Dalton, Tymber - Fire and Ice [A Triple Trouble Prequel] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (26 page)

“Break out the banjoes,” Brodey said. “You ain’t getting
me
in no canoe. I can tell you that.”

The laugh helped ease the tension.

“But that is why,” Lacey continued, “they have relied so heavily on dark magick throughout the centuries. They are mentally and spiritually deficient. Morally bankrupt.”

“That also explains why Edgar said he hounded Zack and me through several lives,” Lina said. “He made paparazzi look like playful puppies.”

Zack nodded. “Fixated. Obsessed.”

“Whackadoodle,” Brodey said.

Lacey smiled. “Yes to all of the above.”

“Wait,” Lina said as a thought struck her. “Do the cockatrice have a Seer too?”

Lacey shrugged. “I don’t know. They have always been an outcast race. There are several versions of the story, but they all basically tell the same tale. That when the shifters were created, the cockatrice demanded to be put in charge of all shifters, and when that was refused, they decided to wage a campaign against the others.”

“‘Created’?” Lina asked.

Lacey shrugged. “We have a lot of history in our lines, oral and written. But however the shifters came to be, it happened well before the birth of anyone still alive on this planet. Perhaps even before Baba Yaga and her sisters.”

“So, what you’re saying is cockatrice have had major bad attitude from the beginning of time?” Lina asked.

“Yes,” Lacey said. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. That’s what makes them so dangerous. They feel they have nothing left to lose, and everything to gain. They will stop at nothing, as you’ve already seen, to get their way.”

* * * *

Lina, Zack, and Brodey rejoined the others after lunch at Lacey’s. That evening, they returned to Lacey’s house to pick her up and arrived at the restaurant fifteen minutes early. Apparently expecting them, the hostess led them to a small, comfortable private back room filled by well-padded booths and a few tables, and with beautiful pictures of Maine landscapes hanging on the walls.

Lina wasn’t sure what to expect from Jocko. Lacey was a sweetheart, the grandmother she wished she had in her life.

Well, hell, I guess she’s my adopted grandmother, now.

In fact, with the exception of Zack in her life after her parents died, she’d felt more like part of a family than she had in years. Not that she didn’t feel loved with Jan and Rick, because she did. But knowing there were now a bunch of other people who had her back and welcomed her with open arms was…

Overwhelming in a good way.

She burst into tears.”

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jan asked.

She sniffled. “I’m sorry.” She looked at all of them. “It just finally all hit me at once how much family I now have.”

Brodey laughed. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, kiddo. Wait’ll the next Gathering. You’ll have wolves falling out your ears as well as dragons.”

Lacey nodded. “We take care of our own, Lina. You and yours are one of our own.”

Rick laid a hand on Brodey’s shoulder and squeezed. “You have no idea how thankful we are.” He sounded a little choked up. It warmed her heart to see her men welcome Brodey and his brood into their lives.

“Hey, she’s special,” Brodey said. “I don’t mean hockey helmet special, either,” he added with a playful wink in her direction.

“Nice. Thanks.” She grinned, sniffling her tears away.

“Hey, what’s a big brother to do if not to pick on his little sister?”

“Just remember I can randomly blow things up.”

“Uh-uh. You promised me no roasted wolf, remember?”

She laughed. “Dang, you would remember that, wouldn’t you?”

“Uh,
hells
yeah.”

Wally entered. Lina immediately recognized the immense man despite him now being clad in jeans and a long-sleeved, blue chambray shirt.

She stood to embrace him and found herself engulfed in a bear hug inside his huge arms. “There’s our girl!” he said in his thick Boston accent. “How ya doin’?”

“Good, Wally. Thank you again.” She couldn’t help but like the guy.

“No problem. We stick togetha.” He circled the room, eschewing handshakes for crushing hugs with all the men, and an only slightly less heavy-handed hug for Lacey.

Jocko blustered into the room a few moments later with a hearty hello and big hug for Brodey. A tall, large, rotund man, his scraggly red hair was barely touched by grey. “Hello, Lacey,” he said with a deferential nod of his head in her direction. Then he turned to Lina and the other men, giving them an appraising look. “And who be ye?”

“This is Lina,” Brodey explained, introducing everyone else from Lina’s group, too. He already knew Wally.

Jocko tipped his head in deference to Lina the same as he had to Lacey. “Nice to meet all of ye,” he said. “The Lyalls speak well of ye.” He looked at Kael. “And ye be the dragon that wants to meet with Daniel Blackestone?”

Kael nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The older man pulled out a chair and heavily sat. “I can’t say I’m surprised that the cockatrice are coming after people now. Their kind’s been brewing trouble longer than I ken. They’re worthless, they are.” He shook his head. “One of the few creatures worth less than them no-good Abernathys.”

Lina didn’t have time to ask who the Abernathys were. They all looked at the door as it opened again. Lina immediately pegged the handsome, black-haired, green-eyed man that walked in as a wolf. He held the hand of a red-haired woman who…

Lina stood. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?” she asked without thinking. She didn’t know if it was her freaky new Seer powers or what, but the woman’s very essence screamed power. Then she recognized her. She definitely was one of Baba Yaga’s sisters. She’d been there at the making of the tablet, even though she looked different then. Her energy, however, was unmistakable.

The woman looked startled. The man instinctively pushed her behind him, stepping protectively between them. “One of what?” he practically growled.

Lina shook her head. “Baba Yaga. Whatever she is. You’re one of them. One of her sisters.”

Both of the newcomers visibly relaxed. He stepped out of the way. “You just can’t catch a break, can you, sweetie?” he teased. “No more undercover work for you.”

Neither of them offered clarification for that comment. The woman swatted him on the shoulder before returning her attention to Lina. “Babs is my older sister. And who are you?”

Kael stepped forward. “She’s with us.”

The man’s face lit up. “Kael!” He stepped forward and embraced Kael. They clapped each other on the shoulders. “How the hell are you?”

“I’m fine. Everyone, this is Daniel Blackestone. Blackie, you look good. Who’s this?”

Daniel grinned. “Everyone, this is Callie. My mate.”

Now Lina knew for sure the woman’s identity—Cailleach.

“Yeah,” Jocko said. “We’d all long ago figured the boy wouldn’t find someone. Then here he comes, dragging home this poor woman.” He laughed. “He’s lucky she didn’t kill him in his tracks.”

Daniel looked down at the woman with more than love and affection in his eyes. Lina recognized amusement. “I sure am.”

Callie pushed him aside. “Back off, buddy. I need to give this woman a hug.” She stepped forward and engulfed Lina in a hug before she could step away. “Thank you,” Callie whispered in her ear.

Lina returned the hug. “For what?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you later.” She stepped away, leaving Lina both pleased and confused at the same time. Just like her handshake with Ain Lyall, her hug with Callie left Lina filled with the feeling of gratitude. She was glad all these people felt grateful.

She just wished to hell she knew why.

“So,” Daniel said, “what’s going on?”

They gathered around a table and between them all, told the tale. Daniel looked thoughtful. “So, the cockatrice want the Tablet of Trammel, huh?”

“Apparently,” Lina said. “Although I have a feeling they won’t get the results they’re looking for even if they do find it.”

“But we want them to keep looking, don’t we?” Daniel asked.

She smiled. “Yep. The longer they keep looking, the longer it’ll take them to form an alternate plan.”

Callie laughed. “Slick. I like you, girlfriend.”

“Even better,” Lina added, “if we can locate the tablet, we can protect it and then send the cockatrice on a wild-goose chase and try to figure out who’s involved in their plan.”

Daniel scratched his head. “I haven’t seen the tablet in over a hundred years.”

“Do you know where it is now?”

He shook his head. “No. Bertholde didn’t leave you any clues?”

“Not in the box of stuff she sent. I don’t know if there’s anything at her house. That’s our next stop.” She had brought several of the books to the confab with her. Kael and Zack were translating them for her. She pulled them out of a backpack and set them on the table, as well as the puzzle box and the stone figurines. “We’ve been going through her journals and it’s great background information, but no clues.”

Daniel picked up the puzzle box. In three quick movements, he opened it and handed it back to her.

The room went silent. Lina finally closed her gaping jaw and took the box from him. Inside lay a scroll.

“How the hell did you do that?” she whispered.

He shrugged. “I made it for her. She told me what size she wanted. Didn’t tell me what she wanted it for. Made it for her, oh, over a hundred years ago.”

Kael looked stunned. “Well bend me over and frost my bacon.” Everyone stared at him. His face reddened. “What?”

Zack rolled his eyes. “Yes, he belongs to me. Any questions?”

Brodey cleared his throat. “Not to interrupt or anything, but can someone please take a look at the scroll?”

With trembling fingers, Lina removed it from the box. The bleached parchment felt new, not old. Lina laid it on the table and carefully unrolled it. Written in the same hand as the letter from Bertholde, it was in French.

Jan translated for her.

Dearest Lina,

If you are reading this, you have either met Daniel Blackestone, broken open the box, or some third party has intercepted this.

Although I suppose you might have figured out how to open the box, but that is unlikely since it took me several days to remember how to open it.

Anyhow, your suppositions are correct. I did exactly as you suspect. (Trust your instincts!) You know exactly what I’m talking about. The answers you seek are exactly where you suspect they are. For obvious reasons, I cannot state all here. You are the sole caretaker now, you and your men.

Enjoy your journey, and take care to watch your back, as they say. Lacey’s clan will love and protect you as one of their own. Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to talk with her by now. If not, do so immediately.

I apologize in advance for the squeak.

(And Andel, you can still go fuck yourself. My, I do love saying that! And yes, he knows I still love him.)

Love to you and your men,