Arcane Solutions (16 page)

“
His.” The elf’s eyes bored into mine, his warning clear. I’d owe him if something other than a demon killed the dog.

“
Right. What do I feed him?” Having never had more than the occasional goldfish or Betta floating through my life, I didn’t know anything involving the care and feeding of demonic dogs.

“
Meat and water are all that he requires. I expect to be kept informed of your progress, and will assist in the retrieval of the grimoire once you’ve located it.” With that, the elf disappeared from sight. Quite rude of him to avoid giving me a chance to argue about destroying it.

“
Now I know how people feel when I do that.” Pointing to a corner of my office, I looked at the dog. “Go lie down.”

Leglin obeyed. I focused on Whitehaven.
“Is there anything else I need to know about him?”

The boss stepped close enough to engulf my shoulder in a gentle grip.
“The hound has some magic of his own. He will come when called, whether near you or not. Treat him as an ally, but don’t forget that he is a powerful weapon, Discordia.”

“
Fat chance of that happening.”

Whitehaven smiled, patted my shoulder, and left.

Once alone with Nick and the dog, I realized that I’d forgotten to return Logan’s call. “My car.”

The shifter dropped into a chair.
“Is that really important right now?”

“
Yes.” Pulling my cell phone out, I found the number and hit call. A strange male voice answered. “Hello, this is…”

Whoever he was interrupted me.
“Yeah. Logan’s washing his hands. Give him a minute.”

“
Oh, sure. Thanks.” Listening to him setting the phone down, I leaned back. Less than a minute later, Logan picked it up. “Hey, I’m sorry about not calling back yesterday.”

His chuckle rumbled through the phone.
“You did seem to be having a busy day.”

“
You could say that.” Nick was listening, eyes glued to my face. “I haven’t even called my insurance company yet.”

Something fell on his end, metal clanging on concrete.
“They’ll total it out. It’s going to be expensive to repair, but it’s not a lost cause, Discord.”

I winced, thinking of the one, big-limit credit card in my wallet. Two weeks in Hawaii had been my plan for it, with my first vacation time approaching. My car was much more important than a couple of weeks on a beach were.
“Are you set up for credit cards?”

“
Yes.”

Eyes closing, I grimaced.
“I’ll bring one you can use on it, so please go ahead with the work.”

Nick moved. Eyes opening, I watched him point at the dog.
“Oh, yeah. I sort of have an elf dog now.”

Logan’s voice dropped low, and I wondered if he’d turned away from whomever was around him as the noise level decreased slightly.
“You have one of their hunting hounds?”

“
Yeah, as protection against demons.” Nick distracted me by making faces and pointing at his neck. “What? Oh. I had to smear blood on its collar, so the dog is stuck minding me right now. I mean, it’s bound to me.”

The tiger shifter was silent for a long moment.
“I see. It’ll be better if I meet you somewhere.”

“
Sure. Hey, if you can, why don’t you come to my place for dinner?” Nick’s eyebrows rose, but settled when I added, “Nick will be there too. Say about seven?”

“
Ah…okay. I can do that.”

“
Cool. Bye.”

“
See you then, Discord.”

Ending the call, I looked at Nick.
“What?”

“
Nothing, except now what?”

“
Let’s go to the Orb and see what’s going on.” We left my office, and were almost to the front doors when I remembered the dog. “Whoops. Leglin, come on.”

Head and tail lowered, the dog slunk out of my office and to me.

***

“Nobody freak.” It was the first thing I said, walking in while Nick held the door open.

Jo’s familiar took one look at Leglin, and relocated from counter to the top of a bookcase, hissing and grumbling under her breath.

Copernicus raised his head from under one wing, blinked, and then went back to sleep. A couple of customers surveying tiny potion bottles decided the candles four aisles over were far more interesting.

“
You sure can clear a room.” Leglin’s tail dipped to the floor at my comment. I felt sorry for him, and hooked my fingers through his collar. “It’s okay. Come on.”

David and Jo had both looked up from a pile of papers and books spread over the counter. The former’s eyes popped wide.
“Is that…”

“
Elf-bred demon dog. He’s mine until this case is over. His name is Leglin.”

Jo’s face lit up in a grin.
“Guess you didn’t piss off the elf too much. Hi, Nick.”

“
Hey.” He added a smile. We crossed to the counter.

“
Has Kate filled you guys in?”

“
Olven’s grimoire, demon attacks, and the two of you smacking down the elf, physically and verbally.” Her grin widened, eyes appearing to twinkle. “Mr. Pants on Fire?”

“
I have some thoughts.” David straightened, hands flattening on the counter’s marble top. “Do you still believe the demon in your vision saw you?”

A shiver of remembered horror struck.
“It looked right at me.”

He sighed, shoulders slumping.
“I’ve done some research, and there’s a possibility that demons don’t move through time and space like everyone else.”

“
Okay, that totally clears everything up.” My sarcasm fell flat.

“
It’s possible that their future selves are tied to their past and present selves.” His expression was expectant.

The conversation was going to end in a headache for me. I just knew it.
“Uh, aren’t all of our selves actually the same self, just older or whatever?”

David buried his face in his hands.
“Yes and no. Given a choice, you make a decision, but the other option still exists and…”

Jo poked him in the side.
“Focus.”

Dropping his hands, he said,
“Right. Demons may be subconsciously aware of all the possibilities of their futures.”

Lacking the proverbial clue, I glanced at Nick for help. The shifter didn’t fail me.
“So Cordi’s vision, it saw her because,” he paused, gaze rising to the ceiling. “She’s a future threat to its plans?”

The thud of David’s palm striking marble made me jump. He was grinning.
“Yes. It’s trying to remove her before she stops its scheme.”

Damn, my abilities were stabbing me in the back.
“If I hadn’t had the vision, demons wouldn’t be trying to kill me. That’s what you’re saying.”

Jo snorted.
“Don’t underestimate your power to piss people off.”

“
Thanks a lot.”

Nick donned his Master of Summing Up robe.
“We’ve lost any element of surprise.”

Score one for the demons. I patted Leglin’s broad skull. He sat on my foot.
“Ow. There’s a problem.”

David rolled his eyes.
“You just have to stay alive and take the grimoire.”

“
Screw the book. I need to rescue the girl they’re planning to sacrifice for the spell.”

His eyes twinkled.
“Stealing their sacrifice would be a fantastic disruption.”

***

Mrs. Mitchell wasn’t at work, and didn’t answer when we stopped by her home, so we went to lunch.

Sitting at the outdoor patio of a Mexican restaurant, I fed Leglin strips of fajita meat. Though giant, he took each with careful delicacy. By then, my pleasure in figuring out why demons wanted to kill me had faded.
“So I’m a big, fat demon target.”

Nick swallowed a half-chewed bite.
“You’re not seeing the full picture.”

“
Nope, just painful death by clawed hands.”

He laughed, and then leaned close.
“You save the world.”

I picked out another strip of meat.
“That will look good on my resume. Much better than ‘demon bait’. You know, if I live long enough to actually do it, and don’t die during.”

“
Pessimist. You have me, him,” he jerked his chin at the dog. “The coven and Mr. Whitehaven.”

“
Maybe the demons won’t kill me since I come with such a delicious buffet of demon kibble.” Sighing, I glanced across the parking lot. “Never thought I’d say this, but I prefer vampires. They’re such simple creatures.”

The dog nosed my leg. I fed him another strip.
“Nick?”

“
Yeah?”

“
Is that guy in the yellow shirt watching us?” The man in question was across the street, leaning against a light post. Showing super sneaky form, the shifter took a bite of taco and let his gaze wander while chewing.

“
Maybe.” We both glanced over our shoulders, taking in the people eating their lunches. The restaurant teemed with cannon fodder, if another demon attack was imminent.

I patted Leglin.
“We should go.”

Nick grunted, cramming another bite into his mouth. Swallowing without any pretense at chewing, he rose from his seat.
“I’ll go grab some takeout containers. If he moves, sic Legs on him.”

Left alone with the dog, I felt extremely vulnerable.
“Don’t you have, like, super demon sense or something?”

He poked my leg again, eyes on the platter of meat. Feeding him another strip, I peeked at Yellow Shirt. The man, or potential demon, was crossing the street and definitely looking right at me.
“Leglin, is that a demon?”

Rising to his paws, the dog turned to have a look. His ears swept back, and he silently stalked away, through the patio’s cactus-lined opening. Where the hell was Nick? I jumped when someone asked,
“Is everything all right?”

The dog had disappeared from view. I forced a smile and looked up to reply, but my voice failed as solid black eyes speared mine.
“Uh…”

I had seconds to shove away from the table before a clawed hand scythed air where my throat had been. Someone screamed.

It sucks to land on concrete. Grabbing my purse, I scrambled backwards while shoving a hand into it. The handle of the dagger was cool to the touch. Leglin howled from the parking lot, and that set off the panic stampede. Yanking out the dagger, I swiped at the demon’s hand when he took another swing at me.

“
Cordi!” My name was a roar, but Nick didn’t appear. People were running through the patio’s doorway, going inside for cover. Another frantic slash drew blood, and the demon snarled. Its human façade blackened, and began melting away as it grew taller, revealing a brown-scaled creature with yellow eyes.

I almost dropped the dagger as a wail of agony cut into my brain. Another roar of my name sounded, ending in a howl. There was an answering one from the parking lot. The demon’s bat-like head turned, and I lunged up and forward, burying the dagger into its stomach.

The next thing I knew, I was several feet away, vision blurred, back aching, with something warm dripping down the side of my face. I had a front row seat to the demon’s noisy contortions before it exploded in a cloud of ash and smoke.

Clattering to the concrete, the dagger glowed blood red. Leglin jumped the balustrade this time, landing in the remains of the demon cloud. Sneezing, the dog shook his head while walking to me.
“Cordi?”

It took me far too long to realize it wasn’t the dog speaking.
“Huh?” Trying to turn my head hurt, so I stopped. Nick brought his face level to mine. “I’m okay.”

Worry lines in sharp relief, he touched the side of my face and the back of my head at the same time. Displaying bloodstained fingers, he said,
“No, you’re not.”

“
Oh.” The lights went out.

Nineteen

Quiet, cool dimness greeted my return to consciousness. I was in my own room, snuggled up to a large, fur-covered body. “Leglin?”

The bed shuddered under his response by tail: whump, whump, whump. After brief consideration, I decided against moving because of the sharp ache in my skull.

“Discordia?” Of all the people I expected to see after getting knocked on my ass, Mr. Whitehaven was the last. Especially in my apartment. My
bedroom
.

“
Present.” It caused a faint smile to cross his face. Ducking, he stepped into the room.

“
Your injuries were rather severe. There was bruising to your spine, as well as puncture wounds and a scalp laceration.” He paused beside the bed. “How do you feel?”

I took stock before answering.
“Horrible. Where’s Nick?”

“
He went out to pick up a meal. Do you feel well enough to sit up?” A knock on the front door drew a quick frown from my boss. “Excuse me.”

He left, and I heard the door opening, followed by low conversation. My mom came rushing into the room.
“Cordi, are you all right?”

Aw, crap.
“Just a little banged up, Mom. What are you doing here?”

Dropping a bag, she leaned over Leglin to pat me down with quick, light touches.
“I brought your soap.”

Every month, she made a huge batch of soap. Oatmeal, lavender, and other herbs went into it according to some recipe only she knew. It was fantastic stuff, and the center sold most of each batch in its gift store.
“Thanks.”

“
What happened to you? And where did you get this pony?” Apparently satisfied nothing was broken, she turned to comparing her hand to one of Leglin’s front paws. “Look at that. He’ll eat you out of house and home.”

“
Yeah, maybe.” My brain wasn’t working well enough to form a plan that would end with her leaving. I wasn’t exactly safe to be around at the moment, being demon bait and all.

“
Let me put the soap away. Do you need anything? How about a cold cloth?” She was moving before I could answer. Leglin heaved a sigh, legs twitching, as she disappeared into the bathroom.

Things got even better a couple of minutes later. Nick returned, and came into the room.
“I picked up Italian. Are you ready to get up?”

Mom popped out of the bathroom like a jack-in-the-box, her multi-hued gypsy skirts swirling and a bright smile on her face.
“Well, hello. You must be Nick.”

Confronted with a parent, he rose to the occasion with a smile. The fact my mom knew his name probably embedded his girlfriend designation deeper, but
then again, I’d told Thorandryll Nick was my boyfriend this morning. “Yes, ma’am, and you must be Cordi’s mother.”

“
Call me Sunny.” She floated closer to him, extending her hand. “You should come to the center with her sometime.”

That forced me upright as they shook hands. Leglin hefted himself into a sit, while I waited for the room to stop spinning. It quickly did, and I had to push his muzzle out of my face. Large paws on either side of my knees pinned the covers down.
“Help. I’m stuck.”

Nick grinned, releasing Mom’s hand.
“He’s your hound. Tell him to move.”

Slow on the uptake didn’t quite cover my problem. I wondered if my brain was permanently scrambled.
“Down, Leglin.”

Thud. He was on the floor before I could blink, stretching and opening his maw in a cavernous yawn. We contemplated the sharpness of his exposed teeth in silence, until his jaws closed with a snap, and the dog shook himself. Leglin looked at me.
“Uh, good boy.”

His wagging tail smacked the shifter’s thigh twice before a wincing Nick moved out of range.
“Let me help you up, Cordi.”

I tried to keep from limping or showing any other weakness as he guided me down the hallway. Mom was hovering and quiet, until she’d taken a seat at the table.
“You didn’t tell me what happened.”

“
A demon hit her,” Nick said while placing an order of cannelloni in front of me. “After she stabbed it.”

Mom’s eyes bulged, her mouth opening into a silent O. I let an elbow fly, hitting Nick in the stomach. He looked from me to her, and back. The glare I was giving him had him hurrying to answer the door when someone rapped on it.

Mom closed her mouth, swallowing hard. “Why did you stab a demon? Didn’t you know that would make it angry?”

Damn Nick and his big mouth. There wasn’t a way to sugarcoat this.
“It was trying to kill me, Mom.”

Color drained from her face. She squeaked out,
“Why?”

Oh, goody, there was an opening to sending her home.
“Because of something I’m supposed to do, or keep from happening. It’s not safe to be around me right now. You need to go home, Mom.”

“
Logan’s here.” Both shifters entered the kitchen, and Nick avoided my eyes while making introductions. “This is Cordi’s mom, Sunny. Sunny, this is Logan.”

She didn’t look away from me to acknowledge the new arrival.
“Hello.”

He wasn’t given a chance to respond, because Mr. Whitehaven, who’d been quietly observing, decided to speak up.
“Please rest assured that we are taking all possible action to keep Discordia safe. I’ll explain those measures while I see you to your car, if I may?”

With a slow nod, she rose from her seat. Before leaving, she paused by my chair for a hug and kiss, whispering,
“Please be careful.”

“
I will, Mom. I love you.” The shifters edged around to give her and Whitehaven room to leave the kitchen. She glanced back, eyes full of worry, before stepping out of sight. I managed to wait until the front door shut before saying anything. “I can’t believe you just blurted that out. My mom’s not good with stuff like people trying to kill me.”

Hands up in surrender, Nick grimaced.
“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Nick. She’s worried about me enough for two lifetimes, and now she’s going to be worried sick all the time again.”

Nick seemed to shrink a little. After glancing at him, Logan spoke up.
“It’s not his fault, Discord.”

“
Excuse me?”

“
If you didn’t tell him you wanted her kept in the dark…” he trailed off, one shoulder rising and falling in a gentle shrug. Planting my elbows on the table, I dropped my head into my hands and fought for control.

Deep, slow breaths. One, two, three…
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Nick. It wasn’t your fault and I shouldn’t have blown up at you.”

He had every right to jump all over me in return, but didn’t.
“It’s okay, I understand. I really am sorry I said anything.”

Lifting my head, I managed to smile through the cooling remnants of anger.
“Not your fault. Did you pick up enough food for Logan too?”

Nick smiled back.
“Yeah.”

The boss re-joined us. My choice of a black iron dinette set proved its worth, the chair he sat in bearing his weight without a complaint.

Not only had Nick remembered my dinner invitation to Logan, he’d also stopped by a grocery store to pick up meat for Leglin. Once we’d demolished the various Italian offerings, he played house wife. Cleaned up the mess and then cut steaks into strips for the dog. A stainless steel mixing bowl was pressed into service as a water bowl.

Listening to Whitehaven fill Logan in, I had the distinct impression that a job offer might be forthcoming for the other shifter. There really wasn’t any other reason the boss would be telling my mechanic what was going on.

Chair turned sideways, legs stretched out toward the dog’s hind end, Logan had a forearm resting on the tabletop. He listened silently while watching me feed Leglin. Once they’d finished speaking, he said, “So Discord’s going to destroy this grimoire.”

“
Or disrupt the spell by recovering the intended sacrifice.” Whitehaven was enjoying a glass of red wine. I halfway expected the glass to break each time he picked it up.

Finishing his clean up duties, Nick pulled a couple of beers from the fridge and sat down. He’d certainly made himself at home in my apartment. Oh, wait. I had given him boyfriend status, hadn’t I?

“Yellow Shirt was a demon. Where’d the other one come from?”

“
I don’t know. They freaking double-teamed us.” I picked out another slice for the dog. “He made a move, so I set Linny on him. The other one showed up the second my new buddy was out of sight.”

Nick’s left eyebrow rose.
“Linny?”

“
It’s better than Legs. How are we going to check out the other clubs? Did anyone reschedule my three o’clock? Did you try getting in touch with Mrs. Mitchell again?” The meat was almost gone. “Is this enough of a meal for him?”

The men exchanged glances, but I pretended not to notice, in spite of the sinking sensation in my stomach. Whitehaven cleared his throat.
“Kate handled your appointment. The cat was found, locked in the pool house.”

“
Good. The client was really upset.” Dangling the last strip, I forced a smile as Leglin delicately nibbled at it.

“
I believe it will be safer for you to remain here…”

My sigh interrupted him.
“I knew it. No offense to Kate, but I’m way sneakier at finding things out. She can’t exactly pop a spell in a club without people noticing.”

“
True, but if another demon attack occurred in such a venue, many are likely to be injured. Alcohol consumption does tend to dull the survival instinct.” He was using his fatherly tone. “Should your abilities choose to offer any enlightenment, I trust you’ll make certain that Nicholas and the hound accompany you.”

Great, I wasn’t being completely benched.
“Right.”

“
It seems the Palisades are part of this.” Logan’s fingers curled around his beer bottle. “I don’t know why. Things still feel off there, but no one’s talking.”

Rising, I took the plate we’d used for the dog’s dinner to the sink to rinse it off.
“Maybe no one knows anything. Even humans can sometimes sense approaching danger. The book may still be there, somewhere.”

Drying my hands, I dropped the towel onto the counter, and turned, straight into another vision. The same cavern surrounded me. My heart stuttered into a higher gear, eyes landing on the altar, and seeing the dried blood staining the dark stone.

Backing away, I smacked into the counter before Whitehaven whispered, “What do you see, Discordia?”

“
It’s the cavern where the cultists raised the demon. Empty right now.” Something cold and wet touched my hand. Barely restraining a shriek, I realized that it was Leglin’s nose. The dog seemed willing to be my anchor, and when I lifted my hand, he put his broad head under it.

My boss wasn’t finished.
“Is anything different?”

Obediently scanning the cavern, I didn’t see anything.
“Just the lack of cultists and blood stains on the altar.”

“
Describe the cavern to me.” The combination of his calm voice and contact with Leglin’s smooth fur was a steadying influence.

“
All the stone is dark gray. I can’t tell where the light is coming from, but it’s just enough to be able to see by.” I let my eyes slowly wander around. “There’s a tunnel. I think that’s where the cultists came in.”

No one said anything, and my hand slid down the dog’s neck, touching his collar. A loud sniff drew my gaze down.
“How the hell did you get in here?”

“
Discordia?” Whitehaven sounded worried.

“
He’s here with me. The dog is in the cavern with me.” Nothing like it had ever happened before. Curious, I lifted my hand and he faded away. Dropping it back to his neck and collar caused the dog to reappear. “Dude, this is cool.”

Swish, swish. Leglin’s wagging tail moved the cool air. He drew in a deep breath, head turning as he looked around. I wondered if he’d remember the smell of the cavern, and what good it might be if he did.

Another thought struck, and I bent to act on it. Picking out a pebble from those at the altar’s base, I held it up to the dog with a smile. “Can you hold this for me?”

He opened his mouth, carefully picking the pebble off the palm of my hand. I let go of his collar, and the dog faded from sight.
“Drop it.”

The distinct sound of rock striking ceramic tile made my smile widen into Joker territory.
“Well, looky what we can do.”

A second later, my kitchen replaced the cavern. The three men were staring, and the pebble lay at my feet.