Night Broken
Page 25

She gave me a tentative smile. His mother never lets anyone forget it. Shes a proud woman, and she swears that not only were they Canarios, but her family actually was Guanche, descended from the original inhabitants of the islands before Spain conquered it about seven hundred years ago. Her smile broadened. She talks about moving back there someday. I really hope that she does. We could vacation in the tropics and also see her less often. Win-win in my book.
We should get out of here, said Gary, looking at the framed flag and sounding nervous. He looked at Lucia and seemed to collect himself. Maam, Mercy brought us here because she is worried that Christys stalker might be after you because you helped her.
Thats pretty far-fetched, said Lucia.
Adam looked at Gary, and said, Why dont we take you to dinner and tell you some tall tales and you can decide if you want to believe us or not? You pick the restaurant, take your own car, and leave a message for your husband. I think that we might all be easier in a more neutral location.
She looked at Adam, because people just do. Humans are not immune to the reassurance that he brings with him like an invisible cloak; part of it is being Alpha, and part of it is just Adam.
I think, my husband said, giving the Lone Star flag a thoughtful look, going out might be a very good idea.
She led the way to a family-style Mexican restaurant off Highway 395 where there were lots of people even at nine at night. No one said anything until wed all ordered and the waiter had brought out drinks.
Gary shot a glance at me, to see if I wanted to start. I took a chip and dipped it into salsa and gave Adam a look. If Adam told her, shed probably believe him. It was the air of authority and no nonsense. He raised an eyebrow, and I nodded at him.
You tell her, I said. Youre good at making this kind of stuff make sense.
So while I ate chips like I hadnt eaten in dayswhich was sort of trueAdam told Lucia how Christys stalker boyfriend had broken into my garage and turned into a fiery demon dog from the Canary Islands. He combined the immediate narrative with the story Kyle had told us later and managed to make it sound plausible.
He left out Garys jailbreak.
Food came before Adam was finished, and I ate as quickly as I could because I knew that there was a real chance that dinner would be over before I was done eating. She might try to storm out, certain that we were crazy. Or maybe shed try to go look for Joel immediately. Wed have to stop her, for her own safetyand then there would be other things more urgent than food. Gary was eating the same way I was, maybe for the same reasons.
So, she said carefully, Juan Flores is really a volcanic deity named Guayota who thinks that your ex-wife Christy iswhat?some sort of reincarnation of the sun goddess he captured and raped thousands of years ago?
I know, right? I said, swallowing hastily. I had that same moment of disbelief. But for me it was when he threw his finger at me, and it burned through the top of the Passat I was standing on.
She was silent for a moment, looking at the burn on my cheek. Maybe I shouldnt have said anything about the finger, but it kept coming up in my thoughts. Ive never had a finger thrown at me before. A new-and-improved addition to my creepy-hall-of-fame nightmares.
And you think that because I helped you a littleshe pinched her thumb and index finger together to show everyone how littlehe will come after me? Because this oneshe indicated Laughingdog with a jerk of her chinhad a dream?
Thats what I thought when Gary told us about his dream, I told her, setting down my fork. I wasnt hungry anymore. That Guayota might have come after you because you helped us. But now I think that because I killed the human one of his tibicenas was tied to, he needs to find another one. Immortal tibicena tied to a mortal, a mortal who was descended from the land where his volcano had fertilized the soil the people ate from. I think, if I understand what Guayota is, the spirit of a Canary Islands volcano, that he needed a descendant of the Canary Islands to re-create the physical form of his tibicena. I think that maybe he sought Joel out because his family came from the Canaries, where Guayota originated.
She hadnt run away yet. Adam gave me a thoughtful look, a when did you come up with this look.
Maybe hes coming because you helped us, I told her. But you cant contact Joel, and Guayota is a spirit, a god, demon, or whatever from the Canary Islands. It might be a coincidence. My brother here knows a little about the kinds of spirits that dwell in mountains.
Gary kept reacting when I claimed him as a relative. I wasnt sure whether he was happy, unhappy, or just surprised by it. I just ignored him and continued on. He told us that Guayota needs a connection to his home to function here. I think the dogs are that connection. Now that one of them is dead, he needs a replacement. I think the coincidence was that I came to ask you about the dogs. Maybe, if there was some kind of deeper connection between Joel and Guayota, maybe it wasnt such an odd thing that Joel was working with dogs. I think, I believe, that your husband meets Guayotas need for a descendant of the islandsand there are probably not a lot of Canary Islanders in the Tri-Cities. I think hes taken your husband and is forcing him to become one of his tibicenas.
She paled, pulled out her cell phone, and dialed. Instead of Joels voice telling her to leave a message, we all heard the recording advising her that the customer who had the number she dialed was not available. Hed either powered his cell phone off, run it out of battery, or destroyed it.
We have told you quite a story, I told Lucia. I swear to you that the danger is real. If you dont wish us to keep you safe, I understand. If you dont believe us, thats okay, too. But I think you need to find a safe place to be for a few days until we can destroy Guayota.
Im not sure thats possible, Laughingdog murmured, and I kicked him under the table even though I didnt think Lucia had heard.
She put her phone back in her purse with shaking hands. I live in a city with werewolves and fae. How much more is it to believe in volcano gods?
She wiped her face, and I saw that she was clearing the skin beneath her eyes. My dogs like you. It wasnt as much of a non sequitur as it sounded like. I dont want to believe you. If I believe you, then this thing has my husband. She gave me a brief, tight smile, and her voice was raw. What can I do to help him?
We dont know, Adam said. We are working on it. First, wed like to get you somewhere safe.
She examined his face, then looked at me. Okay, she said. Let me stop at home and put extra foodout for the dogs and get a few things packed. I am going to have to be there in the morning to feed them. Even if I could find someone willing to feed the dogsand we have a real basket case in the rehab kennel right nowI could not ask anyone to come by if something dangerous might be hunting.
Good enough, said Adam.
The dogs were silent again when we stopped at Lucia and Joels home. Shed already gotten out of her car when Adam stopped the SUV behind her. I hopped out to make sure she didnt go in alone, and thats when I smelled it.
Blood, I said quietly to Adam, and shut the SUV door and sprinted over to Lucia.
Hold on. I caught her arm and stopped her about two body lengths from the front door. Shhh. I couldnt hear anything, but hed been here. Along with the blood, I could smell his magic and a faint, burnt scent like scorched hair.
Whats wrong? she whispered.
I dont know, I lied, because if she was like Joel, the fact that her dogs were in trouble would mean Id have to sit on her to keep her out. Were going to wait here for Adam. Hes changing, and itll take a while, be patient. If Im panicking for nothing, it wont matter, but if theres something here, Id rather face it with a werewolf.
Changing. You mean changing into a werewolf?
Thats right. Only then did I realize that the reason I knew that was because of our mate bond. He hadnt said anything to me before I sprinted to Lucia.
If you want to, you can go wait in your car. I didnt think she would, but it was worth trying. In her car, she might have a chance to get away if things went south.
Is it because your brother is Native American? she asked.
My eyes were good in the dark, and I was looking so hard they ached, but all I saw were a few bats and a squirrel. It took a moment to realize that I really didnt have any idea what she was talking about.
Is what because he is Native American? I asked.
Sorry, she said. When Im nervous I forget to say everything out loud. Is he psychic because he is Native American?
As far as I know, Native Americans are no more psychic than anyone else, I told her. My father, though, he was Was what? Coyote? A bull rider in rodeos, but in his spare time he huntedvampiresdemons. He was something of a shaman, and some of that followed his children.
You dont have visions?
No. I turned into a coyote and saw ghosts.
You speak of him in the past tense, she said. Lucia asked questions when she was scared, I got that, I did that sometimes, too. More often I talked. Sometimes I laughed. It was better than crying, and it made me look braver than I was.
I nodded. My father died. The bad guys got him. Coyote lived. Coyote always lived. The human guise hed wrapped around himself because he was bored, the man my mother had fallen in love with, he had died.
The SUV door opened, and it was too soon for it to be Adam.
Im taking my chances out here, Gary Laughingdog said. I got nothing against werewolves, but when they are changing
Just as well, I told him. They get pretty grumpy.
Gary lifted his head and smelled the air. He glanced at me, and I nodded, knowing he was smelling Guayota for the first time. He grimaced. Just so you know, kid, he said. I usually run when the bad things start happening.
Me, too, said Lucia, and Gary and I exchanged quick grins because she was lying.
The sound of the SUVs door opening had us all turning to look.
Adam was beautiful as man and as wolf. His wolf isnt huge, not like Samuels or Charless wolves are, but he is substantial and graceful. He flowed out of the vehicle without making a sound, a blue-gray wolf with black markings. He raised his head and looked at the house.
Okay, I said. Were going in. Adam will take the lead, then me, Lucia, and Gary will be rear guard.
You did hear me the first time, right? Gary said.
Thats why you are in the rear, I told him. To give us warning when the bad guys eat the rear guard.
He laughed, then took a good look at the door and stopped. Someones been inside, he said.
Lucia had locked the door when we left for the restaurant, but that hadnt stopped the interloper. The door had been forced, breaking the frame. Most of the damage was on the insideapply enough inward force, and that happens.
Adam shouldered the door open and paused, then he kept going. I followed him, wishing for a gun, but Id left my Sig Sauer in the safe at work and my .44 S&W at home. I hadnt wanted to retrieve the Sig with all the police and Cantrip agents running around. Maybe I was going to start leaving a gun in each car, too.
Just inside the door, I understood exactly what had made Adam pause. Something had marked territory in the house. I wrinkled my nose. It wasnt a dog. Orand I thought about Zacks complaint about his hotel rooma human peeing in the corner.
If that is Guayota, Im going to completely revise my opinion on the manners of primitive gods, Gary whispered.
You have heard some of the stories about Coyote, havent you? I asked. True, I hadnt heard any about him marking territory, but a lot of Coyote stories sound like something thought up in locker rooms by a bunch of horny teenage boys. I was pretty sure Coyote enjoyed those the most. Maybe they were all true.
Adam glanced back at us, and I caught the reproach. He didnt chatter when he was scared. Adam was the man in charge. Wolf in charge. So if he wanted quiet, wed better give it to him.
The blood smell had faded once we were in the houseso nothing had died here. I didnt think. But the urine made it so rankLucia was coughingthat I couldnt be sure.
Nothing alive in here. Tell her to get her things, and well go back to the kennels. Adams voice slid into my head like warm honey.
Id never told him how much I liked it, because, like telling him how sexy it was when he did sit-ups when I could see his bare stomach, it could never be unsaid. He had enough power over me already. He didnt need to know how weak I was.
I love it when you talk this way to me, too, Adam told me.
Adam says that whoever broke in is gone now, I said, trying not to smile because it would be inappropriate. Well have you pack something, then check on the dogs. I didnt tell her what I was afraid wed find in the kennels. Free to run, they might have stood a chance against what Id faced in my garage. But they hadnt been free to run. Where is your bedroom?