Gray tidings, p.5
Gray Tidings, page 5
The horse, if you could call it that, stood a head taller than him at its withers. Its short coat was the color of sun-bleached bones. There was a prismatic quality to its fine hairs that cast rainbows down its sides. Its mane and tail were decadent, the long strands glistening like poured silver. Two glittering nubs peeked above its forelock, the beginnings of horns. Rather than hooves, it walked on the thick paw pads of a lion, its sickle claws flexing as its pink nostrils flared in indignation.
“That’s a nightmare,” Clay breathed, his fingers twitching to pet it. “An albino.”
As if it understood him, the creature slanted its bright-pink eyes toward Clay.
“Beloved—” Stavros began his pitch, stroking the mare’s velvet muzzle, “—I bring you a token of my esteem.”
“Come closer.” I crooked a finger, a vicious smile on my lips. “I would love to scratch behind its ears.”
As soon as I touched his present, I could flip his return to sender spell on him.
“I admire your cunning in turning my magic against me.”
“Yes, well, I couldn’t resist giving you a literal go to hell.”
“Actually, it was Mobile, Alabama.”
Huh.
I didn’t see that one coming.
The return to sender spell teleported unwanted gifts Stavros sent me back to him. I hadn’t stopped to think before dismissing him—and the cupcakes he bought from the bakery Asa used to send me treats—from my sight. Apparently, if Stavros was in possession of the item, it latched on to the origin of the next best thing: the gift.
Good to know.
Especially since this beast looked like it belonged running wild on the steppes of Hael.
“Her name is Armistice,” he continued silkily, “in honor of the truce I hope you grant me.”
“I don’t care what you call her, I don’t want her—or anything else—from you.” I yanked Asa to me. “This is my mate.” I gestured up and down him like he was a prize on display. “This guy, right here. Not you. Never you.” I edged in front of him as Stavros thinned his lips. “Allow me to make my point.”
Over the years I spent living in Samford, I had sunk a lot of time into maintaining the wards surrounding my home. They were anchored along my property line with my blood, my love, my hope. They were strong. Colby coming into her familiar powers had only strengthened them.
Drawing the athame from my kit, I cut a line across my palm, allowing crimson to spill through my fingers onto the thirsty soil. I kicked off my shoes, shucked my socks, and wiggled my toes into the earth. Grounded like this, power tickled my toes, and I drew on that to fuel a massive banishment spell.
Hot sun beating down. Dead bodies piling up at my feet. Fried not-crickets served in pinkish sauce.
I broke a sweat opening the portal to the tournament realm behind Stavros, but I got the job done.
Eyes locking on the trespasser, I beseeched the land to reject his presence. It answered me in a rippling wave of roiling earth that flung him off his feet, right through the portal. His grip on the mare’s reins let him hold on as the vortex whirled around him, sucking him deeper as the spell barred him return entry.
The mare, stamping and whipping its head to dislodge Stavros, was dragged through the gateway with a snarled lip that exposed dainty teeth as clear as cut crystal.
With an effort that sent me crashing to my knees, I slammed the portal shut behind them.
“Your dad must be more of a lover than a fighter.” Clay snorted. “He hasn’t raised a hand against Rue.”
Out of breath, I settled for glaring at Clay, who grimaced when he replayed his words in his head.
“It’s coming,” Asa said quietly. “As soon as he realizes she’s serious, that this isn’t all a game, he’ll resort to less flowery methods to get what he wants. He enjoys the chase until he works up a sweat.”
“I can handle him.”
“The women he targets can’t say no.” He stared at the drag marks leading nowhere. “You can’t get too comfortable with him ceding victories to you. A novelty is only a novelty until it becomes an imposition.”
Allowing him to help me up, I kept hold of his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Pity about Armistice.” Clay walked to the furrows and crouched. “I’ve never seen an albino nightmare. I saw an entire herd once. I didn’t realize they came in a color other than black.” He shrugged. “Since albinism is a congenital absence of melanin, I guess they technically don’t.”
“I’m not home enough these days to keep a pet.”
“I didn’t mean for you.” He lifted a few glittering hairs Armistice left behind. “I meant for me.”
“Can you imagine how much it costs to feed one of those things? Beef ain’t cheap.”
“But did you see its little horns? One day they’ll be long enough to impale a man.”
“You have enough ponies without adding a murder pony to your stable.”
“I never should have told you that.”
“We need to get moving.” I puffed out my cheeks. “Before Stavros gets back.”
The portal was mine, so he couldn’t activate it. That meant he would have to use his within the pocket world to return to his realm and then journey back to ours. Time worked for him and against me while he was in there, so I couldn’t gauge how long it might take him to come back with even cheesier pick-up lines. And an even more dangerous gift.
This was the one place Stavros knew I would always return to, and that made it a vulnerability.
I hated him for ruining home for me.
I hated myself for the same reason.
But I was glad to switch things up and dump the fault in his lap for a few hours, until the guilt crept back in to remind me of the cost of trying to live a normal life. There was no such thing as normal for people like me. Even among other paranormals, we were different.
More ruthless. More powerful. More craven.
With a gentle hand on my lower back, Asa led me to the SUV and opened the door.
“I won’t let him hurt you,” he promised, his thoughts lingering on Stavros. “I’ll kill him first.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I promised right back. “Even if I have to kill him first.”
“How do you make plotting patricide sound so ooey-gooey?” Clay climbed in the backseat. “It shouldn’t be possible, and yet, I can’t shake the image of you and Ace doing the no, you hang up first thing like teens on a phone call. Except face-to-face, and with murder.”
A rustle of motion announced Colby exiting his pocket, dragging her phone and earbuds out behind her.
Oblivious to our conversation, she started her own, holding her screen up to him. “3D printed nail decals. With food on them. They look so real. There’s a whole line of desserts too.”
Forcing her eyes round, she turned her pitiful gaze on Clay, begging without saying a word.
“I’ll buy them.” He fell for the act hook, line, and sinker. “But you’re applying them.”
“Oh, I will.” A shudder rocked her. “I learned my lesson the last time I let you paint your nails alone.”
“You’re the one who told me waiting to dry between coats was for losers.”
“Time out.” I made a T shape with my hands. “Do you have our hotel booked?”
To compensate for our late start, and to avoid Stavros, we would spend the day in Slidell, catching up on our sleep, then drive to New Orleans tomorrow afternoon.
“Yep.” She grinned at me. “It’s probably even safe.”
“That’s the kind of ringing endorsement I like to hear.” I switched to a thumbs-up sign. “As you were.”
Their quiet bickering lulled me to sleep, where I dreamed rainbow nightmares.
5
We rolled into New Orleans about an hour before sundown, having slept the day away. It was refreshing to stay in an establishment for longer than ten minutes without someone trying to murder us even once.
However, the night was young, and I was sure someone would give it the old college try before bedtime.
“I don’t know what I’m smelling—” Clay rubbed his stomach, “—but I want it in my belly, stat.”
“What?” I yelled over a conga line weaving through the tight crowd on the sidewalk. “I can’t hear you.”
“Food.” He mimed bringing a fork to his mouth. “Must eat.”
“You’ve already swallowed three po’ boys.” I swatted his hand. “You’re fine.”
Bars on every corner sold the iconic sandwiches to revelers hand over fist.
A chewy baguette piled high with shrimp, crawfish, catfish, duck, alligator, chicken, oysters, rabbit, and anything else you could batter and fry, po’ boys were quintessential New Orleans fare. Fully dressed, they came loaded with shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, pickles, and spicy remoulade sauce.
They were quick to make, cheap to buy, and insanely good. Not that Clay had offered to share.
“Turn right.” Asa applied gentle pressure on my arm. “The rental is on the left.”
Standing three stories tall, its lush galleries draped in creeping fig vines, the townhouse was a true gem.
Faking interest in the overflowing planter boxes mounted under bright-blue hurricane shutters, I homed in on the space within, listening for a heartbeat. The guys perked their ears too, but I had evolved to pick that specific noise out as easy as breathing.
Even with a samba blaring the next street over as jazz musicians poured their souls into their music.
“Time to play with our new toy,” Clay announced to Colby as he pulled a black box from thin air like a magician and flipped a bright red switch. “A Wi-Fi jammer.”
“The jammer blocks Wi-Fi,” she explained for my benefit from the depths of his pocket, “and their home security system is a network of hubs bought at a big box store. Knock out the Wi-Fi, and they won’t see us coming.”
“Clever,” Asa praised her. “I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
“I hit the purchase button,” Clay grumbled. “I’m clever too.”
“Of course you are.” I patted him on the head. “Good golem.”
I smiled.
He didn’t.
But Colby laughed with childish abandon, which was music to both our ears.
“No one’s home.” I took the front steps like I had every right to be there then fed magic into the lock until the old latch gave and the front door swung open under my hand. “You guys start at the top and work your way to the bottom.” I waited for Colby to wriggle free of Clay’s pocket. “Do what you do best, smarty fuzz butt.” She fluttered toward what looked to be a home office. “I’ll begin setting the wards.”
While the guys thumped and bumped upstairs, I layered protections, moving from the ground floor up to avoid us being under each other’s feet. As satisfying as it would have been to bar Nolan entrance, I didn’t want him experiencing another brush with the supernatural on my watch. Best to keep it simple and straightforward in the shared spaces.
Speaking of shared spaces…
A seven-inch digital display sat in plain sight in every room. Some pretended to be clocks. Others flashed slideshows of photos taken in New Orleans. A dot blinked in the center of each one, and speakers were visible at the bottom.
Cameras.
Every single one of them with built-in microphones.
There was no privacy in this house.
Had Nolan or his landlord done this? Either way, it disturbed me that the girls would be staying here.
Hypocritical of me? Yes. But there you go.
On the second floor, I located the guest suites. Each held an assortment of Mardi Gras paraphernalia. Mini king cakes. Beads in gold, green, and purple. Top hats made of striped felt that would look at home on The Cat in the Hat.
Matching plush animals sat on their pillows, as if the girls were much younger, and I almost regretted the suspicion that surged through me whenever Nolan’s name was mentioned. This was thoughtful of him, not a word I typically associated with their uncle.
“Three and two are clear,” Clay told me on his way down. “On your way to three?”
“Yep.” I winked at Asa when I passed him on the stairs. “Three and then I’m done.”
The top floor was a master suite with huge bedroom, en suite, bar, and sitting area. The clothing and mishmash of camera equipment told me Nolan had claimed the space for himself. That plastic-y, ozone smell I associated with new electronics left me questioning if he had replaced his gear. Maybe he didn’t trust me not to have hexed the originals. In this mess, I doubted he would notice if I rooted through his things to find out, but if the guys hadn’t scented anything worrisome, then it wasn’t worth the risk.
One person’s chaos is another person’s organized chaos.
Quick as I could, I added protections on the windows and doors to keep out evil.
“My work here is done.” Colby returned to me and lit on my shoulder. “Eyes and ears go live in five.”
“You little miracle worker, you.” I checked behind me. “Let’s get out of here.”
Colby holding on tight, I took the stairs at a jog and bumped into Asa halfway.
“Aedan is looking for parking.” He grasped my hand and tugged me after him. “We need to go.”
“Come on, Shorty.” Clay held open his pocket. “Do your thing.”
The four of us slipped out the door, locked up, and hit the street, allowing the crowd to swallow us.
“One last thing.” Clay flipped the red switch on his black box with maniacal glee. “Let there be Wi-Fi!”
Adrenaline kept my heart pumping loudly, but the dozens upon dozens of competing beats drowned out my own rhythm. The crush of bodies pressed in on me, the salt of their skin more potent than the spices in the air. Humans held no appeal, but there were witches, fae, wargs, and vampires. So many vampires.
The dancing, singing, and feasting made for absolute chaos. And the parades hadn’t even started yet.
“We need to get out of here.” I wet my lips, my mouth dry. “I can’t hear myself think.”
“Thinking is overrated.” Clay swung into a dance with an old man, his dark skin sheened with sweat, who handed him off to a young woman with metallic streamers tucked into her braids. Laughing, he made his way back to us. “Now this is what I call a party.”
As much as I hated to be the party pooper, we were here to work. Not play. And I was getting…
…hungry.
Back at the SUV, two girls in cropped LSU tees draped themselves over Clay. Giggling maniacally, they begged him to buy them hurricanes. Prying their fingers off him, I shoved him into the backseat before they dragged him to the nearest bar.
Shielding me from their slurred profanities and excessive pouting, Asa opened my door for me, and I climbed in, relieved to have a barrier between me and the whirl of colors and blaring sounds.
A clinking noise filled my ears, and I whirled to find it was Clay, laden with several pounds of beads.
The throbbing in my temples had eased enough for me to notice what I missed earlier.
Lipstick prints covered his cheeks, nose, forehead, and lips. He smelled of perfume, shrimp, and whiskey.
“I can’t take you anywhere.” I waited for Asa to get behind the wheel. “Colby, you’re up.”
Before we set out all willy-nilly, we needed to establish our base and alert the other team of our arrival.
“I already programmed it in,” Colby confirmed, and when I checked on her, she wore a single strand of purple beads looped four or five times around her neck. “It’s about six miles from here. Maybe fifteen minutes?”
“Not in this traffic.” I sank back into my seat. “Tell me about our rental.”
As much as I wanted to light VacayNStay on fire, I had to admit it made travel easier. Plus, it meant we could rent off the grid, depending on the assignment, and minimize casualties. Of the innocent variety, anyway.
“It’s a houseboat,” she trilled. “Two bedrooms, one bath, and a rooftop deck with couches.”
“We’re hunting for a sea monster—” Asa met her eyes in the rearview mirror, “—on a houseboat?”
Cranking my head around, I locked gazes with Clay. “Do you want to say it, or should I?”
“We’re not going to need a bigger boat.” He backed up his partner in crime. “We need to be as stealthy as possible.”
“A houseboat says stealth to you?” A smile curled my lips. “At least tell me there’s a harpoon cannon mounted on the deck.”
“The lake monster is likely a sea serpent.” Colby vibrated with excitement. “Maybe a bakunawa.”
“How can it be a sea serpent,” Asa asked, “if it’s in a lake?”
Sailing onto his shoulder, she said, in a very I’m glad you asked voice, “Lake Pontchartrain is an estuary.”
“Estuary.” He laughed softly at her wings tickling his ear. “Those have direct access to the sea, right?”
“They’re also fed by rivers, so they’re brackish. They can support freshwater and saltwater life.”
“The bridge we crossed was the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway,” Clay mused. “What’s its deal?”
“It’s the longest continuous bridge over a body of water in the world.” She beamed. “Cool, huh?”
“Very.” He looped another strand of beads around her neck, this one gold, and she tipped off balance under its weight. “There’s a power line too, right?”
The gleam in his eyes warned me what giant leap of logic came next, and I cut him off quick.
“We’re not going to reenact that scene from Jaws 2 where the shark bites through the cable and gets fried,” I warned him. “We really would need a bigger boat for that.”
“Or a helicopter.” Colby clutched Asa’s silver hoop earring to keep from falling backward. “The towers are on caissons, so, no. The sea monster won’t conveniently bite through the cable and solve our problems.”
“Word is the Loch Ness monster was a plesiosaur.” Clay rubbed his throat. “Neck like that, he might make it.”
“No one’s neck is that long.” Colby flitted onto his head and patted his wig, a sedate black undercut. “And plesiosaurs are extinct.”
