Honeymoon of the Dead (30 page)

Larkin and my kidnappers!

“They work for you!” I said with sudden realization. Had Fonn been in on it too? After all, she had been at the ritual when Larkin conveniently hadn’t been and gave up chasing us the second we’d headed toward the hotel.

Sebastian snarled. “Who are these guys? The billy goats gruff?”

I would have snickered, except at that same moment I got an idea. Wrenching the car door open, I stepped out onto the shoulder of the road. Cars whizzed by, tires singing on the metal grating of the bridge’s surface. The troll quickly scrambled out after me. Sebastian, on the passenger side, leaped out and headed straight for the approaching boys.

Leaving me and the troll.

Standing up, he was massive. He had square, broad shoulders and the kind of slender waist I’d find very appealing, except for the whole knuckle-dragging thing he had going on. The troll lifted two bruising, hammer- shaped fists; I raised Lilith.

With a familiar surrender, I closed my eyes. Lilith’s lava-hot spirit coursed along my veins, filling my body. I expected to happily sink into that no- place bliss and wake up to the aftermath, but when I opened my eyes I saw a rather surprised-looking troll.

He’d been bringing down his fists, Incredible Hulk- style, to smash me into the pavement. I stopped them easily with one hand, which I held over my head. My other hand slapped, open palmed, hard into his chest. He flew back about ten feet and stumbled back onto his butt.

Cars careened out of the way to avoid hitting him where he’d landed near the center aisle.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian laying down a little vampire smack down on the little billy goats. Even though there were three of them, they had no chance against his preternatural speed. One would only just be recovering from a smack upside the head when Sebastian appeared behind another to rip deeply into fleece and down with sharp fangs.

Feathers fairly flew.

Honks alerted me that the troll struggled back to his feet and had begun to charge me like some kind of faerie rhinoceros. I felt Lilith smile wickedly. My heart pounded in my chest but, for once, not with fear. Adrenaline coursed through me with each beat like an aphrodisiac. He was nearly on me. I took in a deep, exhilarated breath. Then, in a flash, I grabbed him by the coat and swung him in an arch, à la some World Wrestling Entertainment star. One part of me registered that he was far too heavy for my normal muscles, while another reveled in the ease at which I hefted his weight. Once I had good momentum going, I let go. He sailed over the railing and off the bridge. His screams echoed in the river valley followed by a deep-sounding splash.

Meanwhile, over by Sebastian, Larkin was the only one left standing. He caught my eye and shouted, “I’ll always love you!” Rushing over to the railing, he paused for a moment. Then, with a bob of his Adam’s apple, hoisted himself over the barrier and jumped after the troll. As soon as they could pick themselves up, the other two followed suit.

Sebastian and I leaned over the edge. Where the current bubbled, there was an open spot in the river, but I couldn’t see any trace of the troll, Larkin, or the others.

“Oh my God.” I could tell I was upset because I reverted to my pre-pagan swearing. “Do you think they’re okay?”

“This is how the fairy tale ends, isn’t it?” Sebastian asked. “That’s how you defeat the troll, right?”

I nodded. “But do you think they’re alive?”

“I don’t think they’re dead,” he said. “That seemed more like an escape than a suicide.”

“So they could come back.”

“Maybe,” Sebastian admitted.

“Okay. There’s one more thing I need to do for it to really be all over.”

“What’s that?”

“I have to break a really old love spell.”

Lilith’s heat retreated, leaving me suddenly chilled. I shivered, feeling the soreness creeping into my muscles. An airplane roared overhead. Sebastian and I tracked its progress as it came in for a landing.

“Do you think we can still make our flight?” I asked.

“We’re sure as hell going to try,” Sebastian said, making a dash for the driver’s door. I hopped into the front seat beside him. “What about your spell?”

“I’ll do it while we drive.”

“And then you’ll explain why you needed to do it, right?”

“Right,” I said without hesitation. My new life with Sebastian was going to be all about full disclosure.

Sebastian nodded as his eyes watched for a break in the bridge traffic. The muffler sputtered loudly as he revved the engine.

I buckled my seat belt and tried to remember what exactly I had done when I first ensnared Larkin in the spell. Had I made a sachet or a pouch? Did I sprinkle him with herbs?

I couldn’t remember!

It just hadn’t been that important to me at the time. I’d probably recorded it in my Book of Shadows, but on the night I’d fled from this town I’d left my journal behind along with everything else—except my cat.

Maybe what mattered more than the details was the intent. What I wanted with Larkin was closure. I wanted to break the spell to free him from his memories of me. I needed to make this right.

In my lap I cupped my hands into the shape of a bowl. I imagined filling my hands with bluish light. The car jerked as Sebastian swerved across lanes, but I concentrated on filling my hands with the energy of release. As I poured into it my regret, I also added forgiveness—for what Larkin had done to me but also for past callousness. I had better angels to answer to these days, even if one of them was the Queen of Hell.

In my mind’s eye, a blue ball sparkled between my palms. Flashes of color representing my emotions flickered and danced in the light like fireflies. Once I got the impression I’d put in all the healing energy I could, I brought the ball to my lips and I mimed kissing it. After sealing the spell, I blew it in Larkin’s direction.

I took a moment to release any excess energy into the floorboards of the taxi and then through the tires into the earth. Slowly, I came back to myself. The heater smelled of dust and stone.

“We’re kind of stealing this cab, you know,” I said to Sebastian, who was busy passing a semitruck that slowed as the road inclined.

“We’ll find a bridge to leave it under. The troll will find it there.”

I was satisfied with that. I gripped the dash as Sebastian hightailed it, New York cabbie-style, the rest of the way to the terminal.

 

 

In the airport parking lot we found a spot underneath
a bridgelike pedestrian walk. Leaving the doors of the troll’s cab unlocked, Sebastian tucked the keys into the glove compartment. If the troll was alive, he’d find it here. I grabbed our bags from the trunk. We needed to hurry if we were going to make it this time.

We were dashing across the street to the ticketing area’s doors when I saw Fonn. She was standing at one of those electronic check-in spots, wearing a Delta Airlines uniform. Our eyes met as I crossed onto the curb. She started for me, and I felt an icy wind tug at my hair.

“What now?” I heard Sebastian snarl.

There was no way I was going to stand for another delay. Lilith roared up into me like a wildfire. I dropped my bags and ran toward Fonn. As we met, I slammed my fist into her gut with every ounce of Goddess I had in me. She went sailing across the crowded sidewalk, knocking down a bunch of people, crashing two cart stands, and bowling over a traffic cop.

When I turned to pick up my bags, I saw that Sebastian held the door for me. “That might work for the troll,” he reminded me as I started to pass under his arm, “but I’m not sure it will with Fonn.”

I was about to protest when I felt something soft bump up against my leg. I looked down and saw Hero rubbing against me. “Look who’s back!” I squealed joyfully. Despite my awkward position halfway in the door, I was about to kneel down to pick up Hero when he hissed. I pivoted just in time to see Fonn leaping through the air to pounce on us. I had no time to react. Sebastian still held the door. I figured we were doomed, but, with a yowl and extended claws, Hero sprang at Fonn.

The two of them went rolling down the sidewalk.

“I love that cat,” I told Sebastian. “He’s going to come live with us in Madison, okay?”

Sebastian’s eyes were wide as he watched the cat versus ice-giant battle. “Okay. Sure.”

I tugged Sebastian’s sleeve. “Come on. We’re going to miss our plane.”

“Are you sure?” he pointed vaguely in the direction of the commotion of spitting hisses and gale-force winds.

“Hero’s got it. Trust me.”

Somehow we made it to our gate just as they were calling for stragglers. At the scent of cinnamon and baking bread, security waved us through. The flight attendant smiled warmly when she saw our first-class tickets, and she showed us to plush, comfortable seats in the front of the plane. I let out the breath I was holding.

Sebastian still looked concerned, and he scanned the view outside the window. I, meanwhile, lay my head back with a deep sigh. I felt Lilith humming along my skin, and I knew, even if somehow Fonn got on this plane, I could totally kick her ass.

 

 

Sebastian and I sat in a cafe in the fifth arrondisse
ment gazing out at the rain-drenched streets surrounding the Panthéon. Our waitress, it turned out, was Kali, but I planned to give Her a nice tip, anyway, because She let us sit here for the last two hours just people watching and enjoying each other’s company.

I’d heard from William and Mátyás, who called to let me know they’d made it home all right and that a skinny black cat showed up on my doorstep a few days later. Mátyás reported Hero was a bit scratched and hungry but had walked right into the house like he owned the place. Barney, apparently, disagreed, but they were working it out.

I held Sebastian’s hand and smiled as the rain streamed down the window.

So were we.