Forged in Fire: An Urban Fantasy (Moonlight Dragon Book 4) (16 page)

"The bathroom is bloody," I warned Vale as he slid out of bed. "Just FYI so you don't think I'm a terrible housekeeper."

He paused in the doorway. "Terrible housekeepers leave hair clogged in the sink, not buckets of blood on the walls and ceiling."

"Hey, you know I like to go big," I said with a shrug.

I blinked hard, as I'm sure he did, also, and the curse's illusion of a massacre disappeared and the seafoam tiles reappeared. Their blue-green hue reflected off his bare skin as he paused in front of the mirror and twisted to attempt to see his back.

"It's fading," I told him as I sat up in bed. I stretched my arms while studying the healing wound between his shoulder blades. It resembled a bullet wound, which was miles better than how it had looked just four days ago. "Soon, you'll be back to your pretty self."

"Men don't like to be called pretty, Moody."

"Studly? Is that better?"

He threw me a look before turning on the shower.

As he bathed, I pulled on some clothes and opened up my laptop while I perched on the end of the bed. The internet, like a child with ADD, was no longer dominated by news about the devastating earthquake which had struck Las Vegas earlier in the week. A little kid had been thrown off a roller coaster and the internet was busy raging about whether the kid had been too young or too short to ride. The wrecking of Sin City was on its way to becoming old news.

I still found some of the video footage fascinating. There had been plenty of news crews recording from helicopters while the Rift had been cracked. Experts debated on whether the orange glow seen through the cracks running up Las Vegas Boulevard had been rising magma. That prospect seemed to excite a lot of people. Some of the uninformed wondered if we were sitting atop an active volcano. Scientists and other research crews could be seen on the Strip these days, studying the inert, dark split in the earth.

The Strip was closed for the first time since the city's founding. It had been trashed, with all the major casinos suffering not only extensive cosmetic damage but many with structural damage as well. Construction crews swarmed the length of the boulevard, attempting to repair the extensive damage and clean up the debris. Cranes and scaffolding were already going up around casinos. Recovery would take some time even for a city that could slap up a 4,000 room casino in a year. Tourism was going to take a huge hit in the months ahead.

I'd scoured all the videos on YouTube, checking to see if anyone had managed to record Lucky, the wolves, or Vagasso, but so far I hadn't seen anything. That surprised me a lot. It almost didn't make any sense. I remember meeting the eyes of non-magickals who had seen me using magick. There had been thousands of people on the Strip that night. Not one of them had been able to use their phone? But I told myself I should just be relieved. A giant golden dragon couldn't be easily explained away. Hell, it couldn't be explained even with elaborate flow charts. It was magick, plain and simple, and it was damning.

But apparently no one had proof of anything. Even the scene at the Shark Reef had been chalked up to a gas leak and explosions caused by the erupting fissure. Amazingly, no one claimed to have seen Dr. Morrow's sea monster despite dozens of people having run from it. And what of the security cameras in the aquarium? Again, they miraculously hadn't recorded anything. Damage from the quake, officials claimed. It was the explanation for everything.

Hey, I wasn't an idiot. I wasn't about to question it and demand an inquiry. I wanted it all to go away, and it seemed that things were heading that way. Christian was healing nicely the way Vale was. Lev still hadn't shown up, and I was determined, along with Celestina, to think positively. In another few days, if he remained a no-show, I would go looking for him. But my fingers were crossed that my help wouldn't be needed. 

I'd stuck a sign on Moonlight's door stating that the owner was gone on vacation. I planned to lay low for a good long while, not only because of the media, but because there had to have been witnesses in the magickal community who might blame me for what had happened that night. Right now I couldn't definitively say who knew what. So to be safe, I figured it was better to remain out of sight and out of mind.

But that didn't mean I was out of the game. I slid off the bed and walked out into the shop. I peered through the front window at what I could see of the Gallery of Veritatis. The capstone was now located there, guarded by Echinacious and the magickal security he had in place. I intended to keep an eye on it, too, because there was still the matter of the Oddsmakers…

Were they pissed that I'd killed Vagasso? Did they fear I'd come after them next? Or did they still believe that I was their sucker and could be tricked into opening the capstone again? They were the wild card, and my concern about them kept me sleeping lightly at night, braced for the next time they sucked me into their haunted hidey hole.

Vale emerged from the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. I blatantly stared while he dressed, which amused him.

"Put your eyes back in your head," he told me. He joined me at the window and looked out. "Still quiet?"

"Eerily so. I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this is weird."

"Maybe good fortune is finally on our side."

"Maybe," I said, but I didn't really feel it. A nagging voice in my head warned me that this was yet another calm before the storm. But in what form would that storm take?

I deliberately put my back to the window and draped my arms around Vale's shoulders. "Orlaton thinks those businesses that guarded the nine seals are using magick to repair them. Do you think they can?"

"I think if anyone can, it would be them," he replied as he rested his hands on my hips. "They weren't chosen to guard those seals for no reason. They'll all be ancient beings with extensive knowledge."

"I guess you're right. I'd like to talk to them, but I don't think now is the time. Maybe after everything quiets down…"

Assuming that moment would ever come. What if the city remained in magickal turmoil from now on, with everyone terrified of another attack on the Rift? Eventually they'd turn on me, since I was their closest link to the Oddsmakers.

"Anne Moody, the past will come calling…"

"What's lost will be found…"

"But it may be the end of you!"

"The end of Anne Moody!"

I startled at the sound of the cursed cameos, harping to me in my head.

"What is it?" Vale asked me, frowning.

"The cameos," I told him. "Celestina said they're harbingers of doom. They just told me something bad is going to happen."

His mouth thinned. "They also told you someone would betray you. That turned out to be you betraying the Oddsmakers. It's the interpretation that matters. Don't immediately assume the worst."

Easier said than done, but he was right. The cameos could have been referring to anything. I couldn't freak out just yet.

A hand cupping my cheek brought me out of my musings. "Whatever happens, it'll be okay. You've proven yourself more than capable, Moody, of facing down anything."

I chewed on my bottom lip and then whispered, "Do you think it's time for me to go after the Oddsmakers?"

His pupils expanded. I could see the stress slide across his face. "I don't think—"

The front door burst open. Black-clad bodies rushed into the shop. I thought wildly,
The wards are up! I locked the door!
None of that mattered and Vale and I had no time to react. We were torn away from each other and thrown face-first to the ground.

"What's going on?" I yelled.

A black hood was pulled over my head. Zip ties secured my wrists behind my back. I was forcibly picked up off the floor and carried out of the shop. I thought of calling out Lucky, but then I heard the sound of a van door sliding open. Yeah, I knew this movie, unfortunately. A moment later I was tossed through the air to land on the cold, hard floor of a vehicle. A body hit the floor beside me. Vale.

The sliding door slammed shut and the vehicle lurched into movement. When I tried to roll upright, a booted foot pressed down on my shoulder.

"Miss Moody, if you're smart you'll behave until we reach our destination."

"Who are you?" I demanded.

A pinprick of pain in my biceps made me gasp with understanding. "What did you just inject into me?!"

"Just relax, Miss Moody. You're going somewhere where we can ask you a few questions."

My thundering heart began to slow as the drug they'd injected into me began to act. I wanted to ask more, but I didn't really need to. I knew what was happening. After a lifetime of being careful, I'd finally caught the attention of the U.S. government
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Book 5, Rise of the Dragon, is coming soon! Keep informed by joining the mailing list at

http://www.triciaowensbooks.com/moonlightdragon

Author's Note

My friend, geochemist Kevin Donahue, was the one who told me about the existence of the Vegas Valley Shear Zone as well as other fault lines beneath Las Vegas. While none are capable of ushering up demons, they do pose a risk to the Las Vegas Valley and its inhabitants. Nevada is arguably the safest state in the U.S. when it comes to natural disasters, however, it's not without its own pitfalls which have nothing to do with gambling odds.

About the Author

Tricia Owens has worked as a casino dealer in Las Vegas and as an editor on a cruise ship that sails around the world. Having visited more than 80 countries, she's content (for the moment) to relax in Las Vegas. She assures you the real Sin City is much weirder than anything depicted in her books.