Aisling made a sound that was halfway between a snort and a chuckle, and bent at the waist. I couldn’t tell if she was getting sick or laughing.
“He’s a gargoyle,” Cormack announced, shaking his head as he moved to the front of our group. “What are you doing here, Bub?”
Bub? That thing had a name. Still ... I’d always wanted to see a gargoyle. I couldn’t stop myself from leaning to the right so I could peer around Cormack and study the creature. I knew better than to look at its tail — or whatever it was — but I couldn’t stop myself. An involuntary cringe fluttered through me when I saw the appendage jutting out. “Oh, holy ... !”
“Yeah, it’s better if you don’t look at it,” Aisling announced, raising her head and moving to her father’s side, amused tears glistening in her eyes. “By the way, I told you he looked like an owl-dog. I’m not the only one to notice.”
“An owl-dog isn’t a thing,” Bub shot back, his eyes narrowing as he looked Aisling up and down. “Hello, littlest Grimlock. I haven’t seen you in weeks. I was starting to think the worst.”
Aisling snorted. “Oh, you were not. You were probably throwing a party.”
“Believe it or not, you’re the fun one in your family,” Bub countered. “I keep running into that long-haired brother of yours in the library, but it’s not the same.”
“I’ll try to stop by for a visit when I can. I have a baby now.”
“I heard.” Bub lifted his chin. “Where is it? I want to see it.”
“He probably wants to eat it,” Luke whispered much louder than he probably intended.
“Totally.” Nellie bobbed his head. “That definitely looks like a creature that eats babies. That’s why I want his head for my wall.”
“You’re not beheading him,” Cormack barked. “He works for the reaper council.”
“Besides, we kind of owe him,” Aisling added. “He’s helped us a few times when we really needed it. He’s, like, ... well, not family. He’s like the neighbor’s dog you’re loyal to because he keeps robbers away.”
“Thank you so much for that.” Bub’s sneer was withering. “I’m actually here for a reason. Believe it or not, I don’t enjoy spending my time skulking around cemeteries and talking to the likes of you.”
“You silver-tongued devil,” Nellie intoned.
Bub ignored him, although he regularly checked to make sure the ax wasn’t flying in his direction. “I’m here to warn you about an infestation of banshees,” he announced.
Redmond pursed his lips and gestured toward the glittering dust that was still settling. “We’re aware of the banshees.”
“So I see. I just heard about them tonight. I don’t hang with the old crew as much as I used to. They were whispering hard this evening, and I couldn’t ignore them.”
“What are they saying?” Cormack, all business, asked. “Do they know why the banshees are acting the way they are?”
“They’re being controlled.”
I decided to insert myself into the conversation, even if it seemed rude. “How? I’ve never heard of banshees being controlled.”
Bub slowly turned his eyes to me and made an odd hiss as his expression went dark. “Romani.”
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“You’re Romani?”
“What’s Romani?” Redmond asked, bewildered.
“Romani are called gypsies or Roma,” Cillian volunteered, his eyes unreadable as they found me in the crowd. “They’re an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who are usually itinerant. They originated in Indonesia more than a thousand years ago.”
“Is that why you’re magical?” Redmond asked.
“She’s magical because she’s descended from, like, eighty different things and they joined together in a hodgepodge,” Izzy answered, pushing forward until she stood directly in front of Bub. “Romani hate is not pretty. You should let it go. There’s no need to be prejudiced.”
Bub scowled. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do, bruja.”
“Apparently you do.” She wagged a finger. “Tell us about the banshees. I didn’t get to see this one that closely. It appeared to be listening to Poet, but I don’t think it understood her ... and it didn’t try to communicate.”
“Banshees can’t communicate,” Bub pointed out. “They’re soulless eating machines ... kind of like the Grimlock boys.”
Redmond threw something I couldn’t make out at the gargoyle. “You’re a delight. We need to know what’s going on with the banshees. I mean ... how did you even know to warn us?”
“That’s a good question,” Cormack interjected. “How did you know we were here?”
“I wasn’t really looking for you as much as the banshees. I thought I could confirm their existence and then sell you the information. I had a plan ... which you people shot all to hell.”
“You were going to sell us information?” Aisling folded her arms over her chest. “Why? You used to like dropping in and giving us information for free.”
“That’s when I had someone else funding my needs,” Bub shot back pointedly, causing Aisling to shake her head. “Your mother was evil, but she bought good eats.”
Cormack furrowed his brow. “Are you saying you need money?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. None of the rogue reapers will hire me because they say I turned on them. I’m in a bind.”
“What about the reaper council?” Aisling challenged. “Doesn’t it pay you for working in the library?”
“Not until I pay off my medical bills. Apparently they didn’t save my life after that last battle for free.”
Aisling looked disgusted. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to them and fix it.”
Cormack rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to fix it. You’re going to whine to me until I fix it.”
“It’s the same thing.”
Cormack let loose a world-weary sigh and dug in his pocket to retrieve his wallet. He came back with a stack of bills and handed them to Bub, who greedily grabbed them without uttering a word of protest. “That should tide you over. I’ll talk to the council about your pay. Is there anything else?”
“Just that there’s talk about a bigger magical force creating the banshees. Warlock, maybe demon. I can’t be sure. What’s happening isn’t a natural occurrence.”
“We figured that out ourselves,” Aisling replied.
“That’s all I have for now. I can do more digging. Now that I’m not going to starve, I mean.”
“See what you can find out,” Cormack instructed. “We’ll do the same. Three of these creatures have been taken out. I want to know how many remain.”
“And where they’re coming from,” I added. “Obviously that banshee was sent out to either distract us or kill us. My guess is the former because she was woefully outnumbered. They’re being housed nearby.”
“We’ll search a bit longer, but we can’t stay too long. That Fed who is sniffing around is bound to show up eventually. I would rather not explain our presence.”
That made two of us.
I SLEPT HARD. THE SEARCH WAS fruitless and once Seth texted that Logan was on the move we slipped out through the cemetery’s back gate and went our separate ways with promises to keep in touch.
My dreams were ragged, a potpourri of the present and past overlapping. I was on the hunt in the dreams, and I kept circling to people I knew. Some of them, like Creek, Logan and Beacon, were still around. Others, like Noble and Junk, were long gone. I asked them questions, pestered them for answers, and yet they offered me nothing.
Kade was already awake when I opened my eyes the next morning, his fingers gentle as they brushed my hair away from my face. He seemed lost in thought.
“Did I wake you?” he asked when he realized my eyes were open.
I shook my head. “Just time to get up.”
“We open today.”
“Not until noon.”
“I guess that means you have plans before then,” he noted. “And here
I hoped we could spend half the day in bed and do nothing but worship each other.”
It was a nice thought, but we didn’t have time for it. “I need to speak to Beacon again. I have more information, and I think he might be able to help me.”
“And you don’t want me going.”
“I want you to stay here and make sure everything is ready for our grand opening.”
He nodded.
“It’s not that I don’t want you with me,” I added. “You know that’s not it. Beacon has always been difficult. I just want to ensure my best shot of getting information out of him.”
Kade rubbed his thumb over my cheek as I rested my head on his chest. “I don’t want to demand you take me.”
“That’s good, because that would cause a fight.”
He chuckled. “I don’t like the idea of you running around by yourself. This thing feels ... convoluted. I think we’re missing a layer, maybe more.”
“Oh, we’re definitely missing layers.” I was certain of that. “I’ll be fine going to the shelter. It’s right around the corner. Besides, I think the gargoyle only comes out at night, and he’s the only thing I’m currently afraid of.”
“You mean the dog-owl?”
I laughed, as he’d probably intended. “That wasn’t his tail.”
“I noticed.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead. “I won’t lie; I’ll be happy when we’re out of here. It feels as if you’re being stretched in multiple directions.”
The admission surprised me. “Like ... away from you?”
“No. Not exactly.”
“Nothing could stretch me so far I’ll slip away from you,” I reassured him.
“I might have said that wrong. I don’t think I’m losing you. Don’t worry about that. It’s just ... people are pulling at you. Luke and I are always pulling at you, so you’re used to that. Now you have Cotton and Michelob to worry about, too. Then there’s Creek, and I don’t care what you say, you’re still worried about her. Then there are the Grimlocks, and they form their own army. It’s a lot.”
He wasn’t wrong. “You still take precedence.”
“That’s sweet but unnecessary. I don’t expect to be the most important thing in your life every second of every day going forward.”
“That’s good because I think Luke would pitch a fit if you demanded that.”
He chuckled and tightened his arms around my back. “This place holds a lot of memories for you. You feel guilty for getting out when others didn’t. You look at Creek and wonder what you should’ve done to save her. The thing is, I don’t believe there’s anything you could’ve done. You can’t take the weight of the world onto your shoulders.”
He made sense, and yet I was still troubled. “I can’t focus on Creek right now. If I can think of a way to help before we leave, I will. These missing girls are my biggest priority. We might not be able to save the ones already taken, but we can save the ones still out there. I’m determined to try.”
“I know.” He pressed a series of kisses to my cheek. “You’re nothing if not diligent.”
“Do you want me to show you how diligent I really am?”
Interest sparked in his eyes. “Yes, please, Ms. Parker. Show me your diligence.”
I had plenty of time for that. Life had to go on, right? I could look forward while still straddling the line to my past, and that’s exactly what I planned to do.
BEACON WAS IN THE LOBBY when I let myself into the shelter. I was familiar with the set-up. They locked the doors at night. No one in or out. That was for safety purposes, and I understood it. During the day, though, the doors were open so kids could come and go. They had to pass certain checks at the front desk to be allowed in the back, but I wasn’t really here for lunch and lodging.
“Poet.” Beacon didn’t look happy to see me when he slid into the lobby. “I thought perhaps you’d left by now.”
“We’re here through Sunday. We’ll be out of here on Monday.”
“Good to know.” He dragged a hand through his sandy blond hair. He looked frustrated, a little weary and rundown. The breadth of what was happening on the street was weighing on him. “How are the girls you took in? Are you taking them with you when you leave?”
“We can’t take them.” Even if I wanted to take the girls, it wasn’t possible. We were monster hunters, after all. We couldn’t protect them forever. Eventually they would figure out we were lying to them ... or worse. “I wish we could, but they’re underage, and that’s against the law.”
“I never realized you were such a stickler for the law.”
“I’m responsible for the people I work with. I’m second in command. I fill out all the paperwork and handle payroll. People would lose their jobs if we just up and left the state with two kids.”
“So ... you decided to wine and dine them, and then dump them?” Beacon challenged. There was an edge to his tone. “That sounds fair.”
I knew better than to argue with him, but I couldn’t stop myself. “We’re not wining and dining them. We’re feeding them and keeping them safe at night. We tackled Michelob’s tonsils. By the way, she’s speaking normally now. She’s still quiet compared to Cotton, but it’s not because she’s in constant pain.”
Anger sparked in the depths of Beacon’s eyes. “Are you blaming me for that girl’s condition? I tried to get her to go to a hospital for months. She refused. I can’t make her go.”
“I’m not blaming you.”
“It sure sounds like you are.”
“Then maybe you need to clean out your ears.”
We stood glaring at each other for a long moment, anger building to a crescendo that caused the air to feel thick and hot, and then we stepped away from each other at the same time.
“I’m sorry,” Beacon said finally, shaking his head. “I don’t know why I reacted that way. I should be happy you helped Michelob. The girl has been struggling for as long as I’ve known her. There were months in the winter she was so sick I feared she would never return.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem now,” I reassured him. “We took care of it. As for wining and dining them, it’s not like I’m going to make them scrounge for food while they’re helping us. They’re not getting lobster and steak either. We cook burgers and hot dogs ... homemade pasta salad and other fixings.”
He held up his hand. “I shouldn’t have attacked you. It’s just ... it’s weird seeing you back. I convinced myself you were nothing but a dream. I know that sounds weird, but these kids held you up as some sort of beacon, a symbol of hope.
“In the weeks after you left, Creek was complete and total trouble,” he continued. “She would tell the other kids these ridiculous stories about how you joined the circus and were just waiting for your moment to return and pluck her up, too. You just had to make sure they trusted you before you added her into the mix. That’s what she said, anyway.”
My heart plummeted. “She thought I was coming back?”
“Yes.”
I hated the feelings of guilt coursing through me. I did nothing wrong. Deep down, I knew that. The guilt was still overpowering. “I did what I had to do,” I said. “I had exactly one shot to get out. I couldn’t find her. She was off with Tawny.” I rubbed my forehead. “You probably don’t even know who that is.”
“I remember Tawny.” Beacon sighed as he slid into one of the chairs at the edge of the room. “She was a working girl who tried to recruit you and Creek to her team. She failed with you and was victorious with Creek.”
I made a derisive sound in the back of my throat. “She didn’t try to recruit me.”
“No?” Beacon arched a challenging eyebrow. “Why do you think she spent so much time with you? It wasn’t because she enjoyed your company. It was because her pimp ordered her to be on the lookout for fresh meat. You and Creek fit the bill.”
“But ... no.” I was good at reading people. I always had been. If Tawny had ulterior motives, I would’ve picked it up
from her head. I mean ... I would have, right? I wasn’t so certain.
“I can’t believe you’re just now realizing this,” Beacon supplied. “It was obvious to everyone in the know. Why do you think the biker who turned out to be a cop was watching you so closely? He warned Tawny what would happen if she touched you.”
That was news to me. “Well ... great. I didn’t know that.”
I regrouped. “I just want to make sure that you let in every girl who needs shelter the next few nights. I know you have a budget and rules, but I can help. Just tell me how much money you need and I’ll find a way to get it to you. I need to keep these kids safe and we don’t have room at the circus.” We also didn’t have walls to keep out the monsters, but I left that part out.
“To what end? They’ll still be in danger when you leave.”
Not if I could help it. “We’re working on that. We’re going to find who’s doing this.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I’m determined to see it happen.”
“You always were determined above all else.” He shook his head. “I’ll do what I can,” he said finally. “I can’t make any promises.”
“That’s all I ask.” I started for the door, but stilled when he called my name.
“That family you built back then wasn’t real,” Beacon offered. “It was an illusion. There was never a future for the group of you together. You have to realize that.”
I swallowed hard. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I think you need to hear it. You’re trying to make up for some perceived slight that you believe you made years ago. You don’t have anything to apologize for. You survived. You made it out. It is what it is.”
“I’m still going to save these kids.” I was firm on that. “I need your help to do it. Don’t turn them away.”
“I won’t.”
“Good. I’ll figure out the rest.”
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