Magic Burns(38)

“Me?”

He winked. “Cute bow, by the way.”

I glanced down. Sure enough, my robe had come open. The whole world now knew I had a bow on my panties.

I pulled my robe closed. “You get me for how long? Forever?”

He gave me an appraising stare. “No offense, but you’re not that hot. There are other fish in the sea. A night will do.”

I had to give it to him, to flatter and insult a woman in one proposition took talent. “No disappearing into the mist to grab the maps?”

He raised his hands. “Fine, fine.”

“Swear on Morrigan’s name that you’ll pay up if I win.”

It was a gamble. I watched for his reaction and got it: he hesitated. To him, Morrigan’s name carried weight, which meant she was likely to be his patron goddess.

“I swear by Morrighan to uphold the bargain.” He pronounced Morrigan oddly, which was probably the right way to say her name.

I tossed Slayer on the bed, never taking my eyes off of him, and put the maps on the sheets. “Back away, three steps.”

We stepped back in unison, he to the middle of the room, and I to the wall by the chair.

“On three. One,” he said, bending forward like a runner. “Two.”

He lunged for the maps. I grabbed the chair and hit him with it. He went down. I hit him again to make sure he stayed that way, stepped over him, and picked up the maps. “I win.” Now if only the room would stop spinning, I’d be all set.

He groaned and a torrent of obscenities burst from him.

“Your problem is, you underestimate me because I’m a woman.” I nudged him with my foot. “Hood’s name?”

“Bolgor the Shepherd, of the Fomoire.” Mist swirled and he vanished.

My legs gave out and I crash-landed on the bed. Fomoire? Fomorian. Morrigan’s old adversaries. Now the fish stink made sense: of course, a sea-demon would stink like fish. I frowned. Bran served Morrigan and Morrigan and the Fomorians hated each other. That made perfect sense. But what did this Shepherd want with Julie?

The door burst open and Derek charged into the room, followed by two female shapeshifters.

I held out the maps. “Here. That’s twice in one day. You owe me.”

Derek took the maps from my hands and sniffed them, while the two women checked the window.

“He’s gone,” the younger woman said.

Derek’s face trembled in fury. “I’m going to find him. Nobody does that to us twice.”

“What’s going on?” Curran stepped into the room.

Derek paled. Good luck explaining that monumental breach of security.

Bran snapped into the room in a corkscrew of mist, jerked my robe open and down to clamp my shoulders, and kissed me. His teeth clicked against mine. I kneed him, but he expected it and blocked with his leg. He realized his tongue wouldn’t make it into my mouth and let go. “I’ll still get you,” he promised.

Curran lunged at him and caught tendrils of mist.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

“Did he hurt you?” Curran said.

If my eyes could shoot lightning, I would’ve fried him on the spot. “Depends on how you define hurt. What kind of show are you running here, anyway?”

Curran snarled.

“Very impressive,” I told him. “He can’t hear you.”

I pulled my robe shut, again, climbed into my bed, and covered myself with my blanket. I had had entirely enough embarrassment for one night.





Chapter 11




I woke up because someone was watching me. I opened my eyes and saw Julie’s face an inch from mine. We looked at each other for a long minute.

“You’re not going to die?” she asked me very softly.

“Not right this minute.” And, of course, saying something like that usually resulted in immediate demise. I braced myself for a stray meteorite falling through the roof to crush my skull.

“That’s good,” she said in a voice that suggested anything but happiness.

She crawled on my bed, and curled up in a corner, hands fastened over her knees.

“I got scared. I get scared when Mom goes to work.” She put her head on her hands. “And when Red leaves.”

“That’s a hard way to live.”

“I can’t help it.”

I didn’t know what to say. Kids don’t usually understand death. They feel immortal and secure. Julie understood the full extent of death the way an adult would, and she couldn’t deal with it. And I didn’t know how to help her.

“There is something you said to Red that I wanted to ask you about.” If I just could figure out the right way to do it. “You said you would give him what you had. What did you mean?”