Descended from Dragons: an Urban Fantasy (Moonlight Dragon Book 1) (12 page)

I eyed Vale. "Why were you two talking about me?"

"It doesn't matter," he muttered, but my B.S. meter was buzzing.

"I grabbed you and took you to Anne's shop," Christian told him. "I'd hoped she would have the resources to help, that she'd be like—well, it doesn't matter now. I was right, thank god."

"If your mom did this by accident, why did she track Vale to Moonlight?" I asked. "What was she going to do with him? And for that matter, why send those goons after us to try to steal Vale back?"

"Because she had no choice. That guy with the tattoos on his head? He's called Vagasso, but I don't think that's his true name."

"Because you think he's a demon," I guessed. My voice sounded calm, but inside I was sick with a rising terror. I had to stomp it down, otherwise I would have thrown up all over myself.

Christian winced like I'd just said the name Voldemort. "He's not a demon, but he's something inhuman. I don't know what he is and I sure as hell would rather not find out. He has a plan to overthrow the Oddsmakers and siphon the valley's magick. It's something he came up with after he found a grimoire that contains rituals to bind specific demons to him. He figures with enough demons behind him, he can take over Vegas."

"There's a lot of energy here, that's for sure," Melanie said as she broke the speeding limits on the way to the freeway. "The chance magick alone is through the charts. That's what Celestina told me, anyway. She says whoever controls the chance magick here can take over the world!"

"Why go to all the trouble of tracking Vale down when they can just summon another demon?" I asked.

"You just saw them try it and fail. Vagasso needs a specific rank of demon to form the basis for his army, one that's difficult to summon from Hell. It's easier to just remove the one that's in Vale. It's already made it through the gates." Christian sighed in apparent defeat. "As soon as he learned that I'd escaped with the demon, Vagasso sent others to search for me. His goons grabbed me a few hours after I'd dropped off the statue at your shop. I didn't tell them where you were," Christian said to Vale, "so they staked me out in the backyard. I thought I was going to die there."

"I'll take you to my parents' home," Melanie told him. "They've got a humongous Jacuzzi tub and big bags of salt that they use in their water softener. And I'll put lime slices on you. You'll be okay, I promise!"

He smiled at her with cracked lips. "I'd appreciate that."

"How did they learn Vale was in Moonlight if you didn't tell them?" I pressed, still not satisfied with what he'd told us.

Christian's shoulders slumped. "Vagasso told my mom that he'd set me free and let us both leave if she found Vale. She used a blood kin tracker and followed my footsteps to your shop, where I guess she saw the statue."

I turned over everything Christian had said. I decided it made sense and it also scared the crap out of me. Vagasso wouldn't let Vale go. He needed the demon inside him for his world domination spell or whatever. Megalomaniacs were such assholes.

Right on cue, Vale stiffened in his seat. His hands flew to his throat and he began choking himself. Christian shouted as Vale's face began turning red. I tried with all my strength to peel Vale's fingers away from his throat but they were like steel bands.

"Vale, fight it!" I yelled at him.

Christian continued yelling and then Melanie yelled, too, just because she couldn't tell what was going on behind her. The car swerved on the road, throwing us from side to side. It was a madhouse.

I wasn't worried that Vale would die. He couldn't actually choke himself to death this way, but he could choke himself into unconsciousness, which would allow the demon to fully come through. If that happened in the close confines of Melanie's car, I'd have to call up Lucky full blast. The car would be torn apart, my friends would hurtle into the freeway, and I'd undoubtedly lose myself to my nature.

All of that was undeniably awful, but what drove a knife through my heart was the fear that people who depended upon me would die because I let them down. I was the strongest magickal being in that car. I was
beholden
to stop this demon from taking over no matter what was required of me.

So I caught Vale's face between my hands and I kissed him.

It wasn't true love's kiss or any of that nonsense. Vale made horrible gagging noises throughout and getting a mouthful of his tongue only because he was choking to death was also a major turn-off. But I kissed him. I kissed the hell out of him.

After several tense seconds he stiffened beneath my lips. I quickly raised my head, afraid he was going to go for
my
throat. But his hands abruptly dropped into his lap and his head lolled against the headrest.

His chest rose and fell with a deep breath and his lashes fluttered. I wanted to stroke his cheek, tenderness rising in me, but I sat back instead, conscious of Christian staring at me and Melanie yelling to know what the hell had just happened.

When Vale finally opened his eyes, he blinked them twice, sleepily, and then he turned his head on the headrest to look at me. "You kissed me."

"Well, you're a guy," I mumbled, feeling myself blush.

His brows crossed in bewilderment. "So?"

"Nothing calls out a guy faster than the prospect of getting some action."

It sounded so stupid when I said it, but Vale awkwardly found my hand and squeezed it. "Thank you, Moody."

I squeezed back, feeling both bashful and proud. Since he didn't let go, I didn't either.

"Er, where to next?" Christian asked, trying and failing not to glance at our clasped hands.

I dreaded it, but it had to be done.

"Next, we go to Orlaton's," I declared, "and boot this freeloader out of Vale once and for all."

Melanie drove us all the way back to Moonlight Pawn. Even though she speeded, it took us way longer than I felt comfortable with. Sunrise was racing toward us faster than a Californian driving into Vegas for a weekend of hookers and blow.

Back on my street, the houses and businesses were quiet as usual, with the usual suspects also apparently awake. I shot an apprehensive look at Tomes, whose windows glowed like the eyes of a jack o' lantern.

"You two should go," I insisted as I began removing the wards on the yard. With rocks in my hands, I made a shooing motion at Melanie and Christian. "Go on. We don't need you for this part and no offence, but Christian, you make me wince every time I look at you. Please tell me you'll pour a gallon of aloe vera gel over yourself as soon as you can."

Christian, who stood leaning against the car, wasn't fazed by my discomfort. "This involves my mom. I need to be there."

I shook my head. "It may not involve her at all. Once we get the demon out of Vale and banish it back to Hell I'm hoping that'll be the end of it."

"You know it won't be that easy," he said stubbornly. "Vagasso is going to come for the demon. He'll bring the others with him, including my mom."

"Then we'll deal with them without hurting her."

I could sense that Christian's insistence on joining us was driven in part by shame. I didn't know how I'd feel if it were my mom who'd invited a soul-sucking demon into the world. Once, I'd invited two friends who I hadn't known were fighting out to lunch. But the worst that could have happened from that ill-advised invite was a cat fight, not the literal end of humanity. Though come to think of it, by the end of that tense lunch I wouldn't have minded being swallowed up by a hole in the Earth.

"I promise I won't hurt her," I repeated for his sake.

"My mom isn't evil, I swear to you." He smiled wanly. "Overbearing, sure, but she never intended to summon a demon. She was just too trusting."

I shrugged. "On the bright side, you get to chastise her for hanging out with the wrong crowd."

Melanie bounced outside the yard gate, wanting to touch me but unable to pass the wards that were still up.

"Anne, you
really
have to be careful about Lucky." She shot anxious looks at Vale and Christian, as if unsure how much she could trust them. "The last time a sorcerer used power the way you have been lately, the Oddsmakers neutralized his magick and exiled him. They could do that to you, too. You'd lose Lucky!" She sucked in her breath. "And I'd lose
you
!"

I didn't tell her that I expected a worse fate than exile.

"Trust me that I'd rather not call up Lucky at all," I replied, and I meant it. I'd figured the Oddsmakers would have nabbed me by now. I felt like I'd gotten away with murder twice and had the paranoia to prove it. "But I'm not about to let Vagasso take this demon and run with it. What he could do with it would be a hundred times worse than anything that Lucky and I could do. Hell, he could literally bring about the end of the world if he's nutty enough and ambitious enough."

I wasn't spouting hyperbole, either. I'd never experienced magick as strong as what had smacked me into the pool. It made my heart race just to remember it. I'd rather face a giant, man-eating tarantula than Vagasso again.

"But you know what?" I said to my friends, because at this point I had to count the guys on my side, "I'll worry about Vagasso later. Right now my focus is on Vale and getting rid of his demon. We've got about three hours to exorcise the demon before Vale reverts to his stone form again. I have the feeling if we don't free him by then, Vagasso and Company will hit us hard and try to steal him back."

"She's right," Vale said. "Christian, go on with Melanie. "Recover your strength. We may need you later."

Christian slumped against the car, looking as sad and pink as a boiled shrimp. To my surprise, Melanie curled an arm gently around his waist and said softly, "It'll be okay, Christian."

Melanie didn't normally do "soft" anything. Her personality was closely connected to her monkey nature. She was the last person you wanted to bring with you to, say, a thoughtful period drama. She bounced in her seat and talked back to the screen continuously.

So to hear her showing this calm, tender side was a real shock to me. But Christian seemed to respond well to it, for the smile he turned on her held considerably less sadness than it had before.

"So that's settled, now go," I urged.

"Once Christian is feeling stronger we'll come to Orlaton's," Melanie told me, jabbing a finger at me for emphasis. "We want to help kick some butt!"

"I won't have all the fun without you," I promised with a wink.

She winked back, and then turned into a Mexican Florence Nightingale as she helped Christian into her car before jumping behind the wheel again.

I heard her cooing to him as she put on her seatbelt: "I'll take care of you, poor baby. My mom has all sorts of Mayan remedies that will make you feel better. Do you like tamales? She makes mean tamales…"

My good mood dimmed as I watched them drive off. Melanie was a good partner to have and I trusted her to have my back. We'd been through a lot together in the few years we'd known each other. My gaze moved to Vale, who gave me a thin smile as if he knew what I was thinking.

"Two outcasts against the world?" he asked archly. "How bad could the odds be?"

"Bad enough that I'd prefer to play bingo instead." I glanced at his clothes and mine, which were dripping on the sidewalk. "Let's dry off first. It might be cold where we're going."

I placed the last rocks to lower the wards and led the way to my shop. Once inside Moonlight, I left the lights off to avoid attracting the attention of potential customers. Of course as soon as I moved through the shop, the cameos started up.

"Anne Moody, the end times are upon you…"

"…woe to Anne Moody…"

"…woe, for the end is nigh…"

I smacked my hand on the counter above them to shut them up. That's when I noticed that the panda pin that my mother had given me was missing.

It normally sat on top of the register as a de facto lucky charm. For a second, I ludicrously thought the cameos had found a way to throw it away, knowing that it would hurt me.

But, no, a customer had to have stolen it.

"Dammit," I whispered to myself.

A sense of despair washed over me. The panda pin was the only thing I had left of my parents besides photos. Without that physical connection all I had were stories told to me by my Uncle.

My grief grew, morphing into hopelessness. How the hell were we going to defeat a demon
and
Vagasso? It was impossible.

"Everything in here looks a lot smaller now that I'm a six foot tall man and not a gargoyle or a statue," Vale murmured from somewhere behind me. "In becoming a man I've sacrificed the strength of my gargoyle form. All I've got now are my wits, which against a demon aren't much of a weapon. If you've changed your mind about this, Moody, I'd understand. This is nothing but suicide."

I blinked away the burn in my eyes. I couldn't give up and let him and maybe all of Las Vegas be hurt. It was just a plain shitty thing to do. Maybe I was all alone in the world now, but in that moment I knew that no one else in Las Vegas would be able to take my place. If I didn't pick up the thrown gauntlet and do this, we were all screwed.

My missing pin hurt me, but it wasn't the end of the world. The end of the world was doing nothing while Vagasso acted.

"I haven't changed my mind," I said quietly. Firmly. "This is my problem, too."

As consolation, I promised myself that when everything was over and all the demons were locked away where they should be, I'd find a way to put a tracking spell on the pin. I'd hunt down the thief and make them regret their unfortunate interest in my panda pin. Maybe I'd make them regret being born, too. I don't know. It all depended on my mood at the time.

"Hang on," I told Vale. I passed through the bead curtain to my studio.

Just my luck, my bathroom was a bloody disaster, which gave me an unwelcome flashback to Christian's place. I shuddered as I glanced in the mirror. At first I thought another hideous spirit stared back, but it was only me. It surprised a laugh out of me.

"How come in movies the heroine always looks hot during the finale?" I asked my reflection.

Mirror me had no answer, just winced as saltwater dripped into my eye.

I grabbed a couple of towels for Vale and me and then ducked out. Back in the shop, I tossed him one as I dried my wrecked hair with mine.

"Hotel Alison?" he asked, showing me the stitching on the end of his towel and looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, ha ha. Just a souvenir from my one and only trip to Paris." Damn. Now he'd think I was a cheapskate and a thief.

"Wish I'd known you were there," he said casually as he began rubbing his hair with the towel. "I'm a great tour guide."

I'll just bet you are, I thought. Maybe I needed to make a second trip to Paris.

I draped my towel around my head to hide my heated cheeks as I began walking through the shop.

"Tell me there's something here," I murmured to myself as I looked for anything that might be useful. In a magickal pawn shop, you never really knew. I passed on golf clubs and unsharpened katanas and ended up pulling a ten-foot long replica Native American spear off the wall that had been traded earlier in the year for a Casio keyboard. Its iron blade had sharpened edges, so I definitely got the better deal on that exchange.

I handed it to Vale. "This might come in handy since you're only a puny man," I said with a smirk.

"I never said I was puny," he retorted with a smirk of his own.

His hair was drying and curling into waves and I badly wanted to touch it. I settled with accepting the damp towel he handed me and walking back through the beaded curtain.

"How experienced are you with exorcisms?" I heard him ask.

"Does being a fan of horror movies count?" I called back. "I've got all my eggs in Orlaton's basket for this one, though I doubt even he has done many, if he's done any at all. I'm going to change clothes real quick. I'm sorry I don't have any guys' things for you that would fit. My uncle was my height."

"That's alright. I'm glad to hear that you don't."

He didn't say anything more, and I forced myself not to read anything into that as I hastily dragged on a dry pair of jeans and switched out my damp, burned top for a Henley and my heaviest leather jacket. Even though Vegas was warm at night I hadn't forgotten how cold it had gotten in Tomes during the ritual to summon the Norwegian serial killer.

As I dressed, I peered through the bead curtain into the shop. Moonlight streamed in through the shop's remaining unbroken front window, giving me an unencumbered view of Vale as he explored the shop, spear in hand. He didn't look skeptical or dismissive of the objects for sale as Christian had been, only curious.

When I re-entered the shop, I saw that he had stopped in front of the painting of the English picnic. The mini axe murderer had just finished up.

Vale pointed at the bloody carnage on the canvas. "I'm guessing this isn't a Monet."

"In eight seconds it'll reset itself."

We watched the mini axe murderer walk back into the forest. I could almost hear him whistling with satisfaction over a job well done.

"Watching it over and over again is a good way to toughen you up," I said.

"Or make you lose all hope in humanity."

"That, too."

"This place is cursed," he observed, turning to fully face me. He searched my face. "It must be difficult working here every day, surrounded by so much negative energy."

I tried to keep my tone light, but I couldn't stop some of the strain of working here seep into my voice as I replied, "It has its days."

He touched my elbow and it was nothing, a brush of fingers over leather, but I felt some of my stress dissipate as though he'd absorbed it from me.

"Seems as though you're the one with the enemies," he said. "I don't like that."

"More like I inherited them. Along with the shop. It's a long, strange story and I don't mind telling it to you but I want to get this demon out of you sooner rather than later, so…"

He caught my arm as I turned to go.

"Thank you for helping me, Moody."

"You don't need to thank me. This needs to be done. It's a bonus that I'm doing it for a friend."

He frowned. "I'm friend zoned already?"

I floundered. "I didn't—I mean, I—"

"I'm teasing," he said softly.

I let out my breath and laughed at myself.

His gaze moved over my face again, like he was mapping every inch of it. Another moment longer and I would have expected him to lean forward as if for a kiss.

But he and I were currently in a horror movie, not a romance, and so the moment didn't come.