Kissed by Ice (21 page)

She splashed cream into the mugs and gave both teas a good stir before carrying them back to the table. "Here," she said, handing me a white mug with the words "Obstinate Headstrong Girl" in swirly pink letters. Clearly a Jane Austen fan.

I took a sip of the steaming tea and almost cooed in delight. The rich, aromatic tea held a hint of sweet vanilla. Coupled with cream and sugar, it was almost better than coffee. I mentally chastised myself for such a lack of loyalty to my favorite brew.

"Wow."

"I knew you'd love it." Emory beamed. "Now, let's see what we can do, shall we?"

She flipped open the iPad cover and pulled up a map of the world on screen. Then she dug a crystal on a long silver chain out of her pocket.

I stared at her over the rim of my mug. "You're kidding, right?"

She raised an eyebrow. "No. Should I be?"

"You just pulled up a map program."

"How astute." Evidently I wasn't the only one around here schooled in sarcasm.

I gave a little growl of frustration. "Don't you need a proper map? Like a paper one?"

She rolled her eyes. "This is the twenty-first century. Nobody uses paper anymore. Online maps are so much more accurate and detailed. Now, do you have something personal of Alister Jones's?"

"Yeah." I dug into my pocket and pulled out the letter opener.

Emory took it from me and turned it over carefully in her hands. "This should work," she said finally. "Watch." She held the crystal above the iPad making sure the stone was perfectly still. Then, holding the letter opener in her left hand, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and muttered something so faint I could barely hear it. She opened her eyes and stared intently at the crystal as though her will alone could move it along.

For nearly a full minute, it didn't move. I was beginning to think this was a waste of time. Then the crystal began to swing gently back and forth like a pendulum. I narrowed my eyes. Was Emory deliberately moving it? But her hand seemed rock steady. The crystal began to jerk and wobble and circle in a way she couldn't possibly have done on purpose. Then it seemed to practically leap across the pad and hit the screen with a sharp
thump
. I winced, sure the crystal had cracked it.

Emory didn't seem worried. She leaned over the iPad to see where the crystal had landed. A small smile curved her lips. "How very interesting indeed."

"Why? Where is he?"

She didn't answer me right away. She moved her fingers over the screen, zooming in closer to the location. As she did the crystal skittered this way and that, until it finally stilled.

"There we go," she said, leaning back a little. She looked altogether too smug as she took a genteel zip from her mug. It had a picture of a lady from the '60s with the words "If you're going to kick ass, you need kickass shoes." Ironic, since I'd yet to see Emory wear shoes. Even on board the ship, she'd been barefoot.

"Well," I prompted. "Where is he?"

Her smile grew wider. "Here."

"What you mean?"

"Alister Jones is in Portland," she said taking another sip of tea.

I stared at her. "Impossible. We would know."

"Would you?"

She was right. It was annoying, but she was right. We wouldn't know necessarily. But why would he come back to Portland? He hadn't been here in years. Since before I was even born. "Where is he? Exactly."

"Here." She tapped her forefinger on the screen.

I stared at the place she pointed and felt myself go a little pale. Alister Jones was at my house.

# # #

I left Emory's house at a dead run. As I slammed my car door and took off down the street, I was already on the phone with Trevor, giving him a quick rundown of the scrying and Emory's results.

"But you're not sure he's there," Trevor said. "I mean, you haven't seen him with your own eyes."

"Oh, he's there," I said grimly. I could feel it in my bones. Talk about in plain sight.

"I want to believe you. I do. But I can't send men out there because some witch says so."

I scowled even though he couldn't see me. "That's a bit prejudiced, don't you think?"

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it. I need confirmation, Morgan."

"Fine," I snapped. "You want confirmation? I'll get it." I hung up before he could say anything else. Next I dialed Kabita. She picked up right away, and I told her what I'd told Trevor and his refusal to help without confirmation.

"Can't say I blame him," she said. "His superiors would have his head if we're wrong. He's already walking a fine line for us."

"We're not wrong."

"You know that, and I know that, but some idiot bureaucrat doesn't know that. Do you want Trevor to lose his job?"

"Of course not."

"Then don't give him such grief," she snapped. "I'm on my way. Be there in ten." This time it was she that hung up.

My tires squealed as I took a corner a little too fast. I could only hope there weren't any police nearby, or I was going to be in some serious trouble. I pressed on the gas, veering in and out of traffic to get around the slower-moving vehicles. I tailgated a powder-blue Nissan that was poking along at five miles an hour under the speed limit. As soon as I could, I swerved around while the driver, who looked about eighty, laid on her horn and gave me the finger. I flashed a smile and kept going.

Who else could I call? Jack. Maybe he was back in the country. I pushed speed dial, but he didn't answer, so I left a quick message. Eddie maybe? I mean, he was the father-in-law of a god, for goodness sake. Didn't that give him superpowers? Still, I couldn't fathom Eddie up against Alister. He might be able to boss around the god of the sea, but a psychopath with a grimoire was another kettle of fish altogether. Still, there was one other person I could contact. I hesitated for a moment, but then punched the number.

"Hello?"

"Inigo. I need your help."

# # #

No sooner had I pulled into my driveway when I hit the ground running. Alister Jones was in my house. The thought kept tumbling over and over in my head. Why my house? What did he want with me? I mean, besides stealing my powers, of course. That seemed to be the
modus operandi
for bad guys these days.

I didn't have a gun. Not a real one. Mine shot wooden bullets or UV rays and were only good for hunting vampires. So, unless Alister had literally gone to the dark side, I was shit out of luck. I pulled out a blade instead. A blade isn't picky about the flesh it parts.

I let myself in through the front door and cautiously made my way down the hall. The house was empty. Quiet. Just as it should be. No sign of Alister. Had Emory's crystal been wrong? Maybe my relationship to Alister, such as it was, had messed up the scrying. Was that even possible? Kabita had seemed to think so, but I wasn't that close to him. Not like she was.

I slid my blade back into its sheath and let out a sigh, the breath from my lungs fluttering my bangs. Now what?

I'm not sure what alerted me. Maybe some sort of sixth sense. Who knows? But before I could think, my blade was out, and I was rushing through the back door into my yard. There on the patio sitting cool as a cucumber was Alister Jones, and he had a gun pointed straight at my chest.

Chapter Twenty-three

I stared at the gun in Alister's hand. I might be a quick healer, but there was no way I'd survive a bullet to the heart. I told myself to remain calm. Fat chance.

"Hey, Alister," I said, forcing a smile I didn't feel. "Kabita's gonna be real pissed if you shoot her best friend."

He gave me what I can only be described as a smirk. "My… daughter has nothing to do with this, Ms. Bailey." The pause he inserted before the word "daughter" got my hackles up. Alister's attitude toward Kabita had always been cold, but I'd only recently found out why. She was a Witch, and he hated her for it. Like it was her fault. It was Alister himself who carried Witch blood, and his daughter had paid the price.

"She might beg to differ," I said. My mind was still racing. I had to keep him distracted, at least until I could come up with something. "You've given us a merry chase Alister. You're a hard man to find."

His smirk widened. "Like taking candy from a child." He seemed inordinately pleased with himself. Prick.

"What do you want, Alister?"

"The amulet." His eyes were on my chest where the Atlantean amulet hung. The sapphire in the middle glowed softly in the moonlight.

"You're not getting it."

"Oh, I don't want to take it from you. Never fear. I just want you to do me a tiny little favor."

I narrowed my eyes. He really expected me to do him a favor? After all he'd done? "You've got to be kidding."

"Not at all. And when I tell you what that favor is, I'm certain you will jump at the opportunity."

I snorted. He sure didn't know me very well. "Fine. What is it?"

With his free hand, he pulled a small book from inside his jacket and laid it on the small bistro table next to him. The dark leather cover and glittering gold scrollwork stood out against the turquoise blue of the mosaic-tiled tabletop. In the center of the book was intricate gold filigree. In the middle of the carefully worked gold was carved a pattern, as though something fitted into it. It was a shape I recognized very well: the Atlantean amulet.

I wrapped my hand around the amulet, feeling the sapphire dig into my palm as the metal disc began to heat. "What do you want, Alister?" I repeated.

"I want you to take that amulet from around your neck and place it where it belongs. Here." He tapped the book.

"Why?" I asked. "What will happen when I do?" There was no way I was getting anywhere near that book with my amulet. Not while Alister was in control. There was no doubt in my mind whatever happened when the two ancient items met, Alister would use it to further his own agenda. That wasn't something I was prepared to be a part of.

"Do as I ask, Morgan, and no one will get hurt."

"Bullshit."

His smooth veneer cracked a little. "Take it off, Hunter," he snarled. "Or I will shoot you and take it myself."

I tilted my head a little as a thought struck. "No, you won't. If you could do that, you'd have already done it. It has to be me, doesn't it?" The key to the Key. "I'm the one who has to place the amulet in the book. It won't work otherwise, will it?"

"You have to be alive. There's nothing in the rules that says you can't be in pain. Or that you have to place it willingly." With a nasty little grin, Alister pulled the trigger.

Chapter Twenty-four

It felt like hot lava was burning my skin off as the bullet ripped through my jacket, shirt, and the meaty part of my upper arm. Holy hell, it stung. My right knee and palm made hard enough contact with the concrete floor, I knew I'd have bruises for days. But it could have been worse. I could be dead.

The second I saw Alister's finger tighten on the trigger, I'd dived toward the floor. The bullet hit me in the arm instead of the chest. Alister needed me alive to place the amulet, but he didn't need me alive once he got what he wanted.

I staggered to my feet, only to find Alister already standing, ready to take another shot. If I charged him, could I knock the gun out of his hand before he shot me again?

Something whizzed by my head and crashed into Alister's arm, knocking his hand away. His gun went off with a loud explosion, the bullet burying itself in the wall of the house inches from my head. For a split second, I stared dumbly at the small marble dragon lying on the floor at Alister's feet before a blur streaked past me. Alister and his attacker tumbled to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. The gun went off again, this time taking out the overhead light. Giving myself a mental slap, I ran toward the two men grappling on the floor. I gave Alister's hand a swift kick. Instead of letting go of the gun, he tried to bring it up and shoot his attacker. So I did what anyone would do. I stomped on his wrist good and hard.

Alister let out a scream of agony, and I felt the bones of his wrist crunch under my boot. The gun fell from nerveless fingers, and I scooped it up. With one hand now essentially useless and the gun in my possession, the fight between the two men was decidedly one-sided and not in Alister's favor. Within moments Alister was penned face-down, arms wrenched behind his back.

"Inigo." I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn't been sure he'd come. It was a good sign that he had, right?

Inigo gave me a wry smile. "You sure know how to show a guy a good time." His hair was mussed, his lower lip split and bleeding, and there was a bruise blossoming on his right cheekbone. Still, he was the best thing I'd ever seen.

I opened my mouth, but before I could get a word out, the large kitchen window behind us exploded. I ducked, covering my head and neck with my arms as glass sprayed everywhere. I didn't even have time to cuss before the patio was swarming with the undead, spilling through the open door and shattered window. More were appearing from around the sides of the house and over the back fence. How many were there? It seemed like hundreds.

Without thinking I raised the gun and started firing into the oncoming horde. It was a regular gun with regular lead bullets. Other than annoying the vampires, they were pretty much useless. The last thing I needed was for Alister get his hands on the gun and shoot me or Inigo, so I emptied the clip into the vamps. The second the gun was empty, I tossed it away and pulled out my knife. They were on me now. So many of them. Far too many for me to fight. All I could do was hack away blindly, hoping against hope the blade would find its mark. Talons scraped bloody furrows along my cheek and ripped my leather jacket to shreds. That pissed me off. I'd liked that jacket. It had cost almost five hundred bucks. And now it had a bullet hole and vampire claw marks.

To my left I caught Inigo out of the corner of my eye fighting for his life while Alister Jones was calmly letting himself into the house and out through the front door. "Oh, no you don't." I started to go after him but there were too many vampires. There was no way I could fight my way through them. I'd be lucky to survive, never mind catch up to Alister before he got away. There was only one thing left to do. It meant sacrificing everything I owned and putting both myself and Inigo in mortal danger, but what else was there to do?