It Happened One Doomsday

by Laurence MacNaughton

  But there was no menace in it. No threat. If anything, there was only pain.

  Another step closer, and Dru stood within an arm’s length of the demon. And she was terrifyingly aware of the fact that she didn’t have a single crystal to protect herself with.

  Nothing. She was utterly defenseless.

  Carefully, Dru reached out one trembling hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she placed it flat against the scaly skin of the demon’s chest.

  For some reason, she expected a jolt of pain when she touched him. But it was just a touch. Caring, close, and unexpectedly intimate.

  His warmth quickly seeped into her fingers. And with it came the electric tingle of magic.

  Except that the magic wasn’t flowing into her. It was flowing from her. Into the demon.

  Beneath her fingers, the ugly hue of the demon’s skin began to fade away. Ever so slowly, the skin became human again. With freckles, fine hairs, a small scar.

  The demon’s breaths calmed to a human rhythm. The darkness faded from his face. The horns began to shrink, thinning and uncurling.

  The energy kept flowing out of her, seemingly endless, in a way that she realized only happened when she was this close to Greyson. It resounded deep in her chest, like an echo of her heartbeat, and thrummed though her fingers into him. The effect was exhausting, but at the same time it made her want to sing with joy.

  The demon’s hoofed feet became human again, bare and pale. He shrank ever so slightly to Greyson’s normal height.

  But as quickly as the transformation began, it stalled out. The energy between them thinned to a trickle, and she had no idea how to make it continue.

  Greyson’s eyes flickered with a red glow, one moment human, the next demon. His angular face had become normal again, stubbled and tan, but stumpy horns still protruded from his dark hair.

  “Dru.” He choked out her name.

  “I’m here,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’m here. Just hold onto me.”

  He placed one strong hand over hers, pressing her fingers harder against his chest. “It’s not . . . working. He’s . . . coming back.”

  “No, Greyson, no. You’re almost back. I can sense it.” But her energy was almost spent, and she could feel a new resistance building inside him. The demon, resurging once again.

  Anguish welled up within her. She was so close. So close.

  But it was too much. She couldn’t make him fully human again. Her magic had run out.

  His fingers turned black and gnarled. His nails lengthened into claws. “Can’t . . .” he whispered. “Can’t hang on.”

  Greyson seized her by the shoulders. A steely resolve washed over his face, tightening the muscles in his neck. He tilted his head down until they were eye to eye. “Dru. You have to run. Away from me, as far as you can.”

  Sudden tears threatened at the corner of her eyes. “Every time I touch you, you start to come back. There’s a connection between us. You have to know that.”

  “Forget me.” His breath warmed her cheek. “You can’t save me.”

  “The hell I can’t,” she whispered. Then she raised her lips to Greyson’s and kissed him with everything she had.

  15

  SOME GIRLS WANDER BY MISTAKE

  Dru let herself become lost in the kiss. All sense of time or place disappeared.

  When she finally forced herself to break it off, the air around her felt too thin for her to catch her breath.

  Greyson’s intense gaze gradually worked its way from her lips up the length of her face. He stared deep into her eyes, gold flecks in his blue irises reflecting the light.

  He swallowed, the muscles in his neck working. “Guess I had a good reason to come back.”

  And he was back, Dru realized. She’d done it.

  Greyson was one hundred percent human again. Rugged, handsome, smiling.

  But definitely not Nate. That was when it all hit her.

  Dru pulled away, hands flying to her chest as the full impact sank in.

  She’d kissed Greyson. Not just an innocent peck on the cheek. Not just a ceremonial kiss to seal or break a spell. A full-on, hundred percent hot, passionate kiss.

  And the part that she didn’t want to admit was that she’d meant it. She couldn’t deny that.

  All of that added up to one undeniable fact: she’d crossed a line that could never be uncrossed. Greyson was a customer. Under her care. She wasn’t sure if there was really a professional code of ethics out there for magic shop owners, but if there was, this definitely violated it.

  “I can’t believe you brought me back.” The warmth was clear in his voice. “You’re amazing.”

  “It worked,” she said, trying to cover her lips without being too obvious about it.

  Greyson gave her a puzzled look. He didn’t seem to notice that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Or shoes. Or that his garage was entirely trashed. He looked like all he wanted was to sweep her back into his arms.

  And the truth, as much as she tried to deny it, was that right now she desperately wanted him to.

  Behind her, Rane coughed, a miserable, scratchy sound. Bringing reality back to shatter the enchanted moment.

  Dru turned and rushed to her, helping her sit up. “Hey. Sweetie, are you okay?”

  Rane, human now and worse for wear, pushed her blonde hair out of her face and looked up with half-lidded eyes. “Dy-no-mite.” Her voice came out low and raw. “How ’bout you?”

  “A little freaked out.” The garage stank of exhaust and burned rubber. Dru waved her hand uselessly at the wisps of smoke. “Let’s get you out into some fresh air.”

  “Ugh.” Rane coughed. “Good thing I heal super fast. Gimme a minute.”

  Greyson stepped forward, hands outstretched. “Here, let me help.”

  “No!” Dru barked, drawing surprised looks from both of them. “I mean, um, you must be cold. Being half-naked and all. Why don’t you . . . um . . . ?” The speech part of her brain felt as if it had shut down in his presence. “I have to take Rane outside. We’re okay.”

  Greyson considered that, then nodded once, but didn’t go anywhere.

  “All right.” Dru got a grip around Rane’s shoulders. “Up!”

  With matching groans, the two of them got to their feet. Greyson looked like he could barely resist helping them up. He reached toward them, arms out, but stopped just short of touching them.

  “We’re fine!” Dru said with forced cheerfulness. She pulled Rane’s arm up over her shoulders and walked her to the dented metal door.

  “Is it still nighttime?” Rane studied the night sky above, lit a shady orange by the city lights. The moment the door was shut behind them, Rane said, “What’s with the attitude? You’re acting kind of funny. Even for you.”

  Dru leaned close as she half carried Rane toward the sidewalk. “I kissed him,” she whispered.

  A lopsided grin spread across Rane’s face. “All right. Right here, sister.” She held up her hand.

  “No! This is not a high-five moment.” Dru took a deep breath of the clean night air and found her way out of the alley to the front driveway. Seeing Nate’s white Prius parked at the curb gave her a twinge of regret.

  Rane sagged painfully against the corner of the building. “Damn. I hurt all over. I’m not ashamed to admit it.” She brightened. “Wait, is Opal bringing beer?”

  Dru shook her head. As much as she tried to stay calm, she felt torn up inside. “That was a terrible thing I just did in there. I cheated on Nate. I kissed a customer. I’m a horrible person.”

  Rane stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.

  Dru folded her arms as Rane guffawed. “It’s not funny!”

  “Oh, check you out with all your guilt. Gimme a break.” Rane cocked her head at Dru. “You grew up Catholic, didn’t you?”

  “Hey, I—” Dru scowled at her. “That’s not the point.”

  Rane cocked an eyebrow. “Dude, you just saved a man’s life in there. Don’t you get t
hat? You’re a hero.”

  “You’re the hero. You jumped in front of that car for me.”

  “Good point.” Rane sighed and gazed off into the distance. “Look, if Nate’s even half the man he needs to be, he’ll understand. It’s not like you ran off to the tropics with some cabana boy.”

  “Still. Greyson’s a customer. And nothing’s settled between me and Nate.”

  “Whatever. You and Nate are taking a break. He’ll just have to deal.” Rane pushed off the wall and put her hands on Dru’s shoulders. “Dude, I was all set to crack Greyson on the head with a crowbar. And you stepped right in and saved his soul. From a demon. That makes you a hundred percent awesome.”

  Dru wasn’t sure she believed that, but it felt good to hear it. She toyed with her glasses. “I guess. Maybe.”

  Rane clapped her on the back. “Congratulations. You’re now officially a sorceress.”

  Dru stared at her in disbelief.

  Rane mistook her doubt for confusion. “Look, it’s not like you have to take a test or get a license or anything. Tonight, you were twice as badass as most of the ones I know.” With her fingers, she tried to fix Dru’s hair. “Plus, you’ve got that whole, I don’t know—” She made a swirly motion around her face. “That whole naughty librarian thing going on. Kind of hot.”

  “What?”

  “Kidding.” Rane put her hands up. “But Greyson digs it, obviously. Now quit feeling sorry for yourself and repeat after me: I’m a sorceress.”

  “I’m not doing this.” Dru turned and walked to the curb and back, shaking her arms out as if she could somehow fling the tension and insanity away from her.

  Rane was still there at the corner, waiting for her. “Come on, say it. Say ‘I’m a sorceress.’”

  “This is ridiculous. I’m going back inside.”

  “He’s still alive, right now, because you’re a sorceress.” Rane gave her a meaningful look. “I don’t know why this is so hard for you.”

  Dru looked down at her ruined dress and tried in vain to straighten it. “I don’t know. It’s just . . . all my life, sorcery was this whole rock-star thing. You know? When I was growing up, my mom was always hooking up with these crazy sorcerers. Some of them were terrible. Some of them could do some amazing things. But I could never do any of it myself.”

  “I know. Your mom told you that you didn’t have any talent. I’ve heard this story like a million times.”

  “Well, she wasn’t entirely wrong. I have just a smidge of talent. That’s it. I never developed any real powers, no matter how hard I tried. And I’ve tried super hard.”

  “I know. I was there.” Rane made a face, apparently reliving some awkward memory.

  Dru sighed. “All I’ve ever been able to do is a few crystal tricks. That’s it. Maybe brew up some potions that never ever seem to work right. So eventually I just, you know, opened up The Crystal Connection. I figured if I can’t fight the bad guys on my own, then the least I can do is help the real sorcerers any way I can.”

  “But tonight was different. Right?”

  Dru shrugged. “I don’t know how to explain it. It came from inside me. I didn’t even know it was there.”

  “That’s totally what I’m talking about,” Rane gushed. As much as Rane ever gushed, in her solid monotone. “When the power comes from inside you, that’s how you know. You are so a sorceress.”

  “But I’ve never done anything like that before. I’ve always needed crystals.”

  “Because that’s your thing. You have crystal powers. I have transformation powers. I need to be touching a solid substance in order to turn into it. But then you came up with the whole ring idea, so I always have something touching my skin. So I can always transform. Those rings help a lot.”

  “Like the crystals help me.”

  “Correct. Point is, somebody else picks up a crystal, they can’t do what you do.” Rane held up her hand with the titanium ring, now scorched and pitted by magic. “Greyson wore this ring, but he couldn’t go metall-o. I can. That’s what makes me a sorceress. You, with the crystals, same deal.”

  Dru shook herself. She still couldn’t believe it. The idea of actually being a sorceress was just too big an idea to handle.

  Rane punched her in the shoulder. “Welcome backstage, rock star.”

  “Ow. Thanks.”

  “So what do we do next?”

  Dru collected her thoughts. “Now, we try to break the spell on the evil death car from hell. That should keep Greyson from hulking out again.”

  “I thought you spray-painted that hunk of junk.”

  “It’s just spray paint. Not real magic. Would you bet Greyson’s soul on a can of Rust-Oleum?”

  Down the street, tires squealed, and they both turned to look.

  “This party just keeps getting better,” Rane said as headlights hurtled toward them.

  16

  PARTY LIKE IT’S 1969

  Opal’s massive purple Lincoln Town Car rocketed toward them. She almost blew right past Greyson’s place, but at the last second, she slammed on the brakes. The front tire hopped up onto the curb and banged down again onto the street.

  Nate’s Prius was the only car parked on that side. The Lincoln plowed up behind it with a shriek of brakes. Dru was terrified Opal wouldn’t be able to stop the heavy car in time, and her mind was filled with visions of broken glass and tow trucks with flashing yellow lights.

  But the long purple Lincoln squealed to a halt with less than a foot to spare between its massive chrome grille and Nate’s defenseless bumper.

  Opal got out and came around to the sidewalk, arms loaded down with bulging canvas tote bags in designer patterns.

  “I brought it all, Dru. There’s more on the seat,” Opal said, huffing as she tottered toward them on clicking heels.

  She set the bags down on the driveway and let out a relieved sigh as she straightened up. Her gaze went from Dru to Rane and back again. “What, did I miss something?”

  “Hell yeah.” Rane grinned. “Dru got all smoochy hot with Greyson.”

  “That’s not funny,” Dru snapped.

  “Really? ’Cause I find it hi-larious.”

  Opal lowered her chin and gave Dru a disbelieving look. “Nothing should shock me anymore.”

  “Can we just focus on the demon problem, please?” Dru picked up one of the tote bags. As always, when loaded with crystals, they were insanely heavy. “It’s complicated.”

  “Oh, girl, it’s always complicated.” Opal shook her head with obvious disapproval. “I’m not saying a word. Not for me to judge.” But her head kept going, side to side, like a bobble doll. “Nuh-uh.”

  Dru sighed and lugged the bag inside.

  Greyson stood beside his black car, arms crossed, frowning at it. At least he was wearing a shirt now. A plain white T-shirt that did nothing to hide the hard outlines of his shoulders and chest. She felt guilty just looking at him, but it wasn’t easy to look away.

  He nodded as they came in. “Evening, ladies.” Then he went back to scowling at the car.

  Dru set down the bag and went over to stand next to him.

  He leaned down closer to her. “I don’t remember much. How bad was I?”

  “Pretty bad, actually.”

  As Rane and Opal brought in the rest of the stuff from the car, Dru told Greyson everything, including the way he’d somehow animated the car to attack them. She finished up by showing him the glyph under the hood, now buried under a blotchy black smear of spray paint, so thick it had dripped down the underside of the metal.

  She deliberately avoided any mention of the kiss. It was like trying to steer around an iceberg, knowing that ninety percent of the danger was lurking beneath the surface. But Greyson didn’t bring it up, either. He just pinched his cleft chin and nodded as she explained everything.

  “There’s one big thing I don’t understand,” she said at last. “Why did the car fix itself after I sprayed out the glyph? It’s almost like the car is receiv
ing its cursed energy from somewhere else, and I interrupted the flow.” She took off her glasses and tapped her teeth with an earpiece. “I wonder if the flow could restart later. Or maybe it already has, and it needs to build up to a certain threshold. There’s just so much we don’t know.”

  “But either way, you’re telling me Hellbringer could attack you again,” Greyson said.

  “I’m sorry, who?”

  “Hellbringer.” He nodded his chin at the car. “That’s what I call it.”

  “You named your car Hellbringer?” Dru put her glasses back on. “Doesn’t that sound a little, I don’t know, fate-tempting-ish?”

  “I had a good reason. I planned to document the whole rebuild online. I needed a catchy name. Didn’t realize the full ramifications, obviously.”

  She peered over the top of her glasses. “You named your car Hellbringer.”

  He shrugged. “Thought about changing it when I realized I couldn’t get a decent license plate. The closest I could get was H-E-L-L-B-G-R.”

  “Sounds like Hell Burger.”

  “Hell Booger,” Rane called.

  Greyson ignored her. “You get my point.”

  “I don’t care if you named it Cupcake,” Rane said, marching past them. “It’s still evil. Let’s take care of this thing the old-fashioned way.” She tightened her fist around her ring and transformed into titanium.

  Greyson’s eyes went wide in surprise. He’d never seen her do that before, Dru realized. But there was no time to explain. She chased after Rane. “Wait, don’t!”

  Rane hesitated just long enough to shoot Dru an uncompromising glare. “Back off. This piece of junk tried to run me over.”

  “Well, pounding on it might just wake it up again. You really want to risk that? Besides, even if we melted this thing down into a pile of slag, it could still channel that demonic energy straight to Greyson. It has claimed him, and only a spell can break that connection.”

  Rane reluctantly lowered her fist. “Fine. Then let’s push it off a cliff somewhere. Or ship it to California and drop it in the ocean.”

  “Distance doesn’t matter.” Dru shook her head. “Hellbringer could be at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and it would still reach out to him. We’re just lucky that it’s right here, where we can do something about it.”