Dark Descent - [Nyx Fortuna 02] (11 page)

“I’m not going to hurt her,” I said. I wasn’t sure of the reverse, though.

He gave me a stern look. “You mean you don’t
want
to hurt her,” he said. “There’s a difference.”

“I don’t know what else to do,” I said. “She can’t stay at Claire’s or Naomi’s.”

“Just tread cautiously,” he said.

“I’ll try.” Caution wasn’t one of my finer traits.

Wren came back wearing a pair of jeans that fit her like a second skin and a Victorian lace top. Her feet were bare. The sight of her made me want to carry her upstairs and stay there until we’d had enough of each other.

“She’ll need shoes,” Talbot said, interrupting some very vivid fantasies.

“We’ll get her some flip-flops at the convenience store.”

After Wren was properly shod, we headed for Hell’s Belles. Bernie was working the counter and nearly scalded some poor House of Poseidon merman with his herbal tea.

“Hey, Bernie,” I said. “Can we get two blue-plate specials and a couple of cups of coffee?”

“Are you out of your mind, bringing her here?” she shouted. Conversation around us ceased. She lowered her voice. “Her mother is tearing apart the underworld right now.”

“Thank you for—” I didn’t get to finish thanking her for saving us in the underworld.

“Shut your gob, Nyx Fortuna,” she hissed.

Bernie was scared, but of who? I glanced around the diner, but didn’t see any other demons. A group of businessmen sat in a booth in the far corner, clearly in the middle of a meeting. I didn’t see anything to worry about, but Bernie’s gaze drifted over there.

Sean Danvers was one of the businessmen, and I realized Bernie didn’t want to talk in front of him.

“Can you get a message to Hecate?” I said softly. “Let her know that Wren is unharmed.”

“She’s not going to believe that her daughter is safe in the hands of someone from the House of Fates.”

“I’m not from the House of Fates,” I said sharply.

“She won’t see it that way,” Bernie replied. “You’ll have a legion of demons at your door before you know it.”

“She wouldn’t dare,” I said.

Bernie frowned. “Maybe. Maybe not. Now what can I get you?”

After we ordered, Wren stared at Bernie’s retreating back. “She’s right, you know. My mother will try to kill you.”

“Haven’t you heard? I can’t be killed.”

“Do not joke about death,” she said. “My mother will find a way.”

The dark pronouncement didn’t faze me. Hecate wasn’t the first one to try and she probably wouldn’t be the last.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I waited until Wren was in the shower to hide the bead. I taped it to the back of a framed picture of Elizabeth and then put it in my closet. Anyone snooping would assume it was nothing more than a painful reminder of a failed relationship. For good measure, I grabbed the only photo I had of the two of us and stacked it on top of the first photo.

We’d gone to bed when they came for her.

She shook me from sleep. “Nyx, wake up,” she whispered. “There’s someone here.”

“At the door?” I yawned.

“Inside,” she said.

Wide-awake now, I grabbed my athame. “Wraiths?”

“No, demons,” she said.

“Stay here,” I said. “No matter what you hear.”

“I’m coming with you,” she said.

There wasn’t any more time to argue. I stopped and listened. I could hear someone breathing. There was a demon in my living room.

I flicked on the light, hoping it would take her by surprise, but she only smirked at me. She was tall and slim, with shiny black hair.

“You took something that doesn’t belong to you,” she said. “The goddess wants it back.”

“Wren doesn’t belong to anybody,” I said.

“I’m not going with you, Antara,” Wren said.

“You know her?” I asked.

“She’s one of Hecate’s personal bodyguards. Martial arts expert,” Wren warned.

Antara’s skills soon became evident. She punched me so hard that my ears rang. I feinted and slashed out with my athame, but she kicked it out of my hand effortlessly.

She hit me hard and I skidded and fell. She was on top of me within seconds. She grabbed a handful of my hair and bashed my head against the kitchen floor tile.

“Hey, I want to get my deposit back when I leave,” I said as my blood splattered all over the white tiles.

“I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you,” Antara grunted.

That was the last thing she said, because Wren grabbed Antara by her hair, exposing her neck, and sliced clean through it with the kitchen knife I’d used to chop the salad I’d made for dinner.

Drops of demon blood fell on my bare chest and scalded it. I shoved the demon’s dead body off me, careful to avoid as much of her blood as I could.

“Now your mom’s going to be really pissed,” I said.

Wren looked at me. Her brown eyes had turned amber and her gaze was unfocused, like she was somewhere far away.

“Are you okay?”

“I’ve never killed anyone before,” she said. “I find it quite…” But I never found out how she found it, because she pitched forward in a dead faint.

I carried her to the couch and then went to the sink to wet a cloth. I dabbed her face and wrists. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she sat up. “What happened?”

“You fainted,” I said.

She was all big eyes and trembling lips. Her gaze went to Antara’s body, which I’d left lying on the floor. I cursed myself for being an idiot.

“Why don’t you go back to bed,” I said. “While I clean up.”

She nodded and then stood, swaying slightly. I picked her up and carried her to the bed. “I’m going to go out for a bit,” I said. “I won’t be long. Will you be okay by yourself?”

She’d just killed a trained fighter. She could obviously take care of herself. I didn’t know why I was reluctant to leave her, but I was.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “But where are you going?”

“I’m going to return Hecate’s bodyguard to where she came from,” I said.

I used a concealing spell, dragged Antara’s body to the gate leading to the underworld, and dumped it there. Hecate would get the message.

I was on edge all week, but Hecate’s demons didn’t make an appearance. Sometimes, late at night, I heard the sound of a baying hound.

I managed to keep my hands off Wren, despite her best efforts. She had insisted she was too scared to sleep alone, which meant temptation was within easy reach. I’d tried everything short of bringing someone else home to keep her at a distance, but Wren was determined.

I woke in the middle of the night to absolute quiet.

“Wren?” I called out, but there was no answer. She was gone.

I searched the apartment. The front door was unlocked, but there was no sign of a break-in. The wards were in place. Nothing was out of place or broken. It seemed as though Wren had left on her own.

I reached for the absinthe bottle I kept in my fridge and chugged it back. I watched the clock as the hands moved slowly toward dawn.

Had she gone back to the underworld? The thought disturbed me, which agitated me even more. Did I have feelings for Wren? Was I jealous? Getting involved with Hecate’s daughter was possibly the dumbest thing I’d ever done in my long history of stupid actions.

Sickly yellow light streamed through my kitchen window. It was almost morning and she still wasn’t home.

I was putting on my Docs to go look for her when she returned. She wore her acolyte robe and her feet were bare. The robe was heavy with dew.

“Where have you been?” I knew my aunt had been messing with my head, but I couldn’t seem to shake Deci’s proclamation that I’d be betrayed again. There was a good chance Wren was playing me, but she was hard to resist.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “So I went for a walk.” She yawned.

“In the middle of the night? In this neighborhood?”

“I know how to take care of myself,” she said. “I thought you said I wasn’t a prisoner here.”

“You’re not,” I replied. “I was worried about you.” My words were slurred. I’d drunk more of the green fairy than I’d intended. “Why are you wearing that robe?”

“It’s the warmest thing I own,” she snapped. She studied my face for a moment. “Did you really think I’d take a stroll down below for a visit with dear old Mom?”

“I don’t know what to think,” I said. But I did. She was trying to play me, but to what end?

“I’m going to bed,” she said. She didn’t wait to see if I followed, but I did.

My stomach roiled at the thought of another betrayal.

Her back was to me when she dropped the robe. “Are you coming to bed?” The invitation was obvious, but I was transfixed by something besides her naked body.

One shoulder was marked with an angry scar, faded, but the ridges were stark against her milky-white skin. My own scars started to itch at the sight of hers.

“Can I see?” I asked.

She nodded and pulled her hair back to reveal that the scar went up her neck and disappeared into her hairline.

I stepped closer. She shivered when my hot breath touched her neck and I felt a surge of lust. It was replaced by anger when I realized that her skin had been sliced.

“How did that happen?” I asked. “What did they use?”

“A demon claw.”

“Who did it?”

“Let’s just say I wasn’t sorry you killed Hroth,” she said.

I wished I hadn’t, so I could do it again, only more slowly.

“What did your mother do to him when she found out?”

“She’s the one who ordered him to do it,” Wren said bitterly.

“Why?” I couldn’t imagine having such a vengeful mother.

“I went topside without her permission,” she said. “She can’t come up, you know. Not ever. No matter how badly she wants to leave the underworld, she can’t, because of your aunts.”

I couldn’t resist her any longer. I pressed a gentle kiss to the scar. She was hot, sweating like she’d just run a marathon. I licked a drop of moisture from her skin.

“You saved me, you know,” she said.

I wanted Wren. Acting on those feelings would make my fucked-up situation even worse, but I’d never let that stop me before.

I trailed kisses down her neck, following the path of the scar. She moved away from me. At first, I thought she was rejecting me, but she was only facing me to kiss my lips.

“When I was topside before, before Hroth found me and dragged me back, I seduced a mortal,” she said. “It wasn’t magical. In fact, it was a considerable disappointment.”

“That’s unfortunate,” I said.

“Would it be magical with you?”

If she didn’t stop looking at me like that, it was going to be blink-and-you-might-miss-it quick. Hardly magical.

“Wren, I can’t sleep with you,” I said.

She slid a hand where it didn’t belong—not if I wanted to stick to my resolution to keep things uncomplicated. “Feels like you can to me.”

“You know what I mean,” I replied. “We shouldn’t sleep together.”

“But I want you,” she said. “And I think you want me.”

“I’m involved with someone else.” I moved her hand away from the danger zone.

The statement might keep me out of trouble, but it wasn’t strictly true. Elizabeth was gone and Willow wasn’t interested in anything more than a fling.

“And you have made promises to her?” she asked. “Are you together now?”

“No, but—” The hand was back before I could get the words out.

“Then what’s the problem?” she asked. She kissed me and the answer to her question disappeared from my brain, dissolved by the feeling of her tongue stroking mine.

Sleeping with Hecate’s daughter was dangerous, but I was sick of depriving myself. It had taken every bit of my admittedly little self-control not to take her up on it the first time she’d offered. Wren had made it clear she wanted me, but so had Elizabeth. What was Wren’s motivation: lust or something more sinister?

The thought dissolved when she yanked off my jeans.

“We all have scars, Nyx,” she said. “Show me yours. Please?”

I was never going to get a happily ever after, but I could have a taste of what others took for granted. I reached for her.

I spent the next day in bed with Wren, but eventually, reality intruded. Hecate’s demons would come for Wren and we needed a plan. Nothing occurred to me, but proximity to Wren wasn’t helping, either. I needed to think of something besides sex, like surviving my latest predicament.

I resumed my early morning swims. The quiet helped me think. I missed the exercise, but even more, I missed starting my day seeing Naomi.

When I arrived at the Y, she was already in the pool, but she wasn’t alone, judging from the raised voices echoing over the water.

“You have to tell him,” Naomi said.

“Why?” Claire replied, the bitterness in her voice clear. “He’s just like all the others: fooled by a pretty face.”

I stopped in my tracks. Were they talking about me?

“And whose fault is that?” Naomi snapped. “He wouldn’t have even met her if it weren’t for you.”

Me and Wren, then. I cleared my throat and stepped out of the shadows. “Sorry, am I interrupting something? I can come back.”

“Nyx,” Naomi cried. “I haven’t seen you here in ages. I was starting to think you’d given up swimming altogether.”

I jumped into the water next to her, splashing her in the process. I came up for air and then grinned at her as I treaded water. “I’ve been a little busy lately.”

Claire snorted and then hauled herself out of the water. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

I watched her stomp off. “She doesn’t like me very much.”

“Don’t take it personally,” Naomi replied. “She doesn’t like anyone very much right now.”

“Even you?”

“Especially me,” Naomi said somberly and then changed the subject. “Race you!” She shoved off against the side, getting a crucial three-second head start. I trailed behind her but touched the side a beat later.

She surfaced and smiled at me as she shook the water from her swim cap. “You’re out of shape.”

“Rematch in a few days?” I suggested as she jumped out of the pool.

“Of course,” she said. “You’ll need to practice, though.” I could hear her laughter as she went into the changing room.

I was back a couple of days later. I’d decided to wait until I was sure my cousins had finished their swim before I ventured into the pool. I watched from the Caddy as Naomi exited the building, arm in arm with Claire.

Sawyer’s voice made me jump. “She’s so grown-up,” he said.

“Stop doing that,” I said. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“You
should
be scared, Nyx,” he said. He was probably right, but I wanted a few answers.

“Sawyer, tell me about Hecate. How did the two of you get together?”

“I was young and stupid,” he said. “I thought I was a badass necromancer. She was beautiful and deadly. She got what she wanted and then tossed me aside.”

“Did you know about Wren?”

“Not until after I was married to Nona,” he said. “I couldn’t tell her.”

“I have to tell Naomi she has a sister,” I said.

“I know.” His voice held regret. “Tell her I’m sorry.”

“I will,” I said. “Why do you talk to me? Do you know anything about the naiad deaths?”

“Naiads? Trouble ahead,” was his vague response.

“Sawyer, quit being all mysterious and just spit it out,” I said.

But he didn’t reply. He’d gone as abruptly as he’d appeared.

“Why do the dead have to be so ambiguous?” I asked no one and then got my stuff and headed for the gym.

The smell of blood mingled with the usual scent of chlorine. The lifeguard was slumped over in his chair. A steady stream of blood ran from the back of his head, but he was breathing.

The water in the pool was tinged pink with blood. A body, or at least pieces of it, floated to the surface. I took a closer look and gagged. It was a woman, torn to pieces, just like the others. The deep blue tinge to the skin made me think the victim was a naiad. I fished my cell out of my gym bag and dialed.

“Ambrose, get to the Y on Ninth Street, fast. There’s been another murder.”

His voice had been thick with sleep, but he quickly absorbed what I told him. “We’ll be right there. Ward the door and don’t let anyone in.”

I did as he suggested and warded the door to the pool. I didn’t want to chance a mortal stumbling upon the crime scene and trying to pin it on me.

I checked on the lifeguard. His breathing was shallow but steady. I had one tiny healing amulet in my gym bag—hardly enough to help, but I used it on the lifeguard anyway.

The seconds ticked by. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the murder had occurred in the same pool where I swam every day.

It seemed personal, but I couldn’t think of anyone who hated me, at least not more than usual, except Hecate, and the naiad killings had begun before I’d ever entered the underworld.

Ambrose arrived in the company of an older man whose erect bearing hinted at former military. His sun-bleached hair held traces of gray among the blond and around his eyes were wrinkles from repeated squinting into the sun.

“Nyx, this is Trey Marin, from the House of Poseidon,” Ambrose said. “He’s the head of the inter-House task force investigating the naiad murders.”

“I think you already know my colleague Mr. Baxter,” Trey said.

Baxter grinned wickedly. “I’m in charge of cleanup.”

“Mr. Baxter, it is not appropriate for you to show glee at the death of one of my people,” Trey said sternly. “You will conduct yourself with respect or you will be reassigned.”

“Yes, Triton, sir,” Baxter said, with the proper amount of humility, but he winked at me when Trey’s back was turned.

“What about the human?” Baxter asked. The guy had the appetite of a competitive eater.

“He’s alive,” I said. “And he needs to stay that way.”

Baxter ignored me and gave Trey a hopeful look.

“Nyx is right,” Trey said. “We’ll question the human and then erase the memory. I must examine the body first and then allow Mr. Baxter to work.”

I hoped Baxter got major indigestion or a bad case of black magic poison, but he seemed to have a cast-iron stomach.

I didn’t really want to watch Baxter do his “cleanup,” so I hung back while Trey and Baxter examined the body. Ambrose stayed put, too.

“Triton, huh?” I whispered to Ambrose. “As in Poseidon’s son?”

He shook his head. “You’re close. He’s three greats removed. He’s Triton the third, hence his nickname, Trey.”

“So a mucky-muck then?”

He nodded. “The muckiest.”

Trey revived the lifeguard. “What happened?”

“Someone hit me on the back of the head,” he said.

“Obviously,” Trey said. “Anything else?”

“No,” the lifeguard said. “Wait, I smelled cologne.”

“What kind of cologne?” I asked.

He put his hands to his head and groaned. “I have no idea, but it was strong.”

Trey put a finger to the lifeguard’s forehead and sent him into a healing and forgetful sleep. “As suspected, necromancy was used to kill this poor sea nymph. Very dark magic.”

“We already knew that,” I pointed out. “So you didn’t learn anything new?”

He gave me a long measuring look. “Someone obviously dislikes you intensely. They brought her here alive and then ritualistically killed her. Seems personal.”

My cousins had just left minutes before it had happened. The Fates weren’t any more popular than I was. Maybe I wasn’t the target of the gruesome message. Or maybe Naomi or Claire had seen something.

“Danvers is the only necromancer in Minneapolis,” I pointed out. “And I saw him with Aspen before she was killed.” The deaths had black magic written all over them.

There was also the cologne, but probably thousands of men wore the same fragrance.

Trey and Ambrose exchanged glances.

“Not the only one,” Ambrose said, but he didn’t elaborate.

Trey cleared his throat. “Danvers is on our list of possibilities, of course, but politically, he’s hard to touch.”

“Willow,” I said. “I need to go check on Willow.”

Trey grabbed me by the arm. “It’s not Willow.”

“I know,” I said. I swallowed hard. “I noticed blonde hair in the pool.” I tried not to think about what else I’d seen there.

“Willow is fine,” Trey said.

“How do you know?”

He met my eyes. “I assure you I would know if anything happened to her.”

I glanced at Ambrose, who gave me a reassuring smile. “You can help her by telling Trey everything you noticed.”

I gave them a brief rundown, but I couldn’t tell them anything they didn’t already know.

“What spell would do that?” I asked. “And why would anyone kill so many naiads?”

“That, son of Fortuna, is a very good question,” Trey replied. But he didn’t seem that surprised about any of it. I wondered why.