what we do to wargs.”

  * * *

  “Not all of them,” Riley countered.

  Eden’s glance dropped.

  “So, how do you tell Lily that you just executed her father?”

  “We don’t.” Eden pushed to her feet and paced the room. “You’re the only one who knows. You, me, and Adam. So if you don’t tell her, she’ll never know.”

  Son of a bitch. Riley ground the heels of her palms against her eyes. “This is a nightmare. You can’t let him die, Eden. He’s her father.”

  “And if he lives?” Eden snapped. “He won’t stop, Riley. He’ll keep coming and coming until Adam is dead. I won’t risk my brother.”

  “Not even for Lily?”

  “She buried her father years ago. He’s a myth to her. A legend. Don’t bring up the past and you won’t hurt her.”

  That rankled all the way to the bone. If Riley had had a chance – any chance – to bring her father home, she would have. To find out that someone had kept him from her... Eden was only trying to do what was right, but she didn’t know what it was like to lose her father to the wargs.

  Dumping the bag on the desk, she picked up the pair of carved dolls and settled them inside. A glint of silver caught her eye from one of the pigeonholes. Keys.

  Lily had even told her where they were.

  Her heart leapt into her throat. Eden kept pacing, her shoulders tight and defensive. Surely the other woman had to notice her distress, but Eden was too wrapped in her own problems, arguing with herself about the ethics of the situation.

  Riley edged around the desk and sat on it, her fingers drumming against the edge. “She wants to watch his execution, Eden. She hates the wargs for what she thinks they did to her father.”

  Eden shot a look of horror at her. “Adam won’t let her.”

  “She knows where she can see without being seen. She told me.”

  Raking her brown hair out of her eyes, Eden turned and stared out the window. “I’ll... I’ll make sure she doesn’t see.”