Gods Of The Stone Oracle [Book 6]

by Krista Walsh

  Molly, being human, was the slowest to heal. Daphne hadn’t had much strength to help in that regard, so Vera had ministered to the girl the mundane way — with bandages, rubbing alcohol, and a large mug of hot chocolate. Frank’s healing ability had likely helped avoid the worst of the scarring, but it would take weeks for her arm to recover from Rega’s knife work and Kesh’s burning touch. And there was no telling how long it would take for the damage of Frank’s mind-torture to pass into memory.

  Allegra was the only one not visibly affected by her time away, the cuts and bruises from her fights with the demons already healed over, but she walked with more wariness and stayed closer to Matthew, as though she realized how quickly her world could be stolen from her.

  “Maybe this time we don’t walk away,” Gabe said, and all attention turned to him. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet behind Vera’s place on the couch. “I mean, last time we made the choice to do that, and look what happened. All of us got put in positions where we needed help and didn’t always have it. Maybe Mayes wouldn’t have gotten so far in his plans if we’d chosen to stay together.”

  Allegra sniffed. “As I recall, you were the one who suggested we stay in touch after we escaped Jermaine’s trap. Is this your polite way of offering an ‘I told you so’?”

  Gabe chuckled. “Take it that way if you want, I just mean we make a good team. We’ve proved that. Maybe we should make use of it. Besides, we still have the orb to guard, don’t we? It wouldn’t be fair to leave it under the protection of only one of us.”

  The others didn’t reply, sipping their tea, coffee, and hot chocolate as an excuse to stay silent. No one wanted to think about the plain glass sphere sitting on Percy’s desk. Emmett had taken it with him when they’d left the ferry, but all it did was serve as a quiet reminder of everything they’d endured. More than one of them believed it would have been better to let it sink to the bottom of the ocean.

  “What I don’t understand,” Molly said after a while, “is how everything tied together in the end. From what each of you has told me, I could almost believe Jermaine knew how this would all play out.”

  “I doubt very much that man was blessed with such foresight,” Allegra said.

  Vera nodded. “Frank told us Jermaine wanted to use our blood to give himself more power. In his position at Tartarus, he would have had access to the names and locations of some of the most powerful beings in the otherworld. It must have made his choosing a lot easier.”

  “It’s likely not a coincidence that four of us are related to people he worked with,” Daphne said from her place on the couch. “My good-for-nothing father probably volunteered my name to Jermaine, and the fact that you were Antony’s sister, Allegra, no doubt drew him to you. And I’m sure it was no secret that Frank had been coerced and Susan killed because they wanted to protect Gabe and Vera.”

  At the name of her torturer, Molly winced, and Vera put her arm around the girl’s shoulders.

  Gabe’s brow furrowed. “My father hated what he had to do to you,” he said. “It was because of you that he decided to get out. He really wanted you to get free.”

  Her throat bobbed with a hard swallow. “I’m sorry you lost your father, Gabe. I don’t know if I can forgive him for what he did to me, but I am glad you got to see him again.” She shook her head. “It’s just crazy, you know? When we were transported into Jermaine’s room, we all thought it was random chance, right? But it never was. It was all connected.”

  “Except you, Molly,” Vera said. “You were a wild card Jermaine never could have anticipated.”

  “The problem child,” Daphne said with a chuckle.

  “All the more reason to keep a close eye on you, kid,” Zach said.

  Molly hmphed. “By the sounds of it, I think I’ll have to be the one keeping an eye — metaphorically speaking — on you, Zach. You’ve proved you can’t be trusted not to run into burning buildings on a whim. And now that you have more power than you know what to do with, you’ll be even more of a challenge.”

  “Sounds like things are going to get fun,” Emmett said with a grin.

  Daphne groaned. “I guess I’ll have to be prepared to watch out for all three of you. I can only imagine the trouble you’ll get into.”

  Vera tilted her head back to smile at Gabe. “I guess you don’t need to worry about us going our separate ways this time,” she said. “Your Fates have played a sneaky hand in tying our lives together in ways we never could have imagined.”

  Molly beamed at her. “Like giving me a chance to see the face of an angel. Frank might have tried to keep me from seeing anything beautiful about the world, but thanks to you, I’ll always have that.”

  “Hey,” Zach grunted. “What about me? I’m the actual angel.”

  “And let her see that scowl?” Daphne said. “I thought the goal was not to traumatize her.”

  Zach’s face closed into a glare. Then it opened up as he released a deep guffaw.

  Molly’s mouth fell open. “Did he just laugh? I swear I heard him laugh. It’s a miracle. Daphne, make him do it again.”

  As though their gentle teasing had the power to break through the tension hanging over the room, everyone seemed to let out the breaths they’d been holding.

  While Gabe went upstairs to rest and regain his strength to rift everyone home, the others kept themselves occupied. Emmett and Percy challenged each other to a video game tournament that grew so boisterous, the others booted the whole setup to the basement to get them out of the way.

  Molly and Zach spent the afternoon walking through the woods, giving Molly a chance to enjoy the fresh air she needed following her time in the cage.

  “It’s weird,” she said. “It’s like I smell everything, touch things, sense them around me, and hear their sounds, and from that, I can almost make out the picture. But even though I know I’ve seen glimpses of it, it’s gone. Like a sneeze that won’t come.”

  Zach looked at her and shoved his hands along his sides, only to remember his coat had been destroyed and there were no pockets available.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said, his words coming out gruff. “It shouldn’t have happened. I was supposed to be protecting you.”

  “No, you weren’t,” Molly said, cutting him off. Her voice was hard, as though she were trying to restrain the emotions threatening to rise inside her. “We had that honor debt thing. You worked it off. Then I saved you, then you saved me, rinse and repeat. As far as I’m concerned, you didn’t owe me anything.” She released a breath, and her next words were calmer. “Unless you’d been in my room when they came for me, there’s nothing you could have done to stop them. And you know it.” She held out her arms, and when Zach stepped into them, feeling large and awkward, she enclosed him in a hug. “You came for me when I needed you. That’s what really matters.”

  “Not in time,” he said, taking her hand and lifting the arm Rega had cut into.

  Molly shrugged. “It could have been worse. They had no idea who they were messing with.”

  Zach chuckled. “That I believe.”

  Molly stepped away. “That’s twice you’ve laughed now. You’d better be careful or I might start to think you’re cheering up.” The wind cut through the trees, and she turned her face into it, the muscles in her face relaxing under the sharp freshness. After a moment, she said, “I’ll be all right, you know. As long as I have you around to talk to when I need to, I’ll work through this.”

  Zach dug his toe into the dirt. “I’m not going anywhere, kid.”

  “Good,” Molly said. “Now come on. I smell water up ahead. Is there a river?”

  She took Zach’s hand and dragged him deeper into the woods.

  ***

  Inside, Daphne stayed on the couch in front of the fire. Allegra had taken the seat beside her, although she hadn’t relaxed since Matthew had gone downstairs to watch the men play video games.

  “Do you think Vera’s right?” Daphne
asked, after they’d been sitting in silence for a while. “Do you think we really are stuck together now?”

  Allegra sipped her whiskey. “I hope not. If she is, it would mean those hat-wearing telephone poles are still keeping me in New Haven. If that turns out to be the case, they might be the next threat I tear apart.”

  Daphne cast her a glance, catching the sharp curl of the succubus’s lip before she smoothed her expression. “For the sake of otherworldly history, I hope that’s not the case.”

  “Would it really matter?” Allegra asked. “What does a collection of musty old tomes have to do with our kind? Events so far in the past hardly dictate the future.”

  “Don’t they?” Daphne pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders. “If it weren’t for Vera’s book, the Collegiate would never have witnessed what happened in the locked room. If the demon war hadn’t ended the way it had, Mayes might never have started his project. In either case, none of us would have met. Despite what you claim to feel about the matter, I think my life would be poorer without all of us in it. Including you.” She sneaked a sideways glance at Allegra and caught a faint flush in her cheeks. “Less interesting, at the very least.”

  Allegra crossed one leg over the other, folded her arms, and jiggled her glass. “If you repeat this to anyone, I will deny it, but being in contact with you all is the only thing that has kept me sane while I have been trapped in New Haven. You are not…horrible people to have in my life. And if our paths were to cross again in the future, I would not consider it a complete waste of time.”

  Daphne pressed her hand to her heart. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  Allegra sniffed and shoved Daphne’s shoulder. Daphne laughed and shoved her back. Then both women settled into the couch and eased into the peace of the house.

  ***

  The next evening, Gabe tested his strength by opening a rift to his New Haven office, somewhere easy and familiar. When he was able to pass through with only a minimal strain on his mind, he closed the doorway and turned to the others.

  “You have it?” he asked Emmett.

  Emmett nodded and patted his jeans pocket, where the orb rested in a white handkerchief. The cookie tin had been lost on the ferry, so he was the only one able to carry it safely. Daphne had agreed to keep it with the rest of her mother’s and grandmother’s relics, so at least they could be sure it would be protected by some strong magic.

  They all hoped that would be enough.

  “I guess this is it,” he said. “Are we all ready to return to the real world?”

  Molly grinned. “What are you talking about? This is the real world.” She slipped her fingers through Emmett’s, and he smiled down at her, his cheeks turning pink. “Despite everything, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Zach looked at Gabe and nodded. “I want to see my cat.”

  Gabe laughed and drew his finger through the air, opening a portal into a bright and open backyard. Two dogs started barking as the golden glow of his magic spilled over the grass, and before Molly had a chance to step through, Vidar and Baxter bounded into the house from the other side, charging straight for Vera. She caught them and swept them both into her arms, laughing as they fought for priority in welcoming her back.

  Molly sucked in a deep breath, then she, Zach, and Emmett stepped through.

  41

  Molly’s skin tingled as she crossed the gateway into her yard. For a moment, she was back in her bedroom, being stolen away by Frank and Karl, about to be pushed into a cold, damp cell and left there to be tortured. Tears bit the corners of her eyes, but she squared her jaw and took the extra step, holding Emmett’s hand tighter.

  To her relief, he squeezed back.

  “Molly? Oh my god, Molly!” Her mother’s voice reached her from a distance, and Molly felt her lips split into a grin as she let go of Emmett, eased her archery case to the ground, and stretched out her arms. Dana ran into them, followed closely by the familiar shape of her father as he wrapped his arms around them both.

  “Thank god,” said Fred. “Thank you. Thank you so much for bringing her back.”

  Molly didn’t want to tell them how much her arm ached at the pressure their hug was applying, but she released a breath of relief when they finally let her go.

  Her mother’s fingers stroked her cheek, her familiar jasmine body wash tickling Molly’s nose with its comforting softness. “Look at you,” she said, and by the wobble in her voice, Molly knew she was crying.

  Not that she could judge her for it. The moment her parents had reached her, she hadn’t been able to hold back her own tears. She was home. Now that she was back, she couldn’t believe there was ever a time she’d thought she wouldn’t make it.

  She never would have if it weren’t for Zach.

  Keeping hold of her mom’s hand, she turned toward the daemelus. As soon as she faced him, though, she didn’t know what to say. Thank you didn’t seem nearly enough.

  But he must have understood her silence, because he set his hand on her shoulder, and the weight of it reassured her that they were on the same page. Nothing had changed, and once she’d recovered and her parents agreed to let her out of the house, she would head over to his place just as she’d done for the last month.

  Gentle paws climbed her legs, and Zach’s hand disappeared from her shoulder.

  “She’s gotten fat,” he said.

  “It turns out she has a fondness for knocking chicken breasts off the counters and treating herself,” her dad said. “I guess it doesn’t take long for cats to get a little spoiled.”

  Dusty meowed, no longer the mew of a kitten but an assertive, bold demand for attention. Molly laughed and reached out to find her head, scratching her beneath the chin. She felt the vibration of a purr against her fingers.

  “I’m sorry, we’re being rude,” her mom said. “Who might you be?”

  Molly tensed as Emmett introduced himself. She’d wanted him to come with her, but hadn’t considered the consequences of introducing him to her parents.

  “Emmett came with the others to save me,” Molly said, wanting to ensure her father’s approval before he had a chance to make any judgments for himself.

  “Please join us for dinner,” said her mother. “We’ve made a roast. You too, Zach. Yes, and you too, Dusty.”

  She put her arm around Molly’s shoulders and guided them inside.

  The air changed, and with it came the scent of rich earthy loam. Another figure now stood in front of Molly, one slimmer and shorter than her mother based on the negative space around her. “Did everyone…” The woman didn’t sound familiar, and Molly pulled her mother to a stop.

  “Vera and Gabe are safe,” Zach said, and the stranger released a laughing sob.

  “Who are you?” Molly asked.

  “We’ve never officially met,” she said. “My name is Ara. I…well, I live in the tree outside your window.”

  Molly felt her jaw drop. “So that’s why the branches kept moving for me.”

  “I don’t understand all of this yet,” said her father, “but I do know that I’m hungry. Come on, Ara, there’s lots of room at the table.”

  Molly’s mother hugged her tighter and led her inside. Molly took in the warmth and smells and relaxed into her mother’s hold. She was home, and everything was going to be all right.

  ***

  Gabe closed the rift and turned to Allegra. “You next?”

  “Goddess, yes,” she said. “If I am not able to shower in my own home in the next hour, I might scream.”

  “And we wouldn’t want that,” Daphne said.

  Percy turned to Matthew. “I guess you’re going to want to keep him, huh?”

  Matthew glanced down at the gray wolfhound at his side. “It would deprive you of a friend.”

  “Not like he was doing much in his cage, anyway,” Percy said with a shrug.

  Allegra groaned. “My condo is far from
pet friendly.”

  The hound barked, and his tongue lolled out the corner of his mouth. He was clearly a different beast from the last time she’d seen him.

  “Very well,” she said. “You may keep him if you wish. But he will not be allowed on the bed.”

  Matthew slipped his ghostly arm around Allegra’s waist and brushed his lips against her cheek. A thrill ran through her, and her desire to be alone at home with him flared.

  Gabe raised his hand again and cut a new doorway into Allegra’s spacious condo. She gave him a wink as she passed through. “I’m sure we will see more of each other soon, Gabriel.” She saw Vera quirk an eyebrow at Gabe as he flushed, and she laughed. “Perhaps if you ever wish to find a pair of sunglasses that are not at the bottom of the fashion heap.”

  The rift closed behind her, leaving her, Matthew, and the hound in her quiet apartment. After the busyness of the farmhouse, the silence was sweet.

  “Are you all right?” Matthew asked.

  She gave him a soft smile. “I believe I am. It is not the same experience coming home as it was after what happened at the Garden. Then, I still felt the noose around my neck. Now…perhaps it is wishful thinking, but I think it might be gone.”

  Matthew trailed his hand over her chest, slipping his fingers through her, and Allegra gasped at the coolness of his energy stroking the warmth of her core.

  “So what do we do next?” he asked.

  She moaned and stretched her neck to the side. “Salzburg, then on to Vienna. Perhaps a tour through Italy. Really, I would just like to be anywhere but here.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do,” he said, his dark eyes boring into hers with so much intensity it stole her breath.

  Love. That was what she saw in his gaze, and it stunned her that it had taken her so long to place it. The surprise sank even deeper when she realized how strongly she reciprocated.

  Everything that had happened over the last year had taken its toll on her, but for the first time, she was able to look back at those events without regret. With maybe even a hint of gratitude.