by Dina James
“And I assure you, I will put everything right.” Then he was out the kitchen door, yelling for Billy.
chApter eight
The anubi was nowhere to be found.
Rebecca made herself a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table and tried hard not to think as she sipped at it. Her brow furrowed when she heard the front door open and heavy thuds in the foyer, like a very large person wiping their shoes on the inside mat.
Instantly Syd was by her side, looking highly annoyed.
“Where have you been?” he demanded when Billy finally entered the kitchen.
“Out,” Billy replied. “Some of us need real food, not like you bloodsuckers.”
He grinned at Rebecca, and she couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“I told you, fighting makes me hungry!” Billy said as he set four family-size pizza boxes down on the table. “And didn’t I say I’d get you dinner?” He opened the top box and held it out to Rebecca.
She shook her head. “No thanks. Not hungry.” She surprised herself.
She’d been ravenous all day, until...until the demons...
“More for me,” Billy mumbled around an obscene bite of what looked like three slices of pizza folded into a taco-shape.
Rebecca looked to Syd, wrapping her hands around her own warm mug of tea. She took a sip and studied the vampire sitting across from her. All she really wanted to do was go to sleep and take care of her nana and go to school in the morning and deal with Marla Thompson like normal. Instead she was sitting at a table with a werewolf and a vampire, listening to them discuss how best to raid a demon lair.
She forced her thoughts back to what Syd was saying.
“Now, Billy we need to know which clan they’re from. Can you scent them?”“Sure I can,” Billy said with a shrug. “Their stink is all over the house.”
“Whose stink?” Rebecca asked.
Syd turned on her, his blue eyes fierce. “The demons that came looking for you! Do pay attention, Acolyte!”
Rebecca shook her head. “I don’t get it. I mean...why now? Everything’s been...I don’t know... normal forever. Now suddenly, in the last twenty-four hours...”
“It’s in your blood now,” Syd replied. “Now that you’ve been exposed to the Otherworlds, and your birthday is so close, more will follow. More demons. And they will do so at a pace I only hope you can keep up with, lest they consume you. Your power, that is. It’s far too strong. As...as Armaros said, I can’t hope to hide you. They already know where to look.” Rebecca glanced toward the ceiling, imagining the mirror-portal upstairs just waiting to unleash an army of demons the second she turned seventeen.
She swallowed hard and looked at Syd.
He nodded as though confirming her thoughts.
“If they can get to a Healer before she comes into her power, they can harness its manifestation for their own purposes,” Syd replied. “You’re turning seventeen in two days.”
“Can’t we...I don’t know...close the portal? To keep them from coming through until then?” Rebecca asked.
Syd leveled her with a piercing stare. She was careful not to look directly into his eyes, dark or no. “You could close the portal, yes, but to do so now would be turning your back on all that you are and everything you could become. You have that choice. It’s something mortals have that most Ethereals do not.”
“What?” she asked, confused.
“Free will,” Syd replied. “The portal hasn’t been opened long enough for most beings to realize it, and though war is on the horizon, all-out battle hasn’t begun yet. Believe me, it will begin, and casualties—all manner of creatures in dire need of your assistance—will come through it soon enough. That is, unless you close it again. Martha made that choice for you once, and now the choice is yours. Is it what you truly want, Acolyte? Could you now go back to your old life—for that is how you must look upon it now—knowing that you made this choice when it was presented to you?
That you—forgive my melodrama—turned your back on both who and what you were destined to become?”
Rebecca didn’t hesitate. Not for a second. When she thought about her life as it had been—macaroni and cheese in the cafeteria, Marla Thompson, not having a date for the winter formal—it all seemed so completely idiotic compared to what she had the chance to be. She was needed. Wanted. For the first time ever in her life, she mattered, and the thought of losing that twisted her insides until they hurt.
She shook her head. “I can’t. I won’t. No matter what...things...might um...try to hurt me. So if we can’t close the portal, what else can we do?”
“We know you’re a definite target,” Syd replied. “At first, it was just an educated guess that you would be, and I wasn’t even sure they knew about your existence, but apparently they do. How, I’m not sure. Demons are a lot of things, and one of the things you can do to protect yourself is control your emotions. Demons deliberately provoke stress and anxiety because those are the things they can sense most. Those emotions make you vulnerable to attack. You have to become strong and decisive—”
“Quit cryin’,” Billy interrupted, his mouth full.
Syd glared at the werewolf and went on. “If you do not, they will not only be able to find you easily, they will be able to access your mind and thoughts without much effort. Once they have control of that, it’s only a matter of time before they force full possession. You don’t want that, do you?”
“It’s just...this is hard, and new for me, and—”
“And you’re worried and anxious,” Syd interrupted her. “Time to get tough, Acolyte. Another thing you can do is put the things that worry you away somewhere safe.”
His eyes went to the kitchen entry, and Rebecca understood what he meant before he looked back at her.
Nana.
“You’re in danger, Acolyte, and Martha even more so,” he continued.
“They will kidnap her and use her to make you surrender to them. She doesn’t have enough power to be any use to them besides that, and they will not hesitate to use her to get to you. While Martha is in this house and the portal is open, both of you are in terrible danger.”
“Then we have to get her somewhere safe,” Rebecca said. “But...but she said...she’s only herself again because you’re here. If we send her somewhere...won’t she...slip back to being confused again?”
“I’ll give her a talisman and see that it contains enough of my power to sustain her in her absence,” Syd replied. “So she’ll be safe and you won’t have to worry about her. Remember what I said. You must not worry. You mustn’t. You’re just making yourself a larger target when you worry.”
“I can’t help it! She’s my nana!”
“Then where can she go that you won’t worry about her?” Syd asked.
“Can’t she go somewhere with you?” Rebecca asked. “I wouldn’t worry if she were with you.”
Syd shook his head. “The demons know I’m here now and it won’t take much for them to deduce that I’m protecting you. They’d come for Martha first thing if I tried to conceal her at my clan’s lair or one of the Otherworlds. And while I fear for her safety, you’re more important.” He held up a hand to stop Rebecca’s protest before he continued. “I’m sorry, but you are. You’re the concern, the priority. Now stop worrying and think.” Rebecca swallowed hard and thought for a long moment. “Nana used to have this really good friend. She lives two towns away and they haven’t talked in a long time. Once Nana stopped driving... Anyway, I’m sure Gretchen would be glad to...um...have the company for...for awhile. But Nana will worry and want to be here, and—”
Syd held up his hand again. “Stop worrying about her comfort. This is for her safety and comfort. Make the call. I’ll talk to her and explain.” Rebecca nodded as Syd left the kitchen. She tried to convince herself that this was the right thing to do. The safe thing. She had to get her nana out of there. The demons could have killed her nana today, or taken her hostage, or something horrib
le. All because of her.
Call! she heard Syd order in her mind.
Rebecca stopped worrying and picked up the phone.
w x
Less than an hour later, Martha waved goodbye to her granddaughter from the passenger seat of a, “classic” according to Billy, 1981 Imperial.
Gretchen had been overjoyed to hear from her old friend’s granddaughter and was more than happy to host Martha for a week or so. “More than happy” was an understatement. Gretchen had detailed the remodel of her guest bedroom for Rebecca and raved about how nice it was that Martha would be the first to stay in it. Gretchen insisted that Rebecca not worry at all about her grandmother—she was going to have such a great time! They’d play Scrabble and Nana’s old favorite, gin rummy, and maybe even bridge if their other two friends that made up their old foursome were available.
Rebecca smiled and waved back, assuring her nana she’d be safe. After all, what was she going to do? Throw wild parties with all her friends?
When the car had disappeared from the driveway with her nana and the evil white menace Mishka inside it, Rebecca went back into the kitchen.
Syd and Billy were upstairs trying to figure out what clan the demons had come from. Rebecca poked what little remained of Billy’s three pizzas around inside their boxes and thought about cleaning up when the werewolf entered the kitchen carrying the fourth box with him, still scarfing now-cold pizza.
He offered her the box again, and again she waved him off. Ew.
Rebecca made a pot of coffee, glad for once that her nana wasn’t there.
Nana never let her make herself a coffee. She believed it would stunt her growth. At the very least it would keep her awake all night, which is exactly what Rebecca was hoping it would do.
It’s not like she was tired anyway. Like she could think about sleep after today! Besides, with everything that had happened over the last day or so, she was going to need the caffeine just to keep up with all she had to learn!
Billy tossed his pizza box on top of the others on the table and went to rummage through the fridge. “Got anything to drink?”
“I’m making some coffee,” Rebecca offered. “Want some?”
“You humans don’t know how to make coffee.” Billy scowled at the fridge and slammed the door shut, causing the condiments in the door to rattle. He took a deep sniff before he stood up went to the pantry. He reached above the door, his brow furrowing before he smiled. In his hand was a brown unlabeled bottle. “Ha! Wasn’t sure Martha had any left. Not like this stuff goes bad.”
Billy pried the brown leathery-looking cap off with his teeth and spit it toward the sink where it landed with a thud against the stainless steel. He took a long drink, draining half the bottle.
“Even warm, this stuff is the nectar of the gods!” He took four more bottles down and went to the kitchen table where he flopped in a chair next to his empty pizza boxes.
Rebecca’s brow furrowed and she went into the pantry and looked up.
There, above the door, was an open cupboard without a handle. She looked at Billy, confused.
“Most Healers have a place to stash stuff outside the enclave that don’t belong in it, and don’t want company snooping around in your private things,” Billy explained the hidden cupboard in the pantry. “And I have a sensitive nose. Can’t hide a whole lot from an anubi, especially in this realm!”
“Hey, I’m beginning to realize there’s a lot of stuff hidden in this house,” she replied, shrugging as she came back to the table. “What is that, anyway?”
“Fae ale,” Billy said. “Faerie beer,” he clarified when Rebecca gave him a confused look. “Those garden boys know how to make all kinds of stuff from the plants they love so much, and they make a mean drink!” Rebecca shook her head and made herself a cup of coffee with loads of milk and sugar. She sat back down at the table and smiled at the big guy.
The werewolf winked at her and nodded toward the pizza box. “Eat up. You wouldn’t make a mouthful.”
When she made a face and shook her head, Billy shoved the top box toward her. “Come on now. You gotta eat. Chow down.” Rebecca sighed and took a single slice of the cold pizza just so he’d stop offering it to her. “I’m not a dog, Billy.”
“Neither am I, Bit.” He took a swig of his beer. “Since I’m stayin’ here tonight, you got anyplace special you want me to den up?” Rebecca shook her head. “Wherever you like, I guess. I’m not real sure what a guy like you would find comfortable. You can have Nana’s bed if you want, I guess. It’s not like she’ll be using it, and it’s the biggest one we have.”
“Nah. Beds is for humans. I’ll find someplace comfy. Just the night, mind. Any longer and...well...let’s just say you ain’t the only one with jerks wanting to take a bite out of you. My brother Denis makes old Armaros look sweet.”
He eyed the pizza left over in the box in front of Rebecca. With an impish smirk he leaned over and took two slices in one hand. He winked at her stuffed both pieces in his mouth at one time.
“Do you always eat like that?” she asked.
“Like what?”
“Uh...”
“Like a pig?” Billy teased. He grinned at her. “I might look it sometimes, Bit, but I ain’t human, and you humans don’t eat enough to keep a pup alive, let alone a full-grown anubi.”
“Which is right? ‘Anubi’ or ‘werewolf ’?” Rebecca asked, propping her chin up on her hand. “‘Anubi’ sounds like that Egyptian god we learned about his history class—Anubis. He has the body of a man and the head of a jackal.”
Billy nodded and grinned. “Egyptians worshiped us as gods once, and named Anubis after us. The real word for my people is ‘Anubi’, though
‘werewolf ’ is an easier term for humans to understand. I’m an anubi—a man-wolf, not some silly wolf-man like in a movie.”
“What’s the difference?” Rebecca asked. She was serious and interested, not flippant. “Are there...wolf-men?”
Billy shook his head. “Those are just made up, and a way for humans to explain the occasional anubi sighting. I’m a wolf who can look human.
I walk on two legs, just like humans, but can and do run on all-fours like you’ve seen. Just remember, when you see me as a human, it’s just in human form. That’s not what I am.”
“So, you’re just looking human?”
“No, I’ve changed my form to be human at the moment,” he clarified.
“And if you noticed, it isn’t some stupid transformation under a full moon where I snarl and drool and howl and every bone in my body cracks and stretches blah blah blah. This form won’t fool anything Ethereal. It’s really just for looks. For humans.”
“Why don’t I see you as a wolf then? I’m supposed to have this power, right?” Rebecca asked. “You look like a normal guy that belongs on my school’s football team.”
“You’re not old enough,” Billy replied. “When you turn seventeen, your power will manifest fully and you’ll be able to see more things for what they are.”
“I still don’t know what this power thing really is,” Rebecca admitted.
“Or what’s so special about me turning seventeen. I’m supposed to have a lot of power—so much that Nana and Syd are worrying about it possibly doing something bad to me when my birthday comes. If I’m this big deal, why hasn’t anything messed with me before?”
“Because you’re not an Ethereal,” Billy replied with a matter-of-fact shrug. “You have power, yeah, and a lot of it. Even I can feel it and anubi ain’t no kind of sensitive to those things like the vamps, but it’s...mortal. It comes from you, your life-force, here, not from another realm. Mortals can’t share their life-force with anyone, not even among themselves, except a few like you. Ethereals can, and do, share their power with one another, and with those who can be receptive.”
“Like...?” Rebecca prompted.
“I’ll try to explain in a way you’ll get, but I ain’t no good at stuff like this like Syd is,” Billy r
eplied, sighing a little. “Let me think.” His eyes went to the pizza still in the box before them. He pointed to the missing slices.
“Say this pizza, when it still had all the pieces, is the power an Ethereal has,” Billy said. “Let’s say...a vamp, like Syd.”
“Syd is a pizza, got it,” Rebecca said with an impish grin.
I am not a pizza, Acolyte.
Syd? Aren’t you supposed to be finding out which demon clan took Ryan? Stay out of my brain!
Aren’t you supposed to be working on shielding your thoughts?
Oops.
“Hey, Bit, pay attention,” Billy chastised, though he was smiling. “I’m lessoning you here.”
“Sorry, Billy,” Rebecca said, but without sincerity. She enjoyed the thought of Syd being a pizza too much to really be sorry.
Billy rolled his human eyes at her and continued. “Now, we’ve eaten some of the pizza, and it’s filled us up, right? We’re not hungry anymore.”
“Well I’m not,” Rebecca teased. “Can’t say you’re not, because you’re probably thinking about waffles.”
“Good places, waffle joints, especially the ones that are open all day and night. Sometimes a guy just needs a waffle, no matter what human time it might be. But you’re missing the point. You ain’t hungry no more, are you?” Rebecca shook her head.
“So Syd gives—let’s say Ryan, who has a hard time keeping hold on his and making his own, or your Nana, since she ain’t got much of her own no more—a slice of pizza.. his power. .so they ain’t hungry,” said Billy. “He’s sharing his own with them. Get it?”
Rebecca’s brow furrowed. “I think so. It kind of makes sense. So...
Nana...can’t remember things because she needs...a slice of pizza?” Billy nodded. “When she was younger, like you, she had her own pizza to keep her fed. Like you, she could make more pizza to replace what she shared with others, unlike now. She could, and did, share it with those who needed it, like you do with Ryan.”