Lore vs. The Summoning (23 page)

The priestess grabbed me by the cheeks as soon as I'd pulled my hands back. She'd twisted around in my lap so she could shove me back into the spray of the waterfall. I flailed, thinking she was trying to drown me, when I realized none of the water was actually hitting me. It flowed around me instead as if there were an invisible umbrella overhead. The priestess stood in front of me, naked as the day she was born with the water flowing behind her like a curtain.

There was intent in her eyes, intent I'd seen on other faces before, she wanted to kiss me. I held my palms up in front of me. "I'm sorry that you were hurt," I said hastily. "Someone obviously wants me dead."

"It isn't me," she said calmly. No, she definitely didn't want me dead. I saw that clearly in the way her gaze had settled on my lips. "You wanted information. You've earned the right to get it. Hell, you've earned the right to whatever the fuck you want from me." And that gaze lowered to take me in.

This felt very strange, holding a conference with a naked woman behind a curtain of water in a crowded club. I should be used to messed up things like this by now. But I wasn't. That was probably a good thing.

I focused on the task at hand to avoid the discomfort of the situation. Calmly I told her, "Someone flooded my apartment yesterday and then today tried to kill me with an out of control fire hydrant in front of Symphony Hall. Unfortunately someone else killed him before I could find out who sent him or why. I really, really need to know who is behind this."

For the first time since I'd started healing her she glanced away. It was an abrupt and almost fearful move. I held up both hands, made a waving gesture and nodded at her. She couldn't talk here, which made sense. I could handle that. But she hadn't said she wouldn't talk.

The priestess surprised the hell out of my by pouncing forward and shoving me against the wall. Her face was a kissing distance from mine. "This isn't about information. You obviously want me," she said in a low voice. "I could tell in the first glance at you."

I'd been about to argue with her that she was crazy until she'd said that. Her first glance had been at me ready to shoot her. This wasn't her trying to come on to me. This was a diversion tactic.

She ran a finger over my jaw line. "Let's go to my place."

"Yes," I played along.

She took my hand and tugged me out of the waterfall. This time the water did hit me. I shivered as the cold liquid sluiced over my lofty hair onto the trench coat, that was doing little to keep the leather cat suit dry, and down into my stupid knee-high boots. It was going to be nearly impossible to walk out of there with any dignity in squeaking shoes and hair plastered to my skull.

Her brawny lover had a broad white garment ready for her when she stepped out of the pool. She gracefully pushed her arms into the bell sleeves then waited with an arched eyebrow as her lover gawked at the unblemished skin beneath her rib cage. He glanced between the smooth skin and my face in a mixture of confusion and irritation.

While they made arrangements for their car to be brought, I pulled my boots off so I could empty the water that had taken up residence inside them back into the pool. Then I raided the dead guy's pockets. He stupidly had identification on him, Clarence Hinder, Jr. of Matthew Lane in Braintree. Pity, Clarence Senior wouldn't be pleased that his son had died in an undisclosed location with no loved ones nearby. Then again, killers like him rarely had loved ones.

The Water priestess made a big show of tugging me to my feet away from where I knelt beside the killer's body. Her little drama included kissing me on the lips in front of everyone gathered in the small room.

"Priestess." Her lover's irritation had apparently won out because his tone was sharp and indignant. "She killed Escobar. How can you kiss her?"

The woman waved him off without letting go of me. "She said someone else killed him."

"And you believe her?"

In an impatient tone she replied, "She saved my life, Gerard. Yes, I believe her."

Her judgment wasn't good enough for he snapped, "How do you know she didn't pay someone to stab you just so she could conveniently save your life?"

The priestess's voice went low. "You know better than to argue with me."

His face exploded in rage that carried into his scream, "She killed Escobar!"
 

Apparently the guy in the crappy blue Ford had been prominent among the Water witches. Maybe he'd been able to part the waters of the Boston Harbor when he wasn't busy flooding Back Bay apartments.

"No, she did not."

The husky voice made my back go ramrod straight. My cheeks flushed guiltily before I could stop them. I instantly wondered how much Morrígan had seen. Had she seen me cradling a naked woman to my chest?

The Fire high priestess emerged from the shadow of the doorway wearing a cat suit identical to mine but in white. On her it looked positively sinful. Her dark hair was pulled high off her head in a fall of shining strands. She was every ounce the dominatrix the suit had been crafted for.

"Morrígan," the water priestess greeted sourly.

Morrígan's expression was guarded. "Talise," she said what I assumed was the Water witch's name. "I am responsible for the passing of the witch that attacked her. His strike was conducted in broad daylight in front of a very public institution. There was nothing discreet or natural about the tactics he chose to employ."

Talise's eyes narrowed at her. "Igniting a man's gas tank while he drives is discreet and natural?"

"It is more easily explained than heat-seeking water."

The Water witch sniffed indignantly. "This will brought before the Covens, Morrígan."

The Fire priestess's voice hardened along with her gaze. "I won't apologize for defending my Brand."

I didn't like the sound of that in this context, especially not considering the new mark on my neck. I liked even less the pinching at the bridge of Talise's nose upon hearing it. Her eyes shot to me then to the Fire witch and back again. I saw them flick down the leather cat suits we both wore.

"Your Brand is coming home with me," Talise sneered.

"No," Morrígan's eyes switched to mine. "She is not."

I'd been so close to getting information out of the woman. The arrival of Morrígan was going to ruin everything. And who did she think she was? I could go home with whomever I wanted.

I spoke up for myself. "See, that's where you're wrong."

Talise's lips spread into a triumphant grin.

"I didn't think you were partial to women, Talise," Morrígan commented blandly. Her brilliant blue eyes slid to the right to where the Water witch's lover stood still scowling. "In fact, I thought you were only partial to Gerard and your ridiculous public displays together."

I wasn't interested in standing around while two priestesses got into a pissing match. Morrígan knew the true reason I'd sought Talise out. I couldn't help but wonder if she was interfering because she was hiding something, something Talise knew. Maybe Talise would follow me if I left.

The Water witch wasn't all that strong which made it easy to wiggle out of her grip. I ignored the questioning lift of Morrígan's eyebrows as I squelched past her on my way to the door. They could stay there or not.

This time my trip through the club was a bit easier. Several people had seen what had transpired in the blue room and had parted for me to pass. I was glad for it because droplets shook off me with an annoying pattering noise as I took the stairs to the surface.

Nights in New England during early May weren't exactly warm. There was nothing keeping the spring breeze off my body but the drenched leather and dripping trench coat. A shiver wracked me from head to toe.

Instinct told me I wasn't alone. Someone had followed me and it wasn't the priestess. I pressed my hand under the coat to find the gun. It was wet. It might not fire. But it might be deterrent enough for some who thought it would.
 

In the back of my head I knew who it was. It bothered me that I did, enough that I was unwilling to abandon my gun just yet.

"You can holster it. It's only me," Aiden said from a mere three feet behind me.

The fact that it was "only" him should be reason enough not to put my piece away. But I slid it back into the leather holster anyway. "What do you want?" I asked warily without turning or slowing.

"The wallet," he said simply. He was closer now, two feet to my right.

It was a moment before I worked out that he wanted me to give him the wallet I'd found on the guy with the knife. "Why?"

"I have contacts in law enforcement. I'll find out everything I can about your would-be assassin."

"I thought you couldn't get..."

Aiden interrupted me. "He was human. He shouldn't have been here in the first place."

He was right about that. So I fished the wallet out of my pocket, turned and gave it to him. The less work I had to do, the better.

I could tell by the question in his eyes that he wanted to say something. Thankfully the priestesses' noisy exit from the club saved me from having to hear it. A silver BMW sedan pulled up in front of them. I murmured a parting word to Aiden then ran forward in my squeaky shoes. The women were still fighting when I appeared on the opposite side of the car.

"...too good. But you're not," Talise was saying in an irritated tone. "You're no greater than any of the rest of us."

Morrígan's gaze slowly switched from the Water witch to where I stood quietly waiting to be noticed. "I would prefer you not get in the car," she said calmly, I assumed, for my benefit.

It confused the Water witch until she'd glanced around and caught sight of me. "Oh! I thought the bitch had chased you off. Go ahead, get in."

I did, knowing Morrígan was going to be upset. But I needed information now that she'd killed the guy that had it. I didn't owe her anything.

Talise said something else to the Fire priestess that I couldn't hear before opening her door and ducking her head beneath the roof to join me. Her lover dropped into the passenger seat with a score of jerky movements. Before their driver had a chance to put the vehicle in drive the Water witch pulled me against her chest for another showy kiss, no doubt for Morrígan's benefit.

I was let go once we'd reached a block away. That was when I clearly stated, "Just so we're clear, the kissing was only for show."

She nodded her head of white hair. "She's right. I'm not into women. Though I might change my mind." The witch gave me a playful wink. "So you want to know about who was pulling Escobar's strings."

My relief was a little too evident on my face. I hoped she didn't get insulted by it. Maybe if I stuck to business she wouldn't have a chance. "Yes, anything you can tell me will help."

"Whoever it is has to be powerful because Escobar never would have willingly betrayed me." Her head turned away from me to hide the glittering moisture that was building in the edges of her pale eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I told her truthfully. If this man had been manipulated somehow then it made his death far more upsetting.

"Thank you. And thank you for healing me. All of me." She was crying fully now. "Can I...do you think I can have children now?"

I couldn't simply say yes because I knew how these things worked. "You'll have a far better chance. But you'll need to do it quickly and you'll need to be very, very cautious once you've conceived. Fate has a way of making things go her way even if I intervene."

I really hoped the child Talise conceived didn't turn out to be the Anti-Christ. It would be just my luck.

The priestess wiped the moisture from her eyes, weathered a few sniffles and then thankfully got down to business. "Escobar began pulling away from us a month ago. He stopped calling at court." She made mention of the "court" witches held. Like Morrígan's inner sanctum at her stronghold, every coven had their own meeting place where they gathered, as royalty would have with their subjects.
 

"He didn't return our phone calls," Talise continued. "We thought maybe he was having problems at home. I didn't think it was anything like this until I stopped by his place last week. He didn't answer so I checked the windows in the bedroom in case he was sleeping. The place was trashed.

"That ain't normal. Escobar is meticulously neat," she paused to tell me. I bit my tongue at the present tense she'd used. "So I called him into court. All he could say was that he was working toward a better world. And that I needed to give him space. No one tells me they need space and gets away with it," she said fiercely. "I had him tailed. He was going in and out of the Dungeon at all hours. We tried to make him tell us who he was visiting but he insisted we had the wrong person and that he hadn't actually been there at all. The only thing we got was the tail caught him going to a warehouse down off the harbor twice just before...well," her voice trailed off without finishing the statement.

"Did anyone try going into it?"

"Yes," she nodded. Her eyes were thankfully completely dry now. "They got shot at. I didn't think it was important enough to risk sending anyone else in."

I would risk it. Eager for a new lead I asked, "Can you give me the address?"

"Sure." She gestured to Gerard to do the honors.

Her lover seemed to be irritated with me but he tried to find paper and a pen anyway. I hoped he didn't try to sabotage this by giving me the wrong address.

Something Morrígan had said made me think to ask another question. "So even though you hang out at the Dungeon a bit, you don't know who owns it?"

Talise held my eyes as she replied, "The ownership is very hush hush. No one ever sees anyone but the usual grunt staff like DJ, bartenders, and security. I know there's a manager there. He's the highest-level staff I've run into. But I don't think he's responsible for Escobar. The rumor is that he just works for whoever is in charge and that it's always changing."

"Any idea why that is?"

"My guess would be that it's a sought after place," she said with a shrug. "It's really the only spot in the state that all the factions can get together without there being bloodshed. I mean, think about it, if we see a Rhino in our territory we attack first and ask questions later. Don't you?"