Brush of Darkness (18 page)

“You do it all to save your own skin.” An involuntary hiss pressed through Brystion’s teeth when the other angel yanked down hard on the rope.

Things were spinning out of control faster than I liked. How far would it go? I sucked in a deep breath. “You can’t,” I blurted. “I’m his TouchStone.”

The room froze, all three men staring at me like I’d grown another head. Brystion closed his eyes as though I’d doomed him.

“What did you just say?” Robert’s voice was ice. His gaze nailed me to the floor.

I thrust my chin at him. In for a penny, in for a pound and all that. “I’m his TouchStone.”

“Prove it. Show me the Contract, and I’ll let him go.”

I stared at him helplessly. “I don’t have one. We . . . uh . . . did it by accident. When we . . . touched.”

“No doubt,” the angel smirked. “I think you’re full of shit. No Contract, no deal. But you can explain it to the liaison tomorrow, though I doubt she’ll be glad to hear it.”

“What time is the Hearing?” My heart dropped. I had no way to prepare for this, no way of knowing what Moira would want. I certainly had no authority over the Judgment Hall, let alone any real influence with the Faery Court. I
was fucked. “What about Katy? While you guys have been having your little pissing contest, she could have been dragged halfway across hell knows where.” Guilt lanced through my chest. Brandon wasn’t going to be very happy with me.

“I’ll send out a contingent immediately,” Robert agreed. “That many daemons should leave an easy enough trail.”

“Yeah, you guys are brilliant trackers,” Brystion said. “You obviously keep tabs on people really well around here.”

The angel shot him a look of death.

“I want to go with them,” I said, interrupting what was surely going to be another example of verbal masturbation. “I can’t just sit here. I need to do
something
.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Robert crossed his arms. “I’ll be sending someone to stand guard here tonight and to fix some of the damage, but you’re not to leave your apartment, understood? Not even for the Marketplace. There are too many unknowns; I want you where we can keep an eye on you.”

“I actually agree with him,” the incubus muttered. “Hell hath finally frozen over.”

“Enough out of you.” Robert snapped his fingers. Brystion snarled as the other Celestial’s hand gripped his shoulder, pulling him back into the courtyard. I followed, escaping Robert’s sudden snatch at my wrist. Helpless, I watched as the two of them slipped through the garden gate, a sudden shimmer making my eyes water as a shower of silver frost sprinkled over the grass.

Figures they would take the Door, I thought sourly. The CrossRoads was the one place where I couldn’t follow. I whirled on Robert, heedless of his sword or his size. “You don’t understand, you stupid prick. He needs my help. There’s something else going on—”

The angel’s mouth compressed into a tight line as he carefully looped his arm through mine, gripping like a vise. “You’re right. There is. And until we get this straightened out, Sparky, this is just the way it’s going to be. I don’t know what kind of little deal you’ve worked out with him, but I can assure you the Court will not be amused.”

“You could have just asked,” I said. “I’ve done nothing wrong, and you’ve got no right to treat me like this.”

The back of my head slammed into the brick wall with an unexpected ferocity, and I cried out despite myself. Robert leaned in close, his nose brushing my cheek. It was a lover’s gesture, but there was nothing romantic about the way his fingers bit into my arm. “Listen, little girl,” he breathed, his teeth clipping the words. “I’m going to figure out what game you’re playing and when I do . . .” He pulled back, pinning me beneath a wave of blue fury. “If I find that you’ve betrayed the Protectorate, I’m going to paint the walls of the Hallows with your blood.”

I shifted, even debated kicking him the balls, but he must have seen something in my expression because he slipped just out of reach. “Try it.” He grinned, his hands trembling eagerly. A heartbeat passed and then a second and then I dropped my gaze. Fucked, yes. Stupid, no.

“Thought not.” He paused. “I’m going to insist you stay upstairs for the rest of the day. For your own safety, of course.”

“Of course,” I snarled back. “What about Brystion?”

“The incubus is no longer your concern. Better for you both if he’d just done as I’d asked.” Robert watched me impassively, mockingly waving one hand in a warped form of misplaced gallantry as we mounted the stairs to my apartment. “Go on now. I’ll send Charlie to get you in the morning and take you over to the Judgment Hall. Maybe if you talk to the elvish liaison beforehand you can avoid any
additional . . . unpleasantness.”

“I’m not a prisoner, Robert,” I said acidly.

“Not yet,” he agreed. “But I think that’s going to change.” He shoved me lightly inside, the door slamming behind me with the finality of a jail cell.

A
nd then the fucker locked me in here.” I stomped through the kitchen for the millionth time, torn by anger, frustration, and guilt. All of it was wrapped up into the aching edge of the evening, since I knew that tomorrow would be here all too soon. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Shit,” Melanie’s husky voice thrummed through the receiver. “That’s pretty heavy, Abby. Did you try calling Charlie?”

“No,” I sighed. “We kind of had a little fight the other night, and well, you know . . .” My voice trailed off awkwardly. “What with the whole Robert thing and all.”

“Yeah, I hear that. You want me to check it out? I have to tell you, though, I think you’re getting in way over your head here. You’re sure you don’t know where Moira is?”

“Twenty-five-thousand-dollar question. AWOL, I guess.”

“All right, hang tight. I’m going to call some people. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” We said good-bye and the line went dead in my hand. I hung up with a frustrated groan, slouching at the kitchen table.

The conversation with Brandon earlier had not gone well. Oh, he’d put on a brave enough tone of voice over the
phone, but I could nearly taste his disappointment on my tongue. Disappointment at what had happened, disappointment in me.

I’d rattled off the information for the Hearing, but I couldn’t tell if he was really listening to my words. He’d earned the right to be there even if he didn’t show.

The shame of my failure burned my heart.

I strayed over to the front window, glancing down at the shadows. The curved silhouette of a woman hovered just outside the streetlight, the ambiance brushing over her skin in sickly yellow hues. I detected the faint glitter of scales on her cheekbones as she tipped her face toward me, acknowledging my silent question with the smallest of motions.

Well, that took care of that. She didn’t look like anything particularly magical, but with my luck she was some kind of shapeshifting dragon. My upper lip curled. Robert didn’t fuck around. It was a pretty good bet that there was someone out back too.

A soft bleat from the floor caught my attention, and I glanced down to see the unicorn pawing at me with a tiny hoof, his nose twitching. I ground my teeth as I fought the urge to kick him across the room. One more goddamned magical thing.

“And what the hell do you want?” His ears flattened and I realized I’d probably offended the hell out of him, but at the moment I didn’t give a shit. “I suppose you’re hungry?”

He sighed and gave a rather good imitation of a shrug and wandered over to the fridge. “Fine,” I muttered, whipping out a bowl and some Corn Pops from the pantry. “Sorry.” I set the bowl down. “I don’t feel much like cooking.” He sniffed the golden cereal with disdain but proceeded to nibble on it anyway. “Such a trouper.”

The phone rang and I snagged it, the unicorn forgotten. “Talk to me, Mel.”

“We have what you want.” The muffled words choked out of the receiver.

“Who is this?” The anger from before rushed out of me, even as my knees went weak. “Where’s Katy?” Long shot that they’d answer, assuming she was what they meant.

“The CrossRoads. Two hours. Anyone else shows up and she’s dead.” The phone clicked off, leaving me with nothing more than a dial tone. I stared at it.

“But I can’t . . .” Assuming I even used the Door in the garden to get to the CrossRoads, I had no idea how to navigate them, no way of getting back. No way of fighting daemons. Not to mention that I was pretty sure the CrossRoads counted as beyond the borders of Portsmyth.

The phone trilled again. “Abby, it’s me.” Melanie’s voice sounded dark. Worried. Afraid.

“What is it? What did you find out?” I tried to keep my own voice calm, but there was a slight hysterical edge to it that I couldn’t control. Should I tell her about the call? Would it inadvertently lead to Katy’s death if I stumbled my way through another fuckup? I bit my tongue and waited to hear Melanie’s news.

“It’s Moira. Robert did some more investigating after he met up with . . . you.” I snorted loudly, but she ignored it. “No one knows where she is, Abby. The Fae all thought she was here, and when they found out she wasn’t . . . well, let’s just say the metaphysical shit has hit the fan.”

“Crap. But I don’t get it. I know she’s the Protectorate and all, but why is that such a big deal to them? Can’t they just send another one?” And get me out of this forsaken Contract?

Melanie made a sound of frustration. “Jesus, Abby, don’t you know who her mother is?”

“Um, no. She never told me.”

“The Queen of Elfland. Moira’s a motherfucking Faery
princess. And she’s missing. And you’re the last person who probably saw her. Make sense to you
now
?”

I exchanged a glance with the unicorn. “Oh, shit.”

“Damn right, oh, shit.”

An icy ribbon ran down my back. Robert’s actions suddenly made a horrible sort of sense. As Moira’s First, he was sure to be blamed if anything befell the Protectorate.

“And Brystion?” I blurted the words without thinking.

She paused, the silence stretching out for a few awkward moments. “Are you really his TouchStone?” The words were quiet and without judgment, and my inner heart thanked her.

“Yeah, I am.” I didn’t offer up more of an explanation and she didn’t ask. The question was there, hovering over the wire between us. When I said nothing else, she sighed.

“Well, just be careful, I guess. They’re going to be looking for answers tomorrow, and I don’t think they’ll care how they get them.”

“That’s ridiculous. I know what I’m doing . . .” My voice trailed away as I remembered the way Brystion had seduced the eggplant woman. Remembered the first meeting with the incubus. The night at the Hallows. Was I really sure? Or was it possible that he’d been playing me from the start with the power of his seduction? And yet . . .

The sheer desperation at the loss of his sister. The way he carried me through the CrossRoads. The protective streak that seemed to be cropping up in the form of angel-bashing and coats. Was he just after a free meal? Or a hostile takeover?

I wiped at my forehead, thoughts whirling. The truth of it was that I really had no idea who he was or what he wanted. I glanced over at the unicorn; he was still crunching cheerfully away on the Corn Pops.

“Only one way to find out,” I murmured.

I wandered into the bedroom. Perhaps if things were different or less intense or less . . . needful, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But I hated to be forced into things, and I was currently being tossed headfirst into the tiger room. With A.1. sauce for shampoo.

“You still there, Abby?” Melanie’s tone was thick with worry. “You want me to come over?”

I shook my head and then snorted at my own idiocy. Duh. “No, I think I’ve got it covered. Are you going to be at the Hearing tomorrow?”

“I can be. Assuming they let me in, but I’m usually pretty good about getting strings pulled.”

“I could definitely use the support.” I forced a smile to myself. “Never know, I might need a quick exit. I also might have a lead on Katy, but I need to work out the details.” I hesitated and then told her the rest of it, promising to call her back when I knew what I was going to do.

I hung up the phone, suddenly desiring quiet. Too many goddamned questions and not an answer in sight. My head spun with the implications. Moira. Sonja. Katy. What was the link?

Clearly, I owed it to Katy to try to set her free, but without a way to get there . . .

I sighed, staring at my phone. I would have to call Melanie back. Call Robert. Call someone else. Anyone else. Failure, indeed.

And yet, hadn’t I managed to get to the CrossRoads through my dreams last night? Admittedly, it had been Brystion’s doing, but that meant it was possible. If I could calm down enough to fall asleep, I might be able to do it.

But weren’t you warned not to do it?
I shushed my inner voice. It was the only way.

My heart started tripping like a hamster on crack at the thought. Time for more desperate measures. I eyed the
phone again. What were the chances I’d need backup?

Pretty damn good. But who? And what was I supposed to tell them?
Meet me at the CrossRoads in two hours . . . but I don’t know exactly where, and I don’t know what I’ll be doing. And, oh yeah. There’s gonna be daemons and if you show up too soon they’re going to kill my friend.