Something to Curse About (20 page)

TWENTY-EIGHT

It was. Right after Schumacher left, Mom gathered my good hand in both of hers. “I have something to tell you.”

“One of the dogs came up missing.”

She blinked. “How did you know that?”

“Because the dog is who saved Logan and me from getting roasted.” I squeezed her fingers. “He wasn’t really a dog. I’m not sure what he is, but it looks like he’s on our side.”

“Oh. All right. Um, the three new little dogs, are they dogs?”

“As far as I know. You took them?” At her nod, I smiled. “Thanks. I’m sorry you’re getting saddled with taking care of them.”

Mom shrugged. “It’s all right. Besides, I won’t be taking care of them alone. There’s a girl out there, Logan said you two found her out where the trouble was.”

“Tonya, yeah.”

“Yes. I’ve talked to her a little bit. She’s only seventeen and has been living in her car for the past two months. I’m going to take her home for a while.”

I almost asked her if she’d gone nuts, wanting to take a stranger home, but thought better of it before anything slipped out. The girl had risked her life against shifters in order to get her dog back, and it sounded like she probably needed some help. I couldn’t think of anyone better than my mom to help her. “Okay.”

We exchanged a smile and she said, “Nick would like to see you, if you’re not too tired.”

“Okay.” She kissed my cheek, gathered her purse, and left. Nick came in less than fifteen seconds later, anger preceding him in a solid wave.

He shut the door before coming over to the bed, and didn’t reach for my hand. He didn’t try to touch me at all. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Doc says it’ll be good as new in a week.” I hesitated. “You’re mad.”

Nick’s lips tightened. “You think? Tell me why I shouldn’t be mad. I’m sure there’s a reason.”

“Maybe because I was on the job, and not alone? It’s not like…”

“Yeah, having Logan as backup worked out real well, didn’t it?” Nick stabbed a finger in the air, pointing at my shoulder. “He should’ve taken that arrow. Not you. I would’ve.”

“It wasn’t his fault I got shot.” No, that had been my own fault since I’d let anger take over. “He jumped a dark elf trying to save me because I lost my temper and made a stupid decision.”

Nick’s lips parted, his eyebrows rising slightly. “I can’t believe I just heard you say that.”

“What? That I did something stupid?”

“Yeah.” His brows dropped and drew together as his eyes narrowed. “You’ve never admitted anything you’ve done was stupid before. I start bitching about Logan not doing his job, and out it comes.”

I took a deep breath. “It’s not about Logan, okay? I did do something stupid last night. I make bad decisions sometimes, but what you’re always on me about is not running away every single time things get a little hot.”

Nick threw his hands in the air. “Because you end up hurt, Cordi. You think the answer is always ‘Charge!’ and that’s what you do. Charge right into danger without thinking.”

“I do too think.” I amended that immediately. “Most of the time. But I can’t see the future.” I had to amend that too. “I mean, not usually.”

“You’re a psychic, not a superhero. You should use your abilities and let me take care of the physical stuff.” He jabbed a thumb at his chest. “That’s what Mr. Whitehaven hired me for: To handle the physical stuff and keep you safe.”

“You weren’t available.”

Nick’s head jerked as though I’d slapped him. “You could’ve called.”

“Yeah, and what? Sat there and waited an hour for you to get there while those sick jerks were making dogs kill each other?” I shook my head. “No. It can’t work that way, Nick. I have to do my job, whether you’re there to back me up or not. I did it before you were hired, and somehow kept myself breathing.”

He unsuccessfully fought a sneer, his hands becoming fists. “You’ve been lucky, but luck always runs out.”

My good hand had clenched into a fist of its own. I forced it open. “Which is it you think I am, helpless or stupid?”

Sneer fading, he shook his head. “I don’t think you’re either. But you’re not like us, Cordi. You’re fragile, easily hurt, even with your abilities. You’re new to our world, and you don’t know how much contempt some species have for humans.”

“I don’t? Funny, because I’ve damn sure seen enough of it from vampires, demons, and now you.” His mouth fell open, but I kept going. “I watched my best friend get played by a vamp, and turned into a party favor. I’ve been attacked more than once by contemptuous supes who think I’m fragile, and I’m still here, still trying to do my damn job. And I’m going to keep doing it, Nick, until you and every other supe who thinks we’re weak, helpless victims gets the attitude adjustment they have coming.”

I threw back the covers and used my good arm to lever myself up while swinging my legs off the bed. Nick stepped back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going to see this mess through.” I managed not to fall on my rear when the room spun. I’d stood up too fast. “That’s what I’m doing.”

“You’re hurt. You need to stay in bed.” He edged forward, reaching for my arm and paused, realizing he’d have to grab the injured one. “Please get back in bed.”

“No.” My foot touched something and I looked down to find the bag Mom had dropped. The open top offered a glimpse of clothing. Trust Mom to think about my needing some. I bent down, trying not to move my injured arm, and grabbed the bag. “I’m getting dressed. Go make sure no one comes in.”

Nick crossed his arms and shook his head. “No. Get back in bed.”

I snarled, tossing the bag on the bed. “Fine, don’t help. Leglin.”

The hound appeared between Nick and the door. His tail whacked the wall before he crossed the few feet to me. “
Mistress?
”

Goody, I could still understand him. I patted his head. “I’m going to get dressed and don’t want anyone coming in here until I’m finished. Would you mind guarding the door?”

“She’s hurt
.
She needs to get back in bed.” Nick pointed to my shoulder. “Not running around after a dark elf.”

Leglin growled. “
There’s a dark one here, in this city?
”

“Yeah. He shot me with a freakin’ arrow. Alleryn’s calling Thorandryll, and I want to be in on what happens.” I turned and began pulling clothes out of the bag. Mom had thought of everything, including loaning me one of her loose-fitting, button up blouses. The hound went to the door, and made sure no one would come in by sitting with his shoulder against it.

I glanced at Nick. “Sorry, he’s on my side. Would you untie me?”

“You’re going to get yourself killed.”

You’ll be fine this time
. I hoped Sal had meant more than my shoulder. “Not this time.”

His shoulders slumped, and Nick moved close to untie the hospital gown. He even found the sling Alleryn had left, and helped me adjust it.

***

Tense didn’t begin to describe the scene in the hospital meeting room the mayor had commandeered. No one was using the seats around the long conference table, except Nick and me.

“Citizens of this city have been killed by this Dalsarin.” Mayor Wells held Thorandryll’s gaze a lot better than I’d ever managed to. If his Snooty Highness was impressed, he didn’t show it. The mayor slapped his hand down on the table. “He needs to be brought to justice. Public justice, in a court of law.”

“It took the combined might of all our clans to end the threat his people posed over three hundred years ago, and many of us died in the effort.” Thorandryll half smiled. He stood at the opposite end of the table from the mayor, Alleryn at his shoulder. “We took no prisoners, because they can’t be held. The only way to stop him is death, and death is our sentence for those who use dark magic.”

“This is my city, and I,” Wells began, but I interrupted.

“Our city. It’s our city, and he’s telling you this guy is super bad news. Which,” I rolled my eyes at Thorandryll when he looked at me. “We kind of figured out ourselves. People dying equals huge clue.”

Though mad at me, Nick chuckled.

“Be that as it may, the fact remains that none of you can do much against Dalsarin, and it’s best if we take over the matter from here.” Thorandryll glanced at my shoulder. “I’m impressed you survived facing him, Miss Jones.”

“Surviving’s what I do. But,” I smiled back as sweetly as I could. “I’m going with, if only to watch the corpsicle crumple.”

“If she goes, I’m going.” Nick crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

“Logan’s going too,” Terra said from the corner, where she stood with Logan. “I’ll be Queen of this city, and should have a representative present.”

Nick growled. “Why, so he can let Cordi get shot again?”

Logan stepped forward, fists clenched at his sides. “I went after her as soon…”

I lifted the heavy conference table two feet with my TK and let it drop back into place. The loud thump closed their mouths. “We really don’t have time for squabbling, people. About anything. If the Cursing Corpsicle isn’t taken care of soon, the city’s his.”

Behind Thorandryll, Alleryn gave the slightest shake of his head while his Prince focused on me. “Who told you that?”

“I figured it out all by my little self.” My response caused a grin to flicker across Alleryn’s lips. He just might be friend material. “I’m right, aren’t I? He’s doing something magical, and not just sacrificing to a god for more power.”

Mayor Wells had recovered. “What the hell do you mean, the city’s his?”

I didn’t answer because I didn’t really know what it meant, other than bad. No one else bothered to answer. Thorandryll’s icy blue eyes had narrowed while he stared. I batted my eyelashes. “Nod for yes, shake for no. Keep standing there looking bugged if you don’t know what’s going on.”

Thorandryll’s expression smoothed to bland. “I believe he’s trapping the souls of those he’s cursed, and intends to use them...”

The door of the conference room swung open, and in came Ronnie with her ferret familiar, Saki, on her shoulder and a leather-bound book nearly as big as her torso hugged in her arms. “To cut off Santo Trueno from the rest of world.”

Wow, talk about an answer I wasn’t expecting. “Why would he do that? Can he do that?”

She nodded, nearly shaking Saki loose. The ferret chittered irritably, grabbing another pawful of her dark brown hair. “That’s not the worst of it. Once he’s cut us off, he has a captive pool of sacrifices at hand. Thousands of them, and with the power he’ll gain, he could quite literally take over the entire North American continent.”

Ronnie crossed to the table to put the book down, and flipped it open to a page marked with a indigo bookmark advertising the Blue Orb. David gave them out with each book purchase. “Kate borrowed this from someone, and it details the war between the elves.”

I wondered if anyone else noticed Thorandryll’s squinty glare aimed in Alleryn’s direction. The mahogany-haired elf pretended he didn’t, but I saw him flinch. Someone was going to be in big trouble later.

“It’s what led to the Sundering. The dark elves did the same thing over two thousand years ago, and the power they gained from sacrificing those they trapped led to their taking over the entire southern hemisphere.” She tapped a page. “It’s all right here. All those allied against the dark elves decided the only way to save the non-combatants—humans—was to separate the realms. They continued to fight until they finally won a few centuries ago.”

Wells snorted. “Fairytales. Historians would’ve uncovered…”

“The Sundering had layers. Separating the realms wasn’t all it did. It also altered the memories of all those left behind.” A tiny smirk appeared on Thorandryll’s face. “It’s amusing how humanity has filled some of the historical gaps the spell left.”

I spoke before the two of them began arguing. “Why did he pick Santo Trueno? Las Vegas would’ve been a better choice. They have highest suicide rate in the US, and no one would’ve realized what was going on until it was too late. Oh, wait.” I’d remembered Alleryn’s remark after he’d busted in my hospital room, the eavesdropper. “It’s personal, isn’t it? He came here because you’re here. What did you do to him?”

Thorandryll’s smirk had faded, and he didn’t respond immediately. After a moment, he sighed. “I slew his lover. My wife.”

Oh. Well, that put an entirely new spin on the situation. Or it seemed to for Mayor Wells, who sank down into a chair, propped his elbows on the table’s edge, and dropped his head in his hands. Nick, on the other hand, couldn’t resist the chance to try and draw blood. Metaphorically speaking. “You murdered your own wife? Before or after you found out she fu…Ow!”

I’d hit him with my good elbow as hard as I could. For a second, I’d felt the chasm of grief the elf held inside open. “Shut up.”

Nick’s teeth clicked as he obeyed. No one said anything for a couple of minutes, though Ronnie slid the book a bit farther down the table from the elves, the mayor lifted his head, and Logan turned to lean his shoulder against the wall, almost completely hiding Terra from sight. She peeked over his shoulder, her gaze on Thorandryll. Under the table, Leglin laid his head on my feet.