by ML Guida
She didn’t think she could take any more surprises–not after finding out that her older brother was a fire-breathing dragon.
But he wasn’t just a dragon shifter-he was a vampire.
There was only so much more her racing heart could take.
She glanced up at him. “What is that?” she whispered, afraid whatever was making the trees groan was something out of her worst nightmares.
The crew had told her about the demon Zuto and his gigantic spiders that were as big as a carriage and could rip apart a grown man with their legs and fangs. She detested spiders and immediately killed one if she saw it in her house, or if it had been too big, she’d get Leif. She hoped they were spinning a yarn to frighten her like Leif had done when they were kids.
“Stay behind me,” he ordered as he stepped in front of her.
Uneasiness swept over her. “Why?”
He clasped her shoulders hard like he did when he wanted her to obey him. “Listen to me, if I tell you to run. You run. Do whatever you can to get to thePhoenix or William.”
“No. I can fight.” Gwen put her arms up high over her head, and in one quick movement, whirled around, breaking his hold. “I’m not the same girl you left behind. I can fight.”
He swore under his breath. “And you’re the same wild, foolish lass I left behind. We’re not on board thePhoenix where you can practice your fencing. The demon Zuto is ruthless. For your own safety, you need to get away from here. I shouldn’t have let the captain talk me into bringing you here.”
She withdrew her sword. “I am not helpless, big brother. We have to save Isabella.”
He glanced over her head, as if he was watching something move behind her. “Not at the point of risking your life.”
She whirled around, following his gaze. Something was moving through the trees–something big–something huge.
He clasped her arm and slowly pulled her toward the ground as he knelt. “They’re here.”
His voice was barely above a whisper, which melted her bravado.
“We need to crouch down low. Stay as low as you can. We have to climb the hill to get to the trees beyond. In there, we’ll have cover. Hopefully, he hasn’t seen us yet.”
“Are you sure?”
“Aye, I’m sure. I need to get you back to the ship.”
“What about Isabella? You can’t abandon her. You love her.”
Leif scowled. “I never said I loved her.”
Gwen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her brother had fought vampire pirates and a demon to keep her safe. He’d not even lifted a finger when a woman he was flirting with had a drink spilled on her dress.
“Leif Alan Black, I have known you all of my life, and I’ve never seen you even risk one pence for a lady. And now you’re riskingboth of our lives for her. Donna lie.”
He met her icy stare. “No. I told you before I can’t lose you. You and Gracelyn are all I have left.”
She couldn’t believe his density. She coiled her fist and slammed it into his arm as hard as she could.
“Gwen, what the hell are you doing? You’re about to meet the scare of your life.”
“And you’re about to lose the love of your life.”
The vein in his cheek tremored–a sure sign that she’d hit the mark.
“Donna put words in my mouth, little sister. You’ve not seen me for months so—”
“Nor I you. You’ve kept many secrets, but this one you can’t hide. I see the way you look at her. I see the way your voice softens when you are around her.”
“’Tis her voice.”
She shook her head. “You’re such aneejit.”
A loud snap silenced their sister and brother banter. They both crouched lower into the grass as if trying to blend in like a pride of lions.
The tops of trees flickered, then something came out of the jungle, casting a long dark shadow over them. Her eyes grew saucer wide. She blinked, hoping her imagination had gone mad, but unfortunately, it hadn’t. Her worst nightmare had come true–the tallest, red-eyed man emerged out of the lush jungle. He was unusually handsome with his long black hair, and he shamefully wore only a pearled loincloth that emphasized his sculpted chest and legs. He gave a smirk that would have soured wine.
“Show yourself, Black. I have something of importance to you.”
Leif put his finger up to his mouth to quiet Gwen.
She silently mouthed, “What about Isabella?”
But being the stubborn ass, Leif flicked his hands to crush her protest.
She glared, reached over, and pinched him hard on his arm.
Leif narrowed his eyes, but she turned to watch the demon warily. She suddenly noticed he wasn’t alone.
A shiny black pet spider, bigger than a carriage, sauntered up next to him. Its eight bulbous eyes seemed to stare at her as if she was going to be its midmorning snack. Drool dripped from its fangs onto the pristine white sand.
She pressed herself to the ground, too scared to move.
Zuto slowly lifted his eyebrow. “So, Black, you don’t care what I do to her?”
Leif turned to her. “The demon doesn’t know you’re here. Don’t move.” He clasped her trembling hand. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
She nodded, her words drying up in throat.
But he was wrong.
Zuto walked along the sand. “I know you’re here, Gwendolyn Black. Greetings. I can smell your heavenly scent.”
Gwen shook so hard her teeth chattered. God, he knew her name.
Panic flooded through her body. She glanced over her shoulder, forcing herself not to run back into the sea.
Leif slowly rose. “Stop taunting her, Zuto.”
Zuto smiled. “There you are. What is your answer? Her fate rests in your hands.”
The spider slowly approached, as if, like the demon, it could smell her. Suddenly, she realized she could see both Leif’s and her reflection in its eight glass eyes.
Her bravery vanished. She slowly tried to edge back down the knoll to the sea.
Leif stepped in front of her.
“If you don’t answer me, my pet will attack your sister.”
Reason left Gwen. She jumped to her feet and ran toward the sea. But she wasn’t quick enough.
Sand flew around her.
“Gwen, look out.”
She turned around. The spider bore down on her, its fangs moving back and forth. Behind it, she saw Leif transform into the dragon. He hissed, scorching the spider. It screamed as if in anger.
Sticky strands of web flew out of its mouth, wrapping around her, tangling in her hair and clothes. She ripped them out, tearing her shirt and yanking out her hair.
But then the spider whirled around in a circle. Sand spun into the air and blinded her. The spider snatched her up with its fangs. She didn’t beat on it, afraid it would snap her in half.
“Leif! Help me!” she screamed.
Leif flew into the air, but the spider whirled around in circles, making a sinkhole. Screaming, she reached out her arms to her brother, who flew above them. Sand caved on top of her, blocking out her brother, the blue sky, and the demon.
Once inside, the spider flung her. She thought she’d be buried alive, but the sand changed to black. She fell through a freezing tunnel, her arms and legs flailing around her. She couldn’t see the grotesque spider, but it could be anywhere. She gasped for breath but could only inhale short snippets. Her hair whipped around her face, blinding her.
Suddenly, her cheek froze as if someone threw a snowball at her. The coldness moved from the top of her head to her throat to her arms to her torso all the way down to her feet as if someone was painting her with an icy paint brush.
Someone screamed in her ear, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She could have sworn it was her own scream, but she had to be imagining it. In this blackness, she couldn’t see anything.
The darkness faded to light blue. Terror hit her as she fell through white foamy clouds. She scre
amed, but her voice was too hoarse, making a terrified squeak. Rugged mountains and sparse trees loomed beneath her. She spiraled toward the ground, then gritted her teeth, waiting to be smashed into a million pieces.
She hit the ground, knocking the wind out of her. Another dark shadow loomed over her, but rather than a demon, a dark-haired woman with green eyes, wearing skimpy clothes, stood over.
“Welcome to Magic, New Mexico, Gwendolyn.”
Gwen put her trembling arms on the ground to get up, but her arms collapsed. She fell flat on her gut.
The woman knelt next to her. “You’ll talk to the good sheriff and make him return what is mine. Or I swear by the next full moon your other half will die.” She put her slender fingers over Gwen’s eyes. “Now, sleep.”
Gwen opened her eyes, but they wouldn’t budge. Sleepiness crept over her, her mind turning cloudy. The last thing she remembered thinking was what the mad woman mean about Gwen’s other half? Her heart froze. What if she meant Gracelyn? She fought to wake up, but it was as if a force led her into oblivion.
Chapter Four
Theo was still going over his conversation with Hera, trying to decipher if she was telling the truth about his dreams, when he walked into his jail. His deputy, Martin Kane, was busy typing on the new thin client screen that Theo had to replace. Martin was a skin walker and could transform into any creature he wanted. Today, he’d decided to be a mummy. Theo just hoped he didn’t end up with one of Martin’s fingers in his coffee.
Martin glanced up. “Did you get it?”
Theo held up the metal case. “Yeah, I got it. Definitely not Pandora.”
“Lucky for you, Topper helped you out. Pandora isn’t as powerful as her sister.”
“Yeah, I know.” He spun the lock on the five-foot safe. Once it clicked, he opened it up and placed the wand next to other confiscated objects like a spell book, an athame, and a skinny cauldron. He smiled at the Roman candles he’d taken from the twins. They had enhanced them so much that a spark flew through the air and landed on the mayor’s house. Being a vampire, Mayor Hampton hadn’t taken kindly to being woken from his death sleep by fire. Joseph and Jonah were lucky their parents had some political pull or they would have gotten themselves locked up in detention.
The phone rang. Martin picked it up.
“Magic Sheriff’s Department.”
Theo sat at his computer and typed up some more search words to find out about dreams–like he had a million times before–knowing he’d get the same dead end results, but maybe something would trigger another link.
“Oh, hey, Pandora. We were just talking about you.”
Theo groaned inwardly. With Pandora, there was always something amiss. He didn’t know how her husband Cé Jackman put up with it, but then again, Cé was from the past and a cursed vampire on the wrong side of the law.
“What?”
Martin’s sharp voice was enough to snap Theo’s spine. His deputy had a flare for the dramatics. Martin scribbled on a piece of paper.
“Was there anything else taken?”
He wrote something else down.
“Where’s Cé?”
“Oh, I see. No, we’ll be over there right away. Don’t touch anything. Don’t panic.” Martin hung up the phone. “Someone broke into Cé’s and Pandora’s furniture shop. She’s pretty hysterical. Do you want me to go?”
The eagerness in his voice spoke volumes about his task. He and Pandora’s husband had never seen eye-to-eye, and he must be in the drudge of despair to want to investigate.
“No, I’ll go. You just keep working. The major wants the report by five.”
Martin sagged back in his chair. “Oh, sure, Theo.”
Theo would probably definitely find a floating body part in his coffee. He had wanted to say yes, but Martin was knee-deep in writing up the budget justification for next year–something that bored Theo to tears. He could have done it, but he’d learned to delegate as sheriff, and unfortunately for Martin, anytime a menial task such as budget justification came up, Martin had to write it up. Theo would look it over before it was sent to the mayor and city council, since he was hoping to get reimbursed for the damages he’d cause in the jail. But the mayor wasn’t known for his generosity.
He got into the squad car and turned on the siren, which immediately brought Jonah and Joseph out of an alley way. They were probably up to some mischief, but they couldn’t resist the sound of a siren. He pulled away, ignoring their excited voices. He couldn’t blame them. Not much crime happened in Magic except when Pandora had released the Mistonian and it went on a killing spree.
He turned off the siren as he pulled alongside Pandora’s shop. Cé had named it after his lovely wife, and it was called Pandora’s Box. The store window was smashed, and glass dirtied the sidewalk and the blush red carpet inside. A rocking chair lay on its side where the thief must have knocked it over.
Pandora was outside the shop, pacing like an expectant father.
When he opened the car door, she ran around. “Theo, what took you so long?”
Her voice reminded him of a scolding nun.
“Hold on, Pandora.” He put his hands up. “I got here as quick as I could. Now, cool your horses and tell me what happened.”
Anger flared in her brown eyes. “I can tell you what happened. All of our money is missing from the cash register. All of it!”
“How much was stolen?”
“Over four thousand dollars.”
“When was it last there?”
Her cheeks flushed, emphasizing the freckles across her nose. “Last night.”
Theo raised his eyebrow. “You left four thousand dollars in the cash register overnight rather than putting it in the safe?”
“I know! I know! Cé is going to kill me. He worked so hard for that money. He made a mahogany dining room set for Topper…and now, the money’s gone. It’s all my fault. You have to find who did it.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. “Cé told me to put it in the safe, but nothing ever happens here. You have to find whoever stole it before he gets back.”
“Where is he?”
She sniffed, then wiped the wetness off her cheeks. “He went to Albuquerque to buy some more wood.”
She looked so vulnerable, and she and Cé had worked for months on the shop. Cé was a master craftsman, and Theo had even ordered a dining room set from him that was beautiful–perfectly edged, hand carved; a masterpiece.
More tears swept down her red cheeks. Anger bloomed inside him. Power surged through him, and no matter how much he tried to control it. It wouldn’t be denied.
“Pandora, stand back.” Smoke flared out of his nostrils.
“Oh, God, Theo, don’t burn down the shop.” But she did as he asked for once.
Faster than saying, “achoo”, Theo’s muscles and bones contorted. Five foot wings and a long tail sprung. His tail flickered and smashed into his car, breaking off the passenger side mirror. He exhaled fire into the air and missed setting a tree on fire.
“Theo!” Pandora put her hands on her hips. “You’re going to burn down my shop!”
When he looked at her, he saw his reflection in the store window–a red and orange dragon with golden eyes. On the tips of each wing, he had razor sharp barbs. He’d discovered that he could scratch glass when he shifted and scratched the crap out of his squad car windows. He edged away from Pandora and his car, then flew into the air to calm down. Air soared over him and eased the anger brimming inside of him at witnessing Pandora’s pain. He circled and exhaled fire, tempering his anger. He landed next to an angry Pandora.
She patted him on his neck. “Are you done? Theo, I’m hurt, but I’ll survive. I just need your help.”
Theo concentrated, thinking of the sky and stars, which for some reason calmed him. He was able to slowly transform back into a sheepish sheriff. Luckily, his clothes didn’t disappear. How? Who the hell knew? Another question he would like answered.
He pulled his hat over his eyes, unab
le to look at Pandora. “Sorry about that. It’s whenever someone–”
“You care about who is upset, then you transform.” She gently touched his arm. “I know. Thanks for caring.” Concern filled her eyes. “Theo, I know what you’re going through. It was like me with my spells. You have to learn to control this power.”
Before you hurt someone.
He sighed. She hadn’t said it. She didn’t have to. They both knew.
“I will. But let’s find out what happened here.” Thankfully, she didn’t push him, and Theo could do something that he could control–investigation.
He surveyed the shop. A broken window was big enough for a person to step inside the shop, which wasn’t very smart. “I see Cé took my advice and installed some surveillance cameras.”
“And here I thought he was the idiot.”
“Well, let’s go see what you’ve got, but before, I’d like to take a walk around the store.”
“Yes, of course.” She motioned with her arm.
He grabbed some plastic booties to put over his cowboy boots.
“Theo, what are you doing?”
“Pandora,” he said patiently, as he put on some rubber gloves. “if I’m going to catch this thief, I need to make sure there’s no cross contamination. We have laws here–even in Magic.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. Just hurry.”
“You stay here,” he said. “I don’t want you ruining any evidence.”
He didn’t pay any attention to her. Impatience was her middle name. If he did it her way, he was liable to miss something and lose his case.
He took his trusted brief case, which included a set of tweezers for any minute items, bindle paper, biohazard and paper bags, and different types of markers to tag evidence. But what he really liked was his notebook where he could draw or write notes. Magic was a small town, and the two chief investigators were he and Martin, but that didn’t mean they were small town morons.