Casually Cursed (11 page)

AFTER WE STOPPED
so I could wash and bandage my arm, we drove from the northern part of Scotland back down to one of its main cities. Bryn looked up car rental agencies in Edinburgh, and we dropped him off there, parking the van a block away. He joined us with a different van and we transferred our luggage and ourselves to the new vehicle. Then we left the Conclave van and drove south into England. We weren’t going to bother going back to London to fly to Dublin, since London was the heart of the Association and Conclave operations. Instead we stopped for the night, sleeping in the van. It was more comfortable than I expected, but that might’ve been only because I was so exhausted.

I dreamed that the wounded werewolf was okay and reunited with his little boy and werewolf wife; then I dreamed I was eating carrot cake in a fancy hotel room that looked out over a city full of skyscrapers, and finally I dreamed that I was standing on the banks of a river petting a palomino pony who drank from it. I bent and cupped some water and drank, too. It was fresh, not salty, and tasted of earthy silt. Strands of strawberry-blond hair fell over my shoulders.

Not my hair
, I realized, but I wasn’t startled awake by the realization.

Green eyes rose, and Kismet’s lips, rosy with cold, whispered, “You’ve gotten hurt again, twinheart. Don’t let that trouble you. I think it’s naught but a scratch.” Her lilting Irish voice made me smile. My arm tingled, my body growing feverish in the dream.

“It was a werewolf that bit me like I was honey and apples,” I said.

“Like you were a stag, you mean,” she said.

“He thought I was someone else. You, I think.”

“That’s as may be. Where were you, Tammy?”

“We were in Scotland. In the woods.”

“What did I say about the Scotch woods?” she said, frowning. “I don’t warn you just to hear my pretty voice. Heed me.”

“I got kidnapped.”

“Are you still?”

“No, I escaped.”

“Good. Next time escape sooner, so you don’t end up in places I’ve told you not to go.”

I made an exasperated noise.

She looked over her shoulder. “I have to get back on the path. Rest now, Tammy love. I’ll see you soon. Don’t forget our meeting place.”

I jerked awake, sweat sprouting on my forehead. Bryn slept in a reclined seat across from me. Zach lay sprawled on the floor, perpendicular to the bench seat he’d started the night on. It had been way too short for him.

I wiped my face with my sleeve, then pulled the fabric up to examine my arm. The puncture wounds had been scabbed over, red and sore when I’d gone to sleep. Now, however, the scabs were gone and small pink scars were all that was left behind. I touched them, but they didn’t hurt. The scars would likely fade, too.

It was lucky for me that I was born of supernatural creatures. When regular folks were bitten by werewolves, the wounds never healed. They just kept bleeding and festering until the person either became a werewolf or, more frequently, died.

I studied Zach, so full of muscles and robust health. Hard to believe it had been only a few months since he’d nearly died of a werewolf bite.

I lifted my wool coat that I’d been using for a blanket. I stood and slipped my arms into the sleeves, then took Kato’s gun from the pocket in the back of the passenger seat where I’d put it. I tucked it into my pocket and got out of the van.

I closed the door and shivered in the cold, misty air.

“Mercutio,” I called.

We were parked on a village lane in Northern England. Mercutio’s nocturnal, so he was outside hunting. He might find some rodents to eat, I supposed, wondering if the time change was affecting him. Did he realize that we were on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean? Did he even know about the Atlantic Ocean? He was a jungle cat, maybe from South America originally, since he understood Spanish as well as English.

I stretched and then rested my hands on top of my head, watching my breath fog past the cold tip of my nose.

A soft purr near my leg made me smile and bend down to stroke Mercutio’s fur.

“You know what, Merc? Remember that pair of tiny fae I met while we were on the branch? They thought I was Kismet. They warned me the werewolf leader was coming. Just now I saw Kismet in my dreams. When I told her I thought the werewolves had bitten me thinking I was her, she said that was possible. The Association doesn’t know about Kismet. If someone from the Conclave spotted Kismet or were brought a picture or a sketch of her and her hair looked redder than it is, she might have been confused for Momma or Aunt Mel. We all look a lot alike.”

Merc cocked his head.

“The leader of the werewolves said that
I
would never give
it
to Bryn’s kind. They knew Bryn was a wizard. The wolf suggested that Bryn leave me to them. If the wolves know Kismet’s a faery, they certainly wouldn’t expect her to give anything valuable to the witches’ association.” I licked my lips. “How likely do you think it is that Kismet’s the one who knows what happened to the Association’s stolen artifact?”

Merc’s soft meow rose into the cool air.

“Yeah, I think so, too. This artifact, whatever it does, is probably like the Hebrides Amber that the faeries and witches fought to the death over. If we had it, and if the Seelie queen wanted it pretty bad, that might be all the leverage we’d need to buy Kismet’s freedom from the Never and to get Momma and Daddy out of trouble for helping Kismet escape. The only trouble is that we need that artifact to trade for Andre and Aunt Edie.” When I looked down at Mercutio, hair fell into my eyes. I shoved it back and held it off my face. “What do you think, Merc?”

Mercutio meowed softly.

“I know,” I said. “I’m not sure either.”

In the distance, the sun was starting to rise.

“I know one thing: If we find the amber artifact, before we give it to anyone, we’ve got to figure out what it does and why everyone wants it.”

Merc didn’t disagree.

*   *   *

THE WATER CROSSING
from England to Ireland was as rough as cake batter full of nuts. The choppiness made Zach and me feel sick. Bryn convinced me not to stay belowdeck, and he was right; it was better standing at the rail with wind in my face and my eyes closed.

Zach was sick over the side once. He went down to brush his teeth and wash his face, but he came back up and then lay on a bench with his eyes closed and the sun on his face, the sea air blowing around us.

Bryn stayed close to me, bringing me a scone and jam that made me feel better. Zach refused to eat until we reached land.

In Dublin, we checked into a hotel in Temple Bar. We’d all agreed not to unload the van. We each just took in a small bag with a change of clothes and toiletries. After Bryn and I showered and dressed, we met Zach in the lobby, which was decked out with lime-green couches and chocolate-brown and white accent pillows. Adele’s voice belted from the speakers as we exited to the street.

I liked the way that some of the streets were just for pedestrians. There were lots of shops and tourists taking pictures and having fun. It felt almost like a Duvall street festival. We found the literary pub crawl online and booked tickets and then went to a restaurant for lunch. We each had a bowl of Irish stew. Zach had a shepherd’s pie, too, making up for not having eaten much since leaving America. I ate dessert to keep him company.

I told Bryn and Zach about the small faeries and my dream where I’d talked to Kismet. I wasn’t sure if the dream had been a real conversation or just my imagination getting carried away.

“She’s younger and her hair’s quite a bit lighter. I’d be surprised if the Conclave mistook her for your mother or aunt,” Bryn said. “They don’t usually make those kinds of mistakes.”

“I don’t suppose they do.”

“We know she’s traveled through Scotland over the years when she’s left home on various missions that were unrelated to the amber artifact, right?” Bryn said. “She’s been sent to spy and assassinate fae enemies?”

“Right.” I licked my lips.

“And werewolves wouldn’t have any use for a magical relic. They can’t perform magic.”

I nodded. “So she’s probably got something else they want, because don’t you agree that the werewolf leader thought I was her?”

Bryn nodded.

“Yes, and those little faeries thought so, too. They mentioned a horse and a bow, and that my hair was darker red from being humanside.”

“When we see her, you can ask her,” Bryn said, taking the bill.

He was the only one with Irish money, and he insisted on paying for lunch. He didn’t want us using credit cards until we were ready to leave Dublin, in case the Conclave had arranged to track us electronically.

We had a couple hours before the pub crawl. On the street, we stopped to listen to a band of young guys playing for the crowd. I rubbed my hands together to keep them warm.

“Here,” Bryn said, holding out his.

“I’m okay,” I said. “I’ve got pockets.” I didn’t want to hold hands with Bryn in front of Zach. It seemed too soon for that, when things between Zach and me had just ended for good.

When I looked his way, though, Zach wasn’t watching us. He squinted, and I tilted my head.

“Move,” Zach said, grabbing my arm and pulling me back into the crowd.

“What?” I asked as Bryn ducked into a doorway with us.

“The girl from the Conclave, Poppy, was at a jewelry stand.”

“Christ. You’re sure?” Bryn asked.

Zach just looked at him. Zach was a sheriff’s deputy. Even though he worked in a small town, his powers of observation had been honed with training and practice. I thought maybe playing football had helped too. He was used to noting the location of an entire field of guys with a quick glance.

“Let’s get off the street,” Bryn said.

“What if they found our hotel? Mercutio’s asleep in the van. I should get him,” I said.

“He’ll be too conspicuous,” Bryn said.

I chewed my lip.

“He’s right,” Zach said, waving us into a men’s clothing shop. Bryn pretended to shop while Zach stood at the window, watching.

I paced until Bryn told me not to. “Sweetheart, try not to draw attention to yourself,” he said.

I folded my arms across my chest as he moved to the corner of the shop. I followed him, and he said, “Pick something out for me to buy. I need to think about what sort of distraction I can create,” Bryn said. His Irish accent had thickened since we’d gotten to Dublin.

I flipped through racks absently and made my way to Zach’s side.

“How are you?” I asked.

He didn’t answer.

“Zach?” I waited.

He didn’t turn his head, but when he realized I would wait there until he responded, he said in a low voice, “Other than the knife in my heart, I’m right as rain.”

I winced. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to tell you I got engaged. It happened all of a sudden, and I—”

“The only thing I’m trying to care about right now is keeping us alive. Leave me alone so I can concentrate.”

I nodded, though he wasn’t even looking at me. I should’ve walked away, but I couldn’t make myself do it. We’d be traveling together for a while and into a dangerous place. We couldn’t afford to be distracted by personal stuff. For that reason, and for my peace of mind, I really wanted to clear the air.

“You and I will get through this,” I said. “I know you don’t think we can be friends, but we can. We’ve known each other since the days of wearing party hats at birthday parties. I’m not fixin’ to give up on us as friends. Not ever.”

Zach’s denim-colored eyes turned to me. “If you let me in, I’ll wreck your engagement.”

I took a step back. “No one can do that.”

“I know you’re not ready to let me go,” he said.

I blinked, surprised by the sudden appearance of Zach’s smile, which I hadn’t seen in quite a while.

“Is that right?” Bryn asked.

I jumped and turned. “Oh, hello. I was just telling Zach that we can be friends.”

“She was also telling me she’ll never give up on having a relationship with me.
Not ever.
So I guess we’re going to be a threesome on this side of the ocean and the other. Forever,” Zach said, still smirking as he locked eyes with Bryn.

“As long as she’s sharing my bed and not yours, I suppose I’ll be able to tolerate it better than you will.” Bryn’s voice was dead cool, his gaze steely.

Zach looked back at the street, the corners of his mouth still curved up, but there was a tightness to his expression, and the set of his shoulders told the real story. He’d have liked to knock Bryn’s head off his shoulders.

“Got a plan?” I asked, taking Bryn’s hand and walking him away from Zach.

“Not completely. The Conclave operatives are well trained. Diversionary tactics will have to be good to fool them. I think I’m going to ask for some assistance.”

He put up a finger to have me wait. He made some calls, often speaking Gaelic. When he finished, he said, “I hope it’s not a mistake to involve the friends I have here. I won’t ask them to come out right now. They’re too likely to be spotted by the operatives. But tonight I’ve asked them to cast some spells, to fill the air with magic that will hopefully make it harder for the Conclave operatives to track us. I’ll cloak us as best I can as soon as we put some distance between us and them.”

I looked up at the sound of rain striking the window. Bryn frowned and muttered, “Hell.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Kato uses wind magic, and this storm is gusting. Lundqvist is weather magic, so storms will add to his power. Clouds and city lights will make it more challenging for me to see and draw power from the heavens tonight. Assuming that it’s still Van Noten’s original team that’s tracking us, a rainstorm with brisk winds is the last thing we want.”

“Well, we’ll cut through a park and I’ll put my toes in the dirt. I’m earth magic, and you can draw power from me. Plus, I’ve got a gun. You know what a good shot I am. And Zach’s got his amulet and a gun. There are three of them and three of us. To my mind, it’s an even match.”

“We’ve got company,” Zach said.

Poppy pulled the door open and flounced in. She wore a tight black sweater with a cartoon skull on it, and she’d paired it with a black-and-fuchsia tutu skirt of layered lace that hit her midthigh and made her an extra couple feet wide. Her blond curls bobbed around her face, tighter and frizzier after having been rained on.