Never Again (29 page)
Kerren was very good at making men, human or not, want her. He had no doubt she’d been searching for ways to rid herself of the bond with Kahl, but Bernard knew from experience it was impossible to sever ties with hell’s minions.
He wiped the corners of his mouth. He was tiring quickly, and needed to rest. “Why can I kill her now?”
“She’s boring.”
“Ah. Whatever threat she posed is gone, and so is whatever protection she had. Whose promise bound you from slitting her throat?”
“Aren’t you cute? You think you know all the angles when you’re really just a pawn on a much bigger chessboard.” She chuckled.
It rankled that she believed she was better than him. More important than him. Before he’d enacted that damnable curse, he’d been one of the most powerful Ravens in the world. He’d sacrificed so much for his House, and they had rewarded him with power and money. It didn’t matter that he could no longer have a seat on the Inner Court, or attend official functions. He’d known his worth.
And the Rackmore sisters had stolen it from him. Kerren had contacted him for her own reasons. She helped no one but herself. And she was a liar. Who knew if what she said about ending the curse was even true? He could kill Lucinda and still die in writhing agony.
“You still haven’t asked about my news.”
“I don’t care. Go find some new toys to play with,” he said.
“So petulant.” She
tsk
-
tsk
ed. “Don’t you know that Gray Calhoun is playing with one of your old toys?”
tsk
-
tsk
ed. “Don’t you know that Gray Calhoun is playing with one of your old toys?”
Bernard felt a hard, cold lump form in his chest. “What does that mean?”
“Little Lucy went to Nevermore,” she said, “to enlist the help of my ex-husband.”
“You lie.”
“She married him.” She laughed again. “Lucy and Gray sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g! First comes love—”
“Shut up! Just shut up!” He coughed and wheezed, and all the while Kerren peered at him, amusement dancing in her mud brown gaze, her lips curled into a cruel smile. He hated her so much. “You betrayed him and stuck a dagger in his heart. He must be insane to marry your sister.”
“Gray always loved a damsel in distress.”
Something in her voice caught his attention. Bernard tamped down his own swirling emotions so that he could detect hers. Yes. Behind Kerren’s amusement and her blatant manipulation of him, he sensed that she was unsettled. He’d never seen her the tiniest bit flustered. But her nervousness was there, hiding in the shadows of those awful eyes and that pristine beauty. He’d been useful to the House of Ravens for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which was his ability to ferret out secrets. “I’ve always been puzzled by how quickly you enacted the bargain with your new hubby. All that magic and ritual ready in so short a time?” He paused, and offered his own thin smirk. “You knew about the curse, didn’t you?” he asked softly. “Before it happened.”
Shock flashed in Kerren’s eyes for a microsecond. Then she shrugged. “Who do you think made the bargain with my ancestors?”
“Kahl.” Bernard couldn’t help but admire such beautifully orchestrated treachery. “Why Gray? Did you toss some names into a hat and draw his? Or did you choose him for a particular reason?” He tapped his lips with his forefinger. “Maybe it was to keep him away from your sister.”
“What the hell for?”
“Give the heart to the dragon, so he can protect all that is all, in this world and the next, nevermore.”
“You’re quoting me tripe from the Goddess Scrolls?”
“What’s so important in Nevermore?”
“Ugh. This isn’t an episode of
Torchwood
.”
Torchwood
.”
“Why can I kill your sister now, Kerren?”
“Oh, for the love of Kahl! You are so whiny. Okay, already. She had a protection spell on her,” she admitted. “My mother wasn’t a fool. But her lover kept the purse strings tight. She couldn’t afford more than a few years’ worth. When Lucinda turned twenty-five, the spell ended.”
“That’s when she completely broke free of my compelling spells, too. Then you gave me the cursing magic.” Bernard considered how freely Kerren was sharing information. “Where are you on the bigger chessboard? I wonder.”
“Watch yourself, Bernard.”
“What do I have to lose?” he asked. “I’m already a dead man.”
“You still have a soul, a soul that belongs to the underworld. If you think you’re suffering now, just wait until you enter the Dark One’s domain. I’ll give you a personal introduction to my husband.”
It was a weak threat. No doubt she had the power to draw his soul into the lair of her husband, but he suspected she didn’t have the kind of power she wanted him to believe. She was dangerous, yes, but controlled by Kahl. Why would the demon lord bother tormenting an old enemy of his wife’s?
“Tell me the truth about Nevermore.”
For a moment, he didn’t think she would answer. Then she sighed. “In the world there are several magical hot spots—believers call them ‘Goddess fountains.’ Nevermore is one of them.”
Bernard huffed with impatience. “I’ve never heard of these hot spots.”
“Why would you? They’re secret for a reason. Magic is amplified, no matter how minute. Why do you think the Goddess figured out where these hot spots were and put in protectors?” She considered him, like a scientist might examine a plague germ under a microscope. Then she rolled her eyes. “Oh, all right. The curse can be redirected. If we transferred it to one of your kids, I could make it so that the curse followed the bloodline of the mother.”
“You want me to sacrifice one of my children?”
“Don’t play the father card with me,” said Kerren. “There’s no love in that shriveled little heart of yours. Besides, once my sister is dead, the curse will be, too. Your sacrificial lamb will live.”
“And what about Nevermore?”
“If you manage to kill Lucinda and Gray, you can have it.”
“Become the new protector?” He glared at her suspiciously. “Just like that?”
“Sure. Every now and then Kahl might ask a favor of you. No big deal, right?”
The shoe had finally dropped. For some reason neither Kerren nor Kahl was eager to get near Nevermore. He couldn’t trust that once he’d killed off her sister and ex-husband, Kerren wouldn’t show up and try to yank the rug out from under him. But if she was right about how to nullify the curse, and serious about the amplification of magic within Nevermore, then he would be strong enough to fend her off. At least until he could figure out how to permanently nullify her as a threat.
It was worth the risk.
“I’ll do it,” he said.
“Good luck. And hey, give me a ring-a-ling . . . if you live.”
She cut off the connection. Bernard resisted the urge to punch at the water, mostly because he had no desire to get his Armani suit wet. One day, he’d make sure Kerren got all she deserved and more. He’d watch her suffer, maybe even watch her die—damn her immortality—and laugh in her face as she met her very bloody,
painful
end.
painful
end.
He needed to rest. Then he would make plans. He had a new life to begin, a second chance to take.
As he moved to stand, leaning heavily on the silver cane he’d had commissioned, the bowl of water issued red sparkles. Someone else was calling?
Bernard nearly walked away, but he couldn’t leave business unattended. He might feel weak, but he’d be damned if he showed it.
“What?” he snapped at the unfamiliar man peering up at him. “Who the hell are you?”
“Your new best friend.”
“My last best friend tried to take off my head with a sword,” he said. “So I’m sure you understand that I have trust issues.”
“A gift, then, to show my trustworthiness.”
“Do tell.”
“Lucinda Rackmore.”
Shock made Bernard reel internally. He immediately thought about Kerren and her knack for treachery, her need for games. “That gift has already been given, I’m afraid.”
The man didn’t quite manage to hide his surprise and his disappointment. But he wasn’t deterred. “If you’re coming to get her, you’ll need me. I’ve managed to delay him somewhat, but in the next couple of days, the Guardian will start reinforcing the protections on our borders—specifically to prevent you from getting within a mile of his new wife.”
He could tell that the man had hoped the news of the marriage would rattle him. No such luck, not since Kerren had already taken all her potshots. “You can get me in?”
“Yes. And I can hide you until we’re ready to act.”
The idiot had no idea “we” did not exist. Bernard didn’t share anything, or anyone, certainly not with a mundane. He had no doubts the man staring up at him was not a magical, though how he’d managed to enact a communication spell was mildly impressive. “What do you want in return for my friendship?”
“Gray Calhoun. And your help to summon Kahl.”
If the fool wanted to kill Gray, that was one less thing for Bernard’s to-do list. As for calling forth the demon lord—no fucking way. Eh. He could say anything. Promises were made to be broken. “Why do you want an introduction to Kahl?”
“It’s a personal matter.”
“I see. I have my own private concerns dealing with Lucinda.”
“We understand each other, then.”
“Yes,” said Bernard pleasantly. “It looks like we can be friends after all.”
Chapter 12
At breakfast, Lucinda found herself at the kitchen table, watching Gray scrape the black crust off their toast. He looked up at her, and grinned sheepishly. He was a worse cook than she was. Given the contents of the freezer, she’d guessed he usually nuked most of his meals. However, thanks to the efficient ladies of Nevermore, they had enough casseroles and pies to last the next two weeks.
Besides, Gray had other admirable qualities. He was noble and kind and affectionate. He hummed when he brushed his teeth, which she thought was adorable, and he remembered that she liked three teaspoons of honey in her tea. He gave her foot massages. He made her laugh. And the man liked to snuggle.
Who could resist a snuggler?
Last night, after the fire was out and the body, which everyone believed to be Cathleen’s, had been recovered, Maureen gave them a lift home.
“Another wake,” she’d said. “Another funeral. Goddess help us. I don’t want to bury anyone else, Gray. You have to figure out what’s going on and fix it.”
“I will,” he’d promised.
After they’d gotten upstairs and discarded their smoke-stained clothes, Gray had taken her into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He made love to her right there—and she hadn’t even minded that the water was too tepid and the tiles were cold against her backside. Then he dried her off and lobbed her onto the bed, and ravished her again.
She’d woken up late, and found him attempting to make scrambled eggs and bacon in the newly restored and terrifyingly organized kitchen. While he tried not to set the stove on fire, they talked about restoring the garden out back, and he discussed his ideas for updating his wizard lab. It was nice to think about such normal activities.
Gray had washed their clothes while she was still sleeping, and since the sheriff had yet to release her duffel bag, she had only one outfit to wear—unless she wanted to wander around in her mother-in-law’s too-big clothes. The soot smell wasn’t quite out of the material, but it seemed to mix nicely with the lavender washing detergent. Okay, not really. It was sorta like throwing bouquets onto brimstone.
“You look glowy,” said Gray as he crossed from the stove to the table carrying two plates.
“I do?” She touched her face. “I don’t know why.”
He leaned down, putting the plate in front of her, and kissed her. “It’s an inner glow, baby. It’s nice to see you happy.”
“Because of you.”
He smiled, but she saw the way his gaze flickered. No doubt he was worried she wasn’t keeping their bargain. No love between them—just pleasurable business. That concept didn’t particularly appeal to her now. But she wouldn’t ask for more from Gray, not when he’d already given her so much.
“Thank you.” She grabbed her fork and let it hover over the mess. The eggs were too wet, and the bacon was unrecognizable char, but she ate it anyway. “When will you leave to do the border protections?”
“Not for a few days,” he said. “I have to cleanse the café’s site. Ember’s going to help me, but there’s a lot of negative vibes to dissipate. We might as well continue the cleansing for the whole town. And the farms, of course.”
“That makes sense. It seems like the magic here is on a teeter-totter.”
“You feel it, too?”
“Yes.”
They ate in comfortable silence, and then Lucy put down her fork. She’d been thinking about Maureen, and the town, and ways to help everyone. “Gray, is Nevermore poor?”
“Not everyone is on the same financial footing,” said Gray. “But it does seem like more folks are struggling.”
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