When Sparks Fly (31 page)

“None of your business. Why did you follow
me?” Kiyl demanded. Losing interest in Gem, he stalked toward the
boy.

Bijo started to speak, then caught sight of
his brother. “What did you do to him?” he shrieked.

Kiyl intercepted the boy before he could
reach Match. “Don’t interfere.”

“You told me you’d leave us alone if I
helped you!”

Kiyl showed his teeth. “I lied. If you’re
not careful, you’re next. Lucky for you, I still have a use for
you.”

Bijo shook his head and cursed.

Kiyl backhanded the boy, sending him
skidding across the room. “You need a lesson in manners, kid.” He
took a step forward. But then another sound, one from somewhere in
the pipes, caught his attention. He looked toward the vats. A pair
of beady eyes blinked at him from the shadows.

Gem blinked, for she saw the same thing as
her enemy. It was a green rabbit with outlandishly long legs and
ears like salad scoops. She had no idea how it had gotten inside
her inn.

Kiyl stared for a moment, then laughed.
“What’s this? Has your daddy come to see what’s become of his boys?
Is that the best you can do?” he called loudly to the rabbit. “You
full-bloods are so proud of your purity, and this is your best? A
rabbit! Compared to you, I’m a god! Watch what a
bastard
can
do, old man.” In moments he became a lean, armored carnivore of
some type that Gem had never seen. His gray hide was covered with
thick plates, and spines ridged his back. He leapt forward on four
legs, black teeth snapping.

The rabbit released a horrible scream and
bounced away. Kiyl gave chase, laughing maniacally.

Bijo used the distraction to leap toward his
brother, pulling a knife and slitting the rope around Match’s hands
andcaught him as he fell. Ignoring the noise of the terrified
animal, he slung one of Match’s hands over his shoulder and dragged
his brother toward the door.

Just before he reached it, the door burst
open. “Get down!” Blue hissed, running inside, his gun leveled at
the boy’s chest. Bijo instantly obeyed, though he tried to go easy
with his brother. Match groaned as they both fell. There was
another horrible screech; then all went quiet.

Blue sprinted to Gem and cut her loose. He
pressed his knife into her hand and pushed her gently toward her
sisters. “I’ll cover you,” he said softly. “Try to get them
out.”

Kiyl, still in the carnivore form, slowly
stalked out of the shadows. He shifted just enough to stand on his
hind legs and speak. “Here you are, cop,” he crowed. “I thought I
was going to eat your girl before you even got here.”

“Kiyl,” Blue replied. “I’d have thought you
would give up by now. You know there’s no way out.”

Kiyl’s lips parted in a horrible black grin.
“I’m invincible, fool. I got away once and I’ll do it again. I even
grew back my hand.” He waggled his freakish claws in illustration.
“I’m a god…a god of
death.”

But the death god didn’t see what Blue was
hiding. Bijo was behind him, and he was changing. The boy had
talent. It only took him seconds to become a two-legged lizard with
massive jaws and a powerful, clubbed tail. Only his arms remained
humanoid, but they were clawed and thick with muscle.

He launched himself at Kiyl without warning.
One snap of his jaws engulfed Kiyl’s entire head, and the
shape-shifted boy clamped harder as the villain thrashed. He even
shook his head back and forth, flinging Kiyl’s body around like a
dog would a chew toy. Finally the Kiuyian’s body landed some feet
away with a sick, meaty sound. Bijo stared at him for a moment and
then spat out Kiyl’s head. It landed facedown with a wet thud. Blue
could hear someone being sick. He felt a little off himself.

Bijo resumed the shape of a scrawny teen
with a bloodstained mouth. He stared at Blue, then hurried over to
his brother.

Again, the door burst open. Cops swarmed in.
Bijo was forced to the floor before Blue called them off. Medics
followed close behind.

Blue turned to his wife and family to see
the damage. Xera was free and scowling as medics swarmed over
Brandy. Gem’s youngest sister seemed mostly fine now, although she
didn’t enjoy the medics’ attention. She kept insisting she was
okay.

Gem hurried close for a hug. The embrace was
brief if heartfelt. “I’ve got to find Azor,” Blue told her, and
raced toward the vats where the rabbit had disappeared.

His friend and colleague lay naked on the
floor in the shadows. His long green hair spilled loose and blood
streamed out of bone-deep claw marks on his thigh, shoulder and
back. Blue yelled for the medics.

Azor smiled grimly. “Is he dead?”

“The neighbor kid got him. Bijo,” Blue
explained.

Azor grunted. “I saw him when I was still
outside, heading for the door. Kid got involved before I could warn
him.”

“Relax, he came in useful.” Blue paused,
then asked, puzzled, “Why a rabbit?”

Azor grinned. “I told you he’d never be able
to resist. If I’d come in looking like a bigger monster than he
was…” He trailed off as the medics swarmed him, flinched at their
bright lights and ministering hands.

Blue got the drift. If Azor had challenged
him with brute force, the killer might have tried to hide behind
his hostages. Only by offering him an even more attractive prey had
Azor been able to ensure that they could get Kyil away from his
captives. Smart.

When the storm of cops and medical personnel
finally cleared, the Harrisdaughter family gathered in their
apartments. Zsak had followed Azor to the hospital for the first
watch. The medics had decided to let Brandy’s system clear itself
of Kiyl’s drugs without intervention, because that was the safest
route. As soon as she was able, however, her sisters vowed to take
her to the hospital. She was impatient to see Match.

“It could have been much worse,” Blue
explained. “From what I understand, Match should be able to
regenerate much of his missing…parts…with a little help. They still
have to patch him up and stop the bleeding, though. And infection
is always a problem without medicine.” Blue held Gem on his lap as
she sipped hot tea. They’d been sitting that way for quite a while.
He wasn’t in the mood to let go.

She stirred. “We should go to the
hospital.”

His arms tightened. “Not yet. Zsak will let
us know as soon as our friends are ready for company. It’s just as
easy to wait here. Besides, Jamir is still trying to soothe your
shock with food. You wouldn’t want to duck out on his mothering,
would you? He hasn’t even finished the cookies yet!”

She made a face at him, but his joke
lightened the moment. She shivered, and he knew she was remembering
how Kiyl had died.

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy,” he
suggested. “The bastard was destined for a bad end. I’m just sorry
you had to see it.”

“What will happen to Bijo?” Xera asked,
changing the subject.

“I imagine he’ll get off lightly. He’s just
a kid, and it sounds like his family was threatened. The thing with
Kiyl was self-defense. We all saw.”

Xera grimaced and looked aside.

Tough, fearless Xera. She had been the one
to get sick earlier, when she’d seen their enemy’s head ripped off.
She was apparently strong but not hardened. For her sake, Blue
hoped she’d never see worse.

“I’m going to check on Brandy,” she said,
rising. Brandy was surely fast asleep and oblivious, but Xera was
compulsive about keeping an eye on her.

Gem set her tea aside and snuggled down into
her husband’s arms. “I’m getting a kink in my back,” she remarked.
“Maybe it would be easier to take a nap. You could leave the
communicator beside the bed.” She gave Blue a hopeful look. She
wanted to comfort him.

He smiled into her hair. “Is that code, or
do you really want to nap?”

She sat up and scowled.

He laughed. “I was just joking!”

She rolled her eyes and led him to her
room.

Epilogue

It was two weeks after the episode with Kiyl
that Azor again stopped into The Spark for a visit with Blue and
Gem. Not that he entered the private rooms for the family. His
preferred method of visiting was to come to the taproom and order
an ice water, then wait for either of his friends to seek him out.
While still reserved, he didn’t let his part in the prior
investigation surrounding The Spark keep him from socializing with
them when he chose.

His mouth curved faintly upward as Gem slid
into the chair next to him. “Gem,” he said. “Please tell your cook
to stop sending baskets of food to my apartment. My roommate has
begun to ask embarrassing questions.”

Gem exhaled in amusement. “You’re should ask
him personally. I don’t want to be seen as the bad guy. Ever since
Zsak took that assignment off-world, Jamir has been at loose ends.
He doesn’t know who to cook for, besides our guests. I warn you, he
can be stubborn.”

Azor eyed her. “Hm. Maybe I can redirect
him. The SWAT team might appreciate a few baskets of goodies.”

Gem laughed. “Good luck!”

He allowed a half smile, then sobered. “I
assume you’ve heard the news about Cirrus? The jury returned a
guilty verdict. He’s going to be serving some time doing hard labor
in the mines. His assets have also been seized by the Polaris
government. They’re to be sold at auction soon.”

Gem shook her head. “All his art, his house…
I almost feel sorry for him.”

Blue sent her a skeptical look.

“Yeah, maybe not,” she agreed. “He had it
coming.”

She sighed and remarked to the others, “Did
you hear that Blue and I are moving out to the farm for a while?
He’s calling it a honeymoon, but I think he just wants to see
what’s going on out there with his own eyes. That, and I think he’d
like to get away from here for a bit.”

Azor nodded. “Your sister Brandy will be in
charge, then? I guess you should be glad she’s under house arrest,
because it gives you someone to keep an eye on the place so that
you and Blue can get away. To…work on your gardening skills.” He
gave her a knowing grin.

Gem gave him a look, surprised at the
detective’s teasing. “Yes. Plus, I think it’ll be good for her to
get some experience being in charge alone. Nineteen’s not so bad a
time to start, especially not when you teethed on a business.
Besides, she could use the confidence after all that happened. And
since Jaq and Tam Rasheed are here, and I’m just a stone’s throw
away…Well, you didn’t think I’d take my hands entirely off the
wheel, did you?”

“No. I suppose you want something for Xera
to come back to eventually.”

Gem lifted a shoulder and shrugged. The
gesture was somewhat sad. “Xera, come back? She may never. Who
knows where she’ll go or whom she’ll meet in the GE? I just
hope…Well, I just hope she ends up happy.”

“She’s not the sort to give up until she
is,” Azor replied.

Blue slid onto the barstool next to his
wife. “Hey, Azor! You going to visit us on the farm?” he asked. He
looked excited to go.

Azor gave his ex-colleague a sardonic look.
“Am I invited?”

“Sure. Just come ready to work,” Blue
warned. “There’ll always be something to do out there.”

“I can see I’m going to want to rush right
out.” Azor glanced around and then admitted, “I heard your sister
finally got out of her chair.”

Gem smiled, giving a laugh of pure pleasure.
“Yes! And thank God! I was ready to strangle her. She’s such a
crank when she’s laid up. Speaking of which, how are you?” She
looked embarrassed that she hadn’t asked earlier, but Azor knew it
wasn’t from lack of concern. There was so much going on in her
life, between her family, the inn and their new property, he was
amazed she kept track of anything.

“I’ll be back to work tomorrow,” he
admitted. “It would have been sooner, but my commander forced me to
take the time off.” He fought to hide his annoyance.

Blue rested an arm on the back of his wife’s
chair. He couldn’t hide a small grin as he said, “Now, that’s just
cruel for a workaholic like yourself.”

Azor grunted and stood to go. He was a
little stiff.

Blue stood with him, and he surprised Azor
by clasping his forearm and giving a firm shake. “Stop in from time
to time,” he requested. His voice was full of unspoken emotion.
“Seriously. You never know what we might have going on.”

Gem huffed in dismay. “I don’t doubt that.
But no more adventures, please.”

Blue put his arm around her. “Blame your
dad. He never should have named this place The Spark
.
It was
just asking for trouble.”

“I’ll tell him when I see him next,” Gem
replied, her voice a little tart. But then she stepped close and
surprised Azor with a hug. “Thanks for everything.”

A flush of bronze swept his cheekbones. “Um.
Yes. I’ve got to go.” He fled at a fast walk.

Blue glanced at his wife and laughed.
“You’re going to ruin the old boy,” he observed. “I don’t think
he’s been hugged since he was in nappies.”

“He has potential,” Gem replied stoutly, and
there was a teasing glint in her eye.

Blue pulled his beloved close and whispered
in her ear, “Not as much as I do.” He wanted her always to remember
that.

“Maybe you should prove it,” she whispered
back, and she bit him.

Blue growled and led her toward the door.
The inn wasn’t the only thing around here that was trouble. The
Spark had indeed led to a fire. It had started with a clandestine
drug-smuggling operation and grown into assassination attempts and
kidnapping, but it had also led to him finding the love of his
life. There was no question that their passion was a blaze that a
lifetime of lovemaking would never put out. There was nowhere else
in the galaxy that he’d rather be.