by Ruby Raine
BACK AT THE NEWS VAN, the cameraman shook himself, blinking. “Oh, there you are,” he said to Courtney. “So, Mermaid Point is it?”
She frowned, furrowing her brow. “Give me a minute. There might be a change of plans.”
“You’re the boss.” He shrugged, packing up his camera gear.
Courtney meandered to the back of the van, befuddled that a vampire had just tried to persuade her. She’d played along. Had a bit of fun with him. Seemed the safer option than letting them know she was a witch. Plus, he was easily flustered.
“Almost charming,” she muttered thoughtfully.
She’d known there were witches on the Isle, but had no idea they worked alongside a vampire. And the local witches were supposed to be good witches. She’d heard tales of them all her life. But was there really such a thing as a good vampire? She could not fathom the idea.
But what did she do now? Do her job and follow the biggest lead she’d had on the Feyks to date? Or keep her identity secret? She hadn’t planned on making contact with the local witches. She wanted to do her job and get off the Isle.
“I’ve spent three years tracking Stricker. It might take me years to track him down again. I can’t lose this chance.” But not heeding the vampire’s orders might prove an equally terrible mistake.
THE D.I.C.S. TRUCK, otherwise known as the Demon Isle Cleaning Service, pulled into the Howard’s driveway. Normally, they cleaned buildings for the businesses around town. Most importantly to the Howards, they were aware of the supernatural business that took place on the Isle and were willing to clean up the messes that were left behind. Which could get pretty gnarly from time to time.
They towed a crane and forklift, ready to move and place the crates and their contents (the gargoyles) into place around the mansion.
Earl Skidgel, the elder cleaner, set into backing the forklift off the trailer. Josh, his son, came up to speak with Melinda.
“Hello,” she called out. “Thanks for doing this. I know it’s not exactly in your job descriptions.”
Josh was twenty-six, the same age as Charlie. They’d gone to school together on the Isle, but he’d only recently joined the family business after spending a couple years off the Isle.
“I hear you guys are spread a little thin,” said Josh. “We don’t mind at all.”
“I brought you guys a bite to eat. Figure it’s the least I can do, seeing as we’ve kept you pretty busy today.”
Josh and his father had spent the morning cleaning up the Jordan summer home, and all evidence of their lives there. Including the dead body of Anthony Jordan.
“Oh, nice, thanks. Just set’em down on the porch and we’ll have a bite before we get to moving these things.”
Melinda was surprised he didn’t question her about the Jordan incident.
Mack had explained a bit ago that she’d put all the Jordan’s belongings into storage and let the siblings cipher through them at their leisure. In case there were any clues, or helpful items to help figure out all the damage the Jordan’s had done. And just how far their reach was, off the Isle.
If there were any next of kin, she’d handle that as well. Although so far, she’d had no luck tracking down any relatives.
Earl jumped down from the forklift, heading in their direction.
“I hope this morning wasn’t too brutal for you?” Melinda said to Josh. She couldn’t imagine having a job where sometimes you had to dispose of a dead body.
“We don’t ask questions. Just clean,” explained Josh. His eyes shouted that he had a hundred questions.
“That’s right,” said his father, Earl, coming up behind him. “We don’t need to know the business. We just clean it up. Ask no questions. Just do the job.”
Josh shrugged.
While he and his father each wolfed down a sandwich, Melinda explained where each gargoyle needed to be perched. Two at the front steps of the house and the other two at the very back of the yard. Thankfully, upon inspection, the gate leading into the back was wide enough for the forklift to squeeze through.
She let them get to it as Lucas appeared on the front porch.
“Had to stuff the bandana back in Riley’s mouth.”
“Did he eat anything? Drink anything?”
“No. Just spewing more spite than one person should be capable of.”
“This is taking far too long. What if they can’t capture a Feyk?” moaned Melinda.
Lucas didn’t respond, having no words of comfort to offer.
Josh reappeared with his father.
“Checked everything out,” said Earl. “We should be good to go.”
“That’s great,” she answered, glad to be accomplishing something of value.
Earl glanced sideways at Lucas.
“Oh, sorry, forgot you guys haven’t met. This is Lucas... Deane,” Melinda added clearing her throat. “He’s helping out today, too.”
“I know who ya are,” bleated Earl. He was hesitant at first, but held out his hand after a moment.
“Nice to meet you,” said Lucas.
Earl nodded. “Did Josh tell ya the news?” he aimed at Melinda.
She shook her head.
Josh explained. “Dad’s officially retiring at the end of summer. I’m taking over.”
Melinda congratulated him, noting his father couldn’t have seemed happier that his son was taking over the family business.
“Well, if things keep up like they have been, you’ll have more business than you can handle,” vowed Melinda. She poured them each a chilled glass of tea. The humidity and heat were sticking around even though the sun was starting to drop.
“We’d better get goin’,” said Earl. “This could take some time and from what I hear, we want to get these things in place before dusk.”
“Will we actually see them move?” asked Josh, with a bit of nervous eagerness.
“I honestly have no idea,” laughed Melinda. “All I know is they are supposed to wake up when it’s dark enough. They travel in the shadows of the moon. They are supposed to be perfectly harmless. Oh, and they’re vegetarians.”
“Wicked,” said Josh.
His father coughed meaningfully.
“Sorry,” Josh apologized. “No worries, now. We’ll get it done.”
A SILENT CLOCK TICKED in Charlie’s mind, a nagging reminder that time was drifting by and they had still not captured a Feyk or cured Riley. That Eva was still hiding out with the Feyk most likely sharing all the intimate knowledge she’d collected from reading the diary, or from her time on the Isle.
Charlie asked William to persuade a tourist to let them borrow his boat. Charlie’s own was docked too far away and not ready to use. He’d left the gas tank empty after his last fishing trip. The tourist prepped the boat for departure and handed the key over to Charlie before getting in his car and leaving the dock.
“Sure you won’t join me?” asked Charlie. He knew William was not fond of the water.
“Water and vampires, not a healthy combination.”
“Not like it can kill you.”
“No. But holding my breath for that long seems, unnatural.”
“You’d be on a boat.”
William shook his head. “I’m good. Although, I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone to do this task.”
“I’m going to pose as a tourist and see if I can confirm that the Feyk are hiding out at the fort. That’s all. No contact. I’ve got the ring,” he reminded. The ring... a subject that had so many questions that needed answering. A ring that had allowed his wolf to act out its most primal urges as he romped around the Isle fucking Eva Jordan.
He closed his eyes wishing away the thoughts and memories. He did not remember all they’d done, but he recalled enough. And he didn’t have time to process it all.
“Charlie,” the vampire called out softly.
“Yeah.” He picked up his head and opened his eyes.
“What happened to you, it wasn’t your fault. Eva tricked you
.”
“Only about being pregnant. The other stuff we did, that was all me. All my wolf.”
“True. However, you must remember that her purpose here on the Isle included claiming you. Stealing you away from your duty and your family.”
Charlie sighed and nodded. “It’s all just so very messed up. And I haven’t had time to let it all process yet. I have so many questions about the ring that I might never get the answers to.”
William sucked in a coarse breath. “Can you do what’s necessary, Charlie? Considering your history with Eva? You were not seeing her consciously, but somewhere in your subconscious or perhaps even consciously, you must have found her appealing. At least a little.”
“I guess there was a part of me that did see some potential. It’s gone now. It died this morning.” He stared evenly at the vampire. “I’ll do whatever I have to, William. I am prepared to do what is necessary. My family and protecting the Demon Isle come first. Always.”
“Very well.” William reached out and patted his shoulder kindly. And what if Eva had actually been pregnant with his child, what then? At least that is one question we do not need to answer. He feared what this experience was doing to his charges. The permanent changes that would inevitably come once the job was finished.
Charlie jumped onto the boat and prepared to cast off.
William put on a weak smile. “I’ll check in with Michael and Lizzy at White Pines, and then head home to check in on Melinda and Lucas. I want to personally check that the gargoyles are securely in their new homes.”
Charlie tipped his fingers from his head at William and cast off. When he looked back the vampire was already gone. It didn’t take long for Charlie to reach the shores behind the old fort. He stuck a bait-less fishing rod into the water, to make it look as though he was a tourist.
He didn’t need binoculars to look for signs of the Feyks. His wolf eyes were strong enough to see what he needed.
Disappointingly, he saw nothing. No movement. No sign of any activity at all.
If they had been hiding out at the fort, they were not, now. Or they had some sort of magic at their disposal that could cloak their presence. It wasn’t an easy thing to create, it seemed more likely that if they were not here now, they had moved on.
Charlie hoped it wasn’t to White Pines.
He flicked the pole around, pretending to fish. He’d give it a little more time, just in case.
ON THE SHORE, COURTNEY Jessup lowered her binoculars. She’d let the cameraman take the afternoon off saying she needed to work on her blog and go through all the leads and make a plan of action.
Instead, she’d gone to where she believed the witch and the vampire would go. To see if the Feyk were at the fort. She’d just watched Charlie spying on the location and saw the look of disappointment spread across his face.
They’d moved. It was all the info she needed. She would keep searching. But now she’d follow the witch’s trail. The tourists were always a few steps behind in reporting their sightings. Now that the witches were searching, she would follow them.
WILLIAM CAME SCREECHING into White Pines at full vampire speed, stopping without warning in front of Michael and Lizzy, jumping them both.
“Sorry.”
“Some warning would have been nice,” chastised Michael. “A bit on edge here.”
William threw him an apologetic gesture. “Anything to report?” He breathed in deeply, smoothing out a wrinkle he’d just discovered in his shirt. He flexed and stretched his neck a little after.
“That right there, what you just did,” said Lizzy, “is by far the most exciting thing that’s happened all afternoon.” It ended with a wink.
William did not reply, but found her playful response did not annoy him as much as it usually did. Michael thought nothing of it, starting to get used to Lizzy’s outwardly flirtatious nature.
“Charlie is following up on a lead,” William explained. “We believe the Feyk may be hiding out at the old fort at the back of the park.”
“Really? Good hiding spot.”
“Yes. I wanted to check in with you two before heading home. Are you both okay to stay a bit longer? The cleaners are currently setting the gargoyles in place. I’d like to check on the progress.”
Michael glanced at Lizzy.
“I’m fine,” she shrugged. “Bored out of my mind, no offense Michael, I’m just not a sit around waiting, kind of girl, and I’m fairly certain I gained three pounds eating pastries today.” She shrugged again. “I’m good for another watch.”
“What she said,” agreed Michael, rubbing his sugar-filled belly. “And no offense taken, Lizzy. Sitting in the woods all day is about the most boring thing I’ve ever done.” But also a nice break... he hated to admit how everyone’s emotions were dragging him down and wearing on him. Though bored, he’d rather stay in the woods where at least he had a bit of peace.
His phone buzzed. A smile etched across his face. And the day just got way better. “It’s Emily,” he said, answering her call.
William’s face turned to stone the moment the call went live. He disappeared in a flash, his reaction instant.
The frenzied scream coming through Emily’s phone line was stomach churning.
Even Lizzy heard it a few feet away, her insides turning to ice.
Michael froze, unable to move, think, or create a coherent thought. His breath and voice cemented in his throat.
Lizzy grabbed hold of him. “Screw being here. Let’s go!”
They raced to the truck. Michael would not allow Lizzy to try driving. He wanted to arrive in once piece. She didn’t think he was in the right state of mind for driving. Regardless, she didn’t argue, and they sped off leaving a trail of debris behind them.
THE TWO GARGOYLES AT the back of the mansion were out of their crates and perched. They looked like stone statues, nothing more. No movement or indication they were alive at all. They appeared similar to each other and yet had slight differences that told them apart.
They had wrinkly looking skin, wide faces, with grins reminiscent to a pit bull thought Melinda, except that each had long fangs that overlapped their lips. Giant, bat-like wings lined their backs- Melinda hadn’t realized they’d be able to fly. One was a little taller than the other, and the other a little wider.
At the front of the mansion, the other two crates were opened, but not perched. Dusk was near. Soon the moon would rise and the gargoyles would spring to life, slipping into the shadows as they kept watch over the grounds. Earl Skidgel and his son, Josh, were scurrying to get them perched and in place before that happened.
Melinda and Lucas were on the front porch with the front door open behind them, letting the cool ocean breeze flow into the mansion. The heat of the day had finally relented. Melinda sat on the edge of the porch her leg shaking unconsciously, her fingers tapping against her shaking leg.
Lucas leaned over and gently pushed against her thigh. “That’s not helping.”
She frowned. “Sorry. This sitting around waiting is driving me to new levels of crazy.” The more hours that passed, the prophetic dream she’d had the night before sliced its way to the surface of her thoughts. We have Riley tied up in the basement, she kept reminding herself. He can’t hurt anyone as long as he’s there. He can’t torture William as long as he’s there.
“I didn’t think we’d still be sitting here come evening myself,” Lucas said invading her thoughts. He glanced back into the house. You could just make out the kitchen, where the basement door was located.
“I don’t know how much longer Riley has until he’s just too far gone,” Melinda rambled in a panic. “I mean, it’s been all day! What’s taking so damn long?” Her breaths got shorter, air hard to get into her lungs. “What if we can’t get the Feyks to undo what they did to him?” Her heart stuttered, skipping a beat. “What if he just keeps getting worse? What if I didn’t do enough to stop my vision from coming true? What if he hurts someone? What if he kills...”
<
br /> Lucas pulled her to her feet. “Take a breath.”
She did, but it was shaky and shallow. “Panic attack,” she squeaked out.
“Obviously.”
She saw the same fears swimming in his eyes, but he was staying so calm. How?
“I’m okay,” she insisted sharply.
He lifted an eyebrow in distrust of that statement.
“No. I’m not,” she caved.
“Didn’t think so. It will be okay, Melinda. Just breathe.”
She nodded. Please. Please. Please. If there’s anyone in the cosmos in charge of such things, please let it all be okay. Please don’t let anyone get hurt. Please don’t let Riley hurt anyone. He’s not a killer. He’s not even a violent person.
A soft touch caressed her cheek. Her eyes darted upward to see Lucas looking quite concerned. She pushed out a rushed exhale.
“I’m okay now. Really.”
He accepted her answer this time and dropped his hand.
She watched Earl and Josh move gargoyle number three onto its perch.
Just one left to go.
Shouting echoed from the basement, wafting out to them on the front porch.
“Great, he got that frigging bandana out of his mouth,” sighed Lucas.
“How are you not having a panic attack right now?” grilled Melinda.
“Oh, I am. I just react differently to panic then you do.”
“By seemingly being the picture of perfect coolness?”
He chuckled. “I used to get them a lot after my parents died, and I was suddenly custodian of a younger brother. I got some help.”
“What kind of help?”
“Mainly, the kind of help that showed me how important it is to see that when everything is spiraling out of control, to remember the things that are also going right. It’s a rare occurrence that everything is actually going wrong, all at once. But our minds go on this autopilot, pulling out all that’s negative.”
“It’s hard to focus on the positive when the bad sucks so royally,” said Melinda.