But Aegis surprised me. He glanced down at me. “You need…something different. You need to get out of your thoughts for a while. Come on. We’ll pick your car up on the way back.” He grabbed my hand, dragging me over to the black Corvette that was parked in front of the Utopia. I jumped in the passenger seat and he started the car, waiting till I had fastened my seatbelt before we took to the streets.
WE HEADED FOR the middle of downtown—not what I had expected. Aegis parked in the lot across from the town square and motioned for me to take his hand. We headed across the street to Dugan’s Donuts, a coffee shop that stayed open until 1:00 a.m.
As we entered the shop, the waitress—a woman named Viv—motioned for us to take a seat. She picked up her order pad and headed over to the booth.
The coffee shop was retro, with a checkerboard floor, vinyl stools at the counter, and padded booths that looked like they had escaped right out of the 1950s. The color scheme was coral and teal, and pictures of Hollywood glamour stars hung on the walls.
“Do you know what you want, or do you still need a few minutes?” Viv asked. She was wearing a pale yellow pencil skirt and a Peter Pan collared blouse, very retro, and her hair was tied in a blue bandana. The coffee shop was colorful, to say the least.
“I think I’ll have hot chocolate and don’t stint on the whipped cream. I also want a piece of apple pie, if you have it.” I realized I was hungry again. I had been burning through a lot of energy lately and was feeling it.
Aegis glanced at the menu. “Milk and two chocolate cake doughnuts.”
“I’ll be back with your order in a few minutes.” Viv stuck her pencil behind her ear and sashayed off.
Aegis let out a soft laugh. “Humans are so fond of their retro themes. I understand, though.”
I paused. I had never asked him before, but decided it was time. “Were you ever human? You were a servant of Apollo, so I’m not entirely sure how you got your start.”
He rubbed his nose, then sat back in his seat. He looked a little scruffy, and a whole lot delicious. “I got my start…you know the story about Heracles?”
“Yes, he was the son of Zeus and of Alcmene—a human.” My eyes widened. “Don’t tell me that you are Heracles?”
He laughed. “No, I’m not as strong as he was. But yes, Zeus was famous for leaving spawn around the world. As were a few other gods.” Aegis toyed with the sugar packets. “My father was Hermes. My mother was a human. I was born under the sunrise, and by the time I arrived, Hermes had totally forgotten about my mother. Out of anger that he had left her with child and then abandoned her, she offered me up to the Sun God the morning I was born. Apollo accepted me, granted her a joyful life, and I grew up under his care. That’s why he was so angry at me when I fell in love with one of his favorites…and she fell for me.”
I sat very still, focused on those four words. “Your father was Hermes? Then you are the son of a god?”
“Well, yes.” Aegis paused as Viv approached with our orders.
I downed my chocolate in one long shot, needing the sugar to handle the news that my boyfriend was a demigod. Boy, I could pick ‘em. Not just a vampire, nope—but divine as well.
“Does your father know what happened to you?” I picked at my pie.
Aegis polished off his doughnuts and milk. I envied his ability to never worry about junk food.
“Well, I’m not certain. I don’t know just what transpired between him and my mother. She died several thousand years ago. I never even knew her name.” He paused, glancing across the table at me. “I’ve never talked to Hermes. Apollo took over as my father. That’s why…what happened hurt so much.”
“Do you think Apollo knows the truth about why you did what you did? Do you think he ever looks for you?” I didn’t like dredging up wounds, but now that he had opened the door, I had a lot of questions.
“I don’t know. Sometimes I feel him near, but he never does more than pass by. Never taps me on the shoulder, never whispers in my ear. I owe him my life. Even this one. I owe him my continued life as one of the Fallen. He could have just killed me. He could have thrown me into the sun itself.”
Aegis fingered the ring he wore. Large and square, it was gold with an engraved sun on the surface, and a carnelian cabochon in the center. The ring held a secret—one I knew about but never spoke of. It contained one shot, like the pirates of old stranded on islands. The pirates were given a gun with one bullet, to end things when they got too bad. Aegis’s ring contained one blast of sunlight that—if released—would send every vampire within sight into dust, including him. It was his get-out-of-jail card. His freedom card from eternal life in the shadows. Even if he was forbidden from ever seeing the sun, he could still end it.
“Have you thought of looking up Hermes?” As soon as I had said it, I realized how stupid that sounded. You didn’t just go knocking on the door and saying, “Hey, I’m your kid.” For one thing, finding your path to the home of the gods was a task in itself. If even possible.
Aegis laughed. “I know better to even answer that.”
I finished my pie and motioned to Viv. “I’ll take a chocolate-covered doughnut to go. And the check.”
She nodded, turning to Aegis. “Want anything else?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m good.” After she left, he asked, “So, how is Sandy? Any news? Preferably good.”
I shook my head. “No, but—hey, what’s going on?” I stopped as somebody outside screamed. Aegis was out of his seat and out the door before I could blink. I tossed a ten-dollar bill on the table and followed him.
As I exited the coffee shop, I froze. There, in the center of the street, was a gigantic snakelike creature. As in twenty feet long, five feet tall, with nasty fangs that looked a good ten inches long. What the hell?
I took a step forward, trying to understand what I was seeing, but Aegis had already approached it. Without so much as a blink, the wyrm swung his way and began to slither toward him. Its narrow eyes were glowing, and it looked hungry. Hungry and angry. I called up my fire, holding out my hands as I conjured a ball of flame. I wasn’t about to let Aegis take this on by himself.
At that moment, the worm-snake-monster noticed a young couple on the other side of the street. They were pushing a baby carriage, and they had stopped to stare. The creature slithered across the street before they could react, heading directly toward them.
Aegis snarled as he landed beside the thing and gave it a swift kick. If I had done that, I would have broken my foot. But Aegis was a vampire, and his kick meant business. It startled the creature, knocking it back into the street by a good ten feet. The creature’s belly skidded like tires on slick pavement, and flecks of what I assumed was skin came off in a bizarre reptilian tire print. I grimaced, but shot my fireball directly at the creature’s head. The head burst into flames, and the snake-monster roared, swiveling my way.
Aegis motioned for the couple to take their baby and run, and they did. He raced toward the snake as it lunged for me. I darted to the side, managing to miss its direct hit, but the head swung wide and hit me and I stumbled.
“Oh no you don’t,” I said, wondering if I could create a holeo to fight it. But that took time. I quickly summoned up a swirl of fire again, sending it spraying toward the snake’s eyes.
Direct hit!
The monster lurched back, coiling in like a rattler to rise up, looming over me, its charred skin sizzling. Its mouth was open and its fangs were bearing down on me. I screamed, trying to dodge to the side. Aegis flew by then in a blur of speed, and he caught me by my waist, dragging me out of the way. We rolled into the street, and then he was on his feet again, yanking me up and racing to one side where he set me down, safely out of range.
Before I could catch my breath to thank him, he was back again, facing down the giant snake. At that moment, Delia appeared, her squad car squealing to a halt in the intersection. She leaped out of it, backed by two deputies who ha
d pulled in behind her, staring at the monster in horror. She said something to one of them and he handed her a shotgun, the black barrel gleaming in the shimmer of the streetlamps.
Aegis noticed her too, and darted out of the way, leaving her a clear line of sight. She brought it up to her shoulder, spreading her feet to steady herself. She fired off three rounds, hitting the snake each time, the bullets impacting with small explosions that rocked the air.
The creature went ballistic, twisting and turning. Aegis was about to head in again when there was a noise—like a gust of wind, without the actual gust—and the snake vanished. Nothing was left except three spent bullets, lying in the street.
I stared at the empty road. “Huh?”
Aegis crept forward, as did Delia. I joined them. We were standing in the center of the street. It was perfectly empty. No blood. No snake. No carcass. No nothing except three very confused people.
I glanced at Delia. “What was that?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea. Aegis?”
He shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Where did it go?”
“That’s a good question.” I blinked, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. There was no one around, except a few patrons from the nearby diner who had filed out to see what the commotion was.
“We did see something, didn’t we? A giant snake?” I wondered about mass hallucination, but that mass hallucination had knocked me off my feet.
“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I kicked it. I felt my boot against it.” Aegis seemed just as bewildered as Delia and I were. “What do we do now? Did it teleport away? Is it on another street?”
Delia motioned to her deputies. They had stoic looks on their faces, but I had the feeling they were questioning their sanity just like we were. “Take your squad car and trace every street for a five-block radius. Look for any signs of…whatever the hell that thing was.”
They nodded, heading out.
I worried my lip. I was tired and frustrated, and now my adrenaline was pumping. “I think I just want to go home.”
“Why don’t you do that. Let me know if you hear anything more about our scaly friend.” Delia shrugged and picked up her spent bullets. By the looks of them, they had definitely hit something. They weren’t just lying on the ground unmarred.
Without another word, Aegis and I headed for his car and she headed for hers. All in all, I thought as I crawled into the passenger seat, life in Bedlam certainly wasn’t boring. With that not-so-comforting thought running through my head, we pulled out, stopping back at the club so I could drive my car home.
The entire trip back to the Bewitching Bedlam had me acutely alert, looking for any sign of the snake creature. By the time I got home, the panic had worn off, and I was ready to crash for the night.
Chapter 10
I WOKE UP to a note on my nightstand, along with a single red rose. It looked suspiciously like it had come from Ralph’s garden and I wouldn’t be surprised if Aegis had slipped over there and swiped one. But it smelled heavenly and I held it to my nose, breathing in the heady, spicy scent. I set it back in the bud vase and picked up the note.
Maddy, I’m sorry we quarreled. But you have to admit, our “date” was the most exciting thing that’s happened in a while. Even if we almost did end up eaten by a giant anaconda. Or whatever kind of snake that creature was. I read over your notes on ghost snails, as well as the information you hadn’t had time to go over. I left you detailed notes about the latter on your desk. There are blueberry pastries for breakfast, and I left Kelson a roast to put in the slow cooker, along with a pan of potatoes au gratin for dinner. I have a meeting tonight with that rep from DreamGen tonight, so will have to kiss-and-run. –xxoo, Aegis
I tucked the note in the velvet box beneath my nightstand with all the others he had given me and slid out of bed, stopping when I realized I was facing Bubba and Luna, both of whom were sitting very still, watching me. Luna had a bored expression on her face, but Bubba was intent, and the moment I was standing he began rubbing around my legs.
“What do you want? Hello, Luna.” I reached down to scritch behind Bubba’s ears, then held my hand out to Luna, who sniffed it with ladylike disdain.
“Mrow.” Bubba headbutted my shin.
“Hasn’t Kelson fed you yet?” I suddenly realized I was naked. Bubba had seen me naked a lot over the years, but Luna hadn’t. Wait a minute, she’s a cat. He’s a cjinn. I could be wrapped up in a parka or butt naked and neither one would care either way.
With a laugh, I slipped my robe on, tied the belt, and then slid my feet into my slippers. “Come on, you two. Let’s go get some food in you.”
They followed me downstairs, where I found a note from Kelson.
All of our guests—Mr. Mosswood included—are out for breakfast. So I’m taking the opportunity to go grocery shopping. I’ll be back by nine. –K
“Well, that answers that.” I pulled out two cans of cat food from the cupboard and, with both Luna and Bubba milling around my feet, I spooned the food into Bubba’s dish and set it down for them while I looked for another one. Luna let out a sociable purp, but Bubba stood back, letting his girlfriend eat first. I was impressed. Bubba must have it bad, since he was usually a chowhound. Luna daintily stepped up to the bowl and began to eat. Bubba then took his place at the second dish I put down and they noshed in comfortable companionship.
I laughed, shaking my head. Right now, I needed things like seeing Bubba try to impress his girlfriend, and single red roses on my nightstand. A pang hit me as reality took over again, and I pulled out my schedule. I had a workout scheduled at four and, other than that, not much on my agenda for the day. I decided to call Max while waiting for the espresso machine to prime.
“Hey, Max. How’s Sandy this morning?”
He sounded tired. “Still unconscious. Still…out of reach. Jordan is researching what he can find out, but he told me that we need to find out where she came in contact with the ghost snail. That won’t help him cure her, but it may give him a clue as to what the hell is happening.”
“Want some help? I can come over and look. Kelson can keep an eye on the B&B.”
“Thanks, Maddy.” Max’s voice was rough, and I thought I caught a whiff of hopelessness in it. “Anything you can do to help, I’d appreciate.”
“I’ll be over after I’ve had breakfast. Tell the boys outside the house I’m on my way.” I hung up, staring at the phone in my hand. Today, we had to figure out who had been targeting Sandy. And whatever it took to discover, I was willing to do.
FRESHLY CAFFEINAED AND comfortably full from a roast beef sandwich, I gathered up Aegis’s notes that he had left for me and was about ready to head out for Sandy’s. I was wearing comfort clothes—a flowing gauze skirt, a halter top, and a pair of flip-flops.
Luna and Bubba were curled up in the corner by the window, stretching out in a sunbeam. I was about ready to shoo her out when the doorbell rang. A glance out the peephole told me it was a woman I didn’t recognize. She was human, that much I could see, and she had a scowl that put me instantly on guard.
“May I help you?”
“Hi, I’m Tina Parks. I’m from three houses down the street.” She looked uncomfortable.
“I’m Maddy. Won’t you come in?” I stood back to usher her in, but she frowned and shifted from foot to foot.
“I’d rather not. I just…have you seen my cat Luna? She’s a calico—”
I grinned. “With a very pretty pattern? Yes, she’s in my kitchen. She’s taken up with my boy Bubba, and they seem to like hanging out together.” I didn’t want to spread the word to strangers who lived near that I had a cjinn. That was an invitation for breaking and entering and cjinn-napping. “Did you want to take her home now?”
Tina shifted again. “Not exactly. She won’t be bothering you again.”
“She’s no bother,” I said. Then a premonition swept over me. I narrowed my eye
s. “Are you moving?”
Looking startled, Tina answered, “Well, yes. But…”
I could hear the end of that sentence as sure as I was hearing myself breathe. “So she’ll be moving to a new home.”
Again, the furtive look. “Not exactly…”
“Then you’re giving her away?” I wasn’t sure why I was badgering her, except I had a queasy feeling Luna was headed for a nasty end.
My badgering worked. “If you must know, I have a vet appointment to put her down today.”
My heart froze. “She’s sick?” It was bad enough that my own heart was heavy over my mother and Sandy. I couldn’t bear to see Bubba brokenhearted and little Luna banished to an untimely death.
“Not that I know of.” Tina let out a put-upon sigh. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m leaving the island. I’m divorcing my husband. He doesn’t want her and I can’t take her with me. I refuse to set her free—you have to admit, that’s cruel.” She shrugged. For all the expression in her voice, she might as well have told me she had to dump a quart of ice cream because she couldn’t eat it and her husband didn’t like it.
I stared at her. “You do know there are no-kill shelters on the island?”
“I don’t have time for this. Are you going to give me my cat or not?”
I froze, angry and trying to control my temper. “You know what? Leave her with me. I’ll give her a good home.”
Tina looked like she was about to say no, but I must have come on like an irresistible force because she shrugged. “Fine. That takes care of one problem. I don’t have time to bring over her things, though. They’ll be in the trash if you want them.” She gave me a sharp nod, turned, and jogged down the path.
I closed the door, disgusted. There were any number of reasons for surrendering a pet, but killing them because you didn’t want the bother of re-homing them? Oh hell no. I headed back into the kitchen. I might as well break the good news to Bubba. If Luna’s ex-owner cared as little for her as she seemed to, then Luna should adapt pretty well in a household where she’d get plenty of attention.