Kept (13 page)

Almost as if on cue, we both said Sam’s loving words to his wife before he went to Heaven.

Heidi groaned. Nick followed not long after.

“You really do know that movie,” Abby said.

“I’ve had a lot of movie nights.” Sadly, I’d had many more than even most married couples. “So, why do you disappear?” I asked. “What do Muses
do
during the day?” For the longest time, I’d assumed her kind simply hung around with their authors and inspired them to write books. After working in nonfiction publishing for a few years, I wished I could’ve employed one or two of them to make the company’s authors produce better books.

“Muses influence mortals through our physical presence.” She smiled a little. “All I need is to be within one hundred feet to inspire them. They don’t need to see me or talk to me. When the connection’s right, the author—whether they’re a poet, screenwriter, or even a child scribbling on paper—will feel compelled to work on their craft.”

I nodded while she spoke. It seemed logical.

She continued. “We get our assignments from the gods. They prefer to give us mortals who will create literature or art of great importance.” She sighed. “I don’t think they choose very well when it comes to
mine
, though.”

“That last guy in Queens you hung around wasn’t too bad. Well, when he wasn’t drunk or hooking up with those cheap prostitutes,” Heidi said with her gaze focused on the road.

Between clenched teeth, Abby said, “He wrote about this crazy small-town physician who sewed his tools inside of people. In-side of peo-ple.” She emphasized every syllable with a look of distaste on her face.

“Hasn’t he been on the bestseller list for the past nine weeks?” Heidi asked.

“I don’t care what list he’s on,” Abby said. “He made my skin crawl every time I had to look into his head. What kind of human thinks this kind of stuff up?”

Even though Abby was upset, I couldn’t help but snicker. “A man who wants a paycheck?”

The Muse lightly swatted me, apparently unoffended. “Oh, shut up.”

Nick, who’d been quiet for a bit, spoke up. “Just out of curiosity, how did you get the name Abby?”

She quickly said, “Oh, that’s not my real name. But I’ve had it since the Black Death in 1349.”

I couldn’t help but shudder. Abby had to be germ-free after all these centuries, but a small part of my mind couldn’t help imagining the superflu lingering under her fingernails.

“And your real name?” he asked.

Now this I wanted to know. Abby didn’t seem like it fit her as a Muse.

Our quiet friend grinned slyly. A rare one for her. “Only my authors know my real name. And they never kiss and tell.”

Chapter 9

N
ot
far outside of Bloomsfield, we stopped for lunch. We were still in New Jersey, but we’d made great progress. After riding in close quarters, the chilled air was welcome. Heidi’s choice of where to eat … not so much.

“Has this place passed any state legal codes to serve food?” I asked.

“Oh, c’mon, you two.” Heidi eyed Nick and me as if my personal tastes were a running joke. If only I could find the ketchup and mustard smear along the sidewalk equally hilarious. Or the greasy feel of the metal handle on the door.

“Nick, you don’t want to touch that,” I advised.

“Already ahead of you.” He pulled out a napkin and used it to hold open the door for the rest of us. “If I didn’t want to look like a weirdo, I’d have on plastic gloves right now.”

I reached into my purse and yanked out two gloves from a brand-new bag. “I bring them in case of emergency. Now you’re not alone.”

Thanks to being a clean freak, I was used to being stared at by the other werewolves back at home. In comparison, a few humans I’d never see again didn’t seem like a problem. The cheap plastic gloves brought me a strange comfort just looking at them.

Nick offered to put one of them on me. “Here you go.” His hands were warm and smelled of fresh mint. I rather liked the smell of both mint and antiseptic. Most folks wouldn’t get off on such things, but the scents made me feel safe.

“You good?”

I’d been staring at my hands. When I glanced up at Nick, he flashed that warm smile he always had on his face when he looked at me.

I couldn’t resist the smile that tickled my lips. “I’m good.” Then I held up my hands. “I’ve got my protection on.”

His eyebrows danced as we strolled up to the counter. “You shouldn’t do
it
without protection.”

I snorted, but my face warmed nonetheless.

Heidi was at the front of the line and obviously couldn’t resist joining in. “I’ve always wondered if safe sex was possible in the ocean.”

“I don’t,” Abby said with a laugh.

While Heidi ordered, I checked out the eatery. The inside of the restaurant wasn’t the cleanest. Matter of fact, I suspected the mermaid just picked the first place she could find that had gas. To her, this place was clean, but after I picked up my tray of food, I noticed it felt slippery underneath.

“It’s just water from the washer.” Nick must’ve noticed my expression. “I should’ve offered to carry your tray.”

Heidi laughed and then whispered, “Why not just levitate them to our table?”

“And frighten the humans?” the Muse asked.

Nick chose a spot in the corner, a booth where Heidi and Abby sat on one side. I took a seat on the other side with Nick.

Heidi said, “We could do anything in here. Half of these truckers look like they’re barely running plays on
the field right now.” She’d hardly sat down and she had her burger unwrapped. Somehow, on the way to the table, she’d inhaled half of her bottle of water.

I expected things to quiet down while I performed surgery to extract my food from the wrappers, but Heidi continued to gab. Nick, my ever-present sidekick in cleanliness, took my wipes and went over the table and condiment containers.

“I find that most of these places have really interesting people,” Heidi said. “I once met a trucker who was a dark elf hiding out from the leprechaun gangs.”

I laughed. “Did he steal their pot of gold?”

“I hope not. They cut off people’s hands for stuff like that.”

Once Nick finished helping me, he excused himself. “I need the keys to move the truck.”

Heidi frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“Other than the fact you parked it right out in the open?” he replied.

“We can see it from here.” Heidi gestured to the window next to us, through which we could see the truck.

Nick extended his hand. “Keys.”

“Whatever. Don’t hit anybody.” She tossed the keys at him. “Or ruin your nice plastic gloves.”

The Muse picked up the conversation, taking her food from Heidi’s tray. When Nick returned, I couldn’t find a single sign of the truck.

“Where did you put it?” I asked.

“In a warded place,” he replied. “We’re not safe here anymore.”

He gestured with his head to two patrons along the far wall. They were seated closest to the door. My nose told me they smelled like humans.

“What’s up with them? They look like tourists to me,” I said.

“You don’t see them like I do.” He’d taken off the
plastic gloves to drive the truck, so he offered his hand to me. “It will only take a sec, and you can wash your hands after I’m done.”

“Okay. But the humans better be naked or something cool like that.”

The mermaid’s hand shot out real fast. “I sure as hell wanna see them if they are.”

Nick mumbled a few words under his breath. As to what tongue he spoke, I didn’t know. His palm wasn’t warm like before. It blazed hot and made me grimace from the touch. His black eyes, usually shiny, reflected a fire that made me want to look away.

I slowly turned, in a manner that wouldn’t alert the couple, and saw through Nick’s eyes. The whole place changed. I should have focused on the couple first, but everything around me writhed with life. Strange little creatures that looked like caterpillars shuffled along the checkout counter. On the wall above the spot where customers could get straws or packets of condiments, something that resembled a speck of light pulsed along the wall. Another one from the other side of the room joined it.

Like a curious kid, my hand almost went up to point at what I saw, but then I noticed my hand—or should I say I noticed how my hand looked. It glowed. Almost as if coals burned under my skin. Fire churned there, surging up and down my fingers. My skin barely contained what swam underneath.

I thought,
Holy shit
, and turned to Nick in amazement—and saw the unthinkable. Nick was pure light. An absolute white without a speckle of dirt or darkness. The urge to reach out and bathe myself in his warmth pulled at me. Was this what all white wizards looked like when they truly checked out each other? Without glamours or walls of magical protection?

I only knew for sure it was him when the lights that
were once his eyes blinked a few times. Something that had to be his lips smiled.

“Behave yourself, Natalya.” The white wizard’s grip on my hand tightened, and he chuckled under his breath.

My head turned to the couple. I wanted to look at the mermaid or the Muse, but I’d fulfilled my curiosity enough for today. Whatever signal Nick projected was feeling slightly weaker by the second. The couple in the corner had skin the color of coal. Not a natural color either. Their skin appeared shiny, as if dipped in oil. I wanted to focus on them, but something inside warned me not to stare. A tracker takes in information quickly to stay on the trail. I let my mind snap a photograph, and I processed what it took in: One of them was tall and thin, while the other had a medium build. The tall one focused on the door, the other one maintained their disguise by eating. Their heads had a fine sheen of black hair. As shiny as their skin.

“Who are they?” Heidi’s smile had disappeared. She was all business now.

“Assassins. Most likely dark elves employed by whoever—or whatever—used the imps. Maybe fairies,” Nick said.

“Not good,” the Muse responded. “They usually leave people alone.”

“Unless their target has something they want.” Heidi eyed me.

I should’ve been afraid. But naturally the first words out of my mouth weren’t productive. “What kind of fairy assassin scopes out their target in a fast-food joint?”

Heidi shrugged. “One that not only wants to kill you but also wants fries along with a double cheeseburger?”

“What do we do now?” The Muse took a sip from her drink, then swallowed a final bite of her burger. She had resigned herself to the fact that it was time to go.

“They’re heavily glamoured,” Nick said. “Since I had
to use a nice dose of magic to see them, they should know by now that I’m not human.”

He’d released my hand not too long ago, but my palm still tingled.

“If we go out the door, they’ll just follow us to the truck.”

“How do you know there aren’t more of them waiting for us by the truck?” I asked.

“Well, instead of leaving it out in the open, I parked it in a safe place.” He stood. When we moved to follow, he gestured for us to stay.

“A no-fairy parking zone?” the Muse joked.

“You could say that. Stay here and wait for my signal. They’ll follow me; after you get my signal, make a run for it outside. I’ll meet you there.”

He didn’t say what his signal would be. Naturally, him being a wizard, it would be something we couldn’t miss. At least I hoped so.

Nick walked toward the door, but instead of leaving, he strolled to the bathroom.

Every part of me cringed, and I mumbled, “He’s definitely taking one for the team if he heads in there.”

Heidi said, “Not all bathrooms are disgusting, Nat.”

“It’s not what your eyes can see that’s the problem.”

The dark elves rose, and then put their food away in a waste container. They casually talked between themselves before one followed Nick into the bathroom. Bingo. The other one stayed put.

“So,” Abby whispered, “what’s the signal?”

Faintly, I heard a
thump
, and then smelled the scent of something burning. Like someone searing cinnamon in a pan.

I resisted the urge to stand. Nick had gone in there alone. Was he all right? I clutched my hands together and waited. The other elf glanced at his watch then rushed into the bathroom. I guessed even though people
saw the elf as a woman, it wouldn’t stop his cohort from helping his friend out.

“So?” Abby leaned forward. “The signal?”

“We need to go in there and help Nick.” I stood, but the mermaid grabbed my arm.

“Look.” She glanced at the table. On one of the napkins in the center, bright red ink flowed into words:
What the hell are you doing? Run!

Heidi didn’t need to pull me away from the booth. We ran for the exit. The door to the bathroom slammed open. As I burst outside, I caught the faint clicks of claws against the tile floor of the restaurant. The scampering of little feet raced after us. The snapping of jaws.

“Where did he put the fucking truck?” Heidi yelled.

I followed my nose—searching for the horrible scent of the truck. All of our scents lingered on it, but its foul odor drew me to it like a nauseous beacon.

“This way!” I ran past the restaurant parking lot toward the area where the main truck stop was located. Trucks continued to drive around us—oblivious to the hoard of imps racing in our wake. I could smell them, and my stomach rolled from eating burgers and then making a run for it.

We ran across the parking lot. Not far beyond I spied where the scent originated: the truck stop’s car wash. I looked for the dump truck, but my eyes couldn’t see it. When we ran around the car wash, I noticed a tall black fence. A fence made of thick iron. And just beyond it, the truck.

“How did he get it in there?” the Muse panted, nearly out of breath.

With a running start, I easily leaped over the fence.

“Hey, slow down!” The mermaid reached the fence right behind me and formed her hands into a boost for the Muse. Abby stepped up on them and vaulted over the fence.

On the other side, I jumped on the railing and offered Heidi my hand. Not far behind her the imps were coming. At least twenty of them. Their mouths moved hungrily, just like the first one I’d seen.