Graveyard Shift

by Jenn Burke

  “Better than being expected to be a servant,” Ravi said. “We can feel the difference already, you know. It’s like I can breathe again.”

  Hudson slouched back in the seat. “I hated that movie with the minions.”

  Okay, wait. “You watched it? It’s a kids’ movie.”

  “I was bored one night. Sue me.”

  I chuckled and kissed his cheek. “I love you.”

  He grunted.

  Hudson’s minions dropped us off at home. Lexi and Sam’s welcomes were enthusiastic, and Hudson brightened at the attention. Maybe that bullshit he had in his head about my side of our family and his side would be swept away by the hugs and tears.

  A step on the stairs drew everyone’s attention. Evan stood there, his eyes red and his hair crazier than usual. Hudson simply opened his arms.

  Evan flew into them.

  Hudson held him tight, folding over him as though he could keep anything from hurting Evan again. That wasn’t how life worked, but the gesture, the sentiment behind it, was clear. Evan cracked, then shattered, tears flowing out from between all the pieces of himself, and Hudson’s back shook too.

  “It’s not going to be the same,” Hudson whispered. “But we’ll be okay. We’ll learn how to be.”

  Evan nodded against Hudson’s chest.

  “I need you, though, okay? We all do.”

  Hudson was safe, and I had one more thing to do before I could rest. “I’m going to haunt Priya.”

  “Be careful.”

  “Always.”

  “Uh, more like never.”

  “Have a shower. You stink.”

  Hudson grinned. “Love you too.”

  I focused on Priya—her edgy hair, her eyes that were so much like Hudson’s when I first met him more than thirty years ago. Her determination, her complete lack of aversion to violence, her flawed yet somehow still noble idea of wrong and right. Taking a breath, I let my not-ghost magic take me where I needed to go.

  I emerged into a space shrouded in darkness. Blinking rapidly, I waited for my eyes to adjust...but they didn’t. Wherever I was, they’d cut off all sources of light. I stood still and let my other senses tell me things my sight couldn’t. There was a low-level, minor rumble in front of me and to the right, but not close. That gave me some idea of the size of the space—big. A musty odor tickled my nose, which suggested that wherever we were, it was underground. The air was cool, but not cold.

  A basement? Could the rumble be a furnace and fan?

  “Uncle Wes?”

  The voice wasn’t Priya’s, but Jet’s. I turned toward it, to the left, and jumped back when two glowing red eyes stared back at me. “Holy shit,” I breathed, hand to my chest. “Red eyes? Really?”

  “Only when it is as dark as this.” The eyes tilted to the side. “You have come to rescue us?”

  “Of course.”

  “And Uncle Hudson?”

  “Safe at home.”

  The eyes disappeared for a moment. “Thank the Giver.”

  Giver? Was that a demon god? Did demons even have religion? I opened my mouth to ask, but changed my mind. I didn’t want to know. “You ready to get out of here?”

  “I realize that you cannot see it, but we are unfortunately contained within a circle.”

  “Is Priya okay?”

  “She is frightened, and the circle is...not pleasant.” Something in Jet’s voice made me think that was something of an understatement. “She also does not like the dark.”

  “Wait—she’s a badass demon host who’s afraid of the dark?”

  “She wants you to know that the dark is absolutely scary and that you will pay for mocking her.”

  “Uh-huh, sure.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned on the flashlight app. Jet winced away from the light, and I grimaced. “Sorry, I should have warned you.”

  “It is all right.”

  I directed the light at the floor and instantly saw the problem. The circle wasn’t drawn in chalk and therefore easily disruptable—it was carved into the cement floor of the basement, the lines and symbols and arcane equations pretty much as permanent as permanent got.

  “Shit.”

  “We were not awake when they brought us here. Or else I would not have given them the time to carve it.”

  “I bet.” I blew out a breath, my cheeks puffing out. “I wish Lexi were here. I am so not an expert in magic circles.”

  “Nor am I.” She paused. “I am somewhat of an expert in getting caught within them, however.”

  I looked up at her red eyes, which weren’t quite so obvious with the flashlight’s beam. “A joke, Jet?”

  “I am pleased with myself.”

  I chuckled, then turned my attention back to the circle. “We need to break it.”

  “Indeed.”

  I cast the light around the space and discovered that we were in an unfinished basement. The floor and part of the walls were painted and sealed concrete, with basic, unpainted drywall on the upper half. Boxes were stacked against the wall behind the circle, and there were more boxes over in the direction of what I thought was the furnace. In between Jet and the other side of the basement was a plain wooden staircase that led up to the ground floor of the house. The basement seemed quite large, which led me to believe this house was in one of the more expensive areas of town. A place with this sort of footprint wasn’t cheap in this city.

  If we were even still in Toronto.

  Shit, were we still in Toronto?

  I sought my connection to Hudson and relief shot through me at the reassurance that he was close. Really close.

  Way closer than he should be, actually.

  “Hold on a second.”

  “Hold on to what?” Jet asked.

  But I was already in the otherplane, walking up the stairs—since phasing through floors was worse than going through walls. I stepped through the closed door at the top of the stairs and squinted at the bright lights in the kitchen. Low murmurs reached my ears and I followed them to find a group of shadowy people seated around a poker table in a games room, throwing down bets on Texas Hold’Em. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but I was pretty sure they were speaking German, which implied they were soldiers of the Order.

  I mean, unless there were other European groups looking to keep a demon contained in their basement.

  I continued roaming through the house until I found the front door, and I stuck my head out of it like I was freaking Beetlejuice or some shit. But I was greeted with the sight I had suspected.

  My own driveway across the street.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  This was the Tremblay house, where the cops had determined the sniper was when he shot me. Damn, the Order had balls to literally come back to the scene of the crime and squat in it.

  I drew back inside the house and considered what to do. Go get the cavalry? Hudson wasn’t up to fighting, but Lexi might be. If she didn’t go anti-Priya at the idea. But we’d have to breach the house somehow, which would probably gather lots of attention we didn’t need. Like I wanted to give Kenworth more ammunition against us.

  Except...fuck it. I was thinking like a human again.

  I trotted back downstairs and into the living plane so I could use my phone to light up the dark basement again. Jet hadn’t moved, but her eyes were still the reddish hue that looked so eerie.

  “Jet, I need to speak to Priya.”

  Jet blinked, and suddenly Priya was there, wincing at both the light and, I assumed, the effect of the circle. “I—I’m here.”

  “Are you mine?”

  “Am I what?”

  “Mine. Do you believe in me, as a god?”

  “Oh. Uh...what happens if I say yes?”

  I squinted at her, wondering if she’d asked Jet the same quest
ion. Or maybe she’d learned from her actions. “It means I can protect you, and your belief will give me power. You’ll be one of my...my wards, I guess. Sort of.”

  “Do I have to sacrifice goats?”

  “I promise you I will never ask you to sacrifice a goat in my honor. Maybe a pint of beer, that’s it.”

  She smiled, a pained expression, but one that had a lot of hope in it. “Then...yes. Of course.”

  She clicked into place with the rest of the Toronto paranormal community who believed in me, and I smiled. “Thanks. Same question to you, Jet.”

  Her eyes went all black again, with that red center. “Yes, Uncle Wes.”

  Every time someone agreed that they were under my protection, it was a rush, but damn—having a demon acquiesce was something else. If a, well, normal paranormal’s pledge was like a crisp, refreshing breeze, the promise of a demon was a gale force blizzard. It rushed through me, stealing my breath, but also boosting my power—already higher than it had ever been, thanks to me realizing who I truly was.

  The God of Second Chances.

  Unleashing my magic, I thrust it at the floor surrounding Jet. The circle was instantly pulverized. Jet fell forward onto her hands, heaving, and when she looked up, it was with Priya’s eyes.

  “Cheers,” she gasped. “Bloody hell, you don’t know how good it feels to be free of that damned thing.”

  I grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet. She absently brushed off her clothes, now covered with concrete dust, and blew some more out of her mouth.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Need to have some words with those blokes, though.”

  I tightened my grip on her arm. “Yeah, no. You’re going to back me up, and then go home. We’re just across the street.”

  “Are you serious? I’ve been across the bloody street this entire time?”

  “Not like it would have helped you get out of that circle.”

  “Fair enough.” Priya pressed her generous lips into a thin line. “Are you sure I can’t kick their arses?”

  I gave her a sly grin and let my magic light me up from the inside out. “You’ll get in the way of me doing it.”

  “All right. Let’s go, then.”

  If anyone heard the basement door open, they were too involved in their game of cards to pay attention to it. That was fine. It meant I got to choose the location of this confrontation, not them.

  I chose the living room.

  “Kurt!”

  My magic-boosted shout reverberated through the air, and I grinned at the sound of scrambling from the games room and the thump of someone racing through the upstairs hall and down the stairs. Kurt skidded around the banister and slid to a halt as he spotted me. The other soldiers fumbled their weapons, and before they could aim them at me or Priya, I grabbed the guns in a magical fist and hoisted them to the ceiling.

  “Nice.” Priya whistled appreciatively.

  Kurt cleared his throat and smoothed the front of his wrinkled T-shirt. I think I might have caught him napping. “Mr. Westerson. To what do I owe—”

  “Think quick.” I reached into my pocket, pulled out the baggie I’d stowed there at the Night Life, and threw it at Kurt.

  Unsurprisingly, his hand shot out to catch it. He held it up, his eyes on me, before his gaze darted quickly over to investigate what it was. “Dust?”

  “Pike dust. I did your fucking job for you.”

  “How do I know you didn’t scrape this off the floor somewhere? There was enough vampire dust at Alleys.”

  “Okay, one, rude. I’m not a liar. Two, do you think I think you’re that dumb? Wait—don’t answer that. Three, you’ve got guys that do magic, so—” I waggled my fingers at him. “Magic it up and find out.”

  He tossed the bag at one of his soldiers, who held it away from his body uncertainly. Kurt’s gaze darted to Priya, who was standing behind me. “As I said in the bar, our deal is null and void.”

  “That’s a shitty way of thanking me for the present.”

  “Regardless of whether that is vampire dust or not, there is no way to prove it was once Pike. Or perhaps you’re working in league with Pike. Perhaps you’re helping him fake his death.”

  I bristled at that thought, and my magic flared. “So you’re calling me a liar. Again.”

  “I’m calling you an idiot for assisting creatures who have no morals and would not hesitate to kill anyone in their way.”

  “Oh. I see.” I glanced over my shoulder. “Priya, tell Hudson I’ll be back in a little bit.”

  I turned back to Kurt with a wicked smile, and flexed my magic, no longer afraid I’d accidentally grab too much. I could feel my connection to Toronto’s paranormal community like a new limb—maybe I wasn’t tied to everyone in the community, but there were way more than I thought even knew about me. And with that pervasive belief came power. Responsibility too, just like Spider-Man said.

  But right now, I was more interested in the power.

  It wasn’t so much a haunting of any sort—if we passed through the otherplane, I didn’t register it. One moment we were in the living room of the house the Order had occupied—and the next, we were in the side yard of Sam’s abandoned farm. The sun was well below the horizon now, and there was no light except from the stars to illuminate our surroundings. Unsurprisingly, the lamppost situated between the abandoned farmhouse and the barn was not on—the electricity had been shut off long ago. A cold wind sliced through me, a reminder that winter was right around the corner.

  Kurt exclaimed something in German and his remaining soldiers echoed his sentiment. Their hands were empty—their weapons presumably fallen to the floor back at the house—and none of them looked happy at this development. Which—okay, it made me smile. Because fuck their interference.

  Kurt shouted out some commands, then turned to face me. “What is the meaning of this?” The gruffness of his voice and the heavier accent hinted that he was on the edge of panic himself.

  “It’s pretty simple.” I shrugged. “Don’t fuck with me or mine.”

  “Who are you? You should not—no one should be able to—”

  “I’m a god. The God of Second Chances.” Announcing that felt both silly—and so right. “This is yours. Your chance to walk away from Toronto and to explain to your superiors that the Order of the Onyx Shield is not welcome here. There won’t be a third chance. Got it?”

  Kurt’s shoulders straightened as he squared himself off against me. “Are you threatening us?”

  I grinned. “No, man. I’m promising you. Stay the fuck out of my city.”

  I gave him a jaunty salute, then haunted Hudson, leaving them stranded. How they unstranded themselves—or if they did—I didn’t care. I’d made my point, and if they were smart, they’d heed it.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Hudson was still in the shower as I appeared in the bathroom. Steam fogged it up, obscuring the view and teasing me with glimpses of water sluicing over tan skin and firm muscles. It was like my very own peep show—not something I’d ever experienced, but I had a pretty good imagination.

  Hudson ducked his head under the spray, then swept water out of his face. “You gonna stand there, or are you getting in?”

  Well, with an invitation like that... I grinned, shucked off my clothes, and got in.

  The water was this side of too hot, but I barely noticed the temperature. I was too caught up in looking my fill at Hudson, his silvery hair dark and dripping, his golden-brown eyes tired and more haunted than I’d seen in a while. The blood that had stained his skin had already been washed away. The water flowed clear and clean into the drain. Hudson seemed as content as I was to watch, taking in details that he had probably worried he’d never see again.

  “Priya okay?” he asked.

  “She’s fine. Downstairs by now. The Order was kee
ping her across the street.”

  “In the Tremblay house? Are you serious?” He chuckled. “Wow. Balls of steel on those guys.”

  “Right? Did you wash your hair yet?”

  “Once. It still feels a little gritty.”

  I retrieved the shampoo and nudged him until his back was to me so I could lather him up.

  “So how’d you get her out?”

  “She and Jet said they were mine. It was a bit of a rush, which I put to good use.”

  Hudson turned and grabbed my suds-filled hand. “What did you do?”

  I mimicked the crooked grin he always gave me. “I stranded the Order up at Sam’s farm.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “I thought I’d call the OPP in a few hours and leave an anonymous tip.”

  “Do they have their guns?”

  “No, they’re at the house. I’ll call Kat when we’re done and tell her to check the Tremblay house again.”

  I directed Hudson to step into the spray to rinse his hair, and when he was done, he looked at me with an intensity I couldn’t ignore. His hands clutched at my arms as though he was half expecting me to disappear like the ghost I sometimes was.

  “Thank you,” he said, his voice filled with emotion. “I don’t think I can ever say it enough.”

  I pressed a finger to his lips. “Hush.”

  He captured my hand with his and tugged me closer. Our cocks brushed, and I felt the first stirring of need low in my gut. We stood so close now that I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. Not the most comfortable position, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

  “I mean it.” He kissed me, softly, tenderly, then nuzzled his nose against mine.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t come after you?”

  “No. But Pike was a sadistic asshole and I wasn’t sure you’d be able to outmaneuver him.”

  “O ye of little faith.”

  I meant it as a joking statement, but Hudson’s expression was serious. “I know. I’m going to work on that.”

  “Hud—”

  “No, let me talk.” He shook his wet hair out of his eyes, since his hands were too occupied with holding me to do it. “If the past few days have taught me anything, it’s that I didn’t know you as well as I thought I did.”