Chapter 5
Chapter Five
“He killed all of them?” Merlin was apoplectic. “All of them?” He was standing on his chair and turning red. “This is…unfathomable!”
Nelson was rather furious as well but he would take that up with Nox later. He was too afraid and was hoping there would be a solution if he let the discussion play out.
“Except the really scary ones,” Smoak confirmed. “He still wants my head on a platter and he’s afraid to face me alone again.”
“Hundreds, you say?” Clancy verified as he refilled his glass at the sideboard. He swore under his breath and Nelson was not encouraged by how quickly Clancy was knocking them back.
“So… Dùbhghlas is like a…supreme demon now and he has an evil, undead valkyrie working for him,” Nelson summarized, scanning his notes.
He glanced at Nox and then around the room, waiting for someone to correct him but Smoak applauded like a dickhead as Clancy groaned into his whiskey and Merlin dabbed his bald head with a handkerchief.
“And there could be as many as eighteen more Fomorians,” he added with a shaking laugh. There were tears in Merlin’s eyes as he climbed down from his chair and lowered onto the seat.
“I’m not worried.” Bryn held up his hand so Arawn could slap it.
“We’ve got this,” he said and there were murmurs of agreement but most were halfhearted.
Merlin sniffed hard and nodded. “We made quick work of them before and we weren’t prepared. We’ll be ready next time.”
“Next time,” Nelson muttered, his gut aching as he wondered exactly when that would be and how they could possibly prepare. And how he could be of any use. “Do we have any clue as to where Dùbhghlas went?”
No one had any ideas and Nelson was too angry to make jokes and small talk so he tucked his notepad back into his coat pocket. “I’m going to run out for a little while. That box of crystals by the door won’t deliver itself to the bookstore.”
“Now?” Nox asked, concerned as he followed Nelson. “Howard’s not in a hurry to get them back.”
“I know but I could use the drive to clear my head.” Nelson didn’t hide that he was upset as he buttoned his coat and lowered to pick up the box. “We’ll talk later.”
“I’m sorry!” Nox whispered as he looked over his shoulder at the study. “Take one of the twins with you, at least.”
“I’m not in the mood for company.”
“I get that.” Nox nodded as he stepped closer, searching Nelson’s face and gauging his temper.
“And you have every right to be mad but what difference would it have made if I had told you and we spent the whole night stressing and plotting and winding ourselves up into a collective nervous breakdown?”
“We’ll never know because you didn’t give me any input on the matter, you just omitted the most important facts and made another decision without consulting me.”
“That’s not—!” Nox started but Nelson cut him off with a hard glare.
“Will I have any say in it and get to fight when the time comes, or will you blow me out of the way again?”
“I didn’t do that because I don’t trust you or believe in you,” Nox insisted. “I had to protect you!”
“I know. Because I’m brave and smart but I’m just a man who can’t turn into a demon or a hound and I don’t know any spells.”
Nox gasped and gave Nelson’s chest a hard shove. “That’s not fair! To either of us. How dare you minimize how important you are to me and this family?”
“You minimized how important I am by keeping the truth from me last night. If you really trusted me and valued my opinion, you wouldn’t have waited until Clancy and Merlin were here to give you cover.”
“Gods!” Nox slapped himself on the forehead.
“You’re right and I’m so sorry, Nelson. It was selfish of me and I was scared so I did what was easiest. But I promise, I do trust you and I will do better.
You deserve to know whatever I know.” He leaned and offered his lips.
“Please don’t go mad, if you really have to go.
You can yell at me more later and I’ll listen and do whatever it takes to make you believe me.
You’re all that matters and I trust you more than anyone or anything else in the entire universe. ”
“Alright.” Nelson’s temper had already lowered to a simmer as he kissed Nox. “I won’t be long.”
“Are you sure you can’t take one of the twins?” Nox asked with a pleading look.
“Why would I drag them away for a quick run to Adelphi and back?”
“What if Dùbhghlas is still watching us and has another one of those Abhartachs1? You saw what happened to Tony.”
Nelson nodded slowly. “I’ll beware of any zombie children but why would Dùbhghlas bother with me? I don’t have any magick for him to drain and I barely know what’s going on.”
“I said I was sorry!” Nox pushed his lip out. “Please forgive me and please be careful.”
How could Nelson resist? He sighed as he angled his head and sucked on that mischievous lip. “I’m always careful, that’s what makes me so boring,” he whispered and stole another kiss before leaving with Howard’s box of crystals.
The kiss and the crystals must have helped because Nelson felt much better by the time he deposited the box in the Continental’s trunk and closed it.
He was whistling as he hung his coat on the hook and ducked into the driver’s seat.
It still stung that Nox had omitted a lot about his meeting with Smoak and Nelson was overwhelmed by the awful news, but he was feeling more centered when he steered the car onto the freeway and stepped on the gas.
There was no way Dùbhghlas would win. Not against Nox and the team he had assembled.
And Nelson reminded himself that he had been there when Nox defeated the Dagda, an actual ancient and all-powerful being.
Whatever Dùbhghlas had done to boost his demonic abilities, it couldn’t be enough to compete with a god.
Nox had fought and defeated worse things than Dùbhghlas and there was no telling how many secret powers Nox had up his sleeve.
He threw lightning at the kraken?
Nelson was glad he hadn’t been on Pooles Island to witness that and added it to the list of things he’d yell at Nox about later. He decided he was going to buy the big chunk of black tourmaline in the box from Howard. It was a good size for throwing.
He was actually smiling as he passed the shop, noting that it was busy and that several people had stopped to admire the window display.
Howard and Nox spent two days fussing over the Ostara decorations and Nelson thought the bee theme was sweet.
He parked in the lot across the street and was putting on his coat when he noticed a pregnant woman crouched by her car, crying as she gathered the spilled contents of her purse.
Nelson hurried over, shushing as he lowered to a knee and began swiping trial-size bottles and tubes of lipstick and gloss off the pavement. “Are you alright?” he asked her, glancing at her face just as a white work van screeched to a halt next to them.
“Better than you,” she said with a sly grin, her eyes turning black as large bodies leaped from the van and from behind the vehicles to his left and right.
“What the—?” Nelson jumped to his feet and put his hands up defensively but he was swarmed and pummeled by heavy fists and boots. He flailed and punched and clawed at anything in his reach while he kicked and twisted with all of his might.
“Hurry up and get him in the van! Someone’s going to see us!” the woman ordered. She was no longer pregnant as she climbed into the passenger seat.
Sharp bursts of pain flashed and flared all over Nelson’s body but the wind was knocked out of him by a brutal kick to his side and then, he heard a loud bang!
as something slammed into his skull. His legs gave out and Nelson’s ears rang as he was lifted by his armpits and dragged to the van.
He was grabbed by the front of his coat and pulled as his legs were lifted and his body shoved inside.
“Cuff him and cover his head!” she yelled and grunts, swears, groans, and muffled shouts erupted around Nelson as he thrashed like a wild man.
A hood or bag was thrown over his head but Nelson refused to submit, terrified at the prospect of being taken away, of being parted from Nox and unable to protect him.
Bodies crashed and tumbled around him and Nelson fought harder and wilder as his panic mounted.
“Use one of the syringes!” someone gasped out, sending Nelson into full blown fury.
Someone else snickered but sounded winded. “Use both. Fuck him.”
“No!” Nelson roared, throwing all of his weight against what he hoped was the back doors.
He swung his shoulders and kicked wildly so they couldn’t pin him down but let out a loud yelp when he felt a hot sting in his thigh, followed by another in his asscheek.
“Get the fuck—!” he started but his limbs turned to jelly as he slumped onto his side.
“Offff…” Nelson’s head rolled back and there were relieved chuckles and more groans while the other bodies in the back of the van rearranged themselves.
Nelson received a few petty kicks and was elbowed and shoved but could do nothing except listen and cling to lucidness. He was being taken away and Nox was in danger.
“Let the boss know we’ve got him,” the woman said. “We’ll be there sometime around sunset,” she added, cranking up Nelson’s terror: he was being taken far away if they were going to be on the road for that long. Possibly to another state.