Wicked Memories (CASTLE OF DARK DREAMS) (6 page)

What did Will hope to accomplish by chasing them down himself? They were still huge, and there were still two of them.

Her conscience bothered her a little. She should call the police, but she didn’t need any probing questions about knives and what she was doing at the castle. She needed to keep a low profile.

Damn, Will ran fast. He was closing in on the men by the time she ran across the street and climbed down the steps to the beach. Why the hell had they tried to escape here? She was panting when she caught up with him. And the only reason she
did
catch up was he’d stopped running. What . . . ?

It was dark on the beach, but she could see a little because of the lights on Seawall Boulevard and the moonlight. She stood beside him, staring openmouthed.

Both men had run into the Gulf. She could see them moving farther and farther away from the shore.

“What’re they doing? They’ll both drown.” And if her voice had an edge of hysteria to it, she had good reason. She’d wanted to stop the attack on Will, not see two men die. Kayla pulled her cell phone from her pocket and started to punch in 911.

Will put his hand over hers. “You won’t need that.”

“What do you mean? They’re . . .” She followed his gaze. Kayla could still see them, but something wasn’t right. She strained to see in the darkness. It almost looked as though . . . “No. It can’t be.” But it was. The dark shapes of the men seemed to be melting and flowing into . . . “Fish?” Even saying the word made her question her sanity. “Tell me they didn’t just change into big fish.” She heard the shrillness in her voice, but she couldn’t seem to control it.

They were gone. They’d just walked out into the Gulf, turned into fish, and disappeared. She glanced up at Will. In the darkness his features were harsh, his eyes hard and unreadable. “What just happened?” Kayla’s finger still hovered over her phone while confused thoughts scrambled to make meaning of what had no meaning.

“Put the phone away, Kayla.” His voice was quiet, devoid of emotion.

“We have to report this. We—”

He turned to look at her. “Reporting it would accomplish nothing.”

“I don’t believe this.” Her voice rose even higher. “They both just walked into the freaking Gulf of Mexico and changed into—”

“Whales, actually. Not one of the large species.” Will’s expression never changed. “They’re shape-shifters. They’re sea creatures in their animal forms.”

He said this in the same tone of voice he’d use to explain why the sun would come up in the morning.

She started to shake and slowly back away from him. He was crazy. Had to be. “Shape-shifters?” Why not? A cat had spoken in her head and Sparkle had said a vampire owned Nirvana.

Will didn’t move, didn’t try to stop her. “I’m sorry.”

He didn’t look sorry, only angry. “You might not want to mention this to Sparkle. Once opened, some doors can never be closed.”

“Who are you?” Her question came out in a frightened whisper. “How did you know what they were?”

He shrugged and looked back at the Gulf. “Just someone who knows that things aren’t always what they seem.”

Kayla turned away then.
Calm down. Breathe deeply. You’ve made it through talking cats, vampires, sorcerers, and goddesses. What do a few shape-shifters matter? You can handle this.

Her mind had it all figured out. Unfortunately, her body didn’t get the message. Her heart pounded and she fought for each breath while she concentrated on not running back to the castle.
Walk. You are in control
. As she crossed the lobby, Kayla barely noted the lack of any sewage smell. She didn’t even wonder how Sparkle had gotten rid of it so quickly.

Once she was back in her room, she’d get a grip. No panic, just rational thoughts. This was just a job. Okay, a really bizarre one.

“I sense a shitload of panic, confusion, and fear. Anything Sparkle or I can help with?”

The voice in her head again. She looked down. The gray cat, no, Ganymede stared up at her from wide amber eyes. Oh, shit. “No.”

“Why not? Haven’t we welcomed you with open arms? Okay, open paws? Hey, Sparkle hasn’t even tried to hook you up with anyone. She usually starts working on that within an hour tops.”
He padded along beside her.
“What’s the problem?”

She stopped walking. “
You’re
the problem. And Sparkle telling me that the owner of Nirvana is a vampire, that’s another problem. And . . .” Should she mention the shape-shifters?
Once opened, some doors can never be closed
. No. Not now. “Do I need anything else?” She tried to ignore a nearby couple watching her talk to herself.

“Maybe we should all sit down and have a nice long talk.”
Ganymede glanced toward the door leading to the great hall as though he expected someone to burst through it at any moment.

Not surprisingly, someone did. Sparkle hurried toward them. Kayla didn’t doubt that the cat who had talked in
her
head had also put out a silent call to Sparkle.

“I hear that you’re upset.” Sparkle looped her arm through Kayla’s and steered her toward a room near the restaurant. “Let’s sit for a moment and talk about it.” She sighed. “No use putting it off any longer. I suppose it’s time for those answers I promised.” She opened the door.

It was a conference room. Kayla was more than ready for some answers. She walked in and sat at the long table while Sparkle paused to talk to the cat.

“Order something good for us to nibble on.”

Great. The cat was going to order dinner.
Her adrenaline rush over, Kayla felt almost too tired to keep her head off the table. But she had to ask the question. “What is Ganymede?”

Sparkle joined her at the table. “Not what,
who
. Mede is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He’s the cosmic troublemaker in charge of planet-changing chaos—volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteor strikes, the big stuff.” She absolutely glowed with pride. “And he’s my fluffy-bunny.”

Just kill me now.
Kayla didn’t know how many more of these . . . revelations she could take. May as well get it all out of the way at once. “And you are?”

“I’m a cosmic troublemaker too. Sexual chaos is my specialty.” Her expression said she totally expected Kayla to believe and accept what she said.

Uh-huh. Sure.
“So I assume if Ganymede is your . . . fluffy-bunny, then he must change into human form.” A shape-shifter.

“Of course.” Sparkle widened her eyes as though that must be obvious. “When he’s in human form, he’s a golden god.” Her lips tipped up in a sly smile. “He’s a sexual beast in bed.”

Didn’t need to know that.
Kayla closed her eyes. “How can he talk in my head?”

“It’s one of his powers.”

Well, that cleared things up. Kayla opened her eyes. “Anything else you want to fling my way?”

“Holgarth is a real wizard, and Zane is a real sorcerer. They’re the reason why that disgusting smell is gone so quickly. You saw Klepoth and Eric. Klepoth is a demon and Eric is a vampire.” Sparkle put her hand on top of Kayla’s. “You’ll meet a few other nonhumans, but I think that’s enough for now.”

“Definitely.” She wanted to jerk her hand from beneath Sparkle’s, but she didn’t seem to have the energy. Would this cursed day never end?

“I know you want to run away from us, Kayla.” Sparkle’s voice softened.

“You think?” She could hardly wrap her mind around the possibility that Sparkle, Ganymede, and Will were telling the truth.
But think about what you’ve heard and seen. And Dad didn’t deny the existence of vampires
. She couldn’t explain those things away.

Just then the door swung open and Ganymede padded back into the room. A waiter rolling a cart followed him in. And for the next few minutes she allowed herself not to think as she watched the covered plates being transferred to the table. Finally the waiter left.

Kayla ate her way through two servings of everything while Sparkle watched bemused. Ganymede had his own plate and was having no trouble matching Kayla serving for serving.

Finally, Sparkle didn’t seem able to stand it one more minute. She reached out and whipped Kayla’s plate out from under her raised fork. “I can’t believe you ate that much.”

Kayla felt a moment of embarrassment before pushing it aside. “When I’m stressed, I eat. You can tell the level of my stress by how
much
I eat.” She’d broken a record at this meal.

“Time to talk.” Sparkle ignored the cat who was still stuffing his furry cheeks with food. “What can I do to make you want to stay?” She paused, her gaze turning thoughtful. “Besides threatening to sue your father for breach of contract.” She brightened. “By the time I’m finished, I’ll own his company. I’ve never involved myself in that type of business before. It might be fun. Oh, and of course, I don’t think he’ll kick in any money for law school if you run home without getting the job done.” Sparkle smiled as though everything was very simple.

Food had a calming effect on Kayla, which is why she only called Sparkle a bitch once in her head. She’d save the multiple “bitches” for another time. She decided not to mention that she’d already decided to stay. “Be reasonable, Sparkle. I won’t be any good to you. I don’t know how to deal with supernatural entities.”

“Nonsense.” Sparkle stopped long enough to aim a glare at Ganymede, who was trying to lick the garlic mashed potato residue from the serving dish. “What’s to know? You just sneak around, do a little spying, a little sabotaging, and once Nirvana folds, you go home and everyone’s happy. Besides, if you need any help with the nonhumans, I can loan you some paranormal muscle.”

Kayla thought about that. She knew how to do her job, and as long as she kept out of sight, how hard could it be? And if Sparkle could supply her some nonhuman help, she’d feel a lot safer.

Listen to yourself. Do you really believe all this?
Kayla closed her eyes, shutting out Sparkle’s sly gaze. She had always tried to be practical and a realist. And as much as she’d like to make excuses for everything that was happening, she couldn’t. The evidence was mounting that a paranormal world she knew nothing about really did exist.

Kayla opened her eyes. Time to face facts. She’d be going up against a bloodsucking creature that frankly scared the crap out of her.

Ganymede lifted his head to stare at Kayla. Mashed potatoes covered his face and whiskers.
“Yo, Sparkle. Sweeten the pot for her. We need to keep her here.”

Sparkle sighed. “Fine. If you’ll stay and do the job, I’ll double whatever your father is offering. In fact, if I’m happy with the results, I might give you a job here after you pass the bar exam. Holgarth has been making retirement noises lately. I’ll need a new attorney.”

Kayla widened her eyes. Work as Sparkle’s attorney? That would have to be one of the scariest jobs on the planet. No amount of money could tempt her to accept it. But the extra money that Sparkle had offered for this one-and-done job sounded great. Kayla tried to look as though she was struggling with her decision. “I’ll stay. But I want you to get my helper to me as soon as possible. I have a lot to learn about the supernatural realm.” Understatement of the year.

Sparkle glowed. “You won’t regret this. We’ll have fun destroying Thorn Mackenzie.”

Kayla frowned. Sparkle sounded as though she meant it. “I have one question. What are cosmic troublemakers?”

Ganymede was washing his face with one gray paw.
“We’re incredibly powerful and charismatic beings gifted with the ability to cause chaos in every aspect of human life.”

Gifted with huge egos as well. “Then why haven’t I ever heard of you?” Of course, Kayla’s knowledge didn’t go beyond the usual—vampires, werewolves, angels, and demons.

Ganymede finished with his face and gave her his full attention.
“Because there aren’t that many of us, and we don’t have a great PR department.”

Kayla nodded. That was a good enough explanation for the moment. She started to rise but then sat down again. Earlier, she’d decided not to mention Will or the men who’d walked into the Gulf. But now she needed to know more. Besides, Sparkle was paying her to investigate. She wanted to show her client that she was getting her money’s worth.

Kayla gave a brief rundown of events, starting with the attempted mugging and ending with Will and her standing on the beach watching the men run into the Gulf. She had to take a deep breath before telling the last part. “As the men got farther away from shore, they started to . . . change.”
Just say it.
“They became some kind of whale.” She met Sparkle’s gaze. “Was I seeing things or can that really happen?”

Sparkle glanced at Ganymede. Kayla sensed something passing between them.

Then Sparkle shrugged. “There’re all kinds of shifters. Some sea creatures have been known to take human shape, but we don’t see many around here. Lately though . . .” Abruptly, she stood. “Well, I think we’ve covered everything for the night. You must be tired, Kayla.”

Kayla recognized a dismissal when she heard it. “Right. See you in the morning.” She stood and headed for the door.

“Yo, spy lady.”

Kayla stopped to glance back at Ganymede.

“You might want to do some snooping around the castle in the morning.”

“Why?”

“Because the crappy smell that drove everyone out of the castle wasn’t a plumbing problem. It was sabotage. Probably payback for the refreshment stand I blew up. The war is on.”

Kayla experienced sudden insight. “I bet that puts you in your happy place, doesn’t it?”

Ganymede narrowed his amber eyes and twitched his tail.
“You have no idea.”

5

Thorn figured he’d exhausted a thousand years of curses in every language he’d ever known. Tonight had pretty much sucked.
Except for meeting Kayla.
But she’d probably be gone from Galveston by morning, so he couldn’t even put her in his plus column. He slammed the door in disappointment’s face. Nowhere for that relationship to go anyway.

How much would she tell Sparkle before she left? If Sparkle found out that her recent dungeon guest had been wearing a wig and colored contacts, and that said guest had been in the castle right around the time of the Great Stink, it wouldn’t take her long to follow the clues. She probably already knew her plumbing was fine and had figured out the attack came from him. But he didn’t want her attaching a face to that attack just yet.

He slipped back into Nirvana. Grim had turned off all but a few lights, so no one saw him return. He found Grim standing by the carousel.

His security chief grinned. “Seemed to be lots of excitement going on across the street. Looked like someone stepped on their anthill the way everyone was running out of there.”

Thorn forced a smile. “The modern world is soft. A few bad smells and they bail. They should’ve been around when no one washed for six months at a time. A few whiffs standing in a crowd on a hot day would toughen them up fast.”

Grim nodded. “So what went wrong? You’re smiling, but I don’t sense a lot of happy thoughts.”

“Two big guys stopped me on the way back here.” Thorn had already decided not to mention Kayla. He quickly told a shortened version of what had happened. “Something’s not right. The two I saw in the hotel smelled of the sea. Had to be shifters. And the two who wanted to rearrange my face started their change as soon as they got far enough into the Gulf.” Too bad Kayla had seen that. “There aren’t a lot of shifters who choose to leave the sea, and now I trip over four in one night. Who’re they working for? Why try to drive me from Galveston?”

“Sparkle?” Grim shrugged. “Seems a logical choice.”

“Could be. I don’t think Sparkle recognized me, but she could’ve just sent them out to find someone who worked at Nirvana. And they chose me.” He stared at the carousel. “But it still doesn’t feel right. Ganymede’s not subtle. He’s a blow-everything-up kind of guy. At least that’s what my research showed. I can’t see him bothering with muggings and threats.”

“At least we’ll have security now.” Grim sounded . . . grim.

Thorn glanced around. “So where’s your team?”

Grim’s frown turned to a smile. “You’re looking at it.”

“The carousel’s going to protect Nirvana?” Thorn didn’t know what he’d expected, but this wasn’t it.

Grim reached back and flipped a switch. The carousel began to turn. No music, so at least Grim had spared him that.

“Look carefully.” Grim’s voice was tight with anticipation.

Thorn narrowed his eyes. Seemed normal to him, a bunch of horses mixed in with other creatures big enough for people to ride. Then his eyes widened. “Stop.”

The carousel slowed as Thorn moved toward a big black horse. He stared. “There’s seaweed tangled in its mane.” He reached out to touch the seaweed and to smooth his fingers over the mane. “It’s wet.” He knew his mythology as well as any thousand-year-old vampire. But this seemed beyond belief. “A kelpie?”

Grim nodded. “I met someone centuries ago who had one of the magical bridles that controls a kelpie’s shape-shifting power. Now
I
have it. I’m not using it on him, and I promised to give it to him to keep in return for a few favors. He’s a freshwater kind of guy, but he’ll do his thing in the Gulf for a limited time.”

Thorn rocked back on his heels and just stared at the legendary fairy water horse. “And I suppose this man just gave you the bridle.”

Grim’s smile turned savage. “I took it. Because I could. And because I wasn’t as civilized as I am now.”

“That’s not saying much. I saw you in the wilderness. Grizzlies ran from you.”

“As well they should.”

Thorn continued pacing around the carousel. He stopped in front of two blue cats as big as ponies. He shook his head. “How?”

“Ah, you recognize them.”

“They’re hard to miss. As far as I know the only giant blue cats are the ones who pull the goddess Freya’s chariot. So once again, how?”

“They’re witches in their human forms. I did them a few favors.” He shrugged. “Now they owe me a few.”

Thorn raised one brow in a silent question.

Grim’s grin widened. “Hey, while you were perfecting your imitation of an ordinary human guy, I wasn’t. I was busy forging relationships with the most powerful nonhumans I could find.” He speared Thorn with a hard gaze. “I don’t get you. You could go on TV and convince people to make you king of the universe. Why do things the hard way?”

“I’ve tried the easy way. It didn’t work for me.” He’d never make Grim understand his need to actually work for what he got, the sense of accomplishment that had kept him from checking out centuries ago.

Grim didn’t look impressed with his excuse. “Fine. Make it tough. Now that you’re here, let’s have a brief team meeting.”

Thorn waited expectantly. He knew Grim’s power, but never got used to seeing him wield it.

Grim turned to the carousel. He didn’t speak, chant, or do a damn thing that Thorn could see. But suddenly, three people stood in front of them—two women and a man. Thorn glanced at the carousel. The two giant blue cats were still there. He took the time to walk around the carousel. Yep, so was the black horse.

Grim had crazy talent. Who could split one into two? The real horse and cats were held in stasis on the carousel. But at the same time there was a real version of them standing in front of him.

Finally, he returned to the group. He waved at Grim. “Introduce us.” He smiled at the women. They didn’t smile back.

Grim clapped him on the shoulder. “The lady with the long blond hair is Bygul, and the one with the curly black hair is Trjegul.” He smiled at the women. “This is Thorn.”

The women ignored Grim.

Bygul cast Thorn an impatient glance. “I have no idea why Grim told you we were here because we owed him favors. We’re here because—”

Grim frowned. “I think that’s enough for now.”

Trjegul’s smile was a sly curve of her lips. “You haven’t told him, have you?” She gazed at Grim from under long dark lashes. “I think any partnership should be based on truthfulness.” She widened her eyes. It didn’t make her look innocent. “Don’t you?”

Thorn stared at Grim. “What’s she talking about?”

Grim glared at the witch before turning to Thorn. “Okay, so they don’t owe me favors. They’re doing this because my grandfather is Fenrir, the oldest son of the god Loki. The Norse gods and goddesses take care of their own. That’s where I get my power to do the two-out-of-one thing.”

Wow, some family tree. “Why wouldn’t you want me to know that?”

“I don’t like to brag about family connections.” Grim glanced away. “I bet you feel the same way. I don’t hear you saying anything about your relations.”

“That’s because I don’t have any worth talking about.” For just a moment, he thought about his father. Then he closed his heart against the old longing. Thorn needed to change the subject. He didn’t want Grim asking questions about his family. “You haven’t introduced your kelpie friend.”

Grim’s kelpie friend didn’t look particularly friendly. He was tall and lean. A tangled mass of black hair framed his face and fell across his forehead. Bright green eyes glared at them from between the strands of hair.

“He doesn’t have to introduce me, and I’m not his damn friend. Kelpies don’t have friends. I don’t need a name either.”

Thorn decided with that crappy attitude it was no wonder the kelpie was friendless. “Maybe you don’t need a name, but I need to call you something. So let’s compromise. You’re now Kel.”

The kelpie nodded and sank back into smoldering silence. Thorn ran his fingers through his hair. The perfect end to a rotten night—except for Kayla. He now had a security chief who was related to a bunch of badass Norse gods, and a team that made crappy attitudes into an art form. He focused on Grim. “What will each of them do?”

Grim was glowering at the witches. “Bygul will watch Nirvana during the day, and Trjegul will take over at night. Kel will be on call if trouble comes from the Gulf. When they’re not on duty they can do what they please as humans. Their carousel forms will still be here if needed.”

“And what will Kel do besides sitting around getting a tan while he watches the waves break?” Yes, Thorn felt cranky.

Kel stared at Thorn from narrowed eyes. “You know my options. In my horse form I can lure the enemy to climb onto my back. Once they’re on, they’re stuck. Then I dive deep and drown them. And if they’re shifters who change into water creatures, I’ll just tear them apart.” His lips curved up in an anticipatory smile.

Great. Just freaking great. “Murder and mayhem. Can’t wait to see
that
. You’ll go viral on YouTube within an hour. Nirvana will be a megahit with gawkers and the police.”

Kel shrugged. “I can kill quietly. Most attacks will probably happen at night anyway. I’m a black horse. I’ll blend. Besides, you guys have the power to make everyone forget what they saw.” He allowed himself a small smile. Very small. “And if all you want is to give someone a good scare . . . ? I’m extremely scary.”

I bet you are
. But he couldn’t argue with what Kel had said, although the only time Thorn wiped memories now was after he’d fed. Couldn’t have his dinner screaming, “Vampire! Vampire!” from a dark alley. Thorn didn’t have to ask what the two witches could do. They’d be lethal in human or cat form. “Well, welcome to Nirvana. We’re in great shape. We have a kelpie, two witches, a sorcerer, a vampire, and a demon besides Grim and me. I’ll leave you to do your things. I need to make some plans.”

Thorn didn’t wait to see if Grim had anything else to say. He made it back to his small apartment behind the game stands without having to talk to anyone else. After taking out the contacts and removing the wig, he took a shower then flopped onto his bed and waited.

When the knock came, he glanced at his bedside clock before heading to the door. Sparkle had allowed them to stay longer than he’d expected. He opened the door.

Grim smiled. “Your demon, sorcerer, and vampire are waiting for you at the gate.”

Thorn grunted his thanks and walked to meet his new employees.

“I see you have your bags with you.” Thorn smiled. “Sparkle kicked you out?”

Zane scowled. “She kept me there just long enough to get rid of that god-awful smell you planted in the castle
then
she kicked me out.” He glanced at the demon. “Lucky tomorrow is Saturday. Klepoth won’t have to go to school.”

School? The demon went to
school
? Thorn muffled a laugh. “Too bad about getting thrown out.” Not. He’d been counting on it.

Eric looked disgusted. “It’s a shitty way to show gratitude. Sparkle has a short memory. I did a lot for her. I won’t forget this. My wife’s still working in Chicago. I think I’ll tell her to hold off moving back here until things are more stable.”

Thorn shook his head in mock sympathy. “Good idea.” He pulled out his house key and written directions to his place from his pocket and handed them to Zane. “I feel guilty about this. I’m staying here, but you can crash at my beach house. It’s a couple of miles down the road.” He pointed west. “You can stay there until you get on your feet.”

Klepoth grinned. “A beach house? Great. Thanks.”

Thorn wondered about the wisdom of turning over his house to a demon. “Eric, I have a safe room set up for vampires. Zane and Klepoth, be here at dawn tomorrow. The day manager will be here to fill you in. You don’t have to worry about the running of the pier. Everything’s been taken care of. I’ll check in with all of you at sunset.”

“One concern.” Zane flipped the key into the air and then caught it. “How many hours do you expect us to work? We can’t be here every minute that the pier is open.”

“Not a problem.” Thorn was ready for this night to be over. “Zane, come up with a spell that will make any illusions Eric or Klepoth create automatically repeat with each new customer. Klepoth will control the illusions during the day, and Eric will take the night ones. Once you have things set up, you can kick back and relax. Unless we have an emergency”—like Sparkle mounting an assault on the pier—“you can leave once Grim and I are awake.”

The men nodded and left. Thorn closed his eyes for a moment. His revenge had better be worth all this. Then he opened them and headed back to his apartment. He had work to do, castles to destroy and cosmic troublemakers to lay low.

But strangely enough, he spent more time thinking about Kayla—her smile, her voice, her everything—than he did planning.

And as the day sleep finally took him, Thorn regretted that he couldn’t dream.