Something to Curse About (15 page)

“This isn’t our business,” he said, tugging me away from Terra. “We’re leaving.”

“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” I yanked loose. “It may not be your business, but they’re my friends.”

“Go with him,” Logan said, removing his jacket. He handed it to Terra, whose face had gone dead white. “He’s right, this isn’t your business.”

I snarled, surprising them and myself. “Shut up. I’m staying.”

Leglin brushed my leg as he walked to stand beside Logan. “
We fight to save her?
”

“You betcha, bub.” I looked at Nick. He shook his head and backed away, his hands up in surrender.

“I can’t, Cordi. It’ll start a war between my pack and their clan.”

Disappointment landed like lead in my stomach. “Get out of the way then.”

“I need a Queen, and she’ll do nicely,” the shifter said, halting at the foot of the steps.

“Dude, you’re like forty.” I saw Bone peek around the corner of the house. He ducked back out of sight. “You’re not exactly a teenager’s dream.”

“And you’re a loud-mouth bitch who I’ll enjoy ripping apart and eating the heart of.”

“Eww.” I moved back to Terra’s side and put my arm around her shoulders. “He’s gross. I don’t like him.”

She swallowed, hugging Logan’s jacket. “I don’t either.”

I could teleport them both away. Logan was close enough for me to grab his shirt. But that would leave Nick and Leglin alone, and I didn’t know if the other shifters would turn on them. Plus, I now knew Bone was around, and probably the other three too. They might not come back again after seeing this, or if they saw me apparently abandoning Nick and Leglin.

“You got him?” I asked, and Logan nodded. “Okay, Leglin and I’ll keep the others off both of you.”

“Be careful,” was all he said before walking toward his opponent. Though not a small man, he looked like a kid compared to the other shifter, who cracked his knuckles and strode forward to meet him.

Four streaks rushed out from the side of the house and Leglin leaped forward to join them. The big shifter flinched, his shoulders hunching as much as they could, as the dogs surrounded him.

Bone darted forward, nipping at the big shifter’s thigh. He ducked away to avoid a strike, and Diablo closed in to nip at the shifter’s other side. Logan stopped. “These your friends?”

“Yup. Hey, guys.” I caught a shifter who jumped off the roof with my TK and put him back on it. Hard. “Bad kitty. No tuna for you.”

Terra choked on a laugh, burying her face in Logan’s jacket. The four pit bulls and Leglin drove the big shifter back onto the porch. He wasn’t trying very hard to hit them. Guess he had doggy phobia too.

“Okay, you get her into the truck. Go to my place.” When Logan nodded, I turned to look at Nick, who’d stayed close in spite of saying he couldn’t get involved. “Open the doors and start your truck. We’re blowing this pop stand.”

He hurried to obey, and I called the dogs. “Come on, guys. We’re leaving.”

They began backing off, but a couple of shifters jumped down. I swatted them with my TK, and decided to do my part for city beautification after mentally scanning our surroundings. We were the only people around. “It’s about to get hot here.”

Turning, Logan rushed over and grabbed Terra, throwing her over his shoulder before running for his truck.

I set the houses on fire. Calling the dogs, I ran for Nick’s truck as shifters yelled and jumped, smoke billowing to hide them from sight. One loomed in front of me, and I ducked to avoid a claw swipe before throwing him with my TK.

Bone yapped, streaking past me. “
You did that?
”

“Yes.” I nearly ran into the front of Nick’s truck. “Everyone in.”

Tires squealing, Logan sped past. Another shifter appeared and grabbed the tailgate, throwing himself into the bed of the truck. I used my TK to throw him out while counting heads as the dogs jumped into the back seat. Nick yelled, “Get in!”

I did, and he threw the truck in reverse, throwing us all forward. The dogs squealed, thumping into the back of the front seat, and I smacked both hands on the dashboard. “Crap!”

The truck slewed around, slinging me into the door and the dogs into each other.

“
Damn!
” Red yelped. “
Get your paw outta my…
”

Nick threw it into drive and punched the gas. He was laughing. “My Alpha’s going to kill me, but that was…God, Cordi, you’re fantastic.”

I shoved back and yanked the seatbelt on. “Give me your phone. I need to call in the fire.”

TWENTY

“Shh.” I unlocked the door of my apartment and pushed it open. “Inside, quick.”

My living room felt a lot smaller with ten dogs and four people in it. Terra had let the Chihuahuas out of their box before I turned around from shutting the door, and sniffing filled the air. I dropped onto the couch. “The pet rent’s going to be a thousand dollars a month. I don’t even have any dog food.”

Nick grabbed the doorknob. He’d been the last person in. “I’ll go get a couple of bags.”

He left before I could agree or say thank you. Logan sank into a chair, staring at the carpet. Terra looked at him then me. “Want me to start giving baths?”

“If you feel like it, sure.” I pointed at Sal. “Why don’t you go first?”

The old dog huffed but followed her down the hall to my bedroom. Bone sat at to my feet, and rested his chin on my knee. “
You really are a human, and you came back
.”

“I promised I would.”

Logan looked up. “You can talk to them?”

“Yeah.” I petted Bone, and said, “At least for now. It’s probably going to wear off.”

The shifter leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach. “How long can you keep them here before you have trouble with the manager?”

“I don’t know, but don’t worry about it. I have backup plans.” We were quiet for a few minutes, long enough to hear the water start running and Terra politely asking Sal if he needed help getting in the tub. I leaned over Bone, examining his missing ear nub. “Did I cause more trouble?”

Logan’s response came too quickly. “No.”

“Dude, I saw you and Nick glaring at each other.”

He grinned. “We do that all the time.”

“Not like that, you don’t. What gives?” I waved a hand. “Whew, you stink, Bone. Why don’t you guys go get in line?”

He snorted, but went down the hall with Red and Diablo following. The black dog glanced back at me and offered a tiny wag of his tail. I smiled and toppled over, swinging my legs over the arm of the couch, before meeting Logan’s gaze. “Tell me what I did. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what I broke.”

“Okay.” He let out a sigh. “Two things: By standing with us, you’ve declared yourself our ally, and now it’ll spread from one end of the city to the other that the White Queen’s Protector requires help to keep her safe.”

I closed my eyes, buried my hands into my hair, and groaned. “Shifter politics.”

“Yep.”

Cracking an eye open, I said, “You totally could’ve whooped his butt.”

“Beating him down wouldn’t be enough. One of us would’ve died back there.” Logan grimaced. “Probably me. Did you see the size of that guy?”

“Nearly as tall as the boss and wide as a wall. Couldn’t miss him.” I let go of my hair and rubbed my face with both hands. “Let me get this straight. I maybe saved your life, and doing it means what? That they’ll try harder now?”

“Well…” He shrugged. “They were going to try anyway.”

“Great.” I wanted to sleep for two days, not deal with problems. “They can’t try if they can’t find you.”

Logan shook his head. “You’ve done enough for us, Discord.”

“I made things worse. It’s my fault they tried tonight. If I hadn’t dragged you with me to pick up the boys, and then distracted you moaning about my relationship issues, aw, man. I’m still going to have to deal with that too.” I smacked the back of the couch with my fist. “Being an adult sucks!”

“Tell me about it.” Logan slid down further in the chair and let his head fall back. “I need to call the others, have some of them come here so that I can get Terra home safely.”

I waved a hand at him. “It’s late. Just stay here tonight, and we’ll figure things out in the morning.”

“I don’t think Nick will go along with that idea.”

“My place, my rules.” I covered a yawn. “Terra can sleep with me. You take the couch. Nick can go home. I can’t deal with him bitching at me or thinking about the whole ‘marry me’ thing right now. I’m too tired.”

There was still Crazy Curseman to find and stop too. I hit the couch again. “I need a vacation from my life.”

“I’ve always wanted to see Tahiti. Maybe after Terra’s settled.” The shifter sighed. “If I live that long.”

“Don’t talk like that.” I saw Sal coming down the hallway. He stopped in the middle of the living room, looked at each of us, and then shook. The Chihuahuas went nuts, running around and yipping their little heads off. “Dude, no. Gah! Everything’s going to smell like wet dog now.”

The dog grinned, his tongue lolling out, and sat. “
Sorry. Where’s dinner?
”

“It’s on the way.” I caught Logan watching us. “What?”

“I’m trying to figure out what he’s saying.”

“He’s hungry and wondering where dinner is.” My stomach growled. “Crap. Should’ve asked Nick to pick up some pizza or something.”

That turned out to be unnecessary, because he returned shortly with food for everyone. “Chinese.”

“Bless you.” I rolled off the couch, almost landing on Bone. Terra hurried down the hall with a towel in her hands on the heels of Red, the last one in the tub. He started to shake and she threw the towel over him.

We managed to find enough bowls to feed all the dogs, and settled at the table to eat our own meal. About to take a bite of my sweet and sour chicken, I had a question. “What day is it?”

Nick and Logan answered at the same time. “Thursday.”

“How many more suicides have there been?”

“Two or three each day, but I don’t know if they were all cursed or really suicidal. You’ll have to talk to Damian.” Nick dumped soy sauce on his beef and broccoli.

“I will, tomorrow.” We still didn’t have a motive for Crazy Curseman. My brain refused to offer up any ideas, and I concentrated on eating.

After dinner, we took turns taking dogs outside by twos and threes. Once the potty breaks were over, I left Terra and Logan corralling the little dogs while I herded the larger ones toward my bedroom.

“They’re sleeping in here?” Nick stopped just inside the door.

“Yeah, and so is Terra. They’re staying the night, so I guess you’ll have to go home.” I opened my closet door.

“No. I’ll sleep on the floor or whatever, but I’m not going home.” Nick’s whisper burned my ears. “It’s bad enough you…”

“You know what? You want to stay, fine, but no telling me how badly I’ve screwed things up. Not tonight.” I shoved two pillows and a couple of blankets at him. “Take these for you and Logan.”

Teeth bared, he growled while taking them. “I have a right to be mad.”

“Sure, and I have a right not to put up with you being mad when I’m tired as hell. You can save your mad for when we have time to deal with it. We don’t right now.” I twirled my finger and pointed at the door. “Go, sleep. No arguing with Logan. He’s a guest.”

Nick gritted his teeth, lips pressed tight and then pecked me on the cheek. “Fine.”

He passed Terra in the hall. She ducked under as he lifted the bedding, both of them somehow pretending the other didn’t exist in spite of their dodging efforts. The teen set the box down. “I brought the little ones.”

“Cool. PJs in the top drawer there, help yourself.” Furry bodies littered my bedroom floor. The pits and Leglin had already fallen asleep. Diablo snored. I shut the door and toed my shoes off before releasing the mini-Krakens from the box. “Find a spot and curl up. No pottying unless you really have to, and if you do, do it in the bathroom.”

Speck scratched at my leg. “
Sleep with you
.”

“Okay.” I shut the door and picked him up before heading straight for the bed, too worn out to even care about changing. After setting the puppy on the bed, I skinned out of my jeans and climbed in. Terra turned out the light a couple of minutes later, and slid in on the other side.

I could hear the low murmur of voices from the living room. “No fighting!”

“We’re not!” Nick yelled back. “Go to sleep!”

“Bossy butt,” I muttered, and Terra giggled. Speck climbed onto my chest, walked around, and settled on my stomach.

Eyes closing, I hoped nothing else would happen before morning.

TWENTY-ONE

A cold, wet nose against my cheek woke me. I cracked open an eye to find Diablo in my face. “
I need to go outside
.”

“Okay.” After peeling Speck off my throat, I climbed out of bed and tucked the little guy under the covers before pulling on my jeans. Leglin woke, yawned, and stretched. I petted both on the head on my way to the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later to grab my shoes and take them outside.

Nick sprawled bare-chested on the floor, his blanket bunched under him. Logan slept like a child, lying on his side with both hands tucked under his pillow, his blanket down around his hips. He’d taken off his shirt too. Nothing better than waking up to eye candy, except for coffee.

The morning chill caused shivers and goose bumps on my arms. Rubbing them, I tried to pretend alertness by checking the parking lot. My car, coated with morning dew, sparkled in the rising sun. It looked gorgeous.

A truck pulled into the lot, driving slowly past before pulling in next to Nick’s truck. I recognized Patrick and intercepted him before he could reach my apartment door. “Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Nick Max…oh, you’re her.” The corner of his lips quirked. Giving me a slow up and down scan, he added, “I recognize your scent. Smelled it on him often enough.”

“Okay, that’s just TMI. They’re still asleep, and I have a houseful of dogs.” Leglin bounded up with Diablo. They halted, one on either side of me, and studied the shifter. The black pit bull growled low in his throat. I realized my teeth were bared, and closed my lips.

Patrick’s eyes flashed gold. “I hope you can keep it under control. Hate to…”

I stepped forward, poking a forefinger at his nose, and let my teeth show. “Here’s a little tip: If you want to get along with me, you’ll keep your damn threats to yourself. My dog buds are off-limits to you, Nick, and anyone else in your pack. Anyone ignores that, and I,” I dropped my hand lower to poke him in the chest with each word. “Will come down on them like a ton of bricks. They are
my
pack. Got that?”

He pushed my hand away, a grin forming, and I got hit by a flash of memory. Running through the forest, chasing something. Hot blood flowing down my throat. Blood lust turning to lust and sinking a body part I definitely wasn’t equipped with into slippery heat.

“Argh.” I shook my head, trying to dispel the images
.
“
Don’t touch me without an invitation, dude.”

Grin fully formed, he asked, “Is there going to be one?”

What a horn dog. “Oh, good night. No.”

Patrick edged forward, ignoring Diablo’s rising growl. “You sure? I’m not as tame as my little brother. You might like the change.”

I put a hand on Diablo’s head, and tilted mine. “Do you always hit on Nick’s girlfriends?”

He laughed. “Yes.”

“Pretty damn scum-sucking of you.” I nudged Diablo with my knee. “Let’s go in.”

Inside, I found Nick awake and stretching. “Your douchebag of a brother’s here.”

“And you, little brother, are in major trouble with the Alpha.” Patrick walked in behind the dogs and me. “He got a complaint from a tiger clan. Something about you interfering with a takedown.”

My boyfriend groaned. Logan proved he was awake by sitting up. “He didn’t aid us. He stayed because Discord wouldn’t leave.”

“All I did was help her get out of there.” Nick scrubbed a hand over his face and hair.

Patrick shrugged, dropping into a chair. “Don’t tell me. Tell Dad.”

I shut the door, looking from him to Nick. “Your father’s the Alpha?”

His brother chuckled. “Do you tell her anything? Yes, Dad’s the Alpha of our pack.”

There it was, in a nutshell. I couldn’t even think of saying yes to marrying Nick when he’d never shared that kind of information with me.

“Dad said…”

Patrick interrupted him. “She’s not one of your little human playmates. You’ve been spending all your spare time with her, and sleeping with only her.” He raised an eyebrow. “I might think that means you’re serious about Psychic Girl, even if she made you sleep on the floor last night. Are you in the dog house?”

Nick growled. His brother growled back. Logan knuckled sleep out of his eyes, tossed the blanket aside, and rose. “It’s too early for this crap.”

“Yeah. Coffee?” I headed for the kitchen, and he followed.

“Please. Mind if I borrow the bathroom?”

“Go ahead.” He turned down the hall and I began setting up the coffee pot, ignoring the thump from the living room. Sounds of wrestling followed it. Diablo stalked in, his ears pinned back. Leglin stopped at the entrance, turning around and sitting, his ears perked as he watched the brothers rolling around on my living room floor. “You guys break anything, you bought it.”

“
Why do you let them in your place? They ain’t got no manners
.” Diablo sneezed and rubbed a paw over his nose. “
And they stink
.”

“Nick’s my boyfriend.” I started the coffee and began collecting bowls. “I know it’s asking a lot, but try not to bite either of them, okay?”

The black dog turned his head, giving me the damaged side. “
Whatever
.”

***

“Keep stirring them.” I’d remembered my vow to give Terra cooking lessons, and had her taking care of the scrambled eggs. The wolf brothers were gone, though Nick promised he’d be back as soon as a possible. I turned bacon with one hand, busy scribbling a list of groceries with the other.

Logan sat on the floor, sipping his coffee while rolling a tennis ball for Speck. My potential Chihuahua adoptee skittered around on the tile, bouncing off the other little dogs as they ate breakfast. The larger dogs were lounging around in the living room. A glance through the doorway showed them having a conversation with Leglin. From what I caught, they were asking him about living with me.

I’d planned to see if Mom or Betty could help find them homes, but catching that, I realized the idea of keeping them suited me just fine. That way I could be certain of what happened to them since I wouldn’t lose touch.

Scooping the bacon out to drain on paper towels, I said, “I have got to find a house.”

“For you and Nick?” Terra asked.

“No, my pack and me. I can’t have that many big dogs in an apartment. Those are done. Hot pads are in that drawer. Just take the skillet over to the table.” I turned off burners while she followed directions, and carried the bacon over. Logan swatted the tennis ball into the living room, and Speck bounded after it.

He stood, sniffing, and took a seat. “Looks good, ladies. Thank you.”

Terra sat down, but I grabbed my notepad before joining them. I tore my shopping list free and stared at the blank page. After a few seconds, I sighed and tossed the pen down in favor of serving myself some eggs. “I got nothing on this guy. No motive for him cursing people into killing themselves, no clues except he’s involved with the dog fighting.”

“Blood?” Logan and I focused on Terra. The teen shrugged. “I don’t know, I mean, blood’s life, and it’s used for a lot of things aside from keeping people and vampires alive. We have a sharing ritual when someone new joins our clan. It’s used to seal oaths, for spells, for…”

“Sacrifices to demons.” I scowled. “I swear, if demons are involved, I will personally introduce Curseman’s face to a brick wall. Like, a dozen times.”

“Not just to demons. To gods too.” Logan speared a couple of pieces of bacon. “I know the One True God thing really took root with humans, but there’s not one god. There’s hundreds, maybe thousands.”

I shoveled eggs into my mouth, wishing he hadn’t said that. Oh, sure, I realized people thought there were a lot of gods—my witch buddies picked personal gods to appeal to from the Aztec pantheon—but to hear someone say there were loads and loads of omnipotent beings out loud seriously tilted my world outlook twenty degrees past “batshit crazy” and caused beyond-serious doubt in my ability to survive.

“Did I say something wrong?”

His question tuned me into the muffled growling. My muffled growling. Swallowing, I shook my head. “Nope, I’m just wondering how crazy things have to get before I end up drooling all over a straitjacket with my name on it at Happyville Manor.”

Terra ducked her head while snagging a couple of pieces of bacon. I grabbed a few slices before they all disappeared. Shifters were hell on a girl’s bacon supply. “Okay, let’s go with her blood theory. All the suicides I know about did involve blood splattering everywhere, and so does the dog fighting. But if it’s not being collected or spilled in like, a circle or whatever, what good does it do Curseman to be painting the town red?”

Logan straightened and pointed a piece of bacon at me. “Intent. Spells are intentions, and curses are spells. Magic practitioners always choose a personal…”

“God,” I finished. “Yeah, that I did know. So he’s…”

“Creating the curses with the intention of the victims being sacrifices to his god.” Logan paused, lifting one shoulder slightly. “I’m sticking with a god over demons. They can be capricious and cruel, but people are agents, more of an investment for them. Demons just use and kill anyone who calls on them.”

Made sense to me, and I said so. “Which means our next step is what? Find where any gods are hanging out at in Santo Trueno and ask who’s been getting a lot of bloody presents?”

He chuckled. “I don’t think it’ll be that easy, Discord.”

“Nothing ever is.” I chomped down on a piece of bacon and ground it to paste before swallowing. “Oh.”

“Oh, what?”

“That means it’s time to call the witches in. They can ask their personal gods to lend us a hand.” I popped the rest of my bacon into my mouth and smiled at them.