by Sharon Joss
CHAPTER 34
Garr’s eyes closed and he collapsed on top of me. I gasped and sobbed as I inhaled my first ragged breath of air. I fought to shove his bloody corpse off of me.
The thunder of boots sounded on stairs, accompanied by shouts and another crash. I sent Blix and Larry to hide as Frank Porter called out my name and the cavalry crossed the outer basement. They couldn’t hear my hoarsely whispered answers. I finally managed to roll Garr off me, just as they boiled into the room, in full SWAT regalia. Frank pulled me free and helped me up. I got blood all over his suit.
“Mattie!” He motioned the paramedic over. “Where are you hurt?” I stared at the body on the floor. The guy checking Garr’s pulse shook his head.
“Where is Rhys?” Porter pointed me back toward the stairs. I tottered over to where the paramedics hovered over Rhys and collapsed beside him.
“Here Mattie, I’m here.” Rhys reached out to me. I grabbed his icy cold hand and held on tight. “Okay, we’re fine, I’m fine, you’re fine.”
I slobbered and blubbered over him and made a big fuss, not giving a lick what anyone thought. By the time the paramedics finished checking us, both of us had recovered enough to convince everyone we did not need or want medical assistance. Thanks to my new recuperative powers, my arm had already stopped bleeding, and neither Rhys nor I would agree to go with the paramedics, so Frank let us sit in the back of his car until they got the mess in the Sand Castle straightened out.
The night air was balmy, but Rhys and I lay huddled in blankets with the heater running full blast. We wrapped ourselves around each other, taking comfort in the gradual build up of heat between us.
I felt safe, but I didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t want to close my eyes and relive finding the pool of blood on the floor of Mystic Properties, or the sensation of Garr’s sweat dripping into my eyes, or the bite of the machete into my bones. Or worst of all, the memory of those cool fingers of joy and death as they called my name and the eager voice in my blood as I answered the call.
Rhys had a nasty bruise to his temple, but the bloody cut over his eyebrow had already closed.
“Tell me what happened, Rhys. I thought you were dead.”
“I waited upstairs for the translator, and thought I heard him at the back door. I went down to let him in, and a huge demon attacked me. I woke up to see Garlan Russ stomping the hell out of someone. I didn’t know it was you.”
“Why did Rex come for you? Is he dead now?”
“You’re tensing up again.” Rhys pulled me closer and shifted himself on the cramped bench seat so that I sprawled on top of him. “Relax.” His strong hands massaged my back, kneading away knots of tension.
“That’s not an answer. And you’re not exactly relaxed either.” I said. Some parts of Rhys were much less relaxed than others, I noticed.
“Sure I am. I am completely present and in the moment. Quiet your mind. Focus on your breath, and you won’t have room to think of anything else.”
“Is this some kind of Zen thing or a mage thing?” I cracked an eye and he smiled. Outside, car doors slammed and engines started up, and vehicles departed the lot. Things were wrapping up.
A few minutes later, a grim Agent Porter returned to the car.
“Hey you two sure you’re all right?”
“No worries, Frank. We’re fine.”
“How did you find us,” I asked.
“When you guys ran out on me, I tried to track you through your cell phone, but you didn’t have it turned on. When I got your message, I realized you’d probably gone to the caves. We found Rhys’ truck at the trailhead, and had a couple guys ready to go in and bring you out, but then I got your call. This time we were able to triangulate a signal on the Sand Castle. Without that signal, we never would have found you, or the Night Shark either, for that matter. I owe you one, Mattie.”
“You saved our lives.” I wondered if it was true. “Does this mean my brother is off the hook?”
“I don’t make the decisions, but yeah, probably. The bodies we found in his freezer showed the same injuries as the known victims. The crime scene guys will be processing the place for days, but we found more than enough evidence to show Russ was the Night Shark and a demon master to boot. He used that room we found you in to butcher meat. We’re guessing he ground up the bodies into meal and rinsed them directly into the lake. The problem was, he hadn’t kept up with the backlog. We found at least a dozen victims in that walk-in, including some who hadn’t even been reported missing yet. This will take weeks to sort out.”
I shuddered as I thought how close Rhys had come to being another victim.
“Do you need us to make a formal statement tonight? I’m sorry about ditching you the last time.”
Porter smirked, but he wasn’t mad. “Yeah, you’ll both need to make a statement, but not tonight. You kids want a ride somewhere?”
I didn’t think I could face seeing the bloody office at Mystic Properties, so we had Porter drop us off at Madame Coumlie’s house. All I could think of was sleep. Rhys held my hand as he led me up the driveway to the back door.