Worth Your While

by Connie Suttle

  The packing tape holding the bubble wrap securely around it had been liberally applied, and, since my nails were barely above the tips of my fingers, it took a while to peel it away.

  Once the tape was removed, I unwrapped the plastic around the pyramid to hold it in my hands.

  The subsequent flash of light and stab of pain to my head was the last thing I remembered for a while.

  Chapter 5

  Cassie

  With no idea how long I'd been unconscious, I pulled myself off the floor and felt a wave of dizziness wash over me.

  What the hell happened?

  I only recalled unwrapping the pyramid, and then blinding light and pain.

  Did I have a stroke? Where was the pyramid?

  Frantically I began to search, until I knelt beside the bed and reached beneath it. My hand touched the tip of the pyramid, and I froze.

  The tip of the pyramid. The top of it, that was broken—was now in one piece and whole. Jerking the pyramid from beneath the bed, I stared at it—it looked as if it had never been damaged. Script covered the parts that were missing before—script I couldn't read.

  Not then, anyway.

  Earth sprite scholars had examined it the first time, and they'd only deciphered parts of it. I wasn't about to ask them to look at it again. In fact, I was reluctant to tell anyone about this.

  With shaking hands and trembling breaths, I wrapped it in the bubble wrap again, then went looking for a safe place to keep it. If Shakkor Agdah learned of it, they'd come looking for the pyramid—and for me.

  "Is it too late to add to the shopping list?" I asked Gina, when I passed her in the hallway later.

  "No—but Gemma will be leaving in about fifteen," she said.

  "Good. I have a short list to add. Where can I find her?"

  "In the kitchen. Beverly has a long list of groceries, so Jerry is going with her to help."

  "Can't go wrong with a rock demon to fetch and carry," I said. "I'll go catch them before they leave." I sprinted along the hallway on my way to the kitchen; it would take five minutes to get there from where I currently was in the house.

  "I have a few things to add," I said when I skidded into the kitchen a few minutes later. I waved the slip of paper I'd written my requests on; Gemma held out her hand to take it.

  Gemma was in her early thirties, had light-brown hair and wore makeup that covered a wealth of natural beauty, in my opinion. I didn't say anything while she scanned my list. "For sure," she nodded at the last item I'd added. "I'll get you taken care of, don't worry."

  "Thanks," I said. "You're a life saver."

  "I'd say that remains to be seen," she offered a luminous smile. "Are you ready, Jerry?" she asked her guardian rock demon.

  "Ready," he agreed. "Who's driving?"

  "You mean you're not going to insist on taking the wheel?"

  "First time in Atlanta," he grinned. "You'd have to tell me where we're going anyway."

  "In that case, I'll be happy to drive," Gemma said. "Come on, these groceries won't buy themselves."

  "Noooo," Jerry teased on their way out the door.

  "Well if that don't beat all," Beverly settled fists on her hips when the door closed behind them. "Gemma usually doesn't get too close to anything male-oriented."

  "Seriously?" I turned toward Beverly.

  "Yep. When the owners are here, she makes sure to stay out of their way—especially the mister."

  "You think maybe he's a," I hesitated, wondering whether I should keep going with this train of thought.

  "A womanizer?" Beverly hmmphed. "I don't think so. She came here like that—shy of anything male. No idea what Jerry has that the others didn't, or vice-versa."

  I wondered if Trey's compulsion had anything to do with Gemma's new mood. I made a mental note to ask Parke about it later.

  Did Jerry leave to get groceries yet? Parke asked me.

  He and Gemma left a few minutes ago. You can call him if you want to add to the list.

  I'll do that.

  Wait—I have a question about Gemma and the compulsion Trey placed on her. What, exactly, did he say to her?

  That if she saw anything unusual, to treat it as normal, and to trust us.

  I think you may have done a misdeed, then.

  How so?

  Beverly says that she's very shy around males, and I figure there's a good reason for that. Now she's acting out of character. If Beverly notices, somebody else could, too.

  Who is she going to see that will notice, outside Beverly?

  No idea, but it could happen.

  I think you're worrying about nothing. We don't need her afraid of anybody here, okay? If it turns into a problem, we'll deal with it.

  Fine. Call Jerry and tell him you want extra-soft toilet paper.

  How did you know? he teased.

  Hmmph.

  Lilith Sloane

  I turned down Alys Drive in Temperance Acres, driving slowly past houses that most people could only dream about.

  So.

  This was where that treacherous little bitch had holed up, after sending my Doyle to prison. Well, I knew somebody. Her days were numbered now. Too bad she'd made me hunt for her all these months.

  "We'll be back for you, you trollop," I promised under my breath and drove past the massive house. Anybody who lived there ought to watch out—she'd probably accuse them of rape and torture, too.

  All I had to do was place a call and pay half up front. Somebody would be watching the house from now on, looking for an opportunity to make Gemma Chandler dead.

  Cassie

  "What are you doing?" Parke walked into the bedroom just as I was putting the last of my new toiletries away.

  "Just putting up stuff that Gemma and Jerry picked up for me," I said. "Do you need something?"

  "It's going to take an hour or longer to get to the location, so we need to eat in about half an hour, then get ready to go. Traffic is brutal in Atlanta—at least that's what more than two dozen people have told me today."

  "And we don't need to be held up with werewolves in the car."

  "Or rock demons, ice demons, or anybody else who changes on a full moon."

  "Understood. Has somebody told Jon that he'll be here with the vamps and the other staff tonight?"

  "Trey told him last night, and also told him to keep his eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary, and to go straight to Trey or Grim with what he knows."

  "A good shriek will send the vamps running in the right direction," I pointed out.

  "That, too."

  "I'm not sure I'll be making the change," I told him, meeting his gaze from across the room. "Does that bother you?"

  "You may want to anyway—just to make sure."

  "Sure of what?"

  "That you ah, still can change, I guess."

  "You're worried that the asshole wizard may have done more damage than we already think?"

  "I just want to make sure everything is as fine as it can be."

  Unsure how to take all this, I kept the growing worries to myself. Why wouldn't that part be fine? Granted, I hadn't attempted the change, but there really hadn't been a good opportunity—or a reason for it.

  Was he worried I was more than broken emotionally? What would that mean if I were?

  "I can see I've upset you, when I didn't mean to," he began to walk toward me.

  "No," I held up a hand to stop him. "I'll sort this out on my own, thanks." Stalking past him, I went through the door, heading for the kitchen. Maybe Beverly had something I could pound into submission, like mashed potatoes or other, surly vegetables.

  Less than two hours later, after a rather uncomfortable dinner where Parke talked and I didn't, we loaded into SUVs for the trek to the location. I still didn't know where we were going, but Cliff and Parke did.

  I sat in the back with Destiny, while Kate rode in the middle row with Gina and Kent. "You okay?" Destiny's hand closed around mine as Daniel drove us onto Alys Drive
and turned right.

  "Yeah, I'm okay," I sighed. "You and Kate hanging out with Jerry and Pete?" I asked.

  "Supposed to," she said. "So they can keep an eye on us. What about you?"

  "I'm still trying to decide whether I want to change," I replied.

  "I can't believe you spent all those years not changing," she leaned her head against my shoulder.

  "Aunt Shelby said it was important, so I learned to squelch the urge."

  "I miss her."

  "Me, too."

  "Sometimes, I try to remember anything about Mom, but nothing comes."

  "Baby girl, you were too little," I put an arm around her. "I used to stand beside the counter in the mornings when she made biscuits and watch as she just threw everything together. They always came out perfect, too."

  "Like Aunt Shelby's?"

  "Like that," I agreed. I didn't add that Mom would smile at me while she worked the dough and rolled it out on a pastry sheet. Those smiles were tiny gifts I tucked in my memory, holding onto them tightly so they wouldn't escape.

  "Gran Kate says my ice demon is strong," Destiny said. "Really strong."

  "Hon, I knew that the second you defended yourself against an older water demon, and came out on top."

  "She shouldn't have done what she did."

  "None of those people on the other side that night should have done what they did. They started a war; we fought back. I'm not sorry they lost."

  "I'm not sorry Shakkor Agdah lost last time, either. Two girls I went to school with in Alabama died from that awful disease. I thought you were gone, too."

  "So did I, honey. So did I."

  Douglasville, Georgia

  Dalton King

  "Hurry up, I'm getting itchy," I snapped at my son. "It'll be too bad that we left our tail back in Tuscaloosa. They won't know we hitched a ride with Ralph Greenville, courtesy of Vaalenn."

  "Did Greenville say where he planned to go tonight? He has to change somewhere," Morton growled at me.

  "Why? You want to be under Greenville's thumb instead of Vaalenn's?"

  "Wouldn't hurt. He has money hidden—you can bet on that."

  "Somebody's tired of eating fast food," I pointed out.

  "And what if I am? Hell, we've gone to bat for Vaalenn, just like we did for Ruudann. At least Ruudann got what he wanted, even if he did have to die for it. The girl's dead, and there won't be another they can lay their hands on so easy. Black Myth's star is rising, boy, and we're gonna rise with it."

  "First, we have a few assassinations to deal out, or did you forget about those?"

  "We've got help coming, or did you forget about them?"

  "I'm not risking my life against rock demons until I know the help's arrived."

  "Sensible plan. Make sure the backup is there before we take on whatever they've got to throw against us. Without Cassie, they won't stand a chance, when Black Myth shows up with demon killers."

  "They better show up with those weapons. I want assurances that we'll survive this."

  "Trust me—we're too important for them to just toss away. We've carried the ball for them too many times."

  "Tell that to Ruudann. Oh, I forgot—he's dead."

  Fairfield, Alabama

  Rob

  "How the hell did they get away from us?" I demanded. Will ignored my question regarding Dalton and Morton's disappearance; instead, he stood beneath a tree next to a restaurant parking lot, with his eyes closed.

  "We're needed in Atlanta. Yosuke says there's danger," Will's eyes and mouth popped open simultaneously.

  "Damn," I hissed.

  "We don't have time to dither; they checked out of the motel behind us about four hours ago—and their tracking trace ended abruptly just off the sidewalk outside it," Will said. "That means someone gave them a ride, and they're in Georgia by now. Just as well, I suppose; I used up the last of the clothing and hair we found in New Orleans to track them this far. If they've learned somehow where the Chancellor intends to spend the full moon, then we'll have trouble.

  "As in Black Myth trouble?"

  "Undoubtedly. Come. I will take you to Yosuke, who will help us find our quarry. I hope."

  "You hope?" My words turned into garbled porridge as Will grasped my arm and moved us, employing the uncomfortable displacement trick that he uses. It never failed to leave me ruffled and feeling as if I'd left something behind—such as my ass or my feet.

  Averill, I managed to send a message after my initial disorientation, help is needed.

  Privately-owned land, south of Big Haynes Creek Recreational Area, Georgia

  Parke

  "Chancellor, this is Mac Harbour, Packmaster for the Eastern Atlanta Pack," Cliff introduced us.

  "Chancellor, it's an honor to meet you," he shook my hand. "I do want to discuss something in private with you and Cliff before we ah, get started tonight."

  "All right." I knew that he was beginning to feel the moon's pull, just as Cliff did, so we had to hurry. "We'll step over here," I pointed to a spot nearby, within a narrow clump of trees.

  We strode the distance quickly, before Mac drew to a stop. "I got a call from the Prince of Alabama two hours ago," he said softly. "He finally got around to talking about the full moon and where you might end up, tonight, Chancellor. I want you to know I lied to him and told him that the Douglasville Pack was playing host. I worry now that I may have placed them in danger."

  "Why would Greenville even want that information?" Cliff frowned at me.

  "There's no need for him to have it," I growled. "Is it too late to get the Douglasville Packmaster on the phone?"

  "I'll try now," Cliff said, although his words sounded as if his werewolf wanted loose.

  "Give me your phone," I held my hand out, although my prelim was the one accepting the device. The moon was getting to all of us, now.

  Cassie, I sent to her, the Douglasville Pack may be in trouble. Can you take Cliff's phone and keep trying to reach them?

  Cassie came running toward me; Cliff and Mac changed in front of me, fought their way out of clothing and ran into the nearby wooded area, howling. The rest of Mac's pack answered.

  I was on my way to becoming full rock demon by the time Cassie reached me. Dropping the phone into her hand before I crushed it by merely holding it, I stalked away so I wouldn't disturb her call. Pete and Jerry were waiting for me, beside Mom and Destiny.

  We'd be close enough, though, to help Cassie if help were needed.

  Cassie

  The phone rang on the other end and kept ringing until it went to voicemail. It meant the Douglasville Packmaster was running and hunting with his pack. I hung up without leaving a message and stood beneath a sycamore, staring at Cliff's phone.

  That's when it rang, and the number displayed I recognized at once.

  Rob.

  Rob was calling Cliff. Why? I couldn't imagine he'd do that unless it was something important.

  "What is it, Rob?" I answered, my voice angry and waspish.

  "Shakkor Agdah is attacking the Douglasville Pack," he sounded out of breath. "We're outnumbered and overrun."

  Where the hell was Douglasville in Georgia? I wasn't as familiar with this state as I was with Alabama.

  Until it popped into my head with perfect clarity—as if I could see the pack fighting for its life against two ice demons and others dressed in dark robes.

  Go, my conscience urged me. Without demanding a how or why, I dropped Cliff's phone in the grass and went.

  Parke

  Destiny's ice demon shouted a strangled cry of alarm when Cassie disappeared in front of us. At our current location, we were east of Atlanta. Douglasville was west of Atlanta, with a huge distance between us.

  Had Cassie been sucked away from us by something evil?

  "We can't change back," Mom wept, her tears freezing on her cheeks.

  She was right—I couldn't change to drive a car or use any other form of transportation. In our current state, we were helple
ss to look for her or to travel toward Douglasville.

  Cassie? I sent to her.

  She's busy, Will's voice growled into my mind.

  Wizard, if anything happens to her, I'll kill you myself.

  And I'll allow it. I'm needed, now. We'll contact you later.

  Robin

  Eight Earth sprite warriors arrived to do battle—they were closest to the area and employed a great deal of energy to get here. Twenty more were on the way, but Averill warned they might not arrive in time.

  Parrying a blow from an enemy who decided to attack me, I swung my blade in an arc immediately after, removing his head. Will and Yosuke, fighting in tandem across the field, struggled to keep half the Douglasville Pack alive.

  The other half was already dead—in Shakkor Agdah's well-planned initial attack. Why attack these wolves? There was nothing to be gained here, except to put the rest of the supernatural community on notice.

  In the distance, behind too many Black Myth soldiers to count, I caught glimpses of two ice demons. There was no doubt in my mind as to their identity. Wearing full battle gear in the heat of a Georgia summer night drenched me and my eight sprite warriors in sweat. I worried it would blur our vision while we battled on.

  When the huge fireball hit the ground in the center of Black Myth's troops, black-cloaked bodies were flung high in the air from the impact. Their screams and death cries reached my ears as I swung my blade at yet another opponent. Where did the fire come from? Will's shout sounded in my mind.

  No idea, I replied, jerking my blade with difficulty from an enemy's chest. Besides, ordinary fire would only kill Shakkor Agdah if it fell directly on them and they failed to put it out. Whoever sent the fire had probably killed a few, but I expected the flames to die back after only a few moments.

  I hope there's more fire coming, Will hissed mentally. We need around twenty fireballs that size to cut the enemy down to numbers we can handle. Wait, is that, his sending tapered off.