Chapter 17 #3
“On a scale of one to ten,” I said, “how would you rate the pain?”
Urien stared at his bloodstained hands, as though the sight of his own blood was a foreign experience for him.
Maybe it was.
He swayed once, then folded silently into the grass.
For a long moment, the only sound was the fountain’s steady spill of water.
Vale wiped his blade clean on the bark of a nearby tree. Cowboy straightened, scorch marks already healing, although his hat couldn’t say the same.
Mist rose from the ground, floating above the lawn like a wayward cloud. When it receded, the fae were gone. The Coranians had activated their escape hatch once again.
From a distance, the park looked almost untouched. Moonlight softened the scorch marks, the torn grass, the bodies cooling in the shadows.
“I gotta be honest,” Gage said, gazing at the ground in wonder. “I wouldn’t mind learning a few of their sorcery skills.”
Vale turned in a slow circle, surveying the area. “Does anyone need medical attention?”
“Nothing that a few beers won’t cure,” Cowboy said, hobbling toward us. His jeans were as dirty and torn as his hat, as though he’d been dragged across the park by wild horses.
Nina wiped streaks of blood from her neck and shoulder. “I’m good, boss. Just a few cuts and bruises.”
“You didn’t shift,” I said.
“I’m a wereotter. I wouldn’t have been much help in my animal form.”
I spun to Vale. “Don’t you have any werewolves on your payroll?”
“A couple lone wolves, but the wolf pack tends to stick to the outer territory. More freedom.”
In other words, they didn’t want to take orders from a demigod. Typical.
“I don’t understand the oni,” Gage said. “Were they signaling the arrival of the weird-ass parade or the Coranians?”
“The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons,” I replied, “but I think the Coranians knew the parade was coming and used it as a diversion.”
“Then why did the oni show up on Evermore if the parade was here?” Vale asked.
“They’re harbingers, not GPS. They make appearances in the general vicinity.
” I’d also wager they’d been drawn to the concentration of supernatural power on the island.
It probably served as a beacon to those capable of moving between realms. I’d have to add that to the incident report I’d inevitably have to submit to the HOA.
“The Coranians still have the stone,” Vale said.
And we had no idea how many more they needed to reform the tablet and reclaim the mortal land. It could be one; it could be twenty.
“A problem for another day, boss,” Cowboy said. “From the looks of them, I don’t think they’ll be back anytime soon.”
“Let’s hope not,” Nina said. “I haven’t had to fight against that level of magic—ever.”
Coranians. Unwoven. Thread-Thieves. Thornborn. All fae. All showing up in Savannah after a very long respite. Vale was right. It wasn’t a coincidence, but whether the demigod’s perceived weakness was the reason remained to be seen.
“I need to head back to Evermore now,” I said.
Vale didn’t hesitate. “We’ll take my boat.”
“I’m sure you have more important matters to attend to than escorting me home.”
“I’ll decide what’s important to me.” His gaze lingered on me a beat too long. “Besides, it will give us time to talk about tonight.”
I knew exactly what he meant by “talk.” He’d noticed my moves and wanted me to explain why I possessed powers that no daughter of a Gorgon and a mage should have. More reasons not to trust me.
“It’s been a long day, Vale. Let’s talk when we’ve both had time to rest.” And I had time to come up with a plausible story.
“I can take her,” Gage said. “I seem to have the fewest injuries.”
“Which is strange because you’re, by far, the least skilled fighter we have,” Cowboy said.
“Only because Boone wasn’t here tonight.”
They laughed. I hadn’t met Boone. It seemed to me there was still much to learn about Vale and his team.
I hoped to keep it that way.
Again, I’d managed to avoid detection by those who hunted me. Maybe they’d stopped searching. Maybe my magic was stronger than I gave myself credit for. I couldn’t let the possibilities allow me to grow complacent. They were just that—possibilities, not proven facts.
Gage drove me to the dock on the back of his motorcycle. Never mind the fight I’d just endured, Judd would’ve thrown a fit to see me riding without a helmet. Rules were rules.
“Why didn’t you let the boss take you?” Gage asked, once we were cutting across the water en route to Evermore.
“Vale saved your life, and probably the life of everyone downtown.”
“Don’t downplay your contribution. You played a pivotal role too.”
“We all did. My point is, Vale is the Protector, and I don’t think he should be sailing across the channel to deliver me home personally.”
“He wouldn’t have offered if he didn’t want to do it.”
“Okay,” I said, dragging out the syllables.
“He likes you, Maya. Isn’t that obvious?”
Yes, yes it was. “He likes having someone who can fight,” I told Gage.
The faerie chuckled. “Everyone in his employ can fight, but we don’t all look as pretty doing it.” He batted his long, thick eyelashes.
“You definitely look pretty, no matter what you’re doing.”
His smile faded to a look of alarm. “Please don’t let the boss hear you say that about me.”
“You think Vale doesn’t know how pretty you are? The man has eyes.”
“Yes, but he won’t like that you think so.”
“Are you telling me Vale gets jealous?”
“Not regularly, but I’ve noticed it with you. Believe me, the last thing I want is to be on his bad side.”
“Are you sure he has one? You and the others talk about him like he’s a big, scary boss man, but I haven’t witnessed any of that.”
Gage approached the dock with the smooth, methodical moves of an expert yachtsman. “He’s on his best behavior around you. Why do you think we like having you around?”
“And here I thought it was my charming personality.”
“Sure. That too,” Gage said unconvincingly. “You should give him a chance. He might surprise you.”
“You want me to give a chance to the demigod that you’re all terrified of?” I snorted. “Yeah, seems like a genius idea. I’ll get right on it.”
Gage held my hand as I stepped onto the dock. “He’s a good Protector, Maya. Maybe even the best the region has ever had, no matter what he seems to think.”
“I don’t need him. I’m a good protector too. Ask anyone in the Neighborhood.”
“Just because you don’t need him doesn’t mean you can’t want him.” Gage wiggled his eyebrows.
“Thanks for the ride, Gage. Have a good night.”
I walked away from the dock with Gage’s words ringing in my ears.
The problem was that I did want Vale, but I couldn’t afford that kind of attachment to someone else.
And I definitely couldn’t afford that kind of attachment to someone on the mainland.
For better or worse, I belonged on Evermore.
The more time I spent in Savannah, the more attention I’d draw.
I had to stick to the island like a barnacle to a whale.
Besides, I couldn’t get involved with someone based on a lie or the entire bedrock of the relationship would be rotten to the core.
That wouldn’t be fair to Vale and we both knew it.
“You can’t always get what you want, Gage,” I said to the empty air. “Somebody even wrote a song about it.”
I would go home, wash away all evidence of the day, and put all thoughts of the demigod out of my mind. I was better off like the island itself—separate and alone.