Chapter 4
It was Gunnar. I dug deep to find Portlock Bunny. Work Bunny. Professional Bunny. I wiped my eyes again and cleared my throat. ‘I have to take this, it's work,' I said firmly. My mother waved her hand, giving me permission that I didn't damn well need to answer my own bloody phone.
She picked up Arabella and settled back at the kitchen table, sipping her tea again like she hadn't ripped my world in two.
‘Gunnar,' I answered a shade hoarsely. ‘What's up?'
‘Sorry, Bunny. I know your mom arrived and it's your day off, but I could use your help on a case.' His voice dropped an octave. ‘Plus, Connor kind of suggested you'd be more than happy to be summoned.'
Despite everything, that made me smile. Even though he wasn't by my side, Connor was still trying to ride to my rescue. In this case the monster I was being rescued from was my own mother, but he'd been right: I was more than happy to be rescued.
It said something about my psyche that a part of me was hoping Gunnar had a juicy murder case that would keep me out of my house for days on end. ‘I'll be in ASAP,' I promised. ‘Give me a few.' We hung up.
I turned to face She-That-Had-Birthed-Me. ‘I have to go in to work,' I said bluntly.
‘But I just arrived,' she protested. ‘I wanted to talk.'
‘I think you've said enough, don't you?' My voice was brittle; I hoped my broken heart wasn't on my sleeve for everyone to see. I gritted my teeth and cast around for something to say that was a little more polite than the ‘fuck off' that wanted to leap out. ‘Why don't you get cleaned up and grab some rest?' I offered lamely.
My mother looked subdued and her eyes were downcast. I felt a stab of guilt; she'd come all of this way to see me, flown thousands of miles to be with her daughter, and come clean about a huge secret that must have weighed on her for years. Was I being unfair?
I tried to think about it objectively but I was in it too deep to see anything clearly. Later, when I had some time alone, I'd drown in my childhood memories and see everything in a new light, but for now I tried to set it aside. I had work to do.
Mum gave me a tremulous smile. ‘All right, darling, I am a bit tired. Rest sounds good.'
I managed my own tight smile. ‘Maybe we can grab some food together later.' I offered the olive branch stiffly. Before she could reply, I grabbed Fluffy's lead, stuffed Shadow in his pram and stalked out.
I had a five-minute walk to clear my head. To be honest, even a five-mile hike wouldn't have cleared the detritus in my mind, but I had to try. The fresh air would help. Yeah, and pigs would fly.
I stalked to work, trying to quell my tumultuous emotions, push the feelings down, lock them in a box and focus on work. What a relief work was. God I hoped someone was dead.
I opened the door of the Nomo's office to find April Arctos seated at my desk. I'd forgotten that she was due to start today, and seeing someone usurping my seat gave me another wobble I didn't need. Suddenly I felt utterly replaceable, though I had enough self-awareness to know that was nothing to do with April Arctos.
I pasted on my best smile again and stepped forward; at least Mum's social soirées had been good for something. ‘Hello, April, I'm so happy to see you! Welcome!' I was thrilled to see her, just not at my desk. We badly needed help in the office and April was a force to be reckoned with.
‘Thank you, Bunny.' She gave me a genuine smile that faltered a little as she looked at me. ‘Is everything okay?'
April was an observant woman so no doubt she'd spotted the red eyes and splotchy skin that signalled a crying jag. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ‘My mum is visiting,' I admitted.
‘And you don't get on?'
‘Like dragons and knights,' I said flatly.
‘Ah. Well, maybe this is an opportunity for you to mend fences.'
‘I think our fences are destroyed,' I huffed.
April winked. ‘Good thing you're dating the local lumberjack then!'
Her humour surprised a laugh out of me. ‘Yeah, that's true.' I felt a little lighter and realised that had been her intention. I touched her shoulder. ‘Thanks, April. I really am glad to have you here.' Fuck it, she could have my desk.
I let Shadow out of his carrier to join Fluffy on their matching beds. ‘He in?' I asked, thumbing towards Gunnar's office.
She gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Is he ever out?' I grinned. She already had her finger on the pulse; she'd fit in fine.
I went to Gunnar's office and tapped at the door. ‘What's up boss?'
Gunnar looked up. ‘The mayor called to say we have a developing situation down at the North Harbour.'
I'd been there less than an hour ago – what could possibly have cropped up in that amount of time? ‘What kind of problem?'
‘The kind where tempers are fraying. Mafu's keeping his distance. He said it looks like it's about to get ugly. Ready to rock and roll?'
‘You bet. But why is it always the North Harbour?' I complained.
‘It's cursed,' Gunnar agreed. He heaved himself out of his chair and we made hasty tracks to the borrowed ancient Suburban on loan from the borough. The Nomo SUV had met it's end at the hands of a possessed wind witch only a day and a half ago.
As we raced to the North Harbour, the place that seemed to be the bane of my existence, I asked, ‘What did Mafu say was happening?'
‘He said fists were about to fly and we'd better hurry before fur and fangs got involved. I nearly went without you,' he admitted, ‘but I knew you wouldn't be long.'
‘I appreciate you waiting.' I needed this; I needed a sharp reminder that I wasn't a downtrodden waitress anymore.
We parked and hurried down the walk-down ramp; the tide was coming back in so it was much less steep. People had gathered on the dock next to Edgy's plane and a fishing boat that was moored nearby. The crowd was rumbling and the tang of blood danced on the air.
As I stepped onto the boards, my stomach gave a low rumble of hunger. Dammit, I hadn't had any blood before I'd come out. It was a rookie error. I got hangry: someone was bleeding from a stray punch and suddenly I was feeling a whole lot of rage. I cursed myself for not remembering that I'd needed blood, no matter how distasteful I found it.
The mayor was trying to control the small crowd from a distance with a loud hailer, but he was obviously fighting a losing battle. I watched as one man shoved another with significant force. Despite the strength of the shove, the other barely moved – shifter strength. He gave a taunting smile and his aggressor stepped back and crouched low. I'd seen that stance before: he was going to shift. Mafu wasn't wrong about the fur and fangs. Luckily, I was the one with the fangs.
I pulled a set of magic-cancelling cuffs out of my belt and, using vampiric speed, sprinted towards the crouched man. His shift stopped abruptly as I closed his new jewellery around his wrists and his eyes cleared. ‘What?' he asked in confusion, still kneeling. He looked around. ‘Gary?' he said to the taunting man. ‘What's going on?'
Gary pulled his hand back to shove his fist into the kneeling man's face, but before he could make contact Gunnar had wrestled him to the ground. The minute the cuffs were on him, Gary looking around in confusion. ‘Carl?' he said to his friend. ‘What the fuck?'
‘I don't know, man. You were fixing for a fight.'
‘So were you,' I interrupted. ‘And you're not alone.' Around us another seven people were vying for a heavyweight title. Fists were flying; even worse, I could feel my own anger rising. The heat in me was scorching and I wanted to give into it to burn away the feelings of inadequacy my mother's confession had raised in me.
Gunnar bellowed. ‘Everyone stop!' No one paid him any mind.
‘Cuffs!' I barked. ‘Cuff them all quickly!' I briefly considered putting a cuff on myself before I lost control but dismissed the idea. The last thing I wanted right now was to be in a hostile situation without my magic. I could keep a lid on my rage. Probably.
We made quick work of the irate crowd because they were focused on each other, barely aware of their surroundings. Soon all nine men were cuffed, confused and subdued.
I was standing near the edge of the harbour. A familiar glint of gold in the water made me step closer: the water dragon. It looked at me pointedly, and I moved closer to meet its ancient eyes. The problem was that I didn't speak Water Dragon and I was still wrestling with my rage issues, which were becoming almost unbearable.
‘You got some rage growing?' Gunnar grunted.
‘Oh yeah. Like a forest fire,' I warned him pointedly.
He shot me a look. ‘Hold it steady,' he commanded. He wasn't talking about my temper but about my flames.
I nodded tightly and stepped closer to the water; if I lost control, at least I could direct the flames into the bay. The sea was hellish cold – it could cope with being a degree or two warmer.
‘The anger – it's a curse,' Gunnar rumbled. ‘We need to find and disrupt the rune work. It'll be here somewhere.'
‘Disrupt it how?'
‘We need to scrub it out.' Gunnar's huge fists were opening and closing rhythmically. He was fighting the urge to start kicking ass, too.
Scrub out rune work: that seemed simple enough. I was about to go back to the crowd when the water dragon flicked water over me with its tail. ‘Hey!' I objected. I hadn't taken care with my appearance but at least I'd been clean; now I was swampy. Son of a bitch.
My watery friend was trying to tell me something, but what? There had been a time not long ago that the thought of being near an ancient water dragon would have been enough to make me piss my pants, so in a way it was a nice reminder that I had changed and grown. I was stronger now, and I wasn't going to let my mum unmake my progress.
I moved closer to the water dragon. It rolled on its side then one golden eye blinked at me and pointedly looked up. I followed its gaze.
The dock was anchored with six tall metal poles so it could slide up and down with the tide. Although it was dark, the smell of blood and the dragon"s eye led me to glimpse what could definitely be the cursed rune work on the metal's surface.
I wiped my hands down my pants. The poles were smooth so this would take my full vampiric strength – and luck. I jumped, grabbed hold with my hands and knees then used my feet to propel me and started shimmying up the pole.
The smell of blood became stronger; no wonder my tummy had rumbled. I hadn't smelled a nosebleed, it had been this: runes drawn in blood. I could see them clearly now, painted on the metal surface.
I anchored myself as best I could with one arm and both legs, got out my phone, used the flash and snapped some pictures. Once I'd secured the evidence, I used my jacket sleeve to swipe through the runes. Ewww. I tried not to think about the blood that was now covering my jacket.
Once I was certain I'd destroyed the dangerous runes, I slid down the post. Hopefully I'd destroyed them before Gunnar's rage accidentally started him wiping the floor with the cuffed men below me.