Wicked Edge (22 page)

“Crap.” Dacian pulled Cinn to a stop. “We came here looking for some privacy. No way would we have made it back to our apartment. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Leaving.” Edge smiled. “It’s all yours.”

Cinn waved at Passion. “We spoke on the phone. I’d stop to chat, but…” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m not standing strong against Sparkle’s song.”

“None of us are.” Passion returned Cinn’s smile. “We’ll talk later.” She grabbed Edge’s hand to urge him toward the door.

Edge paused just before leaving. “What’s happening with Sparkle?”

Dacian made an obvious effort to focus. “Ganymede’s still missing. Hope is nowhere to be found. In other words, we’re screwed. So far, Sparkle has stayed in the castle, but her song has leaked out into the courtyard. I don’t want to even think about what will happen if she takes her show on the road.” He shook his head. “I can’t stop her. I can’t even stop myself.” He pushed Edge out the door and slammed it behind him.

“What now?”

Edge smiled. Passion was having trouble making eye contact. She’d turned her head and aimed her question at the courtyard. But what she saw in the courtyard widened her eyes. She gasped and switched her attention back to him.

“I’m giving Sparkle a lot more respect after this.” Edge felt equal parts amusement and horror. Naked bodies littered the courtyard. “I’m impressed.”

Passion looked horrified. “They don’t care that everyone can see what they’re doing.”

“And doing it with strangers. I don’t know how we’ll straighten out this mess once someone stops Sparkle.”

Passion refused to glance to left or right. “Will this ruin the castle?”

Edge shrugged. “No one will be able to prove anything. But even if Ganymede, Dacian, or I take away their memories, we’re still going to have to get them dressed and then make up some explanation for the missing time.” He raked his fingers through his hair. Damn. This was getting complicated. “There’s always the chance that someone will get pregnant. And if Sparkle takes to the streets, there’s not much we can do to salvage the situation.”

“Pregnant?” Her eyes widened. “I could be—”

He put his finger across her lips. “No, you can’t. One of the perks of being me. I control my body.” He thought about Sparkle’s song. “Well, most of the time. Anyway, I wouldn’t allow pregnancy unless it was mutually agreed upon.”

“Have you and someone ever mutually agreed—”

“No.” He sounded curt, but he couldn’t help it. No way would he ever be a part of bringing an innocent life into his world.

She simply nodded.

“Let’s find Sparkle.” Passion turned and headed for the door they had come through a lifetime ago.

He took a step to follow her, and then he heard it. Sparkle was humming in his head again. After he’d made love with Passion there’d been blessed silence. He’d thought it had been one time and out. Wrong. Evidently, Sparkle’s song sent you back for seconds.

Passion stopped. She looked back at him. “I hear Sparkle.”

He knew his expression was grim. “We have to stop her before we end up in the greenhouse again fighting Dacian and Cinn for their cot.” Under normal circumstances, making love with Passion
over and over would be
his
idea of heaven, but compulsions wore out their welcomes fast.

Once inside the castle, he led her toward the great hall. If they didn’t find Sparkle there, then they’d have to search the rest of the castle. And every minute spent looking for her brought them closer to…He narrowed his gaze. Not going to happen. The next time he made love with Passion, she’d have no doubt the feelings were their own.

They got as far as the chapel. That’s where they found Murmur, feet propped up on a pew, head thrown back and long hair trailing over the back of the pew, earbuds in place, listening to music. He looked up when they entered, but he didn’t remove the earbuds. He just smiled.

What the…Edge walked over to confront the demon. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Murmur didn’t take out the earbuds. “I can’t hear you, but I can read your lips. I went to the great hall looking for someone to dance with me, but all I found were a bunch of naked people having sex. I’m waiting here until the floating woman puts on a new tune. The one she has on repeat is getting old.”

Passion joined him and got into Murmur’s face. “Where’s Hope?” She looked puzzled. “And I thought demons couldn’t enter holy places.”

He shrugged. “I left her at the mall. There’s just so long I can listen to her message of love, redemption, and blah, blah, blah.” His smile turned sly. “And I think you’re asking how I can be here. Just because people call a place holy doesn’t mean it is.” His expression turned dangerous. “I go where I want to go.”

Edge was losing his temper. “Why don’t you take out the damn earbuds?”

Murmur’s eyes narrowed to slits of pleasure. “I like it when you get mad. What can I say to make you madder?”

Passion put her hand on Edge’s arm. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

“If I take out the earbuds, I’ll be just like you.” He shook his head in mock sympathy. “Compulsions are a bitch.”

Passion looked thoughtful. She leaned close to the demon and spoke slowly so he wouldn’t have any trouble understanding her. “Maybe you can help us. We need someone to hold Sparkle in check while we search for Ganymede. He can yank her away from whoever is controlling her. Edge would take care of Sparkle, but the compulsion makes it tough for him to focus. Do you have that kind of power? Could you stop what she’s doing long enough for us to find Ganymede?”

Murmur looked amazed that anyone would ask his help for anything. “Why would I want to do that for you?”

“Because with everyone having sex, you won’t find anyone to dance with you.”

Murmur looked away, and Edge held his breath. He had no proof that Murmur wasn’t the one creating the problem, but right now he had to take help where he could find it.

The demon nodded. “Let’s go.”

Edge decided that Murmur was smart to keep those buds in his ears. Sparkle’s humming was starting to take its toll. He figured Passion was experiencing the same thing. They had to track down the cat fast.

They found Sparkle in the great hall. Evidently, she had enough power to spread her siren’s song throughout the castle and into the courtyard. He just hoped it hadn’t gone any farther.

Edge shook his head. “I’ve never seen this many naked people doing it in one place before. Not even at a Roman orgy.”

“Ted would expect me to stop this.” She kept her gaze fixed on him. “And when I couldn’t, he’d use it as an excuse to send down the avenging angels.”

“Avenging angels?” Edge and Murmur spoke at the same time.

She waved their questions away. “Later.”

Murmur studied the situation. “I don’t think I can stop her compulsion, but I can counter it with my own.”

“Do it.” Edge didn’t even ask for details. “And do it fast.” Or else he and Passion would be joining that crowd rolling around on the floor.

Murmur nodded. “You’ll owe me for this. I’ll have to stand here and watch all their jiggling and jumping bits. Humans shouldn’t dance naked. It’s an affront to music.”

Passion frowned. “What’re you going to—”

Edge grabbed her hand. “Doesn’t matter. Get ready to run or else we might get caught by his compulsion.”

She held back. “Wait. Just a minute. I want to see.”

Murmur stood gazing out over the hall. Suddenly, power swirled around him. It pushed Edge back a step.

Then the music began. It came from nowhere and everywhere. Music like he’d never heard before. The rhythm lived and breathed, defying him to stand still. Sparkle’s humming faded in the glory that was Murmur’s music.

As if in a trance, everyone climbed to their feet and began dancing. They’d forgotten their partners of only a few seconds ago as they swayed, leaped, and twirled, held fast by Murmur’s compulsion.

Edge didn’t even realize he was dancing until Passion grabbed him. She’d latched onto a doorframe, trying to hold herself still. She clung to him. Probably afraid he’d drift away to be lost in the dance. Hated to admit it, but it could happen. They might want to move the demon up on their suspect list.

Meanwhile, whoever was controlling Sparkle’s humming must have noticed the competition. Sparkle’s blank stare grew a little less blank. Her gaze narrowed on Murmur, and her humming grew louder. Murmur grinned. His music swelled and sped up. The dancers’ frenetic motions became a blur.

“Great. Dueling compulsions.” Edge forced his feet to shuffle and slide their way toward the door. He resisted his almost irresistible need to swing and sway. And he definitely would
not
twirl.

Passion threw one last question at Murmur. “How long will they dance?”

Murmur glanced at her. His eyes glowed red. “Until they die.”

“No. You can’t. That’s wrong.”

“I’m a demon. When did you forget that? Demons kill.” His gaze shifted to Edge. “As do other beings.”

Edge cursed as he danced back to grab her hand and yank her toward the door. “It’s either dance, make love right here, or get out of Dodge. Your choice, but decide now.”

She followed him from the room.

They didn’t stop running until they once again were standing outside the castle. Even here, Edge had to focus on not dancing, on not dragging her back into the greenhouse.

“Where do we start looking for Ganymede?”

Passion was hopping and bopping to Murmur’s music. Edge didn’t think she even realized it.

“If I can get my head straight for a minute, I’ll reach for his mind.” Why hadn’t Ganymede reached for
him
? He didn’t have time to sift through possibilities. He’d put a mental call out and hope Ganymede answered.

“Anything I can do?” Passion kept glancing at the naked humans and a few nonhumans dancing in the courtyard.

“Pinch me.”

She abandoned the dancers in favor of staring at him. “Excuse me?”

“I need to get the compulsions out of my head for a few minutes while I search for Ganymede’s mind.”

Her smile looked a little too eager. “Pinch? Where?” Her gaze slipped to his butt.

As tempting as that was, her pinch would have to be in a spot that wouldn’t aid Sparkle’s cause. “Better make it my arm.”

She didn’t argue, just nodded.

The sharp pain cleared his brain for a few seconds. He reached for Ganymede. At first he got nothing. He listened harder. Then…There. A faint whisper. Edge focused harder. Almost, almost. Finally, he had it.

“He’s in his apartment. Let’s go.”

They danced their way to Ganymede’s door while visions of hot sex filled their minds. At least Edge assumed Passion’s mind was tuned in to erotic images too.

Time for more pain. “I need another pinch.”

“Sorry. Can’t resist.” She pinched his ass. “So beautiful. So pinch-worthy.”

He pushed aside visions of payback and concentrated on his mental message.
“What the hell is going on?”

Ganymede’s answer was immediate if faint.
“The bastard threw up some kind of spell around my room. Couldn’t get out or reach anyone’s mind. Son of a bitch will pay for this. Focus your power on your side of the door, and I’ll take care of this side. If that doesn’t w
ork, we’re shit out of luck until we can get Holgarth up here.”

Yeah, like that was going to happen. Holgarth was busy dancing naked to Murmur’s compulsion. Anger drove Edge’s power. Ganymede must’ve felt the same, because the door simply disappeared. Ganymede padded through the opening.

“You’re in cat form?” Passion was doing what looked like a snake dance right now. Intriguing. Arousing. “Don’t you think human form might be a better bet right now?”

Ganymede padded toward the stairs, ears pinned back and tail whipping from side to side.
“When I felt Sparkle get hit, it threw me
out of cat form for a little while. I felt her compulsion. Fat lot of good it did me.”
He sounded disgusted.
“Figured once I got out, I’d be able to resist the pull better in cat form.”

He wasn’t resisting everything because Edge could see his tail beginning to wave in time to Sparkle’s song while his front paws moved with Murmur’s rhythm.

“What’s the situation?”

Edge explained in as few words as possible.

“I can stop Sparkle. If Murmur is our guy, though, that changes everything.”

Startled, Edge stared at the cat. That was a first. He’d never heard uncertainty in Ganymede’s voice before.

“Maybe the Big Boss is your guy.” Passion was now into a tango. She was beginning to breathe hard.

So was Edge.

Ganymede stopped to stare at her. Edge stared too. The implications were mind-boggling.

“Why would he mess with his own people?”
Ganymede stated the obvious.

She shrugged. “Isn’t there some quote about power corrupting and absolute power corrupting absolutely?”

“All that power could eat your brain. Maybe he’s gone crazy?”
Ganymede seemed to be considering the possibility.

“I don’t think we want to go there yet.” If the Big Boss had turned on them, then the world was in deep shit. Edge didn’t think anyone would walk away from that.

They’d reached the great hall. For a moment, they just stared. Edge figured hell must look a lot like this. Only here there were dueling devils.

“Some of them are dancing at the same time they’re…How is that physically possible?” Passion sounded horrified.

“Tell me that’s not Holgarth over there. I can’t look. I think I’m going blind.”
Ganymede turned his head away.

“Isn’t that Bain?” Passion didn’t look away from the demon, and she
didn’t
look horrified. “What a beautiful man.” Wonder moved in her voice.

“Demon. He’s a
demon
. He sleepwalks. And he has weird friends. Didn’t Murmur say that Bain is his friend?” The immediate stab of jealousy caught Edge by surprise. He wanted to tear Bain apart and then heave his pieces into the trash bin.

Edge had bragged about the control he had over his body, but he was doing a crappy job of controlling his emotions. What did that mean? He’d think about it later.