Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

I scarfed down a late lunch, followed by two tall glasses of water. My throat was dusty thanks to my time outdoors with Max. Every time he moved, I seemed to inhale a bit of earth.

The ward activated and I recognized the mild tickle in my armpit that seemed to accompany Gun’s arrival. A second sensation quickly followed. No doubt Camryn Sable, Gun’s cousin and fellow mage assassin.

“Can someone get the door?” I yelled.

Claude jumped from the windowsill and scrambled toward the foyer. I used the spare moment to rinse my plate and wipe the crumbs off the table.

Camryn entered the kitchen first, followed by Gunther’s lanky frame. Claude sat on the latter’s shoulder, boosted an extra half inch by the generous shoulder pad.

“Are you aware there’s a giant rock man wandering around your yard?” Gun asked.

“That’s my new friend, Max. You could’ve said hello. He speaks English. ”

“Are you serious? I’m still getting used to this guy.” He inclined his head toward Claude.

“Don’t mind Gun,” Cam said. “He’s testy because his favorite tea is still out of stock at Five Beans.”

“It’s a conspiracy,” he ranted.

“It’s a supply chain issue,” Cam countered.

He pulled out a chair and sat. “I beg to differ. It’s giving Boston Tea Party vibes, don’t you think?”

I knew better than to inject myself into a family squabble. “I can make tea, but it’s probably not the kind you want.”

“No, thank you. I’ll suffer in silence.”

“Except it’s never in silence,” Cam muttered.

“What brings you here?” I asked.

“I told you we should’ve called first,” Cam said to Gun.

“Nonsense. We’re her besties. That gives us carte blanche to show up whenever for whatever. Any update on Alessandro?”

“No. I’ve been preoccupied.” I gave them the abbreviated version of the visit by Apep and the Erinyes, the meeting with the police, and Posy’s appearance at the library.

“Wait,” Gun said. “This all happened before we drove to Jersey City?”

“Not the meeting with the police. That was after.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about the other stuff?” Gun asked.

“We were on a motorcycle. Kind of hard to have a conversation.” I omitted the fact that we didn’t ride home together in case he didn’t want Cam to know about his dalliance with Del.

“I don’t like this,” Gun said. “I guarantee Corporation Barbie is going to show up on your doorstep this week. Mark my words.”

“Please,” I said, “no mention of marks.”

“It’ll take more than a basic ward to keep her at bay,” Camryn chimed in. “If she’s a siren, you’ll need stronger magic.”

“Do they sell it down at Hewitt’s or should I order it online?”

Gun responded with his fake laugh that sounded more hyena than human. Unlike Alessandro’s hyena girl, though, Gun had more notable characteristics.

“I’m talking about our magic.” Cam gestured to her cousin. “Let us booby-trap your yard with tarot cards. That way if she makes it past whatever ward you throw up, she’ll still have other obstacles to overcome. If nothing else, it’ll buy you time to escape or defend yourself.”

Gun cut a glance at her. “That means we’d need to be physically present. We can’t leave our cards scattered around the lawn willy-nilly.”

“True. I can’t camp outside indefinitely,” Camryn said.

Gun snorted. “Who are you kidding? You can’t camp at all.”

Her eyes turned to slits. “Right back at you, prairie princess.”

“Are there any local mages with the ability to inject spells directly into the property?” I asked. “Kane wants me to ward all of it.”

Gun examined his purple fingernails. “There are a couple mages in the guild who might be able to help.”

“Cedric and Monica are your best bets,” Cam volunteered.

I remembered them from the last guild meeting I’d attended where I’d requested aid from the assassins and was roundly rejected.

“They voted in favor of helping you at the meeting,” Gun said, “so I don’t think they see you as a genuine threat.”

That was promising.

Cam looked at Gun. “Call them now and invite them over. ”

“It’d be better coming from her boyfriend,” Gun said, angling his head toward me. “We have a bit of a rivalry with them. They might say no for the hell of it.”

“Fine.” I pulled out my phone and sent a text message to Kane.

Gun shot Cam a knowing look. “Did you notice that?”

“I most certainly did,” Cam replied.

I looked up from the phone. “What?”

“I referred to Kane as your boyfriend and you didn’t object.” Gun slammed a fist on the table. “Case closed, Your Honor. The defendant is guilty of sexual relations in the first degree.”

“Maybe I grew tired of lodging the same objection over and over.”

“Nonsense. You love repeating yourself. Happens all the time.”

Cam perked up. “Just like Aunt Juju. Remember her, Gun?”

“How could I forget? Her repeated comment to me was that I reminded her of her favorite Great Dane, Roscoe.”

Cam sighed. “She used to tell me I belonged in a sanitarium. I had to Google it.”

“As delightful as Aunt Juju sounds, can we focus? Kane just texted to say Monica and Cedric will be here in five minutes.” The demon prince was nothing if not efficient.

Gun glanced at his cousin. “Anything to avoid talking about her boyfriend. I bet that means the sex was bad.”

Cam nodded sagely. “It’s Graham Mulvaney all over again.”

Gun’s cheeks turned concave as he sucked in a breath. “I’d forgotten all about D.D.”

I looked from one to the other. “D.D.?”

Cam glared at her cousin. “You swore not to call him that anymore. ”

“Why not? It’s true.” Gunther cupped his hands on his face and mouthed the words ‘disappointing dick.’

“I’d prefer to reframe it as a learning experience.” Camryn placed her hand over mine in a gesture of reassurance. “If you need help figuring out how to do that, I can give you a tip.”

“Which is all Graham was capable of,” Gun quipped.

I couldn’t take another word. “I don’t need to reframe anything. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, disappointing about Kane Sullivan.”

Gun slapped the table, gleeful. “Ha! I knew it!”

I pressed the pads of my fingers against my temple. “This is not the direction this conversation was supposed to take.”

“We’re professionals, darling,” Gun drawled. “We know how to interrogate until they pop.”

“Please don’t make a big deal about it,” I said. “The relationship is still in its infancy.”

“Will you let us know when it’s reached the toddler stage so we can make a big deal about it? Maybe set an alert on your phone?” Gun leaned over and tapped my phone screen.

The ward activated, shooting a ripple of energy from my elbow to my fingertips. “The mages are here.”

Gun abandoned my phone.

“Saved by the assassins,” I said, not a phrase you’d hear often.

I hurried to the door and hoped Max had wandered back to the cemetery. It was one thing to explain his presence to my friends; it was quite another to explain him to relative strangers.

“Monica. Cedric.” Gun didn’t smile.

Monica was too enamored by the foyer to respond. “Well, shit. Look at this place.”

“I’ve always wanted to see the interior,” Cedric said. “What are your plans for it? ”

“What sort of plans?” I asked.

“You must have twenty spare rooms in this house. You could make a killing with a bed and breakfast.”

“Oh, I don’t see a bed and breakfast in my future unless the killing involved the guests.”

“Why not?” Nana Pratt’s voice cut in. “You need money. I could cook breakfast for guests, so you wouldn’t need to worry about that.”

Now wasn’t the time to explain to Nana Pratt that guests might run screaming from the building if they noticed eggs and bacon frying themselves.

Monica’s gaze alighted on Gunther’s shoulder. “And who’s this charming fella?” She tickled the revenant’s knuckle.

“That’s Claude,” I said.

“You’re adorable,” she told the hand, prompting Claude to flip over for a belly rub. Smiling, Monica scratched his palm. “Where’d you find him?”

“He found me. Friend of a friend.”

“So, what’s the emergency? Kane acted like your house was on fire.” Cedric seemed less enamored of Claude than his companion.

“We’ve been discussing a plan to deal with The Corporation,” I said.

Cedric rolled his eyes. “Still? Haven’t they come and gone by now?”

“If they’d come and gone, you’d know about it,” I snapped.

“I don’t get what the big deal is,” Monica said. “They’re an organization. They have meetings and departments. Probably a company holiday party.”

Gun’s gaze could’ve cut glass. “Have you not been listening to the guild chatter? The organization is evil, and it’s after Lorelei. They’re thugs in expensive suits, basically a rival gang invading our turf. ”

Cedric rubbed his goatee. “Well, when you put it like that…”

Monica pushed up her sleeves. “What do you need us to do?”

“Have you ever seen the movie Home Alone ?” I asked.

“Of course. Who hasn’t?” Cedric surveyed the group, as though challenging one of us to deny it.

“Imagine the Castle is your house and we’re defending it from intruders,” I explained. “With magical pitfalls.”

Monica broke into a broad smile. “And that’s where we come in?”

“As you can imagine, we’re a bit useless in the snare department,” Cam said with a note of apology. “But we thought you two might enjoy the break from your routine.”

Cedric’s head bobbed. He seemed to be picturing the wide array of options right now. “I’m loving this plan already. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to exercise creative freedom in my work.”

“Monica excels in enchantments,” Gun shared. “And Cedric is an engineering wiz.”

Cedric continued his love affair with his goatee, giving it a few strokes. “This property is rife with possibilities. I can’t wait to draw up a mind map.”

I was glad one of us was excited.

“Is there a specific threat you have in mind?” Monica asked.

“Use your imagination,” I said.

“Will they only approach through the gate or is the air an option?” she pressed.

“Flying through the air. Tunneling underground. Scaling the fence. Resurrecting the bodies in the graves. You name it.”

“Sounds like you’re in dire need of a fortress,” Cedric remarked .

“That’s why you’re here,” Gun told him.

Monica’s face registered confusion. “What kind of creature can tunnel underneath?”

Gun and Cam tripped over each other in their rush to name species capable of such a feat.

“You’re professional assassins,” Gun said. “How do you not know all these potential threats?”

Cedric shrugged. “Listen, I thought this hand belonged to a ghoul until somebody said the word revenant. We all have our strengths.”

“The guild is in dire need of a supernatural education,” I said.

A sly smile slid across Gun’s face. “I’m sure your boyfriend would be happy to have you lecture us.”

“Ooh, I can totally see them rocking a teacher-student fantasy,” Cam chimed in.

I held up a hand. “Can we stay on task, please? This is important.”

Gun leaned over to his cousin. “He’ll lose his mind if she whips out a wooden ruler to point to the board.”

Monica cleared her throat. At least someone else was as uncomfortable as I was. “I could enchant marbles and bury them in certain sections of the yard. Create a containment area to hold the trespassers if the magic gets triggered.”

“Why marbles? Why not stones or something readily available in the woods?” I asked.

“Can’t do natural objects. The enchantments only work on manmade items. Plus, marbles are small and easy to work with.”

I stared at her. “You’re like the anti-Brody.” The nature mage could fashion a weapon from just about any natural item.

“Better than the anti-Christ,” Cam said .

Cocking his head, Gun pressed his lips together. “Is it, though?”

“Here’s the most important question, though,” I said. “How can we make sure we don’t injure innocent people?”

“I’ll have to think on that,” Cedric replied. He rubbed his goatee so many times in such a short span, I was beginning to think it was the source of his power.

Light sparked in Gun’s dark eyes. “What if you could watch and wait from the comfort of your own home? Or from anywhere else for that matter?”

Cedric’s brow rippled with curiosity. “How?”

“Think of it as a remote detonator with visuals,” Gun explained.

Monica was the first to catch on. “Yes! I did something similar for a job in Toronto. I couldn’t get a visual on the target, so I set up the equivalent of a crystal ball…”

“Scrying glass,” I corrected her.

Monica’s sigh was as dramatic as Gun’s eyeliner. “I was appealing to the laypeople among us, which I assumed was you. No need to be pedantic.”

Claude pinched her leg and scurried over to me.

Monica glowered at the revenant. “It’s like that, is it? And here I thought we had a connection.”

I patted Claude. “Who’s a good boy?”

“I think it’s best if no one needs eyes on the property,” Cedric said. “The traps should be designed to detect a genuine threat without help.”

“I’m all in favor of that,” I said.

Monica and Cedric locked eyes. “The Baltimore job,” they said in unison.

“Love their aquarium,” Gun interjected. “Getting a little pricey, though.”

“We worked a job together in Baltimore,” Cedric explained. “It was a heavily warded house with extra layers of security.”

“How is that helpful to Home Alone: Castle edition?” Gun asked.

“They did an excellent job,” Monica chimed in. “Very few weak spots. I was so impressed, I took notes.”

“It took an age for us to get past the traps and reach our target,” Cedric said. “The arrogant son of a bitch was just sitting there watching football when we finally broke into his safe room.”

Monica laughed. “The look on his face… He was shocked as hell.”

I wouldn’t make that mistake, not even with all the magical triggers in the world.

“Kane stressed the urgency of the situation,” Cedric said, “so I guess that means we need to get started on a plan.”

“We’ll let you know when we’re ready to implement it,” Monica added.

“No dillydallying,” Gun said. “I have no doubt Homicidal Barbie will show her fully made-up face before the week is out.”

“Chill,” Cedric said. “We’re trained to work fast and under pressure, just like you, although it’ll take time away from paid work.” He let the sentence dangle between us.

“I have a bit of money,” I offered, although I’d been trying my best not to blow through the cash Aite had left behind.

“Kane will pay,” Cam said.

“Absolutely not,” I snapped. “Do not take one cent from him on my behalf.”

Gun’s eyes glistened with sympathy. “Honey, I say this with nothing but love and respect, but you can’t afford one mage of their skill level, let alone two.” He pivoted to the mages. “Cam will do your next job, Monica, and I’ll do Cedric’s. ”

Cedric’s face brightened. “You’ll do the work and I’ll still accept the payment?”

“Exactly.”

“Gun, no. I can’t let you do that,” I said.

He shot me a dark look. “I’m not asking.”

“I accept,” Monica said. Looking at me, she nodded at the revenant. “Would you mind lending your hand when we come back?”

“Claude’s his own revenant. I don’t control him.” Unlike other dead things.

Cam’s lip curled in disgust. “What do you expect a gnarly hand to do?”

“You can’t create pitfalls without digging a few holes,” Monica said with a wink.

Claude scrambled across the floor and opened the front door. I couldn’t decide whether he was being polite or eager for them to leave.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” I said to the mages.

Cedric paused at the door. “Would you put in a good word with Kane for me?” he asked in a low voice. “I’d like a couple extra vacation days this year.”

“I’ll float the idea past him,” I promised.

“I can’t thank you enough for your help with them,” I said, once Monica and Cedric had vacated the premises.

Camryn bumped me with her hip. “It takes a village, right?” She froze. “Can I touch you like that or do I risk pulling you into a nightmare?”

“It’s okay. I have years of practice building up my defenses. Emotions have been my biggest challenge.” It felt vulnerable to admit that to them.

Cam cocked her head. “Like if you were crying and I hugged you, that would be riskier? ”

Gun scoffed. “Who are you kidding? You wouldn’t comfort anyone. You’d head for the farthest hill.”

“I can be nurturing,” she objected.

“Yes,” I interrupted. “That would be riskier. It’s the reason I don’t play music that’s too personal to me. I avoid anything that might bring my powers to the surface and make them harder to control.”

“That’s rough,” Gun commiserated. “Music is the soundtrack of my life.”

“It’s mine, too,” I said. “That’s the trouble.”

“It helped you in the fighting ring, though,” Gun pointed out. “When Kane played that classical song, you were like Rocky making a comeback.”

I smiled at the memory. “It’s typically been more of a hindrance than a help.” And if it weren’t for my performance in Magnarella’s fighting ring, I wouldn’t be on The Corporation’s radar now.

“I heard you humming to yourself recently,” Gun pointed out. “That’s new.”

I nodded. “I’ve been less resistant lately. I even played the piano for Otto. I hadn’t touched an instrument in years.”

“Hmm, and what prompted that change, I wonder.” Gun tapped his cheek, feigning uncertainty. “Could it be love, sweet love?”

Cam tipped her head back and moaned. “No fair. I really need some sweet love. I haven’t been with anyone since Vaughn.”

Gun glanced upward. “Gods, hear her prayer.”

“It’s been a nice change,” I admitted. “I’ve been able to appreciate the positive associations I have to certain songs without feeling overwhelmed.”

Gun contemplated me. “Does this mean we can finally do our long-awaited group hug? ”

I looked from cousin to cousin. “I didn’t realize that was on anybody’s wish list.”

He flung his arms wide. “Get in here, both of you, and warm the cockles of an assassin’s cold, dead heart.”