18. Chapter 18
Bec
It didn’t take me long at my computer at Jim’s office to find Gale’s address. It really shouldn't be that easy, but this was the world we lived in. At least Jim had to pay for access to these services.
“Here’s where we’re going next,” I said, pointing to the screen. Danzig was quick to plug the address into his mapping app.
“Got it,” he said. I stood up to leave with them, but Marduk got in front of me, blocking me from moving away from my desk.
“You’re not coming with us,” he said.
I’m sure he was expecting me to argue, but I was done doing that. I made a shooing motion with my hands. “Then leave.”
Danzig snorted, and Marduk looked confused. The brothers held hands and stared at each other, and I heard the murmuring that meant they were talking. By their facial expressions, I could tell Marduk wasn’t any happier by the end of the conversation than he was at the beginning.
I waited with my arms crossed. When they finally looked back at me, I raised an eyebrow. “Have you guys made a decision?”
“I tried,” Danzig said with a roll of his eyes.
“You’re staying here,” Marduk said again, shooting Danzig a scowl.
“No.” I didn't say it loudly, but that one word made Marduk jerk.
“What do you mean no?”
“You can decide not to take me with you when you leave here,” I said. “But you can't make me stay here. There are plenty of rideshare apps, or I could even call a good old taxi.”
Danzig shot him a smug look. “Told you.”
I thought Marduk would rage at me, but he shut his mouth with a click, his jaw flexing.
“If you keep doing that, you’re going to break a tooth,” I said, only half teasing.
He grunted but didn’t respond.
“Do you remember the whole conversation we had about being partners?” I asked. “Did you forget my amazing throwing arm? You might not have survived if I hadn’t been there.”
Marduk let out a long, bone-deep sigh. I waited, interested to hear what could come next. I could understand being upset when I went to the back of the house, but both brothers were batshit crazy if they thought I’d stand by if either was in danger.
“Yes, you’re right. You were brave, fierce, and acted with appropriate aggression. I can’t ask you to stay behind.”
An intense sense of relief hit me. I’d been really scared this would be it. That Marduk would do something stupid, and I’d have to walk away from them. Especially after they'd offered to be partners!
His quick agreement made me grab him in a hug. “Good serpent,” I said. “You can have a cookie.”
He hugged me back. “I want gelato.”
“Deal,” I said, pulling out of the hug.
“We need to talk about what to do if we meet the casket druid again,” Marduk said. “He didn’t expect to face something as powerful as me. He’ll be carrying stronger spells from now on. Spells that won't be as easy to withstand.”
Danzig nodded. “We should talk to Elena, Mason’s mom. She’s a powerful bruja.”
“Shouldn’t we talk to some other druids?” I asked.
“No,” Marduk said. “This type of magic is so forbidden among them that many never even learn it exists.”
“I guess that makes sense,” I said. “What can a bruja do?”
“I'm not sure, but if anyone knows how to protect against or counter a casket druid, it would be her,” Danzig said.
“I’ll call Elena,” Marduk said.
I sat back down and waited, feeling very satisfied with our partnership.
Before long we were on the move again, heading to Elena's house.
She lived in an adorable single-story house with an amazing garden. As we walked up the path to the front door, the smell of blossoms and the sound of buzzing insects surrounded us. A massive orange cat stepped on the path in front of us.
“Hey kitty,” Danzig said, leaning over to pet the feline, but only touched air. The cat seemed to disappear and reappear next to me. Stretching up, the cat put both front paws on my left leg and kneaded gently.
“Magic kitty,” I murmured, leaning over to run my fingers through the thick fur.
“Don’t mind Chedder,” a voice said. “She loves to play with guests.”
I looked up to see a short, dignified woman with graying black hair and an intense gaze. Her friendly smile made her less intimidating, but I still felt the need to straighten up and tug at my shirt.
“Hi,” I said with a little wave. “I’m Bec.”
“Hello, Bec, I’m sure you already know I’m Elena,” she said with a regal nod of her head. “Danzig, Marduk, it’s nice to see you both again. I can feel that you have questions. You are welcome in my home.”
She turned and walked back into the house, leaving the front door wide open. I looked over at Danzig.
“How did that tiny woman give birth to Mason?” I whispered. “The man is massive and she’s so small.”
Danzig snorted, then put a hand at the small of my back and urged me to walk forward. “We shouldn’t keep her waiting.”
The inside of Elena’s house was as colorful as her garden, but also neat and tidy. There were already four cups on the table and a teapot with steam curling up from the spout.
“Sit,” she said in a soft, commanding voice. We all took our places with me between Marduk and Danzig. She poured tea for all of us and then pushed the cream and sugar at Danzig and honey to me.
I wasn’t going to ask how she knew what we liked in our tea. As if she could hear my unspoken question, she put the teapot down and gave me a little smile.
“Bruja,” she murmured. “I simply know things.”
“We’re hoping you know some things about defending against a casket druid,” Marduk said.
She sat down with a frown. “I’ve felt his presence but hoped he wasn’t causing trouble. I wish I’d informed everyone, but I hesitate to act against someone until I know they’ve done wrong. Some creatures are born with impulses, but they fight every day to live among us peacefully."
“This guy isn’t peaceful,” Marduk said.
“I can tell,” she said, her eyes losing focus as she stared into the distance. “He unleashed enough power against you that it would’ve killed a lesser creature. It’s lucky that it was you and not a shifter, pixie, or even a gargoyle. They would’ve all died after the first blast.”
Marduk grunted. “I’m not surprised. That hurt.”
Elena refocused and gave him a nod. “I can see the scene playing out. He’s manipulating the void beyond when even other casket druids usually won’t. This won’t end well. He needs to be stopped. The last time a casket druid tried to do what he's doing, it was in Tunguska.”
The name sounded familiar. “Wasn’t that the place where a meteor caused a bunch of damage?”
“That’s what the humans decided happened,” Elena said.
“But we know it was a casket druid. We were lucky there was a quorum of Russian packs, slithers, and several gargoyles that managed to capture and transport him to Tunguska before he became so unbalanced that he lost control of the void magic he was controlling. Five individuals lost their lives, but they saved so many.”
It struck me that there was a whole history I didn’t know about. I glanced over at Danzig and then Marduk as I spoke.
“We need to sit down some evening, and you guys are going to give me a basic history of all things magical.”
Marduk laughed. “That’s going to take a lot of evenings.”
“Fine,” I said. “I want to know everything you know.”
“I can promise it’ll be more fun than studying law,” Danzig said, then took a sip of tea.
“I applaud you for wanting to know more,” Elena said.
“I don’t understand people who don’t want to know more,” I admitted. I would never understand the incurious.
“There are a few things I can do to help you with the casket druid,” Elena said, getting up from the table and going through a door to a back room. She returned with a wooden disk on a black string and held it out to me.
“This is a passive shielding spell,” she explained. “It will only protect you from attack. It won’t give you the same immunity as Danzig and Marduk, but it will keep you safe from one major attack.”
I felt both men relax a little as I took the item and hung it around my neck. I didn’t feel any different.
“Tuck it under your clothing so it’s against your skin,” she instructed. “When it’s no longer working, the charm will break in half.”
“Thank you,” I said, shoving it under my shirt. “Can I pay you for this?”
“Of course,” she said. The guys started to grumble, but she held up her hand and silenced them.
“That was a neat trick,” I muttered.
“I’ll take payment in visits,” she said. “Come by for tea a few times. I’d like to tell you about bruja history and culture.”
“I’d love that!” I said, excited to spend more time with this woman. Honestly, not only was she fascinating, but she literally exuded serenity.
“Your men are welcome to come too,” she said. “But they have to bring some of Mila's pastries.”
“Done,” Danzig said. “Is there anything else you can tell us or that might help?”
She shook her head. “I wish I had more of those charms to give to each of you, but that’s the only one. They take months to make.”
Hearing that made me want to bring her boxes and boxes of Mila's sweet treats. I'd have to find some way to give her something valuable in return. I'd talk to Mason, he'd know what his mom would like.
“I can feel that something significant is going to happen to the three of you,” she murmured. “But not today.”
Both the men relaxed, but I wasn't sure why. Her words were basically saying that after today, there was going to be danger. I didn't point that out. For now, at least they wouldn't be trying to get me to stay behind.
“Tread carefully, my friends,” Elena said as we got up to leave. “There’s no such thing as an active and stable casket druid.”
Danzig
Bec’s phone rang as we left Elena’s house. “It’s about time Jim called me,” she muttered before answering the phone.
“Hey Jim,” she said, then her brows furrowed. “Oh, hi Cheryle, I thought it was Jim calling me. Is he around? There’s something weird going on with one of his cases.”
She paused, her frown turning to surprise, then settling on deep concern. “I’ll be right there!”
After ending the call, she looked at us. “Jim’s in the hospital.”
I grabbed her hand and led her to the motorcycles. “We’ll get you there fast.”
“What happened?” Marduk asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Cheryle wasn’t making any sense. Something about Jim being attacked I think.”
I got the name of the hospital from her and mapped out a route while Marduk helped her secure her helmet.
We were there in only fifteen minutes and parked in a doctor’s only parking spot.
“You might get towed,” Bec said as we led her into the hospital.
“The bikes have been charmed,” Marduk explained. “We can park them anywhere and the charm will make humans perceive them as belonging there.”
“I want one of those charms,” she said. Her tone was cheerful, but I could feel the fear and tension coming from her.
It didn’t take long to talk to an admin, then we were all wearing wrist bands and in an elevator.
The moment we stepped out of the elevator, a woman came running at us. “Bec!”
“Cheryle, I’m so sorry,” Bec said as the woman enveloped her in a hug.
“The police are here,” she said, pulling away and wiping away her tears. “I didn’t know who else to call, but Jim always told me you were exceptionally smart. I hoped you might be able to help them.”
Bec nodded. “I don't think I know anything, but I'll answer any questions they have. What happened to Jim?”
Cheryle sniffed. “He was attacked when he was getting into his car.”
“Where was he parked?” I asked.
Cheryle noticed me for the first time. She looked up at me with distrust. “Who are you?” Then her eyes slid to my twin. “And you?”
I answered without hesitation. “We’re Bec’s boyfriends.”
Cheryle’s expression lit up. “That’s fabulous!” she exclaimed. She gave Bec a secret little smile despite the tears still rolling down her face. “If you need any thoughts of how best to have fun with two dicks, give me a call. I've had some practice.”
Bec’s face turned beet red. “I don’t need to know, especially if it involves Jim!”
Saying Jim’s name seemed to bring Cheryle back to the present. “Oh, Bec, it’s awful. He was hit on the head from behind. Now he's having seizures, and they had to put him in a medically induced coma.”
Bec turned to me, and I could feel the question she wanted to ask, but said my name instead. “Danzig?”
“It’s not, um, what we dealt with earlier,” I assured her. “There’s no trace here.”
I didn’t bother pointing out that if Jim was hit by one of the casket druid’s spells, he wouldn’t be in the hospital. He’d be a pile of human-shaped dust.
“Where was the car parked?” I asked.
Cheryle gave me the location near two intersecting streets. “The paramedics found his phone in his pocket and called me from the location. They asked me about heart conditions and such. That was before they realized he'd been hit.
I grabbed Marduk’s wrist. I’ll stay with Bec, you check for any magic at the attack site while it’s still fresh. If it's another magical creature, we might be able to track them to the casket druid.
Good idea, he agreed. It's not far, I shouldn't be long.
Down the hall, two cops who’d been talking to a doctor turned and headed for us. I don’t think we’ll be leaving any time soon. Go before they decide to question you also.
I let go of Marduk’s wrist, and he turned and stepped into a closing elevator, managing to do it so smoothly that he didn’t disrupt the doors.
“Rebecca Stanhope?” one of the cops asked.
“Call me Bec,” she said.
“I’m Officer Hodges, and this is Officer Garcia. We’d like to ask you a few questions about Jim Masel.”
“I’ll answer as best I can,” she said. “But can I see him first?”
“Yes, let me take her to Jim, then we’ll be right back,” Cheryle said, grabbing Bec’s hand and walking her away before either officer could protest.
I gave the officers a little shrug and followed the ladies. The two men let me get a few strides ahead, then fell in step behind me. I put myself in the doorway to keep them from following, giving Bec and Cheryle space and privacy.
I’d only seen Jim from a distance and never met him, but I could feel sympathy for the man. He was laying in the bed, his head propped up on pillows, a tube down his throat, and horribly pale skin.
His aura didn’t look good. He wasn’t dying yet, but I’d seen this type of auras on humans before. He could decline suddenly and quickly. It would be up to Cheryle and the hospital staff to keep that from happening.
It struck me again how delicate humans were. One hit to the head and Jim was fighting for his life.
Being able to stand this close allowed me to see that there wasn’t a smidgen of magic on him. Whoever hurt him had probably been human. Marduk would probably find the same thing at his car, but it was better to check.
Even if Marduk didn't get any trace of magic in the area, I was sure this wasn’t a coincidence. Jim was investigating the man who died from a casket druid spell. Now he was hurt and in the hospital. There was a connection, we just had to find it.