Fang Me (19 page)

We slipped through the door, and Shade closed it behind us."Where did you learn this stuff?" I asked in the dim room. It was lit only by the lights from outside the panoramic window, but the strains of J
ingle Bell Rock ma
de it seem festive.

He shrugged."Part of being a Watcher for Micah." When I reached to flip the lights on, he added,"Uh, maybe we should leave the lights off."

"No problem. We're in luck. I can feel the books on the far side of the room."

We made our way over there, and found a portable bar against the wall. Groping underneath, I found a lump the right size and shape. Smiling, I pulled it out and set it on the bar, careful not to knock over the glasses and decanter. The large lump had been shrouded in a dark tablecloth to keep it hidden in the depths of the bar. Pulling the cloth off as fast as I could, I saw my familiar backpack.

Finally . . . .

I reached inside and touched the books, to make sure they were real."Wow," I whispered."We really found them." It was sorta anticlimactic. I'd more than half expected to have to battle my way through a legion of the undead or something. But no, here they were, lying innocently—and quietly—under my hand.

"Great," Shade said."Can you feel the dark magicks in them?"

"No, they feel the same as always."

Shade laid his fingers on them, then frowned."I feel . . . something. Not sure what. Like dark whispers in my head." He jerked his fingers away."Those things are dangerous. What are we going to do with them?"

I froze."I don't know. I didn't think that far ahead."

"We have to take them somewhere Trevor won't find them."

"I know, but where?"

"Out of town somewhere. We should leave now, take them far away."

"Okay." I slung the backpack over my shoulder and started toward the door, then stopped. Deflated, I turned to face Shade."We have a problem. Once we get downstairs, if Trevor is anywhere near, he'll sense them and be able to follow us."

"Maybe he's still at the Alamodome," Shade said in a hopeful voice.

"I doubt it. He probably left when we didn't show up." Something else occurred to me."What if he realized Marina and Erica were able to read him?"

Shade slumped down on a chair."He has to know. And he's probably figured out that they've told us everything they know."

Uhoh."You think they're in danger?" I asked.

"No. He knows Dan narrowed down the books' hiding place to somewhere near the Alamodome. I think he's searching for them as fast as he can. And it's probably only a matter of time before he looks up and makes the same connection you did."

The lights overhead suddenly flashed on, blinding me.

"He did," a voice said from the doorway.

I blinked. Oh, crap. It was Trevor, and he was pointing a gun . . . right at my head.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Run!
the voice yelled.

It chose
now
to wake up? Too late. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
Tell me something useful,
I shot back.

I stared at the weapon in Trevor's hand, noticing that he had a silencer screwed on to the end. With the noise of the parties and the tourists on the observation deck, no one would hear if he shot us. I ran through my options. My powers were gone, Fang wasn't here to distract him, Lola couldn't affect Trevor . . .

Damn it, I felt helpless. I hated it. I'd always said I wanted to be normal, but now that I was, I had to admit it totally sucked.

Now would be a really good time for some help,
I sent to the voice, which definitely sounded like it came from the books.

Wait,
it said, sounding strained.

Not helpful. Micah, Alejandro, Shade . . . they all expected me to retrieve the books, keep them away from the bad guys, and save the day. But what could I
do?

Absolutely nothing.

Except maybe talk him to death. Hey, it worked for Fang . . . ."You're not really a keeper, are you?" I blurted out.

Trevor grinned, looking cocky."That's right."

"Is there really any such thing?"

"Oh, yes."

"Then how did the keeper get separated from the books?"

Trevor shrugged."Does it matter?"

You're on the right tra—

On the right what? I
demanded of the voice.
On the right track? I
had a pretty good idea of what that meant.

Shade took a menacing step forward."You'd better run. We figured out what you were and called for help. The SCU, Underground, and the Movement are going to arrive at any moment."

He called? When?

Trevor laughed. "You are such a bad liar. Look at Val's face."

I'm an idiot. 
"Sorry," I muttered.

"I wouldn't have believed it anyway," Trevor assured me. "The Slayer would never call for help. She's a glory hound—she wants all the credit for herself."

Like hell. The way I remembered it, things had happened so fast, I hadn't even thought to call for help. Then again, Dan had offered . . . . And I had a good reason for turning him down.
Not
because I was a glory hound.

Trevor interrupted my selfreflection with a gloating,"Sorry, Val, you won't be taking this mage demon anywhere."

We had to keep him talking until I could come up with a plan. Luckily, Shade asked him a question."Are you really a mage demon?"

Trevor inclined his head in a regal nod."Indeed. Though it took you long enough to figure that out. I thought you were the expert on demons, Shade."

Shade let the taunt roll over him."It was your shield," he said."We should have known you were hiding something."

Looking as if he were enjoying this, Trevor said,"With the vamps and the hellhounds around, I had to block my thoughts. Couldn't let you know what I was really up to."

"And what a
re
you up to?" I asked.

"Oh, the usual," he said, waving his gun airily."Riches, power, world conquest. With the spells in those books, I can have anything I want."

The bastard was
enjoying
this.

"I thought you wanted to save your father," Shade said. "Was that a lie, too?"

"Oh, no, that was the truth. He's not really
in
the books, you know. They're just a portal to another dimension where he's been trapped. With your help, I can release him." Trevor's grin widened. "You did say you'd help me, remember?"

I clenched my fists, wishing I could strangle him, use Lola on him, stake him . . . anything to shut him up and keep him from using Shade that way.

Shade squeezed my wrist warningly."Calm down, Val. Remember, he can use emotions to power spells and he no longer needs to hide behind his shield."

"Oh, stop," the metrosexual said with a pout."You're ruining my fun."

"Really?" I asked."I think you're bluffing. Your father probably put the shield on you as a kid—and you've already admitted you can't do spells without reading them from these books. That's why you brought the gun."

Trevor's grin faded."Well, aren't you the clever one? But you know, I think the gun will suffice." He moved closer and extended the gun at full length, aiming right for my forehead."And I don't need
you a
t all. Shall we see how easily the Slayer can heal from a bullet in the brain?"

No one could heal from that. Fear skittered through me as alternatives ran through my mind. I tensed, preparing for action, hoping my instincts would help me do the right thing.

Shade jumped in front of me, spreading his arms wide."No. If you kill her, I'll never help you. I'd rather die first."

How mortifying—someone was protecting
me f
or a change.

Trevor lowered the gun to his side, looking exasperated."What do you
see
in her?" Then, before Shade could answer, he said,"Never mind. I don't care. All I want is those books, and my father released from them." Waving the gun toward the bar, he said,"Put them down and I won't shoot you."

I hesitated, and he frowned."Do it
now
or I might shoot out your kneecap, just for fun. Or Shade's."

Seeing he meant it, I backed up slowly and put the backpack on the bar, my mind whirling with plans to stop him. Shade moved with me, keeping his body between the gun and me.

"Take them out of that ratty bag and put them where I can see them," Trevor ordered.

I did as he asked, and Trevor seemed to relax. He gazed at the books and his eyes took on an acquisitive, unholy gleam. He moved closer until he was a few feet away."Finally. I've been waiting for this moment over ninety years."

No wonder the Underground in LA didn't know who he was."Gee, you don't look a day over eightytwo," I drawled. I couldn't help it. Sometimes my mouth just ran away with me.

"Very funny," he snarled. "Now release my father, Shade, or I'll hurt her."

Neither of us could see Shade's expression, but the shadow demon didn't move a muscle. What was he thinking? Was he going to try something heroic and get himself killed?

Do it,
the voice urged.

"Do it now," Trevor unconsciously echoed. "And I'll let you both live."

I hesitated. Who did the voice belong to? I'd always thought it was the books, but could it be Trevor's father? Why else would the voice urge me to let another mage demon loose on the world? With the most dangerous books on the planet, no less.

Trust me . . . .

Shade wasn't moving and Trevor was looking even more pissed. Oh, crap. We were going to die. Could I trust this unknown voice?

Did I have a choice?

I had to prove Trevor wrong. I had to let go of my need to be the world's savior and trust in someone else. Taking a deep breath, I nodded at Shade."Do it."

I still couldn't see his expression, but I'm sure he was confused. The ribbons of light where his face should be swirled faster.

"I don't know how," Shade said, sounding hesitant.

"Try," Trevor insisted."It should be like what you did with the healing. But this time, you're not transferring healing powers from one person to another, you're transferring my father from one dimension to another."

Still, Shade hesitated."I've been fighting all my life not to let other demons into this world."

Trevor grimaced."Is that all? Don't worry. It's a barren plain of existence. He's the only demon there. You think I'd let you bring through
competition
?"

Now that sounded like truth. I nodded at Shade."Try it." I just hoped I was right.

Tensing, I moved closer to Shade. I wanted Lola to be able to grab him and stabilize him if something went wrong.

Trevor moved closer, too, though he kept the gun trained on me."Hold his left wrist," he told me."I want to be able to see his face."

I wanted to see it, too, so I did as Trevor demanded.

"Now put your right hand on the books," Trevor said.

And repeat after me . . .
my irreverent nature couldn't help but add.

Slowly, Shade rested his hand on the top book, his expression tense.

Do it now,
the voice all but yelled at me.

Squeezing Shade's wrist, I whispered,"Go ahead. I'm here for you."

I don't know why, but that seemed to make up his mind. Nodding, Shade closed his eyes and I could almost feel him concentrating.

"No tricks now," Trevor warned.

"Shh," I said."Don't distract him."

A small lime-green cloud, shot through with bright flashes of fierce lightning, appeared above the bar."That's it," I whispered."It's working."

I let go of Shade and backed away from that virulent, creepily silent maelstrom, and so did Trevor. We both watched as it grew bigger and bigger, until it was a round sphere of roiling energy about six feet across.

"Are you . . . sure about . . . this?" Shade gasped out.

"Bring him through!" Trevor said. With his tense attitude and eager, greentinged expression, he looked positively diabolical.

"I don't . . . know . . . how."

Suddenly, a man flew out of the cloud as if he'd been thrown, landing face down on the ground between us. He rolled onto his back, looking
way s
tressed out, but the spitting image of Trevor.

Mr. Jackson, I presume.

"Father," Trevor exclaimed.

Another man leapt out as well, landing on his feet, his fists clenched. This one looked just as wild-eyed, but bigger, meaner, like a huge lumberjack with a bushy black beard and veins popping out on his forearms. Oh, crap. How many more demons were going to come through? I should have known Trevor had lied about that.

"Keep him off me," the father shouted.

The other man pointed at Shade, yelling,"Don't close that portal yet. No more demons are coming through."

I recognized that voice. It was the one who'd been talking to me."Do as he says," I told Shade. "He's on our side." I hoped.

"Shoot him," Trevor's father screamed as he scrambled to his feet.

But Trevor, caught offguard by the appearance of the second man, didn't move fast enough. I grabbed the heavy decanter on the bar and whipped it at his gun hand.

Nailed it!

The pistol flew out of Trevor's hand. The big bear of a man muttered some words and made a throwing motion at the two Jackson boys. Instantly, it was as if they stood rooted in place, struggling against invisible bonds.

The big man grabbed my hands."That won't hold them long." His words tumbled out fast, but polite."Valentine Shapiro, I beg your assistance and that of your friend to send these two felons back through the portal and rid the world of them for good."

Now that's what I
'm
talkin' about."Hold on, Shade, a little longer," I called out, then turned to the man who held my hands."You got it," I said with a grin."What do you need?"

"Just trust me . . . and give me everything you got."

Lola was waking up with my proximity to such a large, handsome specimen of the male species, but I didn't think he was talking about that . . . or my paltry material possessions."How?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he threw his head back and muttered some words that sounded like Latin.

A thread of magick from inside the man latched on to that tendril of interest from Lola and twined around it, braiding the two strands into a larger, stronger rope of energy. Letting go of my left hand, he thrust his right hand toward the struggling Jacksons. A strong breeze came out of nowhere, blowing from us to them, and the magick pulled on more of Lola's energy. Just as they broke free of their entanglement and tried to rush us, the rope of energy reached them, and I could feel it circling them like a lasso, anchoring them in place.

They hurled insults and curses, but nothing else, thank heavens. All my attention was caught up with noticing that Lola's energy was leaving me in a steady stream. Crap, this guy was draining my chakras . . . just like Lola did to the men she came in contact with."What are you doing?" Would he drain me dry to stop the man who appeared to be his nemesis?

"I'm sorry," he gritted out,"but I need your strength. I'll try not to harm you."

Try? What was this
try
crap? I struggled for a moment, then realized he was exhausting his own energy just as much as he was mine. If I wanted this to succeed, I had to work with him, not against him. Shade was being a real trooper, holding the portal open, though he was bent over with the strain. Could I do any less?

I sank to my knees and let loose all the restraints, letting the guy take everything he needed. He fell to his knees alongside me, never letting go of my hand, never stopping the braiding of our energies. We faced the gorgeous panoramic view, the villains on our right, the portal on our left, and the sound of
Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
playing next door.

What a strange way to die.

Slowly, we drew the Jacksons, kicking and cursing, closer to the bar and the portal. While we struggled with the bad guys, Shade lowered the books to the floor so the portal flickered in front of the bar. Good. All it would take was one good shove and they'd go through. Though where I could muster up the strength for that, I had no idea. I swayed, barely able to stay on my knees.

They were within a couple of feet of the bar, but had dug their heels into the carpet, their teeth gritted, to slow their forward movement.

"Just a bit more," my partner said."Now, push!"

Huh? There was no way I could push with my body, so I did the next best thing. I gathered up everything I had within me . . . Lola's energy, my energy . . . hell, any bit of energy I could scrape up . . . and threw it at him.

As I fell limply to the floor, the man shoved both Jacksons through the portal, yelling,"Close it!"

The pulsating green portal irised shut, cutting off the braided cord and sending all that energy barreling back along our connection. Oh, crap. I tried to ward off the backlash, but no luck. It slammed back into both of us like Thor's warhammer, and I knew no more.